cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A hypothetical molecular mechanism for TRPV1 activation that invokes rotation of an S6 asparagine

The transient receptor potential channel vanilloid type 1 (TRPV1) is activated by a variety of endogenous and exogenous stimuli and is involved in nociception and body temperature regulation. Although the structure of TRPV1 has been experimentally determined in both the closed and open states, very little is known about its activation mechanism. In particular, the conformational changes that occur in the pore domain and result in ionic conduction have not yet been identified. Here we suggest a hypothetical molecular mechanism for TRPV1 activation, which involves rotation of a conserved asparagine in S6 from a position facing the S4-S5 linker toward the pore. This rotation is associated with hydration of the pore and dehydration of the four peripheral cavities located between each S6 and S4-S5 linker. In light of our hypothesis, we perform bioinformatics analyses of TRP and other evolutionary related ion channels, evaluate newly available structures, and reexamine previously reported water accessibility and mutagenesis experiments. These analyses provide several independent lines of evidence to support our hypothesis. Finally, we show that our proposed molecular mechanism is compatible with the prevailing theory that the selectivity filter acts as a secondary gate in TRPV1.
Total soil carbon assessment: linking field, lab, and landscape through VNIR modelling

Point based measurements provide only a limited overview of landscape variation in measured properties. Upscaling of measurements from point to landscape comes with challenges particularly considering error propagation. We investigated the impact of using proximal derived measurements of soil total carbon taken at point locations on upscaling to landscape levels. 1087 soil samples across Florida, USA were collected, laboratory (LAB) analysed for total carbon (TC), and then measured using visible-/near-infrared (VNIR) spectroscopy. Proximal TC values were generated through chemometric modelling using random forest (RF) and partial least squares (PLS) regression. These three datasets were then upscaled to the State of Florida, USA using ordinary kriging and compared. R2 (RPD) values for the PLS and RF chemometric models were 88% (2.96) and 91% (3.23), respectively. All 3 spatial models had an accuracy of 54% on an independent validation dataset, with greater than 70% accuracy if predicted values were considered within the interpolation variance range. When comparing spatial interpolations derived from the proximally measured samples, only 18% of the PLS versus 51% of the RF fell within a range of 0.05 logTC (g kg−1) of the LAB measured interpolations. Using proximal sampling and modelling provides comparable output to laboratory measured soil TC measurements at point level, but when upscaled to landscape level the selection of proximal modelling method will impact the spatial interpolations derived. The error propagation within sequential modelling must be considered particularly when one wishes to use sequential modelling to analyse change in environmental properties.
Looking the Part: The Effect of Attire and Setting on Perceptions of a Virtual Health Counselor

The visual design of virtual agents and scenes presents developers with a plethora of choices. We conducted two studies in which we manipulated the design of a virtual health counselor agent's attire and its virtual environment. Our studies demonstrate that virtual agents dressed to fit their health care role are perceived to be more professional, trustworthy, reassuring, and more persuasive regarding medical decisions, compared to agents whose appearance is not role-appropriate. Furthermore, the effect of an agent's attire is greater than that of its virtual environment. The results of this research can help create visual guidelines for the development of virtual agents in tasks that rely on user trust.
In Defense of (Some) Vainglory: The Advantages of Polymorphic Hobbesianism

In this essay I argue that vanity is a Janus-faced feature of social cooperation: as Hobbes stresses, it certainly can lead to conflict, yet it can also motivate enforcing norms of fairness. What Hobbes call “vain glorious” individuals will walk away from “vile and contemptible” Pareto gains. A society composed of both egoists and glory-seekers is thus more likely to stabilize fair terms of cooperation than even the most enlightened society of self-interested agents. Rather than, as in many economically-inspired analyses of social order such as James Buchanan’s in The Limits of Liberty, modeling a society of self-interested agents, we would do better to model polymorphic populations, containing multiple agent types.
Deep-tissue optical imaging of near cellular-sized features.

Detection of biological features at the cellular level with sufficient sensitivity in complex tissue remains a major challenge. To appreciate this challenge, this would require finding tens to hundreds of cells (a 0.1 mm tumor has ~125 cells), out of ~37 trillion cells in the human body. Near-infrared optical imaging holds promise for high-resolution, deep-tissue imaging, but is limited by autofluorescence and scattering. To date, the maximum reported depth using second-window near-infrared (NIR-II: 1000–1700 nm) fluorophores is 3.2 cm through tissue. Here, we design an NIR-II imaging system, “Detection of Optically Luminescent Probes using Hyperspectral and diffuse Imaging in Near-infrared” (DOLPHIN), that resolves these challenges. DOLPHIN achieves the following: (i) resolution of probes through up to 8 cm of tissue phantom; (ii) identification of spectral and scattering signatures of tissues without a priori knowledge of background or autofluorescence; and (iii) 3D reconstruction of live whole animals. Notably, we demonstrate noninvasive real-time tracking of a 0.1 mm-sized fluorophore through the gastrointestinal tract of a living mouse, which is beyond the detection limit of current imaging modalities.
Ticlopidine and aspirin fail to suppress the increased platelet aggregability that follows percutaneous coronary interventions.

Previous studies indicate that percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) is associated with platelet activation. It is not well-established whether enhanced platelet aggregability after PTCA is prevented by the association of ticlopidine with aspirin. The aim of this study was to evaluate whole blood platelet aggregability before and after elective PTCA in patients with chronic stable angina receiving ticlopidine and aspirin. We studied 16 patients referred for elective PTCA, treated for≥72 hours with oral aspirin and ticlopidine (group 1), and 10 patients referred for diagnostic coronary angiography, treated with oral aspirin alone (group 2). An intravenous bolus of heparin was administered at the start of PTCA. In both groups, platelet aggregability was assessed at baseline and 24 hours after the procedure, using the PFA 100® system. This method measures the time required for flowing whole blood to occlude a collagen and adenosine diphosphate (ADP)–coated ring, shorter times indicating greater aggregability. In both groups, platelet aggregability after the procedure was significantly increased compared with baseline: 104±30 seconds before versus 88±24 seconds at 24 hours in group 1 (p=0.03) and 84±16 seconds before versus 69±14 seconds at 24 hours in group 2 (p=0.004). Group 1 patients, compared with group 2, showed a trend toward reduced aggregability at baseline (p=0.06) and significantly lower aggregability 24 hours after the procedure (p=0.03). Ticlopidine and aspirin reduce whole-blood platelet aggregability compared with aspirin alone but fail to suppress the increased aggregability that occurs 24 hours after PTCA.
Developing an animal model to detect drug-drug interactions impacting drug-induced respiratory depression.

Abstract Opioids and benzodiazepines were frequently co-prescribed to patients with pain and psychiatric or neurological disorders; however, co-prescription of these drugs increased the risk for severe respiratory depression and death. Consequently, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration added boxed label warnings describing this risk for all opioids and benzodiazepines. Sedating psychotropic drugs with differing mechanisms of action (e.g., antipsychotics, antidepressants, non-benzodiazepine sedative-hypnotics, etc.) may be increasingly prescribed in place of benzodiazepines. Despite being marketed for years, many sedating psychotropic drugs have neither human nor animal data that quantify or qualify the potential for causing respiratory depression, either alone or in combination with an opioid. In this study, diazepam was selected as the benzodiazepine to detect any additive or synergistic effects on respiratory depression caused by the opioid, oxycodone. Pharmacokinetic studies were conducted at three doses with oxycodone (6.75, 60, 150 mg/kg) and with diazepam (2, 20, 200 mg/kg). Dose dependent decrease in arterial partial pressure of oxygen and increase in arterial partial pressure of carbon dioxide were observed with oxycodone. Diazepam caused similar partial pressure changes only at the highest dose. Further decreases in arterial partial pressure of oxygen and increases in arterial partial pressure of carbon dioxide consistent with exacerbated respiratory depression were observed in rats co-administered oxycodone 150 mg/kg and diazepam 20 mg/kg. These findings confirm previous literature reports of exacerbated opioid-induced respiratory depression with benzodiazepine and opioid co-administration and support the utility of this animal model for assessing opioid-induced respiratory depression and its potential exacerbation by co-administered drugs.
Labor, Law Enforcement, and 'Normal Times': The Origins of Immigration’s Home within the Department of Justice and the Evolution of Attorney General Control over Immigration Adjudications

This article aims to contribute a new perspective to the extensive scholarship historicizing the evolution of immigration law and policy in the United States by examining the 1940 move of the immigration agencies out of the Department of Labor and into the Department of Justice. This initiated a fundamental reorganization of the administrative state surrounding immigration, by moving immigration enforcement and adjudication out of a civilian agency focused on labor standards and other humanitarian concerns into an agency tasked with criminal law enforcement. With this reorganization as context, the second part of this article examines the Attorney General’s power to review immigration adjudications, arguing that the Attorneys General of President George W. Bush worked a profound transformation in the norms and actual use of this power. Specifically, Attorney General review is now accomplished solely via self-referral, a previously rare use of the power that has now become the exclusive means of Attorney General review. Studying these two issues in tandem reveals an administrative system designed in crisis to respond to the threat of war yet stubbornly persistent in its growth and entrenchment over the years. The historical analysis of this article foregrounds the question of whether these roles are appropriate or whether a reorientation of the purpose and goals of our immigration system around the issues of labor and humanitarian concerns would better serve the individuals within the system and the nation as a whole.
AirSign: Smartphone Authentication by Signing in the Air.

In this paper, we propose AirSign, a novel user authentication technology to provide users with more convenient, intuitive, and secure ways of interacting with smartphones in daily settings. AirSign leverages both acoustic and motion sensors for user authentication by signing signatures in the air through smartphones without requiring any special hardware. This technology actively transmits inaudible acoustic signals from the earpiece speaker, receives echoes back through both built-in microphones to “illuminate” signature and hand geometry, and authenticates users according to the unique features extracted from echoes and motion sensors. To evaluate our system, we collected registered, genuine, and forged signatures from 30 participants, and by applying AirSign on the above dataset, we were able to successfully distinguish between genuine and forged signatures with a 97.1% F-score while requesting only seven signatures during the registration phase.
Proactive Personality and Cross-Cultural Adjustment: The Mediating Role of Adjustment Self-Efficacy.

Combining proactive literature, the social learning/cognitive theory, and cross-cultural adjustment literature, we examined the sojourners’ experience from a positive perspective. Using a three-wave prospective design and a sample of 135 international students, we found that proactive personality was positively related to adjustment self-efficacy, which in turn positively related to academic and social adjustment. Meanwhile, adjustment self-efficacy mediated the link between proactive personality and adjustment. Implications, limitations, and future research are discussed.
Peak-Load Versus Discriminatory Pricing: Evidence from the Golf Industry

Using a unique dataset on the golf industry we analyze the weekend premium in golf course fees. Since both peak-load pricing and price discrimination may be at play, we attempt to separate these two forms of pricing. We find that as competition increases there is a decrease in the weekend premium, which we attribute to price discrimination. Additionally, we find that resort courses and courses that are heavily dependent on tourism have less differential pricing, which we attribute to less peak demand and less peak-load pricing.
Top-down attention modulates auditory-evoked neural responses in neurotypical, but not ADHD, young adults

Abstract Individuals differ in their ability to selectively attend to goal-relevant auditory stimuli. People with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in particular tend to show cognitive deficits associated with distractibility and inefficiencies in inhibition and attention. We hypothesized that people with ADHD would exhibit poorer performance and weaker neural signatures of attentional control when undertaking a challenging auditory task that required strong top-down attention. Neurotypical (N = 20) and ADHD (N = 25) young adults with normal hearing listened to one of three concurrent, spatially separated speech streams and reported the order of the syllables presented while we recorded electroencephalography (EEG). We tested both the ability to sustain attentional focus on a single “target” stream and the ability to monitor the target but flexibly switch attention to an unpredictable “interrupter” stream from another direction if and when it appeared. Although both stimulus structure and task demands affected behavioral performance, ADHD status did not. In both groups, the interrupter evoked larger neural responses when it was to be attended compared to when it was irrelevant, including for the P3a “reorienting” response previously described as involuntary. This attentional modulation was weaker in ADHD listeners, even though their behavioral performance was no lower. Across the entire cohort, individual performance correlated with the degree of top-down modulation of neural responses. These results demonstrate that listeners differ in their ability to modulate neural representations of sound based on task goals. Adults with ADHD have weaker volitional control of attentional processes than their neurotypical counterparts. Significance Statement ADHD and neurotypical listeners attended to one speech stream among distractors while neural responses were measured with electroencephalography. Behavioral performance varied with stimulus structure and task demands, but not with ADHD status. In both groups, top-down attention modulated stimulus-evoked neural responses: interrupting sounds elicited weaker responses when the sounds were ignored compared to when they were attended. This modulation affected a late “orienting” response (P3a) that has been previously described as automatic and not dependent on internal state. Importantly, ADHD subjects showed weaker attentional filtering than did neurotypical controls. At the individual level, performance correlated with neural metrics. Our results demonstrate that people vary widely in how flexibly they can use attention to modulate sensory responses based on task goals.
Measurement Invariance in the Alabama Parenting Questionnaire: Implications for Culturally Inclusive Parenting Research:

Questions persist in the parenting literature regarding how best to define positive and negative parenting behaviors. Are there optimal parenting behaviors shared by mothers and fathers, or among d...
Incorporating Resilience in Infrastructure Prioritization: Application to the Road Transport Sector

Disruption of infrastructure services can cause significant social and economic losses, particularly in the event of a natural disaster. The World Bank Group and the Government of Japan established the Quality Infrastructure Investment Partnership to focus attention on the quality dimensions of infrastructure in developing countries, with a focus on promoting disaster resilience. Moreover, to support infrastructure investment decision making for sustainable and resilient development, the World Bank and Kyoto University have operationalized key resilience concepts at the project level and developed quantitative indicators capturing key aspects of infrastructure resilience related to the road transport sector. These indicators estimate resilience, expressed as functionality loss and recovery time across four dimensions: travel time, economic benefit, provision of life-saving services, and provision of relief goods. The paper applies indicator calculations to three case studies of proposed bypass roads in Japan and provides an example comparison of calculated indicators across the three projects for each resilience dimension. Further piloting of the approach will help refine the indicators, test their relative utility in decision making, and offer a better understanding of the data and analytical demands.
Effector memory cytotoxic CD3+/CD8+/CD45RO+ T cells are predictive of good survival and a lower risk of recurrence in triple-negative breast cancer.

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) with high tumour-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) has been associated with a promising prognosis. To better understand the prognostic value of immune cell subtypes in TNBC, we characterised TILs and the interaction between tumour cells and immune cell subtypes. A total of 145 breast cancer tissues were stained by multiplex immunofluorescence (mIF), including panel 1 (PD-L1, PD-1, CD3, CD8, CD68 and CK) and panel 2 (Foxp3, Granzyme B, CD45RO, CD3, CD8 and CK). Phenotypes were analysed and quantified by pathologists using InForm software. We found that in the ER-negative (ER <1% and HER2-negative) group and the ER/PR-low positive (ER 1-9% and HER2-negative) group, 11.2% and 7.1% of patients were PD-L1+ by the tumour cell score, 29.0% and 28.6% were PD-L1+ by the modified immune cell score and 30.8% and 32.1% were PD-L1+ by the combined positive score. We combined ER-negative and ER/PR-low positive cases for the survival analysis since a 10% cut-off is often used in clinical practice for therapeutic purposes. The densities of PD-L1+ tumour cells (HR: 0.366, 95% CI: 0.138-0.970; p = 0.043) within the tumour compartment and CD3+ immune cells in the total area (tumour and stromal compartments combined) (HR: 0.213, 95% CI: 0.070-0.642; p = 0.006) were favourable prognostic biomarkers for overall survival (OS) in TNBC. The density of effector/memory cytotoxic T cells (CD3+CD8+CD45RO+) in the tumour compartment was an independent prognostic biomarker for OS (HR: 0.232, 95% CI: 0.086-0.628; p = 0.004) and DFS (HR: 0.183, 95% CI: 0.1301-0.744; p = 0.009) in TNBC. Interestingly, spatial data suggested that patients with a higher density of PD-L1+ tumour cells had shorter cell-cell distances from tumour cells to cytotoxic T cells (p < 0.01). In conclusion, we found that phenotyping tumour immune cells by mIF is highly informative in understanding the immune microenvironment in TNBC. PD-L1+ tumour cells, total T cells and effector/memory cytotoxic T cells are promising prognostic biomarkers in TNBC.
Evaluating Embedded Machine Translation in Military Field Exercises

"Embedded" machine translation (MT) refers to an end-to-end computational process of which MT is one of the components. Integrating these components and evaluating the whole has proved to be problematic. As an example of embedded MT, we describe a prototype system called Falcon, which permits paper documents to be scanned and translated into English. MT is thus embedded in the preprocessing of hardcopy pages and subject to its noise. Because Falcon is intended for use by people in the military who are trying to screen foreign documents, and not to understand them in detail, its application makes low demands on translation quality. We report on a series of user trials that speak to the utility of embedded MT in army tasks.
Manufacturing EST libraries

Here we address problems that occur systematically during the manufacturing of EST libraries, and that have an impact on the analysis and interpretation of EST data. We discuss their cause, consequences, and diagnostic features. Keywords: cDNA library; expressed sequence tag (EST); EST library; gene discovery; transcriptome analysis; first-strand cDNA synthesis; artifactual cDNAs; EST analysis
Evidence for archaic adaptive introgression in humans

As modern and ancient DNA sequence data from diverse human populations accumulate, evidence is increasing in support of the existence of beneficial variants acquired from archaic humans that may have accelerated adaptation and improved survival in new environments - a process known as adaptive introgression. Within the past few years, a series of studies have identified genomic regions that show strong evidence for archaic adaptive introgression. Here, we provide an overview of the statistical methods developed to identify archaic introgressed fragments in the genome sequences of modern humans and to determine whether positive selection has acted on these fragments. We review recently reported examples of adaptive introgression, grouped by selection pressure, and consider the level of supporting evidence for each. Finally, we discuss challenges and recommendations for inferring selection on introgressed regions.
ON THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PHONOLOGY AND PHONETICS (OR WHY PHONETICS IS NOT PHONOLOGY)

In this presentation, I argue that unifying phonetics and phonology in the grammar has undesirable consequences. Evidence for this position is provided from various sources, but focuses on intonation, an area of linguistic structure that has often been viewed as not requiring an abstract phonological representation.
Obesity, cigarette smoking, and the cost of physicians' services in Ontario

Background: This report uses population-based individual-level data to compute direct estimates of the costs of physicians’ services in Ontario in relation to Body Mass Index (BMI) and smoking. Methods: Subjects were 2,170 respondents to the National Population Health Survey who approved linkage to the Ontario Health Insurance Plan. Results: The mean per capita cost of physicians’ services in Ontario increased by $8.90 (95% CI: $1.90 - $15.60) for each unit increase in BMI and by $1.75 (95% CI: $0.11 - $3.40) for every year of daily smoking. The annual attributable cost of smoking and overweight among residents of Ontario, aged 40–79, was estimated at $275,000,000. Conclusions: Overweight and smoking are responsible for large costs to the health care system. The cost of public health initiatives could be easily recovered if they were successful in making only moderate changes to the levels of smoking and body weight in the population.
Approaches to the neutralizing antibody problem in HIV vaccine design

The design of immunogens capable of eliciting broadly neutralizing anti-HIV-1 antibodies is proving difficult. Conserved sites on the envelope (Env) trimer on the surface of virions appear to be only weakly immunogenic. However, a small panel of human monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) that do recognize these sites and broadly neutralize HIV-1 has been identified. We are pursuing an understanding of the interaction of these mAbs with HIV-1 Env at the molecular level. This may promote the design of immunogens capable of eliciting antibodies similar to these mAbs i.e broadly cross-neutralizing. This abstract was published in Cancer Immunity, a Cancer Research Institute journal that ceased publication in 2013 and is now provided online in association with Cancer Immunology Research.
Anxious Belongings: Anxiety and the Politics of Belonging in Subnationalist Darjeeling

Across South Asia and beyond, the politics of belonging continue to breed alarming volatility and violence. The embodied, affective dimensions of these politics remain an imminent concern. In this article, I question how anxiety informs these reckonings of who belongs and who does not. Capable of galvanizing bodies and the greater body politic, anxieties over national belonging remain a powerful, but less understood, political force. In Darjeeling, India, anxieties over belonging—what I term “anxious belongings”—have fueled a particularly mercurial subnationalist politics, involving recurrent agitations for a separate state of Gorkhaland. Situated amid these interplays of anxiety, politics, and belonging, I identify anxious belonging as a collectively embodied phenomenon—at once historical, social, and pregnant with political possibility. As I show, these anxieties are deeply rooted in body and time. Today, they remain as unsettling as they are formative of a people and their politics. Thinking anthropologically about the origins and sociopolitical life of anxiety in Darjeeling, with this article I signal new ways of understanding—and perhaps anticipating—the volatilities that attend the politics of belonging worldwide. Anxious belonging accordingly comes into view as a dimension of and potential for markedly agitated forms of life and politics.
Digesting pythons quickly oxidize the proteins in their meals and save the lipids for later

Pythons digesting rodent meals exhibit up to 10-fold increases in their resting metabolic rate (RMR); this increase in RMR is termed specific dynamic action (SDA). Studies have shown that SDA is partially fueled by oxidizing dietary nutrients, yet it remains unclear whether the proteins and the lipids in their meals contribute equally to this energy demand. We raised two populations of mice on diets labeled with either [13C]leucine or [13C]palmitic acid to intrinsically enrich the proteins and lipids in their bodies, respectively. Ball pythons ( Python regius ) were fed whole mice (and pureed mice 3 weeks later), after which we measured their metabolic rates and the δ13C in the breath. The δ13C values in the whole bodies of the protein- and lipid-labeled mice were generally similar (i.e. 5.7±4.7‰ and 2.8±5.4‰, respectively) but the oxidative kinetics of these two macronutrient pools were quite different. We found that the snakes oxidized 5% of the protein and only 0.24% of the lipids in their meals within 14 days. Oxidation of the dietary proteins peaked 24 h after ingestion, at which point these proteins provided ∼90% of the metabolic requirement of the snakes, and by 14 days the oxidation of these proteins decreased to nearly zero. The oxidation of the dietary lipids peaked 1 day later, at which point these lipids supplied ∼25% of the energy demand. Fourteen days after ingestion, these lipids were still being oxidized and continued to account for ∼25% of the metabolic rate. Pureeing the mice reduced the cost of gastric digestion and decreased SDA by 24%. Pureeing also reduced the oxidation of dietary proteins by 43%, but it had no effect on the rates of dietary lipid oxidation. Collectively, these results demonstrate that pythons are able to effectively partition the two primary metabolic fuels in their meals. This approach of uniquely labeling the different components of the diet will allow researchers to examine new questions about how and when animals use the nutrients in their meals.
Quantum proton transfer with spatially dependent friction: Phenol-amine in methyl chloride

In a recent paper [D. Antoniou and S. D. Schwartz, J. Chem. Phys. 110, 465 (1999)] we calculated the reaction rate for a proton transfer reaction in liquid methyl chloride. In that work, we used a spectral density obtained from a molecular dynamics simulation as input to a quantum Zwanzig Hamiltonian which we solved using our exponential resummation method. In the present paper we perform a similar calculation, allowing for a position dependent friction using the method of G. Haynes, G. Voth, and E. Pollak [J. Chem. Phys. 101, 7811 (1994)]. Compared with the results of our previous work, we found that including spatial dependence to the friction led to enhancement of the reaction rate and to reduction of the H/D kinetic isotope effect.
Wannier functions in one-dimensional disordered systems: Application to fractionally charged solitons

Wannier functions can be defined as the eigenstates of the position operator projected onto a given band. Though this definition is equivalent to the usual definition of Wannier functions in a crystal, the present definition is useful in disordered systems as well. It is shown that if a band is separated from all other bands by a finite energy gap, the Wannier functions are spatially localized. Although the Wannier functions are typically too complicated to compute explicitly, they are a useful conceptual tool. As an example of their usefulness, they are here used to study the charge fluctuations associated with a fractionally charged topological defect or soliton. It is shown that fractional charge is a sharp quantum observable, thus confirming the results of previous continuum-model calculations S. Kivelson and J. R. Schrieffer, [Phys. Rev. B 25, 6447 (1982)].
Quantum Simulation of Multiple-Exciton Generation in a Nanocrystal by a Single Photon

We have shown theoretically that efficient multiple-exciton generation (MEG) by a single photon can be observed in small nanocrystals. Our quantum simulations that include hundreds of thousands of exciton and multiexciton states demonstrate that the complex time-dependent dynamics of these states in a closed electronic system yields a saturated MEG effect on a picosecond time scale. Including phonon relaxation confirms that efficient MEG requires the exciton-biexciton coupling time to be faster than exciton relaxation time.
Creation of a Quantitative Score to Predict the Need for Mechanical Support in Children Awaiting Heart Transplant

Background Due to the availability of new devices, the use of ventricular assist devices (VADs) in children has been increasing; however, patient selection and optimal timing of device implantation in this population remains uncertain. Methods A retrospective review of the United Network for Organ Sharing dataset identified 5,200 listings without mechanical circulatory support (MCS) for isolated pediatric heart transplant, 1995 to 2012. Patients were randomly divided into a derivation and validation cohort. A multivariable logistic regression model predicting the likelihood of death or need for MCS within 60 days was built using the derivation cohort and tested in the validation cohort. A simplified score (PedsMCS score) was developed and evaluated for accuracy. Results The predictive model consisted of variables present at listing (age, albumin level, creatinine clearance, serum bilirubin, mechanical ventilation, and inotropic support). It had good predictive ability (C statistic 0.7304) within the validation cohort. The simplified PedsMCS score was also predictive (C statistic 0.7217) and there was a strong correlation between predicted and expected outcomes (r = 0.91, p p p Conclusions We have developed and validated a simplified score to predict the need for MCS based on risk factors present at listing. This will provide more accurate prognostication in children awaiting heart transplant, and may improve patient selection.
Sky brightness and polarization during the 1973 african eclipse.

The absolute intensity, color, and polarization of the sky were measured during the eclipse of 30 June 1973 in Northern Kenya. Zenith sky radiance during totality decreased by a factor of 104 from the normal day sky value. The distribution of sky intensity with angle on the celestial hemisphere was approximately symmetrical about the local zenith, with this point having the minimum intensity value. The spectral distribution of zenithal diffuse skylight shifted toward the blue during totality, but the horizon reddened. The polarization ratio P decreased from a normal day value of 0.45 to 0.04. There is evidence that the distribution of polarization ratio is strongly affected by variations in surface albedo. The major results are compatible with predictions based on a radiative transfer model that considers double-scattering processes only.
Optimizing the layout and design of branched pipeline water distribution systems

Branched distribution systems are found in a large number of situations, including rural irrigation, reclaimed water distribution, and effluent disposal. Much research has been developed around optimizing pipeline design assuming a predetermined geographical layout of the distribution system. There has been less work done, however, on the problem of optimizing the configuration of the network itself, which is a particularly crucial issue in lower-income areas where the need for cost-effective irrigation systems is greatest. Generally, engineers develop the basic layout through experience and sheer intuition. In this paper, a method is developed for determining an optimal layout for a branched distribution system given only the spatial distribution of potential customers and their respective demands. The technique utilizes a mixed integer linear programming (MILP) algorithm to optimize an empirically derived objective function. The method is tailored for practical application and allows the decision maker to simultaneously solve for the optimal customer/user base and pipeline layout. The method is illustrated with a simple example.
Merlin is a negative regulator of human melanoma growth.

Merlin is encoded by the neurofibromatosis type 2 (NF2) gene and is a member of the Band 4.1 protein family. This protein acts as a linker that connects cell surface proteins to the actin cytoskeleton. Defects caused by mutations of the NF2 gene give rise to NF2 disease, which is generally characterized by the formation of bilateral vestibular schwannomas and, to a lesser extent, meningiomas and ependymomas. In addition to these tumor types, NF2 is mutated and/or merlin expression is reduced or lost in numerous non-NF2 associated tumors, including melanoma. However, the role of merlin in human melanoma growth and the mechanism underlying its effect are currently unknown. In the present study, we show that merlin knockdown enhances melanoma cell proliferation, migration, and invasion in vitro and that decreased merlin expression promotes subcutaneous melanoma growth in immunocompromised mice. Concordantly, we find that increased expression of merlin in a metastatic melanoma cell line reduced their in vitro migration and proliferation, and diminished their ability to grow in an anchorage independent manner. Increased merlin expression also inhibits in vivo growth of these melanoma cells. Lastly, we demonstrate that higher merlin levels in human melanoma cells promote the H2O2-induced activation of MST1/2 Ser/Thr kinases, which are known tumor suppressors in the Hippo signaling pathway. Taken together, these results provide for the first time evidence that merlin negatively regulates human melanoma growth, and that loss of merlin, or impaired merlin function, results in an opposite effect. In addition, we show that increased merlin expression leads to enhanced activation of the MTS1/2 kinases, implying the potential roles of MST1/2 in mediating the anti-melanoma effects of merlin.
Modeling of passive wireless sensors for RFID tag applications

The design and modeling of a passive radio frequency wireless identification system based on surface acoustic wave (SAW) devices is presented in this paper. This radio frequency identification (RFID) system is developed based on the response of the reflected phase from a SAW device which consists of two or more arrays of SAW IDTs and reflectors with different IDT-reflector spacing. Pulse modulated signals are transmitted from a remote reader system and their echoes are returned with different time delays due to the different IDT-reflector distances. Corresponding IF signals are generated in a mixer and their phase differences can be used as an ID tag. Using coupled-mode theory of SAW, the phase characteristic was examined. The effect of relative distance between the two reflector arrays is demonstrated. Since this passive sensor is coupled with a small planar antenna, it is well suited for applications that require passive and conformal sensors for identification and tracking.
The Origin of the Dynamic Growth of Vapor Bubbles Related to Vapor Explosions

An explosive type of vapor bubble growth was observed during pool boiling experiments in microgravity using R-113. Photographs reveal that the liquid-vapor interface of the explosive bubbles are wrinkled and corrugated, leading to the conclusion that some type of instability mechanism is acting. The classical hydrodynamic instability theories of Landau and Rayleigh-Taylor do not consider the effect of heat transfer at the interface, which is believed to be responsible for the observed instability of the evaporating surface. This was confirmed by the mechanisms proposed by Prosperetti and Plesset, combined with a model of the early growth of spherical vapor bubbles
Coexistence of Pituitary Adrenocorticotropin-Dependent Cushing's Syndrome with a Solitary Adrenal Adenoma*

A 45-yr-old woman presented with a 2-hr history of Cushing's syndrome. Baseline cortisol and ACTH levels were elevated and lacked a normal circadian rhythm. Dynamic testing of her pituitary-adrenal function revealed positive responses to metyrapone and synthetic ACTH and suppression with high doses of dexamethasone. The finding of asymmetrical adrenal uptake of 6-[131I]methyl-19-nor-cholesterol and a tumor image in the right adrenal on venography led to the preoperative diagnosis of pituitary ACTH-dependent adrenal hyperfunction coexisting with a right adrenal adenoma. Surgical resection of the right adrenal demonstrated a solitary 39-g nodule, 4 cm in diameter. There were no additional nodules present in the surrounding cortex. When incubated in vitro, both the adenoma and the surrounding tissue were functional and responsive to ACTH. This was in contrast to the lack of response to ACTH in vitro of similar tissues removed from two other patients with ACTH-independent adrenal adenomas. We suggest that this case represents a transition between pituitary ACTH-dependent bilateral adrenocortical hyperfunction and solitary adrenal adenoma.
Blood pressure but not cortisol mediates stress effects on subsequent pain perception in healthy men and women.

Research has demonstrated that exposure to acute stress may attenuate pain perception. Mechanisms of this effect in humans have not been determined. This study was conducted to determine the extent to which psychophysiological and adrenocortical responses to acute stress predict subsequent pain perception. One hundred and fifty-two healthy participants (80 women) were assigned to one of two conditions: rest followed by the cold pressor test (CPT; N=76) or stress followed by CPT (N=76). The stress protocol consisted of a public-speaking challenge. Participants rated their pain every 15 s during a 90-s hand CPT (0–4 °C), and they completed the short form of the McGill Pain Questionnaire. Salivary cortisol, mood, blood pressure (BP), and impedance cardiography measures were collected in both conditions. Women had lower BP and reported greater pain than men in both conditions (ps<0.01). Participants in the stress condition reported less pain during CPT than those in the rest condition (p=0.02). Regression analyses demonstrated that the stress effect on pain ratings was mediated by systolic BP level during stress; however, cortisol responses did not affect this relationship. Mood changes were independent predictors of pain. The study demonstrates that BP changes in response to stress mediate the stress-induced attenuation of pain perception.
The determinants of enrollment shares of institutions of higher education

This study examines the impact of academic quality, admissions selectivity, costs, the range of academic programs offered, and location of particular institutions on enrollment shares of these institutions. The findings clearly indicate that tuition and room and board costs, admissions selectivity, and the range of academic programs all strongly affect enrollments.
Trophic influences on mercury accumulation in top pelagic predators from offshore New England waters of the northwest Atlantic Ocean.

Abstract Trophic pathways and size-based bioaccumulation rates of total mercury were evaluated among recreationally caught albacore tuna (Thunnus alalunga), yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares), shortfin mako shark (Isurus oxyrinchus), thresher shark (Alopias vulpinus), and dolphinfish (Coryphaena hippurus) from offshore southern New England waters of the northwest Atlantic Ocean between 2008 and 2011. Mercury concentrations were highest in mako (2.65 ± 1.16 ppm) and thresher sharks (0.87 ± 0.71 ppm), and significantly lower in teleosts (albacore, 0.45 ± 0.14 ppm; yellowfin, 0.32 ± 0.09 ppm; dolphinfish, 0.20 ± 0.17 ppm). The relationship between body size and mercury concentration was positive and linear for tunas, and positive and exponential for sharks and dolphinfish. Mercury increased exponentially with δ 15N values, a proxy for trophic position, across all species. Results demonstrate mercury levels are positively related to size, diet and trophic position in sharks, tunas, and dolphinfish, and the majority of fishes exhibited concentrations greater than the US EPA recommended limit.
The permeability of some graft copolymers of polyethylene to gases and vapors

Graft copolymers of polyethylene were prepared by gamma irradiation of polyethylene films immersed in the appropriate monomer. The majority of gas permeability measurements were made by Barrer's high vacuum technique; others were made by measuring volumetric change as a function of time. Sorption isotherms were obtained by using a quartz helix microbalance. Temperature dependent permeability constants have been obtained for permeation of oxygen, nitrogen, and carbon dioxide through styrene, acrylonitrile, and vinylpyridine grafted to low-density polyethylene. Permeability constants at 25°C. have also been determined as a function of water vapor partial pressure for the above systems. Some values for permeation of carbon dioxide through styrene grafted to high density or linear polyethylene are also given. Organic vapors studied were methyl bromide and isobutene, permeability constants at 0°C. being determined for styrene and acrylonitrile–polyethylene graft copolymers as a function of organic vapor pressure. The data show clearly that permeation through acrylonitrile and vinylpyridine–polyethylene grafts is primarily a diffusion process, while in permeation through polyethylene–styrene grafts, there is also a crystallite solution effect. Percentage grafts varied from 0 to 100 parts monomer per 100 parts by weight polyethylene.
Pathways for degradation of the catalytic subunit of cAMP-dependent protein kinase differ in wild-type and kinase-negative S49 mouse lymphoma cells.

Abstract The catalytic subunit of cAMP-dependent protein kinase radiolabeled with [35S]methionine in wild-type S49 mouse lymphoma cells was degraded with half-lives of ∼9.2 h in unstimulated cells and ∼4.5 h in cells stimulated with a membrane-permeable cAMP analog. Turnover in kinase-negative mutant cells was about three times faster than in stimulated wild-type cells and appeared to involve a unique 47-kDa intermediate. Levels of catalytic subunit protein revealed by Western immunoblotting were consistent with the measured differences in turnover, but whereas the protein was mostly soluble in wild-type cell extracts, it was almost entirely insoluble in the mutant cell extracts. A substantial fraction of the catalytic subunit labeled in a 5-min pulse was soluble in kinase-negative cell extracts, but most of this material was rendered insoluble by incubating the cells for an additional 30 min before extraction. Degradation of the catalytic subunit in kinase-negative, but not in wild-type, cells was inhibited strongly by two specific peptide aldehyde inhibitors of the proteasomal chymotrypsin-like activity. An inhibitor of the proteasomal protease that prefers branched-chain amino acids had less of an effect on catalytic subunit degradation in the mutant cells.
Qualitative Methods for Predicting the Ground States of Non-Kekule Hydrocarbons and the Effects of Heteroatom Substitution on the Ordering of the Electronic States

Abstract Classification of the NBMOs of a non-Kekule hydrocarbon as being disjoint or non-disjoint can be used to predict the spin of the ground state and the magnitude of the energy difference between it and the lowest excited state. If the NBMOs are non-disjoint, the bonding in the lowest excited states will be more localized than that in the ground state. The nature of the localized pi bonding in the lowest excited states allows one to predict qualitatively which will be most stabilized by hetero-atom substitution and whether it is possible that the attendant stabilization, relative to the ground state, is capable of giving the substituted molecule a ground state of different spin multiplicity. The same predictions can also be made using VB theory.
Osteoporotic Vertebral Compression Fractures and Vertebral Augmentation

Vertebral fractures account for ~27% of all osteoporotic fractures in both men and women. The economic burden is substantial and growing: osteoporosis is expected to affect 14 million people by the year 2020. There is substantial morbidity associated with osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures (VCFs) including decreased quality of life, reduced pulmonary function, and increased mortality. Relatively recent additions to the treatment armamentarium include vertebral augmentation using vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty. Numerous retrospective and case studies demonstrate short-term efficacy and low complication rates of vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty in the treatment of osteoporotic VCFs, but controlled trials are needed for validation. The pathophysiology, risk factors, consequences, characteristics, and imaging of osteoporotic VCFs are presented in detail along with a discussion of treatment options and patient selection. Vertebral augmentation is comprehensively reviewed, including the technical aspects of the procedures, contraindications, complications, and clinical outcomes.
Pathology of ilioinguinal neuropathy produced by mesh entrapment: case report and literature review

Ilioinguinal neuropathy is a well-described complication of mesh inguinal herniorrhaphy. We report the first human case, to our knowledge, of ilioinguinal nerve mesh entrapment with neuropathological changes that suggest an inflammatory cause for this chronic pain syndrome.
The emergence of temporal correlations in a study of global economic interdependence

Abstract We develop a simple firm-based automaton model for global economic interdependence of countries using modern notions of self-organized criticality and recently developed dynamical renormalization-group methods. We demonstrate how extremely strong statistical correlations can naturally develop between two countries even if the financial interconnections between those countries remain very weak. Potential policy implications of this result are also discussed.