cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Chemically Inert Hydrocarbon-Based Slurries for Rapid Laser Sintering of Thin Proton-Conducting Ceramics

Abstract The process of rapid laser sintering of thin BaZrO3–BaCeO3-based proton-conducting electrolytes is being developed for easy fabrication of ceramic fuel cells and electrolyzers. However, cracks on the electrolytes caused by volume change due to chemical reactions between the basic ceramic constituents and the polar solvents during wet processing has been problematic. In order to address this issue, the use of chemically inert saturated-hydrocarbon-based slurries comprised of hexadecane, polybutene, and a long-chain saturated fatty acid were investigated in this work. By optimizing slurry composition and laser sintering conditions, a 20 mm long, 4 mm wide, 13.5-μm-thick and 97%-dense BaCe0.7Zr0.1Y0.07Sm0.13O3-d membrane showing proton conductivity on the order of 10−4 S•cm−1 at 600 °C was successfully prepared in just three seconds by laser sintering. The use of saturated-hydrocarbon-based slurries will facilitate wet processing and rapid laser sintering of proton-conducting ceramic electrolytes.
A Multi-level Biosensor-based Epidemic Simulation Model for COVID-19

In order to design effective public health policies to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, local governments and organizations must be able to forecast the expected number of cases in their area. Although researchers have developed individual models for predicting COVID-19 based on sensor data without requiring a test, less research has been conducted on how to leverage those individual predictions in forecasting virus spread for determining hierarchical predictions from the community level to the state level. The Multi-Level Adaptive and Dynamic Biosensor Epidemic Model, or m-ADBio, is designed to improve on the traditional SEIR model used to forecast the spread of COVID-19. In this study, the predictive performance of m-ADBio is examined at the state, county, and community levels through numerical experimentation. We find that the model improves over SEIR at all levels, but especially at the community level, where the m-ADBio model with sensor-based initial values yielded no statistically significant difference between the forecasted cases and the true observed data -meaning that the model was highly accurate. Therefore, the m-ADBio model is expected to provide a more timely and accurate forecast to help policymakers optimize pandemic management strategy. IEEE
Syndromes of Corruption: Wealth, Power, and Democracy

Corruption is a threat to democracy and economic development in many societies. It arises in the ways people pursue, use and exchange wealth and power, and in the strength or weakness of the state, political and social institutions that sustain and restrain those processes. Differences in these factors, Michael Johnston argues, give rise to four major syndromes of corruption: Influence Markets, Elite Cartels, Oligarchs and Clans, and Official Moguls. In this 2005 book, Johnston uses statistical measures to identify societies in each group, and case studies to show that the expected syndromes do arise. Countries studied include the United States, Japan and Germany (Influence Markets); Italy, Korea and Botswana (Elite Cartels); Russia, the Philippines and Mexico (Oligarchs and Clans); and China, Kenya, and Indonesia (Offical Moguls). A concluding chapter explores reform, emphasising the ways familiar measures should be applied - or withheld, lest they do harm - with an emphasis upon the value of 'deep democratisation'.
Body Composition in HIV Lipodystrophy

The puzzling constellation of fat distribution abnormalities have been noted in HIV-infected patients in the current era include both fat accumulation (visceral obesity, buffalo hump, lipomatosis, and breast enlargement), and regional fat loss (face, buttocks, appendices, and subcutaneous abdominal fat) (Table 1). Although a variety of terms have been used to describe these changes in the aggregate, there is as yet no consensus case definition or uniform classification system. Attempts to arrive at consensus have been confounded by uncertainty over whether these changes represent one syndrome or several. Moreover, as is discussed elsewhere in this book, although these changes were initially ascribed to protease inhibitor (PI) therapy, it is now recognized that the etiology is multifactorial. Both PIs and nucleoside analogue reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs), as well as non-drug factors, have been implicated. Given the uncertainties over etiology and classification systems, we will briefly describe each of the types of abnormal fat distribution individually and their potential clinical significance; and then discuss studies in which fat distribution has been quantified in HIV-infected adults.
A physical model for strain accumulation in the San Francisco Bay region: Stress evolution since 1838

[1] Understanding of the behavior of plate boundary zones has progressed to the point where reasonably comprehensive physical models can predict their evolution. The San Andreas fault system in the San Francisco Bay region (SFBR) is dominated by a few major faults whose behavior over about one earthquake cycle is fairly well understood. By combining the past history of large ruptures on SFBR faults with a recently proposed physical model of strain accumulation in the SFBR, we derive the evolution of regional stress from 1838 until the present. This effort depends on (1) an existing compilation of the source properties of historic and contemporary SFBR earthquakes based on documented shaking, geodetic data, and seismic data (Bakun, 1999) and (2) a few key parameters of a simple regional viscoelastic coupling model constrained by recent GPS data (Pollitz and Nyst, 2004). Although uncertainties abound in the location, magnitude, and fault geometries of historic ruptures and the physical model relies on gross simplifications, the resulting stress evolution model is sufficiently detailed to provide a useful window into the past stress history. In the framework of Coulomb failure stress, we find that virtually all M � 5.8 earthquakes prior to 1906 and M � 5.5 earthquakes after 1906 are consistent with stress triggering from previous earthquakes. These events systematically lie in zones of predicted stress concentration elevated 5–10 bars above the regional average. The SFBR is predicted to have emerged from the 1906 ‘‘shadow’’ in about 1980, consistent with the acceleration in regional seismicity at that time. The stress evolution model may be a reliable indicator of the most likely areas to experience M � 5.5 shocks in the future. INDEX TERMS: 1206 Geodesy and Gravity: Crustal movements—interplate (8155); 1236 Geodesy and Gravity: Rheology of the lithosphere and mantle (8160); 1243 Geodesy and Gravity: Space geodetic surveys; KEYWORDS: crustal deformation, plate boundary zones, viscoelastic relaxation, San Francisco Bay Region
A Context Sensitive Natural Language Modality for an Intelligent Room

This paper describes the design and implementation of a natural language interface to a highly interactive space known as the Intelligent Room. We introduce a data structure called a recognition forest, which simplifies incorporation of non-linguistic contextual information about the human-level events going on in the Intelligent Room into its speech understanding system. This aim of using context has been to allow multiple applications—all of which support a relatively high degree of natural syntactic variability—to run simultaneously in the Intelligent Room.
Changing attitudes and facilitating understanding in the undergraduate statistics classroom: A collaborative learning approach

Collaborative and problem-based learning strategies are theorized to be effective methods for strengthening undergraduate science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education. Peer-Led Team Learning (PLTL) is a collaborative learning technique that engages students in problem solving and discussion under the guidance of a trained peer facilitator. This comparative study investigates the impact of a PLTL-based learning community program on both content mastery and dispositions of undergraduate students taking an introductory course in applied statistics. Results suggest that students participating in the learning community program acquired significantly greater content mastery in statistics when compared to non-participating peers. Moreover, the learning community experience may provide students with a buffer against developing the negative attitudes and perceptions that often pervade the undergraduate applied statistics classroom.
A Model of the Natural Rate of Unemployment

Since the publication of Edmund Phelps' volume, the "new" macroeconomics has treated the labor market as a dynamic process of rational search by unemployed workers for available vacancies. Wages are viewed as at least potentially flexible, though free contracting between workers and firms may lead to fixed wages in the short run. Imperfect information is a crucial element of the theory, for it implies both a need for contracting and a need for rational search rather than simple market clearing in each period. A positive rate of frictional unemployment may exist in equilibrium, denoted as the "natural" rate. This unemployment is due to the frictions in the search process and imperfections in information rather than to any deficiency in aggregate demand. Milton Friedman defined the natural rate as
Towards a compiler for business-IT systems: a vision statement complemented with a research agenda

Business information systems and enterprise applications have continuously evolved into Business-IT systems over the last decades, directly linking and integrating Business Process Management with recent technology evolutions such as Web services and Service-Oriented Architectures. Many of these technological evolutions include areas of past academic research: Business rules closely relate to expert systems, Semantic Web technology uses results from description logics, attempts have been made to compose Web services using intelligent planning techniques, and the analysis of business processes and Web service choreographies often relies on model checking. As such, many of the problems that arise with these new technologies have been solved at least in principle. However, if we try to apply these "in principle" solutions, we are confronted with the failure of these solutions in practice: many proposed solution techniques do not scale to the real-world requirements or they rely on assumptions that are not satisfied by Business-IT systems. As has been observed previously, research in this area is fragmented and does not follow a truly interdisciplinary approach. To overcome this fragmentation, we propose the vision of a compiler for Business-IT systems that takes business process specifications described at various degrees of detail as input and compiles them into executable IT systems. As any classical compiler, the parsing, analysis, optimization, code generation and linking phases are supported. We describe a set of ten research problems that we see as critical to bring our compiler vision to reality.
Computing and Visualizing Constant-Curvature Metrics on Hyperbolic 3-Manifolds with Boundaries

Almost all three dimensional manifolds admit canonical metricswith constant sectional curvature. In this paper we proposed a newalgorithm pipeline to compute such canonical metrics for hyperbolic3-manifolds with high genus boundary surfaces. The computation isbased on the discrete curvature flow for 3-manifolds, where themetric is deformed in an angle-preserving fashion until thecurvature becomes uniform inside the volume and vanishes on theboundary. We also proposed algorithms to visualize the canonicalmetric by realizing the volume in the hyperbolic spaceℍ3, both in single period and in multiple periods.The proposed methods could not only facilitate the theoreticalstudy of 3-manifold topology and geometry using computers, but alsohave great potentials in volumetric parameterizations, 3D shapecomparison, volumetric biomedical image analysis and etc.
Grain-Boundary and Free-Surface Induced Thermodynamic Melting: A Molecular Dynamics Study in Silicon

It is well known that melting of a solid generally proceeds from the surface. For example, it was observed in measurements on silica1 and phosphorous pentoxide2 that melting was not a homogeneous process; invariably it occurred at free surfaces and grain boundaries. A variety of experimental data now exists which points to the controlling role of an extrinsic surface.3 Small atomic clusters, with a significant fraction of the particles on or close to the surface, have been observed to exhibit quite different melting behavior from that of the bulk substance; for example, melting-point depression of up to 30% has been measured in metal clusters of diameter 20–30A4, as has substantial superheating of argon bubbles of similar size formed in an aluminum lattice,5 and of hydrogen bubbles in amorphous silicon.6 Superheating has also been observed recently in small single crystals of silver coated with gold, the latter with a higher melting point.7 The implication of these results is that while melting is a thermodynamic transition, in general it is initiated at either an external surface or an internal interface, such as a grain boundary or a dislocation.
A polynomial approximation to the neuronal action potential as governed by the Hodgkin-Huxley equations

A numerical solution to the Hodgkin-Huxley (HH) equations is obtained with ion conductance variability as a forcing function. Next, a modified version of the ALOPEX algorithm is employed to fit a 6/sup th/ degree polynomial quotient to the numerical solution.
Strontium as a Tracer for Calcium in Biological and Clinical Research

The calcium ion is required for the operation of a number of physiological processes, such as bone and tooth formation, blood coagulation, nerve impulse transmission, and muscle contraction. At the cellular-biochemical level, the calcium ion participates in signal transduction and is a significant factor in cell replication and cell division. The ultimate source of this important element is the diet, and the proper absorption of calcium is required to meet body needs. Abnormal or inadequate calcium absorption is a contributing factor in certain disease states, including osteoporosis, vitamin D-deficiency rickets, vitamin D-dependent rickets types I and II, and chronic renal failure, to name a few. The continued study of calcium absorption and calcium metabolism in animals and humans is essential for further elucidation of basic mechanisms, for understanding of disease processes, and for assessment of the efficacy of therapeutic strategies. Importantly, the use of tracer methodologies in studies of calcium metabolism has provided valuable information not otherwise attainable. The radionuclides of calcium that have been widely used with considerable advantage as tracers in the study of calcium and bone metabolism are the beta-emitting Ca and the gamma-emitting Ca. However, the use of radioactive substances in basic and clinical research is dwindling because of the costs of radionuclides, the costs of disposal of radioactive wastes, and the justifiable reticence of giving potentially hazardous radionuclides to human subjects, particularly to the young and the pregnant. Stable isotopes of calcium are available that have been beneficially used in human and animal studies but here the disadvantages are the cost of the stable isotopes of calcium (Ca, Ca) and the more specialized equipment required for their analysis. For these and other reasons, researchers have turned to the use of strontium as a surrogate for calcium. The strontium and the calcium ions, members of the …
Effect of diltiazem on skeletal muscle 3-O-methylglucose transport in bacteremic rats

This study examined whether alterations in cellular Ca2+ regulation contribute to previously observed changes in skeletal muscle sugar transport during bacteremia. Fasted male rats received saline (control) or bacteria (4 X 10(10) Escherichia coli/kg) intraperitoneally. Twelve hours later, basal and insulin-mediated 3-O-methylglucose (3MG) transport was measured in isolated soleus muscles. Measurements of 3MG transport in the presence of cytochalasin b or at a low temperature (0.5 degree C) indicated that altered sugar transport in bacteremic rat muscles was not due to nonspecific membrane permeability changes. To determine the role of Ca2+ in the pathogenesis of altered sugar transport during bacteremia, rats were treated with the Ca2+ antagonist diltiazem (DZ, 0.6-2.4 mg/kg) at various times (0, 0 + 7.5, 10 h) after saline or bacterial injection. In bacteremic rats given 2.4 mg/kg DZ at 10 h, basal and insulin-mediated transport were similar to control values. This dose of DZ had little effect on control muscles. The addition of 20 microM DZ to the incubation media did not affect basal or insulin-mediated 3MG transport in bacteremic rat muscles. Addition of the Ca2+ agonist BAY K 8644 to the incubation media had no effect on sugar transport in bacteremic rat muscles but caused alterations in control rat muscles that were comparable to those observed in bacteremia. These results suggest that alterations in Ca2+ regulation could contribute to the previously observed changes in sugar transport in skeletal muscles from bacteremic rats.
Circling the Drain: Why Creativity Won’t Be Coming to School Today, or Ever

We hear a lot of talk, recently, about America’s deepening “creativity crisis” (Seargeant Richardson, 2011) and what schools can do to resolve it. To whatever extent such a crisis is real (Schrage, 2010), we should not expect schools to be part of the solution. From its inception, compulsory schooling in the United States has always served the values of our nation’s dominant institutions and the interests of the social, political, and economic elites who own, control, and benefit most from the social arrangements and relations engendered by those institutions. To organize and operate a set of institutions dedicated to promoting critical and creative thought would run counter to those dominant values and interests by developing the cognitive habits among the population that could render them less susceptible to easy government and corporate manipulation. Therefore, so long as those values and interests remain dominant within the larger society, they will remain dominant within schools, thereby limiting the extent to which schools will ever nurture creativity and critical reflection.
Analyses of 4f11 Energy Levels and Transition Intensities Between Stark Levels of Er3+ in Y3Al5O12

ABSTRACT Absorption and fluorescence spectra obtained at temperatures as low as 4 K were investigated between 200 and 1550 nm on samples containing approximately 1.2 at. wt. % Er in Y3Al5O12 (YAG). Within this wavelength range 125 experimental energy (Stark) levels were analyzed, representing data that span 29 2S+1 L J multiplet manifolds of Er3+(4f11) in D2 sites up to an energy of 44,000 cm−1. Agreement between calculated and observed Stark levels was achieved with an r.m.s. deviation of 11.2 cm−1. These transitions originate from the ground-state Stark level in the 4I15/2 manifold to J + 1/2 Stark levels associated with each of the 28 excited-state manifolds. A total of 88 ground-state absorption transition line strengths were measured for 19 2S+1 L J multiplet manifolds between 280 and 1550 nm. For line strength measurements, the Er3+ ion is assumed to be distributed homogeneously throughout the D2 cation sites of Y3+ in the lattice. The line strengths were analyzed with a weighted (E i − C i )/E i ,...
Age and sex differences in inhospital complication rates and mortality after percutaneous coronary intervention procedures: evidence from the NCDR(®).

Background Older women experience higher complication rates and mortality after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) than men, but there is limited evidence about sex-based differences in outcomes among younger patients. We compared rates of complications and inhospital mortality by sex for younger and older PCI patients. Methods A total of 1,079,751 hospital admissions for PCI were identified in the CathPCI Registry® from 2005 to 2008. Complication rates (general, bleeding, bleeding with transfusion, and vascular) and inhospital mortality after PCI were compared by sex and age ( Results Overall, 6% of patients experienced complications, and 1% died inhospital. Unadjusted complication rates were higher for women compared with men in both age groups. In risk-adjusted analyses, younger women (odds ratio 1.24, 95% CI 1.16-1.33) and older women (1.27, 1.09-1.47) were more likely to experience any complication than similarly aged men. The increased risk persisted across complication categories and PCI type. Within age groups, risk-adjusted mortality was marginally higher for young women (1.19, 1.00-1.41), but not for older women (1.03, 0.97-1.10). In analyses stratified by PCI type, young women had twice the mortality risk after an elective procedure as young men (2.04, 1.15-3.61). Conclusions Women, regardless of age, experience more complications after PCI than men; young women are at increased mortality risk after an elective PCI. Identifying strategies to reduce adverse outcomes, particularly for women younger than 55 years, is important.
Myosin rod phosphorylation and the catch state of molluscan muscles.

"Catch" is a prolonged state of tension in molluscan smooth muscles shown by mechanical measurements to be associated with the level of protein phosphorylation. Myosin isolated from these muscles is unusual in being phosphorylated in the rod portion by an endogenous kinase, like certain nonmuscle myosins. These findings suggest that the myosin rod is a target for phosphorylation and that this reaction may control the transition from catch to relaxation.
Gender-Dependent Correlations of Carotid Intima–Media Thickness with Gene Expression in Blood

The mechanisms underlying gender differences in stroke incidence, risk, and outcome are uncertain. We sought to determine whether transcriptional profiles of circulating blood cells of men and women differentially correlated with carotid artery intima–media thickness (CIMT), a predictor of atherosclerosis and stroke risk. Gene expression in whole blood was measured using Affymetrix expression arrays in men (n = 17) and women (n = 35), aged 45–64 years, with at least one risk factor for stroke. Mean average CIMT was measured using B-mode ultrasound. Expression levels of 746 genes positively and 292 genes negatively correlated with CIMT only in women (p < 0.05); 881 genes positively and 597 genes negatively correlated with CIMT only in men (p < 0.05). Forty-one genes correlated with CIMT in men and women, but in opposite directions. These genes were associated with estrogen, cholesterol and lipid metabolism, inflammation, coagulation, and vasoreactivity. This pilot study provides the first proof of principle that gene expression in blood cells correlates with CIMT. These results point to potential pathophysiological mechanisms underlying sex differences in stroke risk. Since the sample size is small, the findings are preliminary and need to be confirmed in independent, larger studies.
My experiment with open science: Why the benefits of sharing go beyond source code

I briefly describe three themes that help maximize the benefits of an open science approach towards code, literature, discussions, and lab notebooks.
Integral approximations for molecular orbital theory

The electron repulsion integrals arising in LCAO-MO theory are approximated by replacement of the product of two orbitals on different centers by linear combinations of one-center products. The approximation differs from those previously proposed in that the coefficients of the various terms are determined by requiring agreement for certain integrals, and in the emphasis of the role of symmetry in selecting the one-center products. For two-center integrals, the new approximation is significantly better than older approximate methods. Reasons are given for expecting this improvement to extend also to multi-center integrals.
CAS promotes invasiveness of Src-transformed cells

CAS ('Crk-associated substrate') is an Src substrate found at sites of integrin-mediated cell adhesion and linked to cell motility and survival. In this study, the involvement of CAS in oncogenic transformation was evaluated through analysis of mouse embryo fibroblast populations expressing an activated Src mutant, either in the presence or absence of CAS expression. CAS was not found to be a critical determinant of either Src-mediated morphologic transformation or anchorage-independent growth. However, CAS had a profound effect on other aspects of oncogenic Src function. CAS expression led to a substantial increase in the phosphotyrosine content of FAK and paxillin, supporting a role for CAS as a positive regulator of Src activity at integrin adhesion sites. Importantly, CAS expression resulted in a striking enhancement of the capacity of Src-transformed cells to invade through Matrigel. The increased invasiveness was associated with increased activation of matrix metalloproteinase MMP-2 and formation of large actin-rich podosomal aggregates appearing as ring and belt structures. Thus, elevated CAS-associated tyrosine phosphorylation signaling events occurring at sites of integrin-mediated cell adhesion can have a major role in the development of an invasive cell phenotype.
Abstract 3311: The cholesterol/ 27-hydroxycholesterol axis is a novel therapeutic target in castrate resistant prostate cancer

Proceedings: AACR Annual Meeting 2014; April 5-9, 2014; San Diego, CA The most recent estimates indicate that men have a seventeen percent chance of developing invasive prostate cancer (PCa) over their lifetime. This makes PCa the most commonly diagnosed malignancy among men in industrialized countries, accounting for the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths. Although PCa almost always develops resistance to androgen-deprivation therapy, both androgen receptor (AR) itself and the processes downstream of the receptor remain active and are necessary for cancer progression and thus continue to be viable targets for therapeutic intervention. In this regard, it is of significance that several independent studies demonstrate a link between elevated intra-prostatic levels of cholesterol and the presence of malignancy. This puts into context our current finding that 27-hydroxycholesterol (27HC), a primary metabolite of cholesterol, regulates pathways and processes that oppose AR action. For example, AR activation results in a net uptake of cholesterol by PCa cells and enhances denovo lipogenesis, while 27HC down-regulates genes involved in cholesterol uptake and activates those involved in its efflux. More importantly, we show that treatment of PCa cell lines with 27HC inhibits their proliferation, an activity that is reversed upon supplementing the cells with an exogenous source of cholesterol or upon over-expression of low density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR), a membrane protein that mediates the uptake of cholesterol. In prostatic tissues, 27HC is synthesized directly from cholesterol by the cytochrome P450 enzyme, CYP27A1. To further highlight the above axis as a novel therapeutic target, using data mining approaches from clinical databases, we show that (1) transcript levels of CYP27A1 are dramatically down-regulated during PCa progression and (2) patients whose tumors express high levels of CYP27A1transcript exhibit longer disease free survival. Most notably, we were able to show that over-expression of CYP27A1 inhibits the proliferation of PCa cell lines in vitro and delays the growth of xenografts in castrated immune-deficient mice. In summary, our data thus far strongly implicates that CYP27A1 is a potential tumor suppressor in PCa and highlights the cholesterol/27HC axis as a target for the development of novel therapeutics for castrate resistant disease. Citation Format: Mahmoud A. Alfaqih, Erik R. Nelson, Rachid Safi, Jeff Jasper, Ching-yi Chang, Stephen J. Freedland, Donald P. McDonnell. The cholesterol/ 27-hydroxycholesterol axis is a novel therapeutic target in castrate resistant prostate cancer. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr 3311. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-3311
The Polybasic Region of Rac1 Modulates Bacterial Uptake Independently of Self-association and Membrane Targeting

The COOH-terminal polybasic region (PBR) of Rac1, a Rho family GTPase member, is required for Rac1 self-association, membrane localization, nuclear translocation, and interaction with downstream effectors. We previously demonstrated that phosphatidylinositol-4-phosphate 5-kinase, one of the effectors that requires the polybasic region for interaction, is necessary for efficient invasin-promoted uptake of Yersinia pseudotuberculosis by nonphagocytic cells. Here we further examined the role of this region in invasin-promoted uptake. Using fluorescence resonance energy transfer experiments (FRET), we determined that engagement of integrin receptors by invasin caused elevated levels of Rac1 self-association at the site of bacterial adhesion in a PBR-dependent fashion. Self-association could be disrupted using several strategies: translocation of the Yersinia YopT prenylcysteine protease into host cells, inactivation of the Rac1 isoprenylation signal that is required for membrane localization, and elimination of the PBR. Disruption in each case impaired invasin-promoted uptake. To determine if there is a role for the PBR in Rac1 effector signaling that was independent of its role in membrane localization or multimerization, we examined the effect of the PBR in the context of a Rac1 derivative that was targeted to the membrane via an NH2-terminal lipid tail. The membrane-targeted Rac1 derivative restored significant invasin-promoted bacterial uptake in a PBR-dependent manner and yet displayed no detectable self-association. This study indicates that, in addition to its role in promoting membrane localization, the PBR exerts a positive effect on Rac1-controlled bacterial uptake that is independent of Rac1 self-association, most likely due to signaling to downstream effectors.
On the X-ray spectrum of the volume emissivity arising from Abell clusters

HEAO 1 A-2 X-ray spectra (2-15 keV) for an optically selected sample of Abell clusters of galaxies with z less than 0.1 have been analyzed to determine the energy dependence of the cosmological X-ray volume emissivity arising from such clusters. This spectrum is well fitted by an isothermal-bremsstrahlung model with kT = 7.4 + or - 1.5 KeV. This result is a test of the isothermal-volume-emissivity spectrum to be inferred from the conjecture that all contributing clusters may be characterized by kT = 7 keV, as assumed by McKee et al. (1980) in estimating the underlying luminosity function for the same sample. Although satisfied at the statistical level indicated, the analysis of a low-luminosity subsample suggests that this assumption of identical isothermal spectra would lead to a systematic error for a more statistically precise determination of the luminosity function's form.
Differential success rates in racial groups: Results of a clinical trial of smoking cessation among female prisoners

Introduction This study replicated prior observations of racial differences in smoking cessation in which Black smokers have demonstrated lower smoking cessation rates than White smokers.
Dual control of glut1 glucose transporter gene expression by hypoxia and by inhibition of oxidative phosphorylation.

Abstract glut1 gene expression and glucose transport are stimulated in a variety of cells and tissues in response to hypoxia. glut1 is also up-regulated by inhibitors of oxidative phosphorylation (such as azide) in the presence of oxygen. Here, we test the hypothesis that hypoxia stimulates glut1 gene expression independent of its inhibitory effect on oxidative phosphorylation. We examined the effect of cobalt chloride, a known stimulator of genes responsive to reduced oxygen concentration per se, on GLUT1 expression under normoxic conditions and compared the results with the response to azide. Exposure of a rat liver cell line (Clone 9) to 250 μM cobalt chloride increases GLUT1 mRNA content, which becomes evident at 2 h, reaches a maximal value of ∼12-fold at 8 h, and remains elevated at ∼8-fold at 24 h. GLUT1 mRNA was the only GLUT isoform expressed in control cells and in cells exposed to cobalt chloride or azide. The induction of GLUT1 mRNA by cobalt chloride is associated with a ∼10-fold stimulation of cytochalasin B-inhibitable 3-O-methyl-D-glucose transport at 24 h. In contrast to the rapid decrease in cell ATP levels and the stimulation of glucose transport in response to azide, cell ATP content and glucose transport remained unaltered during the initial 1-h period of exposure to cobalt chloride. The effect of cobalt chloride on GLUT1 mRNA content is mimicked by Ni(II) or Mn(II) but not by Fe(II). Employing actinomycin D, we found no increase in the ∼1.5-h half-life of GLUT1 mRNA in cobalt chloride-treated cells, suggesting that the effect of cobalt chloride on GLUT1 mRNA content is largely mediated at the transcriptional level; in contrast, GLUT1 mRNA half-life increased to >8 h in azide-treated cells. In transient transfections we found that ∼6 kilobase pairs (kbp) of 5′-flanking region of the rat glut1 promoter confers both cobalt chloride- and azide-inducibility to a reporter gene. Deletion of ∼2,500 base pairs (bp) from the 5′ end of the ∼6-kbp DNA fragment results in a reduction of the response to cobalt chloride and a complete loss of the response to azide. A 666-bp DNA segment located ∼6.0 kbp upstream of the transcription start site was found to be necessary for the increase in reporter gene expression in response to azide, whereas a 480-bp segment located at approximately −3.5 kbp mediated the response to cobalt chloride. The 480-bp segment is highly homologous to the previously reported mouse glut1 enhancer and contains several potential regulatory elements, including a hypoxia-inducible element; an additional hypoxia-inducible element is present in the 666-bp segment. Our results suggest that glut1 gene expression is regulated in a dual fashion by hypoxia per se and in response to inhibition of oxidative phosphorylation.
3-D Perspective Primary Flight Displays for Aircraft

Using a 3-D perspective display, Stanford University has flown numerous approaches and missed approaches. The system has been flown extensively on a Beechcraft Queen Air in the working air traffic environment. Inflight evaluations included tunnel approaches overlaid on existing non-precision procedures, curved and segmented approaches, traffic patterns flown by instrument reference, and skywriting with GPS. Augmentations to the perspective flight display, including perspective terrain and dynamic terrain alerting, are viable and improve pilots' situational awareness.
Endoscopy in the management of chronic pancreatitis

Commentary Chronic pancreatitis is a chronic inflammatory disorder characterized by intermittent or continuous abdominal and/or back pain, eventual exocrine and endocrine insufficiency, and complications ranging from biliary strictures and pancreatic pseudocysts to pseudoaneurysms of related arteries. The goals of pancreatic endotherapy include relief of chronic pain from pancreatic duct (PD) obstruction (secondary to stones, strictures, papillary stenosis, and anatomic abnormality), stent placement for ductal disruptions, and treatment of related complications, including biliary obstruction and pseudocysts. John Baillie, MD, discusses the indications for endoscopic intervention in chronic pancreatitis patients. Grace Elta, MD Editor
β-Arrestin–Biased Agonism of the Angiotensin Receptor Induced by Mechanical Stress

beta-Arrestins, which were originally characterized as terminators of heterotrimeric guanine nucleotide-binding protein (G protein)-coupled receptor (GPCR) signaling, also act as important signal transducers. An emerging concept in GPCR signaling is beta-arrestin-biased agonism, in which specific ligand-activated GPCR conformational states selectively signal through beta-arrestins, rather than through G proteins. Here, we show that mechanical stretch induced beta-arrestin-biased signaling downstream of angiotensin II type I receptors (AT1Rs) in the absence of ligand or G protein activation. Mechanical stretch triggered an AT1R-mediated conformational change in beta-arrestin similar to that induced by a beta-arrestin-biased ligand to selectively stimulate receptor signaling in the absence of detectable G protein activation. Hearts from mice lacking beta-arrestin or AT1Rs failed to induce responses to mechanical stretch, as shown by blunted extracellular signal-regulated kinase and Akt activation, impaired transactivation of the epidermal growth factor receptor, and enhanced myocyte apoptosis. These data show that the heart responds to acute increases in mechanical stress by activating beta-arrestin-mediated cell survival signals.
Equilibrium, stability and evolution of elastic plates under the combined effects of stress and surface diffusion

Summary The particles in an elastic plate are permitted to move by a surface diffusion process subject to the constraint that the total free energy does not increase. The static equilibrium, the quasistatic linear stability, and the quasi-static nonlinear evolution of the surface are examined under different loading conditions: tensile/compressive or #exural. The equilibrium con"gurations are such that the surface value of the chemical potential is constant, and their shapes depend upon the relative magnitude of elastic to surface energies. A linear stability analysis indicates that antisymmetric perturbations to the surface pro"le of a #at plate are most unstable for tensile loading and symmetric perturbations display the greatest instability under #exure. A new model for nonlinear non-equilibrium mechanics of thin plates is described and analysed. The main feature is that the elastic energy at the surface is approximated by that of an equivalent thin plate in a state of uniaxial stress, even as the pro"le changes. Nonlinear evolution of a perturbed #at plate is illustrated by numerical solution. A crevice gradually develops in the plate, eventually leading to rapid rupture and breakage. Scaling analysis near the ultimate rupture indicates a simple spatial and temporal dependence. The competition between the stabilizing effects of surface tension (energy) and the destabilizing effect of stress driven diffusion of surface particles has been proposed as a mechanism for the early stages of stress corrosion cracking and surface roughening (1). The diffusion causes material rearrangement in which atoms search for surface sites of lower chemical potential, away from stress concentrations. This effect has been shown to be unstable to linear perturbation (2, 3, 4), indicating that #at strained surfaces are inherently unstable, and the instability is independent of the sign of the stress: compressive or tensile. The consequent nonlinear evolution of stressed elastic half-spaces has been examined by several authors (5, 6, 7). For example, Yang and Srolovitz (5) showed that the surface instability creates a groove which steadily sharpens as it deepens. The rate of growth of the groove increases until it appears to diverge. Based upon an extensive series of numerical studies, Yang and Srolovitz were able to show that the critical groove depth at which the growth rate diverges is in excellent agreement with linear fracture mechanics. In fact, they reproduced the Grif"th fracture criterion on the basis of surface diffusion alone, with no adjustable parameters. Experimental evidence for the stress-driven surface instability has been forthcoming, and it has been used to explain effects in diverse material con"gurations such as helium crystals (8), polymer
Work—Home Conflict A Study of the Effects of Role Conflict on Military Officer Turnover Intention

This research examined work and family influences on military officers' retention decisions. Work—home conflict was used to predict retention decisions of military officers. Results indicated that work-related variables had insignificant effects on turnover intentions, a finding contrary to work—family literature that suggests work-related experiences are more likely to predict turnover intentions than family-related experiences. Family satisfaction with military life affected retention decisions, suggesting that members considered their families' satisfaction with military life above their own work-related attitudes. Results indicated that as family members' general satisfaction with military life improved, a corresponding positive effect on the members' willingness to remain in the service resulted.
The imprecision of traditional welfare measures in empirical applications

fiC Bureau of Economics working papers are preliminary materials circulated to stimulate discussion and critical comment All data contained in them are in the public domain. This includes information obtained by the Commi on which has become part of public record. The analyses and conclusions set forth are those of the authors and do not necessarily rellect the views of other members of the Bureau of Economics, other Commission staff, or the Commission itself. Upon request, single copies of the paper will be provided. References in publications to FfC Bureau of Economics working papers by FfC economists (other than acknowledgement by a writer that he has access to such unpublished materials) should be cleared with the author to protect the tentative character of these papers.
Understanding health care personnel's attitudes toward mandatory influenza vaccination

Background This study investigated the factors influencing influenza vaccination rates among health care personnel (HCP) and explored HCP's attitudes toward a policy of mandatory vaccination. Methods In September 2012, a 33-item Web-based questionnaire was administered to 3,054 HCP employed at a tertiary care hospital in metropolitan Detroit. Results There was a significant increase in the rate of influenza vaccination, from 80% in the 2010-2011 influenza season (before the mandated influenza vaccine) to 93% in 2011-2012 (after the mandate) ( P P = .01). Conclusions The increased rate of influenza vaccination among HCP was driven by both an awareness of the mandatory policy and a pro-mandate attitude toward vaccination. The findings of this study call for better education of HCP on the influenza vaccine along with enforcement of a mandatory vaccination policy.
Policy designs in a dynamic model of infant industry protection

Abstract This paper takes the neoclassical infant industry model, allows agents to respond to future expectations, and reveals previously unexplained relationships between protection and outcome. Policy, which projects to protect the industry until international competitiveness, may not necessarily succeed, consistent to the mixed empirical evaluations. To guarantee success, protection has to last longer. However, for success to be an equilibrium, protection can last shorter. Decline after take off is also an equilibrium. When adjustment speed is bounded, increasing the protection rate is not isomorphic to decreasing its duration. In policy design, adjustment speed, critical industry scale, and policy duration are all relevant.
Membrane-Bending Mechanism of Amphiphysin N-BAR Domains

BAR domains are highly conserved protein domains participating in a diversity of cellular processes that involve membrane remodeling. The mechanisms underlying such remodeling are debated. For the relatively well-studied case of amphiphysin N-BAR domain, one suggested mechanism involves scaffolding, i.e., binding of a negatively charged membrane to the protein's positively charged curved surface. An alternative mechanism suggests that insertion of the protein's N-terminal amphipathic segments (N-helices H0) into the membrane leads to bending. Here, we address the issue through all-atom and coarse-grained simulations of multiple amphiphysin N-BAR domains and their components interacting with a membrane. We observe that complete N-BAR domains and BAR domains without H0s bend the membrane, but H0s alone do not, which suggests that scaffolding, rather than helix insertion, plays a key role in membrane sculpting by amphiphysin N-BAR domains.
Mathematical analysis of multiscale models for hepatitis C virus dynamics under therapy with direct-acting antiviral agents

Chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection remains a world-wide public health problem. Therapy with interferon and ribavirin leads to viral elimination in less than 50% of treated patients. New treatment options aiming at a higher cure rate are focused on direct-acting antiviral agents (DAAs), which directly interfere with different steps in the HCV life cycle. In this paper, we describe and analyze a recently developed multiscale model that predicts HCV dynamics under therapy with DAAs. The model includes both intracellular viral RNA replication and extracellular viral infection. We calculate the steady states of the model and perform a detailed stability analysis. With certain assumptions we obtain analytical approximations of the viral load decline after treatment initiation. One approximation agrees well with the prediction of the model, and can conveniently be used to fit patient data and estimate parameter values. We also discuss other possible ways to incorporate intracellular viral dynamics into the multiscale model.
The effect of anticancer therapy on peripheral blood T and B lymphocyte counts and function

Patients categorized according to tumor type were compared to a control nontumor population. Comparison of relative T cell values among the groups showed no significant differences; however, when absolute numbers of T cells/ mm3 were compared, all cancer patients, whether from treated or untreated groups, had significantly depressed T cell values. No significant differences were observed in the relative or absolute numbers of B cells. Comparison of the total lymphocyte response to PHA showed no significant differences among the various cancer groups; however, response in all cancer groups whether from treated or untreated patients, was depressed by comparison to the control group. Patients categorized according to the type of treatment received showed significant depression in the white blood cell count, lymphocyte count, relative and absolute T cell counts and the absolute B cell count in the postsurgery, postadjunctive therapy group. The pretherapy group also showed significant depression in the absolute number of T cells/mm3 when compared to the controls. Response to PHA correlated with the absolute T cell values.
Mode Specificity, Bond Selectivity, and Product Energy Disposal in X + CH4/CHD3 (X=H, F, O(3P), Cl, and OH) Hydrogen Abstraction Reactions: Perspective from Sudden Vector Projection Model

Reactions between methane and various radicals have become the workhorse in our understanding of mode specificity and bond selectivity in bimolecular reactions. In this work, the recently proposed Sudden Vector Projection (SVP) model is used to gain insight into the existing experimental and theoretical data on these reactions. The SVP model attributes mode specificity and bond selectivity to the coupling of reactant modes/bonds with the reaction coordinate at the transition state. In the sudden limit, the strength of the coupling can be simply computed by projecting the corresponding reactant normal mode vector onto that of the imaginary frequency mode at the saddle point. In addition, the SVP model can be used to predict energy disposal in the products, thanks to microscopic reversibility. It is shown that most of the mode-specific and bond-selective chemistry in X + CH4/CHD3 (X=H, F, O(3P), Cl, and OH) reactions can be reasonably understood with this simple model.