cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Base Flipping in a GCGC Containing DNA Dodecamer: A Comparative Study of the Performance of the Nucleic Acid Force Fields, CHARMM, AMBER, and BMS.

The improving quality of empirical force field parameters along with other methodological improvements and ever increasing computational resources have lead to more reliable computations on biological macromolecules. In the case of oligonucleotides, three force fields, namely CHARMM27, AMBER4.1, and BMS, have been developed and are widely used by the simulation community. Testing of these force fields to date has primarily focused on their treatment of the canonical forms of DNA and RNA. However, many biological functions of oligonucleotides involve significant variation of their structures from the canonical forms. In the present work, the three force fields are evaluated via computation of potentials of mean force (PMF) of the base flipping process in a DNA dodecamer, 5'-GTCAGCGCATGG-3'. Results are compared with available experimental data on the equilibrium between the opened and closed (i.e. Watson-Crick base paired) state of the underlined C and its WC partner G. Quantitative analysis shows CHARMM to be in the best agreement with experiment, closely followed by AMBER with BMS in the poorest agreement. Various components contributing to the change in the free energy such as base pair interactions, stacking interactions, solvation effects, and intrinsic potential energy changes were evaluated and compared. The results indicate that while all three force fields reasonably represent the canonical structures, the balance of forces contributing to their structural and dynamic properties differ significantly.
Acoustic Source Localization and Cueing from an Aerostat during the NATO SET-093 Field Experiment

The US Army Research Laboratory has conducted experiments using acoustic sensor arrays suspended below tethered aerostats to detect and localize transient signals from mortars, artillery, and small arms fire. The airborne acoustic sensor array calculates an azimuth and elevation to the originating transient, and immediately cues a collocated imager to capture the remaining activity at the site of the acoustic transient. This single array's vector solution defines a groundintersect region or grid coordinate for threat reporting. Unattended ground sensor (UGS) systems can augment aerostat arrays by providing additional solution vectors from several ground-based acoustic arrays to perform a 3D triangulation on a source location. The aerostat array's advantage over ground systems is that it is not as affected by diffraction and reflection from man-made structures, trees, or terrain, and has direct line-of-sight to most events.
Is antisymmetrization necessary

Abstract We demonstrate that there exists a class of primitive wavefunctions which may be used to calculate the energy and some other properties of electronic systems without first having to form the antisymmetric projection of the functions. The primitive functions G are solutions to a nonlinear equation which depends on the hamiltonian and on three other operators. The latter three may be chosen with considerable freedom. We propose a choice of these operators which, on the basis of formal and numerical evidence, yield G 's which are well approximated in zero order by a product of atomic, molecular or other electronic group functions. We use the proposed choice of operators to formulate a new exchange perturbation theory and explain why this theory is simpler to apply than a theory which explicitly uses the antisymmetrizer. We consider, also, some general implications of our results.
Self-regulation during a single performance episode: Mood-as-information in the absence of formal feedback

Abstract This investigation used a daily diary methodology to examine goal revision and effort allocation processes over a single, 2-weeks performance episode in which individuals prepared for a course exam. Growth curve modeling revealed that daily goal exhibited a curvilinear trend in which it was stable and relatively high at the beginning of the time period, but rapidly declined as the exam approached. Daily effort exhibited a trend opposite of the goal trend, remaining low and relatively stable at the beginning and increasingly rapidly as the exam approached. Current mood predicted daily goal revision, with positive mood being positively related to goal revision and negative mood being negatively related to goal revision. The traits of behavioral activation system (BAS) sensitivity and behavioral inhibition system (BIS) sensitivity moderated within-person relationships of positive and negative mood with goal revision. Simultaneous and lagged relationships among mood, goals, and daily effort were also examined.
HIGH-RESOLUTION DNA MELTING ANALYSIS: ADVANCEMENTS AND LIMITATIONS

Recent advances in fluorescent dyes, methods, instruments and software for DNA melting analysis have created versatile new tools for variant scanning and genotyping. High resolution melting analysis (HRM or HRMA) is faster, simpler, and less expensive than alternative approaches requiring separations or labeled probes. With the addition of a saturating dye before PCR followed by rapid melting analysis of the PCR products, the sensitivity of heterozygote scanning approaches 100%. Specificity can be increased by identifying common polymorphisms with small amplicon melting, unlabeled probes or snapback primers to decrease the sequencing burden. However, some homozygotes require mixing for identification. Furthermore, different heterozygotes may produce melting curves so similar to each other that, although they clearly vary from homozygous variants, they are not differentiated from each other. Nevertheless, the experimental return for minimal effort is great. This focus issue of Human Mutation includes a concise, timely review on high resolution melting, a comparison to denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis, integration with qPCR for copy number assessment, combined amplicon scanning and unlabeled probe genotyping from a single melting curve, and applications to the mitochondrial genome and to BRCA1.
Exploring Hydrophobic Mismatch's Impacts on Dissociation of Gramicidin a Channels using Molecular Dynamics Free Energy Simulations

Gramicidin A (gA) channels, formed by trans-bilayer association of two non-conducting subunits, have been used as probes to explore how changes in lipid bilayer composition, including the adsorption of small molecules, alter lipid bilayer properties through measurements of gA channels’ appearance frequency, lifetime, conductance, and gating. However, the molecular mechanism of the channel association/dissociation remains an enigma. Because the gA channel's association/dissociation can be a multi-dimensional reaction coordinate problem, it also is challenging to computationally explore these mechanisms in a fully atomistic system. As a first step, based on our previous molecular dynamics (MD) simulation systems of gA in DLPC, DMPC, DOPC, and POPC bilayers, we have performed umbrella sampling MD free energy simulations (MD/FES) of gA dissociation along the membrane normal (i.e., the Z axis). In this presentation, the MD/FES results of gA dissociation in the four different bilayers will be discussed in terms of (1) the resulting free energy profiles, (2) gA subunits’ structure, orientation, and XY displacement, (3) the subunit-subunit hydrogen bonding (number and pattern), (4) the pore water molecules’ distribution and (5) the bilayer properties (thickness, per-lipid surface area, lateral compressibility, and order parameters) along the reaction coordinate.
Changes in serum osteocalcin and bone-specific alkaline phosphatase are associated with bone pain in donors receiving granulocyte–colony-stimulating factor for peripheral blood stem and progenitor cell collection

BACKGROUND: Granulocyte–colony-stimulating factor (G–CSF) has been used to increase the number of CD34+ peripheral blood stem and progenitor cells collected by apheresis for use in autologous or allogeneic progenitor cell transplantation. The most frequent side effect of G–CSF treatment is bone pain, which occurs in over 80 percent of healthy progenitor cell donors. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: The possible mechanism of bone pain was investigated by measuring serum levels of osteocalcin (OC), bone-specific alkaline phosphatase (BAP), acid phosphatase (ACP), and tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) in seven healthy progenitor cell donors treated with human recombinant G–CSF administered subcutaneously for 5 consecutive days. RESULTS: All seven patients experienced bone pain during the treatment period. Serum levels of OC, BAP, ACP, and TRAP were measured in blood samples drawn on Days 0, 4, 5, 6, and 14. Levels of BAP were increased (p<0.05) over baseline on Days 4, 5, and 6, while those of OC decreased on Days 4, 5, and 6 (p<0.05). No significant changes occurred in ACP or TRAP levels. OC and BAP are considered markers of bone formation (osteoblast activity), and they correlate in many patients with metabolic bone disorders. The pattern of increased BAP and decreased OC has been reported in patients with osteolytic bone metastases. CONCLUSION: G–CSF treatment in healthy stem and progenitor cell donors may affect osteoblastic activity, and this activity may be associated with bone pain.
Navigational Compass in Magnetic Bacteria

Abstract Magnetotactic bacteria that orient and swim in a preferred direction in the geomagnetic field contain sufficient single domain magnetite to constitute a biomagnetic compass.
Initial stages of Al(111) oxidation with oxygen–temperature dependence of the integral reactive sticking coefficient

Abstract The initial stages of Al(111) oxidation by oxygen were investigated using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and high resolution electron energy loss spectroscopy (HREELS). The integral reactive sticking coefficient ( S ) was evaluated by measuring the O(1s) XPS peak area for exposures below 50 L. Experiments were carried out at surface temperatures from 95 to 773 K. The dissociative adsorption of O 2 is proposed to occur by means of a molecular precursor mechanism leading to the non-monotonic behavior of S with changing surface temperature. The kinetics of O 2 adsorption are governed by the strong temperature dependent balance of chemisorbed and oxidic species on the surface. Oxidic phase formation then influences the adsorption kinetics, by lowering the adsorption barrier from the precursor state (since stronger OAl bonds are formed by oxide formation compared to chemisorption) and transforming the activated O 2 adsorption process into a non-activated one. A rapid onset of the oxidic phase formation was found in the temperature range 473–573 K at these low exposures.
Role of ArlRS in Autolysis in Methicillin-Sensitive and Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Strains

Autolysis plays an essential role in bacterial cell division and lysis with β-lactam antibiotics. Accordingly, the expression of autolysins is tightly regulated by several endogenous regulators, including ArlRS, a two component regulatory system that has been shown to negatively regulate autolysis in methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA) strains. In this study, we found that inactivation of arlRS does not play a role in autolysis of methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) strains, such as community-acquired (CA)-MRSA strains USA300 and MW2 or the hospital-acquired (HA)-MRSA strain COL. This contrasts with MSSA strains, including Newman, SH1000, RN6390, and 8325-4, where autolysis is affected by ArlRS. We further demonstrated that the striking difference in the roles of arlRS between MSSA and MRSA strains is not due to the methicillin resistance determinant mecA. Among known autolysins and their regulators, we found that arlRS represses lytN, while no effect was seen on atl, lytM, and lytH expression in both CA- and HA-MRSA strains. Transcriptional-fusion assays showed that the agr transcripts, RNAII and RNAIII, were significantly more downregulated in the arlRS mutant of MW2 than the MSSA strain Newman. Importantly, provision of agr RNAIII in trans to the MW2 arlRS mutant via a multicopy plasmid induced autolysis in this MRSA strain. Also, the autolytic phenotype in the arlRS mutant of MSSA strain Newman could be rescued by a mutation in either atl or lytM. Together, these data showed that ArlRS impacts autolysis differently in MSSA and MRSA strains.
Solid-phase extraction-electrospray ionization mass spectrometry for the quantification of folate in human plasma or serum.

Abstract The measurement of 5-methyltetrahydrofolic acid (5MT) blood levels is one of several factors used to diagnose folate deficiency in humans. 5MT can be selectively purified from either human plasma or human serum via solid-phase extraction procedures and specifically detected and quantified in the extracts with liquid chromatography/isotope-dilution electrospray-ionization mass spectrometry. Two different, yet complementary, solid-phase extraction–liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry methods have been developed and applied to the quantification of 5MT from such extracts. One method utilizes the high-affinity folate-binding protein from cow’s milk coupled with multiple-reaction-monitoring-mode tandem mass spectrometry while the other method utilizes reversed-phase C 18 extraction followed by selected-ion-monitoring-mode mass spectrometry. The accuracy of each method is assessed through a comparative determination of 5MT levels in homogenous plasma and serum pools. Additionally, each method is compared and evaluated against the “total folate” results provided by routine radioassay and microbiological assay determinations. On the basis of the experimental data presented in this report, it is suggested that both methods have the capacity to serve as potential reference methods for the quantification of circulating 5MT in plasma or serum.
Self-consistent quasiparticle-phonon coupling for superfluid nuclei

The utility of the anomalous Green's function formalism is physically motivated as a description of superfluid finite Fermi systems. The quasiparticle self-energy is then derived from a generalized six-point response function with the assumption that three-body correlations are negligible. An approximate calculation of the self-energy includes the usual core-polarization diagram, a backward-exchange diagram with ground state correlations, and higher-order diagrams that correct for exclusion-principle violations in the propagation of the quasiparticle and the microscopic phonon. Intermediate lines in the self-energy are described self-consistently, thereby including multiple-phonon core excitations. It is shown that the equation for the self-energy may be solved by matrix diagonalization with coupling of the even- and odd-nuclear eigenmodes. Renormalized phonons are calculated by taking into account the distribution of quasiparticle strength in the solution of the Bethe-Salpeter equation. The self-energy and phonon are calculated self-consistently.NUCLEAR STRUCTURE Green's function method with pairing. Self-consistent RPA, collective effects in odd-$A$ nuclei.
Female preferences in a fish genus without female mate choice.

Abstract The evolution and the adaptive logic (if any) of female mate choice are subjects of lively debate [1]. Whereas most researchers believe that females have evolved to recognize signs of male ‘quality' (the ability to provide females or their offspring with direct or indirect genetic or material benefits), there is intriguing evidence that males can evolve to appeal to pre-existing female preferences [2–6]. Evidence for these pre-existing biases is often ambiguous because phylogenetic reconstructions have usually failed to establish conclusively whether the female preference or the favored male traits evolved first [7–11]. This potential difficulty is minimal in the mosquitofish genus Gambusia , none of whose 45 species appears to have a female-choice mating system in the wild, and none of which shows the male behavioral and morphological traits that are characteristic of female choice [12–19]. Nevertheless, in an experimental situation in the laboratory, female Gambusia holbrooki readily chose between models of males and demonstrated significant and reliable preferences for a variety of exaggerated male traits that are not seen in their species or their genus. Other morphological alterations were not preferred. The latent willingness of females to choose traits in a genus without such traits and without evident female choice in the wild is remarkable and may indicate a pre-existing bias in females that is ready to drive male evolution, should the social system or the ecological variables that control it change.
Offspring sex ratio response to host size in the parasitoid wasp Spalangia endius

The host size model, an adaptive model for maternal manipulation of offspring sex ratio, was examined for the parasitoid wasp Spalangia endius. In a Florida strain, as the model predicts, daughters emerged from larger hosts than sons, but only when mothers received both small and large hosts simultaneously. The pattern appeared to result from the mother's ovipositional choice and not from differential mortality of the sexes during development. If sex ratio manipulation is adaptive in the Florida strain, it appears to be through a benefit to daughters of developing on large hosts rather than through a benefit to sons of developing on small hosts. Both female and male parasitoids were larger when they developed on larger hosts. For females, developing on a larger host (1) increased offspring production, except for the largest hosts, (2) increased longevity, (3) lengthened development, and (4) had no effect on wing loading. For males, development on a larger host had no effect on any measure of male fitness – mating success, longevity, development duration, or wing loading. In contrast, a strain from India showed no difference in the size of hosts from which daughters versus sons emerged, although both female and male parasitoids were larger when they developed on larger hosts. These results together with previous studies of Spalangia reveal no consistent connection between host-size-dependent sex ratio and host-size-dependent parasitoid size among strains of S. endius or among species of Spalangia.
Restructuring the Master's Tools: Black Female and Latina Faculty Navigating and Contributing in Classrooms through Oppositional Positions.

Employing critical race feminism, this article explores how black and Latina women faculty alter the teaching and learning environment at a predominantly white, research institution (PWI). The limited research on faculty of color at PWIs focuses on barriers to career success, yet places less emphasis on how these faculty negotiate barriers and facilitate structural change. Furthermore, higher education literature links faculty of color to a climate of inclusion, yet there is minimal empirical literature on how the presence of diverse faculty affects the well-being of campus communities. This study, then, aims to examine how black female and Latina faculty navigate and contribute to the classroom environment at a premier public institution. Though not mutually exclusive, the key findings from this qualitative study are that the participants navigate and contribute in two key ways: enacting legitimacy and employing equity-based pedagogy. Both strategies reflect oppositional positions, an awareness of being ...
Hybrid cellular-MANETs: An energy-aware routing design

It is well-recognized that our dependence on mobile communications grows; however, users of wireless devices may encounter inadequate coverage due to a variety of shortage and outage circumstances. This is an especially urgent issue in disaster areas where the access to outside world is critical for rescue operations. In this paper, we present a self-organizing communication framework for extending wireless coverage for mobile devices, without requiring modifications of existing wireless infrastructures. Participating devices form a hybrid cellular — mobile ad hoc network, relaying data off net through the nodes that have cellular connections. We design a low-complexity, energy-aware, multi-path data routing mechanism for this frame-work. The proposed routing includes two major components: a baseline routing that includes a locally reactive and hence low-complexity routing sub-component to handle mobility; and an energy-aware multi-path routing that is motivated by an energy optimization problem and uses only local information. Packet-level simulations show that the proposed routing scheme achieves good performance in delay, packet delivery, and energy consumption. In addition, we implement this framework on Android devices and conduct phone-in-the-loop emulations. The results from the emulation show that the proposed routing scheme can achieve more efficient energy utilization.
Quantization of particle transport

The integrated particle current produced by a slow periodic variation of the potential of a Schr\"odinger equation is evaluated. It is shown that in a finite torus the integral of the current over a period can vary continuously, but in an infinite periodic system with full bands it must have an integer value. This quantization of particle transport is used to classify the energy gaps in a one-dimensional system with competing or incommensurate periods. It is also used to rederive Prange's results for the fractional charge of a soliton.
Analysis of Stacked Alamouti Coding in Wireless Communication

Stacked Alamouti coding in MIMO wireless communication systems was analyzed through equivalent channel.We derive an upper bound on the portion of the ergodic capacity that the stacked Alamouti scheme can achieve, which is dependent on the ratio of number of transmit antennas to that of receive antennas in the high signal-to-noise ratio regime. As a conclusion, it is shown that the stacked Alamouti scheme can approach the channel capacity as long as the number of transmit antennas is no less than two times that of receive antennas.
Structural Content in Paintings: Artists Overregularize Oriented Content of Paintings Relative to the Typical Natural Scene Bias

Natural scenes tend to be biased in both scale (1/f) and orientation (H > V ≫ O; horizontal > vertical ≫ oblique), and the human visual system has similar biases that serve to partially ‘undo’ (ie whiten) the resultant representation. The present approach to investigating this relationship considers content in works of art—scenes produced for processing by the human visual system. We analyzed the content of images by a method that minimizes errors inherent in some prior analysis methods. In the first experiment museum paintings were considered by comparing the amplitude spectrum of landscape paintings, natural scene photos, portrait paintings, and photos of faces. In the second experiment we obtained photos of paintings at the time they were produced by local artists and compared structural content in matched photos which contained the same scenes that the artists had painted. Results show that artists produce paintings with both the 1/f bias of scale and the horizontal effect bias of orientation (H > V ≫...
Scale effects on flow boiling heat transfer in microchannels: A fundamental perspective

Abstract Flow boiling in microchannels has received considerable attention from researchers worldwide in the last decade. A scaling analysis is presented to identify the relative effects of different forces on the boiling process at microscale. Based on this scaling analysis, the flow pattern transitions and stability for flow boiling of water and FC-77 are evaluated. From the insight gained through the careful visualization and thermal measurements by previous investigators, similarities between heat transfer around a nucleating bubble in pool boiling and in the elongated bubble/slug flow pattern in flow boiling are brought out. The roles of microlayer evaporation and transient conduction/microconvection are discussed. Furthermore, it is pointed out that the convective contribution cannot be ruled out on the basis of experimental data which shows no dependence of heat transfer coefficient on mass flow rate, since the low liquid flow rate during flow boiling in microchannels at low qualities leads to laminar flow, where heat transfer coefficient is essentially independent of the mass flow rate. Specific suggestions for future research to enhance the boiling heat transfer in microchannels are also provided.
Toxoplasma gondii Uses Sulfated Proteoglycans for Substrate and Host Cell Attachment

Toxoplasma gondii is an obligate intracellular parasite that actively invades a wide variety of vertebrate cells, although the basis of this pervasive cell recognition is not understood. We demonstrate here that binding to the substratum and to host cells is partially mediated by interaction with sulfated glycosaminoglycans (GAGs). Addition of excess soluble GAGs blocked parasite attachment to serum-coated glass, thereby preventing gliding motility of extracellular parasites. Similarly, excess soluble GAGs decreased the attachment of parasites to human host cells from a variety of lineages, including monocytic, fibroblast, endothelial, epithelial, and macrophage cells. The inhibition of parasite attachment by GAGs was observed with heparin and heparan sulfate and also with chondroitin sulfates, indicating that the ligands for attachment are capable of recognizing a broad range of GAGs. The importance of sulfated proteoglycan recognition was further supported by the demonstration that GAG-deficient mutant host cells, and wild-type cells treated enzymatically to remove GAGs, were partially resistant to parasite invasion. Collectively, these studies reveal that sulfated proteoglycans are one determinant used for substrate and cell recognition by Toxoplasma. The widespread distribution of these receptors may contribute to the broad host and tissue ranges of this highly successful intracellular parasite.
Slicing and partial evaluation of CORBA component model designs for avionics system

The use of component models such as Enterprise Java Beans and the CORBA Component Model (CCM) in application development is expanding rapidly. Even in real-time safety-critical and mission-critical domains, component-based development is beginning to take hold as a mechanism for in-corporating non-functional aspects such as real-time, quality-of-service, and distribution.
Using the World Wide Web to teach biological engineering

Two courses, BAE235: Engineering Biology (http://www.bae.ncsu.edu/bae/courses/bae235/) and BAE465: Biomedical Engineering Applications (http://www.bae.ncsu.edu/-bae/courses/bae465/), in the Biological Engineering curriculum of the Biological and Agricultural Engineering Department at North Carolina State University have made extensive use of the World Wide Web (1) to distribute course materials to students, (2) to obtain supplementary information from throughout the world, and (3) to provide a vehicle for multimedia student projects. Hot links were provided from the syllabus to the instructional objectives for the topics covered in each course. The "Engineering Biology" course also had links to homework assignments, to supplementary materials e.g. the Human Genome Project, and to instructional objectives for each lab. An e-mailer was provided to allow BAE235 students to send anonymous feedback to the instructors. Students in "Biomedical Engineering Applications" were given homework assignments which involved using the World Wide Web to find the home pages of other biological and biomedical engineering programs and to find examples of topics they were studying in class. In addition, the BAE465 students worked in groups to produce electronic term projects. Each group made an on-line presentation of its project to the class at the end of the term. These projects will form the basis for an introductory electronic textbook on biomedical engineering which will be available to the global community. BAE465 projects have also been linked to relevant topics in the syllabus for BAE235.
A Novel Modulation/RF Architecture For Long Battery Life-time PCS Mobile Units

A novel modulation/RF architecture is proposed for digital cellular and PCS applications to improve the system power efficiency. By introducing controlled cross-correlation to the I and Q channels in an offset QPSK system and employing modified baseband filtering techniques, the proposed modulation architecture provides a constant envelope modulated signal and improves the power efficiency by 4-7 dB as compared to conventional QPSK. By implementing this new system architecture in a cellular phone, portable computer, or other PCS mobile units, the battery life time could be significantly improved.
Truncated Logarithmic Approximation

The speed and levels of integration of modern devices have risen to the point that arithmetic can be performed very fast and with high precision. Precise arithmetic comes at a hidden cost-by computing results past the precision they require, systems inefficiently utilize their resources. Numerous designs over the past fifty years have demonstrated scalable efficiency by utilizing approximate logarithms. Many such designs are based off of a linear approximation algorithm developed by Mitchell. This paper evaluates a truncated form of binary logarithm as a replacement for Mitchell's algorithm. The truncated approximate logarithm simultaneously improves the efficiency and precision of Mitchell's approximation while remaining simple to implement.
Designs on the Public: The Private Lives of New York's Public Spaces

New York City's public parks and plazas are some of the most recognized and frequented sites in the United States. These icons draw us in with their physical features: Rockefeller Center's skating ...
Regional hypoxia correlates with the uptake of a radiolabeled targeted marker of angiogenesis in rat model of myocardial hypertrophy and ischemic injury.

BACKGROUND: Non-invasive imaging strategies play a critical role for assessment of the efficacy of angiogenesis therapies. Hypoxia resulting from deficient blood flow is a potent stimulator of angiogenesis which is marked by upregulated alphavbeta3 integrin receptor. METHODS AND RESULTS: The use of dual-isotope radiotracers targeted at alphavbeta3 and myocardial hypoxia has been demonstrated to non-invasively track hypoxia-induced angiogenesis in ischemic rat model of myocardial hypertrophy, which was induced by non-occlusive abdominal aortic banding followed by myocardial infarction at 6 weeks after the banding procedure. The pressure overload-induced myocardial hypertrophy was confirmed by 2D echocardiography. Two radiotracers; 111In-labeled agent targeted at the alphavbeta3 (RP748) and 99mTc-labeled nitroimidazole retained in hypoxic myocardium (BRU-5921) have been used. Gamma well counting analysis demonstrated an inverse linear relationship (R2=0.5) between BRU-5921 myocardial uptake and the degree of hypoperfusion assessed by 201Tl chloride. 111In-RP748 was found to be preferentially retained in hypoxic myocardium identified by increased BRU-5921 uptake and localized to anterior-lateral wall as assessed by dual-isotope microautoradiography. There was a significant (P<0.01) almost four-fold increase in RP748 uptake in myocardial segments with highest relative BRU-5921 retention (200-600% non-ischemic). Immunohistochemical staining confirmed that increased RP748 uptake is associated with an augmented alphav and beta3 integrin expression within infarcted myocardium. CONCLUSIONS: Angiogenesis in the rodent model of combined myocardial hypertrophy and infarction was successfully assessed with alphavbeta3-targeted agent in relation to tissue hypoxia measured with 99mTc -labeled nitroimidazole retained in hypoxic myocardium. Regional retention of RP748 correlated well with BRU-5921 retention, supporting the role of RP748 as a targeted marker of hypoxia-stimulated angiogenesis with a potential clinical use to track naturally occurring and therapeutic angiogenesis and to predict the left ventricular remodeling in patients following myocardial infarction.
British Petroleum: An Egregious Violation of the Ethic of First and Second Things

This study analyzes BP's crisis communication related to the Deepwater Horizon disaster. Specifically, we observe how an organization whose priorities are misaligned with the ethic of first and second things has a severely limited capacity for delivering a crisis message that resonates with the general public, and especially those most affected by the disaster. Organizational connectedness and Lewis' essays on the ethic of first and second things are discussed and research on virtuous responses to crisis and renewal discourse is highlighted to explain how BP's focus on maximizing profit over safety and the environment stymied their communication efforts. A discourse of renewal is suggested as essential for the organization to regain connectedness post-crisis.
Does luck have a place in epistemology

Some epistemologists hold that exploration and elaboration of the nature of luck will allow us to better understand knowledge. I argue this is a mistake.
Surveillance Computed Tomography Scans for Patients With Lymphoma: Is the Risk Worth the Benefits?

Abstract Background Concerns regarding the risks of cancer and cancer-related death as a result of radiation from computed tomography (CT) scans and the lack of data demonstrating a survival advantage for surveillance CT scans following lymphoma therapy have raised questions regarding their benefit. We compared the radiation-related lifetime cancer incidence (LCI) and mortality risks (LCMRs) associated with CT scans for staging and surveillance of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) and Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) with the cumulative probability of lymphoma death (CPLD) during surveillance. Patients and Methods The LCI and LCMR were calculated using published estimates of the cumulative organ-specific radiation doses from full-body CT scans and sex-, age-, and organ-dependent cancer risks per 0.1 Gy provided by the Biologic Effects of Ionizing Radiations VII report. Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) data were used to identify cases between 2000 and 2006 from 17 SEER registries and calculate CPLD for specified cohorts. Results For a 70-year-old patient, a single full-body CT examination is associated with a LCI of 0.044% and 0.057%, and a LCMR of 0.032% and 0.044% for males and females, respectively. For 20-year-old patients the LCMRs were 0.071% for men and 0.108% for women. The LCI and LCMR were lower for males and were markedly less than the CPLD at 5 years for most lymphoma subtypes, but relevant for younger women with HL. Conclusion Although the LCMR from CT scans is small compared with lymphoma-related deaths for most subgroups, these data should be discussed with patients in formulating plans for surveillance following lymphoma therapy.
Bunyavirus superinfection and segment reassortment in transovarially infected mosquitoes.

Rapid evolution of bunyaviruses may occur by RNA segment reassortment between closely related viruses. Reassortment between viruses occurs in dually infected mosquitoes when two different viruses are simultaneously ingested or when the second virus is ingested within 2 days of the first virus. By 3 days after oral infection, interference to superinfection occurs, thus limiting the potential for evolution. Aedes triseriatus mosquitoes can also be transovarially infected (TI+) with LaCrosse (LAC) virus. In these studies, the potential for oral superinfection of TI+ mosquitoes was assessed. Approximately 20% of mosquitoes TI+ with either a temperature-sensitive LAC virus or wild-type (wt) LAC virus became superinfected by ingesting blood meals containing wt LAC or snowshoe hare (SSH) viruses. LAC virus TI+ mosquitoes superinfected with SSH virus were detected by blot hybridization or RT–PCR. Viruses from these mosquitoes were plaque purified and genotyped using RT–PCR. Reassortant genomes were detected in 2·3% of the viruses genotyped, and 4·0% of the genomes tested were diploid for one genome segment.
Reproductive Performance of Pigmented and Albino Female Channel Catfish Induced to Spawn with HCG or Ovaprim

Reproductive performance of albino and pigmented channel catfish (Ictalurus punctarus) females was compared when spawning was induced with HCG (human chorionic gonadotropin) or Ovaprim3 (domperidone and [d-Ala6, Pro9 NEt]-luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone). In 1985, only HCG was used to induce spawning. Albino females required more injections, had a longer latency period from time of first injection to spawning, and had lower spawning success (30%) than pigmented females (77%). No differences were observed between albino and pigmented females for time-of-day of spawning, number of eggs obtained by manual stripping, and number of eggs/kg body weight. In 1988, HCG, Ovaprim, and saline (control) were used to induce spawning. HCG induced spawning in 80% of albino and 71% of pigmented females. Ovaprim induced 67% of pigmented females to spawn, but only 2 of 5 albino females spawned. One of four pigmented females injected with saline spawned. Albino females yielded 40–50% fewer eggs/kg body weight than pigmented females. Other performance characteristics for albino and pigmented females were similar whether injected with HCG or Ovaprim. High temperatures encountered during the 1985 spawning season my have had a differential effect on albino and pigmented fish and may account for some differences in spawning success.
The Use of Cloud-Resolving Simulations of Mesoscale Convective Systems to Build a Mesoscale Parameterization Scheme

Abstract A method is described for parameterizing thermodynamic forcing by the mesoscale updrafts and downdrafts of mesoscale convective systems (MCSs) in models with resolution too coarse to resolve these drafts. The parameterization contains improvements over previous schemes, including a more sophisticated convective driver and inclusion of the vertical distribution of various physical processes obtained through conditional sampling of two cloud-resolving MCS simulations. The mesoscale parameterization is tied to a version of the Arakawa–Schubert convective parameterization scheme that is modified to employ a prognostic closure. The parameterized Arakawa–Schubert cumulus convection provides condensed water, ice, and water vapor, which drives the parameterization for the large-scale effects of mesoscale circulations associated with the convection. In the mesoscale parameterization, determining thermodynamic forcing of the large scale depends on knowing the vertically integrated values and the vertical d...
Intents and Perceptions of Graduating BSN Students Toward the Nurse Practitioner Role

This descriptive study was an investigation of the intentions of 65 senior baccalaureate nursing students to become nurse practitioners (NPs). Students were given a Nurse Practitioner Inventory, which collected information on nine categories related to factors influencing specialization. The data show that a majority of nursing students do not have specific plans to become NPs, although most intend to further their education. The results suggest that this is in part related to a lack of exposure to and familiarity with the NP role.
RECIPROCAL EFFECTS OF CONCOMITANT INFECTIONS : II. THE INFLUENCE OF VACCINAL IMMUNITY ON THE REACTION TO EXPERIMENTAL SYPHILIS.

Experiments are reported in which it was shown, first, that the effectiveness of the reaction to experimental syphilis was increased in rabbits immune to vaccine virus, the ensuing disease being less severe than in control animals. It was further shown that a comparable modification of the syphilitic reaction occurred in rabbits inoculated intratesticularly with a mixture of Treponema pallidum and vaccine virus, and it was suggested that this result was due to the influence of a vaccinal immunity and to the local effect of the vaccinal reaction. It was pointed out that the manner in which two concomitant experimental infections are induced is of significance in determining the character of the host's reaction.
Morphological responses of Legionella pneumophila biofilm to nanoparticle exposure

Legionella pneumophila is a pathogenic bacterium that forms biofilms in natural and anthropogenic habitats. This feature not only facilitates colonization but also limits the effectiveness of biocides. L. pneumophila was exposed to three sizes of citrate-capped gold nanospheres in both planktonic and biofilm stages. TEM micrographs indicated that gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) adsorbed to the bacterial cell surface, were absorbed into the cells, aggregated within the cells, and integrated into the extrapolymeric matrix of the biofilm. Both 4 and 18 nm, but not 50 nm AuNPs caused an alteration of biofilm morphology. Treatment with 20 nm polystyrene spheres did not induce these changes suggesting that the response was a result of the gold and not just the presence of the nanosphere. The morphological changes observed in the biofilm suggest that aquatic ecosystems may be affected by nanoparticle exposure. This may compromise ecosystem functions such as nutrient cycling facilitated by natural biofilms.
Operations Research Education: Some Requirements and Deficiencies

In recent years some operations researchers have directed their introspection to the education of prospective OR analysts, with a resultant critical appraisal: they are ill prepared to solve problems. The purpose of this paper is to continue this introspection by presenting some conjectures on the education of the OR analyst. After examining the problem-solving process briefly and defining some requisite terminology, it gives a premise on which educational requirements for the OR analyst rest, suggests areas in which his education is deficient, discusses some reasons for these deficiencies, and notes some possible courses of remedial action.
Usability of a daily noise exposure monitoring device for industrial workers.

Objectives: Usability is an important but often overlooked aspect of personal protective equipment technology. As part of a worksite intervention trial of a new technology for prevention of noise-induced hearing loss that allows workers to monitor their noise exposure inside of hearing protection on a daily basis,westudiedthe usabilityof thedailynoise exposure monitoringdevice. Methods: We conducted surveys and focus groups for workers enrolled in an intervention trial of daily use of a noise dosimeter with a microphone fitted inside of an individual’s hearing protector (QuietDose). Volunteers completed a baseline and annual survey that included questions about perceived usability of the QuietDose device. Responses to usability questions on the annual survey were abstracted and compared to whether the individual was still using the device. Finally, 16 in-depth focus groups were conducted with subjects to qualitatively explore common themes regarding the usability of the technology. Results: Reported problems downloading data or starting and stopping the monitoring device and/or ear discomfort were associated with whether individuals chose to continue monitoring and downloading their noise exposure data. Perceived benefits of the technology included the perception that it could help preserve hearing. Conclusions: A novel technology that allows workers to record noise exposures inside of hearing protectors on a daily basis has been developed. Current users of the device report positive perception about how the device is helping them prevent noise-induced hearing loss. However, in its current version, users reported a number of usability barriers that are associated with stopping use of the device. These barriers to use should be addressed as the technology progresses.
Changes in the Activities of Lysosomal Enzymes in Infarcted Canine Heart Muscle

Experimental myocardial infarction was produced in 32 mongrel dogs. The changes in activity of four lysosomal enzymes (acid phosphatase, glucuronidase, deoxyribonuclease, and γ-glutamyl-transpeptidase) were examined in the soluble and the particle-bound fraction. The pattern of changes in free and particle-bound enzyme activity observed was similar for all four enzymes. During the first 48 hours after coronary occlusion, the particle-bound enzyme activity was decreased, while the free activity was moderately increased, reflecting the autolytic phase of cell and tissue destruction. Between the second and the sixth day, the soluble hydrolytic enzyme activity was maximal and the particle-bound activity was slowly increasing. During this period, the main part of tissue degradation and removal of cell debris takes place. Ten days after myocardial infarction the free hydrolytic activity had returned to control values, but the particle-bound enzyme activity was four to ten times higher in the infarcted tissue than in the control muscle.
Beaufort-Chukchi seas summer and fall ice margin data from Seasat: conditions with similarities to the Labrador Sea

The margin of the sea-ice pack of the Beaufort and Chukchi seas is examined using the microwave data from Seasat taken during the summer to early fall, July 4 through October 8, 1978, and the observations are compared to the analogous observations taken in LIMEX'87. The sensors used are synthetic-aperture radar (SAR), the Seasat-A scatterometer system, and the Scanning Multichannel Microwave Radiometer. >
Early human settlement and natural formation of the Florida Everglades, USA: The Ichthyoarchaeological evidence

Abstract The Everglades, the largest subtropical wetland in North America, was initially formed by natural processes approximately 5000 years ago and has since dominated the interior landscape of south Florida. Scattered throughout this vast freshwater marsh are tree islands, small clusters of trees situated on slightly elevated ground, which stand out conspicuously amid the surrounding lower vegetation. As the only dry land available, tree islands were ideal for human settlements in the distant past and contain numerous archeological sites. Recent excavations at several sites lend further support to existing evidence that human populations had initially camped on these interior tree islands quite early in time. One such site is Heartleaf Hammock, where rich well-preserved midden deposits demonstrate that people intensively occupied and used locally available aquatic resources, especially fish, as early as 4400 years ago. Moreover, the kinds and relative quantities of fish and other freshwater fauna represented indicate that the Everglades wetland marsh ecosystem was already in existence at the time of this early human occupation.
Overcoming Chemotherapy Resistance by Targeting Hyaluronan/ CD44-Mediated Stem Cell Marker (Nanog) Signaling and MicroRNA-21 in Breast, Ovarian, and Head and Neck Cancer

Multidrug resistance frequently contributes to the failure of chemotherapeutic drug treatments in patients diagnosed with solid tumors such as breast, ovarian and head and neck cancers. It is now certain that oncogenic signaling is directly involved in chemotherapeutic drug resistance and tumor progression. A number of studies have aimed at identifying those molecules which are expressed specifically by epithelial tumor cells and correlate with metastatic behavior and chemotherapy resistance. Among such candidate molecules is hyaluronan (HA), the major glycosaminoglycan component of extracellular matrix (ECM). HA serves not only as a primary constituent of connective tissue extracellular matrices but also functions as a bio-regulatory molecule. Pertinently, HA is enriched in many types of tumors. HA is capable of binding to CD44 which is a ubiquitous, abundant and functionally important receptor expressed on the surface of many normal cells and tumor cells.