cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Vitamin E supplementation modulates cytokine production by thymocytes during murine AIDS

Female C57BL/6 mice were infected with LP-BM5 retrovirus, causing murine AIDS, which is functionally similar to human AIDS. Retrovirus infection targeted the thymus, producing altered T cell differentiation via the dysregulation of thymocyte cytokine production. Human AIDS causes vitamin deficiencies, therefore the effects of dietary vitamin E supplementation were determined on the kinetics of cytokine production by concanavalin A-stimulated thymocytes in uninfected normal mice and mice with murine AIDS. Dietary supplementation, with a 15-fold increase in vitamin E (160 IU/l) in the liquid diet (National Research Council), modulated interleukin-2 (IL) production in both uninfected mice and retrovirus-infected mice. Vitamin E significantly reduced the level of IL-4 secretion in the uninfected mice at 4 and 8 weeks, but not at 12 and 16 weeks. It also significantly reduced IL-4 production, elevated by retrovirus infection. Vitamin E significantly reduced IL-6, and interferon-gamma production increased in murine AIDS. The effects of dietary vitamin E on concanavalin A-induced proliferation of thymocytes were consistent with the finding of changes in IL-2 secretion. No effects of dietary vitamin E on thymus weight were observed in uninfected or retrovirus-infected mice, whereas vitamin E significantly increased serum and thymic vitamin E concentration, which had been reduced by retrovirus infection. These data indicate that dietary vitamin E supplementation can modulate cytokine production by thymocytes, affecting T cell differentiation, especially during retrovirus-induced immune dysfunction.
First Report of Gray Leaf Spot Caused by Pyricularia grisea on Lolium perenne in Illinois.

Each year from 1991 to 1999, a disease matching the description of gray leaf spot (1) was observed in the central and north central regions of Illinois. Disease severity was low ( 50% blight in some areas) from 1995 to 1998. The disease was observed on Lolium perenne (perennial ryegrass) golf course fairways and sports fields. Isolations of Pyricularia grisea were made from L. perenne collected from golf courses in Bloomington, Decatur, Kankakee, Pekin, Urbana, and Moline, IL. All isolates were collected from surface-sterilized, symptomatic leaves. Cultures were maintained on one-fifth strength potato-dextrose agar (PDA) and induced to sporulate on full-strength oatmeal agar. All isolates in culture displayed vegetative and conidial characteristics similar to those previously described for P. grisea (1). Twenty-five different L. perenne germ plasms were inoculated with isolate WF9826 (Kankakee) using a suspension of 1 × 105 conidia per milliliter. The 4-week-old lawns (100 plants per 3-cm-diameter cone-tainer) of each ryegrass germ plasm were inoculated by spraying foliage with the conidial suspension until runoff. Inoculated and uninoculated lawns were enclosed in plastic bags and placed in an incubator (16 h light; 28°C) for 7 days. Disease severity was rated using a scale of 0 to 10 (10 = 100% blight). Each treatment was replicated three times, and all experiments were repeated four times. Small blue-gray, water-soaked lesions with dark brown borders were observed on leaves of all inoculated ryegrass germ plasms. Advanced symptoms included blighting of much of the leaves. The mean disease severity rating was 3.8 (range 2 to 7) for all experimental units and all 25 germ plasms. P. grisea was isolated from leaves that were inoculated with WF9826. This is the first report of gray leaf spot of perennial ryegrass caused by P. grisea in Illinois. Reference: (1) P. J. Landschoot et al. Plant Dis. 76:1280, 1992.
Thermodynamics of systems of biochemical reactions.

Abstract When a reaction system described in terms of species is in a certain state, the Gibbs energy G provides the means for determining whether each reaction will go to the right or the left, and the equilibrium composition of the whole system can be calculated using G. When the pH is specified, a system of biochemical reactions is described in terms of reactants, like ATP (a sum of species), and the transformed Gibbs energy G′ provides the means for determining whether each reaction will go to the right or the left. The equilibrium composition of the whole system can be calculated usingG ′. Since metabolism is complicated, the thermodynamics of systems of reactions like glycolysis and the citric acid cycle can also be considered at specified concentrations of coenzymes like ATP, ADP, NADox, and NADred. This is of interest because coenzymes tend to be in steady states because they are involved in many reactions. When the concentrations of coenzymes are constant, the further transformed Gibbs energy G″ provides the means for calculating whether each reaction will go to the right or the left, and the equilibrium composition of the whole system can be calculated using G″. Under these conditions, a metabolic reaction system can be reconceptualized in terms of sums of reactants; for example, glycolysis can be represented by C6=2C3, where C6 is the sum of the reactants with six carbon atoms and C3 is the sum of the reactants with three carbon atoms. These calculations can also be described by use of semigrand partition functions. Semigrand partition functions have the advantage of containing all the thermodynamic information on a series of reactions at specified pH or at specified pH and specified concentrations of coenzymes.
Corrigendum to "Chemical apportionment of southern African aerosol mass and optical depth" published in Atmos. Chem. Phys., 9, 7643–7655, 2009

Abstract. A correction to results by Magi (2009) is presented here. By combining the in situ measurements of speciated aerosol mass concentrations with concurrent measurements of total aerosol optical properties at a wavelength of 550 nm, it is shown that ~66 % of scattering is due to carbonaceous aerosol, where derived mass scattering cross sections (MSC) for OC and BC are 3.8 ± 0.5 m 2 g −1 and 2.9 ± 0.8 m 2 g −1 , respectively. Derived values of mass absorption cross sections (MAC) for OC and BC are 0.7 ± 0.2 m 2 g −1 and 12.1 ± 0.8 m 2 g −1 , respectively. The values of MAC imply that ~21 % of the mid-visible aerosol absorption in southern Africa is due to OC, with the remainder due to BC. SSA for BC and OC are about the same as Magi (2009). The results here are determined using an approach that accounts for the fact that OC and BC are partially scattering and absorbing.
Parallel Polarization EPR Characterization of the Mn(III) Center of Oxidized Manganese Superoxide Dismutase

Manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD) is an enzyme found in mitochondria and chloroplasts of eukaryotes and in the cytoplasm of bacteria.1,2 The redox active Mn ion cofactor catalyzes the one-electron redox cycle by a two-step disproportionation reaction with oxidized Mn3+ in the resting state. In this report, we have used parallel polarization CW-EPR to investigate the paramagnetic Mn3+ ion of the MnSOD enzyme from Escherichia coli overexpressed from pALS1 in HMS174/ DE3. The crystal structure of native MnSOD from E. coli has been determined to 2.1 A resolution.3 Crystal structures have also been solved for MnSOD of Thermus thermophilus4 and human mitochondria.5 These structures show high homology between the bacterial and the eukaryotic MnSOD and confirm that in each case the Mn3+ ion has five ligands (three histidines, one aspartate, and one hydroxide ion) with a distorted trigonal-bipyramidal geometry. In this configuration, the d4 Mn3+ ion is high-spin with an effective total spin S ) 2.6,7 The energy levels of an S ) 2 integer spin system with a positive axial zero-field splitting value, D, are arranged as shown in Figure 1. An EPR signal from the MnSOD Mn3+ ion has not previously been detected with conventional X-band EPR methods. D is predicted to be more than 2 cm-1 based on SQUID saturation magnetization studies of the oxidized form of native MnSOD,7 or between 1-2 cm-1 based on MCD studies.6 Because of the large zero-field splitting values, the conventional perpendicular polarization EPR allowed ∆Ms ) (1 transitions are not possible at normal X-band microwave frequencies (0.3 cm-1) (See Figure 1). However, EPR signals from integer spin systems can be detected when the oscillating magnetic field applied to induce a spin-state transition is oriented parallel to the static magnetic field. The parallel magnetic field orientation allows transitions between the closely spaced Ms ) (2 energy levels (Figure 1 inset), to be observed with signal intensities many orders of magnitude larger than the corresponding perpendicular magnetic field orientation.8 Figure 2a shows the parallel polarization EPR spectrum of the Mn3+ ion of native MnSOD. This signal is centered at an effective g value of 8.17 and consists of six hyperfine lines separated by approximately 100 G. This EPR signal is absent in the conventional perpendicular mode spectrum (data not shown). The spin Hamiltonian describing this system is
Using systems theory to provide an empirical focus for political science

The systems theoretic concept of emergent properties provides a useful empirical and theoretical focus for political science. Significant political events, such as treaties, reforms and wars, involve super- and sub-additive changes in performance—changes that cannot be accounted for by simple aggregations or projections of prior trends. These events are poorly represented by common empirical methods, such as regression and other quasi-experimental designs; and this mismatch explains some past failures of basic and applied research. Happily, more appropriate quantiative representations, which I usually call capacity expansion (contraction) models, are available and in use.
Another Asian ambrosia beetle, Xyleborinus artestriatus (Eichhoff 1878) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae: Xyleborini), newly detected in North America

Abstract Xyleborinus artestriatus (Eichhoff 1878), an ambrosia beetle native to Asia, is reported for the first time in North America based on specimens from Georgia and Texas. This is the twenty-fourth species of exotic Xyleborini documented in North America. North American distributional records, key identification characteristics, morphological variability, and a brief history of the systematics are presented.
Monotone factors of I.I.D. processes

LetB(p) andB(q) be Bernoulli shifts on {0, 1,...,d - 1}ℤ. Ifh(p)>h(q), it is a classical theorem of Sinai that there is a factor map takingB(p) toB(q). If, in addition,p stochastically dominatesq, we can ask whether there is such a factor map ϕ which is monotone: ϕ(x)i≤xi for each coordinatei of almost every pointx. Here we show that there is a monotone finitary code fromB(p) toB(q) in the case whereB(q) is a shift on two symbols.
“In die bus afgeluister”: The Intellectual in the City

“In die bus afgeluister”: The Intellectual in the City Many of N.P. van Wyk Louw's essays address the role of the intellectual. In the 1930s, Louw struggled to define a place for the intellectual in relation to the Afrikaner volk and its cultural movements and political parties. At the end of “Kultuurleiers sonder kultuur” (Cultural Leaders without Culture) (1939), Louw turns to the simile of the cave from book seven of Plato's Republic . There the cave represents the city and its people, who are trapped in illusion. Plato's “philosopher” escapes the dark chamber where the prisoners observe only shadows, gains enlightenment, and returns to open the eyes of his fellow inhabitants. Returning is the duty of the philosopher. How did N.P. van Wyk Louw imagine descending back into the “cave,” into the midst of the city, to be among the people of his country? One answer lies in a pair of unpublished fragments dating from the 1940s entitled “In die bus afgeluister” (Overheard on the Bus). In these fragments, Louw eavesdrops, as he takes the bus to and from work, on the conversations of people of Cape Town of various races. We get a slice of city life, and a sense of how Louw tried to embrace that life rather than isolate himself from it. These two urban sketches nevertheless show that the task of enlightening one's fellow citizens proves more complicated than Louw expects because the intellectual is more deeply implicated in the illusory play of shadows than he imagines. Keywords: Intellectuals (role of), Afrikaner-intellectual, Afrikaner- volk (people). Tydskrif vir Letterkunde • 43(1) • 2006: 5-21
Raman Spectrum of n-Propylamine in Cyclohexane

Abstract Polarized (Isotropic) Raman spectra of the N-H valence region of n-propylamine have been recorded as a function of concentration in cyclohexane. Statistical analysis of the data using non-linear least squares techniques revealed the presence of a fourth spectral band in this region, not observed in an earlier IR study. This latter peak has been assigned to vibrations of monomers in the liquid. The resolved spectral parameters are consistent with a picture of diminishing molecular association upon dilution of the amine in this non-polar solvent.
Experiments on Joule heating of shock-ionized air.

Abstract : The heating of ionized air by means of low voltage d.c. discharge between cold, plane electrodes is controlled primarily by the thermal boundary layers adjacent to the electrodes. In shock-ionized air at 6700-7800K and 10-20 atm three characteristic domains of discharge intensity are estimated experimentally. Below 1 kW/sq cm the thermal boundary layer thickness is nondecreasing in time. Between 1 and 100 kW/sq cm the thickness decreases with no significant heating effect in the outer region within a practically short time. Above 100 kW/sq cm boundary layer shrinks very rapidly, an immediate heating of the free gas follows. The total Joule heat rate in the outer region becomes comparable with that in the boundary layer only in the strong discharges where the current density is of the order of 1000 A/sq cm. (Author)
Meningococcal Internalization into Human Endothelial and Epithelial Cells Is Triggered by the Influx of Extracellular l-Glutamate via GltT l-Glutamate ABC Transporter in Neisseria meningitidis

Meningococcal internalization into human cells is likely to be a consequence of meningococcal adhesion to human epithelial and endothelial cells. Here, we identified three transposon mutants of Neisseria meningitidis that were primarily defective in the internalization of human brain microvascular endothelial cells (HBMEC), with insertions occurring in the gltT (a sodium-independent L-glutamate transporter) gene or its neighboring gene, NMB1964 (unknown function). NMB1964 was tentatively named gltM in this study because of the presence of a mammalian cell entry (MCE)-related domain in the deduced amino acid sequences. The null ΔgltT-ΔgltM N. meningitidis mutant was also defective in the internalization into human umbilical vein endothelial cells and the human lung carcinoma epithelial cell line A549, and the defect was suppressed by transcomplementation of the mutants with gltT(+)-gltM(+) genes. The intracellular survival of the ΔgltT-ΔgltM mutant in HBMEC was not largely different from that of the wild-type strain under our experimental conditions. Introduction of a1-bp deletion and amber or ochre mutations in gltT-gltM genes resulted in the loss of efficient internalization into HBMEC. The defect in meningococcal internalization into HBMEC and L-glutamate uptake in the ΔgltT-ΔgltM mutant were suppressed only in strains expressing both GltT and GltM proteins. The efficiency of meningococcal invasion to HBMEC decreased under L-glutamate-depleted conditions. Furthermore, ezrin, a key membrane-cytoskeleton linker, accumulated beneath colonies of the gltT(+)-gltM(+) N. meningitidis strain but not of the ΔgltT-ΔgltM mutant. These findings suggest that l-glutamate influx via the GltT-GltM L-glutamate ABC transporter serves as a cue for N. meningitidis internalization into host cells.
Comparison of Automated Scoring Methods for a Computerized Performance Assessment of Clinical Judgment

Growing reliance on complex constructed response items has generated considerable interest in automated scoring solutions. Many of these solutions are described in the literature; however, relatively few studies have been published that compare automated scoring strategies. Here, comparisons are made among five strategies for machine-scoring examinee performances of computer-based case simulations, a complex item format used to assess physicians’ patient-management skills as part of the Step 3 United States Medical Licensing Examination. These strategies utilize expert judgments to obtain various (a) case-specific or (b) generic scoring algorithms. The various compromises between efficiency, validity, and reliability that characterize each scoring approach are described and compared.
Recent Advances in Stabilized Ultrafast Modelocked Semiconductor Diode Lasers for High Speed Information Based Applications

Novel cavity engineering techniques are used to realize low noise, and stabilized optical frequency combs from quantum well and quantum dot based modelocked semiconductor diode lasers. Applications in high speed signal processing, secure communications and arbitrary waveform generation are highlighted.
Dynamic Sensory Representations in the Olfactory Bulb: Modulation by Wakefulness and Experience

Summary How are sensory representations in the brain influenced by the state of an animal? Here we use chronic two-photon calcium imaging to explore how wakefulness and experience shape odor representations in the mouse olfactory bulb. Comparing the awake and anesthetized state, we show that wakefulness greatly enhances the activity of inhibitory granule cells and makes principal mitral cell odor responses more sparse and temporally dynamic. In awake mice, brief repeated odor experience leads to a gradual and long-lasting (months) weakening of mitral cell odor representations. This mitral cell plasticity is odor specific, recovers gradually over months, and can be repeated with different odors. Furthermore, the expression of this experience-dependent plasticity is prevented by anesthesia. Together, our results demonstrate the dynamic nature of mitral cell odor representations in awake animals, which is constantly shaped by recent odor experience. Video Abstract
Vioxx, Celebrex, Bextra....Do we have a new target for anti-inflammatory and antipyretic therapy?

together with the articles by Ivanov et al. ([11][1]) in the previous issue and by Thompson et al. ([20][2]) in this issue of the American Journal of Physiology-Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology , the article of Saha et al. ([18][3]) opens the Call for Papers on Physiology and
PHYLOGENETIC, HOST AND BIOGEOGRAPHIC ANALYSES OF THE PILOPHORINI (HETEROPTERA: MIRIDAE: PHYLINAE)

A cladistic analysis is performed for 114 species of Pilophorini, using 73 characters with 190 states. Illustrations or figure references to the literature are provided for most characters. The resultant Nelson (strict) consensus cladogram is used as a justification for the recognition of the following genera: Alepidiella Poppius, Aloea Linnavuori, Druthmarus Distant, Hypseloecus Reuter, Neoambonea Schuh, Parambonea Schuh, Parasthenaridea Miller, Pherolepis Kulik (paraphyletic), Pilophorus Hahn, and Sthenaridea Reuter (paraphylectic). Pilophorus indonesicus is proposed as a replacement name for Bilirania sumatrana Schuh (=Pilophorus), a secondary homonym of Pilophorus sumatranus Poppius. A list of currently recognized genera and species with summary distributions and host plant associations, and a key to genera are included. Host associations are plotted on the cladogram to reveal the pattern of host shifts. At the generic level and above, a pattern of colonization, rather than co-evolution, is strongly indicated; at the species level, genera of Pilophorini often show restricted plant-group associations, but no clear pattern of coevolution emerges. Major distributional patterns in the Philophorini are mapped, discussed and compared with historical biogeographic schemes for some other groups. The Pilophorini appear to be of tropical Gondwanan origin with subsequent spread into, and differentiation in, the temperate Northern Hemisphere.
Important Roles for E Protein Binding Sites within the Immunoglobulin κ Chain Intronic Enhancer in Activating Vκ Jκ Rearrangement

The immunoglobulin kappa light chain intronic enhancer (iEkappa) activates kappa rearrangement and is required to maintain the earlier or more efficient rearrangement of kappa versus lambda (lambda). To understand the mechanism of how iEkappa regulates kappa rearrangement, we employed homologous recombination to mutate individual functional motifs within iE(kappa) in the endogenous kappa locus, including the NF-kappaB binding site (kappaB), as well as kappaE1, kappaE2, and kappaE3 E boxes. Analysis of the impacts of these mutations revealed that kappaE2 and to a lesser extent kappaE1, but not kappaE3, were important for activating kappa rearrangement. Surprisingly, mutation of the kappaB site had no apparent effect on kappa rearrangement. Comparable to the deletion of the entire iEkappa, simultaneous mutation of kappaE1 and kappaE2 reduces the efficiency of kappa rearrangement much more dramatically than either kappaE1 or kappaE2 mutation alone. Because E2A family proteins are the only known factors that bind to these E boxes, these findings provide unambiguous evidence that E2A is a key regulator of kappa rearrangement.
Parametrized Verification of Distributed Cyber-Physical Systems: An Aircraft Landing Protocol Case Study

In this paper, we present the formal modeling and automatic parameterized verification of a distributed air traffic control protocol called the Small Aircraft Transportation System (SATS). Each aircraft is modeled as a timed automaton with (possibly unbounded) counters. SATS is then described as the composition of N such aircraft, where N is a parameter from the natural numbers. We verify several safety properties for arbitrary N, the most important of which is separation assurance, which ensures that no two aircraft may ever collide. The verification methodology relies on computing the set of backward reachable states from the set of unsafe states to a fixed point, and checking emptiness of the intersection of these reachable states and the initial set of states. We used the Model Checker Modulo Theories (MCMT) tool, which implements this technique.
Muscular dystrophy in the mdx mouse is a severe myopathy compounded by hypotrophy, hypertrophy and hyperplasia

Preclinical testing of potential therapies for Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is conducted predominantly of the mdx mouse. But lack of a detailed quantitative description of the pathology of this animal limits our ability to evaluate the effectiveness of putative therapies or their relevance to DMD. Accordingly, we have measured the main cellular components of muscle growth and regeneration over the period of postnatal growth and early pathology in mdx and wild-type (WT) mice; phalloidin binding is used as a measure of fibre size, myonuclear counts and BrdU labelling as records of myogenic activity. We confirm a two-phase postnatal growth pattern in WT muscle: first, increase in myonuclear number over weeks 1 to 3, then expansion of myonuclear domain. Mdx muscle growth lags behind that of WT prior to overt signs of pathology. Fibres are smaller, with fewer myonuclei and smaller myonuclear domains. Moreover, satellite cells are more readily detached from mdx than WT muscle fibres. At 3 weeks, mdx muscles enter a phase of florid myonecrosis, accompanied by concurrent regeneration of an intensity that results in complete replacement of pre-existing muscle over the succeeding 3 to 4 weeks. Both WT and mdx muscles attain maximum size by 12 to 14 weeks, mdx muscle fibres being up to 50% larger than those of WT as they become increasingly branched. Mdx muscle fibres also become hypernucleated, containing twice as many myonuclei per sarcoplasmic volume, as those of WT, the excess corresponding to the number of centrally placed myonuclei. The best-known consequence of lack of dystrophin that is common to DMD and the mdx mouse is the conspicuous necrosis and regeneration of muscle fibres. We present protocols for measuring this in terms both of loss of muscle nuclei previously labelled with BrdU and of the intensity of myonuclear labelling with BrdU administered during the regeneration period. Both measurements can be used to assess the efficacy of putative antinecrotic agents. We also show that lack of dystrophin is associated with a number of previously unsuspected abnormalities of muscle fibre structure and function that do not appear to be directly associated with myonecrosis.
On the asymptotically stochastic computational modeling of microstructures

We consider a class of alloys and ceramics with equilibria described by non-attainable infima of non-quasiconvex variational integrals. Such situations frequently arise when atomic lattice structure plays an important role at the mesoscopic continuum level.We prove that standard variational approaches associated with gradient based relaxation of non-quasiconvex integrals in Banach or Hilbert spaces are not capable of generating relaxing sequences for problems with non-attainable structure.We introduce a variational principle suitable for the computational purposes of approaching non-attainable infima of variational integrals. We demonstrate that this principle is suitable for direct calculations of the Young Measures on a computational example in one dimension.The new variational principle provides the possibility to approximate crystalline microstructures using a Fokker-Planck equation at the meso-scale. We provide an example of such a construction.
Thyroid Hormone Signaling In Vivo Requires a Balance between Coactivators and Corepressors

Resistance to thyroid hormone (RTH), a human syndrome, is characterized by high thyroid hormone (TH) and thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) levels. Mice with mutations in the thyroid hormone receptor beta (TRβ) gene that cannot bind steroid receptor coactivator 1 (SRC-1) and Src-1−/− mice both have phenotypes similar to that of RTH. Conversely, mice expressing a mutant nuclear corepressor 1 (Ncor1) allele that cannot interact with TRβ, termed NCoRΔID, have low TH levels and normal TSH. We hypothesized that Src-1−/− mice have RTH due to unopposed corepressor action. To test this, we crossed NCoRΔID and Src-1−/− mice to create mice deficient for coregulator action in all cell types. Remarkably, NCoRΔID/ΔID Src-1−/− mice have normal TH and TSH levels and are triiodothryonine (T3) sensitive at the level of the pituitary. Although absence of SRC-1 prevented T3 activation of key hepatic gene targets, NCoRΔID/ΔID Src-1−/− mice reacquired hepatic T3 sensitivity. Using in vivo chromatin immunoprecipitation assays (ChIP) for the related coactivator SRC-2, we found enhanced SRC-2 recruitment to TR-binding regions of genes in NCoRΔID/ΔID Src-1−/− mice, suggesting that SRC-2 is responsible for T3 sensitivity in the absence of NCoR1 and SRC-1. Thus, T3 targets require a critical balance between NCoR1 and SRC-1. Furthermore, replacement of NCoR1 with NCoRΔID corrects RTH in Src-1−/− mice through increased SRC-2 recruitment to T3 target genes.
Referencing Science: Teaching Undergraduates to Identify, Validate, and Utilize Peer-Reviewed Online Literature

Impact Statement ABSTRACT Accessibility of online scientific literature continues to expand due to the advent of scholarly databases and search engines. Studies have shown that undergraduates favor using online scientific literature to address research questions, but they often do not have the skills to assess the validity of research articles. Undergraduates generally are defi- cient in information literacy. A partnership between a faculty member and librarian can often help overcome information literacy deficiencies. In this article, the development of a faculty-librarian partnership and online tutorials is explained. This partnership and the tutorials helped students identify peer-reviewed sources and assess their validity. Undergradu- ates taking a senior-level capstone plant sciences seminar over 5 years were surveyed regarding their understanding of peer-reviewed literature. Surveys were administered at the beginning of the course and again after they completed the tutorials. The responses given on the surveys suggest that students lacked a firm understanding of what constitutes peer- reviewed scientific literature until after meeting with the librarian and participating in the tutorials. Before development of the partnership, undergraduates had difficulty finding and effectively utilizing online scientific resources. Introducing assignments related to information literacy throughout the curriculum should help teach important scientific literacy skills. Faculty can collaborate with librarians to implement assignments similar to the ones described in this article.
Poly[1-ethyl-3-methyl-imidazolium [tri-μ-chlorido-chromate(II)]].

The title compound, {(C6H11N2)[CrCl3]}n, was generated via mixing of the ionic liquid 1-ethyl-3-methyl­imidazolium chloride with CrCl2 in ethanol. Crystals were obtained by a diffusion method. In the crystal structure, the anion forms one-dimensional chains of chloride-bridged Jahn–Teller distorted chromium(II) centers extending along the [100] direction. The imidazolium cations are positioned between these chains.
New technologies in the D0 central tracker upgrade

The D0 collaboration has undertaken an aggressive upgrade of its central tracking system. The existing tracker will be completely removed and replaced by a two Tesla superconducting solenoidal magnet, an 837 000 channel silicon vertex system, and 80 000 channel scintillating fiber tracker, followed by a 7 680 channel central preshower detector and a 16 000 channel forward preshower detector. In this paper the author discusses all of the subsystems of the D0 central tracker upgrade, but will emphasize those aspects which involve new technology: radiation hard scintillating fiber, VLPC`s and extruded scintillating strips.
Learning to Teach in the Digital Age: Enacted Encounters with Materiality

This study looked at teacher responses to the maker movement in a K-12 school. Guiding questions asked how teaching practices engaged with digital making and learning tools and materials; and whether teaching was changing as a result. This was as a qualitative, single-case study with multiple units of analysis. The study site was an independent K-12 girls school in a major metropolitan area of the Northeastern United States. Twenty-two teachers and administrators participated, selected for maximum variation across academic domain, age and length of service. Interviews and observations followed a sociomaterial disposition that was interwoven with new materialism and posthumanism. Methods were inspired by narrative inquiry and actor-network theory. Findings suggested that digital making and learning pedagogies were stabilizing at the school, but not in a linear way; and that the teaching practices that most robustly engaged the ethos of 21 st century learning enacted a kind of knowing sometimes discussed by artists, poets, musicians and other innovators. This observation leads to the proposition that a different kind of language might be needed to adequately describe the effects of digital making and learning on teaching practice.
IDENTIFICATION OF VEHICLE AND COLLISION IMPACT PARAMETERS FROM CRASH TESTS

In the mid 1970s a group of 12 staged and instrumented automobile collisions was conducted for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. These were two-vehicle collisions with a variety of initial speeds, vehicle orientations, and vehicle size mixes. Initial speeds were controlled and velocity components including angular velocities at separation were measured. At about the same time, development of the classic theory of impact of rigid bodies to planar vehicle collisions was taking place. Users of classic theory heretofore had neglected the existence of a moment between impacting bodies. Inclusion of a moment and introduction of a moment coefficient of restitution allows the formulation of a planar collision model consisting of six algebraic equations relating the six initial velocity components of the two vehicles to their six final velocity components. The model contains collision geometry, vehicle geometry, vehicle inertial properties, and three coefficients. These coefficients are the classic coefficient of restitution, a friction coefficient, and the newly defined moment coefficient. This paper discusses the application of the theory of least squares to fit the experimentally determined velocity components to the six equations of the vehicle collision model. The usual approach using the theory of least squares is to set to zero the partial derivatives of the sum of squares taken with respect to the unknowns. The original model equations can be added as constraints through the use of Lagrange multipliers. A set of 15 nonlinear algebraic equations results. This approach was tried unsuccessfully. Direct numerical minimization of the sum of squares using gradient projection techniques proved to be far superior. Solutions are obtained for the staged collisions. Results provide insight into velocity changes and their relationships to energy dissipation, the coefficients of restitution and friction and other collision parameters. The capability of calculating velocity changes of colliding vehicles should prove complementary to detailed finite element studies of vehicle crush properties.
Tubercle bacilli in the feces of cattle

Between June, 1908, and August, 1910, a number of tests upon the feces of cattle were made at the Illinois Agricultural Experiment Station to determine the presence or absence of tubercle bacilli. These tests were of two kinds, (1) by direct microscopic examination and (2) by inoculation of animals.The microscopic method included the examination of stained slide preparations of (a) mucus on the exterior of the fecal mass, (b) the mixed feces, and (c) watery mucus scraped from the rectum, each stained slide being searched fifteen minutes with the aid of a mechanical stage. If organisms indistinguishable in appearance from bovine tubercle bacilli were found upon any of these slides the examination was recorded as positive. One hundred and nineteen samples from 53 cows which had reacted to tuberculin were examined in this way, with a positive result 53 times in samples from 34 of the cows. Thirty-five other samples from these same cows were negative. Nineteen cows gave negative results at all examinations, 3...
Structural and Electrical Properties of Ba0.5Sr0.5TiO3 Thin Films for Tunable Microwave Applications

The primary objective of this research is to optimize the different deposition conditions to obtain high tunability and low dielectric loss of Barium Strontium Titanate (BST) thin films at microwave frequencies. Ba 0.5 Sr 0.5 TiO 3 thin films were deposited on Pt/TiO 2 /SiO 2 /Si substrates by pulsed laser deposition technique (PLD). Deposition conditions like temperature, oxygen pressure, substrate to target distance and laser energy are varied to obtain the objective. Deposition of the BST thin films on the Pt/TiO 2 /SiO 2 /Si substrates was carried out at temperatures of 450°°C, 550°°C, 650°°C and oxygen pressures of 250mTorr and 450mTorr with laser fluence of 250 mJ/cm 2 and 450mJ/cm 2 at 10 pulses per second. The microstructural and phase analysis of the deposited BST films at different temperatures and different oxygen pressures were performed using X-ray diffraction (XRD) method. The diffraction patterns are attributed to cubic (perovskite) crystal system. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) was used to perform the surface analysis of the films deposited at different substrate to target distances, varied laser energies and oxygen pressures. The BST capacitor was fabricated using the Coplanar Waveguide Structure and the capacitance and dielectric constant were measured using the Vector Network Analyzer (VNA). Tunability of 3.1:1 and loss tangent of 0.0121 was achieved at 0.4 – 0.8 GHz.
In Vitro Microsomal Epoxidase Activity and Susceptibility to Carbaryl and Carbaryl-Piperonyl Butoxide Combinations in House Crickets of Different Age and Sex

The toxicity of carbaryl and its synergism by piperonyl butoxide are correlated with in vitro microsomal expoxidase levels in the malpighian tubules of Acheta domesticus (L.) adults of different age and sex. The largest differences in each of these parameters occurred during the 1st week With the female adult insect. Male crickets which consistently showed lower levels of microsomal epoxidase were markedly more susceptible to carbaryl alone, although both sexes were equally susceptible to carbaryl-piperonyl butoxide combinations.
Treasure of the Past. IX. Exposure Standardization of Iodine-125 Seeds Used for Brachytherapy.

A method for calibrating iodine-125 seeds in terms of exposure has been established. The standard free-air ionization chamber, used for measuring soft x rays, was chosen for the measurements. Arrays of four to six seeds were used to enhance the ionization-current-to-background-current ratio. Seeds from an array were measured individually in a re-entrant chamber. The quotient of the exposure rate for the array by the sum of the ionization currents in the re-entrant chamber is the calibration factor for the re-entrant chamber. Calibration factors were established for three types of iodine-125 seeds. The overall uncertainty for the seed exposure calibrations is less than 6%.
The Freedmen's Bureau and Local Black Leadership

The Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, a branch of the United States War Department commonly known as the Freedmen's Bureau, was designed to help former slaves make the transition from slavery to freedom after the Civil War. It was the federal agency most directly involved with the black folk of the old Confederacy; as such it has received close scrutiny from scholars, and it has been the object of considerable pulling and tugging by various historical schools of thought in the last several decades. Since the mid-1950s, the agency has been interpreted by many revisionist scholars as a kind-hearted and generally successful attempt to provide needed assistance to black Americans and to introduce them to the American political process; in the 1970s, postrevisionist writers began to reassess the bureau as reactionary, paternalistic, and too concerned with establishing and maintaining close ties to the white southern establishment to make a substantial difference in the lives of the freedmen.' Many facets of the bureau's operations have been studied in the last four decades. Its dealings with the emerging class of black political leaders in the countryside and towns of the South, however, have not been examined as fully as some other aspects of its history, primarily because relatively little scholarly research has been devoted to group studies of African-American leaders on the local and county levels.2 Among the mountains of Freedmen's Bureau records, one set of documents does provide a glimpse of the bureau's relationship with localand county-level black leadership
Abstract LB-188: Isoflavone pharmacokinetics and metabolism after consumption of soy and soy-almond bread in men with asymptomatic prostate cancer.

Background: Soy phytochemicals, particularly isoflavones, are hypothesized to have anti-prostate cancer activity. Soy isoflavones are present predominantly as glucosides but when combined with β-glucosidase activity in almond meal, a greater conversion to aglycones has been observed. We hypothesized that soy bread will serve as an excellent source of soy polyphenols and that an aglycone-rich soy-almond bread (SAB) compared to a glycoside-rich soy bread (SB) will demonstrate greater bioavailability of soy isoflavones. Methods: SB and SAB were fed in a 20 week randomized phase II cross-over trial involving 32 men with asymptomatic metastatic prostate cancer and escalating prostate specific antigen (PSA). Isoflavones were quantitated by HPLC in soy breads and isoflavone metabolites in 24h urine. HPLC-tandem mass spectrometry evaluated isoflavone pharmacokinetics in plasma. Biomarkers were determined by chemiluminescence-based assays. Results: The aglycone composition in the SB and SAB was 18% and 78%, respectively. Compliance was 95±14%, toxicity rare and limited to grade I GI complaints (NIH_NCI criteria). Urinary isoflavone patterns over 24hours revealed that isoflavonoid metabolites were significantly greater with soy bread consumption. Plasma pharmacokinetics following a test meal showed that daidzein (p=0.028) and genistein (p=0.010) absorption was significantly faster from the aglycone-rich SAB. Interestingly, PSA doubling time was prolonged compared to pre-enrollment, in 60% of men (n=30) with soy intervention. Conclusions: Bread is an excellent vehicle for the delivery of soy phytochemicals with outstanding compliance. Modification of soy bread with a source of β-glucosidase may enhance the initial absorption rates of isoflavones. Food products, such as SAB, with consistent and stable composition of phytochemicals can be developed that are appropriate for long-term chemoprevention studies in humans or as an adjunct to therapy. Citation Format: Jennifer H. Ahn-Jarvis, Steven K. Clinton, Elizabeth M. Grainger, Kenneth M. Riedl, Steven J. Schwartz, Yael Vodovotz. Isoflavone pharmacokinetics and metabolism after consumption of soy and soy-almond bread in men with asymptomatic prostate cancer. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 104th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2013 Apr 6-10; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(8 Suppl):Abstract nr LB-188. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2013-LB-188
Adsorption–Desorption Study of BSA Conjugated Silver Nanoparticles (Ag/BSA NPs) on Collagen Immobilized Substrates

There has been a growing interest in the use of protein conjugated nanoparticles for applications in biomedical, sensing, and advanced imaging. The objective of this study was to understand the interaction of protein conjugated silver nanoparticles (Ag/BSA NPs) with biological substrate (collagen layer). The adsorption behavior of synthesized Ag/BSA NPs on collagen immobilized silanized surface was followed by UV–vis spectroscopy by initially studying the formation of collagen layer and subsequent adsorption of Ag/BSA NPs to the immobilized layer. Surface plasmon resonance (SPR) data provided the real time profile of adsorption of Ag/BSA NPs from solution onto collagen immobilized and control substrates as well as desorption of nanoparticles from the substrates. The retention of NPs to substrate is sensitive to chemistry of the underlying substrate and on the external environment. UV–vis and atomic absorption spectrometric analysis of Ag/BSA NPs desorption performed under different pH conditions showed mo...
Evaluation of the Effective Photoexcitation Distances in the Photocatalytic Production of H2 from Water using Au@Void@TiO2 Yolk–Shell Nanostructures

Fundamental properties associated with the photocatalytic production of hydrogen from water by metal/semiconductor catalysts were studied by using Au@Void@TiO2 yolk–shell nanostructures. Independent control of the geometrical parameters of those nanostructures could be exercised during synthesis and used to systematically probe their effect on photocatalytic activity. Both shell thickness and shell diameter affect the rate of H2 production, with thicker and bigger shells displaying higher activity. The trends could be described by simple exponential decays in activity as a function of distance from the gold nanoparticle. However, each parameter yielded a different characteristic length: a 28 nm value was measured for the thickness, associated with the penetration of light into the titania, whereas a 186 nm estimate was obtained for the shell diameter, possibly related to the diffusion of hydrogen atoms on the titania surface toward the gold nanoparticles. The size of the gold nanoparticles does not signif...
Endotoxin induces endothelial barrier dysfunction through protein tyrosine phosphorylation.

Bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) induces actin reorganization, intercellular gap formation, and endothelial barrier dysfunction in vitro. We studied whether LPS-induced increments in 14C-labeled ...
Abstract 1361: Progress in light activatable prodrug for the combinational treatment of PDT and site-specific chemotherapy: paclitaxel prodrugs

We developed the photoactivatable prodrug of Paclitaxel (PTX) for the combinational treatment of chemo and photodynamic therapy (PDT). PTX causes dose-limiting side effects as other anticancer drugs when administered systemically. On the other hand, PDT suffers from incomplete ablation and subsequent reoccurrence in part due to the short half-life and poor diffusion rate of singlet oxygen. We prepared a conjugate of PTX with phthalocyanine via a singlet oxygen cleavable linker, as a unique prodrug of PTX, to overcome the problems of PDT and systemic chemotherapy. The PTX prodrug was evaluated for tubulin polymerization, the release rate of PTX from prodrug upon illumination at 690 nm, stability in complete media, and the combination effect in killing ovarian cancer cells in vitro (SKOV-3). The PTX prodrug did not enhance the tubulin polymerization unlike PTX. While it was stable in the media under dark, it rapidly released PTX upon illumination with far-red light: > 90% release in 30 min. The prodrug showed much lower dark toxicity compared to PTX. When illuminated with 690 nm at 5.6 mW/cm2, the prodrug showed very potent phototoxicity: IC50 = 3.9 nM, through the combinational effect of PDT and PTX. In conclusion, we found that the PTX prodrug have desired properties as light-activatable prodrug expressing the combinational effect of PDT and local PTX chemotherapy. Animal study is underway to evaluate the antitumor effect of the PTX prodrug. Citation Format: Pritam Thapa, Mengjie Li, Moses Bio, Pallavi Rajaputra, Yajing Sun, Sukyung Woo, Youngjae You. Progress in light activatable prodrug for the combinational treatment of PDT and site-specific chemotherapy: paclitaxel prodrugs. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2016 Apr 16-20; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(14 Suppl):Abstract nr 1361.