cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Small penetrant diffusion in polybutadiene: a molecular dynamics simulation study

Abstract Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations have been used to study the diffusion of methane as a small molecule penetrant example in cis -1,4-polybutadiene (PBD). The non-bonded potential for an ‘anisotropic’ united atom (AUA) representation of the CH= group was calibrated by adjusting the constants to fix experimental volume temperature data for the polymer melt. This potential was used along with an already available AUA function for the-CH 2 -group. The diffusion coefficient of methane was determined via MD simulation over a wide range of temperature. The results agree well with near room temperature experimental values for N 2 in cis -PBD. The latter gas is similar in diffusion behaviour to methane. The mechanism of diffusion in terms of the nature of the diffusive jump process and its response to temperature is found to be similar to that in atactic polypropylene and polyethylene melts. At low temperatures the penetrant is trapped for relatively long periods in a cage of surrounding polymer and makes occasional large jumps. As temperature increases the size of the jumps increases further. The quiescent trapped periods disappear and a liquid-like scattering regime prevails. This change in mechanism as temperature increases is accompanied by a decrease in activation energy. The diffusion in PBD is faster than in other hydrocarbon polymers studied so far by simulation (polyethylene, polysobutylene and atactic polypropylene). The order of diffusion coefficients correlates with the free volumes available in the polymer hosts.
The Economic Value of a Trading Floor: Evidence from the American Stock Exchange

This paper provides evidence that floor brokers add value that helps offset the higher cost of accessing the trading floor, making it a desirable venue for orders requiring more careful handling. We compare execution costs of non-block trades handled by Amex floor brokers with trades entered through its automated Post Execution Reporting (PER) system. Essentially, because floor traders can opportunistically seize liquidity without showing their hands too quickly, using a floor broker is equivalent to placing a 'smart' limit order. Overall, floor trades have a lower realized half-spread than PER trades (-3.06 bps versus 4.43 bps). This finding holds for other measures of execution costs as well and is consistent across all order-size categories. The light our findings shed on the value of intermediation in security markets also has implications for automated trading systems.
The child's social network: Sex differences from three to six years

The social networks of 85 young children as they make the transition from a home-centered to a more school-centered existence is examined using longitudinal data. When the children were three and six years of age, their mothers completed a questionnaire of network structure; at six years both the child and mother independently reported the friends that the child would invite to a birthday party. The effects of age and sex of child on the number and daily contact with peers, adults, kin, nonkin, males, and females were found. As expected, as children reached formal school age they had increased contact with peers and decreased contact with kin, while adult contact remained fairly consistent over the three- to six-year age period. Sex differences were also apparent. As predicted, children as early as 3 years, and to an even greater extent at six years, showed more same-sex compared to opposite-sex peer contact. At six years both children and mothers reported more same- as compared to opposite-sex friends who would be invited by the child to a birthday party. The findings suggest how children's social networks, as shaped by their parents and themselves, provide a framework within which experience and interaction is structured to fit cultural norms.
The presence of chondroitin sulfate in parotid secretory granules and saliva of the rat

The presence of chondroitin sulfate in secretory granules of the rat parotid gland and its saliva was revealed by radioactive sulfate incorporation, followed by isolation and partial characterization of the sulfated species contained within the granules and in the parotid saliva. 35SO 4 = was incorporated into chromatographically identical macromolecular material both in vitro, in a gland-slice system followed by isolation of granule contents, and in vivo as measured in the pure parotid secretion following intravenous administration of 35SO 4 = . The majority of the 35SO 4 = label appeared in a peak in the region where the family of acidic proline-rich proteins elute from a DEAE-Sephadex A-50 column. Papain digestion freed the sulfated material from the bulk of protein present in this peak, leaving sulfate-labelled material that chromatographed on Sepharose CL6B as a single peak corresponding to a molecular weight of 13000 daltons. The ratio of uronic acid to amino sugar in this sulfated peak was 0.56. The sulfated material was susceptible to degradation by chondroitinase AC. The presence of this chondroitin sulfate in secretory granules and saliva is consistent with previous suggestions that sulfated polyanions may play a role in formation and maturation of secretory granules.
What’s It Worth to You? The Questionable Value of Instrumentalist Approaches to Ethnic Identification:

The assertion that material interests underlie ethnic identification is central to instrumentalist approaches to ethnicity. However, recent approaches—circumstantialism and constructivism—refine in...
P-021 Safety and efficacy of balloon-assisted coil embolization of intracranial aneurysms: a single institution experience

Purpose The safety of the balloon remodeling technique remains a matter of debate. In this report we analyze the safety of the balloon remodeling technique compared with coil embolization alone for the treatment of ruptured and unruptured intracranial aneurysms. Material and Methods We retrospectively reviewed the medical records, procedures notes, and angiograms of 491 patients treated with coil embolization alone and the balloon remodeling technique from March 2002 to March 2010 at the Division of Interventional Neuroradiology at NYPH/Weill Cornell Medical Center. The aneurysms were classified in two groups according to the size of the aneurysm dome: 7 mm or less and larger than 7 mm. A wide-necked aneurysm was defined as a neck diameter >4 mm or a dome-to-neck ratio Results A total of 491 aneurysms (371 women, 120 men; mean age, 55.36±12.35 [SD]; range, 11–92 years) were embolized. 236 aneurysms were treated using the balloon remodeling technique, however; in 8 cases (3.4%) the balloon placement failed. Of the 491 treated aneurysms, 274 aneurysms (55.8%) presented with a previously ruptured aneurysm. 303 aneurysms (61.8%) measured 7 mm or less and 187 (38.2%) were larger than 7 mm. Dome-to-neck ratio was 1.5 or less in 169 (34.4%) and >1.5 in 322 patients (65.6%). Thromboembolic events, intraprocedural rupture, and device-related problems were encountered in 12 (2.4%), 19 (3.9%) and 16 (3.3%) patients respectively, for both treatment modalities. The rate of adverse events related to the balloon remodeling technique was seen in 26 cases (5.3%) compared to coil embolization alone that was 21 cases (4.3%). Patients treated with coil embolization alone were more likely to have a previously ruptured aneurysm compared to the balloon remodeling group (67.8% vs 42.8%). There was no statistical difference between both groups after treatment of aneurysms with a dome to neck ratio 2 test). The risk of thromboembolic events was the same in both groups (OR=0.92; 95% CI 0.29 to 2.91; p=0.89). A trend toward a lower risk of intraprocedural rupture was observed in the coil embolization group, but the results were not significant (OR=0.53; 95% CI 0.20 to 1.36; p=0.19). There was no statistical difference detected for the risk of device-related problems in both groups (OR=0.92; 95% CI 0.34 to 2.50; p=0.88). Conclusions The balloon remodeling technique does not increase the risks of periprocedural complications associated with endovascular embolization of intracranial aneurysms.
A Comparison of Hepes and Bicarbonate Buffered Intraocular Irrigating Solutions: Effects on Endothelial Function in Human and Rabbit Corneas

AbstractThese studies were undertaken to evaluate the effects of a HEPES-buffered intraocular irrigating solution on endothelial ultrastructure and function in perfused human and rabbit corneas. Rabbit corneas perfused with the HEPES solution swelled at a rate of 26.5 ± 2.2 μm/hr, while control corneas perfused with GBR did not swell over 3 hr of perfusion. In the HEPES-perfused human corneas, temperature reversal was inhibited and the corneas swelled slightly. BSS Plus-perfused human controls deswelled at — 16.6 ± 3.5 μm/hr. Scanning and transmission electron microscopy revealed no significant differences in ultrastructure between HEPES-perfused and control corneas. Na+K+ATPase activities of endothelial homogenates were reduced nearly 25% in HEPES buffer compared to bicarbonate. The results of this study indicate that HEPES-buffered Ringer's solution cannot maintain proper function of the corneal endothelium because of its lack of bicarbonate ion and because of the toxicity of HEPES on endothelial Na+K+A...
A reexamination of the classical PKN model of hydraulic fracture

This article reexamines the classical PKN model of hydraulic fracture Perkins and Kern (J. Pet. Tech. Trans. AIME, 222:937–949 (1961)) and Nordgren (J. Pet. Tech. 253:306–314 (1972)) using novel approaches, which have recently been developed to tackle this class of problems that are characterized by a moving boundary and strong non-linearities in the governing equations. First, we demonstrate, using scaling arguments only, that a PKN hydraulic fracture has two limiting time asymptotic behaviors: storage-dominated at small time, and leak-off-dominated at large time. Next, we investigate the multiscale nature of the tip asymptotics and its implication for the construction of a robust and efficient numerical algorithm. In particular, we show that in the storage-dominated regime the tip aperture w behaves according to w ~ x 1/3 (where x is the distance from the tip), and in the leak-off-dominated regime according to w ~ x 3/8. However, the solution in the leak-off-dominated regime has a boundary layer structure at the tip, with w ~ x 3/8 acting as an intermediate asymptote that matches an inner solution with a w ~ x 1/3 asymptote to the outer (global) solution. Finally, we describe an efficient numerical algorithm with the multiscale tip asymptotics embedded in the tip element, which is used to compute the transient solution that connects the small- and large-time asymptotes.
Sampling in spatial vision.

The human visual system is capable of making spatial discriminations with extraordinary accuracy. In normal foveal vision, relative position, width or size can be judged with an accuracy much finer than the size or spacing of even the smallest foveal cones. This remarkable accuracy of spatial vision has been termed ‘hyper-acuity’1. Almost a century ago Ewald Hering proposed that the accuracy of Vernier acuity could be accounted for by averaging of discrete samples along the length of the lines comprising the targets2; however, the discovery that Vernier acuity of a few arc seconds could be achieved with dots has rendered the nature and role of sampling in spatial discrimination unclear3. We have been investigating the sampling of spatial information in central and peripheral vision (the perifovea) of normal human observers and in observers with strabismic amblyopia. Our results, presented here, show that peripheral vision and central vision of strabismic amblyopes differ qualitatively in their sampling characteristics from those of the normal fovea. Both the periphery and the central visual field of strabismic amblyopes demonstrate marked positional uncertainty which can be reduced by averaging of spatial information from discrete samples.
Federalist No. 1: How Would Publius Define Good Government Today?

Federalist No. 1 sets the basic framework for interpreting the U.S. Constitution. It contains an implied definition of “good government” that occupied the founders as they built a stronger national government. This essay explains the conflict embedded in the debate between the two theories of good government offered by Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson and asks how the competing definitions might be reconciled with recent experience.
Stable electrocatalysts for autonomous photoelectrolysis of hydrobromic acid using single-junction solar cells

Metal sulfides that are stable in bromine were investigated as electrocatalysts for hydrogen evolution in a photoelectrochemical device converting HBr to H2(g) and Br2(l). The photoanode was stabilized against photocorrosion using a poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) poly-(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) coating. Low loadings of rhodium sulfide nanoparticles were used as cathode electrocatalyst in place of platinum resulting in substantial improvement in the performance of a GaAs-based photosynthetic cell.
Toluene-extractable lipids of human urine, with characterization of a native emulsifer.

The lipids extracted by toluene in toluene-preserved urine were collected and characterized by thin-layer and gas-liquid chromatography. The lipids extracted by toluene and the lipids in human lipoproteins are similar. In addition, an emulsion of urine and toluene was obtained; the native emulsifying agent was analytically characterized.
Oxidation of H2 and CO over ion-exchanged X and Y zeolites.

Zeolites X and Y exchanged with Group IA cations were synthesized by aqueous ion exchange of NaX and NaY and used as catalysts in the oxidation of H2 and CO at temperatures ranging from 473 to 573 K. The CsX zeolite was the most active material of the series for both reactions whereas HX was the least active. Moreover, the oxidation of CO in H2 was very selective (∼80%) over the alkali-metal exchanged materials. Isotopic transient analysis of CO oxidation during steady-state reaction at 573 K was used to evaluate the coverage of reactive carbon-containing intermediates that lead to product as well as the pseudo-first-order rate constant of the reaction. A factor of 4 enhancement in activity achieved by exchanging Cs for Na was attributed to a higher coverage of reactive intermediates in CsX because the pseudo-first-order rate constant was nearly same for the two materials (∼0.7 s-1). The number of reactive intermediates on both materials was orders of magnitude below the number of alkali metal cations in ...
Oil plumes and dispersion in Langmuir, upper‐ocean turbulence: Large‐eddy simulations and K‐profile parameterization

Once oil plumes such as those originating from underwater blowouts reach the ocean mixed layer (OML), their near-surface dispersion is influenced heavily by wind and wave-generated Langmuir turbulence. In this study, the complex oil spill dispersion process is modeled using large-eddy simulation (LES). The mean plume dispersion is characterized by performing statistical analysis of the resulting fields from the LES data. Although the instantaneous oil concentration exhibits high intermittency with complex spatial patterns such as Langmuir-induced striations, it is found that the time-averaged oil distribution can still be described quite well by smooth Gaussian-type plumes. LES results show that the competition between droplet rise velocity and vertical turbulent diffusion due to Langmuir turbulence is crucial in determining both the dilution rate and overall direction of transport of oil plumes in the OML. The smoothness of the mean plume makes it feasible to aim at modeling the oil dispersion using Reynolds-averaged type formulations, such as the K-profile parameterization (KPP) with sufficient vertical resolution to capture vertical profiles in the OML. Using LES data, we evaluate the eddy viscosity and eddy diffusivity following the KPP framework. We assess the performance of previous KPP models for pure shear turbulence and Langmuir turbulence by comparing them with the LES data. Based on the assessment a modified KPP model is proposed, which shows improved overall agreement with the LES results for both the eddy viscosity and the eddy diffusivity of the oil dispersion under a variety of flow conditions and droplet sizes.
Effect of Assessment Scale on Spatial and Temporal Variations in CH4, CO2, and N2O Fluxes in a Forested Wetland

Emissions of methane (CH4), carbon dioxide (CO2), and nitrous oxide (N2O) from a forested watershed (160 ha) in South Carolina, USA, were estimated with a spatially explicit watershed-scale modeling framework that utilizes the spatial variations in physical and biogeochemical characteristics across watersheds. The target watershed (WS80) consisting of wetland (23%) and upland (77%) was divided into 675 grid cells, and each of the cells had unique combina- tion of vegetation, hydrology, soil properties, and topography. Driven by local climate, topography, soil, and vegetation conditions, MIKE SHE was used to generate daily flows as well as water table depth for each grid cell across the watershed. Forest-DNDC was then run for each cell to calculate its biogeochemistry including daily fluxes of the three greenhouse gases (GHGs). The simulated daily average CH4 ,C O2 and N2O flux from the watershed were 17.9 mg C, 1.3 g C and 0.7 mg N m −2 , respectively, during the period from 2003-2007. The average contributions of the wetlands to the CH4 ,C O2 and N2O emissions were about 95%, 20% and 18%, respectively. The spatial and temporal variation in the modeled CH4 ,C O 2 and N2 Of luxes were large, and closely related to hydrological con- ditions. To understand the impact of spatial heteroge- neity in physical and biogeochemical characteristics of the target watershed on GHG emissions, we used Forest-DNDC in a coarse mode (field scale), in which the entire watershed was set as a single simulated unit, where all hydrological, biogeochemical, and biophys- ical conditions were considered uniform. The results from the field-scale model differed from those modeled with the watershed-scale model which considered the spatial differences in physical and biogeochemical characteristics of the catchment. This contrast demon- strates that the spatially averaged topographic or biophysical conditions which are inherent with field- scale simulations could mask "hot spots" or small source areas with inherently high GHGs flux rates. The spatial resolution in conjunction with coupled hydro- logical and biogeochemical models could play a crucial role in reducing uncertainty of modeled GHG emissions from wetland-involved watersheds.
Question routing to user communities

An online community consists of a group of users who share a common interest, background, or experience and their collective goal is to contribute towards the welfare of the community members. Question answering is an important feature that enables community members to exchange knowledge within the community boundary. The overwhelming number of communities necessitates the need for a good question routing strategy so that new questions gets routed to the appropriately focused community and thus get resolved. In this paper, we consider the novel problem of routing questions to the right community and propose a framework to select the right set of communities for a question. We begin by using several prior proposed features for users and add some additional features, namely language attributes and inclination to respond, for community modeling. Then we introduce two k nearest neighbor based aggregation algorithms for computing community scores. We show how these scores can be combined to recommend communities and test the effectiveness of the recommendations over a large real world dataset.
Efficacy of Simultaneous Administration of Marek’s Disease and Viral Tenosynovitis Vaccines to Day-Old Broiler Chickens

Abstract Experiments were conducted to determine the efficacy of simultaneous administration at 1 day of age of the herpes virus of turkeys vaccine (HVT) and viral tenosynovitis (VT) vaccine. Day-old broilers from commercial breeders, which were immunized against both MD and VT, were used. The vaccines were injected at full dosage or diluted 1 to 4. Challenge with either Marek's disease virus (MDV; intraperitoneal) or VT virus (footpad) was at 7 days of age. At 7 wk of age, birds were weighed, killed, and examined for gross lesions. Either vaccine given at full dosage alone, or in combination, rendered birds resistant to homologous viral challenge. However, when either vaccine was diluted and administered alone, the efficacy of the VT but not the HVT vaccine was reduced, resulting in increased lesions and mortality and decreased weight gain after VT challenge. When the HVT vaccine was diluted and combined with undiluted VT vaccine, interference occurred, resulting in reduced efficacy of the HVT vaccine (increased tumors and mortality and reduced body weight). In contrast, combining the HVT at full dosage and the diluted VT vaccine resulted in no reduced efficacy of the VT product when compared with the diluted VT vaccine given alone. The data indicate that caution should be maintained when mixing HVT and VT vaccines. For maximum efficacy, both vaccines should be mixed undiluted when administered simultaneously.
Endothelial dysfunction and hypertension in rats transduced with CYP4A2 adenovirus

Vascular cytochrome P450 (CYP) 4A enzymes catalyze the synthesis of 20-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid (20-HETE), an eicosanoid which participates in the regulation of vascular tone by sensitizing the smooth muscle cells to constrictor and myogenic stimuli. This study was undertaken to investigate the consequences of CYP4A overexpression on blood pressure and endothelial function in rats treated with adenoviral vectors carrying the CYP4A2 construct. Intravenous injection of Adv-CYP4A2 increased blood pressure (from 114±1 to 133±1 mm Hg, P<0.001), and interlobar renal arteries from these rats displayed decreased relaxing responsiveness to acetylcholine, which was offset by treatment with an inhibitor of CYP4A. Relative to data in control rats, arteries from Adv-CYP4A2–transduced rats produced more 20-HETE (129±10 versus 97±7 pmol/mg protein, P<0.01) and less nitric oxide (NO; 4.2±1.6 versus 8.4±1 nmol nitrite+nitrate/mg; P<0.05). They also displayed higher levels of oxidative stress as measured by increased g...
Painlevé analysis and special solutions of two families of reaction—diffusion equations

Abstract A Painleve analysis is performed for two families of reaction—diffusion equations. Truncated expansions, relevant to equations having movable branch points at leading order, are used to construct special solutions for the two classes of reaction—diffusion equations. An auto-Backlund transformation between two solutions is constructed for an equation having a pole at leading order, leading to additional analytic solutions.
Evaluation of the ELOVL4 gene in patients with age-related macular degeneration.

Stargardt-like macular degeneration (STGD3) and autosomal dominant macular degeneration (adMD) share phenotypic characters with atrophic age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Mutations in a photoreceptor cell-specific factor involved in the elongation of very long chain fatty acids ( ELOVL4 ) were shown to be associated with STGD3, adMD, and pattern dystrophy. We screened 778 patients with AMD and 551 age-matched controls to define the role of sequence variants in the ELOVL4 gene in age-related macular degeneration. We detected three sequence variants in the non-coding region and eight variants in the coding region. No statistically significant association was observed between sequence variants in the ELOVL4 gene and susceptibility to AMD. However, for the detection of modest effects of multiple alleles in a complex disease, the analysis of larger cohorts of patients may be required.
The benefit of intrinsic disorder information in neural network prediction of calmodulin binding targets

Calmodulin is an important calcium dependent signaling protein found in all eukaryotic cells. Binding calcium enables calmodulin to bind its targets: basic, amphipathic /spl infin/-helices. Such binding regulates the activities of many proteins. Because calmodulin wraps completely around the target helix upon binding, it is hypothesized that disorder of a target helix is an important feature of this process. We have used several sequence derived features of calmodulin binding targets, including intrinsic order/disorder predictions, to construct neural networks based on permutations of three or more of these features. The resulting networks demonstrate that the addition of intrinsic order/disorder information always increases the performance of a given neural network predictor. The best predictor generated has a performance of 87.8% true positive prediction and 87.2% true negative prediction.
Variation-tolerant hierarchical voltage monitoring circuit for soft error detection

As device feature size continues to scale down to the nanometer regime, the decreasing critical charge fundamentally reduces noise margins of devices and in turn increases the susceptibility of the ICs to external noise sources such as particle strikes. While protection techniques for memory such as ECC are mature and effective, protections for logic errors remain imperfect. Full-blown redundancy solutions for microprocessors such as mirrored cores and triple-modular redundancy incur significant overhead and are clearly limited to the niche market of mission-critical servers. The fundamental inefficiency of such redundancy lies in the repetition of all operations to detect the discrepancy caused by events much rarer than cycle-to-cycle activities. Clearly, for the vast majority of general-purpose systems, a detection mechanism that has low standby energy consumption is called for. In this paper, we propose a circuit-level solution to detect errors by monitoring the supply rail disturbance caused by a particle strike. Combined with checkpointing and rollback support, such a circuit can provide a high level of protection against particle-strike induced soft errors. At 17%, the power overhead of the design is reasonable and much lower than prior art. The design is also tolerant to process, voltage, and temperature (PVT) variations.
Induction of Zonal and Egg Plasma Membrane Blocks to Sperm Penetration in Mouse Eggs with Cortical Granule Exudate

The contents of cortical granules (cortical granule exudate = CGE) were recovered from zona-free mouse eggs inseminated in vitro with capacitated epididymal spermatozoa. Preincubation of cumulus-free, zona-intact eggs in CGE led to reduced penetration levels upon insemination. This reduction was CGE concentration- and time-dependent and was susceptible to inhibition by soybean trypsin inhibitor and by p-aminobenzamidine. Control experiments eliminated active contributions from the sperm suspension used to elicit granule release. CGE was also active in reducing penetration of zona-free eggs. These results indicate that cortical granule contents are capable of modulating sperm penetration of mouse eggs at both the zona pellucida and at the egg plasma membrane.
Promotion of human mesenchymal stem cell osteogenesis by PI3-kinase/Akt signaling, and the influence of caveolin-1/cholesterol homeostasis

Stem cells are considered an important resource for tissue repair and regeneration. Their utilization in regenerative medicine will be aided by mechanistic insight into their responsiveness to external stimuli. It is likely that, similar to all other cells, an initial determinant of stem cell responsiveness to external stimuli is the organization of signaling molecules in cell membrane rafts. The clustering of signaling molecules in these cholesterol-rich membrane microdomains can affect the activity, specificity, cross-talk and amplification of cell signaling. Membrane rafts fall into two broad categories, non-caveolar and caveolar, based on the absence or presence, respectively, of caveolin scaffolding proteins. We have recently demonstrated that caveolin-1 (Cav-1) expression increases during, and knockdown of Cav-1 expression enhances, osteogenic differentiation of human bone marrow derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). The increase in Cav-1 expression observed during osteogenesis is likely a negative feedback mechanism. We hypothesize that focal adhesion signaling pathways such as PI3K/Akt signaling may be negatively regulated by Cav-1 during human MSC osteogenesis. Human bone marrow MSCs were isolated from femoral heads obtained after total hip arthroplasty. MSCs were incubated in standard growth medium alone or induced to osteogenically differentiate by the addition of supplements (β-glycerophosphate, ascorbic acid, dexamethasone, and 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3). The activation of and requirement for PI3K/Akt signaling in MSC osteogenesis were assessed by immunoblotting for phosphorylated Akt, and treatment with the PI3K inhibitor LY294002 and Akt siRNA, respectively. The influences of Cav-1 and cholesterol membrane rafts on PI3K/Akt signaling were investigated by treatment with Cav-1 siRNA, methyl-β-cyclodextrin, or cholesterol oxidase, followed by cellular sub-fractionation and/or immunoblotting for phosphorylated Akt. LY294002 and Akt siRNA inhibited MSC osteogenesis. Methyl-β-cyclodextrin, which disrupts all membrane rafts, inhibited osteogenesis. Conversely, Cav-1 siRNA and cholesterol oxidase, which displaces Cav-1 from caveolae, enhanced Akt signaling induced by osteogenic supplements. In control cells, phosphorylated Akt began to accumulate in caveolae after 10 days of osteogenic differentiation. PI3K/Akt signaling is a key pathway required for human MSC osteogenesis, and it is likely that localization of active Akt in non-caveolar and caveolar membrane rafts positively and negatively contributes to osteogenesis, respectively.
Abstract B28: Rictor/mTORC2 drives formation, progression, and therapeutic resistance of HER2-amplified breast cancers

Although HER2-targeted therapies substantially improve the outcome for patients with HER2-amplified breast cancer, resistance to HER2 targeting is frequently observed. HER2-amplified tumors depend on the HER2-mediated activation of the phosphatidylinositol-3kinase (PI3K)/Akt pathway, which becomes reactivated in many therapeutically resistant HER2-amplified tumors. We investigated the mTOR complexes mTORC1 and mTORC2 as potential therapeutic targets in HER2-amplified breast cancers, based on their roles as activators (mTORC2) or effectors (mTORC1) of Akt. We found that genomic gains in Rictor, encoding a necessary mTORC2 cofactor, correlated with poor survival in breast cancer patients, while genomic gains in Raptor, an mTORC1 cofactor, did not. Rictor protein levels were increased in invasive breast cancers as compared to ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS). Conditional Rictor gene ablation decreased growth, cell survival and invasion of human HER2-amplified breast cancer cells by blocking Akt signaling. Treatment of HER2 positive cells with the HER2/EGFR inhibitor Lapatinib caused Rictor upregulation. However, Rictor knockdown improved cell killing in Lapatinib-treated cells and impaired Akt signaling and cell survival in Lapatinib-resistant HER2 positive breast cancer cells. Together, these results demonstrate the pivotal role of mTORC2 in HER2-amplified breast cancers and support efforts to develop mTORC2-targeted therapies. Citation Format: Meghan M. Morrison, Bayley A. Jones, Donna J. Hicks, Violeta Sanchez, Valeria M. Estrada, Michelle M. Williams, Dana Brantley-Sieders, Rebecca S. Cook. Rictor/mTORC2 drives formation, progression, and therapeutic resistance of HER2-amplified breast cancers. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference: Targeting the PI3K-mTOR Network in Cancer; Sep 14-17, 2014; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Mol Cancer Ther 2015;14(7 Suppl):Abstract nr B28.
Polycrystalline gold electrode redox behavior in an ammoniacal electrolyte: Part II. A parallel RRDE, EQCM and TOF-SIMS study of copper underpotential deposition

Abstract The underpotential deposition (upd) of copper at polycrystalline gold in an ammoniacal electrolyte (0.1 M NH 3 +0.1 M NaClO 4 ) was investigated. The rotating ring disk electrode (RRDE), the electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance (EQCM) and time of flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (TOF-SIMS) were all used in parallel to study this process. RRDE experiments showed that upd of Cu(0) occurred at −0.4 V E
Current Methods and Challenges for Epidemiological Studies of the Associations Between Chemical Constituents of Particulate Matter and Health

Epidemiological studies have been critical for estimating associations between exposure to ambient particulate matter (PM) air pollution and adverse health outcomes. Because total PM mass is a temporally and spatially varying mixture of constituents with different physical and chemical properties, recent epidemiological studies have focused on PM constituents. Most studies have estimated associations between PM constituents and health using the same statistical methods as in studies of PM mass. However, these approaches may not be sufficient to address challenges specific to studies of PM constituents, namely assigning exposure, disentangling health effects, and handling measurement error. We reviewed large, population-based epidemiological studies of PM constituents and health and describe the statistical methods typically applied to address these challenges. Development of statistical methods that simultaneously address multiple challenges, for example, both disentangling health effects and handling measurement error, could improve estimation of associations between PM constituents and adverse health outcomes.
United States v. Shonubi: A Statistical Oddity?

n 1997 a panel of the Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, in an opinion in United States v. Shonubi (Shonubi IV), struck down a sentencing judge's use of certain statistics to estimate the amount of heroin that the defendant in that case allegedly imported. (United States v. Shonubi, 103 F.3d 1085 (2d Cir., 1997).) Shonubi IV is not particularly important or interesting because of what it portends for the future use of statistical evidence. Shonubi IV is probably little more than a blip on the landscape of the law concerning the use of statistical evidence: it is unlikely to significantly inhibit or retard - much less reverse - the long-standing trend in favor of the admissibility of statistical evidence and argument in federal litigation. The opinion of the court of appeals is interesting, important, and - above all - depressing because of what it suggests about the difficulties that many judges may have when they confront statistical methods and statistical evidence: it suggests that quite a few judges - including some very eminent and intelligent ones - still may not have a grasp of some basic characteristics of probabilistic and statistical methods and arguments.
Development of a Capacitance Based Void Fraction Sensor for Two-Phase Flow Measurements

The aim of this paper was to develop a capacitance based sensor capable of measuring void fraction in a continuous two-phase flow field. The design methodology and operation of the capacitance based void fraction sensor is discussed. Two designs of capacitance void fraction sensors were developed and tested. Some of the problems associated with the first were identified and a new sensor electrode configuration was developed which presented a more sensitive and repeatable response. Data was collected covering a wide range of void fraction measurements ranging from 0 to 1 for water as the working fluid. Calibration of the sensor required that the air gap or void capacitance (dry signal) be measured followed by an increase in liquid levels (wet signal) to obtain a range of void fraction measurements for static calibration. The static calibration data obtained was nonlinear for the full range of void fraction measurements for water. This paper covers the design requirements, calibration procedure and static calibration data obtained for the developed sensor, and dynamic void fraction data measurements. The sensor was tested in both a horizontal and vertical orientation and proved to be orientation insensitive. The experimental results are promising for water and verify successful operation for measuring void fraction in continuous two-phase flows.© 2013 ASME
Return Sequence and Volatility: Their Impact on Sustainable Withdrawal Rates

This article explores estimates for a sustainable withdrawal rate (SWR) for a typical retiree and examines two important factors that challenge sustainability: sequence of returns and volatility of returns. Using historical analysis, the article explores the implications of sequence of returns risk and suggests strategies for countering it, including annuitization and adaptive withdrawal strategies. The article also explores volatility risk, separated as much as possible from sequence risk, and finds that the relationship between volatility, return, and SWR is not linear. In fact, for a given horizon and degree of confidence, the relationship between the Sharp ratio and the rate of return displays an inflection point, where the level of return required per unit of risk reaches a minimum.
A brief research on the creative teaching of history knowledge in the social class of the elementary school

This essay has demonstrated the way to carry out the creative teaching on the basis of the history knowledge in the social class of the elementary school.
Research on design reuse based on model of mechanical products

For the sake of applying enterprise resource to innovation design platform of mechanical products all the better, the reuse model and the flow chart for the model of experience and lesson are studied based on analysis of design practice and design reuse. The reuse model of design experience that is made of design library and subsystem of design reuse is established, and its flow chart is given out. This research lays the solid foundation for the establishment and perfect of innovation design platform of mechanical products. At the same time, it provides the theoretical basis for using enterprise resource fully and rationally for the deviser in manufacturing.
«A Man not a Man …»: Aeneid VI and the Hermeneutics of Ambiguity (text in English)

Partendo dall’esempio del libro VI dell’Eneide di Virgilio, questo articolo esplora cio che potrebbero diventare il linguaggio e la «verita» se, al contrario di cio che Platone propone per la formazione dei guardiani dello stato, invece di procedere verso l’alto, dalla percezione dei sensi all’essere univoco e intelligibile, ci si muove verso il basso, in direzione del regno ambiguo del sonno, dei sogni e della morte.
Thinking About Global Warming: Effect of Policy-Related Documents and Prompts on Learning About Causes of Climate Change

We examined students' understanding of the causes of a scientific phenomenon from a multiple-document-inquiry unit. Students read several documents that each described causal factors that could be integrated to address the given writing task of explaining the causes of change in average global temperature. We manipulated whether the document set included a document that took a position on climate change policies and whether a reading/writing prompt focused only on understanding the causes (“explain how and why recent temperature changes are occurring”) or also included a solution-related addendum (“and what we can do about it”). The results suggest that including a policy-related document can lead to poorer learning outcomes for the causes of climate change, with evidence that students focused on policy in lieu of, rather than in relation to, a causal understanding of the issue.
The Marketing Concept-A Utopian Dream?

Since it first appeared in the marketing literature in the 1950’s the marketing concept has been hailed as the ideal goal of every business enterprise. Rarely has a single idea generated so much enthusiasm, support and produced such meager results as this one has. It has been credited with creating a revolution not only in marketing thinking but in management practice. The evidence does not support this. The marketing concept appears to be an impossible philosophy to put into effect. After nearly thirty years it is still loudly proclaimed but seldom seen. It represents the unattainable--the marketing utopia. What the practioner needs is a new philosphy, one that is capable of measurement and achievement.
Controlling a Quantum Gas of Polar Molecules in an Optical Lattice

The production of molecules from dual species atomic quantum gases has enabled experiments that employ molecules at nanoKelvin temperatures. As a result, every degree of freedom of these molecules is in a well-defined quantum state and exquisitely controlled. These ultracold molecules open a new world of precision quantum chemistry in which quantum statistics, quantum partial waves, and even many-body correlations can play important roles. Moreover, to investigate the strongly correlated physics of many interacting molecular dipoles, we can mitigate lossy chemical reactions by controlling the dimensionality of the system using optical lattices formed by interfering laser fields. In a full three-dimensional optical lattice, chemistry can be turned on or off by tuning the lattice depth, which allows us to configure an array of long-range interacting quantum systems with rich internal structure. Such a system represents an excellent platform for gaining fundamental insights to complex materials based on quantum simulations and also for quantum information processing in the future.
Maximin Adaptive Array Algorithm

A new algorithm for adaptively steering antenna pattern nulls while maintaining a pattern maximum on a desired signal is described. The derivation is carried out by maximizing an estimate of the signal-power-to-interference-power ratio. The resulting algorithm employs double loops; one set maximizes the desired signal power and the other set minimizes the interference power. The MAXIMIN algorithm does not require detailed knowledge of the received signal. Rather, it requires only that the desired signal plus interference and noise be separated from interference and noise alone. A detailed simulation of a spread-spectrum (FH/PN) modem incorporating the MAXIMIN algorithm has been developed. The simulation incorporates all known hardware effects having a significant impact on the operation of the algorithm such as: differing group delays of critical filters, nonlinear effects in the cross-correlation multipliers, limited bit resolution in A/D and D/A converters, and mutual coupling between the array elements. Excellent performance in terms of convergence speed and final signal-to-noise ratio is obtained over a wide range of interference conditions. This approach appears to be well suited to frequency-hopping modems.
A Critical Synthesis of Graphene Thermal Properties and Its Applications

Abstract A comprehensive synthesis of the thermal conductivity of graphene under various conditions is performed in this review. Results obtained from different experimental techniques and theoretical studies are summarized and discussed for several conditions such as preparation process, shape, sample size, wavelength, and temperature. Broad discrepancies in the measured thermal conductivity results were found in many studies. Based on the cited data, several measured thermal conductivity values of graphene appear to be substantially overestimated. A majority of the documented results reported lower values of thermal conductivity than the earlier reported results. Moreover, large differences in the values of thermal conductivity of graphene were noticed from the cited results using different experimental and numerical methods (0.14–20,000 W/m K). This raised a fundamental concern on the accuracy of these techniques when measuring thermal conductivity of graphene at nanoscale sizes. Therefore, more experimental and theoretical studies should be conducted to accurately measure the thermal conductivity of graphene.
OSU03012, a Novel Celecoxib Derivative, Induces Apoptosis in Multiple Myeloma Cells Independently of Caspase Activation.

Multiple myeloma (MM) is a clonal disorder affecting terminally differentiated B cells, with the accumulation of plasma cells in the bone marrow. Previous studies showed that OSU03012 is a novel celecoxib derivative lacking cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitory activity that induces apoptosis in various types of cancer cells and is being developed as an anti-cancer therapy in the NCI Rapid Access to Intervention Therapy (RAID). Here, we examined the in vitro effect of OSU03012 in MM cell lines (U266, ARH-77, IM-9 and RPMI8226). Cytotoxicity data indicated that mean LC50 (lethal concentration 50%) of OSU03012 was 6.25±0.86 μM at 24 hours and 4.23±0.87 μM at 72 hours in these four cell lines. Using annexin V/PI (propidium iodide) flow cytometry assay, OSU03012 was shown to induce apoptosis in MM cells. OSU03012 activated caspases-8, -9, and -3, induced PARP (POLY ADP-RIBOSE Polymerase) cleavage, and reduced survivin and XIAP expression after 6 and 24 hour exposure. Although the caspase inhibitor Q-VD-OPH treatment strongly blocked OSU03012-induced PARP cleavage, it did not inhibit OSU03012-induced apoptosis of MM cells. The pan-caspase inhibitor z-VAD-fmk did not prevent OSU03012 mediated cell death. Cell death with OSU03012 treatment was associated with significant down-regulation of phospho-Akt. Several substrates of AKT, including phospho-GSK-3 beta (Ser9), phospho-FoxO1a (Ser256) and phospho-MDM2 (Ser166) were also down-regulated by OSU03012 drug. OSU03012 triggered both early (6h) and late (24h) down-regulation of cyclin D1 expression, but cyclin A and B1 expression was down-regulated only at 24h. There was no induction of p21 or p27 protein levels by OSU03012. After 24-hour exposure, low concentration (1–5 μM) OSU03012 arrested MM cell lines in the G1 phase of the cell cycle while high concentration (10 μM) OSU03012 induced G2 phase arrested. OSU03012 decreased both phospho-Stat3 (Ser727) and Stat3 expression. OSU03012 has on effect on phosphorylated MAP kinase kinase1/2 (pMEK1/2) but it decreased MEK1/2 expression at 24h. The expression levels of Bcl-2 family proteins, Bcl-2, Mcl-1, BAX, and BIM did not alter with OSU03012 treatment suggesting that Bcl-2 members may not play direct or significant roles in inducing cell death. Taken together, we conclude that OSU03012 is potently active against MM cells by predominantly caspase-independent mechanisms, and may involve downstream pathways consequent to phopho-Akt down-regulation. These studies provide preclinical rationale for investigating OSU03012 in the treatment of MM.
Weaving Information into Our Lives

Information has long been understood as a separate world, whether the parallel realm of Platonic ideals or the sovereign nation of cyberspace. Computer technology itself has reinforced this understanding of information by compelling us to interact with it while sitting still in front of a glass screen. But this is changing. Computing is rapidly becoming portable, wearable, and generally woven into the activities, relationships, and institutions that organize our lives. How can we understand this complicated new "interface", and how can we design for it? I will present several concepts that may help. In particular, I will argue that this new realm of information systems design cannot be dissociated with the much larger process of redesigning, or at least evolving, the most basic workings of society for a networked world.