cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Histamine Receptors in Brain

While mounting evidence is elevating histamine to the category of a putative neurotransmitter, its explicit functions in brain remain as unclear as those of most other putative neurotransmitters. Evidence has been reviewed (Green et al., 1978a; Schwartz, 1979, Schwartz et al., 1980a,b; Hough and Green, 1980) that it may function in arousal, locomotor activity, regulation of hunger and thirst, emesis, thermoregulation, and the elaboration of hormones, most persuasively, of prolactin and the antidiuretic hormone. There is also evidence, too rich to review here, that histamine may alter the formation, release, or activities of other endogenous substances. As provocative as many of these observations are, they remain to be integrated into coherent hypotheses, as do observations on other biogenic amines. The development of methods to measure histamine metabolism (Hough et al., 1981) offers an opportunity to evaluate further the functions of histamine in brain. Methods to study brain histamine receptors provide additional means of assessing the roles of histamine in brain. A description of these receptors, some of their associated effects, and their response to psychotropic drugs is presented in this review.
Low-frequency noise in terahertz plasmonic field effect transistor sensors

Terahertz (THz) plasmonic field effect transistor sensors have emerged as prime contenders for applications in THz and sub-THz communications, biomedical sensing, and imaging. Noise is one of the most important factors determining their performance. We show that the conventional approach of using thermal noise of the device impedance for predicting the sensor performance is inadequate because it ignores the effect of the input circuit and (for very short, submicron devices) ignores a very strong effect of the ballistic or quasi-ballistic transport on the device performance.
Management of Acute Kidney Injury: Core Curriculum 2018.

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a heterogeneous disorder that is common in hospitalized patients and associated with short- and long-term morbidity and mortality. When AKI is present, prompt workup of the underlying cause should be pursued, with specific attention to reversible causes. Measures to prevent AKI include optimization of volume status and avoidance of nephrotoxic medications. Crystalloids are preferred over colloids for most patients, and hydroxyethyl starches should be avoided. Volume overload in the setting of AKI is associated with adverse outcomes, so attention should be paid to overall fluid balance. Currently there are no targeted pharmacotherapies approved for the treatment of AKI. The optimal timing of renal replacement therapy in critically ill patients with AKI is unclear, but is an area of active investigation. Recent studies suggest that AKI is not a "self-limited" process, but is strongly linked to increased risk for chronic kidney disease, subsequent AKI, and future mortality.
Pre-digestion to enhance volatile fatty acids (VFAs) concentration as a carbon source for denitrification in treatment of liquid swine manure.

Insufficient denitrification in biological treatment is often a result of the lack of a carbon source. In this study, use of the volatile fatty acids (VFAs) generated via pre-digestion as a carbon source to improve denitrification in sequencing batch reactor (SBR) treatment of liquid swine manure was investigated. The pre-digestion of swine manure was realized by storing the manure in a sealed container in room temperature and samples were taken periodically from the container to determine the VFA levels. The results showed that after 14 days of pre-digestion, the VFA level in the digested liquid was increased by 200%. A polynomial relationship for the VFA level in the digested manure with the digestion time was observed with a correlation coefficient being 0.9748. Two identical SBRs were built and operated on 8-h cycles in parallel, with one fed with pre-digested and the other raw swine manure. There were five phases included in each cycle, i.e., anaerobic (90 min), anoxic (150 min), anoxic/anaerobic (90 min), anoxic/aerobic (120 min), and settle/decant (30 min), and the feeding was split to 600 mL/200 mL and performed at the beginning of and 240 min into the cycle. The SBR fed on pre-digested swine manure achieved successful denitrification with only 0.35 mg/L nitrate left in the effluent, compared to 15.9 mg/L found in the effluent of the other SBR. Nitrite was not detected in the effluent from both SBRs. The results also indicated that there was no negative impact of feeding SBRs with the pre-digested liquid swine manure for treatment on the removal of other constituents such as total solids (TS), volatile solids (VS), suspended solids (SS), volatile suspended solids (VSS), and soluble chemical oxygen demand (COD). Therefore, anaerobic digestion as a pretreatment can be an effective way to condition liquid swine manure for SBR treatment to achieve sufficient nitrate removal.
Domain abstraction and limited reasoning

We are investigating the possibility of constructing meaningful and computationally efficient approximate reasoning methods for the first order logic. In particular, we study a situation when only certain aspects of the domain are of interest to the user. This is reflected by an equivalence relation defined on the domain of the knowledge base. The whole mechanism is called domain abstraction and is demonstrated to lead to significant computational advantages. The domain abstraction discussed in the paper is only a very special case of the more general notion of abstraction which is discussed shortly here and is a subject of the currently ongoing research.
New Strategies for the Treatment of Adrenocortical Carcinoma

As detailed elsewhere in this volume, ACC is a rare disease with a poor prognosis [1]. Although advances have been made in the identification of cytotoxic chemotherapy regimens that produce some benefit in ACC, these cancers remain poorly responsive to standard treatments and the incidence of complete remission is very low.
The Future of School Psychology: Perspectives on Effective Training

The need to reform our schools toward greater student success has been sounded across the country and in every community, school district, and school. In our own profession, the need for school ref...
The Gunpowder Age: China, Military Innovation, and the Rise of the West in World History

Conflict stimulates innovation: the more intense the conflict, the more dramatic the innovation. Many scholars will recognize this basic idea from common explanations of rapid change — including ex...
Image Recognition using MLMVN and Frequency Domain Features

In this paper, we develop a new approach to image recognition. This approach is based on the analysis of frequency domain features (namely Fourier transform phases corresponding to certain frequencies) using the multilayer neural network with multi-valued neurons (MLMVN). MLMVN is a powerful complex-valued feedforward neural network, which has shown its high efficiency in solving various classification, prediction, and intelligent image filtering problems. As a complex-valued neural network, MLMVN has an ability to treat the phase information properly, completely preserving a circular nature of phase. At the same time it is known that phases contain all information about image edges, their location and spatial orientation. This means that the phase information can be used for image recognition. Particularly, this is the case when it is necessary to recognize objects whose size is known and fixed and it is possible to use phases corresponding to certain frequencies found based on the Nyquist-Shannon theorem as features for recognition. These phases can then be analyzed using MLMVN. We illustrate this approach using the famous MNIST image dataset, which for a 100% recognition rate was achieved. Phases corresponding only to the three lowest frequencies (1 to 3) and just a single hidden layer MLMVN are enough to achieve this result. A batch learning algorithm (MLMVN-SM-LLS) is employed to train the network.
Comparison of perioperative bariatric complications using 2 large databases: does the data add up?

Abstract Background The Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program (MBSAQIP) database is a prospective clinical database that looks at short-term (30-day) outcomes of bariatric surgery. The Texas Inpatient Public Use Data File (PUDF) is an administrative database that uses hospital discharge information to compile data on admission and discharge diagnoses. Objective To determine interdatabase reliability for common bariatric complications. Setting University hospital, United States Methods The Texas Inpatient PUDF and MBSAQIP were queried for patients undergoing sleeve gastrectomy and gastric bypass in the year 2015. Admission diagnoses of morbid obesity with a discharge diagnosis of bariatric surgery status and also the International Classification of Diseases 9 Clinical Modification and Current Procedural Terminology procedure codes for bariatric surgeries were queried. The same postoperative complications were examined in both databases. Results There were 137,291 patients in MBSAQIP and 9474 patients in the PUDF undergoing bariatric surgery. Patients in the PUDF had greater adjusted and unadjusted odds ratio for acute renal failure, cardiac arrest and postoperative myocardial infarction, pneumonia, progressive renal failure and postoperative sepsis. Conclusion There is a significant difference in the rates of perioperative complications of bariatric surgery when different databases are used. If surgeons are to be graded or potentially financially affected by these outcome metrics, the proper use of and interpretation of data is paramount and quality monitoring organizations should not use only administrative databases as the primary method to measure quality.
Modulating the Chemical Transport Properties of a Transmembrane Antiporter via Alternative Anion Flux

ClC-ec1 is a prototype of the ClC antiporters, proteins that stoichiometrically exchange Cl– and H+ ions in opposite directions across a membrane. It has been shown that other polyatomic anions, su...
EDRIXS: An open source toolkit for simulating spectra of resonant inelastic x-ray scattering

Abstract Resonant inelastic x-ray scattering (RIXS) has become a very powerful experimental technique to probe a broad range of intrinsic elementary excitations , for example, from low energy phonons and (bi-)magnons to high energy d - d , charge-transfer and plasmon excitations in strongly correlated electronic systems. Due to the complexity of the RIXS cross-section and strong core-hole effects, theoretical simulation of the experimental RIXS spectra is still a difficult task which hampers the understanding of RIXS spectra and the development of the RIXS technique. In this paper, we present an open source toolkit (dubbed EDRIXS) to facilitate the simulations of RIXS spectra of strongly correlated materials based on exact diagonalization (ED) of certain model Hamiltonians . The model Hamiltonian can be from a single atom, small cluster or Anderson impurity model, with model parameters from density functional theory plus Wannier90 or dynamical mean-field theory calculations. The spectra of x-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) and RIXS are then calculated using Krylov subspace techniques. This toolkit contains highly efficient ED, XAS and RIXS solvers written in modern Fortran 90 language and a convenient Python library used to prepare inputs and set up calculations. We first give a short introduction to RIXS spectroscopy , and then we discuss the implementation details of this toolkit. Finally, we show three examples to demonstrate its usage. Program summary Program title: EDRIXS Program Files doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.17632/wvd5x3mtg4.1 Licensing provisions: GNU General Public Licence 3.0 Programming language: Fortran 90 and Python3 External routines/libraries used: BLAS, LAPACK, Parallel ARPACK, numpy, scipy, sympy, matplotlib, sphinx, numpydoc Nature of problem: Simulating the spectra of resonant inelastic x-ray scattering for strongly correlated electronic systems. Solution method: Exact diagonalization of model Hamiltonians and Krylov subspace methods .
Inheritance of foliage color of common rosemallow ( Hibiscus moscheutos (L.)) subspecific hybrids

Common rosemallow (Hibiscus moscheutos (L.)) is a native wetland perennial taxon that has been widely used as an ornamental landscape plant for several decades. Its showy blooms, attractive form and foliage, and hardiness attracted the attention of plant enthusiasts, leading to extensive hybridization and subsequent selection of superior genotypes. Red foliage color is a desirable trait, therefore we investigated the mode of inheritance of this trait in H. moscheutos subsp. lasiocarpos (Cavanilles) O. J. Blanchard with intraspecific hybrids of H. moscheutos subsp. moscheutos (L.). Two red-foliaged seed parents of Hibiscus moscheutos subsp. moscheutos (L.) were crossed with green-foliaged paternal parent H. moscheutos subsp. lasiocarpos. Two F2 full-sib families (n = 192 and 238) were each found to fit a 3 red: 1 green segregation ratio for foliage color using a Chi square goodness-of-fit analysis. For further evaluation of this segregation pattern, each parent was selfed, as were two red-foliaged F2 plants. The two red-foliaged parents yielded the expected all-red progeny (n = 53 and 178, 1 red: 0 green) and the green-foliaged parent yielded 244 green and 6 red plants, fitting the expected 0 red: 1 green (P = 0.704) ratio. Additionally, progeny from the two red-foliaged F2 plants fit the expected 1 red: 0 green ratio (n = 135 and 120). Results indicate the appearance of red foliage, in any amount, in the two subspecies utilized and our hybrids of hibiscus to be controlled by a single locus with a dominant allele for red foliage. We propose the gene be called “green foliage” where the dominant allele, G, yields a red foliage phenotype. When the recessive allele, g, is present in the homozygous form, progeny consist of an all-green foliage phenotype for Hibiscus moscheutos (L.). Understanding the mode of inheritance of red-foliage phenotype in hibiscus would prove useful in further ornamental breeding work.
Adductory Vocal Fold Kinematic Trajectories During Conventional Versus High-Speed Videoendoscopy.

Objective Prephonatory vocal fold angle trajectories may supply useful information about the laryngeal system but were examined in previous studies using sigmoidal curves fit to data collected at 3...
Influence of Electrical Turn-to-Turn Sharing on Quench Protection in Superconducting Coils for Very High Power Density Motors for Hybrid-Electric Aircraft

Superconducting winding are enabling for the development of the highest power density motors and generators for aircraft use. Some of the most promising materials are YBCO coated conductors, with their $T_{c}$ of 90 K, and useful operational range up to 77 K. NASA has preliminary designs for motors with Cu stators and coated conductor based rotor coils, and is considering the type of coil assembly for the YBCO windings. A key aspect of any YBCO coil is how to protect the coil from quench in the case of the initiation of a normal zone. The growth of the normal zone is several orders of magnitude lower than that of LTS conductors, increasing the potential for coil damage. On the other hand, the much larger minimum quench energy (MQE) makes these events much less likely. The use of a no insulation (NI) method to protect again such damage has been implemented in a number of solenoidal type coils, where a relatively low layer-to-layer contact resistance allows for current redistribution and coil protection in the case of a normal zone. Here we consider its application to racetrack coils. We have modelled a coated conductor wound racetrack coil and investigated its current sharing using finite element methods. A small defect 1 mm in length is assumed in the YBCO, and the level of current sharing is explore as a function of interlayer contact resistance. A clear transition from a high level of current sharing to a low level of current sharing is seen with the change in contact resistance.
Effect of porcine stress syndrome on the solubility and degradation of myofibrillar/cytoskeletal proteins.

This study examined the effect of stress classification (stress-positive, stress-carrier, stress-negative) of pigs on selected properties of postmortem muscle, including protein solubility and degradation of proteins such as titin. Longissimus muscle samples were removed 45 min postslaughter, divided into samples, and stored at 0 to 2 degrees C for analysis at 0, 1, 3, 5, and 7 d postmortem. Whole-muscle samples (homogenates) and purified myofibrils were prepared from each sample for analysis by SDS-PAGE. A portion of each muscle sample also was extracted 1) with a low-ionic-strength solution to obtain a sarcoplasmic protein fraction and 2) with two different high-ionic-strength solutions to obtain a myofibrillar/cytoskeletal protein fraction for measurement of protein solubility and for analysis of extracts by SDS-PAGE. No significant differences were observed between muscle from stress-negative and stress-carrier animals in this study. Sarcoplasmic (P less than .05) and myofibrillar/cytoskeletal (P less than .01) protein solubility was lower in muscle samples from stress-positive animals than in muscle samples from stress-carrier and stress-negative animals at all postmortem times studied. The high molecular weight protein titin was degraded more slowly postmortem in muscle from stress-positive than in muscle from stress-negative animals, as observed by SDS-PAGE analysis of whole-muscle samples (homogenates) an myofibrils. The combination of lowered protein solubility and reduced rate of postmortem degradation of structural proteins such as titin may explain, at least in part, the reduced quality and protein functionality of muscle from stress-positive pigs.
How US students’ geo-cultural knowledge and intercultural receptiveness is impacted through contact with international teachers:

To understand how K-12 students in the USA are impacted by their interactions with international teachers (ie teachers visiting the USA from other countries), this study asked ‘Does contact with an...
Exact β-function of Yang-Mills theory in 2+1 dimensions

To set the stage, I discuss the β-function of the massless O(N) model in three dimensions, which can be calculated exactly in the large N limit. Then, I consider SU(N) Yang-Mills theory in 2+1 space-time dimensions. Relating the β-function to the expectation value of the action in lattice gauge theory, and the latter to the trace of the energy-momentum tensor, Is how that $$ \frac{d\ln {g}^2/\mu }{d\ln \mu }=-1 $$ for all g and all N in one particular renormalization scheme. As a consequence, I find that the Yang-Mills β-function in three dimensions must have the same sign for all finite and positive bare coupling parameters in any renormalization scheme, and all non-trivial infrared fixed points are unreachable in practice.
DNA Topoisomerase IIα (TOP2A) inhibitors doxorubicin and etopoxide (VP-16) up-regulate Fatty Acid Synthase (FAS) gene expression in SK-Br3 breast cancer cells: In vitro evidence for a “functional amplicon” involving FAS, Her-2/neu and TOP2A genes

3540 Fatty Acid Synthase (FAS), the key metabolic multi-enzyme that is responsible for the terminal catalytic step in the de novo fatty acid biosynthesis, plays an active role in the development, maintenance, and enhancement of the malignant phenotype of breast carcinomas. We recently described that a molecular bi-directional cross-talk between FAS and the Her-2/neu (erbB-2) oncogene is taking place at the level of transcription, translation, and activity in breast cancer cells. Because Her-2/neu has been linked with altered sensitivity to cytotoxic drugs, we envisioned that FAS expression may represent a novel predictive molecular factor for breast cancer response to chemotherapy in a Her-2/neu-related manner. Here, we evaluated whether chemotherapy-induced cell damage may act in an epigenetic fashion by inducing changes in the transcriptional activation of FAS gene in breast carcinoma cells. To evaluate this option, FAS- and Her-2/neu-overexpressing SK-Br3 breast cancer cells were transiently transfected with a FAS promoter-reporter construct (FAS-Luciferase) harboring all the elements necessary for high level expression in cancer cells. Interestingly, SK-Br3 cells cultured in the presence of topoisomerase II-alpha (TOP2A) inhibitors doxorubicin and etopoxide (VP-16) demonstrated a significant 2- to 3-fold increase in FAS promoter activity when compared with control cells grown in drug-free culture conditions. We failed to observe any significant activation of FAS promoter following exposure to 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), cisplatin (CDDP), paclitaxel (PTX) or vincristine (VCR). Moreover, the up-regulatory effects of TOP2A inhibitors on the transcriptional activation of FAS gene expression were not significantly decreased when the FAS promoter was damaged at the SREBP-binding site. Considering that FAS inhibition produces profound inhibition of DNA replication and S-phase progression in cancer cells, we finally asked whether a cross-talk between TOP2A and FAS could exhibit a Her-2/neu-related bi-directional nature. TOP2A protein levels decreased during treatment with the anti-Her-2/neu antibody trastuzumab while, concomitantly, FAS promoter activity and FAS protein levels were significantly reduced. Interestingly, when the expression levels of TOP2A protein were analyzed following exposure of SK-Br3 cells to increasing concentrations of C75, a novel slow-binding inhibitor of FAS activity, a dose-dependent reduction in TOP2A protein expression was observed. Although FAS gene is not physically located in the Her-2/neu-TOP2A amplicon, our present findings strongly suggest that a tight functional association between FAS, Her-2/neu and TOP2A genes is taking place in a subset of breast carcinomas cells.
Complex symplectic geometry and solvability of systems of analytic vector fields

This note reviews briefly the classes of involutive systems $${\varvec{L}} =\left( L_{1},\ldots ,L_{\nu }\right)$$ of analytic vector fields for which necessary and sufficient conditions for the local solvability, or local exactness in a given degree of the associated differential complex, are known. We point out that these conditions, at the microlocal level, can be reformulated in terms of a locally exact $$\left( 1,0\right)$$ -form on the $$complex$$ characteristic bundle of $${\varvec{L}}$$ and of the primitive of its imaginary part. The results in the known cases raise natural questions about their generalization.
A randomized, controlled, blinded trial assessing the association between infectious bovine keratoconjunctivitis incidence and a commercial Moraxella bovis vaccine in beef calves

The objectives were to assess the association between a commercially available Moraxella bovis vaccine and cumulative incidence of infectious bovine keratoconjunctivitis (primary objective) and weight at weaning (secondary objective).
Total Vaginal Hysterectomy Using a Vessel Sealer Device Vs. Conventional Suture Ligation Technique: A Retrospective Cohort Analysis

Study Objective The aim of this study is to evaluate the duration of surgery, blood loss, and complications when performing a total vaginal hysterectomy (TVH) using a blood vessel sealer (BVS) device compared to standard technique. Design retrospective cohort analysis. Setting Tertiary care center serving a rural population. Patients or Participants 146 women undergoing TVH at the West Virginia University Hospitals system. The indications for the vaginal hysterectomy were recorded as either abnormal uterine bleeding (AUB), pelvic organ prolapse (POP), or other. Patient characteristics were recorded. The primary endpoint was the comparison of surgical times between the BVS and standard technique groups. Secondary endpoints were the amount of blood loss and complications after surgery between both groups. Complications were defined by blood loss >500 ml, conversion to laparotomy/laparoscopy, blood transfusion, urinary or bowel injury, readmission within 30 days, postoperative fever, and vaginal wall or labial burning. Interventions Use of a vessel sealer vs conventional technique. Measurements and Main Results Out of 142 surgeries, 102 patients had hysterectomies using standard technique and 40 used the BVS device. The two most common hysterectomy indications were AUB (32 with the vessel sealer and 45 with conventional technique) and POP repair (8 with the vessel sealer and 57 with conventional technique). Although the BVS group had faster surgical times than the standard technique group, the difference was not statistically significant (99.4 vs 112.1 minutes; p=0.0777). There was a significant difference in surgical blood loss in the vessel sealer group compared to the group of traditional surgery (240.5 vs 169.1 mL; p = 0.0343). There were no significant differences in complications following a TVH with a vessel sealer compared to the standard technique (OR=0.61; 95% CI 0.24 - 1.52). Conclusion The use of the vessel sealer device was not associated with decreased surgical times or complications and instead showed an increase in surgical blood loss.
The Risks and Returns of Corporate Loans

We study the risks and returns of syndicated corporate loans, which have become an actively managed asset class due to the emergence of nonbank institutional investors. We show that the returns to corporate loans have slightly negative interest rate duration and time-varying exposure to default risk. We estimate a regime switching model and show that shocks to default risk have a large impact on loan returns when leverage is high and a much smaller impact on loan returns when leverage is low, consistent with standard models of credit risk pricing. As a result, the systematic risk exposure of corporate loans increases following negative shocks to returns and decreases following positive shocks. This result has implications for portfolio allocation decisions, performance attribution, investor capital structure, and all other investment decisions that depend on the risks of the asset class.
Present and Future Directions in Design Education

Following an era of scientific orientation in engineering curricula, a new period of curricula change and reorientation toward the practice of engineering seems to be emerging. With this in mind, an attempt is made to summarize trends in design education that mark this new era in engineering education, which will hopefully cure some of the apparent ills and deficiencies ot previous engineering curricula. The objectives of design education, based on ASCE and American Society for Engineering Education literature, are considered in detail. Constraints to design education involving students, faculty, university administration, and the Engineers Council for Professional Development are examined. It is pointed out that the ASCE, faculty, and industry can be turned into positive resources for encouraging and implementing design education. In addition, a number of models are outlined and identified for introducing decision making and design into the engineering curriculum in a meaningful way.
Fully Dynamic Bin Packing

Classic bin packing seeks to pack a given set of items of possibly varying sizes into a minimum number of identical sized bins. A number of approximation algorithms have been proposed for this NP-hard problem for both the on-line and off-line cases. In this chapter we discuss fully dynamic bin packing, where items may arrive (Insert) and depart (Delete) dynamically. In accordance with standard practice for fully dynamic algorithms, it is assumed that the packing may be arbitrarily rearranged to accommodate arriving and departing items. The goal is to maintain an approximately optimal solution of provably high quality in a total amount of time comparable to that used by an off-line algorithm delivering a solution of the same quality.
Vulnerability and the Impact of Climate Change in South Africa's Limpopo River Basin

"With likely long-term changes in rainfall patterns and shifting temperature zones, climate change is expected to increase the frequency of climate-related shocks, such as floods and droughts in Sub-Saharan Africa. For farm households, an increase in the frequency of climate-related income shocks could lead not only to lower expected income, but also to higher income variance, which in turn can cause them to pursue costly risk-coping strategies and to fall below poverty trap thresholds. For this reason, it is important to understand how a changing distribution of risk will lead to increased vulnerability, not just decreased expected income. This brief is based on a paper that uses farm households' responses to climate-related shocks in South Africa's Limpopo River Basin to gauge how farmers are likely to respond to future climate change shocks. The increased frequency and severity of droughts associated with global warming may induce farmers to change their behavior to reduce their risk of negative impacts from future climaterelated shocks. While it is difficult to predict farmers' behavior and how it will affect welfare, coping strategies used in response to shocks today can be used to predict whether and how rural South Africans will cope in the future. The study examines household responses to droughts in 2005 and household vulnerability to future climate change by assessing their probability of falling below an income threshold as a result of future climate-related shocks. Assessing household vulnerability is important because efficient social policy needs to go beyond poverty alleviation in the present to prevent poverty in the future. A poverty reduction strategy that does not distinguish between transient and structural poverty leads to inefficient use of resources, in that it focuses on those who are temporarily poor but may be able to escape poverty on their own, at the expense of those who have a high probability of becoming chronically poor." from text
Metadata in the collaboratory for multi-scale chemical science

The goal of the Collaboratory for the Multi-scale Chemical Sciences (CMCS) [1] is to develop an informatics-based approach to synthesizing multi-scale chemistry information to create knowledge in the chemical sciences. CMCS is using a portal and metadata-aware content store as a base for building a system to support inter-domain knowledge exchange in chemical science. Key aspects of the system include configurable metadata extraction and translation, a core schema for scientific pedigree, and a suite of tools for managing data and metadata and visualizing pedigree relationships between data entries. CMCS metadata is represented using Dublin Core with metadata extensions that are useful to both the chemical science community and the science community in general. CMCS is working with several chemistry groups who are using the system to collaboratively assemble and analyze existing data to derive new chemical knowledge. In this paper we discuss the project's metadata-related requirements, the relevant software infrastructure, core metadata schema, and tools that use the metadata to enhance science.
Analysis of EAP-GPSK authentication protocol

The EAP-GPSK protocol is a lightweight, flexible authentication protocol relying on symmetric key cryptography. It is part of an ongoing IETF process to develop authentication methods for the EAP framework. We analyze the protocol and find three weaknesses: a repairable Denial-of-Service attack, an anomaly with the key derivation function used to create a short-term master session key, and a ciphersuite downgrading attack. We propose fixes to these anomalies, and use a finite-state verification tool to search for remaining problems after making these repairs. We then prove the fixed version correct using a protocol verification logic. We discussed the attacks and our suggested fixes with the authors of the specification document which has subsequently been modified to include our proposed changes.
Against Explanationist Skepticism Regarding Philosophical Intuitions

Though most of analytic philosophy is basedupon intuitions, some philosophers arebeginning to question whether intuitions are anappropriate basis for philosophical theory. This paper responds to the arguments of somecontemporary philosophers who hold thatintuitions should not be treated as evidencefor anything other than our contingentpsychological constitution. It begins with ademonstration that skeptical arguments byGilbert Harman and Alvin Goldman are variationson an argument with the potential to underminethe use of intuitions in much philosophicalinquiry. After a demonstration that NicholasSturgeon's response to Harman's argument isinadequate, it argues that all of the instancesof the skeptical argument are unsuccessfulbecause they are epistemically self-defeating.
Creating a Market Orientation

A market orientation is a business culture in whichall employees are committed to the continuous creation of superiorvalue for customers. However, businesses report limited successin developing such a culture. One approach to create a marketorientation, the approach taken by most businesses, is the ’’programmatic‘‘approach, an a priori approach in which a business uses educationprograms and organizational changes to attempt to implant thedesired norm of continuously creating superior value for customers.A second approach is the ’’market-back‘‘ approach, an experientialapproach in which a business continuously learns from its day-to-dayefforts to create and maintain superior value for customers andthereby continuously develops and adapts its customer-value skills,resources, and procedures. Theory suggests that both approachescontribute to increasing a market orientation. It also suggeststhat when the a priori education of the programmatic approachis sharply focused on providing a foundation for the experientiallearning, the combined effect of the two learning strategiesis the largest. The implication is that the two strategies mustbe tailored and managed as a coordinated joint strategy for creatinga market orientation.
Interference method to fabricate phase shifter of alternate phase shifting mask

It has been proposed that phase shifting mask (PSM) will be applied as a convenient and effective means of optical enhancement for IC lithography. Practical materials are needed for PSM at different wavelength lithography if these theoretical improvements are to be realized. Our goal is to create an alternating (Levenson) phase shifting mask (altPSM) with single-layer interference fringes structure of birefringent effect, corresponding to the patterns of enhance resolution being transferred into the wafer.
Fruits of Their Labour: Urbanisation, Orchard Crops, and Dental Health in Early Bronze Age Jordan

The analysis of dental remains, which outlast most other tissues in the human body, provides insight into past diet, activity patterns and ancestry. The remains from Bab edh-Dhra'represent the only skeletal sample available to as- sess the impact of agricultural intensification in the Early Bronze Age of the southern Levant (ca. 3500-2000 BCE). This era ushered in a period of 'urbanisation', evidenced by fortified towns, planned roadways, developments in irrigation and growing population density. During this time, the cultivation, trade and consumption of orchard taxa (such as figs,grapes and olives) increased. This paper examines changes in the teeth associated with agricultural intensification involving orchard crops as well as grains. Dental caries, ante mortem tooth loss and dental wear are examined for Early Bronze IA (EBIA; 3500-3300 BCE) and Early Bronze II-III (EBII-III; 3100-2300 BCE) teeth from the site of Bab edh-Dhra', located in modern-day Jordan. Due to the commingling, general tooth groups (e.g. molars) and specific tooth types (e.g. lower left canine) were used to compare periods. Although age and sex could not be identified for every tooth, analyses of crania and os coxae showed no significant difference in demo- graphic profiles of EBIA and EBII-III. No statistically significant increase was found over time in dental caries frequency; however, teeth for which the cause of pulp exposure could be determined suggested that caries increasingly led to exfoliation. Indeed, ante mortem tooth loss rose significantly with time, whereas dental wear de- creased. In general, changes in oral health were consistent with an archaeological record of greater consumption of softer, stickier foods, such as fruits. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Effects of pre-pulses on extreme ultraviolet conversion efficiency in laser-produced tin plasmas

Extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography is being considered for manufacturing the next generation of computer chips. However, a suitable source for EUV emission at 13.5 nm must be identified. The source must be able to provide reliable, clean, and powerful EUV emission at 13.5 nm with 2% bandwidth and be capable of meeting the demands of high volume manufacturing. Laser produced plasmas (LPP) have emerged as a promising source for EUV emission, but higher in-band conversion efficiency (CE) and debris control must first be realized.1 Tin is considered the material of choice for producing this plasma, as its plasma emits strongly in the EUV in-band region, contributed by various ionic stages (Sn8+ – Sn14+). However, the net emission of 13.5 nm photons is controlled by plasma opacity, which depends on level populations of different ionic states, ionization balance, and electron density. For obtaining the highest CE, ideal plasma temperatures and densities should be created for the longest possible period of time with the maximum collectable size.2 Reheating of a pre-formed plasma is one of the methods for controlling density and hence optimizing plasma opacity for maximum EUV emission.
Bennett and “proxy actualism”

Karen Bennett has recently argued that the views articulated by Linsky and Zalta (Philos Perspect 8:431–458, 1994) and (Philos Stud 84:283–294, 1996) and Plantinga (The nature of necessity, 1974) are not consistent with the thesis of actualism, according to which everything is actual. We present and critique her arguments. We first investigate the conceptual framework she develops to interpret the target theories. As part of this effort, we question her definition of ‘proxy actualism’. We then discuss her main arguments that the theories carry a commitment to actual entities that do not exist. We end by considering and addressing a worry that might have been the driving force behind Bennett’s claim that Linsky and Zalta’s view is not fully actualistic.
Effects of polyamine depletion by α-difluoromethylornithine on in vitro and in vivo biological properties of 4T1 murine mammary cancer cells

Increased polyamine synthesis has been associated with proliferation and progression of breast cancer, and thus, is a potential target for anticancer therapy. Polyamine depletion by α-difluoromethylornithine (DFMO) has been shown to decrease pulmonary and bone metastasis from human breast cancer cell xenografts. Following these observations, this study was designed to test the effects of DFMO on in vitro and in vivo features of the highly invasive and metastatic 4T1 murine mammary cancer cells. DFMO inhibited proliferation, caused G1-S arrest, and suppressed in vitro invasiveness of 4T1 cells. In contrast to our previous findings with MDA-MB-435 cells, DFMO did not affect the activation of signal transducers and activator of transcription 3, c-Jun N-terminal kinase, and extracellular signal-regulated kinase, but decreased phosphorylation of p38. DFMO did not alter the expression of Twist. DFMO delayed the orthotopic growth of 4T1 xenografts in association with suppressed putrescine and spermidine levels but increased levels of spermine. DFMO did not affect pulmonary metastasis when primary tumors of control and DFMO-treated mice were matched for size. Interestingly, DFMO reduced Ki-67 expression only in the primary tumors but did not affect its expression in the metastatic tumors in the lung. Cleaved caspase-3 expression was not affected by DFMO in either the primary tumors or the pulmonary metastasis. In summary, DFMO treatment markedly inhibited in vitro proliferation and invasiveness of 4T1 cells and retarded the growth of orthotopic xenografts in mice. The failure of DFMO to inhibit pulmonary metastasis in this system appears to be due, at least in part, to its lack of antiproliferative effect at the metastatic sites.
Intermediate range order in vitreous silica from a partial structure factor analysis

By combining the methods of isotopic substitution in neutron diffraction and high-energy x-ray diffraction, we have determined partial structure factors of vitreous ${\text{SiO}}_{2}$. A discussion of the effect of systematic and statistical errors is presented. The experimental results are found to be in good (but not exact) agreement with existing ab initio and classical molecular-dynamics simulations. No first sharp diffraction peak (FSDP) is observed in the concentration-concentration partial structure factor, ruling out the void-cluster-based model as a possible explanation for the origin of intermediate range order. However, the data are consistent with a model in which the intermediate range order arises from the periodicity of boundaries between a succession of small cages in the network, and the second diffraction peak is associated with chemical ordering of ${\text{SiO}}_{4}$ tetrahedra within continuous regions of the network between cages. The cage model is used to explain compositional trends in the FSDP height for neutron and x-ray data on ${\text{BeO-SiO}}_{2}$ glasses.
Microstructurally Adaptive Model for Primary and Secondary Creep of Sn-Ag-Based Solders

Sn-Ag-based solders are susceptible to appreciable microstructural coarsening due to the combined effect of thermal and mechanical stimuli during service and storage. This results in evolution of the creep properties of the solder over time, necessitating the development of a thermo-mechanical history-dependent creep model for accurate prediction of the long-term reliability of microelectronic solder joints. In this paper, the coarsening behavior of Ag3Sn and Cu6Sn5 precipitates in ball grid array-sized joints of Sn-3.8Ag-0.7Cu solder attached to Ni bond-pads with four different thermo-mechanical histories is reported. Because of the substantial numerical superiority of Ag3Sn over Cu6Sn5, it was inferred that the evolution of mechanical properties during aging is controlled largely by the coarsening of Ag3Sn. An effective diffusion length (x) for Ag diffusion in Sn was defined, and it is shown to adequately describe the thermo-mechanical history dependence of Ag3Sn particle size. The shear creep behavior of these joints was experimentally characterized, and the entire creep data were fitted to a unified model combining exponential primary creep and power-law steady state creep. The parameter x was then incorporated into the creep equation to produce a unified creep model, which can adapt to thermo-mechanical history-dependent microstructural coarsening in the solder. Predictions using this creep law show very good agreement with experimental creep data for several different test and microstructural conditions.
Inhibiting inflammation in rheumatoid arthritis.

A kinase inhibitor protected against synovial inflammation and joint destruction in a mouse model of rheumatoid arthritis.
Studies of the effects of water on gasoline engine wear at low temperature

Abstract Wear of a cold-running gasoline engine was measured by use of a radioactive piston ring and also by using a neutron activation analysis of oil for iron content. These measurements showed wear to increase greatly when jacket water temperature was reduced, when water was added to the crankcase oil, or when fuel hydrogen content was increased. A tentative explanation of these effects is proposed in which liquid water in the oil is assumed to act as a collector of the acids which cause cold wear. Water is alternately condensed when cylinder pressures are high and reevaporated when cylinder pressures are low. The average amount of liquid water in the oil, and hence also the wear rate, depends upon the relative magnitudes of condensation and re-evaporation.
Simulating aggregate dynamics in ocean biogeochemical models

Abstract The dynamics of elements in the water column is complex, depending on multiple biological and physical processes operating at very different physical scales. Coagulation of particulate material is important for transforming particles and moving them in the water column. Mechanistic models of coagulation processes provide a means to predict these processes, help interpret observations, and provide insight into the processes occurring. However, most model applications have focused on describing simple marine systems and mechanisms. We argue that further model development, in close collaboration with field and experimental scientists, is required in order to extend the models to describe the large-scale elemental distributions and interactions being studied as part of GEOTRACES. Models that provide a fundamental description of trace element–particle interactions are required as are experimental tests of the mechanisms involved and the predictions arising from models. However, a comparison between simple and complicated models of aggregation and trace metal provides a means for understanding the implications of simplifying assumptions and providing guidance as to which simplifications are needed.
INHERITED ‘MOSAICISM’ WITHIN THE ABO BLOOD GROUP SYSTEM

A family with examples of the rare condition known as 'inherited mosaicism affecting the ABO blood groups' has been studied. In this family there were five examples of Bmos:O mosaicism. Blood group gene-specified transferase estimations were studied in this condition for the first time. In 'affected' members, levels of B gene-specified transferase were low, and amounted to only 7--10% of the activity of a normal control. It is proposed that Bmos is correctly classified as a new form of weak B.
Linkage between stature and a region on chromosome 20 and analysis of a candidate gene, bone morphogenetic protein 2

Sib-pair linkage analysis of the quantitative trait, stature, in over 500 Pima Indians indicates that a genetic determinant of governing stature is located on chromosome 20. Analysis of 10 short tandem repeat polymorphisms localized this linkage to a 3. cM region that includes D20S98 and D20S66. Using all possible sib-pair combinations, linkage was detected to both stature (P = 0.0001) and to leg length (P = 0.001), but not to sitting height. Single-strand conformational polymorphism analysis of exon 3 of the bone morphogenetic protein 2 (BMP2) gene, a candidate gene in this region, in genomic DNA of 20 of the tallest and 20 of the shortest individuals did not show any consistent differences associated with leg length or height. Sequence analysis of the region encoding the mature protein revealed a single nucleotide substitution, a T to G transversion, not detected by single-strand conformational polymorphism (SSCP) analysis. This transversion results in a conservative amino acid substitution of glycine for valine at codon 80 of BMP2. The frequency of this allele was 0.23 in the sample. No significant differences in height were noted in persons carrying either allele. This indicates that this structural alteration in the mature BMP2 protein does not contributemore » to the differences in stature observed in the Pima Indians, nor is this structural change in the mature protein likely to be responsible for the linkage observed with stature on chromosome 20. 33 refs., 2 figs., 2 tabs.« less
Hierarchical radiative quark and lepton mass matrices

Assuming that only the top quark gets a tree-level mass due to electroweak gauge-symmetry breaking, a model is presented where all other known quarks and leptons acquire radiative masses in a hierarchical manner. This is the first such model where the 3\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}3 charged-current quark mixing matrix is realistically generated without the fine tuning of parameters.