cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
S12.2 A tri-antigen protective syphilis vaccine design that enhances treponemal clearance and inhibits pathogen dissemination

Background A protective vaccine against Treponema pallidum subsp. pallidum (T. pallidum) would facilitate syphilis control at a global scale. We have identified three T. pallidum antigens that, when used separately as immunogens, either attenuate chancre development at the challenge site or pathogen dissemination. Here, we report protection induced by a vaccine desing composed of these three antigens + two custom adjuvants containing Natural or Synthetic TLR4 agonists and a natural Mincle agonist. Methods Recombinant TprK (aa 37–273), Tp0751 (aa 24–237), and Subfamily I Tpr (aa 23–351) peptides were emulsified in either adjuvant and used to immunize groups of eight rabbits. Immunized animals were challenged intradermally with 10^5 T. pallidum/site at 10 sites, along with eight unimmunized control animals. Lesion development was recorded daily and treponemal burden measured by darkfield (DF) microscopy and qPCR of lesion aspirates and biopsies. Dissemination to distant tissues was evaluated by qPCR and rabbit infectivity test (RIT). Results Compared to unimmunized, treponemal burden by DF in lesion aspirates at Day 19 was significantly lower in animals that received both Natural and Synthetic adjuvant groups. By qPCR, treponemal burden was significantly lower in the Natural group. At day 19 and 30, respectively, the proportion of lesions ulcerating was significantly lower in the Natural group, compared to Unimmunized. At day 30, the proportion of lesions ulcerating in the Natural group was significantly lower than in the Synthetic group. Mean lesion volume was smaller in immunized groups versus unimmunized on days 10–25 post-challenge. RIT indicated the lowest number of disseminated T. pallidum in rabbit tissues from the Natural group, followed by the Synthetic group, then the unimmunized group. Conclusion Immunization with the three-antigen cocktail significantly attenuates syphilis infection: enhancing T. pallidum clearance, promoting lesion healing, and reducing dissemination. In rabbits, Natural adjuvant was more effective than Synthetic adjuvant in inducing protective immunity. Disclosure No significant relationships.
Proactive Defense Against Security Threats on IoT Hardware

The increasing popularity of Internet of Things (IoT) devices brings in new security concerns, due to their limited resources for protection schemes and the difficulty of managing tremendous number of networked devices. As the root of the trust, hardware for IoT will encounter security challenges from the current globalized IC supply chain. This chapter summarizes three types of potential hardware security threats to IoT devices, including side‐channel analysis attacks, hardware Trojans (HTs), and untrusted software. To address the security threats, this chapter also introduces the feasibility countermeasures, such as dynamic masking error deflection‐combined method, power distribution network (PDN) noise‐based countermeasure, hardened network‐on‐chip (NoC) design, and FPGA‐oriented moving target defense.
2050 Projections of the Persian Gulf Economies

Projections of Persian Gulf Economies are obtained by forecasting their GDPs (constant 2010 US$) with spectral analysis until 2050. Persian Gulf Economies being oil-driven, the special relationship between oil price and Persian Gulf Economies is unfolded with Multiscale Principal Component Analysis and integrated in the forecasts. The GDPs are decomposed in simpler signals called approximations and details in the framework of the one-dimensional discrete wavelet analysis. The simplified signals are recomposed after Burg extension. Spectral analysis forecasts are all bullish for the eight economies of the Persian Gulf. 2050 spectral analysis projections rank Iraq first with an annual growth rate annually compounded of +2.37% and Iran second with +2.19%. The two laggers among the 2050 spectral analysis projections are Saudi Arabia (+1.37%) and Kuwait (-0.04%). 2024 spectral analysis projections rank Iran first with an annual growth rate annually compounded of +4.12% and Iraq second with +3.79% when IMF projections rank Iraq first (+3.17%) and United Arab Emirates (+2.92%). The two laggers among the 2024 spectral analysis projections are Qatar (0.22%) and Kuwait (-3.74%) when the two laggers among the 2024 IMF projections are Saudi Arabia (+2.15%) and Iran (-0.30%). In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic has brutally hurt Persian Gulf Economies following a collapse in the global demand for oil and an oversupplied industry. The individual impact on these economies will depend on the response brought by their respective governments.
Exploring Perspectives on Public Land Management in Rural Montana and Idaho

This exploratory analysis focuses on current perspectives of rural publics on public land management and posits that demographic shifts in the rural West may be reshaping relationships between rura...
Cold Neutral Gas in a z = 4.2 Damped Lyα System: Fuel for Star Formation

We discuss interstellar temperature determinations using the excitation equilibrium of the 2P levels of Si II and C II. We show how observations of the 2P3/2 fine-structure levels of Si II and C II (which have significantly different excitation energies, corresponding to ~413 and 92 K, respectively) can be used to limit gas kinetic temperatures. We apply this method to the z = 4.224 damped Lyα system toward the quasar PSS 1443+27. The lack of significant absorption out of the Si II 2P3/2 level and the presence of very strong C II 2P3/2 provide an upper limit to the temperature of the C II*-bearing gas in this system. Assuming a solar Si/C ratio, the observations imply a 2 σ limit T < 954 K for this absorber; a supersolar Si/C ratio gives stricter limits, T < 524 K. The observations suggest the presence of a cold neutral medium; such cold gas may serve as the fuel for star formation in this young galaxy.
Identifying Gaps in Oral Care Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices of Latinx Parents/Caregivers of Children With and Without Autism Spectrum Disorders

Purpose: This pilot study used data from a survey to examine the knowledge, attitudes, and practices about oral care of Latinx parents/caregivers of children with or without autism spectrum disorder (ASD) to identify gaps to focus future intervention. Methods: Sixty English-speaking Latinx parents/caregivers who had a child between 4 and 14 years with or without ASD (n=31 ASD, n=29 typically developing [TD]) completed a questionnaire on oral health knowledge, practices, access to care, and demographics. Caregiver responses were compared, and gaps in knowledge and practices were identified. Results: There were no significant differences in parent age, child age, income, insured status, or overall knowledge scores, only a significant difference in education (p=0.02), with the ASD group reporting less. Scores for knowledge, attitudes, access and practice were all nonsignificantly positively correlated, as was attitudes with access and practice. However, knowledge and attitudes were significantly negatively correlated. Additional significant findings were parents who had lower income and education, had lower oral knowledge scores, decreased frequency of dental visits, increased feelings of being discriminated against, children with increased fear of the dentist, and decreased ease of finding a dentist. Conclusion: Factors such as income, education, ethnicity, and having a child with ASD can influence what Latinx parents and caregivers know about oral health and how their children experience receiving dental care. Latinx parents/caregivers of children with and without ASD report barriers to dental care, including difficulty attending visits or feeling stigmatized by their dental provider due to their ethnicity. Fear of the dentist is significantly correlated with ASD diagnosis and lower social demographics of the parent, and may contribute to a reduction in preventative oral care visits as well. Health care providers should consider these perspectives when providing care to this population to mitigate further oral health inequities.
A Robust Estimation of the Relationship Between Study Abroad and Academic Outcomes among Community College Students

This study contributes to a line of research that examines the relationship between study abroad participation and academic success among students attending two-year institutions. We offer a multimodal narrative that comprehensively accounts for both student-level characteristics and indicators associated with students’ geographic origins in exploring study abroad participation and resulting academic outcomes, namely completion of any credential, completion of an Associate’s degree, enrollment in a four-year institution, percentage of credits passed, and cumulative GPA, at a two-year technical college in the U.S. Midwest. Our results suggest that study abroad is consistently and positively associated with students’ academic outcomes. This study has important implications for how we think about both who is able to access study abroad in the two-year sector and study abroad’s role in promoting student success at these institutions
Dose Adjustment Associated Complications of Bone Morphogenetic Protein: A Longitudinal Assessment.

Objective Bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) is a growth factor that aids in osteoinduction and promotes bone fusion. There is a lack of literature regarding recombinant human BMP-2 (rhBMP-2) dosage in different spine surgeries. This study aims to investigate the trends in rhBMP-2 dosage and the associated complications in spinal arthrodesis. Methods A retrospective study was conducted investigating spinal arthrodesis using rhBMP-2. Variables including age, procedure type, rhBMP-2 size, complications, and postoperative imaging were collected. Cases were grouped into the following surgical procedures: anterior lumbar interbody fusion/extreme lateral interbody fusion (ALIF/XLIF), posterior lumbar interbody fusion/transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (PLIF/TLIF), posterolateral fusion (PLF), anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF), and posterior cervical fusion (PCF). Results A total of 1209 patients who received rhBMP-2 from 2006 to 2020 were studied. Of these, 230 were categorized as ALIF/XLIF, 336 as PLIF/TLIF, 243 as PLF, 203 as ACDF, and 197 as PCF. PCF (P Conclusions BMP is an effective compound in fusing adjacent spine segments. However, it carries some regional complications. We demonstrate a decreasing trend in the dose/vertebral level. A decrease rhBMP-2 dose per level correlated with a decrease in complication rates.
Quantification of coronary atherosclerosis for cardiovascular risk assessment: the hole in the doughnut?

The amount of medial thinning at atheromatous areas was measured from aortas and iliac arteries fixed in the usual way and in the distended state at arterial pressure. All but one of 134 plaques from undistended vessels and all 76 plaques from vessels fixed in distension showed definite medial thinning. In the distended vessels the ordinary atheromatous plaques do not project into the lumen but lie in a depression in the media which may bulge outwards. Only advanced plaques with recent thrombotic accretions project noticeably into the lumen. The familiar intimal bulge is in fact a post-mortem artifact. Physical considerations rule out pressure as the cause of the medial thinning, and the occurrence of outward bulging of the media indicates that something more than a disuse atrophy is concerned. The early and constant appearance of the medial thinning supports the contention that it is not a secondary result of the atheromatous process but an essential part of it, and the lesion as a whole is comparable to a shallow aneurysm partially or completely filled by the plaque of intimal thickening. Summary This paper from 1953 already described the complexity of coronary pathology. Based on observations of pressure-distended or undistended aortic wall specimens, the authors demonstrate that atherosclerotic plaque progression may occur without changes in luminal dimension, as “ordinary atheromatous plaques do not project into the lumen but lie in a depression in the media, which may bulge outwards”.
Farming strategies to fuel bioenergy demands and facilitate essential soil services.

Abstract Perennial lignocellulosic biomass and food crop residues have traditionally been important resources used internally on-farm. However given the growing outlook with advanced biofuel conversion technologies, such biomass sources might be of competing greater value if sold off the farm into the bioenergy feedstock stream. Inputs of carbon embedded in above-ground plant biomass are a key biological energy source for the soil surface — a zone of great importance in the success of food–feed–fiber production and ecological processes essential to environmental quality. This review of literature looks at how above-ground plant biomass contributes to soil properties and processes, water conservation and quality, on-farm forage availability, and as a harvestable biofuel component. Competing needs for this resource could cause serious environmental or economic consequences without sufficient knowledge of their potential impacts. Perennial forages and crop residues are critical for providing surface cover to protect soils against erosion and for providing the organic inputs to support below-ground ecosystem communities, properties, and processes. The amount of biomass required to maintain soil organic matter and various ecosystem services linked to this key soil property may, in many cases, exceed that needed for simple erosion control. Consequences of continuous residue harvest could be detrimental or minor, depending on the climatic and edaphic conditions, as well the type of cropping system and tillage management employed. Achieving a balanced outcome will require scientific evidence of in-field effects, a collective vision for designing landscapes of appropriate functional capacity, and well-designed government policies for crop residue and perennial biomass utilization schemes to contribute to a sustainable agricultural approach.
Toward Practical Adaptive Control

Systems containing both real parametric uncertainty and weighted-ball-in-H? uncertainty are addressed. The concept of robustness given perfect parameter information is reviewed. Robust parameter estimation laws designed for maximal convergence in the presence of non-parametric ball-in-H? uncertainty are reviewed. It is shown that if the control laws would produce a robust design given perfect parameter information, and if the robust estimation laws are used in lieu of knowledge of the parameters robust bounded-L2-input bounded-L2-output (L2-BIBO) stability automatically results. Shortcomings of BIBO stability are discussed.
A REAPPRAISAL OF EXTRACTION METHODS FOR BILIRUBIN ASSAY AND OF THE ROLE OF BILIRUBIN MONOGLUCURONIDE IN NEONATAL HYPERBILIRUBINEMIA.

Recent studies of bilirubin and its two glucuronides in the serum of newborn infants suggested that the monoglucuronide was an important intermediate in the conjugation process and that its ratios to bilirubin itself and to the diglucuronide might be a helpful index of the need for exchange transfusion. The studies reported here suggest that these conclusions may be unfounded and that there are certain important intrinsic errors in conventional extraction procedures. The principle of the extraction method described by Eberlein is that when bilirubin in serum is diluted in a pH 5 phosphate buffer and extracted with ethyl acetate, unconjugated bilirubin is quantitatively extracted into the organic solvent.
Rifampin as a Selective Agent for Isolation of Oral Spirochetes

Abstract Spirochetes indigenous to the healthy gingival crevice of the human mouth were isolated directly from colonies in agar medium containing rifampin as a selective agent.
Impacts of Relative Sea-level Rise on Evolution of Shallow Estuaries

The present study investigates the impact of relative sea-level rise on tidal propagation in shallow, well-mixed estuaries. Distortion of the co-oscillating estuarine tide is a composite of two principal non-linear effects: frictional interaction between the tide and channel (reflected in the scale a/h, or ratio of tidal amplitude to mean channel depth) and intertidal storage on tidal flats and marshes (measured by Vs/Vc, or ratio of volume of intertidal storage to volume of channels at mean sea level). Estuarine hypsometry (distribution of estuary surface area with height) defines a/h and Vs/Vc, and indicates whether these parameters will increase or decrease with increasing water level. The potential impact of sea-level rise is investigated utilizing both one-dimensional numerical modeling and seasonal fluctuations in mean sea levels at six shallow estuaries along the U.S. Atlantic Coast. These fluctuations are used as analogues to interannual trends in mean sea level rise. Numerical results and analysis of tidal propagation at the selected estuaries indicate that in flood dominant estuaries having relatively constant bank slope (rectangular or trapezoidal cross-section), a/h and degree of tidal distortion decrease with increased sea level. In estuaries having highly curved bank slope, a/h and Vs/Vc increase in flood and ebb dominant systems, increasing the degree of distortion and reinforcing existing tidal asymmetries. These findings have implications for the evolution of shallow estuaries as global sea level rises (an anticipated consequence of increased atmospheric trace gas loading). Whether estuaries import or export increased amounts of sediments as global sea-level rises depends on local estuarine geometry. Some systems will infill faster as sea level rises, while some will flush more efficiently. These contrasting responses to mean sea-level rise mandate a careful assessment of how any individual estuary may respond to rising water levels.
Finding Triconnected Components by Local Replacements

We present an almost-optimal parallel algorithm for finding triconnected components on a CRCW PRAM. The time complexity of our algorithm is O(log n) and the processor-time product is O((m + n)·α(m, n)) where α is the inverse Ackerman function; here n is the number of vertices, and m is the number of edges in the graph. The algorithm is optimal for m≥n log* n. Our algorithm, like other parallel algorithms for this problem, is based on ear decomposition but it employs a new technique, local replacement, to improve the complexity. Only the need to find connected components, for which no optimal parallel algorithm that runs in O(log n) time is known, prevents our algorithm from achieving optimality on an EREW PRAM.
TRYPTOPHANASE-TRYPTOPHAN SYNTHETASE SYSTEMS IN ESCHERICHIA COLI III. Requirements for Enzyme Synthesis

Freundlich, Martin (University of Minnesota, Minneapolis) and Herman C. Lichstein. Tryptophanase-tryptophan synthetase systems in Escherichia coli . III. Requirements for enzyme synthesis. J. Bacteriol. 84: 996–1006. 1962.—The requirements for the formation of tryptophanase and tryptophan synthetase in Escherichia coli during repression release were studied. The kinetics of the formation of tryptophan synthetase differed in the two strains examined; this was attributed to differences in the endogenous level of tryptophan in the bacterial cells. The formation of both enzymes was inhibited by chloramphenicol, and by the absence of arginine in an arginine-requiring mutant. These results are indicative of a requirement for protein synthesis for enzyme formation. Requirements for nucleic acid synthesis were examined by use of a uracil- and thymine-requiring mutant, and with purine and pyrimidine analogues. The results obtained suggest that some type of ribonucleic acid synthesis was necessary for the formation of tryptophanase and tryptophan synthetase.
Distributed self-sensing secondary loads for frequency regulation in wind-powered islanded microgrids

Frequency regulation in wind-powered islanded microgrids (WPIM) is critical for system stability given unpredictable dynamics from variations in wind generation and demand. Traditional methods of frequency regulation in WPIM have used classical secondary load controllers (CSLC) in a centralized approach to buffer wind generation and demand events. This study investigates the feasibility of using a network of self-sensing distributed secondary loads (SSDSL) consisting of electric-thermal storage (ETS) to assist in frequency regulation in WPIM. Individual SSDSL sense the local grid frequency and activate resistive load elements in order to absorb surplus energy during high wind events. Four major parameters: 1) zero-order hold time 2) full response point 3) network capacity ratio, and 4) coordination mode, are used in a dynamic model to explore the effect of SSDSL on frequency regulation. SSDSL are shown to assist with frequency regulation in WPIM.
Ideology and Presidential Support (Ideología Y Apoyo Presidencial)

In recent years, a majority of Latin Americans elected left-leaning governments while Colombian citizens continue to elect rightist leaders. Utilizing household survey data from 2006, this paper is a first step in understanding why Colombians have held their rightist stance. First, I quantitatively test various hypotheses surrounding Colombians’ conservative ideology to decipher which factors influence Colombian ideology. Next, I use ideology as an explanatory variable along with media effects, group association, demographics, and issue salience to understand what factors influence support for President Alvaro Uribe. The data illustrate that the tendency to lean to the right is explained by lower education, trust in the national government, and religious affiliation. While ideology is not influenced by attention to media, the type of media one utilizes plays a prominent role in presidential support. Those who are concerned about corruption, watch international news and frequently read the newspaper are less likely to support President Uribe.
Creating Legal Pathways to a Zero-Carbon Future

This paper provides an overview of the challenge of achieving a zero carbon future, as well as the way in which sustainable development would frame the decision-making process for doing so. It then reviews major reports by the Deep Decarbonization Pathways Project and the World Bank that describe overall approaches at the global and national levels for meeting the zero carbon objective. Finally, using the United States as an example, it describes ways to identify and create legal pathways to that objective for the U.S., building on the insights of these two reports. Creating possible legal pathways could help accelerate the transition the transition to a sustainable energy future for the U.S. and other countries.
Distributed video coding with 3D recursive search block matching

This paper presents a novel video compression system with a low complexity encoder. Based on the Slepian-Wolf theorem and the Wyner-Ziv theorem, a video is intraframe coded and interframe decoded in this system. The system performance, the compression rate and the video quality, is affected by the difference between the source information and the side information. To increase the accuracy of the side information, a modified three dimensional recursive search block matching is proposed. The resulting motion vectors preserve the true motion of objects because of the spatial and temporal consistency. The results obtained show a significant improvement over full search block matching algorithm in the term of the rate-distortion measure. The different quantizer design and puncturing table reduce the necessary parity bits for the decoding, and also increase the PSNR. The system performance is also much closer to H.263 interframe coding.
Multiple Presence Statistics for Bridge Live Load Based on Weigh-in-Motion Data

A study was done to determine truck load spectra for bridges in New Jersey with emphasis on multiple truck presence statistics. Truck weight data were collected by the New Jersey Department of Transportation from 25 weigh-in-motion sites throughout the state between 1993 and 2003 (with some gaps). The sites encompass a variety of site-specific conditions, including truck volume, road and area type, and number of lanes. For each truck, the recorded parameters include the time of passage, speed, travel lane, number of axles, and axle loads and spacings. Of particular interest are the frequency and correlation among trucks simultaneously occurring on a bridge either as following, side by side, or staggered. This multiple presence directly affects simulation, future extrapolation of live load effects, and code calibration. In fact, the case of two trucks occurring side by side has been considered the governing case for the design of bridges during the development and calibration of the AASHTO LRFD Bridge Design Specifications. However, until recently, multiple presence statistics have been based on few observations of truck traffic at a small number of sites. Statistics are presented for various truck loading cases, and the effects of truck volume, area type, road type, and bridge span length on such statistics are examined. It is observed that truck volume and bridge span length have a significant effect on the frequency of multiple truck presence, whereas area and road type have only slight effect. It is also observed that the rate of increase in the percent occurrence of following loading events is lower for bridge span lengths of up to 100 ft (30 m) as compared with longer spans, whereas for staggered loading patterns the opposite is true. The frequency of side-by-side trucks was found to remain relatively constant with respect to span length.
Resistance of thermal barrier ceramic coatings to hot salt corrosion

Abstract Stabilized zirconia ceramics appear to have considerable potential as thermal barriers or corrosion-resistant coatings for application to gas turbine components. Salt corrosion tests have indicated however that under some conditions vanadium impurities in the fuel may cause accelerated failure of these coatings as a result of destabilization of the zirconia phase. The corrosion resistance, thermal stability and structure of the coatings depend to a large extent on the chemical composition of the ceramic phase. The results of a study of the behavior of plasma-sprayed Y 2 O 3 ZrO 2 coatings towards combustion gases and the typical salt deposits likely to be encountered in gas turbines which burn fuels containing sodium, sulfur, lead and vanadium impurities are described.
Dynamics of the presidential veto: A computational analysis

We specify and compute equilibria of a dynamic policy-making game between a president and a legislature under institutional rules that emulate those of the US Constitution. Policies are assumed to lie in a two-dimensional space in which one issue dimension captures systemic differences in partisan preferences, while the other summarizes non-partisan attributes of policy. In any period, the policy choices of politicians are influenced by the position of the status quo policy in this space, with the current policy outcome determining the location of the status quo in the next period. Partisan control of the legislature and presidency changes probabilistically over time. We find that politicians strategically compromise their ideal policy in equilibrium, and that the degree of compromise increases when the opposition party is more likely to take control of the legislature in the next period, while politicians become relatively more extreme when the opposition party is more likely to control the presidency. We measure gridlock by (the inverse of) the expected distance of enacted policies from the status quo in the long run, and we show that both gridlock and the long run welfare of a representative voter are maximized when government is divided without a supermajority in the legislature. Under unified government, we find that the endogeneity of the status quo leads to a non-monotonic effect of the size of the legislative majority on gridlock; surprisingly, under unified government, gridlock is higher when the party in control of the legislature has a supermajority than when it has a bare majority. Furthermore, a relatively larger component of policy change occurs in the non-partisan policy dimension when a supermajority controls the legislature. We conduct constitutional experiments, and we find that voter welfare is minimized when the veto override provision is abolished and maximized when the presidential veto is abolished.
Eruptive furunculosis following the soak and smear regimen

The ‘soak and smear’ regimen is a highly effective method for localised topical therapy employed by dermatologists for widespread inflammatory skin conditions. The regimen involves application of topical medication under occlusion after soaking in water. Complications from this treatment method are rare. We present a case of multiple, generalised methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)-positive furuncles arising in a patient as an unexpected consequence of therapy. The case highlights an unanticipated risk of a commonly employed treatment amid an epidemic of MRSA in the community.
Mechanical properties of a high strength Cu–Ta composite at elevated temperature

Abstract Nominally pure nanocrystalline metals do not remain nanostructured under extreme conditions of intense heating and or deformation preventing the study of their physical response under such conditions. Here we present the coupled effect of temperature and strain rate on the mechanical response of a thermally stabilized nanocrystalline Cu alloyed with 10 at% Ta. Compressive mechanical testing was performed from 24 to 1000 °C and strain rates ranging from quasi-static (10−1 s−1) to dynamic (104 s−1) rates. The response of this material exhibits a maximum quasi-static yield stress of 1.05 GPa at room temperature and an approximate yield stress of 0.5 GPa at 600 °C, with an apparently linear temperature response. In contrast to pure coarse-grained Cu, our assessment indicates that this Cu-based composite derives its properties from a combination of very small Cu-rich grains and well-dispersed Ta clusters and nanometer (
Promotion of Oxidative Lipid Membrane Damage by Amyloid β Proteins

Senile plaques in the cerebral parenchyma are a pathognomonic feature of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and are mainly composed of aggregated fibrillar amyloid beta (Abeta) proteins. The plaques are associated with neuronal degeneration, lipid membrane abnormalities, and chemical evidence of oxidative stress. The view that Abeta proteins cause these pathological changes has been challenged by suggestions that they have a protective function or that they are merely byproducts of the pathological process. This investigation was conducted to determine whether Abeta proteins promote or inhibit oxidative damage to lipid membranes. Using a mass spectrometric assay of oxidative lipid damage, the 42-residue form of Abeta (Abeta42) was found to accelerate the oxidative lipid damage caused by physiological concentrations of ascorbate and submicromolar concentrations of copper(II) ion. Under these conditions, Abeta42 was aggregated, but nonfibrillar. Ascorbate and copper produced H(2)O(2), but Abeta42 reduced H(2)O(2) concentrations, and its ability to accelerate oxidative damage was not affected by catalase. Lipids could be oxidized by H(2)O(2) and copper(II) in the absence of ascorbate, but only at significantly higher concentrations, and Abeta42 inhibited this reaction. These results indicate that the ability of Abeta42 to promote oxidative damage is more potent and more likely to be manifest in vivo than its ability to inhibit oxidative damage. In conjunction with prior results demonstrating that oxidatively damaged membranes cause Abeta42 to misfold and form fibrils, these results suggest a specific chemical mechanism linking Abeta42-promoted oxidative lipid damage to amyloid fibril formation.
Determination of loss of heterozygosity in frozen and paraffin embedded tumors by denaturating high-performance liquid chromatography (DHPLC).

Abstract Spontaneous renal cell carcinoma (RCC) occurs with a high frequency in Eker rats carrying a germline alteration of the tuberous sclerosis-2 (Tsc-2) tumor suppressor gene. To determine the frequency with which the wild-type allele of the Tsc-2 gene is lost in RCC and the ability of DHPLC to detect loss of heterozygosity (LOH) at this gene locus, fresh–frozen and paraffin-embedded formalin-fixed tumors from heterozygous Eker rats (Tsc-2 Ek/+ ) were examined for LOH at the Tsc-2 locus. LOH was determined by quantitation of peak areas of PCR products specific for the mutant and wild-type Tsc-2 alleles. For normal DNA isolated from heterozygous animals, the allele ratio (AR) of mutant to wild-type PCR products was empirically determined to be 1.5±0.3 ( n =30) and LOH was defined as >2 standard deviations away from this mean, i.e. any AR >2.1. Analysis of 15 spontaneous frozen RCC samples showed LOH in 10/15 samples (66%). Carcinogen-induced tumors exhibited an even higher frequency of LOH, with 6/6 paraffin-embedded, formalin-fixed tumors exhibiting LOH. 100% concordance was observed between the results obtained by DHPLC and traditional methodologies. Therefore, LOH appears to occur with a high frequency in both spontaneous and carcinogen-induced RCC in this animal model and DHPLC is a sensitive and high throughput methodology for detecting this type of genetic alteration.
Clinicopathologic Study of Ectomesenchymomas from Intergroup Rhabdomyosarcoma Study Groups III and IV

Ectomesenchymomas (EM) are rare malignant neoplasms usually consisting of rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) with a neural component. Only 21 cases have been previously reported. Here we extend the clinicopathologic spectrum of EM by describing our findings in 15 cases. Only 5 patients were infants; 10 were or =6 years old. No male predilection was observed; 7 were female. The originating institutional diagnoses were; RMS (12), undifferentiated sarcoma (1), or EM (2), suggesting underdiagnosis of this entity. The primary tumor sites included external genital (5), pelvis/abdomen (6), head and neck (3), and extremity (1). The size of the primary neoplasm was usually > or =5 cm at diagnosis but dissemination only occurred in a minority. Local infiltration was not uncommon. These neoplasms were typically multilobate, thinly encapsulated, hemorrhagic, and necrotic. Light microscopic features were highly variable, but embryonal RMS with scattered or clustered ganglion cells, often in lacunae, was characteristic. In some cases, primitive neuroblastic or neuroectodermal areas were found and/or a component of alveolar RMS was seen. Focal anaplasia was occasionally observed. Mitotic activity appears higher than previously appreciated and some necrosis was invariably present. Electron microscopy was performed in 11 cases, which confirmed skeletal muscle +/- neural differentiation. Cytogenetic studies performed in five cases revealed no specific abnormality. Monoclonal neuron-specific enolase was the best marker of ganglion cells and primitive neural elements. MIC-2 (CD99) membrane expression was not definitively present in any of the six cases examined. A number of the above parameters appear to be of some prognostic significance, but overall, these neoplasms appear to have a similar outcome as would be predicted for their RMS element alone (exclusive of any neural component), with respect to the RMS subtype, age of the patient, and anatomic location of the neoplasm.
Self-determinism: alloBMT for AML.

In this issue of Blood , Kurosawa et al use a Markov decision process (MDP) of allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (alloHCT) versus chemotherapy in patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in first complete remission (CR1).[1][1] “In probability theory, a stochastic or random process
HYDROGEN BONDING TO DIMETHYLAMINE: THE MICROWAVE SPECTRUM AND STRUCTURE OF THE DIMETHYLAMINE-WATER COMPLEX

Abstract a - and c -type rotational transitions have been observed for four isotopomers for the dimethylamine-water complex using a Fourier-transform microwave spectrometer. The rotational constants of the four isotopomers are consistent with a structure in which the water acts as a hydrogen bond donor to the dimethylamine ( R NO = 2.82 A ). The dipole moment is 2.78 (1) D. The 14 N and 17 O nuclear quadrupole coupling constants were measured and their projections onto the inertial axes are compared with predictions based on structural models.
Coupled Molecular Dynamics—3-D Poisson Simulations of Ionic Liquid Electrospray Thrusters

Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations are performed to model an electrospray thruster for the ionic liquid (IL) EMIM-BF4 using an effective-force coarse-grained potential. The MD simulations provide insight into the atomistic modeling of a capillary-tip-extractor system, the basic elements of an electrospray thruster. A 1-D electric field showed an improvement in the model when compared with the use of a constant electric field. Then, the MD software was coupled to a Poisson solver derived from a particle-in-cell code. A transient 3-D electric field was used at each timestep, taking into account the induced electric field due to space charge repulsion. It was found that the inhomogeneous electric field as well as that of the IL space-charge improved agreement between modeling and experiment. The influence of numerical parameters, such as extraction potential and applied mass flow, was studied. Particular emphasis was put on the importance of parameters relative to the grid used to solve Poisson’s equation, such as the grid cell size and the boundary conditions (BCs) in the vicinity of the capillary tip. The BCs were found to have a substantial impact on the potential and electric field.
Traumatic brain injury: an effect and cause of domestic violence and child abuse.

In sum, physicians and other healthcare professionals should play a more effective role in reducing the impact of CA and DV by instituting in their practices, and encouraging in their local hospitals, a routine screening for and assessment of physical abuse that is thorough enough to detect TBI. Longitudinal studies of victims with and without TBI would greatly buttress findings based on retrospective self-reports. Knowledge and awareness of domestic abuse by physicians would be heightened by courses in medical school and beyond and facilitated by a recent book [37] and a video [38] on violence against women from the American College of Physicians. Surely the modest costs in time and money of these efforts are worth the long-term benefits of reducing the enormous individual and societal costs of domestic abuse.
The Early Days of the Neurosciences Intensive Care Unit

The development of critical care as a specialty and the formation of intensive care units (ICUs) have been well chronicled. The history of ICUs can be approached from different angles: history of units, history of technology, history of understanding and refinements of specific critical illnesses, history of critical care treatments, and even a history of ethics in the ICU. Specialized units were needed with increasing medical and surgical specialization; surgeons were operating on sicker patients with more sophisticated procedures, necessitating a higher level of perioperative observation and care. More generally, physicians and nursing staff recognized that skilled care and increased vigilance could improve outcome. A definitive moment was the emergence of several paralytic poliomyelitis epidemics, including in the United States. In the 1950s, these epidemics resulted in a rapid expansion of ICUs across the United States. These epidemics also led to improvement in mechanical ventilation and were followed by the further characterization of multidisciplinary ICUs, trauma units, transplant units, and postoperative care units. In the early 1970s, the vast majority of large medical institutions had ICUs constructed in their hospitals. The history of neurosciences intensive care units (NICUs) has remained fragmented and insufficiently researched. Neurosurgeon Walter Dandy has been credited with opening the first NICU at Johns Hopkins Hospital in 1932. Indeed, Dandy had the foresight to understand that some neurosurgical patients needed special care, and thus he opened a special ward dedicated to the care of the sicker postoperative neurosurgical patients. In the United Kingdom, the Batten Respiratory Unit at the Institute of Neurology and National Hospital for Nervous Diseases in London opened in 1954 to treat mostly patients with acute neuromuscular disease but also those with stroke and spinal cord disorders who required mechanical ventilation. The beginnings of NICUs, and combined neurology and neurosurgery ICUs, are largely unknown. Many of these first units were for either neurosurgical or neurologic patients. In a broader sense, little is known about the triage of patients with acute neurologic conditions in those days. This vignette explores the development of the NICU in Saint Marys Hospital, Rochester, MN. We discuss the early beginnings of neurosciences intensive care and the role of the nursing division and specialty groups in the 1950s.
Chemotherapy for pilocytic astrocytomas

Background. Although pilocytic astrocytomas (PA) generally are considered benign, a subset of patients with PA have disease progression despite standard treatment with surgery and radiation therapy. The authors report their experience with chemotherapy in this patient group. Methods. The authors treated 11 patients (4 males and 7 females; median age at diagnosis, 8 years) with pathologically confirmed PA with chemotherapy. In eight patients, tumor progression or recurrence despite prior surgery and radiation therapy led to chemotherapy treatment. In three children younger than 5 years, chemotherapy was given in lieu of radiation therapy immediately after diagnosis (in one patient) or at the time of disease progression after surgery (in two patients). The authors used ten different chemotherapy regimens to treat the 11 patients. Results. Chemotherapy produced clinical and radiographic improvement (R/R) in four (36%) patients, clinical stabilization and radiographic improvement (SD/R) in 1 (9%), clinical and radiographic stabilization (SD/SD) in 3 (27%), and was associated with clinical and radiographic progression (PD/PD) in 3 (27%). Three of the five patients with radiographic improvement had a greater than 75% reduction of maximal cross-sectional tumor area. Hematologic toxicity resulted in dose reductions in 43 of 110 (39%) total courses of chemotherapy. There were three hospital admissions for fever and neutropenia and one chemotherapy-related death. Conclusions. The authors conclude that chemotherapy may benefit those with progressive inoperable PA. Chemotherapy may delay the need for radiation therapy in young patients with unresectable PA requiring treatment. PA may be a chemosensitive primary brain tumor.
Raising marketable yellow perch on a polychlorinated biphenyl contaminated diet: a feasibility study for the perch aquaculture industry.

The objective was to determine the feasibility of feeding yellow perch a PCB-contaminated diet without adversely affecting their rate of growth and without exceeding 5 ppm in the fillet. To determine the extent to which the fillet (skeletal muscle and skin) accumulates PCB, assessment was made of the whole body elimination and tissue distribution of a single PCB isomer [14C] 2,5,2′,5′-tetrachlorobiphenyl (4-CB) in fingerling and adult perch exposed to a single oral dose of 0.8 μg of [14C] 4-CB. Elimination and distribution of 4-CB was determined at regular intervals for five weeks after dosing. Fingerlings were found to eliminate 4-CB more rapidly than adults but the tissue distribution pattern of 4-CB residues not eliminated was similar in the two age groups. The carcass and viscera contained about 85% of 4-CB residues in the whole fish and 15% in the fillet. For chronic exposure to PCB-contaminated diets, perch fingerlings were reared under standardized aquaculture conditions that provided an optimal rate of growth. They were fed for 32 weeks either a control diet containing 0.2 ppm PCB or an experimental diet formulated from alewife meal that contained 1.8 ppm PCB. The data showed that growth of perch on the two diets was similar and that PCB concentrations in harvested fillets was less than 0.7 ppm. The significance of these findings is that the perch aquaculture industry may be able to feed lower cost PCB-contaminated diets and still harvest yellow perch fillets that meet U.S. Food and Drug Administration guidelines of 5 ppm for human food.
The Role of Eh in Nuclear Waste Form Dissolution

A series of experiments was conducted to evaluate the significance of redox potential, Eh, as an independent open-system variable in the dissolution of nuclear waste glasses and ceramics. The standard platinum electrode can be used in leach solutions. Measurements on couples with rapid kinetics such as Fe/sup + + +//Fe/sup + +/ give results in agreement with thermodynamic calculations. Highly reducing leaching solutions can be obtained by passing hydrogen through the solvent in the presence of a palladium catalyst. 8 references, 6 figures.
Emotional processing in schizophrenia

Introduction. Persons with schizophrenia have impaired emotional processing, involving experience, expression, and recognition of emotions. Methods. This article reviews the historical descriptions and more recent work on emotion processing in schizophrenia. Results. Although abilities of emotional processing relate directly to interpersonal communication and psychosocial functioning, methodological issues exist in the current body of studies and resultant knowledge, which limit translation to novel treatment options. Conclusions. Further improvement in emotion processing in persons with stable schizophrenia are unlikely to result from conventional pharmacotherapy of psychosis. New treatment modalities and behavioural interventions offer possible improvements in quality of life and psychosocial functioning.
Real-time interferometry in the ultracentrifuge

As a result of a resurgence of interest in analytical ultracentrifugation a new instrument, the Beckman XLA, was released recently. This instrument automates spectrophotometric measurements of the concentration distribution of molecules in a gravitational field. In order for the intrinsic merits of analytical ultracentrifugation to be realized fully, this instrument must also include a Rayleigh interference optical system. A prototype design and preliminary performance test of a Rayleigh interferometer for the XLA ultracentrifuge is described here.© (1993) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
The Collaborative Colorado–Nebraska Unmanned Aircraft System Experiment

The Collaborative Colorado–Nebraska Unmanned Aircraft System Experiment (CoCoNUE) was executed on 1 March and 30 September 2009. The principal objective of this project was to examine the feasibility of using a small unmanned aircraft operating semi-autonomously with an onboard autopilot to observe atmospheric phenomena within the terrestrial boundary layer covered by the United States National Airspace System. The application of an unmanned aircraft system (UAS; the aircraft along with the communications and logistics infrastructure required for operation) is beset by a number of engineering and regulatory challenges. This article discusses the strategies implemented to meet these challenges. Airmass boundaries served as the target of the flights conducted. These atmospheric phenomena have the fortuitous combination of an across-boundary scale that yields a coherent signal in the in situ meteorological data that can be collected by a UAS and an along-boundary scale that can be easily tracked via the exis...