cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Molecular Mechanism of NLRP3 Inflammasome Activation

The inflammasome is an intracellular multimolecular complex that controls caspase-1 activity in the innate immune system. NLRP3, a member of the NLR family of cytosolic pattern recognition receptors, along with the adaptor protein ASC, mediates caspase-1 activation via assembly of the inflammasome in response to various pathogen-derived factors as well as danger-associated molecules. The active NLRP3 inflammasome drives innate immune response towards invading pathogens and cellular damage, and regulates adaptive immune response. Here, we review identified agonists of the NLRP3 inflammasome and the molecular mechanism by which they induce NLRP3 inflammasome activation. Three signaling pathways involving potassium efflux, generation of reactive oxygen species, and cathepsin B release are discussed.
A maternal chemosignal maintains paternal behaviour in the biparental california mouse, Peromyscus californicus

Relatively little is known about the proximate mechanisms underlying paternal behaviour in mammals. Paternal behaviour in the biparental California mouse, Peromyscus californicus, is maintained during the first 3 days postpartum by the male's mate and by maternal excreta. Here, it is reported that (1) maintenance of paternal responsiveness is specific to the male's mate. Fathers exposed to excreta from their mates were significantly more likely to exhibit parental behaviour than fathers exposed to virgin or lactating female excreta, or no excreta. (2) Mere familiarity with a female was not sufficient to maintain paternal behaviour. (3) Maternal urine was sufficient to maintain paternal solicitude. Fathers given 100 μl of maternal urine on their nares twice a day were parental compared to fathers similarly exposed to distilled water. (4) The maternal urinary chemosignal(s) was contained in the volatile fraction of maternal urine.
A novel method of evaluating the impact of secondary brain insults on functional outcomes in traumatic brain-injured patients.

Objectives: Prior studies suggest that the emergency department (ED) occurrence of secondary brain insults (SBIs), such as systemic hypotension and hypoxia, worsens outcome in patients with traumatic brain injury. However, previous methods of assessing SBIs have been relatively crude, generally only determining the incidence and duration of events. The authors hypothesized that a new method that accounts for the cumulative depth and duration of SBIs would provide a more informative measure that better correlates with outcome. Methods: The authors developed a computer algorithm to calculate the total ‘‘dose’’ of an SBI (in this case, hypotension and hypoxia) as the area under the curve between a cut-point value and a measured vital sign over time. To test this method, the authors used an existing data set of head trauma patients for whom occurrence in the ED of any hypotension had been shown to be associated with in-hospital mortality. The authors applied the algorithm using the cut-point values from the prior study (systolic blood pressure #90 mm Hg and oxygen saturation #92%). The effects of SBIs on inhospital mortality and three-month Glasgow Outcome Scale score were evaluated. Results: Of 107 patients overall, 26 had hypotension (dose range 0.2–898 mm Hg min) and 40 had hypoxia (dose range 0.005–6.7% min). Moderate and high doses of hypotension were more strongly associated with outcome than the measures from the initial study (any hypotension and number of hypotensive episodes). Hypoxia had no effect. Conclusions: New methods of measuring SBIs that take into account depth and duration of episodes may more accurately reflect the influence of these events on outcome after head trauma. Key words: secondary brain insults; hypotension; hypoxia; traumatic brain injury; head trauma. ACADEMIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE 2005; 12:1–6.
A qualitative study of 369 child welfare professionals' perspectives about factors contributing to employee retention and turnover

Abstract A statewide qualitative study of personal and organizational factors contributing to employees' decisions to either remain or leave employment in child welfare is described. Of particular interest was identifying factors related to employee retention. Professional staff (n = 369) in a state public child welfare agency, representing all levels of the agency and regions of the state, participated in 58 focus group interviews comprising some 1200 person hours of data collection. Core findings of the results are presented and discussed in view of information from other recent child welfare workforce studies. Recommendations and implications of the results for policy and practice are described.
Text classification, business intelligence, and interactivity: automating C-Sat analysis for services industry

Text classification has matured as a research discipline over the last decade. Independently, business intelligence over structured databases has long been a source of insights for enterprises. In this work, we bring the two together for Customer Satisfaction(C-Sat) analysis in the services industry. We present ITACS, a solution combining text classification and business intelligence integrated with a novel interactive text labeling interface. ITACS has been deployed in multiple client accounts in contact centers. It can be extended to any services industry setting to analyze unstructured text data and derive operational and business insights. We highlight importance of interactivity in real-life text classification settings. We bring out some unique research challenges about label-sets, measuring accuracy, and interpretability that need serious attention in both academic and industrial research. We recount invaluable experiences and lessons learned as data mining researchers working toward seeing research technology deployed in the services industry.
Longitudinal Instabilities with a Non-Harmonic RF Potential

We consider the longitudinal instabilities of a bunched beam subject to a non-harmonic RF potential. Assuming the unperturbed bunch to be described by a Maxwell-Boltzmann distribution, our treatment is based upon the linearized Vlasov equation. The formalism developed is exact, and in particular, correctly describes the effect of the dependence on amplitude of the synchrotron oscillation frequency. We discuss the fast blowup limit, and extend Wang and Pellegrini's treatment of the microwave instability to include the case of a non-Gaussian bunch. Next, within the short bunch approximation, we derive the dispersion relation describing the Landau damping of the coupled bunch modes, resulting from the use of a Landau cavity.
Hiding role assignment in mission‐critical collaborative systems

SUMMARY In a mission critical collaboration system, a group of roles are assigned to computer nodes connected by a communication network. Role assignment is mission-critical information and needs to be protected. In this paper, we develop methods to effectively and efficiently protect the information of role assignment from traffic analysis, a passive attack. To measure the system security, we introduce a metric of detection probability, defined as the probability that a role assignment can be discovered. A heuristic greedy algorithm is given to minimize the resource consumption while guaranteeing a low detection-probability level. Our performance evaluation shows that the algorithm proposed in this paper performs well in terms of execution time and resource usage compared to an exhaustive search algorithm. We also propose to use additional means (e.g. additional nodes) to further increase the security level of a system at the cost of a mild resource consumption increase. Copyright  2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Effects of paraphrase and schema on intrusions, normalizations, and recall of thematic prose

The present experiment investigated the effects of task processing, historical knowledge of the subject matter, and retention interval on normalization rates, intrusions, and recall of thematic prose. Learners were given 16 sentences about the life and times of either Adolf Hitler or a fictitious character. Half the sentences were historically incorrect for Hitler but were not verifiable in terms of the fictitious character. Learners either paraphrased or copied the sentences verbatim and attempted to recall the sentences at either a zero retention interval or after 48 hours. Normalization and intrusion rates were strongly related to story type and retention interval, while overall sentence recall was influenced by processing task and retention interval. The results are discussed in terms of both the reconstructive schema model and the depth of processing hypothesis.
Isolation, Solubilization, Fractionation by Electrofocusing, and Immobilization of Skim Milk Membranes

Abstract A 300-nm pore diameter glycerolpropyl-glass matrix was used for chromatographic purification of vesicles of skim milk membrane. Electrofocusing of these membrane proteins solubilized in 1% polyoxyethylene-9-lauryl ether permitted resolution of activities of γ-glutamyltransferase, alkaline phosphatase, sulfhydryl oxidase, and xanthine oxidase. This resolution of activities indicates that these are separate and distinct enzymes, a conclusion that is contrary to previous arguments concerning sulfhydryl oxidase and γ-glutamyltransferase. The estimated isoelectric points were γ-glutamyltransferase (4.5), alkaline phosphatase (5.4), sulfhydryl oxidase (5.8), xanthine oxidase (5.6 and 7.3). Solubilized membrane proteins were able to penetrate pore diameters of 100nm, and some penetration occurred with 24nm pores. Therefore, it was possible to immobilize active sulfhydryl oxidase in solubilized membranes within the pore volume of porous glass beads, whereas activity in native skim milk membranes is immobilized only on the outer surface of these beads. These characteristics illustrate the principles of immobilization of membrane enzymes.
Influence of a poly-ethylene glycol spacer on antigen capture by immobilized antibodies

Abstract The use of spacers to distance an immobilized antibody from the surface of a support matrix introduces flexibility, which can reduce steric interferences between antibodies leading to a higher antigen capture efficiency. In this paper we investigated the use of a spacer molecule, poly-ethylene glycol (PEG), between the matrix surface and antibodies for the capture of Bacillus globigii , E. coli 0157:H7, and ovalbumin. The antigen capture efficiency was determined using a surface ELISA method. Antibodies against the antigens were covalently immobilized either directly or via PEG to glass surfaces using a one-step EDC reaction. The amount of antibody immobilized was determined before blocking the nonspecific binding sites with bovine serum albumin. Antibodies immobilized via a PEG spacer showed a higher capture efficiency compared to direct immobilization, which was more pronounced with large antigens. Antibodies immobilized on glass supports were stable at 65°C for at least 80 min, and the capture efficiency increased with heating at 65°C for 20 min.
Evaluation of a one-parameter flow analysis of cervical samples for gynecology cancer screening.

Abstract A total of 246 endocervical samples were collected for Papanicolaou staining and one-parameter flow cytometric DNA analysis (FCDA) using 4′,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole as a DNA stain. Typical histograms derived from FCDA analysis were designated class I, II, III, and V. Two groups of patients were studied: 135 women referred for colposcopy (COLPO), and 79 women exposed to diethylstilbestrol (DES). The remaining 32 samples were evaluated and found unsatisfactory. In the colposcopy group FCDA assigned 38 patients normal, 62 mild to moderate dysplasia, 33 moderate to severe dysplasia, and 2 carcinoma in situ and invasive carcinoma. Agreement of Pap smear and FCDA occurred in 56, 59, 72, and 100%, respectively. In the diethylstilbestrol group 57 patients were normal and 12 had mild to moderate dysplasia according to Pap diagnosis. Agreement between FCDA and Pap diagnosis were 45 and 58%, respectively. However, FCDA did not falsely assign severe dysplasia or carcinoma in situ to any DES patient. This preliminary study based on FCDA appears to clearly differentiate patients with normal Pap smears from those patients with invasive cancer.
Laser technologies for manufacturing of advanced materials and devices

As demand is growing for devices capable of performing new and increased numbers of operations within an ever shrinking physical volume the laser has become an increasingly important tool helping to overcome the limitations of conventional microfabrication techniques. In addition to classical applications of lasers such as via hole drilling, trimming or pulsed laser deposition of thin films, there have been new developments of laser-based technologies for the fabrication of advanced micro- and nano-devices. Of particular interest for optoelectronic and photonic applications is the potential of the laser for the fabrication of integrated and monolithically integrated photonic devices and circuits.
Diseases of the cecum: a CT pictorial review

Cecal pathology is commonly encountered and may represent a diagnostic challenge in patients with either acute or chronic clinical presentations. Although appendicitis accounts for the majority of surgical conditions presenting with right lower quadrant pain, readers should be aware of the broad spectrum of cecal pathologies and characteristic CT findings, which can be useful in establishing the correct diagnosis.
Allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis and Aspergillus infection in cystic fibrosis.

Purpose of reviewRecent literature on Aspergillus fumigatus infection and allergy in cystic fibrosis have expanded our understanding of many aspects of allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis, and bring new attention to A. fumigatus airways infection and A. fumigatus allergy without allergic broncho
Genomic selection in forest tree breeding: the concept and an outlook to the future

Using large numbers of DNA markers to predict genetic merit [genomic selection (GS)] is a new frontier in plant and animal breeding programs. GS is now routinely used to select superior bulls in dairy cattle breeding. In forest trees, a few empirical proof of-concept studies suggest that GS could be successful. However, application of GS in forest tree breeding is still in its infancy. The major hurdle is lack of high throughput genotyping platforms for trees, and the high genotyping costs, though, the cost of genotyping will likely decrease in the future. There has been a growing interest in GS among tree breeders, forest geneticists, and tree improvement managers. A broad overview of pedigree reconstruction and GS is presented. Underlying reasons for failures of marker-assisted selection were summarized and compared with GS. Challenges of GS in forest tree breeding and the outlook for the future are discussed, and a GS plan for a cloned loblolly pine breeding population is presented. This review is intended for tree breeders, forest managers, scientist and students who are not necessarily familiar with genomic or quantitative genetics jargon.
Project Management 2002

OVERVIEW:In the 13 years since Paul Klimstra and Joseph Potts offered readers of Research • Technology Management a view of the state of the art in managing R&D projects, a number of technological and behavioral developments have occurred that make it necessary to reconsider the current state of the discipline. This report considers some of the more significant changes and advances, and the current state of thinking in project management, based on a review of the literature and theoretical and empirical research from the decade of the 1990s. It encompasses the areas of risk management, scheduling, structure, project team coordination, control, and the impact of new technologies.
Controlled Release of Bone Growth Factors from Injectable, Biodegradable Polymer Scaffolds for Bone Tissue Engineering

The objective of this research is to fabricate injectable, polymeric composites that will act as scaffolds for bone ingrowth as well as carriers for the controlled release of bone growth factors. To that end, the injectable polyester poly(propylene fumarate) (PPF) was loaded with poly(DLlactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) microparticles carrying the model drug FITC-dextran. This preparation was then crosslinked with N-vinyl pyrrolidinone in the presence of benzoyl peroxide as initiator and sodium chloride (NaCl) as leachable porogen. The encapsulation of growth factors in microparticles is necessary to minimize their denaturation during scaffold crosslinking. PLGA microparticles (0.04 g microparticles/g PPF) were incorporated into PPF composites having variable NaCl weight percents (50 and 70 wt% NaCl) and the effect on FITC-dextran release kinetics was determined in vitro for cylinders of diameter 6.5 mm and height 13.0 mm. The FITC-dextran loaded microparticles alone exhibited a large initial burst effect, while the composite materials displayed a smaller burst effect and a longer linear region of release. At day 3, 54.6±2.1%, 5.1±0.9%, and 12.5±0.3% of loaded FITC-dextran was released into pH 7.4 phosphate buffered saline from the microparticles, the 50 wt% NaCl, and the 70 wt% NaCl composites, respectively. By day 28, 90.9±6.9%, 12.7±1.7%, and 34.4±0.4% of loaded FITC-dextran was released. Our results demonstrate that PLGA microparticles can be incorporated into PPF composites and that the release kinetics of FITC-dextran can be systematically manipulated through alteration of the composite initial salt content.
Pathogenesis and management of retrograde type A aortic dissection after thoracic endovascular aortic repair.

Background Retrograde type A aortic dissection is a feared complication of thoracic aortic endografting. The aim of this study was to review the incidence, etiology, and management of this life-threatening complication. Methods A retrospective analysis of the literature in the last 10 years was performed. Data on retrograde type A aortic dissection from this literature search, along with authors’ personal experience, provided the basis for this review. Results The incidence of retrograde type A aortic dissection ranges from 1.3% to 6.8%. In is most commonly associated with endografting of acute or chronic aortic dissection. Up to one third of patients will have this complication 3 months or later after the index procedure. Open surgical repair remains the “gold standard” for retrograde type A aortic dissection, although medical and endovascular approaches may be utilized in selected patients with prohibitive operative risk. Mortality remains high ranging from 20% to 57%. Potential etiologies of retrograde type A aortic dissection include aortic injury from catheter and wire or stent graft manipulation, poor perioperative antihypertensive control, inappropriate patient and device selection, aggressive balloon dilation, and stent graft oversizing. Conclusions Retrograde type A aortic dissection remains a deadly complication of thoracic aortic endografting. The high incidence of delayed type A aortic dissection underscores the importance of imaging follow-up in patients undergoing a thoracic endograft procedure.
Elevated ozone in the boundary layer at South Pole

Abstract Vertical profile measurements of ozone, water vapor, and meteorological conditions, as well as surface and tower measurements of these parameters during the 2003 Antarctic Tropospheric Chemistry Investigation (ANTCI) yielded their vertical (between the surface and 500 m) and temporal distribution in the boundary layer at South Pole (SP) during December 13–30, 2003. Ozone in the surface and lower planetary boundary layer above SP was frequently enhanced over lower free tropospheric levels. During stable atmospheric conditions (which typically existed during low wind and fair sky conditions) ozone accumulated in the surface layer to reach up to twice its background concentration. These conditions were correlated with air transport from the N–SE sector, when air flowed downslope from the Antarctic plateau towards the SP. These data provide further insight into the vigorous photochemistry and ozone production that result from the highly elevated levels of nitrogen oxides (NOx) in the Antarctic surface layer.
A Diagonal Tension and Failure Study of Stiffened Stitched Composite Panels

Two panels are constructed of a skin and J stiffeners which are stitched together as dry preforms from a unidirectional carbon fabric material, which is then impregnated with epoxy resin and cured by the Resin Transfer Molding (RTM) technique. The intended purpose ofthe skin and skin to stiffener stitching is for delamination resistance after impact damage. An important side benefit shown by the data in this study is increased post-buckling strength. A non-linear finite element model of the panel was constructed to determine the internal loads in the post-huckled state. A new failure criterion, the Yeh-Stratton criterion, was compared to five other popular theories of failure and found to very reasonably predict the failure. The basis for calculating the failure load was first ply failure, failure considering the average laminate stresses, and cumulative damage ply-by-ply failure scheme. The Yeh-Stratton criterion was also examined in conjunction with a traditional semi-empirical diagonal tension calculation which has its basis in the testing of many metallic panels and adapted for composites. The panel does not fail due to gross area stress, but to a stress concentration in the skin at the edge of the stiffener, which occurs because the stiffener does not pop off the skin as in conventionally bonded stiffeners, but is held to the panel with the stitching.
Automorphisms of codes with applications to extremal doubly even codes of length 48

General results on automorphisms of self-dual binary codes are given. These results are applied to the study of extremal self-dual doubly even binary codes of length 48 . The main theorem proved is that an extremal self-dual doubly even code of length 48 with a nontrivial automorphism of odd order is equivalent to the extended quadratic residue code. Interesting constructions of the binary extended Golay code as well as a conjecture about a possible connection between an extremal self-dual doubly even code of length 72 and an extremal quaternary code of length 24 arc yielded by techniques used in the proof.
Strategien zum Aufbau molekularer und polymerer Kohlenstoffallotrope

Das Leben auf der Erde beruht auf Verbindungen mit einem Kohlenstoffgerust. Bis zum heutigen Tage haben Chemiker die Welt der Biomolekule und Biopolymere um etwa 107 verschiedene synthetische Molekule und Polymere erweitert, deren Struktur ebenfalls von der Bildung stabiler CC-Bindungen abhangt. Obwohl die Stabilitat von CC-Bindungen seit uber hundert Jahren wohlbekannt ist, waren Graphit und Diamant bis vor kurzem die einzigen auf der Erde in makroskopischen Mengen verfugbaren und strukturell charakterisierten Kohlenstoffallotrope. Mit der Darstellung makroskopischer Mengen an Buckminsterfulleren C60 und an hoheren Fullerenen wie C70, C76, und C78 sowie der Erforschung der faszinierenden Eigenschaften dieser Kohlenstoffkugeln hat sich diese Situation inzwischen drastisch geandert. Im Laufe der kommenden Jahrzehnte wird der Entwurf, die Darstellung und das Studium neuer molekularer und polymerer allotroper Formen des Kohlenstoffs eine zentrale Stellung in der Chemie einnehmen. Dies wird zu einer wesentlichen Vertiefung unserer grundlegenden Kenntnisse uber die aus Kohlenstoff aufgebaute Materie fuhren und — wie die aktuelle C60-Forschung zeigt — vollig neue Perspektiven fur technologische Entwicklungen bieten. Dieser Artikel gibt eine ubersicht uber organisch-chemische Synthesestrategien fur ausschlieslich aus Kohlenstoff aufgebaute Molekule und Polymere, welche strukturell von den bekannten Graphit- und Diamant-Netzwerken und auch von den Fullerenen abweichen. Wir diskutieren auch die aktuelle Fullerenforschung, wobei wir besonderes Gewicht auf die Synthesestrategien legen wollen, welche zu den Fullerenen sowie deren ubergangsmetallkomplexen fuhren.
Evaluating data citation and sharing policies in the environmental sciences

The need to share and cite data is central to a scientific method that depends on verifiable results. Recent events in the field of environmental science underscore the need to hold researchers accountable for their claims and a desire amongst domain practitioners to make findings more widely accessible. The report that follows is a preliminary analysis of the data sharing and citation policies of three types of stakeholders in environmental science research: organizations funding work, journals publishing findings, and repositories archiving primary data. Our aim is to acquire a holistic view of the data sharing policies affecting environmental science researchers, in order to inform studies of the influence of these policies on scientists' data sharing behavior, and ultimately guide development of best practices. Our initial analysis found that an overwhelming majority of funding agencies, repositories and journals fail to provide explicit directions for sharing and citing data. Many policies are vague in their directions as to how data should be shared or archived, and how attribution should be noted for secondary data use. These results point to major gaps in data policy in the environmental sciences.
The nearest generalized doubly stochastic matrix to a real matrix with the same firstand second moments

Let T be an arbitrary n × n matrix with real entries. We explicitly find the closest (in Frobenius norm) matrix A to T, where A is n × n with real entries, subject to the condition that A is ''generalized doubly stochastic'' (i.e. Ae = e and eT A = eT, where e = (1,1,...,1)T, although A is not necessarily nonnegative) and A has the same first moment as T (i.e. e1T Ae1 = e1T Te1). We also explicitly find the closest matrix A to T when A is generalized doubly stochastic has the same first moment as T and the same second moment as T (i.e. e1T A2e1 = e1T T2e1), when such a matrix A exists.
Flexible resizing algorithms for video transcoding

Arbitrary spatial resizing of compressed video is a useful transcoding operation that can be used to match the video stream to a low bandwidth channel or to end user devices with a different resolution from that of the original source material. By performing this transcoding in the discrete cosine transform (DCT) domain the computational cost of the operation can be minimized. Our method modifies a recent approach to make it more general (the previous approach could only downsize by integer multiples of 1/8, while our approach removes this restriction and allows resizing by any rational fraction), efficient, and flexible (i.e. tradeoffs between computational cost and final quality can be made) while retaining the ability to downsize from an arbitrary supporting area (thus making the method useful for both intercoded and intracoded frames).
Explosive evolutionary radiations: Decreasing speciation or increasing extinction through time?

A common pattern in time-calibrated molecular phylogenies is a signal of rapid diversification early in the history of a radiation. Because the net rate of diversification is the difference between speciation and extinction rates, such “explosive-early” diversification could result either from temporally declining speciation rates or from increasing extinction rates through time. Distinguishing between these alternatives is challenging but important, because these processes likely result from different ecological drivers of diversification. Here we develop a method for estimating speciation and extinction rates that vary continuously through time. By applying this approach to real phylogenies with explosive-early diversification and by modeling features of lineage-accumulation curves under both declining speciation and increasing extinction scenarios, we show that a signal of explosive-early diversification in phylogenies of extant taxa cannot result from increasing extinction and can only be explained by temporally declining speciation rates. Moreover, whenever extinction rates are high, “explosive early” patterns become unobservable, because high extinction quickly erases the signature of even large declines in speciation rates. Although extinction may obscure patterns of evolutionary diversification, these results show that decreasing speciation is often distinguishable from increasing extinction in the numerous molecular phylogenies of radiations that retain a preponderance of early lineages.
MERCURY IN BALD EAGLE NESTLINGS FROM SOUTH CAROLINA, USA

Bald eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) may be at risk from contaminants in their diet and young birds may be particularly sensitive to contaminant exposure. To evaluate potential risks from dietary mercury exposure to eagle nestlings in South Carolina (USA), we surveyed mercury concentrations in 34 nestlings over two breeding seasons (1998 and 1999). Samples were also obtained from several post-fledging eagles in the region. Nestling feather mercury ranged from 0.61–6.67 μg Hg/g dry weight, nestling down mercury from 0.50–5.05 μg Hg/g dry weight, and nestling blood mercury from 0.02–0.25 μg Hg/g wet weight. We did not detect significant differences in tissue mercury between nestlings from coastal and inland regions in contrast to some other studies of piscivorous birds. Mercury concentrations were much higher in the post fledging birds we sampled. Our data show that nestling eagles in South Carolina are accumulating mercury, and that concentrations in older birds may exceed regulatory guidelines.
Use of GPU computing for uncertainty quantification in computational mechanics: A case study

Graphics processing units GPUs are rapidly emerging as a more economical and highly competitive alternative to CPU-based parallel computing. As the degree of software control of GPUs has increased, many researchers have explored their use in non-gaming applications. Recent studies have shown that GPUs consistently outperform their best corresponding CPU-based parallel computing alternatives in single-instruction multiple-data SIMD strategies. This study explores the use of GPUs for uncertainty quantification in computational mechanics. Five types of analysis procedures that are frequently utilized for uncertainty quantification of mechanical and dynamical systems have been considered and their GPU implementations have been developed. The numerical examples presented in this study show that considerable gains in computational efficiency can be obtained for these procedures. It is expected that the GPU implementations presented in this study will serve as initial bases for further developments in the use of GPUs in the field of uncertainty quantification and will i aid the understanding of the performance constraints on the relevant GPU kernels and ii provide some guidance regarding the computational and the data structures to be utilized in these novel GPU implementations.
Facile Synthesis of Branched Au Nanostructures by Templating Against a Self-Destructive Lattice of Magnetic Fe Nanoparticles

This paper reports the demonstration of a reactive, self-destructive template for the facile synthesis of branched Au nanostructures. The template is a three-dimensionally porous lattice of uniform, magnetic Fe nanoparticles self-assembled in situ on the surface of a magnetic stir bar. Upon introduction of AuCl, Au atoms are formed in the voids among Fe nanoparticles due to the galvanic replacement reaction between Fe and Au+. The Au atoms then nucleate and grow into branched nanostructures under the confinement of Fe nanoparticles. As the replacement proceeds, Fe is consumed to gradually reduce the sizes and magnetic moments of the Fe nanoparticles. At a certain stage of the reaction, the template starts to fall apart to automatically release the branched Au nanostructures. We can routinely obtain Au multipods as pure samples via selective dissolution of the remaining Fe nanoparticles with sulfuric acid. The as-prepared Au multipods show strong absorption in the near infrared region and exhibit distinctive oxidative etching behaviors in different acidic solutions due to the presence of crystal defects and lattice distortions.
Influences on intention to reduce dietary intake of fat and sugar

Abstract A theoretical understanding of factors influencing nutrition behavior can potentially enhance the effectiveness of educational strategy design. This cross-sectional study used the Ajzen and Fishbein theory of reasoned action to examine specific factors influencing intentions to reduce dietary intake of fat and sugar (“dieting”). A questionnaire was developed to measure belief, value and social influences on intention to reduce fat and sugar intake; the behavioral intention (BI) to reduce fat and sugar intake; and current self-reported fat and sugar restriction. The subjects were university health and non-health majors. Regression analysis revealed that both subjective norms and attitudes toward the behavior predicted the subject's intention to reduce fat and sugar intake. For health majors, the attitude toward the behavior was more influential in predicting BI; for the non-health majors, the subjective norm was more important. Those reporting current restriction of fat and sugar intake also had significantly more positive behavioral beliefs about health benefits than those not reporting restriction. Implications for the development of educational programs include the importance of identifying primary motivational factors (attitudes or social influences), and specific belief and value perceptions for intervention in targeted populations.
Selective Signaling by Akt1 Controls Osteoblast Differentiation and Osteoblast-Mediated Osteoclast Development

Maintaining optimal bone integrity, mass, and strength throughout adult life requires ongoing bone remodeling, which involves coordinated activity between actions of bone-resorbing osteoclasts and bone forming-osteoblasts. Osteoporosis is a disorder of remodeling in which bone resorption outstrips deposition, leading to diminished bone mass and an increased risk of fractures. Here we identify Akt1 as a unique signaling intermediate in osteoblasts that can control both osteoblast and osteoclast differentiation. Targeted knockdown of Akt1 in mouse primary bone marrow stromal cells or in a mesenchymal stem cell line or genetic knockout of Akt1 stimulated osteoblast differentiation secondary to increased expression of the osteogenic transcription factor Runx2. Despite enhanced osteoblast differentiation, coupled osteoclastogenesis in Akt1 deficiency was markedly inhibited, with reduced accumulation of specific osteoclast mRNAs and proteins and impaired fusion to form multinucleated osteoclasts, defects secondary to diminished production of receptor activator of NF-κB ligand (RANKL) and macrophage colony-stimulating factor (m-CSF), critical osteoblast-derived osteoclast differentiation factors. Delivery of recombinant lentiviruses encoding Akt1 but not Akt2 to Akt1-deficient osteoblast progenitors reversed the increased osteoblast differentiation and, by boosting accumulation of RANKL and m-CSF, restored normal osteoclastogenesis, as did the addition of recombinant RANKL to conditioned culture medium from Akt1-deficient osteoblasts. Our results support the idea that targeted inhibition of Akt1 could lead to therapeutically useful net bone acquisition, and they indicate that closely related Akt1 and Akt2 exert distinct effects on cellular differentiation pathways.
Surface features and alteration products of natural zirconolite leached in silica-saturated solutions

Zirconolite, CaZrTi 2 O 7 , has been proposed as an immobilization phase for the disposition of excess weapons Pu and other actinides (e.g., 235 U). Due to actinide incorporation, zirconolite is expected to sustain α-decay event damage and become aperiodic (=metamict) over time. The leaching behavior of metamict zirconolite is, therefore, of interest. Because groundwater in a variety of geologic settings contains up to saturation concentrations of silicic acid, H 4 SiO 4 , silica-saturated solutions were used. Natural, metamict (> 10 26 α-decay events per mn 3 ) zirconolite grains, nominally (Ca, Th)ZrTi 2 O 7 (U.S. National Museum sample #B20392, Walawada, Sri Lanka) were leached in two separate silica-saturated solutions at 150 °C for 60 days. Surface features and alteration products were examined using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and quantitative energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). Secondary electron (SEI) images of the surfaces of the leached grains from both experiments revealed pores, probably due to the accumulation of He-bubbles from α-decay events, of approximately 4% as estimated by contrast enhanced gray-scale analysis of digital images. SEI of the zirconolite surface before leaching showed a smooth surface. The pores not only increase the surface area of the metamict zirconolite, but also act as nucleation sites for alteration phase growth. One experiment was conducted in a silica-saturated solution containing approximately 100 ppm P as measured by atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS). The main alteration phase was euhedral, monoclinic cheralite, (Th, Ca, Ce)(P, Si)O 4 (monazite group). The second experiment was conducted in the absence of P. The main alteration phase was subhedral cubic thorianite, ThO 2 .
Just Doing What They Gotta Do Single Black Custodial Fathers Coping With the Stresses and Reaping the Rewards of Parenting

For single African American custodial fathers, parenting stress is exacerbated by the cultural expectation that Black fathers are “normally” absent and by the clustering of stresses that Black men are more likely to encounter. This sample of African American fathers have used a repertoire of problem-focused and cognitive coping strategies, including some that are frequently considered “culturally specific.” Twenty Black single custodial fathers are interviewed and their narratives are analyzed for concepts and thematic categories related to stress and coping. Their narratives indicate that certain strategies are avoided because (a) these strategies are not available to them and (b) they desire to present themselves as independent and competent, thus resisting stereotypes and building a sense of efficacy.
Cultural polarization and the role of extremist agents: a simple simulation model

Cultural dynamics can be heavily influenced by extremists. To better understand this influence, temporal dynamics of an arbitrary cultural belief are simulated in a simple computational model. Extremist agents, holding an immutable and extreme belief, are used to examine the process of polarization --- adoption of the extremist belief by the entire population. Two possible methods of counteracting polarization are examined, removal of the extremist agent and introducing a counter-extremist which holds an immutable belief at the opposite extreme. Eliminating the extremist agent is only effective at the onset of cultural transition, while introducing a counter-extremist is effective at any time and will lead to a dynamic intermediate belief. Finally, a parameter governing the society's willingness to adopt new beliefs is varied. As it decreases, extremist agents are unable polarize a society. Instead the population breaks permanently into two or more belief groups. The study closes with a possible pathway for extremists to nevertheless polarize a society not open to new beliefs.
Role of Surface Adsorption in the Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering and Electrochemical Detection of Neurotransmitters

The strength of the analyte–substrate interaction is a key component when evaluating the observed enhancements in surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) detection. By performing Raman and electrochemical measurements on a series of neurotransmitters, including dopamine, serotonin, norepinephrine, and epinephrine, as well as catechol as it allows us to examine the diol moiety without the side chains present, we were able to correlate surface chemistry with the measured SERS signal and examine the oxidation mechanism of each analyte. Finite element simulations of fluid flow, mass transport, and Langmuir adsorption to a surface in a microchannel were used to expand on the experiments. By holding kads constant and changing kdes, Keq was varied systematically to elucidate how the adsorption kinetics change for different molecular adsorbates. The modeling indicates that the largest surface concentration is observed from the analyte with the strongest affinity for the surface in both the continuous flow and ti...
A colorimetric proton sponge.

1,8-Bis(dimethylamino)naphthalene (“Proton Sponge”) and bromomaleic anhydride react quickly at room temperature, generating 3-(4,5-bis(dimethylamino)napthalen-1-yl)furan-2,5-dione (4-maleicanhydridoproton sponge or “MAPS”). MAPS is a deep purple solid that exhibits positive solvatochromism in solution. It is a weaker base than Proton Sponge. When protonated in solution, MAPS loses its color, but the color change can be reversed by deprotonation with a stronger base. MAPS thus acts as a colorimetric version of a proton sponge.
Notes on the Biology of Anisodactylus sanctaecrucis, a Ground Beetle of Cropland

Anisodactylus sanctaecrucis F., a carabid commonly found in cropland in South Dakota, is transamerican in distribution and prefers moist soil. Adults are active in the field from spring thaws to late Sept. The mean developmental period takes ca. 40 days. New-generation adults overwinter before ovipositing, and females are known to produce eggs for as many as 3 yr.
Self-aligned growth of single-walled carbon nanotubes using optical near-field effects

By applying optical near-field effects in a laser-assisted chemical vapor deposition (LCVD) process, self-aligned growth of ultra-short single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) was realized in a well controlled manner at a relatively low substrate temperature due to the nanoscale heating enhancement induced by the optical near-field effects. Bridge structures containing single suspending SWNT channels were successfully fabricated. Ultra-sharp tip-shaped metallic electrodes were used as optical antennas in localizing and enhancing the optical fields. Numerical simulations using High Frequency Structure Simulator (HFSS) reveal significant enhancement of electrical fields at the metallic electrode tips under laser irradiation, which induces localized heating at the tips. Numerical simulations were carried out to optimize SWNT growth conditions, such as electrode tip sharpness and film thickness, for maximal enhancement of electrical near field and localized heating.
Chromosome Anomalies Suggestive of Malignant Transformation in Bilateral Renal Oncocytoma

AbstractA patient with bilateral renal oncocytoma is presented, and the clinical, radiological and pathological characteristics of this uncommon, clinically benign renal tumor are discussed briefly. Chromosomal analysis studies revealed the following clonal abnormalities: trisomy of chromosome 7, and monosomy of chromosomes 3 and 14, and the X chromosome. A possible clonal abnormality of chromosome 10 and 3 nonclonal anomalies also were identified. The same anomalies were present in both tumors. These karyotypic anomalies are compatible with malignant transformation of the cells of these tumors and, since benign tumors rarely are associated with demonstrable cytogenetic changes, they suggest that oncocytoma, although clinically benign, may have malignant potential.
BCR/ABL-Negative Primitive Progenitors Suitable for Transplantation Can Be Selected From the Marrow of Most Early-Chronic Phase But Not Accelerated-Phase Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia Patients

We have previously reported that selection of marrow cells on the basis of the CD34+HLA-DR- phenotype (34+DR-) may result in the recovery of Philadelphia chromosome (Ph)- and BCR/ABL-negative long-term culture- initiating cells (LTC-IC) in selected patients with chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML). We now present data on 27 early chronic-phase ([ECP] studied within 1 year after diagnosis) and 23 advanced-phase ([AP] late chronic phase, ie, studied >1 year from diagnosis, or accelerated phase) CML patients. Fluorescence-activated call-sorting (FACS)- selected 34+DR- and 34+DR+ cells were subjected to reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction and fluorescence in situ hybridization. These cells were also cultured in long-term bone marrow culture for 1 to 5 weeks to examine the number of LTC-IC and the presence or absence of the BCR/ABL gene rearrangement in progeny of primitive LTC-IC. The number of 34+DR- cells and LTC-IC present in ECP CML marrow was similar to that in normal (NL) marrow, whereas the numbers were reduced in AP CML. Furthermore, 34+DR- cells from more than 80% of ECP CML patients were BCR/ABL mRNA- and Ph-negative and contained only BCR/ABL mRNA- and Ph-negative LTC-IC, whereas 34+DR- cells and LTC-IC from less than 40% of AP CML patients were BCR/ABL mRNA- and Ph-negative. In contrast to NL marrow, 34+DR+ cells from CML marrow, irrespective of clinical stage, contained large numbers of LTC- IC. CML 34+DR+ cells and LTC-IC were BCR/ABL mRNA- and Ph-positive. Since these studies suggested that a population of primitive progenitors that are Ph-negative can be selected from steady-state marrow in some ECP CML patients, we determined if similar results could be obtained when large quantities of marrow sufficient for transplantation are processed. We demonstrate that 1 to 3 x 10(5) BCR/ABL mRNA-negative 34+DR- cells/kg recipient body weight, containing only BCR/ABL mRNA-negative LTC-IC, can be obtained from a 2- to 2.5-L marrow collection by sequential COBE Spectra apheresis (COBE BCT, Lakewood, CO), CD34+ enrichment using the CEPRATE SC Cell-Concentrator (CellPro, Bothell, WA), and high-speed FACS. Thus, large-scale selection of a BCR/ABL mRNA- and Ph-negative 34+DR- cell population is possible in a fraction of chronic-phase CML patients, in whom these cells could be used to reconstitute the hematopoietic compartment following autologous transplantation.
Interventional radiology for the control and prevention of bleeding

Percutaneous treatment of patients with variceal hemorrhage began with transhepatic variceal embolization. These procedures proved to be ineffective as the absolute portal pressure remained elevated and varices recanalized with subsequent rebleeding. Transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunts (TIPS) promised the ability to effectively decompress the portal system without the need for general anesthesia. Initial enthusiasm for the procedure has waned as intrahepatic shunt durability proved to be less than adequate. Although it remains a powerful tool, TIPS is not a first line treatment for patients with variceal bleeding.