cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Deletion of DJ-1 in rats affects protein abundance and mitochondrial function at the synapse.

DJ-1 is a multifunctional protein affecting different biological and cellular processes. In addition, DJ-1 has roles in regulating mitochondrial function. Loss-of-function mutations in DJ-1 were found to cause an autosomal recessive form of Parkinson’s disease. One of the main pathological features of PD is loss of dopamine neurons in the nigrostriatal pathway. DJ-1 knockout (KO) rats exhibit progressive nigral neurodegeneration with about 50% dopaminergic cell loss at 8 months of age. In order to assess the effects of DJ-1 deficiency on neuronal mitochondria prior to neuron loss, we performed proteomic analysis of synaptic mitochondria isolated from the striatum, the location of nigrostriatal pathway nerve terminals, of 3-month-old DJ-1 KO rats. In total, 371 mitochondrial proteins were quantified, and of these 76 were differentially expressed in DJ-1 KO rats. Proteins perturbed by the loss of DJ-1 were involved in several mitochondrial functional pathways, including the tricarboxylic acid cycle and electron transport chain. Thus, synaptic mitochondrial respiration was measured and showed a significant change due to DJ-1 deficiency. The dataset generated here highlights the role of synaptic mitochondria in PD associated with DJ-1. This study improves our understanding of DJ-1 effects in a complex tissue environment and the synaptic mitochondrial changes that accompany its loss.
A Brief Note on Hoshin Kanri: Strategy Deployment

Hoshin kanri (HK), or strategy deployment, has been an integral part of the company management practices of some of the most successful Lean-practicing organizations. The purpose of this note is to give a very quick introduction to how it has been successfully used in small and medium-sized value streams to inject strategic meaning and tactical understanding to operational strategies and improvement plans. Done well, HK is an extraordinary tool to help a team develop, adjust, and communicate strategy to meet robust, long-term goals. Excerpt UVA-OM-1710 Nov. 30, 2020 A Brief Note on Hoshin Kanri: Strategy Deployment Hoshin kanri (HK), or strategy deployment, has been an integral part of the company management practices of some of the most successful Lean-practicing organizations. Done well, it is an extraordinary tool to help a team develop, adjust, and communicate strategy to meet robust, long-term goals. Hoshin (loosely translated as policy, plan, purpose, or target) is meant to encompass strategic alignment across the organization. The organization can be as large as the entire company or as small as an individual value stream. Kanri (loosely translated as control or management) is meant to indicate that this management tool is a disciplined manner of continuous improvement execution. Hoshin can be thought of as the skeleton that holds the strategy together while kanri can be thought of as the muscle that performs the task. Both must be exercised in order to have and maintain a strong body. Most importantly, HK must be grounded at gemba, intent on creating customer value, and built around continuous improvement. It should not take on a bureaucratic air of driving strategy. Mark Reich has described HK as “a mechanism, a management system that allows the organization to quickly and effectively adjust its priorities while engaging the team,” and “a systemic approach for defining a strategy, and, more importantly, a management system that engages all people to support that strategy while building horizontal and vertical alignment.” One of the keys to HK's success is its simple, easy-to-understand construct. Fundamentally, a few pages help develop and communicate what the long-term goals are, what and how the value stream plans on accomplishing them, as well as who the responsible leader is and how progress will be measured. Done well, this will end with more engagement, ownership, and accountability by all levels of the organization. . . .
Comparison of Direct and Indirect Methods of Measuring Arterial Blood Pressure in Healthy, Anesthetized African Green Monkeys (Chlorocebus aethiops)

Quantitative blood pressure measurement is a critical parameter for assessing cardiovascular health, monitoring physiologic status under anesthesia, and making clinical decisions. The placement of an arterial catheter is the most accurate way to measure blood pressure, but is invasive and perhaps uncomfortable for the patient, requires sedation or anesthesia, and is technically challenging for staff. Noninvasive devices and methods, including oscillometry, high-definition oscillometry, and Doppler flow can be used to measure blood pressure. However, the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine guidelines state that blood pressure should be measured using devices that have been validated in the species of interest and under the circumstances in which the measurement is being made. The alternatives listed above have not been validated in this manner. The objective of this study was to compare indirect ultrasonic Doppler flow detection and oscillometric blood pressure measures with direct arterial measurement in 8 healthy, anesthetized African green monkeys using the methods of Bland-Altman to assess agreement. Our results indicated that neither Doppler flow nor oscillometry consistently estimates direct blood pressure measurements in anesthetized African green monkeys. In 6 female monkeys, which weighed less than the 2 male subjects, the indirect Doppler measurement more closely predicted direct mean arterial pressure, indicating Dop- pler flow may be useful for monitoring mean arterial pressure in small patients.
Sex -Positive Social Work: by S. J. Dodd, New York, NY, Columbia University Press, 2020, 271 pp., $35 (paperback), ISBN# 9780231188111

While teaching human sexuality to my social work students, I often pose the question, “When I say sex, what comes to your mind?” They typically don’t know what to say because they are either embarr...
Dostoevsky and English Modernism 1900–1930

When Constance Garnett's translations (1910–20) made Dostoevsky's novels accessible in England for the first time they introduced a disruptive and liberating literary force, and English novelists had to confront a new model and rival. The writers who are the focus of this study - Lawrence, Woolf, Bennett, Conrad, Forster, Galsworthy and James - either admired or feared Dostoevsky as a monster who might dissolve all literary and cultural distinctions. Though their responses differed greatly, these writers were unanimous in their inability to recognize Dostoevsky as a literary artist. They viewed him instead as a psychologist, a mystic, a prophet and, in the cases of Lawrence and Conrad, a hated rival who compelled creative response. This study constructs a map of English modernist novelists' misreadings of Dostoevsky, and in so doing it illuminates their aesthetic and cultural values and the nature of the modern English novel.
An ultra-low power, optically-interrogated smart tagging and identification system

We present a wireless identification system that employs an optical communications link between an array of uniquely identifiable smart tags and an interrogator flashlight. As the tags consume a quiescent current of under 2 microamperes and are woken up directly by the interrogator's modulated illumination, they are able to last nearly the shelf life of their battery with moderate use. Unlike RFID, which requires a large antenna to achieve significant range, our system requires only a small photodiode, which enables very compact tags to be rapidly queried at a range of over 8 meters with a handheld flashlight interrogator. Our tags are currently aimed at an asset location scenario, where they pulse an onboard LED when their stored ID matches a query broadcast by the interrogator. We also present two different techniques that allow the tags to talk back to the interrogator-one that uses an onboard IR LED to send data a meter away when the interrogator illumination is off and another that uses the onboard green indicator LED for proximate operation. We present our hardware and system design, analyze its performance, and discuss powering the tag from ambient illumination sources.
PHENOTYPIC, GENOTYPIC, AND CHEMICAL CHANGES IN STARVING POPULATIONS OF AEROBACTER AEROGENES

Abstract Harrison, Arthur P., Jr. (Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tenn.) and Felix R. Lawrence. Phenotypic, genotypic, and chemical changes in starving populations of Aerobacter aerogenes. J. Bacteriol. 85:742–750. 1963.—Cells harvested from postlogarithmic (maximal stationary phase) Aerobacter aerogenes cultures and starved in dilute sodium phosphate at 40 C remained viable for many hours. On the other hand, most cells from logarithmic-phase cultures succumbed, although a relatively small number remained viable. This viable segment of the original population thus responded like cells from postlog-phase cultures and, in fact, had properties in common with them. The residual segment was comprised of cells of two kinds. The first were mutants; when cultivated, harvested during log-phase growth, and again starved, they were resistant. The second were wild-type; they responded exactly as before. During starvation, the mutant is at an advantage because it has the ability to convert from susceptible log-phase physiology to resistant postlog-phase physiology more rapidly than can wild-type. The mutant differs from wild-type in yet other ways. It is smaller in size, slower in growth rate, lower in ribonucleic acid (RNA)-deoxyribonucleic acid ratio, greater in light-scattering ability, and, during the first 4 hr of starvation, it loses a higher proportion of its RNA. Selection of mutants of low growth rate between periods of active clonal growth indicates that evolutionary advantage may not necessarily be with the fast-growing members of the clone.
Nutritional Studies in the Weanling Rat with Normophagic Hypothalamic Obesity

Weanling male hypothalamic-obese Sprague-Dawley rats (VMNL) and sham-operated controls (CON) fed stock diet for 2 weeks postoperatively ate similar amounts, but VMNL laid down more fat and less body weight per calories. Three equicaloric diets of different macronutrient (MN) content each were fed for 21 days. Diet selection: VMNL selected more carbohydrate (CHO) diet and protein diet but similar amounts of fat diet; total caloric intake was comparable. Percent diet selection showed the identical pattern. MN intake: VMNL ingested more percent CHO, less percent protein and similar percent fat as CON. Refeeding after 2-day fast: both groups selected similar amounts of diets, but VMNL ingested less protein. High protein diet along (9 days): both groups increased caloric intake over previous regimens, weight gain and caloric intake were similar, but Lee Index was higher in VMNL. Stock diet (32 days): VMNL showed normal body weight gains but higher Lee Index despite hypophagia. They utilized calories similarly for body weight gains but more poorly for fat deposition than CON. After death several key plasma substrates were similar in both groups but epididymal fat pads were heavier in VMNL.
Triggering Congressional War Powers Notification: A Proposal to Reconcile Constitutional Practice with Operational Reality

In 1973, a supermajority of Congress overcame President Nixon’s veto to enact the War Powers Resolution. That law was intended to restore the Founder’s vision of cooperative war-making authority between the two political branches. Since that time, two areas of uncertainty have plagued the efficacy of the law: the arguable intrusion into the exclusive war-making authority of the President; and the uncertainty as to what events trigger the law’s obligations. In an effort to cure these defects, a group of experts recently proposed adoption of a substitute law: the War Powers Consultation Act of 2009. This proposed successor statute shifts the focus of statutorily mandated inter-branch war powers cooperation from the express authorization emphasis of the War Powers Resolution to notification and cooperation. While this shift in emphasis is both logical and more aligned with historical constitutional practice than the War Powers Resolution, the proposal still struggles to define an effective trigger for this notification and cooperation mandate. This article will review how the War Powers Consultation Act seeks to cure the defects of the War Powers Resolution and impose a more effective cooperative war-making relationship between the two political branches. It will then propose a critical improvement: a more effective notification and cooperation trigger to implement this purpose, one that is derived from the nature of the military operations this cooperative decision-making mandate is intended to enhance. The article will explain how linking the congressional notification mandate of the proposed law to operational rules of engagement will provide the most effective pragmatic notification trigger, mitigate the risk of interpretive avoidance of the law’s mandate, and reconcile the scope of the cooperative war-making obligation with constitutional authority.
The Salmonella typhimurium uracil-sensitive mutation use is in argU and encodes a minor arginine tRNA.

Abstract The use gene of Salmonella typhimurium was previously identified by a mutation conferring sensitivity to uracil in glucose minimal medium. The use gene was cloned and identified as an allele of argU encoding a tRNA for a minor arginine codon (CGG). The uracil-sensitive phenotype was shown to result from a base substitution in the anticodon stem of this tRNA.
Pulmonary Embolism Imaging with MDCT

The timely and accurate diagnosis of acute pulmonary embolism (PE) is crucial to providing appropriate patient care. Acute PE is a treatable condition with a 3-month mortality rate greater than 15% [1]. Potential complications include cardiogenic shock, hypotension, and myocardial infarction. PE is a relatively common condition, with an estimated overall incidence of about 1 per 1,000 patients within the United States [2]. Of approximately 1,000 computed tomography (CT) studies recently performed to assess for PE at our institution, roughly 10% were found to have PE. Unfortunately, the presenting symptoms of acute PE are relatively nonspecific and may be challenging for the clinician. Symptoms include dyspnea, cough, chest pain, and infrequently, hemoptysis. Chest radiography, electrocardiography (ECG), arterial blood gas measurements, and D-dimer assays all have the potential to suggest PE, but they are nonspecific [3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9].
The sorption kinetics of copper(II) on chemically modified controlled pore glass

Chemically bonded phases on controlled pore glass substrates have been prepared by the condensation of 3-(2-aminoethylamino)propyltrimethoxysilane in anhydrous or aqueous media. Sorption of copper(II) by the chemically bonded phase was measured via potentiometry and can be described by pseudo-second-order kinetics. Rate constants and equilibrium capacities have been calculated and were found to be dependent upon preparative conditions.
A monte carlo study of sodium diffusion in β-alumina

Abstract The calculation by SaAo and Kikuchi (1971) of the sodium tracer diffusion coefficient in β-alumina using the path probability method is assessed using a Monte Carlo method. Two interpenetrating non-equivalent triangular sub-lattices make up the honeycomb lattice on which sodium ions are distributed subject to nearest neighbour repulsion. The Monte Carlo results for the vacancy availability factor and the effective jump frequency factor are in excellent agreement with the calculations of Sato and Kikuchi (1971). Results for the tracer correlation factor differ significantly because of the limitations of the pair-approximation to the path probability method.
A refined first-order shear-deformation theory and its justification by plane strain bending problem of laminated plates

Abstract A refined first-order shear-deformation theory is proposed and used to solve the plane strain bending; problem of both homogeneous plates and symmetric cross-ply laminated plates. In Reissner-Mindlin's traditional first-order shear-deformation theory (FSDT), the displacement field assumptions include a linear inplane displacement component and a constant transverse deflection through the thickness. These assumptions are retained in the present refined theory. However, the associated transverse shear strain derived from these displacement assumptions, which is still independent of the thickness coordinate, is endowed with new meaning—the stress-weighted average shear strain through the thickness. The variable distribution of transverse shear strain is assumed in such a way that it agrees with the shear stress distribution derived from the integration of equilibrium equation. This paper introduces the effective transverse shear stiffness of plates by assuming that the normalized distribution of through-the-thickness transverse shear stress remains unchanged regardless of geometrical configuration (span-to-thickness ratio) for plane-strain bending problem, which is justified by the exact elasticity solution. Without losing the simplicity of the displacement field assumptions of Reissner-Mindlin's FSDT, the present refined first-order theory not only shows improvement on predicting deflections but also accounts for a variable transverse shear strain distribution through the thickness. In addition, all the boundary conditions, equilibrium equations, and constitutive relations are satisfied pointwise. Comparisons of deflection, transverse shear strain, and transverse shear stress obtained using the present theory are made with the exact results given by Pagano.
Radiation-induced changes in gustatory function comparison of effects of neutron and photon irradiation

Abstract Changes in gustatory function were measured in 51 patients with various forms of cancer who received radiation to the head and neck region. Forty patients (group I) were treated with conventional photon radiation (e.g. 66 Gy/7 weeks), and 11 patients (group II) were treated with cyclotron produced fast neutrons (e.g. 22 Gy/7 weeks). Taste acuity was measured for four taste qualities (salt, sweet, sour and bitter) by a forced choice-three stimulus drop technique which measured detection and recognition thresholds and by a forced scaling technique which measured taste intensity responsiveness. Subjective complaints of anorexia, dysgeusia, taste loss and xerostomia were also recorded. Patients were studied before, during and up to two months after therapy. Prior to therapy, detection and recognition thresholds, intensity responsiveness and the frequency of subjective complaints in patients from groups I and II were statistically equivalent. During and up to 2 months after therapy, taste impairment and frequency of subjective complaints increased significantly in neutron and photon treated patients, but were statistically equivalent. Results of this study indicate that gustatory tissue response, as measured by taste detection and recognition and intensity responsiveness, and the frequency of subjective complaints related to taste are statistically equivalent in patients before, during, or up to 2 months after they were given either neutron or photon radiation for tumors of the head and neck. Continued study of these patients will be necessary to determine the relation between acute and late gustatory tissue response in neutron patients are compared to photon patients.
Challenges in System and Circuit Design for High Density Retinal Prosthesis

A 32 times 32 retinal prosthesis is under development towards the goal of restoring vision in blind patients affected by retinitis pigmentosa and age-related macular degeneration. The system consists of three major functional components namely, microstimulator, wireless data telemetry, and wireless power telemetry. The system design and the circuit design of these blocks are governed by both biomedical and IC design constraints. This paper will provide a status update of the work and discuss the remaining challenges to be overcome to realize a fully integrated and miniaturized retinal prosthesis unit. Some of the challenges are integrating passive devices such as coils, diodes and capacitors, need for high voltage devices for stimulation, biocompatible and hermetic interface of the electronics
AN AGGREGATE OF PATHWAY-RELATED BIOMARKERS PREDICT RISK OF ACUTE MYOCARDIAL INFARCTION AND DEATH

Activation of diverse pathophysiologic processes that include thrombotic, inflammatory, and immune pathways contribute to plaque rupture and adverse outcomes in CAD. We hypothesized that an aggregate biomarker risk score comprised of C-reactive protein (CRP), fibrin degradation products (FDP),
Laser magnetic resonance detection of rotational transitions in CH 2

Abstract Laser magnetic resonance spectra observed at 163.0 μm have been identified as pure rotational transitions in the ground electronic state (3B1) of the methylene radical. The identification was based on the observation of hyperfine spin triplets and by isotopic substitutions involving deuterium and 13C, as well as other chemical and spectroscopic evidence. A low-pressure flame produced by reacting discharged fluorine with methane was found to be an excellent new spectroscopic source of ground-state CH2 radicals.
Conformal Symbology, Attention Shifts, and the Head-Up Display:

Thirty-two pilots flew instrument approaches in a high-fidelity simulator. Location of flight symbology was manipulated head-up vs. head-down while controlling for optical distance and symbology format. Pilots were assigned to one of two symbology sets, conformal and non-conformal. Each pilot flew half of the trials with the symbology presented in a head-up location and half with the symbology located head-down. Airspeed tracking for both groups was displayed with non-conformal digital symbology. An unexpected far domain event was presented on one trial per pilot. The results revealed that, for flight path control, there was generally a cost associated with head-down location. The magnitude of this cost was larger for conformal than for non-conformal symbology. Head-up presentation resulted in faster transition from instrument to visual flight reference, but poorer airspeed tracking and slower response to the far domain unexpected event and greater error tracking digital airspeed. The results are interpre...
The Relationship Between Childhood Onset Obesity and Psychopathology in Adulthood

We administered the Symptom Checklist (Derogatis, 1975; SCL-90-R) to 37 obese subjects in outpatient treatment for obesity. Patients with early onset obesity demonstrated a greater frequency and higher levels of emotional distress and psychiatric symptomatology than patients with late onset obesity. Individuals who developed obesity in childhood showed more psychopathology than those who developed obesity later in life. Overall, these findings support the belief that obesity is characteristically associated with greater internal psychological conflict. These findings further suggest that childhood obesity could serve as a predictor variable for possible future psychological disturbance in obese populations.
Need to Share vs. Need to Assure

As a society, we have a tendency to send just about anything electronically these days. From business and personal information to pictures, jokes, and links to Web sites, we assume that the information we send is protected and will be delivered accurately to only the intended recipients. Although we might have corporate policies or personal guidelines about what information is posted, shared, and archived electronically, what is preached is often very different from what we practice. As the age of electronics and information sharing continues to grow, IT managers and the general public need to stop and think about what we need and want to share.
Formation of Loose Clusters in Polyelectrolyte Solutions

We report further development of a pair potential for two identically charged rodlike polyions oriented in parallel. An attractive force mediated by condensed counterions of any valence, including univalent, is identified for separation distances between a Debye screening length and about a third of a Debye length. The characteristics of the potential are explored as a function of ionic strength, dielectric constant, counterion valence, and charge density of the polyions. The work required to assemble more than two polyions in parallel array is shown not to be pairwise additive. The free energy of assembling many parallel polyions in a hexagonally ordered cluster is calculated as a function of the number N of polyions in the cluster. The free energy has a minimum at a finite cluster size. Discrepancies between the theoretical structure of the stable cluster and experimental observations on polyelectrolyte clusters (with univalent counterions) are discussed, and it is tentatively concluded that the apparen...
Photothermally activated drug release from liposomes coupled to hollow gold nanoshells

Liposomes show great promise as intravenous drug delivery vehicles, but it is difficult to combine stability in the circulation, extended drug retention and rapid, targeted release at the site of interest. Accessorizing conventional and multicompartment liposomes with photo-activated hollow gold nanoshells (HGN) provides a convenient method to initiate drug release with spatial and temporal control. HGN efficiently absorb near infrared (NIR) light and rapidly convert the absorbed optical energy into heat. Femto- to nano-second NIR light pulses cause the HGNs to rapidly heat, creating large temperature gradients between the HGNs and surrounding fluid. The formation and collapse of unstable vapor bubbles transiently rupture liposome and other bilayer membranes to trigger contents release. Near-complete contents release occurs when the nanoshells are encapsulated within the liposome or tethered to the outer surface of the liposome, with no chemical damage to the contents. Release is achieved by focusing the laser beam at the target, eliminating the need for highly specific targeting ligands or antibodies. Although HGN heating can be intense, the overall energy input is small causing minimal heating of the surroundings. To ensure that drugs are retained within the liposomes until delivery in a physiological environment, we have made novel multicompartment carriers called vesosomes, which consist of an outer lipid bilayer shell that encloses and protects the drug-carrying liposomes. The second bilayer increases the serum half-life of ciprofloxacin from <10 minutes in liposomes to 6 hours in vesosomes and alters the release kinetics. The enhanced drug retention is due to the outer membrane preventing enzymes and proteins in the blood from breaking down the drug-carrying interior compartments.
Factors affecting the Induction of Persistent Tolerant Infection of Newborn Mice with Lymphocytic Choriomeningitis.

Abstract Persistent tolerant infections (PTI) with lymphocytic choriomeningitis (LCM) virus were initiated in mice by inoculation during the first few days after birth. Tolerance resulted in all animals which did not die during the first few weeks following inoculation. Thus, the effects of various variables upon the incidence of tolerance were determined by measuring the mortality following inoculation. It was found that the passage history of the virus used exerted a marked effect upon the incidence of mortality of newborn mice following intracerebral inoculation. Previous intracerebral passage of the virus inoculum resulted in high mortality and almost no surviving tolerant animals, whereas repeated intraperitoneal passage produced a virus which caused a very high incidence of tolerance. Inoculum dose did not markedly affect the induction of tolerance although in general high doses of virus caused lower mortality (greater tolerance). Intracerebral inoculation produced a greater proportion of tolerant animals than intraperitoneal inoculation. Viruses with a high ability to induce tolerance were described as docile, whereas strains with poor tolerance-inducing capacity but causing high mortality were described as aggressive in terms of their ability to cause immunological conflict and death of the host. The bearing of these findings on general virology with reference to the choice of strains used in experimental research is discussed.
Simultaneous enantiomeric determination of dansyl-D, L-phenylalanine by fluorescence spectroscopy in the presence of α-acid glycoprotein

Few techniques are amenable to real-time analysis of enantiomers. In this paper, total complexation by α-acid glycoprotein (AGP) is shown to discriminate between enantiomers of dansyl-d,l-phenylalanine (DPs) by changing the local environment of the d and l enantiomers (DDP and DLP, respectively) from hydrophilic to hydrophobic. DDP and DLP show the same native fluorescence at λex/λem = 200/544 nm in the absence of AGP, but show shifted emissions with a component at λex/λem = 220/497 nm in the presence of AGP and in lipophilic solutions. The conditions for an analytical determination have been optimized, and the method has been used to measure the enantiomeric composition of DDP/DLP mixtures with concentration ratios varying over 2 orders of magnitude. The mechanism of chiral recognition for DDP and DLP by AGP is discussed and should be equally applicable to other dansyl-derivative amino acid enantiomers. The association constants for AGP with DDP and with DLP have been determined to be 1.33 × 102 L g-1 an...
Neutropenic enterocolitis: Current issues in diagnosis and management

Neutropenic enterocolitis or typhlitis (from the Greek word typhlon, meaning cecum) is a clinical syndrome that occurs in the setting of disease or chemotherapy-induced neutropenia. The disease is characterized by an inflammatory process involving colon and/or small bowel, and it can result in ischemia, necrosis, bacteremia, hemorrhage, and perforation. The classic clinical features include fever and abdominal pain. The diagnosis is supported by the findings of bowel wall thickening on ultrasonography or CT imaging. The management of neutropenic enterocolitis is controversial. Neither prospective nor high-quality retrospective studies concerning medical or surgical therapies are available. Most authors will recommend initial conservative management with bowel rest, intravenous fluids, total parenteral nutrition, broad-spectrum antibiotics and normalization of neutrophil counts. Surgical intervention is recommended in the setting of obstruction, perforation, persistent gastrointestinal bleeding despite correction of thrombocytopenia and coagulopathy, and clinical deterioration.
A solution-phase synthesis method to highly active Pt-Co/C electrocatalysts for proton exchange membrane fuel cell

Abstract A solution-phase synthesis method was studied to prepare carbon supported Pt-Co alloy catalysts. The organic precursors of Pt acetylacetonate and Co acetylacetonate were reduced in a high boiling point solvent of octyl ether in the presence of oleic acid (OAc) and oleylamine (OAm) to produce fine Pt-Co nanoparticles, which were subsequently deposited on carbon support to obtain Pt-Co/C catalysts. Thermogravimetric analysis suggests that the stabilizers (OAc and OAm) can be removed by copious ethanol washing and subsequent moderate temperature heat-treatment (250 °C, under Argon atmosphere). X-ray diffraction patterns indicate that the average particle size is around 2.3 nm, and the lattice parameter is 3.868 A for the heat-treated Pt-Co/C (40 wt%). Transmission electron microscopy images show very small Pt-Co alloy nanoparticles homogeneously dispersed on the carbon support with a particle size distribution of 2–4 nm for all Pt-Co/C samples. The elements composition of Pt and Co in the final Pt-Co/C catalyst can be well controlled, as evidenced by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy and energy dispersive spectroscopy analyses. Proton exchange membrane fuel cell tests show the heat-treated Pt-Co/C cathode catalyst has higher mass activity of oxygen reduction reaction than Pt/C at an operation voltage of 0.9 V, this can be attributed to its smaller particle size and reduced lattice parameter.
PDX1 regulation of FABP1 and novel target genes in human intestinal epithelial Caco-2 cells.

The transcription factor pancreatic and duodenal homeobox 1 (PDX1) plays an essential role in pancreatic development and in maintaining proper islet function via target gene regulation. Few intestinal PDX1 targets, however, have been described. We sought to define novel PDX1-regulated intestinal genes. Caco-2 human intestinal epithelial cells were engineered to overexpress PDX1 and gene expression profiles relative to control cells were assessed. Expression of 80 genes significantly increased while that of 49 genes significantly decreased more than 4-fold following PDX1 overexpression in differentiated Caco-2 cells. Analysis of the differentially regulated genes with known functional annotations revealed genes encoding transcription factors, growth factors, kinases, digestive glycosidases, nutrient transporters, nutrient binding proteins, and structural components. The gene for fatty acid binding protein 1, liver, FABP1, is repressed by PDX1 in Caco-2 cells. PDX1 overexpression in Caco-2 cells also results in repression of promoter activity driven by the 0.6 kb FABP1 promoter. PDX1 regulation of promoter activity is consistent with the decrease in FABP1 RNA abundance resulting from PDX1 overexpression and identifies FABP1 as a candidate PDX1 target. PDX1 repression of FABP1, LCT, and SI suggests a role for PDX1 in patterning anterior intestinal development.
Respiratory symptoms and airway obstruction in swine veterinarians: A persistent problem

Objective There are many occupational hazards associated with the practice of swine veterinarians. To reassess the prevalence of respiratory complaints and pulmonary function abnormalities in this group. Methods This was a cross-sectional study conducted during the American Association of Swine Veterinarians annual meeting. Subjects completed a respiratory symptom/work history questionnaire and performed spirometry. Results Participants included 122 veterinarians (median age = 42.5 years). Work-related symptoms included rhinitis symptoms (69%), cough and chest tightness (53%), wheezing (31%). Airway obstruction was seen in 24% of participants. Veterinarians with airway obstruction reported working more hours per week in hog barns than did practitioners with normal pulmonary function (P = 0.009). Conclusions Respiratory symptoms were common in the swine veterinarians tested as was airway obstruction. The association with these findings and hog barn exposure suggests that working in these facilities is still a risk factor for airway disease.
Rebooting MOOC Research

The chief executive officer of edX, Anant Agarwal, declared that Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) should serve as “particle accelerator for learning” (1). MOOCs provide new sources of data and opportunities for large-scale experiments that can advance the science of learning. In the years since MOOCs first attracted widespread attention, new lines of research have begun, but findings from these efforts have had few implications for teaching and learning. Big data sets do not, by virtue of their size, inherently possess answers to interesting questions. For MOOC research to advance the science of learning, researchers, course developers, and other stakeholders must advance the field along three trajectories: from studies of engagement to research about learning, from investigations of individual courses to comparisons across contexts, and from a reliance on post hoc analyses to greater use of multidisciplinary, experimental design.
Optimization of amino acid supplements for heterologous protein secretion in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

The two most commonly used amino acid media supplements do not improve the specific rate of secretion of Schizosaccharomyces pombe acid phosphatase in S. cerevisiae relative to unsupplemented Synthetic Dextrose (SD) media. New amino acid supplement formulations have been obtained which produce an 8-fold increase in total phosphatase secretion, and a 70% increase in specific phosphatase secretion.
Angular forces in group-VI transition metals: Application to W(100).

Quantum-mechanical analysis based on a tight-binding model is used to generate a functional form for angular forces in transition metals. Using a moment analysis, an expression is derived that includes angular forces via both explicit many-body interaction terms and a matrix description of a site's local environment. A fit based on this analysis, with only four fitting parameters, is used to treat Cr, Mo, and W. Calibration results for vacancy-formation energies and structural-energy differences are in excellent agreement with experiment and ab initio values. Application to the W(100) surface yields a physical picture of the c(2\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}2) reconstruction based on enhanced surface bond-strengthening effects. Agreement with ab initio results for the reconstruction amplitude and energy is obtained for reasonable values of the parameters, although both of these quantities depend on the cutoff radius.
Rehabilitation staff perceptions of characteristics of geriatric rehabilitation patients

Abstract Objective: To determine if professionals treating older rehabilitation patients regarded them as having different characteristics than younger rehabilitation patients, to derive factors from these perceptions, and to examine the impact of the discipline of the professional and other factors on these perceptions. Design: Rehabilitation professionals at a random sample of facilities accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities were surveyed to determine their level of agreement with 60 items addressing characteristics of older rehabilitation patients. The items were derived from focus groups with rehabilitation staff members. Participants: One thousand sixty-three rehabilitation professionals from nine disciplines (nursing, occupational therapy, physiatry, physical therapy, psychology, social work, speech pathology, therapeutic recreation, and vocational counseling) responded to the questionnaire and were included in the study. Results: There was a wide range of agreement levels across the 60 items (range of median agreement, 12.7% to 93.5%). Factor analysis resulted in six categories of perceptions regarding older rehabilitation patients: (1) physical limitations, (2) motivational deficits, (3) psychological distress/need for support, (4) maturity and positive coping skills, (5) need for privacy/decreased adaptability, and (6) discharge complications. Significant differences across disciplines were found for five of six factors. Nurses agreed more strongly with the negative psychological factors (2, 3, and 5) compared to physical therapists, psychologists, and social workers. Physicians scored significantly higher than two other disciplines on the physical limitations factor. These differences may be related to the distinct role each discipline plays in the rehabilitation process. Older professionals also scored higher on four factors, likely because of personal rather than professional experience with aging. Conclusions: Treating professionals recognize differences between younger and older rehabilitation patients. Many of these perceived differences can be viewed as variables that require more effort and skill on the part of the treating professional. The training of rehabilitation professionals needs to better prepare individuals from all disciplines to adapt to age-specific differences.
Time-Domain Hybrid Global-Local Prediction of Guided Waves Interaction with Damage

This paper presents a hybrid finite element and analytical method to predict the 1-D guided wave propagation interaction with damage for nondestructive evaluation (NDE) and structural health monitoring (SHM) application. The finite element mesh is used to describe the region around the damage (defects or flaws). In contrast to other hybrid models developed elsewhere, the interaction between Lamb waves and defects is computed in the time domain using the explicit solver of the commercial finite element method (FEM) software ABAQUS. Analytical methods can perform efficient modeling of wave propagation but are limited to simple geometries. Realistic structures with complicated geometries are usually modeled with the FEM. However, to obtain an accurate wave propagation solution at ultrasonic frequencies is computationally intensive and may become prohibitive for realistic structures. In response to today's complex cases not covered by the simulation tools available, we aim to develop an efficient and accessible tool for SHM applications. This tool will be based on a hybrid coupling between analytical solutions and time domain numerical codes. Lamb wave interaction with a notch is investigated by using this method, and the results obtained are with respect to transmission, reflection and mode conversion. Because of the symmetric mode shape, S0 is more sensitive to the shallow notch than A0. By making use of the fact that the reflection increases with increase in notch depth and mode conversion are maximized when the notch is around half through the thickness of the plate, the reflection and conversion coefficients can be used to characterize the depth of the notch.
A real-time messaging system for token ring networks

The Computer Networks Laboratory at the University of Virginia has developed a real-time messaging service that runs on IBM PCs and PC/ATs when interconnected with a Proteon ProNET-10 token ring local area network. The system is a prototype for a real-time communications network to be used aboard ships. The system conforms to the IEEE 802.2 logical link control standard for type I (connectionless, or datagram) service, with an option for acknowledged datagrams. The application environment required substantial network throughput and bounded message delay. Thus, the development philosophy was to emphasize performance initially and to offer only primitive user services. After providing and measuring the performance of a basic datagram service, the intent is to add additional user services one at a time and to retain only those which the user can ‘afford’ in terms of their impact on throughput, delay, and CPU utilization. The current system is programmed in C. The user interface is a set of C procedure calls that initialize tables, reserve buffer space, send and receive messages, and report network status. The system is now operational, and initial performance measurements are complete. Using this system, an individual PC can transmit or receive approximately 200 short (about 100 bytes) messages per second, and the PC/AT operates at nearly 500 short messages per second.
Sorption of noble gases by solids, with reference to meteorites. III. Sulfides, spinels, and other substances; on the origin of planetary gases

Abstract To simulate trapping of noble gases by meteorites, we reacted 15 FeCr or FeCrNi alloy samples with CO, H 2 O or H 2 S at 350–720 K, in the presence of noble gases. The reaction products, including (Fe,Cr) 2 O 3 , FeCr 2 S 4 , FeS, C, and Fe 3 C, were analyzed by mass spectrometry, usually after chemical separation by selective solvents. Three carbon samples were prepared by catalytic decomposition of CO or by dehydration of carbohydrates with H 2 SO 4 . The spinel and carbon samples were similar to those of earlier studies (Yang et al. , 1982 and Yang and Anders, 1982), with only minor effects attributable to the presence of Ni. All samples sorted substantial amounts of noble gases, with distribution coefficients of 10 −1 –10 −2 cm 3 STP/g atm for Xe. On the basis of release temperature three gas components were distinguished: a generally dominant physisorbed component (20–80% of total), and two more strongly bound, chemisorbed and trapped components. Judging from the elemental pattern, the adsorbed components were acquired at the highest noble gas partial pressure encountered by the sample—atmosphere or synthesis vessel. Sulfides, particularly daubreelite, showed three distinctive trends relative to chromite or magnetite: the high- T component was larger, 30–70% of the total; Ne Xe ratios were higher, by up to 10 2 , possibly due to preferential diffusion of Ne during synthesis. In one synthesis, at relatively high P , the gases were sorbed with only minimal elemental fractionation, presumably by occlusion. Most of the features of primordial noble gases can be explained in terms of the data and concepts presented in the three papers of this series. The elemental fractionation pattern of Ar, Kr, Xe in meteorites, terrestrial rocks, and planets resembles the adsorption pattern on the solids studied: carbon, spinels, Sulfides, etc. The variation in Ne Ar ratio may be explained by preferential diffusion of Ne. The high release temperature of meteoritic noble gases may be explained by transformation of physisorbed to chemisorbed gas, as observed in some experiments. The ready loss of meteoritic heavy gases on surficial oxidation (“Phase Q ”) is consistent with adsorption, as is the high abundance. Extrapolation of the limited laboratory data suggests that the observed amounts of noble gases could have been adsorbed from a solar gas at 160–170 K and 10 −6 –10 −5 atm, i.e. in the early contraction stages of the solar nebula. The principal unsolved problem is the origin of isotopically anomalous, apparently mass-fractionated noble gases in the Earth's atmosphere and in meteoritic carbon and chromite.
Electric Power Switching

A SYMPOSIUM on switching power at modern large generating plants is included on the program of the Institute's forthcoming winter convention. Five papers, each describing the facilities at one such plant, are to be discussed. Three of these papers are included in this issue, the other 2 having been included in the December 1933 issue. The following article serves as an introduction to this symposium.
Self-configuring crossover

Crossover is a core genetic operator in many evolutionary algorithms (EAs). The performance of such EAs on a given problem is dependent on properly configuring crossover. A small set of common crossover operators is used in the vast majority of EAs, typically fixed for the entire evolutionary run. Selecting which crossover operator to use and tuning its associated parameters to obtain acceptable performance on a specific problem often is a time consuming manual process. Even then a custom crossover operator may be required to achieve optimal performance. Finally, the best crossover configuration may be dependent on the state of the evolutionary run. This paper introduces the Self-Configuring Crossover operator encoded with linear genetic programming which addresses these shortcomings while relieving the user from the burden of crossover configuration. To demonstrate its general applicability, the novel crossover operator was applied without any problem specific tuning. Results are presented showing it to outperform the traditional crossover operators arithmetic crossover, uniform crossover, and n-point crossover on the Rosenbrock, Rastrigin, Offset Rastrigin, DTrap, and NK Landscapes benchmark problems.
Effects of gold diffusion on n-type doping of GaAs nanowires.

The deposition of n-GaAs shells is explored as a method of n-type doping in GaAs nanowires grown by the Au-mediated metal−organic chemical vapor deposition. Core−shell GaAs/n-GaAs nanowires exhibit an unintended rectifying behavior that is attributed to the Au diffusion during the shell deposition based on studies using energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, current−voltage, capacitance−voltage, and Kelvin probe force measurements. Removing the gold prior to n-type shell deposition results in the realization of n-type GaAs nanowires without rectification. We directly correlate the presence of gold impurities to nanowire electrical properties and provide an insight into the role of seed particles on the properties of nanowires and nanowire heterostructures.