cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The preparation of [125I]iododeoxyuridine-labeled oligomers by automated synthesis with an 125I-nucleoside phosphoramidite

Abstract DMT-5'-[125I]IdU CEP was prepared by a three step procedure starting with deoxyuridine. The carrier-free 125I-nucleoside phosphoramidite was unstable in a dry state, but was stabilized by the addition of 5'-OMe-T-CEP. The mixture of phosphoramidites was used to introduce the radioactive nucleotide into DNA during automated synthesis of oligomers. The 5'-OMe-T-CEP carrier acted as a chain terminator for non-125I-containing oligomers improving the electrophoretic separation of the radioactive product. The procedure provides a simplified and more versatile method of preparing an oligomer with radioactive bases at preselected sites and with high specific activity.
A Novel Murine Model for Chronic Inflammatory Alveolar Bone loss

Oz HS, Ebersole JL. A novel murine model for chronic inflammatory alveolar bone loss. J Periodont Res 2009; doi: 10.1111/j.1600-0765.2009.01207.x. © 2009 John Wiley & Sons A/S Background and Objective: Chronic inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) demonstrates some similarities to the dysregulated chronic immunoinflammatory lesion of periodontitis. Trinitrobenzene sulphonic acid (TNBS) and dextran sodium sulphate (DSS) administered to rodents have been shown to elicit inflammatory responses that undermine the integrity of the gut epithelium in a similar manner to IBD in humans. The objective of this study was to evaluate the ability of these chemicals to elicit periodontal inflammation as a novel model for alveolar bone loss. Material and Methods: Mice were treated by oral application of TNBS twice a week, or with DSS in the diet over a period of 18 weeks. Alveolar bone loss was assessed on the defleshed skull using morphometric measures for area of bone resorption. Results: The TNBS-treated animals tolerated oral administration with no clinical symptoms and gained weight at a similar rate to normal control animals. In contrast, DSS exerted a systemic response, including shortening of colonic tissue and liver enzyme changes. Both TNBS and DSS caused a localized action on periodontal tissues, with alveolar bone loss observed in both maxilla and mandibles, with progression in a time-dependent manner. Bone loss was detected as early as week 7, with more severe periodontitis increasing over the 18 weeks (p < 0.001). Young (7-month-old) and old (12-month-old) mice with severe combined immunodefiency were treated with TNBS for a period of 7 weeks and did not develop significant bone loss. Conclusion: These data show that oral administration of TNBS or DSS provokes alveolar bone loss in concert with the autochthonous oral microbiota.
Elevations of serum phosphorus and potassium in mild to moderate chronic renal insufficiency

Background. Reduced renal function is associated with a variety of biochemical abnormalities. However, the extent of these changes and their magnitude in relation to renal function is not well defined, especially among individuals with mild to moderate chronic renal insufficiency (CRI). Methods. We analysed the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III; 1988--1994) data for 14 722 adults aged ≥ 17 years with measurements of serum creatinine and all electrolytes including ionized calcium. General linear models were used to determine the relationship between mean concentrations of electrolytes and different levels of Cockeroft Gault creatinine clearance (CrCl). Sample weights were used to produce weighted regression parameters. Results. Changes in mean serum phosphorus and potassium concentration were evident at relatively modest reductions in CrCl (around 50 to 60 ml min). Changes in the anion gap and mean levels of ionized calcium and bicarbonate were not apparent until CRI was advanced (CrCl ≤ 20 ml min). For example, compared with women with CrCl > 80 ml min, those with CrCl 60 50, 50 40, 40 30, 30-20 and ≤ 20 ml min had mean serum phosphorus concentrations that were higher by 0.1, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3 and 0.8 mg dl (all P<0.05), and mean serum potassium concentrations that were higher by 0.1, 0.1, 0.1, 0.2 and 0.4 mmol /l (all P<0.05), respectively. These changes were independent of dietary intake and the use of angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Conclusions. Increases in serum phosphorus and potassium levels are apparent even among people with mild to moderate CRI. These findings should be broadly generalizable to the larger CRI population in the United States. Subtle elevations in serum phosphorus might contribute to the initiation and maintenance of secondary hyerparathyroidism, which is known to occur in mild to moderate CR1.
Understanding PTSD: Forgetting “Trauma”

The concept of “psychological trauma” conflates emotional responses to traumatic events such as motor vehicle accidents, muggings, and house fires, responses to natural disasters such as earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, and responses to war, chronic physical abuse, prolonged torture, and repeated gang-rape as an act of “ethnic cleansing.” It is argued that, from a psychological, human, and moral perspective, use of a single construct to describe responses to such a range of horrific happenings makes no sense. The benefits and limits of conceptualizing PTSD as a unifying concept for describing psychological responses to calamitous events are discussed. The consequences (with respect to clinical work, research, and social policy) of failing to distinguish between responses to relatively circumscribed traumatic events, more extreme, prolonged, or repeated individual traumatization, and collectively experienced mass violence against entire communities are examined. In the wake of the events of September 11, psychological “traumatization” became a household word. Television and radio shows described the psychological effects of experiencing or witnessing terrible events. Newspapers and magazines carried stories about the symptoms parents might expect to see in their children and in themselves, and gave advice on how to deal with trauma. Mental health workers—psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, marital and family counselors—rushed to provide information and services to the public. Government and health agencies, with little debate, hastened to support or provide psychological
Alternatively spliced androgen receptor variants

Alternative splicing is an important mechanism for increasing functional diversity from a limited set of genes. Deregulation of this process is common in diverse pathologic conditions. The androgen receptor (AR) is a steroid receptor transcription factor with functions critical for normal male development as well as the growth and survival of normal and cancerous prostate tissue. Studies of AR function in androgen insensitivity syndrome (AIS) and prostate cancer (PCa) have demonstrated loss-of-function AR alterations in AIS and gain-of-function AR alterations in PCa. Over the past two decades, AR gene alterations have been identified in various individuals with AIS, which disrupt normal AR splicing patterns and yield dysfunctional AR protein variants. Recently, altered AR splicing patterns have been identified as a mechanism of PCa progression and resistance to androgen depletion therapy. Several studies have described the synthesis of alternatively spliced transcripts encoding truncated AR isoforms that lack the ligand-binding domain, which is the ultimate target of androgen depletion. Many of these truncated AR isoforms function as constitutively active, ligand-independent transcription factors that can support androgenindependent expression of AR target genes, as well as the androgen-independent growth of PCa cells. In this review, we will summarize the various alternatively spliced AR variants that have been discovered, with a focus on their role and origin in the pathologic conditions of AIS and PCa.
Control of mudcrack patterns by beetle larvae traces

ABSTRACT Shallow traces formed in mud by the beetle larvae Rhantus are shown to exert a fundamental control over the shape of mudcracks that form on the same surface. Remnant traces preserved on ancient mudcracks as nonoriented "spaghetti-like" patterns could provide a clue as to possible organic influence.
PERFORMANCE OF SMALL, LOW COST RATE SENSORS FOR MILITARY AND COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS

Draper Laboratory and Boeing North American have formed an alliance to develop small, low cost rate sensors for commercial and military applications. Advanced silicon micromachining techniques produce sensors of high performance, ruggedness, and inherent symmetry. When integrated with Applications Specific Integrated Circuits (ASIC's), the rate sensor will fit in a 3 cm per side flat pack and operate from a single 5 Vdc supply.
An Introduction to Signal Processing for Speech

The formal tools of signal processing emerged in the mid 20th century when electronics gave us the ability to manipulate signals ‐ time-varying measurements ‐ to extract or rearrange various aspects of interest to us i.e. the information in the signal. The core of traditional signal processing is a way of looking at the signals in terms of sinusoidal components of differing frequencies (the Fourier domain), and a set of techniques for modifying signals that are most naturally described in that domain i.e. filtering. Although originally developed using analog electronics, since the 1970s signal processing has more and more been implemented on computers in the digital domain, leading to some modifications to the theory without changing its essential character. This chapter aims to give a transparent and intuitive introduction to the basic ideas of the Fourier domain and filtering, and connects them to some of the common representations used in speech science, including the spectrogram and cepstral coefficients. We assume the absolute minimum of prior technical background, which will naturally be below the level of many readers; however, there may be some value in taking such a ground-up approach even for those for whom much of the material is review. To appear as a chapter in The Handbook of Phonetic Science, ed. Hardcastle and Laver, 2nd ed., 2009.
Multitemporal land use and land cover classification of urbanized areas within sensitive coastal environments

In the presented methodology, multitemporal Landsat images were used to develop enhanced information about complex assemblages of vegetation and patterns of seasonal land cover variability, thereby facilitating improved land use and land cover (LULC) classification of urbanized areas among sensitive environments along the Mississippi Gulf Coast. For Landsat-5 and Landsat-7 images acquired for leaf-off and leaf-on conditions for 1991 and 2000, exploratory spectral analyses and field studies were conducted to detect and analyze patterns of spectral variability in land cover observed in the multitemporal image data. Patterns were identified of seasonal spectral data changes associated with seasonal vegetation changes for known land cover and land use types, thus characterizing patterns of seasonal LULC thematic change for the area. Detected seasonal variability for known land use and land cover types were used to develop formal classification rules based upon a thematic-change logic table. An image subset area based on United States Geological Survey (USGS) 1:24000 quadrangles was used to develop a class-learning area within which unsupervised classification results were grouped into thematic classes. Signature files from the unsupervised classification results were applied to classify the balance of the study area. Individual images were classified for leaf-off and leaf-on conditions and thematic-change analyses were conducted. The formal class rules based on thematic-change logic were applied resulting in a classification that provided a level one accuracy exceeding 90% and a level two accuracy exceeding 85%.
Optimal and Suboptimal Guidance for a Short-Range Homing Missile

Optimal and suboptimal guidance laws for short-range homing missiles are developed and compared to the commonly mechanized quidance law of proportional navigation. The optimal controller is derived as an optimal feedback regulator; the suboptimal controller is an approximation of the optimal regulator and consists of timevarying proportional navigation plus a time-varying gain term times a calculated target acceleration. Monte Carlo studies of the three controllers show that the optimal and suboptimal controllers are much superior to proportional navigation for the case of combined constant target acceleration, line-of-sight rate noise, and missile acceleration saturation.
Particulate fluidization and sedimentation of spheres

Particulate fluidization and sedimentation data were taken over the Reynolds number range of 0.005 to 1,800 by means of glass spheres in both water and ethylene glycol. Porosities for each series of measurements varied from about 0.50 to 0.91 and larger. The closely sized samples of spheres used were obtained by grinding between glass plates. The data for Reynolds numbers up to about 0.5 are in excellent agreement with the laminar theory of Ruth and the porosity function from Ruth's theory gave a satisfactory correlation of all the data, both laminar and turbulent.
Malyngolide dimer, a bioactive symmetric cyclodepside from the panamanian marine cyanobacterium Lyngbya majuscula.

Fractionation of the crude extract of the marine cyanobacterium Lyngbya majuscule collected from Panama led to the isolation of malyngolide dimer (1). The planar structure of 1 was determined using 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopy, and HRESI-TOF MS. The absolute configuration was established by chemical degradation followed by chiral GC-MS analyses and comparisons with an authentic sample of malyngolide seco acid (4). Compound 1 showed moderate in vitro antimalarial activity against chloroquine resistant Plasmodium falciparum (W2) (IC50 = 19 µM) but roughly equivalent toxicity against H-460 human lung cell lines. Furthermore, because the closely related cyanobacterial natural product ‘tanikolide dimer’ was a potent SIRT2 inhibitor, compound 1 was evaluated in this assay, but found to be essentially inactive.
Identification and Biochemical Characterization of Serine Hydroxymethyl Transferase in the Hydrogenosome of Trichomonas vaginalis

Serine hydroxymethyl transferase (SHMT) is a pyridoxal phosphate (PLP)-dependent enzyme that catalyzes the reversible conversion of serine and tetrahydrofolate to glycine and methylenetetrahydrofolate. We have identified a single gene encoding SHMT in the genome of Trichomonas vaginalis, an amitochondriate, deep-branching unicellular protist. The protein possesses a putative N-terminal hydrogenosomal presequence and was shown to localize to hydrogensomes by immunofluorescence analysis, providing evidence of amino acid metabolism in this unusual organelle. In contrast to the tetrameric SHMT that exists in the mammalian host, we found that the T. vaginalis SHMT is a homodimer, as found in prokaryotes. All examined SHMT contain an 8-amino-acid conserved sequence, VTTTTHKT, containing the active-site lysyl residue (Lys 251 in TvSHMT) that forms an internal aldimine with PLP. We mutated this Lys residue to Arg and Gln and examined structural and catalytic properties of the wild-type and mutant enzymes in comparison to that reported for the mammalian protein. The oligomeric structure of the mutant K251R and K251Q TvSHMT was not affected, in contrast to that observed for comparable mutations in the mammalian enzyme. Likewise, contrary to that observed for mammalian SHMT, the catalytic activity of K251R TvSHMT was unaffected in the presence of PLP. The K251Q TvSHMT, however, was found to be inactive. These studies indicate that the active site of the parasite enzyme is distinct from its prokaryotic and eukaryotic counterparts and identify TvSHMT as a potential drug target.
Smart data structures: an online machine learning approach to multicore data structures

As multicores become prevalent, the complexity of programming is skyrocketing. One major difficulty is efficiently orchestrating collaboration among threads through shared data structures. Unfortunately, choosing and hand-tuning data structure algorithms to get good performance across a variety of machines and inputs is a herculean task to add to the fundamental difficulty of getting a parallel program correct. To help mitigate these complexities, this work develops a new class of parallel data structures called Smart Data Structures that leverage online machine learning to adapt automatically. We prototype and evaluate an open source library of Smart Data Structures for common parallel programming needs and demonstrate significant improvements over the best existing algorithms under a variety of conditions. Our results indicate that learning is a promising technique for balancing and adapting to complex, time-varying tradeoffs and achieving the best performance available.
Analysis of horn antennas with impedance walls

An integral-equation moment-method technique has been developed for rigorous analysis of horn antennas. Using this technique, one can accurately analyze a horn antenna with perfectly conducting or impedance walls, and with or without an infinite ground plane. Horn antenna performance in the case of impedance walls was investigated by using a high-permeability X-band magnetic absorbing nitrile material. The impedance tapering on the walls is shown to have a significant effect on the horn antenna pattern. >
Asymmetric effects of intra- and interspecific competition on a pond-breeding salamander

A fundamental goal of evolutionary ecology is to understand how asymmetric competition influences phenotype expression, yet few studies have quantified the relative effects of intra- and interspecific competition on phenotypes. We examined the effects of intra- and interspecific larval competition on both discrete and continuous phenotype expression of the facultatively paedomorphic mole salamander (Ambystoma talpoideum). We manipulated the density and frequency of larval A. talpoideum and a common competitor, the spotted salamander (A. maculatum), in experimental mesocosms within a response surface design. The production of discrete ontogenetic morphs (metamorphs, paedomorphs, and overwintering larvae) was affected more by intraspecific than interspecific competition, but the effect varied between morphs. Paedomorph and metamorph production were more strongly affected by intraspecific than interspecific competition, while the production of overwintering larvae was affected by each type of competition app...
Beetles (Coleoptera) of Peru: A Survey of the Families. Cerophytidae Latreille, 1834

Diversity in Peru: 1 genus, 1 species. Recognition: This small family comprises only 22 extant species, with 17 species in the New World (Costa et al., 2003, 2014)). The common name “rare click beetles” is because of an adult clicking mechanism involving the prothorax and mesothorax like the true click beetles (Elateridae). Adults are small, 4–9 mm long, strongly convex dorsally, slightly flattened ventrally. The antennae are sexually dimorphic, being pectinate in males and serrate in females (Johnson, 2002). The larvae are whitish, have a soft, elongate body; the prognathous head has sucking mouthparts with styliform mandibles and maxillae. Habitat: Adults may be collected at light or Malaise traps, by beating dead vegetation, in leaf litter, and in rotted and fungusy wood where larvae occur. Notes: Costa et al. (2003) documented one species from Peru, a single male specimen from Ucayali (Sinchona), collected in the 1940s. Phylogenies and keys to the world genera are provided in Costa et al. (2003, 2014).
Demonstration of carbohydrate-recognition activity in diverse proteins which share a common primary structure motif.

Analysis of several Caz+-dependent animal lectins has revealed that the portions of these proteins responsible for binding saccharides (CRDs) are structurally and evolutionarily related to one another. The structures of a number of these proteins are summarized in Fig. 1. A family of related CRDs was initially recognized in membrane receptors which mediate glycoprotein clearance from the circulation: mammalian asialoglycoprotein receptors and an avian homologue which directs endocytosis of glycoproteins containing terminal N-acetylglucosamine (summarized in Drickamer, 1987). Subsequently, soluble mannose-binding proteins from mammalian liver and serum were found to contain homologous CRDs associated with collagen-like domains instead of membrane anchors (Drickamer et al., 1986). As indicated in Fig. 1, comparison of these sequences reveals a set of 18 invariant residues distributed throughout the CRDs. Using these residues as a guide, two soluble invertebrate lectins have been found to consist of CRDs in isolation (sea urchin; Giga el a/., 1987) or with a short C-terminal extension (flesh fly; Takahashi et a/., 1985). More recently, a fucose-specific lectin from Kupffer cells has been found to contain a related
Fracture probability of a randomly oriented microcrack under multi-axial loading for the normal tensile stress criterion

Abstract Microcracks distribute randomly in a solid with respect to their size, shape, spatial location and orientation. This makes it attractive from the angle of micromechanics to evaluate the fracture probability of a randomly oriented microcrack under arbitrary loading in order to improve the physical and mechanistic understanding of statistical approaches to brittle fracture. The fracture probability is largely affected by the specific microscopic fracture criteria adopted. This work presents a closed-form solution to the fracture probability of a randomly oriented microcrack subjected to arbitrary multi-axial loading under the normal tensile stress criterion. The set theory is adopted to derive this solution, with the expectation that it can be also used for other more complex fracture criteria.
Adrenergic Receptors — Evolving Concepts and Clinical Implications

The endogenous catecholamines — norepinephrine and epinephrine — are involved in the regulation of virtually every organ system. Norepinephrine acts as a neurotransmitter at certain sites in the central nervous system and in the sympathetic nervous system at postganglionic neuroeffector junctions. Epinephrine is primarily a circulating hormone produced by the adrenal medulla and other chromaffin tissue. Because norepinephrine comes from chromaffin tissue and overflows from sympathetic-nerve synapses, plasma concentrations of norepinephrine exceed those of epinephrine. Hence, norepinephrine can also act as a circulating hormone. Norepinephrine and epinephrine act through adrenergic receptors (also termed adrenoceptors). In this review, I will summarize . . .
A Comparison of the Immunizing Effects of the Subcutaneous and Intraperitoneal Administrations of Tumor Cells against the Growth of Carcinoma in Mice

In a previous communication1 it was shown that the influence of a tumor on a second tumor, inoculated six days later, varied with the degree of so-called virulence of the tumor. The percentage of growing tumors was taken as the measure of virulence. The virulence was experimentally varied, in accordance with the method of Loeb, by exposing the tumor material in vitro to a temperature of 44 C. for varying periods of time. By this method, it was possible to use the same strain of tumor in all experiments and yet to have tumor material the virulence of which we could absolutely control. We found in these earlier experiments three types of growth after double inoculation: Simultaneous, or concomitant, growth, when both tumors grew in an approximately normal percentage of the animals (this was found when both tumors were virulent or both were of a medium degree of virulence); alternating (mutually exclusive) growth which occurred when two tumors of low virulence were inoculated, and in this case usually only one of the tumors grew, either the first or the second; inhibiting type noticed when a virulent, or medium virulent, tumor was inoculated first and a tumor of low virulence second, in which case the second tumor either did not grow or grew only in a relatively small percentage of the mice. The degree of the inhibition varied in direct proportion to the length of time the second tumor had been heated. There was also noted in these experiments a fourth type of growth, a stimulating type noticed when the growth of a tumor of medium or low virulence was possibly improved by the growth or inoculation of a tumor of medium virulence, and the beneficial effect appeared sometimes to affect the first,
Coping, Copying, and Concentrating: Organizational Learning and Modernization in Militaries (Case Studies of Israel, Germany, and Britain)

This article provides a more nuanced understanding of the interaction of complex machines and military organizations. Western nations are currently turning to conventional advanced technologies as alternatives to nuclear weapons as well as solutions to manpower and budget constraints. Yet the long term structural effects are not well understood. Using empirical evidence of organizational learning and changes in the ground forces of Israel, Britain, and Germany, this effort explores the general phenomenon in which complexity in machines drives the directions of organizational adaptation, making the capabilities of military organizations less clearcut. These findings demonstrate that, through support requirements, the knowledge demands of new complex technologies induce uncalculated but rational behaviors at different organizational levels. Fundamental organizational changes result and proceed largely unnoticed. At the senior level, perceptions of promises and costs of technologies
Clinical Indications for Caesarean Section in the Rhesus Monkey (Macaca mulatta)

Numerous reports indicate a high incidence of perinatal fetal mortality, ranging from 10 to 14% annually, in colonies of singly caged nonhuman primates (Lapin and Yakovleva, 1963; Hendrickx, 1966; Valerio, Courtney, Miller, and Pallotta, 1968; van Wagenen, 1972). A major portion of fetal deaths may be related to husbandry techniques. The frequency of both placental anomalies (Myers, 1971) and fetal dystocia during labor (Lapin and Yakovleva, 1963) has been attributed to a lack of exercise, constant stress from human interference, and possibly to dietary deficiencies.
Why are there virtually no mandatory open access policies at American universities

Key points U.S. university OA policies are far less mandatory than those in the U.K. The waiver clauses in U.S. university policies make it easy for authors to decline making their articles OA. The relative autonomy – and competitiveness – of U.S. universities may be the reason for weaker OA policies. OA in the U.S. is likely to be driven by government funding agency policies rather than by academia.
The Component Fatty Acids and Glycerides of Castor Oil

Gas-liquid chromatographic analysis of methyl esters of two samples of castor oil gave the following (as wt %): palmitate 1.2, 0.9; stearate 0.7, 1.2; arachidate 0.3, 0.2; hexadecenoate 0.2, 0.2; oleate 3.2, 3.3; linoleate 3.4, 3.7; linolenate 0.2, 0.2; ricinolE'ate 89.4, 89.0; and dihydroxystearate 1.4, 1.3. Oxidative cleavage of purified methyl ricinoleate indicated that the double bond was exclusively in the 9–10 position.
Mechanisms of Posterior Fascicular Tachycardia: The Relationship Between High Frequency Potentials and the Ventricular Myocardium.

### Case 1 A 17-year-old man presented with a history of palpitations and surface ECG demonstrating wide QRS tachycardia (QRS duration=140 ms) with a right bundle branch block pattern and left-axis deviation (Figure 1A). The 12-lead ECG was normal during sinus rhythm. Figure 1. A , Surface ECG of tachycardia showed wide QRS complex (QRS duration=140 ms) with a right bundle branch block pattern and left-axis deviation. B , During sinus rhythm (left), A–H and H–V intervals were 57 and 55 ms, respectively. P2 was recorded with an antegrade conduction sequence from proximal to distal multielectrode catheter (MEC). The ventricular potentials at the mid MEC were earlier than proximal and distal ventricular potentials. During tachycardia (right), the H–V interval was −30 ms. P1 and P2 were recorded with opposite conduction sequences with P1 activated antegradely, and P2 activated retrogradely. P1 transition to P2 activation occurred toward the distal MEC. C , Right and left anterior oblique fluoroscopic images of catheter positions. The 20 pole MEC was positioned at the left septal ventricle via a retrograde aortic approach. CS indicates coronary sinus electrogram; HIS, His bundle electrogram; His, His bundle; LAF, left anterior fascicle; LAO, left anterior oblique; LPF, left posterior fascicle; LV, left ventricular electrogram; RAO, right anterior oblique; RB, right bundle; and RV, right ventricular electrogram. See Editor’s Perspective by Asirvatham and Stevenson During electrophysiology study, mapping was performed using a 20 pole multielectrode catheter (MEC) via a retrograde aortic approach (Figure 1C). The baseline A–H and H–V intervals were 57 and 55 ms, respectively (Figure 1B, left). A wide QRS tachycardia identical to the clinical tachycardia was observed with cycle length of 320 ms, H–V interval of −30 ms (Figure 1B, right). This was consistent with a diagnosis of …
The smectite to corrensite transition: X-ray diffraction results from the MH-2B core, western Snake River Plain, Idaho, USA

The MH-2B borehole, a part of Project HOTSPOT, was drilled to a depth of 1821 m in late Cenozoic basalts, hyaloclastites and interbedded lake sediments, on the Mountain Home Air Force Base in southern Idaho, USA. Drillers encountered hot water (145°C) under artesian pressure at 1745 m in a narrow zone of highly fractured rock associated with a major sub-surface fault. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis identified corrensite (with and without smectite) between 1700 and 1800 m, but only smectite above 1700 m and below 1800 m. This corrensite horizon contains a relatively narrow zone of fracturing and hot artesian water near its centre but for the most part occurs in relatively massive basalt flows. No evidence was found for randomly interstratified chlorite-smectite.
Chaperoning glucocerebrosidase: a therapeutic strategy for both Gaucher disease and Parkinsonism.

Gaucher disease (GD) is a lysosomal storage disorder (LSD) affecting approximately 1 in 50,000 individuals in the general population. Mutations in both alleles of the GBA1 gene result in deficient glucocerebrosidase (GCase) activity, which in turn leads to the accumulation of glycolipid substrates and impaired lysosomal function. GD is a multisystem disorder with a vast spectrum of clinical phenotypes, including both non-neuronopathic type 1 Gaucher disease (GD1) and neuronopathic types 2 and 3 Gaucher disease (GD2 and GD3). In addition to its role in the rare disorder GD, mutations in GBA1 are the most frequent known genetic risk factor for the common complex disorder Parkinson's disease (PD) (Sidransky et al., 2009). Depending on ethnicity, patients with Parkinson's disease are 2–31% more likely to carry a mutation in GBA1 than matched controls (Sidransky and Lopez, 2012). There appears to be a reciprocal relationship between levels of GCase and levels of the aggregate-prone protein alpha-synuclein (Mazzulli et al., 2011; Murphy and Halliday, 2014). Thus therapies focused on increasing GCase, especially in the brain, have attracted increased attention. To enhance the development of new therapeutics targeting GCase, attention has turned toward induced human pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived models of GD (Aflaki et al., 2014). These new patient-derived models can be used to test the efficacy of new therapeutic strategies. Very recently, two novel small-molecule non-inhibitory chaperones of GCase were evaluated in such models with promising results (Aflaki et al., 2014, 2016; Mazzulli et al., 2016). The findings may pave the way for pharmacological development relevant to both GD and Parkinson's disease
Theoretical simulation of negative differential transconductance in lateral quantum well nMOS devices

We present a theoretical study of the negative differential transconductance (NDT) recently observed in the lateral-quantum-well Si n-channel field-effect transistors [J. Appl. Phys. 118, 124505 (2015)]. In these devices, p+ doping extensions are introduced at the source-channel and drain-channel junctions, thus creating two potential barriers that define the quantum well across whose quasi-bound states resonant/sequential tunneling may occur. Our study, based on the quantum transmitting boundary method, predicts the presence of a sharp NDT in devices with a nominal gate length of 10-to-20 nm at low temperatures ( ∼10 K). At higher temperatures, the NDT weakens and disappears altogether as a result of increasing thermionic emission over the p+ potential barriers. In larger devices (with a gate length of 30 nm or longer), the NDT cannot be observed because of the low transmission probability and small energetic spacing (smaller than kBT) of the quasi-bound states in the quantum well. We speculate that the ...
Sustainability and the Valuation of Externalities from Electricity Generation in California

The economic rationale for the valuation of and accounting for externalities is that their presence in the production and consumption of goods and services causes markets to deviate from the socially optimal levels. Externalities are costs (or benefits) to society that result from interactions among firms and individuals which are not reflected in market prices. Proper accounting for externalities in planning and decision making can bring market outcomes closer to their optimal levels. A critical element of sustainability is a growth path that results from accounting for externalities to the environment and to future generations that result from current economic activities.
Piezoelectric Composite Materials

Abstract: Piezo-composites composed of a piezoelectric ceramic and a polymer are promising materials because of their excellent tailorable properties. The geometry for two-phase composites can be classified according to the connectivity of each phase (1, 2 or 3 dimensionally) into 10 structures; 0-0, 0-1, 0-2, 0-3, 1-1, 1-2, 1-3, 2-2, 2-3 and 3-3. In particular, a 1-3 piezo-composite, or PZT-rod/polymer-matrix composite is considered most useful. The advantages of this composite are high coupling factors, low acoustic impedance, good matching to water or human tissue, mechanical flexibility, broad bandwidth in combination with a low mechanical quality factor and the possibility of making undiced arrays by simply patterning the electrodes. The acoustic match to tissue or water of the typical piezoceramics is significantly improved when it is incorporated into such a composite structure, that is, by replacing some of the dense and stiff ceramic with a less dense, more pliant polymer. Piezoelectric composite materials are especially useful for underwater sonar and medical diagnostic ultrasonic transducer applications. Other types of composites based on piezoelectric ceramics are also introduced in this chapter. Piezo-passive-dampers comprise a piezoelectric ceramic particle, polymer, and a carbon black, which suppress the noise vibration more effectively than traditional rubbers. A composite with a magnetostrictive ceramic and a piezoelectric ceramic produces an intriguing product effect, the magnetoelectric effect in which an electric field is produced in the material in response to an applied magnetic field.
Fifty years of The Battle of Algiers. Past as Prologue/Maghrebs in motion. North African Cinema in nine movements

The Battle of Algiers (1966) directed by Gillo Pontecorvo is widely considered one of the most important political films of all time. Sohail Daulatzai who teaches in the Department of Film and Medi...
Lorazepam Added to Haloperidol Effective for Agitated Delirium in End-of-Life Cancer Patients.

Using a single dose of lorazepam in combination with haloperidol decreases agitation in end-of-life patients with cancer who had persistent agitated delirium despite scheduled haloperidol. A recent POEM reported that haloperidol increases symptoms of distress in patients with cancer and acute delirium who are receiving palliative care.
IT Ethics in the Internet Age: New Dimensions

Issues of IT Ethics have recently become immensely more complex. The capacity to place material on the World Wide Web has been acquired by a very large number of people. As evolving software has gently hidden the complexities and frustrations that were involved in writing HTML, more and more web sites are being created by people with a relatively modest amount of computer literacy. At the same time, once the initial reluctance to use the Internet and the World Wide Web for commercial purposes had been overcome, sites devoted to doing business on the Internet mushroomed and e-commerce became a term permanently to be considered part of common usage. The assimilation of new technology is almost never smooth. As the Internet begins to grow out of its abbreviated infancy, a multitude of new issues surface continually, and a large proportion of these issues remain unresolved. Many of these issues contain a strong ethics content. As the ability to reach millions of people instantly and simultaneously has passed into the hands of the average person, the rapid emergence of thorny ethical issues is likely to continue unabated.
Modular Design and Structure for a Mobile Sensory Platform

A mobile manipulator is a manipulator mounted on a mobile platform with no support from the ground. We are already in the process of building a platform (RISCbot II) which consists of a comprehensive sensor suite and significant end-effector capabilities for manipulation. In order to reduce the uncertainty in localization, sensor fusion is used to create an efficient and effective user interface to facilitate teleoperation by enhancing the quality of information that is provided to the teleoperator.
Unlocking Nature: Case Studies

Defining the materiome consists of linking material properties and function across multiple scales, from nano to macro. The key to “unlocking” Nature is not the replication of biological materials, but full understanding of the mechanisms and material interactions that result in system-level functionality. Here, we look at two biological materials in detail: silk and bone. Silk—a high-performance polymer-like fiber—can be thought of as two phases synergetically acting together. The H-bonded β-sheet nanocrystals provide strength and toughness, while disordered semi-amorphous domains imbue extensibility.The resulting hyperelastic stiffening behavior is critical to the flaw tolerance and robustness of a spider’s web. Bone, in contrast, is a composite material made of relatively stiff mineral (hydroxyapatite) and compliant protein (tropocollagen) components. Bone achieves strength and toughness through a variety of mechanisms, including nanoconfinement, fibrillar sliding, and crack bridging. The general insights gained from the investigation of such systems can be applied a vast array of technological applications.
Semidefinite Programming and Constraint Programming

Recently, semidefinite programming relaxations have been applied in constraint programming to take advantage of the high-quality bounds and precise heuristic guidance during the search for a solution. The purpose of this chapter is to present an overview of these developments, and to provide future research prospects.
Implantation and Parturition Dates of North American River Otters, Lontra canadensis , in Southern Missouri

Despite numerous studies of reproductive dynamics of the North American River Otter ( Lontra canadensis ), relatively little information exists on the implantation or parturition dates of North American River Otters in the wild. We collected carcasses of North American River Otters that had been legally harvested in southern Missouri, USA, between 1997 and 1999 as part of a larger population dynamics study. Embryos ( n = 28) were removed from a subset of North American River Otters ( n = 9) during necropsy. Using harvest dates and crown–rump length measurements of embryos, we estimated implantation dates, which ranged from 7 December to 12 January, and parturition dates, which ranged from 8 February to 15 March (assuming an implantation time of 63 days). Our results are similar to other studies that have reported parturition dates ranging from mid-January to early May in more extreme latitudes. Our results suggest that variation in implantation and parturition dates among populations are likely related to factors affected by latitude such as photoperiod and winter weather severity.
Designer Dendrons To Dissect Innate Immune Signaling

Structure-based design of new polymeric inflammasome activators that control immune responses could lead to better vaccines and immunotherapies.
Diagnosis of Latent Mycobacterium tuberculosis Infection in the Era of Interferon Gamma Release Assays

Abstract Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB), an acid-fast bacterium, is a leading cause of respiratory illness and death worldwide. Individuals can be latently infected and can harbor the organism without clinical evidence of disease for years. Screening and treatment of numerous populations, including health care workers, recent contacts of actively infected individuals, immunocompromised individuals, children, and immigrants from countries where MTB is endemic, is essential to eradicate the infection by 2050, as the World Health Organization envisions. Detection of active and latent infection historically has utilized tuberculin skin tests and other clinical findings. Interferon gamma release assays can test whether a patient has had MTB exposure with improved sensitivity and specificity over tuberculin skin testing. This article reviews the history of MTB testing, compares available interferon gamma release assays, and discusses the new developments related to latent-MTB infection testing.
Pour Some Sugar on TDP(-43).

In this issue of Molecular Cell, McGurk et al. (2018) identify how poly(ADP-ribose) binding tunes the phase behavior of the ALS disease protein TDP-43, uncovering the molecular events underlying its aggregation in disease and illuminating a novel therapeutic target.
Chymase inhibitors for the treatment of cardiac diseases: a patent review (2010-2018).

Introduction: Chymase is primarily found in mast cells (MCs), fibroblasts, and vascular endothelial cells. MC chymase is released into the extracellular interstitium in response to inflammatory sig...
Measurement of the modulation transfer function for a backscatter radiography system used in nondestructive examination

Abstract The need for subsurface flaw detection in materials has led to the recent development of a backscatter radiography system. In order to achieve the optimal system design, the modulation transfer function (MTF) must be characterized for the backscatter system. Although several established methods exist for medical imaging systems, these techniques cannot be directly applied to the backscatter system. The goal of this study was to alter the transmission MTF measurement methods using the bar pattern and edge technique so that accurate and reliable results can be obtained for the backscatter system. Test tools were developed in order to carry out these measurements, with the ultimate goal of providing a target for quality assurance testing of the equipment. Although the edge method results were higher than the bar pattern method, the difference in magnitude was less than 0.1. The MTF measurements indicated the importance of target design and positioning in order to achieve accurate results for a backscatter radiography system used in nondestructive examination.
Tuning H2S Release by Controlling Mobility in a Micelle Core

Drug delivery from polymer micelles has been widely studied, but methods to precisely tune rates of drug release from micelles are limited. Here, the mobility of hydrophobic micelle cores was varied to tune the rate at which a covalently bound drug was released. This concept was applied to cysteine-triggered release of hydrogen sulfide (H2S), a signaling gas with therapeutic potential. In this system, thiol-triggered H2S donor molecules were covalently linked to the hydrophobic blocks of self-assembled polymer amphiphiles. Because release of H2S is triggered by cysteine, diffusion of cysteine into the hydrophobic micelle core was hypothesized to control the rate of release. We confirmed this hypothesis by carrying out release experiments from H2S-releasing micelles in varying compositions of EtOH/H2O. Higher EtOH concentrations caused the micelles to swell, facilitating diffusion in and out of their hydrophobic cores and leading to faster H2S release from the micelles. To achieve a similar effect without addition of organic solvent, we prepared micelles with varying core mobility via incorporation of a plasticizing co-monomer in the core-forming block. The glass transition temperature (Tg) of the core block could therefore be precisely varied by changing the amount of the plasticizing co-monomer in the polymer. In aqueous solution under identical conditions, the release rate of H2S varied over 20-fold (t½ = 0.18 - 4.2 h), with the lowest Tg hydrophobic block resulting in the fastest H2S release. This method of modulating release kinetics from polymer micelles by tuning core mobility may be applicable to many types of physically encapsulated and covalently linked small molecules in a variety of drug delivery systems.
A New Device for Tensile and Compressive Testing at Intermediate Strain Rates

A new device for conducting tensile and compressive tests at strain rates ranging from about 20 s−1 to 250 s−1 is presented. The operation of the device is based on the principles of the Split Hopkinson Bar (SHB) technique, except that the incident bar is replaced by a fast hydraulic actuator and the transmitter bar is very long. One end of the specimen, which is short and has a small cross-sectional area relative to the cross-sectional area of the transmitter bar (like in a SHB test) is attached at one end of the transmitter bar. During a test the actuator applies a force to the specimen. Upon loading the specimen deforms between the actuator and the end of the transmitter bar and a tensile, or compressive, wave starts propagating along the bar. The wave travels to the end of the transmitter bar and reflects back. The force in the specimen is determined from the amplitude of the wave. Digital Image Correlation (DIC) is used to measure the deformation directly on the surface of the specimen. The 40 m long transmitter bar provides 15 ms of time to conduct a test. Stress strain curves from tensile and compression tests with the new device are clean and smooth without any evidence of oscillations or ringing.
Long-Term AVF Patency - Can we do better?

Hemodialysis (HD) remains a principal modality for renal replacement therapy worldwide for patients with end stage kidney disease (ESKD) and a functioning dialysis vascular access is critical to providing adequate therapy. Despite all the technological advances in the delivery of HD, the process of creating a vascular access has remained vastly unchanged. Almost six decades since the creation of an autogenous fistula, the dialysis community continues to struggle with creating a dependable method to remove blood from the body for [...]