cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Characterization of Solvation Environment Provided by Dilute Poly(sulfonyl maleic anhydride-co-dodecyl vinyl ether) Solutions at Various pH Using Pyrene and 1,3-Bis(1-pyrenyl)propane as Fluorescence Probes

Solubilization environments afforded by dilute aqueous solutions of poly(sulfonyl maleic anhydride-co-dodecyl vinyl ether) [PSMADVE, 1wt.-%] at pH 4, 7, and 10 are investigated using pyrene and 1,3-bis(1-pyrenyl)propane as fluorescence probes. While pyrene is a common polarity probe, intramolecular excimer formation in 1,3-bis(1-pyrenyl)propane makes it an interesting cybotactic region microviscosity probe. Results for pyrene I I /I III indicate that the most hydrophobic solubilization site is afforded at pH 4 followed by pH 10 and pH 7. The dipolarity indicated by pyrene is similar to that observed in m- and -oxylene, toluene, and butyl benzoate. The solvation microenvironment afforded by the PSMADVE solutions is more hydrophobic than that observed within sodium dodecyl sulfate micellar solution. Additionnally, further investigation of the relative size of the solubilization site revealed that the polymer solutions promoted intermolecular pyrene excimer formation at relatively low pyrene concentrations, indicating the possibility of localized concentration enhancement within the solvation pockets and/or compartmentalization of the solute molecules. This observation was most prominent at pH 10 and least at pH 7. 1,3-Bis(1-pyrenyl)propane intra-molecular excimer formation efficiency at pH 4 is slightly higher than that for neat ethylene glycol, while at pH 10 is similar to that observed in 1-octanol or dimethyl sulfoxide. Anomalously high excimer-to-monomer intensity ratio at pH7 could be due to probe ground state heterogeneity, i.e., the existence of probe moieties in the ground state were the two pyrenyl groups are already aggregated. This is demonstrated by the fluorescence excitation data. Presence of the ground state aggregated form may give rise to anomalously high excimer formation efficiency.
Mineral remains of early life on earth? On mars?

Abstract The oldest sedimentary rocks on Earth, the 3.8‐Ga Isua Iron‐Formation in southwestern Greenland, are metamorphosed past the point where organic‐walled fossils would remain. Acid residues and thin sections of these rocks reveal ferric microstructures that have filamentous, hollow rod, and spherical shapes not characteristic of crystalline minerals. Instead, they resemble ferric‐coated remains of bacteria. Modern so‐called iron bacteria were therefore studied to enhance a search image for oxide minerals precipitated by early bacteria. Iron bacteria become coated with ferrihydrite, a metastable mineral that converts to hematite, which is stable under high temperatures. If these unusual morphotypes are mineral remains of microfossils, then life must have evolved somewhat earlier than 3.8 Ga, and may have involved the interaction of sediments and molecular oxygen in water, with iron as a catalyst. Timing is constrained by the early in fall of planetary materials that would have heated the planet's sur...
Repair of Infracardiac Total Anomalous Pulmonary Venous Return

Total anonmlons puhnonary venous return (TAPVR) occurs when the left atrium and primordial puhnonary vein bud fail to unite with the venous plexus that surrounds the lung buds at approximately the end of the first month of gestation. The connection between the puhnonary venous plexus and the splanchhie venous system persists and usually becomes tile only route of venous drainage for tile lung after birth. In tile infracardiac type of TAPVR, the pulmonary veins join a single collector that courses directly dorsal to the left atrium, separated from the atrium by the pericardium (Fig 1). The puhnonary venous collector continues inferiorly, penetrating the diaphragm at the esophageal hiatus to join, most commonly, the portal vein and right atrium via the ductus vcnosus. Less commonly, the venous collector joins the inferior vena cava (IVC) or, rarely, tile gastric vein. In most neonates, obstruction of puhnonary venous return then occurs when the ductus venosus begins to close shortly after birth, and pulmonary venous return must pass through the hepatic parenehyma before entering tile right atrium. Because tile pulmonary veins do not connect to the left atrium, tile only inflow to tile left atrimn and ventricle must cross tllrough tile foramen ovale. Frequently in TAPVR the size (volmne) of left atrium and ventricle are at tile lower limit of normal. The left atrium is particularly hypoplastic, because a significant part of what comprises the left atrial cavity ori~nates from tile fusion of the puhnonary vein trunk to tile. atrium. The left ventricle can also appear quite small, particularly when there is puhnonary hypertension from pulmonary venous obstruction, because tile interventricular septum shifts posteriorly, decreasing the left ventricular end-diastolic volume. Because all of the inflow to tile left ventricle must cross the foramen ovale, tile snlall and poorly compliant left ventricle nmy not receive sufficient inflow to maintain normal systemic output. These infants frequently present with signs of puhnonary edema from venous obstruction, as well as low cardiac output with hypoperfnsion and metabolic acidosis.
Orientational order in systems of nanorods: Side-by-side and end-to end controlled assembly using lyotropic chromonic materials

We describe a simple and universal technique of controlled non-covalent assembly of metallic nanorods (NRs) using self-assembled stacks of lyotropic chromonic molecules. Depending on the charge of the NRs, the chromonic stacks assemble them either end-to-end or side-by-side through anisotropic attractive forces. The anisotropically aggregated systems of NRs show pronounced changes in spectral properties as compared to those of individual NRs, with longitudinal and transverse plasmon peaks shifting accordingly to the geometry of assembly. The length of chromonic stacks is not fixed by covalent bonds and depends strongly on temperature, chromonic concentration, ionic content and pH of the solution. As a result, all these parameters can be used to control the assembly of NRs through the control of the linking agents. We also demonstrate that the process of NRs assembly can be quenched by adding a polyelectrolyte to the solution of NRs and chromonic material. The NR assemblies arrested by the polyelectrolyte can be transferred into a polymer film such as polyvinyl alcohol, preserving their structural and optical features.
A Hybrid Implicit-Explicit Adaptive Multirate Numerical Scheme for Time-Dependent Equations

We develop a hybrid implicit and explicit adaptive multirate time integration method to solve systems of time-dependent equations that present two significantly different scales. We adopt an iteration scheme to decouple the equations with different time scales. At each iteration, we use an implicit Galerkin method with a fast time-step to solve for the fast scale variables and an explicit method with a slow time-step to solve for the slow variables. We derive an error estimator using a posteriori analysis which controls both the iteration number and the adaptive time-step selection. We present several numerical examples demonstrating the efficiency of our scheme and conclude with a stability analysis for a model problem.
The Associations between Area of Residence, Sexual Violence Victimization, and Asthma Episodes among US Adult Women in 14 States and Territories, 2005-2007

Gaps in understanding of how area-based differences in exposure to violence are associated with asthma prevalence may limit the development of effective prevention programs and the identification of risk for asthma episodes. The current investigation examines the associations between sexual violence victimization and asthma episodes among US adult women across three different metropolitan settings. The association between sexual assault victimizations and asthma attacks in the past year was examined using data from the 2005, 2006, and 2007 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System surveys. Cross-sectional analyses were based on adult women with current asthma (n = 4,099). Multivariate logistic regression models were used to identify associations between four categories of sexual violence victimization and asthma episodes across three categories of metropolitan and non-metropolitan settings. Our findings show that unwanted touching, attempted unwanted intercourse, forced unwanted intercourse, and any sexual violence victimization (touching, attempted intercourse, or forced intercourse) were significantly associated with asthma episodes (ORadj. = 3.67, 95% CI, 1.76–7.69; ORadj. = 1.77, 95% CI, 1.32–2.37; ORadj. = 2.24, 95% CI, 1.64–3.05, and ORadj. = 1.93, 95% CI, 1.47–2.53, respectively). While no significant differences in the associations between asthma episodes and metropolitan status were found, a significant interaction between non-metropolitan areas and attempted sexual intercourse was identified (ORadj = 0.53, 95% CI, 0.29–0.96). Sexual victimization appears to be an important, but understudied, correlate of asthma morbidity among adult women in the USA, suggesting that additional research is needed to better understand the associations between sexual violence, psychological distress, and asthma.
All-Atom Model for Stabilization of α-Helical Structure in Peptides by Hydrocarbon Staples

Recent work has shown that the incorporation of an all-hydrocarbon "staple" into peptides can greatly increase their alpha-helix propensity, leading to an improvement in pharmaceutical properties such as proteolytic stability, receptor affinity, and cell permeability. Stapled peptides thus show promise as a new class of drugs capable of accessing intractable targets such as those that engage in intracellular protein-protein interactions. The extent of alpha-helix stabilization provided by stapling has proven to be substantially context dependent, requiring cumbersome screening to identify the optimal site for staple incorporation. In certain cases, a staple encompassing one turn of the helix (attached at residues i and i+4) furnishes greater helix stabilization than one encompassing two turns (i,i+7 staple), which runs counter to expectation based on polymer theory. These findings highlight the need for a more thorough understanding of the forces that underlie helix stabilization by hydrocarbon staples. Here we report all-atom Monte Carlo folding simulations comparing unmodified peptides derived from RNase A and BID BH3 with various i,i+4 and i,i+7 stapled versions thereof. The results of these simulations were found to be in quantitative agreement with experimentally determined helix propensities. We also discovered that staples can stabilize quasi-stable decoy conformations, and that the removal of these states plays a major role in determining the helix stability of stapled peptides. Finally, we critically investigate why our method works, exposing the underlying physical forces that stabilize stapled peptides.
Biological Significance of Milk Protein Polymorphism

Abstract Milk protein polymorphism has been studied in depth since Aschaffenburg's discovery of genetically distinct forms of β-lactoglobulin in 1955. The significance of these various protein polymorphisms, as related to the synthesis and secretion of milk, is yet to be elaborated fully. However, certain areas in milk protein polymorphism warrant particular attention. These include: assignment of mRNA triplet codons to known amino acid substitutions; biosynthesis and primary structure of polymorphs; observations of micelle formation in vivo through electron microscopy; mode of inheritance, breed specificity, and linkage of these genes; and, finally, biological function of the milk protein variants.
Administrative decentralization and community policy: Review and outlook

The issues related to administrative decentralization, community control, and community participation have not been satisfactorily resolved by the various proponents. Do students, schools, or society really benefit? There is little research evidence that any one of these three administrative models, alone or combined, have positive effects. If no systematic response to these models is provided by the proponents, they are operating on unsupported assertions or questionable assumptions, reform slogans, and political pressures, and many of their concusions, either stated or implied, are probably unjustified.
Institutions and Export Specialization: Just Direct Effects?

SUMMARY Many developing countries' exports tend to be highly concentrated in terms of sectors and even products. In particular, they are strongly specialized in self-contained sectors. Recent economic literature has shown that institutions contribute to explaining this pattern. In this paper, we argue that the degree of self-containment itself is endogenous to institutions. Ceteris paribus a given sector will therefore have different levels of interactions with the rest of the economy across countries depending on the quality of institutions. We provide supportive evidence using a simultaneous equation approach on data on sectoral trade, country-specific input-output linkages, and institutional strength.
Molecular spectroscopy beyond the born-oppenheimer approximation : A computational study of the CF3O and CF3S radicals

This paper addresses some advances in the theoretical description of molecular spectroscopy beyond the Born-Oppenheimer adiabatic approximation. A solution of the nuclear dynamics problem complicated by the EE Jahn-Teller effect and spin-orbit coupling is considered for the case of the CF3O and CF3S radicals, all the model parameters being obtained solely from ab initio calculations without any adjustment to experimental numbers. Vibrational and vibronic model parameters were calculated at the equation-of-motion coupled cluster level of theory with basis sets of triple-zeta quality. The spin-orbit coupling in X 2E CF3O and CF3S was parametrized by means of a perturbative solution of the full Breit-Pauli spin-orbit operator. Spin-vibronic eigenvalues and eigenfunctions were computed in a basis set of products of electronic, electron spin, and vibrational functions. Results demonstrate the importance of explicit inclusion of the spin-orbit coupling and at least cubic Jahn-Teller terms in the model Hamiltonian for the high precision evaluation of spin-vibronic energy levels of CF3O and CF3S. The theoretical results support and complement the spectroscopic data observed for these species.
An Approach to Standardizing the Simulation to Knowledge System Interface

This paper presents a formal model for the interface between a simulation and a knowledge-based manager, and discusses the application of this model to practical simulation problems. Models of both the simulation and the knowledge components are presented, and issues of variable selection, time representation and communication costs are addressed. The model is then applied to a case study involving simulation of a small flexible manufacturing system. A knowledge-based scheduling system in the C-Language Production System (CLIPS) is interfaced to the FMS simulation written in SIMSCRIPT. In the context of this case study, a set of heuristics for selecting interface variables and for analyzing and reducing communications overhead are presented and discussed.
Smooth stabilization of nonlinear control systems

This paper provides the framework for a general approach for constructing smooth stabilizing feedback for smooth nonlinear systems when it is possible to construct such a feedback. Algorithms for determining the local smooth asymptotic stabilizability of two specific classes of smooth nonlinear control systems are developed. These two classes of systems are identified with systems whose linearizations possess either one zero eigenvalue or a pair of purely imaginary eigenvalues. The local stabilizability of any critical nonlinear system in either of these classes may be tested once the system's linearization is block diagonalized with respect to the critical and stable eigenvalues.
Effect of ultrasound on thermoset polyurethane: NMR relaxation and diffusion measurements

Recycling of rubber-based materials is of increasing industrial environmental importance. In order to characterize the effect of ultrasound on polymer networks, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) relaxation and pulsed-gradient diffusion measurements were made at 70.5 °C in polyurethane rubber (PUR) and foam after subsequent treatment by intense ultrasound. The proton transverse relaxation decay was analyzed in terms of molecular and segmental mobilities of all motional species, a chemical and physical network as well as diffusing sol. The diffusivity spectrum, measurable in foams, reflected the changing molecular weight distribution of low-molecular weight sol and oligomers. It was observed that the effect of ultrasound was less pronounced in PUR than rubbers like SBR, PDMS and BR owing to its low degree of unsaturation. The investigation on the foams is the first of its kind to be reported.
The crystallization of polyethylene after partial melting

Abstract The crystallization of polyethylene has been shown to be independent of the previous temperature of melting, even when the melting point is exceeded by as little as 0·3°C. The persistence of nuclei which are progressively removed as the temperature is raised above the melting point is thus excluded. Partial melting at temperatures below the melting point, however, does leave seeds which can act as centres for further growth on subsequent cooling, and this seeded crystallization appears to involve sub-units of structure within the outlines of the original spherulites. A detailed account is given of this new type of crystallization, and possible mechanisms for the process are considered.
Current Understanding of the Etiology of Vitiligo

This article discusses the current understanding of the etiology of vitiligo. Vitiligo is defined as the loss of pigment-producing cells, melanocytes, from the epidermis of the skin. The onset of vitiligo is believed to require the following three components: (1) a complex of vitiligo susceptibility genes that influence the autoimmune response; (2) genetically abnormal melanocytes; and (3) one or more environmental or physiological factors that induce oxidative stress and activate the genetic program for melanocyte destruction. Melanocytes from vitiligo patients appear to be unable to combat oxidative stress, and so sustain damage. This significant damage could trigger apoptosis in the cells and create an environment rich with cellular fragments that could become autoimmune targets and activate an immune response against melanocytes. Alternatively, oxidatively stressed vitiligo melanocytes could produce cytokines and/or self-antigens to recruit a genetically reactive autoimmune response. Possible therapeutic targets include genes that regulate the immune response, or proteins like iHSP70 that are secreted by the vitiligo cell in response to oxidative stress. Vitiligo is a disease that impacts 1 % of the population and has social, psychological, and sexual ramifications for patients.
Normal Reference Intervals and the Effects of Time and Feeding on Serum Bile Acid Concentrations in Llamas

Fifty clinically healthy llamas, 0.5-13 years of age (22 intact males, 10 neutered males, 18 females), with no biochemical evidence of liver disease or hematologic abnormalities, were selected to establish serum bile acid reference intervals. Serum samples submitted to the clinical pathology laboratory were analyzed using a colorimetric enzymatic assay to establish bile acid reference intervals. A nonparametric distribution of llama bile acid concentrations was 1-23 mmol/liter for llamas .1 year of age and 10-44 mmol/liter for llamas #1 year of age. A significant difference was found between these 2 age groups. No correlation was detected between gender and bile acid concentrations. The reference intervals were 1.1-22.9 mmol/liter for llamas .1 year of age and 1.8-49.8 mmol/liter for llamas #1 year of age. Additionally, a separate group of 10 healthy adult llamas (5 males, 5 females, 5-11 years of age) without biochemical or hematologic abnormalities was selected to assess the effects of feeding and time intervals on serum bile acid concentrations. These 10 llamas were provided fresh water and hay ad libitum, and serum samples were obtained via an indwelling jugular catheter hourly for 11 hours. Llamas were then kept from food overnight (12 hours), and subsequent samples were taken prior to feeding (fasting baseline time, 23 hours after trial initiation) and postprandially at 0.5, 1, 2, 4, and 8 hours. In feeding trials, there was no consistent interaction between bile acid concentrations and time, feeding, or 12-hour fasting. Prior feeding or time of day did not result in serum bile acid concentrations outside the reference interval, but concentrations from individual llamas varied within this interval over time.
Fungal endophytes limit pathogen damage in a tropical tree

Every plant species examined to date harbors endophytic fungi within its asymptomatic aerial tissues, such that endophytes represent a ubiquitous, yet cryptic, component of terrestrial plant communities. Fungal endophytes associated with leaves of woody angiosperms are especially diverse; yet, fundamental aspects of their interactions with hosts are unknown. In contrast to the relatively species-poor endophytes that are vertically transmitted and act as defensive mutualists of some temperate grasses, the diverse, horizontally transmitted endophytes of woody angiosperms are thought to contribute little to host defense. Here, we document high diversity, spatial structure, and host affinity among foliar endophytes associated with a tropical tree (Theobroma cacao, Malvaceae) across lowland Panama. We then show that inoculation of endophyte-free leaves with endophytes isolated frequently from naturally infected, asymptomatic hosts significantly decreases both leaf necrosis and leaf mortality when T. cacao seedlings are challenged with a major pathogen (Phytophthora sp.). In contrast to reports of fungal inoculation inducing systemic defense, we found that protection was primarily localized to endophyte-infected tissues. Further, endophyte-mediated protection was greater in mature leaves, which bear less intrinsic defense against fungal pathogens than do young leaves. In vitro studies suggest that host affinity is mediated by leaf chemistry, and that protection may be mediated by direct interactions of endophytes with foliar pathogens. Together, these data demonstrate the capacity of diverse, horizontally transmitted endophytes of woody angiosperms to play an important but previously unappreciated role in host defense.
INDICATIONS OF GRINDING MILL OPERATIONS BY MILL NOISE PARAMETERS

ABSTRACT Mill noise has been utilized as a measure of mill load and it has been a constant threat to the hearing of mill operators. This paper investigates a further aspect of mill noise and presents an analysis of the noise generated by a batch ball mill and of the relationships between mill noise and mill parameters. It is demonstrated that the reduction in mill noise due to the presence of ore in the mill can usefully indicate variations in mill and pulp conditions.
A Hidden Markov Model With Binned Duration Algorithm

The hidden Markov model with duration (HMMD) is critically important when the distributions on state intervals deviate significantly from the geometric distribution, such as for multimodal distributions and heavy-tailed distributions. Heavy-tailed distributions, in particular, are widespread in describing phenomena across the sciences, where the log-normal, student's-T, and Pareto distributions are heavy-tailed distributions that are almost as common as the normal and geometric distributions in descriptions of physical phenomena or man-made phenomena. The standard hidden Markov model (HMM) constrains state occupancy durations to be geometrically distributed, while HMMD avoids this limitation, but at significant computational expense. We propose a new algorithm, hidden Markov model with binned duration, whose result shows no loss of accuracy compared to the HMMD decoding performance and a computational expense that only differs from the much simpler and faster HMM decoding by a constant factor.
Self-consistent effective binary diffusion in multicomponent gas mixtures

The correct treatment of diffusion in multicomponent gas mixtures requires solution of a linear system of equations for the diffusive mass fluxes relative to the mass-averaged velocity of the mixture. Effective binary diffusion approximations are often used to avoid solving this system. These approximations are generally internally inconsistent in the sense that the approximate diffusion fluxes do not properly sum to zero. The origin of this inconsistency is identified, and a general procedure for removing it is presented. This procedure applies equally to concentration, forced, pressure, and thermal diffusion, either separately or in combination. It is used to obtain a self-consistent effective binary diffusion approximation in which the diffusive mass fluxes properly sum to zero and all four types of diffusion are simultaneously accounted for.
Diphosphoinositol Polyphosphates: Metabolic Messengers?

The diphosphoinositol polyphosphates (“inositol pyrophosphates”) are a specialized subgroup of the inositol phosphate signaling family. This review proposes that many of the current data concerning the metabolic turnover and biological effects of the diphosphoinositol polyphosphates are linked by a common theme: these polyphosphates act as metabolic messengers. This review will also discuss the latest proposals concerning possible molecular mechanisms of action of this intriguing class of molecules.
Disperse—a software system for design of selector probes for exon resequencing applications

Summary:Selector probes enable the amplification of many selected regions of the genome in multiplex. Disperse is a software pipeline that automates the procedure of designing selector probes for exon resequencing applications. Availability:Software and documentation is available at http://bioinformatics.org/disperse Contact: genomics_ji@stanford.edu
Commentary on “What’s Wrong with the IMF” and “Containing the Risks”

The reasons for the Asian financial crisis clearly are manifold. However, Meltzer pays little attention to the complexities of the recent developments in Asia but rather focuses his presentation excessively on the IMF, its origins and its role in Eastern Europe and in Mexico. As the issues raised by Prof. Meltzer will be the focus of other sessions, they will not be commented upon here, except to state that his analysis seems biased and often misinformed. Nevertheless, one can agree with most his conclusions, except with the proposal for an international lender of last resort with strict collateral rules—the proposal is simply not practical or feasible. A better and proven mechanism for providing countries with liquidity in systemic crisis situations could be facilities such as commercial standby credit lines and remunerated high reserve requirements held abroad, like as those recently used in Argentina.
Thermodynamics of weight loss diets.

It is commonly held that "a calorie is a calorie", i.e. that diets of equal caloric content will result in identical weight change independent of macronutrient composition, and appeal is frequently made to the laws of thermodynamics. We have previously shown that thermodynamics does not support such a view and that diets of different macronutrient content may be expected to induce different changes in body mass. Low carbohydrate diets in particular have claimed a "metabolic advantage" meaning more weight loss than in isocaloric diets of higher carbohydrate content. In this review, for pedagogic clarity, we reframe the theoretical discussion to directly link thermodynamic inefficiency to weight change. The problem in outline: Is metabolic advantage theoretically possible? If so, what biochemical mechanisms might plausibly explain it? Finally, what experimental evidence exists to determine whether it does or does not occur? Reduced thermodynamic efficiency will result in increased weight loss. The laws of thermodynamics are silent on the existence of variable thermodynamic efficiency in metabolic processes. Therefore such variability is permitted and can be related to differences in weight lost. The existence of variable efficiency and metabolic advantage is therefore an empiric question rather than a theoretical one, confirmed by many experimental isocaloric studies, pending a properly performed meta-analysis. Mechanisms are as yet unknown, but plausible mechanisms at the metabolic level are proposed. Variable thermodynamic efficiency due to dietary manipulation is permitted by physical laws, is supported by much experimental data, and may be reasonably explained by plausible mechanisms.
Implementation of Web-Based Autism Screening in an Urban Clinic

Screening toddlers for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) with the Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers, Revised (M-CHAT-R) has been shown to lower age of diagnosis by 2 years. In order to streamline ASD screening, research is exploring the use of web-based screening during well-child checkups. The current study examined implementation of the web-based M-CHAT-R in an urban pediatric clinic in Atlanta, Georgia. Toddlers (N = 2557; 87% African American) were screened during well-child visits (Mage = 22.43 months, SD = 3.65). Using the web-based version resulted in a 58.5% increase in the number of cases screened per month. A similar proportion of toddlers in each modality screened positive (P = .43), but significantly fewer children were missing "Follow-up" in the web-based administration (P < .001). These results suggest that it is feasible to implement web-based screening in underserved populations. Future research is necessary to understand factors that facilitate successful implementation of web-based ASD screening.
Strain-specific and immunodominant surface epitopes of the P2 porin protein of nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae.

Abstract The P2 porin protein is the major outer membrane protein of nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae. Five monoclonal antibodies to P2 of four strains of nontypeable H. influenzae were developed by immunizing mice with whole bacterial cells. All five antibodies recognized epitopes on P2 in immunoblot assays of whole organism lysates, purified outer membrane, and purified P2. Competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays and immunoblot assays of cyanogen bromide-digested P2 showed that two antibodies to the P2 protein of strain 1479 recognized different epitopes on the molecule. Immunofluorescence and immunoelectron microscopy demonstrated that each of the five antibodies recognized epitopes that were abundantly expressed on the bacterial surface. Analysis of 120 H. influenzae strains indicated that three of the five antibodies were reactive exclusively with the homologous strain. The remaining two antibodies were reactive with less than 3% of the strains. These studies indicate that the P2 protein expresses a highly strain-specific and immunodominant epitope on the bacterial surface. The expression of strain-specific and immunodominant epitopes on the bacterial surface may represent a mechanism by which the bacterium induces antibodies that will protect against recurrent infection by the homologous strain but will not protect against infection by heterologous strains.
Tetrahedral Image-to-Mesh Conversion Software for Anatomic Modeling of Arteriovenous Malformations

Abstract We describe a new implementation of an adaptive multi-tissue tetrahedral mesh generator targeting anatomic modeling of Arteriovenous Malformation (AVM) for surgical simulations. Our method, initially constructs an adaptive Body-Centered Cubic (BCC) mesh of high quality elements. Then, it deforms the mesh surfaces to their corresponding physical image boundaries, hence, improving the mesh fidelity and smoothness. Our deformation scheme, which builds upon the ITK toolkit, is based on the concept of energy minimization, and relies on a multi-material point-based registration. It uses non-connectivity patterns to implicitly control the number of the extracted feature points needed for the registration, and thus, adjusts the trade-off between the achieved mesh fidelity and the deformation speed. While many medical imaging applications require robust mesh generation, there are few codes available to the public. We compare our implementation with two similar open-source image-to-mesh conversion codes: (1) Cleaver from US, and (2) CGAL from EU. Our evaluation is based on five isotropic/anisotropic segmented images, and relies on metrics like geometric & topologic fidelity, mesh quality, gradation and smoothness. The implementation we describe is open- source and it will be available within: (i) the 3D Slicer package for visualization and image analysis from Harvard Medical School, and (ii) an interactive simulator for neurosurgical procedures involving vasculature using SOFA, a framework for real-time medical simulation developed by INRIA.
Do gender and race influence survival in patients with non-small cell lung cancer brain metastases? An outcomes study utilizing the RTOG RPA class stratification

7153 Background: To explore gender, race and their interactions in the setting of NSCLC brain metastases only, a single-institution brain database was analyzed, using the RTOG recursive partitionin...
The Net Expectation Interest in Contract Damages

In their 1936 article, The Reliance Interest in Contract Damages: 1, Professor Lon Fuller and William Perdue, Jr., developed a theory of contract damages based on the "reliance" interest - the interest in recovery of costs incurred in reliance on another's promise. Despite its age, that article is still highly regarded and widely cited. Despite its influence, Fuller and Perdue's theory of contract damages is not a helpful description of contemporary damage rules. This article is a systematic attempt to debunk each of Fuller and Perdue's arguments and simultaneously to support a new conceptualization of contract damages. Because Fuller and Perdue's work has been so influential, this article tracks the precise approach of Fuller and Perdue while turning each of their arguments on its head. Because the structure of their argument was so critical to its influence, this article presents a point-by-point rebuttal that follows the same structure they used. The result is a theory of damages and a system for calculating damages that is easier to understand, easier to implement, and truer to contemporary contract law. Finally, this article compares the workability of the damage rules contained in the Restatement (Second) of Contracts, which are based on "loss in value," with a surplus-based approach, concluding with a description of the four straightforward, conceptual steps involved in an accounting for damages based on lost surplus.
Weight in Infancy and Obesity in Children Born Preterm

Excessive weight gain in infancy may lead to obesity and its sequelae later in life. Children born preterm have higher associated risk of becoming obese than full term babies. The goal of the study was to examine early weight gain among preterm infants, who later in life became obese. In a retrospective chart review of 37 preterm infants, 27 grew to support a normal weight and 10 became obese. We demonstrated differences in early childhood weight gain dynamics with weight differences between groups noted at 6 months of age that persisted later in life. Increased risk of obesity could be identified very early in infancy among preterm children. Early nutritional consult and attention to weight gain in infancy and early childhood are important steps in obesity prevention.
All about that base: Changing campaign strategies in U.S. Presidential elections

The current study presents evidence that partisan campaign strategies in US presidential elections have shifted in recent years to reflect a growing emphasis on base mobilization compared to persuading independent, undecided or swing voters. Pursuing reliable supporters appears to be increasingly desirable for political campaigns, especially since 2000, relative to the risky and uncertain prospects of targeting less reliable supporters. I speculate this shift is attributable, at least in part, to changes in the context in which contemporary campaigns operate, coinciding with the 2000 presidential election; advances in microtargeting, particularly through new e-campaigning and e-mobilization technologies, and behavioral science related to voter mobilization represent two of the most potent developments. By contrast, persuasion is a far more difficult and risky approach. I conclude that growing emphasis on base mobilization in elections has likely contributed to intensifying partisan polarization in America.
Comment: Is 3,4-DAP a new option in treating MuSK MG?

Myasthenia gravis (MG) with antibodies to muscle-specific tyrosine kinase (MuSK) receptors is characterized by prominent weakness of facial and bulbar muscles. MuSK MG often requires aggressive immunosuppression, and inadequate treatment may leave patients with permanent, fixed weakness due to structural changes in the neuromuscular junction. Even with appropriate therapy, only 50% of patients reach minimal manifestations of disease or remission.1
Preprocessing WRF initial conditions for coastal stratocumulus forecasting

Abstract The impact of atmospheric liquid water content at model initialization in the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model is explored through the application of two preprocessing schemes. The first scheme, the Well-mixed Preprocessor (WEMPP), was designed and developed based on a well-mixed boundary layer to provide an initial guess at liquid water content when initializing with data from the North American Mesoscale (NAM) model, as liquid water content is not present in NAM output. The second scheme was adapted from a satellite Cloud Data Assimilation (CLDDA) package intended to make the initial model cloud field consistent with observations, using input data from the CIMSS GOES sounder cloud product. Preprocessed simulations were compared against baseline WRF simulations initialized with NAM and the Rapid Refresh (RAP) model (which contains liquid water output), as well as the raw parent model outputs. These intra-day forecasts were validated against both 5-min and 10-min averaged ground station and 30-min (hourly averaged) satellite irradiance observations over the course of a month. Due to their extensive spatial coverage, optical thickness, and reflectivity, stratocumulus (Sc) clouds are responsible for much of the variability in available solar resource at the surface in coastal California, where most rooftop photovoltaic systems are located. Currently, the trend of numerical weather prediction models is to underpredict both the presence and thickness of Sc. Therefore, the validation is conducted for a summer month in southern California, when Sc are most prevalent. Ground station validation showed average improvements by WEMPP in predicting surface irradiance over the baseline NAM (RAP) WRF initializations of 33% (−3%) MBE and 16% (9%) MAE, and by CLDDA of 47% (18%) MBE and 26% (20%) MAE. Additionally, simulations preprocessed by CLDDA were consistently able to outperform 24-h persistence forecast at 3 out of 4 ground stations. Validation against SolarAnywhere® satellite irradiance observations showed that the combination of both preprocessors provided the most improvement in the prediction of Sc spatial coverage, thickness, and lifetime in coastal regions where marine layer stratocumulus is most frequently observed, but cloud cover over the ocean was overestimated by all preprocessors.
Current based PUF exploiting random variations in SRAM cells

Physical Unclonable Function (PUF) is a security primitive that has been proven to be effective in diverse security solutions ranging from hardware authentication to on-die entropy generation. PUFs can be implemented in a design in two possible ways: (1) adding a separate dedicated circuit; and (2) reusing an existing on-chip structure for generating random signatures. A large percentage of existing PUFs falls into the first category, which suffers from the important drawback of often unacceptable hardware and design overhead. Moreover, they cannot be applied to legacy designs, which do not allow insertion of additional circuit structures. Intrinsic PUFs, that rely on pre-existing circuit structures, such as static random-access memory (SRAM), fall into the second category. They, however, typically suffer from poor entropy as well as lack of robustness. In this paper, we introduce a novel PUF implementation of the second category that exploits the effect of manufacturing process variations in SRAM read access current. In particular, we note that transistor level variations in SRAM cells cause significant variations in the read current and the variation changes with the stored content in a SRAM cell. We propose a method to transform the analog read current value for an SRAM array into robust binary signatures. The proposed PUF can be easily employed for authentication of commercial SRAM chips without any design modification. Furthermore, it can be realized, with minor hardware modification, into chips with embedded memory, e.g., a processor, for on-die entropy generation. Simulation results at 45nm CMOS process for 1000 chips as well as measurement results based on 30 commercial SRAM chips, show promising randomness, uniqueness and robustness under environmental fluctuations.
International research on social withdrawal

Introduction Since the 1990s the term “Hikikomori” has emerged as a way to describe a modern form of severe social withdrawal first described in Japan. Recently, there have been increasing reports of Hikikomori around the globe. Objectives To describe operationalized research criteria for Hikikomori, as well as epidemiologic, diagnostic, and psychosocial features of the Hikikomori in international settings. Methods Participants were recruited from sites in India, Japan, Korea, and the US. Hikikomori was defined as a six-month or longer period of spending almost all time at home and avoiding social situations and social relationships, associated with significant distress/impairment. Lifetime history of psychiatric diagnosis was determined by the Structured Clinical Interview for the DSM-IV Axis-I and Axis-II Disorders. Additional measures included the Internet Addiction Test, UCLA Loneliness Scale, Lubben Social Network Scale (LSNS-6), and Sheehan Disability Scale (SDS). Results Thirty-six participants meeting diagnostic criteria for Hikikomori were identified, with cases detected in all four countries. Avoidant personality disorder (41%), major depressive disorder (32%), paranoid personality disorder (32%), social anxiety disorder (27%), posttraumatic stress disorder (27%), and depressive personality disorder (27%) were the most common diagnoses. Sixty-eight percent had at least two psychiatric diagnoses. Individuals with Hikikomori had high levels of loneliness (UCLA Loneliness Scale M = 55.4, SD = 10.5), limited social networks (LSNS-6 M = 9.7, SD = 5.5), and moderate functional impairment (SDS M = 16.5, SD = 7.9). Conclusions Hikikomori exists cross-nationally and can be assessed with a standardized assessment tool. Individuals with Hikikomori have substantial psychosocial impairment and disability, and a history of multiple psychiatric disorders is common.
Surface slip subsequent to the 24 November 1987 Superstition Hills, California, earthquake monitored by digital creepmeters

Three creepmeters of new design were operated on the Superstition Hills fault following the 24 November 1987 earthquake. Each creepmeter consists of a digital displacement sensor interrogated periodically by a computer. At the end of each hour, the computer determines a recording rate appropriate to the velocity of the slip on the fault in that hour. No data are recorded if the fault is inactive. Data are recorded at a maximum rate of one sample per minute if slip on the fault is detected. The resolution and range of the creepmeters are 10 μm and 15 cm, respectively. Fault activity is observed to be confined to periods of episodic slip (creep events) with mean amplitudes 3 to 6 mm and durations less than 4 hr. A total of 80 creep events were recorded. During the first week following the earthquake, creep events occurred several times each day. After 6 months, events occurred every 3 weeks. This increase in the mean time interval between creep events results in the observed decay in afterslip rate. Between creep events, the fault is inactive although more than 200 microstrain of fault-zone deformation may accumulate before each event. Although creep events were observed to propagate unilaterally in both directions along the fault, the most impulsive events appeared to propagate bilaterally from a dilatant offset separating the northern and southern halves of the 24-km-long fault zone. Maximum propagation velocities of 30 m/sec were observed. Aftershocks (2 < M < 4.7) were observed to occur near the creepmeters following 6 to 9 cm of surface slip on the fault. A future aftershock in this region is anticipated in mid-1989 based on afterslip rates in the year following the main shock.
Multivector Field Theory

Multivector field theory allows us to preserve rich multivector algebraic features within the Lagrangian framework.
Use of lidar point cloud data to support estimation of residual trace metals stored in mine chat piles in the Old Lead Belt of southeastern, Missouri

Historic lead and zinc (Pb-Zn) mining in southeast Missouri’s “Old Lead Belt” has left large chat piles dominating the landscape where prior to 1972 mining was the major industry of the region. As a result of variable beneficiation methods over the history of mining activity, these piles remain with large quantities of unrecovered Pb and Zn and to a lesser extent cadmium (Cd). Quantifying the residual content of trace metals in chat piles is problematic because of the extensive field effort that must go into collecting elevation points for volumetric analysis. This investigation demonstrates that publicly available lidar point data from the U.S. Geological Survey 3D Elevation Program (3DEP) can be used to effectively calculate chat pile volumes as a method of more accurately estimating the total residual trace metal content in these mining wastes. Five chat piles located in St. Francois County, Missouri, were quantified for residual trace metal content. Utilizing lidar point cloud data collected in 2011 and existing trace metal concentration data obtained during remedial investigations, residual content of these chat piles ranged from 9247 to 88,579 metric tons Pb, 1925 to 52,306 metric tons Zn, and 51 to 1107 metric tons Cd. Development of new beneficiation methods for recovering these constituents from chat piles would need to achieve current Federal soil screening standards. To achieve this for the five chat piles investigated, 42 to 72% of residual Pb would require mitigation to the 1200 mg/kg Federal non-playground standard, 88 to 98% of residual Zn would require mitigation to the Ecological Soil Screening level (ESSL) for plant life, and 70% to 98% of Cd would require mitigation to achieve the ESSL. Achieving these goals through an existing or future beneficiation method(s) would remediate chat to a trace metal concentration level that would support its use as a safe agricultural soil amendment.
Global Analysis of a Model for Capillary Water Waves in Two Dimensions

In this paper we prove a global regularity result for a quadratic quasilinear model associated to the water waves system with surface tension and no gravity in dimension $2$ (the capillary waves system). The model we consider here retains most of the difficulties of the full capillary water waves system, including the delicate time resonance structure and modified scattering. It is slightly simpler, however, at the technical level, and our goal here is to present our method in this simplified situation. The analysis of the full system is presented in a preprint by the authors (2014). © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.