cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Creating detailed subsurface models using predictive image-guided well-log interpolation

AbstractIntegration of well-log data and seismic data to predict rock properties is an essential but challenging task in reservoir characterization. The standard methods commonly used to create subsurface model do not fully honor the importance of seismic reflectors and detailed structural information in guiding the spatial distribution of rock properties in the presence of complex structures, which can make these methods inaccurate. To overcome initial model accuracy limitations in structurally complex regimes, we have developed a method that uses the seismic image structures to accurately constrain the interpolation of well properties between well locations. A geologically consistent framework provides a more robust initial model that, when inverted with seismic data, delivers a highly detailed yet accurate subsurface model. An application to field data from the North Sea demonstrates the effectiveness of our method, which proves that incorporating the seismic structural framework when interpolating roc...
Not Superhero Accessible: The Temporal Stickiness of Disability in Superhero Comics

For this article, I will be examining the relationship between stickiness and visibility in the construction of disability in The Killing Joke, Hawkeye (2012) and Uncanny X-Men , specifically looking at how the practice of retroactive continuity both erases and cements disability. I argue through the use of retroactive continuity that the stickiness of disability in superhero comic books is dependent on visible signs of disability and those without a visible sign (wheelchair, white cane, etc ) are either "cured" of the disability or it is erased via a retcon.
CD22 Ligands on a Natural N-Glycan Scaffold Efficiently Deliver Toxins to B-Lymphoma Cells

CD22 is a sialic acid-binding immunoglobulin-like lectin (Siglec) that is highly expressed on B-cells and B cell lymphomas, and is a validated target for antibody and nanoparticle based therapeutics. However, cell targeted therapeutics are limited by their complexity, heterogeneity, and difficulties in production. We describe here a chemically defined natural N-linked glycan scaffold that displays high affinity CD22 glycan ligands and outcompetes the natural ligand for the receptor, resulting in single molecule binding to CD22 and endocytosis into cells. Binding affinity is increased by up to 1500-fold compared to the monovalent ligand, while maintaining the selectivity for hCD22 over other Siglecs. Conjugates of these multivalent ligands with auristatin and saporin toxins are efficiently internalized via hCD22 resulting in killing of B-cell lymphoma cells. This single molecule ligand targeting strategy represents an alternative to antibody- and nanoparticle-mediated approaches for delivery of agents to c...
Email as a Master Key: Analyzing Account Recovery in the Wild

Account recovery (usually through a password reset) on many websites has mainly relied on accessibility to a registered email due to its favorable deployability and usability. However, it makes a user's online accounts vulnerable to a single point of failure when the registered email account is compromised. While previous research focuses on strengthening user passwords, the security risk imposed by email-based account recovery has not yet been well studied. In this paper, we investigate the possibility of mounting an email-based account recovery attack. Specifically, we examine the account authentication and recovery protocols in 239 traffic-heavy websites, confirming that most of them use emails for account recovery. We further scrutinize the security policy of major email service providers and show that a significant portion of them take no or marginal effort to protect user email accounts, leaving compromised email accounts readily available for mounting account recovery attacks. Then, we conduct case studies to assess potential losses caused by such attacks. Finally, we propose a lightweight email security enhancement called Secure Email Account Recovery (SEAR) to defend against account recovery attacks as an extra layer of protection to account recovery emails.
Chaos and Order in the Works of Natsume Soseki

A study of Natsume Soseki (1867-1916), one of modern Japan's most revered writers. The book presents a critical examination of a split that runs deep in the discursive space of Soseki's writings as order grapples with the forces of chaos. Displaying an appreciation for the key attributes and complex cultural significance of Soseki's work, the author argues that Soseki's writing betrays a dark, romantic voice that speaks of something cavernous and amorphous. Yiu analyzes six of Soseki's novels, a collection of literary essays and Soseki's poetry. The problems of closure, the subversion of forms, critical and poetic languages and narrative structures and personae are examined in eact genre.
Pediatric Behavioral Services

Pediatrics and child psychiatry, by nature of their common interest, should have a close, mutually supportive relationship. A pediatric liaison service would appear to be one setting for this relationship to germinate and flourish.
Characterizing Land Cover Structure with Semantic Variograms

This paper introduces the semantic variogram, which is a measure of spatial variation based upon semantic similarity metrics calculated for nominal land cover class definitions. Traditional approaches for measuring spatial autocorrelation for nominal geographical data compare classes between pairs of observations to determine a simple binary measure of similarity (identical/different). These binary values are summarized over many sample pairs separated by various distances to characterize some spatial metric of correlation, or variation. The use of binary similarity measures ignores potentially substantial ranges in similarity between different classes. Through the development of category representations capable of producing quantifiable measures of pair wise class similarity, descriptive spatial statistics that operate upon ratio data may be employed. These measures, including the semantic variogram proposed in this work, may characterize spatial variability of categorical maps more sensitively than traditional measures. We apply the semantic variogram to National Land Cover Data (NLCD) for three different study sites, and compare results to those from a multiple class indicator semivariogram. We demonstrate that substantial differences exist in observed short-range variability for the two metrics in all sites. The semantic variograms detect much lower short-range variability due to the tendency of semantically similar classes to be closer together.
Functions and Biogenesis of Peroxisomes, 1980

This short overview is intended to summarize briefly the present state of the field for those interested in learning about peroxisomes, while at the same time emphasizing recent developments for the specialists. It is not a comprehensive review.
The Effect of Northern Hemisphere Winds on the Meridional Overturning Circulation and Stratification

AbstractThe current paradigm for the meridional overturning cell and the associated middepth stratification is that the wind stress in the subpolar region of the Southern Ocean drives a northward E...
Immunization Against Staphylococcus aureus Infections.

Background: Infections caused by Staphylococcus aureus continue to plague surgical patients, whether as surgical site infections or other nosocomial infections that complicate surgical care. The only meaningful methods available to decrease the risk of developing such infections are topical skin antisepsis (pre-operative skin preparation) and peri-operative antibiotic prophylaxis, neither of which offer a panacea. Alternatives to the latter are sought so as to minimize antibiotic selection pressure as a factor in the increasing problem of antimicrobial drug resistance. This review considers the possibility that immunization against S. aureus may offer a viable alternative for prophylaxis. Methods: Review and synthesis of pertinent English-language medical literature. Results: Vaccination against viral pathogens has been in successful clinical use for more than two centuries and was instrumental in the eradication of smallpox and the near-elimination of diseases such as poliomyelitis. Vaccinations against a limited number of bacterial pathogens (e.g., Bordetella pertussis, Clostridium tetanii, Corynebacterium diphtheriae, Haemophilus influenzae type b, Neisseria meningiditis, Streptococcus pneumoniae) have also been introduced with success, whereas others against bacteria are in development (C. difficile, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, S. aureus). Vaccination against S. aureus infection is in current veterinary use (e.g., to prevent mastitis among dairy cattle) but has not been successful to date in human beings despite multiple attempts, although development continues. Conclusions: Because of its complex microbiology, including multiple virulence factors and the ability to evade host immune surveillance, S. aureus presents numerous antigenic targets for vaccine development. Failure of two prior single-antigen vaccines in clinical trials has led to the consensus that future vaccine candidates must be directed against multiple antigens. Two distinct four-antigen vaccines are in clinical trials, but efficacy is yet to be determined.
Violation of centrosymmetry in time-resolved coherent x-ray diffraction from rovibrational states of diatomic molecules

Owing to increasing applications of time-resolved coherent x-ray scattering for the investigation of molecular reaction dynamics, we develop a theoretical model for time-dependent x-ray diffraction from molecular and/or electronic motion in molecules. Our model shows that the violation of centrosymmetry (VOC) is a general phenomenon in time-resolved diffraction patterns. We employ our theoretical model to illustrate the VOC in time-resolved coherent x-ray diffraction from two oriented diatomic molecules undergoing rovibrational motion: lithium hydride (LiD) and hydrogen (HD). Our simulations show asymmetric x-ray diffraction images that reflect the directions of the molecular motions.
Computational Random Access Memory (CRAM) and Applications

To enable local or edge AI like family-based robots and self-driving cars without using cloud computing, the power consumption for any available computing system is still four to six orders of magnitude higher than needed. Among all proposed spintronic devices for computing, magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJs) [1] hold the brightest future with large practical impacts considering the maturity of manufacturing MTJs array. Magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJs) were proved to provide high endurance and low-cost solutions for non-volatile, stochastic and nonlinear activation functions and the combinations [2]. Those enable both the stochastic computing and probabilistic computing. This talk will report a new computing architecture based on MTJs: computational random-access memory (CRAM) [3,4], which will be a key build block for different AI accelerators.
Brightly coloured tissues in limid bivalves chemically deter predators

Members of the marine bivalve family Limidae are known for their bright appearance. In this study, their colourful tissues were examined as a defence mechanism towards predators. We showed that whe...
Computer aided process planning for rapid prototyping using a genetic algorithm

This thesis presents a new method for Computer Aided Process Planning (CAPP) for a subtractive Rapid Prototyping (RP) process. The “CNC-RP” process uses a 4-axis CNC machining center to create parts with flat end-mills. The objective is to determine the optimal system parameters for the RP process those that enable parts to be created in a shorter amount of time. Two main contributions make this possible. First, a method of generating different machining orientation sets enables the part to be created with the same level of safety and quality available with the current system. Second, machining time is related to tool selection. These two contributions are combined into a single objective function. A Genetic Algorithm technique is implemented to determine the best machining tool sizes and machining orientations. The results show that a Genetic Algorithm can be applied to a RP process plan to reduce the total processing time.
Suicidal Ideation in a Veterans Affairs Residential Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Treatment Setting: The Roles of Thwarted Belongingness and Perceived Burdensomeness

Suicide is a significant public health concern, and, specifically, the veteran population has exhibited a 22% higher risk of death by suicide than the general population (Department of Veterans Affairs, 2017). The interpersonal psychological theory of suicide (IPTS; Joiner, 2005) appears to be the most widely researched theory to examine factors associated with suicidal ideation. The IPTS applies to veteran suicidal ideation in that veterans may feel they are burdensome to others or that they do not belong following their transition from active duty. The current study sought to (a) identify the prevalence and correlates of the IPTS constructs perceived burdensomeness and thwarted belongingness; (b) examine the main and interactive effects of these constructs on suicidal ideation; and (c) examine their indirect effects in the associations between posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptomatology, depressive symptomatology, and substance use with suicidal ideation in a sample of veterans in PTSD residential treatment (N = 125). Regression results demonstrated that perceived burdensomeness was significantly associated with suicidal ideation, β = .50, p < .001; however, thwarted belongingness and the interaction of the two were not. In the models of indirect effects, perceived burdensomeness emerged as the only significant indirect effect in the association between PTSD symptomatology and suicidal ideation, β = .01 (SE = .00), 95% CI [.0050, .0149], as well as between depressive symptomatology and suicidal ideation, β = .02 (SE = .01), 95% CI [.0109, .0311]. Study limitations and future directions are also discussed.
Investment Opportunities and Strategies in an Era of Coronavirus Pandemic

The COVID-19 continues to hit the world economy as well as the financial markets. As a result of the coronavirus spread across all continents, the majority of the investors face their portfolios painted in red ink, even though there are still opportunities to gain from the current pandemic situation. The traditional investment strategies have been well studied and well documented during economic booming. However, few research papers aimed at determining investment strategies during pandemic times. This paper is aimed to provide a thorough study of the factors affecting the stock prices, and to discuss unique investment strategies with appropriate risk management through the pandemic era. In this paper, an industry sector analysis is conducted, and factors affecting the stock market are analyzed by using alternative data sets as an additional source of tracking behavioral finance and developed a seven-step strategy. The results indicate that there are several industrial sectors that gained during the pandemic and could keep this pace in the nearest future and using the seven-step strategy could help in creating a full picture of the stock’s performance on the market.
The relationship between sex-related alcohol expectancies and hazardous drinking among persons with HIV disease.

Hazardous drinking is a clinically significant problem among persons with HIV (PWH) disease, and is associated with a number of poor outcomes. Hazardous drinking among PWH is associated with risky substance use and sexual behavior, but little work has examined factors that may be associated with greater hazardous drinking and subsequent risky sexual behaviors among PWH. Research among the general population suggests that sex-related alcohol expectancies, defined as drinking to enhance sexual experience, increase sexual risk-taking, and disinhibition of sexual behavior, are associated with greater hazardous alcohol use and risky sexual behavior, but these relations have not been explored among PWH. Therefore, the current study examined the associations of sex-related alcohol expectancies with hazardous alcohol consumption, dependence, and problems among 146 PWH (Mage = 50.99, SD = 9.41) \ enrolled in a clinical trial examining a personalized feedback intervention to reduce hazardous drinking in primary HIV care. Results showed that only sexual disinhibition-related alcohol expectancies were significantly associated with the criterion variables, such that greater drinking alcohol for sexual disinhibition was associated with greater hazardous drinking behaviors. These results sit on the backdrop of a larger literature documenting the links between disinhibition and hazardous alcohol use and provide explanatory specificity to PWH who are hazardous drinkers.
Lung Ultrasound Surface Wave Elastography for Assessing Patients With Pulmonary Edema

B-Mode ultrasound insonation of lungs that are dense with extravascular lung water (EVLW) produces characteristic reverberation artifacts termed B-lines. The number of B-lines present demonstrates reasonable correlation to the amount of EVLW. However, analysis of B-line artifacts generated by this modality is semi-quantitative relying on visual interpretation, and as a result, can be subject to inter-observer variability. The purpose of this study was to translate the use of a novel, quantitative lung ultrasound surface wave elastography technique (LUSWE) into the bedside assessment of pulmonary edema in patients admitted with acute congestive heart failure. B-mode lung ultrasound and LUSWE assessment of the lungs were performed using anterior and lateral intercostal spaces in the supine patient. 14 patients were evaluated at admission with reassessment performed 1-2 days after initiation of diuretic therapy. Each exam recorded the total lung B-lines, lung surface wave speeds (at 100, 150, and 200 Hz) and net fluid balance. The patient cohort experienced effective diuresis (average net fluid balance of negative 2.1 liters) with corresponding decrease in pulmonary edema visualized by B-mode ultrasound (average decrease of 13 B-Lines). In addition, LUSWE demonstrated a statistically significant reduction in the magnitude of wave speed from admission to follow-up. The reduction in lung surface wave speed suggests a decrease in lung stiffness (decreased elasticity) mediated by successful reduction of pulmonary edema. In summary, LUSWE is a noninvasive technique for quantifying elastic properties of superficial lung tissue that may prove useful as a diagnostic test, performed at the bedside, for the quantitative assessment of pulmonary edema.
Financial hardship and depression experienced by pre-retirees during the COVID-19 pandemic: the mitigating role of stimulus payments

This study examines the association between financial hardship and depression among pre-retirees (ages 50 to 65) using the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) and its 2020 COVID-19 supplement. We fin...
The interaction between genetic polymorphisms in FTO, MC4R and MTHFR genes and adherence to the Mediterranean Diet in relation to obesity

Abstract Aims To investigate the potential interaction between genetic background and adherence to the Mediterranean Diet, macronutrient intake and physical activity with regard to obesity in a sample of healthy adults. Design Cross-sectional epidemiological study including 392 adults living in the Mediterranean basin. Data including FFQ, IPAQ and sociodemographic questionnaires were collected via face-to-face interviews. Anthropometric measures were performed and saliva swab for DNA extraction. Two MD scores were calculated to assess the adherence of the population to this pattern. Three single nucleotid polymorphisms (SNPs) related to obesity were studied: FTO, MC4R, MTHFR. Findings FTO rs9939609 is significantly associated with WHR, and MC4R with all phenotypic traits linked to obesity (BMI, WC and WHR). However, MTHFR polymorphism didn’t show any significant correlation with anthropometric parameters. Adherence to the MD and high level of physical activity do not seem to protect against the occurrence of overweight and obesity in genetically predisposed subjects. Conclusion Classic lifestyle interventions are insufficient in addressing the challenging obesity pandemic. Identifying more genetic variants and understanding their interaction with lifestyle will improve the clinical outcome of these variants for risk prediction and personalized nutrition and medical therapy. Also, the MD should undergo a redefinition adapted to each country on the Mediterranean basin in order to organize public health measures for its comeback.
Correlates of Protection for Cholera.

An 'Correlate of Protection' (CoP) is a measured adaptive immune response to vaccination or infection that is associated with protection against disease. However, the degree to which a CoP can serve as a surrogate end point for vaccine efficacy should depend on the robustness of this association. While cholera toxin is a dominant target of the human antibody response to Vibrio cholerae infection, anti-toxin responses are not associated with long-term immunity, and are not effective CoPs for cholera. Instead, protection appears to be mediated by functional antibodies which target the O-polysaccharide coated V. cholerae outer membrane. Vibriocidal antibodies, which are complement-dependent bactericidal antibodies, remain the most accepted CoP for cholera and are used as surrogate end points in some vaccine studies. However, the association between vibriocidal antibody titers and immunity is not absolute, and they are unlikely to reflect a mechanistic correlate of protection against cholera.
Eliminate or reformulate ultra-processed foods? Biological mechanisms matter

Increased ultra-processed foods (UPFs) in the food supply have plausibly caused the rise in obesity prevalence and related chronic diseases. To address this public health concern, policies targeting reformulation or elimination of UPF categories will require improved understanding of the biological mechanisms whereby UPFs lead to overconsumption and poor health.
Striking dichotomy in outcome of MYCN-amplified neuroblastoma in the contemporary era.

BACKGROUND The authors exploited a large database to investigate the outcomes of patients with high-risk neuroblastoma in the contemporary era. METHODS All patients with high-risk neuroblastoma aged 18 months with MYCN-nonamplified [MYCN(−)] stage 4 disease. RESULTS A complete response/very good partial response (CR/VGPR) to induction was correlated with significantly superior event-free survival (EFS) (P < .001) and overall survival (OS) (P < .001) compared with a partial response or less. Patients with MYCN(+) and MYCN(−) disease had similar rates of CR/VGPR to induction (P = .366), and those with MYCN(+) and MYCN(−) disease who attained a CR/VGPR had similar EFS (P = .346) and OS (P = .542). In contrast, only MYCN(+) patients had progressive disease as a response to induction (P < .001), and early death from progressive disease (<366 days after diagnosis) was significantly more common (P < .001) among those with MYCN(+) disease. Overall, among patients who had a partial response or less, MYCN(+) patients had significantly inferior EFS (P < .001) and OS (P < .001) compared with MYCN(−) patients, which accounted for the significantly worse EFS (P = .008) and OS (P = .002) for the entire MYCN(+) cohort versus the MYCN(−) cohort. CONCLUSIONS Patients with MYCN(−), high-risk neuroblastoma display a broad, continuous spectrum with regard to response and outcome, whereas MYCN(+) patients either have an excellent response to induction associated with good long-term outcome or develop early progressive disease with a poor outcome. This extreme dichotomy in the clinical course of MYCN(+) patients points to underlying biologic differences with MYCN(+) neuroblastoma, the elucidation of which may have far-reaching implications, including improved risk classification at diagnosis and the identification of targets for treatment. Cancer 2014;120:2050–2059. © 2014 American Cancer Society.
Classifying coastal resources by integrating optical and radar imagery and color infrared photography

A progressive classification of a marsh and forest system using Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM), color infrared (CIR) photograph, and ERS-1 synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data improved classification accuracy when compared to classification using solely TM reflective band data. The classification resulted in a detailed identification of differences within a nearly monotypic black needlerush marsh. Accuracy percentages of these classes were surprisingly high given the complexities of classification. The detailed classification resulted in a more accurate portrayal of the marsh transgressive sequence than was obtainable with TM data alone. Individual sensor contribution to the improved classification was compared to that using only the six reflective TM bands. Individually, the green reflective CIR and SAR data identified broad categories of water, marsh, and forest. In combination with TM, SAR and the green CIR band each improved overall accuracy by about 3% and 15% respectively. The SAR data improved the TM classification accuracy mostly in the marsh classes. The green CIR data also improved the marsh classification accuracy and accuracies in some water classes. The final combination of all sensor data improved almost all class accuracies from 2% to 70% with an overall improvement of about 20% over TM data alone. Not only was the identification of vegetation types improved, but the spatial detail of the classification approached 10 m in some areas.
On the impact of scheduler settings on the performance of multi-threaded SIP servers

Multi-threading is a widely used program execution model, where each thread executes independently while sharing some of the process resources. Multi-threaded processes are used for a range of network application servers including web servers, mail servers and SIP proxy servers (SPS) for Voice over IP (VoIP). The process scheduler is a core part of any Operating System and the policy it uses may have a significant impact on the various applications executing on the system. In this work, we investigate the impact of the Linux scheduler on the performance of OpenSIPS, an open source SIP proxy server. The version of Linux used in our study uses a scheduling policy known as “Completely Fair Scheduler” (CFS), and the Linux kernel provides several parameters that may be used to tune the CFS policy. We have collected a large set of experimental data, in a methodical fashion, to characterize the performance of SPS as a function of the number of server threads and the call arrival rate under (1) default CFS setting and (2) with CFS parameters tuned for improved performance. By fine tuning the scheduler parameters, SPS performance is improved in all scenarios, in some cases significantly. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study that takes into account the scheduler parameters in improving the performance of the SPS. Our results indicate that network operators may increase server capacity without additional capital expenditures, by applying insightful configuration changes to scheduler policy.
Investigating Interactions between Agent Conversations and Agent Control Components

\begin{abstract} Exploring agent conversation in the context of fine-grained agent coordination research has raised several intellectual questions. The major issues pertain to interactions between different agent conversations, the representations chosen for different classes of conversations, the explicit modeling of interactions between the conversations, and how to address these interactions. This paper is not so ambitious as to attempt to address these questions, only frame them in the context of quantified, scheduling-centric multi-agent coordination. research. \end{abstract}
On the Calculation of System Downtime Distribution

Muth's expression for downtime is evaluated for two cases: 1) when repair and failure rates are constant, straightforward integration is used; and 2) for unspecified distributions, a numerical method is shown and the error term is studied.
Myocardial contrast echocardiography in acute myocardial infarction using aortic root injections of microbubbles in conjunction with harmonic imaging: Potential application in the cardiac catheterization laboratory

Abstract Objectives. The aim of this study was to evaluate myocardial contrast echocardiography using aortic root injections with harmonic imaging in experimental acute myocardial infarction to determine the potential of this approach in the cardiac catheterization laboratory. Background. It would be desirable to have an adjunctive procedure that could evaluate myocardial perfusion at the time of cardiac catheterization in patients with acute myocardial infarction. A single injection of contrast medium in the aortic root would provide complete information on myocardial perfusion in a cross section of the heart. High quality images would provide on-line assessment of myocardial perfusion without recourse to image processing. These data could be very valuable for determining patient management. Methods. Perfusion defects on myocardial contrast echocardiography were measured during coronary occlusion and reflow, using fundamental and harmonic imaging in both continuous and intermittent modes in nine open chest dogs. These defects were compared with risk area on technetium-99m autoradiography and infarct size on tissue staining. Results. Whereas harmonic imaging increased myocardial video intensity by more than twofold (p Conclusions. Aortic root injections of contrast medium coupled with harmonic imaging can be used to provide accurate on-line assessment of risk area and infarct size during acute myocardial infarction. These results have important implications for the catheterization laboratory. (J Am Coll Cardiol 1997;29:207–16)>
Attenuation of Fos expression to airpuff startle stimuli following tympanic membrane rupture.

The airpuff startle stimulus consists of two modalities, tactile and acoustic. Tympanic membrane rupture (TMR) effectively deafens a rat, thus preventing it from perceiving the acoustic component of the airpuff and permitting study of the tactile component in isolation. Previous studies have shown that the tactile modality is sufficient to drive the cardiovascular response to the airpuff, but cannot elicit the full behavioral startle response. In the present study Fos protein was used as a marker of neuronal activation to identify brain regions activated by the airpuff in both intact and TMR rats. Results show an attenuation of Fos expression following TMR in the dorsal and ventral cochlear nuclei, ventral nucleus of the lateral lemniscus and medial geniculate nucleus. In contrast, Fos expression following TMR was unchanged in the locus coeruleus, the laterodorsal tegmental nucleus, the supramammilary nucleus, and the ventromedial hypothalamic nucleus. Analysis of behavioral data confirmed that the startle response to the airpuff was diminished following TMR. These data are the first of which we know to employ an immediate early gene approach to discriminate between brain regions activated by the tactile and acoustic startle stimulus modalities. The results are discussed in terms of the classical acoustic startle circuit, and the central autonomic pathways activated by the tactile component of the airpuff.
Relationship of harvest sucrose content to processing maturity and storage life of potatoes

Potatoes capable of reaching low sucrose levels prior to harvest demonstrate superior processing maturity for chipping directly from intermediate temperature storage (11.7C, 53F). Forty-nine of fifty-three potato clones with a harvest sucrose rating (SR= mg sucrose/g tuber) between 1.0 and 2.8 chipped long term from storage (7.0 to 11.0 months). Eleven of twelve clones with an SR greater than 2.8 accumulated reducing sugars at a rapid rate and showed short term storage potential (0.5 to 5.3 months). A correlation coefficient of -0.845 was obtained by comparing the harvest SR value to the log10 of storage life with all clones sampled over two growing and storage seasons. A standard sucrose rating (SR) procedure is described to rapidly detect annual variation in processing potato maturity to aid in determining proper post-harvest storage and utilization practices.
Preliminary note on lunar cratering rates and absolute time-scales

Abstract Solidification ages from Mare Tranquillitatis (Apollo 11) are used to compute the lunar cratering rate over the last 3.9 aeons. Results agree with estimates from more recent terrestrial cratering.
A substrate radical intermediate in catalysis by the antibiotic resistance protein Cfr.

The radical SAM enzyme Cfr catalyzes methylation of a ribosomal adenosine, causing broad antibiotic resistance. EPR and ENDOR techniques now provide direct evidence for the proposed enzymatic mechanism by detecting a central crosslinked intermediate in which a radical is located on the nucleotide. Cfr-dependent methylation of C8 of A2503 in 23S ribosomal RNA confers bacterial resistance to an array of clinically important antibiotics that target the large subunit of the ribosome, including the synthetic oxazolidinone antibiotic linezolid. The key element of the proposed mechanism for Cfr, a radical S-adenosylmethionine enzyme, is the addition of a methylene radical, generated by hydrogen-atom abstraction from the methyl group of an S-methylated cysteine, onto C8 of A2503 to form a protein–nucleic acid crosslinked species containing an unpaired electron. Herein we use continuous-wave and pulsed EPR techniques to provide direct spectroscopic evidence for this intermediate, showing a spin-delocalized radical with maximum spin density at N7 of the adenine ring. In addition, we use rapid freeze-quench EPR to show that the radical forms and decays with rate constants that are consistent with the rate of formation of the methylated product.
Dualizable quasi-strokes for M-state automata

The concept of a quasi-stroke is defined and developed making use of some of the established methods and results of M-valued logic (M ⩾ 2). Some examples are considered of quasi-strokes for all finite values of M, with special attention given to those which are dualizable in a manner closely analogous to dual pairs in standard 2-valued logic. Consideration is given to the problem of constructing M-valued dual pairs of quasi-strokes which may be applied to finite M-state automata when M > 2.
Computing Carbon Dioxide and Humidity in Filtering Facepiece Respirator Cavity During Breathing Cycles

Carbon dioxide (CO2) and humidity are two factors that affect respirator comfort. Whenever one uses a respirator, CO2 is reinhaled from the previous exhalation and the humidity inside the respirator cavity increases. The CO2 reinhalation causes respirator discomfort with symptoms like headache, dizziness, and etc. The increased humidity causes respirator thermal discomfort. Experimental researches focused on measuring the CO2 and humidity values in the respirator cavity during a long period of time (over 1 hour). However, these experiments ignored CO2 and humidity value variation during a breathing cycle within the respirator cavity. The objective of this study was to use computational fluid dynamics (CFD) method to calculate the CO2 and humidity values inside the respirator cavity during four breathing cycles (19.2s). In our previous work the contact between a headform and a filtering facepiece respirator (FFR) was simulated by the using finite element modeling. In this work a meshed domain was generated including the FFR cavity, the FFR and the region outside of the FFR. A breathing cycle, having both exhalation and inhalation, was then defined as a time-dependent flow rate through a breathing opening (nasal breathing, mouth breathing, and nasal-mouth breathing). Using CFD method, the breathing air flow and the species transport of CO2 and water vapor (H2O) in the domain were simulated for 4 breathing cycles. Totally 5 tests with different breathing openings and different breathing flow rates were conducted: nasal breathing with base, 2 and 3 times flow rate, mouth breathing with base flow rate, and nasal-mouth breathing with base flow rate. The simulation results showed that there were large CO2 and H2O value variations (CO2 mass fraction from 0 to 0.074 and H2O mass fraction 0.0077 and 0.0151) in the FFR cavity during a breathing cycle. The inhaled CO2 mole fraction decreased with increasing breathing flow rate. With the base flow rate, during inhalation the middle point between the nostrils and mouth had higher relative humidity than other probing positions did.Copyright © 2014 by ASME
Ubisemiquinone radicals from the cytochrome b−c1 complex of the mitochondrial electron transport chain—Demonstration of QP-S radical formation

Abstract Stable ubisemiquinone radical(s) in the cytochrome b − c 1 -II complex of bovine heart was observed following reduction by succinate in the presence of catalytic amounts of succinate dehydrogenase. The radical was abolished by addition of antimycin A, but a residual radical remained in the presence of excess exogenous Q2. The radical showed an EPR signal of g = 2.0046 ± .003 at X band (∼9.4 GHz) with no resolved hyperfine structure and had a line width of 8.1 ± .5 Gauss at 23°C. The Q band (35 GHz) spectra showed wellresolved g -anisotropy and had a field separation between derivative extrema of 26 ± 1 Gauss. This radical is evidently from QP-C. These observations substantiate that the radical is immobilized and bound to a protein. The QP-S radical was demonstrated in the cytochrome b - c 1 -II complex only in the presence of more than a catalytic amount of succinate dehydrogenase and cytochrome b - c 1 . This signal was not antimycin a inhibitory. The signal amplitude paralleled the reconstitutive enzymic activity of succinate-cytochrome c reductase from succinate dehydrogenase and the cytochrome b - c 1 -II complex.
Normal-stress differences and the detection of disclinations in nematic elastomers

We used a continuum model to investigate the isochoric radial expansion of a right circular cylindrical specimen composed of a nematic elastomer that is crosslinked in a uniaxial state and then annealed. Numerical solutions show that, above a certain radial expansion, the material has a definitive energetic preference for a state involving a disclination of strength +1 along the cylinder axis. Surrounding such a disclination is a core with radial dimension on the order of 10−2 μm, which coincides with observations in conventional liquid-crystal melts. Examination of the normal-stress differences indicates that the first of these differences depends nonmonotically on the extent of radial expansion and possesses a local minimum at the point where a disclination becomes energetically preferred. This suggests a practical experimental method for testing the predictions of our model. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 40: 2098–2106, 2002
Distribution and synthesis of histone 1 subfractions during spermatogenesis in the rat.

Abstract The distribution and synthesis of various histone 1 (H1) subfractions have been studied in purified populations of rat testis germinal cells. Rat testis H1 has been resolved by SDS polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis into four bands containing H1 subfractions H1b + H1d + H1e (H1bde), H1a, H1c, and H1t. Results show that the somatic H1 subfractions H1a, b, c, d, and e are present and synthesized in spermatogonia and early primary spermatocytes. H1a, a minor somatic subfraction, is the predominant H1 subfraction in these cells (45% of total H1). The testis-specific H1 subfraction, H1t, is barely detectable in these cells. In pachytene spermatocytes, however, H1t (56% of total H1) has replaced H1b, c, d and e, and levels of H1a remain high (30% of total H1). H1t is the only subfraction actively synthesized in pachytene spermatocytes. Early spermatids (steps 1–8) have the same subfraction composition as pachytene spermatocytes, but extremely low H1 synthesis occurs. These results show that gene expression of H1 subfractions is under developmental control. There appears to be an elevated synthesis of subfraction H1a associated with DNA replication. The localization of H1t synthesis to the pachytene spermatocytes corresponds to the regulation of testis-specific variants of H2B and H2A.
Short-Term Recognition Memory

The role of unit structure was investigated in three experiments on short-term recognition memory. The findings indicate that unit structure is a determinant of short-term forgetting. The findings were discussed in terms of decay and interference theory.
Optical Signal Processing and Stealth Transmission for Privacy

Optical encryption, key generation, and optical stealth transmission techniques for protecting the privacy of communication in optical networks are proposed and summarized. The signal processing methods based on fiber components provide ways to encrypt data and generate encryption keys at the speed of data transmission in optical fibers. Private and confidential communication is achieved without compromising the capacity and bandwidth of the optical network. Optical stealth transmission can hide the signal in plain sight. Because an eavesdropper can neither read the data nor detect the existence of the transmitted signal, optical stealth transmission provides a higher level of privacy. A hybrid system which includes both the public channels and stealth channels can effectively provide anonymous communication and defend against traffic analysis.
Preparation, stability and acidity of difluoromethylene bis phosphonic acid

Abstract Hydrolysis of difluoromethylene phosphonate esters quantitatively yields difluoromethylene bis phosphonic acid as a dihydrate. In vacuo drying leads to either the monohydrate or the anhydrous acid. Titration of either the free acid or its disodium salt and computer fit of the data gives all four pKas. The disodium salt and the free acid are thermally stable, and the disodium salt is extremely stable even to strong base.
The influence of thermal parameters on the acclimation responses of pinfish Lagodon rhomboides exposed to static and decreasing low temperatures

Pinfish Lagodon rhomboides acclimation rates were determined by modelling changes in critical thermal minimum (Tcrit min, ° C) estimates at set intervals following a temperature decrease of 3–4° C. The results showed that pinfish gained a total of 3·7° C of cold tolerance over a range of acclimation temperatures (Tacc, ° C) from (23–12° C), that cold tolerance increased with exposure time to the reduced temperature at all Tacc, but that the rate of cold tolerance accruement (mean 0·14° C day−1) was independent of Tacc. A highly significant (P < 0·001) multivariate predictive model was generated that described the acclimation rates and thermal tolerance of pinfish exposed to reduction in water temperature: log10Tcrit min= 0·41597 − 0·01704Tacc+ 0·04320Tplunge− 0·08376[log10 (t+ 1)], where Tplunge is plunge temperature (° C) and t is the time (days). A comparison of the present data, with acclimation rate data for other species, suggests that factors such as latitude or geographic range may play a more important role than ambient temperature in determining cold acclimation rates in fishes.
A Critical Role for H 2 O 2 in O 2 -mediated Cytotoxicity of Rat Distal Fetal Lung Epithelial Cells. Protective effects of Trolox and liposomal catalase ♦ 1699

A Critical Role for H 2 O 2 in O 2 -mediated Cytotoxicity of Rat Distal Fetal Lung Epithelial Cells. Protective effects of Trolox and liposomal catalase ♦ 1699
Photospheric flow and stellar winds

The effect of the photospheric outflow on the expansion of the strongly bound coronas of dwarf main-sequence stars is examined. The extended temperatures of the strongly bound coronas cause the stars to expand and form tenuous stellar winds, with a slight mean upward motion of the gas in the photosphere to replenish the mass loss through the coronal expansion. A formal solution of the time-dependent hydrodynamic equations illustrates the effects of the photospheric velocity at large distances, and the effect of blocking the upward flow in the photosphere is calculated using the sun as an example. Results indicate that the expansion of a strongly bound corona is insensitive over historical time scales to the small outflow of gas in the photosphere.
The particle trap impactor

The performance of virtual impactors with no flow through the impaction orifice was examined experimentally. An open cavity particle trap with an orifice diameter 1.9 times the jet diameter yielded sharp size cuts with a maximum collection efficiency of about 90 percent, with no degradation of performance at very high Stokes number. The suitability of the particle trap for operation with jet velocities up to the sonic limit and for use at elevated temperature was also demonstrated. In extended duration operation, the collection efficiency did not decrease until the trap was nearly filled.
Measurement of MicroRNA: A Regulator of Gene Expression

MicroRNAs (miRs) are epigenetic regulators of messenger RNAs' (mRNA) expression of polypeptides. As such, miRs represent an intriguing mechanism by which gene-environment interactions are hypothesized to occur on the level of epigenetic control over gene expression. In addition to promising findings from in vitro studies indicating that miRs have the potential to function as therapeutic agents in modifying the course of pathophysiologic conditions, recent human studies revealed changes in miR expression patterns in response to behavioral interventions. The authors provide an overview of how miRs are preserved and isolated from other genetic material and describe commonly used methods for measuring miR in the research setting, including Northern blot, polymerase chain reaction, and microarray. The authors also introduce bioinformatic approaches to analysis of high-throughput miR expression and techniques used to create predictive models of miR-mRNA binding to describe possible physiologic pathways affected by specific miRs.
Aromatic cross-strand ladders control the structure and stability of beta-rich peptide self-assembly mimics.

Abstract Though β-rich self-assemblies comprise a major structural class of polypeptides, a detailed understanding of the determinants of their structure and stability is lacking. In particular, the roles of repetitive stretches of side chains running the long axis of these β-sheets, termed “cross-strand ladders,” remain poorly characterized due to the inherently insoluble and heterogeneous nature of self-assemblies. To overcome these experimental challenges, we have established a complementary experimental system termed “peptide self-assembly mimics” (PSAMs). The PSAMs capture a defined number of self-assembly-like peptide repeats within a soluble β-rich protein, making structural and energetic studies possible. In this work, we investigated the role of cross-strand ladders containing aromatic residues, which are prominent in self-assembling peptides. A combination of solution data and high-resolution crystal structures revealed that a single cross-strand ladder consisting solely of Tyr significantly stabilized, rigidified, and flattened the PSAM β-sheet. These characteristics would stabilize each β-sheet layer of a self-assembly and direct sheet conformations compatible with lamination. Our results therefore provide a rationale for the abundance of aromatic amino acids in fibril-forming peptides and establish important roles of cross-strand Tyr ladders in the structure and stability of β-rich peptide self-assemblies.