cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Iron Catalysts in Atom Transfer Radical Polymerization

Catalysts are essential for mediating a controlled polymerization in atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP). Copper-based catalysts are widely explored in ATRP and are highly efficient, leading to well-controlled polymerization of a variety of functional monomers. In addition to copper, iron-based complexes offer new opportunities in ATRP catalysis to develop environmentally friendly, less toxic, inexpensive, and abundant catalytic systems. Despite the high efficiency of iron catalysts in controlling polymerization of various monomers including methacrylates and styrene, ATRP of acrylate-based monomers by iron catalysts still remains a challenge. In this paper, we review the fundamentals and recent advances of iron-catalyzed ATRP focusing on development of ligands, catalyst design, and techniques used for iron catalysis in ATRP.
Stability of the ketyl radical as a descriptor in the electrochemical coupling of benzaldehyde

Electroreductive coupling is an emerging electrochemical pathway for the renewable upgrading of CO2, CO and biomass derived oxygenates. In particular, electrochemical coupling of molecules with a carbonyl group has the potential to grow the molecular weight of substrates via C–C bond formation to produce valuable fuels and chemicals. However, a lack of mechanistic understanding hinders rational catalyst development for this coupling chemistry. In this work, the electrochemical reduction of benzaldehyde is employed as a model reaction to investigate the impact of four metals (Au, Cu, Pd and Pt) on the two carbonyl reduction pathways, i.e., direct electrochemical reduction to benzyl alcohol and reductive C–C coupling to a diol product, i.e., hydrobenzoin. Reactivity studies show that, of the metals tested, Cu has a unique ability to mediate the C–C coupling of benzaldehyde. Complementary in situ spectroscopic investigations suggest that this facilitation of C–C coupling is directly related to the ability of the Cu catalyst to stabilize a key reaction intermediate, i.e., the ketyl radical. Spectroscopic features of the ketyl radical are observed on Au and Cu surfaces at benzaldehyde reduction potentials, but not on Pd and Pt. A lower radical concentration for Au compared to Cu is likely the primary reason for the lack of C–C coupling on Au. On the Pd and Pt surfaces, CO formation is observed from dissociative adsorption and decarbonylation upon benzaldehyde introduction, suggesting surface adsorbate instability under reducing conditions. From the combined reactivity and spectroscopic evidence, we propose that the ability of a catalyst to produce and stabilize the ketyl radical intermediate is a key descriptor in its ability to mediate the C–C coupling chemistry of aldehydes and ketones.
Relevance of Academic Productivity in the Assessment of Integrated Plastic Surgery Applicants.

Background The academic productivity of an integrated plastic surgery applicant is strongly considered during the ranking process but is often difficult to assess. The h-index is a tool that provides an objective measure of both the quality and impact of an author's academic works. The goals of this study were to assess whether the h-index of recently matched plastic surgery interns correlates with their home and eventual residency program characteristics. Methods A database of all 2018 interns in integrated plastic surgery programs was created. The SCOPUS database was queried for the h-indices for each individual. Results In 2018, 77 integrated plastic surgery programs offered a total of 168 PGY1 positions; data was able to be obtained for 131 individuals. The mean h-index was 1.26 (range 0-14), with a mean of 4.22 publications (range 0-58). The h-index increased in concordance with overall number of publications. The h-index of applicants matching at Top 50 NIH Funded institutions had a significantly higher h-index (1.57) compared to those that matched to all other institutions (0.76) (p Conclusions The h-index of recently matched integrated plastic surgery interns correlates with several factors including program reputation and level of NIH funding. As applicants become increasingly well-qualified and the number of the publications increases commensurately, programs that place an emphasis on academic productivity may consider incorporating the h-index into their evaluation.
Advanced polymer dielectrics for high temperature capacitive energy storage

Dielectric polymers are critical to meet the increasing demands for high-energy-density capacitors operating in harsh environments, such as aerospace power conditioning, underground oil and gas exploration, electrified transportation, and pulse power systems. In this perspective article, we present an overview of the recent progress in the field of polymer dielectrics for high temperature capacitive energy storage applications. Particular attention is placed on the underlying physical mechanisms of the rational design and the material structure–dielectric property–capacitive performance relationship. The scientific and technological challenges that remain to be addressed and the opportunities for future research are also presented.
Doping Effect on the Magnetism of Thiolate-Capped 25-Atom Alloy Nanoclusters

The magnetism of metal nanoclusters (NCs) with discrete electronic structures differs from that of metallic-state nanoparticles. Among the gold NCs, magnetic ones are rare. While 7e [Au25(SR)18]0 (...
Un antihéroe en el exilio. Dialogismo, carnivalización y parodia en Cobro revertido de José Leandro Urbina.

Este articulo discute la novela Cobro revertido, publicada en 1992 por el escritor chileno Jose Leandro Urbina. Siguiendo teorizaciones de Mikhail Bakhtin y Carlos Alberto Brocato, examino como, desde los propios discursos literarios, se arroja una mirada reflexiva, autoconsciente y esceptica en torno al proceso de mitificacion que evidencia el discurso del exilio politico en Latinoamerica. Propongo que la contribucion principal de esta ficcion tiene que ver con su audaz intervencion en el seno de una tradicion literaria que a principios de los noventa ya evidenciaba senas de saturacion y desgaste. Carnivalizando estereotipadas representaciones en las que lo politico-testimonial y los presuntos deberes del exiliado invaden la diegesis, la novela de Urbina marca un punto de inflexion, revitalizando la poetica del exilio y anunciando nuevos rumbos.
A Qualitative Investigation of Parent and Child Perceptions of School Food Allergy Policies in the United States.

BACKGROUND Many schools implement well-intentioned food allergy policies; however, may not ease parents'/children's worry and concern. The purpose of this study was to (1) explore children's and parents' perceptions their school's food allergy policy and (2) compare these perceptions to the documented school policy. METHODS Children ages 8 to 18 with a food allergy and their parents (N = 18 pairs) across the US completed one-on-one semi-structured, audio-recorded phone interviews. School food allergy policies were collected from school websites. Content analysis was applied to the transcriptions by two investigators to identify themes among parents and children. RESULTS Parents and children described policies may impact the child's social and/or emotional well-being. Many opportunities for improvement were provided by parents and children. There is a wide variation in food allergy policies across the schools in this study, and overall, parents and children thought that policy enforcement needs to be improved. CONCLUSIONS With so much variation in food allergy policies in schools coupled with inconsistent enforcement, parents and children may feel unsafe or unsupported by the school. Schools should adopt a team- or whole-school approach to develop and enforce policies that help protect children with food allergies.
Bed Rest Muscular Atrophy

A major debilitating response from prolonged bed rest (BR) is muscle atrophy, defined as a "decrease in size of a part of tissue after full development has been attained: a wasting away of tissue as from disuse, old age, injury or disease". Part of the complicated mechanism for the dizziness, increased body instability, and exaggerated gait in patients who arise immediately after BR may be a result of not only foot pain, but also of muscular atrophy and associated reduction in lower limb strength. Also, there seems to be a close association between muscle atrophy and bone atrophy. A discussion of many facets of the total BR homeostatic syndrome has been published. The old adage that use determines form which promotes function of bone (Wolff's law) also applies to those people exposed to prolonged BR (without exercise training) in whom muscle atrophy is a consistent finding. An extreme case involved a 16-year-old boy who was ordered to bed by his mother in 1932: after 50 years in bed he had "a lily-white frame with limbs as thin as the legs of a ladder-back chair". These findings emphasize the close relationship between muscle atrophy and bone atrophy. In addition to loss of muscle mass during deconditioning, there is a significant loss of muscle strength and a decrease in protein synthesis. Because the decreases in force (strength) are proportionately greater than those in fiber size or muscle cross-sectional area, other contributory factors must be involved; muscle fiber dehydration may be important.
On Answering Queries in the Presence of Limited Access Patterns

Abstract. In information-integration systems, source relations often have limitations on access patterns to their data; i.e., when one must provide values for certain attributes of a relation in order to retrieve its tuples. In this paper we consider the following fundamental problem: can we compute the complete answer to a query by accessing the relations with legal patterns? The complete answer to a query is the answer that we could compute if we could retrieve all the tuples from the relations. We give algorithms for solving the problem for various classes of queries, including conjunctive queries, unions of conjunctive queries, and conjunctive queries with arithmetic comparisons. We prove the problem is undecidable for datalog queries. If the complete answer to a query cannot be computed, we often need to compute its maximal answer. The second problem we study is, given two conjunctive queries on relations with limited access patterns, how to test whether the maximal answer to the first query is contained in the maximal answer to the second one? We show this problem is decidable using the results of monadic programs.
q-equivalent particle hamiltonians

Afouling transformation is an extension to phase space of the identity transformation on configuration space such that the canonical formalism is preserved. Under such a transformation the new Hamiltonian is no longer the energy. We demonstrate the existence of nontrivial linear fouling transformations for the isotropic two-dimensional oscillator, and study the transformation properties of the resulting Hamiltonian and Lagrangian functions.
‘Peter Pan’ as Public Policy: Should Fifty-Five-Plus Age-Restricted Communities Continue to Be Exempt from Civil Rights Laws and Substantive Federal Regulation?

Although millions of Americans live in 55-plus age-restricted housing, little research has been done to determine whether these communities benefit their residents, or the nation as a whole. This is particularly ironic because these communities exist in contravention to anti-discrimination laws by virtue of a specific exemption granted to real estate developers by an Act of Congress. Ordinarily age discrimination is prohibited by the Fair Housing Act, Title VIII of the Civil Rights Act of 1968. Successful lobbying by special interest groups carved out an exemption for 55-plus housing.The original exemption required developers to offer elders special services and facilities in these communities in return for the exemption. Over time, those requirements were eliminated and now the only requirement is that these communities exclude families and children. While lifestyles focused on golf and tennis may be attractive to younger retirees, older Americans often find themselves in communities bereft of the services and facilities they need for basic life activities and safety. The very nature of these communities result in elders left with depreciating homes, and many are without the financial means to retrofit their 55-plus home or to move into a community better adapted for their needs. This Article explores a popular form of “senior housing” that is unsuitable for most older Americans.
The Sleeper Has Awakened: The Rule Against Accumulations and Perpetual Trusts

"The sleeper has awakened!" This dramatic statement referred to a science fiction universe brimming with conniving assassins, bewitching concubines, and political intrigues in need of a mighty warrior to restore the balance of good and evil. Surprisingly, this statement may be just as applicable to the law and specifically to Rule Against Accumulations. While this may seem overly grandiose applied to a Rule many have not heard of, the Rule Against Accumulations may prove pivotal in the evolving law that permits trusts to endure forever.
Differences in types of prostaglandins produced by two MDCK canine kidney cell sublines

Abstract The pattern of prostaglandins produced from arachidonic acid by two sublines of MDCK canine kidney epithelia cells was different. In one subline designated MDCK1, the most prevalent prostaglandin product was PGE2, whereas the most prevalent product in the subline designated MDCK2 was PGF2α. This difference was observed when cells previously labeled with [1−14C]arachidonic acid were stimulated with either bradykinin or the calcium ionophore A23187, or when prostaglandins were produced from labeled arachidonic acid added directly to the assay medium. In the latter case, the difference was maintained over a 38-fold range of extracellular arachidoante concentrations. These findings indicate the there is a persistent difference in the distribution of prostaglandins produced by the two commonly used sublines of MDCK cells.
Would a Federal Judicial Science Board improve toxic tort litigation

Over the past two decades, courts have struggled with technical and scientific evidence regarding the causal connection between exposure to hazardous substances and disease states. Judges' and juries' inability to understand the uncertainty inherent in toxicological evidence of causation has led to decisions which are incorrect from a scientific point of view. These problems are exacerbated by the "battle of experts," which is the traditional method for presenting scientific evidence to courts. Alternative means for presenting scientific evidence to courts, such as court-appointed experts and use of panels of expert scientists, are theoretically superior to the existing adversarial process. A Federal Judicial Science Board could coordinate the use of court-appointed experts and science panels and make them more attractive alternatives to courts struggling with issues of toxic causation.
Tabu search methods for a single machine scheduling problem

In this paper we discuss the use of three local search strategies within a tabu search (TS) method for the approximate solution of a single machine scheduling problem. The problem consists of minimizing the sum of the set-up costs and linear delay penalties whenN jobs, arriving at time zero, are to be scheduled for sequential processing on a continuously available machine. Following a review of a previous study of this problem, we first consider a TS method that uses the common approach of making a succession of pairwise job exchanges, or swaps, to move from one trial solution to another. Next, we consider the use of insert moves to define the local neighborhood of each trial solution. These moves consist of transferring a single job from one position to another in the schedule. Finally, we construct a TS method (TS-hybrid) that employs both swap and insert moves. Experiments with benchmark problems of up to 60 jobs illustrate that there is an advantage in using more than one strategy to move from one trial solution to another within a TS method.
O(N) iterative and O(NlogN) direct volume integral equation solvers for large-scale electrodynamic analysis

State-of-the-art volume integral equation (VIE) solvers for solving electrically large problems are iterative solvers with the complexity of each matrix-vector multiplication being O(NlogN), where N is matrix size. In this work, we reduce this complexity to strictly O(N) irrespective of electrical size. Furthermore, we develop a fast inversion based direct VIE solver of O(NlogN) complexity, which is also independent of electrical size. Numerical experiments have demonstrated the complexity, accuracy, and efficiency of the proposed new VIE solvers. Very large-scale VIE system matrices involving millions of unknowns have been directly solved in fast CPU time and modest memory consumption on a single core running at 3 GHz.
Evaluation and application of the Baldwin-Lomax turbulence model in two-dimensional, unsteady, compressible boundary layers with and without separation in engine inlets

The Baldwin-Lomax model is used in many CFD codes because it is quick and easy to implement. In this paper, we discuss implementing the Baldwin-Lomax turbulence model for both steady and unsteady compressible flows. In addition, these flows may be either separated or attached. In order to apply this turbulence model to flows which may be subjected to these conditions, certain modifications should be made to the original Baldwin-Lomax model. We discuss these modifications and determine whether the Baldwin-Lomax model is a viable turbulence model that produces reasonably accurate results for high speed flows that can be found in engine inlets.
Effects of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) on expression of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPAR) and nuclear receptor-regulated genes in fetal and postnatal CD-1 mouse tissues

Abstract PPARs regulate metabolism and can be activated by environmental contaminants such as perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA). PFOA induces neonatal mortality, developmental delay, and growth deficits in mice. Studies in genetically altered mice showed that PPARα is required for PFOA-induced developmental toxicity. In this study, pregnant CD-1 mice were dosed orally from GD1 to 17 with water or 5 mg PFOA/kg to examine PPARα, PPARβ, and PPARγ expression and profile the effects of PFOA on PPAR-regulated genes. Prenatal and postnatal liver, heart, adrenal, kidney, intestine, stomach, lung, spleen, and thymus were collected at various developmental ages. RNA and protein were examined using qPCR and Western blot analysis. PPAR expression varied with age in all tissues, and in liver PPARα and PPARγ expression correlated with nutritional changes as the pups matured. As early as GD14, PFOA affected expression of genes involved in lipid and glucose homeostatic control. The metabolic disruption produced by PFOA may contribute to poor postnatal survival and persistent weight deficits of CD-1 mouse neonates.
Posterior Interosseus Nerve Palsy Resulting From Inflammatory Myofibroblastic Pseudotumor: Case Presentation

Local compression by a mass lesion is a potential cause of posterior interosseous nerve (PIN) palsy. Reported cases of PIN pathology do not include inflammatory myofibroblastic pseudotumor. We report the case of a 44-year-old woman with a 3-month history of progressive weakness of the left finger extensors. Sonographic imaging identified a mass compressing the PIN, and histologic examination of the specimen revealed an inflammatory myofibroblastic pseudotumor. Complete resection of the mass while sparing the nerve was possible, and the patient has regained functional use of the left hand. The differential diagnosis of PIN palsy should include inflammatory myofibroblastic pseudotumor.
Fluid resuscitation in acute pancreatitis

Acute pancreatitis remains a clinical challenge, despite an exponential increase in our knowledge of its complex pathophysiological changes. Early fluid therapy is the cornerstone of treatment and is universally recommended; however, there is a lack of consensus regarding the type, rate, amount and end points of fluid replacement. Further confusion is added with the newer studies reporting better results with controlled fluid therapy. This review focuses on the pathophysiology of fluid depletion in acute pancreatitis, as well as the rationale for fluid replacement, the type, optimal amount, rate of infusion and monitoring of such patients. The basic goal of fluid epletion should be to prevent or minimize the systemic response to inflammatory markers. For this review, various studies and reviews were critically evaluated, along with authors’ recommendations, for predicted severe or severe pancreatitis based on the available evidence.
Directing the personnel search part III: preliminary interviews

Purpose – This article's purpose is to outline what goes into a well‐done library personnel preliminary interview.Design/methodology/approach – The article discusses the elements and considerations involved in orchestrating preliminary interviews and then gives a suggested outline for them.Findings – The article finds that preliminary interviews can be designed to run smoothly and offer both the interviewers and interviewees the chance to elicit the information they need.Originality/value – The value of the article is to help the leader design preliminary interviews that are constructive and move the search process along.
Salvage of Distal Radius Nonunion With a Dorsal Spanning Distraction Plate

Treatment of nonunion after previous instrumentation of distal radius fractures represents a reconstructive challenge. Resultant osteopenia provides a poor substrate for fixation, often necessitating wrist fusion for salvage. A spanning dorsal distraction plate (bridge plate) can be a useful adjunct to neutralize forces across the wrist, alone or in combination with nonspanning plates to achieve union, salvage wrist function, and avoid wrist arthrodesis in distal radius nonunion.
Three hydrogen bond donor catalysts: oxyanion hole mimics and transition state analogues.

Enzymes and their mimics use hydrogen bonds to catalyze chemical transformations. Small-molecule transition state analogues of oxyanion holes have been characterized by computations, gas-phase IR and photoelectron spectroscopy, and determination of their binding constants in acetonitrile. A new class of hydrogen bond catalysts is proposed (donors that can contribute three hydrogen bonds to a single functional group) and demonstrated in a Friedel–Crafts reaction. The employed catalyst was observed to react 100 times faster than its rotamer that can employ only two hydrogen bonds. The former compound also binds anions more tightly and was found to have a thermodynamic advantage.
Strategy-to-Task: Human Factors Operational Test and Evaluation at the Task-Level

Human factors operational test and evaluation (OT&E) at the function/characteristic level has not always provided an appropriate balance of addressing both the needs of the system user and the decisionmaker. System users are primarily concerned with the characteristics and capabilities of their system. Acquisition decision-makers, on the other hand, are more concerned with force structure and how potential military systems fit within the national military strategy. Human factors OT&E has traditionally considered the user of the system by testing human factors at a characteristic, rather than mission or operational task-level. In order to address the needs of the decision-maker, OT&E has adopted a strategy-to-task formulation that can have the undesirable side effect of decreasing the visibility of human factors test results. Because human factors measures are considered at the system function/characteristic level, significant human performance/human-machine interface issues are not always visible at the l...
Can work alter welfare recipients' beliefs?

A common argument in support of work-based welfare reform is that exposure to work will lead welfare recipients to revise their beliefs about how they will be treated in the labor market. This paper explores the analytical and empirical basis for this argument. The difficulty in testing the assumption that work leads to a change in beliefs is that there is an inherent simultaneity between work and beliefs. Welfare recipients who work may have different beliefs because they learn about the world of work once they enter the labor market. Alternatively, welfare recipients who have a more positive view of work are the ones who are more likely to work. We use a unique data set that helps solve this simultaneity problem. We find that exogenous increases in work induced by an experimental tax credit led to the predicted change in beliefs among younger workers. © 2005 by the Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management
Photosensitizaton: A literature review

Photosensitization is a skin disease caused by activation of a photodynamic agent by ligth energy (280–790 nm). Various drugs, chemicals and plants cause photosensitization in domestic animals; with skin erythema and swelling leading to necrosis and skin sloughing in advanced cases. Three types of photosensitization occur-primary (type I), aberrant pigment synthesis (type II), and hepatogenous (type III)-depending on the source of the photodynamic agent. Some of the common photosensitizations are Hypericism (type I), “pink tooth” (type II), Geeldikkop (type III), and facial eczema (type III). All produce identical skin lesions. Factors such as diet, climate, and health of the animal must be considered in determining the disease etiology.
High-pressure three-phase fluidization: Hydrodynamics and heat transfer

High-pressure operations are common in industrial applications of gas-liquid-solid fluidized-bed reactors for resid hydrotreating, Fischer-Tropsch synthesis, coal methanation, methanol synthesis, polymerization, and other reactions. The phase holdups and the heat-transfer behavior were studied experimentally in three-phase fluidized beds over a pressure range of 0.1--15.6 MPa. Bubble characteristics in the bed are examined by direct flow visualization. Pressure effects on the bubble coalescence and breakup are analyzed mechanistically. The study indicates that the pressure affects the hydrodynamics and heat-transfer properties of a three-phase fluidized bed significantly. The average bubble size decreases and the bubble-size distribution becomes narrower with an increase in pressure. The bubble-size reduction leads to an increase in the transition gas velocity from the dispersed bubble regime to the coalesced bubble regime, an increase in the gas holdup, and a decrease in the liquid and solids holdups. The pressure effect is insignificant above 6 MPa. The heat-transfer coefficient between an immersed surface and the bed increases to a maximum at pressure 6--8 MPa and then decreases with an increase in pressure at a given gas and liquid flow rate. This variation is attributed to the pressure effects on phase holdups and physical properties of the gas and liquid phases.more » A mechanistic analysis revealed that the major heat-transfer resistance in high-pressure three-phase fluidized beds resides in a liquid film surrounding the heat-0transfer surface. An empirical correlation is proposed to predict the heat-transfer coefficient under high-pressure conditions.« less
Biological activities of prostaglandin analogues and metabolites on bone in organ culture.

PROSTAGLANDINS, especially the E-series, are potent stimulators of bone resorption in several in vitro systems1–4. Studies with two experimental tumours (HSDM1 mouse fibrosarcoma and VX2 rabbit carcinoma) have indicated that excessive synthesis and secretion of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) by the neoplastic cells is associated with and seems likely to be responsible for the hypercalcaemia observed in these tumour-bearing animals2,5–8. A similar hypercalcaemic syndrome occurs in some patients with cancer, is associated with excessive PGE2 metabolite excretion in urine and is reversed at least in part by treatment with aspirin-like drugs9,10. Finally, intravenous infusion of PGE2 in intact, unanaesthetised rats causes an increase of plasma calcium concentration11. The most straightforward interpretation of these findings is that PGE2 is secreted by certain tumour cells into plasma in such quantity that the steady-state plasma concentration of PGE2 is sufficiently high to stimulate osseous target cells to resorb bone. An alernative interpretation is that unmeasured intermediates in arachidonic acid metabolism or PGE2 metabolites have sufficient bone resonption-stimulating activity to be the agent acting on bone cells. This hypothesis gains a degree of support from knowledge that some prostaglandin metabolites have longer half lives in plasma than PGE2 itself12. We have now measured the biological activities of several endoperoxide analogues and PGE2 metabolites in a bone culture assay system and compared their potencies with that of PGE2.
Dimensions of life and school stress experienced by young people

This article examines the recently investigated phenomena of student stress and burn-out among American children and youth. Several stress and burnout models developed by researchers are presented and discussed. Both the sources and manifestations of stress and burnout vary in a number of ways. An exploration of the behavioral, physiological, and emotional manifestations experienced by children also is presented, and some stress sources significantly related to the manifestations are outlined. Additionally, several interventions that have been developed to assist students in reducing high stress levels are outlined. Parents and teachers are a child's greatest asset in the education of stress management techniques, and both are able to provide valuable information about and support for the alleviation of excessive and harmful stress.
Contracting human skeletal muscle maintains the ability to blunt α1 -adrenergic vasoconstriction during KIR channel and Na(+) /K(+) -ATPase inhibition.

Key points During exercise there is a balance between vasoactive factors that facilitate increases in blood flow and oxygen delivery to the active tissue and the sympathetic nervous system, which acts to limit muscle blood flow for the purpose of blood pressure regulation. Functional sympatholysis describes the ability of contracting skeletal muscle to blunt the stimulus for vasoconstriction, yet the underlying signalling of this response in humans is not well understood. We tested the hypothesis that activation of inwardly rectifying potassium channels and the sodium–potassium ATPase pump, two potential vasodilator pathways within blood vessels, contributes to the ability to blunt α1-adrenergic vasoconstriction. Our results show preserved blunting of α1-adrenergic vasconstriction despite blockade of these vasoactive factors. Understanding this complex phenomenon is important as it is impaired in a variety of clinical populations. Abstract Sympathetic vasoconstriction in contracting skeletal muscle is blunted relative to that which occurs in resting tissue; however, the mechanisms underlying this ‘functional sympatholysis’ remain unclear in humans. We tested the hypothesis that α1-adrenergic vasoconstriction is augmented during exercise following inhibition of inwardly rectifying potassium (KIR) channels and Na+/K+-ATPase (BaCl2 + ouabain). In young healthy humans, we measured forearm blood flow (Doppler ultrasound) and calculated forearm vascular conductance (FVC) at rest, during steady-state stimulus conditions (pre-phenylephrine), and after 2 min of phenylephrine (PE; an α1-adrenoceptor agonist) infusion via brachial artery catheter in response to two different stimuli: moderate (15% maximal voluntary contraction) rhythmic handgrip exercise or adenosine infusion. In Protocol 1 (n = 11 subjects) a total of six trials were performed in three conditions: control (saline), combined enzymatic inhibition of nitric oxide (NO) and prostaglandin (PG) synthesis (l-NMMA + ketorolac) and combined inhibition of NO, PGs, KIR channels and Na+/K+-ATPase (l-NMMA + ketorolac + BaCl2 + ouabain). In Protocol 2 (n = 6) a total of four trials were performed in two conditions: control (saline), and combined KIR channel and Na+/K+-ATPase inhibition. All trials occurred after local β-adrenoceptor blockade (propranolol). PE-mediated vasoconstriction was calculated (%ΔFVC) in each condition. Contrary to our hypothesis, despite attenuated exercise hyperaemia of ∼30%, inhibition of KIR channels and Na+/K+-ATPase, combined with inhibition of NO and PGs (Protocol 1) or alone (Protocol 2) did not enhance α1-mediated vasoconstriction during exercise (Protocol 1: −27 ± 3%; P = 0.2 vs. control, P = 0.4 vs. l-NMMA + ketorolac; Protocol 2: −21 ± 7%; P = 0.9 vs. control). Thus, contracting human skeletal muscle maintains the ability to blunt α1-adrenergic vasoconstriction during combined KIR channel and Na+/K+-ATPase inhibition.
An efficient and probabilistic secure bit-decomposition

Many secure data analysis tasks, such as secure clustering and classification, require efficient mechanisms to convert the intermediate encrypted integers into the corresponding encryptions of bits. The existing bit-decomposition algorithms either do not offer sufficient security or are computationally inefficient. In order to provide better security as well as to improve efficiency, we propose a novel probabilistic-based secure bit-decomposition protocol for values encrypted using public key additive homomorphic encryption schemes. The proposed protocol guarantees security as per the semi-honest security definition of secure multi-party computation (MPC) and is also very efficient compared to the existing method. Our protocol always returns the correct result, however, it is probabilistic in the sense that the correct result can be generated in the first run itself with very high probability. The computation time of the proposed protocol grows linearly with the input domain size in bits. We theoretically analyze the complexity of the proposed protocol with the existing method in detail.
Acoustic and direct measurements of atmospheric mixing at three sites during an air pollution incident

Abstract Simultaneous measurements at three sites in the San Francisco Bay Area were used to document the depth and vigor of atmospheric mixing before, during, and after an air pollution incident. The measurements included sodar (acoustic radar) sensing and direct temperature profile measurements. The sodar records graphically documented the transition in atmospheric behavior from days with long periods of near-surface instability and relatively large mixing depth, to days with long periods of near-surface stability and relatively small mixing depth, and back again. The sodar records were in turn corroborated by the direct temperature profile measurements (i.e. time-average differences between acoustically inferred and directly measured inversion base heights were small compared to the absolute heights). The development of poor mixing conditions was accompanied by increased pollution near the surface, which later dissipated with the return of good mixing conditions. We conclude that sodar measurements can provide very useful inputs to Bay Area air quality simulation models, but caution against indiscriminately extrapolating the present results to areas or seasons with significantly different meteorology.
Here’s a Chance to Dance our Way Out of our Constrictions: P-­Funk’s Black Masculinity and the Performance of Imaginative Freedom

‘Here’s a Chance to Dance our Way Out of our Constrictions’: P-Funk’s Black Masculinity and the Performance of Imaginative Freedom” considers the ways that George Clinton’s two funk projects, Parliament and Funkadelic, create new spaces for nonnormative heterosexuality and creative production. I explore issues of embodiment , sexual fluidity, and community in P-Funk’s iconography, lyrics and sound and then consider ways that black male fans have gained a sense of imaginative freedom from their music. P-Funk’s solidly funking music, hallucinatory and often politicized music, experimental cover art and wildly threatrical stage shows create a new a queer space for black heterosexual men. Most significantly, P-Funk’s music explores black experience, particularly bodily, sexual and sensual experience at points of ambiguity, vulnerability, pain, desire, and laughter, using tools of music that speak to their listeners individually and internally, as well as collectively. This power to harness emotionally strong and sometimes inchoate feeling had a powerful effect on its audience—prompting some to find unity and empathy with other black men.
A high performance liquid chromatography method for the analysis of glycosphingolipids using galactose oxidase/NaB3H4 labeling of intact cells and synaptosomes

Abstract The major objective of this study was to combine an HPLC method with a galactose oxidase/NaB3H4 labeling method to allow both a chemical quantitation of individual glycolipids and an analysis of their 3H labeling. Neutral glycolipids in whole cells were oxidized with galactose oxidase, and the resultant aldehydes were radiolabeled by reduction with tritiated sodium borohydride. Gangliosides, oxidized with galactose oxidase, either were reduced while in the native state in the whole cell or were first extracted and then reduced. Tritiated glycolipids were perbenzoylated and separated by HPLC. Ultraviolet detection of the derivatives was at 230 nm. Incorporated radioactivity was determined either by collecting fractions from the HPLC separation and counting on a liquid scintillation spectrometer or with a flow-through counter. The order of the derivatization and reduction is critical. Reduction of glycolipids prior to derivatization yielded sharp uv and radioactive peaks. Perbenzoylation of the oxidized glycolipids prior to reduction yielded multiple uv peaks, a noisy baseline, and broad radioactive peaks which did not always have a corresponding uv peak. The labeled neutral glycolipids were stable at −40°C for at least 14 days, and gangliosides were stable at −15°C for at least 14 days. When samples were stored at 20°C there was a time-dependent decrease in the glycolipid/internal standard uv peak area ratio for GbOse4 and GbOse3 apparent by 28 days after perbenzoylation. The distribution of radiolabel among peaks showed no change with time or temperature. We adapted the technique to allow 3H labeling of glycolipids from monolayers of cultured glioma cells and from mouse brain synaptosomes. This method permits simultaneous quantification of individual glycolipids and analysis of their surface exposure.
Capacity of screen-camera communications under perspective distortions

Cameras are ubiquitous and increasingly being used not just for capturing images but also for communicating information. For example, the pervasive QR codes can be viewed as communicating a short code to camera-equipped sensors. Such communications could be particularly attractive in pervasive camera based applications, where such camera communications can reuse the existing camera hardware and also leverage from the large pixel array structure for high data-rate communication. While several prototypes have been constructed, the fundamental capacity limits of the screen-camera communication channel in all but the simplest scenarios remains unknown. The visual medium differs from RF in that the information capacity of this channel largely depends on the perspective distortions while multipath becomes negligible. In this paper, we create a model of this communication system to allow predicting the capacity based on receiver perspective (distance and angle to the transmitter). We calibrate and validate this model through lab experiments wherein information is transmitted from a screen and received with a tablet camera. Our capacity estimates indicate that tens of Mbps is possible using a smartphone camera even when the short code on the screen images onto only 15% of the camera frame. Our estimates also indicate that there is room for at least 2.5 i? improvement in throughput of existing screen-camera communication prototypes.
Modeling and measurements of water–vapor flow and icing at low pressures with application to pharmaceutical freeze-drying

Abstract A modeling and computational framework for analysis of rarefied water vapor flow and icing in application to pharmaceutical freeze-drying is developed. The direct simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) technique is applied to model the relevant gaseous transport processes in a low-pressure environment encountered in freeze-drying. The developing ice front on a supercooled surface is simulated based on the water vapor mass flux computed from DSMC. Verification of icing simulations has been done by comparison with the analytical solution for a free-molecular flow over a circular cylinder. To validate the vapor flow and icing simulations, measurements of ice accretion in a laboratory-scale freeze-dryer are conducted with the use of time-lapse photography. The simulations corresponding to the measured time-average water sublimation rate agree well with the observed patterns and rates of ice accretion. The developed computational framework has been applied to investigate factors underlying the observed non-uniformity of ice growth. It has been shown that two key factors impact the uniformity of ice accretion: (i) the direction of the vapor flow at the inlet to the condenser which is governed by the geometry of a duct connecting the product chamber to the condenser; and (ii) the pressure of non-condensable gases in the condenser reservoir. The DSMC simulations demonstrate that by tailoring the condensing surfaces topology to the flowfield structure of the water vapor jet expanding into a low-pressure reservoir, it is possible to significantly increase the total rate of vapor removal and improve the overall efficiency of the freeze-drying process.
Centrifugation redistributes factors determining cleavage patterns in leech embryos

In the normal development of glossiphoniid leech embryos, cytoplasmic reorganization prior to the first cleavage generates visibly distinct domains of yolk-deficient cytoplasm, called teloplasm. During an ensuing series of stereotyped and unequal cell divisions, teloplasm is segregated primarily into cell CD of the two-cell stage and then into cell D of the four-cell and eight-cell stages. The subsequent fate of cell D is also unique in that it alone undergoes further cleavages which generate five bilateral pairs of embryonic stem cells, the mesodermal (M) and ectodermal (N, O/P, O/P, and Q) teloblasts. Here we report studies on the effects of centrifugation on cleavage pattern and protein composition of individual blastomeres of the leech Helobdella triserialis. Centrifugation partially stratifies the cytoplasm of each cell, generating a layer of clear cytoplasm in cell CD derived largely from teloplasm. After centrifuging embryos at the two-cell stage, clear cytoplasm present in cell CD and normally inherited by cell D is redistributed and can be inherited by both cells C and D at the second cleavage. The developmental fates of cells C and D in centrifuged embryos correlate with the amount of clear cytoplasm they receive. In particular, when clear cytoplasm has been distributed roughly equally between the two cells, both cell C and cell D undergo further cleavages resembling the pattern of divisions normally associated with cell D. Likewise, non-yolk-associated proteins, normally found in higher quantities in cell D than in cell C, appear evenly disbursed between the two cells under conditions which induce this fate change. These results are consistent with the idea that the fates of cells C and D are influenced by the distribution or cellular localization of cytoplasmic components.
Group-theoretic analysis of long-wavelength vibrations of polar crystals

A group-theoretic method is described for analyzing the long-wavelength lattice vibrations of polar crystals made up of deformable and polarizable ions. A set of $3r$-dimensional matrices is constructed (where $r$ is the number of ions in a primitive unit cell of the crystal), each of which commutes with the dynamical matrix for such crystals, and which also provides a representation of the point group ${G}_{0}(\stackrel{^}{k};\ensuremath{-}\stackrel{^}{k})$, which is the subgroup of the point group of the space group of the crystal whose elements {$R$} have the property that $\mathrm{R}\stackrel{^}{k}=\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}\stackrel{^}{k}$. Here $\mathrm{R}$ is a 3 \ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{} 3 real, orthogonal matrix representative of the symmetry operation $R$, while $\stackrel{^}{k}$ is a unit vector in the direction of the wave vector $\stackrel{\ensuremath{\rightarrow}}{\mathrm{k}}$ of the long-wavelength lattice vibrations being studied. Reduction of this matrix representation yields the symmetries of the long-wavelength normal modes of the crystal, and the forms of the corresponding eigenvectors can be obtained by projection-operator techniques. Additional degeneracies imposed by time-reversal symmetry are automatically taken into account in this treatment, which is illustrated by applying it to an analysis of the long-wavelength vibration modes of graphite.
Tomographic image sequence reconstruction by edge-preserving interslice MAP methods

We consider a new problem in tomographic imaging. In a sequence of transverse images, adjacent slices often look similar to each other. We investigate the possibility of using this correlation to help reconstruct the sequence with 2-D in-plane data. The problem is formulated as a maximum a posteriori (MAP) estimation problem, using an edge-preserving Markov random field prior model. Both Gaussian and Poisson data are considered. Some improvements over the single-slice MAP reconstructions are observed.
Sulfur dioxide inhibits calcium carbonate precipitation: Implications for early Mars and Earth

[1] Recent studies have suggested a role for sulfur dioxide (SO2) in maintaining relatively warm surface temperatures on early Mars. Here we show experimentally, that SO2 concentrations orders of magnitude lower than those required for it to have been of climatic importance strongly affect the aqueous chemistry and the precipitated mineral assemblage. At near-neutral pH, part-per-billion concentrations of SO2 prevent the formation of calcium carbonate in favor of hannebachite, a hydrated calcium sulfite. In the presence of iron, possible precursors to phyllosilicate minerals and iron carbonate co-precipitate with hannebachite. This provides an explanation for the existence of early Noachian phyllosilicates in the apparent dearth of outcrop-scale calcium carbonates. Oxidation of this precipitated assemblage produces sulfates, iron oxides and acidity, consistent with evidence for late Noachian–early Hesperian acid-sulfate dominated environments. For early Earth, the results allow placing an upper limit on atmospheric SO2 concentrations for any period in which carbonates exist in the geologic record.