cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A RAPID METHOD FOR THE PREPARATION OF PEROXIDES FROM AUTOXIDIZED METHYL ESTERS OF FATTY ACIDS.

Abstract A new method was devised for the routine preparation of peroxides from crude mixtures of oxidized methyl esters of fatty acids. Based on liquid-liquid partition chromatography, the method employs a column of cellulose powder as the supporting material, methanol as the stationary phase, and petroleum ether as the mobile phase. The procedure offers the advantage of simplicity in the operations and equipment employed, is economical of time, and gives good yields of a highly purified product. It was found to be applicable to the oxidized methyl esters of mixed fatty acids from vegetable oils as well as to the peroxide of methyl linoleate.
[10]Annulene: bond shifting and conformational mechanisms for automerization.

We report density-functional and coupled-cluster calculations on conformation change and degenerate bond shifting in [10]annulene isomers 1−5. At the CCSD(T)/cc-pVDZ//CCSD/6-31G level, conversion of the twist (1) to the heart (2) has a barrier of 10.1 kcal/mol, compared to Ea = 16.2 kcal/mol for degenerate “two-twist” bond shifting in 1. Pseudorotation in the all-cis boat isomer (3) proceeds with a negligible barrier. The naphthalene-like isomer 4 has a 3.9 kcal/mol barrier to degenerate bond shifting. The azulene-like isomer 5 is the only species for which the nature of the bond-equalized form (5-eq) depends on the method. At the CCSD(T)/cc-pVDZ//CCSD/6-31G level, 5-eq is 1.2 kcal/mol more stable than the bond-alternating form 5-alt. Conversion of 5-eq to 4 has a barrier of 12.6 kcal/mol. Despite being significantly nonplanar, both 5-eq and the transition state for bond shifting in 4 are highly aromatic based on magnetic susceptibility exaltations. On the basis of a detailed consideration of these mechan...
Nucleotide pyrophosphatase activity of rat liver plasma membranes.

Abstract 1. 1. Palmityl-CoA is metabolised to S- palmityl pantetheine by plasma membrane preparations. The metabolism of other nucleotide pyrophosphates by the plasma membrane of liver cells was found to be similar. UDPG was converted to glucose i -phosphate and UMP; NAD+ and NADH were hydrolysed at the pyrophosphate bond. 2. 2. The subcellular distribution of the nucleotide pyrophosphatase was studied with NADH as substrate. The similarity in distribution to 5′-nucleotidase, a plasma membrane marker enzyme, indicates that nucleotide pyrophosphatase is an authentic plasma membrane enzyme. 3. 3. NADH breakdown was competitively inhibited by UDPG, CoA and NAD+, and the properties of the enzyme were very similar to those of other mammalian nucleotide pyrophosphatases.
A Technique for Separation of Data and Acknowledgment Signals in Two-Way Feedback Communication

It sometimes is desirable to separate data from feedback-acknowledgment signals in a duplex communication link. An efficient technique for sending the two types of signals separately and reliably is described.
Visual cells, daily rhythms, and vision research.

Abstract Recent experiments concerning the renewal of rod and cone outer segment membranes suggest that the metabolism of the visual cells proceeds according to a daily rhythm. This conclusion is consistent with a substantial body of evidence which indicates that the chemical activities of all nucleated cells oscillate with a periodicity of twenty-four hours. In the following report, a concept of daily rhythms is outlined, with emphasis on the role played by the visual cells in synchronizing the rhythms of the body with the daily fluctuation of light in the enironment. The variable, time of day, appears to be important for both basic and clinical aspects of vision research.
STRUCTURAL AND FUNCTIONAL DIVERGENCES OF THE COLUMBID ANNEXIN I-ENCODING CP37 AND CP35 GENES

Abstract Annexin-I proteins in the pigeon are encoded by two genes. One encodes a constitutively expressed cp37 protein, and the other encodes a major prolactin (PRL)-regulated protein (cp35). As one goal in understanding the differential regulation of these genes, we have determined a 10.8-kb genomic sequence of the cp 37 gene containing 1.3 kb of 5'-flanking region and the first six exons. The promoters of cp37 and cp35 are 84% identical over the first 210 bp upstream from the transcription start point ( tsp ). Cell-free transcription demonstrated that this −210 region of cp 37 contained an active promoter. Two nuclear protein-binding sites, which may be involved in the constitutive expression of cp37 , were localized between −205 and −106bp. PRL-dependent transcription factors bind to the −73 to −8 region of cp35 , but not cp37 . The sequences of these regions contain six single-base differences, which may be responsible for the genes' divergent transcriptional regulation. The 5'-flanking regions of cp37 and cp35 were cloned into a reporter plasmid and transfected into T-47D cells. Transient transfection analysis revealed that the constructs containing cp35 5'-flanking regions were inactive, whereas the cp37 promoter was constitutively active and contained both positive and negative cis -acting, sequences.
Secretion of tissue plasminogen activator and plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 during cardiopulmonary bypass

Abstract Introduction: Cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) is associated with elevated tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA) levels during CPB and increased plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 (PAI-1) levels post-operatively. The goal of this study was to estimate the rate of t-PA and PAI-1 secretion in vivo, before, during and after CPB. Materials and methods: Estimated rates of t-PA and PAI-1 secretion were based on measured levels of active and total t-PA, and active and total PAI-1, obtained before, during and after CPB from nine males, combined with a computer model of each patient's vascular system that continuously accounted for secretion, clearance, hemodilution, blood loss and transfusion. Results and conclusions: At baseline, the average t-PA and PAI-1 secretion rates were 0.74±0.33 and 1.28±0.74 pmol/s, respectively. Within 5 min of CPB initiation, t-PA secretion increased six-fold to 4.41±2.58 pmol/s, while PAI-1 secretion was unchanged, resulting in a six-fold increase in active t-PA levels. t-PA secretion remained elevated throughout CPB and into the early post-operative period. Average PAI-1 secretion did not start to increase until the end of CPB. By 2 h after surgery, average PAI-1 secretion had increased 15-fold to 19.60±17.10 pmol/s, resulting in reduced levels of active t-PA even though t-PA secretion was still elevated. We conclude that CPB induces an immediate sustained increase in t-PA secretion followed by a delayed progressive increase in PAI-1 production. Variations in the level of active t-PA are a function of the relative rates of t-PA versus PAI-1 secretion at different times during and after surgery.
HDO in the mesosphere: Observation and modeling of novel isotopic variability

[1] First measurements of [HDO]/[H2O] ratios in the lower mesosphere (50–70 km) are described. HDO and H2O abundances were obtained over the period 1992–2002, by ground-based observation of microwave (λ ∼ 1.4 mm) spectral emission lines. Measured HDO depletions are highly variable, with δD values ranging from −58% ± 3% to −3% ± 9% (58% to 3% less deuterium than standard mean ocean water). Mesospheric δD values decrease with increasing H2O abundance. This is contrary to the stratospheric increase of δD with increasing H2O abundance, indicating that the physical mechanisms controlling mesospheric HDO depletion are fundamentally different from the mechanism (conversion of methane to water) known to control stratospheric HDO depletion. A photochemical model is used to show the observed mesospheric HDO depletion behavior is consistent with slower photolysis of HDO than of H2O. The difference in photolysis rates follows from a difference in cross sections of the two isotopomers at wavelengths >175 nm. Water photolysis in this spectral region is important only in the lower mesosphere. Therefore this mechanism for isotopic separation does not conflict with results of accepted stratospheric studies.
The Design, Implementation, and Evaluation of Online Credit Nutrition Courses: A Systematic Review

Abstract Objective To assess how postsecondary online nutrition education courses (ONEC) are delivered, determine ONEC effectiveness, identify theoretical models used, and identify future research needs. Design Systematic search of database literature. Setting Postsecondary education. Participants Nine research articles evaluating postsecondary ONEC. Main Outcome Measures Knowledge/performance outcomes and student satisfaction, motivation, or perceptions. Analysis Systematic search of 922 articles and review of 9 articles meeting search criteria. Results Little research regarding ONEC marketing/management existed. Studies primarily evaluated introductory courses using email/websites (before 2000), or course management systems (after 2002). None used true experimental designs; just 3 addressed validity or reliability of measures or pilot-tested instruments. Three articles used theoretical models in course design; few used theories to guide evaluations. Four quasi-experimental studies indicated no differences in nutrition knowledge/performance between online and face-to-face learners. Results were inconclusive regarding student satisfaction, motivation, or perceptions. Conclusions and Implications Students can gain knowledge in online as well as in face-to-face nutrition courses, but satisfaction was mixed. More up-to-date investigations on effective practices are warranted, using theories to identify factors that enhance student outcomes, addressing emerging technologies, and documenting ONEC marketing, management, and delivery. Adequate training/support for faculty is needed to improve student experiences and faculty time management.
Low resolution slit-scan pattern recognition applying one-dimensional multiparameter analysis

Abstract For the rapid pre-screening of gynecological cell samples, the Battelle system uses the slit-scan technique within the first decision level to extract different features from fluorescently stained cells. After various artifacts have been eliminated by signal thresholding, the alarm detection is performed, based on a seven-dimensional linear discriminant analysis. Compared to methods which use the DNA fluorescence as a significant feature, this procedure delivers a lower number of alarms which have to be checked by high resolution image analysis techniques; however the number of identified atypical cells is the same.
TEAM: a support environment for testing, evaluation, and analysis

Current research indicates that software reliability needs to be achieved through the careful integration of a number of diverse testing and analysis techniques. To address this need, the TEAM environment has been designed to support the integration of and experimentation with an ever growing number of software testing and analysis tools. To achieve this flexibility, we exploit three design principles: component technology so that common underlying functionality is recognized; generic realizations so that these common functions can be instantiated as diversely as possible; and language independence so that tools can work on multiple languages, even allowing some tools to be applicable to different phases of the software lifecycle. The result is an environment that contains building blocks for easily constructing and experimenting with new testing and analysis techniques. Although the first prototype has just recently been implemented, we feel it demonstrates how modularity, genericity, and language independence further extensibility and integration.
Finite element method analysis of bridge girder-diaphragm interaction

Cracking at welded diaphragm-girder connections in interstate highway bridges is induced by live load secondary stresses transmitted from girder to girder through the diaphragms. A repair technique that is simple to implement and has a high potential for success is removal of the diaphragms. A three-dimensional finite element method (FEM) dynamic analysis is conducted to evaluate the effects of removing diaphragms from a simply supported straight I-beam composite bridge.
Confirming Testlet Effects

A testlet is a cluster of items that share a common passage, scenario, or other context. These items might measure something in common beyond the trait measured by the test as a whole; if so, the model for the item responses should allow for this testlet trait. But modeling testlet effects that are negligible makes the model unnecessarily complicated and risks capitalization on chance, increasing the error in parameter estimates. Checking each testlet to see if the items within the testlet share something beyond the primary trait could therefore be useful. This study included (a) comparison between a model with no testlets and a model with testlet g, (b) comparison between a model with all suspected testlets and a model with all suspected testlets except testlet g, and (c) a test of essential unidimensionality. Overall, Comparison b was most useful for detecting testlet effects. Model comparisons based on information criteria, specifically the sample-size adjusted Bayesian Information Criteria (SSA-BIC) a...
The multi-faceted role of the actin cap in cellular mechanosensation and mechanotransduction

The perinuclear actin cap (or actin cap) is a recently characterized cytoskeletal organelle composed of thick, parallel, and highly contractile acto-myosin filaments that are specifically anchored to the apical surface of the interphase nucleus. The actin cap is present in a wide range of adherent eukaryotic cells, but is disrupted in several human diseases, including laminopathies and cancer. Through its large terminating focal adhesions and anchorage to the nuclear lamina and nuclear envelope through LINC complexes, the perinuclear actin cap plays a critical role both in mechanosensation and mechanotransduction, the ability of cells to sense changes in matrix compliance and to respond to mechanical forces, respectively.
Transport analysis of air-gap membrane distillation

The air gap membrane distillation process has been modeled as a two-dimensional conjugate problem in which a simultaneous numerical solution of the momentum, energy and diffusion equations of the feed and cold solutions have been carried out. The results were validated in comparison with available experimental results. The modeling and sensitivity analyses provide useful basic detailed information about the nature of the process, and are helpful for process improvement and optimization. Some of the principal conclusions are: (1) the air/vapor gap has the major role in reducing the parasitic heat loss in the process, (2) the gap width has an important effect: decreasing it five-fold increases the permeate flux 2.6-fold, but the thermal efficiency improves only slightly because the conductive heat loss increases too, (3) increasing the inlet temperature of the hot solution has a major effect on the permeate flux and also increase the thermal efficiency, while decreasing the coolant temperature has a lesser effect on the flux increase, and even slightly reduces the efficiency, (4) the feedwater salt concentration has a very small effect on the permeate flux and thermal efficiency, (5) the inlet velocities of the hot and cold solutions have a relatively small effect, (6) reducing the thermal conductivity of the membrane material improves the process thermal efficiency somewhat, and the permeate flux more strongly.
Metal carbonyl derivatives of 1,4-quinone and 1,4-hydroquinone.

CpMoMn(CO)5(μ-S2), 1 reacts with 1,4-benzoquinone to yield CpMoMn(CO)5(μ-S2C6H2O2), 2 containing a 1,4-quinonedithiolato ligand formed by replacing two of the hydrogen atoms on one of the C−C doubl...
Mycotic pseudoaneursym of the aortic arch: an unusual complication of invasive pulmonary aspergillosis

Invasive pulmonary aspergillosis (IPA) is usually a condition of the immunocompromised patients. The organism has a tendency to invade pulmonary blood vessels. Extension of a pulmonary parenchymal lesion to involve the mediastinal great vessels is very rare. This is the first case where the extension of IPA to the aortic arch and the formation of a pseudoaneurysm were demonstrated on serial CT scans.
Modeling the relative impact of capsular tissue effects on implanted glucose sensor time lag and signal attenuation

Little is known mechanistically about why implanted glucose sensors lag behind blood glucose levels in both the time to peak sensor response and the magnitude of peak sensor response. A mathematical model of glucose transport from capillaries through surrounding tissue to the sensor surface was constructed to address how different aspects of the tissue affect glucose transport to an implanted sensor. Physiologically relevant values of capsule diffusion coefficient, capsule porosity, cellular glucose consumption, capsule thickness, and subcutaneous vessel density were used as inputs to create simulated sensor traces that mimic experimental instances of time lag and concentration attenuation relative to a given blood glucose profile. Using logarithmic sensitivity analysis, each parameter was analyzed to study the effect of these variables on both lag and attenuation. Results identify capsule thickness as the strongest determinant of sensor time lag, while subcutaneous vessel density and capsule porosity had the largest effects on attenuation of glucose that reaches the sensor surface. These findings provide mechanistic insight for the rational design of sensor modifications that may alleviate the deleterious consequences of tissue effects on implanted sensor performance.
Influences on Collaborative Activities Among Psychologists and Pediatricians: Implications for Practice, Training, and Research

Addresses the need for a comprehensive framework that describes the broad range of professional interactions between psychologists and pediatricians, presents a generic model of influences or collaboration and proposes specific implications for training, practice, and research. Three primary influences on the development of collaborative activities are proposed: (a) participants' beliefs about the need for and expectations of the potential outcomes of collaboration; (b) participants' knowledge, skills, and prior experiences, especially in collaborative work; and (c) setting-based barriers and supports. Interventions that promote positive beliefs and expectations among colleagues concerning interdisciplinary work, facilitate specific skills related to cooperative research and management of clinical problems, and develop new practice settings should enhance collaboration.
Female Rats show a Bimodal Preference Response to the Artificial Sweetener Sucralose

The preference of female Sprague-Dawley rats for sucralose, a non-nutritive sweetener derived from sucrose, was evaluated in 23 h two-bottle tests with water or saccharin. Overall, the rats displayed weak or no preferences for sucralose (0.25-4 g/l) over water but strong preferences for saccharin (0.5-8 g/l) over water and saccharin (1 g/l) over sucralose (0.5 g/l). The rats also preferred a saccharin + sucrose mixture to sucrose, but sucrose to a sucralose + sucrose mixture. There were marked individual differences in sucralose preferences: about half the rats preferred sucralose to water at some concentrations while most remaining rats avoided sucralose. Both subgroups preferred saccharin to sucralose. Sucralose appears to have an aversive off-taste that reduces its palatability to rats.
Descending thoracic aortic dissection: clinical aspects and anatomic correlations.

4. ORTIC DISSECTION occurs when a false ft channel develops within the wall of the ar­ tery. Blood traverses distally through the medial lay­ ers, helically forging a parallel channel of abnormal blood flow. Albert Hirst 1 aptly characterized the pathologic entity of arterial dissection in his 1958 review of 505 cases of aortic dissection, describing the condition as that "...produced by the penetration of the circulating blood into the wall of a vessel for a varying distance." Aortic dissection is heralded by intense, tearing chest and back pain; symptoms that occur in approximately 80% of patients. Hyperten­ sion is found in the approximately three fourths of patients with aortic dissection.' Genetic influences likely playa role in the etiology of aortic dissection in at least some patients? Anatomically, an intimal defect is usually found at a site where blood flow is forcefully ejected against the outer wall of a bend in the vessel. The defect is almost always located in I of 2 locations, proximally in the ascending aorta just above the aortic sinus and along the lateral wall of the proximal descending thoracic aorta just beyond the left subclavian orifice. Two paradigms exist for characterizing patients with aortic dissection, the DeBakey classification with 4 subtypes and the Stanford classification with just 2 (Table I). Each scheme may be divided into acute or chronic phases, defined by whether symp­ toms have been present for greater or less than 14 days." The Stanford classification has some potential advantages over the DeBakey's groupings because the ultimate clinical prognosis appears to be tightly linked to I feature, the presence or absence of as­ cending aortic involvement. While this review will focus on dissections involving the descending tho­ racic aorta, ascending and descending dissections share common pathophysiologic patterns. For this reason, brief references to Stanford A (DeBakey I and II) dissections will be include for instructional purposes.
Strain measurement and numerical analysis of an epoxy adhesive subjected to thermal loads

This study was undertaken to improve understanding of the mechanics of residual stresses in electronic assemblies when subjected to thermal cycles. Strain-gauge measurements of stress and finite element analysis were performed to determine the residual strain level in an epoxy adhesive. Discrepancies in the stress value between experimental methods and those predicted from the finite element model highlight the necessity of incorporating temperature-dependent material properties into the model. Furthermore, the effects of curing conditions on the epoxy layer were also quantified in terms of strain levels.
Steady-state multiplicity in the autohumidification polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell

Abstract “Ignition/extinction” phenomena and steady-state multiplicity were discovered in an autohumidification polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell. At steady state, the water produced by the fuel cell reaction is balanced by water removal by the flowing reactant gas streams. Ignition, corresponding to a high fuel cell current, arises from positive feedback between the water produced by the reaction and the transport of protons in the membrane. A critical level of membrane hydration is required for ignition; insufficient membrane hydration will extinguish the fuel cell current. This new autocatalytic mechanism has an interesting analogy to the autothermal reactor.
Regulatory forum opinion piece: differences between protein-based biologic products (biotherapeutics) and chemical entities (small molecules) of relevance to the toxicologic pathologist

With the advances in cell culture methodologies and molecular biology that have occurred over the past several decades, biologics have become as common as small molecules within the portfolios of the pharmaceutical industry. Toxicologic pathologists should be aware of some of the fundamental differences between small molecules and biologics. Effects are not always observed in studies following administration of biologics. When findings are observed, the toxicologic pathologist should initially determine whether the effect(s) are mediated (directly or indirectly) via the intended pharmacology, exaggerated pharmacology, an immune response, and/or off target effects. Following this determination, the toxicologic pathologist should provide an assessment regarding the relevance of the findings to the intended clinical population, usually humans. The toxicologic pathologist may also be asked to assess unusual species and models. Given their broad background in physiology and immunology, toxicologic pathologists are uniquely positioned to provide this input to drug development teams.
Impact of Media Design on Track Edge in Perpendicular Magnetic Recording

As track density increases, it has become even more critical to understand the track edge. In this study, the impact of media design on the track edges in perpendicular magnetic recording has been investigated. This study shows that soft under layer thickness and intergranular exchange coupling have significant impact on both track edge erasure and write width. In the range we studied, head-to-keeper spacing and media coercivity have a strong impact on write width, but not on track edge erasure. On the other hand, media design does not impact transition curvature significantly. Experimental observations were supported by media micromagnetic modeling results and write field simulation using a finite element model. Analyzing the write bubble helps to understand the dependence of adjacent track encroachment on media design. Cross track profiles of various signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) components can provide valuable insights into different track edge mechanisms.
Bayesian reasoning for sensor group-queries and diagnosis

As large-scale sensor networks are being deployed with the objective of collecting quality data to support user queries and decision-making, the role of a scalable query model becomes increasingly critical. An effective query model should scale well with large network deployments and address user queries at specified confidence while maximizing sensor resource conservation. In this paper, we propose a group-query processing scheme using Bayesian Networks (BNs). When multiple sensors are queried, the queries can be processed collectively as a single group-query that exploits inter-attribute dependencies for deriving cost-effective query plans. We show that by taking advantage of the Markov-blanket property of BNs, we can generate resource-conserving group-query plans, and also address a new class of diagnostic queries. Through empirical studies on synthetic and real-world datasets, we show the effectiveness of our scheme over existing correlation-based models.
Aneuploidy, oncogene amplification and epithelial to mesenchymal transition define spontaneous transformation of murine epithelial cells

Human epithelial cancers are defined by a recurrent distribution of specific chromosomal aneuploidies, a trait less typical for murine cancer models induced by an oncogenic stimulus. After prolonged culture, mouse epithelial cells spontaneously immortalize, transform and become tumorigenic. We assessed genome and transcriptome alterations in cultures derived from bladder and kidney utilizing spectral karyotyping, array CGH, FISH and gene expression profiling. The results show widespread aneuploidy, yet a recurrent and tissue-specific distribution of genomic imbalances, just as in human cancers. Losses of chromosome 4 and gains of chromosome 15 are common and occur early during the transformation process. Global gene expression profiling revealed early and significant transcriptional deregulation. Chromosomal aneuploidy resulted in expression changes of resident genes and consequently in a massive deregulation of the cellular transcriptome. Pathway interrogation of expression changes during the sequential steps of transformation revealed enrichment of genes associated with DNA repair, centrosome regulation, stem cell characteristics and aneuploidy. Genes that modulate the epithelial to mesenchymal transition and genes that define the chromosomal instability phenotype played a dominant role and were changed in a directionality consistent with loss of cell adhesion, invasiveness and proliferation. Comparison with gene expression changes during human bladder and kidney tumorigenesis revealed remarkable overlap with changes observed in the spontaneously transformed murine cultures. Therefore, our novel mouse models faithfully recapitulate the sequence of genomic and transcriptomic events that define human tumorigenesis, hence validating them for both basic and preclinical research.
Prostaglandin H synthase oxidation of benzidine and o-dianisidine: reduction and conjugation of activated amines by thiols

Prostaglandin H synthase oxidized the carcinogens benzidine and o-dianisidine to their respective quinonediimines. Analysis of the reaction media by u.v./visible spectroscopy and liquid chromatography with electrochemical and radiochemical detection revealed that these quinonediimines can be both conjugated and reduced by glutathione, cysteine and N-acetylcysteine. Analysis of the purified conjugate formed between synthetic benzidinediimine and glutathione by proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy demonstrated the product to be 3-(glutathion-S-yl)-benzidine. This metabolite was also formed during peroxidation of benzidine by prostaglandin H synthase in the presence of excess glutathione. These conjugates may be useful markers of peroxidatic activation of aromatic amines in vivo.
Synergistic human-agent methods for deriving effective search strategies: the case of nanoscale design

Complex systems are challenging to understand and design, and even more so when considering nanoscale reasoning. This paper introduces a synergistic cognitive and agent-based methodology for deriving effective strategies for human searches in optimization design tasks. The method consists of conducting cognitive studies to determine effective human search approaches, rapidly testing algorithmic variations of human strategies using software agent automation, and finally providing the highly effective agent-refined strategies to humans. The methodology was implemented by developing a graphical user interface (GUI) of myosin biomotors and conducting a baseline cognitive study to determine how users effectively search for optimal biosystem designs. The best human designers typically searched local to their current best solution, utilized univariate searches, and may have learned and applied parametric knowledge. These trends informed rule-based agent strategies, and testing variations of rules resulted in the discovery of highly effective strategies using initial random searches, univariate searches to learn parameter relationships, and greedy local searches to apply knowledge. The GUI was modified to aid users in implementing two of the highest performing agent strategies in a final cognitive study. These users provided with the agent-refined strategy performed better than users with no provided strategy during the baseline cognitive study. When agents and users were provided myosin domain knowledge prior to searching, convergence on high-quality designs occurred earlier, which suggests that even experts in the domain could benefit from the agent-derived strategies. These findings demonstrate the power of synergistic human- and agent-based approaches, in which cognitive-based findings can reveal strategies that are refined by agents that generate search strategies for greatly improved user performance. The synergistic methodology extends beyond nano-based applications and could generally aid designers in discovering effective decision-making approaches across a broad range of domains.
The progression of thyroid cartilage calcification as it relates to the utilization of laryngeal ultrasound

Objectives/Hypothesis The purpose of this study is to review the computed tomography (CT) scans of infants, children, and adults to assess the degree of calcification of the thyroid cartilage at various ages in order to understand in which age group laryngeal ultrasound can be utilized. Study Design Retrospective. Methods Two hundred patients from newborn to 50 years who received a CT scan of the neck were identified. The Hounsfield units (HU) of the thyroid cartilage were calculated at one o'clock, four o'clock, eight o'clock, and eleven o'clock at the level of the true and false vocal fold. The Spearman correlation coefficient was calculated to evaluate the correlation between each measure and age, then a linear regression with a logarithmic transformation was applied to further study how the measures were related to age. Results The Spearman correlation coefficients ranged from 0.58 to 0.75. The P values of these coefficients were all < 0.0001, showing a significant relationship to age. The age increase by 1 year resulted in increased calcification by 1.5% to 4%. The Wilcoxon signed rank test compared the rate of calcification at each site measured. This showed that the two posterolateral sites calcify faster than the two anteromedial sites. Conclusion The thyroid cartilage calcifies at a rate that is significantly related to increasing age and calcifies in a posterolateral to anteromedial direction. Based on the HU, the thyroid cartilage is not consistently denser than soft tissue until greater than 40 years of age, which would make laryngeal ultrasound feasible for this population. Level of Evidence 4. Laryngoscope, 2015
An improved phase-extension procedure for isomorphous replacement phases

A new phase-extension procedure has been applied to isomorphous replacement data and shown to yield improved phases and maps compared with standard solvent flattening operating on a full set of centroid phases. In this procedure, a starting subset of core phases is selected based on the sharpness of the phase-probability curves. Phase extension using solvent flattening as the density-modification procedure is then carried out, gradually adding additional phases. In tests with known protein structures, the mean phase errors for the output expanded phase sets were reduced by 3–9° and the corresponding map correlation coefficients were increased by 0.05–­0.18 relative to phase sets from standard solvent-flattening procedures. With SIR data, the lowest final mean phase errors were approximately 58° and the corresponding map correlation ­coefficients were in the range 0.53–0.68.
Valuing A B2B Website: A Case Study Of An Industrial Products Supplier

In this research we examine the value of a business-to-business (B2B) website of an industrial products supplier by tracking website metrics (e.g., visitors, pages/visit, time per visit, etc.), along with the associated (non-Web-based) financial measures of sales, profit and amount of merchandise sold. We recorded this data over a 15 month period that included a significant mail promotion. Our results indicate that while the promotion dramatically increased visits to the websites, it had no positive effect on sales, profit or quantity of material sold. Generally, there was no relationship between website visits and monetary measures.
Nanometer MOSFET Variation in Minimum Energy Subthreshold Circuits

Minimum energy operation for digital circuits typically requires scaling the power supply below the device threshold voltage. Advanced technologies offer improved integration, performance, and active-energy efficiency for minimum energy sub-Vt circuits, but are plagued by increased variation and reduced ION/IOFF ratios, which degrade the fundamental device characteristics critical to circuit operation by several orders of magnitude. This paper investigates those characteristics and presents design methodologies and circuit topologies to manage their severe degradation. The issues specific to both general logic and dense static random access memories are analyzed, and solutions that address their distinct design metrics are presented.
Flexure Pivot Tilting Pad Hybrid Gas Bearings: Operation With Worn Clearances and Two Load-Pad Configurations

Gas film bearings enable the successful deployment of high-speed micro-turbomachinery. Foil bearings are in use; however, cost and lack of calibrated predictive tools prevent their widespread application. Other types of bearing configurations, simpler to manufacture and fully engineered, are favored by commercial turbomachinery manufacturers. Externally pressurized tilting pad bearings offer a sound solution for stable rotor support. This paper reports measurements of the rotordynamic response of a rigid rotor, 0.825 kg and 28.6 mm in diameter, supported on flexure pivot tilting pad hybrid gas bearings. The tests are performed for various imbalances, increasing supply pressures, and under load-on-pad (LOP) and load-between-pad (LBP) configurations. Presently, the initial condition of the test bearings shows sustained wear and dissimilar pad clearances after extensive testing reported earlier, see Ref. [1]. In the current measurements, there are no noticeable differences in rotor responses for both LOP and LBP configurations due to the light-weight rotor, i.e. small static load acting on each bearing. External pressurization into the bearings increases their direct stiffnesses and reduces their damping, while raising the system critical speeds with a notable reduction in modal damping ratios. The rotor supported on the worn bearings shows a ∼10% drop in first critical speeds and roughly similar modal damping than when tested with pristine bearings. Pressurization into the bearings leads to large times for rotor deceleration, thus demonstrating the little viscous drag typical of gas bearings. Rotor deceleration tests with manually controlled supply pressures eliminate the passage through critical speeds, thus paving a path for rotordynamic performance without large amplitude motions over extended regions of shaft speed. The rotordynamic analysis shows critical speeds and peak amplitudes of motion agreeing very well with the measurements. The synchronous rotor responses for increasing imbalances demonstrate the test system linearity. Superior stability and predictable performance of pressurized flexure pivot gas bearings can further their implementation in high performance oil-free microturbomachinery. More importantly, the measurements show the reliable performance of the worn bearings even when operating with enlarged and uneven clearances.Copyright © 2007 by ASME
Degradation of Ceramics in Alkali-Metal Environments

The high reactivity of alkali metals and their containment is an important issue that impacts several technologies such as high energy batteries, thermonuclear reactors, high pressure Na vapor lamps and alkali metal thermoelectric convertors. This paper addresses the various mechanisms by which degradation of ceramics occurs when placed in an alkali metal environment with special emphasis on the problems associated with corrosion and electrolytic degradation of solid electrolytes. The term degradation in this paper will be taken to mean an increase in the average concentration of the alkali metal in the material in which it is in contact, whether by simple ambipolar diffusion as in the case of material reduction and coloration, or by chemical reaction to form a higher alkali oxide containing phase, or by dendritic formation and electrolytic degradation of solid electrolytes.
Effects of Cerebellar Nuclear Inactivation on the Learning of a Complex Forelimb Movement in Cats

Wang, Jian-Jun, Yury Shimansky, Vlastislav Bracha, andJames R. Bloedel. Effects of cerebellar nuclear inactivation on thelearning of a complex forelimb movement in cats. J. Neurophysiol. 79: 2447–2...
Who’s Calling? Demographics of Mobile Phone Use in Rwanda

We describe how new sources of data can be used to better understand the demographic structure of the population of Rwandan mobile phone users. After combining anonymous call data records with follow-up phone interviews, we detect significant differences in phone usage among different social and economic subgroups of the population. However, initial experiments suggest that predicting demographics from call usage, and vice-versa, is quite difficult.
Calmodulin and PI(3,4,5)P3 cooperatively bind to the Itk Pleckstrin homology domain to promote efficient calcium signaling and IL-17A production in T cells (LYM5P.710)

Precise regulation of the kinetics and magnitude of Ca2+ signaling enables this signal to mediate diverse responses, such as cell migration, differentiation, vesicular trafficking, and cell death. Here, we showed that the Ca2+-binding protein calmodulin (CaM) acted in a positive feedback loop to potentiate Ca2+ signaling downstream of the Tec kinase family member Itk. Using NMR (nuclear magnetic resonance), we mapped CaM binding to two loops adjacent to the lipid-binding pocket within the Itk pleckstrin homology (PH) domain. The Itk PH domain bound synergistically to Ca2+/CaM and the lipid phosphatidylinositol-3,4,5-trisphosphate [PI(3,4,5)P3], such that binding to Ca2+/CaM enhanced the binding to PI(3,4,5)P3 and vice versa. Disruption of CaM binding attenuated Itk recruitment to the membrane and diminished release of Ca2+ from the endoplasmic reticulum. Moreover, disruption of this feedback loop abrogated Itk-dependent production of the proinflammatory cytokine IL-17A (interleukin-17A) by CD4+ T cells. Additionally, we found that CaM associated with PH domains from other proteins, indicating that CaM may regulate other PH domain-containing proteins.
The Stages in General

In the following pages I have sought to present an approach to that common humanity which is to be found in the development of the individual as he moves through the age-grades of the life-cycle. Life itself is neither a continuous process nor a static set of conditions: it is a stage-process through which the developing individual moves, like a figure in the separate frames of a motion picture film. I have sought to describe the essence of these frames and in this way to characterize the individual for what he is: a member of a species. To this end I have had to neglect the differences in human life and to concentrate on what is similar, though no doubt the differences are as significant as the similarities. To have concentrated on the differences, however, would have been to write as many biographies as there are individuals. We can learn something about each and every individual from a study of the typical individual, and that is what I have sought to undertake here.
Path Integrals: Part II

In this chapter we return to path integrals for a more detailed and advanced treatment. The tools described here are so widely used in so many branches of physics, that it makes sense to include them in a book such as this. This chapter will be different from the earlier ones in that it will try to introduce you to a variety of new topics without giving all the derivations in the same detail as before. It also has a list of references to help you pursue any topic that attracts you. The list is not exhaustive and consists mostly of pedagogical reviews or books. From the references these references contain, you can pursue any given topic in greater depth. All this will facilitate the transition from course work to research.
Clinical mismanagement and other factors producing antituberculosis drug resistance

Antimicrobial resistance in previously susceptible organisms readily emerges when antimicrobials are used in human and veterinary medicine. Although soil bacteria normally produce small amounts of antibiotics, our ecosystem has very recently been loaded with tons of man-made antibiotics, creating a sudden, unprecedented evolutionary stress for all susceptible microorganisms. Naturally resistant strains are then selected, creating a virtual arms race between our technology and microbial evolution. These increasing levels of resistance pose new challenges for both clinical management and control programmes [1].
Reaction Mechanism Generator: Automatic construction of chemical kinetic mechanisms ☆

Abstract Reaction Mechanism Generator (RMG) constructs kinetic models composed of elementary chemical reaction steps using a general understanding of how molecules react. Species thermochemistry is estimated through Benson group additivity and reaction rate coefficients are estimated using a database of known rate rules and reaction templates. At its core, RMG relies on two fundamental data structures: graphs and trees. Graphs are used to represent chemical structures, and trees are used to represent thermodynamic and kinetic data. Models are generated using a rate-based algorithm which excludes species from the model based on reaction fluxes. RMG can generate reaction mechanisms for species involving carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, sulfur, and nitrogen. It also has capabilities for estimating transport and solvation properties, and it automatically computes pressure-dependent rate coefficients and identifies chemically-activated reaction paths. RMG is an object-oriented program written in Python, which provides a stable, robust programming architecture for developing an extensible and modular code base with a large suite of unit tests. Computationally intensive functions are cythonized for speed improvements. Program summary Program title: RMG Catalogue identifier: AEZW_v1_0 Program summary URL: http://cpc.cs.qub.ac.uk/summaries/AEZW_v1_0.html Program obtainable from: CPC Program Library, Queen’s University, Belfast, N. Ireland Licensing provisions: MIT/X11 License No. of lines in distributed program, including test data, etc.: 958681 No. of bytes in distributed program, including test data, etc.: 9495441 Distribution format: tar.gz Programming language: Python. Computer: Windows, Ubuntu, and Mac OS computers with relevant compilers. Operating system: Unix/Linux/Windows. RAM: 1 GB minimum, 16 GB or more for larger simulations Classification: 16.12. External routines: RDKit, Open Babel, DASSL, DASPK, DQED, NumPy, SciPy Nature of problem: Automatic generation of chemical kinetic mechanisms for molecules containing C, H, O, S, and N. Solution method: Rate-based algorithm adds most important species and reactions to a model, with rate constants derived from rate rules and other parameters estimated via group additivity methods. Additional comments: The RMG software package also includes CanTherm, a tool for computing the thermodynamic properties of chemical species and both high-pressure-limit and pressure-dependent rate coefficients for chemical reactions using results from quantum chemical calculations. CanTherm is compatible with a variety of ab initio quantum chemistry software programs, including but not limited to Gaussian, MOPAC, QChem, and MOLPRO. Running time: From 30 s for the simplest molecules, to up to several weeks, depending on the size of the molecule and the conditions of the reaction system chosen.
Direct Design of an Energy Landscape with Bistable DNA Origami Mechanisms

Structural DNA nanotechnology provides a feasible technique for the design and fabrication of complex geometries even exhibiting controllable dynamic behavior. Recently we have demonstrated the possibility of implementing macroscopic engineering design approaches to construct DNA origami mechanisms (DOM) with programmable motion and tunable flexibility. Here, we implement the design of compliant DNA origami mechanisms to extend from prescribing motion to prescribing an energy landscape. Compliant mechanisms facilitate motion via deformation of components with tunable stiffness resulting in well-defined mechanical energy stored in the structure. We design, fabricate, and characterize a DNA origami nanostructure with an energy landscape defined by two stable states (local energy minima) separated by a designed energy barrier. This nanostructure is a four-bar bistable mechanism with two undeformed states. Traversing between those states requires deformation, and hence mechanical energy storage, in a complian...