cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Banking Time: A Dyadic Intervention to Improve Teacher-Student Relationships

Supportive and sensitive teacher-student interactions and relationships are critical for children’s academic and social success. When a teacher establishes a warm and responsive emotional connection with a student, this increases the student’s capacity to take advantage of learning opportunities. Teacher-student relationships form over time through repeated interactions characterized by shared emotional engagement, teacher sensitivity and responsiveness, teacher support of children’s autonomy, and low levels of conflict. Strong and sensitive teacher-child relationships are particularly salient resources for children who, for various reasons (e.g., low achievement, developmental delays, or the display of externalizing or internalizing behavior problems), are likely to experience the classroom setting as socially or academically challenging. Certain children receive significantly more re-directive, corrective, and too often even negative feedback from teachers and peers during the school day. When these students experience a strong relationship with a teacher, they are more likely to accept constructive feedback from their teacher without it negatively affecting their self-esteem or viewing such feedback as an attack on their character.
Image mirror symmetry density enabled by delay and coincidence detection in spiking neural networks (Conference Presentation)

Neuromorphic computing has made tremendous advances in computing efficiency by modeling computers after the brain primarily by applying a spiking model of information. Spiking models inherently maximize efficiency in noisy environments by placing the energy of the signal in a minimal time. However, many neuromorphic computing models ignore time delay between nodes, choosing instead to approximate connections between neurons as instantaneous weighting. With this assumption, many complex time interactions of spiking neurons are lost. Here, we show that the coincidence detection property of a spiking-based feed-forward neural network enables mirror symmetry. Testing this algorithm exemplary on geospatial satellite image data sets reveals how symmetry density enables automated recognition of man-made structures over vegetation. We further demonstrate that the addition of noise improves feature detectability of an image through coincidence point generation.
Empirical Assessment of COVID-19 Crisis Standards of Care Guidelines

Abstract Background Several states have released Crisis Standards of Care (CSC) guidelines for the allocation of scarce critical care resources. Most guidelines rely on Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) scores to maximize lives saved, but states have adopted different stances on whether to maximize long-term outcomes (life-years saved) by accounting for patient comorbidities. Methods We compared 4 representative state guidelines with varying approaches to comorbidities and analyzed how CSC prioritization correlates with clinical outcomes. We included 27 laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 patients admitted to ICUs at Brigham and Women’s Hospital from March 12 to April 3, 2020. We compared prioritization algorithms from New York, which assigns priority based on SOFA alone; Maryland, which uses SOFA plus severe comorbidities; Pennsylvania, which uses SOFA plus major and severe comorbidities; and Colorado, which uses SOFA plus a modified Charlson comorbidity index. Results In pairwise comparisons across all possible pairs, we found that state guidelines frequently resulted in tie-breakers based on age or lottery: New York 100% of the time (100% resolved by lottery), Pennsylvania 86% of the time (18% by lottery), Maryland 93% of the time (35% by lottery), and Colorado: 32% of the time (10% by lottery). The prioritization algorithm with the strongest correlation with 14-day outcomes was Colorado (rs = −0.483. p = 0.011) followed by Maryland (rs = −0. 394, p =0.042), Pennsylvania (rs = −0.382, p = 0.049), and New York (rs = 0). An alternative model using raw SOFA scores alone was moderately correlated with outcomes (rs = −0.448, p = 0.019). Conclusions State guidelines for scarce resource allocation frequently resulted in identical priority scores, requiring tie-breakers based on age or lottery. These findings suggest that state CSC guidelines should be further assessed empirically to understand whether they meet their goals.
Serializing protestantism: the missionary Miscellany and the Arabic press in 1850s Beirut

This article explores the connections between two distinct publishing enterprises in 1850s Beirut to put into relief how American missionaries and learned Syrians in tandem shaped the early Arabic ...
1520-P: Developing New Risk Equations to Predict Diabetes-Related Complications and Mortality in U.S. Adults with Type 2 Diabetes

Risk equations to predict diabetes-related complications and mortality in most type 2 diabetes simulation models were based on data from the UK Prospective Diabetes Study. Two recently completed U.S. diabetes trials, the Action to Control Cardiovascular Risk in Diabetes and the Action for Health in Diabetes and their follow-up studies with >15,000 participants and >7 years follow-up, provide a unique source for developing new risk equations. We estimated parametric hazard models for cardiovascular, neuropathy, nephropathy, vision, and hypoglycemia complications and mortality in persons with type 2 diabetes using longitudinal data from the trials. We included demographic variables, time-varying risk factors, and histories of complications. Variable selection was based on backwards stepwise regression and expert opinion. We estimated 17 complication and 3 mortality equations. HbA1c was selected in all but one complication/mortality equation, with hazard ratios ranging from 1.09 for stage 3 chronic kidney disease to 1.85 for amputation per 1% increase. Other risk factors were selected less frequently. For mortality, smoking was the risk factor with the largest hazard ratio. At least one lagged complication was selected for every complication/mortality equation. Previous congestive heart failure was associated with increased risk for 13 complications, with hazard ratios as high as 2.6 for amputation. Other lagged complications selected for over half of the complications included microalbuminuria, previous revascularization, macroalbuminuria, and previous stroke. Congestive heart failure, myocardial infarction, and stroke increased mortality in persons with current or previous cardiovascular disease. Kidney-related complications also increased mortality. Our equations can be used in type 2 diabetes simulation models to estimate costs, outcomes, and cost-effectiveness of interventions for type 2 diabetes, particularly in U.S.-based models. Disclosure T.J. Hoerger: Research Support; Self; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. M. Kaufmann: None. S. Neuwahl: None. H. Shao: None. H. Chen: None. M. Laxy: None. Y.J. Cheng: None. S.R. Benoit: None. A.M. Anderson: None. T. Craven: None. P. Zhang: None. Funding Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (200-2016-92270)
Acute Hepatitis E: A Rare Cause of Acute Liver Failure in a Patient With Acute Myeloid Leukemia.

Immunocompromised patients are particularly at risk to develop hepatitis E virus (HEV) infection and its related complications. We present a rare case of HEV infection in a 35-year-old Hispanic female with concomitant acute myeloid leukemia (AML). The patient presented with acute liver failure within a few weeks after receiving a blood transfusion. Our case likely represented an acute de novo HEV infection after chemotherapy in a patient with concurrent AML, evidenced by the presence of anti-HEV IgM antibodies as well as histological findings, and with a previous history of recent transfusions being one of the strongest risk factors for transmission. Liver failure from an acute de novo hepatitis E infection with concurrent AML can be catastrophic in the immunosuppressed patient. Our case is particularly unique due to the uncommon presentation of acute hepatitis E in a non-pregnant reproductive aged Hispanic female with recently diagnosed AML. Clinicians should maintain a low threshold to test serum HEV-RNA if a patient presents with signs and symptoms suggestive of acute hepatitis.
Distributed Optimization Based on Gradient-tracking Revisited: Enhancing Convergence Rate via Surrogation

We study distributed multiagent optimization over (directed, time-varying) graphs. We consider the minimization of $F+G$ subject to convex constraints, where $F$ is the smooth strongly convex sum of the agent's losses and $G$ is a nonsmooth convex function. We build on the SONATA algorithm: the algorithm employs the use of surrogate objective functions in the agents' subproblems (going thus beyond linearization, such as proximal-gradient) coupled with a perturbed (push-sum) consensus mechanism that aims to track locally the gradient of $F$. SONATA achieves precision $\epsilon>0$ on the objective value in $\mathcal{O}(\kappa_g \log(1/\epsilon))$ gradient computations at each node and $\tilde{\mathcal{O}}\big(\kappa_g (1-\rho)^{-1/2} \log(1/\epsilon)\big)$ communication steps, where $\kappa_g$ is the condition number of $F$ and $\rho$ characterizes the connectivity of the network. This is the first linear rate result for distributed composite optimization; it also improves on existing (non-accelerated) schemes just minimizing $F$, whose rate depends on much larger quantities than $\kappa_g$ (e.g., the worst-case condition number among the agents). When considering in particular empirical risk minimization problems with statistically similar data across the agents, SONATA employing high-order surrogates achieves precision $\epsilon>0$ in $\mathcal{O}\big((\beta/\mu) \log(1/\epsilon)\big)$ iterations and $\tilde{\mathcal{O}}\big((\beta/\mu) (1-\rho)^{-1/2} \log(1/\epsilon)\big)$ communication steps, where $\beta$ measures the degree of similarity of the agents' losses and $\mu$ is the strong convexity constant of $F$. Therefore, when $\beta/\mu < \kappa_g$, the use of high-order surrogates yields provably faster rates than what achievable by first-order models; this is without exchanging any Hessian matrix over the network.
Elective minimally invasive surgery for sigmoid diverticulitis: operative outcomes of patients with complicated versus uncomplicated disease.

AIM The aim of this work was to compare the results of elective minimally invasive surgery between patients with complicated sigmoid diverticulitis and those with uncomplicated disease. METHOD An institutional review board-approved database was searched for all consecutive patients who underwent elective minimally invasive surgery, including laparoscopic, hand-assisted and robotic sigmoidectomy, for diverticulitis between 2010 and 2017; they were classified according to the modified Hinchey classification as having complicated (abscess, fistula, stricture, obstruction, bleeding or previous perforation) versus uncomplicated disease. Data recorded included baseline demographics, indications for surgery, operative details and complications. RESULTS Three hundred and twenty-five patients underwent elective sigmoidectomy for complicated (n = 105) and uncomplicated (n = 220) diverticulitis. Surgical indications for complicated disease were abscess (n = 74), stricture (n = 14), fistula (n = 28) and bleeding (n = 7). The two groups were statistically comparable for age, gender, body mass index and American Society of Anesthesiologists score. Patients with complicated disease had higher rates of concomitant loop ileostomy creation (9.5% vs. 0.9%, p < 0.001) and synchronous resections (9.5% vs. 2.7%, p = 0.01), higher volumes of blood loss (177 ± 140 vs. 125 ± 92 ml, p < 0.001), longer length of stay (5.6 ± 3 vs. 4.8 ± 2 days, p = 0.04) and longer operating time (218.2 ± 59 vs. 185.8 ± 63 min, p < 0.001). There were no significant differences in anastomotic leakage (3% vs. 1%, p = 0.3), conversion to laparotomy (4.8% vs. 2.3%, p = 0.3) or overall complications (36% vs. 25.9%, p = 0.06) for complicated versus uncomplicated disease, respectively. CONCLUSION Minimally invasive surgery for complicated diverticulitis resulted in higher rates of construction of proximal ileostomy and synchronous resections and longer operating times and length of hospital stay. Otherwise, it has outcomes that are not significantly different from the results recorded in patients with uncomplicated disease.
Scratch circle from the Passaic Formation (Late Triassic), West-Central New Jersey

Scratching, forming one sharply-defined, somewhat elliptical scratch circle, surrounds a narrow-filled tube probably formed by a plant stem. Water currents carrying sediment onto a lacustrine shore...
COMPUTER TECHNIQUES FOR PROPELLER BLADE SECTION DESIGN

The development of a numerical lifting-surface computational procedure for marine propellers is presented. This work differs from earlier procedures in providing for the exact specification of a blade reference surface with arbitrary skew, rake and radial pitch variation, independent specification of the pitch of the wake, inclusion of radial induced velocities, and determination of forces in a manner independent of lifting-line theory. Numerical convergence of the method is demonstrated for a five-bladed highly skewed propeller with forward rake. A set of lifting-surface calculations for this propeller are given to illustrate the relative importance of various geometrical parameters.
The Law of the Sea Conference and Development: Food and Energy Resources

1. Professor of Law, University of Miami School of Law; Vice Chairman, United States Delegation to the Third United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea. The following is the text of an address given to the International Development Conference, Washington, D.C., May 13, 1981. The views expressed herein are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of the Department of State or the U.S. Government. 2. The Conference commenced in 1973 pursuant to UNGA Res. 3067 (XXVIII). The author's articles tracing the work of the Conference may be found in Stevenson and Oxman, The Preparations for the Law of the Sea Conference, 68 Am. J. Int'l L. 1 (1974); The Third United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea: The 1974 Caracas Session, 69 Am. J. Int'l L. 1 (1975); The 1975 Geneva Session 69 Am. J. Int'l L. 763 (1975); and Oxman, The Third United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea: The 1976 New York Session, 71 Am. J. Int' l L. 247 (1977); The 1977 New York Sessions, 72 Am. J. Int'l L. 57 (1978); The Seventh Session (1978), 73 Am. J. Int'l L. 1 (1979); The Eighth Session (1979), 74 Am. J. Int'l L. 1 (1980); The Ninth Session (1980), 75 Am. J. Int'l L. 211 (1981). 3. Draft Convention on the Law of the Sea (Informal Text), U.N. Doc. A/ Conf.62/WP.10/Rev. 3/Add.l (1980). [hereinafter cited as Draft Convention] The text was subsequently reissued with primarily drafting changes as A-Conf.62/L.78 (1981).
Multicellular Rearing Methods for the Beet Armyworm, Soybean Looper, and Velvetbean Caterpillar (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

Methods used for rearing Heliothis spp. larvae in a multicellular container were modified for rearing beet armyworm (BAW), Spodoptera exigua (Hubner), soybean looper (SBL), Pseudoplusia includens (Walker), and velvetbean caterpillar (VBC), Anticarsia gemmatalis (Hubner). Polyester-cotton cloth used for Heliothis oviposition was unsatisfactory for BAW, SBL, and VBC. A polyester-cotton cloth with a dimpled surface was discovered which was suitable for all three species. Beet armyworm eggs were removed from the oviposition cloth and disinfected with sodium hypochlorite. This procedure could not be used for SBL or VBC as it resulted in significant reduction in egg hatch. New methods were developed for placing BAW, SBL, and VBC eggs into a multicellular container. A separator and high volume blower used to harvest Heliothis pupae was also used to harvest BAW and VBC pupae. SBL pupae, because of webbing spun by the larvae prior to pupation, could not be harvested in this manner. A pupal harvest method was devel...
Optical Short-Arc Association Hypothesis Gating via Angle-Rate Information

Given a short-arc optical observation with estimated angle rates, the admissible region is a compact region in the range/range-rate space defined such that all likely and relevant orbits are contained within it. An alternative boundary value problem formulation has recently been proposed where range/range hypotheses are generated with two angle measurements from two tracks as input. In this paper, angle-rate information is reintroduced as a means to eliminate hypotheses by bounding their constants of motion before a more computationally costly Lambert solver or differential correction algorithm is run.
In Vivo Assembly of the Proteasomal Complexes, Implications for Antigen Processing

The multicatalytic and multisubunit proteasomal complexes have been implicated in the processing of antigens to peptides presented by class I major histocompatibility complex molecules. Two structural complexes of this proteinase, 20 S and 26 S proteasomes, have been isolated from cells. By analyzing in vivo assembly of the proteasomal complexes we show that the 20 S proteasomal complexes are irreversibly assembled via 15 S assembly intermediates containing unprocessed beta-type subunits. The 20 S proteasomes further associate reversibly with proteasome activators PA28 or pre-existing ATPase complexes to form 26 S proteasomal complexes. Our findings that not all of the 20 S proteasomal complexes are assembled into 26 S proteasomal complexes within cells and that all of PA28 and ATPase complexes are associated with 20 S proteasomes strongly suggest that all proteasomal complexes coexist within cells. We further demonstrate that 26 S proteasomal complexes are predominantly present in the cytoplasm and a significant portion of the 20 S proteasomal complexes is associated with the endoplasmic reticulum membrane. Taken together, our findings suggest that depending upon their associated regulatory components, 26 S and 20 S-PA28 proteasomal complexes serve different housekeeping functions within the cells, while they degrade antigens in a cooperative manner in antigen processing.
Natural Products in Plants: Chemical Diversity

Plants contain numerous natural products (secondary metabolites) that may not participate directly in their growth and development but play an important role in ecological interactions with other organisms. Despite immense chemical diversity, which originates from simple carbohydrates produced because of photosynthesis, plant natural products are formed from only a few biosynthetic building blocks that consist of acetate, mevalonate, and shikimate. These basic building blocks undergo a variety of biosynthetic transformations and combinations that lead to numerous classes of plant natural products including, but not limited to, carbohydrates, fatty acids and their esters, aromatic polyketides (phenols and quinones), terpenoids and steroids, phenyl propanoids (lignans and lignin, coumarins, flavonoids, and isoflavonoids), and alkaloids. Summarized in this article are representative members of these important classes of plant natural products with special emphasis on their chemical diversity. The article concludes with a brief discussion on recent methods for the maximization of chemical diversity and the production of natural products from plants.
The Environment on the Internet: The Case of the BP Oil Spill

The 2010 BP Oil Spill killed eleven workers and contaminated the Gulf of Mexico on a grand scale. It presented a spectacle of technology run amok, revealing environmental risks we prefer to ignore. The Spill sparked outrage and it evoked society-wide efforts to respond to the disaster: ideas and support came from engineers and biologists, hair dressers and plumbers. The internet was an essential medium for following and learning about the event and for offering help to those who were close to the emergency. This article reviews the history of the Spill and describes the many ways that experts and lay people relied on the internet to react to the situation in the Gulf. It then discusses the evolving legal context that frames disasters like the Spill. The internet is essential to adequate management of and democratic deliberation about the use of environmental resources. As we enter a period of increasing dislocations associated with climate change, the internet will enable the development of social infrastructure for adaptation and resilience.
Dynamics of magnetic flux lines in the presence of correlated disorder

We investigate the dynamics of interacting magnetic flux lines driven by an external current in the presence of linear pinning centers, arranged either in a periodic square lattice or placed randomly in space, by means of three-dimensional Monte Carlo simulations. Compared to the non-interacting case, the repulsive forces between the vortices reduce the critical current J_c, as determined from the depinning threshold in the current-voltage (I-V) characteristics. Near the depinning current J_c, the voltage power spectrum S(w) reveals broad-band noise, characterized by a $1/w^a$ power law decay with a <= 2. At larger currents the flux lines move with an average velocity v_{cm}. For a periodic arrangement of columnar pins with a lattice constant $d$ and just above J_c, distinct peaks appear in the voltage noise spectrum S(w) at w ~ v_{cm}/d which we interpret as the signature of stick-slip flux line motion.
Alfred Russel Wallace: Past and Future [Guest Editorial]

The naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace (1823–1913) has for many years been standing in the shadow of his more famed co-discoverer of the principle of natural selection, Charles Darwin. Despite outward similarities between the two men's formulation of the principle, Wallace had fit his appreciation of natural selection into views on evolution that were quite different from Darwin's. A closer examination of what Wallace had in mind suggests a model of process in which natural selection per se acts as the negative feedback mechanism (actually, a ‘state-space’) in the relation between population and environment, and environmental engagement as made possible by the resulting selection of traits acts as the positive feedback part of the cycle. Thus, it may be better to contextualize adaptive structures as entropy-relaying biogeochemical facilitators that only ‘generate a potential for evolution’ than to portray them as the end results of evolution. This systems point of view better lends itself to appreciations of the biogeographical context of evolution than does the tree-thinking of a more conventional style of speciation-focused Darwinism, which sometimes confuses process with result.
Interacting residues in an activated state of a G protein-coupled receptor.

Ste2p, the G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) for the tridecapeptide pheromone α-factor of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, was used as a model GPCR to investigate the role of specific residues in the resting and activated states of the receptor. Using a series of biological and biochemical analyses of wild-type and site-directed mutant receptors, we identified Asn205 as a potential interacting partner with the Tyr266 residue. An N205H/Y266H double mutant showed pH-dependent functional activity, whereas the N205H receptor was non-functional and the Y266H receptor was partially active indicating that the histidine 205 and 266 residues interact in an activated state of the receptor. The introduction of N205K or Y266D mutations into the P258L/S259L constitutively active receptor suppressed the constitutive activity; in contrast, the N205K/Y266D/P258L/S259L quadruple mutant was fully constitutively active, again indicating an interaction between residues at the 205 and 206 positions in the receptor-active state. To further test this interaction, we introduced the N205C/Y266C, F204C/Y266C, and N205C/A265C double mutations into wild-type and P258L/S259L constitutively active receptors. After trypsin digestion, we found that a disulfide-cross-linked product, with the molecular weight expected for a receptor fragment with a cross-link between N205C and Y266C, formed only in the N205C/Y266C constitutively activated receptor. This study represents the first experimental demonstration of an interaction between specific residues in an active state, but not the resting state, of Ste2p. The information gained from this study should contribute to an understanding of the conformational differences between resting and active states in GPCRs.
Optimization of real-time high-frequency ultrasound for blood flow imaging in the microcirculation

The first high frequency ultrasound system able to image blood flow in the microcirculation in real-time has been developed. 2D color flow frames are rapidly acquired using a recently reported method to achieve frame rates approaching 10 fps. A new flow phantom was constructed in order to tune the wall filter order, cutoff and attenuation for a 25 MHz, f/2 transducer. RF data were acquired in both M-mode and swept-mode, and processed in order to tune the wall filter. These filters were then used in making controlled measurements of flow velocity and volume flow rate for a typical PRF of 500 Hz (1 mm/sec scan speed). Over th einput of mean axial velocities ranging from 0.3 to 3.0 mm/sec (0.88 to 8.8 mm/sec angle corrected), the measured mean and maximum flow velocities were linear, with slight over-estimation of mean velocities due to the wall filter cutoff. Without correction for finite beam size, the volume flow rates were over-estimated by a factor of 2. The color flow settings were then applied to image microcirculatory flow within the nail bed of a human finger, where they were tested and optimized for a variety of vessel sizes and flow velocities.© (2001) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Resveratrol and Other Phenolics from the Bark of Yucca schidigera Roezl.

Five phenolic constituents have been identified in Yucca schidigera bark, and their structures were established by spectral (FABMS and NMR) experiments. These included two known stilbenes, trans-3,4‘,5-trihydroxystilbene (resveratrol) and trans-3,3‘,5,5‘-tetrahydroxy-4‘-methoxystilbene, as well as three novel compounds, yuccaols A, B, and C, with spiro-structures rarely occurring in the plant kingdom. It is suggested that yuccaols A−C are biosynthethized via attachment of a stilbenic derivative to the carbocationic intermediate of the oxidative flavanone−flavonol conversion. Keywords: Yucca; Yucca schidigera; resveratrol; stilbenes; yuccaols A−C; phenolics
An Improved Frequency-Compensated Capacitance Bridge for Accurate Shunt Reactor Loss Measurements at Very Low Power Factors

An improved compensating current circuit for making the current-comparator-based capacitance bridge insensitive to frequency fluctuations when used for measuring shunt reactor loss is described. An estimated accuracy of 1 percent can be achieved for loss measurements of shunt reactors operating at power factors as low as 0.001. There are no phase adjustments in the circuit, only gain (or magnitude). Most of the errors introduced by the circuit are, therefore, confined to the inductive balance of the bridge which has a much larger error budget than that of the loss tangent. The loss tangent balance is affected by errors of the second order only.
Motivating industrial salesforce with sales control systems: An interactive perspective

Abstract This research examines the interactive effects on industrial salespeople's intrinsic and extrinsic (I/E) motivation of outcome control, activity control, and capability control above and beyond their main effects. I/E motivation are disaggregated into their cognitive and affective dimensions. Moderated regressions using a sample of industrial salespeople find that (1) outcome control and capability control have positive interactive effects on task enjoyment and recognition seeking, (2) outcome control and activity control have a positive interactive effect on compensation seeking but a negative interactive effect on task enjoyment, and (3) activity control and capability control have a negative interactive effect on recognition seeking. Moreover, we find that compensation seeking has a stronger positive effect on sales performance when salespeople deal with more new customers whereas the opposite is true for challenge seeking; compensation seeking appears to elevate job satisfaction only when there is a lower percentage of new customers but the positive effect of recognition seeking on job satisfaction is enhanced when salespeople handle a higher number of new accounts. These findings offer important theoretical and managerial implications by providing compelling evidence that sales control interactive effects should be considered when studying relationships among sales control systems, salesperson motivation, and job outcomes.
Radiotracer studies of surfactant transport to the sea-air interface by submillimeter-size bubbles

A radiotracer test system has been developed for laboratory studies to investigate the bubble transport of natural surfactant materials from seawater to the air-water interface. Using this system, we have analyzed the rates at which saturated and unsaturated 14C-labeled fatty acids (stearic and oleic acids, respectively) and triolein, an unsaturated fatty acid triglyceride, are scavenged from seawater by air bubbles at differing airflow rates and bubbling times. The bubble field used was similar in size distribution to that which exists in natural wave or wake-induced turbulence where significant aeration of seawater occurs. We have found in our studies that the scavenging rate for each material is proportional to the bulk water concentration of the material and that the constant of proportionality itself appears approximately proportional to the square root of the airflow rate. We have also found that oleic acid is scavenged more rapidly than stearic acid, which is in turn scavenged more rapidly than triolein. This finding indicates a strong dependence of the scavenging process on the underlying chemical polarity and/or on the stereochemical properties of the material being scavenged.
Temperature effects on muscle phosphofructokinase of the alaskan king crab, Paralithodes camtschatica

Abstract 1. 1. Concentrations of glycolytic intermediates in king crab muscle are much lower than are required for maximum velocity of glycolytic enzymes. 2. 2. The energy charge of the king crab muscle is 0·91, indicating that glycolysis is proceeding at a very low rate. 3. 3. Phosphofructokinase(PFK) exhibits Q 10 values of less than 1·0 at low levels of fructose-6-phosphate (F-6-P). 4. 4. Hill n values for PFK increase from 2·9 at 5°C to 9·2 at 25°C. 5. 5. Temperature affects the catalytic and modulator sites of PFK, as shown by the enzyme's response to varying levels of F-6-P, ATP, 5′AMP, magnesium and citrate at different temperatures.
A Shock Tube Study of the Product Branching Ratio for the Reaction NH2+ NO Using Frequency-Modulation Detection of NH2

The product branching ratio of [NH2 + NO → N2H + OH]:[NH2 + NO → N2 + H2O] has been determined in the temperature range of 1340−1670 K in a shock tube study with laser photolytic generation of the NH2 radicals. Sensitive frequency-modulation detection of the NH2 radical enables experiments with very low initial radical concentrations and, hence, virtually no interference from secondary reactions or dependence on the overall rate coefficient of the reaction. The branching ratio, α, defined as α = k1a/(k1a+k1b), increases from 0.42 at 1340 K to 0.53 at 1670 K. Over this temperature range our results can be expressed as α = 0.5 + (3.36 × 10-4)(T/K − 1600). A detailed error analysis yields an uncertainty in the values of α of ±0.02 near 1500 K, increasing to ±0.05 at the temperature extremes.
Investigation of the binding of epimer A of the covalent hydrate of 6,7-bis(trifluoromethyl)-8-D-ribityllumazine to a recombinant F22W Bacillus subtilis lumazine synthase mutant by (15)N[(19)F] REDOR NMR.

The two epimeric covalent hydrates A and B of 6,7-bis(trifluoromethyl)-8-D-ribityllumazine are metabolically stable analogues of hypothetical intermediates proposed in the reactions catalyzed by riboflavin synthase and lumazine synthase. To confirm the stereochemical assignments previously based solely on results for epimer B, a 15 N{ 19 F} REDOR NMR study was performed on the complex formed from epimer A and a recombinant, uniformly 15 N-labeled F22W mutant of Bacillus subtilis lumazine synthase. The results indicate that the fluorines of the ligands are closer to the side chain nitrogens of Arg127 and farther away from the side chain nitrogens of Lys135 in epimer B than in epimer A. These results are consistent with the assignment of the earlier 7R configuration of epimer A and the 7S configuration of epimer B.
Bridge Inspection Decision Making Based on Sequential Hypothesis Testing Methods

A bridge management system (BMS) is a decision support system used by a highway agency in selecting appropriate maintenance and rehabilitation (MR their results have generally been qualitative and subjective. More detailed inspections requiring some degree of destruction of the bridge, like drilling the deck to inspect for chloride contamination, have also been used. With recent technological developments, methods have been developed to evaluate the condition of bridge structures in a quantitative and objective manner. Associated with the use of these technologies are questions relating to inspection frequency, sample size, and the integration of data from the various technologies and human inspections. The application of a statistical decision-making method, sequential hypothesis testing, to these questions is presented. The mathematical formulation of the sequential hypothesis testing model, the derivation of optimal inspection policies, and the implementation of these policies in the context of bridge component inspection are discussed. A parametric analysis illustrates the sensitivity of the method to the cost structure of the problem, the precision of the technologies used, and the historical information or expert judgment regarding the condition of bridge components.
Poly(ethylene glycol)-functionalized polymeric microchips for capillary electrophoresis.

Recently, we reported the synthesis, fabrication, and preliminary evaluation of poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG)-functionalized polymeric microchips that are inherently resistant to protein adsorption without surface modification in capillary electrophoresis (CE). In this study, we investigated the impact of cross-linker purity and addition of methyl methacrylate (MMA) as a comonomer on CE performance. Impure poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate (PEGDA) induced electroosmotic flow (EOF) and increased the separation time, while the addition of MMA decreased the separation efficiency to approximately 25% of that obtained using microchips fabricated without MMA. Resultant improved microchips were evaluated for the separation of fluorescent dyes, amino acids, peptides, and proteins. A CE efficiency of 4.2 × 104 plates for aspartic acid in a 3.5 cm long microchannel was obtained. Chiral separation of 10 different d,l-amino acid pairs was obtained with addition of a chiral selector (i.e., β-cyclodextrin) in the running ...
Patient-derived luminal breast cancer xenografts retain hormone receptor heterogeneity and help define unique estrogen-dependent gene signatures

Bypassing estrogen receptor (ER) signaling during development of endocrine resistance remains the most common cause of disease progression and mortality in breast cancer patients. To date, the majority of molecular research on ER action in breast cancer has occurred in cell line models derived from late stage disease. Here we describe patient-derived ER+ luminal breast tumor models for the study of intratumoral hormone and receptor action. Human breast tumor samples obtained from patients post surgery were immediately transplanted into NOD/SCID or NOD/SCID/ILIIrg−/− mice under estrogen supplementation. Five transplantable patient-derived ER+ breast cancer xenografts were established, derived from both primary and metastatic cases. These were assessed for estrogen dependency, steroid receptor expression, cancer stem cell content, and endocrine therapy response. Gene expression patterns were determined in select tumors ±estrogen and ±endocrine therapy. Xenografts morphologically resembled the patient tumors of origin, and expressed similar levels of ER (5–99 %), and progesterone and androgen receptors, over multiple passages. Four of the tumor xenografts were estrogen dependent, and tamoxifen or estrogen withdrawal (EWD) treatment abrogated estrogen-dependent growth and/or tumor morphology. Analysis of the ER transcriptome in select tumors revealed notable differences in ER mechanism of action, and downstream activated signaling networks, in addition to identifying a small set of common estrogen-regulated genes. Treatment of a naive tumor with tamoxifen or EWD showed similar phenotypic responses, but relatively few similarities in estrogen-dependent transcription, and affected signaling pathways. Several core estrogen centric genes were shared with traditional cell line models. However, novel tumor-specific estrogen-regulated potential target genes, such as cancer/testis antigen 45, were uncovered. These results evoke the importance of mapping both conserved and tumor-unique ER programs in breast cancers. Furthermore, they underscore the importance of primary xenografts for improved understanding of ER+ breast cancer heterogeneity and development of personalized therapies.
Image-Based Modeling for Assessing Thermal Conductivity of Thermal Spray Coatings at Ambient and High Temperature

Thermal spray coatings are used extensively for protection of engineering components and structures in a variety of applications. Due to the nature of thermal spraying process, the coating thermal, mechanical, and electrical properties depend strongly on the coating microstructure, which consists of many individual splats, interfaces between the splats, defects and voids. The coating microstructure, in turn, is determined by the thermal spray process parameters. In order to relate coating process parameters to the final coating performance, then, it is desirable to relate coating microstructure to coating properties. In this work, thermal conductivity is used as the physical parameter of interest. Thermal conductivity of thermal spray coatings is studied by using an image analysis-based approach of typical coating cross sections. Three coating systems, yttria stabilized zirconia (YSZ), molybdenum, and Ni-5wt.%Al are explored in this work. For each material, thermal conductivity is simulated by using a microstructure image-based finite element analysis model. The model is then applied to high temperature conditions (up to 1200 °C) with a hot stage-equipped scanning electron microscope imaging technique to assess thermal conductivity at high temperatures. The coating thermal conductivity of metallic coatings is also experimentally measured by using a high-temperature laser flash technique.© 2006 ASME
Economies of scale in networks

Abstract A network's capacity can typically be increased in a variety of ways. For example, in a highway network, existing roads can be made wider or new roads added. This paper is concerned with the determination of the degree of local economies of scale in the cost function for the outputs of a congestible network when there are multiple margins for making adjustments to capacity. The main result is that under the provision of a cost-minimizing network—one for which the sum of user and capacity costs for the network's outputs is at a minimum—the degree of local economies of scale in the cost function for the network's outputs is the same along all margins for adjusting capacity. This includes what routes to establish.
Monitoring ABC-assisted deep inspiration breath hold for left-sided breast radiotherapy with an optical tracking system

Purpose: Recent knowledge on the effects of cardiac toxicity warrants greater precision for left-sided breast radiotherapy. Different breath-hold (BH) maneuvers (abdominal vs thoracic breathing) can lead to chest wall positional variations, even though the patient’s tidal volume remains consistent. This study aims to investigate the feasibility of using optical tracking for real-time quality control of active breathing coordinator (ABC)-assisted deep inspiration BH (DIBH). Methods: An in-house optical tracking system (OTS) was used to monitor ABC-assisted DIBH. The stability and localization accuracy of the OTS were assessed with a ball-bearing phantom. Seven patients with left-sided breast cancer were included. A free-breathing (FB) computed tomography (CT) scan and an ABC-assisted BH CT scan were acquired for each patient. The OTS tracked an infrared (IR) marker affixed over the patient’s xiphoid process to measure the positional variation of each individual BH. Using the BH within which the CT scan was performed as the reference, the authors quantified intra- and interfraction BH variations for each patient. To estimate the dosimetric impact of BH variations, the authors studied the positional correlation between the marker and the left breast using the FB CT and BH CT scans. The positional variations of 860 BHs as measured by the OTS were retrospectively incorporated into the original treatment plans to evaluate their dosimetric impact on breast and cardiac organs [heart and left anterior descending (LAD) artery]. Results: The stability and localization accuracy of the OTS was within 0.2 mm along each direction. The mean intrafraction variation among treatment BHs was less than 2.8 mm in all directions. Up to 12.6 mm anteroposterior undershoot, where the patient’s chest wall displacement of a BH is less than that of a reference BH, was observed with averages of 4.4, 3.6, and 0.1 mm in the anteroposterior, craniocaudal, and mediolateral directions, respectively. A high positional correlation between the marker and the breast was found in the anteroposterior and craniocaudal directions with respective Pearson correlation values of 0.95 and 0.93, but no mediolateral correlation was found. Dosimetric impact of BH variations on breast coverage was negligible. However, the mean heart dose, mean LAD dose, and max LAD dose were estimated to increase from 1.4/7.4/18.6 Gy (planned) to 2.1/15.7/31.0 Gy (delivered), respectively. Conclusions: In ABC-assisted DIBH, large positional variation can occur in some patients, due to their different BH maneuvers. The authors’ study has shown that OTS can be a valuable tool for real-time quality control of ABC-assisted DIBH.
Magnetic and thermal studies of antiferromagnetic linear chains in dichloro bis (pyridine)copper (II)

Results of static-susceptibility measurements from 1.5 to 300 K, heat-capacity studies from 0.5 to 10 K, and room-temperature 8.8-GHz EPR measurements are presented for dichlorobis (pyridine)copper(II), a spin-1/2 antiferromagnetic linear-chain crystal. The Bonner-Fisher chains curve gives good agreement with the measured susceptibility values from 2 K to room temperature, for $\frac{J}{{k}_{B}}=\ensuremath{-}13.4\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.2$ K and $g=2.07\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.04$. The heat capacity exhibits a sharp anomalous peak 1.130\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.005 K, corresponding to an antiferromagnetic-paramagnetic transition at that temperature. From 4-8 K, the heat capacity is resolved into at ${T}^{3}$ lattice contribution with ${\ensuremath{\Theta}}_{D}=82.2\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}2$ K and a Bonner-Fisher chains curve with $\frac{J}{{k}_{B}}=\ensuremath{-}13.2\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.3$ K. Principal-axis $g$ values and the orientation of the principal axes with respect to the crystalline axes were determined. The two inequivalent copper ions exhibit only a single resonance line at 8.8 GHz, because of interchain exchange narrowing. The EPR line is found to be Lorentzian out to seven absorption halfwidths. Theoretical line shapes are compared with the experimental data for various estimates of interchain exchange. The Tahir-Kheli decoupling-theory estimate of nearest-interchain-neighbor exchange integral of 0.051 K gives best agreement with the observed line-shape data.
The relation of phoneme discrimination, lexical access, and short-term memory: A case study and interactive activation account.

A brain-damaged patient (AP) is reported who had a strong tendency to identify nonwords as words on auditory lexical decision and to lexicalize nonwords in repetition, yet who showed a normal ability to perceive individual phonemes. It was initially hypothesized that these findings could be accounted for in terms of disrupted lexical phonological representations. This hypothesis was rejected on the basis of an interactive activation model of word recognition which revealed that modifications at the lexical level did not mimic the patient's pattern of results. Instead, it was found that increasing the rate of decay of activation at the phoneme level produced output that was consistent with the phoneme discrimination, lexical decision, and repetition results. This hypothesis of increased phoneme level decay led to the prediction that speech discrimination would decline with increased interstimulus interval and that short-term memory performance would be impaired. Both predictions were confirmed. The results of this study provide support for an interactive activation model of word recognition with feedback from the lexical to the phonemic level and for a close connection between the processes involved in word recognition and short-term memory.
Kinetics of the Reactions of Allyl and Propargyl Radicals with CH3

The allyl-methyl and propargyl-methyl cross-radical reactions were studied by laser photolysis/photoionization mass spectroscopy. Overall rate constants were obtained in direct real-time experiments in the temperature region 301−800 K and bath gas (helium) density (3−36) × 1016 atom cm-3. The observed overall C3H5 + CH3 (1) and C3H3 + CH3 (2) rate constants demonstrate negative temperature dependencies. Master equation modeling of collisional effects indicates that the C3H5 + CH3 reaction is near its high-pressure limit under all experimental conditions used. Minor corrections for the falloff effects (on average, 18% at the highest temperature) applied to the experimental values result in the high-pressure-limit temperature dependence of the rate constant of reaction 1: k1∞ = 1.55 × 10-9 T -0.54exp(117 K/T) cm3 molecule-1 s-1. The temperature dependence of k1∞ combined with the thermochemistry of reaction 1 results in the rate constants of the reverse reaction of thermal decomposition of 1-C4H8 k-1∞(T) =...
The First Excited States of Even-Even Nuclei

The collective model of the nucleus, as expressed in A. Bohr's strong coupling approximation, is applied to the low levels of even-even nuclei. It yields the correct level order of the first few states, and predicts the qualitative regularities of the first excited energy surface which are observed experimentally. The approximation is shown to be much better for two or more extra nucleons than for one, but the first excited energy spacing is sensitive to second-order corrections even for many extra nucleons. Predicted nuclear distortions are larger than is reasonable (a) in the rare earth group, and (b) near doubly magic ${\mathrm{Pb}}^{208}$. An empirical way to correct for this discrepancy is to diminish the particle-to-surface coupling coefficient.A simple formula is given for computing an upper limit to the nuclear distortion from the first excited energy of even nuclei. After correction by a single adjustable parameter, this formula yields a fair correlation with quadrupole moments and a better correlation with isotope shifts in the region $50lNl126$. The energy level behavior beyond Pb gives a prediction of quadrupole moment and isotope shift behavior for $Ng126$. Certain regularities in the levels of odd-even nuclei are also predicted.