cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A β-Arrestin–Biased Agonist of the Parathyroid Hormone Receptor (PTH1R) Promotes Bone Formation Independent of G Protein Activation

About 40% of the therapeutic agents in use today exert their effects through seven-transmembrane receptors (7TMRs). When activated by ligands, these receptors trigger two pathways that independently transduce signals to the cell: one through heterotrimeric GTP-binding proteins (G proteins) and one through beta-arrestins; so-called biased agonists can selectively activate these distinct pathways. Here, we investigate selective activation of these pathways through the use of a biased agonist for the type 1 parathyroid hormone (PTH)-PTH-related protein receptor (PTH1R), (D-Trp(12),Tyr(34))-PTH(7-34) (PTH-betaarr), which activates beta-arrestin but not classic G protein signaling. In mice, PTH-betaarr induces anabolic bone formation, as does the nonselective agonist PTH(1-34), which activates both mechanisms. In beta-arrestin2-null mice, the increase in bone mineral density evoked by PTH(1-34) is attenuated and that stimulated by PTH-betaarr is ablated. The beta-arrestin2-dependent pathway contributes primarily to trabecular bone formation and does not stimulate bone resorption. These results show that a biased agonist selective for the beta-arrestin pathway can elicit a response in vivo distinct from that elicited by nonselective agonists. Ligands with these properties may form the basis for improved 7TMR-directed pharmacologic agents with enhanced therapeutic specificity.
Drift-enhanced dual-absorption PIN photodiodes

A new vertically illuminated photodetector design that eases the bandwidth-efficiency limitation of conventional photodiodes for long-wavelength applications is reported. This detector design incorporates dual absorption regions and a wide bandgap drift enhancement layer for high speed and efficiency. Theoretical models indicate that this design can achieve a bandwidth-efficiency product (BWE) as high as 26 GHz for top-illuminated single-pass structures with 6-/spl mu/m optical window and 50-/spl Omega/ load resistance. This represents an improvement of 24% over the BWE achievable in conventional top-illuminated PIN diodes. A through-wafer-illuminated two-pass design can improve the BWE to 35 GHz (an improvement of an additional 35%). Single-pass top-illuminated photodiodes have been fabricated using this design; a bandwidth of 30 GHz and responsivities of 0.82 A/W have been achieved, for a BWE of 19.7 GHz. The BWE of these first-generation devices is limited by anode series resistance. This detector design offers performance suitable for bit rates of up to 40 Gb/s in a simple, normal incidence photodetector design.
Rattling the cage: computational models of chaperonin-mediated protein folding

Chaperonins are known to maintain the stability of the proteome by facilitating the productive folding of numerous misfolded or aggregation-prone proteins and are thus essential for cell viability. Despite their established importance, the mechanism by which chaperonins facilitate protein folding remains unknown. Computer simulation techniques are now being employed to complement experimental ones in order to shed light on this mystery. Here we review previous computational models of chaperonin-mediated protein folding in the context of the two main hypotheses for chaperonin function: iterative annealing and landscape modulation. We then discuss new results pointing to the importance of solvent (a previously neglected factor) in chaperonin activity. We conclude with our views on the future role of simulation in studying chaperonin activity as well as protein folding in other biologically relevant confined contexts.
Making Legitimate Decisions: Scientific and Democratic Ideals in Federal Facility Management

Environmental decision making is conventionally conceived as involving a scientific technical analysis and a political process of public participation. The ideal of the technical process is that it be an unbiased analysis of the best available scientific information. The ideal political process would involve all of the affected stakeholders. The actual decision usually entails a compromise between these two ideals, frustrating decision makers with high standards for both. This article reports the results of a survey of public attitudes about the role of science and public participation in decisions at the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (INEEL), an 890-square-mile site managed by the Department of Energy (DOE). INEEL is cleaning up land contaminated with radioactive and conventional wastes resulting from historical operations. Its approach to cleanup has been both technically and politically controversial. The article concludes with the suggestion that decision makers think of technical and political aspects of a decision as a single process, rather than two processes with different ideals. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Applying dynamic traffic assignment in modeling permit-restricted parking utilizing microscopic traffic simulation

Many universities are evaluating ways to improve mobility while dealing with increased demand for parking within the campus. Different types of parking strategies are considered as potential tools for improving campus mobility and meeting increased parking demand. Limited information is available on how removing on-street parking from the center of a university campus, relocating motorists to park on the periphery of campus, will impact the neighboring transportation system. Although dynamic traffic assignment (DTA) is a valuable tool for evaluating such impacts, most previous studies have used DTA with mesoscopic models. Thus, there is also limited guidance on the application of DTA within microscopic simulation models. The purpose of this study was to test a novel methodology for evaluating the mobility impact of relocating parking. The authors developed a method of utilizing DTA within a microscopic traffic simulation model. This model was applied to a case study capturing the changes in traffic patterns and volumes as a result of university parking changes. The authors found the methodology efficient and repeatable, and identified several simulator challenges with this new application. The case study findings suggest that, due to the significant number of motorists searching for the high-demand parking in the core of campus, relocating this parking to periphery lots will reduce the average travel time, even when accounting for the increased walking time.
Linguists play catchup with evolution

Donald Loritz, How the brain evolved language. New York & Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1999. Pp. 227.Lyle Jenkins, Biolinguistics : exploring the biology of language. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2000. Pp. xiii+264.In the course of reviewing recent books on the evolution of language and communication (Dunbar 1996, Hauser 1996, Deacon 1997) I have had occasion to note that relatively few writers on these topics know much about linguistics, and to wish that more of them did. I should have remembered the old adage that one shouldn't wish for things - one might get them.For more than a century, linguists honored the Linguistic Society of Paris's ban on all discussion of language evolution; other disciplines went ahead with it regardless. Now that the centrality of language evolution to any study of our species is becoming apparent, linguists are desperately trying to play catchup, and the two volumes reviewed here both appeared in the last couple of years. Both authors are linguists, albeit hyphenated ones. Donald Loritz teaches computational linguistics at Georgetown University; his doctorate was in psycholinguistics. Lyle Jenkins works in the Biolinguistics Institute in Cambridge, MA; however, his doctorate was in unhyphenated linguistics. It would be difficult to find two authors whose ideas were more diametrically opposed.
Subgroup Detection in Ideological Discussions

The rapid and continuous growth of social networking sites has led to the emergence of many communities of communicating groups. Many of these groups discuss ideological and political topics. It is not uncommon that the participants in such discussions split into two or more subgroups. The members of each subgroup share the same opinion toward the discussion topic and are more likely to agree with members of the same subgroup and disagree with members from opposing subgroups. In this paper, we propose an unsupervised approach for automatically detecting discussant subgroups in online communities. We analyze the text exchanged between the participants of a discussion to identify the attitude they carry toward each other and towards the various aspects of the discussion topic. We use attitude predictions to construct an attitude vector for each discussant. We use clustering techniques to cluster these vectors and, hence, determine the subgroup membership of each participant. We compare our methods to text clustering and other baselines, and show that our method achieves promising results.
Weapon System Phasing for Ready Forces

A ready force is defined as one designed to have a decisive capability in a short war in which the decision is reached before reserves and production capability can supplement the forces existing at the time hostilities begin. It is assumed that annual expenditures to equip, train, maintain and operate the ready force are constant. Within this constraint, it is desired to attain maximum effectiveness by balancing quality against quantity of weapons. Maximum quantity of weapons would be attained by selecting one type, and producing this type indefinitely, in view of decreasing unit production costs with number produced. However, rapid advancement of the state-of-the-art creates weapon obsolescence and, periodically, old weapons must be phased out and new weapons phased in. Maximum quality can be attained at the expense of quantity by very small production runs with frequent introduction of new weapons. The optimum program of effective weapons in sufficient quantity represents a compromise between the two extremes. A model incorporating the variables of production cost, number of weapons produced, operating cost, growth of the state-of-the-art, effectiveness and budgetary limits is developed for a very simple model of warfare, and the relations among the variables for maximum force effectiveness are determined.
Synoptic Study of a Medium-Scale Oceanic Cyclone during AMTEX '75

Abstract A severe extratropical cyclcone was initiated from a low-level medium-scale cyclone over the ocean northeast of Taiwan during the initial phase of the AMTEX '75. The analyses of Soliz and Fein were used to examine the time evolution and the three-dimensional structure of the medium-scale cyclone associated with this AMTEX cyclone. During the initial period of this system's development there was no evidence that forcing by an approaching synoptic-scale system was involved. The distribution of zonal wind did not suggest the existence of barotropically or baroclinically unstable conditions in the lower troposphere. The analysis shows that several processes were important in the initiation and development of this system. Heat flux from the Kuroshio current rapidly destabilized the lower layer of the polar air mass. Mild lifting due to warm advection led to latent heat release and the formation of the 850 mb short wave and surface pressure trough. Further release of latent heat within the region of th...
Effects of the Pitcher Plant Mining Moth Exyra semicrocea on the Hooded Pitcher Plant Sarracenia Minor

The relationship between carnivorous pitcher plants (Family Sarraceniaceae) is not well understood. While a limited amount of such data are available for some pitcher plant species such as Sarracenia purpurea, very little is know about others such as S. minor. This study examined the relationship between the hooded pitcher plant S. minor and its most common herbivore, the pitcher plant mining moth Exyra semicrocea, in northeast Florida. At the beginning of the growing season, moth densities were positively correlated with plant height, number of pitchers per plant and the proportion of non-pitcher leaves. Over the growing season, plants with higher moth densities decreased in size, while plants with lower moth densities increased. Plants with higher moth densities also produced fewer phyllodia than plants with fewer moths. Data from this study suggest that herbivory by E. semicrocea moth larvae may have a significant negative impact on the hooded pitcher plant and that this effect could be stronger for larger higher quality plants.
Low “gynecologic age”: An obstetric risk factor

Abstract The records of patients who were 17 years of age and younger at delivery were reviewed in order to ascertain whether or not a patient's gynecologic age (GA, defined as chronologic age minus age at menarche) independently relates to pregnancy risk. Low GA in a pregnant adolescent increases the chance of delivery of a low—birth weight infant. However, pre-eclampsia and other pregnancy complications studied were not related to GA.
Urban Runoff Management Strategies

A dramatic shift has occurred in the control of urban runoff over the past 10 yr to 15 yr. The conventional practice of rapid removal and delivery of urban runoff to downstream areas is being replaced by the newer concept of reduction and detention of urban runoff in upstream source areas. A successful strategy for managing urban runoff must be based on: (1)Application of proper hydrologic tools for the analysis of urban runoff under alternative land-use conditions in the watershed; (2)hydrologic and economic evaluation of the performance of alternative runoff abatement measures; and (3)projection of downstream impacts of selected abatement schemes. The purpose of this paper is to review these basic elements in urban runoff management and to comment on future directions in this evolving field.
Mapping the Desegregation of Education in Virginia: Where Are the Records?

A century from now, will desegregation in Virginia be a forgotten story? If we don’t do a better job of saving our records, it could be. Currently, few records of school desegregation in Virginia are publicly available. While many priceless records of the “massive resistance” to the desegregation of Virginia education reside in the special collections of Virginia’s colleges, universities, and historical societies, the whereabouts of most of Virginia’s crucial records of desegregation are unknown. In 2008, Old Dominion University Libraries formed a statewide organization, Desegregation of Virginia Education (DOVE), to identify, locate, and preserve records that document Virginia’s school desegregation process. DOVE members include librarians, archivists, historians, public officials, and private citizens.
A Survey on the Current Status of Knowledge about Schistosomiasis Prevention among High School Students in the Three Gorges Reservoir Area in Chongqing

Objective To learn the current status of knowledge about Schistosomiasis prevention among high school students in the Three Gorges Reservoir Area in Chongqing and to provide baseline information for the implementation of the intervention.Methods We took a cluster random sampling method and selected 1068 high school students from the Three Gorges Reservoir Area and control areas to conduct a questionnaire survey.Results The awareness rate of the knowledge about schistosomiasis prevention was low,and the awareness rate of 8 items out of 10 was even below 20%.The passing rates in the Three Gorges Reservoir Area and control areas were 16% or less.Conclusion It is necessary to perform various forms of health education intervention for high school students in the Three Gorges Reservoir Area,strengthening their awareness of schistosomiasis prevention and enhancing their self-protection capability,which can thus lead to people's deeper understanding of schistosomiasis prevention.
Molecular diagnostics of hematological malignancies.

1. Christopher D Gocke, MD[⇑][1] 1. is a Visiting Associate Professor of Pathology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore MD 1. Address for correspondence: Christopher D Gocke MD, Department of Pathology, Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, 600 N Wolfe St / Park SB202, Baltimore MD 21287. (410) 955-8363, (410) 614-7440 (fax). Molecular diagnostics is a young discipline, and many of its earliest questions revolved around the diagnosis of hematological malignancies. Could identification of leukemias and lymphomas be aided by analysis of their DNA or RNA? The answer is clearly a resounding “Yes”, and we have moved on from simple diagnostic issues to ones of disease classification, prognosis, selection of therapy, and therapeutic efficacy. Along the way, a variety of methods has been employed, from the practically pre-historic (in molecular biology terms) Southern hybridization (sometimes still done with radioactivity!) to cutting edge gene expression arrays and mass spectroscopy. The availability of these tests, however, has not relieved the laboratory scientist from having to correlate the molecular diagnostic laboratory results with the patient's condition and other laboratory findings. Indeed, the hematology arena—rich in data such as morphology, flow cytometry, and several kinds of cytogenetic tests—is perhaps the best example of the need for a comprehensive, integrated approach to diagnosis and treatment. Of necessity, this review downplays many of the clinical and non-genetic aspects of hematological malignancies available elsewhere.1,2 It focuses on a few of the most common entities (leukemias and lymphomas) illustrative of the variety of testing currently performed and on issues facing the molecular diagnostic laboratory in the near future. The future is likely to be one of increasing laboratory automation and sophistication—commercial kit-based rather than “home brew”, with more extensive gene sequencing and mutation identification, probably incorporating chip technology—until the molecular diagnostic laboratory begins to resemble more closely a contemporary clinical… ABBREVIATIONS: DNA = deoxyribonucleic acid; mRNA = messenger ribonucleic acid; PCR = polymerase chain reaction; RT-PCR = reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. [1]: #corresp-1
Attorneys' Fees in Class Actions: 2009-2013

We study attorney fee awards in 458 class action settlements reported in the five years from 2009-2013. Despite the financial crisis and its many effects on our national life, little has changed in class action attorneys’ fees. Average percentage fees are in line with prior studies. The key determinant of the fee continues to be the size of the class recovery: the amazingly regular relationship between these variables continues in the present data. We continue to find a “scaling” effect, in the sense that fees as a percentage of the recovery decrease as the size of the recovery increases. As in the previous Eisenberg-Miller studies, we find that fees are a function of risk – larger fees in higher-risk cases – although in the most recent data the effect is only weakly statistically significant. We document an inverse relationship between the percentage fee and the lodestar multiplier: cases with lower percentage fees are associated with higher multipliers. Likewise lodestar multipliers tend to rise with the size of class recovery.
Shear sensing in bonded composites with cantilever beam microsensors and dual-plane digital image correlation

Understanding the shear strain, viscoelastic response, and onset of damage within bonded composites is critical to their design, processing, and reliability. This presentation will discuss the multidisciplinary research conducted which led to the conception, development, and demonstration of two methods for measuring the shear within a bonded joint – dualplane digital image correlation (DIC) and a micro-cantilever shear sensor. The dual plane DIC method was developed to measure the strain field on opposing sides of a transparent single-lap joint in order to spatially quantify the joint shear strain. The sensor consists of a single glass fiber cantilever beam with a radially-grown forest of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) within a capillary pore. When the fiber is deflected, the internal radial CNT array is compressed against an electrode within the pore and the corresponding decrease in electrical resistance is correlated with the external loading. When this small, simple, and low-cost sensor was integrated within a composite bonded joint and cycled in tension, the onset of damage prior to joint failure was observed. In a second sample configuration, both the dual plane DIC and the hair sensor detected viscoplastic changes in the strain of the sample in response to continued loading.
Attention to Distinct Goal-relevant Features Differentially Guides Semantic Knowledge Retrieval

A critical aspect of conceptual knowledge is the selective activation of goal-relevant aspects of meaning. Although the contributions of ventrolateral prefrontal and posterior temporal areas to semantic cognition are well established, the precise role of posterior parietal cortex in semantic control remains unknown. Here, we examined whether this region modulates attention to goal-relevant features within semantic memory according to the same principles that determine the salience of task-relevant object properties during visual attention. Using multivoxel pattern analysis, we decoded attentional referents during a semantic judgment task, in which participants matched an object cue to a target according to concrete (i.e., color, shape) or abstract (i.e., function, thematic context) semantic features. The goal-relevant semantic feature participants attended to (e.g., color or shape, function or theme) could be decoded from task-associated cortical activity with above-chance accuracy, a pattern that held for both concrete and abstract semantic features. A Bayesian confusion matrix analysis further identified differential contributions to representing attentional demands toward specific object properties across lateral prefrontal, posterior temporal, and inferior parietal regions, with the dorsolateral pFC supporting distinctions between higher-order properties and the left intraparietal sulcus being the only region supporting distinctions across all semantic features. These results are the first to demonstrate that patterns of neural activity in the parietal cortex are sensitive to which features of a concept are attended to, thus supporting the contributions of posterior parietal cortex to semantic control.
Moral is political Notions of ideal citizenship in Lie Kim Hok’s Hikajat Khonghoetjoe

This paper argues that the Hikajat Khonghoetjoe (The life story of Confucius), written by Lie Kim Hok in 1897, is a medium to propose modern ideas of flexible subjectivity, cosmopolitanism, active citizenship and the concepts of good governance to the Chinese Peranakans who experienced political and racial discrimination under Dutch colonization. Using the figure of Confucius, Lie aimed to cultivate virtuous subjects who apply their faith and morality in political sphere. He intended to raise political awareness and rights among the Chinese as colonial subjects and to valorize their bargaining power with the Dutch colonial government. By introducing Confucianism, Lie proposed that the Chinese reconnect themselves with China as an alternative patronage which could subvert White supremacy. Instead of using sources in Chinese, Lie translated the biography of Confucius from the European texts. In crafting his story, Lie applied conglomerate authorship, a technique commonly practised by Malay authors. It allowed him to select, combine and appropriate the source texts. To justify that Confucius' virtue and his teaching were superb and are applicable to contemporary life, Lie borrowed and emphasized European writers’ high appraisal of Confucianism, instead of using his own arguments and opinions. I call this writing technique “indirect agency”.
Trifluoromethyl- and Fluoroalkylselenolations of Alkynyl Copper(I) Compounds

The successful perfluoroalkylselenolation of alkynyl copper(I) compounds is described herein. The reaction occurs under oxidant free conditions at room temperature. This convenient one-pot procedure is based on the in situ generation of trifluoromethylselenyl chlorides. The developed system shows high functional group tolerance and also promotes the employment of fluoroalkyl derivatives.
Immersion and Contact Efflorescence Induced by Mineral Dust Particles

The phase state of inorganic salt aerosols impacts their properties, including the ability to undergo hygroscopic growth, catalyze heterogeneous reactions, and act as cloud condensation nuclei. Here, we report the first observation of contact efflorescence by mineral dust aerosol. The efflorescence of aqueous ammonium sulfate ((NH4)2SO4) and sodium chloride (NaCl) droplets by contact with three types of mineral dust particles (illite, montmorillonite, and NX illite), were examined using an optical levitation chamber. Immersion mode efflorescence was also studied for comparison. We find that in the presence of mineral dust particles, crystallization occurred at a higher relative humidity (RH) when compared to the homogeneous phase transition. Additionally, crystallization by contact mode efflorescence occurred at a higher RH than the corresponding immersion mode. Crystallization efficiencies in the contact mode exhibited an ion-specific trend consistent with the Hoffmeister series. Estimates for lifetimes ...
A Model of Ridesourcing Demand Generation and Distribution

Ridesourcing has experienced exponential growth in recent years, yet its impact on individual travel are unclear and have not been adequately examined. Recently, an Austin-based ridesourcing compan...
Toxicology of 1,3-butadiene, chloroprene, and isoprene.

The diene monomers 1,3-butadiene, chloroprene, and isoprene, shown in Fig. 1, are important building blocks used in the synthesis of polymers. These volatile organic compounds contribute significantly to the atmospheric burden of organic chemicals, appearing at low parts per billion (ppb) Open image in new window Fig. 1. Structures of butadiene, chloroprene, and isoprene. concentrations in ambient air near industrial sites where they are used. Occupational exposures to these dienes occur at higher air concentrations approaching or slightly exceeding the parts per million (ppm) threshold in facilities that produce or polymerize these monomers. Such exposures present significant continuing concern to occupational hygienists and epidemiologists in the quest to provide safe working conditions during production. These three chemicals, which differ chemically only by substitution of a hydrogen, chlorine, or methyl group at the 2-carbon of the molecule, provide interesting comparisons among their physical properties, occurrence, uses, and potential health effects. This review does not attempt comprehensive review of these chemicals, as that would fill many volumes. Search of the National Library of Medicine Medline database yielded more than 1,100, 700, and 130 citations, respectively, when butadiene, isoprene, and chloroprene were sought as keywords indexed from publications between 1966 and October 2005.
Transcription, Replication, Recombination, and Engineering of Coronavirus Genes

When one discusses coronavirus RNA synthesis, several unique features of coro-navirus RNAs immediately come to mind1: the extraordinary length (27’31 kb) of the RNA genome, the subgenomic mRNAs with a leader RNA derived from the 5′-end of the genome, and the presence of common sequences between the 3′-end of the leader RNA and the sequence (intergenic sequence, IG) preceding each gene (Figure 1). These characteristics indicate that coronavirus RNA synthesis has to be discontinuous, so that the leader RNA can be joined with mRNAs. This feature, coupled with several unique phenomena associated with coronavirus replication, e.g., high frequency of RNA recombination2 and rapid generation and evolution of defective interfering (DI) RNA3, suggests that coronavirus RNA polymerase is probably nonprocessive, being able to jump between different RNA regions and RNA molecules during synthesis. This discontinuous nature of coronavirus RNA synthesis appears to contrast with another requisite function of RNA polymerase, i.e., faithful replication of the long RNA genome. These seemingly conflicting demands on coronavirus RNA polymerase suggest that the coronavirus polymerase is very versatile and the mechanism of coronavirus RNA synthesis is unique.
The Politics of Wellbeing in International Development: Research with Organic Farmers in Cambodia

While the goal of improving people’s happiness, or wellbeing, is central to international development efforts, we generally rely on standard objective measures of wellbeing without understanding if conceptions of wellbeing understood by Western development agencies are in line with the goals of people affected by development interventions. This question is pertinent for rural development in Cambodia, where a multitude of development organizations have embraced organic agriculture as a way to improve people’s wellbeing, but with very different understanding both of what wellbeing may mean, and how it should be achieved. In this chapter, I argue that development institutions concerned with improving people’s wellbeing need to understand localized meanings of happiness, and to recognize happiness as a dynamic, messy, political process.
Model Predictive Control of a Medical Robotic System

One of the most challenging phases in interstitial brachytherapy is the placement of the needles. In these medical procedures, the needles are inserted inside the tissue to guide the positioning of the radioactive sources. The low dose-rate (LDR) radioactive sources are placed inside the tissue permanently, whereas a radioactive source in the high dose-rate (HDR) brachytherapy is temporarily placed in the desired positions so that the delivery of the prescription dose to the clinical targets can be achieved. Therefore, it is important to develop a robust and sophisticated tool that can perform the automatic needle placement with a high level of accuracy for different medical procedures and conditions. In this study, we propose a novel concept for the automatic needle insertion using a new miniature automated robotic system. The mathematical model of this system was derived, allowing the implementation of the model predictive control (MPC) that can be used to govern the mechanism. The purpose of this approach was to minimize the lateral components of the generalized reactive force which is responsible for the tissue displacement and, consequently, for the needle deflection.
An SNR-Optimized Scanning Strategy for Geostationary Carbon Cycle Observatory (GeoCarb) Instrument

Abstract. The Geostationary Carbon Observatory (GeoCarb) will make measurements of greenhouse gases over the land mass in the western hemisphere. The extreme flexibility of observing from geostationary orbit induces an optimization problem, as operators must choose what to observe and when. We express this problem in terms of an optimal subcovering problem, and use an Incremental Optimization (IO) algorithm to create a scanning strategy that minimizes expected error as a function of the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), and show that this method outperforms the human selected strategy in terms of global error distributions.
PdCu/C anode catalysts for the alkaline ascorbate fuel cell

Abstract In this work, PdCu/C catalysts are used to increase the power output of an alkaline ascorbate fuel cell using an alkaline anion exchange membrane. The alkaline ascorbate fuel cell produces significantly more power than a direct ascorbic acid fuel cell using an acidic cation exchange membrane. However, that alkaline ascorbate fuel cell employs Pd catalyst at the anode. Since addition of Cu to a Pd catalyst results in higher oxidation rates for polyalcohol oxidation in alkaline media, we add Cu to this Pd catalyst to study its impact on ascorbate oxidation in alkaline media. The ascorbate fuel cell maximum power density increases from 53 mW cm−2 when Pd/C is used at the anode to 89 mW cm−2 when Pd28Cu72/C is used. Per mass of Pd, the Pd/C anode produces only 32 mW mg−1 while the Pd28Cu72/C anode produces 194 mW mg−1. Electrochemical analysis of various PdCu/C catalysts shows that the current density after oxidation at −0.4 V for 1 h increases with the addition of greater quantities of Cu to the Pd catalyst, from 0.111 mA cm−2 on Pd/C to 0.757 mA cm−2 on Pd11Cu89/C. This increase in catalytic efficiency when Cu is added to the Pd catalyst is attributed to a combination of the electronic and bifunctional effects.
Mechanical Modeling of Healthy and Diseased Calcaneal Fat Pad Surrogates

The calcaneal fat pad is a major load bearing component of the human foot due to daily gait activities such as standing, walking, and running. Heel and arch pain pathologies such as plantar fasciitis, which over one third of the world population suffers from, is a consequent effect of calcaneal fat pad damage. Also, fat pad stiffening and ulceration has been observed due to diabetes mellitus. To date, the biomechanics of fat pad damage is poorly understood due to the unavailability of live human models (because of ethical and biosafety issues) or biofidelic surrogates for testing. This also precludes the study of the effectiveness of preventive custom orthotics for foot pain pathologies caused due to fat pad damage. The current work addresses this key gap in the literature with the development of novel biofidelic surrogates， which simulate the in vivo and in vitro compressive mechanical properties of a healthy calcaneal fat pad. Also, surrogates were developed to simulate the in vivo mechanical behavior of the fat pad due to plantar fasciitis and diabetes. A four-part elastomeric material system was used to fabricate the surrogates, and their mechanical properties were characterized using dynamic and cyclic load testing. Different strain (or displacement) rates were tested to understand surrogate behavior due to high impact loads. These surrogates can be integrated with a prosthetic foot model and mechanically tested to characterize the shock absorption in different simulated gait activities, and due to varying fat pad material property in foot pain pathologies (i.e., plantar fasciitis, diabetes, and injury). Additionally, such a foot surrogate model, fitted with a custom orthotic and footwear, can be used for the experimental testing of shock absorption characteristics of preventive orthoses.
Proceedings of the 47th Annual Pancreas Club Meeting

The 47th annual Pancreas Club meeting was held on 17 and 18 May 2013 at the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Hotel, Lake Buena Vista, FL, USA. Two hundred fifty-eight attendees comprised a remarkably international congress, with 92 international pancreatologists contributing to the meeting. Two hundred eleven abstracts were submitted from which 54 oral presentations and 140 posters were presented.
Resveratrol Downregulates miR-31 to Promote T Regulatory Cells during Prevention of TNBS-Induced Colitis.

Scope Colitis, an inflammatory bowel disease, is associated with aberrant regulation of the colonic mucosal immune system. Resveratrol, a natural plant product, has been found to exert anti-inflammatory properties and attenuate the development of murine colitis. In the current study, the role of microRNA (miR) in the ability of resveratrol to suppress colonic inflammation is examined. Methods and results BALB/C mice with 2,4,6-Trinitrobenzenesulfonic acid solution (TNBS)-induced colitis, when treated with resveratrol, show improved clinical outcomes and reduce induction of inflammatory T cells (Th17 and Th1) while increasing CD4+Foxp3+ regulatory T cells (Tregs) and IL-10-producing CD4+ T cells. miR microarray analysis and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) validation from CD4+ T cells show treatment with resveratrol decreases the expression of several miRs (miR-31, Let7a, miR-132) that targets cytokines and transcription factors involved in anti-inflammatory T cell responses (Foxp3 and TGF-β). Transfection studies with miR-31 confirm that this miR directly regulates the expression of Foxp3. Lastly, analysis of public data from human patients with ulcerative colitis reveals that miR-31 expression is significantly increased when compared to controls. Conclusion Together, the current study demonstrates that resveratrol-mediated attenuation of colitis may be regulated by miR-31 through induction of Tregs and miR-31 may serve as a therapeutic target for human colitis.
China, Mining, and Forests: A Cross-National Test of Ecologically Unequal Exchange

Previous research suggests that China’s growing demand for minerals may adversely impact the natural environment in nations that export mining products to China. However, we are not aware of cross-...
Evaluation of the effects of implementing a diode transmission device into the clinical workflow.

Abstract Purpose This work investigated effects of implementing the Delta4 Discover diode transmission detector into the clinical workflow. Methods PDD and profile scans were completed with and without the Discover for a number of photon beam energies. Transmission factors were determined for all beam energies and included in Eclipse TPS to account for the attenuation of the Discover. A variety of IMRT plans were delivered to a Delta4 Phantom+ with and without the Discover to evaluate the Discover’s effects on IMRT QA. An imaging QA phantom was used to assess the detector’s effects on MV image quality. OSLDs placed on the Phantom+ were used to determine the detector’s effects on superficial dose. Results The largest effect on PDDs after dmax was 0.5%. The largest change in beam profile symmetry and flatness was 0.2% and 0.1%, respectively. An average difference in gamma passing rates (2%/2 mm) of 0.2% was observed between plans that did not include the Discover in the measurement and calculation to plans that did include the Discover in the measurement and calculation. The Discover did not significantly change the MV image quality, and the largest observed increase in the relative superficial dose when the Discover was present was 1%. Conclusions The effects the Discover has on the linac beam were found to be minimal. The device can be implemented into the clinic without the need to alter the TPS beam modeling, other than accounting for the device’s attenuation. However, a careful workflow review to implement the Discover should be completed.
Safety and Feasibility of a Novel Protocol for Percutaneous Dilatational Tracheostomy in Patients with Respiratory Failure due to COVID-19 Infection: A Single Center Experience.

Introduction The rapidly spreading Novel Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) appeared to be a highly transmissible pathogen in healthcare environments and had resulted in a significant number of patients with respiratory failure requiring tracheostomy, an aerosol-generating procedure that places healthcare workers at high risk of contracting the infection. Instead of deferring or delaying the procedure, we developed and implemented a novel percutaneous dilatational tracheostomy (PDT) protocol aimed at minimizing the risk of transmission while maintaining favorable procedural outcome. Patients and Methods. All patients who underwent PDT per novel protocol were included in the study. The key element of the protocol was the use of apnea during the critical part of the insertion and upon any opening of the ventilator circuit. This was coupled with the use of enhanced personnel protection equipment (PPE) with a powered air-purifying respirator (PAPR). The operators underwent antibody serology testing and were evaluated for COVID-19 symptoms two weeks from the last procedure included in the study. Results Between March 12th and June 30th, 2020, a total of 32 patients underwent PDT per novel protocol. The majority (80%) were positive for COVID-19 at the time of the procedure. The success rate was 94%. Only one patient developed minor self-limited bleeding. None of the proceduralists developed positive serology or any symptoms compatible with COVID-19 infection. Conclusion A novel protocol that uses periods of apnea during opening of the ventilator circuit along with PAPR-enhanced PPE for PDT on COVID-19 patients appears to be effective and safe for patients and healthcare providers.
Prospective evaluation of radiation dose with conventional fluoroscopic voiding cystourethrogram in pediatric patients.

Introduction Skin entrance doses for voiding cystourethrogram (VCUG) have not been well characterized in the literature. Radiation exposure is measured as either dose area product (DAP) or air kerma, which estimates the effective dose, but does not accurately reflect absorbed dose at skin level. Objective The objective of this study was to measure the skin entrance dose during fluoroscopic VCUG study in pediatric patients using single point dosimeters. Study design Pediatric patients undergoing fluoroscopic VCUG were prospectively enrolled in our study. Landauer NanoDot™OSLD dosimeters were affixed to the skin overlying the sacrum to measure skin entrance dose. The fluoroscopic unit was set to the following parameters: low dose setting, skin-to-source distance of 54 cm, pulsed fluoroscopy at 3 frames/sec. Results Forty-four patients with a median age of 13.6 months (IQR 3.7-42.3) were enrolled. Median fluoroscopic time was 54 s (IQR 36-72). The median values absorbed dose by dosimeter and air kerma were 0.32 mGy (IQR 0.13-0.56, range 0.01-2.9) and 0.24 mGy (IQR 0.14-0.37), respectively. There was a positive correlation between the air kerma and absorbed dose (r = 0.69, p Discussion Overall, the absorbed dose received by the dosimeter remained low at a median of 0.32 mGy (range 0.01-2.91). These values are remarkably low and well within the accepted radiation exposure norms. Our radiologists follow a strict protocol to reduce the overall radiation emitted during a VCUG. These measures include setting the x-ray source at a low dose mode, collimating to the smallest area possible, and using pulsed fluoroscopy at 3 frames/sec. Limitations to this study include a slight variability in technique of VCUG between different technicians and providers, for which we cannot control. Conclusion The radiation dose absorbed at the skin entrance and uniform whole body effective dose is low for a single VCUG when utilizing strict parameters. While newer non-ionizing technologies continue to emerge, our data is encouraging and will serve as a valuable tool when educating parents regarding radiation doses associated with a VCUG.
The conversion of fibronogen to fibrin: XX. Transverse wave propagation and non-newtonian flow in solutions of intermediate fibrinogen polymers

Abstract Non-Newtonian flow and transverse wave propagation have been studied in solutions of intermediate polymers of bovine fibrinogen, formed by thrombin at pH 9.4, ionic strength 0.5, in the presence of 0.5 M hexamethylene glycol. The results conform approximately to the behavior of rigid rods or elongated ellipsoids as predicted by Kirkwood, Saito and Cerf . The only adjustable parameter in applying these theories is the relaxation time, from which molecular lenghts of about 7000 A and 2000. A are calculated from non-Newtonian flow and wave propagation respectively. These agree well in magnitude with values derived from birefringence; the difference between them is probably attributable to a distribution of molecular lenghts.
Toll gates for pathogen selection

Mammals and flies both stave off pathogens using the innate immune response. In the fruit fly this involves cell-surface receptors belonging to the Toll family, which mediate separate anti-bacterial and anti-fungal responses in the same type of cell. Studies of two mammalian Toll-like receptors, TLR2 and TLR4, indicate that this system is also used in the innate immune responses of higher animals.
Video-Analytics for Enhancing Safety and Decision-Support in Surgical Workflows

The present state-of-the-art surgical robotic systems though have a host of safety and failure systems still rely primarily on the surgeons-in-the-loop for safety amidst real-world uncertainties. Recent case studies involving surgical accidents and injuries have further increased the attention towards: (i) incorporating multiple levels of hard- and soft- safety layers within the testing, validation and deployment phases; and (ii) objective based surgical skill assessment. We therefore would like to propose a method based on the rich information content with automated-assists for safer and smarter robotic surgeries. BACKGROUND Surgical tool detection and tracking, as it has been considered so far, is found to be useful only for low level feedback (Krupa, Gangloff et al. (2003)). Besides, prior tracking efforts based on motion detection using external sensing— marker-based methods that had to be bio-compatible (Groeger, Arbter et al. (2008)) and flexible joint sensing resulting in uncertainties; and image-analysis— assume clear conditions and heavily rely on tool geometric information (Reiter, Allen et al. (2012)), were limited. In this work, our aim is to realize: (i) automated tracking and semantic labeling of tools; and (ii) surgical expertise evaluation and assessment based on micro-motion analysis; using only the recorded surgical videos. Though these aspects have been studied already, we believe our efforts will be a critical enabler towards increasing the level-of-autonomy. EXPERIMENTAL SETUP Recorded videos of hysterectomy procedures and simulator tasks using the da Vinci Surgical System-Si served as our inputs. The uncalibrated videos were cropped into segments (150-300 frames per slice) without making assumptions on tools and attributes (allowing varied tool configurations and types; occlusion by tissues, blood stains and other tools; imagespecularities due to varied light intensities and smoke etc.) to yield robust classifiers. The proposed cascaded framework (Kumar, Narayanan et al. (2013)) is shown in Fig.1.
Effect of lovastatin on the cytotoxicity of ricin, modeccin, Pseudomonas toxin, and diphtheria toxin in brefeldin A-sensitive and -resistant cell lines.

Abstract Lovastatin, a specific inhibitor of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase, inhibits the biosynthesis of cholesterol and the prenylation of proteins. In this study, we have found that lovastatin inhibited the cytotoxicities of modeccin, ricin, Pseudomonas toxin, and diphtheria toxin in Vero and a brefeldin A (BFA)-resistant mutant of Vero cells (BER-40) to different extents. Among these toxins tested, the cytotoxicity of modeccin was most strongly inhibited by lovastatin in a dose-dependent manner. The protective effect of lovastatin was completely reversed by the addition of mevalonic acid, while the addition of cholesterol had no effect on the cytotoxicity of modeccin in lovastatin-treated cells. These results suggest that prenylated proteins are involved in the intoxication process of modeccin. The addition of cycloheximide to the growth medium also reversed the protective effect of lovastatin, suggesting a requirement of de novo protein synthesis for the protection by lovastatin against toxins. In contrast to Vero and BER-40 cells, no significant effect of lovastatin was observed in naturally BFA-resistant cell lines, PtK 1 and MDCK cells, even though similar morphological changes and disassembly of the actin micro-filaments were induced by lovastatin in these cell lines as observed in Vero and BER-40 cells. Lovastatin did not affect the binding and internalization of ricin and modeccin in Vero and BER-40 cells. Our results suggest that prenylated cellular proteins are involved in intra-cellular trafficking or processing of protein toxins, especially modeccin. In PtK 1 and MDCK cells, such intracellular vesicle trafficking of protein toxins may be regulated by lovastatin-resistant mechanisms.
Equivalent neutron optical potentials in the separable energy-dependent approximation

Abstract The single-term separable energy-dependent approximation for the two-body t-matrix is extended to the case of non-hermitian potentials. The formalism is applied to construct a separable potential for neutron scattering at low energies. Comparison with the exact scattering data gives good agreement.