cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Analysis of Voltage Sharing of Series-Connected SiC MOSFETs and Body-Diodes

In recent years, SiC MOSFET s have gained strong attention in medium-voltage power conversion applications. To increase the blocking voltage level, series-connection of SiC MOSFET s is an attractive solution but may suffer a severe voltage unbalance issue. To gain insights into the voltage unbalance issue, this article presents a detailed study of the impact of parasitic capacitors on the voltage sharing of series-connected SiC MOSFET s and body-diodes. The parasitic capacitors are categorized into two groups for analysis: 1) parasitic capacitors from gate terminal; 2) parasitic capacitors from drain/source terminals. The study reveals that gate parasitic capacitors affect gate miller-plateau voltage and ultimately the d v /d t during the turn- off . The voltage sharing will be worse under higher turn- off current or larger gate resistor. The drain/source parasitic capacitors will introduce additional capacitance across device drain-source terminals which results in an unbalanced voltage sharing. The position of switching unit and the heatsink connection schemes will affect the distribution of drain/source parasitic capacitors to cause different voltage sharing results. The drain/source parasitic capacitors will also cause voltage unbalance of series-connected body-diodes under different conditions. To verify the analysis, the voltage sharing between two series-connected 10 kV SiC MOSFET s is tested under different parasitic capacitors conditions.
Acute Kidney Injury among Black Patients with Sickle Cell Trait and Sickle Cell Disease.

Background and objectives Sickle cell trait and sickle cell disease are associated with faster GFR decline compared with normal hemoglobin phenotypes. We sought to compare the AKI risk in sickle cell trait/disease to normal hemoglobin phenotypes and investigate the association between AKI and GFR decline in sickle cell trait/disease. Design, setting, participants, & measurements This multicenter observational study used registry data (January 2005–June 2018) of adult Black patients with sickle cell trait/disease (exposures) and normal hemoglobin phenotype (reference) ascertained by hemoglobin electrophoresis. Outcomes of interest (incident AKI [1.5 times baseline serum creatinine or higher], incident severe AKI [doubling of baseline serum creatinine or higher], and incident sustained AKI [AKI persisting for ≥72 hours]) were adjudicated by chart review and evaluated by Cox regression. The association between AKI and GFR decline (linear mixed models) was also investigated. Results We identified 8968 reference patients, 1279 patients with sickle cell trait, and 254 patients with sickle cell disease with a median follow-up of 7.6 years and mean baseline serum creatinine of 0.8 mg/dl. We observed 796 AKI events, 452 sustained AKI events, and 466 severe AKI events. Compared with people with a normal hemoglobin phenotype, sickle cell trait was associated with higher risk for sustained AKI (adjusted hazard ratio, 1.64; 95% confidence interval, 1.27 to 2.11), but not AKI (adjusted hazard ratio, 1.11; 95% confidence interval, 0.91 to 1.36) or severe AKI (adjusted hazard ratio, 1.26; 95% confidence interval, 0.96 to 1.64). Sickle cell disease was associated with AKI (adjusted hazard ratio, 2.85; 95% confidence interval, 2.13 to 3.81), severe AKI (adjusted hazard ratio, 2.38; 95% confidence interval, 1.65 to 3.42), and sustained AKI (adjusted hazard ratio, 2.50; 95% confidence interval, 1.68 to 3.71). Post-AKI GFR decline was significantly faster in sickle cell trait (0.37 ml/min per 1.73 m2 per year faster, P Conclusions Sickle cell trait and disease are associated with higher risk of AKI, which is associated with accelerated decline in eGFR.
A Comprehensive, Multisystemic Early Childhood Program and Obesity at Age 37 Years

This cohort study analyzes reductions in obesity rates at age 37 years among individuals who participated in a multisystemic Child-Parent Center preschool program.
Abstract 13048: Do Anti-HLA Antibodies Pre-heart Transplant Truly Impact Post-transplant Outcomes?

Introduction: Antibody-mediated rejection (AMR) continues to be a major barrier to favorable long-term outcomes and long-term survival. Sensitized pre-heart transplant (HTx) patients, those with an...
Analyzing the Heterogeneous Impact of Remote Learning on Students' Ability to Stay on Track During the Pandemic

This study investigates how remote learning due to the COVID pandemic impacts students' ability to keep up with the pace of instruction in a university level physics course, with a focus on the heterogeneous impact of remote learning on different demographic groups. Student learning data is collected from 70 online learning modules assigned as both online homework and self-study material in both Fall 2020 and Spring 2020 semesters, with the first 41 modules being assigned before campus closure in Spring 2020. Students' ability to stay on track is measured by three data indicators: percentage of modules submitted before the due date, percentage of modules submitted early for extra credit, and percentage of modules properly engaged with. The student population is divided into two demographic groups according to each of the four demographic variables: Gender, Ethnicity, Transfer Status and First generation status. All three data indicators from both semesters are first compared between each pair of demographic groups within the same semester, and then compared within the same group between the two semesters. Exam and course scores are also compared between demographics groups in Fall 2020 and against scores from the Fall 2019 semester. The analysis revealed that remote learning significantly reduced on-time and early submission for first-generation students, but increased the frequency of early submission for transfer students. Under-represented minority students had higher percentage of engaged modules during the pandemic, while non-URM students had the same level of module engagement before and after the pandemic. These results suggest that pandemic remote learning had very different impact for students with different demographic background, and future instructional design should strive to provide more flexible options to meet the various needs for a diverse higher-ed student population.
Nuclease digestion of RNA in chromatin.

Publisher Summary This chapter describes the methods for the nuclease digestion of RNA in chromatin. The RNA/DNA ratio is highest in chromatin isolated from tissues active in RNA synthesis. The presence of RNA as ribonucleoprotein associated with regions of chromatin active in transcription is well known. The chapter describes a procedure for investigation of the chromatin-associated RNA by digestion with staphylococcal nuclease. The procedure includes the preparation of chromatin, nuclease digestion, and the isolation of a structure containing the protected RNA fragment. The distinct advantage by use of the nuclease is that all of the protected chromatin DNA and chromatin protein precipitates from the limit digest, and they can then be easily removed by low-speed centrifugation leaving the protected RNA–protein complex as the only macromolecular material in the supernate.
How Speakers Refer: The Role of Accessibility

One of the core components of language is referring, which requires the speaker to choose between expressions that are highly explicit (e.g., the UNC professor ,o rPeter), and reduced lexical forms (e.g., he). This paper reviews claims that this process is largely driven by the accessibility or salience of the referent, and the psychological processes that underlie these effects. Two classes of constraint are examined: (1) Discourse status, which has traditionally been identified as the determinant of referential choices and (2) Non-linguistic processing constraints that increase the use of explicit forms. These effects together support a modified version of the traditional claim that speakers choose referential explicitness so that the listener can identify the referent, and underscore the need for accessibility to be mediated by a non-linguistic representation.
Explaining Returns with Loss Aversion

I develop and test an equilibrium asset pricing model based on loss averse investors. The model specifies a pricing kernel that is a nonmonotonic function of the market return. It also implies that investors demand a higher risk premium for risk associated with negative market returns than for positive market returns. The model assumes rational expectations and is consistent with no-arbitrage pricing. Estimates of the model's parameters are similar to values reported elsewhere. As the loss aversion literature predicts, the accuracy of the model depends on the frequency with which data is observed. Consistent with Benartzi and Thaler (1995), the model explains annual returns better than competing models, but it does not explain monthly, quarterly, or half-year returns. The model fits both returns that reflect the equity premium and stock returns alone.
Privacy-enhanced web personalization

Consumer studies demonstrate that online users value personalized content. At the same time, providing personalization on websites seems quite profitable for web vendors. This win-win situation is however marred by privacy concerns since personalizing people's interaction entails gathering considerable amounts of data about them. As numerous recent surveys have consistently demonstrated, computer users are very concerned about their privacy on the Internet. Moreover, the collection of personal data is also subject to legal regulations in many countries and states. Both user concerns and privacy regulations impact frequently used personalization methods. This article analyzes the tension between personalization and privacy, and presents approaches to reconcile the both.
An in vivo mouse model for human prostate cancer metastasis.

We developed a sensitive real-time polymerase chain reaction (QPCR) assay that allows us to track early lodging/homing events in vivo. We used this technology to develop a metastasis assay of human prostate cancer (PCa) growth in severe combined immunodeficient mice. For this purpose, marked human PCa cell lines were implanted subcutaneously or in the prostate (orthotopically) of severe combined immunodeficient mice as models of primary tumors. Mice were then sacrificed at various time points, and distant tissues were investigated for the presence of metastatic cells. At 3 weeks, a number of tissues were recovered and evaluated by QPCR for the presence of metastatic cells. The data demonstrate that several PCa cell lines are able to spread from the primary lesion and take up residence in distant sites. If the primary tumors were resected at 3 weeks, in several cases, metastastic lesions were identified over the course of 9 months. We propose that this new model may be particularly useful in exploring the molecular events in early metastasis, identifying the metastatic niche, and studying issues pertaining to dormancy.
Temperature dependent conformational changes at the active site of pyruvate kinase. A li nuclear magnetic resonance study.

Abstract The interaction of Li + , a weak activator of pyruvate kinase, with substrate and inhibitor complexes of the enzyme has been investigated by magnetic resonance techniques. Proton relaxation rate (PRR) titrations indicate that the dissociation constant of Li + from the ternary enzyme-Mn(II)-phospho enol pyruvate (P-enolpyruvate) complex is 15 m m at 5 °C and 17 m m at 30 °C. The electron paramagnetic resonance spectrum of the enzyme-Mn(II)-Li(I)-P-enolpyruvate complex is the superposition of spectra for two distinct species (Reed, G. H., and Cohn, M. (1973) J. Biol. Chem. 248 , 6436–6442). Low temperatures favor the form giving rise to the more nearly isotropic spectrum, whereas high temperatures favor the species giving rise to the anisotropic “K + -like” spectrum. 7 Li nuclear magnetic resonance data are consistent with a model in which the two forms observed by epr correspond to differing Mn(II) to Li(I) distances. The form giving rise to the anisotropic spectrum is characterized by a Mn(II) to Li(I) distance of 4.7 A, and in the more isotropic form this distance is approximately 9 A. The 4.7 A separation of the Mn(II) and Li(I) in the anisotropic form of the complex compares favorably with the 4.9 A separation of Mn(II) and T1(I) (Reuben, J., and Kayne, F. J. (1971) J. Biol. Chem. 246 , 6227–6234) in the P-enolpyruvate complex, although T1 + is a much better activator of the pyruvate kinase reaction. Thus, a change in the distance between the monovalent and divalent cations does not account quantitatively for the lower activation by Li + , inasmuch as more than 50% of the enzyme-Mn(II)-Li(I)-P-enolpyruvate complex has the “active” conformation with respect to the separation of the cations and the epr spectrum of the complex. As reported previously (Reed, G. H., and Morgan, S. D. (1974) Biochemistry 13 , 3537–3541), the dissociation constant of oxalate and the epr spectrum for the ternary complex of pyruvate kinase with Mn(II) and oxalate are not influenced by the species of monovalent cation present. The nuclear relaxation rates of Li + are increased in the presence of the ternary oxalate complex, although the separation of the Mn(II) and Li(I) appears to be much greater than for the “anisotropic” form of the P-enolpyruvate complex.
Urinary steroid profile as an index of fetal well-being

Abstract A study of the steroid metabolism of the fetoplacental unit in the human as reflected in the simultaneous analyses of total estrogens, pregnanetriol, pregnanediol, and pregnanolone in the same urine sample is presented. The study incorporates an automated assay for total estrogens and gas-liquid chromatography of the pregnane metabolites. The use of these highly sensitive and specific analytical tools allowed us to establish the pattern of excretion of the aforementioned compounds in a total of 170 normal and abnormal pregnancies in various stages of gestation. A total of 2,704 determinations were carried out in 14 months. One hundred and seven patients were considered normal, and the results from this group graphically presented gave the basis for “Fetal Health Survey” criteria of normalcy. Some of the results of the abnormal group, clinically classified, are discussed in terms of the normal pattern of excretion.
The Legal Dimension of RTI—Confusion Confirmed A Response to Walker and Daves

In this issue of Learning Disability Quarterly (LDQ), Professors Daves and Walker reply to my earlier LDQ article on confusion in the cases and commentary about the legal dimension of RTI. In this ...
Citation Classics in Lipid Measurement and Applications

In 1998 the AACC celebrates its 50th anniversary. Thus, we are honored to call attention to the outstanding professional contributions of the journal Clinical Chemistry over the years by pointing out the citation classics that have been published in its pages. By the end of 1995, 31 articles in Clinical Chemistry had been cited more than 300 times (1). Thirty of these articles were still being cited in 1995, and some are still cited to the present day. These 31 papers are distributed in multiple areas of biological sciences, and in particular: lipids, 8 papers (2)(3)(4)(5)(6)(7)(8)(9); endocrinology, 2 papers; clinical enzymology, 4 papers; intermediary metabolism, 6 papers; renal function, 2 papers; cancer, 1 paper; and calcium metabolism, 3 papers. Publications on methodology research and laboratory applications of lipid, lipoprotein, and apolipoprotein measurements in clinical investigations and epidemiologic trials have had a major impact on research of lipid metabolism and cardiovascular medicine (2)(3)(4)(5)(6)(7)(8)(9). The combined efforts of epidemiologists, clinicians, and laboratorians have produced classic publications on the understanding of lipid metabolic disorders, have stimulated development of new novel equipment and methodology, and have helped to establish the development of beneficial preventive and control measures for diseases of the heart and blood vessels. The cited lipid papers published in Clinical Chemistry included mainly the original papers on measurement of lipoproteins, enzymatic measurements of cholesterol and triglycerides, and immunoassays of apolipoproteins. The method used most widely today for estimation of the concentration of LDL-cholesterol (LDL-C) in both clinical and research laboratories arose from the publication of Friedewald et al. (2) that showed that the serum concentration of LDL-C can be estimated from available established measurements …
Comparison of SPH simulations and cone index tests for cohesive soils

Abstract The cone penetrometer test has been used for decades to quantify the soft soil mobility performance of ground vehicles. As physics-based methods for modeling soil are developed, it is necessary to validate these simulations against databases relating Cone Index (CI) to vehicle mobility. However, in order to make this comparison, the relationship between the engineering properties of the soil (density, bulk modulus) and the cone index must be determined. To that end, in this work, simulations of cone penetrometer tests in cohesive soil using the smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) method are presented. Three dimensional simulations were conducted and compared to laboratory measurements of cone index in soft soil. The SPH model is parametrized using the elastic moduli of the soil (bulk and shear modulus), the soil density, and the soil cohesion. A novel method which includes skin friction is employed to calculate the forces exerted on the cone tip by the soil. The simulations give good agreement with the measurements, with a coefficient of determination R 2 = 0.76 . These results indicate that SPH may be viable for simulating soft soil in conditions relevant for vehicle mobility considerations.
Performance Theory and Textual Theory: A Retort Courteous

Performance theory in tandem with critical theory has come to take for granted a number of critical positions, such as the distancing or demolition of the author, and the undermining of the authority of Shakespeare's texts by insisting on their indeterminacy. Performance theorists, distancing themselves from traditional modes of criticism, aim to free the productions of plays from bondage to the author or the text. They claim a special authority for performance as generating new meanings, and refashioning the texts of Shakespeare's plays. This claim, I argue, is over-pitched, in that all productions create meanings by working in relation to social and political circumstances at the time when a play is staged. Also, instead of liberating the play from the text performance inevitably closes down what the text leaves open, because each production has to choose one out of many possible alternative interpretations. Performance critics write as if traditional productions and criticism have exhausted the meaning...
Coinage metal complexes of 3,5-bis(trifluoromethyl)pyrazolate ligand: Synthesis and characterization of {[3,5-(CF3)2Pz]Cu}3 and {[3,5-(CF3)2Pz]Ag}3

Abstract Copper(I) and silver(I) adducts of [3,5-(CF3)2Pz]− have been prepared in good yield by reacting the corresponding metal(I) oxide with pyrazole [3,5-(CF3)2Pz]H. 1H, 13C, 19F NMR spectroscopic data as well as their X-ray crystal structures are presented. The copper adduct is trimeric in the solid state. The silver complex exists both as trimers and pairs of trimers. The trimer pairs show weak Ag–Ag interactions (Ag…Ag distance=3.3073(13) A).
THE SERVICE SOCIETY AND UNIVERSITY FACULTY AUTONOMY

American society has undergone many changes since World War II. Perhaps the most notable of these has been its transformation from an industrial to a post‐industrial society, a society that is no longer primarily goods‐producing but one that has increasingly been providing a greater variety of services.
Sa1451 EUS-Guided Therapy for Management of Pancreatic Fluid Collections (PFCs) After Distal Pancreatectomy (DP): A Definitive Solution to a Perennial Problem?

95% CI [0.04%, 2.7%]), bleeding 7 (2.4%, 95% CI[0.64%, 4.12%]), infection 14 (4.7%, 95% CI [2.3%, 7.1%]) and stent migration in 3 (1.1%, 95% CI [0.1%, 2.2%]). There were six deaths from multi-organ dysfunction within 30 days of EUS of which none were procedure related. Conclusions: EUS-guided drainage of PFCs, in experienced hands, is associated with a low complication rate. This data can be used by endosonographers to counsel patients on the frequency of complications during EUS-guided drainage of PFCs.
Stimulation of Transpiration by Cytokinins

CYTOKININS1 have received considerable attention from plant biologists because they play key parts in systems that regulate growth2–4. These compounds influence physiological processes such as the induction of cell division, retardation of senescence, promotion of seed germination and promotion of bud developments5,6. We have already observed that cytokinins initiate another physiological process—transpiration. This observation is similar but not identical to a report7 concerning the stimulation of transpiration of primary barley leaves.
Role of anticoagulants in the treatment of cerebrovascular disease

Abstract Since 1955 a number of conflicting reports have appeared concerning the efficacy of anticoagulant agents against cerebrovascular disease. Some of the variation of opinion has been caused by different concepts of what may be accomplished by the treatment and by the fact that clinical categories of strokes may respond differently to therapy. The evidence accumulated to date suggests that anticoagulant therapy may favorably influence the natural history of (1) impending stroke (intermittent focal cerebrovascular insufficiency, transient ischemic attacks), (2) advancing stroke, particularly in the vertebrobasilar system, and (3) recurrent cerebral embolization from a cardiac source. In most reports it is said that anticoagulant therapy is of no benefit when completed stroke is present and under such a circumstance may be unduly dangerous. Hemorrhagic complications continue to be a problem. Careful control of the degree of anticoagulation must be maintained; it may reduce the incidence of complications. Severe systemic hypertension, which cannot be medically controlled, appears to be a contraindication to longterm therapy.
Parallel simulation of groundwater non-point source pollution using algebraic multigrid preconditioners

The simulation of non-point source pollution in agricultural basins is a computationally demanding process due to the large number of individual sources and potential pollution receptors (e.g., drinking water wells). In this study, we present an efficient computational framework for parallel simulation of diffuse pollution in such groundwater basins. To derive a highly detailed velocity field, we employed algebraic multigrid (AMG) preconditioners to solve the groundwater flow equation. We compare two variants of AMG implementations, the multilevel preconditioning provided by Trilinos and the BoomerAMG provided by HYPRE. We also perform a sensitivity analysis on the configuration of AMG methods to evaluate the application of these libraries to groundwater flow problems. For the transport simulation of diffuse contamination, we use the streamline approach, which decomposes the 3D transport problem into a large number of 1D problems that can be executed in parallel. The proposed framework is applied to a 2,600-km2 groundwater basin in California discretized into a grid with over 11 million degrees of freedom. Using a Monte Carlo approach with 200 nitrate loading realizations at the aquifer surface, we perform a stochastic analysis to quantify nitrate breakthrough prediction uncertainty at over 1,500 wells due to random, temporally distributed nitrate loading. The results show that there is a significant time lag between loading and aquifer response at production wells. Generally, typical production wells respond after 5–50 years depending on well depth and screen length, while the prediction uncertainty for nitrate in individual wells is very large—approximately twice the drinking water limit for nitrate.
CLUSTER: University-Science Center Partnership for Science Teacher Preparation.

The purpose of this paper is to describe and present results from the fourth year of a five-year collaborative research project between an interactive science center and a local college. The purpose of the project is not only to recruit and train approximately 50 highly qualified science teachers who will teach in New York City public schools, but also to develop a model for science teacher preparation. This model demonstrates how university-science center partnerships can allow both institutions to leverage each other's strengths to guide and support inquiry and constructivist-based pre service teacher preparation. In addition to a description of the training model, data presented will include standardized assessments, classroom observations of project participants and comparison participants, and follow-up with graduates. Results suggest that this innovative training model has enhanced teaching skills and performance.
Response of the Eye Gnat Hippelates collusor to Light of Different Wave Lengths

The sensitivity of Hippelates collusor (Townsend) to light of various wave lengths was determined by two methods. One method made use of narrow-band light niters, while the other one involved the use of a spectrophotometer. With both methods similar wave lengths of maximum sensitivity (440-450 m μ ) and of minimum sensitivity (above 600 m μ ) were found, but the results from the two methods differed in details. These differences are explained by light-energy differences.
Individuality of the plasma sodium concentration

Older literature has suggested that the plasma sodium concentration is not individual, that it is neither intrinsic to an individual nor reproducible, longitudinally. We recently observed that the plasma sodium concentration is heritable. Because demonstrable heritability requires individuality of the relevant phenotype, we hypothesized that the plasma sodium concentration was substantially individual. In two large health plan-based cohorts, we demonstrated individuality of the plasma sodium concentration over a 10-yr interval; the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) averaged 0.4–0.5. The individuality of plasma sodium increased significantly with age. Plasma sodium individuality was equal to or only slightly less than that for plasma glucose but was less than the individuality for creatinine. The individuality of plasma sodium was further confirmed by comparing the Pearson correlation coefficient for within-individual versus between-individual pairs of sodium determinations and via application of the agreement index. Furthermore, the distribution of all sodium determinations for all participants within a population was similar to the distribution for the mean sodium concentration for individuals within that population. Therefore, the near-normal distribution of plasma sodium measurements within a population is likely not attributable to assay-specific factors but rather to genuine and durable biological variability in the osmotic set point. In aggregate, these data strongly support the individuality of the plasma sodium concentration. They further indicate that serial plasma sodium values for any given individual tend to cluster around a patient-specific set point and that these set points vary among individuals.
Numerical Analysis of a Single Minichannel Within a High-Temperature Hydrogen Heat Exchanger for Beamed Energy Propulsion Applications

The requirement that the propellants used in launch vehicle systems must also provide the thermal energy to be converted to kinetic energy in the rocket nozzle has plagued rocket designers since the dawn of the space age. Beamed propulsion systems, however, avoid this constraint by placing the energy source on the ground and transmitting the energy to the spacecraft via microwaves. This computational work evaluates three different heat exchanger channel designs for use in a beam propulsion spacecraft. The working fluid was hydrogen and the input energy was 1.3 kW. The increase in axial temperature along the 0.1 m long channel was as high as 2000 K. In addition, it was found that despite the very small diameter of the minichannels, 1 mm, each design produced extreme temperature gradients across the channel cross section. These temperature gradients affected the velocity profile; the maximum velocity was not located at the channel center.© 2013 ASME
CTCF-cohesin complex: architect of chromatin structure regulates V(D)J rearrangement.

The CTCF/cohesin complex regulates higher order chromatin structure by creating long-range chromatin loops and by insulating neighboring genes from each other. The lymphocyte antigen receptor loci have large numbers of CTCF/cohesin binding sites, and recent studies demonstrate that the CTCF/cohesin complex plays several important roles in regulating the process of V(D)J recombination at these megabase-sized receptor loci.
Artificial Tensor Impedance Surface Waveguides

A surface waveguide structure is studied using a theoretical model and simulated using Ansoft HFSS. A tensor impedance surface is surrounded by two lower impedance surfaces on a plane. Surface waves are guided losslessly within the inner region as long as it has higher impedance than the outer region. A theoretical model is proposed which predicts the dispersion relation of the waveguide using a ray optics method. Our tensor impedance surface theory can also predict the dispersion of scalar impedance surfaces. The theory and simulation show agreement for scalar and tensor impedance surfaces. Two applications of tensor impedance surface waveguides are presented.
Regenerating Battle Wounds, Together

For AFIRM's next 5 year term, the DOD will accept new applicants. “Although undoubtedly the existing consortia would like to carry over, we need to do a re-compete out of a need for fairness,” observed Irgens. “There may be other universities out there that might have technologies that are even more advanced than those currently worked on.” Some scientists in the current round voiced concern that, because the project has lacked long-term vision vis-a-vis seeing technologies all the way through the pipeline, some technologies will lose financial footing and wither on the vine.Whether or not his lab is chosen for the next round, Badylak is prepared to do whatever it takes to continue developing his lab's approach to regenerating either missing digits or skeletal muscle, a novel technique that prompts an accumulation of cells and tissue at the site of injury. Is he confident that this technique will reach patients?“Oh yes, absolutely. No question about it,” Badylak said. “I'd be extremely disappointed if it didn't.”An unidentified AFIRM researcher at Rutgers University demonstrates a bone regeneration scaffold (round white object in foreground). The images on the computer screen represent magnified CT scans of newly regenerated bone (highlighted in blue) when the bone regeneration scaffold was used to heal a large circular defect in the skull of a rabbit in a preclinical model study. Photo by Don Lindorfer.View Large Image | View Hi-Res Image | Download PowerPoint SlideThe white objects in the picture are bone regeneration scaffolds in various sizes developed at Rutgers University under AFIRM funding. In this photograph, an unidentified researcher attempts to fit one of the bone regeneration scaffolds into a defect created in the skull of a rabbit for training purposes. Photo by Don Lindorfer.View Large Image | View Hi-Res Image | Download PowerPoint Slide
Whole-body protein turnover response to short-term high-protein diets during weight loss: a randomized controlled trial

To determine whole-body protein turnover responses to high-protein diets during weight loss, 39 adults (age, 21±1 years; VO2peak, 48±1 ml kg(-1) min(-1); body mass index, 25±1 kg m(2)) were randomized to diets providing protein at the recommend dietary allowance (RDA), 2 × -RDA or 3 × -RDA. A 10-day weight maintenance period preceded a 21-day, 40% energy deficit. Postabsorptive (FASTED) and postprandial (FED) whole-body protein turnover was determined during weight maintenance (day 10) and energy deficit (day 31) using [1-(13)C]leucine. FASTED flux, synthesis and breakdown were lower (P<0.05) for energy deficit than weight maintenance. Protein flux and synthesis were higher (P<0.05) for FED than FASTED. Feeding attenuated (P<0.05) breakdown during weight maintenance but not energy deficit. Oxidation increased (P<0.05) between dietary protein levels and feeding stimulated oxidation, although oxidative responses to feeding were higher (P<0.05) for energy deficit than weight maintenance. FASTED net balance decreased between dietary protein levels, but in the FED state, net balance was lower for 3 × -RDA as compared with RDA and 2 × -RDA (diet-by-state, P<0.05). Consuming dietary protein at levels above the RDA, particularly 3 × -RDA, during short-term weight loss increases protein oxidation with concomitant reductions in net protein balance.
Deformation Strengthening of Biopolymer in Nacre

Nacre is an ultratough natural nanocomposite found in mollusc shells. It consists of hard aragonite nanocrystals and a soft biopolymer matrix. Apart from maintaining the integrity of nacre's brick-and-mortar nanoarchitecture, the biopolymer plays a critical role in the strengthening and toughening of nacre. By directly probing the biopolymer strands using atomic force microscopy, it is revealed that the biopolymer in nacre has the capability to strengthen itself during deformation. This remarkable deformation–strengthening mechanism contributes significantly to the ultrahigh toughness of nacre, and can be explained by a coiled-spring model. The findings explain the mystery of nacre's toughening mechanisms, provide additional design guidelines for developing biomimetic nanomaterials, and lay a constitutive foundation for modeling the deformation behavior of nacre.
Kinetics of reaction and deactivation: cumene disproportionation on a commercial hydrocracking catalyst

Abstract Cumene disproportionation has been utilized as a probe reaction to study the acidic function of a hydrocracking catalyst. Differential rate data obtained in a fixed-bed microreactor at total pressures near 8 atm and temperatures ranging from 428 to 455 °K have been extrapolated to time zero by two different techniques in order to offset effects of slow catalyst deactivation during the experiments. The resultant initial rate data have been shown to be consistent with a Langmuir-Hinshelwood reaction model involving two adjacently adsorbed cumene molecules.
Development of a multidimensional scale of anxiety

Abstract This paper describes the development of a new self-report anxiety scale. The multidimensional conception of anxiety was used to create a comprehensive self-rated instrument. The study included 694 subjects from three populations: anxiety patients, medical patients, and university employees (controls). Strict selection of criteria was used, including content analysis, factor analysis, and a recently developed multitrait analysis to choose items for the scale from an item pool constructed from most of the known anxiety inventories. The 40-item scale consisted of four major dimensions and nine subscales. The total scale had internal consistency of 0.93 and close to 0.8 for separate dimensions. The scale correlated, as hypothesized, with several validating instruments (Zung Anxiety Scale and others). The analysis revealed the multidimensional and multifactorial structure of self reports of anxiety. More research is needed to further explore the validity and the usefulness of the new scale in biological and social experiments.
Tightening the Iron Cage: Concertive Control in Self-Managing Teams

In this paper, I provide an ethnographic account of how an organization’s control system evolved in response to a managerial change from hierarchical, bureaucratic control to concertive control in the form of self-managing teams. The study investigates how the organization’s members developed a system of value-based normative rules that controlled their actions more powerfully and completely than the former system. I describe the organization and its members and provide a detailed account of the dynamics that emerged as concertive control became manifest through the members’ interactions. This account depicts how concertive control evolved from the value consensus of the company’s team workers to a system of normative rules that became increasingly rationalized. Contrary to some proponents of such systems, concertive control did not free these workers from Weber’s iron cage of rational control. Instead, the concertive system, as it became manifest in this case, appeared to draw the iron cage tighter and to constrain the organization’s members more powerfully.
Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor-mediated Tissue Transglutaminase Overexpression Couples Acquired Tumor Necrosis Factor-related Apoptosis-inducing Ligand Resistance and Migration through c-FLIP and MMP-9 Proteins in Lung Cancer Cells

Acquired chemoresistance not only blunts anticancer therapy but may also promote cancer cell migration and metastasis. Our previous studies have revealed that acquired tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) resistance in lung cancer cells is associated with Akt-mediated stabilization of cellular caspase 8 and Fas-associated death domain (FADD)-like apoptosis regulator-like inhibitory protein (c-FLIP) and myeloid cell leukemia 1 (Mcl-1). In this report, we show that cells with acquired TRAIL resistance have significantly increased capacities in migration and invasion. By gene expression screening, tissue transglutaminase (TGM2) was identified as one of the genes with the highest expression increase in TRAIL-resistant cells. Suppressing TGM2 dramatically alleviated TRAIL resistance and cell migration, suggesting that TGM2 contributes to these two phenotypes in TRAIL-resistant cells. TGM2-mediated TRAIL resistance is likely through c-FLIP because TGM2 suppression significantly reduced c-FLIP but not Mcl-1 expression. The expression of matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP-9) was suppressed when TGM2 was inhibited, suggesting that TGM2 potentiates cell migration through up-regulating MMP-9 expression. We found that EGF receptor (EGFR) was highly active in the TRAIL-resistant cells, and suppression of EGFR dramatically reduced TGM2 expression. We further determined JNK and ERK, but not Akt and NF-κB, are responsible for EGFR-mediated TGM2 expression. These results identify a novel pathway that involves EGFR, MAPK (JNK and ERK), and TGM2 for acquired TRAIL resistance and cell migration in lung cancer cells. Because TGM2 couples TRAIL resistance and cell migration, it could be a molecular target for circumventing acquired chemoresistance and metastasis in lung cancer.
Orthomodularity of Decompositions in a Categorical Setting

We provide a method to construct a type of orthomodular structure known as an orthoalgebra from the direct product decompositions of an object in a category that has finite products and whose ternary product diagrams give rise to certain pushouts. This generalizes a method to construct an orthomodular poset from the direct product decompositions of familiar mathematical structures such as non-empty sets, groups, and topological spaces, as well as a method to construct an orthomodular poset from the complementary pairs of elements of a bounded modular lattice.
QUIC transport and dispersion modelling of two releases from the Joint Urban 2003 field experiment

An in-depth comparison of plume calculations from the Quick Urban and Industrial Complex (QUIC) dispersion model to street- and roof-level concentration measurements for a daytime and night time release taken during the Joint Urban 2003 field experiment held in downtown Oklahoma City is presented. A number of improvements to the empirical-diagnostic wind solver to better account for high-rise buildings and dense urban areas will be discussed. Traditional plume statistical performance measures reveal that the code is performing as well as computational fluid dynamics models and meets the criteria proposed by Hanna and Chang (2012) for urban dispersion models. Statistics for the day and night release are fairly similar, and model performance drops slightly after the release is turned off in the flushing phase. Scatterplots indicate that rooftop measurements were generally well predicted, although the percentage of outliers (false negatives, large over predictions) was greater as compared to street-level measurements. Using all tracer data within a kilometre of the release, including rooftop samplers, from 39 to 46% of the model-computed concentrations were within a factor of two of the observations when broken up into four cases stratified by day or night and release on or off.
EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATION OF NOISE REDUCTION IN SUPERSONIC JETS DUE TO JET ROTATION

Abstract In the present work a swirl chamber is employed to study the effect of fluid rotation on noise reduction in supersonic jets. Fluid rotation is attained by means of a vortex chamber in which four moveable slabs are inserted. Schlieren photography is employed to visualize the flow and shock structure associated with any degree of fluid rotation. Static and Pitot pressure measurements are used to obtain the velocity distribution in the swirl chamber. These measurements show that the fluid inside the chamber is irrotational and that choking of the nozzle takes place at different critical pressure ratios depending on the degree of the fluid rotation. The resulting gain in noise reduction was determined using sound pressure measurements. The results show that small flow rotation (Mφ=0·39) weakens the internal shock strength, reduces the cell length and decreases the screech noise generated. Higher fluid rotation is found to have no additional effect on noise reduction in supersonic jets. A maximum noise reduction of 12 dB is found to take place in jets with 1·18
Carboplatin: A clinical review

Carboplatin is a platinum analog that is less nephrotoxic, less neurotoxic, and less emetic than cisplatin, but has a similar spectrum of antitumor activity. Myelotoxicity is dose limiting. Carboplatin offers several advantages over cisplatin, in addition to a better quality of life. It may be useful in ABMT in refractory germ cell cancers in combination with etoposide. It may also prove useful in patients who have impaired renal function but require a drug with the efficacy of cisplatin.
Tenofovir monotherapy is effective in hepatitis B patients with antiviral treatment failure to adefovir in the absence of adefovir-resistant mutations

Background/Aims We sought to identify mutations associated with treatment failure to adefovir (ADV) and to determine virologic response to tenofovir (TDF) alone and in combination with emtricitabine (FTC) in these patients. Methods Serum samples prior to and after the change in treatment to TDF/TDF+FTC from 13 patients were analyzed by direct sequencing and clonal analysis. Results ADV-resistant mutations, rtA181V and rtN236T, were detected on direct sequencing in 3 of 8 patients who had virologic breakthrough. Among patients with suboptimal virologic response, rtA181T, rtI233V, and rtN236T were present on clonal analysis in 3 patients. Ten patients received TDF, 8 achieved virologic response. One had ADV-resistance at baseline and persistence of ADV-resistant mutations during TDF treatment, addition of FTC resulted in a further decrease in HBV DNA. Another patient had no ADV-resistance at baseline, and selection of ADV-resistant mutations during TDF treatment. All 3 patients who received TDF+FTC had undetectable HBV DNA within 3–12months including 2 who had ADV-resistance at baseline. Conclusions TDF monotherapy is effective for patients with virologic breakthrough or suboptimal response to ADV, but combination therapy with a nucleoside analogue should be considered in patients with ADV-resistance. No novel mutations were detected.
Microcap Deception: Stock Fraud Schemes in the Modern Age

The prolonged bull market has garnered the interest of an amazing variety of small investors. Many invest in small startups hoping to discover the next Intel, Cisco Systems, Dell computers, or Microsoft. Unfortunately, the bull market has also created a new breed of con artists who create investment scams aimed at neophyte investors. The majority of stock fraud occurs in microcap or penny-stock issues. Unlike NASDAQ or NYSE stocks, these thinly capitalized companies often do not file periodic audited financial statements with the SEC. This article examines the microcap stock fraud schemes through which swindlers have deceived many ingenuous investors. It then presents a fraud case of Eltro-optical Systems. Finally, it offers some suggestions that may prevent the swindlers to defraud novitiates.
Phase Compensated Metamaterial Superlenses

We introduce two types of phase compensation mechanisms to metamaterials for superlensing. Such superlenses not only have super resolving power, but also have the basic functions of a conventional optical lens - Fourier transform.
Deforestation alters denitrification in a lowland tropical rain forest

Nitrogen gas loss from terrestrial ecosystems is the most poorly quantified component of the global nitrogen cycle1–3. Particularly little is known about gas losses from tropical rain forests, which may be an especially important source of nitrogen gases worldwide3,4, and one that is changing rapidly because of tropical deforestation. Here we report measurements of denitrification (N2+ N2O production), an important mechanism of nitrogen loss in most ecosystems5–7, at a set of sites in Central America. Measurements were made to determine whether nitrogen gas loss is related to the successional status of rain-forest vegetation. Denitrification is high in primary forest and early successional sites and substantially lower in mid-successional sites. This implies that denitrification can be a major route of nitrogen loss from recently cleared and primary forest sites, and that global denitrification losses from humid tropical regions today are probably much smaller than losses in pre-colonial times, when a smaller proportion of sites were in mid-successional growth phases.
Subcellular distribution of catecholamines in the dog heart Effects of reserpine and norepinephrine administration

Summary Right atrial and left ventricular samples of dog heart were homogenized and separated into three fractions (coarse, paniculate, soluble) by differential centrifugation. Catecholamine concentration was greatest in the particulate fraction, approximately 50 per cent of the total amount in fresh tissue. Very small amounts of epinephrine were present in all fractions. The time course of Catecholamine depletion by reserpine indicated that concentrations of these amines in the particulate fraction of the atrium were significantly reduced after 80 and 120 min; concentrations in the other fractions were not altered to the same extent. Depletion in the ventricle proceeded more slowly than in the atrium. Infused norepinephrine was taken up by all fractions of hearts from normal dogs, particularly the soluble fraction. Reserpine pretreatment impaired uptake, especially by the particulate fraction.
Electrode kinetics of the acetylacetonate complexes of nickel(II) at the dropping mercury electrode

Summary The polarographic and chronopotentiometric behavior of nickel(II)-acetyl-acetonate complexes is examined in the pH-range 3.6–9.8. By analysing the dependence of the d.c. polarographic current-voltage curves on the pH-value, the mechanism of the electrode reaction is elucidated and the relevant kinetic parameters, i.e., the transfer coefficients and the electrode reaction rate constants, are evaluated. For the preceding chemical reactions involved, the rate and equilibrium constants are determined by analysing the chronopotentiometric Iτ1/2−I curves. The results obtained are summarized by the reaction scheme illustrated in Fig. 13.