cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Speaking for the Modern Prometheus: The Significance of Animal Suffering to the Abolition Movement

Animal activism tends to separate into two general categories: Welfarism and Abolitionism. Welfarism, while not challenging the property status of animals, seeks to improve the treatment of those animals within their context as property; Abolitionism seeks to eliminate the property status of animals. The absence of marked success by either movement may result from the fact that Welfarism uses the right tool toward the wrong goal, while Abolitionism has the right goal but fails to use a crucial tool. That tool is the accurate narrative of the suffering of animals – the type of narrative that has led to change for one social justice movement after another in the history of the United States. Abolitionists should use that tool. .
The electronic structure, spectra, and magnetic properties of actinyl ions: Part I. The uranyl ion

Abstract A calculation of the 1-electron MO energy levels of UO2++ has been carried out using rough estimates of overlap integrals of a set of a Slater orbitals presumed to correspond to the relevant oxygen and uranium atomic orbitals. It is shown that the ground state of a weak uranyl ion is most probably 1 Σ g + and that the UO bond order is three. It is suggested that the variation of the UO bond length in the UO2++ entity, and the decrease of the antisymmetric and symmetric vibrational stretching frequencies should condition a ligand spectrochemical series. A discussion of the spectrum of the uranyl ion is presented in terms of a Hund's coupling case (a) molecule. It is shown that the visible absorption band of the UO2++ ion most probably contains three distinct electronic transitions, which are the components of a T ← S process. The lifetime of the emission process as calculated from the reverse absorption is 4.76 × 10−4 sec; as calculated using a spin-orbital perturbation operator it is of the order of 10−4 – 10−5 sec; the experimental value ranges from 1 × 10−4 to 7 × 10−4 sec. It is also shown that the transition is of an approximate charge-transfer type, and the use of the term “phosphorescence” for the emission process is advocated. A discussion of magnetic susceptibility and its anistropy is also presented
En Route to Depression: Self-Esteem Discrepancies and Habitual Rumination

Dual-process models of cognitive vulnerability to depression suggest that some individuals possess discrepant implicit and explicit self-views, such as high explicit and low implicit self-esteem (fragile self-esteem) or low explicit and high implicit self-esteem (damaged self-esteem). This study investigated whether individuals with discrepant self-esteem may employ depressive rumination in an effort to reduce discrepancy-related dissonance, and whether the relationship between self-esteem discrepancy and future depressive symptoms varies as a function of rumination tendencies. Hierarchical regressions examined whether self-esteem discrepancy was associated with rumination in an Australian undergraduate sample at Time 1 (N = 306; M(age) = 29.9), and whether rumination tendencies moderated the relationship between self-esteem discrepancy and depressive symptoms assessed 3 months later (n = 160). Damaged self-esteem was associated with rumination at Time 1. As hypothesized, rumination moderated the relationship between self-esteem discrepancy and depressive symptoms at Time 2, where fragile self-esteem and high rumination tendencies at Time 1 predicted the highest levels of subsequent dysphoria. Results are consistent with dual-process propositions that (a) explicit self-regulation strategies may be triggered when explicit and implicit self-beliefs are incongruent, and (b) rumination may increase the likelihood of depression by expending cognitive resources and/or amplifying negative implicit biases.
871 ACYCLOVIR THERAPY OF PRIMARY VARICELLA IN LEUKEMIA

Acyclovir [9-(2-hydroxyethoxymethyl)guanine] is an acyclic nucleoside analogue with in vitro activity against herpesviruses including varicella-zoster virus. Acyclovir has had little toxicity except for occasional bullae secondary to drug extravasation. We report our uncontrolled experience with this agent in four children with acute lymphocytic leukemia in remission and disseminated primary varicella with involvement of liver, lungs, CNS, and evidence of myelosuppression and coagulopathy. Progressive organ dissemination of varicella was present in each patient, with new skin lesions in 2, despite three daily infusions of adenine arabinoside (Ara-A). Ara-A was discontinued and IV acyclovir begun at the dose of 500 mg/M2 every 8 hours. Clinical improvement beginning within 24 hours of initiation of acyclovir with subsequent complete recovery following 7-10 days of drug occurred in 3 of 4 patients. The remaining patient, who manifested the most severe CNS, hepatic, and pulmonary dysfunction, ceased developing new skin lesions after acyclovir was begun but showed continued CNS and pulmonary deterioration with DIC, and died after three days. We observed no toxicity except for cutaneous bullae in one patient. This experience suggests that acyclovir may play a role in the treatment of disseminated primary varicella in immunocompromised hosts. Further controlled therapeutic trials with this agent are indicated.
Individual Vγ2-Jγ1.2+ T cells respond to both isopentenyl pyrophosphate and Daudi cell stimulation: generating tumor effectors with low molecular weight phosphoantigens

Human Vγ2Vδ2 T cells exhibit T cell receptor-dependent, MHC-unrestricted recognition of antigen and play important roles in tumor and pathogen immunity. To characterize antigen recognition by the Vγ2Vδ2 TCR, we used the combined approach of spectratyping and CDR3 sequence analysis that measures changes in the TCR repertoire before and after stimulation with a phosphoantigen (isopentenyl pyrophosphate) or an irradiated tumor cell line (Daudi B lymphoma). Here we describe common Vγ2 chains that are substantially involved in the response to both phosphoantigens and tumor cells. The recognition properties of common Vγ2 chains explains the observation that Vγ2Vδ2 T cells expanded by phosphoantigen stimulation specifically recognize and kill some but not all tumor cell lines. Our studies further justify efforts to stimulate tumor immunity by administering low molecular weight phosphoantigens and boosting the frequency and tumor effector functions of circulating Vγ2Vδ2 T cells.
Predictive Tabla Modelling Using Variable-length Markov and Hidden Markov Models

Abstract Tabla is a sophisticated, centuries-old percussion tradition from North India based on timbral sequences. We model these sequences in a predictive framework with Variable-length Markov Models (VLMMs). Using a database containing nearly 30,000 strokes in 35 compositions, we show that VLMMs have high predictive accuracy, with an average perplexity of 1.80, and median perplexity of 1.19, on a task with 42 distinct symbols. This basic framework is extended by the introduction of several new smoothing techniques that determine how to integrate predictions from the different order models. The model is then extended to include parallel representations of the sequence, a technique known as Multiple Viewpoint modelling. The work is then extended to the problem of recognizing strokes from audio. In this hidden context, the identity of the previous stroke is not revealed at each time step. A Variable-length Hidden Markov Model (VLHMM) is used to determine the next-symbol distribution that is used in computi...
Horizontal variation of vertical temperature gradients measured by thermocouple arrays

Abstract Arrays of thermocouples are used to deduce the degree of isotropy of the small-scale temperature structure by measuring the horizontal coherence of the vertical temperature gradient over scales of 1 to 10 cm. In general, the coherence is high in the finestructure range (vertical wavelength of order 1 m) but decreases as the vertical wavelength decrease to values in the microstructure range (less than 10cm). Isotherm tilt at small scales in 1-m size patches of microstructure was measured with an array of horizontally-displaced junctions.
Zinc supplementation in oral rehydration solutions: experimental assessment and mechanisms of action.

Background: Zinc deficiency is associated with chronic diarrhea. This condition is generally linked to an overproduction of nitric oxide (NO), which induces secretion and cellular damage as a free radical. Use of oral rehydration solutions (ORS) is an important part of diarrhea treatment, especially early in infancy and for patients with cholera. The presence of zinc in an ORS could be a positive factor in recovery from diarrheal disease.Objective: This study was undertaken to determine whether zinc added to an ORS could regulate the synthesis of NO metabolites in the lumen of zinc deficient rat intestine, acting as a gastrointestinal protector and thus accelerating normalization of intestinal function and zinc status.Methods: The effects of zinc on NO metabolism were studied in young male rats fed a zinc deficient diet for three weeks to mimic the condition of patients with recurrent diarrheal episodes. During the fourth week of the zinc deficient feedings, experimental diarrhea was induced using cathart...
Effects of Peer-Led Online Asynchronous Discussion on Undergraduate Students' Cognitive Achievement

Abstract This study investigated the effect of peer leadership on students' cognitive achievement in online asynchronous discussions. Undergraduate students from a large online course were randomly assigned into groups for four asynchronous discussions, with each group having two to three peer leaders. Results of the mixed-method analysis revealed that the quality of student leaders' lower-order cognitive achievement in online discussion was significantly better than that of student responders. Student leaders' higher-order cognitive level achievement in online discussion had at least the same quality as that of student responders. Moreover, both students' higher-order and lower-order cognitive achievement in discussions had positive and moderate correlation with students' course achievement. Further study should focus on methods to maximize student responders' cognitive achievement in online peer-led discussions.
Modeling a Freezable Water-Based Heat Exchanger for Use in Spacecraft Thermal Control

A spacecraft thermal control system typically uses water coolant loops to keep the cabin comfortable. However, the relatively high freeze point of water limits its use, because freezing water within the loop may damage the thermal control system. This paper describes a novel freeze-tolerant heat exchanger and the thermal model developed to correlate data from experiments. The radial transport of heat within the heat exchanger was modeled as a thermal circuit. The heat flows from the water into the thermally conductive shell and fins. One flow channel within the heat exchanger was lined with insulation to keep it free of ice. When the heat sink temperature is below the freeze point of water, a layer of ice builds up in the other flow channels to greatly increase the thermal resistance to heat transport, since the thermal conductivity of ice is only about 1/80th that of Al-6061. In addition, the wetted surface area is reduced by a factor of six when only the insulated channel can still flow water (all of th...
Insulin controls subcellular localization and multisite phosphorylation of the phosphatidic acid phosphatase, lipin 1.

Brain, liver, kidney, heart, and skeletal muscle from fatty liver dystrophy (fld/fld) mice, which do not express lipin 1 (lipin), contained much less Mg2+-dependent phosphatidic acid phosphatase (PAP) activity than tissues from wild type mice. Lipin harboring the fld2j (Gly84 → Arg) mutation exhibited relatively little PAP activity. These results indicate that lipin is a major PAP in vivo and that the loss of PAP activity contributes to the fld phenotype. PAP activity was readily detected in immune complexes of lipin from 3T3-L1 adipocytes, where the protein was found both as a microsomal form and a soluble, more highly phosphorylated, form. Fifteen phosphorylation sites were identified by mass spectrometric analyses. Insulin increased the phosphorylation of multiple sites and promoted a gel shift that was due in part to phosphorylation of Ser106. In contrast, epinephrine and oleic acid promoted dephosphorylation of lipin. The PAP-specific activity of lipin was not affected by the hormones or by dephosphorylation of lipin with protein phosphatase 1. However, the ratio of soluble to microsomal lipin was markedly increased in response to insulin and decreased in response to epinephrine and oleic acid. The results suggest that insulin and epinephrine control lipin primarily by changing localization rather than intrinsic PAP activity.
Fabry disease complicating pregnancy.

Background. Few cases of Fabry disease, an X-linked lysosomal storage disorder, complicating pregnancy are reported.Case. A 36-year-old primigravida with known Fabry disease manifest with acroparesthesias, tinnitus, and hearing loss delivered a healthy unaffected infant at term.Conclusion. A symptomatic Fabry carrier may experience an otherwise uncomplicated pregnancy in the absence of vital organ involvement.
Clozapine -- Deciphering the Risks

Clozapine appears to induce two clinically distinct types of neutropenia; these are the basis for the study by Alvir et al., reported in this issue of the Journal1. One is a mild-to-moderate neutropenia (absolute neutrophil count, 500 to 1500 per cubic millimeter) that occurs in 1.5 to 2.0 percent of patients receiving clozapine. This form of neutropenia is probably due to premature destruction in blood or spleen, since abundant myeloid maturation is evident in the marrow. When clozapine is discontinued, recovery is rapid, within three to seven days, and patients remain asymptomatic. The second type of neutropenia is more . . .
Synthesis and evaluation of water-soluble polymeric bone-targeted drug delivery systems

Four polymeric bone-targeting conjugates were synthesized based on poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG, two conjugates) and poly[N-(2-hydroxypropyl)methacrylamide] (PHPMA, two conjugates). The well-known bone-targeting compounds, alendronate and aspartic acid peptide, were used as bone-targeting moieties. Fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) was attached to the conjugates as a model drug for detection purposes. The bone-targeting potential of these conjugates was tested in vitro with hydroxyapatite (HA) and in mice. The data obtained indicated that these novel delivery systems could specifically accumulate in the bone tissue.
Multi-Blade Row Interactions in a Transonic Axial Compressor: Part I — Stator Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) Investigation

Multi-blade row interactions in an advanced design 1&1/2 stage axial-flow compressor are experimentally investigated at both subsonic and transonic rotor operating conditions using particle image velocimetry (PIV). Transonic rotor operation had a significant impact on the downstream stator unsteady flow field due to phenomena associated with the intra-stator transport of the chopped rotor wake segments. In the stator reference frame, the rotor wakes have a slip velocity relative to the mean flow that causes the low momentum wake fluid to migrate across the vane passage and accumulate on the stator pressure surface as the chopped wake segments are transported downstream. This results in the generation of counter-rotating vortices on each side of the chopped wake segment that convect downstream with the mean flow and act as an additional source of unsteadiness to the vane pressure surface. These interaction phenomena are not evident in the PIV data at the part-speed compressor operating condition due to the much lower velocity deficit and hence slip velocity associated with the subsonic rotor wakes.Copyright © 2001 by ASME
The effect of hormones on metal and metal-ATP interactions with fat cell adenylate cyclase

Abstract 1-adrenaline, ACTH and glucagon activate the adenylate cyclase of rat adipocytes by decreasing its S 0.5(Mg 2+ ) (concentration yielding 0.5 V max ) from its basal value of 11.5 to 1.2, 0.3 and 1.8 mM and by increasing its K i(ATP 4− ) from 0.03 to 0.25; 0.62 and 0.16 mM respectively. The kinetic properties of the enzyme are regulated by its state of saturation with ATP 4− or Mg 2+ ; its saturation with ATP 4− and citrate 3− suppressed its basal and hormone-dependent activities. The hormone-dependent decrease in K m and increase in V max of the enzyme occur when shifting from suboptimal low concentrations of hormone and Mg 2+ to optimal conditions, i.e., high concentration of hormone and low concentration of Mg 2+ . The increase in the state of saturation of the enzyme with Mg 2+ decreases the hormone-dependent effects on V max and results in identical values of K m (0.14 mM) for its basal and 1-adrenaline dependent activities. CaCl 2 saturation curves at 5 mM ATP with either 5, 10 or 20 mM MgCl 2 show that the substitution of 5 mM MgCl 2 by 10 mM and 20 mM MgCl 2 increased the K i(Ca 2+ ) of the enzyme from 0.19 to 0.49 and 0.94 mM but decreased its K i(CaATP) from 0.42 to 0.19 and 0.14 mM respectively. Only when the concentration of MgCl 2 exceeded that of ATP did 1-adrenaline and ACTH activate the enzyme by increasing its K i(Ca 2+ ), although only ACTH increased its K i(CaATP) . An increase in energy charge would decrease the intracellular concentrations of Mg 2+ and Ca 2+ because ATP 4− has stronger binding constants for Mg 2+ and Ca 2+ than ADP 3− and AMP 2− . Hence, the reported properties of the enzyme suggests that changes in energy charge may allow for metabolic feedback control of the hormonal responsiveness of the Mg 2+ , Ca 2+ , ATP 4− -sensitive adenylate cyclase.
Assessment of an Unstructured-Grid Method for Predicting Aerodynamic Performance of Jet Flaps

The application of a Computational Fluid Dynamics tool to a jet flap control effector on an elliptical airfoil-section wing was investigated. The study utilized the Tetrahedral Unstructured Software System developed at NASA Langley Research Center. The Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes flow solver code used was USM3D. The CFD-based jet flap simulations were compared to experimental results from a wind tunnel test conducted at the NASA Langley Transonic Dynamics Tunnel. The wind tunnel model consisted of a six percent thick elliptical airfoil with a modified trailing edge. The jet flap was located at 95% chord and exited at 90 degrees to the lower surface. The experimental model was designed to promote two-dimensional flow across the wing. It was found that the CFD simulation had to model the three-dimensional geometry of the experiment in order to obtain good agreement. Tests were performed at two Mach numbers at several different jet momentum coefficients. In order to be consistent with the experimental method, the CFD lift and pitching moment values were determined by integrating the pressures over the wing.
Nursing diagnoses: A study of cultural relevance

This study examines the adequacy/inadequacy of three nursing diagnoses with cultural etiologies: (1) impaired verbal communication related to cultural differences; (2) impaired social interaction related to sociocultural dissonance; and (3) noncompliance related to patient value system. The research tool was administered to the membership of the American Nurses Association Council on Cultural Diversity and the International Transcultural Nursing Society, with a response rate of N = 245 (42.2 per cent) from 43 states, the District of Columbia, and seven foreign countries. The tool listed the North American Nursing Diagnosis Association (NANDA) defining characteristics and cultural etiology for each diagnosis rated on a five-point Likert scale from "nearly always present" to "rarely present." The subjects also wrote and ranked other defining characteristics they used to make the diagnosis in clinical practice. Percentage distribution results indicate no defining characteristic meets the NANDA criteria for a major or minor defining characteristic. By collapsing categories, seven were acceptable only as minor defining characteristics. Respondents' 113 suggestions for additional characteristics were content analyzed. Themes for 12 categories were intuited and added to the lists. Based on respondents' suggestions, the definitions for each diagnosis were reworked, and new cultural-related factors were added. The cultural adequacy/inadequacy of elements within these three diagnoses was identified and provides the opportunity for greater selectivity in their clinical use. Additional suggestions from transcultural nursing experts form a data base for future research to expand the use of the currently limited components of NANDA diagnoses with culturally diverse patients.
Definition of Germinal-Center B Cell Migration In Vivo Reveals Predominant Intrazonal Circulation Patterns

Proliferation, mutation, and selection in the germinal center (GC) are thought to occur in distinct microanatomical compartments-the dark zone (DZ) and the light zone (LZ). Thus, affinity maturation has been posited to require frequent trafficking between zones. Here we report the use of multiphoton in vivo microscopy to determine migration patterns of GC B cells. Analysis of time-resolved images revealed unexpected patterns of movement as well as GC B cell morphology. Though frequent movement between the DZ and LZ was anticipated, few cells were observed to cross the interface between the two compartments. Moreover, cell-track trajectories indicated that cell movement in this region is predominantly parallel to the interface, suggesting that B cells circulate within individual LZ and DZ compartments. The results suggest a revision to our views of B cell circulation within GCs and the functional relationship of its two major compartments.
Recall discriminability: Utility of a new CVLT–II measure in the differential diagnosis of dementia

Memory tests that are in a recall format have almost universally measured accuracy in terms of the number of target items reported by the examinee. However, this traditional scoring method can, in certain cases, result in artificially inflated memory accuracy scores. That is, just as a "yes" response bias and high false-positive rate on recognition testing can artificially inflate a patient's hit rate, so, too, a liberal response bias and high intrusion rate on recall testing can artificially inflate a patient's level of target recall. Recognition tests correct for this problem by using a discriminability measure that provides a single score of hit rate relative to false-positive rate; however, recall tests rarely provide a single score of recall accuracy that corrects for intrusion rate. In the present study, we examined the utility of a new recall discriminability measure that analyzes target recall relative to intrusion rate. Patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) or Huntington's disease (HD) were administered the CVLT-II, which provides both the traditional measure of target recall and a new measure of recall discriminability. The results indicate that the new recall discriminability measure was superior to the traditional level of target recall measure in distinguishing the recall performance of AD and HD patients. Implications of these results for clinical practice and theories of memory disorder in dementia are discussed.
Differential effects of dissolved organic carbon upon re-entrainment and surface properties of groundwater bacteria and bacteria-sized microspheres during transport through a contaminated, sandy aquifer.

Injection-and-recovery studies involving a contaminated, sandy aquifer (Cape Cod, Massachusetts) were conducted to assess the relative susceptibility for in situ re-entrainment of attached groundwa...
Diagnostic utility of the number of Wisc‐III subtests deviating from mean performance among students with learning disabilities

This paper examined the diagnostic utility of subtest variability, as represented by the number of subtests that deviate from examinees' mean IQ scores, for identifying students with a learning disability (LD). Participants consisted of the 2,200 students in the WISC-III normative sample and 684 students (Mdngrade = 5; Mage = 10.8) identified as LD. The number of subtests deviating from examinees' Verbal, Performance, and Full Scale IQ by ±3 points for normative and exceptional samples were contrasted via Receiver Operating Curve (ROC) analyses. Results indicated that LD students did not differ from normative sample children at levels above chance. It was concluded that deviation of individual subtest scores from mean IQ scores has no diagnostic utility for hypothesizing about students with learning disabilities. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Comparison of New Protein Systems for Lactating Dairy Cows

Abstract Four protein systems from the United States and five protein systems from Europe are compared to National Research Council dairy cattle requirements for protein. Predicted minimum protein in dietary dry matter ranges from 9 to 13% at 10kg milk/day and 11 to 17% at 40kg milk/day. Predicted optimum undegradabilities range from 7 to 41% at 10kg milk/day and 20 to 55% at 40kg milk/day. Relative changes of concentration and undegradability of protein are affected largely by relative changes of digestibility and intake of energy, respectively. Protein flow into the small intestine as predicted from these systems was generally less than expected from three equations based on digestible organic matter intake alone or digestible organic matter intake and insoluble nitrogen intake. The percentage of intake nitrogen excreted as fecal nitrogen for three systems was considerably less than that expected from two equations based on concentration of dietary protein. The dietary nitrogen excreted in urine ranged from 26 to 54% at 10kg milk/day and from 24 to 44% at 40kg milk/day. The dietary nitrogen excreted in milk ranged from 24 to 34% at 10kg milk/day and from 33 to 48% at 40kg milk/day. The failure to include a fecal metabolic protein fraction gave low protein requirements, low optimal undegradabilities, and low excretion of dietary nitrogen in feces. A fecal metabolic protein fraction is needed to produce the hyperbolic fecal nitrogen curve. The fecal metabolic protein fraction is functionally related to intake of dry matter and should be a separate component of requirement. The energy components that are integral to the protein system must be specified for a complete system.
Perturbations of Dirac operators

Abstract We study general conditions under which the computations of the index of a perturbed Dirac operator D s = D + s Z localize to the singular set of the bundle endomorphism Z in the semiclassical limit s → ∞ . We show how to use Witten’s method to compute the index of D by doing a combinatorial computation involving local data at the nondegenerate singular points of the operator Z . In particular, we provide examples of novel deformations of the de Rham operator to establish new results relating the Euler characteristic of a spin c manifold to maps between its even and odd spinor bundles.
Effect of Differential Flow of Alpha Particles on Proton Pressure Anisotropy Instabilities in the Solar Wind

In the solar wind, when the effects of proton-proton Coulomb collisions are negligible, alpha particles usually flow faster than the protons in such a way that the differential alpha-proton flow velocity V{sub d} = V{sub {alpha}} - V{sub p} is on the order of the Alfven speed, is directed away from the Sun, and is nearly aligned with the local mean magnetic field. When this differential flow is taken into account, solutions of the hot plasma dispersion relation show that for the parallel propagating electromagnetic ion cyclotron (EMIC) instability driven by the proton temperature anisotropy T{sub perpendicularp} > T{sub ||p}, the maximum growth rate occurs in the + V{sub d} direction and for the parallel firehose instability driven by the opposite proton temperature anisotropy T{sub ||p} > T{sub perpendicularp}, the maximum growth rate occurs in the - V{sub d} direction. Thus, the EMIC instability preferentially generates left circularly polarized Alfven-ion-cyclotron waves propagating away from the Sun and the parallel firehose instability preferentially generates right circularly polarized magnetosonic-whistler waves propagating toward the Sun with the maximum growth rates occurring for frequencies on the order of the proton cyclotron frequency and wavenumbers on the order of the proton inertial length. Because ofmore » the Doppler shift caused by the motion of the solar wind, both types of waves are left circularly polarized in the spacecraft frame for observations taken when the local mean magnetic field is collinear with the solar wind flow velocity. Theoretical investigation of these instabilities also shows that regions of parameter space exist where the unstable waves are generated propagating unidirectionally such as, for the EMIC instability for example, when the temperature anisotropy is small |(T{sub perpendicular{sub p}}/T{sub ||{sub p}}) - 1| < 1. Taken together, the above properties can explain the origin of parallel propagating electromagnetic waves recently observed near the proton inertial length in high-speed solar wind. The observed waves are most likely produced in situ by these instabilities. A remarkable property of the proposed mechanism that may be of practical importance is that the magnetic helicity of the unstable waves has the same sign no matter whether the proton temperature anisotropy (T{sub p{sub perpendicular}}/T{sub p{sub ||}}) - 1 is positive or negative.« less
Relationship Between Potential Aggregation-Prone Regions and HLA-DR-Binding T-Cell Immune Epitopes: Implications for Rational Design of Novel and Follow-on Therapeutic Antibodies

Aggregation and unwanted immunogenicity are hurdles to avoid in successful commercial development of antibody-based therapeutics. In this article, the relationship between aggregation-prone regions (APRs), capable of forming cross-β motifs/amyloid fibrils, and major histocompatibility complex class II-restricted human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-DR-binding T-cell immune epitopes (TcIEs) is analyzed using amino acid sequences of 25 therapeutic antibodies, 55 TcIEs recognized by T-regulatory cells (tregitopes), 1000 randomly generated 15-residue-long peptides, 2257 human self-TcIEs (autoantigens), and 11 peptides in HLA-peptide cocrystal structures. Sequence analyses from these diverse sources consistently show a high level of correlation between APRs and TcIEs: approximately one-third of TcIEs contain APRs, but the majority of APRs occur within TcIE regions (TcIERs). Tregitopes also contain APRs. Most APR-containing TcIERs can bind multiple HLA-DR alleles, suggesting that aggregation-driven adverse immune responses could impact a broad segment of patient population. This article has identified common molecular sequence-structure loci that potentially contribute toward both manufacturability and safety profiles of the therapeutic antibodies, thereby laying a foundation for simultaneous optimization of these attributes in novel and follow-on candidates. Incidence of APRs within TcIERs is not special to biotherapeutics, self-TcIEs from human proteins, involved in various diseases, also contain predicted APRs and experimentally proven amyloid-fibril-forming peptide sequence portions.
Effects of Spore Dosage and Temperature on Pathogenic Expressions of Chalkbrood Syndrome Caused by Ascosphaera torchioi within Larvae of Osmia lignaria propinqua (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae)

The causative agent of chalkbrood in the mason bee Osmia lignaria prop inqua Cresson is a fungus recently named Ascosphaera torchioi Youssef & McManus. The present study was undertaken to devise a methodology to measure the infectivity potential of this fungus accurately, based on laboratory experiments designed to assure consumption of all spores by host larvae reared under nonstressful environments. Doses of 10, 100, 1,000, 10,000, and 100,000 spores per cell were tested, and the influence of temperature was measured by exposing replicate treatments to 20, 25, or 30°C. The levels of A. torchioi infection obtained in this study (0.36–8.5%) showed a linear correlation with increasing dose, and these low-level infections overlapped chalkbrood rates found in large field populations studied over a 15-yrperiod (0.4–2%). The infection rates reported in this study (0.36–8.5%) are, however, much lower than those induced in a recent series of related laboratory studies (57%). Causes for the large discrepancy of results obtained in this study versus results reported in earlier studies are attributed to previous experimental designs in which host larvae were reared in stressful environments, producing larvae of reduced vigor which resulted in enormous increases of chalkbrood mycosis.
Design of push-push and triple-push oscillators for reducing 1/f noise upconversion

In this paper, 1/f noise upconversion in push-push and triple-push oscillators is studied, and the design requirements for minimizing 1/f noise upconversion are presented. In push-push oscillators, the presence of the large second harmonic components may degrade the waveform symmetry of the oscillation waveforms, leading to the significant 1/f noise upconversion. To minimize 1/f noise upconversion in push-push oscillators, the phases of Fourier coefficients of all harmonics need to be equal. In triple-push oscillators, the waveform symmetry can easily be achieved by eliminating all even harmonic components. The experimental results show that around 15-dB phase-noise improvement at 100-kHz offset frequency can be obtained by satisfying the waveform symmetry condition in push-push and triple-push oscillators.
Adaptation of cellular mechanical behavior to mechanical loading for osteoblastic cells

Numerous cellular biochemical responses to mechanical loading are transient, indicating a cell's ability to adapt its behavior to a new mechanical environment. Since load-induced cellular deformation can initiate these biochemical responses, the overall goal of this study was to investigate the adaptation of global, or whole-cell, mechanical behavior, i.e., cellular deformability, in response to mechanical loading for osteoblastic cells. Confluent cell cultures were subjected to 1 or 2 Pa flow-induced shear stress for 2 h. Whole-cell mechanical behavior was then measured for individual cells using an atomic force microscope. Compared to cells maintained under static conditions, whole-cell stiffness was 1.36-fold (p=0.006) and 1.70-fold (p<0.001) greater for cells exposed to 1 and 2 Pa shear loading, respectively. The increase in shear stress magnitude from 1 to 2 Pa also caused a statistically significant, 1.25-fold increase in cell stiffness (p=0.02). Increases in cell stiffness were not altered in either flow group for 70 min after flow was terminated (p=0.15). Flow-induced rearrangement of the actin cytoskeleton was also maintained for at least 90 min after flow was terminated. Taken together, these findings support the hypothesis that cells become mechanically adapted to their mechanical environment via cytoskeletal modifications. Accordingly, cellular mechanical adaptation may play a key role in regulation of cellular mechanosensitivity and the related effects on tissue structure and function.
Hydrodynamic and thermal slip flow boundary layers over a flat plate with constant heat flux boundary condition

Abstract In this paper the boundary layer flow over a flat plat with slip flow and constant heat flux surface condition is studied. Because the plate surface temperature varies along the x direction, the momentum and energy equations are coupled due to the presence of the temperature gradient along the plate surface. This coupling, which is due to the presence of the thermal jump term in Maxwell slip condition, renders the momentum and energy equations non-similar. As a preliminary study, this paper ignores this coupling due to thermal jump condition so that the self-similar nature of the equations is preserved. Even this fundamental problem for the case of a constant heat flux boundary condition has remained unexplored in the literature. It was therefore chosen for study in this paper. For the hydrodynamic boundary layer, velocity and shear stress distributions are presented for a range of values of the parameter characterizing the slip flow. This slip parameter is a function of the local Reynolds number, the local Knudsen number, and the tangential momentum accommodation coefficient representing the fraction of the molecules reflected diffusively at the surface. As the slip parameter increases, the slip velocity increases and the wall shear stress decreases. These results confirm the conclusions reached in other recent studies. The energy equation is solved to determine the temperature distribution in the thermal boundary layer for a range of values for both the slip parameter as well as the fluid Prandtl number. The increase in Prandtl number and/or the slip parameter reduces the dimensionless surface temperature. The actual surface temperature at any location of x is a function of the local Knudsen number, the local Reynolds number, the momentum accommodation coefficient, Prandtl number, other flow properties, and the applied heat flux.
Cell and environment interactions in tumor microregions: the multicell spheroid model

Abnormal vascularization of malignant tumors is associated with the development of microregions of heterogeneous cells and environments. Experimental models such as multicell spheroids and a variety of new techniques are being used to determine the characteristics of these microregions and to study the interactions of the cells and microenvironments. The special cellular microecology of tumors influences responsiveness to therapeutic agents and has implications for future directions in cancer research.
Tensions in Industry-Academic Collaborations: Perspective of the Academic Medical Center

The article is about the types of relationship and the academic freedom, implications of technology transfer and the policies governing conflicts of interest.
Potentiation of the Toxicity of Mithramycin by Bacterial Lipopolysaccharide

Abstract The lethality for BALB/c mice of 1,3-bis(2-chloroethyl)-1-nitrosourea, cytosine arabinoside, 1-(2-chloroethyl)-3-cyclohexyl-1-nitrosourea, hydroxyurea, mithramycin, a polymyxin-like antibiotic (SQ 21,286), polyadenylic polyuridylic acid, procarbazine, 5-[3,3-bis(2-chloroethyl)-1-triazeno]-imidazole-4-carboxamide (TIC-mustard) or uracil arabinoside administered in combination with Escherichia coli lipopolysaccharide (LPS) was measured. Simultaneously administered mithramycin and LPS or TIC-mustard administered 24 h after LPS synergistically killed mice. Concanavalin A potentiated the lethality of TIC-mustard but not of eight other drugs tested. Pretreatment of mice with LPS or lipid A complexed to concanavalin A rendered mice resistant to the lethal action of LPS alone or combinations of LPS and mithramycin. Mithramycin-treated mice were killed by minute amounts of LPS. Mice sensitized to LPS by mithramycin were used to detect endotoxic activity in biological materials, such as commercially available enzymes, and in a complex of lipid A with concanavalin A.
Political Science Computing: A Review of Trends in Computer Evolution and Political Science Research

ABSTRACT The increase in computing power in the last four decades has had an enormous impact upon the way political scientists conduct research. In this article, we review the development of computing resources and the lifting of computational limitations of the use of political methodologies. Using descriptive analysis, we demonstrate that Moore's Law, or the doubling of power in computing hardware every 18 months, is closely associated with the adoption of advanced statistical methods and database availability in political science research. Our findings are surely not startling to researchers, but our analyses do highlight and provide important details as to the evolution of the profession over the last few decades. We aim to provide hints as to the future direction of political science research as computational capabilities continue to grow.
Molecular, biochemical, and phenotypic analysis of a hemizygous male with a severe atypical phenotype for X-linked dominant Conradi-Hunermann-Happle syndrome and a mutation in EBP.

X-linked dominant Conradi-Hunermann-Happle syndrome (CDPX2; MIM 302960) is a rare chondrodysplasia punctata primarily affecting females. CDPX2 is presumed lethal in males, although a few affected males have been reported. CDPX2 is a cholesterol biosynthetic disorder due to 3-beta-hydroxysteroid-delta8,delta7-isomerase deficiency caused by mutations in the emopamil binding protein (EBP) gene. A 2.5-year-old Caucasian male was followed from the age of 6 weeks and noted to have significant developmental delay, hypotonia, seizures, and patchy hypopigmentation. Multiple congenital anomalies included a unilateral cataract, esotropia, crossed renal ectopia, stenotic ear canals, and failure to thrive, requiring G-tube placement. Multiple minor anomalies and ptosis were noted. No skeletal asymmetry or chondrodysplasia punctata were noted on skeletal survey at 6 weeks and 13 months. An extensive genetic work-up including cholesterol (126-176 mg/dl) and 7-dehydrocholesterol was unrevealing. However, the levels of 8(9)-cholestenol and 8-dehydrocholesterol were mildly increased in plasma, which was confirmed in cultured fibroblasts. This prompted molecular analysis of the EBP gene, which revealed a novel hemizygous (nonmosaic) mutation in exon 2 (L18P). Two restriction digests were developed that confirmed this mutation in skin fibroblasts, blood, and buccal cells (all nonmosaic). We determined that the patient's mother (adopted) also has the L18P mutation enabling prenatal diagnosis of a normal male fetus. She has normal stature, no asymmetry, no cataracts at this time, and has a patch of hyperpigmentation on her chest best visualized on Woods lamp examination, characteristic of CDPX2. The mild maternal phenotype has been described previously. However, this nonmosaic missense mutation has resulted in a severe phenotype in her surviving son.
Customized mapping and metadata transfer from DSpace to OCLC to improve ETD work flow

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present methods for customized mapping and metadata transfer from DSpace to Online Computer Library Center (OCLC), which aims to improve Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETD) work flow at libraries using DSpace to store theses and dissertations by automating the process of generating MARC records from Dublin Core (DC) metadata in DSpace and exporting them to OCLC.Design/methodology/approach – This paper discusses how the Shocker Open Access Repository (SOAR) at Wichita State University (WSU) Libraries and ScholarsArchive at Oregon State University (OSU) Libraries harvest theses data from the DSpace platform using the Metadata Harvester in MarcEdit developed by Terry Reese at OSU Libraries. It analyzes certain challenges in transformation of harvested data including handling of authorized data, dealing with data ambiguity and string processing. It addresses how these two institutions customize Library of Congress's XSLT (eXtensible Stylesheet Language Transform...
On the Weyl functional calculus

Abstract The operator valued distribution T ( A ) on R n associated with an n -tuple of self-adjoint operators ( A ) which was discussed in “The Weyl Functional Calculus” is further studied. The results are: 1. (1) The support of the distribution T ( A ) is connected in R n unless some nontrivial orthogonal projection commutes with all the operators in the n -tuple ( A ). 2. (2) In the special case of finite dimensional Hilbert space, T ( A ) cannot be represented as a measure unless all the operators in the n -tuple ( A ) commute. The first result is obtained by studying the propagation of an operator differential equation of which T ( A ) is a solution. The second result is obtained by geometric study of the numerical range of an n -tuple of operators. The results are used to contrast the Weyl calculus for a pair of self-adjoint operators with the closely related Riesz calculus for a bounded operator.
Finding the Needle in the Big Data Systems Haystack

With the increasing importance of big data, many new systems have been developed to "solve" the big data challenge. At the same time, famous database researchers argue that there is nothing new about these systems and that they're actually a step backward. This article sheds some light on this discussion.
Evaluation of Gram-stain screen and Micro-ID methods for direct identification of Enterobacteriaceae from urines.

A rapid method of urine screening and enterobacterial identification was evaluated. Results indicated that an average of 13.5 bacteria/oil immersion field (threshold value ⩾ 1) was observed in unsedimented urine of patients with significant bacteriuria, with an average of 104 but 104 but < 105 bacteria/ml were 9.0%, 10.0%, respectively. Total correct enteric identification in 113 urines with positive screens and significant bacteriuria (⩾ 105/ml) was 82.3% and 90.3% with direct saline and broth Micro-ID methods, respectively. In 99 urines yielding pure or predominantly pure growth of 1 species ofEnterobacteriaceae identification by direct saline and broth Micro-ID corresponded with isolated colony identification in 85.9%, 94.9% of cases, respectively. Gram-stain screening (together with back-up conventional plating in certain patient categories) and enterobacterial identification by direct broth Micro-ID, of urines with pure stains suggestive of ⩾ 105 Gram-negative rods/ml has been shown to be useful in laboratories without automated equipment for urine screening.
Efficacy of Vagus Nerve Stimulation for Epilepsy by Patient Age, Epilepsy Duration, and Seizure Type

Nearly 1% of the population has epilepsy, and approximately 30% of these patients are refractory to medical therapy, resulting in significant morbidity. 1 Although resection of an epileptic focus can be curative in selected patients with intractable epilepsy, others are poor surgical candidates because of multifocal seizure origin or eloquence near epileptic foci. 2 In 1997, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved left-sided vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) as an adjunctive treatment of medically refractory partial epilepsy, and stimulators have now been implanted in more than 60,000 patients. 3–5 The neurobiological mechanisms of VNS in epilepsy remain poorly understood, although data from humans and animals have suggested that vagal stimulation may desynchronize activity and decrease abnormal spiking patterns on electroencephalography. 6–8 Two randomized controlled trials have evaluated the efficacy of VNS in epilepsy, finding a reduction in seizure frequency of between 23% and 57% after 3 months of therapy. 9,10 However, controversy regarding the utility of VNS in epilepsy persists because of inconsistent results, small sample sizes, and short duration of follow-up in many clinical studies. In particular, although VNS was approved in the United States only for patients aged 12 years and more with partial seizures, its benefit in children and patients with generalized epilepsy syndromes remains unclear. Furthermore, it is not known whether preoperative duration of epilepsy or seizure semiology predicts varied clinical response to VNS therapy. In this article, we provide a retrospective analysis of seizure outcomes after VNS for pharmacologically resistant epilepsy from a large patient registry. Clinical response to VNS was evaluated at various time points after device implantation, and patient age, duration of epilepsy, predominant seizure type, and the presence of epileptic encephalopathy were investigated as potential prognostic indicators of a favorable outcome.
Simulations of scattered light control algorithms for coronagraphic high contrast imaging

Several algorithms have been developed for space-based coronagraphs to minimize scattered light so that contrast ratios of 109 can be achieved, thereby enabling planetary detection. This paper compares sensitivities of image-based algorithms using near-field diffraction models of proposed space coronagraph designs. Modeling results are verified on ground-based testbeds.