cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
DNA Polyplexes of a Phosphorylcholine-Based Zwitterionic Polymer for Gene Delivery

We tested polyplexes of a diblock polymer containing a pH-responsive, endosomolytic core (dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate and butyl methacrylate; DB) and a zwitterionic Poly (methacryloyloxyethyl phosphorylcholine) (PMPC) corona for the delivery of plasmid DNA (pDNA) to glioblastoma cells. We studied the physicochemical characteristics of the DNA polyplexes such as particle hydrodynamic diameter and surface potential. Cytocompatibility of free PMPC-DB polymer and pDNA polyplexes with U-87MG and U-138MG glioma cell lines were evaluated using the ATP assay. The transfection activity of luciferase pDNA polyplexes was measured using a standard luciferase assay. Anti-proliferative, apoptotic, and cell migration inhibitory activities of PMPC-DB/Interferon-beta (IFN-β1) pDNA polyplexes were examined using ATP assay, flow cytometry, and wound closure assay, respectively. PMPC-DB copolymer condensed pDNA into nanosized polyplexes. DNA polyplexes showed particle diameters ranging from ca. 100–150 nm with narrow polydispersity indices and near electroneutral zeta potential values. PMPC-DB/Luciferase pDNA polyplexes were safe and showed an 18-fold increase in luciferase expression compared to the gold standard PEI polyplexes in U-87MG cells. PMPC-DB/IFN-β1 polyplexes induced apoptosis, demonstrated anti-proliferative effects, and retarded cell migration in glioblastoma cells. The results described herein should guide the future optimization of PMPC-DB/DNA delivery systems for in vivo studies.
Reduced-order models for electro-magnetic-structural coupling phenomena

Abstract Electromagnetic devices such as electric machines are indispensable for vehicle electrification, power generation, and manufacturing. The distributed electromagnetic forces that exist in such devices can lead to structural deformations, particularly in devices with high power densities. These deformations may in turn lead to changes in electromagnetic forces. Consequently, the mechanical and electromagnetic behaviors are coupled, leading to electromagnetic-structural (EMS) phenomena. For an alternating current electric input, periodic forces generated by permanent magnets or windings and other disturbances to the electromagnetic device can lead to excitation of specific structural resonances due to the EMS coupling. In previous studies, the two-way coupling feedback between electromagnetic forces and structural deformations has been addressed using models with high computational cost. To address this issue, reduced-order models (ROMs) are proposed, which reduce the computational time of multi-physics analysis by projecting the equations of motion onto a modal space and/or using sector models for structures with cyclic symmetry. The multi-physics ROMs for EMS coupling are applied to investigate potential structural parametric excitations. This paper describes the construction of the multi-physics ROMs, and presents the findings of a stability analysis of systems susceptible to parametric resonance. In addition, parametric resonance is demonstrated using the proposed ROMs for a proof-of-concept design. The response predicted by the ROMs is verified using time-domain analysis with high fidelity finite element models. Verification shows high computational accuracy and efficiency of the proposed ROMs.
A Meta-analysis of Risk Factors for Suicide in Patients with Major Depression Disorder

Objective:To systematically analyze the risk factors for suicide in patients with major depressive disorder(MDD) and assess the tendency of incidence change after controlling for risk factors,which may be helpful towards primaryprevention of suicide in MDD.Methods:Case- control studies on risk factors of suicide in MDD were selected andscreened for the main risk factors.Meta-analysis was used to calculate the pooled odds ratio(OR) and 95% confidence inter-val for each selected factor.Population attributable risk proportion(PARP) was estimated and incidence change after control-ling risk factors was evaluated by using EXCEL.Results:11 papers on risk factors of suicide in MDD were selected.Thetop five risk factors were hopelessness(OR=5.67),family history of suicide(OR=4.01),negative life-events(3.91),delusion(OR=3.41) and self-accusation(OR=2.85).The factors for high PARP were hopelessness(62.82%),anxiety(42.36%),nega-tive life-events(28.96%) and cognitive disorder(23.91%).If the exposure to these 5 risk factors decrease by 25% and 50%in the future,the incidence of suicide rate in MDD patients would decreased by 15.70%,10.59%,10.27%,7.24%,5.97%and 31.41%,21.18%,20.55%,14.48%,11.95% respectively.Conclusion:Extreme thinking,unreasonable believe andcognitive disorder lead to low spirits among major depression patients,which are major reasons of suicide.
Synthesis and characterization of the complete series of chlorine substituted cobalt acetylacetonate complexes—[Co(acac)x(acac-Cl)3-x], x = 0–3

Abstract The synthesis and characterization of a series of chlorine substituted cobalt acetylacetonate complexes, denoted as Co(acac)x(acac-Cl)3-x is presented. The complexes were characterized through spectroscopic techniques–UV–vis, ATR-FTIR, and NMR-- and by X-ray crystallography. The replacement of a proton by a chloride was found to have little structural effect in the solid-state structure; however, spectroscopy measurements do definitively support the hypothesis that modifications of this kind can alter observable properties. DFT calculations were performed to examine dipole moments, structural and spectroscopic analysis, and HOMO/LUMO gaps.
Dissolving Death’s Time-of-Harm Problem

Most philosophers in the death literature believe that death can be bad for the person who dies. The most popular view of death’s badness—namely, deprivationism—holds that death is bad for the pers...
User Perceptions of Phishing Consequence Severity and Likelihood, and Implications for Warning Message Design

To combat phishing, system messages warn users of suspected phishing attacks. However, users do not always comply with warning messages. One reason for non-compliance is that warning messages contradict how users think about phishing threats. To increase compliance, warning messages should align with user perceptions of phishing threat risks. How users think about phishing threats is not yet known. To identify how users perceive phishing threats, participants were surveyed about their perceptions of the severity and likelihood of 9 phishing consequences. Results revealed perceived severity and likelihood levels for each consequence, as well as relative differences between consequences. Concrete examples of warning messages that reflect these findings are provided.
A Model and System for Querying Provenance from Data Cleaning Workflows

Data cleaning is an essential component of data preparation in machine learning and other data science workflows, and is widely recognized as the most time-consuming and error-prone part when working with real-world data. How data was prepared and cleaned has a significant impact on the reliability and trustworthiness of results of any subsequent analysis. Transparent data cleaning not only requires that provenance (i.e., operation history and value changes) be captured, but also that those changes are easy to explore and evaluate: The data scientists who prepare the data, as well as others who want to reuse the cleaned data for their studies, need to be able to easily explore and query its data cleaning history. We have developed a domain-specific provenance model for data cleaning that supports the kind of provenance questions that data scientists need to answer when inspecting and debugging data preparation histories. The design of the model was driven by the need (i) to answer relevant, user-oriented provenance questions, and (ii) to do so in an effective and efficient manner. The model is a refinement of an earlier provenance model and has been implemented as a companion tool to OpenRefine, a popular, open source tool for data cleaning.
smFRET study of rRNA dimerization at the peptidyl transfer center.

Abstract The ribosome is a ribozyme. At the peptidyl transfer center (PTC) of 180 nt, two loops (the A- and P- loops) bind to tRNAs and position them in close proximity for efficient peptidyl ligation. There is also a 2-fold rotational symmetry in the PTC, which suggests that the precursor of the modern ribosome possibly emerged through dimerization and gene fusion. However, experiments that demonstrate the possible dimerization have not yet been published. In our investigation, we reported single molecule FRET studies of two RNA fragments that generated high FRET values. By dye-labeling the 5′-biotinylated rRNA molecules at the 3′- terminals, or labeling three different types of tRNA-like oligos, we observed that RNA scaffolds can assemble and bring several short tRNA-acceptor-domain analogs, but not full-length tRNAs, to close proximity. Mg2+ and continuous 3-way junction motifs are essential to this process, but amino acid charging to the tRNA analogs is not required. We observed RNA dimers via native gel-shifting experiments. These experiments support the possible existence of a proto-ribosome in the form of an RNA dimer or multimer.
Evaluating the Implementation of Evidence-based Kidney Nutrition Practice Guidelines: The AUGmeNt Study Protocol.

Evidence-based nutrition practice guidelines (EBNPGs) inform registered dietitian nutritionist (RDN) care for patients with chronic kidney disease grade 5 treated by dialysis; however, there has been little evaluation of best practices for implementing EBNPGs. In this effectiveness-implementation hybrid study with a quasi-experimental design, United States RDNs in hemodialysis clinics will document initial and follow-up nutrition care for patients with chronic kidney disease grade 5 treated by dialysis using the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Health Informatics Infrastructure before and after being randomly assigned to a training model: (1) EBNPG knowledge training or (2) EBNPG knowledge training plus an implementation toolkit. The aims of the study include examining congruence of RDN documentation of nutrition care with the EBNPG; describing common RDN-reported EBNPG acceptability, adoption, and adaptation issues; and determining the feasibility of estimating the impact of RDN care on nutrition-related patient outcomes. The AUGmeNt study can inform effective development and implementation of future EBNPGs. Keywords: Chronic kidney diseases; medical nutrition therapy; implementation science; clinical practice guideline; nutrition care process terminology; dietitian
Diagnosis and Management of Urachal Anomalies in Children

Congenital urachal anomalies are present in less than 2 % of the general pediatric population. While traditionally thought of as pre-malignant, their clinical significance particularly in the asymptomatic patient has been questioned. The presence of a urachal anomaly in childhood does not appear to confer an increased risk of urachal cancer in adulthood. These remnants are classified based upon their anatomic location and communication with either the umbilicus or bladder and may present with a variety of symptoms. When clinical signs and symptoms suggest the presence of an urachal anomaly, ultrasonography is the most appropriate initial diagnostic imaging test. Observation with or without follow-up imaging is an acceptable initial step in management as these often regress without surgical intervention particularly in asymptomatic patients. When infectious symptoms are present, a course of antibiotics may be recommended prior to surgery to reduce the chance of postoperative wound infection.
Use of Collagen Immobilized Enzymes in Blood Treatment

Collagen is the major protein constituent of the higher vertebrates. In its fibrous form, collagen is the most important tensile component of the body’s connective tissue framework and is responsible for such functions as imparting strength to blood vessels, holding bone crystals together and enabling muscles to exert pull on bones. It is possible to reconstitute collagen and cast it into forms such as membranes and tubes at the same time retaining the structural and strengthening properties it has in vivo. Furthermore, the physical and chemical nature of collagen can be modified by different agents. For example, controlled treatment with proteolytic enzymes can reduce or eliminate its antigenic activity (1). It can be crosslinked with glutaraldehyde to impart semipermeability; this type of structure would be selectively impermeable to large molecular weight materials such as proteins.
Erectile Dysfunction as a Marker for Cardiovascular Disease Diagnosis and Intervention: A Cost Analysis

Introduction Erectile dysfunction (ED) is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD). We examine the costs of screening men with ED for CVD risk factors and the cost savings of treating these at risk men.
Multivariable adaptive LQ control of jet engines

This paper develops an observer-based indirect adaptive linear quadratic (LQ) control scheme for a class of MIMO LTI models of jet engine instabilities. These models contain uncertain time delays and resonant modes, leading to a non-minimum phase system characterization which prevents the use of more common direct adaptive schemes such as model reference adaptive control, and adaptive backstepping. The LQ control scheme has the desired optimality for jet engine control applications, in particular, to avoid large transients in the control input which may lead to problems such as actuator saturation. By imposing a high cost of control in the cost function, an LQ control law can keep the control input within the desired operating range while maintaining stability and achieving system performance. To deal with system parameter uncertainties, adaptive parameter estimates are used to solve an online Riccati equation to calculate the control gain matrix. Simulation results have verified the desired performance.
Inhibition of tumor promoter 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate-induced synthesis of epidermal ornithine decarboxylase messenger RNA and diacylglycerol-promoted mouse skin tumor formation by retinoic acid.

Evidence is presented that inhibition of 12- O -tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA)-induced ornithine decarboxylase (ODC; EC 4.1.1.17) by retinoic acid may involve inhibition of protein kinase C-mediated synthesis of ODC mRNA. A single application of 10 nmol of TPA to intact mouse skin led to an increase in the steady state levels of epidermal ODC mRNA; a maximal level of ODC mRNA occurred at about 3.5 h after TPA treatment. TPA-induced increase in ODC mRNA preceded the increase in epidermal ODC activity. Application of 17 nmol of retinoic acid 1 h before application of TPA to mouse skin inhibited the induction of both ODC mRNA and ODC activity. Using the DNA-excess filter hybridization technique, we found that TPA-increased steady state levels of ODC mRNA in primary culture of newborn mouse epidermal cells were the result of enhanced accumulation of newly synthesized ODC mRNA. Furthermore, in a pulse-chase experiment, we could not detect any difference in the half-life of ODC mRNA in epidermal cells after TPA or the vehicle dimethyl sulfoxide treatments; the half-life of ODC mRNA was about 7 h in both cases. Exposure of primary cultures of newborn epidermal cells to retinoic acid, in conjunction with TPA, inhibited the synthesis of ODC mRNA and failed to alter the half-life of ODC mRNA. These results implicate the role of transcription activation in TPA-induced ODC gene expression and indicate that retinoic acid may inhibit TPA-induced ODC gene transcription. We also found that protein kinase C may play a role in the mechanism of inhibition by retinoic acid of ODC gene expression. Supporting evidence is the finding that l-α-dioctanoylglycerol, an activator of protein kinase C, is a Stage II mouse skin tumor promoter and the application of retinoic acid 1 h before application of l-α-dioctanoylglycerol to mouse skin inhibited the induction of ODC activity and ODC mRNA as well as tumor promotion by l-α-dioctanoylglycerol. Taken together, one may conclude that the mechanism of inhibition of TPA-induced ODC by retinoic acid may involve the inhibition of protein kinase C-mediated accumulation of newly synthesized ODC mRNA.
Abundance and Distribution of Vascular Plants in the Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area

This study began in 1983 and, as originally proposed, has three phases: 1. Floristic survey and herbarium development (1983-84); 2. Vegetation analysis and classification (1984-85); and 3. Conclusion of vegetation analysis and preparation of a vegetation map (1985-86). This work is on schedu1e. Justification for the study was to provide the Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area (BCNRA) with basic vegetation information that could be helpful in resource management. Very little ecological research has been conducted in the BCNRA.
Ordinary shear-thinning behavior in liquids and its effect upon EHL traction

We present some measurements of non-Newtonian behavior which clearly show the progression from Newtonian to power-law shear-thinning response and then to a shear stress limited by cohesive failure. Traction curvescalculated from these measurements are compared with EHL traction measurements at very low slide/roll ratio. It is shown that the shape or character of the traction curve is unchanged by shear-thinning but that the traction curves are shifted to higher shear rates. This rate shift is nearly indistinguishable from a reduction in viscosity with increasing pressure and may have been misinterpreted as Roelands behavior or even time dependent viscosity.
Fault detection in Reed-Muller canonical (RMC) networks

It is shown that there exists a set of test patterns which can detect all single stuck-at and all single-bridging (short circuit) faults in Reed-Muller networks. The number of test patterns is shown to be at most 3n+5, where n is the number of input variables in the function. >
Bringing Nano to the Public through Informal Science Education

Researchers in nanoscale science and engineering communicate all the time. We give talks, present lectures and write papers regularly. But the general public—the consumers who will use the products of our work and the voters who indirectly set the national research agenda—do not often hear us. Informal science education— including museums, TV, public lectures, popular press, etc.—is a way to connect with broader audiences in a variety of fun and effective ways. Museums, which are visited by hundreds of millions of people each year in the U.S., are popular because they are skilled at making abstract and complex phenomena comprehensible to people from all walks of life, and making the whole experience fun. This talk will provide an introduction to what museums call the “informal science education” field, describe how researchers can get involved with museums to present nano to the public, and provide background about how museums work. It will also review what the public currently understands about nanoscale science and engineering and the challenges that these (mis)understandings create for museums and researchers
Breaking boundaries—coagulation and fibrinolysis at the neurovascular interface

Blood proteins at the neurovascular unit (NVU) are emerging as important molecular determinants of communication between the brain and the immune system. Over the past two decades, roles for the plasminogen activation (PA)/plasmin system in fibrinolysis have been extended from peripheral dissolution of blood clots to the regulation of central nervous system (CNS) functions in physiology and disease. In this review, we discuss how fibrin and its proteolytic degradation affect neuroinflammatory, degenerative and repair processes. In particular, we focus on novel functions of fibrin—the final product of the coagulation cascade and the main substrate of plasmin—in the activation of immune responses and trafficking of immune cells into the brain. We also comment on the suitability of the coagulation and fibrinolytic systems as potential biomarkers and drug targets in diseases, such as multiple sclerosis (MS), Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and stroke. Studying coagulation and fibrinolysis as major molecular pathways that regulate cellular functions at the NVU has the potential to lead to the development of novel strategies for the detection and treatment of neurologic diseases.
An additive semi-implicit Runge--Kutta family of schemes for nonstiff systems

An additive semi-implicit third-order Runge-Kutta family of schemes for nonstiff systems of equations is presented. These schemes involve a single implicit stage and two explicit stages and posses a linear stability domain that is larger than that of explicit Runge-Kutta schemes of the same order. The improved stability domain can be useful in some problems involving large systems of equations where a few components impose too stringent time-step limitations.
The investment value of analysts’ recommendations: evidence from the dartboard contest

Briefly reviews previous research on the value of investment advisors’ recommendations and presents a study comparing portfolio returns from analysts’ recommendations in the Wall Street Journal’s “Dartboard” contest 1990‐1996, four randomly selected shares and the Dow Jones Industrial Average. Finds the analysts’ portfolio has the highest average returns and standard deviation; and that although some individual analysts have excellent scores in the contest, this is inversely related to the number of times they participate. Suggests that they do not significantly outperform other portfolios, but that contest winners’ tips have significant effects on the market, especially for non‐listed shares. Assesses the implications of the results for the efficient market hypothesis and the share prices of firms with higher asymmetric information.
Polarization in Raman spectroscopy helps explain bone brittleness in genetic mouse models

Raman spectroscopy (RS) has been extensively used to characterize bone composition. However, the link between bone biomechanics and RS measures is not well established. Here, we leveraged the sensitivity of RS polarization to organization, thereby assessing whether RS can explain differences in bone toughness in genetic mouse models for which traditional RS peak ratios are not informative. In the selected mutant mice—activating transcription factor 4 (ATF4) or matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP9) knock-outs—toughness is reduced but differences in bone strength do not exist between knock-out and corresponding wild-type controls. To incorporate differences in the RS of bone occurring at peak shoulders, a multivariate approach was used. Full spectrum principal components analysis of two paired, orthogonal bone orientations (relative to laser polarization) improved genotype classification and correlation to bone toughness when compared to traditional peak ratios. When applied to femurs from wild-type mice at 8 and 20 weeks of age, the principal components of orthogonal bone orientations improved age classification but not the explanation of the maturation-related increase in strength. Overall, increasing polarization information by collecting spectra from two bone orientations improves the ability of multivariate RS to explain variance in bone toughness, likely due to polarization sensitivity to organizational changes in both mineral and collagen.
Toward health management and enhanced efficiency in wind turbine farms: Study

Wind farms are locally concentrated clusters of wind turbines that are electrically and commercially tied together. The benefits of wind farms (reducing the average cost due to increasing returns of scale) may become counteracted by the aerodynamic interaction among turbines, which can decrease the total captured energy convertible to electricity. Current utility-scale wind farms include systems for controlling individual turbines and displaying information on the wind farm operation (SCADA). In other various engineering disciplines, novel research into prognostics and diagnostics algorithms is being extensively conducted [4]. The current research interest is extrapolation of these methods to composite blades in wind turbines, and obtaining prognostics signatures in a wind turbine simulator. Correspondingly, the control settings should be changed in response to the health information on the blades, gearbox, bearing, power electronics and motors. The motivation for this work is implementation of a distributed coordinated control concept that takes into account the interaction of wind turbines in a wind farm (aerodynamic coupling effect), as well as health information on the individual blades, bearings, electronics and motors, obtained from a health management algorithm. Distributed fault tolerant control and reconfiguration, based on fault detection/health management concepts, are currently being developed.
Simulation of fabric development in recrystallizing aggregates—II. Example model runs

Abstract This study investigates the role of the coupling of dynamic recrystallization and lattice rotations in fabric development. A new two-dimensional computer simulation of polycrystalline deformation is used, which combines homogeneous straining, internal lattice rotations and dynamic recrystallization processes. Five example runs of the simulation are described here, which compare the progressive development of fabrics resulting from different recrystallization regimes and different straining geometries. It is found that these fabrics can evolve significantly with progressive strain from one strong fabric pattern to another. The effect of recrystallization is not only to create point maxima concentrations of c-axes, but also to modify and create girdle distributions. Correlations are made between the fabrics generated by this model and previously reported quartz and ice fabrics.
Scaling between K+ and proton production in nucleus-nucleus collisions

An empirical scaling involving the production of strange particle K{sup +} and protons has been observed at each rapidity over a large range covered by the E-802 spectrometer in reactions from minimum biased p+Be to central Si+Au at 14.6 A-GeV/c. This scaling has implications for the temporal evolution in nucleus-nucleus collisions.
Intersex and other reproductive disruption of fish in wastewater effluent dominated Colorado streams

Intersex white suckers (Catostomus commersoni) were collected in Boulder Creek and the South Platte River downstream of wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluent but not at reference sites. Eighty-three percent of the 60 white suckers collected downstream of the Boulder WWTP in spring and fall were female compared to 45% upstream (n=33). Only female (n=16) and intersex white suckers (n=4) were collected in the South Platte River downstream of the Denver WWTP in the spring. Gonad deformities and delayed follicular maturation were noted in some white suckers in Boulder Creek and the South Platte River downstream of the WWTP effluents. Asynchronous ovarian development was found in some female white suckers downstream of the WWTP effluents, but not upstream. The types and extent of sexual disruption differed in each river studied.
A search for evidence of a fissionable nuclide in iron meteorites and implications on heat sources in planetary cores

It is shown that nuclear fission could not have significantly contributed as a heat source to drive an early lunar core dynamo. Furthermore, contributions of any fissionable nuclide to the energetics of the earth's core today are very unlikely in comparison to other sources of energy. These conclusions are inferred from searches for records of fission events in the metal phase of IA and IVB meteorites. We obtain strict upper limits for the concentration level of Nd and Sm in the Canyon Diablo (IA), Pinon (anom.), and Santa Clara (IVB) meteorites which are not distinguishable from the levels of the procedural blank and exhibit a normal isotopic composition. No contribution from fission to the unshielded isotopes could be detected. Upper limits for contributions by fission are 10^8 atoms g^(−1) per isobar. Assuming a low fission yield of 10^(−4), we obtain 10^(12) fission events g^(−1). It is reasonable to assume no losses of REE fission products due to late stage recrystallization or outgassing. This limit would correspond to a maximum deposition of 30 J g^(−1) in the earth's core due to fission. From earlier experiments on Kr and Xe in other IA iron meteorites, upper limits for contributions by fission of 3 × 10^5 and 2 × 10^6 fission events g^(−1) per isobar can also be estimated for the unshielded isotopes. Recent studies on nuclear tracks in silicate inclusions of IA iron meteorites set upper limits of 10^9–10^(10) fission events g^(−1), the detected tracks being most plausibly explained by spontaneous fission of ^(244)Pu. We can find no evidence in support of a fissionable, siderophile superheavy element and all limits for fission events are too low to support fission as a heat source in planetary cores. Furthermore, by Nd and Sm studies on two IVB iron meteorites, we demonstrate that Ag anomalies found earlier in meteorites of this class cannot have been produced by in situ fission of any known nuclide. This further supports the interpretation that extinct ^(107)Pd is the source of the ^(107)Ag anomalies.
Topological invariants of 2-designs arising from difference families

Abstract Hefftner, White, Alpert, and others observed a connection between topology and certain block designs with parameters k = 3 and λ = 2. In this paper the connection is extended to include all values of λ. The topology is also exploited further to produce some new invariants of designs. The topology also gives an upper bound for the order of the automorphism group of the designs studied which leads to a generalization of the Bays-Lambossy theorem. Methods for constructing block designs are also given showing that the results apply and are useful for a large class of designs.
Scanning Tunneling Microscope Study of Etch Pits on Highly Oriented Pyrolytic Graphite Heated in an Atomic Absorption Electrothermal Analyzer

Scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) was used to elucidate monolayer etch pits that form on highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) heated in an electrothermal analyzer. Pits form at elevated temperatures due to reactions between oxygen and exposed carbon edge atoms (defects) and additionally with intraplanar carbon atoms (through abstraction). Samples of HOPG without analyte or matrix modifier were placed in the depression of a pure pyrolytic graphite platform and heated by using standard analysis furnace programs. Under argon stop-flow conditions, pits form in less than a second at atomization temperatures equal to and above 1200 C. With low argon flow rates (40 mL/min), pits formed at atomization temperatures equal to and greater than 1750 C in less than a second. Quantitative pit formation rates were used to indicate oxygen partial pressure, which may be as high as ~ 10 -3 atm at 1200 C. Reaction rates were used to predict surface degradation due to oxygen attack and determine that 1- mu m depth normal to the surface would be removed by 200 successive 5-second-period furnace firings at 1200 C. Implications for increases in surface reactivity and analyte intercalation are discussed.
Radar detection of flooding beneath the forest canopy - A review

Synthetic aperture radar remote sensing is a promising tool for detection of flooding on forested floodplains. The brigtht appearance of flooded forests on radar images results from double-bounce reflections between smooth water surfaces and tree trunks or branches. Enhanced backscattering at L-band has been shown to occur in a wide variety of forest types, including cypress-tupelo swamps, temperate bottomland hardwoods, spruce bogs, mangroves and tropical floodplain forests. Lack of enhancement is a function of both stand density and branching structure. According to models and measurements, the magnitude of the enhancement is about 3 to 10 dB. Steep incidence angles (20-30 deg) are optimal for detection of flooding, since some forest types exhibit bright returns only at steeper angles. P-band should prove useful for floodwater mapping in dense stands, and multifrequency polarimetric analysis should allow flooded forests to be distinguished from marshes.
The measurement of price expectations

A recurrent problem in empirical research is finding observable quantities which appropriately measure theoretical variables. This problem becomes particularly difficulty when the theoretical variable is specified to be an expected rather than realized value. In economics, the role of expectations in influencing behavior is often a crucial one since, as Keynes pointed out (17:46), economic processes take time, and thus, in an uncertain world, decisions must generally be made on the basis of expectations. In this paper, attention is focused on the measurement of price expectations. This subject has recently received much attention in the literature, prompted no doubt by the extended period of inflation which has plagued most industrialized economies. In particular, researchers have wrestled with the problem of quantifying anticipated inflation in order to test two important relationships: the influence of expected inflation on nominal interest rates and the influence of expected inflation on nominal wage rates. The first of these relationships is commonly referred to as the Fisher effect. (8) Fisher posited that the nominal interest rate was the sum of the real rate of return and the expected change in the general price level. The extent to which the Fisher effect is true is an important issue. If expectations of a higher inflation rate
Introduction to the special issue on ‘Climate Variability and Water-Dependent Sectors: Impacts and Potential Adaptations’

Water stress is an increasingly important challenge for the twenty-first century. Demand for water resources in agricultural, municipal, industrial, and environmental uses is rising due to populati...
Maximizing the revenues of data centers in regulation market by coordinating with electric vehicles

Abstract Frequency regulation is a major market service to reduce the undesired imbalance between power supply and demand in the power market. In order to participate in the regulation market, both the supply and demand sides need to be capable of flexibly adjusting their power generation and consumption, respectively. As the scale of Internet data centers is increasing rapidly, their significant power consumption has enabled them to become an important player in the regulation market for maximized profits and thus minimized operating expenses. On the other side, Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEVs) have also recently been identified as a major participant in the regulation market, due to their large power demand for battery charging. In this paper, we propose a novel power management scheme that jointly leverages a data center and its employees’ PHEVs to (1) maximize the revenues that the data center receives from the regulation market and (2) get the PHEVs charged at no expense to their owners. Our scheme features a two-level hierarchical power control design. At the first level, our scheme interacts with the regulation market to provide information about the data center power consumption on an hourly basis. At the second level, the scheme decides the power budgets for the servers and UPS in the data center, as well as PHEVs, in real time, to follow the given regulation signal. In addition, we show how to leverage the thermal energy storage (TES) tanks available in many data centers to adapt the cooling power consumption for better management of the data center power demand and further increased regulation revenues. We evaluate the proposed scheme with real-world workload and regulation traces. The results show that our scheme performs a high-quality regulation service. As a result, the proposed scheme outperforms several commonly used baselines by having higher regulation revenues, and so lower operating expenses, for the data center. Finally, we analyze the cost savings of the PHEV owners, throughout the lifetime of the PHEVs, by getting their batteries charged at no expense.
Evaluation of renal cell carcinoma vaccines targeting carbonic anhydrase IX using heat shock protein 110.

Carbonic anhydrase IX (CA9) is a renal cell carcinoma (RCC)-specific tumor protein that is targeted using heat shock protein 110 (hsp110). The chaperoning ability of hsp110 can be utilized to form a complex with CA9 (hsp110 + CA9) in vitro, which can be administered as a highly concentrated tumor vaccine. In a tumor prevention model, hsp110 + CA9 prevented the growth of RENCA tumors in BALB/c mice, and produced IFN-γ response measured using ELISPOT and an antibody response measured using ELISA. To test a second vaccine strategy, hsp110 complexed to a previously described CA9 peptide prevented tumor growth and produced a very weak IFN-γ response, but no antibody response. A plasmid vector containing grp170, a member of the hsp110 family, linked to CA9 did not produce an antitumor response and produced no IFN-γ response or antibodies. In a model of metastatic RCC, RENCA cells were injected intradermally prior to vaccination. Hsp110 + CA9 decreased tumor growth compared to control vaccinations. These studies suggest that recombinant hsp110 complexed to CA9 should be evaluated for treatment of RCC.
Ashkenazi Jewish population frequencies for common mutations in BRCA1 and BRCA2

BRCA1 and BRCA2 are the two major identified causes of inherited breast cancer, with mutations in either gene conferring up to 80-90% lifetime risk of breast cancer in carrier females. Mutations in BRCA1 account for approximately 45% of familial breast cancer and 90% of inherited breast/ovarian cancer, whereas mutations in BRCA2 account for a comparable percentage of inherited breast cancer cases. Over 85 distinct BRCA1 mutations and a growing list of BRCA2 mutations have been identified, with the majority resulting in protein truncation. A specific BRCA1 mutation, 185delAG, has a reported increased carrier frequency of approximately 0.9% in the Ashkenazi Jewish population, but is also found in rare non-Jewish patients with a different haplotype. The 6174delT mutation in BRCA2 was recently identified as a frequent mutation in 8 out of 107 Ashkenazi Jewish women diagnosed with breast cancer by age 50 (ref. 8), as well as in three Ashkenazi male breast cancer patients. We have conducted a large-scale population study to investigate the prevalence of specific BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations in Ashkenazi Jewish individuals who were unselected for breast cancer. BRCA1 mutation screening on approximately 3,000 Ashkenazi Jewish samples determined a carrier frequency of 1.09% for the 185delAG mutation and 0.13% for the 5382insC mutation. BRCA2 analysis on 3,085 individuals from the same population showed a carrier frequency of 1.52% for the 6174delT mutation. This expanded population-based study confirms that the BRCA1 185delAG mutation and the BRCA2 6174delT mutation constitute the two most frequent mutation alleles predisposing to hereditary breast cancer among the Ashkenazim, and suggests a relatively lower penetrance for the 6174delT mutation in BRCA2.
Reduced glucose transport sensitizes Iec-6 cells to peroxynitrite-induced apoptosis

Introduction: Formula-fed infants develop necrotizing enterocolitis at higher rates than breast-fed infants. We hypothesize that diminished enterocyte glucose transport sensitizes enterocytes to nitrosative stress and this results in mitochondrial-dependent apoptosis. Methods: IEC6 cells were treated with 3-morpholinosydnonimine (SIN-1) (500 uM-2 mM), a peroxynitrite generator, in either normal (NM) (4.5 g/ml) and low (LM) (1 g/ml) glucose media. IEC6 cell apoptosis was measured by 7-aminoactinomycin-D FACS analysis and histology. In order to test the role of glucose transport, we pretreated the cells with phloretin (100 uM), a specific GLUT-2 transport inhibitor. Cells were treated with SIN-1 in combination with phloretin in NM for 4 hours. Mitochondrial respiration was tested with tetrazolium salts (MTT) and transmembrane potential with 5,5′, 6,6′-tetraethylbenzimidazolylcarbocyanine iodide (JC-1), ratiometric dye. ANOVA or Student t-test was used where appropriate; p < 0.05 is considered significant. Results: IEC6 cells exposed to the combination of SIN-1 and LM experienced a 2-fold increase in apoptosis at 24 hours compared to NM and SIN-1 (22.2 ± 3.2, 10.7 ± 2.4, P < 0.05). Impaired GLUT-2 transport plus SIN-1 increased apoptosis compared to SIN-1 alone in NM. (Table) TABLE—ABSTRACT 74. Groups Apoptosis (%) MTT NM 5.4 ± 0.6 100.5 ± 0.4 NM + SIN-1 4.3 ± 2.6 78.0 ± 5.9 NM + SIN-1 and Phloretin 33.7 ± 9.6∗ 43.6 ± 4.4∧ NM and phloretin 3.2 ± 0.4 87.4 ± 10.8 LM 4.4 ± 1.5 94.9 ± 6.0 LM and SIN-1 33.2 ± 13.7∗ 78.4 ± 7.2 Apop. and MTT ( ∗ p < 0.05 v NM + SIN-1; ∧ p < 0.01 v all). Mitochondrial respiration was impaired in NM plus SIN-1 and phloretin but not in NM and SIN-1 alone; transmembrane potential findings were consistent with these results (dns). Conclusions: These findings support the hypothesis that decreased glucose in the local enterocyte environment may render enterocytes susceptible to reactive nitrogen species.
Phospholipids of the Differentiating Species of Tetrahymena

The whole-cell phospholipid composition of the six known polymorphic species of Tetrahymena has been examined by [ 3 H]acetate and [ 3 H]myristic acid radiolabeling, and by gas-liquid chromatography of total phospholipid-bound fatty acids. Five of the polymorphic species contained similar phospholipid profiles following radiolabeling in that phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) was the predominant phospholipid; however, in cells of Tetrahymena patula LFF, aminoethylphosphonolipid was present in amounts nearly equal to PE. Tetrahymena patula LFF contained an unusually large percentage of sphingolipid (16.2% by [ 3 H]acetate radiolabeling). Substantial differences were found in the fatty acid profiles of the polymorphic species, which included the degree of fatty acid unsaturation and relative weight percentages of odd-chain fatty acids. Tetrahymena vorax contained a low ratio of unsaturated C 18 fatty acids to saturated C 18 fatty acids as compared with all other species examined. The differentiating species generally contained a lesser percentage of monoenoic fatty acids and a lower ratio of unsaturated C 16 fatty acids to saturated C 16 fatty acids as compared with the two monomorphic species examined.
Androids, Algorithms, and the Attribution of Blame

Malle, Gugliemo, and Monroe (this issue) offer a rich descriptive framework for understanding the psychology of blame (the Path Model of Blame). There are a few quirks to the attribution of blame, ...
A proposal for the timing of management of patients with melanoma presenting during pregnancy

The treatment of melanoma during and immediately after pregnancy poses a significant challenge to surgeons, oncologists, and patients alike. With the overall increase in incidence of melanoma in the United States and worldwide, it is likely that more surgeons will be faced with management decisions regarding pregnant patients with melanoma. We report on five patients who presented to the Yale Melanoma Unit with melanoma during their pregnancy. We propose the management option of resection of the primary tumor under local anesthesia, and postponing of the sentinel lymph node biopsy until after the birth of the child. The completion lymphadenectomy can be performed if these nodes are found to be harboring metastases. We further discuss treatment options and propose an algorithm for management of patients diagnosed with melanoma while pregnant.
The Reaction of an α-Lactam with Phenylmagnesium Bromide

Abstract It has been reported by Sheehan and Nafissi1 that alkyl Grignard reagents react with 2-aziridinones to yield a halogen-free insertion secondary amide (I) as major product. This report has been questioned by Talaty et. al. 2 who claris that both alkyl and aryl Grignard reagents react with α-lactans under identical conditions to give a 2-haloamide (II) as the only product.
Macroergonomics in Health Care: Improving Work Design to Improve Employee and Patient Safety

Improving the safety and health of health care employees and their patients has become a high profile national priority. To address this priority, the Institute of Medicine, in their report “To Err is Human”, called upon human factors engineering researchers and practitioners to contribute to the solutions. Macroergonomics is a specialty within human factors and ergonomics concerned with the design of work systems to meet the needs of the employees, business, and customers — making macroergonomic methods and theories well suited for helping to improve the safety of heath care for employees and their patients. This symposium will showcase how macroergonomics can be used to improve work design within health care for the simultaneous benefit of the employees and patients.
Effect of Observation Errors on Satellite Attitude Estimation

A study of the effect of observation errors on the best least squares estimate of satellite attitude based on two sets of direction measurements, where one set contains two independent measurements which are corrupted by zero-mean normally distributed additive errors, is summarized. Using Monte-Carlo techniques, the statistics of the estimated rotation of the satellite, from a known reference, were obtained. It was found that one of the parameterizations of the rotation, namely, the vector z, is best suited for estimation, since ?z is normally distributed with zero mean and its standard deviation is independent of the two direction measurements.
Ferrite — M2C coherent phase equilibrium in AF1410 Steel

Abstract A Model for coherent ferrite/M 2 C carbide equilibrium is applied to AF1410 steel. The contribution fron coherent elastic energy to the Gibbs free energy has been expressed in a format compatible with the Redlich-Kister-Muggianu extrapolation formula for multicomponent phases. An equilibrium calculation at the standard tempering temperature of 510C predicts a substantial deviation from stoichiometry and a measurable solubility of iron in the M 2 C phase, both of which have been verified experimentally.
Sectoral Productivity and Regional Disparities in China, 1978–2006

This paper examines labor productivity growth in the three main sectors in China in the context of regional convergence by employing a novel methodology and new sectoral data over the period 1978–2006. The results show that all sectors experienced major shifts in productivity but with different patterns. In agriculture and services, the uniform distribution has given way to a bimodal one. The secondary sector exhibits less polarization across regions despite higher mobility. Research and development (R&D) spending, human capital, and infrastructure are found to amplify regional divergence, while physical capital and foreign trade are identified as the key drivers of convergence.