cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Two-phase formulation of suspended sediment transport

Using a two-phase formulation, the vertical and horizontal momentum equations for sediment are used to obtain the concentration and velocity profiles of a dilute suspension of particles in a 2D uniform flow. Assuming the form of the vertical turbulent intensities and dilute concentrations of sediment, one can solve the equations analytically and compare them with experimental data. No empirical coefficients in the model are tuned to match individual experiments, for which the experimental data cover a large range of particle sizes and densities. The models are shown to accurately predict two experimentally observed but theoretically unexplained phenomena: the increased diffusive flux of large particles, and the measurable velocity lag of particles. The increased diffusion of large particles is shown to originate from the added diffusive nature of the sediment's Reynolds stresses. The horizontal velocity lag of particles is due to an induced velocity, termed the drift velocity, resulting from the correlati...
A Study of the Effects of Procedural Structure and Anonymity on Process Improvement Work Groups

AbstractThis article reports on a study investigating the effect of procedural structure on work group interaction and performance. Twelve existing work groups representing six different organizations performed a process improvement exercise. Study results indicate that procedural structure increased equality of participation of work group members by reducing the overall comment level within the groups. Work groups did not perceive any differences in work group processes; however, objective measures indicated a significant change in equality of participation. A model linking work process variables and work group performance was identified. Anonymity was an important factor in evaluating sensitive issues.
Raman-excited spin coherences in N-V diamond

Raman excited spin coherences were experimentally observed in nitrogen-vacancy (N-V) diamond color centers via nondegenerate four-wave mixing (NDFWM) and electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT). The maximal EIT-induced absorption suppression was found to be 17%, which corresponds to 70% of what is possible given the four possible geometric orientations of the N-V center in diamond. The properties of these coherences are discussed in the context of potential applications to solid-state quantum computing and high-temperature spectral hole burning memories.
Aggregated Indexing of Biomedical Time Series Data

Remote and wearable medical sensing has the potential to create very large and high dimensional datasets. Medical time series databases must be able to efficiently store, index, and mine these datasets to enable medical professionals to effectively analyze data collected from their patients. Conventional high dimensional indexing methods are a two stage process. First, a superset of the true matches is efficiently extracted from the database. Second, supersets are pruned by comparing each of their objects to the query object and rejecting any objects falling outside a predetermined radius. This pruning stage heavily dominates the computational complexity of most conventional search algorithms. Therefore, indexing algorithms can be significantly improved by reducing the amount of pruning. This paper presents an online algorithm to aggregate biomedical times series data to significantly reduce the search space (index size) without compromising the quality of search results. This algorithm is built on the observation that biomedical time series signals are composed of cyclical and often similar patterns. This algorithm takes in a stream of segments and groups them to highly concentrated collections. Locality Sensitive Hashing (LSH) is used to reduce the overall complexity of the algorithm, allowing it to run online. The output of this aggregation is used to populate an index. The proposed algorithm yields logarithmic growth of the index (with respect to the total number of objects) while keeping sensitivity and specificity simultaneously above 98%. Both memory and runtime complexities of time series search are improved when using aggregated indexes. In addition, data mining tasks, such as clustering, exhibit runtimes that are orders of magnitudes faster when run on aggregated indexes.
Synthesis and characterization of a polymeric fluorocarbon-diamine reversed phase weak anion exchange silica HPLC column packing

Polymeric fluorocarbon-diamine silica column packings were synthesized by first reacting a copolymer of chlorotrifluoroethylene and vinylidene fluoride (Kel-F 800) with piperazine and then reacting this product with aminopropyl silica. This mixed mode reversed phase-weak anion exchange HPLC column and a hydrocarbon (C-8) weak anion exchange silica HPLC column were compared for the separation of aromatic organic acids. Although the fluorocarbon column was generally less retentive than the hydrocarbon one, good resolution and fast analysis of simple mixtures was still possible. Nucleotides were retained longer on the fluorocarbon column. Good alkaline pH stability of the polymeric fluorocarbon-diamine silica column packing was exhibited.
COMMON VARIABLE IMMUNODEFICIENCY: CLINICAL AND IMMUNOLOGICAL FEATURES OF 248 PATIENTS

Common variable immunodeficiency (CVI) is a primary immunodeficiency disease characterized by reduced serum immunoglobulins and heterogeneous clinical features. In these studies we describe the clinical and immunological status of 248 consecutively referred CVI patients of age range 3-79 years who have been followed for a period of 1-25 years. The median age at the time of onset of symptoms was 23 years for males and 28 years for females; the mean age at which the diagnosis of CVI was made was 29 years for males and 33 years for females. Forty percent of patients had impaired T cell proliferation to one or more mitogens; lymphocyte transformation to mitogens was directly related to the level of the serum IgG. Females at all ages had higher levels of serum IgM than males. Survival 20 years after diagnosis of CVI was 64% for males and 67% for females, compared to the expected 92% population survival for males and 94% for females. Parameters associated with mortality in this period were lower levels of serum IgG, poorer T cell responses to phytohemagglutinin, and, particularly, a lower percentage of peripheral B cells (P < 0.006).
The high risk human papillomaviruses and oral cancer: evidence for and against a causal relationship.

Oncogenic human papillomaviruses (HPVs) have been detected in oral squamous cell carcinoma (SCC).HPV16 is the most frequently detected HPV type in oral SCC and is present in up to 22% of cases, either alone or in combination with other HPV typeS. HPV18 is present in up to 14% of caseS. HPV16 and HPV18 are present together in approximately 6% of caseS. However, HPV16 and 18 are also detected in normal oral mucosae (10% and 11% of subjects, respectively). These data suggest that high risk HPV infection may be a co-factor in oral carcinogenesis and that latent HPV infection of the oral mucosa is common. A role for HPV infection in oral car-cinogenesis is supported by the ability of high risk HPVs to immortalize oral keratinocytes in vitro. Immortalization may involve (i) deactivation of pre-formed tumor-suppressor proteins by viral oncoproteins, (ii) blocking of tumor-suppressor gene transcription as a result of HPV oncogene insertion or (iii) stimulation of cellular oncog-ene transcription by the upstream insertion of HPV-derived transcription activating sequenceS. Hence, infection of oral keratinocytes with high risk HPV may be involved in the pathogenesis of some oral SCCs although the evidence implicating HPV in oral carcinogenesis is, at present, mainly circumstantial.
A multidimensional surface problem: pressure on a wing

An aerodynamical problem is solved by the construction of surfaces in four-dimensional space which are displayed by means of color computer graphics.
First-Order, Second-Order, and Third-Order Change and Organization Development Interventions: A Cognitive Approach:

This article discusses how recent developments in the cognitive sciences, especialy the concept of schemata (organizing frameworks for understanding events), can illumine the practice of organization development. On the basis of a cognitive perspective, the authors discuss the relationship between organizational change and schemata, describing the following orders of change that might result from OD: first-order change, or incremental changes occurring within particular schemata already shared by members of a client system, second-order change, or modifications in the shared schemata themselves; and third-order change, or the development of the capacity of the client system to change the schemata as events require. To show how understanding the differences among orders of change can help clarify problems and solutions from an intervention, the authors discuss how a paternalism schema affected a particular quality of working life intervention. They conclude by suggesting implications of the cognitive persp...
TCR-Driven Transendothelial Migration of Human Effector Memory CD4 T Cells Involves Vav, Rac, and Myosin IIA

Human effector memory (EM) CD4 T cells may be recruited from the blood into a site of inflammation in response either to inflammatory chemokines displayed on or specific Ag presented by venular endothelial cells (ECs), designated as chemokine-driven or TCR-driven transendothelial migration (TEM), respectively. We have previously described differences in the morphological appearance of transmigrating T cells as well as in the molecules that mediate T cell–EC interactions distinguishing these two pathways. In this study, we report that TCR-driven TEM requires ZAP-70–dependent activation of a pathway involving Vav, Rac, and myosin IIA. Chemokine-driven TEM also uses ZAP-70, albeit in a quantitatively and spatially different manner of activation, and is independent of Vav, Rac, and mysosin IIA, depending instead on an as-yet unidentified GTP exchange factor that activates Cdc42. The differential use of small Rho family GTPases to activate the cytoskeleton is consistent with the morphological differences observed in T cells that undergo TEM in response to these distinct recruitment signals.
Association of Tropical Cirrus in the 10–15-km Layer with Deep Convective Sources: An Observational Study Combining Millimeter Radar Data and Satellite-Derived Trajectories

Abstract In this paper, millimeter cloud radar (MMCR) and Geosynchronous Meteorological Satellite (GMS) data are combined to study the properties of tropical cirrus that are common in the 10–15-km layer of the tropical troposphere in the western Pacific. Millimeter cloud radar observations collected by the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement program on the islands of Manus and Nauru in the western and central equatorial Pacific during a 12-month period spanning 1999 and 2000 show differences in cirrus properties: over Manus, where clouds above 7 km are observed 48% of the time, the cirrus are thicker and warmer on average and the radar reflectivity and Doppler velocity are larger; over Nauru clouds above 7 km are observed 23% of time. To explain the differences in cloud properties, the relationship between tropical cirrus and deep convection is examined by combining the radar observations with GMS satellite-derived back trajectories. Using a data record of 1 yr, it is found that 47% of the cirrus observed o...
PHYTOFLAGELLATES OF THE SALTON SEA: CRYPTOPHYCEAE

The species composition of phytoflagellates in the Salton Sea has recently been the subject of intense investigation as part of an analysis of the Salton Sea ecosystem. The Salton Sea, an inland sea occupying 980 km2 in southern California, has become a major stopping point for migratory birds along the Pacific Flyway. The increasing salinity of the sea, currently at 44 gm L−1, and its eutrophic condition (average depth is nine meters, with a high nutrient load contributed by agricultural drainage from the surrounding farmlands) have contributed to a stressed ecosystem. Massive fish kills and bird kills, including such endangered birds as the brown pelican, have become a recurring problem. Although previous investigations have noted the presence of at least two phytoflagellates implicated in fish mortality, little attention has been paid the to the identities of the smaller flagellates observed growing in the sea and their possible contribution to the fish and bird population mortality. Using freshly collected field samples as well as enrichment culture techniques, we report the occurrence of several genera of cryptomonads in the Salton Sea, including representatives from the genera Chroomonas, Hemiselmis, Leucocryptos, Plagioselmis, Storeatula and Teleaulax.
Flow cytometric assessment of the signaling status of human B lymphocytes from normal and autoimmune individuals

Abnormalities in lymphocyte signaling cascades are thought to play an important role in the development of autoimmune disease. However, the large amount of cellular material needed for standard biochemical assessment of signaling status has made it difficult to evaluate putative abnormalities completely using primary lymphocytes. The development of technology to employ intracellular staining and flow cytometry to assess the signaling status of individual cells has now made it possible to delineate the perturbations that are present in lymphocytes from patients with autoimmune disease. As an example, human B cells from the Ramos B cell line and the periphery of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients or normal nonautoimmune controls were assessed for activation of the NF-κB and mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling cascades by intracellular multiparameter flow cytometric analysis and biochemical Western blotting. In combination with fluorochrome conjugated antibodies specific for surface proteins that define B cell subsets, antibodies that recognize activated, or phosphorylated inhibitors of κB (IκB) as well as the extracellular regulated kinase (ERK), jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) or p38 MAPKs were used to stain fixed and permeabilized human B cells and analyze them flow cytometrically. Examination of the known signaling pathways following engagement of CD40 on human B cells confirmed that intracellular flow cytometry and Western blotting equivalently assay CD154-induced phosphorylation and degradation of IκB proteins as well as phosphorylation of the MAPKs ERK, JNK and p38. In addition, B cells from the periphery of SLE patients had a more activated status immediately ex vivo as assessed by intracellular flow cytometric analysis of phosphorylated ERK, JNK and p38 when compared with B cells from the periphery of normal, nonautoimmune individuals. Together, these results indicate that multiparameter intracellular flow cytometric analysis of signaling pathways, such as the NF-κB and MAPK cascades, can be used routinely to assess the activation status of a small number of cells and thus delineate abnormalities in signaling molecules expressed in primary lymphocytes from patients with autoimmune disease.
A framework for using reference ontologies as a foundation for the semantic web.

The semantic web is envisioned as an evolving set of local ontologies that are gradually linked together into a global knowledge network. Many such local “application” ontologies are being built, but it is difficult to link them together because of incompatibilities and lack of adherence to ontology standards. “Reference” ontologies are an emerging ontology type that attempt to represent deep knowledge of basic science in a principled way that allows them to be re-used in multiple ways, just as the basic sciences are re-used in clinical applications. As such they have the potential to be a foundation for the semantic web if methods can be developed for deriving application ontologies from them. We describe a computational framework for this purpose that is generalized from the database concept of “views”, and describe the research issues that must be solved to implement such a framework. We argue that the development of such a framework is becoming increasingly feasible due to a convergence of advances in several fields.
A compact 43-GHz monolithic differential VCO in 0.5-/spl mu/m InP DHBT technology

A compact monolithic integrated differential voltage controlled oscillator (VCO) using 0.5-/spl mu/m emitter width InP/InGaAs double-heterostructure bipolar transistors with a total chip size of 0.42 mm /spl times/ 0.46 mm is realized by using cross-coupled configuration for extremely high frequency satellite communications system applications. The device performance of F/sub max/ greater than 320 GHz at a current density of 5 mA//spl mu/m/sup 2/ and 5-V BVceo allows us to achieve a low phase noise 42.5-GHz fundamental VCO with -0.67-dBm output power. The VCO exhibits the phase noise of -106.8 dBc/Hz at 1-MHz offset and -122.3 dBc/Hz at 10-MHz offset from the carrier frequency.
Maintenance of HL-1 cardiomyocyte functional activity in PEGylated fibrin gels

Successful cellular cardiomyoplasty is dependent on biocompatible materials that can retain the cells in the myocardium in order to promote host tissue repair following myocardial infarction. A variety of methods have been explored for incorporating a cell-seeded matrix into the heart, the most popular options being direct application of an injectable system or surgical implantation of a patch. Fibrin-based gels are suitable for either of these approaches, as they are biocompatible and have mechanical properties that can be tailored by adjusting the initial fibrinogen concentration. We have previously demonstrated that conjugating amine-reactive homo-bifunctional polyethylene glycol (PEG) to the fibrinogen prior to crosslinking with thrombin can increase stability both in vivo and in vitro. Similarly, when mesenchymal stem cells are combined with PEGylated fibrin and injected into the myocardium, cell retention can be significantly increased and scar tissue reduced following myocardial infarction. We hypothesized that this gel system could similarly promote cardiomyocyte viability and function in vitro, and that optimizing the mechanical properties of the hydrogel would enhance contractility. In this study, we cultured HL-1 cardiomyocytes either on top of plated PEGylated fibrin (2D) or embedded in 3D gels and evaluated cardiomyocyte function by assessing the expression of cardiomyocyte specific markers, sarcomeric α-actin, and connexin 43, as well as contractile activity. We observed that the culture method can drastically affect the functional phenotype of HL-1 cardiomyocytes, and we present data suggesting the potential use of PEGylated fibrin gel layers to prepare a sheet-like construct for myocardial regeneration. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2015;112: 1446–1456. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
A high-efficiency in-plane splitting coupler for planar photonic Crystal self-collimation devices

In this letter, we present the design, fabrication, and characterization of a high-efficiency in-plane splitting coupler for planar photonic crystal self-collimation devices. This splitting coupler consists of multiple concatenated in-plane reflective lenses and is capable of efficiently splitting and coupling a wide input beam into multiple narrow self-collimated beams. As an example, a one-to-two splitting coupler is simulated using the two-dimensional finite-difference time-domain method with an effective index used to account for the third dimension. The simulation shows a total coupling efficiency of 86% and a splitting ratio of two channels is 0.51 to 0.49. This device is also experimentally validated and the measured splitting ratio is 0.57 to 0.43.
Energy-driven integrated hardware-software optimizations using SimplePower

With the emergence of a plethora of embedded and portable applications, energy dissipation has joined throughput, area, and accuracy/precision as a major design constraint. Thus, designers must be concerned with both optimizing and estimating the energy consumption of circuits, architectures, and software. Most of the research in energy optimization and/or estimation has focused on single components of the system and has not looked across the interacting spectrum of the hardware and software. The novelty of our new energy estimation framework, SimplePower, is that it evaluates the energy considering the system as a whole rather than just as a sum of parts, and that it concurrently supports both compiler and architectural experimentation.We present the design and use of the SimplePower framework that includes a transition-sensitive, cycle-accurate datapath energy model that interfaces with analytical and transition sensitive energy models for the memory and bus subsystems, respectively. We analyzed the energy consumption of ten codes from the multidimensional array domain, a domain that is important for embedded video and signal processing systems, after applying different compiler and architectural optimizations. Our experiments demonstrate that early estimates from the SimplePower energy estimation framework can help identify the system energy hotspots and enable architects and compiler designers to focus their efforts on these areas.
Graded ATP depletion can cause necrosis or apoptosis of cultured mouse proximal tubular cells

The mechanisms of cell death induced by ATP depletion were studied in primary cultures of mouse proximal tubular (MPT) cells. Graded ATP depletion, ranging in severity from ∼2 to 70% of control lev...
Declarative expression of deductive database updates

An update can be specified as a single database state transition, or as a sequence of queries and database state transitions. We give an extension of Datalog for expressing both types of update specifications on a logic database. The extension supports the simple and intuitive expression of basic update operations, hypothetical reasoning and update procedures. The extension possesses a possible-world semantics, and a sound and complete proof theory. Soundness and completeness is proved by showing that an update procedure can be mapped into a semantically equivalent Pure Prolog program. This means that the semantic and proof-theoretic results of Pure Prolog can be mapped into similar results for the Datalog extension.
Efficacy and Safety of Long-Acting Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 Receptor Agonists Compared with Exenatide Twice Daily and Sitagliptin in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Background:Long-acting glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (LA-GLP-1RAs) may deliver additional therapeutic benefits over other available incretin-based therapies.Objective:To pool results of randomized controlled trials comparing the efficacy and safely of maximum dose LA-GLP-1RAs (liraglutide, exenatide once weekly) with exenatide twice daily and dipeptidyl-peptidase-IV inhibitors in patients with type 2 diabetes.Methods:We searched PubMed, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials and Database of Systematic Reviews, EMBASE (all from inception-December 2010), and abstracts presented at the American Diabetes Association Scientific Sessions in 2009 and 2010 to identify English-language reports of studies of at least 24 weeks' duration. The primary endpoint was mean change in hemoglobin A1c (A1C) from baseline to study endpoint. Weighted mean differences or odds ratios and their 95% confidence intervals for each outcome relative to control were calculated as appropriate.Results:A1C was reduced f...
Women's perceptions and management of a pregnancy complicated by chronic illness.

This exploratory longitudinal study addresses how a group of chronically ill pregnant women managed the medical risk factors associated with their pregnancies through a process termed protective governing. Protective governing was carried out through the strategies of assessing, balancing, and controlling. The respondents were 20 women with chronic illnesses of varying types. Data were gathered by means of four in‐depth interviews, two prior to delivery and two during the postpartum period, and by observations during prenatal visits, in the hospital, and at home. The data were analyzed using the grounded theory method.
Airline hubs in Southeast Asia: national economic development and nodal accessibility

Abstract For developing countries, integration into the international airline industry is an important prerequisite to access global flows of money, goods, people, and information. This research examines how patterns of international air transport accessibility changed in Southeast Asia over the period 1979–1997. Particular attention is given to the competition between the major hubs of the region. The paper argues that national governments have used a variety of tools, including airline industry liberalization and airport development, to shape the development of air transport networks. The results of these strategies are assessed using network analysis.
“I Know Your Pain” Proximal and Distal Predictors of Pain Detection Accuracy

The aim of this research was to examine predictors of pain detection accuracy. In Study 1 (n = 160, undergraduates), the predictors were distal factors (empathy, emotion recognition, family history, and past experiences with pain), and in Study 2 (n = 104, undergraduates), the predictor was a proximal factor (an experimentally induced experience of pain). Results showed that having past and an immediate experience with pain as well as being more empathic were associated with higher pain detection accuracy scores. Men were more accurate at detecting pain than women in both studies. Our findings contribute to a growing literature on pain detection and empathy.
Modulation of glycophorin A transmembrane helix interactions by lipid bilayers: molecular dynamics calculations.

Abstract Starting from the glycophorin A dimer structure determined by NMR, we performed simulations of both dimer and monomer forms in explicit lipid bilayers with constant normal pressure, lateral area, and temperature using the CHARMM potential. Analysis of the trajectories in four different lipids reveals how lipid chain length and saturation modulate the structural and energetic properties of transmembrane helices. Helix tilt, helix-helix crossing angle, and helix accessible volume depend on lipid type in a manner consistent with hydrophobic matching concepts: the most relevant lipid property appears to be the bilayer thickness. Although the net helix-helix interaction enthalpy is strongly attractive, analysis of residue-residue interactions reveals significant unfavorable electrostatic repulsion between interfacial glycine residues previously shown to be critical for dimerization. Peptide volume is nearly conserved upon dimerization in all lipid types, indicating that the monomeric helices pack equally well with lipid as dimer helices do with one another. Enthalpy calculations indicate that the helix-environment interaction energy is lower in the dimer than in the monomer form, when solvated by unsaturated lipids. In all lipid environments there is a marked preference for lipids to interact with peptide predominantly through one rather than both acyl chains. Although our trajectories are not long enough to allow a full thermodynamic treatment, these results demonstrate that molecular dynamics simulations are a powerful method for investigating the protein-protein, protein-lipid, and lipid-lipid interactions that determine the structure, stability and dynamics of transmembrane α-helices in membranes.
Monazite–Xenotime–Garnet Equilibrium in Metapelites and a New Monazite–Garnet Thermometer

Prograde suites of pelitic rocks were examined with electron microprobe INTRODUCTION and laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry to Monazite [(Ce,La,Th)PO4] plays an important role in determine the systematics of element partitioning between coexisting studies of igneous and metamorphic petrogenesis. Foremonazite, xenotime, and garnet. Monazite grains that grew in most, monazite is used to date specific events in a equilibrium with xenotime are enriched in Y and Dy compared with petrogenetic sequence (e.g. Parrish, 1990; Harrison et al., monazite that grew in xenotime-absent assemblages. Y and heavy 1997; Hawkins & Bowring, 1999; Foster et al., 2000). rare earth element contents of monazite coexisting with xenotime Monazite may contain a large percentage of the sample increase with rising temperature. Monazite–xenotime Y–Gd and rare earth element (REE) budget and, thus, exert an Y–Dy partitioning is systematic within a metamorphic grade, and important influence on the evolution of melt composition increases slightly with increasing metamorphic grade, suggesting (Wark & Miller, 1993; Bea, 1996). The thermobarometric that monazite–xenotime pairs approached partitioning equilibrium. potential of monazite (coexisting with xenotime) has been Garnet and monazite in both xenotime-bearing and xenotime-absent recognized, leading to calibration of monazite geoassemblages show a strong ( R = 0·94) systematic relationship thermometers (Gratz & Heinrich, 1997, 1998; Heinrich between inverse temperature and ln( KEq ) for the net-transfer equiet al., 1997; Andrehs & Heinrich, 1998). In addition, the librium YAG+OH-Ap+ (25/4)Qtz= (5/4)Grs+ (5/4)An recognition that nearly all lead in monazite is radiogenic + 3YPO4-Mnz + 1/2H2O, suggesting that garnet and monazite (Parrish, 1990; Montel et al., 1994) has led to development crystallized in compositional equilibrium. The following temand application of electron microprobe monazite dating perature–KEq relationship for the equilibrium above has been derived: techniques (Suzuki & Adachi, 1991; Montel et al., 1996; Williams et al., 1999). T(°C)= −1·45P(bars)+447772(±32052) 567(±40)−Rln( KEq ) −273·15 Full realization of monazite as a thermochronometer requires detailed understanding of the specific reactions responsible for its formation. Previous studies of monazite with a precision of some ±30°C for temperature estimates. Our petrogenesis have focused on monazite compositional observations suggest that major and accessory phases interact in a zonation (Zhu & O’Nions, 1999a, 1999b), monazite coupled fashion during metamorphism, and also approach a state growth kinetics (Ayers et al., 1999), behavior of monazite of compositional equilibrium as reactions proceed. during hydrothermal alteration (Poitrasson et al., 1996; Crowley & Ghent, 1999) and melting events (Watt, 1995), or, to a limited extent, the influence of major-phase mineral assemblage in monazite reactivity (Zhu &
Mechanistic Studies of Tryptophan Hydroxylase

As the catalyst for the initial step in the conversion of the amino acid tryptophan to the neurotransmitter serotonin, the enzyme tryptophan hydroxylase (TrpH) is clearly of physiological and biochemical import. Despite this, the enzyme has seen much less mechanistic study than the other two pterin-dependent amino acid hydroxylases, phenylalanine hydroxylase and tyrosine hydroxylase (1). A major limitation to study of TrpH has been the inability to obtain sufficient amounts of highly active and pure enzyme. We have been able to overcome this limitation by using a recombinant enzyme containing only the catalytic domain of rabbit TrpH, amino acid residues 102–416 (2). We report here recent results using this protein to study the catalytic mechanism of the enzyme.
Paradoxical change in atrial fibrillation dominant frequencies with baroreflex-mediated parasympathetic stimulation with phenylephrine infusion.

Baroreflex Response and AF Dominant Frequency. Introduction: Parasympathetic stimulation is known to promote atrial fibrillation (AF) through shortening of atrial refractory periods. We hypothesized that baroreflex-mediated parasympathetic stimulation via phenylephrine (PE) infusion would increase AF rate as measured by dominant frequency (DF). Methods and Results: The protocol was performed in 27 patients (24 M, 59 ± 1 years old) prior to AF ablation. For 10 patients in AF, PE was infused until systolic blood pressure increased ≥30 mmHg. Electrograms were recorded in the left atrium before and after PE. DFs of each recording were calculated offline. Atrial effective refractory periods (ERPs) were measured before and after PE in 11 patients who were in sinus rhythm during the procedure. DFs were also measured in 6 patients in AF before and after complete parasympathetic blockade with atropine (0.04 mg/kg). PE resulted in increased RR intervals during sinus rhythm (1,170 ± 77 to 1,282 ± 85 ms, P = 0.03) and AF (743 ± 32 to 826 ± 30 ms, P = 0.03), consistent with parasympathetic effect on the sinus and AV nodes, respectively. DFs were decreased by PE in the left atrium (6.2 ± 0.2 to 6.0 ± 0.2 Hz, P = 0.004). Correspondingly, atrial ERPs significantly increased from 218 ± 13 to 232 ± 11 ms (P = 0.04). Atropine resulted in a decreasing trend in DF in the left atrium (5.9 ± 0.1 to 5.8 ± 0.1 Hz, P = 0.07). Conclusions: Despite baroreflex-mediated parasympathetic effect, PE produced a slowing of AF along with lengthening of ERP, while parasympathetic blockade also slowed DF. It is therefore likely that the direct and indirect adrenergic effects of PE on atrial electrophysiology are more prominent than its parasympathetic effects. (J Cardiovasc Electrophysiol, Vol. 23 pp. 1045-1050, October 2012)
Application of the quark-confining string to the ψ spectroscopy

We report the results of the nonrelativistic application of the quark-confining string model to the study of $\ensuremath{\psi}$ spectroscopy. This string model is defined by a relativistic-invariant, gauge-invariant, and reparametrization-invariant action describing quarks interacting with color SU(3) gauge fields. The model has no gluonic degrees of freedom, but has instead string degrees of freedom. Quark masses and the quark-gluon coupling constant are the only parameters of the model. In the Schr\"odinger limit and in the absence of light quarks, the longitudinal modes of the quark-antiquark pair and the rotational modes of the string for a meson reduce to the charmonium model with a linear potential. String vibrations, which are absent in the charmonium model, provide additional levels. They start coming in at around 4.0 GeV; the density of states increases as an exponential function of the mass. The two lowest vibrational levels in the ${e}^{+}{e}^{\ensuremath{-}}$ channel have energies at 4.0 GeV and 4.4 GeV. Relativistic corrections are estimated to be small for the low-lying states so that the Schr\"odinger approximation is justified. We consider this application to $\ensuremath{\psi}$ spectroscopy as a test of the model.
Alternative Calibration Strategies for the Clinical Laboratory: Application to Nortriptyline Therapeutic Drug Monitoring

BACKGROUND: The addition of a calibration curve with every run is both time-consuming and expensive for clinical mass spectrometry assays. We present alternative calibration strategies that eliminate the need for a calibration curve except as required by laboratory regulations. METHODS: Wemeasuredserumnortriptylineconcentrations prospectively in 68 patients on 16 days over a 2-month period using a method employing calibration schemes that relied on the measurement of the response ratio (RR) corrected by the response factor (RF), i.e., a measurement of the RR for an equimolar mixture of the analyte and internal standard. Measurements were taken with contemporaneousRF(cRF)measurementsaswellassporadicRF (sRF) measurements. The measurements with these alternative calibration schemes were compared against the clinical results obtained by interpolation on a calibration curve, and those differences were evaluated for analytical and clinical significance. RESULTS: The differences between the values measured by cRF and sRF calibration and interpolation on a calibration curve were not significant (P 0.088 and P 0.091, respectively). Both the cRFand sRF-based calibration results demonstrated a low mean bias against the calibration curve interpolations of 3.69% (95% CI, 15.8% to 23.2%) and 3.11% (95% CI, 16.4% to 22.6%), respectively. When these results were classified as subtherapeutic, therapeutic, or supratherapeutic, there was categorical agreement in 95.6% of the cRF calibration results and 94.1% of the sRF results.
Do Options Price Predictable Patterns in Future Stock Returns? Evidence from Accounting Anomalies

We examine whether option prices correct for predictable bias in stock prices associated with accounting anomalies. Evidence from put-call parity violations suggests that they do not. Rather, option prices accurately track contemporaneous stock prices. Further analysis suggests that high costs of trading options — implied volatility premiums and transaction costs — could prevent traders from exploiting these profit opportunities. However, we find some evidence of unexploited profit opportunities of significant magnitudes, even after transaction costs, for trading strategies that sell options. Our results suggest that option prices mechanically incorporate contemporaneous stock prices, and therefore reflect the exact forms of mispricing present in stock prices.
NE STEM 4U: An Out-of-School Time Academic Program to Improve Achievement of Socioeconomically Disadvantaged Youth in STEM Areas.

The Nebraska Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics 4U (NE STEM 4U) program was initiated at the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) in 2013. NE STEM 4U is a student-run, faculty-led program facilitating problem-based learning (PBL) sessions in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) for socioeconomically disadvantaged kindergarten through grade 8 (K-8) students. PBL sessions are provided throughout the academic year in a twice-weekly, after-school, informal education program. The instructional material provided after school builds upon the curricula of the school day. Importantly, this program is a partnership between faculty members and administrators in higher education at UNO with community partners of Omaha including Collective for Youth, Beyond School Bells, and Omaha Public Schools. We focus on engaging K-8 youth in after-school immersion experiences in STEM fields using undergraduate students as mentors and facilitators using a model of problem-based learning. This program fosters an educational pipeline for students with hands-on experience in problem-solving and critical thinking. The partnerships among the community provide the foundation for success for students across the K-16 pipeline. Herein, we describe the model of this program as documented by demonstrated successes to date in an effort to guide others in developing such a model in their city or region. We also provide models for implementation of assessment instruments.
MAGNETIC PERCOLATION IN NEW CRYSTALLINE FCC Fe-Cu ALLOYS

Magnetic percolation has rarely been realized in Fe-based binary alloys either because Fe does not retain its moment in the dilute limit or because the solubility is too low. By using a vapor quenching method, which in our case is highrate sputtering, we have succeeded in making new metastable crystalline alloys of fcc Fe.Cu,_ which do not appear in the equilibrium phase diagram. These alloys spanning the percolation threshold allow magnetic percolation phenomena on an fcc lattice to be observed by SQUID magnetometry and M6ssbauer spectroscopy. Above x,, the magnetic ordering temperature varies as (x-xc)' with x, - 0.185 and -v---0.63. Below x,, spin glass ordering has been observed.
Typhlodromus and Amblyseius (Acarina: Phytoseiidae) as Predators on Orchard Mites

Laboratory studies to determine host-mite preferences were conducted on the predaceous mites Typhlodromus longipilus Nesbitt, T. occidentalis Nesbitt, T. rhenanus (Oudemans), Amblyseius cucumeris (Oudemans), and A. fallacis (Garman), all of which were found commonly in the vicinity of Yakima, Washington. Though mites of other genera could be utilized to some extent, various species of Tetranychidae (especially Tetranychus medanieli McGregor) proved the most suitable hosts for Typhlodromus longipilus and for both species of Amblyseius. A. cucumeris was the only one of these predators that could develop satisfactorily on the European red mite, Panonychus ulmi (Koch), and on the tree form of the clover mite, Bryobia rubrioculus (Scheuten). A. cucumeris was not tested with the apple rust mite, Aculus schlectendali (Nalepa), but this proved an excellent and readily accepted host for the other 4 predators. Indeed, T. rhenanus could not be reared on any host other than A. schlectendali, and T. occidentalis showed strong symptoms of inadequte diet in its absence, though able at least to maintain itself on other hosts. Other rust mites were not available for trial.
Nonequilibrium and Rarefaction Effects in Hypersonic Multicomponent Viscous Shock Layers

Planetary exploration programs [1] stimulate new studies in hypersonic aerothermodynamics. The design of hypersonic vehicles has brought renewed interests in the heat protecting methods [2], [3], [4].
Human iPSC-Derived Immature Astroglia Promote Oligodendrogenesis by Increasing TIMP-1 Secretion

Astrocytes, once considered passive support cells, are increasingly appreciated as dynamic regulators of neuronal development and function, in part via secreted factors. The extent to which they similarly regulate oligodendrocytes or proliferation and differentiation of oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPCs) is less understood. Here, we generated astrocytes from human pluripotent stem cells (hiPSC-Astros) and demonstrated that immature astrocytes, as opposed to mature ones, promote oligodendrogenesis in vitro. In the PVL mouse model of neonatal hypoxic/ischemic encephalopathy, associated with cerebral palsy in humans, transplanted immature hiPSC-Astros promoted myelinogenesis and behavioral outcome. We further identified TIMP-1 as a selectively upregulated component secreted from immature hiPSC-Astros. Accordingly, in the rat PVL model, intranasal administration of conditioned medium from immature hiPSC-Astros promoted oligodendrocyte maturation in a TIMP-1-dependent manner. Our findings suggest stage-specific developmental interactions between astroglia and oligodendroglia and have important therapeutic implications for promoting myelinogenesis.
Mechanisms of filtration of morphologically abnormal human sperm by cervical mucus

It is well known that cervical mucus restricts penetration of morphologically abnormal human sperm, both in vitro and in vivo. However, the mechanisms of such restriction are not well understood. Using videomicrography to simultaneously analyze the motions and morphology of individual human sperm, we analyzed differential penetration of normal and abnormal sperm into fresh human cervical mucus. Abnormal sperm swam slower in mucus than the normal sperm, but their flagellar beat parameters were not commensurately different. Multivariate statistical analysis of the relationship between individual sperm velocity and flagellar beat parameters indicated that the heads of the abnormal sperm experienced greater resistance from the mucus than did normal heads. Differential mucus resistance, more than altered motile vigor, appears to be responsible for the restriction of abnormal sperm during migration through mucus.
Does Executive Compensation Work? Evidence from Shareholder Value Creation Over CEO Tenure

The empirical research examining the association between CEO pay and various ac-counting, stock, and economic outcomes has not produced a consistent set of results. I be-lieve that these mixed results are partially attributable to the mismatch of time horizons, in which researchers measure CEO pay and firm performance. This study examines the associa-tion of CEO pay (level and pay-performance sensitivity) with shareholder value creation over CEO tenure, and thus matches CEO pay with shareholder interests in a better way than prior studies. Using a sample of CEOs whose tenure began in or after 1992 and ended in or before 2006, I find the ratio of total CEO pay to total shareholder value added to be 2-3%. I also find that CEOs with higher total pay level, on average, created more value for shareholders. Further, higher median pay-for-performance sensitivity over CEO tenure is associated with higher abnormal stock returns cumulated over CEO tenure and higher CEO pay efficiency. The results hold after I control for the effects of corporate size, book-to-market ratio, risk and corporate governance.Keywords: Executive compensation, pay-for-performance, corporate governance, value based management.
Conservative and Pragmatist Historical Inquiry

In this chapter, three conceptions of historical inquiry represent middle ways between the poles of positivism and postmodernism: John Dewey’s, Michael Oakeshott’s, and Hans-Georg Gadamer’s. Their philosophies of history are pragmatist in that they refuse to efface the subjectivity of the historian in terms of one’s purposes, guiding interests, and conceptual schemes. They are conservative because they refuse to let the subjectivity of the historian become the whole of history. They till and harvest the soil of history in the admission that the field of potential data is greater than the engines of their conceptual combines. Much as the blades of the combine’s thrasher jam when they encounter a stubborn rock in the soil, the historian’s ability to spin a tale may be resisted by the text she interprets, according to the theories of Dewey, Oakeshott, and Gadamer. Thus, there is always a limit to the narratives they tell and always denotative reference points, offered by texts, surviving artifacts, and other honest historians’ inquiries, to restrict their excesses.1
Genomics, Ethics, and Compliance

Genomics offers unprecedented opportunity to personalize medical care. Pharmacogenomics may help identify the best treatments for patients. These advances raise new ethical issues to consider. These issues also interface with the critically important issue of patient adherence and compliance to treatment. This chapter begins with a review of the history of ethics and especially its relationship to research in medicine, and this is followed by a discussion of genomics and the ethical issues it elucidates, as well as compliance in medicine and the associated ethical implications. The chapter is concluded with a commentary regarding this rather contemporary movement of pharmacogenomics, which embodies both ethics and compliance and is pertinent to the field of dermatology.
Metabolic reprogramming by folate restriction leads to a less aggressive cancer phenotype

Folate coenzymes are involved in biochemical reactions of one-carbon transfer, and deficiency of this vitamin impairs cellular proliferation, migration and survival in many cell types. Here the effect of folate restriction on mammary cancer was evaluated using three distinct breast cancer subtypes differing in their aggressiveness and metastatic potential: non-invasive basal-like (E-Wnt), invasive but minimally metastatic claudin-low (M-Wnt), and highly metastatic claudin-low (metM-Wntliver) cell lines, each derived from the same pool of MMTV-Wnt-1 transgenic mouse mammary tumors. NMR-based metabolomics was used to quantitate 41 major metabolites in cells grown in folate-free medium versus standard medium. Each cell line demonstrated metabolic reprogramming when grown in folate-free medium. In E-Wnt, M-Wnt and metM-Wntliver cells 12, 29, and 25 metabolites, respectively, were significantly different (p<0.05 and at least 1.5-fold change). The levels of eight metabolites (aspartate, ATP, creatine, creatine phosphate, formate, serine, taurine and beta-alanine) were changed in each folate-restricted cell line. Increased glucose, decreased lactate, and inhibition of glycolysis, cellular proliferation, migration and invasion occurred in M-Wnt and metM-Wntliver cells (but not E-Wnt cells) grown in folate-free versus standard medium. These effects were accompanied by altered levels of several folate-metabolizing enzymes, indicating that the observed metabolic reprogramming may result from both decreased folate availability and altered folate metabolism. These findings reveal that folate restriction results in metabolic and bioenergetic changes and a less aggressive cancer cell phenotype. Implications: Metabolic reprogramming driven by folate restriction represents a therapeutic target for reducing the burden of breast cancer.