cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effective worm detection for various scan techniques

In recent years, the threats and damages caused by active worms have become more and more serious. In order to reduce the loss caused by fast-spreading active worms, an effective detection mechanism to quickly detect worms is desired. In this paper, we first explore various scan strategies used by worms on finding vulnerable hosts. We show that targeted worms spread much faster than random scan worms. We then present a generic worm detection architecture to monitor malicious worm activities. We propose and evaluate our detection mechanism called Victim Number Based Algorithm. We show that our detection algorithm is effective and able to detect worm events before 2% of vulnerable hosts are infected for most scenarios. Furthermore, in order to reduce false alarms, we propose an integrated approach using multiple parameters as indicators to detect worm events. The results suggest that our integrated approach can differentiate worm attacks from DDoS attacks and benign scans.
Coding of motion capture data via temporal-domain sampling and spatial-domain vector quantization techniques

The motion capture (mocap) data has been widely used in motion synthesis applications. In this research, we explore the characteristics of mocap data to develop a new generic and fully-automated compression framework that allows a flexible rate-quality trade-off. The coding framework consists of three modules: 1) temporal sampling, 2) vector quantization in selected I-frames and 3) interpolation and residual coding. The proposed framework gives a higher compression ratio at lower complexity than the state-of-the-art mocap data coding algorithm. It is shown by experimental results that the proposed scheme can achieve 20:1 compression ratio while providing good quality motion.
Supracolloidal Assemblies as Sacrificial Templates for Porous Silk-Based Biomaterials

Tissues in the body are hierarchically structured composite materials with tissue-specific properties. Urea self-assembles via hydrogen bonding interactions into crystalline supracolloidal assemblies that can be used to impart macroscopic pores to polymer-based tissue scaffolds. In this communication, we explain the solvent interactions governing the solubility of urea and thereby the scope of compatible polymers. We also highlight the role of solvent interactions on the morphology of the resulting supracolloidal crystals. We elucidate the role of polymer-urea interactions on the morphology of the pores in the resulting biomaterials. Finally, we demonstrate that it is possible to use our urea templating methodology to prepare Bombyx mori silk protein-based biomaterials with pores that human dermal fibroblasts respond to by aligning with the long axis of the pores. This methodology has potential for application in a variety of different tissue engineering niches in which cell alignment is observed, including skin, bone, muscle and nerve.
Statistics for the Molecular Biologist: Group Comparisons

In this appendix, some of the statistical tests most commonly used (and misused) in biological research are discussed. These tests are used for comparisons among groups (e.g., t test and ANOVA). A number of other important areas (e.g., linear regression, correlation, and goodness-of-fit testing) are not covered. The purpose is to enable the reader to determine rapidly the most appropriate way to analyze data, and to point out some of the most common errors to avoid.
I Talked to a Genius and All I Got was Knowledge

Bryan Frances’s recent argument is for the epistemic position called Live Skepticism. The Live Skepticism Argument (LSA) attempts to establish a restricted set of skeptical conclusions. The LSA’s “skeptical hypotheses” are scientific and philosophical positions that are “live actual possibilities” in an intellectual community. In order to “rule out” live hypotheses, an expert must know them to be false. However, since these are live hypotheses in this expert’s intellectual community—endorsed by others who have parallel levels of knowledge, intelligence, and understanding—this expert is unable to rule them out. Consistent with the LSA is the outcome that people not exposed to these live hypotheses can know what these experts cannot. However, in this paper, I defeat the LSA by developing and defending a counterexample that focuses on the phenomenon of genius testimony. Everyone, including the LSA’s proponent, can and should allow that expertise comes in degrees. While in many cases a person’s intelligence, understanding, and knowledge are parallel to others in the field, there are some who are extraordinary in their intelligence, understanding, and knowledge (geniuses). If an expert meets with a genius, it is possible that the genius provides this individual with beliefs that can rule out a skeptical hypothesis. Therefore, an expert can have knowledge, even if the skeptical hypothesis is live and endorsed by others who have parallel levels of knowledge, intelligence, and understanding. After providing this counterexample, I present three potential objections, and show how people can know global warming exists and that smoking does not give someone cancer. I conclude by defending this counterexample from a likely reply by proponents of the LSA involving luck and knowledge.
Wetting Characteristics of Plasma-Modified Porous Polyethylene

This paper examines the wetting characteristics of porous polyethylene surfaces modified by exposure to reactive oxygen glow discharge gas plasma, through the direct measurement of the wicking properties of the modified material. It is well-known that oxygen plasma can be used to chemically alter the surface of polyethylene to enhance wetting properties. Chemical and physical modification of a polymer's surface is the consequence of reactions initiated by the collision of high-energy species in the plasma with the polymer surface. The conditions of the plasma treatment, such as electric field strength (power), exposure time, and chamber pressure, govern the frequency and energy of collisions and, thus, determine the nature and degree of the chemical modification of the polyethylene surface. Comparisons of the chemical modification of sintered porous polyethylene surfaces achieved through treatments with reactive oxygen glow discharge gas plasmas generated at various powers, chamber pressures, and times of exposure were made by measuring the wicking rate of distilled and deionized water in the modified materials. A strong correlation was observed between the electric field power used to generate the plasma and the degree of chemical modification of the polyethylene surfaces. In addition, the rate of chemical modification was also found to be a function of the electric field power.
Synthesis, Structure, Luminescence, and Raman-Determined Excited State Distortions of a Trinuclear Gold(I) Phosphine Thiolate Complex

The synthesis, crystal structure and spectroscopic properties of a new luminescent trinuclear gold complex, bis(triethylphosphine)gold(I) [μ-(1,1-dicyanoethylene-2,2-dithiolato-1κS:2κS‘)][μ-(1,1-dicyanoethylene-2,2-dithiolato-2κS2:3κS‘)](triethylphosphine-1κP)(triethylphosphine-3κP)triaurate(I), 1, are reported. The structure contains a linear array of three gold atoms, the central gold on an inversion center. 1 crystallizes in the P21/n space group with a = 13.681(1) A, b = 11.433(1) A, c = 15.608(1) A, β = 106.93(1)°, V=2335.4(3) A3, and Z = 2. The luminescence spectrum is centered at 19 600 cm-1 and displays poorly resolved vibronic structure with a spacing of 470 cm-1, characteristic of a normal mode primarily Au−S in character. The transition is assigned to a dithiolate to gold charge transfer. The vibrational frequencies and intensities obtained from the preresonance Raman spectra are used to calculate the distortions the molecule undergoes when excited to its emissive charge transfer excited state....
Twist1 mediates repression of chondrogenesis by β-catenin to promote cranial bone progenitor specification.

The bones of the mammalian skull vault form through intramembranous ossification. Skull bones ossify directly, in a process regulated by β-catenin, instead of passing through a cartilage intermediate. We tested whether β-catenin is necessary for fate selection of intramembranous bone progenitors in the skull. Here, we show in mice that removal of β-catenin from skull bone progenitors results in the near complete transformation of the skull bones to cartilage, whereas constitutive β-catenin activation inhibits skull bone fate selection. β-catenin directly activated Twist1 expression in skull progenitors, conditional Twist1 deletion partially phenocopied the absence of β-catenin, and Twist1 deletion partially restored bone formation in the presence of constitutive β-catenin activation. Finally, Twist1 bound robustly to the 3′UTR of Sox9, the central initiator of chondrogenesis, suggesting that Twist1 might directly repress cartilage formation through Sox9. These findings provide insight into how β-catenin signaling via Twist1 actively suppresses the formation of cartilage and promotes intramembranous ossification in the skull.
Analysis of Rectangular Coaxial Lines

This paper proposes a numerical analysis for calculating the capacitance of rectangular coaxial lines. We illustrate how to model and simulate the capacitance of rectangular coaxial lines using COMSOL, a finite element software. The goal is to use COMSOL to determine the capacitance per unit length of rectangular coaxial lines. We compared the results with those obtained by other methods and found them to be very close.
Seeking solutions to chemical mixtures challenges in public health

The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) identifies people near hazardous waste sites who are at potential health risk because of their exposure to environmental chemicals. Nearly, 2000 chemicals have been associated with such sites. Residents of U.S. communities are potentially exposed to hazardous substances through air, soil, drinking water, and food. The agency has determined that more than 73 million people live within a 4-mile radius of waste sites. More than 14 million Americans live within 1 mile of a National Priorities List site, of which 11% are 7 years of age or younger, 12% are 64 years of age or older, 24% are women of childbearing age, and 25% are minorities. The lack of adequate environmental sampling and information on human exposures often restricts ATSDR's evaluation and assessment activities. Assessing human exposure with its attendant health risks and outcomes is complex because many populations have a wide range of reported illnesses, and generally exposures are to mixtures of chemicals. This prompted ATSDR to consider mixtures issues more in depth and to establish a formal mixtures assessment and research program in 1994. In this paper, we present an overview of the agency activities, the genesis, legislative mandates, and pertinence of the mixtures program including applied research and the development of methods for evaluating the impact of multiple-chemical exposure. On the basis of 20-year experience of evaluating and researching environmental chemical mixtures at waste sites, ATSDR convened the International Conference on Chemical Mixtures (ICCM) in 2002. The conference was supported by several federal agencies and scientific organizations and attended by international and national experts. The conference addressed broad topics such as prevalence of exposures to chemical mixtures, importance of interactions at environmentally relevant levels, validity of assuming additivity (dose or response) as default for mixtures assessment, and promising avenues in the three broad areas, viz., research, assessment, and computational tools.
Chronic benzodiazepine treatment of rats induces reduction of paired-pulse inhibition in CA1 region of in vitro hippocampus

Abstract Paired-pulse inhibition was studied extracellularly in in vitro hippocampal slices from rats sacrificed 48 h or 7 days after 1 week flurazepam (FZP) treatment. Population spikes and field excitatory postsynaptic potentials (EPSPs) were recorded with NaCl-containing glass micropipettes in the stratum pyramidale and stratum radiatum, respectively, of the CA1 region. Conditioning pulses were delivered by stimulating Shaffer collaterals (orthodromic) or the alveus (antidromic). Orthodromic test pulses were delivered with interpulse intervals of 10–200 ms. There was a significant reduction in paired-pulse inhibition in slices from treated vs control rats in both the orthodromic-orthodromic and antidromic-orthodromic paradigms. Reduced inhibition was evident 48 h, but not 7 days, after the end of FZP treatment. Furthermore, there was a significant prolongation of the half decay time of the field EPSP, without a significant change in the initial slope or maximum amplitude. The results may suggest an impairment of endogenous γ-aminobutyric acid function in the hippocampus after chronic benzodiazepine (BZ) treatment and may provide a basis for a mechanism of BZ tolerance.
Speech recognition in the human-computer interface

Researchers have studied human speech interaction with computers for many years. Much of the focus in this area has been on creating better technical speech recognition (SR) systems, and almost all of the testing has centered on accuracy and productivity gains. However, there has been little study of other issues, such as user acceptance. This paper reports the results of an experiment investigating word generation rates, word error rates, and user acceptance of a speech recognition program as compared to typing. Although the subjects made more errors when using the speech recognition software, they were able to generate more than twice as much text in the same amount of time. However, this relative efficiency was not enough to overcome the inaccuracy and annoyance in fixing so many errors.
Abstract 5205: Galectin-3 and AP-1 mediate transcriptional effect of Arylsulfatase B (N-acetylgalactosamine-4-sulfatase) on versican in prostatic cells.

Proceedings: AACR 104th Annual Meeting 2013; Apr 6-10, 2013; Washington, DC N-acetylgalactosamine-4-sulfatase (Arylsulfatase B; ARSB) modifies the glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) chondroitin-4-sulfate (C4S) and dermatan sulfate by removing 4-sulfate groups from the non-reducing end and thereby regulating GAG degradation. Previous studies demonstrated that ARSB was reduced in malignant human colonic, mammary, and prostatic tissue and suggested that ARSB acts as a tumor suppressor. In this report, ARSB was silenced by siRNA in the WPMY-1 human prostate stromal myofibroblast cell line (ATCC), and effects on C4S, total sulfated glycosaminoglycans (GAGs), ErbB2, total EGFR, phospho-ERK, versican, and AP-1 were determined. Total sulfated GAGs were measured by Blyscan assay (Biocolor), and C4S was determined by Blyscan assay following immunoprecipitation by C4S antibody. Phospho(T202/Y204 for ERK1 or T185/Y187 for ERK2)-ERK, ErbB2, and total EGFR were measured by ELISA. Versican, an extracellular matrix chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan with EGF-like repeats at its C-terminus, was measured by ELISA and QPCR. ARSB and galectin-3 were silenced by siRNA (Qiagen). ARSB activity declined from 140.4 ± 8.4 to 21.4 ± 0.9 nmol/mg protein/hr following silencing. Total sulfated GAGs increased from 17.9 ± 0.7 μg/mg protein in control cells to 28.6 ± 1.4 μg/mg protein following ARSB silencing, and C4S increased from 7.4 ± 0.6 μg/mg protein to 15.5 ± 0.8 μg/mg protein following ARSB silencing. Total EGFR increased to 2.65 times baseline, and ErbB2 increased to over six-fold times baseline. Phospho-ERK increased to more than three times baseline, from 5.0 ± 0.5 ng/mg protein to 15.2 ± 0.8 ng/mg protein following silencing. Versican protein increased from 122.1 ± 5.3 ng/mg protein in control to 295.2 ± 11.2 ng/mg protein and mRNA increased more than two-fold. ARSB-silencing induced increases in versican mRNA and in activation of c-Jun and c-Fos, and these increases were inhibited when galectin-3 was also silenced. [All findings are highly significant (p<0.001, one-way ANOVA with Tukey-Kramer post-test)]. Previously, we have shown reduced binding of galectin-3 to C4S following ARSB silencing. Since there is an AP-1 binding site in the versican promoter, study data demonstrate that transcriptional effects of ARSB silencing on versican are mediated by galectin-3 and AP-1. The profound effects of ARSB silencing on versican and phospho-ERK in the prostatic myofibroblasts provide further evidence that ARSB acts as a tumor suppressor. Citation Format: Sumit Bhattacharyya, Leonid Feferman, Joanne Kramer Tobacman. Galectin-3 and AP-1 mediate transcriptional effect of Arylsulfatase B (N-acetylgalactosamine-4-sulfatase) on versican in prostatic cells. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 104th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2013 Apr 6-10; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 5205. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2013-5205
Advances in X-linked immunodeficiency diseases.

The molecular basis for three well-defined X-linked diseases has recently been identified. In X-linked agammaglobulinemia, the gene encoding a novel cytoplasmic tyrosine kinase (btk) expressed by B cells is defective. This B-cell-specific kinase belongs to a new subfamily of tyrosine kinases. The mo
Problem Posing in Teacher Education: A Freirian Approach.

Abstract What kinds of ideas and issues do teachers, students, and citizens in general need to think about at this time in the history of society? And how can we in higher education address these important matters? This article offers one means by which such issues might be approached, in and through teacher education. Drawing on the critical work of Paulo Freire, John Dewey, and others, I outline a problem-posing framework for teaching education. First, I outline the framework, commenting as needed on its philosophical underpinnings. Next, I provide a personal example related to the challenges of ensuring professional autonomy and quality instruction in today's highly regulated modernist milieu. I conclude by suggesting that problem-posing education is grounded in ancient philosophical notions of quality and trust in the pursuit of paideia, a profound pedagogical quest involving education for excellence in the largest sense of the term.
Comparison of idarubicin to daunomycin in a randomized multidrug treatment of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia at first bone marrow relapse: a report from the Children's Cancer Group

The outcome of children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and bone marrow relapse has been unsatisfactory largely because of failure to prevent subsequent leukemia relapses. Ninety-six patients were enrolled and received vincristine, prednisone, L-asparaginase, and an anthracycline as reinduction therapy. Ninety-two patients were randomized to receive either daunomycin (DNR) or idarubicin (IDR). After achievement of second complete remission (CR2), maintenance chemotherapy included the same anthracycline, IDR or DNR, high-dose cytarabine, and escalating-dose methotrexate. Compared to DNR (45 mg/m2/week x 3), IDR (12.5 mg/m2/week x 3) was associated with prolonged myelosuppression and more frequent serious infections. Halfway through the study, the dose of IDR was reduced to 10 mg/m2. Overall, second remission was achieved in 71% of patients. Reinduction rate was similar for IDR and DNR. Reasons for induction failure differed; none of 15, 1 of 5, and 5 of 7 reinduction failures were due to infection for DNR, IDR (10 mg/m2), and IDR (12.5 mg/m2), respectively. Two-year event-free survival (EFS) was better among patients who received IDR (12.5 mg/m2) (27 +/- 18%) compared to DNR (10 +/- 8%, P = 0.05) and IDR (10 mg/m2) (6 +/- 12%, P = 0.02). However, after 3 years of follow-up, late events in the high-dose IDR group result in a similar EFS to the lower-dose IDR and DNR groups. In conclusion, IDR is an effective agent in childhood ALL. When used weekly at 12.5 mg/m2 during induction, the EFS outcome during the first 2 years of treatment appears better than lower-dose IDR or DNR (45 mg/m2), although this difference was not sustained at longer periods of follow-up. Increased hematopoietic toxicity seen at this dose might be reduced through the use of supportive measures, such as hematopoietins and intestinal decontamination.
The effect of solvent viscosity and temperature on DNA viscoelastic behavior.

The effect of solvent viscosity (ηs) and temperature (T) on the shape of the concentration dependence of the principal and total recoils in creep-recovery viscoelastometry experiments has been studied for T4 DNA solutions. The range of DNA concentration (c) was 2 – 40 μg/ml; glycerol, 70–80% v/v, sucrose, 60% v/v; NaCl, 5 mM – 1M; and T, 275 – 323 K. A linear proportionality between recoil and c was obtained at high ηs/T. At low ηs/T, the c-dependence was nonlinear, approaching saturation at higher c. At low c, the slope of both curves was the same. Transition between “linear” and “nonlinear” values occurred over a narrow range of ηs/T (a width of 1–5 K if ηs/T was changed by varying T). (ηs/T)tr, the midpoint of the transition, was independent of solvent properties other than viscosity. Also, (ηs/T)tr increased with c. For a given c, ηs/T values above this transitional value yield linear behavior; below this, nonlinear behavior. The ratio of linear to nonlinear recoil values is a linear function of c with Kc, the slope of this dependence, independent of ηs and T. A kinetic model for the observed nonlinearity of recoil with c is presented. It explains the independence of Kc on ηs and T. An attempt has been made to explain the linear–nonlinear transitions by comparison of τ1 and TR, the lifetime of the contact points of the polymer network in the de Gennes theory. The nonlinear values are consistent with a pseudogel that exists when τ1 TR, the DNA behavior is similar to that in dilute solutions (linear values). Thus, the condition for transition is τ1 = TR. However, some unsolved problems remain.
Oncovirus Kaposi Sarcoma Herpesvirus (KSHV) Represses Tumor Suppressor PDLIM2 to Persistently Activate Nuclear Factor κB (NF-κB) and STAT3 Transcription Factors for Tumorigenesis and Tumor Maintenance *

Kaposi sarcoma herpesvirus (KSHV) is the most common cause of malignancies among AIDS patients. However, how KSHV induces tumorigenesis remains largely unknown. Here, we demonstrate that one important mechanism underlying the tumorigenesis of KSHV is through transcriptional repression of the tumor suppressor gene PDZ-LIM domain-containing protein 2 (PDLIM2). PDLIM2 expression is repressed in KSHV-transformed human umbilical vascular endothelial cells as well as in KSHV-associated cancer cell lines and primary tumors. Importantly, PDLIM2 repression is essential for KSHV-induced persistent activation of nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) and signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) and subsequent tumorigenesis and tumor maintenance. Our mechanistic studies indicate that PDLIM2 repression by KSHV involves DNA methylation. Notably, the epigenetic repression of PDLIM2 can be reversed by 5-aza-2-deoxycytidine and vitamin D to suppress KSHV-associated cancer cell growth. These studies not only improve our understanding of KSHV pathogenesis but also provide immediate therapeutic strategies for KSHV-mediated cancers, particularly those associated with AIDS.
Stringent criteria for histological diagnosis of koilocytosis fail to eliminate overdiagnosis of human papillomavirus infection and cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 1

Overdiagnosis of HPV infection in cervical biopsies results in increased health care costs and unnecessary surgical procedures. Stringent criteria for histological diagnosis of koilocytosis were evaluated, using molecular detection of HPV DNA (polymerase chain reaction and Southern blot hybridization) as gold standard. Colposcopic biopsy specimens from 511 patients were studied, including 76 with referral diagnoses of negative cervix and 241 with CIN 1 or koilocytosis. Referral diagnoses for low-grade lesions failed to distinguish between HPV-infected and uninfected patients. False-positive rate for prediction of HPV infection was 74.8%. Biopsy specimens reevaluated using stringent diagnostic criteria showed increasing prevalence of HPV infection among patients whose biopsy specimens showed negative (43.7%), minimal (52.4%), or definite (69.5%) features of koilocytosis (P = .001). Similarly, subjects infected with high viral load or oncogenic HPV infection were more likely to be identified (P = .004 and .04, respectively). Despite increased predictive value of stringent diagnostic criteria, significant number of patients diagnosed as having CIN 1/koilocytosis (34.0%) did not in fact have HPV infection. Because most low-grade lesions spontaneously regress, patients with histological diagnosis of CIN 1 or HPV infection should be observed for a period of several months before definitive ablative treatment is undertaken.
WE-C-103-06: An Automated CT Quality Control Program

Purpose: Daily image quality assessment is an essential part of a rigorous quality control program. Time constraints; however, make it difficult to fully analyze image quality daily. Therefore, the goal of this work was to develop a robust automated CT quality control program to extract meaningful image quality metrics including artifact analysis, noise texture measurement, and the calculation of a detectability index. Methods: The ACR CT phantom was scanned on five different CT scanners. The automated algorithm was used to calculate the standard metrics including HU accuracy, CNR, noise, and uniformity as well as more advanced metrics including the MTF, NPS, detectability index, and artifact detection. To validate the automated program, the HU accuracy, CNR, and noise metrics were compared to measurements conducted by a human observer. Additionally, the 10th percentile of the MTF (MTF 10) was compared the high‐contrast resolution and the detectability index was compared to the low‐contrast detectability recorded by the human observer using the Spearman rank sum correlation. Results: The HU, CNR, and noise determined by the automated algorithm agreed well with the human observer measurements (0.12%, 5.1%, and 7.1% difference for the HU, CNR, and noise respectively). Further, there was a strong correlation between MTF10 and the observer high‐contrast resolution as well as the detectability index and the low‐contrast detectability (rho=1 in both cases). Conclusion: There was a strong agreement between the results of the automated quality control program and the human observer measurements. Further, the Fourier based MTF and detectability index were found to correlate strongly with observer image quality assessment. Therefore, this automated quality control program offers a viable alternative for routine image quality assessment of the ACR phantom.
Food deprivation and startle magnitude: inhibition, potentiation, or neither?

The role of tissue deprivation as a determinant of acoustic-induced reflexive startle responses is unclear, variously having been shown to potentiate, retard, or have no effect at all. The present is a preliminary evaluation of certain procedural features upon which various apparently contradictory outcomes have rested. Two large groups, one satiated and the other made 46-h hungry, were divided so that half of each received nine consecutive startle test sessions beginning with the initial 46- to 48-h hunger cycle and spaced every 2 days thereafter. Testing was delayed until the last two sessions for the remaining group halves. Although standard startle habituation functions across sessions and trials within sessions were obtained, reliable differences traceable to hunger did not occur for any test circumstance. External validity remains a difficult commodity to come by for any of the hunger-startle effects thus far reported.
Myoglobin-CO Substate Structures and Dynamics: Multidimensional Vibrational Echoes and Molecular Dynamics Simulations

Spectrally resolved infrared stimulated vibrational echo data were obtained for sperm whale carbonmonoxymyoglobin (MbCO) at 300 K. The measured dephasing dynamics of the CO ligand are in agreement with dephasing dynamics calculated with molecular dynamics (MD) simulations for MbCO with the residue histidine-64 (His64) having its imidazole epsilon nitrogen protonated (N(epsilon)-H). The two conformational substate structures B(epsilon) and R(epsilon) observed in the MD simulations are assigned to the spectroscopic A(1) and A(3) conformational substates of MbCO, respectively, based on the agreement between the experimentally measured and calculated dephasing dynamics for these substates. In the A(1) substate, the N(epsilon)-H proton and N(delta) of His64 are approximately equidistant from the CO ligand, while in the A(3) substate, the N(epsilon)-H of His64 is oriented toward the CO, and the N(delta) is on the surface of the protein. The MD simulations show that dynamics of His64 represent the major source of vibrational dephasing of the CO ligand in the A(3) state on both femtosecond and picosecond time scales. Dephasing in the A(1) state is controlled by His64 on femtosecond time scales, and by the rest of the protein and the water solvent on longer time scales.
A study of the electron impact induced retro-diels-alder process with selected 5,6,6a, 7,12,12a-hexahydrobenzo[a]anthracenes

The mass spectra of 5,6,6a,7,12,12a-hexahydrobenzo[a]anthracene and 2-methoxy, 3-methoxy-, 4-methoxy and 1-methyl-4-methoxy derivatives are reported. Among the fragment ions observed under electron impact ionization, [C8H8]+· and [MC8H8]+· can be generated by a retro-Diels-Alder process. Studies of metastable ion reactions show these ions to be formed by fragmentation directly from the molecular ion. The CA spectra of the [C8H8]+· ions from the subject compounds were compared with spectra from ions of the same composition from various sources. From these data, kinetic energy release measurements and stereochemical considerations, it is concluded that these ions are formed by a stepwise, rather than a concerted mechanism.
How effective are public health departments at preventing mortality

This study estimates the causal impact of variation in the expenditures of California county departments of public health on all-cause mortality rates and the associated value of lives saved. Since the activities of county departments of public health are likely to affect mortality rates with a lag, Koyck distributed lag models are estimated using the Lewbel instrumental variables estimator. The findings show that an additional $10 per capita of public health expenditures reduces all-cause mortality by 9.1 deaths per 100,000. At current funding levels, the long-run annual number of lives saved by the presence of county departments of public health in California is estimated to be approximately 27,000 (26,937 lives, 95% confidence interval: [11,963, 41,911]). The annual value of these lives is estimated to be worth $212.8 billion using inflation-adjusted standard U.S. government estimates of the value of a statistical life ($7.9 million).
The Causes of Determinism

If determinism is correct, then all that men do is in principle predictable. Further, all that they do is predictable in a certain way, namely on the basis of the causes of their actions, where those causes are sufficient for their actions. That is, according to determinism, the antecedents of human actions, their causes, are such that, given a knowledge of those antecedents, the actions that are their effects can be predicted with certainty because they cannot but occur.
Vaginal fetal fibronectin as a predictor of spontaneous preterm delivery after multifetal pregnancy reduction.

Abstract Objective The study was undertaken to assess the validity of vaginal fetal fibronectin assay as a screening test for spontaneous preterm delivery in asymptomatic patients who have undergone multifetal pregnancy reduction (MFPR). Study design A historic cohort of 63 patients who underwent MFPR between 10 and 14 weeks of gestation was identified. All patients underwent serial vaginal fetal fibronectin sampling every 2 to 3 weeks from 22 weeks of gestation until delivery or 32 weeks of gestation. The fetal fibronectin concentration was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, with 50 ng/mL or greater indicating a positive result. Charts were reviewed for fetal fibronectin results and pregnancy outcome data. Groups were compared by use of Fisher exact test. Results There were 13 singleton and 50 twin gestations after MFPR. A median of 4 fetal fibronectin assays were performed per patient. A total of 234 fetal fibronectin assays were performed with 222 (94.9%) negative results and 12 (5.1%) positive results. Overall, 41.3% of gestations were delivered spontaneously before 37 weeks; 7.9% were delivered before 34 weeks. The mean interval between tests was 17.8 days (±7.2 days). For delivery within 2 and 3 weeks of a single test, fetal fibronectin had a sensitivity of 66.7% and 50%, a specificity of 95.7% and 96.1%, a positive predictive value of 16.7% and 25%, and a negative predictive value of 99.5% and 98.6%, respectively. Conclusion The fetal fibronectin test has similar validity to predict spontaneous preterm delivery in these high-risk pregnancies as in previously published cohorts.
Walking in the shoes of others: Experimental testing of dual-interest and empathy in environmental choice

Abstract This paper further tests dual interest theory and the metaeconomics approach to environmental choice, recognizing a possible role for empathy–sympathy (the basis for an internalized, shared other-interest) in tempering and conditioning the more fundamental tendency to pursue self-interest. To test, we focus on rivers flowing through agricultural areas carrying sediments, chemicals, and fertilizers which are making their way into downstream rivers and lakes. We conduct a framed laboratory experiment modeling this problem: farmers decide on the usage of conservation technology to lessen impacts on the water quality (i.e. on the commons, the capacity to absorb these wastes) in downstream areas, which is more costly than the alternative intensive technology. The results confirm our hypotheses, demonstrating that Upstream Farmers who practice conservation are tempering profit maximization with empathy-based, environmentally conscious behavior. Such behavior better serves the farmers’ own-interest, and also helps Downstream Water Users. Environmental economics models need to explicitly include empathy–sympathy and the moral–ethical context it produces, providing a more scientific basis for conservation policy and programs.
Abstract P3-09-04: Exosome-Specific microRNA Signatures in Combination with Characteristic Surface Markers on the Circulating Exosomes Themselves Provide New Insights into the EMT

Background: Recent discoveries have established that cancer tumors exhibit distinct microRNA (miR) expression profiles compared to normal tissues. Detection of miRs in the peripheral blood of cancer patients is possible due to their high stability. This stability is attributed to encapsulation of the miRs inside microvesicles (MVs) where they are protected from endogenous RNase activity in circulation. The tumor cell-secreted MVs of primary interest are circulating exosomes, a subpopulation of MVs distinguished by their relatively small size: 40 to 100 nm in diameter. The isolation of circulating tumor-derived exosomes from the other cell-secreted MVs in peripheral blood is the critical barrier to successful development of a robust assay for cancer-specific miR signatures. We describe the development of such an assay to: (1) capture/isolate circulating exosomes based on characteristic surface markers that correlate with different cell types, and (2) characterize exosome-specific miR signatures based on these surface markers. Materials and Methods: We apply sequential ultracentrifugation to isolate cell-secreted MVs, followed by asymmetric flow field-flow fractionation to selectively separate exosomes based on their intrinsically small size and characteristic surface markers. Isolated exosomes are then screened for surface markers by selectively capturing them on microarrays printed with antibodies against a library of known cell-surface markers for breast cancer. For the assessment of exosome-specific miR signatures, we have devised an antibody microarray assay that also enables the in situ characterization of miR profiles of the captured exosomes locally by qRT-PCR analysis confined to subarrays of printed spots in 50-µl microwells of a custom-designed, multi-well microarray. Assay development has been carried out using two human cancer cell lines (MCF 7 and MDA MB 231) and a non-malignant cell line (MCF 10a) representing pre-malignant cells and cancer of the breast at different epithelial and mesenchymal states. Results: We have used light scattering and cryo-transmission electron microscopy to characterize the size, size distribution, and morphology of exosomes as a sub-population of the secreted MVs from each of the three cell lines. We have also screened for surface markers by selective capturing the exosome sub-populations derived from these cell lines on antibody microarrays, and correlated these surface markers with the miR content of MVs using qRT-PCR analysis. Discussion: Our results demonstrate that correlating the miR signatures of circulating exosomes with characteristic surface markers on these exosomes leads to robust distinctions between the three cell lines that could not be achieved using either analysis or characterization alone. Citation Information: Cancer Res 2010;70(24 Suppl):Abstract nr P3-09-04.
The PTPμ Protein-tyrosine Phosphatase Binds and Recruits the Scaffolding Protein RACK1 to Cell-Cell Contacts

Abstract PTPμ, an Ig superfamily receptor protein-tyrosine phosphatase, promotes cell-cell adhesion and interacts with the cadherin-catenin complex. The signaling pathway downstream of PTPμ is unknown; therefore, we used a yeast two-hybrid screen to identify additional PTPμ interacting proteins. The membrane-proximal catalytic domain of PTPμ was used as bait. Sequencing of two positive clones identified the scaffolding protein RACK1 (receptor for activated proteinC kinase) as a PTPμ interacting protein. We demonstrate that RACK1 interacts with PTPμ when co-expressed in a recombinant baculovirus expression system. RACK1 is known to bind to the src protein-tyrosine kinase. This study demonstrates that PTPμ association with RACK1 is disrupted by the presence of constituitively active src. RACK1 is thought to be a scaffolding protein that recruits proteins to the plasma membrane via an unknown mechanism. We have shown that the association of endogenous PTPμ and RACK1 in a lung cell line is increased at high cell density. We also demonstrate that the recruitment of RACK1 to both the plasma membrane and cell-cell contact sites is dependent upon the presence of the PTPμ protein in these cells. Therefore, PTPμ may be one of the proteins that recruits RACK1 to points of cell-cell contact, which may be important for PTPμ-dependent signaling in response to cell-cell adhesion.
Statistical mechanics of a two-temperature, classical plasma.

Weakly coupled, nonequilibrium plasmas have often been described by assigning separate temperatures to the electron and ion velocity distributions. In this paper we present a model for the complete phase-space probability function which describes a two-temperature ensemble for arbitrary coupling. We discuss the ''thermodynamics'' predicted by the model, and in the limit of weak electron-ion coupling, we obtain explicit expressions for both the static and dynamic structure factors, which remain valid even for strong ion-ion coupling. When the ions become weakly coupled, our results for the static structure factors reduce to those of Salpeter. However, even in this limit there remains a small difference from Salpeter's dynamic structure factor due to the nonergodicity of the ensemble.
Abstract 2467: Podoplanin expressing cancer stem cells show increased resistance to DNA damage induced by ionizing radiation

The majority of patients with malignant gliomas, the most common and most lethal brain tumor, develop disease recurrence despite aggressive, multi-modality therapies. This treatment resistance has been attributed to a small population of tumor-initiating glioma cancer stem cells (GSCs). We recently described a new marker of GSCs, the transmembrane glycoprotein podoplanin (pdpn), based on analysis of gene expression profiling data and have found it to be more accurately identify the stem cell population than other described markers. Pdpn expression correlates with poor patient survival and decreased response to radiotherapy. Pdpn expressing cells form neurospheres at high rates in vitro, are more resistant to ionizing radiation, and initiate tumors in vivo. Silencing of pdpn leads to increased radiosensitivity. To identify the mechanism of radiation resistance in pdpn-expressing GSCs, we screened for putative binding partners and identified target of myb-like-1 (tom1l1), a known regulator of Src-pathway activation. We hypothesized that modulation of pdpn and/or tom1l1 expression would lead to alternations in the response of GSCs to radiation via src signaling. Mechanisms of radiation resistance in GSCs are poorly understood to date and the role of src family kinases in modulating radiosensitivity has not previously been reported in gliomas. Pdpn binding of tom1l1 was confirmed by co-immunoprecipation and src activation monitored by immunoblot. Pdpn and tom1l1 expression was downregulated by RNA interference and dsDNA damage and repair assayed by neutral comet assay and by scoring of γH2AX foci. Silencing of pdpn in primary culture, neurophere forming GSC-like cells resulted in increased DNA damage following 2 and 6 Gy ionizing radiation. We similarly examined effects of decreased tom1l1 to determine if the effects on DNA repair mediating by pdpn were acting via the src pathway. In summary, our data suggest that pdpn expression correlates with increased dsDNA repair following ionizing radiation and presents a possible mechanism by which GSCs resist treatment and regrow the tumor. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 102nd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2011 Apr 2-6; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2011;71(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 2467. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2011-2467
Nonnucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor resistance

Although understanding of nonnucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI) resistance is less clearly established than that of other classes of antiretroviral drugs, certain facts have been established. The treatment-associated genetic mutation profiles of the available NNRTIs have been mapped, and resistance has been found to develop rapidly after initiation of NNRTI therapy. Despite the chemical diversity of the NNRTIs, cross-resistance among agents of this class is nearly universal. Although the viral replicative capacity ("fitness") of NNRTI-induced viral variants has not been extensively studied, available data suggest that NNRTI-selected mutations confer little damage to viral fitness, and thus a single point mutation produces a strain that is both resistant and fit. Furthermore, with continued therapy, viral evolution persists, creating species with greater numbers of mutations and higher level phenotypic resistance. Taken together, these facts suggest that continued use of NNRTIs after emergence of resistance will produce variants of complex mutational patterns that limit future treatment options, and, therefore, strong consideration should be given to discontinuing NNRTIs after virologic failure is confirmed. This article describes the scientific literature establishing the efficacy and limitations of NNRTI therapy and attempts to define a role for this class of drug in the long-term treatment of HIV-1 disease.
Leisure and Aging

The concept of leisure conveys varied meanings to people, some of which may include identifying the leisure event itself, the frequency of the activity, and its value to the participant. In addition, the perception of the leisure and work continuum has shifted over time, having been investigated by several disciplines. A substantial portion of the gerontological literature has been directed towards the relationship of leisure and aging, in particular, with life satisfaction of the older adult. The objective of this study is two-fold. One is to present a comprehensive literature review of the research on leisure and aging. The other is to assess the leisure performance and life satisfaction attitudes of a select population of well elderly. Both are offered to enhance the reader's understanding of leisure and its role in the life of an older adult.
Effect of deposition conditions and annealing on W Schottky contacts on n-GaN

Abstract Sputter-deposited W Schottky contacts on n-GaN show as-deposited barrier heights (φb) of 0.80 eV for optimized conditions. Subsequent annealing at 500-600°C reduces the barrier height to ∼0.4 eV, its theroretical value from the relation φb=φm−χs (where φm is the metal work function and χs the electron affinity of GaN). The lowest specific resistance for the W is obtained for high power, low pressure (
A coupled enzyme assay for aldose 1-epimerase.

Abstract Aldose 1-epimerase (mutarotase) EC 5.1.3.3. catalyzes the mutarotation of selected pyranose sugars (1). The enzyme has been implicated as a component of the sugar transport system in kidney and intestine (2,3,4). Conventional analytical methods for monitoring catalytic activity involve relatively long, finite-interval polarimetric or spectrophotometric measurements of mutarotation rates employing α- d -glucose as the substrate (5). We have found this method to be somewhat cumbersome and time consuming, as α- d -glucose solutions spontaneously epimerize at rates requiring their individual preparation for each experiment. We report here a kinetic assay method for aldose 1-epimerase based upon fast in situ generation of α- d -glucose employing hydrolysis of sucrose by β-fructofuranosidase and a subsequent reporter reaction involving the aerobic oxidation of β- d -glucose via glucose oxidase. Analytical monitoring of the rate limiting epimerization step in the three-enzyme system is achieved by measurement of oxygen depletion in solution employing a conventional Clark electrode assembly.
Existence–uniqueness and monotone approximation for an erythropoiesis age-structured model

We develop a monotone approximation to the solution of an age-structured model which describes the regulation of erythropoiesis, the process in which red blood cells are developed. The convergence of this approximation to the unique solution of the model is also established.
Modified one-body nuclear dissipation

We study a modification of the one-body dissipation mechanism for the conversion of energy of collective nuclear motion into internal single-particle excitation energy. One-body nuclear dissipation is a consequence of the long mean free path of nucleons inside a nucleus, and arises from nucleons colliding with the moving boundary of the nucleus rather than with other individual nucleons. In our modification, which attempts to incorporate self-consistency, the dissipation rate is proportional to an integral over the nuclear surface of the square of the normal component of the normal derivative of the velocity. The resulting properties of this dissipation are qualitatively similar to those of ordinary two-body viscosity rather than to those of the original one-body dissipation. In particular, for small oscillations about a sphere the dissipation rate increases with increasing multipole degree, and in fission this dissipation leads to more elongated scission shapes and to decreased fission-fragment kinetic energies. By adjusting the parameter that specifies the magnitude of this dissipation, we are able to reproduce adequately the experimental most probable fission-fragment kinetic energies for the fission of nuclei throughout the Periodic Table.