cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Research Libraries in the Twenty-First Century

Libraries are a key resource in maintaining research, funding and teaching capabilities of research extensive universities today, but they rarely receive significant research attention, treated instead as a kind of “add-on” to other considerations. Yet research libraries and their search and linking capabilities are changing the way in which faculty and students alike work, and some suggest, the way in which we even think, about knowledge, knowledge production, and our relationships with the world. Libraries—and librarians—are undertaking roles which go far beyond collecting, cataloguing, storing and retrieving information, and are now working as knowledge producers themselves. As well, librarians in research extensive universities are now key to organizing new information and knowledge, creating new accessibility paths for faculty and students. This chapter also considers the role of major research libraries in teaching in the knowledge economy; contributing to the development of new metrics for evaluating libraries, their collections and their services; the economics of collections and collection development, including space and space renovation which meets new teaching needs and modes; the role of funding and development; the creation and expansion of digital libraries and archives; and libraries’ contributions to the creation of research collaboratives across time and space.
Comparative genomic analysis for pediatric cancer patients evaluated in a California Initiative to Advance Precision Medicine Demonstration Project.

TPS10578Background: California Kids Cancer Comparison (CKCC), a demonstration project for the California Initiative to Advance Precision Medicine, evaluates the utility of incorporating gene expres...
Team Based Learning: the Role of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in Team Formation

In this paper, we are presenting the role of diversity and inclusion in forming teams and class groups for the Team-Based Learning teaching strategy. We adopted this teaching strategy for our in Electrical and Computer Engineering and Computer Science courses. We experienced the rich useful values that different students brought to the courses, departments, and the campus as well. We believe that faculty members should incorporate cultural inclusion, diversity, and equity in their classrooms and teaching strategies all over the world. And specially in the USA since these values are existing positives characteristics of the USA education system and the whole community as well.
The Impact of Ultrasound Probe Tilt on Muscle Thickness and Echo-Intensity: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract Introduction/background: To determine the influence of ultrasound probe tilt on reliability and overall changes in muscle thickness and echo-intensity. Materials and Methods: Thirty-six individuals had a total of 15 images taken on both the biceps brachii and tibialis anterior muscles. These images were taken in 2° increments with the probe tilted either upward (U) or downward (D) from perpendicular (0°) to the muscle (U6°, U4°, U2°, 0°, D2°, D4°, and D6°). All images were then saved, stored, and analyzed using Image-J software for echo-intensity and muscle thickness measures. Mean values (2–3 measurements within each probe angle) were compared across each probe angle, and reliability was assessed as if the first measure was taken perpendicular to the muscle, but the second measure was taken with the probe tilted to a different angle (to assume unintentional adjustments in reliability from probe tilt). Results: Tilting the probe as little as 2° produced a significant 4.7%, and 10.5% decrease in echo-intensity of the tibialis anterior and biceps brachii muscles, respectively, while changes in muscle thickness were negligible (
Aristocratic Alienation and Byronic Rebellion in Stendhal’s Armance , Le Rose et le vert , and Mina de Vanghel

In this article, I examine some intertwined themes that link Stendhal’s first novel, Armance (1827), to two of his subsequent works of fiction: the incomplete novel Le Rose et le vert, written in 1837, and its precursor, a fragmentary novelette entitled Mina de Vanghel, written in 1829–30. The article demonstrates that the heroes of Armance and Le Rose et le vert—Vicomte Octave de Malivert and Duc Leon de Montenotte, respectively—resemble one another in numerous ways, most notably in their aversion for and Byronic rebellion against the aristocratic elite to which they belong. The article further demonstrates that Lord Byron’s notorious failure in marriage and his consequent reputation in the beau monde for monstrousness are evoked indirectly in Armance and directly in Le Rose et le vert to help explain the fears of and failures in marriage of the heroes of the two novels. My analysis of Octave’s and Leon’s social predicament as alienated aristocrats, of their rebellion against their own class, of their antipathy to high society’s marriage market, of their troubled relations with the women they love, and of the dreams of derogation and escape that they share with those women reveals their deep kinship not only with one another and with Lord Byron (or, rather, with Lord Byron as Stendhal whimsically perceived him), but also with the male and female protagonists of Mina de Vanghel.
ZrB2-MoSi2 ceramics: A comprehensive overview of microstructure and properties relationships. Part II: Mechanical properties

Abstract The mechanical behavior of ZrB2-MoSi2 ceramics made of ZrB2 powder with three different particle sizes and MoSi2 additions from 5 to 70 vol% was characterized up to 1500 °C. Microhardness (12–17 GPa), Young’s modulus (450–540 GPa) and shear modulus (190–240 GPa) decreased with both increasing MoSi2 content and with decreasing ZrB2 grain size. Room temperature fracture toughness was unaffected by grain size or silicide content, whilst at 1500 °C in air it increased with MoSi2 and ZrB2 grain size, from 4.1 to 8.7 MPa m½. Room temperature strength did not trend with MoSi2 content, but increased with decreasing ZrB2 grain size from 440 to 590 MPa for the largest starting particle size to 700–800 MPa for the finest due to the decreasing size of surface grain pullout. At 1500 °C, flexure strength for ZrB2 with MoSi2 contents above 25 vol% were roughly constant, 400–450 MPa, whilst for lower content strength was controlled by oxidation damages. Strength for compositions made using fine and medium ZrB2 powders increased with increasing MoSi2 content, 250–450 MPa. Ceramics made with coarse ZrB2 displayed the highest strengths, which decreased with increasing MoSi2 content from 600 to 450 MPa.
The Hippias Major and Political Power

This article asks whether we can say something philosophical about the trajectory that leads Socrates to stand trial. It investigates whether Socrates’ comportment as a philosopher constitutes a ne...
Immune checkpoint inhibitor-induced Type 1 diabetes: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Aim To conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis to understand the timing and factors associated with anti-programmed cell death protein-1 (PD-1)/anti-programmed cell death protein-1 ligand (PD-L1) inhibitor-induced Type 1 diabetes. Methods We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, SCOPUS and Cochrane databases (August 2000-2018) for studies of any design on immune checkpoint inhibitors. A total of 71 cases were reviewed from 56 publications. Comparisons were made using Fisher's exact and Student's t-tests. Results The mean ± sd age at Type 1 diabetes presentation was 61.7±12.2 years, 55% of cases were in men, and melanoma (53.5%) was the most frequent cancer. The median time to Type 1 diabetes onset was 49 (5-448) days with ketoacidosis in 76% of cases. The average ± sd HbA1c concentration was 62 ± 0.3 mmol/mol (7.84±1.0%) at presentation. All cases had insulin deficiency and required permanent exogenous insulin treatment. Half of the cases had Type 1 diabetes-associated antibodies at presentation, and those with antibodies had a more rapid onset (P=0.005) and higher incidence of diabetic ketoacidosis (P=0.02) compared to people without antibodies. Conclusions Many people developed Type 1 diabetes within 3 months of initial PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitor exposure. People presenting with Type 1 diabetes-associated antibodies had a more rapid onset and higher incidence of ketoacidosis than those without antibodies. Healthcare providers caring for people receiving these state-of-the-art therapies need to be aware of this potential severe adverse event.
Influences of temperature, predators, and competitors on polar cod ( Boreogadus saida ) at the southern margin of their distribution

Polar cod (Boreogadus saida) is the most abundant and ubiquitous fish species throughout the Arctic Ocean. As such, they serve an important ecosystem role linking upper and lower trophic levels and transferring energy between the benthic and pelagic realms. Our objective is to explore what limits the southern distribution of polar cod in Pacific and Atlantic sectors by examining time series of survey and oceanographic data. We quantify the variability in the southern extent of the polar cod distribution in the Bering and Labrador Seas, and determine mechanisms (bottom temperature and potential predators: Pacific cod Gadus macrocephalus, Atlantic cod Gadus morhua, and Greenland halibut Reinhardtius hippoglossoides and competitors: capelin Mallotus villosus and walleye pollock Gadus chalcogrammus) driving the variability. When temperatures were lower, polar cod occupied larger areas and had higher abundances in both regions, suggesting that as temperatures increase with climate warming the range of polar cod is likely to contract. Temperature had a much larger impact on polar cod abundance than competitor abundance and predator abundance, especially in the eastern Bering Sea. However, when we included data from northern and eastern Bering Sea in 2010 and 2017, polar cod were less likely to occur in warmer waters when either Pacific cod or walleye pollock were present. Northward range expansions of subarctic Pacific cod and walleye pollock may further restrict polar cod distributions.
Vaccine Hesitancy and Refusal.

1. Joshua Natbony, MD* 2. Marquita Genies, MD, MPH* 1. *Johns Hopkins Children’s Center, Baltimore, MD In 1998, English gastroenterologist Andrew Wakefield published a controversial case study claiming an association between the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine and autism. Although initially published in The Lancet , this study was later discovered to be fraudulent and was redacted in 2011. These assertions have since been tested extensively, with a 2019 longitudinal study involving 600,000 children again lending no support to any such association. Nevertheless, Wakefield’s infamous paper continues to affect vaccination rates and the perception of vaccine safety worldwide. Since its introduction in 1963, the measles vaccine has led to a 99% decrease in worldwide prevalence of measles. The United States, however, currently ranks 114th in the world for MMR vaccination rates among 1-year-olds, with an overall MMR vaccination rate of 92%, which is insufficient to maintain herd immunity. As a result, by April 2019 there were confirmed outbreaks in multiple states and more than 200 cases of measles across the United States. According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data, the incidence of other vaccine-preventable infections, such as mumps and Haemophilus influenza B, is also increasing. Given the urgency of this issue, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has made the elimination of nonmedical exemptions (NMEs) to vaccines its top priority. Families who reject the standard vaccine schedule usually fall into 2 groups. The first group, vaccine hesitant, may delay or space out vaccines or accept specific vaccines only. In a 2011 survey, 13% of US parents with children younger than 6 years fit this characterization. Parents who accept no vaccines for their children fall instead into the vaccine refusal category. In 2017, …
French schwa and gradient cumulativity

We explore the interaction of two phonological factors that condition schwa–zero alternations in French: schwa is more likely after two consonants than a singleton; and schwa is more likely between stressed syllables than elsewhere. Using new data from a judgment study, we show that both factors play a role in schwa epenthesis and deletion, and that the two factors interact cumulatively: they have a stronger effect together than individually. Treating each factor as a constraint, we find that their cumulative interaction is better modeled with weighted than with ranked constraints. We provide a characterization of patterns of cumulativity in probability space in terms of the effect of constraint on its own versus its effect in a cumulative interaction with another constraint. Stochastic OT can model cumulative interactions, but only sublinear ones, where the effect of a constraint is weaker in the cumulative context than on its own. Weighted constraint models, MaxEnt and Noisy HG, can model the full range of cumulativity — sublinear, linear, and superlinear. In examining the ability of these models to fit our experimental data, we find that Stochastic OT is hampered by the fact that the data displays superlinear cumulativity. Noisy HG and MaxEnt fare better on this dataset, with MaxEnt yielding the best fit.
R-Selected Spacecraft

This paper introduces R-selected spacecraft as a field of study that draws from concepts in ecology and introduces the Monarch spacecraft as a case study for a system designed in accordance with th...
Lessons Learned From the Recruitment of Undocumented African Immigrant Women for a Qualitative Study

Although undocumented immigrants represent a particularly vulnerable population, they are underrepresented in health research. To facilitate the engagement of undocumented immigrants in health rese...
Dvorianskie gerby Rossii: bibliograficheskii spravochnik [Coat of Arms of the Nobility of Russia: A Bibliographic Guide]: by O. N. Naumov, Moscow, Staraia Basmannaia, 2014, 767 pp., 2622 ₽ (hardcover), ISBN 978-5-906470-17-1

Ever since the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the field of heraldry (geral’dika) in Russia has enjoyed a period of renewed interest. Although the field as an academic and intellectual pursuit beg...
Stealth-Persist: Architectural Support for Persistent Applications in Hybrid Memory Systems

Non-volatile memories (NVMs) have the characteristics of both traditional storage systems (persistent) and traditional memory systems (byte-addressable). However, they suffer from high write latency and have a limited write endurance. Researchers have proposed hybrid memory systems that combine DRAM and NVM, utilizing the lower latency of the DRAM to hide some of the shortcomings of the NVM – improving system’s performance by caching resident NVM data in the DRAM. However, this can nullify the persistency of the cached pages, leading to a question of trade-offs in terms of performance and reliability. In this paper, we propose Stealth-Persist, a novel architecture support feature that allows applications that need persistence to run in the DRAM while maintaining the persistency features provided by the NVM. Stealth-Persist creates the illusion of a persistent memory for the application to use, while utilizing the DRAM for performance optimizations. Our experimental results show that Stealth-Persist improves the performance by 42.02% for persistent applications.
Policy Diffusion Dynamics in America

Policy Diffusion Dynamics in America integrates research from agenda setting and epidemiology to model factors that shape the speed and scope of public policy diffusion. Drawing on a data set of more than 130 policy innovations, the research demonstrates that the 'laboratories of democracy' metaphor for incremental policy evaluation and emulation is insufficient to capture the dynamic process of policy diffusion in America. A significant subset of innovations trigger outbreaks - the extremely rapid adoption of innovation across states. The book demonstrates how variation in the characteristics of policies, the political and institutional traits of states, and differences among interest group carriers interact to produce distinct patterns of policy diffusion.
Coupled optical-thermal-fluid and structural analyses of novel light-trapping tubular panels for concentrating solar power receivers

Traditional tubular receivers used in concentrating solar power are formed using tubes connected to manifolds to form panels; which in turn are arranged in cylindrical or rectangular shapes. Previous and current tubular receivers, such as the ones used in Solar One, Solar Two, and most recently the Ivanpah solar plants, have used a black paint coating to increase the solar absorptance of the receiver. However, these coatings degrade over time and must be reapplied, increasing the receiver maintenance cost. This paper presents the thermal efficiency evaluation of novel receiver tubular panels that have a higher effective solar absorptance due to a light-trapping effect created by arranging the tubes in each panel into unique geometric configurations. Similarly, the impact of the incidence angle on the effective solar absorptance and thermal efficiency is evaluated. The overarching goal of this work is to achieve effective solar absorptances of ~90% and thermal efficiencies above 85% without using an absorptance coating. Several panel geometries were initially proposed and were down-selected based on structural analyses considering the thermal and pressure loading requirements of molten salt and supercritical carbon-dioxide receivers. The effective solar absorptance of the chosen tube geometries and panel configurations were evaluated using the ray-tracing modeling capabilities of SolTrace. The thermal efficiency was then evaluated by coupling computational fluid dynamics with the ray-tracing results using ANSYS Fluent. Compared to the base case analysis (flat tubular panel), the novel tubular panels have shown an increase in effective solar absorptance and thermal efficiency by several percentage points.
Glucose transporter oligomeric structure determines transporter function. Reversible redox-dependent interconversions of tetrameric and dimeric GLUT1

This study investigates the relationship between human erythrocyte glucose transport protein (GLUT1) oligomeric structure and glucose transporter function. Oligomeric structure was analyzed by hydrodynamic studies of cholate-solubilized GLUT1, by chemical cross-linking studies of membrane-resident GLUT1 and by using conformation-specific antibodies. Transporter function (substrate binding) was analyzed by equilibrium cytochalasin B and D-glucose binding measurements. Erythrocyte-resident glucose transporter is a GLUT1 homotetramer, binds 1 mol of cytochalasin B/2 mol of GLUT1, and presents at least two binding sites to D-glucose. Native structure and function appear to be stabilized by intramolecular disulfide bonds and are preserved during GLUT1 purification by the omission of reductant. Native structure is independent of in vitro and in vivo membrane GLUT1 density but is transformed to dimeric GLUT1 by alkaline reduction. Dimeric GLUT1 binds 1 mol of cytochalasin B/mol of GLUT1, presents a single population of binding sites to D-glucose, and is obtained upon GLUT1 purification in the presence of reductant. Native structure and function are restored by treatment of dimeric GLUT1 with glutathione-disulfide (K0.5 glutathione disulfide = 29 microM). We propose that native structure is established prior to transporter translocation to the plasma membrane and that intrasubunit disulfide bonds promote cooperative subunit interactions that stabilize transporter structure and function.
Animal models of disease shed light on Nipah virus pathogenesis and transmission

Nipah virus is an emerging virus infection that causes yearly disease outbreaks with high case fatality rates in Bangladesh. Nipah virus causes encephalitis and systemic vasculitis, sometimes in combination with respiratory disease. Pteropus species fruit bats are the natural reservoir of Nipah virus and zoonotic transmission can occur directly or via an intermediate host; human-to-human transmission occurs regularly. In this review we discuss the current state of knowledge on the pathogenesis and transmission of Nipah virus, focusing on dissemination of the virus through its host, known determinants of pathogenicity and routes of zoonotic and human-to-human transmission. Since data from human cases are sparse, this knowledge is largely based on the results of studies performed in animal models that recapitulate Nipah virus disease in humans.
High-brightness laser welding of thin-sheet 316 stainless steel

Photolytic iodine laser (PIL), a new industrial laser in the market, offers much higher brightness than existing Nd:YAG and CO2 lasers. PIL has also a unique wavelength (1315 nm) that has not yet been tested for welding applications. In this work, the capabilities of PIL for precision seam welding of 0.1-mm thick sheet of AISI 316 stainless steel in the lap-joint configuration were evaluated. The weld performance data of PIL laser were compared with Nd:YAG and CO2 lasers. The astounding benefits of PIL weld are narrow seam, extremely fine solidification cell structure, fully austenitic microstructure, and small heat-affected-zone (HAZ). These benefits are attributed to the PIL's high brightness that in turn enables achieving small spot size and energy transport through plasma rather than by heat conduction. In contrast, the welds produced by Nd:YAG and CO2 lasers exhibited wider seams, coarser solidification structures, duplex microstructures of austenite and ferrite, and larger HAZ due to slow cooling of the melt, and lateral heat diffusion. Despite the narrow seam, the PIL weld carried a high tensile load (92% that of base metal) and was harder than the base metal. Microstructural analysis revealed that PIL welds exhibited fully austenitic structures and were free from hot cracking. These advantages are consequences of the rapid solidification effects including large undercooling, minimal segregation of impurities to the grain boundaries, and fine grain size.
LMI based design of mixed H/sub 2//H/sub /spl infin// controllers: the state feedback case

A mixed H/sub 2//H/sub /spl infin// controller minimizes the H/sub 2/ norm of a closed-loop map over all admissible controllers while satisfying an H/sub /spl infin// constraint on another closed-loop map. In the paper we develop an efficient iterative algorithm for numerical computation of the fixed-order mixed controllers. In the proposed technique we break up the original non-convex problem into a series of convex subproblems each of which can be converted into semidefinite programming problems that can be easily solved. Numerical examples are presented to demonstrate the improvement in the H/sub 2/ performance of the mixed H/sub 2//H/sub /spl infin// controller over the commonly used central H/sub /spl infin// controller.
The A' and F' pockets of human CD1b are both required for optimal presentation of lipid antigens to T cells.

CD1 proteins are unique in their ability to present lipid Ags to T cells. Human CD1b shares significant amino acid homology with mouse CD1d1, which contains an unusual putative Ag-binding groove formed by two large hydrophobic pockets, A′ and F′. We investigated the function of the amino acid residues that line the A′ and F′ pockets of CD1b by engineering 36 alanine-substitution mutants and analyzing their ability to present mycobacterial glycolipid Ags. Two lipid Ags presented by CD1b were studied, a naturally occurring glucose monomycolate (GMM) isolated from mycobacteria, which contains two long alkyl chains (C54-C62 and C22-C24) and synthetic GMM (sGMM), which includes two short alkyl chains (C18 and C14). We identified eight residues in both the A′ and F′ pockets that were involved in the presentation of both GMM and sGMM to T cells. Interestingly, four additional residues located in the distal portion of the A′ pocket were required for the optimal presentation of GMM, but not sGMM. Conversely, nine residues located between the center of the groove and the F′ pocket were necessary for the optimal presentation of sGMM, but not GMM. These data indicate that both the A′ and F′ pockets of human CD1b are required for the presentation of lipid Ags to T cells.
Evidence for altered DNA methylation as a major regulator of gene expression in calcific aortic valve disease (671.15)

Aging is a major risk factor for calcific aortic valve disease (CAVD). While recent work suggests that DNA methylation patterns are dramatically altered with aging, changes in DNA methylation patterns in age-related cardiovascular diseases remain largely uncharacterized. Thus, we tested the working hypothesis that de novo DNA methyltransferase levels (DNMT3b in particular) are significantly increased in stenotic human aortic valves and would serve to repress expression of protective genes. We used human aortic valves that were either normal (NORM) or stenotic (STEN). qRT-PCR and Western blotting were used to examine analyze changes in DNMT3b levels and markers of osteogenesis. DNA methylation was examined using ELISA-based methods for total methylation and Illumina 450k Beadchip assays for site-specific methylation between NORM and STEN valves. The pro-osteogenic marker expression, Sp7, was increased by 4±1 fold in STEN valves compared to NORM tissue. While mRNA levels of DNMT3b only tended to be increase...
Rat Liver Adenosine Triphosphate:Adenosine Monophosphate Phosphotransferase Activity I. PURIFICATION AND PHYSICAL AND KINETIC CHARACTERIZATION OF ADENYLATE KINASE III

Abstract Rat liver adenylate kinase III (ATP:AMP-phosphotransferase, EC 2.7.4.3) has been purified and characterized. The enzyme was purified 1500-fold to a final specific activity of 1000 µmoles of ADP produced per min per mg of protein at 25°. The preparation was homogeneous by polyacrylamide gel disc electrophoresis and at 10 mg per ml was essentially a single component by analytical ultracentrifugation. Molecular weight studies with Sephadex G-150 column chromatography revealed a Vo:Ve ratio of 1.94 which corresponded to a molecular weight of 46,000 for the enzyme. A range of Svedberg values as a function of protein concentration was obtained by ultracentrifugation and established the presence of two molecular weight forms of the enzyme; extrapolation to zero protein concentration indicated two S020, w values of 1.23 and 3.52. With the extrapolated value of the diffusion coefficient of 4.8 x 10-7 cm2 sec-1 and the partial specific volume of 0.74 calculated from the amino acid analysis, molecular weights of 23,000 and 68,000, respectively, were obtained. Frictional and axial ratios were found to be 1.1 and 4.0, respectively. We propose that rat liver adenylate kinase III is a globular protein existing as monomer, dimer, or trimer in very rapid equilibrium. Amino acid analysis revealed a total of 216 amino acids with a calculated minimum molecular weight of 23,400. The protein was found to be high in glutamic acid, alanine, aspartic acid, and leucine residues; it was low in histidine, methionine, half-cystine, and phenylalanine residues. Initial velocity studies revealed a narrow specificity for adenine nucleotides. The respective Km values for ATP, dATP, and dGTP were 0.12, 0.77, and 1.77 mm with respective Vmax values of 16,000, 40,000, and 25,000 moles of triphosphate min-1 mole-1 of enzyme. The only monophosphate acceptor, with a Km of 0.12 mm was 5'-AMP. The Km for ADP was 0.18 mm with a Vmax of 10,700 moles of diphosphate min-1 mole-1 of enzyme. It would appear that rat liver adenylate kinase III slightly favors the forward reaction (conversion of ATP).
Lewis Namier, Herbert Butterfield and Edmund Burke

Although in respect of historical arguments, methodologies and prose style Herbert Butterfield and Lewis Namier were sharply contrasting (indeed antipathetic) historians, they had more in common that either would have chosen to admit. Paradoxically, those commonalities converged on the figure of Edmund Burke. For Namier, Burke was a political charlatan; Butterfield thought him ‘a mountain of a man’. Both nonetheless had distinctively Burkean conceptions of the limits – and dangers – of human rationality and of ‘organic’ change in the English past.
Specialized transduction by bacteriophage P22 in Salmonella typhimurium: genetic and physical structure of the transducing genomes and the prophage attachment site.

P22pro-1 and P22pro-3 are specialized transducing derivatives of phage P22 that carry the proA and proB genes of Salmonella typhimurium. These genes lie immediately adjacent to the prophage attachment site on the bacterial chromosome. By examining DNA heteroduplexes in the electron microscope, we found that DNA molecules from P22pro-1 and P22pro-3 each contain a substitution which adds length to the composite genome making the intracellular replicated genome too long to fit into a single phage particle. In this respect, and in many of their biological properties, the proline-transducing phages resemble P22Tc-10, another specialized transducing phage with an oversize, intracellular replicated genome which carries a tetracycline-resistance determinant from an R-factor.—Unlike P22Tc-10, however, P22pro-1 and P22pro-3 fail to integrate normally during lysogenizing infections, even when provided with all known integration functions. These results suggest that the proline substitutions have created a defect in the phage attachment site and suggest that the Campbell model for the formation of specialized transducing phages is applicable to phage P22 with the additional feature that oversize genomes can be produced and propagated.—A physical and genetic map of the P22 genome near the prophage attachment site was constructed which shows that the insertion from the R-factor in P22Tc-10 is not at the attachment site: it is therefore unlikely that P22Tc-10 was formed in an abnormal prophage excision event as envisioned in the Campbell model, but was instead the result of a direct translocation from the R-plasmid to P22.
Conjugation of palmitic acid improves potency and longevity of siRNA delivered via endosomolytic polymer nanoparticles

Clinical translation of siRNA therapeutics has been limited by the inability to effectively overcome the rigorous delivery barriers associated with intracellular-acting biologics. Here, to address both potency and longevity of siRNA gene silencing, pH-responsive micellar nanoparticle (NP) carriers loaded with siRNA conjugated to palmitic acid (siRNA-PA) were investigated as a combined approach to improve siRNA endosomal escape and stability. Conjugation to hydrophobic PA improved NP loading efficiency relative to unmodified siRNA, enabling complete packaging of siRNA-PA at a lower polymer:siRNA ratio. PA conjugation also increased intracellular uptake of the nucleic acid cargo by 35-fold and produced a 3.1-fold increase in intracellular half-life. The higher uptake and improved retention of siRNA-PA NPs correlated to a 2- and 11-fold decrease in gene silencing IC50 in comparison to siRNA NPs in fibroblasts and mesenchymal stem cells, respectively, for both the model gene luciferase and the therapeutically relevant gene prolyl hydroxylase domain protein 2 (PHD2) . PA conjugation also significantly increased longevity of silencing activity following a single treatment in fibroblasts. Thus, conjugation of PA to siRNA paired with endosomolytic NPs is a promising approach to enhance the functional efficacy of siRNA in tissue regenerative and other applications. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part A: 103A: 3107–3116, 2015.
Rhetoric, cybernetics, and the work of the body in Burke's body of work

This article examines the development of Kenneth Burke's early rhetorical theory in relation to the coterminous cybernetic research to which Burke was often responding. I argue that recuperating Burke's early attempts to construct a rhetorical subject embracing nonrepresentational vectors is salutary for intervening in ongoing debates over subjectivity and affective experience in contemporary critical, rhetorical, and cultural theory.
SEM evaluation of resin-carious dentin interfaces formed by two dentin adhesive systems

Abstract Objectives : We investigated the influence of dentin tubule direction and identifiable zone of carious dentin on the microstructure and the thickness of the hybrid-like layer (HL) formed by self-etch and etch-rinse adhesive systems. Methods : An etch-rinse and a self-etching adhesive were bonded to dentin carious zones divided into groups with parallel or perpendicular orientation relative to the dentin tubules at the resin-carious dentin interface (N = 5/variable). Bonds were prepared to each of the four zones of carious dentin apparent after staining with Caries Detector: pink, light pink, transparent and apparently normal; six non-carious third molars were controls. The microstructure and thickness of the HL were determined by SEM and compared using three-way ANOVA and Tukey's multiple comparisons (p Results : Etch-rinse controls gave thicker HLs than self-etching systems; orientation did not affect thickness for the self-etch system. Perpendicular orientations gave thicker HLs than parallel for the pink zone bonded with the etch-rinse system. For both adhesives, HL thickness in the pink zone was significantly greater than in light pink for the perpendicular group, but no significant differences were found among other variables. HL microstructure was more granular and rougher for the etch-rinse than for the self-etching system. Pores and cracks were obvious in the more demineralized zones. Resin tags were shorter and irregular in the transparent zone and often were completely absent in the outer demineralized zones (pink, light pink). Significance : Microstructure of bonded interfaces varies markedly depending on adhesive system, tubule orientation and carious zone.
Characterization of the mechanisms of busulfan resistance in a human glioblastoma multiforme xenograft

Busulfan is an alkylating agent commonly used in the treatment of chronic myelogenous leukemia and in combination with cyclophosphamide in preparation for allogeneic bone marrow transplantation. Serial treatment of a childhood high-grade glioma xenograft (D-456 MG) with busulfan resulted in a busulfan-resistant xenograft, D-456 MG(BR). Cross-resistance to 1,3-bis(2-chloroethyl)-1-nitrosourea was seen but not resistance to cyclophosphamide or CPT-11. Cytoplasmic levels of glutathione in D-456 MG(BR) were approximately one-half those found in D-456 MG. This depletion could not be explained by levels of glutathione-S-transferase, or by amplification, rearrangement, or increased levels of transcript of gamma-glutamylcysteine synthetase. Furthermore, depletion of glutathione in D-456 MG did not alter busulfan activity. Quantitation of busulfan levels in D-456 MG and D-456 MG(BR) xenografts following treatment of mice at the dose lethal to 10% of the animals demonstrated that significantly lower levels of drug were achieved in D-456 MG(BR). These studies suggest that alterations in drug transport or metabolism of busulfan may play a role in the resistance of D-456 MG(BR) to this alkylator.
Tumor response assessment is more robust with sequential CT scanning than external caliper measurements

Rationale and Objectives Measurements of tumor size are important in assessing response to cancer therapies. To date, preclinical studies of drug development have relied on direct caliper-based measurements of tumor size. We investigated the feasibility of using a human positron emission tomographic (PET)/computed tomographic (CT) scanner to assess tumor size before and after chemotherapy and compared this approach with caliper measurements. Materials and Methods Fourteen rats with rat mammary tumor underwent high-resolution CT using a PET/CT scanner before and after chemotherapy, and tumor volumes were measured independently by two observers using calipers and CT images. Results Tumor response could be detected after 1 day of treatment by means of CT imaging, but was not significant until 2 days or later by means of caliper measures because of their greater variability. Independent measurements of tumor size correlated well with one another by means of CT, but correlated less by means of calipers. Conclusion Tumor size measurements by means of CT from PET/CT were more reliable than caliper measurements because of their smaller variance, allowing earlier assessment of response. It is suggested that CT imaging-based methods of assessing tumor response replace traditional caliper-based measurements, much as CT has become a standard for assessing tumor response in humans.
Predicting Aqueous Metal Species in a Stream Impacted by Mining Activity

The impact of mining activity in the Tri-State Mining District of Missouri, Kansas, and Oklahoma has resulted in continual exceedance in water quality standards in many surface waters including Short Creek in Galena, Kans. Critical heavy metals detected in Short Creek have been lead, cadmium, and zinc. Water column samples were collected at each of seven sites from May 1992 to May 1995 and were analyzed for temperature, pH, conductivity, and total PO43-,CO32-, Ca2+, Mg2+, Na+, SO42-, Ba2+, Cd2+, Pb2+, Mn2+, Fe2+, Ni2+, Al3+, and Zn2+. Using MINTEQ (a geochemical equilibrium speciation model for dilute aqueous systems that can be used to calculate the equilibrium composition of dilute solutions in laboratory or natural aquatic systems), probable concentrations of metal species were predicted to evaluate the potential for metals to be in a bioavailable form. The MINTEQ predictions demonstrated the presence of dissolved metals, including a dominant free metal ion. Aqueous components within the dissolved frac...
Comprehensive self-management for irritable bowel syndrome: randomized trial of in-person vs. combined in-person and telephone sessions.

Comprehensive Self-Management for Irritable Bowel Syndrome: Randomized Trial of In-Person vs. Combined In-Person and Telephone Sessions
Carbon dioxide sorption studies on magnesium oxide

Abstract The sorption of carbon dioxide on magnesium oxide obtained by decomposing hydromagnesite is evaluated as a possible means for collecting atmospheric carbon dioxide. Both carbon dioxide adsorption and desorption were investigated in the presence of air and water vapor. In a 24 h period, 2–3 g of carbon dioxide were adsorbed per 100 g of magnesium oxide. Desorption data shows that the carbon dioxide was largely physically adsorbed on the surface of the magnesium oxide and only a small fraction, if any, formed a carbonate. In view of this result, other high specific surface area sorbents may be more suitable for carbon dioxide collection from the atmosphere at room temperature.
A pixel- and object-based image analysis framework for automatic well site extraction at regional scales using Landsat data

Development associated with oil and gas exploration has expanded rapidly in Alberta and Northwest Territories, Canada. Such explorations result in landscape disturbances including forest cuts, seismic lines, well and waste sites. This paper describes a novel methodology for automatic extraction of well sites from Landsat-5 TM imagery. The method combines pixel-based and object-based image analyses and contains three major steps: geometric enhancement, segmentation, and well site extraction. For accuracy assessment, a small part of the image was used and the results were compared against visual counting of well sites visible in the pan-sharpened image of Landsat-8 of the same area. Results show correctness, completeness and quality factors of 87.3%, 96.2%, and 83.7%, respectively
Machine-component group analysis versus the similarity coefficient method in cellular manufacturing application

Abstract Among approaches to the machine cell formation problem, the similarity coefficient method and machine-component group analysis have been widely used to form machine cells for cellular manufacturing applications. While algorithms based on machine-component group analysis work effectively in cases of disjoint machine-component groups, they do not provide satisfactory solutions in the presence of bottleneck machines. The similarity coefficient method overcomes this problem. This paper compares these two approaches when applied to the machine cell formation problem.
Understanding Washington: a nephrologist's perspective from inside the Beltway.

The major principles that drive US federal health policy-making are: (1) fixed or reduced costs, (2) ensured outcomes (or no evidence of undertreatment), (3) streamlined administration, and (4) political viability. A corollary is that providers are uniquely sensitive to financial incentives. Understanding these principles is vital to understanding federal health policy. Critically, these principles are nonpartisan and have been supported and used by all administrations since President Reagan. This article examines the end-stage renal disease (ESRD) prospective payment system, colloquially called "The Bundle," in the context of these major principles. Successful health policy, successful legislation, and successful regulation building all require executive leadership, mutual trust, and compromise. This is demonstrated by the events surrounding the passage of the Medicare inpatient prospective payment system, which governs hospital reimbursement for Medicare beneficiaries, including those not covered in the ESRD program. Given that the ESRD benefit consumes 6.3% of the Medicare budget for ∼2% of Medicare beneficiaries, if nephrology is to experience future success, we must change how both policymakers and the wider field of medicine perceive our specialty. Understanding the major principles behind health care policy may facilitate this goal.
Secondary Electron Intensity Contrast Imaging and Friction Properties of Micromechanically Cleaved Graphene Layers on Insulating Substrates

We report on the surface properties (friction and work function) of micromechanically cleaved graphene layers placed on thermally gown thick insulating (∼295 nm of SiO2) films on commercial Si (001) substrates. By employing atomic force microscopy (AFM) and scanning electron microscopy with varying primary-electron acceleration voltage (V acc) in secondary electron imaging (SEI) mode, we determined the coefficient of friction (μ) and electronic work function (Φ), respectively, as functions of the number of graphene layers (n). The friction coefficient was deduced from line scans of friction maps obtained simultaneously while measuring AFM topography. The findings show that supported mono-, bi-, and trilayer graphene all yield similar results (∼0.03), in contrast to multilayer (∼0.027) and thicker graphite (∼0.015) flakes. From the SEI contrast variation, we obtained a reproducible discrete distribution of SE intensity stemming from atomically thick graphene layers on a thick insulating substrate. We were able to determine the number of graphene layers (i.e., n) from the SE intensity contrast or the SE intensity itself. Moreover, we found a distinct linear relationship between the relative SE intensity from the graphene layers and their number, provided a relatively lower V acc was used. The different contrast in SEI micrographs at lower V acc is attributed to the fact that the generation of secondary electrons emitted from the graphene was affected by the different work functions corresponding to different n values (or thickness contrast, C). This simple and facile method is superior to the conventional optical method in its capability to characterize graphene over sub-1-μm2 areas on various insulating substrates. These results are supplemented by optical microscopy, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, and Raman spectroscopy and Raman mapping that yield the structural quality (or disorder) of the graphene layers, albeit semiquantitatively.
African Islam: Marriage, Mobility and Education of Women in Dan Fodio's nineteenth Century Reforms

In 1804 ce, Dan Fodio toppled the chiefs of northern Nigeria for their ‘un-Islamic’ behaviors, and established an Islamic state on the Hausa/Fulani land. This phase in the history of Islam in Africa has been widely described and accepted as ‘militant’ and the scholars involved ‘intolerant’. Dan Fodio's own reputation as a ‘militant’ scholar has been popularly suggested, and his conservative stance on many issues was well-documented. It is therefore intriguing that Dan Fodio had some social temperaments that challenged this conservative outlook. Specifically, this study is a sociological analysis of Dan Fodio's opinions on marriage, movement or mobility of women, and their education. This study is significant for analyzing these social issues and their implications, as well as suggesting that, in addition to the highly acclaimed militant stance, Dan Fodio was also a pragmatic and realistic scholar who was ready to make religious concessions in favor of some social imperatives.
Carrington Coordinates and Solar Maps

Solar synoptic charts are normally displayed using Carrington Coordinates with each Carrington rotation being centered at a Carrington longitude of 180^∘ and with a full 360^∘ of solar surface properties included. For the case of reproducing solar magnetic fields in the corona and heliosphere, these maps are wrapped onto the solar surface to provide the boundary conditions for a solution to a set of modeling equations such as the potential field theory equations. Due to differential rotation, the full solar surface cannot be reproduced in this fashion since different parts of the solar surface are observed at different times. We describe here the proper technique for combining observations of the solar magnetic or velocity fields made at different times into a representation of the whole solar surface at a particular specified time that we refer to as a “snapshot heliographic map“.
Method for the analysis in maize of the fusarium mycotoxin moniliformin employing ion-pairing extraction and high-performance liquid chromatography

The Fusarium mycotoxin moniliformin (hydroxycyclobutenedione) has been determined in maize using a novel method with a recovery of 70-80% at 400-1600 micrograms/kg and 60% at the detection limit of 100 micrograms/kg. The method requires extraction of the toxin into aqueous tetra-n-butylammonium hydroxide and removal of cations from this solution by ion-exchange chromatography. Following clean-up by partitioning against dichloromethane, further quaternary ammonium reagent was added to the aqueous phase which was absorbed onto a hydrophilic matrix and the tetra-n-butylammonium moniliformate ion pair extracted into dichloromethane. After evaporation of the organic eluent, the residue was dissolved in aqueous sodium chloride and moniliformin quantitated by ion-pair high-performance liquid chromatography with UV detection. A batch of five samples may be analysed in 5-6 h including the chromatographic determination.
Geothermal desalting at the East Mesa test site

Abstract This paper presents the results of over a year's operation at the East Mesa Test Site, which included testing of vertical tube evaporator (VTE) and multistage Flash (MSF) distillation and high-temperature electrodialysis (HTED) desalting equipment on geothermal fluids. Data presented includes heat transfer coefficients; tube fouling and scaling; feed, product, and brine composition; cellpair resistance; current efficiency; membrane fouling; and scale analysis. Both smooth and enhanced heat transfer tubing has been tested in the distillation units, with a variety of tube materials. The high-temperature electrodialysis unit has utilized old (previously tested) teflon-backed membranes as well as dacron and polypropylene-backed membranes in thin-cell configurations. Pretreatment consisted of polyphosphonate-type “threshold addition in the case of distillation, and acidification only for electrodialysis. Pretreatment objectives were control of calcium carbonate, silica, and barium sulfate scaling. Test programs for distillation included high- and low-temperature (270°F and 190°F) operation for both VTE and MSF. HTED testing included single- and three-stage operation at 140°F and 160°F, and was comprised of both characterizations and long-term runs. Future plans include data analysis for process selection; development of a feasibility report; and, potentially, a pilot plant in the 500,000 gal/d size range.