cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Early Experience with a Telehealth Platform in LVAD Patients

Purpose Telehealth has the potential to improve health care delivery by simplifying communication between providers and patients. This technology is well suited to LVAD patients because of the need for close monitoring and ease of access to the LVAD team for patients in remote areas. In this study, we describe our early experience with a novel telehealth platform that was designed specifically for LVAD patients. Methods In conjunction with Medocity Inc, we developed a platform that included daily VAD parameter logs, medication adherence, video-messaging, and instructional videos. We recruited 25 LVAD patients to utilize the platform on a daily basis. Patients were expected to login daily and enter their LVAD parameters, answer daily health questions, and enter medication compliance in the virtual pillbox. Patients also were given the option to review educational videos, message providers with concerns, as well as review their LVAD parameters to monitor for outliers. The primary outcome was patient satisfaction measured by a patient centered survey. Secondary outcomes were 30 day readmission and 30 day patient engagement. Results : 22 out of the 25 patients completed the end of survey study (1 refused, 2 wrong survey). Table 1 summarizes the responses; which notably includes over 90% of respondents stating that the application helps them feel more in control of their care. A sampling of comments: Being able to track my LVAD makes me more aware of the LVAD function. Very beneficial and easy access daily data records and allows faster communication from LVAD Coordinator I felt safe knowing that I was being monitored. Patient engagement was defined as: days logged into platform/days out of hospital. The average engagement was 71% for the first 30 days. There were 6 readmissions (23%) in the first 30 days. Our institutional 30 day readmission benchmark is 25%. Conclusion Telehealth applications can improve patient satisfaction through greater connectedness with their LVAD team. Its potential for reducing readmissions should be tested in a larger prospective study.
Cognitively demanding tasks and the associated learning opportunities within the MathTwitterBlogosphere

The purpose of this study was to determine if the MathTwitterBlogosphere (MTBoS), an online community of practice, provides opportunities for mathematics educators to learn about the knowledge and ...
Gradient estimates for capillary-type problems via the maximum principle, a second look

We prove gradient bounds for solutions of a class of boundary value problems related to the capillary problem, using the maximum principle. Our results extend those of the author and those of Ma an...
Deconstructing the monolith: the microeconomics of the National Industrial Recovery Act: by Jason E. Taylor, Chicago, IL, University of Chicago Press, 2019, 206 pp., $55.00

Any list of “most-notable American economic initiatives” would have to include the National Recovery Administration (the “first” NRA) of 1933–1935. For a time, at least, this doomed program pressur...
Catalytic intramolecular hydroamination of aminoallenes using titanium and tantalum complexes of sterically encumbered chiral sulfonamides

Catalysis using earth abundant metals is an important goal due to the relative scarcity and expense of precious metal catalysts. It would be even more beneficial to use earth abundant catalysts for the synthesis of common pharmaceutical structural motifs such as pyrrolidine and pyridine. Thus, developing titanium catalysts for asymmetric ring closing hydroamination is a valuable goal. In this work, four sterically encumbered chiral sulfonamides derived from naturally occurring amino acids were prepared. These compounds undergo protonolysis reactions with Ti(NMe2)4 or Ta(NMe2)5 to give monomeric complexes as determined by both DOSY NMR and X-ray crystallography. The resulting complexes are active for the ring closing hydroamination hepta-4,5-dienylamine to give a mixture of tetrahydropyridine and pyrrolidine products. However, the titanium complexes convert 6-methylhepta-4,5-dienylamine exclusively to 2-(2-methylpropenyl)pyrrolidine in higher enantioselectivity than those previously reported, with enantiomeric excesses ranging from 18-24%. The corresponding tantalum complexes were more selective with enantiomeric excesses ranging from 33-39%.
JADE: Tail-Latency-SLO-Aware Job Scheduling for Sensing-as-a-Service

As the IoT-Edge-Cloud hierarchy is evolving into a mature ecosystem, large-scale Sensing-as-a-Service (SaS) based services with stringent job service level objectives (SLOs) are expected to emerge as dominant cloud services. A viable business model for SaS must be inherently multi-tier by design and work in a confederated environment involving a large number of voluntary stakeholders who may appear at different tiers. It must also honor privacy and autonomous control of stakeholder resources. This calls for a fully distributed, SLO-aware job resource allocation and scheduling platform to be developed. In this paper, we propose a tail-latency-SLO-aware job resource allocation and scheduling platform for SaS, called JADE. It is a four-tier platform, i.e., cloud, edge cluster, edge, and IoT tiers. To honor the privacy and autonomy of control for individual stakeholders at different tiers, the JADE design follows the design principle of separation of concerns among tiers. Central to its design is to develop a decomposition technique that decomposes SaS service requirements, in particular, the job tail-latency SLO, into task performance budgets for individual sensing tasks mapped to each lower tier. This makes it possible to allow each lower tier to manage its own resources autonomously to meet the sensing task budgets and hence the SaS service requirements, while preserving its privacy and autonomy of control. Finally, preliminary testing results based on both simulation and an initial prototype of JADE are presented to demonstrate the promising prospects of the solution.
Potential global impact of the N501Y mutation on MHC-II presentation and immune escape

The B.1.1.7 SARS-CoV-2 variant, characterized by the N501Y mutation, is rapidly emerging, raising concerns about its effectiveness on natural as well as vaccine-induced adaptive viral immunity at the population level. Since CD4 T cell responses are of critical importance to the antibody response, we examined the global effects of N501Y mutation on MHC-II presentation compared to the N501 wildtype and found poorer presentation across the majority of MHC-II alleles. This suggests that the N501Y mutation may not only diminish binding of antibodies to the RBD but also interfere with their production by weakening the cooperation between T and B cells, facilitating immune escape.
Resource loss and mental health during COVID-19: Psychosocial protective factors among U.S. older adults and those with chronic disease.

Across the globe, COVID-19 has disproportionately affected the physical and mental health of several vulnerable groups. In a series of two cross-sectional studies conducted April to July 2020, we examined its acute mental health effects on two vulnerable U.S. community samples-home-bound older adults who were at or below the poverty line (Study 1, N = 293, Mage = 76.94, SD = 8.64; 75.1% female, 67.9% Black) and adults with chronic disease (Study 2, N = 322, Mage = 62.20, SD = 12.22; 46.3% female, 28.3% racial/ethnic minorities). Based on the conservation of resources theory, we hypothesised that pandemic-related resource loss would be associated with greater mental distress, but perceived social support and positive psychological characteristics (trait resilience and optimism) would buffer against this adverse effect. Across both samples of vulnerable adults, pandemic-related resource loss was related to mental distress. Perceived social support was related to lower mental distress but did not consistently buffer the effect of resource loss on mental health. However, in Study 2, both trait resilience and optimism buffered this relationship. Findings are discussed in terms of their implications for the conservation of resources theory.
Y 2 BaCuO 5 particle coarsening during melt processing of YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7-x

Quenching experiments were carried out to study the coarsening phenomena of Y2BaCuO5 (211) particles in liquid (Ba3Cu5O8) which form as a result of the peritectic decomposition of YBa2Cu3O7−x (123) above 1010°C. The morphology of 211 particles was observed to become more acicular as the time of hold increased at 1040°C, showing an anisotropic growth rate of the 211 particles in the liquid. Also, the coarsening rate was found to be increased in the presence of excess added liquid phase (Ba3Cu5O8) in the 123. Externally added 211 particles were found to act as heterogeneous nucleation sites for the peritectically formed 211. The observed cored 211 morphology development in the Er 211 doped, melt textured, Y 123 pellets was explained on the basis of ripening of 211 particles. Reduced coarsening of 211 particles was observed in the presence of 0.5 wt.% Pt doping.
Economic origins of the no-fault divorce revolution

Richard Posner argues that late twentieth-century divorce-law reform rendered marital relationships in the United States increasingly contractual in nature. Chief among such reforms was the no-fault divorce revolution: the widespread switch in states’ legal regimes from fault-based, mutual-consent divorce to no-fault based, unilateral divorce, which swept across America in the 1970s. While a growing literature considers the no-fault divorce revolution’s effects on divorce rates, almost no work considers its causes. Taking Posner’s observation as its starting point, this paper develops testable hypotheses relating to the potential origins of no-fault divorce reforms in the US.
The Space That Difference Makes: On Marginality, Social Justice and the Future of the Health Humanities

Feminist theorist and educator, bell hooks, asserts that to seek true liberation one must choose marginality. One must choose to occupy the space outside the binary between colonizer-colonized, hegemonic center-periphery, and us-them in order to create a location of possibility. This essay will reveal the practice of social justice as the navigation of the space that difference makes and argue that choosing marginality provides a framework for health humanities work towards social justice in health care. The space of the launderette that is depicted in Hanif Kureishi's 1986 film, My Beautiful Laundrette, provides an example of choosing marginality and illustrates how difference structures both real and imagined spaces, which influences how individuals ultimately perceive one another. We will draw from the work of bell hooks; political geographer, Edward Soja; and Marxist philosopher, Henri Lefebvre, to demonstrate the importance of the health humanities' position at the margin to traditional health care education.
Relaxation of Optimization Problems with Equations Containing the Operator ∇ · ⅅ · ∇: An Application to the Problem of Elastic Torsion

In the preceding chapter, we investigated the problem of optimal distribution of the specific resistance of the working fluid in a channel of an MHD power generator. This problem represents a typical example of optimization problems which arise when a control function ⅅ (either scalar or tensor) enters the main part of the elliptic operator ∇ · ⅅ · ∇: of the second order. As was pointed out in the Introduction, the first step in such problems consists of building the G-closure of the initially given set U of controls ⅅ; i.e., an extension of this set to some wider set GU including, in addition to U, all possible composites assembled of the initially given components—elements of the set U. The problem of obtaining an invariant description of this wider set is also essential for the theory of composite materials. For a given microstructure of a composite, its effective characteristics may be obtained by the procedure of homogenization (see Refs. 403, 405, 406, 421, 427, 441, 525, and 526) which required the solution of some fairly complicated auxiliary boundary-value problems. On the other hand, for many applications, particularly for optimal control and optimal design problems, a description of the whole set of materials which may be obtained from some initially given compounds with the aid of the process of mixing is of central interest.476–479,499,514.
Paul Wilbur Tappan (1911-1964)

W ITH THE DEATH of Paul Wilbur Tappan on July 9, 1964, the Schools of Law and Criminology suffered a profound and untimely loss. This distinguished scholar, author, and teacher was taken from us at the threshold of his career at the University of California, but not before his talents and energies gave clear assurance of even greater achievement in public service and in his pursuit of learning. When he was invited to join the faculty at Berkeley in 1962, Paul Tappan was professor of sociology and law and Chairman of the Department of Sociology and Anthropology of Washington Square College, New York University. He had received his Ph.D. degree in sociology from the University of Wisconsin in 1935 and began his teaching career soon thereafter at Miami University of Ohio. Professor Tappan's academic training in the social sciences led to a deep and abiding interest in the study of criminal behavior and the treatment of the criminal offender. Not content with viewing these grave social problems from the viewpoint of a single discipline, he commenced the study of law, winning his LL.B. degree at New York University in 1943 and his J.S.D. at Columbia in 1945. The busy years that followed included teaching assignments at Queens College, University of Melbourne, and in summer session programs at the School of Criminology at Berkeley. During 1953-54, Professor Tappan was Chairman of the United States Board of Parole, a practical experience as rewarding to him as was his service on the Board of Managers of the New Jersey State Prison. He also served as a consultant and member of a legion of professional societies and groups. These include the United Nations Section on Social Defense, the American Correctional Association, the American Bar Association, and the Third International Congress of Criminology for which he was appointed United States National Reporter. Professor Tappan's term as Associate Reporter for the American Law Institute's Model Penal Code project resulted in a significant contribution to the development of the law in the areas of sentencing, treatment
Speculative efficiency and risk premium in the market for foreign exchange

Abstract I show that while the unbiasedness hypothesis does not hold for the Deutsche Mark/U.S. dollar exchange rate market during the period 1979–1986, a risk premium cannot be detected either. In light of this inconclusiveness regarding the true model specification of exchange rate movements, the Davidson and Mackinnon approach of selecting models from amongst non-nested models is used to show that a model with risk premium is closer to the true specification than a model that implies unbiasedness.
3D-printed slit nozzles for Fourier transform microwave spectroscopy.

3D printing is a new technology whose applications are only beginning to be explored. In this report, we describe the application of 3D printing to the design and construction of supersonic nozzles. Nozzles can be created for $0.50 or less, and the ease and low cost can facilitate the optimization of nozzle performance for the needs of any particular experiment. The efficacy of a variety of designs is assessed by examining rotational spectra of OCS (carbonyl sulfide) and Ar–OCS using a Fourier transform microwave spectrometer with tandem cavity and chirped-pulse capabilities. A slit geometry which, to the best of our knowledge has not been used in conjunction with Fourier transform microwave spectrometers, was found to increase the signal-to-noise ratio for the J = 1←0 transition of OCS, by a factor of three to four compared with that obtained using our standard circular nozzle. Corresponding gains for the Ar–OCS complex were marginal, at best, but further optimization of nozzle geometry should be possible. The spectrometer itself is designed to allow rapid switching between cavity and chirped-pulse modes of operation without the need to break vacuum. This feature, as well as the newly incorporated chirped-pulse capability, is described in detail.
Spanwise Growth of Vortex Structure in Wall Turbulence

Recent studies of the structure of wall turbulence have lead to the development of a conceptual model that validates and integrates many elements of previous models into a relatively simple picture based on self-assembling packets of hairpin vortex eddies. By continually spawning new hairpins the packets grow longer in the streamwise direction, and by mutual induction between adjacent hairpins the hairpins are strained so that they grow taller and wider as they age. The result is a characteristic growth angle in the streamwise-wall normal plane. The spanwise growth of individual packets implies that packets must either merge or pass through each other when they come into contact. Direct numerical simulations of the growth and interaction of spanwise adjacent hairpins shows that they merge by the vortex connection mechanism originally proposed by Wark and Nagib (1990). In this mechanism the quasi-streamwise legs of two hairpins annihilate each other, by virtue of having opposite vorticity, leaving a new hairpin of approximately double the width of the individuals. P1V measurements in planes parallel to the wall support this picture. DNS of multiple hairpins shows how the spanwise scale doubles when the hairpins form an array.
Effect of stray magnetic field on image resolution in transmission electron microscopy

Abstract Ambient AC magnetic fields have been suggested as one of the factors that may limit resolution of electron microscopes more at low magnification than at high magnification. A method is described for studying the effects of magnetic fields particularly below the specimen. The method is used to compare susceptibilities of various electron microscopes to magnetic fields, and demonstrates that the ambient fields have probably not posed the resolution limitation in studies of biological molecules carried out at intermediate magnifications.
Cloning and targeted mutations of G alpha 7 and G alpha 8, two developmentally regulated G protein alpha-subunit genes in Dictyostelium.

Abstract GTP-binding protein (G protein)-mediated signal transduction pathways play essential roles during the aggregation and differentiation process of Dictyostelium. In addition to the five known G protein alpha-subunit genes, we recently identified three novel alpha-subunit genes, G alpha 6, G alpha 7, and G alpha 8, using the polymerase chain reaction technique. We present here a more complete analysis of G alpha 7 and G alpha 8. The cDNAs of these two genes were cloned, and their complete nucleotide sequences were determined. Sequence analyses indicate that G alpha 8 possesses some unusual features. It lacks the "TCATDT" motif, a sequence of amino acids highly conserved among G alpha subunits, and has an additional 50 amino acids at its C-terminus consisting of long stretches of asparagine. Moreover, G alpha 8 is unusually resistant to protease digestion, which may indicate a slow GTP hydrolysis rate. The possible functions of these alpha-subunits were assessed by generating mutants lacking G alpha 7 or G alpha 8 by gene targeting through homologous recombination and by overexpressing G alpha 7 or G alpha 8 protein. Overexpression of G alpha 7 resulted in abnormal morphogenesis starting at the slug stage, whereas analysis of the other strains failed to reveal any obvious growth or developmental defects under either normal or stressful conditions. The implications of these results are discussed.
High-speed electro-optical silicon modulators based on photonic crystal waveguides

An ultra-compact silicon Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI) modulator featuring p-i-n-diode-embedded photonic crystal waveguides has been fabricated. As carrier injection is the only practical option for optical modulation in silicon, a lower limit of current density (~10 4 A/cm 2 ) exists for achieving gigahertz modulation in the widely employed p-i-n diode configuration. Electrical simulations have been performed to design and analyze the device. The device interaction length was reduced by one order of magnitude compared to the conventional waveguide based MZI modulators by taking advantage of the slow group velocity exhibited by photonic crystal waveguides (PCWs). A maximum modulation depth of 93% has been obtained under an injected current of 7.1 mA. High-speed optical modulation at 1 Gbit s -1 in the 1.55 micron wavelength region was experimentally demonstrated. To our knowledge, this is the fastest speed ever achieved for a p-i-n diode based integrated silicon MZI modulator.
Chronic renovascular hypertension is associated with elevated levels of neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin

BACKGROUND Renovascular hypertension (RVH) is characterized by chronic inflammation of the stenotic kidney and progressive renal dysfunction. Neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL), an acute phase protein induced in inflammatory conditions and ischemia, is a novel biomarker for acute kidney injury. We hypothesized that chronic RVH would be associated with increased renal and circulating NGAL levels. METHODS We prospectively measured renal vein and inferior vena cava (IVC) levels of NGAL and inflammatory cytokines in essential hypertensive (EH) and RVH patients, during constant sodium intake and anti-hypertensive regimens, and compared them with systemic levels in age-matched normotensive subjects (n = 22 each). In addition, we measured urinary NGAL and kidney injury molecule (KIM)-1 in all patients. RESULTS Blood pressure, serum creatinine, estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), lipid panels and medications were similar in RVH and EH. Systemic, stenotic and contralateral renal vein levels of NGAL were all similarly elevated in RVH versus normal hypertension and EH (P < 0.05), as were renal vein levels of inflammatory markers like tumor necrosis factor-α. Furthermore, renal vein NGAL levels inversely correlated with eGFR, and directly with renal vein (but not systemic) levels of inflammatory markers. Urinary levels of NGAL and KIM-1 were elevated in both EH and RVH, as were systemic levels of C-reactive protein. CONCLUSIONS Chronic RVH is associated with elevated NGAL levels, likely due to ongoing kidney and systemic inflammation and ischemia. These findings may also imply the occurrence of the inflammation process in chronic RVH, which might contribute to the poorer outcomes of RVH compared with EH patients.
Efficient numerical solution for enthalpy formulation of conduction heat transfer with phase change

Presentation d'une nouvelle methode numerique de calcul du transfert de chaleur par induction thermique en presence d'une transition de phase par la methode de l'enthalpie. Application a la resolution du probleme monodimensionnel de Stefan pour un milieu semi-infini
9/11, foreign threats, political legitimacy, and democratic institutions

Purpose – The manipulation of fears generated by 9/11 resulted in restrictions of civil liberties. Although this danger to freedom has been descriptively addressed, its deeper causes and dynamics have not received extensive treatment. This article reassesses the political reaction to 9/11 in terms of economic theory and evolutionary biology. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach – The explanatory framework is drawn from findings in the economics of war and the biological evolution of war-like behavior in the human species. Findings – The fact that war and its threat were ever-present in human evolution resulted in two social propensities that render society vulnerable to political manipulation. External threats dramatically heighten social cohesion as well as loyalty to leaders. In pre-state societies, all members could clearly witness and judge the nature of an external threat, and because leaders led responses, they were vulnerable to injury or death. In modern highly compl...
Assessment of Reference Evapotranspiration by the Hargreaves Method in the Bekaa Valley, Lebanon

AbstractEvapotranspiration (ET) is an important component of the hydrologic cycle, especially for irrigated agriculture. Direct methods of estimating reference ET are difficult or require many weat...
Quaternary Salts Containing the Pentafluorosulfanyl (SF5) Group

The first quaternary salts of pyridine (2), N-methyl imidazole (3), N-propyl triazole (4), and pyridazine (5) that contain the pentafluorosulfanyl (SF(5)) group were prepared and characterized. Neat reactions of the aromatic nitrogen compounds with SF(5)(CF(2))(n)(CH(2))(m)I (n = 2 or 4, m = 2 or 4) gave quaternary iodides 6a-c, 7a-c, 8a, and 9a,b, which were metathesized with LiN(SO(2)CF(3))(2) to form the bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)amides 10a-c, 11a-c, 12a, and 13a,b, in high yields. With the exception of the pyridine bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)amide salts, the compounds melted or exhibited a T(g) at <0 degrees C. The methylimidazolium, pyridinium, and pyridazinium salts exhibited densities of approximately 2 g/cm(3). Particularly striking was the density of CF(3)(CF(2))(5)(CH(2))(2)-pyridazinium N(CF(3)SO(2))(2) measured at 2.13 g/cm(3); however, an atypically high density for the 1-CF(3)(CF(2))(5)(CH(2))(2)-3-methyl imidazolium amide (14) was also observed at 1.77 g/cm(3). All quaternary salts were characterized via IR, (19)F, (1)H, and (13)C NMR spectra and elemental analyses.
Gas Production Parameters in Sanitary Landfill Simulators

Abstract The decomposition of shredded municipal refuse was studied in 19 drums (208 l). Gas production and composition were monitored for two years. The addition of old, anaerobically degraded refuse as a seed of anaerobic bacteria and the neutralization of the refuse were the two techniques which stimulated methane production. Yields of 80–150 l of methane per kilogram of dry, grindable, volatile solids were measured. The addition of anaerobic sewage sludge, acetate, and the initial removal of oxygen from a drum, were not stimulatory. Initially, it was the development of the methanogen population and not polymer hydrolysis which limited methane production.
Scientific revolution and the evolution of consciousness

(1988). Scientific revolution and the evolution of consciousness. World Futures: Vol. 25, No. 3-4, pp. 237-281.
Early and long-term results of the surgical treatment of tetralogy of Fallot with pulmonary atresia, with or without major aortopulmonary collateral arteries.

Abstract Objective: We sought to determine the results of surgical treatment of patients with tetralogy of Fallot and pulmonary atresia with or without major aortopulmonary collateral arteries, to clarify variables affecting early and late mortality, and to expose late, nonfatal events affecting surgical patients. Methods: The records of 495 patients operated on from 1977 to 1999 were reviewed. Patients were separated into those who did not undergo complete repair (group A) and those who did (group B). Results: Group A consisted of 160 patients. Eighty-one (51%) had palliative procedures, 45 (28%) had preliminary surgical stages (unifocalization and right ventricular outflow tract reconstruction) as initial operations, and 34 (21%) had all surgical stages but were rejected for complete repair. Early and late mortality were 16.3% (n = 26) and 23.1% (n = 31), respectively. Mean follow-up was 72.3 months. The presence of major aortopulmonary collateral arteries was a risk factor for late mortality ( P =.0182). Group B consisted of 335 patients. Mean age at complete repair was 11.3 years (SD, 9.2). One hundred three (30%) patients had single-stage complete repair, whereas 232 (69%) had staged reconstruction. Twenty-two (6.6%) patients underwent reopening of the ventricular septal defect for high right ventricular pressure. Early and late mortality were 4.5% (n = 15). Risk factors were a peak right ventricular/left ventricular pressure ratio of greater than 0.7 and reopening of the ventricular septal defect ( P ≤.05). Late mortality was 16% (n = 51). Mean follow-up was 11.4 years (SD, 7.5). Risk factors included male sex, nonconfluent central pulmonary arteries, reopening of the ventricular septal defect, and postrepair conduit exchange (n = 137). Ten- and 20-year results were an actuarial survival of 86% and 75% and freedom from reoperation of 55% and 29%, respectively. Conclusions: Surgical repair of patients with simple or complex forms of tetralogy of Fallot with pulmonary atresia can be achieved with low early mortality. Late mortality and need for reoperation, especially conduit replacement, continue to affect the long-term well-being of these patients. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 2002;124:70-81
Effect of crystalline metallic particles on the compressive behavior of a cellular amorphous metal

Molten Vit106 (Zr57Nb5Cu15.4Ni12.6Al10) was infiltrated into a BaF2 preform containing W particles, and quenched. Salt dissolution resulted in an open-porosity foam with struts consisting of amorphous Vit106 containing crystalline W particles. This composite foam exhibits high compressive strains (∼75%), a low plateau stress (∼30 MPa) and higher damage accumulation than prior single-phase Vit106 foams. Likely explanations are the lower porosity in the composite foam (43% vs. 76%), damage from galvanic corrosion during salt removal, and tungsten embrittlement during processing.
A Theory of High-Order Statistics-Based Virtual Dimensionality for Hyperspectral Imagery

Virtual dimensionality (VD) has received considerable interest in its use of specifying the number of spectrally distinct signatures present in hyperspectral data. Unfortunately, it never defines what such a signature is. For example, various targets of interest, such as anomalies and endmembers, should be considered as different types of spectrally distinct signatures and have their own different values of VD. Specifically, these targets are insignificant in terms of signal energies due to their relatively small populations. Accordingly, their contributions to second-order statistics (2OS) are rather limited. In this case, 2OS-based methods such as eigen-approaches to determine VD may not be effective in determining how many such type of signal sources as spectrally distinct signatures are. This paper develops a new theory that expands 2OS-VD theory to a high-order statistics (HOS)-based VD, called HOS-VD theory. Since there is no counterpart of the characteristic polynomial equation used to find eigenvalues in 2OS available for HOS, a direct extension is inapplicable. This paper re-invents a wheel by finding actual targets directly from the data rather than eigenvectors/singular vectors used in 2OS-VD theory which do not represent any real targets in the data. Consequently, comparing to 2OS-VD theory which can only be used to estimate the value of VD without finding real targets, the developed HOS-VD theory can accomplish both of tasks at the same time, i.e., determining the value of VD as well as finding actual targets directly from the data.
The use of X-ray standing waves and evanescent-wave emission to study buried strained-layer heterostructures

Abstract A heteroepitaxial structure consisting of 1 ML InAs grown on GaAs(0 0 1) and then capped with 25 A GaAs was examined by the X-ray standing wave (XSW) method. By monitoring the In L fluorescence while scanning through the GaAs(0 0 4) Bragg reflection, the perpendicular strain within the InAs layer was directly measured to be 7.7%, which is in good agreement with macroscopic elasticity theory (7.3%). We also demonstrate that, combined with the evanescentwave-emission effect, the XSW method can be used to measure the strain-induced displacement of the cap layer in the growth direction.
Bold-line diagrammatic Monte Carlo method: General formulation and application to expansion around the noncrossing approximation

We present a general framework for performing ``bold-line'' diagrammatic Monte Carlo calculations using an analytical partial resummation as a starting point for a stochastic summation of all diagrams. As a stringent test case we assess the accuracy of the method by solving the equations of single-site dynamical mean-field theory, using the noncrossing approximation as a starting point. We establish the validity of the starting approximations and show that the bold method provides a very accurate treatment of the Mott-insulating phase.
Simultaneous monitoring of flight and oviposition of individual velvetbean caterpillar moths

. A ‘pivot’ flight actograph was combined with a rolling oviposition surface to characterize the flight and oviposition behaviour of velvetbean caterpillar moths, Anticarsia gemmatalis Hubner. Tethered, caged control females laid significantly more eggs that those flown on the actograph. Mated females laid more eggs than unmated ones. However, mating did not affect longevity nor fight frequency and duration. Laboratory-reared and wild-type females also did not differ signficantly in longevity and flight. Both laboratory and wild mated females laid most of their eggs during the first 7 days whereas unmated ones delayed their oviposition. None of the female types produced a definite hourly, daily or lifetime pattern in flight frequency or duration. Of the 7672 recorded flights, about 3% were greater than 0.5 h. ‘Long’ flights (>0.5h) were made by some females before oviposition, as in colonization migration, but most interspersed flight with oviposition, as in extended search migration.
An RNA aptamer perturbs heat shock transcription factor activity in Drosophila melanogaster

Heat shock transcription factor (HSF1) is a conserved master regulator that orchestrates the protection of normal cells from stress. However, HSF1 also protects abnormal cells and is required for carcinogenesis. Here, we generate an highly specific RNA aptamer (iaRNAHSF1) that binds Drosophila HSF1 and inhibits HSF1 binding to DNA. In Drosophila animals, iaRNAHSF1 reduces normal Hsp83 levels and promotes developmental abnormalities, mimicking the spectrum of phenotypes that occur when Hsp83 activity is reduced. The HSF1 aptamer also effectively suppresses the abnormal growth phenotypes induced by constitutively active forms of the EGF receptor and Raf oncoproteins. Our results indicate that HSF1 contributes toward the morphological development of animal traits by controlling the expression of molecular chaperones under normal growth conditions. Additionally, our study demonstrates the utility of the RNA aptamer technology as a promising chemical genetic approach to investigate biological mechanisms, including cancer and for identifying effective drug targets in vivo.
CYTO-INJURY FACTORS IN URINE: A POSSIBLE MECHANISM FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF INTERSTITIAL CYSTITIS

Purpose: In most of our patients with interstitial cystitis (IC), the disease is associated with an increased urothelial permeability whose cause has not been identified. We postulate that both normal urine and the urine of IC patients contains factors capable of injuring the mucosa and causing an increased permeability that would allow urine components to leak into the bladder muscle. To test this hypothesis, we examined fractions of normal urine for toxic effects on bladder smooth muscle and epithelial cells in vitro. In the same in vitro system, we measured the effects of Tamm-Horsfall protein (THP), a normal urinary glycoprotein that may be a scavenger of injurious agents capable of “detoxifying” normal metabolic products.Materials and Methods: Human urothelial cells (T24) and rabbit bladder smooth muscle cells were incubated overnight with various fractions prepared from healthy volunteers’ urine. The urine fractions of molecular weights >100 Da were incubated overnight with either urothelial or smoo...
Morphology, Attenuation, Size, and Structure (MASS) Criteria: Assessing Response and Predicting Clinical Outcome in Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma on Antiangiogenic Targeted Therapy

OBJECTIVE. The objective of our study was to evaluate response assessment and predict clinical outcome in patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma (RCC) receiving antiangiogenic targeted therapy. Target lesions were assessed on routine contrast-enhanced CT (CECT) images obtained during the portal venous phase using new response criteria.MATERIALS AND METHODS. Standard CECT examinations of patients with metastatic clear cell RCC on first-line sunitinib or sorafenib therapy (n = 84) were retrospectively evaluated using Mass, Attenuation, Size, and Structure (MASS) Criteria; Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST); Size and Attenuation CT (SACT) Criteria; and modified Choi Criteria. The objective response to therapy was compared with clinical outcomes including time to progression (TTP) and disease-specific survival. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to estimate survival functions.RESULTS. A favorable response according to MASS Criteria had a sensitivity of 86% and specificity of 100% in id...
Field design studies of a planar hybrid/permanent magnet undulator with strong planar permanent magnet focusing

Abstract Undulators for Free Electron Laser (FEL) amplifiers driven by multi-GeV electron beams generally require superimposed focusing substantially stronger than that provided by their natural focusing fields. In recent years a wide variety of focusing schemes and configurations have been proposed for undulators of this class, ranging from conventional current-driven quadrupoles external to the undulator magnets to permanent magnet (PM) lattices inserted into, or adjacent to, the insertion device gap. In this paper we present design studies of the field structure of a flexible hybrid/PM undulator with superimposed planar PM focusing proposed for a 1.5 A Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS) undulator driven by an electron beam with a 1 mm mrad normalized emittance. Attainable field parameters, tuning modes, and trajectory performance of the proposed structure are discussed.
Oxygen-derived free radicals and postischemic myocardial dysfunction ("stunned myocardium").

Abstract Experimental studies have demonstrated that myocardium reperfused after reversible ischemia exhibits prolonged depression of contractile function (“stunning”), which is associated with various ultrastructural, biochemical, vascular and other functional abnormalities. Clinical observations suggest that stunning occurs in many situations (for example, rest and exercise-induced angina, myocardial infarction with early reperfusion, open heart surgery, transplantation) and thus may contribute significantly to morbidity among patients with coronary artery disease. In recent years an increasing number of studies have provided indirect evidence that postischemic myocardial dysfunction may be mediated in part by the generation of reactive oxygen species, such as superoxide radical (· O2−), hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and hydroxyl radical (· OH). Thus, it has been shown that the recovery of the stunned myocardium is enhanced by agents that either scavenge oxygen metabolites, such as superoxide dismutase and catalase, N-2-mercaptopropionylglycine and dimethylthiourea, or prevent their generation, such as allopurinol, oxypurinol and desferrioxamine. More recent experiments utilizing electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy have directlydemonstrated that reperfusion after a reversible ischemic episode is associated with a burst of free radical production. At present, the evidence supporting the free radical hypothesis is suggestive but not conclusive. Definitive demonstration of the role of oxy-radicals will require careful studies measuring the production of these species is conscious animal models of postischemic dysfunction. If confirmed, the free radical hypothesis will provide not only new important insights into the pathophysiology of ischemic injury, but also a rationale for developing clinically applicable interventions.
Chronic Postbronchiolitis Airway Instability Induced with Anti-IFN-γ Antibody in F344 Rats

Analogous to childhood-onset asthma in humans, rats may develop a chronic asthmalike phenotype, depending on their genetic background and the age at which they experience a viral airway injury. Brown Norway rats develop a postbronchiolitis asthmalike phenotype that may be prevented with supplements of interferon-γ (IFN-γ); we hypothesized that the normally resistant F344 rat strain would develop the asthmalike phenotype if the IFN-γ response were suppressed during viral illness. Weanling F344 rats were pretreated with anti-IFN-γ or control antibody, and inoculated with Sendai virus or vehicle. Anti-IFN-γ treatment reduced lung IFN-γ and increased IL-4 mRNA during the infection. Physiologic studies performed 8 wk later revealed premature airway closure (p = 0.03) and elevated specific pulmonary resistance (p < 0.01) in the postbronchiolitis anti-IFN-γ group compared with noninfected controls and untreated postbronchiolitis rats. However, unlike the postbronchiolitis asthmalike phenotype in Brown Norway rats, bronchiolar inflammation and fibrosis were absent in the F344 rats. Lung elastic recoil and alveolar surface density also were unchanged compared with noninfected control rats. We conclude that there is an interactive effect of a weak IFN-γ response and viral bronchiolitis at an early age that may result in persistent postbronchiolitis airway dysfunction. The presence of premature airway closure that is independent of airway wall inflammation or changes in lung elastic recoil suggests peripheral airway instability as a mechanism for the airway obstruction.
Conserved Aspartic Acid Residues Lining the Extracellular Loop I of Sodium-coupled Bile Acid Transporter ASBT Interact with Na+ and 7α-OH Moieties on the Ligand Cholestane Skeleton

Functional contributions of residues Val-99—Ser-126 lining extracellular loop (EL) 1 of the apical sodium-dependent bile acid transporter were determined via cysteine-scanning mutagenesis, thiol modification, and in silico interpretation. Despite membrane expression for all but three constructs (S112C, Y117C, S126C), most EL1 mutants (64%) were inactivated by cysteine mutation, suggesting a functional role during sodium/bile acid co-transport. A negative charge at conserved residues Asp-120 and Asp-122 is required for transport function, whereas neutralization of charge at Asp-124 yields a functionally active transporter. D124A exerts low affinity for common bile acids except deoxycholic acid, which uniquely lacks a 7α-hydroxyl (OH) group. Overall, we conclude that (i) Asp-122 functions as a Na+ sensor, binding one of two co-transported Na+ ions, (ii) Asp-124 interacts with 7α-OH groups of bile acids, and (iii) apolar EL1 residues map to hydrophobic ligand pharmacophore features. Based on these data, we propose a comprehensive mechanistic model involving dynamic salt bridge pairs and hydrogen bonding involving multiple residues to describe sodium-dependent bile acid transporter-mediated bile acid and cation translocation.
GNEIMO: Constrained Molecular Dynamics Methods For Long Time Scale Simulation of Macromolecules

The two leading causes for the limitation of the all-atom molecular dynamics (MD) simulation timescales are: 1. calculation of forces that scale as the square of the number of atoms and, 2. the integration time step is limited to 1fs due to the high frequency modes in the protein. High performance technologies and better force calculation algorithms have addressed the former, and we address the latter issue in this work.Here we report a constrained MD method, GNEIMO (Generalized Newton-Euler inverse mass operator method), that is capable of achieving stable dynamics with integration time steps as large as 10 to 20fs. The GNEIMO method provides a platform to perform long time scale hierarchical simulations ranging from all-atom simulations, coarse-grained dynamics of clusters of few atoms, to dynamics with larger motifs constrained, at lesser computational expense compared to all-atom MD. GNEIMO method uses spatial operator algebra to solve for the internal coordinate dynamics with computational cost scaling linearly as the number of degrees of freedom.The current implementation of GNEIMO is capable of performing constant temperature Nose-Hoover dynamics, with continuum Generalized Born solvation. We use adaptive step size integration to provide stable dynamics with larger time steps. We have carried out tens of nano-seconds of stable dynamics for proteins with time steps as large as 10 to 20fs for different integrators. We report results from conformational changes of domains in proteins from long time scale dynamics. This implementation integrates the force-field module from the MD program LAMMPS, with constrained dynamics module from NASA-Jet Propulsion laboratory.
Low‐Earth‐Orbit Effects on Strength of Glasses

The effects of a 5.8-y exposure to low-earth-orbit environment upon the mechanical properties of five commercial glasses and a low-expansion-coefficient glass-ceramic have been examined. The radiation components of the earth-orbit environment did not degrade the mechanical strength of the samples examined within the limits of experimental error. Statistical problems arising from the low frequency of micrometeorite or space debris impacts upon the samples precluded statistically valid measurement of impacted sample strengths. Upper bounds for the magnitude of the impact event damage upon the strengths for impacted samples have been determined.
Regulation of plasma 1,25-(OH)2-D3 by phosphate: evidence against a role for total or acid-soluble renal phosphate content.

In order to evaluate a possible role for tissue phosphate or phosphorylated compounds in mediating the increase in plasma 1,25-(OH)2-D3 levels during dietary phosphate deprivation, measurements of total and acid-soluble renal cortical phosphate content have been made in both intact and hypophysectomized (hypox) rats eating a normal diet and also after four days of dietary phosphate deprivation. Similar measurements were also made in phosphate-deprived hypophysectomized rats replaced with growth hormone (GH). Total and acid-soluble renal cortical phosphate content averaged 81±8 µmol/g and 4.1±0.6 µmol/g, respectively, in intact rats eating the normal diet and were not significantly altered after phosphate deprivation despite a fall in plasma phosphate of about 40% and a fourfold increase in plasma 1,25-(OH)2-D3 levels. Total and acid-soluble renal cortical phosphate content levels were higher in hypox rats, averaging 92±8 µmol/g and 4.9±0.7 µmol/g, respectively, but also did not change after phosphate deprivation. Replacement of phosphate-deprived hypox rats with GH resulted in a further fall in plasma phosphate and a significant increase in plasma 1,25-(OH)2-D3 levels, but there was no change in either total or acid-soluble renal cortical phosphate content. The distribution of organophosphorus compounds in the acid-soluble phosphate fraction in these experiments was also evaluated using31P NMR spectroscopy. Although there appeared to be an increase in the total concentration of organophosphorus compounds after phosphate deprivation, this effect was not altered by hypophysectomy or by replacement of phosphate-deprived hypox rats with GH. These data suggest that unless phosphate deprivation affects only a small or specific cellular phosphate pool, some factor other than renal cell inorganic phosphate content must initiate the increase in renal 1,25-(OH)2-D3 synthesis that occurs during phosphate deprivation.