cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Chemical and Biological Weapons and Terrorism

Preface Part 1. Basic Information 1. Chemical Agent and Weapons 2. Biological Agent and Weapon 3. Example of Chemical War in Iran-Iraq War 4. Example of Chemical Terrorism: Sarin Terrorism in Japan 5. Example of Bio-terrorism: Anthrax Terrorism in the U.S. Part 2. Application 6. Detection and Identification of Chemical and Biological Weapons 7. Protection from Chemical and Biological Agents 8. Decontamination of Chemical and Biological Weapons and Terrorism 9. Destruction of Chemical Weapon 10. How to Deal with Terrorism
Sex Influences SAMHD1 Activity and Susceptibility to Human Immunodeficiency Virus-1 in Primary Human Macrophages.

BACKGROUND Macrophages are major targets for HIV-1, contribute to viral propagation in vivo, and are instrumental in the pathogenesis of HAND. While it is known that host sex affects HIV-1 viremia and influences the severity of HIV-1-associated neurocognitive disease, a cellular or molecular basis for these findings remains elusive. METHODS We explored whether sex affects HIV-1 infectivity of primary human macrophages and CD4+ T cells in vitro. RESULTS Macrophages derived from female donors were less susceptible to HIV-1 infection than those derived from males. This sex-dependent difference in macrophage infectivity was independent of the requirement for CD4/CCR5-mediated virus entry and was not observed in CD4+ T cells. Investigations into the mechanism governing these sex-dependent differences revealed that the host restriction factor SAMHD1 exists in a hyperphosphorylated, less active state in male-derived macrophages. In addition, the major kinase responsible for SAMHD1 phosphorylation, CDK1, exhibited lower levels of expression in female-derived macrophages in all tested donor pairs. The sex-dependent differences in viral restriction imposed by SAMHD1 were abrogated upon its depletion. CONCLUSIONS We conclude that SAMHD1 is an essential modulator of infectivity in a sex-dependent manner in macrophages, constituting a novel component of sex differences in innate immune control of HIV-1.
Infection-based chemical screens uncover host–pathogen interactions

Bacterial pathogens must resist host innate immunity to cause disease. While Gram-negative bacteria have a protective outer membrane, this membrane is subject to host-induced damage that makes these pathogens vulnerable. We developed a high content screening platform that identifies compounds that cause the killing of the bacterial pathogen Salmonella enterica in macrophages. This platform enables the rapid discovery of compounds that work in concert with the macrophage to prevent pathogen survival, as most hit compounds are not active in standard microbiological media and are not pro-drugs. We describe within the platform and the compounds it has found, and consider how they may help us discover new ways to fight infection.
Exposure to toxic metals and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances and the risk of preeclampsia and preterm birth in the United States: a review.

Preeclampsia and preterm birth are among the most common pregnancy complications and are the leading causes of maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality in the United States. Adverse pregnancy outcomes are multifactorial in nature and increasing evidence suggests that the pathophysiology behind preterm birth and preeclampsia may be similar—specifically, both of these disorders may involve abnormalities in placental vasculature. A growing body of literature supports that exposure to environmental contaminants in the air, water, soil, and consumer and household products serves as a key factor influencing the development of adverse pregnancy outcomes. In pregnant women, toxic metals have been detected in urine, peripheral blood, nail clippings, and amniotic fluid. The placenta serves as a “gatekeeper” between maternal and fetal exposures, because it can reduce or enhance fetal exposure to various toxicants. Proposed mechanisms underlying toxicant-mediated damage include disrupted placental vasculogenesis, an up-regulated proinflammatory state, oxidative stressors contributing to prostaglandin production and consequent cervical ripening, uterine contractions, and ruptured membranes and epigenetic changes that contribute to disrupted regulation of endocrine and immune system signaling. The objective of this review is to provide an overview of studies examining the relationships between environmental contaminants in the US setting, specifically inorganic (eg, cadmium, arsenic, lead, and mercury) and organic (eg, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) toxicants, and the development of preeclampsia and preterm birth among women in the United States.
What Makes Tangible Incentives Motivating? Development of Justifiability and Social Utility Scales

In two surveys of working adults, the authors develop scales for the latent variables of justifiability and social utility. Statistical analysis shows that the statements developed provide good measurement of these variables. Using these scales will help researchers understand how tangible incentive motivate employees. In addition, firms can use employee responses to these statements to optimize the design and implementation of their incentive programs
Writing Support for International Graduate Students: Enhancing Transition and Success

Writing Support for International Graduate Students: Enhancing Transition and Success by Shyam Sharma is a valuable addition to the Routledge Research in Writing Studies series. In actuality, this volume’s audience is far wider than its title suggests. It includes thoughtful, holistic discussions of the needs of international graduate students to inform practitioners at every institutional level. Researchers in many fields, including composition, second language acquisition, educational policy, and student affairs, will also benefit from the book’s thorough literature review. Sharma’s primary argument is that strong leadership is essential to address the challenges faced by international graduate students.
IRRIGATION ADVISORY SERVICES FOR FARMERS OF PAKISTAN SCIENCE IN SERVICE OF MANKIND

A novel strategy to prevent pancreatic inflammation due to an endoscopic procedure called an ERCP. There is a pressing need to develop effective preventative therapies for post-ERCP pancreatitis (PEP). We recently published that early PEP events are induced through the activation of a calcium-activated phosphatase called calcineurin and that global deletion of calcineurin abolishes PEP in a mouse model. A crucial question is whether calcineurin within the pancreas itself controls the initiation of PEP. We now show, using two complementary genetic approaches, that PEP is dependent on calcineurin produced by the main cells of the pancreas called acinar cells and that calcineurin inhibitor medications, infused within the radiocontrast given during ERCP, can largely prevent PEP. These results provide impetus for launching clinical trials to test the efficacy of this novel delivery of calcineurin inhibitors to prevent PEP.
Free Speech & Abortion: The First Amendment Case Against Compelled Motherhood

The most important lessons are taught by example. Children learn the fundamental values that guide them throughout their lives from the examples set by their parents, especially their mothers. Even before they understand a language, they learn by observing and imitating the actions of their parents. For almost fifty years Roe v Wade guaranteed pregnant women the freedom to determine whether to carry their pregnancy to term. The right to obtain a safe abortion prior to viability is the most significant and controversial aspect of this freedom. The Supreme Court is now poised to overturn what it previously described as the central holding of Roe and allow state governments to restrict abortions prior to viability. If this occurs, it will not be because of an erosion of precedential authority. Instead, it will result from decades of concerted efforts to pack the Supreme Court with Justices who reject the premise that the substantive due process guaranteed by the Fourteenth Amendment limits the power of the states. Whether the Fourteenth Amendment independently restricts the power of states to regulate abortion, however, is not the focus of this essay. Instead, this essay argues that parallel developments in First Amendment law not only reinforce the traditional justification for safeguarding a woman’s freedom to determine whether to continue the course of a pregnancy, but provides an independent justification for subjecting abortion restrictions to heightened judicial scrutiny. Over the past fifty years, Justices that would restrict the Fourteenth Amendment’s role in guaranteeing individual liberty have successfully argued for a greater role for the First Amendment. Government regulation of conduct, especially commercial conduct, previously not recognized as protected speech have increasingly been subject to heightened judicial scrutiny and, in some cases, categorical protection. This essay examines two recent cases, Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Comm. and Sorrell v. IMS Health, Inc., in which the Justices were required to consider whether the First Amendment and its protection of speech applied to conduct that would not traditionally have been considered speech. These cases highlight both the substantive and strategic value of (re)considering the myriad ways in which conduct is expressive or otherwise integral to expression and the nature of judicial review. When applied to abortion, this line of reasoning illuminates the expressive values at stake with pregnancy and childbirth; why abortion restrictions must be carefully scrutinized to ensure that they do in fact promote a legitimate interest in protecting the welfare of mother and child; and to prevent governing majorities from using childbirth to endorse and celebrate moral beliefs that are not shared by the pregnant woman and may be antithetical to her interests and the interests of a child.
Atropine Inhibition of Insulin-, Histamine-, and Pentagastrin-Stimulated Gastric Electrolyte and Pepsin Secretion in the Dog

Atropine (80 µg per kg) was injected intravenously into 9 fistula dogs secreting in response to insulin hypoglycemia, causing immediate (100%) and prolonged (>21½ hr) inhibition. The same dose was given 90 min after the start of a continuous infusion of either pentagastrin (1.5 µg per kg-hr) or histamine (1 mg base per hr). Histamine-stimulated volume output fell by about 30%, and pepsin output fell by 80 ro, but electrolyte composition was largely unchanged, whereas gastrin effects were blocked 75 to 95% and comprised a large drop in volume, as well as decreases in Cl−, H+, and K+ concentrations and a rise in Na+ concentration. Pepsin concentrations were greatly reduced in both, being higher to start with in the pentagastrin experiments. The action of atropine in inhibiting pentagastrin action emphasizes the similarities between the actions of this group of peptides and cholinergic agents.
Temperature-Sensitive Modification and Restriction Phenotypes of an Escherichia coli dnaD Mutant

A mutant of Escherichia coli temperature-sensitive for deoxyribonucleic acid synthesis, dnaD, was found to have temperature-sensitive modification and restriction phenotypes. In contrast to the original observation by Carl (1970), the mutant could support the growth of lambda phage at 41 C. However, the lambda phages thus produced were able to form plaques with normal plating efficiency only on E. coli C, a restriction-less strain, but not on E. coli K. Since the lambda phages produced in the mutant at 30 C could form plaques equally well on both E. coli strains, it was concluded that the dnaD mutant has a temperature-sensitive modification phenotype. Furthermore, since the dnaD mutant allowed some growth of unmodified lambda.C phages at 41 C but less at 30 C, the mutant is also temperature sensitive in restriction. The relationship, if any, between temperature-sensitive deoxyribonucleic acid synthesis and temperature-sensitive modification-restriction in the dnaD mutant is not known. Similar experiments were done with three dnaC mutants and one dnaA mutant. Two dnaC mutants were found to have altered restriction phenotypes at 41 C, but none of the mutants were defective in modification.
NMDA Receptors, Cell Biology and Trafficking

Abstract The N-methyl- d -aspartate (NMDA) receptor is present at the postsynaptic membrane of most glutamatergic synapses and is critical to synaptic function and synaptic plasticity. Recent studies on its cell biology and trafficking have provided important insights into NMDA receptor assembly and synaptic expression. Here, we review the subunit properties of the NMDA receptor, its assembly, and its interaction with other proteins, of which the postsynaptic density-95 (PSD-95) family of postsynaptic density/disc/zonula occludens-1 proteins is particularly important. Interaction with the PSD-95 family is important for delivery of the receptor and its retention at the synapse. The NMDA receptor can be removed from the plasma membrane by clathrin-mediated endocytosis in a subunit-dependent manner, leading to degradation or recycling to the plasma membrane.
Chapter 14 Interactions between the Membrane-Cytoskeleton and CD44 during Lymphocyte Signal Transduction and Cell Adhesion

Publisher Summary This chapter describes the interactions between the membrane–cytoskeleton and CD44 during lymphocyte signal transduction and cell adhesion. CD44 (also called gp90 Hermes ,GP85/Pgp-1, ECMRIII, or H-CAM) is a family of cell-adhesion molecules that are expressed in a variety of cells and tissues. CD44 denotes a family of glycoproteins that are expressed in a variety of cells and tissues derived from hemopoietic, epithelial, endothelial, and mesodermal origins. At the present time, the best-characterized function of CD44 is its ability to mediate both cell adhesion to extracellular matrix (ECM) components such as HA, and homotypic-cell aggregation. Data indicate that HA induces CD44-mediated signal transduction events (e.g., Ca 2+ mobilization and CD44–ankyrin interaction) followed by cell adhesion and proliferation, suggesting that CD44 is involved in an outside-in signaling event during lymphocyte activation. The evidence that posttranslational modification of the CD44 cytoplasmic domain by protein kinase C (PKC), acylation or GTP binding promotes the binding between CD44 and ankyrin suggests that the interaction between these two molecules is tightly regulated.
The Use and Impact of Explicit Instruction about the Nature of Science and Science Inquiry in an Elementary Science Methods Course

Teachers' understanding of the nature of science(NOS) and science inquiry (SI) can be linked to the use of the teaching methods advocated by the currentscience education reforms. The purpose of this study was to describe and evaluate an elementary science methodscourse in which the NOS and SI are embedded and explicitly taught. As a result of the course, incomingconceptions of science as primarily a body of knowledge changed to a more appropriate, blended view of science as abody of knowledge generated through the active application of scientific inquiry.
Interleukin 10 production by human melanoma.

Interleukin 10 (IL-10) has the physiological role of down-regulating cell-mediated immunity. We have recently reported that mRNA for IL-10 was present in most metastatic melanoma tissues. The purpose of this investigation was to determine whether melanoma metastases produce IL-10 protein. Single-cell suspensions were prepared by enzymatic dissociation of 28 lymph node metastases and 7 s.c. metastases and cryopreserved. Of these 35 samples, 30 produced IL-10 after a 24-h incubation (median, 125.1 pg/ml). IL-10 production was slightly diminished after 25 Gy irradiation but almost completely abrogated after modification with the hapten dinitrophenyl. After 7 or 14 days in tissue culture, melanoma cells continued to produce IL-10 but only at about 10% of the levels of freshly dissociated tissues. Moreover, of eight melanoma cell lines established from these cultures, only one produced IL-10 protein. To determine whether IL-10 was produced by melanoma cells or tumor-associated leukocytes, single-cell suspensions were fractionated with anti-CD45 antibody-conjugated magnetic beads. In four of five samples, IL-10 production was increased by depletion of leukocytes, suggesting that the primary source was the melanoma cells themselves. This was confirmed by immunohistochemical staining of cytospin preparations and frozen tissue sections. Finally, 10 of 55 patients with clinically evident metastases showed elevations of circulating IL-10; three patients who had been melanoma-free developed high serum IL-10 levels, concurrent with the appearance of distant metastases. These data indicate that production of IL-10 is characteristic of metastatic melanomas and raise the possibility that this cytokine allows tumors to avoid or to modulate immunological attack.
Genetics and Immunology of Sex-Linked Antigens

Publisher Summary This chapter presents a review of the literature pertaining to an antigen associated with the Y chromosome of the mouse and probably with that of other species as well. In the chapter, the discussions of X-linked antigens are also included because of the possible homology between the X and Y chromosomes and the crossing over that occur between them. Traditionally the term “sex-linked” has been synonymous with “X-linked,” but since a growing number of possible Y-linked traits are being discovered, the term “sex linkage” could imply either X linkage or Y linkage. It is important to stress the fact that the occurrence of a trait in only one sex does not necessarily indicate sex linkage—it only implies sex limitation. Thus, although the Y antigen of mice is clearly a sex-limited trait, its sex-linked status remains somewhat controversial. Other traits are known—e.g., the sex-limited protein (Slp) antigen, which are sex-limited but definitely not sex-linked.
Disaggregation and invasion of ovarian carcinoma ascites spheroids

Malignant ascites often develops in advanced stages of ovarian carcinoma, consisting of single and aggregated tumor cells, or spheroids. Spheroids have commonly been used as tumor models to study drug efficacy, and have shown resistance to some chemotherapies and radiation. However, little is known about the adhesive or invasive capabilities of spheroids, and whether this particular cellular component of the ascites can contribute to dissemination of ovarian cancer. Here, we examined the invasive ability of ascites spheroids recovered from seven ovarian carcinoma patients and one primary peritoneal carcinoma (PPC) patient. Ascites spheroids were isolated from patients, purified, and immunohistochemical analyses were performed by a pathologist to confirm diagnosis. In vitro assays were designed to quantify spheroid disaggregation on a variety of extracellular matrices and dissemination on and invasion into normal human mesothelial cell monolayers. Cell proliferation and viability were determined in each assay, and statistical significance demonstrated by the student's t-test. Spheroids from all of the patients' ascites samples disaggregated on extracellular matrix components, with the PPC spheroids capable of complete disaggregation on type I collagen. Additionally, all of the ascites spheroid samples adhered to and disaggregated on live human mesothelial cell monolayers, typically without invading them. However, the PPC ascites spheroids and one ovarian carcinoma ascites spheroid sample occasionally formed invasive foci in the mesothelial cell monolayers, suggestive of a more invasive phenotype. We present here in vitro assays using ascites spheroids that imitate the spread of ovarian cancer in vivo. Our results suggest that systematic studies of the ascites cellular content are necessary to understand the biology of ovarian carcinoma.
Joint Analyses of Longitudinal and Time-to-Event Data in Research on Aging: Implications for Predicting Health and Survival

Longitudinal data on aging, health and longevity provide a wealth of information to investigate different aspects of the processes of aging and development of diseases leading to death. Statistical methods aimed at analyses of time-to-event data jointly with longitudinal measurements became known as the “joint models” (JM). An important point to consider in analyses of such data in the context of studies on aging, health, and longevity is how to incorporate knowledge and theories about mechanisms and regularities of aging-related changes that accumulate in the research field into respective analytic approaches. In the absence of specific observations of longitudinal dynamics of relevant biomarkers manifesting such mechanisms and regularities, traditional approaches have a rather limited utility to estimate respective parameters that can be meaningfully interpreted from the biological point of view. A conceptual analytic framework for these purposes, the stochastic process model of aging (SPM), has been recently developed in the biodemographic literature. It incorporates available knowledge about mechanisms of aging-related changes which may be hidden in the individual longitudinal trajectories of physiological variables and this allows for analyzing their indirect impact on risks of diseases and death. Despite, essentially, serving similar purposes, JM and SPM developed in parallel in different disciplines with very limited cross-referencing. Although there were several publications separately reviewing these two approaches, there were no publications presenting both these approaches in some detail. Here we overview both approaches jointly and provide some new modifications of SPM. We discuss the use of stochastic processes to capture biological variation and heterogeneity in longitudinal patterns and important and promising (but still largely underused) applications of JM and SPM to predictions of individual and population mortality and health-related outcomes.
Invariant tori through direct solution of the Hamilton-Jacobi equation

Abstract We explore a method to compute invariant tori in phase space for classical non-integrable Hamiltonian systems. The procedure is to solve the Hamilton-Jacobi equation stated as a system of equations for Fourier coefficients of the generating function. The system is truncated to a finite number of Fourier modes and solved numerically by Newton's method. The resulting canonical transformation serves to reduce greatly the non-integrable part of the Hamiltonian. Successive transformations computed on progressively larger mode sets would lead to exact invariant tori, according to the argument of Kolmogorov, Arnol'd, and Moser (KAM). The procedure accelerates the original KAM algorithm since each truncated Hamilton-Jacobi equation is solved accurately, rather than in lowest order. In examples studied to date the convergence properties of the method are excellent. One can include enough modes at the first stage to get accurate results with only one canonical transformation. The method is effective even on the borders of chaotic regions and on the separatrices of isolated broad resonances. We propose a criterion for the transition to chaos and verify its utility in an example with 1 1 2 degrees of freedom. We anticipate that the criterion will be useful as well in systems of higher dimension.
Membership-based multiprotocol MR brain image segmentation

A simple,non-iterative,membership-based method for multiprotocol brain magnetic resonance image segmentation has been developed. The intensity in homogeneity correction and MR intensity standardization techniques are used first to make the MR image intensities have a tissue-specific meaning. The mean intensity vector and covariance matrix of each brain tissue are then estimated and fixed. Vectorial scale-based fuzzy connectedness and certain morphological operations are utilized to geernate the brain intracranial mask. The fuzzy membership value of each voxel for each brain tissue is then estimated within the intracranial mask via a multivariate Gaussian model. Finally, a maximum likelihood criterion with spatial constraints taken into account is utilized in classifying all voxels in the intracranial mask into gray matter, white matter, and cerebrospinal fluid. This method has been tested on 10 clinical MR data sets. These tests and a comparison with the method of C-means and fuzzy C-means clustering indicated the effectiveness of the method.
Playful Aggression in Early Childhood Settings

Aggressive behaviour, more often observed in young boys, is a relatively common factor of sociodramatic play recognised in literature to be beneficial for child development. While educators are often uncomfortable with this form of play, it may be argued that the omission of aggressive play in early childhood programmes fosters the underdevelopment of social, emotional, physical, cognitive and communicative abilities in young children. This is particularly relevant for preschool-aged boys because they engage in aggressive sociodramatic play more often than girls. This article serves to clarify definitions of serious aggression and playful aggression, conceptualise the importance of various forms of sociodramatic play in child development, and provide strategies for educators when confronted with aggressive sociodramatic play in their classrooms.
Low-Density Lipoprotein Lowering Does Not Improve Calf Muscle Perfusion, Energetics, or Exercise Performance in Peripheral Arterial Disease

Objectives We hypothesized that low-density lipoprotein (LDL) reduction regardless of mechanism would improve calf muscle perfusion, energetics, or walking performance in peripheral arterial disease (PAD) as measured by magnetic resonance imaging and magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Background Statins improve cardiovascular outcome in PAD, and some studies suggest improved walking performance. Methods Sixty-eight patients with mild to moderate symptomatic PAD (age 65 ± 11 years; ankle-brachial index [ABI] 0.69 ± 0.14) were studied at baseline and annually for 2 years after beginning simvastatin 40 mg (n = 20) or simvastatin 40 mg/ezetimibe 10 mg (n = 18) if statin naive, or ezetimibe 10 mg (n = 30) if taking a statin. Phosphocreatine recovery time was measured by 31P magnetic resonance spectroscopy immediately after symptom-limited calf exercise on a 1.5-T scanner. Calf perfusion was measured using first-pass contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging with 0.1 mM/kg gadolinium at peak exercise. Gadolinium-enhanced magnetic resonance angiography was graded. A 6-min walk and a standardized graded Skinner-Gardner exercise treadmill test with peak V o 2 were performed. A repeated-measures model compared changes over time. Results LDL reduction from baseline to year 2 was greater in the simvastatin 40 mg/ezetimibe 10 mg group (116 ± 42 mg/dl to 56 ± 21 mg/dl) than in the simvastatin 40 mg group (129 ± 40 mg/dl to 90 ± 30 mg/dl, p Conclusions Despite effective LDL reduction in PAD, neither tissue perfusion, metabolism, nor exercise parameters improved, although rest ABI did. Thus, LDL lowering does not improve calf muscle physiology or functional capacity in PAD. (Comprehensive Magnetic Resonance of Peripheral Arterial Disease; NCT00587678 )
Dementia, prognosis, and the needs of patients and caregivers.

According to a study in this issue, Alzheimer disease halves life expectancy at the time of diagnosis. This study can help patients, caregivers, and clinicians to set priorities within their respec...
STIMULATION OF GLYCOGENOLYSIS IN RAT CAUDATE NUCLEUS SLICES BY L-ISOPROPYLNOREPINEPHERINE, DIBUTYRYL CYCLIC AMP AND 2-CHLOROADENOSINE

— Dopamine (DA), L-isopropylnorepinepherine (IPNE), 2-chloroadenosine (2-Cl-Ado), 3-isobutyl, I-methylxanthine (IBMX) and N6,O2′-dibutyryl cyclic AMP have been investigated for their effects on glycogen levels in rat caudate nucleus slices. Incubation of slices with 1 mM-dibutyryl cyclic AMP, or with 50 μM-IPNE in the presence of 1mM-IBMX, or with 5-500 μM-2-Cl-Ado reduced glycogen levels to about 50% of control. Incubation of slices with 1 mM-IBMX alone, or with 50μM-IPNE alone, or with 50μM-DA either alone or in the presence of 1 mM-IBMX was without significant effect on glycogen levels. The effect of IPNE + IBMX was completely abolished by the prior addition of 10 μM-propranolol. The effect of 10 μM-2-Cl-Ado was not effectively prevented by either 100 μM-theophylline or 100 μM-cordycepin. The results indicate that the β-adrenergic adenylate cyclase in the rat caudate nucleus plays a role in the regulation of glycogen metabolism, while the DA-stimulated adenylate cyclase is not significantly involved. The 2-Cl-Ado-stimulated adenylate cyclase may be involved in the control of glycogen metabolism, but other mechanisms for the 2-CI-Ado action, such as interference with allosteric regulatory sites on glycogen phosphorylase, have not been ruled out.
Application of Real-Time Image Distortion Compensation to a Firearm Simulation Environment

Pointing tasks frequently require highly accurate tracking of the user’s point of aim. An example is tracking the aim of a user within a video game environment, or calculating the orientation of a mobile robot using data from an onboard camera. Many current methods for tracking user aim are not very accurate, and only capable of tracking relative motions of the pointer. Recognizing this, a system for interacting with a visually projected firearm target practice simulation is presented. An invisible laser is mounted on a training firearm and pointed at a video projection screen. The location of the laser dot on the projector screen is tracked by a camera. Several non-parametric error correction techniques are used to compensate for the distortion of the resulting image in real time and allow for accurate tracking of the dot location. Several targets are generated, and the user engages them by aiming along the standard weapon sights and pulling the trigger. The accuracy of system is evaluated by aiming the weapon at several points not used in the error correction process, and averaging the error between the calculated and actual aimpoints at these locations. This metric shows that the system produces an average normalized error of 0.0013 across the projected field, which corresponds to an aiming error of 3.4 inches at 100 yards.© 2010 ASME
A Comparative Study of Molecular Characteristics of Diffuse Large B-cell Lymphoma from Patients with and without Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infection

Purpose: HIV-related diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) may be biologically different from DLBCL in the general population. We compared, by HIV status, the expression and prognostic significance of selected oncogenic markers in DLBCL diagnosed at Kaiser Permanente in California, between 1996 and 2007. Experimental Design: Eighty HIV-infected DLBCL patients were 1:1 matched to 80 HIV-uninfected DLBCL patients by age, gender, and race. Twenty-three markers in the following categories were examined using IHC: (i) cell-cycle regulators, (ii) B-cell activators, (iii) antiapoptotic proteins, and (iv) others, such as IgM. Tumor marker expression was compared across HIV infection status by Fisher exact test. For markers differentially expressed in HIV-related DLBCL, logistic regression was used to evaluate the association between tumor marker expression and 2-year overall mortality, adjusting for International Prognostic Index, cell-of-origin phenotype, and DLBCL morphologic variants. Results: Expression of cMYC (% positive in HIV-related and -unrelated DLBCL: 64% vs. 32%), BCL6 (45% vs. 10%), PKC-β2 (61% vs. 4%), MUM1 (59% vs. 14%), and CD44 (87% vs. 56%) was significantly elevated in HIV-related DLBCLs, whereas expression of p27 (39% vs. 75%) was significantly reduced. Of these, cMYC expression was independently associated with increased 2-year mortality in HIV-infected patients [relative risk = 3.09 (0.90–10.55)] in multivariable logistic regression. Conclusions: These results suggest that HIV-related DLBCL pathogenesis more frequently involves cMYC and BCL6 among other factors. In particular, cMYC-mediated pathogenesis may partly explain the more aggressive clinical course of DLBCL in HIV-infected patients. Clin Cancer Res; 21(6); 1429–37. ©2015 AACR .
Exchange and Reciprocity in International Negotiations

Although international relations often involves a trade of favors or services, political scientists have not often used exchange theory. Social exchange is motivated by the prospect of mutual gain. The exercise of power entails exchange of needed resources for compliance with the influencer's wishes. The timing of repayment and explicitness of obligation are important dimensions of exchange that vary by issue area and relationship. In sequential exchange, the party that moves first risks being exploited and must therefore trust the other. The parties to an exchange may either leave open or specify what the other should do in return. Reciprocity refers to exchanges which are mutual and perceived by the parties as fair. It is difficult to determine whether exchanges are reciprocal without a common measure of value. Norms and customary expectations determine what is considered fair when there is no standardized measure of value. In negotiations, there are several competing principles of justice. Reciprocity requires that concessions be matched; it does not mean that their magnitude must be equal.
User modeling for flexible inference control and its relevance to decision-making in economics and management

Controlling the order of inference is an important issue for knowledge-based systems in economics and management. Separate from this issue, there is a recent spur on user modeling. In this paper, we establish the connection between these two issues. We investigate the need for flexible control of inference from the perspective of user modelling, and outline the approaches to realize this kind of connection.
The magnitude of concurrent psychiatric disorders in hospitalized substance abusing adolescents

Data regarding the concomitant occurrence of substance abuse and other psychiatric disorders in an inpatient treatment program for adolescents is presented. Comparison with three other similar studies reveals that conduct and mood disorders appear to be the most prevalent concurrent diagnoses of inpatient adolescent substance abusers.
The high temperature deformation in cyclic loading of a single crystal nickel-base superalloy

The high temperature cyclic stress softening response of the single crystal nickel-base superalloy PWA 1480 was investigated. Specimens oriented near the 001- and 111-lines were tested at 1050 C in low-cycle fatigue and then microstructurally evaluated. The 001- and 111-line specimens had dissimilar flow behavior in monotonic tensile tests, but comparable softening in low-cycle fatigue. This softening was accompanied by rapid generation of dislocation networks at the gamma-gamma-prime interfaces and by a slower time-dependent coarsening of gamma-prime precipitates. Due to the rapid formation of a dislocation substructure at the gamma-gamma-prime interfaces, the cyclic stress softening could be modeled with an existing theory which related cyclic stress to the evolving microstructure and dislocation structure.
Tumor-derived Fas ligand induces toxicity in lymphoid organs and plays an important role in successful chemotherapy.

Recent studies have suggested that Fas ligand (FasL+) tumor cells can induce apoptosis in Fas+ T cells. However, the effect of growth of FasL+ tumors in vivo, on lymphoid tissues of the host is not clear and therefore was the subject of this investigation. Injection of FasL+ LSA tumor caused a significant decrease in cellularity of the thymus and spleen, resulting from marked apoptosis, in syngeneic C57BL/6+/+ (wild-type) but not C57BL/6-lpr/lpr (Fas-deficient) mice. The tumor-induced toxicity resulted from tumor-derived rather than host-derived FasL, inasmuch as LSA tumor growth in C57BL/6-gld/gld (FasL-defective) mice, induced marked apoptosis and toxicity in the thymus and spleen. The LSA tumor growth induced a significant decrease in the percentage of CD4+CD8+ T cells in the thymus of C57BL/6+/+ mice and an increase in the percentage of CD4+, CD8+ and CD4−CD8− T cells. Of the four subpopulations tested, the CD4+CD8+ T cells showed maximum apoptosis. The LSA (FasL+) but not P815(FasL−) tumor cell lysates and culture supernatants induced marked apoptosis in Fas+ thymocytes, when tested both in vitro and in vivo. The LSA-tumor-induced apoptosis in vitro was inhibited by antibodies against FasL or by caspase and other inhibitors of apoptosis. Chemotherapy of LSA-tumor-bearing C57BL/6+/+ mice at advanced stages of tumor growth failed to cure the mice, whereas, more than 80% of LSA-tumor-bearing C57BL/6-lpr/lpr mice, similarly treated, survived. Together, the current study demonstrates that FasL produced by LSA tumor cells is functional in vivo and can cause severe toxicity in lymphoid organs of the host. Also, Fas/FasL interactions may play an important role in the successful chemotherapy of FasL-bearing tumor.
Frictionless indentation by a rigid wedge: The effect of tangential displacements in the contact zone

Abstract Recent dynamic analyses of frictionless rigid indentation on linearly elastic half-planes assume that the tangential displacement of half-plane points in contact with the indentor is negligible. This assumption is used as a justification for denning the contact zone size, although not known in advance, on the undeformed half-plane, and for uncoupling the tangential and normal displacements in the contact zone. This article examines the validity of this assumption for the symmetric wedge with a constant indentation speed and a contact zone which, as denned on the undeformed half-plane, extends at a constant subcritical rate. Both the coupled and uncoupled solutions are obtained analytically and compared. The difference between the half-plane size defined on the undeformed half-plane and its size on the deformed half-plane may actually be greater for the uncoupled solution. Moreover, the coupled solution does not exhibit the wedge apex stress singularities found for the uncoupled solution.
Comparing methods to identify hip fracture in a nursing home population using Medicare claims

Summary The inpatient principal diagnosis in Medicare claims identified 96% of hip fractures in hospitalized nursing home residents with high rates of confirmation by other claims files.
Looking for Cosmic Neutrino Background

Since the discovery of neutrino oscillation in atmospheric neutrinos by the Super-Kamiokande experiment in 1998, study of neutrinos has been one of exciting fields in high-energy physics. All the mixing angles were measured. Quests for 1) measurements of the remaining parameters, the lightest neutrino mass, the CP violating phase(s), and the sign of mass splitting between the mass eigenstates m3 and m1, and 2) better measurements to determine whether the mixing angle theta23 is less than pi/4, are in progress in a well-controlled manner. Determining the nature of neutrinos, whether they are Dirac or Majorana particles is also in progress with continuous improvement. On the other hand, although the ideas of detecting cosmic neutrino background have been discussed since 1960s, there has not been a serious concerted effort to achieve this goal. One of the reasons is that it is extremely difficult to detect such low energy neutrinos from the Big Bang. While there has been tremendous accumulation of information on Cosmic Microwave Background since its discovery in 1965, there is no direct evidence for Cosmic Neutrino Background. The importance of detecting Cosmic Neutrino Background is that, although detailed studies of Big Bang Nucleosynthesis and Cosmic Microwave Background give information of the early Universe at ~a few minutes old and ~300 k years old, respectively, observation of Cosmic Neutrino Background allows us to study the early Universe at $\sim$ 1 sec old. This article reviews progress made in the past 50 years on detection methods of Cosmic Neutrino Background.
Nanowelding: tip response during STM modification of Au surfaces

Abstract We have studied the response of the tunnel current and the feedback circuit during surface modification by an STM tip. Our studies show that several classes of events occur when “writing” by applying voltage pulses. We have studied W and Au tips on Au surfaces and PtRh tips on Pt surfaces. Strong correlation is found between the tunnel current response and the kind of surface change that occurs. One dramatic discovery is the formation of a wire between the tip and surface, which is characterized by an electrical shorting of the tip to the surface until the feedback circuit of the tip retracts enough to break the wire. Using a sophisticated graphics display system and allowing pulse placement by pointing at the desired location, we are able to distinguish easily between changes in surface morphology and changes in tip shape and length.
"Before God This Was Their Country" : history and guilt in Stuart Cloete's Turning Wheels and the Voortrekker Monument

This epigraph from the opening of Stuart Cloete's 1937 novel Turning Wheels, about the Great Trek, the 1830s migration of Afrikaners into the interior of South Africa, illustrates the literary paradox that the novel embodies. Turning Wheels describes the Great Trek in romantic, even loving terms, yet it was banned in South Africa by descendants of the trekkers who themselves frequently romanticized the Trek. While initially merely curious, this paradox ultimately provides insight into the nationalist project of twentieth-century white South Africa, and into the role of literature and representation in that project.
Contribution of ribosomal residues to P-site tRNA binding

Structural studies have revealed multiple contacts between the ribosomal P site and tRNA, but how these contacts contribute to P-tRNA binding remains unclear. In this study, the effects of ribosomal mutations on the dissociation rate (k(off)) of various tRNAs from the P site were measured. Mutation of the 30S P site destabilized tRNAs to various degrees, depending on the mutation and the species of tRNA. These data support the idea that ribosome-tRNA interactions are idiosyncratically tuned to ensure stable binding of all tRNA species. Unlike deacylated elongator tRNAs, N-acetyl-aminoacyl-tRNAs and tRNA(fMet) dissociated from the P site at a similar low rate, even in the presence of various P-site mutations. These data provide evidence for a stability threshold for P-tRNA binding and suggest that ribosome-tRNA(fMet) interactions are uniquely tuned for tight binding. The effects of 16S rRNA mutation G1338U were suppressed by 50S E-site mutation C2394A, suggesting that G1338 is particularly important for stabilizing tRNA in the P/E site. Finally, mutation C2394A or the presence of an N-acetyl-aminoacyl group slowed the association rate (k(on)) of tRNA dramatically, suggesting that deacylated tRNA binds the P site of the ribosome via the E site.
Melanocortin-4 receptor activation promotes insulin-stimulated mTOR signaling

The melanocortin signaling system is integral in regulating energy homeostasis. The melanocortin-4 receptor (MC4R) activates several signaling pathways in performance of this function. The effect of MC4R on insulin-stimulated mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), a cellular energy sensor, signaling was investigated. The GT1-1 cell line which expresses MC4R expression was utilized. mTOR signaling was measured by Western blotting analysis using Phospho-mTOR (Ser2448) antibody. NDP-MSH dose-dependently enhanced insulin-stimulated mTOR phosphorylation. The MC4R antagonist SHU9119 blocked this effect, demonstrating specificity. The protein kinase A - cyclic AMP pathway and the MAP kinase pathway were not involved in NDP-MSH actions on insulin-stimulated mTOR phosphorylation. In contrast, the AMP-activated protein kinase agonist, AICAR, attenuated this effect. MC4R activation potentiates insulin-stimulated mTOR signaling via the AMPK pathway.
Creating the One-Shot Library Workshop: A Step-by-Step Guide

Many librarians are thrust into the role of instructors and instructional designers without much preparation for the job. Library workshops are largely designed merely based on personal assumptions...
Estimating voxel volume fractions of trabecular bone on the basis of magnetic resonance images acquired in vivo

A method is described for extracting information from images acquired in the limited spatial resolution regime in which the structures to be identified are smaller than the image voxel size. Under these conditions and in the presence of noise, the voxel intensity histogram is monomodal; therefore, segmenting the image with an intensity threshold is inaccurate. The present method, which is applicable to two-phase materials of discrete intensity, relies on iterative deconvolution to obtain a noiseless histogram. A noiseless image is then generated on the basis of the noiseless histogram and the unprocessed image. In the current work, the method is referred to as bone volume fraction (BVF) mapping, since it has been applied to determine the spatial distribution of trabecular bone. BVF computed from maps generated on the basis of in vivo magnetic resonance images of the human radius has been shown to compare well with bone mineral density (R2 = 0.8). The accuracy and precision of BVF measurements have been further evaluated by using a BVF map of the radius as a gold standard and then adding different levels of noise to generate test images. The results suggest that the error in BVF is 8. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Int J Imaging Syst Technol, 10, 186–198, 1999
A User-centered Approach to Context-awareness in Mobile Computing

Context-aware computing is aimed to make mobile devices smarter by giving them the ability to recognize and interpret the surrounding environment and react proactively and intelligently. However, the development and deployment of context-aware mobile artifacts are still at their infancy, with few theories and little empirical evidence about how to develop an effective context-aware mobile application. In this article, we propose a user-centered approach for obtaining and parsing context, driven by users' context of interest that offers more interactive and construed context to users. We seek to reduce the complexity of the traditional sensor-based infrastructure context acquisition and interpretation, by leveraging the natural dialogue between the users and their mobile devices. Hence, emphasize the value of such dialogue over the users' ordinary situational- context to gradually build their own context and context- awareness profiles. We present a conceptual framework for our approach, and illustrate the usage of this framework through applied scenarios.
Gossypol inhibits estrogen binding to rat/-fetoprotein

Abstract We find that gossypol, a male anti-fertility compound, is a reversible competitive inhibitor of estrogen binding to rat α-fetoprotein (AFP). The K d of gossypol for rat AFP is 1.75 μM, which is similar to gossypol's affinity for lactate dehydrogenase isozyme X, the putative site where gossypol exerts its anti-fertility effects. Reacting sodium cyanoborohydride with gossypol reduces its affinity for AFP, showing that intact aldehyde groups on gossypol are important for binding to rat AFP and indicating that gossypol is specifically interacting with a nucleophilic site on AFP that influences estrogen binding.
Effect of exchange on charge density waves in layered compounds

Abstract The first-order (exchange) correction π1(q) to the static polarizability of an interacting two-dimensional electron gas is calculated numerically, and is found to be sharply peaked at q=2kF. An estimate of the magnitude of this correction in metallic layered compounds shows that the exchange enhancement of the polarizability is comparable to the band structure enhancement. Exchange and correlation therefore play an important role in the charge density wave instabilities observed in these compounds.