cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Optimization of Parameters for Quantitative Analysis of 123I-Ioflupane SPECT Images for Monitoring Progression of Parkinson Disease

Quantitative assessment of dopamine transporter imaging can aid in diagnosing Parkinson disease (PD) and assessing disease progression in the context of therapeutic trials. Previously, the software program SBRquant was applied to 123I-ioflupane SPECT images acquired on healthy controls and subjects with PD. Earlier work on optimization of the parameters for differentiating between controls and subjects with dopaminergic deficits is extended here for maximizing change measurements associated with disease progression on longitudinally acquired scans. Methods: Serial 123I-ioflupane SPECT imaging for 51 subjects with PD (conducted approximately 1 y apart) were downloaded from the Parkinson Progression Markers Initiative database. The software program SBRquant calculates the striatal binding ratio (SBR) separately for the left and right caudates and putamen regions of interest (ROIs). Parameters were varied to evaluate the number of summed transverse slices and the positioning of the striatal ROIs for determining the signal-to-noise ratio associated with their annual rate of change in SBR. The parameters yielding the largest change in the lowest putamen's SBR from scan 1 to scan 2 were determined. Results: From scan 1 to scan 2 in the 51 subjects, the largest annual change was observed when the putamen ROI was placed 3 pixels away from the caudate and by summing 5 central striatal slices. This resulted in an 11.2% ± 4.3% annual decrease in the lowest putamen SBR for the group. Conclusion: Quantitative assessment of dopamine transporter imaging for assessing progression of PD requires specific, optimal parameters different from those for diagnostic accuracy.
The use of ultrasound to measure muscle depth and area in postmortem Holstein dairy calves

Monitoring growth of neonatal dairy calves is a useful management tool to assist producers in achieving goals for reproduction and performance. The goal of this study was to examine ultrasound as an in vivo tool to quantify longissimus dorsi muscle (ribeye) linear depth and extensor carpi radialis (ECR) and semitendinosus (ST) muscle cross-sectional areas in postmortem preweaned Holstein calves. Postmortem preweaned calves (n = 137, age 13.1 d ± 15.5 SD, body weight 36.5 kg ± 7.2 SD) were obtained from two California calf ranches between April and July 2013. Two operators collected ultrasound images of the ribeye, ECR, and ST muscles using an Aloka 500V equipped with a 5-cm 7.5-MHz linear transducer. Ultrasound ribeye linear depth and ECR and ST cross-sectional areas were calculated using the Ultrasound Image Capture System. Ultrasound measurements were compared to dissected (carcass) measures. Carcass ribeye linear depth was estimated using a ruler. Dissected ECR and ST muscle cross-sectional areas were estimated by tracing muscle cross sections onto transparency paper and then photocopying, cutting out, and weighing individual paper muscle tracings. Weights of the tracings were then converted to areas using the known area of a standard 8.5 × 11 inch paper. Data were analyzed by regressing carcass estimates on observed ultrasound measurements. The coefficient of determination (R 2) indicated that ultrasound measurements were most closely associated with carcass measurements for the ST muscle (R 2 = 0.60, 0.62 for operator 1 and 2, respectively) when compared to the ribeye and ECR muscles (R 2 = 0.27, 0.41 for ribeye and 0.43, 0.32 for ECR for operator 1 and 2, respectively). The mean bias showed consistent underestimation by the ultrasound measurements when predicting carcass measurements for all three muscles and for both operators (ribeye bias = 0.15, 0.40; ECR bias = 0.95, 1.15; and ST bias = 0.73, 0.27 for operator 1 and 2, respectively). Operator contributed significantly in explaining a proportion of the variation in the regression equation for the ST muscle only, whereas calf body weight contributed significantly in explaining a proportion of the variation in the regression equation for all three muscles. The results of this study demonstrated that ultrasound measurements of the ST were the most accurate for quantifying the cross-sectional area when compared to both the ECR and ribeye in postmortem Holstein calves.
Post-Brown School Reforms for Black Children: Are They New Remedies to “The Remedy”?

This article critiques post-Brown educational reforms for Black children by examining what effects post-Brown educational reform efforts had on Black children. To frame the discussion, post-Brown i...
Preface to the 2019 Special Issue on Public Healthcare in the Developing World

This special edition of the Journal of Developing Societies offers a sampling from the best of recent scholarship on public healthcare issues from around the world. While there exist several good s...
Atherosclerotic plaque mechanical characterization coupled with vector Doppler imaging in atherosclerotic carotid arteries in-vivo

Methods used in clinical practice to diagnose and monitor atherosclerosis present limitations. Imaging the mechanical properties of the arterial wall has demonstrated the potential evaluate plaque vulnerability and assess the risk for stroke. Adaptive Pulse Wave Imaging (PWI) is a non-invasive ultrasound imaging technique, which automatically detects points of spatial mechanical inhomogeneity along the imaged artery and provides piecewise stiffness characterization. The aims of the present study are to: 1) demonstrate the initial feasibility of adaptive PWI to image the mechanical properties of an atherosclerotic plaque 2) demonstrate the feasibility to combine adaptive PWI with vector Doppler in a single imaging modality in order to simultaneously obtain information plaque mechanical properties and plaque hemodynamics. The common carotid arteries of 1 healthy subject and 2 carotid artery disease patients were scanned in vivo. One of the patients underwent carotid endarterectomy and a plaque sample was retrieved. In this patient, a higher compliance value of the stenotic segment was estimated by Adaptive PWI as compared with the adjacent arterial wall, and the healthy carotid artery. This was corroborated by histological staining of the plaque sample, which revealed the presence of a large necrotic core and a thrombus, characteristics associated with reduced stiffness. Moreover, the same sequence demonstrated the feasibility to obtain both stiffness maps and vector flow information, showing promise in atherosclerosis diagnosis and patient care.
Neurologic Manifestations of SARS-CoV-2, the Virus that Causes COVID-19

Coronaviruses have been associated with many outbreaks in the past and the recent pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 has spread around the globe due to its high transmission rate. SARS-CoV-2 has reported to be associated with respiratory and cardiac complications, but recent case series and case reports of COVID-19 patients suggest that it is also associated with neurological manifestations. The most commonly observed neurological manifestation are headache, anomia, ageusia, dizziness, delirium and the complications include Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS), acute encephalitis, acute myelitis, and cerebrovascular disorders. The pathways leading to neuronal damage are the retrograde neuronal and hematogenous pathway. This paper is aimed to explain the neurological manifestations associated with COVID-19 patients and the possible pathophysiological mechanisms of neuronal invasion.
Donor-recipient body size mismatch has no impact on outcomes after deceased donor whole liver transplantation: Role of donor liver size measurement

The role of donor-recipient body size mismatch (DRSM) on outcomes after whole liver transplantation (LT) is not clearly defined. At our center, in presence of considerable DRSM, objective assessment of the donor liver by a radiology or intraoperative evaluation by procuring surgeon was incorporated. To evaluate the impact of DRSM on graft outcomes with this approach, adult deceased donor whole liver transplants between July 2001 and December 2017 at our center were studied. DRSM was considered when the donor-recipient body surface area (BSA) ratio (DR-BSAr) was either 1.25. There were 54 (3.2%) transplants with DR-BSAr 1.25. One-year graft survival was 85% vs. 89% vs. 89%; (p = .64) for transplants with DR-BSArs of 1.25, respectively. Early allograft dysfunction (EAD) (28% vs. 27% vs. 37%; p = .07), post-transplant coagulopathy, bilirubinemia, and renal function were also comparable. In conclusion, with the actual measurement of the donor liver and recipient abdominal cavity, significant DRSM did not have a negative impact on early and long-term outcomes. Routine measurement of donor liver size by radiology may be incorporated in liver allocation to improve utilization.
Beach Chair Versus Lateral Decubitus Position: Differences in Suture Anchor Position and Number During Arthroscopic Anterior Shoulder Stabilization.

Background:Arthroscopic shoulder capsulolabral repair using glenoid-based suture anchor fixation provides consistently favorable outcomes for patients with anterior glenohumeral instability. To opt...
Foreign Investment and Right-to-Work Laws

In the competition between American states for economic development, about half of American states offer lower levels of labor rights in the form of “right-to-work” (RTW) laws. RTW states often tout their advantages in competing for foreign investment, but do foreign companies really want weaker labor regulation? Many foreign firms locate production in the United States not to lower labor costs but for other reasons, such as proximity to consumers or to employ highly skilled workers, implying that differences across labor regulations within rich countries may be declining in importance. In this article, we investigate the relationship between RTW laws and greenfield foreign direct investments. In particular, we explore recent RTW changes across two states, Indiana and Michigan, controlling for national trends in foreign investment. Adopting RTW increases foreign investment in manufacturing in both states, but Michigan's RTW law is associated with gains in service-sector projects even while Indiana's is not. While RTW may attract more manufacturing, it is not enough to generate broad-based gains across the economy.
Flow Cytometric Analysis of the Cytotoxic T-Cell Recall Response to Theileria parva in Cattle Following Vaccination by the Infection and Treatment Method.

The apicomplexan hemoparasite, Theileria parva, causes East Coast fever (ECF), a frequently fatal disease of African cattle. Vaccine development has been impeded by incomplete understanding of protective immunity following natural exposure or the infection and treatment method (ITM) of immunization. This is attributable to a paucity of methods to characterize the memory T-cell repertoire following infection. To overcome this impediment, assays developed to study the immune response to other intracellular pathogens were adapted for use in studies with T. parva to enable definition of the phenotype and function of effector T cells in T. parva-immune cattle, facilitating vaccine development. As reported herein, stimulation of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from ITM-immunized steers with irradiated, autologous, T. parva-infected cell lines elicited a proliferative recall response comprised of CD45R0+/CCR7− CD4+ and CD8+ T cells. Subsequent co-incubation of stimulated cultures with infected cells demonstrated the presence of cytotoxic T cells (CTLs) with the ability to kill infected cells. Comparison of CTL activity in cultures depleted of CD4+ or CD8+ T cells demonstrated CTL activity was primarily attributed to CD8+ T cells. Importantly, stimulation of PBMC from vaccinated steers always elicited proliferation of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells. This was the first important observation obtained from the use of the assay described herein.
Emerging therapies for AML with myelodysplasia-related changes: slowly but surely moving the needle.

Introduction: Patients with acute myeloid leukemia with myelodysplasia-related changes (AML-MRC) have historically poor outcomes with conventional chemotherapy regimens. Current treatment strategies focus on intensive induction therapy followed by allogeneic stem cell transplant or a less intensive approach with hypomethylating agents with or without venetoclax. CPX-351 is a liposomal formulation of cytarabine and daunorubicin that has been shown to significantly improve response rates and survival compared with 7 + 3 (continuous infusion cytarabine plus anthracyclines). Despite the approval of CPX-351 for AML-MRC, overall prognosis remains poor with an unmet need to develop novel therapeutic strategies for this patient population.Areas covered: This article reviews the data for existing therapeutic options for patients with AML-MRC and the emerging therapies undergoing clinical trial development for this patient population.Expert opinion: The development of CPX-351 as a more effective induction therapeutic backbone for patients with AML-MRC presents an opportunity to investigate novel combination regimens in order to further improve outcomes. Promising emerging therapeutic modalities include immunotherapeutic strategies, small-molecule inhibitors and targeted agents. Unfortunately, there have been few clinical trials focusing on patients with AML-MRC with reliance instead on subgroup analyses. Clinical trials focused specifically on this patient population are urgently needed.
The GGLEAM Study: Understanding Glaucoma in the Ohio Amish

Glaucoma leads to millions of cases of visual impairment and blindness around the world. Its susceptibility is shaped by both environmental and genetic risk factors. Although over 120 risk loci have been identified for glaucoma, a large portion of its heritability is still unexplained. Here we describe the foundation of the Genetics of GLaucoma Evaluation in the AMish (GGLEAM) study to investigate the genetic architecture of glaucoma in the Ohio Amish, which exhibits lower genetic and environmental heterogeneity compared to the general population. To date, we have enrolled 81 Amish individuals in our study from Holmes County, Ohio. As a part of our enrollment process, 62 GGLEAM study participants (42 glaucoma-affected and 20 unaffected individuals) received comprehensive eye examinations and glaucoma evaluations. Using the data from the Anabaptist Genealogy Database, we found that 80 of the GGLEAM study participants were related to one another through a large, multigenerational pedigree containing 1586 people. We plan to integrate the health and kinship data obtained for the GGLEAM study to interrogate glaucoma genetics and pathophysiology in this unique population.
Histone acetylation inhibitors promote axon growth in adult dorsal root ganglia neurons

Intrinsic mechanisms that guide damaged axons to regenerate following spinal cord injury remain poorly understood. Manipulation of posttranslational modifications of key proteins in mature neurons could reinvigorate growth machinery after injury. One such modification is acetylation, a reversible process controlled by two enzyme families, the histone deacetylases (HDACs) and the histone acetyl transferases (HATs), acting in opposition. Whereas acetylated histones in the nucleus are associated with upregulation of growth-promoting genes, deacetylated tubulin in the axoplasm is associated with more labile microtubules, conducive to axon growth. This study investigates the effects of HAT and HDAC inhibitors on cultured adult dorsal root ganglia (DRG) neurons and shows that inhibition of HATs by anacardic acid or CPTH2 improves axon outgrowth, whereas inhibition of HDACs by TSA or tubacin inhibits axon growth. Anacardic acid increased the number of axons able to cross an inhibitory chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan border. Histone acetylation but not tubulin acetylation level was affected by HAT inhibitors, whereas tubulin acetylation levels were increased in the presence of the HDAC inhibitor tubacin. Although the microtubule-stabilizing drug taxol did not have an effect on the lengths of DRG axons, nocodazole decreased axon lengths. Determining the mechanistic basis will require future studies, but this study shows that inhibitors of HAT can augment axon growth in adult DRG neurons, with the potential of aiding axon growth over inhibitory substrates produced by the glial scar.
Frame Spillover: Media Framing and Public Opinion of a Multifaceted LGBT Rights Agenda

Between May and July 2003, a shift in how the US public viewed the legality of consensual homosexual sex occurred. While in May the largest percentage of respondents to date supported decriminalizing such activity, that percentage dropped eleven points two months later. Similar declines in support were evident in the same period over a range of gay and lesbian rights claims. The ruling in Lawrence v. Texas (2003) decriminalizing homosexual sex is the obvious intervening event. To explain this pattern, coding of print and televised news coverage of the ruling throughout 2003 was undertaken. Coverage was not overtly negative in terms of antigay rhetoric or hostility toward the judiciary; rather, the dominant media frame focused on the implications of Lawrence for an entirely separate rights issue: marriage equality. This article examines the dynamic of frame “spillover,” or the idea that media focus on a distinct and not widely supported rights claim in a multifaceted rights agenda might depress support across the entire rights agenda. The findings call for further research, and they have implications for scholarship on public opinion, social movement framing, and ideational development and policy debate as studied within the broader field of American political development.
Management of a large atrial septal occluder embolized to the left ventricular outflow tract without the use of cardiac surgery

Transcatheter closure of secundum-type atrial septal defects (ASDs) using the AMPLATZER™ Septal Occluder (ASO) has been in use for more than a decade since its US Food and Drug Administration approval in 2001. Device embolization remains an uncommon complication, which can sometimes occur after the initial deployment. Previous reports of ASO devices embolized to the left ventricle have primarily been managed by open-heart surgical retrieval. We present a case of an ASO device embolized to the left ventricular outflow tract (LVOT) 18 hr after initial implantation, which was successfully retrieved percutaneously, followed by successful closure of the ASD using a larger device. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
How should dietary guidance be given for mineral elements with beneficial actions or suspected of being essential

The term ultratrace elements, often used to indicate elements with an established, estimated or suspected requirement generally indicated by μg/d, could be applied to at least 20 elements. The quality of experimental evidence for nutritional essentiality varies widely for the ultratrace elements. Thus, although differing dietary guidance is appropriate for these elements, most need increased attention in future editions of the Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDAs) for the following reasons : (1) Increased interest in these elements by the public has been stimulated by the mass media ; thus, responsible information about the usefulness of the ultratrace elements for health and well being is needed. (2) Risk assessments and toxicological standards are influenced by the RDAs. Authorative advice is required to prevent standards that obstruct the achievement of beneficial intakes of ultratrace elements. (3) An emerging new paradigm is that the determination of nutritional requirements should include consideration of the total health effects of nutrients, not just their roles in preventing deficiency pathology ; some of the ultratrace elements have identified health benefits. Six ultratrace elements, iodine, selenium, manganese, molybdenum, chromium and boron (and cobalt as vitamin B12), merit specific RDAs. The term estimated safe and adequate daily dietary intakes (ESADDI) should not be used for any of the other ultratrace elements because of the misleading words adequate and safe. Apparent beneficial intake (ABI) seems more appropriate for the elements with beneficial, if not essential, actions that can be extrapolated from animals to humans ; these elements include arsenic, fluoride, lithium, nickel, silicon and vanadium. The evidence is too limited or controversial for the remaining ultratrace elements to even provide an ambiguous ABI. The amount found in a healthful diet probably should be a value provided for an appropriate intake for aluminum, bromide, cadmium, germanium, lead, rubidium, and tin.
The application of a two-input cam-actuated mechanism to variable valve timing

Little of the long-recognized potential of variable valve timing (VVT) has yet been realized, mainly because of the many limitations that characterize virtually all the mechanisms that have been proposed for VVT application. These limitations include high cost and complexity, mechanism energy losses, limited range of variability, and high valve impact velocities. The authors have developed a two-degree-of-freedom mechanism, actuated by two cams operating in series, that appears well-suited for VVT applications. They examine this mechanism in depth in this paper. Experimental verification of the operation of this mechanism confirms the mechanical adequacy of the concept at practical engine speeds.
WaveCluster: A Multi-Resolution Clustering Approach for Very Large Spatial Databases

Many applications require the management of spatial data. Clustering large spatial databases is an important problem which tries to find the densely populated regions in the feature space to be used in data mining, knowledge discovery, or efficient information retrieval. A good clustering approach should be efficient and detect clusters of arbitrary shape. It must be insensitive to the outliers (noise) and the order of input data. We propose WaveCluster, a novel clustering approach based on wavelet transforms, which satisfies all the above requirements. Using multiresolution property of wavelet transforms, we can effectively identify arbitrary shape clusters at different degrees of accuracy. We also demonstrate that WaveCluster is highly efficient in terms of time complexity. Experimental results on very large data sets are presented which show the efficiency and effectiveness of the proposed approach compared to the other recent clustering methods. This research is supported by Xerox Corporation. Permission to copy without fee all or part of this material is granted provided that the copies are not made or distributed for direct commercial advantage, the VLDB copyright notice and the title of the publication and its date appear, and notice is given that copying is by permission of the Very Large Data Base Endowment. To copy otherwise, or to republish, requires a fee and/or special permission from the Endowment. Proceedings of the 24th VLDB Conference New York, USA, 1998
Learning from urban revolt

This paper brings into conversation two texts that were written 40 years apart—Society of the Spectacle in 1967 and The Coming Insurrection in 2007—and yet share great lines of continuity. Both texts are situated within their economic, cultural and political conjunctures in order to ground their theoretical contributions. The paper emphasizes the important influence that urban rebellions in Watts and the Parisian banlieues had upon both texts, and in so doing, highlights the over-looked debt these theoretical projects owe to marginalized and racialized populations in struggle. Henri Lefebvre's theory of autogestion is developed as a mediator between the two books, and as a way to engage their theories through the eyes of a more obviously spatial and Marxist thinker. The argument expands upon the spatial perspective central to both texts, while highlighting the urban implications of both their conjunctural analyses of capitalism and the territorial nature of the adequate forms of resistance that Debord and...
The limits of cultural nationalism: Italian Switzerland from a risorgimento perspective*

. This article critiques the ‘cultural turn’ in Italian Risorgimento historiography by examining Italian Switzerland, and specifically Ticino. This area paradoxically aided and abetted Italian patriots, especially Giuseppe Mazzini, yet rejected becoming part of the Italian national project. This paradox is heightened by the fact that the vast majority of the Italian nationalist literary canon, as identified by Alberto Maria Banti, was republished in Ticino. The paradox is explained in terms of the conflict between long-standing traditions of local autonomy and the idea of any form of uniform or centralised control, as originally represented by the Cisalpine Republic and then by both versions (Napoleonic and Piedmontese) of the Kingdom of Italy. However, I also use Banti's cultural concepts to demonstrate the creation of a powerful counter-myth of Italian Swiss nationalism in the character of William Tell.
Containerless processing technology

The virtual absence of hydrostatic pressure in a microgravity environment allows liquids to be confined solely by their surface tension and offers the possibility of melting and solidifying materials without physical contact. This “containerless processing” eliminates contaminants that may be introduced by the container or crucible and may be used to obtain ultrapure materials. This is especially important for systems that are highly corrosive in the melt. Elimination of container-induced nucleation also permits melts to be deeply undercooled before solidification. This offers the possibility of studying homogeneous nucleation and solidification in undercooled melts. Such solidification can be extremely rapid and may produce unique microstructures including metastable or amorphous phases in metals. The range of glass formation may be extended in borderline glass forming systems, which may result in new glasses with unusual properties. Since such glasses are formed from melts confined only by surface tension, they will have perfectly spherical pristine surfaces, undamaged by grinding or other shaping processes. It may also be possible to manipulate the melt to form aspherical shapes, or to draw optical fibers from a containerless melt.
Chronic Antidepressant Administration Increases the Expression of cAMP-Specific Phosphodiesterase 4A and 4B Isoforms

The influence of chronic antidepressant administration on expression of the three major phosphodiesterase (PDE) 4 subtypes found in brain (PDE4A, PDE4B, and PDE4D) was examined. The treatments tested included representatives of four major classes of antidepressants: selective reuptake inhibitors of serotonin (sertraline and fluoxetine) or norepinephrine (desipramine), a monoamine oxidase inhibitor (tranylcypromine), and electroconvulsive seizure. Expression of PDE4A and PDE4B, but not PDE4D, mRNA and immunoreactivity were significantly increased in rat frontal cortex by chronic administration of each of the four classes of antidepressants. We also found that antidepressant administration significantly increased the expression of PDE4B mRNA in the nucleus accumbens, a brain region thought to mediate pleasure and reward that could also contribute to the anhedonia often observed in depressed patients. In contrast, expression of PDE4A and PDE4B were not influenced by short-term treatment (1 or 7 d) and were not influenced by chronic administration of nonantidepressant psychotropic drugs (cocaine or haloperidol), demonstrating the time dependence and pharmacological specificity of these effects. Upregulation of PDE4A and PDE4B may represent a compensatory response to antidepressant treatment and activation of the cAMP system. The possibility that targeted inhibition of these PDE4 subtypes may produce an antidepressant effect is discussed.
Fiber-type susceptibility to eccentric contraction-induced damage of hindlimb-unloaded rat AL muscles

Slow oxidative (SO) fibers of the adductor longus (AL) were predominantly damaged during voluntary reloading of hindlimb unloaded (HU) rats and appeared explainable by preferential SO fiber recruitment. The present study assessed damage after eliminating the variable of voluntary recruitment by tetanically activating all fibers in situ through the motor nerve while applying eccentric (lengthening) or isometric contractions. Muscles were aldehyde fixed and resin embedded, and semithin sections were cut. Sarcomere lesions were quantified in toluidine blue-stained sections. Fibers were typed in serial sections immunostained with antifast myosin and antitotal myosin (which highlights slow fibers). Both isometric and eccentric paradigms caused fatigue. Lesions occurred only in eccentrically contracted control and HU muscles. Fatigue did not cause lesions. HU increased damage because lesioned- fiber percentages within fiber types and lesion sizes were greater than control. Fast oxidative glycolytic (FOG) fibers were predominantly damaged. In no case did damaged SO fibers predominate. Thus, when FOG, SO, and hybrid fibers are actively lengthened in chronically unloaded muscle, FOG fibers are intrinsically more susceptible to damage than SO fibers. Damaged hybrid-fiber proportions ranged between these extremes.
Radio emission from flare stars

Observations of radio emission from flare stars are reviewed, including surveys of flare stars in the solar neighborhood and in stellar associations, studies of quiescent emission, and continuum and spectral studies of radio burst emission. The radio observations are placed in an observational context provided by soft X-ray, UV, and optical observations. It is stressed that, as is the case for the latter wavelength regimes, observations of rado bursts on flare stars are qualitatively similar to those on the Sun, albeit in a dramatically scaled-up fashion.
Film growth of high transition temperature superconductors

Abstract The growth of high transition temperature superconductors in thin film form is reviewed. The major deposition techniques of evaporation, sputtering, laser ablation, and chemical vapor deposition are presented, along with the present state of the field. In addition, the issue of substrate choice will be discussed.
Characterization and deposition of various light-harvesting antenna complexes by electrospray atomization.

Photosynthetic organisms have light-harvesting complexes that absorb and transfer energy efficiently to reaction centers. Light-harvesting complexes (LHCs) have received increased attention in order to understand the natural photosynthetic process and also to utilize their unique properties in fabricating efficient artificial and bio-hybrid devices to capture solar energy. In this work, LHCs with different architectures, sizes, and absorption spectra, such as chlorosomes, Fenna–Matthews–Olson (FMO) protein, LH2 complex, and phycobilisome have been characterized by an electrospray-scanning mobility particle-sizer system (ES-SMPS). The size measured by ES-SMPS for FMO, chlorosomes, LH2, and phycobilisome were 6.4, 23.3, 9.5, and 33.4 nm, respectively. These size measurements were compared with values measured by dynamic light scattering and those reported in the literature. These complexes were deposited onto a transparent substrate by electrospray deposition. Absorption and fluorescence spectra of the deposited LHCs were measured. It was observed that the LHCs have light absorption and fluorescence spectra similar to that in solution, demonstrating the viability of the process.
The history of a “primary source”: The making of Tûghî's chronicle on the regicide of Osman II

A short chronicle by a former janissary called Tughi on the regicide of the Ottoman Sultan Osman II in 1622 had a definitive impact on seventeenthcentury Ottoman historiography in terms of the way in which this regicide was recounted. This study examines the formation of Tughi' s chronicle and shows how within the course of the year following the regicide, Tughi's initial attitude, which recognized the collective responsibility of the military caste (kul) in the murder of Osman, evolved into a claim of their innocence. The chronicle of Tughi is extant in successive editions of his own. A careful examination of these editions makes it possible to follow the evolution of Tughi's narrative on the regicide in response to the historical developments in its immediate aftermath and thus witness both the evolution of a "primary source" and the gradual political sophistication of a janissary.
Rapid Upregulation of Cytoprotective Nitric Oxide in Breast Tumor Cells Subjected to a Photodynamic Therapy‐like Oxidative Challenge

Many tumor cells produce nitric oxide (NO) as an antiapoptotic/progrowth molecule which also promotes antiogenesis and tumor expansion. This study was designed to examine possible antagonistic effects of endogenous NO on tumor eradication by photodynamic therapy (PDT). Using COH-BR1 breast cancer cells sensitized in mitochondria with 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA)-generated protoporphyrin IX as a model for ALA-based PDT, we found that caspase-9 activation and apoptotic death following irradiation were strongly enhanced by 1400W, an inhibitor of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS). RT-PCR and Western analyses revealed a substantial upregulation of both iNOS mRNA and protein, beginning ca 4 h after irradiation and persisting for at least 20 h. Accompanying this was a strong 1400W-inhibitable increase in intracellular NO, as detected with the NO probe, DAF-2-DA. Short hairpin RNA-based iNOS knockdown in COH-BR1 cells dramatically reduced NO production under photostress while enhancing caspase-9 activation and apoptosis. These findings suggest that cytoprotective iNOS/NO induction in PDT-treated tumor cells could reduce treatment efficacy, and point to pharmacologic intervention with iNOS inhibitors for counteracting this.
Membranes, Ions, and Signals: An Integrated, Multimedia, Biophysics Module for First-Year Medical Students

First-year medical students, unlike typical graduate students, include many non-science majors with varying prior exposure to mathematics or physical sciences. To provide a common substrate for medical education that acknowledged these disparate backgrounds, an introductory Molecules to Cells course was designed in 1996 by D.G., O.S.A., and colleagues. Now Molecules, Genes, and Cells (MGC), this spans protein structure, lipids, cellular genetics, metabolic biochemistry, cell division, and more.We now report design and implementation of a Membranes, Ions, and Signals (MIS) module for MGC, covering cellular biophysics, physiology, and pharmacology. Building on membrane lipid structure and function, MIS incorporates:• plasma membrane and compartments• properties of those compartments important to electrochemistry, signaling, and biophysics,• structure and function of membrane channels, transporters and receptors• electrophysiology of excitable tissue• signals and information: synaptic, cellular, cytoplasmic, and nuclear• signals in disease contexts• signals into actions: structure and function of skeletal and smooth muscleThis material is both essential and conceptually difficult, and MIS is designed to offer students an optimal sequence, schedule, and presentation forms and formats to aid understanding. As an integrated module, MIS relates these topics and makes them relevant to contemporary work and translational promise. Staffing is interdepartmental, via Physiology & Biophysics, Pharmacology, Biochemistry, and Cardiology. MD-PhD students take the course and module in their first year, then participate as journal club instructors. A signals-and-channels computer lab incorporates material from Richardson and Richardson (1992), Brandon and Tooze (1999), and R. Bookman (U.Miami) for in-class instruction utilizing 40 workstations for ∼100 students.Introduced in Fall, 2010, student evaluation of the material and integration was highly positive; currently (Fall 2011) textual and graphic material is being delivered to students via iPad.
Temperature measurement comparison for laser irradiation

Non-contact temperature measurement and imaging instruments are widely used in studies of laser interaction with tissue. For reliable results, independent verification of the instruments abilities and limitations is necessary. Two common types of heat measuring instruments are the LiTaO3 type II pyrometer and the microbolometer array thermal imager. This study found that when considering the Signal to Noise Ratio, the temporal resolution, and the spatial dependency of the temperature measured by the instrument the microbolometer was superior for measurements of incident beams of 5 mm diameter and all pulse frequencies investigated.
Suppression of renin secretion by propranolol in salt-depleted dogs.

Abstract d, 1-propranolol was infused into salt-depleted, conscious dogs at two dosages: 1 mg/kg followed by 0.60 − 0.67 mg/kg/hr, and 5 mg/kg followed by 1.57 − 1.76 mg/kg/hr. At both dosages, propranolol decreased plasma renin activity (PRA), plasma aldosterone concentration, and heart rate significantly. Renin substrate concentration remained unchanged. PRA was suppressed with the higher dosage but not with the lower dosage, to values found with dietary salt loading. Mean arterial blood pressure (MABP) remained unchanged with the low-dose infusions, but decreased significantly with the high-dose infusions. The data suggest that the mechanism(s) for the increase in PRA with low-salt diets is sensitive to propranolol and that the effect of propranolol on MABP is dependent on the salt intake and on the dose administered.
Title IV-E Student Perspectives Toward Transracial Adoption

The purpose of this study was to compare Title IV-E MSW and non-Title IV-E students' perspectives on transracial adoption and to investigate students' needs for knowledge about transracial adoption. While the majority of students supported the practice of transracial adoption, Title IV-E students appeared more positive about the abilities of parents to racially socialize a child of a different culture/race. Both groups of students appeared to be unaware of how transracial adoption may affect children's ethnic identities. Students also indicated they needed more information on transracial adoption. Implications for social work education and research are discussed.
Negative incremental bulk modulus in foams

Negative incremental stiffness is known to occur in structures such as post-buckled flexible tubes and single-cell models. A single foam cell under uniaxial loading buckles and exhibits a non-monotonic S-shaped deformation curve, which is indicative of negative incremental stiffness. Negative stiffness is not observed in bulk materials. For example, individual foam cells display negative stiffness but foams tested in uniaxial compression exhibit a plateau in the stress–strain curve because the buckled cells localize in bands. This behaviour is consistent with the continuum view in which strong ellipticity and, hence, a positive shear modulus G and positive C 11 modulus are required for stability, even for a constrained object. It is hypothesized that a solid with negative bulk modulus can be stabilized by control of the surface displacement. Experimentally, foams were hydrostatically compressed by controlled injections of small volumes of water into a plastic chamber, causing volumetric deformation. A neg...
Blockade of electron transport during ischemia preserves bcl-2 and inhibits opening of the mitochondrial permeability transition pore

Myocardial ischemia damages the electron transport chain and augments cardiomyocyte death during reperfusion. To understand the relationship between ischemic mitochondrial damage and mitochondrial-driven cell death, the isolated perfused heart underwent global stop-flow ischemia with and without mitochondrial protection by reversible blockade of electron transport. Ischemic damage to electron transport depleted bcl-2 content and favored mitochondrial permeability transition (MPT). Reversible blockade of electron transport preserved bcl-2 content and attenuated calcium-stimulated mitochondrial swelling. Thus, the damaged electron transport chain leads to bcl-2 depletion and MPT opening. Chemical inhibition of bcl-2 with HA14-1 also dramatically increased mitochondrial swelling, augmented by exogenous H2O2 stress, indicating that bcl-2 depleted mitochondria are poised to undergo MPT during the enhanced oxidative stress of reperfusion.
Temperature dependence of ion beam mixing in GaAs, AlAs, and GaAs/AlAs/GaAs

Ion beam mixing of AlAs markers in GaAs and GaAs markers in AlAs has been measured as a function of irradiation temperature with 1 MeV Kr ions. The mixing parameter in the GaAs matrix was ≊140 A5/eV at temperatures between 110 and 473 K, but dropped to ≊120 A5/eV at 573 K. The value was smaller in the AlAs matrix, ≊90 A5/eV between 110 and 473 K, but it increased to ≊120 A5/eV between 473 and 625 K. Ion beam mixing in a trilayer sample, GaAs/AlAs/GaAs, was also measured for comparison. At the deeper interface, AlAs on GaAs, and low temperature, the mixing parameter was 440 A5/eV, but only 250 A5/eV at the other interface, GaAs on AlAs. Mixing at the lower interface decreased at 573 K to 160 A5/eV while it decreased at 473 K at the other interface to 110 A5/eV. These results are interpreted on the basis of the influence of crystal structure on ion beam mixing.
The activation and inactivation of the acyl phosphatase activity of glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase.

Abstract When the dehydrogenase activity of muscle glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase is reversibly inactivated with o-iodosobenzoate or under certain conditions with iodine monochloride, the enzyme is converted to an acetyl phosphatase. Inactivation of the dehydrogenase activity with tetrathionate, iodoacetate, and iodoacetamide does not convert the enzyme to an acetyl phosphatase. When the dehydrogenase activity is reversibly inactivated with o-iodosobenzoate at 0 ° and then incubated at 37 °, the dehydrogenase activity is irreversibly inactivated and the acetyl phosphatase activity disappears at a comparable rate. When CN−, SO3=, S2O3=, thiourea, 6-propyl thiouracil, and phenyl arsene oxide are added to the enzyme at pH 5.9 after its oxidation with o-iodosobenzoate, the acetyl phosphatase activity is inactivated. Evidence which has been presented previously (14) suggests that the catalytically active sulfhydryl group of glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase is converted to a stabilized sulfenic acid residue during its reversible inactivation with o-iodosobenzoate. To reconcile the activation and inactivation of the acetyl phosphatase activity by the various reagents used in this study, it is suggested that the stabilized sulfenic acid derivative of the catalytically active sulfhydryl group of glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase participates directly in acetyl phosphatase hydrolysis. A mechanism which postulates a sulfenyl carboxylate intermediate has been proposed for the hydrolytic reaction.
Character of Brines from the Belle Isle and Weeks Island Salt Mines, Louisiana, U.S.A.

Abstract Kumar, M.B. and Martinez, J.D., 1981. Character of brines from the Belle Isle and Weeks Island salt mines, Louisiana, U.S.A. In: W. Back and R. Letolle (Guest-Editors), Symposium on Geochemistry of Groundwater — 26th International Geological Congress. J. Hydrol., 54: 107ndash;140. This paper is based on the chemical analyses of 110 samples of brines collected from the Belle Isle and Weeks Island salt mines of Louisiana, U.S.A. These brines are manifested by the active leaks, puddles of water and stalagmites—stalactites in the mines. Most of the waters are a sodium—calcium—chloride brine with minor concentrations of additional ionic species. The ionic compositions of these brines are compared with average seawater, seawater concentrated by evaporation and formation waters (oil-field brines). The ionic distributions of the mine brines resemble those of formation waters except that the mine brines are relatively high in potassium, strontium, boron and bromide. The higher concentrations of potassium and bromide in these brines relative to formation waters indicate a similarity to a residual brine and suggest some genetic relationship. However, the high concentration of Ca, exceeding the concentration of K and, in some instances, even that of Na in the mine brine is highly indicative of formation water. It is concluded that the mine brines may represent an admixture of (Ca-rich) formation water and (K—Br-rich) residual brine or a formation water of unusual character with high concentrations of Ca, K and bromide. Isotopic data strongly support the formation water hypothesis.
Policies and institutions for commercialization of subsistence farms in transition countries

Abstract The growing share of individual farms in the agricultural output of transition countries requires measures to encourage a higher level of commercial sales. Evidence from numerous farm surveys suggests that larger size is the most important factor to achieve greater commercialization, while at the same time ensuring higher family incomes. Farm enlargement requires functioning land markets, which implies elimination of all restrictions on transferability of land, moral and legal support for contract enforcement, as well as land registration and titling systems. To be successful, farms need functioning market services, both upstream and downstream, which can be effectively provided by service cooperatives. Farm finances should be improved by emphasizing profitability and savings and encouraging various product–credit interlinkage arrangements, rather than designing large programs for full-scale revamping or development of rural credit systems. Governments should resume their active role in provision of agricultural extension services, as extension and education—both public goods—are essential ingredients in the success of commercial agriculture in transition countries.
Neuronal BC RNAs cooperate with eIF4B to mediate activity-dependent translational control.

In neurons, translational regulation of gene expression has been implicated in the activity-dependent management of synapto-dendritic protein repertoires. However, the fundamentals of stimulus-modulated translational control in neurons remain poorly understood. Here we describe a mechanism in which regulatory brain cytoplasmic (BC) RNAs cooperate with eukaryotic initiation factor 4B (eIF4B) to control translation in a manner that is responsive to neuronal activity. eIF4B is required for the translation of mRNAs with structured 5′ untranslated regions (UTRs), exemplified here by neuronal protein kinase Mζ (PKMζ) mRNA. Upon neuronal stimulation, synapto-dendritic eIF4B is dephosphorylated at serine 406 in a rapid process that is mediated by protein phosphatase 2A. Such dephosphorylation causes a significant decrease in the binding affinity between eIF4B and BC RNA translational repressors, enabling the factor to engage the 40S small ribosomal subunit for translation initiation. BC RNA translational control, mediated via eIF4B phosphorylation status, couples neuronal activity to translational output, and thus provides a mechanistic basis for long-term plastic changes in nerve cells.