cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Molecular weight distributions for polydisperse systems

In this communication, equations are developed which allow the calculation of well defined average molecular weights and molecular weight distributions for unfractionated polydisperse polymer systems by appropriate combinations of the results of sedimentation, viscosity, and diffusion measurements. This theoretical approach is based upon the existence, for the polymer-solvent system being studied, of a simple equation relating molecular weight to sedimentation coefficient. The particular equation chosen in this communication is the relation M = ASγ where M and S are the molecular weight and the sedimentation coefficient, respectively, and A and γ are constants for polymer-solvent system being studied. The equations developed show how the constants A and γ may be determined from measurement of other hydrodynamic properties such as the diffusion coefficient and the intrinsic viscosity of the unfractionated system. Systems which are homogeneous with respect to molecular weight but polydisperse in shape are also considered, and equations are developed for determining the molecular weight of such preparations. Finally, systems polydisperse both with respect to shape and molecular weight are examined, and a possible method for the molecular weight characterization of such systems is presented.
Newborn hepatitis B vaccination policy in hospital nurseries.

Objective. Hepatitis B vaccination (HBV) is unlike any other immunization series because it can be initiated in the hospital nursery. The objective of this study was to describe how hospital nurseries develop HBV policies and to describe the sources of information used for learning about national HBV recommendations. Methods. A cross-sectional telephone survey was conducted on a national random sample of nursery medical directors of 290 hospital nurseries representing all 50 states. The outcomes measured were methods used by hospital nurseries to develop HBV policy and sources of information used by nursery directors to learn about national HBV recommendations. Results. Directors at 207 (71%) of 290 eligible nurseries responded. Of the 184 nurseries that have considered developing an HBV policy, the most common method was through a formal committee (43%). In 104 (57%) of these nurseries a nurse was involved in policy development, and in 15 (8%) the nurse manager initiated the process. The most common source of initial information about the July 1999 announcement to suspend the nursery dose of HBV was the American Academy of Pediatrics. The most common initial source of information about the availability of thimerosal-free HBV was pharmaceutical companies. Physician, nurse, and pharmacist colleagues were cited as sources of information with similar frequency (12, 11, and 20 cases, respectively). Conclusions. Physicians are not the sole initiators and developers of HBV policy in the newborn nursery. Although almost all nurseries designate a physician as a nursery director, in many cases (55% of cases) the position is “rotating” or as part of another administrative position (63% of cases). Many hospital nurseries involve nurses and pharmacists in key roles to stay current with HBV recommendations and to develop subsequent policy. Using nonphysician national organizations as additional channels of information might expedite dissemination about changes in HBV recommendations and, as a result, improve nursery awareness and adoption of national HBV guidelines.
Free-surface formulation of mantle convection—I. Basic theory and application to plumes

In mantle convection models, the top surface is traditionally approximated as a free-slip boundary, and the dynamic topography is obtained by assuming that the normal stress on the free-slip boundary is compensated instantaneously through surface deformation. It has already been shown that this approximation is-'valid for long-wavelength topography. Based on both viscous and viscoelastic models with a free surface, we have found that the characteristic time for topographic growth is comparable to the timescales of mantle convection (∼10^6 year) for short and intermediate wavelengths (10^3 km or less) and/or a high effective lithospheric viscosity (> 10^(24) Pa s). This suggests that the topography is history-dependent under these conditions and that a free-surface formulation is required to study the topography at these wavelengths. We have developed a new Eulerian finite-element technique to model a free surface. Since the technique is based upon an undeformable Eulerian grid, this enables us to study long-term, free-surface dynamics in the presence of evolving buoyancy. We have compared numerical with analytic solutions of viscous relaxation for fixed buoyancy problems. As long as the magnitude of topography is much smaller than the wavelength, we find that the finite-element method is very accurate, with relative errors of less than 1 per cent. This numerical technique can be applied to a variety of geophysical problems with free surfaces. In applying this technique to dynamic models of mantle plumes, we find that surface relaxation retards the topography at intermediate and short wavelengths and produces a smoother topography, compared with topography from free-slip calculations. This reduced topography has a significant influence on the geoid at the corresponding wavelengths. Moreover, free-surface models, by allowing vertical motion on the free surface, yield a hotter lithosphere over ascending plumes than models with free-slip boundaries.
Early Units of Measurement and the Nautical Mile

To find out the origins of the nautical mile it is necessary to go back to early times, for, like so many other things, it did not spring up in full bloom in a day, but evolved by slow degrees.Early man, seeking units of measurement, logically looked about him for something in nature that he might use as a standard. For very short distances he used the width of his finger, the width of his hand, his span, the length of his foot, or the length of his forearm. As these varied between men, so the length of the derived units varied. The foot, for instance, varied from 11 to 14 inches. Even greater variation occurred in the length of the cubit, which originally was taken as the length of the forearm, from the elbow to the end of the middle finger. This unit was widely used, but varied from country to country, and was not even constant within various parts of the same country in some instances.
Cumulative effects of roads and logging on landscape structure in the San Juan Mountains, Colorado (USA)

In the southern Rocky Mountains of temperate North America, the effects of Euro-American activities on disturbance regimes and landscape patterns have been less ubiquitous and less straightforward in high-elevation landscapes than in low-elevation landscapes. Despite apparently little change in the natural disturbance regime, there is increasing concern that forest management activities related mainly to timber harvest and to the extensive network of roads constructed to support timber harvest, fire control, and recreation since the late 1800s have altered disturbance regimes and landscape structure. We investigated the magnitude of change in landscape structure resulting from roads and logging since the onset of timber harvest activities in 1950. We found limited evidence for significant impacts in our study area when all lands within the landscape were considered. The relatively minor changes we observed reflected the vast buffering capacity of the large proportion of lands managed for purposes other than timber (e.g., wilderness). Significant changes in landscape structure and fragmentation of mature forest were, however, evident on lands designated as suitable timberlands. Roughly half of the mature coniferous forest was converted to young stands; mean patch size and core area declined by 40% and 25%, respectively, and contrast-weighted edge density increased 2- to 3-fold. Overall, roads had a greater impact on landscape structure than logging in our study area. Indeed, the 3-fold increase in road density between 1950–1993 accounted for most of the changes in landscape configuration associated with mean patch size, edge density, and core area. The extent of area evaluated and the period over which change was evaluated had a large impact on the magnitude of change detected and our conclusions regarding the ecological significance of those changes. Specifically, the cumulative impact on landscape structure was negligible over a 10-year period, but was notable over a 40-year period. In addition, the magnitude of change in landscape structure between 1950–1993 varied as a function of landscape extent. At the scale of the 228 000 ha landscape, change in landscape structure was trivial, suggesting that the landscape was capable of fully incorporating the disturbances with minimal impact. However, at intermediate scales of 1000–10 000 ha landscapes, change in landscape structure was quite evident, suggesting that there may be an optimal range of scales for detecting changes in landscape structure within the study area.
UNRWA and Palestinian Refugees

The chapter (Chapter 18) explores the central role of the UN and its subsidiary agencies, particularly the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) in the Palestinian refugee problem, especially on the right to durable solutions. The UN established a special regime comprising two agencies, the United Nations Conciliation Commission on Palestine (UNCCP) and UNRWA, with shared but distinct international obligations towards the displaced Palestinian population. Consequently, the UN decided to exclude Palestinians from the 'universal' refugee regime incorporated in the 1950 UNHCR Statute and the 1951 Refugee Convention. This chapter explores how the key protection of durable solutions has been severed from the refugee definition, and the consequences of relegating Palestinians to weak and widely disparate rights protections around the world.
Conservation of regulatory elements between two species of Drosophila

One of the important goals in the post-genomic era is to determine the regulatory elements within the non-coding DNA of a given organism's genome. The identification of functional cis-regulatory modules has proven difficult since the component factor binding sites are small and the rules governing their arrangement are poorly understood. However, the genomes of suitably diverged species help to predict regulatory elements based on the generally accepted assumption that conserved blocks of genomic sequence are likely to be functional. To judge the efficacy of strategies that prefilter by sequence conservation it is important to know to what extent the converse assumption holds, namely that functional elements common to both species will fall within these conserved blocks. The recently completed sequence of a second Drosophila species provides an opportunity to test this assumption for one of the experimentally best studied regulatory networks in multicellular organisms, the body patterning of the fly embryo. We find that 50%–70% of known binding sites reside in conserved sequence blocks, but these percentages are not greatly enriched over what is expected by chance. Finally, a computational genome-wide search in both species for regulatory modules based on clusters of binding sites suggests that genes central to the regulatory network are consistently recovered. Our results indicate that binding sites remain clustered for these "core modules" while not necessarily residing in conserved blocks. This is an important clue as to how regulatory information is encoded in the genome and how modules evolve.
3-D Integration of 10-GHz Filter and CMOS Receiver Front-End

A 10-GHz filter/receiver module is implemented in a novel 3-D integration technique suitable for RF and microwave circuits. The receiver designed and fabricated in a commercial 0.18-mum CMOS process is integrated with embedded passive components fabricated on a high-resistivity Si substrate using a recently developed self-aligned wafer-level integration technology. Integration with the filter is achieved through bonding a high-Q evanescent-mode cavity filter onto the silicon wafer using screen printable conductive epoxy. With adjustment of the input matching of the receiver integrated circuit by the embedded passives fabricated on the Si substrate, the return loss, conversion gain, and noise figure of the front-end receiver are improved. At RF frequency of 10.3 GHz and with an IF frequency of 50 MHz, the integrated front-end system achieves a conversion gain of 19 dB, and an overall noise figure of 10 dB. A fully integrated filter/receiver on an Si substrate that operates at microwave frequencies is demonstrated.
Dalfampridine improves walking speed, walking endurance, and community participation in veterans with multiple sclerosis: a longitudinal cohort study:

Background:In short-term trials, dalfampridine extended release (ER) improves walking in people with multiple sclerosis (MS). The tolerability and effects of dalfampridine-ER in clinical practice have not been reported.Objectives:The objective of this paper is to determine the clinical tolerability and effects of dalfampridine on walking and community participation.Methods:All patients at the Portland VA Medical Center prescribed dalfampridine-ER over one year completed the Timed 25-Foot Walk (T25FW), Multiple Sclerosis Walking Scale-12 (MSWS-12), Two-Minute Timed Walk (2MTW), and Community Integration Questionnaire (CIQ) at baseline and follow-up clinic visits. Ongoing use and measures over one year were analyzed.Results:A total of 39 patients (mean age 56.5 years, mean disease duration 19.5 years, 82% male, 38% relapsing–remitting MS, 62% progressive MS) were prescribed dalfampridine-ER. Twenty-four (62%) continued to take dalfampridine-ER. At initial follow-up, all measures improved significantly from ...
Discussion of individual bioequivalence by M.-L. chen

We review and discuss some technical statistical issues and practical implementation issues associated with the use of individual as opposed to population average bioequivalence to express the relative bioavailabilities of alternative formulations of a drug. A number of promising methods for addressing individual bioequivalence have been described. Individual bioequivalence calculations can be done using standard crossover designs, although more sophisticated assessments that compare test-reference variability to reference-reference variability require more complex designs. However, more experience about the clinical implications of various degrees of individual bioinequivalence as expressed by various metrics should be accumulated before definitive regulations are set forth mandating the use of individual bioequivalence for expressing relative bioavailabilities.
Simulation helps local grocery store compete effectively against large chains

Historically, discrete-event process simulation was used first and most often to the study and benefit of manufacturing processes. Its domains of use have steadily expanded during approximately the last half-century to include supply chain operations, computer networks, health care, and retail service. All of these economic domains exhibit intense competitiveness. The application of simulation presented in this paper involves a local, traditional grocery store facing competitive pressure from an encroaching “big-box” chain store. As a countermeasure, management wished to assess potential investment in a self-checkout system to supplement staffed checkout lanes. An analysis using discrete-event process simulation greatly aided this assessment of the ability of self-checkout lanes to improve customer service by reducing wait times.
Crystalluria Following Excretory Urography

Summary— Presentation of unusual crystalluria following intravenous urography (IVU) initiated study of the occurrence, identity and aetiology of urinary cystals following IVU. Crystalluria composed of the parent diatrizoate compound can occur following contrast studies.
Quantification of Uncertainty in Reserves Estimation From Decline Curve Analysis of Production Data for Unconventional Reservoirs

Decline curve analysis is the most commonly used technique to estimate reserves from historical production data for evaluation of unconventional resources. Quantifying uncertainty of reserve estimates is an important issue in decline curve analysis, particularly for unconventional resources since forecasting future performance is particularly difficult in analysis of unconventional oil or gas wells. Probabilistic approaches are sometimes used to provide a distribution of reserve estimates with three confidence levels (P10, P50 and P90) and a corresponding 80% confidence interval to quantify uncertainties. Our investigation indicates that uncertainty is commonly underestimated in practice when using traditional statistical analyses. The challenge in probabilistic reserves estimation is not only how to appropriately characterize probabilistic properties of complex production data sets, but also how to determine and then improve the reliability of the uncertainty quantifications. In this paper, we present an advanced technique for probabilistic quantification of reserve estimates using decline curve analysis. We examine the reliability of uncertainty quantification of reserve estimates by analyzing actual oil and gas wells that have produced to near-abandonment conditions, and also show how uncertainty in reserves estimates changes with time as more data become available. We demonstrate that our method provides more reliable probabilistic reserves estimation than other methods proposed in the literature. These results have important impacts on economic risk analysis and on reservoir management.Copyright © 2007 by ASME
Improving The Operational Environment Thru Internet Utilization

This study demonstrates how an Internet based network of railroad information resources can provide a dynamic, cost effective resource to help management improve their operational environment. The informational and knowledge sources needed to support the interoperability and integration of rail networks and their employees are increasingly available via the Internet. Public resources on the Internet primarily support the distribution of industry publications, notice and proceedings of industry conferences and meetings, communications about legal and legislative issues, and advertisements. Private resources on the Internet support reservation and scheduling of rail equipment, tendering shipment information, tracking equipment movements, and verifying billing information. Much of the private information is incorporated into the knowledge management systems developed by individual railroads. The study provides a proposed stratification of these resources into seven categories: Research and Statistical Resources, Newsletters and Press Releases, Industry Initiatives, Legislative Information, Industry Publications, Professional Associations, and Educational Resources.
Phonon Anomalies in d-Band Metals and their Relationship to Superconductivity

Many high Tc d- and f-band superconductors exhibit actual or incipient lattice instabilities as evidenced by structural transitions or anomalous dips in their phonon dispersion curves. We present a theory demonstrating that the dips and high Tc’s in these materials are likely manifestations of the characteristic response (screening) by d-electrons near the Fermi level. In materials with a relatively large density of localized states at the Fermi level there is a tendency towards a collective electronic instability characterized by a periodic charge redistribution. However a charge density wave does not form because these charge fluctuations are strongly coupled to the lattice giving rise to anomalies in the phonon spectrum and in some cases eventually driving the lattice into a structural transformation. By including relaxation of the fluctuations the central peak observed by neutron diffraction in many of these materials can also be understood. In regions of \(\vec q\)-space where such incipient electronic instabilities are present there is lessened screening or relative enhancement of the electron- phonon matrix elements - giving rise to larger λ’s and thus greater Tc ’s. The details of the theory are sketched and the physical ideas explained. A simplified application of the theory to Nb and NbC shows that the positions of the dips are readily accounted for and that the size or depth of these anomalies is very sensitive to the density of states at EF. The relationship to other work is discussed.
Minimally Invasive Treatment of GERD: Special Situations

Research progress over the past few decades has helped us understand the association between gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), various pulmonary diseases, and obesity. Even though the pathophysiology and mechanisms behind the association have yet to be fully elucidated, treatment for GERD in these special populations has dramatically changed over this period. While lifestyle and dietary changes remain important for the management of GERD, the results can be highly variable since they depend mostly on the compliance of the patients. Pharmacologic agents such as proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) and histamine-2 receptor antagonists are effective in reducing gastric acid and thereby improving symptoms secondary to acidic reflux; however, they do not prevent nonacidic reflux episodes and chronic microaspiration, which may contribute to poorly controlled asthma, progression to end-stage lung disease, and bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome (BOS) in lung transplant recipients. Therefore, surgical intervention may be necessary in selected patients. Today, with the advancement of laparoscopic techniques since their introduction in the 1990s, morbidity and mortality of anti-reflux and bariatric procedures have progressively improved, making them the treatment of choice for GERD in this special patient population.
Substrate Availability of Mutant SPT Alters Neuronal Branching and Growth Cone Dynamics in Dorsal Root Ganglia.

Serine palmitoyltransferase (SPT) is a key enzyme in the first step of sphingolipid biosynthesis. Mutations in the SPTLC1 gene that encodes for SPT subunits cause hereditary sensory neuropathy type 1. However, little is understood about how mutant SPT regulates mechanisms of sensory neuron and axonal growth. Using transgenic mice overexpressing the C133W SPT mutant, we found that mutant dorsal root ganglia (DRG) during growth in vitro exhibit increased neurite length and branching, coinciding with elevated expression of actin-cross-linking proteins at the neuronal growth cone, namely phosphorylated Ezrin/Radixin/Moesin. In addition, inhibition of SPT was able to reverse the mutant phenotype. Because mutant SPT preferentially uses l-alanine over its canonical substrate l-serine, we also investigated the effects of substrate availability on DRG neurons. Supplementation with l-serine or removal of l-alanine independently restored normal growth patterns in mutant SPTLC1C133W DRG. Therefore, we report that substrate availability and selectivity of SPT influence the regulation of neurite growth in DRG neurons. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Hereditary sensory neuropathy type 1 is an autosomal-dominant disorder that leads to a sensory neuropathy due to mutations in the serine palmitoyltransferase (SPT) enzyme. We investigated how mutant SPT and substrate levels regulate neurite growth. Because SPT is an important enzyme in the synthesis of sphingolipids, our data are of broader significance to other peripheral and metabolic disorders.
Dissecting Proton Delocalization in an Enzyme’s Hydrogen Bond Network with Unnatural Amino Acids

Extended hydrogen bond networks are a common structural motif of enzymes. A recent analysis proposed quantum delocalization of protons as a feature present in the hydrogen bond network spanning a triad of tyrosines (Y16, Y32, and Y57) in the active site of ketosteroid isomerase (KSI), contributing to its unusual acidity and large isotope shift. In this study, we utilized amber suppression to substitute each tyrosine residue with 3-chlorotyrosine to test the delocalization model and the proton affinity balance in the triad. X-ray crystal structures of each variant demonstrated that the structure, notably the O–O distances within the triad, was unaffected by 3-chlorotyrosine substitutions. The changes in the cluster’s acidity and the acidity’s isotope dependence in these variants were assessed via UV–vis spectroscopy and the proton sharing pattern among individual residues with 13C nuclear magnetic resonance. Our data show pKa detuning at each triad residue alters the proton delocalization behavior in the H...
Effects of 28 days of dairy or soy ingestion on skeletal markers of inflammation and proteolysis in post-menopausal women.

Background: Aging is associated with increased local inflammation and resultant proteolysis in skeletal muscle. In animal models, soy supplementation is a beneficial countermeasure against muscle inflammation and proteolysis; however, the effect on aging humans is not clear. Methods: A single-blinded, randomized, controlled trial was conducted on 31 post-menopausal women. Volunteers were randomly assigned to consume three servings of soy (n=16) or dairy (n=15) milk each day for 28 days. The expression of inflammation-responsive (TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6) and proteolytic (calpain 1, calpain 2, ubiquitin, E2, atrogin-1, muRF-1) genes in skeletal muscle was determined using real-time polymerase chain reaction before and after supplementation, and then after a downhill run performed to elicit muscle damage. Results: While no group by time interactions were observed, significant main effects for time were observed for IL-1β, IL-6, calpain 2, and atrogin-1 mRNA post exercise. Further analysis revealed that, compared ...
Synthetic Entry into Polynuclear Bismuth–Manganese Chemistry: High Oxidation State BiIII2MnIV6 and BiIIIMnIII10 Complexes

The first high nuclearity, mixed-metal BiIII/MnIV and BiIII/MnIII complexes are reported. The former complexes are [Bi2MnIV6O9(O2CEt)9(HO2CEt)(NO3)3] (1) and [Bi2MnIV6O9(O2CPh)9(HO2CPh)(NO3)3] (2) and were obtained from the comproportionation reaction between Mn(O2CR)2 and MnO4– in a 10:3 ratio in the presence of Bi(NO3)3 (3 equiv) in either a H2O/EtCO2H (1) or MeCN/PhCO2H (2) solvent medium. The same reaction that gives 2, but with Bi(O2CMe)3 and MeNO2 in place of Bi(NO3)3 and MeCN, gave the lower oxidation state product [BiMnIII10O8(O2CPh)17(HO2CPh)(H2O)] (3). Complexes 1 and 2 are near-isostructural and possess an unusual and high symmetry core topology consisting of a MnIV6 wheel with two central BiIII atoms capping the wheel on each side. In contrast, the [BiMnIII10O8]17+ core of 3 is low symmetry, comprising a [BiMn3(μ3-O)2]8+ butterfly unit, four [BiMn3(μ4-O)]10+ tetrahedra, and two [BiMn2(μ3-O)]7+ triangles all fused together by sharing common Mn and Bi vertices. Variable-temperature, solid-state ...
Abstract 1954: In vitro effects on gene expression of Casp9, GRB10, and CDKN1B following rG3 treatment of human breast cancer cells

Introduction: Integrins can stimulate cellular growth and proliferation, as well as apoptosis, and are important factors in AKT cell signaling. To assess their binding, a recombinant protein of the G3 domain of laminin-5 (rG3) that specifically binds the alpha subunit expressed on metastatic MDA-MB-231 cells in vitro was produced. Studying changes in expression of genes involved in cell signaling and the apoptosis cascade, specifically CDKN1B, GRB10, and Caspase 9, can help improve understanding of signaling pathways of metastatic cells and the AKT pathway. Methods: rG3 was produced using ArcticExpress Competent Cells (Stratagene). Plasmid DNA was transformed into competent cells and transferred to ampicillin plates for colony production of successful transformation. A single colony was used to inoculate LB broth containing gentamycin and ampicillin for an overnight incubation at 37°C. LB without antibiotics was inoculated with the overnight culture and incubated at 30°C for 3 hours. The temperature was lowered to 11.5°C before the expression was induced using IPTG at a final concentration of 1mM. SDS-PAGE/immunoblotting confirmed successful soluble rG3 protein expression. MDA-MB-231 human breast cancer cells from ATCC were grown in tissue culture flasks and maintained until confluent. Cells were plated at 3 × 106 cells/well in a 6-well tissue culture plate in a 2 ml volume of DMEM without pen/strep in duplicate. rG3 was added to wells at a final concentration of 175 µg/ml for treated cells and corresponding control buffer for untreated cells. After incubation overnight, cells were collected at time points within 0-60 hours and RNA was isolated using Qiagen RNeasy. An eppendorf Realplex 96-well plate reader was used for PCR analysis using a β-actin standard curve. Differences in gene expression were shown in fold change using Pfaffl9s Method. Results: Our preliminary data show there are changes in gene expression after treatment with rG3.We are further investigating these changes in expression. Preliminary results suggest that changes in gene expression after treatment may be informative in understanding the AKT signaling pathway. Conclusion: The study of these changes in gene expression after altering the AKT pathway from treatment with rG3 could prove to be a helpful tool in understanding the signaling mechanisms of metastatic cells and the details of the signaling pathways involved in apoptosis. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 102nd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2011 Apr 2-6; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2011;71(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 1954. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2011-1954
Aluminum and Indium Plasmonic Nanoantennas in the Ultraviolet

We use classical electrodynamics calculations to investigate the versatility and capability of aluminum and indium dimers with small gaps as ultraviolet plasmonic nanoantennas, focusing on the particle size and wavelength range that gives optimum near-field enhancement. We find that Al and In are highly capable plasmonic materials in the ultraviolet, even with the incorporation of Al2O3 shells on the Al spheres; however, Al is strongly influenced by quadrupole modes while In is not. Al is the optimal material in the deep-UV, while In is ideal in the near-UV and near-visible spectral regions. Unlike Au and Ag, Al and In are most effective with the lowest refractive index background media possible, with vacuum being ideal. Ag outperforms both Al and In red of ∼320 nm, but optimal surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy enhancement factors are still substantial for Al and In, with peak |E|4 values (for dimers in vacuum with a 1 nm gap) determined to be: Al, 2.0 × 109 (at 204 nm); In, 1.2 × 109 (at 359 nm); Al/Al...
Kinetics of the Reduction of CuO/Bentonite by Methane (CH4) during Chemical Looping Combustion

Chemical looping combustion (CLC) is a process that uses an oxygen-carrier metal, instead of air or pure oxygen, to provide oxygen for combustion. The products of CLC of methane are CO2 and H2O. After condensation of H2O, a concentrated CO2 gas stream is produced and ready for sequestration. An important issue for the CLC process is the selection of metal oxide as an oxygen carrier, because it must retain its reactivity through many cycles. In this study, isothermal thermogravimetric analysis is used to evaluate the rates of reduction of CuO impregnated in bentonite with methane (CH4) over the range 1023–1173 K for 20%, 50%, and 100% CH4 over 10 reduction cycles. The mechanism and reactivity of the CuO oxygen carrier were evaluated by 10 different rate models. The results indicate that the transformation kinetics described by the Johnson–Mehl–Avrami (JMA) model was the best fit. The Avrami exponent n ranges from 1.55 to 2.16. The average value of 1.77 indicates that the crystallization mechanism is mainly...
236 Evaluating the efficacy of a novel phytase source.

Citation: Flohr, J. R., DeRouchey, J. M., Tokach, M. D., Dritz, S. S., Woodworth, J. C., & Goodband, R. D. (2016). Evaluating the efficacy of a novel phytase source. Journal of Animal Science, 94, 111-112. doi:10.2527/msasas2016-236
Analysis of phosphorescence decay for nonuniform oxygen tension. Consequences of finite excitation flash duration.

The time-resolved analysis of phosphorescence decays using the Stern-Volmer equation has proved to be a reliable means of determining the concentration of oxygen, [O2], or oxygen tension, PO2, under conditions in which oxygen is distributed homogeneously (Vanderkooi et al., 1987; Rumsey et al., 1990; Shonat et al., 1995 and 1997; Lo et al., 1996; Sinaasappel and Ince, 1996; Sinaasappel, 1997; Buerk, 1998). Methods developed to analyze phosphorescence decays under conditions where the PO2 is nonuniform have been based on the assumption that the excitation is produced by a brief, momentary flash that can be represented by a Dirac δ-function at time t = 0 (Vinogradov and Wilson, 1994, Golub et al., 1997). This condition is an idealization, however, since a real excitation flash generally has a finite duration that could have a complex time course (Edgerton, 1979; Marshak, 1984). For a finite duration flash, some excited phosphor molecules are decaying, while others are still being excited so that rates of excitation and deactivation of phosphor molecules are dependent on the oxygen concentration. This poses problems for the analysis of the decay, such as the choice of time point at which to begin analysis of the emission curve and the factors that must be considered to optimize the analysis. We will examine the consequences of a finite excitation flash on the analysis of phosphorescence decay in cases where the PO2 is nonuniform.
The vertical distribution of cotton leaf nitrogen content and photosynthetic characteristics in the north China plain

Experimental studies on vertical distribution of cotton leaf nitrogen content per unit leaf dry mass and light response of photosynthesis(Pn-PPFD resonse curve)over canopy depth were conducted at the Yucheng Comprehensive Experimental Station of the Chinese Academy of Sciences during the period from July to August in 2007.Results show that both the mean nitrogen content and the parameters of photosynthetic characteristics including maximum net photosynthetic rate,apparent dark respiration rate,light compensation point and light saturation point decrease with canopy depth,which was divided into three layers(top,middle and bottom),while apparent quantum yield is a little different.Based on observations of the vertical distribution of leaf nitrogen content in the canopy on different dates,attenuation coefficient of kn 0.762 changes leaf nitrogen content with a relative cumulative leaf area index in the canopy was modeled as an exponential function.
Comparing Building Information Modeling Skills of Project Managers and BIM Managers Based on Social Media Analysis

Abstract Building Information Modeling (BIM) education may accelerate the process of adopting BIM in construction projects. The education community has been examining the best ways of introducing BIM into the curricula. However, individuals in different positions, such as project managers and BIM managers, may require different BIM skills in practice. Thus, understanding BIM skills could help to better formulate the education program for college students and industry professionals. The authors explored this topic by addressing two research questions: 1) What are the BIM skills possessed by individuals that increase the likelihood of having the titles “project manager” and “BIM manager”? 2) How do these skill-sets differ between project managers and BIM managers? These questions are addressed through an analysis of the LinkedIn profiles of architecture, engineering, construction, and operations (AECO) professionals. Data collection involved gathering endorsed skills, number of endorsements, current position, past positions, and years of work experiences from LinkedIn profiles of AECO professionals. This article identified BIM skills and other skills correlated with BIM skills that increase the likelihood of an individual to own the titles of “project manager” and “BIM manager.” This analysis showed that the number of skills shared between project managers and BIM managers were greater than the number of unique skills possessed by either position. While the two positions shared certain skills, subsequent analysis suggested that many of those skills were correlated with different skills. This may suggest that, while there is overlap in the skills possessed between individuals in each position, the way in which they use those skillsets may differ.
Aortic arch in the neck.

In this report we shall describe the first case of cervical aortic arch in which the anomaly was diagnosed clinically and the patient operated upon successfully. The lesion, an aorta with the apex of its arch located in the neck, is rare. Its importance lies (1) in the need to consider it in the differential diagnosis of pulsating neck masses; (2) in its vulnurability to trauma and susceptibility to rupture; and (3) in the need for relief of concomitant symptoms of tracheal and esophageal compression. Anatomic and clinical features of all known cases are presented with a description of noninvasive techniques for differential diagnosis. The goals of surgical therapy are division of the vascular ring with all bands and ligaments, resection of the pulsating neck mass, and restoration of aortic continuity.
Using genetic algorithms to evolve cooperative teams

In this paper we show that genetic algorithms (GA) can be used to evolve teams whose members cooperate and specialize. Our results indicate that with an appropriate cooperation mechanism teams evolved with a GA can perform better than evolved individuals.
Enzymatically Controlled Vacancies in Nanoparticle Crystals

In atomic systems, the mixing of metals results in distinct phase behavior that depends on the identity and bonding characteristics of the atoms. In nanoscale systems, the use of oligonucleotides as programmable “bonds” that link nanoparticle “atoms” into superlattices allows for the decoupling of atom identity and bonding. While much research in atomic systems is dedicated to understanding different phase behavior of mixed metals, it is not well understood on the nanoscale how changes in the nanoscale “bond” affect the phase behavior of nanoparticle crystals. In this work, the identity of the atom is kept the same, but the chemical nature of the bond is altered, which is not possible in atomic systems, through the use of DNA and RNA bonding elements. These building blocks assemble into single crystal nanoparticle superlattices with mixed DNA and RNA bonding elements throughout. The nanoparticle crystals can be dynamically changed through the selective and enzymatic hydrolysis of the RNA bonding elements,...
Ethnology and Empire: Languages, Literature, and the Making of the North American Borderlands. America and the Long 19th Century Series. By Robert Lawrence Gunn

Ethnology and Empire: Languages, Literature, and the Making of the North American Borderlands . America and the Long 19th Century Series. By Robert Lawrence Gunn. (New York: New York University Press, 2015. xiv + 242 pp. Illustrations, maps, notes, index. $89.00, cloth; $28.00, paper.) In the tense confrontation between Tecumseh and William Henry Harrison at Vincennes in 1810, the Shawnee leader famously accused Harrison of using linguistic difference to divide Native nations and accentuated his charge with “violent gestures” (p. 106). In Ethnology and Empire , Robert Lawrence Gunn revisits this well-known scene to argue that, despite a scholarly and administrative pre-occupation with language diversity and discord, Tecumseh’s actions demonstrate the “richly developed common repertoire of linguistic and communicative practices” available to members of Tecumseh’s pan-tribal confederacy (p. 107). Exploring the connection between … cmucher{at}smith.edu
Remote sensing for restoration planning: how the big picture can inform stakeholders

The use of remote sensing in ecosystem management has transformed how land managers, practitioners, and policymakers evaluate ecosystem loss, gain, and change at multiple spatial and temporal scales. Less developed is the use of these spatial tools for planning, implementing, and evaluating ecosystem restoration projects and especially so in multifunctional landscapes. We use a case study approach in a multistakeholder tropical dryland restoration project to highlight the potential of remotely sensed products to quantitatively and economically guide often conflicting restoration priorities with stakeholder objectives. High-resolution digital elevation models derived from an airborne remote sensing platform informed land managers tasked with endangered species restoration by guiding their efforts to highly suitable areas of the landscape where plant growth, performance, and survival should be greater. In turn, satellite-based monitoring offered a temporal approach to broadly quantify vegetation fire risk in order to restrict fire promoting activities in dry landscapes most modified by fire promoting invasive grasses. Together, the delineation of high suitability areas for plant-based restoration and low suitability areas for wildfire management ultimately releases moderate suitability land for alternative land uses deemed important in multistakeholder landscapes. We review the benefits of using remotely sensed data for restoration planning, and highlight the costs and benefits of various data sources.
Sexualizing Sarah Palin

Using Sarah Palin’s candidacy for the vice-presidency, Heflick and Goldenberg (2011) empirically link female sexual objectification with the negative perceptions and poor performances of female candidates. We argue that the authors undersell the importance of their findings, especially considering shifts in the content and ubiquitousness of mass media. Advances in communication technologies have enabled a new era of objectification, marked by an increasing presence and acceptance of sexual objectification in media, greater pornographic content in mainstream media, and greater acceptance of pornography in U.S. society more broadly. In the years since U.S. scholars began critiquing sexual objectification, its normalization and degree of penetration into our daily lives have increased, largely due to a proliferation of marketing and entertainment media images enabled by the Internet and other communication technology. Given this new era of objectification, we conclude that the phenomenon identified by Heflick and Goldenberg is more likely to influence the success of female politicians now than it was in the 1970s (when the sexual objectification of women was first problematized) and that it may also help explain the recent stagnation in U.S. progress towards gender equity in political representation.
Androgen receptor activation: a prospective therapeutic target for bladder cancer?

ABSTRACTIntroduction: Patients with non-muscle-invasive or muscle-invasive bladder cancer undergoing surgery and currently available conventional therapy remain having a high risk of tumor recurrence or progression, respectively. Novel targeted molecular therapy is therefore expected to improve patient outcomes. Meanwhile, substantially higher incidence of bladder cancer in men has prompted research on androgen-mediated androgen receptor (AR) signaling in this malignancy. Indeed, preclinical evidence has suggested that AR signaling plays an important role in urothelial carcinogenesis and tumor outgrowth as well as resistance to some of the currently available conventional non-surgical therapies.Areas covered: We summarize and discuss available data suggesting the involvement of AR and its potential downstream targets in the development and progression of bladder cancer. Associations between AR signaling and sensitivity to cisplatin/doxorubicin or bacillus Calmette-Guerin treatment are also reviewed.Expert...
Plasma Membrane Diffusion Modes of FcεRI Receptor for Immunoglobin E Measured with Imaging Fluorescence Correlation Spectroscopy

Spatio-temporal organization of the plasma membrane plays a significant role in cell signaling. A prevailing view is that the plasma membrane spatially segregates into ordered lipid (Lo-like) nanodomains co-existing with disordered lipid (Ld-like) regions. Our laboratory, using super-resolution fluorescence imaging, previously showed that immunoglobin E bound to its receptor, FceRI, (IgE-FceRI complex) undergoes time-dependent redistribution on the membrane surface after multivalent ligand stimulation, upon which the receptor is phosphorylated by membrane-anchored Lyn kinase. A large body of evidence shows that this interaction of IgE-FceRI and Lyn occurs in the ordered regions of the plasma membrane enriched in cholesterol. We are examining the nature and dynamics of plasma membrane organization as experienced by IgE-FceRI in resting state and after antigen stimulation. We employ imaging total internal reflection fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (ITIR-FCS), which maps lateral diffusion with pixel resolution, to investigate the diffusion distribution of IgE-FceRI complexes on the ventral surface of live RBL cells in native and experimentally modulated (e.g., cholesterol depleted) conditions. We also conduct spot variation FCS (svFCS), which analyzes space-dependence of diffusion coefficients from the same set of ITIR-FCS data, to reveal the existence of nanoscopic obstacles (such as nanodomains) that affect the diffusion of IgE-FceRI complexes. These observations are compared with the diffusion behavior of protein markers that are known to prefer ordered or disordered regions of plasma membrane. These results, in conjunction with super-resolution imaging, which determines the size and density of these complexes, will provide a new level of insight into plasma membrane organization and its dynamic remodeling upon ligand-receptor stimulation.
Toroidal asymmetries in divertor impurity influxes in NSTX

Abstract Toroidal asymmetries in divertor carbon and lithium influxes were observed in NSTX, due to toroidal differences in surface composition, tile leading edges, externally-applied three-dimensional (3D) fields and toroidally-localized edge plasma modifications due to radio frequency heating. Understanding toroidal asymmetries in impurity influxes is critical for the evaluation of total impurity sources, often inferred from measurements with a limited toroidal coverage. The toroidally-asymmetric lithium deposition induced asymmetries in divertor lithium influxes. Enhanced impurity influxes at the leading edge of divertor tiles were the main cause of carbon toroidal asymmetries and were enhanced during edge localized modes. Externally-applied 3D fields led to strike point splitting and helical lobes observed in divertor impurity emission, but marginal changes to the toroidally-averaged impurity influxes. Power coupled to the scrape-off layer SOL plasma during radio frequency (RF) heating of H-mode discharges enhanced impurity influxes along the non-axisymmetric divertor footprint of flux tubes connecting to plasma in front of the RF antenna.
An Epidemiological Study of Population Health Reveals Social Smoking as a Major Cardiovascular Risk Factor

Purpose:To present nationally representative data on the prevalence of “social” smoking and its relationship to cardiovascular health.Design:A population-based, cross-sectional survey on cardiovascular health and its risk factors across the United States.Setting:Million Hearts® cardiovascular screenings that took place in community settings.Participants:De-identified data were collected on a convenient sample of 39, 555 participants.Measures:Reported smoking status, blood pressure, and total cholesterol.Analysis:The prevalence of current smoking, social smoking, and non-smoking were cross-tabulated and stratified by sample characteristics. The adjusted estimates were derived from multiple logistic regression models, adjusting for demographics and other biometric measures.Results:Ten percent identified as social smokers. Social smokers were more likely to be aged between 21 and 40, male, and Hispanic. Social smokers had significantly higher risks of having hypertension (odds ratio [OR]: 2.08, 95% confidenc...