cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Loci on Chromosomes 2, 4, 9, and 16 for body weight, body length, and adiposity identified in a genome scan of an F2 intercross between the 129P3/J and C57BL/6ByJ mouse strains

Mice have proved to be a powerful model organism for understanding obesity in humans. Single gene mutants and genetically modified mice have been used to identify obesity genes, and the discovery of loci for polygenic forms of obesity in the mouse is an important next step. To pursue this goal, the inbred mouse strains 129P3/J (129) and C57BL/6ByJ (B6), which differ in body weight, body length, and adiposity, were used in an F2 cross to identify loci affecting these phenotypes. Linkages were determined in a two-phase process. In the first phase, 169 randomly selected F2 mice were genotyped for 134 markers that covered all autosomes and the X Chromosome (Chr). Significant linkages were found for body weight and body length on Chr 2. In addition, we detected several suggestive linkages on Chr 2 (adiposity), 9 (body weight, body length, and adiposity), and 16 (adiposity), as well as two suggestive sex-dependent linkages for body length on Chrs 4 and 9. In the second phase, 288 additional F2 mice were genotyped for markers near these regions of linkage. In the combined set of 457 F2 mice, six significant linkages were found: Chr 2 (Bwq5, body weight and Bdln3, body length), Chr 4 (Bdln6, body length, males only), Chr 9 (Bwq6, body weight and Adip5, adiposity), and Chr 16 (Adip9, adiposity), as well as several suggestive linkages (Adip2, adiposity on Chr 2; Bdln4 and Bdln5, body length on Chr 9). In addition, there was a suggestive linkage to body length in males on Chr 9 (Bdln4). For adiposity, there was evidence for epistatic interactions between loci on Chr 9 (Adip5) and 16 (Adip9). These results reinforce the concept that obesity is a complex trait. Genetic loci and their interactions, in conjunction with sex, age, and diet, determine body size and adiposity in mice.
Review of very high-content reclaimed asphalt use in plant-produced pavements: state of the art

Asphalt is the most recycled material in the USA at a re-use rate of 99%. However, by average only 10–20% reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) is used in a given mix design and large part of the RAP is degraded for use in lower value applications. The amount of RAP in asphalt mixtures can be significantly increased with the application of good RAP management practice, readily available modern production technologies and advanced knowledge of mix design. This paper summarises the state-of-the-art approaches for increasing the amount of RAP in asphalt mixtures above 40%. The production challenges and common pavement distresses of very high RAP content mixtures are identified and methods to optimise the mix design as well as production technology in order to allow manufacturing of such sustainable mixtures are described. The best practices for RAP management and economic benefits of high RAP use are also discussed.
Contemporary Trends in Neurometric Wave-Form Analysis - Introduction

L'A. expose la problematique generale liee a la mesure des ondes neurales, en distinguant quelques courants principaux d'interpretation
Slaves and slave traders in the Persian Gulf, 18th and 19th centuries: An assessment

(1988). Slaves and slave traders in the Persian Gulf, 18th and 19th centuries: An assessment. Slavery & Abolition: Vol. 9, The Economics of the Indian Ocean Slave Trade in the Nineteenth Century, pp. 60-70.
Effects of hydrostatic pressure on the drag reduction of submerged aerogel-particle coatings

a b s t r a c t There are several techniques to fabricate superhydrophobic surfaces. The one used in this paper is closer to natural surfaces found, for example, on lotus leaves. Herein, hydrophobic aerogel particles with different average diameters are randomly deposited onto metallic substrates with a thin adhesive coating to achieve a combination of hydrophobicity and surface roughness. The resulting surfaces show different degrees of superhydrophobicity and are used to study the effects of elevated pressure on the drag reduction and the degree of hydrophobicity (survivability) of such surfaces when used for underwater applications. Several previous studies presented numerical and/or analytical models to evaluate the influence of pressure on the superhydrophobicity. Experimental studies, however, are lacking. In this work, we measure the impact of pressure on the stability of the meniscus (air–water interface). The experiments utilize three instruments: (i) a previously developed optical technique to characterize the time-dependent hydrophobicity in conjunction with a pressure vessel in which the submerged coating is exposed to elevated pressures; (ii) a parallel-plate rheometer where the coating’s slip length and drag reduction are measured; and (iii) a goniometer to measure the static contact angle as well as contactangle hysteresis. We also developed an image-thresholding technique to estimate the gas area fraction of the coating. The results indicate that there exists a new parameter, the terminal pressure, beyond which the surface undergoes a global transition from the Cassie state to the Wenzel state, and therefore can no longer generate drag reduction. This terminal pressure differs from the previously identified critical pressure. The latter is the pressure above which the surface starts the transition process at some location, but not necessarily at other spots due to the heterogeneity of the surface. For the particle coatings used herein, the terminal pressures are measured to range from 100 to 600 kPa, indicating that such coatings could potentially be used for deep underwater applications.
The Stress Response in Injured Afferents of the Capsular Ligament Depends on Tensile Loading Applied to the Facet Joint

Chronic neck pain from whiplash affects over 10 million people annually in the United States [1]. Many studies have indentified the facet joint as a possible source of neck pain due to its innervation by nociceptive fibers [2]. In particular, in vivo studies have reported that distraction of the facet joint and its capsule produces both persistent firing of capsule pain fibers and persistent behavioral hypersensitivity and pain symptoms (i.e. mechanical allodynia) [2,3].Copyright © 2008 by ASME
Individual Differences in Absolute and Relative Metacomprehension Accuracy.

The authors investigated absolute and relative metacomprehension accuracy as a function of verbal ability in college students. Students read hard texts, revised texts, or a mixed set of texts. They then predicted their performance, took a multiple-choice test on the texts, and made posttest judgments about their performance. With hard texts, students with lower verbal abilities were overconfident in predictions of future performance, and students with higher verbal abilities were underconfident in judging past performance. Revised texts produced overconfidence for predictions. Thus, absolute accuracy of predictions and confidence judgments depended on students' abilities and text difficulty. In contrast, relative metacomprehension accuracy as measured by gamma correlations did not depend on verbal ability or on text difficulty. Absolute metacomprehension accuracy was much more dependent on types of materials and verbal skills than was relative accuracy, suggesting that they may tap different aspects of metacomprehension.
Closed-loop near-optimum steering for a class of space missions.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Aeronautics and Astronautics. Thesis. 1965. Sc.D.
Supporting the dynamic grid service lifecycle

This paper presents an architecture and implementation for a dynamic OGSA-based grid service architecture that extends GT3 to support dynamic service hosting - where to host and re-host a service within the grid in response to service demand and resource fluctuation. Our model goes beyond current OGSI implementations in which the service is presumed to be pre-installed at all sites (and only service instantiation is dynamic). In dynamic virtual organizations (VOs), we believe dynamic service hosting provides an important flexibility. Our model also defines several new adaptive grid service classes that support adaptation at multiple levels. Dynamic service deployment allows new services to be added or replaced without taking down a site for reconfiguration and allows a VO to respond effectively to dynamic resource availability and demand. The preliminary results suggest that the cost of dynamic installation, deployment, and invocation, is tolerable.
Utilization of esophageal reference electrode to enhance impedance imaging

Summary form only given. The authors report on the results of an analysis of the expected improvement in distinguishability of target inhomogeneities when an esophageal reference electrode is located on the target-body interface. One-dimensional (1-D), two-dimensional (2-D) circular, and three-dimensional (3-D) spherical models were utilized for the evaluation. The results indicate an increase in the absolute value of the maximum difference between the voltages recorded with an insulating target present and no target present of a factor of two for the 1-D case and a factor of from two to more than ten for the 2-D and 3-D cases. The large enhancements for the 2-D and 3-D cases with small-diameter targets may indicate that the esophageal reference electrode acts as a focusing mechanism. >
Embedding an arbitrary binary tree into the star graph

Binary tree structures have been very useful in solving divide-and-conquer type of problems. Embedding binary trees into another network-the host network-helps in designing solutions for the host network using the known solutions on binary trees. Embedding arbitrary binary trees into networks, in particular into the hypercube, has been addressed in the literature. The latter was achieved with load 1 and constant dilation. The n-star graph is a recently introduced interconnection network for massively parallel systems. It enjoys symmetry and fault tolerance properties that make it a viable alternative to the hypercube. In this paper, we address the problem of embedding arbitrary binary trees into the n-star graph. This work is the first to present such an embedding. The tree has [e(n-1)1] or fewer vertices. The embedding leads to load 1 and constant dilation for all values of n. It therefore enables the star graph to efficiently simulate an arbitrary binary tree with only a constant factor of communication delay.
The Impact of Smoking and Quitting on Health Care Use

Background: The magnitude and timing of the impact of effects of smoking cessation on inpatient and outpatient health care use are uncertain. Methods: Comparison of the use of outpatient and hospital services over time of 2440 persistent smokers and 244 biochemically verified quitters, all of whom were participants in two independent randomized trials of smoking cessation interventions. Results: Continued smokers in both trials experienced a 7% to 15% increase in outpatient visits and a 30% to 45% increase in hospital admissions over 5 to 6 years of follow-up. The positive slopes approached or reached statistical significance for all use variables in both trial populations. Among quitters, all health care use rates significantly increased during the year in which they quit; after that, the rates declined progressively. By the fourth year after quitting, all use rates among quitters were lower than those for smokers. The increase in hospitalizations during the year of quitting was more often a cause rather than a consequence of successful smoking cessation. Conclusion: Successful smoking cessation appears to halt the progressive increase in the use of health services associated with continued smoking within a 4-year period. (Arch Intern Med. 1995;155:1789-1795)
Liposomal resiquimod for the treatment of Leishmania donovani infection

Objectives The imidazoquinoline family of drugs are Toll-like receptor 7/8 agonists that have previously been used in the treatment of cutaneous leishmaniasis. Because of the hydrophobic nature of imidazoquinolines, they are traditionally not administered systemically for the treatment of visceral leishmaniasis. We formulated liposomal resiquimod, an imidazoquinoline, for the systemic treatment of visceral leishmaniasis. Methods By using lipid film hydration with extrusion, we encapsulated resiquimod in liposomes. These liposomes were then injected intravenously to treat BALB/c mice infected with Leishmania donovani. Results Treatment with liposomal resiquimod significantly decreased the parasite load in the liver, spleen and bone marrow. In addition, resiquimod treatment increased interferon-γ and interleukin-10 production in an antigen recall assay. Resiquimod was shown to be non-toxic in histology and in vitro culture experiments. Conclusions FDA-approved resiquimod, in a liposomal formulation, displays promising results in treating visceral leishmaniasis.
The Vibrio harveyi quorum-sensing system uses shared regulatory components to discriminate between multiple autoinducers

The quorum-sensing bacterium Vibrio harveyi produces and responds to three autoinducers (AIs), and this sensory information converges to control the expression of bioluminescence, biofilm formation, type III secretion (TTS), and protease production. The AIs are detected by cognate sensor histidine kinases that all relay phosphate to the shared response regulator LuxO. LuxO indirectly represses the master regulator of quorum sensing, LuxR, through the activation of multiple genes encoding small regulatory RNAs (called qrr genes for Quorum Regulatory RNA). Here we use differential fluorescence induction to identify 50 quorum-sensing-controlled promoters. Some promoters only showed significant responses in the simultaneous presence of all three AIs, while others displayed substantial responses to the individual AIs. A differential response to each AI input state was also observed for qrr and luxR expression and LuxR protein production. Individual cell analyses revealed that, in each case, all the bacteria in the population respond in unison to the various AI inputs. We propose that the V. harveyi quorum-sensing transition is not switch-like but rather operates in a graded manner, and that this signaling arrangement, which uses shared regulatory proteins, nonetheless provides V. harveyi a mechanism to respond uniquely to different AI input states.
Simply Implausible: DNA and a Mesoamerican Setting for the Book of Mormon

The ability of Latter-day Saint scholars to repeat assertions of a limited geographic setting for the Book of Mormon should not be confused with actual scientific or historical evidence. Claims of a limited geography or local colonization in Mesoamerica do not save the Book of Mormon from genetic evidence. No evidence from molecular anthropology supports a limited colonization of Middle Eastern or Israelite populations in Central America. The idea that founder effect and genetic drift may account for the lack of genetic evidence is contradicted by statements and prophecies in the Book of Mormon and would require hundreds of unlikely chance events in three different founding populations. While John Sorenson has made the best case for a limited geographic setting for the Book of Mormon in Central America, his proposal was never valid in the first place. It is dependent upon a rejection of the scientific method, a tautological faith in the historicity of the text, and requires unwarranted directional shifts and the assumption that most references to flora, fauna, and technology in the scripture are misnomers. LDS scholars soundly refuted his proposal prior to publication and have done the same afterwords. A limited geography has gained ascendancy among scholars from BYU through repetition and is a byproduct of a repressive social atmosphere in the LDS Church and a confusion of prayer with science. In sum, a limited geography for the Book of Mormon anywhere in the Americas is simply implausible.
On large deviations for approximations of SDEs

We establish sufficient conditions under which the rate function for the Euler approximation scheme for a solution of an SDE is close to that for an exact solution.
Less Is More: Mixed-Initiative Model-Predictive Control With Human Inputs

This paper presents a new method for injecting human inputs into mixed-initiative interactions between humans and robots. The method is based on a model-predictive control (MPC) formulation, which inevitably involves predicting the system (robot dynamics as well as human input) into the future. These predictions are complicated by the fact that the human is interacting with the robot, causing the prediction method itself to have an effect on future human inputs. We investigate and develop different prediction schemes, including fixed and variable horizon MPCs and human input estimators of different orders. Through a search-and-rescue-inspired human operator study, we arrive at the conclusion that the simplest prediction methods outperform the more complex ones, i.e., in this particular case, less is indeed more.
Prognostic factors for the development of gangrenous cholecystitis

Abstract Background The operative morbidity and mortality for patients with gangrenous cholecystitis (GC) remains high. Our objective was to identify preoperative prognostic factors for GC in order to distinguish this subset of patients with acute cholecystitis (AC). Methods From 1/98 to 11/01 the medical records of patients who presented with the diagnosis of AC were reviewed. Univariate and multivariate analysis were performed on this retrospective data. Results Of 113 patients with acute cholecystitis, 45 (39.8%) had histologically confirmed gangrenous cholecystitis. Nine variables were identified that were associated with GC by univariate analysis: age ≥51 years, African-American race, white blood cell count ≥15,000, diabetes, pericholecystic fluid, asparate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase, and lipase. Two variables were identified by multivariate analysis: diabetes, and white blood cell count. Conclusions Our data suggest that patients with a history of diabetes and white blood cell count >15,000 to be at an increased risk for having GC upon presentation and they should have urgent surgical intervention.
The Morphology of Remigration: New England University Men and Their Return to England, 1640–1660

Richard Mather's promising pastoral career in England suddenly ended in 1634 with the wholesale suspensions inaugurated by Archbishop Laud. With no choice other than submission to the Church of England, Mather set sail for New England and, in so doing, joined a large scale folk migration that was to total over 15,000 people in the decade between 1630 and 1640. Encouraged by the early successes of the ‘ Great Migration ’ to New England, Mather took the birth of his son in 1639 as a sign and named him Increase ‘ on the Account of the great Increase of every sort, which God favoured the country with about the time of his nativity ’. A year after Increase's birth, Richard Mather's joy was once again chastened when there ensued a remigration to England such that, in Increase Mather's words, ‘ since the year 1640, more Persons have removed out of New England, than have gone thither ’. Leading in the removal from New England were nearly half of the highly trained ministers and university men who, in large measure, accounted for the uniqueness of the New England settlements.
Dynamic analysis of variable-reluctance permanent-magnet brushless DC motors

Dynamic characteristics of permanent-magnet brushless DC motors (BLDCMs) in the presence of reluctance variations are formulated and analyzed. The local dynamics are presented, since a high percentage of currently available BLDCM systems are accompanied with linear velocity and current controllers. The notion of an equivalent DC motor model is presented, and its validity is examined. >
Ionization of impurities in silicon

Abstract A model for calculation of the percentage of ionized dopant atoms as a function of the doping concentration and temperature is proposed. The results are compared with experiment. Analytical approximations that facilitate practical applications of the model are given.
ESTIMATING AND INTERPRETING PEER AND ROLE MODEL EFFECTS FROM RANDOMLY ASSIGNED SOCIAL GROUPS AT WEST POINT

Abstract The random assignment of cadets to social groups at West Point provides a rare opportunity to highlight potentially misleading estimates of social group effects found in many studies. Estimates of contemporaneous group effects in human capital production are typically positive and significant; however, evidence in this study suggests that occurrences common to a group may account for much of this correlation. Models that address these biases provide little evidence of group effects in academic performance, although there is evidence of group influences in choice outcomes such as the selection of academic major and the decision to remain in the Army.
Time-domain interconnect model generation of Alloy-42 leadframes

S-parameter (scattering-parameter) measurements were performed on a 240-lead Alloy-42 leadframe. An interconnect RLCM circuit model is used to optimize around the measured s-parameter file. Optimization is then performed in the frequency-domain until the interconnect model is matched to the measured data. Frequency and time-domain circuit simulations are run to compare the measured leadframe, the existing RLCM lumped circuit model, and the optimized models. While the optimized model waveforms produced show an excellent match with the measured data, the existing RLCM model deviates from the measured data response.
A Modified Split-Radix FFT With Fewer Arithmetic Operations

Recent results by Van Buskirk have broken the record set by Yavne in 1968 for the lowest exact count of real additions and multiplications to compute a power-of-two discrete Fourier transform (DFT). Here, we present a simple recursive modification of the split-radix algorithm that computes the DFT with asymptotically about 6% fewer operations than Yavne, matching the count achieved by Van Buskirk's program-generation framework. We also discuss the application of our algorithm to real-data and real-symmetric (discrete cosine) transforms, where we are again able to achieve lower arithmetic counts than previously published algorithms
Pulsed-field gel electrophoretic analysis of leptospiral DNA.

Abstract The genomic structures of spirochete species are not well characterized, and genetic studies on these organisms have been hampered by lack of a genetic exchange mechanism in these bacteria. In view of these observations, pulsed-field gel electrophoresis was used to examine the genomes of Leptospira species. Live cells, prepared in agarose plugs, were lysed in situ, and the DNA was analyzed under different electrophoretic conditions. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis of DNA digested with infrequently cutting restriction enzymes showed that the genome of Leptospira interrogans serovar canicola is approximately 3.1 Mb, while that of the saprophytic L. biflexa serovar patoc I is 3.5 Mb. DNA forms of approximately 2,000 and 350 kb which were present in samples from L. interrogans serovars were not readily detected in nonpathogenic serovars. Three distinct populations, designated type alpha, beta, and gamma, of L. interrogans DNA molecules were further analyzed with two-dimensional gel electrophoresis. Evidence suggested that two of these DNA forms, type alpha and gamma, were linear structures. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis has proven to be a valuable tool with which to size bacterial genomes and to take the first steps toward characterization of a form of leptospiral DNA which behaves as a linear molecule and which may be related to the virulence of L. interrogans.
Future Sex Educator Perceptions of Rural versus Urban Instruction: A Case for Community-Centered Sexual Health Education.

Instructors of sexual health courses in rural areas face unique challenges as they are often forced to use school-based prevention curricula field-tested in urban areas. Research has yet to consider what future sex educators’ regional expectations are for their profession and how those expectations might have an impact on the classroom. Drawing from interviews with 26 sex-educators-in-training, we find that future educators tended to expect that rural communities would be less diverse, more conservative, and less informed about sexual health matters, even though research demonstrates that today's rural communities inconsistently align with those perceptions.
Spatially Coupled Larval Supply of Marine Predators and Their Prey Alters the Predictions of Metapopulation Models

Abstract: Oceanographic forces can strongly affect the movement of planktonic marine larvae, often producing predictable spatial patterns of larval delivery. In particular, recent empirical evidence suggests that in some coastal systems, certain locations consistently receive higher (or lower) larval supplies of both predators and their prey. As a consequence, rates of settlement and predation may be coupled spatially, a phenomenon I term the “coupled settlement effect.” To investigate the metapopulation consequences of this phenomenon, I created discrete‐time, patch‐based analytical and simulation models with a common larval pool and uneven larval supply among patches. Using two complementary measures of subpopulation value as a basis of comparison, I found that models with and without the coupled settlement effect yielded strikingly different predictions. When prey and predator larval supplies were not coupled, patches supplied with a larger proportion of the larval pool made a greater contribution to t...
Chiming in on Museums and Participatory Culture

Abstract The deep trove of information available on the Internet and the expanding connections it affords to new communities online have been a transforming force in museums in the recent past. A single individual can publish thoughts and ideas to an audience of millions with a few simple clicks of a button. The cultural sector has made great strides in adopting these same methods to advance the missions and content of our organizations; however, a rise in participatory culture poses a number of challenges for the role of museums and our place in the evolving culture of our community. A debate surrounding the changing nature of authority and the participatory expectations of society is central to defining how museums can meaningfully engage with contemporary audiences. When making decisions that define how audiences play a role or not in their organizations, museums must consider the far-reaching consequences of these choices on the relationships they have with their communities.
Impact of scattering on the capacity, diversity, and propagation range of multiple-antenna channels

The impact of scattering condition and array configuration on performances are inseparable in early analyses of multiple-antenna systems. An array-independent scattering model is introduced where three basic scattering mechanisms are modeled. Performance results become more intrinsic property of the scattering channel itself. For linear arrays of length L in an environment of total angle spread |Omega|, the ergodic capacity is shown to increase linearly with L|Omega| for large arrays. When antenna arrays reduce to practical sizes, the capacity scaling depends on the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) as well. This implies that the number of antennas used should also depend on the SNR. In terms of outage capacity, the tradeoff between spatial multiplexing gain and diversity gain is shown to be very sensitive to the underlying scattering mechanisms. Finally, as |Omega| varies with the propagation range, the tradeoff among multiplexing gain, diversity gain, and propagation range is studied
Spatiotemporal Analysis of Differential Akt Regulation in Plasma Membrane Microdomains

As a central kinase in the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase pathway, Akt has been the subject of extensive research; yet, spatiotemporal regulation of Akt in different membrane microdomains remains largely unknown. To examine dynamic Akt activity in membrane microdomains in living cells, we developed a specific and sensitive fluorescence resonance energy transfer-based Akt activity reporter, AktAR, through systematic testing of different substrates and fluorescent proteins. Targeted AktAR reported higher Akt activity with faster activation kinetics within lipid rafts compared with nonraft regions of plasma membrane. Disruption of rafts attenuated platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF)-stimulated Akt activity in rafts without affecting that in nonraft regions. However, in insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF)-1 stimulation, Akt signaling in nonraft regions is dependent on that in raft regions. As a result, cholesterol depletion diminishes Akt activity in both regions. Thus, Akt activities are differentially regulated in different membrane microdomains, and the overall activity of this oncogenic pathway is dependent on raft function. Given the increased abundance of lipid rafts in some cancer cells, the distinct Akt-activating characteristics of PDGF and IGF-1, in terms of both effectiveness and raft dependence, demonstrate the capabilities of different growth factor signaling pathways to transduce differential oncogenic signals across plasma membrane.
An Attack on Wavelet Tree Shuffling Encryption Schemes

With the ubiquity of the internet and advances in technology, especially digital consumer electronics, demand for online multimedia services is ever increasing. While it’s possible to achieve a great reduction in bandwidth utilization of multimedia data such as image and video through compression, security still remains a great concern. Traditional cryptographic algorithms/systems for data security are often not fast enough to process the vast amounts of data generated by the multimedia applications to meet the realtime constraints. Selective encryption is a new scheme for multimedia content protection. It involves encrypting only a portion of the data to reduce computational complexity(the amount of data to encrypt)while preserving a sufficient level of security. To achieve this, many selective encryption schemes are presented in different literatures. One of them is Wavelet Tree Shuffling. In this paper we assess the security of a wavelet tree shuffling encryption scheme.
Use of nondegenerate resonant leaky modes to fashion diverse optical spectra

In this paper, we show that bandstop and bandpass filters with versatile spectral attributes can be implemented with modulated films possessing asymmetric grating profiles. The profile asymmetry breaks the resonant leaky mode degeneracy at normal incidence thereby permitting precise spectral spacing of interacting leaky modes with interesting implications in optical filter design. Several example filters, containing only a single grating layer, are designed with this methodology to demonstrate the concept.
Universal dependence of hydrogen oxidation and evolution reaction activity of platinum-group metals on pH and hydrogen binding energy

Understanding how pH affects the activity of hydrogen oxidation reaction (HOR) and hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is key to developing active, stable, and affordable HOR/HER catalysts for hydroxide exchange membrane fuel cells and electrolyzers. A common linear correlation between hydrogen binding energy (HBE) and pH is observed for four supported platinum-group metal catalysts (Pt/C, Ir/C, Pd/C, and Rh/C) over a broad pH range (0 to 13), suggesting that the pH dependence of HBE is metal-independent. A universal correlation between exchange current density and HBE is also observed on the four metals, indicating that they may share the same elementary steps and rate-determining steps and that the HBE is the dominant descriptor for HOR/HER activities. The onset potential of CO stripping on the four metals decreases with pH, indicating a stronger OH adsorption, which provides evidence against the promoting effect of adsorbed OH on HOR/HER.
Dual Functionality of Gold Nanostructures for Contrast Enhancement and Photo-Thermal Therapy

We report on gold nanocages with sizes of 35-65 nm and tunable optical properties. The nanostructures can be bioconjugated for target delivery and potentially function as contrast and photo-thermal therapeutic agents.
Understanding the Needs of Young Women Regarding Breast Cancer Risk Assessment and Genetic Testing: Convergence and Divergence among Patient-Counselor Perceptions and the Promise of Peer Support.

Young women from hereditary breast and ovarian cancer (HBOC) families face a series of medical decisions regarding their cancer risk management and integrating this information into their life planning. This presents unique medical and psychosocial challenges that exist without comprehensive intervention. To help lay the groundwork for intervention, we conducted a qualitative study among young women from HBOC families (N = 12; Mean age = 22) and cancer genetic counselors (N = 12) to explicate domains most critical to caring for this population. Women and counselors were interviewed by telephone. The predominant interview themes included preventative care planning and risk management, decision making around the pros and cons of cancer risk assessment, medical management, and psychosocial stresses experienced. Young women endorsed psychosocial stress significantly more frequently than did counselors. Both groups noted the short- and long-term decision making challenges and the support and conflict engendered among familial relationships. Our results suggest young women value the support they receive from their families and their genetic counselors, but additional, external supports are needed to facilitate adaptation to HBOC risk. In feedback interviews focused on intervention planning with a subset of these young women (N = 9), they endorsed the predominant interview themes discovered as important intervention content, a structure that would balance discussion of medical information and psychosocial skill-building that could be tailored to the young women’s needs, and delivery by trained peers familiar with HBOC risk.
Expandable endoprostheses for gastrointestinal stenoses.

Expandable endoprostheses have the theoretic advantage of placement into strictures that have previously been considered inaccessible because of acute angulation or anatomic constraint. Moreover, their placement through small diameter insertion catheters has the potential to minimize tissue trauma associated with rapid dilation and to improve placement accuracy. With few exceptions, data using these systerns remain sparse, however. The stents are expensive and variably imbed into local tissue, and the prostheses and their delivery systems alike continue to undergo refinement.
Transport of a partially wetted particle at the liquid/vapor interface under the influence of an externally imposed surfactant generated Marangoni stress.

Abstract Marangoni flows offer an interesting and useful means to transport particles at fluid interfaces with potential applications such as dry powder pulmonary drug delivery. In this article, we investigate the transport of partially wetted particles at a liquid/vapor interface under the influence of Marangoni flows driven by gradients in the surface excess concentration of surfactants. We deposit a microliter drop of soluble (sodium dodecyl sulfate) aqueous surfactant solution or pure insoluble liquid (oleic acid) surfactant on a water subphase and observe the transport of a pre-deposited particle. Following the previous observation by Wang et al. [1] that a surfactant front rapidly advances ahead of the deposited drop contact line and initiates particle motion but then moves beyond the particle, we now characterize the two dominant, time- and position-dependent forces acting on the moving particle: (1) a surface tension force acting on the three-phase contact line around the particle periphery due to the surface tension gradient at the liquid/vapor interface which always accelerates the particle and (2) a viscous force acting on the immersed surface area of the particle which accelerates or decelerates the particle depending on the difference in the velocities of the liquid and particle. We find that the particle velocity evolves over time in two regimes. In the acceleration regime, the net force on the particle acts in the direction of particle motion, and the particle quickly accelerates and reaches a maximum velocity. In the deceleration regime, the net force on the particle reverses and the particle decelerates gradually and stops. We identify the parameters that affect the two forces acting on the particle, including the initial particle position relative to the surfactant drop, particle diameter, particle wettability, subphase thickness, and surfactant solubility. We systematically vary these parameters and probe the spatial and temporal evolution of the two forces acting on the particle as it moves along its trajectory in both regimes. We find that a larger particle always lags behind the smaller particle when placed at an equal initial distance from the drop. Similarly, particles more deeply engulfed in the subphase lag behind those less deeply engulfed. Further, the extent of particle transport is reduced as the subphase thickness decreases due to the larger velocity gradients in the subphase recirculation flows.
Final Report for NA-22/DTRA Cosmic Ray Project

The primary objective of this project was to better understand the time-correlations between the muons and neutrons produced as a result of high energy primary cosmic ray particles hitting the atmosphere, and investigate whether these time correlations might be useful in connection with the detection of special nuclear materials. During the course of this project we did observe weak correlations between secondary cosmic ray muons and cosmic ray induced fast neutrons. We also observed strong correlations between tertiary neutrons produced in a Pb pile by secondary cosmic rays and minimum ionizing particles produced in association with the tertiary neutrons.
Study of the integrity of pressurized LEH window assemblies at cryogenic temperatures for NIF targets

The National Ignition Facility (NIF) is a directorate of LLNL, a DOE Lab, and is home to the world’s largest laser. This laser shoots its 192 beams at a target about the size of a pencil eraser. Within the target are two main chambers; and depending on the type of shot, those chambers need to be pressurized to a certain point at a very low temperature (18 Kelvin). The component used for keeping the hohlraum at its designated pressure is a Laser Entrance Hole (LEH) window, made from a thin (0.5um) polyimide film and an aluminum washer attached with a miniscule amount of polymeric adhesive. One issue that has been known to happen is the chambers will leak, at very low rates (5.0E-7 mBar-liter/s and under). At higher pressures significantly larger leak rates have been observed.There are three proposed mechanisms by which the LEH windows are leaking. The first is that there is a small pinhole somewhere in the freestanding film. This is the most unlikely because before any film is shipped from Luxel, it must pass a 50-75 torr room temperature pressure test. The second is a tear in the film at the edge of the washer. This typemore » of damage suggests that the film is under additional stress at this edge portion and/or the edge of the washer itself is what is doing the damage. Lastly, it has been hypothesized that there are small channels under the window that do not get completely filled by the glue and, if they connect to the edge of the freestanding portion of the film, then the pressure can escape through them. These channels were the mechanism being most directly tested over the course of the experiments.« less
Laser phototherapy and immunological stimulation in cancer treatment

Laser phototherapies using photothermal interaction and photochemical interaction have been used in the treatment of cancers. When immunological stimulation was used in combination with the photophysical interactions, the efficacy, particularly in the treatment of metastatic tumors, can be enhanced significantly. In this study, four different immunoadjuvants were used in combination with the laser photothermal therapy in the treatment mammary tumors in rats. Glycated chitosan, a new immunoadjuvant, was also used in combination with photochemical therapy in the treatment of mammary and lung tumors in mice. Our results showed significant enhancement of laser phototherapy by the immunoadjuvants.
Light Scattering by Ice Crystals: Fundamentals and Applications

This research volume outlines the scientific foundations that are central to our current understanding of light scattering, absorption and polarization processes involving ice crystals. It also demonstrates how data from satellite remote sensing of cirrus clouds can be combined with radiation parameterizations in climate models to estimate the role of these clouds in temperature and precipitation responses to climate change. Providing a balanced treatment of the fundamentals and applications, this book synthesizes the authors' own work, as well as that of other leading researchers in this area. Numerous illustrations are included, including three-dimensional schematics, to provide a concise discussion of the subject and enable easy visualization of the key concepts. This book is intended for active researchers and advanced graduate students in atmospheric science, climatology, and remote sensing, as well as scholars in related fields such as ice microphysics, electromagnetic wave propagation, geometric optics, radiative transfer and cloud-climate interactions.
Development of a Magnetic Microbead Affinity Selection Screen (MagMASS) Using Mass Spectrometry for Ligands to the Retinoid X Receptor-α.

To overcome limiting factors in mass spectrometry-based screening methods such as automation while still facilitating the screening of complex mixtures such as botanical extracts, magnetic microbead affinity selection screening (MagMASS) was developed. The screening process involves immobilization of a target protein on a magnetic microbead using a variety of possible chemistries, incubation with mixtures of molecules containing possible ligands, a washing step that removes non-bound compounds while a magnetic field retains the beads in the microtiter well, and an organic solvent release step followed by LC-MS analysis. Using retinoid X receptor-α (RXRα) as an example, which is a nuclear receptor and target for anti-inflammation therapy as well as cancer treatment and prevention, a MagMASS assay was developed and compared with an existing screening assay, pulsed ultrafiltration (PUF)-MS. Optimization of MagMASS involved evaluation of multiple protein constructs and several magnetic bead immobilization chemistries. The full-length RXRα construct immobilized with amylose beads provided optimum results. Additional enhancements of MagMASS were the application of 96-well plates to enable automation, use of UHPLC instead of HPLC for faster MS analyses, and application of metabolomics software for faster, automated data analysis. Performance of MagMASS was demonstrated using mixtures of synthetic compounds and known ligands spiked into botanical extracts.
Enterocytozoon hepatopenaei (EHP) is a risk factor for acute hepatopancreatic necrosis disease (AHPND) and septic hepatopancreatic necrosis (SHPN) in the Pacific white shrimp Penaeus vannamei

Abstract The hepatopancreatic microsporidian Enterocytozoon hepatopenaei (EHP) is an emerging pathogen that affects cultured shrimp Penaeus vannamei in several SE Asian countries including China, Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, India and Malaysia. EHP infections are often accompanied by opportunistic infections of Vibrio spp. Laboratory challenges and a case control study were used to determine the effects of EHP infection on two Vibrio diseases: acute hepatopancreatic necrosis disease (AHPND) and septic hepatopancreatic necrosis (SHPN). To determine the effect of EHP on AHPND, two independent experimental infections were carried out. EHP-infected shrimp (EHP-AHPND group) and healthy shrimp (AHPND group) were challenged with 2.4 × 105 CFU/mL of AHPND-causing Vibrio parahaemolyticus. The results of the experimental infections showed that EHP-AHPND group exhibited higher mortalities (60 and 44%) than the AHPND group (0 and 18%). The pathological effects of AHPND vs. EHP-AHPND groups were compared during the first 12 h post infection, 57% of the EHP-AHPND group displayed severe hepatopancreas necrosis and sloughing, features characteristic of AHPND infection while only 11% of AHPND group showed these features. This indicated that EHP-infected shrimp have a higher susceptibility to AHPND infection. To determine the effect of EHP on SHPN, we reviewed the histopathology of samples collected where EHP is endemic; and a case control study was carried out to determine the association between SHPN and EHP. We compared individual shrimp displaying histological signs of SHPN with the shrimp from the same ponds without these signs. A strong association was found between SHPN and EHP, indicating that shrimp with EHP have an increased susceptibility to SHPN. These findings suggested that EHP infection is a risk factor for both AHPND and SHPN.
Measurements of environmental lead contamination and human exposure

The importance of accurate measurements of environmental lead exposure and toxicity is substantiated by analyses documenting the global contamination of the biosphere with industrial lead and the pervasiveness of measurable lead toxicity in human populations. Those data demonstrating environmental lead contamination and toxicity have, in part, led to regulations that limit the amount of lead in some products (e.g., paint, solder, and gasolines) in many industrialized countries. These regulations have resulted in a substantial reduction in some lead discharges to the environment. In spite of these reductions, current environmental lead levels are still often more than 10-fold, and sometimes more than 10,000-fold, higher than natural levels. Further, environmental lead concentrations are expected to remain elevated for a protracted period due to continued emissions of relatively large amounts of industrial lead to the environment and the persistence of contaminant lead in the environment. Discharges of contaminant lead have resulted in increases in organism and human lead levels comparable to increases documented in environmental matrices, as indicated by a recent estimate of the natural level of lead in blood of preindustrial humans (0.016 microgram/dL or 0.8 nM). This estimate is 175-fold lower than average blood lead levels in the United States (2.8 micrograms/dL or 140 nM) and 600-fold lower than the recently (1991) revised Centers for Disease Control (CDC) action level of concern for early toxic effects in children (10 micrograms/dL or 480 nM). The significance of these comparisons to public health is corroborated by numerous studies suggesting that there may be no lower threshold for sublethal toxicity in contemporary (i.e., lead-contaminated) humans. Those data also indicate that environmental lead concentrations that were previously considered innocuous may be deleterious to human health. It is apparent that the extent of sublethal lead toxicity in humans may be best addressed by studies that consider control populations possessing natural (i.e., preindustrial) lead burdens, as well as state-of-the-art, trace-metal-clean techniques and advanced instrumentation. Trace-metal-clean techniques are required to prevent the inadvertent lead contamination of samples, which has plagued many previous analyses of environmental and human lead levels. Advanced instrumentation is required to provide the sensitivity, accuracy, and precision that are needed to quantify the sublethal effects of lead concentrations at environmental levels of exposure. Fortunately, methodologies utilizing these advancements are now capable of addressing many of the important issues (e.g., lead biomolecular speciation, low exposure effects) in environmental and human lead toxicology.