cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Modification of calcium-phosphate coatings on titanium by recombinant amelogenin.

Amelogenin proteins, the principal components of the developing dental enamel extracellular matrix, have been postulated to facilitate the elongated and oriented growth of the carbonated apatite crystals during enamel formation. We previously reported that amelogenin caused modulation of apatite crystals nucleated on a bioactive glass (Bioglass®) in vitro. Here, the effects of amelogenin on the growth morphology of calcium–phosphate crystals nucleated on a titanium surface were investigated in order to gain a better understanding of the role of amelogenins during enamel biomineralization and to explore their potential application in the design and development of novel biomaterials. The dose-dependent effects of a recombinant mouse amelogenin (rM179) were found to be different from those of bovine serum albumin, which significantly inhibited apatite crystal growth and caused the octacalcium phosphate (OCP) crystals to change from a plate-like shape to a curved shape, indicating a general inhibitory effect. The effects of rM179 on the crystal growth of OCP at 12.5–100 μg/mL and of apatite at 50 μg/mL were insignificant while the apatite crystals were remarkably elongated along their c-axes upon the use of 100 μg/mL of rM179. The unique modulation of the calcium–phosphate coatings on titanium by rM179 supports the view that amelogenins have a great potential for applications designed to develop novel biomimetic materials. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res 64A: 483–490, 2003
Suicidal Adolescent Perceptions After an Art Future Image Intervention

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore reactions of hospitalized, suicidal adolescents to an art future image intervention (AFI). During the intervention adolescents were asked to rethink future expectations while creating a caricature of themselves in the future. Seventeen follow-up interviews were coded and analyzed to determine the meaning of the intervention to the adolescents. A structural definition of the AFI extracted from the themes of the interviews, described the process that adolescents experience during the intervention, which was "an irritating but humorous identity search which rekindled dreams as control over one's future was anticipated." The intervention has been adapted for use in a number of clinical situations and populations. The AFI continues as a part of the treatment regime on an inpatient adolescent psychiatric unit to help teenagers regain hope for the future.
LUMP‐SUM BONUS SATISFACTION: TESTING THE CONSTRUCT VALIDITY OF A NEW PAY SATISFACTION DIMENSION

There are both practical and theoretical reasons to measure lump-sum bonus satisfaction. The practical need for such a measure stems from its increased use as a component in modern compensation practices. Based on the means of administering and allocating lump-sum bonuses, a theoretical case can be built suggesting that lump-sum bonus satisfaction constitutes a separate component of pay satisfaction fitting into the Pay Satisfaction Questionaire's (PSQ) theoretical framework. We develop 4 questions that complement the PSQ, and use a series of techniques to test the convergent and discriminant validity of the measure. Empirical evidence shows that bonus-related items are more related to the lump-sum bonus satisfaction measure than other PSQ dimensions. We also demonstrate that the dimension of lump-sum bonus satisfaction has a substantive relationship with attitudinal variables beyond that provided by pay level variables and the PSQ. The development of this measure should foster greater accuracy when assessing pay satisfaction levels and the effects of lump-sum bonus pay policies.
Which Thousand Words are Worth a Picture? Experiments on Video Retrieval using a Thousand Concepts

In contrast to traditional video retrieval that represents visual content with low-level features (e.g. color and texture), emerging concept-based video retrieval allows users to search video archives by specifying a limited number of high-level concepts (e.g. outdoors and car). Recent studies have demonstrated the feasibility of concept-based retrieval, but a fundamental question remains: what kinds of concepts should we index? We analyze a large video archive annotated with more than a thousand high-level concepts, and develop guidelines for choosing concepts of high utility to video retrieval.
Large Area High-Current Photoconductive Cells using Cadmium Sulfide Powder

Large area high-current photocells have been made using sensitive photoconductive CdS powder, the CdS particles being held together with plastic on a supporting surface. The electrodes may either be in the form of an interdigital pattern on the insulating surface which supports the layer, or they may consist of conducting surfaces on opposite sides of the layer. In the latter case the transparent conductive coating of the glass plate on which the layer is supported serves as one electrode. In practice, the CdS powder can be applied to a surface by conventional techniques such as spraying or silk screening, or by mechanically spreading.Since such photoconductive cells can be fabricated in almost any size and since the powder is capable of a photosensitivity of approximately one ampere per lumen, cells can readily be made capable of carrying photocurrents of an ampere or more in room light. Cells made with present powders have time constants of buildup and decay of the order of 0.1 second. Devices of this type are thus ideally suited for operating relays or directly controlling, over a continuous range, high-current devices such as incandescent light bulbs or motors.
The Experiential Meaning of Well-Being for Employed Mothers

Employed mothers must constantly juggle and balance the multiple roles they face on a daily basis, which can be overwhelming and may adversely affect well-being and health. Findings are presented from a naturalistic-inquiry study that explored how employed mothers with preschool-age children experience positive well-being in their lives. Interviews were conducted with 16 mothers who worked full time and had at least one preschool-age child living at home. Findings included seven categories reflective of experiential well-being: mutuality, spirituality, child-centeredness, acceptance, happiness, security, and enrichment of the world. Results of this study are anticipated to contribute to a foundation for theory development and subsequent theory testing for promoting well-being.
Experience Teaching Barry Boehm&#146;s Techniques in Industrial and Academic Settings

This paper discusses the authors twenty five years of experience teaching Dr. Boehm Boehms techniques in software estimating, software risk management, and other aspects of software project management. This experience has occurred in both industrial and academic settings. Dr. Boehm's techniques have proven to be robust, well suited for teaching purposes, straightforward to implement, and practical enough that many students reported successful application in the workplace.
Continental Rise off Eastern North America

During mid-1967 two cruises of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution's R/V Chain provided nearly continuous seismic, geomagnetic, and gravity measurements along 8,000 km of ship track. These measurements supplement earlier ones from various sources to provide a comprehensive picture of the composition and geologic history of the continental margin off eastern North America, an area that is much larger than all of the United States east of the Mississippi River. The geomagnetic profiles portray a systematic pattern of positive and negative anomalies that are in accord with the concept of sea-floor spreading, whereby North America separated from Europe and Africa at the beginning of the Permian Period, and drifted westward from the site of rifting (the Mid-Atlantic Ridge) at average rates of 0.8-1.4 cm/year. During all this time the continent has been coupled firmly with the adjacent sea floor, as though both continent and sea floor were on the same conveyor belt. Gravity information suggests that a relict structure of the original rift is preserved in the same general area as the geomagnetic slope anomaly, beneath the seaward part of the continental shelf, the continental slope, or the upper continental rise. It has the form of a complex linear ridge of crystalline rocks that rises above the zone of sharpest landward slope of the Mohorovicic discontinuity. Seismic refraction measurements support the presence of such a ridge, bordered on both sides by linear trenches. The continuous seismic reflection profiles measured during the cruises reveal shallow acoustic basement in the form of a ridge complex that is shallower, but in the same general area, and probably is related to the deep ridge. The ridge and associated trenches served as dams and b sin sinks to trap land-derived sediments during the Mesozoic Era, so that only pelagic silts and clays could reach and be deposited on the irregular oceanic basement seaward of the barrier. During Late Cretaceous to middle Eocene time one or more thick deposits of probably chemical origin formed blankets of deep-sea chert throughout broad abyssal plains, which produce the acoustic reflector known as Horizon A. About middle Eocene time the land-derived sediments filled the trap west of the ridge and prograded eastward over the ridge top and built the present continental rise atop the Mesozoic abyssal plain. Continuous seismic reflection profiles show that the rise is a huge prism of generally seaward-dipping, interbedded pelagic sediments and turbidites that contain many masses of sediment displaced from higher on the continental rise and from the continental slope. Such slides continue to occur, a large one having occurred in 1929. The volume of the Cenozoic continental rise in the study region is nearly 3 million km3, about half the volume of all sediments deposited on basement during Mesozoic time. The interbedding of sandy turbidites with organic-rich silts and clays displaced from the continental slope may constitute a thick sequence of oil reservoir and oil source beds, but no exploratory drilling into them has been done.
Release of a Chemotactic Monokine Upon Treatment With Lymphocyte Supernatants

Macrophages produced and/or released a chemoattractant(s) for neutrophils after having been treated for 2 hr with soluble products from two lymphoma cell lines. Culture supernatants of the EL-4 and Yac-1 cell lines, but not sarcoma l, Bc100, or the macrophagelike cell line P388d1, triggered the release of the chemoattractant. The macrophage-derived chemoattractant (MDC) was detectable within 2 hr following triggering and culture supernatants had maximal activity by 48 hr. The triggering of the macrophages to release the chemoattractant and the activity of the chemoattractant was not dependent upon any component of fetal bovine serum. Activation of complement was also not involved, since activated serum did not competitively inhibit the chemotactic activity of the macrophage-derived chemoattractant. The chemoattractant was macromolecular, stable to heating at 90 degrees C for 15 min, sensitive to pronase and chymotrypsin, and was affected by treatment with low pH.
Targeting piggyBac transposon integrations in the human genome

DNA based transposon systems offer a technology for active and efficient delivery of genes into human cells. An emerging field is directed at manipulating such systems to achieve site-directed integration as compared to un-targeted integration which occurs with native or unmodified transposon systems. The naturally active piggyBac transposon system is derived from insects but has been shown to be very efficient in gene-modifying human cells. Recent efforts have utilized the fusion of DNA binding domains to the piggyBac transposase enzyme with the goal of targeting integration to specific locations in the human genome. In this chapter, we describe methodology for engineering and characterizing chimeric piggyBac transposase enzymes, including experimental approaches for evaluating activity and targeting specificity in the human genome.
Improved survival with dose-escalated radiotherapy in stage III non-small-cell lung cancer: analysis of the National Cancer Database

ABSTRACT Background Concurrent chemoradiation is the standard of care in non-operable stage III non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Data have suggested a benefit of dose escalation; however, results from the randomized dose-escalation trial RTOG 0617 revealed a lower survival rate with high-dose radiation. To evaluate the impact of dose escalation on overall survival (OS) in stage III NSCLC treated with chemoradiotherapy outside the controlled setting of a randomized trial, we carried out an observational, population-based investigation of the National Cancer Database (NCDB). Patients and methods A total of 33 566 patients with stage III NSCLC treated with chemoradiation from 2004 to 2012 and radiation doses between 59.4 and 85 Gy were included. The primary end point was OS, with median survival calculated via Kaplan–Meier. Univariate, multivariable and propensity-score matching analyses were carried out. Results Patients were stratified by dose with median OS of: 18.8, 19.8 and 21.6 months for cohorts receiving 59.4–60, 61–69 and ≥70 Gy, respectively (P Conclusions Dose escalation above 60 Gy was associated with improved OS in this cohort of stage III NSCLC patients treated with chemoradiotherapy. A plateau of benefit was observed, with no additional improvement in OS with increased dose (≥71 Gy) compared with 66–70 Gy. With evidence suggesting worse OS and quality of life with increased dose, these data support investigation of the role of intermediate-dose radiation, and in the absence of randomized evidence, may be leveraged to justify utilization of intermediate-dose radiation.
Leadership and followership in surgical education.

American Journal of Surgery - In Press.Proof corrected by the author Available online since samedi 15 octobre 2016
Defining Effective Programs: How to Navigate Through the Diverse Definitions

There are many organizations that use shared terms to describe effective programs but don’t agree on the definition of these terms. Terms such as evidence based, research-based, proven practices, and promising practices have multiple definitions amongst practitioners. Exploring the different definitions, of these shared terms, by yourself or with your peers is one way to discover how programs are defined by others. This article and links will lead you through a process to understand the variety of youth development definitions used by practitioners and challenge you to create common definitions that will lead to better discussions with others regarding the effectiveness of programs.
The association of food insecurity with health outcomes for adults with disabilities.

Abstract Background Adults with disabilities are more likely to live in households that are food insecure and are more likely to experience health disparities than adults without disabilities. Research examining the intersection of food insecurity and health outcomes for adults with disabilities has so far been lacking, however. Objective/Hypothesis The research presented here tests whether living in a food insecure household is associated with poorer self-reported health and mental health and different health care utilization, controlling for disability status and other sociodemographic characteristics. Methods Multivariate regression analyses are conducted using linked data from the 2011 National Health Interview Survey and the 2012 Medical Expenditures Panel Survey. Results Adults with and without disabilities who live in food insecure households have higher odds of reporting fair or poor health or mental health in either the current year or the subsequent year. Health care utilization patterns differ for adults who are food insecure as well, both within and across years. Conclusions Efforts to address health disparities among adults with disabilities should consider the possible additional impact of food insecurity on health outcomes.
Electrical Vehicle Charging Station Deployment Based on Real World Vehicle Trace

The fast development of smart-grid technologies and applications calls for new means to meet the transportation and environment requirements of the next trend of mainstream vehicles. Electric vehicle (EV), which has been regarded as an important replacement for present gasoline-based vehicle, is expected to greatly reduce the carbon emissions meanwhile offer acceptable transportation ability. However, most of present market-level electric vehicle heavily rely its capacity-constrained battery which can only support limited driving range. Although there have been many pioneer works focusing on ameliorating the driving experience of EVs through tuning the placement of charging infrastructure, most of them do not consider the heterogeneity of vehicle movement in different scenarios. In this paper, starting from a fine-grained analysis of a real-world vehicle trace, a charging station placement algorithm considering the installation cost, traffic flow and battery capacity, called EVReal, is proposed. In comparing its performance with other representative algorithms, EVReal outperforms the others in various metrics.
Role of Hydrophilic Groove of the TMEM16 Protein in Lipid Scrambling

The TMEM16 proteins are Ca2+-dependent ion channels and/or phospholipid scramblases that play key roles in a variety of physiological functions. Mutations in TMEM16F cause Scott syndrome, a bleeding disorder caused by impaired Ca2+-dependent externalization of phosphatidylserine (PS) in activated platelets, suggesting that this homologue functions as a scramblase. Explicit demonstration that some TMEM16 proteins are Ca2+-dependent phospholipid scramblases comes from reconstitution and assay of purified fungal TMEM16 homologs (afTMEM16 and nhTMEM16). The recently determined crystal structure of nhTMEM16, revealed a dimeric arrangement of the protein and the presence of hydrophilic groove on the opposite sides of the dimer interface exposed to the lipid membrane. Extensive mutagenesis studies have established the importance of the groove in the lipid scrambling by showing that mutations of specific residues in the groove region to either Trp or Ala significantly reduce the kinetics of lipid translocation. We have used a combination of unbiased and enhanced sampling atomistic molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of nhTMEM16 in lipid membrane and water environments to evaluate the structural context and detailed mechanisms for the measured changes in scrambling efficiency by mutant nhTMEM16 constructs. The findings center on the formation and mechanistic role of a continuous water pathway along the membrane-facing surface of the groove in the wild type protein that enables lipid translocation. The manner in which the mutations cause a significant reduction in the level of the hydration in the groove region points to a key role of the hydrophilic groove of TMEM16 in lipid scrambling.
Bacillus cereus Group Bacteriophage Flapjack Genome Sequence.

ABSTRACT The Bacillus cereus group bacteriophage Flapjack, a double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) Myoviridae isolate collected from soil collected in Washington, DC, is a member of cluster C3 and encodes an intramolecular chaperone-containing tail fiber protein previously found in Podoviridae and Siphoviridae but not annotated in the Myoviridae.
A 2.267 Gbps, 93.7pJ/b non-binary LDPC decoder for storage applications

This paper presents a Non-Binary LDPC decoder with information throughput of 2.267Gbps and power consumption of 212.4mW, yielding an energy efficiency of 93.7pJ/b, implemented in a 40nm CMOS technology. The employed code is long and high-rate without degree-2 variable nodes, resulting in a low error floor. A dual decoding algorithm scheme alleviates the computational complexity of decoding, realized in an efficient architecture with high parallelism and avoidance of idle clock cycles.
Trapping an Iron(VI) Water-Splitting Intermediate in Nonaqueous Media

Understanding the mechanisms of highly-active, earth-abundant water oxidn. electrocatalysts can guide the development of advanced water-splitting devices that convert renewable electricity to clean fuels. Unfortunately, catalytic intermediates are difficult to isolate and characterize because they tend to be extremely transient and present at low concns. A typical approach to this problem is to slow down turnover by limiting the availability of substrate. However, in cases where substrate and solvent are identical-such as in water oxidn.-the soln. can be more complex. By dramatically limiting the availability of substrate (water and hydroxide) in nickel-iron catalyzed heterogeneous water oxidn., we have obsd. and characterized a high-valent iron intermediate. Orthogonal spectroscopies indicate that the intermediate contains iron in the rare 6+ oxidn. state. This ferrate analog makes dioxygen upon addn. of hydroxide and can be stepwise regenerated by anodic polarization.
A Color-Coded Complex Mode Indicator Function for Selecting a Final Mode Set

Many test articles exhibit slight nonlinearities which result in natural frequencies shifting between data from different references. This shifting can confound mode fitting algorithms because a single mode can appear as multiple modes when the data from multiple references are combined in a single data set. For this reason, modal test engineers at Sandia National Laboratories often fit data from each reference separately. However, this creates complexity when selecting a final set of modes, because a given mode may be fit from a number of reference data sets. The color-coded complex mode indicator function was developed as a tool that could be used to reduce a complex data set into a manageable figure that displays the number of modes in a given frequency range and also the reference that best excites the mode. The tool is wrapped in a graphical user interface that allows the test engineer to easily iterate on the selected set of modes, visualize the MAC matrix, quickly resynthesize data to check fits, and export the modes to a report-ready table. This tool has proven valuable, and has been used on very complex modal tests with hundreds of response channels and a handful of reference locations.
Diffusion of Sr in Bi2Sr2Can–1CunO2n+4

Tracer diffusion of [sup 85]Sr in polycrystalline Bi[sub 2]Sr[sub 2]Ca[sub [ital n][minus]1]Cu[sub [ital n]]O[sub 2[ital n]+4] has been investigated for [ital n]=1, 2, and 3 in an oxygen atmosphere between 775 and 850 [degree]C. A radiotracer serial-sectioning technique was used to measure the concentration profiles, which were fit to a solution of the diffusion equation to calculate the diffusivities. The activation energies were 403, 553, and 519 kJ/mole, for [ital n]=1, 2, and 3, respectively. However, the absolute values of D for the various layered superconductors did not differ by more than an order of magnitude over the measured temperature range. The diffusivity of Sr at 800 [degree]C for [ital n]=1 or 2 over an oxygen partial pressure range of 10[sup 3] to 10[sup 5] Pa increased as the pressure decreased.
Multiscale Analyses of High Strain Rate Deformation: Anisotropic Effects

The high strain-rate deformation in copper single crystals is investigated using a multiscale dislocation dynamics plasticity model. In this study, we examine the effects of crystal orientation and anisotropy on wave profiles, dislocation density histories, and dislocation microstructures. The morphologies of the relaxed configurations of dislocation microstructures show formation of deformation bands. The number and thickness of these bands are observed to be dependent on crystal orientations.
Analytical Techniques for Archaeological Sediments

Jean-Claude Gall (1983), in his volume Ancient Sedimentary Environments and Habitats of Living Organisms, recognized the kinship of archaeology and geology in the fact that both face a “fossilized world”. If we are interested in the paleoenvironment of that world, then the only recourse is “through the organisms and the sediments” (Gall 1983). In the case of the archaeologist, one must add cultural (artifactual) remains as well. The study of archaeological sediments and what they contain as “fossils” — organic remains such as floral and faunal materials; artifacts and nonportable cultural features, textural and chemical indices. These can provide a great deal of evidence about a paleoenvironment within which a past human population, together with plant/animal communities.
An Incremental Learning Algorithm for Inferring Boolean Functions

The previous chapter studied the guided learning problem. In that setting, the analyst has the option to select which unclassified example to send to the oracle for classification and use that information to improve the understanding of the system under consideration. When the new example would unveil the need for an update, one had to use all the existing training examples, plus the newly classified example, to infer a new (and hopefully more accurate) pattern in the form of a Boolean function or other data mining model.
Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids and Health

Good health has been linked with healthy diet as far back as the sixth century b.c. when the clinical effects of a vegetarian diet on a group of Hebrew captives were documented in the Book of Daniel (Josephus, 1994). In this chapter, we will discuss diverse effects of an essential component of a healthy diet, long chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA)(Burr & Burr, 1930). Because modern diets are relatively deficient in this special type of fat, there is a great potential for improving many aspects of health by adding it to the diet (Lands, 2003). For example, omega-3 fatty acids, especially eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), are known to prevent heart attacks and sudden cardiac death in individuals with coronary artery disease (Albert et al., 2002). Greater omega-3 fat consumption has also been reported to reduce the risk for dementia (Morris et al., 2003; Tully et al., 2003), depression (Hibbeln, 1998), high triglycerides (Weber & Raederstorff, 2000), hypertension (Mori, Bao, Burke, Puddey, & Beilin, 1999), arthritis (Simopoulos, 2002), autoimmune diseases (Adam, 2003; Simopoulos, 2002), certain cancers (Terry, Rohan, & Wolk, 2003), and preterm delivery (Olsen & Secher, 2002). This chapter will examine diverse health risks due to omega-3 fatty acid deficiency and the reduction of this risk through the use of dietary supplements and food sources rich in omega-3 fatty acids, such as seafood.
Refining the Laurentide Ice Sheet at Marine Isotope Stage 3: A data-based approach combining glacial isostatic simulations with a dynamic ice model

Abstract While glacial geologic records track the retreat history of the Laurentide Ice Sheet, constraints on the ice-sheet build-up history are more elusive. As the Laurentide Ice Sheet expanded to its maximum extent at the Last Glacial Maximum (26 ka), it erased most evidence of previous glaciations. However, an increasing number of dated, non-glacial deposits point to a relatively confined Laurentide Ice Sheet during Marine Isotope Stage 3 (MIS 3; 60-26 ka), suggesting rapid ice growth rates leading to the Last Glacial Maximum. In this study we demonstrate that predictions of relative sea-level change due to glacial isostatic adjustment involving a late and rapid growth of the Laurentide Ice Sheet are consistent with sea-level bounds associated non-glacial deposits of MIS 3 age in Canada. We also run a simple dynamic ice model that adopts the paleotopography generated from the glacial isostatic adjustment simulation and show that, using accumulation rates similar to that of the present-day Arctic, rapid glaciation rates starting at mid-MIS 3 (44 ka) are predicted.
areal patterns of seasonal temperature anomalies in the vicinity of the Great Lakes

An attempt is made in this paper to identify the areal patterns of significant thermal influence exerted by the Great Lakes by use of the methods of anomalies and isanomal mapping. Empirical temperature models for the seasonal months of January, April, July and October were constructed and the mean monthly temperatures of some 500 stations within the Great Lakes Region were compared to these models. The same procedure was used for average annual temperature ranges. The resultant deviations were mapped and their patterns described and analyzed. Based on these patterns of mean deviations, the areal extent and seasonal variation of the Great Lakes' effect on vicinal temperature regimes is graphically shown, and the method of isanomal mapping is further substantiated as an effective climatological technique.
Characterizing Patient Preferences Surrounding Total Knee Arthroplasty.

Background Episode-based bundled payments for total knee arthroplasty emphasize cost-effective patient-centered care. Understanding patients' perceptions of components of the total knee arthroplasty care episode is critical to achieving this care. This study investigated patient preferences for components of the total knee arthroplasty care episode. Methods Best-worst scaling was used to analyze patient preferences for components of the total knee arthroplasty care episode. Participants were selected from patients presenting to 2 orthopaedic clinics with chronic knee pain. They were presented with descriptions of 17 attributes before completing a best-worst scaling exercise. Attribute importance was determined using hierarchical Bayesian estimation. Latent class analysis was used to evaluate varying preference profiles. Results One hundred and seventy-four patients completed the survey, and 117 patients (67%) were female. The mean age was 62.71 years. Participants placed the highest value on surgeon factors, including level of experience, satisfaction rating, and complication rates. Latent class analysis provided a 4-segment model of the population. Conclusions This study demonstrated differences in patient preferences for the components of a total knee arthroplasty care episode and characterized distinct preference profiles among patient subsets. Stakeholders can use this information to focus efforts and policy on high-value components and to potentially create customized bundles guided by preference profiles. Clinical relevance This study is clinically relevant because the patient preferences identified here may help providers to design customized bundles for total knee arthroplasty care.
A method to detect allergenic fish, specifically cod and pollock, using quantitative real-time PCR and COI DNA barcoding sequences.

Background Fish are one of eight major allergens defined in the US Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act, and cod and pollock are two of the major fish allergens. This paper describes development and validation of a method to detect cod and pollock in complex food matrices using real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I (COI) sequences obtained through DNA barcoding were used to design a single set of primers and probe which detected three species in the genus Gadus: Atlantic cod, Pacific cod, and walleye pollock. Results Cod spiked into three different food matrices (cooking oil, clam chowder, and hushpuppy mix) yielded high linearity, dynamic range spanning six orders of magnitude, and lower limits of detection at 1-10 ppm (ppm; mg kg-1 ). Frying had an adverse effect on the lower limit of detection, but not on linearity. Conclusions This work shows that COI DNA barcoding sequences can be used to effectively design real-time PCR assays for detection of food allergens in complex matrices. While full-length DNA barcodes distinguish individual species, the PCR assay designed here detected three different species. This is likely because real-time PCR assays are tolerant to basepair mismatches and do not utilize the full length of the DNA barcode. Published 2018. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.
An exploratory comparison of clearing function and data-driven production planning models

Production planning models face the fundamental problem of capturing the nonlinear relation between resource workload and cycle times. One approach to this has been the use of nonlinear clearing functions that represent the expected output of a production resource in a planning period as a function of the expected workload in that period. Recently an alternative data driven approach that represents the behavior of the system using a set of system states and their corresponding output levels has been proposed. We compare the clearing function based approach to the data driven approach using a simulation model of a scaled-down semiconductor wafer fabrication facility and discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the two approaches.
Oxidative Stress and Cancer.

Background Cancer is considered a major cause of death worldwide. The etiology of cancer is linked to environmental and genetic inheritance causes. Approximately 90 percent of all human cancers have an environmental cause (non-genetic inheritance) predominantly through lifestyle choices (smoking, diet, UV radiation) while the remaining due to infections and chemical exposure. Cancer is a multistage process that involves mutational changes and uncontrolled cell proliferation. Research has firmly established a causal and contributory role of oxidative stress and oxidative damage in cancer initiation and progression. Methods The purpose of this article is to review the role that oxidative stress and reactive oxygen species play in the development of cancer. Both endogenous and exogenous sources of reactive oxygen species result in increased oxidative stress in the cell. Excess reactive oxygen fumed can result in damage to and modification of cellular macromolecules most importantly genomic DNA that can produce mutations. In addition, oxidative stress modulates gene expression of downstream targets involved in DNA repair, cell proliferation and antioxidants. The modulation of gene expression by oxidative stress occurs in part through activation or inhibition of transcription factors and second messengers. The role of single nuclear polymorphism for oxidative DNA repair and enzymatic antioxidants is important in determining the potential human cancer risk. Conclusion oxidative stress and the resulting oxidative damage are important contributors to the formation and progression of cancer.
Apoptosis signal-regulating kinase 1 activation by Nox1-derived oxidants is required for TNFα receptor endocytosis

Apoptosis signal-regulating kinase 1 (ASK1) drives dynamin1 and caveolin1 phosphorylation and TNFα receptor endocytosis. ASK1 modulates TNFα-induced NF-κB activation, survival, and proliferation. A...
The foundations of fracture impedance spectroscopy

Abstract The foundations of Fracture Impedance Spectroscopy (FIS) as a theoretical framework for analyzing and predicting fatigue and corrosion fatigue crack growth rate in real structures under complex loading waveforms from laboratory data obtained under simple, “pristine” loading conditions is presented. FIS is based upon an analogy between current flow (crack growth rate) in an electrical circuit in response to an applied, time-dependent voltage (time-dependent stress intensity factor). In this paper, the framework of the theory and its application for two different aerospace alloys are presented.
Anaerobic Codigestion of Food Waste and Polylactic Acid: Effect of Pretreatment on Methane Yield and Solid Reduction

Food waste and biopolymers, plastics derived from plants, are unexploited sources of energy when discarded in landfills without energy recovery. In addition, polylactic acid (PLA) and food waste have complimentary characteristics for anaerobic digestion; both are organic and degrade under anaerobic conditions. Lab-scale reactors were set up to quantify the solubilization of pretreated amorphous and crystalline PLA. Biochemical methane potential (BMP) assays were performed to quantify CH4 production from both treated and untreated PLA in the presence of food waste and anaerobic digested sludge. Amorphous and crystalline PLA reached near-complete solubilization at 97% and 99%, respectively, when alkaline pretreatment was applied. The PLA that received alkaline treatment produced the most of CH4 throughout the run time of 70 days. The PLA without treatment resulted in 54% weight reduction after anaerobic digestion. Results from this study show that alkaline pretreatment has the greatest solid reduction of PLA and maximum production of CH4 when combined with food waste and anaerobic digested sludge.
FLT3 Inhibitor Resistant Cells Show Different Downstream Signaling Pathway Changes.

Abstract Receptor tyrosine kinase FLT3 plays an important role in leukemogenesis, especially in acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI) targeting wild-type and mutant FLT3 have been developed and shown to have activity in clinical trials. However, as seen with Gleevac in CML, prolonged incubation with TKIs can select for resistant clones that may contribute to disease progression. To study resistance to TKIs against FLT3 we developed FLT3 inhibitor resistant cell lines by co-culturing MOLM14 and BaF3/ITD cells, expressing FLT3/ITD mutants with increasing concentrations of the FLT3 inhibitor CEP-701. The resulting cell lines, MOLM14(R) and BaF3/ITD(R) are resistant to CEP-701 induced cytotoxicity. MOLM14(R) is also resistant to other selective FLT3 TKIs including CEP-5214 and PKC412. In contrast, BaF3/ITD(R) cells were still sensitive to CEP5214 and PKC412. Western blot analysis reveals that CEP-701, CEP-5214 and PKC412 all still inhibit FLT3 in MOLM14(R) cells implying selection of a clone no longer dependent on FLT3 signaling. FLT3 phosphorylation is not inhibited by CEP-701 in BaF3/ITD(R) cells but is still inhibited by CEP-5214 and PKC412. Thus the BaF3/ITD(R) cells appear to remain FLT3-dependent. Sequencing of FLT3 from the resistant clones showed that the resistance was not the result of drug resistance mutations in FLT3/ITD. To investigate possible mechanisms of resistance in FLT3-dependent and FLT3-independent FLT3 inhibitor resistant cells, we examined pathways downstream of FLT3. Previously, we and others reported that constitutive FLT3 activation results in specific changes in gene expression in myeloid leukemic cells. As expected for cells with continued FLT3/ITD activation, Western blot analysis of BaF3/ITD(R) cells treated with CEP-701 show that they maintain activation of Erk/MAPK, Akt, and STAT5 pathways and induction of FLT3 dependent genes including Pim-1 and cMyc. In the apparently FLT3-independent MOLM-14(R) clones, inhibition of FLT3 activity resulted in decreased phosphorylation of downstream Akt and Stat5. However, we found Erk/MAPK phosphorylation and cMyc expression were not decreased in response to FLT3 TKI. This implies that whatever pathway has been selected for the ability to grow in this inhibitor is still feeding into this part of the downstream signaling pathway normally activated by FLT3/ITD. Thus, BaF3/ITD(R) FLT3-dependent and MOLM-14(R) FLT3 independent cells differ in response to several FLT3 inhibitors that results from the differences in their mechanisms of resistance.
A Proof of the Strict Monotone 5-Step Conjecture

A computer search through the oriented matroid programs with dimension 5 and 10 facets shows that the maximum strictly monotone diameter is 5. Thus $$\Delta _{sm}(5,10)=5$$ . This enumeration is analogous to that of Bremner and Schewe for the non-monotone diameter of 6-polytopes with 12 facets. A similar search shows that $$\Delta _m(5,10)=6.$$ We provide a short non-computer proof of $$\Delta _{sm}(4,8)=4$$ .
Optimizing the Binding Energy of Hydrogen on Nanostructured Carbon Materials through Structure Control and Chemical Doping

The DOE Hydrogen Sorption Center of Excellence (HSCoE) was formed in 2005 to develop materials for hydrogen storage systems to be used in light-duty vehicles. The HSCoE and two related centers of excellence were created as follow-on activities to the DOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy’s (EERE’s) Hydrogen Storage Grand Challenge Solicitation issued in FY 2003. The Hydrogen Sorption Center of Excellence (HSCoE) focuses on developing high-capacity sorbents with the goal to operate at temperatures and pressures approaching ambient and be efficiently and quickly charged in the tank with minimal energy requirements and penalties to the hydrogen fuel infrastructure. The work was directed at overcoming barriers to achieving DOE system goals and identifying pathways to meet the hydrogen storage system targets. To ensure that the development activities were performed as efficiently as possible, the HSCoE formed complementary, focused development clusters based on the following four sorption-based hydrogen storage mechanisms: 1. Physisorption on high specific surface area and nominally single element materials 2. Enhanced H2 binding in Substituted/heterogeneous materials 3. Strong and/or multiple H2 binding from coordinated but electronically unsatruated metal centers 4. Weak Chemisorption/Spillover. As a member of the team, our group at Duke studied the synthesis ofmore » various carbon-based materials, including carbon nanotubes and microporous carbon materials with controlled porosity. We worked closely with other team members to study the effect of pore size on the binding energy of hydrogen to the carbon –based materials. Our initial project focus was on the synthesis and purification of small diameter, single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) with well-controlled diameters for the study of their hydrogen storage properties as a function of diameters. We developed a chemical vapor deposition method that synthesized gram quantities of carbon nanotubes with average diameter size at less than 1 nm. However, initial tests performed at our collaborator’s lab at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) did not indicate improved hydrogen sorption properties for the smaller-diameter nanotubes (compared with other types of nanotubes). As work continued, the difficulties in purification, large-scale synthesis, and stability of small diameter SWNTs became a major concern. In 2008, the Department of Energy (DOE) made a no-go decision on future applied RD more than double that of AX-21.« less
Acute Pseudoaneurysms and Hemorrhage After Transcarotid Artery Revascularization.

A 60-year-old woman with lung adenocarcinoma and previous right carotid artery endarterectomy with patching presented with left hand paresis and left facial droop, then was confirmed to have a right middle cerebral artery (MCA) stroke at an outside institution on a brain MRI; no intervention was performed. MR angiogram showed high-grade restenosis of the right internal carotid artery (ICA) with increased T1 signal suggestive of intraplaque hemorrhage. No intracranial pseudoaneurysm were visualized. She was referred to our institution then eventually underwent transcarotid artery revascularization with balloon angioplasty and carotid artery stenting (CAS). The open transcarotid versus transfemoral approach was deemed as preferable by the surgeon so as to avoid the aortic arch and to allow for flow reversal with a distal cerebral protection device. During reversal of flow (by placing a clamp cross the common carotid artery) she was noted to be hypertensive (systolic blood pressure >200 mm Hg). Her blood pressure was titrated to 140-160 mmHg and the wire was advanced beyond the lesion. The patient was noted to not follow commands at this point. Given that the lesion was crossed and the carotid was clamped, angioplasty was quickly pursued and the stent was deployed. Completion cerebral angiogram showed no contrast extravasation, carotid dissection, stenosis, or any apparent abnormality (Figure 2A). She subsequently grew more alert but was still unable to follow commands, and additionally had left-sided weakness.
Whey protein preload enhances the active GLP-1 response and reduces circulating glucose in women with polycystic ovarian syndrome.

Abstract Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) increases risk for development of type 2 diabetes. Whey protein ingestion before a carbohydrate load attenuates blood glucose. For our exploratory, case-control study design, we hypothesized that 35 g whey protein isolate (WPI) preloading would increase postprandial incretins and reduce hyperglycemia in women with PCOS. Twenty-nine age-matched women (PCO = 14 and CON = 15) completed oral glycemic tolerance tests (OGTT) following baseline (Day 0) as well as 35 g WPI acute (Day 1) and short-term supplementation (Day 7). Eight venous samples were collected during each test for quantification of glucose, and enteropancreatic hormones and to calculate area under the curve (AUC). Data was analyzed via repeated measures ANCOVA with significance set at P
Adaptive Space: Shifting from Structural to Social Design

One of the biggest challenges facing organizations today is the need to be agile. To achieve this goal, leaders must seek a deeper understanding of the power of social interaction in furthering the flow of ideas, information, and insight. Michael Arena explains how building relational structures that foster 4D connections, discovery, development, diffusion, and disruption, can usher in the new, innovative ideas and concepts necessary to positively disrupt.
APSA Graduate Placement Report:Analysis of Political Science Placements for 2018-2020

The Graduate Placement Report details findings on political science placements for the 2018-2019 and 2019-2020 academic years, preceding and during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. More candidates, specifically candidates from top National Research Council (NRC)-ranked institutions found first placements in contingent academic positions, still indicating an alteration to the most desirable placement path, with a post-doc or research position immediately after receipt of a PhD. Having a PhD, and full funding are strong determinants of placement. Men and non-URMs continue to take full-time post-doc positions as their first placements. There were more URMs and women in tenure-track positions in 2019-2020 than in 2018-2019. There was an overall increase in the number of candidates who did not find placement during the 2019-2020 academic year, which can most likely be attributed to impacts of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, and a lower than usual response rate.
Information Exchange in Online Health Communities Discussing COVID-19

As the COVID-19 pandemic spread through the United States, many people were left with questions regarding this novel disease. When few reliable sources were available, many turned to social media for information. Individuals reached out to online health communities to learn more about many aspects of the condition like symptoms, treatments, prognosis, and management of the disease. This study examines the informational exchange between users in an online health community during the first three months of the lockdown in the United States. Using social network analysis, we aim to characterize the informational exchange between users in a number of topics. Due to COVID-19 being a novel health condition, we observe only informational exchanges between users. Information seeking topics identified in the data were public health practice and psychological impacts, symptoms, health risk, transmission, management, prognosis, prevention, and protocol. We form a graph for each type of information seeking exchange. We use different metrics extracted from each information seeking graph to characterize the interaction between the users. Using these metrics, we can provide insight on how each type of information seeking differs for users of COVID-19 related online health communities as well as how social media networks can better serve their users in times of health uncertainty.