cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Querying graph databases

Real life data can often be modeled as graphs, in which nodes represent objects and edges indicate their relationships. Large graph datasets are common in many emerging applications. To fully exploit the wealth of information encoded in graphs, systems for managing and analyzing graph data are critical. To address the need of complex analysis on graph data, this thesis presents a graph querying toolkit, called Periscope/GQ. This toolkit is built on top of a commodity RDBMS. It provides a uniform schema for storing graphs and supports various graph query operations. Users can easily combine several operations to perform complex analysis on graphs. The key feature of Periscope/GQ is the support of various sophisticated graph query operations besides the simple ones like node/edge selection and path search. In particular, this thesis focuses on two classes of sophisticated queries: graph matching and graph summarization. The database community has largely focus on exact graph matching problems. However, due to the noisy and incomplete nature of real graph datasets, approximate, rather than exact graph matching is required. This thesis presents a novel approximate graph matching technique, called SAGA. SAGA employs a flexible graph similarity model and utilizes an index-based matching algorithm to efficiently evaluate matching queries. SAGA is effective and efficient for small query graphs (with tens of nodes and edges), but is expensive when applied to large query graphs (with hundreds to thousands of nodes and edges). To handle large query graphs, TALE is proposed. TALE employs a novel indexing technique, which achieves high pruning power and scales linearly with the database sizes. The matching algorithm utilizes the index to first match the important nodes in the query, and then extends them to produce large graph matches. Graph summarization techniques are useful for understanding underlying characteristics of graphs. To summarize large graphs, this thesis introduces an aggregation method. This method produces summary graphs by grouping nodes based on user-selected node attributes and relationships. It further allows users to control the resolutions of summaries, and provides the “drill-down” and “roll-up” abilities to navigate through summaries with different resolutions.
Development and validation of a simple, fast, and sensitive LC/MS/MS method for the quantification of oxfendazole in human plasma and its application to clinical pharmacokinetic study.

Abstract The most popular standard treatments for soil transmitted helminths in humans including mebendazole, albendazole, levamisole, and pyrantel pamoate, show greatly variable efficacy against different species of parasites and have unfavorable pharmacokinetic characteristics, such as short half-life. The transition of oxfendazole, a potent broad-spectrum anthelmintic with long half-life, from veterinary medicine to human use has been considered as a promising approach. However, analytical methods for the quantitative detection of oxfendazole in human matrix are very limited and lack sensitivity. In this study, we have developed a high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) method for the quantification of oxfendazole in human plasma using albendazole as an internal standard. The established method was fully validated with lower limit of quantitation (LLOQ) of 0.5 ng/mL and linearity in the range of 0.5–1000 ng/mL; intra-day and inter-day accuracies ranged from 2.6 to 9.5% for 3 quality control levels (1.5 ng/mL, 75 ng/mL, and 750 ng/mL) and LLOQ; intra-day and inter-day precision was ≤13.6% for quality controls and ≤15.1% for LLOQ; matrix factor and extraction recovery were consistent with coefficient of variation of less than 15.0%. Other parameters including matrix selectivity, injection carryover, reinjection reproducibility, hemolysis effect, interference of analyte with internal standard, dilution integrity, freeze/thaw stability, whole blood stability, and stock solution stability were also validated and met the acceptance criteria. The assay was successfully applied to quantify oxfendazole plasma concentration in healthy adult volunteers after the administration of multiple oral doses of oxfendazole.
Adolescent males with atypical anorexia nervosa and premorbid obesity: three case reports.

Premorbid obesity is an identified risk factor for eating disorder (ED) development among adolescent males. However, pervasive gender- and weight-related biases about ED inhibit timely diagnosis and treatment among this demographic. This study examined the psychological and medical characteristics of three adolescent males with premorbid obesity who were not diagnosed with atypical anorexia nervosa (AAN) until medical sequelae of malnutrition warranted emergent hospitalization. Factors associated with diagnostic delays among these cases were identified to facilitate increased awareness of this at-risk demographic. Retrospective chart review was conducted on three adolescent males (aged 12–17) with AAN and premorbid obesity who were medically hospitalized for 13–24 days (M = 20.3, SD = 9.7). Demographic variables, psychological characteristics, and physical data were extracted. Each case presented at normal or overweight BMI status (M = 22.7 kg/m2, SD = 3.2) following a significant loss of weight ranging from 19 to 42% of total body mass (M = 31.7%, SD = 9.5) over 5–12 months (M = 8.3, SD = 2.9). Plausible factors associated with diagnostic delays included initial weight loss recommendations by a medical provider, with little support or oversight; limited insight that symptoms were problematic; social reinforcement of dieting behaviors; low prevalence of psychiatric comorbidity; parental obesity; and parental history of bariatric surgery. These cases elucidate the importance of close follow-up of youth with obesity who are encouraged to lose weight. Further education about AAN among males with premorbid obesity is crucial for timely diagnosis and intervention.
Geometric optimization of riblet-textured surfaces for drag reduction in laminar boundary layer flows

Micro-scale riblets are shown to systematically modify viscous skin friction in laminar flows at high Reynolds numbers. The textured denticles of native sharkskin are widely cited as a natural example of this passive drag reduction mechanism. Since the structure of a viscous boundary layer evolves along the plate, the local frictional drag changes are known empirically to be a function of the length of the plate in the flow direction, as well as the riblet spacing, and the ratio of the height to spacing of the riblets. Here, we aim to establish a canonical theory for high Reynolds number laminar flow over V-groove riblets to explore the self-similarity of the velocity profiles and the evolution of the total frictional drag exerted on plates of different lengths. Scaling analysis, conformal mapping, and numerical calculations are combined to show that the potential drag reduction achieved using riblet surfaces depends on an appropriately rescaled form of the Reynolds number and on the aspect ratio of the riblets (defined in terms of the ratio of the height to spacing of the texture). We show that riblet surfaces require a scaled Reynolds number lower than a maximum threshold to be drag-reducing and that the change in drag is a nonmonotonic function of the aspect ratio of the riblet texture. This physical scaling and the computational results presented here can be used to explain the underlying physical mechanism of this mode of passive drag reduction to rationalize the geometric dimensions of shark denticles, as well as the results of experiments with shark denticle replicas of various sizes, and guide designs for optimizing the textural parameters that result in friction-reducing surfaces.
Exercise and Protein Supplementation for Prevention and Treatment of Sarcopenia

Sarcopenia results in disability and negatively impacts older adults’ ability to live independently. The purpose of this review is to summarize the recent literature regarding the effectiveness of exercise and nutritional supplementation as a treatment for sarcopenia. A number of recent studies demonstrated improvements in muscle mass and function in sarcopenic adults through resistance training and combination resistance+aerobic exercise training. Variability in program design, duration, and intensity leads to inconsistent findings in the literature. The addition of protein supplementation to resistance training appears to lead to more consistent improvements in muscle mass and function in sarcopenia. Appropriately dosed exercise and dietary interventions improve muscle mass and function. Whether sarcopenia can be “cured” through these interventions, or if improved function and prevention of further declines should be the treatment goal, is unknown. Future research is needed to optimize the exercise prescription for treatment of sarcopenia.
Who Are "Unrepresented" Patients and What Count as "Important" Medical Decisions for Them?

Unrepresented patients are hospital patients who lack decision-making capacity but have no advance directive and no one to serve as a legally authorized surrogate. An important first step in efforts to change the law and develop organizational policies that help respond to these patients’ needs is determining which patients should be considered unrepresented and which aspects of hospital care should receive attention. This article proposes working definitions of unrepresented patient and important medical decisions based on the work of one statewide initiative
Dispersal and nutrient limitations of decomposition above the forest floor: Evidence from experimental manipulations of epiphytes and macronutrients

Decomposition is a major component of global carbon cycling. However, approximately 50% of wood necromass and a small proportion of leaf litter do not contact the forest floor, and the factors that regulate the decomposition above the forest floor are largely untested. We hypothesized that separation from soil resources causes slower decomposition rates above the forest floor. Specifically, we tested whether slower decomposition results from decreased nutrient availability (the nutrient limitation hypothesis) and/or microbial dispersal limitation (the dispersal limitation hypothesis) in the absence of soil resources. We tested these hypotheses by combining experimental manipulations of epiphytes and macronutrient fertilization with elemental analyses and community metabarcoding (fungi and prokaryotes). Specifically, we compared wood stick and cellulose decomposition among three treatments: an unaltered trunk section, an epiphyte mat, and a ‘removal treatment’ where an epiphyte mat was removed to test the effect of soil resources. We also performed a factorial fertilization experiment to test the effects of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) on the decomposition of suspended cellulose. Decomposition rates were fastest on the epiphyte mats, intermediate in the removal treatment and slowest in the controls. Phosphorus addition increased decomposition rates in the fertilization experiment, and greater P concentrations, along with some micronutrients, were associated with increased rates of decomposition on the epiphyte mats and in the removal treatments. Locally dispersed fungi dominated the wood stick communities, indicating that fungal dispersal is limited in the canopy, and fungal saprotrophs were associated with increased rates of decomposition on the epiphytes. These experiments show that slowed decomposition above the forest floor is caused, in part, by separation from soil resources. Moreover, our findings provide support for both the nutrient limitation and dispersal limitation hypotheses and indicate that mechanisms regulating canopy‐level decomposition differ from those documented on the forest floor. This demonstrates the need for a holistic approach to decomposition that considers the vertical position of necromass as it decomposes. Further experimentation is necessary to quantify interactions between community assembly processes, nutrient availability, substrate traits, and microclimate. A free Plain Language Summary can be found within the Supporting Information of this article.
Accurate Computation of Interval Volume Measures for Improving Histograms

The interval volume measure is defined as the volume of the space occupied by a range of isosurfaces corresponding to an interval of isovalues. The interval volume measures are very useful since they can be taken as an alternative way of producing a smooth noise-suppressing histogram. This paper proposes two new methods (i.e., the subdividing method and the slicing method) that can calculate interval volume measures with very high accuracy for scalar regular-grid volumetric datasets. It is assumed that the underlying function inside the grid cell is defined by trilinear interpolation. A refined histogram method that can produce accurate interval volume measures is also presented in the paper. All three methods are compared against one another in terms of accuracy and performance. Their improvement for computing global and local histograms is demonstrated by comparing against the previous methods.
Prediction of building indoor temperature response in variable air volume systems

A major challenge to devise smart HVAC control is to ensure that the control system considers the non-linearities in building hygrothermal relationships. In this paper, we propose hybrid data-drive...
Dendritic Cell Paucity Leads to Dysfunctional Immune Surveillance in Pancreatic Cancer.

Summary Here, we utilized spontaneous models of pancreatic and lung cancer to examine how neoantigenicity shapes tumor immunity and progression. As expected, neoantigen expression during lung adenocarcinoma development leads to T cell-mediated immunity and disease restraint. By contrast, neoantigen expression in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) results in exacerbation of a fibro-inflammatory microenvironment that drives disease progression and metastasis. Pathogenic TH17 responses are responsible for this neoantigen-induced tumor progression in PDAC. Underlying these divergent T cell responses in pancreas and lung cancer are differences in infiltrating conventional dendritic cells (cDCs). Overcoming cDC deficiency in early-stage PDAC leads to disease restraint, while restoration of cDC function in advanced PDAC restores tumor-restraining immunity and enhances responsiveness to radiation therapy.
Prevalence of Human Immunodeficiency Virus and Opportunistic Infections Among Transgender Patients in the Clinical Setting: An All-Payer Electronic Health Record Database Study.

We performed a cross-sectional analysis of the prevalence of HIV and opportunistic infections among transgender patients in clinical care. Of 10,160 transgender patients identified, 3.9% had a diag...
Abandoning List Prices In Medicaid Drug Reimbursement Did Not Affect Spending

State fee-for-service Medicaid programs have traditionally based payments to pharmacies for drugs on a percentage of the drugs' list price. Because list prices have increased more quickly than the prices actually paid by pharmacies, estimating appropriate reimbursements has become challenging. In recent years most states have switched to models where payments were based instead on results from a survey of pharmacy invoices. We examined how this changed fee-for-service Medicaid drug spending. We found that the policy change had minimal, if any, effects on overall Medicaid drug spending. This was at least partially explained by concomitant sharp increases in dispensing fees paid to pharmacies, designed to help cover operating expenses and profit margins. We discuss ways to improve invoice-based pricing approaches and lower costs if desired.
Implementation of a Timed Barium Esophagram Protocol for Assessment of Esophageal Function in Children

Objectives Timed barium esophagram (TBE) is a fluoroscopic study that is widely employed as an adjunctive tool for diagnosing esophageal emptying disorders in adults (eg, achalasia, esophagogastric junction outflow obstruction [EGJOO]) and for following response to treatment. We aimed to describe the characteristics and feasibility of a pediatric TBE protocol and provide a first report of the potential value of TBE for assessment of esophageal emptying in the pediatric population. Methods Retrospective chart review of pediatric patients at a tertiary pediatric hospital who underwent TBE from October 2017 to October 2019. Patient and test characteristics were summarized using descriptive statistics. Results from patients who had both TBE and high-resolution esophageal manometry (HRM) were used to generate ROC curves for TBE to identify esophageal emptying disorders. Results Twenty-two patients underwent 25 TBE. Fourteen of 23 (61%) received 150 mL barium volume per protocol. Nearly half (42%) of subjects could tolerate ingesting barium within 20 seconds. Nine individuals underwent HRM. The sensitivity of standard adult TBE criteria (1 cm barium column height at 5 minutes) to detect emptying disorder was 100%, specificity 40%. A modified diagnostic cutoff (1.6 cm height at 5 minutes) offered 100% sensitivity, 80% specificity. Conclusions TBE is feasible and should be considered an adjunctive noninvasive screen for impaired esophageal emptying in children. There was heterogeneous adherence to protocol for timing and volume of barium; however, studies remained interpretable. This population may benefit from different diagnostic cutoffs than adults, and clinical judgment should be used until specific diagnostic cutoffs are determined in children.
Ultra-low frequency EPR using longitudinal detection and fictitious-field modulation.

Abstract When viewed in a rotating frame of reference, a transverse-plane radiofrequency (RF) field manifests as a longitudinal field component called the fictitious field. By modulating the RF field and thus the fictitious field, detectable longitudinal magnetization patterns have previously been shown to be measurable. By combining fictitious-field modulation and longitudinal detection, here we demonstrate EPR spectroscopy and one-dimensional imaging in a custom-built longitudinal detection system operating at an ultra-low frequency (24 MHz) for detecting electron spins with short (~nanoseconds) relaxation times. Simultaneous transmit and receive with low transmitter leakage level (~80 dB isolation) is also demonstrated.
How do high school seniors get marijuana? Prevalence and sociodemographic differences

Abstract Introduction Efforts to understand how adolescents acquire marijuana will help to contextualize its use among youth. Little is known about ways of getting marijuana and how they differ between subgroups of adolescents. The present study sought to determine how adolescents get marijuana and if modes of access vary by sociodemographic characteristics. Method Data were from the nationally representative Monitoring the Future study of 12th graders in the United States from 2012 to 2018 (N = 4262 students). Participants used marijuana in the past 12 months and were asked how they got marijuana. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to predict modes of getting marijuana based on sex, race/ethnicity, urbanicity, parental education, and survey year. Cross-tabulation analyses compared how recent frequent and non-frequent use related to ways of getting marijuana. Results The most endorsed methods of getting marijuana were given for free by friends, bought from friends, and bought from a drug dealer/stranger. Differences by sociodemographic subgroup and recent frequent use emerged, including for riskier modes of obtainment such as buying from a drug dealer/stranger (for male students, urban students, and recent frequent users). Recent frequent users were more likely to endorse getting marijuana by nearly each method, except non-frequent users were more likely to be given marijuana for free by friends. Discussion Understanding the prevalence of different modes of getting marijuana among adolescents and which subgroups are most susceptible to riskier means of getting marijuana will allow drug use prevention efforts to be tailored appropriately so as to maximize effectiveness.
Van Hove excitons and high-Tc superconductivity: VIIIC. Dynamic Jahn-Teller effects versus spin-orbit coupling in the LTO phase of La2−χSrχCuO4

Abstract The possible role of the van Hove singularity (vHS) in stabilizing the low-temperature orthorhombic (LTO) phase transition in La2−χSrχCuO4 (LSCO) is discussed. It is found that the vHS can drive a structural distortion in two different ways, either due to spin-orbit coupling or to dynamic Jahn-Teller (JT) effects. This paper discusses the latter effect in some detail. It is shown that a model hamiltonian introduced earlier to describe the coupled electron-octahedral tilt motions (“cageons”) has a series of phase transitions, from a high-temperature disordered JT phase (similar to the high-temperature tetragonal phase of LSCO) to an intermediate temperature dynamic JT phase, of average orthorhombic symmetry (the LTO phase) to a low-temperature static JT phase (the low-temperature tetragonal phase). For some parameter values, the static JT phase is absent.
Single-stage repair of large full thickness lower eyelid defects using free tarsoconjunctival graft and transposition flap: experience and outcomes.

Background: Lid-sharing approaches are often advocated for repair of large full thickness lower eyelid defects, however result in temporary visual obstruction and the need for a second-stage proced...
III. Perception as a function of conditioning

THE ROLE OF conditioning in the development of perception has received very little notice from psychologists, despite the long availability of a brilliant monograph on the subject by James G. Taylor (1962). Taylor was educated in Aberdeen (Scotland), spent most of his academic life at the University of Capetown, and died in England in 1975. His major work, The Behavioral Basis of Perception, was published in 1962. In this, he showed how visual perception develops through the conditioning of motor responses to combinations of proprioceptive and visual inputs. Perception is not just vision. Allow me to place this statement in a concrete context. Take a simple object such as a teacup. It does not matter what aspect is held up before you, nor at what angle or distance; you always recognize it as a teacup. Clearly, from the different angles and distances, the stimuli impinging upon your retina are different, just as photographs from the various positions would be different. Yet you see the object as "the same." How does it happen? Why is there perceptual cons tancy? We take for granted what really should not be taken for granted. Many people regard perception and imagination, in fact all of consciousness, as somehow apart from the biologic person. They make a division between the physical world and the nonmaterial world of consciousness. Philosophically they are dualists. But even monists, people who believe that there is nothing besides a world of matter, usually regard perception as based on a kind of photographic process. Their thinking goes something like this: Light rays from the seen object produce an inverted image of the object in the retina that sends neural impulses to the occipital cortex. That structure then generates, rightway-up, an image of that object. But how can neural action generate imagery? It is inconceivable that there are ceils which secrete images. Even if there were, it would not explain why we see as a teacup this object that is presented to us in many different ways.
The Bergman and Szegő Kernels: a Direct Relationship

In this paper, we prove, for a fairly general class of domains, that the Bergman kernel of a domain is closely related to the normal derivative of the Szegő kernel. Such a result is useful in passing back and forth between estimates for the Bergman projection and estimates for the Szegő projection. We also make some remarks about comparability of the singularity of the Bergman kernel and the singularity of the Szegő kernel.
On Information Design with Spillovers

An information designer has access to a set of experiments and decides which of these to assign to each of the agents in a directed network. The network encodes informational spillovers: an agent has access to the experiments assigned to her, as well as to those assigned to any other agent who has a directed path to her. We establish that the designer's problem in any network can be reduced to an equivalent problem in a directed acyclic network. We show that when in the latter network each agent follows at most one other agent (i.e., each node has in-degree at most one), the optimal information structure can be obtained in a tractable way. The problem becomes intractable if some agents follow multiple other agents. Thus, qualitatively, following multiple information sources is what makes information design problems intractable in the presence of spillovers. We also study a voting game with binary actions in the presence of spillovers. We show that when the followers are more pessimistic (i.e., have higher posterior mean requirements to take action $1$), the network effects do not play a role, and a certain monotone information structure is optimal. When the followers are more optimistic a monotone information structure is still optimal if each agent follows at most one other agent, but not in general. That said, in the latter case an optimal monotone information structure can be obtained in a tractable way by using an algorithm we provide, provided that the underlying network has bounded treewidth.
US Energy Diplomacy Under the Obama Administration

In December 2015, US removed the prohibition of crude oil exports. That was a deal, a political compromise, which was made between the Obama administration and the Republicans on Capitol Hill. Among other items, the renewable energy tax credit was extended for 5 years. Hence, it was part of a larger political compromise; nevertheless, the fact that America could export light and sweet shale, and at the same time import heavier makes considerably sense in both economic and business terms. This kind of an especially important political action took place under the Obama administration, not the Trump administration.
Investigation 4. Technology Affordances for Intersubjective Meaning Making: A Research Agenda for CSCL

Now well into its second decade, the field of computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) appears healthy, encompassing a diversity of topics of study, methodologies, and representatives of various research communities. It is an appropriate time to ask: what central questions can integrate our work into a coherent field? This chapter proposes the study of technology affordances for intersubjective meaning making as an integrating research agenda for CSCL. A brief survey of epistemologies of collaborative learning and forms of computer support for that learning characterize the field to be integrated and motivate the proposal. A hybrid of experimental, descriptive, and design methodologies is proposed in support of this agenda. A working definition of intersubjective meaning making as joint composition of interpretations of a dynamically evolving context is provided and used to propose a framework around which dialogue between analytic approaches can take place.
Trypsin inhibitor activity, phenolic content and antioxidant capacity of soymilk as affected by grinding temperatures, heating methods and soybean varieties

Abstract Two soybean varieties (yellow and black) were ground under three temperature regimes (cold, ambient and hot) and then the raw soymilk underwent three thermal treatments (traditional stove cooking, one-phase ultra-high temperature (UHT) processing, and two-phase UHT processing). Trypsin inhibitor activity (TIA), chymotrypsin inhibitor activity (CIA), total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), condensed tannin content (CTC), DPPH free radical scavenging activity, and oxygen radical absorbing capacity (ORAC) were significantly affected by the above factors and their interactions. For raw yellow soymilk, hot grinding generated 64 and 69% lower TIA than cold and ambient grinding, respectively. For raw black soymilk, hot grinding generated 40 and 43% lower TIA than cold and ambient grinding, respectively. After heating process, the advantage of hot grinding was reduced. By suppression of the development of lipoxygenase-induced hydroperoxides, hot grinding preserved the most sulfhydryl and disulfide groups. Stove cooking following ambient grinding resulted in the lowest CIA. Except TFC, hot grinding recovered the highest phenolic content and antioxidant capacity. CTC from hot grinding was about twice that from ambient grinding. Black soymilk contained significantly higher antioxidant capacity than yellow soymilk and UHT treatments showed advantage over traditional stove cooking in the preservation of phenolics.
Numerical evaluation of AGR-2 fission product release

Abstract The AGR-2 experiment produced normal operation and accident condition fuel performance data for tri-structural isotropic (TRISO) particles with UCO and UO2 kernels. Data for compacts with no failed particles and for compacts with one or more failed particles are available. To model the fission product diffusion and release from these compacts, it is important to consider the computational mesh as well as the heat conduction and mass diffusion properties of the materials in a TRISO particle. Code and solution verification studies with the Bison fuel performance code were performed to show that the code is computing correct solutions. Bison comparisons to post-irradiation examination data and PARFUME predictions were made for several sets of compacts. These comparisons considered silver, cesium, strontium, and krypton with and without failed particles. Bison predictions closely match those of PARFUME, while both codes generally overpredict post-irradiation examination data.
40) Pediatric Intensive Care Unit Staff Perceptions and Perceived Barriers on Implementation of Delirium Prevention Strategies

Purpose: Examine pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) staff perceptions, perceived barriers, and strategies to successfully implement bedside interventions aimed at lessening the prevalence of PICU delirium. Methods: A total of four semi-structured focus groups comprised of 40 PICU staff members were conducted to elicit their perceptions and attitudes toward the implementation of bedside interventions aimed at …
New Paradigms for Protection of Biodiversity

The most successful bioprospecting venture was established in 1989 in Costa Rica. Interestingly, the distinction of being a forerunner in exploiting bioprospecting goes to India. In 1979, a full decade before Costa Rica, India established the TBGRI (Tropical Botanic Garden and Research Institute) at Trivandrum. Yet, the TBGRI venture with the Kani Tribes, which had the potential to become a beacon of bioprospecting success, is showcased as the exemplar of failure. In this era of trade regime, the following paper asserts, bioprospecting ventures are important tools for developing countries. Countries like India and organizations like the TBGRI should learn from their failures and take leadership roles to evolve techniques to maximize returns from using biodiversity resources. With this as the background, this chapter propounds three theoretical models for assigning bio-value to biotechnology products.
Biomass and phycocyanin production from cyanobacteria dominated biofilm reactors cultured using oilfield and natural gas extraction produced water

Abstract The production of cyanobacterial biofilm biomass and phycocyanin from Rotating Algal Biofilm Reactors utilizing undiluted produced water from oil and natural gas extraction as a medium was demonstrated in this study. Oil and natural gas extraction produced water is the largest waste stream generated by these industries and may provide an abundant source of non potable water for the culture of cyanobacteria and phycocyanin. In the present study, a unialgal cyanobacteria isolate from the Logan City, Utah Wastewater Treatment Facility was shown to exhibit an areal ash free dry weight biomass productivity of 4.8 ± 0.7 g/m 2 -day when cultured in produced water medium. The cyanobacterial biofilms yielded an areal phycocyanin productivity of 84.6 ± 9.3 mg/m 2 -day with a maximum crude extract purity of 0.23 ± 0.03. The utilization of produced water for the production of cyanobacterial biofilm biomass and associated high value products could provide significant economic and bioremedial advantages to current produced water disposal technologies.
A radioreceptor assay for platelet-derived growth factor.

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on a radioreceptor assay for platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF). PDGF is a polypeptide released during platelet aggregation and formation of thrombus in response to tissue injury. In vitro PDGF is strongly mitogenic to smooth tousle cells, skin fibroblasts, 3T3 cells, and glial cells. The growth promoting properties of PDGF play an important role in tissue repair mechanisms in vivo . Under normal circumstances, the circulating levels of PDGF are very low. Measurable quantities of PDGF are found only when blood is allowed to clot, suggesting that PDGF in blood appears only for a brief period and most probably remains localized to the area of injury. Other growth factors such as insulin, epidermal growth factor (EGF), fibroblast growth factor (FGF), and insulin-like growth factor (IGF) occurring in serum or biological sources also stimulate DNA synthesis in fibroblasts.
Graded treatment for in situ carcinoma of the uterine cervix

Abstract This is the third progress report of an ongoing study of the efficacy of conization in the treatment of cervical in situ carcinoma in 414 patients treated in the period from Jan. 1, 1950, through Dec. 31, 1966. Conization has been the only treatment for 314 patients. The rate of complications after conization has been 7.8 per cent. There have been 36 (9.1 per cent) failures of conization to control in situ carcinoma in the cervix. In 8 patients (1.8 per cent) in situ carcinoma has occurred simultaneously or sequentially in multiple foci in the lower generative tract. On the basis of these statistics, we have concluded that conization can be used safely for initial treatment, as well as diagnosis, but that no treatment can be considered to be complete. Thus, all women for whom a diagnosis of in situ carcinoma has been made are entitled to systematic follow-up pelvic examinations and cellular studies regardless of the extent of treatment given.
Culture and Suicide Acceptability: A Cross-National, Multilevel Analysis

Cultural perspectives on suicidality have been largely marked by work explaining variability in suicide acceptability in the United States using structural variables including marital status and de...
AN EXPERIMENTAL ANIMAL MODEL FOR QUANTIFYING THE BIOLOGIC EFFECTS OF MARIJUANA ON THE DEFENSE SYSTEM OF THE LUNG

An animal model was developed as an inhalation bioassay for acute and chronic delivery of tobacco and marijuana smoke in physiologic doses to the lungs of experimental animals. Although generating identical aerosols, the pyrolyzation characteristics of marijuana and tobacco differed considerably. Both products impaired host intrapulmonary antibacterial defenses, with marijuana appearing in comparable dosages to be significantly more toxic to the alveolar bactericidal activity of the lung than tobacco smoke. The effect of both smoking products on mucociliary clearance by the airways, in this model system, appeared to be negligible. Direct biologic comparisons between the effects of the two smoking products must be guarded, however, as dosimetry cannot be precisely equated because of their opposing physiologic effects on the lung.
An Essential Role for NF-κB in Preventing TNF-α-Induced Cell Death

Studies on mice deficient in nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) subunits have shown that this transcription factor is important for lymphocyte responses to antigens and cytokine-inducible gene expression. In particular, the RelA (p65) subunit is required for induction of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α)-dependent genes. Treatment of RelA-deficient (RelA−/−) mouse fibroblasts and macrophages with TNF-α resulted in a significant reduction in viability, whereas RelA+/+ cells were unaffected. Cytotoxicity to both cell types was mediated by TNF receptor 1. Reintroduction of RelA into RelA−/− fibroblasts resulted in enhanced survival, demonstrating that the presence of RelA is required for protection from TNF-α. These results have implications for the treatment of inflammatory and proliferative diseases.
Leadership Style Effectiveness and Accountability In Times of Crisis: A Cross-Cultural Study of the USA And France

This study proposes in times of crisis, accountability, not leadership styles such as charismatic and transformational, dictate followers’ perception of leadership style effectiveness. The discussion is placed in the context of the emergent field of cross-cultural studies in leadership and Emotional Intelligence (EI), showing the need to set standards and best practices in exercising effective leadership. A questionnaire developed, tested, refined and validated, test a taxonomy of leadership style effectiveness and accountability in times of crisis. The USA and France are explored empirically, and managerial implications show the importance of developing standards and best practices in exercising effective leadership.
Solar nitrogen - Evidence for a secular increase in the ratio of nitrogen-15 to nitrogen-14

Solar wind nitrogen, implanted in lunar soil samples, exhibits isotopic variations that are related to the time, although not to the duration, of implantation, with earlier samples characterized by lower ratios of nitrogen-15 to nitrogen-14. An increase in the solar nitrogen-15 content during the lifetime of the lunar regolith is probably caused by spallation of oxygen-16 in the surface regions of the sun.
New inflation, preinflation, and leptogenesis

Abstract We present a new inflation model in which the inflationary scenario including subsequent reheating is determined in part by a U (1) R × Z n symmetry. A preinflation epoch can be introduced to yield, among other things, a running spectral index indicated by the WMAP analysis. The inflaton decay into right-handed neutrinos, whose masses can be hierarchical because of the Z n symmetry, leads to a reheat temperature ≳10 8 GeV (∼10 4 –10 6 GeV in some cases), followed by non-thermal leptogenesis.
A neutral data interface specification for simulating machine shop operations

In most cases, the effort required to develop a meaningful simulation for a small machine shop exceeds the resources available. Machine shops typically do not have staff with appropriate technical qualifications required to develop custom simulations of their operations. Furthermore, simulators are not designed to use traditional shop data in its native format, so models and data import routines usually must be developed from scratch. If simulation software vendors were to try to develop generic job simulation models, they would still be faced with the problem that there are no standard formats for much of the data required to run the models. Thus, if someone wanted to input a specific shop's data into one of these hypothetical simulators, custom data translators would still need to be developed at possibly considerable expense. This paper provides an overview of work currently underway at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to develop neutral, standard, data interfaces for machine s...
Verapamil potentiation of VP-16-213 in acute lymphatic leukemia and reversal of pleiotropic drug resistance

Verapamil, the calcium-influx-blocking agent, has previously been shown to have favorable interactions with antineoplastic drugs. Our study of human T cell acute lymphatic leukemia (ALL) GM3639 indicates that verapamil enhances the in vitro cytotoxicity of VP-16-213 against drug-sensitive ALL by reducing the concentration of VP-16-213, resulting in 50% cell viability from 104.5±26.6 nM to 46.0±2.7 nM (P<0.05). The addition of verapamil to VP-16-213 treatment of BDF/1 mice bearing L1210 leukemia increases their mean survival from 21.2±3.6 to 50.4±4.3 days (P<0.01) and the survival of CD2F/1 mice bearing P388 leukemia from 27.8±3.7 to 49.1±5.0 days (P<0.01). The 30-day survival is significantly increased in L1210 and P388 leukemia mice, and 60-day survival is significantly increased in P388 leukemic mice by verapamil. We developed a vincristine (VCR)-resistant subline of GM3639 T cell ALL, L23, by continuous exposure of drug-sensitive cells to VCR. This subline demonstrates pleiotropic cross resistance to VP-16-213 and daunorubicin. The addition of verapamil to VCR, to VP-16-213, and to daunorubicin completely restores responsiveness to these drugs, as indicated by the normalization of the VCR and VP-16-213 concentrations required for cytotoxicity and the concentration of daunorubicin required for inhibition of thymidine incorporation.
AN IMPROVED SYNTHETIC METHOD FOR DIPHENYL-1-PYRENYLPHOSPHINE AND THE PROPERTIES AND STRUCTURE OF ITS BORANE ADDUCT

An efficient synthetic method for diphenyl-1-pyrenylphosphine, DPPP, has been developed involving a low temperature Li-Br exchange reaction using the commercially available 1-bromopyrene. An estimate of the donor ability of this phosphine has been obtained by measuring the A1υ (CO) band of the Ni(CO)3L complex which was found to be 0.4 wave numbers lower than that from the PPh3 complex indicating that DPPP is a slightly better donor than PPh3. The BH3 adduct of DPPP has been prepared and, as the situation for the oxide of DPPP, this adduct is fluorescent. It is estimated that the fluorescence intensity is about half that of DPPPO. An x-ray structure of this adduct has been obtained, and the bond lengths and angles appear to be in expected ranges.
The kinetics of ethylene polymerization in nickel-Y zeolite

Abstract The polymerization of ethylene in NiY zeolite is preceded by a rapid sorption and diffusion of C 2 H 4 molecules in the solid. The respective rates of both processes can be experimentally distinguished. The influence of intracrystalline mass transport on the rate of dimerization has been investigated; the rate of this reaction in terms of the local concentration of reactant in the solid and its true activation energy have been determined.
Generation of active and passive sentences as a function of subject or object focus

It was reasoned that placing the conceptual focus on either the actor subject or on the acted-upon object of a simple situation would differentially affect the readiness to describe the situation in active or passive sentence forms. Conceptual focus was manipulated by use of a preamble which centered upon the subject or the object, with a control condition which focused upon neither. A secondary variable was whether the preamble remarks themselves were in the active or passive voice. Encoding readiness was assessed by the latency in generating prescribed sentence forms. Results supported the predictions, with the difference in latency between active and passive sentence generation increasing (from the baseline neutral focus condition) when the focus was on the actor subject, but decreasing markedly when the focus was on the acted-upon object. The preamble voice difference had little consequence as a main effect, but showed some tendency, not significant statistically, to interact with the conceptual-focus treatment.
Enhancing trappable antiproton populations through deceleration and frictional cooling

CERN currently delivers antiprotons for trapping experiments with the antiproton decelerator (AD), which slows the antiprotons down to about 5 MeV. This energy is currently too high for direct trapping, and thick foils are used to slow down the beam to energies which can be trapped. To allow further deceleration to $\ensuremath{\sim}100\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{keV}$, CERN is initiating the construction of ELENA, consisting of a ring which will combine rf deceleration and electron cooling capabilities. We describe a simple frictional cooling scheme that can serve to provide significantly improved trapping efficiency, either directly from the AD or first using a standard deceleration mechanism (induction linac or rf quadrupole). This scheme could be implemented in a short time. The device itself is short in length, uses accessible voltages, and at reasonable cost could serve in the interim before ELENA becomes operational, or possibly in lieu of ELENA for some experiments. Simple theory and simulations provide a preliminary assessment of the concept and its strengths and limitations, and highlight important areas for experimental studies, in particular to pin down the level of multiple scattering for low-energy antiprotons. We show that the frictional cooling scheme can provide a similar energy spectrum to that of ELENA, but with higher transverse emittances.
Rest-frame optical properties of luminous, radio-selected broad absorption line quasars

We have obtained IRTF/SpeX spectra of eight moderate-redshift (z=0.7-2.4), radio-selected (log R*~0.4-1.9) broad absorption line (BAL) quasars. The spectra cover the rest-frame optical band. We compare the optical properties of these quasars to those of canonically radio-quiet (log R* 1) quasars. With our measurements of the optical properties, particularly the Balmer emission line widths and the continuum luminosity, we have used empirical scaling relations to estimate black hole masses and Eddington ratios. These lie in the range (0.4-2.6)x10^9 M_sun and 0.1-0.9, respectively. Despite their comparatively extreme radio properties relative to most BAL quasars, their optical properties are quite consistent with those of radio-quiet BAL quasars and dissimilar to those of radio-loud non-BAL quasars. While BAL quasars generally appear to have low values of [OIII]/FeII, an extreme of "Eigenvector 1", the Balmer line widths and Eddington ratios do not appear to significantly differ from those of unabsorbed quasars at similar redshifts and luminosities.
Hormonal Control of Hexokinase in Male Sex Accessory Glands

The effects of castration and testosterone treatment on the activity of hexokinase isozymes and their distribution between soluble and particulate fractions in the male sex accessory glands were investigated. The activities of several other soluble enzymes were also delineated. Testosterone treatment had little or no effect in 24 hours on the concentration in rat prostate cytosol of the enzymes measured, other than hexokinase. Hexokinase concentration decreased to 70% of control value on the first day, to 54% on the second day after castration. Testosterone injected on the first day after castration caused a 2.3 fold increase in hexokinase concentration. Actinomycin D (24 μg/100 g) or cycloheximide (60 μg/100 g) prevented the increase in hexokinase concentration induced by testosterone. Starch gel electrophoresis and thermostability experiments revealed that type II is the predominant isozyme of hexokinase in the ventral prostate whereas type I predominates in the seminal vesicle. The activity of type II ...
Optical 10-20 and 20-40 Gbits/s pseudorandom bit sequence data multiplexing utilizing conversion-dispersion-based tunable optical delays.

We experimentally demonstrate all-optical 27-1 pseudorandom bit sequence data multiplexing using wavelength conversion, interchannel chromatic dispersion, and intrachannel dispersion compensation. Bit-rate tuning capability is demonstrated with 10–20 and 20–40 Gbits/s multiplexing, achieving a bit-error rate <10−9 for both rates.