cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The impact of cell metabolic activity on biofilm formation and flux decline during cross-flow filtration of ultrafiltration membranes

Abstract One significant challenge to membrane filtration technologies is membrane fouling causing pressure drop, flux decline and eventually significant cost of membrane replacement. The objective of this research was to determine the impact of metabolic activity as measured in adenosine triphosphate (ATP) concentration of the pure culture of biofoulants on the membrane biofilm metabolic activity, biofilm formation rate, and operational flux decline. Our results showed that after 10–12 h of filtration, the biofilm ATP levels reach an equilibrium concentration (avg. 8 amol/cell) and do not appear to be related to biofoulant ATP levels from cells harvested in the late exponential growth phase regardless of initial ATP level. However, the bacterial growth phase affected the ATP activity of cells and membrane biofilms formed from biofoulants in the lag and stationary phases of growth contained similar levels of activity, and the exponential phase cells resulted in significant higher activity. Flux decline does not appear to be related to metabolic activity of the biofoulant or biofilm following 24 h of filtration but notably, there was much less flux decline when the biofoulant cells were inactive.
SU‐DD‐A4‐06: Tradeoff Between Noise and Resolution in CT Images — Comparison of Filtered Backprojection and the Penalized Alternating Minimization Algorithm

Purpose: Relative to linear reconstructions, statistical image reconstruction algorithms have been shown to produce images with less error, artifacts and noise for similar high‐contrast resolution as measured with the MTF. This study compares the noise and resolution, using the edge blur, of imagesreconstructed using filtered backprojection (FBP) and a new statistical algorithm, Alternating Minimization (AM) [O'Sullivan IEEE TMI vol: 26, ♯3]. Method and Materials: Monoenergetic projection data were simulated for two phantoms, each with a high and low‐contrast insert. Two levels of simple Poissonnoise were added to simulate low and clinical‐dose protocols. To study imagenoise and resolution, FBP was performed with a Gaussian blurred ramp filter of varying FWHM. The penalized AM algorithm was run with a range of penalty strengths. Reconstructed pixel size was also varied. Imagenoise was quantified as the percent standard deviation in the phantom background. Resolution was evaluated by measuring edge blur at contrast boundaries. Blur was quantified as the FWHM of the Gaussian that, when convolved with the known truth image, gives the highest correlation between reconstructed and convolved images for pixels surrounding the edge. Blur was calculated independently around each contrast boundary. AM and FBP imagenoise is compared as a function of edge blur. Results: For high resolution images (small edge blur), the AM algorithm reconstructsimages with up to 50% less noise than FBP for similar resolution. For all conditions (varying pixel size, projection noise, and contrast inserts), AM exhibits an advantage. Conclusion: Edge blur is used as a metric of CTimage resolution for both high and low contrast inserts. The penalized AM algorithm is shown to reduce imagenoise with less edge blurring than FBP. Future work will extend the use of edge blur to compare AM performance in experimentally acquired CT data.
Student Engagement and Leadership of the Transition Planning Process.

The Council for Exceptional Children’s Division on Career Development and Transition (DCDT) has been a longstanding leader and advocate in the field of secondary education for students with disabil...
Mite responses in relation to trichomes of Lycopersicon esculentum x L. hirsutum F2 hybrids

Leaflets from 11 L. esculentum x L. hirsutum F2 individuals were bioassayed with spider mites (Tetranychus urticae). Densities of Type I, Type III, Type IV, Type V, and Type VI trichomes and the intensity of red fluorescence of the Type VI trichome tip varied widely among the 11 F2 hybrids. Mite responses were analyzed in relation to these trichome characters and leaflet surface. Variation in Type IV density accounted for most of the variation in mite responses. Densities of Type I, V and VI trichomes also contributed to mite responses but their effects were obscured by high Type IV densities. Type VI tip fluorescence was not associated with responses of mites in bioassays of these hybrids.
Complications of Anterior Subcutaneous Internal Fixation for Unstable Pelvis Fractures: A Multicenter Study

Background Stabilization after a pelvic fracture can be accomplished with an anterior external fixator. These devices are uncomfortable for patients and are at risk for infection and loosening, especially in obese patients. As an alternative, we recently developed an anterior subcutaneous pelvic internal fixation technique (ASPIF).
Induction of apoptosis reduces the severity of caerulein-induced pancreatitis in mice

Abstract The recent observation that the severity of pancreatitis is inversely related to the extent of apoptosis in five experimental models of the disease has suggested the possibility that apoptosis might protect against pancreatic injury in pancreatitis. This hypothesis was tested by inducing pancreatitis in mice during a phase of extensive apoptosis. Mice were fed a raw soya diet for five weeks to stimulate pancreatic growth and then switched to a regular chow diet for 27 hrs to permit involution of the hypertrophied gland. That involution is characterized by extensive apoptosis of acinar cells. Pancreatitis was induced, in either control mice or mice undergoing pancreatic involution, by repeated intraperitoneal administration of a supramaximally stimulating dose of caerulein (50 μg/kg given each hr for 12 hrs). The magnitude of hyperamylasemia, degree of inflammation, and extent of necrosis were reduced in the mice receiving caerulein during pancreatic involution. We conclude that induction of apoptosis may protect against acinar cell injury and reduce the severity of pancreatitis.
On Expanding the Definition of Technical Writing

In this article, the discussion centers around a changing and expanding definition of technical writing. An early definition was restrictive. Later, as courses for a number of disciplines were desi...
A Phenomenlogical Study of Particulates in Plasma Tools and Processes

Particle contamination in a variety of plasma processes and tools has been studied using a real-time, in-situ detection technique, rastered laser light scattering. In agreement with previous studies, particles were suspended in the plasma. The distribution of particles, however, is highly ordered and predictable, in contrast to the randomness which typifies particulate behavior in uncharged environments, such as cleanrooms. The importance of electrostatic particle trapping is seen, as a means of understanding this ordered distribution of particles, for predictive performance of process tools in manufacturing, and for contamination control in processing tools. The implications of these results on future plasma processing is briefly discussed.
Palindromic primitives and palindromic bases in the free group of rank two

Abstract The present paper records more details of the relationship between primitive elements and palindromes in F 2 , the free group of rank two. We characterize the conjugacy classes of palindromic primitive elements as those in which cyclically reduced words have odd length. We identify large palindromic subwords of certain primitives in conjugacy classes which contain cyclically reduced words of even length. We show that under obvious conditions on exponent sums, pairs of palindromic primitives form palindromic bases for F 2 . Further, we note that each cyclically reduced primitive element is either a palindrome, or the concatenation of two palindromes.
A Stochastic Model of Oscillatory Blood Testosterone Levels

A continuous-time, discrete-state stochastic model of testosterone secretion in men is considered. Blood levels of testosterone in men fluctuate periodically with a period of 2-3 h. The deterministic model, on which the stochastic model considered here is based, is well studied and has been shown to have a globally stable fixed point. Thus, no sustained oscillations are possible in the deterministic case. However, the stochastic model does observe periodic, pulsatile behavior. This demonstrates how oscillations can occur due to a switching behavior dependent on the random degradation of testosterone molecules in the system. The Gillespie algorithm is used to simulate the hormone secretion model. Important parameters of the model are discussed and results from the model are compared to experimental observations.
Calibration of K-x-ray-emission rates in the decay of 49V

Abstract 49 V K-x-ray point sources with an average energy of 4.55-keV have been standardized for emission rate by two methods, namely by 2π-proportional counting and by comparison with a calibrated 55 Fe point source. The two results agree to within 1%. The halff-life of 49 V has been measured to be 338 ± 5 days.
InsECTJ: a generic instrumentation framework for collecting dynamic information within Eclipse

The heterogeneity and dynamism of today's software systems make it difficult to assess the performance, correctness, or security of a system outside the actual time and context in which it executes. As a result, there is an increasing interest in techniques for monitoring and dynamically analyzing the runtime behavior of an application. These techniques are usually implemented using ad-hoc solutions that result in tools that are hard to develop, maintain, and reuse. To address this problem, we present a generic framework that enables the collection of different kinds of runtime information, such as data about the execution of various code entities and constructs. The framework lets users easily define how to process the collected information and is extensible to collect new types of information. We implemented the framework for the Java language as a set of Eclipse plugins. The plug-ins provide an intuitive GUI through which the functionality of the framework can be exploited. We also present an example of use of our framework and plugins that helps illustrate their functionality and shows their ease of use.
Membrane-based reactive separations for power generation applications: oxygen lancing

O 2 lancing is one of the industrial techniques for implementing oxygen-enhanced combustion (OEC), and can potentially result in stable combustion with reduced NO x emissions. The key technical challenge facing lancing (and OEC in general) is the significant cost of O 2 enrichment. The present work reports early results from a study of CH 4 OEC, in which the O 2 enrichment of air is implemented in situ using dense, high-temperature mixed-conducting solid-oxide membranes. We report on the preparation and characterization of these membranes, and on the fundamental combustion studies of the relevant reactive mixtures, including the effect of O 2 lancing on the NO x and CO emissions of fuel-lean and fuel-rich CH 4 /air premixed flames.
Effects of Ion Dose and Irradiation Temperature on the Microstructure of Three Spinel Compositions

Three compositions with the spinel structure (γ-A IV B 2 VI O 4 ), MgAl 2 O 4 , FeCr 2 O 4 and γ-SiFe 2 O 4 , have been irradiated with 1.5 MeV Kr + ions over a temperature range (20 to 873 K). In situ TEM and HRTEM afterwork were conducted to characterize the effects of the ion irradiation on the microstructure. MgAl 2 O 4 was the most “radiation-resistant” among the three materials. After irradiation to lx10 16 ions/cm 2 at 20 K, the cations were completely disordered among all possible tetrahedral and octahedral sites, but the oxygen sublattice remained intact. At room temperature, a high density of dislocation loops developed after this same dose, but there was no evidence of cation disordering. However, γ-SiFe 2 O 4 , a spinel structure type, formed under high pressure (7.0 GPa), was easily amorphized at low ion doses (σ10 14 ions/cm 2 ) below 723 K, even lower than required for radiation-induced amorphization of its olivine polymorph, fayalite (α-SiFe 2 O 4 ; HCP). At 873 K, the amorphous phase recrystallized to magnetite (Fe 2+ Fe 3+ 2 O 4 , an inverse spinel structure) and quartz (SiO 2 ) during continued Kr + irradiation. Chromite (ideally FeCr 2 O 4 ) with an actual composition of (Fe 0.6 Mg 0.4 )(Cr 0.7 A 10.3 ) 2 O 4 amorphized at 6x10 15 ions/cm 2 at 20 K, a dose about 20 times as high as that required to amorphize most other AB 2 O 4 phases under the same irradiation conditions. A structural parameter, which quantifies the deviation from ideal packing in the spinel structure was developed and correlates with themeasured doses required for amorphization among these three spinel compositions.
Balancing On-Chip Network Latency in Multi-application Mapping for Chip-Multiprocessors

As the number of cores continues to grow in chip multiprocessors (CMPs), application-to-core mapping algorithms that leverage the non-uniform on-chip resource access time have been receiving increasing attention. However, existing mapping methods for reducing overall packet latency cannot meet the requirement of balanced on-chip latency when multiple applications are present. In this paper, we address the looming issue of balancing minimized on-chip packet latency with performance-awareness in the multi-application mapping of CMPs. Specifically, the proposed mapping problem is formulated, its NP-completeness is proven, and an efficient heuristic-based algorithm for solving the problem is presented. Simulation results show that the proposed algorithm is able to reduce the maximum average packet latency by 10.42% and the standard deviation of packet latency by 99.65% among concurrently running applications and, at the same time, incur little degradation in the overall performance.
Structure of the Escherichia coli ThiS-ThiF complex, a key component of the sulfur transfer system in thiamin biosynthesis

We have determined the crystal structure of the Escherichia coli ThiS-ThiF protein complex at 2.0 A resolution. ThiS and ThiF are bacterial proteins involved in the synthesis of the thiazole moiety of thiamin. ThiF catalyzes the adenylation of the carboxy terminus of ThiS and the subsequent displacement of AMP catalyzed by ThiI-persulfide to give a ThiS-ThiI acyl disulfide. Disulfide interchange, involving Cys184 on ThiF, then generates the ThiS-ThiF acyl disulfide, which functions as the sulfur donor for thiazole formation. ThiS is a small 7.2 kDa protein that structurally resembles ubiquitin and the molybdopterin biosynthetic protein MoaD. ThiF is a 27 kDa protein with distinct sequence and structural similarity to the ubiquitin activating enzyme E1 and the molybdopterin biosynthetic protein MoeB. The ThiF-ThiS structure clarifies the mechanism of the sulfur transfer chemistry involved in thiazole biosynthesis.
Safety of frequent venous blood sampling in a pediatric research population.

Objective To monitor hematological indices in otherwise healthy children with central precocious puberty who underwent frequent venous sampling as part of a longitudinal clinical research study. Study design Thirty-four female subjects underwent frequent venous sampling (every 10-20 minutes for 8-16 hours) every 6 months for ≥3 years during and after their treatment with a gonadotropin-releasing hormone analogue. Hemoglobin (Hgb), mean corpuscular volume, and ferritin levels were measured before and after each phlebotomy session. Results At baseline, the average Hgb level was 12.5 ± 0.7 g/L. At the conclusion of the first sampling session, the Hgb level fell 1.2 ± 0.1 g/L, remaining within the reference range for age. At the 3-month follow-up, there was complete recovery of Hgb (12.6 ± 0.2 g/L). Longitudinal evaluation every 6 months for as long as 3 years showed no significant differences in Hgb, mean corpuscular volume, or ferritin levels from baseline. No clinically significant adverse effects attributable to phlebotomy were reported. Conclusion When appropriate safety guidelines were followed, both acute and long-term frequent venous sampling in a pediatric population was safe. Guidelines include monitoring of hematological indices, phlebotomy volume
The spectral sensitivity of the Gecko eye in relation to the state of adaptation

Abstract The ERG of Gekko gekko has been shown to have two separate components, which are demonstrable by appropriate light adaptation. Adaptation of the eyes to blue light brings out a. fast wave that is prominent in responses to flashes of red light. Adaptation to red light results in the appearance of a slow wave that is prominent in responses to blue light. The scotopic sensitivity curve agrees with the retinal absorption spectrum of the two photopigments found in retinal extracts except at the two extremes of the visible spectrum where the sensitivity is slightly greater than expected by the absorption spectrum. Appropriate adaptation of the eyes to coloured light shows that the sensitivity curve is compound and separable into two portions, one moiety with maximum sensitivity at about 520 nm, the second portion with maximum in the region of 580–590 nm. No evidence was obtained for a mechanism either in the violet region or in the orange-red end of the spectrum. The expectations derived from the presence of two photopigments in retinal extracts were fulfilled. Both pigments are undoubtedly visual pigments.
Operations on binary relations

Abstract The effects of five basic operations (asymmetrization, complementation, dualization, symmetrization, transitive closure) on binary relations are examined. Identifies between compound operations are developed (e.g. the symmetric part of the transitive closure of the complement of the transitive closure equals the transitive closure of the symmetric complement of the transitive closure), ordering aspects of compound operations are noted, and it is shown that in addition to the empty and universal relations at most 110 different relations can be generated from a given binary relation by sequential applications of the five basic operations. Moreover, 110 is the least upper bound, and none of these 110 requires more than seven applications of the basic operations for its expression. One of the potentially irreducible compound operations of length seven is cstcatc, the complement of the symmetric part of the transitive closure of the complement of the asymmetric part of the transitive closure of the complement.
Small‐angle x‐ray scattering studies of thermally‐induced morphological changes in segmented polyurethane elastomers

The effect of temperature on the morphology of a series of polyether and polyester polyurethanes has been studied using small-angle x-ray scattering. Scattering curves were obtained in situ at high temperature (90 and 150°C) and also later at room temperature to study the effects of thermal history on the materials. In general, annealing improves the degree of phase separation and increases the hard domain size in the materials studied. Annealing improves the degree of phase separation in more compatible systems to a greater degree than in less compatible systems. Increased interfacial mixing is apparent in the materials studied in situ at high temperatures. Thicker interfacial regions are also present in the annealed material relative to the control.
Experimental infections of Sarcocystis cruzi, Sarcocystis tenella, Sarcocystis capracanis and Toxoplasma gondii in red foxes (Vulpes vulpes).

Four littermate 6-wk-old red foxes (Nos. 1–4) were fed Toxoplasma gondii, Sarcocystis cruzi, S. tenella and S. capracanis. One littermate fox (No. 5) served as the control. Two foxes (Nos. 1,2) were fed tissue cysts of T. gondii and two foxes (Nos. 3. 4) were fed oocysts of T. gondii. Twenty-one to 42 days later, the same five foxes were used to test the infectivity of meat of goat, sheep, and ox experimentally inoculated with Sarcocystis. Fox 2 was fed goat meat and shed S. capracanis-like sporocysts 10 days later. Foxes 3 and 4 were fed beef, and they shed S. cruzi-like sporocysts 9 days later. Fox 5 was fed sheep meat and shed S. tenella-like sporocysts 8 days later. Foxes were killed between 36 and 55 days of the experiment and their tissues were inoculated into mice to recover T. gondii. All foxes remained clinically normal and T. gondii was recovered from all inoculated foxes and not from the control. Sarcocystis sporocysts from foxes induced lethal infections in goats, sheep, and ox. The sporocysts...
Mechanism of endotoxin-induced reduction in the number of β-adrenergic receptors in dog livers: Role of phospholipase A

The role of phospholipase A on the endotoxin-induced reduction in the number of beta-adrenergic receptors in dog liver plasma membranes was investigated. The results show that digestion of control liver plasma membranes with exogenous phospholipase A2 (0.2 unit/200 micrograms protein) decreased the specific binding of (-)-[3H]dihydroalprenolol by 37.3% (P less than 0.01) and reduced the number of receptor sites by 31.7% (P less than 0.05). These decreases in the specific binding and the number of beta-adrenergic receptors were completely reversible by the addition of phosphatidylcholine (0.2 mM). Endotoxin administration (2 hr postendotoxin) decreased the specific binding by 36% (P less than 0.05) and reduced the number of beta-adrenergic receptors by 33% (P less than 0.05), and these decreases were completely reversible by the addition of 0.2 mM phosphatidylcholine. Digestion of control liver membranes with exogenous phospholipase A2 decreased phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylethanolamine levels by 50.6 and 51.2%, respectively, but increased lysophosphatidylcholine and lysophosphatidylethanolamine levels by 12- and 8.4-fold, respectively. Endotoxin administration decreased phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylethanolamine contents by 21.4 and 23.8%, respectively, but increased lysophosphatidylcholine and lysophosphatidylethanolamine contents by 2.1- and 1.4-fold, respectively. In addition, endotoxin administration increased endogenous phospholipase A activity by 73.5%. Based on these results, it is suggested that the decreases in the specific binding and the number of beta-adrenergic receptors in dog livers during endotoxic shock are a result of phospholipase A activation.
A potential role for estrogen in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis and multiple sclerosis

The extensive literature and the work from our laboratory illustrate the large number of complex processes affected by estrogen that might contribute to the striking ability of 17-beta estradiol (E2) and its derivatives to inhibit clinical and histological signs of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) in mice. These effects require sustained exposure to relatively low doses of exogenous hormone and offer better protection when initiated prior to induction of EAE. The E2 mediates inhibition of encephalitogenic T cells, inhibition of cell migration into central nervous system tissue, and neuroprotective effects that promote axon and myelin survival. E2 effects on EAE are mediated through Esr-1 (alpha receptor for E2) but not Esr-2 (beta receptor for E2), as are its anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective effects. A novel finding is that E2 upregulated the expression of FoxP3 that contributes to the activity of CD4 + CD25 + T regulatory cells (Treg). The protective effects of E2 in EAE suggest its use as a therapy for multiple sclerosis (MS). Possible risks may be minimized by using sub-pregnancy levels of exogenous E2 that produced synergistic effects when used in combination with another immunoregulatory therapy. Alternatively, one might envision using E2 derivatives alone or in combination therapies in both male and female MS patients.
A standard control system for the Large Millimeter Telescope and instruments

The Large Millimeter Telescope monitor and control system is automatically generated from a set of XML configuration files. This insures that all inter-system communications and user interfaces adhere to a common standard. The system was originally designed to control the electro-mechanical components of the telescope but it maps well to the control of instruments. Properties of the instruments are defined in XML and subsequent control and communication code and user interfaces are generated. This approach works well in theory, however, when it comes to installing the system on the actual instruments, several problems arise: the goals of instrument developers, software support for instrument developers, hardware compatibility issues, and choice of computer architecture and development environment. In this paper, we present a discussion of the above issues and suggest tried solutions.
A Revision of the Eleodes (Subgenus Caverneleodes) with New Species and Notes on Cave Breeding Eleodes (Tenebrionidae: Amphidorini)

Abstract. Subgenus Caverneleodes of the genus Eleodes is diagnosed and revised. Six new species from the United States: California (E. microps); Utah and Northern Arizona (E. wynnei), Central Arizona (E. wheeleri), Southern New Mexico (E. guadalupensis), and Mexico (E. thomasi and E. grutus) are described. The biogeography of the subgenus is discussed. Diagnoses and a key are provided to known species of Caverneleodes. Relationships with other Eleodes are discussed. Cave associated Amphidorini are surveyed.
Gene expression profiling for the prediction of therapeutic response to docetaxel in patients with breast cancer

Summary Background Systemic chemotherapy for operable breast cancer substantially decreases the risk of death. Patients often have de novo resistance or incomplete response to docetaxel, one of the most active agents in this disease. We postulated that gene expression profiles of the primary breast cancer can predict the response to docetaxel. Methods We took core biopsy samples from primary breast tumours in 24 patients before treatment and then assessed tumour response to neoadjuvant docetaxel (four cycles, 100 mg/m 2 daily for 3 weeks) by cDNA analysis of RNA extracted from biopsy samples using HgU95-Av2 GeneChip. Findings From the core biopsy samples, we extracted sufficient total RNA (3-6 μg) for cDNA array analysis using HgU95-Av2 GeneChip. Differential patterns of expression of 92 genes correlated with docetaxel response (p=0·001). Sensitive tumours had higher expression of genes involved in cell cycle, cytoskeleton, adhesion, protein transport, protein modification, transcription, and stress or apoptosis; whereas resistant tumours showed increased expression of some transcriptional and signal transduction genes. In leave-one-out cross-validation analysis, ten of 11 sensitive tumours (90% specificity) and 11 of 13 resistant tumours (85% sensitivity) were correctly classified, with an accuracy of 88%. This 92-gene predictor had positive and negative predictive values of 92% and 83%, respectively. Correlation between RNA expression measured by the arrays and semiquantitative RT-PCR was also ascertained, and our results were validated in an independent set of six patients. Interpretation If validated, these molecular profiles could allow development of a clinical test for docetaxel sensitivity, thus reducing unnecessary treatment for women with breast cancer.
Uniqueness result for inverse problem of geophysics II

Abstract It is proved that an analytic is a bounded region inhomogeneity can be uniquely recovered from the surface measurements of the acoustic field for a fixed position of the source and all frequencies.
Characterization of BGP Recovery Time under Large-Scale Failures

Border gateway protocol (BGP) is the standard routing protocol between various autonomous systems (AS) in the Internet. In the event of a failure, BGP may repeatedly withdraw some routes and advertise new ones until a stable state is reached. It is known that the corresponding recovery time could stretch into hundreds of seconds or more for isolated Internet outages and lead to high packet drop rates. In this paper we characterize BGP recovery time under large-scale failure scenarios, perhaps those caused by disastrous natural or man-made events. We show that the recovery time depends on a variety of topological parameters and can be substantial for massive failures. The study provides guidelines on reducing the impact of BGP convergence delay on the Internet.
Force field-dependent solution properties of glycine oligomers

Molecular simulations can be used to study disordered polypeptide systems and to generate hypotheses on the underlying structural and thermodynamic mechanisms that govern their function. As the number of disordered protein systems investigated with simulations increase, it is important to understand how particular force fields affect the structural properties of disordered polypeptides in solution. To this end, we performed a comparative structural analysis of Gly3 and Gly10 in aqueous solution from all atom, microsecond molecular dynamics (MD) simulations using the CHARMM 27 (C27), CHARMM 36 (C36), and Amber ff12SB force fields. For each force field, Gly3 and Gly10 were simulated for at least 300 ns and 1 μs, respectively. Simulating oligoglycines of two different lengths allows us to evaluate how force field effects depend on polypeptide length. Using a variety of structural metrics (e.g., end-to-end distance, radius of gyration, dihedral angle distributions), we characterize the distribution of oligoglycine conformers for each force field and show that each sample conformation space differently, yielding considerably different structural tendencies of the same oligoglycine model in solution. Notably, we find that C36 samples more extended oligoglycine structures than both C27 and ff12SB. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Investigation of Shear Wave Anisotropy in Deviated Wells near a Salt Structure in the Gulf of Mexico

The number of oil and gas wells drilled through and near salt structures continues to increase. These wells are some of the most expensive wells to drill and are prone to numerous drilling problems that drastically increase their associated costs. Better understanding of the geomechanical setting in proximity to salt results in more successful drilling and completion of these wells. One promising area of study for investigating the perturbation of the stress field in and around salt bodies is numerical modelling. However, in order to apply the results of the simulated stress field from a numerical model to a well drilled near a real salt body with confidence, it is necessary to compare the modelled results to data observations. Therefore, it is important to have independent observations of the stress state near the salt body. One technique for determining principal stress directions uses cross-dipole shear wave velocity anisotropy data. However, shear wave velocity anisotropy can be induced by structural mechanisms as well as stress-related mechanisms. In this study, we investigate a technique to identify structure-induced velocity anisotropy and to characterize possible stress-induced velocity anisotropy. The investigation uses cross-dipole sonic data from three deep water, sub-salt wells in the Gulf of Mexico. First, we determine the parameters necessary to ensure the quality of the fast azimuth data used in our analysis. We then characterize the quality controlled measured fast directions as either structure-induced or stress-induced by predicting the apparent structure-induced fast direction the dipole sonic tool should measure for known bedding planes. We find that this technique supplements the use of dispersion curve analysis for characterizing anisotropy mechanisms. We also find that this technique has the potential to provide information on the stresses that can be used to validate a numerical model of the salt-related stress perturbations.
Structure of the adaptor protein p14 reveals a profilin-like fold with distinct function

The adaptor protein p14 is associated with the cytoplasmic face of late endosomes that is involved in cell-surface receptor endocytosis and it also directly interacts with MP1, a scaffolding protein that binds the MAP kinase ERK1 and its upstream kinase activator MEK1. The interaction of p14 with MP1 recruits the latter to late endosomes and the endosomal localization of p14/MP1-MEK1-ERK1 scaffolding complex is required for signaling via ERK MAP kinase in an efficient and specific manner upon receptor stimulation. Here, we report the three-dimensional solution structure of the adaptor protein p14. The structure reveals a profilin-like fold with a central five-stranded β-sheet sandwiched between α-helices. Unlike profilin, however, p14 exhibits weak interaction with selective phosphoinositides but no affinity towards proline-rich sequences. Structural comparison between profilin and p14 reveals the molecular basis for the differences in these functions. We further mapped the MP1 binding sites on p14 by NMR, and discuss the implications of these important findings on the possible function of p14.
Prediction rules for estimating neurologic outcome following out-of-hospital cardiac arrest

Background: No valid model has been developed to predict survival following out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. The purpose of this study was to develop a prediction model for meaningful survival following out-of-hospital cardiac arrest using variables available during resuscitation. Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study. Consecutive adult cardiac arrest patients were studied between 1994 and 2001. Variables included age, sex, race/ethnicity, arrest location, whether the arrest was witnessed, initial rhythm, whether CPR was performed, patient downtime, paramedic response time, survival to hospital discharge, and Glasgow Coma Score (GCS) at hospital discharge. Classification and Regression Tree analysis was used to develop decision rules to predict meaningful survival, as defined by the patient’s discharge GCS. Results: Of the 754 patients, 16 (2%) survived with a GCS ≥ 13, 15 (2%) survived with a GCS = 14, and 5 (0.7%) survived with a GCS = 15. The decision rule for survival with a GCS ≥ 13 incorporated whether the arrest was witnessed and the patient’s age, resulting in a negative predictive value (NPV) of 99.8%. The rule for survival with a GCS ≥ 14 incorporated the initial arrest rhythm, whether the arrest was witnessed, and the patient’s age, resulting in a NPV of 99.6%. The rule for survival with a GCS = 15 incorporated only the interval between collapse and the initiation of life support, resulting in a NPV of 99.8%. Conclusions: This study reports decision rules for potential meaningful survival following out-of-hospital cardiac arrest with high NPVs for each. Future studies need to be performed to prospectively validate these models. © 2004 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
Some Perspectives on the Nonlinear Sigma Model

When the nonlinear sigma model was first written down in 1959 by Feza Gursey [1], it was modestly offered as “an illustration of the possibility that the symmetries of the weak interactions may be essentially contained in those of the strong interactions, and certainly not as a definite proposal for a theory of elementary particles.” In the more than twenty years since that paper appeared, the nonlinear sigma model has been extended in several ways, applied to a variety of low energy phenomena, and analyzed as both a classical and quantum field theory. While it has never gained the status of a fundamental theory of elementary particles, it has certainly played a key role in the development of particle physics. Its beautiful and realistic symmetry properties and its deep dynamical structure have made it much more than an illustration of possibilities.
Testing the Effectiveness of Sentence-Combining in ESL

Sentence-combining exercises were systematically presented to an experimental group of L2 freshman composition students. Data from a test assessing sentence-combining and an analytical composition scoring scheme were collected from the experimental group and a control group. The research hypothesis that the experimental group who received sentence-combining exercises would write better compositions and perform better on the sentence-combining test than the control group who didn't receive sentence-combining exercises was not fully con firmed. Several factors which might explain the findings are discussed.
Effects of drugs on glucose measurements with handheld glucose meters and a portable glucose analyzer.

Thirty drugs used primarily in critical care and hospital settings were tested in vitro to observe interference on glucose measurements with 6 handheld glucose meters and a portable glucose analyzer. Paired differences of glucose measurements between drugspiked samples and unspiked control samples were calculated to determine bias. A criterion of ± 6 mg/dL was used as the cutoff for interference. Ascorbic acid interfered with the measurements on all glucose devices evaluated. Acetaminophen, dopamine, and mannitol interfered with glucose measurements on some devices. Dose-response relationships help assessment of drug interference in clinical use. High dosages of these drugs may be given to critically ill patients or selfadministered by patients without medical supervision. Package inserts for the glucose devices may not provide adequate warning information. Hence, we recommend that clinicians choose glucose devices carefully and interpret results cautiously when glucose measurements are performed during or after drug interventions. Handheld glucose meters are used widely for point-ofcare testing and for self-monitoring of blood glucose at home. The use of glucose meters in the care of critically ill patients is controversial. 1-3 Surveys 4,5 show that some hospitals do not allow handheld glucose meters in critical care units. Kost et al, 6 evaluated a new oxygen-insensitive, glucose dehydrogenase–based electrochemical biosensor and studied the clinical performance of the new handheld glucose meter system in critical care, hospitalized, and ambulatory patients. 6 Little research is available describing drug interference errors with the newest generations of point-of-care glucose devices. The objectives of this study were as follows: (1) to study how drugs commonly used to treat critically ill patients affect glucose measurements obtained with new glucose devices, (2) to introduce a quantitative error criterion for drug interference, and (3) to determine the clinical relevance of drug interferences for point-of-care glucose testing.
Using clouds for MapReduce measurement assignments

We describe our experiences teaching MapReduce in a large undergraduate lecture course using public cloud services and the standard Hadoop API. Using the standard API, students directly experienced the quality of industrial big-data tools. Using the cloud, every student could carry out scalability benchmarking assignments on realistic hardware, which would have been impossible otherwise. Over two semesters, over 500 students took our course. We believe this is the first large-scale demonstration that it is feasible to use pay-as-you-go billing in the cloud for a large undergraduate course. Modest instructor effort was sufficient to prevent students from overspending. Average per-pupil expenses in the Cloud were under $45. Students were excited by the assignment: 90p said they thought it should be retained in future course offerings.
Behavioral Treatment of Depression in Dementia Patients: A Controlled Clinical Trial

The current study is a controlled clinical investigation of two nonpharmacological treatments of depression in patients with Alzheimer's disease. Two active behavioral treatments, one emphasizing patient pleasant events and one emphasizing caregiver problem solving, were compared to an equal-duration typical care condition and a wait list control. Seventy-two patient-caregiver dyads were randomly assigned to one of four conditions and assessed pre-, post-, and at 6-months follow-up. Patients in both behavioral treatment conditions showed significant improvement in depression symptoms and diagnosis as compared with the two other conditions. These gains were maintained at 6month follow-up. Caregivers in each behavioral condition also showed significant improvement in their own depressive symptoms, while caregivers in the two other conditions did not. Results indicate that behavioral interventions for depression are important and effective strategies for treating demented patients and their caregivers.
How Far Will International Economic Integration Go

In a famous passage from TheEconomic Consequences of the Peace, Keynes (1920) drew a vi\ad picture of an integrated world economy at the pinnacle of the gold standard. While sipping his morning tea in bed, Keynes reminisced nostalgically, the Englishmen of his time could order by telephone various commodities of the world, invest in far-off places, purchase unlimited amounts of foreign currency or precious metals, and arrange for international travel without even requiring a passport. Keynes, who was writing in the aftermath of a devastating world war and was anticipating a period of economic turbulence and protectionism—correctly, as it turned out—considered this a lost era of great magnificence. What will a latter-day Keynes, writing a centuiy from now, say about today's global economy wth its unparalleled prosperity and integration (illustrated by Figfure 1)? Will she bemoan, as the original Keynes did, its collapse into disarray and autarky yet again? Or will she look back at the tail end of the 20th century as the era that launched a new process of international ization? Since economists rank second only to astrologers in their predictive abilities, the correct answer is that we have no idea. The best that one can do is speculate wildly, which is what I am about to do. In these speculations, I will use the term [^international economic integration" rather tlian "globalization," for two reasons. First, while not as trendy, my preferred term has a distinct meaning that will be self-evident to economists. Globalization, by contrast, is a term that is used in different ways by different analysts. Second, the term "international economic integration" does not come with the value judge
Chopsticks Don't Make It Culturally Competent: Addressing Larger Issues for HIV Prevention among Gay, Bisexual, and Queer Asian Pacific Islander Men

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, men who have sex with men account for the largest proportion of cumulative AIDS cases amongAsian Pacific Islanders. Yet little is known about the factors that need to be addressed in developing culturally competent intervention strategies for members of this group. This article explores what factors HIV prevention service providers and active volunteers who are also members of the groups that they serve believe need to be addressed before a culturally appropriate intervention strategy for gay, bisexual, and queer Asian Pacific Islander men can be developed. Fifteen men participated in three focus groups, and seven of the men completed in-depth individual interviews regarding larger issues that are often ignored in intervention. Analysis ofqualitative data revealed five issues that participants said need to be addressed when working with members of this group.
Using Hexagenia in sediment bioassays: methods, applicability, and relative sensitivity.

The majority of sediment toxicity and aquatic bioaccumulation assessments are conducted using standardized species, such as Hyalella azteca, Chironomus dilutus, and Lumbriculus variegatus. The burrowing mayfly, Hexagenia sp., may serve as an ideal supplemental organism for both toxicity and bioaccumulation studies for several reasons. Hexagenia are recognized as sensitive species, have a long aquatic life stage (up to 2 yr), and have large bodies, which aid in retrieval from sediments and for residue analysis. The present study outlines the authors' established method for collecting and hatching eggs, raising nymphs, and using these animals for toxicity testing. Furthermore, the relative sensitivity of 3 size classes of Hexagenia to a representative contaminant (bifenthrin) was examined and compared with laboratory-derived median lethal concentrations for the more traditionally used Hyalella and Chironomus. Finally, sublethal end points, including immobilization and suspended solids, were defined for this species. This provides guidance for the use of this species in toxicological bioassays. Environ Toxicol Chem 2014;33:868–874. © 2013 SETAC
Experimental determination of terahertz atmospheric absorption parameters

The terahertz frequency regime is often used as the ‘chemical fingerprint’ region of the electromagnetic spectrum since many molecules exhibit a dense selection of rotational and vibrational transitions. Water is a major component of the atmosphere and since it has a large dipole moment the propagation of terahertz radiation will be dominated by atmospheric effects. This study will present the results of high-­‐resolution broadband measurements of the terahertz atmospheric absorption and detail the technique for directly measuring the pressure broadening coefficients, absolute absorption coefficients, line positions, and continuum effects. Differences between these measured parameters and those tabulated in HITRAN will be discussed. Once the water vapor absorption was characterized, the same technique was used to measure the line parameters for methanol, a trace gas of interest within Earth’s atmosphere. Methanol has a dense absorption spectrum in the terahertz frequency region and is an important molecule in fields such as environmental monitoring, security, and astrophysics. The data obtained in the present study will be of immediate use for the remote sensing community, as it is uncommon to measure this many independent parameters as well as to measure the absolute absorption of the transitions. Current models rely on tabulated databases of calculated values for the line parameters measured in this study. Differences between the measured data and those in the databases will be highlighted and discussed.
Direct manipulation user interfaces based on constraints

Object-oriented user interface technology increases the productivity of interface designers and programmers. However, there are some shortcomings to the object-oriented approach. An approach that is based on the concept of separating the presentation from the application data is presented. While in object-oriented user interfaces presentation and application data communicate via a protocol of procedure cells, in this approach the relationships are described declaratively with structured sets of maintained constraints. An overall architecture based on constraints that encompasses all aspects of a user interface is described. The procedural behavior of a user interface is achieved through constraint satisfaction. >