cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Atomic Structure of the Microtubule-Nucleating γ-Tubulin Small Complex and its Implications for Regulation

The microtubule cytoskeleton is essential in mediating a number of critical cellular processes, affecting cell shape, transport, organelle organization, and chromosomal segregation during mitosis. Microtubule network dynamics are controlled by many factors including the efficiency and localization of the nucleation machinery. Microtubule nucleation is dependent on the universally conserved γ-tubulin small complex (γTuSC), a 300 kDa heterotetramer composed of two copies of γ-tubulin and one each of accessory proteins GCP2 and GCP3. In yeast, nucleation is mediated by a heptameric ring of γTuSC, which presents 13 γ-tubulins to form a template for microtubule nucleation. We have obtained single-particle structures of the γTuSC as a monomer and dimer at resolutions of 3.6-4.6A, allowing us to build an atomic model for this important complex. By comparison with a crystal structure of isolated γ-tubulin, it is clear that γ-tubulin is activated upon assembly into the γTuSC, in a manner analogous to the bent to straight transition in αβ-tubulin upon assembly into the microtubule lattice. Our structures allow us to map phosphorylation sites, revealing several at key interfaces, highly suggestive of their role in regulating spindle pole body attachment and assembly into rings. When combined with previous lower resolution structures of helical assemblies, we observe that additional conformational changes occur during ring assembly and activation.
World estimates of PV optimal tilt angles and ratios of sunlight incident upon tilted and tracked PV panels relative to horizontal panels

Abstract This study provides estimates of photovoltaic (PV) panel optimal tilt angles for all countries worldwide. It then estimates the incident solar radiation normal to either tracked or optimally tilted panels relative to horizontal panels globally. Optimal tilts are derived from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s PVWatts program. A simple 3rd-order polynomial fit of optimal tilt versus latitude is derived. The fit matches data better above 40° N latitude than do previous linear fits. Optimal tilts are then used in the global 3-D GATOR-GCMOM model to estimate annual ratios of incident radiation normal to optimally tilted, 1-axis vertically tracked (swiveling vertically around a horizontal axis), 1-axis horizontally tracked (at optimal tilt and swiveling horizontally around a vertical axis), and 2-axis tracked panels relative to horizontal panels in 2050. Globally- and annually-averaged, these ratios are ∼1.19, ∼1.22, ∼1.35, and ∼1.39, respectively. 1-axis horizontal tracking differs from 2-axis tracking, annually averaged, by only 1–3% at most all latitudes. 1-axis horizontal tracking provides much more output than 1-axis vertical tracking below 65° N and S, whereas output is similar elsewhere. Tracking provides little benefit over optimal tilting above 75° N and 60° S. Tilting and tracking benefits generally increase with increasing latitude. In fact, annually averaged, more sunlight reach tilted or tracked panels from 80 to 90° S than any other latitude. Tilting and tracking benefit cities of the same latitude with lesser aerosol and cloud cover. In sum, for optimal utility PV output, 1-axis horizontal tracking is recommended, except for the highest latitudes, where optimal tilting is sufficient. However, decisions about panel configuration also require knowing tracking equipment and land costs, which are not evaluated here. Installers should also calculate optimal tilt angles for their location for more accuracy. Models that ignore optimal tilting for rooftop PV and utility PV tracking may underestimate significantly country or world PV potential.
Resolutions and cohomology over complete intersections

This chapter contains a new proof and new applications of a theorem of Shamash and Eisenbud, providing a construction of proj ective resolutions of modules over a complete intersection. The duals of these infinite projective resolutions are finitely generated differential graded modules over a graded polynomial ring, so they can be represented in the computer, and can be used to compute Ext modules simultaneously in all homological degrees. It is shown how to write Macaulay 2 code to implement the construction, and how to use the computer to determine invariants of modules over complete intersections that are difficult to obtain otherwise.
TECTONICS | Seismic Structure At Mid-Ocean Ridges

Seismic studies of mid-ocean ridges provide images of structures within young crust that reflect the magmatic and tectonic processes of crustal formation. This contribution provides an overview on the seismic properties of the uppermost crust, the crustal magma system, the Moho and crustal thickness at mid-ocean ridges across the spreading rate spectrum. The observations indicate quite uniform crustal structure along the fast spreading ridges with shallow steady-state crustal magma lenses, a thin upper crustal layer 2A that thickens rapidly away from the axis attributed to accumulation of thin lava flows, and modest variations in crustal thickness. Intermediate spreading ridges are associated with marked variations in axial morphology and crustal structure that span the spreading rate range from fast to slow types. Only minor variations in crustal thickness accompany these changes, consistent with a threshold-type response of ridge properties to magma supply at intermediate spreading rates. At slow spreading ridges, steady-state crustal magma bodies may only exist in regions of hot-spot influence, layer 2A is thick along the axis and large variations in crustal thickness are observed. Extensive exposures of lower crustal and upper mantle rocks are found near the ends of many slow spreading ridge segments and in these places, tectonic stretching plays a dominant role in seafloor spreading.
Comparative Effectiveness of Generic Latanoprost Versus Branded Prostaglandin Analogs for Primary Open Angle Glaucoma.

ABSTRACTPurpose: The purpose of the study is to determine the comparative effectiveness of generic latanoprost (GL) to its branded (BL) counterpart and other brand-name prostaglandin analogs (bPGAs) in preventing the need for additional therapy in the treatment of primary open angle glaucoma (POAG).Methods: Retrospective cohort study using US commercial medical claims data. All new POAG patients from 2000 to 2015 who initiated treatment with either GL or BL were included. Exclusion occurred for having less than 2 years of time in the plan prior to diagnosis, previous use of glaucoma medications, or any diagnosis of glaucoma other than POAG at any time. Analyses compared GL to BL and also to those who received any branded PGA after 2011 (when the generic became available). Cox proportional hazard regression was used to assess the hazards of filling a prescription for a second IOP-lowering medication or having surgical intervention, individually and either outcome combined.Results: A total of 6317 and 4150 ...
Engineered Noble-Metal Nanostructures for in Vitro Diagnostics

The unique properties of engineered noble-metal nanostructures make them versatile and robust signal transducers for in vitro diagnostics (IVDs). Particularly, thanks to the increased mechanistic understanding of fundamental nanoresearch and the rapid advancement of high-performance analytical tools, it is now feasible to tightly tune the physical and chemical parameters (including size, shape, elemental composition, and internal structure) of a noble-metal nanostructure at atomic precision. Through careful control over these parameters, one can optimize the physicochemical properties of a metal nanostructure and thereby enhance its performance in IVDs. In this article, we introduce recently developed methodologies for effectively engineering noble-metal nanostructures with desired properties, discuss the superior performance of the engineered nanostructures in various IVD platforms, and provide insights into materials design, synthesis, and application in IVDs. We hope this article will serve as a useful...
The growth, roles and needs of the private education system: Private stakeholder perspectives from Nepal

Abstract Private schools have grown substantially, especially in lower income countries, due to perceptions of government failures and increased availability of private schools in many price ranges. This paper uses administrative records, and primary survey and interview data from private school principals and officials in Nepal to provide local-level private sector stakeholders’ perspectives on the sector’s growth, and their roles and needs of the private system. It finds that private schools have flourished in Nepal, albeit with substantial contextual variation. It finds that private schools in the sample were often started for employment and investment opportunity, and with social motivations. The stakeholders suggest that they contribute heavily to the education system, but are also frank about their shortcomings. At a systemic level, private sector stakeholders desire stability, less hostility, more monitoring and an assessment of their needs and challenges as they also educate citizens. Analyzing local-level private school characteristics and functioning will help governments understand private schooling diversity, successes, challenges and feasibility of regulations.
Comparison of histologic findings in age-related macular degeneration with RPE flatmount images.

Purpose To visualize and analyze ex vivo flatmounted human RPE morphology from patients with age-related macular degeneration (AMD), and to compare the morphology with histologic findings. To establish whether the sub-RPE structures identified en face in RPE flatmount preparations are drusen with histopathological registration in serial sections. To detect characteristic patterns found en face in RPE with the same structures in histological cross sections from eyes from cadavers of patients with AMD. Methods Twenty-eight postmortem eyes from 14 patients (16 eyes with AMD and 12 age-matched control eyes) were oriented and microdissected yielding a RPE-choroid preparation. The tissues were flatmounted, stained with Alexa Fluor 635 Phalloidin (AF635-phalloidin) for f-actin and propidium iodide for DNA, and imaged using confocal microscopy. Portions of tissue from macular regions were processed for electron microscopic examination. After confocal imaging, the samples were remounted for histologic processing, embedded in paraffin, and serially sectioned perpendicular to the plane of the RPE-choroid sheet. Scaled two-dimensional (2D) maps of drusen locations found with the histological cross sections were constructed and correlated with the en face confocal microscopic images. Results Twenty-eight postmortem eyes with a mean time of death to tissue preservation of 23.7 h (range 8.0–51 h) from 14 donors (seven women and seven men) with an average age of 78 years (range 60–93 years) were evaluated. Eight donors had AMD, and six served as controls. Scattered small, hard drusen were present in the periphery of the eyes with AMD and the healthy eyes. The macular region of the eyes with AMD contained small (<63 µm), medium (63.0–124 µm), and large (≥125 µm) drusen. The RPE was arranged in rosette-like structures overlying small drusen, attenuated overlying medium-sized drusen, and consisted of large multinucleated cells overlying large drusen. The RPE in the area of geographic atrophy was attenuated and depigmented. Conclusions Confocal images of flatmounts from eyes with AMD showed RPE patterns overlying various types of drusen and geographic atrophy that correlated with histologic characteristics. We propose RPE repair mechanisms that may result in the patterns that we observed.
Knowledge Infrastructures under Siege: Environmental Data Systems as Memory, Truce, and Target

This talk examines the history of environmental data systems in the context of the Trump administration’s brutal assault on climate science. Data models — aka algorithms — are as important as “raw” data in generating knowledge of Earth's climate. Yet they are also easy political targets. From an earlier focus on critiques of climate simulation models, since about 2000 climate denialism has shifted toward attacks on data and data models. This movement recently reached a crescendo, with the ascendancy of climate change deniers to dominant positions in the United States, Australia, and elsewhere. The shift is associated with new media environments that effectively created a “glass laboratory,” where even scientists’ emails became metadata in the public life of climate knowledge. In this situation, where previously settled norms and standards have become targets for wholesale elimination, data studies must balance the necessity of critique with its potentially destructive consequences.
On-Board Wireless Communications for Spacecraft Test and Operations

This paper discusses recent activities at JPL that are focused on the development of wireless communications for data path connectivity between instruments and subsystems within the confines of a single spacecraft. Anticipated benefits of intra-spacecraft wireless links include reduction of cable mass, improved flexibility in spacecraft design or modifications and increased efficiencies during integration and test. This paper describes the framework for this effort, plans for retiring key risks and progress to date. Three of the primary risks addressed under this effort are communications link reliability, scalability and electromagnetic compatibility. In this paper, we will discuss analysis and test methods used to investigate each of these areas. In addition, we will describe a number of use cases for both operational and test applications that are under current investigation and development.
Empire’s infrastructures: racial finance capitalism and liberal necropolitics

Deborah Cowen has written an illuminating paper on the nineteenth-century making of rail infrastructure and the Canadian metropolis. She connects the dots between the building of the Canadian Pacif...
Mortality of Patients Requiring Escalation to Intensive Care within 24 Hours of Admission in a Mixed Medical-Surgical Population.

Objective Delayed intensive care unit (ICU) admissions are associated with increased mortality. We present a retrospective study looking at whether indirect admissions to the ICU within 24 hours of hospital admission were associated with increased mortality. Design Retrospective cohort study SETTING: Mixed medical-surgical ICU at a large tertiary United States Veterans Affairs (VA) Hospital System POPULATION: The patients were a mix of medical and surgical patients. Patients included both those directly admitted from the operating room as well as those escalated to the ICU after initial admission to the ward (indirect admission). Methods All admissions to a medical-surgical ICU from 2008 to 2013 were included in the study. The database was queried for time and location where the admission originated. Separate lists were created for patients with severe sepsis, patients who transferred to the ICU within the first 24 hours, and patients who had rapid response or code team activations. Analysis was applied to the whole group and to medical and surgical subpopulations. Results A total of 3,862 ICU admissions were studied. Univariate analysis indicated an impact of delayed admission on whole group and surgical patients; however, multivariate analysis indicated a significant effect of delayed admission on 1-year surgical mortality. Multivariate analysis also showed a consistent effect of age, ICU length of stay, and cardiac arrest on mortality of both medical and surgical ICU patients. Conclusion In a large retrospective study, surgical patients had increased 1-year mortality if they required escalation to the ICU within 24 hours of hospital admission. This result was not replicated in medical patients, possibly related to a burden of illness that could not be altered by earlier care.
Survival among colorectal cancer patients with a history of previous cancer.

e16146Background: A growing number of patients with colorectal cancer (CRC) have survived a previous cancer. Although little is known about their prognosis, this population is frequently excluded f...
Feasibility of FitSurvivor: A technology-enhanced group-based fitness intervention for adolescent and young adult survivors of childhood cancer.

Background This study evaluated the feasibility of a technology-enhanced group-based fitness intervention for adolescent and young adult (AYA) survivors of childhood cancer. Procedure AYA survivors ages 13-25 years were randomized to the intervention (eight in-person group sessions with mobile app and FitBit followed by 4 weeks of app and FitBit only) or waitlist control. Assessments were at 0, 2, 3, 6, and 9 months. Feasibility was evaluated by enrollment, retention, attendance, app engagement, and satisfaction. Secondary outcomes included physical activity, muscular strength/endurance, cardiorespiratory fitness, health-related quality of life, and fatigue. Results A total of 354 survivors were mailed participation letters; 68 (19%) were screened, of which 56 were eligible and 49 enrolled (88% of those screened eligible, 14% of total potentially eligible). Forty-nine survivors (Mage = 18.5 years, 49% female) completed baseline assessments and were randomized (25 intervention, 24 waitlist). Thirty-seven (76%) completed the postintervention assessment and 32 (65%) completed the final assessment. On average, participants attended 5.7 of eight sessions (range 1-8). Overall intervention satisfaction was high (M = 4.3, SD = 0.58 on 1-5 scale). Satisfaction with the companion app was moderately high (M = 3.4, SD = 0.97). The intervention group demonstrated significantly greater improvement in lower body muscle strength compared to the waitlist postintervention, and small but not statistically significant changes in other secondary measures. Conclusions A group-based intervention with a mobile app and fitness tracker was acceptable but has limited reach due to geographical barriers and competing demands experienced by AYA survivors.
Designing a Yoga Intervention Program to Improve Well-Being for Physician Trainees: Challenges and Lessons Learned

Well-being activities may help to counteract physician burnout. Yoga is known to enhance well-being, but there are few studies of yoga as an intervention for physicians in training. This prospective methodology-development study aimed to explore how to establish a yoga-based well-being intervention for physician trainees in a large urban training hospital. We aimed to identify factors that contribute to trainee participation and explore an instrument to measure changes in self-reported well-being after yoga. Cohorts included a required-attendance group, a voluntary-attendance group, and an unassigned walk-in yoga group. Weekly 1-hour yoga sessions were led by a qualified yoga instructor for 4 weeks. The seven-question Resident Physician Well-Being Index (RPWBI) was used to measure resident well-being before yoga, after 4 weeks of yoga, and 6 months post-yoga. Trainees attending each session ranged from 17 for required yoga to 0-2 for voluntary yoga, 2-9 for lunchtime walk-in yoga, and 1-7 for evening walk-in yoga. In the required-yoga group (n = 17), overall RPWBI mean scores did not change significantly across the three query times, and participation in the survey declined over time. The mean baseline RPWBI score for the required group before yoga was in the non-distressed range and answers to the seven individual questions varied. Requiring a yoga activity for medical trainees may be a good strategy for promoting participation in yoga. The RPWBI may have limited utility for measuring changes in overall group well-being after a yoga intervention.
The James Webb Space Telescope's Plan for Operations and Instrument Capabilities for Observations in the Solar System

The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is optimized for observations in the near- and mid-infrared and will provide essential observations for targets that cannot be conducted from the ground or other missions during its lifetime. The state-of-the-art science instruments, along with the telescope's moving target tracking, will enable the infrared study, with unprecedented detail, for nearly every object (Mars and beyond) in the Solar System. The goals of this special issue are to stimulate discussion and encourage participation in JWST planning among members of the planetary science community. Key science goals for various targets, observing capabilities for JWST, and highlights for the complementary nature with other missions/observatories are described in this paper.
Correlates of CGM Use Trajectories in Children and Adolescents with Type 1 Diabetes

The goal of this study was to characterize trajectories of CGM use in youth five through 12 weeks after starting CGM and examine what factors differentiate between the trajectory groups. Parent-you...
Performance Evaluation of Aerial Relaying Systems for Improving Secrecy in Cellular Networks

Unmanned aerial systems/vehicles (UAS/UAVs) are emerging in commercial spaces and will support many applications and services, such as smart agriculture, dynamic network deployment, and network coverage extension, surveillance and security. Emerging 5G terrestrial cellular communications networks will support UAS communications. This paper describes the communications security implications of integrating UAVs into cellular networks. We consider two roles for UAVs in a terrestrial cellular system—guardians and attackers—and analyze solutions against eavesdropping. Our approach leverages the mobility of UAV guardians that act as relays or jammers. The numerical analysis using common air-to-ground and air-to-air channel models demonstrates how the use of ground and aerial relay nodes can improve the secrecy rate in light of ground and UAV-based attacks. Specifically, the dependency on height and elevation angle between the ground and aerial communicating nodes is analyzed. The results show that the strategic use of single and multi-hop aerial relays can significantly increase the secrecy rate of ground cellular network users.
Effects of Pore Geometry on the Fatigue Properties of Electron Beam Melted Titanium-6Al-4V

Current percent-porosity based quantification of pores in additively manufactured parts does not provide information about the size, shape, and distribution of pores throughout a build. Such information is necessary to understand the conditions under which the part was printed as well as its mechanical reliability. This research, through a combination of fatigue testing and microstructural characterization demonstrates a method by which the internal porosity can be characterized and using the knowledge of the pores differing formation mechanisms to inform future design and build strategies. Though the test bars were printed under nominally identical conditions, ignoring lack-of-fusion, batch 1 had 34 pct fewer lenticular pores and 147 pct more spherical pores than batch 2 which shows that the actual print conditions of these parts varied substantially as would their as-printed mechanical reliability. To quantify this difference extensive optical, SEM, and EBSD metallographic studies were conducted on several samples from these bars as well as the fracture surfaces to gain an understanding of the porosity’s shape, size, and location. The comparison of these datasets along with knowledge of the pore’s evolution allows for the optimization of future build strategies and the more accurate prediction of the resulting as-built mechanical properties.
Missing links — epigenetic regulators of the pancreatic cancer–associated inflammation

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) features a hostile tumor microenvironment (TME) that renders it remarkably resistant to most therapeutic interventions. Consequently, survival remains among the poorest compared with other gastrointestinal cancers. Concerted efforts are underway to decipher the complex PDAC TME, break down barriers to efficacious therapies and identify novel treatment strategies. In the recent Clinical Science, Li and colleagues identify the long noncoding RNA KLHDC7B-DT as a crucial epigenetic regulator of IL-6 transcription in PDAC and illustrate its potent influences on the pancreatic TME. In this commentary, we introduce epigenetics in pancreatic cancer and put the findings by Li et al. in context with current knowledge.
Risk and protective markers for well-being in Latinx immigrants in removal proceedings.

OBJECTIVES There are currently 1,308,327 immigrants in removal proceedings, over 80% of whom are Latinx (TRAC, 2021b). This study examined the relation among putative protective markers (i.e. social support, religious support, and legal support) and the emotional and physical well-being of Latinx individuals facing removal proceedings. HYPOTHESES We hypothesized that increased social support, religious support, and legal support would buffer the negative relations between hopelessness, poor self-efficacy, and well-being measures (depression, anxiety, stress, mental well-being, somatic symptoms, and physical well-being). METHOD Participants (N = 157; 31.2% men, M age = 33.4 years) had an active immigration court case in Texas and completed a demographic questionnaire, the Beck Hopelessness Scale, General Self-Efficacy Scale, Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, Multi-Faith Religious Support Scale, Depression, Anxiety, Stress Scale-21, Patient Health Questionnaire-15, and Short Form Health Survey-12. RESULTS Higher levels of hopelessness and poor self-efficacy were associated with more negative well-being outcomes, while social support was associated with more positive well-being outcomes. Contrary to hypotheses, religious support and legal support served as risk markers independently, while legal support interacted with hopelessness, such that decreased legal support was associated with higher mental well-being at lower levels of hopelessness and interacted with poor self-efficacy, such that increased legal support was associated with poorer mental well-being at lower levels of self-efficacy. All effect sizes were small (rsp2 = .04 to .16). CONCLUSIONS Targeting hopelessness and poor self-efficacy while promoting social support may help mental health professionals improve the well-being of immigrants in removal proceedings. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).
Combinatorics of Minuscule Representations

Introduction 1. Classical Lie algebras and Weyl groups 2. Heaps over graphs 3. Weyl group actions 4. Lie theory 5. Minuscule representations 6. Full heaps over affine Dynkin diagrams 7. Chevalley bases 8. Combinatorics of Weyl groups 9. The 28 bitangents 10. Exceptional structures 11. Further topics Appendix A. Posets, graphs and categories Appendix B. Lie theoretic data References Index.
The Role of the Presenilins in Alzheimer's Disease

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the predominant cause of dementia in the elderly. This progressive neurodegenerative disorder is characterized pathologically by the presence of intracellular neurofibrillary tangles and extracellular neuritic plaques. The proteasome pathway is utilized to degrade excess presenilin 2 (PS2) holoproteins in the endoplasmic reticulum and this may be used to regulate the amount of presenilin that is cleaved by the endoproteolytic processing pathway. It is suggested that since the presenilins exist in vivo mainly as cleavage fragments, it is possible that the accumulation of excessive amounts of full-length presenilin cause potentially harmful effects to cells. Plasma and fibroblasts from patients and at-risk carriers carrying presenilin mutations have been shown to contain elevated levels of Aβ42, the longer and more amyloidogenic form of Aβ. It is suggested that the presenilins can undergo alternative endoproteolysis at a site distal to the normal regulated cleavage site. It is observed that caspase-mediated cleavage of the presenilins also underlies sporadic forms of AD which exponentially increases in prevalence with advanced age.
Interests and Conflicts: Exploring the Context for Early Implementation of a Dual Language Policy in One Middle School.

Dual language immersion program models represent a potentially effective way to serve growing numbers of English language learners (ELLs) in schools and districts. However, local challenges, such as interpersonal conflict, can impact the process of implementing dual language policies and programs, limiting the extent to which they are able to meet academic and equity goals for ELLs. Existing research provides little direct knowledge about how disagreements and competing interests influence dual language policies and programs. This study employs qualitative methods to examine how individuals understand and interpret the conflicts around a new dual language policy at one middle school. It presents a case study of local actors at the beginning of the implementation process, highlighting the tensions created by the interaction of policy with the material and ideological concerns of the individual actors. The findings describe how the interests of staff members both aligned and conflicted with each other and with the values embedded in the dual language policy. The study also reveals the influence of the local school district central office and brings to the surface disagreements amongst the staff about the appropriate role of the central office in the policy implementation process. This study suggests that the diverse material interests and ideologies of individual actors are important factors in the language policy implementation process.
WE-G-303-03: Advances in in Vivo Magnetic NanoparticleSensing

Over the last decade, there has been a growing interest in applying nanotechnology to cancer detection, treatment, and treatment monitoring. Advances in nanotechnology have enabled the fabrication of nanoparticles from various materials with different shapes and sizes. Nanoparticles can be accumulated preferentially within tumors by either “passive targeting” through a phenomenon typically known as “enhanced permeability and retention” or “active targeting” in which nanoparticles are conjugated with antibodies or peptides directed against tumor and/or stromal markers. The tumor specificity of nanoparticles in conjunction with their unique physicochemical properties offers many novel strategies for cancer treatment and detection. For example, notable approaches in the radiation oncology setting include the use of gold nanoparticles for radiation response modulation of tumor or normal tissue and thermal ablation or hyperthermia treatment of tumors. Some of these approaches are currently being tested either on humans or on animals and, very likely, will become the clinical reality in the near future. Various computational and experimental techniques have also been applied to address unique research issues associated with nanoparticles and may become the standard tools for future investigations and clinical translations. Therefore, both clinicians and researchers may need to be properly educated about the basic principles as well as the promise of nanoparticle-based applications with regard to the future of cancer diagnostics and therapeutics. This symposium will familiarize the audience with the potential applications of nanoparticles in oncologic imaging and therapy using specific illustrative examples. The audience will be properly oriented by these illustrative examples to the multiple avenues for collaborative research amongst interdisciplinary teams of physicists, clinicians, engineers, chemists, and biologists in industry and academia. Learning Objectives: 1.Understand the physical bases of gold nanoparticle applications for radiosensitization and x-ray fluorescence imaging 2.Understand the parameters that define gold nanoparticle-mediated radiosensitization in biological systems 3.Understand the potential of magnetic nanoparticle characterization of the microenvironment 4.Understand the various strategies for radiolabeling of nanoparticles and their applications S.C. and S.K. acknowledge support from MD Anderson Cancer Center, NIH (R01CA155446 and P30CA16672) and DoD (W81XWH-12-1-0198); J.W. acknowledges support from NIH (U54CA151662-01); W.C. acknowledges support from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, NIH (R01CA169365, P30CA014520, and T32CA009206), DoD (W81XWH-11-1-0644 and W81XWH-11-1-0648), and ACS (125246-RSG-13-099-01-CCE).
Thingly hermeneutics/Technoconstructions

Within the Euro-American community of philosophers relating hermeneutics to science there is a considerable disagreement about where hermeneutics may be located. The older traditions hold that hermeneutics apply to and are limited to the social, cultural, and historical dimensions of science. But newer approaches claim that hermeneutics applies to the very praxis of science and to the constitution of scientific objects. This paper sides with the latter perspective and argues that a tendency to retain vestigial positivist interpretations of science keeps the older tradition from seeing hermeneutics as deeply embedded in science praxis. After arguing this point historically, I turn to a hermeneutic recuperation of science, first by drawing from the hermeneutic approach of Joseph Rouse, and then by the “hermeneutic” constructionism of Bruno Latour. I finally turn to what I term “technoconstruction” in science, particularly in imaging processes, to show concrete cases of the hermeneutic preparation of scientific objects. I conclude that contemporary science has exceeded its earlier modernist framework and now operates in a constructionist-hermeneutic framework.
Sac1, a putative regulator that is critical for survival of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii during sulfur deprivation.

The sac1 mutant of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii is aberrant in most of the normal responses to sulfur limitation; it cannot synthesize arylsulfatase, does not take up sulfate as rapidly as wild-type cells, and does not synthesize periplasmic proteins that normally accumulate during sulfur-limited growth. Here, we show that the sac1 mutant dies much more rapidly than wild-type cells during sulfur deprivation; this emphasizes the vital role of the acclimation process. The loss of viability of the sac1 mutant during sulfur deprivation is only observed in the light and is mostly inhibited by DCMU. During sulfur-stress, wild-type cells, but not the sac1 mutant, downregulate photosynthesis. Thus, death of the sac1 mutant during sulfur deprivation is probably a consequence of its inability to downregulate photosynthesis. Furthermore, since SAC1 is necessary for the downregulation of photosynthesis, the process must be highly controlled and not simply the result of a general decrease in protein synthesis due to sulfur limitation. Genomic and cDNA copies of the SAC1 gene have been cloned. The deduced amino acid sequence of Sac1 is similar to an Escherichia coli gene that may involved in the response of E.coli to nutrient deprivation.
Repression and catabolite repression of the lactose operon of Staphylococcus aureus.

Abstract The lacR gene encodes the repressor of the lactose operon of S. aureus. The nucleotide sequence of this gene and the promoter-operator region of the operon are reported. The lacR gene encodes a protein with a molecular weight of 28,534. This protein was found to share sequence homology with the DeoR protein, the repressor of the E. coli deoxyribonucleotide operon. Directly and invertedly repeated sequences were found associated with the promoter for the structural genes of the operon. These sequences were examined by site-directed mutagenesis and found to be important in repressor binding and in the binding of a catabolite repressor. Evidence is presented in support of a model for catabolite repression of the operon which involves a negative-acting transcriptional regulator which binds to the promoter region of the operon and prevents transcription.
Model-based design of a modular multilevel converter with minimized design margins

A discrepancy between simulation and experimental results is inevitable due to their different sources of uncertainty, which are not usually incorporated at an early design stage. Therefore, design margins are used for design variables in order to generate reliable modeling and simulation-based designs. These margins are generally estimated using heuristic safety factors. In this paper, a design margin calculation procedure is proposed to minimize the allocated margin of the selected design specification when designing a converter in order to better utilize the converter's components. This procedure is based on probabilistic modeling and simulation, which take into account different sources of uncertainties.
Role of c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) signaling in varicella zoster virus infection of neurons (I4-2B)

Objective: To define the potential role of the c-Jun N-terminal Kinase (JNK) signaling pathway in varicella zoster virus (VZV) infection of human neurons. Background: Although primary VZV infection is typically self-resolving, the virus remains latent in dorsal root ganglia and can cause a number of neurological manifestations-including shingles, encephalitis, and myelitis- upon reactivation. Investigations into the neuropathogenesis of VZV have been challenging since the virus is human-specific. Previous studies with fibroblasts and melanoma cells have suggested a role for the JNK pathway in virus replication, but its role in the pathogenesis of neuronal infection has not been described. Methods: Human neurons were infected with pOka-ORF66-GFP VZV for up to 4 days. Inhibitors of the JNK pathway (SP600125 and L-JNKi1) were applied to cells just prior to infection. Cells were harvested daily and analyzed for cellular phospho- and total JNK and viral glycoprotein gE expression levels using immunoblotting and immunocytochemistry. Results: Upon infection of neurons by VZV, we observed increasing levels of gE over time, with colocalization of gE and GFP in infected neurons. Moreover, we observed increased phosphorylation of JNK at all time points in infected as compared to uninfected neurons. In infected neurons, phosphorylated JNK accumulated selectively in the nucleus of cells, suggesting activation of the JNK pathway. Treatment of infected neurons with SP600125 resulted in: 1) decreased p-JNK; 2) less accumulation of p-JNK in the nucleus; 3) decreased GFP; and 4) decreased levels of gE. Treatment with L-JNKi1 also resulted in a dose dependent reduction in gE and GFP, along with a reduction in p-JNK levels and less nuclear p-JNK accumulation. Conclusions: Our findings provide support for an important role for the JNK pathway in the pathogenesis of VZV infection of neurons and provide a basis for further mechanistic studies of VZV infection and reactivation in neurons. Disclosure: Dr. Venkatesan has nothing to disclose. Dr. Rajbhandari has nothing to disclose. Dr. Rajbhandari has nothing to disclose. Dr. Sadaoka has nothing to disclose. Dr. Cohen has nothing to disclose.
Application of the IFBC/ILSI Allergenicity Assessment Decision Tree

: Three case studies are described; each represents a specific application of the IFBC/ILSI decision tree as prescribed by Metcalfe et al.1 to assess the allergenic potential of foods derived from genetically engineered crop plants. The case studies include high methionine soybean, high oleic soybean and Herculex TM 1 Insect Protected Maize, the results of which support/validate the use of the IFBC/ILSI decision tree for the prescribed applications.
Prolactin Release-Inhibiting Factor (Dopamine)

This article has no abstract. Keywords: prolactin release-inhibiting factor (dopamine)
CODELAB: a develpers' tool for efficient code generation and optimization

In this paper we describe CODELAB, an integrated development environment (IDE) for efficient code development and optimization. The main idea behind the CODELAB IDE is to bring together several useful code development and optimization tools into an integrated and user friendly environment with a goal of simplifying the production and maintenance of high performance software libraries. We give an overview of the tool structure and provide examples that illustrate the use and the efficiency of the IDE.
A computationally efficient moment-preserving Monte Carlo electron transport method with implementation in Geant4

Abstract This paper presents the theoretical development and numerical demonstration of a moment-preserving Monte Carlo electron transport method. Foremost, a full implementation of the moment-preserving (MP) method within the Geant4 particle simulation toolkit is demonstrated. Beyond implementation details, it is shown that the MP method is a viable alternative to the condensed history (CH) method for inclusion in current and future generation transport codes through demonstration of the key features of the method including: systematically controllable accuracy, computational efficiency, mathematical robustness, and versatility. A wide variety of results common to electron transport are presented illustrating the key features of the MP method. In particular, it is possible to achieve accuracy that is statistically indistinguishable from analog Monte Carlo, while remaining up to three orders of magnitude more efficient than analog Monte Carlo simulations. Finally, it is shown that the MP method can be generalized to any applicable analog scattering DCS model by extending previous work on the MP method beyond analytical DCSs to the partial-wave (PW) elastic tabulated DCS data.
Plain Women: Gender and Ritual in the Old Order River Brethren.

Plain Women: Gender and Ritual in the Old Order River Brethren. Margaret C. Reynolds. with. foreword by Simon J. Bronner, ed. University Park: Pennsylvania State University Press, 2001. 192 pp.
Checking JML specifications using an extensible software model checking framework

The use of assertions to express correctness properties of programs is growing in practice. Assertions provide a form of lightweight checkable specification that can be very effective in finding defects in programs and in guiding developers to the cause of a problem. A wide variety of assertion languages and associated validation techniques have been developed, but run-time monitoring is commonly thought to be the only practical solution. In this paper, we describe how specifications written in the Java Modeling Language (JML), a general purpose behavioral specification and assertional language for Java, can be validated using a customized model checker built on top of the Bogor model checking framework. Our experience illustrates the need for customized state-space representations and reduction strategies in model checking frameworks in order to effectively check the kind of strong behavioral specifications that can be written in JML. We discuss the advantages and tradeoffs of model checking relative to other specification validation techniques and present data that suggest that the cost of model checking strong specifications is practical for several real programs.
Curing HIV: lessons from cancer therapy.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW Interest in finding a potential 'cure' for HIV has taken on greater interest and urgency since the report of an individual who underwent allogeneic stem cell transplant from a CCR5 delta 32 homozygote donor after high-dose chemotherapy for acute myeloid leukemia. The potential role of cancer chemotherapy and other cancer-directed treatment approaches is discussed in the context of their potential role in helping to eliminate HIV from the infected host. RECENT FINDINGS Cancer chemotherapy and other cancer-targeted agents have been used successfully in treating a variety of malignancies in both HIV-infected and HIV-uninfected individuals. Lessons learned from these strategies may be of importance in helping to define more effective ways of controlling and eliminating HIV as well. Application of these anticancer strategies to patients with HIV are beginning to be explored and may help determine their potential usefulness in this disease as well. SUMMARY Although cytotoxic chemotherapy is a crude and not particularly effective way of removing HIV latently infected cells and tissue reservoirs, several new approaches to targeting and controlling cancer proliferation may be of value in HIV cure research and may one day help to end this disease.
Familial incidence and associated symptoms in a population of individuals with nonsyndromic craniosynostosis

Familial incidence and associated symptoms in a population of individuals with nonsyndromic craniosynostosis
Arsenic Occurrence in New Hampshire Drinking Water

Arsenic concentrations were measured in 992 drinking water samples collected from New Hampshire households using online hydride generation ICP-MS. These randomly selected household water samples contain much less arsenic than those voluntarily submitted for analysis to the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services (NHDES). Extrapolation of the voluntarily submitted sample set to all New Hampshire residents significantly overestimates arsenic exposure. In randomly selected households, concentrations ranged from <0.0003 to 180 μg/L, with water from domestic wells containing significantly more arsenic than water from municipal sources. Water samples from drilled bedrock wells had the highest arsenic concentrations, while samples from surficial wells had the lowest arsenic concentrations. We suggest that much of the groundwater arsenic in New Hampshire is derived from weathering of bedrock materials and not from anthropogenic contamination. The spatial distribution of elevated arsenic concentrations ...
Validation of a simple and sensitive gas chromatographic method for the analysis of tri-n-butyl phosphate from virally inactivated human immunoglobulin.

Abstract Tri-n-butyl phosphate (TnBP), a solvent used in combination with Triton X-100 to inactivate lipid-enveloped viruses from immunoglobulin purified from human plasma is routinely measured in our laboratories by gas chromatography–flame ionization dectection (GC–FID) after extraction with C-18. We modified our present assay by extracting the analyte into hexane prior to measurement by GC–FID. We also found that the addition of a small volume of ethanol to the organic layer facilitates the extraction process by breaking the resulting emulsion formation caused by the hexane addition. The sample preparation and subsequent assay were fully validated in our laboratory. The process time for each sample is less than 2 min, a 15-fold improvement over solid-phase extraction techniques that were previously used in our laboratories. The recovery of TnBP in immunoglobulin using this newer method approximates 100%. The limit of quantitation (LOQ) was found to be 2 μg/ml or 2 ng per injection. The linear dynamic range of the assay is reported to be from the LOQ up to 50 μg/ml. The method is simple, relatively inexpensive and rapid. In addition, validation of the method demonstrates that it is accurate, precise, rugged and robust as demonstrated by reproducibility between analysts, instruments, laboratories, and columns. Finally, no problems were observed with regard to sample carryover.
PREPARATION OF RADIAL HAIR SECTIONS FOR ELEMENT PROFILE MEASUREMENTS WITH A PROTON MICROPROBE

A new technique has been developed to prepare radial hair sections for element profile analysis using a proton microprobe (PM). The technique makes use of equipment and supplies standard in histological electron microscopy laboratories. In addition to obtaining radial hair slices, adjacent 1 μm thick slices can be acquired for comparative light microscope viewing. With these adjacent optical slices, element profiles of transitional phase and irregularly shaped hair are easily studied. Selected radial sections of C57L/J mouse hair, used to represent this technique, showed element distribution profiles largely similar to their histological counterpart in human hair.