cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Active learning across intermetallics to guide discovery of electrocatalysts for CO 2 reduction and H 2 evolution

The electrochemical reduction of CO2 and H2 evolution from water can be used to store renewable energy that is produced intermittently. Scale-up of these reactions requires the discovery of effective electrocatalysts, but the electrocatalyst search space is too large to explore exhaustively. Here we present a theoretical, fully automated screening method that uses a combination of machine learning and optimization to guide density functional theory calculations, which are then used to predict electrocatalyst performance. We demonstrate the feasibility of this method by screening various alloys of 31 different elements, and thereby perform a screening that encompasses 50% of the d-block elements and 33% of the p-block elements. This method has thus far identified 131 candidate surfaces across 54 alloys for CO2 reduction and 258 surfaces across 102 alloys for H2 evolution. We use qualitative analyses to prioritize the top candidates for experimental validation. The design of new catalysts for electrochemical energy storage is of utmost importance. Here, an automated computational screening method is used to identify over 100 intermetallic surfaces as efficient electrocatalysts for CO2 reduction and H2 evolution.
Thermally synthesized MnO nanoparticles for magnetic properties and lithium batteries

MnO nanoparticles have drawn much attention due to their potential applications in spintronics and energy storage. In this work, we used a thermal decomposition method to synthesize MnO nanoparticles, and we controlled the reaction temperature and Mn(II):oleylamine:oleic acid ratios to obtain varied sizes ranging from 90 nm to 800 nm. The prepared MnO nanoparticles were characterized by x-ray diffraction (XRD) and Scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Magnetic measurements (M-H loops and M-T curves) were used to study the magnetic properties of the prepared MnO nanoparticles. The results showed that surface defects caused surface anisotropy that resulted in low temperature ferromagnetic behavior of the nanoparticles (90 nm–220 nm). The coercivity of 1500 Oe were obtained. The synthesized MnO nanoparticles were also studied as anode materials in lithium ion batteries, and achieved very promising results.
Idealized Study on the Effect of Bottom Topography on the Seasonality of the Stability of the Iceland–Faeroe Front

AbstractWe investigate the effects of bottom topography on the instability, eddy-driven heat flux, and overturning of a front that sits atop a ridge by varying the initial location of an idealized ...
Daly v. Palmer, or the Melodramatic Origins of the Ordinary Observer

Daly v. Palmer, decided in 1868, began as one zealous New York theater owner’s attempt to prevent his rivals from capitalizing on his greatest dramatic success—the famous “Railroad Scene,” in which a character is tied to railroad tracks by the villain and is rescued only seconds before an approaching train passes. But the decision, authored by future Supreme Court Justice Samuel Blatchford, proved to be a landmark in copyright law for almost seventy years. Daly was one of the first plaintiffs to claim infringement by nonverbatim copying from an artistic, not informational, work, and his case anticipated by several decades an explosion of such lawsuits at the turn of the century. As those difficult cases became legion, courts and treatise writers alike looked to Blatchford’s detailed analysis for guidance. Daly was innovative in two ways. Judge Blatchford extended copyright protection for plays beyond the printed text of the script, and held that the value of a work included the intangible impression made by the work on its audience when performed. Second, he measured infringement of such works by comparing the similarities in their sequence of events, even where no dialog was copied. Twentieth-century courts widely adopted Blatchford’s “sequence of events” test to determine if the narrative of one work infringed another. But eventually judges became dissatisfied with such piecemeal analysis, and, searching for an alternative, found Daly’s other holding: that the overall impression made upon the audience might matter. This article, part of the “Forgotten IP Cases” Symposium hosted by the Syracuse Law Review, traces the origins and subsequent career of what was for many decades one of the most widely cited infringement cases in copyright law. It explores why Daly was so influential, and how it was ultimately replaced by the Second Circuit’s decision in Arnstein v. Porter. The concluding section offers some thoughts on what causes a copyright opinion to gain or lose precedential value.
Aqueous Synthesis of Compressible and Thermally Stable Cellulose Nanofibril–Silica Aerogel for CO2 Adsorption

Cellulose nanofibrils (CNF)–silica aerogels have been facilely synthesized via a one-step in situ aqueous sol–gel process of polymerizing and aging the silica precursor in the presence of CNFs to e...
Institutional Research to Support Planning, Decision-Making, and Teaching and Learning at Pomona College, USA

This chapter traces the development of an institutional research (IR) function at a small, private liberal arts college in Southern California, from its earliest beginnings as a fledgling one-person office to what is today a maturing operation that works in close partnership with decision-makers and faculty across campus to advance the educational aims of the college. It traces IR’s historical underpinnings and dynamic evolution as a field of practice and uses examples of institutional research in planning, decision-making, and teaching and learning at Pomona College to demonstrate its role in supporting a liberal arts mission.
Inkjet printed graphene as an interconnect for optoelectronic devices

A comparative study of inkjet-printed graphene films (IPGFs) with mechanically exfoliated, highly crystalline graphene platelets have been conducted. Inkjet-printed graphene films were obtained using liquid-phase exfoliation of bulk graphite, while crystalline, residue-free graphene was obtained from highly-oriented-pyrolytic-graphite (HOPG) using mechanical exfoliation through a viscoelastic transfer process. Optical absorption spectroscopy was used to infer the density of platelets in the graphene-based ink dispersion. Temperature-dependent Raman spectroscopy revealed the presence of the defect D-band peak in the IPGFs, which was not observed in the HOPG-based samples at room temperature, confirming the higher crystalline quality of the latter. Full-width-half-maximum (FWHM) of the G-band was measured to be ~ 26.4 cm−1 for IPGFs compared to ~ 18.6 cm−1 for HOPG-based samples. Moreover, the D-band intensity decreased as temperature increased up to 600 °C for IPGFs, suggesting the possibility of annealing effects that may arise at these temperatures to reduce defect densities. In both HOPG-based samples and IPGF patterns, the G-band and G′-band red-shifted with increasing temperature which can be attributed to elongation of the C–C bond due to thermal expansion, resulting in the anharmonic coupling of the phonon modes. Moreover, a power study demonstrated the IPGFs even with printing passes as low as 10 passes, dissipate ~ 1.03 mW of power at 1 V, which was similar to the power dissipated in the HOPG samples (~ 1.05 mW at 1 V) suggesting good adherence of graphene platelets and high conductivity in IPGFs, which suggests that the inks are favorable for use in interconnects for device platforms in printed electronics. A natural follow-on from this work, was the use of the conductive graphene inks as an interconnect in devices, specifically WS2-based photodetectors, where prototype devices were fabricated and characterized that are also discussed here.
Wait wait. No, tell me: analyzing selenium configuration effects on test flakiness

Flaky tests are a source of frustration and uncertainty for developers. In an educational environment, flaky tests can create doubts related to software behavior and student grades, especially when the grades depend on tests passing. NC State University's junior-level software engineering course models industrial practice through team-based development and testing of new features on a large electronic health record (EHR) system, iTrust2. Students are expected to maintain and supplement an extensive suite of UI tests using Selenium WebDriver. Team builds are run on the course's continuous integration (CI) infrastructure. Students report, and we confirm, that tests that pass on one build will inexplicably fail on the next, impacting productivity and confidence in code quality and the CI system. The goal of this work is to find and fix the sources of flaky tests in iTrust2. We analyze configurations of Selenium using different underlying web browsers and timeout strategies (waits) for both test stability and runtime performance. We also consider underlying hardware and operating systems. Our results show that HtmlUnit with Thread waits provides the lowest number of test failures and best runtime on poor-performing hardware. When given more resources (e.g., more memory and a faster CPU), Google Chrome with Angular waits is less flaky and faster than HtmlUnit, especially if the browser instance is not restarted between tests. The outcomes of this research are a more stable and substantially faster teaching application and a recommendation on how to configure Selenium for applications similar to iTrust2 that run in a CI environment.
P-082 YouTube: A Questionable Source of Information for Information for Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Background:The internet has increasingly become an important source of healthcare information. More than 40% of patients say that information found via social media affects the way they deal with their health. Ninety percent of respondents from 18 to 24 years of age said they would trust medical inf
Gundy v. United States: Gunning for the Administrative State

The Supreme Court's recent decision in Gundy v. United States, anticipated to be a blockbuster decision that might undo the modern administrative state, turned out to be a constitutional non-event. Gundy argued that Congress violated the nondelegation doctrine when it ceded authority to the U.S. Attorney General to decide the retroactive applicability of the federal Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA) to individuals convicted before its 2006 enactment. Gundy, whose rape conviction was in 2005, was convicted in 2012 of a federal felony under SORNA, as a result of its retroactive application. A five-Justice plurality rejected Gundy's challenge, applying the same doctrine it has used to reject nondelegation challenges for the past eighty years. This symposium contribution argues that Gundy not only did not live up to its fanfare; it was a lost opportunity for the Court to provide a more robust nondelegation doctrine, one likely having appeal across the Court’s political spectrum. In particular, the Court could have enunciated a new, more demanding test applicable only to delegations of criminal justice authority, like SORNA. Such an approach, which would require more guidance from Congress on delegated decisions, and thus constrain delegation, would be justified given the recognized distinctiveness of criminal sanctions. In addition to critiquing the Court's decision in Gundy, the paper discusses why such a distinct approach is warranted, and notes both the challenges it would present and its ancillary benefits, including much-needed clarification of criteria used to distinguish civil and criminal sanctions.
Evaluation of mobilization efficacy with an extended interval following plerixafor administration

Plerixafor is a hematopoietic stem cell mobilizing agent used in combination with granulocyte-colony stimulating factor to improve collection for autologous stem cell transplantation. Despite a rec...
Intumescent Polydopamine Coatings for Fire Protection

Polydopamine with additional bioderived flame retardants was used as coatings for flexible polyurethane foam and triple-wall corrugated cardboard. Clay was used to prevent the foam from collapsing ...
The Chemistry of NO in Cancer: Carcinogenesis and Cancer Cell Survival

LE04 Nitric Oxide (NO) is a free radical that, like oxygen, freely diffuses through biological systems. Its sources are various isoforms of the enzyme Nitric Oxide Synthase (NOS) that use L-arginine as a substrate. The enzymes are ubiquitously distributed throughout most cell types in the body, are both constitutive and inducible, and are regulated by both post-translational modification and localization. The chemistries of NO are at once simple and, at the same time, exceedingly complex. The simplicity is that NO can only carry out 1-electron chemistry, which restricts its initial reactions to atoms and molecules with similar properties, i.e. free radicals and transition metals. The complexity arises from the interactions of the secondary reaction products, which vary according to biological environment. In the extracellular environment the cells of the innate immune system (macrophages and neutrophils) combine multiple chemistries involving a high output of NO to produce a highly reactive milieu of short-lived molecules, leading to oxidation, nitration, and halogenation of protein and nucleic acids, and potentiating oxidation of unsaturated lipids. This results in cell death, mutagenesis, and carcinogenesis. In the intracellular environment multiple NOSs function as part of the cell’s regulatory system by modulating canonical signaling pathways, including the caspase pathway, the MAP kinase pathway, and the Akt pathway, through a process known as S-nitrosation. Caspases are shut down directly by S-nitrosation of their active-site cysteines. The other pathways are modulated by inactivation of the phosphatases that help to regulate proteins that are the substrates of kinases. S-nitrosation is an on/off process, so like kinases and phosphatases, NO can participate in maintaining the set-point of the cell. In the case of the cancer cell, the net effect of NO will be to block apoptosis (caspases), enhance survival (Akt), and stimulate growth and migration (MAP kinase). It follows that selective blocking of NOSs can aid in the treatment of some cancers. This research was supported by National Institutes of Health grant CA26731, by the MIT Center for Environmental Health Sciences with a grant from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (ES002109), and by National Cancer Institute contract N01-CN-43304 with Illinois Institute for Technology.
LunaNet: a Flexible and Extensible Lunar Exploration Communications and Navigation Infrastructure

NASA has set the ambitious goal of establishing a sustainable human presence on the Moon. Diverse commercial and international partners are engaged in this effort to catalyze scientific discovery, lunar resource utilization and economic development on both the Earth and at the Moon. Lunar development will serve as a critical proving ground for deeper exploration into the solar system. Space communications and navigation infrastructure will play an integral part in realizing this goal. This paper provides a high-level description of an extensible and scalable lunar communications and navigation architecture, known as LunaNet. LunaNet is a services network to enable lunar operations. Three LunaNet service types are defined: networking services, position, navigation and timing services, and science utilization services. The LunaNet architecture encompasses a wide variety of topology implementations, including surface and orbiting provider nodes. In this paper several systems engineering considerations within the service architecture are highlighted. Additionally, several alternative LunaNet instantiations are presented. Extensibility of the LunaNet architecture to the solar system internet is discussed.
Understanding the Leadership Enigma in the American Muslim Community

The Issue at Hand: The American Muslim community is one of the largest and most diverse religious communities in the world, numbering roughly 3 million. However, remarkably, despite its longstanding presence in the United States, the Muslim community lacks strong institutions for religious and scholarly training, the cultivation of new leadership, and effective community-building. This gap in leadership and institutional supports, if left unaddressed, will have serious consequences for generations of Muslims, hence the need for this study. The Project: Thanks to a generous grant by the Luce foundation, the IC was able to conduct a year-long landscaping project of leadership and educational programs based out of the United States whose primary focus is on the Muslim community. Headed by our senior researcher Sajjad Chowdhry, we went in with no assumptions but rather a hope to study what already exists and, possibly more importantly, to highlight questions which have not received the level of serious discourse required. We will utilize the findings that follow in this paper to move forward conversations on leadership and authority in the Muslim community. Our ultimate goal is to build out a robust co-curricular model of leadership in addition to a much-needed academic program that starts to train and fill critical gaps that exist in the frame of leadership in the American Muslim community. We at the Islamic Center at NYU are eager and ready to fill any voids we can by developing a program that train and empower the next generation of Muslim leaders in the U.S. This study is the first step towards achieving that goal.
Outcomes of Definitive Draining Seton Placement for Complex Anal Fistula in Crohn's Disease.

Definitive draining seton (DDS) alone is an accepted treatment for complex refractory anal fistulas in Crohn’s disease (CD). We evaluated the long-term success of DDS in CD patients. DDS was define...
Surface-Initiated Passing-through Zwitterionic Polymer Brushes for Salt-Selective and Antifouling Materials

The use of the traditional growing-from approach to prepare surface-initiated polymer brushes is widespread as it produces polymer brushes with higher grafting densities than grafting-to methods. I...
An Examination of Housing Price Appreciation in California and the Impact of Alternative Mortgage Instruments

The median price of single-family detached homes in California jumped from $241,350 in 2000 to $524,020 in 2005. This paper studies the phenomenal housing price appreciation in the state by examining the impact of the increasing popularity of alternative mortgage products on the changes in housing values. Using macroeconomic variables and characteristics of mortgage products, this study investigates the driving forces behind this booming housing market and finds that the extensive use of alternative mortgage products was one of the major factors causing the unprecedented pace of housing value appreciation in California.
COVID-19 vaccination willingness among people with multiple sclerosis

BackgroundHesitancy to receive COVID-19 vaccination is a major public health concern. COVID-19 vaccine willingness and the factors contributing to willingness in adults with multiple sclerosis (MS)...
Polymorphism of Garnet Solid Electrolytes and ItsImplications on Grain Level Chemo-Mechanics

Understanding and mitigating filament formation, short-circuit, and solid electrolyte fracture is a key necessity towards achieving practical SSBs. Herein, we employ a coupled far-fi eld high energy diffraction microscopy -tomography approach for assessing chemo-mechanical behavior for dense, polycrystalline garnet (Li7La3Zr2O12, LLZO) solid electrolytes with grain-level resolution. Tracking the stress response for individual grains through in situ testing, failure onset and short-circuit mechanism is confirmed to be a stochastic, isolated process governed by the presence of local phase heterogenity. Coupling high energy X-ray diffraction and far eld high energy diffraction microscopy measurements, these local regions are proposed to be regions with the presence of a cubic polymorph of LLZO arising potentially from local dopant concentration variation. Interplay of mechanics and transport is evaluated and coupled tomography and FF-HEDM dataset is employed to illustrate the degradation of polycrystalline garnet solid electrolyte. The results showcase pathways for processing high performing SSBs.
Regulating Railroad Innovation: Business, Technology, and Politics in America, 1840–1920

Efforts to create and mould new technologies have been a central, recurrent feature of the American experience since at least the time of the Revolution. In Regulating Railroad Innovation, historian Steven Usselman brings this neglected aspect of American history to light. For nearly a century, railroad technology persistently posed novel challenges for Americans, prompting them to re-examine their most cherished institutions and beliefs. Business managers, inventors, consumers, and politicians all strained to contain the forces of innovation and to channel technical change toward the ends they desired. Moving through time from the first experimental lines through the polished but troubled railroad machines of the early twentieth century, Usselman examines diverse forums ranging from legislatures, and evolving corporate bureaucracies to laboratories, engineering societies, and world's fairs. In the process, his book situates technology within the dynamic history of an emergent industrial nation and elucidates its enduring place in American society.
Compact Cryogenic Thermal Regenerator Performance

In the past 20 years, a great need has been developing for compact cryogenic refrigerators to give reliable cryogenic temperatures (2° to 150°K) in small regions, possibly only 1 to 100 cc in volume. As a result, there has been a great deal of activity in the development of small cryogenic refrigerators.
Synthesis and Turnover of Nitrate Reductase Induced by Nitrate in Cultured Tobacco Cells

Abstract Synthesis and turnover of nitrate reductase molecules and soluble proteins of tobacco XD cells were studied by labeling pre-existing proteins with 14C-arginine to make them radioactive and with 99 atom % 15N to increase their buoyant density. The cells were then transferred to medium in which new proteins were synthesized from 14N and were radioactively labeled with 3H-arginine. The breakdown of 15N-labeled proteins was followed after transfer of cells to 14N medium by means of the 14C label. The influence of the pre-existing pool of 15N-amino acids on the density of newly synthesized proteins was followed by means of the 3H label. At various times protein was extracted and subjected to isopycnic equilibrium centrifugation in CsCl. Buoyant densities, relative to an added standard, catalase, were determined for nitrate reductase activity, 14C-labeled protein, and 3H-labeled protein. The studies were carried out (a) during induction of nitrate reductase activity, (b) after full induction, when the level of nitrate reductase activity remains constant, and (c) after a shift from inducing to noninducing conditions, when nitrate reductase activity decays. The buoyant density data show that nitrate reductase activity induced by nitrate is an activity of a protein synthesized de novo after addition of inducer. However, even when the enzyme level was constant, the buoyant density of nitrate reductase decreased from that of 15N-nitrate reductase towards that of 14N-nitrate reductase, indicating that the enzyme turned over. Furthermore, nitrate reductase molecules continued to be synthesized as nitrate reductase activity decayed under noninducing conditions. Turnover of both pre-existing proteins labeled with 14C and newly synthesized proteins labeled with 3H was also observed.
A Model of the Unfolded Protein Response: Pancreatic β-Cell as a Case Study

Pancreatic β-cell failure is increasingly recognized as central to the progression of diabetes mellitus. Different causes are implicated in the onset of β-cell stress, dysfunction or death. Recent gen
The "pair" as a problematic unit of analysis for pair programming

This paper explores the problematic nature of using an isolated pair as the unit of analysis in studies and evaluations of pair programming. Using empirical data from an observational case study within a software development organization, we show pairs spending 20% of their pairing time interacting with people outside the pair. These interactions, which are encouraged by this organization as part of its highly collaborative system, represent important value exchanges with people outside the pair. This suggests that research on pairs in isolation may not be indicative of how pair programming works in situ when enacted by teams accomplished in the practice, and may misrepresent the net value proposition of pair programming.
Synthetic Fiber Granuloma: 'Teddy Bear' Granuloma of the Conjunctiva

Conjunctival synthetic fiber ("teddy bear") granulomas result from a granulomatous response to synthetic fabric fibers introduced into the conjunctival sac. There is a striking propensity for these lesions to develop in the pediatric age group, to be unilateral, and to be situated in the inferior conjunctival fornix. It is believed that proximity of the eye to comforting blankets, fabric toys, or forcibly applied pullover sweaters may provide the opportunity for ocular inoculation. Described below is the case of a 6-year-old girl who had a conjunctival synthetic fiber granuloma that exhibited the characteristic clinical and pathologic features of these lesions.
Integrating waveguide biosensor.

A capillary biosensor is demonstrated which uses the waveguiding properties of the capillary to integrate the signal over an increased surface area without simultaneously increasing the background noise from the detector. This biosensor achieves limits of detection of 30−50 pg/mL in immunoassays using a diode laser for excitation and a PMT for detection. This is ∼2 orders of magnitude greater sensitivity than was achieved using the same immunoassay reagents in a fiber optic biosensor or a planar array biosensor. Two different approaches to using the capillaries as immunosensors are described, either of which could be adapted for multianalyte sensing.
The bHLH transcription factor, hairy, refines the terminal cell fate in the Drosophila embryonic trachea.

Background The pair-rule gene, hairy, encodes a basic helix-loop-helix transcription factor and is required for patterning of the early Drosophila embryo and for morphogenesis of the embryonic salivary gland. Although hairy was shown to be expressed in the tracheal primordia and in surrounding mesoderm, whether hairy plays a role in tracheal development is not known.
Fragrance material review on cyclohexadecanone

Abstract A toxicologic and dermatologic review of cyclohexadecanone when used as a fragrance ingredient is presented. Cyclohexadecanone is a member of the fragrance structural group macrocyclic ketones and derivatives. The fragrance ingredient described herein is one of 11 structurally diverse C15, C16 and C17 compounds that include three saturated and eight unsaturated ketones. For the latter, the double bond is not adjacent (in conjugation with) to the ketone group. This review contains a detailed summary of all available toxicology and dermatology papers that are related to cyclohexadecanone and is not intended as a stand-alone document. Available data were evaluated, then summarized, and includes: physical properties; acute toxicity; skin irritation; mucous membrane (eye) irritation; skin sensitization; repeated dose; and genotoxicity data. A safety assessment of the entire macrocyclic ketone and derivatives will be published simultaneously with this document. Please refer to Belsito et al. (2011) for an overall assessment of the safe use of this material and all macrocyclic ketone and derivatives in fragrances. Belsito, D., Bickers, D., Bruze, M., Calow, P., Dagli, M., Fryer, A.D., Greim, H., Hanifin, J.H., Miyachi, Y., Saurat, J.H., Sipes, I.G., 2011. A toxicologic and dermatologic assessment of macrocyclic ketones and derivatives when used as fragrance ingredients.
Reducing Whey Syneresis in Yogurt by the Addition of a Thermolabile Variant of β-Lactoglobulin

The addition of a thermolabile variant of β-lactoglobulin A (BLG A) R40C/F82C to raw skim milk reduced whey syneresis in a set-type yogurt which was manufactured using a reduced processing temperature of 70°C. R40C/F82C BLG is a site-directed variant of BLG A that contains two additional free thiol groups. These cysteine residues have been positioned in a hydrophobic region distal to the free thiol at cysteine-121. The additional cysteine residues appear to confer a more open, less compact structure as compared to normal BLG A. The R40C/F82C BLG has been shown to form a much stronger gel network and its polymerization can be started at ≥ 70°C as compared to BLG A, which does not gel ≤ 85°C. Native and SDS polyacrylamide gel electrophoretic analyses showed that the aggregation of R40C/F82C BLG when heated at ≥70°C in a BLG-free skim milk background was due to both hydrophobic interactions and thiol/disulfide interchange. Yogurt was manufactured from raw skim milk containing 2% skim milk powder that was hea...
A SONAR Simulation used to Develop an Obstacle Avoidance System

Response time to a threat or incident for coastline security is an area needing improvement. Currently, the U.S. Coast Guard is tasked with monitoring the coastal areas using boats or planes, and SCUBA divers are deployed to inspect any potential underwater threats on the coastline or in a port. This can significantly hinder the response time to an incident. A solution to this problem is to use autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) to continuously monitor a port. The AUV must be able to navigate the environment without colliding into objects for it to operate effectively. Therefore, an obstacle avoidance system is essential to the activity of the AUV. Conventional underwater vehicles often use imaging or scanning SONARs for obstacle avoidance. The space and power available on a vehicle must be large enough to support these systems. Smaller underwater vehicles may not be able to accommodate a scanning SONAR system for use in obstacle avoidance. Thus, it is of great interest and need to determine the proper configuration of the SONAR system and its corresponding signal processing methods for the coastline security problem. This paper proposes a systematic approach to characterize the OAS performance in terms of environments, obstacles, SONAR configuration and signal processing methods via modeling and simulation. The SONAR simulator is based on modeling a set of circular piston transducers, and the echoes are created based on specular reflections. The ray-tracing algorithm used in the simulation considers reflections from planar, spherical, and cylindrical objects. The main contribution of the presented work is three folded: (1) help us understand better how the return signals are related to the obstacles and environment, (2) help us optimize the complexity of the transducers for coastline obstacle avoidance, and (3) help us better design the avoidance strategy needed for a specific scenario.
Adhesion of human platelets to purified solid-phase von Willebrand factor: studies of normal and Bernard-Soulier platelets.

Human Factor VIII associated von Willebrand factor (VIII:vWF) binds to human platelets in vitro only in the presence of a mediator such as ristocetin, thrombin or ADP. Studies reported here were designed to determine if human platelets will adhere to solid-phase VIII:vWF. Human VIII:vWF was purified from a phosphate precipitate of Al(OH)3 absorbed plasma using 4% agarose and DEAE cellulose. Purified VIII:vWF (90 units of VIII:vWF activity/mg) was coated on dialysis membranes using ultrafiltration (final concentration of 0.4 units/cm2). Membranes (0.5 cm2) were held stationary in human citrated PRP suspension or washed platelet suspensions and stirred continuously for 5 minutes at 37°C. The membranes were then rinsed in phosphate buffered saline, fixed, stained, and examined by light and scanning electron microscopy. Abundant normal platelets adhered to VIII:vWF-coated membranes, while minimal adhesion was seen on uncoated membranes and membranes coated with albumin. Adhesion occurred without ristocetin, thrombin, ADP or other agonist and in the presence of Ca+2/Mg+2 ions. Preincubation of the VIII:vWF coated membranes with monospecific rabbit anti-VIII:vWF inhibited the adhesion reaction. However, preincubation of VIII:vWF coated membranes with naturally occurring human anti-FVIIIc antibodies failed to interfere with platelet adhesion. Platelets from a patient with Bernard-Soulier Syndrome (BSS) which did not bind human VIII:vWF in the presence of ristocetin or aggregate with bovine cryoprecipitate also did not adhere to VIII:vWF-coated membranes.
Alternative routes for entry of HgX2 into the active site of mercuric ion reductase depend on the nature of the X ligands.

Wild-type mercuric ion reductase (CCCC enzyme) possesses four cysteines in each of its Hg(II) binding sites, a redox-active pair and a C-terminal pair. Mutation of the C-terminal cysteines to alanines (CCAA enzyme) leads to a loss of steady-state mercuric ion reductase activity using Hg(SR)2 substrates. However, CCCC and CCAA enzymes exhibit an equally high rate of binding and turnover using HgBr2 as substrate under pre-steady-state conditions [Engst and Miller (1998) Biochemistry 37, 11496−11507.]. Since the ligands in these HgX2 substrates differ both in size and in affinity for Hg(II), one or both of these properties may contribute to their different reactivities with CCAA enzyme. To further explore the importance of these two properties, we have examined the pre-steady-state reactions of CCCC and CCAA with Hg(CN)2, which has small, high-affinity ligands, and with Hg(Cys)2, which has bulky, high-affinity ligands. The results indicate that HgX2 substrates with small ligands can rapidly access the redox-...
Mortality Among Primary and Secondary Cases of Measles in Bangladesh

Data were reviewed from an intensive 1975-1976 survey in two Bangladeshi villages that experienced a high incidence of measles. Mortality among secondary cases (four of 50, 8.0%) was significantly higher than that among primary cases (six of 290, 2.1%). In every case in which there was a death in a household with more than one case, it was the youngest patient who died. All children with secondary cases who died had a pre-illness weight-for-height status above the population mean. Measles mortality in Bangladesh appears to be determined by three factors: age, superinfections, and having a secondary case. The last two factors may be due to increased intrafamilial exposure to both the measles virus and the superinfecting pathogens.
On Elegiac En

The recent editors, Luck (Zurich, 1964), Hanslik (Leipzig, 1979), and Goold (Cambridge, Mass., 1990), allow into the text these emended instances of en
High pressure palladium membrane reactor for the high temperature water–gas shift reaction

Abstract The water–gas shift (WGS) catalytic membrane reactor (CMR) incorporating a composite Pd-membrane and operating at elevated temperatures and pressures can greatly contribute to the efficiency enhancement of several methods of H2 production and green power generation. To this end, mixed gas permeation experiments and WGS CMR experiments have been conducted with a porous Inconel supported, electroless plated Pd-membrane to better understand the functioning and capabilities of those processes. Binary mixtures of H2/He, H2/CO2, and a ternary mixture of H2, CO2 and CO were separated by the composite membrane at 350, 400, and 450 °C, 14.4 bar (Ptube = 1 bar), and space velocities up to 45,000 h−1. H2 permeation inhibition caused by reversible surface binding was observed due to the presence of both CO and CO2 in the mixtures and membrane inhibition coefficients were estimated. Furthermore, WGS CMR experiments were conducted with a CO and steam feed at 14.4 bar (Ptube = 1 bar), H2O/CO ratios of 1.1–2.6, and GHSVs of up to 2900 h−1, considering the effect of the H2O/CO ratio as well as temperature on the reactor performance. Experiments were also conducted with a simulated syngas feed at 14.0 bar (Ptube = 1 bar), and 400–450 °C, assessing the effect of the space velocity on the reactor performance. A maximum CO conversion of 98.2% was achieved with a H2 recovery of 81.2% at 450 °C. An optimal operating temperature for high CO conversion was identified at approximately 450 °C, and high CO conversion and H2 recovery were achieved at 450 °C with high throughput, made possible by the 14.4 bar reaction pressure.
Vitelline envelope genes of the yellow fever mosquito, Aedes aegypti

Abstract Vitelline envelope genes from the mosquito Aedes aegypti were analyzed with respect to their DNA sequences, genomic representation, temporal and spatial expression profiles and response to 20-hydroxyecdysone. Genomic clones of three vitelline envelope genes, 15a-1, 15a-2 and 15a-3 were isolated. Southern analysis indicates that all three genes are represented by a single copy in the genome. The deduced amino acid sequences of all three vitelline envelope genes contain a conserved region of 46 residues that overlaps with a region that is conserved in four Drosophila melanogaster vitelline envelope genes. DNA was sequenced flanking the 15a-1, 15a-2 and 15a-3 coding regions. A 360 bp sequence 5′ of the 15a-2 coding region was identified with 72% identity to a sequence upstream of the Ae. aegypti VgA1 vitellogenin gene. The temporal patterns of 15a-1, 15a-2 and 15a-3 expression, as determined by Northern analysis, were similar. The spatial patterns of expression, as determined by whole-mount in situ hybridization, differed between the three genes. 15a-1 and 15a-3 were only expressed in the middle and posterior regions of the follicle, while 15a-2 was also expressed at the anterior region. Vitelline envelope gene expression was higher in ovaries that were dissected at 0, 2 and 10 h following a blood meal and then incubated in vitro for 10 h in medium containing 10 −5 M 20-hydroxyecdysone, compared to ovaries that were incubated without hormone.
Evidence for the participation of a sulfhydryl group in the β-methylaspartase reaction*

Summary 1. The participation of an enzyme sulfhydryl group in the reaction catalyzed by β-methylaspartase ( L -threo-3-methylaspartate ammonia-lyase, EC 4,3.1.2) has been investigated by the photooxidation technique and by alkylation studies with N-ethylmaleimide. 2. Photooxidation of the enzyme in the presence of methylene blue yielded a rate constant for enzyme activity loss which was nearly identical with the rate constant for enzyme sulfhydryl destruction. 3. The addition of substrate to the photooxidation system greatly retarded enzyme destruction, indicating that the oxidation-sensitive group(s) lie sufficiently near the active site to be protected by substrate. 4. The enzyme was inactivated by the −SH alkylating agent, N-ethylmaleimide; inactivation was prevented by preincubating the enzyme with certain of its substrates or pseudo-substrates. 5. Effective protectors of −SH have structural similarities around the β (C-3) carbon atom which suggests that protection of -SH involves shielding of an enzyme functional group which lies near the β carbon atom of the substrate in the enzyme-substrate complex.
Fistulas to the urinary system in Crohn's disease: clinical features and outcomes.

Abstract OBJECTIVES: Most reports of fistulas to the urinary system in Crohn’s disease are relatively small. We sought to describe the clinical features and outcomes of these patients. METHODS: A centralized diagnostic index identified all Crohn’s disease patients with urinary tract fistulas who were evaluated at our institution between 1976 and 2000. Medical records were abstracted for patient demographics, presenting symptoms, diagnostic tests, and all therapies. RESULTS: A total of 78 patients (56% men) were identified. Patients presented with pneumaturia (68%), dysuria (64%), recurrent urinary tract infections (32%), and fecaluria (28%). Cystoscopy and CT of the abdomen/pelvis had the highest diagnostic yield (74% and 52%, respectively). Fistulas originated from the ileum (64%), colon (21%), rectum (8%), and multiple sites (7%). Urinary tract sites included bladder (88%), urethra (6%), urachus (3%), ureter (1%), and other (1%). Median follow-up was 1.1 yr (0–22.3 yr). A total of 70 patients (90%) had surgery, with medical treatment first attempted in four patients with antibiotics and/or immunosuppressants. One patient had adequate symptom relief without surgery on antibiotic suppression alone. Six patients required a partial cystectomy, but no patient had a cystectomy or nephrectomy. Only three surgical patients had recurrent urinary system fistulas. CONCLUSIONS: Urinary tract fistulas in Crohn’s disease occurred more often in men. Patients with these fistulas presented with pneumaturia, dysuria, recurrent infections, and fecaluria. The most helpful diagnostic tests were cystoscopy and CT of abdomen/pelvis. Surgery resulted in durable remission. Medical therapy for these fistulas deserves further study.
Pedestrians struck by motor vehicles further worsen race- and insurance-based disparities in trauma outcomes: the case for inner-city pedestrian injury prevention programs.

Background Pedestrian trauma is the most lethal blunt trauma mechanism, and the rate of mortality in African Americans and Hispanics is twice that compared with whites. Whether insurance status and differential survival contribute to this disparity is unknown. Methods This study is a review of vehicle-struck pedestrians in the National Trauma Data Bank, v7.0. Patients Results In all, 26,404 patients met inclusion criteria. On logistic regression, African Americans had 22% greater odds of mortality (odds ratio [OR], 1.22; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.06–1.41) and Hispanics had 33% greater odds of mortality (OR, 1.33; 95% CI, 1.14–1.54) compared with whites. Uninsured patients had 77% greater odds of mortality (OR, 1.77; 95% CI, 1.52–2.06) compared with privately insured patients. Conclusion African American and Hispanic race, as well as uninsured status, increase the risk of mortality after pedestrian crashes. Given the greater incidence of pedestrian crashes in minorities, this compounded burden of injury mandates pedestrian trauma prevention efforts in inner cities to decrease health disparities.
Transcription of cspA, the gene for the major cold-shock protein of Escherichia coli, is negatively regulated at 37°C by the 5′-untranslated region of its mRNA

The gene for CspA, the major cold-shock protein in Escherichia coli, is tightly regulated at both optimal and low temperatures. While CspA is drastically induced after temperature downshift, it is hardly detectable at 37°C. Here we demonstrate that the deletion of parts of the 5′-untranslated region (5′-UTR) of the cspA mRNA results in constitutive expression of CspA at 37°C. By analyzing the amounts and the stabilities of the mRNAs produced from the deletion constructs, we rule out the possibility that the CspA production is due to the stabilization of the mutant mRNAs. We propose that significant premature termination or pausing occurs during the transcription of the unusually long 5′-UTR of the cspA mRNA at 37°C, which represents a new mechanism that contributes to the tight repression of CspA production at higher temperature.
Subpeak regional analysis of intracranial pressure waveform morphology based on cerebrospinal fluid hydrodynamics in the cerebral aqueduct and prepontine cistern

The objective of this study is to investigate the relationship between intracranial pressure (ICP) pulse waveform morphology and selected hydrodynamic metrics of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) movement using a novel method for ICP pulse pressure regional analysis based on the Morphological Clustering and Analysis of Continuous Intracranial Pulse (MOCAIP) algorithm.
Mutagenicity of dimethylnitrosamine and ethyl methanesulfonate as determined by the host-mediated CHO/HGPRT assay.

Abstract Host-mediated assays have been developed to allow determination of the mutagenic potential of promutagens and procarcinogens which require metabolic activation to exert their effects on indicator organisms. We report here the development of the host-(mouse)-mediated CHO/HGPRT system using the procarcinogen dimethylnitrosamine (DMN) as a model agent. Using a 2-h treatment time, we observed a linear dose—response relationship up to 250 mg of DMN per kg body weight. At 100 and 500 mg/kg DMN, mutation induction increased with time up to at least 6 h. DMN was not mutagenic when tested in vitro. Athymic (nude) mice, their phenotypically normal littermates, or BALB/c mice of both sexes were found to be suitable as hosts. A time- and dose-dependency of induced mutation frequency by a direct-acting agent, ethyl methanesulfonate (EMS), was observed in both the in vitro and the host-mediated assays.
OPTIMAL ONLINE SELECTION OF A MONOTONE SUBSEQUENCE: A CENTRAL LIMIT THEOREM

Consider a sequence of n independent random variables with a common continuous distribution F , and consider the task of choosing an in- creasing subsequence where the observations are revealed sequentially and where an observation must be accepted or rejected when it is rst revealed. There is a unique selection policy n that is optimal in the sense that it max- imizes the expected value of Ln( n), the number of selected observations. We investigate the distribution of Ln( n); in particular, we obtain a central limit theorem for Ln( n) and a detailed understanding of its mean and variance for large n. Our results and methods are complementary to the work of Bruss and Delbaen (2004) where an analogous central limit theorem is found for mono- tone increasing selections from a nite sequence with cardinality N where N is a Poisson random variable that is independent of the sequence.
Role of vav1- and src-related Tyrosine Kinases in Macrophage Activation by CpG DNA

Macrophage activation by CpG DNA requires toll-like receptor 9 and the adaptor protein MyD88. Gram-negative bacterial lipopolysaccharide also activates macrophages via a toll-like receptor pathway (TLR-4), but we and others have reported that lipopolysaccharide also stimulates tyrosine phosphorylation in macrophages. Herein we report that exposure of RAW 264.7 murine macrophages to CpG DNA (but not non-CpG DNA) provoked the rapid tyrosine phosphorylation of vav1. PP1, a selective inhibitor of src-related tyrosine kinases, blocked both the CpG DNA-mediated tyrosine phosphorylation of vav1 and the CpG DNA-mediated up-regulation of macrophage tumor necrosis factor secretion and inducible nitric-oxide synthase protein accumulation. Furthermore, we found that the inducible expression of any of three dominant interfering mutants of vav1 (a truncated protein, vavC; a form containing a point mutation in the regulatory tyrosine residue, vavYF174; and a form with an in-frame deletion of six amino acids required for the guanidine nucleotide exchange factor (GEF) activity of vav1 for rac family GTPases, vavGEFmt) consistently inhibited CpG DNA-mediated up-regulation of tumor necrosis factor secretion and inducible nitric-oxide synthase protein accumulation in RAW-TT10 macrophages. Finally, we determined that CpG DNA-mediated up-regulation of NF-kappaB activity (but not mitogen-activated protein kinase activation) was inhibited by preincubation with PP1 or by expression of the truncated vavC mutant. Taken together, our results indicate that the tyrosine phosphorylation of vav1 by a src-related tyrosine kinase or kinases plays an important role in the macrophage response to CpG DNA.
Slanted Hole Array Beam Profiler (SHArP) - A High-Resolution Portable Beam Profiler Based on a Slanted Linear Aperture Array

A high-resolution portable beam profiler based on a linear aperture array fabricated on a metal coated CMOS imaging sensor is introduced. With single linear scan, it establishes a dense virtual sensing grid for beam profiling.