cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Preclinical Evaluation of [11C]PBD150, a Glutaminyl Cyclase Inhibitor for the Detection of Alzheimer’s Disease Prior to Amyloid β Burden.

1096 Objectives Glutaminyl cyclase (QC) is primarily expressed in the brain and is responsible for the formation of pyroglutamate (pGlu) at the N-terminus of several neuropeptides [1]. The pGlu modification stabilizes peptides against proteolytic decomposition [2]. The expression of QC is upregulated in Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) and leads to the formation of pGlu-Aβ peptides that act as a seed for forming aggregates with Aβ [3,4]. The QC inhibitor PBD150 (Ki = 60 nM) with therapeutic effect confirmed in vivo in a transgenic mouse study could provide a PET radioligand for the detection of AD prior to Aβ aggregation [5,6]. Methods The carbon-11 methylation of the precursor was accomplished by treatment with a saturated K2CO3 solution that is then dried over Na2SO4 prior to labeling with [11C]MeOTf to generate [11C]PBD150. MicroPET imaging experiments in Sprague Dawley rats were used to determine brain uptake and efflux. A microPET experiment with pretreatment of cyclosporin A was used to determine if PBD150 is a Pgp substrate; additionally, a co-injection with excess PBD150 and a rat liver microsome study evaluated if metabolic stability would be a problem. Results The methylation of the precursor with [11C]MeOTf resulted in an average yield of 62.3 mCi of product collected (6.9% from MeOTf, non-decay corrected; radiochemical purity of 96.4%, n=4). Summed frame images showed no brain uptake with early frames showing no first pass uptake in the brain. Experiments with cyclosporin A and excess PBD150 resulted in the same result, and liver microsme data determined PDB150 has a metabolic half life of greater than 60 minutes, confirming PBD150 does not cross the blood brain barrier (BBB). Conclusions Previous reports that demonstrated therapeutic effect when considered with our finding that PBD150 does not cross the BBB demonstrates a more detailed understanding of QC inhibition is required, and it raises the possibility that inhibition of peripheral QC could slow AD disease progression. Research Support NIH (T32- EB005172), Alzheimer’s Association (NIRP-14-305669) and the Michigan Research Community for financial support.
Two-level locality-aware parallel Delaunay image-to-mesh conversion

The Locality-Aware Parallel Delaunay (LAPD) method exploits concurrency at two different levels of granularities (data region and cavity) and employs data partitioning to improve data locality; as a result LAPD scales well on Distributed Shared Memory computers with about 200 cores. In this paper, we propose a three dimensional two-level Locality-Aware Parallel Delaunay image-to-mesh conversion algorithm (LAPD). The algorithm exploits two levels of parallelism at different granularities: coarse-grain parallelism at the region level (which is mapped to a node with multiple cores) and medium-grain parallelism at the cavity level (which is mapped to a single core). We employ a data locality-aware mesh refinement process to reduce the latency caused by the remote memory access. We evaluated LAPD on Blacklight, a cache-coherent NUMA distributed shared memory (DSM) machine in the Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center, and observed a weak scaling efficiency of almost 70% for roughly 200 cores, compared to only 30% for the previous algorithm, Parallel Optimistic Mesh Generation algorithm (PODM). To the best of our knowledge, LAPD exhibits the best scalability for parallel Delaunay mesh generation algorithms running on NUMA DSM supercomputers.
Does the Law and the Constitution of the Family Have to Change

AbstractThe law and constitution of the family has been targeted for transformation in recent years, leading most notably to the Supreme Court's decision in Obergefell v. Hodges, mandating same-sex marriage as a matter of constitutional law. In this essay I undertake a thought experiment, asking how advocates of traditional marriage ought to want the law of marriage to change in light of this development. I begin by reviewing the argument for legal change sketched by Aquinas and then applying it to developments concerning marriage in modern America. Next I sketch the natural-law argument on behalf of traditional marriage. Finally, I turn to the case of Michael H. v. Gerald D., in which the Supreme Court upheld a statutory reiteration of the common-law presumption that the husband of the mother is the father of her child, against a challenge from the biological father, suggesting that this case, long admired by conservatives, needs to be reconsidered—and that the dissent in the recent Indian Adoption Case ...
Purification of propionin, an antiviral agent from Propionibacteria.

SummaryA potent antiviral agent, pro-pionin, active against Col. SK virus infections in mice, has been isolated from cellular extracts of Propionibacterium freudenreichii. Partial purification of propionin by organic solvents, Sephadex and paper chroma tography has been achieved. Preliminary identification has been carried out and the available data indicate propionin to be peptide in nature.
The New Deal and the Negro Community: Toward a Broader Conceptualization

WITH rare exceptions, research that evaluates the significance of the New Deal public housing and emergency work programs for Negroes has been conceptualized around certain well-defined questions. Most scholars who have approached the subject have focused their attention on the extent to which Negroes were included in these programs in an effort to assess the degree to which the New Deal was successful in alleviating the problems which Negroes faced as a result of the Depression, especially unemployment and the need for low cost housing. These studies have noted that, although Negroes received less assistance than their relatively greater needs warranted, they also received more than their proportionate share. Largely on this basis scholars concluded that the New Deal symbolized a salutary turning point in the attitude of the federal government toward Negroes., However, if research is conceptualized on a broader basis to include not only questions relating to the extent of Negro participation in the New Deal programs but also questions concerning the impact of these programs on the anatomy of the Negro community, notable qualifications are added to this conclusion and new insight is gained into the problems which the government faced at the local level. If the experience of Cleveland Negroes is representative, it is apparent that the New Deal's inclusion of Negroes in programs designed to relieve the special problems created by the Depression must be balanced against certain adverse side effects which these programs had on the social structure of
Influence of Oxygen Tension on Morphologic Variations in B. Diphtheriae

Denny1 showed by repeated and frequent examinations of pure cultures of the diphtheria bacillus, grown on Loeffler's blood serum at 36 C, that the young forms, C2 and D2 , Wesbrook2 types, gradually elongate, stain more and more irregularly, and tend to become clubshaped, or rarely branched, with age; further, that the rate at which these morphologic changes take place is delayed by a temperature below the optimum (19-21 C), or, as Neisser also pointed out, the normal evolution may be suppressed by a temperature above the optimum (40 C). I was not acquainted with Denny's work when the following observations were made, so that they not only call attention to another physical factor in this variation, but also perhaps have some additional value in that they were not influenced by his work. The culture used in this study was isolated from the throat of a typical case of diphtheria, on a slant of Loeffler's blood serum, kept aerobically at 37 C. The single colony subculture, after 24 hours' growth at 37 C. on the same medium, showed chiefly the A1 type, along with C1 , and D1 , and intermediate types. The culture was plated out from salt solution emulsions by the successive stroke method, subcultures being made from well isolated colonies, 3 times. The final aerobic subculture on which the following observations were made still showed the barred types referred to above (Fig. 1).
Stand Your Ground: Black Bodies and the Justice of God

Kelly Brown Douglas has never shied away from engaging the intersections of womanist thought and Black bodies as significant source materials for theological reflection. This was evident in her gro...
Serotyping and drug resistance of Vibrio parahaemolyticus from Lishui shellfish

Objective:To understand the serotype distribution and resistance to antibiotics of the Vibrio parahaemolyticus isolated from shellfish,and provide evidence for prevetion and treatment of disease caused by Vibrio parahaemolyticus.Methods:Shellfish were collected from farm produce market of Lishui city and Vibrio parahaemolyticus were isolated by Routine assay.According to the standard technique GB/T 4789.7-2008,serotyping were determined by standard serum and drug-resistances were tested by disk diffusion method.Results:28 shellfish were infected with Vibrio parahaemolyticus.The positive rate was 26.67%(28/105).28 strains of Vibrio parahaemolyticus consisted of seven serum groups,O:4 39.29%(11/28),O:3 14.29%(4/28),O:2 14.29%(4/28),O:11 14.29%(4/28),O:1 7.14%(2/28),O:7 7.14%(2/28),O:10 3.57%(1/28).Susceptibility tests showed that 25 strains were resistant to ampicillin and 1 strain was resistant to decycline.Conclusion:The Vibrio parahaemolyticus isolated from the shellfish in Lishui City have diversified characteristics of serological type and simple drug resistance.
Do the Benefits of Voluntarily Reporting Serious Data Breaches to the ICO Outweigh the Risk of Monetary Penalties?: A Theoretical Analysis

The Upper Information Rights Tribunal in the UK recently held that controllers not required by law to report data breaches are still subject to monetary penalties even if they voluntarily report a breach. The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) and some information law experts stated that this holding notwithstanding, the economic benefits of self-reporting still outweigh the risk of penalties since the ICO considers self-reporting a mitigating factor in determining the amount of any fine. This paper attempts a theoretical analysis of controllers’ risk calculi to determine if they are truly better off self-reporting breaches. Based on historic ICO data, we first examine the claim that self-reporting mitigates a penalty’s magnitude. We then investigate whether the mitigation of penalty amounts alone is sufficient to persuade controllers that they are better off self-reporting given their “chances of being fined.” Conventional models use a fixed value for this probability in analyzing economic benefit. Through the employment of the principle of perspectivity, we show that for these models to accurately reflect experience we must modify our definition of the “chances of being fined” and factor in a controller’s decision to report or not report. Modifying the traditional models accordingly, we conclude that controllers as a population are currently not better off self-reporting. We close by offering specific suggestions for the ICO to create conditions where controllers will be better off self-reporting breaches even if they are fined.
A STUDY OF STORMWATER RUNOFF QUALITY

Abstract The stormwater from four watersheds in the Houston area was monitored by an intensive sampling and analytical program over a three year period. The land use in the watersheds included undeveloped forest, developing forest, fully developed residential and mixed commercial-residential. Chemical parameters monitored included suspended solids, oxygen demand, organic carbon, nitrogen, phosphorous, dissolved oxygen, pH, specific conductance and chlorinated hydrocarbons. Indicator and pathogenic bacterial content were enumerated as well as aguatic and edaphic algae species. Disinfectant demand and algal bioassays were also conducted. Relationships have been developed between stormwater runoff quality, quantity and land use in an effort to predict pollutant loads. The appearance of a “first flush” is dependent on the parameter measured and the watershed characteristics. Rainwater quality contributes significantly to stormwater pollutant load, especially in urbanized areas. The modifying effect of natural biological processes on nitrogen content in the runoff and the effects of the hydrological regime on nutrient limitations has been observed. The effectiveness of storage lakes, very positive in the case of suspended solids, has been described.
MB-20WDR5 ORCHESTRATES CANCER CELL SELF RENEWAL IN Myc DRIVEN MEDULLOBLASTOMA

MB-20. WDR5 ORCHESTRATES CANCER CELL SELF RENEWAL IN Myc DRIVEN MEDULLOBLASTOMA Swati Ghosh1, Sujatha Venkataraman1, Diane Birks1, Nicholas Foreman1,2, and Rajeev Vibhakar1,2; University of Colorado, Aurora, CO, USA; Children Hospital Colorado, Aurora, CO, USA MYC oncogene driven medulloblastoma (MB) has a poor overall outcome and there is a need for more effective therapies. Wehypothesized that epigenetic mechanisms may mediate MYC-driven medulloblastoma. To address this, we performed a functional epigenome wide RNAi screen targeting 406 epigenetic molecules associated with chromatin remodeling and histone modification in Myc MB cells. Unbiased analysis identified several key regulators of long-term viability in these Myc amplified MB cells. Remarkably we identified multiple proteins that are part of the COMPASS like macromolecular complex as critical mediators of MB cell viability. These include ASH2L, MLL2 (KMT2D), WDR5, DPY30 and HFC1. This complex is critical for methylationof histone3 lysine4 (H3K4me3) andmediating transcriptional activation. We established that WDR5 is important for MYC driven medulloblastoma cell survival. Knock down of WDR5 attenuates clonogenic growth of tumor cells, suppresses stem cell associated gene expression programs and prevents formation of new neurospheres suggesting an inhibition of self-renewal of the medulloblastoma cells. Co-immunoprecipitation studies revealed an interaction between cMYC and WDR5. Confocal microscopy using high cMYC medulloblastoma cells also demonstrated that WDR5 co-localizes with cMYC in nucleus. C-MYC overexpressing neural stem cells differentiate down a neuronal lineage upon WDR5 knockdown. We are now performing more detailed studies on the activity of WDR5 in vitro and in vivo in MYC driven medulloblastoma. Further characterization of WDR5 will provide deeper insight into understanding of group3 medulloblastoma and its therapeutic intervention. Neuro-Oncology 18:iii97–iii122, 2016. doi:10.1093/neuonc/now076.18 #The Author(s) 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Neuro-Oncology. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.
Time Scales of Southern Ocean Eddy Equilibration

AbstractStratification in the Southern Ocean is determined primarily by a competition between westerly wind-driven upwelling and baroclinic eddy transport. This study investigates the time scales of equilibration of the Southern Ocean in response to changing winds through an idealized channel model. An analytical framework describing the energetic pathways between wind input, available potential energy (APE), eddy kinetic energy (EKE), and dissipation provides a simple theory of the phase and amplitude response to oscillating wind stress. The transient ocean response to variable winds lies between the two limits of Ekman response (high frequency), characterized by the isopycnal slope responding directly to wind stress, and “eddy saturation” (low frequency), wherein a large fraction of the anomalous wind work goes into mesoscale eddies. The crossover time scale is the time scale of meridional eddy diffusive transport across the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC) front. For wind variability with a period o...
Commentary Moving Beyond Our Scholarly Comfort Zones

(2011). Commentary Moving Beyond Our Scholarly Comfort Zones. Annals of the International Communication Association: Vol. 35, Communication Yearbook 35, pp. 153-157.
Cybersecurity in European Union Economies

While many privacy advocates consider the EU’s data privacy standards defensible and preferable, critics have been concerned that these standards fail to take into account the context of a changing technological landscape. This chapter reviews the key elements and strengths and weaknesses of EU data protection regulations. It also offers a comprehensive analysis of the EU emphasis on privacy protection as a fundamental human right. It highlights the new EU CS strategy and outlines the differences with the U.S. CS approach. It discusses EU regulations’ impact on CSPs and users, and key players and driving forces shaping the revision and future of the regulations. It also provides a detailed analysis and assessment of regulatory and enforcement programs for cloud security in the EU’s five biggest economies, whose experiences may act as a guide and template for other economies in the EU and elsewhere.
Outcomes of a Randomized Trial of a Cognitive Behavioral Enhancement to Address Maternal Distress in Home Visited Mothers.

Objectives To assess the effectiveness of a 6-week, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) group-based enhancement to home visiting to address stress and prevent depression as compared with home visiting as usual in low income mothers of young children. Methods We conducted a randomized controlled trial with 95 low-income mothers of young children to assess the effectiveness of a 6-week, cognitive behavioral group-based enhancement to Healthy Families America and Parents as Teachers home visiting (HV/CBT = 49) to address stress and prevent depression as compared with home visiting as usual (HV = 46). Booster sessions for the HV/CBT group were offered at 3 and 6 months. Participants completed measures of coping, stress and depression at three points: baseline prior to randomization, post-intervention, and 6 months post-intervention. Parent child interaction was also measured at 6 months. Results Intent-to-treat analyses found improved coping and reduced stress and depression post-intervention. While impacts on these outcomes were attenuated at 6 months, positive impacts were observed for selected aspects of mothers’ interactions with their children. Maternal characteristics at baseline were associated with participation in the intervention and with post-intervention and 6-month outcomes. Mothers with lower levels of stress and those with fewer children were more likely to attend intervention sessions. Mothers with lower levels of stress had more favorable post intervention outcomes. Conclusions CBT group-based enhancement to home visiting improved maternal coping, reduced stress and depression immediately post intervention but not at 6 months, suggesting more work is needed to sustain positive gains in low-income mothers of young children.
Fully-depleted strained-Si on insulator NMOSFETs without relaxed SiGe buffers

Fully-depleted strained Si n-channel MOSFETs were demonstrated on a compliant borophosphorosilicate insulator (BPSG) without an underlying SiGe buffer layer. Stress balance of a SiGe/Si structure, transferred onto BPSG by wafer bonding and Smart-cut processes, is utilized for the first time to make strained-Si on insulator (sSOI) by a process that does not involve the introduction of misfit dislocations. Strained-Si n-channel MOSFETs with a strain level of 0.6%, equivalent to that of a conventional strained Si layer grown on a relaxed Si/sub 0.85/Ge/sub 0.15/ buffer, exhibit 60% mobility enhancement over the control, in good agreement with theory. This approach to fabricating strained Si overcomes any potential process or device complexity due to the presence of a SiGe layer in the final devices.
Older Veteran Digital Disparities: Examining the Potential for Solutions Within Social Networks.

Background: Older adults typically have less access to the Internet than other age groups, and older Veterans may use the Internet even less due to economic and geographic reasons. Objective: To explore solutions to this problem, our study examined older Veterans’ reported ability to access technology through their close social ties. Methods: Data were collected via mail survey from a sample of Veterans aged 65 years and older (N=266). Results: Nearly half (44.0%, 117/266) of the sample reported having no Internet access. Yet, among those without current access, older Veterans reported having a median of 5 (IQR 7) close social ties with home Internet access. These older Veterans also reported that they would feel comfortable asking a median of 2 (IQR 4) social ties for help to access the Internet, and that a median of 2 (IQR 4) social ties would directly access the Internet for the older Veteran to help with health management. Conclusions: Findings suggest that even older Veterans without current Internet access have at least two social ties with home Internet who could be called upon for technology support. Thus, older Veterans may be willing to call upon these “surrogate seekers” for technology assistance and support in health management. This has implications for the digital divide, technology design, and health care policy. [J Med Internet Res 2016;18(11):e296]
Leadership Development in South Africa

This chapter reviews leadership development in South Africa and the methods that are currently used to develop emerging leaders. I take a broad look at leadership development in a dynamic, changing, unpredictable postmodern era, together with that which needs to be preserved from the South African perspective in a dualistic environment of Afrocentric and Eurocentric leadership. I then illuminate some local examples and approaches to leadership development and make recommendations that reflect contemporary leadership development in South Africa, with all its diverse and complex socioeconomic contexts, peoples and social systems. The chapter illustrates examples of successful implementation of leadership development models and shows how they have succeeded amidst, and in spite of, numerous contextual challenges.
P5-72: Safety of laser application through blood using an endoscopic laser balloon catheter

Background: In laser ablation, laser is delivered through a fluid-filled balloon positioned against the tissue to minimize lasing into blood, which has a potential risk of thrombus since laser is absorbed by blood (heating blood). The purpose of this study was to determine the risk of thrombus during laser ablation in fields of stagnant blood or pulsatile blood using an endoscopic laser balloon catheter (ELBC, CardioFocus) in a canine model.
Diarrhea and Constipation: Mechanisms, Classification, and Illustrations

This chapter discusses the mechanisms and classification of diarrhea and constipation. The clinical diarrhea is referred to the passage of successive loose or watery stools over a period of more than a few hours. Diarrhea can also be physiologically defined as a net accumulation of fluids and electrolytes in the intestinal lumen resulting from increased secretion, decreased absorption, or both, bearing in mind the fact that the small intestine both secretes and absorbs simultaneously, but that net absorption normally exceeds net secretion. The intestinal effects of bacterial infections are because of either the production of diarrheal toxins or the penetration of the intestinal epithelium by the infectious agent or both the mechanisms operating simultaneously. Bacterial toxins are classified as enterotoxins or exotoxins if they are secreted into culture media by intact organisms and endotoxins if they are released only after lysis of the bacteria. Diarrheas caused by bacterial toxins are primarily enterotoxigenic. Enterotoxins are highly soluble in water, and they are usually antigenic and polypeptides. By and large, purely enterotoxigenic organisms cause diarrheal states while penetrant organisms cause dysentery. The chapter also focuses on those disorders of colonic motility that are associated with constipation.
Keeping in touch with the ER network.

The epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) has fundamental roles in physiology and cancer. It is rapidly internalized (endocytosed) from the cell surface upon ligand binding and activation and can either sustain its signaling by being recycled back to the plasma membrane or get delivered to the lysosome where it is degraded ( 1 ). After much debate, it is currently thought that EGFR endocytosis involves clathrin-mediated (CME) and nonclathrin (NCE) mechanisms depending on the ligand concentration and cellular context, with the molecular details of the latter route poorly defined ( 1 , 2 ). On page 617 of this issue, Caldieri et al. ( 3 ) report that the NCE pathway involves transient endoplasmic reticulum (ER)–plasma membrane contacts formed close to the sites of EGFR internalization.
55th International Mathematical Olympiad

(2014). 55th International Mathematical Olympiad. Mathematics Magazine: Vol. 87, No. 4, pp. 310-317.
Parastack: efficient hang detection for MPI programs at large scale

While program hangs on large parallel systems can be detected via the widely used timeout mechanism, it is difficult for the users to set the timeout - too small a timeout leads to high false alarm rates and too large a timeout wastes a vast amount of valuable computing resources. To address the above problems with hang detection, this paper presents ParaStack, an extremely lightweight tool to detect hangs in a timely manner with high accuracy, negligible overhead with great scalability, and without requiring the user to select a timeout value. For a detected hang, it provides direction for further analysis by telling users whether the hang is the result of an error in the computation phase or the communication phase. For a computation-error induced hang, our tool pinpoints the faulty process by excluding hundreds and thousands of other processes. We have adapted ParaStack to work with the Torque and Slurm parallel batch schedulers and validated its functionality and performance on Tianhe-2 and Stampede that are respectively the world's current 2nd and 12th fastest supercomputers. Experimental results demonstrate that ParaStack detects hangs in a timely manner at negligible overhead with over 99% accuracy. No false alarm is observed in correct runs taking 66 hours at scale of 256 processes and 39.7 hours at scale of 1024 processes. ParaStack accurately reports the faulty process for computation-error induced hangs.
A Systematic Review of Risk Factors Associated With Cognitive Impairment After Pediatric Critical Illness.

Objectives:To identify risk factors associated with cognitive impairment as assessed by neuropsychologic tests in neurotypical children after critical illness.Data Sources:For this systematic review, we searched the Cochrane Library, Scopus, PubMed, Ovid, Embase, and CINAHL databases from January 19
Humidity-swing mechanism for CO2 capture from ambient air

A humidity-swing polymeric sorbent captures CO2 from ambient air at room temperature simply by changing the humidity level. To date there has been no direct experimental evidence to characterize the chemical mechanism for this process. In this report we describe the use of solid-state NMR to study the humidity-swing CO2 absorption/desorption cycle directly. We find that at low humidity levels CO2 is absorbed as HCO3−. At high humidity levels, HCO3− is replaced by hydrated OH− and the absorbed CO2 is released.
Composition of Dissolved Organic Matter in Pore Waters of Anoxic Marine Sediments Analyzed by 1H Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy

Marine sediments are globally significant sources of dissolved organic matter (DOM) to the oceans, but the biogeochemical role of pore-water DOM in the benthic and marine carbon cycles remains unclear due to a lack of understanding about its molecular composition. To help fill this knowledge gap, we used 1H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy to examine depth variability in the composition of pore-water DOM in anoxic sediments of Santa Barbara Basin, California Borderland. Proton detected spectra were acquired on whole samples without pre-concentration to avoid preclusion of any DOM components from the analytical window. Broad unresolved resonance (operationally assigned to carboxyl-rich alicyclic molecules, or CRAM) dominated all spectra. Most of the relatively well-resolved peaks (attributed to biomolecules or their derivatives) appeared at chemical shifts similar to those previously reported for marine DOM in the literature, but at different relative intensities. DOM composition changed significantly within the top 50 cm of the sediment column, where the relative intensity of CRAM increased, and the relative intensity of resolved resonances decreased. The composition of CRAM itself also changed throughout the entire length of the 4.5-m profile, as CRAM protons became increasingly aliphatic at the expense of functionalized protons. Given that pore-water DOM is generated from sedimentary organic matter that includes pre-aged and degraded material, and that DOM could theoretically be subjected to microbial reworking in the pore waters for centuries to millennia, these data suggest that marine sediments may be sources of CRAM that are compositionally unique from CRAM generated in the upper ocean.
Silicon Nitride Ceramics

The widespread interest in silicon nitride ceramics stems from their desirable physical and mechanical properties in many high temperature and pressure applications [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]. Good resistance to oxidation and corrosive environments, low coefficient of friction and thermal expansion, negligible creep, and high decomposition temperature are some of these important properties. Because of these, silicon nitride (especially its polymorph) is widely used in gas turbines, engine parts, bearings, dental drills and gauges, and cutting tools. In addition, thin films and coatings have been studied in relation to high-speed memory devices [6, 7, 8, 9, 10] and optical waveguide applications [11].
First Observations on Reversible Binding of Steroids to Proteins

As early as 1913, the pharmacologist Ernst Oppenheimer, at the age of 25, published studies on the behavior of cardiac-active compounds of the digitalis series (1913). He observed a decrease of toxicity towards the isolated frog heart when serum was added to the drug solutions. After testing several possible interpretations experimentally, Oppenheimer suggested as the most likely explanation for the reduced toxicity a binding (“adsorption”) of the cardiac-active steroid to the colloidal components of the serum. This binding was assumed to be easily dissociable so that the active compound is taken up by the heart cells which themselves have similar adsorption affinity; the result is a binding equilibrium (“Adsorptionsgleichgewicht”) in which the steroid is distributed between the serum colloids and the heart cells. This interpretation clearly is a precursor of the concepts of Storm van Leeuwen; it was ignored or forgotten by the investigators of the time. Subsequent research, however, gives ample evidence of Ernst Oppenheimer’s remarkable foresight.
Making the Most of Our Conferences and Associations: An Important Component for Communication Research, Teaching, and Service

As part of the tradition of outgoing Central States Communication Association Presidents and Executive Directors providing a spotlight column in Communication Studies, I focus on the practical valu...
Impact of bioconversion on matrix strain response of coal reservoirs: Part 1-Experimental insights

Abstract The technical feasibility of commercial gas production from microbially enhanced coalbed methane (MECBM) reservoirs can be divided into two broad categories: microbial treatment procedures and reservoir suitability. At this time, studies investigating the changes in reservoir-scale properties of coal as a result of bioconversion are lacking. This paper, first of a two-part series, presents the experimental work aimed at investigating the changes in sorption-induced strain response of coal to helium and methane flooding as a result of bioconversion. The strain and its variation, critical to producing methane after bioconversion, were established for coal treated for three periods, 15, 30 and 60 days. The results indicated a softer coal post-bioconversion which, in turn, resulted in inelastic strain with initial helium injection. However, past this initial compression, the bioconverted coal behavior was similar to untreated coal during continued helium injection/depletion. Methane flooding resulted in decreased sorption-induced shrinkage post-treatment, the decrease in Langmuir pressure and volume constants becoming larger with continued treatment. The observed results were used to understand the changes in coal structure for production of biogenic coalbed methane (BCBM) from depleted CBM reservoirs, recharged with methane using the bioconversion technology. The second part presents a detailed analysis of the experimental results to evaluate the behavior and performance of BCBM reservoirs.
Introduction to the Special Issue - Building Bridges Instead of Walls: Marketing with Minoritized Populations

Several leisure scholars have lamented that leisure serves a site for the reproduction of injustice against minoritized populations.Floyd (2014) challenged leisure scholars to respond with scholarship “…that can potentially expose and eliminate injustices” (p. 385).This special issue sought papers which examined the potential of marketing to promote our undermine justice with minoritized populations. In order to set the stage for these investigations, we discuss: (a) some of the objections to marketing made by leisure scholars; (b) marketing orientations; and (c) some of the issues in marketing with minoritized populations.Subscribe to JPRA
Mechanisms of action of acute and subacute sphenopalatine ganglion stimulation for ischemic stroke

BackgroundSphenopalatine ganglion stimulation (SPG-Stim) for ischemic stroke, starting 8–24 h after onset and continuing through five days in a pooled analysis of two recent, randomized, sham-contr...
Data-driven estimates of evapotranspiration and its controls in the Congo Basin

Abstract. Evapotranspiration (ET) from tropical forests serves as a critical moisture source for regional and global climate cycles. However, the magnitude, seasonality, and interannual variability of ET in the Congo Basin remain poorly constrained due to a scarcity of direct observations, despite the Congo being the second-largest river basin in the world and containing a vast region of tropical forest. In this study, we applied a water balance model to an array of remotely sensed and in situ datasets to produce monthly, basin-wide ET estimates spanning April 2002 to November 2016. Data sources include water storage changes estimated from the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) satellites, in situ measurements of river discharge, and precipitation from several remotely sensed and gauge-based sources. An optimal precipitation dataset was determined as a weighted average of interpolated data by Nicholson et al. (2018), Climate Hazards InfraRed Precipitation with Station data version 2 (CHIRPS2) , and the Precipitation Estimation from Remotely Sensed Information using Artificial Neural Networks–Climate Data Record product (PERSIANN-CDR), with the relative weights based on the error magnitudes of each dataset as determined by triple collocation. The resulting water-balance-derived ET (ET wb ) features a long-term average that is consistent with previous studies ( 117.2±3.5 cm yr −1 ) but displays greater seasonal and interannual variability than seven global ET products. The seasonal cycle of ET wb generally tracks that of precipitation over the basin, with the exception that ET wb is greater in March–April–May (MAM) than in the relatively wetter September–October–November (SON) periods. This pattern appears to be driven by seasonal variations in the diffuse photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) fraction, net radiation ( Rn ), and soil water availability. From 2002 to 2016, Rn , PAR, and vapor-pressure deficit (VPD) all increased significantly within the Congo Basin; however, no corresponding trend occurred in ET wb . We hypothesize that the stability of ET wb over the study period despite sunnier and less humid conditions may be due to increasing atmospheric CO2 concentrations that offset the impacts of rising VPD and irradiance on stomatal water use efficiency (WUE).
Rates of oxidative ATP synthesis are not augmented beyond the pH threshold in human vastus lateralis muscles during a stepwise contraction protocol.

KEY POINTS The oxygen cost of high-intensity exercise at power outputs above an individual's lactate threshold (LT) is greater than would be predicted by the linear oxygen consumption-power relationship observed below the LT. However, whether these augmentations are caused by an increased ATP cost of force generation (ATPCOST ) or an increased oxygen cost of ATP synthesis is unclear. We used 31 P-MRS to measure changes in cytosolic [ADP] (intramyocellular marker of oxidative metabolism), oxidative ATP synthesis (ATPOX ) and ATPCOST during a 6-stage, stepwise knee extension protocol. ATPCOST was unchanged across stages. The relationship between [ADP] and muscle power output was augmented at workloads above the pH threshold (pHT ; proxy for LT), whereas increases in ATPOX were attenuated. These results suggest the greater oxygen cost of contractions at workloads beyond the pHT is not caused by mechanisms that increase ATPCOST , but rather mechanisms that alter intrinsic mitochondrial function or capacity. ABSTRACT Increases in skeletal muscle metabolism and oxygen consumption are linearly related to muscle power output for workloads below the lactate threshold (LT), but are augmented (i.e. greater rate of increase relative to workload) thereafter. Presently, it is unclear whether these metabolic augmentations are caused by increases in the ATP cost of force generation (ATPCOST ) or changes in the efficiency of mitochondrial oxygen consumption and oxidative ATP synthesis (ATPOX ). To partition these two hypotheses in vivo, we used 31 P-MRS to calculate slopes relating step-changes in muscle work to concurrent changes in cytosolic phosphates and ATPOX before and after the pH threshold (pHT ; used here as a proxy for LT) within the vastus lateralis muscle of eight young adults during a stepwise knee extension test. Changes in muscle phosphates and ATPOX were linearly related to workload below the pHT . However, slopes above the pHT were greater for muscle phosphates (P < 0.05) and lower for ATPOX (P < 0.05) than were the slopes observed below the pHT . The maximal capacity for ATPOX ( Vmax ) and ADP-specific ATPOX also declined beyond the pHT (P < 0.05), whereas ATPCOST was unchanged (P = 0.10). These results oppose the hypothesis that high-intensity contractions increase ATPCOST and suggest that greater oxidative metabolism at workloads beyond the pHT is caused by mechanisms that affect intrinsic mitochondrial function or capacity, such as alterations in substrate selection or electron entry into the electron transport chain, temperature-mediated changes in mitochondrial permeability to protons, or stimulation of mitochondrial uncoupling by reactive oxygen species generation.
Attending with family members, completion rate and benefits accrued from chronic disease self-management program.

ObjectivesChronic Disease Self-Management Program (CDSMP) has been demonstrated effective in addressing the self-management of chronic conditions among older adults. With a higher attrition rate, t...
Photosensitized Electrospun Nanofibrous Filters for Capturing and Killing Airborne Coronaviruses under Visible Light Irradiation

To address the challenge of the airborne transmission of SARS-CoV-2, photosensitized electrospun nanofibrous membranes were fabricated to effectively capture and inactivate coronavirus aerosols. With an ultrafine fiber diameter ([~] 200 nm) and a small pore size ([~] 1.5 {micro}m), the optimized membranes caught 99.2% of the aerosols of the murine hepatitis virus A59 (MHV-A59), a coronavirus surrogate for SARS-CoV-2. In addition, rose bengal was used as the photosensitizer for the membranes because of its excellent reactivity in generating virucidal singlet oxygen, and the membranes rapidly inactivated 98.9% of MHV-A59 in virus-laden droplets only after 15 min irradiation of simulated reading light. Singlet oxygen damaged the virus genome and impaired virus binding to host cells, which elucidated the mechanism of disinfection at a molecular level. Membrane robustness was also evaluated, and no efficiency reduction for filtering MHV-A59 aerosols was observed after the membranes being exposed to both indoor light and sunlight for days. Nevertheless, sunlight exposure photobleached the membranes, reduced singlet oxygen production, and compromised the performance of disinfecting MHV-A59 in droplets. In contrast, the membranes after simulated indoor light exposure maintained their excellent disinfection performance. In summary, photosensitized electrospun nanofibrous membranes have been developed to capture and kill airborne environmental pathogens under ambient conditions, and they hold promise for broad applications as personal protective equipment and indoor air filters. SynopsisPhotosensitized electrospun nanofibrous filters with excellent capture-and-kill performance against coronaviruses were designed and implemented to prevent the airborne transmission of COVID-19. Table of Contents O_FIG O_LINKSMALLFIG WIDTH=200 HEIGHT=103 SRC="FIGDIR/small/454404v1_ufig1.gif" ALT="Figure 1"> View larger version (39K): org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@2dd26forg.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@52b620org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@332983org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@ea61d1_HPS_FORMAT_FIGEXP M_FIG C_FIG
Aligning security and usability objectives for computer based information systems

With extensive use of information systems in day-to-day business operations, many organizations are facing challenges to develop robust computer-based information systems that are secure and widely used by the user community. In order to develop information systems that are secure and useful, understanding what stakeholders consider important and value about the security and usability is critical. Security refers to confidentiality, integrity and availability and usability refers to efficiency, effectiveness and user satisfaction. Using Value Focused Thinking approach, this research first proposes the usability objectives based on the values of system developers and users. Using the security objectives proposed by Dhillon & Torkzadeh (2006) and the usability objectives, this research proposes hierarchies with the overall/over-arching goals of security (confidentiality, integrity, availability) and/or usability (efficiency, effectiveness and satisfaction). This research also analyzes a case of computer hacking and identifies which of the security and usability objectives that have not been met in that case study. The research contributions which include the usability objectives and security and usability hierarchies can be useful for theoretical as well as practical purposes.
Intuitions of Justice: Implications for Criminal Law and Justice Policy

Recent social science research suggests that many if not most judgments about criminal liability and punishment for serious wrongdoing are intuitional rather than reasoned. Further, such intuitions of justice are nuanced and widely shared, even though they concern matters that seem quite complex and subjective. While people may debate the source of these intuitions, it seems clear that, whatever their source, it must be one that is insulated from the influence of much of human experience because, if it were not, one would see differences in intuitions reflecting the vast differences in human existence across demographics and societies.This article explores the serious implications of this reality for criminal law and criminal policy. For example, it may be unrealistic to expect the government to reeducate people away from their unhealthy interest in punishing serious wrongdoing, as is urged by some reformer, for it seems unlikely that the shared intuition that serious wrongdoing should be punished can be changed through social engineering, at least not through methods short of coercive indoctrination that liberal democracies would find unacceptable. Second, a criminal justice system that adopts rules that predictably and regularly fail to do justice or that regularly do injustice, will inevitably be widely seen as failing in a mission thought important by the community, even foundational, unless the system's unjust operation can be hidden, something that would be hard to do without breaching notions of press freedom and government transparency to which liberal democracies aspire. Finally, an understanding of the nature of people's intuitions of justice can provide more effective strategies for changing them. For example, it appears that legal and social reformers would do better not to fight people's shared intuitions of justice but rather to harness them in service of their reform programs.
Modeling QoS for Semantic Equivalent Web Services

Quality of Service (QoS) is an important factor for selecting a better Web service from numerous semantic equivalent Web services in Web services composition. In this paper, a QoS model (e_QoS) for evaluating semantic equivalent Web services is proposed, In which, the factors used to evaluate Web Services include Accessed Times, Invoked Success Rate, Average Responding Time, Stability Variance, and Customers Estimation. The performance of Web services in Latest Period of Time, the performance in history and the performance estimated by customers are considered together. By experiments, we concluded that e_QoS is effective for estimating Web services, and can improve the quality of web services composition greatly.
Regulation of ribose metabolism in Escherichia coli: I. The ribose catabolic pathway

Abstract 1. 1. The enzymology and regulation of ribose utilization were examined in Escherichia coli X289. Four primary enzymatic activities are involved: permeation of the pentose, phosphorylation to d - ribose -5-P , isomerization to d - ribulose -5-P , and epimerization to d - xylulose -5-P . 2. 2. There appear to be two distinct ribose permease systems, one constitutive and the other inducible. Both are energy dependent and capable of operating against a concentration gradient. 3. 3. A ribokinase is induced specifically by ribose and has a high substrate specificity for ribose. 4. 4. The enzymes involved in ribose metabolism (the ribose permease(s), ribokinase, and ribose-5-P isomerase)_are non-coordinately controlled.
Effect of oophorectomy on circulating testosterone and androstenedione levels in patients with endometrial cancer.

Abstract With the use of specific radioimmunoassays, serum testosterone (T) and androstenedione (Δ) levels were measured before and 6 to 8 weeks after oophorectomy in 5 premenopausal and 16 postmenopausal patients with endometrial cancer. In the premenopausal patients, the mean base-line (± standard error) T and Δ levels were 274 ± 15 and 1,811 ± 95 pg. per milliliter, respectively, and fell to 118 ± 13 (T) and 911 ± 97 (Δ) pg. per milliliter. In the postmenopausal patients, the preoperative T and Δ levels were significantly lower (P
Miscellaneous acquired cystic lesions of the kidney and retroperitoneum

A CQUIRED CYSTIC LESIONS of the kidney are the product of several diseases of different etiology and are usually readily distinguished from the renal cysts discussed elsewhere in this Seminar. These acquired lesions are, in fact, cavities that have formed within or adjacent to the renal parenchyma, and they are variously lined by fibrous tissue, necrotic tumor, endothelium, or necrotic or intact epithelium, depending upon their cause and stage of evolution. These acquired lesions are best classified by etiology. (1) Cystic hematomas (a) traumatic (b) spontaneous (2) Inflammatory cysts (a) pyogenic (b) tuberculous (c) papillary necrosis (d) parasitic (3) Cystic neoplasms (4) Communicating cystic lesions (a) calyceal diverticulum (b) hydrocalyx (c) communicating cyst (5) Pararenal cysts (a) parapelvic (b) pararenal pseudocyst