cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Electrophoretic size separations in liquified agarose of polystyrene particles and circular DNA.

Polystyrene sulfate particles of 0.37 to 1.78 mu in diameter are retarded in their electrophoretic migration in proportion to the concentration of agarose liquified above its gelling temperature. In the concentration range of 0.02 to 0.2% liquified agarose, the degree of this retardation in electrophoresis at 40 degrees C is inversely related to particle size. By contrast, mitochondrial DNA (16 kb), plasmid pBR322 DNA (4 kb) and plasmid PSA509 DNA (3 kb) exhibit under the same conditions a degree of retardation which is proportional to their size. This confirms the existence of two divergent mechanisms of size separation similarly observed in other liquid polymer media, i.e. one based on collisions with the gel fiber (molecular sieving) and one based on exclusion from the fiber network (the electrophoretic equivalent of gel permeation).
Initiation and termination of NF-κB signaling by the intracellular protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii

Signaling via the NF-kappaB cascade is critical for innate recognition of microbial products and immunity to infection. As a consequence, this pathway represents a strong selective pressure on infectious agents and many parasitic, bacterial and viral pathogens have evolved ways to subvert NF-kappaB signaling to promote their survival. Although the mechanisms utilized by microorganisms to modulate NF-kappaB signaling are diverse, a common theme is targeting of the steps that lead to IkappaB degradation, a major regulatory checkpoint of this pathway. The data presented here demonstrate that infection of mammalian cells with Toxoplasma gondii results in the activation of IKK and degradation of IkappaB. However, despite initiation of these hallmarks of NF-kappaB signaling, neither nuclear accumulation of NF-kappaB nor NF-kappaB-driven gene expression is observed in infected cells. However, this defect was not due to a parasite-mediated block in nuclear import, as general nuclear import and constitutive nuclear-cytoplasmic shuttling of NF-kappaB remain intact in infected cells. Rather, in T. gondii-infected cells, the termination of NF-kappaB signaling is associated with reduced phosphorylation of p65/RelA, an event involved in the ability of NF-kappaB to translocate to the nucleus and bind DNA. Thus, these studies demonstrate for the first time that the phosphorylation of p65/RelA represents an event downstream of IkappaB degradation that may be targeted by pathogens to subvert NF-kappaB signaling.
Nanocapacitors: undead layers breathe new life.

Theoretical advances demonstrating an improved dielectric response in nanocapacitor structures will lead to advanced electronics with greatly increased memory densities.
Nucleation of dislocations from [001] bicrystal interfaces in aluminum

Abstract It is well established from molecular dynamics simulations that grain boundaries in nanocrystalline samples serve as sources of dislocations. In this work, we use molecular dynamics simulations to study the mechanisms associated with dislocation nucleation from bicrystal [0 0 1] interfaces in aluminum. Three interface misorientations are studied, including the Σ5 (3 1 0) boundary, which has a high density of coincident atomic sites. Molecular dynamics simulations show that full dislocation loops are nucleated from each interface during uniaxial tension. After the second partial dislocation is emitted, a ledge remains within the interface at the intersection of the slip plane and the bicrystal boundary. A disclination dipole model is proposed for the structure of the distorted interface accounting for local lattice rotations and the ledge at the nucleation site.
Stability of Flame-Shock Coupling in Detonation Waves: 1D Dynamics

In the present study, we utilize spatially high-order convergence rate methods with complex reaction kinetics in resolving the nonlinear dynamics associated with one-dimensional unstable detonations. For a spark-induced detonation, as the detonation decays towards the self-sustaining Chapman–Jouguet mode from an over-driven mode, one obtains a sequence of physical oscillations between the flame and shock front, with different frequency ranges (categorized as high frequency-low amplitude and low frequency-high amplitude), dependent on the time after initiation of the detonation. The present studies indicate that one must use sufficient spatial resolution as well as realistic, complex kinetics to accurately simulate the preferred re-explosion and instability modes. Metrics that characterize the instabilities include, in addition to peak pressure, dominant high and low frequencies and time to re-explosion. A simple model for the transmission of acoustic and entropy waves is used to interpret physical phenome...
The Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor Is Required to Maintain the Proliferative Population in the Basal Compartment of Epidermal Tumors

Previous studies using keratinocytes from epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-deficient mice revealed that the EGFR is not required for papilloma formation initiated by a mutant rasHa gene, although the tumors that develop are very small (A. A. Dlugosz et al., Cancer Res., 57: 3180–3188, 1997). The current study used a combination of bromodeoxyuridine pulse-chase, proliferating cell nuclear antigen distribution, and differentiation marker analysis to reveal the following: (a) the EGFR was required to maintain the proliferative population in the basal cell compartment of papillomas; (b) in the absence of EGFR, cycling tumor cells migrated into the suprabasal compartment and initiated the differentiation program prematurely; and (c) these changes were associated with cell cycle arrest. Further analysis of v-rasHa-transformed EGFR-deficient keratinocytes in vitro indicated that such cells migrated more on and attached less to extracellular matrix components. Together, these studies reveal that an essential function for the EGFR pathway in squamous tumors is to maintain a proliferative pool of basal cells and prevent premature terminal differentiation.
Arsenic and cardiovascular diseases

A growing body of epidemiologic, experimental and clinical evidence shows that arsenic may exert relevant cardiovascular effects with early damage such as endothelial dysfunction. Early biomarkers of cardiovascular damage together with markers of exposure, genetic and epigenetic effects, DNA damage, apoptosis, oxidative stress remain unexplored and a study is ongoing in Italy.
Tutoring and revision: Second language writers in the writing center

Abstract There is little research to link what happens during writing center (WC) sessions to how student writers revise their subsequent drafts. This gap in the literature is particularly evident concerning second language (L2) writers who come to the WC for assistance. This study is an effort to fill this gap, exploring the connection between WC interaction and revision by L2 writers. Findings suggest a clear connection between the two, especially as regards small-scale revision of sentence-level problems. They also point to the higher level of uptake of all tutor advice when suggestions are direct, when learners actively participate in the conversation, and when they write down their plans during the session. Also effective in stimulating revision are scaffolding moves by the tutor, including marking of critical features in the text, simplification of the task, goal-orientation, and modeling. In spite of the considerable revision done by all of the writers in this study, second drafts did not receive consistently higher holistic evaluations.
Sandpiles of Opportunity: Success in the Art World

This study conceptualizes artists' careers as transitions through positions within a constantly shifting web of relationships that are without a priori hierarchical demarcations. Network analysis of this shifting web from 1981 to 1992 produces three distinct career paths with differential outcomes in terms of the amount of critical notice received by each artist. Those who have had a long history of membership in loosely knit networks receive more critical attention than either artists who have had a long history of membership in tightly knit cliques or those with a history of sporadic connections to the art world. The career ladder is not so much a ladder as it is a sandpile, in which each actor's attempts to reach the top change the shape of the climb
The National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System — restructured capabilities for operational ocean remote sensing

The tri-agency Integrated Program Office (IPO) continues to manage the development, acquisition, and execution of the National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System (NPOESS). As directed by its acquisition decision authority in 2006, the NPOESS Program restructured its acquisition baseline with an emphasis on reducing complexity and ensuring continuity of observations presently delivered by the two operational systems NPOESS will replace - the Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite (POES) and the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP). Ocean observations continue to comprise nearly one-fourth of the 38 user-validated data requirements levied on the system and are drivers of the design and implementation strategy for two principal sensors: the Visible Infrared Imager Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) and the Microwave Imager-Sounder (MIS). The NPOESS Preparatory Project (NPP) will deliver a subset of these NPOESS ocean observations for demonstration and risk reduction after its planned launch in 2010. Recent performance assessments indicate that the restructured NPOESS will continue to deliver improved operational capabilities and satisfy the critical civil and national security needs for space-based ocean observations.
EXPERIMENTAL MENINGOCOCCUS INFECTION OF THE CHICK EMBRYO

1. A strain of meningococci obtained directly from the spinal fluid of a patient has been propagated in serial passage in 10 to 12 day old chick embryos without change in its essential characteristics. 2. The chick embryo is susceptible to infection with the meningococcus, and, depending on its stage of development, reacts to the infection with more or less specific lesions. 3. In chick embryos of 15 days incubation, following the utilization of definite portals of entry, such as the nasopharynx, or by inoculation of the amniotic fluid or by inoculation of the body wall, the meningococcus is localized in specific areas, namely in the cranial sinuses, the lungs or meninges, or in all of these areas. 4. The lesions of the meningococcus infection in man, a septicemia, sinusitis, pneumonia and meningitis can be reproduced in the chick embryo by choosing embryos at the proper state of development and utilizing the various portals of entry experimentally available.
Breakfast cereal fortified with folic acid, vitamin B-6, and vitamin B-12 increases vitamin concentrations and reduces homocysteine concentrations: a randomized trial

Background: High homocysteine and low B vitamin concentrations have been linked to the risk of vascular disease, stroke, and dementia and are relatively common in older adults. Objective: We assessed the effect of breakfast cereal fortified with folic acid, vitamin B-6, and vitamin B-12 on vitamin and homocysteine status. Design: A randomized, double-blind trial was conducted in 189 volunteers aged 50 – 85 y. The subjects had no history of hypertension, anemia, asthma, cancer, or cardiovascular or digestive disease and did not regularly consume multiple or B vitamin supplements or highly fortified breakfast cereal. Subjects were randomly assigned to consume 1 cup (0.24 L) breakfast cereal fortified with 440 g folic acid, 1.8 mg vitamin B-6, and 4.8g vitamin B-12 or placebo cereal for 12 wk. Blood was drawn at 0, 2, 12, and 14 wk. Methionineloading tests were conducted at baseline and week 14. Results: Final baseline-adjusted plasma homocysteine concentrations were significantly lower and B vitamin concentrations were significantly higher in the treatment group than in the placebo group (P 0.001). The percentage of subjects with plasma folate concentrations 11 nmol/L decreased from 2% to 0%, with vitamin B-12 concentrations 185 pmol/L from 9% to 3%, with vitamin B-6 concentrations 20 nmol/L from 6% to 2%, and with homocysteine concentrations 10.4 mol/L (women) or 11.4 mol/L (men) from 6.4% to 1.6%. The percentage of control subjects with values beyond these cutoff points remained nearly constant or increased. Conclusions: In this relatively healthy group of volunteers, consumption of 1 cup fortified breakfast cereal daily significantly increased B vitamin and decreased homocysteine concentrations, including postmethionine-load homocysteine concentrations. Am J Clin Nutr 2004;79:805–11.
A class of reversible variable length codes for robust image and video coding

We describe a class of parameterized reversible variable length codes that have length distributions identical to Golomb-Rice codes and exp-Golomb codes. The pdfs to which these codes correspond are well matched to statistics of image and video data, thus enabling an increase in robustness to channel errors with no penalty in coding efficiency. These codes are applicable to MPEG-4 and other algorithms that aim to use variable length codes in error-prone environments.
Origin and Role of Collagen in the Embryo

The first collagen recognizable in the embryo is in the form of an incomplete basal lamina under the epiblast and hypoblast. We suggest that this collagen acts as a railroad track to guide the migration of the primitive streak mesenchyme. The mesenchyme aggregates into chordamesoderm, a layer which is said to “induce” the overlying epiblast (now ectoderm) to develop into neural folds. This tissue interaction may be mediated by the formation of complete basal laminas separating the two tissues and by deposition of sulfated mucopolysaccharides in the intervening extracellular space. At the very least, the collagenous basal lamina serves to give the elongating cells of the developing neural tube a firm foothold. The fully formed neural tube and adjacent notochord are said to induce the sclerotome of the somite to migrate medially and differentiate into cartilage. Notochord and neural tube basal lamina and collagen fibrils may play a role by guiding the migrating cells and stabilizing the already existing chondrogenic bias of the cells. We were unable to prove this hypothesis directly (by adding collagen to somite cultures), because in our hands the somites died in vitro even in the presence of neural tube and notochord. We did obtain direct evidence, however, that the basal lamina of the lens can promote the differentiation of the cornea in vitro.
Reactivity and transient dynamics of discrete-time ecological systems

Most studies of ecological models focus exclusively on the asymptotic stability properties of equilibria. However, short-term transient effects can be important, and can in some cases dominate the dynamics seen in experimental or field studies. The reactivity of a stable equilibrium point measures the potential for short-term amplification of perturbations. The reactivity of a fixed point in a discrete-time system is given by the natural logarithm of the largest singular value of the Jacobian matrix of the linear approximation near the fixed point. If the reactivity is positive, the fixed point is said to be reactive. Here we examine the reactivity of discrete-time predator–prey models and density-dependent matrix population models. We find reactivity to be common (but not universal) and sometimes extremely high. Predator–prey or food web models that include a predator whose per-capita growth rate depends on the density of its prey, but not on its own density, are a special case. Any positive equilibrium ...
An Energy-Oriented Evaluation of Buffer Cache Algorithms Using Parallel I/O Workloads

Power consumption is an important issue for cluster supercomputers as it directly affects running cost and cooling requirements. This paper investigates the memory energy efficiency of high-end data servers used for supercomputers. Emerging memory technologies allow memory devices to dynamically adjust their power states and enable free rides by overlapping multiple DMA transfers from different I/O buses to the same memory device. To achieve maximum energy saving, the memory management on data servers needs to judiciously utilize these energy-aware devices. As we explore different management schemes under five real-world parallel I/O workloads, we find that the memory energy behavior is determined by a complex interaction among four important factors: (1) cache hit rates that may directly translate performance gain into energy saving, (2) cache populating schemes that perform buffer allocation and affect access locality at the chip level, (3) request clustering that aims to temporally align memory transfers from different buses into the same memory chips, and (4) access patterns in workloads that affect the first three factors.
The Effects of Instructional Training on University Teaching Assistants

This study addressed the need for empirical tests of the global instructional design (ID) model as a toolkit for classroom teachers in authentic settings; and the performance improvement challenge of finding effective, efficient methods of professional development for preparing graduate assistants to teach. Participants were eighteen teaching assistants (TAs) with primary instructional responsibilities at a large Midwestern university. Twelve were given a training intervention in instructional design, while the other six served as a control group. The intervention was based on the iterative, five-phase ADDIE model, and principles from educational psychology. Dependent measures were TAs' ID knowledge, teaching self-efficacy, satisfaction with knowledge and strategies, perceived teaching competence, teaching performance and teaching effectiveness, and their students' engagement and perceived learning. All of the study's seven hypothesized relationships were found statistically significant. The intervention, though brief, measurably increased the ID knowledge of participating TAs, along with their teaching-related self-perceptions, and student outcomes. Instructional design emerges as a potentially powerful training tool for organizing teachers' and trainers' knowledge related to the complex practice of classroom instruction.
How much did Glacial North Atlantic Water shoal

Observations of δ13C and Cd/Ca from benthic foraminifera have been interpreted to reflect a shoaling of northern source waters by about 1000 m during the Last Glacial Maximum, with the degree of shoaling being significant enough for the water mass to be renamed Glacial North Atlantic Intermediate Water. These nutrient tracers, however, may not solely reflect changes in water mass distributions. To quantify the distribution of Glacial North Atlantic Water, we perform a glacial water mass decomposition where the sparsity of data, geometrical constraints, and nonconservative tracer effects are taken into account, and the extrapolation for the unknown water mass end-members is guided by the modern-day circulation. Under the assumption that the glacial sources of remineralized material are similar to that of the modern day, we find a steady solution consistent with 241 δ13C, 87 Cd/Ca, and 174 δ18O observations and their respective uncertainties. The water mass decomposition indicates that the core of Glacial North Atlantic Water shoals and southern source water extends in greater quantities into the abyssal North Atlantic, as previously inferred. The depth of the deep northern-southern water mass interface and the volume of North Atlantic Water, however, are not grossly different from that of the modern day. Under this scenario, the vertical structure of glacial δ13C and Cd/Ca is primarily due to the greater accumulation of nutrients in lower North Atlantic Water, which may be a signal of the hoarding of excess carbon from the atmosphere by the glacial Atlantic.
Citrobacter koseri as a Cause of Early Periprosthetic Infection After Primary Total Hip Arthroplasty

Periprosthetic joint infection in the acute setting is usually caused by gram-positive species and remains a major problem facing total joint surgeons. We report a case of a 53-year-old male who presented with drainage 3 weeks after primary total hip arthroplasty. Citrobacter koseri was cultured from an infected hematoma in his deep tissues. Surgical treatment included irrigation and debridement with femoral head and liner exchange. He received a 6-week course of ertapenem and is currently asymptomatic. We present C. koseri as a rare cause of acute periprosthetic infection and offer an effective treatment protocol.
Inducible nitric oxide synthase and apoptosis in murine proximal tubule epithelial cells

Since inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and proximal tubule injury are known to be critical determinants of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced renal failure, the role of nitric oxide (NO) in proximal tubule cell apoptosis was examined. An 18-h treatment with a combination of LPS (5 microg/ml) and interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma, 100 units/ml) synergistically induced iNOS and produced a 20-fold increase in NO generation in the TKPTS murine proximal tubule cell line. NO generation by LPS + IFN-gamma was blocked by a specific iNOS blocker, L-N6-(1-iminoethyl)-lysine (L-NIL, 1 mM). To assess the role of iNOS-derived NO in proximal tubule cell apoptosis, annexin V- and propidium iodide-labeled cells were analyzed by flow cytometry. Neither the induction of iNOS nor its inhibition produced significant apoptotic cell death in TKPTS cells. Two exogenous NO donors were used to examine the role of NO more directly in proximal tubule apoptosis. Although both sodium nitroprusside (SNP), an iron-containing, nitrosonium cation donor, and S-nitroso-N-acetylpenicillamine (SNAP), a noniron-containing, NO generator, produced a concentration-dependent increase in NO generation, only SNP increased apoptotic cell death in TKPTS cells (5.9 +/- 0.7% in control cells vs. 21.6 +/- 3.8% in SNP [500 microM]-treated cells; n = 4-9; p < 0.01). SNP-mediated tubule cell apoptosis was not dependent on the activation of caspases or p53 but was possibly related to the generation of reactive oxygen species by SNP. Thus, in TKPTS cells induction of iNOS and generation of NO by LPS does not lead to tubular epithelial cell death.
Puberty as a Window of Susceptibility

Recent studies have begun to address the relationship between environmental exposures to pubertal development and to later risk of breast cancer. This chapter will review how physiologic changes could define puberty as a window of susceptibility. For example, although many studies have reported the relationship between age of menarche and breast cancer, the underlying physiologic mechanism may be related to pubertal growth characteristics, such as timing of or degree of peak height velocity. The maturing breast also contains cells that might be ­especially susceptible to toxic exogenous agents. The chapter will also discuss how environmental exposures, including dietary factors, could impact timing of puberty or ­subsequent risk of breast cancer.
Leg design for energy management in an electromechanical robot

This paper examines the design of a parallel spring-loaded actuated linkage intended for dynamically dexterous legged robotics applications. Targeted at toe placement in the sagittal plane, the mechanism applies two direct-drive brushless dc motors to a symmetric five bar linkage arranged to power free tangential motion and compliant radial motion associated with running, leaping, and related agile locomotion behaviors. Whereas traditional leg design typically decouples the consideration of motor sizing, kinematics and compliance, we examine their conjoined influence on three key characteristics of the legged locomotion cycle: transducing battery energy to body energy during stance; mitigating collision losses upon toe touchdown; and storing and harvesting prior body energy in the spring during stance. This analysis leads to an unconventional design whose “knee” joint rides above the “hip” joint. Experiments demonstrate that the resulting mechanism can deliver more than half again as much kinetic energy to the body (or more than double the kinetic energy if the full workspace is used), and offers a five-fold increase in energy storage and collision efficiency relative to the conventional design.
Ethical Aspects of the Energy Issue: Toward a Sustainable Energy Future

This paper identifies and analyzes the ethical aspects of the energy issue. I argue that these ethical aspects are not just accessories to the technological, scientific, economic, and political aspects of the issue, but a crucial and inherent part of the energy issue and its potential solutions. I analyze these ethical aspects in detail and provide suggestions for ways of approaching them and of integrating ethical analysis into an overall scientific and technological approach to the future design of the energy system. I determine the ultimate goal to be a sustainable energy that is defined by both technological and ethical criteria.
Behavioral Non-portability in Scientific Numeric Computing

The precise semantics of floating-point arithmetic programs depends on the execution platform, including the compiler and the target hardware. Platform dependencies are particularly pronounced for arithmetic-intensive parallel numeric programs and infringe on the highly desirable goal of software portability (which is nonetheless promised by heterogeneous computing frameworks like OpenCL): the same program run on the same inputs on different platforms often produces different results. Serious doubts on the portability of numeric applications arise when these differences are behavioral, i.e. when they lead to changes in the control flow of a program. In this paper we present an algorithm that takes a numeric procedure and determines an input that may lead to different branching decisions depending on how the arithmetic in the procedure is compiled. We illustrate the algorithm on a diverse set of examples, characteristic of scientific numeric computing, where control flow divergence actually occurs across different execution platforms.
When the caregiver needs care: a review of an interdisciplinary team response to stressful events in a tertiary care setting.

Describes how a hospital established and utilized a Critical Incident Stress Management Team (CISM) and the role of the chaplain in the interdisciplinary team.
Catalytic and Autocatalytic Mechanisms of Acid Amplifiers for Use in EUV Photoresists

Twelve fluorinated acid amplifiers (AAs) were synthesized and studied for use in photoresists exposed to 13.5 nm, extreme ultraviolet (EUV) light. Acid amplifiers are compounds that decompose in th...
Etiological Spectrum and Clinical Characteristics of Neonates with High Risk of Inborn Errors of Metabolism: A Five-year Retrospective Analysis

Objective:To investigate the etiological spectrum and clinical characteristics of neonates with high risk of neonatalonset inborn errors of metabolism(IEM)in neonatal intensive care unit(NICU).Methods:Markers in blood and urine of 859 neonates with high risk of IEM hospitalized in Children's Hospital of Fudan University from Sep 2007 to Aug 2012 were detected and analyzed by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry(LC-MS/MS)and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry(GC-MS)method.Etiological spectrum and clinical manifestations were analyzed in neonates confirmed with IEM.Results: In the 859 neonates,a total of 22 cases(2.7%)were diagnosed with IEM.Among the 22 cases,11 cases(50%)were suffered from amino acid metabolic diseases,in which maple syrup urine disease(7 cases)was the most common.The other 11 cases(50%)were diagnosed with organic acid metabolic diseases,in which methylmalonic acidemia(8 cases)was the most common.Their clinical manifestations varied from apastia,vomitting to convulsion,and were mainly digestive system or nervous system symptoms followed by a short‘normal'period after birth.Conclusions:The neonates with high risk of IEM have complicated etiologies,and methylmalonic acidemia and maple syrup urine disease are the most common diseases.Pediatricians should recognize the importance of early utilization of combination of LC-MS/MS and GC-MS in detection of IEM for high risk neonates in NICU and thus achieve early diagnosis and invention.
Search Engine Based on Users Behavior Model

When searching,different users may have different search purposes even if they use the same keywords.However,currently most search engines can not solve this problem.In this paper,the idea of creating search engine based on users’ behavior model is proposed,and the implementing process and key techniques of the prototype SEB(Search Engine on Behavior) based on the idea are expatiated.The behavior model imports the theory of behavior science for classifying and expressing the users’ accessing behaviors,and presses the returned results according to the classification and expression,and achieves the purpose of personalization.The experiments show that returned results processed by SEB can meet the uses’ requirements better.
Analytical Jacobian-vector products for the matrix-free time integration of partial differential equations

Many scientific and engineering applications require the solution of large systems of initial value problems arising from method of lines discretization of partial differential equations. For systems with widely varying time scales, or with complex physical dynamics, implicit time integration schemes are preferred due to their superior stability properties. These schemes solve at each step linear systems with matrices formed using the Jacobian of the right hand side function. For large applications iterative linear algebra methods, which make use of Jacobian-vector products, are employed. This paper studies the impact that the method of computing Jacobian-vector products has on the overall performance and accuracy of the time integration process. The analysis shows that the most beneficial approach is the direct computation of exact Jacobian-vector products in the context of matrix-free time integrators. This approach does not suffer from approximation errors, reuses the parallelism and data distribution already present in the right-hand side vector computations, and avoids storing or operating on the entire Jacobian matrix.
Quantum Paradoxes and Applications of the TI

The Copenhagen Interpretation brings with it a certain baggage. In particular, Heisenberg’s knowledge interpretation and positivism have led Einstein, Schrodinger, Wigner, Wheeler, and many others to focus on situations in which the conventional Copenhagen interpretational tools seem to fail, to lead to counter-intuitive conclusions, or to paradoxes.
High variety cloud databases

Big Data is colloquially described in terms of the three Vs: Volume, Velocity, and Variety. Volume and velocity receive a disproportionate amount of research attention, however, variety is frequently cited by practitioners as the Big Data problem that “keeps them up at night” — the problem that resists direct attacks in terms of new algorithms, systems, and approaches. We find that the cloud-based data management platform attracts higher variety workloads, therefore motivating a new classes of High Variety Database Management Systems (HVDBMS). This work provides an operational model of variety emphasizing the complexity of user intent as well as the complexity of the data itself. The proposed model captures intuitive notions of variety that are distinct from, and broader than, conventional data integration challenges, establishes criteria for a “High Variety benchmark” that can be used to evaluate competing systems, and motivates new research directions in the design of HVDBMS.
Effects of feeding aflatoxin-contaminated diets with and without clay to weanling and growing pigs on performance, liver function, and mineral metabolism

Ninety-six crossbred weanling pigs (36 d of age, initial weight of 8.8 kg) were used in a three-phase study to determine the effects of feeding an aflatoxin-contaminated corn (AC) diet (922 ppb of aflatoxin B1) with and without sodium bentonite (clay) on performance, liver function, and mineral metabolism. In the nursery phase, control corn (NC) or AC was fed in corn-soybean meal diets with and without 1% clay for 6 wk. Compared with NC, AC decreased ADFI and ADG (P < .01) and increased serum activities of gamma-glutamyltransferase (P < .01) and alkaline phosphatase (P < .05). In the growing phase, 48 pigs from the nursery phase were fed NC but continued on their respective clay treatments for 5 wk. Pigs previously fed AC had higher (P < .01) ADFI and lower (P < .05) gain/feed, serum Ca, K, and glucose; ADG, other serum values, and liver minerals were not affected by treatments. In the metabolism phase, 24 barrows from the nursery phase were continued on the same corn and clay treatments for two 4-d total collections of urine and feces. Feeding AC increased (P < .05) P and Na absorption. The addition of clay lowered Mg and Na absorption (P < .01) for both AC and NC. Significant interactions for many minerals indicated that the effects on mineral metabolism were more pronounced when AC was fed. Serum and liver mineral concentrations were generally unaffected by the treatments in all phases. Feeding clay with AC results in partial restoration of performance and liver function without greatly influencing mineral metabolism.
Mexico's Cold War: Cuba, the United States, and the Legacy of the Mexican Revolution

This book is a history of the Cold War in Mexico, and Mexico in the Cold War. Renata Keller draws on declassified Mexican and US intelligence sources and Cuban diplomatic records to challenge earlier interpretations that depicted Mexico as a peaceful haven and a weak neighbor forced to submit to US pressure. Mexico did in fact suffer from the political and social turbulence that characterized the Cold War era in general, and by maintaining relations with Cuba it played a unique, and heretofore overlooked, role in the hemispheric Cold War. The Cuban Revolution was an especially destabilizing force in Mexico because Fidel Castro's dedication to many of the same nationalist and populist causes that the Mexican revolutionaries had originally pursued in the early twentieth century called attention to the fact that the government had abandoned those promises. A dynamic combination of domestic and international pressures thus initiated Mexico's Cold War and shaped its distinct evolution and outcomes.
37-OR: FcγRIIa ALLELES INFLUENCE MONOCYTE RECRUITMENT BY HLA I ANTIBODY-ACTIVATED ENDOTHELIAL CELLS

Aim HLA antibodies (Ab) activate endothelial cells (EC) and trigger monocyte (Mo) adhesion through P-selectin and FcγRs. FcγRIIa is dimorphic, at position H131R. We investigated whether FcγRIIa allotype or IgG subclass affect HLA I Ab-induced Mo adherence. Methods Mo binding to immobilized or soluble IgG was measured by microscopy and flow cytometry, respectively. The variable regions of mouse anti-HLA I (W6/32) Ab were cloned onto human constant regions to generate chimerized HLA I hIgG1 and hIgG2. Human aortic EC were stimulated with murine or chimeric HLA I Ab and the number of adherent Mo was counted. Results H131 homozygous Mono Mac 6 (MM6) 1) did not bind mIgG1, 2) had enhanced capacity to bind hIgG2, and 3) bound hIgG1 through FcγRI and FcγRIIa. FcγRIIa-R131 homozygous U937 1) had enhanced capacity to bind mIgG1, 2) had reduced capacity to bind hIgG1 and mIgG2a, 3) did not bind hIgG2, and 4) bound hIgG1 through only FcγRI [ Table 1 ]. HLA I mIgG1 and mIgG2a-activated EC recruited a comparable number of U937. FcγR inhibition significantly reduced adhesion of U937 to HLA I mIgG1 and mIgG2a-activated EC. In contrast, dramatically more MM6 were recruited in response to mIgG2a compared with mIgG1. FcγR blockade effectively inhibited adhesion of MM6 to HLA I mIgG2a, but not mIgG1, treated EC. Heterozygous THP-1 Mo displayed an intermediate phenotype. Conclusions FcγR polymorphisms in DSA+ transplant patients may influence outcome. Recipients with FcγRIIa-H131 allele may experience greater infiltration of FcγR-bearing myeloid cells during AMR. DSA of the IgG2 subclass, while not complement fixing, may be clinically significant in H131 homozygous patients. Thus, strategies such as IVIG which reduce interaction of HLA I IgG with FcγRs are likely to diminish macrophage, neutrophil and NK trafficking to the graft.
Sororin is enriched at the central region of synapsed meiotic chromosomes

During meiotic prophase, cohesin complexes mediate cohesion between sister chromatids and promote pairing and synapsis of homologous chromosomes. Precisely how the activity of cohesin is controlled to promote these events is not fully understood. In metazoans, cohesion establishment between sister chromatids during mitotic divisions is accompanied by recruitment of the cohesion-stabilizing protein Sororin. During somatic cell division cycles, Sororin is recruited in response to DNA replication-dependent modification of the cohesin complex by ESCO acetyltransferases. How Sororin is recruited and acts in meiosis is less clear. Here, we have surveyed the chromosomal localization of Sororin and its relationship to the meiotic cohesins and other chromatin modifiers with the objective of determining how Sororin contributes to meiotic chromosome dynamics. We show that Sororin localizes to the cores of meiotic chromosomes in a manner that is dependent on synapsis and the synaptonemal complex protein SYCP1. In contrast, cohesin, with which Sororin interacts in mitotic cells, shows axial enrichment on meiotic chromosomes even in the absence of synapsis between homologs. Using high-resolution microscopy, we show that Sororin is localized to the central region of the synaptonemal complex. These results indicate that Sororin regulation during meiosis is distinct from its regulation in mitotic cells and may suggest that it interacts with a distinctly different partner to ensure proper chromosome dynamics in meiosis.
Los agentes de la traducción: las ficciones del traductor como relatos de mercado

Based on the Fictional Turn of Translation studies framework, this article focuses on three novels with translators as protagonists, highlighting translation’s critical and metaphorical potential as literary theme. El traductor by Salvador Benesdra, El testamento de O’Jaral by Marcelo Cohen, and La ciudad ausente by Ricardo Piglia were written in Argentina during the 1990s and they shed light on a deteriorating publishing market where translators play a fundamental role but hold a vulnerable position where their jobs are endangered. Translation is therefore thematized as a monetary transaction enabling the relation between translation and the market, and where mistranslation is practiced as a subversion and resistance tool. The translator’s fictions analyzed here dismantle ideas of an unscathed globalization and revise translation’s part in keeping the illusion of a successful communication.
Pulsed infrared thermography for assessment of ultrasonic welds

Battery packs are a critical component in electric vehicles. During pack assembly, the battery cell tab and busbar are ultrasonically welded. The properties of the welds ultimately affect battery pack durability. Quality inspection of these welds is important to ensure durable battery packs. Pack failure is detrimental economically and could also pose a safety hazard, such as thermal runaway. Ultrasonic welds are commonly checked by measuring electrical resistance or auditing using destructive mechanical testing. Resistance measurements are quick, but sensitive to set-up changes. Destructive testing cannot represent the entire weld set. It is possible for a weak weld to satisfy the electrical requirement check, because only sufficient contact between the tabs and busbar is required to yield a low resistance measurement. Laboratory techniques are often not suitable for inline inspection, as they may be time-consuming, use couplant, or are only suitable for coupons. The complex surface geometry also poses difficulties for conventional nondestructive techniques. A method for inspection of ultrasonic welds is proposed using pulsed infrared thermography to identify discrepant welds in a manufacturing environment. Thermal measurements of welds were compared to electrical and mechanical measurements. The heat source distribution was calculated to obtain thermal images with high temporal and spatial resolution. All discrepant welds were readily identifiable using two thermographic techniques: pixel counting and the gradient image. A positive relationship between pixel count and mechanical strength was observed. The results demonstrate the potential of pulsed thermography for inline inspection, which can complement, or even replace, conventional electrical resistance measurements.
Fertility behaviour under income uncertainty.

This paper develops a two-period stochastic model of fertility behaviour to provide a possible explanation for the recent sharp decline in birth rates in the former Soviet Republics and Eastern European countries. Due to the existence of irreversibilities associated with the childbearing decision and the option of postponing childbearing for a later time, it may be optimal for individuals to postpone childbearing during times of increased income uncertainty.
Patchiness in satellite derived sea surface temperature

Patchiness, indicated by ship measurements from the International Indian Ocean Expedition, was checked against the most advanced sea surface temperature program based on satellite observations. The statistical analysis of structures observed with sea surface temperature measurements showed that they are highly correlated with the time span of observations; i. e., structures or patches in the temperature field can be artificially created by the “age” of temperature observations. Simulated multi-ship observations, based on satellite temperature measurements over a time frame of several weeks, show patches that were created by the time span during which the measurements were taken.
Long-term in vitro Culture of Cryptosporidium parvum

Continuous in vitro growth of Cryptosporidium parvum has proved difficult and conventional in vitro culture techniques result in short-term (2-5 days) growth of the parasite resulting in thin-walled oocysts that fail to propagate using in vitro cultures, and do not produce an active infection using immunosuppressed or immunodeficient mouse models (Arrowood, 2002). Here we describe the use of hollow fiber bioreactors (HFB) that simulate in vivo conditions by providing oxygen and nutrients to host intestinal cells from the basal surface and permit the establishment of a low redox, high nutrient environment on the apical surface. When inoculated with 105C. parvum (Iowa isolate) oocysts the bioreactor produced 108 oocysts per ml (20 ml extra-capillary volume) after 14 days, and was maintained for over 2 years. In vivo infectivity studies using a TCR-α-immune deficient mouse model showed that oocysts produced from the bioreactor at 6, 12 and 18 months were indistinguishable from the parent Iowa isolate used to initiate the culture. HFB produced oocysts had similar percent excystation profiles to the parent Iowa isolate.
Bankfull Shields number versus slope and grain size

ABSTRACTMany characteristics of alluvial rivers, including hydraulic geometry and sediment transport during periods of morphological activity, can be related to the bankfull Shields number. Recent ...
Disrupting Sexual Norms: An Application of the Critical Interpersonal and Family Communication (CIFC) Framework in the Context of Vulvodynia

This study uses intersectional methodology to critically explore vulvodynia, chronic female genital pain, as it disrupts norms governing gender roles in heterosexual sex and reproduction. Interview...
Does Location of Practice or Religiosity Predict Negative Physician Attitudes or Beliefs Toward LGB+ Individuals?

The purpose of this study is to extend the Sabin et al’s. (Am J Public Health 105(9):1831–1841, 2015. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2015.302631) findings to examine the extent to which religiosity and/or geographic region is predictive of negative attitudes or beliefs toward lesbian, gay, bisexual, and asexual (LGB+) individuals. Secondary data from the Sexuality Implicit Association Test were analyzed. Data included only participants from 2013 to 2015 who identified “Healthcare – Diagnosing and Treating Practitioners” as their occupation (n = 1376). The results of a factorial ANOVA revealed significant group differences accounting for 22.4% of the variance in attitudes toward LGB+ individuals. Religiosity was a significant factor in determining negative attitudes toward LGB+ individuals. However, the study was underpowered (5.8%) to detect an effect of geographic location in determining negative attitudes toward LGB+ individuals. It is important to validate a tool that can adequately measure the common assumptions associated with both religion and geographic region. Additionally, medical educators need to learn how to recognize and address negative attitudes among their students.
Neutrophil Akt2 Plays a Critical Role In Heterotypic Neutrophil-Platelet Interactions During Vascular Inflammation

Abstract Platelet-leukocyte interactions on activated endothelial cells play important roles in mediating pathological thrombosis and inflammation. Heterotypic platelet-leukocyte aggregation is mediated by the interaction of two crucial receptors and counter receptors; P-selectin-P-selectin glycoprotein ligand-1 and glycoprotein Ibalpha-alphaMbeta2 integrin. In spite of extensive understanding of receptor-counter receptor interactions, it remains unclear how heterotypic cell-cell interactions are regulated under thrombo-inflammatory conditions. Using real-time fluorescence intravital microscopic analysis of Akt isoform-specific knockout (KO) mice, we have demonstrated that Akt2, but not Akt1 or Akt3, plays an important role in neutrophil adhesion to the site of TNF-alpha-induced vascular inflammation. Further, heterotypic platelet-neutrophil interactions on the activated endothelium were markedly reduced in Akt2 but not Akt1 or Akt3 KO mice. Studies with chimeric mice generated from bone marrow transplants on wild-type and Akt2 KO mice revealed that hematopoietic but not endothelial cell Akt2 regulates neutrophil recruitment and platelet-neutrophil interactions during vascular inflammation. Using in vitro reconstituted systems in which platelets and neutrophils were treated with an Akt2 specific inhibitor or cells were isolated from WT and Akt KO mice, we observed that both platelet and neutrophil Akt2 play an important role in platelet-neutrophil aggregation under shear conditions. In particular, neutrophil Akt2 was critical for membrane translocation, activation, and adhesive function of alphaMbeta2 integrin. We found that the basal phosphorylation levels of Akt isoforms are significantly increased in neutrophils and platelets of patients with sickle cell disease (SCD), which is an inherited hematological disorder with vascular inflammation and occlusion. Also, SCD patients' neutrophils show increased alphaMbeta2 integrin activation in the absence of an agonist, in comparison with healthy donors' cells. Inhibition of Akt2 dose-dependently reduced heterotypic aggregation of patients' neutrophils and platelets in vitro and inhibited neutrophil adhesion and neutrophil-platelet aggregation in SCD mice, thereby improving blood flow. Our results provide important genetic and pharmacologic evidence that neutrophil Akt2 regulates alphaMbeta2 integrin function and thus plays a critical role during neutrophil recruitment and neutrophil-platelet interactions under thrombo-inflammatory conditions such as SCD. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.