cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effects of Type I Interferons on the Adjuvant Properties of Plasmid Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor In Vivo

While administration of granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) can induce the local recruitment of activated antigen-presenting cells at the site of vaccine inoculation, this cellular recruitment is associated with a paradoxical decrease in local vaccine antigen expression and vaccine-elicited CD8+ T-cell responses. To clarify why this cytokine administration does not potentiate immunization, we examined the recruited cells and expressed inflammatory mediators in muscles following intramuscular administration of plasmid GM-CSF in mice. While large numbers of dendritic cells and macrophages were attracted to the site of plasmid GM-CSF inoculation, high concentrations of type I interferons were also detected in the muscles. As type I interferons have been reported to damp foreign gene expression in vivo, we examined the possibility that these local innate mediators might decrease plasmid DNA expression and therefore the immunogenicity of plasmid DNA vaccines. In fact, we found that coadministration of an anti-beta interferon monoclonal antibody with the plasmid DNA immunogen and plasmid GM-CSF restored both the local antigen expression and the CD8+ T-cell immunogenicity of the vaccine. These data demonstrate that local innate immune responses can change the ability of vaccines to generate robust adaptive immunity.
Assessing the sustainability of harvest of Pterocarpus angolensis in Rukwa Region, Tanzania

Abstract Pterocarpus angolensis is being cut for construction and medicinal purposes through much of southern Africa. To assess the sustainability of this offtake, we estimated current harvest practice, population size structure, growth rates and seed production in protected and unprotected areas of Rukwa Region, western Tanzania. Results showed that adult P. angolensis are being removed very rapidly given its slow growth rate as determined from tree ring data, and that regeneration both inside and outside the protected area is very low. A simple model indicates that current harvest is unsustainable raising serious concerns about the long-term viability of this important hardwood species in miombo woodland.
Iterative algorithm for nonuniform inverse fast Fourier transform (NU-IFFT)

A nonuniform inverse fast Fourier transform (NU-IFFT) for nonuniformly sampled data is realised by combining the conjugate-gradient fast Fourier transform (CG-FFT) method with the newly developed nonuniform fast Fourier transform (NUFFT) algorithms. An example application of the algorithm in computational electromagnetics is presented.
Triplets! Unexpected structural similarity among the three enzymes that catalyze initiation and termination of thyroid hormone effects

As tres desiodases de iodotironinas catalisam a iniciacao (D1, D2) e o termino (D3) dos efeitos dos hormonios tiroideanos em vertebrados. Um modelo tridimensional concebido recentemente propoe que essas enzimas apresentam organizacao estrutural similar e pertencam a superfamilia da thioredoxin (TRX)-fold. O sitio ativo e formado por um bolso contendo selenocisteina, definido pelos motivos b1-a1-b2 do TRX-fold, e um dominio similar ao sitio ativo da iduronidase, um membro do clan GH-A-fold das hidrolases de glicosideos. Enquanto D1 e D3 sao proteinas de meia-vida longa localizadas na membrana plasmatica, a D2 e uma proteina residente do reticulo endoplasmatico com meia-vida de apenas 20min. A inativacao da D2 e mediada por conjugacao seletiva a ubiquitina, catalisada pela UBC-7, um processo que e acelerado pela catalise do T4, mantendo assim a homeostase local do T3. Alem disso, a D2 interage e e substrato das VDU1 e VDU2 (pVHL-interacting deubiquitinating enzymes), fazendo com que sua desubiquitinacao regule o suprimento de hormonio tiroideano ativo em celulas que expressam D2.
Policies for swapping MPI processes

Despite the enormous amount of research and development work in the area of parallel computing, it is a common observation that simultaneous performance and ease-of-use are elusive. We believe that ease-of-use is critical for many end users, and thus seek performance enhancing techniques that can be easily retrofitted to existing parallel applications. In a precious paper we have presented MPI (message passing interface) process swapping, a simple add-on to the MPI programming environment that can improve performance in shared computing environments. MPI process swapping requires as few as three lines of source code change to an existing application. In this paper we explore a question that we had left open in our previous work: based on which policies should processes be swapped for best performance? Our results show that, with adequate swapping policies, MPI process swapping can provide substantial performance benefits with very limited implementation effort.
Human Immunodeficiency Virus

1. Khalid Kamal, MD 1. Children’s Hospital of Michigan Detroit, Mich Advancing HIV Prevention: New Strategies for a Changing Epidemic—United States, 2003. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Morbid Mortal Wkly Rep MMWR. 2003;52 :329– 332[OpenUrl][1] Primary and Secondary Syphilis among Men Who Have Sex With Men—New York City, 2001. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Morbid Mortal Wkly Rep MMWR. 2002;51 :853– 856[OpenUrl][2] HIV/AIDS Surveillance Report. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Morbid Mortal Wkly Rep MMWR. 2001;13(2) Adoption of Protective Behaviors Among Persons With Recent HIV Infection and Diagnosis—Alabama, New Jersey, and Tennessee, 1997–1998. Morbid Mortal Wkly Rep MMWR. 2000;49 :512– 515[OpenUrl][3] Recommendations for HIV Testing Services for Inpatients and Outpatients in Acute-care Hospital Settings. Morbid Mortal Wkly Rep MMWR. 1993;42(No.RR-2) Slightly fewer than 1 … [1]: {openurl}?query=rft.jtitle%253DMorbid%2BMortal%2BWkly%2BRep%2BMMWR.%26rft.volume%253D52%26rft.spage%253D329%26rft.genre%253Darticle%26rft_val_fmt%253Dinfo%253Aofi%252Ffmt%253Akev%253Amtx%253Ajournal%26ctx_ver%253DZ39.88-2004%26url_ver%253DZ39.88-2004%26url_ctx_fmt%253Dinfo%253Aofi%252Ffmt%253Akev%253Amtx%253Actx [2]: {openurl}?query=rft.jtitle%253DMorbid%2BMortal%2BWkly%2BRep%2BMMWR.%26rft.volume%253D51%26rft.spage%253D853%26rft.genre%253Darticle%26rft_val_fmt%253Dinfo%253Aofi%252Ffmt%253Akev%253Amtx%253Ajournal%26ctx_ver%253DZ39.88-2004%26url_ver%253DZ39.88-2004%26url_ctx_fmt%253Dinfo%253Aofi%252Ffmt%253Akev%253Amtx%253Actx [3]: {openurl}?query=rft.jtitle%253DMorbid%2BMortal%2BWkly%2BRep%2BMMWR.%26rft.volume%253D49%26rft.spage%253D512%26rft.genre%253Darticle%26rft_val_fmt%253Dinfo%253Aofi%252Ffmt%253Akev%253Amtx%253Ajournal%26ctx_ver%253DZ39.88-2004%26url_ver%253DZ39.88-2004%26url_ctx_fmt%253Dinfo%253Aofi%252Ffmt%253Akev%253Amtx%253Actx
Ultra-Fast Negative Bias Temperature Instability Monitoring and End-of-Life Projection

In this paper, we propose a comprehensive solution for in-line NBTI monitor, including test structure, bias condition determination, reliability specification calculation, and lifetime projection. A smart self-heating pMOSFET has been successfully realized in 90nm standard CMOS technology. For the first time, we use channel resistance to carefully calibrate device junction temperature. Charge separation technique can precisely define NBTI cold holes regimes. No interruption adopts during our NBTI monitor stress duration, which can avoid recovery effect. Finally, the end-of-life (EoL) projection of each device, which is consistent with time-consuming package result, can be achieved by applying acceleration models. The whole monitor process of each sample can be finished within 2 minutes. This novel monitor can provide an early alert of process control diagnosis
A philosophical and technical comparison of Legion and Globus

Grids are collections of interconnected resources harnessed to satisfy various needs of users. Legion and Globus are pioneering grid technologies. Several of the aims and goals of both projects are similar, yet their underlying architectures and philosophies differ substantially. The scope of both projects is the creation of worldwide grids; in that respect, they subsume several distributed systems technologies. However, Legion has been designed as a virtual operating system (OS) for distributed resources with OS-like support for current and expected future interactions among resources, whereas Globus has long been designed as a "sum of services" infrastructure, in which tools are developed independently in response to current needs of users. We compare and contrast Legion and Globus in terms of their underlying philosophy and the resulting architectures, and we discuss how these projects converge in the context of the new standards being formulated for grids.
Goldstone bosons and fermions in QCD

We consider the version of QCD in Euclidean Landau gauge in which the restriction to the Gribov region is implemented by a local, renormalizable action. This action depends on the Gribov parameter $\ensuremath{\gamma}$, with dimensions of $(\mathrm{\text{mass}}{)}^{4}$, whose value is fixed in terms of ${\ensuremath{\Lambda}}_{\mathrm{QCD}}$, by the gap equation, known as the horizon condition, $\frac{\ensuremath{\partial}\ensuremath{\Gamma}}{\ensuremath{\partial}\ensuremath{\gamma}}=0$, where $\ensuremath{\Gamma}$ is the quantum effective action. The restriction to the Gribov region suppresses gluons in the infrared, which nicely explains why gluons are not in the physical spectrum, but this only makes more mysterious the origin of the long-range force between quarks. In the present article we exhibit the symmetries of $\ensuremath{\Gamma}$, and show that the solution to the gap equation, which defines the classical vacuum, spontaneously breaks some of the symmetries of $\ensuremath{\Gamma}$. This implies the existence of massless Goldstone bosons and fermions that do not appear in the physical spectrum. Some of the Goldstone bosons may be exchanged between quarks, and are candidates for a long-range confining force. As an exact result we also find that in the infrared limit the gluon propagator vanishes like ${k}^{2}$.
T Cell Receptor Recognition via Cooperative Conformational Plasticity

Although T cell receptor cross-reactivity is a fundamental property of the immune system and is implicated in numerous autoimmune pathologies, the molecular mechanisms by which T cell receptors can recognize and respond to diverse ligands are incompletely understood. In the current study we examined the response of the human T cell lymphotropic virus-1 (HTLV-1) Tax-specific T cell receptor (TCR) A6 to a panel of structurally distinct haptens coupled to the Tax 11-19 peptide with a lysine substitution at position 5 (Tax5K, LLFG[K-hapten]PVYV). The A6 TCR could cross-reactively recognize one of these haptenated peptides, Tax-5K-4-(3-Indolyl)-butyric acid (IBA), presented by HLA-A*0201. The crystal structures of Tax5K-IBA/HLA-A2 free and in complex with A6 reveal that binding is mediated by a mechanism of cooperative conformational plasticity involving conformational changes on both sides of the protein-protein interface, including the TCR complementarity determining region (CDR) loops, Valpha/Vbeta domain orientation, and the hapten-modified peptide. Our findings illustrate the complex role that protein dynamics can play in TCR cross-reactivity and highlight that T cell receptor recognition of ligand can be achieved through diverse and complex molecular mechanisms that can occur simultaneously in the interface, not limited to molecular mimicry and CDR loop shifts.
Estimating sensitivity and specificity in an ROC experiment

Observer studies and clinical studies are used to evaluate imaging technologies and to compare two different technologies. The area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve is often used as the endpoint. However, in clinical practice, radiologists will operate at a single point on the ROC curve and this will define the sensitivity and specificity of the radiologist using the technology. In an ROC study, sensitivity and specificity are often estimated based on the ratings that the radiologist gave each case, which are needed to generate the ROC curve. Unfortunately, because of intra-reader and inter-reader variability, estimates of sensitivity and specificity based on these ratings can lack accuracy and precision. We demonstrate using an observer study of computer-aided diagnosis in diagnostic mammography that estimates of sensitivity of a given radiologist can be either over or under estimated by as much as 100%. Further, the statistical power of the experiment is substantially reduced because of increased variability between readers. By simply asking the observer explicitly their recommendation (e.g., biopsy on no biopsy), sensitivity and specificity can be measured directly and the power of the study can be maximized.
Manipulation of female parasitoid age enhances laboratory culture of lysiphlebus testaceipes (Hymenoptera: Aphidiidae) reared on toxoptera citricida (Homoptera: Aphididae)

Abstract Cultures of the endoparasitoid Lysiphlebus testaceipes Cresson (Hymenoptera: Aphidiidae) on the brown citrus aphid, Toxoptera citricida Kirkaldy (Homoptera: Aphididae), previously have been reported to be difficult to establish. In this study, L. testaceipes colonies were initiated from parasitized brown citrus aphids obtained from field-collected citrus foliage in Florida and successfully maintained for >25 generations in the laboratory. To enhance colony rearing methods, several aspects of the parasitoid’s biology were examined. An evaluation of foraging by single or multiple females determined that the presence of multiple females did not influence mean progeny yield per female. However, the mean number of progeny produced by mature (25-49 and 49-73 h) L. testaceipes females was higher than that produced by younger (1-25 h) females over a 24-h period. In all three parasitoid age classes, each reared on second-, third- or fourth-instar aphid hosts, significantly more mummies containing L. testa...
Multiscale Biomechanical Modeling of Stem Cell-Extracellular Matrix Interactions

A multiscale cell model has been developed to study the mechanotransduction of pluripotent stem cells in an attempt to explain the mechanical information exchange between the cells and their extracellular environment leading to a biologic response. In the model, the macroscale cell is modeled as liquid crystal with a hyperelastic nucleus. A nanoscale adhesive model was introduced to describe the interaction between receptors and ligands. We have developed and implemented a Lagrange type meshfree Galerkin formulation and related computational algorithms for the described cell and adhesive contact model. A comparison study with experimental data was conducted to validate the parameters of the cellular computational model. By using a soft matter physics modeling approach, we have simulated the adhesive contact process between cells and different extracellular matrix substrates. The simulation shows that the cell can sense substrate elasticity by responding via cell spreading, altered cell contact configurations, and altered molecular conformations.
The Role of Defective Interfering (DI) Particles in Viral Infection

A special class of viral deletion mutants was first detected biologically about 35 years ago and characterized physically about 20 years ago. They are formed by almost every virus group and given the name defective interfering (DI) particles. DI particles have the following properties: i) they are derived from infectious standard virus; ii) they contain the same structural proteins as standard virus; iii) they contain nucleic acid deletions and/or rearrangements; iv) they amplify themselves within the viral population, generally, but not necessarily always, at the expense of the standard virus (interference); and v) they require helper standard virus for their complete replication.
Abstract 19698: Altered Dendritic Cell Network in Chronic Heart Failure - Implications for Chronic Inflammation

Although activation of Th1 inflammatory pathways is a hallmark of chronic heart failure (HF), underlying changes in immune effector cells are poorly understood. Dendritic cells (DCs) are orchestrators of T-cell polarization, and thereby can regulate Th1 and Th2 responses. We hypothesized that alterations in the local and systemic DC network, and tissue DC trafficking, underlie the pro-inflammatory state in HF. Post-infarction HF was studied in adult C57BL/6 mice 8 wks following left coronary ligation; sham operated mice served as controls. Pathological remodeling and HF were verified by echocardiography, hemodynamics, gravimetry and histology. Cardiac interstitial cells were isolated by collagenase digestion of the heart followed by density gradient centrifugation; standard isolation procedures were used to isolate splenic, BM, and PB cells. We characterized two major DC subsets using flow cytometry: 1) classical DCs (cDCs, CD11c+B220-) that initiate adaptive immune responses and enhance interferon production from T cells, and 2) plasmacytoid DCs (pDCs, CD11c+B220+) that upon proper stimulation can produce pro-inflammatory cytokines that polarize T cells to a Th1 phenotype or, alternatively, suppress adaptive immunity. Compared with sham-operated mice, HF mice exhibited significantly (p
Research of marketing-distribution-dispatching integrated system in rural grid

With the development of smart grid, the key to solve the problem of intelligent development of rural grid is in formation integration. This paper proposes to make a Marketing-Distribution-Dispatching integrated System in rural grid with the data acquisition and analysis of the electric energy data acquisition system, dispatching and distribution integrated system and marketing system, by the use of information sharing and data exchange technology. This system which contains power grid operation and enterprise management will provide technical support for enhancing the leader's capacity of management and decision-making.
Characterization of solids in produced water from wells fractured with recycled and fresh water

Abstract Wastewater from shale oil and gas wells contains high levels of organic and inorganic compounds, and the beneficial reuse of produced water requires some level of treatment to remove emulsified oil and grease, suspended solids, and multivalent ions. It is important to identify the quantity and makeup of solids in produced water, so that an optimized reuse or treatment approach can be achieved. This study provides a qualitative and quantitative characterization of solids in frac flowback and produced water from five horizontal wells at two separate sites in the Wattenberg field of Northern Colorado. Difference in solids from wells fractured with fresh water and recycled water is compared in this study, and their distribution and characterization are identified by particle size distribution measurement and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Results show that particle sizes were smaller and more uniform in produced water samples collected during the first week of production from the wells fractured with recycled water, suggesting that the recycled water was more compatible with the shale formation and wells fractured with recycled water tend to clean out faster.
Detection and structural characterization of nitrosamide H2NNO: A central intermediate in deNOx processes.

The structure and bonding of H2NNO, the simplest N-nitrosamine, and a key intermediate in deNOx processes, have been precisely characterized using a combination of rotational spectroscopy of its more abundant isotopic species and high-level quantum chemical calculations. Isotopic spectroscopy provides compelling evidence that this species is formed promptly in our discharge expansion via the NH2 + NO reaction and is collisionally cooled prior to subsequent unimolecular rearrangement. H2NNO is found to possess an essentially planar geometry, an NNO angle of 113.67(5)°, and a N–N bond length of 1.342(3) A; in combination with the derived nitrogen quadrupole coupling constants, its bonding is best described as an admixture of uncharged dipolar (H2N–N=O, single bond) and zwitterion (H2N+=N–O−, double bond) structures. At the CCSD(T) level, and extrapolating to the complete basis set limit, the planar geometry appears to represent the minimum of the potential surface, although the torsional potential of this m...
Panel stabilized square parachute flight testing

This paper describes the results of flight tests conducted at an airspeed of 250 Knots Indicated Air Speed (KIAS). These tests determined the effects of airspeed and 3 different stabilizing panel configurations on parachute opening performance and stability. The results showed that a panel-stabilized square parachute, configured with the smallest of the 3 stabilizing panels, worked properly. The other 2 larger size panels would not inflate and were ineffective. During previous tests at 30 KIAS, all 3 stabilizing panels functioned normally. Additional testing showed that a new stabilizing panel configuration, which would inflate at 250 knots airspeed, could be achieved. It was sized mid way between the smallest and mid-sized panel confiqurations, which were established at 30 knots airspeed.
Hepatic Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor Gamma Signaling Contributes to Alcohol-Induced Hepatic Steatosis and Inflammation in Mice.

Background Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) signaling has been shown to regulate lipogenesis and lipid accumulation. Previous studies have shown that hepatic PPARγ is up-regulated in steatotic liver of both animal and human. However, the effects of hepatic PPARγ signaling on alcoholic liver disease (ALD) remain elusive. Methods To determine the role of hepatic PPARγ signaling on ALD, wild-type (WT) and hepatocyte-specific PPARγ knockdown (PPARγ∆Hep) mice were fed a modified Lieber-DeCarli alcohol or isocaloric maltose dextrin control liquid diet for 8 weeks to induce ALD. Blood parameters, hepatic steatosis, and inflammation were measured after 8-week alcohol feeding. Results Alcohol feeding to WT mice resulted in liver damage (alanine aminotransferase [ALT], 94.68 ± 17.05 U/L; aspartate aminotransferase [AST], 55.87 ± 11.29 U/L), which was significantly alleviated by hepatic PPARγ knockdown (ALT, 57.36 ± 14.98 U/L; AST, 38.06 ± 3.35 U/L). Alcohol feeding led to marked lipid accumulation and up-regulation of lipogenic genes including fatty acid transport protein 1 (FATP1), acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC), fatty acid synthase (FASN), lipin1 (LIPIN1), diacylglycerol acyltransferase 1 (DGAT1), and diacylglycerol acyltransferase 2 (DGAT2) in the livers of WT mice. Knockdown of hepatic PPARγ significantly alleviated alcohol-induced lipid accumulation and abolished the up-regulation of FASN, DGAT1, and DGAT2. Silencing of PPARγ in FL83B cells significantly decreased ethanol (EtOH)–, linoleic acid–, and EtOH plus linoleic acid–induced lipid accumulation. Knockdown of hepatic PPARγ also significantly reduced alcohol-induced inflammatory chemokine (monocyte chemotactic protein 1 [MCP1], keratinocyte-derived chemokine [KC], interferon gamma-induced protein 10 [IP-10]) and inflammatory infiltration (lymphocyte antigen 6 complex, locus G [Ly6G], and F4/80). Conclusions The results suggest that hepatic PPARγ signaling contributes to alcohol-induced liver injury by promoting hepatic steatosis and inflammation.
Contributions of Plant Pest Control Programs The Need For Such Programs

In the Crops Regulatory Programs of the Agricultural Research Service, U. S. Department of Agriculture, there are two Divisions: the plant Pest Control Division and the Plant Quarantine Division. The case for a strong plant Quarantine program will be made by G. F. callaghan in the following paper. My part in this symposium is to make clear the need for the control of plant pests, usually of foreign origin. I do not feel that I can confine my part of this discussion to the agricultural economy. I would suggest that we will be talking about more than the agricultural economy; we will be talking about the conservation of our natural resources and the part plant pest control programs play in permitting us to make intelligent and full use of these resources.
Supersonic Bi-Directional Flying Wing, Part II: Conceptual Design of A High Speed Civil Transport

This report designs a supersonic passenger transport using a novel supersonic bi-directional (SBiDir) flying wing (FW) concept that achieves low sonic boom, low wave drag, and high subsonic performance. For supersonic flight, the planform is designed to achieve optimum aspect ratio, span, and sweep angle to minimize wave drag. For subsonic mode, the airplane will be rotated 90° so that the side of the airplane during supersonic flight becomes the front of the airplane. The sweep angle of the LE at subsonic mode is significantly reduced and the aspect ratio is considerably increased by (L/b) where L is the airplane length, and b is the span. This will allow the airplane to have high subsonic performance with short take-off and landing distance and low stall velocity due to low wing loading. The airfoil suggested is symmetric about the 50% chord location with both sharp leading edge (LE) and sharp trailing edge (TE). The whole 3-D configuration is symmetric about the longitudinal and lateral planes. As the demonstration of concept, the AOA=0° is selected as the low boom design point. A flat pressure surface of the airfoil used as the isentropic compression surface is employed to cancel the downward shock and sonic boom. Diminished take off noise will be achieved by attaining a low stall velocity and mounting the engines on the upper part of the airplane in order to shield the jet noise. A novel LE radial air injection to delay LE stall is suggested to avoid using the conventional LE slats system, which is heavy and complicated. The calculation shows that the 90° rotation can be done in 3 to 5 seconds with a very small centrifugal acceleration. The rotation transitional time will be short enough not to lose lift and the acceleration is so small that no passenger discomfort will be created. This design has the mission requirements of a cruise f Mach 1.6, a range of 2,000 nautical miles, a payload of 70 passengers and a take-off field length of 2,471 feet.The sonic boom overpressure propagated to ground was found to be 0.3 psf at AOA=0°. * Undergraduate Student, Dept. of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering † Graduate Student, Dept of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering ‡ Associate Professor, Dept. of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Senior AIAA Member 48th AIAA Aerospace Sciences Meeting Including the New Horizons Forum and Aerospace Exposition 4 7 January 2010, Orlando, Florida AIAA 2010-1393 Copyright © 2010 by the authors of this paper. Published by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Inc., with permission.
Evaluation of the Transfer of Listeria monocytogenes from Stainless Steel and High-Density Polyethylene to Bologna and American Cheese

The objective of this study was to determine the factors involved in the transfer of Listeria monocytogenes from surfaces to foods. We evaluated the influence of surface type (stainless steel and high-density polyethylene), inoculation method (biofilm growth and attached cells), hydration level (visibly dry and wet), and food type (bologna and American cheese). Each experiment included all 16 combinations and was repeated 11 times. A four-strain cocktail of L. monocytogenes was used to inoculate stainless steel and high-density polyethylene either as growing biofilms or attached cells. Slides were placed on a universal testing machine and brought into contact with food at a constant pressure (45 kPa) and time (30 s). Food slices were blended, the number of transferred cells was determined by plating, and the efficiency of transfer (EOT) was calculated. The results strongly suggest that stainless steel surfaces transferred more L. monocytogenes to foods than did polyethylene (P = 0.05). Independent of the surface, biofilms tended to transfer more L. monocytogenes to foods (EOT = 0.57) than did attached cells (EOT = 0.16). Among foods, L. monocytogenes was transferred to bologna more easily than to cheese (P 0.05). We hypothesize that drying weakens cell-to-cell interactions in biofilms and cell-to-surface interactions of biofilms and thus allows increased transfer of cells to food products.
Cutaneous Reactions in Children Treated with the Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase Extracellular Signal-Regulated Kinase Inhibitor Trametinib for Neural Tumors.

BACKGROUND The mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway is a target for the treatment of a growing number of malignancies. The cutaneous reactions to medications that inhibit this pathway have not been described in children. METHODS A retrospective chart review was completed for eight children with neural tumors treated with the MAPK extracellular signal-regulated kinase inhibitor trametinib. All children were evaluated by a pediatric dermatologist with documentation of cutaneous findings. RESULTS All patients had at least two separate skin reactions while on treatment with trametinib. Common skin findings included xerotic dermatitis, bacterial folliculitis, acneiform eruptions, paronychia, and hair thinning. No child needed to discontinue use of trametinib due to cutaneous toxicities. CONCLUSIONS Cutaneous reactions are common in children receiving trametinib. Identification of these reactions is the initial step in establishing treatment guidelines that will minimize skin eruptions and subsequent interruption of trametinib treatment.
Antibacterial properties of selenium nanoparticles and their toxicity to Caco-2 cells

Abstract The antibacterial properties of Se NPs were investigated against four foodborne pathogens (Escherichia coli O157:H7, Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella, and Listeria monocytogenes). The cytotoxicity of Se NPs was also studied using the Caco-2 cell line. Se NPs at concentrations of 10 μg/mL or higher exhibited dose-dependent antimicrobial properties against S. aureus, but not on the other three pathogens. Se NPs also exhibited various degrees of toxicity on Caco-2 cells after 24 h of exposure. Cellular shrinkage and irregular shapes of treated bacterial cells indicated that the antimicrobial effects of Se NPs are bacteriostatic, not bactericidal. This is the first study to investigate the antimicrobial activity of Se NPs against important foodborne pathogens. The results of this study demonstrate that Se NPs can be used as an antimicrobial agent to inhibit the growth of S. aureus and can be potentially used for food safety applications.
Lesion detection and workflow optimization in whole body diffusion MR imaging using trimodality PET/CT+MR in the oncology setting.

1269 Objectives To evaluate whole-body MR protocol to determine the value PET/CT+MR “tri-modality” imaging provides in addition to conventional PET/CT with respect to small lesion detection, and how this affects clinical decision-making. Methods This IRB-approved, HIPAA-compliant study was performed on 10 consenting patients who presented to our clinic and were receiving diagnostic PET/CT. 30 min. after injection of FDG and prior to PET/CT acquisition, subjects were scanned on a 3T MRI scanner The subject was transported between MR and PET/CT using a pneumatically actuated "tri-modality table" to facilitate MR-PET/CT image co-registration. The researchers were not blinded to the other modality in this feasibility study. Results All FDG-avid visceral organ lesions and lymphadenopathy seen on PET/CT demonstrated restricted diffusion on the DWI images (fig 1). With respect to workflow we were able to complete both the DWI and T1 sequences within the allotted scan window, without disturbing the normal workflow of PET/CT. Co-registration between the PET/CT and MR images using the tri-modality table was very robust requiring minimal correction (rigid-body co-registration) in post-processing. Conclusions Rapid trimodality whole body DWI MRI shows a good correlation with FDG avid lesions in the oncological setting, and DWI may help improve clinical confidence in small PET/CT equivocal lesions, although a larger cohort is needed to confirm this. Whole body DWI can be performed within the uptake period of a conventional diagnostic PET/CT. Tri-modality PET/CT+MR demonstrated excellent co-registration between imaging modalities.
Service Cost in Software Defined Networking (SDN)

In communication networks such as ISPs, telcos, and mobile network operators (MNOs), determining a correct unit cost for a service with QoS is a crucial task for the future of companies. A well-defined and efficient cost model is an essential tool to analyze network dynamics and in decision-making processes in a network. Also, knowing the real unit cost for a service helps network administrators/operators in various tasks such as service pricing, profitability analysis, and planning for possible introductions of new services or technologies. In this paper, we study the determination of unit cost for a service with QoS parameters. We characterize the unit cost for a service with respect to CAPEX (Capital Expenditures), OPEX (Operational Expenditures), and workload of a network in a certain time period. In addition, we investigate the relationship between the unit cost of a service and scalability of a network. We apply the proposed scheme in Software Defined Network (SDN) based architectures: centralized single controller architecture, distributed controllers architecture, and hierarchic controllers architecture. Our experiments show that there is an inverse relation between unit cost of a service and control plane scalability of the architectures: more scalable architectures result in lower unit costs for services.
Mortality after emergency abdominal operations in premature infants

Abstract Context/background To determine risk of 30-day mortality for premature infants undergoing abdominal operations during the first 2 months of life and to identify risk factors for perioperative mortality using available demographic and clinical variables of interest. Basic procedures Retrospective descriptive analysis of premature infants (gestational age less than or equal to 36weeks) undergoing abdominal operations during the first 2 months of life using the American College of Surgeon's National Surgical Quality Improvement Project Pediatric (NSQIP-P, 2012–2015) database. A stepwise logistic regression model incorporating multiple demographic and clinical factors was constructed to identify independent predictors of 30-day mortality. Findings A total of 1554 premature infants were identified who underwent abdominal operations during the first 2 months of life. Unadjusted 30-day mortality ranged from 31% for infants born Conclusions Premature infants undergoing abdominal operations during the first 2 months of life have expectedly high risk of 30-day mortality. Female sex, inotrope, and ventilator support are independently associated with increased risk of mortality and can be incorporated into a model where, if present, risk of mortality is greater than 14.2%. Level of evidence Level III
First-trial protective step performance before and after short-term perturbation practice in people with Parkinson's disease.

Protective steps are critical for fall prevention and are altered in people with Parkinson’s disease (PD). Previous work suggests that perturbation training, in which patients are exposed to repeated slips, may improve protective postural responses. However, these studies typically take the average performance of several postural responses before and after training. To reduce falls in the community, training must improve protective stepping after the first perturbation exposure. To date, no investigations have examined whether first-trial protective stepping is improved after training in people with PD. First-trial protective stepping was measured in 14 people with PD and 9 healthy adults before and 24 h after 1 day of perturbation training. The primary outcome was margin of stability after a perturbation, a measure of protective stepping effectiveness. Margin of stability for the first perturbation was significantly (p = 0.001) improved on day 2 compared to before perturbation practice (day 1) in both groups. Furthermore, improvement in margin of stability was correlated with age and baseline stepping performance, such that older individuals and people with worse baseline performance showed the most pronounced improvement. Improving the first loss of balance after training is critical if such training is to reduce falls in people with PD. The observed improvement in first-trial protective stepping provides further support for perturbation training as a potential tool to improve protective steps and reduce falls in people with PD.
Reticular Formation and the Brain Stem

The reticular formation or brain stem core consists of a complex and ancient system of neuron pools and their axonal projections, running from caudal medulla to rostral mesencephalon and in somewhat different guise, through thalamus and subthalamus. These cell groups sample all information entering and exiting the nervous system. The integrate is then projected widely throughout the brain stem, upon spinal levels and upon subcortical and cortical cellular arrays, continuously readjusting the excitability (level of gain) of these areas. Moment-to-moment reticular modulation of sensory, motor, and higher level brain functions appear central to the ongoing adaptation of the organism to its environment.
Sex‐dependent effects of maternal stress: Stressed moms invest less in sons than daughters

Multigenerational effects can have important and sex-dependent effects on offspring. Sex allocation theory predicts that females should differentially invest in sons and daughters depending on sex-specific fitness returns and costs of investment. Maternal stress-relevant (glucocorticoid) hormones may be one mechanism driving this effect. We investigated how maternal stress hormones differentially affected sons and daughters by manipulating levels of the glucocorticoid, corticosterone (CORT), in gravid female eastern fence lizards (Sceloporus undulatus) and quantifying reproductive investment and sex ratio of resulting clutches, and the mass, snout-vent length, and body condition of sons versus daughters at hatching. We found no effect of maternal CORT-treatment on the number or size of eggs laid or on the sex ratio of resulting offspring, but sons of CORT-treated mothers were shorter, lighter, and of poorer body condition at hatching than were sons of control mothers. We found no difference in size or condition of daughters with maternal treatment. Our results suggest that maternal stress, mediated by elevations in maternal CORT concentrations, can have sex-specific effects on offspring manifesting as lower investment in sons.
Human clone or a delayed twin

Cloning is a natural mode of asexual reproduction for many organisms, which results in nearly identical copies of cells or organisms. In animals, including humans, identical twins are an example of natural cloning. In the case of sheep, scientists succeeded to produce the "delayed" identical twin. Dolly, of a mature animal by a rather complex and inefficient procedure. However, if this procedure is perfected, it will be useful to clone beloved pets and important laboratory animals. It will be much less suited for making (cloning) "delayed twin" of mature persons because of high costs together with present experimental uncertainties. The only required regulation for human cloning is that somebody must be legally, including financially, responsible for the results of such novel reproductive technique.
Economic analysis and process integration of hydrogen production strategies

Abstract Hydrogen is a promising energy carrier for future transportation uses. Its combustion produces no greenhouse gases, no ozone layer depleting chemicals, little or no acid rai ingredients and pollution (Barreto et al , 2002). In addition, hydrogen has the highest gravimetric energy density of any known element (U.S. Department of Energy, 2004). Furthermore, since the proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) is believed to be the best future vehicular power source for clean transportation and zero emission (Steele et al , 2001), the study of novel hydrogen production strategies is important. Experimental researchers in the Consortium for Fossil Fuel Science (CFFS) are developing novel technologies for hydrogen production and storage, however the economic and environmental viability of the technologies are mostly evaluated separately rather than in an integrated manner. In this work, we aim to address this gap through the development of integrated system engineering strategies for modeling, integration and optimization of hydrogen polygeneration plants.
Work time reduction and economic democracy as climate change mitigation strategies: or why the climate needs a renewed labor movement

Work time reduction (WTR), or reductions in the total amount of time spent in paid work, and economic democracy, or shifting the control of firms from capitalists to workers, are discussed as strategies to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and increase well-being. Along with numerous social benefits, reduced working hours are associated with reductions in GHG emissions, energy use, and ecological footprints. Economic democracy not only increases individual and group autonomy, but also creates conditions conducive to lower energy and material throughput. A successful implementation of WTR and/or economic democracy presupposes a renewed labor movement. One tactic to help revive the labor movement is highlighting its capacity to help fight climate change. Pairing WTR and economic democracy may help overcome the false antithesis between the interests of workers and the environment. There is a genuine “win-win” scenario for people and the climate via shorter working hours in democratically controlled workplaces.
Hyperuniformity order metric of Barlow packings

The concept of hyperuniformity has been a useful tool in the study of density fluctuations at large length scales in systems ranging across the natural and mathematical sciences. One can rank a large class of hyperuniform systems by their ability to suppress long-range density fluctuations through the use of a hyperuniformity order metric $\overline{\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Lambda}}}$. We apply this order metric to the Barlow packings, which are the infinitely degenerate densest packings of identical rigid spheres that are distinguished by their stacking geometries and include the commonly known fcc lattice and hcp crystal. The ``stealthy stacking'' theorem implies that these packings are all stealthy hyperuniform, a strong type of hyperuniformity, which involves the suppression of scattering up to a wave vector $K$. We describe the geometry of three classes of Barlow packings, two disordered classes and small-period packings. In addition, we compute a lower bound on $K$ for all Barlow packings. We compute $\overline{\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Lambda}}}$ for the aforementioned three classes of Barlow packings and find that, to a very good approximation, it is linear in the fraction of fcc-like clusters, taking values between those of least-ordered hcp and most-ordered fcc. This implies that the value of $\overline{\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Lambda}}}$ of all Barlow packings is primarily controlled by the local cluster geometry. These results highlight the special nature of anisotropic stacking disorder, which provides impetus for future research on the development of anisotropic order metrics and hyperuniformity properties.
Management of Electronic and Digital Media

For undergraduate students preparing for a future in the ever-changing field of media management, it is critical that textbooks and college courses continue to adapt to meet the industry needs. Ala...
Assessment of Associations Between Climate and Infectious Diseases: A Comparison of the Reports of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the National Research Council (NRC), and United States Global Change Research Program (USGCRP)

This comparative review of three assessment reports, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, (IPCC), The National Research Council (NRC), and United States Global Change Research Program (USGCRP), respectively is presented in response to comments in the press suggesting that the three reports varied substantially in their assessments of associations between global climate and infectious disease in humans. Comparisons of the assessment teams, approach, reports' findings, views on predictive modeling, recommendations to policymakers and future research are presented. All teams were interdisciplinary, two international, one US-based. Although their approaches differed somewhat, all addressed the role of climate change, El Nino and climate variability, and ultimately, human health, especially infectious disease. The panels agreed that a paucity of long-term data and complexity of relationships among factors affecting climate variability and change and human health rendered projections of current predictive models inadequate as the basis for policy decisions. Each team suggested further study of associations among climate variability/climate change and human infectious disease and downscaled models to project regional and subregional outcomes. Each added additional areas for investigation, e.g., mathematical modeling, effects of socioeconomic factors, emergence of zoonotic disease in humans, transmission dynamics of disease agents. Rather than disagreements, there were differences in emphasis on known components and on hypothesized additional contributing factors and relationships among climate and human infectious disease variables.
Bioterrorism and the Use of Fear in Public Health

Since September 11, the public health system has been plagued by concerns that it is inadequate to manage a bioterrorism outbreak. The federal government has promised billions of dollars to fight bioterrorism; and most states have announced plans to develop their own homeland defense systems. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention supports the promulgation of a Model State Emergency Health Powers Act (Act), which essentially presumes that state governments are powerless to manage public health emergencies.This article examines the challenges that bioterrorism poses for today’s cities. The article first describes how bioterrorism fits into general public health issues. It then evaluates the state and federal powers available to manage bioterrorism incidents. Finally, the article proposes a practical alternative to ill-conceived strategies such as the Model State Emergency Health Powers Act. The authors conclude that while changes do need to be made in many state public health laws, the need for change is relatively minor. The public health system itself needs reorganization and adequate support, which will improve routine public health and better prepare the United States to manage a bioterrorism incident. More importantly, failings in the public health system result in the unnecessary loss of thousands of lives every year. These lives could be saved irrespective of whether the United States ever faces a major bioterrorism attack.
Cell Volume Maintenance in Isosmotic Conditions

The aim of this report is to discuss progress in our understanding of the mechanisms by which cells maintain their volume under isoosmotic conditions (for reviews of earlier work, see, e.g., Kleinzeller 1972; Macknight and Leaf 1977).