cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Abstract 1656: First-in-class, fluorinated folate receptor specific agents that target tumor cells via inhibition of serine hydroxymethyltransferase 2 (SHMT2) and 5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide formyltransferase (AICARFTase)

Tumor-specific folate receptor (FR) targeting over the ubiquitous reduced folate carrier (RFC) allows for specific tumor targeting without the attending dose-limiting toxicity of all clinically used cytotoxic agents. In an attempt to provide selectivity for FRα and/or β, folic acid has been conjugated with a variety of cytotoxic payloads to alleviate dose-limiting toxicities since folic acid is not transported via RFC (the major tissue folate transporter) to any significant extent. These conjugates have been unsuccessful in clinical trials likely in part due to the instability of the linkers used for conjugation. Premature cleavage results in the cytotoxic component being released prior to tumor penetration, thus precluding any possibility of selective tumor targeting. We designed novel pyrrolo[3,2-d]pyrimidine compounds in which both the targeting component and the cytotoxic component are in the same molecule. These compounds do not require any conjugation or linkers and hence do not suffer any premature cleavage. In this report, we synthesized and evaluated a “first-in-class” series of fluorinated analogues that target FRα/β and have limited transport via RFC, thus providing selectivity for tumors expressing FRα and/or FRβ. Two lead molecules, AGF347 and AGF355, were potent inhibitors of KB human tumor cell proliferation in vitro (IC50 = 1.05 nM and 6.25 nM respectively). Based on protection experiments with glycine, thymidine, adenosine and 5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide (AICA), AGF347 and AGF355 were identified as dual inhibitors of serine hydroxymethyltransferase 2 (SHMT2), a key enzyme in mitochondrial one-carbon metabolism and reported oncodriver, and AICA ribonucleotide formyltransferase (AICARFTase), the 2nd folate-dependent step in de novo purine biosynthesis. These compounds are currently being evaluated in preclinical studies as potential candidates for clinical trials. Citation Format: Md Junayed Nayeen, Khushbu Shah, Aleem Gangjee, Aamod Dekhne, Zhanjun Hou, Larry H. Matherly. First-in-class, fluorinated folate receptor specific agents that target tumor cells via inhibition of serine hydroxymethyltransferase 2 (SHMT2) and 5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide formyltransferase (AICARFTase) [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2018; 2018 Apr 14-18; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2018;78(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 1656.
Comparing endoscopic ultrasound-guided core biopsies of solid pancreatic and extrapancreatic lesions: a large single-operator experience with a new fine-needle biopsy needle.

Background There has been a paradigm shift in tertiary centers from endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) fine-needle aspiration to EUS fine-needle biopsy (EUS-FNB) for tissue acquisition in solid lesions. While data exists on the use of FNB needles in solid pancreatic lesions, very few studies looked at the utility of FNB in solid extrapancreatic lesions. Our aim was to study and compare the technical success and feasibility of EUS-FNB in evaluating solid pancreatic and extrapancreatic lesions using a novel FNB needle. Methods We performed a retrospective cohort study of patients with solid masses or lesions needing EUS-guided core biopsy at the University of Utah between May 2016 and November 2017. All core biopsies were obtained using an Acquire™Fine Needle Biopsy Device (Boston Scientific Corporation, Natick MA, USA). Rapid on-site evaluation was performed by a board-certified cytopathologist in all cases. Results One hundred thirty-two patients (87 male) were included. Ninety-nine (73.3%) of the lesions were located in the pancreas. All needle sizes (19 G, 22 G and 25 G) had similar yield. The mean number of passes needed was 2.28±0.7. EUS-FNB of the pancreatic lesions had a diagnostic accuracy of 97.9%, comparable to the 97.2% for the biopsied extra-pancreatic lesions. Only 3 of 132 cases needed re-biopsy at a later date. No immediate adverse events were reported. Conclusion In this large, single-center study, EUS-FNB with a novel Franseen-design needle was proven to be an effective modality for tissue acquisition from both pancreatic and extrapancreatic solid lesions.
Examining the relationships between error-related brain activity (the ERN) and anxiety disorders versus externalizing disorders in young children: Focusing on cognitive control, fear, and shyness.

Abstract Objective We examine the relationship between individual differences in temperament (cognitive control, fear, and shyness) and the error-related negativity (i.e., the ERN) in a large sample of young children. Furthermore, we explore to what extent variation in temperament may underlie the associations between the ERN and anxiety disorders versus externalizing disorders. Method Using the Children's Behavior Questionnaire (CBQ), we focus on scales related to cognitive control (attentional focusing, attentional shifting, and inhibitory control) and a fearful/anxious temperament (fearfulness and shyness). We use diagnostic interviews to assess anxiety (specific phobia, separation anxiety disorder, social phobia, generalized anxiety disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and agoraphobia) and externalizing disorders (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder; ADHD, and oppositional defiant disorder; ODD). A go/no-go task was used to measure the ERN. Results Results suggest that while shyness was related to an increased ERN, fearfulness was associated with a decreased ERN. Moreover, increased cognitive control was related to an increased ERN, and an exploratory model suggested that while shyness displayed an independent relationship with the ERN, the relationship between fear and the ERN was accounted for by deficits in cognitive control. Additionally, we found that the ERN was increased in children with anxiety disorders, and that this association was explained by shyness, but not fear or cognitive control. In contrast, the ERN was blunted in children with externalizing disorders (ADHD or ODD), and this association was accounted for by lower levels of both shyness and cognitive control. Conclusions Overall, these results are novel insofar as they suggest that the temperamental factors of shyness and cognitive control may underlie the associations between the ERN and internalizing versus externalizing disorders.
CHAPTER 7 – Electrocardiogram and Cardiac Excitation

This chapter describes the relationship between electrocardiogram and cardiac excitation. The electrical activity of cardiac muscle cells is projected to the surface of the torso by means of the intervening conducting medium. The surface potentials that are recorded as electrocardiograms reflect, therefore, the heart generators and the surrounding volume conductor also. As the goal of electrocardiography is to reconstruct cardiac electrical events from body surface potential data, understanding the role played by the torso volume conductor in determining the surface potential distribution is essential. The cardiac current sources are distributed throughout the myocardium and can be specified by giving the space–time distribution of dipole elements in the entire heart. Advances in electronics and computers have made possible simultaneous recordings of electrical activity from many sites. These mapping techniques have been used to study the pattern of excitation and recovery in the myocardium, providing the basis for a macroscopic description of the cardiac sources as a function of time and space. Mapping techniques have also been used to record the potential distributions over the entire torso—the total surface ECG—extending the standard ECG approach that samples this potential distribution at only a small number of points. Advances in computers and digital computing have also led to the development of detailed computer models and simulations of the electrocardiographic process, which have provided invaluable insights into the relationships between cardiac activity and electrocardiographic fields.
Optimizing Persistent Transactions (Brief Announcement)

There is a mechanical transformation by which algorithms for software transactional memory can be transformed to work with persistent memory. While correct, this transformation does not take into account differences between the persistent and volatile programming models. We show that fundamental properties of the data regions accessed by a persistent software transaction allow for a variety of optimizations not available in the volatile setting, and these lead to significant performance gains.
An exploratory study: faculty perceptions of online learning in undergraduate Sport Management programs.

Abstract Online learning has seen tremendous growth over the past decade. However, this growth has not been without reservation from some, specifically faculty in the Sport Management discipline. This study explored the perceptions of Sport Management faculty in an effort to ascertain their thoughts on online delivery and which courses they feel are conducive to online formats. Results suggest that most faculty have negative views of online learning and feel face-to-face options are more appropriate in the curriculum. Faculty listed Sport Media/Communication and Introduction to Sport Management as most suited for online delivery and Sport Event/Operations management and Facility Management the least appropriate for online delivery.
Adiabatic shear banding behavior of additively manufactured superalloy IN 625

Abstract Additively manufactured nickel superalloy (IN 625) has gained popularity as an alternative to produce high value products of complex geometries for high strength applications under high temperature and corrosive environments. Many of these applications also demand the alloy to withstand high strain rate plastic deformation before the onset of catastrophic failure. The alloy’s utility for high strain rate applications would be compromised if it were to fail suddenly by mechanisms such as adiabatic shear localization. This paper evaluates the shear localization behavior of an additively manufactured IN 625, and compares it to the behavior of the material of equal nominal composition, but prepared by traditional cast-wrought processing. The evaluation was made by imposing pure shear at strain rates of the order of 10,000 1/s in a simple machining configuration. It was found that the additive alloy experienced adiabatic shear banding more readily than the cast-wrought counterpart did. This finding contradicted predictions based on constitutive models developed for both alloys from split-Hopkinson compression testing, which indicated that the additive alloy strain hardened more than the cast-wrought counterpart did.
Alterations of ROS generation and drug sensitivity in Ras-transformed pancreatic cells

3544 Background. Increased level of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which is known to stimulate cell proliferation through signal transduction, has been observed in a wide spectrum of human cancers. Previous studies suggested that there is an association between ROS generation and oncogenic signal involving Ras, which seems to affect the activity of the plasma membrane associated redox enzyme NADPH oxidase (NOX). However, the mechanisms responsible for such oxidative stress in Ras-transformed cancer cells are still unclear, and the potential therapeutic implications remain to be investigated. Methods and Results. By using a variety of biochemical and molecular biology methods including flow cytometry analysis of intracellular ROS, immuoflorescence microscopy and electrophoresis analysis of protein expression, enzyme assay of NOX activity, and matrigel assays for cell motility and invasion, we investigated the biochemical and molecular events involved in Ras transformation and production of ROS. We found that the K-Ras transformed pancreatic cells produced significantly higher level of ROS, which stimulated cell growth and motility, and was associated with an upregulation of superoxide dismutase (SOD) expression, likely as an protective mechanism in response to the ROS stress. Further studies revealed that K-Ras transformation led to increased level of PtdIns(3,4,5)P3 and activation of AKT. The increase of PtdInsP3 seemed to promote the assembling of active NOX enzyme complex, leading to increased production of superoxide radical. Interestingly, capsaicin, a compound previously known to interact with NOX, was able to induce a dramatic accumulation of ROS and cause a preferential cytotoxicity in the transformed cells compared to the non-malignant cells, as evidenced by morphological change, inhibition of motility and invasiveness, and suppression of cell proliferation. Conclusion. Our results suggested that Ras oncogenic signal induced consititutive activation of NOX by activation of PI3-kinase pathway in cancer cells, leading to an increase in free radical generation and preferential vulnerability to further ROS stress by targeting NOX with capsaicin.
Cognitive Load Variability from Road Characteristics Should Influence a Safety Requirement for Vehicle Stopping Sight Distance

Current U.S. geometric road design standards are based on a prescribed value for a driver’s perception-reaction time (a constant value of 2.5 seconds), which represents the time necessary for a dri...
Malawi's Green Belt Initiative, Political Cliques and Local Elite Responses to Customary Land Alienation Under the New

This paper analyzes case studies from Malawi through a political economy perspective to examine the role of national agents (traditional rulers and national political cliques) in facilitating the separation of customary land from local claimants into the circuit of national and international elite “land grabbing”. In 2009, the Malawi government announced the Green Belt Initiative that enables large scale local and foreign investors to get land concessions for agricultural irrigation along the Lake Malawi-Shire River that extends from the northernmost to the southernmost point in Malawi. A 55,000 hectare irrigated farmland concession with the government of Djibouti was agreed upon in 2009; 2,600 hectares of farmland have been acquired by UK’s Investment Management farmland fund; and Lonrho secured a land deal covering 25,000 hectares for rice production. However, the land in the designated belt is customary, utilized by smallholder farmers who are already grappling with serious land shortages. How do local level authority figures respond to the land encroachment? Are the responses uniform or varied? Under what conditions do the responses vary? How about the customary claimants?
Three-dimensional signatures of self-similarity in a high-energy-density plasma shear-driven mixing layer

A hydrodynamic shear mixing layer experiment at the National Ignition Facility had previously demonstrated Eulerian scaling of integrated, late-time quantities, including turbulent kinetic energy. In this manuscript, the experiment is repeated with new materials. Using the new dataset, we demonstrate that Euler-number scalings hold not just for late time, but dynamically throughout the experiment, for measurements in all three spatial dimensions. Incorporating the dynamic scaling leads to an enhanced calculation that the heavier of the two scaled experiments has approached three generations of mergers of its primary instability's structures and a consistent observation of such a merger in action in the lighter of the two scaled experiments. Furthermore, the improved scrutiny of the time evolution of instability structures leads to sharper estimates of turbulent kinetic energy, including a demonstration of different behaviors correlating with surface roughness (quantitatively consistent with transitions between laminar and turbulent initial states), as predicted by a Reynolds-averaged turbulent model, which evidently correctly handles the differing shock-roughness interactions to drive its internal state of the model into different regimes. Altogether, a picture arises of the analytical improvements in treating these variations (of times, densities, and roughnesses) as a unified whole and of multiple ways by which deviations from the scaling could indicate an onset of non-hydrodynamic behavior. Such deviations were not expected for these experiments (which models correctly indicated would remain hydrodynamic) but could be introduced by, for example, imposing external fields or increasing drive energy to test conditions relevant to inertial confinement fusion or other high-energy-density experiments.
Kidney Transplantation in Patients with HIV

HIV+ individuals are at increased risk for end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Kidney transplantation is the best treatment for ESRD in the HIV+ population. Despite reduced access to transplantation, HIV+ patients have excellent outcomes and clearly benefit. Common posttransplant complications and management concerns, including the optimal antiretroviral regimen, immunosuppression protocols, infectious prophylaxis, Hepatitis C co-infection, metabolic complications and malignancy are all discussed.
Family Planning in the Republic of Tajikistan: A narrative review from Soviet times to 2017

Introduction: Tajikistan’s dramatic shift from a high to a low fertility society has taken place over a little more than two decades. While some fertility beliefs remained the same throughout the rapid economic and political transitions of Tajikistan, other beliefs may have changed to respond to the financial realities of the newly independent and Central Asian republic, such as having fewer children. The objective of this review was to describe and analyze the state of family planning in the Republic of Tajikistan from Soviet period (1929-1991) until 2017.Methods: The review is based on materials obtained from various sources including Google Scholar and PubMed, relevant to family planning in Tajikistan, including government policies, open-access nationally representative data, journal articles, and program reports, identified through a selective search of Google Scholar and PubMed databases, and the grey literature. Conclusion: This narrative review presents the history of family planning in Tajikistan, outlines an understanding of the health system context as it relates to family planning, and analyzes the latest national family planning policy (2017). The authors suggest further research is required to (a) understand the beliefs and practices related to family planning; and (b) define strategies to address the issue of unmet need of family planning services.
Generalizations and strengthenings of Ryser's conjecture

Ryser's conjecture says that for an $r$-partite hypergraph $H$ with matching number $\nu(H)$, the vertex cover number is at most $(r-1)\nu(H)$. This far reaching generalization of Konig's theorem is only known to be true for $r\leq 3$, or $\alpha(G)=1$ and $r\leq 5$. An equivalent formulation of Ryser's conjecture is that in every $r$-edge coloring of a graph $G$ with independence number $\alpha(G)$, there exists at most $(r-1)\alpha(G)$ monochromatic connected subgraphs which cover the vertex set of $G$. We make the case that this latter formulation of Ryser's conjecture naturally leads to a variety of stronger conjectures and generalizations to hypergraphs and multipartite graphs. In regards to these generalizations and strengthenings, we survey the known results, improving upon some, and we introduce a collection of new problems and results.
Spontaneous Self-Distancing Mediates the Association Between Working Memory Capacity and Emotion Regulation Success:

Self-distancing is associated with adaptive emotion regulation (ER), thereby making it a common treatment target across psychotherapies. However, less is known about cognitive processes that facili...
Association between high vancomycin minimum inhibitory concentration and clinical outcomes in patients with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia: a meta-analysis.

To assess the relationship between high vancomycin minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC), in patients with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia (MRSAB), and both mortality and complicated bacteremia. Embase, Medline, EBM, Scopus and Web of Science were searched for studies published from January 1st 2014 to February 29th 2020. “High” vancomycin MIC cut off was defined as ≥ 1.5 mg/L. Three referees independently reviewed studies that compared outcomes in patients with MRSAB stratified by vancomycin MIC. Subgroup analyses were performed for rates of mortality and complicated bacteremia. A total of 13 studies with 2089 patients were included. Overall, mortality was 27.7% and 23.3% in the high and low vancomycin MIC group, respectively. No significant difference was found between vancomycin MIC groups for overall mortality, in-hospital mortality, late mortality, persistent bacteremia, severe sepsis or septic shock, acute renal failure, septic emboli or endocarditis, and osteomyelitis or septic arthritis. Early mortality was significantly associated with low vancomycin MIC. Mortality in studies using broth microdilution method (BMD) and need for mechanical ventilation were significantly associated with high vancomycin MIC. Overall mortality and complicated bacteremia were not significantly associated with high vancomycin MICs in a patient with MRSAB. Randomized controlled trials to assess the utility of vancomycin MIC values in predicting mortality and other adverse clinical outcomes are warranted.
Race and Ethnicity and Exclusive Breastfeeding Success.

Introduction: Breast milk is the ideal food for infants. However, at 6 months of age, <25% of infants in the United States are exclusively breastfed. While racial disparities in breastfeeding have ...
The Changing Memories of Jewish Budapest: Pre- and Post-Holocaust Representations of a City

Budapest was the home to one of the largest Jewish communities in the central European region before the Holocaust, and the history of the city becoming a metropolis at the turn of the twentieth ce...
Body Mass Index, Multi-Morbidity, and COVID-19 Risk Factors as Predictors of Severe COVID-19 Outcomes.

PurposeThe purpose of the present study was to investigate body mass index, multi-morbidity, and COVID-19 Risk Score as predictors of severe COVID-19 outcomes.PatientsPatients from this study are f...
SU-E-J-261: The Importance of Appropriate Image Preprocessing to Augment the Information of Radiomics Image Features

Purpose: To investigate how different image preprocessing techniques, their parameters, and the different boundary handling techniques can augment the information of features and improve feature’s differentiating capability. Methods: Twenty-seven NSCLC patients with a solid tumor volume and no visually obvious necrotic regions in the simulation CT images were identified. Fourteen of these patients had a necrotic region visible in their pre-treatment PET images (necrosis group), and thirteen had no visible necrotic region in the pre-treatment PET images (non-necrosis group). We investigated how image preprocessing can impact the ability of radiomics image features extracted from the CT to differentiate between two groups. It is expected the histogram in the necrosis group is more negatively skewed, and the uniformity from the necrosis group is less. Therefore, we analyzed two first order features, skewness and uniformity, on the image inside the GTV in the intensity range [−20HU, 180HU] under the combination of several image preprocessing techniques: (1) applying the isotropic Gaussian or anisotropic diffusion smoothing filter with a range of parameter(Gaussian smoothing: size=11, sigma=0:0.1:2.3; anisotropic smoothing: iteration=4, kappa=0:10:110); (2) applying the boundaryadapted Laplacian filter; and (3) applying the adaptive upper threshold for the intensity range. A 2-tailed T-test was used to evaluate the differentiating capability of CT features on pre-treatment PT necrosis. Result: Without any preprocessing, no differences in either skewness or uniformity were observed between two groups. After applying appropriate Gaussian filters (sigma>=1.3) or anisotropic filters(kappa >=60) with the adaptive upper threshold, skewness was significantly more negative in the necrosis group(p<0.05). By applying the boundary-adapted Laplacian filtering after the appropriate Gaussian filters (0.5 <=sigma<=1.1) or anisotropic filters(20<=kappa <=50), the uniformity was significantly lower in the necrosis group (p<0.05). Conclusion: Appropriate selection of image preprocessing techniques allows radiomics features to extract more useful information and thereby improve prediction models based on these features.
Liquid momentum removal using rod arrays applied to the HYLIFE ICF reactor

This work related to the multiple liquid-lithium-jet blanket concept of the High Yield Lithium Fusion Energy (HYLIFE) reactor. The fusion microexplosion would result in part of the liquid lithium being propelled toward the vacuum chamber wall where the resulting impact would cause high peak hoop stresses. In an attempt to reduce these peak stresses, it was proposed to set up an array of bars between the vacuum vessel first wall and the liquid jets so that part of the liquid momentum would be removed as the liquid passed through the bars. The bars would have a shorter lifetime than the vacuum vessel due to the liquid impact so that they should be considered as a type of sacrificial and replaceable first-wall shield. Results for the momentum removal during the initial transient impact were taken from the literature. These results were then nondimensionalized and used in combination with the steady-state results from our experiments to estimate the percentage of liquid momentum removed from large liquid slugs. For example, for the staggered array with a rod-to-liquid slug diameter ratio of approx. 0.08, the fractional momentum removed approaches approx. 12% for long liquid slugs. The results from this initial scoping study are encouragingmore » when applied to the HYLIFE reactor since, for ferritic and austenitic steels, the rather flat fatigue curves at a higher number of stress cycles suggest that a small decrease in the peak stress could significantly increase the fatigue life of the vacuum vessel.« less
What do nominal rigidities and monetary policy tell us about the real yield curve

We study term and inflation risk premia in real and nominal bonds, respectively, in an equilibrium model calibrated to United States data. Nominal wage and price rigidities, and an interest-rate monetary policy rule characterize our model economy. Wage rigidities induce positive term and inflation risk premia for permanent productivity shocks: they generate high marginal utility, expected consumption growth, inflation, and bond yields, simultaneously. Policy and inflation-target shocks increase real and nominal yield variability, respectively. Real-nominal bond return correlations are increased by the rigidities. Stronger policy responses to output and inflation reduce real term premia and increase inflation risk premia.
Synaptic selection by dopamine neurotransmission (468.3)

Electrophysiological and electrochemical recordings provide time resolution sufficient to measure quantal neurotransmission at CNS synapses, but do not resolve activity of individual synapses within populations. Modulation at the level of individual synapses, however, may be required in habit learning and decision making. We will discuss means to resolve the modulation of subgroups of individual synapses using fluorescent false neurotransmitters (FFNs) that act as synaptic vesicle transporter substrates as well as endocytic probes. These optical approaches indicate not only presynaptic release probability and reuptake kinetics but also new forms of presynaptic plasticity, including the rapid movement of presynaptic release sites, and transfer between silent and active states. We will show how such selection of corticostriatal synapses by dopamine and cannabinoid might enable normal motor function.
A History of Cronyism and Capture in the Information Technology Sector

This paper documents the evolution of government-granted privileges, or "cronyism," in the information and communications technology marketplace and in the media-producing sectors. It also shows that cronyism is slowly creeping into new high-technology sectors. This influence could dull entrepreneurialism and competition in this highly innovative sector since time and resources spent on influencing politicians and capturing regulators cannot be spent competing and innovating in the marketplace. Cronyism will also negatively impact consumer welfare by denying consumers more and better products and services. Additionally, consumers might end up paying higher prices or higher taxes due to government privileges for industry. Finally, this paper offers strategies for stalling and diminishing the cronyism already taking root in the high-tech sector.
Problematic Internet use: an overview

There is wide agreement that the Internet can serve as a tool that enhances well-being. It is more difficult, however, to find consensus around the issue of problematic Internet use. That may be in part because scientific investigation has lagged far behind technological advances and media attention. The diagnostic schemas that have been proposed since 1996, and the screening tools that have been developed, stress similarities with substance use, impulse control disorders, and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Prevalence figures vary as a function of the diagnostic definition used, the age group studied, and whether the surveys were conducted online. Studies suggest high comorbidity rates with mood disorders and, among younger individuals, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Treatment should address any comorbid conditions present, as those may be causing, or exacerbating, problematic Internet use. Interventions that may specifically target problematic Internet use include cognitive behavioral therapy and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, but detailed guidelines must await further studies. For a medium that has so radically changed how we conduct our lives, the Internet's effects on our psychology remain understudied. More research is needed into the pathophysiology, epidemiology, natural course, and treatment of problematic Internet use. In addition, the more subtle psychological changes, such as disinhibition, that seem to characterize people's online behavior also deserve attention, even if they cannot be seen as necessarily pathological.
A Review of “Dancing with Digital Natives: Staying in Step with the Generation That’s Transforming the Way Business is Done”: Manafy, Michelle and Gautschi, Heidi, eds. Information Today, 2011, 394 pp., $27.95, hard cover, ISBN 9780910965873.

The essays that form Dancing With Digital Natives come from authors in a wide range of fields and with a variety of experiences with this generation (for the purposes of this book, those born since...
Closed-form solutions and supersymmetric partners of the inverted Mathews-Lakshmanan oscillator

We study an inverted version of the quantum Mathews-Lakshmanan oscillator. The system is shown to admit a discrete spectrum and an associated set of solutions, located in a weighted Hilbert space. We compare properties of the solutions with their counterparts for the conventional Mathews-Lakshmanan model. Furthermore, several supersymmetric partners of our system are constructed.
Theory-guided enhancement of poling efficiency of organic electro-optic materials

Theoretical calculations have demonstrated that the ratio of second and third degree order parameters can define lattice dimensionality and furthermore, that an increased ratio of second to third degree order parameters represents reduced lattice dimensionality. As a result, the third degree order parameter (i.e. acentric order parameter) is increased, causing an increase in electro-optic activity with reduced lattice dimensionality. Experimentally, specific spatially-anisotropic interactions associated with coumarin moieties and Frechet-type (arene/perfluoroarene) dendrons have been incorporated into chromophore systems and have been shown to lead to lattices of reduced dimensionality, resulting in increased values of the acentric order parameter and therefore, electro-optic activity. Reductions in lattice dimensionality can also arise from guest chromophore-host chromophore interactions in binary chromophore organic glasses and from laserinduced ordering of host lattice chromophores observed in the laser-assisted electric field poling of azo-dye-containing host lattices. These interactions in various chromophore systems including investigation of EO and order properties are discussed.
Stereoselective synthesis of O-serinyl/threoninyl-2-acetamido-2-deoxy-α- or β-glycosides

General glycosidation methodology has been developed which can selectively provide 2-acetamido-2-deoxy-alpha- or beta-glycosides of beta-hydroxy-alpha-amino acid derivatives [glucopyranoside-(8, 43), galactopyranoside- (9, 13), mannopyranoside- (10), lactoside analogs (11, 38) and 3-O-beta-galactopyranosyl-mannopyranoside (12)] stereoselectively in excellent yield from the highly nucleophilic alpha-imino esters (Schiff bases) of L-serine and L-threonine. Various glycosides were converted via their amino and acetamido derivatives to Fmoc-protected serinyl- or threoninyl-glycosides (24-28, 37, 41, 46) which are all suitable building blocks for the solid-phase synthesis of O-glycopeptides. Complete 1H- and 13C-NMR data are provided for all compounds.
Impact of Family Stability on Children's Delinquency: An Implication for Family Preservation

ABSTRACT Employing for analysis a set of secondary data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, the present study sought signs of theoretical support for this emphasis on family preservation. Specifically, the research examined the effects on childhood delinquency of the following variables: family stability; parenting style; parental supervision; and structural factors. Binomial logistic regression conducted with the data showed that children's likelihood of becoming delinquent drops noticeably in the following circumstances: they are female; they do not live in poverty; the mother is older or is African-American; they receive stringent parental supervision; and/or they spend many years in residence with biological parents and/or step-parents. Some implications for family preservation efforts are suggested by the study results.
Environmental stress-mediated differential 3′ end formation of chloroplast RNA-binding protein transcripts

We report the characterization of transcripts from the halophyte, Mesembryanthemum crystallinum, encoding a protein with high homology to chloroplast RNA-binding proteins (cRBP). In this plant chloroplast-related functions are largely protected against salt stress. cRBP transcripts are derived from a single gene, Mc32crbp, although three size classes of polyadenylated mRNAs are detected. Transcription rate and steady state amounts of mRNA are developmentally regulated and light controlled with strong transcriptional activity as functional chloroplasts are established, and with lower maintenance activity thereafter. Upon salt stress, the rate of transcription decreases, although transcript levels increase. Accompanying stress, a change in the distribution of transcript size classes is observed as the longest transcript with an untranslated 3′ end of 381 nucleotides increases relative to transcripts with shorter 3′ ends. The long transcript is characterized by the presence of five sequence elements in the 3′-untranslated region that are present in cRBP mRNAs from a variety of plants, although not all elements are found in each mRNA. The results may indicate a mechanism by which mRNA levels of constitutively light-regulated genes may be modulated without enhanced transcription in response to environmental cues.
Myocardial Depression with Disopyramide

Excerpt To the editor: Myocardial depression secondary to disopyramide has been emphasized by several authors and in the package insert. Nevertheless, our experience suggests that many physicians a...
Discovering new neuropeptides using single-cell mass spectrometry

Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) coupled with time-of-flight (TOF) mass spectrometry (MS) is a rapid and sensitive analytical approach well suited to obtaining molecular weights of peptides and proteins from single-cell samples. The current state of the art in single-cell neuropeptide profiling with MS is highlighted. Strategies for peptide identification and characterization of post-translational modifications are presented. Furthermore, several recent enhancements in MALDI-MS technology, including in situ peptide sequencing, as well as the direct spatial mapping of peptides in cells and tissues, are discussed.
Tunneling studies of a metallic superlattice

Tunneling studies of artificially prepared Nb-Cu superlattices have been performed. Individual layers were in the range 8--5000 A with total sample thicknesses approx.1..mu..m. The coupling strength 2..delta../kT/sub c/ shows a continuous decrease from values of approx.3.8 (thick layers) appropriate for a strong-coupled superconductor toward the weak-coupled value of approx.3.5 (thin layers). Contrary to earlier theoretical predictions and reports of indirect experimental evidence, we find no evidence for electronic states within the superconducting energy gap. The energies of the Nb longitudinal and transverse acoustic (LA and TA) phonons are found to be unaltered from their bulk values down to layer thicknesses of 32 A. At approx.10 A the TA peak remains unaltered in energy but significantly broadens while the LA peak becomes too broad to measure. These results, in conjunction with earlier Brillouin scattering measurements, imply large changes in the phonon dispersion as a function of layer thickness.
Spin-charge coupling and the high-energy magnetodielectric effect in hexagonal HoMnO3

We investigate the optical and magneto-optical properties of $\mathrm{Ho}\mathrm{Mn}{\mathrm{O}}_{3}$ in order to elucidate the spin-charge coupling and high-energy magnetodielectric effect. We find that the $\mathrm{Mn}\phantom{\rule{0.2em}{0ex}}d$ to $d$ excitations are sensitive to the cascade of low-temperature magnetic transitions involving the ${\mathrm{Mn}}^{3+}$ moment, direct evidence for spin-charge coupling. An applied magnetic field also modifies the on-site excitations. The high-energy magnetodielectric contrast ($\ensuremath{\sim}8%$ at $20\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\mathrm{T}$ near $1.8\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\mathrm{eV}$) derives from the substantial mixing in this multiferroic system.
Backside Wear in Modern Total Knee Designs

Although modularity affords various options to the orthopedic surgeon, these benefits come at a price. The unintended bearing surface between the back surface of the tibial insert and the metallic tray results in micromotion leading to polyethylene wear debris. The objective of this study was to examine the backside wear of tibial inserts from three modern total knee designs with very different locking mechanisms: Insall-Burstein II® (IB II®), Optetrak®, and Advance®. A random sample of 71 inserts were obtained from our institution’s retrieval collection and examined to assess the extent of wear, depth of wear, and wear damage modes. Patient records were also obtained to determine patient age, body mass index, length of implantation, and reason for revision. Modes of wear damage (abrasion, burnishing, scratching, delamination, third body debris, surface deformation, and pitting) were then scored in each zone from 0 to 3 (0 = 0%, 1 = 0–10%, 2 = 10–50%, and 3 = >50%). The depth of wear was subjectively identified as removal of manufacturing identification markings stamped onto the inferior surface of the polyethylene. Both Advance® and IB II® polyethylene inserts showed significantly higher scores for backside wear than the Optetrak® inserts. All IB II® and Advance® implants showed evidence of backside wear, whereas 17% (5 out of 30) of the retrieved Optetrak® implants had no observable wear. There were no significant differences when comparing the depth of wear score between designs. The locking mechanism greatly affects the propensity for wear and should be considered when choosing a knee implant system.
Changes in expression of CD45R during the development of Th1 and Th2 cell lines

Previous studies using anti-CD45R monoclonal antibodies (mAb) have shown that normal CD4+ T cells can be separated into virgin and memory cells based on their level of expression of CD45R. CD45Rhi (virgin) T cells secrete interleukin (IL)-2 whereas CD45Rlo (memory) T cells secrete both IL-2 and IL-4. In contrast to these results, studies using cultured T cell lines have shown that IL-2-secreting T helper cell type 1 (Th1) cells are CD45Rlo and IL-4-secreting Th2 cells are CD45Rhi. To resolve this discrepancy, and to determine how the Th1 and Th2 cell lines relate to memory CD45Rlo and virgin CD45Rhi CD4+ T cells, we have isolated CD45Rlo cells from alloantigen-primed mice and developed allospecific Th1 and Th2 cell lines. The lymphokines secreted by these lines were then evaluated. Our results show that as CD45Rlo T cells develop into in vitro cell lines which secrete IL-4, they become CD45Rhi. In contrast, CD45Rlo cells that develop into lines which secrete IL-2 maintain their CD45Rlo phenotype. Thus, although both Th1 and Th2 cells arise initially from CD45Rlo cells, Th2 cells become CD45Rhi during prolonged in vitro culture but, Th1 cells do not.
Song pitch indicates body size and correlates with males' response to playback in a songbird

The inverse relationship between body size and vocalization pitch has been described in a number of species. Nevertheless, the existence of size–pitch allometry within any songbird species is surprising due to the small size variation between males, the determinate growth and exceptional vocal prowess of the taxon. The phenomenon has been documented in only a few songbird species so far and the consequences of allometry remain unclear in this taxonomic group. In this study, we provide evidence that song spectral features are related to one of the body size components (tarsus length) even in a very small songbird species: the willow warbler, Phylloscopus trochilus. Moreover, the response of territorial males was affected by the pitch asymmetry between the subject and the playback stimulus: the lower-pitched the subject's song in respect to the stimulus the bolder was its response. Our results suggest that willow warbler males may use song pitch to assess the body size of their rivals (i.e. their fighting ability) in male–male competition for resources.
World climatic data

The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) sponsors the publication of Monthly Climatic Data for the World (MCDW). This year, 1987, marked the introduction of volume 40, representing 40 years of global surface and upper air climatological data compiled in the MCDW publication format. Surface data include monthly means and/or departures from normal of temperature, precipitation, atmospheric pressure, and sunshine, while upper air data include monthly means of geopotential height, temperature, dewpoint, and winds. About 1500 surface stations and 500 upper air stations (see cover) now contribute data to the National Climatic Data Center, a unit of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) that coordinates publication and production of digital data products with the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR, in Boulder, Colo.). Most data are collected via the Global Telecommunications System (GTS), supplemented by occasional mailings for delayed data.
Cohomology of Symplectomorphism Groups and Critical Values of Hamiltonians

Let (P, co) be a compact, simply connected symplectic manifold, Sym (P, co) its group of automorphisms. The period group F(P, co)c R is defined to be the image of [co] x H2 (P; Z) under the integration pairing H 2 (P; R) x H2 (P; Z) ~ R. Since [co] 4:0, the quotient G(P, co)=R/F(P, co) is either a circle or the quotient of a circle by a countable dense subgroup. The purpose of this paper is to define and study a natural homomorphism A from 7h (Sym (P, co)) to G (P, co). Simply stated, A measures the average over P (with respect to the symplectic measure) of the action integral around the trajectories of a loop of symplectomorphisms. In terms of hamiltonians, we give a formula for A which becomes especially simple when the loop is a 1-parameter subgroup, in which case we can make some concrete computations. These are related to the work of Guillemin-Sternberg [9], and Duistermaat-Heckmann [7] on momentum mappings. We also give an interpretation of A in terms of lifting symplectomorphisms from P to a prequantization, i.e. a G(P, co) bundle over P with a connection whose curvature form is co. Here, we extend the theory from the usual case where G(P, co) is a circle by using the concept of diffeological structure introduced by Souriau [16]. In a sequel to this paper [19], taking as a starting point the observation that the graphs of symplectomorphisms are lagrangian submanifolds in a product manifold, we shall study the possible extension of A to an invariant on loops in the space of lagrangian submanifolds in a symplectic manifold. It turns out that this invariant should be defined as the holonomy of a connection whose definition involves choosing a probability measure on each lagrangian submanifold. The connection is flat only for certain ways of choosing these measures, and the curvature in the general case is closely related to the "geometric phase" introduced by Berry [4], which is a subject of current interest among theoretical and experimental physicists as well as mathematicians [1, 6, I0, 11, 13, 173.
At least one of the protofilaments in flagellar microtubules is not composed of tubulin

Abstract Background: The core of the eukaryotic flagellum is the axoneme, a complex motile organelle composed of ∼200 different polypeptides. The most prominent components of the axoneme are the central pair and nine outer doublet microtubules. Each doublet microtubule contains an A and a B tubule; these are composed, respectively, of 13 and 10–11 protofilaments, all of which are thought to be made of tubulin. The mechanisms that control the assembly of the doublet microtubules and establish the periodic spacings of associated proteins, such as dynein arms and radial spokes, are unknown. Tektins, a set of microtubule-associated proteins, are present in the axoneme as stable filaments that remain after the extraction of doublet microtubules; they are localized near to where the B tubule attaches to the A tubule and near to the binding sites for radial spokes, inner dynein arms and nexin links. Tektin filaments may contribute in an interesting way to the structural properties of axonemes. Results We have fractionated doublet microtubules from sea urchin sperm flagella into ribbons of stable protofilaments, which can be shown to originate from the A tubule. Using cryo-electron microscopy, conventional electron microscopy, scanning transmission electron microscopy, three-dimensional reconstruction and kinesin decoration, we have found that one protofilament in the ribbon is not composed of tubulin. This protofilament is an integral protofilament of the A tubule wall, has less mass per unit length than tubulin and does not bind kinesin. Conclusion Contrary to what is generally assumed, at least one protofilament in the wall of the A tubule is not composed of tubulin. Our data suggest that this non-tubulin protofilament is primarily composed of tektins, proteins that show some structural similarity to intermediate filament proteins. A 480 a axial periodicity within these ribbons, revealed by scanning transmission electron microscopy, can be related to the structure of tektin, and may determine the large-scale structure of the axoneme in terms of the binding of dynein, nexin and radial spokes to the doublet microtubule.