cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
An Overview of the NASA Aeronautics Test Program Strategic Plan

U.S. leadership in aeronautics depends on ready access to technologically advanced, efficient, and affordable aeronautics test capabilities. These systems include major wind tunnels and propulsion test facilities and flight test capabilities. The federal government owns the majority of the major aeronautics test capabilities in the United States, primarily through the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the Department of Defense (DoD), however an overarching strategy for management of these national assets was needed. Therefore, in Fiscal Year (FY) 2006 NASA established the Aeronautics Test Program (ATP) as a two-pronged strategic initiative to: (1) retain and invest in NASA aeronautics test capabilities considered strategically important to the agency and the nation, and (2) establish a strong, high level partnership with the DoD Test Resources Management Center (TRMC), stewards of the DoD test and evaluation infrastructure. Since then, approximately seventy percent of the ATP budget has been directed to underpin fixed and variable costs of facility operations within its portfolio and the balance towards strategic investments in its test facilities, including maintenance and capability upgrades. Also, a strong guiding coalition was established through the National Partnership for Aeronautics Testing (NPAT), with governance by the senior leadership of NASA s Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate (ARMD) and the DoD's TRMC. As part of its strategic planning, ATP has performed or participated in many studies and analyses, including assessments of major NASA and DoD aeronautics test capabilities, test facility condition evaluations and market research. The ATP strategy has also benefitted from unpublished RAND research and analysis by Ant n et al. (2009). Together, these various studies, reports and assessments serve as a foundation for a new, five year strategic plan that will guide ATP through FY 2014. Our vision for the future is a balanced portfolio of aeronautics ground and flight test capabilities that advance U.S. leadership in aeronautics in the short and long term. Key to the ATP vision is the concept of availability, not necessarily ownership; that is, NASA does not have to own and operate all facilities that are envisioned for future aeronautics testing. However, ATP will enable access to capabilities which are needed but not owned by NASA through strategic partnerships and reliance agreements. This paper will outline the major aspects of the ATP strategic plan for achieving its mission.
Site-directed Chemical Labeling of Extracellular Loops in a Membrane Protein: THE TOPOLOGY OF THE Na,K-ATPase α-SUBUNIT *

We have mapped the membrane topology of the renal Na,K-ATPase α-subunit by using a combination of introduced cysteine mutants and surface labeling with a membrane impermeable Cys-directed reagent, N-biotinylaminoethyl methanethiosulfonate. To begin our investigation, two cysteine residues (Cys911 and Cys964) in the wild-type α-subunit were substituted to create a background mutant devoid of exposed cysteines (Lutsenko, S., Daoud, S., and Kaplan, J. H. (1997) J. Biol. Chem. 272, 5249–5255). Into this background construct were then introduced single cysteines in each of the five putative extracellular loops (P118C, T309C, L793C, L876C, and M973C) and the resulting α-subunit mutants were co-expressed with the β-subunit in baculovirus-infected insect cells. All of our expressed Na,K-ATPase mutants were functionally active. Their ATPase, phosphorylation, and ouabain binding activities were measured, and the turnover of the phosphoenzyme intermediate was close to the wild-type enzyme, suggesting that they are folded properly in the infected cells. Incubation of the insect cells with the cysteine-selective reagent revealed essentially no labeling of the α-subunit of the background construct and labeling of all five mutants with single cysteine residues in putative extracellular loops. Two additional mutants, V969C and L976C, were created to further define the M9M10 loop. The lack of labeling for these two mutants showed that although Met973is apparently exposed, Val969 and Leu976 are not, demonstrating that this method may also be utilized to define membrane aqueous boundaries of membrane proteins. Our labeling studies are consistent with a specific 10-transmembrane segment model of the Na,K-ATPase α-subunit. This strategy utilized only functional Na,K-ATPase mutants to establish the membrane topology of the entire α-subunit, in contrast to most previously applied methods.
25 new r-self-orthogonal Latin squares

Abstract Two Latin squares of order n are r -orthogonal if their superposition produces exactly r distinct ordered pairs. If one of the two squares is the transpose of the other, we say that the square is r -self-orthogonal, denoted by r - SOLS ( n ) . It has been proved by Xu and Chang that the necessary and sufficient condition for the existence of an r - SOLS ( n ) is n ≤ r ≤ n 2 and r ∉ { n + 1 , n 2 − 1 } with 26 genuine exceptions and 26 possible exceptions. In this paper, we provide 25 new Latin squares to reduce the possible exceptions from 26 to one, i.e., ( n , r ) = ( 14 , 14 2 − 3 ) . We also provide an idempotent incomplete self-orthogonal Latin square (ISOLS) of order 26 with a hole of size 8.
MODELS OF ILLEGITIMACY: UNITED STATES, 1969

Three theoretical perspectives on illegitimacy, the anomic, the subgroup, and the demographic, are reviewed and compared. A composite causal model is then developed and estimated using areal data derived from the 1970 U.S. Census. While theoretical nonspecificity disallowed a definitive test, all three perspectives yielded valuable insight into the complex mechanisms underlying illegitimacy rates. Results indicate that variation in illegitimacy rates is systematically related to variation in social structure and that integration of the three positions should prove useful to further research.
Increasing Stearidonic Acid (SDA) in Modified Soybean Oil by Lipase-Mediated Acidolysis

The objective of this work was to synthesize a structured lipid (SL) enriched in stearidonic acid (SDA, C18:4 ω-3), from modified soybean oil (MSO) originally containing ~25% SDA. Low temperature crystallization (LTC) of MSO triacylglycerols (TAG) and free fatty acids (FFA) was performed. The TAG and FFA crystallization products (LTC-TAG and LTC-FFA, respectively) had SDA contents of 48.72 and 60.78%, respectively. Enzymatic acidolysis between MSO and LTC-FFA was studied utilizing Novozym 435 and Lipozyme TL IM as biocatalysts. Substrate molar ratio, incubation time, solvent, and enzyme load were explored. Equilibrium was reached at 96 and 48 h for Novozym 435 and Lipozyme TL IM-catalyzed reactions, respectively. The best conditions from these studies were also applied to the acidolysis of LTC-TAG and LTC-FFA. Utilizing Lipozyme TL IM and solvent free conditions, SLs with SDA contents of 37.61 ± 1.00% (20.86 ± 6.48% at sn-2 position) and 53.46 ± 1.85% SDA (36.37 ± 3.14% at sn-2 position) were obtained from the acidolysis reaction between MSO and LTC-FFA, and LTC-TAG and LTC-FFA, respectively. Compared to the original SDA content of MSO, this process leads to a 52 and 116% increase in SDA content, respectively.
Precipitation Modification By Major Urban Areas

Abstract Historical weather records at eight American urban areas of varying size, type, and climate were studied for indications of inadvertent precipitation modification. The six largest cities all had experienced warm seasonal rainfall increases of 9 to 17% during the 1955–70 period. The increases in the Midwest cities occurred largely with cold frontal systems, but in the coastal cities they were largely during air mass (non-frontal) conditions. The Midwest increases also were found to occur as enhancement, not initiation, of moderate to heavy rain days. Significant increases in summer thunder-day frequencies (13 to 41%,) and hail-day frequencies (90 to 450%) were found at the six largest cities, and the increases occurred largely in the morning hours. The typical locations of maxima in the Midwest cities were thunder over and near the city, and rain and hail 25 to 55 km downwind. The maxima of all events in coastal cities were in or near the city. Overall, the results suggest that urban precipitation...
Direct transition to turbulence in rotating Bénard convection

A transition from heat transfer by conduction directly to turbulent convective flow is observed in a rotating cryogenic B\'enard cell. Near the critical Rayleigh number the power spectra are characterized by broad features, falling off as approximately ${f}^{\ensuremath{-}4}$ at high frequencies. The turbulent flow at onset is predicted as a result of the K\"uppers-Lortz instability. We report new heat-transfer measurements of this instability, complementing previous visualization experiments, and also report preliminary effects of applying white-noise modulation.
Financial Outcomes in Transplantation—A Provider's Perspective

Despite a relatively large body of literature on health-care economics, including the economics of transplantation, there is a paucity of literature on financial outcomes of transplant procedures. Yet, there is a great need for transplant professionals to understand the financial elements of their transplant programs. These include, among others, reimbursement, cost and net income. This type of analysis requires a thorough understanding of the complex interactions between payers and providers of care and an understanding of accounting practices within the individual institution including the details of cost accounting. This minireview will address the essential components of the evaluation of financial outcomes in transplantation.
Atypical calcific tendinitis with cortical erosions.

Objective. To present and discuss six cases of calcific tendinitis in atypical locations (one at the insertion of the pectoralis major and five at the insertion of the gluteus maximus).
Indoor positioning system using WLAN multipath signals as fingerprints for mobile devices

The Global Positioning System (GPS) has eventually become a common positioning technology. While GPS enabled many applications, satellite signals have yet to overcome many obstacles to enable indoor positioning. Meanwhile, due to the wide deployment of Wireless Local Area Networks (WLAN) in recent years, WLAN positioning algorithms have become popular for mobile device positioning in indoor environments. The most accurate WLAN positioning algorithms exploit the so-called fingerprinting concept which consists of two stages. In the offline stage (training), the Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) from a set of available Access Points (AP) is measured for a number of reference locations and stored in a database. Due to the availability of many APs and the complex structure of indoor environments, this information is distinctive for each reference location and thus is called a position fingerprint. In the online stage (testing), a mobile device receives RSSIs from the APs and their fingerprint is compared to the fingerprints that are stored in the database for a best possible match. WLAN fingerprinting can provide high accuracy in indoor environments when there are many APs which ensure fingerprint uniqueness. This paper provides a novel approach to use WLAN multipath signals as possible fingerprints for positioning algorithms for applications with lower number of access points. The paper provides an initial study.
Computation of test results in a mammalian cell mutagenesis assay.

Abstract A set of TI-59 calculator programs is presented for use in mammalian cell mutation assays. Applicability of the programs is illustrated by measurement of mutation at the HGPRT locus using Chinese hamster ovary cells. The programs calculate cloning efficiencies, mutation yield, and mutation frequencies. Intermediate data stored on magnetic cards are used by additional subprograms to calculate standard statistical parameters and to perform significance tests using the t- and F-distributions.
Melanoma: adjuvant therapy and other treatment options.

Melanoma, diagnosed and treated at its earliest stages, can be successfully cured by surgery alone. However, when metastatic beyond the regional nodes, it is almost uniformly deadly. Adjuvant therapy targeted toward the treatment of microscopic residual disease after surgical resection is the subject of intense scientific investigation because this is the stage at which it is possible to have the greatest impact on diseasefree and overall survival. However, standard therapies commonly used for other solid tumors have had disappointing results in the treatment of melanoma in the adjuvant setting. These disappointing results have led researchers and clinicians to work to develop innovative treatment strategies for this disease, most of which center on the use of immunotherapy. The realm of cancer immunotherapy is broad and rapidly expanding; it encompasses strategies using immunomodulating agents, such as interferon and interleukin-2, in addition to a wide range of novel vaccination strategies for the induction of active antitumor immune responses. Although clinical trials continue to be conducted to sort out the safety and efficacy of a myriad of new treatment modalities and novel combinations of the old and the new, data indicate that high-dose interferonalfa2b should be offered to appropriately selected intermediate- and high-risk patients with melanoma not involved in an experimental protocol.
High-performance mass spectrometry: Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance at 14.5 Tesla.

We describe the design and current performance of a 14.5 T hybrid linear quadrupole ion trap Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometer. Ion masses are routinely determined at 4-fold better mass accuracy and 2-fold higher resolving power than similar 7 T systems at the same scan rate. The combination of high magnetic field and strict control of the number of trapped ions results in external calibration broadband mass accuracy typically less than 300 ppb rms, and a resolving power of 200 000 (m/Δm50% at m/z 400) is achieved at greater than 1 mass spectrum per second. Novel ion storage optics and methodology increase the maximum number of ions that can be delivered to the FTICR cell, thereby improving dynamic range for tandem mass spectrometry and complex mixture applications.
Evolution of plastid gene rps2 in a lineage of hemiparasitic and holoparasitic plants: Many losses of photosynthesis and complex patterns of rate variation

The plastid genomes of some nonphotosynthetic parasitic plants have experienced an extreme reduction in gene content and an increase in evolutionary rate of remaining genes. Nothing is known of the dynamics of these events or whether either is a direct outcome of the loss of photosynthesis. The parasitic Scrophulariaceae and Orobanchaceae, representing a continuum of heterotrophic ability ranging from photosynthetic hemiparasites to nonphotosynthetic holoparasites, are used to investigate these issues. We present a phylogenetic hypothesis for parasitic Scrophulariaceae and Orobanchaceae based on sequences of the plastid gene rps2, encoding the S2 subunit of the plastid ribosome. Parasitic Scrophulariaceae and Orobanchaceae form a monophyletic group in which parasitism can be inferred to have evolved once. Holoparasitism has evolved independently at least five times, with certain holoparasitic lineages representing single species, genera, and collections of nonphotosynthetic genera. Evolutionary loss of the photosynthetic gene rbcL is limited to a subset of holoparasitic lineages, with several holoparasites retaining a full length rbcL sequence. In contrast, the translational gene rps2 is retained in all plants investigated but has experienced rate accelerations in several hemi- as well as holoparasitic lineages, suggesting that there may be substantial molecular evolutionary changes to the plastid genome of parasites before the loss of photosynthesis. Independent patterns of synonymous and nonsynonymous rate acceleration in rps2 point to distinct mechanisms underlying rate variation in different lineages. Parasitic Scrophulariaceae (including the traditional Orobanchaceae) provide a rich platform for the investigation of molecular evolutionary process, gene function, and the evolution of parasitism.
Self concept in people with Williams syndrome and Prader–Willi syndrome

Abstract This study explored self concepts in matched groups of adolescents and adults with Williams syndrome (WS) and Prader–Willi syndrome (PWS), using Damon and Hart’s [Self-understanding in Childhood and Adolescence, Cambridge University Press, New York, 1988] semi-structured interview. The main findings were that the WS participants were more productive in their responses to the interview, providing more self characteristics. The WS group also used more social and psychological categories in describing their self concept, and their responses were in general at a higher level than the responses for the PWS group. There were significant age-group differences, with the adolescents offering more self descriptions that were coded as physical and active, whereas the adults gave more social and psychological responses. Different themes were emphasized in the interviews from the two groups. These themes reflected the distinct phenotypes associated with these disorders, the participants life experiences, and their overall attitudes toward their syndrome.
Functionally redundant peg sensilla on the scorpion pecten

All scorpions have two mid-ventral organs called pectines. Each pecten has thousands of pore-tipped sensilla sensitive to a variety of volatile organic and water-based stimulants. However, it was previously unknown whether individual sensilla were functionally identical or different. The information enhancement hypothesis predicts that all sensilla have similar chemosensitivities such that each is a unit of a parallel processing system. The information segmentation hypothesis states that sensilla differ in their chemosensitivities, a functional arrangement akin to the glomeruli-specific chemical detection system in the moth or human olfactory sense. In this study, we tested these hypotheses by extracellularly tip-recording sensillar responses to three aqueous tastants: 0.01 M KCl, 0.1 M citric acid, and 40% ethanol by volume. We isolated stimulation to one sensillum at a time and compared the chemoresponses. Sensilla appeared to respond similarly to the same stimulant (i.e., sensillar tip-recordings revealed activity of the same cell types), although sometimes a few sensilla responded with higher spike rates than the others. We conclude that our data primarily support the information enhancement hypothesis but for future tests of sensillar function we suggest a new hybrid model, which proposes that a few specialized sensilla exist among a mostly uniform field of identical sensilla.
Effects of Acetazolamide (Diamox), Ethoxzolamide and High Levels of CO2 on Carbonic Anhydrase, Photosystem Activity, and Oxygen Evolution in Euglena gracilis

Investigations using steady-state culture conditions indicate that carbonic anhydrase activity is correlated to the photosynthetic rate in Euglena in some but not all circumstances. When cultures grown with 5% CO2 were changed to air growth, the photosynthetic rate was independent of the carbonic anhydrase activity. While experiments using the inhibitor acetazolamide indicated a close correlation between photosynthetic capacity and carbonic anhydrase activity, the inhibitor was found to be nonspecific. Acetazolamide altered photosystem activities directly as measured by the photoreduction of DCPIP in chloroplast preparations, whole-cell fluorescence transients of chlorophyll a, and by whole chain photoelectron flow. Ethoxzolamide, another inhibitor of carbonic anhydrase, was also found to inhibit photosystem activities, i.e., the photoreduction of DCPIP, and in vivo photoelectron flow, at high concentrations. Cells grown in 5% CO2 were less sensitive to the effects of acetazolamide than cells exposed to air. The rate of electron flow in chloroplasts from cells grown with 5% CO2 and exposed to 10 mM acetazolamide was 2.5-fold faster than that of chloroplasts from air-grown cells exposed to the same concentration of inhibitor. The whole cell chlorophyll a fluorescence transients of cultures grown with high CO2 were completely different from those of air-grown cells and also showed fewer effects on exposure to acetazolamide. These results suggest a reevaluation of the hypothesis that carbonic anhydrase activity regulates photosynthesis. It is also apparent that results from air-grown and 5% CO2-grown cultures cannot be directly compared in such studies.
An approximate solution for scattering by thin dielectric objects

Scattering from thin dielectric objects is a classic research topic in electromagnetics which has found a number of useful applications. A traditional approach is to model thin dielectrics with resistive sheets, and for several canonical geometries of resistive sheet bodies, exact solutions are found (Senior, T.B.A. and Volakis, J.L., 1995). However, for many important geometries such as disks, exact solutions are not known and approximate solutions may be applicable to limited cases of interest. A new approximate solution is formulated based on a volumetric integral equation using Fourier transform, and it is shown that the solution is uniformly valid from low to high frequencies at all incidence angles, including edge-on incidence. Validity of the solution is demonstrated through a comparison with canonical objects such as an infinite dielectric slab, and a number of 2D and 3D dielectric scatterers. For 2D and 3D scatterers, the approximate solution is compared with a method of moments solution.
Band limits and the vibrational spectra of tetrahedral glasses

The primary features of the Raman and infrared spectra of $A{X}_{2}$ tetrahedral glasses are associated with the edges of the vibrational bands calculated by Sen and Thorpe. The dominant Raman peak is assigned to a singular matrix element rather than a peak in the density of vibrational states. Simple expressions are developed which yield useful values of the vibrational force constants and intertetrahedral angles for vitreous Si${\mathrm{O}}_{2}$, Ge${\mathrm{O}}_{2}$, and Be${\mathrm{F}}_{2}$.
Microporosity and production potential in ooids: Mesozoic and paleozoic of Texas

Micritized ooids consisting of euhedral calcite rhombs 1 to 5 microns across are described from ooid grainstones and packstones of Ordovician to Jurassic age from 4 outcrops, 3 cores, and 7 suites of well cuttings in Texas. Microporosity within the micritized ooids may be greater than 15 percent, with permeabilities up to about 1 millidarcy. Micritization of the ooids described here was not caused by leaching, but may have occurred during mineralogical stabilization from aragonite to calcite.
EGF Receptor Activates MET through MAPK to Enhance Non–Small Cell Lung Carcinoma Invasion and Brain Metastasis

MET amplification as a mechanism of acquired resistance to EGF receptor (EGFR)-targeted therapies in non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) led to investigation of novel combinations of EGFR and MET kinase inhibitors. However, promiscuous interactions between MET and ERBB family members have made it difficult to evaluate the effects of MET on EGFR signaling, both independent of drug treatment and in the context of drug resistance. We addressed this issue by establishing a 32D model cell system wherein ERBBs or MET are expressed alone and in combination. Using this model, we determined that EGFR signaling is sufficient to induce MET phosphorylation, although MET activation is enhanced by coexpression of ERBB3. EGFR-MET cross-talk was not direct, but occurred by a combined regulation of MET levels and intermediary signaling through mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK). In NSCLCs harboring either wild-type or mutant EGFR, inhibiting EGFR or MAPK reduced MET activation and protein levels. Furthermore, MET signaling promoted EGFR-driven migration and invasion. Finally, EGFR-MET signaling was enhanced in a highly metastatic EGFR-mutant cell subpopulation, compared with the indolent parental line, and MET attenuation decreased the incidence of brain metastasis. Overall, our results establish that EGFR-MET signaling is critical for aggressive behavior of NSCLCs and rationalize its continued investigation as a therapeutic target for tumors harboring both wild-type and mutant EGFR at early stages of progression.
The Microfoundations of the Keynesian Multiplier Process

A theoretical foundation for the Keynesian multiplier process is derived from a simple model in which economic interactions are coordinated by a decentralized and self-organizing network of adaptive business enterprises. Deviation amplification arises from business failures that interrupt the flow of trading, and does not depend directly on lack of price-flexibility. Numerically the model produces almost the same hump-shaped impulse-response pattern as exhibited by GDP data in the United States.
Nuclear Radii from Antiproton Measurements

The existing measurements of the antiproton cross sections are summarized, and the experiments by which they were obtained are reviewed. (W.D.M.)
De Novo Prediction of P-Glycoprotein-Mediated Efflux Liability for Druglike Compounds

P-glycoprotein (Pgp) is capable of recognizing and transporting a wide range of chemically diverse compounds in vivo. Overcoming Pgp-mediated efflux can represent a significant challenge when penetration into the central nervous system is required or within the context of developing anticancer therapies. While numerous in silico models have been developed to predict Pgp-mediated efflux, these models rely on training sets and are best suited to make interpolations. Therefore, it is desirable to develop ab initio models that can be used to predict efflux liabilities. Herein, we present a de novo method that can be used to predict Pgp-mediated efflux potential for druglike compounds. A model, which correlates the computed solvation free energy differences obtained in water and chloroform with Pgp-mediated efflux (in logarithmic scale), was successful in predicting Pgp efflux ratios for a wide range of chemically diverse compounds with a R2 and root-mean-square error of 0.65 and 0.29, respectively.
Carbonitridation of Fly Ash. 4. Hydrolysis of Nitrided Fly Ash

Hydrolysis experiments of the nitrided fly ash were carried out in dilute aqueous suspensions. An ammonium electrode and a pH electrode were used to measure the extent of the hydrolysis. For comparison purposes, hydrolysis studies were also performed for the commercially available nitrides. At the initial stage of the hydrolysis, a linear relationship exists between the hydroxide concentration and the hydrolysis time. Accordingly, a slope can be extracted from this linear relationship. A comparison of the slopes could be an effective method to evaluate the extent of the hydrolysis of nitride particles. A novel application of the nitrided fly ash is revealed in this paper. The ammonia released slowly from the hydrolysis of the nitrided fly ash has the potential to be a very good nitrogen fertilizer. Certain salts can slow the hydrolysis of the nitrided fly ash, as for example calcium carbonate, and a slow ammonia release can be achieved.
Examples of How Fundamental Knowledge can Improve Steelmaking: Desulphurisation Kinetics Calcium and Modification

Sulphur control is an essential part of steel production. This paper summarises two aspects of sulphur in secondary metallurgy. First, it is shown that silicon can contribute to ladle desulphurisation if the ladle slag is low in silica; the effect of silicon is primarily on the equilibrium sulphur level, rather than a specific kinetic effect. Second, sulphur is shown to capture calcium (as calcium sulphide) upon calcium injection to modify inclusions. In steels with less than approximately 100 ppm sulphur, the calcium sulphide subsequently back-reacts with alumina inclusions, to modify the oxide inclusions to calcium aluminates.
Targeted Nanoparticles Deliver siRNA to Melanoma

Melanoma is a severe skin cancer that often leads to death. To examine the potential of small interfering RNA (siRNA) therapy for melanoma, we have developed anisamide-targeted nanoparticles that can systemically deliver siRNA into the cytoplasm of B16F10 murine melanoma cells, which express the sigma receptor. A c-Myc siRNA delivered by the targeted nanoparticles effectively suppressed c-Myc expression in the tumor and partially inhibited tumor growth. More significant tumor growth inhibition was observed with nanoparticles composed of N , N -distearyl- N -methyl- N -2-( N ′-arginyl) aminoethyl ammonium chloride (DSAA), a guanidinium-containing cationic lipid, than with a commonly used cationic lipid, 1,2-dioleoyl-3-trimethylammonium-propane (DOTAP). Three daily injections of c-Myc siRNA formulated in the targeted nanoparticles containing DSAA could impair tumor growth, and the ED 50 of c-Myc siRNA was about 0.55mgkg −1 . The targeted DSAA nanoparticles containing c-Myc siRNA sensitized B16F10 cells to paclitaxel (Taxol), resulting in a complete inhibition of tumor growth for 1 week. Treatments of c-Myc siRNA in the targeted nanoparticles containing DSAA also showed significant inhibition on the growth of MDA-MB-435 tumor. The enhanced anti-melanoma activity is probably related to the fact that DSAA, but not DOTAP, induced reactive oxygen species, triggered apoptosis, and downregulated antiapoptotic protein Bcl-2 in B16F10 melanoma cells. Thus, the targeted nanoparticles containing c-Myc siRNA may serve as an effective therapeutic agent for melanoma.
Improving Participant Feedback to Continuing Medical Education Presenters in Internal Medicine: A Mixed-Methods Study

BACKGROUND Feedback is essential for improving the skills of continuing medical education (CME) presenters. However, there has been little research on improving the quality of feedback to CME presenters.
Interactions and regulation of molecular motors in Xenopus melanophores.

Many cellular components are transported using a combination of the actin- and microtubule-based transport systems. However, how these two systems work together to allow well-regulated transport is not clearly understood. We investigate this question in the Xenopus melanophore model system, where three motors, kinesin II, cytoplasmic dynein, and myosin V, drive aggregation or dispersion of pigment organelles called melanosomes. During dispersion, myosin V functions as a “molecular ratchet” to increase outward transport by selectively terminating dynein-driven minus end runs. We show that there is a continual tug-of-war between the actin and microtubule transport systems, but the microtubule motors kinesin II and dynein are likely coordinated. Finally, we find that the transition from dispersion to aggregation increases dynein-mediated motion, decreases myosin V–mediated motion, and does not change kinesin II–dependent motion. Down-regulation of myosin V contributes to aggregation by impairing its ability to effectively compete with movement along microtubules.
Floating-point division and square root using a Taylor-series expansion algorithm

Hardware support for floating-point (FP) arithmetic is a mandatory feature of modern microprocessor design. Although division and square root are relatively infrequent operations in traditional general-purpose applications, they are indispensable and becoming increasingly important in many modern applications. Therefore, overall performance can be greatly affected by the algorithms and the implementations used for designing FP-div and FP-sqrt units. In this paper, a fused floating-point multiply/divide/square root unit based on Taylor-series expansion algorithm is proposed. We extended an existing multiply/divide fused unit to incorporate the square root function with little area and latency overhead since Taylor's theorem enables us to compute approximations for many well-known functions with very similar forms. The proposed arithmetic unit exhibits a reasonably good area- performance balance.
Malleable templates: reshaping our crystallized skills to create new outcomes.

Even well-practiced skills show trial-by-trial variations. A study in Nature suggests that such variability may be adaptive, allowing for plasticity in apparently crystallized skills, which should therefore be considered more like templates.
Providing safe drinking water: a challenge for humanity

The importance of continuing the development of a safe water supply for humanity across the globe cannot be overstressed. Safe water is necessary for health and well being and is a basic human right. Historically, in industrialized countries, virtually all diseases, such as cholera, polio, and typhoid fever were eliminated in communities where safe and clean drinking water was made available. The same would be the case in developing countries if safe and clean water supplies were to become available. No amount of medical supplies or healthcare facilities can achieve such a goal at a reasonable cost. Developing water systems that allow over six billion people to have access to safe and clean water is no small feat. The efforts of governments and international organizations such as UNICEF and the World Health Organization (WHO) have provided over one billion people access to clean water which they otherwise would not have had, however, there still remains over one billion people who do not have access to safe water supply. According to the 2008 UNICEF ‘‘Handbook on Water Quality,’’ insufficient water supplies coupled with poor sanitation causes 3.4 million deaths per year, which translates into someone dying every 10 s. The majority of these deaths occur in children due to their higher susceptibility to catching diseases.
Chronic benzodiazepine administration. VII. Behavioral tolerance and withdrawal and receptor alterations associated with clonazepam administration.

Clonazepam administration may lead to tolerance and “withdrawal” syndromes in clinical use. To assess the effects of this drug in a mouse model, we administered clonazepam (1.5 mg/kg/day) for 1–14 days and evaluated open-field activity, cortical clonazepam concentrations, and binding and function at the GABAA receptor. We also evaluated the same parameters at 1, 2, 4 and 7 days after discontinuation of 7 days of clonazepam administration. During chronic treatment, tolerance developed to the effects of clonazepam on motor activity at 7 days and persisted to 14 days. Cortical clonazepam concentrations did not change significantly during this period. Benzodiazepine receptor binding in vivo was decreased in cortex at days 7 and 14 of clonazepam, but was unchanged in other regions. Binding determined in vitro was also decreased at these points. TBPS (t-butylbicyclophosphorothionate) binding in cortex was slightly, but not significantly, decreased. Muscimol-stimulated chloride uptake was also decreased at days 7 and 14. After clonazepam discontinuation, open-field activity returned to control values at 1 day but was increased above baseline at 4 days. Benzodiazepine binding in vivo and in vitro, as well as TBPS binding, were increased at 4 days. Muscimol-stimulated chloride uptake was also increased at this point. These results indicate that chronic clonazepam administration is associated with tolerance to motoric effects, with discontinuation effects, and with receptor alterations in a mouse model. Clonazepam is similar to other benzodiazepines in this regard.
Food ingestion by the marine planktonic copepod Paracalanus in relation to abundance and size distribution of food

Juveniles and adult females were presented a food spectrum of three algae of different sizes (4.5, 12 and 20 μm cell width). The increase in rate of ingestion of the medium-sized alga with an increase in copepod size was significantly greater than the increase in rate of ingestion of the small alga. It is hypothesized that the perception of chemical signals from the small alga by a copepod decreases as the copepod moults from stage to stage. The rate of ingestion of the large alga by copepod stage V (CV) and adult females was lower than the rate of ingestion of the medium-sized alga at mid- and high phytoplankton concentrations. The amount of nitrogen ingested when the medium-sized alga alone was offered was either higher than (≦stage C II) or not significantly different from that when the three algae were offered together (≧stage C IV). Ingestion rates are reduced when there is a multialgal food source. This implies that there is increased stability in the ocean because multiparticle food sources are more slowly depleted than unialgal foods. Weight-specific ingestion rates of copepods fed the three algae simultaneously increased from nauplius to stage C III and then decreased as adulthood approached. The contribution of the small alga to the total amount of nitrogen ingesied was greatest for naupliar stages while the contribution of the medium-sized cells was greater for later stages. The largest alga was readily ingested by stage C V and adult females but never contributed more than 25% of the nitrogen ingested. Eight to 12% of the nitrogen ingested by adult females was from the small alga. It is hypothesized that the algal cell size for maximum nitrogen ingestion in upwelled waters is relatively small, round or square and close to the size threshold below which adult females do not sense individual cells.
Porous waveguide in the Kretschmann configuration for small molecule detection

In this work, we theoretically and experimentally demonstrate a highly sensitive porous silicon membrane waveguide biosensor in the Kretschmann configuration, and show how the cladding material directly impacts the waveguide sensor detection sensitivity and resonance width. Dielectric and metal-clad porous waveguides in the Kretchmann configuration have the potential to achieve significantly enhanced performance for small molecule detection compared to planar waveguide and surface plasmon resonance sensors due to increased surface area and strong field confinement in the porous waveguide layer. First order perturbation theory calculations predict that the quality factors of polymer-cladded porous silicon waveguides with porous silicon losses less than ~500 dB/cm are at least two times larger than the quality factors of gold-cladded porous silicon waveguides and traditional surface plasmon resonance sensors.
Structural heterogeneity in epoxies

The effects of different cure procedures on the structure and properties of epoxy samples made from diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A (DGEBA) and mixtures of two linear aliphatic diamines were studied. The elastic modulus, fracture toughness, impact resistance, and glass transition temperature were determined for various cure schemes. The morphologies of the cured resins were characterized with small angle X-ray scattering. The results show that samples with the same average morphology (molecular network structure) have similar elastic moduli and glass transition temperatures. If some heterogeneity is introduced in the molecular network structure without changing the average structure, however, the experiments indicate that the toughness can be increased without significantly sacrificing other properties.
Decisions on Energy Demand Response Option Contracts in Smart Grids Based on Activity-Based Costing and Stochastic Programming

Smart grids enable a two-way energy demand response capability through which a utility company offers its industrial customers various call options for energy load curtailment. If a customer has the capability to accurately determine whether to accept an offer or not, then in the case of accepting an offer, the customer can earn both an option premium to participate, and a strike price for load curtailments if requested. However, today most manufacturing companies lack the capability to make the correct contract decisions for given offers. This paper proposes a novel decision model based on activity-based costing (ABC) and stochastic programming, developed to accurately evaluate the impact of load curtailments and determine as to whether or not to accept an energy load curtailment offer. The proposed model specifically targets state-transition flexible and Quality-of-Service (QoS) flexible energy use activities to reduce the peak energy demand rate. An illustrative example with the proposed decision model under a call-option based energy demand response scenario is presented. As shown from the example results, the proposed decision model can be used with emerging smart grid opportunities to provide a competitive advantage to the manufacturing industry.
Topography of the inhibitory and excitatory responses to transcranial magnetic stimulation in a hand muscle

We studied the excitatory motor evoked potentials (MEPs) and the inhibitory (silent period) responses to focal transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) in the abductor pollicis brevis (APB) of 5 normal subjects to learn whether the scalp topography of the two responses differed. At the scalp location where stimulation produced the highest-amplitude MEP in the voluntarily activated APB, stimulus intensities below the MEP threshold produced silent periods with little or no preceding facilitation. The silent periods had a mean duration of 26.8 +/- 6.8 msec and a mean onset latency of 27.6 +/- 3.6 msec, which was 7.2 +/- 2.3 msec longer than the latency of MEPs produced in the APB by higher stimulus intensities. A period of excitation, with an onset latency of 50-80 msec, often followed the silent period. On averaged trials, a stimulus intensity just above the threshold of the MEP at its optimal position produced MEPs followed by silent periods at a cluster of scalp locations 1 cm apart on the central scalp (medial area) and silent periods with very slight or no preceding facilitation in 3-9 locations lateral to the MEP area (lateral area). This finding was confirmed in 3 subjects with maps constructed from statistical analysis of multiple trials. These maps also showed that MEPs produced from the medial area occurred 4-6 msec earlier than those produced from the lateral area. The integral of the silent period tended to be larger in the lateral area. The motor representation of APB, as defined by TMS, is not homogeneous but rather contains at least two components that differ physiologically and topographically.
A numerical method for two dimensional unsteady reacting flows

In this paper we present a method that numerically solves the full two-dimensional, time-dependent Navier-Stokes equations with species transport, mixing, and chemical reaction between species. The generality of the formulation permits the solution of flows in which deflagrations, detonations, or transitions from deflagration to detonation are found. The solution procedure is embodied in the RICE computer program. RICE is an Eulerian finite difference computer code that uses the Implicit Continuous-fluid Eulerian (ICE) technique to solve the governing equations. We first present the differential equations of motion and the solution procedure of the RICE program. Next, a method is described for artificially thickening the combustion zone to dimensions resolvable by the computational mesh. This is done in such a way that the physical flame speed and jump conditions across the flame front are preserved. Finally, the results of two example calculations are presented. In the first, the artificial thickening technique is used to solve a one-dimensional laminar flame problem. In the second, the results of a full two-dimensional calculation of unsteady combustion in two connected chambers are detailed.
Robots and the changing workforce

The use of robotic workers is likely to continue to increase as time passes. Hence it is crucial to examine the types of effects this occurrence could have on employment patterns. Invariably, as new job opportunities emerge due to robotic innovations, others will be closed off. Further, the characteristics of the workforce in terms of age, education, and income could profoundly change as a result.
α-Catenin and IQGAP Regulate Myosin Localization to Control Epithelial Tube Morphogenesis in Dictyostelium

Apical actomyosin activity in animal epithelial cells influences tissue morphology and drives morphogenetic movements during development. The molecular mechanisms leading to myosin II accumulation at the apical membrane and its exclusion from other membranes are poorly understood. We show that in the nonmetazoan Dictyostelium discoideum, myosin II localizes apically in tip epithelial cells that surround the stalk, and constriction of this epithelial tube is required for proper morphogenesis. IQGAP1 and its binding partner cortexillin I function downstream of α- and β-catenin to exclude myosin II from the basolateral cortex and promote apical accumulation of myosin II. Deletion of IQGAP1 or cortexillin compromises epithelial morphogenesis without affecting cell polarity. These results reveal that apical localization of myosin II is a conserved morphogenetic mechanism from nonmetazoans to vertebrates and identify a hierarchy of proteins that regulate the polarity and organization of an epithelial tube in a simple model organism.
Registered nurse job satisfaction and collective bargaining unit membership status

Objective To examine differences in job satisfaction levels between registered nurses who were or were not members of a nursing collective bargaining unit. Background The nursing shortage could lead to decreased quality of patient care, heavier workloads, and mandatory overtime, resulting in decreased job satisfaction and increased intent to leave. Nursing collective bargaining units use contracts to help decrease patient workload, decrease and eliminate mandatory overtime, increase pay and benefits, and increase job security. Exploring differences in job satisfaction between nurses who are and are not members of collective bargaining units is pertinent to understanding the retention and recruitment of nurses. Methods A descriptive secondary analysis using a survey database from the Minnesota Department of Health. The survey, which included a job satisfaction section largely based on the Index of Work Satisfaction, was sent in 2002 to 3,645 registered nurses in Minnesota. Results Members of collective bargaining units had higher satisfaction with wages. Nonmembers had higher satisfaction with nursing supervision, patient care, work setting, professional relationships, and overall job satisfaction. Conclusions There is a need for interventions in institutions with collective bargaining units to improve job satisfaction, nurse retention, and job recruitment.