cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of a Heterogeneous Population of Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) Developed with Recurrent Mass Selection in an Ultradense Population

The pedigreed system is commonly used to develop improved genotypes of upland cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.); however, this system can be resource intensive compared to mass selection methods. A project was initiated in 1995 to develop improved germplasm using recurrent mass selection in an ultradense plant population configuration. A composite population (CP) resulting from six cycles of selection was compared to two high-performing cultivars at three plant population densities (203,858 plants ha -1 , 101,929 plants has -1 , and 33, 975 plants ha -1 ). Traits of interest included lint yield, plant morphology, and fiber quality. Genotype had a significant effect on lint yield and fiber qualities. Population densities affected plant morphology. Lint yield potential of the CP was not competitive against cultivars at any of the three population densities. Fiber traits generally were unaffected by plant density. The CP was earlier maturing and plant height remained more constant across population densities in comparison to the two check cultivars. This type of recurrent mass selection system may be more effective if initial breeding lines with a high percentage of fixed alleles make up the initial population. The existing CP population may still have value as a source of individual plants with enhanced stress tolerance.
Allergic contact dermatitis to fragrance: A review

Background: Allergy to fragrance is the most common cause of cosmetic contact dermatitis and therefore constitutes a significant clinical problem. The widespread use of fragranced materials in skin care and household products is probably the most important reason for the high incidence of fragrance sensitization. Objective: This report will summarize the history of fragrance, review how to detect and evaluate fragrance allergy, discuss the problems inherent in patch testing with the fragrance mix and its constituents, describe systemic contact dermatitis from ingestion of certain flavors, and give suggestions for fragrance-sensitive patients. Conclusion: The use of fragrance mix in patch testing has been invaluable in detecting fragrance allergy. Continued investigation into positive patch test responses to fragrance in scented products is essential in helping to identify new fragrance allergens. Additionally, more cooperation is necessary between industry and dermatologists in assisting patients to avoid proven allergens.
Chemotherapy of adenocarcinoma of the kidney

Despite the development of many new cancer chemotherapeutic programs, metastatic renal carcinomas have remained unresponsive either to single agents or combinations of agents. Extensive review of the literature and personal experience at Henry Ford Hospital have failed to find either a single agent or a combination of agents which produces consistent response rates. Single available agents which have been employed include; (a) A variety of alkylating agents—no response in 22 patients; (b) antimetabolites, including 5-fluorouracil, hydroxyurea, methotrexate, 6-mercaptopurine, and cytosine arabinoside—no significant response in 31 patients; (c) the antibiotics, including actinomycin D, mithramycin, adriamycin, and others—no response in 20 patients; (d) the periwinkle alkaloid antimitotic, Vincaleukoblastine—2 objective regressions in 15 patients. Newer investigative agents also have been unrewarding, with no objective remissions observed in 3 patients treated with dimethyl imidazole carboxamide, 3 patients treated with adriamycin, and 3 patients treated with 5-azacytidine. No responses were observed in 10 patients treated with the nitrosoureas. A review of the literature yields only occasional well-documented objective remissions with a variety of agents, primarily cyclophosphamide and hydroxyurea.
Interrater Reliability Estimators Commonly Used in Scoring Language Assessments: A Monte Carlo Investigation of Estimator Accuracy

Common estimators of interrater reliability include Pearson product-moment correlation coefficients, Spearman rank-order correlations, and the generalizability coefficient. The purpose of this study was to examine the accuracy of estimators of interrater reliability when varying the true reliability, number of scale categories, and number of essays rated. This research used Monte Carlo methods to draw samples from known population models to examine the accuracy of select estimators of interrater reliability between two raters. In addition to the estimates shown above, we included the polychoric correlation coefficient based on its alignment with the context in which student language assessments are rated. Although each estimator produced an estimate close to the population parameter, polychoric correlations provided the closest estimates with mean and median bias equal to 0.00 (SD = 0.05) across all conditions. The use of Pearson product-moment and Spearman rank-order correlation coefficients might result...
Intermittent exercise in response to cigarette cravings in the context of an Internet-based smoking cessation program

Background Interventions using sustained aerobic exercise programs to aid smoking cessation have resulted in modest, short-term cessation rates comparable to conventional cessation methods. No smoking cessation trial to date has prescribed intermittent bouts of exercise in response to nicotine cravings.
On the steady thermoelastic problems with elastic characteristics depending on temperature

We therefore conclude that the approximate solution B gives in a single operation, the “Grundlosung” and about 70% of the first correction term of the exact solution A.
Electrosorption of organics on three dimensional carbon fiber electrodes

Abstract Potential dependent adsorption of organic adsorbates was studied on flow through carbon fiber electrodes. Adsorbates included low molecular weight aromatic compounds, amino acids, a peptide, and a protein. Factors which were found to influence electrosorption included: pore distribution and surface functionalization of the adsorbent, as well as the solubility and ionization of the adsorbate. The impacts of electrochemical, thermal, and chemical oxidative pretreatments on the adsorption tendencies of carbon fibers were determined. Separations of binary mixtures were demonstrated based on size exclusion phenomena and on differences in the potential dependence of adsorption of various adsorbates.
Spatial Distribution of Interference Effects in ICP Emission Analysis

The spatial dependence of spectral and matrix interference effects known to affect ICP emission spectrometry has been studied. The emissions of atoms, ions, and molecules were resolved on both a vertical and radial basis. Interference and sample volatility effects were found to be limited to specific spatial regions. Molecular background emission was dominated by the entrainment of air and was limited primarily to the outer radial regions of the plasma. In contrast, the radial displacement of analyte molecular emission from more slowly atomized samples varied with height. In the case of the easily ionized element interference on Ca atomic/ionic emission, evidence was found indicating at least two different mechanisms of interaction. The ability to attain radial resolution was instrumental in assigning causes to interference effects.
Yeast mutants requiring ergosterol as only lipid supplement

Abstract Mutants of Saccharomyces cerevisiae were isolated which required ergosterol or cholesterol as the only lipid supplement. They also required methionine, were petite, and showed complete absence of respiratory cytochromes. Revertants of these strains grew without ergosterol and methionine, were grande, and had respiratory cytochromes. Most revertants did not make ergosterol and were nystatin resistant. Sterol analysis and enzyme assays suggested a block in sterol formation after lanosterol.
The distinctiveness heuristic in false recognition and false recall

The effects of generative processing on false recognition and recall were examined in four experiments using the Deese-Roediger-McDermott false memory paradigm (Deese, 1959; Roediger & McDermott, 1995). In each experiment, a Generate condition in which subjects generated studied words from audio anagrams was compared to a Control condition in which subjects simply listened to studied words presented normally. Rates of false recognition and false recall were lower for critical lures associated with generated lists, than for critical lures associated with control lists, but only in between-subjects designs. False recall and recognition did not differ when generate and control conditions were manipulated within-subjects. This pattern of results is consistent with the distinctiveness heuristic (Schacter, Israel, & Racine, 1999), a metamemorial decision-based strategy whereby global changes in decision criteria lead to reductions of false memories. This retrieval-based monitoring mechanism appears to operate in a similar fashion in reducing false recognition and false recall.
Interventions for caregivers of stroke survivors: An update of the evidence

Objective: The purpose of this systematic review was to summarize the latest evidence on the effectiveness of interventions for family caregivers of stroke survivors. Methods: Using multiple databases, the search strategy included randomized controlled trials, published in English, between 2002 and 2013. Two independent reviewers extracted information and evaluated study quality. Results: From an initial search of 120 studies, 18 were included. Most interventions were multi-faceted, including elements of information/education, support, and skill building. Skill building was defined as an intervention that equipped the caregiver with skills to provide care to the stroke survivor or skills to cope with the caregiving role. A variety of outcomes, most commonly psychological distress, caregiver burden, and quality of life, were measured with effectiveness of the intervention shown on at least one outcome in over 50\% of studies. About half of the studies explicitly provided a theory that guided the intervention and outcomes. Interventions that included elements of skill building were more likely to show a significant effect. The majority of studies had insufficient power to detect significant differences and there was an under-representation of minority caregivers, limiting the generalizability of the review. Conclusions: Interventions that deliver specific skills relative to performing the physical care needed by the stroke survivors and/or to manage the stroke survivor’s emotional responses to the stroke as well as the caregiver’s responses to the role seemed to be most effective in decreasing psychological distress and burden. Studies are beginning to examine technology as a mechanism for intervening with caregivers.
Strength and Movement of Flexible Plate Oriented Horizontal Shock Testing Platform

Horizontal shock testing table can be used to evaluate shock resistance ability of warship equipments. Based on this theory, the level of flexible plate oriented shock testing platform is raised. Using the finite element method, the output waveform of the testing platform and the stress distribution of the flexible plate are analyzed in this paper. It can be concluded that flexible plate can be used to store elastic potential energy during the impact and have a certain impact on test waveforms. Theoretical maximum displacement of the platform body is 94mm, the calculated value is 89.5mm, decrease by 4. 8%; theoretical maximum speed of the platform body is 4m/s, the calculated value is 3.93m/s, reducing to1.75%; theoretical, the value of positive wave peak acceleration of platform body is 571m/s2, the calculated value is 532 m/s2, decrease by 6.8%; theoretical platform body negative wave peak acceleration values is 175m/s2, the calculated value of 183 m/s2, an increase of 4.6%. The research shows that flexible plate as a guide device can meet the impact test table for error waveform requirements..
Positron-labeled dopamine agonists for probing the high affinity states of dopamine subtype 2 receptors.

It is well documented that guanidine nucleotide-coupled dopamine subtype 2 receptors (D 2 ) are configured in high and low affinity states for the dopamine agonist in vitro. However, it is still unclear whether these functional states exist in vivo. We hypothesized that positron-labeled D 2 agonist and Positron Emission Tomography can be used to probe these functional states noninvasively. Recently, we demonstrated in nonhuman primates that N-[ 1 1 C]propyl-norapomorphine (NPA), a full D 2 agonist, is a suitable tracer for imaging the high affinity states of D 2 receptors in vivo. We also developed kinetic modeling method to derive receptor parameters, such as binding potential (BP) and specific uptake ratios (V 3 "). When coupled with a dopamine releasing drug, amphetamine, NPA was found to be more sensitive than antagonist tracers, such as [ 1 1 C]raclopride (RAC), to endogenous dopamine concentration changes (by about 42%). This finding suggests that NPA is a superior tracer for reporting endogenous DA concentration. In addition, the difference of the BP or V 3 " of NPA and RAC under control and amphetamine challenge conditions could be used to estimate the functional states of D 2 receptors in vivo. On the basis of our findings and the assumptions that NPA binds only to the high affinity states and RAC binds equally to both affinity states, we proposed that about 70% of the D 2 receptors are configured in the high affinity states in vivo.
Vitamin D and p53—differentiating their relationship in AML.

Commentary to:Tumor suppressor p53 status does not determine the differentiation-associated G1 cell cycle arrest induced in leukemia cells by 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 and antioxidantsThelma Thompson, Michael Danilenko, Lyubomir Vassilev and George P. Studzinski
Estrogen Induced Metastatic Modulators MMP-2 and MMP-9 Are Targets of 3,3′-Diindolylmethane in Thyroid Cancer

Background Thyroid cancer is the most common endocrine related cancer with increasing incidences during the past five years. Current treatments for thyroid cancer, such as surgery or radioactive iodine therapy, often require patients to be on lifelong thyroid hormone replacement therapy and given the significant recurrence rates of thyroid cancer, new preventive modalities are needed. The present study investigates the property of a natural dietary compound found in cruciferous vegetables, 3,3′-diindolylmethane (DIM), to target the metastatic phenotype of thyroid cancer cells through a functional estrogen receptor. Methodology/Principal Findings Thyroid cancer cell lines were treated with estrogen and/or DIM and subjected to in vitro adhesion, migration and invasion assays to investigate the anti-metastatic and anti-estrogenic effects of DIM. We observed that DIM inhibits estrogen mediated increase in thyroid cell migration, adhesion and invasion, which is also supported by ER-α downregulation (siRNA) studies. Western blot and zymography analyses provided direct evidence for this DIM mediated inhibition of E2 enhanced metastasis associated events by virtue of targeting essential proteolytic enzymes, namely MMP-2 and MMP-9. Conclusion/Significance Our data reports for the first time that DIM displays anti-estrogenic like activity by inhibiting estradiol enhanced thyroid cancer cell proliferation and in vitro metastasis associated events, namely adhesion, migration and invasion. Most significantly, MMP-2 and MMP-9, which are known to promote and enhance metastasis, were determined to be targets of DIM. This anti-estrogen like property of DIM may lead to the development of a novel preventive and/or therapeutic dietary supplement for thyroid cancer patients by targeting progression of the disease.
Structural variants in attempted heteroepitaxial growth of B12As2 on 6H-SiC (0001)

Boron sub-arsenide, B{sub 12}As{sub 2}, is based on twelve-atom clusters of boron atoms and two-atom As-As chains. By contrast, SiC is a tetrahedrally bonded covalent semiconductor. Despite these fundamental differences, the basal plane hexagonal lattice constant of boron sub-arsenide is twice that of SiC. This coincidence suggests the possibility of heteroepitaxial growth of boron sub-arsenide films on properly aligned SiC. However, there are a variety of incommensurate alignments by which heteroepitaxial growth of B{sub 12}As{sub 2} on (0001) 6H-SiC can occur. In this study, we first used geometrical crystallographic considerations to describe the possible arrangements of B{sub 12}As{sub 2} on (0001) 6H-SiC. We identified four translational and two rotational variants. We then analyzed electron backscattered diffraction and transmission electron microscopy images for evidence of distinct domains of such structural variants. Micron-scale regions with each of the two possible rotational alignments of B{sub 12}As{sub 2} icosahedra with the SiC surface were seen. On a finer length scale (100-300 nm) within these regions, boron-rich boundaries were found, consistent with those between pairs of the four equivalent translational variants associated with a two-to-one lattice match. Boron-carbide reaction layers were also observed at interfaces between SiC and B{sub 12}As{sub 2}.
Cell-Cycle Control by Physiological Matrix Elasticity and In Vivo Tissue Stiffening

Summary Background A number of adhesion-mediated signaling pathways and cell-cycle events have been identified that regulate cell proliferation, yet studies to date have been unable to determine which of these pathways control mitogenesis in response to physiologically relevant changes in tissue elasticity. In this report, we use hydrogel-based substrata matched to biological tissue stiffness to investigate the effects of matrix elasticity on the cell cycle. Results We find that physiological tissue stiffness acts as a cell-cycle inhibitor in mammary epithelial cells and vascular smooth muscle cells; subcellular analysis in these cells, mouse embryonic fibroblasts, and osteoblasts shows that cell-cycle control by matrix stiffness is widely conserved. Remarkably, most mitogenic events previously documented as extracellular matrix (ECM)/integrin-dependent proceed normally when matrix stiffness is altered in the range that controls mitogenesis. These include ERK activity, immediate-early gene expression, and cdk inhibitor expression. In contrast, FAK-dependent Rac activation, Rac-dependent cyclin D1 gene induction, and cyclin D1-dependent Rb phosphorylation are strongly inhibited at physiological tissue stiffness and rescued when the matrix is stiffened in vitro. Importantly, the combined use of atomic force microscopy and fluorescence imaging in mice shows that comparable increases in tissue stiffness occur at sites of cell proliferation in vivo. Conclusions Matrix remodeling associated with pathogenesis is in itself a positive regulator of the cell cycle through a highly selective effect on integrin-dependent signaling to FAK, Rac, and cyclin D1.
New methods for maintaining human renal epithelial cells and analyzing their ion transport functions: Potential analysis of genetic disease

Abstract Objectives. New methods are available to immortalize parenchymal cells from exocrine glands and kidney with retention of differentiation. Adaptation of this technology to small, single‐donor biopsy material or surgical specimens could provide genetically homogeneous cells for functional analyses and correlation with genetic background and underlying biochemistry. To develop a methodology useful for renal sodium metabolism, epithelial cell line generation was tested in a hypertensive rat model with features similar to salt‐sensitive hypertension in humans. This form of hypertension has a large genetic component and is prevalent in African Americans. Design. Protocols were designed to immortalize primary cultures of microdissected proximal tubule epithelial cells from spontaneously hypertensive (SHR) and control, normotensive Wistar‐Kyoto (WKY) rats. Immortalization was based on a replication‐defective retrovirus coding for SV40 large T‐antigen as positive cell cycle regulator. Transport competent ...
Estimating Wetland Losses and Gains in Coastal North Carolina: 1994–2001

Wetland resources have continued to decline in coastal regions of the United States despite passage of the 1972 Clean Water Act, creation of federal and state wetland permitting programs, and declaration of the goal of “no net loss” of wetland resources. Wetland loss rates were assessed across 20 counties in coastal North Carolina from 1994 to 2001 using 1994 wetland inventory data from the North Carolina Division of Coastal Management (NCDCM) and the 2001 National Land Cover Dataset. Accuracy assessment results were used to generate adjusted estimates of wetland loss, and the results were compared to restoration data from the NCDCM. Total wetland loss from 1994 to 2001 was 25,303 ha, or 1.95% of the 1994 wetland area. Of the total, 17,858 ha converted to upland and 7,445 ha converted to open water. These results are somewhat higher than published loss rates for Atlantic coastal watersheds and for the United States as a whole. By contrast, agency records suggest that a maximum of 4,591 ha of wetland restoration and 68 ha of wetland creation were begun in the 20 North Carolina coastal counties from 1994 to 2001.
Erosive arthritis associated with apatite crystal deposition

Apatite crystals can be associated with erosive arthritis. This report describes 3 such patients, 2 of whom had idiopathic apatite crystal deposition and 1 who had apatite related to renal failure and chronic dialysis. Diagnosis was delayed for several years in 1 patient. Roentgenograms showed calcifications in all patients. Synovial fluid had non-birefringent chunks and globules suggestive of apatite. Diagnosis was established by electron microscopy in all 3 patients and verified by x-ray diffraction in 2.
Stress relaxation of anhydrous gelatin rubbers

Anhydrous gelatin–glycerol compositions exhibit rubbery behavior in the temperature region −40 to +40°C. and in the gelatin weight fraction range 0.1–0.4. These rubbers are capable of sustaining considerable stress over several decades of time at room temperature or below but flow rapidly in the region 45–60°C. Stress relaxation moduli at 25°C. appear to be insensitive to the substitution of glycerol with water but shear viscosity data indicate that gelatin–glycerol rubbers flow at temperatures about 15°C. higher than their aqueous counterparts.
Expression of Polarity Genes in Human Cancer

Polarity protein complexes are crucial for epithelial apical–basal polarity and directed cell migration. Since alterations of these processes are common in cancer, polarity proteins have been proposed to function as tumor suppressors or oncogenic promoters. Here, we review the current understanding of polarity protein functions in epithelial homeostasis, as well as tumor formation and progression. As most previous studies focused on the function of single polarity proteins in simplified model systems, we used a genomics approach to systematically examine and identify the expression profiles of polarity genes in human cancer. The expression profiles of polarity genes were distinct in different human tissues and classified cancer types. Additionally, polarity expression profiles correlated with disease progression and aggressiveness, as well as with identified cancer types, where specific polarity genes were commonly altered. In the case of Scribble, gene expression analysis indicated its common amplification and upregulation in human cancer, suggesting a tumor promoting function.
Protein sequence alignment with family-specific amino acid similarity matrices

Alignment of amino acid sequences by means of dynamic programming is a cornerstone sequence comparison method. The quality of alignments produced by dynamic programming critically depends on the choice of the alignment scoring function. Therefore, for a specific alignment problem one needs a way of selecting the best performing scoring function. This work is focused on the issue of finding optimized protein family- and fold-specific scoring functions for global similarity matrix-based sequence alignment. I utilize a comprehensive set of reference alignments obtained from structural superposition of homologous and analogous proteins to design a quantitative statistical framework for evaluating the performance of alignment scoring functions in global pairwise sequence alignment. This framework is applied to study how existing general-purpose amino acid similarity matrices perform on individual protein families and structural folds, and to compare them to family-specific and fold-specific matrices derived in this work. I describe an adaptive alignment procedure that automatically selects an appropriate similarity matrix and optimized gap penalties based on the properties of the sequences being aligned. The results of this work indicate that using family-specific similarity matrices significantly improves the quality of the alignment of homologous sequences over the traditional sequence alignment based on a single general-purpose similarity matrix. However, using fold-specific similarity matrices can only marginally improve sequence alignment of proteins that share the same structural fold but do not share a common evolutionary origin. The family-specific matrices derived in this work and the optimized gap penalties are available at http://taurus.crc.albany.edu/fsm .
Calculation of harmonic and cubic Einstein force constants in diamond-like crystals

A theoretical discussion of isotropic and anisotropic single-particle potentials is presented. A model is developed for calculating the constants for diamond-structure carbon, silicon, germanium, and tin. Errors in the isotropic constants are +1%, -34%, -19%, and +35%. For the anisotropic constants errors are +7% and +22% for silicon and germanium. The temperature dependence of the potential constants is discussed through a charge-density theory for stretching force constants in molecules and solids.
A Study of Five Tests of “Spatial” Ability

(1942). A Study of Five Tests of “Spatial” Ability. The Journal of Psychology: Vol. 13, No. 2, pp. 265-271.
Ofatumumab: a novel, fully human anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody for the treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukemia

Ofatumumab is a fully human, IgG anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody codeveloped by GlaxoSmithKline (Brentford, UK) and Genmab (Copenhagen, Denmark). In preclinical studies, ofatumumab exhibited more potent in vitro activity than rituximab against B-cell malignancies and prolonged survival in in vivo animal models compared with rituximab. Ofatumumab is clinically well tolerated with initial infusion reactions being the predominant associated toxicity. Ofatumumab has demonstrated efficacy in relapsed/refractory chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and has received regulatory approval in both Europe and the USA for treatment of fludarabine and alemtuzumab refractory disease. Single-agent ofatumumab has resulted in overall response rates of 42-51% in relapsed/refractory CLL and up to 80% when combined with chemotherapy. In de novo CLL, overall response rates of 77-78% have been achieved.
The isolation of an abscisic-acid metabolite, 4'-dihydrophaseic acid, from non-imbibed Phaseolus vulgaris seed.

Naturally occurring 4′-dihydrophaseic acid (DPA) has been isolated from mature, non-imbibed bean seed. The concentrations of abscisic acid (ABA), phaseic acid (PA) and DPA in the seed were estimated to be 0.06, 0.11 and 5.95 mg/kg dry wt., respectively. The results suggest that DPA is a major inactivation product of ABA in this tissue. The possible pathway from ABA to DPA is discussed.
A Carboxylate Oxygen of the Substrate Bridges the Magnesium Ions at the Active Site of Enolase: Structure of the Yeast Enzyme Complexed with the Equilibrium Mixture of 2-Phosphoglycerate and Phosphoenolpyruvate at 1.8 Å Resolution†,‡

The equilibrium mixture of yeast enolase with substrate, 2-phospho-d-glycerate (2-PGA), and product, phosphoenolpyruvate (P-enolpyruvate), has been crystallized from solutions of poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) at pH 8.0. Crystals belong to the space group C2 and have unit cell dimensions a = 121.9 A, b = 73.2 A, c = 93.9 A, and β = 93.3°. The crystals have one dimer per asymmetric unit. Crystals of the equilibrium mixture and of the enolase complex of phosphonoacetohydroxamate (PhAH) are isomorphous, and the structure of the former complex was solved from the coordinates of enolase−(Mg2+)2−PhAH [Wedekind, J. E., Poyner, R. R., Reed, G. H., & Rayment, I. (1994) Biochemistry 33, 9333−9342]. The current crystallographic R-factor is 17.7% for all recorded data (92% complete) to 1.8 A resolution. The electron density map is unambiguous with respect to the positions and liganding of both magnesium ions and with respect to the stereochemistry of substrate/product binding. Both magnesium ions are complexed to functi...
Implications of chemical-based effluent regulations in assessing DNA damage in fathead minnows (Pimephales promelas) when exposed to metal plating wastewater.

The application of chemical-based regulation on effluents has limitations because of their diverse chemical components, complicated interactions between contaminants, and the lack of information on the bioavailability of constituents (U.S.EPA 1991). In Korea, like in most developing countries, environmental regulations for the protection of the aquatic biota from discharges are based only on this chemical-based approach. The Permissible Wastewater Discharge Standards (PWDS) are the current legislation in Korea. The discharge limits are set for several heavy metals (e.g. Cr, Fe, Zn, Cu, Cd, Hg, As, Pb, etc.), a few organics (phenol, PCB, trichloroethylene, tetrachloroethylene, etc.) and some physicochemical parameters (pH, temperature, etc.). Among these pollutants, the trace metals are important because they might adversely affect the indigenous aquatic biota even at low levels. Genetic toxicity of trace metal has been a major concern (Barron and Adelman 1984; Ciccarelli and Wetterhahn 1985; Parrott and Sprague 1993; Beyersmann and Hartwig 1994; Hartwig et al. 1994). Metals readily bind to phosphate groups and to heterocyclic bases of the DNA and, hence not only change the stability, but also hinder the normal functioning of the DNA (Eichhom et al. 1970). The resulting consequences of metal-induced DNA damage include mutagenesis, carcinogenesis, and/or teratogenesis (Jones and Parry 1992).
TWO STEPS FORWARD

In this essay, I contend that one can understand neither the development of mass action among contemporary immigrants, nor the sporadic nature of that action, without attending to the historic role of parties and community-based organizations in shaping immigrants' political mobilization. I draw connections between the mass immigrant-rights demonstrations that took place during the spring of 2006 and what we know about how immigrants' political participation in the United States is structured by (1) the declining influence of political parties, and (2) the critical function of community-based organizations. These organizations were the focus of my recent book, Democracy's Promise: Immigrants and American Civic Institutions ( 2006 ). Why haven't activists been able to sustain the momentum that brought hundreds of thousands of immigrants and their supporters out into the streets during the spring of 2006? Although they, along with the Spanish-language media, played a critical role in organizing mass demonstrations against punitive immigration legislation in early 2006, labor organizations, workers' centers, advocacy and social service organizations, ethnic voluntary associations, and religious institutions face severe constraints in terms of engaging in sustained, consistent political mobilization and, therefore, mainly achieve limited mobilization. However, voter registration data from the National Association of Latino Elected Officials suggest that the demonstrations may have spurred interest in more traditional types of political participation among immigrants and their supporters. Thus, while it is true that, for the most part, political participation does not take place overnight, there may be ways for U.S. civic institutions to speed up that process through direct mobilization and the provision of information that helps immigrants to feel more comfortable and confident taking part in the political system. Trusted community-based institutions represent a vital potential force in promoting political inclusion for immigrant newcomers who contribute to so many other aspects of American life.
The Use of a Brief Five-Item Measure of Family Satisfaction as a Critical Quality Indicator in Advanced Cancer Care (FR467-B)

rarely practiced despite an emphasis on the importance of family input and support for caregivers in advanced care for those with cancer and other serious illnesses. Measurement burden may be one barrier to widespread use of family satisfaction measures. Research Objectives: To use a brief measure of family satisfaction to assess differences across sites. Methods: We used data from the Palliative Care for Cancer Patients (PC4C) study, a multisite observational study of the effect of inpatient palliative care on patient health outcomes and health service use among patients with advanced cancer. Using Item Response Theory (IRT), we developed a shortened five-item version on the FAMCARE scale to measure family satisfaction with care. We used multivariate regression analysis to detect significant differences across five treatment sites controlling for patient demographics, cancer type, family relationship to patient, and use of inpatient palliative care Results: Family satisfaction data were available on 1,979 patients. The most common cancer type was gastrointestinal (28%) followed by lung (13%). Mean FAMCARE-5 score across sites ranged from 5.54-6.89 out of a possible score of 10 (highest level of satisfaction). Family members of patients at site five (n=783) were significantly (p<.01) less satisfied with their care than family members at other care sites. Conclusions: Variability in family satisfaction with advanced cancer care across sites can be detected using a brief five-item
Time-Dependent Diffusion in the Alveolar Region of the Lungs: Effect of Moving Red Blood Cells

Results from a preliminary numerical simulation of alveolar gas diffusion with moving capillary red blood cells (RBCs) are presented. The alveolar region is modeled with four basic constituents, namely the alveolus (or gas region), the tissue (a region lumping the alveolar and capillary membranes, and the interstitial fluid), the blood plasma (a liquid region) and the RBCs. A single, straight capillary with equally spaced RBCs moving together with the blood plasma is considered in this preliminary study. The numerical simulation attempts also to mimic the time-varying gas concentration in the alveolus region due to respiration. Realistic physical parameters (e.g., dimensions, diffusivities and RBCs speed) are used for simulating CO diffusion, in accordance to clinical tests for determining the lung diffusing capacity. Results are compared to published results obtained when the RBCs are fix in place (stationary). The RBCs moving effect, relevant at high hematocrit, is to increase the resulting lung diffusing capacity.Copyright © 2002 by ASME
A Methodology for Emergency Ambulance Deployment

An important feature of emergency ambulance systems is that the probability of any given unit being busy is dependent upon which of the other units are busy. An analytical model incorporating this feature is developed and found to be reliable in predicting the entire response time distribution for an actual operating system. A computer version of the model coupled with a pattern search routine constitutes the ambulance deployment methodology referred to as CALL Computerized Ambulance Location Logic. This methodology may be used to find the deployment of ambulances that minimizes mean response time, as illustrated by an application for the City of Los Angeles. CALL was used to select from a possible set of 34 firehouses 14 for the location of emergency ambulances. Although the objective was the minimization of mean response time, the final deployment substantially reduced the probability of excessive response times as well. Another ancillary benefit from the use of CALL was a substantial smoothing of workload among the 14 ambulance crews.
Serving queries to multi-resolution datasets on disk-based storage clusters

This paper is concerned with efficient querying of very large multi-resolution datasets on storage and compute clusters. We present a suite of services that support storage, indexing, and data processing (data sampling and data aggregation) on datasets that consist of a collection of multi-resolution Grids. We empirically evaluate the performance impact of different data declustering, indexing, and query processing strategies. The experimental evaluation is carried out using a data server implemented to serve multi-terabyte multi-resolution volumetric datasets to remote visualization clients and a one-terabyte multi-resolution volumetric dataset on a PC cluster with distributed disk space.
RCS: a rate control scheme for real-time traffic in networks with high bandwidth-delay products and high bit error rates

Currently there is no control for real-time traffic sources in IP networks. This is a serious problem because real-time traffic can not only congest the network but can also cause unfairness and starvation of TCP traffic. A new rate control scheme, RCS, is introduced for real-time traffic in networks with high bandwidth-delay products and high bit error rates. RCS is based on the concept of using dummy packets to probe the availability of network resources. Dummy packets are treated as low priority packets and consequently they do not affect the throughput of actual data traffic. Therefore, RCS requires all the routers in the connection path to support some priority policy. Simulation experiments show that in environments with high bandwidth-delay products and high bit error rates, RCS achieves good throughput performance without penalizing TCP connections.
Generation of Hydroxyl Radicals from Dissolved Transition Metals in Surrogate Lung Fluid Solutions

Abstract Epidemiological research has linked exposure to atmospheric particulate matter (PM) to several adverse health effects, including cardiovascular and pulmonary morbidity and mortality. Despite these links, the mechanisms by which PM causes adverse health effects are poorly understood. The generation of hydroxyl radical ( OH) and other reactive oxygen species (ROS) through transition-metal-mediated pathways is one of the main hypotheses for PM toxicity. In order to better understand the ability of particulate transition metals to produce ROS, we have quantified the amounts of OH produced from dissolved iron and copper in a cell-free, surrogate lung fluid (SLF). We also examined how two important biological molecules, citrate and ascorbate, affect the generation of OH by these metals. We have found that Fe(II) and Fe(III) produce little OH in the absence of ascorbate and citrate, but that they efficiently make OH in the presence of ascorbate and this is further enhanced when citrate is also added. In the presence of ascorbate, with or without citrate, the oxidation state of iron makes little difference on the amount of OH formed after 24 h. In the case of Cu(II), the production of OH is greatly enhanced in the presence of ascorbate, but is inhibited by the addition of citrate. The mechanism for this effect is unclear, but appears to involve formation of a citrate–copper complex that is apparently less reactive than free, aquated copper in either the generation of hydrogen peroxide (HOOH) or in the Fenton-like reaction of copper with HOOH to make OH. By quantifying the amount of OH that Fe and Cu can produce in surrogate lung fluid, we have provided a first step into being able to predict the amounts of OH that can be produced in the human lung from exposure to PM containing known amounts of transition metals.
Fast disinfecting antimicrobial surfaces.

Silicon wafers and glass surfaces were functionalized with facially amphiphilic antimicrobial copolymers using the “grafting from” technique. Surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization ...
Myriaporone 3/4 structure–activity relationship studies define a pharmacophore targeting eukaryotic protein synthesis

Myriaporones are naturally occurring compounds which structurally resemble the southern hemisphere of the tedanolide family of macrolide antitumor agents. Despite the fact that myriaporone 3/4 represents only a portion of tedanolide, it nonetheless retains much of its biological activity. We show here that like tedanolide, myriaporone 3/4 inhibits protein synthesis and proliferation of mammalian cells with low nanomolar potencies but displays no prokaryotic growth inhibitory effect. Moreover, myriaporone 3/4 displays a very rapid, reversible and p21-independent activity to block S phase progression in mammalian cells. Structure-activity relationship studies revealed that the C18-C19 epoxide and the C14 hydroxymethyl group (tedanolide numbering) of myriaporone 3/4 are required for cell cycle inhibition. These constitute previously unidentified and/or novel pharmacophores for myriaporone 3/4. Our results show that the important biological activities associated with the structurally complex tedanolides are present and can be harnessed in the chemically much simpler myriaporones. This greatly increases the value of the latter as investigative tools for biochemical research as well as for development of potential therapeutics.
Teaching social awareness through the senior capstone design experience

The senior capstone design project has become a fixture in most undergraduate programs in engineering, and its importance to the technical maturity of engineering students has been firmly established. In the Department Of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Boston University, student teams serve real-life customers for whom they must design and build working prototypes. Customers include social-service providers, nonprofit organizations, and public school teachers whose projects encompass adaptive technology for persons with disabilities, classroom aids for teachers, medical devices, promotional aids, and technology-supported art. This paper describes faculty experiences with these "social action" projects and student perceptions of the significance of their work to society. The nontechnical lessons extend beyond the usual ethics, safety, and economics to include expanded social awareness outside the engineering classroom, correct modes of speech and dress for nontechnical audiences, proper etiquette in nonengineering situations, and appropriate behavior toward individuals labeled as challenged or disabled. We discuss the role that these lessons play in shaping our students' professional futures and cite their enthusiasm (or lack thereof) for the nonengineering side of the design process.
Scalability of Incompressible Flow Computations on Multi-GPU Clusters Using Dual-Level and Tri-Level Parallelism

High performance computing using graphics processing units (GPUs) is gaining popularity in the scientific computing field, with many large compute clusters being augmented with multiple GPUs in each node. We investigate hybrid tri-level (MPI-OpenMP-CUDA) parallel implementations to explore the efficiency and scalability of incompressible flow computations on GPU clusters up to 128 GPUS. This work details some of the unique issues faced when merging fine-grain parallelism on the GPU using CUDA with coarse-grain parallelism using OpenMP for intra-node and MPI for inter-node communication. Comparisons between the tri-level MPI-OpenMP-CUDA and dual-level MPI-CUDA implementations are shown using computationally large computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations. Our results demonstrate that a tri-level parallel implementation does not provide a significant advantage in performance over the dual-level implementation, however further research is needed to justify our conclusion for a cluster with a high GPU per node density or when using software that can utilize OpenMP’s fine-grain parallelism more effectively.
A microfluidic electrochemical device for high sensitivity biosensing: Detection of nanomolar hydrogen peroxide

We report herein a simple device for rapid biosensing consisting of a single microfluidic channel made from poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) coupled to an injector, and incorporating a biocatalytic sensing electrode, reference and counter electrodes. The sensing electrode was a gold wire coated with 5 nm glutathione-decorated gold nanoparticles (AuNPs). Sensitive detection of H(2)O(2) based on direct bioelectrocatalysis by horseradish peroxidase (HRP) was used for evaluation. HRP was covalently linked the glutathione-AuNPs. This electrode presented quasi-reversible cyclic voltammetry peaks at -0.01 V vs Ag/AgCl at pH 6.5 for the HRP heme Fe(III)/Fe(II) couple. Direct electrochemical activity of HRP was used to detect H(2)O(2) at high sensitivity with a detection limit of 5 nM in an unmediated system.
Functional and Physical Interactions of the Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1 UL20 Membrane Protein with Glycoprotein K

Herpes simplex virus type 1 glycoprotein K (gK) and the UL20 protein (UL20p) are coordinately transported to the trans-Golgi network (TGN) and cell surfaces and are required for cytoplasmic virion envelopment at the TGN. In addition, cell surface expression of gK and UL20p is required for virus-induced cell fusion. Previously, confocal microscopy colocalization and intracellular transport experiments strongly suggested direct protein-protein interactions between gK and UL20p. Direct protein-protein interactions between gK and UL20p were demonstrated through reciprocal coimmunoprecipitation experiments, as well as with glutathione S-transferase (GST) pull-down experiments. A fusion protein consisting of the amino-terminal 66 amino acids of UL20p fused in-frame with GST was expressed in Escherichia coli and purified via glutathione column chromatography. Precipitation of GST-UL20p from mixtures of GST-UL20p fusion protein with cellular extracts containing gK specifically coprecipitated gK but not other viral glycoproteins. The purified UL20p-GST fusion protein reacted with all gK-associated protein species. It was concluded that the amino terminus of UL20p, most likely, interacted with gK domain III, which is predicted to lie intracellularly. UL20p-gK domain-specific interactions must serve important functions in the coordinate transport of UL20p and gK to the TGN, because retention of UL20p in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) via the addition of an ER retention signal at the carboxyl terminus of UL20p forced the ER retention of gK and drastically inhibited intracellular virion envelopment and virus-induced cell fusion.
HBA: Distributed Metadata Management for Large Cluster-Based Storage Systems

An efficient and distributed scheme for file mapping or file lookup is critical in decentralizing metadata management within a group of metadata servers. This paper presents a novel technique called Hierarchical Bloom Filter Arrays (HBA) to map filenames to the metadata servers holding their metadata. Two levels of probabilistic arrays, namely, the Bloom filter arrays with different levels of accuracies, are used on each metadata server. One array, with lower accuracy and representing the distribution of the entire metadata, trades accuracy for significantly reduced memory overhead, whereas the other array, with higher accuracy, caches partial distribution information and exploits the temporal locality of file access patterns. Both arrays are replicated to all metadata servers to support fast local lookups. We evaluate HBA through extensive trace-driven simulations and implementation in Linux. Simulation results show our HBA design to be highly effective and efficient in improving the performance and scalability of file systems in clusters with 1,000 to 10,000 nodes (or superclusters) and with the amount of data in the petabyte scale or higher. Our implementation indicates that HBA can reduce the metadata operation time of a single-metadata-server architecture by a factor of up to 43.9 when the system is configured with 16 metadata servers.