cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Knockdown of the Fat Mass and Obesity Gene Disrupts Cellular Energy Balance in a Cell-Type Specific Manner

Recent studies suggest that FTO variants strongly correlate with obesity and mainly influence energy intake with little effect on the basal metabolic rate. We suggest that FTO influences eating behavior by modulating intracellular energy levels and downstream signaling mechanisms which control energy intake and metabolism. Since FTO plays a particularly important role in adipocytes and in hypothalamic neurons, SH-SY5Y neuronal cells and 3T3-L1 adipocytes were used to understand how siRNA mediated knockdown of FTO expression alters cellular energy homeostasis. Cellular energy status was evaluated by measuring ATP levels using a luminescence assay and uptake of fluorescent glucose. FTO siRNA in SH-SY5Y cells mediated mRNA knockdown (-82%), increased ATP concentrations by up to 46% (P = 0.013) compared to controls, and decreased phosphorylation of AMPk and Akt in SH-SY5Y by -52% and -46% respectively as seen by immunoblotting. In contrast, FTO siRNA in 3T3-L1 cells decreased ATP concentration by -93% (p<0.0005), and increased AMPk and Akt phosphorylation by 204% and 70%, respectively suggesting that FTO mediates control of energy levels in a cell-type specific manner. Furthermore, glucose uptake was decreased in both SH-SY5Y (-51% p = 0.015) and 3T3-L1 cells (-30%, p = 0.0002). We also show that FTO knockdown decreases NPY mRNA expression in SH-SY5Y cells (-21%) through upregulation of pSTAT3 (118%). These results provide important evidence that FTO-variant linked obesity may be associated with altered metabolic functions through activation of downstream metabolic mediators including AMPk.
Theoretical and Experimental Investigation of Biplane Delta Wings

Recent interest in micro aerial vehicles has resulted in the evaluation of innovative aerodynamic cone gurations and propulsive mechanisms to meettherequirements ofthesemachines. It is proposed that a biplaneformed using delta wings may proveto be an efe cient cone guration. Accordingly, a theoretical and experimental investigation to determine thecharacteristicsof delta wings in a biplanecone guration wasundertaken. Thewind-tunnel study was performed using 75-deg delta wings. The biplane wing’ s gap (separation) and stagger were varied. A theoretical method was developed that coupled Prandtl’ s biplane theory (Prandtl, L., and Tietjens, O. G., Applied Hydro and Aeromechanics , Dover, New York, 1934, pp. 211 ‐222) with Polhamus’ leading-edge suction analogy (Polhamus, E. C., “ Prediction of Vortex-Lift Characteristics by a Leading-Edge Suction Analogy,”Journal of Aircraft , Vol. 8, No. 4, 1971, pp. 193 ‐199). The experimental results showed that the separation between the wings has a signie cant effect on lift, the lift reducing with closer wing proximity. The biplane cone guration shows far less sensitivity to stagger, with effects only manifesting for angles of attack greater than 15 deg. Positive stagger (upper wing forward)increased lift whereas negative stagger decreased lift relative to an unstaggered cone guration. Similarly, positive stagger increased the maximum recorded lift coefe cient with negative stagger having the opposite effect. The theoretical method showed close accord with the experimental data and correctly predicted the effect of gap and stagger on lift. Theoretical analysis showed that for a dimensionally constrained planform, the delta wing biplane is an effective cone guration for moderate to large wing separation.
Novel tandem column method for the rapid isolation of radiostrontium from human urine

A method has been developed for the isolation of strontium from human urine for subsequent determination in sample volumes as low as 5-20 mL. This method involves the acidification of the sample using methanesulfonic acid and its decolorization using charcoal, treatment of the filtrate with Diphonix(®) resin, and subsequent concentration of strontium on Sr resin. Data from retention model simulations provided the initial conditions which were then optimized by actual column separations. Diphonix(®) resin was shown to be effective at removing alkali metal ions from the urine matrix under conditions that retain higher valence ions. The suggested processing method provides 99% recovery of Sr(2+), a concentration factor of 50, and an expected per sample processing time of less than 1 h.
Solution properties of starch nanoparticles in water and DMSO as studied by dynamic light scattering

Abstract Solution properties of starch nanoparticles dispersed in DMSO and in water were studied using dynamic light scattering. The particle size distribution had two main peaks in both solvents at all scattering angles studied. They were at around 40 and 300 nm, ascribed to isolated starch nanoparticles and their aggregates, respectively. From the excess scattering intensity by the 40-nm particles, the molecular weight of the nanoparticle was estimated as 2.2–2.6×10 6 g/mol. When the concentration was increased, another peak appeared at around 1 μm. Raising the temperature from 25 to 65 °C did not change the distribution, indicating a purely entropic process in dynamic equilibrium of the aggregation. In DMSO, an oscillatory behavior was observed in the autocorrelation function at high temperatures.
Diel Feeding Chronology of Six Fish Species in the Juniata River, Pennsylvania

ABSTRACT We examined diel feeding chronology of six fish species in the Juniata River, Pennsylvania. Ephemeropteran nymphs were the major prey of redbreast sunfish (Lepomis auritus; 70.5%) and smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu; 59.7%) during each of six 4-h intervals over a 24-h period. The main dietary component of mimic shiner (Notropis volucellus) was chironomids (42.3%), whereas spotfin shiner (Cyprinella spiloptera) mainly ate terrestrial invertebrates (50.2%). Juvenile white sucker (Catostomus commersoni) exhibited substantial diel variation in diet composition with some prey taxa composing the entire diet during some 4-h intervals and being completely absent from the diet during other periods. Bluntnose minnow (Pimephales notatus) contained mostly detritus (75.5%). Interspecific diel diet overlap (Cγ) was low among the six species except for smallmouth bass-redbreast sunfish (0.735). Mimic shiner ([xbar] = 0.302) had the highest diet overlap with other species and bluntnose minnow ([xbar] = 0.1...
Trade-offs among agronomic, energetic, and environmental performance characteristics of corn and prairie bioenergy cropping systems

Cellulosic bioenergy production provides opportunities to utilize a range of cropping systems that can enhance the multifunctionality of agricultural landscapes. In a 9-ha field experiment located on fertile land in Boone County, IA, USA, we directly compared a corn-soybean rotation harvested for grain, continuous corn harvested for grain and stover, continuous corn harvested for grain and stover with a rye cover crop, newly reconstructed prairie harvested for biomass and fertilized with nitrogen, and unfertilized newly reconstructed prairie harvested for biomass. Comparisons were made using four performance indicators: harvestable yield, net energy balance (NEB), root production, and nutrient balances. We found trade-offs among systems in terms of the measured performance indicators. Continuous corn systems were the highest yielding, averaging 13 Mg ha 1 of harvested biomass (grain plus stover), whereas fertilized and unfertilized prairies produced the least harvested biomass at 8.8 and 6.5 Mg ha 1 , respectively. Mean NEBs were highest in continuous corn systems at 45.1 GJ ha 1 , intermediate in the corn-soybean rotation at 28.6 GJ ha 1 , and lowest in fertilized and unfertilized prairies at 11.4 and 10.5 GJ ha 1 , respectively. Concomitant with the high yields of the continuous corn systems were the large nutrient requirements of these systems compared to the prairie systems. Continuous corn with rye required three times more nitrogen inputs than fertilized prairie. Root production, on the other hand, was on average seven times greater in the prairie systems than the annual crop systems. On highly fertile soils, cornbased cropping systems are likely to play an important role in maintaining the high productivity of agricultural landscapes, but alternative cropping systems, such as prairies used for bioenergy production, can produce substantial yield, require minimal externally derived inputs, and can be incorporated into the landscape at strategic locations to maximize the production of other ecosystem services.
Evacuation route planning: scalable heuristics

Given a transportation network, a vulnerable population, and a set of destinations, evacuation route planning identifies routes to minimize the time to evacuate the vulnerable population. Evacuation route planning is a vital components of efforts by civil authorities to prepare for both natural and man-made disasters (e.g., hurricanes, terrorist acts, etc). However, evacuation route planning is computationally challenging due to the size of transportation networks, the large number of evacuees, and capacity constraints. For example, the number of evacuees often far exceeds the bottleneck capacity, i.e., the minimum cut of a given network. Current approaches (e.g., linear programming and Capacity Constrained Route Planner (CCRP), a recently proposed evacuation planning algorithm) do not scale well because of intensive computation needs in order to produce the schedules of evacuees as well as routing plans.This paper presents innovative heuristics scalable to very large transportation networks. The Intelligent Load Reduction heuristic accelerates the routing computation by the reduction of evacuees using the bottleneck saturation. The performance of Intelligent Load Reduction is evaluated using real world scenarios. Results show that the Intelligent Load Reduction heuristic significantly improve the runtime of CCRP. We propose another heuristic named Incremental Data Structure. While the Intelligent Load Reduction gains performance increase by giving up the schedules of evacuees, the Incremental Data Structure heuristic can reduce calculation time of the CCRP algorithm by the enhanced data structures without affecting the outputs.
The life history of Klasies river mouth: a case study of archaeology and the history and philosophy of science

The life history of Klasies river mouth: a case study of archaeology and the history and philosophy of science. Arizona State University, 2008. This history of Klasies River Mouth is a case study f...
High School Reform Implementation: Principals' Perceptions on Their Leadership Role.

This research is a collection of comparative case studies that examine the perspectives of four principals in their 1st year of implementing the High School College Collaborative (HSCC), which works to provide traditionally underserved high school students with the opportunity to receive college credit, possibly an associate of arts degree, concurrently with their high school diploma. In this research, we address the following questions: (a) What are the principals' experiences with implementing HSCC? (b) What are the specific challenges these principals face? and (c) How did the principals negotiate these challenges? This study aims to broaden perspectives on the requirements of school change work, thus increasing both principals' effectiveness and learning opportunities for all students.
Rootsystems of simple Lie algebras

W),S,(S,).Witt rootsystems having no sections Sz. We ( W v W) are classified as those rootsystems whose irreducible components are finite vector space subgroups. Since the latter are rootsystems of generalized Albert-Zassenhaus Lie algebras, it follows that the rootsystems of nonclassical simple Lie algebras L =x,,sR L, such that ([e,f]) # 0 for some e E Lb, f~ L’-, for each a E R - (0) which contain no section of type T2, S,, or W@ ( W v W) are classified up to isomorphism by finite vector
The Performance of U.S. Hard White Wheats: Effect of Milling Extraction on Flour, Pan Bread, Tortilla and Pita (Arabic) Bread Quality

Abstract Three U.S. hard white wheat varieties grown in California, Colorado and Kansas were milled to flour of straight-grade and 80% extractions. The proximate wheat analysis for test weight ranged from 55.8 to 63.0; protein from 10.1 to 13.7; and ash from 1.52 to 1.81 g/100 g. The flour samples were analysed and made into pan bread, pita (Arabic bread) and tortillas. Increasing the extraction rate from straight-grade to 80% resulted in an average increase of 0.4 g/100 g in protein content, 0.2 g/100 g in ash, 1.1 g/100 g in farinograph water absorption, and an average decrease of 1.3 in L-value of color (means darker flour), and a reduction in relatively viscosity of 37.4 units. Flours of high protein content produced higher pan bread volume, and superior quality tortillas. However, pita bread quality deteriorated with higher flour protein. Various flour quality factors affected the quality of the final product. The prediction equations for pan bread volume prepared from straight-grade flour showed the importance of flour protein content and farinograph water absorption. In those prepared with flour of 80% extraction, these quality components, farinograph maximum tolerance index (MTI) and starch peak viscosity constituted the best prediction equation. The appearance of starch peak viscosity and MTI in the prediction equation is presumably due to the reduced influence of quality of protein in flours of high extraction rate. The prediction equations for pita bread and tortillas were governed by various flour components. Hence, it is erroneous to assume that a flour for optimum quality pan bread produces similar quality pita or tortillas.
Cultural and Hydrogeological Factors That Influence Well Water Quality

A large database on chemicals in midwestern private rural wells was evaluated using analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) to determine which of 19 cultural, geological, and structural factors are statistically associated with concentrations of nitrate, triazine herbicides, and/or acetanilide herbicides. Well depth is negatively correlated with concentrations of all three parameters. Drilled wells have lower concentrations than dug or driven wells. Wells that have gone dry in the past have higher concentrations. Domestic wells are less likely to contain herbicides than others, and those closer to dealer sites are more likely to contain herbicides. Proximity to a river correlates negatively with nitrate and triazines. Proximity to barnyards or feedlots is positively correlated with all three parameters; proximity to an animal waste holding tank is not. Age of the well is negatively related to acetanilide concentration but positively related to nitrate concentration. Sandy soils have higher acetanilide concentrati...
Long-Range Correlated Motion Changes with Protein-Ligand Binding

Molecular dynamics calculations have long predicted large scale protein structural vibrations lie in the terahertz (THz) frequency range (5-100 cm−1), and these vibrations are related to protein function. Measuring these vibrational modes has been challenged by the large glass-like contribution from solvent and side chain librational motions. We remove this isotropic background, using anisotropic THz near field microscopy measurements of protein crystals. The technique reveals for the first time narrow band protein excitations in this frequency range. To determine if these features arise from the internal molecular motions, we measured ligand binding dependence using a faster data acquisition technique. The measurements performed on tetragonal chicken-egg white lysozyme (CEWL) single crystals and tetragonal CEWL tri-N-acetylglucosamine inhibitor bound crystals (CEWL+3NAG) show reproducible spectra that change dramatically with inhibitor binding. The large shifts observed indicate the features arise from the protein intramolecular motions and not from crystal phonons, which would have frequency shifts of only ≤ 2% with binding. The results validate that the technique can be used to determine ligand binding for inhibitor screening and to understand the role of intramolecular motions in protein function. This work supported by NSF MRI∧2 grant DBI295998.View Large Image | View Hi-Res Image | Download PowerPoint Slide
Characterization of LWR Spent Fuel Approved Testing Materials for Radionuclide Release Studies

The Materials Characterization Center (MCC) provides characterized lightwater reactor (LWR) spent fuel approved testing materials (ATMs) for use by experimenters in radionuclide release studies in support of repository licensing efforts. The characterization completed to date is described for MCC ATM-101, a Zircaloy-clad UO/sub 2/ fuel from the H.B. Robinson, Unit 2, Assembly BO-5. ATM-101 is a moderate burnup, low-releasing (fission products in-reactor) spent fuel typical of the fuel that is expected to initially be placed in a repository.
Femtosecond temporal probes using spectrally tailored noisy quasi-cw laser light

Theory and experiment are presented that suggest a new avenue for designing femtosecond temporal probes in which multiple spatially overlapped noisy (nontransform limited) quasi-cw laser light beams are tailored in a controllable fashion by dispersion. The generation of femtosecond probes is demonstrated experimentally by combining the output from two distinct nanosecond pulsed dye lasers to form a single ``tailored'' beam having a double-peaked spectral density corresponding to the superposition of emission spectra of each of the dye lasers. The interferograms produced from this single beam display features on the time scale significantly shorter than the autocorrelation time of either of the component beams alone. The theory, incorporating controllable dispersion effects, correctly captures the interferometric patterns seen in noisy light two-color frequency summing experiments and is general enough to treat experiments involving the spatially combined emission of an arbitrary number of light sources. Concepts both of noisy light spectroscopy and of amplitude modulated pulse shaping are applied. Applications of such tailored noisy light sources to wave-packet preparation and even photochemical control may be anticipated.
Euphausiid distribution along the Western Antarctic Peninsula—Part A: Development of robust multi-frequency acoustic techniques to identify euphausiid aggregations and quantify euphausiid size, abundance, and biomass

Abstract Methods were refined and tested for identifying the aggregations of Antarctic euphausiids (Euphausia spp.) and then estimating euphausiid size, abundance, and biomass, based on multi-frequency acoustic survey data. A threshold level of volume backscattering strength for distinguishing euphausiid aggregations from other zooplankton was derived on the basis of published measurements of euphausiid visual acuity and estimates of the minimum density of animals over which an individual can maintain visual contact with its nearest neighbor. Differences in mean volume backscattering strength at 120 and 43 kHz further served to distinguish euphausiids from other sources of scattering. An inversion method was then developed to estimate simultaneously the mean length and density of euphausiids in these acoustically identified aggregations based on measurements of mean volume backscattering strength at four frequencies (43, 120, 200, and 420 kHz). The methods were tested at certain locations within an acoustically surveyed continental shelf region in and around Marguerite Bay, west of the Antarctic Peninsula, where independent evidence was also available from net and video systems. Inversion results at these test sites were similar to net samples for estimated length, but acoustic estimates of euphausiid density exceeded those from nets by one to two orders of magnitude, likely due primarily to avoidance and to a lesser extent to differences in the volumes sampled by the two systems. In a companion study, these methods were applied to the full acoustic survey data in order to examine the distribution of euphausiids in relation to aspects of the physical and biological environment [Lawson, G.L., Wiebe, P.H., Ashjian, C.J., Stanton, T.K., 2008. Euphausiid distribution along the Western Antarctic Peninsula—Part B: Distribution of euphausiid aggregations and biomass, and associations with environmental features. Deep-Sea Research II, this issue [doi:10.1016/j.dsr2.2007.11.014]].
Human SirT1 Interacts with Histone H1 and Promotes Formation of Facultative Heterochromatin

We characterized human SirT1, one of the human homologs of the budding yeast Sir2p, an NAD+-dependent histone deacetylase involved in establishing repressive chromatin and increased life span. SirT1 deacetylates histone polypeptides with a preference for histone H4 lysine 16 (H4-K16Ac) and H3 lysine 9 (H3-K9Ac) in vitro. RNAi-mediated decreased expression of SirT1 in human cells causes hyperacetylation of H4-K16 and H3-K9 in vivo. SirT1 interacts with and deacetylates histone H1 at lysine 26. Using an inducible system directing expression of SirT1 fused to the Gal4-DNA binding domain and a Gal4-reporter integrated in euchromatin, Gal4-SirT1 expression resulted in the deacetylation of H4-K16 and H3-K9, recruitment of H1 within the promoter vicinity, drastically reduced reporter expression, and loss of H3-K79 methylation, a mark restricting silenced chromatin. We propose a model for SirT1-mediated heterochromatin formation that includes deacetylation of histone tails, recruitment and deacetylation of histone H1, and spreading of hypomethylated H3-K79 with resultant silencing.
Experimental electron energy-loss spectra and cross sections for the 4/2/S - 4/2/P transition in Zn II

Electron energy-loss spectra and differential cross sections are reported for inelastic scattering from Zn II. Measurements were carried out in a crossed electron beam-ion beam apparatus, at incident electron energies of 30, 40, 50, 60, 75, 85, and 100 eV, and at a scattering angle of 14 deg. The present results are the first reported measurements of inelastic electron scattering from an ion.
On the existence of helical flow in veins of the lower extremities.

Purpose Helical flow has been shown to be present in the heart and arteries, but its existence in veins has not been demonstrated before. This study aimed to investigate if helical flow is present in the venous system and if the venous valves contribute to development of this flow pattern. Methods Color and spectral Doppler were used to calculate the true velocity vectors at five cross-sectional planes of the femoral and common femoral veins in 10 healthy individuals and eight patients with chronic venous disease. Results This study demonstrated that helical flow is a normal finding in the segments of veins that are in close proximity and downstream from a venous valve and a venous junction. This flow pattern is more prevalent when the calf muscle pump is active. Incompetence of the proximal great saphenous vein affects the outflow pattern, so that the helical flow is no longer present and is replaced by disorganized turbulent flow. Conclusions These findings suggest that helical flow is detectable, may have a physiological role in venous circulation, and the absence of it may be a feature of venous disease.
Oscillator-AC: restoring rigour to linearized small-signal analysis of oscillators

Standard small-signal analysis methods for circuits break down for oscillators because small input perturbations result in arbitrarily large output changes, thus invalidating fundamental assumptions for small-signal analysis. In this paper, we propose a novel oscillator-AC (OAC) approach remedying this situation, thus restoring validity and rigour to small-signal analysis of oscillators. Our approach centers around a novel, general equation formulation for circuits that we term the GeMPDE. A key feature of our approach is to solve for bivariate frequency variables with the help of novel augmenting phase condition equations. Our GeMPDE-based small-signal analysis provides both amplitude and frequency characteristics in a unified manner and is applicable to any kind of oscillator described by differential equations. We obtain speedups of 1-2 orders of magnitude over the transient simulation approach commonly used today by designers for oscillator perturbation analysis. We also demonstrate and explain how our linearization approach captures the inherently nonlinear phenomenon of injection locking in oscillators.
Introduction to type-2 fuzzy logic systems

This paper introduces a robust fuzzy logic system, one that can handle rule uncertainties. We make use of type-2 fuzzy sets for this purpose. The development of a type-2 fuzzy logic system has led to a new operation that we call type-reduction. In the course of this development, we also study set operations on type-2 sets, properties of membership grades of type-2 sets, type-2 relations and their compositions, and defuzzification.
Bootstrapped Malmquist indices of Australian airports

This study uses the Malmquist bootstrapped methodology to assess the extent of productivity, efficiency, scale and technological changes at the major Australian airports. The analysis focuses on the post-privatisation period of Australian airports, using panel data on three outputs and three inputs. Results show that most Australian airports have experienced significant total factor productivity increase between 2002 and 2007, while few airports have recorded productivity and efficiency decline over the same period. Using a bootstrapped second-stage regression, the results also highlight the direct impact of environmental factors such as market share and airport hub on the productivity variations between airports. Other potentially affecting factors are: privatisation, oil price increase and price regulation.
An epifluorescent attachment improves whole-plant digital photography of Arabidopsis thaliana expressing red-shifted green fluorescent protein

Background and aims Studies have shown that levels of green fluorescent protein (GFP) leaf surface fluorescence are directly proportional to GFP soluble protein concentration in transgenic plants. However, instruments that measure GFP surface fluorescence are expensive. The goal of this investigation was to develop techniques with consumer digital cameras to analyse GFP surface fluorescence in transgenic plants. Methodology Inexpensive filter cubes containing machine vision dichroic filters and illuminated with blue light-emitting diodes (LED) were designed to attach to digital single-lens reflex (SLR) camera macro lenses. The apparatus was tested on purified enhanced GFP, and on wild-type and GFP-expressing arabidopsis grown autotrophically and heterotrophically. Principal findings Spectrum analysis showed that the apparatus illuminates specimens with wavelengths between � 450 and � 500 nm, and detects fluorescence between � 510 and � 595 nm. Epifluorescent photographs taken with SLR digital cameras were able to detect red-shifted GFP fluorescence in Arabidopsis thaliana leaves and cotyledons of pot-grown plants, as well as roots, hypocotyls and cotyledons of etiolated and light-grown plants grown heterotrophically. Green fluorescent protein fluorescence was detected primarily in the green channel of the raw image files. Studies with purified GFP produced linear responses to both protein surface density and exposure time (H0: b (slope) ¼ 0 mean counts per pixel (ng s mm 22 ) 21 , r 2 . 0.994, n ¼ 31, P , 1.75 × 10 229 ). Conclusions Epifluorescent digital photographs taken with complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor and charge-coupled device SLR cameras can be used to analyse red-shifted GFP surface fluorescence using visible blue light. This detection device can be constructed with inexpensive commercially available materials, thus increasing the accessibility of whole-organism GFP expression analysis to research laboratories and teaching institutions with small budgets.
Enter: Ho/rhizoanalysis

In cowriting this article, we set out to (re)vision qualitative research data. From the domain of “traditional” methods of interviewing, we attempted to slip—differently and productively—away from ...
A computational tool for large planar phased arrays-ASIA

The performance of printed radiating elements in large phased array antenna systems is limited by the effects of mutual coupling between the elements that vary with scan direction. This mutual coupling is controlled by the interaction of the phase taper imposed to create the desired beam steering, the thickness and properties of the dielectric substrate, and the element cell geometry and spacing. The performance of the element can vary widely as a function of beam steering angle. The analysis of array radiating elements printed on layered dielectric substrates has been investigated for several specific element geometries. This paper addresses the analysis of arbitrarily shaped radiating elements printed on layered dielectric substrates including the theory and validation of a software analysis tool, Analysis Software for Infinite Arrays (ASIA), developed for this task. The performance of two more complicated radiating elements in large/infinite arrays is examined using this analysis tool.
Impulsive chip breaking in metal machining : A proof-of-concept study

An innovative non-conventional technique, called impulsive chip breaking, is developed in the present study to break difficult-to-break chips that are often generated in machining high toughness or...
Diffusion controlled reactions of the solvated electron in 1-alkanol mixtures

Abstract The specific rates of the solvated electron reactions with phenanthrene and 1,12-benzperylene in 1-alkanol mixtures have been measured. One set of measurements was obtained in methanol-decanol mixtures of varying viscosities and another set of data was obtained in a series of isoviscous binary mixtures of C8, C9, and C10 with lower alkanols. In the isoviscous mixtures, the rate was found to be independent of the particular 1-alkanol in the mixture. These data are compared with predicted values based on the Stokes-Einstein modification of the Smoluchowski equation adapted to binary systems.
Polysomnographic Features of Medical and Psychiatric Disorders and Their Treatments

Psychiatric, neurologic, and medical illnesses, and their pharmacologic treatments affect the polysomnographic manifestations of sleep. Many patients undergoing sleep studies have multiple medical problems and often are taking many medications. Therefore, it is crucial that those interpreting sleep studies have an understanding of these effects. In this way, all the potential contributors to the polysomnographic findings can be addressed adequately. This article serves as a primer on changes in polysomnography (PSG) caused by commonly encountered disease states and their pharmacologic treatments.
SIGN PATTERNS THAT REQUIRE EVENTUAL EXPONENTIAL NONNEGATIVITY

Sign patterns that require exponential nonnegativity are characterized. A set of conditions necessary for a sign pattern to require eventual exponential nonnegativity are established. It is shown that these conditions are also sufficient for an upper triangular sign pattern to require eventual exponential nonnegativity and it is conjectured that these conditions are both necessary and sufficient for any sign pattern to require eventual exponential nonnegativity. It is also shown that the maximum number of negative entries in a sign pattern that requires eventual exponential nonnegativity is (n 1)(n 2) 2 + 2.
Temperature-Specific Effects of Adjuvant Diltiazem Therapy on Myocardial Energetics Following Potassium Cardioplegic Arrest

Abstract Adjuvant slow calcium channel blockade theoretically minimizes the calcium influx attendant to potassium-induced cardioplegic arrest, particularly if clinically acceptable levels of cardiac hypothermia are not maintained. The present study assessed the efficacy of diltiazem therapy in ameliorating perturbations of myocardial oxygen consumption that could be attributable to postischemic intracellular calcium accumulation. In 30 canine hearts, myocardial oxygen consumption was determined during incremental isovolumic pressure-volume loading before and 30 minutes after 2 hours of either 20 or 28°C potassium cardioplegic arrest. The intracoronary perfusate in randomized hearts was modified by the addition of diltiazem, 150 μg/kg. Although systolic performance (as defined by peak developed pressure as compared with balloon volume curves) was unchanged after 20°C ischemia, adjuvant diltiazem therapy prevented the 44 ± 2% ( p p
Cost of Treating Pressure Ulcers for Veterans with Spinal Cord Injury

Veterans comprise almost 17% of the 250,000 persons with spinal cord injury/disorder (SCI/D) in the United States. Pressure ulcers are common complications of SCI/D. We compared annual health care utilization and costs between veterans with and without pressure ulcers in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA). Veterans with pressure ulcers had more total inpatient days on average (61.00 vs 9.19;P < .001) and higher total health care costs ($100,935 vs $27,914;P < .001) due primarily to higher inpatient costs ($91,341 vs $13,754;P < .05). Our results highlight the need to identify patients at risk for pressure ulcers who could benefit from targeted skin care management interventions.
Failure replacement and preventive maintenance spare parts ordering policy

Abstract This paper addresses inventory policy for spare parts, when demand for the spare parts arises due to regularly scheduled preventive maintenance, as well as random failure of units in service. A stochastic dynamic programming model is used to characterize an ordering policy which addresses both sources of demand in a unified manner. The optimal policy has the form ( s ( k ), S ( k )), where k is the number of periods until the next scheduled preventive maintenance operation. The nature of the ( s ( k ), S ( k )) policy is characterized through numeric evaluation. The efficiency of the optimal policy is evaluated, relative to a simpler policy which addresses the failure replacement and preventive maintenance demands with separate ordering policies.
Routing in Heterogeneous Wireless Ad Hoc Networks

Existing routing protocols for wireless ad hoc networks assume a homogeneous network with either omnidirectional antennas or smart (beamforming) antennas. However it is possible to have a heterogeneous network with each node either using an omnidirectional antenna or a smart antenna. We investigate the routing and MAC layer issues that arise in such heterogeneous networks. We extend the expected number of transmissions (ETX) metric and propose a new power-controlled routing metric applicable for heterogeneous networks. This routing metric also serves the purpose of neighbor discovery, which now additionally involves finding the type of neighbor. We use information from the routing layer to propose changes at the MAC layer. We evaluate the performance of this new routing metric through simulations. We And that using smart antennas along with omnidirectional antennas improve the aggregate the network throughput up to 200 % in a random topology and up to 47 % in a grid topology. We identify issues that need further consideration for improving the performance of heterogeneous networks.
Analytical cytometric approaches to heterogeneous cell populations in solid tumors: a review

The problems encountered in studying the heterogeneity of cells in solid tumors is reviewed with emphasis on the role of various analytical cytometric assays for studying both the biology and the dynamics and proliferating, quiescent and dead malignant cells in vitro and in vivo. Due to advances in cytometric technology, many interesting in vitro studies on tumor cells heterogeneity have been and will be conducted over the next several years. For example, the acidic acridine orange staining of HeLa cells in suspension culture does readily discriminate between proliferating and quiescent cells. Some of these assays have been and others will be extended to in vivo studies. However, it is obvious that either the current analytical cytometric techniques must be modified and refined to permit better resolution for the complex situation in vivo or other new analytical cytometric techniques will have to be developed before many interesting studies on tumor cell heterogeneity in vivo can be addressed with reasonable efficiency.
Clinical Manifestations in Persons With Multiple Personality Disorder

Occupational therapists are becoming more involved in the treatment of persons with multiple personality disorder. Occupational therapy literature concerning treatment of this group of patients, however, is sparse. Clinical manifestations of multiple personality disorder include common alter personalities with distinct roles and functions, age-related behavioral patterns, and physiological differences. By recognizing and understanding these differences and characteristics and their relationship to treatment goals, occupational therapists can better use their background in life roles and occupations to increase the functional daily living skills of patients with multiple personality disorder.
Epidemiology of urban water distribution systems

Urban water distribution systems worldwide contain numerous old and fragile pipes that inevitably break, flood streets and damage property, and disrupt economic and social activities. Such breaks often present dramatically in temporal clusters as occurred in Los Angeles during 2009. These clustered pipe breaks share many characteristics with human mortality observed during extreme climatological events such as heat waves or air pollution. Drawing from research and empirical studies in human epidemiology, a framework is introduced to analyze the time variations of disruptive pipe breaks that can help water agencies better understand clustered pipe failures and institute measures to minimize the disruptions caused by them. It is posited that at any time, a cohort of the pipes comprising the water distribution system will be in a weakened state due to fatigue and corrosion. This frail cohort becomes vulnerable during normal operations and ultimately breaks due to rapid increase in crack lengths induced by abnormal stressors. The epidemiological harvesting model developed in this paper simulates an observed time series of monthly pipe breaks and has both explanatory and predictive power. It also demonstrates that models from nonengineering disciplines such as medicine can provide improved insights into the performance of infrastructure systems.
Assessing the Use of Cognitive Resources in Virtual Reality

Due to system limitations, interactions in virtual environments are often unnatural and this may impact performance. During learning, unnatural interactions draw from a finite pool of cognitive resources, meaning that those resources cannot be used for a concurrent, possibly more important task. Because users typically have primary objectives to accomplish in the virtual world, we argue that interaction techniques and other system design choices should account for task compatibility. We use a dual-task paradigm to study resource usage during locomotion tasks varying in their similarity to real-world locomotion. In one experiment, unnatural locomotion interfaces required additional spatial resources compared to natural movements. Some participants used unique strategies unlikely in traditional dual-task studies, possibly due to the high level of immersion.
A note on ‘the simple analytics of the Environmental Kuznets Curve’

In a widely cited paper, Andreoni and Levinson (2001) argue that, under very mild restrictions on preferences, increasing returns to scale in pollution abatement are a sufficient condition for pollution to ultimately fall to zero with income growth. We show that the existence of an Environmental Kuznets Curve depends on the relative magnitudes of the returns to scale in abatement and in gross pollution, rather than on their absolute values. Increasing returns to scale in abatement by themselves are not sufficient for pollution to fall with income unless the returns to scale of abatement exceed the returns to the production of gross pollution.
Factors Influencing Artificial Gametophyte Selections using Synthetic Stigmas

Demonstration that some genes expressed in sporophyte tissues are also expressed during growth of the male gametophyte (pollen), has led to the prospect of artificially selecting pollen genomes to influence succeeding sporophyte characteristics. As long ago as 1924, Haldane suggested that male gametophytes are cheap genetic experiments, multitudinously produced and each possessing a unique genetic complement. Inherent to this model is the necessity that the female stigma-style tract must be able to discriminate vigorous male genomes from the rest, and further must allow only these “desirable” males to achieve sexual fusion with the waiting eggs buried deep within the ovary. Much evidence (Mulcahy 1974, 1978, 1983) now suggests that the stigma-style tract of angiosperms serves precisely this function of male gametophyte selection.
Dexamethasone suppresses iNOS gene expression by upregulating I-κBα and inhibiting NF-κB

Cytokine-stimulated inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) gene expression is dependent on nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) activation and is suppressed by glucocorticoids (GC). In this study we examined ...
Characterizing the Murine Leukemia Virus Envelope Glycoprotein Membrane-Spanning Domain for Its Roles in Interface Alignment and Fusogenicity

UNLABELLED The membrane-proximal region of murine leukemia virus envelope (Env) is a critical modulator of its functionality. We have previously shown that the insertion of one amino acid (+1 leucine) within the membrane-spanning domain (MSD) abolished protein functionality in infectivity assays. However, functionality could be restored to this +1 leucine mutant by either inserting two additional amino acids (+3 leucine) or by deleting the cytoplasmic tail domain (CTD) in the +1 leucine background. We inferred that the ectodomain and CTD have protein interfaces that have to be in alignment for Env to be functional. Here, we made single residue deletions to the Env mutant with the +1 leucine insertion to restore the interface alignment (gain of functionality) and therefore define the boundaries of the two interfaces. We identified the glycine-proline pairs near the N terminus (positions 147 and 148) and the C terminus (positions 159 and 160) of the MSD as being the boundaries of the two interfaces. Deletions between these pairs restored function, but deletions outside of them did not. In addition, the vast majority of the single residue deletions regained function if the CTD was deleted. The exceptions were four hydroxyl-containing amino acid residues (T139, T140, S143, and T144) that reside in the ectodomain interface and the proline at position 148, which were all indispensable for functionality. We hypothesize that the hydroxyl-containing residues at positions T139 and S143 could be a driving force for stabilizing the ectodomain interface through formation of a hydrogen-bonding network. IMPORTANCE The membrane-proximal external region (MPER) and membrane-spanning domains (MSDs) of viral glycoproteins have been shown to be critical for regulating glycoprotein fusogenicity. However, the roles of these two domains are poorly understood. We report here that point deletions and insertions within the MPER or MSD result in functionally inactive proteins. However, when the C-terminal tail domain (CTD) is deleted, the majority of the proteins remain functional. The only residues that were found to be critical for function regardless of the CTD were four hydroxyl-containing amino acids located at the C terminus of the MPER (T139 and T140) and at the N terminus of the MSD (S143 and T144) and a proline near the beginning of the MSD (P148). We demonstrate that hydrogen-bonding at positions T139 and S143 is critical for protein function. Our findings provide novel insights into the role of the MPER in regulating fusogenic activity of viral glycoproteins.
Arteriovenous fistulae vs. arteriovenous grafts: a retrospective review of 1,700 consecutive vascular access cases.

ObjectiveVascular access (VA) procedures are rapidly becoming the most prevalent surgery in the United States. It is estimated that there will be over 500,000 VA procedures done this year. Previous...
Deep level defects throughout the bandgap of (010) β-Ga2O3 detected by optically and thermally stimulated defect spectroscopy

Deep level optical spectroscopy (DLOS) and deep level transient spectroscopy (DLTS) measurements performed on Ni/β-Ga2O3 Schottky diodes fabricated on unintentionally doped (010) substrates prepared by edge-defined film-fed growth revealed a rich spectrum of defect states throughout the 4.84 eV bandgap of β-Ga2O3. Five distinct defect states were detected at EC − 0.62 eV, 0.82 eV, 1.00 eV, 2.16 eV, and 4.40 eV. The EC − 0.82 eV and 4.40 eV levels are dominant, with concentrations on the order of 1016 cm−3. The three DLTS-detected traps at EC − 0.62 eV, 0.82 eV, and 1.00 eV are similar to traps reported in Czochralski-grown β-Ga2O3, [K. Irmscher et al., J. Appl. Phys. 110, 063720 (2011)], suggesting possibly common sources. The DLOS-detected states at EC − 2.16 eV and 4.40 eV exhibit significant lattice relaxation effects in their optical transitions associated with strongly bound defects. As a consequence of this study, the Ni/β-Ga2O3 (010) Schottky barrier height was determined to be 1.55 eV, with good c...
Integrating Chemistry Laboratory Instrumentation into the Industrial Internet: Building, Programming, and Experimenting with an Automatic Titrator

This project is designed to improve physical chemistry and instrumental analysis laboratory courses for undergraduate students by employing as teaching tools novel technologies in electronics and data integration using the industrial Internet. The project carried out by upper-division undergraduates is described. Students are exposed to a complete process of building, calibrating, and programming an automatic titrator using an open-source microcontroller platform and standard pH probes, and integrating the instrument into the Internet. The approach is flexible and can be used to enable integration of various laboratory instruments (e.g., temperature, pressure, salinity probes, etc.) into the industrial Internet. The hardware and software are open-source, which makes further modification and development by the academic community possible.
Structural Transitions in Titanium-Aluminum Thin Film Multilayers

This paper presents the results of a detailed study of titanium - aluminum thin film multilayers fabricated using UHV magnetron sputtering. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) techniques have been used to characterize the structure of these multilayers and to study the various structural transitions as a function of the composition modulation wavelength (CMW). Evidence is presented which indicates the existence of a titanium based fcc structure in these films, below a critical CMW. At even smaller values of CMW, both the Ti and Al layers adopt the hcp structure and are coherent with each other. The evolution of thin film microstructure has been studied using high resolution TEM (HRTEM) and an attempt is made to rationalize the stability of different phases based on the energetics of atomic stacking.
Ectoparasitic Overlap Between Sympatric Dipodomys Ordii and Onychomys Leucogaster (Rodentia) in Eastern New Mexico, USA

Fifteen ectoparasite species were recovered in a faunal overlap study of sympatric Dipodomys ordii and Onychomys leucogaster . The latter host harbored all 15 species, while only 10 species were found on D. ordii . Possibly meaningful overlap occurred in 5 species ( Meringis bilsingi, Androlaelaps geomys, Echinonyssus hilli, Hoplopleura hirsuta , and Dermacentor parumapertus ). Discriminate analysis indicated that Pleochaetis exilis and Polyplax auricularis were the most useful host-discriminating variables. Monthly densities are indicated for all ectoparasite species for 1 year and for each of the hosts. New host associations are reported for Androlaelaps geomys on O. leucogaster and for Hoplopleura hirsuta on O. leucogaster and D. ordii .