cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Mapping the neutralizing epitopes of F18 fimbrial adhesin subunit FedF of enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC)

K88 and F18 fimbrial enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) are the major causes of post-weaning diarrhea (PWD) in pigs. A vaccine that induces broad immunity to prevent K88 and F18 fimbrial ETEC bacterial attachment and colonization in pig small intestines and to neutralize enterotoxin enterotoxicity would be effective for PWD. Structure-based multiepitope-fusion-antigen (MEFA) technology using a backbone immunogen to present neutralizing epitopes of representing virulence factors capacitates development of broadly protective ETEC vaccines. Neutralizing epitopes have been identified from K88 fimbrial adhesin (FaeG) and enterotoxins but not F18 fimbrial adhesin. In this study, we in silico identified immunodominant epitopes from F18ac fimbrial subunit FedF which plays a critical role in F18 fimbrial adherence, genetically fused each epitope to a carrier, examined immunogenicity of each epitope fusion, and determined epitope-derived antibodies neutralizing activities against F18 fimbrial adherence. Data showed that seven immune-dominant epitopes were identified from FedF subunit. Fused to heterologous human ETEC adhesin subunit CfaB, epitope fusions induced anti-F18 antibodies in subcutaneously immunized mice. Moreover, antibodies derived from each fusion significantly blocked adherence of a F18-fimbrial E. coli bacteria to pig intestinal cell line IPEC-J2. While all seven epitopes exhibited neutralizing activity, results from this study identified FedF epitopes #3 (IPSSSGTLTCQAGT) and #7 (QPDATGSWYD) the most effective for antibodies against F18 fimbrial adherence, and suggested their future application in PWD vaccine development.
180) The Mediating Effect of Anger while Driving in Pain on the Relationship between Perceived Injustice and Driving Outcomes among Individuals with Chronic Low Back Pain

Perceived injustice is conceptualized as a cognitive appraisal reflecting the severity and irreparability of pain/injury-related loss, as well as externalized blame and unfairness. Recent research has highlighted the deleterious impact of perceived injustice among individuals with chronic low back pain (CLBP), which is among the most prevalent and disabling pain conditions in the US and worldwide. Previous research on CLBP in the context of driving behavior has shown a significant correlation between perceived injustice, anger, and frequency of driving errors and violations. Given strong theoretical and empirical support for the relationship between injustice appraisals and anger, as well as the well-established association between anger and problematic driving outcomes, the current study sought to examine the mediating effect of anger on the relationship between perceived injustice and driving outcomes among individuals with CLBP (n=315; 159 females, Mean age = 35.16 years). Participants completed the Injustice Experience Questionnaire (IEQ) with reference to their CLBP as well as measures of anger responses while driving in pain using Profile of Mood States Questionnaire – Anger Subscale (POMS). Participants also reported driving errors and violations using the Driving Behavior Questionnaire (DBQ). Participant with higher IEQ reported more driving errors (β = .250, r2 = .069), violations (β = .116, r2 = .063), and anger (β = .056, r2 = .124), with p values
A Method for Robust Requirements Definition

This paper describes the implementation of the goal-function tree (GFT) for an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) in a Systems Modeling Language (SysML) environment which tracks nominal and off-nominal goals for a successful flight for a UAV. The utility of the GFT allows for traceability of the system’s goals and requirements to perform a successful mission scenario. Definition of nominal goals reduces ambiguity about mission success and can be followed more easily by the customer. Furthermore, the goal-function tree can also track and implement corrections if the measurements for success are deviating through the use of off-nominal functions. The GFT’s off-nominal functions create a new set of functions and goals which attempt to mitigate a failing attribute instead of the other methods which only defined failure. This methodology creates a set of procedures for an operator or system when action is needed, thereby identifying more robust requirements as compared to traditional requirements development based only on nominal mission scenarios. The advantage of the SysML environment allows the legible traceability of the overlapping of goals of various structural and behavioral system objects, the execution of functions, and implementation of stereotypes which classifies the interactions between objects.
Effect of freezing and food additives on the rheological properties of egg yolk

Abstract Egg yolk is an important food ingredient because of its nutritive value and functional properties. Egg yolk freezing is often used to extend its shelf life, however freezing induces irreversible gelation when no additives are added. This permanent loss in yolk fluidity is undesirable and has traditionally been avoided through the addition of 10% salt or sugar. Recently, prevention of frozen-thawed induced gelation by the addition of hydrolyzed egg yolk protein (HEY) was reported. Nevertheless, the properties of the resulting yolk product have not systematically been studied. In this study the rheological and thermal properties of the unfrozen and frozen thawed yolk products with and without additives were characterized. Results indicate that although gelation was prevented through different mechanisms, comparable rheological properties between the yolk treated with 5% HEY and that treated with 10% salt or sugar were observed. This whole egg product has proven to have comparable to better freeze-thaw stability than the conventional antigelation method. With the comprehensive information contained in this study, suitable parameters can be determined when designing the processing conditions for foods containing these yolk products.
Copulatory Courtship with Vibrational Signals

Most research on sexual communication with substrate-borne vibrational signals has focused on the early stages of the reproductive process—mate localization and pair formation. Here, I report the results of a literature review that suggests that vibrational signals are commonly used in male–female interactions during and after copulation, either by themselves or in conjunction with tactile courtship. This observation suggests that vibrational signals may function not only in precopulatory mate choice but also in cryptic mate choice. Thus, there is reason for the surreal world of communication with substrate vibrations to join the baroque realm of postcopulatory sexual selection.
Agent-Based model to predict the fate of the degradation of organic compounds in the aqueous-phase UV/H2O2 advanced oxidation process

Abstract Advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) are promising water treatment technologies used to destroy trace organic compounds. Yet, the inability to predict the degradation fate of trace organic compounds due to their diverse chemical structures and potential for transformation byproducts greatly limits AOP effectiveness. Current prediction methods are time consuming and discontinuous because they rely on conventional kinetic models that often require solving ‘stiff’ ordinary differential equations numerically. In this study, we present a novel approach to AOP degradation prediction that uses an agent-based model to represent the chemical entities of individual molecular species and to simulate the movement and reactions of these entities over time in a defined space. Predicted time-dependent concentration profiles of a parent test compound, acetone, and its transformation products in UV/H2O2 AOP are shown to be consistent with our experimental observations.
Classifying changes in LN-18 glial cell morphology: a supervised machine learning approach to analyzing cell microscopy data via FIJI and WEKA

In cell-based research, the process of visually monitoring cells generates large image datasets that need to be evaluated for quantifiable information in order to track the effectiveness of treatments in vitro. With the traditional, end-point assay-based approach being error-prone, and existing computational approaches being complex, we tested existing machine learning frameworks to find methods that are relatively simple, yet powerful enough to accomplish the goal of analyzing cell microscopy data. This paper details the machine learning pipeline for pixel-based classification and object-based classification. Furthermore, it compares the performances of three classifiers. The classifiers evaluated were the fast-random forest (RF), the sequential minimal optimization (SMO), and the Bayesian network (BN). Images were first preprocessed using smoothing and contrast methods found in FIJI. For pixel-based classification, the preprocessed images were fed into the Trainable Waikato Segmentation (TWS). For object-based classification, training and classification were conducted within the Waikato Environment for Knowledge Analysis (WEKA) interface. All classifiers’ performance was evaluated using the WEKA experimental explorer. In terms of performance, the BN had the lowest classification accuracy for both the pixel-based and object-based model. The object-based SMO classifier had the best performance with the lowest mean absolute error of 0.05. The TWS and WEKA interface allows users to easily create and train classifiers for image analysis. However, for analyzing large image datasets, they are not ideal.
Chapter 24 – Somatosensory System

The somatosensory system of rats is of special interest, because rats use their facial whiskers to extract a wealth of information about objects in their environment, and the somatosensory system is specialized to process the information from receptors associated with their whiskers. Each whisker is represented by a distinct “barrel-like structure” in the trigeminal nucleus of the brainstem, ventroposterior nucleus of the contralateral thalamus, and the primary somatosensory area, S1, of contralateral cortex. The anatomical distinctiveness of these whisker representations has made the somatosensory system of rats popular for further study. Somatosensory information about touch from all parts of the body surfaces is relayed from the dorsal column nuclei, and the trigeminal complex to the contralateral ventroposterior thalamic complex (VP), and then to the somatosensory cortex. The somatosensory cortex includes a primary representation, S1, with a modular arrangement of “barrels” for whisker inputs and similar modules for other body parts, each surrounded by a cell-poor septal region. The rostral border of S1 consists of the dysgranular cortex, with a less developed layer 4, which may function in proprioception. Other cortical somatosensory areas include the second somatosensory area, S2, the parietal ventral area, PV, and a caudal belt of somatosensory cortex. These higher-level somatosensory areas all receive inputs from S1, while S1, S2 and PV receive thalamic inputs from VP.
Chapter 13 – Emergency response

Publisher Summary Emergency response planning is rapidly becoming an integral component of routine corporate management. With respect to the health and safety of workers involved in emergency response, the controlling baseline regulations are 29 CFR 1910.120 (Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response) and 29 CFR 1910.38 (Employee Emergency Plans), which contain appropriate cross-references to additional regulations, such as respiratory protection, alarm systems, and eye and foot protection. An emergency response plan describes how an actual emergency will be handled to minimize risks. It consists of three phases having distinct objective—risk assessment phase, safety judgment phase, and making-safe strategy phase. The ultimate key to any emergency response is communication among in-plant personnel and with external emergency response resources. It is precisely communication that is often subject to serious error and oversight because it depends upon many interdependent needs and condition. A comprehensive approach to the management of emergencies can also be an extensive compendium that represents a significant investment in time and effort. This chapter concludes that a company should use the plan that focus on particular types of emergencies to develop generic plans.
Toward Givenness Hierarchy Theoretic Natural Language Generation.

Language-capable interactive robots participating in dialogues with human interlocutors must be able to naturally and efficiently communicate about the entities in their environment. A key aspect of such communication is the use of anaphoric language. The linguistic theory of the Givenness Hierarchy(GH) suggests that humans use anaphora based on the cognitive statuses their referents have in the minds of their interlocutors. In previous work, researchers presented GH-theoretic approaches to robot anaphora understanding. In this paper we describe how the GH might need to be used quite differently to facilitate robot anaphora generation.
Machine learning deciphers structural features of RNA duplexes measured with solution X-ray scattering.

Macromolecular structures can be determined from solution X-ray scattering. Small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) provides global structural information on length scales of 10s to 100s of Angstroms, and many algorithms are available to convert SAXS data into low-resolution structural envelopes. Extension of measurements to wider scattering angles (WAXS or wide-angle X-ray scattering) can sharpen the resolution to below 10 A, filling in structural details that can be critical for biological function. These WAXS profiles are especially challenging to interpret because of the significant contribution of solvent in addition to solute on these smaller length scales. Based on training with molecular dynamics generated models, the application of extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost) is discussed, which is a supervised machine learning (ML) approach to interpret features in solution scattering profiles. These ML methods are applied to predict key structural parameters of double-stranded ribonucleic acid (dsRNA) duplexes. Duplex conformations vary with salt and sequence and directly impact the foldability of functional RNA molecules. The strong structural periodicities in these duplexes yield scattering profiles with rich sets of features at intermediate-to-wide scattering angles. In the ML models, these profiles are treated as 1D images or features. These ML models identify specific scattering angles, or regions of scattering angles, which correspond with and successfully predict distinct structural parameters. Thus, this work demonstrates that ML strategies can integrate theoretical molecular models with experimental solution scattering data, providing a new framework for extracting highly relevant structural information from solution experiments on biological macromolecules.
Community-Based Risk Management Arrangements: An Overview and Implications for Social Fund Program Design

Risk and its consequences pose a formidable threat to poverty reduction efforts. This article reviews a plethora of community-based risk management arrangements across the developing world. These types of arrangements are garnering greater interest in light of the growing recognition of the relative prominence of household- or individual-specific idiosyncratic risk as well as the increasing shift towards community-based development funding. The article discusses potential advantages (such as targeting, cost and informational) and disadvantages (such as exclusion and inability to manage correlated risk) of these arrangements, and their implications for the design of community-based social protection programs and policies.
Crystalline solutions of the Kohn-Sham equations in the fractional quantum Hall regime

A Kohn-Sham density functional approach has recently been developed for the fractional quantum Hall effect, which maps the strongly interacting electrons into a system of weakly interacting composite fermions subject to an exchange-correlation potential as well as a density-dependent gauge field that mimics the ``flux quanta'' bound to composite fermions. To get a feel for the role of various terms, we study the behavior of the self-consistent solution as a function of the strength of the exchange-correlation potential, which is varied through an ad hoc multiplicative factor. We find that a crystal phase is stabilized when the exchange-correlation interaction is sufficiently strong relative to the composite-fermion cyclotron energy. Various properties of this crystal are examined.
Protecting providers and patients: results of an Internet survey of health care workers' risk perceptions and ethical concerns during the COVID-19 pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has generated worldwide scarcity of critical resources to protect against and treat disease. Shortages of face masks and other protective equipment place health workers, already on the frontline of the disease, at higher risk. Moral distress from making difficult decisions about allocating scarce resources and care to patients ill with COVID-19 can further add to burdens health workers face. This study investigates clinical health workers’ risk perceptions and concerns about the ethics of their clinical decision-making, the actions of their institutions to address resource scarcity concerns during the COVID-19 pandemic, and their ability to voice safety concerns, as well as their own views on how scarce resources should be allocated. An online survey was open to health care workers who provide clinical care to patients, with no specialty training or geographic location requirements, from May 19 to June 30, 2020. Participants were recruited through purposive sampling using medical association and institutional email lists, and by snowball sampling. Of 839 participants, a majority were physicians (540, 69.4%) working in academic medical centers (270, 35.2%) or private health systems in the community (234, 30.5%) in the USA (760, 90.7%). Most reported being concerned about their own health (494, 73.6%) and about the possibility of spreading COVID-19 to family and friends (534, 85.9%) during the pandemic. All respondents reported shortages or rationing of at least one type of medical resource (e.g., sanitizing supplies and personal protective equipment). More than half of respondents (351, 53.9%) did not feel they received sufficient training in how to allocate scarce resources in the pandemic. Many felt moral distress related to conflicts between institutional constraints and what they believed was right (459, 66.5%). Though a majority (459, 67.7%) reported feeling “comfortable” internally communicating with their administration about safety issues, far fewer reported feeling “confident” speaking publicly about safety issues without retaliation from their institution (255, 37.3%). In the face of limited resources, surveyed health care workers reported concern about their own and their families’ health from exposure. Securing adequate protective equipment must be a high priority for pandemic management. In addition, more governmental and facility-level ethical guidance is required for allocation of resources given ongoing scarcity, and facilities must create conditions so health care workers can speak openly about safety issues without fear of retaliation.
A Comparative Overview of Mediation Practice in Turkey in Light of the U.S. Experience (Türk Arabuluculuk Uygulamasına ABD Deneyimi Işığında Karşılaştırmalı Bir Bakış)

English Abstract: Voluntary and mandatory mediation methods are introduced into Turkish law within the framework of harmonization of Turkish laws with the EU legislation. Mediation, however, is primarily in Anglo-Saxon law system then in Continental Europe. We know that civil law countries, e.g. Germany, Italy have shown extreme reluctance to embrace the practice of mediation. This means that Turkey bears the risk of showing the same reluctance to mediation since it has civil law system based on Continental European law. Here, the essay ponders whether Turkey’s attempt to integrate mediation method as an alternative to litigation has been enough to yield a successful result, and if not, what could do more to achieve an efficient adaptation. This study has been conducted in light of the U.S. experience on mediation because mediation is the staple of the U.S. legal system now, and the way how this has been achieved could be a leading source for Turkey. The goal of this essay is to both create awareness of what Turkey could do more to efficiently integrate mediation into Turkish legal practice and provide insights to the U.S. and foreign readers who may be part of the mediation process in Turkey. Turkish Abstract: Gonullu ve zorunlu arabuluculuk uygulamalari Avrupa Birligi uyum calismalari kapsaminda Turk hukukuna dahil edilmistir. Ancak arabuluculuk Anglo-Sakson hukuk sisteminden ziyade Kita Avrupasi hukuk sisteminde uygulanagelmistir. Almanya, Italya gibi Kita Avrupasi ulkelerinin arabuluculuk uygulamasinin kabulune direnc gosterdigini bilmekteyiz. Kita Avrupasi hukukunu benimsemis olan Turkiye'nin de benzeri bir direnc gosterme riskini bulunmaktadir. Bu itibarla bu yazi Turkiye’nin arabuluculugu mahkeme yargilamasina alternatif olarak bir uyusmazlik metodu olarak dahil etmede basarili sonuclar elde edip etmedigi ve eger etmedi ise etkili bir adaptasyon surecinin elde edilmesi icin neler yapilmasi gerektigini tartismaktadir. Bu calisma ABD’nin arabuluculuk deneyimi goz onunde bulundurularak yurutulmustur, zira arabuluculuk ABD hukukunun hali hazirda ayrilmaz bir parcasidir ve bunun nasil basarildigi Turkiye icin etkili bir kaynak olma niteligi tasimaktadir. Bu yazi Turkiye’nin arabuluculugu hukuk uygulamasina daha etkili olarak entegre edilmesinde neler yapilabilecegi hakkinda farkindalik yaratma ve Turk arabuluculuk uygulamasina iliskin fikir vermeyi amaclamaktadir.
An assessment of uranium in groundwater in the Grand Canyon region.

The Grand Canyon region in northern Arizona is a home or sacred place of origin for many Native Americans and is visited by over 6 million tourists each year. Most communities in the area depend upon groundwater for all water uses. Some of the highest-grade uranium ore in the United States also is found in the Grand Canyon region. A withdrawal of over 4000 km2 of Federal land in the Grand Canyon region from new uranium mining activities for 20 years was instituted in 2012, owing in part to a lack of scientific data on potential effects from uranium mining on water resources in the area. The U.S. Geological Survey has collected groundwater chemistry samples since 1981 in the Grand Canyon region to better understand the current state of groundwater quality, to monitor for changes in groundwater quality that may be the result of mining activities, and to identify "hot spots" with elevated metal concentrations and investigate the causes. This manuscript presents results for the assessment of uranium in groundwater in the Grand Canyon region. Analytical results for uranium in groundwater in the Grand Canyon region were available for 573 samples collected from 180 spring sites and 26 wells from September 1, 1981 to October 7, 2020. Samples were collected from springs issuing from stratigraphic units above, within, and below the Permian strata that host uranium ore in breccia pipes in the area. Maximum uranium concentrations at groundwater sites in the region ranged from less than 1 µg/L at 23 sites (11%) to 100 µg/L or more at 4 sites (2%). Of the 206 groundwater sites sampled, 195 sites (95%) had maximum observed uranium concentrations less than the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Maximum Contaminant Level of 30 µg/L for drinking water and 177 sites (86%) had uranium concentrations less than the 15 µg/L Canadian benchmark for protection of aquatic life in freshwater. The establishment of baseline groundwater quality is an important first step in monitoring for change in water chemistry throughout mining lifecycles and beyond to ensure the health of these critical groundwater resources.
Supplementation of Immunosuppressive Regimens with Calcium Channel Blockers

Calcium channel blockers (calcium antagonists) are a diverse group of drugs that are currently approved for the treatment of hypertension and angina pectoris. They share a similar activity, despite their dissimilar chemical structures: attenuation of the cellular influx of calcium. Since the transmembrane flux of calcium is a common signalling system for cellular biochemical processes, calcium antagonists may influence numerous cellular functions. Many of these physiological processes are important in mediating responses to vasoconstrictor substances, such as may be involved in cyclosporin-mediated hypertension, nephrotoxicity and delayed graft function.
Separation of methylated nucleosides by high-pressure liquid chromatography. The pattern of tRNA methylation in stimulated rat lymphocytes.

Abstract An analytical method has been developed for the quantitative analysis of radiolabeled methyl ribonucleosides derived from transfer ribonucleic acids. The technique utilizes QAE-Sephadex in the borate form to separate 17 ribosides into three groups: quaternary base-methylated, sugar-O-methylated, and nonquaternary base-methylated nucleosides. The components of each group are subsequently separated on a strong cation-exchange resin of the polystyrene-divinyl-benzene type with baseline resolution for 14 species. Quantitative analysis is effected by counting column effluent fractions in a scintillation spectrometer.
From the neuron doctrine to neural networks

For over a century, the neuron doctrine--which states that the neuron is the structural and functional unit of the nervous system--has provided a conceptual foundation for neuroscience. This viewpoint reflects its origins in a time when the use of single-neuron anatomical and physiological techniques was prominent. However, newer multineuronal recording methods have revealed that ensembles of neurons, rather than individual cells, can form physiological units and generate emergent functional properties and states. As a new paradigm for neuroscience, neural network models have the potential to incorporate knowledge acquired with single-neuron approaches to help us understand how emergent functional states generate behaviour, cognition and mental disease.
A Formula of Success for the Professional Student

(1954). A Formula of Success for the Professional Student. Journal of the American Association for Health, Physical Education, and Recreation: Vol. 25, No. 10, pp. 35-36.
The Supreme Court's Emerging Death Penalty Jurisprudence: Severe Mental Illness as the Next Frontier

The Supreme Court's 2002 decision in Atkins v. Virginia and 2005 decision in Roper v. Simmons marked a significant new direction in Eighth Amendment jurisprudence. This Article explores the Court's emerging conception of proportionality under the Eighth Amendment, which also is reflected in its 2008 decision in Kennedy v. Louisiana. The Article analyzes the application of this emerging approach in the context of severe mental illness. It argues that the Court can extend Atkins and Roper to severe mental illness even in the absence of a legislative trend away from using the death penalty in this context. The strong parallels between severe mental illness at the time of the offense and mental retardation and juvenile status make such an extension of the Eighth Amendment appropriate. Severe mental illness would not justify a categorical exemption from the death penalty; rather, a determination would need to be made on a case-by-case basis. The major mental disorders, like schizophrenia, major depression, and bipolar disorder, could qualify in appropriate cases, but not antisocial personality disorder, pedophilia, and voluntary intoxication. The Article discusses the functional standard that should be used in this context, and proposes that the determination be made by the trial judge on a pretrial motion rather than by the capital jury at the penalty phase. Future implications of the Court's emerging approach also are examined.
Extending advanced interconnect technology to finer pitches with conventional mass reflow

Great efforts have been invested by many equipment and assembly participants to overcome pitch-limited interconnection packaging technology by using advanced solutions like thermo-compression bonding (TB) which enable high placement accuracy and thin-wafer processability. In contrast, the use of conventional convection ovens to achieve high throughput reflow in chip scale packaging has been deemed suitable only for pitches below a certain value, with the exact threshold remaining vague depending on the operator's process and materials of choice. A key factor in this limitation is the choice of bump metallurgy used, thus solder bumps seems to reach a limit around 150-140-µm pitch vs. copper pillar, whose critical geometry is more definable during plating process, seems to be limited for mass reflow (MR) applications to a pitch around 100 µm.
AN EXPERIMENT-BASED MODEL OF FABRIC HEAT TRANSFER AND ITS INCLUSION IN AIR BAG DEPLOYMENT SIMULATIONS

A numerical model is presented that is capable of isolating and quantifying the heat flux from the gas within an air bag to the air bag fabric due to internal surface convection during the inflator discharge period of an air bag deployment. The model is also capable of predicting the volume averaged fabric temperatures during the air bag deployment period. Implementation of the model into the Inflator Simulation Program is presented along with the simulation results for typical inflators. The predicted effect of the heat loss from the bag gas to the fabric on the internal bag gas temperature and pressure and the resulting bulk fabric temperature as a function of fabric parameters and the inflator exit gas properties are presented for both permeable and impermeable air bag fabrics.
The Salmonella (Ames) Test for Mutagenicity

The Ames test is a widely accepted short-term assay for detecting chemicals that induce mutations in the DNA of organisms. The assay is a reverse mutation assay that detects the mutational reversion of his-dependent Salmonella to his-independent colonies. Mutation-causing chemicals increase the frequency of occurrence of his-independent colonies, usually in a dose-dependent fashion. This unit includes protocols for the basic plate test with and without preincubation as well as procedures for highly volatile chemicals and gases, chemicals that require reductive metabolism, and chemicals that are available in small quantities. In addition there are protocols for dose selection, strain maintenance and preservation, freezing working and permanent cultures, and preparing the S-9 metabolic activation system.
miR-155 Controls Lymphoproliferation in LAT Mutant Mice by Restraining T-Cell Apoptosis via SHIP-1/mTOR and PAK1/FOXO3/BIM Pathways

Linker for Activation of T cells (LAT) is an adapter protein that is essential for T cell function. Knock-in mice with a LAT mutation impairing calcium flux develop a fatal CD4+ lymphoproliferative disease. miR-155 is a microRNA that is correlated with hyperproliferation in a number of cancers including lymphomas and leukemias and is overexpressed in mutant LAT T cells. To test whether miR-155 was merely indicative of T cell activation or whether it contributes to lymphoproliferative disease in mutant LAT mice, we interbred LAT mutant and miR-155-deficient mice. miR-155 deficiency markedly inhibited lymphoproliferative disease by stimulating BIM-dependent CD4+ T cell apoptosis, even though ERK activation and T cell proliferation were increased in double mutant CD4+ T cells. Bim/Bcl2l11 expression is activated by the forkhead transcription factor FOXO3. Using miR-155-deficient, LAT mutant T cells as a discovery tool, we found two connected pathways that impact the nuclear translocation and activation of FOXO3 in T cells. One pathway is mediated by the inositide phosphatase SHIP-1 and the serine/threonine kinases AKT and PDK1. The other pathway involves PAK1 and JNK kinase activation. We define crosstalk between the two pathways via the kinase mTOR, which stabilizes PAK1. This study establishes a role for PAK1 in T cell apoptosis, which contrasts to its previously identified role in T cell proliferation. Furthermore, miR-155 regulates the delicate balance between PAK1-mediated proliferation and apoptosis in T cells impacting lymphoid organ size and function.
Online Texts and Conventional Texts: Estimating, Comparing, and Reducing the Greenhouse Gas Footprint of two Tools of the Trade

Many universities are endeavoring to understand and reduce their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions—or carbon footprints. Hard-copy textbooks are (perhaps surprisingly) a large component of this footprint. Because they are “virtual,” electronic texts (e-texts) are often considered environmentally superior to conventional hard-copy texts. However, such claims lack thorough empirical validation. An effective tool for evaluating environmental impacts of products and services is lifecycle assessment (LCA). This article enumerates the steps in the lifecycles of conventional (hard copy) texts and e-texts and it reports the potential GHG footprints of these activities. However, the actual footprint of most products and services depends on how individuals actually use them. Therefore, our second objective is to report survey results regarding actual student behaviors. Combining LCA and survey data, we estimate the GHG emissions of representative e-texts and conventional texts; and we compare the two. This allows us to provide insight into the question, which alternative is best? Just as importantly, our analysis also identifies three levers that administrators, faculty and students can use to reduce text-related GHG emissions.
An adaptive DCT coding with edge based classification

Discrete cosine transform (DCT) coding has been proven to be an efficient means of image compression coding. A lot of effort has been made to improve the coding efficiency of DCT based coding. This paper presents an adaptive DCT coding based on edge information. This scheme is designed to properly exploit the correlation between edge direction and distribution of DCT coefficients. Edges are extracted from the original image first. Then sub-optimal block size and scanning order are determined at each block based on the extracted edges. This way an adaptive DCT scheme taking account of local characteristics of the image can be achieved. It is shown through simulations that the proposed algorithm outperforms a conventional coding scheme in terms of coding efficiency by about 15%.
Decomposing the effects of organizational memory on marketing implementation

There is limited evidence to explain the effect of organizational memory on marketing implementation. This paper addresses this gap by identifying multiple components of organizational memory and examining how each affects marketing implementation. Organizational memory is a collective recollection of the past that is embedded within firm culture, procedures, and expertise. The findings demonstrate potential tradeoffs to linking versus locking into the firm’s past, particularly in turbulent environments. By decomposing organizational memory’s effects, this paper explains how organizational memory can both enable and constrain marketing implementation.
A Combined Marker and Trephination Instrument for Penetrating Keratoplasty

We have developed a new instrument for marking and trephination of the cornea for penetrating keratoplasty surgery. The instrument is an ergonomically designed combination of a corneal marker and a trephine.
Neonatal Ischemic Neuroprotection by Modest Hypothermia Is Associated With Attenuated Brain Acidosis

Background and Purpose A 2.9°C reduction in the intraischemic rectal temperature of neonatal piglets is associated with less brain damage compared with animals with normothermic rectal temperatures. This investigation studied one potential mechanism for this observation: better maintenance of energy stores and less brain acidosis secondary to reduced metabolic activity associated with modest hypothermia. Methods 31P MR spectroscopy was used to study piglets before, during, and after 15 minutes of partial brain ischemia with intraischemic rectal temperatures of either 38.3±0.4°C (n=10, normothermic) or 35.4±0.5°C (n=10, hypothermic). Animals were followed up for up to 72 hours after ischemia and were evaluated clinically and by brain histology. Results Values for pHi remained 0.15 to 0.20 pH units greater in modestly hypothermic than in normothermic piglets during ischemia and the initial 30 minutes after ischemia (P=.049, group effect). Phosphocreatine, β-ATP, and inorganic phosphorus were similar between...
Tracking in unprepared environments for augmented reality systems

Abstract Many augmented reality applications require accurate tracking. Existing tracking techniques require prepared environments to ensure accurate results. This paper motivates the need to pursue augmented reality tracking techniques that work in unprepared environments, where users are not allowed to modify the real environment, such as in outdoor applications. Accurate tracking in such situations is difficult, requiring hybrid approaches. This paper summarizes two 3DOF results: a real-time system with a compass — inertial hybrid, and a non-real-time system fusing optical and inertial inputs. We then describe the preliminary results of 5- and 6-DOF tracking methods run in simulation. Future work and limitations are described.
Scleroderma: the role of serum autoantibodies in defining specific clinical phenotypes and organ system involvement

Purpose of reviewTo discuss recent advances in serologic testing for systemic sclerosis (SSc)-associated antibodies with respect to the diagnosis and prognosis of the disease.Recent findingsThe importance of SSc antibodies for diagnosis has become increasingly recognized, as evidenced by incorporati
Hyperfragment production following slow Σ− capture in liquid neon

Abstract The Λ° trapping probability following Σ − capture in neon has been determined to be 26 ± 5%. A comparable value for K − absorption is 12 ± 4%. These observations are in contrast to calculations that suggest that Λ° trapping following K − absorption should occur more often than after Σ − capture. They also are at variance with nuclear emulsion results.
What Does Online Mentorship of Secondary Science Students Look Like

Mentorship by scientists can enrich learning opportunities for secondary science students, but how scientists perform these roles is poorly documented. We examine a partnership in which plant scientists served as online mentors to teams conducting plant investigations. In our content analysis of 170 conversations, the mentors employed an array of scaffolding techniques (encouraging; helping clarify goals, ideas, and procedures; and supporting reflection), with social discourse centrally embedded and fundamental to the mentoring relationship. The interplay of techniques illustrates that scientist mentors harmonize multiple dimensions of learning and model the integration of science content and practice. The mentors fulfilled self-identified motivation to promote their students’ interest and to enculturate students to the science community through online discourse. The patterns of this discourse varied with the mentors’ gender, career stage, and team–mentor engagement. These findings address research gaps about the roles, functions, and conceptions of scientists as online mentors; they can be used to guide program facilitation and new research directions.
Neutron Multiplication Measurement Instrument

The Advanced Nuclear Technology Group of the Los Alamos National Laboratory is now using intelligent data-acquisition and analysis instrumentation for determining the multiplication of nuclear material. Earlier instrumentation, such as the large NIM-crate systems, depended on house power and required additional computation to determine multiplication or to estimate error. The portable, battery-powered multiplication measurement unit, with advanced computational power, acquires data, calculates multiplication, and completes error analysis automatically. Thus, the multiplication is determined easily and an available error estimate enables the user to judge the significance of results.
Worth, words, and the justification of executive pay

Summary This study examines how the compensation committees of a sample of U.S. corporations from the S & P 500 justify their compensation practices to shareholders. Drawing from research on organizational legitimacy as a theoretical base, we examine the eAects of ownership structure, CEO pay, and organizational performance on the frequencies of three types of compensation justifications: external validations, shareholder alignment statements, and discussions of company performance. We find that when companies have more concentrated and active outside owners, they are much more likely to justify their compensation practices by citing the role of compensation consultants as advisors in the compensation-setting process. They are also more likely to discuss the alignment of managerial and shareholder interests, and to downplay a company’s accounting returns. Companies that pay their CEOs large base salaries are also more likely to cite the role of consultants, and, for those with dispersed ownership, to discuss shareholder alignment. High accounting returns lead companies to emphasize accounting performance in their compensation justifications, and to downplay market returns. High stock price volatility leads companies to de-emphasize market returns. We discuss the implications of these findings for research and theory on the symbolic aspects of company‐shareholder relationships. #1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Catheter fracture and embolization in a totally implanted venous access catheter.

A totally implanted venous access system was placed in a 24-year-old male patient with Hodgkins disease for chemotherapy. Twelve months after implantation it was noted on chest x-ray that the catheter had fractured and the distal fragment embolized to the right ventricle. Catheter separation and embolization is a recognized but uncommon complication of Hickman catheters. It is an even rarer complication of implanted central venous catheters. With the increasing use of these new venous access systems this complication may become a more prevalent, but an avoidable complication. (Journal of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition12:528-530, 1988)
A general sufficiency theorem for the second variation

Abstract A general sufficiency theorem is presented for a class of quadratic minimization problems. This allows one to treat both singular and nonsingular quadratic functionals (second variations) as special cases of a general “partially singular” functional.
Centrifugal distortion coefficients of asymmetric-top molecules: Reduction of the octic terms of the rotational Hamiltonian

Abstract The rotational Hamiltonian of an asymmetric-top molecule in its standard form, containing terms up to eighth degree in the components of the total angular momentum, is transformed by a unitary transformation with parameters Spqr to a reduced Hamiltonian so as to avoid the indeterminacies inherent in fitting the complete Hamiltonian to observed energy levels. Expressions are given for the nine determinable combinations of octic constants Θ′i (i = 1 to 9) which are invariant under the unitary transformation. A method of reduction suitable for energy calculations by matrix diagonalization is considered. The relations between the coefficients of the transformed Hamiltonian, for suitable choice of the parameters Spqr, and those of the reduced Hamiltonian are given. This enables the determination of the nine octic constants Θ′i in terms of the experimental constants.
Thermally Reversible Hydrogel Sheets for Adult Stem Cell Culture

A simple non-invasive method of cell retrieval using Methylcellulose (MC) coated Tissue Culture Poly-Styrone (TCPS) dishes was developed to allow the creation of single and multilayered adult stem cell sheet constructs while preserving the cell-cell and the cell–extracellular matrices. The optimal combination of MC-water-salt was found to be 12 to 14% of MC (mol. wt. of 15,000) in water with 0.5x PBS (∼150 mOsm). This solution exhibited a gel formation temperature of ∼32°C. The addition (evenly spread) of 200μl of 2mg/ml bovine collagen type -I (pH adjusted to 7.5) over the MC coated surface at 37°C, significantly improved the adult stem cell (ASC) adhesion and proliferation on the hydrogel system.Copyright © 2010 by ASME
Malignant hyperthermia: a syndrome not a disease

Malignant hyperthermia (MH) is a clinical syndrome classically characterized by skeletal muscle rigidity, tachypnea, rapid elevation of core body temperature, severe metabolic acidosis, hypercarbia, and cardiac arrhythmias, which invariably leads to death if left untreated. In reality, this description is often the exception rather than the rule. In most cases, MH is a much more subtle disorder. Even in human beings expressing full-fledged MH, a sudden and rapidly progressive course of symptoms infrequently occurs. The incidence of fulminant MH in human patients administered a triggering agent has been estimated to be between 1:10,000 and 1:62,000 anesthetics [1]. Often, human patients do not trigger on their first or even second exposure to predisposing drugs. Put into perspective, on average, an anesthesiologist with human patients treats one case of MH in his or her practice career. The number of individuals with potential anesthetic myopathies is much higher when nonfulminant MH phenotypes are considered, however. In human medicine, MH is no longer considered to be a single disease but rather a clinical syndrome (malignant hyperthermia syndrome [MHS]) with a shared pathophysiologic cascade and multiple genetic and environmental points of entry. In particular, all clinical and laboratory manifestations of MHS derive from a breakdown of calcium sequestration in the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) of skeletal muscle. Unopposed muscle contracture, release of cations and enzymes (eg, creatine kinase [CK]) into the circulation, and production of heat and acid can all be traced to elevations of intracytoplasmic calcium to pathologic levels. The term malignant hyperthermia
Experience of a patient with an extracorporeal ventricular assist system who participated in a sleepover program

A 19-year-old woman suffered fulminant myocarditis owing to a mycoplasma infection and was inserted with an intra-aortic balloon pump and a percutaneous cardiopulmonary support. Antibiotics and gamma globulin were administered, however, the patient’s cardiac function did not recover, and the TOYOBO ventricular assist device (VAD) was implanted. She had rehabilitation training such as maintaining a standing position at the bedside and walking in the hospital, and a hospital outing program to a family restaurant was conducted two times with the VAD. The patient wished to attend the coming-of-age ceremony in Tachikawa city, which is 3 h away from our hospital by car. Therefore, we planned the program including a night stay at her home. The patient and her family fully understood the risks and wished to participate in the sleepover program. In preparing for the sleepover, the patient and her family learned to operate the VAD, and she was able to move to the lavatory and through the house with the help of only her family. A physician and a clinical engineer stayed at her house for infusion of antibiotics and management of sudden changes. There was no adverse event. In Japan, the community support of patients with VAD is not yet established, and we hope that our experience becomes a help to support return to society for patients with VAD.
MIDDLE TENNESSEE TEACHERS' PERCEPTIONS OF IDEAL PUPIL

Torrance's Ideal Child Checklist was administered to 47 Middle Tennessee high school teachers. A rank-order correlation of .20 was found between perceptions of these teachers and perceptions held by Torrance's sample of experts on creativity.