cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Development of a 3D bone marrow adipose tissue model

Abstract Over the past twenty years, evidence has accumulated that biochemically and spatially defined networks of extracellular matrix, cellular components, and interactions dictate cellular differentiation, proliferation, and function in a variety of tissue and diseases. Modeling in vivo systems in vitro has been undeniably necessary, but when simplified 2D conditions rather than 3D in vitro models are used, the reliability and usefulness of the data derived from these models decreases. Thus, there is a pressing need to develop and validate reliable in vitro models to reproduce specific tissue-like structures and mimic functions and responses of cells in a more realistic manner for both drug screening/disease modeling and tissue regeneration applications. In adipose biology and cancer research, these models serve as physiologically relevant 3D platforms to bridge the divide between 2D cultures and in vivo models, bringing about more reliable and translationally useful data to accelerate benchtop to bedside research. Currently, no model has been developed for bone marrow adipose tissue (BMAT), a novel adipose depot that has previously been overlooked as “filler tissue” but has more recently been recognized as endocrine-signaling and systemically relevant. Herein we describe the development of the first 3D, BMAT model derived from either human or mouse bone marrow (BM) mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs). We found that BMAT models can be stably cultured for at least 3 months in vitro, and that myeloma cells (5TGM1, OPM2 and MM1S cells) can be cultured on these for at least 2 weeks. Upon tumor cell co-culture, delipidation occurred in BMAT adipocytes, suggesting a bidirectional relationship between these two important cell types in the malignant BM niche. Overall, our studies suggest that 3D BMAT represents a “healthier,” more realistic tissue model that may be useful for elucidating the effects of MAT on tumor cells, and tumor cells on MAT, to identify novel therapeutic targets. In addition, proteomic characterization as well as microarray data (expression of >22,000 genes) coupled with KEGG pathway analysis and gene set expression analysis (GSEA) supported our development of less-inflammatory 3D BMAT compared to 2D culture. In sum, we developed the first 3D, tissue-engineered bone marrow adipose tissue model, which is a versatile, novel model that can be used to study numerous diseases and biological processes involved with the bone marrow.
Regulation of HGF and HGFR gene expression

Hepatocyte growth factor and its receptor (the product of the c-met protooncogene) are believed to be necessary for the normal growth and development of many tissues and organs. This ligand/receptor system controls essential cellular responses such as cell proliferation and motility as well as morphogenesis and differentiation. HGF mRNA is expressed primarily in mesenchymal but not in epithelial cells while its receptor is predominately expressed in epithelial cells. This pattern of HGF and HGFR gene expression in combination with the unique biological effects of HGF on its target cells has led to the postulate that HGF is one of the long-sought mediators conveying cross-talk between the epithelial and stromal compartments of a given tissue. The expression of HGF and HGFR genes are unregulated in several types of human cancer; therefore, understanding the control mechanisms governing HGF and HGFR gene expression is of great clinical interest. Toward this goal, we have analyzed the effects of various physiological agents such as cytokines and hormones on the expression of HGF and the HGFR in a multitude of cell types in vitro. Moreover, we have cloned and analyzed the HGF promoter and its 5′-flanking region to uncover the basis for its inducible and cell-type specific expression at the transcriptional level. Our results indicate that HGF and HGFR gene expression is inducible and their expression is orchestrated in stromal and epithelial cells, respectively, by extracellular signals derived from steroid hormones as well as cytokines such as IL-1, IL-6, and TNFα.
BLEVE Energy and Aerosol Formation: An Exergy Analysis

The hazards from a boiling liquid expanding vapor explosion (BLEVE) include the formation of a blast wave and the projection of missiles. To understand the maximum work that can be obtained from a BLEVE, the authors have investigated in previous publications certain aspects of BLEVE behavior using exergy analysis. One of the key limitations in relating exergy calculations to more realistic behavior is the lack of knowledge of how the exergy of the explosion is partitioned into various types of work that occur in the BLEVE process. Some of these work terms include the formation and propagation of a shock wave, the strain work of vessel deformation and rupture into missiles, the initial kinetic energy of the missiles, and the surface work of aerosol droplet formation. In this paper we explore one of these work terms, the surface work performed in transforming the bulk liquid into aerosol droplets. The advantage of using exergy analysis to evaluate the maximum work of an explosion is that exergy is a state variable: its value depends only on the initial conditions of the high pressure fluid and the specification of the dead state. The methodology is illustrated for several pure component fluids.Copyright © 2014 by ASME
Carbonium Ions: Structural and Energetic Investigations

Of the many inroads made by ab initio molecular orbital theory in recent years, perhaps the most impressive have been efforts directed at questions of structure and stability of reactive chemical intermediates. Such species are generally too short-lived to be amenable to direct spectroscopic observation and characterization. Hence, even the most rudimentary knowledge about them— information that might normally be taken for granted—must be gained from theory and not by experimental probes. For example, a half-century of chemical intuition, resting primarily upon experiment, leads us to suggest a tetrahedral geometry for methane, but this chemical intuition has little to offer regarding possible structures which the molecule might adopt after being protonated. That is to say, there is no precedent in our accumulated experience for such a species, nor do we have the tools ready in our experimental arsenal to explore the issue.
Adolescent depression and the use of services and psychotropic medications in relation to family structure and race/ethnicity

Abstract The study examines how family structure and race/ethnicity are jointly associated with the discrepancy of adolescent past-year Major Depressive Episode (MDE) rates and the use of mental health services and psychotropic medications. Results through analyzing data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (2009–2016, N = 131,777) show that past-year MDE rates were low for adolescents in two-parent families (9.68%) relative to those in one-parent (11.09%) and non-parent families (12.26%, p
Controlling deformations of gel-based composites by electromagnetic signals within the GHz frequency range

Using theoretical and computational modeling, we focus on dynamics of gels filled with uniformly dispersed ferromagnetic nanoparticles subjected to electromagnetic (EM) irradiation within the GHz frequency range. As a polymer matrix, we choose poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) gel, which has a low critical solution temperature and shrinks upon heating. When these composites are irradiated with a frequency close to the Ferro-Magnetic Resonance (FMR) frequency, the heating rate increases dramatically. The energy dissipation of EM signals within the magnetic nanoparticles results in the heating of the gel matrix. We show that the EM signal causes volume phase transitions, leading to large deformations of the sample for a range of system parameters. We propose a model that accounts for the dynamic coupling between the elastodynamics of the polymer gel and the FMR heating of magnetic nanoparticles. This coupling is nonlinear: when the system is heated, the gel shrinks during the volume phase transition, and the particle concentration increases, which in turn results in an increase of the heating rates as long as the concentration of nanoparticles does not exceed a critical value. We show that the system exhibits high selectivity to the frequency of the incident EM signal and can result in a large mechanical feedback in response to a small change in the applied signal. These results suggest the design of a new class of soft active gel-based materials remotely controlled by low power EM signals within the GHz frequency range.
Taking an Unconventional Route

The path to my current position as professor of chemistry at a large public university could be considered to be a conventional one. I became interested in biological and chemical research as an undergraduate college student. I pursued that interest in graduate school and received my Ph.D. in chemistry. I was a postdoctoral fellow in two laboratories prior to landing my current job. Along the way I got married and had two children. When I embarked on my career 24 years ago, it was less common for women to major in chemistry and very few moved into an academic position. This was especially true for women with children. When I look at my current working life and my path to it, I feel very fortunate to have landed in such a challenging and interesting job. There is nothing more rewarding than having a family and there is nothing more enthralling than doing research.
Pulmonary Artery Embolism

This chapter mainly deals with images of different types of pulmonary emboli. Acute emboli from various sources and a few rare chronic thrombotic pulmonary emboli are shown with its effect on the pulmonary vasculature, lung parenchyma and the heart.
Anesthesia and Influence on Hospitalization Time

The type of anesthesia is only one of several determinants of length of stay (LOS) in hospitals. The role of anesthesia on LOS may be in its predisposition to or avoidance of postoperative complications such as pulmonary or cardiac dysfunction. If one presumes pulmonary complications are those most directly related to anesthetic techniques, then efforts to reduce these problems must be aimed at treatment of postoperative pain and avoidance of respiratory depression. These are the two major contributors to pulmonary dysfunction, along with failure to ambulate. Three studies addressed the role of 1) general anesthetics, 2) general anesthetics vs. intercostal block, and 3) intercostal block vs. narcotics in altering arterial blood gases intra- and postoperatively. Blood gas measurements were used as a crude guide to altered pulmonary function. Although little difference was noted in the operative anesthetic studies, there were significant findings in the third study comparing intercostal block vs. narcotics for postoperative analgesia. Forty-two patients divided into four groups were followed to discharge. Those patients who received only intercostal blocks ambulated earlier and were discharged from the hospital earlier than those patients receiving only narcotics. The future role of anesthesia personnel, techniques, and drugs in the control of postoperative pain and complications is a broad question. Clearly, anything which reduces postoperative complications and LOS has far-reaching economic and social implications.
The Effects of School-Based Social Information Processing Interventions on Aggressive Behavior, Part I: Universal Programs

This Campbell systematic review examines the effects of universal school‐based social information processing interventions on the aggressive and disruptive behavior of school‐age children. Program effects are examined overall and in relation to methodological and substantive differences across studies. The search strategy identified 89 eligible reports, which gave the results of 73 unique research studies of universal school‐based social information processing programs. The research indicates that short, intensive interventions –e.g. 8‐16 weeks of 2‐5 hours a week – are more effective than extended year‐long programmes. Extended programmes may have a tendency to become routine and thus have less impact on the students. Where the education programmes target children in special education classes, the effect is lesser than in ordinary classes. Pupils in special classes may be prone to many other problems which could reduce the impact of this type of education
Pick Interpolation, V: Rational Interpolation Proof

In this chapter, we’ll use the theory of rational interpolation of the previous chapter to prove the harder direction of Pick’s theorem for Herglotz functions, Theorem 16.1.
Target-Focused Feature Selection Using a Bayesian Approach.

In many real-world scenarios where data is high dimensional, test time acquisition of features is a non-trivial task due to costs associated with feature acquisition and evaluating feature value. The need for highly confident models with an extremely frugal acquisition of features can be addressed by allowing a feature selection method to become target aware. We introduce an approach to feature selection that is based on Bayesian learning, allowing us to report target-specific levels of uncertainty, false positive, and false negative rates. In addition, measuring uncertainty lifts the restriction on feature selection being target agnostic, allowing for feature acquisition based on a single target of focus out of many. We show that acquiring features for a specific target is at least as good as common linear feature selection approaches for small non-sparse datasets, and surpasses these when faced with real-world healthcare data that is larger in scale and in sparseness.
Abstract TP159: Risk of Ischemic Stroke in Patients with Atrial Flutter

Introduction: Guidelines advise anticoagulation for patients with both atrial fibrillation (AF) and flutter (AFL). However, the risk of stroke associated with these two conditions has not been robu...
Human Germline Genome Editing: An Assessment.

Abstract This article assesses human germline genome editing (GGE). It argues that such editing is not inherently unethical, largely because of the fuzzy nature of “The Human Germline Genome” and i...
Magnificent Moral Beauty: The Trait of Engagement with Moral Beauty

Traits are patterns of behavior, and the trait of engaging with moral beauty involves noticing the patterns of behavior that symbolize the moral beauty of the virtues; these patterns may be characterized as unity-in-diversity. Elevation is the emotion experienced when engaging with moral beauty; when experiencing elevation one desires to become a better person and is more likely to commit prosocial acts. Elevation, in experimentally designed studies, has been shown to cause volunteering; charitable donations; better mentoring; intentions to register as organ donor; increased cooperative behavior; reduction in prejudice against race or sexual orientation; increased belief in life as meaningful and in the benevolence of others; increase positive affect and prosociality (affiliation and compassionate goals) and decrease self-image goals; and increase in interest in the Paralympics, and a positive effect on the destigmatization of persons with disabilities in general. Longitudinal research has shown that experiences of elevation led to a decrease in anxiety and depression and improved interpersonal functioning in a clinical population. Moral beauty may be related to spiritual beauty. Will moral beauty save the world? Moral beauty level is unrelated to political persuasion (conservatives are just as likely to notice the moral beauty of others as are liberals).
An Analysis of the Educational Problems of Controlling Cigarette Smoking

Basically the aim of our programme is to help people achieve insight into their own behaviour — why they continue, or why they might decide to try to stop, to develop an understanding of the gratifications derived from smoking and, accordingly, how best to cope with them; and to work towards an environment in which the social forces support and reinforce non-smoking behaviour.
Novel therapeutics in myeloproliferative neoplasms.

Hyperactive signaling of the Janus-Associated Kinase/Signal Transducers and Activators of Transcription (JAK/STAT) pathway is central to the pathogenesis of Philadelphia-chromosome-negative myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN), i.e., polycythemia vera (PV), essential thrombocythemia (ET), and primary myelofibrosis (PMF) which are characterized by inherent biological and clinical heterogeneity. Patients with MPNs suffer from substantial symptom burden and curtailed longevity due to thrombohemorrhagic complications or progression to myelofibrosis or acute myeloid leukemia. Therefore, the management strategies focus on thrombosis risk mitigation in PV/ET, alleviation of symptom burden and improvement in cytopenias and red blood cell transfusion requirements, and disease course alteration in PMF. The United States Food and Drug Administration’s (USFDA) approval of two JAK inhibitors (ruxolitinib, fedratinib) has transformed the therapeutic landscape of MPNs in assuaging the need for frequent therapeutic phlebotomy (PV) and reduction in spleen and symptom burden (PV and PMF). Despite improving biological understanding of these complex clonal hematopoietic stem/progenitor cell neoplasms, none of the currently available therapies appear to modify the proclivity of the disease per se, thereby remaining an urgent unmet clinical need and an ongoing area of intense clinical investigation. This review will highlight the evolving targeted therapeutic agents that are in early- and late-stage MPN clinical development.
Does aerobic exercise training alter responses to opioid analgesics in individuals with chronic low back pain? A randomized controlled trial.

ABSTRACT We tested whether aerobic exercise training altered morphine analgesic responses or reduced morphine dosages necessary for adequate analgesia. Patients with chronic back pain were randomized to an 18-session aerobic exercise intervention (n = 38) or usual activity control (n = 45). Before and after the intervention, participants underwent 3 laboratory sessions (double-blinded, crossover) to assess effects of saline placebo, i.v. morphine (0.09 mg/kg), and i.v. naloxone (12 mg) on low back pain and evoked heat pain responses. Differences in evoked and back pain measures between the placebo and morphine conditions indexed morphine analgesia, with pre-post intervention changes the primary outcome. Endogenous opioid analgesia was indexed by differences in evoked and low back pain measures between the naloxone and placebo conditions. A Sex X Intervention interaction on the analgesic effects of morphine on visual analogue scale back pain intensity was observed (P = 0.046), with a similar trend for evoked pain threshold (P = 0.093). Male exercisers showed reduced morphine analgesia pre-post intervention, whereas male controls showed increased analgesia (with no differences in females). Of clinical significance were findings that relative to the control group, aerobic exercise produced analgesia more similar to that observed after receiving ≈7 mg morphine preintervention (P < 0.045). Greater pre-post intervention increases in endogenous opioid function (from any source) were significantly associated with larger pre-post intervention decreases in morphine analgesia (P < 0.046). The overall pattern of findings suggests that regular aerobic exercise has limited direct effects on morphine responsiveness, reducing morphine analgesia in males only.
Comparison of Recreational Fish Consumption Advisories Across the USA

Our comparative analysis sought to understand the factors which drive differences in fish consumption advisories across the USA — including exposure scenarios (acute and chronic health risk, non-cancer and cancer health endpoints), toxicity values (reference dose, cancer slope factor, acute tolerance level), and meal size and bodyweight assumptions. Fish consumption provides essential nutrients but also results in exposure to contaminants such as PCBs and methylmercury. To protect consumers from the risks of fish contaminants, fish consumption advisories are established, most often by state jurisdictions, to estimate the amount of a certain fish species a person could consume throughout their lifetime without harm. However, inconsistencies in advisories across the USA confuse consumers and undermine the public health goals of fish advisory programs. To date, no rigorous comparison of state and national fish consumption advisories has been reported. Our work identifies discrepancies in key assumptions used to derive risk-based advisories between US states, reflecting differences in the interpretation of toxicity science. We also address the implications for these differences by reviewing advisories issued by contiguous states bordering two waterbodies: Lake Michigan and the Lower Mississippi River. Our findings highlight the importance of regional collaboration when issuing advisories, so that consumers of self-caught fish are equipped with clear knowledge to make decisions to protect their health.
Enhanced Recovery After Cardiac Surgery: A Propensity-Matched Analysis.

Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) pathways have improved clinical outcomes, cost-effectiveness, and patient satisfaction across multiple non-cardiac surgical specialties. Since the adaptation of ERAS in cardiac surgery is rapidly increasing yet still evolving, herein, we demonstrate early results of our implementation of ERAS cardiac guidelines. We retrospectively reviewed all patients who were managed with our institutional ERAS Cardiac Surgery guidelines between 5/2018 and 6/2019(N = 102). Postoperative primary outcomes (total ventilation times(hours), intensive-care unit(ICU) stay, and postoperative hospital length of stay (LOS)) were compared to 1:1 propensity matched controls from the pre ERAS era between January 2017 and March 2019. A total of 76 propensity-matched pairs were identified. Compared to the matched controls, ERAS patients had significantly shorter median ventilation times(3.5 vs. 5.3 hours, p = .01), ICU stays(median 28 vs 48 hours, p=.005) and postoperative hospital LOS (median 5 vs. 6 days, p = .03). There were no operative mortalities and no significant differences in 30-day readmission rates. There were also no significant differences in post-operative stroke, acute kidney injury, atrial fibrillation, and reoperation rates for bleeding. Two-year survival was also not statistically different between the two cohorts (p = .22). Our initial experience with implementation of ERAS protocols in cardiac surgery appear to demonstrate that these protocols are associated with shorter ventilation times, ICU stay, and hospital LOS without compromising patient outcomes. While these results are promising yet preliminary, further studies are warranted to demonstrate whether ERAS algorithms in cardiac surgery can consistently expedite postoperative recovery and improve outcomes.
The Role of sGC Stimulators and Activators in Heart Failure With Reduced Ejection Fraction.

Over the past decade, soluble guanylate cyclase (sGC) activators and stimulators have been developed and studied to improve outcomes in patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (H...
Effects of underwater optical turbulence on light carrying orbital angular momentum and its classification using machine learning

Laser-based optical links offer the possibility of secure, high data rate underwater communication. Challenges include quickly modulating the light, and rapidly and reliably decoding the received s...
Youth and Parent Perspectives on the Acceptability of a Group Physical Activity and Coping Intervention for Adolescents With Type 1 Diabetes.

PurposeTo examine youth and parent perspectives on the acceptability of Bright 1 Bodies, a group physical activity and coping intervention for adolescents with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM).Metho...
The Accidental Library Marketer

The Accidental Library Marketer opens up by acknowledging the conundrum many librarians find themselves in: “they need to promote their libraries and services in the age of the Internet, but they’ve never been taught how to do so effectively” (xv). This work by Kathy Dempsey is a fast but sometimes technical read that introduces the basics of marketing and provides examples by which to illustrate concepts at work.
Gonadotropin-releasing hormone-containing neurons change size with reproductive state in female Haplochromis burtoni

In the preoptico-hypothalamic area (POA) of teleost fish, neurons containing gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) regulate reproduction through direct projections to pituitary gonadotropes. Here we show that these GnRH-containing cells change size depending on the reproductive and maturational state in female Haplochromis burtoni. We selected animals prior to, during, and after the reproductive portion of their life history, in both brooding and spawning states. Immunocytochemical staining of GnRH-containing neurons in the POA revealed that these cells are up to twice as large in females that have never spawned or are in the act of spawning than they are in females that are carrying broods. Older, postreproductive females have the largest cell sizes. Previous work on male H. burtoni has shown that soma sizes of the homologous neurons change according to social status, with dominant fish having larger cells than subordinates. Since reproductively active females have no apparent social hierarchy and are all exposed to approximately the same external stimuli, the primary factor(s) controlling GnRH-immunoreactive (irGnRH) neuron size appears to be internal reproductive state. Thus, while irGnRH neurons are pleiomorphic in both males and females, cell size change is differently regulated in each.
Effect of Diurnal Distribution of Food Intake on 24-Hour Profiles of Plasma Lipoproteins

The lipid infiltration theory of atherogenesis accepted, 24 hour lipoprotein profiles may be more relevant than preprandial morning samples. Such profiles were performed in 12 metabolically healthy volunteers during two dietetic regimes identical in total food content but differing in the distribution over the day: form A meant an evening meal of 15% of total caloric intake, form B of 40%. After one week of each form, 24 hour lipoprotein profiles differed significantly in the time course of triglyceride rich lipoproteins and in the mean values over 24 hours in VLDL and LDL phospholipids and HDL cholesterol. These findings are cautiously interpreted as possible signs of differences in the catabolism of triglyceride rich lipoproteins, remnants and intermediate lipoproteins. The difference in HDL cholesterol which was higher in form A is discussed in the context of recent epidemiologic evidence.
An Inducible Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 (HIV-1) Vector Which Effectively Suppresses HIV-1 Replication

Recently, gene therapy vectors based upon the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) genome have been developed. Here, we create an HIV-1 vector which is defective for all HIV-1 genes, but which maintains cis-acting elements required for efficient packaging, infection, and expression. In T cells transduced by this vector, vector expression is low but efficiently induced following HIV-1 infection. Remarkably, although the HIV-1 vector does not contain specific anti-HIV-1 therapeutic genes, the presence of the vector alone is sufficient to inhibit the spread of HIV-1 infection. The mechanism of inhibition is likely to be at the level of competition for limiting substrates required for either efficient packaging or reverse transcription, thereby selecting against propagation of wild-type HIV-1. These results provide proof of a concept for potential application of a novel HIV-1 vector in HIV-1 disease.
The Activation of Carbon Dioxide by Metai Complexes

Publisher Summary Chemistry of one-carbon-atom molecules (C 1 chemistry) is an important area of research for the organometallic chemist. The motivation for these efforts stems from the belief that the raw material base for commercial organic chemicals will shift from oil to coal, owing to both economic reasons and declining petroleum reserves. Prior to a discussion of CO 2 insertion reactions into M–H and M–C bonds, it is useful to review some of the known coordination chemistry of carbon dioxide, because the activation of CO 2 by metal centers is assumed to be of significance in most of these processes. In principle, the insertion of CO 2 into a transition-metal hydrogen bond can result in either M–O or M–C bond formation––that is, production of metalloformate or metallocarboxylic acid derivatives. Some very interesting work on the reversible insertion of carbon dioxide into palladium–carbon bonds has been reported recently by Braunstein and coworkers. The reactions of CO 2 , with metal –hydroxides, –alkoxides, and –amides to provide metallobicarbonates, –alkyl carbonates, and –carbarnates in general do not involve activation of carbon dioxide by prior coordination to the metal center. The use of carbon dioxide as an industrial source of chemical carbon has been limited mainly to the production of organic carbonates, carboxylic acids, and ureas. The chapter discusses recent literature relevant to the coordination chemistry of carbon dioxide and its use as a source of chemical carbon.
p-PIC: Parallel power iteration clustering for big data

Power iteration clustering (PIC) is a newly developed clustering algorithm. It performs clustering by embedding data points in a low-dimensional subspace derived from the similarity matrix. Compared to traditional clustering algorithms, PIC is simple, fast and relatively scalable. However, it requires the data and its associated similarity matrix fit into memory, which makes the algorithm infeasible for big data applications. This paper attempts to expand PIC's data scalability by implementing a parallel power iteration clustering (p-PIC). While this paper focuses on exploring different parallelization strategies and implementation details for minimizing computation and communication costs, we have also paid great attention to ensuring the algorithm works well on low-end commodity computers (COTS-based clusters and general purpose servers found at most commercial cloud providers). The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed p-PIC algorithm is highly scalable to both data and compute resources.
Electromagnetic modeling of FOPEN targets and clutter in a lossy half-space

There has been considerable interest in evaluating the use of a low frequency, ultra-wideband (UWB) imaging radar to detect tactical vehicles concealed by foliage. This interest stems from the fact that while high-frequency imagery has shown near-literal imaging capability for targets positioned in open areas, it cannot penetrate tree canopy effectively. However, at low frequencies, the tree canopy is effectively transparent. We examine the issues related to foliage penetrating (FOPEN) radar by first considering VHF scattering from a T-72 tank over soil using a method of moments (MoM) analysis. The MoM analysis considers arbitrary dielectric and perfectly conducting targets in a layered medium, with the lossy, dispersive layers representing the typical layered character of many soils. The solution obtained via the MoM is based on a full-wave formulation of Maxwell's equations. For the clutter, we model both tree trunks as well as a full tree model (trunk and branch structure). The tree trunk is modeled as a dielectric body of revolution (BoR), again using a MoM half-space analysis, while the 'tree' is modeled as an arbitrary dielectric target.
Chemical pathways of epoxidized and hydroxylated fatty acid methyl esters and triglycerides with phosphoric acid

The polymerization pathways of epoxidized and hydroxylated triglycerides with phosphoric acid (H3PO4) were investigated using model reactions. Involved epoxides and diols were derived from oleic acid methyl ester, which was easily monitored by one- and two-dimensional nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) techniques as well as electrospray ionization mass spectroscopy (ESI-MS). Phosphoric acid played two key functions: (a) as a Bronsted acid catalyst that activated the epoxide toward nucleophilic attack by the diol, thus generating ether (C–O–C) cross-linkages; and (b) as a reaction partner establishing phosphate ester linkages [(RO)2(O)P–O–C, R = C or H]. In studies with 18O labeled diol, phosphate esters formed exclusively from H3PO4 and epoxide without incorporation of diol whereas diols acted as polymerization initiators in polyether formations.
Electromagnetic Design of a Low-Fringing-Field Magnetic Bearing Stage for Electron Beam Lithography

While electromagnetic actuators have been proven in many precision motion control applications, their stray fields constrain their use in systems that require high stability of charged particle beams. Fringing fields from these actuators should be sufficiently small to have minimal influence on the trajectory and focusing properties of the charged beams. We have built a levitation linear motor that is designed to have significantly reduced fringing fields. The design achieves large far field attenuation because of parallel opposing multipole placement in the synchronous motor bearing. The design is suitable for future generations of electron beam lithography, where the allotted error to stage fringing field may be less than 1nm. The low fringing field design attains very strong fields at the stator, where force is generated, while the fringing fields fall very rapidly. Whereas fields for a dipole fall off as radius-3, the paper presents a prototype synchronous motor magnet array with fields that fall off largely as radius-10 in the far field. The stator has fields that fall off as radius-5. The novel permanent magnet array and coil array technologies can be implemented in stage designs where the fringing field is designed to have negligible influence on the electron beam in a lithography machine. The stator and magnet array have a sufficiently low field to allow placement of the arrays unusually close to the electron beam. This allows a compact, high resonant frequency stage structure. A precision motion control stage based on the low fringing field magnetic bearing is thus shown to be feasible for next generation electron beam lithography.
Stability of the “two active X” phenotype in triploid somatic cells

We examined triploid cells of XXY karyotype heterozygous for glucose 6 phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) electrophoretic variants with regard to the stability of their X chromosome phenotype. Clonal populations of cells derived from these human fibroblasts maintained a precise 1:2:1 ratio of A:heteropolymer:B isozymes throughout their life span, indicating stability of the two active X chromosomes in these cells. To determine the influence of the autosomal complement on X chromosome expression, we attempted to perturb the relationship. Fusion of these triploid cells with human diploid fibroblasts carrying a novel G6PD variant (B') resulted in heterokaryons exprssing a novel heteropolymer, presumably indicating that all three parental X chromosomes were active. However, no derepression of the inactive X chromosome was observed. Analysis of interspecific hybrids derived from triploid cells and mouse fibroblasts confirmed that activity of parental X chromosomes is maintained. Some human mouse hybrid clones, however, expressed only a single human G6PD isozyme, probably attributable to segregation of the pertinent X chromosome, but elimination of a relevant autosome cannot be excluded. The triploid cells transformed by SV40 showed alterations in LDH pattern and an approximately 10-20% decrease in chromosome number, but maintained the precise G6PD phenotype of the untransformed cell. These studies provide evidence for the stability of the X chromosome phenotype in triploid cells.
The design of decentralized auction mechanisms that coordinate continuous trade in synthetic securities

Abstract This paper explores ‘smart’ market mechanisms that link auction markets together in order to support trade in synthetic securities that are derived from a well-defined bundle of underlying component securities. These mechanisms coordinate the auctions of the component securities without interrupting the normal order flow of these markets by selectively locking individual orders. Using techniques from concurrency control theory, a decentralized market mechanism that automatically performs cross-market arbitrage is developed. This mechanism requires only that the markets for the component securities be loosely coupled, i.e., intermarket communications are not instantaneous. A mechanism that does not require orders to be locked, but is subject to arbitrage, is also examined.
Internet voting: an idea whose time has not come

Properly designed and engineered computerized voting systems can facilitate voting and increase the security and reliability of our voting systems. Unfortunately, in their eagerness to have the most modern and best election equipment and to take advantage of almost $4 billion in federal funding, well meaning election officials were quick to accept accuracy and security claims of computerized voting system vendors. Few questions were asked about crucial issues. How secure, accurate, and reliable are these machines? How easy are they to use, especially by people with disabilities? How could an election audit or recount be conducted? There was little or no consultation with independent technical experts on these questions, and remarkably little scientific research. Standards and regulations were inadequate to nonexistent. The implicit assumption appears to have been that no recount would ever be needed, because the new systems were so completely secure and accurate that there would no longer be any reason to challenge an election result.There is now a widespread perception that Internet voting is the wave of the future and the way to save money while increasing voter participation, especially participation of young people. (I can bank online; why can't I vote online?) Not having learned from previous mistakes and against the advice of essentially all computer security experts, Internet voting is currently being used in several countries and in some U.S. States. There is also strong pressure to adopt Internet voting in the U.S. for members of the military and civilians living abroad. In this talk I examine some of the threats of Internet voting in the hope of encouraging the technical community to oppose Internet voting unless and until these threats can be eliminated.
The "Image of the Populace" Among Representatives of Power Structures as a Source of Social Distortions

If we provisionally define the subject of social policy as the power structures, and its object as the Ukrainian populace, then we can say that in the Soviet period the relationship between these two groups was usually one of limited direct contacts. The power structures adopted and implemented decisions while simultaneously devising signals to inform administrative bodies, and the populace as well, of the latter's enthusiastic endorsement of these decisions.
The incorrigible social meaning of video game imagery

In this paper, I consider a particular amoralist challenge against those who would morally criticize our single-player video play, viz., "come on, it's only a game!" The amoralist challenge with which I engage gains strength from two facts: the activities to which the amoralist lays claim are only those that do not involve interactions with other rational or sentient creatures, and the amoralist concedes that there may be extrinsic, consequentialist considerations that support legitimate moral criticisms. I argue that the amoralist is mistaken and that there are non-consequentialist resources for morally evaluating our single-player game play. On my view, some video games contain details that anyone who has a proper understanding of and is properly sensitive to features of a shared moral reality will see as having an incorrigible social meaning that targets groups of individuals, e.g., women and minorities. I offer arguments to support the claim that there are such incorrigible social meanings and that they constrain the imaginative world so that challenges like "it's only a game" lose their credibility. I also argue that our responses to such meanings bear on evaluations of our character, and in light of this fact video game designers have a duty to understand and work against the meanings of such imagery.
Coupling induced soft error mechanisms in nanoscale CMOS technologies

Due to scaling induced effects, CMOS circuits become increasingly more sensitive to transient pulses caused by single event (SE) particles. Researchers mostly considered SE transients as the main cause for combinational logic (CL) related radiation-induced soft errors. However, for high-reliability applications such as avionics, military and medical applications, additional sources such as SE induced soft delays, clock jitters, false clock pulses and crosstalk effects need to be included in soft-error reliability analysis. As technologies advance, coupling effects among interconnects increasingly cause SE transients to contaminate electronically unrelated circuit paths, which can in turn increase the "SE susceptibility" of CMOS circuits. This work focuses on such coupling induced soft error mechanisms in CL, namely the SE crosstalk noise and delay effects. An attempt has been made to compare SE crosstalk noise and SE transient effects, and crosstalk contribution to soft error rate has been examined. In addition, the SE induced coupling delay effect has been studied and compared to radiation induced soft delay effect for various technologies. Results show that, in newer technologies, the SE coupling delay becomes quite comparable to soft delay effect, although caused indirectly by cross-coupling effects. In comparisons, the distributed nature of interconnects has been taken into account and results are demonstrated using HSPICE simulations with interconnect and device parameters derived in 130, 90 and 65 nm technologies.
Aspects of the aquatic chemistry of cadmium and zinc in a heavy metal contaminated lake

Abstract Concentrations of the heavy metals cadmium (Cd) and zinc (Zn) were determined at several sites in Palestine Lake, Indiana, and in the stream (Williamson Ditch) which transports metal-bearing wastes to the lake. Average dissolved Cd and Zn concentrations in the lake were as high as 17.3 μg 1-1 and 293 μg 1-1, respectively, while corresponding suspended levels were 30.3 μg Cd 1-1 and 270 μg Zn 1-1. Average levels of both Cd and Zn in the dissolved fraction exceeded those in the suspended fraction, except at one site in the lake where suspended Cd was higher. During anaerobic conditions occurring in lake's hypolimnion, a marked decrease in the dissolved fraction and concomitant increase in the suspended fraction of both Cd and Zn were noted. A cadmium-specific ion electrode was used to determine the chemical forms of dissolved Cd present in the lake. Free Cd2+ was the dominant form; however, Cd-organic complexes sometimes comprised a significant portion of the total dissolved Cd.
Disgust, creatureliness and the accessibility of death-related thoughts

From an existential terror management theory perspective, disgusting stimuli are threatening to human beings because they make salient people's vulnerability to death. Two studies were designed to assess this proposition by measuring implicit death-related ideation after individuals were presented with stimuli that either were or were not disgusting, under conditions in which the similarities of humans to other animals or the uniquely human aspects of people were made salient. In Study 1, in which rather extreme disgust-eliciting pictures were used, disgusting stimuli led to higher death-thought accessibility than neutral pictures regardless of whether or not participants had previously been primed with similarities between humans and other animals. In Study 2, in which milder verbal disgust-eliciting stimuli were used, disgusting stimuli led to heightened death-thought accessibility only when human-animal similarities were first primed. Implications for the regulation and humanization of the human body and its functions are discussed. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Severe Metabolic Alkalosis in a Hemodialysis Patient

We present a patient with end-stage kidney disease receiving hemodialysis therapy who developed severe metabolic alkalosis secondary to vomiting. This case illustrates the important differences in pathogenesis, diagnosis, and management of this common acid-base disorder in patients without kidney function. The diagnostic approach and management strategy for metabolic alkalosis are discussed, highlighting the special issues to be considered in dialysis patients.
Every finite distributive lattice is a set of stable matchings

On a n hommes et n femmes. Chacune des 2 n personnes a un ordre de preference lineaire pour celles du sexe oppose. On etudie des couplages pour former n couples
Antibacterial Activity of Venom Alkaloids from the Imported Fire Ant, Solenopsis invicta Buren1

Abstract The antibacterial properties of synthetic fire ant venom alkaloids were tested by disc-diffusion procedures against a variety of bacteria and by doubling concentrations in broth cultures of Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. Gram-positive bacteria were inhibited by lower concentrations of trans-2-methyl-6-n-undecylpiperidine, trans-2-methyl-6-n-tridecylpiperidine, and trans-2-methyl-6-n-pentadecylpiperidine than were gram-negative bacteria. A fourth alkaloid, trans-2-methyl-6-(cis-6-pentadecenyl)piperidine, which was available in minute quantity and was tested by disc-diffusion only, was ineffective against all organisms.
How We Understand Art : A Cognitive Development Account of Aesthetic Experience

The seminal theory of the development of our understanding of the visual arts presented in this book has much in common with the Piagetian theory of cognitive development and the Kohlbergian theory of moral development, but the author considers the differences between meaning in art and in science.
The relationship between freezing tolerance and thermotropic leaf movement in five Rhododendron species

Leaf movement kinetics in five species of Rhododendron were studied in response to leaf temperature, leaf freezing point, and leaf water deficit. There was a gradient in the degree of leaf curling among species in the following order from the greatest curling to the least curling: Rhododendron catawbiense, R. maximum, R. minus, R. macrophyllum, R. ponticum. Those species found to be tolerant of winter conditions had the most intense leaf movements (both curling and angle) while those species with minimal cold tolerance had limited or no leaf movements. Leaf curling occurred at leaf temperatures above the tissue freezing points in all species. Athough leaf angle was influenced by leaf turgor, general tissue desiccation was not the ultimate cause for thermotropic leaf curling in any species tested. Those species with the greatest leaf curling and angle movements had the highest osmotic potential, the lowest water deficit at the turgor loss point, and the lowest symplastic water fraction. These data suggest that there is a trade off in Rhododendron leaf physiology between cold tolerance (due to leaf movements) and water stress tolerance (due to turgor maintenance mechanisms).