cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A Single Stage Boost Converter for Body Heat Energy Harvesting with Maximum Power Point Tracking and Output Voltage Regulation

The proposed circuit aims to harvest energy from body heat, in which the thermal gradient is only a few degrees. The boost converter operating in a burst mode offers a high conversion ratio while minimizing power loss. Maximum power point tracking based on the fractional open circuit voltage method ensures that the proposed circuit can be applied for a variety of thermoelectric generators (TEGs) and TEG setups. The proposed circuit is designed and laid out in CMOS 0.25 μm technology. Post layout simulation results indicate the converter is able to boost input voltages as low as 50 mV to the regulated output of 3 V, while achieving peak efficiency of 81%.
Approaches to Addressing Post-Intensive Care Syndrome among Intensive Care Unit Survivors. A Narrative Review.

Critical illness can be lethal and devastating to survivors. Improvements in acute care have increased the number of intensive care unit (ICU) survivors. These survivors confront a range of new or ...
Comments on Unruh's Paper

Unruh has commented upon my recent proof that certain predictions of quantum theory are incompatible with the assertion that no influence of any kind acts backward in time in any Lorentz frame. Unruh fails to make a necessary distinction between statements that assert the existence of values, and statements that assert the existence merely of correlations between possible values. Consequently his argument fails to show that my proof involves a tacit or hidden reality assumption that is alien to quantum theory.
On the local isometric embedding in ℝ3 of surfaces with zero sets of Gaussian curvature forming cusp domains

We study the problem of isometrically embedding a two-dimensional Riemannian manifold into Euclidean three-space. It is shown that if the Gaussian curvature vanishes to finite order and its zero se...
Increasing Enteral Protein Intake in Critically Ill Trauma and Surgical Patients.

Background Published guidelines recommend providing at least 2 g/kg/d of protein for critically ill surgical patients. It may be difficult to achieve this level of intake using standard enteral formulas, thus necessitating protein or amino acid supplementation. Herein, we report our approach to enteral protein supplementation and its relationship with urinary nitrogen excretion and serum transthyretin concentrations. Methods This was a retrospective cohort study in which we reviewed critically ill trauma and surgical patients treated with supplemental enteral protein according to a protocol aiming to deliver a total of 2 g/kg/d of protein. We collected detailed nutrition data over a 2-week period after admission and obtained additional data through discharge to determine caloric and protein intake as well as complications. We also compared urine nitrogen excretion and transthyretin concentrations between these patients and a control group who did not receive supplemental protein. Results Fifty-three subjects received early protein supplementation. Formula and protein supplement each provided ≈1.2 g/kg/d of protein by intensive care unit day 4. This resulted in a median total protein intake of 2.2 g/kg/d through day 14. One patient developed acute kidney injury, and 1 patient had 3 episodes of vomiting. By the third week, serum transthyretin concentrations increased to a median of 21 mg/dL compared with 13 mg/dL in subjects not receiving early supplementation. Conclusion It is safe to deliver supplemental protein enterally to critically ill surgical and trauma patients and reach 2 g/kg/d of protein intake during the first week of illness.
Towards Just, Fair and Interpretable Methods for Judicial Subset Selection

In many judicial systems -- including the United States courts of appeals, the European Court of Justice, the UK Supreme Court and the Supreme Court of Canada -- a subset of judges is selected from the entire judicial body for each case in order to hear the arguments and decide the judgment. Ideally, the subset selected is representative, i.e., the decision of the subset would match what the decision of the entire judicial body would have been had they all weighed in on the case. Further, the process should be fair in that all judges should have similar workloads, and the selection process should not allow for certain judge's opinions to be silenced or amplified via case assignments. Lastly, in order to be practical and trustworthy, the process should also be interpretable, easy to use, and (if algorithmic) computationally efficient. In this paper, we propose an algorithmic method for the judicial subset selection problem that satisfies all of the above criteria. The method satisfies fairness by design, and we prove that it has optimal representativeness asymptotically for a large range of parameters and under noisy information models about judge opinions -- something no existing methods can provably achieve. We then assess the benefits of our approach empirically by counterfactually comparing against the current practice and recent alternative algorithmic approaches using cases from the United States courts of appeals database.
Extraction of kinetic freeze-out properties and effect of resonance decays

We present STAR results from identified particle spectra measured in \(\sqrt {s_{NN} } = 62.4\) GEV Au-Au collisions. Particle production and system dynamics are compared to results at \(\sqrt {s_{NN} } = 200\) GeV. We extract kinetic and chemical freeze-out parameters using blast wave model parametrization and statistical model. We discuss the effect of resonance decays on the extracted kinetic freeze-out parameters.
Two-Dimensional 2M-WS2 Nanolayers for Superconductivity.

Recently, a newly discovered VIB group transition metal dichalcogenide (TMD) material, 2M-WS2, has attracted extensive attention due to its interesting physical properties such as topological superconductivity, nodeless superconductivity, and anisotropic Majorana bound states. However, the techniques to grow high-quality 2M-WS2 bulk crystals and the study of their physical properties at the nanometer scale are still limited. In this work, we report a new route to grow high-quality 2M-WS2 single crystals and the observation of superconductivity in its thin layers. The crystal structure of the as-grown 2M-WS2 crystals was determined by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). The chemical composition of the 2M-WS2 crystals was determined by energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) analysis. At 77 K, we observed the spatial variation of the local tunneling conductance (dI/dV) of the 2M-WS2 thin flakes by scanning tunneling spectroscopy (STS). Our low temperature transport measurements demonstrate clear signatures of superconductivity of a 25 nm-thick 2M-WS2 flake with a critical temperature (TC) of ∼8.5 K and an upper critical field of ∼2.5 T at T = 1.5 K. Our work may pave new opportunities in studying the topological superconductivity at the atomic scale in simple 2D TMD materials.
Progress in Uranium Chemistry: Driving Advances in Front-End Nuclear Fuel Cycle Forensics

The front-end of the nuclear fuel cycle encompasses several chemical and physical processes used to acquire and prepare uranium for use in a nuclear reactor. These same processes can also be used for weapons or nefarious purposes, necessitating the need for technical means to help detect, investigate, and prevent the nefarious use of nuclear material and nuclear fuel cycle technology. Over the past decade, a significant research effort has investigated uranium compounds associated with the front-end of the nuclear fuel cycle, including uranium ore concentrates (UOCs), UF4, UF6, and UO2F2. These efforts have furthered uranium chemistry with an aim to expand and improve the field of nuclear forensics. Focus has been given to the morphology of various uranium compounds, trace elemental and chemical impurities in process samples of uranium compounds, the degradation of uranium compounds, particularly under environmental conditions, and the development of improved or new techniques for analysis of uranium compounds. Overall, this research effort has identified relevant chemical and physical characteristics of uranium compounds that can be used to help discern the origin, process history, and postproduction history for a sample of uranium material. This effort has also identified analytical techniques that could be brought to bear for nuclear forensics purposes. Continued research into these uranium compounds should yield additional relevant chemical and physical characteristics and analytical approaches to further advance front-end nuclear fuel cycle forensics capabilities.
Research environment and resources to support pediatric emergency medicine fellow research.

Background There is a need for pediatric emergency medicine (PEM) researchers, but the current state of PEM fellow research training is not well described. We sought to (1) describe resources and gaps in PEM fellowship research training and (2) assess agreement between fellow and program director (PD) perceptions of these in fellow research experience. Methods Surveys were distributed electronically to U.S. PEM fellows and PDs from March to April 2020. Fellows and PDs were queried on program research infrastructure and current gaps in fellow research experience. For programs that had at least one fellow and PD response, each fellow response was compared to their PD's corresponding response (reference standard). For each binary survey item, we determined the percent of responses with agreement between the fellow and PD. Results Of 79 fellowship programs, 70 (89%) were represented with at least one response, including responses from 59 PDs (75%) and 218 fellows (39% of all fellows, representing 80% of programs). Fellows and PDs identified mentorship and faculty engagement as the most important needs for successful fellowship research; for every one fellow there was a median of 0.8 potential faculty mentors in the division. Twenty percent of fellows were not satisfied with mentorship opportunities. There was no association between fellow career research intent (high, defined as ≥20% dedicated time, or low) with current year of training (p = 0.88), program size (p = 0.67), and area of research focus (p = 0.40). Fellows were often unaware of research being performed by division faculty. Conclusion PEM fellows were not consistently aware of resources available to support research training. To better support PEM fellows' research training, many programs may need to expand mentorship and increase fellows' awareness of local and external resources and opportunities.
Optical Microanalysis of Device Materials and Structures

A vast array of optical techniques has been applied to diagnostics of semiconductor materials. A partial list of techniques includes absorption, photoluminescence, Raman scattering, ellipsometry, and nonlinear optical measurements. These measurements all depend on detecting optical signals generated through the interaction of light with the semiconductor material. Therefore, they are generally nondestructive and do not require special fabrication steps such as are required for electrical characterization. Often, optical diagnostics can be used at various stages during device fabrication and can probe the material changes induced during the processing. These techniques are also sensitive to the local environment within the sample and provide state specific information in contrast to ion and electron spectroscopies which are sensitive to atomic concentrations but often do not provide detailed information on internal energy levels and lattice structures. Additional information can be obtained from photoconductivity or photoacoustic techniques where the excitation is optical but the detection is through the electrical or acoustic properties of the material. These techniques are often more sensitive than all-optical measurements, but require additional contact with the material.
Distributed Cortical Representation of Sound Locations

“Location” is a fundamental attribute of a sound source, and normal auditory cortical function is well known to be essential for accurate sound localization. Nevertheless, it has proven to be a challenge to account for perceptual localization abilities in terms of auditory cortical activity. This chapter reviews the steps, and missteps, leading to a present view of cortical location representation. Topics include (1) spatial receptive fields, or lack thereof, of neurons in several auditory fields; (2) evidence contrary to the hypothesis that auditory space is represented as a point-to-point cortical map; (3) panoramic location coding by single cortical neurons and the implied highly distributed representations of single source locations; (4) two- and three-channel models of spatial representation; (5) cortical responses that parallel some oddities of auditory spatial perception; (6) specialization for spatial representation among cortical fields; and (7) task-dependent dynamics of cortical spatial tuning. The chapter concludes by pointing out how much more there is to spatial hearing that just localization, and raises some thoughts about the possible role of auditory cortex in hearing in complex auditory scenes.
Attention, Motivation, and Study Habits in Users of Unprescribed ADHD Medication:

OBJECTIVE: Despite the limited effectiveness of ADHD medications on healthy cognition, prescription stimulants' cognitive enhancement use is increasing. This article examines enhancement users' attention, motivation, and study habits. METHOD: A total of 61 users of unprescribed stimulants and 67 controls (no history of prescription stimulant use) completed tests of objectively measured and subjectively reported attention. Self-reports on study habits, as well as motivation during laboratory attention testing, were also administered. RESULTS: Our data replicated previous findings of relatively lower self-reported attention functioning in users. Extending past research, we showed that user-control differences in attention were still present but less pronounced on objective measures than on self-report. In addition, we obtained evidence of lower motivation during cognitive testing and less optimal study habits among users, as compared with their non-using peers. CONCLUSION: Unprescribed stimulant use is more strongly related to compromised study habits, low motivation, and a subjective perception of attention problems than to objective attention performance. Language: en
The Adolescent Femininity Ideology Scale: Development and Validation of a New Measure for Girls

This article describes the development and validation of the Adolescent Femininity Ideology Scale (AFIS) through three studies with racially, ethnically, and socioeconomically diverse early, middle...
High-Resolution Chromatographic System for Measuring Organic Acids in Biological Samples

A chromatographic system for organic acids has been developed, with improved stability, resolution, and sensitivity for measuring organic anions in biological samples. A calibration mixture containing 100 nEq each of 18 organic anions was clearly resolved, with a signal-to-noise ratio greater than 100:1. The baseline was essentially flat throughout the chromatogram. With scale expansion, the sensitivity limit was about 0.2 nEq per constituent. The width of each peak at half its height was 1 to 2% of its retention time. The system could thus resolve 50 or more constituents. In chromatograms of whole blood and urine more than 40 compounds are resolved. The system is basically a liquid-liquid partition between an acidified aqueous phase on silicic acid and a gradient of nonpolar and polar solvents. Eluted organic acids are detected photometrically by mixing the column effluent with a miscible solvent containing a suitable indicator. Samples require about 6 h for complete chromatography at present.
Library Resource Sharing: A Texas-Sized Challenge

Libraries in Texas have a long history of developing multi-type agreements for resource sharing. The leadership of the Texas State Library and Archives Commission, academic libraries, and the regional consortium Amigos have led to the creation of TexShare. The article cites a few of the many examples of multi-type library consortia and partnerships from all over Texas. The most important legislation in 1995 created the Public Utility Regulatory Act of 1995 which in turn generated the Telecommunications Infrastructure Fund (TIF).
The Explicit and Implicit Use of the Scripting Perspective in Sex Research

(1990). The Explicit and Implicit Use of the Scripting Perspective in Sex Research. Annual Review of Sex Research: Vol. 1, No. 1, pp. 1-43.
Gynecological lesions and ureterohydronephrosis

Abstract A group of 218 gynecological patients presenting various lesions of the pelvic organs has been studied to determine the relationship between gynecological conditions and ureterohydronephrosis. The frequency of occurrence of urinary tract dilatation with prolapse, cystocele, tumors of the uterus and ovaries, and pelvic inflammatory disease has been noted. The importance of prompt treatment of the conditions has been emphasized.
Antitrust Regulation within the European Economic Community

* Member of the New York Bar. The author gratefully acknowledges his appreciation to Sol M. Linowitz, Esq., of the Rochester, New York, Bar, for his constant guidance and assistance in the preparation and revision of this article. 1. See generally Symposium on Extraterritorial Effects of the U.S. Antitrust Laws, 11 A.B.A. SECTION OF ANTITRUST LAW 65 (1957). More recent comprehensive discussions include BREWSTER, ANTITRUST AND AMERICAN BUSINESS ABROAD chs. 4, 11 (1958);
Weighted estimates in ² for Laplace’s equation on Lipschitz domains

Let Ω C R d , d > 3, be a bounded Lipschitz domain. For Laplace's equation Au = 0 in Q, we study the Dirichlet and Neumann problems with boundary data in the weighted space L 2 (∂Ω, leader), where ω α (Q) = |Q-Q 0 | α , Q 0 is a fixed point on ∂Ω, and da denotes the surface measure on ∂Ω. We prove that there exists e = e(Ω) ∈ (0, 2] such that the Dirichlet problem is uniquely solvable if 1 - d < α < d - 3 + e, and the Neumann problem is uniquely solvable if 3 - d - e < a < d - 1. If Q is a C 1 domain, one may take e = 2. The regularity for the Dirichlet problem with data in the weighted Sobolev space L 2 1 (∂Ω,Ω α dσ) is also considered. Finally we establish the weighted L 2 estimates with general Ap weights for the Dirichlet and regularity problems.
Atrial natriuretic hormone effect on renal function and aldosterone secretion in sodium depletion

The effects of atrial natriuretic hormone (ANH) on aldosterone secretion and renal function have been well documented, but the physiological role of ANH is still unknown. To address this issue, eight normal men were infused for 4 h with low-dose (1.1 pmol.kg-1.min-1) human [Ser-Tyr28]ANH after 3 days of low-salt (LS) diet. The same subjects were also studied with placebo infusion on LS and high-salt (HS) diet. ANH infusion caused doubling of urine flow, a fourfold increase in urinary sodium excretion, and a slight increase in potassium excretion. Immunoreactive ANH levels increased from 3.1 +/- 0.5 to 21.0 +/- 1.9 pmol/l during ANH infusion. ANH infusion suppressed plasma renin activity (PRA) to one-third of the basal value, and plasma aldosterone was suppressed from 46.5 +/- 6.5 to 20.9 +/- 2.6 ng/dl. Low-dose ANH infusion caused a marked increase in urine flow and urinary sodium excretion and prominent suppression of PRA and plasma aldosterone in sodium-depleted subjects. These results suggest a physiological significance of ANH in regulation of kidney function and aldosterone secretion.
A Bibliography of Microwave Ultrasonics

A bibliography is presented that attempts to include all publications to date in the field of microwave ultrasonics. The term "microwave ultrasonics" is taken here to include all measurements and/or devices utilizing elastic, magnetoelastic, or magnetostatic traveling waves at frequencies of ~300 MHz or greater.
Christian Ritual Magic in the Middle Ages

This article gives a brief introduction to the area of medieval ritual magic, outlining the main kinds of texts likely to be understood as belonging to the category – image magic, necromancy, and theurgy or angel magic. Before moving to an overview of the current state of scholarship, it makes note of some watershed works that helped to open up the area of intellectual magic for study. A number of interesting new discoveries, both textual and historical, have been made since the 1990s, and these discoveries have in turn instigated a push toward further exploration and editing of medieval texts and manuscripts of ritual magic, which is turning out to be a more interesting and diverse category than might once have been assumed.
Using unconstrained optimization in the design of two-channel perfect-reconstruction linear-phase FIR filter banks

A new approach is presented for the design of two-channel perfect-reconstruction (PR) FIR filter banks employing linear-phase analysis and synthesis filters. The approach guarantees the designed filter bank to be PR through a set of implicit mathematical relationships. Furthermore, the approach formulates the design as an unconstrained quadratic programming problem to simultaneously optimize the frequency responses of the analysis and synthesis filters. The criterion for optimality is "least-squares". The design technique is extendable to M-channel (M/spl ges/2), and this extension is currently under development.
In Search of Corporate Tax Incidence

This paper reviews existing theory and empirical evidence concerning corporate tax incidence. Corporate tax incidence is difficult to establish in theory since the burden of corporate taxation will depend on at least five crucial economic parameters. Further, even if these parameters can be agreed upon, theoretical models of corporate taxation neglect at least seven important considerations. Unfortunately, existing empirical work does not provide clarification, since much of the work either relies on inappropriate tests of general equilibrium tax incidence or suffers from data or methodological limitations. This paper attempts to improve knowledge in this area by undertaking a comprehensive series of analyses of multiple data sources on labor market outcomes and corporate taxation. The analyses are informed by open-economy general equilibrium corporate tax incidence models, and they focus on OECD countries over the period 1981-2009. Results indicate substantial uncertainty regarding what fraction of the corporate tax burden falls on labor, but there is no robust evidence that corporate tax burdens have large depressing effects on wages. These results stand in contrast to findings of other papers; I discuss several possible reasons for this divergence.
Edge Detection in Noisy Images using Recursive Digital Filtering.

The problem of detecting edges in noisy digitized images is considered. A stochastic model of edge structure is proposed and the edge detection problem formulated as one of least mean-square spatial filtering. The resulting filtering structures are implemented as two-dimensional recursive digital filters. Computer experiments with this class of edge detectors will be described. The results indicate substantial advantages over conventional edge detectors in the presence of noise. Applications to real-world imagery data are discussed.
Mid-Infrared Imaging of the First-Ascent Giant HD 233517

We present 10.8 and 18.2 μm images of HD 233517 (K2 III) made with the Observatory Spectrometer Camera for the Infrared on Keck II. Previous observations with a 3.8 m telescope indicated that a highly inclined disk with FWHM of 15 surrounds this star, but we find that HD 233517 is unresolved in the mid-IR at the highest resolution currently possible at these wavelengths. We measure the source to have FWHM less than 031 at 10.8 μm and less than 041 at 18.2 μm. Combined with more recent analyses and conclusions by others, HD 233517 appears to be a first-ascent giant star with spatially unresolved mid-IR dust emission.
Induction of autoimmune arthritis in rats by immunization with homologous rat type II collagen is restricted to the RT1av1 haplotype

Objective. To test for genetic differences in susceptibility to homologous (rat) type II collagen-induced arthritis (RII-CIA). Methods. Nine inbred and RT1-congenic rat strains were immunized with native rat type II collagen and evaluated for arthritis and IgG anti-RII serum antibody titers. Results. Only RT1av1 strains developed a high incidence of severe RII-CIA and high titers of IgG anti-RII serum antibody. Rats having RII-CIA-resistant haplotypes, RT1u,n,1 (which are known to develop CIA after immunization with heterologous type II collagen), were shown to also be susceptible to passive transfer of CIA with immune serum concentrates. Clinical expression of RII-CIA was down-regulated by non-RT1 genes of BN origin. No strong gender differences in anti-RII autoimmune responses were observed. Conclusion. Arthritogenic, autoimmune reactivity to homologous RII is under strict genetic control but occurs readily in RT1av1 rats.
Elastic scattering of electrons by metastable 2s atomic hydrogen

The elastic scattering of electrons with incident energies from 20 to 500 eV from the metastable $2s$ state of atomic hydrogen is calculated by using the Born and Glauber approximations (including the exchange effect). The results for the angular distributions are compared with some other theoretical calculations. It is found that the Born and Glauber integrated elastic-scattering cross section is well represented by ${\ensuremath{\sigma}}_{\mathrm{elastic}}^{\mathrm{B},\mathrm{G}}(2s\ensuremath{\rightarrow}2s; {K}_{i})=(\frac{4162}{105})(\frac{\ensuremath{\Pi}{a}_{0}^{2}}{{K}_{i}^{2}})$ for ${E}_{i}\ensuremath{\ge}20$ eV.
Occupy: A new new social movement

The recent mobilizations in the Middle East, Southern Europe, and United States were both inevitable given the implosion of global capital, and at the same time unexpected and unpredictable. How are we to understand these mobilizations? This article suggests that NSM, New Social Movement theory, with its concerns for identity, culture, and meaning, in which the transformation of identity becomes the basis of subsequent social transformation remains a useful starting point. But given the contradictions of global capital, as well as developments in social movement theory, there is a need to further consider the importance of the legitimation crises of the political economy migrating to the subjective realms of identity and emotion that impel mobilizations that are informed by morality and visions that may be utopian. The Occupy movements illustrate these relationships.
Rossby waves in opposing currents

Abstract A barotropic Rossby wave incident to a region of increasing mean flow velocity opposing the wave group velocity undergoes a reversal of direction at a stopping point where the mean flow velocity and local wave group velocities are equal and opposite. Incident wave amplitude increases approaching this stopping point, which may be referred to as a group velocity critical layer, but eventually suffers a decrease along its trajectory so that the reflected wave amplitude and energy tend to zero on approach to a phase velocity critical layer located where the opposing flow vanishes. Some applications of this process to observations of synoptic scale Rossby waves are suggested and an example of the interaction of an incident wave with a barotropic model of the Hadley circulation is presented to illustrate these ideas.
Design of injectable organic-inorganic hybrid for bone tissue repair.

Injectable bone substitutes are rapidly gained success in tissue engineering applications for their less invasive surgical aspect. Here, the design and the characterization of a novel degradable paste of PCL reinforced with nanocrystals of hydroxyapatite have been presented aiming to mimic natural tissue. Nanohydroxyapatite has been successfully synthesized via sol–gel technique. Dynamic and steady state viscoelastic properties of the solutions and paste were investigated to control the kinetic of phase transition. Correspondingly, the morphology and composition were characterized via TEM, EDAX, and thermal analysis. Injection test underlines the completely ability of the paste of being injected without altering its features. Preliminary biological study showed that the composite paste is not cytotoxic. The synergistic rheological and biological properties, combined with the positive effect of chemical synthesis method indicate that the composite paste is very suitable as local bone substitute in low-load areas. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part A, 2012.
Effectiveness of Group Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for General Symptomatology: A Meta-Analysis

Outcome studies support the effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral approaches for treating various emotional and behavioral problems. The effectiveness of group cognitive-behavioral therapy (GCBT) has received less empirical attention. The current investigation employed meta-analytic procedures to examine various effects from a total of 22 published studies and 8 doctoral dissertations that used GCBT as a therapeutic intervention to reduce general symptomatology. A total of 134 effect sizes yielded an overall pre-to posttreatment weighted mean effect size of. 77 for a wide range of symptomatology treated with GCBT. Twelve of the 30 studies included a no-treatment control group, and these studies yielded a weighted mean effect size of. 13 when comparing pre-and posttreatment levels of symptomatology. Implications for group work practice and research are discussed.
Understanding multicellular function and disease with human tissue-specific networks

Tissue and cell-type identity lie at the core of human physiology and disease. Understanding the genetic underpinnings of complex tissues and individual cell lineages is crucial for developing improved diagnostics and therapeutics. We present genome-wide functional interaction networks for 144 human tissues and cell types developed using a data-driven Bayesian methodology that integrates thousands of diverse experiments spanning tissue and disease states. Tissue-specific networks predict lineage-specific responses to perturbation, identify the changing functional roles of genes across tissues and illuminate relationships among diseases. We introduce NetWAS, which combines genes with nominally significant genome-wide association study (GWAS) P values and tissue-specific networks to identify disease-gene associations more accurately than GWAS alone. Our webserver, GIANT, provides an interface to human tissue networks through multi-gene queries, network visualization, analysis tools including NetWAS and downloadable networks. GIANT enables systematic exploration of the landscape of interacting genes that shape specialized cellular functions across more than a hundred human tissues and cell types.
Doubly charged Higgs bosons

We explore through two simple models, the first in which scalars are treated as fundamental and the second in which they are composite objects, the possibility that representations containing doubly charged scalars may participate in the spontaneous breakdown of the SU(2) × U(1) symmetry of electroweak interactions. We show that such exotic Higgs bosons may posses unsuppressed coupling to pairs of gauge vector bosons and comment on the observability of these charged Higgs bosons through the Cahn-Dawson mechanism in high-energy hadron colliders.
Anions and the anomalous gel filtration behavior of notexin and scutoxin

Based on their mol. wts, notexin and scutoxin elute later than expected from gel filtration columns in multiple peaks [Francis et al. (1991) Toxicon 29, 85-96]. Notexins present in these peaks have identical amino acid sequences and unmodified amino acid side-chains. Scutoxin is an isoform of notexin which contains arginine at position 16 and glutamate at position 82. Like notexin, it also elutes in different fractions on a gel filtration column, yet the fractions show identical amino acid sequence. This perplexing chromatographic behavior appears to be caused by the association of these proteins with different anions, since dissolving notexin in buffers containing different anions produces up to a 30% change in elution volume. Certain anions promote an apparent reduction in the interaction of notexin with gel filtration matrix, hence earlier elution. These anions include citrate, 3-phosphoglycerate and 2-phosphoglycerate, which also inhibit the PLA2 activity of notexin. However, even under conditions which minimize protein-matrix interaction the toxins elute later than expected based on their mol. wt.
Strain Percolation: Physical Considerations

Abstract In previous papers, we have introduced a percolation model for the transport of strain through a deforming metal. In this paper, we review the results from that model, and discuss how the model can be applied to the deformation problem. We summarize the principal observational features of deformation and propose that the discrete percolation events correspond to slip line formation in a deforming metal. It is shown that the deforming solid is a self-organizing system. It is recognized that deformation is localized in space and time, that deformation is fundamentally rate-dependent, that hardening depends on relaxation processes associated with discrete percolating events, and that secondary slip is an essential part of band growth and relaxation processes.
Nonsteroidal antiinflammatory agents inhibit stimulated neutrophil adhesion to endothelium: adenosine dependent and independent mechanisms.

All nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) inhibit neutrophil aggregation (homotypic cell-cell adhesion) and do so without affecting expression of CD11b/CD18. Since the first step in acute inflammation is a critical interaction between neutrophils and the vascular endothelium (heterotypic cell-cell adhesion), we determined whether NSAIDs diminish the adherence of neutrophils to the endothelium. At antiinflammatory concentrations (0.5–5 mM) sodium salicylate, an NSAID that does not inhibit prostaglandin synthesis, inhibited stimulated but not unstimulated neutrophil adherence to endothelial cells (IC50 < 1 mM,P < 0.00001). Salicylates have previously been shown to inhibit oxidative phosphorylation and, predictably, sodium salicylate inhibited oxidative phosphorylation, as evidenced by depletion of ATP stores (875±75 pmol/106 PMN, [2.92±0.25 mM]) in stimulated (FMLP, 0.1μM) but not resting neutrophils treated with antiinflammatory doses of sodium salicylate (EC50=1 mM,P < 0.00001). Indomethacin and piroxicam (10 and 30μM) only minimally decreased ATP concentrations in stimulated and resting neutrophils. ATP is metabolized to adenosine, and we have previously demonstrated that both endogenously released (180–200 nM) and exogenous adenosine (IC50=250 nM) inhibit stimulated neutrophil adherence to endothelial cells. To determine whether the increased metabolism of ATP and the resultant increase in adenosine release were responsible for inhibition of neutrophil adhesion to endothelium, we determined whether addition of adenosine deaminase (ADA, 0.125 IU/ml), an enzyme that converts extracellular adenosine to its inactive metabolite, inosine, affected inhibition of neutrophil adhesion to endothelium by stimulated neutrophils. ADA significantly reversed inhibition of neutrophil adherence to endothelium by sodium salicylate (0.5–5 mM,P < 0.00001). This suggests that sodium salicylate inhibits neutrophil adherence by increasing adenosine release. Whereas indomethacin and piroxicam (10–50μM) also inhibited stimulated neutrophil adherence to endothelial cells, ADA did not affect their inhibition of adherence. These studies demonstrate a heretofore unexpected antiinflammatory mechanism for salicylates: salicylates increase ATP hydrolysis and thereby enhance release of adenosine. Moreover, these data are consistent with the hypothesis that NSAIDs differ from one another with respect to their mechanisms of action.
TU-E-BRB-08: Dual Gated Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy.

Purpose: Gated Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy (VMAT) is an emerging treatment modality for Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy(SBRT). However, gating significantly prolongs treatment time. In order to enhance treatment efficiency, a novel dual gated VMAT, in which dynamic arc deliveries are executed sequentially in alternating exhale and inhale phases, is proposed and evaluated experimentally. Methods: The essence of dual gated VMAT is to take advantage of the natural pauses that occur at inspiration and exhalation by alternatively delivering the dose at the two phases, instead of the exhale window only. The arc deliveries at the two phases are realized by rotating gantry forward at the exhale window and backward at the inhale in an alternative fashion. Custom XML scripts were developed in Varian's TrueBeam STx Developer Mode to enable dual gated VMAT delivery. RapidArc plans for a lung case were generated for both inhale and exhale phases. The two plans were then combined into a dual gated arc by interleaving the arc treatment nodes of the two RapidArc plans. The dual gated plan was delivered in the development mode of TrueBeam LINAC onto a motion phantom and the delivery was measured by using pinpoint chamber/film/diode array (delta 4). The measured dose distribution was compared with that computed using Eclipse AAA algorithm. The treatment delivery time was recorded and compared with the corresponding single gated plans. Results: Relative to the corresponding single gated delivery, it was found that treatment time efficiency was improved by 95.5% for the case studied here. Pinpoint chamber absolute dose measurement agreed the calculation to within 0.7%. Diode chamber array measurements revealed that 97.5% of measurement points of dual gated RapidArc delivery passed the 3% and 3mm gamma‐test criterion. Conclusions: A dual gated VMAT treatment has been developed and implemented successfully with nearly doubled treatment delivery efficiency.
Put me in, Coach, I’m ready to play

This paper explores the connection between discrimination and entrepreneurship. To pursue this inquiry we focus on the integration of black players in Major League Baseball (MLB). MLB team owners, acting as entrepreneurs, had to weigh the benefits of integrating versus the costs of alienating consumers who had a taste for discrimination against hiring blacks. We find that the owners whose teams could profit by contending for the league pennant with the addition of black players were the ones who were willing to take the risk of integrating, although integration often stood in contrast to revealed consumer preferences. In addition to illuminating the mechanism through which integration took place, we offer a general understanding of how the costs and benefits associated with consumers’ taste for discrimination can change via entrepreneurial activities.
Randomized Controlled Trials for loss prevention research: Process and problems

Retailers face difficult and expensive decisions regarding what loss prevention intervention they should use to reduce shrink. A Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT), based on the experimental research approach, can provide retailers with valuable information regarding the effectiveness of a loss prevention intervention. Implementing a RCT in the real world of retailing, however, presents several challenges to the validity of the results. This article, based on the experience of implementing several RCT projects for retailers, examines the threats to the validity of the results. It also provides practical recommendations for correcting the threats to validity. This article also recommends that researchers and retailers must collaborate to implement effective RCT research projects.
Clathrin Binding and Assembly Activities of Expressed Domains of the Synapse-specific Clathrin Assembly Protein AP-3

Abstract We separately expressed the 58-kDa C-terminal, 42-kDa middle, 16-kDa C-terminal, and 33-kDa N-terminal regions of AP-3 (also called F1-20, AP180, NP185, and pp155), and determined their clathrin binding and assembly properties. The 58-kDa C-terminal region of AP-3 is able to bind to clathrin triskelia and assemble them into a homogeneous population of clathrin cages and will also bind to preassembled clathrin cages. The 42-kDa central region of AP-3 can bind to both clathrin triskelia and to clathrin cages, but cannot assemble clathrin triskelia into clathrin cages. The 16-kDa C-terminal region of AP-3 can bind to clathrin cages, but cannot bind to clathrin triskelia or assemble clathrin triskelia into clathrin cages. The clathrin binding activities of the 42-kDa central region and 16-kDa C-terminal region are weaker than the corresponding activity of either the 58-kDa C-terminal region or full-length AP-3. Previous efforts had mapped a clathrin binding site within the N-terminal 33 kDa of AP-3 (Murphy, J. E., Pleasure, I. T., Puszkin, S., Prasad, K., and Keen, J. H. (1991) J. Biol. Chem. 266, 4401-4408; Morris, S. A., Schroder, S., Plessmann, U., Weber, K., and Ungewickell, E. (1993) EMBO J. 12, 667-675). However, although the N-terminal 33 kDa of AP-3 is able to bind to clathrin triskelia (Murphy, J. E., Pleasure, I. T., Puszkin, S., Prasad, K., and Keen, J. H. (1991) J. Biol. Chem. 266, 4401-4408; Ye, W., and Lafer, E. M. (1995) [Abstract] J. Neurosci. Res. 41, 15-26), it does not promote their assembly into clathrin cages (Murphy, J. E., Pleasure, I. T., Puszkin, S., Prasad, K., and Keen, J. H. (1991) J. Biol. Chem. 266, 4401-4408; Ye, W., and Lafer, E. M. (1995) J. Neurosci. Res. 41, 15-26) or bind to preassembled clathrin cages (Ye, W., and Lafer, E. M. (1995) J. Neurosci. Res. 41, 15-26). It appears that the smallest functional unit that carries out all of the reported clathrin binding and assembly properties of AP-3, essentially as well as the full-length protein, is the 58-kDa C-terminal region.
Studies of nanotube-based resonant oscillators through multiscale modeling and simulation

We propose a multiscale method to study nanotube-based resonant oscillators. In the multiscale model, nanotubes are modeled via molecular dynamics, while the metal paddle is modeled as a rigid body. The molecular and continuum models are attached to each other through the interfaces on which carbon atoms are located. We employ the concepts of ``virtual'' atoms and bonds to effectively couple the molecular and continuum models. Using the proposed multiscale method, we investigate both linear and nonlinear characteristics of resonant oscillators. Effects of vacancy and temperature on mechanisms of oscillators are discussed.
Centrally administered ß;-endorphin produces prolonged changes in δ-opioid ligand activity in vivo

Abstract Spontaneous reflex bladder contractions were recorded isometrically in urethane anesthetized rats. Bladder contractions were depressed by intracerebroventricular injections of the μ-opioid receptor agonist [D-A'la2,MePhe4,Gly(ol)5]enkephalin (DAGO) and the δ-agonist [2D-penicillamine,5D-penicillamine]enkephalin (DPDPE) respectively. The effect of DPDPE was selectively antagonized by ICI 174,864 (N,N-diallyl-Tyr-Aib-Aib-Phe-Leu-OH; Aib = α-aminoisobutyric acid). However following the administration of β-endorphin the antagonistic action of ICI 174,864 could no longer be observed. In addition ICI 174,864 exhibited agonistic activity following β-endorphin and the effects of DPDPE were prolonged in a dose related manner by β-endorphin. These observations suggest that β-endorphin may produce complex changes in central δ-opioid receptor activity.
Adhesive Dynamics Simulation of Neutrophil Arrest with Stochastic Activation

The transition from rolling to firm adhesion is a key step in the adhesion cascade that permits a neutrophil to exit the bloodstream and make its way to a site of inflammation. In this work, we construct an integrated model of neutrophil activation and arrest that combines a biomechanical model of neutrophil adhesion and adhesive dynamics, with fully stochastic signal transduction modeling, in the form of kinetic Monte Carlo simulation within the microvilli. We employ molecular binding parameters gleaned from the literature and from simulation of cell-free rolling mediated by selectin molecules. We create a simplified model of lymphocyte function-associated antigen-1 activation that links P-selectin glycoprotein ligand-1 ligation to integrin activation. The model utilizes an energy profile of various integrin activation states drawn from literature data and permits manipulation of signal diffusivity within the microvillus. Our integrated model recreates neutrophil arrest within physiological timescales, and we demonstrate that increasing signal diffusivity within a microvillus accelerates arrest. If the energy barrier between free unactivated and free activated lymphocyte function-associated antigen-1 increases, the period of rolling before arrest increases. We further demonstrate that, within our model, modification of endothelial ligand surface densities can control arrest. In addition, the relative concentrations of signaling molecules control the fractional activation of the overall signaling pathway and the rolling time to arrest. This work presents the first, to our knowledge, fully stochastic model of neutrophil activation, which, though simplified, can recapitulate significant physiological details of neutrophil arrest yet retains the capacity to incorporate additional information regarding mechanisms of neutrophil signal transduction as they are elucidated.
miR-449a targets HDAC-1 and induces growth arrest in prostate cancer

Histone deacetylases (HDACs) are frequently overexpressed in broad range of cancer types, where they alter cellular epigenetic programming to promote cell proliferation and survival. However, the mechanism by which HDACs become overexpressed in human cancers remains somewhat of a mystery. In this study, we investigated the expression and functional significance of miR-449a in prostate cancer cells. Using real-time PCR, we found that miR-449a is downregulated in prostate cancer tissues relative to patient-matched control tissue. Introduction of miR-449a into PC-3 prostate cancer cells resulted in cell-cycle arrest, apoptosis and a senescent-like phenotype. In silico analysis of 3'-UTR regions identified a number of genes involved in cell-cycle regulation as putative targets of miR-449a. Using a luciferase 3'-UTR reporter system, we established that HDAC-1 (histone deacetylase 1), a gene that is frequently overexpressed in many types of cancer, is a direct target of miR-449a. Further, our data indicate that miR-449a regulates cell growth and viability in part by repressing the expression of HDAC-1 in prostate cancer cells. Our findings provide new insight into the function of miRNA in regulating HDAC expression in normal versus cancerous tissue.
Slowed lexical access is uniquely associated with positive and disorganised symptoms in schizophrenia.

Introduction: This study addressed the relationship of both semantic priming and slowed lexical access to the symptoms of schizophrenia, and evaluated their association with other neurocognitive deficits. Methods: 57 outpatients with schizophrenia and 20 nonpsychiatric control subjects performed a lexical decision semantic priming task (LDT), and a brief neuropsychological battery. The schizophrenia group was also assessed with an extended Positive and Negative Symptom Scale. Results: As expected, the schizophrenia group had significantly slower reaction times (RTs) than the control group, and poorer performance on most neuropsychological tasks. Both groups exhibited semantic priming effects in both automatic and controlled processing conditions; these effects were not significantly different between groups. RT was unrelated to age, illness duration, GAF scores, or neuroleptic dose; controlled semantic priming effects were related to illness duration only. RT to real word targets (but not to nonwords) on ...