cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
HIV-1 coinfection and morphine coexposure severely dysregulate hepatitis C virus-induced hepatic proinflammatory cytokine release and free radical production: increased pathogenesis coincides with uncoordinated host defenses.

Coinfection with human immunodeficiency virus type-1 (HIV-1) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a global problem that is more prevalent in injection drug users because they have a higher risk for acquiring both viruses. The roles of inflammatory cytokines and oxidative stress were examined in HIV-1- and HCV-coinfected human hepatic cells. Morphine (the bioactive product of heroin), HIV-1 Tat and the MN strain gp120 (gp120MN) proteins, and X4 HIV-1LAI/IIIB and R5 HIV-1SF162 isolates were used to study the mechanisms of disease progression in HCV (JFH1)-infected Huh7.5.1 cell populations. HCV increased tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) release and augmented production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), nitric oxide (NO), and 3-nitrotyrosine (3-NT) in Huh7.5.1 cells. Morphine preferentially affected R5-tropic, but not X4-tropic, HIV-1 interactions with Huh7.5.1 cells. HIV-1 proteins or isolates increased cytokine release in HCV-infected cells, while adding morphine to coinfected cells caused complex imbalances, significantly disrupting cytokine secretion depending on the cytokine, morphine concentration, exposure duration, and particular pathogen involved. Production of ROS, NO, and 3-NT increased significantly in HCV- and HIV-1-coexposed cells while exposure to morphine further increased ROS. The proteasome inhibitor MG132 significantly decreased oxyradicals, cytokine levels, and HCV protein levels. Our findings indicate that hepatic inflammation is increased by combined exposure to HCV and HIV-1, that the ubiquitin-proteasome system and NF-κB contribute to key aspects of the response, and that morphine further exacerbates the disruption of host defenses. The results suggest that opioid abuse and HIV-1 coinfection each further accelerate HCV-mediated liver disease by dysregulating immune defenses.
Epigenetics: a promising paradigm for better understanding and managing pain.

Abstract Epigenetic regulation of gene expression is a rapidly growing area of research. Considering the longevity and plasticity of neurons, the studies on epigenetic pathways in the nervous system should be of special interest for both epigeneticists and neuroscientists. Activation or inactivation of different epigenetic pathways becomes more pronounced when the cells experience rapid changes in their environment, and such changes can be easily caused by injury and inflammation, resulting in pain perception or distortion of pain perception (eg, hyperalgesia). Therefore, in this regard, the field of pain is at an advantage to study the epigenetic pathways. More importantly, understanding pain from an epigenetics point of view would provide a new paradigm for developing drugs or strategies for pain management. In this review, we introduce basic concepts of epigenetics, including chromatin dynamics, histone modifications, DNA methylation, and RNA-induced gene silencing. In addition, we provide evidence from published studies suggesting wide implication of different epigenetic pathways within pain pathways. Perspective This article provides a brief overview of epigenetic pathways for gene regulation and highlights their involvement in pain. Our goal is to expose the readers to these concepts so that pain-related phenotypes can be investigated from the epigenetic point of view.
Supersymmetry Breaking in the Observable Sector of Superstring Models

Abstract Several contributions to the masses of the gauginos in models arising as low-energy limits of superstring theories are considered. It is shown that the dilation field plays a crucial role in generating non-zero contributions at one loop. Some implications of this result are discussed.
Hunting in the enterprise: Forensic triage and incident response

In enterprise environments, digital forensic analysis generates data volumes that traditional forensic methods are no longer prepared to handle. Triaging has been proposed as a solution to systematically prioritize the acquisition and analysis of digital evidence. We explore the application of automated triaging processes in such settings, where reliability and customizability are crucial for a successful deployment. We specifically examine the use of GRR Rapid Response (GRR) - an advanced open source distributed enterprise forensics system - in the triaging stage of common incident response investigations. We show how this system can be leveraged for automated prioritization of evidence across the whole enterprise fleet and describe the implementation details required to obtain sufficient robustness for large scale enterprise deployment. We analyze the performance of the system by simulating several realistic incidents and discuss some of the limitations of distributed agent based systems for enterprise triaging.
Amino acid substitutions influencing intracellular protein folding pathways.

Though an increasing variety of chaperonins are emerging as important factors in directing polypeptide chain folding off the ribosome, the primary amino acid sequence remains the major determinant of final conformation. The ability to identify cytoplasmic folding intermediates in the formation of the tailspike endorhamnosidase of phage P22 has made it possible to isolate two classes of mutations influencing folding intermediates — temperature-sensitive folding mutations and global suppressors of tsf mutants. These and related amino acid substitutions in eukaryotic proteins are discussed in the context of inclusion body formation and problems in the recovery of correctly folded proteins.
School sport participation under two school sport policies: comparisons by race/ethnicity, gender, and socioeconomic status

Background School-based extracurricular sport remains an effective strategy to increase physical activity. However, school sport is often limited to a small number of elite athletes. Few schools provide more inclusive sport programs that offer a wider array of activities regardless of ability.
The symmetry of the 6.2 eV two-photon Rydberg state in hexatriene from the polarization properties of the multiphoton ionization spectrum

Abstract The ratio of the MPI current from a circularly polarized to a linearly polarized laser is used to assign the 6.2 eV two-photon allowed Rydberg state of trans-hexatriene to an 1 A g (π(a u ) → 3p(a u )) state. This state could be involved in configuration interaction with the 1 A g π-valence states. A simple explanation is proposed for the failure to observe the other two-photon Rydberg transitions (π(a u ) → 3p(b u )) predicted by theory to be located around 6.2 eV.
Borate Volatility from SOFC Sealing Glasses

The volatility of borate species from glasses developed for solid oxide fuel cell seals was studied using thermodynamic calculations and compared with experimental results. Vapor pressure diagrams were used to identify the most volatile compounds under a range of expected operational conditions, e.g. oxidizing and reducing atmospheres with water vapor, at temperatures in the range of 700°–1000°C. The species with the highest vapor pressures were BO2(g) under dry conditions and B3H3O6(g) under wet, reducing conditions. The depletion of boron from glass surfaces to depths beyond 100 nm was characterized using Auger electron spectroscopy depth profile analysis. Weight loss experiments were conducted on several different glass compositions. The cumulative weight loss from a glass with 20 mol% B2O3 (“glass #59”) was about 10 times greater than from a glass with 2 mol% B2O3 (“glass #27”), under the same conditions. The activation energy for volatilization from glass #59 was 371±86 kJ/mol and was 272±65 kJ/mol for “glass #27.” The cumulative weight loss of each composition in forming gas with 30% water vapor was greater than in dry air at 800°C. Volatile species were collected in a water trap, and these results confirmed predictions about the effect of atmosphere and B2O3 content on volatilization behavior.
Study of the formation of cadmium sulfoselenide

Abstract The formation of cadmium sulfoselenide from cadmium sulfide and selenium has been studied using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The formation of a solid solution begins following the melting of selenium and is seen as a broad endothermic peak centered around 320°C. The influence of pressure on the peak temperatures was also studied.
Expansion of the mycobacterial “PUPylome”

Selective degradation of cellular proteins offers an important mechanism to coordinate cellular processes including cell differentiation, defense, metabolic control, signal transduction and proliferation. While much is known about eukaryotic ubiquitination, we know little about the recently discovered ubiquitin-like protein in prokaryotes (PUP). Through expression of His7 tagged PUP and exploitation of the characteristic +243 Da mass shift attributed to trypsinized PUPylated peptides, a global pull-down of protein targets for PUPylation in Mycobacterium smegmatis revealed 103 candidate PUPylation targets and 52 confirmed targets. Similar to eukaryotic ubiquitination, further analysis of these targets revealed neither primary sequence nor secondary structure homology at the point of attachment. Pathways containing PUPylated proteins include many central to rapid cell growth, such as glycolysis, gluconeogenesis, amino acid and mycolic acidmetabolism and biosynthesis, as well as translation. Seventeen of the 29 nitrosylated protein targets previously identified in Mycobacterium tuberculosis were also identified as PUPylation candidates indicating a connection between PUP-mediated remodeling of critical metabolic pathways and the mycobacterial response to exogenous stress.
A simplified technique for stack dispersion mapping with tritium.

Abstract A technique for wide-area stack effluent dispersion mapping is described using tritiated water as a tracer. The sampler consists of indicating silica-gel in a fiber-glass-screen bag conveniently placed in the field along sampling legs radiating out from the source. The adsorbed water vapor is removed from the silica gel by vacuum distillation and the tritium content determined by liquid scintillation counting. This technique has been used successfully to distances 10 miles from a source to experimentally determine the Cmax of a stack effluent from a nuclear fuels reprocessing plant which already contained some tritiated water. This concept should find much use in pinpointing sources of specific contamination in urban, suburban and rural areas under a wide variety of meteorological conditions.
Graphite Targets at LAMPF

Rotating polycrystalline and stationary pyrolytic graphite target designs for the LAMPF experimental area are described. Examples of finite element calculations of temperatures and stresses are presented. Some results of a metallographic investigation of irradiated pyrolytic graphite target plates are included, together with a brief description of high temperature bearings for the rotating targets.
Glucose 6-Phosphate Dehydrogenase Is Regulated Through c-Src–Mediated Tyrosine Phosphorylation in Endothelial Cells

Objective— Glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) maintains cellular NADPH levels, which are essential for cellular functions, such as vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-induced angiogenesis. The molecular mechanisms regulating G6PD in angiogenesis are not fully understood. Because tyrosine phosphorylation is a key regulatory pathway for VEGF-mediated endothelial cell (EC) responses, we investigated tyrosine phosphorylation of G6PD and the role of the nonreceptor tyrosine kinase Src. Methods and Results— VEGF increased G6PD membrane translocation as measured by a plasma membrane sheet assay, whereas tyrosine kinase inhibitor PP2 (4-amino-5-(4-chlorophenyl)-7-(t-butyl) pyrazolo [3,4-d] pyramidine) decreased G6PD translocation by 100%. Furthermore, G6PD tyrosine phosphorylation and plasma membrane activity were increased by VEGF. In resting ECs, tyrosine kinase inhibitors PP2 and herbimycin A decreased basal G6PD activity by ∼25%, whereas transfection with kinase inactive Src (KD-Src) decreased bas...
Puerperal infection after cesarean delivery: evaluation of a standardized protocol.

Abstract Objective: Our goal was to evaluate an antibiotic protocol for treatment of postcesarean endometritis. Study Design: Endometritis was diagnosed as a persistent fever ≥100.4°F beyond 24 hours after cesarean delivery and one or more of the following: uterine tenderness, tachycardia, foul lochia, or leukocytosis. Antibiotic therapy included gentamicin plus clindamycin and ampicillin (or vancomycin) as a triple antimicrobial in 148 women. Antibiotic failure was defined as persistent fever after 5 days of antibiotics and 72 hours of triple antibiotics. Results: Between 1993 and 1996, 322 of 1643 (20%) women were diagnosed with postcesarean endometritis. One hundred seventy-four patients (54%) were cured with clindamycin-gentamicin, and 129 who additionally received ampicillin or vancomycin (40%) were cured. Nineteen of the 322 (6%) women had persistent fever despite triple antibiotics. Of these, 6 had a wound complication, 12 were suspected to have antimicrobial resistance, and 1 had an infected hematoma. Conclusion: A prospective protocol consisting of clindamycin-gentamicin plus the selective addition of ampicillin or vancomycin cured 303 of 322 (94%) women with postcesarean endometritis. (Am J Obstet Gynecol 2000;182:1147-51.)
Dose-response implications of the transient nature of electromagnetic-field-induced bioeffects: theoretical hypotheses and predictions.

Data in the literature imply that the relationship between exposure and bio-effect involves more than a simple time integral of the field strength to which the living system has been subjected. Windows—ranges in which the system exhibits enhanced sensitivity—have been reported for power (or field strength), frequency, and the duration of the exposure. In this paper we show that such isolated window effects can be accounted for by recognizing the transient character of the response of the biological system. The principal assumption here is that the direct effect of the field is to increase the rates of production and degradation of mRNA or proteins. In this paper we review and extend the mathematical model that quantifies this. The model predicts that, for a given field strength, certain optimum relatively short duration exposures cause significantly larger bio-effects than exposure for much longer or much shorter times. The thinking embodied in the model should provide a framework for obtaining a meaningful working definition of “effective dose” and for predicting the response of subjects to environmental electromagnetic fields. It should help in deciding the relevant variables in the design and analysis of epidemiological studies. 1992 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Utilization of calories and nitrogen by rats fed diets containing purified casein versus a mixture of amino acids simulating casein.

The effects were studied of varying nitrogen and energy intake levels on calorie and nitrogen storage in rats of 2 age groups. Male rats 28 or 100 days of age were fed for 4 and 6 weeks, respectively, diets containing either casein or an amino acid mixture simulating casein, at 2 levels of nitrogen and 2 levels of calorie intake. For the young rats, at the lower calorie intake and at both levels of nitrogen intake, there were no significant differences in nitrogen gains due to nitrogen source. At the higher calorie intake, and at both levels of nitrogen intake, nitrogen gains were higher for rats receiving casein than for those receiving amino acids. For the adult rats, at the lower nitrogen intake there were no significant differences in nitrogen gains (or losses) due to nitrogen source, regardless of the calorie intake. At the higher nitrogen intake and at both levels of calorie intake, animals receiving casein gained more (or lost less) nitrogen than rats receiving amino acids. It is postulated that a difference in the most limiting factor (whether energy or nitrogen) accounted for the difference in the results between the 2 age groups. For both the young and the adult rats, calories stored were unaffected by substituting an amino acid mixture for casein.
An evo-devo view on the origin of the backbone: evolutionary development of the vertebrae

Vertebral columns are a group of diverse axial structures that define the vertebrates and provide supportive, locomotive, protective, and other important functions. The embryonic origin of the first vertebral element in this subphylum, the lamprey arcualia, has remained a puzzle for more than a century although much developmental and genetic progress has been made. The comparative approach is a very powerful tool for studying vertebrate morphological variation and understanding how the novel structures were generated during evolution. Here, I first briefly describe the vertebral structures and their developmental processes in major taxa, and then analyze the most recently published data on the basal vertebrates. Finally, an ontogenetic and phylogenetic origin is proposed. The lamprey may have already evolved a sclerotome, which gave rise to arcualia ontogenetically; whole genome duplications likely promoted the establishment of sclerotomal core genetic program by gene co-options.
Hybrid Organizational Arrangements and Their Implications for Firm Growth and Survival: A Study of New Franchisors

This study proposes that hybrid organizational forms provide a way to overcome the agency problems of adverse selection and moral hazard in selecting, assimilating, and monitoring new managers. Con...
Anamorphic microlens for laser diode to single-mode fiber coupling

An anamorphic fiber microlens is evaluated for coupling between laser diodes and single-mode fibers. A theoretical model, based on scalar diffraction and Gaussian mode shapes for the laser and fiber fields, is developed to predict the coupling performance of this microlens. Experimentally, the average coupling efficiency of this lens is measured to be 78%. The lateral sensitivity is also measured and compared with the values predicted by the model. >
Take advantage of time in your experiments: a guide to simple, informative kinetics assays

Understanding virtually any process in cellular and molecular biology depends on knowledge of the rates of the biochemical reactions, so it is regrettable that few cellular and molecular biologists take advantage of kinetics experiments in their work. Fortunately, the kinetics experiments that are most useful for understanding cellular systems are within reach for everyone whose research would benefit from this information. This essay describes simple methods to measure the valuable kinetic parameters that characterize the dynamics of life processes. These "transient-state" methods not only differ in concept from traditional approaches used to analyze enzyme reactions at steady state, but they are also applicable to learning about the dynamics of any biological process.
An analysis of data fusion for radiation detection and localization

This paper explores fundamental relations between critical parameters of distributed sensor networks (DSN) that detect and locate radiation sources. The paper presents mathematical analyses and Monte Carlo methods that help understand fundamental tradeoffs between the time to detect radiation sources, the probabilities of false positives and negatives, system cost, numbers of sensors, locations of sensors, mixes of sensors of different capabilities, benefits of data fusion, and communication load.
Event-triggered real-time scheduling for stabilization of passive and output feedback passive systems

Event-triggered control has been recently proposed as an alternative approach to the traditional periodic implementation of control tasks. The possibility of reducing the number of executions while guaranteeing stability makes event-triggered control very appealing in the context of sensor/actuator networked control systems. In this paper, we revisit the event-triggered control from an input-to-output perspective and we propose a simple event-triggered control strategy for stabilization of passive and output feedback passive systems. The triggering condition is derived based on the output information of the control system and an estimate of the lower bound on inter-sampling time is also provided.
Commercially available herbal products of creosote and yerba mansa differ in chemical composition

A8 Herbal product use is one of the most common complementary and alternative medical practices in the Hispanic community. While many nutritional supplements have standardization or quality information on their labeling, this information is not present on most herbal product labels. To assess how variable commercial herbal products were, we characterized the chemical composition of extracts and dried plant material for two different common medicinal plants used by Hispanics in the Southwest, Anemopsis californica (yerba mansa) and Larrea tridentata (creosote, chapparal, gobernadora). Both of these plants are used for a variety of symptoms and conditions; some traditional uses include treatment of cancers. Extracts were prepared from plants collected from wild local populations, as well as from dried plants purchased from commercial suppliers. Extracts were also purchased from commercial sources. The chemical composition of A. californica roots and commercial tinctures prepared from roots were characterized using GC/MS. The bioactive compounds in this plant are presumed to be in the essential oil. In the case of L. tridentata, nordihydroguaiaretic acid (NDGA) is presumed to be the principal bioactive compound. The abundance of this lignan in extracts of various plant parts and commercial sources was determined using HPLC. For A. californica, the concentrations of the four most abundant compounds, piperitone, thymol, methyeugenol and elemicin were quantified in two commercial tinctures. The concentrations of piperitone and elemicin were similar in the commercial sources, while the concentrations of thymol and methyeugenol varied significantly; 233 mg/L for methyleugenol in one sample vs 600 mg/L in another, for thymol, 6 mg/L vs 18 mg/L. These four compounds were the most abundant compounds in essential oils prepared from dried roots of A. californica in the lab, although again significant differences in the concentrations were observed. For L. tridentata, similar results were observed. Tinctures of this plant were obtained from three commercial suppliers and dried plant matter from four commercial suppliers. There were significant differences in the concentration of NDGA detected in the commercial tinctures. The NDGA content was the highest in extracts prepared from plant material collected locally. The NDGA content was lower in extracts prepared from commercial sources of dried L. tridentata leaves. Antimicrobial bioassays were also conducted to compare the commercial sources of this herbal product. Again significant differences were observed in the IC50 concentrations for different sources of the extract against Staphylococcus aureus, and Candida kefyr, among other organisms. As Hispanics are more likely to purchase and use herbal plant products it is especially important that information about the chemical and biological variability of these products be provided to them so that they can make informed decisions.
Underdiagnosis of depression in patients with coronary artery disease: the role of nonspecific symptoms.

Objective:To determine whether the underdiagnosis of major depression (MD) in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) may be explained by low specificity and mild severity of depressive symptoms in affected patients.Method:The Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) was used to assess depression symptoms in thirty-one patients with both CAD and MD, and eighty-three patients with CAD but without MD.Results:Only ten (48%) of the symptoms were significantly more common in the MD than in the non-MD group, and nine symptoms were present in at least 20 percent of both groups. Of these nine nonspecific symptoms, only one (insomnia) was more severe in the MD patients than in the non-MD group (p < .006). When all twenty-one symptoms were rank ordered by frequency, the most common symptoms in the MD group were also the most common in the non-MD group (r = .91, p < .001).Conclusions:The symptoms of major depression were found to be relatively mild and nonspecific in patients with CAD. This may help to explain why depres...
The analysis of the electromagnetic loads on selected ITER blanket shield modules due to induced eddy and halo currents

The prediction of electromagnetic loads on the ITER blanket modules during a plasma disruption is considered for two different blanket modules and different disruption events.
ASIP architecture implementation of channel equalization algorithms for MIMO systems in WCDMA downlink

The paper presents a customized and flexible hardware implementation of linear iterative channel equalization algorithms for WCDMA downlink transmission in the 3G wireless system with multiple transmit and receive antennas (MIMO system). Optimized (in terms of area and execution time) and power efficient application specific instruction set processors (ASIPs) based on a transport triggered architecture (TTA) are designed that can operate efficiently in slow and fast fading, high scattering environments. The instruction set of TTA processors is extended with several user-defined operations specific for channel equalization algorithms that dramatically optimize the architecture solution for the physical layer of the mobile handset. The final results of the presented design-space exploration method are ASIPs with low cost/performance ratios. Automatic software-hardware codesign flow for conversion of C application code into gate-level hardware design of ASIP architectures is also described. Implemented ASIP solutions achieve real time requirements for the 3GPP wireless standard (1xEV-DV standard, in particular) with reasonable clock speed and power dissipation.
Trajectory-Based Data Forwarding for Light-Traffic Vehicular Ad Hoc Networks

This paper proposes a Trajectory-Based Data (TBD) Forwarding scheme, tailored for the data forwarding for roadside reports in light-traffic vehicular ad hoc networks. State-of-the-art schemes have demonstrated the effectiveness of their data forwarding strategies by exploiting known vehicular traffic statistics (e.g., densities and speeds). These results are encouraging, however, further improvements can be made by taking advantage of the growing popularity of GPS-based navigation systems. This paper presents the first attempt to effectively utilize vehicles' trajectory information in a privacy-preserving manner. In our design, such trajectory information is combined with the vehicular traffic statistics for a better performance. In a distributed way, each individual vehicle computes its end-to-end expected delivery delay to the Internet access points based on its position on its vehicle trajectory and exchanges this delay with neighboring vehicles to determine the best next-hop vehicle. For the accurate end-to-end delay computation, this paper also proposes a link delay model to estimate the packet forwarding delay on a road segment. Through theoretical analysis and extensive simulation, it is shown that our link delay model provides the accurate link delay estimation and our forwarding design outperforms the existing scheme in terms of both the data delivery delay and packet delivery ratio.
Risk Factors for Medical Complication After Lumbar Spine Surgery A Multivariate Analysis of 767 Patients

Study Design. Multivariate analysis of prospectively collected registry data. Objective. Using multivariate analysis to determine significant risk factors for medical complication after lumbar spine surgery. Summary of Background Data. Several studies have examined the occurrence of medical complication after spine surgery. However, many of these studies have been done utilizing large national databases. Although these allow for analysis of thousands of patients, potentially influential covariates are not accounted for in these retrospective studies. Furthermore, the accuracy of these retrospective data collection in these databases has been called into question. Methods. The Spine End Results Registry (2003–2004) is a collection of prospectively collected data on all patients who underwent spine surgery at our two institutions. Extensive demographic and medical information were prospectively recorded as described previously by Mirza et al. Complications were defined in detail a priori and were prospectively recorded for at least 2 years after surgery. We analyzed risk factors for medical complication after lumbar spine surgery using univariate and multivariate analysis. Results. We analyzed data from 767 patients who met out inclusion criteria. The cumulative incidences of complication after lumbar spine surgery per organ system are as follows: cardiac, 13%; pulmonary, 7%; gastrointestinal, 6.7%; neurological, 8.2%; hematological, 17.5%; and urologic complications, 10.3%. The occurrence of cardiac or respiratory complication after lumbar spine surgery was significantly associated with death within 2 years (relative risk: 6.09 and 10.9, respectively). Several significant risk factors were identified for organ-specific complications. Among these, surgical invasiveness appeared to be the largest risk factor for cardiac, pulmonary, neurological, and hematological complications. Conclusion. Risk factors identified in this study can be beneficial to clinicians and patients alike when considering surgical treatment of the lumbar spine. Future analyses and models that predict the occurrence of medical complication after lumbar spine surgery may be of further benefit for surgical decision making.
An accurate and nondestructive GC method for determination of cocaine on US paper currency

The presence of cocaine on US paper currency has been known for a long time. Banknotes become contaminated during the exchange, storage, and abuse of cocaine. The analysis of cocaine on various denominations of US banknotes in the general circulation can provide law enforcement circles and forensic epidemiologists objective and timely information on epidemiology of illicit drug use and on how to differentiate money contaminated in the general circulation from banknotes used in drug transaction. A simple, nondestructive, and accurate capillary gas chromatographic method has been developed for the determination of cocaine on various denominations of US banknotes in this study. The method comprises a fast ultrasonic extraction using water as a solvent followed by a SPE cleanup process with a C(18) cartridge and capillary GC separation, identification, and quantification. This nondestructive analytical method has been successfully applied to determine the cocaine contamination in US paper currency of all denominations. Standard calibration curve was linear over the concentration range from the LOQ (2.00 ng/mL) to 100 microg/mL and the RSD less than 2.0%. Cocaine was detected in 67% of the circulated banknotes collected in Southeastern Massachusetts in amounts ranging from approximately 2 ng to 49.4 microg per note. On average, $5, 10, 20, and 50 denominations contain higher amounts of cocaine than $1 and 100 denominations of US banknotes.
Quantitative analysis of phospholipids and phospholipid fatty acids from silica gel thin-layer chromatograms.

An improved procedure for the quantitative assay of phospholipids separated by TLC is described, in which a specially washed Silica Gel H and a newly designed chromatography unit are employed. Analysis of phospholipid phosphorus and phospholipid fatty acids was accomplished in the presence of silica gel scraped directly from the chromatoplates. Recovery of phosphorus ranged from 96 to 100%. The washing of the Silica Gel H with chloroform–methanol–formic acid resulted in extremely low phosphorus blanks on the silica gel, and also removed impurities which were found to cause various peaks on GLC.
A low cost Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES) system for essential tremor suppression using off the shelf components

Essential tremor (ET) is one of the most common movement disorders that causes a rhythmic trembling of the hands, head, voice, legs or trunk. Currently, no medication is specifically designed to treat ET, However, some solutions exist to temporarily suppress tremor. This paper presents a novel low cost alternative to the existing solutions, known as Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES) and its comparison with existing solutions. The paper focuses on the development of a low cost FES circuit with Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) feedback using off the shelf components which sends out-of-phase electrical pulses to suppress tremor.
The post treatment experiment: an operational definition of reperfusion injury.

During the past few years evidence for a remarkable hypothesis about the pathophysiology of ischemia and reperfusion has begun to accumulate.1–5 The hypothesis states that significant tissue damage resulting from a period of tissue ischemia, followed by reperfusion, may actually occur during the reperfusion phase, rather than during the period of ischemia, and may be caused by oxyen-derived free radicals. This concept has been described as the oxygen paradox,6, 7 namely, that although restoration of oxygen supply to ischemic tissue is necessary for return of normal function, oxygen may simultaneously participate in certain deleterious chemical reactions. Such paradoxical oxygen toxicity occurring during reperfusion involves, not molecular oxygen, but rather the partially reduced oxygen species: superoxide anions, hydrogen peroxide, and hydroxyl radicals. These species are capable of initiating chain reactions that chemically modify cellular proteins, lipids, and amino acids to produce what is referred to as reperfusion injury.
Exacerbation of the Pathogenesis of the Diabetogenic Variant of Encephalomyocarditis Virus in Mice by Interferon

The D variant of encephalomyocarditis virus (EMC-D) infects pancreatic beta cells in susceptible mouse strains producing a disease syndrome similar to insulin-dependent diabetes in humans (5,11). We have recently reported that EMC-D replicates primarily in the pancreas and spleen of ICR Swiss male mice, and to a lesser extent in the heart and lung tissues (8). Interferon (IFN) or IFN-inducers have been shown to protect some, but not all, susceptible mouse strains against the diabetogenic effects of EMC-D (2,3,11). For example, SWR/J mice respond well to the protective effects of IFN, while ICR Swiss animals are not protected (3). We have been studying the role of IFN on the development of virus-induced murine diabetes. Since IFNs have been shown to be powerful immune modulators (9,10) it was the purpose of the present study to determine if IFN given after infection by EMC-D had any effect on the frequency or severity of diabetes in susceptible ICR Swiss and resistant C57B1/6 mice. Virus replication in selected tissues was also determined. The data presented show that IFN exacerbates the severity of diabetes caused by the virus in ICR Swiss mice and induces the diabetic state in the otherwise resistant C57B1/6 animals.
Vascular leakage induced by horseradish peroxidase in the rat.

SummaryIntradermal, intraperitoneal and intravenous injections of horseradish peroxidase solutions induce increased vascular permeability in rats. The vascular leakage is confined to venules, is of short duration, can be inhibited by a combination of histamine and serotonin antagonists and is associated with mast cell degranulation. This phenomenon occurs also in the guinea pig but is minimal or non-existent in the mouse.
Transition paths of Met-enkephalin from Markov state modeling of a molecular dynamics trajectory.

Conformational states and their interconversion pathways of the zwitterionic form of the pentapeptide Met-enkephalin (MetEnk) are identified. An explicit solvent molecular dynamics (MD) trajectory is used to construct a Markov state model (MSM) based on dihedral space clustering of the trajectory, and transition path theory (TPT) is applied to identify pathways between open and closed conformers. In the MD trajectory, only four of the eight backbone dihedrals exhibit bistable behavior. Defining a conformer as the string XXXX with X = “+” or “–” denoting, respectively, positive or negative values of a given dihedral angle and obtaining the populations of these conformers shows that only four conformers are highly populated, implying a strong correlation among these dihedrals. Clustering in dihedral space to construct the MSM finds the same four bistable dihedral angles. These state populations are very similar to those found directly from the MD trajectory. TPT is used to obtain pathways, parametrized by c...
Linguistics meets "legalese": syntax, semantics, and jury instruction reform

Our research, reported here last year (Randall 2013), demonstrated that low comprehension of six current Massachusetts jury instructions could be improved with Plain English versions. We found a significant difference in the proportion of t/f questions correctly answered by ≥ 90% of subjects hearing either Current or Plain English instructions: 30% vs. 52% (p <.05). We now show that two linguistic factors in the instructions mattered most: the proportions of passives and unfamiliar, undefined terms inversely correlated with instruction comprehension rates. We also report on a new study investigating whether reading enhances comprehension, for both current and Plain English versions.
Indirect inhibition of generation of murine lymphokine-activated killer cell activity in splenocyte cultures by interferon-gamma

The effect of mouse recombinant interferon-gamma (rIFN-gamma) on murine lymphokine-activated killer (LAK) cell activity was investigated using natural killer (NK)-resistant, spontaneously developed, weakly immunogenic and highly tumourigenic, syngeneic murine mammary adenocarcinoma, JC, mimicking that of human disease, as the target. Murine YAC-1 also was used as a target cell line. rIFN-gamma, when used in combination with recombinant interleukin-2 (rIL-2), was shown to exhibit a suppressed effect on LAK cell activity generated from BALB/c mouse splenocytes, compared to that with rIL-2 alone. The decrease in LAK cell activity was rIFN-gamma dose-dependent. Kinetic study revealed that this inhibitory effect was demonstrated only when rIFN-gamma was added to the medium at the early phase of rIL-2 culture. The inhibitory effect on LAK cell generation by rIFN-gamma was completely abrogated when the nylon-wool-treated non-adherent 'macrophage-free' splenocytes were incubated with rIL-2 and rIFN-gamma. These results indicated that the LAK cell activity generated from murine splenocytes cultured with rIL-2 could be depressed by rIFN-gamma, and that the macrophages may be involved as mediators.
Complexity of Earth Surface System Evolutionary Pathways

Evolution of Earth surface systems (ESS) comprises sequential transitions between system states. Treating these as directed graphs, algebraic graph theory was used to quantify complexity of archetypal structures, and empirical examples of forest succession and alluvial river channel change. Spectral radius measures structural complexity and is highest for fully connected, lowest for linear sequential and cyclic graphs, and intermediate for divergent and convergent patterns. The irregularity index $$\beta $$ represents the extent to which a subgraph is representative of the full graph. Fully connected graphs have $$\beta = 1$$ . Lower values are found in linear and cycle patterns, while higher values, such as those of divergent and convergent patterns, are due to a few highly connected nodes. Algebraic connectivity ( $$\mu (\mathrm{G}))$$ indicates inferential synchronization and is inversely related to historical contingency. Highest values are associated with fully connected and strongly connected mesh graphs, whereas forking structures and linear sequences all have $$\mu (G)$$ = 1, with cycles slightly higher. Diverging vs. converging graphs of the same size and topology have no differences with respect to graph complexity, so complexity change is dependent on whether development results in increased or reduced richness. Convergent-divergent mode switching, however, would generally increase ESS complexity, decrease irregularity, and increase algebraic connectivity. As ESS and associated graphs evolve, none of the possible trends reduces complexity, which can only remain constant or increase. Algebraic connectivity may increase, however. As improving shortcomings in ESS evolution models generally result in elaborating possible state changes, this produces more structurally complex but less historically contingent models.
Working with Stepfamilies

How do practitioners work with stepfamilies? Stepfamily education programs are presented along with a brief discussion of what is taught. Materials on the WWW, self-help materials, self-help groups, and bibliotherapy are briefly discussed. Topics presented in the chapter include: affinity strategies, learning co-parenting skills, obtaining financial skills, variability in individual, relational, and familial life course, creating ritual and traditions, maintaining parent–child bonds, strengthening couple bonds, normalizing stepfamilies communicational skills, validating feelings, reducing feelings of helplessness, and reframing issues, among others.
Beat gestures and postural control in youth at ultrahigh risk for psychosis

Beat gestures, rhythmic hand movements that co-occur with speech, appear to be uniquely associated with the cerebellum in healthy individuals. This behavior may also have relevance for psychosis-risk youth, a group characterized by cerebellar dysfunction. This study examined beat gesture frequency and postural sway (a sensitive index of cerebellar functioning) in youth at ultrahigh risk (UHR) for psychosis. Results indicated that decreased beat gesture frequency, but not self-regulatory movement, is associated with elevated postural sway, suggesting that beat gestures may be an important biomarker in this critical population.
Sustained-release delivery of leupeptin in the chinchilla: hearing results.

Transtympanic medical therapy is becoming an increasingly popular modality for the treatment of "inner-ear disorders." While investigators continue to examine the best dosing paradigms for gentamicin in the treatment of Meniere's disease and for steroids in the treatment of hearing loss, they have also begun to focus on the use of other agents. In particular, transtympanic therapy has been advocated as a plausible route for the treatment of tinnitus. Transtympanic therapy for tinnitus is not new, and a number of groups have reported success in the past. Despite this success, a number of laboratories have been focusing on newer agents that might yield higher success rates in the treatment of tinnitus and other inner-ear disorders. Many of these agents could have systemic side effects when delivered in high enough doses; therefore, they are ideal candidates for transtympanic administration. The goal of this study is to begin to define the effects of one of these agents -leupeptin, a calpain antagonist - on the normal inner ear of an animal model. In this investigation, we demonstrate the effects of sustained-release delivery ofleupeptin (2.5 fJ-g/ml) on the hearing of chinchillas. The medicine produced no hearing loss at the early time points but did produce some hearing loss at later time points. We discuss these results and begin to outline the next steps in the investigation of this agent.
Benndorf's formula for the dynamic magnification of an electromagnetic seismograph

Abstract The indicator equation for a seismogram from an electromagnetic seismograph is integrated under the assumption that the trace has the form of a suddenly beginning sinusoid. An expression for the velocity sensitivity is derived from the integrated result and applied to the particular case of a seismometer-galvanometer combination with natural frequencies of 2 Hertz-200 Hertz respectively. For that seismograph the dynamic velocity sensitivity at transducer—earth resonance is one-fifth of the steady-state harmonic sensitivity at resonance.
Bridge Leadership: Gendered Consumerism and Black Women’s Political Power within Early 20th Century “Don’t Buy” Campaigns

ABSTRACTThis research surveys the literature around black consumerism and social movements, exploring the “Don’t Buy Where You Can’t Work” (DBWYCW) campaigns of the 1920s-1940s. The author examines the integral roles women played (as organizers, agitators, and beneficiaries) in various economic boycotts within the context of Belinda Robnett’s theory of bridge leadership, with a particular focus on consumerism as a major vehicle through which African-American women engaged in movement work during the DBWYCW campaigns. This article challenges the erasure of women’s leadership by reframing “Don’t Buy” as a women’s movement. Applying Robnett’s bridge leadership theory to different eras, regions, and movements, we see how the Great Depression combined with activism in the gendered sphere of consumerism and facilitated the activism of black women. This paper also expands Robnett’s conceptualization of professional and indigenous bridge leaders by identifying urban working class women within the “Don’t Buy” move...
A Slow Conformational Switch in the BMAL1 Transactivation Domain Modulates Circadian Rhythms

The C-terminal transactivation domain (TAD) of BMAL1 (brain and muscle ARNT-like 1) is a regulatory hub for transcriptional coactivators and repressors that compete for binding and, consequently, contributes to period determination of the mammalian circadian clock. Here, we report the discovery of two distinct conformational states that slowly exchange within the dynamic TAD to control timing. This binary switch results from cis/trans isomerization about a highly conserved Trp-Pro imide bond in a region of the TAD that is required for normal circadian timekeeping. Both cis and trans isomers interact with transcriptional regulators, suggesting that isomerization could serve a role in assembling regulatory complexes in vivo. Toward this end, we show that locking the switch into the trans isomer leads to shortened circadian periods. Furthermore, isomerization is regulated by the cyclophilin family of peptidyl-prolyl isomerases, highlighting the potential for regulation of BMAL1 protein dynamics in period determination.
Regulated Medicare Advantage And Marketplace Individual Health Insurance Markets Rely On Insurer Competition

Two important individual health insurance markets—Medicare Advantage and the Marketplaces—are tightly regulated but rely on competition among insurers to supply and price health insurance products. Many local health insurance markets have little competition, which increases prices to consumers. Furthermore, both markets are highly subsidized in ways that can exacerbate the impact of market power—that is, the ability to set price above cost—on health insurance prices. Policy makers need to foster robust competition in both sectors and avoid designing subsidies that make the market-power problem worse.