cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
An Approach toward the Illudin Family of Sesquiterpenes Using the Tandem Cyclization−Cycloaddition Reaction of Rhodium Carbenoids

The Rh(II)-catalyzed reaction of 1-acetyl-1-(diazoacetyl)cyclopropane with 5,5-dimethylcyclopentenone afforded the product of a 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition in high yield. The reaction involves formation of a rhodium carbenoid and subsequent transannular cyclization of the electrophilic carbon onto the adjacent keto group to generate a five-membered cyclic carbonyl ylide which undergoes a subsequent 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reaction. The regiochemical results encountered can be rationalized on the basis of FMO considerations. Treatment of the cycloadduct with p-toluenesulfonic acid results in loss of water followed by a subsequent acid-catalyzed cyclopropyl ketone rearrangement to give dihydrobenzofuran 21. The product distribution derived from the SmI2-induced reduction of the dipolar cycloadduct was found to depend on the reaction conditions. Under kinetic conditions, the reduction resulted in opening of the cyclopropyl ring adjacent to the carbonyl group. However, under thermodynamic conditions, cleavage...
Stereoscopic high-speed microscopy to understand transient internal flow processes in high-pressure nozzles

Abstract The flow and cavitation behavior inside fuel injectors is known to affect spray development, mixing and combustion characteristics. While diesel fuel injectors with converging and hydro-eroded holes are generally known to limit cavitation and feature higher discharge coefficients during the steady period of injection, less is known about the flow during transient periods corresponding to needle opening and closing. Multiple injection strategies involve short injections, multiplying these aspects and giving them a growing importance as part of the fuel delivery process. In this study, single-hole transparent nozzles were manufactured with the same hole inlet radius and diameter as the Engine Combustion Network Spray D nozzle, mounted to a modified version of a common-rail Spray A injector body and needle. Needle opening and closing periods were visualized with stereoscopic high-speed microscopy at injection pressures relevant to modern diesel engines. Time-resolved sac pressure was extracted via elastic deformation analysis of the transparent nozzles. Sources of cavitation were observed and tracked, enabling the identification of a gas exchange process after the end of injection with ingestion of chamber gas into the sac and orifice. We observed that the gas exchange contributed widely to disrupting the start of injection and outlet flow during the subsequent injection event.
Modified Endoscopic Ultrasound Needle to Obtain Histological Core Tissue Samples: A Retrospective Analysis.

BACKGROUND/AIMS Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS)-guided fine-needle aspiration is very effective for providing specimens for cytological evaluation. However, the ability to provide sufficient tissue for histological evaluation has been challenging due to the technical limitations of dedicated core biopsy needles. Recently, a modified EUS needle has been introduced to obtain tissue core samples for histological analysis. We aimed to determine (1) its ability to obtain specimens for histological assessment and (2) the diagnostic accuracy of EUS-guided fine-needle biopsy (EUS-FNB) using this needle. METHODS We retrospectively analyzed consecutive cases of FNB using modified EUS needles for 342 lesions in 303 patients. The cytology and histological specimens were analyzed. Diagnostic accuracy was calculated. RESULTS Adequate cytological and histological assessment was possible in 293/342 (86%) and 264/342 (77%) lesions, respectively. Diagnostic accuracy of the cytological specimen was 294/342 (86%) versus 254/342 (74%) for the histological specimen (p<0.01). Diagnostic accuracy of the combined cytological and histological assessment was 323/342 (94.4%), which was significantly higher than that of both histology alone (p<0.001) and cytology alone (p=0.001). CONCLUSION EUS-FNB with the modified EUS needle provided histologic tissue cores in the majority of cases and achieved excellent diagnostic accuracy with few needle passes.
The ubiquity of ignorance: a practical theological challenge of our time

Although academics are dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge, few realize that as we construct knowledge, we simultaneously produce ignorance by habitually ignoring what we tend to ignore. When we ...
Seasonal Population Dynamics of Potato Psyllid (Hemiptera: Triozidae) in the Columbia River Basin.

Understanding factors that affect the population dynamics of insect pest species is key for developing integrated pest management strategies in agroecosystems. Most insect pest populations are strongly regulated by abiotic factors such as temperature and precipitation, and assessing relationships between abiotic conditions and pest dynamics can aid decision-making. However, many pests are also managed with insecticides, which can confound relationships between abiotic factors and pest dynamics. Here we used data from a regional monitoring network in the Pacific Northwest United States to explore effects of abiotic factors on populations of an intensively managed potato pest, the potato psyllid (Bactericera cockerelli Sulc), which can vector Candidatus Liberibacter psyllaurus, a bacterial pathogen of potatoes. We assessed effects of temperature on psyllid populations, and show psyllid population growth followed predictable patterns within each year, but there was considerable variation across years in psyllid abundance. Examination of seasonal weather patterns suggested that in 2017, when psyllid populations were less abundant by several orders of magnitude than other years, a particularly long and cold period of winter weather may have harmed overwintering populations and limited population growth. The rate of degree-day accumulation over time, as well as total degree-day accumulation also affected trap catch abundance, likely by mediating the number of psyllid generations per season. Our findings indicate that growers can reliably infer the potential magnitude of risk from potato psyllids using monitoring data, date of first detection, seasonal weather patterns, and population size early in the growing season.
Serum magnesium and burden of atrial and ventricular arrhythmias: The Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study

Abstract Introduction Low serum magnesium (Mg) is associated with an increased incidence of atrial and ventricular arrhythmias. A richer phenotyping of arrhythmia indices, such as burden or frequency, may provide etiologic insights. Objectives To evaluate cross-sectional associations of serum Mg with burden of atrial arrhythmias [atrial fibrillation (AF), premature atrial contractions (PAC), supraventricular tachycardia (SVT)], and ventricular arrhythmias [premature ventricular contractions (PVC), non-sustained ventricular tachycardia (NSVT)] over 2-weeks of ECG monitoring. Methods We included 2513 ARIC Study visit 6 (2016–2017) participants who wore the Zio XT Patch—a leadless, ambulatory ECG-monitor—for up to 2-weeks. Serum Mg was modeled categorically and continuously. AF burden was categorized as intermittent or continuous based on the percent of analyzable time spent in AF. Other arrhythmia burdens were defined by the average number of abnormal beats per day. Linear regression was used for continuous outcomes; logistic and multinomial regression were used for categorical outcomes. Results Participants were mean ± SD age 79 ± 5 years, 58% were women and 25% black. Mean serum Mg was 0.82 ± 0.08 mmol/L and 19% had hypomagnesemia ( Conclusions In this community-based cohort of older adults, we found little evidence of independent cross-sectional associations between serum Mg and arrhythmia burden.
Conceptualizing and Measuring Safe and Supportive Schools.

This paper describes how a partnership between a large, urban school district and researchers resulted in a process to measure school climate and support schools and the district in school safety efforts. The partnership utilized a comprehensive framework of safe and supportive schools, where constructs such as physical safety and security were included along with connectedness of staff and students, emotional safety, physical environment, engagement, and norms and policies. Researchers then developed a process for measuring these constructs using existing, school-level data collected by the state and the district and communicating the results to district and school staff. This paper aims to describe the method of identifying and utilizing school-level data, our development of a standardized measurement model, and our processes to communicate and consult with the district and schools on using a data-driven process to improve school safety.
Digestion of animal- and plant-based proteins encapsulated in κ-carrageenan/protein beads under simulated gastrointestinal conditions.

Abstract In this study, we encapsulated both animal-derived (whey) and plant-derived (soy and pea) proteins within polysaccharide/protein beads and measured the digestion of these beads under simulated gastrointestinal tract (GIT) conditions. Bead dimensions were measured using a digital caliper and found to increase as the shear thinning behavior of the protein/polysaccharide solutions used to form them increased. The hydrolysis of the plant and animal proteins trapped inside the protein/polysaccharide beads was studied using the pH-stat automatic titration method under simulated static GIT conditions. The encapsulated proteins were relatively resistant to digestion under gastric conditions, with only about 10 to 13% of the protein being digested by the end of the stomach phase. Conversely, they were almost fully digested under small intestinal conditions, with around 87 to 97% of the protein being hydrolyzed by the end. Indeed, by the completion of the small intestine phase, only “ghost” beads remained that contained cross-linked polysaccharides. The soy and pea proteins were digested slightly faster than the whey proteins in the stomach phase (p
Chapter 19.3 Small-angle X-ray scattering

Small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) has emerged as an important method for studying large-scale dynamic processes, ranging from protein folding to virus particle polymorphism. The renaissance of this method has resulted from a variety of advances in molecular biology and X-ray instrumentation, and these have dramatically increased the information content of the derived results. Modern synchrotron X-ray sources and advanced detector systems have lead to higher-resolution data in both the spatial and time domains. The purpose of this chapter is to address practical aspects of SAXS as they relate to and complement macromolecular crystallography. Keywords: data collection; data processing; protein folding; small-angle X-ray scattering; solution X-ray scattering; synchrotron radiation; time-resolved studies
The microwave spectra and molecular structures of (E)-1,3,3,3-tetrafluoropropene and its complex with the argon atom

Abstract The microwave spectra of four isotopologues of (E)-1,3,3,3-tetrafluoropropene, which has been proposed as a refrigerant alternative with a low global warming potential and also finds use as a foaming agent, and additionally the spectra of four isotopologues of the complex formed between argon and (E)-1,3,3,3-tetrafluoropropene are obtained in the 5.3–21.1 GHz region using a combination of broadband chirped pulse and Balle-Flygare cavity Fourier transform microwave spectroscopy. The argon atom is determined to occupy a position out of the symmetry plane of the tetrafluoropropene where it can interact most strongly with the in-plane fluorine atom of the fluoromethyl group and carbon atom C1. This contrasts to the previously studied argon-2,3,3,3-tetrafluoropropene complex where the argon atom interacts most strongly with an out-of-plane fluorine atom and that attached to the olefinic carbon.
PORTFOLIO OPTIMIZATION AND STOCHASTIC VOLATILITY ASYMPTOTICS

We study the Merton portfolio optimization problem in the presence of stochastic volatility using asymptotic approximations when the volatility process is characterized by its time scales of fluctuation. This approach is tractable because it treats the incomplete markets problem as a perturbation around the complete market constant volatility problem for the value function, which is well-understood. When volatility is fast mean-reverting, this is a singular perturbation problem for a nonlinear Hamilton-JacobiBellman PDE, while when volatility is slowly varying, it is a regular perturbation. These analyses can be combined for multifactor multiscale stochastic volatility models. The asymptotics shares remarkable similarities with the linear option pricing problem, which follows from some new properties of the Merton risk-tolerance function. We give examples in the family of mixture of power utilities and also we use our asymptotic analysis to suggest a “practical” strategy which does not require tracking the fast-moving volatility. In this paper, we present formal derivations of asymptotic approximations, and we provide a convergence proof in the case of power utility and single factor stochastic volatility. We assess our approximation in a particular case where there is an explicit solution.
Administrative Data Are Unreliable for Ranking Hospital Performance Based on Serious Complications After Spine Fusion.

STUDY DESIGN Retrospective analysis of administrative billing data. OBJECTIVE To evaluate the extent to which a metric of serious complications determined from administrative data can reliably profile hospital performance in spine fusion surgery. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA While payers are increasingly focused on implementing pay-for-performance measures, quality metrics must reliably reflect true differences in performance among the hospitals profiled. METHODS We used State Inpatient Databases from nine states to characterize serious complications after elective cervical and thoracolumbar fusion. Hierarchical logistic regression was used to risk-adjust differences in case mix, along with variability from low case volumes. The reliability of this risk-stratified complication rate (RSCR) was assessed as the variation between hospitals that was not due to chance alone, calculated separately by fusion type and year. Finally, we estimated the proportion of hospitals that had sufficient case volumes to obtain reliable (>0.7) complication estimates. RESULTS From 2010 to 2017 we identified 154,078 cervical and 213,133 thoracolumbar fusion surgeries. 4.2% of cervical fusion patients had a serious complication, and the median RSCR increased from 4.2% in 2010 to 5.5% in 2017. The reliability of the RSCR for cervical fusion was poor and varied substantially by year (range 0.04-0.28). Overall, 7.7% of thoracolumbar fusion patients experienced a serious complication, and the RSCR varied from 6.8% to 8.0% during the study period. Although still modest, the RSCR reliability was higher for thoracolumbar fusion (range 0.16-0.43). Depending on the study year, 0% to 4.5% of hospitals had sufficient cervical fusion case volume to report reliable (>0.7) estimates, whereas 15% to 36% of hospitals reached this threshold for thoracolumbar fusion. CONCLUSION A metric of serious complications was unreliable for benchmarking cervical fusion outcomes and only modestly reliable for thoracolumbar fusion. When assessed using administrative datasets, these measures appear inappropriate for high-stakes applications, such as public reporting or pay-for-performance.Level of Evidence: 3.
Interstitial and cerebrospinal fluid exchanging process revealed by phase alternate labeling with null recovery MRI

PurposeTo develop Phase Alternate LAbeling with Null recovery (PALAN) MRI methods for the quantification of interstitial to cerebrospinal fluid flow (ICF) and cerebrospinal to interstitial fluid flow (CIF) in the brain. MethodIn both T1-PALAN and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC)-PALAN MRI methods, the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) signal was nulled, while the residual interstitial fluid (ISF) was labeled by alternating the phase of pulses. ICF was extracted from the difference between the recovery curves of CSF with and without labeling. Similarly, CIF was measured by the T2-PALAN MRI method by labeling CSF, which took advance of the significant T2 difference between CSF and parenchyma. ResultsBoth T1-PALAN and ADC-PALAN observed a rapid occurrence of ICF at 67{+/-}56 ms and 13{+/-}2 ms interstitial fluid transit times, respectively. ICF signal peaked at 1.5 s for both methods. ICF was 1153{+/-}270 ml/100ml/min with T1-PALAN in the third and lateral ventricles, which was higher than 891{+/-}60 ml/100ml/min obtained by ADC-PALAN. The results of the T2-PALAN suggested the ISF exchanging from ependymal layer to the parenchyma was extremely slow. ConclusionThe PALAN methods are suitable tools to study ISF and CSF flow kinetics in the brain.
Health-Related Quality of Life Is a Mediator of the Relationship Between Medication Adherence and Cardiac Event-Free Survival in Patients with Heart Failure.

Abstract Background Health-related quality of life (HRQOL) is an important patient-reported outcome that is related to medication adherence, hospitalization and death. The nature of the relationships among medication adherence, HRQOL, and hospitalization and death is unknown. We sought to determine the relationships among medication adherence, HRQOL, and cardiac event-free survival in patients with heart failure. Methods and Results We enrolled 218 patients with heart failure. Patients’ medication adherence was measured objectively using the Medication Event Monitoring System. HRQOL was assessed using the Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire. Patients were followed for up to 3.5 years to collect hospitalization and mortality data. Mediation analysis was used to determine the nature of the relationships among the variables. Patients with better medication adherence had better HRQOL (P = .014). Medication adherence and HRQOL were associated with cardiac event-free survival (both P Conclusions HRQOL mediated the relationship between medication adherence and cardiac event-free survival. It is important to assess medication adherence and HRQOL regularly and develop interventions to improve medication adherence and HRQOL to decrease hospitalization and mortality in patients with heart failure.
Lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens) annual adult survival estimated from acoustic telemetry

Abstract Survival of adult fishes is critical to the conservation and management of wild populations, particularly for long-lived, slow to reproduce species. Most sturgeon species are of conservation concern, but their long lifespans and large ranges have made estimation of adult survival rates challenging. In this study, acoustic telemetry was used to track 205 lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens) tagged in the St. Clair and Detroit rivers of the Laurentian Great Lakes over seven years (2012–2019). The objective of this study was to determine if annual survival was related to sex, size, tagging location (river), or year post-tagging using Cormack-Jolly-Seber (CJS) models. Annual survival was high among all seven years (range of point estimates: 95–99%) and did not differ based on sex, tagging year, size at time of tagging, or tagging location. Lake sturgeon detection probability on acoustic receivers was high each year (range of point estimates: 82–99%) and increased as the number of receivers in the system increased. High survival rates of lake sturgeon were consistent with levels thought required for lake sturgeon to be self-sustaining in the St. Clair – Detroit river system. Our application of acoustic telemetry detections as input to CJS models demonstrated the usefulness of this approach and should be considered for population assessment studies throughout the Great Lakes and beyond.
Off-shelf fluxes across the southern Adriatic margin: Factors controlling dense-water-driven transport phenomena

Abstract The northern Adriatic Sea is a basin where dense shelf waters form during winters if the following favorable conditions are attained: high salinities, mainly related to low river water discharge (Po river in primis) during fall season, and strong heat fluxes induced by cold and dry Bora wind events blowing from north-east. Extremely favorable conditions to Northern Adriatic Dense Waters (NAdDW) formation characterized winter 2012 when, following several months of low Po river runoff, a strong event of Cold Air Outbreak (CAO) occurred from the end of January until mid-February. Consequently, the mean temperature of northern Adriatic waters dropped to about 6°C and exceptional densities (potential density anomaly locally exceeding 30.0 kg m− 3) were reached. The production and spreading mechanisms of dense water in the Adriatic Sea have been modeled by means of the COAWST (Coupled-Ocean–Atmosphere-Wave-Sediment-Transport) modeling system. The model builds upon a high-resolution (1 km spaced horizontal grid), fully 3-D primitive equations hydrodynamic model coupled with a phase-averaged wave model and sediment routines, and is driven by simulated atmospheric forcings. The dataset used to assess model outputs relies on the measurements acquired during the dedicated field campaigns “Operation Dense Water”, a set of two rapid response cruises carried out in southern Adriatic during winter 2012, and by five mooring arrays deployed in the Southern Adriatic Margin (SAM) that allowed the continuous acquisition of temperature, salinity, currents and suspended matter samples. Results from the integrated data-model approach suggest that the NAdDW propagates along the shelf to the southern basin following both a shallower vein and a deeper stream, with a process characterized by a strong variability (mean value of 0.31 Sv with peaks rapidly growing in the first weeks after the CAO up to 2.19 Sv). Additionally, COAWST capability to couple different numerical models allowed to disentangle the relative importance of aspects on dense water generation, mixing and spreading, demonstrating how coupled runs can lead to volumes up to 50% larger with respect to uncoupled simulations. Additional light is shed on the transport pathways off the shelf and on possible sediment transport phenomena in the area, in this benefiting from an unprecedented spatial resolution and a new bathymetry reflecting very high resolution data acquired via multi-beam techniques. Although dense water propagation appears as a relatively large-scale process involving the whole western side of the SAM, topographic local discontinuities and seabed slopes appear crucial in triggering descent and governing flow patterns. The presence of suspended sediment along the water column, despite not significantly influencing the overall fluxes across sections, is responsible of pulling part of the veins towards deeper zones.
Application of evolutionary programming and probabilistic neural networks to breast cancer diagnosis

Two novel artificial neural network techniques, evolutionary programming (EP) and probabilistic neural networks (PNN), were applied to the problem of breast cancer diagnosis. The EP is a stochastic optimization technique with the ability to mutate both network connections and weight values. The PNN has the ability to produce optimal Bayesian decision making given sufficient training data. Both techniques offer potential improvements over the well-studied, classic backpropagation networks. Preliminary performances of these new techniques were comparable to but slightly worse than the classic networks. In on-going work, these new techniques will be optimized further and should produce results greater than or equal to the classic networks, but with more information content and confidence.
Testbed and Experiments for High-Performance Networking

UltraScience Net is a network research testbed for supporting the development and testing of wide-area networking technologies for high-performance computing and storage systems. It provides dynamic, dedicated, high-bandwidth channels to support large data transfers, and also provides stable high-precision channels to support fine command and control operations. Its data-plane consists of 8,600 miles of cross-country dual OC192 backbone, which can be dynamically provisioned at different bandwidths. Its out-of-band control-plane is implemented using hardware Virtual Private Network (VPN) devices. In terms of the testbed infrastructure, it demonstrated the following capabilities: (i) ability to build and operate national-scale switched network testbeds, (ii) provisioning of suites of 1 and 10 Gbps connections of various lengths up to 70,000 and 8,600 miles, respectively, through automated scripts, (iii) secure control-plane for signaling and management operations, and (iv) bandwidth scheduler for in-advance connection reservation and provisioning. A number of structured and systematic experiments were conducted on this facility for the following tasks: (i) performance analysis and peering of layer 1-3 connections and their hybrid concatenations, (ii) scalability analysis of 8Gbps InfiniBand (IB) transport over wide-area connections of thousands of miles, (iii) diagnosis of TCP performance problems in using dedicated connections to supercomputers, (iv) detailed TCP performance analysis of wide-area application acceleration devices, and (v) TCP throughput improvements due to 10Gbps High Assurance Internet Protocol Encryptor (HAIPE) devices.
Herbicides, Plant Resistance to Herbicides

A growing number of weed species have evolved resistance to certain herbicides around the world, but the total area infested with resistant weed populations is still relatively small. Resistance to some herbicides occurs at a relatively high frequency within many weed populations, and continuous use of these herbicides will select for those variants. Herbicide resistance deriving from target site mutations has occurred rapidly to those herbicides that share most or all of the following characteristics: 1) a single site of action, 2) a high persistence in the environment, 3) a high level of efficacy in causing plant death, 4) a high rate of mutation of the active site, and 5) a less debilitating effect by alteration of this herbicidal site. The development of weed resistance based on other mechanisms of resistance, such as herbicide compartmentation or metabolism, is more difficult to predict, because in many cases the cellular factors involved in herbicide movement or sequestration are less well-characterized than are those related to the site of action. The development of multiple-resistance mechanisms is of particular concern, because fewer new herbicides are released and many of the new herbicides have sites of action or mechanisms of metabolism in common with older herbicides, to which resistance has already developed. Combining herbicides with other herbicides either in mixtures or in rotations will greatly extend the usefulness of herbicides for the farmer. Keywords: herbicide resistance; herbicide tolerance; multiple resistance; cross resistance; mechanisms of resistance; herbicide mode of action; herbicide site of action; herbicide metabolism; herbicide selectivity; photosynthesis-inhibiting herbicides; membrane disrupters; ALS (acetolactate synthase)-inhibiting herbicides; glyphosate; ACCase (acetyl-CoA carboxylase)-inhibiting herbicides; mitotic disrupters; auxinic herbicides; management of herbicide-resistant weeds
Nonlinear robust control of permanent-magnet synchronous motors: tracking and disturbance rejection

Explores a motion control problem for electric drives and servo-systems actuated by permanent-magnet synchronous motors. By using a nonlinear model in machine variables and applying the offered nonlinear mapping framework, an innovative design procedure is introduced to synthesize the robust bounded controllers. Experimental results are reported. In particular, advanced motion hardware and software platforms are applied, and experiments are performed to validate the results.
Using KD(asterisk)P modulators for polarization measurements of the sun

Longitudinal KD(asterisk)Ps are used in ground-based solar magnetographs to eliminate seeing effects by rapidly changing their retardation characteristics. Although one of the main applications for longitudinal KD(asteriak)Ps has been their use as a variable retarder for 'imaging' applications, an understanding of their limitations is important when developing scientific instruments that make very accurate polarization measurements. This paper discusses some of the problems associated with the use of these devices in the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) vector magnetograph, including temperature, field of view errors, and electrical characteristics.
A metric and workflow for quality control in the analysis of heterogeneity in phenotypic profiles and screens

Heterogeneity is well recognized as a common property of cellular systems that impacts biomedical research and the development of therapeutics and diagnostics. Several studies have shown that analysis of heterogeneity: gives insight into mechanisms of action of perturbagens; can be used to predict optimal combination therapies; and can be applied to tumors where heterogeneity is believed to be associated with adaptation and resistance. Cytometry methods including high content screening (HCS), high throughput microscopy, flow cytometry, mass spec imaging and digital pathology capture cell level data for populations of cells. However it is often assumed that the population response is normally distributed and therefore that the average adequately describes the results. A deeper understanding of the results of the measurements and more effective comparison of perturbagen effects requires analysis that takes into account the distribution of the measurements, i.e. the heterogeneity. However, the reproducibility of heterogeneous data collected on different days, and in different plates/slides has not previously been evaluated. Here we show that conventional assay quality metrics alone are not adequate for quality control of the heterogeneity in the data. To address this need, we demonstrate the use of the Kolmogorov-Smirnov statistic as a metric for monitoring the reproducibility of heterogeneity in an SAR screen, describe a workflow for quality control in heterogeneity analysis. One major challenge in high throughput biology is the evaluation and interpretation of heterogeneity in thousands of samples, such as compounds in a cell-based screen. In this study we also demonstrate that three heterogeneity indices previously reported, capture the shapes of the distributions and provide a means to filter and browse big data sets of cellular distributions in order to compare and identify distributions of interest. These metrics and methods are presented as a workflow for analysis of heterogeneity in large scale biology projects.
Practices of software maintenance

This paper describes the results of an interview study conducted at ten industrial sites. The interview focused on the work practices of software engineers engaged in maintaining large scale systems. Five 'truths' emerged from this study. First, software maintenance engineers are experts in the systems they are maintaining. Second, source code is the primary source of information about systems. Third, the documentation is used, but not necessarily trusted. Fourth, maintenance control systems are important repositories of information about systems. Finally, reproduction of problems and/or problem scenarios is essential to problem solutions. These truths confirm much of the conventional wisdom in the field. However, in fleshing them out, details were elaborated, and additionally new knowledge was acquired. These results are discussed with respect to tool design.
Property Verification for Generic Access Control Models

To formally and precisely capture the security properties that access control should adhere to, access control models are usually written to bridge the rather wide gap in abstraction between policies and mechanisms. In this paper, we propose a new general approach for property verification for access control models. The approach defines a standardized structure for access control models, providing for both property verification and automated generation of test cases. The approach expresses access control models in the specification language of a model checker and expresses generic access control properties in the property language. Then the approach uses the model checker to verify these properties for the access control models and generates test cases via combinatorial covering array for the system implementations of the models.
Crystallization of Clay-Adsorbed Water

The nature of crystalline water in frozen pastes made from representative clay minerals and water was studied by x-ray diffraction. Only the diffraction peaks corresponding to the normal hexagonal ice structure were detected. The relative intensities of the diffraction peaks revealed evidence of epitaxy in that the ice crystals appeared to be preferentially oriented with their c-axes perpendicular to the c-axes of the individuial clay crystallites.
Prototropic equilibrium of the reaction of diisopropylphosphofluoridate with α-chymotrypsin

Abstract 1. 1.|Examination of the amount of hydrofluoric acid released when α-chymotrypsin (EC 3.4.4.5) reacts with diisopropylphosphofluoridate in the pH range 5 to 9.5 shows that 1 mole of proton is liberated per mole of enzyme. At pH 10, 1.7 moles of proton release is observed before the enzyme becomes completely inactive. When the diisopropylphosphono-α-chymotrypsin is formed at pH 5.0 and titrated to pH 10.0, it parallels the corrected ionization curve of α-chymotrypsin, being displaced only by the molar equivalent of HF produced during the formation. 2. 2.|Formation of the diisopropylphosphono-α-chymotrypsin at pH between 5.0 and 10.0 followed by titration again shows an identical ionic behavior to the natural enzyme. These findings appear to obviate the currently accepted postulate that the introduction of the diisopropylphono-moiety into the active site of α-chymotrypsin so perturbs the enzyme that the N-terminal amino group of isoleucine becomes “hidden” with a concomitant increase in its apparent ionization constant.
Suppression of chaperone-mediated autophagy in the renal cortex during acute diabetes mellitus

Suppression of chaperone-mediated autophagy in the renal cortex during acute diabetes mellitus. Background In the renal hypertrophy that occurs in diabetes mellitus, decreased proteolysis may lead to protein accumulation, but it is unclear which proteins are affected. Because the lysosomal proteolytic pathway of chaperone-mediated autophagy is suppressed by growth factors in cultured cells, we investigated whether the abundance of substrates of this pathway increase in diabetic hypertrophy. Methods Rats with streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetes were pair-fed with vehicle-injected control rats. Proteolysis was measured as lysine release in renal cortical suspensions and protein synthesis as phenylalanine incorporation. Target proteins of chaperone-mediated autophagy were measured in cortical lysates and nuclear extracts by immunoblot analysis. Proteins that regulate chaperone-mediated autophagy [the lysosomal-associated membrane protein 2a (LAMP2a) or the heat shock cognate protein of 73 kD (hsc-73)] were measured in lysosomes isolated by density gradient centrifugation. Results Proteolysis decreased by 41% in diabetic rats; protein synthesis increased at 3days, but returned to baseline by 7days. The abundance of proteins containing that chaperone-mediated autophagy KFERQ signal motif increased 38% and individual KFERQ containing proteins [e.g., M2 pyruvate kinase, glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) and pax2] were more abundant. LAMP2a and hsc73 decreased by 25% and 81%, respectively, in cortical lysosomes from diabetic vs. control rats. Conclusion The decline in proteolysis in acute diabetes mellitus is associated with an increase in proteins degraded by chaperone-mediated autophagy and a decrease in proteins which regulate this pathway. This study provides the first evidence that reduced chaperone-mediated autophagy contributes to accumulation of specific proteins in diabetic-induced renal hypertrophy.
High energy fission and spallation systematics for trans-bismuth nuclei☆

Abstract A semi-empirical formula has been developed to estimate high energy (> 0.6 GeV ) fission cross sections. This formula has then been used with a Rudstam-type spallation formula to estimate spallation yields for trans-lead nuclei.
Kansas State University accelerator laboratory upgrade

Abstract The J.R. Macdonald Laboratory is undergoing a major upgrade of its facilities and capabilities. The laboratory is dedicated to the study of ion-atom collisions using highly charged ions from accelerators and/or ion sources. The mainstay of the laboratory over the last two decades has been a 6 MV tandem accelerator. It has been used to produce one- to a few-MeV/u highly charged ions for studying high energy atomic collisions, and to produce recoil ions from collisions with projectile ions for studying low energy atomic collisions. In order to enhance the capabilities of studying atomic collisions in these two energy regimes, we are constructing a superconducting LINAC booster to the tandem, and a stand-alone CRYEBIS source. The project, which is funded by the US Department of Energy, began in May 1985 with a May 1989 completion schedule. The upgrade includes a building addition, funded by the State of Kansas, to house the new facilities. The LINAC consists of a time-superbunching module, followed by three large cryostat modules each containing four superconducting resonators, and followed by an energy-rebunching module. The resonators are the split-ring superconducting Nb type designed and constructed at Argonne National Laboratory, and are presently being tested at KSU. The CRYEBIS source, which consists of a l m long 5 T superconducting solenoid with a high degree of straightness, is in the final stages of assembly. We have in operation a new computer network for data acquisition and analysis. A progress report on the status of the upgrade is presented.
Next generation accelerator-based light sources for IR microscopy and spectroscopy

Abstract We discuss the physics which is driving the evolution of new sources for microscopy and spectroscopy. A new generation of sources, called energy recovery linacs or ERL’s, will be described and reviewed with particular emphasis on the examples of imaging and spectroscopic applications enabled by them.
Youth experiences of family violence and teen dating violence perpetration: cognitive and emotional mediators.

This article describes a conceptual model of cognitive and emotional processes proposed to mediate the relation between youth exposure to family violence and teen dating violence perpetration. Explicit beliefs about violence, internal knowledge structures, and executive functioning are hypothesized as cognitive mediators, and their potential influences upon one another are described. Theory and research on the role of emotions and emotional processes in the relation between youths’ exposure to family violence and teen dating violence perpetration are also reviewed. We present an integrated model that highlights how emotions and emotional processes work in tandem with hypothesized cognitive mediators to predict teen dating violence.
Fracture detection in crystalline rocks using ultrasonic reflection techniques

Abstract The purpose of this experimental study was to test the application of ultrasonic reflection techniques in the detection of discontinuities or fractures in crystalline rocks. Experience, confirming theory, showed that P wave reflections in the frequency range required and with source(s) and receiver(s) on the same surface were difficult to observe due to undesired source resonances and/or strong Rayleigh waves. In contrast, S H wave reflections are relatively easy to observe and offer superior detection properties with respect to fluid-filled, thin fractures. However, for maximum information, use of both wave type is necessary. Modern data processing techniques were applied to the reflection data, since the recording equipment allowed easy digital sampling of the received waves. Deconvolution and directive array synthesis were found to be the most effective techniques. The system which evolved was tested on two laboratory models with positive results for detection of fractures to a depth of one-half meter. Work to date shows that the system is indeed applicable to the detection of certain fractures within a mining environment, although the depth of penetration will be limited to a few meters.
Quantitative assessment of pulmonary hypertension in patients with tricuspid regurgitation using continuous wave doppler ultrasound

Doppler ultrasound examination was performed in 69 patients with a variety of cardiopulmonary disorders who were undergoing bedside right heart catheterization. Patients were classified into two groups on the basis of hemodynamic findings. Group I consisted of 20 patients whose pulmonary artery systolic pressure was less than 35 mm Hg and Group II consisted of 49 patients whose pulmonary artery systolic pressure was 35 mm Hg or greater. Tricuspid regurgitation was detected by Doppler ultrasound in 2 of 20 Group I patients and 39 of 49 Group II patients (p These findings indicate that tricuspid regurgitation can be identified by Doppler ultrasound in a large proportion of patients with pulmonary hypertension, especially when the pulmonary artery pressure exceeds 50 mm Hg. Calculation of the right ventricular to right atrial pressure gradient in these patients provides an accurate noninvasive estimate of pulmonary artery systolic pressure.
Severe pulmonary hypertension and cor pulmonale in the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome.

Abstract Numerous cardiopulmonary manifestations of the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) have been reported. 1,2 We have previously found that dilated cardiomyopathy, pericardial effusion and pleural effusion are the most common cardiopulmonary lesions detected by echocardiography in hospitalized AIDS patients. 3 We have also noted evidence of mild to moderate pulmonary hypertension in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy and occasional patients with active Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia. 3 By necropsy studies, some AIDS patients with Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia or cytomegalovirus infection of the lung have had right ventricular dilatation in the absence of left ventricular dilatation or myocarditis. 2 Although pulmonary emboli, pulmonary infarction, venous thromboemboli and non-bacterial thrombotic endocarditis have also been demonstrated by autopsy in AIDS patients, cor pulmonale has not been reported previously.
Urinary incontinence in women

Urinary incontinence is common in women, but is under-reported and under-treated. Urine storage and emptying is a complex coordination between the bladder and urethra, and disturbances in the system due to childbirth, aging, or other medical conditions can lead to urinary incontinence. The two main types of incontinence in women, stress urinary incontinence and urge urinary incontinence, can be evaluated by history and simple clinical assessment available to most primary care physicians. There is a wide range of therapeutic options, but the recent proliferation of new drug treatments and surgical devices for urinary incontinence have had mixed results; direct-to-consumer advertising has increased public awareness of the problem of urinary incontinence, but many new products are being introduced without long-term assessment of their safety and efficacy.
Liquid baits for rodent control: A comparison of wild Norway versus wild ricefield rat response to glucose plus saccharin solutions

Abstract A series of two-bottle tests were conducted with wild Norway ( Rattus norvegicus ) and wild ricefield ( Rattus rattus mindanensis ) rats to assess liquid bait consumption levels. Glucose, a natural sugar, and saccharin, an artificial sweetening agent, were tested against a combination of the sweeteners in water solution with each rat species. Water baseline data indicated that ricefield rats drank relatively more water per day. No species differences, however, were found for consumption levels of 3.0% glucose or for 0.125% saccharin when fluid intake levels were adjusted for mean body weight differences between species using metabolic size data transformations to yield relative consumption levels. A species difference was shown for relative consumption of the mixture of 3.0% glucose plus 0.125% saccharin in water solution with either sweetener as the alternate choice. Ricefield rats showed a two-fold increase in relative consumption of the mixture compared with solutions of either sweetener alone. Norway rats, in contrast, showed a synergistic six-fold increase in relative consumption of the mixture compared with solutions of either component alone. A second series of two-bottle choice tests with new groups of rats showed that both saccharin and glucose solution consumption levels were similar in the two species. The lack of glucose plus saccharin synergism in the ricefield rat response was found to be related to less preference by ricefield rats for glucose when paired with saccharin solution compared to the Norway rat preference pattern. Implications on the potential application of these results to the control of the two species using liquid bait stations are discussed and summarized.
Thermotolerance and heat-shock protein expression in Northeastern Pacific Nucella species with different biogeographical ranges

We investigated physiological traits responsible for determining the tide-height and latitudinal distributions of Northeastern Pacific Nucella congeners. First, we determined the thermotolerances of two species of intertidal dogwhelks, N. ostrina and N. canaliculata, which co-occur on the Oregon coast. We found that N. ostrina, which are distributed higher on the shore, and thus experience higher habitat temperatures, than N. canaliculata, had correspondingly higher heat-coma temperatures. Second, we acclimated individuals of all five Northeastern Pacific Nucella congeners to a common temperature and determined their thermotolerances, measured as recovery from thermal exposure, after a 5-day, 3-week, and 7-week acclimation period. The south-latitude (N. emarginata) and mid-latitude (N. ostrina) high-intertidal species were more thermotolerant than the mid-latitude low-intertidal (N. canaliculata and N. lamellosa) and north-latitude high-intertidal (N. lima) species. The results of these two experiments suggest that temperature plays a role in determining the tide-height and latitudinal distributions of these Nucella species. Finally, we measured total and inducible levels of an evolutionarily conserved and ecologically relevant protein, the 70-kDa heat-shock protein (Hsp70), which has been found to confer thermotolerance in model laboratory organisms. The results showed that the level of total, not stress inducible, Hsp70 was a better predictor of thermotolerance and that there were species-specific differences in the relationship between Hsp70 expression and thermotolerance. We suggest that Hsp70 expression may be important in conferring thermotolerance in Nucella species in nature and that higher levels of molecular chaperones may underlie increased thermotolerance between conspecifics.