cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A High‐Barrier Molecular Balance for Studying Face‐to‐Face Arene–Arene Interactions in the Solid State and in Solution

An atropisomeric molecular balance was developed to study face-to-face arene-arene interactions. The balance has a large central 1,4,5,8-naphthalene diimide surface that forms intramolecular arene-arene interactions with two pendent arms. The balance adopts distinct syn and anti isomers with varying numbers of intramolecular interactions. Thus, the strength of the arene-arene interaction could be quantitatively measured by NMR spectroscopy from the anti/syn ratios. The size of the arene arms was easily varied, which allowed examination of the relationship between arene size and strength of the interaction. A nonlinear size dependence was observed in solution with larger arene arms having a disproportionately stronger arene-arene interaction. The intramolecular arene-arene interactions were also characterized in the solid state by X-ray crystallography. These studies were facilitated by the kinetic stability of the syn and anti isomers at room temperature due to the high isomerization barrier (DeltaG=27.0 kcal mol(-1)). Thus, the anti isomer could be selectively isolated and crystallized in its folded conformation. The X-ray structures confirmed that the anti isomers formed two strong intramolecular arene-arene interactions with face-to-face geometries. The solid-state structure analysis also reveals that the rigid framework may contribute to the observed nonlinear size trend. The acetate linker is slightly too long, which selectively destabilizes the balances with smaller arene arms. The larger arene arms are able to compensate for the longer linker and form effective intramolecular arene-arene interactions.
Dietary survey of Hopi Native American elementary students

Abstract Objective The purpose of this study was to evaluate the diets of 96 Hopi fifth- and sixth-grade students on the Hopi reservation in Arizona. Design Dietary food intakes were collected using a 3-day dietary record and were analyzed with a computer software program to obtain information on the intake of energy, protein, carbohydrate, total fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, fiber, 10 vitamins, and six minerals. Setting The survey was conducted during the health class or homeroom period in the elementary schools located on the Hopi reservation in Arizona. Subjects The survey population consisted of 96 fifth- and sixth-grade Hopi elementary students attending the five schools on the Hopi reservation. Main Outcome Before data collection we hypothesized the average diet of Hopi elementary students did not meet dietary recommendations (eg, Dietary Goals, Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDAs), and/or National Cancer Institute recommendations). Statistics The nutrient analyses and demographic data were analyzed for frequencies and percentages of responses. Descriptive and inferential statistics were calculated where appropriate. Results Results of the analysis revealed a mean daily dietary intake of 2, 123 kcal consisting of 35% fat (84 g), 48% carbohydrate (261 g; 38% from sugar), and 17% protein (89 g), with 27 g saturated fat, 442 mg cholesterol, 11 g fiber, and 2,477 mg sodium. At least 97% or 100% of the RDA was met for all analyzed vitamins and minerals except for vitamin D (146 IU; 37% RDA), calcium (874 mg; 82% RDA), and zinc (12 mg; 94% RDA). Conclusions Given the health problems relatively new to Native Americans, such as diabetes, obesity, liver cirrhosis, hypertension, fetal alcohol syndrome, and increasing rates of heart disease and cancer, dietary modification may benefit them in their adult life. Modifications to meet current recommended dietary goals would include reducing fat to below 30% of energy; cholesterol to less than 250 mg; sodium to lower levels but not below 500 mg/day; and decreasing refined sugars. Carbohydrates would be increased to at least 58% energy; fiber to 20 to 30 g; and vitamin D, calcium, and, possibly, zinc to RDA levels.
Behaviorally Defined Patient-Centered Communication—A Narrative Review of the Literature

Touted by some as reflecting a better medical model and cited by the influential IOM report in 2000 as one of the six domains of quality care, patient-centered medicine has yet to fully establish its scientific attributes or to become mainstream. One proposed reason is failure to behaviorally define what the term ‘patient-centered’ actually means. (1) To identify patient-centered articles among all reported randomized controlled trials (RCT); (2) to identify those with specific behaviorally defined interventions; (3) to identify commonalities among the behavioral definitions; and (4) to evaluate the relationship of the well-defined RCTs to patient outcomes. Medline from April 2010 to 1975. RCTs having any specific, behaviorally defined patient-centered skill(s) in an intervention with some patient outcome involving real adult patients and providers in real clinical situations. Critical appraisal via narrative review. The prevalence of any mention of patient-centeredness among 327,219 RCTs was 0.50% (1,475 studies), from which we identified only 13 studies (0.90%) where there were behaviorally-defined patient-centered skills in an intervention. Although there were too few studies to make clinical recommendations, we identified common features of the behavioral definitions used: all went well beyond identifying individual skills. Rather, skills were grouped, prioritized, and sequenced by virtually all, often describing a stepwise patient-centered approach to, variously, gather data, address emotions, or inform and motivate. The inherent subjectivity of our method for identifying behaviorally-defined studies could under- or over-represent truly replicable such studies considerably. Also, studies were few and very heterogeneous with interventions of widely differing intensity and foci. RCTs identified as patient-centered were rare, and <1% of these were behaviorally defined and, therefore, possibly replicable. There were many common behavioral definitions in the studies reported, and these can guide us in identifying agreed-upon patient-centered interventions, the immediate next-step in advancing the field.
Strained Si-based Nanomembrane Materials

Application of tensile strain to the Si(100) lattice is known to enhance carrier mobility in field effect transistors through modification of the Si band structure. Si is conventionally placed under tensile strain using methods such as Si3N4 capping for strained channel devices, and epitaxial growth of Si on a strain graded SiGe substrate for large area strain. The latter case preserves and propagates threading dislocations, and both cases require use of a bulk rigid substrate, which prohibits the use of strained Si in applications such as flexible electronics, or indeed in any application where strained Si is desirable on a non-epitaxial substrate. Elastically strained, single-crystal, Si-based nanomembranes, in which the release of a Si/SiGe/Si heterostructure from its growth substrate allows elastic strain sharing between the layers, circumvent these issues. These nanomembranes are extremely flexible, virtually dislocation-free, and transferable to almost any other surface.
PDGF‑stimulated dispersal of cell clusters and disruption of fibronectin matrix on three-dimensional collagen matrices requires matrix metalloproteinase-2

Formation of cell clusters is a common morphogenic cell behavior observed during tissue and organ development and homeostasis, as well as during pathological disorders. Dynamic regulation of cell clustering depends on the balance between contraction of cells into clusters and migration of cells as dispersed individuals. Previously we reported that under procontractile culture conditions, fibronectin fibrillar matrix assembly by human fibroblasts functioned as a nucleation center for cell clustering on three-dimensional collagen matrices. Here we report that switching preformed cell clusters from procontractile to promigratory culture conditions results in cell dispersal out of clusters and disruption of FN matrix. Experiments using small interfering RNA silencing and pharmacological inhibition demonstrated that matrix metalloproteinase activity involving MMP-2 was necessary for fibronectin matrix disruption and dispersal of cell clusters.
Thrombocytopenia in pregnancy.

Thrombocytopenia is a common hematologic problem in pregnant women. The most common cause of thrombocytopenia is gestational thrombocytopenia, which is usually mild, is not associated with bleeding or neonatal thrombocytopenia, and resolves spontaneously postpartum. Gestational thrombocytopenia, however, may be hard to discern from immune thrombocytopenia (ITP), another cause of isolated thrombocytopenia during pregnancy, although thrombocytopenia due to ITP is often more severe and occurs earlier in pregnancy. Preeclampsia is the most common medical disorder of pregnancy and is associated with a constellation of symptoms including hypertension and proteinuria; thrombocytopenia is generally mild, but reflects the severity of underlying preeclampsia. The syndrome of hemolysis, elevated liver enzymes and low platelets (HELLP) is thought by some to be a variant of preeclampsia as it shares some manifestations but also displays unique ones, particularly liver involvement and microangiopathic hemolytic anemia. HELLP may be difficult to discern from primary thrombotic microangiopathies such as thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) and the atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome (aHUS), which are not unique to pregnancy but occur with increased frequency in this setting. Accurate diagnosis of the cause of thrombocytopenia during pregnancy is important, as treatment varies depending on the etiology. Careful consideration of the timing of onset of thrombocytopenia, and associated hematologic and other manifestations, needs to be considered in the differential diagnosis. Though thrombocytopenic disorders may severely compromise the outcomes of some pregnancies, prompt diagnosis and appropriate therapy often lead to successful pregnancy outcomes.
Extended liner performance for hydrodynamics and material properties experiments

Summary form only given, as follows. Over the last few years a new application for high performance pulsed power, the production of high energy density environments for the study of material properties under extreme conditions and hydrodynamics in complex geometries has joined the traditional family of radiation source applications. The newly commissioned Atlas pulsed power system at Los Alamos has replaced its predecessor, Pegasus, and joined the Shiva Star system at AFRL, Albuquerque and a variety of flux compression systems, principally at the All Russian Scientific Research Institute of Experimental Physics (VNIIEF) as ultra high current drivers for the high precision, magnetically imploded, near-solid density liner that is used to create the needed environments. Three families of experiments: the production of ultra strong shocks (>10 Mbar), the production of strongly coupled plasmas by liner compression of an initially dense plasma of a few eV temperature, and the compression of a magnetized plasma for fusion applications, all require liner velocities in excess of 15 km/s (approaching 30-40 km/s) and kinetic energies of several MJ per cm of liner height and these conditions require extensions of liner performance already reported. The requirements for implosion precision have been met by relying on material strength in a partially un-melted liner to limit the growth rate of instabilities to acceptable levels. This approach leads to the requirement for very large driving currents and energies (100 MA and 100 MJ) to reach high-impact velocities. These limits have not been explored in detail. Alternatively, very high impact velocities can be achieved using plasma liners, whose stability cannot be controlled by material strength and such liners must be designed from the outset to control instability growth. The limitation of plasma liners in material properties and hydrodynamics experiments are explored.
Do cognitive perceptions influence CPAP use

NOTICE: this is the author’s version of a work that was accepted for publication in Patient Education and Counseling. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. A definitive version was subsequently published in Patient Education and Counseling, [Vol 85, Issue 1, Oct 2011 DOI: 10.1016/j.pec.2010.10.014
The Impact of Affective Reactions on Risky Decision Making in Accounting Contexts

In this study we examine whether managers’ affective reactions influence their risk–taking tendencies in capital budgeting decisions. Prior research on risky decision making indicates that decision makers are often risk averse when choosing among alternatives that yield potential gains, and risk taking when the alternatives yield losses. The results reported here indicate that negative or positive affective reactions can change this commonly found risky behavior. Managers were generally risk avoiding (taking) for gains (losses) in the absence of affective reactions, as predicted by prospect theory. However, when affect was present, they tended to reject investment alternatives that elicited negative affect and accept alternatives that elicited positive affect, resulting in risk taking (avoiding) in gain (loss) contexts. The results also indicate that affective reactions can influence managers to choose alternatives with lower economic value, suggesting that managers consider both financial data and affective reactions when evaluating the utility of a decision alternative. These findings point to the importance of considering affective reactions when attempting to understand and predict risky decision making in accounting contexts.
Free Volume Changes and Crack Tip Deformation in Bulk Metallic Glass Alloys and their Composites

The free volume changes associated with deformation of metallic glasses play an important role in strain localization in shear bands. However the details of these structural changes during inhomogeneous deformation are unclear. In this study, the free volume changes in Cu60Zr30Ti10 and Zr58.5Cu15.6Ni12.8Al10.3Nb2.8 bulk metallic glasses were examined and quantified using differential scanning calorimetry following rolling and low temperature annealing. It was found that the height of the endothermic peak associated with the glass transition decreased following deformation whereas annealing resulted in an increase in the peak height. Additionally, the exothermic event associated with structural relaxation prior to the glass transition occurred at a lower temperature after rolling in the Zr-based system. Surprisingly, a similar shift in the onset temperature was not observed in the Cu-based system, suggesting a different structural relaxation mechanism. The Zr-based system was successfully modeled and the results indicated that the free volume increased ∼4% with inhomogeneous deformation and decreased ∼14% with annealing, consistent with expectations. In an effort to further characterize strain localization in shear bands, the development of a crack tip damage zone in a Zr-based bulk metallic glass composite was studied using scanning electron and atomic force microscopy. The first shear band developed at an angle of ∼60° from the crack propagation direction. This is discussed in light of the Mohr-Coulomb yield criterion for metallic glasses. The reinforcement phase arrested the growth of individual shear bands, while accumulated damage resulted in the shear bands cutting through the crystalline phase, ultimately resulting in crack branching and failure.
Integrated actuator placement and fault tolerant controller design for a class of distributed parameter systems

In the current work we present an integrated actuator placement and fault tolerant controller design based on the concept of spatial H2 norm and combined with a fault tolerant controller design concepts for DPS presented in earlier work by the authors. Specifically, a nonlinear optimization problem is formulated to identify and rank spatially independent actuator groups that may control a distributed process with minimal actuator power. The optimization problem is based on the concept of the spatial H2 norm and guarantees a minimum amount of controllability for each group. The augmented fault monitoring scheme employs a time varying threshold in order to minimize detection time, and the fault accommodating scheme simply switches off the faulty actuator and activates a healthy group without reconfiguring the control signal, as the latter by design is the same for all possible actuator groups. The simplicity of the proposed methodology lies in the unique property of transport reaction processes that properly chosen actuators at physically different locations have an identical effect on the system long term behavior.
Steroid analysis of human apocrine secretion.

Abstract Analysis of the secretion of the human apocrine gland has shown the presence of dehydroepiandrosterone and androsterone sulfates, two androgen steroids previously identified in axillary sweat. These steroid sulfates were characterized by the gas chromatographic/mass spectrometric analysis of the odorous steroids formed on direct injection of the apocrine secretion into the hot gas chromatographic injector. No spectral evidence was found for the presence of the Δ16-androgen steroids which have axiIlary-like odors and have also been reported in axillary sweat. Cholesterol was the major steroid component of the secretion.
Application ordering in group communication

Several frameworks for group communication with ordering semantics such as causal and total ordering have been studied that provide different guarantees on the sequence in which messages are delivered at different sites. To accommodate application semantics, frameworks have also been proposed to weaken these semantics using application-specific information. We find that in many cases, an application may require messages to be delivered in a sequence satisfying certain constraints which requires strengthening rather than weakening of the ordering semantics. To accommodate this, we explore a new semantics, application order, that allows an application to specify an ordering specification order spec. The multicast layer performs the necessary synchronization to ensure that the messages are delivered in an order satisfying order spec. This semantics can be used in conjunction with existing ordering semantics, and eliminates many forms of application-level synchronization. It also expands the applicability of group communication frameworks by allowing communication primitives to be used directly in applications without additional synchronization.
Identifying and Controlling Landfill Fires

Abstract Factors leading to subsurface landfill fires and fire identification and control techniques are discussed. The paper is oriented towards completed sanitary landfill sites containing active landfill gas (LFG) extraction systems for either recovery or migration control purposes. The fire identification and control techniques discussed can be applied to both developed and undeveloped former landfill sites. The ignition and propagation of subsurface landfill fires are a function of factors which include waste composition and moisture content, available oxygen, and ambient pressure in the area of combustion. Identification and size of a subsurface landfill fire can be determined by unusual or rapid site surface settlement, surface venting of smoke, detection of carbon monoxide in extracted LFG, accumulation of combustion residue in LFG collection header lines, and elevated LFG temperatures. Subsurface landfill fire control techniques include excavation, smothering, and extinguishing with injections of water or inert gas.
An Information-Theoretic Approach to Resource Consumption Minimization for Dynamic Spectrum Access Networks

Information-theoretic limits on resource consumption are employed to obtain analytical methods for conducting tradeoffs between power, bandwidth, and time for cognitive radio transmissions in ad hoc dynamic spectrum access networks. A quantitative measure of resource consumption is applied to the design and evaluation of protocols for adaptive modulation and coding. The application of information theory to the minimization of resource consumption in cognitive radio networks is illustrated for binary phase-shift-key modulation with coherent demodulation.
The effect of calcium channel blockers on the cyclosporine dose requirement in renal transplant recipients.

Thirteen patients found to be hypertensive following renal transplantation were treated with either a calcium channel blocker or other antihypertensive therapy for control of blood pressure. Immunosuppression was either with cyclosporine and prednisone alone or with cyclosporine, azathioprine, and prednisone. Patients had weekly or biweekly cyclosporine whole-blood levels measured by radioimmunoassay drawn approximately 12 h after their last dose. Patients treated with cyclosporine and prednisone alone had their cyclosporine dosage adjusted to maintain their cyclosporine level between 400 and 900 ng/mL between 1 and 6 months following transplantation. Patients treated with cyclosporine, azathioprine, and prednisone had their cyclosporine level adjusted to be between 100 and 400 ng/mL during this same time period. Cyclosporine levels were significantly higher in verapamil-treated patients and significantly lower in nifedipine-treated patients as compared to controls. The dose of cyclosporine administered w...
Abuse and Parental Characteristics, Attributions of Blame, and Psychological Adjustment in Adult Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse

The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of abuse and parental characteristics on attributional content and determine the relative contribution of different attributions of blame in predicting psychological symptomatology among adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse. One hundred eighty-three female undergraduates with a history of childhood sexual abuse completed self-report questionnaires. Abuse characteristics were significantly related to attributions. Family- and perpetrator-blame accounted for significant variability in psychological symptomatology, beyond the contributions of abuse characteristics, family environment, and self-blame. Implications for research and treatment are discussed.
Effectiveness of acupressure on pruritus and lichenification associated with atopic dermatitis: a pilot trial

Background Pruritus is a debilitating aspect of atopic dermatitis (AD). Acupuncture has been reported to diminish pruritus, but self-administered acupressure has not been previously evaluated. Objectives To evaluate the effectiveness of acupressure on the severity of eczema in a pilot trial. Methods Adult patients with AD were randomised to an intervention group (acupressure with standard of care) or a control group (standard of care alone). Subjects in the intervention group performed acupressure using a 1.2 mm acupellet at the LI11 point, applying pressure for 3 min three times per week for 4 weeks. The severity of itching and AD at baseline and at 4 weeks were measured on a visual analogue scale (VAS), the Investigator9s Global Assessment (IGA) and the Eczema Area and Severity Index (EASI). Results Fifteen subjects were enrolled, 12 of whom completed the study between November 2009 and May 2011. There was no significant change between baseline and follow-up survey scores within the control group. In the investigation group there was a decrease in the VAS score (p=0.05) and EASI lichenification (p=0.03), although without significant change in the overall EASI score. Comparison of the scores between groups showed a greater decrease in VAS in the experimental group than in the control group (p=0.04), and a decrease in the IGA (p=0.03) and EASI lichenification score (p=0.03). The overall EASI scores were unchanged. Conclusion Subjects using acupressure at LI11 for 4 weeks had improvement in pruritus and lichenification. Acupressure may prove to be an easily administered alternative treatment, but larger-scale studies are needed to confirm these preliminary findings.
Influence of Neuromodulators and Vesicle Docking Related Proteins on Quantal Release

We assessed the mechanisms and related kinetics of vesicular release during the enhancement and depression of synaptic efficacy by the exogenous application of neuromodulators as well as altering the levels of protein related to vesicle fusion within nerve terminals. In order for a vesicle to be released, it must first dock at the presynaptic membrane; then, in the presence of Ca2+, a fusion pore for evoked transmitter release opens. To determine if the presence of synaptically relevant proteins, such as α-SNAP, can alter the number of evoked quantal units and then-rate of occurrence, α-SNAP was injected into the nerve terminals and the kinetics of release were measured. The enhancement of α-SNAP within the nerve terminal increases the number of rapidly occurring quantal events. The neuromodulator serotonin (5-HT), known to stimulate an IP3 cascade, also causes an enhancement of evoked quantal events. The presence of 5-HT or ot-SNAP at the terminal results in a faster rate of release for multiple events without a detectable change in the initial rate of primary events. Interestingly, the molt-related hormone, ecdysone (20-HE), causes a decrease in the rate of multiple events and results in an increase in latency jitter of vesicular release, thus indicating that 20-HE may act as a neuromodulator that depresses release. Investigating proteins and modulators of synaptic function will hopefully allow one to understand some of the mechanisms underlying synaptic differentiation and selective actions of neuromodulators, individually and in combination.
Application of the 3D X-Ray Crystal Microscope to Study Mesoscale Structure of Materials

The 3D x-ray crystal microscope is an emerging tool for the study of mesoscale structure in polycrystalline materials. With this nondestructive device, local crystalline orientation, phase, elastic and plastic strain tensors can be measured with submicron spatial resolution in three dimensions. A key step in analyzing the Laue patterns from the 3D microscope is indexing the reflections, which determines the orientation of the sub-grain. With current algorithms, the angles between pairs, triplets and quadruplets of reflections are compared to theoretical angles to make guesses as to the reflection indices. The ability to index a pattern can however be compromised by both elastic and plastic deformation of a grain; elastic deformation changes the angles between reflections and plastic deformation increases the uncertainty in the centroid of each reflection. Here we report on the use of an indexing algorithm that simultaneously fits all peaks from a subgrain. This algorithm is more robust than previous methods and allows for indexing of deformed or strained grains. Some applications to studies of mesoscale materials properties are described.
Understanding Latin America's Financial Inclusion Gap

This paper analyzes Latin America’s Financial Inclusion Gap, the difference between the average financial inclusion for Latin America and the corresponding average for a set of comparator countries. At the country level, we assess four types of obstacles to financial inclusion: macroeconomic weaknesses, income inequality, institutional deficiencies and financial sector inefficiencies. A key finding of this paper is that although the four types of obstacles explain the absolute level of financial inclusion, institutional deficiencies and income inequality are the most important obstacles behind the Latin America’s financial inclusion gap. From our analysis at the individual level, we find that there is a Latin America-specific effect of education and income. The results suggest that the effect of attaining secondary education on the probability of being financially included is significantly higher in Latin America than in its comparators. Furthermore, the difference in the probability of being financially included between the richest and the poorest individuals is significantly higher in Latin America than in comparator countries.
Preservation of chirality and polarity between chiral and polar building units in the solid state

The new lamellar phases [Zn(2,2'-bpy)(2)(H(2)O)(2)](ZrF(6))·3H(2)O (I) and [Ni(2,2'-bpy)(3)](MoO(2)F(4))·5H(2)O (II) (bpy = bipyridine), which are built from a chiral cation and respectively an inherently nonpolar and a polar anion, provide two contrasting structures with respect to chirality and polarity in the solid state. Each nonpolar layer of I contains enantiomers of both handednesses; conversely, each layer of II contains only a Δ or Λ enantiomer and polar anions oriented along the b or -b axes. A comparison with previously reported structures reveals which combinations and interactions between chiral and polar basic building units can preserve elements of polarity and chirality in the solid state.
Model-predictive cascade mitigation in electric power systems with storage and renewables - PARt II: Case-study

The novel cascade-mitigation scheme developed in Part I of this paper is implemented within a receding-horizon model predictive control (MPC) scheme with a linear controller model. This present paper illustrates the MPC strategy with a case-study that is based on the IEEE RTS-96 network, though with energy storage and renewable generation added. It is shown that the MPC strategy alleviates temperature overloads on transmission lines by rescheduling generation, energy storage, and other network elements, while taking into account ramp-rate limits and network limitations. Resilient performance is achieved despite the use of a simplified linear controller model. The MPC scheme is compared against a base-case that seeks to emulate human operator behavior.
Bringing Participatory Tools to a Different Level: A Case Study of Local Participatory Practices in Kyrgyzstan

Engaging citizens in decision-making has become an important function of governments around the world. Local administrators facing budget constraints are interested in citizen feedback on a growing number of issues related to government performance. Based primarily on American evidence, the public administration literature notes that citizen-engagement tools have advantages and disadvantages. Some theorists suggest that combining participatory tools can maximize their effects. This article extends the analysis by a consideration of how local governments in Kyrgyzstan, a transitional democracy, implemented participatory tools. It finds that merging such tools as citizen report cards and budget hearings led to improved participation outcomes, including changes in government service delivery. The study has important implications for developing effective participatory techniques.
MS9001E: A New 100 MW Gas Turbine

A new 100 MW gas turbine has been designed for electric power generation for either simple cycle or combined cycle applications. This paper describes the basis for design, new design features, performance, and test program.Copyright © 1981 by ASME
Studying the Mechanisms of Hybrid Peptides Containing Permeabalizing and Cell Penetrating Domains

Antibiotic resistant pathogens cause 2 million infections and 23,000 deaths in the U.S. every year. Bacteria's adaptability to the current drugs on the market necessitates alternative therapeutics, such as antimicrobial peptides (AMPs). AMPs exhibit non-specific bactericidal activity against both gram positive and negative bacteria, selectively killing prokaryotes over eukaryotes. These peptides function by two main mechanistic categories: 1) permeabilization, where the peptide compromises the membrane causing intercellular leakage, and 2) translocation, where the integrity of the membrane is maintained while the peptide enters the cell and disrupts intercellular processes. Our current study examines the effect of combining AMPs that utilize different antimicrobial mechanisms together to form a hybrid peptide. Based on previous work in our lab considering the mechanism of hipposin, we predicted that hybrid peptides made from combining permeabilizing and translocating peptides would generally follow a permeabilizing mechanism. In particular, we considered the activity of hybrid peptides made from parasin, a previously characterized AMP known to work via permeabilization, and DesHDAP1, a designed peptide known to translocate through bacterial membranes. We attached DesHDAP1 to both the N- and C-termini of Parasin, both with and without an alanine linker between the peptides. The activity and mechanism of these hybrid peptides was considered using radial diffusion assays, propidium iodide uptake assays, and confocal microscopy. Confocal microscopy integrated the formation of larger bacterial spheroplasts and the utilization of a membrane specific dye to test for peptide-membrane co-localization. These enhancements have improved image quality and aid in reliable interpretations of translocation versus membrane localization. Overall, the hybrid peptides did demonstrate significant permeabilizing activity and were at least as active as the parent peptides.
Supporting Diverse and Creative Collaboration in the Scratch Online Community

This chapter explores the diverse and creative collaboration in the Scratch online community, where young people can create and share interactive media such as animations, games, and stories with people all over the world. Scratch enables creative collaboration, with more than 130,000 youth each month participating to design, build, and invent shared artifacts. Since Scratch was launched in 2007, Scratch members have engaged in a wide variety of collaborative activities, which include building on each other’s projects, role-playing to imagine new worlds together, maintaining communities of interests, and coordinating large groups to produce sophisticated projects. We describe the varied and emergent collaborative activities through five stories, and we describe the ways in which youth are learning by designing, motivated by their interests and supported by community. We conclude by reflecting on the lessons we have learned to support these emergent and diverse activities.
Research on Deicing Power Transmission Lines with High-frequency and High-voltage Excitation

In view of the damage of China Southern Power Grid in 2008 caused by the worst ice and snow disaster in 50 years,the paper describes the theories and the state of art about high-frequency and high-voltage deicing of power transmission lines at home and abroad.A deicing simulation calculation model is built according to 110 kV transmission lines,and different line length,frequency and ice dielectric parameter are calculated.The design and manufacture of deicing equipment are analyzed briefly.Issues for further study and the study way are presented.
Algorithm of fractal image coding combining dispersion analysis and quadtree

According to the disadvantage of the long time of the fractal image coding, propose the algorithm of fractal image coding combining dispersion analysis and quadree. The new algorithm uses the dispersion analysis criteria in search, the method can search the special domain blocks that they meet the conditions of dispersion, which reduce the complexity of search process and the number of invalid domain blocks, thus finish image coding. Experimental results show that this algorithm can improve coding speed by 5.87 times and 7.84 times than the algorithm of the variance and the improved quadree division, the PSNR of image decoding dosen't change obviously.
Clinical Management of Recurrent Retinopathy of Prematurity after Intravitreal Bevacizumab Monotherapy

Purpose To determine incidence, risk factors, risk period, and characteristics of recurrent retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) treated by intravitreal bevacizumab (IVB) monotherapy. Design Retrospective case series. Participants Premature infants with type 1 ROP (subdivided into stage 3+ ROP and aggressive posterior ROP [APROP]) in zone I or zone II posterior who received IVB monotherapy and were followed up for at least 65 weeks adjusted age (AA). Methods Retrospective review of infants who demonstrated recurrence of type 1 ROP after IVB monotherapy, including examination of RetCam fundus photographs and fluorescein angiograms. Main Outcomes Measures Incidence, risk factors, risk period, and characteristics of recurrent ROP. Results Intravitreal bevacizumab monotherapy in 241 infants (471 eyes) was reviewed. Recurrence incidence was 8.3% (20/241) for infants and 7.2% (34/471) for eyes. Recurrence risk factors of greatest significance were appearance of neovascularization as APROP ( P = 0.006), extended duration of hospitalization ( P = 0.01), and lower birth weight ( P = 0.024). Recurrence risk period was between approximately 45 and 55 weeks AA (90.0% [18/20] for infants and 94.1% [32/34] for eyes), with mean recurrence of 51.2 weeks AA (±4.6 weeks; range, 45.7–64.9 weeks) and mean interval of 16.2 weeks (±4.4 weeks) between treatments. Recurrence characteristics included plus disease (20/20 infants [100%]) and neovascularization, which appeared at the following sites: stage 3+ ROP with confluent neovascularization recurred both at the advancing edge and at the initial ridge and extraretinal fibrovascular proliferative complex (12/14 infants [85.7%]). However, APROP (6/6 infants [100%]) and stage 3+ ROP with nonconfluent neovascularization (2/14 infants [14.3%]) recurred only at the advancing edge. Also, the anterior extent of retinal vascularization was decreased (mean, 1.76 disc diameters [DD] vs. 4.48 DD), and the rate of retinal vascularization was delayed (mean, 0.11 DD/week vs. 0.23 DD/week) in those with versus without recurrence, respectively. After retreatment with IVB, retinal vascularization proceeded minimally and slowly. Conclusions Premature children with severe ROP are being treated successfully with IVB monotherapy. However, recurrence is not uncommon, so vigilant follow-up is necessary to ensure timely re-treatment. Knowledge of recurrence incidence, risk factors, risk period, and characteristics allows for tailored clinical management.
Simulated glomerular hypertension promotes mesangial cell apoptosis and expression of cathepsin-B and SGP-2.

BACKGROUND Focal glomerulosclerosis (FGS) is characterized by the accumulation of mesangial matrix and lack of mesangial cells (MC). We studied the role of glomerular hypertension (GH) in the development of MC hypoplasia. METHODS We used an in vitro model of GH to study the effect of GH on MC apoptosis. Cultured rat endothelial cells were grown in the intracapillary space and MCs were grown in the extracapillary space. MC proliferation as well as apoptosis was evaluated under simulated normal glomerular pressure (SNGP) as well as simulated glomerular hypertension (SGH). Apoptosis was determined morphologically by DNA fragmentation using Hoechst staining as well as with the use of DNA gel electrophoresis. MCs grown under SNGP and SGH were also evaluated for the expression of genes associated with active cell death. In addition, we evaluated the effect of direct applied pressure on MC apoptosis. RESULTS MCs grown under SGH were less elliptical and had a tendency to develop a dome in the center. Direct applied pressure promoted MC apoptosis in a dose and time dependent manner. DNA gel electrophoresis from MCs grown under SGH also showed integer multiples of 180 base pairs (ladder pattern); whereas cells grown under SNGP showed no DNA fragmentation. SGH increased mRNA expression of cathepsin-B (SNGP, 0.31 +/- 0.04 vs SGH, 0.57 +/- 0.03, P < 0.01, n = 3) and SGP-2 (SNGP, 0.55 +/- 0.05 vs SHG, 1.08 +/- 0.12, P < 0.01, n = 3) in MCs when compared to cells grown under SNGP. CONCLUSIONS The present in vitro study suggests that GH has the potential to convert a hypercellular mesangium into a hypocellular one. This effect of GH is associated with expression of genes associated with active cell death.
Some remarks on particular solution used in BEM formulation

Considerable work has been done by many investigators recently in the use of particular solution collocation methods which effectively replace the domain integrals by BEM solutions with modified boundary conditions. This technique enables us to avoid the domain integral which is the major advantage of BEM formulation.
Mapping forest structure and uncertainty in an urban area using leaf-off lidar data

Forests are important to nutrient cycling, hydrology, climate and aesthetics in urban ecosystems. Effective forest management in urban environments requires detailed data on the spatial distribution and structure of urban forests, but the lidar which are best for mapping the complexity of these forests are often unavailable or prohibitively expensive for municipalities. However, leaf-off small footprint lidar originally collected for topographic mapping are increasingly available, and will soon become accessible to forest managers in the U.S. through 3DEP (3D Elevation Program). In this paper, we demonstrated the opportunistic use of existing leaf-off lidar to map forest structure and associated uncertainties in Madison, Wisconsin and neighboring municipalities. Using empirical models, we were able to map five structural variables and aboveground biomass with accuracies comparable to or better than other studies using comparable data and with errors generally <20 % of the data range. Highest uncertainties in our forest structure maps occurred in residential neighborhoods and along forest edges. From the results, we present maps of forest structure and, to our knowledge, first of a kind pixel-wise uncertainty maps for an urban area. These maps provide the basis for a spatially comprehensive assessment of forest resources and are effective for urban inventory and change assessment. For example, the maps enabled comprehensive comparison of carbon storage by urban trees among cities, with a range in our study of 1.2 kg/m2 to 5.6 kg/m2, and with major variations due to differences in city development patterns and ages.
Computational analysis of a flapping two different airfoils at laminar flow for flapping wing micro aerial vehicle

Selection of airfoil for better design of aerodynamic and aerodynamic performance is very important such as aircraft and wind turbine. Also, a number of military and civilian applications required efficient operation of airfoils in low Reynolds number, particularly for micro aerial vehicles. This work simulates a classical flow pattern (Von Karman street) that can form as fluid flows past a flapping NACA0012 airfoil, and S1223 airfoil at low Reynolds number. These two airfoils has been selected and investigated in computational analysis by using basic computational fluid dynamics and fluid-structure interaction modules. The S1223 airfoil, designed by University of Illinois at Urbana was selected for its high lift characteristics at low Reynolds number and the NACA0012 was chosen to check the lift at low Reynolds number. Velocity distributions are analyzed at different angles of attack for both airfoils. The results obtained from simulation have compared between the two airfoils. The magnitude and the frequencies of the oscillation generated by the fluid around the airfoils are computed and compared between the airfoils.
Introduction to Animal Viruses

Viruses are infectious agents that are not cellular in nature. They consist of a nucleic acid genome packaged within a protein shell. Although relatively simple, viruses exhibit significant diversity in terms of size, genome organization, and capsid architecture. All viruses are obligate intracellular parasites as they must obtain energy and building blocks from the cell. They subvert many host cell processes for their own replication, and studying virus replication has provided detailed information about the basic workings of cells. At the cellular level, possible outcomes of infection range from production of virus particles without damage to the cell, to cell death, or occasionally cell transformation. In humans and animals the outcomes of infection range from inapparent (no disease) to considerable disease and death. Some viruses cause acute infections lasting for days or a few weeks while others infect their hosts for a lifetime. Viruses can evolve and rapidly adapt to changing conditions. Some viruses are easily replicated in cultured cells, while others require specific conditions only found in specialized cells within a human or animal. While this text focuses on viruses of humans and other animals, viruses infect organisms of all types, from bacteria to fungi to plants. Viruses are most often classified based on groups of genome and virion characteristics. Genome sequence comparisons provide an unbiased method for grouping and categorizing viruses.
Temperature and chain length dependence of ultrafast vibrational dynamics of thiocyanate in alkylimidazolium ionic liquids: A random walk on a rugged energy landscape

Ultrafast two-dimensional infrared spectroscopy of a thiocyanate vibrational probe (SCN−) was used to investigate local dynamics in alkylimidazolium bis-[trifluoromethylsulfonyl]imide ionic liquids ([Imn,1][Tf2N], n = 2, 4, 6) at temperatures from 5 to 80 °C. The rate of frequency fluctuations reported by SCN− increases with increasing temperature and decreasing alkyl chain length. Temperature-dependent correlation times scale proportionally to temperature-dependent bulk viscosities of each ionic liquid studied. A multimode Brownian oscillator model demonstrates that very low frequency (<10 cm−1) modes primarily drive the observed spectral diffusion and that these modes broaden and blue shift on average with increasing temperature. An Arrhenius analysis shows activation barriers for local motions around the probe between 5.5 and 6.5 kcal/mol that are very similar to those for translational diffusion of ions. [Im6,1][Tf2N] shows an unexpected decrease in activation energy compared to [Im4,1][Tf2N] that may...
Assortative Mixture of English Parts of Speech

Network data analysis is an emerging area of study that applies quantitative analysis to complex data from a variety of application fields. Methods used in network data analysis enable visualization of relational data in the form of graphs and also yield descriptive characteristics and predictive graph models. This paper presents an application of network data analysis to the authorship attribution problem. Specifically, we show how a representation of text as a word graph produces the well documented feature sets used in authorship attribution tasks such as the word frequency model and the part-of-speech (POS) bigram model. Analysis of these models along with word graph characteristics provides insights into the English language. Particularly, analysis of the nominal assortative mixture of parts of speech, a statistic that measures the tendency of words of the same POS in the word network to be connected by an edge, reveals regular structural properties of English grammar.
Revisiting Doing Business in the Middle East

This case engages students on a number of issues common to doing business in other countries, specifically in the Middle East. It is intended to be a basis for class discussion rather than to illustrate either effective or ineffective handling of the situation. The case seeks to integrate issues of international management and cross-cultural conflict and negotiation. Students are challenged to diagnose a cross-culturally sensitive situation and develop solutions in a team environment under limiting time restraints. This case is also designed to help students understand the cultural aspects of a situation and how different solutions could have major consequences on the bottom line of a company.