cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effects of 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 and 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 on embryonic chick bone in organ culture

The ability of embryonic chick bone to respond to 25 hydroxy-vitamin D3 and 1,25 dihydroxyvitamin D3 was assessed in organ culture. These metabolites were added to prelabeled chick embryo long-bone explants, and the amount of calcium-45 released into the medium after 24 or 48 h of hormone exposure was measured. For each time period a significant release of calcium-45 from hormone-treated bones was observed. The response to 25 hydroxyvitamin D3 and 1,25 dihydroxyvitamin D3 was always greater at 48 h and a clear dose-dependency was established at this time as well. 1,25 dihydroxy vitamin D3 was the more potent resorbing agent at all concentrations tested. The results from this study suggest that vitamin D metabolites may be involved in bone regulation in the chick embryo.
Turn taking in atypical conversations: the case of the speaker/augmented-communicator dyad.

Structural disturbances in conversation and their consequence for the distribution of control between partners were illustrated in a study investigating turn taking in dyads involving speech-handic...
Some estimates for normalized quasiconformal self-mappings of the unit disk

In this article, we provide an integral estimate for the boundary values of a normalized quasiconformal self-mapping of the unit disk. Estimates are also given for the partial derivative of the Douady–Earle extension.
LGBT Identity, Violence, and Social Justice: The Psychological Is Political.

This article reviews the statistical evidence of LGBT violence in the United States and in the world. In the United States the statistics are from Amnesty International and the New York City Gay and Lesbian Anti-Violence Project. Statistics and other information about LGBT violence in other countries of the world come from many different sources. Reasons why this violence exists and international human rights responses are reviewed. The authors argue for a greater role for mental health organizations in the amelioration of prejudice against LGBT people and for more involvement of these organizations in social justice issues around the world. The article concludes with recommendations for future directions.
Necrotizing Pancreatitis: Contemporary Analysis of 99 Consecutive Cases

The management of necrotizing pancreatitis (NP) has undergone considerable evolution. Although the role of surgical therapy in this condition has remained controversial, recent advances in our understanding and care of these patients have considerably focused this debate. Today, with improvements in the care of the critically ill, many patients with severe acute pancreatitis survive the early systemic inflammatory response and enter a second phase of illness dominated by sepsis and the consequences of organ failure. 1,2 Patients with significant pancreatic necrosis, at highest risk for such complications, can now be identified with contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) 3 and the presence or absence of infection can be established using fine-needle aspiration (FNA). 4 Although the need for intervention in patients with pancreatic infection is undisputed, the success of this technology in distinguishing between infected and sterile necrosis has raised the issue of whether infection should be the only indication for surgery in the initial management of NP. 5,6 Opponents of this strategy have continued to suggest that there are some patients with the most severe disease, based on the extent of necrosis or organ failure, who might benefit from debridement regardless of the status of infection. 7,8 Arguments for and against the conservative approach have been based largely on the results of select and nonrandomized series from surgical referral centers. 5–10 Despite the lack of convincing data, it was our impression that we had increasingly adopted a conservative strategy at our institution, reserving intervention for patients with documented infection or the small group of patients who recover from the acute inflammatory process but suffer from symptoms related to organized necrosis. Acknowledging our bias in favor of conservative therapy, we have remained sympathetic to the concept that there may be a subset of patients with severe sterile necrosis who would benefit from surgery regardless of the status of infection; however, it was our impression that this group is relatively small. In this context, we reviewed our institutional experience, including the entire spectrum of patients with NP, focusing on the success of conservative therapy.
Contextualizing internet use practices of the cyber‐queer: Empowering information realities in everyday life

Based on empirical research with queer students, staff, and faculty at a typical southern university in the United States, this paper reports qualitative feedback gathered from 21 gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and questioning individuals about the use of the Internet in their everyday lives. The study shares interview data and presents participant perceptions in the form of scenarios representing their typical Internet use-related experiences. Scenarios map intersections between participants' cyberspace practices and queer identity formation and help recognize participant Internet use experiences as significant to their individual, social, and community empowerment. Findings help to uncover multidimensional and complex realities in the everyday lives of queer people in terms of their personal growth, social networking, and political and community engagement, achieved via the use of the Internet, in ways that are meaningful to them.
Freedom and anonymity.

In this article the author discusses the fear of cyberattacks and why that should not lead the U.S. government to destroy Internet freedom and anonymity. He notes the online conflict caused by the release of classified U.S. government documents by the international, non-profit organization WikiLeaks, the problems that Internet site attacks and infrastructure pose to U.S. security, and discusses the need for better options to secure the Internet other than government intervention.
Optical solitons in graded-index multimode fibres

Solitons are non-dispersing localized waves that occur in diverse physical settings, including liquids, optical fibres, plasmas and condensed matter. They attract interest owing to their particle-like nature and are useful for applications such as in telecommunications. A variety of optical solitons have been observed, but versions that involve both spatial and temporal degrees of freedom are rare. Optical fibres designed to support multiple transverse modes offer opportunities to study wave propagation in a setting that is intermediate between single-mode fibre and free-space propagation. Here we report the observation of optical solitons and soliton self-frequency shifting in graded-index multimode fibre. These wave packets can be modelled as multicomponent solitons, or as solitons of the Gross-Pitaevskii equation. Solitons in graded-index fibres should enable increased data rates in low-cost telecommunications systems, are pertinent to space-division multiplexing, and can offer a new route to mode-area scaling for high-power lasers and transmission.
Thermal stability of polyethylene terephthalate

The kinetics of thermal and thermal-oxidative degradation of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) have been investigated as a function of melt temperature, melt residence time, melt environment, and drying environment. Rates of thermal and thermal-oxidative degradation were measured in terms of: weight loss of volatile degradation products, decreasing inherent viscosity, and increasing carboxyl end group concentration. Thermal-oxidative degradation was also investigated by Differential Scanning Calorimetry. Calorimetric results show that thermal-oxidative degradation of PET is an exothermic reaction, with an apparent activation energy of 117 kJ/mol. Melt temperature, melt residence time, melt environment, and drying environment have all been found to affect the degradation of PET. Analysis of inherent-viscosity kinetic data has been carried out, utilizing existing theories based on a random chain scission mechanism. Activation energies of 117 and 159 kJ/mol have been calculated for air-dried and vacuum dried samples respectively.
North Pacific warming and intense northwestern U.S. wildfires

[1] The tropical Pacific sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies such as La Nina have been an important predictor for wildfires in the southeastern and southwestern U.S. This study seeks seasonal predictors for wildfires in the northwestern U.S., a region with the most intense wildfires among various continental U.S. regions. Singular value decomposition and regression techniques are applied to summer wildfire and current and antecedent SST conditions during a period of 23 years. It is found that warming in the North Pacific is a major feature in the SST spatial pattern related to intense Northwest wildfires. The warming appeared in all the major wildfire events during the past two decades. The relation is statistically significant. The North Pacific SST, therefore, has potential to be a predictor for seasonal Northwest wildfires.
Local-composition models and prediction of binary liquid-liquid binodal curves from heats of mixing

Abstract The temperature dependence of several local-composition models has been studied in conjunction with the Gibbs-Helmholtz identity. Binary heat-of-mixing data at temperatures near but above the critical solution temperature have been used to fit parameters obtained from excess-free-energy models in conjunction with the Gibbs-Helmholtz equation. These models, if the temperature dependence is adequate, should allow prediction of liquid-liquid equilibria (LLE) from the fitted parameters. The NRTL, UNIQUAC, and modified NRTL and UNIQUAC models (modified by inclusion of temperature-dependent parameters) seldom provide even qualitatively correct LLE predictions. A new local-composition model due to Wang and Chao (1983) yields reasonably good predictions for some systems but incorrect results for others. Reasons for these model inadequacies are discussed in terms of a local-composition model for the excess enthalpy which can be used to predict binodal curves accurately, including reasonably accurate values for the critical solution temperature, if reference excess-free-energy data at higher temperatures are available from VLE maesurements.
Thyroid Disease and Cognition

Overt hypothyroidism and thyrotoxicosis are associated with significant decrements in mood and cognitive function, and therapy usually leads to improvement in these symptoms. In contrast, major affective or cognitive dysfunction is not typical of subclinical thyroid disease. Subtle deficits in specific cognitive domains (primarily working memory and executive function) likely exist in subclinical hypothyroidism and thyrotoxicosis, but these are unlikely to cause major problems in most patients. Patients with mild thyroid disease and significant distress related to mood or cognition most likely have independent diagnoses that should be evaluated and treated separately.
Projections of the cerebellar and dorsal column nuclei upon the thalamus of the rhesus monkey.

Projections from the cerebellar and dorsal column nuclei to the midbrain and thalamus of the rhesus monkey were traced with anterograde autoradiographic techniques, or, in a few cases, with the Fink-Heimer method. The cerebellar nuclei give rise to a massive projection to the contralateral midbrain and thalamus via the ascending limb of the superior cerebellar peduncle. Cerebellar efferent fibers terminate contralaterally in both divisions of the red nucleus, and bilaterally in the interstitial nucleus of Cajal, the nucleus of Darkschewitsch, the oculomotor nucleus, and the central gray. All the deep cerebellar nuclei project upon a broad area of the contralateral ventral thalamus as well as certain intralaminar nuclei. Corresponding ipsilateral thalamic terminations are sparse. The topographic organization of cerebellothalamic fibers does not correspond to individual cerebellar nuclei or to cytoarchitectonic divisions of the ventral thalamic nuclei. Rather there are longitudinally oriented strips of terminal labeling which extend through all divisions of the ventral lateral nucleus, i.e., the VLps, the VLc, the VLo, as well as nucleus X, the oral division of the ventral posterolateral nucleus (VPLo), the central lateral nucleus (CL), and the most caudal region of the ventral anterior nucleus (VA). The topography of the cerebellothalamic fibers is arranged in a mediolateral pattern with fibers originating from anterior zones of the dentate and interpositus ending most laterally and those from posterior dentate and interpositus terminating most medially. The fastigial contribution is relatively sparse. The longitudinal strips of terminal labeling in the ventral thalamic nuclei are made up of still smaller terminal units consisting of disk-like aggregates of silver grains separated from one another by grain-free spaces. The dorsal column nuclei terminate primarily in the contralateral caudal division of the VPL (VPLc) and never extend rostrally into VPLo. These results demonstrate a segregation of cerebellar and dorsal columnar inputs to motor and sensory regions of the thalamus, respectively. Since these regions are separate and discrete in their cortical associations as well (Kalil, '76), it seems unlikely that fast afferent pathways relaying to motor cortex (Lemon and Porter, '76) could arise from the dorsal column nuclei.
Ethical Problems in End-of-Life Care Decision Making Faced by Oncology Social Workers and the Need for Practice Guidelines

Difficult ethical problems are often faced by patients, families, and social workers who assist in decision-making around issues regarding end-of-life care. In qualitative interviews with 12 hospital social workers in one large urban cancer center, common ethical issues identified through thematic analysis were preservation of patients' autonomy/self-determination, beneficence of health care providers, and medical futility of end-of-life treatments. Continued communication with all parties involved was key in resolving ethical problems. Discussion, along with referrals of more complex cases to ethics committees and ethics consultation teams, also occurred. Participants further indicated the potential helpfulness of developing practice guidelines for social workers dealing with decision making about end-of-life care.
Overview of myocardial protection

M ANAGEMENT of the myocardium during cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) and the performance of corrective operations on the heart plays an important role in determining the success of the procedure. This article addresses protective management of the myocardium during the operation, because this is the area where the cardiac surgeon has the greatest responsibility. It is understood that preoperative and postoperative management are critical to myocardial protection, thus emphasizing the role of the cardiologist and anesthesiologist.‘-4 In its simplest form, myocardial protection involves manipulation of the oxygen supply/demand ratio of the heart to make this relationship as favorable as possible in a manner that still facilitates performance of the operation. Certain circumstances and qualities of CPB have been uniformly demonstrated to be detrimental to myocardial function (Table I). Any of these adverse circumstances may occur in the course of a cardiac operation, but there is a remedy for each of them. Some remedies are self-evident, as in the case of hypotension that can generally be treated with the administration of vasopressors or by increasing pump flow. Ventricular distention can be treated by reducing pump flow or by venting the left side of the heart. Ventricular fibrillation, refractory to immediate cardioversion or inconvenient for immediate cardioversion, may be well managed by ventricular decompression and raising of perfusion pressure while lowering inflow temperature. Coronary obstruction may occur by distorting the heart to expose certain coronary arteries. This is manifest by the occurrence of bradycardia, ST segment abnormalities, or loss of contractile vigor as the heart is being exposed. There are many methods available for managing the myocardium. These are listed in Table 2 in order of decreasing involvement of the
Submillimeter Fourier transform spectroscopy

At submillimeter wavelengths, broadband spectroscopy is currently possible only with a Fourier transform spectrometer (FTS). As a result, FTSes are quite useful for observations of objects in which spectral lines either cover a large frequency range, or where lines are broadened either by pressure or kinematics. Sources matching these descriptions include galaxies, hot, dense cores in interstellar molecular clouds, and planetary atmospheres. In the following, a tour of the classes of observations enabled by broadband spectroscopy is presented. As meaningful results call for attention to calibration, relevant calibration issues are discussed in the context of these observations.© (1998) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Interaction of choline with nicotinic and muscarinic cholinergic receptors in the rat brain in vitro

The ability of choline to interact with nicotinic receptors was investigated by measuring its ability to inhibit the specific binding of [3H]-nicotine in rat brain. Choline, with an IC50 of 241 mumol/l, was three times more potent than its analogue deanol and almost 1000-fold less potent than acetylcholine. Choline also inhibited the binding of the antagonist [3H]-quinuclidinyl benzilate (IC50 = 2.5 mmol/l) and of the agonist [3H]-oxotremorine-M (IC50 = 165 mumol/l) to muscarinic cholinergic receptors. These results indicate that choline is able to interact directly, in vitro with brain cholinergic receptors of both the nicotinic and muscarinic type.
Characteristics of two marine nitrite oxidizing bacteria, Nitrospina gracilis nov. gen. nov. sp. and Nitrococcus mobilis nov. gen. nov. sp.

Two new nitrite oxidizing bacteria for which the names Nitrococcus mobilis and Nitrospina gracilis are proposed were isolated from the marine environment. Nitrococcus mobilis was cultured from South Pacific waters and it is a large motile coccus with unique tubular cytomembranes. Nitrospina gracilis was isolated from South Atlantic waters and it is a long slender rod which lacks an extensive cytomembrane system. Both are obligate marine organisms and both are obligate chemoautotrophs. The fine structure of these organisms is detailed.
New concepts for radiometric measurements of environmental samples

The Radiation Detection and Nuclear Sciences Group at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory has a long history in conducting measurements of radioisotopes for various applications. This experience includes ultra-low background measurements, arrays of germanium detectors, automated sampling and measurement systems and coincidence measurement systems. A recent lab-supported effort has been studying how these capabilities, both in terms of hardware and experience, can be leveraged to enable environmental sampling measurements. One area of interest is the release of fission products and actinides into the environment from a reactor incident. While the initial survey of this area is still under way, one isotope of interest that surfaced early in the study is 238Pu. Existing techniques to assay this isotope suffer from measurement challenges. In alpha counting, there can be significant interference with 241Am, while in mass spectrometry, there can be interference with 238U. The authors are developing the concept for a detector that through coincidence counting techniques can distinguish 238Pu and 241Am. In addition, we will design the system to conduct radiometric measurements of other plutonium isotopes to enable a direct comparison of those isotopes. We will present our concept of the detector system for 238Pu, as well as discuss other radiometric measurements of fission products and actinides with which we intend to advance the state of the art for environmental measurements.
Why Laws Work Pretty Well, but Not Great: Words and Rules in Legal Interpretation

Words and Rules is Steven Pinker's third "popular" book about linguistics and cognitive psychology.' It is not about the law. In fact, it barely even mentions the law. Words and Rules is a book about how we form plurals of nouns and past tenses of verbs. According to Pinker, the words for irregular plurals and past tenses, like children and went, are learned from experience and stored in our minds as separate words. We remember them individually and relate them to their singular or present tense forms, child and go. In contrast, regular forms, like books and rained, are rule governed. Although we might remember them individually, we need not do so, because we routinely apply regular rules of pluralization (adding the sound s or z or iz depending on the final sound of the word being pluralized) and of past tense formation (adding the sound t
Broadband near-field interference spectroscopy of metal nanoparticles using a femtosecond white-light continuum

We demonstrate a new nanoscale spectroscopic technique that combines subwavelength near-field imaging with broadband interference spectroscopy. We apply this technique to study phase spectra of surface plasmons in individual gold nanoparticles and nanoparticle dimers. Collective plasmon oscillations in selected nanostructures are excited by a femtosecond white-light continuum transmitted through a subwavelength aperture. The interference spectra detected in the far field result from the coherent superposition of the aperture field and the secondary field re-emitted by the nanostructure. The analysis of these spectra allows us to accurately measure the positions and damping constants of single-nanostructure plasmon resonances.
Self-organization of keratin intermediate filaments into cross-linked networks

Keratins, the largest subgroup of intermediate filament (IF) proteins, form a network of 10-nm filaments built from type I/II heterodimers in epithelial cells. A major function of keratin IFs is to protect epithelial cells from mechanical stress. Like filamentous actin, keratin IFs must be cross-linked in vitro to achieve the high level of mechanical resilience characteristic of live cells. Keratins 5 and 14 (K5 and K14), the main pairing occurring in the basal progenitor layer of epidermis and related epithelia, can readily self-organize into large filament bundles in vitro and in vivo. Here, we show that filament self-organization is mediated by multivalent interactions involving distinct regions in K5 and K14 proteins. Self-organization is determined independently of polymerization into 10-nm filaments, but involves specific type I–type II keratin complementarity. We propose that self-organization is a key determinant of the structural support function of keratin IFs in vivo.
Gender Integration and Unit Deployment: A Study of GI Jo:

This study reports on women and men performing operational combat support functions alongside each other in a field-deployed military unit. The research specifically focuses on the gender integration process. Several major issues are addressed: (1) What feelings does one experience in a field environment under simulated combat conditions and are these feelings gender-specific? (2) What about feminine hygiene concerns and availability of personal care facilities for women in the field? (3) Are women capable of surviving and working effectively under these kinds of conditions? (4) How does incorporating women into a unit affect its combat readiness? After surveying the current literature on these issues, the author reports her own findings as a participantobserver in this combat exercise. Major findings include an explanation of the awareness and experience of the salience of gender in this environment (the "gender consciousness" phenomenon) and the "commonality of experience" hypothesis, which suggests tha...
Enhanced MCM-C package performance by formation of improved 3-D interconnections

The authors introduce an improved 3-D interconnection fabricating technology which uses an electron beam to generate surface trenches in green ceramic sheets for the interconnection wirings. The electron beam is capable of generating narrow lines as well as high-density wiring patterns. Electron-beam-formed line cross-sections (line width and thickness) can be adjusted for electrical performance optimization. CMOS and ECL (emitter coupled logic) drivers require different optimized transmission line characteristics for high-performance digital systems. It is shown how the interconnection's cross-sectional dimensions can be controlled by electron-beam machining. Computer simulation results on the range of electrical characteristics achievable in these interconnects as the line space and line cross-section are varied are shown. >
Release mode of large and small dense-core vesicles specified by different synaptotagmin isoforms in PC12 cells.

Different synaptotagmin isoforms (syt I, VII, and IX) sort to populations of dense-core vesicles with different sizes. These isoforms differ in their sensitivities to divalent cations and trigger d...
simulated aftershock sequences for an m 7.8 earthquake on the southern san andreas fault

Aftershock activity constitutes one of the largest risks in the aftermath of an earthquake. Aftershocks shake already weakened structures, and if an aftershock is closer to a population center than the original rupture it may cause even more severe local shaking. The 1992 M 6.4 Big Bear aftershock, for example, which occurred several hours after and 40 km to the west of the 1992 M 7.3 Landers, California, mainshock, caused substantially more damage to the city of Big Bear than the Landers earthquake. Even more damaging was the 22 August 1952 M 5.8 Bakersfield, California, aftershock of the M 7.5 Kern County earthquake, which occurred about a month after the mainshock. Due to the proximity of the aftershock to Bakersfield and the weakened condition of the buildings, this aftershock killed two, injured 35, and caused $10 million in property damage. More recently the 12 May 2008 M 7.9 Sichuan Province, China, earthquake has been followed, as of 1 August 2008, by five aftershocks that caused significant additional injuries, fatalities, and/or major damage. Given the danger posed by aftershocks it is important to model the type of aftershock sequence that might follow the next large earthquake in southern California. One of the potential large earthquakes that may threaten southern California is an M ∼8 on the southern San Andreas fault; a statewide simulation exercise called ShakeOut was held in California in November 2008 to practice response to such a quake. Here I present the 10 different random simulations of the first week of aftershocks that could have accompanied the earthquake modeled for the preparation exercises. Simulation #10 was used for the actual exercises. No physics is used in the modeling here because aftershock physics are both very complex and controversial. Instead the aftershocks are generated stochastically using established empirical relationships for …
Influence of soil pH-sorption interactions on the carry-over of fresh and aged soil residues of imazamox

Long-term carry-over of some imidazolinone herbicides has been observed in soil that is below pH 6.5, resulting in significant damage to sugarbeet. In a field study in south-west Minnesota, imazamox concentration decreased rapidly in soil, regardless of pH. Despite similar amounts of aged soil residues of imazamox remaining at different pH levels, bioavailability differed with pH as a result of pH effects on sorption-desorption interactions. At low pH, more imazamox was sorbed than at high pH, but it was readily desorbed. At high pH, less imazamox was sorbed initially, but it did not readily desorb. Thus, after 3 months, the remaining imazamox in low-pH soil was desorbable and bioavailable, resulting in injury to oilseed rape and sugarbeet. In aged, low-pH soil, adding lime released bound imazamox, which was then degraded, resulting in less carry-over.
Seismic moment distribution

SUMMARY We review possible errors in determining the size of earthquakes. We propose that the size distribution can be effectively defined only for earthquake sequences, not for ‘individual’ earthquakes. As a result of the error analysis, we question the validity of many reported correlations between the 6-value and spatio-temporal characteristics of tectonics and seismicity. The study of the distribution of earthquake seismic moment largely avoids the influence of these errors and biases, and is therefore superior to the standard analysis of the magnitude-frequency law. The gamma distribution is applied to describe the distribution of seismic moments of earthquake sequences. This distribution which generalizes the well-known Gutenberg-Richter (G-R) relation, is characterized by two parameters. We use the maximum likelihood method to determine the parameters of the gamma distribution for worldwide earthquakes in different depth ranges. The empirical distribution is derived from the moment-tensor catalogue compiled by the Harvard group. The p-value for scalar seismic moment of earthquake sequences (an analogue of the 6-value in the G-R magnitude-frequency law) is close to 1/2 for all earthquakes, the value predicted by a critical branching model of seismicity. This result which will be improved as more seismic moment data become available, provides input for modelling of seismicity based on percolation or on self-organized criticality models. If /3 equals 1/2, then using the critical branching model we find that most small earthquakes in available catalogues are dependent shocks, i.e., aftershocks. Even among earthquakes of intermediate magnitudes, the number of dependent events may exceed that of independent events.
A 30 Myr record of Late Triassic atmospheric pCO2 variation reflects a fundamental control of the carbon cycle by changes in continental weathering

We generate a detailed ~30 Myr record of pCO2 spanning most of the Late Triassic (Carnian-Norian-Rhaetian) to earliest Jurassic (Hettangian), based on stable carbon isotope ratios of soil carbonate and preserved organic matter from paleosols in the eastern North American Newark rift basin. Atmospheric pCO2 was near 4500 ppm in the late Carnian, decreasing to below ~2000 ppm by the late Rhaetian just before the earliest Jurassic eruption of the Central Atlantic Magmatic Province, which triggered measurable pulses of CO2 outgassing. These data are consistent with published modeling results using the GEOCLIM model, which predict a decrease in pCO2 over the Late Triassic as a result of the progressive increase in continental area subject to the intense weathering regime of the tropical humid belt due to Pangea’s northward motion. The fi ner-scale pCO2 changes we observe may be dependent on the lithology introduced to the tropics, such as the dip to ~2000 ppm around 212 Ma and its rebound to ~4000 ppm at 209 Ma, which can be accomplished by introducing a more weatherable subaerial basaltic terrain. These observations indicate that the consumption of CO2 by continental silicate weathering can force long-term changes in pCO2 comparable to those driven by presumed changes in mantle degassing.
A principled and flexible framework for finding alternative clusterings

The aim of data mining is to find novel and actionable insights in data. However, most algorithms typically just find a single (possibly non-novel/actionable) interpretation of the data even though alternatives could exist. The problem of finding an alternative to a given original clustering has received little attention in the literature. Current techniques (including our previous work) are unfocused/unrefined in that they broadly attempt to find an alternative clustering but do not specify which properties of the original clustering should or should not be retained. In this work, we explore a principled and flexible framework in order to find alternative clusterings of the data. The approach is principled since it poses a constrained optimization problem, so its exact behavior is understood. It is flexible since the user can formally specify positive and negative feedback based on the existing clustering, which ranges from which clusters to keep (or not) to making a trade-off between alternativeness and clustering quality.
High performance design with advanced features in 22nm and beyond

This paper describes design challenges in utilizing advanced features, such as fully depleted transistors, compound semiconductors, embedded memory, and 3D integration, and evaluates their benefits.
Three dimensional structure of the anthrax toxin translocon-lethal factor complex by cryo-electron microscopy.

We have visualized by cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) the complex of the anthrax protective antigen (PA) translocon and the N-terminal domain of anthrax lethal factor (LFN) inserted into a nanodisc model lipid bilayer. We have determined the structure of this complex at a nominal resolution of 16 A by single-particle analysis and three-dimensional reconstruction. Consistent with our previous analysis of negatively stained unliganded PA, the translocon comprises a globular structure (cap) separated from the nanodisc bilayer by a narrow stalk that terminates in a transmembrane channel (incompletely distinguished in this reconstruction). The globular cap is larger than the unliganded PA pore, probably due to distortions introduced in the previous negatively stained structures. The cap exhibits larger, more distinct radial protrusions, previously identified with PA domain three, fitted by elements of the NMFF PA prepore crystal structure. The presence of LFN, though not distinguished due to the seven-fold averaging used in the reconstruction, contributes to the distinct protrusions on the cap rim volume distal to the membrane. Furthermore, the lumen of the cap region is less resolved than the unliganded negatively stained PA, due to the low contrast obtained in our images of this specimen. Presence of the LFN extended helix and N terminal unstructured regions may also contribute to this additional internal density within the interior of the cap. Initial NMFF fitting of the cryoEM-defined PA pore cap region positions the Phe clamp region of the PA pore translocon directly above an internal vestibule, consistent with its role in toxin translocation.
Ion microprobe investigation of decalibrated chromel versus alumel thermocouples: a quantitative SIMS analysis using indexed sensitivity factors and oxygen flooding

Abstract Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (SIMS) was used to determine why sheated chromel versus alumel thermocouples decalibrate when exposed to temperatures above 1100°C. Two thermocouples, one sheathed in inconel-600 and the other in type 304 stainless steel, were studied. Quantified SIMS data showed that these thermocouples decalibrated because significant alterations in the elemental composition of the chromel and alumel thermoelements occurred. The extent of the observed alterations was different for each thermocouple and was influenced by the particular sheath material used in the thermocouple construction. Relative sensitivity factors, indexed by a matrix ion species ratio, were used to quantify SIMS data for three nickel-based alloys — chromel, alumel, and inconel-600 — and an iron-based alloy, type 304 stainless steel. Oxygen pressures ⩾ 2.66 × 10 -4 Pa in the sputtering region resulted in enhanced sensitivity and gave superior quantitative results compared to data obtained at instrument residual pressure. At sufficiently high oxygen surface coverage, the slope of the nonlinear sensitivity factor response curves for the nickel-based alloys approached zero. For the iron-based alloy, a set of linear sensitivity factor response lines was obtained with increasing oxygen surface coverage; both positive and negative slopes were observed, and the sensitivity factor values tended to converge on the unit value of the reference element (Fe) as oxygen surface coverage increased.
Secure control of portable images in a virtual computing utility

A virtual computing utility hosts guest virtual machines on server provider sites. Each VM is an instantiation of some image or virtual appliance, which might be supplied by the VM owner or a third-party image provider. This paper addresses the problem of establishing a secure channel between a VM and an automated controller running on behalf of the VM's authorized owner. A secure channel is an essential toehold for post-install actions by the controller to adapt the VM to its local environment, join it to an application service, and/or monitor and control its execution.A simple and practical solution is to modify an image for a particular site or owner, e.g., by pre-installing keys or tokens onto the image. That approach compromises the portability of images, and could interfere with image sharing, use of new operating systems on image appliances, or endorsement of standard images by image providers.This paper presents an alternative solution that preserves the portability of images. The solution employs a standard keymaster service on the images. The keymaster and controller conduct a one-round binding protocol for mutual authentication and key exchange, seeded by secure tokens passed from the utility boot authority. The binding protocol relies only on security mechanisms at the transport layer and above, so it is suitable for use with remote controllers.
Political Gastronomy: Food and Authority in the English Atlantic World. By Michael A. LaCombe. (Philadelphia, PA: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2012. Pp. 240. $39.95.)

Every act of sharing food is a political act, whether within a household, within a larger community, or between complete strangers. It communicates a range of messages—dependence and deference, sol...
Injection-Locked Mode-Locked Laser With Long-Term Stabilization and High Power-per-Combline

A novel method is presented to provide long-term stabilization of an injection-locked harmonically mode-locked laser to a narrow linewidth continuous-wave (CW) source for the first time. The method, based on the Pound-Drever-Hall method of laser frequency stabilization, exploits the phase shift across a laser cavity mode resonance to detect the offset between the CW frequency and the combline frequency desired for injection-locking. Long-term suppression of the radio-frequency supermode noise spurs is shown as well as 36-dB suppression of optical supermodes. Significant reductions in phase and amplitude noise are also shown due to injection. Postamplification noise results are presented, showing an increase in optical power per combline with no degradation in pulse-to-pulse energy fluctuation or timing jitter.
Anti-Inflammatory Effect of Targeted Delivery of SOD to Endothelium: Mechanism, Synergism with NO Donors and Protective Effects In Vitro and In Vivo

Pro-inflammatory activation of vascular endothelium is implicated in pathogenesis of severe conditions including stroke, infarction and sepsis. We have recently reported that superoxide dismutase (SOD) conjugated with antibodies (Ab/SOD) that provide targeted delivery into endothelial endosomes mitigates inflammatory endothelial activation by cytokines and agonists of Toll-like receptors (TLR). The goal of this study was to appraise potential utility and define the mechanism of this effect. Ab/SOD, but not non-targeted SOD injected in mice alleviated endotoxin-induced leukocyte adhesion in the cerebral vasculature and protected brain from ischemia-reperfusion injury. Transfection of endothelial cells with SOD, but not catalase inhibited NFκB signaling and expression of Vascular Cell Adhesion Molecule-1 induced by both cytokines and TLR agonists. These results affirmed that Ab/SOD-quenched superoxide anion produced by endothelial cells in response to proinflammatory agents mediates NFκB activation. Furthermore, Ab/SOD potentiates anti-inflammatory effect of NO donors in endothelial cells in vitro, as well as in the endotoxin-challenged mice. These results demonstrate the central role of intracellular superoxide as a mediator of pro-inflammatory activation of endothelium and support the notion of utility of targeted interception of this signaling pathway for management of acute vascular inflammation.
A Review of: “Culturally Contested Pedagogy: Battles of Literacy and Schooling between Mainstream Teachers and Asian Immigrant Parents by Guofang Li”

Teaching in the United States increasingly requires multicultural awareness and a set of complex skills to nurture, educate, and inspire students from a variety of cultural and linguistic backgroun...
Antimicrobial agents targeting bacterial cell walls and cell membranes

Antimicrobial agents that target the bacterial cell wall or cell membrane have been used effectively for the past 70 years. Among the agents that inhibit bacterial cell wall synthesis, the beta-lactam antibiotics have emerged into broad-spectrum agents that inhibit most pathogenic bacteria, but are now being threatened by the rapid spread of drug-inactivating beta-lactamases. Glycopeptides still retain high activity against staphylococci, but resistance among the enterococci has become a major problem. Recently, fosfomycin has been used in the treatment of multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria. Daptomycin, which targets both membrane function and peptidoglycan synthesis, is especially effective in treating staphylococcal infections. The polymyxin antibiotics that target cell membranes are being used more frequently to treat multidrug-resistant Gram-negative infections. The ionophore antibiotics, used in veterinary medicine, target membranes in many microbial and animal species. Although increasing resistance is a continuing concern, these classes of bactericidal agents can provide highly effective antibiotics.
Guanylyl cyclase C integrates metabolic and proliferative programming opposing intestinal tumorigenesis through AKT

LB-279 Guanylyl cyclase C (GCC), the intestinal receptor for the paracrine hormones guanylin and uroguanylin whose early loss is universally associated with initiation of colorectal cancer, has emerged as a tumor suppressor whose dysregulation promotes proliferation and produces genomic instability underlying intestinal neoplasia. Beyond corruption of replicative and genomic integrity, reprogramming of metabolic circuits confers a survival advantage to cancer cells globally licensing tumor initiation and progression in all tissues. Here, we show that GCC is a systems integrator, coordinating glycolytic and oxidative metabolism with proliferation underlying normal regenerative homeostasis along the crypt-surface axis, and opposing tumorigenesis, in intestine. Eliminating GCC signaling in mice expands the proliferating crypt compartment, accelerating the cell cycle by inducing critical mediators including cyclin D and phosphorylated Rb. Replicative induction is coupled with an increase in glucose transport and the glycolytic machinery and a reciprocal reduction in mitochondrial biogenesis and oxidative phosphorylation, recapitulating the neoplastic metabolic phenotype defining a tumorigenic niche. Conversely, GCC signaling reverts neoplastic proliferative and metabolic programming in human colon cancer cells, decelerating the cell cycle and switching from glycolytic to mitochondrial ATP production, reminiscent of normal enterocytes. Coordination of proliferative and metabolic circuits in vitro and in vivo is orchestrated by GCC through suppression of signaling by AKT, a key mediator of neoplastic transformation. Pharmacologic and genetic inhibition of AKT signaling mimics, while constitutive activation eliminates, the ability of GCC to regulate proliferative and metabolic programming in human colon cancer cells. GCC suppresses AKT signaling by inducing a cyclic GMP-dependent activation of the phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN), an antagonist of phosphoinositide 3 (PI3)-kinase signaling central to activating AKT. In the context of the universal loss of guanylin and uroguanylin early in neoplastic transformation, these observations reveal for the first time the molecular mechanisms coordinating reprogramming of replicative and metabolic circuits underlying tumor initiation in intestine. With hormone insufficiency initiating signal dysregulation reinforcing intestinal transformation, pervasive over-expression of GCC by human colorectal tumors offers a unique therapeutic opportunity for cancer prevention and regression through oral ligand replacement therapy.
Using robust principal component analysis to alleviate day-to-day variability in EEG based emotion classification

An emerging challenge for emotion classification using electroencephalography (EEG) is how to effectively alleviate day-to-day variability in raw data. This study employed the robust principal component analysis (RPCA) to address the problem with a posed hypothesis that background or emotion-irrelevant EEG perturbations lead to certain variability across days and somehow submerge emotion-related EEG dynamics. The empirical results of this study evidently validated our hypothesis and demonstrated the RPCA's feasibility through the analysis of a five-day dataset of 12 subjects. The RPCA allowed tackling the sparse emotion-relevant EEG dynamics from the accompanied background perturbations across days. Sequentially, leveraging the RPCA-purified EEG trials from more days appeared to improve the emotion-classification performance steadily, which was not found in the case using the raw EEG features. Therefore, incorporating the RPCA with existing emotion-aware machine-learning frameworks on a longitudinal dataset of each individual may shed light on the development of a robust affective brain-computer interface (ABCI) that can alleviate ecological inter-day variability.
nAChR dysfunction as a common substrate for schizophrenia and comorbid nicotine addiction: Current trends and perspectives.

Abstract Introduction The prevalence of tobacco use in the population with schizophrenia is enormously high. Moreover, nicotine dependence is found to be associated with symptom severity and poor outcome in patients with schizophrenia. The neurobiological mechanisms that explain schizophrenia-nicotine dependence comorbidity are not known. This study systematically reviews the evidence highlighting the contribution of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) to nicotine abuse in schizophrenia. Methods Electronic data bases (Medline, Google Scholar, and Web of Science) were searched using the selected key words that match the aims set forth for this review. A total of 276 articles were used for the qualitative synthesis of this review. Results Substantial evidence from preclinical and clinical studies indicated that dysregulation of α7 and β2-subunit containing nAChRs account for the cognitive and affective symptoms of schizophrenia and nicotine use may represent a strategy to remediate these symptoms. Additionally, recent meta-analyses proposed that early tobacco use may itself increase the risk of developing schizophrenia. Genetic studies demonstrating that nAChR dysfunction that may act as a shared vulnerability factor for comorbid tobacco dependence and schizophrenia were found to support this view. The development of nAChR modulators was considered an effective therapeutic strategy to ameliorate psychiatric symptoms and to promote smoking cessation in schizophrenia patients. Conclusions The relationship between schizophrenia and smoking is complex. While the debate for the self-medication versus addiction vulnerability hypothesis continues, it is widely accepted that a dysfunction in the central nAChRs represent a common substrate for various symptoms of schizophrenia and comorbid nicotine dependence.