cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Antioxidant compounds interfere with the 3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2, 5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide cytotoxicity assay

Antioxidants are often added to culture media as cytoprotective agents. We examined the effects of antioxidants on the results and interpretation of the 3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay for cell viability. Without cells, the thiol-containing antioxidant compounds beta-mercaptoethanol, dithiothreitol, pyrrolidine-dithiocarbamate, and N-acetyl-L-cysteine (acetylcysteine) reduced MTT tetrazolium salts to a blue formazan product in a dose-dependent manner. Addition of the compounds L-ascorbic acid and (+)-alpha-tocopherol acid succinate had different effects. In contrast, addition of the antioxidants N-acetyl-5-methoxytryptamine and (-)-2-oxo-4-thiazolidine carboxylic acid, which do not contain reactive thiol groups, did not result in the development of blue formazan product. These results showed that antioxidants, and potentially other chemotherapeutic compounds that contain free thiol groups or other reducing equivalents, readily reduce MTT to produce the blue formazan, irrespective of the viability of the cells present. This undescribed reaction can, therefore, significantly influence the results and interpretation of cell-viability experiments.
Forest Management Policy and Community Well-Being in the Pacific Northwest

This study uses a multiscale, multimethods approach to examine the effects of declining timber harvests on the well-being of forest communities in the Pacific Northwest as a result of the Northwest Forest Plan (the Plan). We found that the effects of declining timber harvests were variable and depended on the importance of the timber sector in a community in the late 1980s, the extent to which federal timber supported that sector, and the degree to which local residents depended on US Forest Service jobs. In addition, we found that other goods, services, and opportunities associated with federal lands declined under the Plan, further affecting communities by curtailing private and public sector business and employment opportunities. Community effects also depended on the unique circumstances of a community. A socioeconomic well-being index we developed indicated that overall, communities within five miles of a federal forest were not doing as well as communities farther away.
Service for crowd-driven gathering of non-discoverable knowledge

Knowledge that cannot be discovered through automated methods, such as user practices, remains in informal mediums. It is unstructured, and in collective possession of the experts, yet it is key for business insights. Typically this "Non-Discoverable knowledge" is gathered in semi-automated way, which at best provides crude estimates, and doesn't scale. In this paper, we describe our novel approach to rapidly design a process solution for a family of business objects, gathering required knowledge through the use of social networking to identify the experts. We propose a "Deconstructed Survey" that captures the knowledge request, and manages its lifecycle through task forwarding and sub-tasking. We developed the system BizRay, instantiating the proposed approach as a general-purpose, self-service Web-based, crowdsourcing service. We demonstrate its effectiveness in accelerating knowledge discovery, through our experiences with deployments for IT Optimization and Services Delivery.
Penalized for expertise: Psychological proximity and the devaluation of polymathic experts

In today’s world of “boundaryless” careers, members of the workforce are increasingly developing competencies in multiple domains of expertise. Despite the benefits that employees with polymathic e...
A Chemoproteomic Strategy for Direct and Proteome-Wide Covalent Inhibitor Target-Site Identification

Despite recent clinical successes for irreversible drugs, potential toxicities mediated by unpredictable modification of off-target cysteines represents a major hurdle for expansion of covalent drug programs. Understanding the proteome-wide binding profile of covalent inhibitors can significantly accelerate their development; however, current mass spectrometry strategies typically do not provide a direct, amino acid level readout of covalent activity for complex, selective inhibitors. Here we report the development of CITe-Id, a novel chemoproteomic approach that employs covalent pharmacologic inhibitors as enrichment reagents in combination with an optimized proteomic platform to directly quantify dose-dependent binding at cysteine-thiols across the proteome. CITe-Id analysis of our irreversible CDK inhibitor THZ1 identified dose-dependent covalent modification of several unexpected kinases, including a previously unannotated cysteine (C840) on the understudied kinase PKN3. These data streamlined our development of JZ128 as a new selective covalent inhibitor of PKN3. Using JZ128 as a probe compound, we identified novel potential PKN3 substrates, thus offering an initial molecular view of PKN3 cellular activity. CITe-Id provides a powerful complement to current chemoproteomic platforms to characterize the selectivity of covalent inhibitors, identify new, pharmacologically addressable cysteine-thiols, and inform structure-based drug design programs.
Expedited Neighbor Discovery in Directional Terahertz Communication Networks Enhanced by Antenna Side-Lobe Information

Terahertz (THz)-band (0.1–10 THz) communication is envisioned as a key wireless technology of the next decade, able to support wireless Terabit-per-second links in 6G systems. THz communication exhibits an extremely large bandwidth (tens to hundreds of GHz) at the cost of a very high path loss ( $>$ 100 dB for distances beyond a few meters). Therefore, highly directional antennas (DAs) are needed simultaneously in transmission and reception at all times to establish reliable communication links. The application of highly DAs introduces new challenges in the neighbor discovery process. In this paper, a time-efficient neighbor discovery protocol for THz-band communication networks is proposed. The protocol expedites the neighbor discovery process by leveraging the full antenna radiation pattern to detect a series of effective signals and map them to the universal signal patterns, which indicate the potential direction of the signal source. A mathematical framework is developed to compare the neighbor discovery protocols with and without the antenna side-lobes information in free space. The X60 testbed is utilized to validate the proposed neighbor discovery protocol. Furthermore, a feasibility analysis of the proposed protocol inside a bounded space (e.g., a square room) is conducted. Numerical results are presented to illustrate the performance improvements achieved by the proposed protocol when compared to the traditional neighbor discovery protocols with only main-lobe information.
Bureaucratic intimacies: translating human rights in Turkey: by Elif Babül, Stanford, CA, Stanford University Press, 2017, 248 pp., $85.00 (cloth), ISBN 9781503601895, $26.00 (paper), ISBN 9781503603172

It is well known that Turkey’s bid to accede to the European Union (EU) is going nowhere fast. Less well known is that what we might call the country’s infrastructural integration with the EU has l...
Direct Oral Factor Xa Inhibitors for the Treatment of Acute Cancer-Associated Venous Thromboembolism: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-analysis.

Abstract Objective To explore the efficacy and safety of direct oral factor Xa inhibitors in the treatment of cancer-associated acute venous thromboembolism (VTE). Patients and Methods MEDLINE, CENTRAL (Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials), and Embase databases were searched for trials comparing direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) to dalteparin for the management of cancer-associated acute VTE. Databases were searched from inception to September 19, 2018. A network meta-analysis using both frequentist and Bayesian methods was performed to analyze VTE recurrence and major and clinically relevant nonmajor bleeding. Results We identified 3 randomized controlled trials, at low risk of bias, that enrolled 1739 patients with cancer-associated VTE. Direct comparison revealed a lower rate of VTE recurrence in DOAC compared with dalteparin groups (odds ratio [OR], 0.48; 95% CI, 0.24-0.96; I2=46%). Indirect comparison suggested that apixaban had greater reduction in VTE recurrence compared with dalteparin (OR, 0.10; 95% CI, 0.01-0.82) but not rivaroxaban or edoxaban. Apixaban also had the highest probability of being ranked most effective. By direct comparisons, there was an increased likelihood of major bleeding in the DOAC group compared with dalteparin (OR, 1.70; 95% CI, 1.04-2.78). Clinically relevant nonmajor bleeding did not differ. Indirect estimates were imprecise. Subgroup analyses in gastrointestinal cancers suggested that dalteparin may have the lowest risk of bleeding, whereas estimates in urothelial cancer were imprecise. Conclusion Direct oral anticoagulants appear to lower the risk of VTE recurrence compared with dalteparin while increasing major bleeding. Apixaban may be associated with the lowest risk of VTE recurrence compared with the other DOACs.
Exploration History Scholarship: An “Untamable Beast”

We are pleased to present a very full issue that begins with a Special Anniversary section to mark milestones, which includes pieces to commemorate the Fiftieth Anniversary of Terrae Incognitae (TI...
Post-wildfire riparian forest recovery processes along a regulated river corridor

Abstract Riparian forest recovery was monitored over a 23 km study site that encountered a mixed low to moderate severity wildfire on the floodplain that was followed by a sequence of flows ranging from below bankfull to a 50-year flood on the regulated South Fork Boise River, Idaho, USA. The goals of the study were to examine the dominant mechanisms of post-wildfire riparian forest regeneration along the river corridor in relation to upstream dam operations. Results are put in context with trends occurring in the regulated river system over the past 70 years that exemplify post-impoundment floodplain dynamics. Aerial imagery and field surveys were used to examine trends in geomorphic and forest response related to flow regulation, riparian wildfire, and a 50-year flood. Additionally, a one-dimensional sediment transport model was employed to assess seedling recruitment related to local and reach-scale erosional and depositional processes over a five-year period following the wildfire. A conceptual model is presented to illustrate riparian forest response to the interacting influences of fire severity and flood disturbance to help guide post-wildfire riparian forest management activities. Aerial imagery between 1957 and 2011 shows that flow regulation after dam closure led to channel narrowing of 62% of historic active channel width and an associated increase in floodplain tree density of 59%. This expansion of forest cover on the floodplain was at the expense of seedling recruitment habitat for pioneer species in the Salicaceae family that require bare sediment, light exposure, and access to the shallow groundwater. A 2013 riparian wildfire led to substantial top kill on the floodplain that provided a disturbance for potential seedling recruitment. However, dam releases during average and wet hydrologic conditions led to only 5% of the total observed seedling recruitment in the system occurring on the floodplain due to the limited magnitude of flood disturbances following the burn, highlighting the importance of the sequence of environmental flows immediately following riparian wildfire. Alternatively, 95% of seedling recruitment occurred within the active channel and was directly related to sediment transport processes. Post-wildfire related debris flows were responsible for providing the requisite sediment supply to the channel in an otherwise sediment supply-limited, regulated river system. Resultant sediment deposition was responsible for providing 100% of seedling recruitment habitat in the active channel during dam releases in average hydrologic conditions, whereas deposition accounted for 84% and erosion accounted for 16% of observed recruitment habitat during wet hydrologic conditions.
Root pathogen diversity and composition varies with climate in undisturbed grasslands, but less so in anthropogenically disturbed grasslands.

Soil-borne pathogens structure plant communities, shaping their diversity, and through these effects may mediate plant responses to climate change and disturbance. Little is known, however, about the environmental determinants of plant pathogen communities. Therefore, we explored the impact of climate gradients and anthropogenic disturbance on root-associated pathogens in grasslands. We examined the community structure of two pathogenic groups—fungal pathogens and oomycetes—in undisturbed and anthropogenically disturbed grasslands across a natural precipitation and temperature gradient in the Midwestern USA. In undisturbed grasslands, precipitation and temperature gradients were important predictors of pathogen community richness and composition. Oomycete richness increased with precipitation, while fungal pathogen richness depended on an interaction of precipitation and temperature, with precipitation increasing richness most with higher temperatures. Disturbance altered plant pathogen composition and precipitation and temperature had a reduced effect on pathogen richness and composition in disturbed grasslands. Because pathogens can mediate plant community diversity and structure, the sensitivity of pathogens to disturbance and climate suggests that degradation of the pathogen community may mediate loss, or limit restoration of, native plant diversity in disturbed grasslands, and may modify plant community response to climate change.
Contrast as Aesthetic Value in the Townscape : Modernity and Preservation in the 1960s and 1970s in Hungary

The 1960s and 1970s represent a period of housing estate construction in Europe, and this urban architectural model greatly affected the former socialist countries, including Hungary. It seems logical therefore that monument and townscape protection could not find its place in that period of building boom. Nevertheless, Hungarian monument protection flowered in those decades. The reason for this was that the search for “contrast” was one of the leading paradigms in modern urban aesthetics, and this contrast also highlighted development: the remaining architectural monuments and urban zones as relics emphasized the different characteristics of the modern town as opposed to the old one. Thus, while urban architects were working on creating the “new townscape”, experts of monument protection had a wide range of license in their field to preserve the historical milieu as a contrast to the modern one. Naturally, this historical milieu had the stamp of the aesthetical paradigms of modern architecture as well. Therefore the old houses were interpreted as the antitype of modern design, the static and rationality were stressed, instead of the decoration and social representation of old structures. This paper attempts to verify empirically the above thesis by analyzing three Hungarian sites: the completely reconstructed Budapest-Obuda, Komarom as municipal center and semi-new town in the 1960s and 1970s, and Esztergom as a historical town.
A Deep Machine Learning Approach for Lidar Based Boundary Layer Height Detection

Inspired by the importance of Planetary Boundary Layer Heights (PBLH) for inferring Air Quality assessments and the disappointing performance of current weather forecasts of PBLH, this paper presents the proposed impact of using a Machine Learning derived PBLH (ML-PBLH) using ground-based Ceilometer observing systems. The PBLH is vital in air pollution studies to determine the extent of vertical mixing of pollutants (e.g., particles, trace gases, etc.). On the other hand, model forecasts of the nighttime collapse of the PBLH close to the surface, grossly underestimate the actual observations. We propose using machine learning methods, employing deep neural networks for denoising and image segmentation to detect PBLH from the Ceilometer backscatter signal from the LIDAR observations. The ML-PBLH detection algorithm shows promising early results when compared with conventional ground-based Ceilometer retrieval methods such as Wavelet methods used for LIDAR identification of PBLH under normal conditions. The use of conventional methods as well as the wavelet method for LIDAR backscatter retrievals is limited in the presence of dense clouds. However, the proposed machine learning approach is able to infer PBLH even under such conditions.
Robot-assisted ventriculoscopic 3D reconstruction for guidance of deep-brain stimulation surgery

Purpose: Emerging deep-brain stimulation (DBS) procedures require a high degree of accuracy in placement of neuroelectrodes, even in the presence of deformation due to cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) egress during surgical access. We are developing ventriculoscope and hand-eye calibration methods for a robot-assisted guidance system to augment accurate electrode placement through transventricular approach. Methods: The ventriculoscope camera was modelled and calibrated for lens distortion using three different checkerboards, followed by evaluation on a separate board. The experimental system employed a benchtop UR3e robot (Universal Robots, Denmark) and ventriculoscope (Karl Storz, Tuttlingen, Germany) affixed to the end effector – referred to as the robotassisted ventriculoscopy (RAV) platform. Performance was evaluated in terms of three error metrics (RPE, FCE and PDE). Experiments were conducted to estimate the camera frame of reference using hand-eye calibration methods, and evaluated using a ChAruco board, using five different solvers and residual calibration error as the metric. Results: Camera calibration demonstrated subpixel (0.81 ± 0.11) px reprojection error and projection distance error (PDE) <0.5 mm. The error was observed to converge for any checkerboard used given a sufficient number of calibration images. The hand-eye calibration exhibited sub-mm residual error (0.26 ± 0.18) mm insensitive to the solver used. Conclusions: The RAV system demonstrates sub-mm ventriculoscope camera calibration error and robot-to-camera handeye residual error, providing a valuable platform for the development of advanced 3D guidance systems for emerging DBS approaches. Future work aims to develop structure-from-motion (SfM) methods to reconstruct a 3D optical scene using endoscopic video frames and further testing using rigid and deformable anatomical phantoms as well as cadaver studies.
Sin city betting on the major leagues? An analysis of the sport-based approach to economic redevelopment in Las Vewgas

The city of Las Vegas, Nevada was one of the hardest hit communities in the United States during the 2008 Great Recession. As the nation emerged from the economic downturn, city and state officials...
Inhomogenous Regularization with Limited and Indirect Data.

For an ill-posed inverse problem, particularly with incomplete and limited measurement data, regularization is an essential tool for stabilizing the inverse problem. Among various forms of regularization, the lp penalty term provides a suite of regularization of various characteristics depending on the value of p. When there are no explicit features to determine p, a spatially varying inhomogeneous p can be incorporated to apply different regularization characteristics that change over the domain. This approach has been investigated and used for denoising problems where the first or the second derivatives of the true signal provide information to design the spatially varying exponent p distribution. This study proposes a strategy to design the exponent distribution when the first and second derivatives of the true signal are not available, such as in the case of indirect and limited measurement data. The proposed method extracts statistical and patch-wise information using multiple reconstructions from a single measurement, which assists in classifying each patch to predefined features with corresponding p values. We validate the robustness and effectiveness of the proposed approach through a suite of numerical tests in 1D and 2D, including a sea ice image recovery from partial Fourier measurement data. Numerical tests show that the exponent distribution is insensitive to the choice of multiple reconstructions.
Ultrafast, Non-Equilibrium and Transient Heating and Sintering of Nanocrystals for Nanoscale Metal Printing

The carrier excitation, relaxation, energy transport, and conversion processes during light-nanocrystal (NC) interactions have been intensively investigated for applications in optoelectronics, photocatalysis, and photovoltaics. However, there are limited studies on the non-equilibrium heating under relatively high laser excitation that leads to NCs sintering. Here, the authors use femtosecond laser two-pulse correlation and in-situ optical transmission probing to investigate the non-equilibrium heating of NCs and transient sintering dynamics. First, a two-pulse correlation study reveals that the sintering rate strongly increases when the two heating laser pulses are temporally separated by <10 ps. Second, the sintering rate is found to increase nonlinearly with laser fluence when heating with ≈700 fs laser pulses. By three-temperature modeling, the NC sintering mechanism mediated by electron induced ligand transformation is suggested. The ultrafast and non-equilibrium process facilitates sintering in dry (spin-coated) and wet (solvent suspended) environments. The nonlinear dependence of sintering rate on laser fluence is exploited to print sub-diffraction-limited features in NC suspension. The smallest feature printed is ≈200 nm, which is ≈¼ of the laser wavelength. These findings provide a new perspective toward nanomanufacturing development based on probing and engineering ultrafast transport phenomena in functional NCs.
A model of the regional uptake of gaseous pollutants in the lung: I. The sensitivity of the uptake of ozone in the human lung to lower respiratory tract secretions and exercise

An ozone (O3) dosimetry model is presented that takes into account convection and diffusion of O3 in the lumen and airspaces of the lower respiratory tract and transport and chemical reactions in the mucous and surfactant layers and in the underlying tissue and capillaries. The model was applied to human airway morphometric data. Values for the chemical and physical parameters that define the liquid tissue and blood compartments were based on reported experimental data. Simulation results illustrate the variability of results due to an uncertainty in the knowledge of transport parameters, liquid, tissue, and blood compartment thicknesses, and chemical reaction rates. Results were most sensitive to mucous compartment thickness and reaction rate constant and least sensitive to transport and blood parameters. Exercise was simulated, showing little effect on tracheobronchial uptake but a pronounced effect on pulmonary uptake.
O2 reduction and structure-related parameters for supported catalysts

Supported electrocatalysts starting with the initial patent by Petrow and Allen opened up a new horizon in the field of fuel cell electrocatalysis. Choice of new chemical dispersion methods and choice of carbon support materials led to a quantum jump in the performance of low and intermediate temperature acid and alkaline fuel cells. Among the advantages realized early were: (i) lowering overpotential losses in the activation, mass transport and ohmic polarization regions; (ii) mitigating corrosion and sintering problems; and (iii) increased catalyst utilization and hence decreased cost of noble metals by one or two orders of magnitude. This chapter reviews the fundamental and technological progress in the research on supported electrocatalysts for both phosphoric acid fuel cells (PAFCs) and polymer electrolyte fuel cells (PEMFCs). Early developments in the realization of particle size effects and the interplay between electronic and short range atomic order has been chronicled for the more kinetically difficult oxygen reduction reaction, until the advent of Pt alloy electrocatalysts. The effect of carbon support is also examined from the perspective of possible catalyst-support synergy both in terms of imparting improved electrocatalysis but also in terms of increased stability (resistance to sintering). Methods of dispersing metals on carbon support are chronicled along with some new developments. In addition, newer techniques involving synchrotron X-ray techniques are presented in terms of elucidating the true nature of electrocatalysis of oxygen reduction reaction. Some new perspectives on the continued use of these supported electrocatalysts are presented, especially in the emerging field of new synthesis routes for making tailored Pt alloy electrocatalysts. Keywords: agglomeration/sintering; corrosion; Ostwald ripening (dissolution/precipitation); particle size effect; amorphous/preferred orientation; electronic factors; short range order; alloy electrocatalysts; surface composition changes; effect of geometric and electronic factors; performance degradation in PAFCs and PEMFCs; high surface area carbons; corrosion; pretreatment (heat/chemical); adhesion of electrocatalysts; amorphous/preferred orientation; carbides/oxides; electronic conductivity; stability
Cellular Transformation, Characteristics

Introduction Mechanisms of Cellular Transformation Retroviruses Engineered Expression of Oncogenes Small DNA Tumor Viruses Characteristics of Transformed Cells Chromosome Characteristics Chromosome Analysis Flow Cytometric Analysis of Cell Populations to Determine DNA Content Telomeres Physical Characteristics of Transformed Cells Growth Factor Requirements Formation of Tumors in Nude Mice Acknowledgments Bibliography Keywords: cancer; cell lines; cell stability; physiology; growth
Navigating The Left Turn

Since the late 1990s, a series of pro-LGBT reforms have taken place in Latin America, coinciding in part with the region's shift away from neoliberalism to the Left. The Ecuadorian state has been at the forefront of this trend, decriminalizing homosexuality in 1997 and including an anti-discrimination clause on the basis of sexual orientation in the 1998 Constitution, the first in the region to do so. The 2008 Constitution went further; redefining the family, recognizing same-sex civil unions and providing legal protection on the basis of gender identity. At the same time, the 2008 Constitution banned same-sex marriage and adoption and continues the ban on abortion – indications that heteronormativity continues to underlie state policy and law. What is at stake in the state's seemingly ambivalent embrace of LGBT and feminist struggles for sexual justice? We argue that this contradictory stance towards struggles for sexual justice is a result of the interplay between homophobic and homoprotectionist state ...
Co-ordinating 'ethical' clinical trials: The role of research coordinators in the contract research industry

Change in the way new drugs are developed, including the privatisation of clinical trials, has altered the arrangement and roles of healthcare professions. In this paper I examine one aspect of this change: the role of research coordinators in the conduct of contract research in the United States. My focus on coordinators highlights the ethical conflicts embedded in clinical trials. I describe the ways in which coordinators experience and contend with the conflict between research and care and show how their construction of ethics is distinct from institutional conceptions formally associated with human subjects research. My analysis demonstrates how the coordinators' focus on ethics is a response to their role conflict and an attempt to reinsert individualised care into the context of research.
Magnesium and the Growth of Escherichia coli

Abstract The growth of cells of Escherichia coli has been studied in media with varying amounts of magnesium. Experiments in which the content of magnesium in the medium and in the cell have been directly measured reveal that the growth rate of magnesium-limited wild type cells is half-maximal at extracellular concentrations of 1 to 3 x 10-6 m. Mutants have been isolated which require 100 times this concentration for half-maximal rate of growth. Supplementation of the medium with calcium or strontium enables the mutants to grow on the same low levels of magnesium as the wild type even though calcium or strontium cannot replace magnesium as an essential growth factor. Cells harvested in the exponential phase of growth from medium not limited in magnesium lose one-third to two-thirds of their total magnesium upon treatment with ethylenediaminetetraacetate. In contrast, magnesium-starved cells retain nearly all of their magnesium when treated with EDTA. In a sonic extract of magnesium-starved cells, 15% of the total magnesium is not sedimentable at 100,000 x g. When such an extract is passed over Sephadex G-25 or G-50, 75 to 80% of the magnesium is free to diffuse into the gel.
Influence of salinity and temperature on the germination of Kochia scoparia

Kochia scoparia is one of the most common annual halophytes foundin the Great Basin. Seeds were collected from a population growing in asalt playa at Faust, Utah and were germinated at 5 temperature regimes(12 h night/12 h day, 5–15 °C, 10–20 °C, 15–25 °C,20–30 °C and 25–35 °C) and 6 salinities (0, 200, 400,600, 800 and 1000 mM NaCl) to determine optimal conditions forgermination and recovery of germination from saline conditions after beingtransferred to distilled water. Maximum germination occurred in distilledwater, and an increase in NaCl concentration progressively inhibited seedgermination. Few seeds germinated at 1000 mM NaCl. A temperatureregime of 25 °C night and 35 °C day yielded maximumgermination. Cooler temperature 5–15 °C significantly inhibited seedgermination. Rate of germination decreased with increase in salinity.Germination rate was highest at 25–35 °C and lowest at5–15 °C. Seeds were transferred from salt solutions to distilled waterafter 20 days and those from high salinities recovered quickly at warmertemperature regimes. Final recovery germination percentages in high salttreatments were high, indicating that exposure to high concentration ofNaCl did not inhibit germination permanently.
Low-profile loop antenna above EBG structure

In this work, a low-profile loop antenna is designed using an electromagnetic bandgap (EBG) structure to achieve better than -10 dB 50/spl Omega/ match for a printed loop antenna. The electrical characteristics of the mushroom-like EBG structure which are estimated from FDTD simulations are utilized to determine the length of the loop antenna. After constructing the loop antenna above the EBG structure, return loss characteristics and far-field patterns of the antenna are measured and compared with the simulation results. The design frequency is 2.2 GHz.
Activation of rat pheochromocytoma tyrosine hydroxylase by a cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase in a cell-free system.

Short term exposure of PC-12 cells to dibutyryl cyclic AMP (dB-cAMP) results in an activation of tyrosine hydroxylase. In the cell-free system the PC-12 tyrosine hydroxylase activity is stimulated by addition of c-AMP, Mg+2 and ATP. Exogenous c-AMP dependent protein kinase further stimulates tyrosine hydroxylase activity. The kinetic data suggests that the PC-12 tyrosine hydroxylase in the basal state is in a non-phosphorylated form but under phosphorylating conditions the enzyme is activated and its kinetic properties are altered.
Assessment of genetic diversity of seagrass populations using DNA fingerprinting: Implications for population stability and management

Populations of the temperate seagrass, Zostera marina L. (eelgrass), often exist as discontinuous beds in estuaries, harbors, and bays where they can reproduce sexually or vegetatively through clonal propagation. We examined the genetic structure of three geographically and morphologically distinct populations from central California (Elkhorn Slough, Tomales Bay, and Del Monte Beach), using multilocus restriction fragment length polymorphisms (DNA fingerprints). Within-population genetic similarity (Sw) values for the three eelgrass populations ranged from 0.44 to 0.68. The Tomales Bay population located in an undisturbed, littoral site possessed a within-population genetic similarity (Sw = 0.44) that was significantly lower than those of the other two populations. Cluster analysis identified genetic substructure in only the undisturbed subtidal population (Del Monte Beach). Between-population similarity values (Sb) for all pairwise comparisons ranged from 0.47 to 0.51. The three eelgrass populations show significantly less between locale genetic similarity than found within populations, indicating that gene flow is restricted between locales even though two of the populations are separated by only 30 km. The study demonstrates that (i) natural populations of Z. marina from both disturbed and undisturbed habitats possess high genetic diversity and are not primarily clonal, (ii) gene flow is restricted even between populations in close proximity, (iii) an intertidal population from a highly disturbed habital shows much lower genetic diversity than an intertidal population from an undisturbed site, and (iv) DNA fingerprinting techniques can be exploited to understand gene flow and population genetic structure in Z. marina, a widespread and ecologically important species, and as such are relevant to the management of this coastal resource.
Cdc42 Regulates E-cadherin Ubiquitination and Degradation through an Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor to Src-mediated Pathway

E-cadherins play an essential role in maintaining epithelial polarity by forming Ca2+-dependent adherens junctions between epithelial cells. Here, we report that Ca2+ depletion induces E-cadherin ubiquitination and lysosomal degradation and that Cdc42 plays an important role in regulating this process. We demonstrate that Ca2+ depletion induces activation of Cdc42. This in turn up-regulates epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) signaling to mediate Src activation, leading to E-cadherin ubiquitination and lysosomal degradation. Silencing Cdc42 blocks activation of EGFR and Src induced by Ca2+ depletion, resulting in a reduction in E-cadherin degradation. The role of Cdc42 in regulating E-cadherin ubiquitination and degradation is underscored by the fact that constitutively active Cdc42(F28L) increases the activity of EGFR and Src and significantly enhances E-cadherin ubiquitination and lysosomal degradation. Furthermore, we found that GTP-dependent binding of Cdc42 to E-cadherin is critical for Cdc42 to induce the dissolution of adherens junctions. Our data support a model that activation of Cdc42 contributes to mesenchyme-like phenotype by targeting of E-cadherin for lysosomal degradation.
Distribution of surface plastic debris in the eastern Pacific Ocean from an 11-year data set.

We present an extensive survey of floating plastic debris in the eastern North and South Pacific Oceans from more than 2500 plankton net tows conducted between 2001 and 2012. From these data we defined an accumulation zone (25 to 41°N, 130 to 180°W) in the North Pacific subtropical gyre that closely corresponds to centers of accumulation resulting from the convergence of ocean surface currents predicted by several oceanographic numerical models. Maximum plastic concentrations from individual surface net tows exceeded 106 pieces km–2, with concentrations decreasing with increasing distance from the predicted center of accumulation. Outside the North Pacific subtropical gyre the median plastic concentration was 0 pieces km–2. We were unable to detect a robust temporal trend in the data set, perhaps because of confounded spatial and temporal variability. Large spatiotemporal variability in plastic concentration causes order of magnitude differences in summary statistics calculated over short time periods or ...
Screening for Coronary Artery Disease in Type 2 Diabetes

Clinical Context: Sensitive tools are available to diagnose occult ischemic and atherosclerotic coronary disease, yet screening for coronary artery disease (CAD) has not been shown to reduce cardiac events in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Professional guidelines are inconsistent regarding CAD screening recommendations, but it is suggested that those at highest risk (10-yr risk ≥20%) for cardiac events may benefit. Evidence Acquisition: We reviewed bibliographies of professional CAD screening guidelines, review articles, and clinical trials published within the last 10 yr, although we have included relevant older studies. We excluded studies that did not focus on T2DM or explicitly analyze that subgroup. Evidence Synthesis: Although screening for coronary ischemia or atherosclerosis does provide incremental prognostic information in patients with T2DM and previously undiagnosed CAD, this has not been found to significantly impact outcomes. This appears to result from comparable efficacy of...
Substrate specificities of insulin and epidermal growth factor receptor kinases

Summary The abilities of insulin and EGF stimulated protein kinases to phosphorylate a series of exogenous substrates were compared using wheat germ lectin purified preparations of solubilized rat liver membranes. Three different kinds of substrates were found: substrates phosphorylated primarily by insulin stimulated kinase, substrates phosphorylated primarily by EGF stimulated kinase and substrates phosphorylated by both kinases to a similar extent. These results indicate that the insulin and the EGF receptor kinase have different, but overlapping, substrate specificities. In vivo, phosphorylation of cellular proteins by various hormone receptor kinases may be part of the signal transmission process for actions of the hormones. Different substrate specificities of kinases of different hormone receptors may therefore represent an important mechanism to preserve the specificity of the hormonal signal at the post receptor level.
Hospice Care for Children: Past, Present, and Future:

Of the 100,000 children who die each year in the United States, close to 15,000 children could benefit from hospice/home care services. This article describes the concept of pediatric hospice care, reviews the Martinson study that was conducted in the 1970s, gives a chronological report on some institutions that provide hospice care for children in the United States and other parts of the world, and discusses the future of pediatric hospice care.
A note on tsunami amplitudes above submarine slides and slumps

Abstract Tsunami generated by submarine slumps and slides are investigated in the near-field, using simple source models, which consider the effects of source finiteness and directivity. Five simple two-dimensional kinematic models of submarine slumps and slides are described mathematically as combinations of spreading constant or slopping uplift functions. Tsunami waveforms for these models are computed using linearized shallow water theory for constant water depth and transform method of solution (Laplace in time and Fourier in space). Results for tsunami waveforms and tsunami peak amplitudes are presented for selected model parameters, for a time window of the order of the source duration. The results show that, at the time when the source process is completed, for slides that spread rapidly (cR/cT≥20, where cR is the velocity of predominant spreading), the displacement of the free water surface above the source resembles the displacement of the ocean floor. As the velocity of spreading approaches the long wavelength tsunami velocity (c T = gh ), the tsunami waveform has progressively larger amplitude, and higher frequency content, in the direction of slide spreading. These large amplitudes are caused by wave focusing. For velocities of spreading smaller than the tsunami long wavelength velocity, the tsunami amplitudes in the direction of source propagation become small, but the high frequency (short) waves continue to be present. The large amplification for cR/cT∼1 is a near-field phenomenon, and at distances greater than several times the source dimension, the large amplitude and short wavelength pulse becomes dispersed. A comparison of peak tsunami amplitudes for five models plotted versus L/h (where L is characteristic length of the slide and h is the water depth) shows that for similar slide dimensions the peak tsunami amplitude is essentially model independent.
Direct observation of switching phenomena in memory-type materials by electron microscopy☆

Abstract A technique is described whereby the direct observation of structural changes resulting from electrical switching can be followed in an electron microscope. It is applied to the amorphous chalcogenide alloys and a brief description of the filament that is formed is presented.
New technology for data extraction from unformatted text

In business and technical text there is a considerably amount of data, factual knowledge that provides specific details about a topic. Because of the exponentially increasing availability of text, there is therefore vast amounts of data to be gleaned. The problem is that the gleaning tools are insufficient, missing a lot of the relevant data and burying the user in irrelevant returns. The paper describes the EXTRACT tool which is specifically designed to dig data out of all its text crevices, doing so with great accuracy and ease-of-user.© (1997) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Using Unemployment Rates as Instruments to Estimate Returns to Schooling

I use state unemployment rates during a person's teenage years to estimate the returns to schooling. A higher unemployment rate reduces the opportunity costs of attending school. Using the same 1980 Census data set that Angrist and Krueger (1991) use, I also estimate returns to schooling with a modified version of their quarter-of-birth instrument. The estimates from the two-stage least squares (2SLS) model using the unemployment rate and the model using the quarter-of-birth instruments are almost identical. In addition, these 2SLS estimates are larger than the ordinary least squares (OLS) estimates, supporting this counterintuitive, yet prevalent, result in the literature.
Note on a possible origin for seismic electrical signals

Abstract A physical model is suggested that can explain the generation of seismic electric signals observed in Greece. It also explains a number of experimental facts, for example, why these signals: (1) propagate at large distances and (2) are detected only in certain “sensitive” regions.
Sex stereotype impacts on competence ratings by children

Female and male children, 67 and 114 months of age, provided ratings of perceived relative competence of male and female stimulus persons who were depicted as engaging in sex-stereotyped professions. Ratings for each of eight occupations were made by allocating 10 plastic chips between the two stimulus persons. After the last trial, children also were asked to recall the occupation last paired with a particular stimulus person. Children at each of three age levels rated as more competent the individual whose sex was consistent with the stereotype for the occupational group presented; the degree of differentiation increased with age. Recall was influenced by the consistency of the stimulus person/occupation pairing with the sex stereotype, but was not related to ratings of competence.
Hydrodynamic and heat transfer characteristics of bubble columns involving fine powders

Abstract A 10.8-cm diameter slurry bubble column facility is described and experimental data for air hold-ups and heat transfer coefficients for two- and three-phase systems as a function of air velocity are presented. Fine red iron oxide powders of mean diameter 1.02 and 2.38 μm, and magnetite of mean diameter 43.6 μm are used as a solid phase, while water comprises the liquid phase. Solids concentrations in the slurry are varied in the range 0 – 404 kg/m 3 and air velocities in the range 0.108 – 0.362 m/s. Characteristic variations of air hold-up and heat transfer coefficients are observed as a function of air velocity, solids concentration and particle size. To shed some light on the mechanistic details of the heat transfer process, the temperature history of a heat transfer probe is monitored for slurries of different concentrations and different particle sizes as a function of air velocity.
Development of a fast robust derivatization method of an extremely polar PET radiopharmaceutical: a critical aspect for starting a clinical trial

Abstract Fluorine-18 labeled (2S,4S)-2-[18F]fluoro-4-(phosphonomethyl)pentanedioic acid (BAY 1075553) has been identified as a prostate specific membrane antigen inhibitor ligand and is being investigated in clinical PET studies for its application in the diagnosis and staging of prostate cancer. To facilitate its transfer to the clinics, it was imperative to develop sensitive analytical methods to characterize the final product with regard to chemical identity, specific activity, and ratio of stereoisomers. This Letter reports on a new rapid quantitative derivatization method for converting an aliquot of the final aqueous formulated product (concentration
Model estimation within planning and learning

Risk and reward are fundamental concepts in the cooperative control of unmanned systems. In this research, we focus on developing a constructive relationship between cooperative planning and learning algorithms to mitigate the learning risk, while boosting system (planner & learner) asymptotic performance and guaranteeing the safety of agent behavior. Our framework is an instance of the intelligent cooperative control architecture (iCCA) where the learner incrementally improves on the output of a baseline planner through interaction and constrained exploration. We extend previous work by extracting the embedded parameterized transition model from within the cooperative planner and making it adaptable and accessible to all iCCA modules. We empirically demonstrate the advantage of using an adaptive model over a static model and pure learning approaches in an example GridWorld problem and a UAV mission planning scenario with 200 million possibilities. Finally we discuss two extensions to our approach to handle cases where the true model can not be captured exactly through the presumed functional form.
Coronary heart disease mortality/morbidity and risk in blacks. I: Clinical manifestations and diagnostic criteria: The experience with the Beta Blocker Heart Attack Trial

A comparison was made of the clinical manifestations and diagnostic criteria of coronary artery disease in black and nonblack patients in the cohort of participants in the Beta Blocker Heart Attack Trial (BHAT). Although diagnostic criteria were uniform for all potential participants in the trial, examination of the baseline data indicates that black patients had a higher proportion of cardiomegaly and ECGs with left ventricular hypertrophy with ST-T wave changes and a lower percentage of transmural myocardial infarction in comparison to nonblack patients. Baseline data also show that blacks, in comparison to nonblacks, had a higher percentage of variables shown to be characteristic of the high-risk group, including current smoking status, rapid heart rate, angina, high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol, diuretic use, and vasodilator use. The Cox regression analysis confirmed the positive association of these risk descriptors with outcome for the overall study. Walker-Duncan multivariate regression analysis ascribed significance of these risk descriptors to nonblacks only. Blacks (n = 333) had placebo and treatment mortality rates of 15.9 and 11.7, compared to 9.8 and 7.2, respectively, for the overall study (n = 3837). Thus the reduction in mortality among blacks who received propranolol after a recent myocardial infarction was shown to be comparable to that of the other high-risk groups in the BHAT.