cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
On the concept of characteristic states of cohesionless soil and constitutive modeling.

ABSTRACT The concepts of two characteristic states and their representation as characteristic state lines in the stress space are introduced to describe volumetric behavior of cohesionless soil during shearing. The first characteristic state line represents the state of cohesionless soil at failure, while the second characteristic line represents the state at which the rate of volumetric strain momentarily vanishes as the soil passes from the compressive mode of deformation to the dilative mode of deformation during shearing. Explicit forms of the two characteristic state lines in the stress space are proposed and used to develop a constitutive model based on the framework of plasticity theory. The general forms of the characteristic state lines are verified using drained shear test data for a fine sand. Stress-strain and volumetric-axial strain responses are predicted using the proposed model and good correlations are observed with experimental data.
Bank Capital Structure: Charter Value and Diversification Effects

Recent profitability and recapitalization trends in the banking industry appear to be consistent with a hypothesis advanced by Keeley (1990), Marcus (1984), Demsetz and Strahan (1996), and Demsetz, Saidenberg and Strahan (1996) termed the "charter value" hypothesis. Under this hypothesis banks with greater charter value voluntarily hold higher capital ratios to self-insure against charter loss under regulatory-enforced closure. Alternatively, increased branching and other forms of diversification may actually serve to reduce the capital required by banks to protect against adverse economic shocks, while increasing their expected survival rates. We term this alternative scenario the "diversification hypothesis". This paper tests these hypotheses using a sample of bank-specific market and accounting data covering the period 1893-1992. Our results indicate weak support for the charter value hypothesis during the post-WW II period. By contrast, pre-WW II the results of our analysis offer some support for the diversification hypothesis.
Optimization of Hierarchical Structures for Beta Zeolites by Post-Synthetic Base Leaching

Hierarchical structures of zeolite beta with Si/Al ratios in the range of 14–250 are optimized by post-synthetic base leaching, including direct alkaline treatments in NaOH solutions, fluorination–desilication sequences, and alkaline treatments in the presence of tetrapropylammonium cations (TPA+) as the pore-directing agent (PDA). Mesoporosity can be conveniently obtained by a single step of base leaching in NaOH (e.g., 0.2 M NaOH at 65 °C) for high Al beta zeolites (Si/Al 20), the alkaline treatments in the presence of PDA (e.g., TPA+) are crucial for creating mesopores without sacrificing the original zeolite framework. In the absence of TPA+, the high Si zeolite framework is very sensitive to NaOH leaching, resulting in severe structural amorphization. High Al zeolite beta can also be leached by alkaline treatments with TPA+, which features sm...
Conodont biostratigraphy of the upper part of the Clinton Group and the Lockport Group (Silurian) in the Niagara Gorge region, New York and Ontario

Twenty-nine conodont species are represented in formations comprising the upper part of the Clinton Group and the Lockport Group at four localities in Niagara County, New York, and adjacent Ontario, Canada. Four previously unrecognized species of Ozarkodina represented in two samples from the Oak Orchard Formation are described. Ozarkodina sagitta rhenana (Walliser) and O. sagitta sagitta (Walliser) appear to form an evolutionary lineage in which the latter evolved from the former during the late early Wenlockian by slight modification of the Pa element. Elements in the other corresponding positions in their respective apparatuses are virtually identical. The Williamson Shale, Irondequoit Limestone, Rochester Shale, and DeCew Formation of the Clinton Group belong in the upper part of the Pterospathodus amorphognathoides to the middle part of the Ozarkodina sagitta sagitta Chronozone, and are early to early middle Wenlockian in age. The Gasport, Goat Island, Eramosa, and Oak Orchard Formations of the Lockport Group belong in the middle part of the O. sagitta sagitta to the lower part of the Ancoradella ploeckensis Chronozone, and are early middle to late Wenlockian in age.
Manual segmentation of the human bed nucleus of the stria terminalis using 3 T MRI

The bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST)-a small gray matter region located in the basal forebrain-has been implicated in both anxiety and addiction based on compelling evidence from rodent and non-human primate studies. However, the BNST's small size and proximity to other gray matter regions has hindered non-invasive study in human subjects using standard neuroimaging methods. While initial studies have benefitted from a BNST mask created from a single human subject using a 7T scanner, individual variability is likely-especially in patient populations-thus a manual segmentation protocol is needed. Here we report on the development of a reliable manual segmentation protocol performed on 3T MRI images using a scanning sequence that provides high gray matter/white matter/cerebrospinal fluid contrast. Inter- and intra-rater reliabilities, measured in 10 healthy individuals, demonstrate that the protocol can be reliably implemented (intra-rater Dice similarity coefficient≥0.85, inter-rater≥0.77). This BNST tracing protocol provides the necessary foundation for future 3T MRI studies of the BNST in healthy controls and patient populations.
Astrocytes fuel the fire of lymphocyte toxicity after stroke.

Astrocytes weave their processes throughout the central nervous system (CNS), supporting and protecting delicate neurons via the regulation of cerebral blood flow, cerebral metabolism, and neurotransmission (1, 2). Astrocytes also form the backbone of the glial limitans, the unique blood–brain barrier (BBB) that sequesters the CNS away from the rest of the body (3). The role of astrocytes after a brain injury like ischemic stroke is complex, with evidence demonstrating both beneficial and deleterious roles of astrocytes in stroke pathology (4⇓⇓⇓–8). Following CNS insults, astrocytes react robustly, releasing proinflammatory mediators that recruit immune cells and initiate the formation of a glial scar to contain the area of injury and restore the integrity of the BBB (3). However, little is currently known about interactions between astrocytes and the peripheral immune system following brain injury. In PNAS, Li et al. (9) report that astrocyte-derived IL-15 is a major driver of tissue damage and poor outcome after cerebral ischemia, an effect that is dependent upon the ability of IL-15 to specifically enhance the activation and cytotoxic effector functions of natural killer (NK) cells and CD8+ T lymphocytes (Fig. 1). Fig. 1. In response to inflammatory signals released by dying cells after ischemia, astrocytes up-regulate IL-15. IL-15 complexes with IL-15Rα before being transported to the … [↵][1]1To whom correspondence should be addressed. Email: Louise.D.McCullough{at}uth.tmc.edu. [1]: #xref-corresp-1-1
Few-layer black phosporous PMOSFETs with BN/AI 2 O 3 bilayer gate dielectric: Achieving I on =850μA/μm, g m =340μS/μm, and R c =0.58kΩ·μm

In this paper, high-performance few-layer black phosphorus (BP) PMOSFETs have been demonstrated by using MOCVD BN and ALD Al 2 O 3 as the top-gate dielectric as well as the passivation layer. Highest Ion of 850μA/μm (V ds = −1.8 V) and g m of 340μS/μm (Vds = −0.8 V) have been achieved with the 200nm chancel length (L ch ) devices. Record low contact resistance (R c ) of 0.58kΩ·μm has been obtained on BP transistors by contact engineering. The gate leakage of the BN/Al 2 O 3 bilayer gate dielectric is less than 10−12A/μm2 (V g = −1V) with an EOT of 3nm. SS and hysteresis voltage as low as 70mV/dec and 0.1V have been achieved, indicating a high quality interface between BP and BN.
Can Persistent Organic Radicals Find Function

Yuping Wang is a member of Chem 's Next-Generation Advisory Board. He obtained his BS degree in chemistry from Peking University, where he worked on synthesizing organic molecular sensors and mechanochemistry-related topics under the supervision of Prof. Yuguo Ma. In the summer of 2012, he joined Northwestern University to pursue his PhD in chemistry within the research group of Sir Fraser Stoddart. His research focuses on developing functional systems by taking advantage of the radical-pairing interactions between viologens. Upon graduation, he plans to obtain postdoctoral experience before beginning his own academic career.
Fiction in the “Post-Truth” Era: The Ironic Effects of Autofiction

ABSTRACTAutofiction occupies a liminal space between fiction and nonfiction that requires continuous adjustments to the reading process as the novel vacillates between biographical fact and outright fiction. “Post-truth” may have been Oxford Dictionary’s 2016 Word of the Year, but the popularity of autofiction demonstrates that, while readers like to toy with the idea of truth being in the eye of the beholder, they ultimately maintain a line of demarcation between fact and fiction. Despite poststructuralist assertions to the contrary, there remains a difference in effect between a factual story and a fictional one. On the other hand, readers’ ability to navigate autofiction’s narrative intricacies demonstrates the wider cultural acceptance of those same poststructuralist ideas. Autofictions consciously play with readerly expectations about memoir and fiction, thwarting both, thereby simultaneously calling into question, and making a case for, the importance of distinguishing between fact and fiction.
Taxanes-based neoadjuvant chemotherapy in advanced nonmetastatic breast cancer.

e12033 Background: Pakistan has the highest rate of breast cancer for any South Asian population and majority of the patients present with locally advanced or metastatic disease. We report on respo...
A Naphtho-p-quinodimethane Exhibiting Baird's (Anti)Aromaticity, Broken Symmetry, and Attractive Photoluminescence.

We report a novel reductive desulfurization reaction involving π-acidic naphthalene diimides (NDI) 1 using thionating agents such as Lawesson’s reagent. Along with the expected thionated NDI derivatives 2–6, new heterocyclic naphtho-p-quinodimethane compounds 7 depicting broken/reduced symmetry were successfully isolated and fully characterized. Empirical studies and theoretical modeling suggest that 7 was formed via a six-membered ring oxathiaphosphenine intermediate rather than the usual four-membered ring oxathiaphosphetane of 2–6. Aside from the reduced symmetry in 7 as confirmed by single-crystal XRD analysis, we established that the ground state UV–vis absorption of 7 is red-shifted in comparison to the parent NDI 1. This result was expected in the case of thionated polycyclic diimides. However, unusual low energy transitions originate from Baird 4nπ aromaticity of compounds 7 in lieu of the intrinsic Huckel (4n + 2)π aromaticity as encountered in NDI 1. Moreover, complementary theoretical modeling ...
Persistent light to moderate alcohol intake and lung function: A longitudinal study.

Abstract Alcohol intake has been inconsistently associated with lung function levels in cross-sectional studies. The goal of our study was to determine whether longitudinally assessed light-to-moderate alcohol intake is associated with levels and decline of lung function. We examined data from 1333 adult participants in the population-based Tucson Epidemiological Study of Airway Obstructive Disease. Alcohol intake was assessed with four surveys between 1972 and 1992. Subjects who completed at least two surveys were classified into longitudinal drinking categories (“never”, “inconsistent”, or “persistent drinker”). Spirometric lung function was measured in up to 11 surveys between 1972 and 1992. Random coefficient models were used to test for differences in lung function by drinking categories. After adjustment for sex, age, height, education, BMI categories, smoking status, and pack-years, as compared to never-drinkers, persistent drinkers had higher FVC (coefficient: 157 mL, p
Glucocorticoid receptor signaling in the eye.

Glucocorticoids (GCs) are essential steroid hormones that regulate numerous metabolic and homeostatic functions in almost all physiological systems. Synthetic glucocorticoids are among the most commonly prescribed drugs for the treatment of various conditions including autoimmune, allergic and inflammatory diseases. Glucocorticoids are mainly used for their potent anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive activities mediated through signal transduction by their nuclear receptor, the glucocorticoid receptor (GR). Emerging evidence showing that diverse physiological and therapeutic actions of glucocorticoids are tissue-, cell-, and sex-specific, suggests more complex actions of glucocorticoids than previously anticipated. While several synthetic glucocorticoids are widely used in the ophthalmology clinic for the treatment of several ocular diseases, little is yet known about the mechanism of glucocorticoid signaling in different layers of the eye. GR has been shown to be expressed in different cell types of the eye such as cornea, lens, and retina, suggesting an important role of GR signaling in the physiology of these ocular tissues. In this review, we provide an update on the recent findings from in vitro and in vivo studies reported in the last 5 years that aim at understanding the role of GR signaling specifically in the eye. Advances in studying the physiological effects of glucocorticoids in the eye are vital for the elaboration of optimized and targeted GC therapies with potent anti-inflammatory potential while minimizing adverse effects.
Geopolitical television at the (b)order: liminality, global politics, and world-building in The Bridge

This article interrogates the geopolitical content of the internationally popular television series Bron/Broen (‘The Bridge’) and its two subsequent adaptations. In my analysis of The Bridge as a g...
Migration: Anthropological Perspectives

This article traces some of the key developments in the anthropology of migration, focusing particularly on critical trends at the end of the twentieth and the beginning of the twenty-first centuries. Among these are the formulation and analysis of transnationalism; the exploration of processes of inclusion and exclusion, together with new considerations of the meaning of citizenship; the problematization of multiculturalism and hyperdiversity coinciding with a renewed emphasis on the local in relation to the global; and a continued interrogation of the gendered dimensions of migration.
Who’s Involvement in the Controversy

An important outcome of the Kennedy Hearings was to shift the locus of policy action in the infant formula controversy to the World Health Organization (WHO) in Geneva. The first step by the WHO was to co-sponsor, with UNICEF, an international meeting on Infant and Young Child Feeding in Geneva, Switzerland, on October 9-12, 1979. The objective of the meeting was to stimulate discussion among participants leading to “affirmative actions to be implemented” for improving infant malnutrition and mortality.1
Arithmeticity and Theta Correspondence on an Orthogonal Group

In this paper we discuss several related topics in the theory of automorphic forms, on which the author’s current research is focused. Roughly speaking, we shall deal with the questions of arithmeticity regarding special values of certain zeta and L-functions, as well as algebraicity results concerning periods and Fourier coefficients of certain automorphic forms.
A Joint Detection and Decoding Receiver Design for Polar Coded MIMO Wireless Transmissions

This work develops a novel design of joint detection and decoding receiver for multiple-input multiple output (MIMO) wireless transmissions that utilizes polar codes in forward error correction (FEC). To optimize the overall receiver performance, we integrate the polar code constraints during signal detection by relaxing and transforming FEC code constraints from the original Galois field to the real field. We propose a novel joint linear programming (LP) optimization formulation that takes into consideration the transformed polar code constraints when designing a novel receiver robust against practical obstacles including channel state information (CSI) errors, additive noises, co-channel interferences, and pilot contamination. Our newly proposed joint LP formulation can also be integrated with reduced complexity polar decoders such as successive cancellation (SC) and successive cancellation list (SCL) decoders to deliver superior receiver performance at low cost.
Teacher Candidates’ Experiences Taking Up Issues of Race and Racism in an Urban Education Fellowship Program

This study contributes to ongoing conversations about mechanisms to support preservice teachers, especially those who are White and middle class, in learning about race and racism in preparation fo...
Feeding state sculpts a circuit for sensory valence in Caenorhabditis elegans.

Hunger affects the behavioral choices of all animals, and many chemosensory stimuli can be either attractive or repulsive depending on an animal’s hunger state. Although hunger-induced behavioral changes are well documented, the molecular and cellular mechanisms by which hunger modulates neural circuit function to generate changes in chemosensory valence are poorly understood. Here, we use the CO_2 response of the free-living nematode Caenorhabditis elegans to elucidate how hunger alters valence. We show that CO_2 response valence shifts from aversion to attraction during starvation, a change that is mediated by two pairs of interneurons in the CO_2 circuit, AIY and RIG. The transition from aversion to attraction is regulated by biogenic amine signaling. Dopamine promotes CO_2 repulsion in well-fed animals, whereas octopamine promotes CO_2 attraction in starved animals. Biogenic amines also regulate the temporal dynamics of the shift from aversion to attraction such that animals lacking octopamine show a delayed shift to attraction. Biogenic amine signaling regulates CO_2 response valence by modulating the CO_2-evoked activity of AIY and RIG. Our results illuminate a new role for biogenic amine signaling in regulating chemosensory valence as a function of hunger state.
NO LARGE BIAS WITHIN SPECIES BETWEEN THE RECONSTRUCTED AREAS OF COMPLETE AND FRAGMENTED FOSSIL LEAVES

Taphonomic processes may filter in a biased manner the tiny fraction of leaves preserved as fossils. A common perception is that large leaves are underrepresented; this is based both on intuition (large leaves are more likely to break apart) and some observations of extant vegetation. Characterizing leaf area correctly is critical for reconstructing climate and for studying evolutionary and biogeographic patterns. In extant dicotyledonous angiosperms, leaf area generally scales with the inverse of second-order vein density. This scaling offers the potential to test if fossil leaf fragments were derived from leaves that were larger than complete (or nearly complete) fossil leaves of the same species. Here we test vein scaling on 573 complete leaves from the latest Cretaceous Hell Creek Formation and earliest Paleocene Fort Union Formation in the Williston Basin of western North and South Dakota. We find a strong scaling similar to extant vegetation, with a somewhat shallower slope (1.67 vs. 2.04) and lower r2 (0.64 vs. 0.80). We apply these two scalings to 41 species-site pairs from the Williston Basin that are each represented by complete (n = 355) and fragmented (n = 387) leaves. With both scalings, the reconstructed leaf areas of fragments are on average 10% larger (±36% 1σ) than their complete companions. This small but noisy signal means that the underrepresentation of large leaves, as captured by our study design, is probably not critical for most fossil applications. Comparing directly the reconstructed areas of complete and fragmented leaves appears reasonable, thus expanding the usefulness of fossil leaf fragments.
Secure Modules for Undergraduate Software Engineering Courses

Security affects every software component in different types of computing systems. Many vulnerabilities and attacks on software systems are due to security weaknesses in the software itself. During the process of software specification, development, or testing, security issues are either taken into consideration insufficiently or not at all. Such software, due to internal weaknesses is prone to new attacks. By teaching secure software engineering techniques for designing and developing software modules, students would learn systematic secure software development techniques, such as defect detecting and security testing. This paper presents a series of modules that are designed to be integrated into undergraduate software engineering courses from a security perspective. The goal of the modules is to teach the building of robust software security requirements, secure software design and development, and secure software verification through a secure software development lifecycle.
Age- and sex-dependent impact of repeated social stress on morphology of rat prefrontal cortex pyramidal neurons

Chronic stress can lead to psychiatric illness characterized by impairments of executive function, implicating the prefrontal cortex as a target of stress-related pathology. Previous studies have shown that various types of chronic stress paradigms reduce dendritic branching, length and spines of medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) pyramidal neurons. However, these studies largely focused on layer II/III pyramidal neurons in adult male rats with less known about layer V, the site of projection neurons. Because the prefrontal cortex develops throughout adolescence, stress during adolescence may have a greater impact on structure and function than stress occurring during adulthood. Furthermore, females display greater risk of stress-related psychiatric disorders, indicating sex-specific responses to stress. In this study, male and female adolescent (42-48 days old, 4 rats per group) or adult (68-72 days old, 4 rats per group) Sprague-Dawley rats were exposed to 5 days of repeated social stress in the resident-intruder paradigm or control manipulation. We examined dendritic morphology of cells in the mPFC in both layer II/III and Layer V. Repeated social stress resulted in decreased dendritic branching in layer II/III apical dendrites regardless of sex or age. In apical layer V dendrites, stress increased branching in adult males but decreased it in all other groups. Stress resulted in a decrease in dendritic spines in layer V apical dendrites for male adolescents and female adults, and this was mostly due to a decrease in filopodial and mushroom spines for male adolescents, but stubby spines for female adults. In sum, these results suggest that repeated stress reduces complexity and synaptic connectivity in adolescents and female adults in both input and output layers of prelimbic mPFC, but not in male adults. These changes may represent a potential underlying mechanism as to why adolescents and females are more susceptible to the negative cognitive effects of repeated or chronic stress.
Adult second language learners’ social network development and perceived fluency gain in an intensive English program abroad

Abstract This study investigated the social networks developed by language learners during 14 weeks of an intensive English as a second language (ESL) program using the Study Abroad Social Interaction Questionnaire (Dewey, Bown, Baker, Martinsen, Gold, & Eggett, 2014; Dewey, Bown, & Eggett, 2012). It also utilized native speaker judgments to evaluate ESL fluency development. Results showed that participants were successful in developing complex social networks, that their oral fluency increased significantly, and that fluency gains were related to L2 social networks. Density (average number of people in a social group) was the most important predictor of fluency gain when only social network variables were considered. In a hierarchical regression, initial proficiency level and percentage of native English speakers in one’s network were the most significant of the established variables in the first step, and overall network size and density were the most important of the added social network variables in the second step.
Human VP8* mAbs neutralize rotavirus selectively in human intestinal epithelial cells

We previously generated 32 rotavirus-specific (RV-specific) recombinant monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) derived from B cells isolated from human intestinal resections. Twenty-four of these mAbs were specific for the VP8* fragment of RV VP4, and most (20 of 24) were non-neutralizing when tested in the conventional MA104 cell-based assay. We reexamined the ability of these mAbs to neutralize RVs in human intestinal epithelial cells including ileal enteroids and HT-29 cells. Most (18 of 20) of the "non-neutralizing" VP8* mAbs efficiently neutralized human RV in HT-29 cells or enteroids. Serum RV neutralization titers in adults and infants were significantly higher in HT-29 than MA104 cells and adsorption of these sera with recombinant VP8* lowered the neutralization titers in HT-29 but not MA104 cells. VP8* mAbs also protected suckling mice from diarrhea in an in vivo challenge model. X-ray crystallographic analysis of one VP8* mAb (mAb9) in complex with human RV VP8* revealed that the mAb interaction site was distinct from the human histo-blood group antigen binding site. Since MA104 cells are the most commonly used cell line to detect anti-RV neutralization activity, these findings suggest that prior vaccine and other studies of human RV neutralization responses may have underestimated the contribution of VP8* antibodies to the overall neutralization titer.
Labeling Monoclonal Antibody with α-emitting 211At at High Activity Levels via a Tin Precursor.

Background: In a previous clinical study, the authors evaluated the potential of antitenascin C monoclonal antibody (mAb) 81C6 labeled with 211At via the prosthetic agent N-succinimidyl 3-[211At]as...
The impact of deep convolutional neural network-based artificial intelligence on colonoscopy outcomes: A systematic review with meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND AND AIM The utility of artificial intelligence (AI) in colonoscopy has gained popularity in current times. Recent trials have evaluated the efficacy of deep convolutional neural network (DCNN)-based AI system in colonoscopy for improving adenoma detection rate (ADR) and polyp detection rate (PDR). We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of the available studies to assess the impact of DCNN-based AI-assisted colonoscopy in improving the ADR and PDR. METHODS We queried the following database for this study: PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Web of Sciences, and Computers and Applied Sciences. We only included randomized controlled trials that compared AI colonoscopy to standard colonoscopy (SC). Our outcomes included ADR and PDR. Risk ratios (RR) with 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated using random effects model and DerSimonian-Laird approach for each outcome. RESULTS A total of three studies with 2815 patients (1415 in SC group and 1400 in AI group) were included. AI colonoscopy resulted in significantly improved ADR (32.9% vs 20.8%, RR: 1.58, 95% CI 1.39-1.80, P = < 0.001) and PDR (43.0% vs 27.8%, RR: 1.55, 95% CI 1.39-1.72, P = < 0.001) compared with SC. CONCLUSION Given the results and limitations, the utility of AI colonoscopy holds promise and should be evaluated in more randomized controlled trials across different population, especially in patients solely undergoing colonoscopy for screening purpose as improved ADR will ultimately help in reducing incident colorectal cancer.
Foreign-born TESOL Instructors Assisting Adult Immigrant Learners to Develop Civic Literacy Skills: A Pen Pal Project

This article discusses the contributions of foreign-born TESOL instructors helping adult language learners develop literacy skills through a pen pal project, which lasted 10 weeks and consisted of writing letters back and forth weekly. The project provided adult immigrant learners with an opportunity to practice meaningful writing to support their English literacy development. The research questions include how do foreign-born TESOL instructors support adult immigrant learners develop literacy through a pen pal project? and what components of the pen pal project promote the development of civic literacy skills? Data for this article come from 159 letters product of the writing exchange between instructors and learners, and individual conversational interviews with the instructors. Study findings are presented through four themes: teachers as cultural informants, emotional connection, life and learning advice, and adult ESL learners’ linguistic competence. Study findings add to the body of literature focusing on the powerful contributions of foreign-born TESOL instructors to the education and language-culture acquisition of adult immigrant English learners.
Novel clinical manifestations and treatment of hereditary apoA-I amyloidosis: when a good protein turns bad.

Amyloidoses are life-threatening diseases caused by the deposition of various proteins including apolipoprotein A-I, the major protein of plasma high-density lipoprotein. Timely diagnostics of amyloidoses are crucial for their treatment. Colombat et al. reported novel aspects of the hereditary apolipoprotein A-I amyloidosis, including its unexpected clinical presentation and genetic origins, as well as life- and vision-saving hepatorenal transplantation. This study improves the diagnostics of apolipoprotein A-I amyloidosis, optimizes its treatment, and expands our understanding of the molecular basis of this multipronged disease.
Titanium nitride-supported Cu–Ni bifunctional electrocatalysts for CO2 reduction and the oxygen evolution reaction

This work reports the fabrication of a bifunctional electrocatalyst capable of the CO2 reduction reaction (CO2RR) and the O2 evolution reaction (OER). The catalyst was fabricated by the electrodeposition of a Cu–Ni alloy onto titanium nitride (TiN) nanoparticles on carbon mesh. The use of TiN on carbon as a solid support greatly enhances both the CO2 reduction and O2 evolution catalytic activity of the Cu–Ni particles. By combining both the CO2RR and OER in a two-electrode device, this bifunctional system exhibited good durability for 24 hours at an overpotential of 670 mV at 2 mA cm−2. In this configuration, this device produced 19.1% CO and 6.7% formate as products of the CO2RR. Through cyclic voltammetry studies, it was found that Cu–Ni preferentially deposits on TiN as compared to bare carbon, thus allowing for more Cu–Ni to be uniformly deposited, which significantly enhances catalysis. Current densities normalized to the amount of the Cu–Ni catalyst demonstrate that Cu–Ni on TiN/C is significantly more active per gram of catalyst. X-ray diffraction studies suggest that the Cu (111) and Ni (111) facets contribute to the enhanced catalytic activity.
Is the Gap in Incidence of Cardiovascular Events in Rheumatoid Arthritis Really Closing

It has been recognized for several decades that individuals with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) have shorter life spans than age- and sex-matched individuals without RA, and that the greatest contribution to this increased mortality in RA is cardiovascular (CV) disease, particularly acute myocardial infarctions (AMIs). In metaanalyses of observational studies, the risk of AMI was 68% higher, and the risk of mortality from AMI 59% higher, in patients with RA compared to general population controls.1,2 The causal factor hypothesized to explain these CV risk differences is the exaggerated inflammatory process that is inherent to RA and persists throughout the disease course of RA to varying degrees. Atherosclerosis has been demonstrated histologically to be an inflammatory process with infiltration of monocytes and T cells as an early event in plaque formation.3 This intraplaque inflammatory process can lead directly to erosion and rupture of plaque membrane through cytokine-induced metalloproteinase production, leading to extrusion of thrombogenic material into the vessel lumen and consequent thrombosis and ischemic events.3 Many of the inflammatory cells and molecules in the inflamed and ruptured plaque are represented in the synovia and blood of patients with RA, suggesting that RA further fuels the atherogenic process. A critical question therefore is whether aggressive reduction of inflammation in RA will reduce the enhanced risk of CV disease relative to the general population, or even to levels below the general population. The treatment of RA has changed dramatically in recent decades, beginning with the introduction of methotrexate (MTX) in the late 1980s, anticytokine and other targeted therapies in the late 1990s, and the emphasis on aggressive treat-to-target management of RA in the 2000s. With these advances, there was an expectation that CV morbidity and mortality in RA would decrease accordingly. Specifically, investigators have asked (1) if CV event … Address correspondence to Dr. J.M. Bathon, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of Rheumatology, Columbia University Irving Medical Center/New York Presbyterian Hospital, New York, NY 10032, USA. Email: jmb2311{at}columbia.edu.
An electrolyte with lithium dendrites suppression for high temperature operability

Abstract The state-of-art Li-ion batteries have revolutionized the portable electronic industry and first-generation electric vehicles due to their high energy density at ambient temperatures. Owing to catastrophic failures under heat, these power devices are incompatible for applications such as in defence arsenals, subsurface drilling, space exploration and medical appliances, where performance at high-temperatures are as critical. Herein, we report an electrolyte formulation consists of Lithium bis(oxalato)borate (LiBOB) salt dissolved in propylene carbonate that enables lithium batteries to operate at extended temperature regime (>100 °C). The fundamental characterization of electrolyte system such as ionic conductivity, and internal resistance with respect to temperature promising for desired applications. Further, the electrolyte system is used to fabricate lithium batteries and the observed electrochemical results and lithium dendrites suppression capability confirmed its suitability for extended temperature applications without compromising ambient temperature performance.
Spatial regulation of cell motility and its fitness effect in a surface-attached bacterial community.

On a surface, microorganisms grow into a multi-cellular community. When a community becomes densely populated, cells migrate away to expand the community’s territory. How microorganisms regulate surface motility to optimize expansion remains poorly understood. Here, we characterized surface motility of Proteus mirabilis. P. mirabilis is well known for its ability to expand its colony rapidly on a surface. Cursory visual inspection of an expanding colony suggests partial migration, i.e., one fraction of a population migrates while the other is sessile. Quantitative microscopic imaging shows that this migration pattern is determined by spatially inhomogeneous regulation of cell motility. Further analyses reveal that this spatial regulation is mediated by the Rcs system, which represses the expression of the motility regulator (FlhDC) in a nutrient-dependent manner. Alleviating this repression increases the colony expansion speed but results in a rapid drop in the number of viable cells, lowering population fitness. These findings collectively demonstrate how Rcs regulates cell motility dynamically to increase the fitness of an expanding bacterial population, illustrating a fundamental trade-off underlying bacterial colonization of a surface.
Organizational consequences of the hydrophobic interaction

If otherwise hydrophobic molecules also contain hydrophilic groups, they become known as “amphiphilic” and they are then subject to a potent organizational effect, which orients each molecule so as to satisfy as far as possible the thermodynamic requirements of both parts of the molecule. One consequence is the formation of monolayers of oil on water, which has been of great historical importance in physics and chemistry, leading to the first determinations of molecular size, symmetry and flexibility. The most important role of this kind of organizational force, however, is in biology. Here amphiphilic phospholipid molecules are organized into bilayers that are essential to the very existence of a living cell, defining the boundary between the inside of a cell and its environment. The formation of specific structures of proteins, too, is dominated by the hydrophobic interaction: in this case the need to fold the protein in such a way (intricately, with many twists and turns) as to minimize contact between hydrophobic groups and the surrounding aqueous medium. It is not an exaggeration to say that hydrophobic interactions are essential for all aspects of the chemistry of life as we know it.
Effect of support on noble metal catalysts for three-way conversions

Noble metals including small amounts of rhodium (Pt/Rh = 14 approximately 19 weight ratio) supported on silica, alumina and silica-alumina were tested for three-way conversions. Catalysts were evaluated fresh, after in-situ hydrothermal aging at 816/sup 0/C, and after cyclic pulsator aging at 538/sup 0/C approximately 704/sup 0/C. All samples exhibited good three-way conversions when fresh. Overall, the catalysts supported on alumina performed the best based on resistance toward chemical poisons such as Pb, P and S.
A numerical study on NOx formation in laminar counterflow CH4/air triple flames

Abstract Formation of NOx in counterflow methane/air triple flames at atmospheric pressure was investigated by numerical simulation. Detailed chemistry and complex thermal and transport properties were employed. Results indicate that in a triple flame, the appearance of the diffusion flame branch and the interaction between the diffusion flame branch and the premixed flame branches can significantly affect the formation of NOx, compared to the corresponding premixed flames. A triple flame produces more NO and NO2 than the corresponding premixed flames due to the appearance of the diffusion flame branch where NO is mainly produced by the thermal mechanism. The contribution of the N2O intermediate route to the total NO production in a triple flame is much smaller than those of the thermal and prompt routes. The variation in the equivalence ratio of the lean or rich premixed mixture affects the amount of NO formation in a triple flame. The interaction between the diffusion and the premixed flame branches causes the NO and NO2 formation in a triple flame to be higher than in the corresponding premixed flames, not only in the diffusion flame branch region but also in the premixed flame branch regions. However, this interaction reduces the N2O formation in a triple flame to a certain extent. The interaction is caused by the heat transfer and the radical diffusion from the diffusion flame branch to the premixed flame branches. With the decrease in the distance between the diffusion flame branch and the premixed flame branches, the interaction is intensified.
Thyroid Disorders in the Elderly

Disorders of thyroid function, especially hypothyroidism, are very common in the elderly. The subclinical variants of hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism are much more common than the overt conditions. Thyroid nodular disease occurs in a vast majority of the elderly, usually due to benign conditions. However, thyroid carcinoma tends to be more aggressive in the elderly so that appropriate diagnosis and treatment are essential for a good outcome.
Urinary stress incontinence: differential diagnosis, pathophysiology, and management.

Abstract It is appropriate to introduce this review of the subject of urinary stress incontinence with a discussion of other disorders that may produce abnormal urinary leakage, at times even simulating true anatomic stress incontinece. It is obviously important to correctly identify patients with these other conditions and not perform surgical procedures unlikely to relieve their symptoms. Thereafter, the underlying pathophysiology of stress incontinence is considered in detail, since its fundamental understanding serves as the basis for both accurate diagnosis and proper selection and effective execution of the operations designed to correct true anatomic stress incontinence. A final section on patient management covers choice of the optimal surgical procedure for each individual patient, end results that should be achievable by proper selection and performance of the various operations, and a description of some of the technical details that seem particularly helpful in carrying out the three principal types of surgical procedures currently in use.
Chapter 2 – Invariant Manifolds and Lagrangian Dynamics in the Ocean and Atmosphere

Abstract The ocean presents an exciting array of dynamical phenomena. The complex time dependence of the flow fields, the relevance of effects at a variety of scales, and the difficulty in collecting data all serve to make this a fertile area for the application of dynamical systems. We address here the question of Lagrangian transport in and around coherent features in the ocean. Examples of such features are the Gulf Stream and rings that detach from it. The focus is on the development of geometric techniques to track and quantify this transport. The key method is the isolation of invariant manifolds that act as boundaries of distinguished regions in the flow, such as eddies and recirculating cells, and orchestrate the transport associated with a given feature. In simple models, these are stable and unstable manifolds of fixed points. In flows with complex time dependence, such as occur in the ocean, such manifolds may not always make sense. We make the case here that these basic concepts of dynamical systems need to be adapted to accommodate such complex flows and that, moreover, this can be achieved with meaningful and significant results for the ocean and atmosphere.
Experimental demonstration of LIONS: A low latency optical switch for high performance computing

This paper experimentally demonstrates a low latency optical switch prototype leveraging the arrayed-waveguide-grating router (AWGR) based switching fabric and fast tunable lasers. The experimental results collected from the testbed are analyzed in detail, and then compared with the data generated by our network level switch simulator, verifying the accuracy of the simulator. Then the simulator is used to project the switch performance to high port count.
Replication and inactivation of a dicentric X formed by telomeric fusion

A woman complaining of secondary amenorrhea and infertility was found to have, in addition to a normal X chromosome, a long compound chromosome that consisted of two X chromosomes attached by telomeric fusion of the short arms without any apparent loss of genetic material, 46,X,dic(X)(pter), hereafter referred to as t(X;X). The t(X;X) chromosome was late replicating; the inactivation pattern was analyzed. It formed Barr bodies that were larger than normal, of which the majority were bipartite. Analysis of the X-chromatin masses supports our hypotheses that there is a region next to the centromere on the short arm of the inactive X chromosome that remains active and that there is an inactivation center located on Xq, a short distance from the centromere, around which the X chromatin condenses.
Impacts of industrial decision making on productivity and energy efficiency: examples from the integrated paper sector

Technology cost studies frequently find that 'cost effective' energy efficiency investments are feasible in many industry sectors. At the same time, many firms 'fail' to implement these investments. One empirical result of this 'failure' is an observed gap between average and 'best practice' plants. The reasons behind this alleged 'failure' are many; they include indirect costs of implementing the investments, attitudes toward risk and capital budgeting practices like 'capital rationing'. This paper explores the reasons for this failure from both a theoretical and empirical perspective. In particular, empirical evidence of the impact of 'capital rationing' and the observed gap between average and 'best practice' plants are drawn from a recent DOE study. This study examines the impact of mandated environmental investments on the productivity of paper and steel plants under capital availability constraints. The study also estimates the typical productivity and energy efficiency gap between average and 'best practice' plants and how that gap has changed over a 18 year period.
Chapter 8 – Use of immunoassay techniques for the determination of nicotine and its metabolites

Nicotine and cotinine are the compounds most frequently quantified by three different types of quantitative immunoassays based on radioactivity, spectrophotometry, and fluorescence measurements. Applications of immunoassay to other nicotine metabolites are described in this chapter. Cotinine is a compound commonly assayed to determine nicotine exposure from various sources. As a biomarker, cotinine possesses several desirable properties. It has a considerably longer half life than nicotine and is usually found in higher concentrations in the physiological fluids of the average smoker [6,48]. It is a relatively stable metabolite. Cotinine is absent (or present in only minute amounts) in tobacco and in the nicotine replacement devices designed to deliver nicotine per se , i.e., chewing gum, skin patches, nasal sprays, and inhalers. Its presence in physiological fluids clearly indicates that nicotine absorption and metabolism occurred. Immunoassays are continually modified to make them more sensitive, rapid, and easier to perform. For example, the RIAs for nicotine and cotinine are much more sensitive today with the availability of labeled nicotine of higher specific activity; (-)-[N-methyl-3H]nicotine currently in use has a specific activity of 60–87 Ci/mmol compared with (-)-[3H]nicotine, specific activity 2.4 Ci/mmol, used earlier. ELISAs are more sensitive when substrates with increased color yields are used. These devices (immunosensors) have the potential for increased sensitivity and rapid, simultaneous analysis of large numbers of test samples.
Pulsed Sagnac source of narrow-band polarization-entangled photons

We demonstrate pulsed operation of a bidirectionally pumped polarization Sagnac interferometric down-conversion source and its generation of narrow-band, high-visibility polarization-entangled photons. Driven by a narrow-band, mode-locked pump at 390.35 nm, the phase-stable Sagnac source with a type-II phase-matched periodically poled ${\text{KTiOPO}}_{4}$ crystal is capable of producing 0.01 entangled pair per pulse in a 0.15-nm bandwidth centered at 780.7 nm with 1 mW of average pump power at a repetition rate of 31.1 MHz. We have achieved a mean photon-pair generation rate of as high as 0.7 pair per pulse, at which multipair events dominate and significantly reduce the two-photon quantum-interference visibility. For low generation probability $\ensuremath{\alpha}$, the reduced visibility $V=1\ensuremath{-}\ensuremath{\alpha}$ is independent of the throughput efficiency and of the polarization analysis basis, which can be utilized to yield an accurate estimate of the generation rate $\ensuremath{\alpha}$. At low $\ensuremath{\alpha}$ we have characterized the source entanglement quality in three different ways: average quantum-interference visibility of 99%, the Clauser-Horne-Shimony-Holt $S$ parameter of $2.739\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.119$, and quantum state tomography with 98.85% singlet-state fidelity. The narrow-band pulsed Sagnac source of entangled photons is suitable for use in quantum information processing applications such as free-space quantum key distribution.