cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Fast rank-2 nonnegative matrix factorization for hierarchical document clustering

Nonnegative matrix factorization (NMF) has been successfully used as a clustering method especially for flat partitioning of documents. In this paper, we propose an efficient hierarchical document clustering method based on a new algorithm for rank-2 NMF. When the two block coordinate descent framework of nonnegative least squares is applied to computing rank-2 NMF, each subproblem requires a solution for nonnegative least squares with only two columns in the matrix. We design the algorithm for rank-2 NMF by exploiting the fact that an exhaustive search for the optimal active set can be performed extremely fast when solving these NNLS problems. In addition, we design a measure based on the results of rank-2 NMF for determining which leaf node should be further split. On a number of text data sets, our proposed method produces high-quality tree structures in significantly less time compared to other methods such as hierarchical K-means, standard NMF, and latent Dirichlet allocation.
Circuit for multiplication of two sigma-delta modulated pulse streams

To multiply two digital signals, conventional n-bit digital multipliers are used. In the case of multiplication of two sigma-delta modulated (ΣΔM) sequences, decimation of these sequences must first be performed. A decimation circuit often requires a large silicon area and large power consumption. However, there are applications in control systems and instrumentations where simpler circuits for direct processing of ΣΔM streams are needed. This paper presents a new circuit for direct multiplication of two sigma-delta modulated sequences. Two analog input signals to be multiplied, x(t) and y(t), are converted first, using ΣΔM, and then processed directly using off-shelf digital circuitry such as D flip-flops, delta adder and XOR gates. In addition to the proposed circuit diagram, results of a simulation will be presented.
Seed spacing and seedling biomass: Effect on root growth potential of loblolly pine (Pinus taeda)

Results from three studies conducted in bare-root nurseries indicate a positive linear relationship between seed spacing and root growth potential of Pinus taeda L. seedlings. However, root growth potential was also correlated with several morphological variables, including seedling weight, root collar diameter, root weight, root volume, foliage weight and stem weight. Because seedlings grown at wider spacings were larger in diameter and biomass, covariate analyses (using either root collar diameter or foliage ovendry weight) were also conducted. These analyses indicate that differences in root growth potential between seed spacings can be accounted for by differences in seedling size.
Experiences with LMP implementation

With accumulation of experiences in the operation of competitive electricity markets, it is now generally acknowledged that locational marginal pricing (LMP) is a fundamental element of robust market design that unifies the potentially conflicting drivers for physical system security and competitive market economics. This paper focuses on the fundamentals of LMP, and clarifies a few issues about the implementation of LMP markets and the associated application software.
Evolution of covalent networks under cooling: contrasting the rigidity window and jamming scenarios.

We study the evolution of structural disorder under cooling in supercooled liquids, focusing on covalent networks. We introduce a model for the energy of networks that incorporates weak noncovalent interactions. We show that at low temperature these interactions considerably affect the network topology near the rigidity transition that occurs as the coordination increases. As a result, this transition becomes mean field and does not present a line of critical points previously argued for, the ``rigidity window.'' Vibrational modes are then not fractons but instead are similar to the anomalous modes observed in packings of particles near jamming. These results suggest an alternative interpretation for the intermediate phase observed in chalcogenides.
In Vitro Transdifferentiation of Human Fetal Type II Cells Toward a Type I–like Cell

For alveolar type I cells, phenotype plasticity and physiology other than gas exchange await further clarification due to in vitro study difficulties in isolating and maintaining type I cells in primary culture. Using an established in vitro model of human fetal type II cells, in which the type II phenotype is induced and maintained by adding hormones, we assessed for transdifferentiation in culture toward a type I-like cell with hormone removal for up to 144 h, followed by electron microscopy, permeability studies, and RNA and protein analysis. Hormone withdrawal resulted in diminished type II cell characteristics, including decreased microvilli, lamellar bodies, and type II cell marker RNA and protein. There was a simultaneous increase in type I characteristics, including increased epithelial cell barrier function indicative of a tight monolayer and increased type I cell marker RNA and protein. Our results indicate that hormone removal from cultured human fetal type II cells results in transdifferentiation toward a type I-like cell. This model will be useful for continued in vitro studies of human fetal alveolar epithelial cell differentiation and phenotype plasticity.
Progress in the development of high level RF for the SNS ring

A High Level RF (HLRF) system consisting of power amplifiers (PA's) and ferrite loaded cavities is being built by Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) for the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) project. Four cavities were built and are being tested. Each cavity has two gaps with a design voltage of 10 kV per gap and will be driven by a PA directly adjacent to it. The PA uses a 600 kW tetrode to provide the necessary drive current. All the PA's were built and are being tested at BNL prior to shipping to ORNL. A dynamic tuning scheme used to help compensate for the effect of beam loading was implemented and tested.
Nontransform offsets of the Pacific-Cocos plate boundary and their traces on the rise flank

A multi-beam bathymetric reconnaissance of the fast-spreading crest of the East Pacific Rise between 7°N and 2.6°N found the axial ridge to be interrupted by four 4–13 km non-transform offsets. They have probably persisted since initiation by a small change in spreading direction 3.5 Ma. At each offset, the volcanic rift zones veer 15° toward each other and overlap for 5–25 km around deep basins. Intervening lateral displacements of the rift zones are too short (<2.5 km) to break the linear axial volcanoes but cause local bends in their plan shapes; some examples have a morphology that mimics the larger intervolcano offsets. Interpretation of a thorough bathymetric and magnetic survey around the 9 km, 5.5°N offset indicates that the mainly one-sided spreading from the overlapped sections of rift zone occurs by a combination of highly asymmetric dike accretion and episodic small-scale jumps of the eruptive zone. The northern rift zone is elongating (propagating) at the expense of the southern one. The resulting along-axis migration of this and other examples, at speeds comparable to spreading rates, causes the rise-flank scars of the nontransform offsets (equivalent to the fracture zones of transform faults) to be oblique to the spreading direction. These traces are recognizable within the highly lineated fault-block terrain of the rise flanks because of the distinctive morphology of the 5–25-km-wide bands that accreted at overlapped sections of the rift zones. Here, lineation is less marked and oblique to the spreading direction, and volcanic relief is more important than relief caused by faulting. The west-flank trace of the 5.5°N offset is occupied by a line of volcanoes and shallow volcanic ridges. Several other volcanic chains, previously identified as hot-spot traces, seem to have grown in similar tectonic settings.
Effects of dextrothyroxine on hyperlipidemia and experimental atherosclerosis in beagle dogs.

Abstract Beagle dogs, 24 ± 6 months old, fed a thiouracil-free semi-synthetic diet containing hydrogenated coconut oil and cholesterol (SS diet) for 12 months, developed marked hyperlipidemia and severe atherosclerosis. SS diet produced a marked elevation of serum cholesterol, triglyceride, phospholipid, and β-lipoprotein and severe atherosclerosis in large and small arteries. Intimal fatty lesions were always present in the abdominal aorta and many of its branches. Large and small coronary arteries showed similar lesions. The degree of atherosclerosis was directly related to circulating lipid levels. Dextrothyroxine, at dose levels of 0.1 (equivalent to normal human dose) and 0.5 mg/kg body weight, produced a significant dose related lowering of serum lipids and was associated with a markedly decreased severity of aortic and coronary artery lesions. Untreated control dogs that were maintained on purina dog meal developed nwither hyperlipidemia nor atherosclerosis.
Feeling states during exercise: Influence of individual differences in perceived evaluative threat

Abstract The present study is designed to examine the influence of individual differences in perceived evaluative threat and baseline responses on changes in feeling states experienced during acute exercise in college-age women with high social physique anxiety. Thirty women with high social physique anxiety completed acute bouts of stationary cycling at either a self-selected or imposed intensity in both naturalistic fitness centre and laboratory environments. Multivariate analysis of changes in feeling states during exercise yielded a significant baseline×perceived evaluative threat×intensity interaction during exercise in the naturalistic fitness centre environment. Decomposition of this interaction revealed that, within the naturalistic environment, women with the least favourable baseline feeling states who perceived the lowest amount of evaluative threat during exercise demonstrated the greatest improvements in affect during self-selected intensity exercise. These findings suggest that, among women ...
The endogenous choline supply limits glycine betaine synthesis in transgenic tobacco expressing choline monooxygenase

Summary Certain plants produce glycine betaine (GlyBet) in the chloroplast by a two-step oxidation of choline. Introducing GlyBet accumulation into plants that lack it is a well-established target for metabolic engineering because GlyBet can lessen damage from osmotic stress. The first step in GlyBet synthesis is catalyzed by choline monooxygenase (CMO), a stromal enzyme with a Rieske-type [2Fe-2S] center. The absence of CMO is the primary constraint on GlyBet production in GlyBet-deficient plants such as tobacco, but the endogenous choline supply is also potentially problematic. To investigate this, we constructed transgenic tobacco plants that constitutively express a spinach CMO cDNA. The CMO protein was correctly compartmented in chloroplasts and was enzymatically active, showing that its [2Fe-2S] cluster had been inserted. Salinization increased CMO protein levels, apparently via a post-transcriptional mechanism, to as high as 10% of that in salinized spinach. However, the GlyBet contents of CMO+ plants were very low (0.02– 0.05 μmol g–1 fresh weight) in both unstressed and salinized conditions. Experiments with [14C]GlyBet demonstrated that this was not due to GlyBet catabolism. When CMO+ plants were supplied in culture with 5 mM choline or phosphocholine, their choline and GlyBet levels increased by at least 30-fold. The choline precursors mono- and dimethylethanolamine also enhanced choline and GlyBet levels but ethanolamine did not, pointing to a major constraint on flux to choline at the first methylation step in its synthesis. The extractable activity of the enzyme mediating this step in tobacco was only 3% that of spinach. We conclude that in GlyBet-deficient plants engineered with choline-oxidizing genes, the size of the free choline pool and the metabolic flux to choline need to be increased to attain GlyBet levels as high as those in natural accumulators.
General and Theoretical Aspects of the CX bonds (X = F, Cl, Br, I): Integration of Theory and Experiment

1 Introduction 2 Some Fundamental Properties of the Halogens; the Anomalous Nature of Fluorine 3 Electronegativity Equalization: Electronegativity and Charge Capacity in Relation to Molecular Properties 4 Electrostatic Potentials of Organic Molecules Containing Carbon–Halogen Bonds 5 A General Interaction Properties Function (GIPF): An Approach to Understanding and Predicting Molecular Properties 6 Strengths of Carbon–Halogen Bonds 7 Perspectives on Particular Classes of Organic Molecules Containing Carbon–Halogen Bonds 8 Acknowledgements Keywords: halogens and flourine anomalous nature; electronegativity equalization; halomethane and halobenzene dipole moments; electrostatic potentials of organic molecules and carbon–halogen bounds; general interaction properties function (GIPF); halogen effects in aromatic systems upon reactivity; carbon–halogen bond strengths; electron-attracting tendency of atom
Political Powerlessness as Reality

A sense of political alienation is certainly not unique to our era, as seen in the writings of the fifteenth-century French poet Deschamps. Many commentators on modern social life nevertheless view estrangement from power and politics as a fundamental and pervasive characteristic of all urban-industrial-bureaucratic societies: ‘Rarely before have men experienced such mass resignation before the forces of society, such a sense of distance from the sources of power, such defeatism in the face of an explosive world situation’ (Keniston, 1960).
Internal structure of multiphase zinc-blende wurtzite gallium nitride nanowires

In this paper, the internal structure of novel multiphase gallium nitride nanowires in which multiple zinc-blende and wurtzite crystalline domains grow simultaneously along the entire length of the nanowire is investigated. Orientation relationships within the multiphase nanowires are identified using high-resolution transmission electron microscopy of nanowire cross-sections fabricated with a focused ion beam system. A coherent interface between the zinc-blende and wurtzite phases is identified. A mechanism for catalyst-free vapor-solid multiphase nanowire nucleation and growth is proposed.
Anisotropic diffusion filter for robust timing of ultrasound echoes

Accurate and robust timing of ultrasound echoes is important in many applications but is difficult to achieve when dissipative solids are tested. In this case, the ultrasound waveforms are subject to distortions that can lead to substantial errors when standard timing techniques are used. In this paper, we propose a new timing method that uses anisotropic diffusion to robustify the timing of ultrasound transmission and echo signals. The advantage of the proposed method in providing consistent timing results despite waveform distortions is demonstrated experimentally.
THREE-DIMENSIONAL ELASTICITY ANALYSIS OF SANDWICH COMPOSITES WITH FUNCTIONALLY GRADED CORE

This study presents an analytical three-dimensional elasticity solution of a sandwich composite with a functionally graded core subjected to an arbitrary transverse pressure distribution. The governing equations are derived from Reissner’s functional and are solved by enforcing continuity of traction and displacement components between the adjacent layers. The sandwich panel analyzed consists of orthotropic face sheets bonded to an isotropic, functionally graded core with a Young’s modulus that varies exponentially with respect to the transverse direction. To simulate contact loading, a Hertzian-like pressure distribution is applied to a small region at the center of the surface of the laminate and the complete stress and displacement fields are determined within the panel. Normal and transverse shear stresses are presented with respect to varying degrees of core stiffness at the face sheet interface. In addition, parameterized studies that examine the effects of the total thickness to face sheet thickness ratio and the span to thickness ratio are presented. Results of this work demonstrate that the interfacial transverse shear stresses are not necessarily reduced by the incorporation of a FG core. However, for sandwiches with thin face sheets compared to their total thickness, and large span to thickness ratios, use of a FG core will significantly decrease the interfacial transverse shear stresses.
Integration of geology, rock physics, logs, and prestack seismic data for reservoir porosity estimation

The main objective of this article is to obtain reservoir properties, such as porosity, both at the well locations and in the interwell regions from seismic data and well logs. The seismic and well-log data sets are from an oil field in eastern Saudi Arabia, and the main target is a Jurassic carbonate reservoir. The geology of carbonate reservoirs in Saudi Arabia is well understood. Reservoir porosity estimation is essential and needs to be determined for flow simulation and reservoir management. A major component of this study is establishing the relation between the P-impedance and porosity using well-log data. An amplitude-versus-angle seismic inversion algorithm was used to invert the three-dimensional impedance volumes (i.e., P-impedance and S-impedance) given partial angle stacks of seismic traces representing reflection amplitude variations with angle of incidence. These impedance volumes were used to estimate porosity between the well locations. The seismic and log data provided a-priori information (i.e., the initial starting model and source wavelet estimate) necessary for obtaining geologically consistent results.
Modeling invasion of metastasizing cancer cells to bone marrow utilizing ecological principles

The invasion of a new species into an established ecosystem can be directly compared to the steps involved in cancer metastasis. Cancer must grow in a primary site, extravasate and survive in the circulation to then intravasate into target organ (invasive species survival in transport). Cancer cells often lay dormant at their metastatic site for a long period of time (lag period for invasive species) before proliferating (invasive spread). Proliferation in the new site has an impact on the target organ microenvironment (ecological impact) and eventually the human host (biosphere impact). Tilman has described mathematical equations for the competition between invasive species in a structured habitat. These equations were adapted to study the invasion of cancer cells into the bone marrow microenvironment as a structured habitat. A large proportion of solid tumor metastases are bone metastases, known to usurp hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) homing pathways to establish footholds in the bone marrow. This required accounting for the fact that this is the natural home of hematopoietic stem cells and that they already occupy this structured space. The adapted Tilman model of invasion dynamics is especially valuable for modeling the lag period or dormancy of cancer cells. The Tilman equations for modeling the invasion of two species into a defined space have been modified to study the invasion of cancer cells into the bone marrow microenvironment. These modified equations allow a more flexible way to model the space competition between the two cell species. The ability to model initial density, metastatic seeding into the bone marrow and growth once the cells are present, and movement of cells out of the bone marrow niche and apoptosis of cells are all aspects of the adapted equations. These equations are currently being applied to clinical data sets for verification and further refinement of the models.
A combined surface and volumetric approach for registration of patient specific models into left atrial cardiac ablation procedures

Accurate visualization and targeting of specific anatomic locations are key components for successful treatment in catheter based cardiac ablation therapy. In order to augment visualization tools such as bi-plane fluoroscopy and real-time ultrasound, recent work has focussed on registering detailed, patient-specific models into the procedure. Surface based techniques are a popular approach, however, challenges include sensitivity to both the number and as well as locations of selected surface points, thereby making registration accuracy dependent on operator experience as well as patient anatomy. In this work, we propose a new technique for registering preoperative models into patient space by combining a surface based method with a volumetric based approach. The volumetric approach utilizes points from the continuously tracked catheter which is sampled at a rate of five times per second. The technique is tested using data from a canine experiment with five ground truth fiducial markers. The combined registration technique has smaller mean errors for all fiducial markers as compared to using a surface based technique alone. The combined surface and volumetric approach is also more robust to surface point selection, thereby decreasing the sensitivity of point selection on the registration result.
Neuroendocrinology of Social Behavior

Discovering the hormonal and neural mechanisms that promote affi liative social behavior is a high priority in behavioral neuroscience. Although studies with standard laboratory rodents have afforded many important insights, exciting advances are also occurring through comparative research with nonstandard species that vary in sociality or form socially monogamous pair bonds, work that is often informed by an explicitly evolutionary perspective. Research with prairie voles has examined the roles of sex steroid hormones, adrenal glucocorticoids, oxytocin family peptides, and dopamine in the formation of monogamous pairs. Corticosterone facilitates pairing by males but inhibits it in females, vasopressin (acting via the V1a receptor) and oxytocin facilitate pairing, and dopamine in the nucleus accumbens also facilitates pairing. Research with zebra fi nches is testing the limits of generality of these mechanisms, and has shown how sex steroid effects early in life along with social experience lead to an adult’s sex preference in a pairing partner. Estrogen manipulations during the embryonic or nestling periods result in females that prefer to pair with other females. An allfemale social environment can reinforce such effects, and can also produce males and females that will pair with either sex. Research with multiple species of estrildid fi nches is revealing the contributions of peptidergic and dopaminergic mechanisms to the evolution of species differences in whether animals are gregarious or territorial. Mechanisms for and responses to vasotocin (avian vasopressin) in the septal region of the brain are predicted by sociality in this group of birds.
The Tower Game Dataset: A multimodal dataset for analyzing social interaction predicates

We introduce the Tower Game Dataset for computational modeling of social interaction predicates. Existing research in affective computing has focused primarily on recognizing the emotional and mental state of a human based on external behaviors. Recent research in the social science community argues that engaged and sustained social interactions require the participants to jointly coordinate their verbal and non-verbal behaviors. With this as our guiding principle, we collected the Tower Game Dataset consisting of multimodal recordings of two players participating in a tower building game, in the process communicating and collaborating with each other. The format of the game was specifically chosen as it elicits spontaneous communication from the participants through social interaction predicates such as joint attention and entrainment. The dataset will be made public and we believe that it will foster new research in the area of computational social interaction modeling.
Calcium induced calcium release with stochastic uniform flux density in a heart cell

Calcium is a critical component in many cellular functions. It serves many important functions such as signal transduction, contraction of muscles, enzyme function, and maintaining potential difference across excitable membranes. We examine the self-organization of calcium waves in a heart cell and how they propagate through the cell. Specifically, the crucial parameter of flux density that controls the amount of calcium released at each calcium release unit is assumed a known constant in the original model. In reality, this value is not known exactly, thus we design parameter studies where the flux density is made a stochastic parameter for each simulation. This technique from uncertainty quantification allows for determining the range of the flux density, in which calcium waves are likely to self-organize, but without physiologically unrealistic saturation of the cell and without electrical stimulation.
Localized and Propagating Surface Plasmon Resonance Sensors: A Study Using Carbohydrate Binding Protein

This work encompasses a comparative analysis of the properties of two optical biosensor platforms: (1) the propagating surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensor based on a planar, thin film gold surface and (2) the localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) sensor based on surface confined Ag nanoparticles fabricated by nanosphere lithography. The binding of Concanavalin A (ConA) to mannose-functionalized self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) is chosen to illustrate the similarities and the differences of these sensors. A comprehensive set of non-specific binding studies demonstrate that the single transduction mechanism is due to the specific binding of ConA to the mannose-functionalized surface. Finally, an elementary (2x1) multiplexed version of a LSPR carbohydrate sensing chip to probe the simultaneous binding of ConA to mannose and galactose-functionalized SAMs is also demonstrated.
E-business Planning and Decision-Making Processes: A Qualitative Study of Strategy

The purpose of this research project was to design and conduct a case study utilizing qualitative and exploratory methods on how successful medium sized companies conduct and manage their planning and decision-making processes when embarking upon e-business strategy. An exploration of how well the e-strategy was communicated and worked with collaboratively among stakeholders in the e-community was discovered as well as understanding and identifying key business drivers for the e-environment. Information collected from the company participants (executives, mid-level and front-line management, and subordinates) were separated and coded for common themes to be compared with scholarly literature. The goal was to obtain new data that can better prepare current and future e-company executives in choosing and implementing the most effective e-model for business relative to their e-business strategy.
Potential Advantages of Applying Assurance Case Modeling to Requirements Engineering for Interoperable Medical Device Systems

This poster describes our initial work in applying assurance cases to the requirements engineering processes necessary in building interoperable medical device systems.
Type-I QW cascade diode lasers for spectral region above 3 μm

Cascade pumping of type-I quantum well gain sections was utilized to increase output power and efficiency of GaSb-based diode lasers operating in spectral region from 3.1 to 3.3 μm. The experiment showed that the increase of the number of cascades from two (previously used in record cascade 3 μm emitters) to three led to critical enhancement of the differential gain and reduction of the threshold current density of λ > 3 μm lasers. Light p-doping of the AlGaAsSb graded section did not introduce extra optical loss but aided hole transport as required for realization of the efficient multi-stage cascade pumping scheme. Corresponding coated three-stage devices with ~100-μm-wide aperture and 3-mm-long cavity demonstrated CW output power of 500 mW near 3.18 μm at 17 °C – more than twofold increase as compared to previous state-of-the-art diode lasers emitting only 200 mW. Three-stage lasers with quantum wells designed to emit in the middle of methane absorption band near 3.25 μm demonstrated record output power levels above 350 mW – nearly threefold improvement over previous non-cascade state-of-the-art diodes. Utilization of the different quantum wells in cascade laser heterostructure was demonstrated to yield wide gain lasers as often desired for tunable laser spectroscopy. Two step etching was applied in effort of simultaneous minimization of both internal optical loss and the lateral current spreading in narrow ridge lasers.
Dynamics of Surface Fluctuations on Macrocyclic Melts

A hydrodynamic continuum theory (HCT) of thermally stimulated capillary waves describing surface fluctuations of linear polystyrene melts is found to describe surface fluctuations of sufficiently thick films of unentangled cyclic polystyrene. However, for cyclic polystyrene (CPS) films thinner than 10Rg, the surface fluctuations are slower than expected from the HCT universal scaling, revealing a confinement effect active over length scales much larger than Rg. Surface fluctuations of CPS films can be slower than those of films of linear polystyrene analogues, due to differences between the glass transition temperatures, Tg, of the linear and cyclic chains. The temperature dependences of the surface fluctuations match those of bulk viscosities, suggesting that whole chain dynamics dictate the surface height fluctuation dynamics at temperatures 25–60 °C above Tg. When normalized surface relaxation rates of thicker films are plotted as a function of T/Tg, a universal temperature behavior is observed for lin...
A model reaction assesses contribution of H-tunneling and coupled motions to enzyme catalysis.

To assess the contribution of physical features to enzyme catalysis, the enzymatic reaction has to be compared to a relevant uncatalyzed reaction. While such comparisons have been conducted for some hydrolytic and radical reactions, it is most challenging for biological hydride transfer and redox reactions in general. Here, the same experimental tools used to study the H-tunneling and coupled motions for enzymatic hydride transfer between two carbons were used in the study of an uncatalyzed model reaction. The enzymatic oxidations of benzyl alcohol and its substituted analogues mediated by alcohol dehydrogenases were compared to the oxidations by 9-phenylxanthylium cation (PhXn + ). The PhXn + serves as an NAD + model, while the solvent, acetonitrile, models the protein environment. Experimental comparisons in- cluded linear free energy relations with Hammett reaction constant (ρ) of zero versus −2.7; temperature-independent versus temperature-dependent primary KIEs; deflated secondary KIEs with deuteride transfer (i.e., primary-secondary coupled motion) versus no coupling between secondary KIEs and H- or D-transfer; and large versus small secondary KIEs for the enzymatic versus uncatalyzed alcohol oxidation. Some of the differences may come from differences in the order of microscopic steps between the catalyzed versus uncatalyzed reactions. However, several of these comparative experiments indicate that in contrast to the uncatalyzed reaction the transition state of the enzymatic reaction is better reorganized for H-tunneling and its H-donor is better rehybridized prior to the C−H→ Ct ransfer. Thesefindings suggest an important role for these physical features in enzyme catalysis.
Seabirds and Fishing Vessels: Co-Occurrence and Attraction

Seabirds in many areas of the world feed on fish, crustaceans and other organic matter discarded from fishing vessels working over continental shelves or other fishing grounds (Rees 1963, Grindley 1967, Jenkins 1971, Bartle 1974, Jehl 1974, Summerhayes et al. 1974). Our observations off the coast of Washington (Wahl 1975) have enabled us to quantitatively examine such behavior in terms of the effect of fisheries discards on the dispersion of different seabird species, and the relative importance of different types of vessels to different species. In this paper we compare and evaluate the relative abundances of several species recorded in the vicinity of fishing vessels with those recorded, on the same day, away from fishing vessels. The results of these analyses are discussed in relation to our observations of the feeding behavior of the different species at fishing vessels.
Rearing Improvements for the German Cockroach (Dictyoptera: Blattellidae)

Known-age cohorts of three strains of German cockroach, Blattella germanica (L.), were mass-reared by establishing one rearing container each week (so that cockroaches within a container would be of known age). An average of 330-443 females was placed in oviposition units within these rearing containers. Percentage hatch of oothecae was 77.49-84.63%, resulting in an average of 12,258-16,359 nymphs per rearing container. Development of nymphs was similar for the three strains. Survivorship of nymphs to the adult stage was 19.95-29.56%; survivorship was significantly higher for the strain most recently colonized from the field. Adult emergence occurred at 6-7 wk, and average production per container was 2,834-3,971 cockroaches.
Genistein combined polysaccharide (GCP) is highly active in both human and canine lymphoma models

14126 Background: The soy isoflavones genistein and daidzein have demonstrated anticancer activity in vitro in multiple tumor types including leukemia/lymphoma, with evidence for a role in chemopre...
The nonlinear instability characteristics of waves in free shear layers

A more general mean flow first harmonic theory is derived and some consequences are discussed. The theory is applied to the Bickley jet and tanh mixing layer profiles.
Quantum theory of fields from Planck to cosmic scales

A scale invariant model of statistical mechanics is applied to describe a modified statistical theory of turbulence and its quantum mechanical foundations. Hierarchies of statistical fields from cosmic to Planck scales are described. Energy spectrum of equilibrium isotropic turbulence is shown to follow Planck law. Predicted velocity profiles of turbulent boundary layer over a flat plate at four consecutive scales of LED, LCD, LMD, and LAD are shown to be in close agreement with the experimental observations in the literature. The physical and quantum nature of time is described and a scale-invariant definition of time is presented and its relativistic behavior is examined. New paradigms for physical foundations of quantum mechanics as well as derivation of Dirac relativistic wave equation are introduced.
T-cell lymphoblastic leukemia/lymphoma presenting in a recurrent thymoma

A lymphoblastic malignancy presented as the lymphoid component of a recurrent invasive lymphocyte-rich thymoma that had been previously resected and treated with chemotherapy. This high grade lymphoid neoplasm concurrently involved mediastinal nodes and subsequently disseminated to pleural fluid and peripheral blood. Lymphocytes with convoluted nuclei demonstrated a T-lymphoblastic phenotype (UCHL1+, Leu-22+, TdT+) by immunohistochemical studies. T-cell lymphoblastic leukemia/lymphomas in this clinical setting have not been reported, and this case suggests that neoplastic transformation of lymphocytes may occur in longstanding refractory thymomas.
Consumerism and Physicians: The Halo Effect Revisited

An empirical study of consumer attitudes towards the marketing of physician services was conducted. This paper attempts to answer the questions of how patient attitudes have changed over the last decade and to what degree physicians have lost the aura of godlike onmipotence they have enjoyed. During the last ten years it is alleged that there has been a decline in confidence by individuals of traditional institutions of all kinds, including government, business, the legal and the medical professions. If one can believe the popular media there is less confidence in physicians today than at any time in memory. As predicted by the U.S. Department of Labor shortage of physicians in all but a few isolated rural areas has vanished. Patient-consumers may now have the freedom of choice in their selection of physician services. Successful marketing of services is of increasing importance to the practitioner. Two hypotheses were tested: (1) patients tend to be influenced by the halo effect of authority which surrounds the medical profession; and (2) the halo effect has lessened during the last ten years in response to adverse criticism.
pH-Tuning a Solar Redox Flow Battery for Integrated Energy Conversion and Storage

The intermittent nature of renewable energy sources such as solar and wind requires an energy storage method for future viability. Integrated solar energy conversion and storage devices such as solar redox flow batteries offer an innovative approach to this problem. Herein, we demonstrate electrolyte pH to be a valuable and tunable parameter for optimization of aqueous solar redox flow batteries. This can be accomplished by utilizing a pH-dependent redox anolyte and pH-independent catholyte to effectively tune the cell voltage by varying the operating pH, which allows direct integration of a dye-sensitized photoelectrode. A quinone–iodine redox flow battery can achieve high columbic efficiency over ∼90% for 50 cycles under mild pH conditions (pH ∼ 2–8). Furthermore, a pH-tunable solar redox flow battery can be charged using only solar illumination, thus allowing for integrated energy conversion and storage within a single device
Two's a crowd? Crowding effect in a parasitic castrator drives differences in reproductive resource allocation in single vs double infections.

The ‘crowding effect’ is a result of competition by parasites within a host for finite resources. Typically, the severity of this effect increases with increasing numbers of parasites within a host and manifests in reduced body size and thus fitness. Evidence for the crowding effect is mixed – while some have found negative effects, others have found a positive effect of increased parasite load on parasite fitness. Parasites are consumers with diverse trophic strategies reflected in their life history traits. These distinctions are useful to predict the effects of crowding. We studied a parasitic castrator, a parasite that usurps host reproductive energy and renders the host sterile. Parasitic castrators typically occur as single infections within hosts. With multiple parasitic castrators, we expect strong competition and evidence of crowding. We directly assess the effect of crowding on reproductive success in a barnacle population infected by a unique parasitic castrator, Hemioniscus balani, an isopod parasite that infects and blocks reproduction of barnacles. We find (1) strong evidence of crowding in double infections, (2) increased frequency of double infections in larger barnacle hosts with more resources and (3) perfect compensation in egg production, supporting strong space limitation. Our results document that the effects of crowding are particularly severe for this parasitic castrator, and may be applicable to other castrators that are also resource or space limited.
X-linked Dystonia-Parkinsonism patient cells exhibit altered signaling via nuclear factor-kappa B

X-linked Dystonia-Parkinsonism (XDP) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease involving the loss of medium spiny neurons within the striatum. An XDP-specific haplotype has been identified, consisting of seven sequence variants which cluster around the human TAF1 gene, but a direct relationship between any of these variants and disease pathogenesis has not yet been demonstrated. Because the pathogenic gene lesion remains unclear, it has been difficult to predict cellular pathways which are affected in XDP cells. To address that issue, we assayed expression of defined gene sets in XDP vs. control fibroblasts to identify networks of functionally-related transcripts which may be dysregulated in XDP patient cells. That analysis derived a 51-gene signature distinguishing XDP vs. control fibroblasts which mapped strongly to nuclear factor-kappa B (NFκB), a transcription factor pathway also implicated in the pathogenesis of other neurodegenerative diseases, including Parkinson's (PD) and Huntington's disease (HD). Constitutive and TNFα-evoked NFκB signaling was further evaluated in XDP vs. control fibroblasts based on luciferase reporter activity, DNA binding of NFκB subunits, and endogenous target gene transcription. Compared to control cells, XDP fibroblasts exhibited decreased basal NFκB activity and decreased levels of the active NFκB p50 subunit, but increased target gene expression in response to TNFα. NFκB signaling was further examined in neural stem cells differentiated from XDP and control induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) lines, revealing a similar pattern of increased TNFα responses in the patient lines compared to controls. These data indicate that an NFκB signaling phenotype is present in both patient fibroblasts and neural stem cells, suggesting this pathway as a site of dysfunction in XDP.
Soil carbon sequestration potential in semi-arid grasslands in the Conservation Reserve Program

Abstract The Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) in the USA plays a major role in carbon (C) sequestration to help mitigate rising CO2 levels and climate change. The Southern High Plains (SHP) region contains > 900.000 ha enrolled in CRP, but a regionally specific C sequestration rate has not been studied, and identification of the C pools and processes important in controlling C sequestration rates remain unresolved. We aimed to address these gaps by utilizing a CRP chronosequence with historical rangeland as a reference ecosystem. Soil samples (0–10 and 10–30 cm) were collected in 2012 and 2014 from a total of 26 fields across seven counties within the SHP and included seven croplands (0 y in CRP), 16 CRP fields that ranged from 6 to 26 y (as of 2012), plus three rangelands. Multiple regression analysis was conducted to gauge the rate of C sequestration under CRP within C pools: soil organic C (SOC), particulate organic matter C (POM-C), and microbial biomass C (MBC), with two additional predictors (soil clay + silt content and precipitation). Despite attempts to control for soil texture by targeting a dominant soil series (Amarillo fine sandy loam), the percent of clay + silt (15.2–48.7%) significantly influenced C accrual. The C sources (C3 from previous cropping systems or C4 from CRP grasses) in SOC and POM-C were assessed using stable C isotope signatures. Additionally, the role of soil microbes in C sequestration was evaluated by investigating the relationship between MBC and CO2 flux and C sequestration. SOC increased at a rate of 69.82 and 132.87 kg C ha− 1 y− 1 and would take approximately 74 and 77 y to reach the rangeland C stocks at 0–10 and 0–30 cm, respectively. The C4‐C primarily from the introduced grasses was the main source of C sequestration. SOC gains were essentially due to increases in POM-C and MBC, accounting for 50.04 and 15.64% of SOC sequestration at 0–30 cm, respectively. The highest semi-partial correlation coefficients between the increasing years under CRP restoration and MBC indicated CRP had the strongest effect on MBC compared to other C pools. In addition, increasing soil CO2 flux and MBC:SOC ratio with years of CRP restoration indicated MBC played a critical role in the C sequestration process. Conservation of CRP lands and efforts to sustain perennial systems in this highly erodible landscape should be a high priority of conservation programs. In doing so, significant offsets to increasing atmospheric CO2 levels may be achieved in addition to erosion control and improved wildlife habitat.
Automatically Tagging Constructions of Causation and Their Slot-Fillers

This paper explores extending shallow semantic parsing beyond lexical-unit triggers, using causal relations as a test case. Semantic parsing becomes difficult in the face of the wide variety of linguistic realizations that causation can take on. We therefore base our approach on the concept of constructions from the linguistic paradigm known as construction grammar (CxG). In CxG, a construction is a form/function pairing that can rely on arbitrary linguistic and semantic features. Rather than codifying all aspects of each construction’s form, as some attempts to employ CxG in NLP have done, we propose methods that offload that problem to machine learning. We describe two supervised approaches for tagging causal constructions and their arguments. Both approaches combine automatically induced pattern-matching rules with statistical classifiers that learn the subtler parameters of the constructions. Our results show that these approaches are promising: they significantly outperform naive baselines for both construction recognition and cause and effect head matches.
Utility of Adding Magnetic Resonance Imaging to Computed Tomography Alone in the Evaluation of Cervical Spine Injury: A Propensity-Matched Analysis.

STUDY DESIGN Adult patients who received computed tomography (CT) alone or CT-magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for the evaluation of cervical spine injury. OBJECTIVE To evaluate the utility of CT-MRI in the diagnosis of cervical spine injury using propensity-matched techniques. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA The optimal evaluation (CT alone vs. CT and MRI) for patients with suspected cervical spine injury in the setting of blunt trauma remains controversial. METHODS The primary outcome was the identification of a cervical spine injury, with decision for surgery and change in management considered secondarily. A propensity score was developed based on the likelihood of receiving evaluation with CT-MRI, and this score was used to balance the cohorts and develop two groups of patients around whom there was a degree of clinical equipoise in terms of the imaging protocol. Logistic regression was used to evaluate for significant differences in injury detection in patients evaluated with CT alone as compared to those receiving CT-MRI. RESULTS Between 2007 and 2014, 8060 patients were evaluated using CT and 693 with CT-MRI. Following propensity-score matching, each cohort contained 668 patients. There were no significant differences between the two groups in baseline characteristics. The odds of identifying a cervical spine injury were significantly higher in the CT-MRI group, even after adjusting for prior injury recognition on CT (odds ratios 2.6; 95% confidence interval 1.7-4.0; P < 0.001). However, only 53/668 patients (8%) in the CT-MRI group had injuries identified on MRI not previously recognized by CT. Only a minority of these patients (n = 5/668, 1%) necessitated surgical intervention. CONCLUSION In this propensity-matched cohort, the addition of MRI to CT alone identified missed injuries at a rate of 8%. Only a minority of these were serious enough to warrant surgery. This speaks against the standard addition of MRI to CT-alone protocols in cervical spine evaluation after trauma. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE 3.
Plasmonic nanogap structures studied via cathodoluminescence imaging

Cathodoluminescence makes use of the beam raster capabilities of a scanning electron microscope to excite electrons in a sample and collects the luminescent light to produce images or obtain spectra that can reveal useful information about the sample. This technique has been shown to be particularly interesting for studying the plasmonic oscillations of metallic nanostructures. A recently developed fabrication technique has allowed for the creation of sub-10 nm gaps between metallic nanostructures for use as plasmonically active samples that can be tailored for various potential applications. The high degree of control over the geometries capable of being fabricated via this nanomasking technique allow for unique types of structures that are otherwise difficult to fabricate. In this work, the plasmonic response of metallic structures separated by sub-10 nm gaps is studied via CL imaging. Hyperspectral images can demonstrate the effectiveness with which various geometries produce specific wavelength resonances. The results can be helpful in determining which structures are optimal for specific applications based on these resonances. Also, the images can help to guide future fabrication, as the plasmon modes become better understood.