cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
ANTIBODIES TO 68, 52, AND 48 KD PROTEINS OF MYCOBACTERIUM AVIUM IN SERUM SAMPLES FROM PATIENTS WITH MYCOBACTERIUM AVIUM INFECTION

Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) is responsible for the highest incidence of disseminated bacterial infection in patients with AIDS. Disease caused by this organism was originally thought to be rare in nonimmunocompromised individuals, but it is now being encountered more frequently. Relatively little is known about the components that play a role in the immunopathology of infection caused by MAC. To identify the immunoreactive antigens of this organism that are important targets of the humoral immune response in MAC infection, serum samples from MAC-infected and non-MAC-infected patients were analyzed by Western Blot analysis with sonic extracts of M. avium (MA) as the antigen. The MAC-infected population included patients who were HIV-negative as well as patients with AIDS, and the non-MAC-infected population included non-AIDS, HIV-positive patients and normal, purified protein derivative-negative individuals. The immunodominant antigens recognized by the MAC-infected patients were the 68, 52, and 48 kd proteins of MA. These antigens were also recognized by a few of the non-MAC-infected patients. However, significant differences were observed between the number of MAC-infected and non-MAC-infected patients reacting with these antigens. Sixty-nine percent of the MAC-infected patient serum samples were found to react with the 68 kd antigen, whereas only 24% of the serum samples from patients without MAC infection recognized this antigen (p < 0.001). Of the MAC-infected serum samples, 53.1% were found to react with the 52 kd antigen, whereas only 22% of the non-MAC-infected patient serum samples reacted with this antigen (p = 0.008).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Recent Developments in ABC Concepts

Design, construction, and repair of bridges is an ongoing challenge. This work must be carried out in both a correct and timely manner, for the sake of both public safety and those responsible for these structures. ABC concepts provide a valuable guide for bridge design, manufacture, construction, and management. Crucially important is recognizing the potential for bridge failure, resulting from scour and erosion, outdated procedures and technologies, and sometimes negligence. A close look at management issues and ABC applications will help clarify the best approaches to avoiding pitfalls and preventing bridge failure and its devastating consequences. Topics examined in this chapter include identification of deficient bridges, accelerated bridge rehabilitation, surveying scour countermeasures for bridges over rivers, and developing a field reconnaissance form, as well as obtaining funding for this critical work. Resources are recommended that include federal and state agency and construction industry-supported publications, many of which advocate the use of ABC.
Skin Regeneration and Bioengineering

Skin provides a critical protective barrier for humans, maintaining fluid homeostasis and preventing microorganism invasion. Other important functions include temperature control, protection from mechanical insults, sensation, and advanced immune function. Remarkable in its function is the ability to heal when damaged. When a substantial amount of skin is damaged, the repair sequence does not allow the complete healing of damage and infection, scarring or contractures can result. Novel approaches to skin regeneration have been developed over the last half century that has led to new therapeutic advances. These approaches have been as a result of advances in both biology and engineering.
Experimental investigation of primary and corner shock boundary layer interactions at mild back pressure ratios

Unstart of rectangular inlets occurs as a result of interactions between shock-induced separation units along the floor/ceiling, corner, and sidewalls. While a significant body of literature exists regarding the individual flow interactions at the inlet floor/ceiling (called primary separation) and sidewalls, limited efforts have focused on the mean and dynamic features of the corner separation. Experiments are conducted to investigate primary and corner shock boundary layer interactions (SBLI) with the objectives of elucidating the flow interactions that occur in the corner, and characterizing the interaction between the corner and primary separation units at mild back pressure ratios. Surface streakline flow visualization and high-frequency wall static pressure measurements are performed along the centerline and corner regions of shock-induced flow separation generated by a 12° compression ramp in a Mach 2.5 flow. Sidewall fences that extend upstream of the leading edge of the flat plate generate corner separation of adequate size to determine the mean flow structures, characterize the unsteady motions, and investigate the mechanisms that drive the unsteadiness of primary and corner SBLI. Results show that the corner and primary SBLI units differ fundamentally in both their mean and unsteady features and their response to upstream and downstream flow perturbations. These observations suggest that the two behave as independent units at this relatively low shock-induced back pressure ratio.
The United States, in COMPARATIVE COUNTER-TERRORISM

The United States, like all other democratic nations that have suffered terrorist attacks, continues to struggle with questions of how to keep its population safe while maintaining the principles of democracy and the rule of law. This Book Chapter discusses the United State’s counterterrorism policies, particularly since the September 11 terrorist attacks, and the resulting changes in societal viewpoints, political agendas, and the legal authority to combat terrorism and threats of terrorism. The government’s aggressive counterterrorism stance has influenced actions and policies outside the United States. The Author’s exploration of counterterrorism policies in the United States include: criminal law and prosecutions of terrorist acts; the investigative powers of the police and intelligence agencies; the challenges relating to proscription/listing of terrorist groups and individuals; the enactment of the PATRIOT act and other policies to provide mechanisms to disrupt and destroy terrorism financing; immigration measures including detention; and the role of the military and extraterritorial counterterrorism activities as related to detention, access to justice, and torture with accountability.
Exposure of Mycobacterium marinum to low-shear modeled microgravity: effect on growth, the transcriptome and survival under stress.

Waterborne pathogenic mycobacteria can form biofilms, and certain species can cause hard-to-treat human lung infections. Astronaut health could therefore be compromised if the spacecraft environment or water becomes contaminated with pathogenic mycobacteria. This work uses Mycobacterium marinum to determine the physiological changes in a pathogenic mycobacteria grown under low-shear modeled microgravity (LSMMG). M. marinum were grown in high aspect ratio vessels (HARVs) using a rotary cell culture system subjected to LSMMG or the control orientation (normal gravity, NG) and the cultures used to determine bacterial growth, bacterium size, transcriptome changes, and resistance to stress. Two exposure times to LSMMG and NG were examined: bacteria were grown for ~40 h (short), or 4 days followed by re-dilution and growth for ~35 h (long). M. marinum exposed to LSMMG transitioned from exponential phase earlier than the NG culture. They were more sensitive to hydrogen peroxide but showed no change in resistance to gamma radiation or pH 3.5. RNA-Seq detected significantly altered transcript levels for 562 and 328 genes under LSMMG after short and long exposure times, respectively. Results suggest that LSMMG induced a reduction in translation, a downregulation of metabolism, an increase in lipid degradation, and increased chaperone and mycobactin expression. Sigma factor H (sigH) was the only sigma factor transcript induced by LSMMG after both short and long exposure times. In summary, transcriptome studies suggest that LSMMG may simulate a nutrient-deprived environment similar to that found within macrophage during infection. SigH is also implicated in the M. marinum LSMMG transcriptome response. Microgravity alters gene expression in a pathogenic waterborne microbe — changes that could pose a health risk to astronauts in space. Lynn Harrison from the Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center in Shreveport, USA, and colleagues grew an infectious bacterium called Mycobacterium marinum, a close relative to the microbe responsible for tuberculosis, in a rotary cell culture system that causes the low fluid shear dynamics associated with microgravity. Bacteria in this state grew slower with different expression levels of several hundred genes compared to those cultured under normal gravity conditions. Some of these molecular differences are similar to those elicited when mycobacteria infect human cells, suggesting that space might make the microbes more pathogenic. However, microgravity also made the bacteria more sensitive to certain stressors like hydrogen peroxide, so the overall impact on virulence is still unclear.
Analytics and Decision Support Systems in Global Health Informatics

Abstract The proliferation of technology to collect and generate data has opened new opportunities for global health informatics. In this context, applications that use data analytics and decision support methods are becoming increasingly important. In this chapter we review recent literature that fall under these two categories. Within the knowledge discovery process, data analytics and decision support represent critical steps to obtain recommendations for global health interventions derived from data. Enabling technologies, such as big data or mobile health, have proved to play a critical role in overcoming limitations involving access to healthcare and prevention, especially apparent in low- and middle-income populations, as well as in underrepresented communities in high-income countries. Given the current situation, the need for training the next generation of global health informaticians becomes evident and indispensible. From the analysis of the literature presented along the chapter, a number of common characteristics and requirements for decision support systems are identified and several promising future directions are then suggested.
50 – Animal Models of Liver Regeneration

This chapter provides a brief overview of the regulatory mechanisms involved in liver growth and repair. Over the past century, countless investigators have demonstrated that mammalian liver possesses an extraordinary capacity for hypertrophy and compensatory growth in response to conditions that induce cell loss by physical, infectious, or toxic injury. Experimentally, the most dramatic and widely studied example of this phenomenon was the restoration of liver mass after partial (two-thirds) hepatectomy (PH) in rats. It is an excellent experimental system to study the reentry of normally quiescent cells into the cell cycle. Moreover, the regenerative process in the rat resembles the regrowth of human liver closely enough to merit its widespread use in all spheres (endocrine, cellular, genetic, molecular) of modern biomedical research. Liver cell proliferation can also be induced by several chemicals (most notably peroxisome proliferators) without preceding cell loss. This process is defined as direct hyperplasia. Somatic growth and other forms of adaptive liver growth are also associated with proliferation of liver cells.
Rhythmic vs. Tonic Inhibition

In experiments described in [143], fast-firing inhibitory interneurons in the barrel cortex of mice, the part of the mouse brain that processes input from the whiskers, were driven to synchronize at 40 ​Hz, using optogenetic techniques. (In general, optogenetic techniques involve genetically sensitizing neurons to light, then using light to control them.) Figure 35.1 is a reproduction of Fig. 3A of [143]. The figure shows LFP recordings from barrel cortex during 40 ​Hz optogenetic stimulation of the fast-firing inhibitory interneurons. The central finding of [143] was that making the activity of fast-firing inhibitory interneurons rhythmic at 40 ​Hz improved the ability of the mice to perceive certain whisker deflections.
Useful Dimensions of Haptic Perception: 50 Years After The Senses Considered as Perceptual Systems

ABSTRACTIn addressing the character of the haptic system, James Gibson (1966) noted, “The study of useful sensitivity, as distinguished from theoretically basic sensitivities, is only just beginning” (p. 116). Whereas the preceding 150 years had gotten mired in an inventory of isolated sensations, the ensuing 50 years have revealed a good deal about the capabilities of a perceptual system that detects information about the self, the environment, and self-environment relations by means of muscular effort. That research is summarized with special attention to the kind of medium that could ground the useful dimensions of haptic sensitivity.
Protecting Against Damage from Refraction of High Power Microwaves in the DIII-D Tokamak

Several new protective systems are being installed on the DIII D tokamak to increase the safety margins for plasma operations with injected ECH power at densities approaching cutoff. Inadvertent overdense operation has previously resulted in reflection of an rf beam back into a launcher causing extensive arcing and melt damage on one waveguide line. Damage to microwave diagnostics, which are located on the same side of the tokamak as the ECH launchers, also has occurred. Developing a reliable microwave based interlock to protect the many vulnerable systems in DIII-D has proved to be difficult. Therefore, multiple protective steps have been taken to reduce the risk of damage in the future. Among these is a density interlock generated by the plasma control system, with setpoint determined by the ECH operators based on rf beam trajectories and plasma parameters. Also installed are enhanced video monitoring of the launchers, and an ambient light monitor on each of the waveguide systems, along with a Langmuir probe at the mouth of each launcher. Versatile rf monitors, measuring forward and reflected power in addition to the mode content of the rf beams, have been installed as the last miter bends in each waveguide line. As these systems are characterized, they are being incorporated in the interlock chains, which enable the ECH injection permits. The diagnostics most susceptible to damage from the ECH waves have also been fitted with a variety of protective devices including stripline filters, thin resonant notch filters tuned to the 110 GHz injected microwave frequency, blazed grating filters and shutters. Calculations of rf beam trajectories in the plasmas are performed using the TORAY ray tracing code with input from kinetic profile diagnostics. Using these calculations, strike points for refracted beams on the vacuum vessel are calculated, which allows evaluation of the risk of damage to sensitive diagnostics and hardware.
Spectral mixture and chemometric algorithms applied to the identification of biosignatures on planetary surfaces

The utilization of a portable, low-mass, and low-power method for identifying biomarkers is essential for investigations of geologic samples on other terrestrial bodies, where spacecraft engineering requirements frequently constrain the mass and power consumption of scientific instruments. We discuss the capabilities and implementation of several in situ instruments with astrobiological applications to be used in possible future landed missions to other Solar System bodies. We present data collected from each instrument, discuss several analysis techniques, and discuss the unique results each instrument contributes to the identification of biosignatures.
CPU volume rendering of adaptive mesh refinement data

Adaptive Mesh Refinement (AMR) methods are widespread in scientific computing, and visualizing the resulting data with efficient and accurate rendering methods can be vital for enabling interactive data exploration. In this work, we detail a comprehensive solution for directly volume rendering block-structured (Berger-Colella) AMR data in the OSPRay interactive CPU ray tracing framework. In particular, we contribute a general method for representing and traversing AMR data using a kd-tree structure, and four different reconstruction options, one of which in particular (the basis function approach) is novel compared to existing methods. We demonstrate our system on two types of block-structured AMR data and compressed scalar field data, and show how it can be easily used in existing production-ready applications through a prototypical integration in the widely used visualization program ParaView.
Development of dual casein kinase 1δ/1ε (CK1δ/ε) inhibitors for treatment of breast cancer.

Casein kinase 1δ/e have been identified as promising therapeutic target for oncology application, including breast and brain cancer. Here, we described our continued efforts in optimization of a lead series of purine scaffold inhibitors that led to identification of two new CK1δ/e inhibitors 17 and 28 displaying low nanomolar values in antiproliferative assays against the human MDA-MB-231 triple negative breast cancer cell line and have physical, in vitro and in vivo pharmacokinetic properties suitable for use in proof of principle animal xenograft studies against human cancers.
Reflection tomography of time-lapse GPR data for studying dynamic unsaturated flow phenomena

Abstract. Ground-penetrating radar (GPR) reflection tomography algorithms allow non-invasive monitoring of water content changes resulting from flow in the vadose zone. The approach requires multi-offset GPR data that are traditionally slow to collect. We automate GPR data collection to reduce the survey time significantly, thereby making this approach to hydrologic monitoring feasible. The method was evaluated using numerical simulations and laboratory experiments that suggest reflection tomography can provide water content estimates to within 5 % vol vol −1 –10 % vol vol −1 for the synthetic studies, whereas the empirical estimates were typically within 5 %–15 % of measurements from in situ probes. Both studies show larger observed errors in water content near the periphery of the wetting front, beyond which additional reflectors were not present to provide data coverage. Overall, coupling automated GPR data collection with reflection tomography provides a new method for informing models of subsurface hydrologic processes and a new method for determining transient 2-D soil moisture distributions.
Isozymes of creatine kinase in mammalian myocardial cell culture.

The high resting metabolism of the myocardium, a precise coupling of energy production to energy utilization and an efficient access to the available energy in the process of contraction are the functional characteristics of adult myocardium. The mechanisms which subserve these parameters are investigated.
Is programmed stimulation in survivors of myocardial infarction helpful

Despite multiple advances in the early management ofmyocardial infarction (MI), late mortality among survivorsof the acute episode remains a continuing problem. Numer-ous protocols have been proposed to “risk-stratify” MIsurvivors. Spontaneous and/or inducible ischemia and de-pressed left ventricular infarction are well-accepted markersfor an adverse prognosis, and several strategies to treatischemia and congestive failure have been shown to reducemortality (1). A number of electrocardiographic and elec-trophysiologic risk factors for both sudden death and totalmortality have also been characterized, including frequent orcomplex ventricular ectopy, baroreceptor sensitivity, heartrate variability, T-wave alternans, late potentials on asignal-averaged electrocardiogram (SAECG), and induc-tion of ventricular tachycardia (VT) with programmedventricular stimulation. Multiple observational studies haveindicated that beta-adrenergic blocking drugs can improvemortality in MI survivors with one or more of theseﬁndings. However, until recently, studies with antiarrhyth-mic drugs have yielded either a negative effect (ﬂecainide,
Ineffective hematopoiesis in folate-deficient mice.

A folate-free amino acid-based diet provided an opportunity to characterize the effects of folate depletion on growth, tissue folate levels, and hematopoiesis of mice under well-standardized conditions. Weanling mice were fed a folate-free, amino acid-based diet supplemented with either 0 or 2 mg folic acid/kg diet for 35 to 48 days. Folate concentrations were decreased in liver, kidney, serum, and erythrocytes in mice fed the folate-free diet. The folate-deficient mice had anemia, reticulocytopenia, thrombocytopenia, and leukopenia, all of which reverted to normal after folic acid was reintroduced to the diet. Hematopoietic organs of folate-deficient mice had alterations that were similar to those seen in folate-deficient humans except that in mice, the hyperplasia of hematopoietic tissue occurred in the spleen rather than in the marrow. Ferrokinetic studies showed a normal 59Fe- transferrin half-life, but the percentage of 59Fe-incorporation into red blood cells at 48 hours was markedly subnormal. The number of committed hematopoietic progenitors at the stages of erythroid colony- forming units (CFUs), megakaryocyte CFUs, and granulocyte-macrophage CFUs were all increased in folate-deficient mice. However, the progeny of these progenitors was markedly decreased in folate-deficient mice. Thus, the folate-deficient mice had “ineffective hematopoiesis” leading to pancytopenia, and they therefore provide a murine model of megaloblastic anemia.
Atrial Fibrillation in Apparently Idiopathic Cardiomyopathy: The Chicken or the Egg?

In 1913, Gossage and Hicks reported the case of a previously healthy 23-year-old man who presented with dyspnea and chest pain and was found, on the basis of radial and jugular pulse tracings, to have atrial fibrillation and a rapid ventricular response [1]. On physical examination, there was no evidence of cardiomegaly. He was treated with tincture of digitalis and continued to have atrial fibrillation, and serial physical examinations demonstrated progressive cardiac enlargement. The patient died suddenly approximately 18 months after first presenting with atrial fibrillation. A postmortem examination demonstrated a dilated and hypertrophied left ventricle, with no valvular lesions and normal coronary arteries. Earlier contemporary studies had suggested that dilatation of the heart may be a common cause of atrial fibrillation, but, based on the findings in their patient, Gossage and Hicks concluded that dilatation of the heart may be caused by, rather than being the cause of, atrial fibrillation [1].
Operation and Performance of a Mass-Selective Cryogenic Linear Ion Trap

We report on the performance of a cryogenic 2D linear ion trap (cryoLIT) that is shown to be mass-selective in the temperature range of 17–295 K. As the cryoLIT is cooled, the ejection voltages during the mass instability scan decrease, which results in an effective mass shift to lower m/z relative to room temperature. This is attributed to a decrease in trap radius caused by thermal contraction. Additionally, the cryoLIT generates reproducible mass spectra from day-to-day, and is capable of performing stored waveform inverse Fourier transform (SWIFT) mass isolation of fragile N2-tagged ions for the purpose of background-free infrared dissociation spectroscopy.
Axial Rotation Test for Trapeziometacarpal Joint Hypermobility in the Normal Population

Background: The objective was to quantify joint laxity in healthy volunteers by measuring the passive axial rotation of the trapeziometacarpal joint using the axial rotation test. Methods: Eighty v...
Response to Student and School-level Predictors of Pharmacy Residency Attainment.

To the Editor: We thank Elnaz Arabian and Dr. Bryan McCarthy Jr. for their comments in response to our manuscript,[1][1] which help further the discourse about pharmacy residency attainment. In their letter, they noted that our study filled a critical gap in the literature by building a predictive
Reversal of NASH fibrosis with pharmacotherapy

NAFLD is a spectrum of liver disease starting with fatty liver at one end of the spectrum and cirrhosis or liver cancer at the other end. Worldwide, NAFLD has become one of the most common liver diseases and it has also become one of the leading indications for liver transplantation. Our understanding of the NAFLD epidemiology, pathogenesis and its progression to cirrhosis has improved over the last 2 decades. Currently, however, there are no FDA-approved treatment options for fibrosis resulting from NAFLD. A number of compounds targeting multiple pathways involved in the progression of NAFLD are currently in phase 2-3 trials. In this review, we will briefly discuss the epidemiology, the pathogenesis and the current status of treatment of NAFLD.
Psychological Distress in Hospitalized Patients Awaiting Organ Transplantation: Case Examples, Thematic Exploration, and Suggestions for Intervention

Organ transplantation is a life-saving mechanism with a large public health burden given the necessity of individuals to donate their organs in the event of their own death. Understanding the psychological and medical sequelae of individuals receiving an organ transplant is invaluable in a successful transplant. The waiting period for transplantation is the most psychologically difficult period, and is an important window during which to intervene psychologically and medically. Patients who are hospitalized during this waiting period make up the most vulnerable population given the psychological difficulties of not only awaiting transplant but of a prolonged and difficult hospitalization. This paper is a first step in understanding the psychological landscape of hospitalized patient's awaiting transplant and the potential research avenues and intervention strategies that may be utilized in order to decrease the psychological burden as well as influence successful medical outcomes in organ transplantation.
A Novel Small Animal Model of Norovirus Diarrhea

ABSTRACT Human noroviruses are the leading cause of severe childhood diarrhea worldwide yet we know very little about their pathogenic mechanisms. Murine noroviruses cause diarrhea in interferon-deficient adult mice but these hosts also develop systemic pathology and lethality, reducing confidence in the translatability of findings to human norovirus disease. Herein we report that a murine norovirus causes self-resolving diarrhea in the absence of systemic disease in wild-type neonatal mice, thus mirroring the key features of human norovirus disease and representing a robust norovirus small animal disease model. Intriguingly, lymphocytes are critical for controlling acute norovirus replication while simultaneously contributing to disease severity, likely reflecting their dual role as targets of viral infection and key components of the host response.
Schools in Transition: Creating a Diverse School Community:

U.S. public schools are becoming increasingly diverse. By 2025, it is predicted that students of color will make up more than 55% of the school population across the United States. However, teacher...
Variations in Solar Luminosity from Time Scales of Minutes to Months

We present the power spectrum of solar irradiance during 1985 and 1987 obtained from the ACRIM project from time scales of minutes to months. At low frequency the spectra are Lorentzian. At higher frequencies they are proportional to $f^{-{1/2}}$. A linear, stochastic model of the turbulent heat transfer between the granulation layer (modeled as a homogeneous thin layer with a radiative boundary condition) and the rest of the convection zone (modeled as a homogeneous thick layer with thermal and diffusion constants appropriate the lower convection zone) predicts the observed spectrum.
Automated extraction of structural elements in steel girder bridges from laser point clouds

Abstract This study proposes a heuristic-based method to automate the semantic segmentation of laser point clouds collected from steel girder bridges and thus to facilitate the applications of laser scanning in bridge inspection and management. In the proposed method, domain knowledge on the geometric and topological constraints of steel girder bridges are utilized to recognize and extract individual instances of the main structural elements, which include the bridge deck, steel girders, cross-frames, piers and abutments. The effectiveness of the proposed method is validated using point clouds acquired by a terrestrial laser scanner and a UAV-based laser scanner. The results demonstrate that the proposed method on average can achieve a 98.3% element-level accuracy and a 96.1% point-level accuracy on terrestrial laser scanning data. For UAV-based laser scanning data, the average accuracy is reduced slightly to 96.0% in element-level and 93.3% in point-level.
Transcorneal delivery of topically applied silver nanoparticles does not delay epithelial wound healing

Abstract Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are a common antimicrobial additive for a variety of applications, including wound care. However, AgNPs often undergo dissolution resulting in release of silver ions, with subsequent toxicity to mammalian cells. The cornea is a primary exposure site to topically administered AgNPs in and around the eye but their impact on corneal wound healing is understudied. Thus, the purpose of this study was to determine in vitro toxicity of AgNPs on corneal epithelial cells and fibroblasts as well as their effects on corneal epithelial wound healing utilizing an in vivo rabbit model. Non-coated 20 nm sized AgNP (AgNP-20) as well as 1% and 10% silver silica NPs (AgSiO2NPs) were tested at concentrations ranging from 0.05–250 μg/mL. Immortalized human corneal epithelial (hTCEpi) cells and primary rabbit corneal fibroblasts (RCFs) were incubated for 24 h with AgNPs and cell viability was tested. Additionally, a round wound healing assay was performed to determine hTCEpi cell migration. Quantitative real-time PCR and western blot analysis was performed to determine α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA, a myofibroblast marker) mRNA and protein expression, respectively, in RCFs treated with 50 μg/mL of AgNPs. Corneal epithelial wound healing was evaluated with 1%-AgSiO2NPs (10 and 250 μg/mL) using an in vivo rabbit model. Rabbits were subsequently euthanized, and histologic sections of the enucleated globes were used to determine corneal penetration of 1%-AgSiO2NPs with autometallography and hyperspectral darkfield microscopy. Cell viability of both the hTCEpi cells and fibroblasts was significantly decreased by the three AgNPs in a dose dependent manner. Migration of hTCEpi cells was significantly inhibited by the three AgNPs. Alpha-SMA mRNA expression was significantly inhibited with three AgNPs, but only the 1%-AgSiO2NPs inhibited protein expression of α-SMA. In vivo epithelial wound closure did not significantly differ between groups treated with 10 or 250 μg/mL of 1%-AgSiO2NPs or vehicle control. The 1%-AgSiO2NPs penetrated throughout all corneal layers and into the anterior chamber in all treated eyes with no histopathological changes observed. In conclusion, the 1%-AgSiO2NPs are safe and have potential therapeutic applications through its efficacy of the corneal penetration and reduced scar formation during corneal wound healing.
Systematic versus Targeted Magnetic Resonance Imaging/Ultrasound Fusion Prostate Biopsy among Men with Magnetic Resonance Imaging-Visible Lesions.

Purpose:Multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging (mpMRI)-ultrasound (US) fusion-guided biopsy may improve prostate cancer (PCa) detection and reduce grade misclassification. We compared PCa detec...
Statistics of Scatterer Property Estimates

Quantitative ultrasound (QUS) techniques are based on providing parameter estimates from ultrasound backscattered signals that can be related to different properties of the tissue. Parameter estimates based on analyzing the spectrum of the ultrasound backscattered signal or the amplitude distribution of the envelope require a certain number of samples to produce meaningful estimates in terms of bias and variance of estimates. For example, calculation of the periodogram is used to approximate the true backscattered power spectrum of the ultrasound signal. Typically, the larger the samples size the better the periodogram represents the backscattered power spectrum and the better the bias and variance of QUS estimates. Analysis of the statistics of parameter estimation for spectral-based parameters and envelope statistics will allow the tradeoff between sample size and estimate bias and variance to be quantified. This chapter discusses the statistics of QUS property estimation, the effects of estimate bias and variance on the resolution of QUS parameter imaging, and techniques to reduce the variance of different QUS property estimates.
Predicting Equity Returns for 37 Countries: Tweaking the Gordon Formula

Recently, there has been a lot of discussion about whether and how much the U.S. stock market is overvalued, leading some economic gurus to suggest that foreign markets may be good investments. We ask whether this is the case and apply the Gordon formula to predict future real rates of return on three Morgan Stanley Capital International indices and 37 individual country indices. Our conclusion is that, as a whole, foreign markets do indeed promise significantly higher future returns than the U.S. market does, suggesting that an increased focus on international diversification by investors and fund managers could be beneficial.
Regulation of Cell Adhesion Responses by Abl Family Kinases

Integrins are cell surface receptors that mediate the interactions of cells with each other and the extracellular matrix. In this chapter, we review experiments indicating that the Abl family of nonreceptor tyrosine kinases, Abl and Arg in vertebrates, are important mediators of cellular responses to integrin engagement. During the early stages of cell spreading, integrins trigger the activation of Abl family kinases and their association with multiple focal adhesion proteins. These events lead to phosphorylation of several cytoskeletal regulatory proteins and changes in cell morphology and motility. Integrins may also utilize Abl family kinases to regulate nuclear processes such as gene expression, cell cycle progression and cell survival. Defects in the proper modulation of cell adhesive responses by Abl family kinases are thought to contribute to the progression of chronic myelogenous leukemia and could potentially underlie other human diseases and behavioral disorders.
The Cambridge Introduction to Harriet Beecher Stowe

Through the publication of her bestseller Uncle Tom's Cabin, Harriet Beecher Stowe became one of the most internationally famous and important authors in nineteenth-century America. Today, her reputation is more complex, and Uncle Tom's Cabin has been debated and analysed in many different ways. This book provides a summary of Stowe's life and her long career as a professional author, as well as an overview of her writings in several different genres. Synthesizing scholarship from a range of perspectives, the book positions Stowe's work within the larger framework of nineteenth-century culture and attitudes about race, slavery and the role of women in society. Sarah Robbins also offers reading suggestions for further study. This introduction provides students of Stowe with a richly informed and accessible introduction to this fascinating author.
Occupational Medicine in a Biomedical Research Setting

The principal goal for an occupational medicine program is to promote a safe and healthy workplace through the provision of work-related medical services. In a biomedical research setting that involves biohazardous materials, those services should include a preplacement interview and counseling, a practical plan for responding to suspected exposures and infections, and occasionally the provision of medical surveillance for suspected health hazards in the work environment. A preplacement medical evaluation is recommended for individuals who may be exposed to potential human pathogens, including zoonotic agents. This chapter focuses on medical care for occupational injuries and illnesses. Medical surveillance is an important component of occupational medical support services. The practice of occupational medicine is unique in that the practitioner is responsible to both the employee-patient and the worker's employer. Participation in a serum storage program is generally voluntary, although it should be strongly recommended by the health care provider. Sera should be preserved for the workers’ benefit at -20°C or lower in a non-self-defrosting freezer. The importance of the basic principles for designing medical support services for a workplace—a proper risk assessment and thoughtful advance planning for work-related medical needs—cannot be overemphasized when the workplace is a maximum containment laboratory. Specialized medical surveillance programs and immunization regimens may be necessary. Strict adherence to postexposure monitoring protocols is needed, and provisions for adequate medical facilities in the event of an exposure and/or subsequent infection should be made prior to undertaking biosafety level 4 work.
From Alienation to Efficacy: An Examination of Racial Identity and Racial Academic Stereotypes Among Black Male Adolescents:

Black male adolescents face unique barriers in schools that may contribute to racial disparities in educational outcomes. Their social-cognitive strengths, however, influence their confidence to be academically successful despite these barriers. This study explored whether racial academic stereotypes and racial centrality were associated with and predicted school efficacy among 103 urban Black male adolescents. Findings indicated that racial centrality had the strongest relationship with and was the strongest predictor of school efficacy. Youth mentoring programs and educators who work with urban Black male adolescents play a key role in promoting and shaping their efficacious beliefs toward their academic success.
Array-based vapor sensing using chemically sensitive, polymer composite resistors

We describe herein the construction of simple, low-power, broadly responsive vapor sensors. Insulating polymer-conductor composites have been shown to swell reversibly upon exposure to vapors. Thin films of polymer composites have been deposited across two metallic leads, with swelling-induced resistance changes of the films signaling the presence of vapors. To identify and classify vapors, arrays of such vapor-sensing elements have been constructed, with each element containing either carbon black or poly(pyrrole) as the conducting phase mixed with one of several different organic polymers as the insulating phase. A convenient chemical polymerization of poly(pyrrole) which allows a high degree of processibility is also described. The differing gas-solid partition coefficients for the various polymers of the sensor array produce a pattern of resistance changes that can be used to classify vapors and vapor mixtures. This type of sensor array has been shown to resolve common organic solvents, including molecules of different classes (such as aromatics from alcohols) as well as those within a particular class (such as benzene from toluene and methanol from ethanol). The response of an individual composite to varying concentrations of solvent is shown to be consistent with the predictions of percolation theory. Accordingly, significant increases in the signals of array elements have been observed for carbon black-polymer composites that were operated near their percolation thresholds.
Action of Phosphatidylinositol-specific Phospholipase Cγ1 on Soluble and Micellar Substrates SEPARATING EFFECTS ON CATALYSIS FROM MODULATION OF THE SURFACE

Abstract The kinetics of PI-PLCγ1 toward a water-soluble substrate (inositol 1,2-cyclic phosphate, cIP) and phosphatidylinositol (PI) in detergent mixed micelles were monitored by31P NMR spectroscopy. That cIP is also a substrate (K m = ∼15 mm) implies a two-step mechanism (intramolecular phosphotransferase reaction to form cIP followed by cyclic phosphodiesterase activity to form inositol-1-phosphate (I-1-P)). PI is cleaved by PI-PLCγ1 to form cIP and I-1-P with the enzyme specific activity and ratio of products (cIP/I-1-P) regulated by assay temperature, pH, Ca2+, and other amphiphilic additives. Cleavage of both cIP and PI by the enzyme is optimal at pH 5. The effect of Ca2+ on PI-PLCγ1 activity is unique compared with other isozymes enzymes: Ca2+ is necessary for the activity and low Ca2+activates the enzyme; however, high Ca2+ inhibits PI-PLCγ1 hydrolysis of phosphoinositides (but not cIP) with the extent of inhibition dependent on pH, substrate identity (cIP or PI), substrate presentation (e.g. detergent matrix), and substrate surface concentration. This inhibition of PI-PLCγ1 by high Ca2+ is proposed to derive from the divalent metal ion-inducing clustering of the PI and reducing its accessibility to the enzyme. Amphiphilic additives such as phosphatidic acid, fatty acid, and sodium dodecylsulfate enhance PI cleavage in micelles at pH 7.5 but not at pH 5.0; they have no effect on cIP hydrolysis at either pH value. These different kinetic patterns are used to propose a model for regulation of the enzyme. A key hypothesis is that there is a pH-dependent conformational change in the enzyme that controls accessibility of the active site to both water-soluble cIP and interfacially organized PI. The low activity enzyme at pH 7.5 can be activated by PA (or phosphorylation by tyrosine kinase). However, this activation requires lipophilic substrate (PI) present because cIP hydrolysis is not enhanced in the presence of PA.
Biolistic transformation of Trichoderma harzianum and Gliocladium virens using plasmid and genomic DNA

Biolistic (biological ballistic) and protoplast-mediated procedures were compared as methods for transforming strains of Gliocladium virens and Trichoderma harzianum. For biolistic transformation, conidia were bombarded using a helium-driven biolistic device to accelerate M5 tungsten particles coated with plasmid or genomic DNA. DNA from either source contained a bacterial hygromycin B resistance gene (hygB) as a dominant selectable marker. The same sources of DNA were also used to transform protoplasts using a standard polyethylene glycol-CaCl2 protoplast fusion protocol. Hygromycin B-resistant (HygBR) transformants were recovered from all strains, methods, and DNA sources except for genomic DNA used with the protoplast method. The biolistic procedure was technically simpler, and increased transformation frequency and genetic stability in the progeny as compared with the protoplast-mediated transformation. Southern analysis of homokaryotic HygBR progenies showed that the transforming sequences were integrated into the genome of the recipient strains, and apparently were methylated. This is the first study presenting detailed results on biolistic transformation of a filamentous fungus.
Medical Endoscopes for Multiphoton Microscopy

We present a new design of medical endoscope, which is ideal for multiphoton microscopy of human tissue in vivo. We discuss the properties of our reflective objective lens and the advantages in deep tissue imaging.
Rape, Rapture and Revision: Visionary Imagery and Historical Reconstruction in Elsa Morante's LA STORIA

In “Rape, Rapture and Revision: Visionary Imagery and Historical Reconstruction in Elsa Morante's La Storia,” I discuss Morante's revision of official history and her revalorization of personal history. My main focus is a reading of the main character's rape by a German soldier. I suggest that the rape may be read positively as well as negatively; that it positively refigures personal historical narratives and inverts the power dynamics of rape and official history. I do this by considering it through the lens of visionary medieval writings as a sort of rapture. Thus, I suggest a comparison between Ida's rape, sexual awakening and narratives of religious ecstasy.
Fast track article: A temporal RFID data model for querying physical objects

Radio frequency identification (RFID) holds the promise of real-time identifying, locating, tracking and monitoring physical objects without line of sight, and it can be used for a wide range of pervasive computing applications. To achieve these goals, RFID data have to be collected, transformed and expressively modeled as their virtual counterparts in the virtual world. RFID data, however, have their own unique characteristics-including aggregation, location, temporal and history oriented-which have to be fully considered and integrated into the data model. The diversity of RFID applications poses further challenges to a generalized framework for RFID data modeling. In this paper, we explore the fundamental characteristics of RFID applications, and classify applications into a set of basic scenarios based on these characteristics. We then develop constructs for modeling each scenario, which then can be integrated to model most complex RFID applications in the real world. We further demonstrate that our model provides powerful support on querying physical objects in RFID-based applications.
Transfer and expression of recombinant nitric oxide synthase genes in the cardiovascular system

Gene therapy involves the transfer of a functional gene into host cells to correct the malfunction of a specific gene or to alleviate the symptoms of a disease. For gene transfer to the cardiovascular system, adenoviral vectors are the most efficient means of transfer. Recently, transfer and functional expression of recombinant nitrio oxide synthase (NOS) genes to cerebral and cardiovascular beds have been demonstrated both ex vivo and in vivo. Here, Alex Chen and colleagues review current progress in the field of vascular NOS gene transfer and the potential use of NOS gene therapy for a number of cardiovascular diseases. Although the feasibility of the NOS gene transfer approach has been demonstrated in animal models, currently available vectors have a number of technical and safety limitations that have to be solved before human NOS gene therapy for cardiovascular disease can be attempted.
Theory of atomic structures including electron correlation. V. Excited states not lowest of their symmetry and oscillator strengths in neutral and singly ionized atoms

The non-closed-shell many-electron theory (NCMET) of Sinano\ifmmode \breve{g}\else \u{g}\fi{}lu is applied to excited states which are not the lowest of their symmetry. Variational collapse towards lower states of the same symmetry is prevented by use of the Hylleraas-Undheim-MacDonald theorem. The procedure for calculating such states is described. Using it, variationally correct charge wave functions are obtained and for the first time for several $2s2{p}^{n}$ excited states in neutral and singly ionized atoms of carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, and fluorine. The configuration labels of these states and lower energy states of the same symmetry are found in agreement with the experimentally assigned orderings in each case. Optical oscillator strengths are calculated with these wave functions and are found in good agreement with experiment where previous calculations in the literature had shown large discrepancies.
Development of a Hypertrophic Ovarian Artery After Uterine Artery Embolization with Polyvinyl Alcohol Particles

Uterine artery embolization (UAE) for the treatment of symptomatic leiomyomata has shown excellent short-term clinical efficacy and minimal complications, yet recurrences after successful treatments at mid- and long-term follow-up have been reported. Exact etiologies for such recurrences have not been fully understood. We present a case of symptom recurrence with the development of a hypertrophic ovarian artery after successful UAE with polyvinyl alcohol particles, successfully treated with ovarian and repeat UAEs.