cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Perfluorononanoic acid impedes mouse oocyte maturation by inducing mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress.

Abstract Perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA), a member of PFAS, is frequently detected in human blood and tissues, even in follicular fluid of women. The exposure of PFNA, but not PFOA and PFOS, is positively correlated with miscarriage and increased time to pregnancy. Toxicological studies indicated that PFNA exposure is associated with immunotoxicity, hepatotoxicity, developmental toxicity, and reproductive toxicity in animals. However, there is little information regarding the toxic effects of PFNA on oocyte maturation. In this study, we investigated the toxic effects of PFNA exposure on mouse oocyte maturation in vitro. Our results showed that 600 μM PFNA significantly inhibited germinal vesicle breakdown (GVBD) and polar body extrusion (PBE) in mouse oocytes. Our further study revealed that PFNA induced abnormal metaphase I (MI) spindle assembly, evidenced by malformed spindles and mislocalization of p-ERK1/2 in PFNA-treated oocytes. We also found that PFNA induced abnormal mitochondrial distribution and increased mitochondrial membrane potential. Consequently, PFNA increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels, leading to oxidative stress, DNA damage, and eventually early-stage apoptosis in oocytes. In addition, after 14 h culture, PFNA disrupted the formation of metaphase II (MII) spindle in most PFNA-treated oocytes with polar bodies. Collectively, our results indicate that PFNA interferes with oocyte maturation in vitro via disrupting spindle assembly, damaging mitochondrial functions, and inducing oxidative stress, DNA damage, and early-stage apoptosis.
Efficient Estimation for Random Dot Product Graphs via a One-Step Procedure

We propose a one-step procedure to estimate the latent positions in random dot product graphs efficiently. Unlike the classical spectral-based methods, the proposed one-step procedure takes advanta...
Reduced-basis technique for evaluating the sensitivity coefficients of the nonlinear tire response

An efficient reduced-basis technique is presented for calculating the sensitivity of nonlinear tire response to variations in the desin variables. The tire is discretized by using three-field mixed finite element models. The vector of structural response and its first- and second-order sensitivity coefficients (derivatives with respect to design variables) are each expressed as linear combinations of a small number of basis (or global approximation) vectors. The Bubnov-Galerkin technique is then used to approximate each of the finite element equations governing the response and the sensitivity coefficients, by a small number of algebraic equations in the amplitudes of these vectors
Reel life vs. real life: how software developers share their daily life through vlogs

Software developers are turning to vlogs (video blogs) to share what a day is like to walk in their shoes. Through these vlogs developers share a rich perspective of their technical work as well their personal lives. However, does the type of activities portrayed in vlogs differ from activities developers in the industry perform? Would developers at a software company prefer to show activities to different extents if they were asked to share about their day through vlogs? To answer these questions, we analyzed 130 vlogs by software developers on YouTube and conducted a survey with 335 software developers at a large software company. We found that although vlogs present traditional development activities such as coding and code peripheral activities (11%), they also prominently feature wellness and lifestyle related activities (47.3%) that have not been reflected in previous software engineering literature. We also found that developers at the software company were inclined to share more non-coding tasks (e.g., personal projects, time spent with family and friends, and health) when asked to create a mock-up vlog to promote diversity. These findings demonstrate a shift in our understanding of how software developers are spending their time and find valuable to share publicly. We discuss how vlogs provide a more complete perspective of software development work and serve as a valuable source of data for empirical research.
Dispersion and Dilution of Jet Aircraft Exhaust at High-Altitude Flight Conditions

A method is presented for estimating the dispersion and dilution of jet aircraft exhaust from aircraft passage through times on the order of weeks thereafter. In the near wake of the aircraft, the solution is that for round turbulent jets in a parallel flow. More rapid dispersion due to atmospheric effects begins when the scale-dependent eddy viscosity becomes larger than the turbulent jet eddy viscosity. In the far wake region, the solution approaches that for scale-dependent dispersion from a point source moving with the aircraft. Calculations are presented for supersonic aircraft at high altitude flight conditions.
Advantages of NOMA for Multi-User BackCom Networks

Ambient backscatter communication (BackCom) is faced with the challenge that a single BackCom device can occupy multiple orthogonal resource blocks unintentionally. As a result, in order to avoid co-channel interference, a conventional approach is to serve multiple BackCom devices in different time slots, which reduces both spectral efficiency and connectivity. This letter demonstrates that the use of non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) can efficiently improve the system throughput and support massive connectivity in ambient BackCom networks. In particular, two transceiver design approaches are developed in the letter to realize different tradeoffs between system performance and complexity.
Quantitative proteomic and metabolomic profiling reveals altered mitochondrial metabolism and folate biosynthesis pathways in the aging Drosophila eye

Abstract Aging is associated with increased risk of ocular disease, suggesting that age-associated molecular changes in the eye increase its vulnerability to damage. Although there are common pathways involved in aging at an organismal level, different tissues and cell types exhibit specific changes in gene expression with advanced age. Drosophila melanogaster is an established model system for studying aging and neurodegenerative disease that also provides a valuable model for studying age-associated ocular disease. Flies, like humans, exhibit decreased visual function and increased risk of retinal degeneration with age. Here, we profiled the aging proteome and metabolome of the Drosophila eye and compared these data with age-associated transcriptomic changes from both eyes and photoreceptors to identify alterations in pathways that could lead to age-related phenotypes in the eye. Of note, the proteomic and metabolomic changes observed in the aging eye are distinct from those observed in the head or whole fly, suggesting that tissue-specific changes in protein abundance and metabolism occur in the aging fly. Our integration of the proteomic, metabolomic, and transcriptomic data reveals that changes in metabolism, potentially due to decreases in availability of B vitamins, together with chronic activation of the immune response, may underpin many of the events observed in the aging Drosophila eye. We propose that targeting these pathways in the genetically tractable Drosophila system may help to identify potential neuroprotective approaches for neurodegenerative and age-related ocular diseases. Data are available via ProteomeXchange with identifier PXD027090.
Generalized Topic Modeling

Recently there has been significant activity in developing algorithms with provable guarantees for topic modeling. In standard topic models, a topic (such as sports, business, or politics) is viewed as a probability distribution $\vec a_i$ over words, and a document is generated by first selecting a mixture $\vec w$ over topics, and then generating words i.i.d. from the associated mixture $A{\vec w}$. Given a large collection of such documents, the goal is to recover the topic vectors and then to correctly classify new documents according to their topic mixture. In this work we consider a broad generalization of this framework in which words are no longer assumed to be drawn i.i.d. and instead a topic is a complex distribution over sequences of paragraphs. Since one could not hope to even represent such a distribution in general (even if paragraphs are given using some natural feature representation), we aim instead to directly learn a document classifier. That is, we aim to learn a predictor that given a new document, accurately predicts its topic mixture, without learning the distributions explicitly. We present several natural conditions under which one can do this efficiently and discuss issues such as noise tolerance and sample complexity in this model. More generally, our model can be viewed as a generalization of the multi-view or co-training setting in machine learning.
What to make of the Kaldor-Verdoorn law?

The Kaldor-Verdoorn law refers to a positive but less than one-for-one relationship between the growth rates of output and labor productivity, with causality running from the former to the latter. Empirical research has affirmed such a relationship and have found that the Kaldor-Verdoorn coefficient lies between 0 and 1. But the interpretation of this finding remains unclear. In this paper, we present a model to derive the Kaldor-Verdoorn law. Our results show that the Kaldor-Verdoorn coefficient is jointly determined by the elasticity of factor substitution, labor supply elasticity, the profit share and the increasing returns to scale (or demand-induced technical change) parameter. Hence, estimated Kaldor-Verdoorn coefficients cannot be used, on their own, to infer the presence of aggregate increasing returns to scale - other than in very special cases. We also show that, perhaps surprisingly, an economy without aggregate increasing returns to scale (or without any demand-induced technical progress) can generate a Kaldor-Verdoorn coefficient that lies between 0 and 1.
Molecular competition can shape enhancer activity in the Drosophila embryo

Summary Transgenic reporters allow the measurement of regulatory DNA activity in vivo and consequently have long been useful tools for studying enhancers. Despite their utility, few studies have investigated the effects these reporters may have on the expression of other genes. Understanding these effects is required to accurately interpret reporter data and characterize gene regulatory mechanisms. By measuring the expression of Kruppel (Kr) enhancer reporters in live Drosophila embryos, we find reporters inhibit one another’s expression and that of a nearby endogenous gene. Using synthetic transcription factor (TF) binding site arrays, we present evidence that competition for TFs is partially responsible for the observed transcriptional inhibition. We develop a simple thermodynamic model that predicts competition of the measured magnitude specifically when TF binding is restricted to distinct nuclear subregions. Our findings underline an unexpected role of the non-homogenous nature of the nucleus in regulating gene expression.
Prediction of the number of COVID-19 confirmed cases based on K-means-LSTM

Abstract COVID-19 is a pandemic disease that began to rapidly spread in the US, with the first case detected on January 19, 2020, in Washington State. March 9, 2020, and then quickly increased with total cases of 25,739 as of April 20, 2020. Although most people with coronavirus 81%, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), will have little to mild symptoms, others may rely on a ventilator to breathe or not at all. SEIR models have broad applicability in predicting the outcome of the population with a variety of diseases. However, many researchers use these models without validating the necessary hypotheses. Far too many researchers often “overfit” the data by using too many predictor variables and small sample sizes to create models. Models thus developed are unlikely to stand validity check on a separate group of population and regions. The researcher remains unaware that overfitting has occurred, without attempting such validation. In the paper, we present a combination algorithm that combines similar days features selection based on the region using Xgboost, K-Means, and long short-term memory (LSTM) neural networks to construct a prediction model (i.e., K-Means-LSTM) for short-term COVID-19 cases forecasting in Louisana state USA. The weighted k-means algorithm based on extreme gradient boosting is used to evaluate the similarity between the forecasts and past days. The results show that the method with K-Means-LSTM has a higher accuracy with an RMSE of 601.20 whereas the SEIR model with an RMSE of 3615.83.
Nickel-hydrogen batteries - An overview

This article on nickel-hydrogen batteries is an overview of the various nickel-hydrogen battery design options, technical accomplishments, validation test results, and trends. There is more than one nickel-hydrogen battery design, each having its advantage for specific applications. The major battery designs are Individual Pressure Vessel (IPV), Common Pressure Vessel (CPV), bipolar, and low-pressure metal hydride. State-of-the-art nickel-hydrogen batteries are replacing nickel-cadmium batteries in almost all geosynchronous Earth orbit applications requiring power above 1 kW. However, for the more severe Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) applications (greater than 30,000 cycles), the current cycle life of 4000-10,000 cycles at 60 - 80 % DOD should be improved. A NASA Lewis Research Center innovative advanced design IPV nickel-hydrogen cell led to a breakthrough in cycle life enabling LEO applications at deep Depths of Discharge (DOD). A trend for some future satellites is to increase the power level to greater than 6 kW. Another trend is to decrease the power to less than 1 kW for small low-cost satellites. Hence, the challenge is to reduce battery mass, volume, and cost. A key is to develop a lightweight nickel electrode and alternate battery designs. A CPV nickel-hydrogen battery is emerging as a viable alternative to the IPV design. It has the advantage of reduced mass, volume, and manufacturing costs. A 10-A-h CPV battery has successfully provided power on the relatively short-lived Clementine spacecraft. A bipolar nickel -hydrogen battery design has been demonstrated (15,000 LEO cycles, 40 % DOD). The advantage is also a significant reduction in volume, a modest reduction in mass, and like most bipolar designs, features a high-pulse power capability. A low-pressure aerospace nickel-metal-hydride battery cell has been developed and is on the market. It is a prismatic design that has the advantage of a significant reduction in volume and a reduction in manufacturing cost.
Why do line drawings work? A realism hypothesis

Why is it that we can recognize object identity and 3D shape from line drawings, even though they do not exist in the natural world? This paper hypothesizes that the human visual system perceives line drawings as if they were approximately realistic images. Moreover, the techniques of line drawing are chosen to accurately convey shape to a human observer. Several implications and variants of this hypothesis are explored.
Administrative rationality review

Under the familiar rational basis test, a court must uphold a challenged statute if there is any conceivable basis to support it. Courts routinely accept speculative — even farfetched — justifications that few would describe as “rational” in a colloquial sense. Modern rational basis review typically is justified as a necessary concession to the nature of the legislative process. The puzzle is why courts apply this same deferential standard when reviewing constitutional challenges to administrative agency actions. Neither courts nor scholars have explained why administrative agencies — which share few of the features of democratically accountable legislative bodies — should enjoy the same degree of judicial deference to their decisions. In many states and localities, this permissive rationality standard is all that constrains the decisions that agencies make. This Article argues that there is in fact no justification for the prevailing approach and that as a constitutional matter courts have an obligation to scrutinize agency regulations more closely than they do legislative enactments. Courts must ensure that agencies at all levels of government act on the basis of actual reasons, and there is at least a plausible connection between regulatory means and ends.
MM-Deacon: Multimodal molecular domain embedding analysis via contrastive learning

AO_SCPLOWBSTRACTC_SCPLOWMolecular representation learning plays an essential role in cheminformatics. Recently, language model-based approaches have been popular as an alternative to traditional expert-designed features to encode molecules. However, these approaches only utilize a single modality for representing molecules. Driven by the fact that a given molecule can be described through different modalities such as Simplified Molecular Line Entry System (SMILES), The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC), and The IUPAC International Chemical Identifier (InChI), we propose a multimodal molecular embedding generation approach called MM-Deacon (multimodal molecular domain embedding analysis via contrastive learning). MM-Deacon is trained using SMILES and IUPAC molecule representations as two different modalities. First, SMILES and IUPAC strings are encoded by using two different transformer-based language models independently, then the contrastive loss is utilized to bring these encoded representations from different modalities closer to each other if they belong to the same molecule, and to push embeddings farther from each other if they belong to different molecules. We evaluate the robustness of our molecule embeddings on molecule clustering, cross-modal molecule search, drug similarity assessment and drug-drug interaction tasks.
Coalescent computing

As computational infrastructure extends to the edge, it will increasingly offer the same fine-grained resource provisioning mechanisms used in large-scale cloud datacenters, and advances in low-latency, wireless networking technology will allow service providers to blur the distinction between local and remote resources for commodity computing. From the users' perspectives, their devices will no longer have fixed computational power, but rather will appear to have flexible computational capabilities that vary subject to the shared, disaggregated edge resources available in their physical proximity. System software will transparently leverage these ephemeral resources to provide a better end-user experience. We discuss key systems challenges to enabling such tightly-coupled, disaggregated, and ephemeral infrastructure provisioning, advocate for more research in the area, and outline possible paths forward.
MKP-1 modulates ubiquitination/phosphorylation of TLR signaling

Ubiquitination and phosphorylation are reversible posttranslational protein modifications regulating physiological and pathological processes. MAPK phosphatase (MKP)-1 regulates innate and adaptive immunity. The multifaceted roles of MKP-1 were attributed to dephosphorylation of p38 and JNK MAPKs. We show that the lack of MKP-1 modulates the landscape of ubiquitin ligases and deubiquitinase enzymes (DUBs). MKP-1-/- showed an aberrant regulation of several DUBs and increased expression of proteins and genes involved in IL-1/TLR signaling upstream of MAPK, including IL-1R1, IRAK1, TRAF6, phosphorylated TAK1, and an increased K63 polyubiquitination on TRAF6. Increased K63 polyubiquitination on TRAF6 was associated with an enhanced phosphorylated form of A20. Among abundant DUBs, ubiquitin-specific protease-13 (USP13), which cleaves polyubiquitin-chains on client proteins, was substantially enhanced in murine MKP-1-deficient BMDMs. An inhibitor of USP13 decreased the K63 polyubiquitination on TRAF6, TAK1 phosphorylation, IL-1β, and TNF-α induction in response to LPS in BMDMs. Our data show for the first time that MKP-1 modulates the ligase activity of TRAF6 through modulation of specific DUBs.
Optical Adversarial Attack

We introduce OPtical ADversarial attack (OPAD). OPAD is an adversarial attack in the physical space aiming to fool image classifiers without physically touching the objects (e.g., moving or painting the objects). The principle of OPAD is to use structured illumination to alter the appearance of the target objects. The system consists of a low-cost projector, a camera, and a computer. The challenge of the problem is the non-linearity of the radiometric response of the projector and the spatially varying spectral response of the scene. Attacks generated in a conventional approach do not work in this setting unless they are calibrated to compensate for such a projector-camera model. The proposed solution incorporates the projector-camera model into the adversarial attack optimization, where a new attack formulation is derived. Experimental results prove the validity of the solution. It is demonstrated that OPAD can optically attack a real 3D object in the presence of background lighting for white-box, black-box, targeted, and untargeted attacks. Theoretical analysis is presented to quantify the fundamental performance limit of the system.
Thermalized buckling of isotropically compressed thin sheets

The buckling of thin elastic sheets is a classic mechanical instability that occurs over a wide range of scales. In the extreme limit of atomically thin membranes like graphene, thermal fluctuations can dramatically modify such mechanical instabilities. We investigate here the delicate interplay of boundary conditions, nonlinear mechanics and thermal fluctuations in controlling buckling of confined thin sheets under isotropic compression. We identify two inequivalent mechanical ensembles based on the boundaries at constant strain (isometric) or at constant stress (isotensional) conditions.Remarkably, in the isometric ensemble, boundary conditions induce a novel long-ranged nonlinear interaction between the local tilt of the surface at distant points. This interaction combined with a spontaneously generated thermal tension leads to a renormalization group description of two distinct universality classes for thermalized buckling, realizing a mechanical variant of Fisher-renormalized critical exponents. We formulate a complete scaling theory of buckling as an unusual phase transition with a size dependent critical point, and discuss experimental ramifications for the mechanical manipulation of ultrathin nanomaterials.
Ricci flow on manifolds with boundary with arbitrary initial metric

In this paper, we study the Ricci flow on manifolds with boundary. In the first part of the paper, we prove short-time existence and uniqueness of the solution, in which the boundary becomes instantaneously umbilic for positive time. In the second part of the paper, we prove that the flow we constructed in the first part preserves natural boundary conditions. More specifically, if the initial metric has a convex boundary, then the flow preserves positive curvature operator and the PIC1, PIC2 conditions. Moreover, if the initial metric has a two-convex boundary, then the flow preserves the PIC condition.
"Perestroika" in the basal forebrain: opening the border between neurology and psychiatry.

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on recent advances in the understanding of basal forebrain organization. Such knowledge forms the necessary conceptual framework for physiologic, behavioral, and clinical studies of forebrain functions relevant to neuropsychiatric disorders. Description of the anatomy of the basal forebrain has touched only peripherally on closely related areas of septal and hypothalamic neuronal systems or the many aspects of diffuse ascending brainstem projections. Nevertheless, considering the strategic position of the three basal forebrain systems discussed in the chapter, and the intimate relation that they have with one another and with other parts of the neuraxis, it is not difficult to envision how disruption of the functional integrity of any one of these systems can easily present itself with a multitude of symptoms that show little regard for traditional boundaries of neurologic and psychiatric disciplines.
Molecular cloning of a highly leukemogenic, ecotropic retrovirus from an AKR mouse.

Abstract SL3-3 is a leukemogenic, ecotropic retrovirus produced by a T-cell line derived from a spontaneous lymphoma of an AKR mouse. We have isolated a molecular clone of its DNA provirus from infected NIH 3T3 fibroblasts. Cloned proviral DNA produced infectious virus upon transfection onto NIH 3T3 cells. Virus derived by transfection induced lymphomas at high frequency in AKR/J, C3H(f)/Bi, CBA/J, and NFS/N mice. Heteroduplex and RNase T1 fingerprinting analyses showed that the genomes of SL3-3 and the non-leukemogenic virus, Akv, contain no major substitutions relative to one another and differ by only a few base changes. These results unambiguously show that SL3-3 is a highly leukemogenic virus and that major rearrangements of the genome relative to Akv are not required for virulence.
Economic Globalization and Women's Status in the Labor Market: A Cross-National Investigation of Occupational Sex Segregation and Inequality

This study examines the effects of economic globalization on occupational sex segregation and occupational inequality. A theory of global economic restructuring and its impact on the quality of wom...
Regulation of the Cell Cycle

First page of article Keywords: apoptosis; cell cycle; checkpoint; chemotherapy; cyclin-dependent kinase; E2F; p53; pRb; restriction point
The Reacylation of Deacylated Derivatives of Diphosphatidylglycerol by Microsomes and Mitochondria from Rat Liver

Abstract Rat liver microsomes contain an enzyme which catalyzes the acylation by acyl Coenzyme A thioesters of di(1(1'')acyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoryl)1',3'-sn-glycerol(di(lysophosphatidyl)glycerol) to a compound identified as either 1'(1-acyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoryl)-3'(1'',2" diacyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoryl)-sn-glycerol or the corresponding 1'(1,2 diacyl isomer) (phosphatidyllysophosphatidylglycerol). A small amount of diphosphatidylglycerol is also formed. Evidence was obtained for the presence of radioactivity in both 1(1'') acyl and 2(2'') acyl positions of the reaction products. The enzyme has a pH optimum of pH 8.5 and displays considerable activity at an even more alkaline pH. In this regard, the acyltransferase resembles the enzyme which catalyzes the acylation of the 1-acyl isomer of lysophosphatidylglycerol, but differs from that which carries out the acylation of the 1-acyl isomer of lysophosphatidylcholine. Under the conditions used, linoleate was incorporated less readily than either oleate or stearate. Rat liver mitochondria displayed slight acyltransferase activity at pH 7.4 and virtually none at pH 9.0.
The Harris video teleconferencing chip set

The hardware portion of the Harris Semiconductor Personal Computer Multimedia System is a five chip set which implements, in conjunction with a host processor and associated software and firmware, a complete H.320 video teleconferencing capability over ISDN 2B lines. The chip set is comprised of a PAL/NTSC video encoder, a PAL/NTSC video decoder, a video codec, a bus interface and audio processor chip, and an audio codec. All five chips in the set are implemented in a 0.5 or 0.6 micron CMOS process. Each of the chips implement digital signal processing algorithms of varying levels of complexity and flexibility. These levels range from standard interpolation and decimation filter implementations found on the audio codec to dual programmable digital signal processor cores found on the bus interface and audio processor chip.
An acetate process for bulk and thin film PLZT

A water-soluble acetate process was developed for ferroelectric PLZT materials. It can be readily adapted to the preparation of either bulk ceramic materials or thin films. Compositions throughout the PLZT system were prepared from water-soluble precursors consisting primarily of the acetates of the individual metal oxides. The properties of the thin films were evaluated and compared with those of the hot-pressed powders. >
Control of structural ordering in crystalline lamellar aluminophosphates with periodicity from 51 to 62 A.

Long-chain diamines have been employed in a strategy designed to enhance host−guest interactions and to promote the effective communication between different host−guest interaction sites. This strategy makes it possible to utilize organic guest species to significantly expand the spacing between polymeric inorganic sheets without losing the atomic registry between inorganic layers. Aluminophosphate sheets with large interlayer spacing and unusually long periodicity (the length of the c axis from 51 to 62 A) have been obtained using NH2(CH2)nNH2 (n = 9, 10, 11, or 12) as structure-directing agents.
Decision rules for an investor in forward exchange markets

Abstract This paper obtains decision rules for a risk-averse, expected-utility-maximizing investor in forward exchange markets who may simultaneously combine covered arbitrage, spot and forward speculation. The introduction of margin requirements makes rates of return on all alternatives directly comparable, and causes initial wealth to constrain investment in all alternative. It is shown that combinations involving more than two alternatives need not be considered, and that a comparison of (expected) rates of return alone is sufficient to choose between the relevant combinations. The inadequacy of the ‘functional’ approach for analyzing individual decision-making is demonstrated.
Computational Modeling and Experimental Characterization of Hyperelastic Thin Film NiTi for Neurovascular Microstent Applications

A novel hyperelastic thin film NiTi covered neurovascular microstent was developed for treating wide-neck and fusiform neurovascular aneurysms. This device requires 300–500% recoverable elongation for both collapsing and deployment. Nonlinear buckling and static analysis of Finite Element Modeling (FEM: ANSYS software used) was applied for obtaining critical buckling stress and critical strain values depending on thickness, strut width and pore height. A maximum theoretical critical strain for one geometry as high as 316% while a different experimentally tested film was found to strain 600% elastically without any signs of permanent deformation.Copyright © 2010 by ASME
Effect of Surfactant Concentration on the Morphology and Texture of MCM-41 Materials

Using a simple route for preparing uniform spherical mesoporous MCM-41 materials based on a one-step synthesis in an all-water medium, we have investigated the effects of changes of the surfactant composition. The morphology, texture and structure of five samples with different compositions reveal that both, the external organization and internal pore structure, are governed by the silicate:surfactant ratio. The intake of fluids into the pores—an important issue for the use of this material in biotechnology such as localized drug delivery, vectorization of drugs, biosensing applications, and biochemical separations—was checked and confirmed.
Psychology at the Intersection of Work and Family: Recommendations for Employers, Working Families, and Policymakers.

Demographic data show that major changes have been occurring in the everyday lives of families over the last generation, with the majority of mothers of young children in the workforce and an increasing number of men and women assuming caregiving responsibilities for older relatives. Thus, the 2 primary identities of most adults, defined by their multiple family and work roles, need to be coordinated in ways that promote positive family outcomes, returns on investments for employers, and societal values. Despite changes in the workforce, the world of work is still largely organized for a family model that is increasingly rare--one with a stay-at-home caregiver. Recommendations based on psychological and other social science research are offered to align the needs of working families and employers.
Facet-based library catalogs: A survey of the landscape

This paper describes the landscape of facet-based catalogs in academic and public libraries. The purpose of the study is to determine and describe the types of systems and software underpinning facet-based catalogs, the number and nature of facets in use by libraries, and to offer preliminary observations of how far the library and information science (LIS) legacy of facet theory is evident in contemporary catalogs. One hundred academic and 100 public libraries were sampled and those with facet-based catalogs (78 and 54 respectively) were subject to further analysis. Commercial systems were found to dominate although opensource facet-based catalogs account for almost one quarter of the academic sample. Bibliographic facets, such as language, format and publication date appeared frequently across both samples – arguably speaking more to the ease with which this metadata can be extracted than to its usefulness to an information seeker. Though small areas of convergence with LIS facet theory were identified, there remains considerable opportunity to unite policy and modern practice.
The men's movement: Substance and significance for mainstream men

Abstract The men's movement has a breadth and significance for mainstream men, too little evidenced. This paper provides a historical review of the men's movement and presents implications for mainstream men. Four themes in the men's movement are identified: 1) men adopting a feminist philosophy, 2) fathers with equal rights interest in divorce, 3) men supportive of gay rights, and 4) mythopoetic men. Implications for mainstream men and emotional health are considered for each theme within the Men's Movement. Finally, it is argued that each time a man struggles to balance his work with his family, his anger with his pain and his power with his care, he is an active participant in the men's movement.
LEAF LITTER COMPOSITION AND COMMUNITY STRUCTURE: TRANSLATING REGIONAL SPECIES CHANGES INTO LOCAL DYNAMICS

The temperate deciduous forest of the northeastern United States is believed to be undergoing a shift from domination by mixed oak (Quercus sp.) to red maple (Acer rubrum); a shift termed “The Red Maple Paradox.” This shift in the composition of the forest has the potential to affect ecosystems within the forest that use leaf litter as an energy source. To assess the impact of the red maple paradox on detrital food webs, we conducted a mesocosm experiment investigating the influence of red maple litter on the food web of temporary woodland ponds. Amphibian biomass and survival were significantly lower in experimental ponds that contained only maple litter. The negative effects of maple litter were most pronounced in larval wood frogs (Rana sylvatica). We hypothesize that this effect resulted from a temporary shift from a grazing-based food web in oak mesocosms to a microbial-based food web in maple mesocosms, as oak mesocosms initially had higher levels of phytoplankton biomass and lower levels of bacteri...
Temperature, plankton and conspecific density influence dynamics of age‐0 gizzard shad: implications for a gape‐limited piscivore

Age-0 gizzard shad Dorosoma cepedianum are the main prey fish for white crappies Pomoxis annularis in many US reservoirs. However, these prey fish commonly outgrow their vulnerability to white crappie predation in some, but not all, northern Missouri reservoirs. Potential variables that could influence abundance, growth and mortality of age-0 gizzard shad were examined in three reservoirs that differed with respect to age-0 gizzard shad growth rates. Because of thermal effluent from a power plant, gizzard shad spawned earlier in Thomas Hill Lake and initial densities of larvae were greater than in the other reservoirs. Larval and juvenile gizzard shad grew slowest in Thomas Hill Lake, followed by Mark Twain Lake and Long Branch Lake. Growth rate of larvae increased with increasing water temperature and food abundance, but decreased with increasing conspecific density. Similar relationships were found for juvenile growth, except that growth declined with increasing temperature. The slower growth of larvae and juveniles in Thomas Hill Lake was probably a consequence of their greater densities relative to their food abundance and higher water temperatures during the juvenile stage. Conversely, both larvae and juvenile gizzard shad grew more rapidly and juveniles attained large sizes in Long Branch Lake owing to their lower densities relative to their available food. Mortality of larvae and juveniles was mostly similar among the reservoirs. Because of their greater abundance and slower growth, gizzard shad were available as prey for white crappies for a longer period in Thomas Hill Lake than in the other reservoirs.
The Impact of Race, Racial Attitude, and Gender on Reactions to the Criminal Trial of O. J. Simpson1

Opinions about the criminal trial of O. J. Simpson, as well as general racial attitude, were assessed in different samples of African Americans and Whites in three studies: during jury selection (Study 1), after closing arguments (Study 2), and after the jury verdict was reached (Study 3). We assessed the effects of respondent race, gender, and general racial attitude on case opinion factors and guilt judgments at each point in time. Race was strongly related to case opinions and guilt judgments in all three studies. Racial attitude related significantly to guilt judgments only in Study 1 for Blacks and in Study 3 for Whites. Guilt judgments of Whites were more strongly predicted by the case opinion factors than were those of African Americans. General racial attitudes and opinions about the criminal justice system were more positive for Blacks in Studies 2 and 3, while they did not differ across studies for Whites. A hindsight bias was found for Whites but not for African Americans. Race had a more powerful impact than did gender. Across-study comparison suggested that very few respondents changed their views appreciably over the year-long trial.
p38 JAB1 Binds to the Intracellular Precursor of the Lutropin/Choriogonadotropin Receptor and Promotes Its Degradation

Abstract Using the C-terminal tail of the rat lutropin/choriogonadotropin receptor (rLHR) as “bait” in a yeast two-hybrid screen resulted in the identification of p38JAB1 (a protein initially identified as a co-activator of c-Jun) as a putative rLHR binding partner. More recently p38JAB1 has been shown to promote the degradation of a cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor and to be a component of the COP9 signalosome. Microscopic localization of an epitope-tagged p38JAB1 expressed in 293 cells revealed a punctuated perinuclear and cytosolic localization, while cell fractionation studies showed that most of the p38JAB1 was in a high speed supernatant. Co-transfection of 293 cells revealed that p38JAB1 binds to the immature 68-kDa precursor of the rLHR that resides in the endoplasmic reticulum and promotes its degradation. It does not appear to interact with the cell surface rLHR, however, and it does not affect its expression. When transfected into HeLa cells, p38JAB1 potentiates the transcriptional activity of c-Jun, but co-transfection with rLHR prevents this effect. We conclude that p38JAB1interacts with the rLHR precursor and promotes its degradation. These results reveal a novel protein binding partner of the rLHR and are consistent with current views of the functions of p38JAB1.
Fractal structure of sprites

A large scale model of sprites based on a phenomenological probabilistic approach to modeling of streamer corona discharges is developed. The model utilizes the experimentally documented macroscopic properties of positive and negative streamer corona in air and allows a realistic determination of the propagation of multiple breakdown branches in a self-consistent electric field. The model results reproduce the large scale volumetric shapes of sprites, agree with the experimentally documented thundercloud charge moment changes in sprite producing cloud to ground lightning discharges (CGs), and demonstrate fundamental asymmetries between sprites generated by CGs of positive and negative polarity.
Analytical performance of a venturi-assisted array of micromachined ultrasonic electrosprays coupled to ion trap mass spectrometry for the analysis of peptides and proteins.

The analytical characterization of a novel ion source for mass spectrometry named array of micromachined ultrasonic electrosprays (AMUSE) is presented here. This is a fundamentally different type of ion generation device, consisting of three major components: (1) a piezoelectric transducer that creates ultrasonic waves at one of the resonant frequencies of the sample-filled device, (2) an array of pyramidally shaped nozzles micromachined on a silicon wafer, and (3) a spacer which prevents contact between the array and transducer ensuring the transfer of acoustic energy to the sample. A high-pressure gradient generated at the apexes of the nozzle pyramids forces the periodic ejection of multiple droplet streams from the device. With this device, the processes of droplet formation and droplet charging are separated; hence, the limitations of conventional electrospray-type ion sources, including the need for high charging potentials and the addition of organic solvent to decrease surface tension, can be avo...
Low-disturbance flow measurements in the NASA-Ames Laminar Flow Supersonic Wind Tunnel

Flow quality measurements have been performed in the unique Laminar Flow Supersonic Wind Tunnel (LFSWT) to examine both mean and dynamic characteristics and provide flow information on this ground test facility that can support meaningful transition research at Mach 1.6 and flight unit Reynolds numbers. An array of instruments has been used, and the merits and problems of each are discussed to highlight the importance of proper selection of pressure instruments and data acquisition procedures. Measurements were made in both the test section and settling chamber to determine the source of disturbances which are discussed in the paper. We conclude that the test section is low disturbance (based on classical standards) with facility noise spikes contained below 5k Hz. The significance of this finding on transition research in the LFSWT is not clear. (Author)
Interleukin 1β inhibits synaptic strength and long-term potentiation in the rat CA1 hippocampus

Cytokines such as interleukin-1 beta (IL-1 beta) are released in the nervous system following inflammation or infection. Recently, IL-1 beta was shown to enhance synaptic inhibitory mechanisms. We therefore investigated the effect of IL-1 beta superfusion on long-term potentiation (LTP), the cellular model of memory and learning, evoked in the CA1 region by tetanic stimulation of the stratum radiatum in the rat hippocampal slice. IL-1 beta (150 pM-1.5 nM) superfused 10 min before tetanic stimulation significantly reduced LTP of the slope of the population excitatory postsynaptic potential (pEPSP) and the population spike (PS) amplitude in CA1 in a concentration-dependent manner. IL-1 beta (1.5 nM) applied for 10 min 1 h before tetanus significantly inhibited LTP of the PS amplitude and pEPSP slope and reduced pEPSP and PS values before tetanus as well, although the PS returned to control values before tetanus. Heat-inactivated IL-1 beta had no effect on pre-tetanus pEPSP or PS values or the induction of LTP. These data demonstrate that IL-1 beta modulates synaptic potentials and reduces LTP. These findings have important implications for the role of IL-1 beta in neuronal disorders following infection, perhaps best exemplified by HIV-1-associated dementia.
Optimization of the chemical vapor deposition process for carbon nanotubes fabrication

A coupled boundary-layer laminar-flow hydrodynamic, heat-transfer, gas-phase chemistry and surface chemistry model is developed to analyze, at the reactor length scale, chemical vapor deposition (CVD) of carbon nanotubes from a gas mixture consisting of methane (carbon precursor) and hydrogen (carrier gas) in the presence of cobalt catalytic particles in a cylindrical reactor. The model allows determination of the gas-phase fields for temperature, velocity, and species concentration as well as the surface-species coverages, the carbon nanotubes growth rate and the deposition rate of amorphous carbon. Experimentally determined carbon deposition rates and carbon nanotubes growth rates at different processing conditions are used to validate the model. The model is also coupled with the genetic algorithm to determine the process parameters (the gas temperature and velocity at the reactor inlet, the reactor-wall temperature, the pressure, and the mole fraction of methane in the gas mixture) which maximize the carbon nanotubes yield while minimizing the amount of deposited amorphous carbon.
Quantitative predictions of linear viscoelastic rheological properties of entangled polymers

The “dual constraint” model developed by Mead, Van Dyke et al. is here extended by inclusion of “early-time” contour-length fluctuations and constraint-release Rouse relaxation, and then evaluated by comparing its predictions with literature data for over 50 different linear and star polymers. By combining the reptation model of Doi and Edwards with contour-length fluctuations and constraint release, the model provides a systematic approach to prediction of the rheological properties of polymers. The parameters are taken from the literature and used consistently for linear polymers, star polymers, and their mixtures having the same chemical compositions. In most cases, the predictions of the model appears to agree well with data for monodisperse, bidisperse, and polydisperse linear and star polymers, except at low molecular weights.
Management of Atrial Fibrillation.

Atrial fibrillation remains the most prevalent cardiac arrhythmia, and its incidence is increasing as the population ages. Common conditions associated with an increased incidence include advanced age, hypertension, heart failure, and valvular heart disease. Patients with atrial fibrillation may complain of palpitations, fatigue, and decreased exercise tolerance or may be completely asymptomatic. Options for treating patients who experience atrial fibrillation include rate-controlling drugs such as digoxin, β-blockers, and calcium channel blockers or a rhythm-controlling strategy with agents such as sodium channel blockers and potassium channel blockers. Atrial fibrillation increases the risk of stroke due to atrial thrombus formation and embolization. Anticoagulation with the vitamin K antagonist, warfarin, remains the most widely prescribed treatment option to decrease stroke risk. Several other antithrombotic agents have recently become available and offer excellent alternatives to warfarin. Catheter a...
Purification and characterization of the three Snf1-activating kinases of Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Members of the Snf1/AMPK family of protein kinases are activated by distinct upstream kinases that phosphorylate a conserved threonine residue in the Snf1/AMPK activation loop. Recently, the identities of the Snf1- and AMPK-activating kinases have been determined. Here we describe the purification and characterization of the three Snf1-activating kinases of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The identities of proteins associated with the Snf1-activating kinases were determined by peptide mass fingerprinting. These kinases, Sak1, Tos3 and Elm2 do not appear to require the presence of additional subunits for activity. Sak1 and Snf1 co-purify and co-elute in size exclusion chromatography, demonstrating that these two proteins form a stable complex. The Snf1-activating kinases phosphorylate the activation loop threonine of Snf1 in vitro with great specificity and are able to do so in the absence of β and γ subunits of the Snf1 heterotrimer. Finally, we showed that the Snf1 kinase domain isolated from bacteria as a GST fusion protein can be activated in vitro and shows substrate specificity in the absence of its β and γ subunits.