cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Stock Price Adjustment to the Information in Dividend Changes

This paper examines abnormal stock returns in the three years surrounding relatively large changes in dividends announced during the 1971 to 1990 period. The main results are that statistically and economically significant negative post-announcement abnormal returns of 11% and 17% over the post-announcement year are found for firms which decrease dividends and those which omit their dividends. Firms resuming and firms increasing dividends do not exhibit significant abnormal returns, on average, over the post-announcement year. The pattern of lagged price adjustment to negative dividend change information differs from that reported for 'earnings surprise' firms in important respects. While the dividend change firms do exhibit returns behavior consistent with year-to-year returns momentum, differences in prior year returns do not explain the differences in returns over the post-announcement period.
HMMvar-func: a new method for predicting the functional outcome of genetic variants

Numerous tools have been developed to predict the fitness effects (i.e., neutral, deleterious, or beneficial) of genetic variants on corresponding proteins. However, prediction in terms of whether a variant causes the variant bearing protein to lose the original function or gain new function is also needed for better understanding of how the variant contributes to disease/cancer. To address this problem, the present work introduces and computationally defines four types of functional outcome of a variant: gain, loss, switch, and conservation of function. The deployment of multiple hidden Markov models is proposed to computationally classify mutations by the four functional impact types. The functional outcome is predicted for over a hundred thyroid stimulating hormone receptor (TSHR) mutations, as well as cancer related mutations in oncogenes or tumor suppressor genes. The results show that the proposed computational method is effective in fine grained prediction of the functional outcome of a mutation, and can be used to help elucidate the molecular mechanism of disease/cancer causing mutations. The program is freely available at http://bioinformatics.cs.vt.edu/zhanglab/HMMvar/download.php . This work is the first to computationally define and predict functional impact of mutations, loss, switch, gain, or conservation of function. These fine grained predictions can be especially useful for identifying mutations that cause or are linked to cancer.
Selective Antibody-Induced Cholinergic Cell and Synapse Loss Produce Sustained Hippocampal and Cortical Hypometabolism with Correlated Cognitive Deficits

The physiological interrelationships between cognitive impairments, neurotransmitter loss, amyloid processing and energy metabolism changes in AD, cholinergic dementia and Down's syndrome are largely unknown to date. This report contains novel studies into the association between cognitive function and cerebral metabolism after long-term selective CNS cholinergic neuronal and synaptic loss in a rodent model. We measured local cerebral rates of glucose utilization ((14)C-2-deoxyglucose) throughout the brains of awake rats 4.5 months after bilateral intraventricular injections of a cholinotoxic antibody directed against the low-affinity NGF receptor (p75 NGF) associated with cholinergic neurons (192 IgG-saporin). Permanent cholinergic synapse loss was demonstrated by [(3)H]-vesamicol in vitro autoradiography defining presynaptic vesicular acetylcholine (ACh) transport sites. While other metabolic studies have defined acute and transient glucose use changes after relatively nonspecific lesions of anatomical regions containing cholinergic neurons, our results show sustained reductions in glucose utilization in brain regions impacted by cholinergic synapse loss, including frontal cortical and hippocampal regions, relative to glucose use levels in control rats. In the same animals, impaired cognitive spatial performance in a Morris water maze was correlated with reduced glucose use rates in the cortex and hippocampus at this time point, which is consistent with increased postmortem cortical and hippocampal amyloid precursor protein (APP) levels (45, 46). These results are consistent with the view of cholinergic influence over metabolism, APP processing, and cognition in the cortex and hippocampus.
Effect of Stress on International Normalized Ratio during Warfarin Therapy

OBJECTIVE:To discuss the effect of stress on the international normalized ratio (INR) when patients are taking warfarin.CASE SUMMARY:Two patients at a pharmacist-managed anticoagulation clinic who were stable with anticoagulation developed elevated INR values after a stressful event occurred. All other factors known to elevate the INR were unchanged; furthermore, the INR values returned to the prior level of control after resolution of the stressful events.DISCUSSION:Management of anticoagulation with warfarin requires the knowledge of factors that may alter an INR. Many of these factors, such as dietary changes, illnesses, drug interactions, patient compliance, and physical activity, have been described. In spite of this understanding, many patients continue to experience variability in their INR values, suggesting there are other factors that can alter the INR that have not been fully described. The cases presented here demonstrate that stressful events, physical or psychological, can elevate the INR. T...
Survival of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest with early initiation of cardiopulmonary resuscitation

Records on 1,297 people with witnessed out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, caused by heart disease and treated by both emergency medical technicians (EMTs) and paramedics, were examined to determine whether or not early cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) initiated by bystanders independently improved survival. Bystanders initiated CPR for 579 patients (bystander CPR); for the remaining 718 patients, CPR was delayed until the arrival of EMTs (delayed CPR). Survival was significantly better (P less than 0.05) in the bystander-CPR group (32%) than in the delayed-CPR group (22%). Multivariate analysis revealed that the superior survival in the bystander-CPR group was due almost entirely to the much earlier initiation of CPR (1.9 minutes for the Bystander-CPR group and 5.7 minutes for the delayed-CPR group; P less than 0.001). There were significantly more people with ventricular fibrillation (VF) in the bystander-CPR group (80%) than in the delayed-CPR group (68%); and, for people in VF, the survival rate was significantly better if they had received bystander-CPR (37% versus 29%). The authors conclude that early initiation of CPR by bystanders significantly improves survival from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, and they suggest that it may do so by prolonging the duration of VF after collapse and by increasing cardiac susceptibility to defibrillation. The benefit of this early CPR, however, appears to exist within a rather narrow window of effectiveness. It must be started within 4-6 minutes from the time of collapse and must be followed within 10-12 minutes of the collapse by advanced life support in order to be effective.
Dreams of Immorality

Are we responsible for our misdeeds in dreams? The obvious answer would seem to be ‘No’. Dreams catch us with our defences down: just those critical and discriminative abilities which are distinctive of our waking lives as responsible moral agents seem out of play when we dream; el sueno de la razon produce monstruos . Moreover, if we are responsible for our dreamt misdeeds, then parity of reasoning demands that we be praised for dreaming noble dreams. But that is absurd. Moral credit should not come that easily, and so neither should moral blame.
Hypoxia-inducible factor 1: Regulator of mitochondrial metabolism and mediator of ischemic preconditioning

Hypoxia-inducible factor 1 (HIF-1) mediates adaptive responses to reduced oxygen availability by regulating gene expression. A critical cell-autonomous adaptive response to chronic hypoxia controlled by HIF-1 is reduced mitochondrial mass and/or metabolism. Exposure of HIF-1-deficient fibroblasts to chronic hypoxia results in cell death due to excessive levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS). HIF-1 reduces ROS production under hypoxic conditions by multiple mechanisms including: a subunit switch in cytochrome c oxidase from the COX4-1 to COX4-2 regulatory subunit that increases the efficiency of complex IV; induction of pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase 1, which shunts pyruvate away from the mitochondria; induction of BNIP3, which triggers mitochondrial selective autophagy; and induction of microRNA-210, which blocks assembly of Fe/S clusters that are required for oxidative phosphorylation. HIF-1 is also required for ischemic preconditioning and this effect may be due in part to its induction of CD73, the enzyme that produces adenosine. HIF-1-dependent regulation of mitochondrial metabolism may also contribute to the protective effects of ischemic preconditioning. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Mitochondria and Cardioprotection.
Self-Concept and the Mildly Handicapped: the Role of Social Comparisons:

Three hypotheses adduced from social-comparison theory were tested by assessing the self-concepts of several children groups. Subjects included normal children, mildly handicapped children residing in one of three special education settings varying from partial to total instructional segregation, and children with academic difficulties who remained solely in regular classes. In the first contrast, the handicapped samples were found comparable in self-concept to normal children, a finding hypothesized as resulting from the increased homogeneity of ability of students in special education placements. Strong support was given a second prediction positing that lower self-concept should be clearly evident when children (handicapped or not) were forced to reside solely in social-comparison groups of generally greater ability. The final hypothesis, suggesting higher self-concepts for handicapped children partially rather than totally segregated from the larger school population, did not receive support. The resu...
Organizational memory systems: challenges for information technology

Organizations subsist on communication and coordination. An organization's ability to remember and learn from its past, in other words, its ability to use its "organizational memory" has been around for centuries as a means of learning, exchanging and accumulating knowledge to help the organization realize its objectives. Organizational memories are generated and used in communities of practice with little, if any, explicit effort devoted to their development. Information technology offers the promise of helping to build and use such organizational memories. For the most part, however, this promise is unrealized. We explore why this is so and consider the challenges to developing and maintaining organizational memories.
The assessment and treatment of prosodic disorders and neurological theories of prosody.

In this article, we comment on specific aspects of Peppe (Peppe, 2009). In particular, we address the assessment and treatment of prosody in clinical settings and discuss current theory on neurolog...
Reintegration Problems and Treatment Interests Among Iraq and Afghanistan Combat Veterans Receiving VA Medical Care

Objective The objectives of this study were to describe the prevalence and types of community reintegration problems among Iraq and Afghanistan combat veterans who receive U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) medical care, identify interests in interventions or information to promote readjustment to community life, and explore associations between probable posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and reintegration problems and treatment interests. Methods A national, stratified sample of Iraq-Afghanistan combat veterans receiving VA medical care responded to a mailed survey focused on community reintegration. Of 1,226 veterans surveyed, 754 (62%) responded. Prevalence and proportions were adjusted for potential nonresponse bias. Results An estimated 25% to 56% of combat veterans who use VA services reported "some" to "extreme" difficulty in social functioning, productivity, community involvement, and self-care domains. At least one-third reported divorce, dangerous driving, increased substance use, and increased anger control problems since deployment. Almost all (96%) expressed interest in services to help readjust to civilian life (95% confidence interval [CI]=93%-99%). The most commonly preferred ways to receive reintegration services or information were at a VA facility, through the mail, and over the Internet. An estimated 41% (95% CI=36%-46%) screened positive for PTSD, and probable PTSD was associated with reporting more readjustment difficulties and expressing interest in more types of services, including traditional mental health services. Conclusions Iraq-Afghanistan combat veterans who already receive VA medical care reported multiple current reintegration problems and wanted services and information to help them readjust to community life. These concerns were particularly prevalent among those with probable PTSD. Research is needed to explore nontraditional modes of service delivery, including the Internet.
Optimal design of a thermally stable composite optical bench

The Lidar Atmospheric Sensing Experiment will be performed aboard an ER-2 aircraft; the lidar system used will be mounted on a lightweight, thermally stable graphite/epoxy optical bench whose design is presently subjected to analytical study and experimental validation. Attention is given to analytical methods for the selection of such expected laminate properties as the thermal expansion coefficient, the apparent in-plane moduli, and ultimate strength. For a symmetric laminate in which one of the lamina angles remains variable, an optimal lamina angle is selected to produce a design laminate with a near-zero coefficient of thermal expansion. Finite elements are used to model the structural concept of the design, with a view to the optical bench's thermal structural response as well as the determination of the degree of success in meeting the experiment's alignment tolerances.
Codon optimization of bacterial luciferase (lux) for expression in mammalian cells.

Expression of the bacterial luciferase (lux) system in mammalian cells would culminate in a new generation of bioreporters for in vivo monitoring and diagnostics technology. Past efforts to express bacterial luciferase in mammalian cells have resulted in only modest gains due in part to low overall expression of the bacterial genes. To optimize expression, we have designed and synthesized codon-optimized versions of the luxA and luxB genes from Photorhabdus luminsecens. To evaluate these genes in vivo, stable HEK293 cell lines were created harboring wild type luxA and luxB (WTA/WTB), codon-optimized luxA and wild type luxB (COA/WTB), and codon-optimized versions of both luxA and luxB genes (COA/COB). Although mRNA levels within these clones remained approximately equal, LuxA protein levels increased significantly after codon optimization. On average, bioluminescence levels were increased by more than six-fold [5×105 vs 2.9×106 relative light units (RLU)/mg total protein] with the codon-optimized luxA and wild type luxB. Bioluminescence was further enhanced upon expression of both optimized genes (2.7×107 RLU/mg total protein). These results show promise toward the potential development of an autonomous light generating lux reporter system in mammalian cells
Carbon monoxide budget in the northern hemisphere

To improve urban air quality the major industrialized nations of the West took steps during the 1970s and 1980s to reduce carbon monoxide (CO) emissions from automobiles and other industrial sources. Overall, CO/CO[sub 2] emission ratios from the mix of fossil fuel combustion sources have been reduced by about half during 1976-1990. Also, the tropospheric abundance of hydroxyl radical (OH), which is the main sink for CO, is proposed to have increased globally by about 1.0 [+-] 0.8% yr[sup [minus]1]. The authors use a simple two-box model to examine the impact of shrinking emissions and increasing OH on the global abundance of CO. They find that these factors contribute about equally in reducing CO levels in the Northern Hemisphere troposphere by about 1.8 [+-] 0.8 ppb yr[sup [minus]1] on average. 19 refs., 1 fig.
An Analysis of Wilderness Water in Kings Canyon, Sequoia, and Yosemite National Parks for Coliform and Pathologic Bacteria

Objective To determine the prevalence of coliform and potentially pathogenic bacteria in remote backcountry alpine lakes and streams of national parks in the Sierra Nevada mountains. Methods Water was sampled at 55 predetermined lakes and streams that would stratify the risk, based on sites used by backpackers, sites used by pack animals, and uncontaminated wild areas. Sites were distributed among Kings Canyon (15), Sequoia (17), and Yosemite (23). Water was collected using Millipore bacterial samplers, which provided specific counts of coliform and other bacteria in each water sample and also served as a transport media from the wilderness to the laboratory. On return to the laboratory, bacteria were harvested from the samplers and subjected to specific identification and qualitative analysis using standard microbiology techniques for the analysis of water. Results Coliform bacteria were detected in 22 of the 55 sites. All of these sites were below areas used by backpackers or pack animals. Thirty-three sites were free of coliforms. These sites included both those used lightly by backpackers and those with no human or domestic animal use. All samples contained expected amounts of normal aquatic bacteria including Pseudomonas, Rahnella aquatilis, Serratia spp, and nonpathogenic species of Yersinia. Conclusions Most sampling sites in these national parks are free of coliform or pathogenic organisms. Low levels of coliform bacteria are found in some bodies of water where the watershed has been affected by human or pack animal travel.
THE INFLUENCE OF CONDITIONS OF THE HEAT TREATMENT OFALUMINUMALLOYS

Work was followed in determining the optimum parameters of heat treatment of deformable aluminum alloy, regarding both the hardening and aging. The tests were performed on two brands of deformable alloys, both after the usual process and electromagnetic field.
Unmasking in an observational vaccine safety study: Using type 2 diabetes mellitus as an example.

Abstract Background In observational vaccine safety studies, diagnosis codes assigned prior to or on the day of vaccination (Day 0) are often excluded from analysis of safety signals since they usually represent pre-existing conditions. The limitations of this approach have been described for autoimmune conditions but not for other chronic conditions. We draw on our experience in a post-licensure quadrivalent human papillomavirus vaccine (HPV4) safety study to examine the effectiveness of exclusion of pre-existing and Day 0 diagnoses of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in excluding prevalent T2DM. Methods Subjects included all 117,402 females ages 9–26 years who received HPV4 August 2006–March 2008 in Kaiser Permanente Southern California. We identified potential incident T2DM cases using ICD9 code 250.xx associated with inpatient and emergency room visits during the 60 days following each HPV4 dose, excluding those with this code prior to their first HPV4 dose. Electronic medical records were reviewed to determine the dates of symptom onset, diagnostic labs, vaccine administration and T2DM diagnosis. Results Of 33 potential incident T2DM cases identified using automated data, 4 (12%) were confirmed to have new onset T2DM after medical record review. Nineteen cases were excluded that did not have T2DM or had T2DM diagnosed before Day 0; nine had an abnormal fasting blood sugar (FBS) ordered on Day 0, prompting subsequent evaluation and diagnosis of T2DM; and one had elevated FBS and glucosuria prior to the first dose of HPV4 but T2DM diagnosed at a visit following vaccination. Conclusion These results suggest that among adolescents and young adults, the workup and subsequent diagnosis of pre-existing conditions may result from a visit at which a vaccination is administered. This “unmasking” phenomenon is not entirely eliminated by exclusion of pre-existing and Day 0 diagnoses. Medical record review should be considered in the evaluation of potential safety signals.
Inflation and Monetary Policy in Russia in November 2012

In November 2012, RF Minister of Defense Anatoly Serdiukov, accused of abetting corruption in his ministry, was sacked from office; former Deputy Minister of Regional Development was arrested; criminal proceedings against the managers of Rostelekom and the former top officials of the RF Ministry of Agriculture began to be pursued more vigorously. All those developments were comprehensively covered and commented on by the news media, which indicates that the authorities are anxious to increase their popularity by demonstrating a resolve to press ahead with both self-purification and war on corruption. Although the post of Minister of Defense was given to Sergey Shoigu, one of the few politicians with high approval ratings, it is unlikely that he will pursue any radical reforms in his sphere of competence. The RF Government managed to dissuade Vladimir Putin from transferring state-owned energy assets into the control of Rosneftegaz, a conglomerate headed by Igor Sechin.
Anesthesia, Anesthesiologists and Modern Medical Ethics

Historically, anesthesiologists have played pivotal roles in medical ethics by developing and applying technology that posed ethical dilemmas, and by their leadership in answering ethical questions and posing new ones. In 1853, Queen Victoria’s demand for chloroform for her labor undermined the religious demand that women must suffer the pains of childbirth. In the 1950s, Pope Pius XII consulted with anesthesiologists concerning humane and ethical pursuits centered in anesthesia. In 1957, the Pope supported the treatment of pathologic pain, even though such treatment might shorten life (the “double effect”). In 1973, John Bonica proposed that relief of pain is a basic human right.
Searches for the Higgs boson with the CMS

We test the nature of Electroweak Symmetry Breaking by searching for the Higgs boson with the CMS detector at the Large Hadron Collider. We report results with both the high-mass final states with weak bosons (WW , ZZ) and the low-mass final states with photons, taus, or beauty quarks. Higgs searches performed in sub-channels are further combined to extract the best overall sensitivity in the range of Higgs masses from 110 to 600 GeV.
The Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act: The Requirements Enacted, Challenges Presented, and Strategies Fathomed

The Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act ("Food Allergen Act") was signed into law on August 3, 2004. Allergic consumers, parents of allergic children, and consumer groups laud the new law for making it easier to identify potentially deadly allergens in foods and for unveiling allergens previously hidden in foods. Although the statute is relatively simple and straightforward, it has some surprising twists. The paper introduces the problem of food allergens, describes the history of food allergen labeling and the reasons leading up to the enactment of the Food Allergen Act, explains the provisions of the Act, and examines the challenges presented by the requirements of the Act.
Nest survival is influenced by parental behaviour and heterospecifics in a mixed‐species colony

Studies of avian nest success often focus on examining influences of variation in environmental and seasonal factors. However, in-depth evaluations can also incorporate variation in individual incubation behaviour to further advance our understanding of avian reproductive ecology. We examined these relationships in colonially nesting Black-crowned Night-Herons Nycticorax nycticorax using intensive video-monitoring methods to quantify incubation behaviours. We modelled nest survival as a function of both extrinsic factors and incubation behaviours over a 3-year period (2010–12) on Alcatraz Island, USA. Model-averaged parameter estimates indicated that nest survival increased as a function of greater incubation constancy (% of time spent incubating eggs within a 24-h period), and average daily precipitation throughout the nesting stage. Common Ravens Corvus corax are the only known nest predator of Night-Herons on Alcatraz Island, as on many other coastal Pacific islands. We also investigated the effects of heterospecific nesting of California Gulls Larus californicus and Western Gulls Larus occidentalis in a mixed-species colony with Night-Herons, based on nesting proximity data collected over a 2-year period (2011–12). This second analysis indicated that, in addition to incubation behaviours, nesting heterospecifics are an important factor for explaining variation in Night-Heron nest survival. However, contrary to our original expectation, we found that Night-Herons experienced increased nest survival with increasing distance from gull colony boundaries. These results may apply to other areas with multiple colonial nesting species and similar predator communities and climatic patterns.
Increasing expression of connexin 43 in breast cancer cells reduces metastatic potential to bone by down regulation of FAK and Paxillin

3275 Breast cancer cells commonly metastasize to bone, but the mechanism underlying this osteotropism is not known. Studies from our laboratory suggest that gap junctional intercellular communication (GJIC) and connexin (Cx) expression profile contribute to breast cancer metastatic potential to bone. For instance, breast cancer cells express the gap junction protein Cx32 but not Cx43, whereas normal breast epithelial cells express Cx43, but not Cx32. Furthermore, expressing Cx43 in breast cancer cells reduces their metastatic potential, in vitro and in vivo, and reduces expression of bone related genes, including osteopontin (OPN), osteocalcin (OC) and Cbfa-1, that are upregulated in breast cancer cells. The mechanism by which Cx expression affects metastatic potential is unknown, but may involve the expression of proteins, associated with cancer cell adhesion, invasion and migration, including focal adhesion kinase (FAK), paxillin and CT10 regulator of kinase protein (Crk). To explore this possibility we examined the hypothesis that increasing expression of Cx43 in a breast cancer cell line MDA-MET (MET), reduces cell adhesion, migration, invasion and the expression of protein associated with these processes. Cx43 genes were transfected into MET cells and clones of transfectants (MET/Cx43+) screened by Q-RT-PCR. Four clones of MET/Cx43+, which expressed increased Cx43 mRNA levels, and plasmid control MET/HY were selected for further investigation. MET/Cx43+ mRNA levels increased 240% while Cx26 and OC mRNA levels were decreased 31% and 26%, respectively, relative to control. Cx45, Cx32, OPN and Cbfa-1 mRNA levels did not change significantly. Western blot analysis revealed that protein levels of FAK and paxillin in MET/Cx43+ were decreased 25% and 24%, respectively, relative to control, but there was no change in CrkI or CrkII protein. Quantitative fluorescent dye adhesion assay and Biocoat FluoroBlok Invasion System revealed that MET/Cx43+ adhesion to osteoblastic cells (hFOB 1.19) was reduced 61% and invasiveness was reduced 20%, respectively, relative to control. Cell migration did not change significantly. This study confirms and extends our previous data suggesting that the connexin expression profile and GJIC contribute to the mechanism by which breast cancer cell metastasize to bone. More importantly, these results suggest that Cx43 expression, GJIC, or both, regulate the expression of FAK and paxillin. This in turn regulates the adhesion, migration and invasion of breast cancer cells in vitro. Therefore, increasing expression of Cx43 in breast cancer cells would be expected to decrease their ability to metastasize in vivo.
The Question(s) of Political Knowledge: A Temporal-Topical Framework

Political knowledge is a central concept in the study of public opinion. Yet what the field collectively believes about this construct is based on dozens of isolated studies using a range of different questions as indicators of political knowledge. Integrating previous work on public opinion, we identify two theoretically relevant dimensions: a temporal dimension that corresponds to when a fact was established and a topical dimension that refers to the content of the question. Combining the two dimensions yields four distinct types of knowledge questions. We illustrate the utility of the temporal-topical framework by showing that several classic findings regarding the predictors of knowledge are conditional upon the type of question being asked. In particular, statistical analyses of more than 300 knowledge questions reveal that education, gender, and the mass media have more nuanced effects than previously thought.
Classification of High Resolution Remote Sensing Image by Combining Spatially Correlated Pixels Template and Multi-class AdaBoost

The classification of high resolution remote sensing image is one of the basic problems in remote sensing image understanding.In order to solve the problem of the classification of remote sensing image based on pixel,a method is proposed in this paper by combining the spatially correlated pixels template with multi-class AdaBoost to obtain the classification of high resolution remote sensing image.Firstly,a specific form of spatially correlated pixels is generated by using the feature selection based on filter.Then,the feature vectors are formed using the spatially correlated pixels template,which contain the spatial information.Finally,a multi-class AdaBoost algorithm based on the exponential loss function is used to classify these feature vectors.Experimental results show that the proposed method is used to classify the high resolution remote sensing images effectively,which builds the spatial information with the spatial pixel template.Compared with other methods,the accuracy of classification results of the proposed method is higher(about 20%).Meanwhile,the result of proposed method has better spatial consistency with lower effect of pepper and salt.The confusing geo-objects which have similar spectral characteristics can be distinguished well by the proposed method.
Progress of research and application on cryogenic treatment of steels

State-of-the-arts of research and application on cryogenic treatment of steels were reviewed. The process of cryogenic treatment and its effect on material properties were gived briefly. The mechanism of the cryogenic treatment was discussed by means of some case studies. Moreover,it is argued that the improvement of mechanical properties of steels was mainly ascribed to the martensite transformation of the residual austenite,the grain refinement and the precipitation of ultra-fine dispersion carbide during cryogenic treatments.Meanwhile,the industrial applications of cryogenic treatment in the fields of tool and die steel,cemented carbide and non-ferrous metals were demonstrated. In the end,some recommendation and prospects for cryogenic treatments of metal materials were also proposed.
Coyote Valley: Deep History in the High Rockies. By Thomas G. Andrews

Coyote Valley: Deep History in the High Rockies . By Thomas G. Andrews. (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2015. xi + 331 pp. Illustrations, maps, notes, index. $29.95.) In Coyote Valley, Thomas G. Andrews seeks to explain broader patterns of human interaction with nature by delving deeply into the long history of Rocky Mountain National Park’s Kawuneeche, or Coyote, Valley. In doing so, he asserts that exploring the history of a single place over as long a time span as both scientific and historical evidence allow can provide useful and important lessons about the course of American environmental history that broader, more global approaches often overlook. Rather than “passe” or even “parochial,” small-scale investigations … westrec{at}gmail.com
Cholesterol, macrophages, and gene expression of TGF-beta 1 and fibronectin during nephrosis

Hypercholesterolemia aggravates experimental progressive glomerular injury. Evidence suggests the infiltrating glomerular macrophage (M phi) is a potential effector mechanism for the noxious effects of hypercholesterolemia. Because transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta 1 is secreted by activated M phi s and also stimulates fibronectin production by glomerular cells, we evaluated the kinetics of gene expression for these moieties in glomeruli isolated from nephrotic rats at 3, 7, 11, and 42 days after the delivery of puromycin aminonucleoside (PA). We also assessed whether cholesterol feeding, which raises the glomerular M phi number, alters the glomerular mRNA levels for TGF-beta 1 and fibronectin. Glomerular mRNA levels for TGF-beta 1 and fibronectin in nephrotic rats exhibited a biphasic temporal pattern, decreasing significantly below control at 3 and 7 days after PA but increasing significantly at 11 and 42 days after PA. The upregulated gene expression for TGF-beta 1 and fibronectin at 11 days after PA temporally corresponded to the phase of mesangial M phi infiltration in this model. Cholesterol feeding to both normal and nephrotic rats significantly increased glomerular TGF-beta 1 and fibronectin mRNA levels at 11 days after PA. Immunohistochemical labeling for M phi s and intracellular TGF-beta 1 demonstrated both mesangial and cortical interstitial localization with the TGF-beta1-positive cells possessing M phi nuclear morphology. These findings identify a novel interaction between hypercholesterolemia, augmented glomerular M phi accumulation, and upregulated glomerular TGF-beta 1 and fibronectin gene expression. These perturbations within the acutely injured glomerulus constitute an early pathobiological determinant for the later development of mesangial matrix expansion and glomerulosclerosis.
New Social Media Practices: Potential for Development, Democracy, and Anti-democratic Practices

Social media, like many other communication technologies, have varying uses across the domains of human development. In some sub-Saharan African countries, social media have greatly improved users’ access to culture, engagement with politics, and access to economic opportunity. In other countries, usually where regimes have made negligible investments in public information infrastructure, digital media have become powerful tools for social control. We analyse recent trends by presenting several cases of how social media are changing the work of foreign development assistance, the practice of democracy, and the methods of anti-democratic regime control. We offer country-specific examples of how these projects and processes work. But we also identify some of the cross-platform, multi-country social media applications that have gained significant traction, notably in the domain of election monitoring and mobile banking. We conclude that though it is premature to claim significant impact at this stage, and poor infrastructure still poses serious challenges, social media tools provide new and potentially powerful opportunities for democratic and economic development. The specific outcomes in many cases will depend on local forces shaping access to, and uses of, these social media tools.
Risk Management Study of NCAA Division II Athletic Directors

This study researched the risk management practices of NCAA Division II athletic directors. A 36-item questionnaire was distributed to 247 Division II athletic directors, the questionnaire contained items from the following five areas, personnel, transportation, facilities, emergency procedures, and equipment. The survey achieved a response rate of 75% with 186 questionnaires returned, 51 returned surveys were not usable. The questionnaire responses were tested in the following areas, the size of the athletic department (coaches, trainers, and administrators), funding sources (public or private), football as a varsity sport, and the geographic location of the college or university. Significant differences were found in all areas, with the greatest differences occurring between colleges and universities that have football as a varsity sport and those that do not. The area of investigation that had the greatest number of significant differences was equipment, with differences occurring in all areas that wer...
Synthesis and Reactivity of Electronically Unsaturated Dirhenium Carbonyl Compounds Containing Bridging Gold-Carbene Groups

The electronically unsaturated compounds Re2(CO)8[μ-Au(NHC)](μ-Ph), 1, and Re2(CO)8[μ-Au(NHC)]2, 2, were obtained from the reaction of Re2(CO)8[μ–η2-C(H)═C(H)Bun](μ-H) with MeAu(NHC), NHC = 1,3-bis(2,6-diisopropylphenyl)imidazol-2-ylidene. Compound 1 was converted to the new compound Re2(CO)8[μ-Au(NHC)](μ-H), 3, by reaction with H2. Addition of CO to 3 yielded the new compound Re2(CO)9[Au(NHC)](μ-H), 4, which contains a terminally coordinated Au(NHC) group on one of the rhenium atoms, and the hydrido ligand was shifted to bridge the Re–Au bond. The mechanism of the formation of 4 was established by DFT computational analyses. Compound 3 also reacted with C2H2 by an addition with insertion into the Re–H bonds to yield the compound Re2(CO)8[μ-Au(NHC)](μ-C2H3), 5, which contains a σ–π coordinated, bridging C2H3 ligand. The stereochemistry of the insertion was found to proceed preferentially with a cis- (syn-) stereochemistry. Compound 1 reacted with HCl to yield Re2(CO)8[μ-Ph](μ-H), 6, and ClAu(NHC) by selec...
Performance of a MIMO receiver using joint channel-symbol estimation in the presence of channel errors

In this paper, the performance of a MIMO receiver which uses joint channel-symbol estimation is analyzed. The analysis accounts for situations where no channel information is available at the receiver, as well as for situations where an imperfect channel estimate is available. The former case corresponds to blind MIMO. For the latter case, channel estimation errors due to noise and due to time variations induced by Doppler are considered. A closed form solution is derived for the block pairwise error probability at high SNR. The result involves taking the expectation of the Q-function which is evaluated using Guass-Chebychev quadrature numerical integration rule. Based on the obtained pairwise error probability, the total bit error rate of the system is tightly upper bounded at high SNR. The accuracy of the analysis is verified by Monte Carlo simulations.
Structure of a CLC chloride ion channel by cryo-electron microscopy

CLC proteins transport chloride (Cl-) ions across cellular membranes to regulate muscle excitability, electrolyte movement across epithelia, and acidification of intracellular organelles. Some CLC proteins are channels that conduct Cl- ions passively, whereas others are secondary active transporters that exchange two Cl- ions for one H+. The structural basis underlying these distinctive transport mechanisms is puzzling because CLC channels and transporters are expected to share the same architecture on the basis of sequence homology. Here we determined the structure of a bovine CLC channel (CLC-K) using cryo-electron microscopy. A conserved loop in the Cl- transport pathway shows a structure markedly different from that of CLC transporters. Consequently, the cytosolic constriction for Cl- passage is widened in CLC-K such that the kinetic barrier previously postulated for Cl-/H+ transporter function would be reduced. Thus, reduction of a kinetic barrier in CLC channels enables fast flow of Cl- down its electrochemical gradient.
AccConF: An Access Control Framework for Leveraging In-Network Cached Data in the ICN-Enabled Wireless Edge

The fast-growing Internet traffic is increasingly becoming content-based and driven by mobile users, with users more interested in data rather than its source. This has precipitated the need for an information-centric Internet architecture. Research in information-centric networks (ICNs) have resulted in novel architectures, e.g., CCN/NDN, DONA, and PSIRP/PURSUIT; all agree on named data based addressing and pervasive caching as integral design components. With network-wide content caching, enforcement of content access control policies become non-trivial. Each caching node in the network needs to enforce access control policies with the help of the content provider. This becomes inefficient and prone to unbounded latencies especially during provider outages. In this paper, we propose an efficient access control framework for ICN, which allows legitimate users to access and use the cached content directly, and does not require verification/authentication by an online provider authentication server or the content serving router. This framework would help reduce the impact of system down-time from server outages and reduce delivery latency by leveraging caching while guaranteeing access only to legitimate users. Experimental/simulation results demonstrate the suitability of this scheme for all users, but particularly for mobile users, especially in terms of the security and latency overheads.
Abstract A03: FGF-WNT cooperativity and the role of lncRNAs in translational regulation in breast cancer

The purpose of this study is to understand translational mechanisms underlying the cooperativity between FGF and WNT signaling in cancer progression. FGF and WNT signaling, crucial pathways in mammary stem cell self-renewal, are frequently deregulated in human cancer. We previously showed that acute activation of FGF signaling in the mammary gland of pubertal mice with WNT hyperactivation dramatically accelerates cancer progression. FGF-WNT-hyperactive tumor cells exhibit enhanced activation of translational machinery. Given the potential involvement of translational regulation in FGF-WNT induced tumorigenesis, we employed ribosome profiling to identify selectively translated and ribosome associated RNAs induced by acute FGF activation in vivo. Many genes associated with RNA processing and transport were translationally upregulated. Interestingly, the most translationally upregulated transcript was Malat1, originally thought to be a nuclear-restricted long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) that regulates transcription of cancer-associated genes. Along with Malat1, many lncRNAs were associated with ribosomes in FGF-WNT tumors. Malat19s association with polysomes upon acute FGF activation was confirmed by direct polysome analysis. We also demonstrated that Malat1 transcripts are transported to the cytoplasm during G2/M transition, implicating that Malat1 may be translated into small novel peptides or involved in translation regulation during this particular phase of cell cycle. Additionally, there is evidence that Malat1 is a direct downstream target of WNT signaling. Our findings indicate that FGF activation potentially increases the translation efficiency of WNT-target oncogenes including lncRNAs like Malat1, unraveling a novel mechanism of crosstalk between lncRNAs and translational regulation in cancer progression. Citation Format: Tuan M. Nguyen, Elena B. Kabotyanski, Lucas C. Reineke, Qianxing Mo, Peng Zhang, Xiang Zhang, Yiwen Chen, Joel Neilson, Richard E. Lloyd, Jeffrey M. Rosen. FGF-WNT cooperativity and the role of lncRNAs in translational regulation in breast cancer. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on Translational Control of Cancer: A New Frontier in Cancer Biology and Therapy; 2016 Oct 27-30; San Francisco, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(6 Suppl):Abstract nr A03.
Experimental study of the burner for FAA fire test: NexGen burner

Summary The NexGen (Sonic) burner is the new burner developed by the Federal Aviation Administration, FAA, to replace old oil burners used for the required fire certification tests on power plant-related materials, as it provides the capability to control both air and fuel flow rates. During a fire test, the burner is supposed to simulate a certain fire condition, so the flame properties should be robust and repeatable. The NexGen burner can achieve this due to the precise fuel and air controls. However, the current calibration criterion (ISO2685:1998 and AC20-135) may not be good enough to ensure consistent flame properties. In the presented work, the sensitivity of the burner performance to air and fuel flow rate, as measured by the temperature and heat flux for calibration purposes, was studied. Additionally, the influence of the turbulator and the thermocouple size used for flame calibration was also studied. The impact of varying fuel/air ratio and thermocouple sizes was studied by conducting fire tests on aluminum samples, to show the inadequacies in the current calibration standards.
Recent Texas Cases Impacting the Wills, Probate, and Trust Practice

This article discusses recent judicial developments relating to the Texas law of intestacy, wills, estate administration, trusts, and other estate planning matters. The discussion of each case concludes with a moral, i.e., the important lesson to be learned from the case. By recognizing situations that have led to time consuming and costly litigation in the past, estate planners can reduce the likelihood of the same situations arising with their clients.
Field Test of Several Low-Cost Particulate Matter Sensors in High and Low Concentration Urban Environments.

Detailed quantification of the spatial and temporal variability of ambient fine particulate matter (PM2.5) has, to date, been limited due to the cost and logistics involved with traditional monitoring approaches. New miniaturized particle sensors are a potential strategy to gather more time- and spatially-resolved data, to address data gaps in regions with limited monitoring and to address important air quality research priorities in a more cost-effective manner. This work presents field evaluations and lab testing of three models of low-cost ( 0.80), however the same sensors had poor agreement if the comparison was restricted to lower concentrations (R2 = ~0, < 40 μg m-3). The results of this work indicate the potential usefulness of these sensors, including the PPD20V, for higher concentration applications (< ~250 μg m-3). These field- testing results provide important insights into the varying performance of low-cost PM sensors under highly contrasting atmospheric conditions. The inconsistent performance results underscore the need for rigorous evaluation of optical particle sensors in the laboratory and in diverse field environments.