cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Tri-Duality in Nonconvex Systems

From traditional convex systems to general nonlinear systems, we will study, in this chapter, the generalized duality theory and analytic solutions for one-dimensional nonconvex variational problems with applications to phase transitions, post-bifurcation, nonsmooth elastoplasticity and nonconvex dynamical systems. Because of the nonconvexity, the nice simple symmetry in the governing equations is broken and the beautiful one-to-one global duality relation no longer exists. The solutions in these systems are usually not unique. But, by introducing a suitable nonlinear operator A, a generalized framework may still be established for many systems. The resulting triality theory reveals interesting local dualities (see Fig. 3.1, the associated problem is given in Example 3.3).
Fabrication and evaluation of 3-D printed PEEK scaffolds containing Macropores by design

Abstract This article reports on the fabrication and evaluation of 3-D printed polyetheretherketone (PEEK) scaffolds with controlled macroporosity. Specifically, uniform macropore sizes ranging from 800 to 1800 µm by design were generated by varying processing parameters. It is expected that the 3-D printing ability to obtain customized macropores can help arriving at the optimum pore size in scaffolds to encourage bone regeneration. This study conclusively showed optimal cell adhesion and proliferation in scaffolds containing uniform pores of an average size of 800 μm. A construct containing a wide distribution of pores cannot come to this conclusion. In this context, the precision and reproducibility of additive manufacturing in scaffold fabrication play an important role.
Synthesis and characterization of thiol-acrylate hydrogels using a base-catalyzed Michael addition for 3D cell culture applications.

There is significant interest in developing new approaches for culturing mammalian cells in a three-dimensional (3D) environment due to the fact that it better recapitulates the in vivo environment. The goal of this work was to develop thiol-acrylate, biodegradable hydrogels that possess highly tunable properties to support in vitro 3D culture. Six different hydrogel formulations were synthesized using two readily available monomers, a trithiol (ETTMP 1300 [ethoxylated trimethylolpropane tri(3-mercaptopropionate) 1300]) and a diacrylate (PEGDA 700 [polyethylene glycol diacrylate 700]), polymerized by a base-catalyzed Michael addition reaction. The resultant hydrogels were homogeneous, hydrophilic, and biodegradable. Different mechanical properties such as gelation time, storage modulus (or the elasticity G'), swelling ratio, and rate of degradation were tuned by varying the weight percentage of polymer, the molar ratio of thiol-to-acrylate groups, and the pH of the solution. Cytocompatibility was assessed using two model breast cancer cell lines by both 2D and 3D cell culturing approaches. The hydrogel formulations with a thiol-to-acrylate molar ratio of 1.05 were found to be optimal for both 2D and 3D cultures with MDA-MB-231 cellular aggregates found to be viable after 17 days of 3D continuous culture. Finally, MCF7 cells were observed to form 3D spheroids up to 600 μm in diameter as proof of principle for the thiol-acrylate hydrogel to function as a scaffold for in vitro 3D cell culture. A comparison of the different mechanical properties of the six hydrogel formulations coupled with in vitro cell culture results and findings from previously published hydrogels conclude that the thiol-acrylate hydrogels have significant potential as a scaffold for 3D cell culture.
Modeling the hydrology and physiology of Sphagnum moss in anorthern temperate bog

Abstract. Mosses need to be incorporated into Earth system models to better simulate peatland functional dynamics under changing environment. Sphagnum mosses are strong determinants of nutrient, carbon and water cycling in peatland ecosystems. However, most land surface models do not include Sphagnum or other mosses as represented plant functional types (PFTs), thereby limiting predictive assessment of peatland responses to environmental change. In this study, we introduce a moss PFT into the land model component (ELM) of the Energy Exascale Earth System Model (E3SM), by developing water content dynamics and non-vascular photosynthetic processes for moss. The model was parameterized and independently evaluated against observations from an ombrotrophic forested bog as part of the Spruce and Peatland Responses Under Changing Environments (SPRUCE) project. Inclusion of a Sphagnum PFT with some Sphagnum specific processes in ELM allows it to capture the observed seasonal dynamics of Sphagnum gross primary production (GPP), albeit with an underestimate of peak GPP. The model simulated a reasonable annual net primary production (NPP) for moss but with less interannual variation than observed, and reproduced above ground biomass for tree PFTs and stem biomass for shrubs. Different species showed highly variable warming responses under both ambient and elevated atmospheric CO2 concentrations, and elevated CO2 altered the warming response direction for the peatland ecosystem. Microtopography is critical: Sphagnum mosses on hummocks and hollows were simulated to show opposite warming responses (NPP decreasing with warming on hummocks, but increasing in hollows), and hummock Sphagnum was modeled to have strong dependence on water table height. Inclusion of this new moss PFT in global ELM simulations may provide a useful foundation for the investigation of northern peatland carbon exchange, enhancing the predictive capacity of carbon dynamics across the regional and global scales.
Fear of Zika: Information Seeking as Cause and Consequence

This study examined the relationship between information seeking and fear during the Zika-induced global health crisis. A longitudinal survey of women in the Southern U.S. (N = 306) was conducted i...
Hyponatremia: An Overlooked Risk Factor Associated With Adverse Outcomes After Cardiac Surgery

Background Hyponatremia is an unrecognized risk factor for adverse outcomes after cardiac surgery. We sought to study the prevalence of preoperative hyponatremia and its impact on short-term and long-term outcomes after cardiac surgery. Methods Patients who had coronary artery bypass graft, valve, or coronary artery bypass graft and valve procedures from 2000 to 2016 and available preoperative serum sodium values within 30 days of the index procedure were included in the study. The effect of preoperative sodium on short-term and long-term outcomes was analyzed as a continuous and binary (hyponatremia [Na+ Results Preoperative hyponatremia was present in 9.9% of 16,238 patients with available sodium levels. Comorbidities were more common in patients with hyponatremia. Hyponatremia was independently associated with operative mortality (odds ratio [OR] = 1.80; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.38-2.34; P Conclusions Preoperative hyponatremia is relatively common and is associated with adverse short-term and long-term outcomes after cardiac surgery. Preoperative hyponatremia can be used independently from standard risk factors to identify high-risk patients for cardiac surgery.
Gut microbes and their genes are associated with brain development and cognitive function in healthy children

Both the brain and microbiome of humans develop rapidly in the first years of life, enabling extensive signaling between the gut and central nervous system (dubbed the "microbiome-gut-brain axis"). Emerging evidence implicates gut microorganisms and microbiota composition in cognitive outcomes and neurodevelopmental disorders (e.g., autism), but the influence of gut microbial metabolism on typical neurodevelopment has not been explored in detail. We investigated the relationship of the microbiome with the neuroanatomy and cognitive function of 281 healthy children in a cross-sectional analysis and demonstrated that differences in gut microbial taxa and gene functions are associated with the size of brain regions and with overall cognitive function. Many species, including Eubacterium eligens and Roseburia hominis, were associated with higher cognitive function, while some species such as Ruminococcus gnavus was more commonly found in children with low cognitive scores. Microbial enzymes involved in the metabolism of neuroactive compounds such as glutamate and GABA, were also associated with structure of the brain, including the first brain regions to develop such as the cerebellum, and with overall cognitive function.
Receiving Nutrition and Management for Feedlots

Feeder calves encounter numerous physiological and psychological stressors during movement from one production point to another. Proper nutrition can help prepare the animal for a period of stress, reduce the adverse effects of stress, and enhance recovery from stressful periods. Additionally, inadequate nutrition can accentuate the adverse effects of stress.
A syntactic approach to gender assignment in Spanish–English bilingual speech

In this paper I argue for a syntactic analysis to gender assignment in codeswitched speech. To sustain this claim, I examine gender assignment in Spanish Det(erminer)–English noun switches (i.e., el bishop ‘the.m’) in 76 sociolinguistic interviews of approximately one hour each from a bilingual community in Southern Arizona, U.S. (The CESA Corpus, Carvalho 2012). Based on the findings from this dataset, I demonstrate that the distribution of gender assignment in codeswitched speech poses a serious challenge to current models of the bilingual architecture rooted in the distinct-lexicons perspective (MacSwan 2000 et seq.). Rather, I show that biological gender (interpretable gender) plays a crucial role in the assignment mechanism and the representation of gender features in the bilingual architecture. Taking gender assignment as a case study, I outline a single-lexicon approach to the bilingual grammar compatible with a Late Insertion view of the morphosyntactic model (Halle a Marantz 1993). In particular, I highlight the crucial relevance of a theme position at the morphological module to guide the bilingual speaker to the insertion of phonological matrices (language exponents) when codeswitching.
A remedial action framework against cyberattacks targeting energy hubs integrated with distributed energy resources

Abstract Operation of modern power systems integrated by distributed energy resources is only possible if information/communication technologies are leveraged in the system. This results in cyber-physical power systems which are vulnerable to malicious cyberattacks. Hence, it is crucial to propose practical solutions to enhance the resilience of smart grids against cyberattacks. Targeting energy hubs integrated by distributed energy resources, a cyberattack based on min–max formulation is presented in this paper. A remedial action scheme, which changes status (i.e., connection/disconnection) of the energy hub components, is proposed to mitigate the economic effect of the aforementioned cyberattack. The electricity/heat demands of the energy hub are supplied by electricity/gas networks and the energy hub components including combined heat and power, wind turbine, electrical/thermal storages, boiler, and demand response. The attacker utilizes the energy hub components to increase the associated costs. However, the system operator controls the costs by changing the status of the energy hub devices. Obtained results verify that the proposed framework leads to an effective mechanism to proactively mitigate the economic-related consequences of cyberattacks on energy hubs. The simulation results demonstrate that: 1) disconnection of the energy hub from electricity networks under the cyberattack mitigates the increased cost by 40%, 2) disconnection of the energy hub from boiler and connection of thermal storage to the system under the experienced cyberattack reduce the imposed cost by 76%.
Interactions between seedlings of the invasive tree Ailanthus altissima and the native tree Robinia pseudoacacia under low nutrient conditions

The allelopathic effect of A. altissima and the nitrogen fixing ability of R. pseudoacacia make the interaction between these two species important to community dynamics. A replacement series greenhouse experiment was used to investigate the type of interaction between seedlings of A. altissima and R. pseudoacacia at high and low soil nutrition states. Also, seeds of A. altissima from its native (China) and invasive ranges (USA) were used to compare the effect of the different seed sources on the interaction with R. pseudoacacia. Robinia pseudoacacia was the better competitor. The presence of A. altissima significantly inhibited nodulation of R. pseudoacacia roots. In summary, in low nutrient early succession sites, seedlings of R. pseudoacacia and A. altissima will coexist and R. pseudoacacia will be the better competitor. However, A. altissima can increase its competitive ability by inhibiting nitrogen fixation by R. pseudoacacia. Differences between the competitive ability of the Chinese and US seed lo...
Single-Channel and Multi-Channel Messages: A Comparison of Connotative Meaning.

From this study these conclusions and summary statements are presented: 1. On the average single media presentations elicit more high intensity scores on connotative meaning scales than multimedia presentations. Further, a higher percentage of the single media associations are significant. These findings indicate that, on the average, single media presentations elicit a greater number of strong connotative meaning associations than multimedia presentations. However, whether or not a given single media presentation will elicit more association depends on the individual comparison as the pictorial-spoken combination scores second only to the pictorial. 2. In relation to all modes of presentation used in this study, the pictorial mode was seen as abstract, feminine, beautiful, and active; the written as confused and complex; the spoken as unexciting, mature, and precise. The pictorial-spoken combination was characterized as clear, easy, and complete; the pictorial-written as blunt and artless; the written-spoken as imperfect and small; and the pictorial-written-spoken as bland, boring, and warm. 3. It appears likely that media that use the same sense avenues or the same sign types compete with one another when combined in a multimedia presentation. This competition appears to lower the number of connotative meaning associations elicited by those combinations. Sense avenue competition appears more detrimental in this regard than sign type competition.
Promoting Peace in a Place Called School

The purpose of this study was to investigate subtle aspects of the school environment in a city school, where teachers and students had previously implemented activities to increase awareness of peace as a means of promoting a change in behavior. Responses to the School-Level Environmental Questionnaire (SLEQ) indicated that teachers wanted more student support, more resources, and less work pressure. Teachers chose the area of student support on which to focus in developing action plans. An interview with the assistant principal provided perspective on progress made after implementing the action plans.
Structural studies of biological membranes and related model systems by raman spectroscopy: Sphingomyelin and 1,2-dilauroyl phosphatidylethanolamine

Abstract Raman spectra are reported at relatively high resolution (1.5 cm-1) for sphingomyelin and for 1,2-dilauroyl phosphatidylethanolamine above and below their melting temperatures. The spectra of 1,2-dilauroyl phosphatidylethanolamine below Tm show the hydrocarbon chains to be less ordered in the solid phase than the fatty acid of the same chain length, without the significant occurrence of gauche isomers. The spectra of sphingomyelin show significant formation of gauche isomers below Tm, indicating a less rigid environment for this molecule in the solid state.
Should not physicians' families be allowed the comfort of paying for medical care?

THE TRADITION that doctors give care to each other and to each other9s families without charge is an ancient and honorable one. It demonstrates in action some of the noble aspirations of man—generosity, loyalty to his profession, pride in service, devotion to an ideal. Every physician is touched when a colleague turns to him for care. Even the doctors9 doctor, who is already carrying an excessive share of such service, feels honored by each new request, for it is a tribute from a particularly discriminating patient. But this is only one side of the relationship—the donor9s. I am convinced that in a majority of medical situations (particularly those in the areas of pediatrics and internal medicine) the recipient physician9s family is receiving insufficient care, not through any fault of the donor but because the recipient is so inhibited in asking for it. It is hard to say whether the recipient physician or his wife is in the more uncomfortable spot. The physician, when he or a member of his family develops a symptom, particularly a minor one, is promptly involved in a conflict of feelings. He cannot, unless he is a most unusual person, detach himself emotionally while he takes a history and does a physical examination. His natural anxiety tends to make him vacillate between exaggerating and minimizing the significance of the symptom. From the start he is debating in his mind whether it would be appropriate to call the proper physician. Consciously or unconsciously he is wondering how that colleague would view the request for help.
Inorganic–Organic Hybrid of Lunar Soil Simulant and Polyethylene

AbstractInorganic–organic hybrid (IOH) lunar cements are processed by using a lunar soil simulant and polyethylene (PE). As the inorganic simulant grains are strongly held together by the PE binder, the IOH may be utilized as an infrastructural material on the lunar surface. With a uniform simulant grain size, the flexural strength of the IOH decreases exponentially with the binder content, quite close to the strength of samples of random simulant grain-size distribution. If the simulant grains have a two-step size gradation, the IOH strength increases significantly. Above a threshold binder content, the strength decreases only slightly as more simulant grains are added; below the threshold, the IOH becomes much weaker as less binder is used.
Radiative Heat Transfer in a Pulverized-Coal Flame

As early as the 1920s, it was recognized that thermal radiation is a significant mode of heat transfer in an industrial furnace. In 1925, Wohlenberg and Marrow(1) presented a simple, yet comprehensive analysis of radiation in a pulverized-coal-fired furnace. Their heat-transfer model consisted of energy transfer between gaseous and solid particle constituents of the pulverized-coal flame and refractory wall and cold tubes carrying water or steam. In addition, a correction term was included for convective heat transfer between furnace walls, cold surfaces, and the moving high-temperature gases along these surfaces. Their work was expanded in a paper by Wohlenberg and Lindseth,(2) in which comparison was made among various operating variables in stocker-fired and pulverized-coal-fired furnaces. In the above-mentioned work, the approach was somewhat empirical, and the results could only be applied to particular types of tested furnaces and coals.
Efficient routing using NIx-Vectors

We introduce the concept of Neighbor-Index Vector (NIx-Vector) routing which gives efficient and consistent routing of packets in Internet routers. A NIx-Vector is a compact representation of a routing path, which is small enough to be included in a packet header. We show how, by including the routing information in the packet header, routing decisions can be made in O(1) time at each router, with no caching or state in the routers (other than the existing routing tables). The creation of a NIx-Vector for a source and destination pair requires one round trip time, but once the NIx-Vector is known, it can be retained by the source and reused indefinitely with no further setup time required (or until it becomes no longer valid, which is easily detected). In addition to O(1) routing decisions, the use of NIx-Vectors to record and specify routes has other benefits. NIx-Vectors provide for route pinning which is beneficial for reservation protocols and mitigates the effect of routing flaps on long lived flows. A variation of NIx-Vectors can insure symmetrical routes from a source to a destination and back to the source, which is also beneficial to some reservation protocols. We give a complete description of how NIx-Vectors are created and used in Internet routers; and give empirical data showing the number of bits required to represent NIx-Vectors for typical Internet paths.
Semiparametric estimation in the proportional hazard model accounting for a misclassified cause of failure

Summary Misclassified causes of failures are a common phenomenon in competing risks survival data such as cancer mortality. We propose new estimating equations for a semiparametric proportional hazards (PH) model with misattributed causes of failures. Unlike other methods, the estimator does not require any parametric assumptions on baseline cause-specific hazard rates. It is shown that the estimators for regression coefficients are consistent and asymptotically normal. Simulation results support the theoretical analysis in finite samples. The methods are applied to analyze prostate cancer survival.
Cesiation of W(001): Work function lowering by multiple dipole formation

Rigorous, self-consistent, all-electron, full-potential linearized augmented plane wave studies reveal that the lowering of the W(001) work function upon cesiation arises from a complex multiple dipole formation mechanism: Essentially, Cs forms a metallic overlayer with its valence electrons strongly polarized and its $5p$ semicore shell polarized oppositely.
Business Analytics in Context: Evaluating New Curricular Modules in an Undergraduate Statistics Course

Despite the needs for developing next-generation business analytics professionals, there is a severe lack of curricular modules and materials that emphasize context-specific learning of analytics. In this research, we evaluated a set of new curricular modules developed in the context of intelligence and security informatics (ISI). Our modules use an active learning pedagogy, business issues in the context of ISI, and realistic characters and stories to engage students in active learning of analytics concepts and skills. Findings from the study that compared two groups of students (control vs. treatment groups) show a statistically significant difference in students' average performance in homework assignments. Students who learned the subject using the new contextual curricular modules were found to achieve significantly higher average scores in homework assignments than students who learned the subject through the traditional method. The findings are very encouraging and show promise on using the new curricular modules in the teaching of foundation analytics courses.
Transfusion-associated viral infections

Viral infections are a frequent occurrence following transfusion of blood products. While generally benign, these infections are capable of causing significant morbidity and mortality. Therefore, it is prudent to follow several general approaches diligently to reduce the risks of these infections in patients undergoing transfusions of blood products. These suggested measures include the following: 1. Prescribe and administer blood and blood products only when absolutely needed. 2. Use volunteer blood donors only. 3. Avoid use of pooled blood products when possible. 4. Use only blood and blood products that have been appropriately tested for HBsAg and HIV. 5. Use ALT determinations to screen blood products and eliminate those with high level. 6. Avoid the use of clotting-factor concentrates but, if necessary, use only those which have been heat-treated. 7. Limit use of leukocyte transfusion. 8. Use only CMV seronegative blood and blood products or frozen deglycerolized red cells in patients at high risk for posttransfusion CMV infection.
Dependence of Frequency Shift of Depolarized Guided Acoustic Wave Brillouin Scattering in Photonic Crystal Fibers

We study through experiment, calculation and simulation the frequency dependence of depolarized GAWBS observed in four different photonic crystal fibers and extend the results to others through simulation. In two of the fibers studied, high frequency modes (>; 1 GHz) are observed in addition to the usual lower frequency torsional radial (TR) modes. The acoustic modes responsible for GAWBS are characterized through a combination of simulations and experiments. The calculations are done using the silica rod approximation, which is valid for PCFs with a low to intermediate air-fill fraction or with a very high air-filling fraction. Further simulations extend the range of photonic crystal fibers in which acoustic modes can be characterized. These are used to study the dependence of the acoustic mode frequency on key fiber parameters such as the ratio of air to silica across the whole cross section (κ) and the lattice pitch (Λ) .
State‐level predictors of food insecurity among households with children

This article examines interstate variation in household food security. Using hierarchical modeling, we identify several kinds of state characteristics that appear linked to household food security: the availability and accessibility of federal nutrition assistance programs, policies affecting economic wellbeing of low income families, and states' economic and social characteristics. These dimensions comprise what we refer to as the state food security infrastructure. We find that a strong food security infrastructure is particularly beneficial to families who are economically vulnerable yet have incomes above the poverty line. Almost all of the observed interstate differences in food security can be explained by crossstate differences in demographic and contextual characteristics. © 2006 by the Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management
Untargeted mutagenesis induced by UV in the lacI gene of Escherichia coli.

Using a nonselective method, we have estimated the proportion of untargeted mutations in the lacI gene of E. coli by transferring either irradiated or unirradiated F′ pro lac plasmids from an excision deficient donor to an excision deficient pro lac deleted recipient that had been irradiated and allowed to induce recA dependent functions for 30 min. We find that about 10 percent of the mutations induced by either 3.5 Jm-2 or 7 Jm-2 UV are untargeted.
Characterization of InGaAs quantum dot lasers with a single quantum dot layer as an active region

Abstract Quantum dot lasers with an active region consisting of just a single quantum dot layer have been grown using molecular beam epitaxy and characterized from 80 to 300 K. The quantum dot lasers lase from excited states over the entire temperature range. The characteristic temperature is 185±10 K over the temperature range 80–141 K and decreases to 111±2 K from 141–304 K. The effects of scattering by the quantum dots has also been analyzed and shown to be unimportant in these quantum dot lasers.
The representation of shadow values in resource allocation teams

Abstract In problems of allocating infinitely many resources, which often arise in models with time or uncertainty, the dual space of the trade constraint contains many elements which may not be representable as a system of prices. Although this problem has been discussed in the efficiency price literature, such theorems may not be useful in models where there are many decision makers, each with different information. The appropriated representation theorems are provided. Similarity with theorems in the efficiency price literature is discussed and an extension of the approximation results found there is also presented.
Insulin-stimulated Plasma Membrane Fusion of Glut4 Glucose Transporter-containing Vesicles Is Regulated by Phospholipase D1

Insulin stimulates glucose uptake in fat and muscle by mobilizing Glut4 glucose transporters from intracellular membrane storage sites to the plasma membrane. This process requires the trafficking of Glut4-containing vesicles toward the cell periphery, docking at exocytic sites, and plasma membrane fusion. We show here that phospholipase D (PLD) production of the lipid phosphatidic acid (PA) is a key event in the fusion process. PLD1 is found on Glut4-containing vesicles, is activated by insulin signaling, and traffics with Glut4 to exocytic sites. Increasing PLD1 activity facilitates glucose uptake, whereas decreasing PLD1 activity is inhibitory. Diminished PA production does not substantially hinder trafficking of the vesicles or their docking at the plasma membrane, but it does impede fusion-mediated extracellular exposure of the transporter. The fusion block caused by RNA interference-mediated PLD1 deficiency is rescued by exogenous provision of a lipid that promotes fusion pore formation and expansion, suggesting that the step regulated by PA is late in the process of vesicle fusion.
Endometrial cancer metastatic to infrarenal aortic lymph nodes unrecognized during laparoscopic inframesenteric aortic lymph node dissection.

Abstract Background . The incidence of isolated aortic nodal metastasis in clinical stages I and II endometrial cancer is generally low. Nevertheless, para-aortic nodes are still assessed during staging procedures, which include hysterectomy, bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy (BSO), and pelvic and para-aortic lymph node sampling up to the level of the inferior mesenteric artery (IMA). The procedure can be performed either abdominally or laparoscopically. It is unclear, however, as to whether infrarenal aortic nodal sampling above the IMA should be routinely performed. Case . We describe a case of endometrial cancer metastatic to the infrarenal para-aortic lymph nodes above the IMA, missed during laparoscopic inframesenteric lymph node dissection, and found on subsequent laparotomy performed to resect matted pelvic nodes. Conclusion . The infrarenal para-aortic region above the IMA may be at risk for nodal metastasis in women with endometrial cancer. Consideration should be given to evaluate this area during staging laparotomy or laparoscopy. The role of routine bilateral infrarenal aortic nodal dissection needs further evaluation.
A new method of sample application for column chromatography of amino acids.

Abstract A method for application of amino acid samples to ion exchange resins is described. Polyethylene glycol 400 is mixed with the amino acid sample to obtain a 15% v v solution of the polyethylene glycol. The specific gravity of the solution makes it possible to layer the eluting buffer over the sample with a syringe. The sample is forced into the resin by pumping the eluting buffer. A slight change in the shape of the arginine peak causes a significant change in the absorption constant when calculated by the height-width method, but not when calculated by total absorbance. No other significant changes in the absorption constants occurred as a result of sample application with polyethylene glycol. We have found this method to provide an important saving in the time required for amino acid analysis.
Leveraging characteristics of task structure to predict the cost of interruption

A challenge in building interruption reasoning systems is to compute an accurate cost of interruption (COI). Prior work has used interface events and other cues to predict COI, but ignore characteristics related to the structure of a task. This work investigates how well characteristics of task structure can predict COI, as objectively measured by resumption lag. In an experiment, users were interrupted during task execution at various boundaries to collect a large sample of resumption lag values. Statistical methods were employed to create a parsimonious model that uses characteristics of task structure to predict COI. A subsequent experiment with different tasks showed that the model can predict COI with reasonably high accuracy. Our model can be expediently applied to many goal-directed tasks, allowing systems to make more effective decisions about when to interrupt.
The UL13 gene of herpes simplex virus 1 encodes the functions for posttranslational processing associated with phosphorylation of the regulatory protein alpha 22.

Abstract The herpes simplex virus 1 genome was shown to encode two genes, US3 and UL13, exhibiting amino acid sequence motifs common to protein kinases. Elsewhere this laboratory reported that the prominent substrate of the US3 protein kinase is the product of the UL34 gene, an essential nonglycosylated membrane protein. In the absence of the US3 kinase, the UL34 protein remains unphosphorylated but forms a complex with four proteins that become phosphorylated uniquely when UL34 is not. To investigate the role of UL13 protein in this process, recombinant viruses lacking UL13 or both UL13 and US3 were constructed. We report that UL13 is dispensable for viral replication in cell culture and is not involved in the processing of UL34 or of associated phosphoproteins. UL13 is, however, responsible for the posttranslational processing associated with phosphorylation of infected-cell protein 22, the product of the alpha 22 gene. This gene was previously reported to play a regulatory role in selected cell lines. UL13 appears to be either a protein kinase or a phosphotransferase and its major substrate is the alpha 22 protein.
Detachment of colloids from sediments and sand grains

Abstract The mechanisms of colloid transport and attachment have been studied in several fields and a reasonable understanding of the overall process has been developed over the past several decades. However, there is little fundamental understanding of the mechanisms of colloidal particle detachment from larger grains. The ongoing research explores particle detachment from both theoretical and experimental viewpoints. The theoretical studies have developed expressions that may be used to determine the magnitude of forces that would control particle detachment, including electrostatic and van der Waals forces. The results indicate differences when the computations are based on energies of interaction compared with forces of interaction. The initial experimental studies were performed on laboratory scale model systems with well-defined spherical particle suspensions. Latex particles (2 and 5 μm) were attached to a packed column containing glass beads as collector grains. Particle number concentrations were monitored using a laser, time of transition type, particle size analyzer (Brinkmann, Particle Size Analyzer). The detachment of particles during fluidized bed operations was studied in relation to the chemical characteristics of the water. Preliminary experimental results indicated that the detachment of latex particles was (a) independent of ionic strength of solution phase during attachment, but (b) was dependent on the ionic strength during detachment. Detachment efficiency was higher with lower ionic strength waters.
Longitudinal study of stages of beginning teacher development in a field‐based teacher education program

Abstract Field‐based teacher education programs are part of a growing trend in education to provide long‐term classroom teaching experience and acculturation to the school environment as part of the certification process. This article reports on a study of stages of teacher development across ½ years of full‐time teaching as teacher candidates work to complete coursework in fulfillment of a masters of education program. Beginning teachers completed a Teachers Concerns Checklist at six points in the program. Factor analysis and ANOVA were utilized to develop a chronology of stages across these years to inform programmatic development. Findings suggest reduced concerns for classroom management as full‐time teaching begins and increased concerns for delivery of instruction as teachers are immersed in full‐time teaching. Strong concerns for professional development emerge only after a full year of teaching. Implications for the academic program, supervision, and future research are discussed
Glutamate Receptor Model and Atomistic Simulations; AMPA and NMDA

Glutamate receptors function as ligand-gated ion channels in the central nervous system and play an important role in excitatory synaptic transmission. To date, there are no fully resolved structures of any Glutamate receptors using any experimental methods such as X-ray crystallography. Since having an atomistic view of the mentioned receptors will help us in better understanding of their structure-function relations we are building atomistic models of the AMPA and NMDA receptor trans-membrane domains. The homology modeling and sequence alignment are based on partially resolved AMPA structure and available potassium ion channels. Molecular dynamics simulations of thus obtained models are then performed with proteins embedded in a fully atomistic lipid. Mechanisms of gating in these channels are then modeled using umbrella sampling and other sampling enhancement techniques.
Liquid flow and mass transport in heterogeneous biofilms

Convective mass transport in heterogeneous biofilms, consisting of cell clusters and voids, was investigated using oxygen microelectrodes. Oxygen concentration profiles were measured and contour plots constructed at different (average) flow velocities (Uavg). The profiles were used to determine the thickness of the mass transfer boundary layer (δh) above the voids and the cell clusters. The δh above the biofilm was inversely related to flow, as expected, and decreased exponentially with increasing flow velocity. However, the δh above the voids decreased more rapidly than the δh above the cell clusters resulting in two distinct situations; at low flow velocities the oxygen contours were parallel to the substratum but at high velocities were parallel to the irregular biofilm surface. It was concluded that at low flow velocities the biofilm could be modeled one-dimensionally, with fluxes perpendicular to the substratum and the exchange area being equal to the substratum area, but at higher velocities biofilm voids facilitate mass transport and a more complex, three-dimensional model would be more appropriate. In this latter case fluxes are multidirectional, and the exchange area is equal to that of the convoluted biofilm surface.
Increased hematopoietic progenitor cell maintenance in long-term bone marrow cultures containing minimal numbers of contaminating breast cancer cells

The maintenance of hematopoietic progenitor cells as assayedin the mixed colony (CFU-GEMM) assay in humanlong-term bone marrow cultures was compared between normalallogeneic marrow transplantation donor collections and those fromcandidates for high-dose therapy and autologous bone marrowtransplantation (ABMT). To be eligible for ABMT, patientswere required to have a histologically normal appearingbone marrow and therefore any tumor contamination wasat minimal levels and detectable only after evaluationof the cultured harvests. Marrow from 15 normaldonors, 36 patients with breast cancer, and 30patients with Hodgkin's disease was evaluated. The numberof mononuclear cells placed in culture was standardized.In all groups, significantly more progenitor cells wererecovered at 4–6 weeks of culture than at12–14 weeks. At 4–6 and 12–14 weeks, therewere no significant differences in the number ofprogenitor cells recovered from the cultures of normaldonors and tumor negative cultures of breast canceror Hodgkin's disease patients. However, following 4–6 and12–14 weeks of culture, progenitor cell numbers ofcultures which contained breast cancer cells were significantlyhigher than the pooled values for cultures fromthe concurrent normal controls, and those from breastcancer and Hodgkin's disease patients with tumor negativecultures. These results suggest that minimal breast cancercell contamination of the bone marrow can influencethe production of marrow progenitor cells. Exposure toprior chemotherapy or radiation therapy does not appearto be the cause of this effect. Themost likely mechanism is the local production ofcytokines by the tumor cells, although a processinvolving direct adhesive contact of the tumor cellswith hematopoietic cells, which is sometimes observed insemisolid cultures, cannot be excluded.
Near-Contact Gas Damping and Dynamic Response of High-g MEMS Accelerometer Beams

This paper introduces and experimentally validates a new model for near-contact gas damping of microbeams. The model is formulated based on numerical simulations of rarefied gas dynamics using the Boltzmann Ellipsoidal Statistical Bhatnagar-Gross-Krook (ES-BGK) equation. The result is compared with existing models by simulating the motion of beams under high-g acceleration. To experimentally validate the damping models, single crystal silicon MEMS g-switches with cantilever microbeams of various lengths were utilized. The experimental measurements of beam dynamics under peak accelerations of approximately 50,000 g and acceleration ramp rates from 600 to 3,000 g/μs are compared with simulations. Additionally, the damping coefficients are extracted from existing vibrational mode data, and the resulting values are compared to the various models. The new near-contact model was found to predict contact and release times within a root-mean-square deviation from experiment below 9 and 7 for contact and release events, respectively. The damping values for the vibrational modes away from contact were predicted within 33% error, showing a more consistent predictive capability than provided by earlier models.
Physiological Measurements on a Live Whale

Temperature, respiration, and electrocardiographic measurements were made on a stranded 45-ft. finback whale. This proved to be a practical means of getting physiological information on the large cetaceans.
Crystallization, neutron irradiation, and annealing studies in glassy Ti50Be40Zr10

We have studied the crystallization and the effects of neutron irradiation and annealing on glassy Ti50Be40Zr10 (Metglas 2204) using resistivity measurements. The resistivity was measured from 2–1000 K for as-received Metglas 2204. Jumps in the resistivity were observed at the various stages during the crystallization process in agreement with previously reported results. Further, the negative temperature dependence of resistivity is affected by neutron irradiation and annealing. In both cases, interpretation of the results in terms of the Ziman theory of liquid metals indicates that the structure factor has sharpened. In the neutron irradiation case the structural relaxation is most likely the result of radiation enhanced diffusion due to the formation of vacancies.
Developing KPIs at Southern Company

In early 2004, Southern HR’s team began examining the links between its business and workforce strategies. Here, HR strategy director Howard Winkler explains how a set of KPIs was developed to monitor success and focus both HR and management on high‐priority issues.
Vaginal microbicides and teenagers.

Purpose of reviewSexually active teens are at significant risk from sexually transmitted infections and girls and women bear the greatest burden of these infections. New methods, such as vaginal microbicides, would provide female controlled options. Microbicides are currently in development and thus
The Geotropic Orientation of Gastropods

Resume La reaction negativement geotropique de mollusques typiquement arboricoles (par exemple: Liguus, Pleurodonte, etc., y compris Cerion) est determinee par l'equalisation des tensions induites par la pesanteur du corps et les effets de traction en resultant pour les elements de support. Ce point de vue est demontre par la possibilite de controler l'orientation par des modifications appropriees apportees a ces tensions. Les connexions possibles de ce phenomene avec le mecanisme de progression pendant la reptation sont discutees. Il est mis en evidence par exemple, que chez Liguus l'avance due a une onde pedieuse est directement proportionnelle a la vitesse de reptation, la frequence de ces ondes etant modifiee d'une facon a peine sensible, pour differentes vitesses de progression (en opposition avec ce qui se constate chez Limax). Il n'est pas possible de deduire des relations simples entre tensions et vitesses de progression. Sous l'eau, Liguus est negativement geotropique dans sa progression sur un p...
Deaminase Activity on Single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) Occurs in Vitro when APOBEC3G Cytidine Deaminase Forms Homotetramers and Higher-order Complexes

APOBEC3G (A3G) is a cytidine deaminase that catalyzes deamination of deoxycytidine (dC) on single-stranded DNA (ssDNA). The oligomeric state of A3G required to support deaminase activity remains unknown. We show under defined in vitro conditions that full-length and native A3G formed complexes with ssDNA in an A3G concentration-dependent but temperature-independent manner. Complexes assembled and maintained at 4 °C did not have significant deaminase activity, but their enzymatic function could be restored by subsequent incubation at 37 °C. This approach enabled complexes of a defined size range to be isolated and subsequently evaluated for their contribution to enzymatic activity. The composition of A3G bound to ssDNA was determined by protein-protein chemical cross-linking. A3G-ssDNA complexes of 16 S were necessary for deaminase activity and consisted of cross-linked A3G homotetramers and homodimers. At lower concentrations, A3G only formed 5.8 S homodimers on ssDNA with low deaminase activity. Monomeric A3G was not identified in 5.8 S or 16 S complexes. We propose that deaminase-dependent antiviral activity of A3G in vivo may require a critical concentration of A3G in viral particles that will promote oligomerization on ssDNA during reverse transcription.
Recent Advances in Defining the Immunoproteome of Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Immunity conferred by antigen-specific CD4+ T cells is critical for controlling infection with Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), the causative agent of tuberculosis. However, despite research that spans more than a century, many of the characteristics of protective immune responses to Mtb remain elusive. Defining the repertoire of antigenic targets is central to understanding the immune response against this pathogen. Although traditional methods of antigen discovery have identified many immunodominant antigens, they afford limited proteome coverage. Recent advances in proteomic techniques that are based on peptide library and protein microarray technology have enabled interrogation of the entire proteome of Mtb for antigens. Though these techniques have limitations and are still evolving, early studies using these techniques provide an unbiased view of the immune response to Mtb. Here we review proteome-wide approaches to antigen discovery and summarize what these have revealed so far on the composition of the Mtb immunoproteome.
Effectiveness of instructional computers in teaching basic medical sciences.

Summary The present study was designed to investigate the effectiveness of computer-based PLATO IV basic medical science lessons. Effectiveness was operationalized in terms of increased performance on basic medical science examinations for those medical students who had used the lessons when compared to those students who had not. Usage of the PLATO lessons was quantified as‘minutes of use’ of the relevant lessons. Data were gathered in 1976–77 from first-year medical students at two sites, both under the auspices of one college of medicine. Usage of PLATO lessons and subsequent performance on three subtests from three different examinations were analysed. The findings from the current study offer encouragement that use of PLATO basic medical science materials contribute to increased performance on subsequent examinations.