cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
English Education in North Korea in the 1990s–2000s: The Perspectives of Two Defectors

This chapter investigates the evolving relationship North Korean resettlers in South Korea have with English. In North Korea, English is presented as a necessary lingua franca, and the reason is, according to some accounts, it will be needed after North Korea defeats the United States. While English is a required subject in North Korea, resettlers do not often have the same English skills as their South Korean counterparts. To try to catch up, resettlers often seek free English learning opportunities offered by nonprofit organizations. Eventually, pupils of these nonprofits use English to express their neoliberal liberation from their communist upbringings. The chapter examines two resettlers who worked as English teachers in North Korea in order to understand the English language ideology of this particular demographic of Koreans.
The Neuropsychological Evaluation of High-Functioning Patients with Epilepsy

Epilepsy is a heterogeneous disorder with countless possible presentations. Knowing that someone has a diagnosis of epilepsy tells you very little about that person’s experience. There are numerous factors that might moderate the impact of this diagnosis on any one person’s life. Issues directly related to the occurrence of seizures might include type/severity of seizures, frequency with which they occur, predictability of occurrence (e.g., only at night, certain time of the month), presence or absence of warning signs or “aura,” level of postictal debilitation, and frequency of injury (e.g., tongue biting, falls, etc.). However, there are also secondary factors to be considered that are unique to each individual. For example, not being able to drive might be more of a burden on a mother with young children living in a rural community than it would on a businesswoman living in a major metropolitan area with a well-connected public transportation system. Conversely, while that same businesswoman might not be impacted by her inability to drive, the cognitive impact of seizures and the cognitive side effects of medications might make it difficult for her to complete her work-related activities.
Squeezed-twin-beam generation in strongly absorbing media

We experimentally demonstrate the generation of squeezed, bright twin beams that arise due to competing gain and absorption, in a medium that is overall transparent. To accomplish this, we make use of a nondegenerate four-wave-mixing process in warm potassium vapor such that one of the twin beams experiences strong absorption. At room temperature and above, due to Doppler broadening and smaller frequency detunings compared to other schemes, the ground-state hyperfine splittings used in the present double-$\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Lambda}}$ setup are completely overlapped. We show that despite the resulting significant asymmetric absorption of the twin beams, quantum correlations may still be generated. Our results in this regime demonstrate that the simplified model of gain, followed by loss, is insufficient to describe the amount of quantum correlation resulting from the process.
A Laboratory Study of Planetary-Type Jets in a Rotating Annulus

We have conducted a laboratory experiment on eastward jets in a rapidly rotating annulus of fluid. The jet exhibits a wavy instability and is found to provide a nearly impenetrable barrier to transport, with occasional “tongues” of fluid breaking through. The flow is essentially two-dimensional, allowing a Hamiltonian formulation of the motion.
Evolution of the androgen-induced male phenotype.

The masculine reproductive phenotype varies significantly across vertebrates. As a result, biologists have long recognized that many of the mechanisms that support these phenotypes—particularly the androgenic system—is evolutionarily labile, and thus susceptible to the effects of selection for different traits. However, exactly how androgenic signaling systems vary in a way which results in dramatically different functional outputs, remain largely unclear. We explore this topic here by outlining four key—but non-mutually exclusive—hypotheses that propose how the mechanisms of androgenic signaling might change over time to potentiate the emergence of phenotypical variation in masculine behavior and physiology. We anchor this framework in a review of our own studies of a tropical bird called the golden-collared manakin (Manacus vitellinus), which has evolved an exaggerated acrobatic courtship display that is heavily androgen-dependent. The result is an example of how the cellular basis of androgenic action can be modified to support a unique reproductive repertoire. We end this review by highlighting a broad pathway forward to further pursue the intricate ways by which the mechanisms of hormone action evolve to support processes of adaptation and animal design.
A case of SLIPPERS (Supratentorial Lymphocytic Inflammation with Parenchymal Perivascular Enhancement Responsive to Steroids) presenting with isolated cognitive dysfunction. (P1.336)

Objective: To report a case of a supratentorial variant of CLIPPERS (chronic lymphocytic inflammation with pontine perivascular enhancement responsive to steroids) presenting with isolated cognitive dysfunction. Background: Armand et al. recently described two cases of “SLIPPERS”, a condition characterized by identical pathology to the CLIPPERS syndrome, yet confined to the supratenorial space. Here, we report a third case of this entity. Design/Methods: The patient, a 56 year old man with hypertension and hyperlipidemia, was referred to the authors’ care at a tertiary medical center by a local neurologist after 1 year of memory complaints. Results: Neurologic exam was normal. MRI showed diffuse bilateral periventricular and deep white matter lesions, including the amygdala and hippocampus, with “peppery” appearing perivascular contrast enhancement. There were no infratentorial or cervical spine lesions. Infectious, rheumatologic and paraneoplastic serum labs were normal. CSF showed a mild lymphocytic pleocytosis, normal protein, and the presence of oligoclonal bands. CSF pathology was negative twice for malignant cells. Continuous VEEG over 12 hours showed no abnormalities. Cerebral angiogram was normal. PET/CT and bone scan were unrevealing. Repeat MRIs at 2 and 4 months showed progression in the number of lesions, and a brain biopsy obtained from the left medial temporal lobe revealed a perivascular infiltrate of numerous CD4+ and CD8+ cells and fewer CD20+ cells. Reactive CD68+ microglia were present. The patient responded well to 5 days of IV methylprednisolone with subsequent oral prednisone taper and transition to cellcept. Contrast enhancement on MRI completely resolved 6 weeks after the initiation of steroids. Conclusions: This report identifies a third case of SLIPPERS, unique in its presentation of isolated memory impairment. Disclosure: Dr. Horng has nothing to disclose. Dr. Crary has nothing to disclose. Dr. Fabian has nothing to disclose.
Levels of adaptation and narcissistic psychopathology.

Abstract Why, one might reasonably query, do some narcissistic characters serve time as seemingly successful presidents of corporations while others serve time as seemingly impaired inpatients on psychiatric units? I will offer some observations on this unusual clinical phenomenon and suggest that it is useful to distinguish between two clinical presentations of narcissistic character psychopathology, which I will call, for the sake of expedience, Level 1 and Level 2. I will then examine 1) how an understanding of the dimensions of empathic abilities, paranoia, levels of depression, grandiosity, and defensive uses of denial and disavowal can lend a broad explanatory range to the understanding of these levels, and 2) how we can assess both successful and unsuccessful adaptation to the outer world and the inner world in narcissistic disorders. Moreover, it is important to distinguish between being well adapted and being emotionally healthy, which are quite different in meaning and intent. I use the term Level 1 to refer to the more poorly adapted presentation, and the term Level 2 to refer to the more successfully adapted narcissistic presentation. Characteristics of Level 1 narcissistic pathology dispose a patient to an adaptation that is similar to the description of the narcissistic patient who is often described as borderline; characteristics of Level 2 narcissistic pathology dispose a patient to a high-flying and superficially successful adaptation in which the patient can competently navigate the occupational and social demands of an external world despite the presence of severe object relational impairments. While a difference in adaptation is highlighted, emotional well-being is not within the exclusive province of either's characteristic adaptive skills.
Design and Characterization of an EHD1 Inhibitor

The EHD1 protein coordinates the expression of surface proteins, such as β1 integrins, that are highly expressed in our human squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) cell line. EHD1 mediates its effects via ...
Design and Implementation of an Assistive Real-Time Red Lionfish Detection System for AUV/ROVs

In recent years, the Pterois Volitans, also known as the red lionfish, has become a serious threat by rapidly invading US coastal waters. Being a fierce predator, having no natural predator, being adaptive to different habitats, and being with high reproduction rates, the red lionfish has enervated current endeavors to control their population. This paper focuses on the first steps to reinforce these efforts by employing autonomous vehicles. To that end, an assistive underwater robotic scheme is designed to aid spear-hunting divers to locate and more efficiently hunt the lionfish. A small-sized, open source ROV with an integrated camera is programmed using Deep Learning methods to detect red lionfish in real time. Dives are restricted to a certain depth range, time, and air supply. The ROV program is designed to allow the divers to locate the red lionfish before each dive, so that they can plan their hunt to maximize their catch. Lightweight, portability, user-friendly interface, energy efficiency, and low cost of maintenance are some advantages of the proposed scheme. The developed system’s performance is examined in areas currently invaded by the red lionfish in the Gulf of Mexico. The ROV has shown success in detecting the red lionfish with high confidence in real time.
The effects of different types of additives on growth of biomineral phases investigated by in situ atomic force microscopy

Abstract Interactions between different types of additives with specific crystal surfaces of mineral phases found in biominerals were investigated at nanometer and micrometer scales by in situ atomic force microscopy (AFM). Firstly, the inhibitory effect of magnesium ion (Mg2+) and that of a peptide molecule, L-aspartic acid 6mer (L-Asp6) on the growth of a fast growing [−1 0 −1] step on the (−1 0 1) face of calcium oxalate monohydrate (COM) crystal are quantitatively compared by the step speed data. Differences in the inhibitory effect are explained based on a De Yoreo model of step kinetics in detail. The step speed data show that Mg2+ had a little inhibitory effect on the growth of the [−1 0 −1] step, approaching a limiting value of about 15% reduction in the step speed, whereas L-Asp6 was substantially more effective in inhibiting the step growth with an ability to stop the growth completely. Secondly, the effects of a protein molecule, bovine serum albumin (BSA) and a pseudo protein-like organic particle PSPMA30-PDPA47 micelle on the growth of calcite on its {1 0 4} faces are compared. Both BSA and PSPMA30-PDPA47 micelle temporarily pinned the passing steps without or negligibly inhibiting the step growth overall. The BSA molecule remained at the crystal surface without incorporation into the crystal because the steps passed through it, pushing it up and out. However, in contrast to the BSA, the micelle was incorporated into the crystal by the passing steps. These results together with other relevant studies suggest that the decisive factor in determining for macromolecules to be incorporated into growing minerals or to remain intact on the mineral surface with no incorporation is the magnitude of binding strength of the macromolecules to the growing step against the step’s propagation force.
The push for a Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act in the United States: recent developments in Uyghur activism

Since 2017, the Chinese government’s internment campaign of Uyghurs and other Turkic peoples has prompted unprecedented interest in human rights issues in Xinjiang. Academia, non-governmental organ...
Overall survival of pediatric patients enrolled on phase 1 oncology trials.

e21017 Background: There are few effective therapeutic options for many metastatic or recurrent pediatric malignancies. Phase I trials are a critical step in the development of new agents for such ...
Metalenses or diffractive lenses for imaging

There is currently an explosion of interest in the use of metalenses for imaging. We demonstrate via rigorous simulations and exemplary experiments that metalenses offer no advantage over appropriately designed diffractive lenses in most cases.
Mechanism of Arsenic Trioxide Inhibition of Cell Growth and Induction of Apoptosis in Triple Negative MDA-MB-231 Breast Cancer Cell Line

Arsenic Trioxide ATO exhibits antitumor activities and potent inducer of apoptosis in a variety of cancer types, the exact mechanism of antitumor activity is not clear and its effectiveness in soli...
Maternal and early postnatal immune activation produce sex-specific effects on autism-like behaviors and neuroimmune function in mice

Increasing evidence suggests a role for inflammation in neuropsychiatric conditions including autism spectrum disorder (ASD), a neurodevelopmental syndrome with higher prevalence in males than females. Here we examined the effects of early-life immune system activation (EIA)—comprising regimens of prenatal, early postnatal, or combined (“two-hit”) immune activation—on the core behavioral features of ASD (decreased social interaction, increased repetitive behavior, and aberrant communication) in C57BL/6J mice. We treated timed-pregnant mice with polyinosinic:polycytidylic acid (Poly I:C) on gestational day 12.5 to produce maternal immune activation (MIA). Some offspring also received lipopolysaccharide (LPS) on postnatal day 9 to produce postnatal immune activation (PIA). EIA produced disruptions in social behavior and increases in repetitive behaviors that were larger in males than in females. Ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs) were altered in both sexes. Molecular studies revealed that EIA also produced prominent sex-specific changes in inflammation-related gene expression in the brain. Whereas both sexes showed increases in pro-inflammatory factors, as reflected by levels of mRNA and protein, expression of anti-inflammatory factors was decreased in males but increased in females. Our findings demonstrate that EIA can produce sex-specific behavioral effects and immune responses in the brain, and identify molecular processes that may contribute to resilience in females.
Excimer laser coronary angioplasty.

Excimer laser angioplasty has evolved from a difficult experimental procedure to a more refined intervention with flexible catheters, well-defined indications, and consistent results for certain lesion types such as aortoostial stenoses, total occlusions, and certain saphenous vein graft lesions. This article reviews the current clinical results with excimer laser angioplasty, discusses the procedural technique and indications, and emphasizes the need for rigorous comparison of excimer laser angioplasty with alternative approaches for patients with coronary artery disease.
Force control predicts fine motor dexterity in high-functioning stroke survivors.

Abstract Background and purpose High-functioning stroke survivors with mild to moderate motor impairments show greater functional autonomy in activities of daily living, and often return to work or prior activities. Increased functional independence necessitates dexterous use of hands to execute tasks such as typing, using a phone, and driving. Despite the absence of any pronounced motor impairments, high-functioning individuals with stroke report challenges in performing skilled manual tasks. Two prominent motor deficits that limit functional performance after stroke are decline in strength and force control. Here, we quantify the deficits in fine motor dexterity in high-functioning stroke survivors and determine the relative contribution of strength and force control to fine motor dexterity. Methods Fifteen high-functioning participants with stroke (upper-limb Fugl-Meyer score ≥43/66) and 15 controls performed following tasks with the paretic and non-dominant hands respectively: i) Nine-hole peg pest, ii) maximum voluntary contraction and iii) dynamic force tracking with isometric finger flexion. Results High-functioning stroke participants required greater time to complete the pegboard task, showed reduced finger strength, and increased force variability relative to the controls. Importantly, the time to complete pegboard task in high-functioning stroke participants was explained by finger force variability, not strength. Discussion and conclusions High-functioning stroke survivors show persistent deficits in fine motor dexterity, finger strength, and force control. The ability to modulate forces (control) contributes to fine motor dexterity in high-functioning stroke survivors. Interventions to improve fine motor dexterity in these individuals should include the assessment and training of force control.
Galois descent of equivalences between blocks of $p$-nilpotent groups

We give sufficient conditions on $p$-blocks of $p$-nilpotent groups over $\mathbb{F}_p$ to be splendidly Rickard equivalent and $p$-permutation equivalent to their Brauer correspondents. The paper also contains Galois descent results on $p$-permutation modules and $p$-permutation equivalences that hold for arbitrary groups.
Polysomnography use in complex term and preterm infants to facilitate evaluation and management in the neonatal intensive care unit

Study Objectives: (1) To determine the characteristics of term and preterm infants for whom polysomnography (PSG) was used as a primary diagnostic tool in infants with recurrent desaturation episod...
Ranking-Based Convolutional Neural Network Models for Peptide-MHC Class I Binding Prediction.

T-cell receptors can recognize foreign peptides bound to major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class-I proteins, and thus trigger the adaptive immune response. Therefore, identifying peptides that can bind to MHC class-I molecules plays a vital role in the design of peptide vaccines. Many computational methods, for example, the state-of-the-art allele-specific method MHCflurry , have been developed to predict the binding affinities between peptides and MHC molecules. In this manuscript, we develop two allele-specific Convolutional Neural Network-based methods named ConvM and SpConvM to tackle the binding prediction problem. Specifically, we formulate the problem as to optimize the rankings of peptide-MHC bindings via ranking-based learning objectives. Such optimization is more robust and tolerant to the measurement inaccuracy of binding affinities, and therefore enables more accurate prioritization of binding peptides. In addition, we develop a new position encoding method in ConvM and SpConvM to better identify the most important amino acids for the binding events. We conduct a comprehensive set of experiments using the latest Immune Epitope Database (IEDB) datasets. Our experimental results demonstrate that our models significantly outperform the state-of-the-art methods including MHCflurry with an average percentage improvement of 6.70% on AUC and 17.10% on ROC5 across 128 alleles.
Optimal strategies for a cost-effective and reliable 100% renewable electric grid

This paper explores cost-optimal pathways to 100% renewable power systems for the U.S. building stock. We show that long-duration misalignments of supply and demand, spanning from multi-day to seasonal timescales, present a dominant challenge that must be addressed to meet real-time 100% renewable targets. While long-duration misalignments can be addressed through energy storage, we show that alternative and readily available solutions that are more cost-effective should be considered first. Through a techno-economic analysis, we identify cost-optimal, region-dependent, supply-side, and demand-side strategies that reduce, and in some U.S. regions eliminate, the otherwise substantial capacities and associated costs of long-duration energy storage. Investigated supply-side strategies include optimal mixes of renewable portfolios and oversized generation capacities. Considered demand-side strategies include building load flexibility and building energy efficiency investments. Our results reveal that building energy efficiency measures can reduce long-duration storage requirements at minimum total investment costs. In addition, oversizing and diversifying renewable generation can play a critical role in reducing storage requirements, remaining cost effective even when accounting for curtailed generation. We identify regionally dependent storage cost targets and show that for emerging long-duration energy storage innovations to achieve broad adoption, their costs will need to compete with the decreasing cost of renewables. The findings of this research are particularly important given that most long-duration storage technologies are currently either uneconomical, geologically constrained, or still underdeveloped.
An Introduction to fMRI

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) provides an opportunity to indirectly observe neural activity noninvasively in the human brain as it changes in near real time. Most fMRI experiments measure the blood oxygen-level dependent (BOLD) signal, which rises to a peak several seconds after a brain area becomes active. Several experimental designs are common in fMRI research. Block designs alternate periods in which subjects perform some task with periods of rest, whereas event-related designs present the subject with a set of discrete trials. After the fMRI experiment is complete, pre-processing analyses prepare the data for task-related analyses. The most popular task-related analysis uses the General Linear Model to correlate a predicted BOLD response with the observed activity in each brain region. Regions where this correlation is high are identified as task related. Connectivity analysis then tries to identify active regions that belong to the same functional network. In contrast, multivariate methods, such as independent component analysis and multi-voxel pattern analysis identify networks of event-related regions, rather than single regions, so they simultaneously address questions of functional connectivity.
Using the DC3 forensic challenge as a basis for a special topics digital forensics upper level undergraduate course

The DC3 (Defense Cybercrime Unit) issues an annual forensic challenge to law enforcement, corporations, and universities. This challenge includes a packet of individual computer forensics related problem sets including data recovery from damaged media, password cracking (zip archives and Microsoft Word documents for example), image analysis (real versus CGI for example), and steganography to name a few from the 2007 challenge. After attending the 2006 conference, the Center of Excellence in Digital Forensics at Sam Houston State University implemented a pilot special topics course so that students might participate in this challenge, gain valuable research and development experience, and possibly solve the problem set.
Role of the B cell antigen receptor in antigen processing and presentation. Involvement of the transmembrane region in intracellular trafficking of receptor/ligand complexes.

To study the role of the B cell Ag receptor (membrane-bound Ig [mIg]) in Ag processing and presentation, we have generated several Ig transfectants that express transfected TEPC-15 idiotype (T15-Id) mIgM with phosphorylcholine (PC)-binding specificity. The wild-type Ig transfectant is able to present a specific Ag (e.g., PC-conjugated hen egg-white lysozyme [PC-HEL]) more efficiently than a nonspecific Ag (HEL) to a T cell hybridoma recognizing an epitope on the HEL molecule. A substitution in the entire spacer, transmembrane, and cytoplasmic region of mIg with an equivalent region of I-A alpha chain completely abolishes this mIg-enhanced Ag presentation. Experiments with the wild-type and substituted variant Ig transfectants suggest that this substitution may interfere with normal intracellular trafficking of mIg after cross-linking with specific Ag or antibodies specific for the mIg (anti-T15-Id mAb). Prolonged treatment of the wild-type Ig transfectants with specific Ag or anti-T15-Id mAb reduces the surface expression of T15-Id mIgM and leads to an accumulation of T15-Id mIgM inside the cells. The reduced surface expression and the elevated cytoplasmic accumulation of T15-Id mIgM are not observed in the variant Ig transfectant. Despite the ability of the variant to endocytose ligands similarly to the wild-type Ig transfectant, this variant displays a higher rate of recycling of the mIg/ligand complexes back to the cell surface and a lower rate of degradation of the ligands. These abnormalities may be responsible for the deficiency in mIg-mediated enhancement of Ag presentation in the variant Ig transfectant. Therefore, our results suggest that the transmembrane region of mIg is involved in intracellular trafficking of receptor/ligand complexes and that proper delivery and handling of internalized Ag are required for the enhanced presentation of specific Ag by B cells.
Caspase-mediated degradation of AMPA receptor subunits: a mechanism for preventing excitotoxic necrosis and ensuring apoptosis.

Activation of ionotropic glutamate receptors of the AMPA and NMDA subtypes likely contributes to neuronal injury and death in various neurodegenerative disorders. Excitotoxicity can manifest as either apoptosis or necrosis, but the mechanisms that determine the mode of cell death are not known. We now report that levels of AMPA receptor subunits GluR-1 and GluR-4 are rapidly decreased in cultured rat hippocampal neurons undergoing apoptosis in response to withdrawal of trophic support (WTS), whereas levels of NMDA receptor subunits NR1, NR2A, and NR2B are unchanged. Exposure of isolated synaptosomal membranes to “apoptotic” cytosolic extracts resulted in rapid degradation of AMPA receptor subunits. Treatment of cells and synaptosomal membranes with the caspase inhibitors prevented degradation of AMPA receptor subunits, demonstrating a requirement for caspases in the process. Calcium responses to AMPA receptor activation were reduced after withdrawal of trophic support and enhanced after treatment with caspase inhibitors. Vulnerability of neurons to excitotoxic necrosis was decreased after withdrawal of trophic support and potentiated by treatment with caspase inhibitors. Our data indicate that caspase-mediated degradation of AMPA receptor subunits occurs during early periods of cell stress and may serve to ensure apoptosis by preventing excitotoxic necrosis.
Stern v. Marshall: How Anna Nicole Smith Almost Stripped Bankruptcy Courts of Jury Trials

The United State Supreme Court’s recent decision in Stern v. Marshall has raised significant questions about bankruptcy jurisdiction. The Court declared that bankruptcy judges lack the constitutional authority to adjudicate compulsory counterclaims founded on state law in bankruptcy proceedings. In so doing, the Court deemed 28 U.S.C. § 157(b)(2)(C) unconstitutional. While it did not expressly discuss whether this holding encompasses the right to a jury trial in bankruptcy, the Court’s decision nonetheless has the potential to do so. This Note proposes that in light of Stern, if and when a bankruptcy case involving the jury trial question reaches the Supreme Court, the Court should adopt a four-step test for determining when bankruptcy judges may grant a jury trial.
Somatic hypermutation and use of immunoglobulin variable regions at shark T cell receptors (VET2P.1038)

The nurse shark (Ginglymostoma cirratum) is part of the earliest clade found to possess an adaptive immune system employing immunoglobulin superfamily lymphocyte antigen receptors. The hallmarks of adaptive immunity, memory and specificity, are accomplished through B or T cells employing immunoglobulin (Ig) or T-cell receptors (TCR) respectively. Both lineages undergo somatic gene rearrangement for receptor diversification, a process mediated by RAG proteins, in which V, D, and J gene segments are joined together. Surprisingly, we found somatic hypermutation (SHM, normally a B cell process) to occur extensively at shark TCRα loci. Unlike B cell SHM that follows antigen exposure in sharks and most other vertebrates, SHM at TCRα loci occurs during thymic development. TCRα SHM is supported with isolation of clusters of mutated clones having the same CDR3 rearrangement.We suggest that such SHM, in addition to TCRα receptor editing, permits developing T cells with evolving receptors to scan cortical epithelial cells for positive selection on self-peptide/self MHC. Additionally, we have found that shark TCRδ can employ variable gene segments of IgM and IgW in rearrangements, a situation that may be similar to the IgHV use by TCRδ noted in higher vertebrates. Future studies must further study the lineage commitment of shark B and T cells and the receptor plasticity of these lineages in all vertebrates.
Organization of the Light-Harvesting Complex of Photosystem I and Its Assembly during Plastid Development

Photosystem I (PSI) holocomplexes were fractionated to study the organization of the light-harvesting complex I (LHC I) pigment-proteins in barley (Hordeum vulgare) plastids. LHC Ia and LHC Ib can be isolated as oligomeric, presumably trimeric, pigment-protein complexes. The LHC Ia oligomeric complex contains both the 24- and the 21.5-kD apoproteins encoded by the Lhca3 and Lhca2 genes and is slightly larger than the oligomeric LHC Ib complex containing the Lhca1 and Lhca4 gene products of 21 and 20 kD. The synthesis and assembly of LHC I during light-driven development of intermittent light-grown plants occurs rapidly upon exposure to continuous illumination. Complete PSI complexes are detected by nondenaturing Deriphat (disodium N-dodecyl-[beta]-iminodipropionate-160)-PAGE after 2 h of illumination, and their appearance correlates with that of the 730- to 740-nm emission characteristic of assembled LHC I. However, the majority of the newly synthesized LHC I apoproteins are present as monomeric complexes in the thylakoids during the early hours of greening. We propose that during development of the protochloroplast the LHC I apoproteins are first assembled into monomeric pigmented complexes that then aggregate into trimers before becoming attached to the pre-existing core complex to form a complete PSI holocomplex.
Abstract IA10: Kinase-impaired BRAF mutations as predictors of resistance and sensitivity

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is a common and rapidly fatal cancer for which targeted therapies have been markedly effective in only about 15% of patients - specifically those with EGFR mutations or EML4-ALK translocations. During a clinical trial of the multi-targeted tyrosine kinase inhibitor dasatinib we identified a patient with stage IV NSCLC who harbored a novel BRAF mutation (Y472C), had a near complete radiographic response to the multitargeted kinase inhibitor dasatinib as sole therapy and remained without active cancer 7 years following treatment. We discovered that Y472C BRAF is a kinase-inactivating BRAF mutation ( KI BRAF). BRAF mutations can result in increased or decreased BRAF kinase activity, as well as kinase-neutral mutations, and occur in 8% of NSCLC and many other tumor types. We found that NSCLC cells that harbor KI BRAF undergo senescence when exposed to the dasatinib whereas NSCLC patients and cell lines with wild type BRAF are resistant to dasatinib. Transfection of other NSCLC cells with KI BRAF mutations also increased their dasatinib sensitivity, whereas transfection with an activating BRAF mutation led to their increased dasatinib resistance. NSCLC cells transfected with Y472C BRAF exhibited CRAF, MEK, and ERK activation. Currently there are no well-defined, canonical pathways that explain the observed dasatinib-induced senescence in NSCLC cells with KI BRAF. Dasatinib inhibits the activity of 40 distinct kinase targets and can induce BRAF-CRAF dimerization and CRAF activation in cells with activated RAS or KI BRAF mutations. To investigate the mechanism leading to senescence we performed reverse phase protein arrays to simultaneously examine the expression of 137 proteins and phosphoproteins and gene expression arrays. This approach was limited by the existence of only two NSCLC cell lines with KI BRAF but nonetheless we determined that dasatinib induced DNA damage and subsequently activated DNA repair pathways and the HIPPO signaling pathway only in NSCLC cells with KI BRAF. We are currently conducting a clinical trial for NSCLC patients with KI BRAF mutations to determine the efficacy of dasatinib in these patients prospectively. Citation Format: Faye Johnson, Banibrata Sen, Tuhina Mazumdar, Shaohua Peng, Humam Kadara, Lixia Diao, Lauren Byers. Kinase-impaired BRAF mutations as predictors of resistance and sensitivity. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Precision Medicine Series: Drug Sensitivity and Resistance: Improving Cancer Therapy; Jun 18-21, 2014; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Clin Cancer Res 2015;21(4 Suppl): Abstract nr IA10.
Gaussian solitary wave solutions for nonlinear evolution equations with logarithmic nonlinearities

In this work, we study a variety of nonlinear evolution equations with logarithmic nonlinearities. We will examine the logarithmic KdV-like equations, the logarithmic KP-like equations, and the logarithmic Klein–Gordon equations. We show that these equations possess Gaussons: solitary wave solutions of Gaussian shape.
Biomarkers of Parkinson’s disease

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is the second most prevalent neurodegenerative disease in the elderly, and no cure or disease-modifying therapies exist. Pathologically, PD is characterized mainly by the loss of dopaminergic neurons in the ventral mesencephalic substantia nigra compacta, leading to a striatal dopamine deficit. As with other neurodegenerative diseases, early diagnosis of PD prior to symptom onset is key to helping minimize dopamine loss and disease progression. Accordingly, robust, specific, and sensitive biomarkers for PD are urgently needed. Although no PD-specific biological markers are available yet, several promising candidates have emerged in the past several decades. In this chapter, we focus on the progress of these promising biomarkers, which hold the potential to aid in the clinical management of the disease.
The Hydrolytic Mechanism of an Exo-β-(1 → 3)-d-glucanase

Abstract The hydrolytic mechanism of an exo-β-(1 → 3)-d-glucanase was investigated. The enzyme quantitatively inverts anomeric configuration producing α-d-glucose, and will not catalyze transglucosylation reactions even at very high acceptor concentrations. The velocity of the reaction was studied as a function of the molarity of water and a linear correlation was found which implies that water is involved in the rate-limiting step of hydrolysis in a unimolecular manner. The results suggest that the enzyme catalyzes a single displacement mechanism in which the rate-limiting step occurs with a back-side nucleophilic attack by water resulting in inversion of configuration.
Design-oriented high-lift methodology for general aviation and civil transport aircraft

A high-lift system design methodology that can be incorporated during the early stages of aircraft development is presented and thus has the potential to provide a superior and more cost-effective vehicle than one developed utilizing traditional linear design methods. The present methodology offers two different levels of e delity: one applicable to the conceptual design stage and the other to the preliminary design stage. The underlying e ow solver couples a three-dimensional nonlinear Weissinger method with two-dimensional viscous data to provide fast and accurate aerodynamic predictions for high-lift cone gurations. Several test cases that illustrate the capabilities of this hybrid e ow solver are presented.
A facile method to functionalize engineering solid membrane supports for rapid and efficient oil–water separation

A facile and low-cost method is developed to functionalize engineering metal membrane supports, such as stainless steel (SS), with epoxy-containing polymer poly(glycidyl methacrylate) (PGMA) to produce a versatile and universal platform for subsequent surface modification. With a PGMA anchoring layer, we have demonstrated that hydrogel particles, such as polyacrylamide-co-poly(acrylic acid) (PAM-co-PAA), can be subsequently grafted to form functional polymer membranes for rapid and efficient oilewater separation. By contact angle and AFM measurement, we have confirmed that PAM-co-PAA hydrogel particle layer grafted on a PGMA-modified SS surface exhibits excellent selectivity as required for liquid eliquid separation, showing high affinity to water but not to oils as an ideal membrane for oilewater separation. To evaluate the separation efficiency, a simple flow-through device is employed to separate free-floating oil from water in the mixture of varied initial oil volume fraction and oil composition. Under substantially high pump flow rate up to 1.3 L/min, PAM-co-PAA hydrogel treated SS mesh can achieve excellent separation efficiency with less than 5% oil or water in the respective filtrate at the flux of as high as 540 m 3 /(m 2 $h) and retentate at the flux of 1.95 m 3 /(m 2 $h). This separation efficiency is better than, or comparable to, the maximal performance achieved using conventional gravity methods at much lower flow rate. Similar approach could be also adapted to graft superhydrophobic and superoleophilic polymer membranes with PGMA-treated engineering support to separate water from oil.
Comparative sizes of type A and B botulinum neurotoxins

NEUROTOXINS of Clostridiwn botulinum are synthesized as molecules of low or possibly no toxicity ; they attain their characteristically high specific toxicity when activated by culture protease(s) or by trypsin. At their highest attainable specific toxicity types A, B, E and F neurotoxins have a structural similarity : they are nicked proteins composed of a heavy (H) and a light (L) chain held together by disulfide bond(s) with H approximately twice the molecular weight of L (BEERs and REICH, 1969 ; DAsGuPTA and SUGIYAMA, 1972 ; YANG and SUGIYAMA, 1975). The reported molecular weight oftype B neurotoxin (BEERS and REICH, 1969 ; DAsGUPTA et al., 1968 ; KOZAKI and SAKAGUCHI, 1975) is 10-17% larger than that of type A (DAsGUPTA and BOROFF, 1968). This difference could be partly due to different techniques and to variabilities within the methodology used for the determinations . This paper reports on more precise comparisons made of the two neurotoxins and their respective H and L chains by gel filtration (ANDREWS, 1965), cochromatography, and coelectrophoresis in polyacrylamide gels containing sodium dodecyl sulfate (PAGE-SDS) (WEBER and OsBoRN, 1969). This approach should minimize the variability within gel filtration experiments and between electrophoretic gels . Crystalline type A toxin, prepared from cultures of C. botulinum type A (strain Hall), was fractionated by anion exchange chromatography to isolate the type A neurotoxin (DASGUPTA and BoRoFF, 1968). It was in the nicked form and its specific lethality (white mouse) was 8-97 x 107 LD50 per 1-0 A8 , 8 or 1-47 x 10 8 LDbo per mg based on Ely of 16-3 (Knox et al., 1970) . Type B neurotoxin was isolated from culture fluid of C. botulimtm type B (strain Okra) by the method of DAsGuPTA and SUGIYAMA (1976). The neurotoxin was a mixture of nicked and unpicked forms having identical molecular weight and not separable by ion exchange chromatography or PAGE-SDS. The preparation upon reduction with mercaptoethanol (DASGUPTA and SUGIYAMA, 1972) produced three bands in PAGE-SDS the unpicked toxin and the two subunits (H and L chains) from the nicked form . Specific lethality (white mouse) of the trypsinized (ratio of protein: enzyme 10 : 1 w/w, incubated 30 min at 37°C, pH 6-0) preparation was 6-2 x 10' LDao per 1.0 Ae7e or 1-14 x 108 LD5 , per mg based on E]~ of 18-5 (BEERS and REICH, 1969) . Three separately purified type B neurotoxin lots were identical by PAGE-SDS ; one of these preparations was used for comparison with type A toxin. Type A and B neurotoxins were separately prepared with or without reduction by mercaptoethanol (DAsGUPTA and SUGIYAMA, 1972), for PAGE-SDS. Coelectrophoresing
Computer aided manufacturing planning for mass customization: part 3, information modeling

To facilitate the computer-aided manufacturing planning (CAMP) for mass customization, an information model is developed for integrating the information exchange in different levels of CAMP activities. The correlative relationships between product design and manufacturing processes are established by using an object-oriented system analysis model so that the manufacturing system design can be adaptive to the change of the product design. The information model is implemented in a prototype CAMP system for part family.
Binding pathway of retinal to bacterio-opsin: a prediction by molecular dynamics simulations

Formation of bacteriorhodopsin (bR) from apoprotein and retinal has been studied experimentally, but the actual pathway, including the point of entry, is little understood. Molecular dynamics simulations provide a surprisingly clear prediction. A window between bR helices E and F in the transmembrane part of the protein can be identified as an entry point for retinal. Steered molecular dynamics, performed by applying a series of external forces in the range of 200–1000 pN over a period of 0.2 ns to retinal, allows one to extract this chromophore from bR once the Schiff base bond to Lys216 is cleaved. Extraction proceeds until the retinal tail forms a hydrogen bond network with Ala144, Met145, and Ser183 side groups lining the exit/entry window. The manipulation induces a distortion with a fitted root mean square deviation of coordinates (ignoring retinal, water, and hydrogen atoms) of less than 1.9 A by the time the retinal carbonyl reaches the protein surface. The forces needed to extract retinal are due to friction and do not indicate significant potential barriers. The simulations therefore suggest a pathway for the binding of retinal. Water molecules are found to play a crucial role in the binding process.
Comparison of heliospheric current sheet structure obtained from potential magnetic field computations and from observed polarization coronal brightness

A comparison is conducted of the structure of the heliospheric current sheet early in sunspot cycle 21 as computed from the observed photospheric magnetic field with a potential field approximation and as inferred from synoptic maps of the observed coronal polarization brightness. On most of the solar rotations compared, the two methods give essentially the same results; the basic shape of the warped current sheet and the amplitude (in solar latitude) of the displacements of the sheet from the solar equator are similar. On one rotation the current sheet computed with the potential field approximation appears to be distorted by a large photospheric region of unbalanced magnetic flux.
COOL MULTITHREADING IN HTMT SPELL-1 PROCESSORS

A COOL-1 multiprocessor shared memory system based on superconductor Rapid Single-Flux Quantum (RSFQ) technology is being developed at SUNY (Stony Brook, USA) within the framework of the Hybrid Technology Multithreaded architecture (HTMT) petaflops project led by JPL. This paper describes a multithreading approach proposed in the COOL-I architecture and mechanisms to exploit the thread level parallelism in RSFQ processors called SPELL-1. Up to 128 fine-grain threads called (instruction) streams arranged in 16 groups of 8 streams each can run in parallel within a SPELL-1 processor. All eight streams comprising each COOL stream cluster can communicate and synchronize directly via shared registers. Fast creation and termination of streams including speculative stream execution are also supported.
Concentration Dependent Viscosity of Monoclonal Antibody Solutions: Explaining Experimental Behavior in Terms of Molecular Properties

Early identification of monoclonal antibody candidates whose development, as high concentration (≥100 mg/mL) drug products, could prove challenging, due to high viscosity, can help define strategies for candidate engineering and selection. Concentration dependent viscosities of 11 proprietary mAbs were measured. Sequence and structural features of the variable (Fv) regions were analyzed to understand viscosity behavior of the mAbs. Coarse-grained molecular simulations of two problematic mAbs were compared with that of a well behaved mAb. Net charge, ξ-potential and pI of Fv regions were found to correlate with viscosities of highly concentrated antibody solutions. Negative net charges on the Fv regions of two mAbs with poor viscosity behaviors facilitate attractive self-associations, causing them to diffuse slower than a well-behaved mAb with positive net charge on its Fv region. An empirically derived equation that connects aggregation propensity and pI of the Fv region with high concentration viscosity of the whole mAb was developed. An Fv region-based qualitative screening profile was devised to flag mAb candidates whose development, as high concentration drug products, could prove challenging. This screen can facilitate developability risk assessment and mitigation strategies for antibody based therapeutics via rapid high throughput material-free screening.
Will a course on death and dying lower students' death and dying anxiety?

This course describes a 7-week, one-and-one-half-hour per week course on Death and Dying and examines its impact on medical students' attitudes. The 30 participants were tested on attitudes about death and dying pre- and post-course. The pre- and post-course fears about death and dying were measured with the 32-item Collett-Lester Death Anxiety Scale, which measures fear of death and the dying process as these apply to self and others. The Semantic Differential technique was used to measure the pre- and post-course attitudes toward "treating the dying patient" and "dealing with the dying patient's family." There was a decrease in anxiety about death and dying when the posttest was compared with the pretest on the anxiety scales, with death of self and death of others reaching significance (p = .04 and .04). There was a decrease in anxiety scores on the Semantic Differential on treating the dying patient and dealing with the dying patient's family (p = less than .001 for both).
HEMODYNAMIC PATTERNS OF PHARMACOLOGICALLY INDUCED ERECTION: EVALUATION BY COLOR DOPPLER SONOGRAPHY

AbstractPurpose: Penile erection is achieved through hemodynamic mechanisms that can be assessed best with color flow imaging and Doppler waveform analysis. We performed dynamic studies using computer assisted analysis to assess the hemodynamic patterns of pharmacologically induced erection.Materials and Methods: A total of 73 color Doppler ultrasound studies was performed in 66 patients with erectile dysfunction. Various blood flow parameters, including peak systolic velocity, end diastolic velocity, mean flow rate, resistive index and artery diameter, were observed continuously and recorded frequently for about 30 minutes after intracorporeal injection of papaverine/phentolamine/prostaglandin E1 mixture. A computerized Doppler waveform analysis of 3 curves or greater was performed for each recording to minimize error. A second injection was administered if the first injection failed to induce a rigid erection. Status of the erection was observed and recorded throughout the study. A computerized graph wa...