cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Characterization of a Human Cell Line Stably Over-Expressing the Candidate Oncogene, Dual Specificity Phosphatase 12

Background Analysis of chromosomal rearrangements within primary tumors has been influential in the identification of novel oncogenes. Identification of the “driver” gene(s) within cancer-derived amplicons is, however, hampered by the fact that most amplicons contain many gene products. Amplification of 1q21–1q23 is strongly associated with liposarcomas and microarray-based comparative genomic hybridization narrowed down the likely candidate oncogenes to two: the activating transcription factor 6 (atf6) and the dual specificity phosphatase 12 (dusp12). While atf6 is an established transcriptional regulator of the unfolded protein response, the potential role of dusp12 in cancer remains uncharacterized. Methodology/Principal Findings To evaluate the oncogenic potential of dusp12, we established stable cell lines that ectopically over-express dusp12 in isolation and determined whether this cell line acquired properties frequently associated with transformed cells. Here, we demonstrate that cells over-expressing dusp12 display increased cell motility and resistance to apoptosis. Additionally, over-expression of dusp12 promoted increased expression of the c-met proto-oncogene and the collagen and laminin receptor intergrin alpha 1 (itga1) which is implicated in metastasis. Significance Collectively, these results suggest that dusp12 is oncologically relevant and exposes a potential association between dusp12 and established oncogenes that could be therapeutically targeted.
Purification and characterization of an extracellular ATPase from oviductal secretions.

Abstract Oviductal secretions include an ATPase (EC 3.6.1.3) that is tranferred from the outer surface of the secretory cells to the surface of the ovulated oocyte. The enzyme has been purified and is a highly labile, very high molecular weight lipoprotein complex (>4 · 106). it consists of 47% protein and 53% lipid. Lipid composition is limited to phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine and sphingomyelin. The basic protein subunit has a molecular weight of 170 000. The enzyme exhibits many of the characteristics of ectoenzyme ATPase. The enzyme is Mg2+ or Ca2+ dependent; the Mg2+-ATPase has pH optima at 6.0 and 7.8 and the Ca2+-ATPase at 9.0. Substrate specificity is limited to ATP with lesser activity towards GTP, CTP, UTP and ADP. Km for ATP is 0.88 mM and the enzyme is inhibited at substrate concentrations greater than 3 mM ATP.
Total antioxidant capacity of diet in relation to cognitive function and decline

Background: Epidemiologic evidence on the association of individual antioxidant vitamins and cognition is inconsistent. Objective: We evaluated the total antioxidant capacity of diets on the basis of the ferric-reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assay in relation to cognition in older women. Design: Starting in 1995, we used a telephone-based cognitive assessment to evaluate cognitive function on 3 occasions at 2-y intervals in 16,010 participants aged ≥70 y in the Nurses’ Health Study. In 1980, and every 4 y thereafter, we collected dietary information by using a semiquantitative food-frequency questionnaire (FFQ). For each participant, we combined FFQ data with food- and supplement-specific FRAP values to obtain FRAP scores; these data were averaged from 1980 until the initial cognitive interview to reflect long-term diets. We used multivariable-adjusted linear regression to estimate mean differences in initial cognitive function and slopes of decline across quintiles of FRAP scores. Results: In multivariable-adjusted models, there was an association between higher total FRAP scores and better cognitive function at the first interview (P for trend = 0.003 for global scores with all cognitive tests combined; mean difference = 0.04 standard units; 95% CI: 0.01, 0.08 standard units, comparing the highest and lowest quintiles). A weaker association was observed for dietary FRAP scores (excluding supplements) and initial global scores (P for trend = 0.05). However, prospective analyses of cognitive decline indicated no associations with total or dietary FRAP scores in models adjusted for multiple potential confounders (P for trend = 0.3 and 0.5 for global scores, respectively). Conclusion: We observed no clear evidence of a consistent association between the total antioxidant capacity of diets and cognition in this cohort of older women.
Theoretical limits to the correlation between pelagic larval duration and population genetic structure.

Increasing dispersal duration should result in increasing dispersal distance, facilitating higher gene flow among populations. As such, it has long been predicted that genetic structure (e.g. F(ST) ) among populations of marine species should be strongly correlated with pelagic larval duration (PLD). However, previous studies have repeatedly shown a surprisingly poor correspondence. This result has been frequently interpreted as evidence for larval behaviours or physical oceanographic processes that result in larvae failing to reach their dispersal potential, or error inherent in estimating PLD and F(ST) . This study employed a computer modelling approach to explore the impacts of various uncertainties on the correlation between measures of genetic differentiation such as F(ST) and PLD. Results indicate that variation resulting from PLD estimation error had minor impacts on the correlation between genetic structure and PLD. However, variation in effective population size between species, errors in F(ST) estimation and non-equilibrium F(ST) values all had major impacts, resulting in dramatically weaker correlations between PLD and F(ST) . These results suggest that poor correlations between PLD and F(ST) may result from variation and uncertainty in the terms associated with the calculation of F(ST) values. As such, PLD may be a much stronger determinant of realized larval dispersal than suggested by the weak-to-moderate correlations between PLD and F(ST) reported in empirical studies.
Renal Xenobiotic Transporter Expression is Altered in Multiple Experimental Models of Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease is the most common chronic liver disease, which can progress to nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). Previous investigations demonstrated alterations in the expression and activity of hepatic drug transporters in NASH. Moreover, studies using rodent models of cholestasis suggest that compensatory changes in kidney transporter expression occur to facilitate renal excretion during states of hepatic stress; however, little information is currently known regarding extrahepatic regulation of drug transporters in NASH. The purpose of the current study was to investigate the possibility of renal drug transporter regulation in NASH across multiple experimental rodent models. Both rat and mouse NASH models were used in this investigation and include: the methionine and choline-deficient (MCD) diet, atherogenic diet, fa/fa rat, ob/ob and db/db mice. Histologic and pathologic evaluations confirmed that the MCD and atherogenic rats as well as the ob/ob and db/db mice all developed NASH. In contrast, the fa/fa rats did not develop NASH but did develop extensive renal injury compared with the other models. Renal mRNA and protein analyses of xenobiotic transporters suggest that compensatory changes occur in NASH to favor increased xenobiotic secretion. Specifically, both apical efflux and basolateral uptake transporters are induced, whereas apical uptake transporter expression is repressed. These results suggest that NASH may alter the expression and potentially function of renal drug transporters, thereby impacting drug elimination mechanisms in the kidney.
The actin-binding proteins adseverin and gelsolin are both highly expressed but differentially localized in kidney and intestine

To understand the distinct functions of the closely related actin-severing proteins adseverin and gelsolin, we examined the expression of these proteins in detail during mouse and human development using a new highly sensitive and specific set of antibody reagents. Immunoblot analysis demonstrated that adseverin was highly expressed in mouse kidney and intestine at all stages of development and in human fetal and adult kidney. In contrast and as reported previously, gelsolin was expressed much more widely in both murine and human tissues. Immunohistochemistry on murine kidney sections revealed a predominantly differential localization of adseverin and gelsolin. Adseverin was expressed in peripolar cells, thin limbs, thick ascending limbs, and principal cells of cortical and medullary collecting ducts where it was diffusely localized in the cytoplasm. Gelsolin was expressed in the distal convoluted tubule, intercalated cells and principal cells of cortical and medullary collecting ducts, and in ureter. In the distal convoluted tubule, gelsolin showed a diffuse distribution and in principal cells of collecting ducts a localization at the basolateral pole. In intercalated cells, gelsolin localization was heterogeneous, either at the apical pole or diffusely in the cytoplasm. In human fetal and adult kidney, adseverin was expressed only in collecting ducts whereas gelsolin was expressed in thick ascending limbs and collecting ducts. In mouse and human intestine adseverin was expressed in enterocytes with a gradient of increasing expression from the duodenum to the colon, and from the crypt to the villus. The observations indicate high level expression of adseverin in specific cells of the kidney and colon, and suggest a previously unrecognized function of adseverin in epithelial cell function.
Transcriptome signature of virulent and attenuated pseudorabies virus-infected rodent brain

Mammalian alphaherpesviruses normally establish latent infections in ganglia of the peripheral nervous system in their natural hosts. Occasionally, however, these viruses spread to the central nervous system (CNS), where they cause damaging, often fatal, infections. Attenuated alphaherpesvirus derivatives have been used extensively as neuronal circuit tracers in a variety of animal models. Their circuit-specific spread provides a unique paradigm to study the local and global CNS response to infection. Thus, we systematically analyzed the host gene expression profile after acute pseudorabies virus (PRV) infection of the CNS using Affymetrix GeneChip technology. Rats were injected intraocularly with one of three selected virulent and attenuated PRV strains. Relative levels of cellular transcripts were quantified from hypothalamic and cerebellar tissues at various times postinfection. The number of cellular genes responding to infection correlated with the extent of virus dissemination and relative virulence of the PRV strains. A total of 245 out of 8,799 probe sets, corresponding to 182 unique cellular genes, displayed increased expression ranging from 2- to more than 100-fold higher than in uninfected tissue. Over 60% thereof were categorized as immune, proinflammatory, and other cellular defense genes. Additionally, a large fraction of infection-induced transcripts represented cellular stress responses, including glucocorticoid- and redox-related pathways. This is the first comprehensive in vivo analysis of the global transcriptional response of the mammalian CNS to acute alphaherpesvirus infection. The differentially regulated genes reported here are likely to include potential diagnostic and therapeutic targets for viral encephalitides and other neurodegenerative or neuroinflammatory diseases.
Resistance of Shigella, Salmonella, and Other Selected Enteric Pathogens to Antimicrobial Agents

Antimicrobial agents are commonly used therapeutically and prophylactically for travelers' diarrhea. Resistance of enteric pathogens to these agents may prevent the success of such therapy, with the result depending upon the level of resistance and the drug concentrations achieved in the gastrointestinal tract. Data from a number of geographic locations were collected in order to determine whether consistent trends exist and whether predictions can be made regarding the susceptibility of various enteric pathogens worldwide. These data showed marked variability in the prevalence of resistance. Among Shigella, the percentage of strains resistant to commonly used agents varied within the following ranges: ampicillin, 7% (Dacca) to 87% (Thailand); tetracycline, 11% (Sri Lanka) to 91% (Mexico); and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, 0 (Dacca, 1980) to 55% (Dacca, 1984). Resistance in Salmonella strains showed a similar marked variability. Few strains of enteroxigenic Escherichia coli (less than or equal to 10%) were resistant to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole. Relatively recent isolates of all pathogens examined tended to be more resistant than earlier isolates to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole as well as to other agents.
Living fat in a thin-centric world: Effects of spatial discrimination on fat bodies and selves:

Traditional narratives about fat experiences often exclude tangible, lived experiences in favor of examining fatness as a social and interpersonal symbol. In order to expand considerations of what it means to literally be fat, I use information from interviews, personal journals, and ethnographic research to explore how fat persons experience and navigate their daily, spatial worlds. Key to my analysis is an exploration of the concept of spatial discrimination, or experiencing the physical and emotional effects of living in a world designed with smaller bodies in mind. I propose spatial discrimination as a form of microaggression, a type of discrimination that implicitly, and through a myriad small words and examples, derides the physicalities and identities of marginalized persons. Finally, I explore three common, social psychological methods of coping with spatial discrimination: withdrawal, invisibility, and disembodiment, all of which illustrate fat persons’ adaptations to moving through physical spac...
Tidal volume effects on surfactant treatment responses with the initiation of ventilation in preterm lambs

Wada, Kazuko, Alan H. Jobe, and Machiko Ikegami. Tidal volume effects on surfactant treatment responses with the initiation of ventilation in preterm lambs. J. Appl. Physiol. 83(4): 1054–1061, 1997...
The inherent inefficiency of simultaneously feasible financial transmission rights auctions

Abstract Empirical evidence from the New York ISO shows that the clearing prices for point-to-point congestion revenue rights, also known as financial transmission rights (FTRs), resulting from centralized auctions conducted by Independent System Operators differ significantly and systematically from the realized congestion revenues that determine the accrued payoffs of these rights. The question addressed by this paper is whether such deviations are due to price discovery errors which will eventually vanish or due to inherent inefficiencies in the auction structure. We show that even with perfect foresight of average congestion rents the clearing prices for the FTRs depend on the bid quantity and therefore may not be priced correctly in the financial transmission right (FTR) auction. In particular, we prove that quantity limits on the FTR bids may cause the auction clearing prices to differ from the bid prices. This phenomenon which is inherent in the theoretical properties of the optimization algorithm used to clear the auction, is further illustrated through numerical simulations with test systems. We conclude that price discovery alone would not remedy the discrepancy between the auction prices and the realized values of the FTRs. Secondary markets or frequent reconfiguration auctions are necessary in order to achieve such convergence.
The function of SPARC in tumor cell biology: SPARC as a modulator of cell-extracellular matrix interaction

Although alterations in the level of SPARC (secreted protein, acidic and rich in cysteine; also known as osteonectin) expression have been associated with a large number of studies on tumor tissue from various anatomical locations, the mechanisms by which SPARC influences tumor progression are not well defined. The capacity of SPARC to affect cellular proliferation, adhesion, migration, and invasion in a cell and tissue-specific manner further complicates the analysis of the function of SPARC in tumor biology. In this chapter, an effort is made to bring together results generated from a number of different studies that highlight functional consequences of SPARC expression. Emphasis has been placed on cell–extracellular matrix interactions, in particular collagen-binding and collagen receptor activity. Likely, it is the contextual nature of divergent functions associated with SPARC, based in unique tissue microenvironments, that give rise to what are seen as seemingly contradictory effects of SPARC expression in different tumors.
Cancer of the cervix.

Objectives : To review the advances in the diagnosis, evaluation, staging, and treatment of cervical cancer that have been made in the past 10 years, and identify the work that still needs to be done. Data Sources : Journal and review articles, book chapters, and research studies. Conclusions : Although cervical cancer has a preinvasive component and should be easily preventable, it has not been eradicated. Issues that prevent access to health care need to be addressed. Implications for Nursing Practice : Nurses now have a more extended role in screening patients and educating them regarding the importance of preventive care. As new treatments are developed, the nurse is the one who will monitor the patient for side effects and assist with minimizing them. When all treatments fail in advanced disease, the nurse will assist the patient to deal with end-of-life issues and symptom control.
Boundaries of Personal Space

For the hospitalized individual, personal space can be the only remaining evidence of identity and integrity. This article reviews the concept of boundaries and some research on proxemics, and suggests the importance of these findings in nursing practice.
Selective Increase in Cholesterol at Atherosclerosis-Susceptible Aortic Sites After Short-term Cholesterol Feeding

In rabbits, the aortic arch and branch sites of the descending thoracic and abdominal aortas are susceptible to atherosclerosis. This study investigated the hypothesis that the reported focal increase in LDL concentration and mean residence time at susceptible aortic sites after feeding cholesterol for 4 to 8 days precede atherosclerotic change as indicated by increased aortic cholesterol concentration. Cholesterol concentrations for all aortic sites of normal rabbits were similar (approximately equal to 2.8 mumol/g). No change in aortic cholesterol concentration could be detected after feeding cholesterol for 8 days. However, after feeding cholesterol for 12 and 16 days, cholesterol concentrations for abdominal branch sites were increased compared with abdominal branch sites of normal rabbits (4.47 +/- 0.50, n = 8, and 4.85 +/- 0.33, n = 11, mumol/g, respectively, versus 2.87 +/- 0.27, n = 12, mumol/g; P < .025 and P < .005, respectively). In contrast, the cholesterol concentration of atherosclerosis-resistant nonbranch abdominal aorta was unchanged after feeding cholesterol for 16 days and was much less than that of the branch sites (2.72 +/- 0.12 versus 4.85 +/- 0.33, mumol/g, n = 11; P < .001). Cholesterol concentrations for other susceptible sites were also increased after feeding cholesterol for 12 and 16 days. Cholesterol concentrations for susceptible sites were linearly related to a combined measure of duration and extent of hypercholesterolemia (P < .001 to P < .0001), whereas no such relationship could be detected for resistant sites. Most (59% to 93%) of the cholesterol accumulating in susceptible aortic sites after feeding cholesterol for 12 and 16 days was nonesterified, suggesting that the increased cholesterol concentration did not reflect development of foam cells or the insudation of plasma lipoproteins. This study suggests that the reported focal increases in LDL concentration and mean residence time at susceptible aortic sites during cholesterol feeding precede atherosclerosis.
Influence of Modeling on Acquisition and Generalization of Computational Skills: A Summary of Research Findings from Three Sites.

Modeling through demonstration is a viable teaching strategy for helping students acquire a variety of skills. In the present study, modeling is examined as it relates to learning disabled students' acquisition and generalization of computational skills. Data from a number of learning disabled students in three research locations are presented and summarized to validate the effectiveness of this technique.
Effect of Cement Composition on Corrosion of Reinforcing Steel in Concrete

The tricalcium aluminate present in portland cement is known to be effective for chloride removal and can thus provide protection against steel corrosion. Contradictions are found in the literature with regard to the minimum tricalcium aluminate content of a cement which is desirable to prevent corrosion of reinforcing steel in concretes exposed to chlorides. A review of published experimental data and some theoretical considerations are presented to show that not only the amount of tricalcium aluminate present but also its crystallographic type and the source of chloride are necessary factors in predicting the corrosion behavior of steel in reinforced concrete.
Characterization of spectral analysis of surface waves shear wave velocity measurement uncertainty

The spectral analysis of surface waves (SASW) method is a nondestructive test for characterization of the variation with depth of the shear modulus of soils. While the testing procedure is well developed, only one preliminary study has investigated measurement uncertainty associated with SASW, and the methods utilized to quantify measurement uncertainty were prohibitive to routine assessment. Knowledge of this uncertainty, and ability to include its assessment in routine testing, would allow for inclusion of SASW results in reliability-based design and in assessment of the spatial variability of shear modulus. In this study, a large sample of test data was collected from two test sites. Characteristic statistics, statistical distribution, and measurement uncertainty were determined for each phase of SASW. Using the empirical statistical properties and measurement uncertainty results as validation criteria, an analytically based uncertainty assessment system was developed. Phase angle, inverse phase angle, and phase velocity data typically display a coefficient of variation (COV) of 2%, and the COV for combined phase velocity data is typically 1.5%. The COV for shear wave velocity is typically between 5 and 10%, and thus the inversion appears to magnify measurement uncertainty. Phase angle, inverse phase angle, phase velocity, and combined phase velocity data are normally distributed. Shear wave velocity samples at a given depth are generally normally distributed. Using a small sample of experimental data and the analytically based process developed in this study, the measurement uncertainty of SASW test results can be assessed as part of routine testing.
Serum potassium and the racial disparity in diabetes risk: the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study

BACKGROUND: Low serum potassium appears to be independently associated with incident type 2 diabetes, and low dietary potassium is more common in African Americans than in whites. OBJECTIVE: We hypothesized that low serum potassium contributes to the excess risk of diabetes in African Americans. DESIGN: We analyzed data collected from 1987 to 1996 from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study. At baseline, we identified 2716 African American and 9493 white participants without diabetes. We used multivariate Cox models to estimate the relative hazards (RHs) of incident diabetes related to baseline serum potassium during 9 y of follow-up. RESULTS: Mean serum potassium concentrations were lower in African Americans than in whites at baseline (4.2 compared with 4.5 mEq/L; P < 0.01), and African Americans had a greater incidence of diabetes than did whites (26 compared with 13 cases/1000 person-years). The adjusted RHs (95% CI) of incident diabetes for those with serum potassium concentrations of <4.0, 4.0-4.4, and 4.5-4.9 mEq/L, compared with those with serum potassium concentrations of 5.0-5.5 mEq/L (referent), were 2.28 (1.21, 4.28), 1.97 (1.06, 3.65), and 1.85 (0.99, 3.47) for African Americans and 1.53 (1.14, 2.05), 1.49 (1.19, 1.87), and 1.27 (1.02, 1.58) for whites, respectively. Racial differences in serum potassium appeared to explain 18% of the excess risk of diabetes in African Americans, which is comparable with the percentage of risk explained by racial differences in body mass index (22%). CONCLUSIONS: Low serum potassium concentrations in African Americans may contribute to their excess risk of type 2 diabetes relative to whites. Whether interventions to increase serum potassium concentrations in African Americans might reduce their excess risk deserves further study. The ARIC Study is registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT00005131
Photonic nanojet-induced modes: From physics to applications

The effects of periodical focusing of light are studied in chains of spheres with diameters varying from 2 µm to 300 µm and with index of refraction varying from 1.3 to 2.5. Experimentally, we show that the coupled focused beams decrease in size along the chain of polystyrene microspheres with index n = 1.59, reaching wavelength-scale dimensions in the case of small beads with 4 &#60; D/λ &#60; 10, where D is the spheres diameter and λ is the wavelength of light. We show that these effects are determined by the existence of so-called photonic nanojet-induced modes with the period approximately equal to the size of two spheres. By using numerical ray tracing we show that in the limit of geometrical optics such effect of “tapering” of optical beams does not exist for spheres with n = 1.59, however it should be very pronounced in a narrow range of indices around n = 1.75. The results can be used for developing various focusing devices for photonics and biomedical optics applications.
Dominant mutations in the Caenorhabditis elegans Myt1 ortholog wee-1.3 reveal a novel domain that controls M-phase entry during spermatogenesis

Regulatory phosphorylation of the Cdc2p kinase by Wee1p-type kinases prevents eukaryotic cells from entering mitosis or meiosis at an inappropriate time. The canonical Wee1p kinase is a soluble protein that functions in the eukaryotic nucleus. All metazoa also have a membrane-associated Wee1p-like kinase named Myt1, and we describe the first genetic characterization of this less well-studied kinase. The Caenorhabditis elegans Myt1 ortholog is encoded by the wee-1.3 gene, and six dominant missense mutants prevent primary spermatocytes from entering M phase but do not affect either oocyte meiosis or any mitotic division. These six dominant wee-1.3(gf) mutations are located in a four amino acid region near the C terminus and they cause self-sterility of hermaphrodites. Second-site intragenic suppressor mutations in wee-1.3(gf) restore self-fertility to these dominant sterile hermaphrodites, permitting genetic dissection of this kinase. Ten intragenic wee-1.3 suppressor mutations were recovered and they form an allelic series that includes semi-dominant, hypomorphic and null mutations. These mutants reveal that WEE-1.3 protein is required for embryonic development, germline proliferation and initiation of meiosis during spermatogenesis. This suggests that a novel, sperm-specific pathway negatively regulates WEE-1.3 to allow the G2/M transition of male meiosis I, and that dominant wee-1.3 mutants prevent this negative regulation.
Modified Glucose Oxidase Method for Determination of Glucose in Whole Blood

We have modified an ultramicro method for determining glucose with glucose oxidase—peroxidase— o dianisidine. Capillary blood is diluted in isotonic NaF (17.6-17.8 g/ liter), the cells are removed, and glucose is determined after a 20-min incubation with enzyme-containing reagent. Increasing the enzyme concentration fourfold nullifies interference from ascorbic acid and hemolysis, while greatly decreasing interference from bilirubinemia. If necessary, bilirubin is removed completely by coprecipitation with protein. Interference from uric acid is minimized by incorporating it into the standards. Several other suspected interferences proved inconsequential. Isotonic NaF does not inhibit the enzymes used, and preserves glucose in blood for at least 2 h. Avoiding protein precipitation and shortening the incubating time significantly lessens analytical time without affecting precision.
Numerical simulations of rising bubbles

Numerical simulations of rising, buoyant, bubbles are presented. The full Navier-Stokes equations are solved by a finite difference/front tracking method that allows a fully deformable interface and the inclusion of surface tension forces. Preliminary results for a single bubble include a wobbling bubble and a bubble moving in a shear flow. It is shown that deformation has a major effect on the lift of the bubble. We also show simulations of an array of sixteen bubbles. The initial regular array is unstable and the bubbles form small transient clusters as they rise. This clustering leads to larger Reynolds stresses in the liquid as compared to the initial regular array.
Toward Education 3.0: Pedagogical Affordances and Implications of Social Software and the Semantic Web

This chapter explores the implications of the new educational paradigm from a technical standpoint and proposes a constructivist-aware approach to best leverage its significance.
A Note on Clustering Difference by Maximizing Variation of Information

In this paper, we investigate the problem of maximizing the difference between two partitions (or clusterings) of a complex network. Particularly, given the input network represented as an undirected graph and its initial partition X, we are interested in finding a partition Y such that the difference between X and Y, evaluated by the Variation of Information measure, is maximized. This problem is important in understanding fundamental properties of not only the network’s structural organization (via its clusters) but also the internal and mutual interactions among those structures in response to adversarial perturbation. We propose an approximation algorithm to define the new partition Y with a guarantee ratio of \(1 - \alpha - \beta \) (where \(\alpha \) and \(\beta \) are constants derived from the network’s initial partition), and present further optimization to improve the quality of the suggested approach.
Nitrogen-Doped Carbon Nanotube/Graphite Felts as Advanced Electrode Materials for Vanadium Redox Flow Batteries

Nitrogen-doped carbon nanotubes have been grown, for the first time, on graphite felt (N-CNT/GF) by a chemical vapor deposition approach and examined as an advanced electrode for vanadium redox flow batteries (VRFBs). The unique porous structure and nitrogen doping of N-CNT/GF with increased surface area enhances the battery performance significantly. The enriched porous structure of N-CNTs on graphite felt could potentially facilitate the diffusion of electrolyte, while the N-doping could significantly contribute to the enhanced electrode performance. Specifically, the N-doping (i) modifies the electronic properties of CNT and thereby alters the chemisorption characteristics of the vanadium ions, (ii) generates defect sites that are electrochemically more active, (iii) increases the oxygen species on CNT surface, which is a key factor influencing the VRFB performance, and (iv) makes the N-CNT electrochemically more accessible than the CNT.
A COMPREHENSIVE FIELD STUDY OF TIDAL INLET PROCESSES AT PONCE DE LEON INLET, FLORIDA

Traditional coastal engineering concerns at tidal inlets include navigation and channel maintenance. Today coastal engineers are faced with new concerns such as adjacent shoreline impacts, water quality, and wetlands preservation. The development of new engineering tools to address these problems depends on improved understanding of tidal inlet processes. A necessary component of this research is comprehensive field measurement of the complex hydrodynamic and sedimentation processes at tidal inlets (Mehta, 1995). The field measurement work unit of the Coastal Inlets Research Program (CIRP) of the US Army Corps of Engineers is a coordinated effort to acquire a comprehensive data set of physical inlet processes. The measurements will be used to evaluate and refine existing process models and motivate new predictive methods. A wide range of approaches must be served by common measurements. These include physical, numerical, analytical, empirical, semi-empirical, and hybrid models. Field data are required for development, calibration, and validation. This paper describes the planning, site selection, and design of the study. Preliminary results from the first year of data collection are presented. It is intended as a reference for investigators using the data. Problems as well as successes are described so that future studies will hopefully improve on the efforts described here.
Performance Simulation of Ionic Liquid and Hydrofluorocarbon Working Fluids for an Absorption Refrigeration System

The theoretical performance of ionic-liquid- (IL-) based working fluids in an absorption refrigeration system was investigated. The IL 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate ((bmim)(PF6)) and five hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) were selected as the absorbent and refrigerant, respectively. The Redlich−Kwong equation of state and two-phase pressure-drop model were used to compute the thermodynamic conditions and performance of the working-fluid pairs. The effects of the desorber and absorber temperatures, solution heat exchanger, and accessibility of waste heat on the system performance were evaluated. R152a showed the highest coefficient of performance, 57.3, when the desorber operated on waste heat only and the desorber and absorber were operated at 373.15 and 300.65 K, respectively. The friction-loss component of the total pumping work was below 2.5% of the pumping work for all refrigerants.
“I’m Depraved on Account of I’m Deprived:” Psychopathy and Accountability

When the assertion in the quoted portion of this commentary's title appeared in the 1957 Broadway musical West Side Story, it was intended to generate a humorous audience response, not to constitut...
The Enthalpies of Combustion and Formation of Ortho- and Parafluorobenzoic Acid.

The enthalpies of combustion and formation of one sample of ortho- and two samples of parafluorobenzoic acids have been determined by combustion in an oxygen-bomb calorimeter. The data obtained by other investigators are discussed briefly. The values obtained and their estimated uncertainties are as follows: [Table: see text] where ΔHc° corresponds to the reaction: C 7 H 5 O 2 F ( c ) + 7 O 2 ( g ) + 48 H 2 O ( liq ) → 7 CO 2 ( g ) + [ HF + 50 H 2 O ] ( liq ) . .
Robert Edmond Jones’ scenic rendering as design artifact and professional tool

ABSTRACTThis article argues that Robert Edmond Jones adopted European scenic rendering techniques during the first five years of his career. While use of the perspective drawing (rendering) was uncommon among Jones’ predecessors, after Jones, New Stagecraft designers readily accepted the rendering as a key element of professional practice. By comparing Jones’ early style to that of Max Reinhardt's Deutsches Theater, especially the work of art director Ernst Stern, the article suggests that Jones adapted Reinhardt and Stern's representational techniques for use in the US-based New Stagecraft movement. Jones’ particular developments included the inclusion of lighting and shadow, the presentation of a posed, costumed figure alongside scenic architecture and the compositional use of figures to illustrate moments of high drama. Viewing renderings as artifacts within a design process, rather than as evidence of the production itself, clarifies the instrumental value of such perspective drawing. Renderings’ depi...
The Investigation and Analysis of Nutritional Health Condition of Gansu Rural Primary and Secondary School Students

Young children's healthy growth determines country's future.The article aims to master health and nutrition condition of children in poor rural areas.It is found that there are all kinds of problems like malnutrition,anemia in students investigated by using investigation data of health and nutrition from 270 of the 45 549 pupils in primary school in two poverty-stricken counties of Gansu Province,suggesting that the Government strengthen the nutrition intervention towards poverty-stricken areas.It provides a scientific basis for school health work through the Comparison of domestic and international health evaluation criteria reflecting the need to adjust some of the national standards
HO + OClO Reaction System: Featuring a Barrierless Entrance Channel with Two Transition States.

Chlorine-containing compounds play a significant role in the troposphere and are key players in the stratosphere. The free radical compound OClO reacts with HO free radicals, but the existing experimental kinetics data are limited and uncertain. In the present theoretical investigation, the reaction mechanism, rate constants, and product branching ratios for the HO + OClO reaction system were computed over wide temperature and pressure ranges and compared with the existing experimental data. Stationary points on the singlet potential energy surface (PES) were calculated at high levels of theory, and the kinetics parameters were computed using several methods, including variational transition state theory (VTST) and RRKM/master equation techniques. The computed PES is in reasonable agreement with previous calculations, and the computed rate constants and branching ratio are in good agreement with the recent experiments. The results are used as the basis for recommendations for atmospheric chemistry modelin...
Practical Problems in Employment Law: FLMA Notices and the Not-So-Reliable Mailbox Rule

The lesson to be learned is that no matter how your FMLA or other required notices are provided, ensure that you can prove actual notice, with proof of delivery and receipt.
Effect of Aberrant Supralaryngeal Vocal Tracts on Transfer Function

Publisher Summary This chapter explores the effects of abnormal dimensions of the supralaryngeal vocal tract in Apert and Crouzon speakers on vowel formant frequencies. It presents some acoustical studies that were undertaken to determine if the distortions of the supralaryngeal vocal tract in Apert and Crouzon patients, revealed primarily in radiographie studies, produced any consistent effects on vowel formant frequencies. The Apert syndrome and Crouzon disease are two in a family of syndromes that fall under the general heading of premature craniofacial synostosis. In these syndromes, premature fusion of one or more of the sutures of the craniofacial complex produces markedly aberrant cranial growth, usually associated with abnormal facial growth as well
Does task shifting yield cost savings and improve efficiency for health systems? A systematic review of evidence from low-income and middle-income countries

Task shifting has become an increasingly popular way to increase access to health services, especially in low-resource settings. Research has demonstrated that task shifting, including the use of community health workers (CHWs) to deliver care, can improve population health. This systematic review investigates whether task shifting in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) results in efficiency improvements by achieving cost savings. Using the PRISMA guidelines for systematic reviews, we searched PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, and the Health Economic Evaluation Database on March 22, 2016. We included any original peer-review articles that demonstrated cost impact of a task shifting program in an LMIC. We identified 794 articles, of which 34 were included in our study. We found that substantial evidence exists for achieving cost savings and efficiency improvements from task shifting activities related to tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS, and additional evidence exists for the potential to achieve cost savings from activities related to malaria, NCDs, NTDs, childhood illness, and other disease areas, especially at the primary health care and community levels. Task shifting presents a viable option for health system cost savings in LMICs. Going forward, program planners should carefully consider whether task shifting can improve population health and health systems efficiency in their countries, and researchers should investigate whether task shifting can also achieve cost savings for activities related to emerging global health priorities and health systems strengthening activities such as supply chain management or monitoring and evaluation.
(Re)negotiating authenticity through virtual travel: a case study of Law of the Jungle, a Korean reality travel program

ABSTRACTThe current study investigates tourists’ discourse regarding authenticity in the postmodern tourism context by employing the intertwined concepts of authenticity and gaze to examine Law of the Jungle, a Korean reality travel program. Findings from our thematic content analysis of data suggest that the program provides viewers with a dual structure through which to view and negotiate the tourism setting of the show, and that the authenticity of the program is perceived from three main perspectives: objective, subjective, and postmodernist. Findings are contextualized within extant literature on authenticity, orientalism, the tourist gaze, and the second gaze.
The complexion connection: Ideal light skin as vehicle of adoption process discrimination vis-à-vis social work practitioners

ABSTRACTAs it pertains to the adoption process, social work practice is in fact not a color-blind profession. The incidence of skin color discrimination by practitioners who place children is a consequence of the somatic norm image rooted in the mulatto hypothesis. Subsequently, light-skinned children are idealized at the expense of their dark-skinned counterparts as both are objectified. Discrepancies relative to skin color in the adoption process are a formidable challenge to investigate, given the limited available social work literature. While skin color as a demographic category may exist in the peer-reviewed literature, it is conspicuously absent from the databases which archive such literature. What is more, skin color discrimination is a breach of the National Association of Social Workers code of ethics. The elimination of adoption process discrimination will require macrostrategies grounded in policy. Said strategies for ethical adoptions couched in macropolicy must be fashioned from an evidence...
Privacy against matching under anonymization and obfuscation in the Gaussian case

Statistical analysis allows user traces to be matched with prior behavior so as to identify the user and hence compromise their privacy. There are two commonly used techniques to protect user identities: (1) anonymization, where identities are permuted periodically to prevent statistical analysis of long time series; (2) obfuscation, where user traces are obscured by noise to obtain privacy. We explore privacy when user traces are independent and identically distributed (i.i.d.) Gaussian series; i.e., for each user, we observe a time series with the data sample at each time instant drawn from an i.i.d. Gaussian distribution with a user-dependent mean. We consider both anonymization and obfuscation techniques, and study how the two techniques impact the level of privacy. We provide: (1) an exact expression for the error probability of identifying the users when the number of users is finite; (2) an asymptotic analysis of how user privacy varies with different degrees of anonymization and obfuscation as the number of users grows large. We show that there exist thresholds for the two techniques that separate the regions of user privacy: above either of the thresholds, not all users lose privacy; below both of the thresholds, users have no privacy.
Academic Gerrymandering? Expansion and Expressions of Academic Work:

As academic institutions creatively respond to exogenous forces requiring fundamental re-imagining of academic work, boundaries are being redrawn between traditional academic/professorial work and ...
Grote’s Interpretation of the Relation of Phenomenalism to Philosophy

There are two main parts to Grote’s thesis in Exploratio Philosophica. The preceding chapter dealt with one and stressed it particularly, though mention was also made of the other. It would be impossible to deal with one to the utter exclusion of the other. These two are entitled phenomenalism and ‘philosophy‘ Let us recall the distinction which Grote makes between these two terms: I shall call by the name ‘phenomenalism’ that notion of the various objects of knowledge which go to make up the universe which belong to the point of view of physical science.1
Self-Focusing by a Linear Array on a Surface-Breaking Crack at the Opposite Side of a Plate

The detection of surface breaking cracks at the opposite side of a plate is of practical interest when the opposite side of the plate is inaccessible. Ultrasonic techniques using a single PZT transducer have been used to detect and characterize opposite side surface breaking cracks [1]. By considering the effects of curved surfaces, the technique using a single transducer has been employed to inspect pipes and boiling water reactors for cracks located on their inner walls [2].
Test methodology for evaluation of fireworthy aircraft seat cushions

Aircraft seat materials were evaluated in terms of their thermal performance. The materials were evaluated using (a) thermogravimetric analysis, (b) differential scanning calorimetry, (c) a modified NBS smoke chamber to determine the rate of mass loss and (d) the NASA T-3 apparatus to determine the thermal efficiency. In this paper, the modified NBS smoke chamber will be described in detail since it provided the most conclusive results. The NBS smoke chamber was modified to measure the weight loss of materials when exposed to a radiant heat source over the range of 2.5 to 7.5 W/cm sq. This chamber has been utilized to evaluate the thermal performance of various heat blocking layers utilized to protect the polyurethane cushioning foam used in aircraft seats. Various kinds of heat blocking layers were evaluated by monitoring the weight loss of miniature seat cushions when exposed to the radiant heat. The effectiveness of aluminized heat blocking systems was demonstrated when compared to conventional heat blocking layers such as neoprene. All heat blocking systems showed good fire protection capabilities when compared to the state-of-the-art, i.e., wool-nylon over polyurethane foam.