cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A Processable Green Polymeric Electrochromic

We report electrochemical and optical properties of the first electrochemically and chemically prepared green, soluble conducting polymer in its neutral form. Oxidative electrochemical and chemical polymerization of dioctyl-substituted 2,3-di(thien-3-yl)-5,7-di(thien-2-yl)thieno[3,4-b]pyrazine (3b) results in a soluble polymer (4b) with novel optical properties. The neutral polymer 4b absorbs both blue (above 600 nm) and red light (below 500 nm), reflecting a saturated green color. In the oxidized form, these absorptions are depleted, resulting in a transmissive pale brown polymer with very strong absorption in the near-infrared. Electrochemical and spectroelectrochemical semiconductor band gaps of 4b were found to be ca. 1.3 eV. Molecular weight analysis showed that soluble polymers have different conjugation length from oligomers to polymers. Since the monomer 3b has low oxidation potential (0.48 V vs Ag/Ag+), mild oxidizing agents (i.e., CuCl2) initiate chemical polymerization. The oxidant/monomer rati...
Analysis of open-loop and closed-loop planning for aircraft collision avoidance

Open-loop planning has been a popular approach for developing aircraft collision avoidance systems. Open-loop planning computes a future plan to follow without anticipation of how future observations can affect the future course of action. Closed-loop planning, in contrast, takes into account the ability to react to future information. This paper explores trade-offs that exist between the two strategies as they apply to aircraft collision avoidance. It demonstrates some of the performance gains that can be realized by adopting a closed-loop planning strategy.
Risk factors for Alzheimer's disease: role of multiple antioxidants, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory and cholinergic agents alone or in combination in prevention and treatment.

The etiology of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is not well understood. Etiologic factors, chronic inflammatory reactions, oxidative and nitrosylative stresses and high cholesterol levels are thought to be important for initiating and promoting neurodegenerative changes commonly found in AD brains. Even in familial AD, oxidative stress plays an important role in the early onset of the disease. Mitochondrial damage and proteasome inhibition represent early events in the pathogenesis of AD, whereas increased processing of amyloid precursor protein (APP) to β-amyloid (Aβ) fragments (Aβ40 and Aβ42) and formation of senile plaques and neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) represent late events. We propose a hypothesis that in idiopathic AD, epigenetic components of neurons such as mitochondria, proteasomes and post-translation protein modifications (processing of amyloid precursor protein to β-amyloid and hyperphosphorylation of tau), rather than nuclear genes, are the primary targets for the action of diverse groups of neu...
Simple sensorless control technique of permanent magnet synchronous generator wind turbine

This paper proposes a simple technique to get maximum power of wind energy conversion system (WECS) without using sensors for wind and rotor speed of the permanent magnet synchronous generator (PMSG). It uses the measurements of DC current and DC voltage to obtain maximum power point tracking (MPPT) by controlling the duty cycle of the DC-DC boost converter switch. Moreover, a PI control is employed to control the output voltage and current of a single-phase voltage source inverter, which is used to connect the system to the grid. In this case, the active and reactive power can be controlled independently. Using the proposed technique to get MPPT requires only the measurements of DC current and DC voltage after the uncontrolled rectifier. From these measurements of the DC voltage and current, the DC power can be calculated easily and thus the MPP can be attained. Therefore the optimum value of the power coefficient of wind turbine (Cp) can be reached. Accuracy of this technique for getting MPPT is verified through simulation results.
Robust reliable control for time-delay systems with uncertainty

This paper investigates the problem of robust reliable control design for time-delay systems with uncertainty. The state feedback controller with time-delay was designed such that, for all admissible uncertainties as well as actuator and sensor failure, the system remains globally asymptotically stable, independently of the time delay. A numerical example is given to illustrate the efficiency of the proposed design method.
Families in a High-Tech Age Technology Usage Patterns, Work and Family Correlates, and Gender

This study analyzes a couple-level (N = 581), longitudinal data set of employees to provide evidence about technology use over time, the factors that predict use, and the potential for a spouse to influence an individual's use. Although longitudinal usage patterns suggest a trend toward adoption and use of e-mail, the Internet, cell phones, and pagers over time, this trend toward continuing use is stronger for some technologies (e-mail, the Internet) than for others (cell phones, pagers). Furthermore, correlates of use differ by gender and the type of technology used. Last, technology use tends to be an individual-rather than couple-level phenomenon, with one exception. In the case of cell phone or pager use, husbands’ past use influences wives’ use 2 years later.
GPU-Accelerated Feature Selection for Outlier Detection Using the Local Kernel Density Ratio

Effective outlier detection requires the data to be described by a set of features that captures the behavior of normal data while emphasizing those characteristics of outliers which make them different than normal data. In this work, we present a novel non-parametric evaluation criterion for filter-based feature selection which caters to outlier detection problems. The proposed method seeks the subset of features that represents the inherent characteristics of the normal dataset while forcing outliers to stand out, making them more easily distinguished by outlier detection algorithms. Experimental results on real datasets show the advantage of our feature selection algorithm compared to popular and state-of-the-art methods. We also show that the proposed algorithm is able to overcome the small sample space problem and perform well on highly imbalanced datasets. Furthermore, due to the highly parallelizable nature of the feature selection, we implement the algorithm on a graphics processing unit (GPU) to gain significant speedup over the serial version. The benefits of the GPU implementation are two-fold, as its performance scales very well in terms of the number of features, as well as the number of data points.
Effects of Variation and Prior Knowledge on Abstract Concept Learning

Learning abstract concepts through concrete examples may promote learning at the cost of inhibiting transfer. The present study investigated one approach to solving this problem: systematically varying superficial features of the examples. Participants learned to solve problems involving a mathematical concept by studying either superficially similar or varied examples. In Experiment 1, less knowledgeable participants learned better from similar examples, while more knowledgeable participants learned better from varied examples. In Experiment 2, prior to learning how to solve the problems, some participants received a pretraining aimed at increasing attention to the structural relations underlying the target concept. These participants, like the more knowledgeable participants in Experiment 1, learned better from varied examples. Thus, the utility of varied examples depends on prior knowledge and, in particular, ability to attend to relevant structure. Increasing this ability can prepare learners to learn...
Transactive Memory Systems, Learning, and Learning Transfer

Knowledge embedded in a group's structures and processes can be leveraged to create sustainable advantage for organizations. We propose that knowledge embedded with a transactive memory system (TMS) helps groups apply prior learning to new tasks and develop an abstract understanding of a problem domain, leading to sustained performance. We present a framework for understanding TMSs as learning systems that affect group learning and learning transfer, and we test the major outcomes of the framework in an empirical study. We found that groups with a prior TMS and experience with two tasks in the same domain were more likely to develop an abstract understanding of the principles relevant to the task domain-a critical factor for learning transfer in general. We did not, however, find strong support for our contention that a TMS facilitates learning transfer after experience with only a single task. Further examinations of our findings showed that the extent to which members maintained expertise across tasks influenced the degree of learning transfer, especially for groups whose members had previously developed a TMS with another group. Our findings show that a TMS has broader benefits beyond the task for which it first developed because a TMS affects members' ability to apply prior learning and develop a collective, abstract understanding of the task domain. More generally, our study demonstrates that TMSs influence group learning and learning transfer. We discuss our study's implications for practice and for TMS and group learning theories.
A visual specification model for evolutionary information systems

The paper presents an approach viewed from an application perspective to cope with changes in an evolutionary information system. It presents a visual specification design, change, and redesign. The VSM includes change management to make resolvable schema changes transparent for existing programs so the redesign or modification of the system can be avoided. It also provides change history to assist a designer in redesigning the specification when the change is unresolvable. >
Multiband Printed Meandered Loop Antennas With MIMO Implementations for Wireless Routers

Low-profile meandered loop antennas with multiple-input–multiple-output (MIMO) implementations that cover multiple communication bands for wireless routers and access points are presented. The antennas operate in the 4G LTE (699–798 MHz) band, UMTS (DCS/PCS) bands (1.7–2.0 GHz), WiMAX bands (2.3 and 3.5 GHz), and Wireless LAN bands (2.4 and 5 GHz) with ${ S}_{11} = - 6~$ dB matching criterion (VSWR 3:1). The two antenna designs are in 1 $\, \times \,$ 2 MIMO configuration. The antennas exhibit an omnidirectional pattern in these bands with reasonable gain and total antenna efficiency. The antennas also have low envelope correlation well below 0.5 dB. A prototype antenna was fabricated and tested for experimental verification. Both simulated and measured data are provided.
The variability of the Southeast Asian summer monsoon

In this article, we focus on the analysis of the climate variability of the Southeastern Asian Summer Monsoon (SEAM) region encompassing Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos and parts of southern China. This region is climatologically found to have one of the longest wet seasons in the Asian monsoon region (of nearly 160 d) and also exhibits one of the strongest interannual variations in the length of the monsoon (wet) season. The interannual variations of the length of the SEAM are characterized by corresponding variations in the onset and demise pentad dates of the wet season, with the former dominating slightly over the latter except over Myanmar. Our study reveals that the pentad of late onset of SEAM is characterized by anomalous increase in remote moisture source from Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea while a substantial decrease of moisture source from the near Andaman Sea and Gulfs of Martaban and Thailand. Furthermore, anomalously strong June–August Somali Jet is found to be associated with earlier than normal onset of the SEAM. Similarly, the pentad of late demise of the SEAM features excess moisture source from the South China Sea associated with a slow eastward withdrawal of the north Pacific subtropical high. We suggest on the basis of the findings of this study that careful monitoring of the onset the SEAM season will provide important information on the evolution of an ongoing SEAM. Likewise observing low level winds over the northern equatorial Indian Ocean, Bay of Bengal, Gulfs of Martaban and Thailand and South China Sea could be very useful in understanding the seasonal variability of the SEAM. Finally, monitoring of the demise would be equally helpful in characterizing the variation of the concluded SEAM as the length of the wet season seems to be a very robust climate feature of the region. © 2013 Royal Meteorological Society
The Late Stage of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Assembly Is an Energy-Dependent Process

Several recent studies have indicated the involvement of host cell factors in human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) assembly. To ascertain whether ATP-dependent factors play a role in this process, we quantified virus-like particle (VLP) production by ATP-depleted cells. Pharmacological ATP depletion abrogated VLP production without affecting cell viability or inducing degradation of HIV-1 Gag protein. This effect occurred even when the ATP-depleting agents were added 1 h into the assembly process, and it was reversed by removal of these agents. ATP depletion did not affect Gag membrane binding or multimerization. Density gradient analysis indicated that HIV-1 assembly intermediates were stalled late in the assembly process. This conclusion was further supported by electron microscopy analysis, which revealed a preponderance of plasma membrane-associated stalk-like structures in the ATP-depleted cells. Since no HIV-1 proteins bind or hydrolyze ATP, these findings indicate that an ATP-requiring cellular factor is an obligatory participant late in the HIV-1 assembly process.
Lattice theory of alkali halide solid solutions-I. Heat of formation

Abstract A statistical theory for the composition dependence of the heat of formation of alkali halide solid solutions has been developed on the basis of the substitutional impurity model of Dick and Das. Numerical results are presented for all pairs of binary alkali halide systems. Good agreement with experimental values is found over the entire composition range for seven out of eight systems for which experimental data are available. The overall agreement is better than for any of the previously developed theories of other authors.
Acid and particulate-induced aspiration lung injury in mice: importance of MCP-1

A model of aspiration lung injury was developed in WT C57BL/6 mice to exploit genetically modified animals on this background, i.e., MCP-1(−/−) mice. Mice were given intratracheal hydrochloric acid...
Lower prepulse inhibition in children with the 22q11 deletion syndrome

OBJECTIVE: The 22q11 deletion syndrome is associated with a range of possible physical anomalies, probable ongoing learning disabilities, and a specific constellation of neuropsychological deficits, including impairments in selective and executive visual attention, working memory, and sensorimotor functioning. It has been estimated that 25% of the children with 22q11 deletion syndrome go on to develop schizophrenia in late adolescence or adulthood. This is of urgent concern. Specification of early brain network vulnerabilities may provide a basis for early intervention while indicating critical links between genes and severe psychiatric illness. Neuropsychological studies of children with 22q11 deletion syndrome have implicated an array of potentially aberrant brain pathways. This study was conducted to determine whether preattentive processing (“sensorimotor gating”) deficits are present in this population. METHOD: The authors administered a test of prepulse inhibition to 25 children with 22q11 deletion ...
The Political Advantages of a Polysemous Secular

This paper uses the occasion of the Secular Coalition for America’s first-ever Congressional briefing as a case study for demonstrating the political advantages a polysemous secular affords secular lobbyists. The briefing, conducted primarily for the benefit of staff members from the U.S. House of Representatives, offers a rare public forum in which the Secular Coalition tried to strike a balance between the two halves of its mission: advocating for non-theists and promoting secular government. In its efforts to fulfill this mission, the Secular Coalition conflates and distinguishes between four distinct meanings of the secular and secularism: the separation of church and state, the secular public sphere, the ideology of nonbelief, and a nascent secular identity. By studying the ongoing efforts of secular activists to redefine the place and meaning of the secular and the religious in American life, this paper contributes to the study of how the secular gets made, who makes it, and why.
Case Revisited: in the Shadow of Automatic Processing of Machine-Readable Dictionaries

This paper discusses the work of automatexperiencer; if a person who uses this concept ically extracting Case Frames from Machinebelieves that seeing is a process of active selecReadable Dictionaries based on a three layer tion, then this person will assign to its subject, a posteriori Case Theory[5]. an active Case such as agent. The theory is intended to deal with two 3. c o n t e x t layer : in this layer, Cases problems: 1. To dynamically adjust grains of Cases. This is where a posteriori comes from. 2. To provide a procedure to determine Cases. This is where three layer comes from. The three layers are: 1. base layer: This layer is intended to accomplish transformations of words to concepts by explicating language and word specific implicants, e.g., for the verb eat in the intransitive case, its subject is eater, while for verb break in the intransitive case, its subject is the broken. 2. de fau l t layer: in this layer, implicit assumptions of naive theories are made explicit, e.g., for concept see, there are two different views towards its subject: if a person who uses this concept believes that seeing is just a process of passive perception, then this person will assign to its subject, a passive 1 Case such as
Faculty Integration of Technology into Instruction and Students' Perceptions of Computer Technology to Improve Student Learning.

A sample of at least 800 undergraduate students at a participating medium-sized midwest public university was selected using a stratified random sampling technique. The researcher delivered and administered the surveys to the participating students and collected them after completion. 98% of the questionnaires were complete and retained for analysis. Two major statistical techniques were used to analyze data obtained in the study: a multiple regression and a Two-Way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA). A statistically significant relationship was found between the three predictor variables and the criterion. The Two-Way ANOVA results indicated no interaction effect between gender and course levels, and students’ perceptions of the effect of computer technology use to improve their learning. The main effects of gender and course levels were not statistically significant. The results indicated that students lack computer skills in various computer applications that are necessary to support and enhance their learning experiences. Therefore, it can be suggested that students need to have direct instruction to efficiently use computer technology applications such as authoring and sophisticated hypermedia. These programs provide computer skills in advanced computer technology applications that will enable faculty members to expect more disciplinespecific computer-based projects such as developing a webquest in a web editor.
Fresnel-based beamforming for low-cost portable ultrasound

In this paper, we propose a modified electronic Fresnel-based beamforming method for low-cost portable ultrasound systems. This method uses a unique combination of analog and digital beamforming methods. Two versions of Fresnel beamforming are presented in this paper: 4-phase (4 different time delays or phase shifts) and 8-phase (8 different time delays or phase shifts). The advantage of this method is that a system with 4 to 8 transmit channels and 2 receive channels with a network of switches can be used to focus an array with 64 to 128 elements. The simulation and experimental results show that Fresnel beamforming image quality is comparable to traditional delay-and-sum (DAS) beamforming in terms of spatial resolution and contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) under certain system parameters. With an f-number of 2 and 50% signal bandwidth, the experimental lateral beamwidths are 0.54, 0.67, and 0.66 mm and the axial pulse lengths are 0.50, 0.51, and 0.50 mm for DAS, 8-phase, and 4-phase Fresnel beamforming, respectively. The experimental CNRs are 4.66, 4.42, and 3.98, respectively. These experimental results are in good agreement with simulation results.
Real-Time Performance and Middleware for Multiprocessor and Multicore Linux Platforms

An increasing number of distributed real-time applications are running on multicore platforms. However, existing real-time middleware (e.g., Real-Time CORBA) lacks adequate support for ensuring the timing constraints of soft real-time tasks on multicore platforms, and thus is dependent on (potentially inadequate) support from the underlying operating system. This paper makes three contributions to the state of the art in real-time system software for multicore platforms. First, it offers what is to our knowledge the first experimental analysis of real-time performance of vanilla Linux primitives on multicore platforms. Second, it presents MC-ORB, the first real-time object request broker (ORB) designed to address the nuances of multiprocessor (and especially multicore) platforms with a novel core-aware middleware thread architecture and allocation service for soft real-time tasks. Third, it evaluates MC-ORB's performance on a Linux multicore testbed, the results of which demonstrate its efficiency and effectiveness.
Hedge the Hedgers: Usage of Reinsurance and Derivatives by Property and Casualty Insurance Companies

This paper studies the usage of two common hedging tools, reinsurance and derivatives, by property and casualty insurance companies. In a simple mean-variance efficient optimization model, the two hedging tools display substitutive effect when asset and liability do not display strong natural hedging. I verify this relationship using a six-year insurance company firm-level data on reinsurance usage and off-balance sheet derivative trading recorded between 2000 and 2005. Controlling for firm specific variables, such as size, return and credit rating, such substitution effect indeed exists in the insurance companies' hedging decisions under a two-stage simultaneous equation framework.
Roots of almost decomposable operators

Abstract The author shows that, for an injective analytic function f , f ( T ) is almost decomposable iff T is almost decomposable, where T is a bounded linear operator on a Banach space and f ( T ) is defined by the functional calculus.
Assessment of Soil Constitutive Models for Numerical Analysis of Buried Concrete Pipe Systems

Notwithstanding the limitations of analytical procedures, the greatest error in currently available techniques for the analysis and design of soil-pipe systems, as well as most other problems involving soil-structure interaction, probably lies in the specification of material properties, especially those for the soil surrounding the pipe. Based on the premise that a continuum approach, as implemented by the recent development of the finite-element method and high-speed digital computers, offers the best hope for achieving major advances in our knowledge of soil-pipe interaction phenomena, the stress-strain behavior of the soil surrounding the pipe is usually considered to be one of the most important factors that affects the response of the system. Although a large variety of models have been proposed in recent years to characterize the stress-strain behavior of soils, all have certain inherent advantages and disadvantages which depend to a large degree on their particular application. This study is directed toward assessing qualitatively and quantitatively the relative merits and limitations of several of these models within the context of their use in the numerical analysis of soil-pipe systems involving reinforced concrete pipe.
Interframe hierarchical address-vector quantization

A new interframe coding technique is presented in this paper called Interframe Hierarchical Address- Vector Quantization (IHA-VQ). It exploits the local characteristics of a moving image''s motion compensated (via block matching) difference signals by using quadtree segmentation to divide each signal into large uniform regions and sm4ller highly detailed regions. The detailed regions are encoded by Vector Quantization (VQ) and the larger low detail regions are replenished from the previous image. IHA-VQ also exploits the correlation between the small blocks by encoding the addresses of neighboring vectors using several codebooks of address-codevectors. The IHA-VQ technique is applied to a test sequence of images in a computer simulation. The sequence was encoded at an average bit rate of 0. 607 bits per pixel (bpp). The Signal-to- Noise Ratio (SNR) averaged 39. 5 dB. By changing the quadtree segmentation parameter a much lower bit rate 0. 237 bpp is achieved for a lower SNR 37. 73 dB.© (1990) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
A simple method for regulating and monitoring circulating glucose levels.

Abstract We describe a method for controlling serum glucose levels in a variety of experimental conditions such as hyperinsulinemia with maintenance of fasting serum glucose levels and control of serum glucose concentrations of normal and diabetic subjects at preselected levels. The Ames TM Reflectance Meter (RM) was used for the frequent determination of the whole-blood glucose concentration (WBGC) in 7 normal subjects during continuous intravenous infusion of insulin. WBGC was measured at 2-minute intervals, and glucose was given intravenously as required to maintain a constant WBGC. Serum immunoreactive insulin levels were raised from 20 μU per milliliter to 95 μU per milliliter without a significant change in the serum glucose concentration (SGC), as measured by the AutoAnalyzer (AA). In a second study, the SGC of 6 normal and 7 diabetic subjects was kept at 125 mg. per 100 ml. for 3.5 hours. Hyperglycemia (250 mg. per 100 ml.) was maintained for 1.5 hours in the normal subjects by employing glucose infusions and measurements of the WBGC with the RM. The relationship between the WBGC measured by RM and the corresponding SGC measured by AA was evaluated and regression analysis revealed: SGC=1.27 (WBGC) − 15 mg. per 100 ml. ± 10 mg. per 100 ml. (S.D.). These results suggest that the RM may be useful in clinical investigations requiring rapid evaluation of blood glucose concentration.
Cell-matrix and cell-cell interactions modulate apoptosis of bronchial epithelial cells

Apoptosis is an important process maintaining cell number and tissue structure. To determine whether cell-extracellular matrix (ECM) and cell-cell interactions modulate apoptosis in bronchial epithelium, we cultured human bronchial epithelial cells in different conditions and evaluated the cells for apoptosis. We found that plating cells in conditions that prevent cell-ECM adhesion induced apoptosis. Plating cells on type I collagen, fibronectin, and biosynthesized matrix prevented apoptosis, due at least in part to integrin-mediated adhesion. When cells were cultured at high density but under conditions preventing cell-substratum adhesion, aggregation occurred. Apoptosis was inversely correlated with aggregation. Cell-cell adhesion in these conditions was mediated at least partly by integrins containing alpha v. Cell aggregation was not associated with activation of a signaling pathway that is usually activated by cell-ECM adhesion, phosphorylation of focal adhesion kinase, but was associated with Bcl-2 protein expression, consistent with the concept that Bcl-2 protects against apoptosis. We conclude that both cell-ECM and cell-cell interactions, likely mediated in part by integrins, modulate apoptosis in bronchial epithelium.
Probing the Relative Orientation of Molecules Bound to DNA by Second-Harmonic Generation

We develop a model to probe the relative orientation of two second-order polarizable daunomycin molecules that are intercalated into a DNA duplex using optical second-harmonic (SH) generation. The SH field generated by the daunomycin molecules interfere with each other. Because the interference depends on the relative orientation of the daunomycin molecules, we can control the interference by changing the number of base pairs separating them. The relative orientation changes as the number of base pairs separating them, multiplied by 36°, which is the twist angle between neighboring base pairs. In this paper, we derive a set of relationships between the relative angle of the molecules and the nonlinear susceptibility elements, and we calculate the SH field generated by the DNA/molecular-pair complex attached to an isotropic dielectric sphere. Calculations reveal that the SH intensity varies periodically with the relative orientation of the two chromophores in the plane perpendicular to the helical axis. The predicted periodicity is in close agreement with experimental results. Structural changes induced by foreign molecules binding to DNA will change the relative orientation of the two chromophores and thereby change the SH interference pattern. We discuss the potential of this SH interference method in providing a new way to probe structural changes induced by the formation of biomolecule complexes. An important feature of the method is that it is label-free, that is, the binding molecule, in this case, daunomycin, is not tagged.
A Look at Multiplicity Through Misclassification

Multiplicity in large scale studies using, for example, microarray genomic data and functional neuroimaging data, has been an extensively researched topic in recent years. One option often used by researchers in practice is a “top r-table”, which involves ranking the hypotheses in some order (p-values or test statistics) and reporting the top r results. This has immediate practical applications as what we have is a list of “interesting” results that are worth following up, irrespective of the actual p-value (adjusted or not). In this manuscript we take another look at multiplicity using top-tables. Our approach is intended to be a compromise between theory and practice. We look at the relationship between the probability of correct classification, which we call r-power (the units picked in the top-r table do indeed come from the alternative), and the value of r. We analytically define r-power in terms of order statistics and quantify the probability of correct classification. We use numerical integration to calculate r-power as a function of effect size, δ; the number of hypotheses tested, N; the number of hypotheses coming from the null, k; and r. Our results indicate that r-power is positively related to effect size, and negatively related to k/N. The relationship to r depends upon whether r<k. There are two possible uses of our results: based on a pre-chosen r-power we can calculate r and decide on the number of hypotheses to be followed up or if r is calculated using some other criterion we can use our method to calculate r-power in that context. We illustrate these ideas using examples from microarrays and functional magnetic resonance imaging data.
Graft Angle and Its Relationship to Tomato Plant Survival

Growing transplants that can withstand the rigors of open-field production is imperative for the successful adoption of grafting in large-scale commercial fields and especially for those who seek to adopt this technology as an alternative to soil fumigation. This study examines the relationship of tensile strength to graft angle and plant survival. Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) seedlings of 'FL-47' and 'Rutgers' were used as scions on 'Roma' rootstock under greenhouse and healing chamber conditions. Scions were grafted at angles of 208 ,4 58, and 708. After a period of 10 days, the plants were severed near ground level and subjected to pull force analysis. Pull force of the graft increased significantly with the increased graft angle. Pull force between the 208 vs. 708 angles increased significantly as well as those of 458 vs. 708 grafts (P £ 0.001). Increase in graft angle resulted in greater survival of grafted plants from 79% (208), 81% (458), and 92% (708).Fifteen commercialrootstocksgraftedat708hadsurvivalpercentage ratesbetween 97% and 100%. These studies demonstrate that the angle can significantly impact graft integrity and plant survival.
The Classical and Current Tragedy of Camelot

Musicals often escape serious criticism from drama scholars, but some bear close examination, and Camelot, for one, deserves analysis because it so perfectly resembles classic Greek tragedy; moreov...
Ontogeny of rabbit renal cortical NHE3 and NHE1: effect of glucocorticoids

The neonatal proximal tubule has a lower rate of bicarbonate absorption and Na+/H+ antiporter activity than the proximal tubule of adult animals. Two isoforms of the Na+/H+ antiporter have been localized to the proximal tubule. NHE3 is located on the apical membrane, whereas NHE1, the isoform found on most mammalian cells, is present on the basolateral membrane. The Na+/H+ antiporter isoforms that increase with renal maturation are unknown. The purpose of the present study was to examine the maturation of rabbit renal cortical NHE3 and NHE1 mRNA and protein abundance and to determine whether the rate of maturation of these isoforms was affected by glucocorticoids. Renal cortex from neonatal rabbits (1 wk) had approximately one-fourth the NHE3 mRNA and protein abundance as that from adult animals. Renal cortical NHE1 mRNA and protein abundance did not change significantly during maturation. Glucocorticoids have been shown to accelerate the maturation of neonatal bicarbonate absorption and apical membrane Na+/H+ antiporter activity. Daily subcutaneous administration of dexamethasone starting at 4 days of age (10 micrograms/100 g body wt) for 3 days and 2 h before being killed resulted in a twofold increase in NHE3 mRNA abundance and a threefold increase in NHE3 protein abundance. NHE1 mRNA and protein abundance were unaffected. These data show that there is selective maturation of NHE3 during renal cortical development, which can be accelerated by administration of glucocorticoids.
The enigmatic snowflake

Sometimes the simple things in nature can be the most puzzling. Take the humble snowflake, that familiar winter icon immediately recognizable by its beautiful structure and distinctive symmetry. One might think that the process whereby water vapour condenses into crystalline ice would be well understood. A closer look, however, reveals that even some very basic questions about how snow crystals form remain unanswered.
Aromatic Methoxylation and Hydroxylation by Organometallic High-Valent Nickel Complexes.

Herein we report the synthesis and reactivity of several organometallic NiIII complexes stabilized by a modified tetradentate pyridinophane ligand containing one phenyl group. A room temperature st...
Portable, Constriction-Expansion Blood Plasma Separation and Polymerization-Based Malaria Detection.

A portable, microfluidic blood plasma separation device is presented featuring a constriction–expansion design, which produces 100.0% purity for undiluted blood at 9% yield. This level of purity represents an improvement of at least 1 order of magnitude with increased yield compared to that achieved previously using passive separation. The system features high flow rates, 5–30 μL/min plasma collection, with minimal clogging and biofouling. The simple, portable blood plasma separation design is hand-driven and can easily be incorporated with microfluidic or laboratory scale diagnostic assays. The separation system was applied to a paper-based diagnostic test for malaria that produced an amplified color change in the presence of Plasmodium falciparum histidine-rich protein 2 at a concentration well below clinical relevancy for undiluted whole blood.
An Unexpected Interaction between Sofosbuvir/Ledipasvir and Atorvastatin and Colchicine Causing Rhabdomyolysis in a Patient with Impaired Renal Function

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection affects roughly 170 million people worldwide. Sofosbuvir/Ledipasvir (Sof/Led) is a new once daily direct acting antiviral combination pill that was approved in October 2014 for use in patients with HCV genotype 1 infection. Coadministration of Sof/Led is studied only with rosuvastatin which shows significantly increased level of drug and is associated with increased risk of myopathy, including rhabdomyolysis. There is no mention of such HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor interaction as a class, as pravastatin did not have any clinically significant interaction with Sof/Led. Other myotoxic drugs, including colchicine are not studied. We present a case of a serious drug interaction between Sof/Led and atorvastatin, in the background of CKD and colchicine use.
Modeling Unproductive Behavior in Online Homework in Terms of Latent Student Traits: An Approach Based on Item Response Theory

Homework is an important component of most physics courses. One of the functions it serves is to provide meaningful formative assessment in preparation for examinations. However, correlations between homework and examination scores tend to be low, likely due to unproductive student behavior such as copying and random guessing of answers. In this study, we attempt to model these two counterproductive learner behaviors within the framework of Item Response Theory in order to provide an ability measurement that strongly correlates with examination scores. We find that introducing additional item parameters leads to worse predictions of examination grades, while introducing additional learner traits is a more promising approach.
Isolated oculomotor nerve palsy after lumbar epidural steroid injection in a diabetic patient.

Background In patients with diabetes mellitus, epidural steroid injections (ESI) have been noted to cause significant elevation of blood glucose levels, typically lasting 1-3 days. Here, we describe a previously unreported complication of a diabetic third nerve palsy associated with an ESI. Case description A 66-year-old man with a history of coronary artery disease, hypertension, and insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus presented with low back pain and left lower extremity radiculopathy. The lumbar magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed mild spondylosis, most severe at the L4-5 level, accompanied by a broad based disc protrusion resulting in mild central and moderate biforaminal stenosis. The patient underwent a left-sided L4-L5 transforaminal ESI resulting in transient elevation of his blood glucose levels. On post-procedure day 2, he developed a frontal headache and a complete right third nerve palsy with partial pupillary involvement. The MRI and MR angiography (MRA) of the brain revealed no compressive lesions or oculomotor abnormalities. Ophthalmoplegia and pupillary dysfunction resolved spontaneously over 4 months. Conclusions Although rare, a history of a recent ESI should be considered as the etiology of an isolated oculomotor palsy in diabetic patients.
Simulating 3-D bone tissue growth using repast HPC: initial simulation design and performance results

Bone is one of the most implanted tissues worldwide. Bone tissue engineering deals with the replacement and regeneration of bone tissue; outcomes are determined by complex biological interactions, making it difficult to design an optimal tissue growth environment. Agent-Based Modeling (ABM) is a powerful tool to simulate such a system. We present a simulation of engineered bone tissue growth using the Repast HPC toolkit, an ABM tool for high-performance computing environments. We use this example to provide preliminary performance tests on new features (not yet publicly released) of Repast HPC that accommodate operations common to biological modeling: 3-Dimensional parallelized spatial simulation and diffusion in 3 dimensions. Repast HPC is a general ABM toolkit, and the performance documented here should be representative of performance on other simulations. Using the baseline Repast HPC tools provides flexibility for continued model development and improvement.
Activities Of Commonly Used Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors Against Wild-Type C-KIT and Potential Impact On Normal Hematopoiesis

The receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) c-KIT is important in early hematopoiesis, and impaired c-KIT activity is associated with abnormal erythroid and megakaryotic function in animal models. Several approved and investigational small molecule tyrosine kinase inhibitors have off-target activity against c-KIT, with resultant potential for hematopoietic toxicity. To investigate the association between c-KIT inhibition by TKIs and myelosuppression, we determined the inhibitory activity of a series of TKIs against c-KIT using immunoblot estimates of IC50 concentrations, and compared those results with the compounds’ effects on human hematopoiesis in progenitor cell assays. For this study, we used quizartinib, crenolanib, sorafenib, imatinib, pazopanib, and dasatinib. IC50s against FLT3 and c-Kit were established for each kinase with assays performed both in culture medium (RPMI/10%fetal bovine serum) and 100% human plasma. Colony formation assays with normal human bone marrow were performed in quadruplicate with clinically achievable levels of each drug, adjusting for plasma protein binding (and based on published pharmacokinetic data from plasma samples of human subjects). Out of the six TKIs studied, most showed limited to no inhibition of the formation of colony-forming unit-granulocyte macrophage (CFU-GM). Three TKIs, quizartinib, pazopanib, and dasatinib, demonstrated inhibition of burst-forming unit-erythroid (BFU-E) colonies. The highest doses of these drugs inhibited growth of BFU-E colonies by 30% versus untreated control. These same three drugs are also the most potent c-Kit inhibitors of this group, with IC50s of 35, 7.5, and 1.4 nM, respectively, in culture medium. The remaining TKIs, crenolanib, sorafenib, and imatinib, showed far less BFU-E inhibition, none inhibiting colony formation by more than 25%. These TKIs also had higher c-Kit IC50 values of 65, 395, and 122 nM, respectively. We conclude that c-KIT inhibition correlates with eythroid progenitor cell suppression in vitro, and that TKIs that achieve c-KIT inhibitory levels in vivo would be predicted to cause anemia. During clinical development of TKIs that have c-KIT inhibitory activity, attention should be paid to the therapeutic index between the targeted kinase (e.g., FLT3) and c-KIT, so as to avoid unnecessary myelosuppresive effects. Dose range determinations to spare c-Kit inhibition would lead to a decreased risk of disrupting normal hematopoiesis, making treatment far more manageable for these patients. Disclosures: Levis:Ambit Biosciences: Consultancy.
Taking latitude with ptolemy: Jamshid al-Kashi's novel geometric model of the motions of the inferior planets

The Almagest model of the motions of the planets is one of the monumental achievements in the history of science. Its ability to predict the locations of some planets to within a couple of degrees of their true positions centuries into the future would give even modern scientists pause; it reigned as the planetary paradigm for well over a millennium. Nevertheless a number of Muslim astronomers revised or even replaced it with various alternatives, designed not to improve its predictive success, but rather to correspond better to the requirement of uniform circular motion. Although Jamshid al-Kāshi came after many of these reformers, he did not follow them. Rather than overturning Ptolemy, he revised the planetary model and applied his prodigious mathematical skills to help it conform more closely to his conception of Ptolemy’s wishes. The most characteristic feature of a planet’s motion is its regular retrograde arcs, illustrated in Fig. 1 (the motion of Mars from May to December 2003). Ptolemy’s epicyclic model of Fig. 2 does a remarkable job of predicting the planet’s longitude, its position projected onto the ecliptic.1 However, as Fig. 1 makes clear, planets exhibit considerable motions above and below the ecliptic. A complete planetary theory must also incorporate these movements; thus, it must handle the planet’s latitude. Ptolemy attempted this in Book XIII, the last book of the Almagest, by tilting the deferent and epicycle out of the plane of the ecliptic, and setting them in back and forth motions in ways that he considered best suited to reproduce the phenomena (see Fig. 3). For the inferior planets Venus and Mercury he defined three effects. (i) The deferent circle is set in a bobbing motion, starting flat on the ecliptic when the epicycle is at points A and C, and reaching its maximum inclination when the epicycle is at B and D. The epicycle is itself tilted with respect to the plane of the deferent as follows: (ii) the first diameter,2 in the line of sight as seen from Earth, has zero tilt when the center of the epicycle is
236 : Computational model for mechanistic investigation of negative feedback in Interleukin-17 receptor signaling

IL-17 is a proinflammatory cytokine that promotes autoimmunity and protects against certain pathogens. Computational modeling of signaling pathways is a powerful tool to help understand the complexities of these dynamic processes. Here, we present a detailed computational model of signaling downstream of the Interleukin-17 receptor (IL-17R). To manage the complexity of the system we use a rule-based modeling approach, in which signaling proteins are modeled as structured objects and rules describe their biochemical interactions. The model includes 19 molecules and 46 reaction rules, which expand to a reaction network with 168 distinct chemical species – complexes and phosphoforms of the basic molecules – which are connected through a network of 5145 unidirectional reactions. The model is defined and simulated using the BioNetGen software. Dynamical behavior of the network is simulated using ordinary differential equations. This model encompasses major signaling components downstream of IL-17R, including the adaptor molecule Act1 and signaling intermediates TRAF6, TAB, TAK1, and IKK, which are activated through site-specific ubiquitination and phosphorylation. These components work in concert to activate NF- κ B, which in turn promotes the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines that are critical for controlling infections by extracellular pathogens. NF- κ B also promotes production of A20, a deubiquitinating enzyme that inhibits NF- κ B activation in multiple settings. We recently showed that A20 acts as a negative regulator of the IL-17 signaling pathway, and here by modeling A20 interactions with TRAF6 and IKK, we are able to recapitulate experimentally-observed oscillations in NF- κ B–dependent A20 expression at both the mRNA and protein levels. Further expansion of the model will enable us to develop and explore novel hypotheses about the role of A20 and other potential regulators of IL-17-mediated signaling.