cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Characterization of a novel lyophilized chitosan hydrogel complex for the controlled release of a highly water soluble drug, niacinamide

The purpose of this research was to prepare and characterize a novel lyophilized chitosan-based hydrogel complex (termed CS-M) for controlled drug delivery applications using a highly water soluble model drug, niacinamide. Characterization studies were undertaken to evaluate the physical-chemical properties, polymer swelling, in vitro controlled release kinetics, tissue bioadhesion, intestinal permeability and stability of the novel chitosan complex. Additionally, a comparative analysis was conducted with commercial polymers namely, Carbopol 974P-NF® and hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC K4M). FT–IR and 1H NMR studies confirmed that despite alteration in physical structure and morphology of the chitosan complex the chemical properties remained unchanged, when compared to the parent chitosan compound. Polymer swelling studies showed consistency in the structural integrity and water uptake of CS-M compared to other polymers which showed inconsistent swelling and disintegration behavior over a 5 h period. In vitro controlled release profiles of CS-M showed a slower, more controlled release rate of niacinamide than other polymers indicating the influence of polymer swelling capacity on water uptake and subsequent drug release. CS-M demonstrated an overall increase in bioadhesion to intestinal tissue when compared to commercial polymers at same concentrations. Similarly, drug transport through everted sac intestinal tissue showed enhanced absorption properties of CS-M when compared to other polymers. Finally, a 3 month accelerated stability study showed all polymers including CS-M to be stable when formulated with niacinamide. Overall, the modified chitosan-based hydrogel polymer, CS-M, demonstrated enhanced characteristics indicating its potential to be used as a controlled release excipient in oral drug formulations. Keywords: Chitosan hydrogel complex, controlled drug delivery, niacinamide, lyophilization, Carbopol 974P-NF, HPMC K4M
On Neutral Sheets in the Solar Wind

The structure and dynamics of neutral sheets in the solar wind is examined. The internal magnetic topology of the sheet is argued to be that of thin magnetic tongues greatly distended outward by the expansion inside the sheet. Due to finite conductivity effects, outward flow takes place across field lines but is retarded relative to the ambient solar wind by the reverse J×B force. The sheet thickness as well as the internal transverse magnetic field are found to be proportional to the electrical conductivity to the inverse one third power. Estimating a conductivity appropriate for a current carried largely by the ions perpendicular to the magnetic field, we find sheet dimensions of the order of 500km representative for the inner solar corona. For a radial field of strength 1/2G at 2R⊙, the transverse field there is about 2 × 10−3G and decreases outward rapidly.
Testing of a CR5 Solar Thermochemical Heat Engine Prototype

Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) is investigating thermochemical approaches for reenergizing CO2 and H2 O feed stocks for input to synthetic liquid hydrocarbon fuels production. Key to the approach is the Counter-Rotating-Ring Receiver/Reactor/Recuperator (CR5), a novel solar-driven thermochemical heat engine concept for high-temperature carbon dioxide and water splitting based on two-step, nonvolatile metal oxide thermochemical cycles. The CR5 integrates two reactors, recuperators, and solar receiver and intrinsically separates the product gases. The CR5 thermochemical heat engine concept and the underlying thermodynamics and kinetics have many uncertainties. While results from laboratory scale material tests are promising, they are different than what occurs in a CR5. To evaluate the potential of the CR5 we have designed and built a CR5 prototype. The overall objective of the SNL Sunshine to Petrol (S2P) project is to show a solar thermochemical pathway for the efficient production of liquid fuels from CO2 and H2 O feed stocks. To achieve the overall long-term goal of 10% efficient conversion of sunlight to petroleum, the thermochemical solar conversion of sunlight to CO needs to be 20% efficient. The short-term goal for the CR5 prototype is to demonstrate a solar to chemical conversion efficiency of at least 2%. In this paper, we present initial test results for the CR5 prototype in the 16 kWt National Solar Thermal Test Facility (NSTTF) solar furnace in Albuquerque, NM. Lessons learned from the initial tests and approaches for improving performance to achieve our goals are also presented.Copyright © 2010 by ASME
Decisions and Dilemmas Related to Resuscitation of Infants Born on the Verge of Viability

Abstract Over the last several decades, advancements in neonatal care have improved the survival rate and prognosis of premature infants. It is now commonplace for infants born at gestational ages once considered nonviable to be discharged home and live normal healthy lives with few, if any, morbidities. Neonatology has now progressed to an era where infants born at 22 to 24 weeks gestation are being resuscitated, resulting in potentially lifelong consequences for both infants and their families. Decisions concerning resuscitation of infants on the verge of viability are complex and must take into consideration the ethics of resuscitating infants at risk for extremely high levels of mortality and morbidity as well as the impact on the infant, family, and society as a whole.
Human CD6 possesses a large, alternatively spliced cytoplasmic domain

Human CD6 is a monomeric 105/130-kDa T cell surface glycoprotein that is involved in T cell activation. The apparent discrepancy between the size of the cytoplasmic domain in human (44 amino acids) and mouse (243 amino acids) CD6, led us to use reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction of human peripheral blood lymphocyte mRNA to isolate cDNA clones that include the carboxyl-terminal coding region of human CD6. The nucleotide sequence of the longest human cDNA clone, CD6-PB1, predicts a protein of 668 amino acids with a 244-amino acid cytoplasmic domain similar in size to and possessing 71.5% amino acid sequence identity with the cytoplasmic domain of mouse CD6. This previously unrecognized 244-amino acid cytoplasmic domain does not have significant homology to any other known protein (except mouse CD6), but does possess two proline-rich motifs containing the SH3 domain-binding consensus sequence, a serine-threonine-rich motif repeated three times, three protein kinase C phosphorylation-site motifs, and 10 casein kinase-2 phosphorylation-site motifs. These sequences are likely to play a role in the ability of CD6-specific monoclonal antibodies to stimulate T cell proliferation. Full-length CD6 cDNA containing this cytoplasmic domain sequence encodes a monomeric 105/130-kDa protein that can be immunoprecipitated from the surface of transfected cells and comigrates upon SDS-PAGE with wild-type CD6 immunoprecipitated from PBL. We also isolated two alternatively spliced forms of human CD6 cDNA lacking sequences encoding membrane-proximal regions of the cytoplasmic domain which maintain the same reading frame as CD6-PB1. The short cytoplasmic domain of the previously reported human CD6-15 cDNA clone results from a deletion of a 20-bp segment through use of an alternative 3' splice site, resulting in a frame shift and premature termination of translation relative to the clones we have isolated. These data demonstrate that human CD6 possesses a large cytoplasmic domain containing sequence motifs that are likely to be involved in signal transduction upon stimulation of T cells through CD6 ligation.
Nostalgia, Comic Books, & the “War Against Crime!” An Inquiry into the Resurgence of Popular Justice

L'A. explore les significations de la resurgence contemporaine des bandes dessinees americaines, true-crime comics, des annees 1930-1940, ces productions litteraires populaires qui mettent en scene des histoires vraies de crimes et les sentences de Dame Justice. Dans une culture saturee par des recits reels sur la criminalite du quotidien moderne, on peut s'interroger sur les raisons d'une telle resurgence de la loi et de l'ordre de la periode de guerre. Existe-t-il vraiment une demande publique pour une retour par procuration vers des methodes ancienne de lutte contre le crime ? Quels messages constituent cette forme de media ? Equipe des series de bandes dessinees des annees 1940 War Against Crime! et Crime Patrol, et soumettant ces recits a une interpretation postmoderne de l'analyse historique, l'A. se propose de donner quelques reponses aux pratiques culturelles suivantes : Ou se situent les true-crime comics dans le contexte politique de la guerre contre le crime ? Quelles sont les forces sociales qui ont genere une nostalgie pour une justice du passe ? Finalement, dans quelle mesure la nostalgie et la reflexion historique ne sont-elles qu'une pratique inoffensive d'un evenement naturel ?
Vulnerability of young white sturgeon, Acipenser transmontanus, to predation in the presence of alternative prey

We conducted laboratory trials to test the vulnerability of young white sturgeon, Acipenser transmontanus, to predation when an alternative prey was available. In trials with two species of predators, we observed two feeding patterns. When equal numbers of white sturgeon and goldfish, Carassius auratus, were available, prickly sculpins, Cottus asper, ingested more white sturgeon. Conversely, northern pikeminnow, Ptychocheilus oregonensis, ate more juvenile coho salmon, Oncorhynchus kisutch, than white sturgeon in three out of four sets of trials, but ate more white sturgeon in one set of trials. White sturgeon size and the availability of cover did not affect the proportions of prey species ingested. Our results indicate that predation may be affecting survival of white sturgeon larvae and juveniles in the wild and could be one factor limiting recruitment of young-of-the-year white sturgeon in some locations.
Relational and Individual Resources as Predictors of Empathy in Early Childhood

The goal of this study was to examine children's cognitive and language development and social engagement of mother as mediators of the relationship between maternal emotional availability at 15 months and children's empathy at the ages of two and four. Participants were 661 low-income, ethnically diverse mother-child dyads participating in a trial of home visitation in the Denver area. Using home- and lab-based free-play episodes, mothers' emotional availability (15 months) and children's social engagement of mother (21 and 24 months) were assessed. Standardized measures were used to assess children's language development (21 months) and cognitive development (24 months). Empathy was assessed using a simulated injury paradigm at ages two (both 21 and 24 months) and four. The predictive models supported the hypothesis that the child's cognitive and social resources mediate the relationship between maternal emotional availability and children's empathy with respect to empathy at the age of two toward both mothers and an unfamiliar examiner. These results indicate that parental sensitive behavior is not the only important condition for predicting children's empathy, and that children's own internalized resources are a likely mechanism of transmission from parents caring for their children to children learning to care for others.
Inflation as a generic property of curvature dependent bulk viscosity in any number of space-time dimensions

Abstract It is shown that inflation is a property of any cosmology in an arbitrary number of dimensions ( D + 1) wherein the matter is described by the ultrarelativistic equation of state P = ϵ / D and the bulk viscosity coefficient is dependent on the square of the curvature.
MtDNA mutation in MERRF syndrome causes defective aminoacylation of tRNA(Lys) and premature translation termination.

We have investigated the pathogenetic mechanism of the mitochondrial tRNA^(Lys) gene mutation (position 8344) associated with MERRF encephalomyopathy in several mitochondrial DMA (mtDNA)−less cell transformants carrying the mutation and in control cells. A decrease of 50−60% in the specific tRNA^(Lys) aminoacylation capacity per cell was found in mutant cells. Furthermore, several lines of evidence reveal that the severe protein synthesis impairment in MERRF mutation−carrying cells is due to premature termination of translation at each or near each lysine codon, with the deficiency of aminoacylated tRNA^(Lys) being the most likely cause of this phenomenon.
Molecular Scanning of the Human Peroxisome Proliferator Activated Receptor γ (hPPARγ) Gene in Diabetic Caucasians: Identification of a Pro12Ala PPARγ2 Missense Mutation

Peroxisome proliferator activated receptor-gamma (PPAR gamma) is a nuclear receptor that regulates adipocyte differentiation, and possibly lipid metabolism and insulin sensitivity. As such, PPAR gamma is a promising candidate gene for several human disorders including obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus. Screening for mutations in the entire coding region of the PPAR gamma gene (both gamma 1 and gamma 2 isoforms) was performed with DNA of 26 diabetic Caucasians with or without obesity. Two base substitutions were identified: a silent mutation at nucleotide 1431 (CACHis-->CATHis) and a missense mutation (CCGPro-->GCGAla) at codon 12 of PPAR gamma 2. The allele frequency of the Pro12Ala PPAR gamma 2 variant was 0.12 in Caucasian Americans, 0.10 in Mexican Americans, 0.08 in Samoans, 0.03 in African Americans, 0.02 in Nauruans, and 0.01 in Chinese. We conclude that the Pro12Ala PPAR gamma 2 gene variant is present in diverse populations. Further studies of the Pro12Ala variant will determine its relevance to obesity, insulin resistance, and type 2 diabetes.
Permeability reduction in a dilating rock: Network modeling of damage and tortuosity

There are fundamental differences between low- and high-porosity rocks in the evolution of permeability in the brittle faulting regime. In a rock with porosity less than ∼5%, dilatancy and permeability enhancement were observed prior to the peak stress. In porous rocks, the behavior is more complex. Before the onset of dilatancy C', both permeability and porosity decrease with increasing effective mean stress. Beyond C', permeability may decrease while the pore space dilates. After the peak stress has been attained, the development of a relatively impermeable shear band caused an accelerated decrease of permeability. A network model (with pore space statistics constrained by microstructural data) was developed to simulate the interplay of pre-existing tubular pores and stress-induced cracks in influencing the permeability evolution. The simulations show that while the accumulation of damage in form of microcracks may dilate the pore space, it causes the flow path to be more tortuous and as a result, the permeability may actually decrease.
Accuracy of Measurement of Hand Compartment Pressures: A Cadaveric Study

Purpose To determine the accuracy of digital palpation for clinical assessment of elevated intracompartmental pressure compared with needle manometry in a simulated compartment syndrome of the hand. Methods Three cadaveric hands were configured with interstitial fluid infusion and an arterial line pressure monitor to create and continuously measure intracompartmental pressure in the thenar and hypothenar compartments. Seventeen assessors clinically judged the presence or absence of compartment syndrome based on digital palpation for firmness and then measured pressures with a handheld manometer. An intracompartmental pressure threshold of 30 mm Hg or greater was used to diagnose compartment syndrome. Results The sensitivity and specificity of digital palpation of the thenar eminence were 49% and 79%, respectively, with a positive predictive value (PPV) of 86% and negative predictive value (NPV) of 37%. Using the handheld manometer, the sensitivity and specificity increased to 97% and 86% with a PPV of 95% and NPV of 92%. The sensitivity and specificity of digital palpation of the hypothenar eminence were 62% and 83%, respectively, with improvement of 100% and 100%, respectively, with a handheld manometer. For the hypothenar compartment, use of a handheld manometer improved the PPV from 92% to 100% and the NPV from 40% to 100% compared with digital palpation. Conclusions Digital palpation alone was insufficient to detect elevated compartment pressures in hands at risk for compartment syndrome. Handheld invasive pressure measurement was a useful adjunct for detecting elevated interstitial tissue pressures and may aid in diagnosing compartment syndrome. Type of study/level of evidence Diagnostic II.
Experimental payment protocols and the Bipolar Behaviorist

If someone claims that individuals behave as if they violate the independence axiom (IA) when making decisions over simple lotteries, it is invariably on the basis of experiments and theories that must assume the IA through the use of the random lottery incentive mechanism (RLIM). We refer to someone who holds this view as a Bipolar Behaviorist, exhibiting pessimism about the axiom when it comes to characterizing how individuals directly evaluate two lotteries in a binary choice task, but optimism about the axiom when it comes to characterizing how individuals evaluate multiple lotteries that make up the incentive structure for a multiple-task experiment. We reject the hypothesis about subject behavior underlying this stance: we find that preferences estimated with a model that assumes violations of the IA are significantly affected when one elicits choices with procedures that require the independence assumption, as compared to choices elicited with procedures that do not require the assumption. The upshot is that one cannot consistently estimate popular models that relax the IA using data from experiments that assume the validity of the RLIM.
Potential errors in the application of thermal-based energy balance models with coarse resolution data

A thermal sharpening algorithm (TsHARP) providing fine resolution land surface temperature (LST) to the Two-Source- Model (TSM) for mapping evapotranspiration (ET) was applied over two agricultural regions in the U.S. One site is a rainfed corn and soybean production region in central Iowa, while the other is an irrigated agricultural area in the Texas High Plains. Application of TsHARP to coarse (1 km) resolution thermal data over the rainfed agricultural area is found to produce reliable fine/within-field (60 m) resolution ET estimates, while in contrast, the TsHARP algorithm applied to the irrigated area does not perform as well, possibly due to significant sub-pixel moisture variations from irrigation. As a result, there may be little benefit in applying TsHARP for generating TSM-derived 60 m ET maps for the irrigated compared to the rainfed region. Consequently, reliable estimation of fine/within-field ET and crop stress still requires fine native resolution thermal imagery in areas with significant sub-pixel moisture variations.
Path analyses identify indirect selection criteria for yield of late-planted soybean

Research aimed at increasing yields of late-planted soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] in the southeastern USA would be facilitated by identification of yield components that indicate plot yield (combine-harvested yield). Such yield components could be used as criteria in environmental and genetic research where plot yield cannot be obtained. Thus, our objective was to apply path analysis to previous studies to evaluate yield components for potential use as selection criteria (yield indicators) for future late-planted studies. Path analysis was applied to plot yield (response variable) and various yield components (predictor variables) for five late-planted studies conducted across 1987 to 1993 near Baton Rouge, LA (30°N Lat). Studies were grouped into four data sets based on treatment factors: row spacing-plant population; row spacing; partial defoliation treatments during the reproductive period; and row spacing-cultivar. All studies involving row spacing, plant population, and partial defoliation showed that seed number was the best indirect selection criterion for predicting plot yield. However, in a study involving 12 cultivars, genotypic path analysis indicated pod per reproductive node as the best indirect selection criterion. Because of the greater inferential base of this study and the positive influence of pod per reproductive node at both phenotypic (path coefficient = 1.61) and genotypic levels (path coefficient = 4.31), greater attention should be given to this yield component for genetic improvement of soybean at late plantings.
This is my ...: How Cohabitants introduce their partners

Cohabitors were asked by questionnaire to indicate how they introduced their partners to parents, friends, acquaintances and employers. Findings from 76 male and 79 female subjects suggest that, when introducing a partner in social interactions, the relationship between a cohabitor and the person to whom the introduction is made has an effect upon the title used to describe her or his partner. The most common mode of introduction was “boyfriend” or “girlfriend,” the term “lover” being reserved generally for close friends. Over 10% of the remaining responses conveyed varying degrees of information concerning the emotional and physical nature of the relationship and/or the cohabitor's household.
A Novel Acquisition Technique to Utilize Swan-Ganz Catheter data as a Surrogate for High-fidelity Micromanometry within the Right Ventricle and Pulmonary Circuit

We explored the possibility of using conventional right-heart catheterization data, gathered both prospectively and retrospectively, as a surrogate for high-fidelity micromanometery when analyzing systolic and diastolic RV function and calculating various ventricular and pulmonary hemodynamic parameters in the time domain. Right heart catheterizations were performed on 13 patients (7 female), who were suspected of having pulmonary hypertension. The procedure included use of both fluid-filled catheter and high-fidelity micromanometry to measure right ventricular and pulmonary arterial pressures. A digital data acquisition system was used to record micromanometer readings and data from the fluid-filled catheter system during prospective portion of the study. Retrospective data was obtained by direct digitization of screen captures taken by the conventional clinical system (fluid-filled catheter). From the 13 patients, 12–13 RV waveforms and 12 PA waveforms were acquired from each method. Basic measurements of heart rate, systolic pressure, diastolic pressure, dP/dt max, and dP/dt min were compared between micromanometry, direct acquisition from the PA catheter (voltage acquisition), and re-digitization of the hemodynamic waveforms (tracing). Correlation between Swan and tracing was stronger than that of Millar and Swan. SBP, followed by HR, has the strongest correlation of any parameter for all three methods, while DBP appears to be the weakest. Bland–Altman analysis shows all parameters to have minimal biases that are within clinical limits. Interoperator and intraoperator variability was minimal. Digital right-heart catheterization (RHC) data can be used as a surrogate for micromanometric data under ideal conditions for hemodynamic measures in the time domain. Pre-existing RHC data can be re-digitized for more rigorous hemodynamic analysis.
Rapid fabrication of hot embossing tools using PDMS

In this paper, we present a simple method of fabricating the hot embossing tools using polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS). The tools are then used to fabricate microfluidic systems in polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) of various aspect ratios. A negative photoepoxy (SU-8) or thick positive (AZ4620) photoresist on silicon is used as a molding template for the casting process to obtain a negative of the desired features in PDMS. The fabrication time of these PDMS tools is typically less and remains the same for realizing low as well as high aspect ratio features. This processing technique was used to fabricate microchannels over a wide range of aspect ratios in PMMA. This approach offers many advantages compared to the conventional methods of fabricating hot embossing tools including rapid processing, reduction in complexity and cost. This technique can also be extended to create orthogonal 3-D microfluidic systems in various thermoplastics.
The statistical analysis of overidentified linear recursive models

This paper examines identification and estimation in recursive linear models. After developing the main result on identification of recursive models, the paper considers estimation in models subject to overidentifying constraints. A particularly simple, but quite general and efficient, approach to estimating constrained recursive models is developed.
Quantum Capacitance Measurement for SWNT FET with Thin ALD High-k Dielectric

The thin conformal HfO2 dielectric, which could provide very large geometric top-gate-capacitance Cgg comparable to SWNT quantum capacitance Cq, and the capacitance measurement technique developed by us, which could reduce the background capacitance down to C0 ~30aF, are two key promising factors for us to study the quantum capacitance of the SWNT FET. We successfully got the pronounced oscillating peaks in the Cq vs. top-gate VTG, which will be very usefully for us to better characterize the performance of the SWNT FETs and to further study the low-dimensional electronic structure.
BACE1, the Alzheimer’s beta-secretase enzyme, in health and disease

The beta-amyloid (Abeta) peptide is the major constituent of amyloid plaques in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) brain and is likely to play a central role in the pathogenesis of this devastating neurodegenerative disorder. The beta-secretase, beta-site amyloid precursor protein cleaving enzyme 1 (BACE1; also called Asp2, memapsin 2), is the enzyme responsible for initiating the generation of Abeta. Thus, BACE1 is a prime drug target for the therapeutic inhibition of Abeta production for the treatment or prevention of AD. Since its discovery over 10 years ago, much has been learned about BACE1. This seminar will describe BACE1 properties, physiological functions, and dysregulation in AD. The therapeutic potential of BACE1 inhibitors for AD will also be considered. Particular focus will be placed upon our novel results demonstrating a role of BACE1 in the axon guidance of olfactory sensory neuron axons to specific odorant receptor glomeruli in the olfactory bulb and the therapeutic implications of these findings.
Does food environment influence food choices? A geographical analysis through “tweets”

Abstract Access to nutritious food is imperative to physical well-being and quality of life. Previous food environment studies have revealed a disparity of access to healthful food on various geographical scales. An overlooked facet of this spatial perspective is the impact of the food environment at the individual level. Individuals tend to make diverse food purchasing and dining choices, including where, when, how, and which types of food to acquire. An unexplored avenue for further investigation is measuring the extent to which people's preference for food is elicited by exposure to their immediate food environment. This paper takes an innovative approach to this question by soliciting individual data about food-related activities from social media, or specifically, “tweets” (messages sent on Twitter). With spatiotemporally tagged information, tweets provide an ideal method for measuring the exposure to the food environment in real time. This measure, as a representative of individual food access, is associated with users' particular diet choices conveyed in their tweets. By comparing groups of Twitter users who shop in grocery stores to those who dine at fast food restaurants, we found that the prevalence of grocery stores that stock fresh produce within an individual's neighborhood may significantly influence him or her to make nutritious food choices. This study has a great potential to inform health professionals and stakeholders of the significance of social media in assisting with crowdsourcing human subject data that incorporate spatiotemporal dimensions and to explore individual diets in relation to their perceived food environment, which can positively impact the health of communities.
Reactivation histoplasmosis after treatment with anti-tumor necrosis factor α in a patient from a nonendemic area

Histoplasma capsulatum (HC) is a thermally dimorphic ascomycete that is a significant cause of respiratory infections (>80%) in endemic areas (Midwest and southeast USA), but infections are rare in non-endemic areas. Most primary HC infections are subclinical or self-limited. While reactivation Histoplasmosis has been reported in the setting of immunosuppression, it remains unclear whether remote primary latent infection represents risk of endogenous reactivation after anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha therapy. We report a case of a patient who developed reactivation Histoplasmosis after receiving anti-TNF-alpha. To our knowledge, this is the first clear report of reactivation of "latent" Histoplasmosis after anti-TNF-alpha therapy.
Evolution of Specificity in Protein-Protein Interactions

Hub proteins are proteins that maintain promiscuous molecular recognition. Because they are reported to play essential roles in cellular control, there has been a special interest in the study of their structural and functional properties, yet the mechanisms by which they evolve to maintain functional interactions are poorly understood. By combining biophysical simulations of coarse-grained proteins and analysis of proteins-complex crystallographic structures, we seek to elucidate those mechanisms. We focus on two types of hub proteins: Multi hubs, which interact with their partners through different interfaces, and Singlish hubs, which do so through a single interface. We show that loss of structural stability is required for the evolution of protein-protein-interaction (PPI) networks, and it is more profound in Singlish hub systems. In addition, different ratios of hydrophobic to electrostatic interfacial amino acids are shown to support distinct network topologies (i.e., Singlish and Multi systems), and therefore underlie a fundamental design principle of PPI in a crowded environment. We argue that the physical nature of hydrophobic and electrostatic interactions, in particular, their favoring of either same-type interactions (hydrophobic-hydrophobic), or opposite-type interactions (negatively-positively charged) plays a key role in maintaining the network topology while allowing the protein amino acid sequence to evolve.
Flanking DNA Matters in DNA Loop Formation and Breakdown Mediated by Lac Repressor Protein

The lac Repressor protein (LacI) is a paradigm for the study of protein-mediated DNA loops in bacteria. When it binds to two distant operator sites on substrate DNA, it causes the formation of DNA loops. Although past in vitro and in vivo experiments have shown that changes in the inter-loop DNA can affect loop formation and breakdown, here I will present in vitro experimental evidence that the DNA outside the loop that is flanking the operators can also affect looping kinetics. Observing loop formation and breakdown in single molecules with Tethered Particle Motion (TPM) we found fluctuations in how much DNA is bound to the protein, and these fluctuations depend on the AT- or GC-content of the flanking regions outside the loop. This suggests an interaction between the looped complex and the flanking region which has not been previously observed. The studies complement previous experiments which found that DNA between the operator sites interacts with LacI while in the looped state. These results suggest that the presence or absence of flanking DNA interactions with the protein complex could give rise to additional states in TPM experiments that are not caused by conformational changes of the protein complex or topologic variations of the loop.
Estradiol Specific Binding by Endothelial Cells and its Limited Effect on Von Willebrand Factor Expression

It is known that women and men differ, and pre- and post-menopausal women differ in terms of vascular disease. When estrogen levels are increased during pregnancy and estrogen therapy, the levels of von Willebrand factor (vWf), which is produced by endothelial cells, have been found to be elevated. These facts have suggested that the endothelium may be an estrogen responsive tissue, and the vWf gene an estrogen responsive gene. In this study, cells derived from human umbilical vein endothelium were found to have messenger RNA for the estrogen receptor and high affinity estradiol-specific binding sites, which could potentially mediate estrogen responsiveness in this tissue. However, these cells showed no consistent increase in vWf mRNA, vWf antigen production, or vWf release in response to a wide range of estradiol concentrations in culture, as expected based on the previous literature. Correlations between estrogen and vWf levels in vivo may therefore involve secondary signals dependent on other cell types.
Protecting museum collections from soiling due to the deposition of airborne particles

Objects in Southern California museums may become perceptibly soiled within periods as short as a year due to the deposition of airborne particles onto their surfaces. Methods for reducing the soiling rate include reducing the building ventilation rate, increasing the effectivenes of particle filtration, reducing the particle deposition velocity onto surfaces of concern, placing objects within display cases or glass frames, managing a site to achieve low outdoor aerosol concentrations, and eliminating indoor particle sources. A mathematical model of indoor aerosol dynamics and experimental data collected at an historical museum in Southern California are combined to illustrate the potential effectiveness of these control techniques. According to model results, the soiling rate can be reduced by at least two orders of magnitude through practical application of these control measures. Combining improved filtration with either a reduced ventilation rate for the entire building or low-air-exchange display cases is a very effective approach to reducing the soiling hazard in museums.
Control of human T-lymphocyte interleukin-2 production by a cAMP-dependent pathway

Cyclic AMP has long been proposed to be the intracellular second messenger that conveys the inhibitory signal for T-cell activation and clonal T-cell proliferation. The present study further explores the mechanism by which the cAMP pathway regulates human T-lymphocyte interleukin-2 (IL-2) production and T-cell blastogenesis. Activation of adenylate cyclase, inhibition of cAMP-dependent phosphodiesterase, or the direct addition of the cell-permeable cAMP analog, 8-N3-cAMP, increased occupancy of intracellular cAMP receptors, inhibited IL-2 production, and reduced T-cell proliferation. However, inhibition of cAMP-dependent protein phosphorylation by N-[2-(methylamino)ethyl]-5-isoquinolinesulfonamide (H-8), a cell-permeable inhibitor of cyclic nucleotide-dependent protein kinase, partially restored IL-2 production. Our data support the conclusion that the cAMP pathway conveys an inhibitory signal for IL-2 production and T-cell proliferation via an integral protein phosphorylation step.
Surface Spectroscopic Studies of High-strength Low-alloy Steels before and after Annealing

Surface analyses of two high-strength low-alloy steels are reported before and after annealing. The surface analysis techniques used include ESCA, AES, and SIMS. The steel samples were hand polished and cleaned before annealing; the effects of cleaning have been investigated. Samples were annealed in flowing N2 or in vacuum at 650°C. Changes in the steel surface as the annealing time and atmosphere were changed are reported. Additionally, differences between surfaces of two steels having similar bulk compositions were investigated both before and after annealing. Cleaning high-strength low-alloy steels generally decreased carbon contamination on the surface without affecting the nature or surface concentrations of iron, oxygen, or manganese. Vacuum annealing the steel produces a steady state much faster than when the steel is nitrogen annealed; however, the composition of the steel surface after vacuum annealing is similar to the surface after annealing in flowing N2. Although the two steels investigated have similar bulk concentrations, type B steel has much higher Mn concentration on the surface than type A steel. The amount of Mn on the surface appears to affect the surface concentrations of Fe and O as the sample is annealed.
Experiments in projection and clustering by simulated annealing

Simulated annealing is a stochastic relaxation algorithm which has been used successfully to optimize functions of many variables. This paper analyzes the simulated annealing algorithm when applied to the minimization of functions from two common problems encountered in exploratory pattern analysis, projection and clustering. The projection is a nonlinear mapping of patterns in high dimension to two dimensions. The simulated annealing mapping is compared to gradient descent minimization of the same objective function as well as eigenvector projection. The simulated annealing clustering is compared to a k-means algorithm. Empirical results show that simulated annealing can produce results as good as those obtained by conventional methods, but are impractical for small data sets because of the high computational cost. Simulated annealing does, in the case of the mapping problem, yield a better optimization and better retained structure for large data sets containing tight gaussian clusters.
P05.72. Survey to assess the feasibility of providing a brief yoga skills training to improve outcomes of gynecologic cancer surgery

Purpose More than 65,000 women are diagnosed with gynecologic cancers (i.e., ovarian, endometrial) in the United States each year. Exploratory laparotomy is a common primary treatment for these diagnoses; however, it leads to pain and distress in a majority of patients. Yoga is a promising intervention for improving these negative surgical outcomes. The purpose of this study was to explore the interest in and feasibility of implementing a Yoga Skills Training (YST) for these women. Methods Adults scheduled for an exploratory laparotomy for a suspected gynecologic malignancy were eligible. Screening logs were documented and women were approached while in the hospital prior to and following surgery. Patients enrolled in the study completed questions regarding their interest in the YST, outcome expectations and were asked open-ended questions to clarify responses. Results Of 19 women approached, 9 agreed to complete the survey and one of these was a screen fail. Participants (n=8; mean age=48.5 years [SD=13.8]; 13% non-White) indicated that prayer (75%), gentle movement (75%), relaxation (75%), breathing (63%), counseling (63%), and information (38%) would be helpful to reduce bother they experienced during their hospital stay. A majority of participants (63%) would have been interested in the described YST before and after surgery, although 50% indicated they did not like the name “YST” .O utcome expectations indicated that participants thought a brief YST would be helpful (on a scale from 0-10) for reducing pain (M=6.3[SD=2.3] and distress (M=6.5[SD=1.8]). Conclusion This study showed that there was interest in the YST among women undergoing surgery for a suspected gynecological malignancy. Thus, future studies should implement yoga for these women and investigate its efficacy for reducing negative surgical outcomes. Results also suggested that such future studies recruit before surgery, rename the intervention, and that prayer or counseling are of more interest for a control group than information.
Using System Dynamics modelling approach to develop management tools for animal production with emphasis on small ruminants

Abstract Small ruminants are important assets in several regions of the world. They account for more than half of the domesticated ruminants. Despite the growth in goat production in the world (more than 2% per year), research related to goat production is less than desired. One underused but potentially valuable approach for research on small ruminants is simulation modelling. Models of the components of small ruminant systems can enhance the financial returns and reduce negative environmental impacts. These models can be used to assess many dimensions of small ruminant production, from rumen dynamics to economic policies designed to support small ruminant production. Understanding the nutrition, production, and economic policy feedback signals and planning ahead is crucial to build a robust and integrated production activity that can be managed under different production scenarios. System Dynamics (SD) is a computer-aided modelling methodology that can be used to perform policy analysis and decision support system (DSS) applied to dynamic problems arising in complex social, managerial, economic, or ecological dynamic systems characterized by interdependence, mutual interaction, information feedback, and circular causality. SD can be used as a modelling tool to aggregate knowledge to solve different types of problems that have a limited scope to a specific location or have broad trends of applications across locations and areas of science. Important issues of broad application include the bearings of animal production in the climate change and the impacts of climate change in animal production, alternative production scenarios of animal and crop integration, associations between animal production and business (economics, marketing). The trend of increasing small ruminants in tropical and subtropical regions and an increasing pressure on tropical and subtropical livestock systems to produce food, to feed livestock, and to produce energy crops warrants the development of DSS to address issues such as what is the “real” benefits of livestock, the negative impacts livestock can have on greenhouse-gas emissions and the environment, and the effects of climate change on livestock systems.
An affect-based, hierarchical model of temperament and its relations with internalizing symptomatology.

Examined the tripartite model of personality, which emphasizes negative affectivity (NA) and positive affectivity (PA) as central organizing dimensions of personality that are useful for discriminating psychopathologies. Conceptualizations of youth temperament also include second-order, organizing factors of negative emotionality/ neuroticism and positive emotionality/extroversion that may differentially predict psychopathologies. A community sample of 290 10- to 17-year-old youth completed the Emotionality, Activity, and Sociability Temperament Survey (EAS), Positive and Negative Affectivity Schedule, and measures of symptoms of anxiety and depression. Factor analysis replicated the 5-factor structure of the EAS and revealed 2 independent second-order factors, negative temperament (NT) and positive temperament (PT). NT and PT demonstrated convergent and discriminant relations with NA and PA. Consistent with the tripartite model, NT was associated with both anxiety and depression scores, but PT was relate...
Land use in the southern Yucatán peninsular region of Mexico: Scenarios of population and institutional change

Land-use and land-cover change, human activity that results in altered land-use systems and surface features, defines the environmental and socioeconomic sustainability of communities around the globe. It is a key response to global environmental change in addition to being both a key cause and medium of this change. This article examines an application of the Southern Yucatan Peninsular Region Integrated Assessment (SYPRIA), a scenario-based spatially explicit model designed to examine and project land use in Mexico. SYPRIA combines Geographic Information Systems (GIS) with agent-based modeling, cellular modeling, and genetic programming. The application examined here explores the effects on land-use and land-cover projections of scenarios that rely on varying assumptions pertaining to population growth, land-use trends, role of agrarian technology, and effects of resource institutions. This work also highlights the importance of understanding the many factors influencing land use, particularly population, different production systems, and the contextual nature of resource institutions in determining the nature of land use.
Maternal Attitudes and Self-Definition as Related to Perceptions of Infant Temperament

Maternal childbearing attitudes and self-definition as related to maternal perceptions of infant temperament were investigated in a pilot study. Maternal attitudes, self-definition, and perceptions of infant temperament were determined through mothers' self-report. Results indicated that maternal attitudes-including self-confidence and feelings toward infants and children-were positively related to maternal perceptions of infant temperament. That is, mothers who reported low self-confidence and negative feelings toward infants and children in general also rated their infants' temperament as more negative. In addition, maternal work experience involving children was inversely related to maternal perceptions of infant temperament, in that those mothers who had more work experience with children rated their infants as being more difficult. The findings are consistent with Sameroff's transactional model of development (Sameroff & Chandler, 1975) wherein both the psychological and behavioral aspects of mother and infant create the milieu for further development.
Synergistic down-regulation of urokinase plasminogen activator receptor and matrix metalloproteinase-9 in SNB19 glioblastoma cells efficiently inhibits glioma cell invasion, angiogenesis, and tumor growth.

The binding of urokinase plasminogen activator (uPA) to its receptor (uPAR) initiates a proteolytic cascade facilitating the activation of matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9), which in turn degrades the extracellular matrix. These processes have an established role in tumor invasion and metastasis. Our previous work revealed an inverse association between glioma invasion and the expression of uPAR and MMP-9. In the present study, we used the adenovirus serotype 5 vector system to generate a replication-deficient recombinant adenovirus capable of simultaneously expressing antisense uPAR and antisense MMP-9 (Ad-uPAR-MMP-9). This adenoviral construct is driven by the independent promoter elements cytomegalovirus and bovine growth hormone and SV40 polyadenylation signals to down-regulate key steps in the proteolytic cascade. Ad-uPAR-MMP-9 infection of SNB19 cells significantly decreased uPAR and MMP-9 expression as determined by immunohistochemical and Western blotting analyses. A Matrigel invasion assay revealed marked reduction in the invasiveness of the Ad-uPAR-MMP-9-infected cells compared with parental and vector controls. Tumor spheroids infected with Ad-uPAR-MMP-9 and cocultured with fetal rat brain aggregates did not invade rat brain aggregates, whereas 90-95% of the mock and empty vector-infected cells invaded the rat brain aggregates. Intracranial injection of SNB19 cells infected ex vivo with the Ad-uPAR-MMP-9 antisense bicistronic construct showed decreased invasiveness and tumorigenicity. s.c. injections of the bicistronic antisense construct into established tumors (U87 MG) caused tumor regression. These results support the therapeutic potential of targeting the individual components of the uPAR-MMP-9 by using a single adenovirus construct for the treatment of gliomas and other cancers.