cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Light propagation in systems involving two-dimensional atomic lattices

We study the optical response of a two-dimensional (2D) square lattice of atoms using classical electrodynamics. Because of dipole-dipole interactions, the lattice atoms polarize as if the lattice were an atom with up to three resonance frequencies, with cooperatively shifted resonances and altered transition linewidths. We show that when the distance between two 2D lattices is large enough and Bragg reflections are absent, the lattices interact among themselves as if they radiated a plane wave whose amplitude is in accordance with the radiation from a dipole moment continuously distributed in the lattice plane. We employ these results to study light propagation in stacks of 2D lattices, drawing on simple qualitative pictures of the response of a 2D lattice and light propagation in one-dimensional (1D) waveguides. We show that a stack of 2D lattices may emulate regularly spaced atoms in a lossless 1D waveguide, and argue that in a suitable geometry the resonance shifts characteristic of 1D and 2D lattice structures may completely cancel to eliminate density-dependent resonance shifts of atoms bound to a three-dimensional (3D) lattice. A generalization to the case of anisotropic polarizability, such as in the presence of a magnetic field, reveals light frequencies induced by the magnetic field for which a 2D lattice is either completely transparent or completely opaque.
Baseline albumin (b-alb) as a potential predictive biomarker for the efficacy of bevacizumab (B) therapy (tx) in patients (pts) with advanced pancreas cancer (APCA): A comparative analysis.

4039 Background: Phase III studies of B in unselected pts with APCA have demonstrated no improvement in outcome. Recent data suggest certain subsets of APCA patients may benefit from B. Lower b- al...
Comprehensive Survey of Area-Wide Agricultural Pesticide Use in Southern United States Row Crops and Potential Impact on Honey Bee Colonies

Honey bees forage across a large area, continually scouting the local landscape for ephemeral food resources. Beekeepers often rely on flowering plants in and around irrigated farmland to maintain their colonies during dry seasons, despite the potential risk of pesticide exposure. Recent declines in pollinator abundance and diversity have focused attention on the role of pesticides and their effects on honey bee health. This investigation examined two types of landscapes within a two-mile (3.2 km) radius of honey bee colonies: an intensive agricultural setting and a rural setting without intensive agriculture. More than 10,000 acres of agricultural land was surveyed to quantify the area of cultivated crops and the area treated with pesticides, including seed treatments and foliar applications of insecticides. Samples of honey, bee bread (stored pollen), beeswax, and adult bees were collected from hives in both landscape types and screened for pesticide residues to determine if foraging bees were transporting pesticides to hives. Some samples of bee bread and honey did contain pesticide residues, but these were below known lethal dose (LD50) levels for honey bees. Beeswax samples contained the highest levels of contamination, but most were still relatively low. Samples were screened for 174 common agricultural pesticides and metabolites, but only 26 compounds were detected during the two-year study. These included one defoliant, one insect growth regulator, five herbicides, six fungicides, six insecticides never used in beekeeping, and five insecticides/miticides and their metabolites, which are used in beekeeping and for various other agricultural purposes, as well as two miticides exclusively used by beekeepers to control Varroa destructor. Bee colonies foraging in agricultural landscapes are potentially exposed to numerous pesticide applications. While the residues detected in this study did not pose an acute lethal risk to adult honey bees, this study did not measure sublethal effects on bee colony health or performance, which merit further investigation.
Genetic diversity and similarity revealed via molecular analysis among and within an in situ population and ex situ accessions of chiltepín (Capsicum annuum var. glabriusculum)

Molecular analysis of genetic diversity amongand within phenotypically similar wild Capsicum annuum var. glabriusculum(chile) populations revealed geneticdifferences among accessions spread over abroad geographic range. These chiles areregionally known as chiltepins and are a 50metric ton per year wild harvest for the spiceindustry, as well as a genetic resource forcrop improvement. Understanding geneticvariability in this species providesinformation related to conservation efforts. The objective of this research was to surveygenetic diversity among and within an insitu population and ex situ accessionsof chiltepins. Random AmplifiedPolymorphic DNA (RAPD) molecular markers wereused to study the genetic structure of an in situ population found at the nothernmostrange of this species and ex situaccessions collected from Mexico and Guatemala. Novel genetic variation was found in both thein situ northern disjunct population, aswell as some ex situ accessions, thussupporting conservation of this species viaboth in situ and ex situ strategies The evidence presented here supports effortsto conserve outlier populations via insitu management practices.
Building Black Worlds: Revisioning Cultural Justice for Black Teacher Education Students at PWIs.

This article presents the reflections of the authors, two Black women teacher educators, in ongoing dialogue with Black teacher education students at a PWI. The dialogues generated from several gat...
A Model to Estimate the Lifetime of BESS for the Prosumer Community of Manufacturers with OGS

Abstract Onsite generation system (OGS) with renewable sources for modern manufacturing plant is considered as a critical alternative energy source for the manufacturers. Prosumer community can be formed by aggregating such manufacturers to achieve a mutual goal of sustainable and resilient power system. As the sustainability of the network depends on the reliable operations of each component in the network, it is required to monitor the performance and lifetime of the components existed in the network. One of the critical as well as costly components used to enhance the reliability and performance of the network is the battery energy storage system (BESS). The paper proposes a lifetime estimation model for the BESS using an integrated approach of cellular automata and system dynamic (SD) to prevent any sudden power outage and build a reliable energy management framework for the community. The major factors such as energy demand of the manufacturing plant, intermittent generation from the OGS, energy sharing capability of the prosumers etc. are considered to simulate the model and determine the amount of battery degradation. Based on the estimated lifetime of the battery, the manufacturers further can control the energy management plan (charging/discharging scheme) to prolong the battery lifetime and ensure a reliable operation for the community. A numerical case study is simulated to illustrate the effectiveness of the model.
Inhibitor-based methods for detection of derepressed hyperproduction and plasmid-mediated AmpC β-lactamases

Objective To investigate the reliability of using inhibitors including Phenylboronic acid (PBA)and Fqucloxacillin(FCC)in detecting derepressed hyperproduction and plasmid-mediated AmpC B-lactamases.Methods PBA and FCC were chosen as inhibitors and double-disk potentiation method and double-disk synergy method were used to detect positive and negative control strains of AmpC β-lactamases and 107 clinical isolates for AmpC β-lactamases production.The positive control strains included E.cloacae (029M),plasmid-mediated ACT-1 type of E.coli DH5a2919,MOX-1 type of k pheumoniae,LAT-2 type of E.coil.The negative control strains included E.cloacae 029(wild-type),E.coli SHV-1,E.coli SHV-2, E.coil SHV-5,E.coli TEM-1,E.coli TEM-3,k peumoniae SHV-18 and E.coli ATCC25922.We compared the results above with the three dimensional test(3-DT)to observe the accuracy in detecting AmpC-BLA.Results 3-DT together with PBA and FCC based inhibition tests showed the 4 positive control strains and the 9 negative control strains were determined as expected.AmpC-BILA was detected in 107 clinical isolates ofEnterobacteriaceaes.The positive rate of3-DTmethod is24.3%.The positive rates ofPBA.FCC double-disk potentiation method and double-disk synergy method are 30.8%(33/107),26.2%(28/107) and 23.4%(25/107),respectively.The conjugate results in two strains of P mirabilis and one strain of K.peumoniae were positive.They were all plasmid-mediated AmpC-Bi.A.There Was a higher false positive when using PBA and FCC-based double-disk potentiation method to detect the induction type of AmpC-BLA, but the accuracy of double-disk synergy method was high.Compared with the 3-DT,the coincidence rate using PBA and FCC-based double-disk synergy method is 99.1%.Conclusions Using PBA and FCC as inhibitors in the double-disk synergy test is a accurate and reliable method to detect AmpC-BLA regardless of derepressed hyperproduction type or plasmid-mediated type. Key words: beta-Lactamases; Boronic acids; Flucloxacillin; Microbial sensitivity tests
Mechanical and thermal properties of carbon fiber reinforced composite with silanized graphene as nano-inclusions

The use of nanofillers to enhance the properties of fiber reinforced composites is limited due to the adverse effect on mechanical properties caused by agglomeration of these nanofillers in the mat...
SegAN: Adversarial Network with Multi-scale L 1 Loss for Medical Image Segmentation

Inspired by classic Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs), we propose a novel end-to-end adversarial neural network, called SegAN, for the task of medical image segmentation. Since image segmentation requires dense, pixel-level labeling, the single scalar real/fake output of a classic GAN's discriminator may be ineffective in producing stable and sufficient gradient feedback to the networks. Instead, we use a fully convolutional neural network as the segmentor to generate segmentation label maps, and propose a novel adversarial critic network with a multi-scale L1 loss function to force the critic and segmentor to learn both global and local features that capture long- and short-range spatial relationships between pixels. In our SegAN framework, the segmentor and critic networks are trained in an alternating fashion in a min-max game: The critic is trained by maximizing a multi-scale loss function, while the segmentor is trained with only gradients passed along by the critic, with the aim to minimize the multi-scale loss function. We show that such a SegAN framework is more effective and stable for the segmentation task, and it leads to better performance than the state-of-the-art U-net segmentation method. We tested our SegAN method using datasets from the MICCAI BRATS brain tumor segmentation challenge. Extensive experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed SegAN with multi-scale loss: on BRATS 2013 SegAN gives performance comparable to the state-of-the-art for whole tumor and tumor core segmentation while achieves better precision and sensitivity for Gd-enhance tumor core segmentation; on BRATS 2015 SegAN achieves better performance than the state-of-the-art in both dice score and precision.
Carrier airwake simulation methods based on improved multi-objective genetic algorithm

A new numerical turbulence simulation method to enhance the credibility of simulation of carrier airwake free-air turbulence components has been presented. At first,the turbulence sequence of each direction was presented as the Euler forward different format with correction factors. Meanwhile,associated with the thought of intelligence algorithm,the mean squared error and correlation function error in turbulence correlation test were regarded as the optimized objective functions. And the selection of correction factors was treated as a multi-objective optimization problem. The correction factors were determined by improving multi-objective genetic algorithm. At last,the validity and rationality of this method were verified by simulation cases. The calculation results show that the required turbulence sequences can be generated flexibly with different sampling steps. Especially in case of some small sampling step,the simulated turbulence sequences fit the theoretical values very well,and the method can meet the requirement of virtual flight test.
Abstract 961: FGFR3 and eIF4E are overexpressed and interact with PRMT5 and KRAS in CRC

Introduction Nearly 45% of colorectal cancer (CRC) patients harbor a mutation in their KRAS gene for which, despite many years of research, there are still no targeted therapies available. Protein Arginine Methyltransferase 5 (PRMT5) is a transcription regulator for multiple cellular processes that is currently being tested as a potential therapeutic target in several cancer types. Previous studies have shown that PRMT5 depletion leads to a reduction in FGFR3 and eIF4E expression. FGFR3 and eIF4E are oncogenes which play an important role in cellular proliferation and tumorigenesis. Furthermore, our group9s previous research has demonstrated that PRMT5 inhibition shows significantly greater therapeutic effects in KRAS mutant CRC cells when compared to KRAS wild-type (WT) CRC cells. Methodology The Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis (GEPIA) database was used to analyze the RNA-Seq data of CRC patients from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. We first used the GEPIA database to determine whether eIF4E and FGFR3 are overexpressed in colon and rectum patient tumor samples when compared to normal colon and rectum patient samples. We then used the GEPIA database to determine whether eIF4E and FGFR3 gene expression are correlated with PRMT5 and KRAS gene expression in colon and rectum patient tumor samples. We next used the STRING database to analyze whether eIF4E and FGFR3 interact with PRMT5 and KRAS. Finally, we used Biorender to develop a proposed molecular mechanism outlining how eIF4E and FGFR3 interact with PRMT5 and KRAS in CRC. Results • eIF4E is 2.4 and 2.2-Fold overexpressed in colon and rectum patient tumor samples, respectively, compared to normal colon and rectum patient samples (q • FGFR3 is 2.3 and 3.7-Fold overexpressed in colon and rectum patient tumor samples, respectively, compared to normal colon and rectum patient samples (q • eIF4E gene expression is positively correlated with PRMT5 (p • FGFR3 gene expression is positively correlated with PRMT5 (p • eIF4E and FGFR3 are shown to interact with PRMT5 and KRAS in the STRING database (Interaction score > 0.150). • A molecular mechanism is proposed suggesting that PRMT5 inhibition may show greater therapeutic effects in KRAS mutant CRC, when compared to KRAS WT CRC, through PRMT59s interactions with eIF4E and FGFR3. Conclusion eIF4E and FGFR3 have been shown to be overexpressed and to interact with PRMT5 and KRAS in CRC. This significant observation can be therapeutically utilized towards developing new effective treatments for KRAS mutant CRC patients. Further analysis is currently in progress to verify the proposed molecular mechanism outlining how eIF4E and FGFR3 interact with PRMT5 and KRAS in CRC. Citation Format: David Shifteh, Tzuriel Sapir, Moshe Pahmer, Sanjay Goel, Radhashree Maitra. FGFR3 and eIF4E are overexpressed and interact with PRMT5 and KRAS in CRC [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2021; 2021 Apr 10-15 and May 17-21. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2021;81(13_Suppl):Abstract nr 961.
Lean manufacturing a vital tool to enhance productivity in manufacturing

Abstract The goal of any manufacturer is customer’s satisfaction this can be achieved by delivering the quality product, right on time at reasonable cost. Any organization whether manufacturing or service will survive and sustain the competency if it is flexible enough to continuously and systematically respond to the customers need and accordingly adds value to the product. Equipment, Material, and labour cost will increase with the inflation rate which are the dominant parameters that affect the price of the product. A simple mathematics, underutilization of equipment, material and labour is direct loss incurred. So, without any doubt the first focus of attention must be towards maximum utilization of this dominant parameters followed by reducing wastages in manufacturing activities. Lean manufacturing are now vital tools in all manufacturing sectors like automotive, electronics, plastic, textile, food, dairy, foundry, stampings, maintenance. The benefit observed after implementation of individual or combined lean manufacturing technique was reduction in cycle time, elimination of non-valued activities, clean, tidy, and hygienic workplace. Besides this there will be a smooth production flow, increase in productivity, reduction in production cost, involvement of employees, documentation of orders, reduction of inventory, breakdown with better intra and inter connectivity to take decisions fast and quick response. The present review focuses on different manufacturing sectors to see the effect of lean manufacturing techniques implemented for improving the process and reducing the wastages.
Changes in the Antenatal Utilization of High-Risk Obstetric Services and Stillbirth Rate during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

OBJECTIVE The primary objective of this study was to evaluate coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic-related changes in the antenatal utilization of high-risk obstetric services. Our secondary objective was to characterize change in stillbirth rate during the pandemic. STUDY DESIGN This is a retrospective, observational study performed at a single, tertiary care center. Maternal-Fetal Medicine (MFM) visits, ultrasounds, and antenatal tests of fetal well-being during the pandemic epoch (2020), which spans the first 12 weeks of the year to include pandemic onset and implementation of mitigation efforts, were compared with the same epoch of the three preceding years visually and using general linear models to account for week and year effect. An analysis of stillbirth rate comparing the pandemic time period to prepandemic was also performed. RESULTS While there were decreased MFM visits and antenatal tests of fetal well-being during the pandemic epoch compared with prepandemic epochs, only the decrease in MFM visits by year was statistically significant (p < 0.001). The stillbirth rate during the pandemic epoch was not significantly different when compared with the prepandemic period and accounting for both week (p = 0.286) and year (p = 0.643) effect. CONCLUSION The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a significant decrease in MFM visits, whereas obstetric ultrasounds and antenatal tests of fetal well-being remained unchanged. While we observed no change in the stillbirth rate compared with the prepandemic epoch, our study design and sample size preclude us from making assumptions of association. Our findings may support future work investigating how changes in prenatal care for high-risk obstetric patients influence perinatal outcomes. KEY POINTS · MFM visits significantly decreased during the COVID-19 pandemic epoch.. · The overall stillbirth rate during the COVID-19 pandemic epoch was not significantly changed.. · Larger studies are needed to capitalize on these changes to evaluate rare outcomes such as stillbirth..
Subjective Benefits and Drawbacks of Marihuana and Alcohol

How can the broader spectrum of drug action be assessed in a way to determine the valence of effects of these agents from the standpoint of the user? We report here findings from a questionnaire that enumerated some of the reputed benefits and drawbacks of marihuana and alcohol and asked users which of these they agreed with, based on their own experience. This method is extremely naive in a sense, since behaviorists and psychoanalysts alike agree that it is futile to ask people why they do things. One reason is that what they say in different situations is often inconsistent. For example, there is evidence that people report their moods as more positive when they know the experimenter is trying to evaluate the effects of marihuana cigarettes smoked half an hour before (Mendelson, Rossi and Meyer, 1974), as compared to mood reports when the subject is unaware of the experimenter’s purpose. Even if people could give an accurate account of why they like things while unintoxicated, both marihuana (Darley, Tinklenberg, Roth, Hollister and Atkinson, 1973) and alcohol (Overton, 1972) distort the memory of what happened during intoxication. For example, alcoholics persist in saying that they expect alcohol to relieve feelings of anxiety and depression, while both of these moods are actually increased during experimental intoxication of alcoholics (Mello, 1972).
Djinn: Interaction Framework for Home Environment Using Speech and Vision

In this paper we describe an interaction framework that uses speech recognition and computer vision to model new generation of interfaces in the residential environment. We outline the blueprints of the architecture and describe the main building blocks. We show a concrete prototype platform where this novel architecture has been deployed and will be tested at the user field trials. EC co-funds this work as part of HomeTalk IST-2001-33507 project.
First-Order Logic and Automated Theorem Proving

This monograph on classical logic presents fundamental concepts and results in a rigorous mathematical style. Applications to automated theorem proving are considered and usable programs in Prolog are provided. This material can be used both as a first text in formal logic and as an introduction to automation issues, and is intended for those interested in computer science and mathematics at the beginning graduate level. The book begins with propositional logic, then treats first-order logic, and finally, first-order logic with equality. In each case the initial presentation is semantic: Boolean valuations for propositional logic, models for first-order logic, and normal models when equality is added. This defines the intended subjects independently of a particular choice of proof mechanism. Then many kinds of proof procedures are introduced: tableau, resolution, natural deduction, Gentzen sequent and axiom systems. Completeness issues are centered in a model existence theorem, which permits the coverage of a variety of proof procedures without repetition of detail. In addition, results such as compactness, interpolation, and the Beth definability theorem are easily established. Implementations of tableau theorem provers are given in Prolog, and resolution is left as a project for the student.
The Hermeneutics of Abomination: On Gay Men, Canaanites, and Biblical Interpretation:

A number of readers have claimed that injunctions against male homosexuality in the Hebrew Bible are aimed at cultic prostitution supposedly practiced by non-Israelites. Although several scholars have questioned the historical basis for this claim, less attention has been given to the ideological assumptions that underlie the hermeneutic argument. While cultic prostitutes may or may not have existed, the Hebrew Bible does attempt to link non-Israelite populations to sexual practices that are considered unacceptable by its authors. This attempt is an example of a common rhetorical move whereby the “other” is defined in relation to deviant sexual practice. Ironically, gay readers who rely upon this hermeneutic strategy participate in a process, already begun in the Hebrew Bible and taken further by its readers, in which sexual practice becomes the basis for insult, stereotyping, and condemnation. Since the reliance upon such a common mode of ethnic stereotyping cannot be accepted, gay and gay-affirmative re...
Data Warehousing and Web Engineering

This volume covers two pertinent topics that are continuously advancing the effective utilization and management of information technology applications. One objective of this book is to provide a forum for researchers and practitioners to share research about technical and managerial issues associated with data warehousing and mining. The other focus of this book is the concept of Web engineering, as it addresses how the originally intended use of the Web as a distributed system for knowledge-interchange seems to disappear, compared to the increasing number of e-commerce Web applications. The Web as a global point of sale seems to be very promising but obviously suffered from its heritage - the coarse-grained implementation model, which makes it harder and harder to develop, run and maintain still growing e-Commerce applications. Consequently Web engineering is applied to Web-based e-commerce applications.
Effect of anatomic distribution of pulmonary emboli on interobserver agreement in the interpretation of pulmonary angiography.

This study examines the anatomic distribution of emboli on pulmonary angiography and attempts to determine the relationship of vessel size to interobserver agreement, two factors having important implications in comparing pulmonary angiography with cross-sectional imaging for pulmonary embolism.One hundred twenty-five consecutive pulmonary angiograms were reviewed retrospectively by three interventional radiologists. Initial interpretations were recorded and compared to determine interobserver agreement on a per-patient and per-embolus basis. Discordant interpretations were reviewed by all radiologists for a consensus interpretation.Unanimous per-patient agreement occurred in 91% (114/125) of initial interpretations. The largest artery containing acute pulmonary embolism was segmental or larger in 24 patients (83% of patients with acute positive findings, 19% of all patients) and subsegmental in only five patients (17% and 4%, respectively). On a per-patient basis, initial interobserver agreement averaged...
Heart rate adjustment of exercise-induced ST segment depression. Improved risk stratification in the Framingham Offspring Study.

BACKGROUNDSimple heart rate adjustment of ST segment depression during exercise (delta ST/HR index) and the pattern of ST depression as a function of heart rate during exercise and recovery (the rate-recovery loop) have been shown to improve the ability of the exercise electrocardiogram to detect the presence of coronary heart disease (CHD), but the performance of these methods for the prediction of future coronary events remains to be examined.METHODS AND RESULTSWe compared the delta ST/HR index and the rate-recovery loop with standard electrocardiographic criteria for prediction of CHD events in 3,168 asymptomatic men and women in the Framingham Offspring Study who underwent treadmill exercise electrocardiography and who, at entry, were free of clinical and electrocardiographic evidence of CHD. After a mean follow-up of 4.3 years, there were 65 new CHD events: four sudden deaths, 24 new myocardial infarctions, and 37 incident cases of angina pectoris. When a Cox proportional hazards model with adjustmen...
Combined dentoalveolar osteotomy, reduction cheioplasty, and genioplasty: an alternate treatment approach for the short face patient.

Abstract The systemic aesthetic, cephalometric and occlusal analysis of individuals with short lower third facial height reveals variable aesthetic, skeletal, and dentoalveolar characteristics. Therefore, a variety of surgical and orthodontic treatments should be considered for individuals with short face dentofacial morphology. One such surgical option; the simultaneous dentoalveolar osteotomy, reduction cheiloplasty and genioplasty can be used to correct functional deformities, while not detracting from existing aesthetics, of certain individuals with short face dentofacial characteristics.
Tribological characteristics of sputtered thin films in rolling hertzian contacts

Abstract The results of tribological studies carried out on hardened steel test bodies coated with solid lubricants are reported. The tests were carried out to assess the suitability of solid lubricant films in rolling hertzian contacts. A specially constructed concentrated contact simulator was used to determine the traction (frictional) characteristics of sputtered MoS 2 and WSe 2 -In-Ga films. Test results obtained show that sputtered solid lubricant films are satisfactory for heavily loaded rolling contact applications as long as the slide-roll ratio is not very much larger than 0.02. Comparative tests show that burnished films yield lower traction coefficients than sputtered films indicating that there is room to improve sputtering practice further in order to enhance the tribological characteristics of sputtered solid lubricant films.
The nature of "pyridoxine oxidase" from rabbit liver preparations.

Abstract The oxidation of pyridoxine to 4-pyridoxic acid through the combined action of a pyridoxine oxidase from rabbit liver and aldehyde oxidase has been reexamined. The first step in this oxidation, the conversion of pyridoxine to pyridoxal, appears to be nonenzymatic and mediated by H 2 O 2 produced by aldehyde oxidase in the presence of pyridoxal or other substrates. The reaction is accelerated by ferrous ions and by substrates of aldehyde oxidase; the addition of these activators largely duplicates the activating effect of “pyridoxine oxidase” preparations on the overall reaction.
Meeting report on an NHLBI workshop on ex vivo expansion of stem cells, July 29, 1999, Washington, D.C.

Organization and goals of conference A workshop organized by the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) was held on ex vivo expansion of hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) at the National Institute of Health (NIH) in Bethesda on July 29, 1999. The meeting was organized by Leann Jensen, Ph.D., NHLBI, Bethesda, Maryland, in collaboration with Cynthia Dunbar, M.D., Hematology Branch, NHLBI, Bethesda, Maryland; Catherine Verfaillie, M.D., University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota; and John Wagner, M.D., University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota. The speakers included: Steve Bartelemez, Ph.D., Seattle Biomedical Research Institute, Seattle, Washington; Stephen Emerson, M.D., Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Shelly Heimfeld, Ph.D., Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, Washington; Ihor Lemischka, Ph.D., Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey; Ian McNiece, Ph.D., University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, Denver, Colorado; Kateri Moore, DVM, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey; Malcolm Moore, Ph.D., Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York; Jan Nolta, Ph.D., Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California; Peter Quesenberry, M.D., University of Massachusetts Cancer Center, Worcester, Massachusetts; Dr. Richard Stephens, Chief, Oncology Branch, FDA, Rockville, Maryland; Beverly TorokStorb, Ph.D., Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, Washington; and Esmail Zanjani, Ph.D., VA Medical Center, Reno, Nevada. The goal of the workshop was to identify important, unresolved questions in the area of ex vivo expansion of HSC, with a special emphasis on umbilical cord blood (UCB) grafts. Questions addressed included which assays (in vivo transplantation models or in vitro assays) can measure human (non-human-primate) HSC? What is the genetic characterization of long-term repopulating HSC? How is “engraftment” affected by “homing” of human HSC to the bone marrow (BM) microenvironment? What are the requirements of culture conditions that support ex vivo HSC expansion? What cells do we need to expand: HSC, or committed myeloid and/or lymphoid cells? Finally, what are the regulatory issues that pertain to ex vivo expanded HSC?
Economic-robust transmission opportunity auction in multi-hop wireless networks

The rapid growth of wireless devices and services exacerbates the problem of spectrum scarcity in wireless networks. Recently, spectrum auction has emerged as one of the most promising techniques to enhance spectrum utilization and mitigate this problem. Although there exist some works studying spectrum auction, most of them are designed for single-hop communications, and it is usually not clear whom a winning user communicates with. Moreover, most previous auction schemes only focus on satisfying the incentive compatibility property, also called truthfulness, but ignore another two critical properties: individual rationality, and budget balance. Thus, they may not be economic-robust. In this paper, we propose a transmission opportunity auction scheme, called TOA, which can support multi-hop data traffic, ensure economic-robustness, and generate high revenue for the auctioneer. Specifically, in TOA, instead of spectrum bands as in traditional spectrum auction schemes, users bid for transmission opportunities (TOs). A TO is defined as the permit of data transmission on a specific link using a certain band, i.e., a link-band pair. The TOA scheme is composed of three procedures: TO allocation, TO scheduling, and pricing, which are performed sequentially and iteratively until the aforementioned goals are reached. We prove that TOA is economic-robust, and conduct extensive simulations to show its effectiveness and efficiency.
A critical review of the assumptions underlying drug testing

Current drug screening programs are based on a set of assumptions: That drug use adversely affects productivity, that available tests are accurate and cost-effective means of detecting and reducing drug use, and that drug testing is legal. When analyzed in the light of available evidence, little support was found for these assumptions. Used properly, drug testing may play a role in the overall management of employee performance; used improperly, it represents a profound threat to individual rights. Recommendations for additional research and for employers planning to use drug screening are offered.
Hall angle in YBa2Cu3O7- delta epitaxial films: Comparison between oxygen reduction and Pr doping.

We have investigated the temperature dependence of the Hall angle in oxygen-deficient and Pr-doped ${\mathrm{YBa}}_{2}$${\mathrm{Cu}}_{3}$${\mathrm{O}}_{7\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}\mathrm{\ensuremath{\delta}}}$ epitaxial films. The cotangent of the Hall angle follows a universal ${\mathit{T}}^{2}$ dependence in all superconducting samples, i.e., cot${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\theta}}}_{\mathit{H}}$=\ensuremath{\alpha}${\mathit{T}}^{2}$+C. In the ${\mathrm{YBa}}_{2}$${\mathrm{Cu}}_{3}$${\mathrm{O}}_{7\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}\mathrm{\ensuremath{\delta}}}$ system the slope \ensuremath{\alpha} increases monotonically with \ensuremath{\delta} while the quantity C remains almost constant. Most important, there exists a linear correlation between ${\mathit{T}}_{\mathit{c}}$ and \ensuremath{\alpha}. In the ${\mathrm{Pr}}_{\mathit{x}}$${\mathrm{Y}}_{1\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}\mathit{x}}$${\mathrm{Ba}}_{2}$${\mathrm{Cu}}_{3}$${\mathrm{O}}_{7}$ series both \ensuremath{\alpha} and C increase with x. Combined with previous studies we conclude that the changes of \ensuremath{\alpha} and C are related to two distinct mechanisms for suppressing superconductivity. While the increase of C corresponds to a reduction of mobility, the change of \ensuremath{\alpha} reflects the variation in true carrier density.
Strengthening integrality gaps for capacitated network design and covering problems

A capacitated covering IP is an integer program of the form min{l_brace}ex{vert_bar}Ux {ge} d, 0 {le} x {le} b, x {element_of} Z{sup +}{r_brace}, where all entries of c, U, and d are nonnegative. Given such a formulation, the ratio between the optimal integer solution and the optimal solution to the linear program relaxation can be as bad as {parallel}d{parallel}{sub {proportional_to}}, even when U consists of a single row. They show that by adding additional inequalities, this ratio can be improved significantly. In the general case, they show that the improved ratio is bounded by the maximum number of non-zero coefficients in a row of U, and provide a polynomial-time approximation algorithm to achieve this bound. This improves upon the results of Bertsimas and Vohra, strengthening their extension of Hall and Hochbaum.
Community surveillance of coronary heart disease in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study: Methods and initial two years' experience

The community surveillance component of the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study is designed to estimate patterns and trends of coronary heart disease (CHD) incidence, case fatality, and mortality in four U.S. communities. Community surveillance involves ongoing review of death certificates and hospital discharge records to identify CHD events in community residents aged 35-74 years. Interviews with next of kin and questionnaires completed by physicians and medical examiners or coroners were used to collect information on deaths, and review and abstraction of hospital records were used to collect information on possible fatal and nonfatal myocardial infarctions (MIs). Events were classified using standardized criteria. The initial 2-years' experience with case ascertainment and availability of information needed for classification of events is described. Average annual age-adjusted attack rates of definite MI and CHD mortality rates for blacks in two communities and whites in the four communities are presented and compared with rates based on unvalidated hospital discharge data and vital statistics. Age-adjusted rates based on ARIC classification of definite MI were lower than those based on hospital discharge diagnosis code 410 (e.g., 5.60/1000 and 11.50/1000 among Forsyth County white men, respectively). Age-adjusted rates of definite fatal CHD based on ARIC classification were similarly lower than rates based on underlying cause of death code 410; for example, Jackson black men had rates of 2.82/1000 and 4.52/1000 for definite fatal CHD and UCOD 410-414 or 429.2, respectively.
The Effects of Chlorpyrifos on Blood Pressure and Temperature Regulation in Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats

Using radiotelemetry to monitor blood pressure and core temperature, studies in our laboratory have shown that a prolonged hypertensive response is elicited in rats exposed to chlorpyrifos, an organophosphate-based insecticide. Chlorpyrifos inhibits acetylcholinesterase activity, resulting in central and peripheral stimulation of central cholinergic pathways involved in blood pressure regulation. The spontaneously hypertensive rat has been shown to be more sensitive to central cholinergic stimulation. Therefore, we hypothesized that these rats would be more susceptible and sustain a greater hypertensive response when exposed to chlorpyrifos. Heart rate, cardiac contractility, core temperature, and blood pressure were monitored by radiotelemetry in SHRs and their Wistar Kyoto (WKY) normotensive controls following exposure to chlorpyrifos (10 mg/kg or 25 mg/kg, orally). Baseline blood pressure of SHRs was approximately 35 mmHg above that of WKYs prior to dosing. SHRs exhibited a greater and more sustained elevation in diastolic, mean and systolic blood pressure following exposure to 25 mg/kg of chlorpyrifos. The rise in blood pressure lasted for approximately 56 hours in SHRs compared to approximately 32 hours in WKYs. Chlorpyrifos also led to a prolonged elevation in daytime heart rate in both strains. There was a transient elevation in cardiac contractility in both strains lasting approximately 7 hr after exposure to chlorpyrifos. The hypothermic response to chlorpyrifos was similar in magnitude and duration for both strains. Plasma cholinesterase activity measured 4 hr after exposure to 25 mg/kg chlorpyrifos was inhibited to approximately 40% of control levels in both strains. Using the SHR strain as a model to study susceptible populations, the data suggest that individuals with a genetic predisposition to hypertension may be more susceptible from exposure to organophosphate-based insecticide, as manifested by an exacerbated hypertensive response.
Chromatography of nonadsorbable gases

Chromatographic techniques are used with nonadsorbable and slightly adsorbable tracers to evaluate mass transfer parameters in packed beds. If accurate values of intraparticle diffusivities are to be obtained, it appears that long beds of relatively large particles must be used. Otherwise the moments of the chromatographic peaks are too small for accurate analysis. With adsorbable gases, such precautions are not necessary, and, in addition, the adsorption rate constant can be estimated. However, the intraparticle diffusivity determined for adsorbable gases can include a contribution due to surface migration. The method is applicable to all types of porous particles used as catalysts or catalyst carriers. A combination of measurements of slightly adsorbable and nonabsorbable tracers can be used to approximate the adsorption rate constant for a slightly adsorbable gas such as nitrogen.
Driver mutations of cancer epigenomes

Epigenetic alterations are associated with all aspects of cancer, from tumor initiation to cancer progression and metastasis. It is now well understood that both losses and gains of DNA methylation as well as altered chromatin organization contribute significantly to cancer-associated phenotypes. More recently, new sequencing technologies have allowed the identification of driver mutations in epigenetic regulators, providing a mechanistic link between the cancer epigenome and genetic alterations. Oncogenic activating mutations are now known to occur in a number of epigenetic modifiers (i.e. IDH1/2, EZH2, DNMT3A), pinpointing epigenetic pathways that are involved in tumorigenesis. Similarly, investigations into the role of inactivating mutations in chromatin modifiers (i.e. KDM6A, CREBBP/EP300, SMARCB1) implicate many of these genes as tumor suppressors. Intriguingly, a number of neoplasms are defined by a plethora of mutations in epigenetic regulators, including renal, bladder, and adenoid cystic carcinomas. Particularly striking is the discovery of frequent histone H3.3 mutations in pediatric glioma, a particularly aggressive neoplasm that has long remained poorly understood. Cancer epigenetics is a relatively new, promising frontier with much potential for improving cancer outcomes. Already, therapies such as 5-azacytidine and decitabine have proven that targeting epigenetic alterations in cancer can lead to tangible benefits. Understanding how genetic alterations give rise to the cancer epigenome will offer new possibilities for developing better prognostic and therapeutic strategies.
Use of local electrostatic environments of cysteines to enhance formation of a desired species in a reversible disulfide exchange reaction

The role of electrostatic factors has been evaluated for the reversible disulfide exchange reaction between N-acetylcysteine (A) and a peptide fragment (B) comprising residues 85–114 of Kunitz soybean trypsin inhibitor. In A, the sulfhydryl group has a negative carboxyl neighbor on the cysteine itself. In B, the only charged group within five residues of the single cysteine at position 86 is the positive N-terminal amino group on residue 85. The concentrations of the monomers A and B and of the disulfides AA, AB and BB have been determined as a function of time in kinetic experiments at pH 7, 23°C and ionic strengths of 20 mM and 1 M. At both ionic strengths the sulfhydryl acid dissociation constants Ka have been determined for A and B, as well as the four rate constants for the disulfide exchange reaction. The electrostatic effects are small in magnitude but occur in expected directions. Local cysteine environments enhance formation of the mixed disulfide (AB), having a favorable configuration of adjacent unlike charges and generate decreases in the AA and BB disulfides joining regions of identical charge. These experiments represent an initial step towards use of intrinsic protein functional groups to direct formation of specific disulfides in a synthetic protein.
Cassandra and the horn of plenty: Ecological and thermodynamic constraints and economic goals

Abstract Ecological and thermodynamic constraints on economic activites are becoming increasingly evident. Natural ecosystems are self-correcting, stable systems primarily because of the operation of a bilaterally coupled feedback information structure. Economic systems, on the other hand, operate in the context of unilaterally coupled systems which allow the possibility of cumulative error over time. Contemporary economic functions of production, distribution and control do not constitute a viable solution to the inconsistencies observed between natural environmental limits and the stated production goals of society. In addition, the increasing entropy of remaining resources is being accelerated by economic policies. Long term harmony between human societies and the natural environment requires a better understanding of both the ecological and thermodynamic implications of economic throughput and flow rate modulation controls.
How we can Learn from Studies of Wide Binary Statistics

We present a versatile technique for comparing wide binary observations with theoretical semi-major axis distributions.
Further studies of coal oxidation

Abstract The low-temperature oxidation of coal has been investigated by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-i.r.). Samples were oxidized at 140 and 60 °C for intervals of a few hours to days. These FT-i.r. results were correlated to changes in the thermoplastic properties of the coal measured by a Gieseler plastometer. The loss of Gieseler fluidity as a function of oxidation time corresponds to loss of aliphatic CH groups. Curve-resolving methods were used to distinguish between various C = 0 functional groups. At both oxidation temperatures there was an overall increase in carbonyl and carboxyl groups, but in different relative proportions depending on the oxidation temperatures.
Tri-Loop Impedance and Frequency Matching With High- $Q$ Resonators in Wireless Power Transfer

Resonant wireless power transfer (WPT) using magneto quasi-static fields is an attractive means for delivering power in many applications. Central to the efficient delivery of power in these systems is the use of high-ratio impedance transformers to impedance-match the load to the source via the WPT network. Mini-loop transformers, which use a resonant tank for impedance matching, have become popular as they provide high-ratio impedance matching and low loss. Key to the low loss is the use of high- Q resonators. There are two challenges with this approach. The first is impedance matching the resonators to source/load impedances, and the second is adjusting the center frequency of resonance to exactly match the operating frequency, which can be very difficult with helical coils that use their parasitic capacitance for resonance. In this letter, we introduce a tri-coil impedance-matching network for WPT that provides accurate impedance matching and precise frequency tuning for high- Q coils to overcome these limitations.
Mix and Inject: Reaction Initiation by Diffusion for Time-Resolved Macromolecular Crystallography

Time-resolved macromolecular crystallography unifies structure determination with chemical kinetics, since the structures of transient states and chemical and kinetic mechanisms can be determined simultaneously from the same data. To start a reaction in an enzyme, typically, an initially inactive substrate present in the crystal is activated. This has particular disadvantages that are circumvented when active substrate is directly provided by diffusion. However, then it is prohibitive to use macroscopic crystals because diffusion times become too long. With small micro- and nanocrystals diffusion times are adequately short for most enzymes and the reaction can be swiftly initiated. We demonstrate here that a time-resolved crystallographic experiment becomes feasible by mixing substrate with enzyme nanocrystals which are subsequently injected into the X-ray beam of a pulsed X-ray source.