cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Decreased Oocyte-Granulosa Cell Gap Junction Communication and Connexin Expression in a Type 1 Diabetic Mouse Model

In women, type 1 diabetes is associated with an increased risk of poor prenatal outcomes such as congenital anomalies and early miscarriage. In murine models of type 1 diabetes, impaired oocyte meiotic maturation, abnormal oocyte metabolism, and increased granulosa cell apoptosis have been noted. because gap junction communication is critical for the regulation of oocyte growth and meiotic maturation, we investigated the level of communication between the oocyte and surrounding cumulus cells in a streptozotocin-induced type 1 diabetic B6SJL/F1 mouse model and the expression of gap junction proteins known as connexins. Fluorescence recovery after photobleaching analyses of cumulus cell-enclosed oocytes (CEOs) from diabetic mice showed a 60% decrease in communication as compared with CEOs from nondiabetic mice. Real-time RT-PCR analyses confirmed the presence of Cx26, Cx37, and Cx57 mRNA and revealed a significant decrease in Cx37 mRNA expression in oocytes from diabetic mice compared with nondiabetic mice. Western analyses detected Cx26 expression in CEO but not denuded oocyte (DO) samples, and Cx37 in DO samples. Cx26 protein levels were decreased by 78% in CEOs from diabetic mice, and Cx37 protein levels were decreased 36% in DOs from diabetic mice. This decrease in connexin expression and gap junction communication in CEOs from diabetic mice may be responsible for the impaired oocyte meiotic maturation and poor pregnancy outcomes.
Fill factor as a probe of current‐matching for GaInP2/GaAs tandem cells in a concentrator system during outdoor operation

Designing a tandem solar cell for use in a concentrator system is challenging because: (a) the conditions are variable, so solar cells rarely operate under optimal conditions, and (b) the conditions are not controlled, so any design problems are difficult to characterize. Here, we show how the fill factor can be used as a diagnostic tool to either verify correct system design and operation or to help identify a problem. We give particular attention to the detection of spectral skewing by the concentrator optics, as this can reduce the performance of GaInP2/GaAs tandem cells and is difficult to characterize. The conclusions are equally valid for GaInP2/GaAs/Ge triple-junction cells. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The X-ray crystal structure refinements of normal human transthyretin and the amyloidogenic Val-30→Met variant to 1.7-Å resolution

The x-ray crystal structures of normal human transthyretin (prealbumin) and the amyloidogenic Val-30-Met variant have been refined at 1.7-A resolution to R-values of 0.168 and 0.179, respectively, for 19,882 and 20,362 reflections (Fobs > 2.0 sigma). Standard deviations for stereochemical parameters are 0.018 and 0.022 A for bond distances, 0.030 and 0.038 A for angle distances, and 0.035 and 0.070 A for planar 1-4 distances. The newly refined normal structure shows improvement over the original structure of Blake and Swan (Blake, C. C. F., and Swan, I. D. A. (1971) J. Mol. Biol. 61, 217-224) in stereochemistry and in the conformation of the loop regions. Residues Arg-103, Thr-123, Asn-124, and Pro-125 have now been resolved, and residues 1-9 and 126-127 have been modeled with the aid of simulated annealing refinement. The functional form of transthyretin is a tetramer, having a cylindrical cavity which will bind thyroxine and an exterior binding site for the complex of retinol with retinol-binding protein. The monomer is a beta barrel flattened to become more like a sandwich with residue 30 in the interior. The methionyl for valyl substitution forces the beta sheets of the monomer as much as 1 A apart, resulting in a distortion of the thyroxine-binding cavity, in agreement with the independent observations that the Met-30 variant has low affinity for thyroxine.
White coat ceremonies: a second opinion

A "white coat" ceremony functions as a rite of passage for students entering medical school. This comment provides a second option in response to the earlier, more enthusiastic, discussion of the ceremony by Raanan Gillon. While these ceremonies may serve important sociological functions, they raise three serious problems: whether the professional oath or "affirmation of professional commitment" taken in this setting has any legitimacy, how a sponsor of such a ceremony would know which oath or affirmation to administer, and what the moral implications of this "bonding process" are. I argue that the initiation oath is morally meanignless if students are not aware of its content in advance, that different students ought to commit to different oaths, and that bonding of students to the medical profession necessarily separates them from identification with lay people who will be their patients.
Throughflow analysis: A stochastic approach

Ecological network analysis (ENA), predicated on systems theory and Leontiev input–output analysis, is a method widely used in ecology to reveal ecosystem properties. An important ecosystem property computed in ENA is throughflows, the amount of matter/energy leaving each compartment of the ecosystem. Throughflows are analyzed via a matrix N representing their relationships to the driving input at the boundary. Network particle tracking (NPT) builds on ENA to offer a Lagrangian particle method that describes the activity of the ecosystem at the microscopic level. This paper introduces a Lagrangian throughflow analysis methodology using NPT and shows that the NPT throughflow matrix, N, agrees with the conventional ENA throughflow matrix, N, for ecosystems at steady-state with donor-controlled flows. The matrix N is computed solely from the pathways (particles’ histories) generated by NPT simulations and its average over multiple runs of the algorithm with longer simulation time agrees with the Eulerian N matrix (Law of Large Numbers). While the traditional NEA throughflow analysis is mostly used with steady-state ecosystem models, the Lagrangian throughflow analysis that we propose can be used with non-steady-state models and paves the way for the development of dynamic throughflow analysis.
Quantitative evaluation of magnet hysteresis effects at LANSCE with respect to magnet power supply specifications

The proton beam in the LANSCE accelerator is guided and focused almost exclusively by electromagnets. Magnet hysteresis has had significant impacts on the tuning of the LANSCE accelerator. Magnet hysteresis can also have an impact on magnet power supply (MPS) control, regulation and repeatability requirements. To date, MPS performance requirements have been driven by the requirements on the magnetic fields as determined by the accelerator physicists. Taking hysteresis effects into account can significantly change MPS requirements, as some requirements become more stringent and some are found to be over specified. Overspecification of MPS requirements can result in significant increases in MPS cost. Conversely, the use of appropriate MPS requirements can result in significant cost savings. The LANSCE accelerator's more than three decades of operation provide a wide variety of MPS technologies and operational experience. We will survey the LANSCE MPS history and determine how performance specifications can be refined to both reduce costs and improve the operators abilities to control the magnetic fields.
Computer studies of a combined-function bend magnet for a proposed redesign of the SLAC SLC damping rings

A proposed redesign of the SLAC SLC Damping Ring requires a combined-function bending magnet. The magnet will operate with a main field of 1.8338 T, and quadrupole and sextupole gradients dB/sub Ydx, d/sup 2/B/sub ydx/sup 2/ of -14.1 T/m and -477 T/m/sup 2/, respectively. Because the orbit sagitta in the magnet is in excess of 2 cm, the pole will be curved with a 2 m radius of curvature. Furthermore, since the current must be variable over a range of /spl plusmn/2 percent, we have considered using vanadium permendur poles to avoid adverse saturation effects. Studies were done using POISSON in 2-D and TOSCA for 3-D end effects. >
Medical management of sinusitis in pediatric patients.

U he diagnosis of sinusitis has changed during our 25 years of clinical practice. During our pediatric residencies, a diagnosis of acute or chronic sinusitis was not common. Twenty years later as an allergistimmunologist and pediatric infectious disease specialist, we were seeing numerous patients with sinusitis, especially of a chronic nature. Is the increased diagnosis of sinusitis a result of experience, increased prevalence, medical postgraduate educational experience, or epidemiologic and societal factors? Our subspecialty experience is important in the diagnosis and treatment of sinusitis. There is no doubt that patients with chronic respiratory symptoms unresponsive to routine therapy are referred to physicians with our specialty training for evaluation. The proportion of patients with chronic sinusitis seen in subspecialty respiratory disease clinics is probably higher than that in the general medical population, thereby contributing to the emphasis on this diagnosis. This concentration of cases has provided us the opportunity to examine and treat many children with sinusitis and has given us the perspective on diagnosis and treatment that is discussed in this article. A review of MEDLINE from 1975 to 1995 revealed 161 citations of 240,554 under the title sinusitis (major medical subject heading) for 1975, and in 1995 alone, 175 listings (of 381,865). Subject listings for maxillary and ethmoid sinusitis were not available in MEDLINE until 1989. Sinusitis in the 1975 edition of a standard pediatric
Improving Exam Performance by Metacognitive Strategies

When individuals make self-assessment errors, they are generally in the direction of overconfidence. Why do students overestimate their multiple-choice exam scores? Is there a way to boost students' exam performance to match their exam expectations? This study addresses these questions by a manipulation introduced at the end of multiple-choice exams. Students were given an opportunity to improve their score by answering an additional set of upgrade multiple-choice questions. Then the students could swap a subset of the questions with questions from the formal exam. Substitution credit was only given when a correctly answered upgrade question was swapped for an incorrectly answered exam question. The results reveal that the bonus opportunity significantly improves exam performance, and the adjusted scores are close enough to the estimated score that there is no statistically significant difference between the two. The authors believe that the substitution process activates critical thinking and metacogniti...
Clinical Significance of Helicobacter Species Other than Helicobacter pylori

The cultivation of Helicobacter pylori and the recognition of its clinical significance have served to stimulate interest in bacteria associated with the gastrointestinal and hepatobiliary tracts. Many novel Helicobacter species have been identified and are increasingly recognized in association with human disease, most of which is likely acquired as a zoonosis. Because their identification can be difficult by use of routine methods available in the clinical laboratory, awareness of methods for diagnosis and treatment of these Helicobacter species is important, particularly in the evaluation of immunocompromised patients.
Robot-assisted adaptive training: custom force fields for teaching movement patterns

Based on recent studies of neuro-adaptive control, we tested a new iterative algorithm to generate custom training forces to "trick" subjects into altering their target-directed reaching movements to a prechosen movement as an after-effect of adaptation. The prechosen movement goal, a sinusoidal-shaped path from start to end point, was never explicitly conveyed to the subject. We hypothesized that the adaptation would cause an alteration in the feedforward command that would result in the prechosen movement. Our results showed that when forces were suddenly removed after a training period of 330 movements, trajectories were significantly shifted toward the prechosen movement. However, de-adaptation occurred (i.e., the after-effect "washed out") in the 50-75 movements that followed the removal of the training forces. A second experiment suppressed vision of hand location and found a detectable reduction in the washout of after-effects, suggesting that visual feedback of error critically influences learning. A final experiment demonstrated that after-effects were also present in the neighborhood of training-44% of original directional shift was seen in adjacent, unpracticed movement directions to targets that were 60/spl deg/ different from the targets used for training. These results demonstrate the potential for these methods for teaching motor skills and for neuro-rehabilitation of brain-injured patients. This is a form of "implicit learning," because unlike explicit training methods, subjects learn movements with minimal instructions, no knowledge of, and little attention to the trajectory.
Growth Factor and Cytokine-Regulated Hyaluronan-Binding Protein TSG-6 Is Localized to the Injury-Induced Rat Neointima and Confers Enhanced Growth in Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells

Hyaluronan (HA) and HA-binding proteins have been implicated in a diverse array of biological processes, including development, tissue repair, and tumor invasion. However, the role of HA and HA-binding proteins in atherosclerosis and restenosis is poorly understood. PS4 (TSG-6) is a HA-binding protein expressed by cultured vascular smooth muscle cells (SMCs) in response to serum and growth factor stimulation. To delineate a possible role for TSG-6 in vascular disease progression, we have characterized its expression in cultured SMCs and in a rat vascular injury model, and we have studied the effect of constitutive overexpression of TSG-6 on SMC behavior. We found that interleukin-1 (IL-1) but not tumor necrosis factor or interleukin-6 was able to stimulate TSG-6 expression in SMCs. The IL-1 pathway could be distinguished from the growth factor pathway by its insensitivity to protein synthesis inhibitors. Furthermore, epidermal growth factor, fibroblast growth factor-1, and transforming growth factor-beta1 were all capable of augmenting maximum IL-1-induced expression of TSG-6. To gain further insight into the function of TSG-6 in SMCs, we examined the effect of constitutive overexpression of TSG-6 on these cells. We found that TSG-6-overexpressing cells grew >50% faster than control cells. Furthermore, this growth advantage became more evident in the absence of serum growth factors, with an average increase in cell number of 118% over control cells after 6 days. Consistent with these in vitro data, we observed intense immunostaining for TSG-6 in proliferating SMCs in the rat neointima after injury, whereas only an occasional cell was positive for TSG-6 in the medial layer and in nonballooned arteries. We conclude that the expression of TSG-6 is tightly controlled by growth factors and cytokines via two distinct pathways in SMCs and that overexpression of TSG-6 confers a growth advantage to these cells.
Stigmatizing Effects of Prosocial Alcohol and Tobacco E-Sponsorships*

Corporate sponsorship of social causes by tobacco and alcohol industries has increased in recent years, although little is known about the effects of prosocial sponsorship efforts in the context of the Internet. This article presents the results of a study designed to evaluate social cause Internet sponsorship effects in terms of two communication objectives: brand awareness and brand image. The effects of three corporate sponsors (Marlboro, Budweiser, Visa), paired with high/low congruent messages, were examined in an Internet experiment (e-newspaper). Sponsor motive also was examined. Results showed no differences with regard to brand awareness. However, high congruent sponsors with stigmatizing products yielded lower brand image than the low congruent sponsor with a nonstigmatizing product. Sponsors with stigmatizing products were thought to have selfish motives and this influenced brand awareness and attitudes about brand image. Implications for social marketers are discussed.
Perspectives on the Physical Chemistry of Semiconductor Nanocrystals

Semiconductor nanocrystals exhibit a wide range of size-dependent properties. Variations in fundamental characteristics ranging from phase transitions to electrical conductivity can be induced by controlling the size of the crystals. The present status and new opportunities for research in this area of materials physical chemistry are reviewed.
Crystalline structures of poly(ethylene terephthalate) fibers

A graphic multiple peak resolution method by wide angle X-ray scattering (WAXS) pattern was described and used to estimate the interplanar spacings, crystallinities, and crystalline sizes of eight poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) fibers. The values for interplanar spacings of Dacron 54 suggested that the unit cell model by Daubeny et al. was appropriate for Dacron fibers. In general, crystallinities of the eight PET fibers ranged from 44.7% for Dacron 54 to 62% for Dacron 56 with the copolymers in between. Crystallinity by density measurements was determined and compared to that by WAXS in both fabric and ground fiber forms. Crystallinity values for each fiber derived by these three methods were different. For each fiber, crystallinity was lowest by WAXS in the ground fiber form, followed by the density measurement and WAXS in the fabric form.
Statistical Inference for Variable Importance

Many statistical problems involve the learning of an importance/effect of a variable for predicting an outcome of interest based on observing a sample of $n$ independent and identically distributed observations on a list of input variables and an outcome. For example, though prediction/machine learning is, in principle, concerned with learning the optimal unknown mapping from input variables to an outcome from the data, the typical reported output is a list of importance measures for each input variable. The approach in prediction has been to learn the unknown optimal predictor from the data and derive, for each of the input variables, the variable importance from the obtained fit. In this article we propose a new approach which involves for each variable separately 1) defining variable importance as a real valued parameter, 2) deriving the efficient influence curve and thereby optimal estimating function for this parameter in the assumed (possibly nonparametric) model, and 3) develop a corresponding double robust locally efficient estimator of this variable importance, obtained by substituting for the nuisance parameters in the optimal estimating function data adaptive estimators. We illustrate this methodology in the context of prediction, and obtain in this manner double robust locally optimal estimators of marginal variable importance, accompanied with p-values and confidence intervals. In addition, we present a model based and machine learning approach to estimate covariate-adjusted variable importance. Finally, we generalize this methodology to variable importance parameters for time-dependent variables.
Rare-Earth frequency converters for thermophotovoltaics-revisiting century old claims (Presentation Recording)

Harnessing more energy from the sun has led to the development of materials which can efficiently trap the sun radiation in the whole spectrum and re-emit it into a narrow spectral band corresponding to the band gap of a photovoltaic device. The field of metamaterials is largely aimed at designing nanostructured surfaces with tailored absorption (emission) spectra. Many rare-earth doped crystals and glasses can efficiently absorb light throughout the whole visible and near-infrared range of the spectrum and emit radiation at longer wavelengths (1.5 to 3 microns). We report studies of absorption and thermal emission of several rare-earth doped crystals.
High Resolution CZE-MS Quantitative Characterization of Intact Biopharmaceutical Proteins: Proteoforms of Interferon-β1

New and improved methods are required for the enhanced characterization of complex biopharmaceuticals, especially those with charge and glycan heterogeneity. High resolution separation and mass spectrometry (MS) analysis of intact proteoforms can contribute significantly to the characterization of such proteins, many of which are glycoproteins. Here, we report on capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) coupled via a commercial CESI sheathless interface to an Orbitrap ELITE MS for the intact analysis of recombinant human interferon-β1 (Avonex, rhIFN-β1), a biopharmaceutical with complex glycosylation at a single N-linked site. Using a cross-linked polyethylenimine coating, column efficiencies between 350,000 and 450,000 plates were produced, allowing separation based on charge and subtle hydrodynamic volume differences. A total of 138 proteoforms were found, and 55 were quantitated. Charge species due to deamidation and sialylation were separated by CZE. Given the high column efficiency, isobaric positional i...
Effect of wall suction on rotating disk absolute instability

This research investigates the effect of uniform suction on the absolute instability of Type I cross-flow modes in the boundary layer on a rotating disk. Specifically, it is designed to investigate whether wall suction would transform the absolute instability into a global mode, as first postulated in the numerical simulations of Davies & Carpenter (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 486, 2003, pp. 287–329). The disk is designed so that with a suction parameter of , the radial location of the absolute instability critical Reynolds number, , occurs on the disk. Wall suction is applied from to 696.5. The design for wall suction follows that of Gregory & Walker (J. Fluid Mech., 1960, pp. 225–234) where an array of holes through the disk communicate between the measurement side of the disk and the underside of the disk which is inside of an enclosure that is maintained at a slight vacuum. The enclosure pressure is adjustable so that a range of suction or blowing parameters can be investigated. The holes in the measurement surface are covered by a compressed wire porous mesh to aid in uniformizing the suction on the measurement surface of the disk. The mesh is covered by a thin porous high-density polyethylene sheet featuring a pore size which provides a smooth finely porous surface. A companion numerical simulation is performed to investigate the effect that the size and vacuum pressure of the underside enclosure have on the uniformity of the measurement surface suction. Temporal disturbances are introduced using the method of Othman & Corke (J. Fluid Mech., 2006, pp. 63–94). The results document the evolution of disturbance wavepackets in space and time. These show a temporal growth of the wavepackets as the location of the absolute instability is approached which is in strong contrast to the temporal evolution without suction observed by Othman and Corke. The results appear to support the effect of wall suction on the absolute instability postulated by Thomas (PhD thesis, 2007, Cardiff University, UK) and Thomas & Davies (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 663, 2010, pp. 401–433).
Unification, Crafting Imperatives, and Defining a Profession

Over the past seven-plus years there have been three professionwide initiatives undertaken to strengthen, define, or better position the profession internally and externally. There have been and continue to be substantial exchanges regarding these initiatives. In 2007, the first initiative started to take shape. Organizations and associations organized a meeting of the profession titled Social Work: Future of the Profession. This meeting became known as the Wingspread Initiative. The Wingspread Initiative included the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE), the National Association of Social Workers (NASW), the Association of Social Work Boards, the National Association of Deans and Directors of Schools of Social Work (NADD), the Group for the Advancement of Doctoral Education in Social Work (GADE), the Association of Baccalaureate Social Work Program Directors (BPD), the Society for Social Work and Research, the Institute for the Advancement of Social Work Research (IASWR), and the St. Louis Group for Excellence in Social Work Research and Education. These organizations are members of the Leadership Roundtable for the profession. The primary rationale for the Wingspread Initiative was to discuss the possibility of unification of the profes sion. The meeting concluded by approving the following statement: The leaders of 10 professional social work orga
Bezier Curve Application in the Shape Optimization of Transonic Airfoils

This paper presents a new method of applying the Bezier parametric curve to the shape optimization of transonic airfoils. A semi-analytical algorithm is developed to determine the control points of the Bezier curve which can reproduce the initial shape accurately with a minimum number of control points, and new sets of design variables are proposed to overcome the dependency of the side constraints on the initial geometry. The sets of design variables are y coordinates of the Bezier control points of the upper and lower surfaces; and x and y coordinates of the Bezier control points of the camberline and the scale factors of the thickness distribution. The design results of lift maximization and drag minimization using the NavierStokes flow solver show that the proposed methods provide quick evolution of physically realistic body shapes and have the capability of permitting the use of universal side constraints.
LONGSHORE SEDIMENT TRANSPORT DATA: A REVIEW

Siltation rates anticipated at harbor entrances, in navigation channels and at inlet structures as well as possible adverse effects caused by these and other coastal engineering constructions are often assessed based on considerations of longshore sediment transport rates. The ability to predict the longshore sediment transport rate is consequently of considerable importance in many coastal engineering problems. The engineering need for an ability to predict longshore sediment transport rates is evidenced by the fact that the development of empirical relationships preceeded, by decades, any attempts at rigorous analyses of the mechanics of sediment transport processes in the surf zone. A predictive relationship for longshore sediment transport rates, which enjoys considerable popularity in the United States, is the empirical relationship suggested by the U.S. Army (1973), Coastal Engineering Research Center (CERC) in their Shore Protection Manual (SPM-73).
Negotiating independent mobility: Single female expats in Bangalore

Every major global human resources study over the past 5 years has noted a common trend: a dramatic increase in the number of women in the expatriate workforce, and increasingly these expats are single. Using ethnographic observations and interviews with female expats who moved alone to work in Bangalore – the ‘Silicon Valley of India’ – I discuss frictions faced as they negotiate a context where how to get around safely and comfortably in public is the central feature of their daily lives. Using Massey’s concept of ‘power geometry’, the article considers contrasts between the ease of international movement and the obstacles to daily mobility on a local scale, and illustrates how location-based technologies and other strategies are employed to (re)assert control over mobility and space.
The Leasing Decisions of Small, Privately Held Firms

We analyze the impact of firm’s asset uniqueness and its growth opportunities on the leasing decisions of U.S. startups. To test our hypotheses, we use a unique dataset provided by the Kauffman Foundation. Our results show that startups in the high-technology sector have a lower propensity to lease whereas startups with high R&D intensity have a higher propensity to lease. In addition, we examine the impact of owners’ characteristics on the decisions to lease and find that female and older entrepreneurs as well as highly educated owners are less likely to lease. Our findings confirm previous studies on leasing decisions that larger and more leveraged businesses have a higher propensity to lease their assets. Consistent with Ang and Peterson (1984) and Bathala and Mukerjee (1995) we report that leasing and debt are complements rather than substitutes to each other.
Spatial Autocorrelation Analysis of Biological Variation on Bougainville Island

The large and rich data set collected on Bougainville Island during 1966–67 and 1970 has already been subjected to numerous analyses in vogue during the past decade (Friedlaender, 1971a,b, 1975; Friedlaender et al., 1971). These and related analytical techniques are employed in other articles in this volume to perfectly suitable ends. It seems most appropriate here to introduce, to the anthropological audience, a different analytical technique from the fieds of population biology and geography to see what new light it might cast upon this particular body of data and to examine the advantages and disadvantages of this approach as contrasted to those now in common usage.
Functional principal component analysis in age–period–cohort analysis of body mass index data by gender and ethnicity

ABSTRACTIn this paper, we propose a two-stage functional principal component analysis method in age–period–cohort (APC) analysis. The first stage of the method considers the age–period effect with the fitted values treated as an offset; and the second stage of the method considers the residual age–cohort effect conditional on the already estimated age-period effect. An APC version of the model in functional data analysis provides an improved fit to the data, especially when the data are sparse and irregularly spaced. We demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method using body mass index data stratified by gender and ethnicity.
Attention Deficit and Auditory Processing Disorder

Auditory processing (AP) skills, cognition (IQ, memory, language, and literacy), and attention (auditory and visual) in 6- to 11-year-old children with normal hearing (N=1469) were tested in schools in the UK and evaluated by researchers at Medical Research Institute of Hearing Research, Nottingham, UK.
A critical perspective on the design and development of metal oxide catalysts for selective propylene ammoxidation and oxidation

Abstract The objective of this article is to use the example of the development of metal oxide catalysts for the selective ammoxidation and oxidation of propylene to illustrate successful catalyst design strategies for achieving enhanced yields of acrylonitrile and acrolein, respectively. The processes of catalytic selective ammoxidation and oxidation of propylene are not the only, albeit they are among the most industrially significant, examples of the commercial application of metal oxide selective oxidation catalysts. Other important commercial catalytic processes that use highly developed metal oxide catalysts systems include butane oxidation to maleic anhydride and alkyl aromatic ammoxidation of toluene, xylenes, and picolines (alkyl pyridines) to produce valuable aromatic nitriles including nicotinonitrile which is the precursor for nicotinic acid (niacin) an important B-complex vitamin. Using the example of industrial propylene selective (amm)oxidation, this article surveys the available patents, scientific and technical journals to chronical and analyze the development and advancement of the complex metal oxides from discovery to current state-of-the-art. Recognizing that commercial practices are proprietary, this analysis uses no known company sensitive or confidential information is included in these descriptions. From this analysis a comprehensive catalyst design strategy unfolds that is based on the enabling science of solid state chemistry and the results of the characterization tools it provides. This provides a viable platform to unlock the next level of metal oxide catalyst development with ultra-high selectivity for hydrocarbon oxidation.
Starring or supporting role? Satellite cells and skeletal muscle fiber size regulation

Recent loss-of-function studies show that satellite cell depletion does not promote sarcopenia or unloading-induced atrophy, and does not prevent regrowth. Although overload-induced muscle fiber hypertrophy is normally associated with satellite cell-mediated myonuclear accretion, hypertrophic adaptation proceeds in the absence of satellite cells in fully grown adult mice, but not in young growing mice. Emerging evidence also indicates that satellite cells play an important role in remodeling the extracellular matrix during hypertrophy.
The Generalized Dimensionality Reduction Problem.

The dimensionality reduction problem has been widely studied in the database literature because of its application for concise data representation in a variety of database applications. The main focus in dimensionality reduction is to represent the data in a smaller number of dimensions that the least amount of information is lost. In this paper, we study the dimensionality reduction problem from an entirely different perspective. We discuss methods to find a representation of the data so that a user-defined objective function is optimized. For example, we may desire to find a reduction of the data in which a particular kind of classifier works effectively. Another example (relevant to the similarity search domain) would be a reduction in which the cluster of k closest points provides the best distance based separation from the remaining data set. We discuss a general abstraction for the problem and provide the broad framework of an evolutionary algorithm which solves this abstraction. We test our framework on two separate instantiations of this framework and provide results illustrating the effectiveness and efficiency of our method.
Active Learning in a Discrete Mathematics Class

In this paper, we describe the active learning and collaborative learning activities implemented in an introductory mid-size discrete mathematics course for Informatics majors. Active learning and collaborative learning have been used to increase student engagement, but incorporating them in smaller classes is a completely different experience from doing so in larger classes. We offer some tips and suggestions on how to incorporate these activities in larger classes including the utilization of undergraduate teaching assistants during lectures, and allowing students to work together on worksheets during lectures with the help of the teaching staff. Course questionnaires collected from five different sections that ran in the spring, summer, and fall of 2016 with around 60 to 70 students suggest that this approach has been well-received. Furthermore, the DFW rate (the proportion of students that received a D, F, or withdrew from the class) of these sections was lower than the DFW rate of other sections that shared the same evaluations (exams, homework assignments, and quizzes) and grading scheme to determine the final letter grade.
Lipoproteins in Nutrition and Transport

Before discussing the lipoproteins, it is necessary to identify the nature of the lipids being transported by these proteins.
Evaluation and management of adrenal masses.

Background: The widespread use of abdominal imaging has led to increased detection of adrenal tumors. The significance of these masses, as well as the optimal management approach to treatment, has generated some controversy regarding further evaluation and therapy. Methods: The authors reviewed the literature regarding the evaluation and management of these masses, particularly adrenal incidentalomas. Based on their institutional experience, they propose a diagnostic, evaluation, and management algorithm for treating adrenal masses. Results: Appearance and clinical history should indicate how to perform the biochemical evaluation, keeping in mind that the presence of pheochromocytomas must be ruled out. Radiological evaluation by CT or MRI provides useful parameters to identify malignant lesions. Surgery is indicated for masses that are larger than 5 cm in diameter or suspected of malignancy. Fine-needle aspiration biopsy should be used when other extra-adrenal malignancies are suspected and after pheochromocytoma has been ruled out. Conclusions: Careful analysis of each adrenal mass is essential to effectively avoid potential problems. Guidelines to manage patients with adrenal masses are needed.
Resource Allocation through Negotiation and Compromise: A Database Approach

In this paper, a resource allocation system is modeled with relational database technology. To allocate resources through a negotiation-based system, two steps of pre-allocation and negotiated allocation have been modeled with a join procedure for two relations. These relations represent the requirements for experiential nursing practice and the availability of such experience at hospitals, respectively. The first step was implemented through a new join operation called α-Distance Join. After the first step, some nursing departments and some hospitals have fully satisfied requirements or fully utilized availability. Other nursing department and hospitals have partial or no satisfaction of requirements or availability, respectively. The second step was implemented through a custom-designed implementation of a user-interface that provides coordinated negotiation among the nodes involved in the system. With the customized interface and join operation, an off-the-shelf or packaged database management system is used. Through this interface, nursing departments and hospitals negotiate until potentially all demands and availability are totally satisfied. This negotiation takes place without face-to-face meetings but with complete knowledge of the entire situation by all parties. This provides the potential for complete fulfillment of nursing experience requirements and total utilization of hospital experience availability.
Ion-implanted silver nanoparticles for metal-enhanced fluorescence

Metal Enhanced Fluorescence (MEF) has promising applications in the field of optical displays, bio-sensing and photodynamic therapy. In this work, we exploit the plasmons of embedded silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) fabricated by ion implantation to enhance the fluorescence of Coumarin515 dye (C515) via MEF. Ion Implantation of 70 keV Ag ions in quartz matrix at different fluences was carried out to synthesize Ag nanoparticles inside quartz matrix. The formation of Ag NPs is characterized by the optical absorption measurements and approximate sizes of Ag NPs was obtained from the fitting of the optical absorption spectra with Mie theory calculations. Rutherford Backscattering Spectrometry (RBS) measurement was used to obtain the depth profile and concentration Ag within the substrate. From the RBS results, it was determined that front edge of the layer containing Ag was formed at an average depth of 16 nm below the surface, which closely agreed with Stopping and Range of Ions in Matter (SRIM) calculations. Increase in the size of the NPs is observed as the fluence of the Ag within the substrate is increased. The MEF of drop casted C515 dye was studied using steady-state emission and excitation spectra measurements. Fluorescence enhancement factor ranging from 1.0 to 2.1 with a maximum enhancement for the largest size NP was obtained. The observed MEF was ascribed to a combination of plasmon enhancement with larger nanoparticles and to increased plasmonic hot spots.
Effect Size Strengths in Subjective Well-Being Research

Subjective well-being (SWB) research is characterized by many large samples, which often results in virtually all variables being significantly related to well-being, even if the associations are small. In this article we explore the strengths of associations between various predictors and SWB outcomes. In addition to standard effect-size statistics, we also examined the range of the SWB scale covered in the distribution of the predictor, allowing us to estimate the strength of influence of each variable, independent of variability in the sample. We analyzed just a few variables to illustrate what our approach reveals. Our analyses included a representative sample of both the world and the United States, and our data included three types of SWB (life satisfaction (LS), positive affect (PA), and negative affect (NA)). The largest effect sizes emerged for societal characteristics, such as between-nations differences, as well as personal characteristics, such as perceived social support. Small or very small effect sizes were consistently found for demographic characteristics, such as sex, age, and marital status. Other effect sizes varied by the type of SWB being considered. For example, income resulted in a large effect size for LS, but small to medium effect sizes for PA and NA. We suggest that when scholars report and interpret the associations of predictor variables with SWB, they consider the strengths of their significant associations.
Osteoarthritis: Bisphosphonates and OA - is there a bone and joint connection?

Bisphosphonates have been proposed as a potential disease-modifying treatment for osteoarthritis (OA); however, it is as yet unclear if this treatment is effective. Evidence from a new meta-analysis raises the question of whether bisphosphonates can reduce damage in OA.
Modeling and Synthesizing Idiopathic Facial Paralysis

Over 22 million people worldwide are affected by Parkinson’s disease, stroke, and Bell’s palsy (BP), which can cause facial paralysis (FP). People with FP have trouble having their expressions understood: both laypersons and clinicians have difficulty understanding them and often misinterpret them, which can result in poor social interactions and poor care delivery. One way to address this problem is through better education and training, of which computational tools may prove invaluable. Thus, in this paper, we explore how to build systems that can recognize and synthesize asymmetrical facial expressions. We introduce a novel computational model of asymmetric facial expressions for BP, which we can synthesize on either virtual and robotic patient simulators. We explore this within the context of clinical education, and built a patient simulator with synthesized FP in order to help clinicians perceive facial paralysis in patients. We conducted both computational and human-focused evaluations of the model, including the feedback from clinical experts. Our results suggest that our BP model is realistic, and comparable to the expressions of people with BP. Thus, this work has the potential to provide a practical training tool for clinical learners to better understand the expressions of people with BP. Our work can also help researchers in the facial recognition community to explore new methods for asymmetric facial expression analysis and synthesis.
Ceramic nuclear fuel fracture modeling with the extended finite element method

Abstract Ceramic fuel pellets used in nuclear light water reactors experience significant fracture due to the high thermal gradients experienced under normal operating conditions. This has important effects on the performance of the fuel system. Because of this, a realistic, physically based fracture modeling capability is essential to predict fuel behavior in a wide variety of normal and off-normal conditions. The extended finite element method (X-FEM) is a powerful method to represent arbitrary propagating discrete cracks in finite element models, and has many characteristics that make it attractive for nuclear fuel performance analysis. This paper describes the implementation of X-FEM in a multiphysics fuel performance code and presents applications of that capability. These applications include several thermal mechanics fracture benchmark problems, which demonstrate the accuracy of this approach. It also includes application of this capability to study nuclear fuel fracture, both on stationary and propagating cracks. The study on stationary cracks shows the effects of interactions between cracks, and aids in understanding the process of crack propagation during a power ramp. The propagating crack case demonstrates random initiation and subsequent propagation of interacting thermally induced cracks during an initial ramp to full power with fresh fuel.
The Critical Lack of Data on Alcohol and Marijuana Use by Adolescents on the Autism Spectrum

Alcohol is the most commonly used substance among adolescents, and marijuana is the most commonly used illicit drug. Emerging evidence suggests that at least some autistic individuals may be at inc...
Absolute Cross Sections of Liquids from Broadband Stimulated Raman Scattering with Femtosecond and Picosecond Pulses.

Broadband stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) is often observed in applications that use nonlinear spectroscopy to probe the composition or dynamics of complex systems. Whether the SRS response is me...
Seasonal water availability drives trait variation in isolated Basin and Range Pinus ponderosa

Abstract Tree species resistant to drought stress are likely to be more successful under the moisture-limited conditions predicted with climate change, and variation in drought-resistant traits can influence a species’ sensitivity to change. Trait variation is often tied to the timing, amount, and type of precipitation a given forest stand is exposed to, and local topographic heterogeneity may exacerbate or mitigate soil moisture stress. Although drought resistance is well-studied in widespread tree species, knowledge is limited on trait variation in drought-resistant conifers with more narrow distributions or isolated populations. Pinus ponderosa is amongst the most widespread conifers in semi-arid forests of western North America, and var. scopulorum occurs in some of the most arid portions of the species’ range. In the Northern Basin and Range physiographic province of western North America, scopulorum is isolated to montane sky islands, making it a model system for testing the effects of climate and topography on trait variation in drought-resistant conifers. To investigate the relationship between interacting climatic and topographic conditions and drought-resistant traits, we sampled 55 stands across six ranges in Nevada and Utah to quantify trait variation in cone volume, wood density, latewood to earlywood ratio (LER), specific leaf area (SLA), and needle lifespan and asked how these traits vary across the regional climate gradient. We then used linear mixed models to explore whether seasonal climatic moisture deficit (CMD), monsoonality, aspect, elevation, or tree-level attributes are associated with trait variation. Traits varied widely both within and among ranges, with trait responses strongly linked to seasonal water availability. Cone volumes and SLA increased with increasing summer (July-Aug) CMD, while cone volume decreased with increasing winter (Nov-Jan) CMD. Winter moisture stress was also tied to wood formation, as wood densities increased under greater cold season (Oct-Feb) CMD. Needle lifespan and LER were not shaped by seasonal CMD but rather by the degree of monsoonality, indicating that drought-resistant conifers may be able to take advantage of late-summer precipitation. Contrary to our expectations, local topographic variation had no influence on trait variation in the stands sampled here, while elevation and tree diameters were significant for wood traits alone. These findings suggest that both seasonal moisture stress and the timing of precipitation influence drought-resistant conifer trait variation in semi-arid environments and highlight the potential for these conifers to withstand extreme fluctuations in seasonal water availability, which is predicted to become more common as the climate continues to change.
Longer Prehospital Time Decreases Reliability of Vital Signs in the Field: A Dual Center Study.

BackgroundField vital signs are integral in the American College of Surgeons (ASA) Committee on Trauma (COT) triage criteria for trauma team activation (TTA). Reliability of field vital signs in pr...