cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Human trace fear conditioning: right-lateralized cortical activity supports trace-interval processes

Pavlovian conditioning requires the convergence and simultaneous activation of neural circuitry that supports conditioned stimulus (CS) and unconditioned stimulus (US) processes. However, in trace conditioning, the CS and US are separated by a period of time called the trace interval, and thus do not overlap. Therefore, determining brain regions that support associative learning by maintaining a CS representation during the trace interval is an important issue for conditioning research. Prior functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) research has identified brain regions that support trace-conditioning processes. However, relatively little is known about whether this activity is specific to the trace CS, the trace interval, or both periods of time. The present study was designed to disentangle the hemodynamic response produced by the trace CS from that associated with the trace interval, in order to identify learning-related activation during these distinct components of a trace-conditioning trial. Trace-conditioned activity was observed within dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (PFC), dorsolateral PFC, insula, inferior parietal lobule (IPL), and posterior cingulate (PCC). Each of these regions showed learning-related activity during the trace CS, while trace-interval activity was only observed within a subset of these areas (i.e., dorsomedial PFC, PCC, right dorsolateral PFC, right IPL, right superior/middle temporal gyrus, and bilateral insula). Trace-interval activity was greater in right than in left dorsolateral PFC, IPL, and superior/middle temporal gyrus. These findings indicate that components of the prefrontal, cingulate, insular, and parietal cortices support trace-interval processes, as well as suggesting that a right-lateralized fronto-parietal circuit may play a unique role in trace conditioning.
The Violence of Non‐Violence: Law and War in Iraq

The article examines the relation between war making in Iraq and juridical reforms aimed at instituting democracy, or what the article coins juridico-democracy. It is argued that a certain aspiration for global peace, global security, and non-violence to be instituted by juridico-democracy accompanies the war against Iraq. Rather than leave this aspiration intact, the article examines the extent to which this aspiration itself is conducive to the war's violence. The associations between violence and non-violence, war and peace, conflict and security are examined not as oppositions, but as cycles, where nonviolence, peace, and security are performative of more violence.
Age-related changes in carbonic anhydrase of toad lens.

Abstract Carbonic anhydrase in the toad lens is immunologically identical to the (high activity) enzyme form present in the erythrocyte. As with the erythrocyte carbonic anhydrase, electrofocusing of the freshly-extracted lens enzyme separated three variants with isoelectric points of 6·1, 5·7 and 5·4, all of which exhibited inhibition properties characteristic of the high activity type of carbonic anhydrase. No evidence of the low activity form of the enzyme was found. In contrast to the erythrocyte isoelectric variants, which are stable in vitro, the three variants of lens carbonic anhydrase exhibited progressive anodization in the course of purification and during storage, and could not be isolated in the original form. Acidification of lens carbonic anhydrase appears to be part of the in vivo aging process of the enzyme protein: the still-active enzyme from the oldest lens region — the nucleus — exhibited a considerably lower isoelectric point than the enzyme extracted from the younger, soft fibers of the lens. Although the specific activity of the carbonic anhydrase from the fibers of lens nucleus was considerably lower than the activity of the enzyme from the younger fibers, the observed modification (acidification) of the aged enzyme did not appear to affect substantially its binding properties towards acetazolamide nor the heat lability of the active protein.
Short-wave infrared nano-injection imaging sensors

A novel nano-injection based imaging sensor is presented towards demanding applications in telecommunications, biophotonics, optical tomography, explosives detection and non-destructive material evaluation. The sensor can provide low noise levels concurrently with strong internal amplification, which results in a significant increase in the signal-to-noise levels compared to existing short-wave infrared imagers. The imager arrays are 320-by-256 pixels, with a pixel pitch of 30 µm. Post-hybridization, the imager test pixels shows internal amplification exceeding 2,000 electrons/photon with little excess noise (F∼1.5) even at high amplification values. The imager shows a high signal to noise ratio at high frame rates and short integration times. Furthermore, the nano-injection imaging sensor shows significant sensitivity improvement over a high-end commercial short-wave infrared camera at similar settings, which highlights the benefits of implementing nano-injection process in imaging sensors.
A MICROCOMPUTER-BASED DATA ENTRY SYSTEM FOR REPORTING ADVERSE DRUG REACTIONS IN THE UNITED STATES

A microcomputer-based data entry system has been developed by the Food and Drug Administration as a method of reporting adverse drug reactions that are required by pharmaceutical manufacturers to be periodically submitted to the Agency on an official form. This microcomputer system may also be useful for other interested health professional concerned with the safety of drugs and biologics. The system provides a mechanism by which the entered data can be converted to the format acceptable for use by most currently available data management and statistical packages.
Aztec provincial administration at Cuetlaxtlan, Veracruz

The Cuetlaxtlan (Cotaxtla) province, at the eastern edge of the Aztec empire, provides an interesting case for examining imperial administrative strategies and their material implications. Prior research at Cuetlaxtlan, coupled with recent archaeological survey and surface artifact collection, reveal Aztec style sculpture, pottery, figurines, and architectural elements. Considered collectively, these data indicate a relatively strong degree of imperial intervention and material investments, possibly including colonization, and underscore a key role for imperial ideology in provincial maintenance. Although a model of indirect administration has generally characterized Aztec provincial rule, imperial strategies were likely spatially and temporally more dynamic, with some provinces, like Cuetlaxtlan, requiring more intensive forms of administration.
Intestine-specific MTP and global ACAT2 deficiency lowers acute cholesterol absorption with chylomicrons and HDLs

Intestinal cholesterol absorption involves the chylomicron and HDL pathways and is dependent on microsomal triglyceride transfer protein (MTP) and ABCA1, respectively. Chylomicrons transport free and esterified cholesterol, whereas HDLs transport free cholesterol. ACAT2 esterifies cholesterol for secretion with chylomicrons. We hypothesized that free cholesterol accumulated during ACAT2 deficiency may be secreted with HDLs when chylomicron assembly is blocked. To test this, we studied cholesterol absorption in mice deficient in intestinal MTP, global ACAT2, and both intestinal MTP and global ACAT2. Intestinal MTP ablation significantly increased intestinal triglyceride and cholesterol levels and reduced their transport with chylomicrons. In contrast, global ACAT2 deficiency had no effect on triglyceride absorption but significantly reduced cholesterol absorption with chylomicrons and increased cellular free cholesterol. Their combined deficiency reduced cholesterol secretion with both chylomicrons and HDLs. Thus, contrary to our hypothesis, free cholesterol accumulated in the absence of MTP and ACAT2 is unavailable for secretion with HDLs. Global ACAT2 deficiency causes mild hypertriglyceridemia and reduces hepatosteatosis in mice fed high cholesterol diets by increasing hepatic lipoprotein production by unknown mechanisms. We show that this phenotype is preserved in the absence of intestinal MTP in global ACAT2-deficient mice fed a Western diet. Further, we observed increases in hepatic MTP activity in these mice. Thus, ACAT2 deficiency might increase MTP expression to avoid hepatosteatosis in cholesterol-fed animals. Therefore, ACAT2 inhibition might avert hepatosteatosis associated with high cholesterol diets by increasing hepatic MTP expression and lipoprotein production.
Mechanically induced action potential changes and arrhythmia in isolated and in situ canine hearts.

Stretch of excised myocardial tissue causes electrophysiological and potentially arrhythmogenic changes in transmembrane action potentials but corresponding data of the intact mammalian heart are lacking. The effects of increases in ventricular volume and pressure on epicardial monophasic action potentials were therefore investigated in isolated, cross circulated and in situ canine hearts. In seven isolated hearts, increases in ventricular volume and pressure resulted in (1) a linearly related decrease in action potential amplitude (r = 0.988; slope = 0.41% amplitude·ml−1; volume intercept = 17.6 ml), mainly due to a decrease in maximum diastolic potential; (2) a decrease in action potential plateau duration (at 20% repolarisation) by 19 (SD 8)%; and (3) appearance of early afterdepolarisations, reaching up to 18% of total action potential amplitude. Afterdepolarisations occurred only when ventricular outflow was obstructed at end diastole but not at end systole. In eight in situ hearts, increase in left intraventricular pressure produced by transient occlusions of the ascending aorta was also accompanied by decrease in maximum diastolic potential and action potential plateau duration, and by appearance of early afterdepolarisations. In both isolated and in situ intact ventricles, the loading induced electrophysiological changes were associated with occurrence of ectopic ventricular beats. These data show that mechanical overload produces significant electrophysiological changes in the intact canine ventricle which may lead to arrhythmia.
Priming of the Respiratory Tract with Immunobiotic Lactobacillus plantarum Limits Infection of Alveolar Macrophages with Recombinant Pneumonia Virus of Mice (rK2-PVM)

ABSTRACT Pneumonia virus of mice (PVM) is a natural rodent pathogen that replicates in bronchial epithelial cells and reproduces many clinical and pathological features of the more severe forms of disease associated with human respiratory syncytial virus. In order to track virus-target cell interactions during acute infection in vivo , we developed rK2-PVM, bacterial artificial chromosome-based recombinant PVM strain J3666 that incorporates the fluorescent tag monomeric Katushka 2 (mKATE2). The rK2-PVM pathogen promotes lethal infection in BALB/c mice and elicits characteristic cytokine production and leukocyte recruitment to the lung parenchyma. Using recombinant virus, we demonstrate for the first time PVM infection of both dendritic cells (DCs; CD11c + major histocompatibility complex class II + ) and alveolar macrophages (AMs; CD11c + sialic acid-binding immunoglobulin-like lectin F + ) in vivo and likewise detect mKATE2 + DCs in mediastinal lymph nodes from infected mice. AMs support both active virus replication and production of infectious virions. Furthermore, we report that priming of the respiratory tract with immunobiotic Lactobacillus plantarum, a regimen that results in protection against the lethal inflammatory sequelae of acute respiratory virus infection, resulted in differential recruitment of neutrophils, DCs, and lymphocytes to the lungs in response to rK2-PVM and a reduction from ∼40% to + AMs in association with a 2-log drop in the release of infectious virions. In contrast, AMs from L. plantarum-primed mice challenged with virus ex vivo exhibited no differential susceptibility to rK2-PVM. Although the mechanisms underlying Lactobacillus-mediated viral suppression remain to be fully elucidated, this study provides insight into the cellular basis of this response. IMPORTANCE Pneumonia virus of mice (PVM) is a natural mouse pathogen that serves as a model for severe human respiratory syncytial virus disease. We have developed a fully functional recombinant PVM strain with a fluorescent reporter protein (rK2-PVM) that permits us to track infection of target cells in vivo . With rK2-PVM, we demonstrate infection of leukocytes in the lung, notably, dendritic cells and alveolar macrophages. Alveolar macrophages undergo productive infection and release infectious virions. We have shown previously that administration of immunobiotic Lactobacillus directly to the respiratory mucosa protects mice from the lethal sequelae of PVM infection in association with profound suppression of the virus-induced inflammatory response. We show here that Lactobacillus administration also limits infection of leukocytes in vivo and results in diminished release of infectious virions from alveolar macrophages. This is the first study to provide insight into the cellular basis of the antiviral impact of immunobiotic L. plantarum.
State Education Aid Formulas: a Comment on the Equivalence of Flat Grants and Foundation Programs:

In a recent paper in this journal, Gilmer and Morgan attempted to prove that there is equivalence among certain forms of education subsidy programs-flat grants, foundation programs, and equalized apportionment formulas. This paper demonstrates that the proof presented by Gilmer and Morgan does not support the conclusion that these subsidy programs are equivalent.
Studies of the protective effect and antioxidant mechanism of blueberry anthocyanins in a CC14-induced liver injury model in mice

This study investigated the protective effects and antioxidant mechanisms of blueberry anthocyanin extract (BBAE) in vivo and in vitro using the model of acute CC1₄-induced liver injury in mice. It was found that BBAE significantly inhibited CC1₄-induced liver injury and inhibited acute ethanol-induced increases in alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase and malondialdehyde in a dose-dependent manner (P<0.05). The activities of superoxide dismutase, catalase and glycogen and glutathione reductase were markedly increased in the anthocyanin group (P<0.01). BBAE also significantly suppressed cellular injury and apoptotic cell death. In summary, BBAE possesses marked protective effects against CC1₄-induced liver injury, related to its ability to reduce human embryonic-liver cell (L-02) apoptosis and damage induced by oxidative stress. These findings indicate that BBAE may be of value in protecting against acute liver injury, providing pharmacological evidence supporting its clinical application.
Design and verification of cellphone-based cyber-physical systems: A position paper

This paper outlines an approach to explore methods for design and verification of cellphone-based cyber physical systems. The use of cellphones for development of such control systems has a number of benefits. Cellphones are relatively cheap, they already combine a number of sensors and communication capabilities that make them suitable candidates for relatively inexpensive embedded systems. At the same time there are certain peculiarities and restrictions in the existing operating systems and programming environments for cellphones that do not allow transferring existing methods for design and verification of control systems directly. We suggest an approach to explore such methods adapted for cellphones as embedded devices.
Embryonic stem cell differentiation: A chromatin perspective

Embryonic stem (ES) cells hold immense promise for the treatment of human degenerative disease. Because ES cells are pluripotent, they can be directed to differentiate into a number of alternative cell-types with potential therapeutic value. Such attempts at "rationally-directed ES cell differentiation" constitute attempts to recapitulate aspects of normal development in vitro. All differentiated cells retain identical DNA content, yet gene expression varies widely from cell-type to cell-type. Therefore, a potent epigenetic system has evolved to coordinate and maintain tissue-specific patterns of gene expression. Recent advances show that mechanisms that govern epigenetic regulation of gene expression are rooted in the details of chromatin dynamics. As embryonic cells differentiate, certain genes are activated while others are silenced. These activation and silencing events are exquisitely coordinated with the allocation of cell lineages. Remodeling of the chromatin of developmentally-regulated genes occurs in conjunction with lineage commitment. Oocytes, early embryos, and ES cells contain potent chromatin-remodeling activities, an observation that suggests that chromatin dynamics may be especially important for early lineage decisions. Chromatin dynamics are also involved in the differentiation of adult stem cells, where the assembly of specialized chromatin upon tissue-specific genes has been studied in fine detail. The next few years will likely yield striking advances in the understanding of stem cell differentiation and developmental biology from the perspective of chromatin dynamics.
Coupling Phosphate Homeostasis to Cell Cycle-Specific Transcription: Mitotic Activation of Saccharomyces cerevisiae PHO5 by Mcm1 and Forkhead Proteins

Cells devote considerable resources to nutrient homeostasis, involving nutrient surveillance, acquisition, and storage at physiologically relevant concentrations. Many Saccharomyces cerevisiae transcripts coding for proteins with nutrient uptake functions exhibit peak periodic accumulation during M phase, indicating that an important aspect of nutrient homeostasis involves transcriptional regulation. Inorganic phosphate is a central macronutrient that we have previously shown oscillates inversely with mitotic activation of PHO5. The mechanism of this periodic cell cycle expression remains unknown. To date, only two sequence-specific activators, Pho4 and Pho2, were known to induce PHO5 transcription. We provide here evidence that Mcm1, a MADS-box protein, is essential for PHO5 mitotic activation. In addition, we found that cells simultaneously lacking the forkhead proteins, Fkh1 and Fkh2, exhibited a 2.5-fold decrease in PHO5 expression. The Mcm1-Fkh2 complex, first shown to transactivate genes within the CLB2 cluster that drive G(2)/M progression, also associated directly at the PHO5 promoter in a cell cycle-dependent manner in chromatin immunoprecipitation assays. Sds3, a component specific to the Rpd3L histone deacetylase complex, was also recruited to PHO5 in G(1). These findings provide (i) further mechanistic insight into PHO5 mitotic activation, (ii) demonstrate that Mcm1-Fkh2 can function combinatorially with other activators to yield late M/G(1) induction, and (iii) couple the mitotic cell cycle progression machinery to cellular phosphate homeostasis.
Zostera marina population genetics in Barnegat Bay, New Jersey, and implications for grass bed restoration

Within Barnegat Bay, New Jersey, Zostera marina populations have declined by 62% over the last 20 years, and restoration efforts have met with mixed success. We have completed a microsatellite-based genetic investigation of eight populations of Z.marina within Barnegat Bay to determine whether the genetic stock origins of the plants used in management projects may affect restoration success. Additionally, we assessed the genetic diversity of Z. marina in Barnegat Bay to better understand its population structure. Clonal diversity ranged from 0.70 to 0.95 for the populations studied. Individually, Barnegat Bay populations are not genetically diverse, and there is also little divergence among populations. The Atlantic populations had mean Hobs values (0.20–0.34) that were far lower than the Hexp values (0.69–0.83). Also, the FIS values in all of the eastern populations indicate a surfeit of homozygotes over heterozygotes, suggesting a low degree of outcrossing in the Barnegat Bay populations. Six of the ten populations studied (Ham Island, Manahawkin Bay, Shelter Island, Marsh Elder, Harvey Cedar Sedge, and Long Island) show evidence of historical bottlenecks. Mean estimated FST values would suggest that most alleles are undergoing moderate genetic differentiation, with values that range from 0.06 to 0.13. Oyster Creek and Sedge Island demonstrate the largest estimated effective population sizes and may be the most appropriate populations for use in future eelgrass restoration projects.
Size Distributions and Light Scattering Features of Minerogenic Particles in a Stream during Runoff Events

Inorganic (minerogenic) particles received from streams during runoff events cause undesirable increases in turbidity ( Tn ; i.e., the light scattering coefficient, b ) in many lakes and reservoirs. Quantification of particle inputs in the context of turbidity impacts and representative light scattering calculations (submodel), the necessary components in the development of a mechanistic multiple particle class model to simulate these impacts, are described for Schoharie Creek, N.Y. Light scattering attributes of minerogenic particles, including number concentration (N) , size distribution (PSD), composition, and projected area per unit volume ( PAVm ) , are quantified for three runoff events through analyses by scanning electron microscopy interfaced with automated X-ray microanalysis and image analysis (SAX). The combined credibility of the light scattering submodel and SAX to represent the light scattering features of minerogenic particles is depicted by the consistency of calculated scattering efficie...
Laser-related properties of chromium- and neodymium-doped gadolinium scandium aluminum garnet (Cr:Nd:GSAG)

The spectroscopic, lasing, and thermal properties of chromium- and neodymium-doped gadolinium scandium aluminum garnet (Cr:Nd:GSAG) are reported. The Judd–Ofelt parameters, radiative lifetime, and branching ratios were determined, and an effective emission cross-section value of 0.92 × 10−19 cm2 was derived at 1.06 μm from our spectroscopic measurements. The temporal behavior of the Cr3+ fluorescence intensity agreed with the Inokuti–Hirayama model for the chromium–neodymium energy-transfer mechanism, which invokes a static dipole-dipole interaction and no migrational energy transfer. Under identical flash-lamp-pumping conditions the measured pumping efficiency of Cr:Nd:GSAG for threshold lasing is nearly equal to the pumping efficiency of codoped gadolinium scandium gallium garnet (Cr:Nd:GSGG). From the threshold-lasing data, an effective emission cross section of 0.7 × 10−19 cm2 for Cr:Nd:GSAG was independently determined, as well as a value of 1.3 × 10−19 cm 2 for Cr:Nd:GSGG. The normalized heating parameter χ, defined as the heat deposited per unit stored energy, experimentally ranges from 2.1 to 2.7, depending on the effective emission cross-section value. Our calculated value of χ is 1.9 ± 0.3. Based on our heating-efficiency measurements, calculated Cr:Nd:GSAG thermal lensing values are ~2.1–2.6 D/kW, which indicates a thermally induced focal length that is weaker than that of Nd:YAG by approximately a factor of 2 at the same output power. Finally, the benefits and trade-offs of laser-diode pumping are discussed.
Atomic Scale Analysis of Cubic Zirconia Grain Boundaries

The core structures of two symmetric tilt [001] grain boundaries in yttria- stabilized cubic zirconia are determined by Z-contrast imaging microscopy. In particular, near-Σ=13 (510) and Σ=5 (310) boundaries are studied. Both grain boundaries are found to be composed of periodic arrays of basic grain-boundary structural units, whose atomic structures are determined from the Z-contrast images. While both grain boundaries maintain mirror symmetry across the boundary plane, the 36° boundary is found to have a more compact structural unit than the 24° boundary. Partially filled cation columns in the 24° boundary are believed to prevent cation crowding in the boundary core. The derived grain boundary structural models are the first developed for ionic crystals having the fluorite structure.
Range and Frequency of Africanized Honey Bees in California (USA)

Africanized honey bees entered California in 1994 but few accounts of their northward expansion or their frequency relative to European honey bees have been published. We used mitochondrial markers and morphometric analyses to determine the prevalence of Africanized honeybees in San Diego County and their current northward progress in California west of the Sierra Nevada crest. The northernmost African mitotypes detected were approximately 40 km south of Sacramento in California’s central valley. In San Diego County, 65% of foraging honey bee workers carry African mitochondria and the estimated percentage of Africanized workers using morphological measurements is similar (61%). There was no correlation between mitotype and morphology in San Diego County suggesting Africanized bees result from bidirectional hybridization. Seventy percent of feral hives, but only 13% of managed hives, sampled in San Diego County carried the African mitotype indicating that a large fraction of foraging workers in both urban and rural San Diego County are feral. We also found a single nucleotide polymorphism at the DNA barcode locus COI that distinguishes European and African mitotypes. The utility of this marker was confirmed using 401 georeferenced honey bee sequences from the worldwide Barcode of Life Database. Future censuses can determine whether the current range of the Africanized form is stable, patterns of introgression at nuclear loci, and the environmental factors that may limit the northern range of the Africanized honey bee.
Student understanding of culturally and ethically responsive care: implications for nursing curricula.

Abstract Nursing education programs have a responsibility to develop strategies that improve future nurses' multicultural competence and ethical approaches to caring for populations different than their own. This article describes results of a final exam evaluative process used in an undergraduate class focused on culture and ethics. Ideas for nurse educators who desire increased student responsiveness and accountability for meeting the cultural and ethical needs of clients are offered.
Stabilization of Frenchman River Using Steel Jacks

Several test sections were constructed to determine methods of controlling erosion along the Frenchman River in Nebraska, a stream subject to instability and presently aggravated by sustained flows for irrigation purposes. After 3 yr of observations, it was concluded that steel jacks provided a satisfactory bank stabilization structure in a variety of situations requiring protection.
A Comparative Study of LiMn204 From Various Sources

A process recently developed at Arthur D. Little, Inc. has enabled the direct and rapid production of LiMO x intercalation cathode materials having specific and controlled geometric and topographic attributes. Results of a comparative study of the electrochemical and spectroscopic characteristics of LiMn 2 0 4 from several commercial sources and LiMn 2 0 4 prepared using our process are reported. Improved electrochemical performance observed for the LiMn 2 0 4 cathode material produced using ADL's process are tentatively related to the small and uniform grain size and to the possible additional influence of electronic defects associated with surface states.
Abstract 606: Heat shock protein 90 inhibitors: New mode of therapy to overcome aromatase inhibitor resistance

Results from several major trials have revealed that aromatase inhibitors (AIs) are superior to tamoxifen with regard to disease progression, incidences of locoregional and distant relapses, and contralateral breast cancers. Although AIs are highly effective drugs (with outstanding specificity and potency), unfortunately, a significant number of AI-treated breast cancer patients will eventually develop disease progression due to acquired resistance. Hormone refractory breast cancers result from complex molecular changes and are challenging to cure. Recently, we examined whether the heat shock protein 90 (HSP90) inhibitor 17-(dimethylaminoethylamino)-17-demethoxygeldanamycin (17-DMAG) can inhibit the growth of AI-resistant breast cancers and the mechanisms by which 17-DMAG affects proliferation. AI-responsive MCF-7aro and AI-resistant LTEDaro breast epithelial cells were used in this study. We observed that 17-DMAG inhibited proliferation in both MCF-7aro and LTEDaro cells in a dose-dependent manner. 17-DMAG induced apoptosis and G2 cell cycle arrest in both cell lines. Although inhibition of HSP90 decreased the levels of ERα, the ERα transcriptional activity was not affected when cells were treated with 17-DMAG together with estradiol. Moreover, detailed mechanistic studies suggested that 17-DMAG inhibits cell growth via degradation of HSP90 client proteins AKT and HER2. Furthermore, our experiments using AI responsive MCF-7aro cells have revealed that HSP90 inhibitors such as 17-DMAG and AIs such as letrozole can suppress the proliferation of hormone-dependent breast cancer cells in a synergistic manner. To study de novo AI-resistance, our lab has generated MCF-7 cell models to overexpress both aromatase and either Akt (MCF-7Aktaro) or HER2 (MCF-7aroHER2). We have found that HSP90 inhibitor 17-DMAG is also effective on suppressing the proliferation of these de novo AI resistant cells. Collectively, results from this study provide data to support the theory that HSP90 inhibitors may be an effective therapy to delay and treat AI-resistant breast cancers (This research was supported by the NIH grant CA44735). Note: This abstract was not presented at the AACR 101st Annual Meeting 2010 because the presenter was unable to attend. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2010 Apr 17-21; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2010;70(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 606.
Preparation, Characterization, and Regeneration of Aluminum (Hydr)Oxide–Amended Molecular Sieves for Fluoride Removal from Drinking Water

AbstractMolecular sieves and zeolites showed increased fluoride adsorption capacities when amended with aluminum (hydr)oxide (AlOOH). When normalized by the AlOOH content, the adsorption capacities of most amended molecular sieves were higher than the maximum theoretical value expected for monolayer surface coverage, suggesting fluoride removal from processes beyond adsorption, such as precipitation. Although the mass-normalized adsorption capacities of most amended materials were less than that of an equivalent mass of pure AlOOH, several molecular sieves with pores of 1 to several nanometers showed mass-normalized adsorption capacities similar to pure AlOOH, possibly due to their larger pores, which may have facilitated fluoride adsorption after aluminum (hydr)oxide precipitation. Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy detected elevated fluorine in a representative AlOOH-amended molecular sieve after repeated fluoride adsorption, also consistent with fluoride uptake by processes beyond only monolayer cove...
The Marketing and Sales of Stolen Data

This chapter outlines the general practices and products offered by vendors within the 13 forums sampled that constitute markets for stolen data. The most common products sold were dumps, or credit/debit card numbers, followed by CVV data, which includes credit card numbers and the three- or four-digit pin number located on the back of the card. There were a range of prices observed for these products, and differences in the nature of products sold based on the language used within the forum and the number of complaints received against disreputable vendors. The chapter concludes with a discussion of the difference in price observed by country for multiple products offered within the markets.
Towards a Definition of “Self-Neglect” in Psychiatric Patients: Descriptions of a Case Series

Self-neglect, although frequently studied in geriatric populations, has received only limited attention in psychiatric populations. To address this gap, we utilize a behavioral framework to present a set of case examples in order to illustrate the complex relationship between self-neglect behaviors and conditions and various psychiatric illness. Cases are discussed with respect to ascending severity of presentations of self-neglect in adult non-geriatric inpatient psychiatric populations. Self-neglect is conceptualized as a range of behaviors, as well as an overall condition that affects an individual’s functioning in several major domains. The concept of self-neglect in non-geriatric psychiatric patients warrants additional study, including development of a formal definition, as well as evaluation of its associated manifestations and implications for treatment and prognosis.
Assessing Pathogens for Natural versus Laboratory Origins Using Genomic Data and Machine Learning

Pathogen genomic data is increasingly important in investigations of infectious disease outbreaks. The objective of this study is to develop methods for using large-scale genomic data to determine the type of the environment an outbreak pathogen came from. Specifically, this study focuses on assessing whether an outbreak strain came from a natural environment or experienced substantial laboratory culturing. The approach uses phylogenetic analyses and machine learning to identify DNA changes that are characteristic of laboratory culturing. The analysis methods include parallelized sequence read alignment, variant identification, phylogenetic tree construction, ancestral state reconstruction, semi-supervised classification, and random forests. These methods were applied to 902 Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium genomes from the NCBI Sequence Read Archive database. The analyses identified candidate signatures of laboratory culturing that are highly consistent with genes identified in published laboratory passage studies. In particular, the analysis identified mutations in rpoS, hfq, rfb genes, acrB, and rbsR as strong signatures of laboratory culturing. In leave-one-out cross-validation, the classifier had an area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve of 0.89 for strains from two laboratory reference sets collected in the 1940s and 1980s. The classifier was also used to assess laboratory culturing in foodborne and laboratory acquired outbreak strains closely related to laboratory reference strain serovar Typhimurium 14028. The classifier detected some evidence of laboratory culturing on the phylogeny branch leading to this clade, suggesting all of these strains may have a common ancestor that experienced laboratory culturing. Together, these results suggest that phylogenetic analysis and machine learning could be used to assess whether pathogens collected from patients are naturally occurring or have been extensively cultured in laboratories. The data analysis methods can be applied to any bacterial pathogen species, and could be adapted to assess viral pathogens and other types of source environments.
Manipulation of Oxygen Tension and Medium Composition To Enhance CD34+ Cell Numbers and Megakaryocytic Potential of Cord Blood Progenitors.

Abstract A major disadvantage of cord blood (CB) hematopoietic stem cell transplant is delayed engraftment. Cell dose has been identified as the key variable limiting neutrophil and platelet reconstitution. This has lead to the development of culture systems promoting the ex-vivo expansion of CB hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSC/HPC). Typically such systems involve suspension cultures with cytokine supplementation, where the selected media supplies differing essential nutrients. Physiologically, HSCs are regulated by their interactions with the osteoblastic stem cell niche, a region characterized by low oxygen tension. We therefore investigated the effects of oxygen tension as well as differing medium composition on the ex-vivo expansion of CB HSC/HPC. METHODS: Replilcate cultures of fresh CB CD34+ (3,000 cells/mL) cells were established at 5% (hypoxia) or 20% O2 (normoxia) in αMEM medium supplemented with 20% fetal bovine serum (FBS) or in CellGro serum-free medium. 100ng/mL stem cell factor (SCF), Fms-like tyrosine kinase 3 ligand (Flt3-L), thrombopoietin (Tpo) and granulocyte- colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) were added to each medium. The cellular output was evaluated after 7 and 14 days by counting total nucleated cells (TNC) and flow cytometric analysis measuring HSC/HPC (CD34), myeloid (CD11b), and megakaryocytic (CD41) cell progeny. RESULTS: Cultures established under hypoxic conditions demonstrated a consistent increase in TNC (range 1.15 to 2.27-fold; N=8, p= 0.02) compared to those grown in normoxia. In addition, six of eight CB CD34+ samples showed equivalent or greater TNC production in CellGro versus αMEM/FBS. In accord with this, cultures initiated in CellGro at 5% O2 demonstrated a nearly 2-fold higher incidence (10.1% vs. 5.5%) and content (2.5 ± 0.5 x104 vs. 1.3 + 0.3 x104, p=0.001) of CD34+ cells at day 7 than in αMEM/FBS. However the most striking difference between the two culture media was their capacity to support megakaryocyte differentiation in 5% O2. At day 14, a mean of 4.3% of cells cultured in CellGro expressed CD41 corresponding to a mean of 1.8± 0.3 x105 CD41+ cells/culture compared to only 0.12 ± 0.08 x105 CD41 cells (0.03% of cells) in αMEM/FBS cultures (p =0.0001). This reveals a 15-fold difference in megakaryocytic cell production. These data demonstrate that significant increases in TNC, CD34+ and CD41+ fractions can be gained by modifying oxygen tension and medium composition for ex-vivo expansion of CB progenitors. The increase in megakaryocytic cells may be of particular importance in ameliorating bleeding complications and the need for extensive platelet transfusions as a consequence of thrombocytopenia following CB transplant. Download : Download high-res image (69KB) Download : Download full-size image Figure
Intelligent Analysis of Failure Data with Explanatory Variables in the Design of a Manufactunng Environment

Abstract This paper describes a first-step in the evolution towards new methods in the design of a manufacturing environment. The utilization of intelligent techniques (expert systems, artificial neural networks, fuzzy logic, etc.) in considering alternative components and designs for a manufacturing system, based on the knowledge of experts in both design and hardware, could increment the success of the chosen considerations. It is not unforeseeable that many of the future manufacturing projects could be autonomous. With technology advancing so fast, the application of robots, automated guided vehicles, computer-controlled conveyors, laser scanners, CAD/CAM systems, sophisticated storage and retrieval systems, network communication, etc., the plant engineer will most likely require his/her own intelligent system to analyze information quickly and be able to configure a solution at times of failure or to prevent them.
The Association of Serum Testosterone Levels and Urinary Incontinence in Women

Purpose: Pelvic floor integrity is an important predictor of stress urinary incontinence. Androgen receptors have been found in the pelvic floor musculature and fascia, and testosterone administration has been shown to increase levator ani hypertrophy and improve stress incontinence in a rodent model. We examined the relationship between serum total testosterone levels and self-reported urinary incontinence in women.Materials and Methods: We included women older than 20 years in the 2012 NHANES (National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey) cycle who underwent serum total testosterone measurement and answered self-reported urinary incontinence questions. A weighted, multivariate logistic regression model was used to determine the association between incontinence and serum testosterone levels after adjusting for age, body mass index, diabetes, race, parity, menopause and time of venipuncture.Results: A total of 2,321 women were included in analysis, of whom 37.5% had stress incontinence, 29.8% had urge...
Simulated response to process abnormalities during spent nuclear fuel electrorefining

Abstract During normal operations, the only deposition on a spent nuclear fuel electrorefiner cathode consists of uranium. A computer model, ERAD, was used to simulate conditions under which the electrorefiner salt was progressively contaminated from spent nuclear fuel processing without operator intervention. The model was adjusted to reflect three scenarios: one in which salt removed with every cathode deposit was returned but the UCl 3 concentration was never adjusted, one in which the salt was not removed and UCl 3 concentration was never adjusted, and one in which the Pu/U ratio in the salt was allowed to reach a value of one before starting the first scenario. Under the base conditions simulated, uranium initially deposits alone but eventually plutonium begins to co-deposit along with uranium. Up to 350 g of plutonium was calculated to deposit along with 8.3–9.5 kg of uranium. While precise tracking of changes in the salt composition may not be possible, the model was able to identify markers for plutonium deposition by tracking changes in electrode potential. This type of marker should ultimately provide inspectors with more options for situations when they have limited access to electrorefiner data.
Iraq and the material basis of post-conflict police reconstruction:

Existing scientific literature on post-conflict police reconstruction is largely divided between two camps. The first, and most widely employed in practice, can be termed a neo-liberal model, which...
New onset of insomnia in hospitalized patients in general medical wards: incidence, causes, and resolution rate.

ABSTRACTBackground: Insomnia is common in hospitalized patients. However, no study has examined new onset of insomnia in patients without a prior history of insomnia.Objectives: Incidence of new onset of insomnia in inpatients, associated factors and resolution rate after 2 weeks.Method: This is a prospective observational study conducted at a community hospital. We used the Insomnia Severity Index questionnaire to screen for insomnia in all patients located in the general medical floors from day 3 to day 5 of their hospital stay. We excluded patients with a prior insomnia history.Results: Out of the 205 patients who met the inclusion criteria, 75 patients (36%) reported insomnia. Severe insomnia was present in 3% of patients. Difficulty in maintaining sleep is the most common symptom. Frequent staff disruptions due to blood draws and vital signs checks were reported by 68% as the cause of insomnia, followed by illness associated causes (64%) and sleep disruption due to noise and or brightness (23%). Pati...
Flexible decision-making in sequential auctions

Because sequential auctions have permeated society more than ever, it is desirable for participants to have the optimal strategies beforehand. However, finding closed-form solutions to various sequential auction games is challenging. Current literature provides some answers for specific cases but not for general cases. A decision support system that can automate optimal bids for players in different sequential auction games will be useful in solving these complex economic problems, which requires not only economic but also computational efficiency. This thesis contributes in several directions. First, this dissertation derives results related to the multiplicity of equilibria in first-price, sealed-bid (FPSB) auctions, and sequential FPSB auctions, with discrete bids under complete information. It also provides theoretical results for FPSB auctions with discrete bids under incomplete information. These results are applicable to both two-person and multi-person cases. Second, this thesis develops a technique to compute strategies in sequential auctions. It applies Monte Carlo simulation to approximate perfect Bayesian equilibrium for sequential auctions with discrete bids and incomplete information. It also utilizes the leveraged substructure of the game tree which can dramatically reduce the memory and computation time required to solve the game. This approach is applicable to sequences of a wide variety of auctions. Finally, this thesis analyzes the impact of information in sequential auctions with continuous bids and incomplete information when bids are revealed. It provides theoretical results especially the non-existence of pure-strategy symmetric equilibrium in both the symmetric sequential FPSB and the symmetric sequential Vickrey auctions.
Class Actions, Civil Rights, and the National Injunction

This essay is a response to Professor Samuel Bray’s article proposing a blanket prohibition against injunctions that enjoin a defendant’s conduct with respect to nonparties. He argues that national injunctions are illegitimate under Article III and traditional equity and result in a number of difficulties. This Response argues, from a normative lens, that Bray’s proposed ban on national injunctions should be rejected. Such a bright-line rule against national injunctions is too blunt an instrument to address the complexity of our tripartite system of government, our pluralistic society and our democracy. Although national injunctions may be imperfect and crude forms of justice, they are better than no justice at all — which for some actions, may be the alternative.
Quantifying spot size reduction of a 1.8 kA electron beam for flash radiography

The spot size of Axis-I at the Dual Axis Radiographic Hydrodynamic Test facility was reduced by 15.5% by including a small diameter drift tube that acts to aperture the outer diameter of the electron beam. Comparing the measured values to both analytic calculations and results from a particle-in-cell model shows that one-third to one-half of the spot size reduction is due to a drop in beam emittance. We infer that one-half to two-thirds of the spot-size reduction is due to a reduction in beam-target interactions. Sources of emittance growth and the scaling of the final focal spot size with emittance and solenoid aberrations are also presented.
Fast hardware assisted online learning using unsupervised deep learning structure for anomaly detection

Real-time scenarios of deep learning algorithms are challenged by two less frequently addressed issues. The first is data inefficiency i.e., the model requires several epochs of trial and error to converge which makes it impractical to be applied to real-time applications. The Second is the high precision computation load of the deep learning algorithms to achieve high accuracy during training and inference. In this paper, we address these two issues and apply our model to the task of online anomaly detection using FPGA. To address the first issue, we propose a compressed training model for the contrastive divergence algorithm (CD) in the Deep Belief Network (DBN). The goal is to dynamically adjust the training vector according to the feedback from the free energy and the reconstruction error, which allows for better generalization. To address the second issue, we propose a Hybrid-Stochastic-Dynamic-Fixed-Point (HSDFP) method, which provides training environment with high reduction in calculation, area, and power in FPGA. Our framework enables the DBN structure to take actions and detect attacks online. Thus, the network can collect efficient number of training samples and avoid overfitting. We show that (1) our proposed method converges faster than the state-of-the-art deep learning methods, (2) FPGA implementation achieves accelerated inference speed of 0.008ms and a high power efficiency of 37 G-ops/s/W compared to CPU, GPU, and 16-bit fixed-point arithmetic (3) FPGA also achieves minimal degradation in accuracy of 95%, 95.4%, and 97.9% on the benchmark datasets: MNIST, NSL-KDD, and Kyoto datasets.