cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Source localization using time reversal in urban environments: A ray tracing approach

The source localization using time reversal in urban environments is studied for single and array receive antennas. Ray tracing is used for simulation of the EM wave propagation because full wave methods (e.g., the FDTD method) are not able to deal with the large size of the environments.
Short Term External Debt and Economic Growth—Granger Causality: Evidence from Latin America and the Caribbean:

In this paper the direction of the causality relationship between economic growth and short-term external debt was investigated for 27 Latin American and Caribbean countries over the period 1970–2003. The empirical results suggest the existence of bidirectional causality relationships between the two variables for several countries, which means that the performance of both variables is interrelated. The main finding is that in the short- and long- runs Granger causality from economic growth to short-term external debt is present in 13 Latin American and Caribbean countries. With the evidence suggesting, in the majority of estimated cases, economic growth Granger caused short-term external debt, short-term policy decisions related to capacity absorption enhancement should be encouraged in Latin America and the Caribbean. Further work in this regard is encouraged in the form of panel studies or specific individual case studies inclusive of foreign trade linkage parameters to capture the potential effects of omitted variables.
Experimental evaluation of a modular approach to mobilizing antitobacco influences of peers and parents

The experimental evaluation of two components of a community intervention to prevent adolescent tobacco use are described. Youth antitobacco activities (e.g., peer quizzes, sidewalk art, poster and T-shirt giveaways, etc.) and family communications activities (pamphlets to parents and student quizzes of parents) were evaluated in two time-series experiments, each of which was conducted in two experimental and one control community. Students in Grades 6 and 8 and their parents were assessed in a series of four phone surveys in the first experiment and six phone surveys in the second. Implementation of the youth antitobacco and family communications activities led to significantly greater exposure of young people to antitobacco information. They led to increases in parent and youth knowledge about tobacco use and more negative attitudes toward tobacco. In Experiment 2, youths in intervention communities had significantly lower rated intentions to smoke. The findings suggest the value of a modular approach to community interventions for influencing the social context relevant to the onset of adolescent tobacco use.
Deconvolution of immittance data: Some old and new methods

Abstract The background and history of various deconvolution approaches are briefly summarized; different methods are compared; and available computational resources are described. These underutilized data analysis methods are valuable in both electrochemistry and immittance spectroscopy areas, and freely available computer programs are cited that provide an automatic test of the appropriateness of Kronig–Kramers transforms, a powerful non-linear-least-squares inversion method, and a new Monte Carlo inversion method. The important distinction, usually ignored, between discrete-point distributions and continuous ones is emphasized, and both recent parametric and non-parametric deconvolution/inversion procedures for frequency-response data are discussed and compared. Information missing in a recent parametric measurement-model deconvolution approach is pointed out and remedied, and its priority evaluated. Comparisons are presented between the standard parametric least squares inversion method and a new non-parametric Monte Carlo one that allows complicated composite distributions of relaxation times (DRT) to be accurately estimated without the uncertainty present with regularization methods. Also, detailed Monte Carlo DRT estimates for the supercooled liquid 0.4Ca(NO3)2 · 0.6KNO3 (CKN) at 350 K are compared with appropriate frequency-response-model fit results. These composite models were derived from stretched-exponential Kohlrausch temporal response with the inclusion of either of two different series electrode-polarization functions.
Differential effects of targeted tongue exercise and treadmill running on aging tongue muscle structure and contractile properties

Age-associated changes in tongue muscle structure and strength may contribute to dysphagia in elderly people. Tongue exercise is a current treatment option. We hypothesized that targeted tongue exercise and nontargeted exercise that activates tongue muscles as a consequence of increased respiratory drive, such as treadmill running, are associated with different patterns of tongue muscle contraction and genioglossus (GG) muscle biochemistry. Thirty-one young adult, 34 middle-aged, and 37 old Fischer 344/Brown Norway rats received either targeted tongue exercise, treadmill running, or no exercise (5 days/wk for 8 wk). Protrusive tongue muscle contractile properties and myosin heavy chain (MHC) composition in the GG were examined at the end of 8 wk across groups. Significant age effects were found for maximal twitch and tetanic tension (greatest in young adult rats), MHCIIb (highest proportion in young adult rats), MHCIIx (highest proportion in middle-aged and old rats), and MHCI (highest proportion in old rats). The targeted tongue exercise group had the greatest maximal twitch tension and the highest proportion of MHCI. The treadmill running group had the shortest half-decay time, the lowest proportion of MHCIIa, and the highest proportion of MHCIIb. Fatigue was significantly less in the young adult treadmill running group and the old targeted tongue exercise group than in other groups. Thus, tongue muscle structure and contractile properties were affected by both targeted tongue exercise and treadmill running, but in different ways. Studies geared toward optimizing dose and manner of providing targeted and generalized tongue exercise may lead to alternative tongue exercise delivery strategies.
Effects of relatedness on queen competition within honey bee colonies

The influence of relatedness on the pre- and post-emergent survival of honey bee queens was investigated. Workers did not preferentially rear sisters over non-siblings under conditions of natural queen replacement. After queen emergence, however, there was a significant effect of a queen's relatedness to the workers on her survivorship during fights with rival queens. The mechanism of this bias towards related queens is unknown, and several hypotheses are discussed. The difference in post-emergent survivability suggests that kin selection may operate during competition among adult queens at this crucial stage of honey bee reproduction.
Silicon Nanophotonic Networks-on-Chip for Performance-Energy Optimized Off-Chip Memory Access

As chip multiprocessors (CMPs) scale, the gap between the on-chip computation and the available off-chip bandwidth continues to widen. We examine photonic networks-on-chip architectures that support both on-chip communication and off-chip memory access in an energy efficient manner.
Microwave assisted lipase catalyzed solvent-free poly-ε-caprolactone synthesis

Abstract Microwave (MW) assisted enzymatic polymerizations is an area that is largely unexplored. In the current study, the effect of MW reaction parameters on poly-e-caprolactone (PCL) properties has been investigated using a statistical design. A {3,5} modified mixture experimental design was used to identify the parameter values that gave the desired properties of PCL. The three process parameters that were tested are temperature, MW intensity, and the reaction time. Experimental results showed that in the range of values tested, temperature had the highest positive influence on the properties of PCL, whereas high MW irradiation is not desirable. A cubic regression model was developed and optimal process parameters were obtained using this model. Conducting the polymerization reaction under optimal conditions (90°C, 240 min, 50 W), PCL with M n of 20,624 and polydispersity index of 1.2 were obtained. The regression model was validated by carrying out validation experiments and by 3D visualization.
Water isotopes in the GISS ModelE land surface scheme

Abstract We describe the isotope-capable Land Surface Model (LSM) developed at NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS). This model is a part of the GISS ModelE General Circulation Model (GCM), which includes the water isotopes H218O and HDO as tracers in every aspect of the model's hydrological cycle. We discuss results for the soil isotopes from a number of full GCM simulations. In particular, we focus upon the spin up and equilibrium behavior of the isotope fields in a present day (ca. 1980) control simulation and the response of the isotopes to forcings over transient AMIP-style 20th century simulations. In addition, we investigate whether the isotope fields are affected by a change in the runoff algorithm, and so examine whether the isotope fields have the potential to constrain model land surface physics.
Effects of the optical isomers of verapamil on electrophysiological properties of the heart in conscious dogs

Abstract We compared the cumulative dose–response relations of verapamil (0.1, 0.2 and 0.4 mg kg−1) in different R/S enantiomer ratios (100/0, 90/10, 80/20, 50/50 and 20/80) on the electrophysiological and hemodynamic characteristics of the heart using the conscious dogs. A reduction of mean arterial pressure occurred with 20R/80S producing a 3-times greater decrease than 100R/0S, but an increase in heart rate occurred with 20R/80S producing a 9-times greater increase than 100R/0S. Increased heart rate was concurrent with decreased mean arterial pressure most prevalent with a higher ratio of S-isomer that produced a greater reduction in mean arterial pressure and increase in heart rate at lower overall verapamil doses. Atrio-ventricular conduction time increased 3–5 min after each infusion, with 20R/80S producing a 4-times greater effect than 100R/0S. These results indicate that the peripheral and cardiac electrophysiologic properties of various nonracemic verapamil mixtures are mainly attributable to the concentration of S-isomer.
WILL SMALL AND MEDIUM ENTERPRISES PROVIDE HIV/AIDS SERVICES TO EMPLOYEES? AN ANALYSIS OF MARKET DEMAND

Background: Although many large businesses have begun offering HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment services to employees, the vast majority of small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) have not. SMEs face constraints reducing their demand for services. This study identifies and evaluates those constraints to determine the extent to which SMEs can be expected to implement HIV/AIDS programmes, and to identify opportunities for strengthening the role of SMEs in South Africa's response to the epidemic. Methods: Structured interviews were conducted with a random sample of 80 SMEs located in KwaZulu Natal (KZN) and Gauteng provinces. Results: About one quarter of the companies sampled provided some HIV/AIDS services to employees and fewer than half incurred any direct costs to provide those services. Although 52 per cent of the companies believed they had lost employees to AIDS, few of those employees were regarded as critical to operations. AIDS accounted for 10 per cent of the overall annual employee turnover of 13 per cent. Few companies incur direct costs in recruiting or training, and just 30 per cent of permanent employees have access to employer sponsored healthcare. HIV/AIDS ranked 9th of 10 major business concerns faced by SMEs. Conclusions: Since managers believe few employees are leaving the workforce due to HIV/AIDS and SMEs appear to incur few costs to replace workers, managers are relatively unconcerned about HIV/AIDS. Serious demand-side barriers exist in the market for HIV/AIDS services for SMEs. For most of the SMEs in our survey, the constraints are too great to expect SMEs to play a major role in the national response to AIDS without assistance. As the negative consequences of the maturing HIV/AIDS epidemic become evident in South Africa, many larger businesses have begun to implement HIV/AIDS workplace programmes that include prevention and treatment services for employees. The vast majority of small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs), however, have not.2 A recent survey conducted by the Bureau for Economic Research (BER) found that among companies with fewer than 100 employees, 13 per cent had formulated an HIV/AIDS policy and 29 per cent had offered an HIV/AIDS awareness programme, compared with 92 per cent and 94 per cent, respectively, for companies with more than 500
Orbital and Medial Prefrontal Cortex and Psychostimulant Abuse: Studies in Animal Models

One approach to pursuing questions about the neural substrates that support substance abuse-related behaviors involves the use of animal models. Carefully controlled animal experiments can be conducted without the confounds commonly found in studies of human addicts, such as polydrug abuse, variable drug history and premorbid psychiatric conditions. The present paper considers the orbitofrontal and related limbic prefrontal cortex in the context of such models of substance abuse. First, the importance of recognizing the heterogeneous structural and functional nature of orbitofrontal cortex in both rodents and primates is addressed, and the results of studies involving the prefrontal cortex in substance abuse-related behaviors are considered in light of this diversity. Second, data from metabolic mapping studies are described that indicate that the pattern of functional activity within medial and orbitofrontal cortex shifts as the duration of exposure to drugs such as cocaine is extended. These functional differences, in turn, may reflect progressive phases of the addictive process. In order to understand the neurobiological consequences of long-term drug use, it will be important to establish the differing roles played by distinct anatomical territories within orbital and medial prefrontal cortex during the course of chronic substance abuse.
Handheld Microtactile Sensor for Elasticity Measurement

This paper presents a novel MEMS tactile sensor that can provide elasticity measurement of a variety of target objects. This sensor can be integrated on a handheld probe or on minimally invasive surgical tools for in-vivo tissue elasticity measurement. The tactile sensor consists of a pair of contact bumps that have different values of stiffness. Two capacitive force gauges are integrated underneath the bumps. The sensor readout is composed of two channels of capacitance values and the ratio of these capacitance values can be used to calculate the elasticity of target objects. To obtain reliable measurement of capacitance ratios, an estimation algorithm is developed by using a recursive least squares method with adaptive forgetting factors. Experimental characterization of the sensor shows that this tactile sensor provides reliable elasticity measurement of polymer specimens and quickly detects changes in elasticity.
2D and 3D 15N-13C-13C NMR chemical shift correlation spectroscopy of solids: Assignment of MAS spectra of peptides

Strategies are discussed for resolving and assigning peptide backbone and side chain resonances in uniformly 13C,15N-labeled solid peptides. Methods for 2D 13C−13C, 15N−(13C)−13C, and 3D 15N−13C−13C chemical shift correlation spectroscopy are demonstrated in the chemotactic tripeptide N-formyl-[U-13C,15N]-Met-Leu-Phe-OH (MLF). Band-selective heteronuclear double-cross polarization (DCP) and γ-encoded homonuclear double-quantum mixing provide large improvements in sensitivity relative to previously published methods. Directional transfers from amide 15N to 13C‘ or 13Cα resonances provide two- to 3-fold improvements in signal intensity on the observed 13C spin, in comparison to broadband DCP. Similarly, homonuclear 13C−13C transfer is enhanced by use of the rotating frame sequence SPC-5; backbone-to-side chain polarization transfers are achieved with especially high efficiency. Furthermore, the double-quantum nature of the homonuclear transfer permits straightforward classification of C‘, Cα, Cβ, and Cγ sig...
Preparing Counselors to Advocate for Social Justice: A Liberation Model

There are few pedagogical resources that describe how counselor educators can prepare counseling students to advocate for social justice. This article highlights a constructivist approach to social justice advocacy training called the Liberation Model. The principles of the Liberation Model are discussed, and recommendations for implementing the model in graduate counseling courses are provided. The purpose of the model is to help students develop the knowledge, awareness, and skills necessary for social justice advocacy.
Perineural spread of malignant mesothelioma with spinal intramedullary involvement.

Malignant pleural mesothelioma is an uncommon but aggresive malignancy. Its incidence is approximately 1.05 per 100,000 ersons in the United States, with an estimated 3200 new ases annually. Even with multimodal treatment, most commonly emetrexed-based chemotherapy, median survival is approxiately one year after diagnosis, and cure is exceedingly rare. ost patients are found to have an epithelioid histology, which s associated with a prolonged survival as compared with the arcomatoid, biphasic, and desmoplastic types. Patterns of failre after chemotherapy and surgery are predominantly local, nd mesothelioma frequently demonstrates localized direct invaion and lymphatic spread in the thorax. However, there are ery few reports of spinal cord involvement. The mechanism of pread includes direct extension or hematogenous or perineural
Decision-theoretic Monte Carlo smoothing for scaling tracking in hybrid dynamic systems

Detecting faults on-board planetary rovers is important since human intervention may not be possible due to communication delays. In This work we propose a scalable method for on-board fault detection and identification that may be applied to general fault models with limited computation. Although our application focus is on diagnosing rover faults, this method is applicable in general for tracking any general non-linear, non-Gaussian hybrid (discrete-continuous) dynamic system online. Our formulation of the fault detection problem requires estimating robot and environmental state, as it changes over time, from a sequence of noisy sensor measurements. We propose a Monte Carlo algorithm that generates new trajectories if the probability of the current set of fault hypothesis being tracked is low. This approach maintains a fixed lag history of measurements, controls and samples. Experimental results of a dynamic simulation of a six-wheel rocker-bogie rover show a significant improvement in performance over the classical approach.
Agent-based modeling and simulation of wildland fire suppression

Simulation of wildland fire suppression is useful to evaluate deployment plans of firefighting resources and to experiment different fire suppression strategies and tactics. Previous work of fire suppression simulation uses analytical models based on a continuous space. This paper presents a design of fire suppression simulation using a discrete event agent model based on a discrete cellular space. We present a framework of wildland fire suppression simulation and describe how firefighting agents in direct attack, parallel attack, and indirect attack are modeled. Experiment results are provided to demonstrate the agent models and to compare them in different fire suppression scenarios.
Isolation of polymorphic tetranucleotide microsatellite markers for the black-bellied seedcracker ( Pyrenestes ostrinus )

We have isolated 10 polymorphic microsatellite markers for the black-bellied seedcracker ( Pyrenestes ostrinus ) from genomic libraries enriched either for (AAGG) n or (ATCT) n repetitive elements and characterized them in 39 individuals. The number of alleles ranged from two to 27 per locus with the observed heterozygosity ranging from 0.38 to 0.94. These markers will be useful for analysis of questions concerning parentage and population genetic structure.
New X-Ray and Compositional Data for Farringtonite, Mg3(PO4)2

New data for the meteoritic mineral farringtonite indicates that it is essentially Mg"(PO'), with some Fe'* substitution for Mg but with less than 0.05 wt percent Si substitution for P.Farringtoniteh asa-8.79,b-8.22, c-5.074,8:120.5' ,andspacegroupP2 '/a. Indexed powder data are presented. Farringtonite may co-exist with olivine, iron metal, and schreibersite under equilibrium conditions; its survival in the pallasites does not require rapid cooline.
“What Do You Like/Dislike About the Treatments You’re Currently Using?”: A Qualitative Study of Parents of Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders

Children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) often participate in many treatments, requiring parents’ dedication of time, money, and energy, and necessitating dealing with multiple service provide...
Opportunities and Challenges for Nutritional Proteomics in Cancer Prevention

Knowledge gaps persist about the efficacy of cancer prevention strategies based on dietary food components. Adaptations to nutrient supply are executed through tuning of multiple protein networks that include transcription factors, histones, modifying enzymes, translation factors, membrane and nuclear receptors, and secreted proteins. However, the simultaneous quantitative and qualitative measurement of all proteins that regulate cancer processes is not practical using traditional protein methodologies. Proteomics offers an attractive opportunity to fill this knowledge gap and unravel the effects of dietary components on protein networks that impinge on cancer. The articles presented in this supplement are from talks proffered in the “Nutrition Proteomics and Cancer Prevention” session at the American Institute for Cancer Research Annual Research Conference on Food, Nutrition, Physical Activity and Cancer held in Washington, DC on October 21 and 22, 2010. Recent advances in MS technologies suggest that studies in nutrition and cancer prevention may benefit from the adoption of proteomic tools to elucidate the impact on biological processes that govern the transition from normal to malignant phenotype; to identify protein changes that determine both positive and negative responses to food components; to assess how protein networks mediate dose-, time-, and tissue-dependent responses to food components; and, finally, for predicting responders and nonresponders. However, both the limited accessibility to proteomic technologies and research funding appear to be hampering the routine adoption of proteomic tools in nutrition and cancer prevention research.
Brain glycogen supercompensation in the mouse after recovery from insulin‐induced hypoglycemia

Brain glycogen is proposed to function under both physiological and pathological conditions. Pharmacological elevation of this glucose polymer in brain is hypothesized to protect neurons against hypoglycemia-induced cell death. Elevation of brain glycogen levels due to prior hypoglycemia is postulated to contribute to the development of hypoglycemia-associated autonomic failure (HAAF) in insulin-treated diabetic patients. This latter mode of elevating glycogen levels is termed "supercompensation." We tested whether brain glycogen supercompensation occurs in healthy, conscious mice after recovery from insulin-induced acute or recurrent hypoglycemia. Blood glucose levels were lowered to less than 2.2 mmol/liter for 90 min by administration of insulin. Brain glucose levels decreased at least 80% and brain glycogen levels decreased approximately 50% after episodes of either acute or recurrent hypoglycemia. After these hypoglycemic episodes, mice were allowed access to food for 6 or 27 hr. After 6 hr, blood and brain glucose levels were restored but brain glycogen levels were elevated by 25% in mice that had been subjected to either acute or recurrent hypoglycemia compared with saline-treated controls. After a 27-hr recovery period, the concentration of brain glycogen had returned to baseline levels in mice previously subjected to either acute or recurrent hypoglycemia. We conclude that brain glycogen supercompensation occurs in healthy mice, but its functional significance remains to be established.
Topiramate for alcoholism treatment: novel pharmacogenetic evidence for the journey to personalized medicine?

The small number of medications approved for the treatment of alcoholism is, by itself, an important justification for the significant efforts directed towards medication development. Perhaps an even more important issue is why a medication (approved or used off-label) does not always reproduce the same results across randomized clinical trials (RCTs). Indeed, even clinical trials that find effects report that there are both treatment responders and non-responders, and the ability to identify responders and non-responders could help explain variation across clinical trials. This variation forms the foundation of ‘personalized medicine’ approaches, and highlights the need to identify patient sub-types that respond better to a certain medication. Although typologies (Leggio et al., 2009) provide phenotypic traits that may be applied in RCTs, pharmacogenetics (Heilig et al., 2011) represents an even more compelling approach, as it is more reproducible, biologically-based and mechanistic. Although in its infancy, the alcoholism pharmacotherapy literature has already shown the potential value of pharmacogenetics as a way to develop personalized medicine. The functional OPRM1 polymorphism A118G plays an important role in the effects of naltrexone on alcohol consumption, with G-allele carriers responding more positively to treatment than A-allele homozygotes (Oslin et al., 2003; Anton et al., 2008; Barr et al., 2010; Kranzler et al., 2013). A functional polymorphism in the promoter region of the serotonin transporter gene, SLC6A4 , known as 5-HTTLPR, results in a long (L) and a short (S) allele. Alcoholic patients who were L homozygotes had significant reductions in alcohol use when treated with ondansetron, as compared to S carriers (Kenna et al., 2009b, 2014; Johnson et al., 2011, 2013). It has also been shown that the tri-allelic 5-HTTLPR polymorphism moderated the effects of sertraline and age at onset of alcohol dependence on the frequency of drinking and heavy drinking …
Chemical ligation of the influenza M2 protein for solid-state NMR characterization of the cytoplasmic domain

Solid-state NMR-based structure determination of membrane proteins and large protein complexes faces the challenge of limited spectral resolution when the proteins are uniformly 13C-labeled. A strategy to meet this challenge is chemical ligation combined with site-specific or segmental labeling. While chemical ligation has been adopted in NMR studies of water-soluble proteins, it has not been demonstrated for membrane proteins. Here we show chemical ligation of the influenza M2 protein, which contains a transmembrane (TM) domain and two extra-membrane domains. The cytoplasmic domain, which contains an amphipathic helix (AH) and a cytoplasmic tail, is important for regulating virus assembly, virus budding, and the proton channel activity. A recent study of uniformly 13C-labeled full-length M2 by spectral simulation suggested that the cytoplasmic tail is unstructured. To further test this hypothesis, we conducted native chemical ligation of the TM segment and part of the cytoplasmic domain. Solid-phase peptide synthesis of the two segments allowed several residues to be labeled in each segment. The post-AH cytoplasmic residues exhibit random-coil chemical shifts, low bond order parameters, and a surface-bound location, thus indicating that this domain is a dynamic random coil on the membrane surface. Interestingly, the protein spectra are similar between a model membrane and a virus-mimetic membrane, indicating that the structure and dynamics of the post-AH segment is insensitive to the lipid composition. This chemical ligation approach is generally applicable to medium-sized membrane proteins to provide site-specific structural constraints, which complement the information obtained from uniformly 13C, 15N-labeled proteins.
Bonding geometries of F and Cl on Si(100)-2 × 1

Angle- and energy-resolved F+ and Cl+ electron-stimulated desorption distributions are collected from Si(100)-2 × 1 surfaces exposed at room temperature to XeF2 or Cl2. These distributions are fit to a model that accounts for ion-surface interactions in order to extract bond angle information. It is found that both F and Cl chemisorb on the dangling bonds of intact Si dimers, at an angle of ∼ 20° from normal along the [011] azimuth. By annealing a chlorinated surface above ∼ 400 K, some normally oriented SiCl bonds are generated. In addition to determining bonding geometries, quantitative information is obtained regarding the image-charge interaction and neutralization for F+ and Cl+ interacting with Si.
Retrieval-Based Learning: An Episodic Context Account

Retrieval is the key process for understanding learning and for promoting learning, yet retrieval is not often granted the central role it deserves. Learning is typically identified with the encoding or construction of knowledge, and retrieval is considered merely the assessment of learning that occurred in a prior experience. The retrieval-based learning perspective outlined here is grounded in the fact that all expressions of knowledge involve retrieval and depend on the retrieval cues available in a given context. Further, every time a person retrieves knowledge, that knowledge is changed, because retrieving knowledge improves one’s ability to retrieve it again in the future. Practicing retrieval does not merely produce rote, transient learning; it produces meaningful, long-term learning. Yet retrieval practice is a tool many students lack metacognitive awareness of and do not use as often as they should. Active retrieval is an effective but undervalued strategy for promoting meaningful learning.
Compartmental and enzyme kinetic modeling to elucidate the biotransformation pathway of a centrally acting antitrypanosomal prodrug.

DB868 [2,5-bis [5-( N -methoxyamidino)-2-pyridyl] furan], a prodrug of the diamidine DB829 [2,5-bis(5-amidino-2-pyridyl) furan], has demonstrated efficacy in murine models of human African trypanosomiasis. A cross-species evaluation of prodrug bioconversion to the active drug is required to predict the disposition of prodrug, metabolites, and active drug in humans. The phase I biotransformation of DB868 was elucidated using liver microsomes and sandwich-cultured hepatocytes from humans and rats. All systems produced four NADPH-dependent metabolites via O -demethylation (M1, M2) and N -dehydroxylation (M3, M4). Compartmental kinetic modeling of the DB868 metabolic pathway suggested an unusual N -demethoxylation reaction that was supported experimentally. A unienzyme Michaelis-Menten model described the kinetics of M1 formation by human liver microsomes (HLMs) (Km, 11 μ M; Vmax, 340 pmol/min/mg), whereas a two-enzyme model described the kinetics of M1 formation by rat liver microsomes (RLMs) (Km1, 0.5 μ M; Vmax1, 12 pmol/min/mg; Km2, 27 μ M; Vmax2, 70 pmol/min/mg). Human recombinant CYP1A2, CYP3A4, and CYP4F2, rat recombinant Cyp1a2 and Cyp2d2, and rat purified Cyp4f1 catalyzed M1 formation. M2 formation by HLMs exhibited allosteric kinetics (S50, 18 μ M; Vmax, 180 pmol/mg), whereas M2 formation by RLMs was negligible. Recombinant CYP1A2/Cyp1a2 catalyzed M2 formation. DB829 was detected in trace amounts in HLMs at the end of the 180-min incubation and was detected readily in sandwich-cultured hepatocytes from both species throughout the 24-h incubation. These studies demonstrated that DB868 biotransformation to DB829 is conserved between humans and rats. An improved understanding of species differences in the kinetics of DB829 formation would facilitate preclinical development of a promising antitrypanosomal prodrug.
The Protein 4.1, Ezrin, Radixin, Moesin (FERM) Domain of Drosophila Coracle, a Cytoplasmic Component of the Septate Junction, Provides Functions Essential for Embryonic Development and Imaginal Cell Proliferation

Coracle is a member of the Protein 4.1 superfamily of proteins, whose members include Protein 4.1, the Neurofibromatosis 2 tumor suppressor Merlin, Expanded, the ERM proteins, protein tyrosine phosphatases, and unconventional myosins. Recent evidence suggests that members of this family participate in cell signaling events, including those that regulate cell proliferation and the cytoskeleton. Previously, we demonstrated that Coracle protein is localized to the septate junction in epithelial cells and is required for septate junction integrity. Loss of coracle function leads to defects in embryonic development, including failure in dorsal closure, and to proliferation defects. In addition, we determined that the N-terminal 383 amino acids define an essential functional domain possessing membrane-organizing properties. Here we investigate the full range of functions provided by this highly conserved domain and find that it is sufficient to rescue all embryonic defects associated with loss of coracle function. In addition, this domain is sufficient to rescue the reduced cell proliferation defect in imaginal discs, although it is incapable of rescuing null mutants to the adult stage. This result suggests the presence of a second functional domain within Coracle, a notion supported by molecular characterization of a series of coracle alleles.
Compact silicon slot waveguide polarization splitter

A compact slot waveguide polarization splitter based on the silicon (Si) material system is proposed and analyzed. The slot waveguide structure introduces significant beat-length differences for transverse electric and transverse magnetic polarizations at operation wavelength of 1.55 µm. The special self-imaging design with limited modes and weak second-mode excitation shortens the device length to <50 µm, while still delivering good performance. The polarization extinction ratio is 13 dB, and the excess loss is only 0.3 dB. The splitter also has a relaxed length tolerance of 550 nm. These attributes make it an excellent candidate for polarization diversity circuits and compact electronic-photonic integrated circuits.
Heterogeneity of familial risk in sarcoidosis

Familial clustering of sarcoidosis and the higher prevalence and clinical severity of sarcoidosis in African Americans suggests etiologic heterogeneity. To test for heterogeneity in familial risk of sarcoidosis, we studied 3,395 siblings and parents of 558 index cases (361 African American, 197 Caucasian) diagnosed at Henry Ford Hospital between 1951 and 1994. Using the age- and sex-specific cumulative incidence of sarcoidosis in our sample, we found a statistically significant heterogeneity in familial risk of disease (P < .001). To determine if this was due to a greater risk of sarcoidosis in African Americans, we recalculated disease probabilities using age-, sex-, and race-specific disease cumulative incidence and found the same amount of heterogeneity in familial risk (P < .001). Index cases (n = 69) from high-risk families were more likely to be African American (odds ratio [OR] = 3.24; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.71−6.14) and to have an offspring or second-degree relative affected (OR = 6.21; 95% CI = 2.86−13.45). We conclude that the heterogeneity of familial sarcoidosis risk found in this study is supportive of multiple etiologies. Our results also show that a quantitative assessment of familial risk based on siblings and parents may be a useful screening tool for identifying families with additional affected members. Of the high-risk families, African Americans made up a greater-than-expected percentage even after accounting for differences in disease prevalence. We suggest targeting African Americans for studies of sarcoidosis that focus on Mendelian hypotheses and genetic linkage. © 1996 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Release rates and potential fates of nitrogen and phosphorus from sediments in a eutrophic reservoir

SUMMARY 1. Nutrients released from lake sediments can influence water column nutrient concentrations and planktonic productivity. We examined sediment nutrient release [soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP) and ammonia (NH þ )] at two sites in a eutrophic reservoir (Acton Lake, OH, U.S.A.) that differed in physical mixing conditions (a thermally stratified and an unstratified site). 2. Sediment nutrient release rates were estimated with three methods: sediment core incubations, seasonal in situ hypolimnetic accumulation and a published regression model that predicted sediment phosphorous (P) release rate from sediment P concentration. All three methods were applied to the deeper stratified site in the reservoir; however, we used only sediment core incubations to estimate SRP and NH þ release rates at the shallow unstratified site because of the lack of thermal stratification. We also compared the total P concentration (TPS) of sediments and the concentration of P in various sediment fractions at both sites. 3. Anoxic sediments at the stratified site released SRP at rates more than an order of magnitude greater than oxic sediments at the shallow unstratified site. However, P accumulated in the hypolimnion at much lower rates than predicted by sediment core incubations. In contrast, NH þ was released at similar rates at both sites and accumulated in the hypolimnion at close to the expected rate, indicating that P was ‘lost’ from the hypolimnion through biogeochemical pathways for P, such as precipitation with inorganic material or biological uptake and sedimentation. 4. TPS was significantly greater at the deeper stratified site and organically bound P accounted for >50% of TPS at both sites. 5. We examined the magnitude of SRP fluxes into the study reservoir in 1996 by comparing the mean summer daily SRP fluxes from anaerobic sediments, aerobic sediments, stream inflows and gizzard shad excretion. While the SRP release from anaerobic sediments was high, we hypothesise that little of this SRP gained access to the epilimnion in mid-summer. SRP flux to the reservoir from aerobic sediments was less than from gizzard shad excretion and streams. Large interannual variability in thermocline stability, gizzard shad biomass and stream discharge volumes, will affect SRP loading rates from different sources in different years. Therefore, construction of P budgets for different years should account for interannual variation in these parameters.
Radiative ignition of fabrics and assemblies: Experiments and modelling

Radiative ignition studies wre carried out on vertical 2.54 cm circular fabric pairs, and single fabrics of 2.54 cm diameter and 15.2 × 15.2 cm. These fabrics were exposed to a time invariant radiative heat flux using the Large Ignition test Apparatus (LITA) and the Radiative Ignition Time Apparatus (RITA). A model has been developed which uses a quasi-steady-steady-state approximation for the gas pahse. The transient effects and the thermal interaction between the plne-parallel fabrics are accounted for through the variation of the fabric temperature with time. Ignition is considered to occur when the gas phase pyrolysate reaction rate is equal to the rate of pyrolysis. The predicted ignition times are compared with measured values and they show excellent agreement. Ignition times were found to depend strongly on heat flux, fabric size, interface spacing and oxygen concentration. IN the presence of a back fabric, the ignition time of the front fabrics decreases and this reduction is more pronounced at lower radiative heating intensities. Strong thermal interaction between the fabrics was also observed and it is expected that such interactions are responsible for the reduction of ignition time of the front fabric. No evidence of chemical interaciton has been observed.
Integrating prior biological knowledge and graphical LASSO for network inference

Systems biology aims at unravelling the mechanisms of complex diseases by investigating how individual elements of the cell (e.g., genes, proteins, metabolites, etc.) interact with each other. Network-based methods provide an intuitive framework to model, characterize, and understand these interactions. To reconstruct a biological network, one can either query public databases for known interactions (knowledge-driven approach) or build a mathematical model to measure the associations from data (data-driven approach). In this paper, we propose a new network inference method, integrating knowledge and data-driven approaches. The method integrates prior biological knowledge (i.e., protein-protein interactions from BioGRID database) and a Gaussian graphical model (i.e., graphical LASSO algorithm) to construct robust and biologically relevant network. The network is then utilized to extract differential sub-networks between case and control groups using the result from a statistical analysis (e.g., logistic regression). We applied the proposed method on a proteomic dataset acquired by analysis of sera from hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cases and patients with liver cirrhosis. The differential sub-networks led to the identification of hub proteins and key pathways, whose relevance to HCC study has been confirmed by literature survey.
WHEN DOES OUTCROSSING OCCUR IN A MASS-FLOWERING PLANT?

The flowering pattern of many animalpollinated woody plants may be divided into three phases: a) an initial phase in which a low but increasing number of flowers is produced per day, b) a short peak phase in which most of the total flower production occurs, and c) a final phase in which a low but decreasing number of flowers is produced per day. Recently, evolutionary ecologists have focused much attention on the effects of this mass-flowering pattern on pollinator attraction and movement (Janzen, 1967, 1971a; Gentry, 1974; Heinrich, 1975; Stiles, 1975; Carpenter, 1976; Frankie et al., 1976; Augspurger, 1980). These studies show that many species of floral visitors preferentially forage on individual plants that produce large numbers of flowers per day. Presumably, these individuals are both conspicuous and highly rewarding to pollinators (Heinrich and Raven, 1972; Gentry, 1974). In terms of pollinator movement, however, the floral rewards may be so clumped during the peak phase of the flowering pattern that there is little incentive for the pollinators to forage on different individuals (Heinrich and Raven, 1972; Stiles, 1975; Carpenter, 1976; Frankie et al., 1976). In contrast, the low levels of daily flower production that characterize the initial and final phases of the flowering pattern may be insufficient to attract pollinators from alternative floral resources. Consequently this mass-flowering pattern poses a dilemma, especially for self-incompatible species (see Heinrich and Raven, 1972; Heinrich, 1975; Carpenter, 1976; Frankie et al., 1976; Gentry, 1978). This study seeks to answer two questions: During what phase of the flowering pattern does outcrossing occur and what factors promote outcrossing? Specifically, this study documents the flowering pattern of Catalpa speciosa (Warder ex Barney) Engelm. (Bignoniaceae) and examines the effect of different floral abundances and changes in floral abundances through time on the proportion of flowers that are selfand cross-pollinated on an individual plant.
Abstract A93: Daily aspirin use and cancer mortality in a large United States cohort

Background: A recent pooled analysis of several randomized trials of daily aspirin for prevention of vascular events reported a 34% reduction (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.50–0.87) in overall cancer mortality during follow-up after five years on aspirin. However, some uncertainty remains about the magnitude of the effect of daily aspirin use, particularly long-term use, on cancer mortality. Methods: We examined the association between daily aspirin use and overall cancer mortality among 100,140 men and women in the Cancer Prevention Study II Nutrition Cohort with no history of cancer. Hazard ratios (HRs) were calculated adjusting for smoking and other risk factors. Results: During follow-up between 1997 and 2008, 5,138 participants died from cancer. Compared to no use, daily aspirin use at baseline in 1997 was associated with slightly lower cancer mortality (HR = 0.93, 95% CI: 0.86–1.00), although this association was not formally statistically significant and did not vary by duration of daily use (HR = 0.93, 95% CI: 0.85–1.01 for Conclusions: These results are consistent with an association between recent daily aspirin use and modestly lower cancer mortality, but suggest any reduction in cancer mortality may be smaller than that observed with long-term aspirin use in the pooled trial analysis. Citation Information: Cancer Prev Res 2011;4(10 Suppl):A93.
MULTI-REFERENCE INTERFACE INHERITANCE FOR CONCURRENT CAD INTEROPERABILITY APPLICATIONS

Collaborative CAD promises to solve the major design challenge facing industry relating to interoperability and design sharing: translation between heterogeneous CAD systems. Translation issues alone account for upwards of $1 billion in costs for the US automotive supply chain. With collaborative CAD, parts and assemblies can be viewed and edited simultaneously by multiple users in geographically diverse locations, without the need to manually export and send models as neutral files. In order to attain interoperability between CAD systems, a neutral format is used to pass data between clients. By expanding the traditional neutral format to include interfaces, the object hierarchy more closely resembles the hierarchy employed by native CAD systems — allowing more feature information, and thus design intent, to be preserved. The interface method also enforces referential integrity in the neutral representation of CAD objects by limiting the type of objects to be referenced to valid objects. Corrupt and invalid data can be caught and corrected before being transferred to other users viewing the CAD model.Copyright © 2015 by ASME
Pharmacokinetic and pharmacoimmunodynamic interactions between prednisolone and sirolimus in rabbits.

Purpose. To assess pharmacokinetic and pharmacoimmunodynamic interactions between prednisolone (Pred, 1 mg/kg) and sirolimus (Sir, 0.25 mg/kg) in rabbits.
Numerical simulation for the evolution of the overflow spring in fracture-karst aquifer system

Based on discontinuous fracture network medium model,coupled hydrodynamic conditions and the dynamic conditions of carbonate dissolution,this paper established a mathematical model and take numerical method to simulate and analyze the evolution of fracture-karst aquifer system.On the basis of established numerical model,two sets of instance model are constructed(one fracture-karst aquifer system recharged by precipitation and the other one recharged by river) to study the early evolution of overflow spring in the fracture-karst system.It is found that with the evolution of fracture-karst aquifer system,the fractures are constantly corroded and widened,which lead to water table declines and many springs being drained out.Moreover,since the variance dissolution,corrosions are quicker at the water table and in the vicinity of the dominant fracture,while the other location is relatively slow,and a karst dominant tube is gradually formed which captures most of the water in the system and develops large spring.Comparing the two instance models,it is also found that in rainfall infiltration recharged system,the springs develop from the sink to the source;while in river infiltration recharged system,the springs develop from the source to the sink.