cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Tightening polybenzimidazole (PBI) nanostructure via chemical cross-linking for membrane H2/CO2 separation

Membranes that permeate H2 and reject CO2 at temperatures above 150 °C are of great interest for low-cost H2 purification and pre-combustion CO2 capture. One of the leading polymers for this separation is poly[2,2′-(m-phenylene)-5,5′-bisbenzimidazole] (PBI), which has good thermal stability and high H2/CO2 selectivity. This study, for the first time, demonstrates that H2/CO2 selectivity can be significantly enhanced by chemical cross-linking of PBI in solid state, in distinct contrast with the literature where cross-linking PBI in solutions decreased H2/CO2 selectivity. We prepared a series of cross-linked PBIs by immersing PBI thin films in terephthaloyl chloride solutions for varying times to achieve different degrees of cross-linking, and then systematically investigated the effect of cross-linking on physical properties including gel content, thermal stability, cross-linking density, fractional free volume (FFV) and inter-chain spacing. Gas sorption and pure- and mixed-gas permeation properties were determined at temperatures ranging from 35 to 200 °C. Cross-linking decreased CO2 sorption and significantly increased H2/CO2 selectivity with a slight decrease in H2 permeability. For example, after cross-linking of PBI, the H2/CO2 selectivity increased from 15 to 23 while the H2 permeability decreased from 45 to 39 Barrers at 200 °C. The performance of this cross-linked PBI surpasses the Robeson's upper bound estimated at 200 °C, indicating its promise for H2 purification and CO2 capture.
The pedagogical benefits of enacting positive psychology practices through a student–faculty partnership approach to academic development

Academic development that supports the enactment of positive psychology practices through student–faculty pedagogical partnership can increase faculty confidence and capacity in their first year in a new institution. When student partners practice affirmation and encouragement of strengths-based growth, processes of faculty acclimation and self-authoring can be accelerated. This article presents a student–faculty pedagogical partnership program and positive psychology practices that focus on faculty strengths and capacities as the foundation for reinforcing and revising existing pedagogical strategies and for sustaining energy for continued development. It combines collaborative autoethnographic and comparative case study approaches to investigate the pedagogical benefits of these practices.
Mass spectrometry methods for detecting monoclonal immunoglobulins in multiple myeloma minimal residual disease

Mass spectrometry methods that can detect low levels of monoclonal immunoglobulin in serum have recently been developed. These assays are based on the principle that each immunoglobulin has a unique amino acid sequence and therefore, has a unique mass. This mass can be used as a surrogate marker in order to monitor a patient's disease over time and at low levels. Here, we explain these methods, discuss their advantages and disadvantages and how they may be used to monitor monoclonal immunoglobulins for minimal residual disease detection in multiple myeloma.
The Biomedical Writer: What You Need to Succeed in Academic Medicine

Co-authored by a leading ophthalmology researcher and a professor with fifteen years of experience teaching writing in the biomedical sciences, The Biomedical Writer addresses ways to use psychology and neuroscience to equip researchers and clinicians with an understanding of how effects like priming, primacy, recency, framing, and apparent paradoxes can make or break your articles and grant proposals. The Biomedical Writer covers everything from making sentences readable, effective, and memorable to working with collaborators under unforgiving deadlines. Going far beyond the basic structure and content of manuscripts and proposals, this guide to writing in biomedicine also focuses on topics that include handling negative results and the most important and neglected step in submitting manuscripts to journals.
Photocontrolled Nanoparticles for On-Demand Release of Proteins

We describe here light-regulated swelling and degradation features of polymeric nanoparticles that are produced using an inverse microemulsion polymerization method. We demonstrate the phototriggered release characteristics of the nanoparticles by sequestering protein molecules and releasing them using light as a trigger. Furthermore, the intracellular translocation of the nanoparticles, along with its fluorescent protein payload, was achieved using a cell-penetrating peptide-based surface modification. We expect that the noncovalent encapsulation of proteins using nanoparticles and their photo triggered release using an external light would provide opportunities for achieving intracellular release of molecular therapeutics for on-demand requirements.
Reconstruction of Nasal Sidewall and Dorsum

A 56-year-old man presented with progressive swelling over the bridge of the nose during the preceding 3 years. Eighteen years earlier, an adenoid cystic carcinoma was removed from the right nasal passage in the area of the upper lateral cartilage. Examination revealed a 3 × 2.5 cm immobile mass in the area of the rhinion (Fig. 25.1). There was no visible mass noted on inspection of the nasal airway. Biopsy of the tumor revealed an adenoid cystic carcinoma. Computerized axial tomography demonstrated only limited erosion of the nasal septum. There was no apparent involvement by tumor of the ethmoid cells or nasal bones. Tumor resection necessitated a partial rhinectomy that included resection of the right upper lateral cartilage, both nasal bones, portions of the dorsal cartilaginous and bony nasal septum, and all of the skin covering the upper and middle nasal vaults. Surgical margins were free of malignancy.
Common Nighthawks (Chordeiles minor) in the Western Corn Belt: Habitat Associations and Population Effects of Grassland and Rooftop Nesting Habitat Conversion

Grassland habitat in the Northern Prairie region of North America has been greatly reduced since historical times, and conversion to agricultural row-crop production has recently intensified this decline. Common Nighthawk (Chordeiles minor) nesting habitat includes grasslands and flat, gravel rooftops, but relative occurrence of nighthawks in these habitats in the Northern Prairie region has not been previously quantified. We conducted point counts at 396 sites within two study areas in South Dakota, Nebraska, and Iowa; an eastern region dominated by row-crop agriculture and a western region with more grassland within the landscape. We compared land cover at points where nighthawks were present between the two regions and found higher incidences of cropland and grassland in the western region and higher developed land cover in the eastern region. We also compared land cover surrounding points where birds were present vs. absent for both regions combined and found greater cropland around points without birds and greater developed land cover around points with birds. We used Generalized Linear Models (GLMs) with binomial distributions to examine nighthawk presence relative to landscape variables, and ranked models with AICc. In the eastern study region, developed land cover was positively associated with nighthawk presence and cropland showed a weak negative trend with nighthawk presence. Nighthawks in the western region showed a positive association with cropland; suggesting that cropland has a positive effect on nighthawk occurrence, presumably by providing foraging opportunities, if grassland is present within the landscape at sufficient levels. If 2006-2015 regional conversion rates of grasslands and gravel rooftops continue, Markov models project suitable breeding habitat will decrease to levels where nighthawks might be extirpated as breeding birds from urban regions of the Western Corn Belt by 2026 and with substantial population reductions over the entire Northern Prairie region by 2106.
Process Trumps Protocol: What I Liked About Hofmann and Hayes:

Hofmann and Hayes (this issue, p. 37) argue for a move away from a reliance on a medical illness model in which rigid therapy protocols are targeted at presumed disease entities in favor of a more ...
Identity Integration Promotes Women’s Negotiation Outcomes via Displays of Dominance and Warmth

Women must often adopt male stereotypical behaviors to improve their negotiation outcomes, yet when they do so they face social backlash. The present research shows that women achieve better econom...
Routine Absorption Mode FTMS Data Display with an Ethoxylated Anionic Detergent as a Dual-Role (Mass and Phase) Calibrant.

Absorption mode display of Fourier transform mass spectrometry (FTMS) data is known to improve both peak shape and resolution. Most FTMS data, however, are shown in magnitude mode due to the lack of a routine for determining the phase of ions that are necessary for absorption mode display. Despite the recent development of phase calibration methods, the use of absorption mode processing as a routine has been inhibited by the lack of a good phase calibration standard, particularly a standard that can be used as both a mass and a phase calibrant. A dual-role calibrant will enable the consolidation of mass and phase calibration into a single step making phase calibration as accessible as mass calibration without any incremental increase in complexity in the calibration procedure. We tested a series of detergents and found Triton QS-15, an anionic detergent, suitable as a dual-role calibrant. Additionally, Triton QS-15 produces both positive and negative ion series and thus can be used as a calibrant in both ionization modes. The establishment of a phase calibration routine helps to enable the application of FTMS in areas that require extreme mass resolution. One of the areas is the separation of the fine isotopic peaks of molecules with a large molecular mass (e.g., > 500 u). For data acquired using an ion cyclotron resonance instrument with a small magnet (e.g., 7 Tesla), there may not be adequate mass resolution to establish a useful isotopic fine structure if the data is displayed in the historical magnitude mode. A mere switch to the absorption mode display makes the isotopic fine structure (IFS) readily available for molecular formula determination. x
Influence of prior pH and thermal stresses on thermal tolerance of foodborne pathogens

Improper food processing is one of the major causes of foodborne illness. Accurate prediction of the thermal destruction rate of foodborne pathogens is therefore vital to ensure proper processing and food safety. When bacteria are subjected to pH and thermal stresses during growth, sublethal stresses can occur that may lead to differences in their subsequent tolerance to thermal treatment. As a preliminary study to test this concept, the current study evaluated the effect of prior pH and thermal stresses on thermal tolerance of Salmonella and Staphylococcus using a tryptic soy broth supplemented with yeast extract. Bacteria incubated at three pH values (6.0, 7.4, and 9.0) and four temperatures (15, 25, 35, and 45°C) for 24 hr were subjected to thermal treatments at 55, 60, and 65°C. At the end of each treatment time, bacterial suspensions were surface-plated on standard method agar for quantification of bacterial survival and further calculation of the thermal death decimal reduction time (D-value) and thermal destruction temperature (z-value). The effect of pH stress alone during the incubation on the thermal tolerance of both bacteria was generally insignificant. An increasing pattern of D-value was observed with the increment of thermal stress (incubation temperature). The bacteria incubated at 35°C required the highest z-value to reduce the 90% in D-values. Staphylococcus mostly displayed higher tolerance to thermal treatment than Salmonella. Although further research is needed to validate the current findings on food matrices, findings in this study clearly affirm that adaptation of bacteria to certain stresses may reduce the effectiveness of preservation procedures applied during later stage of food processing and storage.
HDAC7 regulates histone 3 lysine 27 acetylation and transcriptional activity at super-enhancer-associated genes in breast cancer stem cells

Chromatin regulation through histone modifications plays an essential role in coordinated expression of multiple genes. Alterations in chromatin induced by histone modifiers and readers regulate critical transcriptional programs involved in both normal development and tumor differentiation. Recently, we identified that histone deacetylases HDAC1 and HDAC7 are necessary to maintain cancer stem cells (CSCs) in both breast and ovarian tumors. Here, we sought to investigate the CSC-specific function of HDAC1 and HDAC7 mechanistically by using a stem-like breast cancer (BrCa) cell model BPLER and matched nonstem tumor cell (nsTC)-like HMLER, along with conventional BrCa cell lines with different CSC enrichment levels. We found that HDAC1 and HDAC3 inhibition or knockdown results in HDAC7 downregulation, which is associated with a decrease in histone 3 lysine 27 acetylation (H3K27ac) at transcription start sites (TSS) and super-enhancers (SEs) prominently in stem-like BrCa cells. Importantly, these changes in chromatin landscape also correlate with the repression of many SE-associated oncogenes, including c-MYC, CD44, CDKN1B, SLUG, VDR, SMAD3, VEGFA, and XBP1. In stem-like BrCa cells, HDAC7 binds near TSS and to SEs of these oncogenes where it appears to contribute to both H3K27ac and transcriptional regulation. These results suggest that HDAC7 inactivation, directly or through inhibition of HDAC1 and HDAC3, can result in the inhibition of the CSC phenotype by downregulating multiple SE-associated oncogenes. The CSC selective nature of this mechanism and the prospect of inhibiting multiple oncogenes simultaneously makes development of HDAC7 specific inhibitors a compelling objective.
Body Image and Sexual Behavior Among Adult Men Who "Hook Up".

Understanding the psychosocial variables associated with sexual behavior is critical, particularly among high-risk individuals such as those who hook-up. It is possible body image is one of these v...
Olefin Insertion Reactivity of a (Phosphine-arenesulfonate)Palladium(II) Fluoride Complex

The synthesis of the phosphine-arenesulfonate Pd(II) fluoride complex (PO-OMe)PdF(lut) (2, PO-OMe = P(2-OMe-Ph)2(2-SO3-5-Me-Ph), lut = 2,6-lutidine) and its reactions with electron-deficient olefin...
Hepatic resection for breast cancer liver metastases: Impact of intrinsic subtypes

Abstract Introduction The role of surgery for breast cancer liver metastases (BCLM) remains controversial. This study aimed to analyze survival in patients treated with hepatectomy plus systemic therapy or systemic therapy alone for BCLM and to determine selection factors to guide surgical therapy. Materials and methods Patients who underwent hepatectomy plus systemic therapy (n = 136) and systemic therapy alone for isolated BCLM (n = 763) were compared. Overall survival (OS) was analyzed after propensity score matching. Intrinsic subtypes were defined as: luminal A (estrogen receptor [ER]+ and/or progesterone receptor positive [PR]+, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 [HER2]–), luminal B (ER and/or PR+, HER2+), HER2-enriched (ER and PR–, HER2+), and basal-like (ER, PR, HER2–). Results After hepatectomy, independent predictors of poor OS were number and size of liver metastases, and intrinsic subtype (hazard ratios, 1.11, 1.16, and 4.28, respectively). Median OS was 75 and 81 months among patients with luminal B and HER2-enriched subtypes, compared with 17 and 53 months among patients with basal-like and luminal A subtypes (P Conclusion Surgical resection of BCLM yielded higher OS compared with systemic therapy alone and prolonged PFS among patients with the HER2-enriched subtype. These findings support the use of surgical therapy in appropriately selected patients, based on intrinsic subtypes.
Development of a Platform for Metabolic Predictions of a Stroke for the Elderly Population

In this study, Glucose level, HDL-C, Age will be used as biomarkers for the prediction of a stroke in the elderly population. Using big data, additional biomarker lists can be obtained. Glucose level, lipid, blood pressure (BP), and diabetic control data will be obtained. Moreover, genomic information will be collected to identify population association in stroke susceptibility. I will collect stroke-related data such as diet information, smoke, age, blood tests and medical histories for as many as 30 thousand elderly patients in Seoul KOREA. For the analysis of data, the commonly used tool is ADMIXTURE, which performs maximum likelihood estimation of correlation among datasets.
Quantifying the evaporation rate of sessile droplets using a quartz crystal microbalance

This study quantifies the evaporation rate of sessile droplets using a quartz crystal microbalance (QCM). Specifically, we analyze the evaporation of water droplets on a gold-coated flat surface exposed to dry nitrogen at different temperatures. In this approach, we use the QCM as a radius sensor and determine the contact angle by droplet imaging, which allows calculating the instantaneous volume and the evaporation rate. For comparison, we quantify evaporation using computational modeling and an experimental technique based on droplet imaging alone. In general, the QCM-based approach was found to provide higher accuracy and a better agreement with the model predictions compared to the approach using imaging only. With modeling and experiments, we also elucidate the role of droplet self-cooling, vapor advection, and diffusion on the net rate of evaporation of sessile droplets. For all the conditions analyzed in this study, the evaporation rate was found to decrease monotonically. We found this reduction to take place even in the presence of a steadily increasing droplet temperature due to a shrinking evaporation area. Considering the vapor transport mechanisms occurring in the ambient, we find diffusion to be the rate-limiting process controlling the net evaporation rate of the droplet.
Prolongation of definitive head and neck cancer radiotherapy: Survival impact and predisposing factors.

Abstract Background and purpose To quantify the survival impact of prolongation of definitive radiotherapy (RT) for head and neck cancer in a national, modern cohort, and to identify predictive factors for prolongation. Materials and methods The National Cancer Database was queried for adults with non-metastatic cancer of the nasopharynx, oropharynx, larynx, or hypopharynx diagnosed 2004–2015, treated with definitive RT to 66–70 Gy in 30–35 fractions at 2–2.2 Gy per fraction. Multivariable Cox regression and propensity score matching were used to model the survival impact of RT prolongation, adjusting for potential confounders such as age and comorbidity. Predictors of RT prolongation were identified using multivariable multinomial logistic regression. Results In total, 36,367 patients were identified. As a continuous variable, RT prolongation increased the relative hazard of death by 2% per day (P 8 days) had lower absolute 4-year overall survival by 4% and 12%, respectively (P 11.5 patients/year). Conclusion RT prolongation, especially >8 days, is significantly deleterious. Systemic therapy and facility volume were major predictors. Early identification of patients at increased risk of treatment interruptions may facilitate implementation of preventive measures.
The Clinical Management of Cholangiocarcinoma in the United States and Europe: A Comprehensive and Evidence-Based Comparison of Guidelines

The incidence of cholangiocarcinoma has doubled over the last 15 years with a similar rise in mortality, which provides the impetus for standardization of evidence-based care through the establishment of guidelines. We compared available guidelines on the clinical management of cholangiocarcinoma in the United States and Europe, which included the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN), European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO), British Society of Gastroenterology (BSG) and the International Liver Cancer Association (ILCA) guidelines. There is discordance in the recommendation for biopsy in patients with potentially resectable cholangiocarcinoma and in the recommendation for use of fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography scans. Similarly, the recommendation for preoperative biliary drainage for extrahepatic and perihilar cholangiocarcinoma in the setting of jaundice is inconsistent across all four guidelines. The BILCAP (capecitabine) and ABC-02 trials (gemcitabine with cisplatin) have provided the strongest evidence for systemic therapy in the adjuvant and palliative settings, respectively, but all guidelines have refrained from setting them as standard of care, given heterogeneity in the study cohorts and ABC-02’s negative intention-to-treat results. Future progress in enhancing survivorship of patients with cholangiocarcinoma would likely entail improvements in diagnostic biomarkers and novel systemic therapies. Based on recent results from studies of targeted therapy, future iterations of the guidelines will likely incorporate molecular profiling.
Benefits of Both Physical Assessments and Electronic Health Record Information to Assess Frailty Prior to Heart Transplant

Purpose Frailty is the deterioration of physiological reserve, decreasing resiliency to health stressors. Frail patients awaiting heart transplant are at risk for adverse outcomes after transplant, but the optimal way to assess frailty prior to transplant remains unknown. This study examined the relationship between physical and chart review based frailty assessments in heart transplant candidates and evaluated each assessment with respect to transplant status. Methods In this single-center, observational study, 44 heart transplant candidates were assessed for frailty using three methods. Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB) and Fried Frailty Phenotype (FFP) were used as two physical assessments of frailty. Frailty Risk Score (FRS) was used as a chart review assessment of 20 different biopsychosocial and functional components, including biomarkers, depression, social support, cognitive impairment and sleep. We then determined the correlation between SPPB, FFP, and FRS and the difference in frailty status for three clinical outcomes: waitlist status, transplant status and mortality. Results Of 44 participants, mean age was 60 years. Mean SPPB score was 7.1 out of 12, mean FFP score was 3.1 out of 5, and mean FRS was 7.1 out of 20. FRS significantly correlated with SPPB and FFP (R2 = 0.101, p = 0.043; R2 = 0.313, p = Conclusion SPPB and chart review FRS are potential predictors of waitlist and transplant status in heart transplant candidates, whereas SPPB and FFP were associated with mortality. Research in a larger cohort is ongoing.
Adult neuromarkers of sustained attention and working memory predict inter- and intra-individual differences in these processes in youth

Sustained attention and working memory are central cognitive processes that vary between individuals, fluctuate over time, and have consequences for life and health outcomes. Here we characterize the functional brain architecture of these abilities in 9-11-year-old children using models based on functional magnetic resonance imaging functional connectivity. Using data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study, we asked whether connectome-based models built to predict sustained attention and working memory in adults generalize to capture inter- and intra-individual differences in sustained attention and working memory performance in youth. Results revealed that a predefined connectome-based model of sustained attention predicted children9s performance on the 0-back task, an attentionally taxing low-working-memory-load task. A predefined connectome-based model of working memory, on the other hand, also predicted performance on the 2-back task, an attentionally taxing high-working-memory-load task. The sustained attention model9s predictive power was comparable to that achieved when predicting adults9 0-back performance and by a connectome-based model of cognition defined in the ABCD sample itself. Finally, the working memory model predicted children9s recognition memory for n-back task stimuli. Together these results demonstrate that connectome-based models of sustained attention and working memory generalize to youth, reflecting the functional architecture of these processes in the developing brain.
Studies on isolated cell components: V. The effects of various solutions on the nuclear envelope of the isolated rat liver nucleus

Abstract A number of salt solutions have been shown to cause tenuous blebs or blisters to rise from the surface of isolated rat liver nuclei. These have included solutions of NaCl, KCl, and K-phosphate (pH 7.0–7.4) in concentrations ranging from 0.001 M to 1.0 M, and CaCl2 and MgCl2 in concentrations ranging from 0.001 to 0.25 M. A large number of very small blebs were also observed in distilled water. The largest blebs were observed in dilute (0.001 to 0.01 M) solutions of MgCl2 and CaCl2. The addition of sucrose in a concentration of 0.145 M was found to inhibit effectively bleb formation in a number of salt solutions, and to cause bleb retraction when added to bleb-forming solutions. Sucrose, in a concentration as low as 0.05 M, has been shown to prevent bleb formation by 0.001 M MgCl2. On the basis of index of refraction differences observed with the phase contrast microscope, it is concluded that the nuclear blebs are relatively impermeable to protein, but may contain protein which has previously penetrated the nuclear envelope. A possible mechanism of bleb formation is presented.
Abstract 4208: Suppressor of Cytokine Signaling (SOCS)-3 and the C-X-C chemokines CXCL1 and CXCL2 promote tumor aggessiveness and radiation resistance in pancreatic cancer

Despite recent advances in our understanding of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDA), it remains a poorly understood, devastating disease that is largely resistant to all standard treatment modalities. Much effort has been made to identify novel tumor suppressor genes, biomarkers of metastatic behavior, and targets for molecular therapeutics that can improve prognosis and quality of life for PDA patients. Despite the finding that the pro-inflammatory C-X-C family chemokines CXCL1 and CXCL2 are expressed in a significant fraction of human PDA tissues and are known to promote metastasis in bladder and breast cancer, very little is known of its regulation and its role in the progression of PDA. Our laboratory has identified a mechanism by which CXCL1 expression is regulated in human PDA. CXCL1/2 expression is repressed by the Signal Transducer and Activator of Transcription (STAT)-3 and conversely, the Suppressor of Cytokine Signaling (SOCS)-3, a STAT3 inhibitor, promotes CXCL1/2 gene activation and pro-inflammatory signaling in murine embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) and human PDA cell lines. Ectopic expression of SOCS3 in the ASPC1 PDA cell line induces CXCL1 and CXCL2 expression and drives resistance to radiation and gemcitibine treatment. Further, using an orthotopic xenograft model of human PDA in immunodeficient mice, we demonstrated the in vivo relevance of this pathway. We found that mice injected with human SOCS3-positive human PDA cells have a survival time compared and develop more aggressive disease compared to mice injected with control cells. We hypothesize that CXCL1and CXCL2 promote human PDA pathogenesis by two mechanisms: (i) autocrine activation of the CXCR2 receptor expressed on human pancreatic cancer cells and (ii) pro-inflammatory recruitment of neutrophils to the tumor microenvironment. Citation Format: Sisi Jiang, Evangeline Mose, Giovanni Coppola, Andrew Lowy, Christina Jamieson, Nicholas A. Cacalano. Suppressor of Cytokine Signaling (SOCS)-3 and the C-X-C chemokines CXCL1 and CXCL2 promote tumor aggessiveness and radiation resistance in pancreatic cancer. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr 4208. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-4208
The Holy Guide-Book and the Sword of the Lord: How Melville Used the Bible in Redburn and White-Jacket

In his first three books Herman Melville had assumed a variety of attitudes toward the Bible: he had embraced it, scowled at it, queried it, mimicked it, and cribbed from it?as he would continue doing throughout his long career as a novelist and poet. For Melville scripture remained a currency no less subject to the vagaries of individual perception than the Ecuadorian doubloon nailed to the Pequod's mainmast?and no less valuable as a Rorschach, as I hope to illustrate in this study of character-related biblical allusion in his fourth and fifth books, Redburn and White-Jacket. A pair of counterpoised sentiments should serve as an introductory example. Redburn looks:
Shrinking Techniques for Robust Regression

The asymptotic normality of robust estimators suggests that shrinking techniques previously considered for least squares regression are appropriate in robust regression as well. Moreover, the noisy nature of the data frequently encountered in robust regression problems makes the use of shrinking estimators particularly advantageous. Asymptotic and finite sample results and a short simulation demonstrate that shrinking techniques can indeed improve a robust estimator’s performance.
Dietary Selenium Requirement of Fingerling Channel Catfish

Two experiments were conducted in aquaria to determine the minimum dietary selenium requirement of fingerling channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus). Casein-gelatin diets containing graded levels of supplemental selenium (as Na2SeO3) ranging from 0 to 15 mg/kg were fed to catfish for 15 weeks in experiment 1 to broadly define their selenium requirement and toxicity levels. Although growth of catfish was affected by dietary selenium level, significant differences in weight gain were not easily discernible due to variability among the groups of fish. Weight gain data generally indicated that the basal diet containing 0.06 mg Se/kg diet caused growth depression, and a supplemental selenium level of 15 mg/kg also caused a reduced growth response, which indicated selenium toxicity. Selenium concentrations in edible muscle tissue increased almost linearly with increasing dietary selenium levels. Liver and plasma selenium-dependent glutathione peroxidase (Se GSH-Px) activities indicated the selenium requirement of fingerling channel catfish was between 0.1 and 0.5 mg Se/kg diet. In experiment 2, casein-gelatin diets containing incremental levels of supplemental selenium were fed to catfish for 14 weeks to more precisely determine their minimum dietary selenium requirement. Growth data and liver and plasma Se GSH-Px activities indicated that the minimum selenium requirement of fingerling channel catfish fed adequate vitamin E was 0.25 mg Se/kg dry diet. Based on these data, it appears that selenium supplementation of commercial catfish feeds is warranted.
CILT2000: Technology, Equity, and K–14 Learning

This paper summarizes activities and perspectives from the Center for Innovative Learning Technologies' annual conference in 2000. The theme of the conference was technology and equity, seeking to promote collaborative discourse and deeper understanding of the complex challenges and opportunities of improving quality of learning for all students.
Banishment of Sex Offenders: Individual Liberties, National Rights and the Dormant Commerce Clause, Environmental Justice, and Alternatives

Although most sex offenses are committed by relatives or acquaintances of the victims, our public policy approach has been to focus on the stranger sex offender and punish sex offenders through residency restrictions. These residency restrictions effectively banish these locally undesirable and dangerous individuals from our communities in fear that they may reoffend in our neighborhoods. Rather than being thrust into some wilderness, sex offenders are 'banished' to neighboring counties or states and into poor, minority neighborhoods where they often live in boarding houses with other sex offenders.Banishing sex offenders through these residential restrictions impacts individual liberty, our national structure, and social policy considerations. This Article offers a legal analysis of the adverse impacts these restrictions impose on the constitutional rights of both sex offenders and our communities, which for economic or political limitations do not have the appropriate representation to mitigate these consequences. This Article also examines what methods from the environmental justice movement might be available to deal with the 'social justice' issue of sex offenders disproportionately burdening poor, minority communities. Finally, because there is not yet evidence to support the efficacy of residency restrictions on sex offender recidivism, this Article concludes that legislators should reexamine the current trend of using residency restrictions to address concerns about sex offender recidivism. Instead, public policy decision makers should look toward alternatives, such as individualized risk assessment and management of these individuals, so that public resources can be properly directed to confine, monitor, and treat those sex offenders most likely to commit serious reoffenses.
Implementation of PDE models of cardiac dynamics on GPUs using OpenCL

Graphical processing units (GPUs) promise to revolutionize scientific computing in the near future. Already, they allow almost real-time integration of simplified numerical models of cardiac tissue dynamics. However, the integration methods that have been developed so far are typically of low order and use single precision arithmetics. In this work, we describe numerical implementation of double precision integrators required by, e.g., matrix-free Newton-Krylov solvers and compare several higher order, fully explicit numerical methods using finite-di erence discretization of a range of models of two-dimensional cardiac tissue.
A POINT MUTATION IN THE EXTRACELLULAR DOMAIN ACTIVATES LET-23, THE CAENORHABDITIS ELEGANS EPIDERMAL GROWTH FACTOR RECEPTOR HOMOLOG

The let-23 gene encodes a Caenorhabditis elegans homolog of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) necessary for vulval development. We have characterized a mutation of let-23 that activates the receptor and downstream signal transduction, leading to excess vulval differentiation. This mutation alters a conserved cysteine residue in the extracellular domain and is the first such point mutation in the EGFR subfamily of tyrosine kinases. Mutation of a different cysteine in the same subdomain causes a strong loss-of- function phenotype, suggesting that cysteines in this region are important for function and nonequivalent. Vulval precursor cells can generate either of two subsets of vulval cells (distinct fates) in response to sa62 activity. The fates produced depended on the copy number of the mutation, suggesting that quantitative differences in receptor activity influence the decision between these two fates.
Information Communication Technology Utilization for Effective Emergency Management Networks

AbstractEffective communication and coordination are crucial aspects of emergency management. This study examines how organizational representatives perceive information communication technologies (ICTs) in communication and coordination with other organizations. Furthermore, it investigates whether the centrality of organizations in emergency management networks relates to ICT utilization. We found that although many central organizations in emergency preparedness networks have high levels of ICT utilization, ICTs are underused by central organizations in friendship networks and emergency response networks. An organization’s level of ICT utilization needs to match its organizational goal, mission, structure, ICT capacity, and the role that it plays within emergency management networks.
Navigating the Shoals of Self-Reporting: Data Collection in U.S. Expenditure Surveys Since 1920

This essay examines the evolution of data-collection practices in American expenditure surveys over much of the twentieth century. Economists conducting expenditure surveys faced one fundamental concern: their success hinged upon the cooperation of interviewees (typically housewives) and the reliability of their testimony. Investigators recognized that both dependencies posed serious problems, and they struggled to devise effective solutions. I argue that over the course of the twentieth century, the methodology of U.S. expenditure surveys evolved in a non-teleological way, as new approaches led the BLS to adopt previously rejected techniques and to abandon other strategies that were formerly of central importance. In charting this history, the essay reveals the many challenges and complexity of gathering a seemingly straightforward form of economic data.
The Booster Program for malaria control: putting knowledge and money to work.

Our mission in this programme is to help developing countries reduce their human misery and economic losses from this entirely preventable and treatable disease. “On the basis of initial demand from clients, the working assumption is that a total commitment of US$500 million to $1 billion is feasible over the next fi ve years.” 1 World Bank Group President, Paul Wolfowitz, has put the full weight of his leadership behind the Bank’s renewed commitment to malaria, with a strong emphasis on results. We are confi dent that strong country leadership and eff ective collaboration with our partner agencies will accelerate impact on a larger scale than before. Here, we refl ect on the Bank’s history of support for malaria control, its ongoing eff orts, and plans for the future. We also take the opportunity aff orded by The Lancet to respond to various allegations made in this same issue by Prof Amir Attaran and co-authors. 2
Abnormal serine-glycine metabolism in the brains of schizophrenics

The metabolism of serine and glycine as studied in the plasma is abnormal in schizophrenics and psychotics. There is a concomitant abnormality of the enzyme serine hydroxymethyl transferase (SHMT). To study the status of serine-glycine metabolism in brains of schizophrenics and controls, frozen autopsied brain tissues were obtained from medial and lateral temporal lobes. The results show that the apparent Km of SHMT and the concentrations of serine and glycine are significantly higher only in the medial temporal lobe areas of schizophrenics when compared to controls. These findings are discussed in the context of the role of glycine and serine as enhancers of glutamatergic excitotoxicity and consequent development of morphological abnormalities in the brains of schizophrenics.
Controlled english language for production and event processing rules

In recent years, event processing has matured from an emerging technology to one with pervasive uses in various industries. There is a growing segment of applications comprising a diversity of rule types that are developed by high-level users, who have business logic and process expertise rather than software development skills.Technical rule languages for business (production) rules systems differ from event processing rules because they target different execution modes. Corresponding differences exist in the respective rule languages employed to date. This paper describes an integrated rule language that supports both kinds of rules, thus enabling business applications that combine them. The integrated language targets non-technical "business users" who write rules that employ both production and event processing rule functions.The language proposed here is a textual "controlled natural language" based on the Semantics of Business Vocabulary and Business Rules (SBVR) specification of the Object Management Group (OMG). We describe an implementation that uses an SBVR parser, and an SBVR "vocabulary" that defines the syntax and semantics for event processing rules. The parser treats business rule and event processing concepts indifferently, and can be extended to other language concepts by additional vocabularies. Knowledge of the event processing aspects is limited to a conversion utility that transforms rules written using this language to an event processing network.
A “Thinking” Approach to Teaching Responsibility

Most of us are shocked and saddened when examples of people behaving in grossly irresponsible ways flash across our TV screens, appear in our newspapers, occur in our neighborhoods, or even take place in our school buildings. Events such as the Jonestown massacre, people standing by as someone is assaulted, child neglect and abuse, and brutality to teachers are just a few examples of gross irresponsibility. Milder forms of irresponsibility such as littering, obesity, avoiding debts, driving while intoxicated, and teachers who are not even interested in their students are also saddening if, and when, we are reminded of them. Being reminded of the results of irresponsibilty also reminds us that one of the overall goals of schools is to help students acquire personal and social responsibilities.'
bottleneck acts as a regulator of the microfilament network governing cellularization of the Drosophila embryo

Summary A dynamic network of cortical microfilaments is associated with the cleavage furrow membranes during cellularization of the Drosophila embryo. A specific set of structural rearrangements in this network is required for orchestration and execution of its mechanistic roles. We describe the characterization of the gene bottleneck (bnk) , mutations in which disturb the proper sequence of rearrangements of the microfilament network, leading to a variety of morphological defects during cellularization. bnk , whose expression is restricted to the blastoderm stages of Drosophila embryogenesis, encodes a novel, exceptionally basic protein that specifically colocalizes with the microfilament network. The expression pattern and mutant phenotype of bnk suggest a direct role for this element in regulation of the dynamic restructuring of the actin-based cytoskeleton of cellularizing Drosophila embryos.
The low-temperature spectral properties of mammalian cytochrome oxidase. II. The enzyme isolated from beef-heart mitochondria

Abstract A series of low-temperature spectra of isolated cytochrome oxidase are presented. 1. 1. A technique for the selective reduction of cytochrome a with dithionite is given. 2. 2. The reduced minus oxidized difference spectrum of cytochrome a shows a 601 mμ α-peak and a split Soret band with maxima at 447 and 442 mμ for ferrous a and a Soret absorption band at 426 mμ for ferric a. 3. 3. The cytochrome a3 difference spectrum is quite different. Its ferrous α-peak is found at 604 mμ and its Soret band has a single maximum at 444 mμ. The ferric γ-band is at 412 mμ. 4. 4. Sulfide, like cyanide, was found to react with ferricytochrome a3. 5. 5. Azide was found to react with ferrocytochrome a. The 601 mμ peak of ferrous a was shifted to 597 mμ and the split Soret band to 447 and 440 mμ. 6. 6. Under anaerobic conditions the azide effect was reversed, indicating that ferrocytochrome a can exist in two forms differing in reactivity toward azide. The form which reacts with azide is labile and in the absence of active turnover is converted to the form which does not react with azide. 7. 7. ‘Oxygenated’ cytochrome oxidase showed no Soret band splitting at low temperature.
Orexin: Pathways to obesity resistance?

Obesity has increased in prevalence worldwide, attributed in part to the influences of an obesity-promoting environment and genetic factors. While obesity and overweight increasingly seem to be the norm, there remain individuals who resist obesity. We present here an overview of data supporting the idea that hypothalamic neuropeptide orexin A (OXA; hypocretin 1) may be a key component of brain mechanisms underlying obesity resistance. Prior work with models of obesity and obesity resistance in rodents has shown that increased orexin and/or orexin sensitivity is correlated with elevated spontaneous physical activity (SPA), and that orexin-induced SPA contributes to obesity resistance via increased non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT). However, central hypothalamic orexin signaling mechanisms that regulate SPA remain undefined. Our ongoing studies and work of others support the hypothesis that one such mechanism may be upregulation of a hypoxia-inducible factor 1 alpha (HIF-1α)-dependent pathway, suggesting that orexin may promote obesity resistance both by increasing SPA and by influencing the metabolic state of orexin-responsive hypothalamic neurons. We discuss potential mechanisms based on both animal and in vitro pharmacological studies, in the context of elucidating potential molecular targets for obesity prevention and therapy.
On the Value of Coordination in DistributedDecision Making

We discuss settings where several "agents" combine efforts to solve problems. This is a well-known setting in distributed artificial intelligence. Our work addresses theoretical questions in this model which are motivated by the work of Deng and Papadimitriou [ Proc. 12th IFIPS Congress, Madrid, 1992; Proc. World Economic Congress, Moscow, 1992]. We consider optimization problems, in particular load balancing and virtual circuit routing, in which the input is divided among the agents. An underlying directed graph, whose nodes are the agents, defines the constraints on the information each agent may have about the portion of the input held by other agents. The questions we discuss are as follows: Given a bound on the maximum out-degree in this graph, which is the best graph? What is the quality of the solution obtained as a function of the maximum out-degree?
The chronic effects of nicotine monomethidide on gastric secretion in pylorus-ligated rats

L'action de la nicotine monomethyliodine (NMI) sur la secretion gastrique basique et sur les concentrations de choline de cervelles, d'acetylcholine et de nicotine et sur l'activite de la transacetylcholinesterase a ete etudiee chez des rats. Le NMI, sel quaternaire de nicotine, qui ne traverse pas la barriere hematoencephalique, a ete administre dans de la gelatine a 6% en dosage sous-cutane de 1000 μg/ml/kg/jour pendant 14 jours. Le NMI n'a pas change de parametres et aucune trace de nicotine n'a ete decouverte dans les homogenates de cervelles completes.
Protein charge ladders: A new technique for studying electrostatic interactions in ultrafiltration systems

Abstract Although, previous studies have demonstrated the importance of electrostatic interactions in membrane systems, there are few techniques available for the accurate analysis of these effects. This manuscript describes a novel approach to study electrostatic interactions during ultrafiltration using protein charge ladders, which consist of a series of chemical derivatives of a given protein that differ by single charge units. Charge ladders were formed by reacting myoglobin and bovine carbonic anhydrase with acetic anhydride to block free lysine groups. The concentration and net electrical charge of the individual “rungs” were determined by capillary electrophoresis. Sieving experiments were performed using a simple stirred ultrafiltration cell. The results clearly show an increase in electrostatic exclusion of the more negatively-charged species in low ionic strength solutions. The membrane surface charge density was estimated from myoglobin sieving data by comparing the results to model calculations. This surface charge density was in good agreement with independent measurements of the membrane zeta-potential. These results demonstrate that protein charge ladders can be used to study electrostatic interactions in much the same way as polydisperse dextrans have been used to study steric interactions in membrane systems.