cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effects of chymostatin and other proteinase inhibitors on protein breakdown and proteolytic activities in muscle

To learn more about the enzymes involved in protein catabolism in skeletal and cardiac muscle and to identify selective inhibitors of this process, we studied the effects of proteinase inhibitors on protein turnover in isolated muscles and on proteolytic activities in muscle homogenates. Chymostatin (20μm) decreased protein breakdown by 20–40% in leg muscles from normal rodents and also in denervated and dystrophic muscles. These results are similar to our previous findings with leupeptin. The related inhibitors pepstatin, bestatin, and elastatinal did not decrease protein breakdown; antipain slowed this process in rat hind-limb muscles but not in diaphragm. Chymostatin did not decrease protein synthesis and thus probably retards proteolysis by a specific effect on cell proteinase(s). In homogenates of rat muscle, chymostatin, in common with leupeptin and antipain, inhibits the lysosomal proteinase cathepsin B, and the soluble Ca2+-activated proteinase. In addition, chymostatin, but not leupeptin, inhibits the chymotrypsin-like proteinase apparent in muscle homogenates. In muscles depleted of most of this activity by treatment with the mast-cell-degranulating agent 48/80, chymostatin still decreased protein breakdown. Therefore inhibition of this alkaline activity probably does not account for the decrease in protein breakdown. These results are consistent with a lysosomal site of action for chymostatin. Because of its lack of toxicity, chymostatin may be useful in maintaining tissues in vitro and perhaps in decreasing muscle atrophy in vivo.
NEURONAL CEROID-LIPOFUSCINOSIS (BATTEN'S DISEASE): RELATIONSHIP TO AMAUROTIC FAMILY IDIOCY?

From the conditions generically classified as amaurotic familial idiocy, two distinctly different groups have emerged. One is characterized by grossly abnormal profiles for cerebral sphingolipids and consists of GM1-gangliosidosis and GM2-gangliosidosis or Tay-Sachs disease. The other group is composed of cases with normal sphingolipid profiles, but with neuronal accumulation of lipopigments of the ceroid/lipofuscin type, designated as neuronal ceroid-lipofuscinosis (NCL) or Batten9s disease. Clinical data on 26 patients with this disorder reveal the course and symptomatology to be variable, but pathomorphologic and biochemical findings are reasonably constant. The course of the disorder is directly influenced by the presence or absence of intractable seizures.
Local renal aldosterone production induces inflammation and matrix formation in kidneys of diabetic rats

Recently, we reported the presence of a local renal aldosterone production. In the present study, we tested the hypothesis that local aldosterone production in the kidney contributes to renal inflammation, matrix formation and albuminuria associated with diabetes. We evaluated changes in renal aldosterone content (RAC), aldosterone synthase expression, nuclear factor kappaB (NFkappaB), tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNFalpha), interleukin-6 (IL-6), transforming growth factor beta (TGFbeta), glomerular fibronectin, collagen type IV and urinary albumin extraction (UAE) in response to the aldosterone synthase inhibitor FAD286. Studies were conducted in adrenalectomized, normoglycaemic (control) or diabetic rats for 14 weeks. The FAD286 was administered during the last 10 weeks of the study. Plasma aldosterone levels were not detectable in any of the study groups. Compared with control rats, diabetic rats had higher levels of RAC by 488% (P < 0.01), NFkappaB by 293% (P < 0.01), TNFalpha by 356% (P < 0.01), IL-6 by 378% (P < 0.01), TGFbeta by 337% (P < 0.01) and UAE by 1122% (P < 0.01), and increased glomerular fibronectin and collagen type IV immunostaining. In diabetic rats, FAD286 reduced RAC (P < 0.01), UAE (P < 0.05), NFkappaB mRNA, TNFalpha mRNA, IL-6 mRNA and TGFbeta mRNA by 51, 41, 41 and 52% and also their proteins and decreased glomerular fibronectin and collagen type IV immunostaining. In conclusion, diabetes increases local aldosterone production in the kidney, which contributes to development of renal inflammation, matrix formation and albuminuria. Inhibition of aldosterone production in the kidney could be helpful in management of diabetic nephropathy.
The sedimentary response to a rapid change in lake level in Lake Tanganyika

Abstract We present records of sedimentary organic carbon, nitrogen, and carbonate, and stable isotope records of organic material and carbonate from a series of sediment cores that straddle the permanent chemocline in Lake Tanganyika. Sedimentation rates for these cores are consistent among the sites (~ 0.05–0.1 cm y− 1), and all records show an increase in sedimentary carbonate (aragonite) content centered at ~ 1879. The mid-19th century coincides with a major (~ 10 m) lake level transgression. Throughout the period of lake level transgression and subsequent regression, the organic matter δ13C and δ15N records develop a prominent and coincident negative excursion followed by a return to values similar to those prior to the lake level transgression. This negative excursion in δ15N and δ13C is also coincident with an increase in carbonate-corrected organic carbon. We interpret the δ13C results as a decline in primary production during the transgression with the δ15N results signaling a concomitant increase in the reliance on nitrogen fixation as the nitrogen source. The coincident peak in organic carbon is interpreted as being a result of enhanced preservation driven by the precipitation and burial of aragonite.
A scalable video transmission system using bandwidth inference in congestion control

Multimedia applications widely use UDP as the transport protocol because UDP can provide a more timely response to packet loss. Unlike TCP, which has a mature built-in window-based congestion control, UDP applications have to construct their own congestion control at the application level. Various protocols have been proposed for such multimedia applications. Packet loss, round-trip delay, and one-way delay are used in these congestion control protocols to adapt to the network dynamics. Most protocols try to achieve TCP-friendliness by using addictive-increase multiplicative decrease (AIMD) algorithm. In this paper, we present a new bandwidth inference congestion control (BIC) protocol, which adapts its rate by non-intrusive bandwidth inference. It relies on one-way delay trend detection to estimate the end-to-end available bandwidth. We also show an effective BIC protocol implementation based on an MPEG-4 FGS video coding system.
Elevated cysteine-rich 61 mediates aberrant collagen homeostasis in chronologically aged and photoaged human skin.

Alterations of human skin connective tissue structure and function are prominent features of chronological aging and solar UV irradiation-induced premature aging (photoaging). These skin connective tissue abnormalities result, in part, from reduced synthesis and elevated degradation of type I collagen, the major structural protein in skin. Here, we report that cysteine-rich 61 (CYR61/CCN1), a novel mediator of collagen homeostasis, is predominantly expressed in human skin connective tissue and is significantly elevated in fibroblasts in chronologically aged (80+ years) and photoaged human skin in vivo. In cultured human skin fibroblasts, elevated CYR61 expression substantially reduces type I procollagen and concurrently increases matrix metalloproteinase-1 (MMP-1), which initiates fibrillar collagen degradation. Elevated CYR61 caused down-regulation of transforming growth factor-β type II receptor mRNA and protein levels, thereby impairing the transforming growth factor-β pathway, which reduced type I procollagen and raised MMP-1 expression. Furthermore, elevated CYR61 induced transcription factor activator protein-1 (AP-1), which functions to stimulate MMP-1 expression. Thus, elevated expression of CYR61 in human skin fibroblasts acts through multiple pathways to cause alterations of collagen homeostasis similar to those pathways observed in aged human skin in vivo. These data identify CYR61 as a pivotal regulator of collagen production and degradation in aged and photoaged human skin.
Differentiation of the roles of NO from airway epithelium and inflammatory cells in ozone-induced lung inflammation.

Mice lacking inducible nitric oxide synthase (NOS2-/-) are more susceptible to ozone-induced lung inflammation and injury than their isogenic wild-type (NOS2+/+) counterparts, demonstrating an apparent protective effect for NOS2 in murine lungs. We hypothesized that nitric oxide (NO) generated from either NOS2 in the airway epithelial cells or the bone-marrow-derived inflammatory cells was responsible for the protective effect of NOS2. To test this hypothesis, we prepared chimeric mice by killing their endogenous bone marrow cells by whole body irradiation followed by bone marrow transplantation from a heterologous donor mouse. We exposed C57BL/6 (NOS2+/+), NOS2-/-, and chimeric NOS2 mice (NOS2-/+, NOS2+/-) to 1 ppm of ozone for 3 consecutive nights. NOS2-/- mice were more severely injured after exposure to ozone than C57BL/6 mice, including a more robust inflammatory cell influx (4.14 x 10{sup 5} {+-} 2.19 x 10{sup 5} vs. 2.78 x 10{sup 5} {+-} 1.36 x 10{sup 5} cells respectively; P = 0.036) and greater oxidation of total protein sulfhydryls (R-SH) in their blood plasma. Chimeric NOS2-/+ mice, which had bone marrow from NOS2-/- mice transplanted into C57BL/6 recipients, had a significantly greater response to ozone (increased numbers of neutrophils in lung lavage and decreased concentrations of exhaled NO) asmore » compared to the reciprocal chimeric strain (NOS2+/-). We conclude that NOS2 has a protective effect against acute lung injury caused by ozone inhalation, which may be mediated, in part, by NO generated by NOS2 from inflammatory cells, predominantly neutrophils, recruited into the lung.« less
PHYSIOLOGICAL CONCOMITANTS OF PSYCHOLOGICAL DIFFERENTIATION.

Thirty-two male college students who scored above 50 (standard score) on the Closure Flexibility (CF) test were designated field independent (FI), and eight who scored below 50 were designated field dependent (FD). It was found that FI subjects were able to discriminate between the conditioned tone (CS) and the un-reinforced generalization tones by the amplitude of their GSR significantly better (p < 0.01) than were FD persons. Although it cannot be asserted with certainty that this relationship is dependent on the autonomic response system, there is tentative support for this position. It seems probable that even the FD subjects could distinguish between the two most different pitched tones; yet they failed to make this distinction by their GSR responses. This lack of differentiation by the FD subject appears to be a function of a less well-differentiated autonomic nervous system. This study demonstrates that the stimulus generalization gradient involves an interaction between the cognitive style of the organism and the impinging stimuli, not merely the quantitative physical characteristics of the stimuli.
Association between particulate matter and emergency room visits, hospital admissions and mortality in Spokane, Washington

There is conflicting evidence regarding the association between different size fractions of particulate matter (PM) and cardiac and respiratory morbidity and mortality. We investigated the short-term associations of four size fractions of particulate matter (PM(1), PM(2.5), PM(10), and PM(10-2.5)) and carbon monoxide with hospital admissions and emergency room (ER) visits for respiratory and cardiac conditions and mortality in Spokane, Washington. We used a log-linear generalized linear model to compare daily averages of PM and carbon monoxide with daily counts of the morbidity and mortality outcomes from January 1995 to June 2001. We examined pollution lags ranging from 0 to 3 days and compared our results to a similar log-linear generalized additive model. Effect estimates tended to be smaller and have larger standard errors for the generalized linear model. Overall, we saw no association with respiratory ER visits and any size fraction of PM. However, there was a suggestion of greater respiratory effect from fine PM when compared to coarse fraction. Carbon monoxide was associated with both all respiratory ER visits and visits for asthma at the 3-day lag. We feel that carbon monoxide may be serving as a marker for combustion-derived pollutants, which is one large component of the diverse air pollutant mixture. We also found no association with any size fraction of PM or CO with cardiac hospital admissions or mortality at the 0- to 3-day lag. We found no consistent associations between any size fraction of PM and cardiac or respiratory ER visits or hospital admissions.
Greasing the way: the ABCs of HSPC efflux from the marrow.

In this issue of Cell Stem Cell, Westerterp et al. demonstrate that cholesterol flux through splenic phagocytes regulates hematopoietic stem and multipotential progenitor cell mobilization from the bone marrow. These exciting findings suggest new avenues for therapy of myeloproliferative disorders and atherosclerosis.
A preliminary report on antabuse therapy for alcoholism

In a series of five patients severe untoward effects were noted in two patients, including one death which the writers attributed to the antabuse-alcohol combination. These tests indicate caution in the use of antabuse. A second series of clinical trials indicates that small initial doses of alcohol are safer and can produce adequate reactions.
Enterotropic strains of mouse coronavirus differ in their use of murine carcinoembryonic antigen-related glycoprotein receptors.

Abstract Enterotropic mouse hepatitis virus strains (MHV-RI and MHV-Y) replicate in the intestine and rarely disseminate to other tissues, unlike respiratory MHV strains. Murine carcinoembryonic antigen-related glycoproteins (MHVR and mmCGM 2 ) are expressed in many murine tissues and serve as receptors for respiratory MHV strains. To assess the role of receptors in the limited tissue tropism of enterotropic MHV strains, the permissiveness of MHVR- and mmCGM 2 -expressing cell lines and peritoneal exudate cells from BALB/c and SJL mice for MHV-RI and MHV-Y replication was determined. MHVR transfected BHK cells were susceptible to infection with both MHV-RI and MHV-Y. Additionally, the anti-MHVR monoclonal antibody CC1 blocked MHV-RI and MHV-Y infection. mmCGM 2 -transfected BHK cells were susceptible to infection with MHV-Y, but not MHV-RI. Peritoneal exudate cells from BALB/c mice were susceptible to infection with MHV-Y and MHVRI, whereas peritoneal exudate cells from SJL- mice were susceptible to infection with MHV-Y but not MHV-RI. These results indicate that MHV-RI probably uses a different receptor than other MHV strains to infect SJL mice and that receptors are probably not the primary determinant of the limited tissue tropism of enterotropic MHV strains.
SU-GG-T-299: A Digital QA Solution Using 2D Ion Chamber Array

Purpose: To evaluate the feasibility of the extensive applications of an ionization chamber array in radiation therapy clinics. Methods and Materials: PTW Seven29 ion chamber array and the customized Octavius phantoms were primarily used to perform patient‐specific IMRT/IGRT QA procedures on either TomoTherapy units or conventional LINACs. BrainLAB iPlan, Philips Pinnacle3 and TomoTherapy Planning are the RTP systems used to generate treatment plans. Surprisingly the unique design of PTW Seven29 does not stop it from finding its way to other dosimetry verification tasks. In combination with solid water slabs, this ion chamber array has been utilized in many dosimetrical verification procedures. With the help of vendor‐supplied software VeriSoft and MultiCheck, it was utilized to check machine's performance consistency, IMRT beam fluence, dose distribution of special treatment techniques such as stereotactic body radiation therapy with either conical collimators or Micro MLC, and GRID therapy. Results: Dose distributions in the Octavius CT phantom from IMRT/IGRT plans were measured in the Octabius QA phantom after radiation delivery. A total of 107 IMRT/IRGT QA procedures passed the Gamma analysis criteria 5% and 5 mm, while 18% passed 3% and 3mm criteria. Failed points were mainly in low dose and high dose gradient regions. A strong agreement was found between two methods (ion chamber and film dosimetry vs. ion chamber array alone) for checking machine's performance consistency. It has also shown to be an effective tool for GRID QA procedures. Conclusion: The PTW Seven29 ion chamber array is a reliable accurate and efficient dose distribution verification tool for both patient‐specific and machine‐specific QA measurements. It is also one of the essential components of a paperless and filmless radiation therapy facility.
Further studies on the fragmentation of protonated ions of peptides containing aspartic acid, glutamic acid, cysteine sulfinic acid, and cysteine sulfonic acid

Here we examined the fragmentation, on a quadrupole ion-trap mass spectrometer, of the protonated ions of a group of peptides containing one arginine and two different acidic amino acids, one being aspartic acid (Asp) or glutamic acid (Glu) and the other being cysteine sulfinic acid [C(SO2H)] or cysteine sulfonic acid [C(SO3H)]. Our results showed that, upon collisional activation, the cleavage of the peptide bond C-terminal to C(SO2H) is much more facile than that of the peptide bond C-terminal to Asp, Glu, or C(SO3H). There is no significant difference, however, in susceptibility to cleavage of peptide bonds that are C-terminal to Asp, Glu, and C(SO3H). To understand these experimental observations, we carried out B3LYP/6-31G* density functional theory calculations for a model cleavage reaction of GXG --> b2 + Gly, in which X is Asp, Glu, C(SO2H), or C(SO3H). Our calculation results showed that the cleavage reaction is thermodynamically more favorable when X = C(SO2H) than when X = Asp or C(SO3H). We attributed the less facile cleavage of the amide bond after Glu to that the formation of a six-membered ring b ion for Glu-bearing peptides is kinetically not as favorable as the formation of a five-membered ring b ion for peptides containing the other three acidic amino acids. The results from this study may provide useful tools for peptide sequencing.
Hepatitis C virus infection causes cell cycle arrest at the level of initiation of mitosis.

ABSTRACT Chronic infection with the hepatitis C virus (HCV) is associated with increased risk for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Chronic immune-mediated inflammation is likely to be an important factor in the development of HCV-associated HCC, but direct effects of HCV infection on the host cell cycle may also play a role. Although overexpression studies have revealed multiple interactions between HCV-encoded proteins and host cell cycle regulators and tumor suppressor proteins, the relevance of these observations to HCV-associated liver disease is not clear. We determined the net effect of these interactions on regulation of the cell cycle in the context of virus infection. Flow cytometry of HCV-infected carboxyfluorescein succinimidyl ester-labeled hepatoma cells indicated a slowdown in proliferation that correlated with abundance of viral antigen. A decrease in the proportions of infected cells in G 1 and S phases with an accumulation of cells in G 2 /M phase was observed, compared to mock-infected controls. Dramatic decreases in markers of mitosis, such as phospho-histone H3, in infected cells suggested a block to mitotic entry. In common with findings described in the published literature, we observed caspase 3 activation, suggesting that cell cycle arrest is associated with apoptosis. Differences were observed in patterns of cell cycle disturbance and levels of apoptosis with different strains of HCV. However, the data suggest that cell cycle arrest at the interface of G 2 and mitosis is a common feature of HCV infection.
Nonlinear vibration modes and instability of a conceptual model of a spar platform

Spar floating platforms have been largely used for deepwater drilling, oil and natural gas production, and storage. In extreme weather conditions, such structures may exhibit a highly nonlinear dynamical behavior due to heave-pitch coupling. In this paper, a 2-DOF model is used to study the heave and pitch dynamical response in free and forced vibration. Special attention is given to the determination of the nonlinear vibration modes (NNMs). Nonsimilar and similar NNMs are obtained analytically by direct application of asymptotic and Galerkin-based methods. The results show important NNM features such as instability and multiplicity of modes. The NNMs are used to generate reduced order models consisting of SDOF nonlinear oscillators. This allows analytic parametric studies and the derivation of important features of the system such as its frequency-amplitude relations and resonance curves. The stability is analyzed by the Floquet theory. The analytical results show a good agreement with the numerical solution obtained by direct integration of the equation of motion. Instability analyses using bifurcation diagrams and Mathieu charts are carried out to understand the fundamental mechanism for the occurrence of unstable coupled heave-pitch resonant motions of floating structures in waves and to study the dependencies of the growth rate of unstable motions on physical parameters.
An Individual Health Plan Exchange: Which Employees Would Benefit and Why?

On average, US workers fortunate enough to be offered health insurance through their place of work are given a small number of choices: 80 percent of firms, accounting for 37 percent of workers, offered only one plan in 2005. Although there are merits of limited choice— including lower administrative costs for sponsoring employers, and better pooling of risk within a given employee population—substantial consumer surplus is forgone by preventing employees from selecting plans that best suit their needs. In Dafny, Ho, and Varela (2010), we build a model to quantify this deadweight loss. Using data on plan offerings and enrollment for 800+ large US firms in 139 geographic markets, over the period 1998–2006, we estimate a model of consumer preferences for characteristics of health plans. We use the parameters of that model to predict employee choices under different hypothetical scenarios of expanded choice, assuming employers’ total outlays for health insurance remain constant and plans are made available to new enrollees at “large group rates.” We quantify those gains for each employee group-year we observe (for example, Big Box Retailer’s employees in Houston in 2003), and conclude these gains are sizable compared to average premiums. We estimate that employees would be willing to forgo ten to 40 percent or more of their employer subsidies for the right to apply those subsidies to the plan of their choosing, with the exact magnitude depending on the demand specification as well as the definition of the expanded choice set. An Individual Health Plan Exchange: Which Employees Would Benefit and Why?
The Role of Protein Synthesis in Bud Initiation on the Protonemata of a Moss

Summary Bud initiation and protein metabolism in protonemata of the moss Microdus miquelianus grown in basal medium and in medium supplemented with 5.0 mg l-1 benzylaminopurine were studied. Exposure of the protonemata to cytokinin for 24 h induced bud formation, but unless cytokinin was present for three days, few buds were formed. Although no change in the rate of protein synthesis, as studied by [3H]-leucine incorporation, accompanied bud initiation, synthesis of some proteins, susceptible to inhibition by cycloheximide, appeared necessary for this morphogenetic change.
A fragment-based approach for efficiently creating dynamic web content

This article presents a publishing system for efficiently creating dynamic Web content. Complex Web pages are constructed from simpler fragments. Fragments may recursively embed other fragments. Relationships between Web pages and fragments are represented by object dependence graphs. We present algorithms for efficiently detecting and updating Web pages affected after one or more fragments change. We also present algorithms for publishing sets of Web pages consistently; different algorithms are used depending upon the consistency requirements.Our publishing system provides an easy method for Web site designers to specify and modify inclusion relationships among Web pages and fragments. Users can update content on multiple Web pages by modifying a template. The system then automatically updates all Web pages affected by the change. Our system accommodates both content that must be proofread before publication and is typically from humans as well as content that has to be published immediately and is typically from automated feeds.We discuss some of our experiences with real deployments of our system as well as its performance. We also quantitatively present characteristics of fragments used at a major deployment of our publishing system including fragment sizes, update frequencies, and inclusion relationships.
Using the Backward Transfer Paradigm to Validate the AH-64 Simulator Training Research Advanced Testbed for Aviation

Abstract : The Simulator Training Research Advanced Testbed for Aviation (STRATA) is a modular simulation system for the AH-64 helicopter. The Adams and McAbee (1961) backward transfer of training paradigm was used to determine if AH-64 piloting skills transfer to STRATA. Ten AH-64 pilots participated in the experiment. They were asked to fly a mission scenario consisting of 13 single- pilot Aircrew Training Manual (ATM) tasks. No orientation or practice sessions were given. Most participants rated STRATA as highly similar to the AH-64 in handling, but believed the visual display system had limitations for extremely low-altitude tasks like hovering. Performance ratings during the experiment by a senior instructor pilot (IP) indicated that of the total 130 task events, 88.5% were performed to ATM standards. After the experiment, four independent judges, all aviators, rank-ordered participant performance on the stationary hover task using output from STRATA's automated performance measurement system. Rankings showed agreement between judges and high correlation with IP ratings made during the experiment. Transfer of training, Performance measurement, Flight simulation, Helicopter simulation
Structural sources of international crime: Policy lessons from the BCCI Affair

The Bank of Credit and Commerce International (BCCI) was established in 1972 to provide help for poor people and poor countries. However, its scandalous closure, as the centre of a huge fraud, indicated that the main beneficiaries of the services of BCCI were the Colombian drug barons, the CIA, and several prominent Third World dictators. The BCCI collapse provides an opportunity to look into these global networks of criminality. It demonstrates that the lines between legitimate and illegitimate enterprises can be very thin; that illicit enterprises can themselves collaborate; and that the bank was itself involved in covert operations and the foreign policies of several states. The BCCI scandal presents a number of lessons in regulatory failure.
Highly Enantioselective Organocatalytic Addition of Ethyl Trifluoropyruvate to Ketones with Subzero Temperature Microwave Activation

An enantioselective organocatalytic microwave-assisted method for the addition of ethyl trifluoropyruvate to ketones to synthesize highly enantiomerically enriched organofluorine synthons is described. Besides the high yields, diastereo- and enantioselectivities, the most important observation is that the use of microwave irradiation at subzero temperatures proved to be beneficial. The results indicate that subzero temperature microwave chemistry is a potentially intriguing tool for asymmetric synthesis.
US Civil War Print Culture and Popular Imagination

Because the crisis of the Union was a crisis of representation, studies of the literature and culture of the US Civil War inevitably struggle with questions of inclusion and exclusion: whose view- points should be preserved among the victors and the vanquished? Who has the authority to speak, both in terms of the capacity to transmit experience and in terms of moral sanction? Should civilians be trusted to represent the experiences of combatants? Should pro- slavery views share the platform with abolitionist perspectives? How do we evaluate white representations, both Northern and Southern, of black experience? Where can we find authentic repre- sentations of African-American wartime experience? What do women have to say about the war from the home front or the hospi- tals? What genres are best suited for the cultural tasks of making meaning and memory from chaotic events? Should nonfictional forms—personal narratives, letters, diaries, photographs—have a privileged place in testifying to the realities of war? What function do poetry and fiction serve in shaping and expressing wartime expe- rience and in postwar attempts at forging a usable past? If the "real war" did not or cannot make its way "in(to) the books," as Walt Whitman suggests, then how can we convey at least a suggestion of the necessary shortcomings in representations of suffering, trauma, and loss (778)? The calculus of selecting and valuing Civil War-era texts is complicated by the fact that this deadliest of conflicts coincided with the rise of mass media and an outpouring of visual and verbal repre- sentations of wartime experience. Telegraph, steamship, and railroad enabled rapid transmission of news and widespread dissemination of ephemeral print materials throughout the North and, to a lesser degree, the South. The home front's hunger for unadulterated news and images from the battlefields blended with a fascination with war as spectacle, fantasy, entertainment extravaganza: Herman Melville figured this unnerving interfusion in his poetic treatment of the "pic- nic party in the May" that attended the First Battle of Bull Run (59).
SU‐C‐134‐02: Radiation Dose Reduction for CT Lung Cancer Screening Using Advanced Image Reconstruction Techniques

Purpose: To reduce radiation dose to patients undergoing computed tomography (CT) for lung cancer screening while maintaining overall diagnostic image quality and definition of ground-glass opacities (GGOs). Methods: A Catphan phantom, a Kyoto Kagaku lung screening phantom, and a Kyoto Kagaku multipurpose chest phantom were scanned on a GE Discovery CT750 HD scanner to quantitatively assess the performance of two image reconstruction algorithms (adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction [ASIR] and model-based iterative reconstruction [MBIR]) used in conjunction with reduced tube currents relative to a standard clinical lung cancer screening protocol (51 mAs and filtered back projection [FBP] reconstruction; CTDIvol = 3.9 mGy). To further assess the algorithms performances, qualitative image analysis was conducted (in the form of a reader study) using the multipurpose chest phantom, which was implanted with eight GGOs of two densities. Results: Our quantitative image analysis indicated that tube current, and thus radiation dose, could be reduced by at least 60% from MBIR while maintaining similar noise and spatial resolution (as determined from the CT images) compared with conventional FBP. The reader study indicated that dose could be reduced by 40% (to 30 mAs or 2.3 mGy) or 60% (to 20 mAs or 1.5 mGy) from using ASIR or MBIR, respectively, while maintaining GGO definition. Additionally, the readers ratings for overall image quality were equal or better (for a given dose) when using ASIR or MBIR compared with FBP. Conclusion: Combining ASIR or MBIR with reduced tube current may allow for lower doses while maintaining overall diagnostic image quality, as well as GGO definition during CT lung cancer screening. Dr. Adam Chandler is an employee of GE Healthcare. Dr. Tinsu Pan is the owner of Texas Medical Imaging Consultants.
Cosmic-ray induced neutrino fluxes at the Moon: A semi-analytic approach

Abstract Cosmic-ray induced neutrino backgrounds at the Moon are estimated using a semi-analytic approach. The analytic expressions are derived, flux estimates for ν e + ν ¯ e and ν μ + ν ¯ μ are given, and comparisons with the analogous backgrounds generated in the Earth’s atmosphere are presented. Suppression of the lunar fluxes relative to the terrestrial fluxes is found. At energies >10 GeV, the suppression approaches a maximum of order 10−4. The lower background environment suggests that the Moon may be advantageous for future particle astrophysics endeavors.
Synthesis of human insulin gene. Part I. Development of reversed-phase chromatography in the modified triester method. Its application in the rapid and efficient synthesis of eight deoxyribo-oligonucleotides fragments constituting human insulin A DNA

Preparative reversed-phase thin layer chromatography on silanized silica-gel (RP-2 and RP-18) has been developed to purify triester deoxyribooligonucleotides prepared by the modified triester method. The effectiveness of this technique has been demonstrated in the rapid synthesis of eight pure deoxyribooligonucleotides constituting the sequence of human insulin A DNA. The sequence of each of the deoxyribooligonucleotides was confirmed by the two-dimensional mobility-shift method of finger-printing.
Undergraduate Module on Computational Modeling: Introducing Modeling the Cane Toad Invasion

Abstract “Modeling an ‘Able’ Invader—the ‘Cane’ Toad” is an educational computational science module developed by the authors for the NSF funded Blue Waters Undergraduate Petascale Education Program. The module considers the fundamentals of a grid-based individual-based simulation and develops such a model for an invasive species, the cane toad, to study the effect of fencing artificial water points on the adult's invasion. Besides serial implementations in MATLAB and C, a parallel program in C/MPI accompanies the module. Moreover, the module considers a serial algorithm and an approach to parallelizing, speedup, and scalability. This paper describes the module and details experiences using the material in an undergraduate course on Modeling Biological Networks at Wofford College.
SU-GG-I-47: A New Limited-Angle CT Reconstruction Method Based On Total-Variation Minimization

Purpose: To develop a new CTreconstruction algorithm based on Total‐Variation (TV) minimization. The new algorithm is specifically designed for limited angle reconstruction to alleviate volume information loss caused by incomplete projections. Method and Materials: TV is defined as the summation of the gradients between adjacent pixels. A nonlinear conjugate gradient algorithm is used to minimize TV and projection error simultaneously. Pixel Signal‐to‐Noise Ratio (PSNR) was used to quantitatively evaluate reconstruction quality of a Shepp‐Logan phantom. Head and neck CTimages were reconstructed from simulated projections to demonstrate reconstruction quality at different scan angle. The effects of weighting factors for TV and projection frequency were investigated. Results: The algorithm can reconstruct good quality images with the scan angle as low as 60 degree. With 90‐degree projections, the reconstructed Shepp‐Logan phantom has a high PSNR of 17 dB.. Weighting factors for TV were determined through simulations. Image qualities were improved by weighting more high frequency of the projection data. In simulation tests using head/neck simulated projections, volume information can be recovered accurately from 60‐degree projections. Conclusion: The TV‐based reconstruction algorithm improves the quality of limited angle CTreconstruction. Research sponsored by a Varian research grant.
West Nile Virus Experimental Evolution in vivo and the Trade-off Hypothesis

In nature, arthropod-borne viruses (arboviruses) perpetuate through alternating replication in vertebrate and invertebrate hosts. The trade-off hypothesis proposes that these viruses maintain adequate replicative fitness in two disparate hosts in exchange for superior fitness in one host. Releasing the virus from the constraints of a two-host cycle should thus facilitate adaptation to a single host. This theory has been addressed in a variety of systems, but remains poorly understood. We sought to determine the fitness implications of alternating host replication for West Nile virus (WNV) using an in vivo model system. Previously, WNV was serially or alternately passed 20 times in vivo in chicks or mosquitoes and resulting viruses were characterized genetically. In this study, these test viruses were competed in vivo in fitness assays against an unpassed marked reference virus. Fitness was assayed in chicks and in two important WNV vectors, Culex pipiens and Culex quinquefasciatus. Chick-specialized virus displayed clear fitness gains in chicks and in Cx. pipiens but not in Cx. quinquefasciatus. Cx. pipiens-specialized virus experienced reduced fitness in chicks and little change in either mosquito species. These data suggest that when fitness is measured in birds the trade-off hypothesis is supported; but in mosquitoes it is not. Overall, these results suggest that WNV evolution is driven by alternate cycles of genetic expansion in mosquitoes, where purifying selection is weak and genetic diversity generated, and restriction in birds, where purifying selection is strong.
Effects of inhibiting glutamine synthetase and blocking glutamate uptake on b-wave generation in the isolated rat retina

The purpose of the present experiments was to evaluate the contribution of the glutamate-glutamine cycle in retinal glial (Muller) cells to photoreceptor cell synaptic transmission. Dark-adapted isolated rat retinas were superfused with oxygenated bicarbonate-buffered media. Recordings were made of the b-wave of the electroretinogram as a measure of light-induced photoreceptor to ON-bipolar neuron transmission. L-methionine sulfoximine (1-10 mM) was added to superfusion media to inhibit glutamine synthetase, a Muller cell specific enzyme, by more than 99% within 5-10 min, thereby disrupting the conversion of glutamate to glutamine in the Muller cells. Threo-hydroxyaspartic acid and D-aspartate were used to block glutamate transporters. The amplitude of the b-wave was well maintained for 1-2 h provided 0.25 mM glutamate or 0.25 mM glutamine was included in the media. Without exogenous glutamate or glutamine the amplitude of the b-wave declined by about 70% within 1 h. Inhibition of glutamate transporters led to a rapid (2-5 min) reversible loss of the b-wave in the presence and absence of the amino acids. In contrast, inhibition of glutamine synthetase did not alter significantly either the amplitude of the b-wave in the presence of glutamate or glutamine or the rate of decline of the b-wave found in the absence of these amino acids. Excellent recovery of the b-wave was found when 0.25 mM glutamate was resupplied to L-methionine sulfoximine-treated retinas. The results suggest that in the isolated rat retina uptake of released glutamate into photoreceptors plays a more important role in transmitter recycling than does uptake of glutamate into Muller cells and its subsequent conversion to glutamine.
Metal ion-assisted self-assembly of complexes for controlled and sustained release of minocycline for biomedical applications

This study reports the development of novel drug delivery complexes self-assembled by divalent metal ion-assisted coacervation for controlled and sustained release of a hydrophilic small drug molecule minocycline hydrochloride (MH). MH is a multifaceted agent that has demonstrated therapeutic effects in infection, inflammation, tumor, as well as cardiovascular, renal, and neurological disorders due to its anti-microbial, anti-inflammatory, and cytoprotective properties. However, the inability to translate the high doses used in experimental animals to tolerable doses in human patients limits its clinical application. Localized delivery can potentially expose the diseased tissue to high concentrations of MH that systemic delivery cannot achieve, while minimizing the side effects from systemic exposure. The strong metal ion binding-assisted interaction enabled high drug entrapment and loading efficiency, and stable long term release for more than 71 d. Released MH demonstrated potent anti-biofilm, anti-inflammatory, and neuroprotective activities. Furthermore, MH release from the complexes is pH-sensitive as the chelation between minocycline and metal ions decreases with pH, allowing 'smart' drug release in response to the severity of pathology-induced tissue acidosis. This novel metal ion binding-mediated drug delivery mechanism can potentially be applied to other drugs that have high binding affinity for metal ions and may lead to the development of new delivery systems for a variety of drugs.
Constitutive Model for Predicting Ultimate Drying Shrinkage of Concrete

A constitutive model is derived from theory of elasticity for predicting ultimate drying shrinkage of concrete. The model was extended by incorporating the semiempirical composite model proposed by Hirsch and Dougill for predicting Young's modulus of concrete. Their composite model is the geometric mean of Paul's upper and lower limit boundaries of a twophase composite. According to the shrinkage model the parameters needed for predicting ultimate drying shrinkage of concrete at any relative humidity of drying are the following: ultimate shrinkage of a paste of same water-to-cement (W/C) ratio and degree of hydration as the concrete, relative volume of aggregates and unhydrated cement, and the elastic properties of hydrated paste and the particles. The shrinkage model was tested on shrinkage results obtained in this study and by Pickett. Three different W/C ratios were covered together with a wide range in aggregate contents. Excellent agreement with the results was found. NUMBER of factors control concrete shrinkage. These include A relative humidity (rh), '-' aggregate content,'" W/C rati~,'.~.~ curing time,'.' and admixtures .7-9 Current procedures recommended by ACI' for predicting concrete shrinkage are empirical. Since they are based on studies which covered a wide range of mix compositions, there is a lack of accuracy in predicting ultimate concrete shrinkage for a specific mix composition. Thus shrinkage may fall into the range of 415 X lo-' to 1070 X at 40% rh. Improvements in the accuracy of predicting drying shrinkage of concrete are desirable especially in prestressed concrete applications where drying shrinkage and creep significantly affect the long-term load-carrying capacity and deflection of a structure. Constitutive models which represent an entirely different approach to predicting drying shrinkage have been proposed. Picket? developed a shrinkage model from theory of elasticity according to which drying shrinkage of concrete is determined from paste shrinkage and the volume concentration of aggregate. The shrinkage model developed by Hansen and Nielsen" from theory of elasticity and composite theory includes a modulus ratio, defined as the ratio of Young's modulus of aggregate and cement paste in addition to paste shrinkage and aggregate content. However, modulus ratio has only a minor influence on concrete shrinkage within the range of values encountered in normal-weight concrete. In the present study a shrinkage model for concrete is derived and tested on shrinkage results obtained in this study and on those reported by Pickett .'
Case stories of facilitating professional development

Abstract This article reports on an 18-month study of teacher study group facilitation in a 25 district consortium. The teacher study group was viewed as an alternative form of professional development within the context of a funded project. Case story, as a form of narrative inquiry, was used to work with participants to construct their own stories of personal experiences as members and facilitators of teacher study groups. The stories shared in this study indicate that facilitation of and participation in a study group as an alternative form of professional development affords an opportunity for transformation through personal growth and professional learning.
The local and global structure of knowledge production in an emergent research field: An exponential random graph analysis

Abstract Previous research has characterized knowledge networks by diffuse connectivity and/or clusters and the absence of centrality. In contrast, exponential random graph models used in this article demonstrate that the uncertainty and centralized influence typical of an emerging area of research leads to the creation of a densely interconnecting core that acts to cohere the network. Moreover, eclecticism and innovativeness, also characteristic of a developing area, lead to a diffusely connected structure. The data, comprising 2200 authors and 76 papers have been manually coded from articles on the feminization of the labor force in Asia.
Aldose reductase activity in the lens and other tissues

1. 1. The distribution of aldose-reducing activities was studied in several rabbit organs. Although all the organs studied had the ability to use NADPH as a cofactor for the reduction of xylose, the different substrate specificities observed suggest that the activity may be due to the presence of at least two different enzymes. These were aldose reductase (polyol:NADP+ oxidoreductase, EC 1.1.1.21), in lens, adrenal and skeletal muscle and NADP+-L-hexonate dehydrogenase (L-gulonate:NADP+ oxidoreductase, EC 1.1.1.19) in liver, kidney, heart, spinal cord and brain. 2. 2. Calf lenses were dissected into three portions: capsule (including the epithelium), cortex and nucleus, and the concentrations of aldose reductase, galactokinase, (ATP:D-galactose 1-phosphotransferase, EC 2.7.1.6) and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (D-glucose-6-phosphate:NADP+ oxidoreductase, EC 1.1.1.49) were determined in the soluble fractions of the extracts. The distribution patterns were different for the three enzymesl the ratio cortex:epithelium:nucleus was 1:21:1.1 for aldose reductase; 1:3:0.02 for galactokinase and 1:7:0.04 for glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase. 3. 3. When calf lenses were incubated in media containing galactose, the accumulation of dulcitol was greatest in the epithelial region and least in the nucleus with an intermediate amount in the cortex. 4. 4. No biosynthesis of ascorbate from either D-[6-14C]glucuronate or D-[6-14C]-glucuronolactone could be demonstrated in incubated rabbit lens. However, there was conversion of the labeled carbon to CO2 and some accumulation of labeled L-gulonate. Aldose reductase, although it reduces glucuronate to L-gulonate, does not appear to be involved in ascorbate biosynthesis.
The Commission for Environmental Cooperation as a model for promoting sustainable development in the Americas

The North American Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) has been touted as a regional model for strengthening environmental cooperation and sustainable development related to free trade regimes. This study reviews CEC's development since 1994 in the context of its ambitious North American Free Trade Agreement related mandate. Drawing on its own documents, government records and scholarly assessments, the study traces the CEC's steady decline in response to limited support by its member governments. The CEC has nevertheless gained a valuable niche in North American environmental management, spotlighting problems, strengthening public participation and building capacity for environmental cooperation in critical areas of regional environmental importance. Thus we argue the CEC is at least a partial template for building environmental protection into free trade agreements in the hemisphere. Future agreements should be informed by the CEC's shortcomings as well as its successes if they wish to strengthen trade-related environmental protection in the Americas.