cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Thymic hyperplasia with massive enlargement: report of two cases with review of diagnostic criteria.

Two cases of massive thymic hyperplasia (MTH) are reported in boys 11 and 14 years of age. Each was detected on routine chest roentgenogram as a large anterior mediastinal mass. Total thymectomy was successfully performed and the two patients were alive and well 9 and 17 years later. The thymectomy specimens weighed 324 and 490 gm, respectively, and had uniform histologic anatomy without lymphoid nodules. Morphometric study documented the massive increase in thymic parenchyma (i.e., true hyperplasia) with retention of a normal proportion of connective tissue expected for age. Since thymic size and structure normally become modified with age, it is essential to consult standard reference data when evaluating hypertrophy and hyperplasia. Gross and histologic features distinguishing MTH from childhood thymoma are discussed.
Devon and Cornwall

Devon and Cornwall form a distinctive region of England — one, indeed, which challenges comparison with Wales rather than with any other region of the country to which it belongs. Like Wales, because of the difficult nature of much of its terrain as well as because of its comparative remoteness, this western peninsula of England long resisted complete penetration by invading peoples from the lowlands to the east. Barren moorland proved an obstacle to agricultural settlement, and even in the nineteenth century, as in Wales, farming was much more pastoral than arable in character. Agricultural society also tended rather more to the Welsh than to the southern English pattern ; for the bulk of the farmers were small tenants, working their own land with limited assistance from labourers. Nonconformity, likewise, was almost as strong in Cornwall and Devon as in Wales: in Cornwall, a vigorous Methodist revival which originated in the mining districts came to dominate the entire county; in Devon, the older Dissenting sects had long been influential. In Cornwall, as in Wales, a Celtic language survived until modern times. Mention of language, however, at once brings us to points of contrast. Unlike Welsh, which became the language of national revival in the nineteenth century, Cornish died out finally in the eighteenth century, and survives only in the form of unusual place-names.
Eternal October and the End of Cyberspace

According to its best-known history, drafted in the mid-1990s, USENET's governing structure was open, and it opened new doors to direct democracy. By the end of the 1990s, USENET was overrun with spam, and by the mid-2000s, it was widely reported as “dead.” But in USENET mythology, its fall occurs earlier, in September 1993, in an “Eternal September.” Prior to 1993, the month of September marked a wave of new university students, connected through their campus. Eternal September was caused by a flood of users who gained USENET access as part of a new America Online (AOL) offering and, unlike previous USENET freshman cohorts, they could not be resocialized. This assimilation and acculturation was described as a matter of observing network etiquette. “Netiquette,” as it was called, was much like the etiquette of court ceremony or professional ritual in that it was inextricably bound to place. In other words, the newbies could not be forced to accept what we now understand as a central tenet of cyberlibertarianism: that cyberspace, too, was a place, separate from the world, and thus free. The article considers Eternal October, the successor to Eternal September, when it is no longer possible to pretend that cyberspace can circumvent the politics of civilization. Just as Eternal September ushered in a new reality, October 2016 is never going to end.
Sensory processing disorder in preterm infants during early childhood and relationships to early neurobehavior

Background Preterm infants are exposed to a variety of sensory stimuli that they are not developmentally prepared to handle, which puts them at risk for developing a sensory processing disorder. However, the patterns and predictors of sensory processing disorder and their relationship to early behavior at term equivalent age are poorly understood.
Efficacy of Codling Moth Granulovirus: Effect of Adjuvants on Persistence of Activity and Comparison With Other Larvicides in a Pacific Northwest Apple Orchard

Control of codling moth, Cydia pomonella (L), in conventional orchards has relied heavily on broad spectrum insecticides such as azinphos-methyl (Guthion®, Bayer CropScience, Research Triangle Park...
Bacterial Whack-a-Mole: Reconsidering the Public Health Relevance of Using Carbadox in Food Animals

Carbadox is an antibiotic used to control dysentery and promote growth in swine in the United States; however, the drug also causes tumors and birth defects in laboratory animals. Despite this and because the drug has no analogs in human medicine, it is not considered "medically important" and can be used in livestock without veterinarian oversight. In their recent study, T. A. Johnson et al. (mBio 8:e00709-17, 2017, https://doi.org/10.1128/mBio.00709-17) demonstrated that carbadox has profound effects on the swine gut microbiome, including the induction of transducing phage carrying tetracycline, aminoglycoside, and beta-lactam resistance genes. In swine production, carbadox can be used in conjunction with other antibiotics (e.g., oxytetracycline) that could fuel the emergence of strains carrying phage-encoded resistance determinants. Johnson et al.'s findings underscore the potential unforeseen consequences of using antibiotics in livestock production and call into question our current methods for classifying whether or not a veterinary drug has relevance to human health.
Low vitamin B12 increases risk of gastric cancer: A prospective study of one-carbon metabolism nutrients and risk of upper gastrointestinal tract cancer

Previous studies have found associations between one-carbon metabolism nutrients and risk of several cancers, but little is known regarding upper gastrointestinal tract (UGI) cancer. We analyzed pre-diagnostic serum concentrations of several one-carbon metabolism nutrients (vitamin B12, folate, vitamin B6, riboflavin, and homocysteine) in a nested case-control study within the Alpha-Tocopherol, Beta-Carotene Cancer Prevention (ATBC) Study of male smokers, which was undertaken in Finland between 1985 and 1988. We conducted a nested case-control study including 127 non-cardia gastric adenocarcinoma (NCGA), 41 esophago-gastric junctional adenocarcinoma (EGJA), and 60 esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) incident cases identified within ATBC. Controls were matched to cases on age, date of serum collection, and follow-up time. One-carbon nutrient concentrations were measured in fasting serum samples collected at baseline (up to 17 years prior to cancer diagnosis). Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated using conditional logistic regression. Lower pre-diagnostic vitamin B12 concentrations at baseline were associated with a 5.8-fold increased risk of NCGA (95% CI = 2.7 to 12.6 for lowest compared to highest quartile, p-trend 300 pmol/L). In contrast, pepsinogen I, a known serologic marker of gastric atrophy, was not associated with NCGA in this population. As vitamin B12 absorption requires intact gastric mucosa to produce acid and intrinsic factor, our findings suggest vitamin B12 as a possible serologic marker for the atrophic gastritis that precedes NCGA, one more strongly associated with subsequent NCGA than pepsinogen. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Tyrosyl Phosphorylated Serine-Threonine Kinase PAK1 is a Novel Regulator of Prolactin-Dependent Breast Cancer Cell Motility and Invasion

Despite efforts to discover the cellular pathways regulating breast cancer metastasis, little is known as to how prolactin (PRL) cooperates with extracellular environment and cytoskeletal proteins to regulate breast cancer cell motility and invasion. We implicated serine-threonine kinase p21-activated kinase 1 (PAK1) as a novel target for PRL-activated Janus-kinase 2 (JAK2). JAK2-dependent PAK1 tyrosyl phosphorylation plays a critical role in regulation of both PAK1 kinase activity and scaffolding properties of PAK1. Tyrosyl phosphorylated PAK1 facilitates PRL-dependent motility via at least two mechanisms: formation of paxillin/GIT1/βPIX/pTyr-PAK1 complexes resulting in increased adhesion turnover and phosphorylation of actin-binding protein filamin A. Increased adhesion turnover is the basis for cell migration and phosphorylated filamin A stimulates the kinase activity of PAK1 and increases actin-regulating activity to facilitate cell motility. Tyrosyl phosphorylated PAK1 also stimulates invasion of breast cancer cells in response to PRL and three-dimensional (3D) collagen IV via transcription and secretion of MMP-1 and MMP-3 in a MAPK-dependent manner. These data illustrate the complex interaction between PRL and the cell microenvironment in breast cancer cells and suggest a pivotal role for PRL/PAK1 signaling in breast cancer metastasis.
Multigroup Monte Carlo on GPUs: Comparison of history- and event-based algorithms

Abstract This paper presents an investigation of the performance of different multigroup Monte Carlo transport algorithms on GPUs with a discussion of both history-based and event-based approaches. Several algorithmic improvements are introduced for both approaches. By modifying the history-based algorithm that is traditionally favored in CPU-based MC codes to occasionally filter out dead particles to reduce thread divergence, performance exceeds that of either the pure history-based or event-based approaches. The impacts of several algorithmic choices are discussed, including performance studies on Kepler and Pascal generation NVIDIA GPUs for fixed source and eigenvalue calculations. Single-device performance equivalent to 20–40 CPU cores on the K40 GPU and 60–80 CPU cores on the P100 GPU is achieved. In addition, nearly perfect multi-device parallel weak scaling is demonstrated on more than 16,000 nodes of the Titan supercomputer.
Radiology metrics for safe use and regulatory compliance with CT imaging

The MACRA Act creates a Merit-Based Payment System, with monitoring patient exposure from CT providing one possible quality metric for meeting merit requirements. Quality metrics are also required by The Joint Commission, ACR, and CMS as facilities are tasked to perform reviews of CT irradiation events outside of expected ranges, review protocols for appropriateness, and validate parameters for low dose lung cancer screening. In order to efficiently collect and analyze irradiation events and associated DICOM tags, all clinical CT devices were DICOM connected to a parser which extracted dose related information for storage into a database. Dose data from every exam is compared to the appropriate external standard exam type. AAPM recommended CTDIvol values for head and torso, adult and pediatrics, coronary and perfusion exams are used for this study. CT doses outside the expected range were automatically formatted into a report for analysis and review documentation. CT Technologist textual content, the reason for proceeding with an irradiation above the recommended threshold, is captured for inclusion in the follow up reviews by physics staff. The use of a knowledge based approach in labeling individual protocol and device settings is a practical solution resulting in efficiency of analysis and review. Manual methods would require approximately 150 person-hours for our facility, exclusive of travel time and independent of device availability. An efficiency of 89% time savings occurs through use of this informatics tool including a low dose CT comparison review and low dose lung cancer screening requirements set forth by CMS.
Effects of breed group by location interaction on crossbred cattle in Nebraska and Florida.

Data on 2,744 calves produced in Clay Center, Nebraska and Brooksville, Florida were used to evaluate the importance of genotype x location interactions on the reproductive and maternal performance of eight breed groups of F1 crossbred cows. A total of 648 F1 crossbred cows included Bos taurus x Bos taurus (Bt x Bt) crosses: Hereford x Angus reciprocal crossbreds (HA and AH), Pinzgauer x Angus (PA), Pinzgauer x Hereford (PH); and Bos indicus x Bos taurus (Bi x Bt) crosses: Brahman x Angus (BA), Brahman x Hereford (BH), Sahiwal x Angus (SA) and Sahiwal x Hereford (SH). The first calf crop was sired by Red Poll bulls. All remaining calf crops were sired by Simmental bulls. Although the pregnancy rate was 9% higher in Nebraska, the rate of unassisted calvings and calf survival rate were both 4.6% lower in Nebraska. Calf birth and weaning weights were 8.0 and 15.6 kg heavier in Nebraska than in Florida. Bi x Bt dams exceeded (P less than .001) Bt x Bt crossbred dams for all traits except age of calf at weaning and calf-survival rates (P greater than .10). Birth weights of calves from Bi x Bt crossbred dams were 3.4 kg lighter than those from the Bt x Bt crossbred dams. The interaction of location with the breed group comparison of Bi x Bt vs Bt x Bt crossbred dams was significant for pregnancy rate, calf age at weaning, rate of unassisted calving and all weight traits. Adjusted weaning weights of calves from HA, AH, PA, PH, BA, BH, SA and SH cows were as follows: HA, 194 and 222; AH, 202 and 230; PA, 213 and 242; PH, 217 and 245; BA, 251 and 254; BH, 252 and 254; SA, 236 and 238; and SH, 238 and 243 kg, respectively, in Florida and Nebraska. Bos indicus-sired cows (BA, BH, SA and SH) weaned essentially equal-weight calves at both locations, whereas calves from Bt x Bt crossbred cows (HA, AH, PA, PH) were about 28 kg lighter in Florida.
Two-dimensional simulation of eccentric photorefraction images for ametropes: factors influencing the measurement.

Purpose Eccentric photorefraction and Purkinje image tracking are used to estimate refractive state and eye position simultaneously. Beyond vision screening, they provide insight into typical and atypical visual development. Systematic analysis of the effect of refractive error and spectacles on photorefraction data is needed to gauge the accuracy and precision of the technique. Methods Simulation of two-dimensional, double-pass eccentric photorefraction was performed (Zemax). The inward pass included appropriate light sources, lenses and a single surface pupil plane eye model to create an extended retinal image that served as the source for the outward pass. Refractive state, as computed from the luminance gradient in the image of the pupil captured by the model's camera, was evaluated for a range of refractive errors (-15D to +15D), pupil sizes (3 mm to 7 mm) and two sets of higher-order monochromatic aberrations. Instrument calibration was simulated using -8D to +8D trial lenses at the spectacle plane for: (1) vertex distances from 3 mm to 23 mm, (2) uncorrected and corrected hyperopic refractive errors of +4D and +7D, and (3) uncorrected and corrected astigmatism of 4D at four different axes. Empirical calibration of a commercial photorefractor was also compared with a wavefront aberrometer for human eyes. Results The pupil luminance gradient varied linearly with refractive state for defocus less than approximately 4D (5 mm pupil). For larger errors, the gradient magnitude saturated and then reduced, leading to under-estimation of refractive state. Additional inaccuracy (up to 1D for 8D of defocus) resulted from spectacle magnification in the pupil image, which would reduce precision in situations where vertex distance is variable. The empirical calibration revealed a constant offset between the two clinical instruments. Conclusions Computational modelling demonstrates the principles and limitations of photorefraction to help users avoid potential measurement errors. Factors that could cause clinically significant errors in photorefraction estimates include high refractive error, vertex distance and magnification effects of a spectacle lens, increased higher-order monochromatic aberrations, and changes in primary spherical aberration with accommodation. The impact of these errors increases with increasing defocus.
Female Cancer Survivorship and Obesity

Obesity is a well-documented problem in the United States, with no state meeting the Healthy People 2010 objective to reduce obesity prevalence among adults. Two-thirds of the U.S. population is overweight and one-third is obese. Overweight and obesity are known risk factors for diabetes, coronary heart disease, and premature death. In addition, obesity is the greatest risk factor for gynecological cancers and breast cancer. According to the American Cancer Society, almost a third of women in the United States will develop cancer. The majority of these women will survive their cancer diagnosis yet face the uphill battle of maintaining their health as well as reducing their risk of cancer recurrence. As the prevalence of obesity dramatically increases, its relation to cancer incidence, postoperative outcome, and cancer-specific survival becomes an important field of research.
Anti-EGF receptor monoclonal antibodies as potential anti-cancer therapy

The long-range goal of this laboratory is to explore the role of growth factors and receptors for growth factors in regulating the proliferation of malignant cells. A distinctive feature of our approach is an hypothesis that monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) that block the binding of growth factors to their receptors might be effective antitumor agents. Our current studies focus upon epidermal growth factor (EGF) and its receptor, which are of special interest because of three recent discoveries. First, many tumor cells appear to secrete transforming growth factor alpha (TGF-α), which can bind to the EGF receptor and produce autoregulation of proliferation through an «autocrine» pathway. Second, the v-erb B oncogene codes for a truncated version of the EGF receptor, which implicates the gene for the EGF receptor as a proto-oncogene. Third, it has been found that many human tumor cells express high levels of EGF receptors on their plasma membranes, and high expressers have a poorer prognosis.
Changes and challenges: managing ADHD in a fast-paced world.

BACKGROUND: Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) impairs the lives of both children and adults. Undiagnosed and untreated, ADHD may have serious lifelong consequences. Research has identified diagnostic clues, neurotransmitter pathways, and psychiatric comorbidities related to ADHD, as well as effective pharmacologic, behavioral, and psychosocial interventions. Stimulant agents have been the foundation of ADHD therapy for more than 50 years. Availability of new extended-release (XR or ER) and longer-acting (LA) formulations and novel agents allows for wider and more individualized treatment choices. Side effects of stimulants are generally mild, short lived, and responsive to adjustments in dosage or timing.Outcomes in ADHD treatment can be improved with the use of clear treatment guidelines and tools to aid clinicians in implementing them efficiently and effectively. The Texas Children's Medication Algorithm Project (CMAP)provides a system of algorithm-driven treatment decisions that is eviden...
Cost modeling and analysis for Mask Image Projection Stereolithography additive manufacturing: Simultaneous production with mixed geometries

Abstract Additive manufacturing has obtained widespread and continuously increasing interest, owing to its distinguished advantages (e.g., reduced material waste and enhanced manufacturing complexity) compared to traditional manufacturing processes. Currently, the implementation of additive manufacturing in the industrial sector is limited to small-scale production with high customization level. In current literature, the cost analysis for complex production layouts especially with mixed geometries are not fully studied, and some popular additive manufacturing processes are not well investigated for cost performance. Therefore, in this paper, a comprehensive cost model is established to theoretically evaluate the cost performance of the Mask Image Projection Stereolithography process for simultaneously fabricating multiple mixed geometries. In addition, an optimization problem is formulated to reduce the additive manufacturing costs considering the set of decision variables (layer thickness and surface stratification angle) under the constraints of production throughput and part quality. The case study results indicate that 26% of cost savings can be achieved by solving the proposed optimization problem. Furthermore, a sensitivity analysis is conducted which shows that the raw material unit price and the initial investment on additive manufacturing hardware and software are the main cost drivers.
Understanding energy-saving behaviors in the American workplace: A unified theory of motivation, opportunity, and ability

Abstract Occupant behavior has a significant impact on building energy consumption. To reduce energy use in office buildings, various intervention strategies have been investigated to promote energy-saving behaviors among occupants. However, the influential factors of these behaviors have not been fully understood in existing studies. To fill this gap, this study proposes an integrated Motivation-Opportunity-Ability (MOA) framework which incorporates social-psychological constructs from the Norm Activation Model and the Theory of Planned Behavior to investigate the determinants of energy-saving behaviors in the office environment. An online survey is distributed to collect data from multiple office buildings across the U.S. Results of the structural equation model (n = 612) show that opportunity has the strongest effect on energy-saving behaviors, followed by motivation and ability. In addition, motivation mediates the effect of opportunity and ability. This proposed framework offers an approach for decision-makers to design effective energy interventions based on the constraining factors in the targeted buildings.
Do available protein 3D structures reflect human genetic and functional diversity

ABSTRACT Genomic databases are substantially biased towards European ancestry populations, and this bias contributes to health disparities. Here, we quantify how well 66,971 experimentally characterized human protein 3D structures represent the diversity of protein sequences observed across the 1000 Genomes Project. More than 85% of available structures do not match a sequence observed in at least one individual, and on average structures match the sequence of 74% of individuals. Nearly 23% of human structures do not match any observed sequences; however, after masking engineered/known mutations, this decreases to ~4%. African ancestry sequences are modestly, but significantly, less likely to be represented by structures (73.5% vs. 74.0%). These differences are mainly driven by the greater genetic diversity of African populations. We identify thousands of variants unrepresented in available structures that influence protein structure and function. Thus, the use of a single structure as representative of “the wild type” protein will often bias results against many individuals. The diversity of protein sequence and structure must be considered to enable accurate, reproducible, and generalizable conclusions from structural analyses.
Comment on “nature of quantum localization in atomic momentum transfer experiments”

A Comment on the Letter by Miroslaw Latka and Bruce J. West, Phys.Rev.Lett.{bold 75}, 4202 (1995). The authors of the Letter offer a Reply. {copyright} {ital 1997} {ital The American Physical Society}
Unleashing Innovation with Open Optical Networks

At present, Operators are often unaware of the quality of their optical infrastructure due to vendor-proprietary control implementations. Open optical networks promise to expose performance data in a direct manner to an optical controller where it can be collected and assessed. This requires not only the definition of suitable data models but also a vendor-independent quality of transmission estimator. The Telecom Infra Project PSE Team is working on Open Source Code as a reference for the industry to plan and operate optical networks with defined quality criteria. This enables Operators and system vendors to innovate around SW control and network structures unavailable in the fragmented world of optical communication.
The Comorbidity of Musculoskeletal Disorders and Depression: Associations with Working Conditions Among Hospital Nurses:

Background: Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are the leading cause of pain and disability among nurses and are frequently accompanied by depression. However, the association between the comorbidity of MSDs and depression and working conditions has not been studied, which was the aim of this study. Methods: In 2015, all nurses (n = 1,102) employed at a community hospital in the Northeast United States were invited to participate in this cross-sectional study. A survey was distributed in which participants were asked to report on MSDs, depressive symptoms, as well as subjective working conditions assessed including physical demands, psychological demands, decision authority, social support, and work-family conflict. Findings: 397 nurses responded (36%), and the prevalence of the comorbidity of MSDs and depression was 14.5%. Poisson regression (PR) models suggested that work-family conflict was associated with increased risk of the comorbidity (PR = 2.18; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.33-3.58), as was 8-hour night shift (PR = 2.77; 95% CI = [1.22, 6.31]) or 12-hour day shift (PR = 2.20; 95% CI = [1.07, 4.50]). Other working conditions were not directly associated with the comorbidity. Conclusions/Application to Practice: The comorbidity of MSDs and depression is prevalent among hospital nurses, and work-family conflict and working night shift or longer shifts were significantly associated with this. Effective workplace programs are needed to address nurses' working conditions to reduce their work-family conflict, thereby improving their musculoskeletal and mental health.
Social Opportunities and Controls: Revisiting the Desistance Effect of Employment

Employment serves as a source of desistance from crime, principally through the establishment of informal social controls, but for offenders seeking prosocial change there are significant barriers ...
Standardizing and Implementing Do Not Sell

The California Consumer Privacy Act gives consumers the right to request that businesses do not sell their personal information. "Selling'' is defined broadly and covers, among others, making personal information available to ad networks on websites via third party cookies. We began standardizing and implementing Do Not Sell technologies with the goal of integrating Do Not Sell directly into browser settings. Based on OptMeowt, our proof of concept Do Not Sell browser extension, we conduct experiments on the design, implementation, and current state of Do Not Sell. OptMeowt automatically places Do Not Sell cookies on visited sites and sends Do Not Sell headers per our draft standard. We believe that standardizing Do Not Sell provides an important building block for evolving the web towards increased privacy protections.
High Tech Transportation Corridors are in Vogue: Proposed Transportation Policy Amendments

When there is an economic downturn, cities are forced to develop a strategy to revitalize. Increasing the transfer of high technology into the marketplace stimulates the economy. High tech industries are industries that include relatively high percentages of scientific and technical workers, or industries that make relatively large expenditures in research and development. "[I]n difficult economic times, political stakeholders in the technology transfer process usually view success in economic impact terms, and often from short-term and parochial perspectives - how many jobs in my state next year?" Examples include expansion of the suburban space economy in the 1980s that produced new commercial landscapes in Maryland, Virginia and Washington D.C. in the form of high-tech corridors along limited access highways. These corridors were designed using private mixed-use development master plans.
Labile carbon release from oxic–anoxic cycling in woodchip bioreactors enhances nitrate removal without increasing nitrous oxide accumulation

Denitrification in woodchip bioreactors (WBRs) treating agricultural drainage and runoff is frequently carbon-limited due to the recalcitrance of carbon (C) in lignocellulosic woodchip biomass. Recent research has shown that redox fluctuations, achieved through periodic draining and re-flooding of WBRs, can increase nitrate removal rates by enhancing the release of labile C during oxic periods. While dying–rewetting (DRW) cycles appear to hold great promise for improving the performance of denitrifying WBRs, redox fluctuations in nitrogen-rich environments are commonly associated with enhanced emissions of the greenhouse gas nitrous oxide (N2O) due to inhibition of N2O reduction in microaerophilic conditions. Here, we evaluate the effects of oxic–anoxic cycling associated with DRW on the quantity and quality of C mobilized from woodchips, nitrate removal rates, and N2O accumulation in a complementary set of flow-through and batch laboratory bioreactors at 20 °C. Redox fluctuations significantly increased nitrate removal rates from 4.8–7.2 g N m−3 d−1 in a continuously saturated (CS) reactor to 9.8–11.2 g N m−3 d−1 24 h after a reactor is drained and re-saturated. Results support the theory that DRW conditions lead to faster NO3− removal rates by increasing mobilization of labile organic C from woodchips, with lower aromaticity in the dissolved C pool of oxic–anoxic reactors highlighting the importance of lignin breakdown to overall carbon release. There was no evidence for greater N2O accumulation, measured as N2O product yields, in the DRW reactors compared to continuously saturated reactors. We propose that greater organic C availability for N2O reducers following oxic periods outweighs the effect of microaerophilic inhibition of N2O reduction in controlling N2O dynamics. Implications of these findings for optimizing DRW cycling to enhance nitrate removal rates in denitrifying WBRs are discussed.
Na+ sites of the (Na+ + K+)-dependent ATPase.

Abstract The concentration of NaCl for half-maximal activation of the ( Na + + K + )-dependent ATPase (ATP phosphohydrolase, EC 3.6.1.3) the K 0.5 for Na+, decreased as the concentration of KCl was reduced, as if K+ competed with Na+, Extrapolation to the absence of KCl gave a K 0.5 for Na+ of 1.7 mM and a K i for K+ of 5.1 mM. The K 0.5 for Na+ also decreased with the Mg · ATP concentration, and extrapolation to the absence of ATP gave a K 0.5 for Na+ of 0.26 mM and a K i for K+ of 0.85 mM; the calculated K i for Mg-ATP toward Na+ and K+ was 0.5–0.6 mM, in accord with an action of Mg · ATP through the low-affinity substrate sites of the enzyme. A plot of −log K 0.5 for Na+ against pH suggested that a group with a p K a near 8.1 influenced activation by Na+. The K 0.5 for KCl as an activator of the ATPase, through “β-sites” for K+, varied with the NaCl concentration, with an extrapolated K 0.5 for K+ of 0.11 mM and a K i for Na+ of 14 mM. However, the K 0.5 for KCl as an activator of the related K+-dependent phosphatase reaction of the enzyme, through “α-sites” for K+, was 2.0 mM; the K i for NaCl as a competitor was 5.5 mM. These latter values also decreased with substrate concentration, and extrapolation to the absence of substrate gave a K 0.5 for K+ of 1 mM and a K i for Na+ of 3.5 mM. The Na+ sites and the α-sites for K+ could also be distinguished in terms of the changes in their kinetic parameters in the presence of 10% dimethylsulfoxide or 0.1 mM tetraphenyl boron, although lowering the incubation temperature from 37 to 23° C generally reduced all values similarly. These results indicate that the Na+ sites are distinguishable from both classes of K+ sites; a formulation relating internal Na+ sites with external α-sites for K+, in a flip-flop dimeric transport model, is suggested.
SOCIAL SUPPORT AND BEHAVIORAL AND AFFECTIVE SCHOOL ENGAGEMENT: THE EFFECTS OF PEERS, PARENTS, AND TEACHERS

School engagement has long been seen as an important component of school completion, and research shows that social support in the home and school promotes engagement. However, many researchers have argued that it is not a unitary construct but rather a multifaceted phenomenon, and the role of peer social support has not been as well studied as support from parents and teachers. Our study examines the association of social support from parents, teachers, and peers with two forms of engagement: affective and behavioral. Data came from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development. Results indicate that although parent support was associated with higher levels of behavioral engagement, peer support was associated with higher levels of affective engagement.
Deformed glass microsphere as a three-dimensional chaotic optical microresonator

Summary form only given. Using theoretical approaches of ray and wave chaos, J.U. Nockel and A.D. Stone (1997) have recently proposed a new type of optical microresonators, such as deformed cylinders and spheres, that enable highly directional emission from high-Q whispering gallery modes (WGMs). These high-Q WGM microresonators can be used in a variety of optical applications such as microlasers, nonlinear optics, cavity QED, and optical switching and routing, and can also be used as a model system to investigate physical phenomena associated with ray and wave chaos. We report experimental studies of deformed glass microspheres fabricated using a novel approach that enables us to vary the eccentricity of a deformed sphere continuously. Using these deformed microspheres, we demonstrate for the first time directional emission and dynamical eclipsing from WGMs in a solid state microresonator. We also show that highly directional emission can occur at an eccentricity much smaller than current theoretical predictions based on 2D models. Theoretical calculations using ray tracing further indicate that the removal of rotational symmetry in a deformed microsphere can lead to qualitative differences in ray dynamics between 2D and 3D systems, providing a qualitative description for the experimental result.
Type I Supernovae — Observational Constraints

Some of the constraints on models of Type I supernovae which can be inferred from the observations are discussed. Comparison of McDonald Observatory spectra of the SN I of 1981 in NGC 4536 establishes that elements other than nickel, iron, and cobalt are represented in the maximum-light spectrum, and that permitted Fe II lines are present 17 days later. For models which power the light-curve peak by radioactivity, the lower limits on the mass of ejected nickel are discussed. The rate of decline of the post-peak light curve appears to be correlated with expansion velocity and absolute magnitude. If these correlations can be firmly established they will provide stringent tests of SN I models.
Apoptosis: a mechanism contributing to remodeling of skeletal muscle in response to hindlimb unweighting

The role of apoptosis in the elimination of myonuclei during hindlimb unloading-induced atrophy and the inhibition of apoptosis in the prevention of muscle atrophy were examined. The number of nuclei demonstrating double-stranded DNA fragmentation seen by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (TDT) histochemical staining, an indicator of apoptosis, was significantly increased after 14 days of suspension. Double staining with TDT and antilaminin immunohistochemistry revealed that some TDT-positive nuclei were within the fiber lamina and were most likely myonuclei. The number of fibers containing morphologically abnormal nuclei was also significantly greater in suspended compared with control rats. Combined treatment with growth hormone and insulin-like growth factor I (GH/ IGF-I) and resistance exercise attenuated the increase in TDT-positive nuclei (approximately 26%, P > 0.05) and significantly decreased the number of fibers with morphologically abnormal nuclei. The data suggest that 1) "programmed nuclear death" contributes to the elimination of myonuclei and/or satellite cells from atrophying fibers, and 2) GH/IGF-I administration plus muscle loading ameliorates the apoptosis associated with hindlimb unloading.
Effects of the amino acid sequence on thermal conduction through β-sheet crystals of natural silk protein

Recent experiments have discovered very different thermal conductivities between the spider silk and the silkworm silk. Decoding the molecular mechanisms underpinning the distinct thermal properties may guide the rational design of synthetic silk materials and other biomaterials for multifunctionality and tunable properties. However, such an understanding is lacking, mainly due to the complex structure and phonon physics associated with the silk materials. Here, using non-equilibrium molecular dynamics, we demonstrate that the amino acid sequence plays a key role in the thermal conduction process through β-sheets, essential building blocks of natural silks and a variety of other biomaterials. Three representative β-sheet types, i.e. poly-A, poly-(GA), and poly-G, are shown to have distinct structural features and phonon dynamics leading to different thermal conductivities. A fundamental understanding of the sequence effects may stimulate the design and engineering of polymers and biopolymers for desired thermal properties.
Selective Increase in Hydrogen Peroxide Resistance of a Coagulase-positive Staphylococcus

Staphylococcus culture 105B was serially treated with 0.05% hydrogen peroxide at 54.4 C or without hydrogen peroxide at this temperature to determine changes in resistance to these conditions and in catalase activity of the surviving populations. Resistance of the final surviving populations to H2O2 treatment and to heat treatment without H2O2 was 5.6 and 4.5 times greater, respectively, than the parent culture. Catalase activities of the cell-free extracts of survivors of the H2O2 treatments and of the heat treatments were 33.56 and 2.69 times greater, respectively, than the control. The untreated control cultures grew in Peptonized Milk (Difco), but addition of sodium pyruvate to the medium was necessary to support growth of survivors.
Voltage-clamp predictions by gompertz kinetics model relating squid-axon Na+-gating and ionic currents.

Gompertz kinetics is a simple, realistic, accurate, and computationally parsimonious alternative for prediction of macroscopic changes in Na+ conductance during voltage clamp. Conductance delay and time course depend on initial amplitudes and decay rates of surrogates for the macroscopic gating currents. The model is tested by the fit to published data of other authors. The proposed physical basis for the model is that membrane potential perturbation triggers motion of charged “gating” components of the axon membrane at rapid (activating) and at slow (inactivating) rates. The resulting distortion increases and more slowly diminishes the probability that conduction channels will be open.
An introduction to receptor modeling

Abstract A major problem facing air quality management personnel is the identification of sources of airborne particles and the quantitative apportionment of the aerosol mass to those sources. The ability to collect particle samples and analyze these samples for a suite of elements by such techniques as neutron activation analysis or X-ray fluorescence provides the data for the problem of resolving a series of complex mixtures into its components based on the profiles of the elements emitted by the various sources in the airshed. If all of the sources and their composition profiles are known, then the mass balance model becomes a multiple regression problem. If a series of samples have been analyzed without substantial information being available on the sources, factor analysis methods can be employed. In both situations, the analysis is complicated by higher levels of measurement error in these analyses than in typical spectrochemical problems. In addition, the source profiles can vary as the composition of input materials for the emission sources change in time. Thus, there are limitations to the ability of statistical methods to resolve sources in real world problems. The physical and statistical basis of these methods and their application to representative problems will be reviewed.
Electron excitation energies in fullerites: Many-electron and molecular orientational effects

Abstract The presence of strong electron correlations in the fullerites has been suggested, in part due to the underestimation of the band gap by local density functional calculations in solid C 60 , and due to the apparent lack of dispersion seen in angle-resolved photoemission data. By using a first-principles quasiparticle approach to include correlation contributions to electron excitation energies, we find a significant improvement in agreement with experiment for the band gap in undoped, solid C 60 (2.15eV vs 1.9-2.6 eV in experiment, as compared to 1.0–1.2 eV obtained in local density functional theory). We also find similar improvement in other spectroscopic quantities. Meanwhile, we find a combination of factors which, together, nearly completely eliminate the signatures of dispersion seen in angle-resolved photoemission measurements. These factors include orientational disorder, the lack of definition of crystal momentum normal to the surface, and the multi-band nature of this system. Our results suggest that, although correlation effects are sizable, solid C 60 may nonetheless be viewed as a standard band insulator with molecular orientational disorder. Since screening effects should change drastically with the addition of electrons in the alkali fullerides, the results of the present quasiparticle calculations would not carry over directly to such cases. However, our results may help guide the development of model Hamiltonians which are to be used in studying those systems.
Electrical NEP in hot-electron titanium superconducting bolometers

We are presenting the current progress on the titanium (Ti) hot-electron transition-edge devices. The ultimate goal of this work is to develop a submillimeter Hot-Electron Direct Detector (HEDD) with the noise equivalent power NEP = 10-18-10-20 W/Hz1/2 for the moderate resolution spectroscopy and Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) studies on future space telescope (e.g., SPICA, SAFIR, SPECS, CMBPol) with cryogenically cooled (~ 4-5 K) mirrors. Recentlyi, we have achieved the extremely low thermal conductance (~ 20 fW/K at 300 mK and ~ 0.1 fW/K at 40 mK) due to the electron-phonon decoupling in Ti nanodevices with niobium (Nb) Andreev contacts. This thermal conductance translates into the "phonon-noise" NEP ≈ 3×10-21 W/Hz1/2 at 40 mK and NEP ≈ 3×10-19 W/Hz1/2 at 300 mK. These record data indicate the great potential of the hot-electron detector for meeting many application needs. Beside the extremely low phonon-noise NEP, the nanobolometers have a very low electron heat capacitance that makes them promising as detectors of single THz photonsii. As the next step towards the practical demonstration of the HEDD, we fabricated and tested somewhat larger than in Ref.1 devices (~ 6 μm × 0.35 μm × 40 nm) whose critical temperature is well reproduced in the range 300-350 mK. The output electrical noise measured in these devices with a low-noise dc SQUID is dominated by the thermal energy fluctuations (ETF) aka "phonon noise". This indicates the high electrothermal loop gain that effectively suppresses the contributions of the Johnson noise and the amplifier (SQUID) noise. The electrical NEP = 6.7×10-18 W/Hz1/2 derived from these measurements is in good agreement with the predictions based on the thermal conductance data. The very low NEP and the high speed (~ μs) are a unique combination not found in other detectors.
Dendrimer-Inspired Nanomaterials for the in Vivo Delivery of siRNA to Lung Vasculature

Targeted RNA delivery to lung endothelial cells has the potential to treat conditions that involve inflammation, such as chronic asthma and obstructive pulmonary disease. To this end, chemically modified dendrimer nanomaterials were synthesized and optimized for targeted small interfering RNA (siRNA) delivery to lung vasculature. Using a combinatorial approach, the free amines on multigenerational poly(amido amine) and poly(propylenimine) dendrimers were substituted with alkyl chains of increasing length. The top performing materials from in vivo screens were found to primarily target Tie2-expressing lung endothelial cells. At high doses, the dendrimer–lipid derivatives did not cause chronic increases in proinflammatory cytokines, and animals did not suffer weight loss due to toxicity. We believe these materials have potential as agents for the pulmonary delivery of RNA therapeutics.
Decomposition kinetics and mechanism of n-hexadecane-1,2-13C2 and dodec-1-ene-1,2-13C2 doped in petroleum and n-hexadecane

Abstract Isotopically labeled n-hexadecane doped at the percent level in three crude oils is used to determine the intrinsic decomposition kinetics and mechanism of n-alkanes in petroleum. Adjacent 13C labels at the end of the hexadecane and dodecene give a mass fragment sufficiently unique that its disappearance and many of its products can be followed by ordinary gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Additional structural details of the labeled reaction products are measurable by the NMR INADEQUATE technique, which detects only adjacent 13C atoms. Samples were heated at temperatures ranging from 310 to 360°C in capillary glass tubes and Dickson autoclaves. At temperatures around 350°C, n-alkane decomposition in dissimilar oil matrices forms primarily normal alkanes smaller than the starting alkane at a rate about 60% as fast as the decomposition of the neat alkane. Unlike in neat hexadecane, no significant branched alkanes are formed from the labeled hexadecane in crude oil by alkylation of alkene intermediates. Doping the oils and n-hexadecane with labeled dodecene confirms that alkenes in two of the three oils are rapidly converted primarily to the corresponding alkanes, while reaction of alkenes in hexadecane forms primarily branched alkanes. Reaction of alkenes in the high paraffin oil was intermediate in characteristics. One autoclave experiment included water to assess the importance of water during pyrolysis, with the result that the alkane decomposition rate is affected very little. However, coking of aromatics is inhibited, and there is a significant increase in the production of both H2 and CO2 gas with water present, indicating that water is chemically reactive under these conditions. At temperatures around 310°C, the decomposition rate of neat hexadecane is roughly equal to that in a high paraffin oil and substantially slower than in North Sea and high sulfur oil, suggesting that the effect of the oil matrix has switched from suppression of propagation reactions to enhancement of initiation reactions. The activation energy for doped hexadecane cracking in sealed glass capillaries ranges from about 53 kcal/mol in a North Sea oil to about 62 kcal/mol in high paraffin and high sulfur oils. These values are both lower than for neat hexadecane over the same temperature range but still imply substantial subsurface stability for crude oil.
Capital flows and the process of financial hegemony

Among the most vexed issues in the sociology of business has been the identification of the conditions under which conflict has been resolved or unity established. Managerialists since Berle and Means have asserted the autonomy of the modern large corporation and this is the foundation for their assumption that capitalist class unity is impossible to achieve. 1 Critics of this view, both Marxist 2 and non-Marxist 3 have challenged the idea of business disunity without questioning the premise of corporate autonomy. They argue that united action is possible either through consensus of interest among firms, or by the imposition of common policy through state action.