cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Lucky, times ten: A career in Texas science.

On January 21, 2017, I received an E-mail from Herb Tabor that I had been simultaneously hoping for and dreading for several years: an invitation to write a “Reflections” article for the Journal of Biological Chemistry. On the one hand, I was honored to receive an invitation from Herb, a man I have admired for over 40 years, known for 24 years, and worked with as a member of the Editorial Board and Associate Editor of the Journal of Biological Chemistry for 17 years. On the other hand, the invitation marked the waning of my career as an academic scientist. With these conflicting emotions, I wrote this article with the goals of recording my career history and recognizing the many mentors, trainees, and colleagues who have contributed to it and, perhaps with pretension, with the desire that students who are beginning a career in research will find inspiration in the path I have taken and appreciate the importance of luck.
The Existence of Complete Mappings of SL(2, q), q≡1 Modulo 4

In 1955, Hall and Paige conjectured that any finite group with a noncyclic Sylow 2-subgroup admits complete mappings. For the groups GL(2, q), SL(2, q), PSL(2, q), and PGL(2, q) this conjecture has been proved except for SL(2, q), q odd. We prove that SL(2, q), q?1 modulo 4 admits complete mappings.
The Ten Strategies for an Urban Regeneration

Successful urban regeneration will be the result of a collective vision, realised through creative and enduring relationships between the community, government, developers, academia and professionals involved in its design, delivery, governance and maintenance. Strategic thinking about our cities, what they should look like and how they should perform, is more important than ever.
Immunotherapy in Older Adults with Cancer

The purpose of this review is to examine the latest research and data on the use of immunotherapy in older adults with cancer in order to identify key gaps in the literature for future research. Immune checkpoint inhibitors are gaining approval and being incorporated into routine clinical use for numerous malignancies across age groups due to their overall efficacy and favorable side effect profiles. Although immune checkpoint inhibitors appear both safe and effective in older adults, deliberate study of immunotherapies in older adults is highly warranted given the paucity of data in a population with unique immunobiology that comprises the majority of the cancer population worldwide.
Towards Real-time Webpage Relevance Prediction UsingConvex Hull Based Eye-tracking Features

Browsing the web for finding answers to questions has become pervasive in our everyday lives. When users search the web to satisfy their information-needs, their on-screen eye movements can serve as a source of implicit relevance feedback. We analyze data collected from two eye-tracking studies, wherein participants read online news-articles, and judged whether they contained answers to factual questions. We propose two eye-tracking features, derived from the area of the convex hull of their eye fixations. We demonstrate that these features can well distinguish between eye-movements on news-articles perceived to be relevant vs. irrelevant, for containing the answer to a question. These features can potentially be used for predicting the user’s perceived-relevance in real-time. F1 scores as high as 0.80 are obtained using these proposed features only, and the performance is comparable to the combined predictive power of fifteen eye-tracking features established by prior literature.
Coronavirus economics: the impact of shutting down meatpacking plants

Motivated by the observed beef and livestock market impacts of coronavirus-caused meatpacking plant shutdowns, this paper constructs a theoretical model to study the effects of closures among downs...
Sapphire-supported nanopores for low-noise DNA sensing.

Abstract Solid-state nanopores have broad applications from single-molecule biosensing to diagnostics and sequencing. The high capacitive noise from conventionally used conductive silicon substrates, however, has seriously limited both their sensing accuracy and recording speed. A new approach is proposed here for forming nanopore membranes on insulating sapphire wafers to promote low-noise nanopore sensing. Anisotropic wet etching of sapphire through micro-patterned triangular masks is used to demonstrate the feasibility of scalable formation of small ( RMS ) noise current (18–21 pA over 100 kHz bandwidth, with 50–150 mV bias) when compared to a silicon-supported (SiS) nanopore (~1.3 nF, and 46–51 pA RMS noise). Tested with 1k base-pair double-stranded DNA, the SaS nanopore enabled sensing at microsecond speed with a signal-to-noise ratio of 21, compared to 11 from a SiS nanopore. This SaS nanopore presents a manufacturable nanoelectronic platform feasible for high-speed and low-noise sensing of a variety of biomolecules.
Intertwined disparities: Applying the maternal-infant dyad lens to advance perinatal health equity.

Abstract Differences in the quality of delivery hospital care contribute to persistent, intertwined racial and ethnic disparities in both maternal and infant health. Despite the shared causal pathways and overlapping burden of maternal and infant health disparities, little research on perinatal quality of care has addressed obstetric and neonatal care jointly to improve outcomes and reduce health inequities for the maternal-infant dyad. In this paper, we review the role of hospital quality in shaping perinatal health outcomes, and investigate how a framework that considers the mother-infant dyad can enhance our understanding of the full burden of obstetric and neonatal disparities on health and society. We conclude with a discussion of how integrating a maternal-infant dyad lens into research and clinical intervention to improve quality of care can move the needle on disparity reduction for both women and infants around the time of birth and throughout the life course.
Effect of glucose concentration and cryopreservation on mitochondrial functions of bull spermatozoa and relationship with sire conception rate.

Abstract Mitochondrial function is essential for sperm viability, not only from a sperm metabolism perspective, but also for improvement of sperm storage in liquid and frozen states. Bull sperm have notable metabolic variability with energy production for motility and subsequently for fertilizing capacity resulting from both glycolysis and oxidative phosphorylation. The objective of this study was to determine mitochondrial function of sperm using high-throughput Seahorse Analyzer technology in fresh semen and subsequent to freezing-thawing when there was incubation in media commonly used for sperm storage (relatively large glucose concentration) and female tract (relatively small glucose concentration). Additionally, there were determinations whether there were differences in values for fertility variables by regressing sire conception rate on values for mitochondrial variables when there was evaluation of semen from bulls with varying fertility. Media with larger concentrations of glucose inhibited mitochondrial function in fresh sperm, as indicated by less maximal oxygen consumption, spare respiratory capacity and coupling efficiency when compared to sperm in the media containing less glucose. Furthermore, there was greater (P
Exploring the shape of data for discovering patterns in crystal chemistry

This paper describes an unsupervised exploratory data mining strategy for identifying significant chemistry-structure–property relationships in complex crystal chemistries. Using the formalism of Topological Data Analysis (TDA), we show how hierarchical patterns in families of crystal structures of the apatite family of the type A15A25B1B2O24X can be automatically detected via TDA. This ‘self-driving’ data exploration approach is shown not only to uncover links between structural building units and different stoichiometries but also to uncover new and yet unexplored associations between properties and coordination polyhedral geometry.
The asymmetric effects of oil price shocks on the U.S. stock market

Abstract In this paper, we investigate the asymmetric relation between the price of crude oil and U.S. aggregate real stock returns. In doing so, we estimate a nonlinear bivariate structural vector autoregression that includes the effects of oil price volatility on stock returns. We use the estimates of our nonlinear model to calculate the responses of stock returns to unexpected increases and decreases in prices of crude oil and conduct a test of symmetry on these responses. In contrast to the existing literature, we find that aggregate returns respond asymmetrically to positive and negative oil price shocks, and oil price volatility plays a major role in asymmetries by having a negative effect on stock returns. Our empirical results hold in case of disaggregate returns, after reestimating our nonlinear bivariate model with the returns of various industries.
Search for Higgs Bosons

Based on the phenomenological results of spontaneous symmetry breaking in the SM and the MSSM
The Varieties of Information and Scientific Explanation

The concept of information seems to be strangely neglected by epistemologists and philosophers of language. In many everyday situations, knowledge and information are nearly exchangeable terms; yet for every score of books with the phrase “theory of knowledge” in their titles there scarcely exists a single paper by a logician or philosopher dealing with the theory of information.1 Again, the information that a sentence yields or can yield might very well seem to an ordinary man much more important than the so-called meanings of the terms it contains, or even the meaning of the sentence itself. Yet, with but few exceptions, philosophers of language have not devoted more than a vanishingly small part of their efforts to the theory of information as compared with the theory of meaning. Why this should be so, I do not know. Perhaps the fact that mathematicians and communication theorists largely succeeded in appropriating the term “information” for their special purposes a couple of decades ago has something to do with this.2 I also suspect that it is much harder to talk persuasive nonsense about the quantitative concept of information than of the qualitative notions of knowledge and meaning. Be this as it may, the neglect is a regrettable one. In this paper, I shall try to call philosophers’ attention to a few possibilities of correcting it. I have already tried to do so in some earlier papers 3; the present one is partly a sequel to them and partly a new enterprise.
Understanding conceptual innovation in science

This rich book exemplifies the ‘‘cognitive-historical’’ approach to understanding scientific innovation that Professor Nersessian has pioneered. Nersessian draws on material from both history of science and cognitive science in attempting to understand creative thought, while also using her results to improve extant cognitive theories. Analogy, for example, plays a central role in her account of conceptual innovation, and she uses her results to examine the limits of current views of analogy in cognitive science. The interaction between cognitive science and historical studies is, then, deep and complex. The main topic of the book is conceptual innovation in science, in particular, ‘‘given that we must start from existing representations, how can a genuinely novel representation be created?’’ (p. 18); I will focus on this theme. Nersessian introduces two exemplars, one from the history of physics, one from a psychological study using protocol analysis, to argue that ‘‘in many instances novel concepts are constructed using model-based reasoning’’ (p. 183). Nersessian recognizes other modes of conceptual innovation, but explores only this type in detail. Let us consider the simpler protocol analysis first. Subject S2, who has a PhD in a technical subject and expertise in topology, seeks to explain why a helical spring with large circular loops stretches more than a similar spring with smaller loops. He proceeds by constructing a series of visualizable models of the spring beginning with a flexible rod, which he describes as an unrolled spring. S2 rejects this model because the rod droops with increasing slope while the slope of a spring is constant. His next model is a zig-zag spring consisting of rigid rods that bend only at the joints. This is rejected because a spring stretches uniformly throughout. After another failed two-dimensional model, S2 moves to three-dimensional models where the coils are horizontal and the deflection vertical. Eventually he concludes that stretching involves torsion, an idea he had not previously associated with
Structural Analysis of the Glycine-rich, Arginine-rich Histone III. SEQUENCE OF THE AMINO-TERMINAL HALF OF THE MOLECULE CONTAINING THE MODIFIED LYSINE RESIDUES AND THE TOTAL SEQUENCE

Abstract 1. The amino acid sequence of the amino-terminal portion of the glycine-rich, arginine-rich histone (Residues 1 to 49) has been determined from studies on the tryptic, chymotryptic, and thermolysin peptides. This sequence overlaps with that of the carboxylterminal portion (Residues 50 to 102) defined previously to give the following sequence: acetylSer-Gly-Arg-Gly-Lys-Gly-Gly-Lys-Gly-Leu-Gly-Lys-Gly-Gly-Ala-Lys(Ac)-Arg-His-Arg-Lys(Me)-Val-Leu-ArgAsp-Asn-Ile-Gln-Gly-Ile-Thr-Lys-Pro-Ala-Ile-Arg-Arg-Leu-Ala-Arg-Arg-Gly-Gly-Val-Lys-Arg-Ile-Ser-Gly-Leu-Ile-Tyr-Glu-Glu-Thr-Arg-Gly-Val-Leu-Lys-Val-Phe-Leu-Glu-Asn-Val-Ile-Arg-Asp-Ala-Val-Thr-Tyr-Thr-Glu-His-Ala-Lys-Arg-Lys-Thr-Val-Thr-Ala-Met-Asp-Val-Val-Tyr-Ala-Leu-Lys-Arg-Gln-Gly-Arg-Thr-Leu-Tyr-Gly-Phe-Gly-Gly-COOH. 2. This sequence agrees with that reported recently by DeLange, Fambrough, Smith, and Bonner (J. Biol. Chem., 244, 319 (1969)) except that the arginine residue they placed at position 44 is found in position 40 (and is italicized) in the above sequence. 3. Four clusters of basic residues (underlined) were present in this sequence. The cluster in the amino-terminal portion contained both the modified amino acids e-Nacetyllysine and e-N-methyllysine at positions 16 and 20. The acetyllysine was present in approximately half of the glycine-rich, arginine-rich histone molecules; the methylated lysine position contained mono and dimethyl groups in a ratio of 1:3. This microheterogeneity makes a total of four possible species of the glycine-rich, arginine-rich histone.
Supersession and Sovereignty

This paper -- presented originally as the Julius Stone lecture at the University of Sydney (Australia) in 2006 -- considers the application of the thesis of "supersession of historic injustice" to issues of sovereignty. The supersession thesis has ben applied in the past to historic injustice concerning land and property rghts in formler colonial contexts; but it may also be applied to the historic legacy of the unjust subjugation of a people. It considers and criticizes reversion theories, which suggest that the proper remedy for unjust subjugation is some sort of reversion to the politcal status quo ante. The paper argues that this cannot be entertained without considering the great differences in statecraft and political circumstances that may have emerged since the time of the unjust subjugation. Those considerations may affect the way we apply the principle of self-determination to these contexts.
On CD28/CD40 Ligand Costimulation, Common γ-Chain Signals, and the Alloimmune Response

Activation and robust expansion of naive T cells often require T cell costimulatory signals and T cell growth factors. However, the precise growth and costimulation requirements for activation and expansion of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells in vivo in allograft response are still not clearly defined. In the present study, we critically examined the role of CD28/CD40 ligand (CD40L) costimulation and the common γ-chain (γc) signals, a shared signaling component by receptors for all known T cell growth factors (i.e., IL-2, IL-4, IL-7, IL-9, IL-15, IL-21), in activation and expansion of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells in the allogeneic hosts. We found that CD28/CD40L costimulation and the γc signals are differentially involved in proliferation and clonal expansion of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells in response to alloantigen stimulation. CD8+ T cells are highly dependent on the γc signals for survival, expansion, and functional maturation, whereas in vivo expansion of alloreactive CD4+ T cells is largely γc independent. T cell costimulation via CD28 and CD40L, however, is necessary and sufficient for activation and expansion of CD4+ T cells in vivo. In a skin transplant model, blocking both CD28/CD40L and the γc pathways induced prolonged skin allograft survival. Our study provides critical insights that the CD4 and CD8 compartments are most likely governed by distinct mechanisms in vivo, and targeting both costimulatory and γc signals may be highly effective in certain cytopathic conditions involving activation of both CD4+ and CD8+ T cells.
Patterns of the Demographics, Clinical Characteristics, and Resource Utilization Among Maternal Decedents in Texas, 2001 - 2010: A Population-Based Cohort Study.

Background: Contemporary reporting of maternal mortality is focused on single, mutually exclusive causes of death among a minority of maternal decedents (pregnancy-related deaths), reflecting initial events leading to death. Although obstetric patients are susceptible to the lethal effects of downstream, more proximate contributors to death and to conditions not caused or precipitated by pregnancy, the burden of both categories and related patients’ attributes is invisible to clinicians and healthcare policy makers with the current reporting system. Thus, the population-level demographics, clinical characteristics, and resource utilization associated with pregnancy-associated deaths in the United States have not been adequately characterized. Methods: We used the Texas Inpatient Public Use Data File to perform a population-based cohort study of the patterns of demographics, chronic comorbidity, occurrence of early maternal demise, potential contributors to maternal death, and resource utilization among maternal decedents in the state during 2001 - 2010. Results: There were 557 maternal decedents during study period. Chronic comorbidity was reported in 45.2%. Most women (74.1%) were admitted to an ICU. Hemorrhage (27.8%), sepsis (23.5%), and cardiovascular conditions (22.6%) were the most commonly reported potential contributing conditions to maternal death, varying across categories of pregnancy-associated hospitalizations. More than one condition was reported in 39% of decedents. One in three women died during their first day of hospitalization, with no significant change over the past decade. The mean hospital length of stay was 7.9 days and total hospital charges were $250,000 or higher in 65 (11.7%) women. Conclusions: The findings of the high burden of chronic illness, patterns of occurrence of a broad array of potential contributing conditions to pregnancy-associated death, and the resource-intensive needs of a large contemporary population-based cohort of maternal decedents may better inform preventive and intervention measures at the bedside and as healthcare policy priorities. The prevalent and unchanged occurrence of rapid maternal demise following presentation for hospitalization supports a special focus on means to identify and effectively address front-line clinician- and healthcare system-related performance areas that can improve maternal outcomes. The common reporting of more than one potential contributing condition underscores the complexity of determination of causes of maternal death. J Clin Med Res. 2015;7(12):937-946 doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.14740/jocmr2338w
High-Copy Suppression of Glucose Transport Defects by Hxt4 and Regulatory Elements in the Promoters of the Hxt Genes in Saccharomyces Cerevisiae

HXT4, a new member of the hexose transporter (HXT) family in Saccharomyces cerevisiae was identified by its ability to suppress the snf3 mutation in multicopy. Multicopy HXT4 increases both high and low affinity glucose transport in snf3 strains and increases low and high transport in wild-type strains. Characterization of HXT4 led to the discovery of a new class of multicopy suppressors of glucose transport defects: regulatory elements in the promoters of the HXT genes. We have designated these sequences DDSEs (DNA sequence dependent suppressing element). Multicopy HXT4 and DDSEs in the HXT1, HXT2, HXT3 and HXT4 promoters were found to restore growth to snf3 and grr1 strains on low glucose media. The DDSE in the HXT4 promoter was refined to a 340-bp sequence 450 bp upstream of the HXT4 translational start. This region was found to contain an 183-amino acid open reading frame. Extensive analysis indicates that the DNA sequence itself and not the encoded protein is responsible for suppression. The promoters of SNF3 and of other glycolytic genes examined did not suppress snf3 in multicopy. Suppression of snf3 by DDSE is dependent on the presence of either HXT2 or HXT3.
Creation and Implementation of Standardised Craniofacial Views for the Institute of Medical Illustrators National Guidelines

Vetter states, “Standardisation is the key word in all discussions of clinical photography”. As part of clinical photography standardised guidelines form an integral part of providing a basis to obtaining standardised images. The Institute of Medical Illustrators (IMI) provides sets of standardised guidelines that have been developed in consultation with relevant clinicians, providing theory and standardised images that are to be considered as guides to good clinical photography practice. At the time of the study there were no official standardised IMI guidelines for craniofacial photography, for this reason, the primary objective of this project was to produce a set of standardised craniofacial guidelines that could be utilised by other clinical photographers for guidance on taking craniofacial images. This paper describes the development, evaluation and implementation of the guidelines.
Gazing at the Future.

Jerry Bryant has advanced Parkinson’s disease. Ten years ago, he became my patient. Last spring, he became my solace and inspiration.
Social Organization in the Aye-Aye ( Daubentonia Madagascariensis ) and the Perceived Distinctiveness of Nocturnal Primates

Nocturnal species have typically received cursory attention in comparative analyses of primate social organization, and it has been assumed that their social organization is both less complex and more homogeneous than that of diurnal forms (e.g. Charles-Dominique and Martin, 1970; Martin, 1972; Charles-Dominique, 1977; Eisenberg, 1981; Fleagle, 1988). This assumption seems to have more to do with the difficulty of seeing the interactions of nocturnal species than with empirical evidence of qualitative differences in complexity. The difficulty arises partly from observation conditions at night, and partly from the fact that the interactants are often displaced from each other in space and time.
Host perception of jasmonates promotes infection by Fusarium oxysporum formae speciales that produce isoleucine- and leucine-conjugated jasmonates

Summary Three pathogenic forms, or formae speciales (f. spp.), of Fusarium oxysporum infect the roots of Arabidopsis thaliana below ground, instigating symptoms of wilt disease in leaves above ground. In previous reports, Arabidopsis mutants that are deficient in the biosynthesis of abscisic acid or salicylic acid or insensitive to ethylene or jasmonates exhibited either more or less wilt disease, than the wild-type, implicating the involvement of hormones in the normal host response to F. oxysporum. Our analysis of hormone-related mutants finds no evidence that endogenous hormones contribute to infection in roots. Mutants that are deficient in abscisic acid and insensitive to ethylene show no less infection than the wild-type, although they exhibit less disease. Whether a mutant that is insensitive to jasmonates affects infection depends on which forma specialis (f. sp.) is infecting the roots. Insensitivity to jasmonates suppresses infection by F. oxysporum f. sp. conglutinans and F. oxysporum f. sp. matthioli, which produce isoleucine- and leucine-conjugated jasmonate (JA-Ile/Leu), respectively, in culture filtrates, whereas insensitivity to jasmonates has no effect on infection by F. oxysporum f. sp. raphani, which produces no detectable JA-Ile/Leu. Furthermore, insensitivity to jasmonates has no effect on wilt disease of tomato, and the tomato pathogen F. oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici produces no detectable jasmonates. Thus, some, but not all, F. oxysporum pathogens appear to utilize jasmonates as effectors, promoting infection in roots and/or the development of symptoms in shoots. Only when the infection of roots is promoted by jasmonates is wilt disease enhanced in a mutant deficient in salicylic acid biosynthesis.
The Role of Proton Pump Inhibitors in Gastro-oesophageal Reflux Disease

The proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) are the most successful class of drugs that have been introduced for the treatment of gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GORD) because of their profound and consistent effect on gastric acid secretion. The PPIs have demonstrated an excellent adverse effect profile after approximately 18 years of clinical use. Healing rates in erosive oesophagitis surpass 90%. Complete symptom resolution is achievable in close to 80% of patients with Barrett’s oesophagus. Complications of these conditions, such as oesophageal stricture, ulceration and others, are becoming less frequent because of PPI treatment. In non-erosive reflux disease, PPIs provide 50–65% symptom response rate, which is the highest amongst all currently available anti-reflux interventions. PPIs have also helped to improve success rates in treating patients with atypical/ extra-oesophageal manifestations of GORD. The use of PPI treatment as a diagnostic tool for GORD is well accepted. However, PPIs have changed the face of GORD in the new millennium as the focus in gastroenterology practice has shifted to primarily treating patients who fail PPI therapy.
Auroral forms that extend equatorward from the persistent midday aurora during geomagnetically quiet periods

Abstract Auroral forms (“crewcuts”) that extend equatorward from the geomagnetically east–west aligned persistent midday aurora have been characterized based on a survey of Svalbard 630.0-nm all-sky images from eight December solstice seasons. The 630.0-nm forms are directly related to a mix of precipitating magnetosheath and plasma sheet electrons embedded in a population of boundary layer ions, as observed by NOAA 6. The associated midday aurora lies at the equatorward edge of poleward velocity-dispersed cusp ‘ion plumes’ observed by DMSP F7 at 1000 magnetic local time. In this survey, crewcuts are found to occur for Kp≤3. Distinct in many salient ways (including dynamics, orientation and associated IMF polarity) from the poleward-moving auroral forms (PMAFs) associated with transient dayside merging, crewcuts represent a solar wind-magnetosphere interaction that is more characteristic of quiet geomagnetic conditions. Crewcuts are present on 44% of the days for which all-sky images are complete and observing conditions are clear ±1.5 h around geomagnetic noon. During these periods, crewcuts are observed during 10.6% of the minutes for which IMF data from ISEE 2 or IMP 8 are available. We derive from the data a simple set of IMF “search criteria” that maximize the likelihood of observing crewcuts around the December solstice. The IMF magnitude range for which crewcuts are most commonly observed is 3.5±0.5 nT (36%). The IMF GSM component ranges in which crewcuts are most commonly observed are: Bx=−3.5±0.5 nT (27%), By=−1.5±0.5 nT (25%), and Bz=0.5±0.5 nT (26%). The IMF clock angular ranges for which crewcuts are most commonly observed are −70°±10° and 90°±10° (both 21%). The IMF cone angular range for which crewcuts are most commonly observed is 12.5°±2.5° (28%). Considering these observations in the context of magnetic merging topologies, we suggest crewcuts observed at Svalbard are most likely to lie at the foot of overdraped field lines recently opened by spatially patchy, quasi-steady merging in the southern hemisphere.
Neonatal nutrition: a brief review.

With increasing survival of extremely premature infants, emphasis is now focused on the quality of these survivors’ lives. Possibly the most important factor in the premature’s ability to survive in the NICU and thrive is the ability to replicate in utero growth through enteral and parenteral nutrition. Current literature and review articles were retrieved from PubMed and personal files of the authors. The use and complications of the various components of total parenteral nutrition (TPN) were reviewed. The composition of appropriate enteral feeds for the premature was reviewed as was the difficulties associated with the establishment of adequate enteral feeds in the premature infants. Early initiation of amino acids in TPN and timely increases in the components of TPN can improve the caloric intake of prematures. Enteral feeds, particularly of breast milk, may be started within the first few days of life in all but hemodynamically unstable prematures. Newer lipid preparations show promise in reversing the hepatic damage of TPN associated cholestatic jaundice.
Fundamental understanding of the role of potassium on the activity of Pt/CeO2 for the hydrogen production from ethanol

Abstract The effect of potassium as a promoter on the activity of Pt/CeO2 catalysts for hydrogen production from ethanol was studied in this work. The Pt/CeO2 catalysts with or without potassium were prepared with incipient impregnation method and analyzed using synchrotron-based X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray absorption near-edge spectroscopy (XANES), oxygen adsorption, ethanol temperature programmed desorption (TPD) NH3-TPD, and TPR. We find that Pt particles on all CeO2-based catalysts were less than 2 nm. Potassium addition did not have benefit on hydrogen production activity. However, potassium modified active sites, acidity, and interaction between Pt and CeO2. Oxygen storage capacity (OSC) was decreased, while the acidity was neutralized and the interaction between Pt and CeO2 was weakened when potassium was added to Pt/CeO2. Potassium promoted ethanol decomposition reaction while inhibited decarbonylation of acetaldehyde and CH4 formation. This work confirms our previous finding that Pt-CeO2 synergistic interaction played an important role for hydrogen production from bio-alcohols.
e-Procurement: an emerging tool for the hotel supply chain management

Abstract In the hotel business, the flow of goods, services, and information should be designed to efficiently transform raw materials into finished products/services with values. Lodging services regularly purchase a large quantity of supplies for which procurement systems play a crucial role in maintaining daily operations and quality. Today, a major goal of a hotel's supply chain management is to efficiently apply information technology to its procurement systems. This research examined Philadelphia area hotel purchasing managers’ views about e-Procurement. Perceived costs and benefits of e-Procurement are identified and the strategic role of IT in procurement is described.
Breast tissue decomposition with spectral distortion correction: a postmortem study.

Purpose: To investigate the feasibility of an accurate measurement of water, lipid, and protein composition of breast tissue using a photon-counting spectral computed tomography (CT) with spectral distortion corrections. Methods: Thirty-eight postmortem breasts were imaged with a cadmium-zinc-telluride-based photon-counting spectral CT system at 100 kV. The energy-resolving capability of the photon-counting detector was used to separate photons into low and high energy bins with a splitting energy of 42 keV. The estimated mean glandular dose for each breast ranged from 1.8 to 2.2 mGy. Two spectral distortion correction techniques were implemented, respectively, on the raw images to correct the nonlinear detector response due to pulse pileup and charge-sharing artifacts. Dual energy decomposition was then used to characterize each breast in terms of water, lipid, and protein content. In the meantime, the breasts were chemically decomposed into their respective water, lipid, and protein components to provide a gold standard for comparison with dual energy decomposition results. Results: The accuracy of the tissue compositional measurement with spectral CT was determined by comparing to the reference standard from chemical analysis. The averaged root-mean-square error in percentage composition was reduced from 15.5% to 2.8% after spectral distortion corrections. Conclusions: The results indicate that spectral CT can be used to quantify the water, lipid, and protein content in breast tissue. The accuracy of the compositional analysis depends on the applied spectral distortion correction technique.
Modelling the petrogenesis of high Rb/Sr silicic magmas

Halliday, A.N., Davidson, J.P., Hildreth, W. and Holden, P., 1991. Modelling the petrogenesis o1 high Rh/Sr silicic magmas. In: A. Peccerillo (Guest-Editor), Geochemistry of Granitoid Rocks. Chem. Geol., 92: 107-114. Rhyolites can be highly evolved with Sr contents as low as 0.1 ppm and Rb/Sr > 2,0(t0. In contrast, granite batholiths are commonly comprised of rocks with Rb/Sr 100. Mass-balance modelling of source compositions, differentiation and contamination using the trace-element geochemistry of granites are therefi)re commonly in error because of the failure to account for evolved differentiates that may have been erupted from the system. Rhyolitic magmas with very low Sr concentrations ( ~ 50. Evidence from phenocryst/glass/ whole-rock concentrations supports high Sr partition coefficients in feldspars from high silica rhyolites. However, the low modal abundance of plagioclase commonly observed in such rocks is difficult to reconcile with such simple fractionation models of the observed trace-element trends. In certain cases, this may be because the apparent trace-element trend defined by the suite of cogenelic rhyolites is the product of different batches of magma with separate differentiation histories accumulating in the magma chamber roof zone.
Current issues with influenza vaccination in egg allergy

Influenza infection, with its accompanying morbidity and mortality, represents a major public health concern yearly to the elderly and high-risk groups, including asthmatic patients. Active prevention with vaccination consistently falls short of reaching optimal immunization rates in all risk groups. Asthmatic patients and others with concomitant egg allergy might be denied active immunization because of the risk of inducing adverse reactions with a vaccine derived from egg embryo tissue. Evidence supports the relatively safe administration of influenza vaccine to individuals with egg allergy in whom vaccination is indicated when specific protocols are followed under the supervision of experienced physicians. A practical protocol that includes incremental dosing of influenza vaccine is presented to guide clinicians in influenza vaccination in this high-risk group.
Fast sound in binary fluid mixtures

The calculations and the results that predicted a fast-sound mode in low- as well as high-density binary fluid mixtures are presented in detail. Kinetic theory was used, which allowed a detailed discussion of the microscopic dynamics of the fluid in terms of eigenmodes. The Bhatnagar-Gross-Krook approximation method extended to binary mixtures was employed to solve the appropriate kinetic equation and to obtain approximate eigenmodes of the mixture. The fast-sound mode appears far beyond the hydrodynamic regime as either an extension to higher wave numbers of the hydrodynamic sound eigenmode or as a kinetic eigenmode. Some recent and possible future experiments are discussed.
Pervasive Inequality in the Stratification of Four-Year College Destinations

Rooted in sociological models of educational transitions and tracking, this study examines patterns of stratification in the educational trajectories of low- and high-socioeconomic (SES) students. Utilizing longitudinal data from the Educational Longitudinal Study of 2002, this study describes differences in students’ choice sets based on a number of metrics obtained from the Integrated Postsecondary Data System (IPEDS). Additionally, multinomial logistic regression models are used to demonstrate the relative probabilities of attending a low-, moderate-, or high- selectivity undergraduate institution between students of low- and high-socioeconomic statuses. Overall, the results demonstrate the pervasiveness of inequality in the college choice decisions of low- and high-SES students and the continued stratification of opportunity for students based on their family background. The study concludes with implications for policymakers and practitioners working within secondary and postsecondary educational sectors.
Didanosine Administration in a Human Immunodeficiency Virus-Positive Renal Transplant Patient

A human immunodeficiency virus-positive renal transplant patient taking no immunosuppressive medication for 40 months was treated with didanosine for the final 13 months of life. Over the latter period there were three acute episodes of creatinine elevation, but none could be attributed to didanosine-induced acute rejection. Based on this case, we cautiously suggest that didanosine may safely be administered in the setting of renal transplantation.
Pulse Methylprednisolone Therapy in the Treatment of Immune Globulin-Resistant Kawasaki Disease: Case Report and Review of the Literature

A subgroup of patients with Kawasaki disease (KD) did not respond to intravenous immune globulin (IVIG) therapy. Corticosteroid therapy remains a controversial alternative in such cases. We report two young children with KD who failed to respond to three courses of IVIG therapy and subsequently received pulse methylprednisolone as an alternative. One had a satisfactory outcome but the other developed giant coronary aneurysms and had a myocardial infarction 2 months after onset of the illness. A review of relevant literature showed that the timing of initiation of pulse methylprednisolone therapy is important. It is suggested that pulse methylprednisolone therapy should be considered if there is no response to two standard doses of IVIG treatment.
Metal contamination and its effect on primary production measurements1

Minute amounts of trace elcmcnts can affect phytoplankton metabolic processcs. Conscquentl y, 14C primary productivity nic;isurcmc\nts may lx adversely affect4 by contaminant metals inadvertently adclcd cluring sampling aud handling proceclurcs. We ;malyzcd various components usccl in the stnnclard 14C method for metals; significant amounts of contaminants were found in many of the stock solutions used in this procedure and in associated containers. 14C: uptake rates were lower under contaminated conditions than those with clean techniques. The latter are dcscril>etl in n their adoption is urged for more accurate and precise cstimatcs of this fundamentally important process.
Interdiffusion in niobium-vanadium alloys

Abstract A determination of the variation of interdiffusion coefficient with composition for Nb-V alloys has been made for diffusion temperatures of 1404°, 1505°, 1630° and 1750°C. Three types of doubly infinite couples were employed: Nb/V, Nb/alloy and V/alloy, where the alloy was 50 at.% Nb. Compositions in the diffusion zone were determined by electron-beam microanalyzer. Kirkendall shifts were measured in all couples. It was found that the shift in the Nb/alloy couple was greater than the theoretical maximum shift calculated by assuming that the intrinsic diffusion coefficient of Nb is zero. This effect is believed to be due to a current of non-equilibrium vacancies in the diffusion zone, giving rise to a chemical potential gradient due to vacancies.
Blockade by glutamic acid diethyl ester of excitation of nucleus tractus solitarii neurons and vasodepressor responses reflexly elicited by vagal stimulation

Abstract We investigated in anesthetized (urethane 1.5 g/kg i.p.), paralyzed and ventilated rats, the effect of the glutamic acid (1-Glu) antagonist, glutamic acid diethyl ester (GDEE), on the excitation of neurons in the nucleus tractus solitarii (NTS), characterized as ‘cardiovascular’ (CV) by their capacity to modify their firing rate in response to vagal stimulation and to baroreceptor stimulation produced by elevating blood pressure by norepinephrine (NE). Using an extracellular recording technique, we analyzed the effect of vagus stimulation on 75 cells in the medulla. Vagal stimulation modified the activity of 60/75 units. Thirty-three of the 60 responsive neurons increased, while 27 decreased their firing rate during vagal stimulation. In 10 cells excited by vagal stimulation: (a) the latency of the first recorded spike varied between 3–6 ms ( x =4.2 ms ); (b) the latency to repeated stimulus presentation was unstable; (c) neuronal activity was increased by baroreceptor stimulation elicited by elevating arterial pressure with NE; (d) all of the cells of this group were located in the dorsal NTS. In all 10 cells, systemic GDEE (180 mg/kg i.v.) reversibly blocked both the evoked spikes and the reflex bradycardia and hypotension induced by electrical stimulation of the vagus. GDEE failed to block the vasodepressor response to electrical stimulation of the trigeminal complex. To demonstrate that GDEE is an 1-Glu antagonist in the NTS, it was found that in 8 cells characterized as cardiovascular, 1-Glu released with a micropump from a multibarrel pipette, increased the neuronal activity. In 70% of these cells, GDEE released by the same method reversibly blocked the excitatory effect of 1-Glu. We conclude that some neurons in the NTS, driven by vagal afferents and baroreceptor stimulation, are blocked by an antagonist of 1-Glu.
Nicotine Antibodies: Comparison of Ligand Specificities of Antibodies Produced against Two Nicotine Conjugates

Conjugates between bovine serum albumin and (R,S)-2-aminonicotine were produced, and these conjugates were employed in rabbits and goats for the production of nicotine antibodies. In the assay of nicotine, an 125I-tyrosine methyl ester derivative of (R,S)-6-aminonicotine was employed as radioligand. The antibody-bound derivative was separated from the free derivative by charcoal adsorption (0.5% charcoal, 0.1% dextran T-70, 0.1% bovine serum albumin pH 7.3). Among the twenty five nicotine derivatives and metabolites examined, (R,S)-6-aminonicotine gave the highest cross-reaction. Cross-reaction with cotinine, a major mammalian metabolite of nicotine, was less than 0.1% for both the rabbit-derived and goat-derived antisera. Cross-reaction by other metabolites, such as (S)-nicotine-N'-oxide, (S)-nornicotine, and N-methylpyrrolidine was less than 1%. The antibodies produced were thus highly specific to nicotine. The radioimmunoassay for nicotine showed a maximum sensitivity of 10 ng/ml in 50-microliter plasma samples for both antisera. After the smoking of a single cigarette (1.2 mg nicotine content in mainstream) the peak of blood plasma level of nicotine in the subjects varied from 20--104 ng/ml, and high levels of nicotine were not necessarily found in heavy smokers.
Watergate: Harbinger of the American prince

Let me begin by pointing out the obvious. No one did predict these concrete events and that emphatically, and most significantly, includes the participants in Watergate. Had the participants themselves been able to predict, whether by sociology or scapulamancy, the concrete events as they have unfolded, they would certainly not have done the things that helped to produce the events their very predictability would have prevented them, thereby destroying their predictability, as Popper 'and many other social thinkers have long pointed out. No sociologist or student who has gone beyond the myths of introductory sociology would expect sociology to predict such concrete events. Human beings are necessarily partially free to construct the concrete events that occur in this world and no theory, notwithstanding the "law" of large numbers, can predict just what these concrete constructions will be. But human beings are also partially constrained in making their choices by the "realistic alternatives" they believe exist in the physical and social world in which they live, so there are partial, though changing, uncertain and conflicting patterns in our social lives. (These basic issues of freedom and constraints, certain and uncertain, order and disorder, predictability and unpredictability, have been dealt with in such nauseating detail in earlier works, such as my own works on American Social Order, and Existential Sociology, that I need hardly elaborate upon them here.) The only serious issue of predictability for sociologists concerns whether we can predict the vague and conflicting trends or patterns of events in our society, how concrete these predictions can be, and whether such predictions actually flow from our theoretical understandings or merely from our common sense understanding of the trends in society.
Effect of pressure on fouling of microfiltration membranes by activated sludge

AbstractThe effect of pressure on fouling layers formed by diluted activated sludge was studied in real time with ultrasonic reflectometry by fouling microfiltration membranes for 300 min at constant pressure (0.15 bar (15 kPa) and 0.25 bar (25 kPa)), as well as by performing a series of pressure-step experiments in which the pressure was instantaneously increased from 0.15 to 0.25 bar. For the constant pressure experiments, the change in ultrasonic signal amplitude was inversely proportional to the degree of fouling as represented by changes in permeability and the amount of deposited material. This finding was verified by a series of replicated filtration experiments of 15, 30, and 60-min duration at 0.15 bar, which indicated a statistically significant correlation between the degree of fouling (quantified by permeability loss and post-mortem characterization metrics) and ultrasonic amplitude change. Diluted activated sludge filtrations at varying pressures revealed that there is less ultrasonic amplitu...
Gas chromatography/mass spectrometry: its application to industrial hygiene analytical problems

The mass spectrometer (MS), when used as a detector for the gas chromatograph yields a system (GC/MS) which is compatible, sensitive, and provides specific information, suitable for qualitative or quantitative analyses for industrial hygiene samples. Examples of the use of two GC/MS/Data Systems utilizing industrial hygiene samples as encountered during the health hazard evaluation efforts of NIOSH (National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health) are presented. A quadrupole unit has been used as a service tool to analyze industrial field samples and a high resolution double focussing unit has been used in the areas of method development research.
Markets blown to bits: Comments on Mirowski’s “Markomata”

Abstract As Mirowski argues, the operational details of markets do indeed matter, for a variety of purposes. His aim to develop a comprehensive evolutionary theory of markets is a worthy goal. Despite the validity of many of his criticisms, his wholesale rejection of neoclassical economic concepts reaches too far. Similarly, Mirowski’s embrace of automata theory is unlikely to provide a sufficient foundation for the theory of markets we want.