cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Experimental Assessment of Gradual Deformation Method

Uncertainty in future reservoir performance is usually evaluated from the simulated performance of a small number of reservoir realizations. Unfortunately, most of the practical methods for generating realizations conditional to production data are only approximately correct. It is not known whether or not the recently developed method of Gradual Deformation is an approximate method or if it actually generates realizations that are distributed correctly. In this paper, we evaluate the ability of the Gradual Deformation method to correctly assess the uncertainty in reservoir predictions by comparing the distribution of conditional realizations for a small test problem with the standard distribution from a Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) method, which is known to be correct, and with distributions from several approximate methods. Although the Gradual Deformation algorithm samples inefficiently for this test problem and is clearly not an exact method, it gives similar uncertainty estimates to those obtained by MCMC method based on a relatively small number of realizations.
Effect of ethanol on fatty acid composition of hepatic phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylethanolamine and on microsomal fatty acyl-CoA: lysophosphatide transferase activities in rats fed corn oil or coconut oil.

Abstract 1. 1. More unsaturated fatty acid was present in hepatic triglyceride, phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylethanolamine in rats fed corn oil than in those fed coconut oil. 2. 2. In corn oil-fed rats, ethanol increased the relative amounts of unsaturated fatty acids in hepatic triglyceride and phosphatidylcholine without altering their proportion in phosphatidylethanolamine. 3. 3. In coconut oil-fed rats, ethanol increased the relative amount of saturated fatty acids in hepatic triglyceride, but failed to change the proportion of saturated fatty acids in phosphatidylcholine or phosphatidylethanolamine. 4. 4. Transferase activity in rat liver microsomes was assayed using CoA derivatives of palmitic, stearic, oleic, linoleic and arachidonic acids as fatty acyl donors and α- and β-lysophosphatidylcholine and α- and β-lysophosphatidylethanolamine as fatty acyl acceptors. Markedly increased rates of transfer of unsaturated fatty acids onto α-lysophosphatidylcholine and diminished rates of transfer of saturated fatty acids onto β-lysophosphatidylcholine were observed in ethanol-treated rats fed corn oil. Ethanol failed to produce similar changes in rats fed coconut oil, however, suggesting that the fatty acid composition of dietary triglyceride modified the response of these acyltransferases to ethanol. 5. 5. Ethanol increased slightly the rates of transfer of both saturated and unsaturated fatty acids onto α-lysophosphatidylethanolamine in rats fed corn oil, but had little effect on the transfer of fatty acids onto (3-lysophosphatidylethanolamine. 6. 6. These effects of ethanol on in vitro acyltransferase activities correlate with changes in the saturated and unsaturated fatty acid composition of phosphatidylcholine, as well as the lack of change of phosphatidylethanolamine, in ethanol-treated rats.
A Multipolicy Authorization Framework for Grid Security

A grid system is a virtual organization that is composed of several autonomous domains. Authorization in such a system needs to be flexible and scalable to support multiple security policies. Basing on the Web services security specifications such as XACML, SAML, and the special security needs of the grid computing, we have constructed an authorization framework in the Globus Toolkit 4 that can support multiple policies. This paper describes the concepts of our design and introduces the structure and the components of the authorization framework. To show the flexibility and scalability of the framework, we introduce a new blacklist/whitelist-based authorization mechanism that can be seamlessly integrated into the framework
Addressing Common Method Variance: Guidelines for Survey Research on Information Technology, Operations, and Supply Chain Management

Common method variance (CMV) is the amount of spurious correlation between variables that is created by using the same method-often a survey-to measure each variable. CMV may lead to erroneous conclusions about relationships between variables by inflating or deflating findings. We analyzed recent survey research in IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management, Journal of Operations Management, and Production and Operations Management to assess if and how scholars address CMV. We found that two-thirds of the relevant articles published between 2001 and 2009 did not formally address CMV, and many that did address CMV relied on relatively weak remedies. These findings have troubling implications for efforts to build knowledge within information technology, operations and supply chain management research. In an effort to strengthen future research designs, we provide recommendations to help scholars to better address CMV. Given the potentially severe effects of CMV, authors should apply the recommended CMV remedies within their survey-based studies, and reviewers should hold authors accountable when they fail to do so.
A fiber-coupled laser hygrometer for airborne total water measurement

Abstract. The second-generation University of Colorado closed-path tunable-diode laser hygrometer (CLH-2) is an instrument for the airborne in situ measurement of total water content – the sum of vapor-, liquid- and ice-phase water – in clouds. This compact instrument has been flown on the NSF/NCAR Gulfstream-V aircraft in an underwing canister. It operates autonomously and uses fiber-coupled optics to eliminate the need for a supply of dry compressed gas. In operation, sample air is ingested into a forward-facing sub-isokinetic inlet; this sampling configuration results in particle concentrations that are enhanced relative to ambient and causes greater instrument sensitivity to condensed water particles. Heaters within the inlet vaporize the ingested water particles, and the resulting augmented water vapor mixing ratio is measured by absorption of near-infrared light in a single-pass optical cell. The condensed water content is then determined by subtracting the ambient water vapor content from the total and by accounting for the inertial enhancement of particles into the sampling inlet. The CLH-2 is calibrated in the laboratory over a range of pressures and water vapor mixing ratios; the uncertainty in CLH-2 condensed water retrievals is estimated to be 14.3% to 16.1% (1-σ). A vapor-only laboratory intercomparison with the first-generation University of Colorado closed-path tunable-diode laser hygrometer (CLH) shows agreement within the 2-σ uncertainty bounds of both instruments.
Radial motion of bubble domain boundary

Previous theories of the kinetic aspects of domain wall motion were based on one-dimensional solutions of the Landau-Lifshitz equation. Our recently derived [1,2] equations of motion for a curved wall in three-dimensional space are particularly applicable to bubble Films. We found [3,4] that the stray magnetic field emanating from divergence at the film surfaces destabilizes uniform motion of the domain wall at a critical velocity V p much smaller than Walker's limit.
Nonvolatile repair caches repair embedded SRAM and new nonvolatile memories

Nonvolatile repair caches require less area than traditional row, column, or block redundancy schemes, to repair random defective memory cells in deep submicron embedded SRAMs and new nonvolatile memories such as FeRAM, MRAM, and OUM. Small memories with few defects can be repaired efficiently in real time by the direct mapped nonvolatile repair cache whereas large memories with many defects can be repaired more effectively and in real time by the N way set associative repair cache. An 8 way set associative repair cache was implemented in the Texas Instruments-Agilent Technologies 64 Mbit FeRAM chip.
Discovery of ultrahigh-temperature metamorphism in the Acadian orogen, Connecticut, USA

We report the discovery of granulite facies gneisses that attained ultrahigh temperatures (UHT) above those predicted by typical models of conductive thermal relaxation of over-thickened crust during exhumation. The rocks, which form part of the Acadian (Devonian) metamorphic belt in Connecticut (United States), reached ∼1000 °C and minimum pressures of ∼1 GPa based on Zr-in-rutile thermometry, ternary feldspar compositions, and pseudosection analysis. This is the first regional UHT locality in the United States of which we are aware, and one of relatively few post-Gondwana assembly UHT localities known worldwide. The UHT metamorphism requires heretofore unrecognized contributions to the regional thermal budget. Some possibilities include rapid exhumation from the mantle, underthrusting of extremely radiogenic crust, mechanical strain heating, asthenospheric upwelling, and/or heat input from mantle-derived magmas. The rocks are fairly ordinary looking in outcrop, raising the possibility that other UHT domains remain undiscovered in the orogen.
Victims in the Village: Aspects of Restorative Justice on Papua New Guinea

In the villages of Vanimo West Coast, Papua New Guinea, restorative justice processes continue to adhere to traditional practices and beliefs. To a great extent the modern concept of restorative ju...
T Cell Receptor-induced Activation and Apoptosis In Cycling Human T Cells Occur throughout the Cell Cycle

Previous studies have found conflicting associations between susceptibility to activation-induced cell death and the cell cycle in T cells. However, most of the studies used potentially toxic pharmacological agents for cell cycle synchronization. A panel of human melanoma tumor-reactive T cell lines, a CD8+ HER-2/neu-reactive T cell clone, and the leukemic T cell line Jurkat were separated by centrifugal elutriation. Fractions enriched for the G0-G1, S, and G2-M phases of the cell cycle were assayed for T cell receptor-mediated activation as measured by intracellular Ca(2+) flux, cytolytic recognition of tumor targets, and induction of Fas ligand mRNA. Susceptibility to apoptosis induced by recombinant Fas ligand and activation-induced cell death were also studied. None of the parameters studied was specific to a certain phase of the cell cycle, leading us to conclude that in nontransformed human T cells, both activation and apoptosis through T cell receptor activation can occur in all phases of the cell cycle.
Comparative genomics reveals birth and death of fragile regions in mammalian evolution

Background An important question in genome evolution is whether there exist fragile regions (rearrangement hotspots) where chromosomal rearrangements are happening over and over again. Although nearly all recent studies supported the existence of fragile regions in mammalian genomes, the most comprehensive phylogenomic study of mammals raised some doubts about their existence.
Fully-depleted SOI devices with TaSiN gate, HfO 2 gate dielectric, and elevated source/drain extensions

We report for the first time the performance of ultrathin film fully-depleted (FD) silicon-on-insulator (SOI) CMOS transistors using HfO/sub 2/ gate dielectric and TaSiN gate material. The transistors feature 100-150 /spl Aring/ silicon film thickness and selective epitaxial silicon growth in the source/drain extension regions. TaSiN-gate shows good threshold voltage control using an undoped channel, which reduces threshold voltage variation with silicon film thickness and discrete, random dopant placement. Device processing for CMOS fabrication is drastically simplified by the use of the same gate material for both n- and p-MOSFETs. Electrical characterization results illustrate the combined impact of using high-k dielectric and metal gate on the performance of ultrathin film FD SOI devices.
Housing Dependence and Intimate Relationships in the Lives of Low-Income Puerto Rican Mothers

Using longitudinal ethnographic data from the Three-City Study, we examined the relationship between sixteen low-income Puerto Rican mothers’ housing dependencies and their intimate partner relations. We traced mothers’ dependent housing arrangements and entree to marital or cohabiting relationships from their teens through their procurement of independent housing while entering and maintaining intimate partner unions as adults. Findings indicated that various trigger factors led women out of their natal homes and into expedited cohabitation with romantic partners which frequently resulted in unstable unions in which mothers had little power and autonomy. As mothers became eligible for housing subsidies they obtained housing independent from their male partners, potentially increasing the propensity for greater relationship power. Housing independence, however, was not without problems. Spillover effects, such as shadowing partners, threatened housing stability and mothers’ independence. The relevance of these findings for future research is discussed.
The effect of adjacent charges on the kinetics of rotation of the peptide bond.

The kinetics of rotation of the peptide (amide) bond in dimethylacetamide, glycine dimethylamide, N-acetylsarcosine, and glycylsarcosine have been studied in basic, neutral, and acidic aqueous solutions by proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The data indicate that the presence of nearby negative or positive charges do not greatly perturb the energetics of conformational equilibration about the amide carbon-nitrogen bond. In N-acetylsarcosine and glycylsarcosine two distinguishabe conformers are present; their relative abundance is essentially 50%/50% except at low pH. It is suggested that intramolecular hydrogen bonding is responsible for deviations from this population ratio. The activation enthalpies (ΔH‡) for rotation appear to be linearly related to the corresponding activation entropies (ΔS‡) leading to an isokinetic temperature of about 400°K.
On the importance of the stereochemistry at C10 in governing the feasibility of the intramolecular Diels-Alder route to baccatin III constructs: Surprising results in the 10R-9-deoxy series

Abstract Upon surveying many experimental conditions in the title series, no simple type II IMDA reaction (leading to 15 ) was observed. A variety of alternative reactions are described.
ECOLOGY OF SOCIALITY IN RODENTS: A CTENOMYID PERSPECTIVE

Group living is an important component of the social biology of numerous rodent species. For the past 2 decades, efforts to understand the ecological factors associated with group living in rodents have focused on subterranean taxa, in particular African mole-rats of the family Bathyergidae. Comparative analyses of the habitats occupied by solitary and social bathyergids suggest that group living occurs when the combined effects of sporadic rainfall, hard soils, and patchily distributed food resources render energetic costs of burrow excavation prohibitive for lone individuals. To determine whether these variables were associated with group living in other subterranean taxa, we characterized ecological differences between a solitary and a social member of a phylogenetically independent lineage of subterranean rodents, the Ctenomyidae. Specifically, we quantified soil conditions and spatial distributions of food resources for 1 population each of the solitary Patagonian tuco-tuco (Ctenomys haigi) and the group-living colonial tuco-tuco (C. sociabilis), both of which occur in the Limay Valley of southwestern Argentina. Our analyses revealed that while members of both species occurred in relatively mesic mallin habitats, only C. haigi also occurred in arid steppe habitat. No differences in spatial distributions of food resources were found between study sites. Significant differences in soil conditions, however, were detected; soils from steppe habitat were significantly harder to penetrate than soils from mallin areas, suggesting that costs of burrow excavation may be higher for the solitary C. haigi. Thus, data from ctenomyids in the Limay Valley are not consistent with explanations for group living developed for bathyergid mole-rats. Although ecological comparisons of ctenomyids over larger spatial scales are required, our data suggest that interactions between ecology and group living in subterranean rodents may be more diverse than previously realized.
Girdling by the Hispid Cotton Rat as a Significant Source of Mortality in a Loblolly Pine (Pinus taeda) Successional Forest

Abstract The hispid cotton rat (Sigmodon hispidus) is a common field rodent in the southeastern United States, where volunteer loblolly pine trees (Pinus taeda) rapidly invade open space and accelerate ecological succession from field to pine forest. While using capture-mark-recapture methods in studies of small mammal populations, we observed dead pine trees in late summer, all killed by girdling, prompting us to determine the extent of damage on a 1.26 ha grid in a 5 y old successional pine forest in southeastern Virginia. We recorded damage to 65% of >15,000 trees, of which 2064 were killed by rodents. Areas with a high density of trees 11–40 mm in diameter (3–5 y old) were most actively damaged during late winter and early spring, following autumnal population peaks of cotton rats. Old field habitats undergoing succession to loblolly pine forest may briefly offer optimal habitat for cotton rats, and girdling by cotton rats may regulate the rate of succession depending on densities of trees and rodents.
IRAK1 is a novel DEK transcriptional target and is essential for head and neck cancer cell survival

// Allie K. Adams 1 , Lyndsey C. Bolanos 2 , Phillip J. Dexheimer 3 , Rebekah A. Karns 3 , Bruce J. Aronow 3 , Kakajan Komurov 2 , Anil G. Jegga 3 , Keith A. Casper 4 , Yash J. Patil 4 , Keith M. Wilson 4 , Daniel T. Starczynowski 2, 5 , Susanne I. Wells 1 1 Division of Oncology, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA 2 Division of Experimental Hematology and Cancer Biology, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA 3 Division of Biomedical Informatics, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA 4 Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA 5 Department of Cancer Biology, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA Correspondence to: Susanne I. Wells, e-mail: Susanne.Wells@cchmc.org Keywords: DEK, IRAK1, HNSCC, HPV, RNA-Seq Received: May 29, 2015 Accepted: October 13, 2015 Published: October 26, 2015 ABSTRACT The chromatin-binding DEK protein was recently reported to promote the growth of HPV + and HPV − head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCCs). Relevant cellular and molecular mechanism(s) controlled by DEK in HNSCC remain poorly understood. While DEK is known to regulate specific transcriptional targets, global DEK-dependent gene networks in HNSCC are unknown. To identify DEK transcriptional signatures we performed RNA-Sequencing (RNA-Seq) in HNSCC cell lines that were either proficient or deficient for DEK. Bioinformatic analyses and subsequent validation revealed that IRAK1, a regulator of inflammatory signaling, and IRAK1-dependent regulatory networks were significantly repressed upon DEK knockdown in HNSCC. According to TCGA data, 14% of HNSCC specimens overexpressed IRAK1, thus supporting possible oncogenic functions. Furthermore, genetic or pharmacologic inhibition of IRAK1 in HNSCC cell lines was sufficient to attenuate downstream signaling such as ERK1/2 and to induce HNSCC cell death by apoptosis. Finally, targeting DEK and IRAK1 simultaneously enhanced cell death as compared to targeting either alone. Our findings reveal that IRAK1 promotes cell survival and is an attractive therapeutic target in HNSCC cells. Thus, we propose a model wherein IRAK1 stimulates tumor signaling and phenotypes both independently and in conjunction with DEK.
Outcomes of Bariatric Surgery in Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

Background Obesity has become prevalent in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Bariatric surgery can be considered to be contraindicated in IBD patients. We aimed to evaluate feasibility, safety, and efficacy of bariatric surgery in IBD patients.
Financialization of the Commodities Markets: A Non-technical Introduction

The goal of the first part of this chapter is threefold: (a) to introduce the term structure of forward/futures commodity prices, the contango/backwardation duality and the notion of rolling yield as it pertains to trading through commodity indexes; (b) to use principal component analysis and the computation of equity and commodity “betas” to provide empirical evidence of the dramatic changes which occurred in the mid-2000s; (c) finally, to review the major arguments which have been put forth in the debate over the financialization of these markets. While conspicuously absent from some of the English language dictionaries, the word financialization has been widely used to describe the increasing role of institutional investors in the commodity markets. Using econometric data analyses for the purpose of illustration, we concentrate on futures price data from the post-2004 period during which the commodity markets experienced a significant influx of new financial investors. As far as we know, mathematical models attempting to reproduce or illustrate (let alone explain) the empirical observations at the core of the debate are few and far between. As a result, our approach remains mostly descriptive of the data which have been used to back up the claims of the various sides of the argument. The originality of our contribution, if any, is the discussion of a new generation of roll yield maximizing commodity indexes, the empirical analysis of the term structure of open interest, and the possible connections between the two.
How the Map-Problem was Solved in the War

(1919). How the Map-Problem was Solved in the War. The American Mathematical Monthly: Vol. 26, No. 5, pp. 181-187.
Effect of Resistant and Susceptible Cotton Strains on Larval Size, Developmental Time, and Survival of the Tobacco Budworm 1

The growth and developmental patterns of the tobacco budworm, Heliothis virescens (F.), larvae reared. on cotton square diets of Stoneville 817 frego, Stoneville 105L (okra leaf), Stoneville 7A nectariless, Pee Dee 8619, and Pee Dee 875 did not differ appreciably from those reared on two standard cultivars, Stoneville 7A and DPL-16. However, growth was somewhat retarded on the okra leaf strain, and percent adult emergence was 20% less for insects reared on the Pee Dee 875 strain. Larvae reared on the two standards did not differ (P = 0.05) in any of the parameters measured Larvae reared on the high-gossypol strain, HGBR-8, and on the intermediately high-gossypol strain, HG469, exhibited the smallest larval weights and the longest developmental times. Larvae reared on the Stoneville 7A glandless strain exhibited the. largest larval weights and the shortest developmental times. Larval weight, pupal weight, and survival were inversely related to percent bud gossypol among the different cotton strains. Developmental time increased as percent bud gossypol increased.
Degrees Conferred in the Biological Sciences

DURING the eleven-year period of 1949-50 through 1959-60 the total number of baccalaureate degrees conferred in the biological sciences declined from 22,521 in 1949-50 to 12,847 in 1954-55 and then increased each successive year, reaching a total of 16,730 in 1959-60. During this same period the number of master's degrees in the biological sciences declined in a similar fashion from 2,412 in 1949-50 to 1,658 in 1953-54 and then rose to 2,351 in 1959-60. The doctorates awarded annually, with the exception of slight drops in 1951-52, 1954-55, and 1958-59, increased each year of the period, rising from 644 in 1949-50 to 1,206 in 1959-60. The number of degrees conferred annually at each level from 1949-50 through 1959-60, together with the per cents of the total number of degrees awarded in the entire nation in all disciplines at each level, are shown in Table 1. The data in this table were obtained from the annual series Earned Degrees Conferred, Bachelor's and Higher Degrees, published by the U. S. Office of Education. Each annual report covers a period from July 1 of one year to June 30 of the next. No distinction is made between liberal-arts degrees and those awarded in connection with preparation for teaching, and those of other categories. The criterion used is that there is a substantive major in a biological science. Double majors are counted as one-half in each discipline. Thus a double major in biology and chemistry is allotted one-half to biology and one-half to chemistry. Previously to the 1951-52 year there was no category specifically designated "biological sciences (not elsewhere classified)," for the data collected by the Office of Education. It has therefore been necessary, when preparing the tables in this article, to allow for degrees in this category for the years 1949-50 and 1950-51, by reallocation, so that comparable data could be included for each year of the series. Facts for the eleven-year period. For the eleven-year period as a whole, the 173,258 degrees conferred in the biological sciences at the bachelor's level constituted 4.5 per cent of the total number of bachelor's and first-professional degrees conferred in all disciplines. The 22,907 master's degrees were 3.3 per cent of all master's and second-level degrees awarded. The 10,778 doctor's degrees were 11.5 per cent of all earned doctorates (Ph.D., Ed.D., etc.). These figures are shown in Table 2. A principal factor for a smaller per cent at the master's level, in comparison with the bachelor's level, is that the figures for bachelor's degrees include those of large numbers of pre-professional students who normally do not secure master's degrees.
Abstract 2505: Neurotensin receptor antagonist, SR48692, sensitizes prostate cancer cells to radiationin vitroandin vivo

Prostate cancer (PCa) is one of the major causes of cancer-related deaths in men. Androgen receptor (AR) and androgen sensitivity play a crucial role in the development of the disease. Thus, androgen depletion therapy has become a cornerstone of advanced PCa treatment, with or without radiotherapy. Multiple mechanisms have been proposed for the development of hormone-refractory disease, including an increase in neuroendocrine-like (NE-like) cells, which secrete survival and growth factors for surrounding tumor cells (Deeble et al., Cancer Res 2007). Neurotensin (NT) is secreted by both NE-like and cancer cells, and stimulate proliferation of PCa cells through its interaction with neurotensin receptor 1 (NTR1) (Amorino et al., Oncogene, 2007). In this report we investigate the efficacy of a NTR1 antagonist, SR48692, as a radiosensitizer in an orthotopic PC-3M xenograft model. The role of AR/sensitivity to androgen in response to SR48692 was also investigated using LNCaP and C4-2 cell lines. The latter studies were done to test the hypothesis that AR positive cells may be refractory to the raditherapy, because we had previously shown that neuropeptides from NE-like cells resulted in Src-mediated phosphorylation of AR (DaSilva et al., Cancer Res 2009). The results of the xenograft studies indicate that mice bearing PC-3M tumors and receiving the combination treatment (drug+radiation) showed a statistically significant decrease in tumor growth over radiation or SR48962 treatments alone. SR48692 was also found to radiosensitize PCa cells in vitro, independently of their androgen receptor/androgen sensitivity status. We further demonstrate that NT stimulates accumulation of AR under conditions of reduced androgen and that this activity is blocked by SR48692/radiation co-treatment. These findings suggest that in cells expressing the AR, NT reduces the efficacy of radiation by elevating AR levels and its ensuing pro-growth and -survival signals. Blocking the actions of NT by SR48692 reduces the levels of AR protein and as a result increases cellular sensitivity to radiation. However, in cells lacking the AR, another mechanism(s) of drug action must be operative. Together, our studies suggest that in AR positive or negative PCa cells, NTR1 signaling pathway(s) are novel targets for combined SR48962/radiotherapy of PCa. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 102nd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2011 Apr 2-6; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2011;71(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 2505. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2011-2505
Uncomplicated abortion with mifepristone and misoprostol in a hemophilia A carrier

Little evidence exists regarding medical abortion for women with inherited bleeding disorders. A 21-year-old primigravid hemophilia A carrier desired a medical abortion. After counseling, she chose medical abortion, which occurred without excess bleeding or surgical intervention.
The determination of serum retinol by high-performance liquid chromatography

Objective:To establish a method for rapid extraction and determination of serum retinol.Methods: Retinol acetate was taken as internal standard,Agilent Eclipse XDB-C18(5 μm 4.6 mm×250 mm) column was used for separation,methanol-water with the volume ratio of 98∶ 2 was taken as mobile phase,DAD was taken as detector and reverse phase chromatography was used for detection of serum retinol level.Results: The recovery of samples was 88.2%~106.5%;the LOD for retinol was 0.020 μg/ml.Conclusion: The method has the advantages of simplicity,rapidity and accuracy.It can be used for analysis of serum retinol.
Detection and Characterizationof Cellular Immune Responses Using Peptide–MHC Microarrays

The detection and characterization of antigen-specific T cell populations is critical for understanding the development and physiology of the immune system and its responses in health and disease. We have developed and tested a method that uses arrays of peptide–MHC complexes for the rapid identification, isolation, activation, and characterization of multiple antigen-specific populations of T cells. CD4+ or CD8+ lymphocytes can be captured in accordance with their ligand specificity using an array of peptide–MHC complexes printed on a film-coated glass surface. We have characterized the specificity and sensitivity of a peptide–MHC array using labeled lymphocytes from T cell receptor transgenic mice. In addition, we were able to use the array to detect a rare population of antigen-specific T cells following vaccination of a normal mouse. This approach should be useful for epitope discovery, as well as for characterization and analysis of multiple epitope-specific T cell populations during immune responses associated with viral and bacterial infection, cancer, autoimmunity, and vaccination.
Improved cryopreserved semen fecundability in an alternating fresh-frozen artificial insemination program

This study with glycerol and increased number of motile sperm inseminated showed an increase in f to 10.4% for frozen semen and 27.4% for fresh semen. There is a significant (P less than 0.01) difference in pregnancy rate when greater than 100 million motile sperm are inseminated (31.3%) than when less than that number are inseminated (11.9%) in the first cycle when frozen semen is used.
Improved FRET-Based Trilateration Methods Applied to the Mapping of Calmodulin within the Ryanodine Receptor

We have used improved trilateration methods, simulated annealing calculations, and time-resolved FRET measurements to map the location of calmodulin (CaM) within the ryanodine receptor (RyR) Ca2+ channel. Our previous published FRET trilateration method used distances from confocal microscopy measurements, where the distance uncertainties were calculated based on measurement precision (Svensson et al. 2014 Biophys J. 107, 2037-48). Fluorescence lifetime (FLT) detection of FRET allows resolving multiple distances for each FRET pair, which are represented by Gaussian distance distributions fitted to the FRET data. Our new generic trilateration approach takes into account the Gaussian distance distribution and shows the FRET probability distributions as an MRC/CCP4-format density map, which can be displayed using common molecular graphics software. A more specialized approach takes into account the four-fold symmetry of the RyR channels in calculating the predicted FRET from a donor with known location to symmetrically located FRET acceptors. Five single-cysteine variants of the 12-kDa FK506-binding protein (FKBP) were labeled with FRET donor, Alexa Fluor 488, and targeted to RyR. Effective average positions of the donors were calculated from simulated annealing, constrained by the RyR cryo-EM map and by the FKBP atomic structure. Four single-cysteine variants of CaM, two N-lobe and two C-lobe sites, were labelled with a fluorescence acceptor, Alexa Fluor 568. FRET from the FKBP donors to the CaM acceptor was measured via FLT. FRET-based trilateration has allowed us to resolve both the location of the N- and C-lobes of CaM within the RyR cryo-EM map. A shift in the location of CaM dependent on resting or contracting [Ca2+] is observed. This work was supported by NIH grants R01 HL092097 (RLC), and R37 AG26160 (DDT) and by a Postdoctoral Fellowship from the American Heart Association (RTR).
What School Leaders and Teacher Mentors Can Do To Support Teachers for Social Equity

The narratives revealed varied levels of support for teacher development across schools and different degrees of teacher autonomy for making instructional decisions. This chapter addresses what school leaders and teacher mentors can do to support teachers’ instructional capacities and help them grow as educators for social justice. School leaders can support teacher growth by prompting teachers’ self-reflection and working to foster teachers’ professional growth. Teacher mentors can model instructional practices, provide in-class coaching, ask teachers questions that prompt self-reflection, and raise teachers’ consciousness about social equity. Professional learning communities and teacher inquiry groups offer additional support for growth. Leslie Reich shares some insights from her own experiences working with school leaders in three different schools and how leaders can best support early career teachers.
Abstract 3802: Selective cytotoxicty and mechanism of Myrothamnus flabellifolius, an edible medicinal plant, on acute myeloid leukemia cells

Proceedings: AACR 106th Annual Meeting 2015; April 18-22, 2015; Philadelphia, PA Current therapies for acute myeloid leukemia involve chemotherapy and radiation, which cause damage to normal and cancerous cells. There is a dire need to discover novel drugs that target only cancer cells. Myrothamnus flabellifolius is a South African resurrection plant known for its anti-viral, anti-microbial and anti-inflammatory properties. Human myeloid leukemia (HL-60) cells and normal (TK-6) lymphocytes were treated with the methanolic extract of M. flabellifolius. Cancer cells treated with extract depicted a significant reduction in viability as compared to normal cells. The first part of this project involved fractionation of the methanolic extract using HPLC and testing each fraction on the normal and leukemic cell lines to find a fraction that selectively killed the cancer cells. A phytochemical analysis was also conducted for characterization of the anticancer compounds. In terms of mechanism, the loss in HL-60 viability was accompanied by the induction of caspase dependent apoptosis by way of caspase-7 cleavage. Heat shock proteins are molecular chaperones that aid in protein reassembly under stressful conditions and protect cells from apoptosis. TK-6 cells express heat shock protein 70 at a high level while HL-60 cells do not express the protein under normal conditions. The expression of HSP70 exhibits a positive correlation with the viability of cells post treatment with extract, indicating that this vital protein plays an important role in the survival of cells post treatment with M. flabellifolius extract. Citation Format: Abeer Badiab, Jasjit Dhillon, Fizal Nabbie, Bela Peethambaran. Selective cytotoxicty and mechanism of Myrothamnus flabellifolius, an edible medicinal plant, on acute myeloid leukemia cells. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 106th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2015 Apr 18-22; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(15 Suppl):Abstract nr 3802. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2015-3802
Integrating career development into computer science undergraduate curriculum

Career guidance is commonly viewed as an integral part of university services in the United States. Typically, this work is conducted through a dedicated office that provides professional guidance in such areas as: resume writing, interview preparation, and job hunting. While these are all essential to a student's career development, students in the computer science discipline have additional needs that are not part of this general guidance. This need is due to the fact that a typical computer science program contains multiple, and often very different, concentration areas. This paper introduces the idea of how career guidance can be implemented at both the departmental and course level in the discipline of computer science. We are proposing a four-step strategy that is integrated into a student's four year computer science curriculum. As part of this idea, a required first year seminar course will help to introduce core concepts in each of the concentration areas found in the computer science degree within the respective department. In the student's sophomore year, a career planning module named “You and Your Options” will be embedded into various classes to help further expose the students to their career possibilities. During their junior year, students will have opportunities to be engaged in service-learning projects where their soft skills such as time management, conflict resolution, problems solving, and communication can be developed. Finally, in their senior year, a capstone or internship course will be required for every student in which they will complete a project that combines knowledge and skills from at least three areas in computer science. We believe that this approach will allow each student a deeper understanding about their specific strengths in the different concentration areas and provide them a more well-rounded experience. This proposed plan systematically and purposefully guides students in understanding their own strength and helps to identify areas of improvement, in both hard skills and soft skills. The effectiveness of this approach is demonstrated through both positive feedback from former students and employers, as well as quantitatively through increased job placement rate of graduates.
Identifying the lens galaxy B 1152+199 as a ghostly damped Lyman α system by the cosmic origins spectrograph

Strong quasar-galaxy lensing provides a powerful tool to probe the inter-stellar medium (ISM) of the lens galaxy using radiation from the background quasar. Using the Cosmic Origins Spectrograph (COS) on board the Hubble Space Telescope, we study the cold ISM properties of the lens galaxy in B1152+199 at a redshift of z=0.4377. Since existing optical extinction and X-ray absorption measurements of the lens have revealed a large amount of cold ISM, we expected to detect a damped Lya absorption (DLA) system in the near ultraviolet spectrum; however, our upper limit on the HI column density is several orders of magnitude below the expectation. We also marginally detect OI and CII absorption lines associated with the lens galaxy in the COS spectrum. Thus, the lens galaxy is identified as a ghostly DLA system, and further investigations of these ghostly DLA systems would be important to characterize the biases of using DLAs to probe the matter density of the universe. Although preliminary, the most likely explanation of the non-detection of the DLA is because of the Lya emission of the lens galaxy that fills in the absorption trough, with a Lya luminosity of 4e42 erg/s.
Smoothing Riemannian metrics with bounded Ricci curvatures in dimension four

Abstract We obtain a local smoothing result for Riemannian manifolds with bounded Ricci curvatures in dimension four. More precisely, given a Riemannian metric with bounded Ricci curvature and small L 2 -norm of curvature on a metric ball, we can find a smooth metric with bounded curvature which is C 1 , α -close to the original metric on a smaller ball but still of definite size.
A Miniaturized 3–10 GHz Time-Domain Contact-Based Dielectric Spectroscopy System

In this paper, a miniaturized time-domain dielectric spectroscopy system in 3–10 GHz range is presented. The proposed system consists of a UWB transmitter, a sensor, and a high speed oscilloscope as a receiver. In the UWB transmitter, a wave-shaping circuit with an SRD and a short-circuited stub generates the baseband UWB signal, a mixer and an amplifier upconvert and amplify the baseband UWB signal and apply it to the sensor in 3–10 GHz range. The sensor is constructed using a periodic structure of 8 downsized cells, while the material under test (MUT) is inside a container located on top of the sensor. Using the phase differences $(\Delta\phi)$ of five reference MUTs, a polynomial relationship is fitted between $\epsilon^{\prime}$ and $\Delta\phi$ to model the system response. Employing that model, the $\epsilon^{\prime}$ of an unknown MUT is extracted from its measured $\Delta\phi$ with an error of 1.94%.
Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy: A Critical Review

Selective dorsal rhizotomy (SDR), a surgical procedure designed to reduce spasticity, has been most frequently applied to cerebral palsy. Uncontrolled studies using subjective outcome measures have led to tremendous enthusiasm and expanded use of the procedure. The neurophysiologic basis for the procedure, its current application, published outcomes, and side effects are reviewed. A randomized clinical trial is necessary to evaluate the functional benefits of SDR adequately. It will be years before the long-term complications are fully known.
Low-energy electron scattering from fullerenes and heavy complex atoms: negative ions formation

Regge poles are generalized bound states. Our robust Regge pole methodology that embeds the crucial electron correlation effects and the vital polarization interaction is used to investigate negative ions formation in low-energy electron elastic scattering from the fullerenes Cn (n = 24, 28, 44, 60, 70, 74, 82, 94, 100, and 140) and the selected heavy lanthanide (Gd and Dy) and actinide (Pa and U) atoms through the elastic total cross sections (TCSs) calculations. All the TCSs are found to be characterized by Ramsauer–Townsend minima, shape resonances, and dramatically sharp resonances manifesting stable ground and metastable anionic formation during the collisions. The ground states anionic binding energies (BEs) for the Cn− (n = 24, 28, 44, 60, 70, and 82) match excellently the measured electron affinities (EAs). The thus benchmarked Regge pole methodology on the ground states anionic BEs for these fullerenes is then used to calculate the ground and the metastable elastic TCSs for the fullerenes, and the heavy atoms wherefrom their anionic BEs are extracted and compared with the measured EAs where they are available. Surprisingly, the C74 fullerene has the largest anionic ground state BE value among the investigated fullerenes in this paper and the ground state of the C140− anion has a large BE as well. Many of these fullerenes could be useful in nanocatalysis, sensor technology and organic solar cells through their ground and metastable anionic BEs. For the heavy atoms the extracted ground and metastable anionic BEs are compared with the measured and calculated EAs. These results particularly the ground states anionic BEs of the fullerenes and heavy atoms are expected to inspire and guide the long overdue experimental and theoretical explorations of electron attachment in low-energy electron scattering in these and related systems.
More room for cohousing in the United States: Understanding diffusion potential by exploring who knows about, who likes, and who would consider living in cohousing

Early adopters of cohousing have been relatively homogenous in many regards. For example, most are white, politically liberal, Democrat, and have a post-graduate education; females are also overrep...
Associations between sympatric apex predators across a diverse landscape

Coexistence between sympatric predators is achieved through a variety of behaviors that reduce competitive interactions. We examined fine-scale co-occurrence between sympatric apex predators across a large and highly variable landscape characterized by anthropogenic presence and related mortality in Idaho, USA. We analyzed data from 201 camera traps across 130,000 km2 to examine spatiotemporal associations between four apex predators: humans (Homo sapiens), wolves (Canis lupus), black bears (Ursus americanus), and cougars (Puma concolor). We hypothesized that the dominant competitors in our system would be associated with reduced detections of subordinate competitors (i.e., humans > wolves > black bears > cougars). Such a hierarchy proved true only when examining spatial associations between humans and wolves. We found a positive spatial association between black bear and cougars, suggesting that cougar kills may provide scavenging opportunities for bears. Although we found a slight positive spatial association between black bears and wolves, we found strong differences in temporal activity patterns between them. Mesic forest yielded higher detections of all predators (except humans) compared to xeric habitat. Cougars in particular appeared to be better predicted by habitat than presence of sympatric predators with more detections in mesic compared to mountain and xeric habitats. Understanding the co-occurrence of apex predators in a system is not a simple measure of their relative dominance cascading from one level to the next.
First-Principles Prediction of Vacancy Order-Disorder and Intercalation Battery Voltages in Li x CoO 2

We present a first-principles technique for predicting the ordered vacancy ground states, intercalation voltage profiles, and voltage-temperature phase diagrams of Li intercalation battery electrodes. Application to the Li{sub x}CoO {sub 2} system yields correctly the observed ordered vacancy phases. We further predict the existence of additional ordered phases, their thermodynamic stability ranges, and their intercalation voltages in Li{sub x}CoO {sub 2}/Li battery cells. Our calculations provide insight into the remarkable electronic stability of this system with respect to Li removal: A rehybridization of the Co-O orbitals acts to restore charge to the Co site ({open_quotes}self-regulating response{close_quotes}), thereby minimizing the effect of the perturbation. {copyright} {ital 1998} {ital The American Physical Society}