cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Predicting Resource Requirement in Intermediate Palomar Transient Factory Workflow

Quickly identifying astronomical transients from synoptic surveys is critical to many recent astrophysical discoveries. However, each of the data processing pipelines in these surveys contains dozens of stages with highly varying time and space requirements. Properly predicting the resources required to run these pipelines is critical for the allocation of computing resources and reducing the discovery response time. We propose a machine learning strategy for this prediction task and demonstrate its effectiveness using a set of timing measurements from the intermediate Palomar Transient Factory (iPTF) workflow. The proposed model utilizes the spatiotemporal correlation of astronomical images, where nearby patches of the sky (space) are likely to have a similar number of objects of interest and workflows executed in the recent past (time) are likely to use a similar amount of time because the machines and data storage systems are likely to be in similar states. We capture the relationship among these spatial and temporal features in a Bayesian network and study how they impact the prediction accuracy. This Bayesian network helps us to identify the most influential features for predictions. With proper features, our models achieve errors close to the random variance boundary within batches of images taken at the same time, which can be regarded as the intrinsic limit of prediction accuracy.
A Needs Assessment for Incoming Surgical Interns: Communication Effectiveness Is the Most Important Skill.

INTRODUCTION Medical schools and surgical programs have implemented a “boot camp” to assist medical students' transition into surgical interns and help them contend with a deluge of new responsibilities. This study aims to determine what faculty, residents, and medical students identify as the most critical topics for a surgical boot camp curriculum. METHODS Forty-five-question survey was developed through an iterative review with multiple surgical colleagues in conjunction with the American College of Surgeons/Association of Program Directors/the Association of Surgical Education resident prep curricular modules. The questions were grouped into 3 broad categories, which included technical skills, practical knowledge, and clinical knowledge. Data were analyzed by a chi-squared test for proportions and continuous variables were compared using t test or ANOVA tests, when appropriate. RESULTS There was a total of 62 participants, 19 (31%) were attending surgeons, 28 (45%) were general surgery residents, and 15 (24%) were fourth-year medical students (MS4). The response rate for attendings was 45%, residents was 72%, and fourth-year medical students was 43%. Practical knowledge was the most important skill by all participants, followed by clinical knowledge and technical skills (mean score 4.4 vs 3.9 vs 3.2, p CONCLUSIONS Our study demonstrates that communication skills are the most important according to attendings, residents, and medical students. This study has implications for prioritizing the curricular components of an often tightly scheduled surgical boot camp.
A Deep Learning Framework for Predicting Digital Asset Price Movement from Trade-by-trade Data.

This paper presents a deep learning framework based on Long Short-term Memory Network(LSTM) that predicts price movement of cryptocurrencies from trade-by-trade data. The main focus of this study is on predicting short-term price changes in a fixed time horizon from a looking back period. By carefully designing features and detailed searching for best hyper-parameters, the model is trained to achieve high performance on nearly a year of trade-by-trade data. The optimal model delivers stable high performance(over 60% accuracy) on out-of-sample test periods. In a realistic trading simulation setting, the prediction made by the model could be easily monetized. Moreover, this study shows that the LSTM model could extract universal features from trade-by-trade data, as the learned parameters well maintain their high performance on other cryptocurrency instruments that were not included in training data. This study exceeds existing researches in term of the scale and precision of data used, as well as the high prediction accuracy achieved.
Speech-Language Pathologists (SLP) Treatment Methods and Approaches for Alzheimer's Dementia

Caring for individuals with Alzheimer's dementia requires an interdisciplinary approach, with speech-language pathologists (SLPs) playing a critical role. The SLP's role in the management of indivi...
Palliative care considerations and practices for adolescents and young adults with cancer.

The definition of adolescents and young adults (AYAs) in oncology varies with upper limits up to age 39. Younger AYAs, ages 12-24 years, are often cared for within pediatrics. In caring for AYAs with cancer, there are unique considerations that become even more important to recognize, acknowledge, and address in AYAs with life-threatening cancer receiving palliative care. This review highlights important factors such as psychosocial development, cultural considerations, and support structure, which should be considered when providing palliative care to AYAs with cancer during the various stages of care: introduction of palliative care; symptom management; advanced care planning (ACP); end-of-life (EOL) care; and bereavement.
Enhanced oil recovery from denatured algal biomass: Synergy between conventional and emergent fuels

Abstract This work aims to assess the viability of converting algal biomass into production fluids for use in enhanced oil recovery. This proteinaceous biomass, which is the main waste product of algae-based biofuels and other bioproducts, may be modified and commercialized to produce conventional petroleum fuels, thereby benefiting both industries for the global energy portfolio. Tertiary oil production is generally performed on a thin profit margin to the point that for many wells it is not economically feasible to produce beyond a water flood. However, it is hypothesized here that waste proteins may be a viable option as enhanced oil recovery (EOR) agents, especially if they are available at zero-cost or negative-cost. If this technology is developed by the industry, the injection of proteins into the earth should pose little environmental risk and might offer a “carbon offset” for the produced petroleum. In this study, the EOR effect of algal biomass modified by a variety of denaturants has been tested in sand packs. This study also investigates correlations of this effect with the pH and rheological properties of the EOR agents. Using these novel agents, up to 96% of the original oil in place was recovered, so it can be concluded that they have great potential for application. Correlations between the EOR, the denaturant type and concentration, and the EOR effects are discussed.
The Ethics of Whistleblowing: Social Responsibility or Loyalty

In a pandemic like the 1854 Broad Street Cholera outbreak in London or COVID-19 today, it is difficult for whistleblowers to weigh between social responsibility and loyalty. A whistleblower is a person who chooses to disclose sensitive information impacting the public’s health and welfare. John Snow, the father of modern epidemiology, was the scientist who identified the modern germ theory, contradicting the scientific theory held by the majority of people at the time in 1850s, and this theorem was not accepted by the scientific community until later. Compared to the difficulty Snow faced as a ‘whistleblower’ in the outbreak of cholera in London, it is even harder for whistleblowers today to be recognized by the public. The current issue whistleblowers face is that their information is being suppressed. Should people tell the truth or obey orders when these two are in conflict? This question speaks to the debate over the ethics of fairness and loyalty that Steven Minz explores in “Is Whistle-blowing an Ethical Act Practice”. The extent to which this type of loyalty applies becomes less obvious when encountering abnormal situations, such as a pandemic. In the current context of the COVID-19 global pandemic, two well-known cases of whistleblowers have emerged. Given the outcomes of these individual cases, evaluating the ethical implications of social responsibility and loyalty of a person who is forced to make such decisions, like Wenliang Li and Brett Crozier, may help to evaluate the necessity of whistleblowers in the future.
A method for experimental warming of developing tree seeds with a common garden demonstration of seedling responses

Forest dieback driven by rapid climate warming threatens ecosystems worldwide. The health of forested ecosystems depends on how tree species respond to warming during all life history stages. While it is known that seed development is temperature-sensitive, little is known about possible effects of climate warming on seed development and subsequent seedling performance. Exposure of seeds to high air temperatures may influence subsequent seedling performance negatively, though conversely, warming during seed development may aid acclimation of seedlings to subsequent thermal stress. Technical challenges associated with in-situ warming of developing tree seeds limit understanding of how tree species may respond to seed development in a warmer climate. We developed and validated a simple method for passively warming seeds as they develop in tree canopies to enable controlled study of climate warming on seedling performance. We quantified thermal effects of the cone-warming method across individual pine trees and stands by measuring the air temperature surrounding seed cones using thermal loggers and the temperature of seed cone tissue using thermocouples. We then investigated seedling phenotypes in relation to the warming method through a common garden study. We assessed seedling morphology, physiology, and mycorrhizal nodulation in response to experimental cone-warming in 20 seed-source-tree canopies on the San Francisco Peaks in northern Arizona, USA. The warming method increased air temperature surrounding developing seed cones by 2.1 °C, a plausible increase in mean air temperature by 2050 under current climate projections. Notable effect sizes of cone-warming were detected for seedling root length, shoot length, and diameter at root collar using Cohen’s Local f2. Root length was affected most by cone-warming, but effect sizes of cone-warming on root length and diameter at root collar became negligible after the first year of growth. Cone-warming had small but significant effects on mycorrhizal fungal richness and seedling multispectral near-infrared indices indicative of plant health. The method was shown to reliably elevate the temperature surrounding seed cones and thereby facilitate experimental in-situ climate warming research on forest trees. The method was furthermore shown to influence plant traits that may affect seedling performance under climate warming.
Large eddy simulation and experiment of shear breakup in liquid-liquid jet: Formation of ligaments and droplets

Abstract Understanding the shear breakup in jet flows and the formation of droplets from ligaments is important to determine the final droplet size distribution (DSD). The initial droplet size, which affects the final DSD, is considered to be generated by the shear breakup. Large eddy simulation (LES) was performed to investigate the shear breakup in liquid-liquid jet flows. The explicit Volume of Fluid (VOF) model with the geometric reconstruction scheme was used to capture the oil-water interface. The estimated oil distribution including wave peaks, ligaments, droplets and water streaks were compared to the experiments with a good agreement. The estimated DSD matched with the measurements favorably well. In the simulation, the formation of droplets with a smooth and curved surface from ligaments or sheet-like structures was obtained. Different mechanisms were observed along with the shear layer including the formation of droplets from ligament through the capillary forces, breakage of a droplet into smaller ones and attachment of a droplet to a ligament. The destructive shear forces and resisting surface tension forces were quantified on stretching and retracting ligaments. The influence of internal viscous force was found to be negligible due to low oil viscosity. The critical capillary number was found to be larger than 5.0 for ligaments breaking with the shear breakup. The capillary number was below unity for retracting ligaments. The coalescence of two equal-sized droplets was obtained in the shear breakup region. The shear stress magnitude at the contact region increased more than two folds. The total surface area decreased nearly 20% after the coalescence.
Achieving efficacy in subjects with sustained pegvaliase-neutralizing antibody responses.

Abstract Pegvaliase (Palynziq®) is an enzyme substitution therapy using PEGylated recombinant Anabaena variabilis phenylalanine ammonia lyase (PAL) to reduce blood phenylalanine (Phe) levels in adults with phenylketonuria (PKU). In Phase 3 clinical studies, all subjects treated with pegvaliase developed anti-drug antibodies. To specifically evaluate pegvaliase-neutralizing antibodies (NAbs) and assess impact on pegvaliase efficacy, a novel hybrid ligand-binding/tandem mass spectrometry NAb assay was developed. Analysis of Phase 3 study samples revealed that pegvaliase NAb titers developed during early treatment (≤6 months after treatment initiation), and then plateaued and persisted in the majority of subjects during late treatment (>6 months). Subjects with the lowest/undetectable NAb titers had relatively high plasma pegvaliase concentrations and experienced the most rapid decline in blood Phe concentrations at relatively low pegvaliase dose concentrations. In contrast, subjects with higher NAb titers generally had lower plasma pegvaliase concentrations on similar low doses, with little change in blood Phe concentrations. However, with additional time on treatment and individualized dose titration, the majority of subjects achieved substantial and sustained blood Phe reduction, including those with higher NAb titers. Moreover, after maturation of the anti-pegvaliase immune response, NAb titers were stable over time and did not rise in response to dose increases; thus, subjects did not require additional dose increases to maintain reduction in blood Phe.
Phase Stability Measurements of a 140 Ghz Confocal Gyro-Amplifier

The phase stability of a 140 GHz, 1 kW pulsed gyro-amplifier system was measured and found to be stable both pulse-to-pulse and during each pulse. The gyro-amplifier has been developed at MIT for pulsed Dynamic Nuclear Polarization Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (DNP-NMR) spectroscopy1. It uses a confocal geometry to achieve an overmoded interaction circuit with reduced mode competition and is designed to operate without severs. The confocal gyro-amplifier demonstrated a peak circuit gain of 35 dB, a bandwidth of 1.2 GHz, and a peak output power of 550 W at 140.0 GHz.
The One Higgs and its Connections

I propose the notion that there is only one Higgs doublet which is responsible for electroweak symmetry breaking and all other possible scalars in any extension of the standard model are prevented from mixing with it because of a symmetry which stabilizes dark matter. This leads naturally to radiative (scotogenic) neutrino mass as well as radiative quark and lepton masses if flavor symmetry is also considered.
Statistical Thermodynamics of Alloys

The development of quantitative and predictive theories of intermetallic compounds and alloys has been a focus of intense activity during the last five to ten years. These efforts are driven by the almost universal recognition that such theories will be invaluable in the rational design of new material systems. Traditionally, a variety of empirical and semi-empirical theories have been successfully used to explain the main contributions to alloy phase stability, to interpret complex and extensive experimental data and, in general, to provide a solid understanding of trends in alloy and compound formation. At present, the challenge lies in the use of microscopic quantum theory and statistical mechanics to produce a fully ab-initio description of phase stability, metastability, instability and pseudostability. Here I discuss briefly some recent developments and present the basic elements of a first-principles statistical mechanics theory of alloy phase stability. The overall method is illustrated with the calculation of the binary Ni-Al phase diagram and the feasibility of extending the theory to the technologically important case of ternary alloys is demonstrated with the Ni-Al-Ti system. The recent calculation of the ZrNb phase diagram is discussed as an example of the accuracy that can be achieved in the description of phase stability.
Domain coupling with the DOVE scheme

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the domain coupling with the DOVE scheme. When domain decomposition is applied to an unstructured mesh, the realization of conformal mapping leads to highly irregular boundaries for each sub-domain, which in turn creates extra errors in the gradient approximations. One possibility to avoid this is to construct all parallel domains independently, and then combine them together using inter-domain interpolation. This study describes the implementation of one such method based on automatic detection of domain overlaps, and setting of communication interfaces (DOVE). The usability of this scheme is demonstrated in the case of two continuum solvers: a Poisson solver and an artificial compressibility flow-solver. This scheme can be easily extended to handle dynamic overlapping regions when the domains may change shape or move with respect to each other. One of the advantages of the proposed scheme is that it can be used to construct large and complex domains without the need to store the entire grid on a single computing node at the same time. The DOVE scheme can be easily extended to handle dynamic overlapping regions when the domains may change shape or move with respect to each other. In this case, the DOVE initialization functions should be called from within the main solver at certain times to update the changing geometry of the overlap region and re-generate the connectivity arrays.
Metabolic Effects of Caloric Restriction

Caloric restriction (CR) improves health and increases longevity in organisms from yeast to mammals. Studies in rodent models show that CR suppresses a wide range of diseases that contribute to human morbidity and mortality such as cancer, cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Although the metabolic and physiological changes induced by CR have been investigated for over 70 years, the precise mechanism by which it is able to slow the progression of age-related degeneration remains a subject of much debate. This article summarizes our current understanding, including recent findings that implicate specific enzymes and signalling pathways in the process. Further study of CR may provide insight into the nature of aging and reveal new opportunities to improve the quality and quantity of human life. Key concepts Reducing energy intake in the absence of malnutrition (caloric restriction) improves health and extends longevity. Caloric restriction causes widespread changes in physiology and metabolism, many of which are distinct from fasting responses. Manipulation of specific genetic pathways can block or mimic some responses to caloric restriction. Insulin/IGF-1 signalling is consistently implicated in the mechanism of caloric restriction. Neither aging nor its retardation by caloric restriction is understood, however much of the available data is compatible with the Free Radical Hypothesis. Keywords: dietary restriction; aging; longevity; healthspan; sirtuins; mitochondria
Functional Inactivation and Structural Disruption of Human α2-Macroglobulin by Neutrophils and Eosinophils

Abstract Human alpha 2-macroglobulin (alpha 2M) rapidly lost functional and structural integrity in the course of a short-term incubation with either triggered neutrophils or eosinophils. In contrast to native alpha 2M, the modified antiproteinase was unable to bind neutrophil elastase or pancreatic elastase in a manner that restricted the enzymes' access to high molecular weight substrates. In addition to the complete loss of its antiproteolytic potential, the conformation of the dysfunctional inhibitor was radically altered and susceptible to further modification by exogenous proteinases as assessed by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Analysis of the mechanism by which alpha 2M was inactivated by neutrophils revealed that the process was dependent on the generation of hypochlorous acid, an oxidant generated by the hydrogen peroxide-myeloperoxidase-chloride system. In contrast to the neutrophil, maximal eosinophil-dependent inactivation required the presence of physiologic concentrations of bromide and appeared to involve the generation of hypobromous acid. The ability of either hypochlorous acid or hypobromous acid to directly disrupt alpha 2M function and structure was confirmed under cell-free conditions. These results demonstrate that alpha 2M, an antiproteinase heretofore considered to be resistant to physiologic inactivation, could be destroyed by two populations of human phagocytes via oxidative modifications mediated by hypophalous acids.
Social-Family Issues as Barriers to Career Advancement: The Perception of Women Employees in Kenya

This study aimed at determining the social and family issues that women employees perceive as barriers to their career advancement to managerial positions in Kenya. The research design was cross-sectional survey was carried out among 400 women employees in the Federation of Kenya Employer’s (FKE) member organizations in Kenya. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data. The data was then analyzed using quantitative and qualitative techniques. The results show that family responsibilities and married status both have a significant relationship with the career advancement of women to managerial positions. The implications of the findings for policy makers and employers include that career advancement opportunities should be provided to all irrespective of their marital status and also, there should be the provision of flexible work arrangements to ensure fairness is accorded to women employees.
Evaluation of Jet Impingement, Spray and Microchannel Chip Cooling Options for High Heat Flux Removal

Thermal management for high heat flux removal from microelectronic chips is gaining critical importance in many earth-based and space-based systems. Heat fluxes greater than 1 MW/m2 (100 W/cm2) have already been realized in high-end server applications, while cooling needs in next generation chips and advanced systems such as high-power electronics and electrical systems, pulsed power weapons systems, solid-state sensors, and phased-array radars are expected to reach 5–10 MW/m2 (500–1000 W/cm2). After evaluating the contributions from different thermal resistances in the chip-to-ambient thermal path, this paper presents a critical review and research recommendations for three prominent contending technologies: jet impingement, spray cooling, and microchannel heat sinks.
Generation of reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide for nitrate reduction in green leaves.

An in vivo assay of nitrate reductase activity was developed by vacuum infiltration of leaf discs or sections with a solution of 0.2 m KNO 3 (with or without phosphate buffer, pH 7.5) and incubation of the infiltrated tissue and medium under essentially anaerobic conditions in the dark. Nitrite production, for computing enzyme activity, was determined on aliquots of the incubation media, removed at intervals. By adding, separately, various metabolites of the glycolytic, pentose phosphate, and citric acid pathways to the infiltrating media, it was possible to use the in vivo assay to determine the prime source of reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH) required by the cytoplasmically located NADH-specific nitrate reductase. It was concluded that sugars that migrate from the chloroplast to the cytoplasm were the prime source of energy and that the oxidation of glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate was ultimately the in vivo source of NADH for nitrate reduction. This conclusion was supported by experiments that included: inhibition studies with iodoacetate; in vitro studies that established the presence and functionality of the requisite enzymes; and studies showing the effect of light (photosynthate) and exogenous carbohydrate on loss of endogenous nitrate from plant tissue. The level of nitrate reductase activity obtained with the in vitro assay is higher (2.5- to 20-fold) than with the in vivo assay for most plant species. The work done to date would indicate that the in vivo assays are proportional to the in vitro assays with respect to ranking genotypes for nitrate-reducing potential of a given species. The in vivo assay is especially useful in studying nitrate assimilation in species like giant ragweed from which only traces of active nitrate reductase can be extracted.
Biology, phenology and control of Hypena humuli (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), an emerging pest of hops (Humulus lupulus) (Cannabaceae) in the USA

The hop looper, Hypena humuli Harris, is an increasingly important pest of hops in the USA, particularly in Washington State (the center of the North American hop industry), where it is the most abundant lepidopteran found on this crop. High numbers of H. humuli larvae can result in extensive defoliation and damage to developing hop cones. The studies reported here were conducted to elucidate the life history and phenology of H. humuli and to test the efficacy of the bacterial insecticide Bacillus thuringiensis Berliner as a first step toward developing an integrated control strategy for this pest. Data on adult longevity and fecundity indicate that females can live for up to 39 days and can produce more than 600 eggs, while adult flight periods, egg deposition patterns and larval development suggest that there are three generations per year. Extensive overlap between successive larval generations makes it difficult to target insecticidal treatments against the smallest stages (i.e. first and second insta...
Effects of Curriculum Discourse Style on Eighth Graders' Recall and Problem Solving in Earth Science

This study investigated the effects of science curricula organized around topical (a collection of concepts or descriptions) and causal (superordinate principles directly related to underlying concepts) styles of discourse. The curricula were revised to control for number of concepts and amount of vocabulary, and numerous audiovisual materials (videodisc, films, and slides) were used throughout the study. This research attempted to extend prior work on discourse styles by substantially lengthening the intervention and controlling for students' background knowledge. The intervention involved 6 weeks of earth science materials. 46 eighth graders and 2 teachers participated in the study. All students were taught the same background knowledge for 4 weeks prior to the intervention and were randomly assigned to 1 of the 2 discourse groups. Posttests and maintenance tests indicated that students who were taught with material employing the causal style of discourse had significantly better retention of facts and ...
Measuring self‐acceptance: Expectancy for success vs. self‐esteem

Self-acceptance is defined in Social Learning Theory (Rotter, 1954) terms as overall Freedom of Movement. This definition is essentially the same as the conception of Generalized Expectancy for Success presented by Fibel and Hale (1978), who created the Generalized Expectancy for Success Scale (GESS) in order to measure the construct. This study sought to validate the GESS as a measure of self-acceptance by using a sociometric peer nomination technique (N = 79). Results supported the validity of conceiving of self-acceptance in Social Learning Theory terms as overall Freedom of Movement and the concurrent validity of the Generalized Expectancy for Success Scale as a measure of self-acceptance. Data also suggested that the GESS may be more psychometrically sound than other similar scales in terms of internal consistency and confounding with social desirability.
A fourier bessel transform method for efficiently calculating the magnetic field of solenoids

Abstract A numerical procedure for calculating the magnetic field of a solenoid is derived. Based on the properties of Bessel functions, the procedure is shown to be convergent everywhere, including within the windings of the solenoid. The most critical part of the procedure is detailed in the main text. A simple method is used to ensure numerical significance while allowing economical computational times. In the appendix the procedure is generalized to universal convergence by appropriate partitioning of the solenoid windings.
A TEMPERATURE-INDEPENDENT RIBOFLAVIN-REQUIRING MUTANT OF NEUROSPORA CRASSA

THE STUDY OF sequentially blocked mutant strains of various microorganisms has led to the further elucidation of many biosynthetic pathways (Snell, 1954; Cheldelin and King, 1954). However, no definite clues to the biosynthesis of riboflavin have been provided by the study of a temperaturesensitive, riboflavin-requiring mutant strain (51602t, rib-i) of Neurospora crassa previously reported by Mitchell and Houlahan (1946). The availability of a second riboflavin-deficient strain (Tatum et al., 1950) suggested that its thorough investigation might lead to further information on the biosvnthesis of this important vitamin. A number of related compounds have been tested on this strain (Y30539, rib-2), and exhaustive tests have been made to detect the accumulation of intermediates in riboflavin biosynthesis. Although these attempts have been unsuccessful, the examination of the new strain has provided interesting genetic and other biological information. This paper summarizes the results of these investigations.
The differential risk factors of physically forced and alcohol- or other drug-enabled sexual assault among university women.

The Campus Sexual Assault Study examined whether undergraduate women's victimization experiences prior to college and lifestyle activities during college were differentially associated with the type of sexual assault they experienced: physically forced sexual assault and incapacitated sexual assault. Self-reported data collected using a Web-based survey administered to more than 5,000 undergraduate women at two large public universities indicated that victimization experiences before college were differentially associated with the risk of experiencing these two types of sexual assault during college. Women who experienced forced sexual assault before college were at very high risk of experiencing forced sexual assault during college (odds ratio [OR] = 6.6). Women who experienced incapacitated sexual assault before college were also at very high risk of experiencing incapacitated sexual assault during college (OR = 3.7). Moreover, women's substance use behaviors during college, including getting drunk and using marijuana, were strongly associated with experiencing incapacitated sexual assault but were not associated with experiencing forced sexual assault. Implications for education and prevention programs, as well as future research directions, are discussed. Language: en
Noninvasive optical imaging of nitroreductase gene-directed enzyme prodrug therapy system in living animals.

Gene-directed enzyme prodrug therapy (GDEPT) is a promising and emerging strategy that attempts to limit the systemic toxicity inherent to cancer chemotherapy by means of tumor-targeted delivery and expression of an exogenous gene whose product converts nontoxic prodrug(s) into activated cytotoxic agent(s). The bacterial nitroreductase (NTR) enzyme, coupled with its substrate prodrug 5-(azaridin-1-yl)-2,4-dinitrobenzamide (CB1954), is a promising GDEPT strategy that has reached clinical trials. However, no strategy exists to visually monitor and quantitatively evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of NTR/CB1954 prodrug therapy in cells and imaging in living animals. As the success of any GDEPT is dependent upon the efficiency of transgene expression in vivo, we developed a safe, sensitive and reproducible noninvasive imaging method to monitor NTR transgene expression that would allow quantitative assessment of both therapeutic efficacy and diagnostic outcome of NTR/CB1954 prodrug therapy in the future. Here, we investigate the use of a novel fluorescent imaging dye CytoCy5S (a Cy5-labeled quenched substrate of NTR enzyme) on various cancer cell lines in vitro and in NTR-transfected tumor-bearing animals in vivo. CytoCy5S-labeled cells become fluorescent at ‘red-shifted’ wavelengths (638 nm) when reduced by cellular NTR enzyme and remains trapped within the cells for extended periods of time. The conversion and entrapment was dynamically recorded using a time-lapsed microscopy. Systemic and intratumoral delivery of CytoCy5S to NTR-expressing tumors in animals indicated steady and reproducible signals even 16 h after delivery (P<0.001). This is the first study to address visual monitoring and quantitative evaluation of NTR activity in small animals using CytoCy5S, and establishes the capability of NTR to function as an imageable reporter gene.
Evaluation of a PTSD psychoeducational program for psychiatric inpatients

Background: Persons with severe mental illness are at high risk for trauma and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), but trauma-focused interventions are rarely delivered.Aim: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of providing a psychoeducational program for individuals with SMI and PTSD in a psychiatric hospital, and to assess gains in knowledge and satisfaction with the program.Method: Seventy inpatient participants who met criteria for PTSD attended three sessions of a psychoeducational program using a group format of video and discussion. The participants completed a “knowledge of PTSD” questionnaire before and after the education programme.Results: Participants demonstrated significant increases in knowledge about trauma and PTSD, and reported high levels of satisfaction with the program.Conclusion: Findings support the use of this intervention as a first step in increasing knowledge about PTSD and stimulating motivation to seek future treatment.Declaration of Interest: None.
Alterations of BRAF and HIPK2 loci predominate in sporadic pilocytic astrocytoma

Objective: Independent studies have previously demonstrated that both the HIPK2 and BRAF genes are amplified and rearranged, respectively, in pilocytic astrocytomas (PAs). The purpose of this study was to further investigate the frequency of BRAF and HIPK2 alterations in PAs, the concordance of these events, and their relationship to clinical phenotype. Methods: We performed extensive characterization by array-based copy number assessment (aCGH), HIPK2 copy number analysis, and BRAF rearrangement and mutation analysis in a set of 79 PAs, including 9 tumors from patients with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1). Results: We identified 1 of 3 previously identified BRAF rearrangements in 42/70 sporadic PAs. An additional 2 tumors with no rearrangement also exhibited BRAF mutation, including a novel 3-base insertion. As predicted from the genomic organization at this locus, 22/36 tumors with BRAF rearrangement also exhibited corresponding HIPK2 amplification. However, 14/36 tumors with BRAF rearrangement had no detectable HIPK2 gene amplification and 6/20 tumors demonstrated HIPK2 amplification without apparent BRAF rearrangement or mutation. Only 12/70 PAs lacked detectable BRAF or HIPK2 alterations. Importantly, none of the 9 PA tumors from NF1 patients exhibited BRAF rearrangement or mutation. Conclusions: BRAF rearrangement represents the most common genetic alteration in sporadic, but not neurofibromatosis type 1-associated, pilocytic astrocytomas (PAs). These findings implicate BRAF in the pathogenesis of these common low-grade astrocytomas in children, and suggest that PAs arise either from NF1 inactivation or BRAF gain of function.
High capacity hydrogen adsorption in Cu(II) tetracarboxylate framework materials: the role of pore size, ligand functionalization, and exposed metal sites

A series of isostructural metal−organic framework polymers of composition [Cu2(L)(H2O)2] (L= tetracarboxylate ligands), denoted NOTT-nnn, has been synthesized and characterized. Single crystal X-ray structures confirm the complexes to contain binuclear Cu(II) paddlewheel nodes each bridged by four carboxylate centers to give a NbO-type network of 64·82 topology. These complexes are activated by solvent exchange with acetone coupled to heating cycles under vacuum to afford the desolvated porous materials NOTT-100 to NOTT-109. These incorporate a vacant coordination site at each Cu(II) center and have large pore volumes that contribute to the observed high H2 adsorption. Indeed, NOTT-103 at 77 K and 60 bar shows a very high total H2 adsorption of 77.8 mg g−1 equivalent to 7.78 wt% [wt% = (weight of adsorbed H2)/(weight of host material)] or 7.22 wt% [wt% = 100(weight of adsorbed H2)/(weight of host material + weight of adsorbed H2)]. Neutron powder diffraction studies on NOTT-101 reveal three adsorption sit...
Two concurrent spinal dural arteriovenous fistulae in a patient with rapidly progressive myelopathy. A case report.

A rare case of two separate spinal dural arteriovenous fistulae (DAVFs) occurring concurrently in a patient with a rapidly progressive myelopathy is reported. Although concurrent spinal DAVFs may be "well known," their occurrence has been only anec dotally reported. To the authors' knowledge, this well documented case of a presumably rare variant of spinal DAVFs is the first to appear in the literature and is instructive for reconsidering approaches to optimal diagnosis and evaluation of posttherapeutic efficacy of these lesions.
High affinity binding of Ca++ in mitochondria: a reappraisal.

Summary It has been postulated and generally accepted that mitochondria contain two sets of binding sites for calcium, high affinity and low affinity sites. The high affinity binding of calcium is insensitive to low levels of respiratory inhibitors (antimycin plus rotenone) but completely suppressed by uncouplers. We have found that in beef heart mitochondria high affinity binding is completely suppressed by relatively high levels of respiratory inhibitors for the first two coupling sites, and that these levels of inhibitors have no significant effect on oxidative phosphorylation or energy-linked calcium uptake driven by electron flow at the third coupling site. Similar results have also been obtained in rat liver mitochondria. It is concluded that the so-called high affinity binding of calcium observed in the presence of low levels of inhibitors of respiration is actually the result of energy-linked uptake of calcium due to residual electron transfer remaining in the presence of low levels of inhibitors.
Oxyethylated secondary amides as soil wetting agents

Polydisperse adducts, RCONR’ (CH2CH2O)xH, with attractive wetting properties were prepared by oxyethylating aliphatic and aromatic secondary amides to calculated x values of 5 to 20. Moderate wetting profiles were observed with adducts where R and R’ contained 15 to 18 carbon atoms and had short ethylene oxide chains. These products, however, contained unreacted amide and/or ester contaminants. Consequently, the products showed high water solubility, fairly flat surface tension curves and average wetting ability. In the transition of adducts derived from aliphatic amides to those from aromatic amides, unreacted amide concentration decreased and ester contaminant increased.
A multiple approach to the determination of radon fluxes from sediments

Determination of sedimentary fluxes of222Rn via diffusion was required as an input for a mass balance model of radon in a freshwater lake. We obtained these fluxes by: (1) direct measurement in the laboratory using a simulated sediment bed and water column; (2) a “sediment equilibration” technique; and (3) porewater modeling. The first method, analogous to an in situ benthic chamber approach, uses direct observation of the increasing222Rn activity in water overlying a sediment bed packed in plastic columns. This allows one to directly measure the fluxes and determine the effective wet bulk sediment diffusion coefficient (Ds). Radon flux estimates using these three techniques agreed to within approximately 10–15%.
Calculation of spin-dependent parameters in the Landau-Migdal theory of nuclei☆

Contributions to the spin-dependent parameter G'0, the coefficient of σ1·σ2τ1·τ2 δ(r1−r2) in the Fermi-liquid interaction, and to the tensor invariants, are related back to elementary-particle exchange. Once finite-range pion-nucleon interactions are used, almost all of G'0 comes from theρ-exchange nucleon-nucleon potential. Using modern parameterizations of the strength in the ρ-channel, we find G'0 to be in the region of 1.5 to 2.4 which agrees well with an empirical determination.
Religious belief, age, and sexual orientation on attributions of younger and older gay and heterosexual men

Using 4 vignettes and 20 response items, this exploratory study investigated attributions about older or younger gay or heterosexual men with a history of multiple sex partners, substance abuse, and legal problems. The character is diagnosed with a terminal illness and two options for care: no treatment or an aggressive treatment protocol with a small chance of recovery. When controlling for respondents’ (N = 324) religious identification, frequency of attendance at religious services, and ethno-cultural identification, a General Linear Model was significant (F = 57.014, df = 20, p < .001). Differences in the vignette responses centred on perceptions of quality of life, the character's lifestyle, and suicide.
Groundbased Imaging Spectroscopy of Mars in the Near-Infrared: Preliminary Results

The initial results of a NIR spectral imaging study conducted from Mauna Kea Observatory during the 1990 opposition are presented. The study's main goals were to determine whether it is possible to map and monitor subtle variations in surface and atmospheric components on Mars from ground-based observations and to constrain Mars surface and airborne dust composition. Small variations near 2.3 microns include both atmospheric (CO) and surface/dust mineral absorption, although the data cannot yet accurately discriminate these components or assess their relative contributions. The present data set, even after preliminary calibration steps, demonstrates the potential of the Mars imaging spectroscopic observations in the near-IR. Focused ground-based telescopic studies in selected wavelength regions accompanied by detailed high spectral resolution atmospheric modeling will allow the mapping and monitoring of surface minerals, atmospheric aerosols, and atmospheric trace gases.
Approximating the centroid is hard

Consider the problem of computing the centroid of a convex body in n-dimensional Euclidean space. We prove that if the body is a polytope given as an intersection of half-spaces, then computing the centroid exactly is #P-hard, even for order polytopes, a special case of 0-1 polytopes. We also prove that if the body is given by a membership oracle, then for any deterministic algorithm that makes a polynomial number of queries there exists a body satisfying a roundedness condition such that the output of the algorithm is outside a ball of radius sigma/100 around the centroid, where sigma^2 is the minimum eigenvalue of the inertia matrix of the body.
Magnetotransport and magneto-optical properties of δ-doped InSb

Results of Shubnikov–de Haas (SdH), cyclotron resonance (CR), and Hall‐effect measurements on δ‐doped InSb:Si films grown by molecular‐beam epitaxy on insulating InP substrates are reported. The investigation covers samples with sheet densities of Si dopant atoms ranging from 1×1011 to 1×1013 cm−2, temperatures from 4.2 to 300 K, and fields from 0 to 7 T. The SdH oscillations show that the samples contain electrons of two‐dimensional nature, occupying multiple subbands. The effective masses obtained from the CR data correspond well to the subband occupation densities. The Hall measurements as well as the CR experiments also give evidence for the presence of additional electrons, with the conduction‐band‐edge mass m*=0.014m0 of bulk InSb, which exist presumably in the bulk of the films.
A Tiered Model for Cross-Domain QoS Delivery

The Department of Defense (DoD) has immediate and critical need for differentiated services for voice, video and data with the plannedphase out of Defense Information System Agency (DISA) Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) service. The DoD requirements are unique, they comprise highly granular precedence requirements in addition to exacting service differentiation. This is an immensely complex environment given that hundreds of heterogeneous network domains and mixed data flows exist in the Global Information Grid (GIG). This paper examines a practical, scalable, prioritized delivery model that comprises a two-tier concept for differentiated services. It provides rationale for not using dynamic, signaled resource reservation mechanism for guaranteeing services. In the proposed model, all GIG traffic is classified into two basic priority categories, first, the high-priority traffic, this cannot be subject to any Quality of Service (QoS) mechanism that will hinder its prioritized delivery across the network and second, all other traffic, this latter traffic can be subject to QoS mechanisms for service differentiation and resulting delivery. Finally, it is noted that the findings of this analysis may have implications for the design of networks on the Internet at large.
Solitary waves and their linear stability in weakly coupled KdV equations

We consider a system of weakly coupled KdV equations developed initially by Gear & Grimshaw to model interactions between long waves. We prove the existence of a variety of solitary wave solutions, some of which are not constrained minimizers. We show that such solutions are always linearly unstable. Moreover, the nature of the instability may be oscillatory and as such provides a rigorous justification for the numerically observed phenomenon of “leapfrogging.”
GPCR functional selectivity has therapeutic impact

Many in vitro data show that some ligands can cause the differential activation of signaling pathways mediated by a single receptor (termed 'functional selectivity'). It remains unclear, however, whether functionally selective properties are meaningful in vivo. Data obtained with experimental compounds that are functionally selective at the dopamine D2L receptor in vitro suggest that these properties might predict atypical behavioral actions. Moreover, the antipsychotic drug aripiprazole is commonly thought to be a D2 partial agonist, but data clearly show that aripiprazole is functionally selective in vitro. It is proposed that the effects of aripiprazole in animal models and humans can be reconciled only with its functionally selective D2 properties, not its partial D2 agonism. Together, these data provide support for the hypothesis that compounds with functionally selective properties in vitro are likely to have novel actions in vivo, opening doors to new avenues of drug discovery.
8-OH-DPAT abolishes the pulmonary C-fiber-mediated apneic response to fentanyl largely via acting on 5HT1A receptors in the nucleus tractus solitarius

Intravenous bolus injection of morphine causes a vagal-mediated brief apnea (∼3 s), while continuous injection, via action upon central μ-opioid receptor (MOR), arrests ventilation (>20 s) that is ...
Placement of MammoSite brachytherapy catheter under computed-tomography scan guidance.

Placement of the MammoSite ® breast brachytherapy catheter is most commonly performed either intraoperatively or under ultrasound-guided technique. Below, we present a case report of an alternate approach utilizing CT-scan guidance. This is the first reported case of a balloon brachytherapy catheter placement with this technique.