cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
GXXXG and AXXXA: common alpha-helical interaction motifs in proteins, particularly in extremophiles.

The GXXXG motif is a frequently occurring sequence of residues that is known to favor helix-helix interactions in membrane proteins. Here we show that the GXXXG motif is also prevalent in soluble proteins whose structures have been determined. Some 152 proteins from a non-redundant PDB set contain at least one alpha-helix with the GXXXG motif, 41 +/- 9% more than expected if glycine residues were uniformly distributed in those alpha-helices. More than 50% of the GXXXG-containing alpha-helices participate in helix-helix interactions. In fact, 26 of those helix-helix interactions are structurally similar to the helix-helix interaction of the glycophorin A dimer, where two transmembrane helices associate to form a dimer stabilized by the GXXXG motif. As for the glycophorin A structure, we find backbone-to-backbone atomic contacts of the C alpha-H...O type in each of these 26 helix-helix interactions that display the stereochemical hallmarks of hydrogen bond formation. These glycophorin A-like helix-helix interactions are enriched in the general set of helix-helix interactions containing the GXXXG motif, suggesting that the inferred C alpha-H...O hydrogen bonds stabilize the helix-helix interactions. In addition to the GXXXG motif, some 808 proteins from the non-redundant PDB set contain at least one alpha-helix with the AXXXA motif (30 +/- 3% greater than expected). Both the GXXXG and AXXXA motifs occur frequently in predicted alpha-helices from 24 fully sequenced genomes. Occurrence of the AXXXA motif is enhanced to a greater extent in thermophiles than in mesophiles, suggesting that helical interaction based on the AXXXA motif may be a common mechanism of thermostability in protein structures. We conclude that the GXXXG sequence motif stabilizes helix-helix interactions in proteins, and that the AXXXA sequence motif also stabilizes the folded state of proteins.
Magnetic properties of Ln3In intermetallic compounds

Abstract Results of magnetic studies of Ln3In phases (Ln = Pr, Nd, Gd, Dy and Er) are presented. All materials exhibited Curie-Weiss behavior in the paramagnetic regions with effective moments approximating g[J(J + 1)] 1 2 for the tripositive ion. Positive Weiss constants were observed indicating predominance of ferromagnetic exchange. Pr3In and Nd3In order ferromagnetically at 62 and 114 K, respectively. However, the ordered moment is less than 10% of gJ. Dy3In and Er3In also seem to order ferromagnetically, but with low moments compared to gJ. Gd3In exhibits metamagnetic behavior with a critical field of about 5 kOe. Neutron diffraction measurements on Nd3In indicate that it is ferromagnetic and confirm the low Nd3+ moment.
Generation of oxygen gradients with arbitrary shapes in a microfluidic device

We present a system consisting of a microfluidic device made of gas-permeable polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) with two layers of microchannels and a computer-controlled multi-channel gas mixer. Concentrations of oxygen in the liquid-filled flow channels of the device are imposed by flowing gas mixtures with desired oxygen concentrations through gas channels directly above the flow channels. Oxygen gradients with different linear, exponential, and non-monotonic shapes are generated in the same liquid-filled microchannel and reconfigured in real time. The system can be used to study directed migration of cells and the development of cell and tissue cultures under gradients of oxygen.
Production of [3H]hexosamine-labeled proteoglycans by cultures of normal and diabetic skin fibroblasts: Dilution of exogenous [3H]glucosamine by endogenous hexosamine from glucose and other sources

Human skin fibroblast monolayer cultures from two normal men, three Type I diabetic men, and one Type I diabetic woman were incubated with [3H]glucosamine and [35S]-sulfate for varying periods of time. Incorporation of 3H into macromolecules appearing in the medium was linear after approximately 45 min, and incorporation of 35S was linear after approximately 30 min. The amounts of 35S-proteoglycan formed by each of the cultures during 5-h incubations were compared and were found to be fairly similar for the six lines, varying from 0.08 to 0.14 nmol sulfate/microgram DNA. Isolated 3H,35S-glycosaminoglycans were then treated with chondroitin ABC lyase to characterize the location and degree of sulfation. Results indicated a considerable variation in completeness of chondroitin/dermatan sulfation and in proportions of 6-sulfation to 4-sulfation among the various lines. However these variations did not seem to be related to whether the cells were from normals or diabetics. 3H,35S-Labeled disaccharides were isolated and ratios of 3H to 35S determined in order to calculate the [3H]glucosamine dilution by endogenous glucosamine derived from glucose or other sources during the period of incubation. Dilutions varied widely from 160- to 635-fold among the different cell lines, but the variations did not seem to be related to whether the cells were from normals or diabetics.
The Effect of Response Style on Cognitive Complexity and Course Evaluation

This study investigated the relationship between response style in college course evaluation and cognitive complexity. One hundred and two undergraduate students were administered the Role Construct Repertory Test of cognitive complexity during the first half of the Spring Term of 1974. At the end of that college semester they were asked to respond to a standard thirty-five-item course evaluation questionnaire. A significant relationship between cognitive complexity and within subject variance across the thirty-five Likert-type scale items of the course evaluation instrument was hypothesized. A multiple correlation between the ten sub-scales on the cognitive complexity instrument, and the criterion, within subject variance in course evaluation, supported this hypothesis. The possibility that the construct, cognitive complexity, and the within subject range of responses in course evaluation, are both influenced by personal response bias, was discussed.
Rural broadband: The provider matters

As broadband use has grown over the past few years, scholars and policymakers have turned some of their attention to the urban-rural broadband divide. While existing research offers important insights into this divide, no research has fully explored the differences in broadband deployment patterns among various types of telecommunications providers, including both large and small telephone and cable providers. Through data collected from interviews with telecommunications company representatives, this research assesses the extent to which different types of providers are deploying broadband in urban and rural areas. The interviews are also used to ascertain factors shaping the broadband deployment decision-making process for different types of providers. Both the quantitative and qualitative elements of this research demonstrate clear patterns among different types of providers in relation to rural broadband deployment, as different types of companies are influenced by somewhat unique regulations, competitiveness concerns, resource levels, and existing infrastructure conditions.
Effects of sex hormones on basophil histamine release in recurrent idiopathic anaphylaxis

A subset of patients with recurrent anaphylaxis experience ovarian hormone-related exacerbations. Symptoms in several of these women may be provoked by gonadotropins or progesterone (P) and improved by ovarian suppression, with long-term remissions noted in several patients after oophorectomy. Since adverse reactions to P might explain this association, the effects of P and estrogen on basophil histamine release from these patients were studied. Eight patients and 10 control subjects were examined. Neither estrogen nor P caused histamine release from the basophils of patients or control subjects. Moreover, anti-IgE-induced histamine release was not influenced by P or estrogen. Attempts to culture basophils for 24 hours revealed that basophil preparations from eight of 10 normal subjects but only three of eight patients retained the capacity to respond to anti-IgE after 24 hours (p = 0.088). Culture with dexamethasone reduced anti-IgE-induced histamine release in all subjects, and the possibility that P might interfere with the effect of dexamethasone was also studied. P failed to affect dexamethasone-induced reduction of basophil histamine release. Therefore, P and estradiol appear to have no effect on basophils from either patients with hormone-related exacerbations of anaphylaxis or from control subjects.
Advancing Kinesiology Through Improved Peer Review

Peer review of scholarship is essential to journal quality, evidence, knowledge advancement, and application of that knowledge in any field. This commentary summarizes recent literature on issues related to peer-review quality and current review practice in kinesiology and provides recommendations to improve peer review in kinesiology journals. We reviewed the literature on the characteristics of peer review in scientific journals and describe the status of peer review in kinesiology journals. Although the majority of scholars and editors strongly support the peer-review process, systematic research in several disciplines has shown somewhat positive but mixed results for the efficacy of peer review in evaluating the quality of and improving research reports. Past recommendations for improvement have focused on agreement between reviewers, standards for evaluating quality, and clarification of the editorial team roles. Research on interventions, however, indicates that improving reviewer performance is difficult. The specific research on peer review in kinesiology is limited. Six recommendations to improve peer review are proposed: publishing clear evaluation standards, establishing collaborative evaluation procedures and editorial team roles, utilizing online submission data to help improve reviewer comments, creating author appeals procedures, protecting reviewer time commitments, and improving reviewer recognition. There is considerable variation in peer-review criteria and procedures in kinesiology, and implementing several reasonable improvements may advance knowledge development and the field of kinesiology.
RADIOGRAPHIC FINDINGS IN CANINE MALIGNANT HISTIOCYTOSIS

Radiographs of 19 dogs diagnosed as having malignant histiocytosis were examined. The most common abnormalities involved the spleen (10), liver (6), lymph nodes (6 thoracic, 4 abdominal), and lungs (6). Other abnormalities involved the spinal column (3), and bones (2). Correlations were made between radiographic appearance and histologic diagnoses. As has been reported, Bernese Mountain Dogs were found to be significantly more often affected than other breeds. Rottweilers and Golden Retrievers were also found to have higher incidence rates. Viewed radiographically, treatment appeared to have little impact on the course of the disease.
Handler beliefs affect scent detection dog outcomes

Our aim was to evaluate how human beliefs affect working dog outcomes in an applied environment. We asked whether beliefs of scent detection dog handlers affect team performance and evaluated relative importance of human versus dog influences on handlers’ beliefs. Eighteen drug and/or explosive detection dog/handler teams each completed two sets of four brief search scenarios (conditions). Handlers were falsely told that two conditions contained a paper marking scent location (human influence). Two conditions contained decoy scents (food/toy) to encourage dog interest in a false location (dog influence). Conditions were (1) control; (2) paper marker; (3) decoy scent; and (4) paper marker at decoy scent. No conditions contained drug or explosive scent; any alerting response was incorrect. A repeated measures analysis of variance was used with search condition as the independent variable and number of alerts as the dependent variable. Additional nonparametric tests compared human and dog influence. There were 225 incorrect responses, with no differences in mean responses across conditions. Response patterns differed by condition. There were more correct (no alert responses) searches in conditions without markers. Within marked conditions, handlers reported that dogs alerted more at marked locations than other locations. Handlers’ beliefs that scent was present potentiated handler identification of detection dog alerts. Human more than dog influences affected alert locations. This confirms that handler beliefs affect outcomes of scent detection dog deployments.
A miniaturized space-potential DC electric field meter

The authors describe a space-potential electric field meter designed to measure the field under a DC transmission line in the presence of distorting objects. The meter uses fiber-optics to couple a small measuring probe to a remote readout device, so as to minimize field perturbation due to the presence of the probe. By using coherent detection, it has been possible to produce an instrument whose operating range extends from about 30 V/m up to about 500 kV/m without the need for range switching on the probe. The electrical and mechanical design of the meter is described, and data from laboratory and field tests are presented. >
Peripheral eosinophilia and respiratory symptoms in rubber injection press operators: A case-control study

To evaluate a suspected association between an outbreak of acute respiratory illness and eosinophilia and employment as a rubber worker, we performed a retrospective review of medical records of rubber workers employed from September 1983 to July 1984 in a plant housing a thermoinjection process. Twenty-five workers met the case definition of a respiratory illness requiring a physician visit. The predominant respiratory illness was acute in onset with cough, chest tightness, and dyspnea. Peripheral eosinophilia, up to 40% of white blood cells in a peripheral smear, was seen in 10 of 18 (56%) cases. Twenty-one of 25 white males with respiratory symptoms were employed in the thermoinjection process (odds ratio = 22, p less than .001). Smoking and employment in this process contributed independently to an increased risk of being a case as determined by a logistic regression analysis. Return to the plant building caused recurrence of symptoms in most cases, and these workers have been transferred or left the company. We conclude that a strong previously unrecognized association exists between employment in this neoprene rubber thermoinjection process and the development of an acute respiratory illness.
A kinetics model of abrin binding in a virus transformed lymphocyte cell culture.

The second order nonlinear differential equation $$\ddot x + \left( {\alpha _0 x + \alpha _1 } \right)\dot x + \alpha _2 x + \left( {x + \alpha _3 } \right) = 0$$ arises from a kinetics model of abrin binding in an Epstein-Barr virus-transformed lymphocyte culture. Some results on the dynamical behavior of this equation are given. These results are then discussed in relation to the known kinetics behavior of abrin in an EBV-lymphocyte cell culture.
Formation of Topoisomerase IIα Complexes with Nascent DNA Is Related to VM-26-Induced Cytotoxicity†

Several clinically active anticancer drugs are known to interfere with DNA topoisomerase II activity. However, the importance of the individual α (170 kDa) and β (180 kDa) isozymes as targets of topoisomerase II-active drugs is not clear. To address this question, human CCRF-CEM leukemia cells were incubated with bromodeoxyuridine, and either the nascent DNA or bulk DNA not undergoing replication was purified by immunoprecipitation with an anti-bromodeoxyuridine antibody. The topoisomerase II isozymes that coprecipitated with either the nascent DNA or bulk DNA were analyzed by Western blotting. The α isozyme formed complexes with nascent DNA in cells pretreated with either VM-26 or mitoxantrone, while the β isozyme was only bound to bulk DNA. At moderately cytotoxic concentrations, VM-26 enhanced the binding of topoisomerase IIα to nascent DNA at least 5.2-fold compared to bulk DNA. However, in VM-26 resistant CEM/VM-1 cells incubated with equitoxic concentrations of VM-26, topoisomerase IIα complex forma...
Non-cameral coronary artery fistulae after pediatric cardiac transplantation: A multicenter study

Background Cameral coronary artery fistulae (C-CAFs) are common after heart transplantation (HTx) and typically drain into the right ventricle. The development of CAFs to non-cameral structures after HTx has not been systematically investigated. We studied the incidence, anatomic distribution, and natural history of non-cameral CAFs (NC-CAFs) in a multicenter pediatric population. Methods Medical records from pediatric HTx patients at 2 centers from January 1, 1999, to August 31, 2009 were reviewed. A classification system for CAF size was developed, and serial angiograms were evaluated for CAF presence, size, and anatomy. Risk factors and outcomes were determined. Results Identified were 100 patients with a median age at HTx of 8.7 years. Median follow-up was 4.2 years. NC-CAFs occurred in 52 patients, C-CAFs in 20, with both types noted in 11. NC-CAFs originated from coronary arteries and drained predominantly into ipsilateral recipient pulmonary vasculature. Multiple NC-CAFs occurred in 19 patients (19%) for a total of 77 fistulae in 52 patients. Fistulae were classified as small (56%), moderate (36%), and large (8%). NC-CAFs were present at the first post-HTx angiogram in 95% of cases (median 1 year after HTx). Longer donor ischemic time was associated with the development ( p = 0.043) and size ( p = 0.05) of NC-CAFs. NC-CAFs were not associated with rejection, death, re-transplantation, or coronary revascularization, and none required intervention. Conclusions Fistulae from donor coronary arteries to recipient pulmonary vasculature develop frequently and early after pediatric HTx. These correlate with graft ischemic time, but are not associated with early graft loss or death.
Phase conversion of lasers with low-loss distributed phase plates

Efficient phase conversion of laser light can be achieved using continuous distributed phase plates (DPPs) for applications in laser-beam shaping and laser-beam smoothing. These DPPs are deep, surface-relief, continuous phase plates that exhibit near-unity energy efficiency, envelope and power spectrum flexibility, and reduced near-field intensity modulation as compared to stepped diffractive optics. Specific DPP designs for inertial-confinement-fusion laser systems, used to irradiate fuel capsules, is presented.
Damage evolution during thermal fatigue in fiber-reinforced light-metal-matrix composites

Thermal cycling of a composite material creates thermal stresses in the composite because of thermal-expansion mismatch between the fiber and the matrix. These stresses can be quite large in the case of ceramic-fiber-reinforced light-metal-matrix composites, leading to plastic deformation of the metal matrix. Other modes of damage include an increased reaction zone at the interface, cavitation at the interface, and, finally, fiber fracture. Mechanical cyclic loading of the composite concomitant with thermal cycling can aggravate the situation even more. Large reductions in the strength of the composite were observed under thermal-fatigue conditions. This degradation was due to the microstructural damage of the fiber/matrix interface and fiber fracture. Under conditions of cavitation at the interface, it is possible to use quantitative damage parameters based upon loss in modulus or change in density to evaluate the damage.
WE‐E‐L100J‐05: Radiation Dose to Tissues From Mammography

Purpose: To compute the radiation dose to different tissues of the body from a standard mammogram.Method and Materials: Using the Geant4 Monte Carlo toolkit, a simulation was developed in which the human body was represented using a mathematical anthropomorphic phantom. A total of 66 different organs and tissues were simulated, including the uterus, which was used to compute the dose to the fetus during early‐stage pregnancy. The imaged breast was represented as compressed, and in both the cranio‐caudal and the medio‐lateral oblique views. At each energy level, the simulation emitted 60 million monochromatic x‐rays and recorded the location of each interaction and the amount of energy deposited. The dose to the red bone marrow and to the bone surfaces of each bone was estimated separately. The monochromatic data was used to compute the resulting dose for different typical polyenergetic mammographic spectra, and the values were normalized to the resulting glandular dose to the breast, resulting in the dose ratio. The effectiveness of using a lead shield between the patient and the x‐ray field was also investigated. Results: Only 16 organs and skeletal tissues received a dose higher than 0.10% of the glandular dose to the breast. Of the organs, the contralateral breast received the highest dose ratio with 0.62%. Of the skeletal tissues, the sternum received the highest dose, with a dose ratio of 2.36% to the bone surface and 0.56% to the bone marrow. The dose to the uterus and fetus received a maximum dose ratio of <10−5. The lead shield did not lower the dose values substantially. Conclusion: The radiation dose to all tissues outside the x‐ray field, including the fetus, during standard mammography is extremely low.
Design and validation of an extended Kalman filter for estimating hemodynamic variables

The paper presents an extended Kalman filter framework for the real-time estimation of hemodynamic variables. A simplified, first-order time-delayed dynamic model is considered to describe blood pressure response due to drug injection. The problem of a priori unknown and time varying model parameters are handled by state augmentation, which serves as basis of the developed a multiple-model extended Kalman filter configuration. Experimental animal study is given to validate the proposed approach, providing a valuable tool for computerized decision support of drug administration.
Ultrastructure of salivary gland of the cockroach, Blaberus discoidalis Serville (Blattaria : Blaberidae)

Abstract The salivary glands of Blaberus discoidalis contain 3 basic cell types; secretory cells which undergo various stages of development, characterized in early stages by large quantities of rough endoplasmic reticulum; parietal cells containing numerous mitochondria and microvillous intracellular ductules; and duct cells, which border a cuticle-lined extracellular duct through which pinocytosis occurs. Vesiculation and convolution of the plasma membrane between cells is frequent. In addition, septate desmosomes occur where cell membranes meet, functioning as distinctive adherent mechanisms between cells.
Linear Coherent Decentralized Estimation

We consider the distributed estimation of an unknown vector signal in a resource constrained sensor network with a fusion center. Due to power and bandwidth limitations, each sensor compresses its data in order to minimize the amount of information that needs to be communicated to the fusion center. In this context, we study the linear decentralized estimation of the source vector, where each sensor linearly encodes its observations and the fusion center also applies a linear mapping to estimate the unknown vector signal based on the received messages. We adopt the mean squared error (MSE) as the performance criterion. When the channels between sensors and the fusion center are orthogonal, it has been shown previously that the complexity of designing the optimal encoding matrices is NP-hard in general. In this paper, we study the optimal linear decentralized estimation when the multiple access channel (MAC) is coherent. For the case when the source and observations are scalars, we derive the optimal power scheduling via convex optimization and show that it admits a simple distributed implementation. Simulations show that the proposed power scheduling improves the MSE performance by a large margin when compared to the uniform power scheduling. We also show that under a finite network power budget, the asymptotic MSE performance (when the total number of sensors is large) critically depends on the multiple access scheme. For the case when the source and observations are vectors, we study the optimal linear decentralized estimation under both bandwidth and power constraints. We show that when the MAC between sensors and the fusion center is noiseless, the resulting problem has a closed-form solution (which is in sharp contrast to the orthogonal MAC case), while in the noisy MAC case, the problem can be efficiently solved by semidefinite programming (SDP).
Effects of surface roughness and contact pressure on wafer bonding strength using transmission laser bonding technique

The reliability in the wafer bonding is highly dependent on the surface conditions present on each individual wafer. An emerging wafer bonding technique, referred to as transmission laser bonding TLB ,i s examined and implemented for the bonding of Pyrex glass-to-silicon wa- fers using a solid-state pulsed neodymium: yttrium aluminum garnet Nd:YAG laser. Focusing specifically on the physical attributes of sur- face roughness and contact pressures, we explore their relative effects on the associated bond strength. The bonding strengths of the TLB bonded specimens are quantified using a microtensile tester, whereas the surface roughness and flatness are determined by atomic force mi- croscopy and profilometry, respectively. The tensile results indicate that with appropriate surface roughness and contact pressure, the bond strength obtained is comparable with, if not better than, those using con- ventional wafer bonding techniques. Both the x-ray photoelectron spec- troscopy and Auger electron spectroscopy are used to facilitate the study of the bonding mechanism of the delaminated surfaces of TLB speci- mens by evaluating the migration and diffusion of different atoms across the bonding interface. A thermal penetration analysis is also provided to validate the findings of the bond strength and the spectroscopic evaluations. © 2006 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers.
A parametric evaluation of railgun augmentation

A general dynamic system model of an augmented electromagnetic launch (EML) system was developed. This model was used to characterize the augmentation effect on EML system performance by a direct comparison to a nonaugmented or simple railgun system. The results of these calculations indicate that increasing rail augmentation increases both Joule heating losses and total EML system inductance. These losses and the larger system inductance were shown to decrease system efficiency despite the lower peak rail current required to induce the same Lorentz force on the projectile in the simple EML system. The Joule heating loss was shown to be reduced by decreasing the initial augmentor rail temperature or by increasing the augmentor rail area. This paper discusses the augmented EML system model and reports the results of the parametric calculations.
The times are always changing: The Holocene saga

The popular notion that the natural world maintains an invariant balance without perturbation by industrial civilization is invalid. Environmental changes in the aftermath of Pleistoceneglaciationweredramaticandpervasive, and continued in varying guise throughout the Holocene interglacial, which has been coincident in duration with the rise of modern human cultures. Holocene conditions have been influenced by the progress of physical processes and biotic migrations set in motion by deglaciation, by climaticfluctuations still poorly understood, and by the behavior of aboriginal peoples who achieved widespreadmanipulationoftheirevolvingenvironments even as they learned to adapt to them. Because cumulative Holocene environmentalchangesarelargelyirreversible,future sustainability of the human condition is dependentuponfurtherandwiserdevelopment of human culture. All hopes for return to an irretrievable past are quixotic.
Seizure protection by intrapulmonary delivery of midazolam in mice

Abstract The lung provides a portal of entry that could be used to rapidly deliver anticonvulsant substances to the brain to treat seizures. In the present study, we demonstrate that midazolam, a water-soluble anticonvulsant benzodiazepine, confers potent seizure protection when administered via the intrapulmonary route. High dose (100 mg/kg) intraperitoneal midazolam induced loss-of-righting reflex in mice. Lower doses of midazolam (100–1000 μg/kg) when administered intraperitoneally did not induce loss-of-righting reflex but protected animals against pentylenetetrazol (PTZ)-induced seizures. Intrapulmonary administration of midazolam via a tracheal cannula protected against intraperitoneal PTZ seizures at lower doses. The minimal intraperitoneal and intravenous doses of midazolam required to elevate the threshold for seizure signs induced by intravenous PTZ were 500 and 100 μg/kg, respectively, whereas the minimal intrapulmonary midazolam dose was 12.5 μg/kg. Intratracheal midazolam caused a large increase in intravenous PTZ threshold 5 min after administration but the effect declined rapidly over 60 min and no antiseizure activity was evident at 120 min. The minimal intraperitoneal doses of midazolam required to elevate the threshold for seizure signs induced by intravenous picrotoxin and kainic acid were 100 and 2000 μg/kg, respectively; the corresponding values for intratracheal midazolam were 25 and 100 μg/kg, respectively. We conclude that midazolam is a highly effective anticonvulsant when administered by the intrapulmonary route. Midazolam is substantially more potent when delivered into the lung than when administered intraperitoneally or intravenously. Inhalation could be an alternative to other routes of administration for the delivery of midazolam to rapidly abort acute seizures.
Defect and error tolerance in the presence of massive numbers of defects

As scaling approaches the physical limits of devices, we will continue to see increasing levels of process variations, noise, and defect densities. Many applications today can tolerate certain levels of errors resulting from such factors. We introduce a new approach for error tolerance resulting in chips containing only error acceptable for such applications.
Geochemical and isotopic evolution of water produced from Middle Devonian Marcellus shale gas wells, Appalachian basin, Pennsylvania

The number of Marcellus Shale gas wells drilled in the Appalachian basin has increased rapidly over the past decade, leading to increased interest in the highly saline water produced with the natural gas which must be recycled, treated, or injected into deep disposal wells. New geochemical and isotopic analyses of produced water for 3 time-series and 13 grab samples from Marcellus Shale gas wells in southwest and north central Pennsylvania (PA) are used to address the origin of the water and solutes produced over the long term (>12 months). The question of whether the produced water originated within the Marcellus Shale, or whether it may have been drawn from adjacent reservoirs via fractures is addressed using measurements of and activity. These parameters indicate that the water originated in the Marcellus Shale, and can be more broadly used to trace water of Marcellus Shale origin. During the first 1–2 weeks of production, rapid increases in salinity and positive shifts in values were observed in the produced water, followed by more gradual changes until a compositional plateau was reached within approximately 1 yr. The values and relationships between Na, Cl, and Br provide evidence that the water produced after compositional stabilization is natural formation water, the salinity for which originated primarily from evaporatively concentrated paleoseawater. The rapid transition from injected water to chemically and isotopically distinct water while of the injected water volume had been recovered, supports the hypothesis that significant volumes of injected water were removed from circulation by imbibition.
Monoamine oxidase A genotype is associated with gang membership and weapon use.

Context: A functional polymorphism in the promoter region of the monoamine oxidase A (MAOA) gene has been found to be associated with a broad range of antisocial phenotypes, including physical violence. At the same time, it is well known that gang members represent some of the most serious violent offenders. Even so, no research has ever examined the association between MAOA and gang membership. Objectives: The aim of this study is to examine the association between MAOA and gang membership and between MAOA and weapon use. Design: We examined the effects of MAOA by using a molecular genetic association research design. Setting: A nonclinical sample was used in this study. Participants: Participants were drawn from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (1155 females, 1041 males). Main Outcome Measures: The outcome measures of this study are gang membership and weapon use. Results: The low MAOA activity alleles conferred an increased risk of joining a gang and using a weapon in a fight for males but not for females. Moreover, among male gang members, those who used weapons in a fight were more likely to have a low MAOA activity allele when compared with male gang members who do not use weapons in a fight. Conclusions: Male carriers of low MAOA activity alleles are at risk for becoming a gang member and, once a gang member, are at risk for using weapons in a fight. © 2009 Published by Elsevier Inc.
17.8%-efficient Amorphous Silicon Heterojunction Solar Cells on p -type Silicon Wafers

We have achieved an independently-confirmed 17.8% conversion efficiency in a 1-cm 2 , p-type, float-zone silicon (FZ-Si) based heterojunction solar cell. Both the front emitter and back contact are hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) deposited by hot-wire chemical vapor deposition (HWCVD). This is the highest reported efficiency for a HWCVD silicon heterojunction (SHJ) solar cell. Two main improvements lead to our most recent increases in efficiency: 1) the use of textured Si wafers, and 2) the application of a-Si:H heterojunctions on both sides of the cell. Despite the use of textured c-Si to increase the short-circuit current, we were able to maintain the same 0.65 V open-circuit voltage as on flat c-Si. This is achieved by coating a-Si:H conformally on the c-Si surfaces, including covering the tips of the anisotropically-etched pyramids. A brief atomic H treatment before emitter deposition is not necessary on the textured wafers, though it was helpful in the flat wafers. It is essential to high efficiency SHJ solar cells that the emitter grows abruptly as amorphous silicon, instead of as microcrystalline or epitaxial Si. The contact on each side of the cell comprises a thin ( 200°C) and grown from PH 3 /SiH 4 /H 2 and B 2 H 6 /SiH 4 /H 2 doping gas mixtures, respectively. This combination of low (intrinsic) and high (doped layer) growth temperatures was optimized by lifetime and surface recombination velocity measurements. Our rapid efficiency advance suggests that HWCVD may have advantages over plasma-enhanced (PE) CVD in fabrication of high-efficiency heterojunction c-Si cells; there is no need for process optimization to avoid plasma damage to the delicate, high-quality, Si wafers.
Effects of Gut Microbes on Nutrient Absorption and Energy Regulation

Malnutrition may manifest as either obesity or undernutrition. Accumulating evidence suggests that the gut microbiota plays an important role in the harvest, storage, and expenditure of energy obtained from the diet. The composition of the gut microbiota has been shown to differ between lean and obese humans and mice; however, the specific roles that individual gut microbes play in energy harvest remain uncertain. The gut microbiota may also influence the development of conditions characterized by chronic low-level inflammation, such as obesity, through systemic exposure to bacterial lipopolysaccharide derived from the gut microbiota. In this review, the role of the gut microbiota in energy harvest and fat storage is explored, as well as differences in the microbiota in obesity and undernutrition.
Circumcision: Refining a traditional surgical technique

Circumcision is a practice that dates back to the Stone Age, when flint knives were used to perform this delicate task. Since that time, different implements and techniques for their use have been employed. In 1935, an instrument that reduced the incidence of hemorrhage and infection, which continued to complicate circumcisions, was first described in the medical literature of this country; for nearly 60 years, the Gomco clamp has met and exceeded expectations despite the emergence of other clamps and devices. This article addresses refinements that have evolved in the Gomco clamp technique. These refinements combine the highest degree of safety with the least trauma to the newborn. Step-by-step detailing of this surgical skill and implications for practitioners are explored in depth.
Geodesic Dome Phased Array Radars

This paper presents the design of practical geodesic dome phased array radars. The antenna consists of triangular planar sub-arrays arranged in a geodesic dome configuration. This design potentially reduces the size and cost of the antenna required for a given application. The practical aspects of the design from a radar systems viewpoint are examined.
Understanding and mitigating uncertainty in online exchange relationships: a principal- agent perspective

Despite a decade since the inception of B2C e-commerce, the uncertainty of the online environment still makes many consumers reluctant to engage in online exchange relationships. Even if uncertainty has been widely touted as the primary barrier to online transactions, the literature has viewed uncertainty as a "background" mediator with insufficient conceptualization and measurement. To better understand the nature of uncertainty and mitigate its potentially harmful effects on B2C e-commerce adoption (especially for important purchases), this study draws upon and extends the principal-agent perspective to identify and propose a set of four antecedents of perceived uncertainty in online buyer seller relationship superceived information asymmetry, fears of seller opportunism, information privacy concerns, and information security concerns which are drawn from the agency problems of adverse selection (hidden information) and moral hazard (hidden action). To mitigate uncertainty in online exchange relationships, this study builds upon the principal agent perspective to propose a set of four uncertainty mitigating factor-trust, website informativeness, product diagnosticity, and social presence-that facilitate online exchange relationships by overcoming the agency problems of hidden information and hidden action through the logic of signals and incentives. The proposed structural model is empirically tested with longitudinal data from 521 consumers for two products (prescription drugs and books) that differ on their level of purchase involvement. The results support our model, delineating the process by which buyers engage in online exchange relationships by mitigating uncertainty. Interestingly, the proposed model is validated for two distinct targets, a specific website and a class of websites. Implications for understanding and facilitating online exchange relationships for different types of purchases, mitigating uncertainty perceptions, and extending the principal-agent perspective are discussed.
A source-based algorithm for delay-constrained minimum-cost multicasting

A new heuristic algorithm is presented for constructing minimum-cost multicast trees with delay constraints. The new algorithm can set variable delay bounds on destinations and handles two variants of the network cost optimization goal: one minimizing the total cost (total bandwidth utilization) of the tree, and another minimizing the maximal link cost (the most congested link). Instead of the single-pass tree construction approach used in most previous heuristics, the new algorithm is based on a feasible search optimization method which starts with the minimum-delay tree and monotonically decreases the cost by iterative improvement of the delay-bounded tree. The optimality of the costs of the delay-bounded trees obtained with the new algorithm is analyzed by simulation. Depending on how tight the delay bounds are, the costs of the multicast trees obtained with the new algorithm are shown to be very close to the costs of the trees obtained by the Kou, Markowsky and Berman's algorithm (1981).
Harmony Search Method for Multimodal Size, Shape, and Topology Optimization of Structural Frameworks

This paper describes and demonstrates modifications of the harmony search method to support multimodal structural optimization. Several researchers have recognized the potential of population-based optimization methods, such as genetic algorithms and particle swarm optimization, to support multimodal optimization, that is, generating a range of good alternative solutions, rather than a single best solution. Among these population-based methods is the harmony search method, which has been demonstrated to be efficient and effective in many unimodal structural optimization problems. Toward the goal of making the harmony search method more effective in multimodal optimization, this paper describes a new strategy for generating solutions called close-harmony improvisation, and a new strategy for replacing solutions called local replacement. Examples demonstrate the effect of the two strategies used individually and in tandem. The discussion compares results with conventional harmony search and finds that close-harmony improvisation consistently improves the fitness of the search results, although the effect is sometimes mild, whereas local replacement is quite effective in increasing the diversity of the search result.
Link Mining for a Social Bookmarking Web Site

Social bookmarking tools enable users to save URLs for future reference, to create tags for annotating Web pages, and to share Web pages they found interesting with others. This paper presents a case study on the application of link mining to a social bookmarking Web site called del.icio.us. We investigated the user bookmarking and tagging behaviors and described several approaches to find surprising patterns in the data. We also identified the characteristics that made certain users more popular than others. Finally, we demonstrated the effectiveness of using social bookmarks and tags for predicting mutual ties between users.
Jadoo: a paper user interface for users unfamiliar with computers

In this paper we look at how socialization in a community can be used to help computer illiterate users start using computers and internet in a few minutes. We describe a prototype system, Jadoo, which can be used by computer literates to create and distribute paper user interfaces. This paper interface can then be used by computer illiterates to access online information. We tested Jadoo with our target audience, people living in rural India, and iterated the design to fit their needs.
Portfolio Adjustments: An Application to Rural Banking

A general method is provided for evaluating how an expected-utility-maximizing choice is changed in response to factors shifting the mean-variance (EV) efficient set and changes in the decision maker's level of risk aversion. Substitution and income effects under uncertainty are defined, related to those existing under certainty, and analyzed graphically and in a quadratic programming model of a rural bank. The bank application includes risk and liquidity components and indicates that the magnitude of the portfolio response may not be trivial. Evidence is also provided indicating the consistency between bank behavior and the EV decision criterion.
Dynamic learning from multiple examples for semantic object segmentation and search

We present a novel "dynamic learning" approach for an intelligent image database system to automatically improve object segmentation and labeling without user intervention, as new examples become available, for object-based indexing. The proposed approach is an extension of our earlier work on "learning by example," which addressed labeling of similar objects in a set of database images based on a single example. The proposed dynamic learning procedure utilizes multiple example object templates to improve the accuracy of existing object segmentations and labels. Multiple example templates may be images of the same object from different viewing angles, or images of related objects. This paper also introduces a new shape similarity metric called normalized area of symmetric differences (NASD), which has desired properties for use in the proposed "dynamic learning" scheme, and is more robust against boundary noise that results from automatic image segmentation. Performance of the dynamic learning procedures has been demonstrated by experimental results.
mTORC1-dependent metabolic reprogramming orchestrates T cell activation and fate decisions (IRM10P.750)

Naive and activated T cells exhibit distinct bioenergetic and biosynthetic demands. Naive T cells are in a quiescent state and utilize a catabolic metabolism, whereas antigen-stimulated T cells are highly anabolic. How the metabolic reprogramming is regulated by immune signaling is unclear. In the present study, we reveal that Raptor/mTORC1 orchestrates antigen-induced metabolic reprogramming, and this is a key process to mediate T cell exit from quiescence for ensuing activation and differentiation. Raptor is essential for the integration of T cell receptor and CD28 co-stimulatory signals for sustained mTORC1 activation. Ablation of Raptor in T cells impaired T cell exit from quiescence, indicated by defective cell growth and cell cycle entry. Raptor deficiency abrogated multiple metabolic programs, including glycolysis, lipid synthesis and oxidative phosphorylation, which are required for antigen-triggered exit from quiescence. Aside from the requirement of Raptor in T cell exit from quiescence, Raptor/mTORC1 linked glucose metabolism to the initiation of Th2 cell differentiation through regulating cytokine receptor expression and cytokine responsiveness. Raptor/mTORC1 also impinged upon the differentiation of other T cell lineages including Th1 and Th17 cells. Our studies indicate that Raptor/mTORC1-dependent metabolic reprogramming fuels quiescence exit of naive T cells, and this in turn coordinates lymphocyte expansion and differentiation in adaptive immune responses.
Building America Research Benchmark Definition: Updated August 15, 2007

To track progress toward aggressive multi-year whole-house energy savings goals of 40-70% and onsite power production of up to 30%, DOE's Residential Buildings Program and NREL developed the Building America Research Benchmark in consultation with the Building America industry teams. The Benchmark is generally consistent with mid-1990s standard practice, as reflected in the Home Energy Rating System (HERS) Technical Guidelines (RESNET 2002), with additional definitions that allow the analyst to evaluate all residential end-uses, an extension of the traditional HERS rating approach that focuses on space conditioning and hot water. Unlike the reference homes used for HERS, EnergyStar, and most energy codes, the Benchmark represents typical construction at a fixed point in time so it can be used as the basis for Building America's multi-year energy savings goals without the complication of chasing a 'moving target'.