cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Multi-omics analysis reveals neoantigen-independent immune cell infiltration in copy-number driven cancers

To realize the full potential of immunotherapy, it is critical to understand the drivers of tumor infiltration by immune cells. Previous studies have linked immune infiltration with tumor neoantigen levels, but the broad applicability of this concept remains unknown. Here, we find that while this observation is true across cancers characterized by recurrent mutations, it does not hold for cancers driven by recurrent copy number alterations, such as breast and pancreatic tumors. To understand immune invasion in these cancers, we developed an integrative multi-omics framework, identifying the DNA damage response protein ATM as a driver of cytokine production leading to increased immune infiltration. This prediction was validated in numerous orthogonal datasets, as well as experimentally in vitro and in vivo by cytokine release and immune cell migration. These findings demonstrate diverse drivers of immune cell infiltration across cancer lineages and may facilitate the clinical adaption of immunotherapies across diverse malignancies.
3 Persisting problems in tuberculosis

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the persisting problems in tuberculosis. The evolutionary origins of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the bacterium that causes human tuberculosis, are uncertain. Tuberculosis may have originated in prehistoric humans as a zoonotic infection transmitted from tuberculous animals. A likely candidate for the most recent ancestor of M. tuberculosis is the closely related species, Mycobacterium bovis, which is the cause of bovine tuberculosis. Alternatively, these two species may have diverged independently from a common precursor. Acquired resistance to tuberculosis is thought to be mediated by M. tuberculosis-specific T lymphocytes displaying the αβT-cell receptor and either the CD4 or CD8 coreceptor. T cells expressing CD8 recognize antigens presented by major histocompatibility complex (MHC) Class I molecules, which are widely distributed on virtually every cell type in the human body. T cells expressing CD4 recognize antigens presented by MHC Class II, present only on specialized antigen-presenting cells, including macrophages. Both classes of T cells can produce IFNγ to activate macrophages.
Equilibrium Concepts for Rational Multiparty Computation

In this work, we build upon previous results to strengthen the equilibrium concept for rational multiparty computation. We consider only rational players, acting to maximize their utility functions. We consider extensive form dynamic games of imperfect information, using a computational variant of perfect Bayesian equilibrium as the solution concept. We argue that the perfect Bayesian equilibrium is a more appropriate solution concept for multiparty computation, as in cryptographic protocols information is often imperfect by design. Further, the perfect Bayesian equilibrium concept is able to address dynamic games, where players move sequentially rather than simultaneously. By considering players that move sequentially, we are able to remove the assumption of a broadcast channel. Finally, we give novel definitions of privacy, correctness and fairness solely in terms of game theoretic constructs.
[Volatile anesthetics and liver injury: a clinical update or what every anesthesiologist should know].

The use of any anesthetic agent must be based on specific knowledge of its benefits and risks, how it may produce toxicity and in which patients it may be most safely administered. Clearly, the perfect anesthetic agent does not yet exist and individual patient circumstances will continue to dictate the choice and use of inhaled anesthetics in clinical practice. Reports such as that by Tungea et al. remind us of the need for continued vigilance. As ongoing research attempts to uncover emerging toxicities, the clinician is challenged to balance new information with current clinical practices and choose the safest, most effective agents for each patient.
Chapter 48 – Iron

: Iron is the most abundant trace element in mammalian organisms. The principal function of iron in the body involves oxygen transport. Only 3-6% of the iron present in the diet is normally absorbed by the intestine. Iron absorption is an active process, with most absorption occurring in the upper part of the small intestine. Cobalt, zinc, copper, and manganese compete, somewhat, with iron for intestinal absorption. Unless bleeding occurs, iron is not easily excreted from the body. Iron, which is continually interconverted between the ferric and ferrous state, can cause free radical formation. Iron toxicity results in pancreatic and liver damage, which is exacerbated in vitamin E deficiency. Young, fast-growing animals are vulnerable to iron deficiency. Most metalloflavoproteins contain iron.
Development and In Vitro Evaluation of Long Circulating Liposomes for Targeted Delivery of Gemcitabine and Irinotecan in Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma

The classically used nontargeted chemotherapeutic approach to pancreatic cancer has a dual drawback of suboptimal drug delivery at the target site and the systemic side effects produced by the unfettered exposure of the drug to healthy tissue. This study has the objective of developing novel poly(2-ethyl-2-oxazoline) (PETOX)–based long circulating liposomes loaded with gemcitabine and irinotecan for the treatment of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, with a juxtaposition to PEGylated and uncoated liposomes. A PETOX−cholesteryl chloroformate lipopolymer conjugate (PETOX–ChC) with a carbonate linkage was prepared and characterized by 1H NMR, FTIR, and DSC. Liposomes were prepared using the thin film hydration technique followed by freeze–thaw and membrane extrusion methods. Liposome characterization includes particle size determination, zeta potential determination using a zetameter, and structural elucidation using 31P NMR and cryo-TEM. The PETOXylated liposomes showed a particle size of 180.1 ± 2.2 nm and a zeta potential of − 33.63 ± 1.23 mV. The liposomal combination therapy of gemcitabine and irinotecan was found to have an IC50 value 39 times lower in comparison to the drug combination in solution, while the PEGylated and PETOXylated liposomes showed IC50 values 1.6 times lower and 2 times lower than that of uncoated liposomes, respectively, against Mia PaCa II pancreatic cancer cell line. The PEGylated and PETOXylated liposomes showed 4.1 and 5.4 times slower macrophagial uptake in vitro in comparison to the uncoated liposomes respectively. The PEGylated liposomes showed 11% higher in vitro macrophagial uptake in comparison to PETOXylated liposomes.
Electron-Mediated Aminyl and Iminyl Radicals from C5 Azido-Modified Pyrimidine Nucleosides Augment Radiation Damage to Cancer Cells

Two classes of azido-modified pyrimidine nucleosides were synthesized as potential radiosensitizers; one class is 5-azidomethyl-2'-deoxyuridine (AmdU) and cytidine (AmdC), while the second class is 5-(1-azidovinyl)-2'-deoxyuridine (AvdU) and cytidine (AvdC). The addition of radiation-produced electrons to C5-azido nucleosides leads to the formation of π-aminyl radicals followed by facile conversion to σ-iminyl radicals either via a bimolecular reaction involving intermediate α-azidoalkyl radicals in AmdU/AmdC or by tautomerization in AvdU/AvdC. AmdU demonstrates effective radiosensitization in EMT6 tumor cells.
Image Exploration Procedure Classification with Spike-timing Neural Network for the Blind

Individuals who are blind use exploration procedures (EPs) to navigate and understand digital images. The ability to model and detect these EPs can help the assistive technologies' community build efficient and accessible interfaces for the blind and overall enhance human-machine interaction. In this paper, we propose a framework to classify various EPs using spike-timing neural networks (SNNs). While users interact with a digital image using a haptic device, rotation and translation-invariant features are computed directly from exploration trajectories acquired from the haptic control. These features are further encoded as model strings through trained SNNs. A classification scheme is then proposed to distinguish these model strings to identify the EPs. The framework adapted a modified Dynamic Time Wrapping (DTW) for spatial-temporal matching with Dempster-Shafer Theory (DST) for multimodal fusion. Experimental results (87.05% as EPs' detection accuracy) indicate the effectiveness of the proposed framework and its potential application in human-machine interfaces.
Abstract 311: In vitro Regulation of G-protein Coupled Receptor Kinase 5 (GRK5) Induced Cardiac Hypertrophy by a Novel Interaction With the Phosphatase PHLPP2

PHLPP is a Ser/Thr phosphatase that has been shown to directly dephosphorylate several members of the AGC family of kinases, which are important regulators of cell growth, proliferation, and surviv...
Three bags full: Integrating text sets with engineering explorations for young children

AbstractEngineering is receiving unprecedented attention in early childhood and elementary classrooms. Teachers of young children may recognize the ways young children act as natural engineers as they design and create with materials from the classroom or playground. Everyday experiences such as choosing the type of bag: paper, plastic, or a reusable cloth bag at the grocery store can also be used to build explorations with engineering design and challenges. The meaningful integration of children’s literature with engineering design challenges provides the further benefit of supporting the kinds of literacy instruction fundamental to primary classrooms. One method to consider is the use of Text Sets, a strategy from literacy that involves the selection and use of a variety of texts chosen intentionally along one or more dimensions where multiple kinds of texts might meet multiple needs or purposes. Lesson suggestions are provided for using text sets of books from different literary genres including biogra...
DISTANCE LANGUAGE LEARNING: THE KEY ASPECTS OF SUCCESSFUL IMPLEMENTATION

Distance language learning has unique challenges which can be explained by the peculiarities of language learning. Distance language courses should be designed in the way that provides a wide range of opportunities for language learners for interaction and successful second language acquisition . The present article focuses on the key aspects aimed at providing the sufficient language input and output; develops the guidance for effective course design regarding the complexities of distance language learning and the factors which influence learners’ communicative competence. It also analyses two approaches to distance learning from the perspectives of effective development of language communicative skills.
INGRIM: A Middleware to Enable Remote Method Invocation Routing in Multiple Group Device-To-Device Networks

Mobile devices can improve performance and preserve energy by offloading computational intensive calculations to nearby peers, as well as Internet-accessible servers. However, despite a long research history, current peer-to-peer offloading technologies are dilatory and unfit for applications that require rapidly consecutive requests over short periods, particularly for mobile apps. This paper introduces INGRIM, (i.e., Inter-group Remote Invocation Middleware), which is a library-based middleware system that can eliminate much of the complexity associated with implementing, testing, and operating systems with peer-to-peer offloading. Specifically, INGRIM provides annotations for declaring distribution decisions and out-of-box components that enable peer-to-peer communications, even when a client app and the service provider do not have a direct network link or Internet connectivity. This paper shows that INGRIM's overhead is similar to RMI, but that it can support inter-group communications.
Machine-learning to stratify diabetic patients using novel cardiac biomarkers and integrative genomics

Diabetes mellitus is a chronic disease that impacts an increasing percentage of people each year. Among its comorbidities, diabetics are two to four times more likely to develop cardiovascular diseases. While HbA1c remains the primary diagnostic for diabetics, its ability to predict long-term, health outcomes across diverse demographics, ethnic groups, and at a personalized level are limited. The purpose of this study was to provide a model for precision medicine through the implementation of machine-learning algorithms using multiple cardiac biomarkers as a means for predicting diabetes mellitus development. Right atrial appendages from 50 patients, 30 non-diabetic and 20 type 2 diabetic, were procured from the WVU Ruby Memorial Hospital. Machine-learning was applied to physiological, biochemical, and sequencing data for each patient. Supervised learning implementing SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) allowed binary (no diabetes or type 2 diabetes) and multiple classification (no diabetes, prediabetes, and type 2 diabetes) of the patient cohort with and without the inclusion of HbA1c levels. Findings were validated through Logistic Regression (LR), Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA), Gaussian Naive Bayes (NB), Support Vector Machine (SVM), and Classification and Regression Tree (CART) models with tenfold cross validation. Total nuclear methylation and hydroxymethylation were highly correlated to diabetic status, with nuclear methylation and mitochondrial electron transport chain (ETC) activities achieving superior testing accuracies in the predictive model (~ 84% testing, binary). Mitochondrial DNA SNPs found in the D-Loop region (SNP-73G, -16126C, and -16362C) were highly associated with diabetes mellitus. The CpG island of transcription factor A, mitochondrial (TFAM) revealed CpG24 (chr10:58385262, P = 0.003) and CpG29 (chr10:58385324, P = 0.001) as markers correlating with diabetic progression. When combining the most predictive factors from each set, total nuclear methylation and CpG24 methylation were the best diagnostic measures in both binary and multiple classification sets. Using machine-learning, we were able to identify novel as well as the most relevant biomarkers associated with type 2 diabetes mellitus by integrating physiological, biochemical, and sequencing datasets. Ultimately, this approach may be used as a guideline for future investigations into disease pathogenesis and novel biomarker discovery.
My Word! Machine versus Human Computation Methods for Identifying and Resolving Acronyms

Acronyms are commonly used in human language as alternative forms of concepts to increase recognition, to reduce duplicate references to the same concept, and to stress important concepts. There are no standard rules for acronym creation; therefore, both machine-based acronym identification and ac-ronym resolution are highly prone to error. This might be resolved by a human computation approach, which can take advantage of knowledge external to the document collection. Using three text collections with different properties, we compare a machine-based algorithm with a crowdsourcing approach to identify acronyms. We then perform acronym resolution using these two approaches, plus a game-based approach. The crowd and game-based methods outperform the machine algorithm, even when external information is not used. Also, crowd and game formats offered similar performance with a difference in cost.
Prevention of Stress Urinary Incontinence in Women

Lower urinary tract dysfunction (LUTD), including stress urinary incontinence (SUI), is increasingly recognized as a public health issue due to the prevalence, individual burden, and societal impact. Women are disproportionately affected by UI and are exposed to unique events that affect LUT function including higher rates of LUT infection, childbirth, pelvic floor anatomic changes, and hormonal milieu. The majority of LUTD research and clinical practice has focused on treatment of the most affected subset of women, but there are millions of women living with urinary incontinence that do not seek advice or treatment, and the evidence base for prevention or detection of early symptoms is lacking. Individual factors such as sociodemographic elements, medical history, physical exam, and comorbidities have been well studied; however, the contribution of family and environmental factors is less well understood. Emerging data suggests that some types of high-impact physical activity in adolescence can confer increased UI risk later in life. Prenatal and postpartum pelvic floor muscle training appears to be beneficial in preventing SUI in some women. While certain individual risk factors for SUI have been identified, sociocontextual factors also affect health outcomes and can mediate an individual’s risk of disease. The social ecological model considers factors within the family/peer, community, and societal levels that can affect an individual’s health behaviors. Prevention research that investigates these multiple levels of influence on individual biology and behavior is a fundamental step to better understand the complex factors that impact bladder health and inform LUTS prevention agendas. In addition, strategies to educate girls and women and engage communities in bladder health promotion are essential in order to effectively disseminate scientific findings and implement intervention programs.
Positive Youth Development Through Leisure: Confronting the COVID-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused significant disruption in the lives of millions of people, including children and adolescents. Youth out-of-school time (OST) programs are essential ecological assets and their disruption during the pandemic may have a major impact on youth developmental pathways. Youth programs are one of the primary ways to promote positive youth development (PYD) and, in turn, develop healthy and thriving young adults who contribute positively to society. The pandemic raises the question of how to sustain developmentally oriented forms of youth leisure in times of crisis and, especially, how to support youth with few resources. Although there is considerable scientific evidence regarding the promotion of PYD through OST programs (e.g., sport, clubs, youth groups), public health initiatives to control the pandemic also curtail the delivery of such programs. Nevertheless, research on youth programs can be applied to help support PYD during the pandemic. In this commentary, we review key elements contributing to the effectiveness of youth development programs and provide ideas for how to sustain, adapt, and create these elements and bring them into unstructured leisure settings in the face of the pandemic. In doing so, we highlight particular challenges to implementation, surmise who may be most at risk, and present potential opportunities afforded by the unique situation. Throughout, we highlight innovative examples of adaptation exhibited in affected communities. We conclude with a call to action for researchers and practitioners to unite efforts to support PYD through leisure even in the face of crisis.
Are extreme soil moisture deficits captured by remotely sensed data retrievals

Accurate soil moisture (SM) data are key for climate and surface-atmosphere simulations associated with prediction and analysis of weather and climate variability. Here, we assessed in situ vs. rem...
Stereotypes and the Administration of Justice

Stereotypes play a pervasive role in the administration of justice, influencing police stops and searches, the use of force, bail and sentencing decisions, juror behavior and selection, felony disenfranchisement, and attitudes towards mass incarceration. We provide a selective survey of the literature on stereotypes and criminal justice, and discuss implications for witness cooperation, homicide clearance rates, and rates of murder victimization.
Chemical Cross-Linking of Highly Sulfonated Polystyrene Electrospun Fibers

Electrospun nanofibers of highly sulfonated polystyrene (IEC ∼ 4.8 mequiv/g) might be good candidates for use in ion exchange applications because of their ability to form continuous, highly conducting pathways for cation transport. However, such fibers suffer in terms of dimensional stability due to high water uptake at elevated humidity. To improve the stability of the electrospun nanofiber mats in water, the polyelectrolyte was coelectrospun in the presence of a high molecular weight poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO). Addition of PEO to the spinning dope helped improve the spinnability of the polyelectrolyte and subsequent heat treatment improved the stability of the fiber mats in water. Increasing PEO concentration in the fiber mats reduced the solubility of the heat-treated fiber mats in water; suggesting that the fibers were cross-linked by or in the presence of the PEO. To understand the chemistry of this apparent cross-linking reaction, the electrospun fiber mats were heated in a solid state 1H NMR rotor...
Databases and Functional Information

In this chapter we discuss how to translate the statistical results from analysis into biological knowledge using online databases of genomic data and annotation packages in R. We also discuss functional profile analysis using gene ontologies and pathway analysis. Some examples for testing overrepresentation of differentially expressed genes are shown.
The Significance of Minicolumnar Size Variability in Autism

Recent postmortem studies indicate the presence of diminished minicolumnar size in the cortex of patients with autism as compared to controls. A diminution in minicolumnar width in autism restricts the absolute span of this module’s variability in both size and associated circuitry. Anatomically, minicolumns can be divided into cell core and peripheral neuropil space compartments. Development of the pyramidal cell core is constrained by radial cell migration and their attendant radially oriented axons and dendrite bundles. A major portion of a minicolumn’s variability resides in its peripheral neuropil space where its constituent cells and process are more heterogeneous regarding their sources. This heterogeneity may have provided brains, in both evolution and development, with a way of adapting the function of minicolumns within specific networks. We surmise that minicolumnar variability is the result of genetic and epigenetic influences that provide for combinatorial diversity within overlapping networks resulting in behavioral flexibility.
Prognostic and predictive biomarkers in gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors.

Neuroendocrine tumors (NET) are a diverse group of tumors that derive from epithelial cells with neuroendocrine differentiation. Gastroenteropancreatic NETs are a subset of NET that arise from the gastrointestinal tract. The natural history and prognosis varies widely between different gastroenteropancreatic NETs, highlighting the importance of identifying accurate prognostic and predictive biomarkers. At the 2013 ASCO Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium, De Braud et al . (Abstract #186) and Bellister et al . (Abstract #163) present data on two new possible biomarkers. Image: Logo ( Tufts Medical Center . Boston, MA, USA) .
The Ohio SETI program - the first decade.

A full-time dedicated SETI progam has been in operation at Ohio State University since 1973. A 50-channel narrowband filter bank is in use near the 21 cm. hydrogen-line. All data is processed in real time and permanently recorded. A large portion of the northern sky has been surveyed and analyzed for large-scale structure. The only obvious non-random structure is caused by isolated narrowband pulses, which are anti-correlated with galactic latitude, and congregate in two specific areas. The origin of these pulses is unknown, although they may be partially due to instrumental effects.
ScanSSH - Scanning the Internet for SSH Servers

SSH is a widely used application that provides secure remote login. It uses strong cryptography to provide authentication and confidentiality. The IETF SecSH working group is developing SSH v2, an improved SSH protocol that fixes cryptographic and design flaws in the SSH v1 protocol. SSH v2 compatible server software is widespread. Recently discovered security flaws make it critically important to find vulnerable SSH servers and update them. In this paper, we describe a method to determine with good precision how many servers supporting the various protocol versions have been deployed on the net. We describe the design and implementation of ScanSSH, a scanner that probes SSH servers for their software version, and discuss the results of scanning the Internet and our local networks for several months.
Communication Policy Reform, Interest Groups, and Legislative Capture

There are varied models of regulatory agency behavior. Economists have recently emphasized the incentive-incompatibility of agencies “captured” by regulated entities and a legislature concerned with welfare maximization. This conflict is characterized as a principal-agent problem to which the legislature responds in various ways, including the imposition of administrative procedure laws, oversight committees, and other attempts to control the regulatory bureaucracies. I argue that the principal-agent incentive compatibility model of regulatory capture is naive. Regulatory agencies are, in general, eager to please or at least appease their congressional oversight and budget committees. It is the committees themselves, and especially their chairs, who capture and are captured by regulated entities, with the objective of funding expensive election campaigns in return for access to a seat at the regulatory policy negotiating table. The existence of the regulatory state and the details of regulatory policy reflect this systemic bias in the political system, which Lawrence Lessig has recently tagged “Type 2” (lawful) corruption.
Multivariate Records and Shape

For one dimensional data, the notion of a record is natural and, universally agreed upon but this is not the case when the data is in two or more dimensions. We outline several plausible definitions of a record and settle on one induced by a partial ordering: For observations X1,…,Xn we say Xn is a record if each component of Xn is bigger than the corresponding components of previous observations. Some properties of such records of iid observations are reviewed and used to study the shape of the convex hull of the first n observations, as n→∞.
Use of Monoclonal Antibodies To Identify Serotypes of Enterovirus Isolates

Nonpoliovirus enteroviruses cause a variety of diseases that are common in young children and adults. The “gold standard” for laboratory diagnosis of enteroviruses is cell culture isolation, followed by serotype identification by neutralization assay. These procedures are time-consuming and expensive. Rapid serotype identification of enteroviruses is important in differentiating nonpoliovirus enterovirus pathogens from vaccine strain polioviruses that can be shed for some time after vaccination. In the present investigation, we evaluated a rapid method for serotype identification of enteroviruses by indirect immunofluorescence assay (IFA) using commercially available monoclonal antibodies for polioviruses, coxsackieviruses type B, and six serotypes of commonly circulating echoviruses. Of 291 isolates of enteroviruses included in the study, 95 were polioviruses and 196 were nonpoliovirus enteroviruses. Two hundred thirty-four of these (38 polioviruses and 196 nonpoliovirus enteroviruses) were consecutively grown in the laboratory over a 5-year period. IFA identified the serotypes of 74% of the consecutive isolates and 71% of all enterovirus isolates by yielding a positive staining result. The levels of agreement in the identification of the enterovirus group between IFA and neutralization tests were 92% for consecutively grown isolates and 85% for all enterovirus isolates. The sensitivity of the IFA for the detection of viruses for which specific monoclonal antibodies were applied was 73% for polioviruses, 85% for coxsackieviruses type B, and 94% for echoviruses. Specificity was near 100% for polioviruses and coxsackieviruses type B and 94% for echoviruses. We conclude that IFA can be helpful as a preliminary test for serotype identification of enteroviruses. The results are most accurate when the test identifies the isolate as a poliovirus.
Mechanisms promoting stability in mixed Saguinus mystax and S. fuscicollis troops

Mixed-species troops composed of two species of tamarin monkeys, and rarely other ceboids, occur throughout much of western Amazonia and are notable for their long-term stability. This study identified several variables that appeared to promote mixed-species troop cohesion and yet maintained spatial segregation between species. Three variables enhanced in terspecific spatial segregation: differences in support use, vertical stratification, and interindividual spacing. In contrast, early morning vocalizations and well-coordinated movement patterns contribute to cohesion within a mixed-species troop. The combination of these variables may help explain how two congeneric species accommodate one another with little apparent interspecific aggression. The exact nature of benefits and costs to each individual in a mixed troop is still elusive; however, a comparison of population densities of sympatric and allopatric tamarins suggests that population growth of one partner (Saguinus fuscicollis) is enhanced in the presence of a congeneric species.
A shipboard natural community continuous culture system for ecologically relevant low-level nutrient enrichment experiments

Inputs of low concentrations of new and regenerated forms of nitrogen (≤1 µM) have large impacts on phytoplankton community structure and ocean biogeochemistry in the oligotrophic central gyres. However, current manipulative experimental methods cannot effectively simulate low-level, continuous supplies of nitrate, such as those from upwelling or eddy events, or steady-state inputs of regenerated ammonium and dissolved organic nitrogen from zooplankton grazing. Using a new shipboard continuous culture system based on laboratory chemostat methodology, we compared the effects of a continuous supply of 1 µM nitrate, ammonium, and urea-N at a dilution rate of 0.5 d−1 on algal community composition in the North Atlantic. In the Gulf Stream, continuous inputs of 1 µM nitrate dramatically changed phytoplankton community structure from dominance by cyanobacteria to dominance by diatoms. Equimolar continuous supplies of ammonium resulted in much smaller increases in total phytoplankton biomass, and favored a community co-dominated by diatoms and cyanobacteria, and promoted the growth of pelagophytes. In the Sargasso Sea, continuous 1 µM urea-N inputs greatly increased the biomass and dominance of Synechococcus relative to the initial community and compared with control and 1 µM nitrate additions. The shipboard natural community continuous culture system is uniquely suited for realistically simulating inputs of low levels of limiting nutrients, allowing new types of prognostic enrichment experiments that give novel insights into the processes that control phytoplankton community structure in the ocean.
A translation of the one-to-one relationship for introductory relational database courses

The translation of the one-to-one relationship from the Entity/Relationship model to the relational model while preserving one-to-one correspondence between the members of the participating entity sets is a topic that has been neglected in introductory database textbooks. In this paper, we provide a simple method, intended for students taking a first course in relational database design, that accomplishes this without introducing nulls or violating the relational model.
Predicting Quality of Life in Veterans with Heart Failure: The Role of Disease Severity, Depression, and Comorbid Anxiety

This study focused on the relative contribution of heart failure (HF) disease severity, depression, and comorbid anxiety to quality of life for 96 ambulatory HF veterans (48 with and 48 without depressive symptoms). Primary analyses sought to predict HF quality of life using constructs including depression symptoms, comorbid anxiety symptoms, HF severity, medical-illness burden, and demographic factors. Multiple regression procedures found 3 significant predictors of better quality of life, including HF severity (β = −13.33, p < .001), depressive symptoms (β = −2.34, p = .003), and age (β = 0.76, p < .01). These results suggest that disease severity and depression, but not necessarily comorbid anxiety, significantly affect quality of life for HF patients. As HF is a progressive, deteriorating condition, mental health interventions, especially those that target depression, might offer opportunities for improved quality of life for HF patients.
The Relations of Internalizing Symptoms to Conflict and Interpersonal Problem Solving in Close Relationships.

This study examined the relations between interpersonal conflict, interpersonal problem solving, and internalizing symptoms (viz., depression and anxiety symptoms) in a sample of 123 college students. Conflict was assessed in five different close relationships (viz., best friend, second best friend, romantic partner, mother, father). In addition, five dimensions of problem-solving ability were examined (viz., positive and negative problem orientation, rational problem solving, impulsivity/carelessness style, avoidance style). Regression analyses showed negative problem orientation to predict depression above and beyond what was accounted for by mother conflict and romantic conflict. Avoidance style was also found to predict depression beyond what was accounted for by mother conflict alone. Negative problem orientation was also found to be a highly significant moderator of the relationship between romantic partner conflicts and anxiety symptoms. Specifically, the relationship between conflicts and anxiety symptoms was stronger when negative problem orientation was high rather than low. Implications for theory, clinical practice, and future research are discussed.
Structural differences in the chromatin from compartmentalized cells of the sea urchin embryo: differential nuclease accessibility of micromere chromatin

Abstract The chromatin structure of three cell types isolated from the 16-cell stage sea urchin embryo has been probed with micrococcal nuclease. In micromeres, the four small cells at the vegetal pole, the chromatin is found to be considerably more resistant to degradation by micrococcal nuclease than chromatin in the larger mesomere and macromere cells which undergo more cellular divisions and are committed to different developmental fates. The micromeres show an order of magnitude decrease in the initial digestion rate and a limit digest value which is one third that of the larger blastomeres; both observations are suggestive of the formation of a more condensed chromatin structure during the process of commitment, or as the rate of cell division decreases. The decreased sensitivity to nuclease for micromeres is similar to results reported for sperm and larval stages of development.
Convergence of Expert Opinion via the Wideband Delphi Method: An Application in Cost Estimation Models

This paper discusses the notion of collective intelligence through the application of the Wideband Delphi method as a way to obtain convergence among a group of experts. The specific application is the definition and calibration of cost estimation models that use data collected from experts as part of their calibration. Convergence is important in this case because companies need to commit to cost estimates early in the planning cycle since so many other decisions are dependent on it. Our results demonstrate that, in most cases, convergence among experts can be achieved after three rounds of the Wideband Delphi.
Fallow enrichment of a traditional slash/mulch system in southern Costa Rica: comparisons of biomass production and crop yield

The slash and mulch system of ‘frijol tapado’ or ‘covered bean’ is a pre-hispanic system of bean production found throughout much of Central America. However, land use pressures have forced farmers to shorten the traditional fallow period, thus resulting in decreasing productivity. A potential solution is to enrich the fallow by using leguminous nitrogen-fixing trees. The enriched fallow systems evaluated in this study include both single and mixed species treatments: 1) Erythrina poeppigiana; 2) Calliandra colothrysus; 3) Gliricidia sepium; 4) Inga edulis; 5) Inga edulis and Erythrina poeppigiana; 6) Inga edulis and Calliandra calothrysus; and 7) Inga edulis and Gliricidia sepium. Biomass production of the fallow vegetation is shown to be of greater quality and quantity in all fallow enrichment treatments. However, bean yields did not show a significant response to the fallow enrichment treatments.
Hydrogenation of Amino Acid Mixtures to Amino Alcohols

Amino alcohols are important building blocks for a variety of pharmaceutical, insecticidal, and other specialty compounds. Hydrogenation of amino acids to amino alcohols is a route that allows for the incorporation of biorenewable-derived chemicals into traditional petroleum-based industrial processes. This study examines the effect of multiple substrates on aqueous-phase hydrogenation rates of the amino acids serine, alanine, and valine. Hydrogenation reactions were carried out in a high-pressure reactor at 7.0 MPa hydrogen pressure and 130 °C over carbon supported ruthenium catalyst. Samples taken at regular intervals and analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography allowed calculation of conversion rates and product yields. In general, competition between the amino acid substrates results in reduced reaction rates relative to that for hydrogenation of a single amino acid substrate. Kinetics of mixed amino acid hydrogenation was modeled using a Langmuir−Hinshelwood-type mechanism with surface reac...
Altered conformation of recombinant frontotemporal dementia-17 mutant tau proteins

Recently, a series of both non-coding (intronic) and coding (exonic) mutations in the tau gene have been linked to a family of autosomal dominant dementias referred to as frontotemporal dementia-17. While linkage analysis has demonstrated that these mutations segregate with disease in affected families, it is unclear how mutant tau proteins could lead to the degenerative cascade seen in frontotemporal dementia-17. The present study demonstrates that coding mutations of tau seen in frontotemporal dementia-17 exhibit altered physical and structural characteristics as determined by reverse phase high performance liquid chromatography and circular dichroism spectroscopy. These data suggest that the previously identified mutations in the tau gene seen in frontotemporal dementia-17 are not merely benign polymorphisms, but may have functional consequences for microtubule binding, microtubule polymerization, and the abnormal aggregation of tau seen in a variety of neurodegenerative diseases.
FEVER IN THE COMPROMISED HOST

Fever in the compromised host remains a significant clinical problem. Multiple potential pathogens, subtle physical findings, and a variety of noninfectious problems that may masquerade as infection contribute to this clinical challenge. A review of host defense defects along with a careful physical examination will begin to narrow the etiologic possibilities for fever. Recognizing that the majority of infections will represent as fevers of unknown etiology, a consistent approach to the patient who responds to empiric antibiotic therapy as well as to the patient who fails to respond should be developed.
Photon statistics of a cavity-QED laser: A comment on the laser-phase-transition analogy.

We develop a birth-death model for a cavity QED laser and analyze the dependence of the lasing threshold on the fraction, \ensuremath{\beta}, of spontaneous emission directed into the laser mode. We define threshold in terms of the Fano factor for the intracavity phonon number. We emphasize the role of \ensuremath{\beta} as a parameter characterizing the ``system size'' and show that the concept of laser threshold is well-defined in the ``thermodynamic'' limit, ${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\beta}}}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}1}$\ensuremath{\rightarrow}\ensuremath{\infty}. An ideal cavity-QED laser operates far outside this limit and therefore, in contrast to a conventional laser, is not a threshold device. We present numerical results showing how this difference affects the noise properties of the device.
Electroosmosis Induced Pressure Gradients in Pores with Undulating Pore Diameter

Electroosmosis, a fluid flow induced by an external electric field in a charged channel or pore, is often assumed to produce a plug like flow with a constant radial velocity and zero velocity at the walls. Electroosmosis has been applied in the resistive-pulse experiments for the detection of both proteins, in conditions close to their isoelectric point, as well as uncharged particles (e.g. [1]). However, this assumption of the plug-flow may not be always valid if the pore is characterized by a variable charge on the pore walls and/or variable cross-section area along the pore axis. This is probably due to pressure differences arising from the varying cross-section and surface charge, which can lead to Poisseuille type flow with a parabolic profile of the radial velocity [2]. We provide the first experimental evidence for electroosmosis induced local pressure differences in single polymer pores with an undulating pore diameter. As predicted by theoretical considerations, the position of particles with respect to the main axis determines their translocation velocity and the amplitude of the resistive pulse. As a result, electroosmotic transport of polymer particles through rough pores lead to a wide spectrum of translocation times and resistive-pulse amplitudes. Since ion current pulses provide information on particle size, the results are important for interpretation of resistive-pulse experiments, detection of particles and molecules, and characterization of the pore topography. The experiments were performed using single track-etched pores with opening diameters between 1 and 15 mm. Ion currents were measured by a novel ion current amplifier based on nonlinear compression and 1-bit digital signal processing to enhance the dynamic range, and measuring 1-10 µA baseline currents with sub-nA resolution.1. Firnkes et al. Nano Lett. 10 (2010) 2162.2. S. Ghossal. Electrophoresis 25 (2004) 214.
Egg white sulfhydryl oxidase: kinetic mechanism of the catalysis of disulfide bond formation.

The flavin-dependent sulfhydryl oxidase from chicken egg white catalyzes the oxidation of sulfhydryl groups to disulfides with reduction of oxygen to hydrogen peroxide. The oxidase contains FAD and...
Theory of thermal hydraulic quenchback

A theory is presented of a new heat propagation mechanism, thermal hydraulic quenchback (THQB), in large scale superconducting magnets. The underlying physics of THQB is discussed and an analytic solution for the quench propagation velocity is presented. This solution represents the first such result for THQB, and is shown to be in excellent agreement with the full numerical simulations of the governing mass, momentum, and energy conservation equations for the compressible flow of the coolant in the conduit. The THQB propagation velocity is observed to be as much as an order of magnitude greater than the helium coolant velocity. This is in direct contrast to a standard quench where the two velocities are always essentially equal.
Ranges of Measures of Association for Familial Binary Variables

Familial binary data occur in a wide range of scientific investigations. Numerous measures of association have been proposed in the literature for the study of intra-family dependence of the binary variables. These measures include correlations, odd ratios, kappa statistics, and relative risks. We study the permissible ranges of these measures of association such that a joint distribution exists for the familial binary variables. Our results are useful for developing efficient estimation methods for the measures of association.
Resource allocation decision modeling for a Louisiana Public Benefit Fund program

A simulation model is developed to value energy efficiency improvement programs in Louisiana proposed to be delivered through a Public Benefits Fund. A uniform 1 mill/kW h non-bypassable surcharge on the electric rates of all electricity users is proposed to be distributed for low-income bill assistance, low-income weatherization, and energy efficiency programs across the residential and commercial sector of Louisiana. The economic and environmental impact of the energy improvement programs is coupled to a stochastic linear program to specify the resource allocation subject to policy and system constraints. The model is illustrated through a realistic policy scenario.
Influence of the PROP bitter taste phenotype and eating attitudes on energy intake and weight status in pre-adolescents: A 6-year follow-up study

The PROP bitter-taste phenotype is a marker for food preferences and eating behavior, and may associate with differences in body weight in children. Previous work has shown that PROP status in combination with eating attitudes are better predictors of weight status in preadolescents, than either factor alone. However, no studies have examined the role of PROP phenotypes in body weight change in children over time. The primary objective of this study was to investigate current weight status and change in weight status in children from preschool (baseline) to preadolescence as a function of eating attitudes and PROP phenotype. Other measures included self-reported food intakes and physical activity by activity monitor. Seventy-three lean (BMI percentile=57.7±3.2%) children with mean age=10.3±0.5yrs, participated in the follow up. There were no group differences in energy intake, current BMI-percentile or change in BMI percentile from baseline by PROP phenotype in either boys or girls. However, there was a trend for non-taster girls to show a downward shift in BMI-percentile at follow up. Hierarchical regression analysis revealed that baseline BMI percentile and physical activity energy expenditure were the strongest predictors of current weight (28.5% variance),followed by child restraint, the taster×gender interaction, and the maternal BMI×maternal emotional eating interaction, accounting for 7.1%, 6.0% and 4.8% of variance in the model, respectively. These findings suggest that PROP status and eating attitudes are modest predictors of weight status in preadolescent children.
1328 RETINOPATHY OF PREMATURITY: ADMINISTRATION OF VITAMIN E TO MITIGATE AGAINST SEVERE DISEASE

1328 RETINOPATHY OF PREMATURITY: ADMINISTRATION OF VITAMIN E TO MITIGATE AGAINST SEVERE DISEASE
Supported gold clusters and cluster-based nanomaterials: characterization, stability and growth studies by in situ GISAXS under vacuum conditions and in the presence of hydrogen

This contribution is devoted to study of the thermal stability and growth of gold nanoparticles supported on SiO2/Si(111) and Al2O3/SiO2/Si(111) as a function of initial cluster size, support material and level of surface coverage. Experimental evidence for “flipping” of two dimensional cluster structures from vertical orientation to horizontal on the support is presented.