cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Atomic Layer Deposited Conformal Ceramic Coatings for Anti-Corrosion of Ag Nanoparticles

Abstract The goal of this work is to explore atomic layer deposition (ALD) as a thin film coating technique to inhibit corrosion of metal nanoparticles, given the technique’s ability to form a conformal coating on high aspect ratio substrates. Various coating materials, including Al2O3, ZrO2, HfO2, and TiO2 of different thicknesses were coated on Ag nanoparticles (NPs) in a fluidized bed ALD reactor. To avoid sintering of Ag NPs during the ALD process, the reaction temperature was set to 100 °C, lower than typical ALD reaction temperatures for these metal oxides. The ultrathin coatings (up to ~10 nm thick) were conformally deposited on the surface of Ag NPs. During the corrosion tests in a neutral 3.5 wt% NaCl solution, the corrosion current density was lowered by more than one order of magnitude; in an acid 0.5 M H2SO4 solution, the stabilities of different thin coatings were compared. Ultraviolet–visible spectra of coated Ag NPs showed retention of surface plasmonic resonance.
Celebration Capitalism and the Olympic Games

Chapter 1. Celebration Capitalism Chapter 2. A Brief History of Celebration Capitalism Chapter 3. Celebration Capitalism Clicks into Gear: The 2004 Athens Olympics and the 2008 Beijing Games Chapter 4. The Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics and the London 2012 Summer Games Chapter 5. Challenging Celebration Capitalism
Problem-Driven Innovation in Drug Discovery: Co-Evolution of the Patterns of Radical Innovation with the Evolution of Problems

A fundamental problem in the field of the product innovation management in biopharmaceutical industry is how to explain the general source of drug discovery and radical innovations that sustain the competitive advantage of firms and technological progress in medicine. The current study confronts this problem by developing a conceptual framework of problem-driven innovation. The inductive study, based on ground-breaking drugs for lung cancer treatment, shows de facto that the perception and solution of problem is an invariant force that supports source of radical innovation and evolution of new technology. This evolution of radical innovations, driven by the evolution of problems, generates a major technological change in medicine. This finding, in a Schumpeterian world of innovation-based competition, is due to the organizational behaviour of leading firms that have a strong incentive to find innovative solutions to unsolved problems in order to achieve the prospect of a (temporary) profit monopoly. The vital linkages between observed facts support a theoretical framework of the source and evolution of path-breaking innovations in medicine, which can be generalized to explain the long-term technological change in society. The finding here is also important to design data-sharing health policy in order to promote innovation for better therapies and an efficient “healthcare ecosystem”.
High Compliance Work Systems: Innovative Solutions for Firm Success and Control of Foreign Corruption

Abstract Enforcement of laws that prevent corrupt international business dealings has intensified recently. Firms have paid record-setting fines of hundreds of millions of dollars, and individuals have been tried and convicted. This escalating situation demands effective action from business leaders. Compliance has become increasingly complicated as more countries enact anti-bribery laws. To address this situation, four root causes of corruption are identified, and innovative real-world examples of solutions are presented. Combinations of these solutions can be crafted to create a high compliance work system (HCWS) to avoid corruption. Firms can formulate their own unique, innovative, and dynamic models to achieve high levels of firm success while also avoiding corruption. These models go beyond trade-off thinking, which suggests that compliance must be exchanged for performance. Pivoting away from such trade-off thinking enables innovative solutions to manage corruption risks and offers firms a sustained competitive advantage over their peers.
Quantitative characterization technique for assessment of malignancy in breast fine needle aspirations

The aim of this study was to demonstrate the feasibility of methylene blue (MB) fluorescence polarization (Fpol) imaging for reliable detection of breast cancer at the cellular level. Breast cells were collected from discarded malignant, benign, and normal breast tissues following surgery. MB co-/cross-polarized fluorescence emission and Fpol images provided complimentary morphological and quantitative evaluations of the samples, respectively. Statistical analysis confirmed that MB Fpol is significantly higher (P<.0001) in cancerous versus noncancerous cells. This technique may provide a rapid and accurate tool to assist cytopathological differentiation of breast lesions.
Factors Influencing Preferential Anion Interactions during Solvation of Multivalent Cations in Ethereal Solvents

Most multivalent secondary batteries have employed electrolytes composed of cyclic ether solvents such as tetrahydrofuran or linear glycol ether solvents (glymes) such as 1,2-dimethoxyethane (G1). ...
Perceived Risk and Associated Shielding Behaviors in Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis During the Coronavirus 2019 Pandemic.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the perceived risk of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection and outcomes as well as shielding practices among patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: We surveyed participants with RA in a large health care system between July 16 and November 8, 2020. Participants reported RA treatment, COVID-19 risk perception, and shielding practices (eg, masks, social distancing, and quarantining). We examined the association of demographic and disease-specific factors with risk perception and the association of risk perception with shielding practices. RESULTS: Of 494 participants, 195 (40%), 169 (34%), and 130 (26%) strongly agreed, agreed, or were uncertain/disagreed that their RA put them at higher risk for COVID-19 or poor outcomes, respectively. Younger age (odds ratio [OR]: 0.98), having a comorbidity (OR: 1.60), and biologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drug (bDMARD) use (OR: 1.75) were independently associated with a higher perceived risk. Among those who strongly agreed, agreed, or were uncertain/disagreed that they had greater risk, 165 (85%), 118 (70%), and 69 (53%), respectively, practiced all three shielding measures (P < 0.0001). Those who strongly agreed or agreed that they were at higher risk were more likely to use all three shielding practices (OR: 4.16 and 1.97, respectively). bDMARD use and glucocorticoid use were associated with using all three shielding measures (OR: 1.99 and 1.81, respectively). CONCLUSION: Perception of COVID-19 risk among patients with RA varies substantially. Factors associated with perceived risk are different from those found to be associated with worse outcomes in observational studies. Greater perceived risk is associated with more strict shielding, which has implications for patient education and mental health.
General Continuum Mechanics

In this book, a new approach is pioneered in providing a unified theory in continuum mechanics. General Continuum Mechanics is intended for the beginner, but it develops advanced material covering interdisciplinary subjects. With applications of convective, Lagrangian, and Eulerian coordinates and the first and second laws of thermodynamics, the first-year graduate student will learn solid mechanics and fluid mechanics as an integrated subject. Electromagnetic continuum and relativistic continuum are included. The conservational properties of mass, momentum, and energy on earth and in the universe constitute the ingredients of this book. They are the monumental contributions of Newton, Maxwell, and Einstein, a panorama of beauty of universal laws that evolved over the last four centuries. No boundaries are needed to separate them, but rather we integrate them in harmony and place them in perspective. This is the book for interdisciplinary studies to carry out the modern scientific projects in which engineering, physics, and applied mathematics must be combined.
Lung-Sparing Pulmonary Resections: Bronchoplastic/Sleeve Resection

Lesions involving or encroaching upon main bronchi preclude clean resection by traditional lobectomy. Options for complete resection then include proximal mainstem transection (pneumonectomy or bilobectomy), or a bronchoplastic resection vs. sleeve resection with preservation of distal parenchyma. There is confusion and inconsistency in the terminology of such parenchymal-sparing techniques.
Civil Procedure: The Tempest Brews

IN WHAT areas of the law will the genius of Roger Traynor have its greatest impact? To answer that question with confidence would require not only the gift of prophecy but also a versatility comparable to that which Chief Justice Traynor himself has achieved in a quarter-century of experience on one of our busiest courts of last resort. The reader can best form his own judgment after consulting the articles in this symposium and earlier appraisals of the Justice and his work-product.' My own hope is that his influence will be especially fruitful in the conflict of laws, where he has contributed much and can contribute much more when the
Phorbol ester-mediated down-regulation of an interferon-inducible gene.

Abstract Interferons (IFNs) induce the expression of a variety of cellular RNAs and inhibit phorbol ester induction of other genes. Experiments reported here indicate that phorbol esters can also specifically inhibit the expression of an IFN-induced RNA (IFN-IND-1). Phorbol esters exert their effects by inhibiting IFN-induced transcription of the gene that encodes IFN-IND-1 (ISG-54K); inhibitors of protein synthesis reverse the effects of these compounds. The actions of phorbol esters are only seen in those types of cultured cells where cycloheximide in the presence of IFN prevents long term IFN treatment of cells from inducing a "desensitized state." In desensitized cells, IFN is not able to reinduce the transcription of the RNA. Our results indicate that a protein kinase C-dependent pathway requiring protein synthesis may be one mechanism by which IFN is able to down regulate the transcription of genes whose expression it initially induces.
Adaptation in Natural and Artificial Systems: An Introductory Analysis with Applications to Biology, Control and Artificial Intelligence

From the Publisher: Genetic algorithms are playing an increasingly important role in studies of complex adaptive systems, ranging from adaptive agents in economic theory to the use of machine learning techniques in the design of complex devices such as aircraft turbines and integrated circuits. Adaptation in Natural and Artificial Systems is the book that initiated this field of study, presenting the theoretical foundations and exploring applications. In its most familiar form, adaptation is a biological process, whereby organisms evolve by rearranging genetic material to survive in environments confronting them. In this now classic work, Holland presents a mathematical model that allows for the nonlinearity of such complex interactions. He demonstrates the model's universality by applying it to economics, physiological psychology, game theory, and artificial intelligence and then outlines the way in which this approach modifies the traditional views of mathematical genetics. Initially applying his concepts to simply defined artificial systems with limited numbers of parameters, Holland goes on to explore their use in the study of a wide range of complex, naturally occuring processes, concentrating on systems having multiple factors that interact in nonlinear ways. Along the way he accounts for major effects of coadaptation and coevolution: the emergence of building blocks, or schemata, that are recombined and passed on to succeeding generations to provide, innovations and improvements. John H. Holland is Professor of Psychology and Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at the University of Michigan. He is also Maxwell Professor at the Santa Fe Institute and isDirector of the University of Michigan/Santa Fe Institute Advanced Research Program.
Change blindness in pigeons (Columba livia): the effects of change salience and timing.

Change blindness is a well-established phenomenon in humans, in which plainly visible changes in the environment go unnoticed. Recently a parallel change blindness phenomenon has been demonstrated in pigeons. The reported experiment follows up on this finding by investigating whether change salience affects change blindness in pigeons the same way it affects change blindness in humans. Birds viewed alternating displays of randomly generated lines back-projected onto three response keys, with one or more line features on a single key differing between consecutive displays. Change salience was manipulated by varying the number of line features that changed on the critical response key. Results indicated that change blindness is reduced if a change is made more salient, and this matches previous human results. Furthermore, accuracy patterns indicate that pigeons’ effective search area expanded over the course of a trial to encompass a larger portion of the stimulus environment. Thus, the data indicate two important aspects of temporal cognition. First, the timing of a change has a profound influence on whether or not that change will be perceived. Second, pigeons appear to engage in a serial search for changes, in which additional time is required to search additional locations.
Stabilization of toxic heavy metals in municipal solid waste incinerator fly ash

Abstract Disposal of municipal solid waste has become an increasing concern in recent years. As available landfill space diminishes, more communities will choose incineration as an alternative option for disposal of their municipal solid waste and greatly extend landfill life. One major concern in the widespread acceptance of incineration as a waste disposal method is the safe disposal of the particulate emissions (fly ash) from the incinerators. Under present solid-waste management practices, wastes are primarily disposed of in approved sanitary landfills. Landfills have the problems of overflow and leachate generation due to rainwater infiltration. The fly ash used in this study is from a modular incinerator and it is approximately 45% soluble in water. The concentrations of lead and cadmium leached from the fly ash consistently exceed, by several orders, the EPA limits for these metals. We are exploring the possibility of mixing the fly ash with a cheap binding agent such as Portland cement and/or certain clays which would reduce the solubility of the fly ash and prevent the toxic heavy metals from leaching and thus making the safe disposal of the fly ash easily possible.
Shorthand Guide to the Congressional Budget Mess

What do the balanced budget, Medicare, tax cuts, and healthcare reform all have in common? During the 104th Congress, each has been addressed under the proposed omnibus budget reconciliation legislation. Many readers may be lost when it comes to understanding the workings of the arcane federal budget process. Trying to untangle the web to ascertain how much money has been allocated the National Institutes of Health (NIH) can be deeply confusing. The following may be useful as preparation for the fiscal year 1997 process. Early each year, the President submits a budget to Congress, basically an outline of the administration’s fiscal policy. The Congress then authors a budget resolution containing targets for the deficit, revenues, and spending totals for 20 government functions for a 5-year period. In addition, the Federal Budget Act provides for a process called budget reconciliation under which Congress conforms tax and spending legislation to the levels set forth in the budget resolution. Changes recommended by committees pursuant to reconciliation instructions are incorporated into a reconciliation bill or resolution. In recent years, …
Effect of antimicrobial compounds tylosin and chlortetracycline during batch anaerobic swine manure digestion

Tylosin and chlortetracycline (CTC) are antimicrobial chemicals that are fed to >45% of the US swine herds at therapeutic and sub-therapeutic dosages to enhance growth rates and treat swine health problems. These compounds are poorly absorbed during digestion so that the bioactive compound or metabolites are excreted. This study investigated the degradation and stabilization of swine manure that contained no additives and compared the observed processes with those of manure containing either tylosin or CTC. The batch anaerobic incubation lasted 216 days. The breakdown of insoluble organic matter through anaerobic hydrolysis reactions was faster for manure containing CTC compared with tylosin or no-antimicrobial treatments. Volatile fatty acid (VFA) accumulation, including acetate, butyrate, and propionate, was greater for CTC-containing manure compared to tylosin and no-antimicrobial treatments. The relative abundance of two aceticlastic methanogens, Methanosaetaceae and Methanosarcinaceae spp., were less for CTC manure than manure with no-antimicrobial treatment. In addition, generation of methane and carbon dioxide was inhibited by 27.8% and 28.4%, respectively, due to the presence of CTC. Tylosin effects on manure degradation were limited, however the relative abundance of Methanosarcinaceae spp. was greater than found in the CTC or no-antimicrobial manures. These data suggest that acetate and other C-1 VFA compounds would be effectively utilized during methanogenesis in the presence of tylosin.
Diffuse melanosis secondary to metastatic malignant melanoma. Light and electron microscopic findings.

Tumor-free hyperpigmented skin from a patient with diffuse melanosis secondary to metastatic melanoma was examined by light and electron microscopy. Our findings indicate that the pathogenesis of this diffuse slate blue color is due primarily to pigment deposition within perivascular dermal macrophages. We did not find intact melanosomes or individual tumor cell metastases in clinically normal skin, as has been previously reported.
Childhood maltreatment and telomere shortening: preliminary support for an effect of early stress on cellular aging.

Background Psychological stress and trauma are risk factors for several medical and psychiatric illnesses. Recent studies have implicated advanced cellular aging as a potential mechanism of this association. Telomeres, DNA repeats that cap the ends of chromosomes and promote stability, shorten progressively with each cell division; their length is a marker of biological aging. Based on previous evidence linking psychosocial stress to shorter telomere length, this study was designed to evaluate the effect of childhood adversity on telomere length. Methods Thirty-one adults with no current or past major Axis I psychiatric disorder participated. Subjects reported on their history of childhood maltreatment and telomere length was measured from DNA extracted from frozen whole blood using quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Results Participants reporting a history of childhood maltreatment had significantly shorter telomeres than those who did not report a history of maltreatment. This finding was not due to effects of age, sex, smoking, body mass index, or other demographic factors. Analysis of subscales showed that both physical neglect and emotional neglect were significantly linked to telomere length. Conclusions These results extend previous reports linking shortened leukocyte telomere length and caregiver stress to more remote stressful experiences in childhood and suggest that childhood maltreatment could influence cellular aging.
Communicating with young people

Age-appropriate communication skills help health professionals to engage effectively with young people. These communication skills are a key element for improving adherence with the health care regimen in young people with respiratory conditions, particularly those with chronic disease. Age-appropriate communication skills and assurance of confidentiality enable the clinician to assess the young person's psychosocial development and to understand his or her burden of illness, which form the basis for negotiating age-appropriate therapeutic goals and strategies. Negotiation of treatment may be the single most important factor that improves adherence in adolescent patients, resulting in more effective health outcomes.
Building Meaningful Parasocial Relationships Between Toddlers and Media Characters to Teach Early Mathematical Skills

Very young children have difficulty transferring what they view onscreen to their offscreen worlds. This study examined whether familiarizing toddlers with a character would improve toddlers' performance on a subsequent seriation task. Toddlers were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: (1) a familiarized character condition where toddlers viewed character-based videos and engaged in character-based play over a 3-month period before viewing the seriation video demonstration; (2) an unfamiliarized character condition where the toddler only saw the seriation video demonstration; and (3) a no-exposure control group where the toddler did not see the seriation video demonstration or have any involvement with the character. All toddlers were tested on the same seriation task at age 21 months, with the familiarized character group beginning the study at age 18 months and the other groups participating only at age 21 months. Toddlers in the familiarized character condition, but not the unfamiliarized char...
Electron-pair detector for in-beam nuclear studies

Abstract A detector for e + −e − pairs from nuclear transitions with energy ⩾4 MeV is described. Plastic scintillators are utilized in a δE − E mode to identify pairs of minimum-ionizing electrons in a geometry of large solid angle. This detector has proven useful in a variety of in-beam nuclear studies.
The characteristics of long-term survivors of lung cancer treated with radiation.

Between 1968 and 1974, 348 patients with lung cancer were primarily treated with radiation therapy. There were 66 such patients (19%) who survived a minimum of 18 months and are the subject of this report. Of this group, 30 patients have no evidence of disease from 18 to 96 months, with a median followup of 38 months. Thirty-three patients are dead of disease. The five-year acturial survival of the total group of 348 patients was 5.6%. There were 14 stage I and II patients who survived a minimum of 18 months, of whom 11 had no evidence of disease. Of the 42 Stage III patients, 18 presently show no evidence of disease. There were 13 patients who failed with locally recurrent disease; in this group a dose-response relationship was demonstrated. A local failure rate of 50% (4/8) was observed for patients who received fewer than 5000 rad, 22% (6/27) for patients receiving 5000 to 5500 rad, 18% (2/11) in patients receiving 5500 to 5900 rad, and 5% (1/20) for patients who received more than 5900 rad. Radiotherapeutic technique was a significant variable in local failure. Forty-six percent (6/13) of those patient failures may have been eliminated with the use ofmore » careful treatment planning with simulation. A statistically significant difference in dose was noted for patients with central recurrence, mean dose 4725 rad, 1561 RET, 81 TDF, when compared with patients with control of gross disease with radiation, mean dose 5740, 1880 RET, 108 TDF. There were four patients with marked early complications (6%) and eight patients with late complications (12%). There were no deaths attributable to radiation. Although most patients with advanced lung carcinoma die of distant disease, a significant number of patients can achieve long-term survival when radically treated with high-dose radiation therapy.« less
Modern and last local glacial maximum snowlines in the Central Andes of Peru, Bolivia, and Northern Chile

Late Pleistocene snowlines in the central Andes were 500–1200 m lower than at present. Radiocarbon dates imply that the late-Pleistocene glacial maximum in the region occurred prior to 20 14C ka, but lack of maximum limiting ages adds considerable uncertainty to the exact timing. Snowline modeling demonstrates that snowlines in the eastern and western cordilleras of the central Andes respond differently to temperature and precipitation changes. In the eastern cordillera, the snowline is near the level of the annual 0°C isotherm and melting occurs throughout the year. Here snowlines are sensitive to temperature changes, but relatively insensitive to accumulation changes. In the western cordillera, the snowline rises 1000 higher owing to increasing aridity, and the snowline exhibits a much stronger sensitivity to accumulation changes. The consistent 1200 m snowline depression along the eastern cordilleras of the central Andes can be modeled by a mean annual cooling of 5–9°C. This is inconsistent with the <2°C cooling in tropical sea-surface temperatures suggested by CLIMAP reconstructions. The 800–1000 m snowline depression in the western cordillera cannot be accounted for solely by cooling, but also requires an increase in precipitation.
A multidisciplinary design and optimization methodology for ball grid array packages using artificial neural networks

A systematic multidisciplinary electronics packaging design and optimization methodology, which takes into account the complexity of multiple design trade-offs, operated in conjunction with the artificial neural networks (ANNs) technique is presented. To demonstrate its capability, this method is applied to a plastic ball grid array package design. Multidisciplinary criteria including thermal, structural, electromagnetic leakage, and cost are optimized simultaneously using key design parameters as variables. A simplified routability criterion is also considered as a constraint. ANNs are used for thermal and structural performance predictions which resulted in large reduction in computational time. The present methodology is able to provide the designers a tool for systematic evaluation of the design trade-offs which are represented in the objective function. This methodology can be applied to any electronic product design at any packaging level from the system level to the chip level.
Atmospherically transported elements and deposition in the Southeastern United States: local or transoceanic?

Abstract Saharan dust is persistently transported and deposited in ecosystems of the western Atlantic Ocean. This dust is an aggregate of clay and quartz particles cemented with Fe oxides. Samples collected and analyzed from Mali (central Africa), the Azores, the Caribbean and the Eastern United States document the levels of minor and trace metals in the dust. Metal loadings, particularly the toxic elements—Hg and As, are significantly higher than average crustal rocks. Over the past decade, the focus has been to understand the cycling of Hg in south Florida, but As has received very little attention. Arsenic in the sediment deposited in the past decade in south Florida averages 14 mg/kg and appears to be correlated with Al, a proxy for dust. The largest available aerosol data set containing As is the IMPROVE (Interagency Monitoring of Protected Visual Environments) data set. The average concentrations in aerosols collected during this program range from 17 mg/kg in the Virgin Islands to 79 mg/kg at Chassahowitzka, Florida. At Chassahowitzka, most of the As appears to be associated with organic C. If it is assumed that the concentrations in Mali dust and in the aerosols in the Virgin Islands are indicative of soil dust, then the higher values at Chassahowitzka may be derived from local or regional sources. A simple calculation indicates that African dust supplies about 25% of the As deposited from aerosols in the southeastern United States. Comparison of the average yearly As concentrations measured in the Virgin Islands and Everglades shows a negative relationship with the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO). This relationship demonstrates the influence of climate on the transport and deposition of aerosols to the southeastern United States.
The infrared spectrum of HC13F3

Abstract The infrared spectrum of HC 13 F 3 is reported for the first time. Fundamental frequency shifts due to carbon-13 substitution have been measured and rotational analyses of several of the fundamental and combination bands are given. Coriolis x - y and Fermi perturbations are evident in several of the bands. Table VI summarizes the data obtained in this study.
Structures of organic sorption complexes of zeolites

The review presents and discusses the most reliable and detailed structural reports of organic molecules in zeolites A, X, Y, ZSM-5, and ferrierite. The energetics responsible for the sorption of organic molecules into zeolites is discussed, and the general principles for the selection by organic molecules of sorption sites within a zeolite are outlined.
Keeping a 'watch-full' eye on metabolic disease.

Evaluation of: Coomans CP, van den Berg SA, Houben T et al. Detrimental effects of constant light exposure and high-fat diet on circadian energy metabolism and insulin sensitivity. FASEB J. 27(4), 1721–1732 (2013).The synergy of metabolic homeostasis and biological clock function is at the forefront of chronobiology research. We now have a broad appreciation of the role that the molecular clock plays in glucose homeostasis, fat metabolism, oxidative stress and metabolic sensing. Furthermore, it is clear that environmental circadian disruption, as occurs during shiftwork, can have significant negative impacts on metabolism. The implication is that misalignment among central and peripheral oscillators facilitates the appearance of metabolic disease. Coomans and colleagues provide additional insight into the link between circadian disruption and metabolic disease. They have determined that brief exposure to constant light, a paradigm known to alter central clock function, disrupts circadian rhythms of insuli...
Low power device for measuring electric fields at low temperatures

Abstract An electrode driven by a low power piezoelectric transducer was used to measure weak d.c. electric fields at low temperatures. This device had a vibration amplitude at resonance of ∼ 7 μm per volt of excitation voltage with a power dissipation of ∼ 0.5 μW at 1 V of excitation voltage. The minimum detectable electric field of interest in our cell was limited by stray fields and was ∼ 2 V cm−1. Changes in a d.c. electric field of 0.2 V cm−1 could be detected.
Towards the Mechanism of Sodium/Proton Antiporter in E. coli

NhaA is a secondary active transporter that regulates the cellular concentrations of proton and sodium ions. Sodium binding to two conserved aspartates Asp163 and Asp164 is thought to induce a conformational change from the inward- to the outward-facing state. The dimeric crystal structure of E. coli NhaA in the inward-facing state at acidic pH was recently determined. In contrast to the previous monomeric crystal structure, a salt bridge between the conserved residues Asp163 and Lys300 is formed, while the transmembrane helix that contains Lys300 is disrupted. To delineate the mechanism implicated by the structures, we calculate the pKa values of Asp163, Asp164 and Lys300 using all-atom continuous constant pH molecular dynamics simulations with pH-based replica-exchange sampling protocol. The results provide new insights into the working of the antiporter NhaA.
Reconfigurable Grid Alu Processor: Optimization and Design Space Exploration

Currently few architectural approaches propose new paths to raise the performance of conventional sequential instruction streams in the time of the billions transistor era. Many application programs could profit from processors that are able to speed up the execution of sequential applications beyond the performance of current super scalar processors. The Grid Alu Processor (GAP) is a runtime reconfigurable processor designed for the acceleration of a conventional sequential instruction stream without the need of recompilation. It comprises a super scalar processor front-end, a configuration unit, and an array of reconfigurable functional units (FUs), which is fully integrated into the pipeline. The configuration unit maps data dependent and independent instructions simultaneously at runtime into the array of FUs. This paper evaluates the GAP architecture and optimizes the architecture, the number of FUs, and the configuration layers implemented in the array. The simulations show a significant speed-up for sequential applications on GAP in comparison to an out-of-order super scalar simulator (Simple Scalar). The GAP simulator outperforms Simple Scalar on average by about 50% on the basic architecture and about 100% with an extended version including configuration layers.
The Importance of Intelligence in Combating a Modern Insurgency

Throughout history the world has been plagued by insurgencies. While the underlying causes of each new insurgency have been different, they are all similar in certain areas. This similarity entails that the effective countering of an insurgency can be turned into a science with a set of guidelines to follow based on conditions on the ground. Guidelines are important because insurgencies are flexible and to defeat them the counterinsurgency must be equally flexible if not more flexible. Good intelligence is critical to the success of an insurgency. With their small, poorly equipped forces, the leaders of insurgencies need to know when to strike and when to pull back. This reliance on intelligence means that an effective counterinsurgency must also rely on good intelligence so that the counterinsurgents may know where the insurgency will strike, where they are based, how they are supplied, where they keep their weapons, and other essential pieces of information. This article is available in Journal of Strategic Security: http://scholarcommons.usf.edu/jss/vol2/iss2/3 73 The Importance of Intelligence in Combating a Modern Insurgency
Benzo[a]pyrene diol epoxide induces viral reactivation at concentrations that block DNA elongation in mammalian cells.

Summary The survival of UV-irradiated Simian virus 40 (SV40) in CV-1P African green monkey kidney cells treated with (±)7β,8α-dihydroxy-9α,10α epoxy-7,8,9,10-tetrahydrobenzo[a]pyrene (BP-diol epoxide I) was studied.Enhanced survival of UV damaged SV40 was detected when CV-1P cells were treated with dose levels of BP-diol epoxide I corresponding to the exponential portion (0.33–1.11 μM.) of a CV-1P cell survival curve. Dose levels of BP-diol epoxide I corresponding to the shoulder region (⩽0.16 μM) of a CV-1P survival curve did not induce viral reactivation. The shoulder region concentrations of BP-diol epoxide I selectively inhibited DNA initiation while the concentrations on the exponential portion of the curve preferentially inhibited DNA elongation. It was shown in a time course of enhanced viral survival at 0.66 μM BP-diol epoxide I that the reactivation response was fully induced by 24 h. In conclusion, the viral reactivation response was associated with concentrations of BP-diol epoxide I which induced lethal damage and preferentially inhibited DNA elongation.
Ion pairs and complexes: Free energies, enthalpies, and entropies

It is the purpose of this paper to clarify the relationship of equations relating stability constants to parameters such as the size of ions and the dielectric constant of solvents to one another a...
Partition of Elements Between Solid and Liquid Phases in Aquatic Environments

The average composition of natural waters such as rivers, lakes, ocean, and hydrothermal vents and corresponding solids in equilibrium (e.g., river-suspended particles or shale; lake sediments; oceanic pelagic clay, organisms, and manganese nodules; and the mid-ocean ridge basalts) do not change randomly. The observed positive correlation between the electron binding energy (Iz (*Iz)) and logarithms of bulk distribution coeffi- cient (log Kd) for cations with charge of 1-4, and the negative correlation between Iz (*Iz) and log Kd for anions in various aquatic systems are consistent with the prediction from the surface complexation model. In other words, the bond strength between the adsorbed cation and the surface oxygen of hydrated metal oxides, and between the oxygen of adsorbed oxyanion and the surface metal of hydrated metal oxides control the partition of elements between solid and associated liquid in natural aquatic systems. For Mn, Co, Ce, Pb, and Tl, the oxidative uptake at the solid-water interface in the ocean is an additional important process. For alkali and alkaline-earth cations with large ionic radius (such as Cs, Rb, K, and Ba), their relatively small secondary solvation energy further enhances their adsorption onto solid particles. For living and non-living organic matter, the adsorbed B-type cations form extra strong bindings with hydrophilic functional groups such as -SH and -NH2 on organic matter surface.
Closed form stiffness matrices and error estimators for plane hierarchic triangular elements

Closed form expressions for the stiffness matrix and a simple error estimator and error indicator are derived for plane straight sided triangular finite elements in elasticity problems. The calculation of the error estimator is performed on an element by element basis, and is found to be very accurate and efficient. In general, the solutions for benchmark problems using the error indicators for selective refinement of the regions show accelerated convergence when compared to the convergence rate of solutions using uniform mesh refinement. Evaluation of the stiffness matrices and error estimators using explicit formulations is found to be several times faster than numerical integration.
Prediction of Flavor Retention during Spray Drying: An Empirical Approach

A rapid, semi-quantitative forecasting model was developed for retention of volatile organic flavoring compounds during spray drying. Non equilibrium vapor phase flux and effective (liquid phase) diffusion coefficients of lemon oil and/or butanol isomers (n-, sec-, ter-) correlated with spray dryer retention. Forecasting of retention of these compounds was dependent on the specific sample matrix and dryer.
A new corner classification approach to neural network training

The corner classification approach to neural network training has the excellent capability ofprescriptive learning, where the network weights areprescribed merely by inspection of the training samples. This technique is extremely fast compared to other conventional training techniques such as backpropagation. However, the versions described hitherto have been sensitive to the choice of the radius of generalization. We present here a new and improved corner classification technique that retains the prescriptive learning capability and gives excellent generalization performance. This algorithm could be the basis of the recently introduced neuroscientific notion of “working memory.”
Adaptation of glucokinase gene expression in the rat dorsal vagal complex in a model for recurrent intermediate insulin-induced hypoglycemia: impact of gender.

Standard therapeutic management of insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus with intermediate-acting insulin poses a significant risk for iatrogenic hypoglycemia and associated hypoglycemia-associated autonomic failure. Gender differences in preservation of counterregulatory function during recurring hypoglycemia have been documented in the clinical setting. In rats, repeated induction of prolonged hypoglycemia by neutral protamine Hagadorn insulin (NPH) results in diminished neuronal transcriptional activation in several key metabolic loci in male, but not female rat brain, including the hindbrain dorsal vagal complex (DVC). Glucose is committed to glycolytic catabolism by hexokinase-mediated phosphorylation. The low-affinity, high K m hexokinase, glucokinase (GCK), monitors intracellular glucose levels in pancreatic beta cells, and is purported to fulfill a similar function in the CNS. GCK is expressed in the rat DVC, where mRNA is localized to neurons that exhibit electrophysiological sensitivity to glucose imbalance. The current study investigated the hypothesis that DVC GCK gene expression acclimates to RIIH in a gender-dependent manner. Quantitative real-time RT-PCR was used to evaluate GCK mRNA levels in microdissected DVC tissue obtained from male and female rats before or after one or serial doses of NPH. Basal DVC GCK transcripts were equal between ovariectomized (OVX) female rats implanted with estradiol benzoate (EB) or oil (O). Tissue mRNA levels were increased following a single NPH injection in both groups, but this response was greater in the presence of estrogen. Basal GCK gene expression was elevated by precedent insulin dosing in both O- and EB-implanted rats; however, transcripts were not modified relative to this adjusted baseline during subsequent NPH treatment in either group of females. While acute NPH treatment did not modify tissue transcript levels in orchidectomized (ORDX) or sham-ORDX rats, precedent NPH dosing increased basal GCK mRNA levels and further enhanced gene expression during ensuring hypoglycemia in sham males. These studies provide novel evidence for gender-dimorphic DVC GCK gene responses to single and serial intermediate-acting insulin administration. Further research is required to determine if and how stimulatory versus inhibitory transcriptional adaptation of this gene profile in male and female rats, respectively, impacts glucose-sensing functions in the DVC, and whether such adjustments may contribute to gender differences in magnitude of precedent hypoglycemic impairment of counterregulation.
Processing behaviors of thin-film pentacene and benzene-1,4-diboronic acid in supercritical carbon dioxide

Abstract This research investigates the feasibility of using supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO 2 ) as a green solvent for processing organic thin film semiconductor, such as pentacene, and a potential molecular modifier for use in electronic device applications. Benzene-1,4-diboronic acid (BDBA) was selected as a molecular modifier in this work due to its electron deficient nature, which can potentially enhance pentacene's physical, chemical or electronic properties by changing its structure in the solid state. In this study, the solubilities of BDBA and pentacene in scCO 2 are measured as individual compounds and as co-solutes, at 313 K, using ultraviolet (UV) spectroscopy. Methanol co-solvent effects on solubility have also been characterized for each compound. The results show that BDBA is insoluble in pure scCO 2 up to 1.82 × 10 7 Pa. However, with a small amount of methanol added to the mixture, BDBA becomes soluble in solution with a solubility of 3.81 × 10 − 4 mol/l at 9.00 × 10 6 -Pa-pressure. In contrast, pentacene is only soluble in scCO 2 at pressures above 1.10 × 10 7 Pa, and its solubility is decreased upon addition of methanol due to the non-polar nature of pentacene. When a pentacene thin film is treated with BDBA in scCO 2 /methanol solution, BDBA sorption is observed at pressures as low as 8.80 × 10 6 Pa. Based on these results, it is concluded that treatment of pentacene thin films in scCO 2 is a promising approach that can be optimized for BDBA and other similar molecular modifiers, to produce multi-component organic thin film devices.
Adenoid squamous cell carcinoma of the vulva.

Fifty cases of histologically proven invasive squamous cell carcinoma of the vulva were reviewed. It was found that 2 of the patients had extensive areas of adenoid squamous cell carcinoma, and 15 had focal changes. The adenoid variety of squamous cell carcinoma consists of rounded spaces, lined by squamous cells primarily of one cell thickness, and conatining in the lumen single or grouped dyskeratotic acantholytic cells. The incidence of lichen sclerosus et atrophicus in the 50 patients with squamous carcinoma of the vulva was found to be 18%. There was no statistical significance in the observed difference in mortality between patients with adenoid squamous and the usual variety of squamous cell carcinoma. Adenoid squamous carcinoma, which is often attributed to solar damage, has previously been described only in sun-exposed areas of the skin. Our report is the first describing this entity in the vulva.
Precambrian geochronology and geology of the Boxelder Canyon area, northern Laramie Range, Wyoming

The Laramie granite underlies most of the northern half of the Laramie Range and forms a sharply discordant, nearly horizontal contact with older metamorphic rocks west of Boxelder Creek. Seven whole-rock samples of Laramie granite yield a Rb-Sr age of 2,567 ± 25 m.y., with an initial Sr87/Sr86 ratio of 0.7026. The metamorphic rocks consist mainly of gray granite gneiss (2,759 ±52 m.y. old) and leucogranite (2,776 ± 35 m.y. old), with sillimanite-bearing migmatitic gneiss (3,020 ± 221 m.y. old), amphibolite, and ultramafic rocks occurring interlayered with or as pods and stringers in the granite gneiss and leucogranite. The metamorphic rocks form a large fold with a nearly vertical axis. The granite gneiss and leucogranite are inferred to have been intruded magmatically into sillimanite-bearing gneiss, amphibolite, and ultramafic rocks between 2,700 and 2,800 m.y. ago. A low initial Sr87/Sr86 ratio for the granite gneiss suggests an origin in the lower crust or upper mantle. An unusually high initial Sr87/Sr86 ratio for the leucogranite suggests derivation largely from an older crustal source with a high Rb/Sr ratio.
Possible control of intracellular calcium metabolism by [H+]: Sarcoplasmic reticulum of skeletal and cardiac muscle☆

Abstract Relaxing systems (sarcoplasmic reticulum) were prepared from cardiac and white skeletal muscles. Employing both dual-beam spectrophotometry with the calcium-chelating dye murexide, and Millipore filtration, it was found that rapid alterations of pH in the range 5.9 to 7.8 significantly influenced the affinity of the reticulum for calcium. By decreasing proton concentration 1 2 to 1 pH unit (from 6.5) calcium was released in an amount calculated to be sufficient to effect contraction. The release and binding rates at their optimum pH's, respectively, were of the same magnitude.
The impact of continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion and multiple daily injections of insulin on glucose variability in older adults with type 2 diabetes

Abstract Aims To determine whether continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion (CSII) or multiple daily injections of insulin (MDI) are associated with improved glycemic variability. Methods Type 2 diabetic patients ≥60 years of age were randomized to 12 months of CSII ( n =53) or MDI ( n =54) therapy. Patients were asked to complete monthly eight-point self-monitored glucose profiles ( n =78) and continuous glucose monitoring systems (CGMS) for up to 72 h at Months 0, 6, and 12 ( n =77). Within-day mean glucose, standard deviation (SD), range, pre- and post-prandial glucose, M value, and mean amplitude of glycemic excursions (MAGE) were calculated from eight-point profiles. Mean glucose, SD, range, area under the curve (AUC) high (>180 mg/dl) and AUC-low ( Results With the use of the eight-point profiles, CSII and MDI groups did not differ with respect to mean glucose, mean pre-prandial and post-prandial glucose, SD, range, M value, or MAGE. With the CGMS data, there were no significant between-group differences in measures of mean glucose, range, SD, AUC-high, or AUC-low. In both treatment groups, all measures improved over time ( P P =.68) which did not change. There were treatment-by-time interactions when considering the CGMS range ( P =.04) and AUC-high ( P =.001), but no significant differences were found at individual time points. Conclusions Glucose variability improved equally with CSII and MDI treatment in older patients with type 2 diabetes.