cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of the Betty Ford Children's Program

ABSTRACT This article reports on a program evaluation of the Betty Ford Center Children's Program, a program specifically designed for the children of substance abusers. Approximately 160 participating children (aged 7–12) were evaluated at pretest and posttest using a comprehensive psychological battery; a subsample of 50 children participated in a follow-up telephone interview 6 months later. Results showed that children of substance abusers benefit from brief, intensive program efforts that serve their special circumstances and highlight the important role social workers and other clinicians have in helping children reevaluate how they are impacted by their parent's addiction.
Proving simultaneous positivity of linear forms

In this paper we study the computational effort involved in establishing that m linear forms ll(x),..., lm(x), where x ----(x 1 ,..., x,,), are simultaneously non-negative for a substitution y e R n, i.e. that 0 ~< li(y), 1 <~ i ~ m. We develop the notion of a complete proof for simultaneous positivity and show that under certain natural conditions, proofs for the simultaneous positivity ofm forms will always requirem steps. Appropriate theorems and counterexamples show that if the conditions in the main theorem do not hold, then the conclusion need not hold. A number of applications of the main theorem are given. The present discussion brings out ideas and concepts which may be of interest and applicability beyond the present context. We shall devote some time to present these ideas here. Let P be a computational problem. We can distinguish between three levels of treatment of the problem. The highest level is finding a solution S to the problem. Depending on P, the solution S may be a number, a permutation, a truth value, etc. I f the algorithm for arriving at the solution S is a valid one, then the fact that S was produced, is in itself also a proof that S is indeed a solution of the problem P. The next level is that of checking a proposed solution. Given a possible solution S for the problem P, we wish to check whether S is indeed a solution. As an illustration of the difference between finding a solution and checking a proposed solution, consider the problem of finding a proper divisor of an integer n known to be composite. The ordinary algorithm for finding a divisor of n may take up to about ~/n steps. However, if given a supposed divisor k of n, then to check it we just have to divide n by k.
A microfluidic passive pumping Coulter counter

A microfluidic device using on-chip passive pumping was characterized for use as a particle counter. Flow occurred due to a Young-Laplace pressure gradient between two 1.2-mm diameter inlets and a 4-mm diameter reservoir when 0.5-μl fluid droplets were applied to the inlets using a micropipette. Polystyrene particles (10-μm diameter) were enumerated using the resistive pulse technique. Particle counts using passive pumping were within 13% of counts from a device using syringe pumping. All pumping methods produced particle counts that were within 16% of those obtained with a hemocytometer. The effect of intermediate wash steps on particle counts within the passive pumping device was determined. Zero, one, or two wash droplets were loaded after the first of two sample droplets. No statistical difference was detected in the mean particle counts among the loading patterns (p > 0.05). Hydrodynamic focusing using passive pumping was also demonstrated.
Human Factors Contributions toward Medication Safety

Preventable patient harm due to errors in medication ordering, transcribing, dispensing and administration is a significant problem as discussed in the Institute of Medicine's 2007 report “Preventing Medication Errors”. Additionally, the report states that there are “enormous gaps in the knowledge base with regard to medication errors” and that the current methods available to solve this problem are inadequate (IOM, 2007, p2). Consequently, human factors research can contribute to the solution for this national problem by addressing the complexity in current medication systems and by designing user-centered solutions that support the real complex cognitive work of the clinicians. Panelists in this session, who have been funded by the federal government, private industry, and fellowships, will briefly share their human factors research on medication systems and then discuss how human factors researchers and practitioners can contribute to medication safety goals.
Uniformity in Weak and Vague Convergence

The goals of this chapter are to: • Extend the notion of uniformity, • Study the metrization of weak convergence, • Describe the notion of vague convergence, • Consider the question of its metrization.
Racial/ethnic differences in the use of biologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs among California Medicaid rheumatoid arthritis patients.

Objective To assess racial/ethnic differences in the use of biologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) among California Medicaid (Medi-Cal) rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients. Methods Medi-Cal patient level data for 5,385 DMARD recipients between ages 18 and 100 years with at least 1 diagnosis of RA (International Classification of Disease, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification code 714.xx) and the use of 1 DMARD between January 1, 1998 and December 31, 2005 were collected. The outcome of interest was the choice of either standard DMARDs (methotrexate, lefluonomide, hydroxychloroquine, and sulfasalazine) or biologic DMARDs (adalimumab, etanercept, anakinra, and infliximab). A univariate analysis and logistic regression model were applied to examine the association of the choice of DMARD among different racial/ethnic groups. Results In the univariate analysis, biologic DMARD use was significantly associated with race/ethnicity (P < 0.001). In the multivariate logistic regression model, after adjusting for age, sex, insurance coverage, 12 comorbid conditions, RA-related drug prescription, RA-related inpatient stay, and rehabilitation visits, African Americans had 53% lower odds of receiving biologic DMARDs as compared to whites, whereas Hispanics had 36% increased odds of receiving biologic DMARDs as compared to whites. Conclusion In this Medi-Cal population, with its racial diversity and relatively homogenous socioeconomic status and health care benefits, racial/ethnic differences were found in RA patients receiving biologic DMARDs.
Spline-based recognition of straight lines and curves in engineering line drawings

Abstract The paper addresses the problem of distinguishing straight lines from curves in noisy grey tone images and representing those lines and curves mathematically. A method for locating corners is discussed, and a technique based on spline representations is proposed for classifying line segments as straight or curved. Results are given for several typical noisy engineering line drawings.
Effect of cisplatin chemotherapy on extracortical tissue formation in canine diaphyseal segmental replacement

The reconstruction of large bone and joint defects after the resection of malignant tumors remains a major challenge. Chemotherapy has significantly lowered the risk of metastasic disease, but complications associated with reconstructive techniques continue to result in late morbidity. In the present study, biomechanical torsion testing, gait analysis, and histomorphometric and scanning electron microscopic evaluations of 24 dogs were used to examine the effects of preoperative and postoperative administration of cisplatin on the biologic fixation of a porous-coated segmental replacement prosthesis. The chemotherapy consisted of four cycles of cisplatin administered at a dosage of 75 mg/m:2 preoperatively or postoperatively. The healing was enhanced by use of an autogenous corticocancellous bone graft. The graft was placed evenly around the prosthesis and the adjacent femoral cortex. Mechanical analyses of torsional stiffness, yield strength, and maximum strength revealed no statistically significant differences between the groups at 12 weeks. Such lack of difference was mainly due to the penetration of highly organized fibrous tissue into the porous surface; this provided strong fixation of the implant to bone even in the absence of bone ingrowth. Although bone ingrowth into the prostheses was not affected, electron microscopic, histomorphometric, and radiologic analyses showed a clear difference in the formation of new bone around the prosthesis. Preoperative chemotherapy did not alter the formation of new bone, but specimens from animals treated postoperatively with cisplatin showed significantly less bone graft resorption and less new bone formation. Hence, the effect of cisplatin administration caused only a temporary delay, not a permanent effect, on extracortical capsule formation. The formation of extracortical bone and soft tissue might prevent debris-incised osteolysis and, therefore, prevent late complications by forming a tight capsule around the bone-prosthetic interface.
Nanopods: A New Bacterial Structure and Mechanism for Deployment of Outer Membrane Vesicles

Background: Bacterial outer membrane vesicles (OMV) are packets of periplasmic material that, via the proteins and other molecules they contain, project metabolic function into the environment. While OMV production is widespread in proteobacteria, they have been extensively studied only in pathogens, which inhabit fully hydrated environments. However, many (arguably most) bacterial habitats, such as soil, are only partially hydrated. In the latter, water is characteristically distributed as films on soil particles that are, on average thinner, than are typical OMV (ca. ≤10 nm water film vs. 20 to >200 nm OMV;). Methodology/Principal Findings: We have identified a new bacterial surface structure, termed a "nanopod", that is a conduit for projecting OMV significant distances (e.g., ≥6 µm) from the cell. Electron cryotomography was used to determine nanopod three-dimensional structure, which revealed chains of vesicles within an undulating, tubular element. By using immunoelectron microscopy, proteomics, heterologous expression and mutagenesis, the tubes were determined to be an assembly of a surface layer protein (NpdA), and the interior structures identified as OMV. Specific metabolic function(s) for nanopods produced by Delftia sp. Cs1-4 are not yet known. However, a connection with phenanthrene degradation is a possibility since nanopod formation was induced by growth on phenanthrene. Orthologs of NpdA were identified in three other genera of the Comamonadaceae family, and all were experimentally verified to form nanopods. Conclusions/Significance: Nanopods are new bacterial organelles, and establish a new paradigm in the mechanisms by which bacteria effect long-distance interactions with their environment. Specifically, they create a pathway through which cells can effectively deploy OMV, and the biological activity these transmit, in a diffusion-independent manner. Nanopods would thus allow environmental bacteria to expand their metabolic sphere of influence in a manner previously unknown for these organisms.
catena‐Poly[[silver(I)‐μ‐1,4‐di‐3‐pyridyl‐2,3‐diazabuta‐1,3‐diene] methanesulfonate]

The asymmetric unit in the polymeric title compound, {[Ag(C12H10N4)]CH3SO3}n, comprises two Ag atoms, a 4-pyridine­aldazine mol­ecule in a general position, two 4-pyridine­aldazine mol­ecules each disposed about a centre of inversion, and two methane­sulfonate anions. The Ag atoms are in linear geometries within N2 donor sets. The topology of the polymer is linear and the strands are connected into double chains via weak argentophilic Ag⋯Ag [3.2088 (10) A] inter­actions that stack along the b axis inter­spersed by the methane­sulfonate anions. These layers are consolidated in the crystal structure primarily via weak Ag⋯O contacts (Ag⋯O > 2.69 A).
Rethinking Alternatives to Guardianship

This article describes, compares, and analyzes the roles and functions of guardianship and several decision-making interventions previously identified as potential alternatives to guardianship. An analytical framework, comprised of capacity, risk, complexity, and support, is developed to assess performance expectations and identify limitations of four types of decision-making interventions. Using case examples to illustrate how the framework applies to practice, the capacity of different types of interventions to address needs and to substitute or divert older adults from guardianship is examined. The article concludes with propositions introduced to guide future research.
The Classical Roots of Poststructuralism: Lacan, Derrida, and Foucault

This paper argues that French poststructuralist theory does not represent a movement antithetical to Classics and the Classical Tradition, but should be read as its extension. Major recurring themes of poststructuralist thought are articulated at the beginning of the 1960’s in Lacan’s commentaries on Sophocles’Antigone and Plato’sSymposium. Derrida’s reading of thePhaedrus as well as his citation of the Platonic tradition in his dispute with Foucault over the latter’sHistoire de la folie further confirm the importance of the Hellenic tradition to poststructuralism’s engagement with occidental philosophy. Finally, Foucault’s late turn to Stoicism and the philosophers of the Roman imperial period can be seen as a response to and criticism of the positions established by Lacan and Derrida. The Classics are not only relevant to understanding poststructuralist theory and philosophy, but actually define the terms of its debates.
Human Behavior Based Exploratory Model for Successful Implementation of Lean Enterprise in Industry.

Currently available Lean tools such as Lean Assessments, Value Stream Mapping, and Process Flow Charting focus on system requirements and overlook human behavior. A need is felt for a tool that allows one to baseline personnel, determine personnel requirements and align system requirements with personnel requirements. Our exploratory model - The Personnel Behavior Based Lean Model (PBBL), attempts to ingrain the human perspective into Lean design. The model is both a result of our research into the workings of the human element in Lean production, as well as a tool for research. The model can baseline the current state of personnel and develop a strategy for behavioral change to aid Lean implementation efforts. Accumulation of historic data using the model can help to develop a human capability index in the lines of process capability index. The paper describes the development of the model and subsequent validation of the model through a case study. The case study also serves as a stepping-stone for future work and research suggested at the end of the paper.
Efficacy of a combination thromboxane receptor antagonist and lipoxygenase inhibitor in traumatic shock.

The effects of a thromboxane receptor antagonist having lipoxygenase inhibitory activity, L-655,240 (3-[1-(4-chlorobenzyl)-5-fluoro-3-methyl-indol-2-yl]2,2-dimethylpropa noic acid) (1 mg/kg per h) were studied in a standardized model of traumatic shock. Pentobarbital (35 mg/kg) anesthetized rats subjected to Noble-Collip drum trauma were characterized by a 82 +/- 12 min survival time, a 20-fold increase in plasma cathepsin D activity, and a 6-fold increase in plasma myocardial depressant factor (MDF) activity. L-655,240 significantly attenuated the accumulation of MDF activity in the plasma (74 +/- 3 vs. 46 +/- 4 units/ml), vehicle vs. drug, respectively, and significantly (P less than 0.01) prolonged survival time to 206 +/- 26 min. However, plasma cathepsin D was not significantly altered with L-655,240 administration during traumatic shock. L-655,240 at 20 micrograms/ml markedly attenuated minced rat lung fragments from producing LTC4 and LTD4.L-655,240 exhibited significant anti-proteolytic activity in pancreatic homogenates. Therefore, L-655,2340 does not stabilize lysosomal membranes directly, but exerts an anti-proteolytic action which appears to curtail the production of a myocardial depressant factor by the ischemic pancreas, thus protecting during traumatic shock. A combination anti-eicosanoid drug such as L-655,240 may therefore prove to be an important therapeutic agent in acute ischemic disorders including traumatic shock.
KRISHNA—an efficient concurrency control algorithm based on dynamic attributes of transactions and its performance

Abstract Concurrent transactions during their execution life acquire a number of attributes. We call them dynamic attributes of transactions. We have used them to develop a concurrency control mechanism, called KRISHNA, using a two-phase locking policy. To establish the usefulness of dynamic attributes in developing concurrency control mechanisms and to investigate the behaviour of KRISHNA we have studied their performance using a detailed simulation model. We show that KRISHNA outperforms a number of well-known concurrency control mechanisms based on a two-phase policy. We also show that the conflict-resolution policy of KRISHNA is comparatively more accurate in resolving conflicts, i.e., it selects the ‘right’ transaction for rolling back or blocking. We argue that implementing KRISHNA is not expensive compared to commonly used concurrency control mechanisms.
Analysis of flow between a wafer and pad during CMP processes

In this paper, we summarize the development of a numerical model for the chemical mechanical planarization (CMP) process and experimentally investigate the effects of pad conditioning on slurry transport and mixing. A simplified two-dimensional numerical model of slurry flow beneath a stationary wafer was developed to determine the pressure and shear stress beneath a wafer. The initial results indicate that in the hydrodynamic regime a positive upward pressure is exerted on the wafer. We also examined three cases to study pad effects on slurry transport; polishing with an Embossed Politex pad, an unconditioned IC1000 pad, and a conditioned IC1000 pad. Cab-O-Sperse SC1 slurry was used in a 1:1.5 dilution with water. Mixing data show that conditioning has a negligible effect on the rate of slurry entrainment and mixing; however, conditioning has a large effect on the thickness of the slurry layer between the wafer and pad. Conditioning was found to increase the slurry thickness by a factor of two. In addition the gradients in slurry age beneath the wafer were compared among the three cases. The IC1000 pads supported a gradient in the inner third of the wafer only, while the Embossed Politex pad showed a linear gradient across the wafer implying it retains pockets of unmixed slurry in the embossed topography.
SYNCHRONIZATION OF CHAOTIC NEURAL NETWORKS AND APPLICATIONS TO COMMUNICATIONS

Methods for synchronizing discrete time chaotic neural networks are presented with possible applications in single- or multi-user private communications. Chaotic neurons, characterized with a piecewise-linear N-shaped transfer function, are connected into Hopfield-like networks with parameters set for chaos. The networks are used as transmitter and receiver circuits in chaotic communications schemes. The first algorithm is a modification of simple chaotic masking which makes synchronization robust and insensitive to the perturbation from the added information signal. A mathematical proof and simulation results of the scheme are shown for small networks. We have verified the method experimentally, using single- and two-neuron circuits. The second algorithm utilizes modulation of the transmitting chaotic network by a binary bit stream and detection of the corresponding synchronization error at the receiver. A method for multiple-user chaotic communication is also presented, utilizing chaotic neurons and spread spectrum techniques. The effects of additive noise in the proposed communication schemes are considered and simulated. Synchronization of larger networks and possible applications are also discussed.
Biology and treatment of eosinophilic esophagitis.

Eosinophilic esophagitis is a recently recognized but expanding disorder characterized by antigen-driven eosinophil accumulation in the esophagus. Symptoms frequently mimic those of gastroesophageal reflux disease, but the diseases are distinct in their histopathology, gene expression signature, response to therapy, hereditary risk, and association with allergies. The pathogenesis of eosinophilic esophagitis involves environmental and genetic factors, particularly food antigens and expression level of the eosinophil chemoattractant eotaxin-3, respectively. Analyses of gene expression signatures and animal models have indicated the importance of adaptive T-cell immunity that involves interleukin-5 and interleukin-13–induced esophageal epithelial cell responses. Symptoms, dysregulation of esophageal gene expression, and pathology are largely reversible following reduced exposure to specific food antigens as well as anti-inflammatory therapy, but chronic treatment is necessary to prevent relapse. Therefore, eosinophilic esophagitis is a disease with unique features that include chronic esophagitis, atopy, immune sensitization to oral antigens, reversibility, and familial association.
Chain Link Deformation in the Nonlinear Dynamics of Tracked Vehicles

In this investigation, a computational finite element procedure for the deformation and stress analysis of the chain links of tracked vehicles is presented and used to examine the validity of using the static approach in the design and stress analysis of tracked vehicles. The contact forces resulting from the interaction between the track links and the vehicle components (sprocket, idler, and the rollers) as well as the interaction between the track links and the ground are evaluated using continuous force models, which are used to define generalized contact forces associated with the deformation degrees of freedom of the track links using the virtual work. The dynamic forces including the contact forces used in the finite element procedure developed in this investigation are evaluated using a 54-body vehicle model in which the track is modeled as a closed kinematic chain with 42 degrees of freedom. It is demonstrated in this study that the effect of the contact forces is more significant as compared to t...
Triply differential (e,2e) cross sections for He from threshold to 50 eV above

Distored wave calculations of the triply differential cross sections for electron-impact ionization of He are presented for electrons sharing ≤50 eV excess energy (E x ) and having the coplanar, θ 12 =π geometry. The results are in good agreement with absolute experimental measurements of T. Rosel et al. [Phys. Rev. A 46 (1992) 2539-2552] and of A. J. Murray, M. B. Woolf, and F. H. Read [J. Phys. B 25 (1992) 3021-3036]. For final state electrons sharing 2 eV excess energy equally, many-body perturbation theory corrections to the author's first order (e,2e) triply differential cross sections [Phys. Rev. A 45 (1992) 4588-4603] are also presented. These results indicate that singlet-triplet interchannel coupling effects in the final state are very significant; that initial state correlations are significant near the perpendicular plane, i.e., θ 1 =θ 2 =π/2; and that the polarization effects we include are insignificant. Finally, comparison of our first order results with the semiclassical quantal theory results of D. S. F. Crothers [J. Phys. B 19 (1986) 463-483] shows excellent agreeement for excess energies E x ≥2 eV and for θ 1 =θ 2 =π/2; for E x <2 eV, the two results diverge as E x →0, indicating that experimental tests of the Wannier-Peterkop-Rau theory of three-body Coulomb breakup should be carried out in this energy region
Automatic loop transformations and parallelization for Java

From a software engineering perspective, the Java programming language provides an attractive platform for writing numerically intensive applications. A major drawback hampering its widespread adoption in this domain has been its poor performance on numerical codes. This paper describes a prototype Java compiler which demonstrates that it is possible to achieve performance levels approaching those of current state-of-the-art C, C++ and Fortran compilers on numerical codes. We describe a new transformation called alias versioning that takes advantage of the simplicity of pointers in Java. This transformation, combined with other techniques that we have developed, enables the compiler to perform high order loop transformations (for better data locality) and parallelization completely automatically. We believe that our compiler is the first to have such capabilities of optimizing numerical Java codes. We achieve, with Java, between 80 and 100% of the performance of highly optimized Fortran code in a variety of benchmarks. Furthermore, the automatic parallelization achieves speedups of up to 3.8 on four processors. Combining this compiler technology with packages containing the features expected by programmers of numerical applications would enable Java to become a serious contender for implementing new numerical applications.
Fractional kinetic equation for Hamiltonian chaos

Abstract Hamiltonian chaotic dynamics of particles (or passive particles in fluids) can be described by a fractional generalization of the Fokker-Planck-Kolmogorov equation (FFPK) which is defined by two fractional critical exponents (α, β) responsible for the space and time derivatives of the distribution function correspondingly. A renormalization method has been proposed to determine (α, β) from the first principles (ie. from the Hamiltonian). The anomalous transport exponent μ is derived as μ = β/α or μ = β/2α for the first order mean displacement in self-similar transport.
When documents deceive: trust and provenance as new factors for information retrieval in a tangled web

This article outlines a personal view of the changing framework for information retrieval suggested by the Web environment, and then goes on to speculate about how some of these changes may manifest in upcoming generations of information retrieval systems. It also sketches some ideas about the broader context of trust management infrastructure that will be critical during this decade. The pursuit of these agendas is going to call for new collaborations between information scientists and a wide range of other disciplines
Proposed method of intracopdal injection and gelation of poly (vinyl alcohol) solution in vocal cords: polymer considerations

Intracordal polymer solution and/or suspension injection has potential in the swelling of paralysed or partially removed vocal cords to the midline laryngeal position. This technique allows the normally functioning cord to vibrate against the swollen one in order to produce sound. Polymeric systems which may possibly be used for the treatment of vocal cords are presented and analysed with special reference to poly(vinyl alcohol). Aqueous poly(vinyl alcohol) solution in concentrations of 3% to 10% (wt/wt) are gelled by glutaraldehyde. The gelation kinetics are followed and the gelation point, final crosslinking density and structure are determined in terms of the initial molar ratio of crosslinking agent to polymer. The mechanical properties of poly(vinyl alcohol) gels are discussed. Finally a proposed technique for the application of these systems for the treatment of certain vocal cord impairments is presented.
Effects of starvation and protein depletion on mercury retention in two strains of chickens.

Two strains of White Leghorn chickens designated as R and S have been developed from common parentage at this station1. When chickens of these two strains were injected intramuscularly with 3 mg mercury as phenyl-mercuric acetate (PMA) or mercuric chloride/kg/body-wt., 2–4 times more mercury was retained by the livers and kidneys of the R strain chickens than was retained by the same organs from the S strain chickens2,3. Lillis et al.4 reported a similar differential retention when chickens from these strains were injected with 9.1 mg copper as cupric acetate/kg/body-wt.
Plasticity of the parallel Fiber-Purkinje cell synapse by spine takeover and new synapse formation in the adult rat

Abstract Alteration in synaptic connectivity between Purkinje cell spines and parallel fibers of the cerebellum were studied following partial deafferentation of Purkinje cells in the adult rat. Transection of parallel fibers by two lesions placed at a 1 mm interval on the folial crest were used to produce degeneration of these afferents. Ultrastructural analysis of synapses on Purkinje cell spines revealed degeneration with vacating of postsynaptic sites within 6 h. Reactive synaptogenesis as takeover of Purkinje cell spines by formation of new synapses from remaining parallel fibers occurred even before degenerating parallel fibers had vacated postsynaptic sites. This was accompanied by a marked increase in the number of dual innervations by reactive parallel fibers within one day. Some vacated postsynaptic sites were lost as indicated by a reduction in the number of synapses and others may have been taken over by newly formed synapses on spines. In addition, new synapses formed between the shafts of Purkinje cell branchlets and parallel fibers. Sprouting of parallel fibers occurred as small extensions without tubules while Purkinje cell spines reacted by forming elongated and multiple heads which contacted different parallel fibers. After 5 days degenerating boutons were rarely found. Enlarged spine heads were each capped by a proportionally enlarged parallel fiber bouton and joined by an elongated synaptic junction to parallel fibers. Some parallel fiber boutons were greatly enlarged and capped numerous profiles of spines. This study shows that formation of new pre- and postsynaptic sites takes precedence over reoccupation of original contacts and that multiple synapses on individual spines are being eliminated to give rise to single contacts with boutons. This elimination resulted in enlargement of synaptic contact areas between Purkinje cell spines and parallel fibers by taking over postsynaptic sites from some vacated and eliminated boutons.
Assessment and validation of a microinjection method for kinetic analysis of [Ca2+]i in individual cells undergoing apoptosis.

Normal and malignant epithelial cells are induced to undergo apoptosis by a large variety of mechanistically diverse agents. Regardless of inducing agent, apoptosis characteristically occurs asynchronously within a population of epithelial cells over a period of 12-96 h and is associated with permeability and enzymatic perturbations. Pre-loading of cells with acetoxymethyl esters (AM) derivatives of fluorescent Ca2+ indicators (i.e. fura-2, indo-1, fluo-3) by passive diffusion allows longitudinal kinetic analysis of acute [Ca2+] changes subsequent to exposure to apoptosis inducing agents. Using prostate cancer cell lines, however, it is demonstrated that dye leakage and compartmentalization into organelles limit such passive loading to longitudinal [Ca2+]i measurements of < 2 h. Post-loading of cells exposed to the apoptosis inducing agent for several hours is also inaccurate owing to decreased loading efficiency and de-esterification of the probes resulting in increased production of fluorescent Ca(2+)-insensitive dye species. To accurately measure kinetics of [Ca2+]i changes longitudinally in individual cells undergoing apoptosis, cells were microinjected with fura dextran and maintained in a physiologic environment. [Ca2+] and morphological changes characteristic of apoptosis were then followed simultaneously in individual cells over several days following exposure to the apoptosis inducing agent.
Advanced Camera for Surveys coronagraph on the Hubble Space Telescope

The Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS) was installed in the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) during Servicing Mission 3B in early 2002. It includes a High Resolution Camera (0.025 arcsec/pixel) with a selectable coronagraphic mode. Because it was added after construction began on the instrument, this classical Lyot coronagraph must operate on the uncorrected, spherically aberrated beam from HST. The occulting spot is placed at the circle of least confusion, requiring relatively large spot diameters of 1.8 and 3.0 arcseconds. The Lyot stop is placed at the correcting mirror that compensates for spherical aberration. Despite this non-optimal configuration, the diffraction pattern is reduced by a factor of 5-10x, bringing it below the level of light scattered by the mid-spatial-frequency errors in the HST optics. Together with PSF subtraction, the PSF wings can be reduced by over 1000x. The coronagraph will provide high-resolution, high-contrast imaging over a large wavelength range (200-1000 nm).
C-terminal turn stability determines assembly differences between Aβ40 and Aβ42

Oligomerization of the amyloid β-protein (Aβ) is a seminal event in Alzheimer's disease. Aβ42, which is only two amino acids longer than Aβ40, is particularly pathogenic. Why this is so has not been elucidated fully. We report here results of computational and experimental studies revealing a C-terminal turn at Val36-Gly37 in Aβ42 that is not present in Aβ40. The dihedral angles of residues 36 and 37 in an Ile31-Ala42 peptide were consistent with β-turns, and a β-hairpin-like structure was indeed observed that was stabilized by hydrogen bonds and by hydrophobic interactions between residues 31-35 and residues 38-42. In contrast, Aβ(31-40) mainly existed as a statistical coil. To study the system experimentally, we chemically synthesized Aβ peptides containing amino acid substitutions designed to stabilize or destabilize the hairpin. The triple substitution Gly33Val-Val36Pro-Gly38Val ("VPV") facilitated Aβ42 hexamer and nonamer formation, while inhibiting formation of classical amyloid-type fibrils. These assemblies were as toxic as were assemblies from wild-type Aβ42. When substituted into Aβ40, the VPV substitution caused the peptide to oligomerize similarly to Aβ42. The modified Aβ40 was significantly more toxic than Aβ40. The double substitution d-Pro36-l-Pro37 abolished hexamer and dodecamer formation by Aβ42 and produced an oligomer size distribution similar to that of Aβ40. Our data suggest that the Val36-Gly37 turn could be the sine qua non of Aβ42. If true, this structure would be an exceptionally important therapeutic target.
Abstract 2210: Quantification of the relative amount of mouse and human DNA in cancer xenografts using species-specific gene length variations

Human cancer cell lines and xenografts are valuable samples for whole-genome sequencing of human cancer. Tumors can be maintained by serial xenografting in athymic (nude) or severe combined immunodeficient (SCID) mice. Critical to next generation based sequencing is the relative proportions of human and mouse DNA. In the current study, we developed a molecular assay to quantify the relative contributions of human and mouse in mixed DNA samples. The assay was designed based on deletion/insertion variation between human and mouse genomes. The percentage of mouse DNA was calculated according to the relative peak heights of PCR products analyzed by capillary electrophoresis. Three markers from chromosomes 9 and 10 accurately predicted the mouse genome ratio and were combined into a multiplex PCR reaction. We used the assay to quantify the relative DNA amounts of 93 mouse xenografts used for a recently reported integrated genomic analysis of human pancreatic cancer. Of the 93 xenografts, the mean % of contaminating mouse DNA was 47%, ranging from 17% to 73%, with 43% of samples having greater than 50% mouse DNA. We then comprehensively compared the human and mouse genomes to identify 370 additional candidate gene loci demonstrating human-mouse length variation. With increasing use of whole genome sequencing of human cancers, this assay should be useful to monitor strategies to enrich human cancer cells from mixed human-mouse cell xenografts. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2010 Apr 17-21; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2010;70(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 2210.
Content analysis via concept elaboration theory

This presentation has been necessarily brief. Adequate instruction in the use of elaboration theory as in preparing a learning hierarchy requires considerable practice and can hardly be adequately taught in a short paper. Nevertheless, we have suggested that as used in instructional development for sequencing subject matter content learning hierarchies are a useful step in analysis of component skills but may not provide sufficient synthesis for sequencing instruction in complex interrelated procedures and principles. Concept elaboration theory has been suggested as a more adequate design tool for structuring, sequencing and determining presentation strategies for such complex subject matter. The premise of elaboration theory is that the underlying principle should be taught first accompanied by the simplest complete procedure. This initial presentation of theepitome should then be elaborated with an alternating sequence of segregated and integrated presentations which enable the student to learn the component concepts and to put them together in integrated practice. Each cycle of elaboration introduces more complexity until the student has acquired the terminal procedure.
Retrofitting Detention Basin with Water Quality Control Pool

Many detention basins built before 1990 are not equipped with storm-water quality control device. With the latest developments in low impact development for storm-water management, these existing detention basins need modifications on their outlet structures to increase on-site runoff treatment and disposal. An outlet shall be designed to have, at least, three levels of release, including water quality release over 12–48 h, low flow release for 10-year event, and 100-year high flow release. All these efforts are to aim at the full spectrum runoff treatment that is not only to capture the minor and major events but also to store microevents. Over the years, the empirical methods under different assumptions have been developed for determining the design storm-water quality control volume (WQCV). To improve the consistency in storm-water detention designs, this paper presents a mathematical model that produces the synthetic runoff-volume capture curves normalized by the local average rainfall event-depth. A ...
Mice intradermally-inoculated with the intact lipopolysaccharide, but not the lipid A or O-chain, from Francisella tularensis LVS rapidly acquire varying degrees of enhanced resistance against systemic or aerogenic challenge with virulent strains of the pathogen

The present study examines the relationship between the structure and important biological effects of the lipopolysaccharide (LPS) of the intracellular bacterial pathogen, Francisella tularensis LVS. It shows that treating mice with sub-immunogenic amounts of intact F. tularensis LPS rapidly induces an enhanced resistance to intradermal or aerogenic challenge with strains of the pathogen of varying virulence. However, neither the free Lipid A nor core-O-chain produced by mild acid hydrolysis of LPS appeared able to elicit this host defense mechanism.
Fluorometric Determination of Folacin in Biological Materials Using High Performance Liquid Chromatography

A procedure was developed for the quantitation of the major folacin compounds present in foods and other biological materials. Extraction conditions were selected to provide conversion of 10-formyltetrahydrofolic acid (10-HCO-H4folic acid) to 5-HCO-H4folic acid. Polyglutamyl folates were deconjugated with hog kidney conjugase. The resulting folacin monoglutamates were separated by reverse-phase high performance liquid chromatography after extract purification on an anion exchange column. Detection of H4folic acid and its substituted derivatives was performed by monitoring the native fluorescence of the reduced folates in the acidic mobile phase. Folic acid, H2folic acid and also H4folic acid were measured fluorometrically by using an oxidative postcolumn derivatization system in series with the first fluorometer. Detection limits ranged from 0.03 to 2.3 pmol/100 microliters injection for the various folates. The validity of the method was supported by recovery and fluorescence spectral studies and by comparison with Lactobacillus casei assays for a variety of samples. Analysis of rat liver following a single pulse dose of 3H-labeled folic acid indicated large differences between the patterns of radiolabeled and endogenous folates.
An analysis of nature in three African American autobiographical narratives

The study of race/ethnicity and leisure has been an area of great interest to researchers since at least the 1970s. Numerous studies have shown that differences exist in the ways people from different racial/ethnic groups participate in outdoor recreation (Floyd, 1998). Most of these studies have found that racial and ethnic minorities (i.e. non-White groups) participate in many outdoor recreation activities at proportionally lower levels than do Whites. However, many of these studies have not examined the socio-cultural history of the relationship between race and nature. In this study we analyzed narrative and historical autobiographical accounts of African Americans from the three major racial eras in United States history in order to examine African Americans’ relationship with nature over time. The slavery era is examined through Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass: An American Slave by Frederick Douglass (written in 1845); the Jim Crow segregation era is examined through Darkwater: Voices from Within the Veil by W. E. B. DuBois (originally published in 1920); and the contemporary era is examined through Mississippi Solo by Eddy Harris (published in 1988). Each of these works allows a glimpse into the relationship of the author with nature and outdoor recreation. The authors of each book shared a reverence for and a fear of nature, while each encountered nature in unique and different ways. Taken together, the three works offer us a deep and expansive glimpse into the complicated relationship between the wild places of our country and African American people.
Succinoglycan Is Required for Initiation and Elongation of Infection Threads during Nodulation of Alfalfa by Rhizobium meliloti

Rhizobium meliloti Rm1021 must be able to synthesize succinoglycan in order to invade successfully the nodules which it elicits on alfalfa and to establish an effective nitrogen-fixing symbiosis. Using R. meliloti cells that express green fluorescent protein (GFP), we have examined the nature of the symbiotic deficiency of exo mutants that are defective or altered in succinoglycan production. Our observations indicate that an exoY mutant, which does not produce succinoglycan, is symbiotically defective because it cannot initiate the formation of infection threads. An exoZ mutant, which produces succinoglycan without the acetyl modification, forms nitrogen-fixing nodules on plants, but it exhibits a reduced efficiency in the initiation and elongation of infection threads. An exoH mutant, which produces symbiotically nonfunctional high-molecular-weight succinoglycan that lacks the succinyl modification, cannot form extended infection threads. Infection threads initiate at a reduced rate and then abort before they reach the base of the root hairs. Overproduction of succinoglycan by the exoS96::Tn5 mutant does not reduce the efficiency of infection thread initiation and elongation, but it does significantly reduce the ability of this mutant to colonize the curled root hairs, which is the first step of the invasion process. The exoR95::Tn5 mutant, which overproduces succinoglycan to an even greater extent than the exoS96::Tn5 mutant, has completely lost its ability to colonize the curled root hairs. These new observations lead us to propose that succinoglycan is required for both the initiation and elongation of infection threads during nodule invasion and that excess production of succinoglycan interferes with the ability of the rhizobia to colonize curled root hairs.
Water/Icy Super-Earths: Giant Impacts and Maximum Water Content

Water-rich super-Earth exoplanets are expected to be common. We explore the effect of late giant impacts on the final bulk abundance of water in such planets. We present the results from smoothed particle hydrodynamics simulations of impacts between differentiated water(ice)-rock planets with masses between 0.5 and 5 M ⊕ and projectile to target mass ratios from 1:1 to 1:4. We find that giant impacts between bodies of similar composition never decrease the bulk density of the target planet. If the commonly assumed maximum water fraction of 75 wt% for bodies forming beyond the snow line is correct, giant impacts between similar composition bodies cannot serve as a mechanism for increasing the water fraction. Target planets either accrete materials in the same proportion, leaving the water fraction unchanged, or lose material from the water mantle, decreasing the water fraction. The criteria for catastrophic disruption of water-rock planets are similar to those found in previous work on super-Earths of terrestrial composition. Changes in bulk composition for giant impacts onto differentiated bodies of any composition (water rock or rock iron) are described by the same equations. These general laws can be incorporated into future N-body calculations of planet formation to track changes in composition from giant impacts.
Contending With Capitalism: Political Economic Analysis of Eco-Activism on Whale Wars

It is both reality television and eco-tainment. It heralds and marginalizes the environmental movement, supports and contradicts the very goals it aims to make public. In 2008, Whale Wars took to the small screen as Animal Planet Network turned to the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society to create a reality program concerned with environmental activism. Using political economy to explore the first 2 seasons of Whale Wars programming, research suggests that although Whale Wars is framed as the movement's chance to raise environmental consciousness through a mass media platform, the program concomitantly marginalizes the Sea Shepherd's message in exchange for the components that are integral to a lucrative reality program.
High quantum efficiency of near-infrared emission in bismuth doped AlGeP-silica fiber

A self-calibrating method is described for measuring the radiative quantum efficiency (QE) in doped optical fibers. The method uses an integrating sphere to collect the fluorescence from the fiber, with pump light transmitted through the fiber end serving as a reference. QE measurements for a 780 or 808 nm pump were made on bismuth-doped AlGeP-silica fibers prepared by aerosol deposition. For both wavelengths, a value of QE=1.0+/-0.05 was obtained. Fluorescence was observed in two bands centered around 800 and 1300 nm, and the relative strength of these bands was found to vary with the pump wavelength.
A giant cavernous hemangioma of the liver extending into the pelvis.

Introduction Giant cavernous hemangiomas are the most common tumors of the liver, ocurring in up to 20% of the general population. Given their benign course, asymptomatic nature and slow growth rate, treatment is rarely indicated. The case presented herein is unique as it describes an uncommon presentation of this common tumor and the circumstances in which surgical treatment is beneficial.