cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Role of electrochemical reactions in pressure solution

Abstract Using a Surface Forces Apparatus we have measured changes in the electrical potential difference between quartz and mica surfaces that correlate with the changing quartz dissolution rate when surfaces are pressed together at relatively low pressures (2–3 atm) in aqueous electrolyte solutions of 30 mM CaCl 2 at 25 °C. No detectable dissolution or voltage potential difference is measured in symmetrical systems (e.g. mica–mica or quartz–quartz) or between dry surfaces subjected to similar pressures, indicating that the dissolution can not be attributed to a simple pressure effect, slow aging (creep), or plastic deformation of the quartz surface. In quartz–mica systems brought together under pressure or to close proximity in electrolyte solution, the onset of quartz dissolution is marked by a sudden, rapid decrease in the quartz thickness at initial rates in the range from 1 to 4 nm/min, which after several hours settles into a constant rate of approximately 0.01 nm/min (∼5 μm/yr). Concomitantly, the potential drops to a constant value once the dissolution rate has stabilized. The decrease in the decay rate is interpreted as being due to saturation of the confined aqueous film and/or to the buildup of a Stern layer on the quartz surface, and the constant rate as being due to the steady-state chemical dissolution and diffusion of the dissolving silica into the surrounding reservoir. The dissolution is ‘non-uniform’: the surfaces become rough as dissolution proceeds, with the appearance of pits in a manner analogous to corrosion. On occasions, the process of rapid dissolution followed by a gradual transition to steady dissolution repeats itself, suggesting that the pit structure and Stern layer are fragile and subject to collapse and/or expulsion from the gap. Preliminary experiments on the dissolution of multi-faceted milled quartz particles (∼1.0 μm diameter) compressed between two muscovite surfaces suggest an asymmetry in the dissolution rates at different crystallographic planes. The origin of the electrical potential is interpreted as arising from the overlapping of the electric double-layers of two dissimilar surfaces when they are forced into close proximity. This electrical potential difference, for as yet unknown reasons, appears to be the driving force for the dissolution, rather than pressure.
Ferroelectric, photochromic, and electrochromic glasses

Abstract Bulk transparent glasses containing WO6-octahedra in various glass forming matrices have been prepared which exhibit ferroelectric-like, electrochromic and photochromic behavior. Cooperative phenomena of random electric dipoles in these systems were studied by the techniques of thermally stimulated depolarization currents. These systems exhibit dipole correlation at a critical concentration in the presence of an external electric field and at a specific temperature. A model was developed for a phase transition associated with such random “pseudo-spins” in an amorphous matrix. The photochromic and electrochromic behavior in these glasses are initiated by the double injection of electrons and ions.
Kinetics of Rapid Aggregation in Suspensions: Comparison of Experiments with the Smoluchowski Theory

Rates of aggregation of initially monodispersed 1.83- μ polystyrene latex particles in various electrolyte solutions at different electrolyte concentrations have been studied. The experiments involved the determination of the distribution of singlets, doublets, and triplets as a function of time with the Coulter Counter. In order to permit a comparison of the data with theory, theoretical calculations of the "bimolecular" rate constants were carried out for both the diffusion-controlled mechanism and the surface-controlled mechanism. These rate constants were employed to construct theoretical curves which were used to evaluate the data. Maximum rates observed approached the Smoluchowski rate to within about a factor of two. With the purified samples the rates were found to be relatively independent of electrolyte concentration and type. Rates observed with the unpurified samples in salt solutions were substantially lower than those for the purified suspension even at high salt concentrations.
Relationship between soft tissue body composition and bone mass in perimenopausal women.

Abstract Objectives: Perimenopause, the transition into menopause, marks the beginning of accelerated bone loss, contributing to the development of osteoporosis, a major public health problem. This perimenopausal transition has also been associated with a decrease in body lean mass, an increase in fat mass, and an increase in body weight. How these changes in fat mass and lean mass may influence bone mineral density (BMD) is currently unknown. The purpose of this study is to determine the independent effect and relative contribution of lean mass and fat mass to BMD in perimenopausal women. Material and Methods: The sample consisted of 43 sedentary perimenopausal women (age: mean=49.6; S.D.=3.2) with an intact uterus and ovaries, participating in a study of exercise and perimenopausal symptoms. Total body BMD, regional BMD, and soft tissue body composition were measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Other measures including age, height, weight, and serum FSH and E2 were also obtained. Results: Findings revealed that 14% of these perimenopausal women had low bone mass (osteopenia) in the lumbar spine and/or the femoral neck. Overall body fat mass and lean mass had positive relationships with BMD of lumber spine and the femur. However, using multiple regression analyses, only lean mass and ethnicity remained significant predictors for BMD of the femoral neck (r2=45%) with lean mass explaining more variance than ethnicity. Lean mass was the sole predictor of total proximal femur BMD explaining 38% of the variance. Fat mass was not a significant predictor of BMD at any skeleton site. Conclusions: These findings suggest that body lean mass, not fat mass, is a significant contributor to femoral BMD in perimenopausal women.
Amelogenin-Cytokeratin 14 Interaction in Ameloblasts during Enamel Formation

The enamel protein amelogenin binds to the GlcNAc-mimicking peptide (GMp) (Ravindranath, R. M. H., Tam, W., Nguyen, P., and Fincham, A. G. (2000) J. Biol. Chem. 275, 39654–39661). The GMp motif is found in the N-terminal region of CK14, a differentiation marker for ameloblasts. The binding affinity of CK14 and amelogenin was confirmed by dosimetric binding of CK14 to recombinant amelogenin (rM179), and to the tyrosine-rich amelogenin polypeptide. The specific binding site for CK14 was identified in the amelogenin trityrosyl motif peptide (ATMP) of tyrosine-rich amelogenin polypeptide and specific interaction between CK14 and [3H]ATMP was confirmed by Scatchard analysis. Blocking rM179 with GlcNAc, GMp, or CK14 with ATMP abrogates the CK14-amelogenin interaction. CK14 failed to bind to ATMP when the third proline was substituted with threonine, as in some cases of human X-linked amelogenesis imperfecta or when tyrosyl residues were substituted with phenylalanine. Morphometry of developing teeth distinguished three phases of enamel formation; growth initiation phase (days 0–1), prolific growth phase (days 1–7), and growth cessation phase (post-day 7). Confocal microscopy revealed co-assembly of CK14/amelogenin in the perinuclear region of ameloblasts on day 0, migration of the co-assembled CK14/amelogenin to the apical region of the ameloblasts from day 1, reaching a peak on days 3–5, and a collapse of the co-assembly. Autoradiography with [3H]ATMP and [3H]GMp corroborated the dissociation of the co-assembly at the ameloblast Tomes' process. It is proposed that CK14 play a chaperon role for nascent amelogenin polypeptide during amelogenesis.
Memory and sun compensation by honey bees

Experiments with two species of honey bees (Apis mellifera andA. cerana) have revealed that bees form a detailed memory of the spatial and temporal pattern of the sun's azimuthal movement, using local landmarks as a reference for the learning. These experiments were performed on overcast days, and consisted of removing a hive from one site in which bees had been trained to find food by flying along a prominent landmark, and displacing it to a similar site in which the landmark was aligned in a different compass direction. On overcast days, bees which flew along the landmark in the new site oriented their waggle dances in the hive as if they had actually flown in the training site. Thus, they confused the two sets of landmarks and set their dance angles according to a memory of the sun's position relative to the original landmarks. Furthermore, the dances changed in correspondence with the sun's azimuthal shift over several hours, even reflecting (approximately) the regular temporal variations in the rate of shift; such features of the sun's course must therefore be stored in memory. The primary mechanism underlying the learning of this pattern is probably similar to that proposed by New and New (1962): bees store in memory several time-linked solar azimuthal positions relative to features of the landscape, and refer to this stored array when they need to determine an unknown azimuth intermediate between two known positions.
Oxidant defense mechanisms in the human colon.

Reactive oxygen metabolites have been implicated as important mediators of inflammation-induced intestinal injury associated with ischemia (and reperfusion), radiation, and inflammatory bowel disease. Because the colonie mucosa may be subjected to significant oxidant stress during times of acute and chronic inflammation, knowledge of the oxidant defense mechanisms in the colon is of biologic and potential clinical importance. Therefore, the objective of this study was to quantify the specific activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase, and GSH peroxidase in the normal human colon. We found low, but significant, amounts of all three enzymes in the mucosa, submucosa, and muscularis/serosa of the human colon. However, the mucosal levels of SOD (3.6±0.3 units/mg protein), catalase (11±3 units/ mg), and GSH peroxidase (15.2±0.8 mU/mg) represented only 8%, 4%, and 40%, respectively, of those values determined for human liver. Colonic epithelial cells derived from mucosal biopsies exhibited significantly higher specific activities for SOD (12±0.5 units/mg) and catalase (26±6 units/mg) when compared to whole mucosa, suggesting most of the mucosal activity was associated with the epithelial cells and not the lamina propria. In a comparative study, we found that a human colonic carcinoma cell line (CaCo-2) contained significantly lower SOD (6 ±0.5 units/mg) and catalase (6±0.6 units/mg) activities when compared to colonic epithelial cells. Taken together, our data suggest that: (1) the colonic mucosa is relatively deficient in antioxidant enzymes when compared to liver, and (2) most of the protective enzyme activity is localized within the epithelium and not the mucosal interstitium.
Space Mission Concept Development Using Concept Maturity Levels

Over the past five years, pre-project formulation experts at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) has developed and implemented a method for measuring and communicating the maturity of space mission concepts. Mission concept development teams use this method, and associated tools, prior to concepts entering their Formulation Phases (Phase A/B). The organizing structure is Concept Maturity Level (CML), which is a classification system for characterizing the various levels of a concept's maturity. The key strength of CMLs is the ability to evolve mission concepts guided by an incremental set of assessment needs. The CML definitions have been expanded into a matrix form to identify the breadth and depth of analysis needed for a concept to reach a specific level of maturity. This matrix enables improved assessment and communication by addressing the fundamental dimensions (e.g., science objectives, mission design, technical risk, project organization, cost, export compliance, etc.) associated with mission concept evolution. JPL's collaborative engineering, dedicated concept development, and proposal teams all use these and other CML-appropriate design tools to advance their mission concept designs. This paper focuses on mission concept's early Pre-Phase A represented by CMLs 1- 4. The scope was limited due to the fact that CMLs 5 and 6 are already well defined based on the requirements documented in specific Announcement of Opportunities (AO) and Concept Study Report (CSR) guidelines, respectively, for competitive missions; and by NASA's Procedural Requirements NPR 7120.5E document for Projects in their Formulation Phase.
Integration of two different sensing modes in an electrochemical DNA sensor for approximation of target mismatch location

Abstract We report for the first time an electrochemical DNA sensor that utilizes two different electroactive signaling species, methylene blue and ferrocene, simultaneously, functioning as “signal-off” and “signal-on” probes, respectively, for approximation of the mismatch location on the target DNA.
Understanding global change: A cognitive perspective on communicating through stories

Human behavior must be changed in order to ameliorate the adverse effects of global change. However, numerous studies have shown that durable change is difficult to achieve unless people have an adequate understanding of the problem and of appropriate behavioral solutions. Creating such an understanding has not been easy; the very nature of global change makes effective communication difficult. This paper proposes that one reason information has been unsuccessful is that it is not generally structured to take advantage of the way people process information. The cognitive processes involved in information acquisition and the special problems associated with communicating about global change are discussed. This discussion is used to identify those informational characteristics that will facilitate the transfer of information about global change. Stories (also referred to as case-studies or analogies) are suggested as one structure that encapsulates these characteristics; the role of stories in information transfer is elaborated upon. Though written from the point of view of presenting information to the public so that it creates understanding and impacts behavior, the paper is also relevant for scientists who wish to effectively communicate their ideas to the media and to researchers in other disciplines.
Solid-Phase Combinatorial Synthesis of Polyisoxazolines: A Two-Reaction Iterative Protocol.

Starting from a polymer-bound olefin, iterative application of nitrile oxide 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition and selenide oxidation/elimination steps were employed to deliver a polymer-bound triisoxazoline that can be liberated from the resin by transesterification. When four nitroseleno ethers (2−5) and four capping nitroalkanes (6−9) were employed, a triisoxazoline library (V) of 64 positional isomers was obtained by three iterative applications of these two reactions. The tactical flexibility of this strategy for preparing small polyfunctional oligomers is particularly attractive in that each subunit addition proceeds via a C−C bond-forming step.
Optimization of fertilization success in Sander vitreus is influenced by the sperm : egg ratio and ova storage

Walleye Sander vitreum eggs could be stored at 7° C for up to 30 h with 60% fertilization rates. Fertilization rates at 1 and 12° C fell to 17 and 5%, respectively. At spermatozoa : egg ratios c. ∼ 70%. Therefore, a standard spermatozoa : egg ratio of 25 000 : 1 was established and is recommended for studies concerning fertilizing success.
Resilience and marginalized youth: Making a case for personal and collective meaning-making as part of resilience research in public health

The public health research community has long recognized the roles of discrimination, institutional structures, and unfair economic practices in the production and maintenance of health disparities, but it has neglected the ways in which the interpretation of these structures orients people in overcoming them and achieving positive outcomes in their lives. In this call for researchers to pay more - and more nuanced - attention to cultural context, we contend that group identity-as expressed through affiliation with an oppressed group-can itself prompt meaningful role-based action. Public health's study of resilience, then, must consider the ways that individuals understand and, in turn, resist discrimination. In this article, we briefly outline the shortcomings of current perspectives on resilience as they pertain to the study of marginalized youth and then consider the potential protection offered by ideological commitment. To ground our conceptual argument, we use examples from two different groups with whom the authors have worked for many years: indigenous and sexual minority youth. Though these groups are dissimilar in many ways, the processes related to marginalization, identity and resilience are remarkably similar. Specifically, group affiliation can provide a context to reconceptualize personal difficulty as a politicized collective struggle, and through this reading, can create a platform for ideological commitment and resistance.
Functional Analysis of Stem Cells in the Adult Rat Testis

Adult stem cells maintain several self-renewing systems and processes in the body, including the epidermis, hematopoiesis, intestinal epithelium, and spermatogenesis. However, studies on adult stem cells are hampered by their low numbers, lack of information about morphologic or biochemical characteristics, and absence of functional assays, except for hematopoietic and spermatogonial stem cells. We took advantage of the recently developed spermatogonial transplantation technique to analyze germ line stem cells of the rat testis. The results indicate that the stem cell concentration in rat testes is 9.5-fold higher than that in mouse testes, and spermatogenic colonies derived from rat donor testis cells are 2.75 times larger than mouse-derived colonies by 3 mo after transplantation. Therefore, the extent of spermatogenesis from rat stem cells was 26-fold greater than that from mouse stem cells at the time of recipient testis analysis. Attempts to enrich spermatogonial stem cells in rat testis populations using the experimental cryptorchid procedure were not successful, but selection by attachment to laminin-coated plates resulted in 8.5-fold enrichment. Spermatogonial stem cells are unique among adult stem cells because they pass genetic information to the next generation. The high concentration of stem cells in the rat testis and the rapid expansion of spermatogenesis after transplantation will facilitate studies on stem cell biology and the introduction of genetic modifications into the male germ line. The functional differences between spermatogonial stem cells of rat vs. mouse origin after transplantation suggest that the potential of these cells may vary greatly among species.
THE FORMATIVE YEARS OF RATZEL IN THE UNITED STATES

ABSTRACT The young naturalist Ratzel supported himself by writing articles on his observations in Mediterranean and Alpine lands. These brought him the assignment to report on whatever interested him in the United States and Mexico (1873–1875). He returned from his American years to profess himself a geographer. Sketches of nature and the works and ways of men were followed by the large overview of his Culturgeographie of the United States during its first century. He liked the energy and expansiveness of American life, thought its excesses of wastefulness (Raubbau) a passing phase of youth, and had high expectation of its maturity. His observations and insights remained almost unnoticed in this country. A century later they give perspective on the dominance of material growth.
Familial and Personal Medical History of Cancer and Nervous System Conditions among Adults with Glioma and Controls

The causes of glioma, the most common type of primary malignant brain tumor, are poorly understood. This study compared the personal and first-degree familial medical histories of 462 adults newly diagnosed with glioma in the San Francisco Bay Area between August 1, 1991, and March 31, 1994, with those of 443 controls who were frequency-matched on age, sex, and ethnicity. Cases and controls had equivalent personal histories of cancers other than brain cancer and most nervous system conditions, but they differed significantly regarding histories of epilepsy, seizures, or convulsions 3 or more years prior to diagnosis (odds ratio = 3.3, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.4-7.9), chickenpox (odds ratio = 0.4, 95% CI 0.3-0.6), and shingles (odds ratio = 0.5, 95% CI 0.3-0.8). Four cases (less than 1%) and no controls had known genetic disorders (three had neurofibromatosis and one had tuberous sclerosis). Cases and controls had similar family histories of cancer and seizures. However, the odds ratio for a validated family history of primary brain tumor was 2.3 (95% CI 1.0-5.8). These results suggest that although family history of any cancer probably is not an important risk factor for adult glioma, a family history of brain tumors may play a role. Variation in exposure to or biologic response to common viral infections might play a greater role in the etiology of adult glioma than family history.
Sidetrack and Recompletion Risks in Oil Fields. V. Sidetrack Uncertainties and Parameter Sensitivities

Models of total estimated reserves, of future selling price per barrel of oil, and of the chances that undertaking a sidetrack will not kill a producing well, and that the sidetrack will also be successful, all provide parameter values that are used to estimate the worth of undertaking the sidetrack. However, such parameter values are themselves uncertain and therefore contribute uncertainty to the sidetrack worth .To decide to undertake a sidetrack requires that some idea is to hand of the sensitivity of the assessed worth to parameter variations, so that one knows where to place effort to minimize the uncertainty of the estimated worth. In this paper we show how models of such effects can be incorporated into the evaluation of sidetrack worth and its sensitivity to parameter uncertainties. In addition we show how the relative contributions of ranges and distribution types of the uncertainties can be evaluated. In this way one knows precisely where to focus efforts to improve matters prior to undertaking the sidetrack, and one also determines the range of likely outcomes with some statistical sharpness should one decide for or against undertaking the sidetrack. Several simple numerical illustrations are given to demonstrate the influence of different choices of parameter models on the assessment of the best worth and its uncertainty for a sidetrack situation.
Location-preserved contention-based routing in vehicular ad hoc networks

Location privacy protection in vehicular ad hoc networks considers preserving two types of information: the locations and identifications of users. However, existing solutions, which either replace identifications by pseudonyms or hide locations in areas, cannot be directly applied to geographic routing protocols because they degrade network performance. To address this issue, we proposed a location-preserved contention LPC based routing protocol, in which greedy forwarding is achieved using dummy distance to the destination information instead of users' true locations. Unlike the contention-based forwarding protocol, the number of duplicated responses in LPC can be reduced by adjusting the parameter α, which is a timer scaling factor. To quantify the efficiency of location privacy protection, an entropy-based analytical method is proposed. LPC is compared with existing routing and location privacy protection protocols in simulations. Results show that LPC provides 11.7% better network performance and a higher level of location privacy protection than the second best protocol. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Developing and validating predictive decision tree models from mining chemical structural fingerprints and high–throughput screening data in PubChem

Background Recent advances in high-throughput screening (HTS) techniques and readily available compound libraries generated using combinatorial chemistry or derived from natural products enable the testing of millions of compounds in a matter of days. Due to the amount of information produced by HTS assays, it is a very challenging task to mine the HTS data for potential interest in drug development research. Computational approaches for the analysis of HTS results face great challenges due to the large quantity of information and significant amounts of erroneous data produced.
SABSA: SWITCHING-ACTIVITY-BASED STATE ASSIGNMENT

Many algorithms have been proposed for the state assignment of Finite-State Machines. The usual goal of these algorithms is to reduce the area required to implement these machines. This paper discusses SABSA, an algorithm whose goal is to reduce the number of state bit transitions in the operating environment. SABSA does this by considering measured transition probabilities between states. When combined with a technology such as CMOS, this leads to lower power consumption. A RISC controller was taken from high level design to transistor level layout, and a power reduction of 35% was obtained with this new state assignment algorithm.
Nematode Spatial and Ecological Patterns from Tropical and Temperate Rainforests

Large scale diversity patterns are well established for terrestrial macrobiota (e.g. plants and vertebrates), but not for microscopic organisms (e.g. nematodes). Due to small size, high abundance, and extensive dispersal, microbiota are assumed to exhibit cosmopolitan distributions with no biogeographical patterns. This assumption has been extrapolated from local spatial scale studies of a few taxonomic groups utilizing morphological approaches. Recent molecularly-based studies, however, suggest something quite opposite. Nematodes are the most abundant metazoans on earth, but their diversity patterns are largely unknown. We conducted a survey of nematode diversity within three vertical strata (soil, litter, and canopy) of rainforests at two contrasting latitudes in the North American meridian (temperate: the Olympic National Forest, WA, U.S.A and tropical: La Selva Biological Station, Costa Rica) using standardized sampling designs and sample processing protocols. To describe nematode diversity, we applied an ecometagenetic approach using 454 pyrosequencing. We observed that: 1) nematode communities were unique without even a single common species between the two rainforests, 2) nematode communities were unique among habitats in both rainforests, 3) total species richness was 300% more in the tropical than in the temperate rainforest, 4) 80% of the species in the temperate rainforest resided in the soil, whereas only 20% in the tropics, 5) more than 90% of identified species were novel. Overall, our data provided no support for cosmopolitanism at both local (habitats) and large (rainforests) spatial scales. In addition, our data indicated that biogeographical patterns typical of macrobiota also exist for microbiota.
A Hybrid-Filter Approach to Turbulence Simulation

Germano (Theor Comput Fluid Dyn 17:225–331, 2004) proposed a hybrid-filter approach, which additively combines an LES-like filter operator (F) and a RANS-like statistical operator (E) using a blending function k: H = kF + (1 − k)E. Using turbulent channel flow as an example, we first conducted a priori tests in order to gain some insights into this hybrid-filter approach, and then performed full simulations to further assess the approach in actual simulations. For a priori tests, two separate simulations, RANS (E) and LES (F), were performed using the same grid in order to construct a hybrid-filtered field (H). It was shown that the extra terms arising out of the hybrid-filtered Navier–Stokes (HFNS) equations provided additional energy transfer from the RANS region to the LES region, thus alleviating the need for the ad hoc forcing term that has been used by some investigators. The complexity of the governing equations necessitated several modifications in order to render it suitable for a full numerical simulation. Despite some issues associated with the numerical implementation, good results were obtained for the mean velocity and skin friction coefficient. The mean velocity profile did not have an overshoot in the logarithmic region for most blending functions, confirming that proper energy transfer from the RANS to the LES region was a key to successful hybrid models. It is shown that Germano’s hybrid-filter approach is a viable and mathematically more appealing approach to simulate high Reynolds number turbulent flows.
Elevated late-night salivary cortisol levels in elderly male type 2 diabetic veterans.

Summary Objective Late-night salivary cortisol (LNSC) is reportedly highly accurate for the diagnosis of Cushing's syndrome (CS). However, diagnostic thresholds for abnormal results are based on healthy, young populations and limited data are available on its use in elderly populations with chronic medical conditions. The purpose of this study was to evaluate LNSC levels in elderly male veterans with and without diabetes. Design Prospective evaluation of LNSC levels in male veterans. Patients One hundred and fifty-four participants with type 2 diabetes and 52 participants without diabetes. Measurements Participants underwent outpatient LNSC (2300 h) testing. Participants with elevated LNSC (≥ 4·3 nmol/l) underwent secondary testing, including 24-h urine free cortisol (24UFC, > 60 µg/day) and dexamethasone suppression testing (DST, serum cortisol > 50 nmol/l). Participants with positive secondary testing had a morning ACTH level analysed and either pituitary or adrenal imaging performed. Results One hundred and forty-one diabetics and 46 controls (mean age 61 years) returned samples (91% overall). Average LNSC levels (nmol/l) in diabetics were significantly higher than in nondiabetics [median (interquartile range): 2·6 (1·8–4·1) vs. 1·6 (1·0–2·0)] and in those aged ≥ 60 compared to < 60 [2·7 (2·0–4·3) vs. 1·9 (1·4–2·9)] (P < 0·001 for both). Thirty-one participants required secondary testing. Seventy-nine per cent of participants who underwent secondary testing had normal 24UFC and DST. No cases of CS have been diagnosed to date. Increasing age [odds ratio (OR) 2·0 per decade], current diabetes mellitus (OR 4·4), and elevated blood pressure (OR 1·3 per 10 mmHg increase in systolic blood pressure) were associated with abnormal LNSC results (P < 0·05 for each). Conclusions LNSC has been shown to be sensitive and specific in diagnosing CS in certain high-risk populations, primarily the young and middle-aged. The development of age- and comorbidity-adjusted thresholds may be warranted for LNSC testing in elderly subjects and in those with significant comorbidity.
Effect of irradiance spectra on the photoinduced toxicity of three polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons

Photoinduced toxicity of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) is dependent on the concentration of compounds present and the dose of light received. Of the light present, only those wavelengths absorbed by the compound have the potential to initiate the photochemical events underlying phototoxicity. This suggests that variation in light spectra present in natural waters, arising from variation in dissolved organic carbon composition, is an important determinant of phototoxicity risk in specific, PAH-contaminated waterbodies. To quantify the effect of environmentally realistic variation in light spectra on toxicity, brine shrimp (Artemia salina) assays were conducted under various light spectra and with three PAHs (pyrene, fluoranthene, and anthracene) of known phototoxicity potential. In these spectral assays, the total ultraviolet light present was equivalent; only the spectral characteristics varied. Based on the absorbance spectra of these PAHs, it was predicted that toxicity, quantified using immobilization as the endpoint, would vary significantly among light spectra in pyrene assays, but not in anthracene assays, and that variation in toxicity in fluoranthene assays would be intermediate. The results supported these assumptions. In the pyrene exposures, the glass filter time to 50% population immobilization (IT50) (39.5 min) was 117% longer than the KCr filter IT50 (18.2 min). In the fluoranthene exposures, the glass filter IT50 (49.5 min) was 27% longer than the KCr filter IT50 (39.1 min). In the anthracene exposures, the glass filter IT50 (62.2 min) was not statistically different from the KCr filter IT50 (63.8 min). Comparison of these results with the results of assays conducted under neutral-density filters (that change intensity but not spectral distribution) demonstrate that multiplying spectral intensity by wavelength-specific absorbance accurately predicts relative photoinduced toxicity among the experimental treatments. These results indicate that quantifying the spectral characteristics of PAH-contaminated aquatic environments may be an important component of risk assessment at these sites.
Cleaning up toxic waste: Removing nefarious contributions to recommendation systems

Recommendation systems are becoming increasingly important, as evidenced by the popularity of the Netflix prize and the sophistication of various online shopping systems. With this increase in interest, a new problem of nefarious or false rankings that compromise a recommendation system's integrity has surfaced. We consider such purposefully erroneous rankings to be a form of “toxic waste,” corrupting the performance of the underlying algorithm. In this paper, we propose an adaptive reweighted algorithm as a possible approach towards correcting this problem. Our algorithm relies on finding a low-rank-plus-sparse decomposition of the recommendation matrix, where the adaptation of the weights aids in rejecting the malicious contributions. Simulations suggest that our algorithm converges fairly rapidly and produces accurate results.
Vitamin D role and use in prediabetes.

ABSTRACT Objective To review the role of vitamin D in prediabetes on the basis of evidence from human studies. Methods English-language literature in MEDLINE (January 1969-July 2009) was searched for observational studies and randomized controlled trials of vitamin D deficiency and treatment in prediabetes, including impaired fasting glucose, impaired glucose tolerance, and metabolic syndrome. Search terms included hyperglycemia, glucose, glycohemoglobin, insulin resistance, diabetes, homeostasis model assessment, insulin secretion, vitamin D, and related terms. Publications were also identified from review articles and references in the found articles. Abstracts, conference proceedings, case reports, and letters were excluded. Articles concerning only type 1 and type 2 diabetes, hemodialysis, or hyperparathyroidism and studies in children were also excluded. Results Vitamin D insufficiency is defined by a circulating 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentration less than 30 ng/mL, and it is prevalent in the United States (77% of the population). Most cross-sectional and prospective studies in various populations show inverse association between circulating 25-hydroxyvitamin D and fasting plasma glucose, impaired glucose tolerance, hemoglobin A1c, metabolic syndrome, and incidence of prediabetes. A few clinical trials suggest beneficial effect of vitamin D supplementation in prediabetes, including improved insulin secretion, basal fasting insulin sensitivity, and postprandial peripheral insulin resistance. The limitations of the studies are small sample size, short duration of follow-up, lack of control groups, and inability to achieve vitamin D sufficiency with treatment. Conclusion Available data suggest that achieving vitamin D sufficiency may be beneficial in patients with prediabetes, although clinical trials are needed to provide evidence-based recommendations. (Endocr Pract. 2010;16:476-485)
Intravenous Iron Exposure and Outcomes in Patients on Hemodialysis

Iron is an essential trace element that is important for normal body function. However, excess iron in animal studies has been shown to be toxic, because it can enhance radical oxygen generation, impair neutrophil and T-cell function, and also promote bacterial growth ([1][1],[2][2]). This dichotomy
Inhibiting GPI Anchor Biosynthesis in Fungi Stresses the Endoplasmic Reticulum and Enhances Immunogenicity

In fungi, the anchoring of proteins to the plasma membrane via their covalent attachment to glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) is essential and thus provides a valuable point of attack for the development of antifungal therapeutics. Unfortunately, studying the underlying biology of GPI-anchor synthesis is difficult, especially in medically relevant fungal pathogens because they are not genetically tractable. Compounding difficulties, many of the genes in this pathway are essential in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Here, we report the discovery of a new small molecule christened gepinacin (for GPI acylation inhibitor) which selectively inhibits Gwt1, a critical acyltransferase required for the biosynthesis of fungal GPI anchors. After delineating the target specificity of gepinacin using genetic and biochemical techniques, we used it to probe key, therapeutically relevant consequences of disrupting GPI anchor metabolism in fungi. We found that, unlike all three major classes of antifungals in current use, the d...
A 1pJ/bit 10Gbps optical carrier-injection ring modulator and all-digital driver circuit in 45nm SOI

Bandwidth versus energy is a tradeoff in all systems and with the growing parallelism of SOCs, bandwidth is a developing bottleneck. A high-speed photonic link network was developed operating at 10Gbps and consuming 1pJ/bit, both in low to high and high to low transitions. Photonic link networks are a disruptive technology, providing low energy and high bandwidth communication, as is demonstrated by this paper. This research focuses on controlling the amount of charge entering the PN-diode structure of a photonic ring modulator to transmit changing bit values in a constrained monolithic process based on the electrical parameters extracted from a simulated physical model of the modulator. A double-data-rate (DDR) driver transmitter circuit for PN junction photonic micro-ring modulator resonator was designed, simulated and tested in 45nm SOI.
Critical Corporate Law, Colorblind Constitutional Law

Should minority status be a relevant datum for judicial decision? That is the question motivating my paper, Minorities, Shareholder and Otherwise, published a handful of years ago in the Yale Law Journal. This short essay published in the Yale Law Journal Online introduces an online symposium revisiting that work, with responses from Stephen Bainbridge, Richard Delgado, and Kevin Johnson, and a final rejoinder from me. In Minorities, Shareholder and Otherwise, I demonstrate that corporate law recognizes the relevance of minority status, even while constitutional law more and more insists on minority-blindness. I argue that this is precisely backwards – that the constitutional domain should require greater judicial vigilance with respect to minority status than the corporate domain. The difficulty of exit from a polity and the inability to negotiate (or at least select among) terms of entry into a polity, not to mention a history of grave injustice, call for special attention to minorities in the constitutional context. By juxtaposing the colorblind aspirations of current constitutional law doctrine with the minority-mindfulness of corporate law, I reveal a fundamental incoherence in the law. Minorities, Shareholder and Otherwise identifies this puzzle, and suggests that corporate law has a grip on real world relations that constitutional law increasingly abjures.
Direct measurement of the wavefunction of a single photon

The photon wavefunction is measured by a direct method that does not require computation reconstruction. A reading on our measurement apparatus is directly proportional to the real and imaginary parts of the wave function.
An X-band reconfigurable bandpass filter using phase change RF switches

In this paper, we report on a reconfigurable bandpass filter for X-band applications. The filter is composed of coupled X/2 microstrip line resonators. Center frequency tuning of each resonator is achieved using an RF switch based on a phase change chalcogenide compound, germanium telluride, which switches in and out a loading capacitor. A combination of electric and magnetic coupling between the resonators realizes a near constant absolute-bandwidth as the filter is tuned. The center frequency of the filter is switched between 7.45 and 8.07 GHz, with a 3-dB bandwidth of ∼ 500 MHz, insertion loss of less than 3.2 dB, and return loss of better than 18 dB. The measured third-order intermodulation intercept point (IIP3) and 1-dB power compression point (P1dB) are better than 30 dBm at frequency offset of 1 kHz and 25 dBm, respectively. Measured and simulated results are in good agreement. To our best knowledge, this is the first time implementation of a tunable filter using germanium telluride based phase change switches.
O-129 Racial Differences In Parental Expectations And Satisfaction Regarding Nursing Care In The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (nicu)

Background Nurses play a pivotal role in parental support and education in the NICU, but it is not known if parental satisfaction and expectations about nursing care differ between racial groups. Methods A prospective cohort was constructed of infants born at a gestational age ≤35 weeks, who presented within 2 months after NICU discharge to The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia primary care network between 7/1/09 and 12/31/11 (N = 249, 52% white, 42% Black). We administered a survey on trust, communication, NICU course, and expectations from the medical system. Qualitative responses about NICU nursing care were imported into ATLAS.ti to highlight key themes and relationships between race and satisfaction with NICU nursing care. Results During the open-ended survey questioning, 120 (48%) parents commented on nursing. 58% of the comments were positive, with black parents more negative (58%) than white parents (33%). Parents of different races sought different behaviours from nurses. Black parents were dissatisfied with how nurses supported them, wanting compassionate communication and nurses that treated them “like family”. White parents were dissatisfied with inconsistent nursing care and lack of respect for parental involvement, wanting education about their child’s short and long-term needs. Both groups described a chaotic NICU environment with high nursing turnover, making it difficult to build trust and relationships. Conclusions Racial differences in satisfaction and expectations were found with NICU nursing care. Practices to account for these differing needs will allow nurses to better support families through a premature birth and engage parents in their child’s health care.
CORRECTION RESPONSE SURFACE DESIGN OF STIFFENED COMPOSITE PANEL WITH A CRACK

In designing an aircraft composite wing panel, two of the most important concerns are crack propagation in the skin of the stiffened panel and instability of the panel itself under compressive loads. This study attempts to solve the weight optimization problem of a stiffened composite panel, subjected to crack propagation and buckling constraints, using the response surface methodology. In particular, a combination of a high fidelity method of analysis and a low fidelity method was utilized to describe the crack propagation constraint. A correction response surface was constructed to relate the high fidelity models to the low fidelity models. This method combines the accuracy of the former with the computational efftciency of the latter. The results indicate that correction response surfaces can
The membrane-binding domain of a rat liver Golgi sialyltransferase.

Glycosyltransferases which synthesize the carbohydrate groups of glycoproteins and glycolipids are located in the organelles of the secretory pathway, the endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi apparatus (Dunphy & Rothman, 1985; Kornfeld & Kornfeld, 1985). In recent years it has become clear that these enzymes are not evenly distributed throughout these organelles, but exhibit discrete compartmentations. For example, in the biosynthesis of N-linked oligosaccharides, glycosyltransferases involved in the synthesis of the lipid-linked intermediate are localized in the endoplasmic reticulum, while glycosyltransferases involved in the terminal glycosylation steps are distributed across the cis to trans gradient of the Golgi apparatus, roughly in the order in which they act (Kornfeld & Kornfeld, 1985). Glycosyltransferases are also found in mammalian secretions like colostrum and milk, and in body fluids such as blood and effusions (Schachter & Roseman, 1980; Beyer et al., 1981). Indeed, they are often present in sufficiently high amounts that bovine and human milk and human plasma have been used as sources for the purification of galactosyltransferases, sialyltransferases, fucosyltransferases and N-acetylgalactosaminyltransferases (Schachter & Roseman, 1980; Beyer et al., 1981; Prieels et al., 1981; Elhammer & Kornfeld, 1986). The physiological relevance of these enzymes in body fluids is still poorly understood. Little is known about the molecular basis for the intracellular compartmentation of the glycosyltransferases or why they are found in extracellular secretions. The intracellular enzymes are presumed to be integral membrane proteins (Schachter et al., 1970; MorrC, 1971), and it has been suggested that the glycosyltransferases in secretions are proteolytically degraded species missing peptide domains involved in the interaction with Golgi apparatus membranes (Hill & Brew, 1975). This report briefly summarizes evidence supporting these suggestions, and presents recent results on the cloning and sequencing of a rat liver sialyltransferase cDNA which clarify the structural relationship between membrane-bound and soluble forms of the enzyme. Possible generalizations of the results to the domain structures of other glycosyltransferases are also discussed.
PETROLEUMS SYSTEMS, POOL-FORMATION AND OIL AND GAS DISTRIBUTION IN THE MIDDLE-SHALLOW STRATA OF NORTHERN SONGLIAO BASIN

By analyzing the history of fault activity, generation and expulsion of oil and gas from source rocks and the sealing ability of caprocks, this work studied the evolution of petroleum systems and its control on the formation and distribution of oil and gas accumulations in the middle?shallow strata in northern Songliao basin. It is found that the end of Nenjiang formation,Mingshui formation and Eogene sedimentation were phases when the middle?shallow petroleum systems extended downward. As a result of these extensions, the F, Y, S, P, G and H oil layers are characterized by multi? oil layers having been charged by the same source bed or a single oil layer charged by multi? source beds. The mode of oil and gas migration and accumulation also change with the evolution of the petroleum systems.