cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Blocking of CD4 cell receptors for the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV‐1) by chemically modified bovine milk proteins: Potential for AIDS prophylaxis

The chemical transformation of synthetic combinatorial libraries to increase the diversity of compounds of medicinal interest was reported recently. Chemical modification of natural products represents a complementary approach to accomplish this aim. Modification of lysines by aromatic acid anhydrides, preferentially by 3-hydroxyphthalic and trimellitic anhydrides and trimellitic anhydride chloride, converted commonly available proteins (human and bovine serum albumin and casein) into potent inhibitors of (i) binding between the HIV-1 gp 120 envelope glycoprotein and the CD4 cell receptor, probably owing to their binding to CD4, and (ii) infection by HIV-1. Modified bovine milk proteins are also potent HIV-1 inhibitors and may have potential for anti-HIV-1 prophylaxis.
Combinatorial assessments of brain tissue metabolomics and histopathology in rodent models of human immunodeficiency virus infection

Metabolites are biomarkers for a broad range of central nervous system disorders serving as molecular drivers and byproducts of disease pathobiology. However, despite their importance, routine measures of brain tissue metabolomics are not readily available based on the requirements of rapid tissue preservation. They require preservation by microwave irradiation, rapid freezing or other methods designed to reduce post mortem metabolism. Our research on human immunodeficiency virus type one (HIV-1) infection has highlighted immediate needs to better link histology to neural metabolites. To this end, we investigated such needs in well-studied rodent models. First, the dynamics of brain metabolism during ex vivo tissue preparation was shown by proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy in normal mice. Second, tissue preservation methodologies were assessed using liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry and immunohistology to measure metabolites and neural antigens. Third, these methods were applied to two animal models. In the first, immunodeficient mice reconstituted with human peripheral blood lymphocytes then acutely infected with HIV-1. In the second, NOD scid IL2 receptor gamma chain knockout mice were humanized with CD34+ human hematopoietic stem cells and chronically infected with HIV-1. Replicate infected animals were treated with nanoformulated antiretroviral therapy (nanoART). Results from chronic infection showed that microgliosis was associated with increased myoinostitol, choline, phosphocholine concentrations and with decreased creatine concentrations. These changes were partially reversed with nanoART. Metabolite responses were contingent on the animal model. Taken together, these studies integrate brain metabolomics with histopathology towards uncovering putative biomarkers for neuroAIDS.
Observation of a Second-Order Phase Transition and Its Associated P − T Phase Diagram in Liquid He 3

A specific-heat "discontinuity" is observed in liquid ${\mathrm{He}}^{3}$ from 241 lb/${\mathrm{in}.}^{2}$ to the melting pressure in the temperature range 2-3 mK.
Production and Characterization of Hot-Melt Extruded Films Containing Clotrimazole

Hot-melt extrusion technology (HME) was used to prepare muco-adhesive matrix films containing 10% w/w clotrimazole (CT) intended for local drug delivery applications for the oral cavity. This study...
On the theory of anomalous yield behavior of Ni3Al — Effect of elastic anisotropy

The anomalous increase in yield strength of Ni/sub 3/Al with increasing temperature is the basis for the superior mechanical properties of modern superalloys. It is also the key issue of recent research and alloy design of nickel aluminides. The purpose of this note is to point out the fact that the effect of elastic anisotropy on the temperature dependence of yield stress is equally important in interpreting the main feature of all the experimental data available on Ni/sub 3/Al.
EL SALVADOR: ELECCIONES Y MOVIMIENTOS SOCIALES

Esta investigacion se enfoca en las elecciones presidenciales e historicas en El Salvador en 2009. Hay un enfasis dado a la transformacion del partido politico FMLN en la era despues de la guerra civil y la alianza entre el partido y los movimientos sociales en la sociedad civil. La combinacion de los procesos de la democratizacion y las politicas de liberalizacion economica en los 1990 y 2000 aporto al reforzamiento de la coalicion entre el partido de la izquierda y los movimientos populares. Gradualmente el FMLN se podia canalizar la energia de las campanas de los movimientos sociales contra las politicas neoliberales y opinion publica en triunfos electorales al nivel local, parlamentario y Ejecutivo.
Can Higher Doses of Oxybutynin Improve Efficacy in Neurogenic Bladder

ABSTRACTPurpose: We evaluated the efficacy and tolerability of higher dose oxybutynin chloride in patients with neurogenic bladder and multiple sclerosis, spinal cord injury or Parkinson's disease.Materials and Methods: The study design was a prospective, 12-week dose titration trial of controlled release oxybutynin (OXY-XL). A 7-day washout period was used before initiation of the starting dose of 10 mg OXY-XL. Doses of OXY-XL were increased by 5 mg at weekly intervals to a maximum dose of 30 mg per day guided by patient perception of efficacy versus side effect. Voiding diaries were completed at baseline, and weeks 6 and 12. Post-void residuals were recorded. Criteria for study admission included post-void residual less than 200 ml.Results: Of the 39 patients enrolled in the study 22 had multiple sclerosis, 10 had spinal cord injury and 7 had Parkinson's disease. There were 29 women (74%) and 10 men (26%). Within 1 week a decrease in the number of voids per day was seen in greater than 50% of the subjec...
The inhibition of motility that results from contact between two oligodendrocytes in vitro can be blocked by pertussis toxin.

The interactions between cultured neonatal rat oligodendrocytes from the optic nerve were examined. Spontaneous contact between oligodendrocytes in vitro resulted in collapse of the fine structure of the oligodendrocytes at the points of contact. To increase the frequency of oligodendrocyte-oligodendrocyte interactions, one oligodendrocyte was removed from the substrate and placed into contact with the end of a process of another oligodendrocyte. Within 15–30 minutes, the fine structure of the second oligodendrocyte had collapsed at the point of contact with the manipulated oligodendrocyte. Manipulated contact induced an approximately three-fold increase in intracellular free calcium concentration that preceded the inhibition of motility. To demonstrate that a release of calcium from internal stores was involved, the experiment was repeated with calcium removed from the medium by chelation with EGTA. Calcium elevation and contact-induced collapse still occurred in the absence of extracellular calcium. The contact-induced calcium increase was blocked by the combination of EGTA and thapsigargin (to deplete calcium from IP3 sensitive intracellular storage sites). Pertussis toxin sensitive G-proteins have been implicated in modulating calcium channels and in mediating a release of calcium from internal stores in certain cells. Pertussis toxin prevented the contact-induced calcium increase and the coincident morphological change in oligodendrocytes. These results suggest that oligodendrocytes are able to recognize and react to specific molecules on the surface of other oligodendrocytes. Moreover, the similarity of this response to the previously characterized response of oligodendrocytes to purified myelin supports the idea that molecules present in myelin and exposed on the surfaces of oligodendrocytes might be used in intercellular communication between oligodendrocytes. © 1996 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Deferoxamine Iron Chelation Increases δ-Aminolevulinic Acid Induced Protoporphyrin IX in Xenograft Glioma Model

Exogenous administration of delta-aminolevulinic acid (delta-ALA) leads to selective accumulation of protoporphyrin IX (PpIX) in brain tumors, and has shown promising results in increasing extent of resection in fluorescence-guided resection (FGR) of brain tumors. However, this approach still suffers from heterogeneous staining and so some tumor margins may go undetected because of this variation in PpIX production. The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that iron chelation therapy could increase the level of fluorescence in malignant glioma tumors. Mice implanted with xenograft U251-GFP glioma tumor cells were given a 200 mg kg(-1) dose of deferoxamine (DFO), once a day for 3 days prior to delta-ALA administration. The PpIX fluorescence observed in the tumor regions was 1.9 times the background in animal group without DFO, and 2.9 times the background on average, in the DFO pre-treated group. A 50% increase in PpIX fluorescence contrast in the DFO group was observed relative to the control group (t-test P-value = 0.0020). These results indicate that iron chelation therapy could significantly increase delta-ALA-induced PpIX fluorescence in malignant gliomas, pointing to a potential role of iron chelation therapy for more effective FGR of brain tumors.
MATHEMATICAL MODELING OF MICROBIAL GROWTH: A REVIEW

The use of mathematical modeling of microbiological behavior to predict and evaluate food safety or shelf life is receiving considerable interest. Researchers are attempting to use mathematical equations that incorporate such critical growth factors as pH, aw, and NaCl content to predict microbial growth and/or toxin production in order to replace traditional time-intensive challenge studies. Predictive equations can be divided into probabilistic, regression, Arrhenius, and square root models. Models vary greatly in theory and complexity. Predictive models are used to monitor processes ranging from temperature during distribution to inventory control. They have been shown to be useful in product development and shelf-life estimation when safety is not an issue. Most models are generated by regression analysis of data obtained from laboratory experiments. Statistically based models, even when conservatively derived, are not appropriate as the only criterion for evaluating food safety.
Use of Antiretrovirals for HIV Prevention: What Do We Know and What Don’t We Know?

Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), in which HIV uninfected persons with ongoing HIV risk use antiretroviral medications as chemoprophylaxis against sexual HIV acquisition, is a promising new HIV prevention strategy. Proof-of-concept that PrEP, as oral or vaginal topical tenofovir-based products, protects against sexual HIV acquisition has been demonstrated in clinical trials conducted among men who have sex with men and heterosexual men and women. The degree of HIV protection in these trials was strongly related to the level of adherence to PrEP. Many questions are yet unanswered – including how to motivate uptake of and sustain adherence to PrEP for HIV prevention, how much PrEP use is enough to achieve HIV protection, and the potential of “next-generation” PrEP agents to improve on this effective technology.
An Efficient Integer Programming Algorithm with Network Cuts for Solving Resource-Constrained Scheduling Problems

In this paper we describe an integer programming algorithm for allocating limited resources to competing activities jobs, tasks, etc. of a project such that the completion time of the project is minimal among all possible completion times. Typical of such problems is the minimization of the completion time of projects of the PERT/CPM variety where limits on resource availability force the postponement of selected activities during project performance. Also included in this class of problems for which our procedure is applicable is the assignment of jobs to machines such that the elapsed time for completing all jobs makespan is a minimum over all possible job-machine assignments. The procedure developed consists of a systematic evaluation enumeration of all possible job finish times for each task in the project. To limit the number of task assignments which have to be explicitly evaluated, an artifice called a network cut is developed which removes from consideration the evaluation of job finish times which cannot lead to a reduced project completion time. Results reported demonstrate that the procedure developed is a reliable optimization technique for projects consisting of up to 30--50 jobs and three different resource types. The procedure is particularly applicable in those instances in which computer primary storage is limited. Many of the mini-computers available today are capable of implementing our approach without extensive programming being required for writing to auxiliary storage, making the technique available to the project manager in those environments in which extensive computer resources for scheduling are not readily available.
Comment on 'The stabilizing effects of cloud reacceleration, microturbulence, and rotation on Parker's instability'

It is pointed out that the calculations in the paper by Zweibel and Kulsrud do not speak to the question of the instability and evolution of the gaseous disk of the Galaxy. Rather, they seem to treat the question of the statistical stability of the present turbulent dynamical state.
Vertical Integration of Biometrics Across the Curriculum: Case Study of Speaker, Face and Iris Recognition

Vertical integration is a powerful curricular tool that allows students to better appreciate the interconnections among the concepts acquired and learned in different courses. It can be used to bring a modern topic at all levels of the undergraduate curriculum with little additional resources. This paper gives a brief survey of various vertical integration efforts and describes one effort at integrating biometrics throughout the curriculum. The focus is on three senior level projects (speaker, face and iris recognition) that not only rely on vertical integration but also reinforce design, software skills and knowledge of STEM concepts. The freshman through junior levels are also described. The assessment results show that students acquire specific learning outcomes and perceive the value of vertical integration.
Testicular cancer awareness and self-examination among adolescent males in a community-based youth organization.

Abstract Background Testicular cancer (TC) is the most common neoplasm affecting males between 15 and 35, and testicular self-examination (TSE) has been recommended for early detection. Studies have found that young adult men have poor awareness of TC and low rates of performing TSE, but little research has examined adolescents. Methods In a comprehensive survey of health behaviors among adolescent boys ( n = 213, mean age 15.4 years) who participated in a community-based youth organization (Boy Scouts of America), we assessed whether respondents had heard of TC and the frequency of performing TSE. Results Nearly 73% of scouts had heard of TC, but only 10.3% performed TSE at levels consistent with current recommendations (10 or more times per year). Compared to whites, blacks were less knowledgeable about TC and less likely to perform TSE. Knowledge of TC also was associated with participation in physical education classes and the intention to graduate from college. TSE was associated with greater health care access and the use of personal flotation devices during water activities. Conclusion TSE is underutilized as an early cancer detection tool. Efforts are needed to increase TC knowledge among black adolescents and to integrate TSE education with promotion of healthy behaviors in community organizations.
Interaction of a Bulky N-Heterocyclic Carbene Ligand with Rh(I) and Ir(I). Double C−H Activation and Isolation of Bare 14-Electron Rh(III) and Ir(III) Complexes

Reactivity and structural studies of unusual rhodium and iridium systems bearing two N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) ligands are presented. These systems are capable of intramolecular C−H bond activation and lead to coordinatively unsaturated 16-electron complexes. The resulting complexes can be further unsaturated by simple halide abstraction, leading to 14-electron species bearing an all-carbon environment. Saturation of the vacant sites in the 16- and 14-electron complexes with carbon monoxide permits a structural comparison. DFT calculations show that these electrophilic metal centers are stabilized by π-donation of the NHC ligands.
Relative Intensities of the Magnetic and Electrostatic Illumination Components in the Electrodeless Discharge

Recent theory indicates that a considerable portion of the illumination in the electrodeless discharge is due to the electrostatic field. A discharge vessel was constructed to test this point experimentally. Obstructions were set in it with the idea that each type of discharge would cast its own shadow. Distinct shadows were obtained for both discharges when acting separately. When the magnetic field predominated and the ring discharge was fully formed no evidence was obtained of shadows due to electrostatic discharges, and conversely, as is shown by the photographs that accompany the article. The intensities of the two illuminations, as judged by the times of exposure, varied about as 1 to 50. The photographs seem to support the calculations of Sir J. J. Thomson.
Mitral Valve Annular Calcification Is Associated with Poor Outcome after Intracerebral Hemorrhage (P06.230)

Objective: We sought to determine the prevalence of MAC and evaluate associations between MAC and adverse events and early functional outcomes in patients with intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). Background Hypertension (HTN) is the major cause of ICH. Structural and functional hypertensive changes are frequently detected in patients with ICH. Mitral valve annular calcification (MAC), associated with adverse cardiovascular disease, including stroke, has not been studied in patients with ICH. Design/Methods: We retrospectively analyzed all patients presenting with spontaneous ICH from July 2008 to December 2010. Patients were included if a transthoracic echocardiogram (TTE) was performed during acute hospitalization. Baseline demographics, clinical characteristics, and TTE results were analyzed using Chi square and Mann-Whitney U. Results: Of 119 patients who were screened, 75 (68% of patients with ICH) subjects had TTE data which included description of the mitral valve: 57% male, 70% African American with a median age of 58 (19-90), and median NIHSS 15 (IQR 6,21). 1 in 5 ICH patients had MAC on TTE. Patients with MAC were older (p Conclusions: This is the first study to document a relationship between the presence of MAC and worse outcome in patients with ICH. MAC may merely serve as a surrogate marker for medically complex patients at higher risk of poor outcome. Disclosure: Dr. Burak has nothing to disclose. Dr. Albright has nothing to disclose. Dr. Sartor has nothing to disclose. Dr. Sisson has nothing to disclose. Dr. Martin-Schild has nothing to disclose. Dr. Denny has nothing to disclose.
Multilevel calculations in odd-A nuclei

Abstract The formalism of the Interacting Boson-Fermion Model (IBFM) permits the calculation of the low-lying spectra of odd-mass nuclei, including several single-particle degrees of freedom. Moreover, it allows one to treat cases in which the mixing of these separate degrees of freedom is not weak. We present here the application of this formalism to the study of the positive parity states in the transitional nucleus 131Xe, for which the 3 s 1 2 , 2 d 3 2 , 2 d 5 2 and 1 g 7 2 neutron levels play a major role.
Constructing classification features using minimal predictive patterns

Choosing good features to represent objects can be crucial to the success of supervised machine learning methods. Recently, there has been a great interest in applying data mining techniques to construct new classification features. The rationale behind this approach is that patterns (feature-value combinations) could capture more underlying semantics than single features. Hence the inclusion of some patterns can improve the classification performance. Currently, most methods adopt a two-phases approach by generating all frequent patterns in the first phase and selecting the discriminative patterns in the second phase. However, this approach has limited success because it is usually very difficult to correctly identify important predictive patterns in a large set of highly correlated frequent patterns. In this paper, we introduce the minimal predictive patterns framework to directly mine a compact set of highly predictive patterns. The idea is to integrate pattern mining and feature selection in order to filter out non-informative and redundant patterns while being generated. We propose some pruning techniques to speed up the mining process. Our extensive experimental evaluation on many datasets demonstrates the advantage of our method by outperforming many well known classifiers.
Nonlinear statistical coupling

Abstract By considering a nonlinear combination of the probabilities of a system, a physical interpretation of Tsallis statistics as representing the nonlinear coupling or decoupling of statistical states is proposed. The escort probability is interpreted as the coupled probability , with Q = 1 − q defined as the degree of nonlinear coupling between the statistical states. Positive values of Q have coupled statistical states, a larger entropy metric, and a maximum coupled-entropy distribution of compact-support coupled-Gaussians . Negative values of Q have decoupled statistical states and for − 2 Q 0 a maximum coupled-entropy distribution of heavy-tail coupled-Gaussians. The conjugate transformation between the heavy-tail and compact-support domains is shown to be Q ˆ = − 2 Q 2 + Q for coupled-Gaussian distributions. This conjugate relationship has been used to extend the generalized Fourier transform to the compact-support domain and to define a scale-invariant correlation structure with heavy-tail limit distribution. In the present paper, we show that the conjugate is a mapping between the source of nonlinearity in non-stationary stochastic processes and the nonlinear coupling which defines the coupled-Gaussian limit distribution. The effects of additive and multiplicative noise are shown to be separable into the coupled - variance and the coupling parameter Q , providing further evidence of the importance of the generalized moments.
Outcomes in bilateral cochlear implantation.

Objective The objective of this study was to explore improvements in quality of life and the cost-utility of bilateral cochlear implantation. Study Design and Setting A prospective case-control study was conducted on 23 bilateral cochlear implant patients with the Mark III health utility index. Results Results indicate a 0.48 mean gain in health utility after bilateral cochlear implantation and a discounted cost per quality adjusted life year of $24,859 in this cohort of patients. With a comparison of patient scores for unilateral and bilateral use, improvements in the domains of hearing, speech, emotion, and cognition were noted, resulting in a mean gain in health utility of 0.11. Conclusions This study found an improvement in quality of life and a favorable cost-utility associated with bilateral cochlear implantation in patients with profound hearing loss. These patients showed additional improvements in quality of life after they received their second implant. Clinical Significance This is the first study that showed improvements in quality of life and a favorable cost-utility after bilateral cochlear implantation in patients with profound hearing loss.
Functional characterizations of uniform log-depth and polylog-depth circuit families

The classes of functions computable by uniform log-depth (NC/sup 1/) and polylog-depth circuit families are characterized as closures of a set of base functions. (The former is equivalent to ALOGTIME, the latter to polylogarithmic space.) The closures involve the 'safe' composition of S. Bellantoni and S. Cook (1992) as well as a safe divide-and-conquer recursion: a simple change to the definition of the latter distinguishes between log and polylog depth. The proofs proceed, in one direction, by showing that safe composition and divide-and-conquer recursion preserve growth rate and circuit depth bounds, and in the other, by simulating alternating Turing machines with divide-and-conquer recursion. >
Effect of fluoride varnish on early childhood caries in immunization clinics of roatan, Honduras

Background: In order to reduce mortality among HIV/AIDS patients, it is imperative to understand the cause of mortality in these individuals. In this study, we reviewed clinical characteristics and outcome of HIV/AIDS inpatients in a tertiary hospital setting in Ethiopia in 2008. Methods: Retrospective medical chart review was done for HIVinfected patients admitted to the All Africa Leprosy, Tuberculosis and Rehabilitation training (ALERT) Centre, a tertiary referral hospital in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia from January 1 to December 31 in 2008. Basic information (sex, age etc), HIV profile (CD4 count, WHO stage, ART regimen etc), presenting symptoms, diagnosis, and outcomes were obtained, and the data were analyzed. Ethical approval was obtained from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, ALERT Centre and the Ethiopian National Review Board. Findings: A total of 290HIV positive patients admitted to the ALERT Centre in 2008were included in this study.Out of the total patients, 187 of them had been onARTprior to admission (the ART group), and 103 of them were not on ART (the non-ART group). The mean CD4 count was 142.9 cell/mm for theART group and101.6 cell/mm for thenonART group (p1⁄40.002). The distribution of WHO stage was similar between the ART and non-ART groups; more than 90% of patients in both groups were either WHO stage III or IV. For overall patients, bacterial pneumonia (27.9%), all-extrapulmonary TB (26.9%), pulmonary TB (26.0%) and bacterial sepsis (18.6%) were the most common diagnosis. About 70% of TB diagnoses and more than 90% of CNS diagnoses were made empirically. Themortality was 36.4% for the ART group and 59.2% for the non-ART group (p1⁄40.000). The highest mortality was associated with final diagnoses of bacterial sepsis (61.4%) followed by CNS diagnoses (58.1%), pulmonary TB (53.7%), bacterial pneumonia (52.7%) and all-extrapulmonary TB (51.2%). About 60%of the ART group showed improvement during the admission; only 35% of the non-ART group showed improvement (p1⁄40.000). Interpretation: The non-ART group was associated with higher inpatient mortality than the ART group. Nevertheless, both groups had extremely high death rate with the overall mortality rate of 44.5%. The majority of patients presented at advanced stage of HIV disease, and the majority of the diagnoses were made empirically. In addition, more than half of the patients were diagnosed as co-infected with TB. Better diagnostic tools and treatment options will likely improve the outcome of HIV patients in Ethiopia. Of paramount importance is the implementation of the June 2013 WHO guideline to enroll people on ART with the CD4 count less than 500 cell/mm before their immune system is severely immunocompromised. Funding: NIH sponsored Einstein Center For Aids Research. Abstract #: 02CD012
GEOTROPISM OF AGRIOLIMAX.

On an inclined glass plate the slug Agriolimax orients and creeps upward or downward. The angle of orientation on the plane (θ) is proportional to the logarithm of the component of gravity in the creeping plane. The coefficient of variability of the measured values of (θ) decreases linearly as the logarithm at the gravity component in the creeping plane increases. The cosine of the angle of orientation decreases almost directly in proportion to the sine of the angle of inclination of the creeping plane to the horizontal, as previously found for young rats (Crozier and Pincus). But a more satisfactory formulation for the present case shows that the sine of the angle of orientation (θ) decreases in direct proportion to the increase of the reciprocal of the sine of the angle of inclination of the creeping plane. This formulation is derived from the theory that the geotropic orientation is limited by the threshold difference between the pull of the body mass on the mutually inclined longitudinal muscles at the anterior end of the slug.
The disruption of central CO2 chemosensitivity in a mouse model of Rett syndrome.

People with Rett syndrome (RTT) have breathing instability in addition to other neuropathological manifestations. The breathing disturbances contribute to the high incidence of unexplained death an...
Morphine Produces Immunosuppressive Effects in Nonhuman Primates at the Proteomic and Cellular Levels

Morphine has long been known to have immunosuppressive properties in vivo, but the molecular and immunologic changes induced by it are incompletely understood. To explore how these changes interact with lentiviral infections in vivo, animals from two nonhuman primate species (African green monkeys and pigtailed macaques) were provided morphine and studied using a systems biology approach. Biological specimens were obtained from multiple sources (e.g. lymph node, colon, cerebrospinal fluid, and peripheral blood) before and after the administration of morphine (titrated up to a maximum dose of 5 mg/kg over a period of 20 days). Cellular immune, plasma cytokine, and proteome changes were measured and morphine-induced changes in these parameters were assessed on an interorgan, interindividual, and interspecies basis. In both species, morphine was associated with decreased levels of Ki-67+ T-cell activation but with only minimal changes in overall T-cell counts, neutrophil counts, and NK cell counts. Although changes in T-cell maturation were observed, these varied across the various tissue/fluid compartments studied. Proteomic analysis revealed a morphine-induced suppressive effect in lymph nodes, with decreased abundance of protein mediators involved in the functional categories of energy metabolism, signaling, and maintenance of cell structure. These findings have direct relevance for understanding the impact of heroin addiction and the opioids used to treat addiction as well as on the potential interplay between opioid abuse and the immunological response to an infective agent.
Rocking-Curve Peak Shift in Thin Heterojunction Single Layers

A simple method for determining layer composition and mismatch of semiconductor hetero-epitaxial samples is by measuring the separation of peaks in x-ray rocking curve (XRC). This method fails if the peak separation is affected by other factors. For a small layer thickness, the layer peak position is affected by the x-ray amplitudes of the substrate or other thicker layers through the interference and overlap effects. In this case, a diffraction theory fitting process is necessary for a correct determination of layer parameters. We have used dynamical and kinematical x-ray diffraction theories to calculate the layer peak position as a function of its thickness for various layer/substrate combinations. These two theories yield substantially different results, indicating that the kinematical diffraction theory analysis is no longer valid for these thin layers. When a thick layer is present along with the thin layer, the thick layer is more influential than the substrate to the thin layer peak position, making the dynamical theory fitting necessary even from higher thickness.
Near-Resonant Spatial Images of Confined Bose-Einstein Condensates in a 4-Dee Magnetic Bottle

We present quantitative measurements of the spatial density profile of Bose-Einstein condensates of sodium atoms confined in a 4-Dee magnetic bottle. The condensates are imaged in transmission with near-resonant laser light. We demonstrate that the Thomas-Fermi surface of a condensate can be determined to better than 1%. More generally, we obtain excellent agreement with mean-field theory. We conclude that precision measurements of atomic scattering lengths and interactions between phase-separated cold atoms in a harmonic trap can be performed with high precision using this method. @S1050-2947~98!51707-6# PACS number~s!: 03.75.Fi Recently Bose-Einstein condensates ~BECs! have been created from dilute, ultracold atomic clouds of Rb, Li, and Na @1‐5# through a combination of laser @6# and evaporative cooling @7#. Evidence for condensation in Refs. @1# and @3‐5# rely on time-of-flight measurements on atomic clouds after release from the magnetic traps in which they are initially confined; valuable information on condensate dynamics has been obtained from studying such release data @8#. Alternatively, it is possible to probe confined condensates directly without the transformations associated with release processes. This has been done with dark-field and phase-contrast imaging @9‐11#. In this Rapid Communication, we describe such a capability obtained with near-resonant absorption imaging in a BEC setup based on a 4-Dee magnetic bottle in which we routinely create multimillion atom condensates of sodium atoms. The name ‘‘4-Dee’’ stems from the fact that the shape of each of the four coils needed to create the confining field for spin aligned atoms resembles the letter‘‘D.’’ Figure 1~b! shows the configuration of these coils. We present quantitative in situ spatial images of the condensate surface region and perform detailed comparisons of density profile measurements on pure condensates ~no visible noncondensate component! to ground-state mean-field calculations. These condensates, confined in a harmonic trap and with large numbers of atoms ~Thomas-Fermi limit @12#!, have sharply defined boundaries that can be determined with high precision with near-resonant imaging. Combined with an in
A spatial model of shared risk for plague and hantavirus pulmonary syndrome in the southwestern United States.

Plague and hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) are severe, often fatal diseases in humans that share a broad epidemiologic focus in the southwestern United States. Prevention of these diseases relies heavily on education and reducing rodent abundance in peridomestic environments. Resources for these activities are limited. Therefore, identifying areas sharing elevated risk for these two relatively rare but severe diseases could be useful for targeting limited public health resources. Using logistic regression and geographic information system-based modeling, we identified environmental predictors of elevated risk for plague (distance to pinon-juniper ecotones and amount of precipitation) and HPS (elevation and amount of precipitation) in northeastern Arizona and northwestern New Mexico. Our models accurately identified case locations as suitable (producer accuracies of 93% for plague and 96% for HPS) and indicated that approximately half of the coverage area was classified as suitable risk for either plague or HPS. The probability of a site being classified as suitable for plague was strongly correlated with its probability of being classified as suitable for HPS (rhos = 0.88). Increased risk for both diseases occurred for approximately 37% of the coverage area.
Formal foundations for hybrid hierarchies in GTRBAC

A role hierarchy defines permission acquisition and role-activation semantics through role--role relationships. It can be utilized for efficiently and effectively structuring functional roles of an organization having related access-control needs. The focus of this paper is the analysis of hybrid role hierarchies in the context of the generalized temporal role-based access control (GTRBAC) model that allows specification of a comprehensive set of temporal constraints on role, user-role, and role-permission assignments. We introduce the notion of uniquely activable set (UAS) associated with a role hierarchy that indicates the access capabilities of a user resulting from his membership to a role in the hierarchy. Identifying such a role set is essential, while making an authorization decision about whether or not a user should be allowed to activate a particular combination of roles in a single session. We formally show how UAS can be determined for a hybrid hierarchy. Furthermore, within a hybrid hierarchy, various hierarchical relations may be derived between an arbitrary pair of roles. We present a set of inference rules that can be used to generate all the possible derived relations that can be inferred from a specified set of hierarchical relations and show that it is sound and complete. We also present an analysis of hierarchy transformations with respect to role addition, deletion, and partitioning, and show how various cases of these transformations allow the original permission acquisition and role-activation semantics to be managed. The formal results presented here provide a basis for developing efficient security administration and management tools.
Melt Crystallization of Nanocomposites of Poly(Vinylidene Fluoride) with OMS

In our previous work [1] we investigated the impact of cold-crystallization on the structure of nanocomposites of PVDF with Lucentite STN™ OMS and observed the crossover composition in which the crystallographic beta phase dominated over alpha phase. Here, melt crystallization of PVDF/OMS nanocomposites was studied in the range of 0 to 1.0 wt% of OMS. In crystallization from melt, a decrease in crystallinity index occurs as a result of an increase in OMS. While beta phase fraction increased with an increase of OMS content in the range of interest, the amount of alpha crystals was found to be dominant even at high OMS compositions. At 1.0 wt% of OMS, beta crystals had reached at most 30% of the total crystallinity. Polarizing optical microscopy (POM) studies showed smaller, less birefringent spherulites with higher melting temperature compared to alpha spherulites appeared with OMS addition. Growth rate of these weakly birefringent spherulites is smaller than that of the strongly birefringent alpha spherulites. The increase in size and amount of the weakly birefringent spherulites with an increase of OMS and their higher melting point suggests these spherulites may be in the beta crystallographic phase.
Exploring the character of participation in social media: the case of Google Image Labeler

Social media are transforming interpersonal and social interactions, enabling new forms of engagement and participation. However, we know little about how the specific design qualities of social media affect social interaction in these environments. Considering the diversity of social media today, there is a need to engage with specific cases to discern possible patterns of relationship between designed characteristics of social media and the character of participation in them. To illustrate, this paper draws on a case study of the game, "Google Image Labeler." The design of the game is studied through a close reading of arguments made by its designers followed by an Internet study of what users and critics say about their interactions with the game. These studies, in conjunction with theories of social interaction by John Dewey and Robert Putnam, provide a foundation for a critical stance toward the quality of participation in this game that informs design theory and practice.
Performance measurement of vehicle Crash Imminent Braking systems

As active safety system features are being introduced to the passenger vehicle market segment, there is an immediate need to develop a standardized testing protocol and scoring mechanism which enables an objective comparison of similar active safety system performance as implemented across various vehicle platforms. It is desirable that this standard is adopted by the entire automotive industry to further advance active safety technologies. This paper describes a proposal for the establishment of such a standard to evaluate and compare the performance of Crash Imminent Braking (CIB) systems. The operation of CIB system is described as a three-state state machine. A standardized scoring matrix is proposed to assess the performance of the system in each state. This standard ensures that every CIB system operates in one and only one state of the state machine at any given time. Subjective and arguable test scenarios are avoided as much as possible in this standard. The proposed scoring system is implemented based on track testing data in the evaluation of a 2011 model year passenger vehicle equipped with a CIB system.
Optimal Synthesis of MITE Translinear Loops

A procedure for synthesizing multiple-input translinear element (MITE) networks that implement a given system of translinear-loop equations (STLE) is presented. The minimum number of MITEs required for implementing the STLE, which is equal to the number of current variables in the STLE, is attained. The number of input gates of the MITEs is minimal amongst those MITE networks that satisfy the STLE and have the minimum number of MITEs. The synthesized MITE networks have a unique operating point and, in many cases, the network is guaranteed to be stable in a particular sense. This synthesis procedure exploits the relationship between MITE product-of-power-law (POPL) networks and linear diophantine equations which is explored in detail here.
Optimizing Culture of Chlamydia pneumoniae by Using Multiple Centrifugations

Three methods for the recovery of Chlamydia pneumoniae from spiked nasopharyngeal and blood specimens, including extended culture and additional centrifugations, were compared. Additional centrifugations and a 7-day culture time resulted in a 500- to 5,000-fold increase in the number of detectable inclusion-forming units.
ROLE OF A TROPICAL “MARITIME CONTINENT” IN THE ATMOSPHERIC CIRCULATION1

Abstract Thunderstorm frequency and amount of moisture above 500 mb. both indicate that the equatorial regions of South America and Africa and the “maritime continent” of Indonesia and the Carolines generate a much greater amount of heat for export than do equatorial oceanic regions. Over the maritime continent in January 1963, heat generated from excessive rains was efficiently transported northward and through conversion of potential to kinetic energy proably helped maintain an intense subtropical jet stream. In January 1964 drought over the maritime continent was accompained by a relative accumulation of heat in the upper troposphere, associated with inefficient poleward transport, and a much weaker circulation. Most winters over the western Pacific and southeast Asia fluctuate between situations typical of January 1963 and January 1964. Since the troposphere over the maritime continent in winter is probably the single greatest source of energy for the extratropical circulation, the proposed Marshall I...
Adaptive rule of combination for observations over time

Landmark-based navigation of autonomous mobile robots require the integration of observations from sensors over time. This paper shows that Dempster's rule of combination is not appropriate for this domain. An alternative rule of combination for Shafer belief functions is derived, which adapts the belief updating process based on a contextual weighting parameter (n), where n is a function of the expected landmark permanence, change in sensor discriminability, expected potential for dynamic occlusions, and tracking error. These influences are fused using fuzzy rules. The adaptive rule is demonstrated empirically on a Denning-Branch MRV4 mobile robot to produce the desired behavior for navigating the robot to persistent landmarks for different values of n. The rule can also be used to estimate the interval of time that the robot can safely operate without a sensor update.
Discrete-fracture modeling of thermal-hydrological processes at Yucca Mountain and the LLNL G-Tunnel heater test

An in situ heater test was performed at G-Tunnel, Nevada Nuclear Test Site, to investigate the thermal-hydrological response of unsaturated, fractured volcanic tuff under conditions similar to those at Yucca Mountain. The NUFT flow and transport code was used to model the test using discrete-fracture and equivalent-continuum approaches. Nonequilibrium fracture flow and thermal buoyant gas-phase convection were found to be the likely causes for observed lack of condensate imbibition into the matrix. The potential repository at Yucca Mountain was also modeled. Disequilibrium fracture flow is predicted to occur for less than a hundred years after emplacement followed by a period of fracture-matrix equilibrium, during which the equivalent-continuum and discrete-fracture models give almost identical results.
Surface flashover in silicon-vacuum systems

The properties of the prebreakdown response of silicon-vacuum systems under HV excitation are presented. The most frequent case of system breakdown by surface flashover is treated. The particular properties of the system response in the high-field pulsed regime demonstrate the essential differences between the silicon-vacuum and solid-insulator-vacuum systems. The main ideas of a new physical model of surface flashover in silicon-vacuum systems are presented. The properties of the surface flashover response are discussed in terms of the proposed model. A concept called system surface flashover sensitivity is introduced to provide a better understanding of the surface flashover physical process in silicon-vacuum systems. >
The Behavior of Intersttitals in Irradiated Graphite

A computer model is developed to simulate the behavior of self-interstitials with particular attention to clustering. Owing to the layer structure of graphite, atomistic simulations can be performed using a large parallelepipedic supercell containing a few layers. In particular, interstitial clustering is studied here using a supercell that contains two basal planes only. Frenkel pairs are randomly produced. Interstitials are placed at sites between the crystal planes while vacancies are distributed in the two crystal planes. The size of the computational cell is 20000 atoms and periodic boundary conditions are used in two dimensions. Vacancies are assumed immobile whereas interstitials are given a certain mobility. Two point defect sinks are considered, direct recombination of Frenkel pairs and interstitial clusters. The clusters are assumed to be mobile up to a certain size where they are presumed to become loop nuclei. Clusters can shrink by emission of singly bonded interstitials or by recombination of a peripheral interstitial with a neighboring vacancy. The conditions under which interstitial clustering occurs are reported. It is shown that when clustering occurs the cluster size population gradually shifts towards the largest size cluster. The implications of the present results for irradiation growth and irradiation-induced amorphization are discussed.