cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Comparison of sharp and smoothed interface methods for simulation of particulate flows I: Fluid structure interaction for moderate reynolds numbers

Abstract A Sharp Interface Method (SIM) with nominal second-order spatially accurate discretization and the Smoothed Profile Method (SPM) are compared as choices for the simulation of particulate flows. First, the issue of pressure oscillations that arise in moving boundary problems in using Sharp Interface Methods is addressed by developing a hybridized least-squares Ghost Fluid Method (GFM). SPM is modified by developing an interface thickness correlation that controls the smoothed (or diffuse) interface thickness based on the Reynolds and CFL numbers. SPM and SIM are tested for low to moderate Reynolds number flows around stationary and moving boundaries. SPM is shown to perform well on coarse grids while SIM is found to be more reliable and accurate on finer grids. SIM requires a hybridization approach to alleviate pressure oscillations for moving particles; in contrast, SPM does not present noticeable oscillations for the moving boundary problems tested. The results show that with a suitable correlation for setting the interface thickness in the SPM, the method is competitive against sharp interface approaches for particulate flows at moderate particle Reynolds numbers.
Acute Inpatient Rehabilitation Interventions and Outcomes for a Person With Quadrilateral Amputation

Introduction Functional outcome reports for quadrilateral amputees are not common in the rehabilitation medicine literature. The literature that does exist describing functional outcomes is primarily based on persons with single lower limb or bilateral lower limb amputation. This case report chronicles the interventions and outcomes in a single person with four limb amputation during an inpatient rehabilitation admission. Case Description The patient is a 59 year old woman who became a person with quadrilateral amputation after developing disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC). Medical history and initial physical therapy examination along with scores from the FIM, pre-ambulation interventions, and gait training are described. The report includes a series of results of the 10MWT and the 6MWT which illustrate her progress from novice to community ambulator over the course of one year. Outcomes The patient achieved her goal of community ambulation with her prosthetic limbs. Her 10MWT and 6MWT results show that she significantly improved throughout the one year follow up. Discussion Despite the high energy levels necessary to ambulate with bilateral prosthetic limbs she achieved 86% of the predicted distance for her age and gender in the 6MWT. She also more than doubled her FIM motor score from inpatient acute rehabilitation admission to discharge. Closed chain exercise and a focused approach to this patient's pre-prosthetic training were part of her success in becoming a community ambulator.
A simple thick target for production of 89Zr using an 11 MeV cyclotron

The growing interest but limited availability of 89Zr for PET led us to test targets for the 89Y(p,n) reaction. The goal was an easily constructed target for an 11MeV Siemens cyclotron. Yttrium foils were tested at different thicknesses, angles and currents. A 90° foil tolerated 41µA without damage and produced ~800 MBq/h, >20mCi, an amount adequate for radiochemistry research and human doses in a widely available accelerator. This method should translate to higher energy cyclotrons.
A Performance Evaluation Framework for a Public University Knowledge Management System

Measuring information technology (IT) implementation success has long been a challenge for information systems researchers and practitioners. The IT evaluation problem is exacerbated when assessing the specific performance of a knowledge management system (KMS), in part because the dependent variable must measure the construct of IT driven incremental enhancements to organizational knowledge and productivity. Historically, researchers have used many quantitative and qualitative variables to evaluate the performance of IT implementations, ranging from return on investment to quality of user decision-making. Academic institutions, such as universities, often have knowledge creation as a final goal, adding to the complexity of the KMS performance measurement challenge. This paper describes a planned, multi-phased, KMS implementation at a typical state university, and presents the theoretically-based, yet practitioner-oriented measures that will be applied to evaluate the ongoing success of the KMS, as it is ...
Genome-Wide Association of Myoglobin Concentrations in Pork Loins

Lean color is a major focus for identifying pork loins for export markets, and myoglobin is the primary pigment driving pork color. Thus, increasing myoglobin concentration should increase redness of pork products and the number of loins acceptable for exportation. Therefore, understanding genetic variation and parameters affecting myoglobin concentration is critical for improving pork color. The objective of this study was to identify genetic markers associated with myoglobin concentration in pork loin muscle. Ultimate pH and myoglobin concentrations were measured in longissimus thoracis et lumborum samples of pigs (n = 599) from two different commercial finishing swine facilities. A Bayes-C model implemented in GenSel identified regions within 7 chromosomes that explained greater than 63% of the genetic variance in myoglobin concentration. Chromosome 7 had 1 significant region which accounted for 37% of the genetic variance, while chromosome 14 had 4 significant regions accounting for 9.8% of the genetic variance. Candidate genes in the region on chromosome 7 were involved in iron homeostasis, and genes in the significant regions on chromosome 14 were involved in calcium regulation. Genes identified in this study represent potential biomarkers that could be used to select for higher myoglobin concentrations in pork, which may improve lean meat color.
Abstract 17616: Recurrent Copy Number Variants are Enriched in Bicuspid Aortic Valve and Affect Cardiac Developmental Genes

Introduction: Bicuspid Aortic Valve (BAV) is the most common adult congenital heart defect. The spectrum of BAV ranges from chromosomal disorders such as Turner syndrome to sporadic isolated disease of unknown cause. We hypothesized that genomic copy number variants (CNVs) contribute causally to BAV. Methods: We conducted genome-wide SNP array analyses of BAV cases in six European American cohorts (3533 total subjects, 31% BAV, 45% female, ages 1-94 years) with sporadic or familial thoracic aortic aneurysms (37%), congenital left ventricular outflow tract obstructive defects (47%) or Turner syndrome (10%). Genotyping was performed on Illumina Omni microarrays, using PennCNV, Nexus and CNVPartition for CNV detection. Thresholds were set at a minimum of six consecutive SNPs for CNVs that were identified by at least two algorithms and intersect with known genes. A total of 1380 BAV cases were compared to 1065 cases with tricuspid aortic valves and 7013 dbGAP controls without a history of cardiovascular disea...
Quality of Life and Trust

Skepticism and outright distrust of government have become the watchword of the political process in recent decades (Newton & Norris, 1999; Twenge et al., 2014). Though still too early to know the full effect, the 2016 election appears to have done little to alleviate that skepticism and likely did much to increase citizen concern over whether political institutions can be trusted. Indeed, it is possible that no single concept has launched more political campaigns than the vanguard call that we must not trust government. Political rhetoric of this sort has been of particular interest whenever a political party of minority status and the perennial repetition of the American electoral system have created an environment where trust in government is viewed as the purview of the naive and ignorant.
Fast packet classification for Snort by native compilation of rules

Signature matching, which includes packet classification and content matching, is the most expensive operation of a signature-based network intrusion detection system (NIDS). In this paper, we present a technique to improve the performance of packet classification of Snort, a popular open-source NIDS, based on generating native code from Snort signatures. An obvious way to generate native code for packet classification is to use a low-level language like C to access the contents of a packet by treating it as a sequence of bytes. Generating such low-level code manually can be cumbersome and error prone. Use of a high-level specification language can simplify the task of writing packet classification code. Such a language needs features that minimize the likelihood of common errors as errors in the packet processing code can crash the intrusion detection system, which may leave it open to attacks. To overcome these problems, we use a rule-based specification language with a type system for specifying the structure and contents of packets. The compiler for the specification language generates C code for packet classification. This code can be compiled into native code using a C-compiler and loaded into Snort as shared library. Our experiments using real and synthetic traces show that the use of native code results in a speedup of the packet classification of Snort up to a factor of five.
An application of quasi-conformal methods to a problem in value-distribution theory

The theory of quasi-conformal mappings [1] is about fifty years old, and plays an important role in many areas of analysis. I will apply these methods to a problem in R. Nevanlinna's theory of value-distribution [8], [ii]. Quasi-conformal methods have been used in this subject for about forty years, beginning with work of Teichm~ller, but heretofore exclusively to construct examples (cf. [7, Ch. 7], [3] and [4]). The use here is different. We shall study functions f(z) of order I < ~ which are extremal for Nevanlinna's deficiency relation so that
A model for integrated qualitative spatial and dynamic reasoning about physical systems

Qualitative spatial reasoning has many applications in such diverse areas as natural language understanding, cognitive mapping, and reasoning about the physical world. We address problems whose solutions require integrated spatial and dynamic reasoning. In this paper, we present our spatial representation, based on the extremal points of objects, and show that this representation is useful for modeling the spatial extent, relative positions, and orientation of objects, and in reasoning about changes in spatial relations and orientation due to the translational and rotational motion of objects. Our theory has been implemented to support a magnetic fields problem solving application using the QPC and QSIM systems for qualitative modeling. The issues encountered in integrating spatial and dynamic reasoning in the context of these systems are also discussed.
RESPONSES OF PERFUSED MAIN DUCT OF RAT SUBMAXILLARY GLAND TO PHARMACOLOGICAL AGENTS

Publisher Summary Salivary gland is a heterogeneous organ. The secretory unit itself is composed of a number of morphologically and physiologically distinct cellular elements and the whole gland is a mosaic of secretory units. One approach that is becoming important for the study of ductal function in salivary gland is luminal microperfusion in situ of a segment of the salivary duct system. This chapter discusses that as a partially isolated system, luminally perfused main excretory duct of the rat submaxillary gland provides a useful model for the investigation of ductal transport of electrolytes and water. The rat submaxillary gland is useful for the application of luminal microperfusion in situ because the secretion and absorption of the osmotically important salivary electrolytes are unusually pronounced in this gland. It is useful to examine the general characteristics of the electrolyte composition of rat submaxillary saliva and a few of the processes involved in its formation. The use of the system will aid in further analysis of the mode of action of pharmacological agents on epithelial transporting tissues and the salivary gland in particular.
Levels of prescribing for four major antibiotic classes and rates of septicemia hospitalization in different US states

Background: Rates of sepsis/septicemia hospitalization in the US have risen significantly during recent years, and antibiotic resistance and use may contribute to those rates through various mechanisms. Methods: We used multivariate Poisson regression to relate state-specific rates of outpatient prescribing overall for four antibiotic classes: fluoroquinolones, penicillins, macrolides, and cephalosporins between 2011-2012 to state-specific counts of hospitalizations with septicemia (ICD-9 codes 038.xx present anywhere on discharge diagnosis) in each of the following age groups of adults: (18-49y, 50-64y, 65-74y, 75-84y, 85+y) reported to the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP) between 2011-2012, adjusting for median household income and population density. Results: The regression coefficients were positive for the rates of prescribing of fluoroquinolones, penicillins, as well as cephalosporins in the analysis for adults aged 18-49y, and negative for macrolides, and cephalosporins in the analyses for adults aged 50+y. Conclusions: Antibiotic stewardship, particularly for fluoroquinolones, as well as penicillins could be beneficial for reducing the rates of sepsis hospitalization. Negative estimates in the regression analyses suggest that the relative share of the use of different antibiotics in the treatment of various syndromes may affect the rates of sepsis hospitalization. Further studies of those issues are needed to inform antibiotic prescribing guidelines.
Developing a Twitter-based traffic event detection model using deep learning architectures

Abstract In recent years, several studies have harnessed Twitter data for detecting traffic incidents and monitoring traffic conditions. Researchers have utilized the bag-of-words representation for converting tweets into numerical feature vectors. However, the bag-of-words not only ignores the order of tweet's words but suffers from the curse of dimensionality and sparsity. A common approach in literature for dimensionality reduction is to build the bag-of-words on the top of pre-defined traffic keywords. The immediate criticisms to such a strategy are that the pre-defined set of keywords may not include all traffic keywords and the tweet language is subjected to change over time. To address these shortcomings, we utilize the power of deep-learning architectures for both representing tweets in numerical vectors and classifying them into three categories: 1) non-traffic, 2) traffic incident, and 3) traffic information and condition. First, we map tweets into low-dimensional vector space through word-embedding tools, which are also capable of measuring the semantic relationship between words. Supervised deep-learning algorithms including convolutional neural network (CNN) and recurrent neural network (RNN) are then deployed on the top of word-embedding models for detecting traffic events. For training and testing our proposed model, a large volume of traffic tweets is collected through Twitter API endpoints and labeled through an efficient strategy. Experimental results on our labeled dataset show that the proposed approach achieves clear improvements over state-of-the-art methods.
The evolution of nationhood in twentieth century Europe: lessons from the Northern Adriatic borderlands

This article is a short introduction for a special edition on Italian nationhood. The articles that comprise the special edition are the following: From a cosmopolitan to a fascist land: Adriatic irredentism in motion; Erecting fascism: nation, identity, and space in Trieste in the first half of the twentieth century; Building Italianita in northern Adriatic: The case of population from Pola.
What’s the right answer? Parent and youth perceptions of teacher responses to pain behaviors in the classroom

The current study aimed to examine 1) an adaptation of the Adult Responses to Child Symptoms scale focused on assessing perceptions of teachers’ responses to youth pain in the classroom and 2) whet...
X-ray nanodiffraction studies of ionically controlled nanoscale phase separation in cobaltites

Author(s): Rippy, G; Trinh, L; Kane, AM; Ionin, AL; Lee, MS; Chopdekar, RV; Christiansen-Salameh, JM; Gilbert, DA; Grutter, AJ; Murray, PD; Holt, MV; Cai, Z; Liu, K; Takamura, Y; Kukreja, R | Abstract: Complex oxide heterostructures provide access to emergent functional and structural phases which are not present in the bulk constituent materials. In this Rapid Communication, we focus on La0.67Sr0.33CoO3 (LSCO)/Gd heterostructures due to the high oxygen ion conductivity, as well as the coupled magnetic and electronic properties of LSCO, which are strongly dependent on the oxygen stoichiometry. This combination of properties enables the ionic control of the functional properties of LSCO thin films through the presence of oxygen getter layers such as Gd. We utilize X-ray nanodiffraction to directly image the nanoscale morphology of LSCO thin films as they are progressively transformed from the equilibrium perovskite phase to the metastable brownmillerite (BM) phase with increasing Gd thickness. Our studies show the coexistence of perovskite and BM phases with a critical oxygen vacancy concentration threshold which leads to the formation of extended BM filaments. In addition to lateral phase separation, we observed phase separation within the film thickness possibly due to pinning of the perovskite and BM phases by the substrate/LSCO and LSCO/Gd interface, respectively. Our studies provide a nanoscale survey of the phase separation in the cobaltites and shed light on the formation of the metastable BM phase.
Sex Education in the Public Schools and the Accommodation of Familial Rights

By survey conducted among the state departments of education, this article provides a synopsis of sex education, family life, and HIV/AIDS awareness programs in the Nation's public schools. The survey pays particular attention to the availability of opt-in or opt-out procedures and other programmatic features that give parents a degree of choice as to whether and how their children should take part.The article notes the significant public demand for sex education programs in the schools, discusses the types of programs currently provided; considers the effectiveness of comprehensive versus abstinence-based programs; assesses surveys of parental preferences; evaluates the extent to which parental preferences are currently accommodated; and discusses the constitutional and legal limits of state authority and parental rights.
Mineral deposits of the Mesoproterozoic Midcontinent Rift system in the Lake Superior region – A space and time classification

Abstract The Mesoproterozoic Midcontinent Rift System (MRS) of North America hosts a diverse suite of magmatic and hydrothermal mineral deposits in the Lake Superior region where rift rocks are exposed at or near the surface. Historically, hydrothermal deposits, such as Michigan’s native copper deposits and the White Pine sediment-hosted stratiform copper deposit, were major MRS metal producers. On-going exploration for and potential development of copper-nickel sulfide deposits hosted by the Duluth Complex of Minnesota and the opening of the Eagle nickel mine in Michigan indicate an expanding interest in MRS magmatic deposits. MRS hydrothermal and magmatic mineral deposits, many of which are significant past, present, and likely future providers of critical minerals, here are placed into a space and time metallogenic framework. To construct this framework, regional MRS mineral deposits extracted from the U.S. Geological Survey Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) and the Ontario Ministry of Energy, Northern Development and Mines Mineral Deposit Inventory (MDI) were supplemented by other known and recently recognized mineral deposits described in the literature. All mineral deposits were classified by deposit type, host rock age and type, and estimated timing of mineralization. Deposits were then put into a tectonic evolutionary framework (stages) for the MRS, which shows that deposits formed within discrete spatial and temporal stages of rift evolution. Each stage of rift evolution is characterized by specific mineral deposit types that are largely confined both by their physical location in rift rocks and type and timing of mineralization. Examples include MRS nickel-rich conduit-type magmatic sulfide deposits, which are restricted to an early magmatic stage MRS history when magma compositions were characterized by Ni-rich picrites and high Mg basalts. In contrast, contact-type magmatic sulfide deposits with Cu > Ni were derived from more evolved Al-rich tholeiitic magmas that dominated a later time of voluminous magmatic activity. Hydrothermal sediment-hosted stratiform chalcocite mineralization along the margins of western Lake Superior in Michigan is economic only where fluid flow through red beds was concentrated by structures along the margins of a post-volcanic MRS sedimentary basin. Widespread native Cu and native Ag mineralization occurred about 40 million years after formation of host basalt lava flows and interflow sedimentary rocks. These descriptions of the diverse mineral deposits in the Lake Superior region cataloged within the space of the local and regional geology and over the more than 60-million-year mineralizing history of the MRS are indicative of the complex and at times overlapping magmatic and hydrothermal mineral systems that operated within this major large igneous province.
Listening to Head Start teachers: Teacher beliefs, practices, and needs for educating dual language learners

Abstract Using a multiple methods approach, this study investigated (1) Head Start teachers’ beliefs and practices regarding dual language learning and education for dual language learners (DLLs), and (2) the received supports, challenges, and needs teachers have when educating DLLs. Open-ended semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight Midwestern, English monolingual, Head Start lead teachers who had DLLs in their classrooms. The data were analyzed using structured thematic content analysis. The credibility and understanding of the findings from the interviews were enhanced by additional data sources including a survey of teacher beliefs on dual language learning and education, an observation of classroom materials for teaching DLLs, and quantitative data on teachers’ language use in the classroom. Findings showed that a majority of teachers reported using instructional strategies specific to DLLs, but they felt unsure about their preparation. When there was support, the teachers tended to report a sense of comfort in educating DLLs. Teachers had pro-bilingual beliefs, but their beliefs vary on the use of differentiated or universal teaching practices. Furthermore, teachers viewed supporting the home language of DLLs as important, but several also felt that some parents’ preferences contradicted their beliefs on the importance of fostering the home language(s). Teachers reported receiving some support from their administration and parents to help educate DLLs, and also identified multiple challenges in working with DLLs and their families (e.g., difficulties in communication). They expressed needing more support and personnel who can assist them in communicating with a wide variety of DLLs and their parents beyond those who use Spanish. Implications for practice are discussed.
A critical self-reflexive account of a privileged researcher in a complicated setting: Kakuma refugee camp:

As a white, Western-educated man, undertaking research in Kakuma refugee camp, Kenya, I encountered ethical dilemmas related to my privileged racial and gender status. These include power imbalance...
Are Americans Becoming More Peaceful

1. From Mobilized to Conditional war 2. Managing Fear 3. Managing Information 4. Managing the Media 5. Managing the Photographs 6. Managing Gender 7. Managing Militarism 8. Managing Casualties 9. From Managing War to Making Peace
Gradientes de Intesidade: o espaço háptico deleuziano e os três "erres" do currículo

Seguindo Deleuze, faco uma tentativa para ir alem da nocao, propria do senso comum, que concebe o espaco, nas relacoes educacionais, como homogeneo e mero ambiente. Proponho uma especie de "diferenciacao espacial" que nos permita considerar seriamente o espaco como uma categoria ontologica produtiva, como um acontecimento, e nao como um a priori, como um pano de fundo. Argumento que o proprio carater do espaco e afetado pelo que ocorre nos processos de ensino e na aprendizagem e que, inversamente, esses processos sao afetados pelo espaco. Da mesma forma que a presenca (ou a ausencia) da materia determina a intensidade da curvatura gravitacional no espaco astronomico, o qual, por sua vez, afeta as relacoes entre a materia, assim tambem caracteristicas espaciais diversas podem ser associadas com diferentes praticas curriculares e, inversamente, diferentes praticas curriculares podem afetar diferentemente o espaco curricular.
The effect of maintaining cognition on risk of disability and death.

Objectives—To determine whether long-term maintenance of cognition is associated with health advantages such as lower mortality or incident disability in older adults. Design—Longitudinal cohort study Setting—Community clinics at two sites Participants—Two thousand seven hundred thirty-three adults with a mean age of 74 at baseline and 80 at follow-up. Measurements—Cognitive function was assessed with the Modified Mini-Mental State Examination (3MS), a test of global cognition, at least two times. Three cognitive groups were defined based on 4-year participant-specific slopes (“maintainers”: slopes of ≥0; “minor decliners”: slopes 1 SD below the mean). Whether the cognitive groups differed in mortality and incident disability during the subsequent 3 years was determined. Results—Nine hundred eighty-four (36%) participants were maintainers, 1,314 (48%) were minor decliners, and 435 (16%) were major decliners. Maintainers had lower mortality (7% vs 14%, hazard ratio (HR)=0.48, 95% confidence interval (CI)=0.36–0.63) and incident disability (22% vs 29%, HR=0.74, 95% CI=0.62–0.89) than minor decliners. After adjustment for age, race, sex, education, apolipoprotein E e4, depression, body mass index, stroke, hypertension, and diabetes mellitus, these differences remained. As expected, major decliners had greater mortality (20%) and incident disability (40%) than minor decliners.
Regulatory properties of soluble and particulate rat brain tyrosine hydroxylase.

Abstract Rat brain tyrosine hydroxylase exists in two distinct physical forms, a soluble and a membrane-bound form. The two forms are brain-region specific, with the membrane-bound or particulate form predominating in the striatum, an area enriched in catecholamine nerve endings and associated with a specific membrane fraction. Whereas the soluble and the particulate enzymes exhibit an identical Km for the substrate tyrosine (0.055 mm), the particulate form, which can be simulated by the addition to the soluble enzyme of microgram amounts of the sulfated mucopolysaccharide heparin, has a lower Km (0.15 mm) for the synthetic co-factor 6,7-dimethyl-5,6,7,8-tetrahydropterin (DMPH4) than does the soluble (0.75 mm) and a 2-fold increased apparent Vmax. The particulate enzyme also has a greater affinity for the competitive feedback inhibitors norepinephrine and 3,4-dihydroxyphenylethylamine (dopamine). Dopamine exhibits a greater affinity for both forms of the enzyme than norepinephrine and, in addition, dopamine but not norepinephrine induces cooperative DMPH4 kinetics in soluble but not particulate tyrosine hydroxylase. It is suggested that dopamine may be the more significant regulatory metabolite of the striatal biogenic amine biosynthetic pathway, and that tyrosine hydroxylase activity may be regulated by alterations in the physical state of the enzyme.
Horne v. Department of Agriculture: An Invitation to Reexamine 'Ripeness' Doctrine in Takings Litigation

In June 2013, the Supreme Court issued a decision in Horne v. Department of Agriculture, arguably the most obscure of the Supreme Court’s trilogy of takings cases in the 2012-13 term. The case arose from a U.S. Department of Agriculture order imposing sanctions on California raisin growers for failing to comply with the requirements of a marketing order issued under the Agriculture Marketing Agreement Act of 1937. Reversing the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, the Supreme Court ruled that the growers presented a “ripe” takings claim and that the appeals court erred in concluding that it lacked “jurisdiction” over the claim. Horne invites a reexamination of the confusing and under-theorized legal doctrine governing the distribution of takings cases among different federal courts and between federal and state courts. The thesis of this article is that the Takings Clause precludes a property owner from presenting a viable legal claim for equitable relief so long as the claimant has the opportunity to pursue a claim for just compensation under the Takings Clause. Thus, the reason a claimant cannot sue to enjoin a taking in federal District Court when there is an opportunity to sue for financial compensation in the U.S. Court of Federal Claims is that the claim for equitable relief fails to state a valid legal claim; contrary to the suggestion of the Court in Horne, and that of many lower courts, neither the ripeness doctrine nor subject matter jurisdiction is relevant in this context. A different principle governs whether takings claims seeking just compensation based on local government can go forward in federal or state court, the issue addressed in the landmark Williamson County case. While unfortunate language in that decision suggests that ripeness doctrine governs this choice of forum, the preference for state courts over federal courts in takings cases is best understood as resting on federalism values, including (1) the advantages of leaving land use disputes to state judges with superior local knowledge and (2) the notion that a sovereign state cannot be viewed as effecting a taking until property has been taken and the state courts have addressed a property owner’s claim for compensation under the Takings Clause. If Horne serves as a springboard for rationalizing the Court’s rules on forum selection in takings cases, it will turn out not to be such an unimportant case after all.
An MHC Class Ib-Restricted TCR That Cross-Reacts with an MHC Class Ia Molecule

TCR transgenic 6C5 T cells recognize an insulin B chain epitope presented by the nonclassical class I MHC molecule, Qa-1b. Positive selection of these T cells was shown previously to require Qa-1b. Despite dedicated specificity for Qa-1b, evidence presented in the current study indicates that 6C5 T cells can cross-recognize a classical class I molecule. Clonal deletion was observed unexpectedly in 6C5.H-2bxq mice, which do not express I-E MHC class II molecules and thus should not be subject to superantigen-mediated negative selection. 6C5 T cells were observed to respond in vivo and in vitro to spleen cells from allogeneic H-2q mice, and specificity was mapped to Dq. Evidence was obtained for direct recognition of Dq, rather than indirect presentation of a Dq-derived peptide presented by Qa-1b. Polyclonal CD8+ T cells from class Ia-deficient KbDb−/− mice reacted in vitro to allogeneic spleen cells with an apparent frequency comparable to conventional class Ia-restricted T cells. Our results provide a clear example of a Qa-1-specific TCR that can cross-react with a class Ia molecule and evidence supporting the idea that this may be a common property of T cells selected by class Ib molecules.
A new semantics for the inclusive converging gateway in safe processes

We propose a new semantics for the inclusive converging gateway (also known as Or-join). The new semantics coincides with the intuitive, widely agreed semantics for Or-joins on sound acyclic workflow graphs which is implied, for example, by dead path elimination on BPEL flows. The new semantics also coincides with the block-based semantics as used in BPEL on cyclic graphs that can be composed from sound acyclic graphs, repeat- and while-loops. Furthermore, we display several examples for unstructured workflow graphs for which Or-joins get the desired intuitive semantics. A key insight is that not all situations where two or more Or-joins seem to be mutually dependent (known as 'vicious circles') are necessarily symmetric. Many such situations are asymmetric and can be resolved naturally in favor of one of the Or-joins. Still symmetric or almost symmetric situations exist, for which it is not clear what semantics is desirable and which result in a deadlock in our semantics. We show that enabledness of an Or-join in our semantics can be decided in linear time in the size of the workflow graph.
Involvement of Cellular Metabolism of Calcium and Phosphate in Calcification of Avian Growth Plate Cartilage

Past work established that matrix vesicles (MV) are primary initiators of extracellular mineral deposition in endochondral calcification. Reviewed here are studies on how direct cellular metabolism of Ca2+ and inorganic phosphate (Pi), and cellular interaction with the matrix, are involved in the formation of calcifiable MV. Presented is a working model of how chondrocytes in growth plate (GP) cartilage are envisioned to induce the formation of calcifiable MV. In part, this model is based on recent laser confocal imaging of living cartilage tissue sections with Indo-I AM, a fluorescent permeant Ca2+ probe. These studies indicate that GP chondrocytes actively acquire Ca2+, concentrate it to the cell periphery and exfoliate it as Ca(2+)-rich MV. Data from direct chemical analysis and 31P-NMR studies on freshly isolated cells show that GP chondrocytes are depleted of ATP and have elevated cytosolic Pi, a condition prerequisite to formation of Ca(2+)-acidic phospholipid (APL)-Pi complex-primed MV. Chondrocyte cell membrane processes from which MV arise have been found to be tightly linked to the cartilage-specific extracellular matrix collagens and proteoglycans. Annexins V and VI, APL-dependent Ca(2+)-binding proteins that form Ca2+ channels in chondrocytes and MV membranes, also bind to the matrix collagens and may serve as mechano-transducers in GP cartilage, gating Ca2+ entrance into the cells and MV. This interaction between the extracellular matrix and chondrocytes appears to facilitate Ca2+ loading of chondrocytes, formation of Ca2+ and Pi-primed MV and rapid induction of mineralization in GP cartilage.
Analysis of Moisture Transport in Mortars and Concrete Using Sorption-Diffusion Approach

Water transport in concretes and mortars is usually described using the sorptivity coefficient. While sorptivity is very useful in capturing the near surface effects, it is believed that the effect of moisture diffusion also has to be included to develop a comprehensive understanding of the long-term moisture transport phenomena. This paper uses a combination of the exponential equation for sorption and a solution of Fick's Second Law for diffusion to predict water transport in mortars and concrete. The transport parameters obtained from the fits of experimental data to the sorption-diffusion equation are useful in explaining specific aspects of moisture transport and also facilitate comparison between mixtures. The term "saturation index" is defined to quantify the influence of saturation levels of concrete in moisture transport. The transport parameters at any saturation level are shown to be equal to the product of the respective parameters at a saturation index of 1.0 and the inverse of the saturation index. The relative contributions of sorption and diffusion to the total moisture intake are also explored. For concretes at any saturation index, sorption contributes to approximately 70% of the overall moisture intake and diffusion to approximately 30%, indicating that it is necessary to consider the effects of both the mechanisms while describing moisture transport.
Advances in Cluster Analysis Relevant to Marketing Research

We review the current methodological and practical state of cluster analysis in marketing. Topics covered include segmentation, market structure analysis, a taxonomy based on overlap, connections to conjoint analysis, and validation.
Vector-based elastic reverse time migration

ABSTRACTPrestack elastic reverse time migration (RTM) of multicomponent seismic data requires separating PP and PS reflections before, or as part of, applying the image condition, and using image conditions that preserve the angle and amplitude information. Both of these requirements are best achieved when all operations are on vectors. We have created a new 2D migration context for isotropic, elastic RTM, which included decomposition of the elastic source and receiver wavefields into P- and S-wave vectors by decoupled elastodynamic extrapolation, which retained the same stress and particle velocity components as the input data. Then, the propagation directions of the incident and reflected P- and S-waves were calculated directly from the stress and particle velocity definitions of the P- and S-wave Poynting vectors. An excitation-amplitude image condition that scaled the receiver wavelet by the source vector magnitude produced angle-dependent images of PP and PS reflection coefficients with the correct p...
An Adaptive Algorithm for Sampling Two-Dimensional Fields using Mobile Sensors

In this paper, we propose an adaptive algorithm for sampling and reconstructing two-dimensional fields using mobile sensors that can move to designated locations to collect measurements. During each step, the algorithm selects the most desirable sampling sites from a pool of site candidates based on a Bayesian framework. Simulations show that the algorithm works effectively.
A Clark-type oxidase enzyme-based amperometric microbiosensor for sensing glucose, galactose, or choline

Abstract Microbiosensors for glucose, galactose, or choline were constructed by attaching the respective oxidase enzyme to the tip of a Clark-type oxygen microelectrode. The enzyme is immobilized on the electrode tip in a polyacrylamide matrix and then coated with a polyurethane membrane. The analyte concentration in the sample controls the amount of oxygen consumed by the electrode and, hence, the biosensor's output. These microbiosensors had tip diameters of 15–40 μm, response times of 0.5–5s, and could detect as little as 2 μM of analyte. The linear range of response was dependent on the thickness of the polyurethane coating, and extended up to 10 mM for glucose and galactose biosensors. The glucose sensors were the most stable and could remain operational for up to 6 months. Galactose sensors remained operational for at least 1 month. Choline sensors remained operational for about 2 weeks and were generally less sensitive. The specific activity of the enzyme was a key determinant in the longevity and linearity of the biosensor response. In continuous operation tests, the glucose sensors were relatively drift-free and showed little deterioration of response over 72 h. These sensors exhibited little stirring dependence. As a result a glucose sensor accurately measured the glucose gradient in an unmixed, semisolid gel. These microsensors should prove to be versatile tools for measuring specific analytes in unstirred environments with a spatial resolution of 100 μm or less, and with extremely rapid response times.
Oxidized HDL and LDL in adolescents with type 2 diabetes compared to normal weight and obese peers

Abstract Objective Obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) are associated with oxidative stress. Oxidative damage of high-density lipoprotein (oxHDL) leads to a dysfunctional molecule, potentially a mediator and/or marker of cardiometabolic disease. We tested the hypothesis that circulating concentration of oxHDL is higher in obese (Ob) or T2DM adolescents compared to normal-weight (NW) peers. Methods In 37 NW, 38 Ob, and 42 T2DM adolescents, ages 11–18 y, fasting concentrations of HDL and LDL cholesterol, oxHDL, oxidized low-density lipoprotein (oxLDL), and myeloperoxidase (MPO) were measured. Results Compared to the NW group, oxHDL in the Ob group was not different, but was 65% higher (p Conclusions The higher concentrations of oxHDL and oxLDL, along with higher MPO in children with T2DM reflect higher oxidative stress compared with obesity alone and potentially increased cardiovascular disease risk in youth with T2DM.
Preform fabrication and drawing of KNbO3 modified tellurite glass fibers

Abstract For fiberization of tellurite glasses the 70TeO2–25ZnO–5Na2O composition is selected based on its good thermal stability and refractive index compatibility with most of the ferroelectric oxides. A modified built-in casting method is used to fabricate preforms. The fiber drawn by the rod-in-tube technique consists of two layers of cladding glass and a core with 5 mol% ferroelectric KNbO3. In this study we also address the low mechanical strength problem with tellurite glass fibers, by subjecting the preforms to polishing and wet chemical etching. Apart from the fabrication methods, we also report here a selective core heat-treatment and ferroelectric phase crystallization in a low dimensional system.
Theoretical Investigation of Superelectrophilic Fluorooxonium Dications FOH32+and F2OH22+: Comparison with Parent H4O2+Dication1

Structures of the superelectrophilic fluorooxonium dications FOH 3 2+ and F 2 OH 2 2+ were calculated at the QCISD(T)/6-311G** level. Proton affinities of their precursor monocationic species were estimated by using G2 theory. For comparison, the parent oxonium dication H 4 O 2 + was also calculated at the same level. The O,O- and O,F-diprotonated HFO structures 2c and 2d, respectively, were found to be energy minima. However, the oxonium dication 2c is less stable than the oxonium-fluoronium dication 2d by 14.9 kcal/mol. On the other hand, O,O-diprotonated F 2 O 3c was found to be the only minimum for the analogous system. All of these superelectrophilic, dicationic species have substantial kinetic barriers for deprotonations. The possible existence of these dicationic species in either superacidic media or the gas phase is implicated from these studies. The 1 7 O and 1 9 F NMR chemical shifts of the mono- and dications were also computed by the GIAO-MP2 method.
Effects of Branch Length Uncertainty on Bayesian Posterior Probabilities for Phylogenetic Hypotheses

In Bayesian phylogenetics, confidence in evolutionary relationships is expressed as posterior probability--the probability that a tree or clade is true given the data, evolutionary model, and prior assumptions about model parameters. Model parameters, such as branch lengths, are never known in advance; Bayesian methods incorporate this uncertainty by integrating over a range of plausible values given an assumed prior probability distribution for each parameter. Little is known about the effects of integrating over branch length uncertainty on posterior probabilities when different priors are assumed. Here, we show that integrating over uncertainty using a wide range of typical prior assumptions strongly affects posterior probabilities, causing them to deviate from those that would be inferred if branch lengths were known in advance; only when there is no uncertainty to integrate over does the average posterior probability of a group of trees accurately predict the proportion of correct trees in the group. The pattern of branch lengths on the true tree determines whether integrating over uncertainty pushes posterior probabilities upward or downward. The magnitude of the effect depends on the specific prior distributions used and the length of the sequences analyzed. Under realistic conditions, however, even extraordinarily long sequences are not enough to prevent frequent inference of incorrect clades with strong support. We found that across a range of conditions, diffuse priors--either flat or exponential distributions with moderate to large means--provide more reliable inferences than small-mean exponential priors. An empirical Bayes approach that fixes branch lengths at their maximum likelihood estimates yields posterior probabilities that more closely match those that would be inferred if the true branch lengths were known in advance and reduces the rate of strongly supported false inferences compared with fully Bayesian integration.
Toxoplasma PRP1 is an ortholog of parafusin (PFUS) in vesicle scaffold assembly in Ca2+-regulated exocytosis

Abstract The Paramecium tetraurelia protein parafusin (PFUS) and the Toxoplasma gondii protein parafusin-related protein 1 (PRP1) both have two covalent modifications (phosphorylation and phosphoglucosylation) and both are members of the phosphoglucomutase superfamily, associating with secretory vesicle scaffolds in their respective cells. This study tests the hypothesis that PRP1 is a functional ortholog of PFUS, functioning identically in Ca 2+ -regulated exocytosis. Electroporation of fluorescently labeled recombinant His-PRP1 into live Paramecium cells resulted in its localization to docked, dense-core secretory vesicles (DCSVs) in a pattern identical to endogenous PFUS. In tam8 mutants, defective in transport of DCSVs, the fluorescently labeled protein was restricted to the un-transported DCSVs. Specificity of PRP1 localization was demonstrated by electroporating labeled actin or pyruvate kinase, which both failed to localize to either docked or undocked vesicles. In wild-type Paramecium , electroporated His-PRP1 dissociated from DCSVs upon exocytosis, and re-associated as new organelles formed. Mutagenized His-PRP1 species (S146A or S146E) cannot be phosphorylated by P2 calcium-dependent kinase in vitro. Upon electroporation, these molecules remained cytoplasmic and un-associated with DCSVs, while mutation of another PRP1 serine residue (S560A) did neither affect the localization to the DCSVs nor the phosphorylation pattern. Therefore, in this heterologous system, localization, transport and dissociation/re-association of PRP1 substituted for PFUS, supporting the conclusion that the proteins are functional orthologs. The assay also identified a strategic residue S146 within the PFUS ortholog (S138 in PFUS by extrapolation) required for post-translational modification, DCSV scaffold association and for exocytosis.
Influence of Material Damping on In-Plane Modal Parameters for Rotating Disks

The linear in-plane free vibration of a thin, homogeneous, viscoelastic, rotating annular disk is investigated. In the development of an analytical solution, two dimensional elastodynamic theory is employed and the viscoelastic material for the medium is allowed by assuming complex elastic moduli. The general governing equations of motion are derived by implementing plane stress theory. Natural frequencies are computed for several modes at specific radius ratios with fixed-free boundary conditions and modal loss factors for different damping ratios are determined. The computed results were compared to previously established results. It was observed that the effects of rotational speed and hysteretic damping ratio on natural frequency and elastic stability of the rotating disks were related to the mode of vibration and type of circumferential wave occurring.Copyright © 2012 by ASME
STATISTICAL INFERENCE IN GEOGRAPHY: MODERN APPROACHES SPELL BETTER TIMES AHEAD*

Concepts relevant to statistical inference testing are discussed within a framework which contrasts conventional methodology with current trends in statistics. The latter are emphasized as having the quality of being less restrictive than the former. To show this quality, randomization testing is described and an example presented. Also described is a nonparametric technique known as QAP, which is particularly versatile. Optimism is expressed about the potentiality of such procedures for geographic research.