cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Monte Carlo Simulation of the Open-Circuit Potential and the Entropy of Reaction in Lithium Manganese Oxide

The open-circuit potential and the entropy of reaction for Li in the intercalation compound Li y Mn 2 O 4 were simulated with the Monte Carlo method. Two variations of the Monte Carlo method were implemented: one with the open-circuit potential being held constant, and one with concentration of lithium ions being held constant. The entropy of reaction simulated by the constant-potential method agrees with the experimental data in terms of overall shape. The value of the entropy obtained from the simulation is also of comparable magnitude to the experimental data, but with a displaced composition dependence. Only open-circuit-potential isotherms were obtained from the constant-Li-concentration method because results were not sufficiently precise to generate a smooth entropy curve. Nonetheless, the isotherms obtained from the constant-Li-concentration method still capture the basic feature of an isotherm, such as the sudden change of slope at y approximately equal to 0.5 and the frustration of the ordering process due to the presence of pinned Li ions.
The Earth’s Palaeorotation, Postglacial Rebound and Lower Mantle Viscosity from Analysis of Ancient Chinese Eclipse Records

Of the forces changing the Earth’s rotation, tidal braking and postglacial rebound predominate at a timescale ≥102yr (HIDE and DICKEY, 1991; DICKEY, 1992). Analysis of ancient eclipse records has given values for the clock error ΔT and the time derivative of the Earth’s dynamic oblateness J 2 for the past 3,300 yr. Since ΔT = AT - UT = ct 2, where AT is Atomic (cesium clock) Time, UT is Universal (Earth rotation) Time, and t is the number of centuries before 1800, the oldest data have the most weight. Sunrise and sunset eclipses are especially valuable, as they can be retrospectively timed.
Benign soft tissue tumors of the oral cavity.

Abstract Many of these soft tissue tumors do resemble each other. A clinical differential description for recognition has been presented. A true diagnosis can be made only from a microscopic examination of the tissue after removal.
Pointing Sets the Stage for Learning Language—and Creating Language

Tomasello, Carpenter, and Liszkowski (2007) have argued that pointing gestures do much more than single out objects in the world. Pointing gestures function as part of a system of shared intentionality even at early stages of development. As such, pointing gestures form the platform on which linguistic communication rests, paving the way for later language learning. This commentary provides evidence that pointing gestures do establish a foundation for learning a language and, moreover, set the stage for creating a language.
"Are we there yet?": Deciding when one has demonstrated specific genetic causation in complex diseases and quantitative traits.

Although mathematical relationships can be proven by deductive logic, biological relationships can only be inferred from empirical observations. This is a distinct disadvantage for those of us who strive to identify the genes involved in complex diseases and quantitative traits. If causation cannot be proven, however, what does constitute sufficient evidence for causation? The philosopher Karl Popper said, "Our belief in a hypothesis can have no stronger basis than our repeated unsuccessful critical attempts to refute it." We believe that to establish causation, as scientists, we must make a serious attempt to refute our own hypotheses and to eliminate all known sources of bias before association becomes causation. In addition, we suggest that investigators must provide sufficient data and evidence of their unsuccessful efforts to find any confounding biases. In this editorial, we discuss what "causation" means in the context of complex diseases and quantitative traits, and we suggest guidelines for steps that may be taken to address possible confounders of association before polymorphisms may be called "causative."
The Soret effect in naturally propagating, premixed, lean, hydrogen–air flames

Comparatively little attention has been given to multicomponent diffusion effects in lean hydrogen-air flames, in spite of the importance of these flames in safety and their potential importance to future energy technologies. Prior direct numerical simulations either have considered only the mixture-averaged transport model, or have been limited to stabilized flames that do not exhibit the thermo-diffusive instability. The so-called full, multicomponent transport model with cross-diffusion is found to predict hotter, significantly faster flames with much faster extinction and division of cellular structures.
Genetics of early mammalian folliculogenesis

Early ovarian folliculogenesis begins with the breakdown of germ cell clusters and formation of primordial follicles. Primordial follicles are the smallest ovarian follicle units continuously recruited to grow into primary and more advanced ovarian follicles. Genes expressed in the germ cells such as Figla, Nobox, Kit and Ntrk2, as well as genes expressed in the surrounding somatic cells such as Foxl2, Kitl and Ngf, play critical functions during early folliculogenesis. Transgenic mice continue to provide important insights into the genetic pathways that regulate early mammalian folliculogenesis. Genes critical in early folliculogenesis are important determinants of reproductive life span and represent candidate genes for human ovarian failure.
Aneurysms and Pseudoaneurysms of the Pulmonary Vasculature

Aneurysms of the pulmonary vasculature may arise from the pulmonary arteries, bronchial arteries, or pulmonary veins. Their pathophysiology and clinical presentation are variable depending on the underlying condition, some of which have significant morbidity and mortality. Consequently, imaging plays a central role in the diagnosis and treatment planning. This review article presents a classification of the different types of aneurysms that can affect the pulmonary vasculature and reviews the most common conditions associated with them and discusses their imaging presentation.
Enterotoxigenic K99+ Escherichia coli attachment to host cell receptors inhibited by recombinant pili protein

Most enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) isolated from neonatal cattle with diarrhea (enteric colibacillosis) exhibit the colonization factor antigen, K99. The K99 pili are necessary for the bacteria to bind to a receptor, N-glycolylneuraminic acid-GM3 on the host cells in the small intestine where the bacteria multiply and secrete toxins that cause the diarrhea. When the attachment of the ETEC to host cell is inhibited, the bacteria do not accumulate sufficiently in the gut to cause disease. Since purified K99 pili block K99+ ETEC from binding to host epithelia, three recombinant K99 proteins of different sizes were developed and produced to demonstrate inhibition with in vitro competitive binding assays. The full-length recombinant protein, rK99-476 inhibited the binding of ETEC with an activity similar to that of the native purified K99, whereas the truncated recombinant K99 protein had no inhibitory activity. Thus this binding activity of rK99-476, which is specific and effective in blocking the receptors on the host cells, may be able to competitively inhibit K99+ ETEC infections in cattle.
Impact of Election Day Registration on Voter Turnout: A Quasi‐experimental Analysis

Election day registration is among the solutions suggested for remedying low voter turnout in the United States. This analysis uses a quasi-experimental time-series design to test the hypothesis that states adopting election day registration increase voter turnout in comparison to states that do not reform their election procedures. The similarities in the time series of voter turnout in the experimental and control states suggest that observed changes in states adopting election day registration resulted from extraneous factors.
Age-related loss of DNA repair synthesis in isolated rat myocardial cells.

Singly isolated beating heart cells from newborn rats performed unscheduled DNA synthesis (‘repair’ synthesis) when irradiated with ultraviolet light in vitro. Repair synthesis could not be induced in beating cardiac cells isolated from adult animals (3–12 months old).
Stoichiometric and structural properties of pulsed-laser deposited BaTiO 3 thin films on silicon

BaTiO 3 thin films have been grown on Si(100) substrate by KrF pulsed-laser deposition (PLD). The influence of substrate temperature and background oxygen pressure on the chemical composition and crystal structure of BaTiO 3 films was studied. The films were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), UV/VIS/NIR spectrometer, atomic force microscopy (AFM), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). In our experiments, the BaTiO 3 films with uniform grains were produced at O 2 pressure range of 10-30 mTorr and a substrate temperature of 600°C-620°C. At lower substrate temperature, the XRD patterns of the films displayed weaker peaks with wider FWHM and the AFM images showed grain boundary defects and numerous holes. The compositional analysis performed by XPS indicated that almost stoichiometric 1:1:3 composition BaTiO 3 films were grown by PLD at optimized deposition parameters. The excessive oxygen resulted in the formation of other molecules for the film development. The additional XRD peaks of the films were observed when O 2 pressure was increased.
Upper Limit to Landau Damping in Helicon Discharges

The uncommonly high rf absorption efficiency of helicon discharges has been thought to be caused by Landau damping of helicon waves and the concomitant acceleration of primary electrons. By constructing an energy analyzer that accounts for rf fluctuations in plasma potential, it is shown that Landau-accelerated electrons are too sparse to explain the ionization efficiency. Instead, rf absorption and ionization are found to be consistent with the mechanism of mode coupling to Trivelpiece-Gould modes at the plasma boundary.
A High-Dimensional Nonparametric Multivariate Test for Mean Vector

This work is concerned with testing the population mean vector of nonnormal high-dimensional multivariate data. Several tests for high-dimensional mean vector, based on modifying the classical Hotelling T2 test, have been proposed in the literature. Despite their usefulness, they tend to have unsatisfactory power performance for heavy-tailed multivariate data, which frequently arise in genomics and quantitative finance. This article proposes a novel high-dimensional nonparametric test for the population mean vector for a general class of multivariate distributions. With the aid of new tools in modern probability theory, we proved that the limiting null distribution of the proposed test is normal under mild conditions when p is substantially larger than n. We further study the local power of the proposed test and compare its relative efficiency with a modified Hotelling T2 test for high-dimensional data. An interesting finding is that the newly proposed test can have even more substantial power gain with l...
Intra-Operative Pulse Oximetry

Bowel resection surgery is a commonly performed operation used to treat a variety of gastro-intestinal tract disorders, including cancer. The surgery entails excising the diseased portion of intestine, and then creating a surgical anastomosis, or reattachment of the remaining ends. One of the major complications following bowel resection surgery is breakdown or leakage from the anastomosis, which affects 20% of patients, with an associated 10-15% mortality rate. The surgical creation of anastomosis frequently involves dividing blood vessels and can introduce unrecognized twists and tension on the intestine. As a result, the blood supply to the site of anastomosis is often hampered, limiting the oxygen supply that is essential for adequate anastomotic healing. We are proposing a device that enables surgeons to obtain real-time feedback on local tissue oxygen saturation (SpO2) during operative procedures. Such data will not only help surgeons realize any bowel oxygenation compromising maneuvers, but also help perform an anastomosis at the site of maximal tissue oxygenation, thus minimizing the occurrence of postoperative anastomotic leakage and improve patient outcomes. This report details the specifications, fabrication, operation and performance of a handheld wireless pulse oximeter suitable for the intraoperative measurement of tissue SpO2 during bowel surgery. The device adapts principles and technology developed for non-invasive pulse oximetry, and introduces tissue interface, physician tools, and signal processing algorithms for intra-operative application. The handheld device includes local display of SpO2 level (<1 s refresh) at the contacted tissue, and signals the operator on degraded signal quality/faults. An onboard micro-controller digitizes and processes signals transduced through a controlled LED array. Signal processing and display parameters were optimized for operating room conditions. A disposable functionally-transparent cover provides both device and tissue protection. Through serial or Bluetooth wireless transmission (250 Kbps), SpO2 and pulse signals can be processed on a PC or operating room VI. The incorporation of a pressure sensor to increase accuracy and robustness is explored. The device was validated intra-operatively on rodent and bovine surgical models.
Depleted methane-derived carbon in waters of Lake Baikal, Siberia

Results of hydrochemical and stable isotope measurements during the ice-breaking period on Lake Baikal indicate an apparent lack of relationship between measured δ13C of dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) and phytoplankton below the trophogenic layer. While planktonic values of −31.7 to −33.5‰ are within a typical lacustrine range, the δ13C values of DIC turned out to be very negative, from −28.9 to −35.6‰. These isotopic values of DIC appear to be associated with oxidation of methane that accumulated during winter ice cover period. At the time of sampling, however, the observed depletion did not affect the phytoplankton/DIC fractionation relationship, because the difference between phytoplankton and DIC (−20 to −22‰ in surface waters) lies within the expected range of the fractionation coefficient. By analogy with small lakes, we explain this lack of relationship by the time lag between peak productivity and peak methane oxidation. Our interpretation of the Baikal DIC isotopic signature is consistent with methanogenesis in bottom sediments and with the known presence of widespread unstable gas hydrates and active methane seeps on the lake floor. Our findings suggest that methane is an important component of the Baikal carbon cycle, that late winter concentrations of methane in Baikal under ice may be 3–4 orders of magnitude higher than previously reported values for summer, and that the lake may be emitting a significant amount of methane to the atmosphere.
Support Desired by Women Following Termination of Pregnancy for a Fetal Anomaly

With the rapidly evolving field of prenatal testing, there is a growing need to provide support for women pursuing termination of pregnancy following the discovery of a fetal anomaly. Previous studies have documented that women in this situation often feel unsupported, but the type of resources desired by this population remains undetermined. We studied the awareness and utilization of support resources in 51 women at the time of the procedure, at 6 weeks, and at 3 months following the event. Though largely knowledgeable of existing resources at the time of the procedure, only 50 % admitted contemplating their individualized need for support. Most expected to rely on the support of family and friends. Additionally, 50 % expressed the desire to commemorate the pregnancy, though none wanted direct contact with their healthcare provider(s). Responses from the 6 weeks and 3 months assessments were consistent with previous literature as many women indicated not coping as expected and were unprepared for the psychological consequences following the procedure. Our findings indicate that women in these situations may not realize what their long-term support needs will be. They further indicate that guidelines for routine follow-up care should be established among healthcare providers that respect this population’s initial desires to avoid reminders of the pregnancy and promote a flexible timeframe for support uptake. Additional support resources that promote flexible uptake as well as meet the desires of anonymity and ease of access need to be developed for this population.
Emission of electrons from cold metal surfaces

Abstract The results of Del Rosario on cold emission are shown to result from the fact that, through the attainment of specially good vacuum conditions and freedom from contamination, the cold electron current from the wire was suppressed up to field strengths greater than those at which measurable current was obtained in the work of previous observers. It was in fact suppressed beyond the point at which discharge started from points on the welding of the support. The results of Del Rosario are thus probably characteristic of conditions other than those pertaining to the wire, a conclusion which accounts for his current voltage curves. The formula of Fowler and Nordheim is found to apply in the measurable regions in form directly and in magnitude only if irregularities of the surface are such as to raise the field at the surface to a sufficiently high value. Breakdowns after intense heat treatment are studied and found to be caused by immeasurably small currents of electrons knocking ions from the anode. The erratic original curves obtained by previous investigators are found to be caused by successive breakdowns similar to those found after intense heating.
Efficient conversion of light from sparse laser arrays into single-lobed far-fields using phase structures

We demonstrate a new optical technique that converts light from a sparse array of mutually coherent sources into a single-lobed far-field with a theoretical efficiency approaching 100%. Initial experimental results show conversion efficiencies of 82%.
New Bounds on Parameter Uncertainties for Robust Stability

The problem of robust stability in linear systems with parametric uncertainties is considered. A new method is developed to determine bounds on uncertain parameters in the state-space model of the system, so that stability is preserved. Both continuous- and discrete-time systems are considered. Unlike previous results, the stability bounds are derived in terms of actual parameters instead of their absolute values and consequently, the stable region in the parameter space is not necessarily symmetric with respect to the origin; furthermore, the uncertain parameters do not have to be linearly independent to each other.
Secondary Binding Interactions in a Synthetic Receptor for Trimethyllysine

We have systematically studied how secondary interactions with neighboring lysine (Lys) and arginine (Arg) residues influence the binding and selectivity of the synthetic receptor A2 N for trimethyllysine (Kme3 ). Multiple secondary binding sites on A2 N are formed by carboxylates rigidly positioned over aromatic rings, a motif that has been shown to stabilize salt bridges. We varied the spacing between KmeX (X=0, 3) and an ancillary Lys or Arg and measured binding by isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC). These studies revealed that both neighboring residues improve the binding of A2 N to KmeX by approximately 1 kcal mol(-1) , with little influence of the spacing. Nonetheless, the improvement in affinity caused by Arg is enthalpically driven, while for Lys it is entropically driven, suggesting different mechanisms by which the residues interact with the secondary binding site.
Should universal guidelines be applied to taxonomic research

In an attempt to facilitate the integration of various methods of species delimitation, Dayrat (2005) recommends a set of nomenclatorial guidelines. He proposes to restrict the application of new specific epithets where a recent taxonomic revision has not dealt with the totality of names and variation in the group, where specimens are not well-represented in collections, where DNA extraction from type specimens is not possible, and where putative novel species are supported only by a single type of data (e.g. morphological). Dayrat further recommends that putative novel species for which only one type of data exists be described with the abbreviation ‘sp.’, so as to avoid the permanent establishment of a specific epithet, as required by the current codes of nomenclature. Contradicting himself, Dayrat implies that putative novel species supported only by DNA sequences should be named as valid species. If adopted, Dayrat’s guidelines would impede taxonomic progress, diminish the utility of taxonomy to its users (e.g. conservation biologists and biogeographers), and prevent the integration of methods of species delimitation. © 2007 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2007, 90, 761–764.
Oral and Intravenous Pharmacokinetics of Milrinone in Human Volunteers

Thirty-nine healthy men received milrinone either orally or intravenously in two separate double-blind, placebo-controlled studies. The mean bioavailability, based on the area under the plasma concentration versus time curves, was 0.92. The plasma data for those subjects in the intravenous study were described by an open two-compartment model with a mean (±SD) apparent first-order terminal elimination rate constant (β) of 0.86 (± 0.23) h−1, which corresponds to a half-life of 0.8 h. In the intravenous study, the renal clearance and total body clearance were 21.1 and 25.9 L/h, respectively. The corresponding values in the oral study were 23.8 and 29.7 L/h. Between 79.9 and 84.5% of the total doses were recovered in the urine samples taken at 0-24 h.
Fabrication of Supported Catalytic Nickel Clusters of Controlled Size and Distribution Using Ionized Cluster Beam Deposition

A novel technique for fabricating uniform, ultrafine metal clusters of controlled size and distribution is described. The technique employs conventional adiabatic expansion of an evaporated source material for controlled formation of the clusters, but additionally incorporates electron-impact ionization and acceleration for further control of the size and distribution of the deposited particles. The key control parameters investigated are the diameter of the adiabatic nozzle, the proportion and energy of the ionized particles in the cluster beam, the substrate temperature, and the deposition time. The use of electron irradiation and acceleration of the source beam has proven to be particularly effective in producing monodisperse clusters. Using this new approach, uniform Ni clusters as small as 10 A were deposited on an amorphous carbon substrate. The size and structure of the deposited Ni clusters were analyzed using high-resolution TEM and STEM.
Unbalanced power flow on the IBM PC/AT for spacecraft power system analysis

The development of an unbalanced-power-flow program for spacecraft applications that is based on linear graph theory is discussed. The theory of the approach is reviewed. The program layout and operation are discussed. Possible future areas of improvement are briefly mentioned. >
Instructional Insights: Continuing Professional Education to Enhance Therapeutic Relationships in Occupational Therapy

Occupational therapists view the quality of their relationships with clients as an important factor in client outcomes but may feel ill prepared to use themselves as therapeutic agents. This column offers suggestions for providing professional education to support practitioners in reflecting on their relationships with clients and developing new perspectives on their interactions with clients during the occupational therapy process.
Perceptions of Racialized Opportunities and Hispanics’ Political Attitudes Predicting Support for School Vouchers and Government Intervention in Health Care

In an attempt to understand Hispanics’ political incorporation as the United States becomes a “majority-minority” nation, I explore some of the social-psychological processes that shape Hispanics’ political attitudes. Specifically, I draw on the segmented-assimilation literature’s notion of “modes of incorporation” to argue that immigrants develop perceptions of racialized opportunities (PROPs) as they confront America’s segmented opportunity structure. Because of the durability of these racialized mobility trajectories, I propose that PROPs play an important part in the formation of Hispanics’ political attitudes. I test the PROPs mechanism using the 2006 Latino National Survey with a sample of 8,634 Hispanic respondents. Ordinal logistic regression models, estimating Hispanics’ support for school vouchers and government intervention in health care, indicate that PROPs are related to Hispanics’ political attitudes, especially in regard to support for school vouchers. Moreover, this social-psychological m...
The State of Cultural History: A Conference in Honor of Lawrence W. Levine

On September 16 and 17, 2005, more than two hundred people gathered at George Mason University's Arlington, Virginia, campus for two purposes-to pay tribute to the extraordinary career of Lawrence W. Levine and to assess the present and future of American cultural history. The two purposes were, of course, intertwined; the organizers of the conference (James W. Cook of the University of Michigan and Lawrence Glickman of University of South Carolina as well as Mike O'Malley and Roy Rosenzweig of George Mason University) decided that there could be no greater tribute to Larry's central role in creating cultural history as a field of study and a mode of analysis than to provide an opportunity for leading cultural historians to come together to present original and provocative work and to consider current problems and prospects in the field.1 We designed the first afternoon of the conference to focus primarily on Larry and his contributions and the next day to concentrate on reflections on cultural history. The essays that follow this introduction represent the first afternoon of the program, whereas the Saturday proceedings will be published in a book edited by Cook, Glickman, and O'Malley.2 As is often the case, the written proceedings capture the intellectual substance more completely than the underlying feeling of the public event. That was particularly true of this event. The conference had been planned in the spring of 2004 and scheduled for September 2005. In keeping with Larry's emphasis on American popular culture, we had posters printed by Hatch Show Print in Nashville, Tennessee, famous for its wood-block posters for country and blues performers. In June 2005 Larry learned that he was suffering from colon cancer. Typically, he insisted that he would still attend the conference and would work his chemotherapy around it. But in early August, his doctors ordered him not to travel from his home in Berkeley. We considered postponing the conference, but at the strong urging of Larry and his wife and sometime collaborator, Cornelia Levine, we decided to go ahead. We set up an Internet video connection that allowed Larry to watch the conference from his home. The afternoon proceedings began with a welcome from George Mason University's provost (and a well-known historian) Peter Stearns. Although Larry spent the largest
Atrial peptide release after hemorrhage in unanesthetized swine

Hemorrhage of 14 ml/kg in 5 min was done in two groups of chronically prepared, splenectomized Yorkshire pigs. Group 1 was studied on post-operative day 4 and was conditioned behaviorally with "active restraint", whereas group 2 was studied on postoperative day 6 and was conditioned with behavioral "shaping." The peak decrease in blood volume occurred by 0.25 h after hemorrhage in both groups. However, plasma atrial natriuretic factor (ANF) as measured by radioimmunoassay did not decrease significantly until 2 h in group 1 and 0.5 h in group 2 even though the recovery of blood volume was significantly more rapid in group 1 than in group 2. The responses of ANF differed significantly between groups, suggesting that ANF release after hemorrhage is influenced by prior handling and the time for recovery from surgery. In both groups, some pigs showed increases in ANF during the 1st h after hemorrhage, and changes in ANF were unrelated to decreases in central venous pressure or absolute right atrial volume determined with a conductance catheter. In contrast, changes in ANF after hemorrhage correlated positively with several variables including atrial rate and changes in vasopressin. Multiple regression suggested that the effect of reduced atrial volume on ANF release was opposed by these latter variables or related factors. Furthermore, known actions of ANF do not appear to account for the observed hemodynamic and hormonal responses to hemorrhage.
A NEW SPECIES OF CONDALIA (RHAMNACEAE) FROM SONORA, MEXICO

Condalia sonorae is described as a new species from north central Sonora, Mexico. The taxon was previously considered part of Condalia correllii, but differs in having bicolored leaves, denser young-stem and leaf vestiture, petaloid flowers, and more spheroidal fruit endocarps. In contrast, C. correllii, has concolorous, abax­ ially glabrous leaves, shorter stem vestiture, apetalous flowers, and more ovoid fruit endocarps. Comparisons are also made with C. velutina, C. mexicana and C. hookeri. Resumen: Se describe a Condalia sonorae como una especie nueva del norte-centro de Sonora, Mexico. Este taxon anteriormente se consider6 como parte de Condalia correllii, pero difiere de esta en presentar: hojas con las dos superificias de colores diferentes; una pubescencia mas marcada en los tallos j6venes y las hojas; la presencia de petalos en las flores; y los endocarpios mas esferoides. Por contraste, P. correllii presenta hojas de color verde claro en ambas superficies; una pubescencia poco notable en el enves de la hoja, y tallos hirtelos con pelos mas cortos; flores sin petalos; y endocarpios mas ovoides. Se contrasta la especie nueva tambien con C. velutina, C. mexicana y C. hookeri.
Aromatic Ionomers with Highly Acidic Sulfonate Groups: Acidity, Hydration, and Proton Conductivity

A novel sulfonation method that involves iridium-catalyzed aromatic C–H activation/borylation and subsequent Suzuki–Miyaura coupling with sulfonated phenyl bromides was developed for the preparation of aromatic ionomers. Superacidic fluoroalkyl sulfonic acid and less acidic aryl and alkyl sulfonic acids were efficiently incorporated into the aromatic ring of model polystyrene, and the resulting sulfonated ionomers were characterized for their properties as proton-conducting membranes. The membrane properties of ionomers containing sulfonic acid groups with different acidity strengths were compared to study the effect of acidity on the water properties, proton conductivity, and morphology. The superacidic fluoroalkyl sulfonated ionomer (sPS-S1) exhibited a significantly higher proton conductivity than that of the less acidic aryl and alkyl sulfonated ionomers (sPS-S2 and sPS-S3, respectively) at low relative humidity, despite a lower ion exchange capacity and lower water uptake. Hydration behaviors of the ...
14-3-3 proteins play a role in the cell cycle by shielding cdt2 from ubiquitin-mediated degradation.

Cdt2 is the substrate recognition adaptor of CRL4Cdt2 E3 ubiquitin ligase complex and plays a pivotal role in the cell cycle by mediating the proteasomal degradation of Cdt1 (DNA replication licensing factor), p21 (cyclin-dependent kinase [CDK] inhibitor), and Set8 (histone methyltransferase) in S phase. Cdt2 itself is attenuated by SCFFbxO11-mediated proteasomal degradation. Here, we report that 14-3-3 adaptor proteins interact with Cdt2 phosphorylated at threonine 464 (T464) and shield it from polyubiquitination and consequent proteasomal degradation. Depletion of 14-3-3 proteins promotes the interaction of FbxO11 with Cdt2. Overexpressing 14-3-3 proteins shields Cdt2 that has a phospho-mimicking mutation (T464D [change of T to D at position 464]) but not Cdt2(T464A) from ubiquitination. Furthermore, the delay of the cell cycle in the G2/M phase and decrease in cell proliferation seen upon depletion of 14-3-3γ is partly due to the accumulation of the CRL4Cdt2 substrate, Set8 methyltransferase. Therefore, the stabilization of Cdt2 is an important function of 14-3-3 proteins in cell cycle progression.
Perceptions of work among men and women pharmacists in nonadministrative positions

Perceptions of the types of duties performed by men and women hospital pharmacists in one section of a single state were studied, and differences in job attitudes that may be attributable to discriminatory job assignments are identified. A survey consisting of 153 questions was mailed to 507 pharmacists (328 men, 175 women, 4 whose sex was unknown) practicing in southeastern Michigan hospitals. Participants used a seven-point scale to rate the relative amounts of time they spent in various job activities. Activities were grouped as dispensing functions and clinical functions. Allotted time ratings for six clinical and six dispensing functions were averaged for each pharmacist. The survey used modules from the Michigan Organizational Assessment Questionnaire to measure pharmacists' perceptions of the quality of their work. Information from 279 questionnaires (60% men) was analyzed. No difference was evident in the perceived amounts of time men and women spent performing clinical activities. Women reported significantly greater time than men performing dispensing functions. Based on job dimensions, psychological states, and personal and work outcomes, a higher level of job satisfaction was expressed by men than by women. Men and women nonadministrative hospital pharmacists in this limited study perceived thier tasks differently.
The role of instrument grading in a beef value-based marketing system.

A functional value-based marketing system must have a means of identifying the value of individual animals or carcasses. The U.S. beef industry has had a strong interest in instrument grading for the past 11 yr. With the major shift toward a value-based system of trading (carcass), the beef industry has defined its needs for an instrument to assess value. Ultrasound seems to be the technology with the greatest chance of success. This paper outlines the history of instrument grading and industry's progress and plans in this area.
Educational Authority in the ''Open Door'' Marketplace.

In recent years, private for-profit education has been the fastest growing segment of the U.S. postsecondary system. Traditional hiring models suggest that employers clearly and efficiently evaluate college credentials, but this changing institutional landscape raises an important question: How do employers assess credentials from emerging institutions? Building on theories of educational authority, we hypothesize that employers respond to an associate’s degree itself over the institution from which it came. Using data from a field experiment that sent applications to administrative job openings in three major labor markets, we found that employers responded similarly to applicants listing a degree from a fictional college and applicants listing a local for-profit or nonprofit institution. There is some evidence that educational authority is incomplete, but employers who prefer degree-holders do not appear to actively evaluate institutional quality. We conclude by discussing implications of our work for r...
Spontaneous Male Recombination and Mutation in Isogenic-Derived Chromosomes of Drosophila melanogaster

Spontaneous male recombination and visible mutations were observed in second and third chromosomes derived from an isogenic line, ID, previously found to exhibit a high recessive lethal mutation rate. All three types of events tend to occur very early in spermatogenesis resulting in large clusters of identical recombinant or mutant progeny from a single male. Mutations and male recombination exchange points tend to be located more frequently in the right arm than in the left in both second and third chromosomes but for a trivial reason in the case of chromosome 2. No significant differences in male or female recombination were found between the progeny of reciprocal crosses. Male recombination in chromosome 2, like recessive lethal mutation, is independent of the presence of ID third chromosomes in the same genome. Both quantitative and qualitative differences in male recombination were found when ID chromosomes were compared with others extracted from natural populations.
REDLetr: Workflow and tools to support the migration of legacy clinical data capture systems to REDCap

Abstract Objective A memory clinic at an academic medical center has relied on several ad hoc data capture systems including Microsoft Access and Excel for cognitive assessments over the last several years. However these solutions are challenging to maintain and limit the potential of hypothesis-driven or longitudinal research. REDCap, a secure web application based on PHP and MySQL, is a practical solution for improving data capture and organization. Here, we present a workflow and toolset to facilitate legacy data migration and real-time clinical research data collection into REDCap as well as challenges encountered. Materials and methods Legacy data consisted of neuropsychological tests stored in over 4000 Excel workbooks. Functions for data extraction, norm scoring, converting to REDCap-compatible formats, accessing the REDCap API, and clinical report generation were developed and executed in Python. Results Over 400 unique data points for each workbook were migrated and integrated into our REDCap database. Moving forward, our REDCap-based system replaces the Excel-based data collection method as well as eases the integration into the standard clinical research workflow and Electronic Health Record. Conclusion In the age of growing data, efficient organization and storage of clinical and research data is critical for advancing research and providing efficient patient care. We believe that the workflow and tools described in this work to promote legacy data integration as well as real time data collection into REDCap ultimately facilitate these goals.
Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infection Downregulates Antioxidant Enzyme Expression by Triggering Nrf2 Degradation

Respiratory syncytial virus is the most important cause of viral acute respiratory tract infections and hospitalizations in children, for which no vaccine or treatment is available. RSV infection l...
Connections to Thermodynamics

This chapter addresses the issues relevant to thermodynamics. The issues are provided with chemical basics and chemical details. One of the issues discussed is why computerized axial tomography (CAT) scans often cause a “warm flush” sensation. The ionic nature of the contrast medium and the body's attempt to regulate the concentrations of all substances in the blood is responsible for this. Introduction of a water-soluble ionic substance into the vascular system results in an increase in the number of particles in the bloodstream as the contrast substance dissolves. The body possesses several internal regulation systems and, when perturbed by an injection, it attempts to restore the concentrations of substances in the blood to their normal or pre-injection levels. To re-equilibrate the system, water from the cells of surrounding body tissue moves into the blood plasma through capillary membranes. To accommodate the increase in water volume, the blood vessels must dilate or expand in size. An increase in the volume of circulating blood causes an extra expenditure of energy by the body, producing the flushed or warm feeling.
Reintegrating Germany into the Atlantic Community: The Role of the Big American Foundations

Volker Berghahn provides a sweeping overview of the policies of the Ford, Carnegie, and Rockefeller Foundations from the early twentieth century through the 1960s. Using Waldemar Nielsen’s definitions of the roles of foundations, Berghahn examines the relationship between the foundations and the US government to indicate that this relationship changed over time including both close collaboration and a distancing from the government. He sets this analysis within the context of the need to rebuild Germany after the destruction of the Second World War, pointing to the ultimate success of these efforts due in part to American foundation support. The chapter indicates the interplay between American foundation officers with American and German policies in a period of time when the United States held an unchallenged supremacy in the western world.
Lessons learned: Engaging students with disabilities on a national scale

AccessComputing works to increase the participation of individuals with disabilities in computing fields. During over ten years of work to address this issue, project staff have facilitated a nationwide community of students with disabilities who are interested in computing. Students engage with peers, staff, and mentors and participate in career development activities that include internships and conference attendance. Key to AccessComputing's success in recruiting and supporting students with disabilities has been engaging a diverse community of stakeholders, recognizing the diversity of students with disabilities, and persistently encouraging students to participate in mentoring and career development opportunities. This articles shares information about AccessComputing activities and lessons learned that can be applied in other programs to increase the success of students with disabilities.
\(BBK^*\) (Branch and Bound over \(K^*\)): A Provable and Efficient Ensemble-Based Algorithm to Optimize Stability and Binding Affinity over Large Sequence Spaces

Protein design algorithms that compute binding affinity search for sequences with an energetically favorable free energy of binding. Recent work shows that the following design principles improve the biological accuracy of protein design: ensemble-based design and continuous conformational flexibility. Ensemble-based algorithms capture a measure of entropic contributions to binding affinity, \(K_a\). Designs using backbone flexibility and continuous side-chain flexibility better model conformational flexibility. A third design principle, provable guarantees of accuracy, ensures that an algorithm computes the best sequences defined by the input model (i.e. input structures, energy function, and allowed protein flexibility). However, previous provable methods that model ensembles and continuous flexibility are single-sequence algorithms, which are very costly: linear in the number of sequences and thus exponential in the number of mutable residues. To address these computational challenges, we introduce a new protein design algorithm, \(BBK^*\), that retains all aforementioned design principles yet provably and efficiently computes the tightest-binding sequences. A key innovation of \(BBK^*\) is the multi-sequence (MS) bound: \(BBK^*\) efficiently computes a single provable upper bound to approximate \(K_a\) for a combinatorial number of sequences, and entirely avoids single-sequence computation for all provably suboptimal sequences. Thus, to our knowledge, \(BBK^*\) is the first provable, ensemble-based \(K_a\) algorithm to run in time sublinear in the number of sequences. Computational experiments on 204 protein design problems show that \(BBK^*\) finds the tightest binding sequences while approximating \(K_a\) for up to \(10^5\)-fold fewer sequences than exhaustive enumeration. Furthermore, for 51 protein-ligand design problems, \(BBK^*\) provably approximates \(K_a\) up to 1982-fold faster than the previous state-of-the-art iMinDEE/\(A^*\)/\(K^*\) algorithm. Therefore, \(BBK^*\) not only accelerates protein designs that are possible with previous provable algorithms, but also efficiently performs designs that are too large for previous methods.
Nuclear photonics enabled by MeV laser-compton sources

MeV Laser-Compton sources are enabling the efficient pursuit of nuclear science and applications with photon beams, i.e. “nuclear photonics.” Potential applications include; isotope-specific nuclear materials management, element-specific medical radiography and radiology, non-destructive, isotope-specific, material assay and imaging, precision spectroscopy of nuclear structure and photon-induced fission. This paper reviews the design and optimization of MeV laser-Compton systems and the development of the unique science and applications enabled by them.
Grid-Set-Match, an agent-based simulation model, predicts fruit set for the lowbush blueberry (Vaccinium angustifolium) agroecosystem

Abstract Fruit set, the proportion of flowers whose ovaries successfully bear fruit, is the product of dozens of processes, many of which are difficult to study and manipulate in situ . To establish which of these processes are most important in the lowbush blueberry ( Vaccinium angustifolium Aiton; Ericaceae) agroecosystem, an agent-based simulation model, Grid-Set-Match , with temporal and spatial elements was constructed using the R software package. Pollination ecology data from this system were used to parameterize the model. Then, results from 1,000 iterations of the model were compared to field fruit set data from a survey of 162 lowbush blueberry fields from 1993 to 2015 as well as from a field study conducted from 2013 to 2015. Predicted fruit set for an average lowbush blueberry field was 0.366 according to Grid-Set-Match . Based on currently available field data, this estimate appears realistic, although it may be a slight underestimate in part because variability in pollinator densities between real fields is higher than the model accounted for. A multiple regression model indicated that, across a sample of clones created by Grid-Set-Match under default parameter settings, fruit set declined significantly as the average genetic load of a clone’s neighbors increased and as self-pollination rate increased, with the latter effect being ∼20% stronger than the former. As such, future research should be directed towards understanding and better managing factors that may influence rates of self- vs. cross-pollination in this system, such as pollen carryover, intra-hive pollen transfer, and pollinator flight distances between consecutively visited flowers.
The influence of grain boundaries and grain orientations on the stochastic responses to low load nanoindentation in Cu

Abstract Mechanical properties that are considered to be deterministic in the macro-scale have been shown to be stochastic in the sub-micron length scale. The origin of such stochastic responses is not well understood. This work examines the potential influence of grain boundaries and grain orientations on the stochastic nature of pop-in and hardness measurement in annealed high purity polycrystalline Cu samples during low load nanoindentation. Statistical analysis on pop-in load and hardness showed that variations of these measurements depend on crystal orientations and is influenced by the indenter probe size. Analysis on the pop-in load statistics showed that pop-ins are likely initiate from an atomic sized precursor that leads to dislocation generation or expansion. Variation in hardness measurements near an arbitrary chosen grain boundary and the apparent grain boundary hardening effect observed may be related to the higher density of dislocations at and near the grain boundary.
Gas adsorption and polymorphism in the reductive decomposition of calcium sulfate

Iv INTRODUCTION 1 LITERATURE REVIEW 5 Calcium Sulfate Equilibrium 6 Calclum-Sulfur-Oxygen Reactions 10 Kinetics of Decomposition Reactions 13 Adsorption 20 DEVELOPMENT OP MATHEMATICAL RELATIONSHIPS 24 Adsorption in Gas Chromatography 24 Adsorption Isotherms 39 EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATION 4? Gas-Solid Adsorption 49 Apparatus 49 Procedure 52 Preparation of adsorbents and adsorbates 52 Obtaining adsorption chromâtograms 55 Calculation of adsorption values 56 Correlation of data with ChakravartiDhar equation 58 Determination of heat of adsorption 68 Experimental limitations 70 Results 74 Surface area from butane adsorption 7^ Adsorption on calcium sulfate 78 Adsorption on calcium sulfide 82 Adsorption on calcium oxide 87 High Temperature X-ray Diffraction 98