cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Glypican-3 immunocytochemistry in liver fine-needle aspirates : a novel stain to assist in the differentiation of benign and malignant liver lesions.

BACKGROUND. Glypican-3 (GPC3) is a heparan sulfate proteoglycan which is elevated in the serum of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), but not in healthy blood donors, or patients with benign liver disease. GPC3 immunohistochemistry (IHC) is a promising marker of HCC in surgical pathology. This study explores the value of GPC3 expression in liver fine-needle aspirates (FNAs) by immunocytochemistry (ICC), and compares its sensitivity and staining intensity with that of IHC. METHODS. Archival cytologic material in hepatic FNAs from 20 patients with HCC, 20 patients with metastatic tumors, and 20 patients with benign lesions, were studied. Correlating surgical specimens and/or cell blocks were available for GPC-3 IHC in 16 patients with HCC. All slides were stained with GPC3-1G12 antibody with appropriate positive and negative controls. Staining intensity was graded as 0, no staining; 1, weak cytoplasmic staining; 2, moderate cytoplasmic staining; 3, strong cytoplasmic staining with membranous accentuation. Grades 0 and 1 were regarded as negative; grades 2 and 3 were considered positive for GPC3. RESULTS. In the HCC group, positive staining was found in 18/20 (90%) samples. In contrast, GPC3 ICC of 20/20 (100%) metastatic tumors and 20/20 (100%) benign cases displayed negative staining, no cases showing moderate or strong expression. The sensitivity and specificity of GPC3 in HCC ICC were 90% and 100% respectively. The surgical sections and cell blocks of HCC demonstrated positive staining less frequently, in 11/16 (68.8%) cases, with 12/16 (75%) correlation with ICC. CONCLUSIONS. Results indicated positive staining for GPC3 as defined in 90% of liver FNAs from HCC patients. All metastatic tumors and benign aspirates studied were negative for GPC3. ICC was superior to IHC in 25% of cases. This pilot study supports the diagnostic utility of GPC3 in hepatic FNAs to aid in distinction of HCC from metastatic tumors and benign liver lesions. Cancer (Cancer Cytopathol) 2007. © 2007 American Cancer Society.
Involvement of oxygen and mitochondrial function in the metabolism of d-xylulose by Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Mitochondrial function associated with oxygen was required for growth of Saccharomyces cerevisiae on D-xylulose. The requirement was shown by (i) the inhibition of growth of a wild-type strain under anaerobic conditions, (ii) the inhibition of aerobic growth after treatment with inhibitors of mitochondrial function, and (iii) the lack of aerobic and anaerobic growth of nuclear and cytoplasmic petites. The mitochondrial function was associated with the channeling of catabolites of D-xylulose to growth processes, since ethanol was formed even when growth was inhibited. Mitochondrial function was implicated as well in determining the extent of growth and the concentration of ethanol in aerobic cultures of the wild-type. In such cultures, the concentration of ethanol decreased and growth increased concomitantly as aeration rate increased. A factor in this relation was considered to be the relatively poor ability of D-xylulose to inhibit the oxidative utilization of ethanol.
Large optical parametric amplification and efficient difference-frequency generation in transverse-pumping geometry

We have investigated optical parametric amplification and difference-frequency generation in the transverse-pumping geometry. For the amplification, when the pump power is set to the threshold, a very large gain is predicted if the input power for the signal is much lower than the threshold. However, as the input power increases, the gain decreases rapidly. On the other hand, for the difference-frequency generation, for each value of the pump power, there is an optimal input power at which the output power at the difference frequency reaches a maximum.
Capturing Out-of-Plane Shear Failures in the Analysis of Reinforced Concrete Shells

AbstractA procedure for nonlinear analysis of RC slabs and shell structures is presented. Cracked RC is treated as an orthotropic material governed by a smeared rotating crack procedure and the constitutive formulations of the disturbed stress field model. The analysis procedure is implemented within the framework of a finite-element program employing layered thick-shell elements that consider out-of-plane (through-thickness) shear deformations. A simple modification method employing an effective shear strain concept is introduced to improve the out-of-plane performance of the layered shell element for RC applications. The adequacy of the procedure is verified using test data of RC members controlled by out-of-plane shear failure mechanisms and elements under combined in-plane and out-of-plane loading scenarios. The nonlinear finite-element program is shown to be suitable for elements exhibiting ductile or brittle responses, and the shear modification method introduced is found to be capable of capturing ...
An illusion of ingestion.

Three experiments were conducted to find out why subjects ingest substantially more liquid than required when asked to match a visually displayed volume. All three experiments replicated the basic illusion phenomenon, and Experiments 1 and 2 indicated that it was attributable to the subjects’ underestimating the volume of liquid in their mouths. Experiment 3 revealed that the illusion was not present with solid substances, but it was evident with liquids when a quite different measurement procedure was employed.
Diagnosis and Management of Hereditary Non-Polyposis Colon Cancer

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is estimated to have affected 148,000 people and caused 57,000 deaths during 2002 in the United States.1 The approximate cumulative lifetime risks of CRC and death from CRC are, respectively, 5% to 6% and 2.5%.2 Most colon cancers occur in individuals over the age of 50 years and develop as the consequence of environmental carcinogen exposure, genetic factors, and/or an interaction between the two.3,4 With regard to the hereditary etiology, it is estimated, based on familial clustering studies, that 20% to 30% of colon cancers have a potentially identifiable genetic cause.5 The specific genes responsible for most of the cases of moderate-risk colon cancer remain to be characterized, but, in the high-risk cases, many of the genes have been identified. These high-risk cases account for 3% to 5% of all colon cancers and include welldefined hereditary colon cancer syndromes that carry a substantial lifetime risk of colon cancer, such as familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP), hereditary non-polyposis colon cancer (HNPCC), juvenile polyposis syndrome, and Peutz-Jeghers syndrome.6,7 Approximately 0.86% to 1.6% of the colon cancer burden in the United States is associated with HNPCC when this syndrome is characterized at a molecular level (e.g., MLH1 and MSH2 germline mutations), making it the most common of the hereditary colon cancer syndromes.6,8-10 Although HNPCC accounts for only a small percentage of all colon cancer cases, the substantial increase in the risk for colonic and extracolonic cancer in individuals with this syndrome makes it essential that practicing gastroenterologists recognize and appropriately manage members of HNPCC families. Furthermore, our understanding of HNPCC at both the molecular and the clinical level has undergone a dramatic revolution over the last decade. The discovery of the genes that cause HNPCC has ushered in an era of genetic testing, which now plays a central role in the management of these families. The appropriate use of genetic testing can confirm the diagnosis at a molecular level, which is particularly helpful in ambiguous cases, and can improve the use of surveillance strategies in at-risk individuals. However, as with any medical condition, a thorough and up-to-date understanding of HNPCC and knowledge of the recommended molecular and endoscopic testing strategies for this cancer family syndrome (CFS) are required to effectively manage these individuals. The enhanced ability to recognize HNPCC families also has led to a significant evidence base that can be used to guide optimal management. This review will summarize the current understanding of HNPCC and provide an overview of currently recommended management strategies.
Turbulent plumes in stratified environments: A review of recent work

Abstract This paper reviews recent developments in the theoretical modelling of Boussinesq turbulent plumes in both stratified and unstratified quiescent environments. The review focuses primarily on extensions to the classic entrainment model of Morton et al. (1956; MTT). Recent analytic solutions for the rise height in a stratified environment, for the rise height of turbulent fountains, and for the near‐source flow in large area source plumes are reviewed. Extensions to the theory of MTT are then reviewed, including models for plumes with a buoyancy flux that varies with height and for plumes with a buoyancy flux that varies with time. Recent experimental results are also reviewed and compared to these theoretical developments. Some open questions in turbulent plume theory are then discussed. It is shown that MTT are unable to model the rise of weak fountains satisfactorily and the significance of this result for the rise height of plumes in a stratified environment and, more generally, turbulent mixin...
On the Incinerability of Highly Fluorinated Organic Compounds

The special problems associated with the destruction of highly fluorinated one and two carbon organics under combustion conditions are discussed in terms of their fundamental chemical kinetic prope...
Hepatitis B Vaccination

Hepatitis B virus (HBV)infection is a major cause of chronic hepatitis and cirrhosis,with an estimated 350 million people worldwide infected with the virus.Despite continuing advances in antiviral therapy,a cure for chronic HBV infection is considered an elusive goal.Thus,primary prevention by immunization with HBV vaccines remains the most effective means to control the transmission of HBV infection.
The promises of qualitative inquiry.

We address the significance and implications of the formal entry of qualitative inquiry into the American Psychological Association. In our view, the discipline is enriched in new and important ways. Most prominently, the qualitative movement brings with it a pluralist orientation to knowledge and to practices of inquiry. Adding to the traditional view of knowledge as empirically supported theory are research practices congenial with varying accounts of knowledge, including, for example, knowledge as hermeneutic understanding, social construction, and practicebased experience. Added to the goal of prediction are investments in increasing cultural understanding, challenging cultural conventions, and directly fostering social change. The qualitative movement also enriches the discipline as a whole through the special ways in which it inspires new ranges of theory, fosters minority inclusion, and invites interdisciplinary collaboration. Finally, the movement holds promise in terms of the discipline’s contribution to society at large. Here we focus on the advantages of knowing with others in addition to about them, and on ways in which qualitative work enhances communication with the society and the world. Realizing these potentials will depend on developments in responsible research and reporting, academic and journal policies, along with the discipline’s capacities for appreciating a more comprehensive orientation to inquiry.
A comparative study of suture materials: Chromic gut and chromic gut treated with glycerin

Histologic and mechanical properties of chromic gut and glycerin-treated chromic gut were evaluated. Zero gauges of both materials were implanted for 7 days to evaluate inflammatory response. No difference was found in the degree of inflammatory response. Scanning electron micrographs showed a more uniform surface for the glycerin-treated chromic gut. Regular chromic material was stronger in unknotted tensile strength and fracture load for all gauges. The 1-0 gauge glycerin-treated chromic gut stabilized with the knot configuration of 1 = 1 = 1 = 1; and the 1,2-0, and 3-0 gauges reached knot security at 1 = 1 = 1. The in vivo studies showed marked difference in the tensile strength of stable knots between the two materials. Only with five throws (1 = 1 = 1 = 1 = 1) did the strength of glycerin-treated chromic gut overlap that of regular chromic gut.
Adapting Existing Spatial Data Sets to New Uses: An Example from Energy Modeling

ABSTRACT Energy modeling and analysis often relies on data collected for other purposes such as census counts, atmospheric and air quality observations, and economic projections. These data are available at various spatial and temporal scales, which may be different from those needed by the energy modeling community. If the translation from the original format to the format required by the energy researcher is incorrect, then resulting models can produce misleading conclusions. This is of increasing importance because of the fine resolution data required by models for new alternative energy sources such as wind and distributed generation. This paper addresses the matter by applying spatial statistical techniques which improve the usefulness of spatial data sets (maps) that do not initially meet the spatial and/or temporal requirements of energy models. In particular, we focus on (1) aggregation and disaggregation of spatial data, (2) imputing missing data and (3) merging spatial data sets.
Local CSI Based Full Diversity Achieving Relay Selection for Amplify-and-Forward Cooperative Systems

This paper proposes a new relay selection method based on local channel state information (CSI) for a system consisting of a source, a destination and an arbitrary number of amplify-and-forward relay nodes. A set of candidate relays, whose source-relay (S-R) links are not in outage, is formed. An S-R link is in outage if its signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) is below the predefined threshold value of the destination SNR plus some adjustable margin. The candidate relay that yields the maximum second-hop SNR is then selected at the destination. Unlike the opportunistic relaying (OR) based on full CSI (F-CSI), the proposed method requires to equip the destination node with the instantaneous CSI of the S-R channel corresponding to only the selected relay. It is qualitatively shown that the training overhead of the proposed relay selection is less than or comparable to that of the partial relay selection (PRS) but can be much smaller than that of the OR with F-CSI. However, the proposed scheme requires to estimate a higher number of single-input single-output (SISO) channels than in the PRS scheme. The exact and asymptotic expressions of outage probability are derived and it is shown that the proposed method achieves full diversity. Simulation results verify theoretical analysis, and show that, for the optimized margin, the proposed scheme provides performance which is comparable to the method having F-CSI. The results also show that the proposed method significantly outperforms PRS, which may justify the linear order of the computational complexity associated with the estimation of the additional SISO channels and the low-cost one-dimensional line search used for optimizing the margin.
Induction of immunological tolerance in immunoglobulin E B lymphocytes in rats

Immunological tolerance has been induced in 2,4-dinitrophenyl (DNP)-specific bone marrow-derived or B lymphocytes of the IgE AND IgG antibody classes by treatment of rats with the DNP derivative of D-amino acid copolymer, D-glutamic acid, D-lysine (D-GL). The tolerant state is manifested as an inability of treated rats to produce serum anti-DNP antibodies and the failure of peritoneal cells from tolerant animals to release histamine following in vitro antigen challenge. The implications of these and related observations for potential therapeutic measures in clinical hypersensitivity states are discussed.
Ionization, Magnetorotational, and Gravitational Instabilities in Thin Accretion Disks Around Supermassive Black Holes

We consider the combined role of the thermal ionization, magnetorotational, and gravitational instabilities in thin accretion disks around supermassive black holes. We find that in the portions of the disk unstable to the ionization instability, the gas remains well coupled to the magnetic field even on the cold, neutral branch of the thermal limit cycle. This suggests that the ionization instability is not a significant source of large-amplitude time-dependent accretion in active galactic nuclei (AGNs). We also argue that, for 10-2 M☉ yr-1, the gravitationally unstable and magnetorotationally unstable regions of the accretion disk overlap; for lower accretion rates they may not. Some low-luminosity AGN, e.g., NGC 4258, may thus be in a transient phase in which mass is building up in a nonaccreting gravitationally and magnetorotationally stable "dead zone." We comment on possible implications of these findings.
Perceived Hazard and Product Choice: An Application to Recreational Site Choice

We develop a "perceived hazard" model that estimates consumers' endogenous risk perceptions about products. These perceptions are then linked to a model of product choice. Our approach thus departs from the expected utility model that depends upon external risk assessments. In an application to recreational fishing, we find that anglers' perceived hazards associated with fish consumption advisories do affect product (recreational site) choice. Anglers' perceptions also affect welfare measures because the benefits of contaminant removal flow from these perceptions. The perceived hazard/product choice model is applicable to a wide variety of risky choices consumers face.
Modeling of active reverberation by time delay estimation

This paper explores the statistical properties of underwater reverberation present in active sonar systems. The interference to signal processing which results from reverberation can be extensive, and is particularly acute when the boundaries (surface, bottom) of the water column are nearby. Of particular interest are situations where there may be weak targets masked by reverberation dominating the returning signal. The reverberation is represented as the output of a linear system with the transmitted signal as an input. The random nature of the reverberation is accounted for by using random parameters in the linear model, the most important of which are those parameters impacting the spatial distribution of the reverberation. Time delay estimation is used to analyze reverberant signals obtained from a sonar system operating in a shallow water environment. The statistics of the linear models obtained from these analyses are computed and discussed.
A Qualitative Study of Coping in Mothers of Children with an Autism Spectrum Disorder

A significant body of research exists that explores the stressors of raising a child with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD). There are fewer studies, however, that examine specific effective coping...
Does interdependency affect firm and industry profitability? an empirical test

Strategy researchers have argued that heterogeneity in firms' practices and profitability within and across industries may derive from industry-level differences in the extent of interdependencies among firms' activities. Theoretical models have clarified how and why differences in the extent of the interdependencies faced by firms across industries may affect the distributions of firm profits, but the specific predictions from these models have not been empirically tested. In this paper, we present what we believe is the first large scale empirical analysis linking differences in the extent of interdependencies across industries to differences in the distribution of firm profits within and across those industries. We use survey data to measure interdependencies systematically across a wide number of industries, thus addressing the primary obstacle to incorporating interdependencies in larger scale empirical work, and find evidence consistent with the theoretical predictions: average profitability is highest in industries with moderate levels of interdependency; the dispersion of profits among firms is higher in industries with more extensive interdependencies; and industries with more extensive interdependencies have a more positively skewed performance distribution. We find that the effect of interdependencies on average industry profitability is similar in scale to the effect of patent protection and industry growth rates, placing interdependency squarely among the strategy field's central concepts. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Relevance-based Feature Extraction from Hyperspectral Images in the Complex Wavelet Domain

Generalized relevance learning vector quantization (GRLVQ) (B. Hammer and T. Villmann, 2002) is a "double action" supervised neural learning machine that simultaneously adapts classification boundaries and a weighting of the input dimensions to reflect the relevance of each dimension for the given classification. It is thus a joint classification and feature extraction technique. In (M. J. Mendenhall and E. Merenyi, Mar. 2006) we developed an improved version (GRLVQI) to handle intricate high-dimensional data. GRLVQI makes significant headway of feature reduction for hyperspectral images without compromising classification accuracy. However, the number of features to which the data can be reduced in the original (reflectance data) domain is naturally limited by higher order correlations. Here we investigate GRLVQI processing on wavelet coefficients because of the approximately decorrelated nature and the sparsity of those coefficients. We investigate the dual-tree complex wavelet transform (DTCWT) (I. W. Selesnick, et al., Nov. 2005) for its reduced oscillatory effects because spectral data often have discontinuities due to data fallout. We demonstrate that GRLVQI on the DTCWT coefficients achieves better classification with fewer features than using the critically sampled discrete wavelet transform (CSDWT), which was already shown to yield better results with far fewer features than GRLVQI applied in the original data space
Characteristics of the dopaminergic and noradrenergic systems of the pancreatic islets.

The catecholamines norepinephrine (NE) and dopamine (DA), known inhibitors of insulin secretion, have been identified in the pancreatic islets only semiquantitatively by their histochemical fluorescence spectrum. Using collagenase digestion of golden hamster pancreas, we isolated islets and quantitated the NE and DA content with sensitive and specific radioenzymatic assays. We compared the NE and DA concentrations in islets with the median eminence and cerebral cortex of the golden hamster, tissues known to contain catecholamines. Under basal conditions, NE is in higher concentration than DA in all three tissues and is highest in the islets in a much greater concentration than is found in the median eminence. DA is present in measurable quantities in all three tissues and, in the islets, its concentration is comparable with that in the median eminence. Treatment of the hamster with a precursor of the two catecholamines, L-dopa, produced a significant accumulation of DA in the islets and median eminence over the basal values. This L-dopa-induced increase in DA was heightened in the islets and reached significantly higher than control levels in the cortex by a pretreatment of the hamster with tranylcypromine (tran), a monomine oxidase inhibitor. Pretreatment with tran alone, however, produced no change in DA over control values. The NE content of pancreatic islets was not altered by administration of L-dopa, tran, or L-dopa plus tran. The NE content of the median eminence was increased by the administration of tran. L-dopa plus tran did not result in an additional increase in the NE content of the median eminence. The administration of tran plus L-dopa (but not the administration of either agent alone) increased the NE content of the cortex over control levels. The present study suggests that inhibition of insulin secretionafter L-dopa administration is due to an increased concentration of DA rather than NE in the pancreatic islets.
Genome schützen sich vor fremder DNA

Unsere kleinsten biologischen Feinde sind DNA-Stucke, die sich in unserem Erbgut festsetzen und sich von dort aus vermehren. Das Pantoffeltierchen und seine Verwandten liefern jetzt neue Erkenntnisse uber Verteidigungsmasnahmen gegen solche Invasoren. Uber den RNA-Umweg erkennt unser Genom die eingewanderte Fremd-DNA und schneidet sie heraus.
An array microhabitat system for high throughput studies of microalgal growth under controlled nutrient gradients

Microalgae have been increasingly recognized in the fields of environmental and biomedical engineering because of its use as base materials for biofuels or biomedical products, and also the urgent needs to control harmful algal blooms protecting water resources worldwide. Central to the theme is the growth rate of microalgae under the influences of various environmental cues including nutrients, pH, oxygen tension and light intensity. Current microalgal culture systems, e.g. raceway ponds or chemostats, are not designed for system parameter optimizations of cell growth. In this article, we present the development of an array microfluidic system for high throughput studies of microalgal growth under well defined environmental conditions. The microfluidic platform consists of an array of microhabitats flanked by two parallel side channels, all of which are patterned in a thin agarose gel membrane. The unique feature of the device is that each microhabitat is physically confined suitable for both motile and non-motile cell culture, and at the same time, the device is transparent and can be perfused through the two side channels amendable for precise environmental control of photosynthetic microorganisms. This microfluidic system is used to study the growth kinetics of a model microalgal strain, Chlamydomonas reinhardtii (C. reinhardtii), under ammonium (NH4Cl) concentration gradients. Experimental results show that C. reinhardtii follows Monod growth kinetics with a half-saturation constant of 1.2 ± 0.3 μM. This microfluidic platform provides a fast (~50 fold speed increase), cost effective (less reagents and human intervention) and quantitative technique for microalgal growth studies, in contrast to the current chemostat or batch cell culture system. It can be easily extended to investigate growth kinetics of other microorganisms under either single or co-culture setting.
Analysis of the acceleration of non-redundant manipulators

The study of the acceleration properties at the end effector is important in the analysis, design, and control of robot manipulators. In previous efforts aimed at addressing this problem, the end-effector acceleration has been treated as a vector combining both the linear and angular accelerations. The methodology presented in this article provides characterizations of these two different types of accelerations and describes the relationship between them. This work is an extension of our previous studies on manipulator inertial and acceleration properties. The treatment relies on the ellipsoid expansion model, a simple geometric approach to efficiently analyze end-effector accelerations. Results of the application of this analysis to the PUMA 560 manipulator are discussed.
The spatial distribution of severe thunderstorm and tornado environments from global reanalysis data

Proximity sounding analysis has long been a tool to determine environmental conditions associated with different kinds of weather events and to discriminate between them. It has been limited, necessarily, by the spatial and temporal distribution of soundings. The recent development of reanalysis datasets that cover the globe with spatial grid spacing on the order of 200 km and temporal spacing every 6 h allows for the possibility of increasing the number of proximity soundings by creating ‘‘pseudo-soundings.’’ We have used the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR)/United States National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) reanalysis system to create soundings and find environmental conditions associated with significant severe thunderstorms (hail at least 5 cm in diameter, wind gusts at least 120 km h � 1 , or a tornado of at least F2 damage) and to discriminate between significant tornadic and non-tornadic thunderstorm environments in the eastern United States for the period 1997–1999. Applying the relationships from that region to Europe and the rest of the globe, we have made estimates of the frequency of favorable conditions for significant severe thunderstorms. Southern Europe has the greatest frequency of significant severe thunderstorm environments, particularly over the Spanish plateau and the region east of the Adriatic Sea. Favorable significant tornadic environments are found in France and east of the Adriatic. Worldwide, favorable significant thunderstorm environments are concentrated in equatorial Africa, the central United States, southern Brazil and northern Argentina, and near the Himalayas. Tornadic environments are by far the most common in the central United States, with lesser areas in southern Brazil and northern Argentina. Published by Elsevier B.V.
Sensitive assay of biochemicals by laser-induced molecular fluorescence☆

Parts-per-trillion detection of several vitamins and amino acids has been achieved through the application of laser-induced molecular fluorescence techniques. Compounds which possess native fluorescence were investigated as well as nonfluorescent compounds which could be labeled with fluorescamine. In all cases the use of a pulsed laser as the irradiation source was shown to improve the minimum detectabilities by at least two orders of magnitude over those achieved with conventional light sources.
Radiation effects in SiC for nuclear structural applications

Silicon carbide has enjoyed both fundamental study and practical application since the early days of nuclear materials science. In the past decade, with the increased interest in increasing efficiency, solving the real issues of waste disposal, and the constant mission to improve safety of nuclear reactors, silicon carbide has become even more attractive. The purpose of this paper is to discuss recent research that not only strives to understand the remarkable radiation stability of this material, but also the practical application of silicon carbide as waste form and for fission and fusion power applications.
Delta-sigma waveform generation for digital radars

We detail a delta-sigma based system built to produce high-resolution analog waveforms at UHF. With bandwidths as large as 80 MHz and noise floors as low as -140 dBc/Hz, the generated waveforms show potential for use as LO and RF transmission waveforms in a UHF radar system. Finally, the waveform generator system is described as an ideal technology for use in a digital phased array radar.
Privacy, Secrecy, Fact, and Falsehood

Deploying distinctions between ignorance of a proposition and ignorance that it is true, and between knowledge of a proposition and knowledge that it is true, I distinguish between propositional privacy and factive privacy. While the latter is limited to personal facts, the former encompasses personal falsehoods as well. I argue that propositional privacy is both broader and deeper than factive privacy, and accordingly that conceiving of the nature of privacy in terms of propositional privacy has important advantages over conceiving of it solely in terms of factive privacy. I draw similar lessons with regard to secrecy.
NIST Critical National Need Idea White Paper: Metrological Infrastructure for Human, Social, and Natural Capital

A metrological infrastructure for human, social, and natural capital is an area of critical national need with potential for transforming education, health care, and the economy at large. The societal challenges preventing the development of reference standards and universally uniform metrics for these forms of capital are formidable. The economy, education, health care reform, and the environment are all now top priorities for attention. Interest in ecologically sustainable and socially responsible business practices has never been stronger or more widespread. Transparency and accountability are the key words of the day. Efforts are underway to tie health care reimbursements and executive compensation to outcome or impact measures. The assessment of risk, employee and organizational performance, environmental quality, and quality of life are all of increasing interest as every sector of the economy focuses on ways of preventing future debacles and on finding new sources of viable profits. Strong interest is being shown in new measures of overall economic performance interpreted less in terms of any and all commerce, no matter how detrimental to overall quality of life, and more in terms of genuine progress, happiness, and social cohesion. There is nothing more essential to succeeding in these efforts than the quality of the measures we develop and deploy. Even so, few, if any, of these efforts are taking advantage of longstanding, proven measurement technologies that may be crucial to the scientific and economic successes we seek. Bringing these technologies to the attention of the academic and business communities for use, further testing, and development in new directions is an area of critical national need.
Factions and Finance in China: The Collapse of Discipline: The First Two Inflationary Cycles and the Fiscalization of Chinese Banks

The theory put forth here argues that the struggle to control financial policies between generalist factions, which favor decentralization, and technocratic factions, which champion centralization, gives rise to inflationary and anti-inflationary pressure, respectively. But because both types of factions exploit the banking sector to fund their respective political aims, there is a persistent failure to commercialize the banking system in China. This chapter fully demonstrates this dual logic by examining two “classic” cases of inflationary cycles: the 1978–1982 cycle and the 1983–1986 cycle, respectively. The two cycles are essential for the main argument for several reasons. First, this period saw the first two inflationary cycles since the 1978 reform. These two inflationary cycles exhibited a “classic” pattern in which generalist factions galvanized local enthusiasm for investment through manipulating the agenda at important party meetings and through restructuring vital economic decision bodies such as the Finance and Economic Committee. Because of the latent competition between generalist factions, they competed to decentralize financial resources to provincial followers, which increased inflationary pressure. When inflation rose above a certain threshold, the central bureaucracy mobilized against the generalist factions in order to regain control over finances. Closely examining the policy coalitions that formed on investment and monetary policies in this period allows us to evaluate whether the assumptions of the theory roughly accords with political reality in China.
Universal heating curve of damped Coulomb plasmas in a Paul trap

A charged-particle cloud in a Paul trap is a nonlinear system that exhibits deterministic heating, i.e., conversion of energy provided by the radio-frequency (rf) drive of the trap into the disordered, gaslike motions of the trapped particles. In the presence of weak damping clouds reach an equilibrium state in which heating and cooling balance. For large damping, a cloud may collapse into a crystal. While the rf heating power of a given cloud depends sensitively on its particle number, its equilibrium size, the damping, and the control parameters of the trap, we find that scaling the heating power of the cloud with respect to its associated Coulomb-decoupled, non-interacting-gas state, and its equilibrium size with respect to its crystal size, results in a single, universal heating curve, independent of particle number and trap control parameters.
Donor-Doped Lead Zirconate Titanate (PbZr1−xTixO3) Films

Properties of undoped– and doped–ferroelectric PbZr 1−x Ti x O 3 . films, with both Pt or RuO 2 electrodes, were compared, with a view to understand the reasons for degradation of ferroelectric films. Donor–doped (e.g., Nb 5+ at Ti 4+ site) PbZr 1−x Ti x O 3 films, for which the PbO loss has been compensated, showed higher resistance to fatigue and low leakage currents compared to those of undoped films. The fatigue of ferroelectric films, a decrease in switchable polarization with increasing number of polarization reversals, has been attributed to the migration of oxygen vacancies and their entrapment at various interfaces (e.g., electrode/ferroelectric interface) that are present in the film.
Corporatism and Regional Economic Policies in the Federal Republic of Germany: The “Meso” Politics of Industrial Adjustment

This article examines corporatist theory (business, labor, government interaction) in the context of regional governments and economic policy in the Federal Republic of Germany. West German regional governments, far more than the federal government, have acted to shape industrial adjustment and enhance international competitiveness. Corporatist theory is analyzed in the context of its evolution from a macro to a meso variant, which attempts to address sectorand region-specific forms of economic dislocation. The new meso-corporatist approach is found insufficient because it looks only at private interests and neglects the regional politics of industrial adjustment. The very different "meso-political" patterns of adjustment are examined here in a synthetic review of recent research on economic policymaking in Baden-Wiirttemberg, Bavaria, and North-Rhine Westphalia. Meso-corporatism may still prove useful theoretically, but only if it includes the role of regional governments.
Abstract A11: N-Myc and STAT interactor (NMI): A regulator of developmental signaling and EMT

The NMI protein associates with known key transcription factors such as Myc and STATs and serves as a critical regulatory co-factor that dictates specialized functions. While a physiological function for NMI is yet unknown, it has potential roles in pathologies ranging from viral infection to cancer. We will present pioneering work from our laboratory showing that NMI impacts two major developmental signaling pathways - TGFβ and Wnt pathways. EMT is one of the key phenomena underlying normal embryonic and organ development, with a vital role in metastatic progression. We discovered that the expression of NMI is significantly downregulated in metastatic breast tumors. We recapitulated this by stably silencing the expression of NMI in breast cancer cells. Abrogating NMI expression from epithelial-like breast cancer cells enabled cells to assume a mesenchymal-like phenotype. Detailed molecular and functional investigations revealed that this mesenchymal transition was facilitated by decreased STAT5 signaling that caused concomitant reduction in SMAD7 expression and manifestation of a TGFβ-driven EMT program. In contrast, breast cancer cells restored for NMI expression showed autophagic vacuoles and LC3 processing. We found that NMI expression restricts Wnt/β-catenin signaling by upregulation of the secreted Wnt inhibitor, DKK1. Thus NMI prompts activation of GSK3-β, a key kinase upstream of the TSC1/TSC2 complex. Inhibition of GSK3-ββin NMI expressing cells activated mTOR signaling and decreased the cells’ autophagic response. Autophagy is a determinant of cellular survival through dormancy and cytotoxic drug insult. Rapid progression of autophagy leads to cell death. In agreement with our molecular analyses, we determined that abrogation of NMI expression rendered cells resistant to cisplatin and doxorubicin. Our findings elicit interesting possibilities about the role of NMI in regulating EMT and autophagy. Evidence from our investigations strongly suggests that loss of NMI leading to aberrant activation of multiple developmental signaling pathways, may be a vital event in the progression of breast cancer characterized by reduced autophagy and stabilization of transcription factors that function as major drivers of EMT. Citation Format: Rajeev S. Samant, Hawley C. Pruitt, Brandon J. Metge, Lalita A. Shevde. N-Myc and STAT interactor (NMI): A regulator of developmental signaling and EMT. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference: Developmental Biology and Cancer; Nov 30-Dec 3, 2015; Boston, MA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Mol Cancer Res 2016;14(4_Suppl):Abstract nr A11.
Determination of Sorption Coefficient of Phosphorus Applied for Sugarcane Production in Southwestern Florida

Phosphorus is among the essential nutrients applied to sugarcane ( L.) fields in the form of a fertilizer mixture (N, P, and K) in southwestern Florida. Sorption coefficient is used for modeling P movement, and in this study, we hypothesized that the sorption coefficient determined using fertilizer mixture (N, P, and K) will be significantly different from values determined using KCl and CaCl, the electrolytes most commonly used for conducting sorption experiments. Supporting electrolytes, 0.01 mol L KCl, 0.005 mol L CaCl, deionized (DI) water, simulated Florida rain, and fertilizer mixture prepared in Florida rain were used to characterize P sorption. Immokalee (Sandy, siliceous, hyperthermic Arenic Alaquods) and Margate (Sandy, siliceous hyperthermic Mollic Psammaquents) are the dominant mineral soils used for sugarcane production in southwestern Florida; we used the A and B horizons of Margate soil and the A and B horizons of the Immokalee soil for sorption experiments in this study. Freundlich sorption isotherms described P sorption data. The Freundlich sorption isotherm coefficients followed the trend 0.005 mol L CaCl > 0.01 mol L KCl ≈ fertilizer mixture > simulated Florida rain ≈ DI water. Sorption coefficients were used for modeling P movement with HYDRUS 1D; similar P results were obtained with the 0.01 mol L KCl and fertilizer mixture electrolyte treatments. The sorption coefficient for DI water and simulated Florida rain overpredicted P movement. The P sorption data showed the importance of choosing the appropriate electrolyte for conducting experiments based on the composition of fertilizer.
Ultrafiltration Rates and the Quality Incentive Program: Proposed Measure Definitions and Their Potential Dialysis Facility Implications

Background and objectives Rapid ultrafiltration rates are associated with adverse outcomes among patients on hemodialysis. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is considering an ultrafiltration rate quality measure for the ESRD Quality Incentive Program. Two measure developers proposed ultrafiltration rate measures with different selection criteria and specifications. We aimed to compare the proposed ultrafiltration rate measures and quantify dialysis facility operational burden if treatment times were extended to lower ultrafiltration rates. Design, setting, participants, & measurements Data were taken from the 2012 database of a large dialysis organization. Analyses of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services measure considered 148,950 patients on hemodialysis, and analyses of the Kidney Care Quality Alliance measure considered 151,937 patients. We described monthly patient and facility ultrafiltration rates and examined differences in patient characteristics across ultrafiltration rate thresholds and differences in facilities across ultrafiltration rate measure scores. We computed the additional treatment time required to lower ultrafiltration rates Results Ultrafiltration rates peaked in winter and nadired in summer. Patients with higher ultrafiltration rates were younger; more likely to be women, nonblack, Hispanic, and lighter in weight; and more likely to have histories of heart failure compared with patients with lower ultrafiltration rates. Facilities had, on average, 20.8%±10.3% (July) to 22.8%±10.6% (February) of patients with ultrafiltration rates >13 ml/h per kilogram by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services monthly measure. Facilities had, on average, 15.8%±8.2% of patients with ultrafiltration rates ≥13 ml/h per kilogram by the Kidney Care Quality Alliance annual measure. Larger facilities (>100 patients) would require, on average, 33 additional treatment hours per week to lower all facility ultrafiltration rates Conclusions Ultrafiltration rates vary seasonally and across clinical subgroups. Extension of treatment time as a strategy to lower ultrafiltration rates may pose facility operational challenges. Prospective studies of ultrafiltration rate threshold implementation are needed.
Paint weathering tests

Almost all man-made objects intended for service outside are painted. The function of the paint is multifold. Primarily, the paint serves a decorative function, in which its purpose is to enhance or change an object’s appearance—to change its color or level of gloss or to draw attention to some particular region on the object. However, just as importantly, objects are painted to protect them from the environment or to lengthen their lifetime. Coatings have long been recognized as protective prescriptions for items as diverse as airplanes, automobiles, bridges, houses, and machinery. Maximizing the life of a coating, and therefore the underlying object, has been a key goal of coatings scientists. In doing so, a variety of exposure methods and test protocols have been developed to anticipate the long-term weathering behavior of coatings.
Investigating graphene/conducting polymer hybrid layered composites as pseudocapacitors: Interplay of heterogeneous electron transfer, electric double layers and mechanical stability

Abstract Hybrid electrochemical electrodes consisting of supercapacitive graphene nanosheets and pseudocapacitive conducting polymers such as polypyrrole (PPy) and polyaniline (PAni) are constructed layer-by-layer (LbL) via in-situ electropolymerization followed by electrochemical reduction of graphene oxide (ErGO) forming (PPy/ErGO)n=1 and (PAni/ErGO)n=1 bilayers, with subsequent multilayers up to n = 5. We investigated structural, physical and electrochemical properties and the hybrids prepared using this Scheme 1 showed excellent electro-chemo-mechanical stability and enhanced electrochemical performance attributed to appropriate polymer chain conformations and covalently tailored and chemically bridged interface-promoted synergistic effects. From cyclic voltammograms, we determined gravimetric specific capacitance (Cs) at scan rate 10 mV/s and at a discharge current density of 1.0 A g−1 that ranged 300–560 F g−1 outperforming other hybrid supercapacitors and capacity retention of ∼90% over 1000 cycles at a specific current density of 1.5 A g−1. From electrochemical impedance spectroscopy data fitting and circuit simulations we determined various equivalent circuit parameters including low frequency (Clf) and interfacial capacitance, charge transfer and solution resistance that helped to calculate gravimetric power and energy densities. We also prepared PAni/rGO multilayer pseudocapacitors by varying rGO weight loading by electrostatic LbL assembly (Scheme 2) and compared their electrochemical properties with those of Scheme 1. The findings reveal the significance of electro-processing and electrodeposition and clearly elucidate the role of engineered interfaces in enhancement of interfacial properties i.e. heterogeneous electron transfer, diffusion coefficient, mechanical strength and electrical double layer in Scheme 1 graphene-polymer hybrids.