cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Restoration of Impact Damage in Polymers via a Hybrid Microcapsule–Microvascular Self‐Healing System

A hybrid microcapsule–microvascular system is introduced to regenerate the multiscale damage that results from impact puncture of vascularized polymeric sheets. Microvascular delivery of a two-stage healing agent restores lost damage volume (puncture) to recover impact energy absorption, while embedded microcapsules heal microcracks to facilitate sealing. Modulation of the mechanical properties (1.4 GPa to 1.1 MPa stiffness) of the healing agent after curing is achieved by selection of compatible reactive acrylate monomers. Specimens are punctured and the impacted hole and surrounding damaged volume is restored by delivering the two-stage healing agents to the site of damage via a microvascular network. Rapid gelling of two-stage healing agents enables their retention in the damage region, while subsequent polymerization recovers structural performance. Impact recovery efficiency is assessed in terms of energy absorption, comparing reimpacted specimens to the initial impact. Recovery of impact energy absorption as high as 100% is observed for the optimal specimen design. Specimens are tested for sealing under static pressurization to monitoring leakage through the restored damage. A hybrid system incorporating both microvascular delivery of the two-stage healing agents and microcapsules containing solvated epoxy enables sealing of 100% of specimens.
Modeling palladium surfaces with density functional theory, neural networks and molecular dynamics

Abstract In this work, we have constructed a high dimensional neural network (NN) potential energy function for simulating palladium surface properties. The NN potential was trained with 3035 density functional theory (DFT) calculations, and was shown to be nearly as accurate as DFT in molecular simulations. Important properties including lattice constants, elastic properties and surface energies as well as transition state energies and adatom diffusion barriers were predicted by the NN and were found to be in excellent agreement with DFT results. The computational time to run the NN was compared to DFT calculation time, and we found this implementation of the NN is roughly four orders of magnitude faster than DFT. This approach is general and applicable to other systems and may have applications in modeling catalytic processes at surfaces.
Nucleation and Growth Mechanisms of Protein Crystals

Abstract Protein crystallization underlies numerous physiological and pathological conditions and laboratory and industrial procedures. In the last 30 years, the field has lived through its Golden Age. The adoption of concepts from physics, chemistry, and life sciences has advanced far the understanding of how protein crystals form. In turn, the field has propagated novel concepts and mechanisms in all of these areas. Among these are a molecular-level view of crystallization, clarification of defect formation, novel crystallization modes, and a nonclassical two-step nucleation mechanism. Many of the findings first seen with proteins have explained mysteries of the growth of other important materials. The current challenge is integration of the biochemical specificity of individual proteins into the established crystal growth models.
Alternatives to the Checklist

Checklists have become increasingly advocated to improve patient safety in health care. While they may provide an unambiguous means of monitoring one’s completion of various tasks, excess preoccupation with a checklist may take focus away from recognizing the complexities of the patient, the unique and sometimes complicated disease process, and the health-care team dynamics. In this chapter, we discuss alternatives to the checklist by highlighting concepts and strategies that often incorporate checklists, but ultimately aim to provide a more comprehensive strategy to improving patient safety. We discuss the advanced safety culture, the crew resource management, the Lean philosophy, and the “pit-crew model.” Implementation of these processes in neuroendovascular surgery may provide a more engaged, sustainable, and continuously adaptable patient safety solution above and beyond what checklists provide.
Grindability of torrefied wood chips and wood pellets

Abstract Torrefaction of biomass improves the grindability of raw biomass by the transformation from a fibrous structure to a more brittle and friable, coal-like material. Torrefied biomass is a more desirable feedstock for co-firing applications, especially in existing coal-fired power plants. Therefore, measuring the grindability and the specific energy consumption are critical for understanding the comminution behavior of torrefied biomass, and thus selecting appropriate milling equipment. In this study, the effect of torrefaction temperature on the specific grinding energy consumption and the grindability of torrefied wood pellets and wood chips was investigated and compared with that of coal. The applicability of three well-known grinding equations (Kick, Rittinger and Bond) was studied for the torrefied biomass using a knife mill. The specific grinding energy of both torrefied wood chips and pellets linearly decreased with increased torrefaction temperature over a range of 250–290 °C. Rittinger's model was the best-fit for both wood chips (R2 = 0.72–0.90) and wood pellets (R2 = 0.67–0.76). When the intercepts were considered, the Rittinger's and Bond's equations fitted well with the experimental data (R2 = 0.79–0.99) for all torrefied biomass. The grindability of torrefied biomass was measured using the Hardgrove Grindability Index (HGI) and the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) grindability index. A relationship between the Bond Work Index (BWI), based on the Bond's theory and HGI was developed for wood chips and wood pellets. Contrary to HGI index, BWI decreased with an increase in torrefaction temperature. The grindability parameters developed for torrefied biomass can be used for modeling and selecting suitable milling equipment.
Effects of Electron and Proton Radiation on Perovskite Solar Cells for Space Solar Power Application

We report the effects of high energy electron and proton radiation on perovskite solar cells. For irradiation with 1 MeV electrons, at fluence from 1012 to 1016 cm−2, there are no significant changes in the morphology and the crystal phase in the perovskites, and the perovskite solar cells show only slight degradation in photovoltaic performance and spectral response. The results from Monte Carlo simulations show most of the electrons completely penetrate through all of the layers of solar cells with little scattering. In addition, 50 ke V proton radiation with fluence of 1012−2 has no significant impact on the open-circuit voltage or short-circuit current, and degrades only the fill factor. We have further found that the fill factor can be restored with a vacuum annealing process. The results suggest that perovskites have superior electron and proton radiation tolerance, and thus hold particular promise for space applications.
The anxious, the furious, and the annoyed: Hidden shame in the academic library

In March 2018, my manuscript on library shame was published in College & Research Libraries. The paper’s focus is library anxiety, but more accurately it is about the shared experience of normal shame for both the librarian and the user. When shame is misidentified as maladaptive behavior by both the librarian and user, it results in alienation or conflict. When shame is identified by the librarian as normal, it strengthens the relationship with the user.
MetaHunt: Towards Taming Malware Mutation via Studying the Evolution of Metamorphic Virus

As the underground industry of malware prospers, malware developers consistently attempt to camouflage malicious code and undermine malware detection with various obfuscation schemes. Among them, metamorphism is known to have the potential to defeat the popular signature-based malware detection. A metamorphic malware sample mutates its code during propagations so that each instance of the same family exhibits little resemblance to another variant. Especially with the development of compiler and binary rewriting techniques, metamorphic malware will become much easier to develop and outbreak eventually. To fully understand the metamorphic engine, the core part of the metamorphic malware, we attempt to systematically study the evolution of metamorphic malware over time. Unlike the previous work, we do not require any prior knowledge about the metamorphic engine in use. Instead, we perform trace-based semantic binary diffing to compare mutation code iteratively and memoize semantically equivalent basic blocks. We have developed a prototype, called MetaHunt, and evaluated it with 1,400 metamorphic malware variants. Our experimental results show that MetaHunt can accurately capture the semantics of unknown metamorphic engines, and all of the comparisons converge in a reasonable time. Besides, MetaHunt identifies several metamorphic engine bugs, which lead to a semantics-breaking transformation. We summarize our experience learned from our empirical study, hoping to stimulate designing mutation-aware solutions to defend this threat proactively.
The 6th Lawrence R. Schehr Memorial Award Winning Essay

This article examines the Palais de l’electricite, that central attraction of the 1900 universal exposition, which, alongside its adjoining Château d’eau, offered elaborate water and light shows to...
Abstract A13: Therapeutic AXL inhibition with AVB-S6-500 improves response to chemotherapy and induces a homologous recombination deficiency in ovarian cancer

Background: Over 80% of patients with advanced ovarian cancer will develop chemoresistance and die within 5 years. Biomarkers to predict chemoresponse and novel therapies to target chemoresistance would be practice changing. We aim to establish serum and tissue GAS6 as predictive biomarkers of chemoresponse and to determine if AXL inhibition through sequestration of its ligand, GAS6, with AVB-S6-500 (AVB) can improve chemoresponse. Further, we desired to understand the affect AVB has on DNA damage response (DDR). Methods: AVB was supplied by Aravive Biologics. High-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSOC) tumor samples were obtained pre- and post-neoadjuvant chemotherapy. AXL and GAS6 expression were evaluated by immunohistochemistry and serum concentration. In vitro viability and clonogenic assays were performed on chemoresistant tumor cells (OVCAR8, OVCAR5, COV62, and POV71-hTERT) treated with chemotherapy +/- AVB. Mouse models (OVCAR8, PDX, OVCAR5) were used to determine if the combination of chemotherapy + AVB reduced tumor burden. Immunofluorescent (IF) assays targeting γH2AX were used to evaluate DNA damage and additional assays targeting 53BP1, RAD51, BRCA1, and BRCA2 were used to evaluate DNA damage response in cells treated with AVB, carboplatin, and/or AVB+carboplatin. Flow cytometry was used to evaluate RPA binding and cell cycle. Results: Patients with high pretreatment tumor GAS6 expression (>85%, n=7) or serum GAS6 concentrations (>25ng/mL, n=13) were more likely to be resistant to neoadjuvant chemotherapy than those with low tumor GAS6 expression ( Conclusions: High GAS6 is associated with poor neoadjuvant chemoresponse in HGSOC patients. The combination of chemotherapy with AVB decreases tumor cell viability and tumor growth. AVB imparts a homologous recombination deficiency through downregulation of homology-directed DNA repair with an associated upregulation of nonhomologous end joining. Citation Format: Mary Margaret Mullen, Elena Lomonosova, Hollie Noia, Daniel Wilke, Alyssa Oplt, Lei Guo, Lindsay Kuroki, Andrea Hagemann, Carolyn McCourt, Premal Thaker, David Mutch, Matthew Powell, Katherine Fuh. Therapeutic AXL inhibition with AVB-S6-500 improves response to chemotherapy and induces a homologous recombination deficiency in ovarian cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on Advances in Ovarian Cancer Research; 2019 Sep 13-16, 2019; Atlanta, GA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Clin Cancer Res 2020;26(13_Suppl):Abstract nr A13.
Middle of Line: Challenges and Their Resolution for FinFET Technology

This paper discusses major challenges faced in middle of line (MOL) manufacturing for FinFET technology. This throws light on major yield detractors for inline wafer yield as well as challenges involved at wafer sort. Since contact resistance is one of the critical parameters for device performance, it presents major challenges and resolutions for device enhancement due to a reduction in contact resistances. For FinFET, contact to poly pitch is very small, and as a result there were some reliability challenges in the initial development phase, the resolution of which is discussed in detail.
Privacy for the weak, transparency for the powerful: the cypherpunk ethics of Julian Assange

WikiLeaks is among the most controversial institutions of the last decade, and this essay contributes to an understanding of WikiLeaks by revealing the philosophical paradigm at the foundation of Julian Assange’s worldview: cypherpunk ethics. The cypherpunk movement emerged in the early-1990s, advocating the widespread use of strong cryptography as the best means for defending individual privacy and resisting authoritarian governments in the digital age. For the cypherpunks, censorship and surveillance were the twin evils of the computer age, but they viewed encryption as a means to circumvent both. As a cypherpunk, Assange advocates for the use of cryptography in the fight for individual privacy as well as the fight for global justice. His cosmopolitan disposition is informed by his hacker background, antiwar principles, and Enlightenment outlook. This essay places Assange’s philosophical idea in historical context, exploring his views on censorship, surveillance, and the right to communicate. It also connects his cypherpunk principles to WikiLeaks, showing that the strategy of encouraging data leaks from powerful political and economic organizations is classic cypherpunk political praxis.
Health insurance and AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP) increases retention in care among women living with HIV in the United States.

Our objective was to examine the association between healthcare payer type and missed HIV care visits among 1,366 US women living with HIV (WLWH) enrolled in the prospective Women’s Interagency HIV...
Comprehensive Mutational Analysis of the BRCA1-Associated DNA Helicase and Tumor-Suppressor FANCJ/BACH1/BRIP1.

FANCJ (BRIP1/BACH1) is a hereditary breast and ovarian cancer (HBOC) gene encoding a DNA helicase. Similar to HBOC genes, BRCA1 and BRCA2, FANCJ is critical for processing DNA inter-strand crosslinks (ICL) induced by chemotherapeutics, such as cisplatin. Consequently, cells deficient in FANCJ or its catalytic activity are sensitive to ICL-inducing agents. Unfortunately, the majority of FANCJ clinical mutations remain uncharacterized, limiting therapeutic opportunities to effectively use cisplatin to treat tumors with mutated FANCJ. Here, we sought to perform a comprehensive screen to identify FANCJ loss-of-function (LOF) mutations. We developed a FANCJ lentivirus mutation library representing approximately 450 patient–derived FANCJ nonsense and missense mutations to introduce FANCJ mutants into FANCJ knockout (K/O) HeLa cells. We performed a high-throughput screen to identify FANCJ LOF mutants that, as compared with wild-type FANCJ, fail to robustly restore resistance to ICL-inducing agents, cisplatin or mitomycin C (MMC). On the basis of the failure to confer resistance to either cisplatin or MMC, we identified 26 missense and 25 nonsense LOF mutations. Nonsense mutations elucidated a relationship between location of truncation and ICL sensitivity, as the majority of nonsense mutations before amino acid 860 confer ICL sensitivity. Further validation of a subset of LOF mutations confirmed the ability of the screen to identify FANCJ mutations unable to confer ICL resistance. Finally, mapping the location of LOF mutations to a new homology model provides additional functional information. Implications: We identify 51 FANCJ LOF mutations, providing important classification of FANCJ mutations that will afford additional therapeutic strategies for affected patients.
Women’s Reproductive Coercion and Pregnancy Avoidance: Associations With Homicide Risk, Sexual Violence, and Religious Abuse:

This survey study explores patterns of reproductive coercion (RC) and pregnancy avoidance (PA) among women recruited from domestic violence shelters in the southwestern United States (N = 661). Two...
The Harm Inflicted by Polite Concern: Language, Fat, and Stigma

Understanding language as a social action draws attention to the ways in which fat stigmatizing discourses do social harm. Drawing on interviews and experiences situated in Osaka, Japan and north Georgia, US, this paper looks closely at the ways in which fat stigma is expressed across the two sites, both blatantly and through more subtle language use. We identified four key themes in people’s narratives around localized ideas about fatness. These themes are: (1) expressed pity or concern for fat people; (2) reported experiences of indirect stigma in public settings; (3) reported experiences of direct stigma in private settings; and (4) robust and repeated associations between fat and other conditions that had locally relevant negative connotations in each site. We further identify the expressed concern and pity articulated in the first theme as a form of cloaked, “dressed up” stigma and as such, we argue that it enacts social harm, especially when it co-occurs with more blatant forms of stigma. Linguistic niceties around caring actually, at least in these contexts, reify symbolic connections between fat bodies and their social failure.
Multi Objective UAV Network Deployment for Dynamic Fire Coverage

Recent large wildfires and subsequent damage have increased the importance of wildfire monitoring and tracking. However, human monitoring on the ground or in the air may be too dangerous and we thus investigate deploying Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) to track wildfires. Specifically, we attack the problem of distributed autonomous control of UAVs using a set of potential fields to track wildfire boundaries. A multiobjective evolutionary algorithm searches through the space of potential field parameters to maximize fire coverage while minimizing energy consumption. Fire spread is modelled by the well known FARSITE fire model. Preliminary simulation results show that our potential fields approach to UAV control leads to 100% coverage of the boundary by UAVs and 78.1% energy remaining on three testing scenarios.
Associations between Air Pollution and County Level Cardiovascular Mortality in the United States by Ecoregions

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Air pollution has been strongly associated with cardiovascular outcomes. However, it is unclear whether such associations vary with differences in biotic and abiotic surrounding...
POSITIVE CHECK: THE MALTHUSIAN THEOREM AND THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

Thomas Malthus (1798) had argued that human ingenuity and skill were incapable of controlling population growth. With less efficacious positive controls (moral suasion), he controversially relied on wars, diseases, famine, and deaths—probable circumstantial conditions—to check population growth. The theory of doom was subsequently derided and challenged because of scientific advances and improvements in technology. However, contemporary humans rely on scientific progress to reduce unacceptable levels of deaths through medical innovations and agricultural productivity. This paper evaluates the classical Malthusian prognosis in the light of the COVID-19 pandemic. It argues that death rates may neither increase per capita income nor revert wage rate per hour to a level of subsistence.
Emotional intelligence in undergraduate medical students: a scoping review.

To perform a scoping review to determine what is known about emotional intelligence (EI) in undergraduate medical education (UME). Two main questions were asked: The authors searched four databases (PubMed, PsycInfo, Education Resources Information Center, and Web of Science) for all papers published up to and including December 2020. Two reviewers independently screened articles to determine if they met inclusion criteria. All authors extracted and analyzed data. A set of 1520 papers on the topic of emotional intelligence was identified, with 119 papers meeting inclusion criteria. Most studies were done at international locations with only 17 done at US medical schools. Seventy-five were cohort or cross-sectional studies. Study populations were mixed among the studies, with year of medical study, inclusion of other healthcare students, and participation rates among the inter-study differences noted. Numerous gaps in the literature on EI exist with several points being clear: (1) there is disagreement on the definition of EI, (2) it is undetermined whether EI is a trait or an ability, and (3) there is marked variability among the instruments used to measure EI. It is also becoming apparent that using EI determination may be helpful as a component of the admission process, higher EI is likely related to improved clinical reasoning, and higher EI contributes to more effective stress management.
Chlamydia and HPV induce centrosome amplification in the host cell through additive mechanisms

Based on epidemiology studies, Chlamydia trachomatis has been proposed as a co-factor for human papillomavirus (HPV) in the development of cervical cancer. These two intracellular pathogens have been independently reported to induce the production of extra centrosomes, or centrosome amplification, which is a hallmark of cancer cells. We developed a cell culture model to systematically measure the individual and combined effects of Chlamydia and HPV on the centrosome in the same host cell. We found that C. trachomatis caused centrosome amplification in a greater proportion of cells than HPV and that the effects of the two pathogens on the centrosome were additive. Furthermore, centrosome amplification induced by Chlamydia, but not by HPV, strongly correlated with multinucleation and required progression through mitosis. Our results suggest that C. trachomatis and HPV induce centrosome amplification through different mechanisms, with the chlamydial effect being largely due to a failure in cytokinesis that also results in multinucleation. Our findings provide support for C. trachomatis as a co-factor for HPV in carcinogenesis and offer mechanistic insights into how two infectious agents may cooperate to promote cancer. TAKE AWAYS: • Chlamydia and HPV induce centrosome amplification in an additive manner. • Chlamydia-induced centrosome amplification is linked to host cell multinucleation. • Chlamydia-induced centrosome amplification requires cell cycle progression. • Chlamydia and HPV cause centrosome amplification through different mechanisms. • This study supports Chlamydia as a co-factor for HPV in carcinogenesis.
Gaseous and Liquid Fuels from Coal

In the 1920s German scientists discovered that it is possible to convert coal to liquids in large quantities. During the 1930s they developed commercial technologies for such conversion, and a major portion of the transportation fuel demand to support the German war effort during World War II was provided by producing liquid transportation fuels from coal. The technologies were developed to a state that they were reliable, although the costs for such fuels were much greater than for fuels from petroleum.
Occupancy Dynamics, Roost Habitat and Prey of Mexican Spotted Owls in Utah

Mexican spotted owls (Strix occidentalis lucida) occupy canyon habitats that have received less attention than owls in forested environments, and yet canyon environments represent a significant portion of the owl’s range. In Utah, the owls occupy narrow and steep-walled canyons that attract high levels of human use, including climbing and hiking through nest areas, and human use levels have strongly increased in the canyons, for example, permits for access to popular climbs and hikes increased over 1700% during 1998 to 2002 in Zion National Park. To examine potential effects of recreation on the owls, we studied temporal variability of detection, occupancy, local extinction, and colonization probabilities. Our study sites included several National Parks and BLM resource areas. Our primary objective was to examine effects of recreation on site occupancy dynamics. We also investigated reproductive success, roost habitat, and prey selection. The analysis of detection rate showed strong support for constant detection probability of 89% for spotted owls among 47 sites. For both single owls and owl pairs we estimated initial occupancy rate of 83% for mesic sites and 43% for relatively xeric sites. We found that recreation was not associated with occupancy, detection, nor extinction and recolonization probabilities. Although reproductive rates varied by year, recreation was not negatively associated with production of fledgling owls per site. We also studied prey selection and roost habitat in the canyon environments. Roosts were placed on steep-walled cliffs with greater number of perches than adjacent habitats, and roosts possessed relatively high overhead tree cover, cool daytime temperatures, and thus a suitable thermal environment in the arid canyons. Pellets collected at roosts sites, upon dissection, indicated that rodents were primary prey, but also included birds, bats, and various anthropods. Woodrats (Neotoma sp.) dominated the prey frequency and biomass.
Nonlinear Controller Design by an Inverse Random Input Describing Function Method

An interactive Inverse Random Input Describing Function method is developed which is able to find an approximate nonlinear function from given Random Input Describing Function data. Using this technique, a nonlinear controller design method for nonlinear systems with random inputs is presented that keeps the transient and r.m.s. error response insensitive to the input r.m.s. value. The method is then applied to a second order servo system with actuator saturation. The analytical results show the advantage of the nonlinear controller over the linear one and these results are verified through Monte Carlo simulations.
Impact of uncertainty on the diagnostics and prognostics of a Current-Pressure transducer

Current-Pressure (I/P) transducers are effective pressure regulators that can vary the output pressure depending on the supplied electrical current signal, and are commonly used in pneumatic actuators and valves. Faults in current-pressure transducers have a significant impact on the regulation mechanism; therefore, it is important to perform diagnosis to identify such faults and estimate their effect on the remaining useful life of the transducer. However, there are different sources of uncertainty that significantly affect the diagnostics procedure, and therefore, it may not be possible to perform fault diagnosis and prognosis accurately, with complete confidence. These sources of uncertainty include natural variability, sensor errors (gain, bias, noise), model uncertainty, etc. This paper presents a computational methodology to quantify the uncertainty and thereby estimate the confidence in the fault diagnosis of a current-pressure transducer. Further, the effect of diagnostic uncertainty on prognostics and remaining useful life prediction are also quantified. First, experiments are conducted to study the nominal and off-nominal behavior of the I/P transducer; however, sensor measurements are not fast enough to capture brief transient states that are indicative of wear, and hence, steady-state measurements are directly used for fault diagnosis. Second, the results of these experiments are used to train a Gaussian process model using machine learning principles. Finally, a Bayesian inference methodology is developed to quantify the uncertainty in fault diagnosis by systematically accounting for the aforementioned sources of uncertainty, and in turn, the uncertainty in prognostics is also estimated.
Encouraging Critical Thinking Skills among College Students

The present paper reflects on the role of "critical thinking" in college level education. The paper first presents definitions of critical thinking and explains why this topic is important. The following sections contain descriptions of some of the intellectual errors that inhibit critical thinking and thus good decision making. Next comes a discussion of why people in general, and especially college students, are so deficient in critical thinking ability. The paper closes with recommendations for improving critical thinking in college education and an example of a diagnostic intervention specific to marketing research.
Nonlinear Control of Diffusion Processes with Uncertain Parameters Using MRAC Approach

In this work a nonlinear controller for controlling diffusion processes with uncertain parameters is derived by using model reference adaptive control (MRAC) approach. The diffusion processes are described by linear, two-dimensional, parabolic partial differential equations. It is assumed that the uncertain parameters which appear only in the system equation are either constant or spatially-varying, and that distributed sensing and actuation are available. The nonlinear control laws are obtained by the Lyapunov redesign method. The exponential stability of the closed loop system is shown by applying averaging theorems.
Anticarcinogenic action of protease inhibitors.

Publisher Summary Protease inhibitors are synthesized in biological systems and play a critical role in controlling a number of diverse physiological functions. They participate in blood clotting and lysis of clots, in growth processes by modulation of proteolytic digestion of proteins and thus availability of amino acids, and in the induction of selective DNA amplification. When incorporated into the diet, protease inhibitors appear to suppress many types of cancer. In vitro, they suppress neoplastic transformation caused by chemical carcinogens, ionizing radiation, and oncogenes. These observations suggest that applied protease inhibitors in small concentrations may prevent a wide range of human cancers. Several epidemiological studies reveal that populations consuming relatively large amounts of protease inhibitors have a lower occurrence of cancer. The most significant investigations are those using small nontoxic protease inhibitors available in pure form. Both agents are shown to be preventive agents of cancer in animals and in vitro models.
Electron antineutrino disappearance at KamLAND and JUNO as decisive tests of the short baseline ν stretchy="false">̄μ→ν stretchy="false">̄e appearance anomaly

The IsoDAR antineutrino source, which produces a flux from $^{8}\mathrm{Li}$ isotope decay at rest, when paired with the proposed Jiangmen Underground Neutrino Observatory detector, has unprecedented sensitivity to ${\overline{\ensuremath{\nu}}}_{e}$ disappearance for oscillations at high $\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Delta}}{m}^{2}$. Assuming charge conjugation, parity transformation, and time reversal $(CPT)$ invariance, the sensitive region for ${\overline{\ensuremath{\nu}}}_{e}$ disappearance can be used to restrict the allowed parameter space of a ${\overline{\ensuremath{\nu}}}_{\ensuremath{\mu}}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}{\overline{\ensuremath{\nu}}}_{e}$ appearance signal. The $5\ensuremath{\sigma}$ sensitivity of this experiment covers the entire ${\overline{\ensuremath{\nu}}}_{\ensuremath{\mu}}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}{\overline{\ensuremath{\nu}}}_{e}$ allowed parameter space from a combined fit to short-baseline experiments. This represents a decisive test of the LSND neutrino experiment and MiniBooNE antineutrino appearance signals within all models that are $CPT$ invariant. Running IsoDAR at KamLAND restricts a large part of the appearance signal region in a similar way.
Omega: a parallel object-based system

An overview is given of the Omega database machine and the techniques used in its implementation. Omega is a parallel object-based system that supports a functional data model and implements unique object identifiers, complex objects, a type hierarchy, inheritance, and user-defined methods. Key technical ideas that enable the architecture to scale to a large number of processors are discussed. Preliminary performance results for Omega are presented to demonstrate the feasibility of a parallel object-based system. >
Prenatal availability of choline modifies development of the hippocampal cholinergic system

Choline supplementation during fetal development [embryonic days (E) 11-17] permanently enhances memory performance in rats. To characterize the neurochemical mechanisms that may mediate this effect, we investigated the development of indices of the cholinergic system in the hippocampus: choline acetyltransferase (ChAT), acetylcholinesterase (AChE), synthesis of acetylcholine (ACh) from choline transported by high-affinity choline uptake (HACU), and potassium-evoked ACh release. During E11-E17, Sprague-Dawley pregnant rats consumed 0 [choline-deficient (ChD)], 1.3 [control (ChC)], and 4.6 [choline-supplemented (ChS)] mmol/(kg x day) of choline, respectively. On postnatal days 17 and 27, hippocampi of the ChD animals had the highest AChE and ChAT activities, and increased synthesis of ACh from choline transported by HACU, concomitant with reductions of tissue ACh content relative to the ChC and ChS rats and an inability to sustain depolarization-evoked ACh release relative to the ChS animals. In contrast, AChE and ChAT activities, and ACh synthesized from choline transported by HACU, were lowest in ChS rats whereas depolarization-evoked ACh release was the highest. This pattern of changes suggests that the hippocampus of the ChD animals is characterized by fast ACh recycling and efficient choline reutilization for ACh synthesis, presumably to maintain adequate ACh release despite the decrease of the ACh pool, whereas in the ChS animals ACh turnover and choline recycling is slower while the evoked release of ACh is high. Together, the data show a complex adaptive response of the hippocampal cholinergic system to prenatal choline availability and provide a novel example of developmental plasticity in the nervous system governed by the supply of a single nutrient.
Ornithine decarboxylase in rat skin.

Ornithine decarboxylase (ODC; E.C.4.1.1.17) activities can be stimulated 2-10 fold in rat epidermis and dermis by hair plucking. Stimulation does not involve the removal of a soluble ODC inhibitor. ODC activity in the dermis and whole skin decreased with aging, while the epidermis showed little change. The apparent Km for ornithine and the heat stability of ODC in plucked and unplucked skin were similar. ODC was assayed in plucked and unplucked skin of rats fed diets containing between 2 and 24% protein. Activities in both plucked and unplucked skin were higher in the animals fed diets with higher protein contents. ODC levels were positively correlated with the weight changes undergone by rats on controlled-protein diets. In animals restricted to 2% protein diets and rehabilitated with 16% protein diets, enzyme levels were increased after 2 days rehabilitation and peaked after 5 days rehabilitation. The responsiveness of ODC to changes in dietary protein may be useful in the diagnosis of protein malnutrition.
Biomarkers of contaminant exposure in common terns and black‐crowned night herons in the Great Lakes

Morphological and biochemical indexes of contaminant exposure were examined in hatching common terns (Sterna hirundo) and black-crowned night herons (Nycticorax nycticorax) from industrialized and nonindustrialized locations in the Great Lakes. In 1984, naturally incubated, pipping common tern and black-crowned night heron embryos collected from industrialized locations exhibited smaller femur-length-to-body-weight ratios, elevated hepatic microsomal aryl hydrocarbon hydroxylase (AHH) activities, and lower hepatic DNA concentrations (P < 0.05). In addition, a high incidence of subcutaneous edema was noted in pipping herons (P < 0.01). In 1985, reduced hatching success was observed for laboratory-incubated common tern eggs collected from the industrialized sites, compared to nonindustrialized sites (P < 0.01). Day-old hatchlings exhibited reduced femur-length-to-body-weight ratio, developmental anomalies, and elevated hepatic AHH activity (P < 0.05). For hatching common terns studied in 1984 and 1985, femur-length-to-body-weight ratio was inversely related to AHH activity (r = −0.67, P < 0.05) and inversely related to log-transformed PCB concentrations (r = −0.70, P ≤ 0.05) of unincubated eggs from the same colony. The activity of AHH in hatching terns was also directly related (r = 0.71, P ≤ 0.05) to log-transformed PCB concentrations in unincubated eggs. Other examined contaminants, including DDE, other organochlorine pesticides, and mercury, were not directly related to these effects.
Psychological interventions in the management of common skin conditions

The nervous system and the skin develop next to each other in the embryo and remain intimately interconnected and interactive throughout life. The nervous system can influence skin conditions through psychoneuroimmunoendocrine mechanisms and through behaviors. Understanding the pathophysiology aids in selection of treatment plans for correcting the negative effects of the psyche on specific skin conditions. Medication options include standard psychotropic medications and alternative herbs and supplements. Other options include biofeedback, cognitive-behavioral methods, hypnosis, meditation, progressive relaxation, the placebo effect, and suggestion. When simple measures fail, combining medications with other therapeutic options may produce better results. Skin conditions that have strong psychophysiologic aspects may respond well to techniques such as biofeedback, cognitive-behavioral methods, hypnosis, meditation, or progressive relaxation that help to counteract stress. Treatment of primary psychiatric disorders that negatively influence skin conditions often results in improvement of those skin conditions. Abnormal conditions of the skin, hair, and nails can also influence the psyche negatively. Treatment of secondary psychiatric disorders such as anxiety or depression that are triggered or exacerbated by the appearance of these skin conditions or the associated discomfort may also be required.
Odessa: genius and death in a city of dreams

Charles King offers a highly engaging story about Odessa. A city connected with Sergei Eisenstein's film Potemkin, easygoing humor and irony, Soviet popular music, and today's Brighton Beach, Odess...
Oncogene Addiction: How Cells Handle the Habit

The oncogenic BCR-ABL kinase of chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) helped define the paradigm for oncogene addiction. Block the mutant kinase in cancer cells, and you break their signaling habit. Using tyrosine kinase inhibitors, clinicians have been able to achieve control of CML, and this approach has been successfully applied to other cancers—BRAF mutant melanoma, for example. Now, Asmussen et al . explore the nature of oncogene addition in CML and describe a negative feedback loop that may explain why these cells can’t easily kick the BCR-ABL habit. The authors began with the observation that transient exposure to tyrosine kinase inhibitors commits CML cells to apoptosis, suggesting a durable alteration in protein signaling that persists even after the drug wears off. Beginning with an unbiased screen of altered phophoproteins, the authors found that growth factor (GF) signaling is key to this process. They then made use of the human erytholeukemia cell line TF1, which can be rendered GF-independent through transduction with the BCR-ABL oncogene. In isogenic TF1 cells, BCR-ABL generated persistent inhibition of GF signaling, reinforcing the oncogene addiction. Additional experiments demonstrated that this MEK-dependent inhibition appears to cinch the deal on tyrosine kinase inhibitor–mediated apoptosis by eliminating the ability of GF signaling to rescue cells. Last, the authors compared the negative feedback loop generated by BCR-ABL with that of BRAFV600E or FLT4-ITD. They found that each oncogene has a distinct feedback signature, both in magnitude and duration. Asmussen et al. make a compelling argument that a fortuitous combination of aberrant oncogene signaling and altered negative feedback makes BCR-ABL inhibition a particularly potent therapeutic approach. Differences in GF inhibition between oncogenes may be an important variable in the further development of targeted inhibitors. J. Asmussen et al ., MEK-dependent negative feedback underlies BCR-ABL-mediated oncogene addiction. Cancer Discovery , published online 20 December 2013 (10.1158/2159-8290.CD-13-0235). [[Abstract]][1] [1]: http://cancerdiscovery.aacrjournals.org/content/early/2013/12/20/2159-8290.CD-13-0235.abstract
Inverses for a class of banded matrices and applications to piecewise cubic approximation

Abstract We give a simple criterion for the invertibility of a class of banded matrices that arise in the approximation by piecewise cubic polynomials. We also give a formula for the inverse in terms of the powers of a 2 × 2 matrix. We present sample applications of these results to interpolation and eigenvalue problems. As a side result wee find that the Gaussian points are best.
Are alcohol problems linked with an increase in depressive symptoms in abused, inner-city African American women?

Objective Little is known regarding the link between intimate partner violence (IPV), alcohol problems (AP), and depression in inner-city African American women. We sought to investigate whether abused inner-city African American women reporting AP endorsed more depressive symptoms compared to women reporting either AP or IPV or reporting neither. Method Participants for this cross-sectional study were 361 African American women seeking medical care at a large public hospital. Measurements included the Index of Spouse Abuse, Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test, and the Brief Symptom Index–Depression Subscale to assess IPV, AP, and depressive symptoms, respectively. Based on IPV and AP status, participants were assigned to one of four non-hierarchical risk groups: (i) low or no IPV, no AP; (ii) high IPV alone; (iii) AP alone; or (iv) both high IPV and AP. Additive effect of high levels of IPV and AP on outcome were assessed using logistic regression techniques. Results Thirty percent reported high IPV levels, and 18% had AP. Compared with participants reporting both no AP and low or no IPV, those reporting either high IPV levels or AP reported moderate to severe depressive symptoms 4 times more often ( p p Conclusions Among inner-city, African American women, depressive symptoms are highest among those reporting both high IPV levels and AP. Health care systems serving similar communities should implement a systematic approach to identifying IPV, AP, and depression in patients.
ATMP-Stabilized Iron Nanoparticles: Chelator-Controlled Nanoparticle Synthesis

In this study, we characterize iron nanoparticles synthesized in water in the presence of a phosphonate chelator, amino tris(methylene phosphonic acid) (ATMP) for a range of molar ratios of ATMP to iron. An increase in the molar ratio from 0.05 to 0.8 decreases nanoparticle size from approximately 150 nm to less than 10 nm. Zeta potential measurements were used to evaluate colloidal stability. Zeta potential values varied as a function of pH, and zeta potential values decreased with increasing pH. At lower molar ratios of ATMP to iron, the zeta potential varied between 15 and −40 mV, passing through an isoelectric point at pH 7.5. At higher ratios, the zeta potential was negative across the measured pH range of 2–12 and varied from −2 to −55 mV. Diffraction analysis indicates that ATMP-stabilized iron nanoparticles may have a nano-crystalline structure, potentially with regions of amorphous iron. Characterization results of ATMP-stabilized iron nanoparticles are compared to results obtained for carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC)-stabilized iron nanoparticles. CMC stabilization caused similar peak broadening in diffraction spectra as for ATMP, suggesting similar nano-crystalline/amorphous structure; however, an increase in the molar ratio of CMC to iron did not cause the same reduction in nanoparticle size as was observed for ATMP-stabilized iron nanoparticles.
Coincidence Measurements of Large-Angle Ar + -on-Ar Collisions

Large-angle single collisions of keV-energy ${\mathrm{Ar}}^{+}$ ions with Ar atoms are studied wherein both particles scattered from the same encounter are detected in coincidence. The scattered incident particle appears $m$-times ionized at angle $\ensuremath{\theta}$ and the recoiling target particle appears $n$-times ionized at angle $\ensuremath{\varphi}$. Values of $m$ and $n$ range from zero to eight. It is found that $m$ and $n$ are independent and uncorrelated, i.e., the distribution among charge states $m$ is the same regardless of the charge state $n$ seen in coincidence. An exception to this rule is seen in one region where the inelastic energy has multiple values. Relative probabilities for the ($m, n$) reaction are given for many data sets, with incident energies ${T}_{0}$ from 3 to 400 keV and for angles $\ensuremath{\theta}$ between 8\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{} and 40\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}. The inelastic energy ${\overline{Q}}_{\mathrm{mn}}$ associated with the ($m, n$) reaction is also measured for a number of values of $m$ and $n$ in each data set. It is found that a particular reaction does not have a fixed characteristic energy. Thus, for example, ${\overline{Q}}_{55}$ increases from 877 to 1473 eV depending on the violence of the collision. Average values of inelastic energy loss $\overline{Q}$ are plotted versus incident energy at various scattering angles, versus the average number of electrons lost in the collision, and versus the distance of closest approach. Values of $\overline{Q}$ range from 26 eV at ${T}_{0}=3$ keV, $\ensuremath{\theta}=8\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}$, to 2430 eV at ${T}_{0}=300$ keV, $\ensuremath{\theta}=40\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}$. The effects of thermal motion of the target atom, of finite instrumental resolution, and of a possible distribution in values of inelastic energy all combine to give "linewidth" effects. These are measured and discussed.
On the asymptotic behavior of solutions of linear second-order boundary-value problems on a semi-infinite strip

This paper treats the asymptotic behavior of solutions of a linear secondorder elliptic partial differential equation defined on a two-dimensional semiinfinite strip. The equation has divergence form and variable coefficients. Such equations arise in the theory of steady-state heat conduction for inhomogeneous anisotropic materials, as well as in the theory of anti-plane shear deformations for a linearized inhomogeneous anisotropic elastic solid. Solutions of such equations that vanish on the long sides of the strip are shown to satisfy a theorem of Phragmen-Lindelof type, providing estimates for the rate of growth or decay which are optimal for the case of constant coefficients. The results are illustrated by several examples. The estimates obtained in this paper can be used to assess the influence of inhomogeneity and anisotropy on the decay of end effects arising in connection with Saint-Venant's principle.
Surface reconstructions on InN and GaN polar and nonpolar surfaces

Abstract We report a systematic and comprehensive computational study of surface reconstructions on GaN and InN surfaces in various orientations, including the polar c plane as well as the nonpolar a and m planes. For GaN we have identified several new metallic reconstructions under highly Ga-rich conditions on the nonpolar planes. For InN we find several distinct differences from the GaN case: the absence of a nitrogen-adatom reconstruction on the (0 0 0 1) plane; the presence of a single, metallic reconstruction over the entire stability range on the ( 0 0 0 1 ¯ ) plane; and In-adlayer reconstructions on the ( 1 1 ¯ 0 0 ) (m) plane. An interesting “inverted polarity” defect structure on the ( 1 1 ¯ 0 0 ) (m) plane is also revealed.