cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Rapid Production of Cell‐Laden Microspheres Using a Flexible Microfluidic Encapsulation Platform

This study establishes a novel microfluidic platform for rapid encapsulation of cells at high densities in photocrosslinkable microspherical hydrogels including poly(ethylene glycol)-diacrylate, poly(ethylene glycol)-fibrinogen, and gelatin methacrylate. Cell-laden hydrogel microspheres are advantageous for many applications from drug screening to regenerative medicine. Employing microfluidic systems is considered the most efficient method for scale-up production of uniform microspheres. However, existing platforms have been constrained by traditional microfabrication techniques for device fabrication, restricting microsphere diameter to below 200 µm and making iterative design changes time-consuming and costly. Using a new molding technique, the microfluidic device employs a modified T-junction design with readily adjustable channel sizes, enabling production of highly uniform microspheres with cell densities (10-60 million cells mL-1 ) and a wide range of diameters (300-1100 µm), which are critical for realizing downstream applications, through rapid photocrosslinking (≈1 s per microsphere). Multiple cell types are encapsulated at rates of up to 1 million cells per min, are evenly distributed throughout the microspheres, and maintain high viability and appropriate cellular activities in long-term culture. This microfluidic encapsulation platform is a valuable and readily adoptable tool for numerous applications, including supporting injectable cell therapy, bioreactor-based cell expansion and differentiation, and high throughput tissue sphere-based drug testing assays.
Pre-post Changes in Implicit Theories of Second Language Acquisition After a Successful Learning Experience

Students enrolled in language classes often report believing that natural talent is necessary to acquire a second language in adulthood, and this belief can reduce motivation and learning. The purpose of this research was to test if a positive experience promotes the belief that language learning is an ability that can be developed through persistence and effort (i.e., an incremental implicit theory, or growth mindset). We hypothesized that participants would endorse an incremental implicit theory more after using effective study strategies to successfully learn characters in another language. In this study, participants were taught how to read twenty Japanese characters, and their implicit theories of second language acquisition were measured at three time points: days before the learning experience, and immediately and two weeks after the learning experience. Results showed that this brief episode of success in language learning increased an incremental implicit theory of second language acquisition, and this change persisted two weeks later.
Mapping skyrmion stability in uniaxial lacunar spinel magnets from first principles

The development of bulk materials that stabilize magnetic skyrmions over a wide range of temperatures is instrumental to the development of spintronic devices based on these phases. Using electronic structure calculations, Monte Carlo simulations, and thermodynamic sensitivity analysis, the authors relate the thermal stability of skyrmions in Ga$M$${}_{4}$$X$${}_{8}$ lacunar spinels to the crystal symmetry, and conclude that thermally robust skyrmions may be expected in a wide range of materials with C${}_{n\phantom{\rule{0}{0ex}}v}$, D${}_{2d}$, or S${}_{4}$ symmetry and low magnetocrystalline anisotropy.
Understanding Sample Complexities for Structured Signal Recovery from Non-Linear Measurements

In this paper, we consider the problem of recovering a sparse signal from its quadratic measurements. We show that in the noiseless setting, a modified formulation in the lifted space can exactly recover the signal with an optimal sample complexity of the order of $s\log n/s$ using Gaussian measurements. This is possible by only exploiting positive semi-definiteness and sparsity of the lifted matrix without imposing any low rank enforcing constraints. Based on our theoretical insights, we also propose a reweighted $l_{1}$ minimization algorithm combined with PhaseLift which outperforms existing algorithms without the need for any specialized initialization.11This work was supported in parts by NSF CAREER 1700506, NSF NCS-FO 1734940, and ONR N000141912227
Psychometric Evaluation of the Nursing Students' Attitudes Toward Nursing Education Research Questionnaire.

Background and purpose While nursing students' attitudes about research are generally positive, little is known about their attitudes toward education research. The purpose of this study was to test the psychometric properties of the newly developed Nursing Students' Attitudes toward Nursing Education Research Questionnaire (NSANERQ). Methods The 25-item NSANERQ was adapted from an existing tool measuring nursing students' attitudes toward nursing research. Content and construct validity, and internal consistency and test-retest reliability were evaluated. Content validity was assessed using a panel of five experts. Internal consistency reliability and construct validity were assessed in a sample of 156 senior, junior, and sophomore baccalaureate nursing students with a mean age of 20.55 years. A separate sample of 49 freshmen baccalaureate nursing students with a mean age of 18.35 years was used to assess test-retest reliability. Both samples were predominantly female, White, and non-Hispanic/non-Latino. Results The NSANERQ demonstrated excellent content validity (S-CVI = 0.92), good internal consistency reliability (α = .88), and acceptable test-retest reliability (r = 0.71) over 2 weeks. Exploratory factor analysis resulted in a six-factor solution, which was confirmed through confirmatory factor analysis. Conclusions The NSANERQ is a valid and reliable instrument that can be used to measure students' attitudes toward nursing education research.
Optimized Sensor Selection for Joint Radar-communication Systems

Sensor array-based joint radar-communication (JRC) systems exploit adaptive beamforming to transmit radar and communication signals in their respective directions. Optimal sensor selection is anticipated as an attractive means to achieve superior performance with a low hardware cost because of the ever-decreasing cost of the sensor deployment compared to the radio frequency (RF) chains and processors. In this paper, we address optimal sensor selection for adaptive beamforming-based JRC systems by exploiting a constrained re-weighted l 1 -norm minimization with low computational complexity. We argue that, compared to the individual approaches, the grouped counterpart eases the hardware implementation by mollifying the unnecessary sensor switching and enables effective utilization of up-conversion chains. Simulation results clearly demonstrate the superior performance of the proposed strategies.
Educative Interventions to Combat Misinformation: Evidence from a Field Experiment in India

Misinformation makes democratic governance harder, especially in developing countries. Despite its real-world import, little is known about how to combat misinformation outside of the United States, particularly in places with low education, accelerating Internet access, and encrypted information sharing. This study uses a field experiment in India to test the efficacy of a pedagogical intervention on respondents’ ability to identify misinformation during the 2019 elections (N = 1,224). Treated respondents received hour-long in-person media literacy training in which enumerators discussed inoculation strategies, corrections, and the importance of verifying misinformation, all in a coherent learning module. Receiving this hour-long media literacy intervention did not significantly increase respondents’ ability to identify misinformation on average. However, treated respondents who support the ruling party became significantly less able to identify pro-attitudinal stories. These findings point to the resilience of misinformation in India and the presence of motivated reasoning in a traditionally nonideological party system.
Apparent Resilience to Fire of Native Bee (Hymenoptera: Apoidea) Communities from Upland Longleaf Pine Forests in Louisiana and Mississippi

Controlled burning is an essential tool for restoration and management of Pinus palustris (Longleaf Pine) habitats, yet effects of controlled burning on insect species, including pollinators, are rarely considered in conservation planning. We used blue vane traps to sample native bees (Hymenoptera: Apoidea) at recently burned and unburned sites in 2 Longleaf Pine upland forests in Mississippi and Louisiana. Our objective was to quantify short-term effects of controlled burns given fire-return intervals of 1–2 years are now regularly employed to manage Longleaf Pine woodlands. We sampled during 2016 and 2017 and collected 1777 native bees, representing 43 species. Recent fire was found to have no clear effect on species composition, richness, or community structure. Overall, bee communities from burned and unburned sites were similar. Even the community collected from a site that had remained unburned for 8 years was only marginally different from the others. These results suggest that native bee communities may be resilient to low intensity burns.
The 15 - 20 Micron Spitzer Spectra of Interstellar Emission Features in NGC 7023

We present 15 - 20 micron long-slit spectra, from the Infrared Spectrograph (IRS) on Spitzer, of NGC 7023. We observe recently-discovered interstellar emission features, at 15.9, 16.4, 17.0, 17.4, 17.8, and 18.9 microns, throughout the reflection nebula. The 16.4 micron emission feature peaks near the photodissociation front northwest of the star, as do the aromatic emission features (AEFs) at 3.3, 6.2 and 11.3 microns. The 16.4 micron emission feature is thus likely related to the AEFs and radiates by non-equilibrium emission. The new 18.9 micron emission feature, by contrast, decreases monotonically with stellar distance. We consider candidate species for the 18.9 micron feature, including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, fullerenes, and diamonds. We describe future laboratory and observational research needed to identify the 18.9 micron feature carrier.
COVID's toll on smell and taste: what scientists do and don't know.

Researchers are studying the sensory impact of the coronavirus, how long it lasts and what can be done to treat it. Researchers are studying the sensory impact of the coronavirus, how long it lasts and what can be done to treat it.
Gestational weight gain and risk of epithelial ovarian cancer

To examine the association between (GWG) and epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC). We compared GWG between 670 incident EOC cases and 1,551 community controls from a population-based, case–control study conducted in Pennsylvania, Ohio, and New York from 2003 to 2008. Multivariable unconditional logistic regression was used to calculate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) associated with GWG adjusting for potential confounders. To explore the potential effect of maternal long-term weight retention after childbearing, we restricted analyses to women who began their childbearing years as normal/underweight and examined differences in EOC risk between those who were normal/underweight versus those who were overweight/obese at study baseline reference date. Average GWG per full-term pregnancy did not differ between cases and controls. Among women who were normal/underweight at study baseline, greater average GWG was not associated with EOC (OR = 0.9, 0.8, 0.7 for quartiles 2, 3 and 4 of GWG gain, respectively, compared to quartile 1). In contrast, among women who were overweight/obese at study baseline, greater average GWG was positively associated with EOC (OR = 1.4, 1.8, 1.2, for quartiles 2, 3, and 4 compared to quartile 1; interaction p = 0.04). We posit that maternal post-partum weight retention and not gestational weight gain itself among normal/underweight women may impact subsequent risk of EOC. If our hypothesis is supported in other studies designed to assess this question directly, then counseling women on the importance of healthy weight management after a pregnancy could provide another means to help women reduce their risk of this often-fatal malignancy.
Neural responses to negative events and subsequent persistence behavior differ in individuals recovering from opioid use disorder compared to controls.

Background: Negative emotion is associated with substance craving and use in individuals recovering from substance use disorders, including prescription opioid use disorder (POUD). Decisions to aba...
Ivacaftor partially corrects airway inflammation in a humanized G551D rat

Animal models have been highly informative for understanding the pathogenesis and progression of cystic fibrosis (CF) lung disease. In particular, the CF rat models recently developed have addresse...
Bringing Torts Home to America

Incorporating into a first-year Torts class for American law students a study of the New Zealand accident compensation system affords students a comparative perspective on U.S. tort law. Reference to New Zealand throughout the first year sharpens student perceptions of what works and what doesn't in American civil justice.
Mitochondrial Replacement Techniques, the Non-Identity Problem, and Genetic Parenthood.

Mitochondrial replacement techniques (MRTs) are designed to allow couples to have children without passing on mitochondrial diseases. Recently, Giulia Cavaliere and Cesar Palacios-Gonzalez argued that prospective parents have the right to use MRTs to pursue genetic relatedness, such that some same-sex couples and/or polygamous triads could use the process to impart genetic relatedness between a child and more of its caregivers. Although MRTs carry medical risks, Cavaliere and Palacios-Gonzalez contend that because MRTs are identity-affecting, they do not cause harm to an existing human being, and our intuitions otherwise arise from the non-identity problem. Here, I review several attempts to address the non-identity problem, and propose a solution to the problem. Furthermore, I argue that regardless of one’s stance on whether MRTs are identity-affecting, the use of MRTs to pursue genetic relatedness alone falls outside the scope of the medical profession, as they involve substantive medical risk for no medical benefit.
Effect of Daily Temperature Fluctuations on Virus Lifetime

Epidemiological studies based on statistical methods indicate inverse correlations between virus lifetime and both (i) daily mean temperature and (ii) diurnal temperature range (DTR). While thermodynamic models have been used to predict the effect of constant-temperature surroundings on virus inactivation rate, the relationship between virus lifetime and DTR has not been explained using first principles. Here, we model the inactivation of viruses based on temperature-dependent chemical kinetics with a time-varying temperature profile to account for the daily mean temperature and DTR simultaneously. The exponential Arrhenius relationship governing the rate of virus inactivation causes fluctuations above the daily mean temperature during daytime to increase the instantaneous rate of inactivation by a much greater magnitude than the corresponding decrease in inactivation rate during nighttime. This asymmetric behavior results in shorter predicted virus lifetimes when considering DTR and consequently reveals a potential physical mechanism for the inverse correlation observed between the number of cases and DTR reported in statistical epidemiological studies. In light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, a case study on the effect of daily mean temperature and DTR on the lifetime of SARS-CoV-2 was performed for the five most populous cities in the United States. In Los Angeles, where mean monthly temperature fluctuations are low (DTR ≈ 7 °C), accounting for DTR decreases predicted SARS-CoV-2 lifetimes by only 10%; conversely, accounting for DTR for a similar mean temperature but larger mean monthly temperature fluctuations in Phoenix (DTR ≈ 15 °C) decreases predicted lifetimes by 50%. The modeling framework presented here provides insight into the independent effects of mean temperature and DTR on virus lifetime, and a significant impact on transmission rate is expected, especially for viruses that pose a high risk of fomite-mediated transmission.
Women and Novelistic Authority

It has been academic sport for some decades now to debate the convoluted and complex origins of the novel. The most well known analyses have been based on changing class structure and increased rates of literacy (Watt, Williams, Luk?cs, McKeon, et al.), but more recently gender has entered the critical terrain as an explanatory category (Spencer, Spender, Richetti, Doody, et al.), and the works under review here illustrate facets of that development. By placing these three recent titles in juxtaposition, one can see that the question of the origins and significance of the novel as a genre-and specifically the role that women have played in the development of the novel-is still a contested topic and one that will continue to determine the shape of literary studies for the next several years. To elaborate that observation, a reading of these titles forces their reader to ask: will literary critics continue to excavate little known
Intricate Transcriptional Networks of Classical Brown and Beige Fat Cells

Brown adipocytes are a specialized cell type that is critical for adaptive thermogenesis, energy homeostasis and metabolism. In response to cold, both classical brown fat and the newly identified “beige” or “brite” cells are activated by β-adrenergic signaling and catabolize stored lipids and carbohydrates to produce heat via UCP1 (Uncoupling protein 1). Once thought to be non-existent in adults, recent studies have discovered active classical brown and beige fat cells in humans, thus reinvigorating interest in brown and beige adipocytes. This review will focus on the newly discovered transcription factors and microRNAs (miRNAs) that specify and orchestrate the classical brown and beige fat cell development.
On the Importance of Tuning in Incremental View Maintenance: An Experience Case Study

We describe the tuning of a gigabyte-scale TPC-D database for investigation of incremental maintenance of a materialized view. We find that incremental maintenance is feasible over a wide range of update sizes (granularities), that intuitive SQL formulations perform poorly, but that there are better alternatives. We show that these results can be meaningfully evaluated and presented only in the context of reasonable instance tuning.
Axonal activity in vivo: technical considerations and implications for the exploration of neural circuits in freely moving animals

While extracellular somatic action potentials from freely moving rats have been well characterized, axonal activity has not. We have recently reported extracellular tetrode recordings of short duration waveforms (SDW) with an average peak-trough duration less than 172 µs. These waveforms have significantly shorter duration than somatic action potentials and tend to be triphasic. The present review discusses further data that suggests SDWs are representative of axonal activity, how this characterization allows for more accurate classification of somatic activity and could serve as a means of exploring signal integration in neural circuits. The review also discusses how axons may function as more than neural cables and the implications this may have for axonal information processing. While the technical challenges necessary for the exploration of axonal processes in functional neural circuits during behavior are impressive, preliminary evidence suggests that the in vivo study of axons is attainable. The resulting theoretical implications for systems level function make refinement of this approach a necessary goal toward developing a more complete understanding of the processes underlying learning, memory and attention as well as the pathological states underlying mental illness and epilepsy.
Democratic Education in the New Media Era: Toward a Framework of Democratic Media Literacy

New media technologies have mediated various aspects of youth civic life. It is important to explore how innovative media practices and new conceptualizations of media literacies contribute to the preparation of democratic citizens, the ultimate goal of social studies education. Grounded on three conceptions of democratic citizenship—deliberative, pluralistic, and participatory citizenship—and on new media and digital literacies, the author of this article proposes a framework of democratic media literacy to help social studies teachers prepare students as democratic citizens in the new media era.
A version of Gordon’s theorem for multi-dimensional Schrödinger operators

We consider discrete Schrodinger operators in H = Δ + V in l^2(Z^d) with d ≥ 1, and study the eigenvalue problem for these operators. It is shown that the point spectrum is empty if the potential V is sufficiently well approximated by periodic potentials. This criterion is applied to quasiperiodic V and to so-called Fibonacci-type superlattices.
Fibronectin induction abrogates the BRAF inhibitor response of BRAF V600E/PTEN-null melanoma cells

The mechanisms by which some melanoma cells adapt to Serine/threonine-protein kinase B-Raf (BRAF) inhibitor therapy are incompletely understood. In the present study, we used mass spectrometry-based phosphoproteomics to determine how BRAF inhibition remodeled the signaling network of melanoma cell lines that were BRAF mutant and PTEN null. Short-term BRAF inhibition was associated with marked changes in fibronectin-based adhesion signaling that were PTEN dependent. These effects were recapitulated through BRAF siRNA knockdown and following treatment with chemotherapeutic drugs. Increased fibronectin expression was also observed in mouse xenograft models as well as specimens from melanoma patients undergoing BRAF inhibitor treatment. Analysis of a melanoma tissue microarray showed loss of PTEN expression to predict for a lower overall survival, with a trend for even lower survival being seen when loss of fibronectin was included in the analysis. Mechanistically, the induction of fibronectin limited the responses of these PTEN-null melanoma cell lines to vemurafenib, with enhanced cytotoxicity observed following the knockdown of either fibronectin or its receptor α5β1 integrin. This in turn abrogated the cytotoxic response to BRAF inhibition via increased AKT signaling, which prevented the induction of cell death by maintaining the expression of the pro-survival protein Mcl-1. The protection conveyed by the induction of FN expression could be overcome through combined treatment with a BRAF and PI3K inhibitor.
Synthesis of Two Isosters of 4-Methylcatechol and Evaluation of their Nerve Growth Factor-inducing Effect

The mechanism of nerve growth factor induction by 4-methylcatechol, an established and potent inducing agent both in in-vitro and in in-vivo systems, has yet to be elucidated. Two isosters of 4-methylcatechol, 5-methyl-***1-hydroxy-2-pyridone and 2-hydroxymethyl p-cresol, were synthesized and evaluated for in-vitro inducing activity. Isosteric substitution of the catechol moiety rendered the molecule relatively inactive in the fibroblast-like L-M cell line, while some activity was retained in the C6 glioma cell line.
Naturally Occurring Food Toxicants: Phenolic Substances of Plant Origin Common in Foods

Publisher Summary The risks to humans of serious poisonous effects caused by natural phenols present in normal foods consumed under usual circumstances seem vanishingly small, as determined by experiment, as well as common sense and long-term observation. Conclusions involving evolution obviously are speculative, but some putative relationships appear worthy of discussion to clarify the durability of animal life and the threat of plant toxins generally or of phenols particularly. Phenols are probably the most important group of substances, useful in chemotaxonomic differentiation among plant species. Plants have evolved toxins to combat herbivores, but herbivores have also evolved to tolerate or avoid plant toxins. Phenol itself, and other small phenols, such as catechol, the cresols, guaiacol, orcinols, and pyrogallol, are commonly considered to be industrial chemicals. Gallic acid is widely distributed in plants, but the concentration is usually very low. The flavonoids contribute color, flavor, and processing characteristics important in food. The most often cited effect of phenols that is discussed in this chapter is the inhibition of catechol-O-methyltransferse (COMT) and competition for methyl groups by phenols that serve as a substrate for this enzyme. The chapter discusses that many plants contain secondary metabolites toxic or deterrent to members of the animal kingdom attempting to feed on them. Plant phenols that are highly toxic to animals are rarely found. The phenols that occur widely in plants or in large amounts in common food plants have very low acute oral toxicity and most are also of low toxicity when given parenterally.
Effects of different kinds of dietary lipid on growth and fatty acid composition of juvenile sunshine bass, Morone chrysops ♀ × M. saxatilis ♂

An 8-week feeding trial was conducted to provide preliminary information on essential fatty acid requirements of sunshine bass by determining the effects of different kinds of lipid on growth, health and tissue fatty acid composition. Five semipurified diets containing 40% crude protein from fish muscle and crystalline amino acids with 3.45 kcal available energy/g were supplemented with 5% of either coconut, olive, safflower, linseed or menhaden fish oils. Each diet was fed in triplicate to groups of fish initially weighing 4.0±0.14 g (mean±s.d.) in 110-liter aquaria connected as a closed recirculating system containing fresh well water with hardness of 180±10 mg/l as CaCO3 at 24±1°C. At the end of 5 weeks, fish fed the diets containing coconut, olive, safflower and linseed oils had significantly (P<0.01) reduced weight gain compared to fish fed the diet containing menhaden fish oil (MFO). After 5 weeks, fish fed all diets except the one supplemented with MFO began to exhibit erosion of the caudal fin and skin irritation. Mortality of fish fed these diets approached 80% by the end of 8 weeks, while no mortality was observed for fish fed MFO. At the end of 8 weeks, significantly greater weight gain as well as better feed efficiency and protein efficiency values were observed for fish fed the diet supplemented with MFO. Lowest weight gain, feed efficiency and protein efficiency values were observed for fish fed the diet supplemented with coconut oil and intermediate responses were observed for fish fed the other oils. Fatty acid composition of body lipids (total lipid of intraperitoneal fat as well as neutral and polar lipids of liver and muscle) was affected by dietary oils except for fish fed the diet containing coconut oil. Moreover, elongation and desaturation of fatty acids (18:1n−9, 18:2n−6 and 18:3n−3) was not observed. These data indicate that n−3 highly unsaturated fatty acids such as eicosapentaenoic (20:5n−3) and docosahexaenoic (22:6n−3) acids in MFO are essential for maximum growth, feed efficiency and survival of sunshine bass.
Recent experiences with parenteral dilantin.

SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS We have continued to find the parenteral form of Dilantin useful in the management of a number of complications of epileptic seizures and in their prevention. We recommend its use where doses of barbiturate beyond 200 milligrams carry a risk or are not feasible, as well as a more effective anticonvulsant in other situations. RESUME ET CONCLUSIONS Nous sommes toujours d'avis que la forme injectable de la Dilantine est utile dans le traitement de diverses complications des crises d'epilepsie ainsi que pour prevenir l'apparition de ces complications. Nous recommandons son emploi dans les cas ou des doses de barbituriques superieures a 200 mg comportent des risques ou ne peuvent etre pratiquees; nous en recommandons egalement l'usage dans les cas ou, dans d'autres situations, l'emploi d'un anti-convulsivant plus actif parait indique.
Natural Resources and Decentralization in Nicaragua: Are Local Governments Up to the Job?

Abstract Both decentralization and natural resource management literature suggest that natural resources could benefit from the redistribution of centralized management authority. Yet, neither has sufficiently examined the processes already underway in numerous developing countries to decentralize resource management from central to municipal government authorities. This study reviews the role of 21 local governments in forest management in Nicaragua. It finds that most interventions are economically motivated, and that three key factors are needed for local governments to be good resource managers: capacity, incentive and long-term commitment. These three factors are part of a process in which civil society can play a critical role.
Reckoning with the past: The contrast between the Kenyan and South African experiences

(2000). Reckoning with the past: The contrast between the Kenyan and South African experiences. Social Dynamics: Vol. 26, No. 2, pp. 8-28.
Water structure at hematite-water interfaces

Abstract The atomic-level structure of water at mineral surfaces is an important controlling factor in interfacial reactions such as foreign ion incorporation, crystal growth and dissolution, and redox reactions. Molecular dynamics simulations with four different models based on interatomic potentials have been carried out to determine the atomic-level structure of three hematite–water interfaces. In addition, for each of the three surfaces, different terminations or protonation schemes were considered. The availability of surface X-ray scattering data for the surfaces considered here allowed for an extensive comparison with experimental data. Qualitatively, with the exception of one termination with one model, all models predict the correct arrangement of water molecules at the interface. Quantitatively, the agreement with experimental positions, distances, and layer occupancies is good to excellent, especially given the range of values reported in published experimental studies. Therefore, this study provides further evidence that interatomic potential models can be used to reliably predict the structure of mineral–water interfaces. In addition, molecular simulations are a valuable source of information to complement surface X-ray scattering experiments owing to their ability to directly determine the position of hydrogen atoms and to yield three-dimensional predicted structures at no added cost, as demonstrated in this work. Indeed, the molecular dynamics trajectories were analyzed to determine the surface structural controls on the interfacial water structure. Each of the three surface functional groups present at the surfaces considered in this work, namely, triply-coordinated oxo, doubly-coordinated hydroxo, and singly-coordinated aquo groups, was found to form similar hydrogen bond configurations with adsorbed water molecules at all surfaces. Oxo groups accept long-lasting and linear hydrogen bonds from adsorbed water molecules; hydroxo groups can form hydrogen bonds with other surface functional groups as well as with adsorbed water molecules; and aquo groups normally only donate hydrogen bonds to other surface groups or adsorbed water molecules. Additionally, the majority of adsorbed water molecules were found to adopt multiple configurations and orientations. This information was used to evaluate three-dimensional structural models of the interfaces, which were previously derived experimentally from one-dimensional electron density profiles and steric considerations.
Profiles of union organizers from manufacturing and service unions

This study uses data on 229 organizers from eight unions to assess differences in characteristics of organizers employed by manufacturing and service unions. The results suggest that a new breed of organizer is entering the labor movement through service unions-organizers who are younger, more highly educated, more socially mobile, and have less experience in the union movement than organizers from manufacturing unions.
Controlling Nanoparticles with Atomic Precision: The Case of Au144(SCH2CH2Ph)60

We report a facile, two-step synthetic method for preparing truly monodiserse Au144(SCH2CH2Ph)60 nanoparticles with their formula determined by electrospray mass spectrometry in conjunction with other characterization. A remarkable advantage of our synthetic approach lies in that it solely produces Au144(SCH2CH2Ph)60 nanoparticles, hence, eliminating nontrivial, postsynthetic steps of size separation, which has proven to be very difficult. This advantage makes the approach and the type of nanoparticles generated by it of broad utility for practical applications. Unlike their larger counterparts, Au nanocrystals (typically >2 nm) that are crystalline and show a prominent surface plasmon resonance band at ∼520 nm (for spherical particles), the Au144(SCH2CH2Ph)60 nanoparticles instead exhibit a stepwise, multiple-band absorption spectrum, indicating quantum confinement of electrons in the particle. In addition, these ultrasmall nanoparticles do not adopt face-centered cubic structure as in Au nanocrystals or...
A 96-well efflux assay to identify ABCG2 substrates using a stably transfected MDCK II cell line.

Human ABCG2 (breast cancer resistance protein, BCRP) is an important efflux transporter which exhibits broad substrate specificity and which is found in many tissues. The purpose of the present study was to develop a 96-Transwell assay using an MDCK II cell line stably transfected with ABCG2 (MDCK II/ABCG2) to identify ABCG2 substrates. In this assay, which also incorporates a high throughput mass spectrometry method for quantification, efflux activity of the MDCK II/ABCG2 cells was evaluated by monitoring the basolateral-to-apical/apical-to-basolateral (B to A/A to B) efflux ratio of several substrates. Mean MDCK II/ABGC2 efflux ratios for 2 μM prazosin, SN-38, and CI1033 were 2.8, 7.6, and 2.4, respectively, and the mean efflux ratio for 10 μM mitoxantrone was 5.0. Interday variability of the assay was low (CV = 10−29% for control compounds at 2 μM). Our data indicate that a compound tested at 2 μM can be considered a substrate of ABCG2 if its ratio of ratios (MDCK II/ABCG2 efflux ratio)/(MDCK II efflux...
Radionuclide genital imaging

Despite the emergence of newer cross-sectional imaging approaches, radionuclide techniques have maintained a significant role in genital imaging. While ultrasound is clearly superior for evaluation of scrotal anatomy, radionuclide scrotal imaging remains the most effective method for differentiating between testicular torsion and epididymitis. Labeled red blood cells have been used for varicocele detection in infertile men. Since radionuclide techniques can demonstrate the physiologic status of organs, they play a useful role in evaluating men with impotence (penile scan) and infertile women whose tubal patency is in question (radionuclide hysterosalpingogram).
An application of value-of-information to decision process reengineering

Value of information (VOI) methods were used to guide changes to recurrent organizational decision processes under a reengineering effort at a major automobile manufacturer to reduce supply and demand imbalances involving capacity for parts and products. We modeled representative decisions assuming that they would be made with and without the benefit of improved information flows and calculated the resulting increase in expected value. By factoring in the entire range of decisions affected by a process change, we scaled the value of each organizational change to a life cycle value. The results quantified the impact of organizational changes in order to refine and prioritize a portfolio of change projects.
Preparation of single molecules and supramolecular complexes for high-resolution metal shadowing

We have compared the appearance and preservation of molecular and supramolecular structures in preparations that were dried in vacuo at room temperature or freeze-dried. Fibrinogen and brain spectrin molecules appear similar in both types of preparation provided that drying at room temperature is performed in the presence of glycerol, which results in an even and reproducible distribution of such molecules ( Shotton et al., 1979 , J. Mol. Biol. 131, 303–329; Fowler and Erickson, 1979 , J. Mol. Biol. 134, 241–249). In the case of crystalline actin sheets, actin filaments, and keratin filaments, freeze-drying preserves structural details that are often completely lost during drying at room temperature, whether or not glycerol is used. On the other hand, keratin filaments prepared by drying in the presence of glycerol display a beaded axial repeat that is probably due to “glycerol decoration.” We conclude that although freeze-drying has no clear advantage over glycerol spraying/vacuum-drying in the case of single extended molecules, it may provide insight into the multiple effects of glycerol in specimen preparation. In the case of supramolecular assemblies such as filaments or crystalline sheets, freeze-drying preserves significantly more substructure and surface detail. The loss of such detail during drying at room temperature, probably through collapse phenomena such as distortion and flattening, cannot be prevented by glycerol.
Fenofibrate and PBA prevent fatty acid-induced loss of adiponectin receptor and pAMPK in human hepatoma cells and in hepatitis C virus-induced steatosis

Adiponectin receptors play a key role in steatosis and inflammation; however, very little is known about regulation of adiponectin receptors in liver. Here, we examined the effects of palmitate loading, endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, and the hypolipidemic agent fenofibrate on adiponectin receptor R2 (AdipoR2) levels and AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) in human hepatoma Huh7 cells and in Huh.8 cells, a model of hepatitis C-induced steatosis. Palmitate treatment reduced AdipoR2 protein and basal AMPK phosphorylation in Huh7 cells. Fenofibrate treatment preserved AdipoR2 and phosphorylated AMPK (pAMPK) levels in palmitate-treated cells accompanied by reduced triglyceride (TG) accumulation and less activation of ER stress markers CCAAT/enhancer binding (C/EBPβ) and eukaryotic translation initiation factor 2 α. ER stress agents thapsigargin and tunicamycin suppressed AdipoR2 and pAMPK levels in Huh7 cells, while fenofibrate and the chemical chaperone 4-phenylbutyrate (PBA) prevented these changes. AdipoR2 levels were lower in Huh.8 cells and fenofibrate treatment increased AdipoR2 while reducing activation of c-Jun N-terminal kinase and C/EBPβ expression without changing TG levels. Taken together, these results suggest that fatty acids and ER stress reduce AdipoR2 protein and pAMPK levels, while fenofibrate and PBA might be important therapeutic agents to correct lipid- and ER stress-mediated loss of AdipoR2 and pAMPK associated with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis.
Measurement of Fabric Drape and Its Relation to Fabric Mechanical Properties and Subjective Evaluation

Fabric drape of a number of fabrics was measured using a digital Drape Tester and was found to be significantly correlated with the subjective evaluation of drape. Fabrics were draped on two different-sized pedestal plates, and differences in draping behavior between plates and among fabrics were determined Composite drape values measured on the Drape Tester differentiated the draping behavior of the different fabrics. Drape was also correlated with mechanical properties of the fabrics. The mechanical property values were used to formulate predictive equations for fabric drape. Shear hysteresis and bending resistance were found to be most closely associated with fabric drape.
MULTIPLE SPLICING SIGNALS CONTROL ALTERNATIVE INTRON RETENTION OF BOVINE GROWTH HORMONE PRE-MRNA

A fraction of bovine growth hormone (bGH) pre-mRNA undergoes alternative splicing in which the last intron is retained and transported to the cytoplasm. Our goal was to characterize the cis-acting signals in bGH pre-mRNA that collectively determine the distribution between intron splicing and intron retention. We now demonstrate that the balance between splicing and intron retention in cytoplasmic mRNA is primarily determined by the interaction of three splicing signals and the degree to which these signals deviate from consensus splicing signals. Intron retention requires the presence of both suboptimal 5′- and 3′-splice sites. Mutation of either splice site toward consensus leads to complete splicing of the intron. In the presence of both wild-type, suboptimal splice sites, efficient splicing of this intron is ensured by the presence of a third splicing element, a purine-rich exonic splicing enhancer (ESE). Although strong ESEs can be contained within very small sequences, the bGH ESE activity appears to be composed of multiple sequences spread throughout a 115-nucleotide region of exon 5. Consequently, the final ratio of splicing to intron retention depends on the balance between the relative strengths of each of these three splicing signals, which still allow intron-containing coding sequences to be transported to the cytoplasm.
BS2-2: Nuclear Receptor Coactivators: Physiology and Disease.

Nuclear receptors control gene expression by recruiting transcriptional coactivators (or corepressors). The coactivators are ‘master regulators’ that activate genes to control physiologies such as reproduction, growth and metabolism. Consequently, they are major players in the development of many inherited and acquired endocrine-related pathologies such as fertility/endometriosis, cancers, and disorders of carbohydrate, lipid and protein metabolism. The coactivator proteins provide important insights to polygenic diseases and represent a new class of drug targets for therapeutic interventions. Citation Information: Cancer Res 2011;71(24 Suppl):Abstract nr BS2-2.
In-situ observation of anisotropic strain relaxation in epitaxial Fe (110) films on Mo (110)

Abstract In-situ grazing incidence X-ray diffraction was used to measure the lattice parameter as a function of thickness for epitaxial Fe (110) films on Mo (110). A large, thickness-dependent, anisotropic in-plane strain was observed. This strain behavior is explained with an equilibrium misfit dislocation model incorporating anisotropic elasticity. The magnetostrictive anisotropy expected from this strain has nearly linear behavior in reciprocal film thickness and thus could be mistaken for a surface anisotropy.
The Synthesis and Stability of Some End-Member Amphiboles

Reliable characterization of the properties of amphibole end-members is a prerequisite for many important things in mineralogy and petrology, especially for the calculation of phase equilibria that involve amphiboles. Laboratory measurements of the thermochemical and thermophysical properties of amphibole end-members, as well as the experimental reversal of critical reactions, require the availability of adequate amounts of appropriately pure samples. More often than not, nature fails to provide material that fulfills the chemical and physical requirements of phase purity. Synthesis of chosen compositions at high pressure and temperature might seem to be the obvious answer to the problem, but it is now well known that amphiboles are difficult customers in this respect (Hawthorne 1983a, 1995; Graham et al. 1989; Raudsepp et al. 1991; Maresch et al. 1994). In the early days of experimental petrology, in the 1960s and 1970s, phase characterization of products involved optical microscopic measurements and powder XRD, a minimal combination that we now realize was inadequate. Experience has shown that the synthesis of an end-member amphibole commonly yields distinctly less than 100% amphibole, with the result that its composition likely departs significantly from the desired one, often in a reproducible way. In addition, the amphibole may contain unacceptably high concentrations of defects of one sort or another, and, whether or not these drive it off composition, their presence can be energetically detrimental. These deficiencies can be minimized, but not necessarily eliminated, by increasing the pressure, temperature, or duration of synthesis. Heroic efforts have been rewarded in a few cases. For example, by repeated grinding of experimental products, and the use of high pressure and judicious amounts of H2O, Jenkins and Corona (2006) were able to obtain glaucophane very close to its end-member composition, something that numerous previous workers had failed to …
Contemporary application-domain taxonomies

In recent years it has become clear that application-independent techniques and tools must be supplemented with an application-specific approach. We begin to identify the foundations needed for application-specific software research by examining the role and nature of current application taxonomies. >
Education for Interdisciplinary Community Collaboration and Development: The Components of a Core Curriculum by Community Practitioners

Social workers are actively engaging in the practice of interdisciplinary community collaboration (ICC) with the goal of bringing diverse groups together to improve the conditions of communities and enhance the quality of life of population groups. Yet, collaborations are challenging and require great skill and commitment. The pedagogy and the content of curricula have become a more prominent part of teaching to macro practice students and practitioners the art of effectively convening and moving collaborative efforts forward. This article adds to the literature on the content and methods of teaching students and novice practitioners the competencies embedded in ICC. It provides empirical data from six focus groups of experienced community practitioners (social workers and others) in New York City who identified components of a core curriculum for this work. Eight months later, these 33 community practitioners were asked to reprioritize the topics and concepts that they had collectively identified at the ...
Nucleic acid synthesis during larval development of Rhynchosciara

Abstract This report describes changes that occur in the synthesis of DNA during the larval development of Rhynchosciara angelae . Most cells of the salivary gland, intestine, gastric caeca, Malpighian tubules, fat body, and testes rapidly incorporate thymidine-H 3 . The label resulting from incorporation of thymidine-H 3 is homogeneously distributed over the polytene chromosomes. Just prior to synthesis of the cocoon, the number of cells synthesizing DNA decreases to almost zero in all tissues. At this time, in salivary gland chromosomes, labelling after incorporation of thymidine-H 3 is restricted to heterochromatic areas. The salivary gland cells resume synthesis of DNA at the same time that the synthesis of the puparium begins. The distribution of label after incorporation of thymidine-H 3 is particularly heavy over areas in which ‘DNA-puffs’ form.
Small-signal modeling of boost power-factor correction controllers

Electric power is delivered most efficiently when the load draws current at unity power factor. Traditional rectifier/filter power supplies, however, draw currents that are highly non-sinusoidal and thus display a low power factor. An alternative approach, known as offline power factor correction (PFC), achieves near-unity power factor by eliminating the filter capacitor and using switchmode power converter techniques. Power-factor correction circuits are commercially available; however, manufacturers' data sheets frequently provide little theoretical basis for their application. This paper deals with modeling and simulation work to derive the loop gain of a PFC with the goal of improving the tools available to design engineers. An expression has been derived for the loop gain of a PFC under specified operating conditions, and a Matlab script for plotting Bode plots of the loop gain is being developed.