cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Cell reprogramming: Brain versus brawn

The mechanisms that underlie enforced transitions between mature cell lineages are poorly understood. Profiling single skin cells that are induced to become neurons reveals that, unexpectedly, they often become muscle. See Letter p.391
Tracing the Logic of Force: Roger Bacon’s De Multiplicatione specierum

For both Plato and Aristotle, cosmology is the attempt to set the conditions under which it is possible to give an account of the cosmos such that, as Aristotle puts it, the cosmos does not come to be ‘from Night’.1 Socrates’ discourse about natural philosophy in the Phaedo outlines the conditions clearly: cosmology must not stop with the simple givenness of things as in vision, but must provide a view of things that is mediated by theory. For Socrates, the phenomena themselves pose the risk of blindness to the soul. But an account of the phenomena that looks not directly at them in their manifestation, but rather looks at them through theory presents the possibility of a cosmology. Aristotle, too, is concerned that cosmology not simply present the phenomena in their manifestation, for then all things would be ‘from Night’. For him, too, a certain move back behind manifestation to some other region is the only possible path for cosmology. In this way, cosmology emerges as a response to the origin of the cosmos in the play of divine forces that are characteristic of a theogony. Plato and Aristotle, therefore, can be seen as attempting to overcome an account of the cosmos that is rooted in force rather than in reason.2 Or, more precisely, their respective cosmologies can be seen as attempts to reduce the mere givenness of phenomena, which would be an operation of force, to something that is not a phenomenon, that does not manifest itself, but still accounts for that which is manifest.
Cell-matrix mechanics and pattern formation in inflammatory cardiovascular calcification

Calcific diseases of the cardiovascular system, such as atherosclerotic calcification and calcific aortic valve disease, are widespread and clinically significant, causing substantial morbidity and mortality. Vascular cells, like bone cells, interact with their matrix substrate through molecular signals, and through biomechanical signals, such as traction forces transmitted from cytoskeleton to matrix. The interaction of contractile vascular cells with their matrix may be one of the most important factors controlling pathological mineralisation of the artery wall and cardiac valves. In many respects, the matricrine and matrix mechanical changes in calcific vasculopathy and valvulopathy resemble those occurring in embryonic bone development and normal bone mineralisation. The matrix proteins provide a microenvironment for propagation of crystal growth and provide mechanical cues to the cells that direct differentiation. Small contractions of the cytoskeleton may tug on integrin links to sites on matrix proteins, and thereby sense the stiffness, possibly through deformation of binding proteins causing release of differentiation factors such as products of the members of the transforming growth factor-β superfamily. Inflammation and matrix characteristics are intertwined: inflammation alters the matrix such as through matrix metalloproteinases, while matrix mechanical properties affect cellular sensitivity to inflammatory cytokines. The adhesive properties of the matrix also regulate self-organisation of vascular cells into patterns through reaction-diffusion phenomena and left-right chirality. In this review, we summarise the roles of extracellular matrix proteins and biomechanics in the development of inflammatory cardiovascular calcification.
Investigation of SOMS and their related perovskites

We are evaluating new metal niobate and silicotitanate ion exchangers for Cs and Sr removal and their related condensed phases as potential ceramic waste forms. The goal of the program is to provide the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) with alternative materials that can exceed the solvent extraction process for removing Cs and Sr from high-level wastes and with technical alternatives for disposal of silicotitanate and niobate based ion exchange materials. One class of the new phases, which are Na 2 Nb 2 -,M IV x6-x(OH) x .H 2 O (M IV = Ti, Zr, x = 0.04 ∼ 0.4, SOMS) and their thermally converted Sr loaded perovskites Na 2-x Sr x Nb 1.6 Ti 0.4 O 5.8+0,5x (0 ≤ x≤ 0.4), have been synthesized and characterized. SOMS exhibits very high Sr selectivity with Kd larger than 99,800 mL/g in the absence of competitive ions such as Na in solution, and about 10 3 mL/g when 0.1M Na presented in solution. This class of SOMS is easily converted to perovskites through low-temperature heat treatment (500 to 600 °C). The thermally converted perovskites exhibit extremely low Sr leach rates, ranging from 2.4 x 10 -7 to 1 x 10 -6 g/m 2 day for 5% to 20% Sr loading over a 7-day leaching period. Fractional Sr release FR% is 0.001% to 0.02% for 5% to 20%Sr loading over the 7-day leaching period. These results indicate SOMS could potentially be used for separating Sr from high-level waste and that their related perovskites could be used as potential ceramic waste forms.
Predictors of Nerve Injury After Gunshot Wounds to the Upper Extremity.

Background: The purpose of this study is to examine the incidence of nerve injury, clinical variables associated with nerve palsy, and predictive factors of nerve laceration after gunshot wounds to the upper extremity. Methods: Forty-one patients from a level I trauma center with gunshot wounds to the upper extremity who underwent surgical exploration between 2007 and 2014 were identified retrospectively. Patients with proximal ipsilateral injuries, inadequate documentation, imaging, or with a pre-existing neurologic deficit were excluded. Patient demographics, clinical sensory and motor examination, the presence of retained bullet fragments, fracture, vascular injury, and compartment syndrome were recorded. Univariate analysis was performed to determine significant predictors of intraoperative nerve laceration. Significance was set at P < .05. Results: Fifty-nine nerves were explored in 41 patients. There were higher frequencies of fractures, retained fragments, vascular injury, and compartment syndrome in patients with nerve palsies, although none were associated with nerve laceration. Patients with palsies on presentation were significantly more likely to have a nerve laceration found intraoperatively. Conclusions: Gunshot wounds to the upper extremity with focal nerve deficits remain a difficult problem for orthopedic surgeons. The present study provides evidence that may help guide operative decision making in treatment of these injuries.
Predicting facial indicators of confusion with hidden Markov models

Affect plays a vital role in learning. During tutoring, particular affective states may benefit or detract from student learning. A key cognitiveaffective state is confusion, which has been positively associated with effective learning. Although identifying episodes of confusion presents significant challenges, recent investigations have identified correlations between confusion and specific facial movements. This paper builds on those findings to create a predictive model of learner confusion during task-oriented human-human tutorial dialogue. The model leverages textual dialogue, task, and facial expression history to predict upcoming confusion within a hidden Markov modeling framework. Analysis of the model structure also reveals meaningful modes of interaction within the tutoring sessions. The results demonstrate that because of its predictive power and rich qualitative representation, the model holds promise for informing the design of affective-sensitive tutoring systems.
Divergence Prediction for Practical Helicopter Slung Loads

Certifying the highest safe speed for an aircraft with a slung load, is life-critical yet daunting. Two flight cases are considered, to test an iterative procedure that predicts the divergence speed from experimental scale model data and simulations. The first is an empty engine canister. The second is a segment of a water-floatable military Ribbon Bridge. In each case, mass, geometry, tether length from a single rotation-bearing attachment, and moments of inertia, come from flight preparations. An initial aerodynamic load map is interpolated and synthesized from a growing library on bluff body aerodynamics. Dynamic simulation with these data predict maximum roll, pitch and yaw angles reached as functions of freestream speed. This yieldw a good initial estimate of critical speeds and dynamics. Model-scale wind tunnel data using our Continuous Rotation method about the required axes, refine simulation. For the engine canister, simulations matched detailed flight test data on maximum trailing and rolling amplitudes over the operational speed range. Trail angle data showed that Reynolds number errors are not significant. In this paper, model-based results explained the correct speed where the ribbobn bridge flight test was stopped. While flight test oscillation amplitude histories depend on initial perturbations of the load, a 15-degree initial amplitude gives conservative results. Ribbon bridge airloads resemble those on a long container but with asymmetries. Dynamic behavior follows the general pattern of an intermediate hump in roll amplitude followed by stable operation at higher speeds until divergence occurs.Copyright © 2016 by ASME
Pharmacokinetics and Dialytic Clearance of Ceftazidime-Avibactam in a Critically Ill Patient on Continuous Venovenous Hemofiltration

Ceftazidime-avibactam administered at 1.25 g every 8 h was used to treat multidrug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteremia in a critically ill patient on continuous venovenous hemofiltration (CVVH). Prefiltration plasma drug concentrations of ceftazidime and avibactam were measured at 0, 1, 2, 4, 6, and 8 h along with postfiltration and ultrafiltrate concentrations at h 2 and h 6. Plasma pharmacokinetic parameters of ceftazidime and avibactam, respectively, were as follows: maximum plasma concentration (Cmax), 61.10 and 14.54 mg/liter; minimum plasma concentration (Cmin), 31.96 and 8.45 mg/liter; half-life (t1/2), 6.07 and 6.78 h; apparent volume of distribution at the steady state (Vss), 27.23 and 30.81 liters; total clearance at the steady state (CLss), 2.87 and 2.95 liters/h; area under the concentration-time curve from 0 to 8 h (AUC0-8), 347.87 and 85.69 mg · h/liter. Concentrations of ceftazidime in plasma exceeded the ceftazidime-avibactam MIC (6 mg/liter) throughout the 8-h dosing interval. Mean CVVH extraction ratios for ceftazidime and avibactam were 14.44% and 11.53%, respectively, and mean sieving coefficients were 0.96 and 0.93, respectively. The calculated mean clearance of ceftazidime by CVVH was 1.64 liters/h and for avibactam was 1.59 liters/h, representing 57.1% of the total clearance of ceftazidime and 54.3% of the total clearance of avibactam. Further data that include multiple patients and dialysis modes are needed to verify the optimal ceftazidime-avibactam dosing strategy during critical illness and CVVH.
A Novel Histone Crosstalk Pathway Important for Regulation of UV-Induced DNA Damage Repair in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Histone post-translational modifications play vital roles in a variety of nuclear processes, including DNA repair. It has been previously shown that histone H3K79 methylation is important for the cellular response to DNA damage caused by ultraviolet (UV) radiation, with evidence that specific methylation states play distinct roles in UV repair. Here, we report that H3K79 methylation is reduced in response to UV exposure in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. This reduction is specific to the dimethylated state, as trimethylation levels are minimally altered by UV exposure. Inhibition of this reduction has a deleterious effect on UV-induced sister chromatid exchange, suggesting that H3K79 dimethylation levels play a regulatory role in UV repair. Further evidence implicates an additional role for H3K79 dimethylation levels in error-free translesion synthesis, but not in UV-induced G1/S checkpoint activation or double-stranded break repair. Additionally, we find that H3K79 dimethylation levels are influenced by acetylatable lysines on the histone H4 N-terminal tail, which are hyperacetylated in response to UV exposure. Preclusion of H4 acetylation prevents UV-induced reduction of H3K79 dimethylation, and similarly has a negative effect on UV-induced sister chromatid exchange. These results point to the existence of a novel histone crosstalk pathway that is important for the regulation of UV-induced DNA damage repair.
Analyzing Trade Growth Effects of Deviations from Long-run Economic Growth

This paper explores the relationship between trade growth and long-run trends in real GDP growth from a purely empirical perspective. Its novelty lies in the way that it models trade growth: as a f...
Understanding Interfacial‐Energy‐Driven Dry Powder Mixing for Solvent‐Free Additive Manufacturing of Li‐Ion Battery Electrodes

Lithium-ion battery electrodes are manufactured using a new additive manufacturing process based on dry powders. By using dry powder-based processing, the solvent and its associated drying processes in conventional battery process can be removed, allowing for large-scale Li-ion battery production to be more economically viable in markets such as automotive energy storage systems. Uniform mixing distribution of the additive materials throughout the active material is the driving factor for manufacturing dry powder-based Li-ion batteries. Therefore, this article focuses on developing a physical model based on interfacial energies to understand the mixing characteristics of the dry mixed particulate materials. The mixing studies show that functional electrodes can be manufactured using dry processing with binder and conductive additive materials as low as 1 wt% due to the uniformly distributed particles. Electrochemical performance of the dry manufactured electrodes with reduced conductive and binder additive is promising as the cells retained 77% capacity after 100 cycles. While not representative of the best possible electrochemical performance of Li-ion batteries, the achieved electrochemical performance of the reduced conductive and binder additive electrodes with LiCoO2 as the active material confirms the well distributed nature of the additive particles throughout the electrode matrix.
Examining the antecedents and consequences of mobile app engagement

Abstract Understanding how and why consumers engage with mobile apps is critical to the success of ubiquitous mobile marketing. This study proposed and tested a structural model to investigate the antecedents and consequences of mobile app engagement. Results show that time convenience, interactivity, and compatibility positively influenced mobile app engagement, in turn leading to strong relationship commitment and self-brand connections. Furthermore, informational and experiential mobile apps moderated the effects of time convenience, interactivity, and compatibility on mobile app engagement. Theoretical and practical implications for effective app engagement strategies are discussed.
Of Monsters and Men: Exploring Serial Murderers’ Discourses of Neutralization

Techniques of neutralization are used by petty and serious criminals to verbally account for their behavior, mitigate responsibility, and socially construct identity. Since serial killers often app...
Intraoperative electroencephalogram suppression at lower volatile anaesthetic concentrations predicts postoperative delirium occurring in the intensive care unit

Abstract Background Postoperative delirium is a common complication associated with increased morbidity and mortality. A recently-reported association between intraoperative electroencephalogram suppression and postoperative delirium might be mediated in some patients by a heightened sensitivity to volatile anaesthetics. Methods This retrospective cohort study included 618 elective surgery patients with planned intensive care unit admission, who also received intraoperative electroencephalogram monitoring and had delirium assessments documented in the medical record. Sensitivity to volatile anaesthetics was assessed using a mixed effects model predicting the likelihood of electroencephalogram suppression at each time point based on the current end-tidal anaesthetic concentration. Patients with a random intercept above the population median (electroencephalogram suppression at lower anaesthetic concentrations) were classified as having heightened sensitivity to volatile anaesthetics. Delirium was defined as a positive Confusion Assessment Method for the Intensive Care Unit assessment anytime in the first five postoperative days. Results Postoperative delirium was observed in 162 of 618 patients (26%). Patients who experienced electroencephalogram suppression at lower volatile anaesthetic concentrations had a higher incidence of postoperative delirium [109/309 (35%)] than other patients [53/309 (17%)] [unadjusted odds ratio 2.63; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.81–3.84, P Conclusions These data support the hypothesis that patients with electroencephalogram suppression at lower volatile anaesthetic concentrations have an increased incidence of postoperative delirium. Such patients appear to exhibit a phenotype of anaesthetic sensitivity, which might predispose them to adverse cognitive outcomes.
Who Wants to Teach a Diverse Student Body? Community College Missions and the Faculty Search Committee

ABSTRACTThe increasing diversity of the student bodies of community colleges calls for faculty who are motivated and equipped to educate them. This diversity is a product of the common theme community colleges share in their missions that espouses providing access to education for all members of their local communities. The faculty search committee plays a crucial role in identifying candidates for full-time faculty positions, and further awareness of the implications of their missions for the search process is warranted. The steps that faculty search committees navigate are reconsidered with an eye toward the impact that consideration of the community college mission could have on the process.
Criticality in the Brain: Evidence and Implications for Neuromorphic Computing.

We have discovered an unexpected correlation between the operational temperature of the brain and cognitive abilities across a wide variety of animal species. This correlation is extracted from available data in the literature of the temperature range ΔT at which an animal’s brain can operate and its encephalization quotient EQ, which can be used as a proxy for cognitive ability. In particular, we found a power-law dependence between ΔT and EQ. These data support the theory that the brain behaves as a critical system where temperature is one of the critical parameters, tuning the performance of the neural network.
Photolysis of vic-triazoles.

Photolytic cleavage of vic-triazole ring when unsubstituted at N, finding phenylacetonitrile production mechanism
Infiltrative Cardiovascular Diseases: Cardiomyopathies That Look Alike

Infiltrative cardiomyopathies are characterized by the deposition of abnormal substances that cause the ventricular walls to become progressively rigid, thereby impeding ventricular filling. Some infiltrative cardiac diseases increase ventricular wall thickness, while others cause chamber enlargement with secondary wall thinning. Increased wall thickness, small ventricular volume, and occasional dynamic left ventricular outflow obstruction (e.g., amyloidosis) can outwardly appear similar to conditions with true myocyte hypertrophy (e.g., hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, hypertensive heart disease). Likewise, infiltrative disease that presents with a dilated left ventricle with global or regional wall motion abnormalities and aneurysm formation (e.g., sarcoidosis) may mimic ischemic cardiomyopathy. Low-voltage QRS complex was the sine qua non of infiltrative cardiomyopathy (i.e., cardiac amyloid). However, low-voltage QRS complex is not a uniform finding with the infiltrative cardiomyopathies. The clinical presentation, along with functional and morphologic features, often provides enough insight to establish a working diagnosis. In most circumstances, however, tissue or serologic evaluation is needed to validate or clarify the cardiac diagnosis and institute appropriate therapy.
User-Defined Data Objects

The array, discussed in Chapter 6, is a simple example of a user-defined data object that is implemented in C and other high-level languages. It is also possible to construct other kinds of user-defined data objects within a program. The purpose of doing so is to simplify the representation and management of related pieces of information. As an example, think of a card file that contains information about chemicals—their names, symbols, molecular weights, etc. Each card contains information for a specific chemical, so all the information on each card is related. It doesn’t make sense to store each fact about each chemical on separate sets of cards—all the names on one set, all the symbols on another set, and so forth. For this problem, the basic conceptual storage unit is a single card containing all the information about a single chemical, not each value on the card.
Functional Data Analysis with an Application in the Capital Structure of California Hospitals

This chapter introduces functional data analysis, a relatively new technique for data analysis in Business Analytics. The distinct feature of this technique is that it deals with smooth functions or processes, which generate the discretized data sample that we observe. The functional approach allows us to flexibly model system dynamics, to analyze observations with measurement errors, and to fit data with sparse observations. We illustrate the application of functional data analysis in the capital structure of California hospitals. We also point out the functional data analysis application in business research and future research directions.
Management of pulmonary embolism at a large academic hospital.

The initial management of patients presenting with acute pulmonary embolism (PE) is individualized based on hemodynamic status and other prognostic factors. Patients at low risk of adverse outcomes...
Enzymic synthesis of deoxyribonucleic acid: XVII. Some unusual physical properties of the product primed by native DNA templates

Extensive replication of a helical DNA produces a complex of primer and product which can be dissociated by denaturing treatments. The physical characteristics of the enzymic product resemble those of a native DNA except in two ways: (1) an unusual capacity to resume a helical conformation after denaturing treatments (“non-denaturability”); and (2) appearance of a branched structure in the electron microscope. Exposure of the enzymic product to extensive protease, mild nuclease or prolonged heating treatment fails to alter its “non-denaturability”. These and other studies suggest that in the replication of native DNA the new strands are not covalently linked to the primer and that a “multiple hairpin” or “pleated” structure may develop which recovers considerable helicity following denaturing treatments. By contrast, these and other studies (described by Richardson, Inman & Kornberg, 1964 a ) also indicate that in the repair of partially single-stranded DNA, the new strands are covalently linked to the primer and appear to have all the physical properties of naturally occurring DNA.
Illegal fishing and trafficked labor: an examination of policies to address the intersection of prosperity and exploitation

Human exploitation in the seafood industry is a complex transnational problem jeopardizing human rights and marine ecosystems. Labor trafficking, environmental sustainability, aquaculture, and socio-economic development interact interdependently, and form a large system with multiple decision makers with conflicting goals. We present the results of a System Dynamics simulation model which incorporates resource management of fish stocks and illicit labor markets. Using this model we examine the implications on trafficked labor of several policies including: imposing an excise tax, trafficking prevention campaigns, and increased policing.
Patient-Centered Medical (Health) Home: Nursing Theory-Guided Policy Perspectives:

Nurses have provided care to individuals, families, and communities, since its "official" founding by Nightingale. Over time, nurses have carved out their unique contributions to serving others by articulating the knowledge needed to practice in a variety of settings so that the "work" of nurses is differentiated from other healthcare professionals. One broad area of practice where nurses serve diverse populations is the Patient-Centered Medical or health Home. The purpose of this paper is to examine patient-centered health (medical) homes (PCHH) and the ways in which nursing theory may guide the principles and policies of PCCHs.
CR-39 nuclear track detector response to inertial confinement fusion relevant ions.

The detection properties of CR-39 were investigated for protons, deuterons, and tritons of various energies. Two models for the relationship between the track diameter and particle energy are presented and demonstrated to match experimental data for all three species. Data demonstrate that CR-39 has 100% efficiency for protons between 1 MeV and 4 MeV, deuterons between 1 MeV and 12.2 MeV, and tritons between 1 MeV and 10 MeV. The true upper bounds for deuterons and tritons exceed what could be measured in data. Simulations were developed to further explore the properties of CR-39 and suggest that the diameter–energy relationship of alpha particles cannot be captured by the conventional c-parameter model. These findings provide confidence in CR-39 track diameter based spectroscopy of all three species and provide invaluable insight for designing filtering for all CR-39 based diagnostics.
Modeling proton-exchange-membrane fuel cell performance/degradation tradeoffs with chemical scavengers

One of the primary limiting factors for proton-exchange-membrane (PEM) fuel-cell lifetime is membrane degradation driven by operational stressors such as generation of highly reactive radical species, which result in cell failure and voltage decay. To extend the lifetime of the membrane, cerium ions are added to the membrane to mitigate the effects of chemical degradation by scavenging radicals produced by crossover of reactant gases across the chemical degradation during PEMFC operation, the cerium ions also lead to a decrease in performance due to changes in the membrane transport properties and possible site blockage in the catalyst layers. In this paper, a full-cell, transient performance and durability model is presented in which a micro-kinetic framework accounts for gas crossover induced degradation and concentrated-solution theory describes transport in the PEM. The transport model takes into account the coupled nature of the electrochemical driving forces that cause transport of cerium ions, protons, and water. The cell model predicts the migration of cerium out of the membrane and into the catalyst layers and its impact on performance. A comparison between dilute-solution-theory and concentrated-solution-theory models shows how water management in the cell also effects cerium distribution, where higher relative humidity leads to better retention of cerium in the membrane. A voltage loss breakdown shows that cerium leads to performance losses in the cell both by decreasing proton activity and by modifying transport properties of water and protons through the membrane. Transient simulations show that the optimal tradeoff between performance and durability metrics is reached at low cerium concentrations in the membrane (less than 1% of membrane sulfonic acid sites occupied by cerium for our analysis). Finally, analysis of membrane thickness and catalyst layer thickness as design parameters shows that thicker membranes and thinner catalyst layers best optimize both performance and durability.
Enumerating High Numbers of Fluorophores from Photobleaching Experiments: a Bayesian Nonparametrics Approach

Abstract Determining the number of biomolecules within a small, diffraction-limited spot, is key to understanding intermolecular interactions that form the basis of all of information processing relevant to life. To enumerate the number of biomolecules within such a small region of interest (ROI), it is possible to illuminate an ROI containing a collection of fluorescently labeled biomolecules and observe the ROI’s brightness over time. As most fluorescent labels (fluorophores) are initially in a fluorescently active state, the brightness diminishes in a step-like pattern as fluorophores photobleach one at a time. Naively, by counting steps, one could determine the number of fluorophores present. However, this analysis is complicated by photon shot noise, camera noise that amplifies intrinsic photon shot noise and fluorophore photophysics (i.e., states with variable emission visited by fluorophores). Current state of the art can typically enumerate as many as 20 fluorophores reliably. Yet in many biophysics problems, fluorophore numbers can vastly exceed 20 within an ROI. For this reason, we develop a method to learn the number of fluorophores alongside other parameters required to achieve high counts simultaneously and self-consistently (e.g., fluorophore photophysical rate parameters and camera parameters). As the number of fluorophores is initially unknown and may be very large, and as not all fluorophores may initially be emitting photons, we cannot rely on a traditional (parametric) Bayesian framework. As such, to achieve our goal of exceeding the state of the art by a factor of about 5, we must abandon the parametric Bayesian paradigm and invoke novel tools within Bayesian nonparametrics never previously used in step counting by photobleaching.
Black hole growth and the M BH –bulge relations

We present the black hole mass–bulge velocity dispersion relation for a complete sample of 75 soft X-ray selected AGNs. We find that the AGNs with highest accretion rates relative to Eddington lie below the M BH –σ relation of broad line Seyfert 1s, confirming the Mathur et al. (2001) result. The statistical result is robust and not due to any systematic measurement error. This has important consequences towards our understanding of black hole formation and growth: black holes grow by accretion in well formed bulges. As they grow, they get closer to the M BH –σ relation for normal galaxies. The accretion is highest in the beginning and dwindles as time goes by. Our result does not support theories of the M BH –σ relation in which the black hole mass is a constant fraction of the bulge mass/velocity dispersion at all times or those in which bulge growth is controlled by AGN feedback. To search for other articles by the author(s) go to: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html
The Other Prophet: Jesus in the Qur’an

The Other Prophet: Jesus in the Qur’an is a unique contribution to the field of Islamic–Christian studies. Co-authored by a Muslim (Mouhanad Khordiche) and a Christian (Klaus von Stosch), both scho...
A MATEMÁTICA VAI À ESCOLA

Apresentam-se resultados prelimina res de um projeto de acoes inte gradas, cujoobjetivo esta no desenvolvimento de atividades voltadas ao ens ino de Matematicaentre alunos em fase inicial de escolarizacao, obedecendo a uma problematicaassociada a dificuldades de aprendizagem da matematica de base. Os resultados,oriundos das observacoes frente as intervencoes ja realizadas e do tratamento dainformacao advinda de questionarios aplicados com as professoras das turmas deintervecao , indicam significativa m udanca na motivacao dos alunos para o os estudoestudos, deficits na formacao das professoras, entre outros aspectos que podem contribuir para repensar curriculo, formacao docente e formas de trabalho no tocante aAlfabetizacao Matematica.
Pheochromocytoma

The only definitive therapy for patients with pheochromocytoma is surgical resection [1,2]. Advances in preoperative medical management of hypertension/hypovolemia and improved intraoperative anesthetic care have reduced the operative mortality rate for pheochromocytoma to less than 5% in most series [3]. In addition, accurate preoperative localization studies have eliminated the need for extensive exploratory laparotomy. Focused approach and laparoscopic resection have become the new “gold standard,” with a reduced morbidity [4]. Large or locally invasive pheochromocytomas may still require open resection.
A lifting of the Goulden-Jackson cluster method to the Malvenuto-Reutenauer algebra

The Goulden-Jackson cluster method is a powerful tool for counting words by occurrences of prescribed subwords, and was adapted by Elizalde and Noy for counting permutations by occurrences of prescribed consecutive patterns. In this paper, we lift the cluster method for permutations to the Malvenuto-Reutenauer algebra. Upon applying standard homomorphisms, our result specializes to both the cluster method for permutations as well as a q-analogue which keeps track of the inversion number statistic. We construct additional homomorphisms using the theory of shuffle-compatibility, leading to further specializations which keep track of various "inverse statistics", including the inverse descent number, inverse peak number, and inverse left peak number. This approach is then used to derive formulas for counting permutations by occurrences of two families of consecutive patterns -- monotone patterns and transpositional patterns -- refined by these statistics.
Vehicle-to-Vehicle Collaborative Graph-Based Proprioceptive Localization

Proprioceptive localization (PL) refers to robot or vehicle egocentric localization methods that do not rely on the perception and recognition of external landmarks. These methods depend on a prior map and proprioceptive sensors such as inertial measurement units and/or wheel encoders. PL is intended to be a low-cost and fallback solution when everything else fails due to bad weather or poor environmental conditions. With the development of communication technology, vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication enables information exchange between vehicles. It becomes possible to leverage V2V communication to develop a multiple vehicle/robot collaborative localization scheme. Named as collaborative graph-based proprioceptive localization (C-GBPL), we extract heading-length sequence from the trajectory as features. When rendezvousing with other vehicles, the ego vehicle aggregates the features from others and forms a merged query graph. We match the query graph with a pre-processed heading-length graph (HLG) abstracted from a prior map to localize the vehicle under a graph-to-graph matching approach. We have implemented our algorithm and tested it in both simulated and physical experiments. The C-GBPL algorithm significantly outperforms its single-vehicle counterpart in localization speed and robustness to trajectory and map degeneracy.
Opportunities for reducing the supply chain water footprint of metals used in consumer electronics

Abstract Consumer electronics contain a broad spectrum of materials whose production requires water and potentially discharges contaminants into the water supply, exacerbating freshwater scarcity and pollution. These water impacts have not yet been fully studied, as much of the literature on consumer electronics focuses on supply chain energy or carbon footprint. This study evaluates life cycle water consumption and degradation impacts associated with extracting and producing base, precious, hazardous, and critical metals that are typically found in electronic products. Water impacts were analyzed for individual metals and for the representative material profile of smartphones and laptop computers to identify “hotspots” for future improvement. Results indicate that, at the level of individual materials, precious metals have the highest impacts, due to water consumed directly for mining operations and indirectly for energy production, and water degradation attributed to metal emissions during mine tailings management. At the product level, precious metals also have the highest contribution per smartphone, whereas aluminum has a higher contribution per laptop, accounting for about 40% of the total water scarcity footprint. On the other hand, for water quality impacts, precious metals are responsible for the highest contributions for both products. Scenarios are evaluated to assess improvement potential associated with product design changes, including alternate supply chains, material substitution, and use of recycled content. The greatest potential opportunities for reducing water impacts were sourcing metals from lower water scarcity regions (19% reduction over the baseline water scarcity footprint) and increasing recycled content to the maximum theoretical potential (20% reduction).
Blocking in human place learning: Evidence from virtual navigation

The associative conditioning phenomenon of blocking has recently been demonstrated in nonhuman place-learning paradigms, including the Morris water task (MWT). We demonstrate blocking in humans learning to place navigate in a computerized version of the MWT. Participants trained to locate an invisible goal with an initial set of distal cues were deficient in learning to locate the goal with a set of cues inserted later during training. This outcome is inconsistent with the spontaneous integration of novel environmental features into a unified spatial representation proposed by cognitive mapping theory (O’Keefe & Nadel, 1978) and suggests that error-correcting associative learning principles operate in the human spatial mapping system.
Manipulation of metabolism in complex eukaryotic systems to control cellular state

The regulation of metabolism is critical to many important cellular processes in higher eukaryotes, and metabolites themselves can have significant regulatory potential in complex phenotypes. Thus, external control of metabolism for both biotechnological and biomedical ends is of great importance. There has been increasing emphasis on using non-genetic approaches for direct, transient control of metabolism and cellular state, with particularly promising applications in stem cell biomanufacturing and cancer. Metabolite-based methods have been used to facilitate expansion of stem cells, to control and prevent their differentiation, and to reprogram cells to a pluripotent state. Similar approaches are also being explored to inhibit the growth of cancer cells.
Integrating Religious Principles and Human Resource Management Activities

Many ethical problems faced by organizations concern human resource management. This paper shows how some religious principles can be integrated into a human resource management course. First, it presents a discussion of employee responsibilities and rights in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Next, it suggests how various principles can be applied to human resource management activities. “Do to others as you would have them do to you” is applied to equal opportunity. “Thou shall not commit sexual impropriety” (or in positive terms, “respect and love”) is the basis for no sexual harassment. “Thou shall not steal” (or in positive terms, “deal fairly”) is related to fair pay in exchange for excellent employee performance. “Thou shall not lie” (or in positive terms, “be truthful”) is needed for due process in employee disputes. “Thou shall not kill” (or in positive terms, “respect life”) is applied to employee safety and health, plus health care benefits. A list of potential readings is included for instructors to consider for their own courses.
Disk Drive I/O Commands and Write Blocking

A write blocker allows read-only access to digital data on a secondary storage device by placing a hardware or software filter between the host computer and the storage device. The filter monitors I/O commands sent from the application on the host computer, only allowing commands to the device that make no changes to its data. This paper examines the I/O commands used to access secondary storage devices and discusses their implications for BIOS-based and hardware-based write blockers.
In vitro studies of beating heart cells in culture. XIV. Reversible changes in the level of myosin adenosinetriphosphatase.

Abstract Cell division leads to an increase in total myosin ATPase but a decrease in the activity relative to the total protein. Cultures in Complete Growth Medium which are specifically inhibited from cell division by colchicine or irradiation maintain a constant myosin ATPase level. However, cells unable to divide because of a serum protein deficiency rapidly lose myosin ATPase. This loss can be reversed by adding serum protein to the medium even in the presence of colchicine. Thus, an increase in myosin ATPase occurs in response to a serum protein factor in the absence of cell division.
A Profitability Analysis of Investment of Peach and Apple Growing in Turkey

This study was conducted to determine profitability and feasibility of fruit farms by investment analysis in Tokat - Turkey. The criteria of Net Present Value (NPV ), Cost-Benefit Ratio (CBR) and Internal Rate of Return (IRR) were used for investment analysis. Three different discount rates (10%, 8% and 5%) were used to get the NPV and CBR for peach and apple. The NPV for peach were found to be positive (1113.6 $/da; 1454.7 $/da; and 2156.2 $/da). Also the NPV for apple were found to be positive (574.2 $/da; 805.4 $/da; and 1342.9 $/da). In addition to that, the CBR for peach were bigger than 1 (1.38; 1.43 and 1.51) and the CBR for apple were bigger than 1 (1.23; 1.27 and 1.33). The IRR for peach was 25.05 percent and 22.12 for apple. According to the results that were achieved by the study, it could be conducted that the investment is economically feasible. In the light of the findings of the present study, it can be perceived that the fruit farming can be one of the most important income sources for the farmers growing fruit in the research region in Turkey.
Sport Spectator Seating: ADA Accessibility in Existing Facilities

After having to watch her son's football game from a paved area adjacent to the stands due to the bleacher area being only accessible through the use of stairs, the defendant, who uses a wheelchair, filed suit against the school district alleging that the conditions for spectators violated the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.
The electric polarizability of the neutron in the static meson theory

Abstract The electric polarizability of the neutron is recalculated in the framework of the static meson theory. The recalculated values of the electric polarizability are α = 1.1 × 10−42 cm3 for a Gaussian cut-off with momentum kc = 5.6 meson mass, and α = 1.0 × 10−42 cm3 for an inverse square cut-off with the same cut-off momentum. These values are almost half of those which were obtained by Barashenkov and Barbashov.
Atrial natriuretic peptide regulation of endothelial permeability is mediated by cGMP.

Abstract Previous studies in our laboratory showed that ANP inhibits increases in endothelial monolayer permeability to macromolecules induced by thrombin. In this present study, we investigated the second messenger system involved in the influence of ANP on monolayer permeability. In bovine aortic endothelial cells (BAEC), ANP (100 nM) caused increased cGMP levels which were measurable at 30 sec and maximal at 3 min. Addition of 8-bromo cGMP (1 mM) to BAEC monolayers mimicked the actions of ANP by inhibiting thrombin- mediated increases in permeability to [125I]-labeled bovine serum albumin. Inhibition of increases in permeability by lower concentrations of ANP was enhanced by the cGMP-selective phosphodiesterase inhibitor, M&B 22948 (100 μM). The use of ANP structural analogs which stimulate cGMP production (AP III or BNP) prevented thrombin-induced increases in monolayer permeability, whereas AP-I, which does not increase cGMP levels, was ineffective.
Diurnal and Seasonal Changes in Water Balance of Acer saccharum and Betula papyrifera

Diurnal and seasonal changes in plant water potential, leaf diffusion resistance, and stem radial changes of Acer saccharum and Betula papyrifera trees were studied in northern Wisconsin during the 1974 and 1975 growing seasons. Water potential decreased during the day, following relatively high values in the morning, and increased in the late afternoon and evening. Diurnal patterns and actual values of water potential varied with species, soil water availability, and factors influencing transpiration (e.g., solar radiation, vapor pressure deficit, and transpiration flux density). When plant water deficits were not severe, leaf resistance of both species was rather stable during the day. During severe droughts, however, leaf resistance increased (stomata closed) during the day when light intensity was high. Leaf resistance at high light intensity was higher in Acer than in Betula. Stomatal closure with decreasing light intensity varied between species and among Acer trees. Tree stems of both species shrank during the day, as internal water deficits developed, and they expanded as trees rehydrated during the night. Stems of Acer shrank more than those of Betula. The amount of daily stem shrinkage increased as the season progressed if the trees were not under severe water deficits. During severe droughts the amount of diurnal stem shrinkage decreased. Shrinkage of stems lagged behind water potential changes by 1 to 2 h in Acer and less than 1 h in Betula. The relationship between stem radius and leaf water potential was not constant throughout the growing season.
Variants of the CFC1 gene in patients with laterality defects associated with congenital cardiac disease.

Objectives: This study was designed to assess the frequency and types of genetic variants in CFC1 in children with laterality disorders associated with cardiovascular involvement. Background: Laterality syndromes are estimated to comprise 3% of neonates with congenital cardiac disease. Genetic predisposition in some cases of laterality defects has been suggested by associated chromosomal anomalies and familial aggregation, often within consanguineous families, suggesting autosomal recessive inheritance. Mice with induced homozygous mutations in cfc1, and heterozygous CFC1 mutations in humans, have been associated with laterality defects. Methods: Direct sequence analysis of the coding sequence of CFC1 was performed in 42 subjects with laterality defects and congenital cardiac disease. Results: We identified 3 synonymous coding variants, 3 non-synonymous coding variants (N21H, R47Q, and R78W), and 2 intronic variants in CFC1. The N21H variant was observed in 3 of 19 affected Caucasians, and the R47Q variant in another 2. Neither polymorphism was observed in Caucasian controls. Furthermore, all subjects with the N21H polymorphism had double outlet right ventricle. Transmission of both the N21H and R47Q polymorphisms from unaffected parents was demonstrated, and all three non-synonymous variants had significant allele frequencies in unaffected African-American subjects, suggesting that other factors must also contribute to laterality defects. Conclusions: Three non-synonymous variants in CFC1 were identified, the N21H variant being associated with laterality defects in Caucasians, but not fully penetrant. One or more of these non-synonymous missense variants may act as a susceptibility allele in conjunction with other genes, and/or environmental factors, to cause laterality defects.
Effect of picosecond-laser-driven shock waves on spontaneous and stimulated emissions in GaSe.

Shock waves in GaSe semiconductors were produced by high-power picosecond laser pulses. Spontaneous and stimulated emissions in GaSe were used to probe the effect of shock waves. Under the laser-driven shock loading, a 24-nm spectral red-shift of the spontaneous-emission peak position, which corresponds to 14-kbar shock pressure, was detected. Significant line broadening of the spontaneous emission is attributed to the shock-wave-induced collision mechanism. The observed larger red-shift of 36 nm and the intensity decrease of the stimulated-emission peak were explained by the shock-wave-induced band-gap shrinkage through the gain-reduction mechanism based on the exciton-exciton scattering process in GaSe.