cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Abstract 5335: Dissecting the ubiquitin pathway using homogenous and sensitive bioluminescent assay

Post-translational modification of target proteins by ubiquitin (Ub) and ubiquitin-like (Ubl) proteins is a fundamental mechanism for regulating protein functions and protein stability thus affecting diverse cellular processes. Several ubiquitin-like (Ubl) molecules have been identified including SUMO, NEDD8, ATG8/15 and ISG15 which share the ubiquitin fold Ub/Ubl proteins are conjugated to lysine residues in substrate proteins through an ATP-dependent enzymatic cascade involving E1-activating enzyme, E2-conjugating enzyme and E3-ligase. To mark proteins for degradation, multiple ubiquitins are covalently attached to produce a Lys48 linked poly-ubiquitin chain. The poly-ubiquitinated proteins are recognized by the 26S proteasome system and deubiquitinated and destroyed. Substrates with ubiquitin chains linked through Lys 6, 11, 27, 29, 33 also regulate protein degradation. Substrates marked with mono-ubiquitination or Lys63 ubiquitin chains are involved in cell signaling independent of degradative functions. Many diseases are associated with dysfunction of ubiquitin signaling, with the E3 ligase class of enzymes are considered to be the most important target. However, in recent years, evidence have accumulated demonstrating the significance of E2 class of enzymes where mutations and impairment of this class lead to severe diseases states including chromosomal instability, cancer predisposition, neurological syndromes, and immunological disorders. Thus, in addition to E3, E2 group of enzymes represent important class of therapeutic targets. To address the need for developing drugs targeting these enzymes, we have developed a novel assay that can be used to screen for modulators of these enzymes by taking advantage of the first ubiquitin activating enzyme E1 which activates free Ub forming a high-energy thioester bond between E1’s active site Cys and the C-terminus of Ub, generating AMP and pyrophosphate (PPi) as products of the reaction. We monitor the activity of these enzymes by determining the concentration of AMP generated in the reactions in a luminescence-based assay. Our assay interrogate not only E1 but also E2 and E3 in a very robust and sensitive manner. The assay is homogenous, bioluminescent, and show a very high signal to background in a very selective manner for each class of the ubiquitin pathway. The assay was successfully tested for ubiquitination, SUMOlyation and Neddylation reactions and thus can be used for screening of enzymes targeting these pathways. Citation Format: Said A. Goueli, Kevin Hsiao, Subhanjan Mondal. Dissecting the ubiquitin pathway using homogenous and sensitive bioluminescent assay [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2017; 2017 Apr 1-5; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 5335. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2017-5335
Role of Angiotensin II in Coagulation and Fibrinolysis

Activation of the renin–angiotensin system increases the risk of atherohrombotic events in hypertensive patients. This relationship may be explained by multiple mechanisms, including effects on platelet function and on fibrinolysis. There is substantial evidence that angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors may exert antithrombotic effects by enhancing the bradykinin-dependent release of tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA) while reducing the angiotensin-dependent production of its natural inhibitor PAI-1, thus improving vascular fibrinolytic balance. Recent studies suggest that angiotensin (II) type 1 (AT1) receptor antagonists inhibit the effects of prothrombotic prostanoids. The antithrombotic effects of agents that block the RAS may contribute to their vasculoprotective properties.
Fleet analysis of headway distance for autonomous driving.

Abstract Introduction Modern automobiles are going through a paradigm shift, where the driver may no longer be needed to drive the vehicle. As the self-driving vehicles are making their way to public roads the automakers have to ensure the naturalistic driving feel to gain drivers’ confidence and accelerate adoption rates. Method This paper filters and analyzes a subset of radar data collected from SHRP2 with focus on characterizing the naturalistic headway distance with respect to the vehicle speed. Results The paper identifies naturalistic headway distance and compares it with the previous findings from the literature. Conclusion A clear relation between time headway and speed was confirmed and quantified. A significant difference exists among individual drivers which supports a need to further refine the analysis. Practical applications By understanding the relationship between human driving and their surroundings, the naturalistic driving behavior can be quantified and used to increase the adoption rates of autonomous driving. Dangerous and safety-compromising driving can be identified as well in order to avoid its replication in the control algorithms.
Joint sparse auto-encoder: A semi-supervised spatio-temporal approach in mapping large-scale croplands

Automated cropland monitoring can offer timely and reliable agricultural information, which is critical to meet the increasing demand for food supply and food security. In most cropland mapping tasks, domain researchers provide manually labeled training samples for several major crop types and request for identifying these major crops in a target region. However, it is very expensive to hire experts to label all the other land covers that exist in the target region. In this paper, we propose a novel learning framework to identify major crops without using labeled training samples for other land covers. For each major crop type, we train a one-class classification model based on sparse-autoencoder (SAE). Specifically, we utilize the high-resolution (∼10m) remote sensing data as input features to classify each location either as one of major crop types or as other land covers. Many crop types are similar to each other in most dates of a year, but are distinguishable only during a short period in growing season. To better model the seasonal patterns of different crop types and to capture the their discriminative periods, we introduce a sliding window to cover different growing periods in a year and learn separate SAEs from these periods. Moreover, since remote sensing data are commonly disturbed by natural noise factors, we explore the spatial contiguity of unlabeled data in test region and incorporate it as a constraint in training process to further improve the performance. In this way, we utilize both labeled data and unlabeled data in a semi-supervised method to jointly train SAE. Finally, we design a mechanism to combine the SAEs trained for different crop types to make final classification decisions. We extensively evaluate the proposed method in mapping several major crops in Minnesota, US. The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method can accurately map the extent of major crops, and capture the temporal growing patterns of different crops. Besides, the results confirm the effectiveness of spatial constraint in mitigating noise factors and making spatially contiguous classification. In addition, we give illustrative examples to show that the proposed method can help detect errors in existing cropland mapping product.
Management of residual cranial vault deformities.

The aims of calvarial reconstruction are to restore aesthetic contour and to provide protection for the underlying central nervous system structures. The authors present their algorithm of reconstructive options. Important considerations are the anatomic location of the defect and the duration since the original injury.
Religious Extremism: A Fundamental Danger

Terrorism constitutes one of the gravest threats against democratic societies in the 21st century; in particular, religiously motivated terrorism. Why is this the case? There are many reasons. Religion is a powerful motivator for both positive social change and mass violence. It is a force in society that is difficult for many in a secular society to truly understand. It is an institution that is protected in civil society, whether by a state's own Constitution or international agreements. Given that religious violence constitutes such a grave threat to democracies, governments must begin to examine this institution more critically than they have in the past. Governments are charged not only with protecting civil liberties, like freedom of or from religion, but with protecting their citizens from internal and external threats. This Article discusses the framework modern democratic governments must begin to institute if they are to protect freedom of religion and effectively respond to a unique threat to safety. Five countries - the United States, the United Kingdom, Turkey, Israel and the Netherlands - will be examined. My primary thesis is that civil societies cannot afford to continue to treat religion as an "untouchable" subject - we must begin to understand what religion is in order to know when and how it may be appropriately limited for the benefit of society.
Changing minds or rhetoric? How students use their many natures of science to talk about evolution

Recommendations for teaching the nature of science (NOS) are grounded in a deficit view of students and/or the public—wherein people accept pseudoscientific claims, particularly about evolution, because they do not adequately understand what counts as being “scientific.” Under the deficit view, correct views of science are defined by the normative claims of particular authorities, and public views are evaluated based on similarity to those authoritative claims. Such normative accounts have come under increasing criticism among researchers attentive to cultural dimensions of science education. Ethnographic fieldwork in eastern Tennessee, where evolution remains a highly salient topic, in churches and public spaces, gave me further reason to doubt the deficit account. In order to clarify the relationship between views on the NOS and beliefs about evolution, I interviewed students at a public high school in rural Tennessee and asked them to complete two surveys—on “Nature of Science” and “Beliefs about Origins”—which I developed in light of my earlier ethnographic fieldwork. In order to avoid the aforementioned deficit approach, I analyzed their responses using a cultural consensus analysis, which generates multiple “answer keys” based on participant agreement. I then interpreted the results of the cultural consensus analysis in the light of the student interviews. Drawing on Malinowski’s insights on studying myth, I paid attention not only to the content of statements with which students agreed, but also how such statements are used by students. I conclude that, irrespective of their position on evolution, the students draw on both cynical and celebratory ideas about science. However, they deploy those ideas differently, in ways that support their position on scientific assertions. These findings speak to a growing literature in NOS research that frames views about the NOS as argumentative resources. Students assign value to scientific claims through exchanges with other people. Ideas about science are recruited in these exchanges to support claims about which claims have scientific merit. Science educators should be aware of how ideas about science are deployed by students before figuring out how they should be taught.
Whither head movement

We argue that head movement, as an operation that builds head-adjunction structures in the syntax, has been used to model two empirically distinct classes of phenomena. One class has to do with displacement of heads (fully formed morphological words) to higher syntactic positions, and includes phenomena like verb second and verb initiality. The other class has to do with the construction of complex morphological words and is involved in various types of word formation. Based on the very different clusters of properties associated with these two classes of phenomena, we argue that they each should be accounted for by distinct grammatical operations, applying in distinct modules of the grammar, rather than by the one traditional syntactic head movement operation. We propose that the operation responsible for upward displacement of heads is genuine syntactic movement (Internal Merge) and has the properties of syntactic phrasal movement, including the ability to affect word order, the potential to give rise to interpretive effects, and the locality associated with Internal Merge. On the other hand, word formation is the result of postsyntactic amalgamation, realized as either Lowering (Embick and Noyer 2001) or its upward counterpart, Raising. This operation, we argue, has properties that are not associated with narrow syntax: it is morphologically driven, it results in word formation, it does not exhibit interpretive effects, and it has stricter locality conditions (the Head Movement Constraint). The result is a view of head movement that not only accounts for the empirical differences between the two classes of head movement phenomena, but also lays to rest numerous perennial theoretical problems that have heretofore been associated with the syntactic head adjunction view of head movement. In addition, the framework developed here yields interesting new predictions with respect to the expected typology of head movement patterns.
Scaling nonreactive cross flow over a heated plate to simulate forest fires

Abstract The paper reports visualization of the flow of smoke over a flat surface inside of a low-speed wind tunnel. A heating plate flush mounted on the wind tunnel floor simulated a spreading line fire that produces uniform heat flux under constant wind speed condition. A paper-thin cloth was soaked with commercially available Vaseline and placed on top of the heating plate; when it is heated, it produced thick white smoke, ideal for flow visualization. Two sides and top of the wind tunnel were made of a transparent acrylic sheet that enabled LED and laser sheet light illumination of the flow. A still camera with a full-frame CMOS sensor was used to record time-series images of illuminated smoke flow patterns from different angles. From these images, the following four flow structures were identified: organized horizontal vortex flows, weak vortex flow interactions, strong vortex flow interactions (also described as the ‘transition regime’), and, turbulent flows. Previously developed scaling laws on forest fires were applied to find similarity in flow structures created by the current small-scale convective heat-transfer experiments and the USDA's mid-scale wind tunnel fire experiments.
Reach and Adoption of a Randomized Weight Loss Maintenance Trial in Rural African Americans of Faith: The WORD (Wholeness, Oneness, Righteousness, Deliverance):

Purpose:There is minimal information regarding the Reach and Adoption of evidence-based weight loss maintenance interventions for African Americans of faith.Design:The WORD (Wholeness, Oneness, Rig...
Predictive value of non-consumption outcome measures in alcohol use disorder treatment.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS For decades, researchers have called for the systematic inclusion of non-consumption outcomes, such as alcohol-related consequences and temptation/craving, in addition to consumption outcomes (e.g. percentage of days abstinent) to evaluate alcohol use disorder (AUD) treatment efficacy. However, Food and Drug Administration (FDA) guidelines for alcohol medications development suggest that non-consumption outcomes may be insensitive to changes that occur within AUD treatment trial assessment windows, although this has never been directly tested. We aimed to measure the predictive value of diagnostically related, non-consumption measures of AUD treatment effects. METHODS Pre- to post-treatment effect sizes were examined. Logistic regression analyses were used to test the predictive value of non-consumption outcome measures that were administered in the COMBINE (Combined Pharmacotherapies and Behavioral Interventions for Alcohol Dependence) Study and Project MATCH (Matching Alcoholism Treatment to Client Heterogeneity) in detecting 12-month outcomes following treatment. RESULTS Pre- to post-treatment effect sizes suggested that non-consumption measures changed during the course of treatment; effect sizes for temptation/craving, self-efficacy, consequences and consumption variables were mostly medium to large (medium effect sizes were 0.2 0.8). The regression results indicated temptation/craving and self-efficacy predicted 12-month drinking outcomes in COMBINE and MATCH, and drinking consequences predicted 12-month drinking outcomes in COMBINE. CONCLUSIONS Self-report measures of temptation and alcohol craving can change as a result of alcohol dependence treatment and can predict drinking outcomes.
Bariatric Surgery in Children: Indications, Types, and Outcomes

The purpose of this review is to discuss the current state of surgical intervention for obesity in children and adolescents. Specifically, this review will discuss the different types of metabolic and bariatric surgery (MBS) procedures, guidelines for patient selection, and recent findings regarding surgical outcomes and complications. MBS is safe in adolescents and has also demonstrated sustainable long term weight loss and improvement in obesity-associated comorbidities. A recent prospective multi-institutional trial demonstrated BMI reductions of 3.8 kg/m2 (8%) to 15.1 kg/m2 (28%) after 3 years among adolescents undergoing the three most common MBS procedures. Moreover, MBS is associated with remission of type 2 diabetes, prediabetes, hypertension, dyslipidemia, and abnormal kidney function in 65–95% of patients in the study. Childhood and adolescent obesity is a continuing problem that has not been adequately addressed by the medical community. MBS is currently the most successful strategy for significant and sustained weight loss and improvement of associated comorbidities. This review focuses on the different types of MBS, the selection and preparation of patients for surgery, and the expected outcomes and common complications.
Introducing the Predictors of Black Outcomes in STEM Survey (PBOSS): A Tool for Identifying and Cultivating STEM Talent:

In this article, we review factors that are associated with science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) achievement and describe the development of the Predictors of Black Outcomes in ...
Deep Learning parameterization of subgrid scales in wall-bounded turbulent flows

An innovative \textit{deep learning} approach has been adopted to formulate the eddy-viscosity for large eddy simulation (LES) of wall-bounded turbulent flows. A deep neural network (DNN) is developed which learns to evaluate the eddy-viscosity from a dataset generated for a channel flow at friction Reynolds number $Re_{\tau} = 395$ using the Dynamic Smagorinsky subgrid-scale model. Later this DNN is employed to predict the eddy-viscosity for a number of grid configurations for channel flow at $Re_{\tau} = 395$ and $590$. The statistics computed from the DNN based LES model show an excellent match with direct numerical simulations (DNS). In some cases, particularly for the coarse grid simulations, the DNN based model yields statistics closer to DNS than those from the Dynamic Smagorinsky model. The turbulent kinetic energy budget terms also manifest a satisfactory match with the DNS results. This model computes eddy-viscosity $2-8$ times quicker than the Dynamic Smagorinsky model. This DNN based LES model is also able to closely mimic the duct flow at $Re_{\tau} = 300$ in a qualitatively and quantitatively similar manner as the LES using the Dynamic Smagorinsky model and a DNS from a previous study. This study demonstrates the feasibility of deep learning for parameterizing the subgrid-scales (SGS) in a turbulent flow accurately in a cost-effective manner. In a broader perspective, deep learning based models can be a promising alternative to traditional RANS and LES models for simulating complex turbulent flows.
Unprecedented rearrangement of 2-(2-aminoethyl)-1-aryl-3,4-dihydropyrazino[1,2-b]indazole-2-ium 6-oxides to 2,3-dihydro-1H-imidazo[1,2-b]indazoles.

Easily accessible 2-(2-aminoethyl)-1-aryl-3,4-dihydropyrazino[1,2-b]indazole-2-ium 6-oxides rearranged to 2,3-dihydro-1H-imidazo[1,2-b]indazoles under mild conditions. The rearrangement appeared to...
The Many Roles of the Rock: A Qualitative Inquiry Into the Roles and Responsibilities of Fathers of Children With Brain Tumors

A pediatric brain tumor diagnosis impacts an entire family unit, from diagnosis through curative treatment, and into survivorship or bereavement. Paternal caregiver experience has been significantly underexplored in pediatric neuro-oncology research as compared to maternal experience. This case series study explores the paternal roles, responsibilities, strengths, challenges, personal growth, and support needs of fathers of children with brain tumors receiving new palliative care consultations. In the study setting, a neuro-oncology diagnosis results in an automatic referral to the palliative care team, and thus, a convenience sampling model was employed based on consecutive palliative care consults for new childhood brain tumor diagnoses. In this study, four fathers of pediatric brain tumor patients receiving palliative care consultations responded to eight open-ended questions. Individual, voice-recorded interviews were transcribed for semantic content qualitative analysis. Analysis followed Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research (COREQ) guidelines. Participants completed quantitative surveys of their information preferences and support needs. Participants defined their father role as: being a team parent, an adaptable father, supporter, provider, a present father, and protector. Role conflict due to paternal responsibilities were recognized, such as the absence from the hospital to provide financial security for the family, and yet a desire to be physically present for the child. Fathers prioritized their knowledge needs about their child's diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment above emotional needs. Fathers shared experiences of their personal growth through their child's brain tumor diagnosis and advised on preferred support formats to include both verbal and written information. Understanding how paternal caregivers of children with cancer define their roles and goals has potential to improve the care and communication delivered to families of pediatric neuro-oncology patients.
Phylogenetic diversity of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in two geographically distinct locations in Botswana – The Kopanyo Study

Abstract Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC) is divided into several major phylogenetic lineages, with differential distribution globally. Using population-based data collected over a three year period, we performed 24-locus Mycobacterial Interspersed Repeat Unit – Variable Number Tandem Repeat (MIRU-VNTR) genotyping on all culture isolates from two districts of the country that differ in tuberculosis (TB) incidence (Gaborone, the capital, and Ghanzi in the Western Kalahari). The study objective was to characterize the molecular epidemiology of TB in these districts. Overall phylogenetic diversity mirrored that reported from neighboring Republic of South Africa, but differences in the two districts were marked. All four major lineages of M. tuberculosis were found in Gaborone, but only three of the four major lineages were found in Ghanzi. Strain diversity was lower in Ghanzi, with a large proportion (38%) of all isolates having an identical MIRU-VNTR result, compared to 6% of all isolates in Gaborone with the same MIRU-VNTR result. This study demonstrates localized differences in strain diversity by two districts in Botswana, and contributes to a growing characterization of MTBC diversity globally.
Repeatability of Goldmann tonometry performed by optometry students on glaucoma patients.

Background The purpose of this study was to evaluate the repeatability of masked Goldmann tonometry performed by optometry students on patients with glaucoma. Methods Subjects were recruited from among patients scheduled to undergo selective laser trabeculoplasty at the Rosenberg School of Optometry clinic. Each subject had masked Goldmann tonometry performed by three examiners at each office visit: two fourth professional-year optometry interns and an attending optometrist. Each examiner performed three sequential masked tonometry measurements on each eye. Results Twenty-eight interns and two optometrists performed masked Goldmann tonometry on 12 glaucoma patients. The co-efficient of variation was 9.1 per cent for the right eye and 12.1 per cent for the left eye for interns compared with 6.4 per cent right eye and 6.6 per cent left eye for optometrists. There was significant interaction between intern and patient on co-efficient of variation (two-factor analysis of variance, p = 0.005), indicating co-efficient of variation was influenced by both intern and patient factors. No such interaction was found for optometrist-performed measurements (p = 0.96). Mean interobserver difference for interns ranged between 0.9 and 3.1 mmHg, with 95 per cent limits of agreement that were proportional to mean intraocular pressure. Mean interobserver difference for optometrists ranged between 0.6 and 1.8 mmHg without proportionality bias. At higher pressure levels intern measurements became more variable and tended to overestimate optometrist measurements. Conclusions Both intraobserver and interobserver repeatability of masked tonometry was lower for interns than experienced optometrists. Intern performance differed from optometrists in that intern measurements became more variable at higher intraocular pressure levels and were significantly influenced by patient factors. The present results support the need for trainee exposure to patients with abnormally elevated intraocular pressure. Research into factors that influence trainee Goldmann tonometry repeatability is needed.
Assessing the Quality of a Water Right

This article deals with Kansas water rights – specifically how one assesses the quality of a water right, whether done for the purpose of conducting an inventory or preparing for a transaction. The topic is important because lawyers must aid clients in transactions involving water rights, which in Kansas are real property interests and thus treated as land: deeds are used for conveyancing; the Statute of Frauds requires the contracts of sale to be in writing; and mortgages are the security devices for financing the deal. In a water rights purchase, the buyer’s lawyer must assess both the quality of the title of the water right, including the real estate to which the right is appurtenance, and the quality of the water right itself. The former topic was covered by the author in an article, “Title and Related Considerations in Conveying Kansas Water Rights,” 66 J. Kan. Bar. Assoc., 38 (1997). These two articles go together, because a water right may have good title, but have problems un-associated with title such as mistakes in the documents or termination for non-use issues. Alternatively, the water right itself may be perfect in all regards, but the title may have issues. This article on the quality of the water right distinguishes between water (personal property) and water rights (real property). It discusses issues such as when water rights become real property interests, how water rights information is found, and what attributes water rights have. It discusses conditions in permits and certificates, abandonment, change orders, correctional orders, and water rights status reports.
Chance, contingency, and necessity in the experimental evolution of ancestral proteins

SUMMARY The extent to which chance and contingency shaped the sequence outcomes of protein evolution is largely unknown. To directly characterize the causes and consequences of chance and contingency, we combined directed evolution with ancestral protein reconstruction. By repeatedly selecting a phylogenetic series of ancestral proteins in the B-cell lymphoma-2 family to evolve the same protein-protein interaction specificities that existed during history, we show that contingency and chance interact to make sequence evolution almost entirely unpredictable over the timescale of metazoan evolution. At any historical moment, multiple sets of mutations can alter or maintain specificity, and chance decides which ones occur. Contingency arises because historical sequence substitutions epistatically altered which mutations are compatible with new or ancestral functions. Evolutionary trajectories launched from different ancestors therefore lead to dramatically different outcomes over phylogenetic time, with virtually no mutations occurring repeatedly in distantly related proteins, even under identical selection conditions.
Computational Efficiency Analysis of SiC MOSFET Models in SPICE: Dynamic Behavior

Transient simulation of complex converter topologies is a challenging problem, especially in detailed analysis tools like SPICE. Transistor models presented for SPICE are often evaluated by accuracy, with less consideration for the computational cost of model elements. In order to optimize models for application simulations, this research quantifies the relative simulation performance of modeling approaches and contextualizes the results with regard to accuracy. It is well established that the primary contributor to semiconductor dynamic behavior is the voltage-dependent interelectrode capacitances. Therefore, this study isolates these model components to resolve their influence on model accuracy and run-time. Both the voltage-dependencies modeled, and the mathematic formulation chosen strongly influence the accuracy of interelectrode capacitance models. In addition to these factors, the specific implementation chosen within SPICE also determines simulation performance. Through careful evaluation of these factors, this study offers specific recommendations for optimal implementations of interelectrode capacitances in SPICE.
Remote Monitoring of Subsurface Flow Conditions in Rivers

Abstract : The primary research goal is to develop techniques to determine subsurface turbulence from remote measurements using infrared imaging of the skin layer. We aim to infer flow rate, turbulence intensity and subsurface-generated turbulent structures from surface temperature patterns. We will take advantage of the two complementary indicators of subsurface flow provided by IR imagery: the thermal structures measured directly and the surface velocity fields obtained through various image processing techniques. We will (1) analyze the variability and structures of the thermal boundary layer, (2) compute the surface flow field from the IR imagery and infer further surface turbulence characteristics, (3) determine to which extent the turbulence in the boundary layer is due to surface forcing by analysis of the air-sea flux data and (4) determine empirical relationships of subsurface flow characteristics and of turbulence derived from in situ sub-surface data to the observed turbulence in the IR imagery. We further aim to determine the limits of remotely inferring flow rates, subsurface turbulence and bed stress from IR imagery. We will investigate how different wind, tides and wave breaking conditions affect our ability to remotely measure subsurface flow characteristics.
Analysis of delay caused by bridging faults in RLC interconnects

A novel technique to model resistive bridging defects in the presence of inductive and capacitive effects is described. It is well known that resistive bridges can degrade performance without resulting in logic errors-the focus of This work is on the analysis and computation of this extra switching delay caused by resistive bridging defects between interconnect lines. Through a series of transformations, a simple, highly accurate, and computationally efficient closed-form RLC model for resistive bridges between interconnect lines is developed. This single-stage RLC model can accommodate a resistive bridge at an arbitrary site between two interconnect lines. A full set of simulation results show that on average, the model is 25X faster and accurate to within 4% of the results obtained using a 20-stage distributed RLC interconnect model in SPICE.
Terms of inquiry

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to ponder the past, present and future of library jargon and librarianship. Design/methodology/approach – This paper takes the form of an opinion piece. Findings – The library profession and its vocabulary will continue to evolve. Originality/value – Most serials were once published on paper according to a schedule. This idea might sound as strange to young library patrons as paying for journals with bitcoins sounds to me.
Mercury droplet microelectrode sensor on lab-on-a-chip for heavy metal ion detection

A novel microfabricated mercury droplet electrode sensor has been designed, fabricated and characterized for heavy ion metal detection in the application of environmental pollution monitoring using an on-chip mercury droplet generation technique. The mercury droplet has been uniformly generated and controlled from on-chip mercury reservoir by thermopneumatic actuation and surface tension effect of mercury droplet. The mercury droplet electrode sensor has been integrated on a lab-on-a-chip system for easy control of mercury droplet and liquid samples. The polluted liquid samples with different concentration of Pb/sup 2+/ and Cd/sup 2+/ have been successfully detected and characterized on the mercury droplet electrode sensor using the square wave anodic stripping voltammetry (SWASV).
Noticias del Imperio: la historia apasionada

De acuerdo con el autor, la actitud de Fernando del Paso frente a la historia no ha cambiado esencialmente, aunque ha madurado su conciencia de lo que significa y de su labor con respecto a ella. Mas aun, afirmo que el juego de la ficcion y la historia nos brinda una de las claves para comprender la obra dificil de del Paso. Si combinamos estos dos postulados, se justifica que exploremos aqui el tema al centrarnos en su novela, Noticias del Imperio .
Nylon toughened epoxy/SWCNT composites

Epoxy/single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT) composites toughened by nylon particles (epoxy/SWCNT/nylon) were prepared. The SWCNTs were functionalized by oxidation and subsequent grafting with sulfanilamide. It was found that surface functionalization can effectively improve the dispersion of SWCNTs in epoxy, thus improving composite mechanical properties. Meanwhile, preformed nylon particles were utilized to enhance the fracture toughness of the composites. The epoxy/SWCNT/nylon composites prepared exhibit simultaneously improved stiffness, strength, and toughness. B-staged (partially cured) epoxy/SWCNT/nylon composites were successfully cast into thin films by manipulating degree of cure and viscosity. These thin films can be seamlessly integrated into laminated composite systems upon heating for improving mechanical properties and compression after impact strength of the laminated composites.
Influence of mechanically milled powder and high pressure on spark plasma sintering of Mg–Cu–Gd metallic glasses

Abstract In this study a gas atomized Mg65Cu25Gd10 amorphous powder was mechanically milled and consolidated by spark plasma sintering (SPS) at a high pressure (500 MPa) at different temperatures (443, 433, and 423 K) to provide an insight into the consolidation and mechanical behavior of Mg-based metallic glasses. Microstructural evolution in the vicinity of the interfaces of SPSed Mg–Cu–Gd BMG powders was characterized using scanning and transmission electron microscopy, and the associated amorphous phase transformation and thermal stability were analyzed using X-ray diffraction and differential scanning calorimetry. The results show that interfacial bonding between amorphous particles was enhanced by the disruption of surface oxides as well as by structural relaxation of the milled powder and the presence of high pressure during SPS. A finite element method with COMSOL software was also applied to investigate and explain the powder packing density, localized heating, and temperature distribution during SPS.
Putting the man in contraceptive mandate.

ARHP Commentary ― Thinking (Re)Productively Putting the man in contraceptive mandate Brian T. Nguyen⁎, Grace Shih, David K. Turok Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Oregon Health and Sciences University, 3181 Southwest Sam Jackson Park Road, Box L466, Portland, OR 97239, USA Department of Family Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84132, USA
Isolation and characterization of a water-soluble protein from bovine erythrocyte membranes

Abstract A protein from the water-soluble fraction of bovine erythrocyte ghosts has been purified and characterized. This protein contains two high molecular weight polypeptide chains (MW ∼ 220,000 and 240,000); its physical properties suggest that it is a rod-like molecule. It makes up at least one-fifth of the total ghost protein.
The Hubris of Health Status Measurement: a Clarification of its Role in the Assessment of Medical Care

Numerous advances in health status measurement have occurred in the past several years. Of the many challenges, one, in particular, is important for any health reform proposal to succeed. That is, while many researchers point to health status measures as a means of evaluating outcomes of competing health plans, this paper outlines difficulties with such a proposal. The paper then provides different suggestions for dealing with this important issue. Most notably, a community based health status assessment is recommended. Copyright © 1996 Elsevier Science Ltd.
Fluorescence microscopy of oligonucleotide probe arrays

We have been exploiting high density oligonucleotide arrays to carry out sequence analysis of genetic material from diverse sources. The method utilizes the hybridization of fluorophore labelled nucleic acids to the array and interpretation of the resulting spatial pattern of fluorescence. Our ability to obtain sequence information from the array is governed by the interplay of the synthesis and hybridization chemistry, the photophysics of the fluorophores and background interferences, and the performance of the fluorescence imaging system. The high photolithographic resolution and large usable area of the synthesis process and the presence of submonolayer coverages of fluorophores dictate that the fluorescence detection system meet several potentially conflicting performance criteria. High spatial resolution, high sensitivity, large field of view, low chromaticity and image distortion, and high dynamic range are required simultaneously. Suitable nucleic acid-fluorophore conjugates should have high absorption cross sections and emission quantum yields, low photobleaching quantum yields, and resistance to transient saturation under intense illumination. Our approaches to the design and photophysical characterization of the detection process will be discussed within the context of improving the volume of sequence information and detection limits.
Toll-like receptor expression in normal ovary and ovarian tumors

Recent studies have implicated inflammation in the initiation and progression of ovarian cancer, though the mechanisms underlying this effect are still not clear. Toll-like receptors (TLRs) allow immune cells to recognize pathogens and to trigger inflammatory responses. Tumor cell expression of TLRs can promote inflammation and cell survival in the tumor microenvironment. Here we sought to characterize the expression of TLRs in normal human ovaries, benign and malignant ovarian tumors from patients, and in established ovarian tumor cell lines. We report that TLR2, TLR3, TLR4, and TLR5 are strongly expressed on the surface epithelium of normal ovaries. In contrast to previous studies of uterus and endocervix, we found no cyclic variation in TLR expression occurred in murine ovaries. TLR2, TLR3, TLR4, and TLR5 are expressed in benign conditions, epithelial tumors, and in ovarian cancer cell lines. Variable expression of TLR6 and TLR8 was seen in benign and malignant epithelium of some patients, while expression of TLR1, TLR7, and TLR9 was weak. Normal and malignant ovarian stroma were negative for TLR expression. Vascular endothelial cells, macrophages, and occasional fibroblasts in tumors were positive. Functional activity for TLRs was demonstrated by stimulation of cell lines with specific ligands and subsequent activation and translocation of NFκB and release of the proinflammatory cytokines interleukin-6 and CCL-2. These studies demonstrate expression of multiple TLRs in the epithelium of normal ovaries and in ovarian tumor cells, and may indicate a mechanism by which epithelial tumors manipulate inflammatory pathways to facilitate tumor progression.
On some classes of Petri nets (abstract)

Petri nets are used as models of asynchronous concurrent systems. The underlying structure of a Petri net is a bipartite digraph. Many properties of Petri nets and the systems they model can be described in graph theoretic terms. These include the notions of deadlocks and traps. In this paper we consider these properties by restricting attention to some special classes of Petri nets including simple, complete, and free-choice Petri nets.
Microcystin-LR, a potent protein phosphatase inhibitor, prolongs the serotonin- and cAMP-induced currents in sensory neurons of Aplysia californica.

Microcystin-LR (MCYST-LR), a hepatotoxin produced by cyanobacteria, inhibited purified protein phosphatases (PrPs) from rabbit skeletal muscle and the enzymes from Aplysia with an ICs0 of approximately 10 -1° M. MCYST-LR also prolonged both serotonin- (5-HT) and cyclic adenosine monophosphate-induced inward currents in sensory neurons of Aplysia. These results, which are consistent with inhibition of Aplysia PrPs, indicate that MCYST-LR may be a useful probe to elucidate the function of PrPs in neural tissues. The function of certain membrane channels can be modulated by phosphorylation in response to physiological stimuli. In Aplysia sensory neurons, for example, serotonin (5-HT) stimulates a cAMP-dependent protein kinase leading to increased protein phosphorylation and closure of the S-K + channel 1'21'22. This represents an extensively studied model of learning and memory TM. Little is known about mechanisms regulating dept~osphorylation and reversal of the serotonergic response. Recently, we demonstrated the presence of two protein phosphatases, termed PrP-1 and PrP-2A, in neuronal tissues from Aplysia that are biochemically similar to their mammalian counterparts 8-w. We also showed that okadaic acid (OA), a potent inhibitor of these PrPs 2, prolonged the responses to 5-HT and 8-bromo-cAMP in voltage-clamped sensory neurons ~4. Recent studies have shown that MCYST-LR, a hepatotoxic cyclic heptapeptide from Microcystis aeruginosa H" 23, activated phosphorylase a in the absence of changes in intracellular calcium or cAMP in intact hepatocytes ~8. Subsequently, MCYST-LR was shown to be a potent inhibitor of mammalian phosphorylase a phosphatases 16, suggesting that MCYST-LR-induced decrease in hepatic PrP activity accounted for the activation of phosphorylase a, Here, we report that MCYST-LR is also an inhibitor of Aplysia PrPs, being more potent than OA. Initially, we confirmed the biochemical effects of MCYST-LR on vertebrate PrPs. PrP-1 and PrP-2A were purified from rabbit skeletal muscle according to the
Foundations of the envelope-function theory for phonons in heterostructures.

A one-dimensional envelope-function model is developed for the treatment of long-wavelength optical phonons in InAs/GaSb and related superlattices. The long-wavelength model is derived from an exact envelope-function formalism that is fully equivalent to the standard force-constant model of discrete lattice dynamics. Two new interface-related terms appear in the analysis, neither of which is included in current phenomenological models for GaAs/AlAs superlattices. The first describes the change in reduced mass at the interface, and is important for both longitudinal and transverse vibrations; the second describes the change in the optical force constant at the interface, and is important primarily for transverse vibrations. A comparison of the continuum model with discrete calculations shows good numerical agreement for all long-wavelength modes, including those modes which are tightly bound to the interfaces.
Applications of water reuse technology for overwintering threadfin shad Dorosoma petenense at northern latitudes

Abstract Two indoor water reuse systems which incorporated biofiltration were used to overwinter threadfin shad Dorosoma petenense in southern Illinois (latitude 37° N) during the winters of 1980–1981 and 1981–1982. Initially, 26 964 and 11 500 threadfin shad were stocked into the two systems, respectively. Survival rates were 33% for the first overwintering period and 63% for the second. Ground Tetra-SM80, Silver Cup Salmon Starter and Silver Cup Salmon No. 1 were readily accepted by the fish. No disease problem was encountered for either overwintering period, but a nutrient deficiency was suspected among some of the 1981–1982 overwintered fish.
A schwannoma of the greater petrosal nerve located within the petrous apex and treated with stereotactic radiotherapy

A 26 year-old female experienced progressive left sided pulsatile tinnitus and conductive hearing loss for two years, which following an extensive clinical workup, was diagnosed as a left greater petrosal nerve schwannoma located within the petrous apex of the temporal bone. Between neurosurgical management and radiation therapy, multiple therapeutic options were presented to the patient, who ultimately chose stereotactic radiotherapy as an alternative to surgical resection due to the potential morbidity associated with surgery. The patient received three fractions of 600 cGy without subsequent worsening of her symptoms, new onset neurologic symptoms or radiation induced side effects reported at a 3, 6 and 12 month clinic visits. A follow-up MRI at 6 and 12 months post radiation administration demonstrated no further tumor growth.
Effects of bioreactor retention time on aerobic microbial decomposition of CELSS crop residues.

The focus of resource recovery research at the KSC-CELSS Breadboard Project has been the evaluation of microbiologically mediated biodegradation of crop residues by manipulation of bioreactor process and environmental variables. We will present results from over 3 years of studies that used laboratory- and breadboard-scale (8 and 120 L working volumes, respectively) aerobic, fed-batch, continuous stirred tank reactors (CSTR) for recovery of carbon and minerals from breadboard grown wheat and white potato residues. The paper will focus on the effects of a key process variable, bioreactor retention time, on response variables indicative of bioreactor performance. The goal is to determine the shortest retention time that is feasible for processing CELSS crop residues, thereby reducing bioreactor volume and weight requirements. Pushing the lower limits of bioreactor retention times will provide useful data for engineers who need to compare biological and physicochemical components. Bioreactor retention times were manipulated to range between 0.25 and 48 days. Results indicate that increases in retention time lead to a 4-fold increase in crop residue biodegradation, as measured by both dry weight losses and CO2 production. A similar overall trend was also observed for crop residue fiber (cellulose and hemicellulose), with a noticeable jump in cellulose degradation between the 5.3 day and 10.7 day retention times. Water-soluble organic compounds (measured as soluble TOC) were appreciably reduced by more than 4-fold at all retention times tested. Results from a study of even shorter retention times (down to 0.25 days), in progress, will also be presented.