cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Gas phase nanofication: A strategy to impart fast response in sensors

Sensing mechanism is predominantly surface-dominated. Benign surface features in terms of small grain size, large surface area, high aspect ratio, and open and connected porosity are required to realize a successful sensor material. Such morphological artefacts could be incorporated in a number of promising semiconducting oxide-based gas sensors by employing a technique based on the thermodynamics of metal/metal oxide coexistence. By modulating the equilibrium oxygen partial pressure across the metal/metal oxide proximity line, renewed formulation and growth of an oxide surface on an atomic/submolecular level endowed with exotic morphology under oxygen ‘deprivation’ or ‘enrichment’ has been achieved in a number of potential ceramic sensor systems. In the case of oxides that are not amenable to such classical oxygen modulation, alternative techniques do exist. In such cases, a novel high temperature reductive etch process (HiTREP©) could be exploited to re-create the smart nanofeatures imparting the desired response accentuation effect. The microscopic results of these strategies as applied to the oxides of molybdenum, tungsten and titanium made via low-cost, thick-film fabrication and their effect on the sensing characteristics are discussed.
Assessment of the CTCF Binding Sites and Repeat-Positions Upstream the Human H19 Gene

The human H19 and IGF2 genes share an Imprinting Control Region (ICR) that regulates gene expression in a parent-of-origin dependent manner. Understanding of the ICR sequence organization is critical to accurate localization of disease-associated abnormalities including Beckwith-Wiedemann and Silver-Russell syndromes. Previous studies established that the ICR of the H19 - IGF2 imprinted domain included several repeated DNA segments. Using BLAST, BLAT, and Clustal Omega, I conducted detailed sequence comparisons to evaluate the annotation of the unique-repeats upstream of the H19 transcription start site (TSS) and to investigate the extent of similarities among the various repeats. Initial analyses confirmed the existence of two DNA segments consisting of two types of repeats (A and B). However, I find that one of the repeats (B7) is unlikely to be a partial repeat. I provide the genomic positions of the various repeats in the build hg19 of the human genome. I also evaluated the previously predicted CTCF sites (1 to 7) in the context of the ENCODE data: including the positions of DNase I HS clusters and results of ChIP assays. My evaluations did not support the existence of CTCF site 5. Furthermore, the ENCODE data revealed a previously unknown chromatin boundary (consisting of CTCF, RAD21, and SMC3), in a CpG island (CpG27) between the A1 repeat and the H19 TSS. Furthermore, a sequence within this boundary corresponds to a newly discovered CTCF site (I named it CTCF site 8). My discovery of this chromatin boundary in CpG27 entails mechanistic implications.
Threats to Belonging among Breast Cancer Survivors: Consequences for Mental and Physical Health

This review summarizes research linking loneliness and low perceived social support, two threats to belonging, to mental and physical health among breast cancer survivors. We also highlight similarities with research using non-cancer populations. Loneliness and low perceived social support are common complaints among breast cancer survivors. Both loneliness and low perceived social support are linked to higher pain, depression, and fatigue, along with worse cognitive function among breast cancer survivors during survivorship. In addition, survivors perceiving lower social support have lower breast cancer-specific and all-cause survival rates relative to those perceiving more support. Loneliness and a lack of perceived social support threaten the need to belong and thus increase risk for mental and physical health problems among breast cancer survivors. These findings mirror research examining belonging threats and health among people without a history of cancer.
Performance of the 2015 US Preventive Services Task Force Screening Criteria for Prediabetes and Undiagnosed Diabetes.

In 2015, The US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommended screening for prediabetes and undiagnosed diabetes (collectively called dysglycemia) among adults aged 40–70 years with overweight or obesity. The recommendation suggests that clinicians consider screening earlier in people who have other diabetes risk factors. To compare the performance of limited and expanded screening criteria recommended by the USPSTF for detecting dysglycemia among US adults. Cross-sectional analysis of survey and laboratory data collected from nationally representative samples of the civilian, noninstitutionalized US adult population. A total of 3643 adults without diagnosed diabetes who underwent measurement of hemoglobin A1c (A1c), fasting plasma glucose (FPG), and 2-h plasma glucose (2-h PG). Screening eligibility according to the limited criteria was based on age 40 to 70 years old and overweight/obesity. Screening eligibility according to the expanded criteria was determined by meeting the limited criteria or having ≥ 1 of the following risk factors: family history of diabetes, history of gestational diabetes or polycystic ovarian syndrome, and non-white race/ethnicity. Dysglycemia was defined by A1c ≥ 5.7%, FPG ≥ 100 mg/dL, and/or 2-h PG ≥ 140 mg/dL. Among the US adult population without diagnosed diabetes, 49.7% had dysglycemia. Screening based on the limited criteria demonstrated a sensitivity of 47.3% (95% CI, 44.7–50.0%) and specificity of 71.4% (95% CI, 67.3–75.2%). The expanded criteria yielded higher sensitivity [76.8% (95% CI, 73.5–79.8%)] and lower specificity [33.8% (95% CI, 30.1–37.7%)]. Point estimates for the sensitivity of the limited criteria were lower in all minority groups and significantly different for Asians compared to non-Hispanic whites [29.9% (95% CI, 23.4–37.2%) vs. 49.8% (95% CI, 45.9–53.7%); P < .001]. Diabetes screening that follows the limited USPSTF criteria will identify approximately half of US adults with dysglycemia. Screening other high-risk subgroups defined in the USPSTF recommendation would improve detection of dysglycemia and may reduce associated racial/ethnic disparities.
Linear Spaces and Transformations

Chapter 2 surveys material on linear or vector spaces, and introduces the idea of a linear transformation between vector spaces, and shows how a linear transformation can be represented by a matrix. We also prove the dimension theorem, which shows how a linear transformation can be represented in a simple form, given by its kernel and image. We also introduce the notion of an eigenvalue and eigenvector of a matrix.
Killing Jesus, A History by Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard

O'Reilly, Bill and Martin Dugard. Killing Jesus, A History . New York: Henry Holt and Co., 2013. Review by A. J. Abraham.
A Broad and Dynamic Partnership: Minnesota’s Children, Youth and Family Consortium

In Minnesota, university researchers, community leaders, concerned citizens and local media are working together to sow “seeds of promise” in the lives of children and families. Building on the University of Minnesota’s groundbreaking research on risk and resilience, the Children, Youth & Family Consortium (CYFC) joined forces with a major Twin Cities newspaper and a local network television affiliate to deepen public understanding of the factors that enable children to thrive and succeed, even in the face of high risk circumstances. The Star Tribune contributed nearly a full page in each of four Sunday editions of their paper for op-ed pieces written to educate and motivate readers as to how they can make a difference for children in their communities. On the Monday evening following each of the newspaper pieces, the local CBS affiliate telecast a related summary of key research findings and an engaging family story that brought the research to life. Readers and viewers then were invited to study a more detailed photo-journalistic report and to use it as a starting point for considering how they could become activists for the well-being of children and families in their own communities. Seeds of Promise reports continue to be used by individuals and community groups around the state—and around the country—as they seek direction for building strong, supportive networks for their children.
State of the Art: Lucké Renal Adenocarcinoma

Amphibians are subject to the same range of neoplasms found in higher vertebrates; renal adenocarcinomas, lymphomas, lymphosarcomas, plasmacytomas and melanomas are among those which have been described. The Lucke tumor, a renal adenocarcinoma of the leopard frog, Rana pipiens, is undoubtedly the best understood of these cold-blooded tumors. This transmissable tumor has become the subject of increasingly intensified interest because of recent significant contributions to an understanding of its suspected viral etiology.
Enzymatic conversion of 16-hydroxypalmitic acid into 10,16-dihydroxypalmitic acid in Vicia faba epidermal extracts.

Abstract A cell-free system prepared from epidermal extracts of young Vicia faba leaves catalyzed conversion of 16-hydroxypalmitic acid into 10,16-dihydroxypalmitic acid. The enzymatic product was identified by radio gas chromatographic analysis of its chromic acid oxidation products. The cofactors for the C-10 hydroxylation were ATP, CoA, NADPH and O2 and the pH optimum was near 7.3. This mixed function oxidase type enzyme is novel in that it catalyzed hydroxylation in the middle of a saturated fatty chain of an activated fatty acid and this is a key reaction involved in the biosynthesis of cutin.
A New Workflow to Assess Emplacement Duration and Melt Residence Time of Compositionally Diverse Magmas Emplaced in a Sub-volcanic Reservoir

Construction durations of magma reservoirs are commonly inferred from U–Pb zircon geochronology using various statistical methods to interpret zircon U–Pb age spectra (e.g. weighted mean ages of concordant zircon populations). However, in compositionally different magmas, zircon saturation and crystallization are predicted to occur at different times relative to other mineral phases and the geological event of interest; for instance, magma emplacement. The timescales of these processes can be predicted by numerical modeling and measured using U–Pb zircon thermal ionization mass spectrometry (TIMS) geochronology, therefore creating an opportunity to quantify magma emplacement in space and time to constrain the size and longevity of magma reservoirs during pluton construction. The Jurassic tilted, bimodal (gabbroic and granitic) Guadalupe igneous complex (GIC) in the Sierra Nevada arc presents an exceptional opportunity to study the construction duration of a shallow (1–10 km) magma reservoir comprising multiple magma batches. We present a new workflow to constrain emplacement ages from zircon geochronology of compositionally different magma batches and evaluate melt-present timescales. High-precision U–Pb chemical ablation isotope dilution (CA-ID)-TIMS zircon ages are combined with MELTS modeling to calculate zircon saturation ages for each dated sample. Bayesian statistics are then used to compare calculated zircon saturation distributions with zircon age distributions from TIMS data to predict time, temperature, and melt fraction at zircon saturation and solidus. In addition, we use mineral thermometry and cooling rate calculations to relate zircon saturation ages to emplacement ages for felsic and mafic rocks, resulting in a best estimate for the total construction duration of 295 ± 110 kyr for the GIC. Rhyolites exposed at the top of the GIC are ∼2–3 Myr older and thus not part of the same magmatic system. The good agreement between Ti-in-zircon crystallization temperatures and calculated zircon saturation temperatures by MELTS implies that bulk-rock compositions of both mafic and felsic rocks are close to liquid compositions. Mafic and felsic magmas experienced extensive mingling at the emplacement level in a magma chamber (which, as defined here, has temperatures above the solidus of the respective rock composition) encompassing ∼60% of the exposed map area of the complex shortly after construction. Melt was present within the system for a total duration of ∼550 kyr as constrained by two-dimensional thermal finite-difference modeling using an incremental growth and sill emplacement model. The construction and melt-present timescales calculated in this study for the shallow GIC have implications for the potential of in situ differentiation, mixing and mingling timescales and eruption in shallow magmatic systems.
Brucella neotomae recapitulates attributes of zoonotic human disease in a murine infection model

Members of the genus Brucella are Gram-negative pathogens that cause chronic systemic infection in farm animals and zoonotic infection in humans. Study of the genus Brucella has been hindered by the need for biosafety level 3 select agent containment. Brucella neotomae, originally isolated from the desert pack rat, presented an opportunity to develop an alternative, non-select agent experimental model. Our prior in vitro work indicated that the cell biology and type IV secretion system (T4SS) dependence of B. neotomae intracellular replication were similar to observations for human-pathogenic select agent Brucella species. Therefore, here, we investigated the pathobiology of B. neotomae infection in the BALB/c mouse. During a sustained infectious course, B. neotomae replicated and persisted in reticuloendothelial organs. Bioluminescent imaging and histopathological and PCR-based analysis demonstrated that the T4SS contributed to efficient early infection of the liver, spleen, and lymph nodes; granuloma formation and hepatosplenomegaly; and early induction of Th1-associated cytokine gene expression. The infectious course and pathologies in the murine model showed similarity to prior observations of primate and native host infection with zoonotic Brucella species. Therefore, the B. neotomae BALB/c infection model offers a promising system to accelerate and complement experimental work in the genus Brucella.
"Complementary Medicine": Complementary and Alternative Health Approaches in Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology

Complementary and alternative health care approaches are prevalent in the patients and families served by practitioners in pediatric and adolescent gynecology. This article addresses gaps in knowledge, including new terminology, prevalence of use, rates of and reasons behind nondisclosure, and potential interactions of herbal products with prescribed medication. It closes with practical complementary health approaches to the adolescent with dysmenorrhea.
Health and establishment of highway plantings in Florida (United States)

Urban tree planting initiatives can experience high levels of mortality during establishment years. Mortality tied to the stresses of transplanting can be partially negated or exacerbated depending on the species selected, nursery materials used, site conditions present, and management practices employed. Past research has quantified post-planting survival, health, and growth. However, varying climates, species, land use types, and management practices warrant additional region-specific research. The purpose of this study is to assess the success of plantings along Florida highways and identify species, site, and management factors related to tree and palm health and establishment. Results show high establishment survival (98.5%) across 21 planting projects ranging from 9 to 58 months after installation (n = 2711). For transplanted palms, the presence of on-site irrigation significantly improved establishment from 96.2% to 99.4%. No establishment differences were detected with regard to irrigation treatment for small-stature trees, shade trees, and conifers. Additionally, there were significant differences in tree health response among tree groups given species, management, and site factors.
Toward praxically-just transformations: interrupting racism in teacher education

Recognising the importance of learning from experience, this mixed methods study critically problematises how teacher educators position student teaching as pivotal in teacher education programmes’...
Do place cells dream of conditional probabilities? Learning Neural Nyström representations.

We posit that hippocampal place cells encode information about future locations under a transition distribution observed as an agent explores a given (physical or conceptual) space. The encoding of information about the current location, usually associated with place cells, then emerges as a necessary step to achieve this broader goal. We formally derive a biologically-inspired neural network from Nystrom kernel approximations and empirically demonstrate that the network successfully approximates transition distributions. The proposed network yields representations that, just like place cells, soft-tile the input space with highly sparse and localized receptive fields. Additionally, we show that the proposed computational motif can be extended to handle supervised problems, creating class-specific place cells while exhibiting low sample complexity.
Vapor-Deposited Glass Structure Determined by Deposition Rate–Substrate Temperature Superposition Principle

We show that deposition rate substantially affects the anisotropic structure of thin glassy films produced by physical vapor deposition. Itraconazole, a glass-forming liquid crystal, was deposited at rates spanning 3 orders of magnitude over a 25 K range of substrate temperatures, and structure was characterized by ellipsometry and X-ray scattering. Both the molecular orientation and the spacing of the smectic layers obey deposition rate-substrate temperature superposition, such that lowering the deposition rate is equivalent to raising the substrate temperature. We identify two different surface relaxations that are responsible for structural order in the vapor-deposited glasses and find that the process controlling molecular orientation is accelerated by more than 3 orders of magnitude at the surface relative to the bulk. The identification of distinct surface processes responsible for anisotropic structural features in vapor-deposited glasses will enable more precise control over the structure of glassy materials used in organic electronics.
Promoting Sustainability Literacy Through Immersion Abroad Experiences for Teachers

This chapter examines how an immersion abroad experience in Ecuador can prompt emerging teachers of ESL to re-think their personal and professional relationship to sustainability. Looking at one cohort of emerging teachers in an immersion abroad experience, this chapter identifies the ways that these participants took up (and resisted taking up) themes of sustainability literacy that prospectively relate to their future professional teaching practice.
Philippe de la Hire: Was He Desargues’ Schüler?

Philippe de la Hire (1640–1718) was the third of the seventeenth century pioneers of projective geometry, after Girard Desargues (1591–1661) and Blaise Pascal (1623–1662). We know very little about La Hire beyond what he tells us in his various published works and what Bernard de Fontenelle reported in his Eloge, issued soon after La Hire’s death. That vacuum of information has been filled with misinformation and speculation. Beyond the annoying falsehoods, there is the very real issue of the degree of influence of Desargues in La Hire’s geometry, especially his Nouvelle methode en Geometrie pour les Sections des Superficies coniques et Cylindriques of 1673. La Hire’s originality has been questioned, beginning, apparently, soon after the 1673 publication, reviving in the late nineteenth century after publication of Desargues’ long lost work of 1639 and, again, in the writing of eminent scholar Rene Taton around 1950. Much of the discussion of originality has centered on the availability of Desargues’ booklet to La Hire, rather than an examination of the work itself. The claim of this study is that comparison of the work of Desargues and La Hire shows that Desargues’ influence was minimal.
Mechanical properties of weathering steels at elevated temperatures

Abstract Weathering steels are high strength low alloy steels, with a resistance to corrosion provided through their alloying elements to form a dense layer of rust to stop further corrosion. While their mechanical material properties are well-known at ambient temperature, they have not been studied when exposed to high temperatures (as found in fires) and then cooled. This research examines mechanical properties such as Young's modulus, E, yield stress, σy, ultimate stress, σu, fracture toughness, and surface hardness for weathering steel (A588) and compares them to A709/A992 non-weathering steel. Such a comparison is done at ambient (as a control) and for temperatures ranging from 20 °C (70 °F), to 815 °C (1500 °F). Cooling by air and cooling by water examines the post-fire residual strength. Results show that A588 steel specimens have a slightly larger reduction in σu at elevated temperatures compared to A709 steel specimens. Steel specimens heated up to 649 °C (1200 °F) and allowed to cool in either air or water can be expected to possess residual (post-fire) mechanical properties that are comparable to their original ambient temperature mechanical properties. Steel specimens heated to 815 °C (1500 °F) and cooled in water can experience significant increases in their residual ambient temperature σy and σu values, but also increasingly brittle behavior. The patina was found to offer negligible thermal protection to the underlying steel
The Separation of Economic from Political Power

People who have political power want to maintain the status quo to maintain their positions in the hierarchy. People who have economic power want to disrupt it. When the same people hold both economic and political power, the incentives behind political power dominate. The result is stagnation. When people can gain economic power without having political power, those with economic power use it to create more value for others, resulting in the creative destruction that leads to economic progress. Those with political power will use it to protect economic power as long as they do not perceive that their power is threatened, which can lead to an exchange of protection for tribute that benefits everyone.
Scope of Firearm Injuries in the United States

Since 1968, there have been more civilian firearms deaths than the total number of combat deaths incurred by United States military members in all wars since the United States has been a country. There are more than 30,000 firearm-related deaths annually, including 1200 child deaths. Beyond mortality, 110,000 firearm injuries are brought to medical or legal attention through hospitals and criminal charges. This imposes a tremendous burden of mortality and life-altering morbidity on individuals, their families, and our communities.
Vestiges of Transit: Urban Persistence at a Microscale

We document intracity spatial persistence and its causes. Streetcars dominated urban transit in Los Angeles County from the 1890s to the early 1910s, and were off the road entirely by 1963. However...
Latest Generation Colonoscope Yields Improvements in Cecal Insertion Time and Adenoma Detection Rate: A Retrospective Comparison of Two Colonoscope Brands

Background and Aims: High quality colonoscopy remains the cornerstone of colon cancer prevention. Studies have shown that generational advances in colonoscopes result in more favorable clinical outcomes. Performance of various endoscopes is determined using objective quality measures. The aim of this study was to compare these measures between two colonoscope platforms. Methods: This study is a single center retrospective study of 3,761 patients undergoing initial screening colonoscopy between November 2013 and May 2020 using two different colonoscope platforms (Fujifilm EC-760R-V/L, n=2287 and Olympus CF and PCF 180 series, n= 1474). The primary outcomes measured were cecal insertion time, withdrawal time, and adenoma detection rate. Results: Procedures completed with the Fujifilm colonoscope had mean cecal insertion times that were 2.01 minutes shorter than procedures completed with Olympus (p<.0001). Procedures completed with Olympus brand colonoscopes had prolonged cecal insertion times (≥10 minutes) nearly three times as often compared to those performed with Fujifilm colonoscopes (p<.0001). Cecal withdrawal times were slightly longer for females performed with Fujifilm colonoscopes, but there was no difference when all procedures were included (p=.09). Procedures completed with Fujifilm colonoscopes had higher adenoma detection rates compared to those completed with Olympus colonoscopes (p<0.001). Conclusions: In this study, Fujifilm colonoscopes outperformed Olympus colonoscopes in screening colonoscopies with statistically and clinically significant shorter cecal insertion times and higher adenoma detection, though both platforms had similar withdrawal times.
Analysis of diffraction efficiency of TI-PLM and its potential in beam steering

A concept of Texas Instrument (TI)-Phase-only Spatial Light Modulator (PLM) is reported which utilizing the dynamic piston motion of PLM pixels to form a discretized blazed grating. By fully manipulating the piston motion of pixels and increasing the available discretization level of the quasi-blazed grating, the Diffraction Efficiency (DE) can achieve close to 99%, which qualifies PLM an ideal candidate for beam steering functionality combining with its MEMS based high refresh rate and large aperture. The DE of the discretized blazed grating is proven to have 86% with 633 nm monochromatic light incident at 25° with 16 discretization levels and 2&#120587; round-trip phase modulation by RCWA algorithm. Furthermore, additional factors which lead to the degradation of diffraction efficiency is also analyzed.
Holding: The Capacity for Holding and Containing the Self/Other

The capacity for holding self-and-other is derived from early experiences of being adequately and lovingly held and from the gradual participation in the inter-bodily dance of holding-and-being held. Our essential caregivers held us physically. But from the very beginning, this physical holding was imbued with a surplus of symbolic meanings. Our developing bodily selves remember these surpluses of meanings of being loved, comforted, soothed, anchored, centered, and protected from being impinged upon and from falling apart and fragmenting. Over time, the well-held bodily self not only is better positioned to healthily separate and individuate, but also is freer to interpretively release refined meanings in one’s lifeworld, meanings such as beauty, goodness, love, and truth.
Voltaire’s Candide: From the Other Side of Civilization

Candide is generally anti-imperialist, anti-war, and anti-colonization, although Voltaire’s perspective of nature may reaffirm the idea that the state of nature is not enviable and civilization —indeed luxury probably dependent on colonial economy and horrors—seems preferable, although the happy conclusion is set in an Eastern agrarian-horticultural context that would not be luxurious unless luxury and European relationship to “nature” are redefined in the context of the Eastern garden. As well, Voltaire gave us an insight as to what he imagined was the symmetrical doubt about the humanity of the “other” from the oddly distorted mutual perspective at the time of the encounters between the Oreillons and Candide accompanied by Cacambo. The “natives” mate with monkeys (are mistaken for [disposable] monkeys); Candide and Cacambo are mistaken for prey (or harmful Jesuit animal species) to be feasted upon for dinner.
Orb weavers: Patterns in the movement sequences of spider web construction

Summmary Quantitative behavior analyses of spider movements — large and small — reveal repeated action sequences that define stages of web building.
Basal Ganglia Impairment and Force Control

Research on movement disorders can inform motor neuroscience by describing the effect of a given pathology on the perception-action cycle, by identifying structural-functional relationships, and by localizing processing impairments. A research program studying cognitive-motor impairments in Paridnson’s disease is described which employs movement latencies, response dynamics and EMG measures. The data reviewed focus on the initiation, production and regulation of force and are grouped into five section headings: force control and muscular activation patterns, accuracy of force production, simultaneous force control, sequential force control and the amplitude and duration components of force. In addition to the more global findings of akinesia and bradykinesia, one of the most consistent impairments observed in Parkinson’s disease patients is an inability to control force.
Gravitational microlensing by low-mass objects in the globular cluster M22

Gravitational microlensing offers a means of determining directly the masses of objects ranging from planets to stars, provided that the distances and motions of the lenses and sources can be determined1,2. A globular cluster observed against the dense stellar field of the Galactic bulge presents ideal conditions for such observations because the probability of lensing is high3 and the distances and kinematics of the lenses and sources are well constrained. The abundance of low-mass objects in a globular cluster is of particular interest, because it may be representative of the very early stages of star formation in the Universe, and therefore indicative of the amount of dark baryonic matter in such clusters. Here we report a microlensing event associated with the globular cluster M22. We determine the mass of the lens to be 0.13+0.03-0.02 solar masses. We have also detected six events that are unresolved in time. If these are also microlensing events, they imply that a non-negligible fraction of the cluster mass resides in the form of free-floating planetary-mass objects.
RING-between-RINGs—keeping the safety on loaded guns

The ‘RING‐between‐RING’‐type E3 ubiquitin ligase HOIP acts via a novel RING/HECT‐hybrid ubiquitin transfer mechanism and catalyses the formation of linear ubiquitin chains by non‐covalently binding the acceptor ubiquitin. But in the absence of a binding partner, HOIP is auto‐inhibited. This explains why assembly of either HOIP/HOIL‐1L or HOIP/SHARPIN is required to catalyse linear chain formation.
Pharmacology of CFTR Chloride Channel Activity

Schultz, B. D., A. K. Singh, D. C. Devor, and R. J. Bridges. Pharmacology of CFTR Chloride Channel Activity. Physiol. Rev. 79, Suppl.: S109–S144, 1999. — The pharmacology of cystic fibrosis transme...
TRANSFORMING PRELICENSURE NURSING EDUCATION: Preparing the New Nurse to Meet Emerging Health Care Needs

The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching joins a chorus of calls for transformation of prelicensure nursing education (Benner, Sutphen, Leonard, & Day, 2009). Citing the shift of significant responsibility to nurses for managing complex medical regimens, as well as the increasing complexity of community-based practices, Benner and colleagues concluded that nurses entering the field are not equipped with the essential knowledge and skills for today's practice nor prepared to continue learning for tomorrow's nursing (p. 31). They found: a) weak curricula in natural sciences, technology, social sciences, and humanities, and in developing cultural competency; b) weak classroom instruction and limited integration between classroom and clinical experiences; c) limited strategies in helping students develop habits of inquiry, raising clinical questions, seeking evidence for practices; d) faculty and student perception that students are ill prepared for their first job and dissatisfaction with the teaching preparation of current nursing faculty; and e) multiple pathways to eligibility for the licensure examination, with tremendous variability in prerequisites, curricular requirements, and the quality of offerings.
Hepatocyte growth factor in dampening liver immune-mediated pathology in acute viral hepatitis without compromising antiviral activity

Background and Aim Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) is a pleiotropic cytokine related with cell proliferation and survival; however, its role in viral hepatitis is not elucidated. In this study, we studied HGF immune role in viral hepatitis. Methods Mice received hydrodynamically delivered HGF plasmid or control plasmid and then infected with adenovirus, and parameters of immune-mediated liver damage were evaluated. We studied dendritic cell (DC) activation in the presence of HGF. T cells collected from infected mice were restimulated with virally infected DC to measure cytokine production in vitro. Results HGF ameliorated the liver inflammation during viral hepatitis as alanine transferase, intrahepatic lymphocytes, and splenocyte counts were diminished by HGF. Lower histological scores of liver pathology were observed in the HGF group. DC from the HGF group expressed reduced CD40. The hepatic expression and serum concentration of IL-12p40 were diminished in HGF-transfected mice. In vitro experiments with DC confirmed that HGF diminished CD40 expression and IL-12p40 production. The expression and serum levels of IFN-γ, IL-6 and CXCL9 were significantly decreased in the HGF group. HGF overexpression diminished the expression and concentration of IL-10 and TGF-β. The frequency of PD-1+Tim-3+ in CD8 T cells was decreased by HGF overexpression. Moreover, T cells in the HGF group at day 14 secreted more IFN-γ and TNF-α than those in the control group when restimulated with virally infected DC. Conclusion HGF modulated DC activation and T cell priming, thereby limiting the immune-mediated damage in the liver. However, viral clearance was not compromised by HGF.
Identification and characterization of differentially expressed genes in tumor metastasis: the nm23 gene.

Tumor metastasis is a complex process involving tumor cell invasion, locomotion, intravasation and extravasation of the circulatory system, angiogenesis, colony formation, and avoidance of host immunological responses. Two premises have guided our investigation into the genetic influences on tumor invasion and metastasis. First, if the metastatic process is regulated, at least in part, by the activation and deactivation of specific genes, then the multiplicity of cell functions in metastasis dictates that many genes are involved. Second, the biochemical nature of molecules regulating and executing each of the tumor cell functions in metastasis is incompletely understood. Because of the tedious purification process, it is likely that many metastasis regulatory and effector compounds and the genes encoding them are presently unknown. Based on these premises, we initiated differential colony hybridization experiments to identify genes associated with the tumor invasion and metastatic process. This technique identifies genes either activated or deactivated between tumor cells of low and high metastatic potential. It can therefore identify metastasis-related genes in advance of conventional biochemical purification and DNA cloning. This paper describes the identification and characterization of one such gene, nm23.
Gene–Environment Interaction

Gene–environment and gene–gene interactions are likely to play a key role in the development, prevention and treatment of common diseases. Keywords: genes; environments; common diseases; statistical genetic models
Identifying Local Regions of Order and Disorder in FG-Nucleoporins and Partially Disordered Proteins Using Molecular Dynamics Simulations

Analysis tools optimized to study molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) are currently rare. We are developing a set of tools using the libraries and interface of the widely used MD simulation software Gromacs 4 [Hess, et al. 2008]. We are presenting the results of one of these tools which shows utility in differentiating between ordered and disordered regions of proteins based on MD simulation trajectories. This tool assigns a value along a spectrum of order to disorder to a protein based on a scaled average of all inter-structure distances and is based on a previously proposed and intuitive algorithm [Stultz, et al. 2011]. The primary improvements made to this algorithm include additional options of inter-structure distance metrics, a feature to assign values of disorder to individual amino acids, and an output format similar to currently available disorder prediction tools which use amino acid sequence information. When applied to systems of highly disordered protein, this tool is sometimes able to differentiate the regions of secondary structure formed during MD simulations. We are currently studying applications to partially disordered proteins to simplify the identification of local ordered and disordered regions from MD simulation trajectories. This method also provides multiple options of inter-structure distance metrics to optimize the analysis of both mostly ordered and highly flexible proteins. We are validating this usage of the tool with (1) a coarse grain model of several FG-nucleoporin sequences believed to be IDPs with varying levels of disorder spread across different regions and (2) all atom simulations of partially disordered proteins including a fragment of the tumor suppressor protein p53.
The ionizing radiation field in the galactic centre and the nature of LINERs

The Galactic centre contains a low-ionization nebula that has been previously interpreted as plasma photoionized by relatively cool O stars. We consider the possibility that this material is instead ionized by more energetic continua and described by a relatively low ionization parameter (ratio of ionizing photon to nucleon density). We find that the predicted spectrum is more sensitive to ionization parameter and cloud density than to details of the ionizing continuum shape. The Galactic centre spectrum can be generated by stars with a range of temperatures irradiating clouds with multiple components of differing densities. The present calculations also show that optical emission from many LINERs (low-ionization nuclear emission-line regions) can be generated by relatively hot, yet normal O stars embedded in gas clouds similarly characterized by a range of densities.
Rise of the Sensors: Nociception and Pruritus

Once there was a day when all type C nonmyelinated neurons were indistinguishable. That time of histologic analysis has passed, and we have entered an era of unparalleled technological insight into the mechanisms of pain and pruritus. Since the description of the capsaicin receptor, transient receptor protein vanilloid 1 (TRPV1), in 1997, we have seen the number of related sensor ion channels, G protein–coupled receptors, and signaling proteins explode. Specific nociceptive pathways have been identified based on their sensitivity to mechanical, heat, chemical, and cold stimuli. Pruritus is now recognized to have both histamine-sensitive and histamine-independent afferent arcs. Cross-talk between C-fibre systems and myelinated neural pathways has become more complex, but through complexity, a new reality of sensory coding is emerging. A multitude of novel therapeutics have been and are in planning and production stages. These will almost certainly revolutionize our understanding and treatment of pain and itch by the end of this decade.
Monitoring pulse and respiration with a non-invasive hydraulic bed sensor

A hydraulic bed sensor has been developed to non-invasively monitor pulse and respiration during sleep. This sensor is designed for in-home use, to be part of an integrated sensor network for the early detection of illness and functional decline in elderly adults. Experience with another bed sensor has motivated a desire to acquire enhanced, quantitative data related to pulse and respiration. This paper describes a working prototype, the signal processing methods used to extract data from the constructed transducer, and results from preliminary testing.
Tonic pupils with acute ophthalmoplegic polyneuritis.

Two patients with the symmetrical ophthalmoplegic variant of acute idiopathic polyneuritis (Fisher's syndrome) developed bilateral dilated pupils with cholinergic supersensitivity and light-near dissociation (tonic pupils), indicating involvement of the postganglionic parasympathetic neuron within the orbit. Supranuclear eye movement dysfunction also was present, indicated by relative levator sparing in both patients and by preservation of Bell's phenomenon in 1 patient despite paralysis of voluntary upward gaze. The lesions that produce the eye signs of ophthalmoplegic polyneuritis are not necessarily restricted to the cranial nerve trunks. The present cases support a relationship between the ophthalmoplegic variant of the Guillain-Barre syndrome and acute postinfectious encephalomyelitis (brainstem encephalitis) on the one hand, and idiopathic autonomic neuropathies such as the Holmes-Adie syndrome and pandysautonomia on the other.
Decomposition and Isomerization of 5-Methylhex-1-yl Radical

The decomposition and isomerization reactions of the 5-methylhex-1-yl radical (1-5MeH) have been studied at temperatures of 889−1064 K and pressures of 1.6−2.2 bar using the single pulse shock tube...
The microwave spectrum and structure of allyl alcohol

The microwave spectrum of the normal species of the gauche, gauche isomer of ally1 alcohol has been reassigned and rotational and centrifugal distortion constants have been determined. Rotational constants of nine deuterated species, three carbon-13 species and the oxygen-18 species have also been obtained. These data were used to estimate structural parameters by least-squares fitting of the effective moments of inertia. Good agreement with an earlier electron diffraction and ab initio study was obtained. Unassigned transitions from another isomer were observed, presumably the cis, gauche conformer.
Ca2+ signaling in endothelial cells stimulated by bradykinin: Ca2+ measurement in the mitochondria and the cytosol by confocal microscopy

In this study we have monitored the change of intracellular Ca2+ concentrations in the cytosol ([Ca2+]c) and the mitochondria ([Ca2+]m) of single bovine endothelial cells following treatment with bradykinin (BK). Using laser scanning confocal microscopy, we have found that the Ca2+ indicator, Fluo-3, is compartmentalized in the mitochondria of endothelial cells loaded with Fluo-3/AM. After BK stimulation, the pattern of Ca2+ increase in the cytosol is different from that in the mitochondria. The amplitude of the Ca2+ rise in the mitochondria is higher than that in the cytosol. Further analysis using rapid scanning measurements indicates that the [Ca2+]c increase is very fast after BK addition and reaches a maxima level within 400 ms. In contrast, the [Ca2+]m increase appears to be biphasic with an initial rapid increase (concomitant with the [Ca2+]c increase) followed by a slower [Ca2+]m increase before reaching a maximal level (within 5 s of BK treatment). The differential Ca2+ signaling pattern between the cytosol and the mitochondria suggests that the intracellular Ca2+ concentrations needed to regulate various Ca(2+)-dependent enzymes located in these two compartments are different during BK-induced endothelial cell activation.
A hybrid model of anaerobic E. coli GJT001: Combination of elementary flux modes and cybernetic variables

Flux balance analysis (FBA) in combination with the decomposition of metabolic networks into elementary modes has provided a route to modeling cellular metabolism. It is dependent, however, on the availability of external fluxes such as substrate uptake or growth rate before estimates can become available of intracellular fluxes. The framework classically does not allow modeling of metabolic regulation or the formulation of dynamic models except through dynamic measurement of external fluxes. The cybernetic modeling approach of Ramkrishna and coworkers provides a dynamic framework for modeling metabolic systems because of its focus on describing regulatory processes based on cybernetic arguments and hence has the capacity to describe both external and internal fluxes. In this article, we explore the alternative of developing hybrid models combining cybernetic models for the external fluxes with the flux balance approach for estimation of the internal fluxes. The approach has the merit of the simplicity of the early cybernetic models and hence computationally facile while also providing detailed information on intracellular fluxes. The hybrid model of this article is based on elementary mode decomposition of the metabolic network. The uptake rates for the various elementary modes are combined using global cybernetic variables based on maximizing substrate uptake rates. Estimation of intracellular metabolism is based on its stoichiometric coupling with the external fluxes under the assumption of (pseudo-) steady state conditions. The set of parameters of the hybrid model was estimated with the aid of nonlinear optimization routine, by fitting simulations with dynamic experimental data on concentrations of biomass, substrate, and fermentation products. The hybrid model estimations were tested with FBA (based on measured substrate uptake rate) for two different metabolic networks (one is a reduced network which fixes ATP contribution to the biomass and maintenance requirement of ATP, and the other network is a more complex network which has a separate reaction for maintenance.) for the same experiment involving anaerobic growth of E. coli GJT001. The hybrid model estimated glucose consumption and all fermentation byproducts to better than 10%. The FBA makes similar estimations of fermentation products, however, with the exception of succinate. The simulation results show that the global cybernetic variables alone can regulate the metabolic reactions obtaining a very satisfactory fit to the measured fermentation byproducts. In view of the hybrid model's ability to predict biomass growth and fermentation byproducts of anaerobic E. coli GJT001, this reduced order model offers a computationally efficient alternative to more detailed models of metabolism and hence useful for the simulation of bioreactors.
Increased iodine uptake in thyroid carcinoma after treatment with sodium butyrate and decitabine (5-Aza-dC).

ObjectiveTo determine if epigenetic-modifying drugs can increase iodine uptake in thyroid carcinoma cell lines.Study DesignHuman thyroid carcinoma cell lines were tested for iodine uptake before and after treatment with epigenetic-modifying agents.ResultsThyroid carcinoma cell lines DRO and 2–7 had high levels of DNA methylation (74% and 80%) compared with normal thyroid tissue (6%) (P < 0.05). This finding correlated with low levels of sodium iodide symporter (NIS) expression in the untreated thyroid carcinoma cell line. Combination treatment with the epigenetic-modifying agents 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine and sodium butyrate resulted in increases in NIS messenger RNA levels, global histone acetylation, and 9- and 8-fold increases in I125 uptake for the DRO and 2–7 cells, respectively.ConclusionsEpigenetic-modifier drugs represent a novel adjuvant treatment for those patients with radioablation-resistant thyroid cancer.SignificanceEpigenetic-modifying agents show potential for treatment of radioablation-resis...