cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Isolating the impact of CO concentration in syngas mixtures on SOFC performance via internal reforming and direct oxidation

Abstract One of the distinct advantages of solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) is their ability to directly oxidize CO in addition to H2, which allows them to be run on syngas mixtures. However, membrane-electrode-assembly (MEA) models typically neglect CO electrochemistry in the presence of H2 and H2O, assuming that the water–gas-shift reaction proceeds faster than sluggish CO electro-oxidation. In this paper, however, we demonstrate with a comprehensive 1D-MEA model that CO electro-oxidation cannot be neglected in syngas mixtures, particularly at high current densities for high CO-content syngas. We first demonstrate that incoming CO is not all shifted to form H2 before reaching the triple-phase boundary, as previously assumed, due to the equilibrium limitation of the water–gas-shift reaction at 800 °C. Furthermore, we confirm that direct oxidation of CO contributes non-negligible current relative to H2 at high anode overpotentials in syngas mixtures. Together these results show that CO electro-oxidation plays an important role in SOFC performance not only via water–gas-shift reforming, but also via direct oxidation even when H2 is present. This work suggests that accurate models for both surface reforming and direct electro-oxidation of CO in SOFC anodes must be included in order to capture performance when using syngas mixtures.
Frizzled 8 is expressed in the Spemann organizer and plays a role in early morphogenesis

Wnts are secreted signaling molecules implicated in a large number of developmental processes. Frizzled proteins have been identified as likely receptors for Wnt ligands in vertebrates and invertebrates, but a functional role for vertebrate frizzleds has not yet been defined. To assess the endogenous role of frizzled proteins during vertebrate development, we have identified and characterized a Xenopus frizzled gene (xfz8). It is highly expressed in the deep cells of the Spemann organizer prior to dorsal lip formation and in the early involuting marginal zone. Ectopic expression of xfz8 in ventral cells leads to complete secondary axis formation and can synergize with Xwnt-8 while an inhibitory form of xfz8 (Nxfz8) blocks axis duplication by Xwnt-8, consistent with a role for xfz8 in Wnt signal transduction. Expression of Nxfz8 in dorsal cells has profound effects on morphogenesis during gastrulation and neurulation that result in dramatic shortening of the anterior-posterior axis. Our results suggest a role for xfz8 in morphogenesis during the gastrula stage of embryogenesis.
Missed by the Mass Media: The Houma, Pointe-au-Chien, and Hurricanes Katrina and Rita

In 2005, estimates from state officials and tribal leaders suggested that 4,500 Native Americans lost everything in southeastern Louisiana during Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.1 Was there mass media coverage of the effect of these hurricanes on Native Americans in Louisiana? If so, then where was it? If not, then why wasn’t there any? What can be learned from a post-Katrina and -Rita examination of the media coverage about the inabilities of mass media to illuminate the impact the hurricanes had on Native Americans in Louisiana? Although it seems to have been a common journalistic belief that because the majority populations in many Louisiana cities covered by the media reports were either predominantly African American or Caucasian—therefore, small Native American populations will have their concerns addressed in the coverage of these groups—the problem with this formulation is that it may lend the illusion to the American public that African Americans and Caucasians were the only populations affected. The significance of this issue becomes clearer when one tries to understand why the Houma and Pointe-au-Chien nations—like many others—raised serious questions about the limited media coverage they received shortly after the hurricanes struck and about the coverage they still do not receive as they continue to struggle to return their lives to normal. The standard discourse in the social scientific literature surrounding this problem suggests that few people were aware that Native Americans still lived in Louisiana; many are not federally recognized nations but are state-recognized nations and therefore not “real” Indians, or their appearances make it hard to distinguish them from the larger African American and Caucasian populations.2 This lack of attention on the Native Americans is consistent with the waning of nationwide
What's Important to the Patient? Informational Needs of Patients Making Decisions About Hepatitis C Treatment.

Background and Objectives Multiple treatment options with direct-acting antivirals are now available for hepatitis C virus (HCV). Study aims were to understand (1) the informational topics patients want to have to make informed treatment decisions; (2) the importance patients place on each topic; and (3) the topics patients prioritize as most important.
Value of positron emission tomography (PET) scan in treatment decision making for nodal metastases in head and neck squamous cell cancer

5577 Background: Management of neck disease in patients with Head and Neck Squamous cell cancer (HNC) who are initially treated with combined radiation and chemotherapy (CRT) remains controversial....
A model for 12CH2D2 and 13CH3D as complementary tracers for the budget of atmospheric CH4

We present a theoretical model to investigate the potential of 13CH3D and 12CH2D2, the doubly substituted mass-18 isotopologues of methane, as tools for tracking atmospheric methane sources and sinks. We use electronic structure methods to estimate kinetic isotope fractionations associated with the major sink reactions of methane in air (reactions with OH and Cl radicals), and combine literature data with reconnaissance measurements of the relative abundances of 13CH3D and 12CH2D2 to estimate the compositions of the largest atmospheric sources. This model atmospheric budget is investigated with a simplified box model in which we explore both steady state and dynamical (non-steady state) conditions triggered by changes in emission or sink fluxes. The steady-state model predicts that sink reactions will generate a marked (>100‰) clumped isotope excess in atmospheric Δ12CH2D2 relative to the net source composition. 12CH2D2 measurements may thus be useful for tracing both atmospheric source and sink fluxes. The effect of sinks on Δ13CH3D is much less pronounced, indicating that 13CH3D in air will give a more focused picture of the source composition.
Natural Killer T Cells in Cancer Immunotherapy.

Natural killer T (NKT) cells are specialized CD1d restricted T cells that recognize lipid antigens. Following stimulation, NKT cells lead to downstream activation of both innate and adaptive immune cells in the tumor microenvironment. This has impelled the development of NKT cell targeted immunotherapies for treating cancer. In this review, we provide a brief overview of the stimulatory and regulatory functions of NKT cells in tumor immunity as well as highlight preclinical and clinical studies based on NKT cells. Finally, we discuss future perspectives to better harness the potential of NKT cells for cancer therapy.
Fair is foul, and foul is fair: experimental evolutionary studies of mismatch

We describe two types of experimental evolution studies of “mismatch” that are relevant to economics. “Evolutionary mismatch” is the concept that an organism can be importantly “out of sync” with its environment. In such cases, an organism may choose an option that is inferior to a feasible alternative. Mainstream and behavioral economics do not address the notion of evolutionary mismatch. We argue for an empirical program on mismatch utilizing the methodology of experimental evolution.
Kern-Anregung durch elektronen

Abstract The excitation of nuclei by electrons is considered as the inverse process to electron scattering in transitions of nuclei to states of lower energy. The calculation of the cross-sections does not make explicit use of nuclear matrix elements, but involves only the mean life-times of the excited states. The cross-sections are given for magnetic and electric multipole transitions of arbitrary order. The total cross-sections for an electron energy of 10 mc 2 and for excitation energies between 0.2 and mc 2 are shown in the figure.
Applied Statistics: Principles and Examples

(1985). Applied Statistics: Principles and Examples. Journal of Quality Technology: Vol. 17, No. 1, pp. 59-60.
Communicating Robot Motion Intent with Augmented Reality

Humans coordinate teamwork by conveying intent through social cues, such as gestures and gaze behaviors. However, these methods may not be possible for appearance-constrained robots that lack anthropomorphic or zoomorphic features, such as aerial robots. We explore a new design space for communicating robot motion in-tent by investigating how augmented reality (AR) might mediate human-robot interactions. We develop a series of explicit and implicit designs for visually signaling robot motion intent using AR, which we evaluate in a user study. We found that several of our AR designs significantly improved objective task efficiency over a base-line in which users only received physically-embodied orientation cues. In addition, our designs offer several trade-offs in terms of intent clarity and user perceptions of the robot as a teammate.
Effect of a Bicycling Unit on the Fitness of Middle School Students.

Many physical educators today are teaching lifetime sports, including outdoor activities such as cycling. Even though cycling is a low impact exercise that aids stamina and fitness, little is known about additional benefits in other areas including agility, balance, and explosive power. The purpose of this study was to ascertain if there are physical benefits (i.e., static balance, explosive leg power, agility) to students participating in a single bicycling unit in physical education (PE) class. Middle school students in the treatment school rode bicycles during their PE classes for 2 months. Students in the control school did not have access to bicycles during PE classes. Before the bicycle unit began, students in both schools were measured on stork stand with eyes closed, vertical jump, and agility. Students in the treatment school then participated in PE classes that included a bicycling unit, whereas the control school students participated in PE classes that did not include bicycling. Pretest scores were used as covariates, and results showed that students in the treatment group scored higher than students in the control group at posttest on all three tests. Although many schools have begun using lifetime activities in their PE classes, the results suggest that these activities not only may be fun for students but also will help them experience fitness benefits. Subscribe to TPE
On the Limited Role of Efficiency in Charitable Giving

Performance measurement is considered useful in guiding donations to charities. We investigated whether efficiency rates predominately guide donations relative to available alternatives, or influen...
Investigation of the Curvature Induction and Membrane Localization of the Influenza Virus M2 Protein Using Static and Off-Magic-Angle Spinning Solid-State Nuclear Magnetic Resonance of Oriented Bicelles

A wide variety of membrane proteins induce membrane curvature for function; thus, it is important to develop new methods to simultaneously determine membrane curvature and protein binding sites in membranes with multiple curvatures. We introduce solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) methods based on magnetically oriented bicelles and off-magic-angle spinning (OMAS) to measure membrane curvature and the binding site of proteins in mixed-curvature membranes. We demonstrate these methods on the influenza virus M2 protein, which not only acts as a proton channel but also mediates virus assembly and membrane scission. An M2 peptide encompassing the transmembrane (TM) domain and an amphipathic helix, M2(21-61), was studied and compared with the TM peptide (M2TM). Static (31)P NMR spectra of magnetically oriented 1,2-dimyristoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DMPC)/1,2-dihexanoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DHPC) bicelles exhibit a temperature-independent isotropic chemical shift in the presence of M2(21-61) but not M2TM, indicating that the amphipathic helix confers the ability to generate a high-curvature phase. Two-dimensional (2D) (31)P spectra indicate that this high-curvature phase is associated with the DHPC bicelle edges, suggestive of the structure of budding viruses from the host cell. (31)P- and (13)C-detected (1)H relaxation times of the lipids indicate that the majority of M2(21-61) is bound to the high-curvature phase. Using OMAS experiments, we resolved the (31)P signals of lipids with identical headgroups based on their distinct chemical shift anisotropies. On the basis of this resolution, 2D (1)H-(31)P correlation spectra show that the amide protons in M2(21-61) correlate with the DMPC but not DHPC (31)P signal of the bicelle, indicating that a small percentage of M2(21-61) partitions into the planar region of the bicelles. These results show that the amphipathic helix induces high membrane curvature and localizes the protein to this phase, in good agreement with the membrane scission function of the protein. These bicelle-based relaxation and OMAS solid-state NMR techniques are generally applicable to curvature-inducing membrane proteins such as those involved in membrane trafficking, membrane fusion, and cell division.
Educational gaps and their impact on Iraqi refugee students’ secondary schooling in the Greater Detroit, Michigan Area:

In this piece we examine educational gaps among Iraqi refugee students while living in Iraq and while in transitional countries, challenges resulting from those educational gaps since they have arr...
Managing the Customer

In a competitive marketplace customers serve as an important source of revenue, which may be lost if the value created for customers is inadequate. Maximizing the fit between what is being offered and what the customers want is therefore imperative. Customer management must include the objectives of creating value for the customer while shaping their preferences, and responding to demand volatility through innovations in technology and processes.
Representations of Transitive Fuzzy Relations

Since Zadeh (1971) introduced similarity relations and fuzzy orderings, a great deal of work has been done in studying properties of these relations and their applications. The reader is referred to recent volumes edited by Gupta and Sanchez (1982), Yager (1982), and Gupta, Ragade and Yager (1979) for a representative sample of publications in this area.
Long-term human bone marrow cultures.

Pronlonged in vitro growth of murine bone marrow has been achieved using a flask culture system. We report the adaption of the technique to the growth of human bone marrow. In this system, CFU-GM and CFU-E are maintained for 4–9 wk. Morphologically recognizable granulopoiesis occurs for 4–6 wk and erythropoiesis for 1.5–2.5 wk. Functional T lymphocytes are maintained for at least 5 wk. The adherent population is composed of macrophages, fibroblast-like cells, and flat pavement- like cells. Fat-containing cells are not prominant. This culture system provides a means to study human hematopoietic cell proliferation and differentiation in vitro, as well as to examine interactions between stromal cells and hematopoietic and lymphoid progenitors.
Determinants of invasive species policy: print media and agriculture determine United States invasive wild pig policy

Conflicts between wildlife, invasive species, and agricultural producers are increasing. Although direct management actions taken to mitigate these conflicts remain controversial, most stakeholders agree that better policies are needed to balance socio-economic considerations with invasive species management, wildlife conservation, and agriculture. However the interaction between societal and biological drivers that influence human-invasive species-wildlife conflict mitigation policy is poorly understood. We identify factors influencing policy leading to the establishment of a new federal program to control invasive wild pigs in the United States. We fit generalized linear models relating frequency of congressional policy activity, such as congressional hearings and reports, to frequency of print newspaper media and percent of the U.S. agricultural industry co-occurring with invasive wild pigs for 29 years preceding the establishment of the federal program in 2013. Our models explained 89% of the deviance in congressional policy activity indicating a strong linkage between congressional invasive wild pig policy activity and predictors representing the number of negative of newspaper articles, geographic distribution of print media, and percent of agricultural producers co-occurring with invasive wild pigs. These effects translated to 3.7% increase in the number of congressional policy actions for every additional five states with negative news media. Invasive wild pig congressional policy activity increased 6.7% for every additional 10 negative newspaper articles. Increases in co-occurrence of agriculture and invasive wild pigs had the largest effect, for every 1% increase in co-occurrence there was a 41% increase in congressional policy activity. Invasive wild pig congressional policy activity that explicitly addressed livestock increased at nearly twice the rate of policy activity addressing crop agriculture. These results suggest that agriculture and media coverage may act as determinants for invasive species policy. Our approach may provide early insight into emerging policy areas enabling proactive policy development by agencies or early engagement by scientists to find solutions before the policy area becomes grid locked. Our results can also support policy and program evaluation providing a means of determining if the implemented policies match the original policy determinants ensuring best alignment with public, environmental, and stakeholder interests.
Intramedullary Ependymomas: Clinical Presentation, Surgical Treatment Strategies and Prognosis

Intramedullary ependymomas are rare tumors but comprise the majority of intramedullary glial neoplasms in the adult. These tumors are benign, slow-growing lesions which are optimally treated with gross-total surgical resection without adjuvant therapy. This objective can be attained safely in a majority, of patients. Post-operative functional outcome is related to pre-operative functional status. Hence, early diagnosis, prior to symptomatic progression, is critical to the successful treatment of these tumors. Adjuvant therapy is indicated for the rare malignant or disseminated tumor or following sub-total resection.
Neural Network-Based Reaction Estimator for Walking Robots

The paper focuses on one of the problems associated with controlling walking robots using model-based control methods: the presence of explicit mechanical constraints in the robot's dynamical model. The paper proposes the use of a neural network-based estimator for the reaction forces allowing the simplification of the mentioned control problem. Two architectures of the neural network are proposed, both are based on fully connected layers with rectified linear unit activation functions. The generation of the training dataset for the network is discussed. It is shown that the trained network is capable of accurately predicting the values of normal reactions using the values of generalized coordinates and velocities, as well as control actions as inputs. The predictions demonstrate a constant offset, which we refer to as the static prediction error. The paper presents some possible use cases for the designed reaction estimator.
SELECTION OF ITERATIVE METHOD

This chapter discusses the selection of an iterative method that can be used in solving the large linear system A u = b (1), where A is a large sparse positive definite matrix. It also highlights the case where the system (corresponds to the finite difference solution of a self-adjoint elliptic partial differential equation. In the case highlighted, the chapter presents an assumption that ā and ь, the lower and upper bounds, respectively, of the eigenvalues v of A are known or can be estimated to a reasonable accuracy.
Solidification and metallurgical phenomena in lost foam casting of aluminum alloys

ABSTRACT The lost foam process has generated considerable interest among foundrymen because of the inherent advantages associated with the production of the casting. It has been predicted that the number of foundries utilizing this innovative process will continue to increase rapidly over the next few years. The principal feature of this casting technique is the use of foamed polymer patterns for the production of the component. On contact with the liquid metal, the polymer pattern undergoes thermal degradation through a series of complex transitions to produce liquid and gaseous degradation products. The formation of these degradation products in the mold has a significant effect on the solidification behavior and on the microstructural parameters. Furthermore, the interaction of the degradation products with the solidifying metal may introduce various defects in the casting which are unique to this process. The fundamental aspects associated with the solidification of lost foam castings have been described. The effects of polymer degradation on microstructural characteristics and on defects have been discussed.
Radiation Oncology in the Treatment of Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Optimizing the therapeutic ratio and achieving an adequate safety profile in the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with radiation therapy (RT) has historically been a challenge. Although HCC is a radiosensitive tumor, it is surrounded by highly radiosensitive organs, including the remainder of the liver and hollow gastrointestinal viscera. As technology has advanced to the point of allowing a highly conformal dose to be delivered to the tumor while sparing the surrounding normal tissues, RT has re-emerged as a viable treatment modality for many patients with HCC, pending randomized controlled trials to confirm its efficacy. Options for RT include stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT), external beam radiation therapy (EBRT), and radioembolization. SBRT, which involves the precise delivery of highly conformal, image-guided, ablative doses of external beam radiation, has been shown to be an effective alternative to other ablative procedures in nonsurgical candidates with tumors up to 6 cm in size, including HCC in patients with cirrhosis. Radioembolization involves catheter-based infusion of radioactive particles (such as Yttrium-90-labeled microspheres) targeted at the hepatic artery branches that feed the tumor. Typical prescription doses are in the range of 120–150 Gy, significantly higher than those possible with EBRT. Radioembolization may be used in patients with unresectable primary HCC with liver-dominant tumor burden and life expectancy > 3 months. For patients with large HCCs, treatment options include conventionally fractionated EBRT. EBRT is considered safe for all patients with Child-Pugh class A or B.
Creating a Space for “Lowbrow” Information Behavior: From Dime Novels to Online Communities

Both information behavior and social informatics research concern themselves with the formation and evolution of digital communities and online environments. However, literature to date focuses heavily on formal, professionalized, and normative resources and contexts at the expense of other materials and environments, including those centered around “entertaining” content such as fiction. In this paper, we present a historical narrative centered on paperback fiction and its creation, then relate that narrative to other fiction formats and current online fiction collectives, such as fanfiction archives. We adopt the perspective that fiction—often denigrated as “lowbrow” material, especially within an information science scholarly canon—can and should be considered an information resource in order to broaden social informatics and information behavior work so that they move away from normative conceptions of information and its interactors. We conclude with promising theoretical and practical directions to continue this work in the future.
Hepatic Pathology in Human Monocytic Ehrlichiosis

Ehrlichia chaffeensis causes human monocytic ehrlichiosis (HME) that usually includes fever, myalgias, and pancytopenia and, in 80% to 90% of patients, elevations in serum transaminase levels. Thus, the pathology of liver injury was studied in liver tissues from 7 patients with laboratory-confirmed HME. H&E and immunohistochemical stains for E chaffeensis and leukocyte markers were examined. Scattered lobular lymphohistiocytic foci and diffuse lymphohistiocytic infiltration and Kupffer cell hyperplasia with increased phagocytosis frequently were present. Various degrees of liver cell injury and death were observed. Cholestasis was evident in 6 cases, sometimes with bile duct epithelial injury. Rare to abundant E chaffeensis –infected mononuclear cells infiltrating lobules or portal regions or in Kupffer cells were observed in 5 patients. The inflammation was out of proportion to the infection in 6 cases. In the absence of infected hepatocytes or biliary epithelial cells, these findings suggest that host inflammatory or immune responses contribute to the liver injury seen in HME.
Exactness of SWKB for Shape Invariant Potentials

Abstract The supersymmetry-based semiclassical method (SWKB) is known to produce exact spectra for conventional shape invariant potentials. In this paper we prove that this exactness follows from their additive shape invariance.
Children’s recognition of happy, sad, and angry facial expressions across emotive intensities

Abstract Sharing emotional experiences is a key task that requires accurate recognition of peers’ emotions during middle childhood. Existing research suggests that children are proficient at discerning emotion from facial expressions during middle childhood, but this research has focused on recognition of adults’ intense emotional expressions. In this study, facial emotion recognition for children’s happy, sad, and angry expressions across low, medium, and high intensities was measured in a sample of 7- to 10-year-old children (N = 80; 53% female) to quantify overall accurate recognition as well as inaccuracies, including identifying an emotion as present when it is not (false alarms) and failing to identify an emotion when present (miss rate). Children’s recognition accuracy for low-threshold happiness, sadness, and anger was quite poor but improved in a cubic fashion as expression intensity increased, with dramatic improvements across medium-intensity expressions, and little further improvement across high-intensity expressions. A positivity bias was evident; children were more accurate at recognizing happiness than at recognizing sadness and anger, rarely failed to identify happiness when present, and tended to mislabel expressions as happy rather than as angry or sad. Children were generally better at recognizing anger compared with sadness but were more accurate at recognizing subtle sadness compared with anger, which appeared to be due to children missing subtle anger when present. The findings are discussed with regard to the functionality of others’ happiness for signaling positive socializing opportunities, anger for signaling threatening interactions, and sadness for prompting prosocial action and with regard to how children’s facial emotion recognition may affect general socioemotional development.
Model-based path prediction for fixed-wing unmanned aircraft using pose estimates

Abstract With the rapid proliferation of small unmanned aircraft systems (sUAS), there is an increasing need for these aircraft to detect and predict each other's motion in order to avoid collisions. This concern arises in addition to the well-established need to detect and avoid manned aircraft. The two threats pose distinct challenges. For example, while a manned aircraft typically travels quite fast compared with a sUAS, its path can be accurately predicted over moderate time intervals using only position measurements and a kinematic particle model. Because sUAS are more maneuverable, and detection horizons can be much shorter, there is a need for more sophisticated prediction methods. One way to improve accuracy is to base predictions on the complete pose (position and attitude) and a higher fidelity model of the threat aircraft's dynamics. As an initial demonstration, we propose an algorithm to predict the path of a small, fixed-wing unmanned aircraft using estimates of this threat aircraft's pose, as might be obtained using visual sensors. To assess the algorithm's performance, predictions using the proposed algorithm are compared with predictions based solely on position data for a large experimental data set. The results indicate that the proposed algorithm outperforms the position-only prediction method.
The Lung Life of a Cystic Fibrosis Patient: A Patient and Physician Perspective

This article is co-authored by a patient living with cystic fibrosis, and her treating physician. The first section of this commentary article is authored by a patient, who describes their experience of living with cystic fibrosis. The following section is authored by the patient’s physician, who discusses the management of cystic fibrosis in the context of the patient’s experiences.
The Emergence of Cyber Deterrence: Implications for International Law

Deterrence has long been at the heart of U.S. security strategy. The application of deterrence in the context of cybersecurity comes with great challenges. At the 2016 Annual Meeting of the American Society of International Law, an expert panel convened to consider these issues. These introductory remarks to the panel set forth the background to this important and timely topic in international law.
Ventromedial prefrontal cortex/anterior cingulate cortex Glx, glutamate, and GABA levels in medication-free major depressive disorder

Glutamate (Glu) and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) are implicated in the pathophysiology of major depressive disorder (MDD). GABA levels or GABAergic interneuron numbers are generally low in MDD, potentially disinhibiting Glu release. It is unclear whether Glu release or turnover is increased in depression. Conversely, a meta-analysis of prefrontal proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H MRS) studies in MDD finds low Glx (combination of glutamate and glutamine) in medicated MDD. We hypothesize that elevated Glx or Glu may be a marker of more severe, untreated MDD. We examined ventromedial prefrontal cortex/anterior cingulate cortex (vmPFC/ACC) Glx and glutamate levels using 1H MRS in 34 medication-free, symptomatic, chronically ill MDD patients and 32 healthy volunteers, and GABA levels in a subsample. Elevated Glx and Glu were observed in MDD compared with healthy volunteers, with the highest levels seen in males with MDD. vmPFC/ACC GABA was low in MDD. Higher Glx levels correlated with more severe depression and lower GABA. MDD severity and diagnosis were both linked to higher Glx in vmPFC/ACC. Low GABA in a subset of these patients is consistent with our hypothesized model of low GABA leading to glutamate disinhibition in MDD. This finding and model are consistent with our previously reported findings that the NMDAR-antagonist antidepressant effect is proportional to the reduction of vmPFC/ACC Glx or Glu levels.
The Continuous Learning Cycle: A Multi-phase Post-occupancy Evaluation (POE) of Decentralized Nursing Unit Design.

Purpose This study aims to demonstrate how multiphase postoccupancy evaluation (POE) research was integrated into multiple projects to develop a continuous learning cycle. Background Despite the well-recognized importance of POE, few studies have reported how knowledge from POE is applied in new designs. Method This study is developed as a multiphase POE that spanned 3 years and across three units. Phase I POE compared an existing unit (Unit A) in Hospital A and a new Unit B in Hospital B that has implemented innovative design features such as decentralized nurse stations. The idea was to understand the challenges of the existing facility in Hospital A and gather lessons learned from the new design in Unit B to inform the design of the Hospital A expansion (Unit C). After the new expansion was occupied, the Phase II POE was conducted using the same set of POE tools in both Unit C and Unit A. The POE applied the following methods: (1) patient room evaluations using the Center for Health Design standardized POE tools, (2) space syntax analysis of visibility, and (3) a pre- and postmove analysis of Press Ganey data. Results The results demonstrated that by incorporating lessons learned from the Phase I POE, Unit C has further improvement on patient room design ratings, improved patient satisfaction, and better visibility among nurse work areas compared to Unit A and Unit B. Conclusions The multiphase, multisite POE with standardized tools has demonstrated its value as an important tool for continuous design quality improvement.
Rho GTPase-Activating Proteins in Cancer

Rho GTPases are involved in a variety of cellular functions and require strict regulation to insure proper signaling. As negative regulators of the Rho proteins, Rho GTPase-activating proteins (GAPs) also play critical roles in cytoskeleton regulation, cell-cycle control, gene expression, and normal development. The sheer number and multidomain structural feature of known RhoGAPs are indicative of the importance of such regulation. Among an array of the possible functions, the role RhoGAPs play in cell proliferation, cell migration, and morphogenesis make them likely candidates in tumorigenesis and tumor progression. With the identification of several guanine-nucleotide exchange factors (GEFs) as oncogenes it has been inferred that RhoGAPs may function in some capacity as tumor suppressors. This appears to be the case with several Rho GAPs (e.g., DLC-1 and β2-chimaerin); however, other RhoGAPs seem to play positive and/or negative roles in different cancers (e.g., p190 RhoGAP). While current data offer no steadfast rule for the RhoGAP involvement in cancer, the significance of RhoGAPs has been established, and some of the GAPs may provide useful targets for future cancer therapy.
Response of transposable elements to environmental stressors

Transposable elements (TEs) comprise a group of repetitive sequences that bring positive, negative, as well as neutral effects to the host organism. Earlier considered as "junk DNA," TEs are now well-accepted driving forces of evolution and critical regulators of the expression of genetic information. Their activity is regulated by epigenetic mechanisms, including methylation of DNA and histone modifications. The loss of epigenetic control over TEs, exhibited as loss of DNA methylation and decondensation of the chromatin structure, may result in TEs reactivation, initiation of their insertional mutagenesis (retrotransposition) and has been reported in numerous human diseases, including cancer. Accumulating evidence suggests that these alterations are not the simple consequences of the disease, but often may drive the pathogenesis, as they can be detected early during disease development. Knowledge derived from the in vitro, in vivo, and epidemiological studies, clearly demonstrates that exposure to ubiquitous environmental stressors, many of which are carcinogens or suspected carcinogens, are capable of causing alterations in methylation and expression of TEs and initiate retrotransposition events. Evidence summarized in this review suggests that TEs are the sensitive endpoints for detection of effects caused by such environmental stressors, as ionizing radiation (terrestrial, space, and UV-radiation), air pollution (including particulate matter [PM]-derived and gaseous), persistent organic pollutants, and metals. Furthermore, the significance of these effects is characterized by their early appearance, persistence and presence in both, target organs and peripheral blood. Altogether, these findings suggest that TEs may potentially be introduced into safety and risk assessment and serve as biomarkers of exposure to environmental stressors. Furthermore, TEs also show significant potential to become invaluable surrogate biomarkers in clinic and possible targets for therapeutic modalities for disease treatment and prevention.
Long Distance Transfer of Liquefied Gases

Recent interest in the large scale use of liquefied gases has stimulated a re-examination of the fundamental problems associated with their production and transportation. The question to be considered here is: Is it necessary to transport the liquid in batches in transport containers, or can it be pumped over relatively long distances through pipe lines? In the considerations of long transfer lines there are two areas which must be investigated: The feasibility of cooling down the systems and the feasibility of transferring the liquids after the line has been cooled. An accurate analysis of the cooling down problem is the more difficult task; however, if sufficient provision is made for venting, any well-designed system can be cooled to its operating temperature. The primary interest here is to study the steady-state problems: 1) Are equipment and techniques now available for long distance transfer of liquefied gases? 2) Are the losses occurring in long distance transfers tolerable?
Development of a method for analysis of free amino acids from physiological samples using a 420A ABI/PE amino acid analysis

Publisher Summary In recent years, there has been a recurring interest and demand for the quantitation of free amino acids in physiological fluids, for example, urine, blood serum, tissue cultures, as well as in hydrolysates. Amino acid analysis is a well established technique for the quantitation of free amino acids found in either hydrolysates or physiological fluids. Because of such increased interest in analysis of physiological samples, several studies establishes analyzer methods that would allow choosing between the standard protocol for protein and peptide hydrolysates and a separate protocol for an expanded number of amino acids. This is to include the most important free amino acids found in physiological samples. A separation protocol has been developed that allows for the separation and quantitation of up to 30 amino acids using the 420H system. While this separation protocol does not allow for the separation of all possible free amino acids found in physiological samples, it enables to identify and quantify those most commonly requested. The major difference in separation conditions among the standard versus the physiological method is the addition of an extra step at six minutes into the gradient. This step decreases the steepness of the slope of the gradient development, thus allowing for the separation of citrulline, taurine, and arginine.
Maple Syrup Urine Disease in a Central Indiana Hereford Herd

Maple syrup urine disease (MSUD) and further cases were identified in herd mates of a small Hereford herd in Indiana based on history, clinical signs, microscopic lesions, and biochemical and genetic testing. This aminoacidopathy has been diagnosed in polled Shorthorn, polled Hereford, and Hereford cattle in Australia, Uruguay, Argentina, and Canada and is the result of a mutation of the branched-chain alpha-ketoacid dehydrogenase complex. The Indiana index calf case was confirmed by showing the classic accumulation of ketoacids in liver that results from a defect in the E1-alpha subunit (248 C/T haplotype) in the mitochondrial branched-chain α-ketoacid dehydrogenase complex. The presence of the mutation was confirmed in the index case, the dam, and four related herd mates that represent the first confirmed cases of bovine MSUD mutation in United States cattle.
Pleaidene Systems—V

Abstract The attempted generation of 1-methylpleiadene by either vinylogous dehydrohalogenation of 1-methyl-7-bromo-7,12-dihydropleiadene or the dehydration of the corresponding alcohol was unsuccessful, the reactions yielding instead a dimeric hydrocarbon assigned the structure of bis(1-methyl-7,12-dihydro-7-pleiadyl). Authentic 1-methylpleiadene was generated from the corresponding 7,12-dihydro-7,12-sulfone, and was characterized as its dimer and its N-phenylmaleimide adduct.
Recent advances in understanding V(D)J recombination

Publisher Summary The immune system is unique in its requirements for the remodeling of DNA. Antigen receptor genes are assembled during lymphoid development by V(D)J recombination, the effector functions of functional immunoglobulin genes are later remodeled by switch recombination, and antigen affinity is refined by somatic hypermutation. This chapter focuses on V(D)J recombination. Of all these processes, recombination is the best understood and the only one for which any genetic factors has been identified. This chapter therefore provides background information to frame current problems and then concentrates on more recent developments. The intervening period has seen significant advances in both the genetics and biochemistry of V(D)J recombination. The chapter covers the new observations and the resulting insights and place them in the perspective of broader questions concerning the rearrangement of antigen receptor genes. This multilayered complexity serves to allow the organism to mount an immune response with the greatest possible flexibility and efficiency. Finally, this multilayered complexity serves to allow the organism to mount an immune response with the greatest possible flexibility and efficiency.
Asymmetric synthesis: Part I. A stereoselective synthesis of benzylic centres. Derivatives of 5-C-phenyl-d-gluco-pentose and 5-C-phenyl-l-ido-pentose

Abstract Methods for the stereoselective synthesis and configurational assignment of asymmetric, benzylic carbon atoms have been investigated. The reaction between phenylmagnesium bromide and 3- O -benzyl-1,2- O -isopropylidene-α- d - xylo -pentodialdo-1,4-furanose in ether is highly stereoselective, giving a mixture of 3- O -benzyl-1,2- O -isopropylidene-5- C -phenyl-α- d - gluco -pentofuranose and 3- O -benzyl-1,2- O -isopropylidene-5- C -phenyl-β- l - ido -pentofuranose in the ratio 1:14.4. The stereoselectivity of the reaction was appreciably different when ether was replaced by tetrahydrofuran as solvent. The novel, crystalline sugars, 5- C -phenyl- d - gluco -pentose and 4- C -benzyl- d - xylo -tetrose are described.
Effects of habitat on GPS collar performance: using data screening to reduce location error

Summary 1 Global positioning system (GPS) technology enables researchers to evaluate wildlife movements, space use and resource selection in detail for extended periods of time. Two types of errors, missed location fixes and location error, are inherent to GPS telemetry and can bias location data sets. Habitat characteristics can influence both types of errors, but no studies have reported how continuous ranges of canopy cover and terrain simultaneously affect location error at different positional dilution of precision (PDOP) and signal quality levels. This information can assist in developing a protocol for removing large location errors from GPS data sets. 2 The objectives of this study were to quantify how canopy cover and terrain affected GPS collar performance within a mountainous region of northern Idaho, USA, and evaluate different data-screening options for GPS location data sets from stationary test collars and free-ranging black bears Ursus americanus. 3 The fix rate for test collars was very high in all habitats (mean 99·5%, SE 0·14, range 97·9–100%) and was not related to canopy cover or terrain obstruction. However, habitat variables strongly influenced location error, PDOP values and proportion of three-dimensional (3-D) fixes. The 95% circular error probable (CEP) equalled 106·8 m for locations at all test sites, and varied substantially with canopy cover, terrain obstruction and signal quality categories, ranging from 14·3 m to 557·0 m. Location errors for two-dimensional (2-D) fixes were more variable at higher PDOP values and were significantly larger compared with 3-D fixes. 4 Data screening increased the accuracy of test collar location data sets by removing large location errors that were associated with high PDOP values. Data-screening options that focused on screening 2-D locations were most effective in reducing location error and retaining the greatest number of locations. For black bear data sets, the four data screening options resulted in data reduction ranging from 8% to 35%. 5 Synthesis and applications. We have demonstrated how location data can be analysed and screened based on 2-D and 3-D fixes in relation to PDOP values to eliminate locations with potentially large location errors. This information can be applied to GPS location data for individual animals to increase data accuracy for analyses.
Are females more variable than males in gene expression? Meta-analysis of microarray datasets.

Background The majority of preclinical biomedical research involves studies of males rather than females. It is thought that researchers have avoided females based on the idea that female traits are more variable than those of males because of cyclic variation in effects of ovarian hormones.
Prenatal diagnosis of multiple acyl‐CoA dehydrogenase deficiency: association with elevated α‐fetoprotein and cystic renal changes

We report the occurrence of multiple acyl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiency (MADD) in two consecutive pregnancies in a young, Caucasian, non-consanguineous couple. In the first pregnancy, the maternal serum alpha-fetoprotein was elevated. A sonogram showed growth delay, cystic renal disease, and oligohydramnios; the parents decided to terminate the pregnancy. Postmortem examination confirmed the cystic renal disease and showed hepatic steatosis, raising the suspicion of a metabolic disorder. The diagnosis of MADD was made by immunoblot studies on cultured fibroblasts. In the subsequent pregnancy, a sonogram at 15 weeks' gestation showed an early growth delay but normal kidneys. The maternal serum and amniotic fluid concentrations of alpha-fetoprotein were elevated, and the amniotic fluid acylcarnitine profile was consistent with MADD. In vitro metabolic studies on cultured amniocytes confirmed the diagnosis. A follow-up sonogram showed cystic renal changes. These cases provide additional information regarding the evolution of renal changes in affected fetuses and show a relationship with elevated alpha-fetoprotein, which may be useful in counseling the couple at risk. MADD should be considered in the differential diagnosis of elevated alpha-fetoprotein and cystic renal disease. Early growth delay may be an additional feature.