cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Shaped Charge Jet Penetration of Alon® Ceramic Assessed by Proton Radiography and Computational Simulations☆

Abstract This work describes the use of proton radiography and continuum simulations to investigate the mechanics of a copper jet penetrating unconfined ALON ® transparent ceramic. Use of proton radiography enabled characterization of the jet and ceramic material at 21 time steps, in situ , throughout the penetration process. These radiographs provide time-evolution data pertaining to the material densities, cavity growth, and material failure. The data were compared to legacy analytical penetration models and to a simulation of the event computed using a continuum multi-physics code. These comparisons revealed additional insights into the penetration mechanics as well as strengths and weaknesses of the computational algorithms and material models used in the simulations.
Optimization and decision-making framework for multi-staged asteroid deflection campaigns under epistemic uncertainties

Abstract In this study, we introduce a framework for planning and assessing multi-spacecraft asteroid deflection campaigns. In the scenario considered, a near-Earth asteroid (NEA) is nudged away from gravitational keyholes via a kinetic impactor (KI) technique, lest its passage should incur an Earth collision in the future. An asteroid orbiter or/and an impactor is/are used in the precursor stage to obtain uncertain information about the target asteroid, whose launch date and trajectory are optimized using Chebyshev's method and a genetic algorithm. The KI mass is optimized through Monte Carlo simulations to improve the robustness of the method and achieve the minimum required probability of success (PoS). Case scenarios targeting Apophis and Bennu substantiate the utility of the framework in optimizing different deflection campaign architectures and making decisions amongst them via newly proposed visualization methods.
In Vitro Assessment of Flow Variability in an Intracranial Aneurysm Model Using 4D Flow MRI and Tomographic PIV

Aneurysm rupture has been suggested to be related to aneurysm geometry, morphology, and complex flow activity; therefore, understanding aneurysm-specific hemodynamics is crucial. 4D Flow MRI has been shown to be a feasible tool for assessing hemodynamics in intracranial aneurysms with high spatial resolution. However, it requires averaging over multiple heartbeats and cannot account for cycle-to-cycle hemodynamics variations. This study aimed to assess cycle-to-cycle flow dynamics variations in a patient-specific intracranial aneurysm model using tomographic particle image velocimetry (tomo-PIV) at a high image rate under pulsatile flow conditions. Time-resolved and time-averaged velocity flow fields within the aneurysm sac and estimations of wall shear stress (WSS) were compared with those from 4D Flow MRI. A one-way ANOVA showed a significant difference between cardiac cycles (p value < 0.0001); however, differences were not significant after PIV temporal and spatial resolution was matched to that of MRI (p value 0.9727). This comparison showed the spatial resolution to be the main contributor to assess cycle-to-cycle variability. Furthermore, the comparison with 4D Flow MRI between velocity components, streamlines, and estimated WSS showed good qualitative and quantitative agreement. This study showed the feasibility of patient-specific in-vitro experiments using tomo-PIV to assess 4D Flow MRI with high repeatability in the measurements.
DNN-based Fast Static On-chip Thermal Solver

Accurate prediction of on-chip temperature distribution becomes important for the performance and reliability of upcoming 5G, automotive, and AI chip-package-systems. In particular, a large thermal gradient (the temperature variation across a chip) accelerates electromigration and aging, and also impacts design performance and power. Furthermore, there are usually Tmax (maximum temperature) constraints on junctions of a chip, skin temperature concerns for mobile devices or wearables, and important placement considerations of on-chip thermal sensors for use in dynamic voltage and frequency scaling. However, obtaining an accurate and detailed thermal gradient on-chip is very time-consuming using the finite element method (FEM) or computational fluid dynamics (CFD) technology. Furthermore, there are many different functional scenarios for various applications that users need to identify possible Tmax locations on-chip. Therefore, there is an urgent need in the industry to provide a fast, yet accurate on-chip thermal solution in a chip-package-system or more complicated 3DIC design, which may include multiple chips. This paper proposes a method to use a data-driven DNN-based thermal solver that can be 100–1000x faster depending on the size of the chip compared to traditional FEM-based thermal solvers with the same level of accuracy.
Adverse Effects of Low-Dose Methotrexate

Although low-dose methotrexate is commonly used for the treatment of rheumatic diseases, data regarding potential adverse events are limited. This article reports the results of a rigorous, prospec...
Oblique angle initiated chemical vapor deposition for patterning film growth

Initiated chemical vapor deposition (iCVD) can be used to deposit thin polymer films on a variety of substrates. In this work, the monomer precursor was introduced at an oblique angle to the substrate using an inlet extension, and the pattern of the resulting polymer film was studied as a function of deposition time, substrate temperature, monomer flow rate, reactor pressure, and vapor flow angle. The polymerizations of n-butyl acrylate, methacrylic acid, and 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate were examined to determine the generality of the trends across several monomers. It was found that the monomer flow rate significantly affected the pattern of the deposited polymer by shifting the location of the thickest point in the films. Increasing the deposition time, decreasing the substrate temperature, and increasing the reactor pressure all increased the polymer deposition rate consistent with conventional iCVD; however, the pattern of the deposited polymer did not vary with these parameters. Computational analysis was used to determine how the inlet extension affects the pressure and velocity profiles within the reactor. The data demonstrate that the introduction of a monomer precursor at an oblique angle can be used to pattern polymer films during iCVD.
Novel Cluster AZ Arthrobacter phages Powerpuff, Lego, and YesChef exhibit close functional relationships with Microbacterium phages

Abstract Bacteriophages exhibit a vast spectrum of relatedness and there is increasing evidence of close genomic relationships independent of host genus. The variability in phage similarity at the nucleotide, amino acid, and gene content levels confounds attempts at quantifying phage relatedness, especially as more novel phages are isolated. This study describes three highly similar novel Arthrobacter globiformis phages–Powerpuff, Lego, and YesChef–which were assigned to Cluster AZ using a nucleotide-based clustering parameter. Phages in Cluster AZ and Microbacterium Cluster EH, as well as the former Microbacterium singleton Zeta1847, exhibited low nucleotide similarity but gene content similarity in excess of the recently adopted Microbacterium clustering parameter, which resulted in the reassignment of Zeta1847 to Cluster EH. Additionally, while Clusters AZ and EH phages lack identifiable repressors or partitioning systems typically required for lysogeny, they encode a shared integrase indicative of a lysogenic life cycle. In the first experimental verification of a Cluster AZ phage’s life cycle, we show that phage Powerpuff is a true temperate phage and forms stable lysogens. Moreover, we provide evidence that Clusters AZ and EH phages exhibit similar genome architectures in addition to their shared integrases, suggesting that these phages may all be temperate and undergo an unknown lysogeny mechanism. Our findings further highlight the importance of using multiple metrics to capture phage relatedness and provide additional evidence of significant shared phage genomic content spanning multiple actinobacterial host genera.
Evaluating the clinical impact of a shortened infusion duration for ramucirumab: A population pharmacokinetic model-based approach.

191Background: Ramucirumab is a human recombinant immunoglobin G1 monoclonal antibody (mAb) antagonist of vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-2. Ramucirumab dosed at 8 mg/kg every 2 weeks o...
A trauma-informed approach to library services: Rebecca Tolley. ALA Editions, 2020, xii + 180 pp., $59.99, ISBN 978-0-8389-1981-1

Because of their centrality within the community, libraries have always served patrons living with the powerful and often enduring effects of trauma. But as other bedrock institutions and social sa...
Building Entrepreneurial Resilience Through Adversity

Although significant adversity can have detrimental effects on entrepreneurs’ venturing efforts, recent research also points to a potential benefit of facing challenges. It is possible that through...
"Like a Freshman Who Didn't Get a Freshman Orientation": How Transfer Student Capital, Social Support, and Self-Efficacy Intertwine in the Transfer Student Experience.

Community colleges and other open-access two-year campuses provide an important pathway to higher education; however, a surprisingly small proportion of these students successfully transfer to and graduate from a bachelor’s degree-granting institution. The present study examined barriers and challenges students faced as they built their sense of self-efficacy as transfer students. We conducted interviews with 65 prospective or recent transfer students, including “internal” transfers (moving from an open-access predominantly two-year campus to their university’s flagship campus) and “external” transfers (moving from a community college to the university’s most selective campus). Our results indicate that both internal and external transfer students experienced challenges in terms of obtaining accurate information about transfer (transfer student capital, or “TSC”), but these challenges were easier to overcome for internal transfers, in part due to their social support networks. While both sets of transfer students utilized social support networks as an informal source of TSC, internal transfer students reported a more extensive social support network. Gaining accurate information about transfer and being supported by members of their social networks seemed to boost self-efficacy for transfer as well as adjustment during the post-transfer experience period. Recommendations for sending and receiving institutions are provided.
Watershed and fire severity are stronger determinants of soil chemistry and microbiomes than within-watershed woody encroachment in a tallgrass prairie system.

Fire can impact terrestrial ecosystems by changing abiotic and biotic conditions. Short fire intervals maintain grasslands and communities adapted to frequent, low-severity fires. Shrub encroachment that follows longer fire intervals accumulates fuel and can increase fire severity. This patchily distributed biomass creates mosaics of burn severities in the landscape-pyrodiversity. Afforded by a scheduled burn of a watershed protected from fires for 27 years, we investigated effects of woody encroachment and burn severity on soil chemistry and soil-inhabiting bacteria and fungi. We compared soils before and after fire within the fire-protected, shrub-encroached watershed and soils in an adjacent, annually burned, non-encroached watershed. Organic matter and nutrients accumulated in the fire-protected watershed but responded less to woody encroachment within the encroached watershed. Bioavailable nitrogen and phosphorus and fungal and bacterial communities responded to high severity burn regardless of encroachment. Low severity fire effects on soil nutrients differed, increased bacterial but decreased fungal diversity, and effects of woody encroachment within the encroached watershed were minimal. High severity burns in the fire-protected watershed led to a novel soil system state distinct from non-encroached and encroached soil systems. We conclude that severe fires may open grassland restoration opportunities to manipulate soil chemistry and microbial communities in shrub-encroached habitats.
Extracting Information from Blood Gas Analyses

Incorrect decisions regarding patient management can result when physicians misinterpret blood gas analyses because they do not calculate, or do not know how to calculate, important derived values. To assure complete analysis of available data from the patient, we have developed a computer-based system for extracting maximum information from the tests performed. Whenever a patient’s arterial and/or venous blood gas data are entered, the system corrects them to body temperature, calculates the O2 saturation, base excess, O2 content and predicted PaO2 for various FIO2’s, and provides an interpretation of acid-base status. It then integrates the blood gas data with other data collected by our computerized cardiopulmonary testing system. The system automatically searches for time-windowed results of various respiratory and hemodynamic tests—cardiac output determinations, end-tidal gas concentrations and gas exchange. Then it computes the available oxygen, shunt fraction, arterial-alveolar oxygen difference, dead space-to-tidal volume ratio, O2 consumption, and other values.
Placental transfer and neonatal elimination of diphenylhydantoin

Abstract The transplacental passage of diphenylhydantoin has been demonstrated in pregnant epileptic females receiving standard therapeutic doses of the anticonvulsant (300 mg. per day). Maternal plasma concentrations ranged from 3.5 to 6.3 μg per milliliter, whereas fetal and maternal levels in a given subject were virtually identical at term. Clearance of diphenylhydantoin from neonatal plasma required about 72 hours. Cleft lip was present as a isolated anomaly in 2 of the 3 cases reported. The remaining infant had a cleft palate and lip. A prospective study is required to validly assess the teratologic potentiality of administering this agent during human gestation.
Effects of Instruction on Preservice Elementary Teachers' Conceptions of the Causes of Night and Day and the Seasons.

The purpose of this study was to test the effectiveness of brief instruction, based on Atwood and Atwood (1995, 1996), which addressed the causes of night and day and the seasons. 111c findings should be useful to science teacher educators who already are attempting to address these concepts as well as those who might choose to do so if the required time and resource commitments were shown to be modest.
Equilibrium properties of the fluxoid lattice in single-crystal niobium

Publisher Summary The dimensions and symmetry of the fluxoid lattice in a single-crystal sphere of niobium is measured by using a double-perfect-crystal small-angle neutron-scattering technique (DCSANS). The bulk magnetization of the same sample is measured using a field-sweep technique. In addition, the misalignment between the fluxoids and the applied magnetic field is observed by DCSANS. The DCSANS technique directly gives symmetry, orientation, and dimensions of the fluxoid-lattice unit cell. This chapter presents the flux density per unit cell, which is deduced by using the flux quantization condition. A number of features of the mixed state are sensitive to the microscopic electronic structure of the material; therefore, they are not described accurately by Gorkov theory. However, the mixed state provides sensitive tests of realistic microscopic theory. The theoretical connection between the mixed state and microscopic material properties is difficult and correspondingly incomplete, but where the connection exists it works well, as it has been demonstrated in this chapter.
Strain and texture in friction extrusion of aluminum wire

Abstract Friction extrusion is a solid-state process that can produce high quality, fully consolidated wire or rod directly from metal chips, powder or billet. However, little is understood regarding the variation in material flow or extrusion strain with changes in processing parameters. Extrusion strain level may be of great import in determining whether or not the charge is fully consolidated. In order to explore the material deformation behavior during this process, flow visualization experiments were conducted using AA6061 billets with AA2195 as a marker insert. Variations in material flow during a single extrusion were documented and correlated with changes in grain size, which has previously been correlated with extrusion temperature. Marker shape was used to make an approximation of imposed strain during the extrusion as a function of relative extrusion temperature. Also, tests using various extrusion forces and die rotation speeds were conducted. The influence of extrusion parameters on deformation evolution was elucidated and discussed. Grain orientation analysis conducted using electron backscatter diffraction showed a fully recrystallized microstructure with weak texture indicating that recrystallization was likely a static process occurring after passage of the wire through the die. Key findings include: (1) longitudinal strain is solely a function of overall reduction (2) in plane shear strain decreases with increasing extrusion temperature, and (3) with increasing extrusion temperature, friction extrusion becomes similar to normal extrusion.
The role of ionospheric O + outflow in the generation of earthward propagating plasmoids

Earthward propagating plasmoids in the Earth's magnetotail have been observed by satellites. Using a multi-fluid global magnetosphere simulation, earthward propagating plamoids are reproduced when ionospheric O+ outflow is included in the global simulation. Controlled simulations show that without ionospheric outflow, the plasmoids generated in the magnetotail during a substorm-SMC cycle only propagate tailward. With ionospheric outflow, earthward plasmoids can be induced through the modification of magnetotail reconnection at multiple X-lines. When multiple X-lines form in the magnetotail, plasmoids may be trapped between multiple reconnection sites. When magnetic reconnection rate is reduced at the near-Earth X-line by the presence of ionospheric O+, the earthward exhaust flow of reconnection occurring at the mid-tail X-line forces the plasmoid to propagate earthward. The propagation speed and spatial size of the simulated earthward plasmoid are consistent with observations from the Cluster satellites.
Roles of thymosins in cancers and other organ systems.

Thymosins are small peptides, originally identified from the thymus, but now known to be more widely distributed in many tissues and cells. Thymosins are divided into three main groups, α-, β-, and γ-thymosins, based on their isoelectric points. α-thymosins (ProTα, Tαl) have nuclear localization and are involved in transcription and/or DNA replications; whereas β-thymosins (Tβ4, Tβ10, Tβl5) have cytoplasmic localization and show high affinity to G-actin for cell mobility. Furthermore, it is well known that both α- and β-thymosins play important roles in modulating immune response, vascular biology, and cancer pathogenesis. More importantly, thymosins may have significant clinical applications. They may serve as molecular markers for the diagnosis and prognosis of certain diseases. In addition, they could be molecular targets of certain diseases or be used as therapeutic agents to treat certain diseases. However, the molecular mechanisms of action of thymosins are largely unknown. This review not only presents recent advances of basic science research of thymosins and their clinical applications but provides thoughtful views for future directions of investigation on thymosins.
Driven and freely decaying nonlinear shape oscillations of drops and bubbles immersed in a liquid: experimental results

Large-amplitude oscillations of drops and bubbles immersed in an immiscible liquid host have been investigated using ultrasonic radiation pressure techniques. Single levitated or trapped drops and bubbles with effective radius between 0.2 and 0.8 cm have been driven into resonant shape oscillations of the first few orders. The direct coupling of driven drop shape oscillations between the axisymmetric l = 6 and l = 3 modes has been documented as well as the interaction between axisymmetric and non-axisymmetric l = 3 and l = 2 modes. Effective resonant energy transfer from higher- to lower-order modes has been observed together with a much less efficient energy transfer in the reverse direction. The first three resonant modes for bubbles trapped in water have also been excited, and mode coupling during driven and free-decaying oscillations has been measured. The evidence gathered thus far indicates that efficient drop resonant coupling between a higher- and a lower-order mode occurs when the characteristic frequency of the latter mode roughly coincides with a harmonic resonance
A Semiparametric Mixture Approach to Case-Control Studies with Errors in Covariables

Abstract Methods are devised for estimating the parameters of a prospective logistic model in a case-control study with dichotomous response D that depends on a covariate X. For a portion of the sample, both the gold standard X and a surrogate covariate W are available; however, for the greater portion of the data, only the surrogate covariate W is available. By using a mixture model, the relationship between the true covariate and the response can be modeled appropriately for both types of data. The likelihood depends on the marginal distribution of X and the measurement error density (W|X, D). The latter is modeled parametrically based on the validation sample. The marginal distribution of the true covariate is modeled using a nonparametric mixture distribution. In this way we can improve the efficiency and reduce the bias of the parameter estimates. The results also apply when there is no validation data provided the error distribution is known or estimated from an independent data source. Many of the ...
Ab initio calculation of the photoelectron spectra of the hydroxycarbene diradicals.

Photoelectron spectra of the cis and trans isomers of HCOH were computed using vibrational wave functions calculated by diagonalizing the Watson Hamiltonian, including up to four mode couplings. The full-dimensional CCSD(T)/cc-pVTZ potential energy surfaces were employed in the calculation. Photoionization induces significant changes in equilibrium structures, which results in long progressions in the ν5, ν4, and ν3 modes. The two isomers show progressions in different modes, which leads to qualitatively distinguishable spectra. The spectra were also calculated in the double harmonic parallel-mode (i.e, neglecting Duschinsky rotation) approximation. Calculating displacements along the normal coordinates of the cation state was found to give a better approximation to the vibrational configuration interaction spectrum; this is due to the effects of Duschinsky rotations on the vibrational wave functions.
The impact of executive capacity and age on mechanisms underlying multidimensional feature selection.

Abstract This study examined the role of executive capacity (EC) and aging in multidimensional feature selection. ERPs were recorded from healthy young and old adults of either high or average EC based on neuropsychological testing. Participants completed a color selective attention task in which they responded to target letter-forms in a specified color (attend condition) while ignoring letter-forms in a different color (ignore condition). Two selection negativity (SN) components were computed: the SNColor (attend–ignore), indexing early color selection, and the SNLetter (targets–standards), indexing early letter-form selection. High EC subjects exhibited self-terminating feature selection; the processing of one feature type was reduced if information from the other feature type suggested the stimulus did not contain the task-relevant feature. In contrast, average EC subjects exhaustively selected all features of a stimulus. The self-terminating approach was associated with better task accuracy. Higher EC was also linked to stronger early selection of target letter-forms, but did not modulate the seemingly less demanding task of color selection. Mechanisms utilized for multidimensional feature selection appear to be consistent across the lifespan, although there was age-related slowing of processing speed for early selection of letter features. We conclude that EC is a critical determinant of how multidimensional feature processing is carried out.
Study of Cornification of Oral Epithelium by Phase Microscopy

Smears of oral epithelial cells from 20 male students were compared by phase microscopy and by the Papanicotaou technic to determine degrees of cornification. Cell size and numbers of nucleated and nonnucleated cells were dependable criteria for determining degrees of cornification by phase microscopy.
Changes in the Activities, Functions, and Roles of Public Health Educators

Accounts of early activities of public health educators, statements of the American Public Health Association on the qualifications and functions of these educators, and studies concerned with their responsibilities, functions, work, or roles are reviewed. These point up the three major foci in public health education over time in the U.S., viz, dissemination of information, community organization, and health behavior and program planning. Functions of public health educators in emerging settings for practice are presented and the implications of this movement (i.e., movement of health educators into non-traditional settings) for the public health education profession are discussed
Cytochromes P450 catalyze oxidation of α,β-unsaturated aldehydes

We sought to establish whether heme-thiolate monooxygenases oxidize, alpha,beta-unsaturated aldehydes generated during lipid peroxidation. Several recombinant P450s co-expressed with NADPH:P450 oxidoreductase were surveyed for aldehyde oxidation activity with anthracene-9-carboxaldehyde and 4-hydroxy-trans-2-nonenal (HNE). Murine P4502c29, human P4503A4, human P4502B6, and rabbit P4502B4 were good catalysts of aldehyde oxidation to carboxylic acids. Other P450s (e.g., P4501A2, 2E1, and 2J2) did not oxidize these aldehydes. P4502c29 and P4503A4 displayed K(m)/S(0.5) values of approx. 1-20microM. The product measured by HPLC that co-migrates with authentic 4-hydroxynonenoic acid (HNA) had a mass spectrum identical to the standard. Using P4502c29, HNE was a mixed-competitive inhibitor of anthracene-9-carboxaldehyde oxidation, suggesting that both aldehydes are substrates for P4502c29. Specific inhibitors of aldehyde dehydrogenases and P450 were used to assess their role in the metabolism of HNE in primary rat hepatocytes. Inhibitors of aldehyde dehydrogenase (cyanamide) inhibited HNA formation by 60% and together cyanamide and miconazole (P450) caused over 85% inhibition of HNA formation. P450s are significant participants in metabolism of endogenous and exogenous unsaturated aldehydes in primary rat hepatocytes.
Campanian to paleocene spore and pollen assemblages of Seymour Island, Antarctica

Abstract Spore and pollen assemblages in Campanian to Paleocene nearshore marine to deltaic sediments of Seymour Island, Antarctica, are characterized by abundant podocarpaceous conifer pollen, diverse provincial angiosperm pollen and cryptogam spores of low diversity. These assemblages resemble coeval assemblages from New Zealand, southeastern Australia and southern South America. The palynoflora reflects primarily conifer-dominated rainforest growing in cool to warm temperate paleoclimates. The late Maastrichtian was a comparatively warm interval, with a humid equable paleoclimate. The Antarctic Peninsula cordillera probably supported altitudinally zoned plant associations and it is likely that climatic fluctuations during the Campanian to Paleocene resulted in altitudinal shifts of these vegetation zones.
Imperfect Robot Control in a Mixed Reality Game to Teach Hybrid Human-Robot Team Coordination

A key component of team coordination in real-world practice involves communication and work execution from multiple perspectives; this is especially true for unmanned robotic system operators. Previously, such communication skills have been challenging to train, requiring many users and/or high-fidelity simulations. The present research develops a mixed reality game using a small robot and alternate roles to engage two players in team communication through information distribution. The robot features imperfect controls, creating challenge and reflecting the real-world context. This paper presents the game design and development challenges, reflecting on the value of mixed reality for training hybrid human-robot teams.
On the generalized Chebyshev polynomials

We study the spectrum of the Jacobi matrix $(\delta _{m,n + 1} + \delta _{m,n - 1} + aq^n \delta _{m,n} )$, m, $n = 0,1, \cdots $ and the corresponding orthogonal polynomials. The spectral measure is computed when $q \in ( - 1,1)$ and sufficient conditions are given to guarantee the absolute continuity of the spectral measure. When $ q > 1$ or < - 1 the measure is purely discrete. The case $q = - 1$ leads to a set of polynomials orthogonal on the union of two disjoint intervals. When $q = 1$, the polynomials are essentially the Chebyshev polynomials $\{ U_n (x)\} $.
The stoichiometry of the four linker subunits of Lumbricus terrestris hemoglobin suggests an asymmetric distribution.

Abstract The extracellular, giant (∼3.6 MDa) hexagonal bilayer hemoglobin of the earthworm Lumbricus terrestris consists of 12 dodecamers of globin chains tethered to a central complex of 36 non-globin, linker chains (24–32 kDa). Four types of linker chains L1–L4 have been detected by electrospray ionization (ESI) and by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization (MALDI) mass spectrometry (MS) and isolated by reversed phase high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC). Deconvolution of the HPLC elution profile and of the MS spectra provided the following individual linker contents, expressed as percent of the sum of the four linker peak areas: HPLC-21% L1, 37% L2, 23% L3 and 19% L4, MALDI-47% L1, 29% L2, 16% L3 and 8% L4; ESI-24% L1, 16% L2, 40% L3 and 20% L4; respectively. Comparison with electrophoretic results revealed a surprising lack of overall agreement between all the methods. The calculated mean values of the available linker contents were found to be 32±12% L1, 28±9% L2, 27±10% L3 and 13±7% L4, suggesting the following relative stoichiometry: L1: L2: L3: L4 ≈1: 1: 1: 0.5. With a total of 36 linkers, a hexagonally symmetric distribution of each of the four linker chains is impossible. Thus, the asymmetric linker distribution provides an explanation for the existence of a large dipole moment of Lumbricus terrestris hemoglobin, 17300±2300 Da ( Takashima et al., 1999 ).
An interface holding chamber for anatomical and physiological studies of living brain slices.

The popularity of infrared DIC videomicroscopy for a variety of anatomical and physiological studies in living brain slices has created a need for holding chambers to allow more than one slice to be examined during a single experiment. As is well known, the yield of experiments requiring living brain slices is severely limited by the conditions under which these slices are maintained prior to being examined. Previous electrophysiological and morphological studies have demonstrated that slices maintained submerged in solution deteriorate dramatically compared to those kept at the gas/fluid interface, even after only 1.5 hours and many recording chambers incorporate the interface principle in their design. However, to our knowledge, as obvious as it may seem, this principle has not been applied to the design of holding chambers, and those which are in current use are of the non-optimal, submerged type. We have designed a simple, but extremely effective holding chamber for incubation of brain slices floating at the gas-fluid interface. The slices held in this chamber have been maintained for at least 12 hours in excellent condition as shown here by rich labeling of their local axonal arbors. In addition, the chamber is designed to hold individual slices (up to 1 cm2 in size) in separate compartments for better preservation of brain slices from valuable species (e.g. animals subjected to experimental treatments, nonhuman primates and human biopsy tissue).
Schistosoma mansoni: Conversion of cercariae to schistosomula

Abstract Schistosoma mansoni cercariae were injected directly into the peritoneal cavities of mice and the rate and extent of conversion of the cercariae to schistosomula was determined. The conversion of cercariae to schistosomula was also studied when Millipore diffusion chambers containing cercariae were implanted in the peritoneal cavity. Three hours after injection into the peritoneal cavity, approximately 15% of the inoculum could be recovered in the peritoneal fluid washings, and all of the organisms were now readily recognizable as schistosomula. Within 2 hr after implantation of diffusion chambers containing cercariae, virtually all of the cercariae had converted to schistosomula. Conversion to schistosomula did not occur when dialysis tubing instead of diffusion chambers was employed. In addition no conversion took place when the diffusion chamber inoculum was suspended in saline rather than water.
The weight of US residence among immigrants: a systematic review

As the number of immigrants in the USA continues to rise, it becomes increasingly important to understand how their health differs from native-born individuals. Obesity is a public health concern and a component of health that may differ and change in important ways in immigrants. This research synthesizes the current literature on the relationship between immigrant duration of residence in the USA and body weight. Five databases from the health and social sciences were searched for all pertinent publications. Fifteen articles met inclusion criteria, 14 of which reported a significant, positive relationship between body mass index and duration of residence in the USA (all P-values <0.10). Two studies reported a threshold effect of weight gain after 10 years of US residence, and another study reported that body mass index peaks after 21 years of duration for men and after 15 years for women. The results of this review suggest that weight gain prevention programmes would be beneficial for many immigrants within the first decade of residence in the USA. Prevention efforts may be more successful if nativity and acculturation are considered in addition to race/ethnicity. Future research is needed to identify the specific mechanisms through which living in the USA may adversely affect health outcomes.
Aspects of breast cancer control: Is prophylactic mastectomy a feasible modality?

Abstract Even though mammographic techniques have improved and small tumors of 0.5 cm in diameter can be detected, decreased breast cancer mortality has not yet resulted. Because small tumors may cause systemic spread, in many patients breast cancer at the time of diagnosis is a systemic disease which is incurable. A reduction in breast cancer mortality seems possible by prophylactic bilateral mastectomy in women at extraordinary high risk of breast cancer. These are patients with (a) breast cancer in mother and sister, (b) breast cancer in mother or sister and a combination of various risk factors (early menarchelate menopause, nulliparity, late first pregnancy), (c) noninvasive malignant breast disease (carcinoma in situ ), (d) therapy-resistant fibrocystic disease with intolerable pain and/or extreme anxiety (carcinophobia), and (e) benign breast neoplasia with malignant potentials (cellular atypia = precancerosis). Also, in breast cancer patients without regional and systemic spread and who are at high risk for developing cancer in the other breast, prophylactic contralateral mastectomy may be indicated. These are patients with (a) unilateral invasive breast cancer in the premenopause and a family history (mother or sister) of breast cancer, (b) unilateral invasive lobular carcinoma or tubular (ductal) carcinoma, and (c) unilateral invasive breast cancer and precancerous lesions in the other breast.
1204 INSULIN IS THE PRIMARY HORMONE FOR CONTROL OF NEONATAL GLUCOSE HOMEOSTASIS

Immprecise control of neonatal glucose homeostasis may be partially due to hepatic insensitivity for insulin. In prior kinetic studies, the degree of insensitivity could not be determined because the hormonal effects of insulin could not be differentiated from that of glucagon. Somatostatin (SRIF) suppresses secretion of both and has been used to differentiate the hormonal effects. Eighteen term lambs [birth weight 4.0±0.2 kg (M±SEM) and age 4.2±0.3 days] were infused with 0.9% NaCL at 0.06 ml·kg−1 min−1 plus 100 μCi/kg D[6- 3H] glucose by prime plus constant infusion. Ra (production) and Rd (utilization) were measured during infusion of SRIF or SRIF plus replacement insulin. All basal kinetic data was comparable. Kinetic data is shown from the experimental period: There was a rise in pl. glucose (p <.0001), a fall in pl. insulin (p <.004), a rise in Ra (p <.05) and Rd (p<.05) in SIRF compared to controls. All pertubations were eliminated when replacement insulin plus SRIF produced control insulin levels. We suggest that insulin is the primary hormone for control of neonatal glucose homeostasis.
Trace/minor element:calcium ratios in cultured benthic foraminifera. Part I: Inter-species and inter-individual variability

Abstract Trace/minor element signatures ( D Cd , D Ba , D Mg , and D Sr ) were measured in the tests (shells) of benthic foraminifera cultured in a trace-metal-concentration-controlled system. The culture system was constructed of inert materials and designed to limit microhabitat effects. This system ensured that variation observed in cultured foraminiferal element:calcium (TE/Ca) signatures was due to biologically mediated (vital) effects only. Two species, Bulimina aculeata and Rosalina vilardeboana , reproduced prolifically during two 4-to-8-month culture periods. In every case (i.e., for both species and each element), the inter-individual variability was larger than the analytical precision. Mean (±1 standard deviation) D E signatures for B. aculeata were: D Cd : 1.5 ± 0.4, D Ba × 10: 2.1 ± 0.7, D Mg × 1000: 0.62 ± 0.15, and D Sr × 10: 1.5 ± 0.1. Cultured B. aculeata D Mg , calibrated from culture and core-top (live) field specimens, predicted temperatures within ±2.0 °C. The observed inter-individual variability from culture specimens was as large or larger than comparable results from core-top investigations. R. vilardeboana D Cd signatures were significantly lower, while D Ba , D Mg , and D Sr signatures were significantly higher than B. aculeata values. Since our culture system minimizes microhabitat variability, the variation in measured TE/Ca ratios suggests that biological processes are a significant factor in inter-individual and inter-species variability. Comparison of cultured and field-collected foraminiferal D Ba signatures supports previous findings that pore-water chemistry is a major environmental influence on foraminiferal test chemistry.
Dendritic spine dysgenesis in neuropathic pain

Neuropathic pain is a significant unmet medical need in patients with variety of injury or disease insults to the nervous system. Neuropathic pain often presents as a painful sensation described as electrical, burning, or tingling. Currently available treatments have limited effectiveness and narrow therapeutic windows for safety. More powerful analgesics, e.g., opioids, carry a high risk for chemical dependence. Thus, a major challenge for pain research is the elucidation of the mechanisms that underlie neuropathic pain and developing targeted strategies to alleviate pathological pain. The mechanistic link between dendritic spine structure and circuit function could explain why neuropathic pain is difficult to treat, since nociceptive processing pathways are adversely "hard-wired" through the reorganization of dendritic spines. Several studies in animal models of neuropathic pain have begun to reveal the functional contribution of dendritic spine dysgenesis in neuropathic pain. Previous reports have demonstrated three primary changes in dendritic spine structure on nociceptive dorsal horn neurons following injury or disease, which accompany chronic intractable pain: (I) increased density of dendritic spines, particularly mature mushroom-spine spines, (II) redistribution of spines toward dendritic branch locations close to the cell body, and (III) enlargement of the spine head diameter, which generally presents as a mushroom-shaped spine. Given the important functional implications of spine distribution, density, and shape for synaptic and neuronal function, the study of dendritic spine abnormality may provide a new perspective for investigating pain, and the identification of specific molecular players that regulate spine morphology may guide the development of more effective and long-lasting therapies.
Molecular cloning of a novel member of the GLUT family of transporters, SLC2a10 (GLUT10), localized on chromosome 20q13.1: a candidate gene for NIDDM susceptibility.

Non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) is a multifactoral disease with both environmental and genetics causes. Genome-wide screening procedures have identified several susceptibility loci for NIDDM within the human genome. We describe the cloning of a putative sugar transporter that has been localized to human chromosome 20q12-q13.1, one of the genomic loci associated with NIDDM. Because of the strong resemblance of this novel protein to members of the mammalian facilitative glucose transporter family (GLUT), we refer to the protein as GLUT10 (HGMW-approved gene symbol SLC2A10). GLUT10 contains 541 amino acids with several glucose transporter sequence motifs and amino acids essential for glucose transport function. In addition, secondary structure analysis of GLUT10 predicts 12 putative transmembrane domains, a hallmark structure of the GLUT family. The tissue distribution of GLUT10 was determined by Northern analysis, which revealed highest levels of expression in the liver and pancreas. From these data, we believe that the chromosomal localization, tissue distribution, and predicted function make GLUT10 an excellent candidate for a susceptibility gene involved in NIDDM.
Protein import into chloroplasts

Chloroplasts have evolved an elaborate system of membrane and soluble subcompartments to organize and regulate photosynthesis and essential aspects of amino acid and lipid metabolism. The biogenesis and maintenance of organellar architecture rely on protein subunits encoded by both nuclear and plastid genomes. Import of nuclear-encoded proteins is mediated by interactions between the intrinsic N-terminal transit sequence of the nuclear-encoded preprotein and a common import machinery at the chloroplast envelope. Recent investigations have shown that there are two unique membrane-bound translocation systems, in the outer and inner envelope membranes, which physically associate during import to transport preproteins from the cytoplasm to the internal stromal compartment. This review discusses current understanding of these translocation systems and models for the way in which they might function.
Antimelanoma Activity of Apoptogenic Carbonyl Scavengers

Therapeutic induction of apoptosis is an important goal of anticancer drug design. Cellular carbonyl stress mediated by endogenous reactive carbonyl species (RCS) such as glyoxal and methylglyoxal (MG) affects proliferative signaling and metastasis of human tumor cells. Recent research suggests that RCS produced constitutively during increased tumor cell glycolysis may be antiapoptotic survival factors and thus represent a novel molecular target for anticancer intervention. Here, we demonstrate the tumor cell-specific apoptogenicity of carbonyl scavengers, which act by covalently trapping RCS, against human (A375, G361, and LOX) and murine (B16) melanoma cell lines. A structure-activity relationship study identified nucleophilic carbonyl scavenger pharmacophores as the functional determinants of apoptogenic antimelanoma activity of structurally diverse agents such as 3,3-dimethyl-D-cysteine and aminoguanidine. Previous work has demonstrated that covalent adduction of protein-arginine residues in the mitochondrial permeability transition (MPT) pore and heat shock protein 27 by intracellular MG produced in tumor cell glycolysis inhibits mitochondrial apoptosis and enhances cancer cell survival. Indeed, in various melanoma cell lines, carbonyl scavenger-induced apoptosis was antagonized by pretreatment with the membrane-permeable RCS phenylglyoxal (PG). Carbonyl scavenger-induced apoptosis was associated with early loss of mitochondrial transmembrane potential, and cyclosporin A antagonized the effects of carbonyl scavengers, suggesting a causative role of MPT pore opening in carbonyl scavenger apoptogenicity. Consistent with RCS inhibition of mitochondrial apoptosis in melanoma cells, staurosporine-induced apoptosis also was suppressed by PG pretreatment. Our results suggest that carbonyl scavengers acting as direct molecular antagonists of RCS are promising apoptogenic prototype agents for antimelanoma drug design.
Applying the Mu-Calculus in Planning and Reasoning about Action

Planning algorithms have traditionally been geared toward achievement goals in single-agent environments. Such algorithms essentially produce plans to reach one of a specified set of states. More general approaches for planning based on temporal logic (TL) are emerging. Current approaches tend to use linear TL, and can handle sets of sequences of states. However, they assume deterministic actions with all changes effected solely by one agent. By contrast, we use a branching model of time that can express concurrent actions by multiple agents and the environment, leading to nondeterministic effects of an agent’s actions. For this reason, we view plans not as sequences of actions, but as decision graphs describing the agent’s actions in different situations. Thus, although we consider single-agent decision graphs, our approach is better suited to multiagent systems. We also consider an expressive formalism, which allows a wider variety of goals, including achievement and maintenance goals. Achievement corresponds to traditional planning, but maintenance is more powerful than traditional maintenance goals, and may require nonterminating plans. To formalize decision graphs requires a means to “alternate” the agent’s and the environment’s choices. From logics of program, we introduce the propositional mu-calculus, which has operators for least and greatest fixpoints. We give a semantics, a fixpoint characterization, and an algorithm to compute decision graphs.
The rigidity of graphs, II

Abstract We regard a graph G as a set {1,…, v} together with a nonempty set E of two-element subsets of {1,…, v}. Let p = (p1,…, pv) be an element of R nv representing v points in R n and consider the realization G(p) of G in R n consisting of the line segments [pi, pj] in R n for {i, j} ϵ E. The figure G(p) is said to be rigid in R n if every continuous path in R nv, beginning at p and preserving the edge lengths of G(p), terminates at a point q ϵ R nv which is the image (Tp1,…, Tpv) of p under an isometry T of R n. We here study the rigidity and infinitesimal rigidity of graphs, surfaces, and more general structures. A graph theoretic method for determining the rigidity of graphs in R 2 is discussed, followed by an examination of the rigidity of convex polyhedral surfaces in R 3.