cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Initiation and regulation of fibrinolysis in human plasma at the plasminogen activator level.

The initiation and regulation of fibrinolysis has been studied by reconstitution of fibrinolytic activity in human plasma in vitro. Depletion of tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) antigen by immunoadsorption of human plasma with anti-tPA Ig Sepharose 4B leads to total loss of spontaneous fibrinolytic activity determined by lysis of a thrombin-induced clot. Addition of physiological concentrations of purified tPA to tPA-depleted plasma restores fibrinolytic activity as a function of the length of time between tPA addition and clotting. Addition of free tPA to tPA-depleted plasma followed by immediate clotting results in a high rate of fibrinolysis. In contrast, when free tPA is allowed to incubate in plasma for 10 to 60 minutes prior to clot formation, the fibrinolytic activity of tPA is gradually lost. The loss of tPA-induced fibrinolytic activity in unclotted plasma is accompanied by decreased partitioning of tPA antigen into fibrin after clotting and is kinetically correlated with the formation of a 100 kilodalton (kDa) tPA complex as demonstrated by SDS-gel electrophoresis and fibrin-agar zymography. These results suggest that free tPA is susceptible to complexation by the plasma inhibitor in the absence of a clot. Fibrin formation renders tPA relatively inaccessible to inhibition. The tPA antigen isolated from stored plasma consists mainly of 100 kDa activity in SDS-gel electrophoresis and zymography, indicating that the tPA complex is resistant to dissociation by SDS. Upon rezymography of the sliced gel, only a 60 kDa tPA activity is found, suggesting that the activity at 100 kDa is at least partly due to free tPA dissociated from the complex during the first zymography. Conversion of tPA complex to enzymatically active free tPA also occurs with brief SDS exposure followed by incubation in the presence of excess Triton X-100 or by hydroxylamine treatment. These results reconcile the apparent discrepancy of the 100 kDA inhibitor-tPA complex manifesting plasminogen activation activity during zymography. The plasma tPA- inhibitor complex is precipitated strongly by antisera against plasminogen activator inhibitors (PAIs) of human Hep G2 hepatoma and HT- 1080 fibrosarcoma cells and weakly by antiserum against bovine aortic endothelial cell PAI but not by antiserum against a placental PAI (PAI- 2) suggesting that the plasma inhibitor is immunologically related to Hep G2, HT-1080 and possibly endothedial cell PAIs. Based on the above findings, a simple model for the initiation and regulation of plasma fibrinolysis at the PA level has been formulated.
A Fresh Take on Government Contract Performance: Linking Social and Technical Factors

One critical question addressed by public management scholars is: what are the factors that facilitate high performing government agencies (Rainey & Steinbauer, 1999b)? Contracting for services rep...
Optimized administration regimen of lopinavir for a myocardial ischaemia reperfusion study in Sprague–Dawley rats

Pharmacokinetics of drugs may differ between small and large mammals (including humans); therefore, drug testing in animal models must be carefully designed. Sprague-Dawley rats were used in cardiac experiments, during which the lopinavir concentration in serum had to match human therapeutic levels (4-10 μg/mL). Lopinavir was administered as a co-formulated drug of lopinavir and ritonavir. It was found that after a single administration of a standard human peroral dose (lopinavir 13.3 mg/kg of body weight), the serum concentration of lopinavir was only one-tenth of the target level. It remained below the minimum target level even after 10-fold the standard dose was administered. After initial pilot tests, a dose escalation study was conducted with oral doses 10- and 15-fold the standard clinical dose of lopinavir (i.e. 133 and 200 mg/kg, respectively). A second administration 2 h later effectively increased and maintained higher concentrations during the experimental ischaemia and reperfusion periods. A dose-dependent increase in serum concentration of the drug was observed. Thus, the target therapeutic serum level of lopinavir in the rats was achieved by administrating 10- to 15-fold the standard human dose twice, separated by a 2 h interval.
Association of endothelial nitric oxide synthase gene polymorphism with essential hypertension

Objective:To investigate the relationship between exon 7th 894 site and intron 12th rs1800780 site polymorphism of endothelial nitric oxide synthase(eNOS) gene and essential hypertension(EH) in elderly Han people living in Tianjin.Method:The polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism(PCR-RFLP) method was used to detect genetypes of 894 site and rs1800780 site in 253 patients with EH(EH group) and 156 controls(control group).The plasma lipid levels and other risk factors were determined in all subjects.The relationship between genotypes and pathogenesis of EH was analyzed.Result:There were significant differences in age,BMI,TC and LDL-C between EH group and control group(P0.05).There were no significant differences in frequencies of allele and genotype distribution in 894 site of eNOS gene between two groups.The frequencies of G allele and AG+GG genotypes were significantly higher in EH group than those in control group(P0.05).The association between AG+GG genotype and EH was statistically significant(OR=1.956,95%CI: 1.194-3.205,P=0.008).The independent risk factors of EH were G allele of rs1800780 site,age,BMI and LDL-C.Conclusion:The polymorphism of eNOS 894 site is not associated with hypertension,while the polymorphism of rs1800780 site is associated with hypertension.The independent risk factors of EH are G allele of rs1800780 site,age,BMI and LDL-C.
Funeral rituals in Taiwan and Korea.

Purpose/objectives To explore the diversity of rituals and attitudes surrounding death in the context of the Asian cultures of China and Korea. Data sources Published books and journal articles; author experience. Data synthesis The death of any family member can evoke a myriad of emotional responses, and the bereavement processes and the expression of grief may vary among cultures. In the Chinese and Korean cultures, the principles of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Christianity strongly influence many aspects of daily living, including bereavement. The most prominent example is displayed in the complexity of funeral rituals and postfuneral ceremonies. Conclusions Integral to the tenets of Confucianism and Buddhism are the notions of dignity and harmony. The funeral ritual is vitally important because it ensures safe passage of the deceased into the afterlife. Implications for nursing practice As healthcare professionals in a culturally diverse nation, nurses should begin to understand what takes place during funeral rituals as well as increase their sensitivity to the underlying cultural contexts.
Innovative Surgical Management of Idiopathic Retroperitoneal Fibrosis

AbstractIdiopathic retroperitoneal fibrosis is a rare entity usually treated with exploratory laparotomy, deep biopsies of the fibrotic process and uretrolysis. Innovative surgical management occasionally is required for ureteral obstruction. We report the use of dismembered pyeloplasty, autorenal transplantation and bilateral psoas hitch ureteral reimplantation for the management of ureteral obstruction associated with idiopathic retroperitoneal fibrosis.
Olive Dreams of Elephants: Game-Based Learning for School Readiness and Pre-literacy in Young Children

School readiness remains a major challenge in the United States educational system. Research consistently shows significant disparities in pre-literacy skills and language acquisition based on socioeconomic class emerging within the first 18 months of childhood. Simultaneously, access to media devices such as smart phones and tablets is increasing, even among very young children. New guidelines suggest that those as young as two years of age can safely use these types of devices for up to two hours a day. Effective educational interventions for preschoolers have been developed using a variety of media, including computer games, suggesting that earlier interventions may be both possible and effective. We begin by providing a critical context that considers the importance of early-childhood language acquisition for two to three year old children. Then, we present a Science-Fiction Prototype that explores the possibilities of a sophisticated system to enhance school readiness and educational and economic opportunity.
Discussion of Blackorby, Bossert and Donaldson’s Paper

I found this paper to be a very innovative and interesting contribution to a topic that in my view has been the object of too little axiomatic analysis, namely intertemporal allocation.
Meperidine: A Forgotten Jewel

Meperidine was the first opioid to be synthesized in the laboratory. Its use in anesthesia has declined in recent years for reasons unrelated to its clinical value. Examples of its use in surgical anesthesia are provided.
Sources of Major Technological Breakthroughs: Purposeful Systems with Purposeful Elements Having a Common Purpose of Global Leadership

The fundamental problem in the field of the economics of innovation is how countries achieve and sustain technological and economic advantage. This study confronts the problem here by developing a theoretical framework based on the concept of purposeful system having a purpose of global leadership, which endeavours to analyze the sources of technical change by countries in a Schumpeterian world of innovation-based competition and also in the presence of potential military competition. This approach is supported by historical and empirical evidence concerning leading societies in terms of technological and economic change: Ancient Roman society, Victorian Britain and current USA. The main conceptual finding, which may represent the most important driving force of technological change, is that a socio-economic system (e.g., country) in a particular time span, context dependent, acts as a purposeful system with the purpose to achieve a geographical, cultural, political and economic leadership on a wide geo-economic area, supporting also higher technological performances. The strategy to achieve this purpose is based on high R&D military expenditures and a modus operandi of warfare. This strategy, by victories of wars, can generate a vital geo-economic leadership and support changes in the techno-economic paradigms and General Purpose Technologies conducive to high technological and economic performance. The linkages between critical concepts can be the foundation for a general theory of sources of the major technological breakthroughs.
De-escalation with Dance/Movement Therapy: A Program Evaluation

Psychiatric inpatient facilities may treat patients with a history of or current aggressive tendencies. Restraint and seclusion (R/S) techniques have been a controversial choice for patient and staff safety. Literature on aggression and restraints in psychiatric facilities suggested a need for further training on de-escalation and violence prevention to support safer environments for patients and staff. A 5-hour de-escalation and violence prevention training program based on dance/movement therapy (DMT) techniques was developed and taught to Drexel University students in the Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Master’s program (N = 73). The training program, De-escalation with DMT, focused on teaching observational skill building, empathy building, and self-efficacy in order to support violence prevention and de-escalation. This article looks at the effectiveness of the training program in each of the three skill areas, as well as, participants’ views on the overall effectiveness of the program as it relates to de-escalation, violence prevention, and the use of R/S. Findings suggest an increase in observational skills, empathy levels, and self-efficacy, and positive views regarding the overall training program as reported by participants. Results from this program evaluation suggest that De-escalation with DMT could be useful in increasing skills that would support safe and effective de-escalations.
Tunable bandgaps in a deployable metamaterial

Abstract In this manuscript, we investigate deployable structures (such as solar arrays) and origami-inspired foldable structures as metamaterials capable of tunable wave manipulation. Specifically, we present a metamaterial whose bandgaps can be modulated by changing the fold angle of adjacent panels. The repeating unit cell of the structure consists of a beam (representing a panel) and a torsional spring (representing the folding mechanism). Two important cases are considered. Firstly, the fold angle (angle between adjacent beams), Ψ , is zero and only flexural waves propagate. In the second case, the fold angle is greater than zero ( Ψ > 0 ). This causes longitudinal and transverse vibration to be coupled. FEM models are used to validate both these analyses. Increasing the fold angle was found to inflict notable changes to the wave transmission characteristics of the structure. In general, increasing the fold angles caused the bandwidth of bandgaps to increase. For the lowest four bandgaps we found bandwidth increases of 252 % , 177 % , 230 % and 163 % respectively at Ψ = 90 deg (relative to the bandwidths at Ψ = 0 ). In addition, non-trivial increases in bandwidth of the odd-numbered bandgaps occurs even at small fold angles-the bandwidth for the first and third bandgaps effectively double in size (increase by 100 % ) at Ψ = 20 deg relative to those at Ψ = 0 . This could have ramifications in the context of tunable wave manipulation and adaptive filtering. In addition, by expanding out the characteristic equation of transfer matrix for the straight structure, we prove that the upper band edge of the nth bandgap will always equal the nth simply supported natural frequency of the constituent beam. Further, we found that the ratio ( E I k t ) is a pertinent parameter affecting the bandwidth of bandgaps. For low values of the ratio, effectively, no bandgap exists. For higher values of the ratio ( E I k t ), we obtain a relatively large bandgap over which no waves propagate. This can have ramifications for the design of foldable structures. As an alternative to impedance-based structural health monitoring, these insights can aid in health monitoring of deployable structures by tracking the bandwidth of bandgaps which can provide clues about the mechanical parameters of the structure.
IS CT ANGIOGRAPHY-DERIVED RIGHT TO LEFT VENTRICULAR DIAMETER RATIO ADEQUATE FOR PULMONARY EMBOLISM RISK STRATIFICATION?

Risk stratification of acute pulmonary embolism (PE) involves assessment of right ventricular size. The performance of CT vs. ECHO derived RV:LV ratio has not been well studied. All subjects diagnosed with acute PE who had both CT and ECHO performed within 24 hours were enrolled in a retrospective
Economic burden associated with adverse events of special interest in patients with relapsed Philadelphia chromosome-negative B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia in the United States.

Background: Infections, cytopenia, and gastrointestinal (GI) toxicity are adverse events of special interest (AESI) affecting most relapsed Philadelphia chromosome–negative (Ph−) B-cell acute lymph...
A perfect storm for mammalogy: declining sample availability in a period of rapid environmental degradation

Natural history collections have stimulated insights into systematics and evolution, but the extensive biodiversity sampling held in museums is increasingly employed to address other critical societal concerns, especially those related to changing environmental conditions on our planet. Due to large-scale digitization efforts in the last decade, specimen information can now be collated across natural history museums. Here, we leverage the availability of digital records of specimens in the United States that span the past ∼135 years to explore the vitality of this resource. Using mammals as an example, we document a significant decline in recent specimen acquisition at a time of extreme environmental degradation and loss of mammalian populations. To stimulate rigorous assessments of the impacts of changing conditions and future-proof this basic infrastructure for mammalogy, we recommend a renewed effort to build temporally deep, geographically extensive, and site-intensive collections of holistic specimens. Targeted fieldwork should be designed to leverage historic sampling to enable retrospective environmental analyses and derive more complete perspectives of change.
Abstract 5898: A systems approach for determining the mechanism of resistance to tumor treating fields in glioblastoma

Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common and deadliest malignant brain cancer in adults despite aggressive chemoradiotherapy. Recently, Tumor Treating Fields (TTFields) was approved in combination with adjuvant temozolomide chemotherapy for newly diagnosed GBM. The addition of TTFields resulted in a significant improvement in overall survival. TTFields are low-intensity alternating electric fields that are thought to disturb mitotic macromolecules9 assembly, leading to disrupted chromosomal segregation and cell death. However, the majority of GBM are not sensitive to TTFields and most of TTFields responders eventually develop resistance. However the mechanism of resistance remains largely unexplored. Understanding how cancer cells gain the ability to circumvent the biophysical forces of TTFields and their downstream effects will provide new opportunities to improve therapeutic efficacy of this novel anti-cancer treatment modality. To accomplish these objectives, we have developed several human GBM cell lines that demonstrated relative resistance to the cytotoxic effects of TTFields compared to the parental cells. Importantly TTFields-induced chromosomal instability such as the formation of micronuclei was unchanged in resistant cells compared to their sensitive counterparts, suggesting that resistance to TTFields may be conferred by a selective loss of deleterious downstream reactions to the biophysical damages. To systematically identify the mechanism of resistance, we have recently developed two innovative computational platforms, GeneRep and nSCORE and experimentally validated them in several published datasets. The tandem platforms complemented each other and allowed us to 1) interrogate large-scale gene expression profiles of pairs of TTFields resistant cells vs. sensitive counterparts to extract candidate resistance-specific gene regulatory networks, and 2) functionally rank specific core factors responsible for resistance, respectively. Once identified, biological confirmation of these factors using cell lines, mouse models and samples of patient9s derived TTFields sensitive and resistant GBM. Our long-term goal is to develop targeted therapy to prevent tumor9s resistance to TTFields therapy. Citation Format: Dongjiang Chen, Son Le, Nagheme Thomas, David D. Tran. A systems approach for determining the mechanism of resistance to tumor treating fields in glioblastoma [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2018; 2018 Apr 14-18; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2018;78(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 5898.
New molecular design for blue BODIPYs

Diverse dihydrodipyrrins are available as precursors in the de novo synthesis of bacteriochlorins and chlorins. Each dihydrodipyrrin contains one pyrrole and one pyrroline (3,4-dihydropyrrole) ring joined at the respective α-positions via a methylene unit as well as a geminal-dimethyl group at one of the pyrroline β-positions. Complexation of the dihydrodipyrrin ligands occurs smoothly upon treatment with Bu2B–OTf or BF3·OEt2 in dichloromethane containing triethylamine at room temperature. Six such dihydrodipyrrinatoboron complexes have been prepared and are examined here. The complexes with –BF2 or –BBu2 absorb in the blue region (λabs ∼ 400 nm) and fluoresce (λem ∼ 500 nm) with large Stokes shift (∼100–150 nm), almost no absorption-fluorescence spectral overlap, and high fluorescence quantum yield (Φf ∼ 0.4–0.9). The spectral features are rather insensitive to substituents in the pyrrole nucleus (carboethoxy, bromo, and p-tolyl) and the presence of a 1-naphthalenyl group at the meso-position. In one case examined, the spectral properties including Φf value were almost identical in toluene and acetonitrile. The blue BODIPYs may be useful as broadband photosensitizers upon violet-laser excitation.
Learning with Cases

SUBJECT AREAS: Business case, case method, education, workshop. Business cases are well-established pedagogical tools widely available to instructors of business courses. Whether students are first exposed to cases when they begin their program or only when they reach advanced level courses, the effective use of cases requires an understanding of case method learning on the part of both the instructor and the students. To prepare students for their first exposure to business cases, I find it is helpful to hold an introductory workshop on cases and the case method. This allows students to know what to expect in a case-based course and, in turn, what was expected from them. I put together a 3 hour "Learning With Cases Workshop" to serve this purpose. The first half of the workshop is spent on topics such as "what is a business case", "what is the case method", and "how does one analyze a business case". The second half is spent covering a short case to give the students a feel for how a case discussion should unfold in the classroom. The document "Learning with Cases Workshop" is what we hand out to students during the first half. The document is available from me in hard copy or electronic format. I have also prepared a set of overhead slides to use which I can make available on paper or as an electronic file.
ADLP: Accountable Data Logging Protocol for Publish-Subscribe Communication Systems

Reasoning about the decision-making process of modern autonomous systems becomes increasingly challenging as their software systems become more inexplicable due to complex data-driven processes. Yet, logs of data production and consumption among the software components can provide useful run-time evidence to analyze and diagnose faulty operations. Particularly when the system is run by a number of software components that were individually developed by different parties (e.g., open source, third-party vendor), it is imperative to find out where the problems originated and thus who should be responsible for the problems. However, software components may act unfaithfully or non-cooperatively to make the run-time evidence refutable or unusable. Hence, this paper presents Accountable Data Logging Protocol (ADLP), a mechanism to build accountability into data distribution among software components that are not necessarily cooperative or faithful in reporting the logs of their data production and consumption. We demonstrate an application of ADLP to a miniaturized self-driving car and show that it can be used in practice with at a moderate performance cost.
Stochastic Processes: Harmonizable Theory

The book presents, for the first time, a detailed analysis of harmonizable processes and fields (in the weak sense) that contain the corresponding stationary theory as a subclass. It also gives the structural and some key applications in detail. These include Levy's Brownian motion, a probabilistic proof of the longstanding Riemann's hypothesis, random fields indexed by LCA and hypergroups, extensions to bistochastic operators, Cramer-Karhunen classes, as well as bistochastic operators with some statistical applications.The material is accessible to graduate students in probability and statistics as well as to engineers in theoretical applications. There are numerous extensions and applications pointed out in the book that will inspire readers to delve deeper.
Walk the Line: Aristotle & The Ethics of Narrative

Lawyers are storytellers who face tremendous pressure to persuade judges and juries of the rightness of their stories. Zealous advocacy has long been a touchstone in lawyering, but lawyers need to balance zealousness with candor to the tribunal. As narrative and storytelling have evolved in scholarship and practice as powerful tools for persuasion, lawyers can find themselves walking a delicate ethical line. The applicable Model Rules of Professional Conduct do not provide a sufficient framework for ensuring sufficient candor in the use of narrative, particularly when considering the cultural and psychological power inherent in stories. Thus, lawyers can find themselves sliding on a slippery slope into ethically actionable misrepresentation. These are not new problems, and the classics have something to teach modern lawyers using narrative to persuade. Aristotle addressed the same types of concerns in his Nicomachean Ethics and On Rhetoric. Aristotle discussed the importance of keeping one’s conduct within the “mean”—to maintain a balanced approach to one’s life and practice. He also stressed the value of using good habits to develop a person’s character. Aristotle’s wisdom can guide a lawyer who seeks to be a candid, ethical, and still zealous advocate. Thus, this Article posits that incorporating Aristotle’s concepts of virtue ethics into the Preamble of the Model Rules will provide guidance to lawyers seeking to use legal storytelling in an ethical, balanced way. Providing lawyers with intrinsic motivation to behave ethically provides a more workable framework than adding additional proscriptive requirements to the Model Rules, particularly for lawyers walking the line between truth and falsity when retelling client facts through storytelling.
Are ex‐day dividend clientele effects dead? Dividend yield versus dividend size

Abstract We devise an approach to determine whether market microstructure or taxes influence ex‐dividend behavior. We find that microstructure effects of automated limit order adjustments strongly influence ex‐day prices for dividends less than or equal to a tick. For these dividends, after controlling for dividend size, we find no relation between price‐drop‐to‐dividend ratio and dividend yield. For larger dividends, both microstructure and tax effects are found: Consistent with the microstructure story we find that between ticks, as dividend sizes increase (hence dividend yields increase), price‐drop‐to‐dividend ratios decrease. However, consistent with the tax clientele hypothesis, when dividend size is fixed, a positive relation between price‐drop‐to‐dividend ratio and yield is still seen.
Understanding the onset of negative electronic compressibility in single-band and two-band two-dimensional electron gases: Application to LaAlO 3 / SrTiO 3

We investigate the effects of two electronic bands at the negative electronic compressibility (NEC) in a two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG). We use a simple homogeneous model with Coulombic interactions and first-order multiband coupling to examine the role of effective mass and relative permittivity in relation to the critical carrier density, where compressibility turns negative. We demonstrate that the population of a second band, along with the presence of interband coupling, can dramatically change the crossover carrier density. Given the difficulty in determining and confirming multiband electronic systems, this model provides a potential method for identifying multiband electronic systems using precise bulk electronic properties measurements. To help illustrate this method, we apply our results to the observed NEC in the 2DEG at the ${\mathrm{LaAlO}}_{3}/{\mathrm{SrTiO}}_{3}$ (LAO/STO) interface and determine that, for the known parameters of LAO/STO, the system is likely a realization of a two-band 2DEG. Furthermore, we provide general limits on the interband coupling with respect to the electronic band population.
Ambulatory care for epilepsy via telemedicine during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Abstract Objective To assess feasibility, patient satisfaction, and financial advantages of telemedicine for epilepsy ambulatory care during the current COVID-19 pandemic. Methods The demographic and clinical characteristics of all consecutive patients evaluated via telemedicine at a level 4 epilepsy center between March 20 and April 20, 2020 were obtained retrospectively from electronic medical records. A telephone survey to assess patient satisfaction and preferences was conducted within one month following the initial visit. Results Among 223 telehealth patients, 85.7% used both synchronous audio and video technology. During the visits, 39% of patients had their anticonvulsants adjusted while 18.8% and 11.2% were referred to laboratory/diagnostic testing and specialty consults, respectively. In a post-visit survey, the highest degree of satisfaction with care was expressed by 76.9% of patients. The degree of satisfaction tended to increase the further a patient lived from the clinic (p = 0.05). Beyond the pandemic, 89% of patients reported a preference for continuing telemedicine if their epilepsy symptoms remained stable, while only 44.4% chose telemedicine should their symptoms worsen. Inclement weather and lack of transportation were factors favoring continued use of telemedicine. An estimated cost saving to patient attributed to telemedicine was $30.20 ± 3.8 per visit. Significance Our findings suggest that epilepsy care via telemedicine provided high satisfaction and economic benefit, without compromising patients’ quality of care, thereby supporting the use of virtual care during current and future epidemiological fallouts. Beyond the current pandemic, patients with stable seizure symptoms may prefer to use telemedicine for their epilepsy care.
Peak-cognizant Signal Processing of Raw Instrument Signals to Quantify Environmental Weathering of Contaminants from the Deepwater Horizon Spill

In this work, we present peak-cognizant quantification of environmental weathering of crude oil from the from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The key idea is to autonomously extract peak information from raw gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) signals from crude oil samples, and represent the relative weathering of different peaks in a graph-based quantitative computational framework. We also present results from pre-processing the raw signals with baseline correction and signal normalization. Retention time alignment is performed by first aligning the source oil by determining the retention time drift between prominent peaks within the signals and applying the calculated drift to the weathered oil samples. Peak finding, validation, and grouping of the five weathered oil samples to a source oil sample allows compound associations to be discovered. We present preliminary results as graphical visualizations allowing for rapid and precise interpretation of weathering compounds within polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH). Results presented were generated with oil samples showing different degrees of weathering collected from the Deepwater Horizon spill.
Rhizobial Chemoattractants, the Taste and Preferences of Legume Symbionts

The development of host-microbe interactions between legumes and their cognate rhizobia requires localization of the bacteria to productive sites of initiation on the plant roots. This end is achieved by the motility apparatus that propels the bacterium and the chemotaxis system that guides it. Motility and chemotaxis aid rhizobia in their competitiveness for space, resources, and nodulation opportunities. Here, we examine studies on chemotaxis of three major model rhizobia, namely Sinorhizobium meliloti, Rhizobium leguminosarum, and Bradyrhizobium japonicum, cataloging their range of attractant molecules and correlating this in the context of root and seed exudate compositions. Current research areas will be summarized, gaps in knowledge discussed, and future directions described.
The Christian Funeral as Counter Witness

The proliferation of unconventional death practices in North America, however innovative, is in part an expression of societal confusion about the nature of death and grief. If the church can recov...
The Status of Black Studies at Public Institutions After the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Academic Scandal

This study examines the progress of Black Studies at public universities toward incorporation into mainstream higher education following the academic scandal at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (2011–2014). Drawing upon data from Black Studies websites at 196 flagship and other predominantly white institutions across the 50 US states, and other sources, findings reveal that (1) the formal identification most frequently found for Black Studies academic units is either “Africana” or “African American” Studies; (2) conformity with the original core curriculum model of the National Council for Black Studies across the four levels of the model is uneven; (3) reaching departmental status for Black Studies, as an indicator of incorporation into the mainstream, is highest in the East and lowest in the South; and (4) the strongest predictors of mainstream incorporation are being located in the East and the number of Blacks on an institution’s faculty. The need for a national certifying body for Black Studies academic units and other implications of the UNC scandal are discussed.
Mandated Performance Disclosure and Managerial Risk-Taking

I document that mandated performance disclosure increased managerial risk-taking, resulting in significant unintended consequences and agency conflicts. After the SEC required that all mutual funds disclose a self-selected primary benchmark, I find that most fund managers chose a benchmark that was not the best fit index. Furthermore, I provide evidence that actively managed funds increased risk-taking relative to their disclosed benchmarks in response to the disclosure change. I also find that the mandated disclosure requirement exacerbated the well-documented tendency of managers who underperform during the first half of the year to increase the risks they take in the second half of the year.
Unveiling the Degradation Nature of Pt/NbOx/C Catalysts for Oxygen Reduction Reaction via in situ X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy

Among various metal nanoparticles supported on metal oxide (MMO) catalysts, the Pt/NbOx/C system has promising oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) activity as cathode for proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs). Herein, we study a series of Pt/NbOx/C catalysts with tunable structural and electronic properties via physical vapor deposition and unravel the nature of metal and metal oxide interaction (MMOI) by characterizing this system under reactive conditions. By conducting in situ X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) experiments, we demonstrate the Pt preferably interacts with O but not Nb in the Pt/NbOx/C system and such Pt-O interaction benefits the ORR activity via electronic effect rather than strain effect. We also provide clear evidence for the formation of metallic Nb phase at the early stage of PEMFC operation and identify severe particle growth of Pt after long-term PEMFC operation. These findings deepen our understanding of the degradation mechanism of MMO catalysts during long-term PEMFC operation.
Prevalence of Metabolic Syndrome in Patients with End Stage Renal Disease and Relevance of Biomarkers

End stage renal disease (ESRD) is the final progression of chronic kidney disease (CKD), characterized by decreased renal function and buildup of metabolic toxins. Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a cl...
Evolution of l-1,2-Propanediol Catabolism in Escherichia coli by Recruitment of Enzymes for l-Fucose and l-Lactate Metabolism

A mutant strain of Escherichia coli capable of growth on l-1,2-propanediol was isolated previously. The mutant is characterized by constitutive production of a propanediol:nicotinamide adenenine dinucleotide (NAD) oxidoreductase which is essential for the new growth property. In the present study, it is shown that phage P1 cotransduces the genetic locus conferring this property and the genes for the utilization of l-fucose. A further indication of a relationship between these two growth properties is provided by the observation that wild-type E. coli excretes propanediol during fermentation of l-fucose. Under these conditions, a propanediol dehydrogenase (lactaldehyde reductase) is induced. This enzyme migrates on diethylaminoethyl-cellulose with the propanediol dehydrogenase produced constitutively by the mutant strain. A key event in the establishment of the ability to grow on propanediol is evidently a shift in the expression and function of propanediol dehydrogenase; an enzyme catalyzing formation of a reduced fermentation product anaerobically in wild-type cells functions aerobically to oxidize this same product in the mutant. l-Lactaldehyde, which is thus derived from propanediol, is converted to l-lactate by another dehydrogenase (l-lactaldehyde:NAD oxidoreductase) which is constitutively produced by both wild-type and mutant cells. The normal function of this enzyme is not yet established. l-Lactate is converted to pyruvate by an inducible NAD-independent l-lactate dehydrogenase. Thus, the carbons of propanediol are brought into the central metabolic network of the cell.
Racial Prototypicality, Affirmative Action, and Hiring Decisions in a Multiracial World

This research examined how the racial prototypicality of minority job applicants' faces influenced hiring decisions under different affirmative action (AA) policies: no AA, soft AA (recruitment of minorities with merit-based hiring), and hard AA (race as a tie-break factor in hiring). Participants (N=252) evaluated resume/photograph pairs, each containing a Caucasian and a Black applicant, with minority applicants representing three levels of racial prototypicality. The number of jobs awarded to minorities increased as Black racial prototypicality increased. Each level of AA policy strength increased the number of minority hires, but these increases came with a price: AA directives decreased the percentage of minority hires attributed to higher qualifications and increased perceptions that hires were due to AA more than was actually the case.
Recovery of Naval Distillate Fuel from Waste Marine Diesel Fuel

The U.S. Navy is seeking a way to reclaim a major portion of the approximately 70 million gallons of contaminated diesel fuel generated every year by its various activities. The National Institute for Petroleum and Energy Research is aiding the Navy in finding a process suitable for upgrading the contaminated diesel fuel to F76 . This project consists of three phases. information gathering, experimentation, and facility design. After preliminary evaluation of a number of technologies, a light caustic pretreatment followed by a vacuum distillation to produce marine diesel fuel and Navy Special Fuel Oil appears to be a promising technology. The plans are to develop a conceptual design of a plant based on this technology. Copies of this paper are available from MIRA, Watling Street, Nuneaton, Warwickshire, UK. Price #4.50.
Route optimization in mobile IPv6 NEMO

Network Mobility NEMO gives us network communication when whole network is on the move. The need for mobile networks is addressed by NEMO Basic Support Protocol BSP proposed by IETF. Although, the proposed protocol gives us network mobility but there are some disadvantages in using NEMO BSP. These disadvantages include inefficiency in routing the data packets, delay and high latency rate. The latest research in NEMO is mainly focuses on providing solution for efficient routing of data packets. In general scenario of mobile network; a hierarchy is formed with the multiple mobile routers with their mobile nodes which are joined together in hierarchical way with a top level mobile router. The nesting of mobile network increases when new mobile routers join it. The inefficient routing becomes more vital if the nesting of mobile network is high. One feature of NEMO BSP is that the mobile network maintains location privacy for the mobile network nodes. Recent research for optimizing the route tries to solve the issue with a compromise made to location privacy of mobile network nodes. In this paper ROMIN Route Optimization in Mobile IPv6 NEMO we proposed a solution to solve inefficiency of routing with location privacy. The proposed solution is simulated in NS2 and achieves better throughput and less end to end delay as compared to NEMO BSP.
Computer-assisted content analysis of newspapers: can we make an expensive research tool more efficient?

Content analysis as a methodology of data collection from text sources is very labor intensive and therefore costly. Advances in computer-assisted content analysis have greatly increased the power of the methodology. But, even in a computer environment, complex searches require extensive prior manipulation of the original text in order to assign to it a basic structure. It is this structure that allows researchers to perform complex queries in highly general ways. I argue that Semantics provides powerful templates for structuring text data (text grammars) and other conceptual tools that can be profitably used to increase the efficiency of content analysis projects (e.g. news schema and macro propositions). More generally, I argue that efficiency in content analysis projects depends upon such characteristics as (1) organization of the coding task; (2) newspaper reporting practices. The discussion of these characteristics results in several suggestions on how to increase the efficiency of the methodology.
Effects of absolute continuity in Feynman's operational calculus

We investigate the effects of having an absolute continuity relation between the time-ordering measures in Feynman's operational calculus. In particular, we obtain some theorems concerning the formation of functions of several noncommuting operators or operator-valued functions under specific absolute continuity assumptions on the time-ordering measures.
Faith and science can find common ground

Pope Francis has found a meeting place for those with extreme religious and environmentalist stances, says David M. Lodge.
Are Light Gluinos Dead

Not yet. ALEPH's recent exclusion limit employs an aggressive determination of theoretical uncertainties using a simplified application of the Bayesian method. The validity of their analysis can be evaluated by its further implications, such as contradicting the existence a b quark and requiring relations between hadronic event-shape observables which are not observed. Traditional error estimation methods result in a much larger estimate for the theoretical uncertainties. This puts the ALEPH and also Csikor-Fodor limits at the $\sim 1~ \sigma$ level for the very light gluino scenario. A recent astrophysical result implies direct searches will be more difficult than previously anticipated, adding to the importance of reducing the QCD uncertainty in predictions sensitive to indirect effects of light gluinos. Some possible indications in favor of a light gluino are noted.
Bone Disorders in Chronic Kidney Disease: An Update in Diagnosis and Management

Renal osteodystrophy (ROD) is a bone disorder that occurs in chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients and is associated with 2- to 14-fold increased fracture risk compared to the general population. Risk of fractures is also increased in kidney transplant recipients especially within the first 5 years after transplantation. Fractures in CKD patients are associated with increased morbidity and mortality; thus, proper screening and management of CKD bone complications is critical to improving clinical outcomes. Tetracycline double-labeled transiliac crest bone biopsy with histomorphometry is the gold standard for the diagnosis and classification of ROD. However, bone biopsy is not practical to obtain in all patients. Thus, there is great interest in noninvasive approaches that can be used in the clinic to assess ROD. Here, we discuss the role of surrogate measures of bone health in CKD patients, such as dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) and novel high-resolution imaging, in conjunction with biochemical biomarkers of bone turnover. Recommended guidelines for diagnosis and management of CKD-MBD are discussed.
Taking proof-based verified computation a few steps closer to practicality

We describe GINGER, a built system for unconditional, general-purpose, and nearly practical verification of outsourced computation. GINGER is based on PEPPER, which uses the PCP theorem and cryptographic techniques to implement an efficient argument system (a kind of interactive protocol). GINGER slashes the query size and costs via theoretical refinements that are of independent interest; broadens the computational model to include (primitive) floating-point fractions, inequality comparisons, logical operations, and conditional control flow; and includes a parallel GPU-based implementation that dramatically reduces latency.
Optimal Pricing Strategy for New Products

Robinson and Lakhani (1975) initiated a long research stream in marketing when they used the Bass model (1969) to develop optimal pricing path for a new product. A careful analysis of the extant literature reveals that the research predominantly suggests that the optimal price path should be largely based on the sales growth pattern. However, in the real world we rarely find new products that have such pricing pattern. We observe either a monotonically declining pricing pattern or an increase-decrease pricing pattern that does not seem close to the sales path. In this paper, we use a variation of the generalized Bass model (called GBM) developed by Bass et al. (1994) that yields optimal pricing policies that are consistent with empirical data.
GORENSTEIN MODULES, FINITE INDEX, AND FINITE COHEN–MACAULAY TYPE

ABSTRACT A Gorenstein module over a local ring R is a maximal Cohen–Macaulay module of finite injective dimension. We use existence of Gorenstein modules to extend a result due to S. Ding: A Cohen–Macaulay ring of finite index, with a Gorenstein module, is Gorenstein on the punctured spectrum. We use this to show that a Cohen–Macaulay local ring of finite Cohen–Macaulay type is Gorenstein on the punctured spectrum. Finally, we show that for a large class of rings (including all excellent rings), the Gorenstein locus of a finitely generated module is an open set in the Zariski topology.
Space-Time Power Schedule for Distributed MIMO Links Without Channel State Information at Transmitting Nodes

A space-time optimal power schedule for multiple distributed MIMO links without the knowledge of channel state information at transmitting nodes is proposed. This new approach exploits both the spatial and temporal freedoms of distributed MIMO links. A readily computable expression for the ergodic sum capacity of the MIMO links is derived. Based on this expression, a projected gradient algorithm is developed to optimize the power allocation. For a symmetric set of MIMO links, it is observed that the space-time optimal power schedule reduces to a uniform isotropic power schedule when nominal interference is low, or to an orthogonal isotropic power schedule when nominal interference is high. Furthermore, the transition region between the latter two schedules is seen to be very small in terms of nominal interference-to-noise ratio.
Analysis and Measurement of Cross Modulation Distortion in WCDMA Receivers

Due to nonlinearity of the front end RF components in a WCDMA receiver, the modulation of the leaked transmitter (TX) signal can get transferred to a blocker, resulting in cross-modulation. If the blocker is close to the desired channel, the cross-modulation spectrum would contaminate the desired channel. Previous published work has analyzed cross-modulation but only for the cases when the leaked TX signal has one or infinite number of physical channels. In this paper, the authors perform more exhaustive analysis, and derive a closed form expression for the distortion as a function of a generic (N) number of channels in the leaked TX signal. This analysis is also supported with measurements on a WCDMA chip