cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Molecular Aptamer Beacons and Their Applications in Sensing, Imaging, and Diagnostics

The ability to monitor types, concentrations, and activities of different biomolecules is essential to obtain information about the molecular processes within cells. Successful monitoring requires a sensitive and selective tool that can respond to these molecular changes. Molecular aptamer beacon (MAB) is a molecular imaging and detection tool that enables visualization of small or large molecules by combining the selectivity and sensitivity of molecular beacon and aptamer technologies. MAB design leverages structure switching and specific recognition to yield an optical on/off switch in the presence of the target. Various donor-quencher pairs such as fluorescent dyes, quantum dots, carbon-based materials, and metallic nanoparticles have been employed in the design of MABs. In this work, the diverse biomedical applications of MAB technology are focused on. Different conjugation strategies for the energy donor-acceptor pairs are addressed, and the overall sensitivities of each detection system are discussed. The future potential of this technology in the fields of biomedical research and diagnostics is also highlighted.
Speaking clearly improves speech segmentation in optimal listening conditions

Speaking clearly improves intelligibility particularly in noisy environments—a benefit that may be partly attributed to enhanced ease of speech segmentation. However, speech segmentation is facilitated by coarticulation (Fernandes et al., 2007), which may be reduced in hyper-articulated clear speech (Scarborough and Zellou, 2013). This study investigated the effect of clear speech on speech segmentation in quiet and in noise for native and non-native listeners with an artificial language (AL) learning experiment. Six trisyllabic AL words (e.g., /kutupi/) were produced by a native English speaker both clearly and conversationally. Six speech streams were created, each containing 20 pitch-flattened tokens of each AL word concatenated in random order without intervening pauses. In the learning phase, participants heard either conversational or clear AL speech streams in quiet or masked with speech-shaped noise. Next, in a two-alternative forced-choice test, participants identified the AL words spoken in quiet and in the style they were exposed to. Preliminary results showed that clear speech improved segmentation relative to conversational speech for native English listeners in quiet only. The results suggest that the use of exaggerated information about segment identity aids speech segmentation in optimal listening conditions but is disrupted under perceptual load.
AG-SGD: Angle-Based Stochastic Gradient Descent

In the field of neural network, stochastic gradient descent is often employed as an effective method of accelerating the result’s convergence. Generating the new gradient from the past gradient is a common method adopted by many existing optimization algorithms. Since the past gradient is not computed based on the most updated stochastic gradient descent state, it can introduce a deviation to the new gradient computation, negatively impacting its rate of convergence. To resolve this problem, we propose an algorithm that quantifies this deviation based on the angle between the past and the current gradients, which is then applied to calibrate these two gradients, generating a more accurate new gradient. To demonstrate the broad applicability of the algorithm, the proposed method is implemented into a neural network and a logistic regression classifier which are evaluated on the datasets MNIST and NSL-KDD, respectively. An in-depth analysis is performed to compare our algorithm with nine optimization algorithms in two experiments, demonstrating the advantages in the cost and the error rate reductions from adopting the proposed method.
Ares I Crew Launch Vehicle Upper Stage/Upper Stage Engine Element Overview

The Ares I upper stage is an integral part of the Constellation Program transportation system. The upper stage provides guidance, navigation and control (GN and C) for the second stage of ascent flight for the Ares I vehicle. The Saturn-derived J-2X upper stage engine will provide thrust and propulsive impulse for the second stage of ascent flight for the Ares I launch vehicle. Additionally, the upper stage is responsible for the avionics system of the the entire Ares I. This brief presentation highlights the requirements, design, progress and production of the upper stage. Additionally, test facilities to support J-2X development are discussed and an overview of the operational and manufacturing flows are provided. Building on the heritage of the Apollo and Space Shuttle Programs, the Ares I Us and USE teams are utilizing extensive lessons learned to place NASA and the US into another era of space exploration. The NASA, Boeing and PWR teams are integrated and working together to make progress designing and building the Ares I upper stage to minimize cost, technical and schedule risks.
Sortase Pathways in Gram-Positive Bacteria

Research within the past decade has revealed that a large fraction of bacterial surface proteins are covalently anchored to the cell wall by the action of sortase enzymes, in a universally conserved process that is important for infectivity. This chapter presents a review of the structural basis of sortase-mediated cell wall anchoring, drawing on recent structural, biochemical, and bioinformatic studies of this enzyme family. In addition to embedding proteins into the underlying membrane (e.g., membrane proteins and lipoproteins), gram-positive bacteria have developed several methods to display surface proteins, each with its own distinctive structural features. It has long been known that some proteins in gram-positive bacteria are covalently linked to the cell wall, but the enzymes that place them there have only recently been identified. SrtA-related proteins were found in nearly all gram-positive bacteria with sequenced genomes and, in several cases, were demonstrated to be key determinants of infectivity. The broad distribution of sortases in pathogenic bacteria and the essential roles of sortase-anchored surface proteins in the establishment of infection suggest that sortase inhibitors may prove to be effective anti-infective agents. The design of effective sortase inhibitors will require an understanding of the structural biology of sortase-substrate recognition, as well as intimate knowledge of the potentially diverse sortase anchoring pathways and their role in the establishment of infection.
Characterization and limitations of diffusion tensor imaging metrics in the cervical spinal cord in neurologically intact subjects.

Purpose To characterize diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) metrics across all levels of the cervical spinal cord (CSC) and to study the impact of age and signal quality on these metrics. Materials and Methods DTI metrics were calculated for gray matter (GM) and white matter (WM) funiculi throughout the CSC (C1–T1) in 25 healthy subjects (22-85 years old). Signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs) and mean DTI metrics were measured for the upper (C1-3), middle (C4-6) and lower (C7-T1) cervical segments. Age-related changes in DTI metrics were analyzed for the individual segment groups. Results Fractional anisotropy (FA), mean diffusivity (MD) and transverse apparent diffusion coefficient (tADC) showed significant differences between GM and WM funiculi. Significant age-related changes were observed in FA in upper and middle CSC segments but not in the lower CSC. The median SNR was significantly lower in the middle and lower segment groups as compared to the upper levels, contributing to poor spatial resolution in these regions. Conclusion This study provides DTI data for GM and WM funiculi throughout the CSC. While DTI metrics may be used to define cord pathology, variations in metrics due to age and signal quality need to be accounted for before making definitive conclusions. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2013;38:861–867. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
The impact of missing components of the Acute Physiology Score on the standardized mortality ratio calculated by the APACHE III prognostic model

In the APACHE III prognostic model, a weight of zero is given to missing and normal Acute Physiology Score (APS) values. The standardized mortality ratio (SMR) is used to evaluate the performance of an ICU. The objective of this study was to determine the impact of missing APS values on SMR.
Common chromosome fragile sites in human and murine epithelial cells and FHIT/FRA3B loss‐induced global genome instability

Chromosomal positions of common fragile sites differ in lymphoblasts and fibroblasts, with positions dependent on the epigenetically determined density of replication origins at these loci. Because rearrangement of fragile loci and associated loss of fragile gene products are hallmarks of cancers, we aimed to map common fragile sites in epithelial cells, from which most cancers derive. Among the five most frequently activated sites in human epithelial cells were chromosome bands 2q33 and Xq22.1, which are not among top fragile sites identified in lymphoblasts or fibroblasts. FRA16D at 16q23 was among the top three fragile sites in the human epithelial cells examined, as it is in lymphoblasts and fibroblasts, while FRA3B at 3p14.2, the top fragile locus in lymphoblasts, was not fragile in most epithelial cell lines tested. Epithelial cells exhibited varying hierarchies of fragile sites; some frequent epithelial cell fragile sites are apparently not frequently altered in epithelial cancers and sites that are frequently deleted in epithelial cancers are not necessarily among the most fragile. Since we have reported that loss of expression of the FRA3B-encoded FHIT protein causes increased replication stress-induced DNA damage, we also examined the effect of FHIT-deficiency on markers of genome instability in epithelial cells. FHIT-deficient cells exhibited increases in fragile breaks and in γH2AX and 53BP1 foci in G1 phase cells, confirming in epithelial cells that the FHIT gene and encompassing FRA3B, is a “caretaker gene” necessary for maintenance of genome stability.
Multiple antigen target approach using the Accuplex4 BioCD system to detect Borrelia burgdorferi antibodies in experimentally infected and vaccinated dogs

The primary objective of our study was to optimize detection of serum antibodies to Borrelia burgdorferi using a new commercial automated fluorescence system (Accuplex4 BioCD system, Antech Diagnos...
STaR: design and quantitative measurement of source-location privacy for wireless sensor networks

Wireless sensor networks WSNs can provide the world with a technology for real-time event monitoring. One of the primary concerns that hinder the successful deployment of WSNs is source-location privacy SLP. The privacy of the source location is vital and highly jeopardized by the usage of wireless communications. Although message content privacy can be ensured through message encryption, it is much more difficult to adequately address the SLP. For WSNs, SLP service is further complex by the fact that sensors consist of low-cost and energy-efficient radio devices. Therefore, using computationally intensive cryptographic algorithms such as public-key cryptosystems and large-scale broadcasting-based protocols are not suitable for WSNs. In this paper, we analyze the quantitatively measure source-location information leakage in routing-based SLP protection schemes for WSNs. Through this model, we identify vulnerabilities of some well-known SLP protection schemes. We also propose a routing technique, called the Sink Toroidal Region STaR, to provide adequate SLP with low energy consumption. With this routing technique, the source node randomly selects an intermediate node within a designed STaR area located around the sink node. Furthermore, this routing protocol ensures that the intermediate node is neither too close, nor too far from the sink node in relations to the entire network. While ensuring SLP, our simulation results show that the proposed scheme is very efficient and can be used for practical applications. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Thermal depinning of a single superconducting vortex in Nb.

Thermal depinning has been studied for a single vortex trapped in a superconducting Nb thin film in order to determine the value of the superconducting order parameter and the superfluid density when the vortex depins and starts to move around the film. The value depends on the pinning site, but typically the location of the vortex begins to change when the order parameter is about 24% of the T=0 value and the superfluid density is about 5% of the T=0 value. For all the pinning sites probed, the vortex would exit the film when the superfluid density was under 1%. This implies that there is a window between 9.1 and 9.2 K where vortices will spontaneously leave the film in a microtesla environment even though the film is still superconducting.
Privacy and technology: folk definitions and perspectives

In this paper we present preliminary results from a study of individual differences in privacy beliefs and relate folk definitions of privacy to extant privacy theory. Focus groups were conducted with younger and older adult participants who shared their individual definitions of privacy and engaged in a discussion of privacy across six scenarios. Taken together, Westin's and Altman's theories of privacy accounted for both younger and older adults' ideas about privacy; however, neither theory successfully accounted for findings across all age and gender groups. Whereas males tended to think of privacy in terms of personal needs and convenience, females focused more on privacy in terms of others, respecting privacy rights, and safety. Older adults tended to be more concerned with privacy of space than information privacy. Initial results suggest that designing for commonalities in privacy perceptions among group members is feasible.
Bronchial Collapse in Obstructive Lung Disease

A 57-year-old man who died suddenly with severe bilateral mainstem bronchial collapse is described, and an alteration of the elastic tissue in the membranous portion of the bronchi is identified. The morphologic abnormalities, physiologic dynamics, and potential clinical consequences of such an alteration are discussed.
Characterization of hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acids and hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid phosphatidylcholines by liquid secondary ion tandem mass spectrometry

Arachidonic acid is oxidized to regioisomeric 5(S)-, 12(S)- and 15(S)-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acids by the corresponding 5-, 12- and 15-lipoxygenases. These hydroxylated fatty acids can then be incorporated into cellular phos-pholipids. Negative liquid secondary ion tandem mass spectrometry using a high-energy collision regime in a tandem four-sector mass spectrometer was used to characterize regioisomeric hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acids and the corresponding hydroxyeicosatetraenoic phosphatidylcholine species. Collision-induced dissociation (CID) of the [M − H]− negative ion at m/z 319 from the hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acids regioisomers produced some similar product ions, such as m/z 301 [M − H − H2O]− and m/z 257 [M − H − (H2O + CO2)]-. In addition, product ions characteristic of the particular hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid were formed from α cleavages adjacent to the hydroxyl moieties. Negative liquid secondary ion mass spectrometry of purified hydroxyeicosatetraenoate phosphatidylcholine species gave an ion at m/z 810 [M − CH3] -. CID of the m/z 810 ion gave product ions at m/z 283 and m/z 319, corresponding to stearate at the sn-1 position and hydroxyeicosatetraenoate at the sn-2 position, respectively. From CID of the negative ion at m/z 319 and examination of the product ion spectra, the hydroxyeicosatetraenoate regioisomer present in the phosphatidylcholine could be identified.
Summary of current radiation dosimetry results on manned spacecraft

It is pointed out that the experimental data existing on radiation levels inside orbiting spacecraft are currently limited. However, it is recognized that perhaps the single most important constraint to long-term manned space activity may be related to the complex space radiation environment. For this reason, it is important to know the radiological parameters which determine the biological effects of space radiation on humans. Attention is given to radiation dose measurements, LET (linear energy transfer) spectra for HZE particles, and dosimetry data from U.S. manned spaceflights. In particular, data are now available on dose rates in spacecraft at low altitudes (less than 300 km), while insufficient measurements exist for high altitude and high inclination orbits, geostationary orbits, and many orbits in between. Very little data exist on neutron dose and spectra.
Analysis of derivatized prostaglandins by capillary supercritical fluid chromatography with a phosphorus-selective detector

Model prostaglandins were reacted with dimethylthiophosphinic chloride to form suitable derivatives using dimethylaminopyridine as a catalyst for supercritical fluid chromatography with thermionic detection. The high sensitivity of this phosphorus-selective detector makes it feasible to detect biologically important prostaglandins and related metabolites in physiological fluids at nanogram-per-milliliter concentrations. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Micro Sep10: 27–32, 1998
Atomic Force Microscope Nanomanipulation with Simultaneous Visual Guidance

Atomic force microscopy (AFM) has been used to assemble prototype nanostructures consisting of colloidal nanoparticles. In the standard manipulation protocol, the AFM is used either as a manipulation tool or an imaging tool, but not both at the same time. We developed a new nanomanipulation protocol in which simultaneous visual guidance is obtained during manipulation. As an example, Au nanoparticles were manipulated on a substrate in two steps. First, a nanoparticle is kicked with the z feedback off. This kicking event reduces the static friction. Second, the nanoparticle is dribbled to a target position in tapping mode, and visual guidance is provided by a ghost trace of the nanoparticle. The new manipulation protocol greatly improves efficiency of manipulating small nanoparticles (15 nm in diameter or smaller). Our work highlights the importance and challenges of understanding friction at the nanoscale.
Spontaneous Fission of Pu-240: Comparison with the Slow-Neutron-Induced-Fission of Pu-239

Fission-fragment mass and kinetic energy distributions have been obtained for the spontaneous fission of ${\mathrm{Pu}}^{240}$ and compared with those for the thermal-neutron-induced fission of ${\mathrm{Pu}}^{239}$ reported previously. Surface-barrier detectors were used for the simultaneous measurements of energies of both the fission fragments. Absolute fragment energies were calculated by using mass-dependent pulse-height energy relations. The measured average total kinetic energies were found to be 177.3 \ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{} 1.5 MeV and 173.0 \ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{} 1.5 MeV for the spontaneous and the induced fission, respectively, and the average pre-neutron total kinetic energies were 178.9 \ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{} 1.5 MeV and 175.2 \ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{} 1.5 MeV, respectively. The measured mass distribution for the spontaneous fission appears to be significantly different in shape from that for the induced fission.
Proposal for establishing a degree of doctor of philosophy in arts medicine

Summary Arts medicine is a new, rapidly developing discipline that includes voice, hand, dance, and other subspecialty areas. At present, there is no organized academic arts medicine tradition. Therefore, it is difficult for interested persons to obtain convenient, high-quality education designed for the special needs of arts medicine practitioners. To meet this need, development of a Ph.D. program in arts medicine appears to be desirable. The structure of such a program is proposed, along with specific requirements for a Ph.D. in arts medicine with a concentration in voice.
Synchronous activity boosts compliance with requests to aggress

Abstract An experiment demonstrates that cultural practices involving physical synchrony can emotionally bind people together, making those people more likely to comply with others' requests to engage in aggressive behavior. Participants who acted in synchrony with a confederate were more likely than were participants in the asynchronous and control conditions to comply with the confederate's request to administer a noise blast to another group of participants. Increased feelings of emotional connection with the confederate mediated the relationship between synchrony and heightened compliance with the request to engage in aggressive behavior.
An exploratory study of children's music ability

Abstract This research examined the relationships between children's musical ability and the physical and social environments of the home and school as well as the child characteristics of creativity and cognition. Teacher and parent ratings were included as measures of children's musical ability observed in the natural home and school settings, as comparisons to the standardized Primary Measures of Music Audiation (PMMA) measurement ( Gordon, 1979 ). Sixty children between the ages of 4 and 6 and their parents participated in the study. The findings of this study include significant positive relationships of children's musical aptitude with fathers' attitude and encouragement, and the child characteristics of cognitive and creative abilities. Significant correlations of the PMMA were found with several physical environment variables. Regression analysis demonstrated that cognitive ability was the only significant predictor of musical aptitude. However, when parent and teacher ratings were used as measures of children's musical ability, the social home environment was the significant predictor variable in the regression models.
Modeling of Four-Bar Tensegrity-Membrane Systems

Tensegrity-membrane systems are lightweight and deployable structures that can be utilized in space applications such as solar sails and radar antennas. This work focuses on four-bar tensegrity-membrane systems. An energy-based method is used to determine the static configurations of four-bar tensegrity-membrane systems, and the explicit equilibrium conditions for the symmetric systems are derived. The system dynamics is studied based on the Lagrange’s method by appropriately choosing a floating reference frame for the attached membrane. The stress distribution in the membrane due to corner displacements and the free vibration modes of the membrane are determined by a polynomial series method, and are compared with the finite element results calculated by ANSYS. The linear and nonlinear simulation results of the system are presented and compared. The difference between linear and nonlinear simulation results is illustrated and discussed.Copyright © 2014 by ASME
Potential and problems with growth of breast cancer in a human tumor cloning system

A human tumor cloning system has been utilized to culture 431 patients' breast cancer specimens. Overall, 288 or 67% of the specimens formed colonies in soft agar. Of the primary lesions 188/260 (72%) formed colonies and 100/171 (58%) of the metastatic lesions formed colonies. The median number of colonies per 500,000 nucleated cells plated was 47 for the primary lesions and 30 for the metastatic lesions. Growth from a variety of metastatic sites ranged from 22% for intradermal lesions to 77% for solid visceral metastases. Methods to increase the number of colonies from a specimen are reported including increasing the number of nucleated cells plated and making a variety of changes in the growth media. None of these methods has had a major impact on colony growth. The antitumor activity of standard anticancer agents such as adriamycin and medroxyprogesterone in the assay is presented. In addition, in vitro results with two new anthracene derivatives demonstrate good antitumor activity for the derivatives. The cloning assay represents a new model for both the basic and clinical studies of human breast cancer.
StoryCorps’ Memory Loss Initiative: Enhancing personhood for storytellers with memory loss

StoryCorps’ Memory Loss Initiative was designed to gather oral histories of people with memory loss. This study investigated the StoryCorps interview experience for storytellers who self identify with early stage memory loss and the persons who interviewed them. StoryCorps interviews took place in Milwaukee, Chicago, and New York. Follow-up interviews were conducted with 42 persons with memory loss, along with 27 family members who participated in the StoryCorps interviews. Results revealed that the StoryCorps experience was a meaningful activity that allowed participants to acknowledge the beauty of the present moment, to reflect and engage in meaningful conversations, to re-affirm both the selfhood of individuals with memory loss and their relationships with family members, and to and be a part of national history while leaving a legacy for future generations within families. The findings are discussed within the context of personhood enhancing strategies for persons with memory loss.
Acute toxicity of perfluorodecanoic acid in C57BL/6 mice differs from 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin.

Perfluorodecanoic acid (PFDA) is a 10-carbon straight-chain fatty acid. Its toxicity in rats has been reported to resemble that produced by exposure to 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD). Mice which are “responsive” to TCDD toxicity carry the Ahb allele, while mice homozygous for the Ahd gene are less sensitive to TCDD toxicity. To characterize the toxicity of PFDA and determine if it is under the control of the Ah locus, female responsive C57BL/6N (Ahb/b) mice and congenic C57BL/6J mice, differing only at the Ah locus (responsive, Ahb/b; heterozygous responsive, Ahd/d and “nonresponsive,” Ahd/d), were administered a single oral dose of PFDA, at levels from 0 to 320 mg/kg body weight, observed daily for overt signs of toxicity, and weighed three times weekly. In the wild-type congenic C57BL/6J (Ahb/b) subline, mice were killed at 2, 7, 14, and 30 days following exposure. All other mice were killed on Day 30. Serum was taken from the C57BL/6N mice for analysis of thyroid hormone levels. Selected organs from all mice were weighed and fixed for histopathological examination. Dose-related mortality was observed as early as 5 days postexposure and time-to-death was inversely related to dose. Dramatic decreases in body weight occurred shortly following treatment in all strains. Serum triiodothyronine (T3) and thyroxine (T4) levels increased with increasing dose. There was a marked increase (p < 0.05) in absolute and relative liver weights and a significant decrease in thymus weights. Hepatocellular hypertrophy was observed in all treated mice other than controls. A marked increase in hepatocyte peroxisomes was observed in all treatment groups. Thus, in contrast to TCDD, the acute toxicity of PFDA in the female C57BL/6 mouse does not vary with the Ah allele and is distinct from that reported for TCDD.
AutoDomainMine: a graphical data mining system for process optimization

This paper describes a graphical data mining system called AutoDomainMine. It is based on our proposed approach of integrating clustering and classification to mine scientific data stored in a database. The data consists of input conditions of scientific experiments and graphs plotted as their results. This system mines the stored data in order to submit exact or approximate ranked responses to user queries intended to optimize the scientific processes.
TOOTH AVULSIONS RESULTING FROM BASKETBALL NET ENTANGLEMENT

The authors conducted a survey of dentists reporting tooth avulsions from basketball net accidents. Although the number of people injured was small, the dental injuries were serious. In many cases, multiple teeth were avulsed as a result of the maxillary anterior teeth becoming entangled in the basketball net while the patients were attempting to slamdunk a basketball either on a lowered backboard or from a raised take-off area. The authors present recommendations for preventing tooth avulsions resulting from basketball net entanglement.
Achieving environmental sustainability beyond technological improvements: Potential role of high-speed rail in the United States of America

In order to reduce energy use and cut emissions that contribute to climate change, countries need to radically reinvent their fossil-fuel intensive transportation systems. As a major consumer of energy and contributor to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, the U.S. transportation sector faces extraordinary challenges in the twenty-first century. Transportation in the U.S. depends heavily on fossil-fuel dependent cars and planes to the near exclusion of more energy-efficient electric trains. In order to address this concern, some policy makers refer to “technological optimism” which seeks no systemic change but instead focuses on employing technology to reduce the energy demand and environmental impact of the status quo. On the other hand, some researchers suggest a systematic paradigm shift away from cars and planes to intermodal systems that improve the sustainability of the system as a whole. High-speed rail (HSR) is arguably such an investment that can further this shift and help to achieve a more diversified and balanced transportation system. In this respect, by largely examining the role of the U.S. cars and planes “culture” in the economy, this paper elaborates on how building a HSR system may help U.S. advance towards environmental sustainability in transportation, make a break from the status quo, and create a more balanced, multimodal transportation system that will improve the quality and efficiency of travel.
Potential weather modification from cooling tower effluents at conceptual power parks

Abstract A numerical model for multiple plumes is developed to study the enhanced convection of merged plumes from a cluster of cooling towers at a conceptual power park. The model is based on the equations of motion for a quasi incompressible fluid derived from the laws governing the change of momentum, the first law of thermodynamics, and the conservation of mass. The microphysical processes are simplified in the model by a parameterization approach similar to the work of Kessler (1969) with the assumption that the droplet size distributions in the cooling tower plume are the same as those of cooling tower drift measured near the top of cooling towers. The numerical model is employed to simulate the merged plume convection from clusters of (up to 40) natural draft cooling towers, where each tower serves to dissipate 2400 MW of waste heat. It was found that the plume rise from 40 towers is predicted to be approximately 360% and 130% of that from a single tower for an average July afternoon and average January morning sounding, respectively, taken in the Louisiana area if the towers are arranged in a near square grid and spaced at 300 m apart. However, it is not uncommon to predict an induced convective cloud developing over 4000 m in height from more than 5 towers in a group for an individual afternoon sounding in the southeastern United States. Comparison of the predicted precipitation using Kessler's microphysical parameterization with Marshall and Palmer's (1948) drop size distribution and the similar approach with available observed droplet size distribution from cooling tower drift is also made. The model predictions are in good agreement with observations at existing power plants up to 3000 MWe generating capacity.
Rollovers during play: Complementary perspectives.

In this commentary, we compare and contrast Norman et al.s’ findings on rollovers during dog play (Norman et al., 2015; the “target article”) with our work on dog play fighting (Bauer and Smuts, 2007; Ward et al., 2008). We first review our major findings and then correct some errors in the target article’s descriptions of our work. We then further explore the concept of “defensive” rollovers proposed in the target article. We conclude that a combination of the target article’s approach and ours should inform future investigations of dog rollovers.
Differential cytotoxicity of cis-platinum and blenoxane against human carcinoma kbe cells in multicellular spheroids of different ages: Response at different temperatures

Abstract Human KBE epidermoid carcinoma cells were reproducibly grown in suspension as multicellular spheroids (MCS). Initial aggregation at 48 hours is followed by a rapid diameter increase until day 10. The size increase then continues with daily refeedings, under the growth conditions used, but at a slower rate. When cells are treated in MCS with either blenoxane (bleomycin) or cis-diamminedichloroplatinum (II) (cis-platinum), the survival of cells (by cloning efficiency (CE) essay) varied from that of surface attached (SA) cells. The survival was dependent on the age of the MCS as well as their size; the age response was significantly different for cis-platinum and blenoxane. Hyperthermic incubation of KBE cells in MCS at different ages for 1 hour (40–43°C) resulted in cell killing similar to that observed after hyperthermic incubation of surface attached cells. In combined byperthermia/chemotherapy experiments, simultaneous treatment with blenoxane resulted in little or no increase in MCS cell toxicity at 40°C; at 42.5°C, there was increased toxicity. The increase in toxicity was similar for MCS of different ages. Upon simultaneous cis-platinum treatment, an increase in toxicity was observed at 40°C, but only in older MCS. At 42.5°C, an increased toxicity (relative to treatment at 37°C) was observed in MCS of all ages. These results are, in general, similar to those described for other in vitro and in vivo systems, but emphasize the differences in the survival response which can result for treatment of human cancer cells in MCS of different ages over even a small size range (up to 1 mm diameter). This is much smaller than clinically detectable tumors. This reproducible human cancer cell multicellular spheroid model has great potential for representing the variability likely to be present in micrometastases of different sizes, and in small regions of solid tumors, and therefore for assisting in preliminary evaluation of combined modality protocols.
Solution reactivity of brevetoxins as monitored by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry and implications for detoxification.

The reactivities of brevetoxin compounds in acid and base and under oxidizing conditions were studied using electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) to monitor reaction products. Brevetoxins are determined to be unstable in acidic and basic solutions. Under acidic conditions, brevetoxins containing an aldehyde functional group in the terminal “tail” side chain are easily converted to acetal structures, while “head” side lactone ring opening proceeds more slowly. Measurement of reaction rate constants indicates the following order of reactivity under acidic conditions: Btx-1 > Btx-2 > Btx-9. Under basic conditions, hydroxide ion attack at the head portion leads to lactone ring opening. Base hydrolysis (0.01 N NaOH in 50:50 methanol/water) goes to completion in 120 min for Btx-2 and Btx-9, but Btx-1 did not react to completion. Both acid and base hydrolyses can lead to reversible lactone ring opening, but base hydrolysis proceeds faster than acid hydrolysis under comparable conditions. Acid treat...
Historical perspectives on diagnosis in psychiatry.

Abstract Three sources of the instability of psychiatric diagnostic systems are suggested: the effects of new knowledge in psychiatry, the sectarianism of the field, and differing basic approaches to diagnosis. A view of the historical place of DSM-III is presented.
Biological properties and translational products of three independent isolates of feline sarcoma virus.

Abstract Three transforming retroviruses have been isolated from naturally occurring tumors of outbred cats. In the present report, the biological properties of the SM, GA, and ST strains of feline sarcoma virus (FeSV) have been characterized in tissue culture. Like previous mammalian transforming viruses, each FeSV strain was demonstrated to be replication defective, requiring a type-C RNA virus as a helper. Reproducible differences were demonstrated in the morphology of transformed foci induced by each FeSV strain. These findings were independent of helper virus or assay cell utilized, suggesting that the transforming activities of the three FeSV strains are distinguishable. Nonproducer transformants of SM-FeSV expressed feline leukemia virus (FeLV) gag gene products, p15, p12, and p30. In contrast, the GA-and ST-FeSV genomes coded only for p15 and p12 proteins, further distinguishing SM-FeSV from the other FeSV strains. Each remained stable with respect to viral protein expression upon transmission to new cells, demonstrating the stable association of FeLV gag gene information with each FeSV genome. Analysis of the FeLV structural proteins translated in nonproducer transformants of the three FeSV strains revealed the presence of precursor molecules, whose sizes could not be accounted for solely by the number of FeLV gag proteins present in them.
Electrostatic Zipper Motif for DNA Aggregation

Counterion specificity of DNA condensation is rationalized from a theory of electrostatic interaction between helical molecules that accounts for different charge distribution patterns. An axial charge separation due to ion binding in helical grooves allows close approach of opposite charges along the DNA-DNA contact and forms an electrostatic ``zipper'' that ``fastens'' the molecules together. Predictions of the theory are in agreement with experimental data.
The Sentiment Argument for Artificial Feeding of the Dying

The sentiment argument emphasizes the unique symbolic significance of nourishment and associated deep seated emotions. The argument distinguishes between medical treatments which may be discontinue...
A Functional Imaging Study of Self-Regulatory Capacities in Persons Who Stutter

Developmental stuttering is a disorder of speech fluency with an unknown pathogenesis. The similarity of its phenotype and natural history with other childhood neuropsychiatric disorders of frontostriatal pathology suggests that stuttering may have a closely related pathogenesis. We investigated in this study the potential involvement of frontostriatal circuits in developmental stuttering. We collected functional magnetic resonance imaging data from 46 persons with stuttering and 52 fluent controls during performance of the Simon Spatial Incompatibility Task. We examined differences between the two groups of blood-oxygen-level-dependent activation associated with two neural processes, the resolution of cognitive conflict and the context-dependent adaptation to changes in conflict. Stuttering speakers and controls did not differ on behavioral performance on the task. In the presence of conflict-laden stimuli, however, stuttering speakers activated more strongly the cingulate cortex, left anterior prefrontal cortex, right medial frontal cortex, left supplementary motor area, right caudate nucleus, and left parietal cortex. The magnitude of activation in the anterior cingulate cortex correlated inversely in stuttering speakers with symptom severity. Stuttering speakers also showed blunted activation during context-dependent adaptation in the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, a brain region that mediates cross-temporal contingencies. Frontostriatal hyper-responsivity to conflict resembles prior findings in other disorders of frontostriatal pathology, and therefore likely represents a general mechanism supporting functional compensation for an underlying inefficiency of neural processing in these circuits. The reduced activation of dorsolateral prefrontal cortex likely represents the inadequate readiness of stuttering speakers to execute a sequence of motor responses.
Use of folate-conjugated imaging agents to target alternatively activated macrophages in a murine model of asthma.

Pro-inflammatory macrophages play a prominent role in such autoimmune diseases as rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn’s disease, psoriasis, sarcoidosis, and atherosclerosis. Because pro-inflammatory macrophages have also been shown to overexpress a receptor for the vitamin folic acid (i.e., folate receptor beta; FR-β), folate-linked drugs have been explored for use in imaging and treatment of these same diseases. To determine whether allergic inflammatory disorders might be similarly targeted with folate-linked drugs, we have examined the characteristics of macrophages that are prominent in the pathogenesis of asthma. We report here that macrophages from the lungs of mice with experimental allergic asthma express FR-β. We further document that these FR-β+ macrophages coexpress markers of alternatively activated (M2-type) macrophages, including the mannose receptor and arginase-1. Finally, we demonstrate that folate-conjugated fluorescent dyes and radioimaging agents can be specifically targeted to these asthmatic...
Supplemental Dietary Fat and Ruminally Protected Amino Acids for Lactating Jersey Cows

Eight Jersey cows receiving a 50:50 ratio of forage to concentrate on a DM basis were used in a replicated 4 x 4 Latin square design to determine the effects of added fat (3.4% of dietary DM) and ruminally protected AA (8 g of Met and 24 g of Lys daily) on yield and composition of milk. Treatments were 1) basal control, 2) added fat, 3) added AA, and 4) fat plus AA. Compared with no added fat, fat supplementation increased 4% FCM yield (24.7 vs. 23.0 kg/d) and milk fat yield (1.05 vs. .97 kg), depressed milk protein content (3.58 vs. 3.74%), and altered fatty acid composition of milk. Blood triglyceride and NEFA were elevated (34.4 vs. 29.5 mg/dl and 175.1 vs. 143.7 microeq/L, respectively) by added fat. Supplementation with AA elevated blood Lys, Met, and urea N without increasing milk protein yield. Increase in blood NEFA was further augmented by fat plus AA supplementation, but no changes in concentrations of Lys or Met in blood were found. Addition of AA did not alleviate the depression of milk protein content when supplemental fat was added to the diet for Jersey cows.
Production and characterization of adeno-associated viral vectors

The adeno-associated virus (AAV) is one of the most promising viral vectors for human gene therapy. As with any potential therapeutic system, a thorough understanding of it at the in vitro and in vivo levels is required. Over the years, numerous methods have been developed to better characterize AAV vectors. These methods have paved the way to a better understanding of the vector and, ultimately, its use in clinical applications. This review provides an up-to-date, detailed description of essential methods such as production, purification and titering and their application to characterize current AAV vectors for preclinical and clinical use.
Complete esophageal obstruction following endoscopic variceal band ligation

Variceal hemorrhage is a potential complication of portal hypertension. Besides medical management, endoscopic variceal band ligation (EVBL) has emerged as a promising prophylactic tool proving to be superior to sclerotherapy. EBVL is a simple procedure associated with minor complications and short recovery time. In this report, we present a case of a rare complication of complete esophageal obstruction following an EVBL procedure. Given the high numbers of such procedures performed, it is imperative that internists and specialists be aware of this unusual complication.
Sex on the Brain?: An Examination of Frequency of Sexual Cognitions as a Function of Gender, Erotophilia, and Social Desirability

It is commonly believed that men think about sex much more often than do women, but the empirical evidence in this area is fairly weak. By means of a golf tally counter, 283 college students kept track of their thoughts pertaining to food, sleep, or sex for one week. Males reported significantly more need-based cognitions overall, but there was no significant interaction between sex of participant and type of cognition recorded. Therefore, although these young men did think more about sex than did young women, they also thought more about food and sleep. In contrast, a retrospective estimated frequency of need-based cognitions obtained at the start of the study revealed a sex difference in sexual cognitions, but not thoughts about eating or sleeping. Erotophilia and sexual desirability responding were significant predictors of frequency of sexual cognitions for women, but not for men. Overall, erotophilia was a better predictor of sexual cognition than was sex of participant. Taken as a whole, the results suggest that, although there may be a sex difference in sexual cognitions, it is smaller than is generally thought, and the reporting is likely influenced by sex role expectations.
Using reflective blogs for pedagogical feedback in CS1

The use of weekly, reflective student blogs can be one method for collecting ongoing feedback about a CS1 course. Reflective blogs permit a continuous feedback loop that can be used for both formative and summative assessment of pedagogical innovations. This paper reports on a two-year qualitative study involving the use of reflective blogging in six sections of two CS1-style courses. Reflective blogs were used as a low stakes, non-intimidating vehicle whereby concerns, requests, and other course-related issues could be voiced by students. The resultant blog posts were used as an assessment and feedback mechanism for a parallel pedagogical transformation of the participating courses. This study demonstrates that reflective student blogs in CS1 can be a useful tool for instructional planning. However, faculty must be careful to avoid reactionary changes which move the course away from predefined learning outcomes.
Age estimation in rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) based on mandibular dimensions

A new technique has been developed for estimating age in rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) that is based on mandibular measurements and has several advantages over presently available techniques. First, the new technique is relatively quick and inexpensive because a single measurement or radiograph suffices to produce an age estimate. Second, mandibular growth represents a more continuous phenomenon than either epiphyseal union or dental eruption; therefore, age estimates may be made throughout the period of growth without significant gaps in the process. Finally, the new technique may be used on incomplete or even fragmentary skeletal material because it requires that only a portion of the mandible be preserved. The new technique produces age estimates with a prediction error of ±5.08 months in males and ±7.29 months in females. These errors are only slightly higher than those found previously for dental eruption or epiphyseal union data.