cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Phosphorylation of Golgi Peripheral Membrane Protein Grasp65 Is an Integral Step in the Formation of the Human Cytomegalovirus Cytoplasmic Assembly Compartment

ABSTRACT Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is the largest member of the Herpesviridae and represents a significant cause of disease. During virus replication, HCMV alters cellular functions to facilitate its replication, including significant reorganization of the secretory and endocytic pathways of the infected cell. A defining morphologic change of the infected cell is the formation of a membranous structure in the cytoplasm that is designated the virion assembly compartment (AC), which consists of virion structural proteins surrounded by cellular membranes. The loss of normal Golgi compartment morphology and its relocalization from a juxtanuclear ribbonlike structure to a series of concentric rings on the periphery of the AC represents a readily recognized reorganization of cellular membranes in the HCMV-infected cell. Although trafficking of viral proteins to this compartment is required for the assembly of infectious virions, the functional significance of the reorganization of intracellular membranes like the Golgi membranes into the AC in the assembly of infectious virus remains understudied. In this study, we determined that Golgi membrane ribbon fragmentation increased during the early cytoplasmic phase of virion assembly and that Golgi membrane fragmentation in infected cells was dependent on the phosphorylation of an integral cis- Golgi protein, Grasp65. Inhibition of Golgi membrane fragmentation and of its reorganization into the AC resulted in decreased production of infectious particles and alteration of the incorporation of an essential protein into the envelope of the mature virion. These results demonstrated the complexity of the virus-host cell interactions required for efficient assembly of this large DNA virus. IMPORTANCE The human cytomegalovirus (HCMV)-induced reorganization of intracellular membranes that is required for the formation of the viral assembly compartment (AC) has been an area of study over the last 20 years. The significance of this virus-induced structure has been evinced by the results of several studies which showed that relocalization of viral proteins to the AC was required for efficient assembly of infectious virus. In this study, we have identified a mechanism for the fragmentation of the Golgi ribbon in the infected cell en route to AC morphogenesis. Identification of this fundamental process during HCMV replication allowed us to propose that the functional role of Golgi membrane reorganization during HCMV infection was the concentration of viral structural proteins and subviral structures into a single intracellular compartment in order to facilitate efficient protein-protein interactions and the virion protein trafficking required for the assembly of this large and structurally complex virus.
Unflattening, by Nick Sousanis

Nick Sousanis’ Unflattening not only deroutinises the traditional dissertation form, it conveys the content through an aesthetically pleasing pastiche of images and text, which necessarily disorien...
Standing Dead Trees: a Conduit for the Atmospheric Flux of Greenhouse Gases from Wetlands?

Wetlands represent the largest natural source of methane flux to the atmosphere, which can occur across the sediment/water/plant-atmosphere interface. Of these three potential methane sources, the role of vegetation in this flux is the least well understood. Both living and dead herbaceous vegetation have been demonstrated to act as methane sources, while knowledge regarding the contribution of woody vegetation to this flux is restricted to live plants. For dead woody vegetation to act as a methane source, two conditions must occur: (1) gas evolution/accumulation within the trunk airspace of a dead tree (e.g. snag) and (2) flux of this gas across the plant-atmosphere interface. The research presented here investigates condition (1) and provides evidence for a significant accumulation of both CH4 and CO2 in trunk airspace at water level (104.4 ± 19.0 and 1785.5 ± 470.7 μL L−1 for CH4 and CO2 respectively) and CO2 at breast height (1257.6 ± 294.4 μL L−1) as compared to ambient air immediately outside the trunk (ca. 3 and 370 μL L−1 for CH4 and CO2 respectively) in dead snags located within two ghost forest landscapes at the Timberlake Observatory for Wetland Restoration (Tyrrell County, North Carolina). A more finely resolved understanding of this potential pathway for methane flux to the atmosphere is important given the predicted increase in dead carbon stocks within coastal wetland ecosystems, as global climate change can lead to the conversion of these ecosystems into ghost forest landscapes.
To CBE or not to CBE: The Washington state experience

Background In July 2012, the 34 presidents, three chancellors, and State Board leaders for the community and technical colleges of Washington State created a Strategic Visioning Committee. The committee's first project was to identify ways to achieve higher educational attainment rates in the context of the Great Recession with a substantially reduced investment in higher education. The group focused on educational delivery changes that would result in a high-quality education that is more affordable by utilizing technology. Methods The approach the committee pursued was competency-based education, modeled after Western Governors University. This study examines a critical question within this context: “Can a sustainable, low-cost CBE program be built from scratch inside or across institutions that have not had grassroots faculty activity for building one?” Results The result was the first, statewide, competency-Based, online, degree (a direct transfer associate's degree in business), developed, funded, and delivered collaboratively by six colleges and the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges. Conclusion The article describes the organizational factors and challenges that the collaborating colleges experienced in reaction to the introduction and implementation of the jointly developed CBE degree.
Patterns of mortality in a montane mixed-conifer forest in San Diego County, California

We examine spatial patterns of conifer tree mortality and their changes over time for the montane mixed-conifer forests of San Diego County. These forest areas have recently experienced extensive tree mortality due to multiple factors. A spatial contextual image processing approach was utilized with high spatial resolution digital airborne imagery to map dead trees for the years 1997, 2000, 2002, and 2005 for three study areas: Palomar, Volcan, and Laguna mountains. Plot-based fieldwork was conducted to further assess mortality patterns. Mean mortality remained static from 1997 to 2002 (4, 2.2, and 4.2 trees ha−1 for Palomar, Volcan, and Laguna) and then increased by 2005 to 10.3, 9.7 and 5.2 trees ha−1, respectively. The increase in mortality between 2002 and 2005 represents the temporal pattern of a discrete disturbance event, attributable to the 2002-2003 drought. Dead trees are significantly clustered for all dates, based on spatial cluster analysis, indicating that they form distinct groups, as opposed to spatially random single dead trees. Other tests indicate no directional shift or spread of mortality over time, but rather an increase in density. While general temporal and spatial mortality processes are uniform across all study areas, the plot-based species and quantity distribution of mortality, and diameter distributions of dead versus living trees, vary by study area. The results of this study improve our understanding of stand- to landscape-level forest structure and dynamics, particularly by examining them from the multiple perspectives of field and remotely sensed data. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Brain–Computer Interfaces for Augmentative and Alternative Communication: Separating the Reality From the Hype

Brain–computer interfaces (BCIs) are topics of great interest to people who need augmentative and alternative communication. Although media reports focus on the promise of BCI to provide communicat...
Justification in Judicial Opinions: A Case Study

The kinds of justification arguments used by opposing lawyers in two related court cases are examined. The classification of these justifications reveals that lawyers tend to use a wide variety of ...
Synthesis, characterization and thermal stability of SnAg and SnAgCu nanoparticles

Abstract The melting temperature and melting enthalpy of SnAg and SnAgCu (SAC) nanocrystals with diameters of approximately 30 nm was determined and, by means of Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) a depression melting temperature of 7–10 °C was observed for both systems. The new experimental results were compared to the predicted values as well as available datasets. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis was performed to characterize the as-prepared and heat treated samples. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM and FE-SEM) analysis was carried out to study the morphology, microstructure and phase evolution of the as-synthesized particles before and after the heating process.
Elementary Stability and Bifurcation Theory. By Gérard Iooss and Daniel D. Joseph

(1983). Elementary Stability and Bifurcation Theory. By Gerard Iooss and Daniel D. Joseph. The American Mathematical Monthly: Vol. 90, No. 7, pp. 498-501.
Anxiety is common and independently associated with clinical features of epilepsy

Abstract Objective The objective of this study was to assess for independent association of anxiety symptoms with epilepsy localization and other epilepsy-related and demographic factors in a large tertiary care adult epilepsy population. Methods Among 540 adults, anxiety was measured by the Symptom Checklist 90-R (SCL-90R) anxiety subscale, and detailed demographics, epilepsy localization, and depression scores (SCL-90R) were collected. High anxiety was defined by SCL-90R anxiety T-score ≥ 60. Stepwise multiple logistic regression was carried out to assess for independent association of high anxiety scores with demographic and clinical factors. Results High anxiety symptoms were present in 46.1% of participants (N = 250). Focal or unknown epilepsy type and depression scores were independently associated with high anxiety (adjusted odds ratios (OR): 2.89 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.33–6.29, p = 0.007) and 2.12 (95% CI = 1.83–2.45, p Conclusion Anxiety symptoms, often without concomitant depression, were highly prevalent in this epilepsy sample and independently associated with focal/unknown epilepsy and mesial temporal sclerosis. These results strongly support the value of screening specifically for anxiety in the epilepsy clinic, to direct patients to appropriate treatment.
Greenhouse Gas Fluxes of Drained Organic and Flooded Mineral Agricultural Soils in the United States

Drained organic soils for agriculture represent less than 1% of the area used for crops in the United States (U.S.). However, emission of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) from microbial oxidation of drained organic soils offsets almost half of the contributions that carbon sequestration of other cropping systems make to reductions in global warming potential (GWP). Nitrous oxide (N 2 O) emissions from drained organic soils also contribute to offsetting part of the favorable greenhouse gas (GHG) balance of other cropping systems. Growth of adaptable crops on organic soils using shallow water tables could substantially reduce their GHG emissions. Research has demonstrated that sugarcane ( Saccharum officinarum L.) can sustain yields in managed, shallow water tables and periodic flooding on organic soils. Flooded rice ( Oryza sativa L.) fields also represent a small fraction of lands used for agriculture on mineral soils in the U.S., but this land use can cause large emissions of methane (CH 4 ). Reducing the incorporation of crop residues into the soil and managed applications of nitrogen along with periodic drawdown of the water table are potential management practices for rice production in flooded fields to reduce CH 4 emissions while minimizing releases of N 2 O. Continuous eddy covariance measurements of CO 2 , CH 4 , and N 2 O fluxes, in conjunction with other flux measurements, would provide verification of the effectiveness of management strategies for reducing the impact of agriculture on GHG emissions.
Computerized Analysis of Digitized Mammograms of Women with Low Breast Cancer Risk and of BRCA1/BRCA2 Gene-Mutation Carriers

Women who carry the BRCA1/BRCA2 gene are estimated to have a 20% risk of developing breast cancer by age 40 and an 87% lifetime risk of developing breast cancer, which is 8 times as high as that for the general population. Therefore, earlier surveillance of young women at very high risk has been recommended. In this study, we are developing computerized methods to quantitatively characterize breast parenchyma on digitized mammograms. We evaluated the performance of the computerized method using mammograms from women who are BRCAl/BRCA2-mutation carriers and from low-risk women
Linguistic Features of Identifiable Victim Effect in Microlending

With the widespread adoption of crowdfunding, new questions arise concerning how individuals make funding decisions online where the role of texts become particularly important. Our study used the text from Kiva which enables prosocial lending to small business and community groups located in emerging markets. Given that funders do exhibit prosocial motivations, we draw on the identifiable victim effect theory which postulates identifiability of a victim leads to greater charitable giving. We then develop nuanced linguistic features to operationalize the identifiable victim effect and test if operationalization has an impact on funding.
Standardization(s) and regimentation: Polynomic orthodoxies and potentials

Abstract This paper asks how standardization is related to different regimes of language by looking at standardization in a minority language context, Corsica. This regime, which is based on polynomie, a plural ideology of language, was constructed in opposition to the ideological monolingual bulwark of the French State. Through an analysis of signage, institutionally produced websites and other texts, and sports teams banners, I look at how this language ‘from somewhere’ is framed as a) a source of personal speaker identity and legitimacy; b) a right/resource; c) an obligation/constraint and d) as an emblem of a whole (the Corsican language/the Corsican people) defined by the particular kinds of diversity that are recognized in the polynomic system.
Feasibility of Using Titanium Machine Turnings in Powder Metallurgy Processes

The use of titanium machine turnings has been identified as a possible ultralow-cost method to produce titanium powder. However, very little data are available on the viability of this method. Machine turnings pose additional engineering complications, such as contamination and reduced milling efficiency. In this study, commercially pure titanium and Ti-6Al-4V machine turnings were converted into hydrogenated powders and used in the hydrogen sintering and phase transformation process to form densified Ti-6Al-4V specimens. The powders produced from the machine turnings and the resulting bulk samples were evaluated for their comminution behavior, microstructure, tensile strength and elongation, chemistry, and density.
The Percentage of Dietary Phosphorus Excreted in the Urine Varies by Dietary Pattern in a Randomized Feeding Study in Adults

BACKGROUND Urinary phosphorus excretion has been proposed as a recovery biomarker of dietary phosphorus intake. However, it is unclear whether phosphorus excretion is constant across a range of dietary and nondietary factors. OBJECTIVE We assessed whether percentage urinary phosphorus excretion is constant across 3 dietary patterns in the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) trial. METHODS DASH is a completed feeding study of 459 prehypertensive and stage 1 hypertensive adults (52% male, 56% black). After a 3-wk run-in on a typical American (control) diet, participants were randomly assigned to the control diet, a diet rich in fruits and vegetables (FV diet), or a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and low-fat dairy with reduced saturated fat and cholesterol (DASH diet) for 8 wk. We estimated the percentage phosphorus excretion as urinary phosphorus excretion (from 24 h urine) divided by phosphorus intake (from analyzed food composites). Differences between group means for all 3 diets were compared by ANOVA followed by pairwise comparisons with Tukey's honest significant difference test. RESULTS At the end of the intervention, the mean phosphorus intake was 1176 mg/d (95% CI: 1119, 1233 mg/d), 1408 mg/d (1352, 1464 mg/d), and 2051 mg/d (1994, 2107 mg/d) in the control, FV, and DASH diet, respectively (P < 0.001, all comparisons). The mean phosphorus excretion was 734 mg/d (682, 787 mg/d), 705 mg/d (654, 756 mg/d), and 872 mg/d (820, 923 mg/d) in the control, FV, and DASH diet, respectively (P = 0.74 control vs. FV, P < 0.001 all other comparisons). The mean percentage phosphorus excretion was 63% (60%, 67%), 51% (48%, 54%), and 43% (39%, 46%) in the control, FV, and DASH diet, respectively (P < 0.001, all comparisons). CONCLUSIONS These findings in prehypertensive and stage 1 hypertensive adults strongly suggest that urinary phosphorus excretion should not be used as a recovery biomarker for dietary phosphorus intake, given the wide range of urinary phosphorus excretion across dietary patterns. This trial is registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT0000054.
Strontium Manganese Oxide Getter for Capturing Airborne Cr and S Contaminants in High-Temperature Electrochemical Systems.

Traces (ppm to ppb level) of airborne contaminants such as CrO2(OH)2 and SO2 irreversibly degrade the electrochemical activity of air electrodes in high-temperature electrochemical devices such as ...
Deep Ensembles: A Loss Landscape Perspective

Deep ensembles have been empirically shown to be a promising approach for improving accuracy, uncertainty and out-of-distribution robustness of deep learning models. While deep ensembles were theoretically motivated by the bootstrap, non-bootstrap ensembles trained with just random initialization also perform well in practice, which suggests that there could be other explanations for why deep ensembles work well. Bayesian neural networks, which learn distributions over the parameters of the network, are theoretically well-motivated by Bayesian principles, but do not perform as well as deep ensembles in practice, particularly under dataset shift. One possible explanation for this gap between theory and practice is that popular scalable variational Bayesian methods tend to focus on a single mode, whereas deep ensembles tend to explore diverse modes in function space. We investigate this hypothesis by building on recent work on understanding the loss landscape of neural networks and adding our own exploration to measure the similarity of functions in the space of predictions. Our results show that random initializations explore entirely different modes, while functions along an optimization trajectory or sampled from the subspace thereof cluster within a single mode predictions-wise, while often deviating significantly in the weight space. Developing the concept of the diversity--accuracy plane, we show that the decorrelation power of random initializations is unmatched by popular subspace sampling methods. Finally, we evaluate the relative effects of ensembling, subspace based methods and ensembles of subspace based methods, and the experimental results validate our hypothesis.
Sustainability and Energy Knowledge of the Past is Critical for our Future

Sustainability and Energy – two fundamental topics that are key to the past, and future, of humanity. Of these two, however, energy has long been the primary focus and the contribution of sustainability has been a secondary concern. Our preoccupation with energy via chemical means can be traced back to the initial taming of fire, dating to at least 500,000 BCE. By 300,000 BCE, mankind was beginning to use fire to cook their food and,by 100,000 BCE, the use of fire as a source of heat and light had become well-established, permanently changing the future of humanity. Throughout these time periods, mankind was dependent on carbon as the singular source of fuel for energy production via combustion. As the carbon sources consisted of wood and other plant matter, this earliest energy technology could at least be viewed as renewable. As such, it could be considered sustainable, providing that the consumption of wood and plant matter did not outpace the regrowth of new trees and plants to take their place.
Morphological exceptionality and pathways of change

Abstract This paper explores the notion of analyzing cross-linguistically uncommon morphosyntactic structures in terms of their historical development. What may seem extraordinary in the synchronic snapshot of a language can often be clearly accounted for through diachronic considerations. To illustrate this, the current study examines the typologically uncommon phenomenon of multiple exponence, the realization of the same grammatical information in multiple places within an inflected word, in the Kiranti (Tibeto-Burman) languages. Typologically speaking, we do see a strong tendency cross-linguistically towards encoding grammatical information once within an inflected word, and against multiple exponence. Yet the phenomenon of multiple exponence is attested in a number of languages. This paper presents comparative evidence from the Kiranti languages that supports the claim that multiple exponence in synthetic verbs in the modern Kiranti languages comes as a result of the interaction between language(family)-specific typology (multiple agreement in periphrastic verbs) and an uncontroversial language change process (coalescence of periphrastic forms into synthetic forms).
Preparing a neurology department for SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19): Early experiences at Columbia University Irving Medical Center and the New York Presbyterian Hospital in New York City.

Beginning in December 2019, a novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19), began spreading rapidly throughout China and now is a global pandemic, with cases reported in over 192 countries and territories worldwide. Clinically, COVID-19 ranges from a mild, self-limiting respiratory illness to severe progressive pneumonia and multiorgan failure. The first COVID-19 case was reported at the beginning of March in New York City (NYC), and now just 3 weeks later, NYC and its suburbs have over 5% of global cases. Worldwide, there is a rapid increase in the number of cases daily, including the number of patients requiring hospitalization and intensive care support.
Information systems for the social administration using the soft systems methodology

Although information systems are very important for the functioning of social administration and the services provision to citizens, they have not received adequate attention both in the research literature and in real-world implementations. Their complex nature due to the various stakeholders and the variety of different social services they have to deliver, call for a holistic approach in their design, which qualifies the soft systems methodology as the appropriate tool for designing such systems. To support this argument and pave the way for online integrated information systems in social administration, this paper shows how to apply the first four steps of SSM onto a general social administration context, and proposes a conceptual model of an information system in the area of childcare services as an example.
Omega-3 fatty acid intake suppresses induction of diverse autoantibody repertoire by crystalline silica in lupus-prone mice

Inhalation of crystalline silica (cSiO2) in the workplace is etiologically linked to lupus and other autoimmune diseases. Exposing lupus-prone NZBWF1 mice to respirable cSiO2 unleashes a vicious cy...
Therapeutic antibodies and fusion inhibitors targeting the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) was first reported in December 2019 and causes coronavirus (CoV) disease 2019 (COVID-19). The virus transmits rapidly in humans and has ...
A learning-based nonrigid MRI-CBCT image registration method for MRI-guided prostate cancer radiotherapy

Radiation dose escalation to the dominant intraprostatic lesions in prostate cancer could improve tumor control. However, it is difficult to identify the dominant intraprostatic lesions on CT images. Multiparametric MRI has superior soft tissue contrast and is often used to detect the intraprostatic lesions. In this study, we developed a deep learning-based point cloud matching network to register the multiparametric MRI to the CBCT images for dominant lesion identification for prostate cancer radiotherapy. Prostate in both the CBCT and MRI was first automatically contoured and then meshed in to point clouds. A point cloud matching network was trained using point cloud pairs that were generated using finite element analysis. The trained network was able to perform MRI-CBCT prostate image registration with inherent biomechanical constraints. The mean and standard deviation of our method were 0.93±0.01, 1.66±0.10mm and 2.68±1.91mm for Dice similarity coefficient, mean surface distance and target registration error, respectively.
Responses to Questions for the Record by Senators Grassley, Klobuchar, and Blumenthal for Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing on 'IP and the Price of Prescription Drugs: Balancing Innovation and Competition'

In response to questions for the record after my testimony at the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, I addressed the inquiries of three Senators. First, I responded to Senator Grassley's questions. I explained that the market of pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) is not competitive and that PBMs have increased prices and distorted the market. Relatedly, I noted that consolidation does not lower costs, but harms small pharmacies. And I explained how "rebate walls" are harmful to patients. I then (relying on Frakes & Wasserman) highlighted deficiencies with the Patent Office examination process that result from limited review time, asymmetric incentives, and the ex parte nature of the process. As a result, I suggested that Congress grant more resources to the Patent Office, not enact the Hatch-Waxman Integrity Act of 2018, and pass antitrust legislation. Second, I responded to Senator Klobuchar's questions. I highlighted the concerns with abusive citizen petitions. And I supported legislation, the Stop STALLING Act, that would address these petitions, suggesting ways to strengthen the legislation. Finally, I noted that Congress could adopt helpful administrative changes that would further reduce the harm, such as those offered in S. 660, the Efficiency and Transparency in Petitions Act. Third, I responded to Senator Blumenthal's questions. I highlighted the dangers of product hopping and patent thicketing and explained how they would be addressed by the Affordable Prescriptions for Patients Act of 2019. Finally, I discussed "killer acquisitions," which Congress could address by adjusting the Hart-Scott-Rodino Act’s pre-merger notification requirements in the pharmaceutical industry.
The Intersection of Dissemination Research and Acupuncture: Applications for Chronic Low Back Pain.

BackgroundDissemination research is the study of distributing information and intervention materials to a specific clinical practice or public health audience. Acupuncture, a healthcare practice in...
Quadratic-in-spin Hamiltonian at O $$ \mathcal{O} $$ (G2) from scattering amplitudes

We obtain the quadratic-in-spin terms of the conservative Hamiltonian describing the interactions of a binary of spinning bodies in General Relativity through $$ \mathcal{O} $$ (G2) and to all orders in velocity. Our calculation extends a recently-introduced framework based on scattering amplitudes and effective field theory to consider non-minimal coupling of the spinning objects to gravity. At the order that we consider, we establish the validity of the formula proposed in [1] that relates the impulse and spin kick in a scattering event to the eikonal phase.
Synergistic and additive interactions between receptor signaling networks drive the regulatory T cell versus T helper 17 cell fate choice.

CD4+ T cells differentiate into subsets that promote immunity or minimize damage to the host. T helper 17 cells (Th17) are effector cells that function in inflammatory responses. T regulatory cells (Tregs) maintain tolerance and prevent autoimmunity by secreting immunosuppressive cytokines and expressing check point receptors. While the functions of Th17 and Treg cells are different, both cell fate trajectories require T cell receptor (TCR) and TGF-β receptor (TGF-βR) signals, and Th17 polarization requires an additional IL-6 receptor (IL-6R) signal. Utilizing high-resolution phosphoproteomics, we identified that both synergistic and additive interactions between TCR, TGF-βR, and IL-6R shape kinase signaling networks to differentially regulate key pathways during the early phase of Treg versus Th17 induction. Quantitative biochemical analysis revealed that CD4+ T cells integrate receptor signals via SMAD3, which is a mediator of TGF-βR signaling. Treg induction potentiates the formation of the canonical SMAD3/4 trimer to activate a negative feedback loop through kinases PKA and CSK to suppress TCR signaling, phosphatidylinositol metabolism, and mTOR signaling. IL-6R signaling activates STAT3 to bind SMAD3 and block formation of the SMAD3/4 trimer during the early phase of Th17 induction, which leads to elevated TCR and PI3K signaling. These data provide a biochemical mechanism by which CD4+ T cells integrate TCR, TGF-β, and IL-6 signals via generation of alternate SMAD3 complexes that control the development of early signaling networks to potentiate the choice of Treg versus Th17 cell fate.
Molecular dynamics simulations to compute the bulk response of amorphous PMMA

The results of molecular dynamics computations and corresponding values of laboratory measurements are compared to assess the efficacy of the numerical method. Details are presented on the modeling process, including the selection of an appropriate force field derived from separate computations on isotactic (crystalline) PMMA together with commensurate experimental data. It is found that in addition to typical energy minimization and temperature annealing cycles to establish equilibrium models, it is advantageous to also subject the model samples to a cycle of a relatively large pressure excursion (GPa's), to further improve the equilibrium state. Although the computations are limited to small samples in a physical sense (three polymer chains with fifty monomer units per chain per unit cell containing 2256 atoms), it appears that the primary limitation of the comparison with experimental data rests in the very short times (picoseconds). Estimates based on the time-temperature superposition principle do not overcome this difficulty, but may, on the other hand, signify limitations of the time-temperature trade-off as normally practiced.
Ten questions that make a difference for HR leadership

Purpose – Presents the distilled wisdom of two human-resource (HR) award facilitators. Design/methodology/approach – Takes in the form of ten questions that make a difference for HR leadership. Findings – Asks: Are you trusted by the members of your organization? Do you possess a real and comprehensive understanding of how your business makes money? Do you keep yourself up to speed on the legal and compliance issues that are most important to your organization? Do you think strategically and execute operationally? Are you measuring and monitoring the most meaningful metrics that measure mission-driven performance? Are you working hard to create business partnerships with your stakeholders that increase the likelihood of success? Are you taking steps to help all managers in your organization to operate like great HR leaders? Are you using your talents and influence to build teams and solve organizational problems? Do you seek out and apply innovative HR practices that can truly affect your organization’s b...
Regulation of cholesterol 7 alpha-hydroxylase gene expression in Hep-G2 cells. Effect of serum, bile salts, and coordinate and noncoordinate regulation with other sterol-responsive genes

Regulation of cholesterol 7 alpha-hydroxylase mRNA level in Hep-G2 cells was studied and compared with that of two other sterol-responsive genes, those for the low density lipoprotein (LDL) receptor and 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase. In culture medium containing 10% fetal bovine serum (complete medium) for up to 24 h, the mRNA for cholesterol 7 alpha-hydroxylase gradually increased to 2-fold of the time 0 control. Culture of Hep-G2 cells in serum-free medium for 24 h resulted in stimulation of mRNA levels for LDL receptor (5-fold) and HMG-CoA reductase (6-fold). Surprisingly, the mRNA level for cholesterol 7 alpha-hydroxylase also increased 5-fold at 8 h and 4-fold at 24 h compared with the time 0 control. The addition of beta-migrating very low density lipoprotein (beta-VLDL) (40 micrograms/ml) and 25-hydroxycholesterol (5 micrograms/ml) prevented the increase in mRNA level for the LDL receptor, and HMG-CoA reductase and the levels were 10-26% of the control at 8 h. The effect with beta-VLDL was sustained for 24 h. With 25-hydroxycholesterol, both LDL receptor and HMG-CoA reductase mRNA returned to base line by 24 h. In contrast, beta-VLDL increased cholesterol 7 alpha-hydroxylase mRNA level above the serum-free control within 8 h (+32%), and this was sustained for 24 h (+47%). There was a slight induction of cholesterol 7 alpha-hydroxylase mRNA levels by 25-hydroxycholesterol at 8 h (+18%); but by 24 h, its level was below that of the control (-47%). There was no induction of cholesterol 7 alpha-hydroxylase mRNA levels by beta-VLDL or 25-hydroxycholesterol when the cells were grown in complete medium. As determined by nuclear run-on assay, the increase in the transcriptional rate of the cholesterol 7 alpha-hydroxylase gene in cells grown in serum-free medium (3.9-fold of the rate in complete medium) and incubated with beta-VLDL (+68% above serum-free control) at 8 h, was comparable with the increase in mRNA levels (3.5-fold and +32%, respectively). When bile salts were added to serum-free medium and cells cultured for up to 24 h, chenodeoxycholate and glycochenodeoxycholate caused a marked suppression of the level of cholesterol 7 alpha-hydroxylase mRNA, while cholate and its conjugates did not.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Stochastic analysis of flow in a heterogeneous unsaturated-saturated system

[1] In this study we develop a stochastic model for transient unsaturated-saturated flow in randomly heterogeneous media with the method of moment equations. We first derive partial differential equations governing the statistical moments of the flow quantities by perturbation expansions and then implement these equations under general conditions with the method of finite differences. The stochastic model developed is applicable to the entire domain of a bounded, multidimensional unsaturated-saturated system in the presence of random or deterministic recharge and sink/source and in the presence of multiscale, nonstationary medium features. The unsaturated and saturated zones are coupled through the water table, whose position is random in randomly heterogeneous porous media. The presence of the water table renders the flow moments strongly nonstationary even in the absence of medium nonstationary features. This finding is confirmed with Monte Carlo simulations. The resulting first two moments of flow may be used to approximate confidence intervals for the flow quantities. In addition, the integrated stochastic flow model provides the prerequisite quantities for realistically studying contaminant transport in unsaturated-saturated systems with a stochastic approach.
Magnetic Resonance in Radiating or Absorbing Atoms

In the last ten years a great deal of work has been done on the experimental investigation of atomic energy levels using magnetic resonance techniques. This paper concerns itself primarily with a review of some of the studies of atomic vapors in connection with level structures, on the one hand, and the mutual interactions of light oscillating magnetic fields and the effects of collisions, on the other.
Anger Management Therapy with Adolescents

Beck, R., & Fernandez, E. (1998). Cognitive–behavioral therapy in the treatment of anger: A meta-analysis. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 22, 63–75. Bowman-Edmondson, C. B., & Cohen-Conger, J. C. (1996). A review of treatment efficacy for individuals with anger problems: Conceptual, assessment and methodological issues. Clinical Psychological Review, 16, 251–275. Chemtob, C. M., Novaco, R. W., Hamada, R. S., & Gross, D. M. (1997). Cognitive–behavioral treatment for severe anger in post-traumatic stress disorder. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 65, 184–189. DiGiuseppe, R., & Tafrate, R. C. (2001). A comprehensive treatment model of anger disorders. Psychotherapy: Theory, Research, Practice and Training, 36, 262–271. Gerlock, A. S. (1996). An anger management intervention model for veterans with PTSD. NC-PTSD Clinical Quarterly, 6, 61–64. Holtzworth-Munroe, A. (2000). A typology of men who are violent toward their female partners: Making sense of the heterogeneity of husband violence. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 9, 160–170. Meichenbaum, D. (1985). Stress inoculation training: A practitioner’s guidebook. New York: Pergamon Press. Meichenbaum, D. (2001). Treatment of individuals with anger-control problems and aggressive behaviors: A clinical handbook. Clearwater, FL: Institute Press. Novaco, R. W. (1975). Anger control: The development and evaluation of experimental treatment. Lexington, MA: D. C. Heath. Novaco, R. W. (1996). Anger treatment and its special challenges. NCPTSD Clinical Quarterly, 6, 56–60 Reid, J. B., Patterson, G. R., & Snyder, J. (2002). Antisocial behavior in children and adolescents. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association. Slep, A. M., & O’Leary, S. G. (2001). Examining partner and child abuse: Are we ready for a more integrated approach to family violence? Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review, 4, 87–107. Sukhodolsky, D. G., & Kassinove, H. (1997). Cognitive behavioral therapies for anger and aggression in youth: A meta-analytic review. Poster presented at the 105th annual convention of the American Psychological Association, Chicago.
Therapeutic Action: A Guide to Psychoanalytic Therapy

This book advances a new understanding of producing change in psychotherapy. It proposes the concept of interaction structure, repeated mutually influencing interactions between therapist and patient that are a fundamental aspect of therapeutic action. Interaction structures allow consideration of both the intrapsychic and the interpersonal by recognizing the intrapsychic as an important basis for what occurs in clinical interaction. This book clarifies the process of therapy, and is a guide to the practice of psychoanalytic psychotherapy. Using transcripts of clinical sessions, Dr. Enrico E. Jones offers an unusual window on the interactive structures that actually occur between patient and therapist and identifies specific interventions that successfully promote change.
Time-resolved laser-induced fluorescence studies of electronically induced desorption from alkali halides

It has been known for some time1 that alkali halide surfaces can be efficiently sputtered in ultrahigh vacuum by electron and photon bombardment at energles well below the core-level excitaron thresholds. For some time, we have been doing experiments deslgned to elucidate the detailed atomic-scale dynamics of both electron- and photon-stimulated desorption (ESD/PSD) processes on alkali halide crystals, including measurement of yields as a function of bombarding energy and surface temperature, velocity distributions, and desorption yield as a function of time following irradiation for both ground-state and excited-state neutral atoms. Laser-lnduced fluorescence (LIF) spectroscopy has played a key role in these studies2 by allowing the labeling of desorbing ground- state neutral atoms, thus allowing for direct comparison between ground-state and excited-state desorption mechanisms. Since the neutral desorbing species outnumber the desorbing ions by several orders of magnitude, this technique allows us to analyze the dominant channels through which electronic energy deposited in a surface is redirected to produce bond breaking and ultimately desorption, erosion, and ablation.
The crystal structure of Na3CrF6

The structure of Na3CrF6 is isomorphous with that of Na3FeF6 and Na3AlF6 (cryolite). It crystallizes in space group P21c with ao = 9.6618±0.0009, bo = 5.7021±0.0003, co = 5.4913±0.0003A and β = 125.021±0.005 degrees.
A method for detecting methylotrophic bacteria on solid surfaces

Abstract Methanol-ammonium salts agar surfaces impressed with leaf disks or whole leaves of green plants, resulted in growth of methylotrophic colonies in a pattern reflecting the distribution of the organisms on the leaf. The predominant methylotrophs encountered and isolated were pink-pigmented, facultatively methylotrophic (PPFM) bacteria. The relative abundance of PPFMs on both dorsal and ventral leaf surfaces of over 50 field and glasshouse collected plant species, ranged from 0.1 colony forming units/cm 2 to 500 colony forming units/cm 2 . The method is also useful for study of methylotroph distribution on other surfaces. Painted or unpainted metal, wood, glass, plastic, brick, stone, concrete and tarvia showed on the average, 0.14–1.9 cfu/cm 2 of PPFMs.
A Method for Increasing the Reliability of a Short Multiple-Choice Test

When multiple-choice tests are scored in the usual manner, giving each correct answer one point, information concerning response patterns is lost. A method for utilizing this information is suggested that weights each alternative, including no response, on the test to yield maximum coefficient alpha (generalized Kuder-Richardson formula 20). An example is presented, and the suggested method of scoring is compared with two conventional methods of scoring for this example.
Determinism, Agency, and Justice

This article examines Richard Manning's book with critical attention to the role of agriculture, technology, and population as agents of cultural evolutionary change. It also attends to the critical role of agriculture and the food system in contemporary issues of sustainability and social justice.
SHRM Theory in the Post‐Huselid Era: Why It Is Fundamentally Misspecified

This article critiques the theoretical model that dominates mainstream research in strategic human resource management. Contributions include: the critique is developed from an explicit model of the employment relationship; new concepts of “weak contingency” and “strong contingency” are introduced; the standard hypothesis of a positive sign on the human resource management variable in firm performance studies is shown to be incorrect for a competitive economy (it should be zero); and the analysis is based on “first principles” of institutional economics and industrial relations.
Teaching About Technology in the Foreign Language Class

Foreign language classes have made extensive use of technologies for the purpose of teaching and learning language. However, foreign language classes can teach students about technology and its importance in the culture(s) of the language studied. This paper addresses the issue of teaching content in the foreign language class and hopes to establish that technology is an important topic to be included. Suggestions for specific activities and integration into the beginning and advanced German class follow.
A linear algorithm for copying binary trees using bounded workspace

An algorithm to copy a binary tree in linear time using bounded workspace is presented. The algorithm does not modify the original tree at any time. The copy is constructed in such a way that it can be traversed in a read-only fashion even before the copying process is complete, provided one can distinguish between the original and the copy. The traversal can be carried out in parallel with the copying.
Exploring the feasibility of classification trees versus ordinal discrete choice models for analyzing crash severity

A cross-median crash (CMC) is one of the most severe types of crashes in which a vehicle crosses the median and sometimes collides with opposing traffic. A study of severity of CMCs in the state of Wisconsin was conducted by Lu et al. in 2010. Discrete choice models, namely ordinal logit and probit models were used to analyze factors related to the severity of CMCs. Separate models were developed for single and multi-vehicle CMCs. Although 25 different crash, roadway, and geometric variables were used, only 3 variables were found to be statistically significant which were alcohol usage, posted speed, and road conditions. The objective of this research was to explore the feasibility of GUIDE Classification Tree method to analyze the severity of CMCs to discover if any additional information could be revealed. A dataset of CMCs in the state of Wisconsin between 2001 and 2007, used in the study by Lu et al. was used to develop three different GUIDE Classification Trees. Additionally, the effects of variable types (continuous or discrete), misclassification costs, and tree pruning characteristics on models results were also explored. The results were directly compared with discrete choice models developed in the study by Lu et al. showing that the GUIDE Classification Trees revealed new variables (median width and traffic volume) that affect CMC severity and provided useful insight on the data. The results of this research suggest that the use of Classification Tree analysis should at least be considered in conjunction with regression-based crash models to better understand factors affecting crashes. Classification Tree models were able to reveal additional information about the dependent variable and offer advantages with respect to multicollinearity and variable redundancy issues.
Enabling LAAS airport surface movement: mitigating the anomalous ionospheric threat

The Local Area Augmentation System (LAAS) can be used for both precision approach and Differentially Corrected Positioning Service (DCPS) applications. Through its support of DCPS, the LAAS Ground Facility (LGF) is required to meet the integrity requirements of all other operations that could use the LAAS VHF Data Broadcast (VDB). Our previous work [1,2,3] demonstrated that the existing DCPS integrity requirements cannot be met by CAT I LAAS without changes to both the definition of DCPS integrity [4,5] and the airborne receiver requirements [6]. One of the implications is that some future applications of LAAS that planned to use DCPS, such as airport surface movement, cannot be supported by DCPS with the CAT I LAAS architecture. However, if airport surface movement is defined as a separate operation, it could be supported by the existing LGF geometry screening that mitigates the anomalous ionospheric threat for CAT I precision approach. The only change needed would be to increase σ pr_air in airborne equipment to bound the higher multipath errors in the airport surface environment. Confirming this hypothesis requires a more-intensive study of the requirements of airport surface movement and is the subject of this paper. If LGF geometry screening itself cannot support airport surface movement, the results in this paper include additional aircraft geometry screening proposed in [2] to lower the Maximum Acceptable Error (MAE) to a usable level while maintaining useful availability.