cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
New observations on the Late Miocene-Early Pliocene Lutrinae (Mustelidae: Carnivora, Mammalia) from the Middle Awash, Afar Rift, Ethiopia

Abstract New observations on the Late Miocene and Earliest Pliocene mustelids from the Middle Awash of Ethiopia are presented. The Middle Awash study area samples the last six million years of African vertebrate evolutionary history. Its Latest Miocene (Asa Koma Member of the Adu-Asa Formation, 5.54–5.77 Ma) and Earliest Pliocene (Kuseralee and Gawto Members of the Sagantole Formation, 5.2 and 4.85 Ma, respectively) deposits sample a number of large and small carnivore taxa among which mustelids are numerically abundant. Among the known Late Miocene and Early Pliocene mustelid genera, the Middle Awash Late Miocene documents the earliest Mellivora in eastern Africa and its likely first appearance in Africa, a new species of Plesiogulo , and a species of Vishnuonyx . The latter possibly represents the last appearance of this genus in Africa. Torolutra ougandensis is known from both the Late Miocene and Early Pliocene deposits of the Middle Awash. The genus Sivaonyx is represented by at least two species: S. ekecaman and S . aff. S. soriae . Most of the lutrine genera documented in the Middle Awash Late Miocene/Early Pliocene are also documented in contemporaneous sites of eastern Africa. The new observations presented here show that mustelids were more diverse in the Middle Awash Late Miocene and Early Pliocene than previously documented.
Milk, Dairy Fat, and Body Weight in Pediatrics: Time for Reappraisal

The objective of this study was to review the pediatric literature on the relationship between dairy, milk fat, and body weight to ascertain whether it supports current recommendations to limit dairy fat in children and adolescents. With only a few exceptions, pediatric crosssectional and prospective studies from across the globe have demonstrated significant negative associations between dairy or milk intake and body mass index or body fat. Four studies have looked specifically at the fat content of milk, and none have implicated whole or 2% milk as being more weight inducing than lower fat milk. The pediatric literature on dairy provides no support to the notion that skim milk is more protective against excessive weight gain than whole milk and in fact raises the possibility that the very opposite may be the case. Hypotheses are suggested to explain this.
Shear Strength of Two Gulf of Mexico Mudrocks and a Comparison with Other Sediments

This study examines the shear strength behavior of two mudrocks from the Gulf of Mexico through a series of KO-consolidated triaxial compression tests. The tests are performed over a very wide range of effective stresses from 0.1 up to 10 MPa. Samples were prepared for triaxial testing by laboratory resedimentation of the core material. There is a consistent decrease in the critical state friction angle of both mudrocks with increasing stress level, and this corresponds with an increase in the value of KO (the ratio of horizontal to vertical effective stresses for one-dimensional consolidation). The strength behavior of the Gulf of Mexico mudrocks is consistent with that observed for other materials from a wide variety of geologic backgrounds. It is shown that variations in critical state friction angle with stress level can be correlated to a mudrock’s liquid limit, an easily measured index property which reflects the clay mineralogy and clay fraction of a mudrock. This finding has great practical value as it allows for a reasonable estimate of the critical state friction angle of a mudrock without having to obtain intact field samples, which is frequently infeasible in the case of deep sediments or sediments from the deep ocean.
New Taylor-expansion method for solving a general class of wave equations

We derive a general method for solving second-order wave equations on the basis of a fourth-order Taylor expansion, with respect to time, of the field and its time derivative. The method requires explicit evaluation of space derivatives up to fourth order of the field and its time derivative, and the time step is subject to a stability criterion, similar to the one routinely applied in conjunction with the time-domain–finite-difference method. The Taylor-series method is generalizable to vector wave equations, to wave equations involving dissipation, and to the Helmholtz wave equation. The method is equally applicable to situations involving large or small variations in the refractive index. Sample numerical solutions in one and two space dimensions are described.
A Game-Theoretic Approach for High-Assurance of Data Trustworthiness in Sensor Networks

Sensor networks are being increasingly deployed in many application domains ranging from environment monitoring to supervising critical infrastructure systems (e.g., the power grid). Due to their ability to continuously collect large amounts of data, sensor networks represent a key component in decision-making, enabling timely situation assessment and response. However, sensors deployed in hostile environments may be subject to attacks by adversaries who intend to inject false data into the system. In this context, {\em data trustworthiness} is an important concern, as false readings may result in wrong decisions with serious consequences (e.g., large-scale power outages). To defend against this threat, it is important to establish trust levels for sensor nodes and adjust node trustworthiness scores to account for malicious interferences. In this paper, we develop a game-theoretic defense strategy to protect sensor nodes from attacks and to guarantee a high level of trustworthiness for sensed data. We use a discrete time model, and we consider that there is a limited attack budget that bounds the capability of the attacker in each round. The defense strategy objective is to ensure that sufficient sensor nodes are protected in each round such that the discrepancy between the value accepted and the truthful sensed value is below a certain threshold. We model the attack-defense interaction as a Stackel berg game, and we derive the Nash equilibrium condition that is sufficient to ensure that the sensed data are truthful within a nominal error bound. We implement a prototype of the proposed strategy and we show through extensive experiments that our solution provides an effective and efficient way of protecting sensor networks from attacks.
Horseshoe pitchers' hot hands.

Gilovich, Vallone, and Tversky’s (1985) analysis of basketball data indicates that a player’s chances of making a shot are not affected by the results of earlier shots. However, their basketball data do not control for several confounding influences. An analysis of horseshoe pitching, which does not have these defects, indicates that players do have modest hot and cold spells.
The Heat of Dissociation of CO and the Electron Affinity of O

An apparatus previously described has been employed in a study of the dissociation produced by primary electron impact in CO and ${\mathrm{O}}_{2}$. The processes studied in ${\mathrm{O}}_{2}$ are ${\mathrm{O}}_{2}^{\ensuremath{-}}$\ensuremath{\rightarrow}${\mathrm{O}}^{\ensuremath{-}}$+O at 2.9 v and ${\mathrm{O}}_{2}^{\ensuremath{-}}$\ensuremath{\rightarrow}${\mathrm{O}}^{\ensuremath{-}}$+O* at 12.0 v with an estimated accuracy of \ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.2 v. These figures refer to the potential energy of the dissociation products, the normal molecule considered as zero. These results give two values of ${E}_{0}$, the electron affinity of the oxygen atom, both equal to 2.2\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.2 v. The processes studied in CO are C${\mathrm{O}}^{\ensuremath{-}}$\ensuremath{\rightarrow}C+${\mathrm{O}}^{\ensuremath{-}}$ at 9.5 v, CO\ensuremath{\rightarrow}${\mathrm{C}}^{+}$+${\mathrm{O}}^{\ensuremath{-}}$ at 20.9 v, and C${\mathrm{O}}^{+}$\ensuremath{\rightarrow}${\mathrm{C}}^{+}$+O at 22.8 v, with an estimated accuracy of \ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.1 v. It is concluded that $D(\mathrm{CO})$ may have one of two possible values, 9.6\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.1 or 11.6\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.1 v. These experiments are unable to decide between the two but most of the evidence from other sources points to the lower value. If $D(\mathrm{CO})=9.6$ v we must admit the possibility of stable excited ${\mathrm{O}}^{\ensuremath{-}}$ ions. However, if $D(\mathrm{CO})=11.6$ v, these experiments on CO give two values of ${E}_{0}$, 1.9 and 2.1 v. The processes involved in the formation of negative ions by electron impact are discussed.
Sixty minutes of what? A developing brain perspective for activating children with an integrative exercise approach

Current recommendations for physical activity in children overlook the critical importance of motor skill acquisition early in life. Instead, they focus on the quantitative aspects of physical activity (eg, accumulate 60 min of daily moderate to vigorous physical activity) and selected health-related components of physical fitness (eg, aerobic fitness, muscular strength, muscular endurance, flexibility and body composition). This focus on exercise quantity in youth may limit considerations of qualitative aspects of programme design which include (1) skill development, (2) socialisation and (3) enjoyment of exercise. The timing of brain development and associated neuroplasticity for motor skill learning makes the preadolescence period a critical time to develop and reinforce fundamental movement skills in boys and girls. Children who do not participate regularly in structured motor skill-enriched activities during physical education classes or diverse youth sports programmes may never reach their genetic potential for motor skill control which underlies sustainable physical fitness later in life. The goals of this review are twofold: (1) challenge current dogma that is currently focused on the quantitative rather than qualitative aspects of physical activity recommendations for youth and (2) synthesise the latest evidence regarding the brain and motor control that will provide the foundation for integrative exercise programming that provide a framework sustainable activity for life.
Relative potency of varenicline or fluvoxamine to reduce responding for ethanol versus food depends on the presence or absence of concurrently earned food.

Background Varenicline, a nicotinic partial agonist, selectively reduces ethanol (EtOH)- versus sucrose-maintained behavior when tested in separate groups, yet like the indirect agonist fluvoxamine, this selectivity inverts when EtOH and food are concurrently available. Methods Here, we extend these findings by examining varenicline and fluvoxamine effects under a multiple concurrent schedule where food and EtOH are concurrently available in different components: Component 1 where the food fixed-ratio was 25 and Component 2 where the food fixed-ratio was 75. The EtOH fixed-ratio was always 5. Food-maintained responding predominated in Component 1, while EtOH-maintained responding predominated in Component 2. In a second experiment, varenicline effects were assessed under a multiple schedule where food, then EtOH, then again food were available in separate 5-minute components with fixed-ratios of 5 for each reinforcement. Results In the multiple concurrent schedule, varenicline was more potent at reducing food- versus EtOH-maintained responding in both components and reduced EtOH-maintained responding more potently during Component 1 (when food was almost never earned) than in Component 2 (where food was often earned). Fluvoxamine was similarly potent at reducing food- and EtOH-maintained responding. Under the multiple schedule, varenicline, like fluvoxamine, more potently decreases EtOH- versus food-maintained responding when only food or EtOH is available in separate components. Conclusions These results demonstrate that selective effects on drug- versus alternative-maintained behavior depend on the schedule arrangement, and assays in which EtOH or an alternative is the only programmed reinforcement may overestimate the selectivity of treatments to decrease EtOH self-administration. Thus selective effects obtained under one assay may not generalize to another. Better understanding the behavioral mechanisms responsible for these results may help to guide pharmacotherapeutic development for substance use disorders.
Serum nefa following fat, carbohydrate and protein ingestion, and during fasting as related to intracellular lipid deposition

Summary The design of this controlled clinical trial permits direct quantitative comparison of changes in the concentrations of non-esterified fatty acids, triglycerides, total cholesterol and phospholipids following fat, carbohydrate and protein test meals and during the prolonged fasting state. Direct comparison can also be made, after carbohydrate ingestion and during the prolonged fasting state, between the concentration of these serum lipid constituents and previous serum measurements of intracel-lular lipid deposition in human aortic cells and MAF cells in tissue culture. The data collected in this controlled randomized clinical trial permitting a direct comparison of changes in serum lipid concentration demonstrate that: (1) Fat ingestion was folio wed in postprandial serum specimens (3–9 hours) by a marked increase in NEFA, a moderate increase in triglycerides, a slight increase in phospholipids and no change in total cholesterol concentration. (2) Carbohydrate ingestion was followed by a sharp decrease and then an over-shoot of serum NEFA concentration. Other lipid measurements were unchanged. (3) Protein ingestion was followed by a moderate decrease and then a gradual rise to just above the initial fasting level of serum NEFA concentration. Other lipid measurements were unchanged. (4) During the prolonged fasting state there was a continuous increase in the serum NEFA concentration with no change in the other lipid measurements. There was a remarkable parallelism between the sharp dip after carbohydrate ingestion and the continuous rise during the prolonged fasting state of serum non-esterified fatty acid levels, and the changes in intracellular lipid deposition in tissue culture cells from serum specimens collected under similar experimental conditions.
Rapid comprehensive amino acid analysis by liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry: comparison to cation exchange with post-column ninhydrin detection

Ion-exchange chromatography with ninhydrin detection remains the gold standard for detecting inborn errors of amino acid catabolism and transport. Disadvantages of such analysis include long chromatography times and interference from other ninhydrin-positive compounds. The aim of this project was to develop a more rapid and specific technique using liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS). Optimal fragmentation patterns for 32 amino acids were determined on a triple quadrupole mass spectrometer following butylation. Chromatographic characteristics of each of the amino acids were determined using C8 reversed-phase chromatography with 20% acetonitrile/0.1% formic acid as isocratic mobile phase. Quantitation using eleven deuterated internal standards was compared to cation exchange and ninhydrin detection on a Beckman 7300 system. Following methanol extraction and butylation, determination of 32 amino acids required 20 min. The dynamic range of each amino acid was generally 1-1000 micromol/L. Imprecision ranged from 7 to 23% (CV) over 6 months and recovery ranged from 88-125%. Deming regression with the Beckman 7300 yielded slopes from 0.4-1.2, intercepts from -21 to 65 micromol/L, correlation coefficients from 0.84-0.99 and Syx from 2-125 micromol/L. Isobaric amino acids were separated by chromatography (e.g. leucine, isoleucine) or by unique fragmentation (e.g., alanine, beta-alanine). LC/MS/MS is comparable to traditional LC-ninhydrin detection. Mass spectral detection shortens analysis times and reduces potential for interference in detecting inborn metabolic errors.
Binding energies of the proton-bound amino Acid dimers gly.gly, ala.ala, gly.ala, and lys.lys measured by blackbody infrared radiative dissociation.

Arrhenius activation energies in the zero-pressure limit for dissociation of gas-phase proton-bound homodimers of N,N-dimethylacetamide (N,N-DMA), glycine, alanine, and lysine and the heterodimer alanine·glycine were measured using blackbody infrared radiative dissociation (BIRD). In combination with master equation modeling of the kinetic data, binding energies of these dimers were determined. A value of 1.25 ± 0.05 eV is obtained for N,N-DMA and is in excellent agreement with that reported in the literature. The value obtained from the truncated Boltzmann model is significantly higher, indicating that the assumptions of this model do not apply to these ions. This is due to the competitive rates of photon emission and dissociation for these relatively large ions. The binding energies of the amino acid dimers are ∼1.15 ± 0.05 eV and are indistinguishable despite the difference in their gas-phase basicity and structure. The threshold dissociation energies can be accurately modeled using a range of dissocia...
An exploratory study of reverse causality relationships among sales force turnover variables

This paper explores the directions of causality between selected work-related variables and quitting intentions. Based on the premise that quitting intentions may stem from predispositions that affect work-related variables, longitudinal data collected from a direct sales population were analyzed. When compared with previous literature, the results show the existence of reverse causality, indicating that quitting intentions are more likely to effect the perceptions of such variables as organizational climate, job satisfaction, and organizational commitment.
Maturation of Ventilatory Responses to Hypoxia, Hypercapnia, and Combined Hypoxia and Hypercapnia in Rats. † 1446

Maturation of Ventilatory Responses to Hypoxia, Hypercapnia, and Combined Hypoxia and Hypercapnia in Rats. † 1446
Selenium precipitation in ZnSe crystals grown by physical vapor transport

Abstract The morphology of freshly cleaved ZnSe surfaces was investigated by atomic force microscopy and the results were correlated with differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) data. Selenium precipitates in undoped ZnSe crystals grown by the physical vapor transport method were determined. The Se inclusions have a size of about 20 nm. A transition temperature at 221°C in the DSC measurement is interpreted as the eutectic temperature of Se-saturated ZnSe. The total amount of the ZnSe Se-rich second phase was 0.8 wt%, and some segregation effect along low angle grain boundaries was evident.
HF antennas for NVIS applications mounted to helicopters with tandem main rotor blades

Antennas mounted to helicopters for HF near-vertical incidence skywave (NVIS) communication suffer from severe rotor modulation at frequencies where the blades are nearly resonant. Helicopters with tandem main rotors such as the US Army Chinook cargo helicopter are considered. It is determined that there are two effects contributing to rotor modulation: the parasitic radiation from the rotor blades, and the induced current on the hubs. It is shown here that two towel-bar (loop) antennas, one on each side of the airframe and centered with respect to the hubs, can be used to reduce the severe drop in gain due to hub currents. However, the variation in gain due to parasitic radiation from the blades remains.
An accurate broadband method of moments using higher order basis functions and tree-loop decomposition

The method of moments (MoM) has been one of the most popular computational methods for the solution of electromagnetic scattering problems. While many MoM formulations are possible, the electric field integral equation (EFIE) formulation is of great importance as it can be applied to either closed or open structures. Unfortunately, at very low frequencies, naive EFIE implementations become inaccurate due to severe cancellation in the computation of the scalar potential. This work presents a method to create a loop-tree decomposition for the divergence-conforming higher-order triangular patch bases so that a single mesh can be used to gather broadband information. The proposed method is completely general, and works for any basis function order. In addition, frequency scaling of the impedance matrix was used to further lower its condition number and the right hand side was reformulated to alleviate subtractive cancellation.
The brachial artery: a critical access for endovascular procedures.

Objective The brachial artery is often used for coronary angiography. However, data on brachial access for aortic and peripheral interventions are limited. This study evaluated our experience with brachial artery catheterization for diagnostic arteriography and endovascular interventions. Methods Between August 2004 and August 2005, 2026 endovascular procedures were performed. Of these, 323 cases (16%) in 289 patients required brachial artery access, forming the basis for this study. Patients who underwent multiple interventions, but with a single access (ie, thrombolysis), were considered a single case. Demographic and clinical data were recorded in a database and analyzed using logistic regression analyses with generalized estimating equations and the Fisher exact test for nominal variables. Results The mean age of all patients was 66.4 years, with 57% men. Brachial access was used for diagnostic purposes in 27% and for interventions including angioplasty, stenting, and thrombolysis in 73%. The use of brachial access was considered obligatory in 40%, adjunctive in 19% (ie, endovascular repair of abdominal aortic and thoracic aortic aneurysms) and preferential to femoral access in 41%. In 91% of patients, the brachial arteries were accessed percutaneously, and 9% underwent surgical cutdown for access. In patients whose brachial artery was approached percutaneously, access was achieved in all but one (99.6% technical success rate). Hemostasis after catheterization was achieved by manual compression in 89%. Operative mortality rate was 6.2% and not related to brachial artery access. Brachial access site–related complications occurred in 21 patients (6.5%). Thirteen of these 21 patients (62%) required a surgical correction, mostly for brachial artery thrombosis or pseudoaneurysm. Patients with complications were more commonly women (odds ratio [OR], 4.7; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.68-13.26; P = .003) and had a long interventional sheath (OR, 6.7; 95% CI, 1.53-29.07; P = .012). The risk of a brachial artery complication was not associated with thrombolysis, procedure type, vascular territory treated, or the use of heparin. No upper extremity limb or finger loss occurred. Conclusions Brachial artery access is necessary for complex endovascular procedures and can be achieved in most patients safely. Postprocedural vigilance is warranted because most patients with complications will require operative correction.
Glycine-receptor immunoreactivity in retinal bipolar cells is postsynaptic to glycinergic and GABAergic amacrine cell synapses.

Glycinergic innervation of the synaptic terminals of mixed rod-cone bipolar cells in the goldfish retina was investigated by electron microscopical immunocytochemistry with presynaptic and postsynaptic markers for glycinergic neurons: a monoclonal antibody (mAb 7A) against the 93 kDa subunit of the strychnine-sensitive glycine receptor and polyclonal antisera against a glycine/BSA conjugate. Conventional “glycinergic” synaptic contacts, made by amacrine cell processes, accounted for 7–10% of the input to the bipolar cell terminals, whether determined by glycine receptor immunoreactivity (GlyR-IR) or glycine-IR. In addition to the conventional synapses, the large bipolar cell terminals in the proximal inner plexiform layer (type Mb) gave rise to spinules (spine-like protrusions) that invaginated into presynaptic amacrine cell processes. Although 85% of the spinules were GlyR-IR, no spinules were postsynaptic to glycine-IR processes; yet 86% of the spinules were postsynaptic to GAD-IR processes, suggesting that the GlyR-IR spinules were postsynaptic to GABAergic terminals. Furthermore, a single amacrine cell process could make two synapses with an Mb terminal: a GlyR-IR contact onto a spinule and a conventional synapse that was not GlyR-IR. We suggest that glycinergic innervation of bipolar cell terminals involves conventional glycinergic synapses as well as an unconventional situation in which GABA and glycine may interact in as yet undetermined manner, perhaps by potentiatio.
Being Known by the Company We Keep: The Contagion of First Impressions.

The purposes of the present study were (a) to replicate previous findings concerning naive judges' negative immediate impressions of learning disabled children, and (b) to explore whether such impressions were correlated with the impressions formed by other naive judges concerning a second child viewed in a dyadic peer-group interaction. College students were shown videotapes of second-or fourth-grade boys playing either a host or a guest role on a simulated television talk show. One half of the hosts had been identified as learning disabled. Results indicated that while second-grade learning disabled boys were judged as at least as adaptable as and less hostile than non-learning disabled children, the opposite results were obtained with fourth-grade boys. Additionally, a second set of naive judges judged fourth-grade nondisabled children who interacted with learning disabled students to be more socially hostile than those children interacting with a non-disabled host. Reverse findings were obtained for t...
HAD Superfamily Phosphotransferase Substrate Diversification: Structure and Function Analysis of HAD Subclass IIB Sugar Phosphatase BT4131†,‡

The BT4131 gene from the bacterium Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron VPI-5482 has been cloned and overexpressed in Escherichia coli. The protein, a member of the haloalkanoate dehalogenase superfamily (subfamily IIB), was purified to homogeneity, and its X-ray crystal structure was determined to1.9 A resolution using the molecular replacement phasing method. BT4131 was shown by an extensive substrate screen to be a broad-range sugar phosphate phosphatase. On the basis of substrate specificity and gene context, the physiological function of BT4131 in chitin metabolism has been tentatively assigned. Comparison of the BT4131 structure α/β cap domain structure with those of other type IIB enzymes (phosphoglycolate phosphatase, trehalose-6-phosphate phosphatase, and proteins of unknown function known as PDB entries 1NF2, 1NRW, and 1RKQ) identified two conserved loops (BT4131 residues 172−182 and 118−130) in the αββ(αβαβ)αββ type caps and one conserved loop in the αββαββ type caps, which contribute residues for cont...
Focus Issue: Conquering the Data Mountain

High-throughput technologies have enabled a rapid increase in the acquisition of data regarding cellular regulation, such as protein-protein interactions, gene expression profiling, proteomic analyses of changes in protein abundance, and global analyses of posttranslational modifications. The challenge now is for the community to devise adequate standards for assessing reliability and annotation, facilities for storage, mechanisms for sharing, and tools for visualization and analysis. In conjunction with Science (http://www.sciencemag.org/special/data), this issue of Science Signaling tackles some of the key issues related to the data deluge faced by cell signaling researchers.
On the Built-in Restrictions in Linear Mixed Models, with Application to Smoothing Spline Analysis of Variance

The best linear unbiased predictor (BLUP) of the random parameter in a linear mixed model satisfies a linear constraint, which has been previously termed a built-in restriction. In other literature, constraints on the random parameter itself have been introduced into the modeling framework. The present article has two goals. First, it explores the idea of imposing the built-in restrictions on the BLUP as constraints on the random parameter. Second, it investigates the built-in restrictions satisfied by certain smoothing spline analysis of variance (SSANOVA) estimators, and compares these restrictions to arguably more natural side conditions on the ANOVA decomposition.
Heroin transition risk among daily and non-daily cannabis users who are non-injectors of heroin

Aims Non-injecting heroin use (NIU) has been identified as a potential precursor for the transition to injecting drug use (IDU). This paper examines and compares heroin transition risks between two groups of Mexican American cannabis users (daily (DU) vs. non-daily (NDU)) who are NIUs.
Cardiac metabolism and arrhythmias

Sudden cardiac death remains a leading cause of death in the Western world, accounting for up to 20% of all deaths in the United States1,2 The major causes of sudden cardiac death in adults age 35 and older are coronary artery disease (70% to 80%) and dilated cardiomyopathy (10% to 15%).3 At the molecular level, a wide variety of mechanisms contribute to arrhythmias that cause sudden cardiac death, ranging from genetic predisposition (rare mutations and common polymorphisms in ion channels and structural proteins) to acquired electrophysiological and structural remodeling in left ventricular hypertrophy and failure.4,5 A growing body of evidence suggests that altered ion channel function is closely linked to changes in metabolic activity in a wide variety of pathological conditions. In this review we focus on the mechanisms by which altered metabolic function affects cardiac electrophysiology. We will review the specific molecular targets that allow cardiomyocytes to recognize alterations in their metabolic state and translate this information into changes in membrane excitability in various pathophysiological conditions including ischemia-reperfusion, heart failure (HF), left ventricular (LV) hypertrophy, diabetic cardiomyopathy, and atrial fibrillation (AF). A comprehensive understanding of the interrelated processes of metabolic and electric remodeling promises to identify new molecular targets for the treatment of cardiac arrhythmias. Free energy released from the hydrolysis of high-energy phosphates is essential for maintenance of cellular homeostasis. Maintenance of Na+ and K+ gradients across the plasma membrane is among the most energy-intensive cellular processes in the heart. Ultimately, all transmembrane ionic movements are driven by the free energy released from ATP hydrolysis by P-type (“P” for phosphorylated intermediate) ATPases, including the Na+-K+-ATPase and the sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase. The electrochemical gradient generated by the Na+-K+-ATPase establishes the gradients of Na+ …
Key lessons from the scalable communications core: a reconfigurable wireless baseband

The radios in mobile Internet devices and smart phones need to support a wide range of wireless standards for cellular, broadband, local, and personal area network connectivity, satellite navigation, and broadcast digital television in a small form factor with low energy consumption. The customary approach is to integrate an optimized antenna, front-end, baseband, and MAC for each protocol; however, any upgrades or modifications for new or different product definitions require a costly respin of the silicon. An alternative approach is to integrate flexible components including an antenna, front-end, baseband, and MAC into a radio that enables one set of hardware to satisfy multiple protocols and also provides scalability for protocol changes in the future; however, there is a penalty in terms of area and power that has to be considered. An example of a flexible baseband is the Scalable Communications Core. This core was developed by Intel Labs and consists of a heterogeneous set of coarse-grained programmable accelerators connected via a packet-based network-on-chip. To understand the area and power cost of the architecture, we taped out a prototype SCC test chip in a 65 nm CMOS process, and programmed and validated it for multiple protocols, including WiFi, WiMAX, GPS, Bluetooth, and DVB-H. This article summarizes our key results in architecture, programming, interconnection, and performance of a flexible baseband for realtime wireless communications applications.
A computational study of the effect of the metal organic framework environment on the release of chemically stored nitric oxide.

The use of copper based metal organic frameworks as a vehicle for the storage and delivery of chemically stored nitric oxide has been proposed based on recent experiments [J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2012, 134, 3330–3333]. In these experiments copper based metal organic frameworks (MOFs) suspended in ethanol catalytically convert chemically stored nitric oxide (in the S-nitrosothiol or RSNO form) to free nitric oxide at a slow and sustained rate, as compared to a quick release in a solution of ethanol containing free copper ions. In order to gain insight on the effect of the MOF environment on the catalytic activity, a combination of electronic structure calculations on representative clusters and classical simulations using a force-field (partly parameterized on the above calculations) is used to study a simple RSNO species, S-nitrosomethane (CH3SNO) as well as the biologically compatible S-nitrosocysteine, both in the MOF and free copper solution. The free energy profiles of bringing the RSNO species to the catalytic centers have been compared and related to the different solvation environments of the copper catalyst in the complex solvated MOF and in free copper solution. Surprisingly, in the case of the simple CH3SNO moiety as well as the S-nitrosocysteine case, the free energy profile of bringing the first RSNO from the center of one of the pores to the catalytic site in the pore is very similar to the free solution case. On the other hand, bringing a second RSNO molecule to the same catalytic site or to the adjacent catalytic copper site show relatively higher barriers. These studies help shed light on the sustained nitric oxide release in the MOF environment.
Resistance to American foulbrood disease by honey bee colonies Apis mellifera bred for hygienic behavior

Honey bee colonies, selected for hygienic behavior on the basis of a freeze-killed brood assay, demonstrated resistance to American foulbrood disease. Over two summers in 1998 and 1999, 18 hygienic and 18 non-hygienic colonies containing instrumentally inseminated queens were chal- lenged with comb sections containing spores of the bacterium Paenibacillus larvae subsp. larvae that causes the disease. The strain of bacterium was demonstrated to be resistant to oxytetracycline antibi- otic. Seven (39%) hygienic colonies developed clinical symptoms of the disease but five of these recov- ered (had no visible symptoms) leaving two colonies (11%) with clinical symptoms. In contrast, 100% of the non-hygienic colonies that were challenged developed clinical symptoms, and only one recovered. All non-hygienic colonies had symptoms of naturally occurring chalkbrood disease (Ascosphaera apis) throughout both summers. In contrast 33% of the hygienic colonies developed clin- ical symptoms of chalkbrood after they were challenged with American foulbrood, but all recov- ered. The diseased non-hygienic colonies produced significantly less honey than the hygienic colonies. Apis mellifera / hygienic behavior / American foulbrood / disease resistance
Helix XI contributes to the entrance of the serotonin transporter permeation pathway

The sodium-dependent transporters for dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin that regulate neurotransmission, also translocate the neurotoxin 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium (MPP+). Previous studies implicated residues in transmembrane helix (TMH) XI of DAT as important sites for MPP+ transport. We examined the importance of TMH XI residues F551 and F556 for MPP+ translocation by human SERT. Mutations at hSERT F556, but not F551, reduced both 5-HT and MPP+ transport compared to wild type. However, F556S/hSERT showed a reduction in surface expression explaining the decrease of transport activity for 5-HT, but did not account for the decrease in MPP+ transport observed. Cysteine mutants at those positions confirmed the accessibility of hSERT/F556 to different methanethiosulfonate (MTS) reagents, suggesting its presence in a hydrophilic environment of the protein. In the presence of MTSET, current induced by 5-HT and MPP+ was inhibited at the F556C mutant. In agreement with our homology model of SERT, based on the leucine transporter (LeuTAa) from Aquifex aeolicus structure, these results are consistent with the hypothesis that a portion of TMH XI lines the entrance into the substrate permeation pathway.
Detailed modeling of the Limpaecher-design resonant power converter

We present the results of a detailed assessment of the operating characteristics of the Limpaecher-design resonant power converter as studied by using a simulation model. The study shows that, from the perspective of the power system, the Limpaecher design yields low harmonic distortion ( 0.99). From the perspective of the load, the high frequency of power conversion allows both low ripple (1.7%) and a small stored energy at the output (1.6 kJ), benefits that are oftentimes mutually exclusive. The cost of these performance advantages lies in a multitude of semiconductor power switches, a somewhat complicated control algorithm, and a critical transformer design.
Apprentice Watch: Learning Through Reality TV

The Apprentice attracts younger viewers in record number. Most of today’s college students fall within that range. This paper presents pedagogy created to use The Apprentice in business school teaching.
Neurochemical Responses in Stress: Relationships Between the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal and Catecholamine Systems

The purpose of this chapter is to review some of the neurochemical responses that occur during stress and to assess their potential significance for the organism. Of the myriad stress responses that have been recorded, two systems stand out: the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical (HPA) system, and the sympathetic-adrenomedullary (SA) system. While most research has tended to focus on one or other of these systems, we believe the existence of these two parallel systems to be biologically significant. It is the relationship between these two systems that intrigues us, and this will be the focus of our review.
Neighborhood Factors in Health

There are a number of processes through which neighborhood environments may relate to behaviors and health outcomes, and a number of studies have empirically examined neighborhood health effects. This chapter highlights the major theoretical and methodological challenges that must be overcome to improve our understanding of how and why neighborhoods matter for health. We focus on issues regarding: (1) defining and operationalizing neighborhood boundaries, (2) measuring neighborhood exposures, (3) improving study design and causal inference, and (4) accounting for time and life-course effects. We also provide examples of how researchers are using novel and creative approaches to address these challenges. Identification of causal neighborhood effects amenable to intervention and policy will require multidisciplinary approaches that address these challenges.
Single-Interface Richtmyer–Meshkov Turbulent Mixing at the Los Alamos Vertical Shock Tube

Mach number and initial conditions effects on Richtmyer–Meshkov (RM) mixing are studied by the vertical shock tube (VST) at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). At the VST, a perturbed stable light-to-heavy (air–SF6, A = 0.64) interface is impulsively accelerated with a shock wave to induce RM mixing. We investigate changes to both large and small scales of mixing caused by changing the incident Mach number (Ma = 1.3 and 1.45) and the three-dimensional (3D) perturbations on the interface. Simultaneous density (quantitative planar laser-induced fluorescence (PLIF)) and velocity (particle image velocimetry (PIV)) measurements are used to characterize preshock initial conditions and the dynamic shocked interface. Initial conditions and fluid properties are characterized before shock. Using two types of dynamic measurements, time series (N = 5 realizations at ten locations) and statistics (N = 100 realizations at a single location) of the density and velocity fields, we calculate several mixing quantities. Mix width, density-specific volume correlations, density–vorticity correlations, vorticity, enstrophy, strain, and instantaneous dissipation rate are examined at one downstream location. Results indicate that large-scale mixing, such as the mix width, is strongly dependent on Mach number, whereas small scales are strongly influenced by initial conditions. The enstrophy and strain show focused mixing activity in the spike regions.
Meta-Ethical Competence as a Lawyer Skill: Variant Ethics Affecting Lawyer and Client Decision-Making

Lawyers benefit by developing skill in recognizing their own worldview, perspective, or ethic, and recognizing those held by their clients and others. Lawyers are more effective when they possess and exercise a meta-ethical competence, meaning the ability to see how their clients and others are using worldviews to make decisions. Lawyers can give better advice and support to clients when drawing on, mediating, and re-mediating client ethics. Moral, pragmatic, therapeutic, probabilistic, spiritual, instrumental, and other philosophies, habits, or perspectives can each have their own benefit in different circumstances. Law schools should teach recognition of variant ethics.
Staffing Practices and Problems Of Business Units in the California State College System

Research methodology included interviews, questionnaires, and the participant-observer approach in order to generate data otherwise unobtainable. The basic problem in performing the staffing functi...
The Indigogenic Reaction for Histochemical Demonstration of Sulfatase.

SummaryThe indigogenic principle has been extended to the histochemical demonstration of sulfatase. The advantage of this substrate is that it affords a precise enzyme localization with no or very slight diffusion and also a simple and direct method for demonstration of this enzyme without the need for a coupling reaction.We are indebted to Mrs. Georgette M. Dunlap for stenographic assistance.
Solar hydrogen generation by a CdS-Au-TiO2 sandwich nanorod array enhanced with Au nanoparticle as electron relay and plasmonic photosensitizer.

This paper presents a sandwich-structured CdS-Au-TiO2 nanorod array as the photoanode in a photoelectrochemical cell (PEC) for hydrogen generation via splitting water. The gold nanoparticles sandwiched between the TiO2 nanorod and the CdS quantum dot (QD) layer play a dual role in enhancing the solar-to-chemical energy conversion efficiency. First, the Au nanoparticles serve as an electron relay, which facilitates the charge transfer between CdS and TiO2 when the CdS QDs are photoexcited by wavelengths shorter than 525 nm. Second, the Au nanoparticles act as a plasmonic photosensitizer, which enables the solar-to-hydrogen conversion at wavelengths longer than the band edge of CdS, extending the photoconversion wavelength from 525 to 725 nm. The dual role of Au leads to a photocurrent of 4.07 mA/cm2 at 0 V (vs Ag|AgCl) under full solar spectrum irradiation and a maximum solar-to-chemical energy conversion efficiency of 2.8%. An inversion analysis is applied to the transient absorption spectroscopy data, tr...
Developing, Marketing and Evaluating Web-Based Library and Information Skills Tutorials at Old Dominion University

This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the University Libraries at ODU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Libraries Faculty & Staff Publications by an authorized administrator of ODU Digital Commons. For more information, please contact digitalcommons@odu.edu. Repository Citation Swaine, Cynthia Wright, "Developing, Marketing and Evaluating Web-Based Library and Information Skills Tutorials at Old Dominion University" (2001). Libraries Faculty & Staff Publications. Paper 10. http://digitalcommons.odu.edu/libraries_fac_pubs/10
Introduction: A Vibrant Hybridity

The focus of this book is partnerships between people from performance and other fields, when neither collaborator’s goals are attainable by their expertise alone. They are what Pam Korza calls uncommon partners, brought together by commitment to a common, social concern. When performance is part of such projects, they may or may not include the creation of a show, take place on a stage, direct themselves to established audiences, or even be recognizable as performance, but they rely deeply on aesthetic training, methodologies, and mindsets. The context of such work is not art but a larger, social frame.
Mechanism — Arguments PRO and CON

There are two positive arguments for mechanism which will be presented in this chapter. The first is an argument from analogy which says that digital computers and human beings share an extremely large and ever-growing body of intelligent behaviors, and since a computer is an automaton so is a man. The second, which rests on a certain claim about psychological explanations to the effect that nothing counts as an explanation of intelligence that appeals to unanalyzable chunks of intelligence, says that automata descriptions afford exactly such noncircular explanations. A further claim, namely that a strictly behaviorist method cannot account for all mental features, will be laid in the next chapter.
Markers of autoimmunity in immune thrombocytopenia: prevalence and prognostic significance

Prior studies have demonstrated an increased prevalence of autoimmune markers in patients with immune thrombocytopenia (ITP). Clinical experience has suggested that there may be an association between autoimmune markers and poor outcomes in ITP, but current guidelines do not encourage routine testing in these patients. We retrospectively assessed the prevalence of autoimmune markers in adult patients with ITP from our institutional database and used multiple logistic regression analyses to test for an association between autoimmune marker positivity and thrombotic events or clinical remission. We also assessed whether positivity for common autoimmune markers was associated with positivity for platelet autoantibodies. There was a high rate of autoimmune marker positivity in this population, with antinuclear antibody (65%), antithyroid peroxidase antibody (31%), and direct antiglobulin (29%) the most commonly found. Antithyroid peroxidase antibody positivity was associated with a lower probability of remission (odds ratio [OR], 0.26; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.09-0.79; P = .017). Lupus anticoagulant positivity was associated with a higher rate of thrombosis (OR, 8.92; 95% CI, 1.94-40.95; P = .005), and antinuclear antibody was strongly associated with thrombosis (P = .001). There was no relation between platelet autoantibody positivity and the presence of autoimmune markers. These results suggest that many patients with ITP have a state of immune dysregulation that extends beyond platelet autoantibodies and that certain autoimmune markers may be prognostically useful in this disorder.
A data-driven approach for quantifying energy savings in a smart building

Smart buildings with sensors, smart thermostats and energy consumption monitoring devices can collect a great amount of data, which can provide vital guidance for potential energy savings in buildings. Using a data-driven approach, this paper demonstrates that such data can be used to estimate energy saving potential of a building achievable through setpoint adjustments of a heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system. A linear model is constructed to explain the relationship between the cooling set-point and the HVAC energy consumption. Data are collected for a building in Blacksburg, VA during the summer of 2016. Findings indicate that around 5 to 13% of energy savings can be achieved when the cooling set-point is increased by only one degree F.
Examining the noisy life of the college musician: weeklong noise dosimetry of music and non-music activities.

Objective: To examine the contribution of all daily activities, including non-music activities, to the overall noise exposure of college student musicians, and to compare their “noise lives” with t...