cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effects of protein, methionine, or chloride on acid-base balance and on cysteine catabolism

Metabolism of cysteine to sulfate results in production of H+, whereas metabolism of cysteine to taurine does not. Rats were fed a basal low-protein diet or a diet with excess protein, methionine, or chloride for 2-3 wk, and effects of these treatments on acid-base homeostasis and on cysteine metabolism were determined. Hepatocytes from rats fed diets with excess methionine, but not from rats fed diets with excess protein or chloride, catabolized a high proportion of cysteine to taurine (32% vs. 4-7% for other groups), and intact rats fed excess methionine excreted more sulfur as taurine (51% of total sulfur vs. 1-6% for other groups). The formation of taurine vs. sulfate as the end product of cysteine catabolism provides a metabolic compensation that minimizes the acid load in rats fed excess sulfur amino acids. However, increased production of taurine vs. sulfate is not a general adaptive response to acidogenic diets.
Second Language Learning with the Story Maze Task:Examining the Training Effect of Weaving Through Stories

Abstract The maze task is a psycholinguistic experimental procedure that measures real-time incremental sentence processing. The task has recently been tested as a language learning tool with promising results. Therefore, the present study examines the merits of a contextualized version of this task: the story maze. The findings are consistent with previous research results (Enkin & Forster, 2014), and highlight the merits of using the contextualized maze version for language (Spanish) learning. Specifically, a story maze training-test paradigm revealed that learners trained on structures differing from their native language (English) showed little difference in reaction times between similar-to-English and different-from-English structures as compared to learners who were trained on structures similar to English, thus showing that the story maze task may help students learn constructions that may pose processing difficulty. Q uantitative and qualitative survey data further showed that learners found the task highly engaging, thereby emphasizing its promising usefulness. Resume La tâche des labyrinthes est une procedure experimentale en psycholinguistique qui mesure en temps reel la comprehension croissante de phrases. La tâche a recemment ete testee comme outil d’apprentissage d’une langue seconde et offre des resultats prometteurs. Par consequent, la presente etude examine les merites d’une version contextualisee de cette tâche : le labyrinthe d’histoires. Les resultats sont compatibles avec les conclusions d’une etude anterieure (Enkin et Forster, 2014) et mettent en lumiere les merites de l’utilisation de la version contextualisee des labyrinthes pour l’apprentissage d’une langue etrangere (l’espagnol). Specifiquement, un paradigme de test formation de labyrinthe d’histoires a revele que les apprenants formes a des structures differentes de leur langue maternelle (l’anglais) ont montre peu de difference en temps de reaction entre des structures similaires a l’anglais ou differentes de l’anglais, compare a des apprenants formes a des structures similaires a l’anglais. Ces resultats montrent ainsi que la tâche des labyrinthes d’histoires peut aider les etudiants a apprendre des constructions posant des difficultes de comprehension. Par ailleurs, des resultats de recherche quantitative et qualitative ont montre que les apprenants trouvaient cette tâche tres captivante, soulignant ainsi son utilite prometteuse.
Review of The Spirit Level: Why More Equal Societies Almost Always Do Better

Do inequalities of wealth matter? Do the scale, scope, and particular distribution of poverty matter? To these questions, Wilkerson and Pickett respond with a categorical and resonant yes. An intri...
Meta-dimensional data integration identifies critical pathways for susceptibility, tumorigenesis and progression of endometrial cancer

// Runmin Wei 1, 2 , Immaculata De Vivo 3 , Sijia Huang 1, 2 , Xun Zhu 1, 2 , Harvey Risch 4 , Jason H. Moore 5, 6 , Herbert Yu 2 , Lana X. Garmire 1, 2 1 Molecular Biosciences and Bioengineering Graduate Program, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, HI, USA 2 Epidemiology Program, University of Hawaii Cancer Center, Honolulu, HI, USA 3 Harvard School of Public Health, Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA 4 Yale School of Public Health, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA 5 Institute for Biomedical Informatics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA 6 Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA Correspondence to: Lana X. Garmire, email: lgarmire@cc.hawaii.edu Keywords: endometrial cancer (EC), GWAS, data integration, pathways, data mining Received: July 01, 2015 Accepted: May 02, 2016 Published: July 9, 2016 ABSTRACT Endometrial Cancer (EC) is one of the most common female cancers. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have been investigated to identify genetic polymorphisms that are predictive of EC risks. Here we utilized a meta-dimensional integrative approach to seek genetically susceptible pathways that may be associated with tumorigenesis and progression of EC. We analyzed GWAS data obtained from Connecticut Endometrial Cancer Study (CECS) and identified the top 20 EC susceptible pathways. To further verify the significance of top 20 EC susceptible pathways, we conducted pathway-level multi-omics analyses using EC exome-Seq, RNA-Seq and survival data, all based on The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) samples. We measured the overall consistent rankings of these pathways in all four data types. Some well-studied pathways, such as p53 signaling and cell cycle pathways, show consistently high rankings across different analyses. Additionally, other cell signaling pathways (e.g. IGF-1/mTOR, rac-1 and IL-5 pathway), genetic information processing pathway (e.g. homologous recombination) and metabolism pathway (e.g. sphingolipid metabolism) are also highly associated with EC risks, diagnosis and prognosis. In conclusion, the meta-dimensional integration of EC cohorts has suggested some common pathways that may be associated from predisposition, tumorigenesis to progression.
Synthetic Studies on the Antimicrobial Activity of Pleurocidin

Vibrio anguillarum infections result in huge economic losses in the aquaculture industry annually. Pleurocidin, an antimicrobial peptide (AMP) isolated in 1997 from winter flounder, exhibited MICs in the micromolar range against a wide variety of fish and human pathogens [1]. Studies have shown a correlation between antimicrobial activity and the charges, hydrophobicities, and hydrophobic moments of amphipathic peptides that are capable of adopting an α-helical structure [2]. Although the C-terminal acid is the naturally-occurring form, synthetic pleurocidin amide is more potent and has been shown to protect coho salmon from vibriosis in vivo [3]. No additional increase in potency was obtained by adding a lysine at the N-terminus of pleurocidin amide to increase the positive charge on the peptide [3]. To characterize the structural determinants required for antimicrobial activity and to discover minimal sequences for genetic engineering, we synthesized pleurocidin amide and two new pleurocidin analogs LM4–1 and LM4–2 (see Figure 1). The analogs were truncated at the C-terminus to determine if any residues in this region could be deleted and yet retain activity. Peptide LM4–1 lacked seven C-terminal residues and also one of the pair of phenylalanines found at positions 5/6 in native pleurocidin. This deletion moved a positively-charged lysine pair up to positions 6/7, thereby giving the N-terminus of LM4–1 an amphipathic pattern similar to that responsible for helix formation in cecropin A [4]. AMPs were screened against E. coli, V. anguillarum, and V. carchariae.
Age-dependent alterations to paraventricular nucleus insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor as a possible link between sympathoexcitation and inflammation.

Modifications to neural circuits of the paraventricular hypothalamic nucleus (PVN) have been implicated in sympathoexcitation and systemic cardiovascular dysfunction. However, to date, the role of insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor (IGF-1R) expression on PVN pathophysiology is unknown. Using confocal immunofluorescence quantification and electrophysiological recordings from acute PVN slices, we investigated the mechanism through which age-dependent IGF-1R depletion contributes to the progression of inflammation and sympathoexcitation in the PVN of spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). Four and twenty weeks old SHR and Wistar Kyoto (WKY) rats were used for this study. Our data showed that Angiotensin I/II and pro-inflammatory high mobility box group protein 1 (HMGB1) exhibited increased expression in the PVN of SHR versus WKY at 4 weeks (p<0.01), and were even more highly expressed with age in SHR (p<0.001). This correlated with a significant decrease in IGF-1R expression, with age, in the PVN of SHR when compared with WKY (p<0.001) and were accompanied by related changes in astrocytes and microglia. In subsequent analyses, we found an age-dependent change in the expression of proteins associated with IGF-1R signaling pathways involved in inflammatory responses and synaptic function in the PVN. MAPK/ErK was more highly expressed in the PVN of SHR by the 4th week (p<0.001; vs WKY), while expression of neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS; p<0.001) and calcium-calmodulin dependent kinase II alpha (CamKIIα; p<0.001) were significantly decreased by the 4th and 20th week respectively. Age-dependent changes in MAPK/ErK expression in the PVN correlated with an increase in the expression of vesicular glutamate transporter (VGLUT2) (p<0.001 vs WKY), while decreased levels of CamKIIα was associated with a decreased expression of tyrosine hydroxylase (p<0.001) by the 20th week. In addition, reduced labeling for GABA in the PVN of SHR (p<0.001) correlated with a decrease in nNOS labeling (p<0.001) when compared with the WKY by the 20th week. Electrophysiological recordings from neurons in acute slice preparations of the PVN of 4 weeks old SHR revealed spontaneous post-synaptic currents of higher frequency when compared with neurons from WKY PNV slices of the same age (p<0.001; n=14 cells). This also correlated with an increase in post-synaptic densities (PSD-95) in the PVN of SHR when compared with the WKY (p<0.001). Overall, we found an age-dependent reduction of IGF-1R, and related altered expression of associated downstream signaling molecules that may represent a link between the concurrent progression of synaptic dysfunction and inflammation in the PVN of SHR. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Degenerate frequency two beam coupling in organic solutions using nanosecond laser pulses

Previously, we presented the experimental evidence for a degenerate frequency two beam coupling (TBC) in two photon absorbing (2PA) organic solutions. It has been well established that the two critical requirements for TBC are a nonlinear refractive index with a finite lifetime and that the interacting fields must have non-degenerate frequencies. However, degenerate frequency coupling has been shown for fields containing a time-dependent phase, i.e. a frequency chirp. This chirp can either be intrinsic to the fields or induced by self- and cross- phase modulation (S/XPM). For nanosecond pulses, the relatively small intrinsic chirp of the fields is negligible compared to the strong cumulative effects of population redistribution which generates large S/XPM. A S/XPM-mediated theoretical treatment for degenerate frequency TBC is presented along with numerical simulations using known nonlinear optical parameters to model the experimental results.
Have No PHEAR: Networks Without Identifiers

Network protocols such as Ethernet and TCP/IP were not designed to ensure the security and privacy of users. To protect users' privacy, anonymity networks such as Tor have been proposed to hide both identities and communication contents for Internet traffic. However, such solutions cannot protect enterprise network traffic that does not transit the Internet. In this paper, we present the design, implementation, and evaluation of a moving target technique called Packet Header Randomization (PHEAR), a privacy-enhancing system for enterprise networks that leverages emerging Software-Defined Networking hardware and protocols to eliminate identifiers found at the MAC, Network, and higher layers of the network stack. PHEAR also encrypts all packet data beyond the Network layer. We evaluate the security of PHEAR against a variety of known and novel attacks and conduct whole-network experiments that show the prototype deployment provides sufficient performance for common applications such as web browsing and file sharing.
The Black Consumer Market: Values as an Alternative Segmentation Strategy

Values, operationalized by using the "striving index," are shown to be a viable base for segmenting the black consumer market. Demographic, psychographic, and marketing behavior variables are examined to determine differences between strivers and non-strivers. These differences are then explored to suggest marketing strategies.
Hydrodynamic Assessment of Aortic Valves Prepared from Porcine Small Intestinal Submucosa

Infants and children born with severe cardiac valve lesions have no effective long term treatment options since currently available tissue or mechanical prosthetic valves have sizing limitations and no avenue to accommodate the growth of the pediatric patient. Tissue engineered heart valves (TEHVs) which could provide for growth, self-repair, infection resistance, and long-term replacement could be an ideal solution. Porcine small intestinal submucosa (PSIS) has recently emerged as a potentially attractive bioscaffold for TEHVs. PSIS may possess the ability to recruit endogenous cardiovascular cells, leading to phenotypically-matched replacement tissue when the scaffold has completely degraded. Our group has successfully implanted custom-made PSIS valves in 4 infants with critical valve defects in whom standard bioprosthetic or mechanical valves were not an option. Short term clinical follow-up has been promising. However, no hydrodynamic data has been reported to date on these valves. The purpose of this study was to assess the functional effectiveness of tri-leaflet PSIS bioscaffolds in the aortic position compared to standard tri-leaflet porcine bioprosthetic valves. Hydrodynamic evaluation of acute PSIS function was conducted using a left heart simulator in our laboratory. Our results demonstrated similar flow and pressure profiles (p > 0.05) between the PSIS valves and the control valves. However, forward flow energy losses were found to be significantly greater (p < 0.05) in the PSIS valves compared to the controls possibly as a result of stiffer material properties of PSIS relative to glutaraldehyde-fixed porcine valve tissue. Our findings suggest that optimization of valve dimensions and shape may be important in accelerating de novo valve tissue growth and avoidance of long-term complications associated with higher energy losses (e.g. left ventricular hypertrophy). Furthermore, long term animal and clinical studies will be needed in order to conclusively address somatic growth potential of PSIS valves.
Feasibility analysis of the bilinear matrix inequalities with an application to multi-objective nonlinear observer design

This paper develops a convex optimization method to analyze the feasibility of a nonconvex bilinear matrix inequality (BMI), which is traditionally treated as a NP hard problem. First, a sufficient condition for the convexity of a quadratic matrix inequality (QMI), which is a more general semidefinite constraint than a BMI, is presented. It will be shown that the satisfaction of sufficient convexity condition implies that the QMI constraint can be transferred into an equivalent linear matrix inequality (LMI) constraint, which can be efficiently solved by well-developed interior-point algorithms. This result constitutes perhaps the first systematic methodology to verify the convexity of QMIs in the literature of semidefinite programming (SDP) in Control. For the BMI problem, a method to derive a convex inner approximation is discussed. The BMI feasibility analysis method is then applied to a nonlinear observer design problem where the estimation error dynamics is transformed into a Lure system with a sector condition constructed from the element-wise bounds on the Jacobian matrix of the nonlinearities. The developed numerical algorithm is used to design a nonlinear observer that satisfies multiple performance criteria simultaneously.
Gay, gray, black, and blue: An examination of some of the challenges faced by older LGBTQ people of color

ABSTRACTFew studies exist that highlight the life experiences of the older LGBTQ person of color. This cohort faces unique challenges in life that have not been explored or investigated extensively, if at all. Older LGBTQ people of color have experienced discrimination based on race, gender, and sexuality in all phases of their lives, often bearing witness to and helping to start various equal rights and social justice movements. In addition to the unique challenges that come with being a multiple minority—an LGBTQ person of color—they also have to deal with the stressors that come with normal aging. Some of the unique challenges that are faced by the older LGBTQ person of color include homophobia, racism, acculturation, the phenomenon of “going back into the closet,” poverty, housing discrimination, homelessness, and loss of sexuality and ageism, just to name a few. In this article, by getting a glimpse of these unique challenges, we give this vulnerable and marginalized group of people the much-needed a...
Challenges encountered by elementary education major students when learning engineering

It is essential that elementary students are exposed to engineering at an early age to help build a base of knowledge on which to expand later in their schooling. With the world constantly advancing in terms of technology, elementary education (ELED) teachers are not well equipped to teach engineering to elementary students. With this in mind, for the past two decades Iowa State University has offered a course, Toying with Technology (TwT), for ELED majors, which addresses the issue at hand. The course not only teaches basic engineering through hands-on activities but also trains the students in building engineering lesson plans and teaching them to elementary students. This study gathered qualitative data by conducting focus group interviews with the students (N = 30) enrolled in the TwT course. Inferences made from the qualitative analysis will help in understanding the impact of the class on ELED students and their challenges. Modifications to the TwT course will be proposed so that future ELED students can be better taught these concepts and be comfortable teaching them to elementary students.
Cysteine and growth inhibition of Escherichiacoli: Derepression of the ilvGEDA operon

Abstract Cysteine inhibits growth of Escherichia coli by blocking isoleucine synthesis, presumably at the level of threonine deaminase (Harris, C.L. 1981. J. Bacteriol. 145 , 1031–1035). We show here that treatment of growing cultures with cysteine causes a decrease in the % charging of tRNAile, in proportion to the extent of growth inhibition. This effect is accompanied by a partial derepression of the ilvGEDA operon. These findings suggest a new way to limit isoleucine synthesis in E. coli which may be useful for studies of regulation of the ilvGEDA operon.
Genome Sequence of Acetomicrobium hydrogeniformans OS1.

Acetomicrobium hydrogeniformans, an obligate anaerobe of the phylum Synergistetes, was isolated from oil production water. It has the unusual ability to produce almost 4 molecules H2/molecule glucose. The draft genome of A. hydrogeniformans OS1 (DSM 22491T) is 2,123,925 bp, with 2,068 coding sequences and 60 RNA genes.
Current Approaches to the Study of Meat Flavor Quality

SUMMARY The long-term goals of food technologists and bio technologists are to design muscle foods based upon a desired function such as enriched/enhanced flavor quality. This very ambitious, yet obtainable, goal requires a complete understanding of the factors involved in the development and deterioration of flavor in muscle foods. This, of course, involves a thorough understanding of the rules governing muscle/meat structure and function and the basis for any given reaction mechanism in the muscle food. While we are still a long way from completely unlocking the puzzling relationships between meat structure and flavor, some of the technical achievements over the last few decades have provided the basic machinery to study the complex nature of the problem of food quality in general and muscle food quality in particular. Factors such as lipid oxidation, cooking temperature, storage time, Maillard product formation and activity, muscle proteins and enzymes, all play an important role in the generation and deterioration of the flavor of a muscle food. This chapter outlines some of the more recent work dealing with meat flavor.
Transracially adoptive parents' colorblindness and discrimination recognition: Adoption stigma as moderator.

Objectives In a sample of transracially adoptive parents, this study examined the moderating role of adoption stigma in the relationship between their colorblind attitudes and their perceptions of different forms of discrimination. Specifically, we hypothesized that parents' colorblind attitudes would be negatively related to their perceptions of their adopted children's experiences with racism and their views toward racial microaggressions and institutional racism. We also hypothesized that perceived adoption stigma would moderate these relationships, such that the inverse association between colorblindness and the 3 outcome variables would be weakened by adoption stigma. Method A total of 172 White parents (Mage = 48.41) with adopted children of color participated in the study by completing questionnaires about their experiences as transracially adoptive parents. Women comprised 74% of participants. Results Results indicated that the relationship between participants' colorblind attitudes and their reports of adoptees' racist experiences was enhanced at nearly all levels perceived adoption stigma. In addition, results revealed that at high levels of perceived adoption stigma (75th and 90th percentiles), the magnitude of the relationships between colorblind attitudes with microaggressions and institutional discrimination was significantly reduced and became nonsignificant for parents with younger adoptees but not older adoptees. Conclusions Findings point to the potential benefits of helping transracially adoptive parents explore different dimensions of their own social-cultural identity as a way to enhance their ability to recognize different forms of discrimination that their adopted children may face. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).
Gradual increase in the electrical excitability of crayfish slow muscle fibers produced by anoxia or uncouplers of oxidative phosphorylation

The electrical properties of crayfish (Procambarus clarkii) tonic flexor muscle fibers have been studied after exposure to anoxia or treatment with uncouplers of oxidative phosphorylation. These fibers do not normally generate action potentials; after anoxia, or treatment with any of three uncouplers (dinitrophenol, dicoumarol, CCCP), they gradually develop the ability to generate action potentials over the course of several hours. This change in excitability is not accompanied by any change in fiber resting potential or input resistance. The time course of uncoupler action is strongly temperature-dependent; it is speeded in fibers treated with cyanide, and slowed in fibers treated with iodoacetate. The possibility that the increase in excitability is caused by a decrease in the internal pH of the fibers is discussed.
Validation of a commercial fluid-structure interaction solver with applications to air cushion vehicle flexible seals

Air cushion vehicle (ACV) flexible seals operate in a complex and chaotic environment dominated by fluid-structure interaction. An efficient means to explore relationships between interdependent governing parameters that affect performance is through high fidelity numerical simulation. As previous numerical efforts have employed separate iterative partitioned solvers, or have implemented simplified physics, the approaches have been complex, computationally expensive, or of limited utility. This research effort performs numerical simulations to verify and validate the commercial multi-physics tool STAR-CCM+ as a stand-alone partitioned approach for fluid-structure interaction problems upon a free surface. An implicit, incompressible finite volume fluid solver is fully-coupled to an implicit, nonlinear finite element structural solver to successfully replicate Turek-Hron benchmark results for an elastic beam in unsteady laminar flow. To validate the implementation as an ACV seal parameter exploratory tool, a planer bow seal model is developed and results are obtained for various cushion pressures and inflow speeds. Previous numerical and experimental results for deflection and resistance are compared, showing good agreement. A dimensional analysis is conducted to identify potential non-dimensional forms of parameters related to seal resistance. This work is a stepping stone for future researchers having interests in ACV seal design and other large deformation, fluid-structure interaction problems. By modeling all necessary physics within a single verified and validated computational desktop, a designer's ability to comprehensively investigate seal geometries and interactions has never been more promising.
Point-of-Care Hemoglobin A1c.

A 57-year-old white man with obesity and hypertension presents for a primary care visit, during which he expresses concern about having diabetes. He reports no symptoms of hyperglycemia, such as frequent urination, increased thirst, fatigue, or visual changes, and had no known family history of diabetes. A series of blood tests had recently been obtained (Table). His body mass index (BMI) is 33.9 and his blood pressure is 160/90 mm Hg. The patient wants to know if a test could be done in the office to determine if he has diabetes. [Table: see text] WHAT WOULD YOU DO NEXT? A. Perform a laboratory-based glucose test to determine the patient’s glycemic status. B. Perform a point-of-care (POC) hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) test via fingerstick to determine the patient’s glycemic status. C. Perform a laboratory-based HbA1c test to determine the patient’s glycemic status. D. Do not perform glycemic testing because it is not indicated for this patient.
Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology advertising guidelines: How are member clinics doing?

Objective To examine whether Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology (SART) member in vitro fertilization (IVF) centers adhere to the Society’s new advertising policy, updated in January 2018, and evaluate other services advertised by region, insurance mandate and university affiliation status. Historically, a large percentage of IVF clinics have not adhered to SART guidelines for IVF clinic website advertising and have had variability in how financial incentives and other noncore fertility services are advertised. Design Cross-sectional study. Setting Not applicable. Patient(s) None. Intervention(s) None. Main Outcome Measure(s) Adherence of SART participating websites to objective criteria from the 2018 SART advertising guidelines. Result(s) All 361 SART participating clinic websites were evaluated. Approximately one third of clinics reported success rate statistics directly on their websites, but only 52.6% of those clinics reported current statistics. Similarly, only 67.5% of SART member clinics included the required disclaimer statement regarding their outcome statistics. Only 10.5% of websites were wholly compliant with SART guidelines regarding presentation of supplemental data. There were no significant differences between academic and nonacademic centers, programs in mandated versus nonmandated states, or East versus West Coast clinics in any of these areas. Conclusion(s) Many of the SART member websites failed to adhere to core guidelines surrounding reporting IVF clinic success rates. Consideration for additional education and streamlining as well as simplifying success rate advertising guidelines is recommended.
Neuromodulation of BAG co-chaperones by HIV-1 viral proteins and H2O2: implications for HIV-associated neurological disorders

Despite increasing numbers of aged individuals living with HIV, the mechanisms underlying HIV-associated neurological disorders (HANDs) remain elusive. As HIV-1 pathogenesis and aging are characterized by oxidative stress as well as altered protein quality control (PQC), reactive oxygen species (ROS) themselves might constitute a molecular mediator of neuronal PQC by modulating BCL-2 associated athanogene (BAG) family members. Present results reveal H2O2 replicated and exacerbated a reduction in neuronal BAG3 induced by the expression of HIV-1 viral proteins (i.e., Tat and Nef), while also causing an upregulation of BAG1. Such a reciprocal regulation of BAG3 and BAG1 levels was also indicated in two animal models of HIV, the doxycycline-inducible Tat (iTat) and the Tg26 mouse. Inhibiting oxidative stress via antioxidants in primary culture was capable of partially preserving neuronal BAG3 levels as well as electrophysiological functioning otherwise altered by HIV-1 viral proteins. Current findings indicate HIV-1 viral proteins and H2O2 may mediate neuronal PQC by exerting synergistic effects on complementary BAG family members, and suggest novel therapeutic targets for the aging HIV-1 population.
Using a TeachMeet model to enhance collaboration in an information literacy instruction program

Abstract At Rutgers University's New Brunswick campus, an environmental scan revealed the need for a more focused approach on sustaining partnerships, pedagogical approaches, implementation of teaching technology, and assessment. This necessitated increased cooperation and communication among library faculty located at various campus libraries regarding participating in the information literacy instruction program. Therefore, a TeachMeet series was developed for sharing expertise, providing input on instruction and assessment techniques for undergraduate students, and for fostering more teamwork among librarians. The CIPP Evaluation Model was employed to determine the impact of the TeachMeets. It revealed an effective, impactful, and sustainable vehicle for communication and thereby for enhancing an instruction program. TeachMeets reached unexpected constituents and the term has now become common at the libraries, conveying the notion of professional development. This type of gathering allows for a wide range of topics, engages varied groups, and is adaptable to different types of academic libraries.
Watermelon Democracy: Egypt’s Turbulent Transition: by Joshua Stacher, Syracuse, Syracuse University Press, 2020, xxiii +288 pp., notes, bibliography, index, bibliography, $75 (hardback), ISBN 9780815636779, $29.95 (paperback), ISBN 9780815636878.

The titular metaphor of Stacher’s book, Watermelon Democracy: Egypt’s Turbulent Transition, is outlined in the preface: one cannot know if a watermelon at the market is ripe and sweet from the shel...
Autonomous Altitude Control Device for Latex HAB

The advent of latex High Altitude Balloons has dramatically reduced the costs associated with conducting research at altitudes reaching the stratosphere. Latex balloons are less expansive than zero-pressure and super-pressure alternatives, but they have an important disadvantage: while zero-pressure and super-pressure balloons can ﬂoat at a desired altitude for long periods of time, latex balloons ascend continuously, ﬂying only around two hours before reaching a bursting altitude (usually around 100,000 ft) and falling back to earth. Enabling latex High Altitude Balloons to ﬂoat at a constant altitude for extended (and specifically deﬁned) periods of time could make them significantly more useful and cost-effective. An autonomous altitude control vent for latex high altitude balloons was designed and fabricated. The vent releases helium during the balloon’s ascent, ﬁrst to cause the balloon to reach neutral buoyancy at a specifieed altitude, and again later in the ﬂight to cause the balloon and payload to descend for a soft landing. The vent is completely autonomous; it makes decisions using altitude and ascent rate feedback, which is measured using an external pressure sensor. Two preliminary test ﬂights were conducted. It was found that the vent allows gas ﬂow rates sufficient to achieve a soft landing. At an altitude of roughly 30,000 ft, the balloon achieved negative lift in under two minutes. A faulty altimeter, which was used only on the second ﬂight, prevented the vent from operating on altitude and ascent rate feedback. Several additional test ﬂights are planned in the coming months.!
Some International Problems in Beekeeping

In July next year Bee World will celebrate its fiftieth anniversary, and this year we are publishing excerpts from the journal in 1928, 40 years ago. Some will show how times have changed, others that certain problems are constantly with us—like those discussed on pages 5–8 of Bee World for January 1928, and reprinted below.
Single versus multi-detector row CT: comparison of radiation doses and dose profiles.

Abstract Rationale and Objectives The purpose of this study was twofold: (a) to compare the radiation dose profile between computed tomography (CT) with a single detector row (SD) and with a multi–detector row (MD) and (b) to compare specific organ doses between SD CT and MD CT. Materials and Methods Thermoluminescent dosimeters placed within a 32-cm-diameter cylindrical phantom were used to measure and compare dose profiles from one SD CT scanner and from one MD CT scanner. SD CT scanning parameters were 210 mA, 140 kVp, pitch of 1.0, 5-mm section thickness, and 0.8-second gantry rotation speed. MD CT scanning parameters were 130 mA, 140 kVp, pitch of 0.75, 4 × 5-mm section thickness, 15-mm table feed, and 0.8-second gantry rotation speed. To plot radiation dose profile, doses were measured both in the imaging plane and in the area adjacent to the imaging plane. The resultant data were normalized to achieve constant image noise between MD CT and SD CT. Direct doses to individual organs from primary and scattered radiation were measured with an anthropomorphic phantom containing thermoluminescent dosimeters and with a standard pelvic imaging protocol for both MD CT and SD CT. Results MD CT resulted in a dose profile approximately 27% higher than that from SD CT in the plane of imaging (8.0 vs 6.3 mGy) and 69% higher adjacent to the plane of imaging (6.8 vs 4.0 mGy). The individual doses to the kidneys, uterus, ovaries, and pelvic bone marrow were 92%–180% higher with MD CT than with SD CT. Conclusion With image noise constant between SD CT and MD CT, the radiation dose profile both inside and outside the plane of imaging was higher with MD CT than with SD CT. Organ dose also was higher with MD CT than with SD CT. This difference should be accounted for in the design of MD CT protocols, especially as MD CT technology becomes more widely available for clinical use.
The Cost of Antibiotic Resistance—from the Perspective of a Bacterium

The possession of an antibiotic resistance gene clearly benefits a bacterium when the corresponding antibiotic is present. But does the resistant bacterium suffer a cost of resistance (i.e. a reduction in fitness) when the antibiotic is absent? If so, then one strategy to control the spread of resistance would be to suspend the use of a particular antibiotic until resistant genotypes declined to low frequency. Numerous studies have indeed shown that resistant genotypes are less fit than their sensitive counterparts in the absence of antibiotic, indicating a cost of resistance. But there is an important caveat: these studies have put antibiotic resistance genes into naive bacteria, which have no evolutionary history of association with the resistance genes. An important question, therefore, is whether bacteria can overcome the cost of resistance by evolving adaptations that counteract the harmful side-effects of resistance genes. In fact, several experiments have shown that the cost of antibiotic resistance may be substantially diminished, even eliminated, by evolutionary changes in bacteria over rather short periods of time. As a consequence of this adaptation of bacteria to their resistance genes, it becomes increasingly difficult to eliminate resistant genotypes simply by suspending the use of antibiotics.
Query optimization in object-oriented database systems: A prospectus

We are exploring a scheme that allows optimizing queries over object-oriented databases with encapsulated behavior. Objects and classes will be able to reveal their behavior in terms of expressions in an algebraic language interpreted by a structural object-oriented database system. An object or class can agree or refuse to reveal its behavior. The structural algebra is richer than relational algebra as it includes operators on complex object collections, and updates and traversals of individual objects. Objects may reveal to the optimizer the structural access paths used by their procedures or cost and other statistics useful for query optimization. The main features of our approach is that the object-oriented user interface language is able to perform general computation and to preserve the encapsulation envelope around classes and types.
Dynamical deformation effects in subbarrier fusion of Ni 64 + Sn 132

We show that dynamical deformation effects play an important role in fusion reactions involving the $^{64}\mathrm{Ni}$ nucleus, in particular the $^{64}\mathrm{Ni}+^{132}\mathrm{Sn}$ system. We calculate fully microscopic interaction potentials and the corresponding subbarrier fusion cross-sections.
Human-automated planner collaboration in complex resource allocation decision support systems

In resource allocation problems for systems with moving planning horizons and significant uncertainty, typical of supervisory control environments, it is critical that some balance of human-automated planning collaboration be achieved. These systems typically require leveraging the computational power of automation, as well as the experience and judgment of human decision makers. Humans and automated planners can interact through degrees of collaboration from automation-directed to human-directed, and such collaboration is inherently distinct from previously discussed levels of automation. In the context of a command and control mission planning task, we show that across a number of metrics, there is no clear dominant humanautomated planner collaboration scheme for resource allocation problems using three distinct instantiations of human-automated planner collaboration. Rather, the ultimate selection for the best resource allocation decision support system will depend on a cost-benefit approach that could include mitigation of workload, conformance to intended design characteristics, as well as the need to maximize overall mission performance.
Mutants of Salmonella typhimurium with an Altered Leucyl-Transfer Ribonucleic Acid Synthetase

Abstract Two trifluoroleucine-resistant mutants of Salmonella typhimurium, strains CV69 and CV117, had an altered leucyl-transfer ribonucleic acid (tRNA) synthetase. The mutant enzymes had higher apparent Km values for leucine (ca. 10-fold) and lower specific activities (ca. twofold) than the parent enzyme when tested in crude extracts. Preparations of synthetase purified ca. 60-fold from the parent and strain CV117 differed sixfold in their leucine Km values. In addition, the mutant enzyme was inactivated faster than the parent enzyme at 50 C. The growth rates of strains CV69 and CV117 at 37 C were not significantly different from that of the parent, whereas at 42 C strain CV69 grew more slowly than the parent. Leucine-, valine-, and isoleucine-forming enzymes were partially derepressed when the mutants were grown in minimal medium; the addition of leucine repressed these enzymes to wild-type levels. During growth in minimal medium, the proportion of leucine tRNA that was charged in the mutants was about 75% of that in the parent. The properties of strain CV117 were shown to result from a single mutation located near gal at minute 18 on the genetic map. These studies suggest that leucyl-tRNA synthetase is involved in repression of the enzymes required for the synthesis of branched-chain amino acids.
On the particle-size distribution function of cometary dust

The characterization of the particle size distribution in cometary tails is considered. The particle-size related distribution function of the acceleration exerted on the cometary particle by solar radiation pressure used by Finson and Probstein (1968) is introduced, and distribution functions observed for the comets Arend-Roland 1957 III, Bennett 1970 II and Seki-Lines 1962 III are illustrated. It is pointed out that although the distribution functions have features in common, the rate of decrease of the distribution towards zero acceleration (large particles) is not well determined. An approximation for the size distribution in this range obtained from a photometric study of anomalous cometary tails is presented, and used to formulate an a priori distribution law which can be used to approximate all types of expected distributions by varying three key parameters.
'Windbreaker' cultivar big sacaton: a foundation class of certified seed

A cultivar of big sacaton ( Sporobolus wrightii Munro ex Scribn. [Poaceae]) has been released for use in the southwestern US. ‘Windbreaker’ big sacaton, a native, warm-season, perennial bunchgrass is an important native forage grass species for livestock and wildlife. The increased height, width, and amount of forage found in ‘Windbreaker’ make it an ideal conservation plant for use in erosion protection, windbreak plantings, improvement of wildlife habitat, bioenergy production, and providing forage production on grazing lands.
Fusion energy in the near term

Presentation des axes strategiques de recherche,aux USA,en matiere de fusion nucleaire a confinement magnetique ou inertiel.Ventilation du budget 1991 pour la fusion a confinement magnetique.
Selection of high-quality host nests by parasitic cliff swallows

Abstract Parasitic cliff swallows, Hirundo pyrrhonota , in southwestern Nebraska nest in dense colonies where an individual has many potential host nests it can parasitize. Parasites apparently assessed the nests around them and used nest age early in the season as a cue to select the more protected host nests. Swallows that parasitized nests later in the season, with a longer time to assess their neighbours, preferentially selected nests that were eventually successful at producing fledglings. Parasitic cliff swallows at all stages tended to select host nests that ultimately had the lowest infestations of deleterious, blood-sucking ectoparasites. This represents the first evidence that birds that parasitize conspecifics can make fine-scale assessment of a nest's quality and choose the better of the available nests in which to place their parasitic eggs.
Increase in protein kinase C activity is associated with human fibroblast growth inhibition.

Protein kinase C(PKC) activity and DNA synthesis were measured in human fetal bone marrow fibroblasts following treatment with tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFα)(500 U/ml) or conditioned media containing natural cell proliferation inhibitor (CM-NCPI). Treatment with TNFα led to growth stimulation (120 ± 7% of control in 24 h, 141 ± 6% in 72 h). At the same time particulate PKC activity diminished, reaching 55 ± 8% of control in 24 h and remaining at this level at 72 h. CM-NCPI treatment of the cells resulted in a decrease in DNA synthesis (by 39 ± 6% in 2 h, by 58 ± 5% in 24 h, and by 78 ± 8% in 72 h). This was accompanied by a significant rise in particulate PKC activity which increased over 3-fold in 2 h, over 5-fold in 24 h, and up to 11-fold in 72 h. This 11-fold elevation was maintained after 2 week exposure of the fibroblasts to CM-NCPI. The PKC inhibitor neomycin abolished CM-NCPI induced growth inhibition, whereas PKC activator 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol 13-acetate intensified it. These results suggest that CM-NCPI acts as PKC activator and that negative growth regulation by extracellular agents may involve stimulation of PKC activity.
Silicon based laser, amplifier, and wavelength converter for optoelectronic integration

With a reverse biased p-i-n structure embedded in a silicon waveguide, we efficiently reduced the nonlinear loss due to two photon absorption induced free carrier absorption and achieved continuous-wave net Raman amplification and lasing in a silicon waveguide on a single chip. The low-loss p-i-n waveguides also enabled efficient wavelength conversion in the 1550 nm band via four-wave mixing in silicon. Here we report the performance characteristics of the silicon based laser, amplifier as well as wavelength converter for different device configurations. With a pump wavelength at 1550 nm, the laser output at 1686 nm is single mode with over 55 dB side mode suppression and has less than 80 MHz linewidth. At 25V reverse bias, the threshold pump power is ~180 mW. The slope efficiency is ~4.3% for a single side output and a total output power of >10 mW can be reached at a pump power of 500 mW. The laser wavelength can be tuned by adjusting the wavelength of the pump laser. A 3 dB on-chip amplification and -8.5 dB wavelength conversion efficiency is achieved in an 8-cm long waveguide at a pump powers of < 640 mW. We demonstrate that a high-speed pseudo-random bit sequence optical data at 10 Gb/s rate can be amplified or converted to a new wavelength channel with clear open eye diagram and no waveform distortion.
Adaptive Control: a Strategy to Treat Autoimmunity

Abstract Anti-idiotype of (natural) autoantibodies participate in the regulation of autoantibodies, their idiotypes. Focusing on an idiotype/anti-idiotype pair embedded in an environment such as the central immune system, we start with the experimental fact that the level of anti-idiotypes is low in autoimmune patients but high in healthy individuals, and present a quantitative model. This is then used to develop an adaptive control strategy that induces a transition back to the tolerant, healthy, state and thus offers a vista of treating autoimmune diseases caused by the failure of idiotypic control of autoreactive B cells. The idea is to introduce an antigen or anti-idiotype that binds to the autoantibodies with high affinity, and to determine whether or not a fixed dose is to be injected depending on the autoantibody titer exceeding or not exceeding a threshold. Quantitative criteria are provided. The procedure is the more adaptive in that monitoring the autoantibody titer need only happen every x -th day where x can greatly exceed one. Adaptive control turns out to be robust. The arguments presented here also give a quantitative explanation of why the antigen–autoantibody interaction has to be specific so as to induce a backward transition and why an IVIg treatment therefore does not lead to a permanent improvement.