cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Transgenic Mouse Lines Subdivide Medial Vestibular Nucleus Neurons into Discrete, Neurochemically Distinct Populations

The identification of neuron types within circuits is fundamental to understanding their relevance to behavior. In the vestibular nuclei, several classes of neurons have been defined in vivo on the basis of their activity during behavior, but it is unclear how those types correspond to neurons identified in slice preparations. By targeting recordings to neurons labeled in transgenic mouse lines, this study reveals that the continuous distribution of intrinsic parameters observed in medial vestibular nucleus (MVN) neurons can be neatly subdivided into two populations of neurons, one of which is GABAergic and the other of which is exclusively glycinergic or glutamatergic. In slice recordings, GABAergic neurons labeled in the EGFP (enhanced green fluorescent protein)-expressing inhibitory neuron (GIN) line displayed lower maximum firing rates (<250 Hz) than glycinergic and glutamatergic neurons labeled in the yellow fluorescent protein-16 (YFP-16) line (up to 500 Hz). In contrast to cortical and hippocampal interneurons, GABAergic MVN neurons exhibited wider action potentials than glutamatergic (and glycinergic) neurons. Responses to current injection differed between the neurons labeled in the two lines, with GIN neurons modulating their firing rates over a smaller input range, adapting less during steady depolarization, and exhibiting less rebound firing than YFP-16 neurons. These results provide a scheme for robust classification of unidentified MVN neurons by their physiological properties. Finally, dye labeling in slices shows that both GABAergic and glycinergic neurons project to the contralateral vestibular nuclei, indicating that commissural inhibition is accomplished through at least two processing streams with differential input and output properties.
Self-propulsion computations using a speed controller and a discretized propeller with dynamic overset grids

A method that can be used to perform self-propulsion computations of surface ships is presented. The propeller is gridded as an overset object with a rotational velocity that is imposed by a speed controller, which finds the self-propulsion point when the ship reaches the target Froude number in a single transient computation. Dynamic overset grids are used to allow different dynamic groups to move independently, including the hull and appendages, the propeller, and the background (where the far-field boundary conditions are imposed). Predicted integral quantities include propeller rotational speed, propeller forces, and ship’s attitude, along with the complete flow field. The fluid flow is solved by employing a single-phase level set approach to model the free surface, along with a blended k−ω/k−ɛ based DES model for turbulence. Three ship hulls are evaluated: the single-propeller KVLCC1 tanker appended with a rudder, the twin propeller fully appended surface combatant model DTMB 5613, and the KCS container ship without a rudder, and the results are compared with experimental data obtained at the model scale. In the case of KCS, a more complete comparison with propulsion data is performed. It is shown that direct computation of self-propelled ships is feasible, and though very resource intensive, it provides a tool for obtaining vast flow detail.
Dilepton-tagged $Q\overline{Q}+\mathrm{jet}$ events at the LHC

We propose a new method for identifying and isolating \(Q\overline{Q}+\mathrm{jet}\) events through semileptonic decays of the \(Q\overline{Q}\) pair. Employing these decay dileptons to tag the jet in a specific kinematic region provides a clean signature of jets associated with heavy-quark production. The measurement, in both pp and heavy-ion collisions, is essential for addressing heavy-quark fragmentation in vacuum and in a dense medium. We present next-to-leading order calculations of \(Q\overline{Q}\) production (leading order in \(Q\overline{Q}+\mathrm{jet}\) production) in \(\sqrt{s}=14\) TeV pp collisions at the LHC and discuss the feasibility of the measurement in heavy-ion collisions at \(\sqrt{s_{NN}}=5.5\) TeV.
Peptide neurons in peripheral tissues including the urinary tract: immunohistochemical studies.

Abstract Using the indirect immunofluorescence technique of Coons and collaborators, neurons containing substance P-, enkephalin-, vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP) – and somatostatin-like immuno-reactivity have been identified in the peripheral nervous system. They have a widespread distribution, particulary in the gastrointestinal and urinary tracts. Whereas part of these peptide containing fibres may belong to sensory neurons, the majority seem to have their origin in peripheral autonomic ganglia, indicating a complex built up of the autonomic nervous system. There is evidence that some noradrenergic neurons contain somatostatin, which may suggest that one neuron can synthesize and store two transmitters. The significance of such neurons, as well as of peripheral peptide neurons in general, remains to be elucidated.
Properties of supercritical water: an ab initio simulation

Abstract Using ab initio molecular dynamics we have simulated the properties of supercritical water at the density p=0.64 g/cm3 and temperature T=730 K. We calculate the neutron diffraction structure factors for various isotopic concentrations and find excellent agreement with experiment. The real-space pair correlations are qualitatively similar and our calculations confirm that the conditions prevalent in supercritical water disrupt the hydrogen bond network which characterizes water at ambient temperatures and pressure. In a quantitative respect there are significant differences between the simulation results for the pair correlation functions and those obtained from the inversion of the experimental data. We also studied some electronic properties of the system such as the average molecular dipole moment.
Research on the provider contribution to race/ethnicity disparities in medical care.

Objective. Little is known about why black patients and other ethnic/racial minorities are less likely to receive the best treatments independent of clinical appropriateness, payer, and treatment site. Although both provider and patient behavior have been suggested as possible explanatory factors, t
Asymmetric Core Computing

The free ride of increasing computing performance by constantly increasing processor frequency is coming to an end. The laws of physics combined with economic forces from the consumer electronics industry have created a revolution in computing which is now clearly headed toward "more" instead of "faster" processors. At the US Army Research Laboratory we have established a significant effort which is tasked with finding ways to take advantage of multi-core CPUs, Graphical Processing Units (GPUs), Cell Processors, and Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) for both traditional physics-based simulations and real-time battlefield applications. Each of these technologies has various strengths and drawbacks. Our goal is to combine the asymmetric capabilities of the various cores into a complete high performance system. In this paper, we discuss the asymmetric core computing (ACC) Laboratory which we have established along with some of the software tools and applications we are developing.
Change in Conduction Velocity due to Fiber Curvature in Cultured Neonatal Rat Ventricular Myocytes

Computer modeling of cardiac propagation suggests that curvature of muscle fibers modulates conduction velocity (CV). The effect could be involved in arrhythmogenesis by altering the dynamics of reentrant wavefronts or by causing propagation block. To verify the existence of this effect experimentally, we measured CV in anisotropic neonatal rat ventricular myocyte monolayers. The orientation of the cells was directed by scratches machined into plastic coverslips. Each substrate contained a region in which scratch radius of curvature varied from 0.25 to 1.0 cm. The CV anisotropy ratio (longitudinal CV/transverse CV in straight fiber regions) was 2.3 plusmn 0.3 (n = 38 ). We initiated wavefronts transverse to fibers with the fibers either curving toward or away from the wavefronts. Action potentials were recorded using a potentiometric dye and a video camera. Propagation was faster ( p = 0.0003) when fibers curved toward wavefronts than when fibers curved in the opposite direction. The mean CV difference was 0.38 plusmn 0.44 cm/s (n = 24), which is 3.5% of nominal straight fiber transverse CV (11.0 plusmn 3.2 cm/s). The effect was also present (p = 0.07) when pacing was slowed from 350 to 500 ms (n = 6). In a control group ( n = 8) with uncurved fibers, CV was the same in both directions (p = NS). We conclude that fiber curvature is a factor in modulating cardiac propagation.
Peptide binding by class I and class II MHC molecules

Major histocompatibility complex (MHC) antigens bind peptides of diverse sequences with high affinity. They do this in order to generate maximal immunological protection by covering the spectrum of peptides that may be seen by a host over the course of its lifetime. However, in many circumstances the immune system does not recognize a particular peptide that it should for maximum advantage over the pathogen. In other situations, the immune system goes awry and incorrectly recognizes a self-peptide that it should not. This results in disease characterized by recognition and attack of self. Rheumatoid arthritis is an example of just such a disease. In either of these situations, peptide-based modalities for immune therapy would be an advantage. However, peptide-based therapies require a thorough understanding of the forces involved in peptide binding. Great strides have been made in elucidating the mechanisms by which these MHC proteins may bind peptides with diverse sequences and high affinity. This review summarizes the current data obtained from crystallographic analyses of peptide binding for both class I and class II MHC molecules. Unfortunately, as yet these data have not allowed us to predict which peptides will bind with high affinity to a specific MHC molecule.
Major John Cartwright and the Founding of the Hampden Club

HISTORIANS have long believed that Major John Cartwright (1740-I824), the wellknown radical parliamentary reformer, was a founding member of the Hampden Club which figured prominently in his agitation from I8I3-I8I7.1 The assumption is understandable. A printed list of Hampden Club members identified him as a founder.2 His personal friend, Thomas Northmore of Cleve, Devon (I766-I85I), was the originator of the club,3 and, most important, Cartwright dominated the club's activities after I8I3. Some letters from Northmore to Thomas Holt White, another member of Cartwright's circle of friends, now tell a different story.4 The idea of the Hampden Club was Northmore's entirely. Not only did Cartwright have nothing to do with its founding, he even obstructed its organization and refused his name as a member from I May I8II until February, I8I2, when he suddenly reversed his position and asked to be enrolled. He became a member in late March or early April of that year only to resign in June. Not until May I813 did he rejoin the Hampden Club and begin a permanent association with it, using the club to organize his mass petitioning in the years ahead. The explanation for these events is to be found in the divisions even within the small circle of men who knew Cartwright and respected his total commitment to the cause of parliamentary reform. The Hampden Club originated in the spring of i8ii when representatives of metropolitan reform and of the parliamentary opposition met together on 30 March and 6 April to plan an agenda for a June dinner meeting for reform. This event was
DNA repair of clustered lesions in mammalian cells: involvement of non-homologous end-joining

Clustered lesions are defined astwo lesions within 20bps and are generated in DNA by ionizing radia- tion. In vitro studies and work in bacteria have shown that attempted repair of two closely opposed lesions can result in the formation of double strand breaks (DSBs). Since mammalian cells can repair DSBs by non-homologous end-joining (NHEJ), we hypothesized that NHEJ would repair DSBs formed during the removal of clustered tetrahydrofurans (furans). However, two opposing furans situated 2, 5 or 12bps apart in a firefly luciferase reporter plas- mid caused a decrease in luciferase activity in wild- type, Ku80 or DNA-PKcs-deficient cells, indicating the generation of DSBs. Loss of luciferase activity was maximal at 5bps apart and studies using siRNA implicate the major AP endonuclease in the initial cleavage. Since NHEJ-deficient cells had equivalent luciferase activity to their isogenic wild-type cells, NHEJ was not involved in accurate repair of clustered lesions. However, quantitation and exam- ination of re-isolated DNA showed that damage- containing plasmids were inaccurately repaired by Ku80-dependent, as well as Ku80-independent mechanisms. This work indicates that not even NHEJ can completely prevent the conversion of clustered lesions to potentially lethal DSBs, so demonstrating the biological relevance of ionizing radiation-induced clustered damage.
Ca2+ Channels and Chronic Hypoxia

Many chronic lung diseases are associated with prolonged exposure to alveolar hypoxia, resulting in the development of pulmonary hypertension. While the exact mechanisms underlying the pathogenesis of hypoxic pulmonary hypertension remain poorly understood, a key role for changes in Ca2+ homeostasis has emerged. Intracellular Ca2+ concentration controls a variety of pulmonary vascular cell functions, including contraction, gene expression, growth, barrier function and synthesis of vasoactive substances. Several studies indicate that prolonged exposure to hypoxia causes alterations in the expression and activity of several Ca2+ handling pathways in pulmonary arterial smooth muscle cells. In contrast, the effect of chronic hypoxia on Ca2+ homeostasis in pulmonary arterial endothelial cells is relatively unexplored. In this review, we discuss data from our laboratory and others describing the effects of prolonged hypoxia on pulmonary vascular smooth muscle and endothelial cell Ca2+ homeostasis and the various Ca2+ channels and handling pathways involved in these responses. We will also highlight future directions of investigation that might improve our understanding of the response of pulmonary vascular cells to chronic hypoxia.
Building New Teams for Late Life Care Lessons From LifeCourse

This article details team development within a longitudinal cohort study designed to bring team-based, whole person care early in the course of serious illness. The primary innovation of this approach is the use of nonclinically trained care guides who support patients and family members by focusing care around what matters most to patients, linking to resources, collaborating with other providers, and offering continuity through care transitions. By describing the development of this team, we document the kinds of questions others may ask during the process of team creation.
Nasopharyngeal Carriage of Drug-resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae in Children with Acute Otitis Media Evaluated by Polymerase Chain Reaction-based Genotyping of Penicillin-binding Proteins

A polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based genotyping of the penicillin-binding protein (PBP) genes pbp1a, pbp2x and pbp2b was used to characterize Streptococcus pneumoniae isolated from the nasopharynx of children with acute otitis media (AOM). Mutations were observed in pbp1a, pbp2x and pbp2b genes in 36.5% of the strains. Decreased susceptibility to beta-lactam antibiotics was closely associated with the frequency of mutations in the three PBP genes. Of penicillin-intermediately-resistant S. pneumoniae strains, 54.5% appeared to be genetically similar to penicillin-resistant S. pneumoniae strains. Of penicillin-susceptible S. pneumoniae strains, 33.3% had mutations in the pbp2x gene and showed relatively high MICs to cephalosporins. Strains with mutations in the three PBP genes were often isolated from children < or = 2 years old. Evaluation of mutations in PBP genes using PCR will prove useful for studying the epidemiology of antibiotic resistance.
Surgical strategies and outcomes in patients with supra-annular mitral ring: a single-institution experience

Objective:Supra-annular mitralring(SMR)isararedevelopmentalabnormality ofthesupra-valvularareaofthemitralvalve,whichproducesa variable degree of obstruction to left ventricular (LV) filling. Management of SMR remains an important therapeutic challenge. SMR constitutes a small but inadequately described subset that has a relatively good outcome with appropriate management. Methods:Between 1983 and 2009, 27 patients with SMRunderwent surgical treatment directed to the stenosing SMR. The demographic and clinical features, diagnostic modalities and the surgical management were studied retrospectively. Of these, 92% of patients had associated SMR with other congenital heart disease. The membranous component of the SMR was completely excised in all patients. Results: There were no early deaths; however, there were five late deaths.The20-yearsurvivalratewas82%.Byunivariateanalysis,youngage( 5 mm Hg related to supra-valvular obstruction. Conclusion: SMR is an uncommon lesion, which can be safely and effectively managed by surgicalresection. While co-existent mitral valvular lesions are usual, they are not typically severe in degree, as evidenced by the generally benign postoperative outcome following resection of SMR. # 2010 European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Listening, really listening: a response to Graafland, Binmore and Ferber on The Bourgeois Virtues

We have three reviews here, one respectful and insightful, one amused and silly, and one angry and foolish. Professor Graafland, an economist and theologian who holds a chair in philosophy at Tilburg University in the Netherlands, is the one among the three who has troubled to understand the book. You know someone has understood your position when you can agree with his characterization of it. Let me start, then, with Professor Graafland’s thoughtful and thought-provoking review. I leave my attempts to make sense of the silly and angry reviews to the end, so that you can more easily truncate your reading. You will see, I think, that cooperative games are better than non-cooperative games, and better advance our science. Graafland makes a good point in objecting that I view the virtue of humility rather differently from the way Jesus did in the Sermon on the Mount. I speak of humility as attending to what others say ‐ rather than being modest. 1 Graafland himself exercises my attending-to definition. And my definition is not so far from that of St Thomas, or of C.S. Lewis. I can also agree with Graafland that I did not in the book succeed ‘in showing that the inverse impact of capitalism on virtues is as positive’, as I wanted to claim. I offered a few arguments, some of them at length, but I do not expect my revival of the doux commerce thesis of Voltaire and Hume and Smith to convert everyone so easily. I have almost finished a second volume in the five I plan of an apology for the bourgeois life, Bourgeois Deeds: How Values Made the Modern World. It contains more arguments for and against the claim that the impact of capitalism on virtues in positive. It’s available on my website (deirdremccloskey.org). And I have in hand a good deal of Volume 3, Bourgeois Rhetorics: How Language Works in Capitalism, which will be up on the website soon. Maybe those will help, with the two other tomes to follow (five, I say, and a popular summary on top of them: God help you, and me). Meanwhile I was amused to find in David Landes’ recent Dynasties: Fortune and Misfortune in the World’s Great Family Businesses (2006) a suggestive analysis of why bankers like the Baring family become so very proud and aristocratic: ‘banking is bad for bankers’ character. It is quite one thing to have to go out into the marketplace and solicit customers [which I claim is good for humility], and quite another to let the customers come and solicit your help and favor. The first pattern encourages businessmen to be polite and considerate; the second promotes arrogance and condescension’, which Landes then illustrates at length in the Barings. 2 Pride is a sin in business as in scholarship.
An alternative hypothesis for right precordial ST-segment elevation in structural heart disease with diminished sodium current

myocardium of the explanted heart are consistent with this idea. The structural changes required to model this effect in a computer simulation of the myocardium that provides supportive evidence for failure to activate are less complex than those found histologically in the myocardium.
Probing argon–benzene van der Waals molecules and isotopically substituted benzene with laser-ionization mass spectrometry

Ultrasensitive wavelength-dependent laser-ionization mass spectrometry is applied to spectroscopic studies of argon–benzene van der Waals molecules and isotopically substituted benzene molecules. Argon–benzene fragments either in its 1B2u excited electronic state or subsequent to being ionized. Substitution of a single 13C atom in the benzene monomer ring leads to an observable spectroscopic splitting whose magnitude can be accurately predicted from the 1B2u excited-state force field recently developed by Krogh-Jesperson et al. [ J. Phys. Chem.88, 5503 ( 1984)].
Synapse formation and cognitive brain development: effect of docosahexaenoic acid and other dietary constituents

The brain is unusual among organs in that the rates of many of its characteristic enzymatic reactions are controlled by the local concentrations of their substrates, which also happen to be nutrients that cross the blood-brain barrier. Thus, for example, brain levels of tryptophan, tyrosine, or choline can control the rates at which neurons synthesize serotonin, dopamine, or acetylcholine, respectively. The rates at which brain cells produce membrane phospholipids such as phosphatidylcholine (PC) are also under such control, both in adult animals and, especially, during early development. If pregnant rats are fed the 3 dietary constituents needed for PC synthesis- docosahexaenoic acid, uridine, and choline-starting 10 days before parturition and continuing for 20 days during nursing, brain levels of PC, and of the other membrane phosphatides (per cell or per mg protein), are increased by 50% or more. In adult animals, this treatment is also known to increase synaptic proteins (eg, synapsin-l, syntaxin-3, GluR-l, PSD-95) but not ubiquitous proteins like beta-tubulin and to increase (by 30% or more) the number of dendritic spines on hippocampal neurons. Docosahexaenoic acid currently is widely used, in human infants, to diminish the negative effects of prematurity on cognitive development. Moreover, docosahexaenoic acid, uridine (as uridine monophosphate), and choline are all found in mother's milk, and included in most infant formulas. It is proposed that these substances are part of a regulatory mechanism through which plasma composition influences brain development.
Health literacy and blood glucose among Guyanese emergency department patients without diagnosed diabetes: a cross-sectional study

Background Low health literacy is associated with worse glycemic control among patients with diabetes; the relationship between health literacy and blood glucose among patients without diagnosed diabetes, particularly in resource-limited settings, is not known. Because emergency department patients are at risk for both low health literacy and undiagnosed diabetes, we examined their relationships among emergency department patients at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation in Guyana.
Nocleotide sequence of tbe tmr locus of Agrobacterium tumefaciens pTi T37 T-DNA

Abstract The nucleotide sequence of the tmr locus from the nopaline-type pTi T37 plasmid of Agrobacterium tumefaciens was determined. Examination of this sequence allowed us to identify an open reading frame of 720 nucleotides capable of encoding a protein with a derived molecular weight of 27025 d. Comparison of the pTi T37 tmr sequence with the published sequence of the pTi Ach5 tmr locus shows over 88% homology in the 240 bases 5' to the translational initiation codon and over 91% homology in the coding sequences. The 3' nontranslated regions show less than 50% homology as expected for the 3' regions of divergent related genes. The possible significance of areas of conserved sequences, particularly in the 5' regulatory regions, is discussed.
Alamouti space-time coded relay strategy for wireless networks

A relay strategy for Alamouti space-time coded transmissions is proposed. The relay structure is optimized to maximize the received SNR and the receiver is able to exploit the orthogonal structure of the code to ensure temporal and spatial diversity
Attention and the EEG Alpha Rhythm in Learning Disabled Children

Using several measures of attention, researchers are investigating the ability of LD children to attend to various information while performing different tasks. Technological advances in “reading” EEG (electroencephalogram) brain wave information have made it possible to measure reliably the difference between two persons' brain responses. In light of considerable research showing that the reduction in the percentage of so-called alpha waves relates to attention, this study examines LD children's EEGs for evidence of deficient attentional processes. — G.M.S.Parieto-occipital EEGs were recorded during resting baseline intervals, during an initial instruction period, and during active performance on mental arithmetic and immediate recall tasks to determine if 10 learning disabled boys would show less alpha attenuation than 11 normal controls. Fourier transform power spectral analysis was performed on FM magnetic tape recordings of the EEGs. The logs of the ratio of the average power in each task over the av...
Nonexistence of pseudo-self-similar solutions to incompressible euler equations

Abstract In this paper we study a generalization of self-similar solutions. We show that just as for the solutions to the Navier–Stokes equations these supposedly singular solution reduce to the zero solution.
Downsides and DCF: Valuing Biased Cash Flow Forecasts

The discounted cash flow valuation method relies on expected cash flows. But because they often ignore low-probability downside events, the forecasts of expected cash flows that are provided by corporate managers and analysts are often excessively optimistic, or upwardly biased. As a result, such forecasts need to be adjusted when used in valuations. Whereas academics generally prefer adjustments of the cash flow forecasts, practitioners typically account for such downsides by increasing t he discount rate above the market-based cost of capital. This article suggests that the appropriate adjustment to the DCF formula should depend on the nature of the omitted downside. The author shows that when the down side is assumed to be “temporary”— say, a large, weather-related loss—the appropriate adjustment to the DCF formula is to reduce the forecasts by the expected downside and set the discount rate equal to the market-based cost of capital. But when the omitted downside scenario is expected to be “permanent”—in the sense that the event reduces all subsequent future cash flows—the appropriate adjustment is to reduce the cash flows and increase the discount rate to reflect the probability that such a downside occurs. By endorsing both of these prescriptions, the author effectively acknowledges that there is a reasonable conceptual basis for both the academic approach of adjusting the forecasted cash flows and the practitioner approach of inflating the discount rate. The appropriate approach depends on the characterization of the omitted downside as either temporary or permanent.
Adolescent Offenders with Mental Disorders.

Summary Thomas Grisso points out that youth with mental disorders make up a significant subgroup of youth who appear in U.S. juvenile courts. And he notes that juvenile justice systems today are struggling to determine how best to respond to those youths’ needs, both to safeguard their own welfare and to reduce re-offending and its consequences for the community. In this article, Grisso examines research and clinical evidence that may help in shaping a public policy that addresses that question. Clinical science, says Grisso, offers a perspective that explains why the symptoms of mental disorders in adolescence can increase the risk of impulsive and aggressive behaviors. Research on delinquent populations suggests that youth with mental disorders are, indeed, at increased risk for engaging in behaviors that bring them to the attention of the juvenile justice system. Nevertheless, evidence indicates that most youth arrested for delinquencies do not have serious mental disorders. Grisso explains that a number of social phenomena of the past decade, such as changes in juvenile law and deficiencies in the child mental health system, appear to have been responsible for bringing far more youth with mental disorders into the juvenile justice system. Research shows that almost two-thirds of youth in juvenile justice detention centers and correctional facilities today meet criteria for one or more mental disorders. Calls for a greater emphasis on mental health treatment services in juvenile justice, however, may not be the best answer. Increasing such services in juvenile justice could simply mean that youth would need to be arrested in order to get mental health services. Moreover, many of the most effective treatment methods work best when applied in the community, while youth are with their families rather than removed from them. A more promising approach, argues Grisso, could be to develop community systems of care that create a network of services cutting across public child welfare agency boundaries. This would allow the juvenile justice system to play a more focused and limited treatment role. This role would include emergency mental health services for youth in its custody and more substantial mental health care only for the smaller share of youth who cannot be treated safely in the community.
Production of monoclonal antibodies selective for aggregation-competent chick neural retina cells. An immunosuppressive approach.

Abstract We present here a rapid means of preparing mouse monoclonal antibodies which bind selectively to aggregation-competent, embryonic chick neural retina cells. The approach couples two existing technologies: well-defined procedures for manipulating the adhesive properties of embryonic retinal cells through control of the dissociation conditions, and an immunosuppressive technique designed to reduce the immune response against unwanted ‘background’ antigens. This approach greatly increases the likelihood of generating monoclonal antibodies directed against cell surface molecules mediating intracellular adhesion in this tissue. Fab prepared from the combined supernates of all IgG-producing clones obtained in this manner inhibited retinal Ca 2+ -dependent adhesion, suggesting that at least one clone in the group was reactive with elements of the Ca 2+ -dependent adhesion mechanism.
Microchip-based electrochemical detection using a 3-D printed wall-jet electrode device

Three dimensional (3-D) printing technology has evolved dramatically in the last few years, offering the capability of printing objects with a variety of materials. Printing microfluidic devices using this technology offers various advantages such as ease and uniformity of fabrication, file sharing between laboratories, and increased device-to-device reproducibility. One unique aspect of this technology, when used with electrochemical detection, is the ability to produce a microfluidic device as one unit while also allowing the reuse of the device and electrode for multiple analyses. Here we present an alternate electrode configuration for microfluidic devices, a wall-jet electrode (WJE) approach, created by 3-D printing. Using microchip-based flow injection analysis, we compared the WJE design with the conventionally used thin-layer electrode (TLE) design. It was found that the optimized WJE system enhances analytical performance (as compared to the TLE design), with improvements in sensitivity and the limit of detection. Experiments were conducted using two working electrodes – 500 μm platinum and 1 mm glassy carbon. Using the 500 μm platinum electrode the calibration sensitivity was 16 times higher for the WJE device (as compared to the TLE design). In addition, use of the 1 mm glassy carbon electrode led to limit of detection of 500 nM for catechol, as compared to 6 μM for the TLE device. Finally, to demonstrate the versatility and applicability of the 3-D printed WJE approach, the device was used as an inexpensive electrochemical detector for HPLC. The number of theoretical plates was comparable to the use of commercially available UV and MS detectors, with the WJE device being inexpensive to utilize. These results show that 3-D-printing can be a powerful tool to fabricate reusable and integrated microfluidic detectors in configurations that are not easily achieved with more traditional lithographic methods.
PRIORITIZATION OF PEDIATRIC CBRNE DISASTER PREPAREDNESS EDUCATION AND TRAINING NEEDS.

Children are the members of our population who are most vulnerable to the effects of a chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and explosive (CBRNE) attack. It has been more than 12 years since 9/11 and most clinicians who would be providing care to children in the event of another attack still lack the requisite disaster preparedness training. Much of the needed pediatric education and training content for the diagnosis and treatment of the injurious effects of CBRNE agents has recently been both developed and well vetted. Bringing together these efforts in an educational program will result in a workforce that is better trained and prepared to address the needs of children impacted by these types of disasters. In 2011, the National Center for Disaster Medicine and Public Health convened a Pediatric Disaster Preparedness Conference. Much of the initial groundwork for development of a pediatric disaster preparedness curriculum, including the identification of target audiences and requisite role-specific CBRNE curriculum content, was the product of this conference. The purpose of this report is to provide an overview of the recent developments that will enable the affordable creation of key chemical, biological, radiologic, nuclear, and explosive educational and just-in-time material.
Factors Affecting Oviposition of Stethorus picipes (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae), with Special Reference to Photoperiod

In laboratory experiments at 21–22°C, nearly 100% Stethorus picipes Casey ♀ oviposited when reared and held as adults at a 16-h photoperiod, continuous light or continuous darkness. Only ca. 30% oviposited when reared and held as adults at a 10-h photoperiod. The reproductive-nonreproductive state of females was demonstrated as reversible by exposure to appropriate photoperiods. The results of the experiments are discussed in reference to natural populations in southern California. Mean egg production and longevity were 577 eggs and 130 days at 16-h photoperiod and 21–22°C. Oviposition response showed that eggs and larvae of Tetranychus pacificus McGregor were more favorable as food than other stages of prey.
THE EFFECT OF SEAWALLS ON LONG-TERM SHORELINE CHANGE RATES FOR THE SOUTHERN VIRGINIA OCEAN COASTLINE

This paper examines the relationship between the off shore bathymetry, resulting wave climate, shore boundary conditions (i.e., seawalled versus dune/beach sections) and the shoreline response as represented by long-term shoreline change rates over 120 years for the southern Virginia ocean coastline in the United States. Along the tourist area of the City of Virginia Beach, the data supports the conclusion that a seawall's presence for over 50 years has produced no significant increase in the recession rate. The highest recession rate (3m/yr) occurs at the Sandbridge sector further south. Some now claim that the beach width is narrowing at Sandbridge as a result of recent seawall construction. This allegation completely ignores the root cause of the problem which is shown in this paper to be the steep offshore bathymetry and high wave energy in this region. If we neglect the offshore boundary conditions when making field studies of "hardfacing" versus dune/beach sections, we can reach completely erroneous results.
Why Study Measures of Exposure? From Exposure to Attention

ABSTRACTThis essay invites media researchers to use their expertise to address new questions. Measures of exposure are becoming evermore central to the operation of digital media, affecting both production and consumption. Because measurement practices have widespread social consequences, the study of measurement shouldn’t stop at questions of how best to quantify variables. It should also address questions of how measurement and data handling techniques affect the social world of which they are a part.
Load Clustering Method and Its Application Based on the Similarity of Curves

In DSM,the load characteristics clustering is an important foundation job for load control,and the in-depth study of its methods is conducive to grasping the load variation and achieving the load scientific management. In order to improve the efficiency of load characteristics clustering and meet the accuracy requirements of clustering,this paper proposes a clustering method for the large-scale power load based on the similarity of curves. By introducing the similar accuracy of the daily load curve,and according to the thresholds of the similar accuracy the daily load curve collection is divided into several load categories which meet the requirements without a large number of trials. The actual calculation example shows that this method can improve the load clustering efficiency and meet the accuracy requirements.
Rapid and Sensitive Quantification of Isotopic Mixtures Using a Rapidly-Swept External Cavity Quantum Cascade Laser †

A rapidly-swept external-cavity quantum cascade laser with an open-path Herriott cell is used to quantify gas-phase chemical mixtures of D2O and HDO at a rate of 40 Hz (25-ms measurement time). The chemical mixtures were generated by evaporating D2O liquid near the open-path Herriott cell, allowing the H/D exchange reaction with ambient H2O to produce HDO. Fluctuations in the ratio of D2O and HDO on timescales of <1 s due to the combined effects of plume transport and the H/D exchange chemical reaction are observed. Noise-equivalent concentrations (1σ) (NEC) of 147.0 ppbv and 151.6 ppbv in a 25-ms measurement time are determined for D2O and HDO, respectively, with a 127-m optical path. These NECs are improved to 23.0 and 24.0 ppbv with a 1-s averaging time for D2O and HDO, respectively. NECs <200 ppbv are also estimated for N2O, 1,1,1,2–tetrafluoroethane (F134A), CH4, acetone and SO2 for a 25-ms measurement time. The isotopic precision for measurement of the [D2O]/[HDO] concentration ratio of 33‰ and 5‰ is calculated for the current experimental conditions for measurement times of 25 ms and 1 s, respectively.
Economic Sanction: The US Debate on MFN Status for China

Despite its name, the most-favoured-nation (MFN) status characterises the norm rather than the exception in international trade. It epitomises the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) principles of multilateral reciprocity and non-discrimination. All but a few countries are accorded this status by the US. Those which are not given this status face discriminatory tariff treatment. Therefore, a refusal to confer MFN status is not a matter of declining to grant a privilege, but is tantamount to the imposition of a sanction. Conversely, the extension of MFN status means normal, not special, tariff consideration.
Chapter 50 – Security Considerations in the Distributed Parallel Computation Environment

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on security considerations in the distributed parallel computation environment. The software tools that support parallel computing environment generate a lot of communications between computers. If not protected, the interfaces of these tools accept all incoming connections. This gives opportunity to a malicious user to send anything to the parallel application and study its response. If a malicious user is able to intercept previous communications between the tools and application programs, the user can deduce the communication protocol and control the application software. One concern in adding security checking in parallel computing environment is its effect to the computation speed. The added time for security check is mainly in three parts: key generation, authentication, and cryptography. Although key generation is time consuming, it is executed only once for each process. Authentication is also time-consuming but it is executed once for each pair of authenticated processes. The communication using encryption and secret session key is fast. Although it takes time to execute the security related operations, these requests are not very frequent. This chapter analyzes the sources of the security hazards and proposes a practical solution to solve the security problem.
Deficits in Access to Reward Are Associated with College Student Alcohol Use Disorder.

Background Reward deprivation has been implicated in major depressive disorder and severe substance abuse, but its potential relation to alcohol use disorder (AUD) symptoms in non-treatment-seeking young adult drinkers is less clear. Depression is often comorbid with alcohol misuse, so relations of AUD with reward deprivation might be due in part to the presence of depressive symptoms in young adults. Behavioral economic theory views addiction as a state that is related in part to deficits in drug-free rewards, and therefore requires an investigation into whether reward deprivation has a direct relation to alcohol misuse that is, at least partially, independent of mood. Methods This study evaluates the contribution of 2 facets of reward deprivation (reward availability and experience) to alcohol use, AUD symptoms, and depression in a sample of young adult heavy episodic drinkers. Data were collected from 392 undergraduates (60.4% female, 85.1% Caucasian) who reported recent heavy drinking (83.7% with at least 1 AUD symptom). Results Low reward availability (environmental suppression) was significantly associated with both DSM-5 AUD symptoms and alcohol-related problems after controlling for age, gender, depressive symptomatology, and drinking level. Conclusions This study provides support for behavioral economic models that emphasize reward deprivation as a unique risk factor for AUD that is independent of mood and drinking level. Limited access to natural rewards may be a risk and/or maintaining factor for AUD symptoms in college student drinkers.
Abstract 4075: Proportion of breast cancer stem cells in fine needle aspirates co-relates with the marker of metastatic outcome TMEM

Cell surface biomarkers CD44, CD24 and CD133 and intracellular marker ALDH1 have recently been used to identify breast cancer stem cells. A very small number of these cancer stem cells can initiate a tumor growth and cause it to metastasize. The micro-anatomical sites of hematogenous dissemination of breast cancer cells called Tumor MicroEnvironment of Metastasis (TMEM) have been described in formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded invasive ductal carcinomas from patients. These sites are defined as the direct apposition of tumor cells and perivascular macrophages and are visualized using triple immunohistochemistry for CD68, CD31 and Mena to identify the macrophages, endothelial cells and invasive tumor cells respectively. The identification of TMEM sites is clinically important because TMEM density is a predictor of metastatic outcome. Migratory subpopulation of tumor cells has been shown to be enriched for cancer stem cells. We have performed flow cytometry to identify CD44high/CD24low cells, mRNA fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) and qRT-PCR to identify CD133 and ALDH1 expression in breast cancer cells in 50 samples of invasive ductal carcinoma obtained from patients’ cancer excisions by fine needle aspiration (FNA) before formalin fixation. FNA is a minimally invasive method that uses 26 gauge needles to collect discohesive cancer cells primarily by capillary action. The stem cell marker expression was then compared to TMEM scores obtained from the very same cancer excisions after formalin fixation and paraffin embedding. Our results show very strong correlation between the percentage of CD44high/CD24low cells with TMEM scores (r = 0.91), as well as the percentage of CD133 and ALDH1 expressing cells with TMEM scores (r = 0.88 and 0.86 respectively). We validated the results obtained by FISH with the direct qRT-PCR for CD133 and ALDH1 in the FNA samples. The correlation of CD133 and ALDH1 expression obtained by qRT-PCR with TMEM score was again very strong (r = 0.76 and 0.73 respectively). Our findings here and those previously reported for migratory tumor cells demonstrate that TMEM rich microenvironments are enriched for cancer stem cells and partially explain positive correlation of TMEM scores with metastasis in patients. They also suggest that the assessment of stem cell proportion in breast cancers can be assessed in FNA samples. The clinical value of stem cell assessment using this approach for prognostic and predictive is under investigation. Citation Format: Maja H. Oktay, Eli Grunblatt, Sweta Roy, Nathan Agi, Esther Adler, Joan G. Jones, John S. Condeelis, Sumanta Goswami. Proportion of breast cancer stem cells in fine needle aspirates co-relates with the marker of metastatic outcome TMEM. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 106th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2015 Apr 18-22; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(15 Suppl):Abstract nr 4075. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2015-4075
Predicting falls in people aged 65 years and older from insurance claims

Abstract Background Accidental falls among people aged 65 years and older caused approximately 2,700,000 injuries, 27,000 deaths, and cost more than 34 billion dollars in the US annually in recent years. Here, we derive and validate a predictive model for falls based on a retrospective cohort of those 65 years and older. Methods Insurance claims from a 1-year observational period were used to predict a fall-related claim in the following 2 years. The predictive model takes into account a person's age, sex, prescriptions, and diagnoses. Through random assignment, half of the people had their claims used to derive the model, while the remaining people had their claims used to validate the model. Results Of 120,881 individuals with Aetna health insurance coverage, 12,431 (10.3%) members fell. During validation, people were risk stratified across 20 levels, where those in the highest risk stratum had 10.5 times the risk as those in the lowest stratum (33.1% vs 3.1%). Conclusions Using only insurance claims, individuals in this large cohort at high risk of falls could be readily identified up to 2 years in advance. Although external validation is needed, the findings support the use of the model to better target interventions.
Methotrexate, rituximab, and temozolomide in CNS lymphoma: The Mayo Clinic experience.

2058 Background: We present a tertiary center experience with high-dose methotrexate, rituximab and temozolomide (MRT) chemotherapy in both primary and secondary CNS lymphoma. Methods: A retrospect...