cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Seasonal Changes in Condition of Appalachian Brook Trout

AbstractReliable fish condition estimates help managers better understand ecosystem population dynamics. Therefore, our study objectives were to measure seasonal changes in percent dry weight and energy density (physiological-based measures of condition) of stream-dwelling Appalachian Brook Trout Salvelinus fontinalis, field-validate bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) models, and compare reliability of BIA and morphometric-based estimates of condition. Percent dry weight was highly correlated to energy density (R2 = 0.93; J/g wet weight = −1,803.5 + 286.43 ∙ [percent dry weight]), and the relationship was clearly different from those published previously for other salmonids. Significant seasonal changes in adult Brook Trout condition were observed and likely related to energy depletion from reproduction and changes in terrestrial invertebrate consumption. Adult percent dry weight peaked in early September and was lowest in February. Age-0 fish did not have large changes in measured condition between s...
Transfer of Low Dose Aspirin Into Human Milk

Background:Aspirin has antipyretic and anti-inflammatory properties and is frequently used by pregnant and lactating women. However, its transfer in human milk when administered at low dose has not been reported.Research aim:This study aimed to evaluate the transfer of acetylsalicylic acid and its metabolite, salicylic acid, into human milk following the use of low dose aspirin.Methods:In this study, milk samples were collected at 0, 1, 2, 4, 8, 12, and 24 hours from seven breastfeeding women after a steady-state daily dose of 81 mg of aspirin. Milk levels of acetylsalicylic acid and salicylic acid were determined by liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry.Results:Acetylsalicylic acid levels were below the limit of quantification (0.61 ng/ml) in all the milk samples, whereas salicylic acid was detected at very low concentrations. The average concentration of salicylic acid observed was 24 ng/ml and the estimated relative infant dose was 0.4%.Conclusion:Acetylsalicylic acid transfer into milk is so ...
Premediating predisposition: informants, entrapment, and connectivity in counterterrorism

ABSTRACTThe sting operation is a mainstay of FBI counterterrorism strategy. Critics charge that this practice, in which an informant lures vulnerable individuals into a plot by promising money and more, amounts to entrapment. Detailing contemporary terrorism discourse and the mediation of the war on terror, legal and media scholars contend that the racial formations marking Muslims as predisposed to “radicalization” therein effectively preclude a successful entrapment defense. Building on these critiques, this paper addresses the function of mediation in counterterrorism beyond and in relation to representation. Utilizing the trial transcripts and available government surveillance evidence in the Newburgh Four case, this paper reconstructs the sting operation, remapping the medial work of the informant: how he established, cultivated and elicited the links that constituted the “cell” and its tie to global jihad. I argue that the induced linkages are the stuff of premediation; they constitute not actual ti...
Modeling and simulation of a solar simulator with multi-wavelength high-power LEDs

This paper presents the modeling and simulation of a solar simulator that is comprised of many high-power LEDs of various wavelengths. A solar simulator is a light source which can provide optical power to measure the characteristics of solar panels indoors. For this application, the light source requires an optical spectrum and irradiance that is similar to solar rays. A high-power LED-based light source is considered to provide a light-weight design, higher luminous efficacy, and longer operating life. To match the solar spectrum, the light source in the form of an LED array needs various types of LEDs whose wavelengths and intensities are different from one another. The proposed solar simulator includes a highdensity LED fixture containing a 5 by 5 array of high-intensity LEDs. The square fixture measures 2.5 inches (63.5 mm) per side. The goal of this work is to find the radiometric power and optimum layout for an array of high-power LEDs in order to generate an optical spectrum similar to solar rays with uniform irradiance. The fixture has 18 high-power LEDs of 18 different types in the 5 by 5 array. Each LED in the fixture has a specific wavelength and intensity set by a 3D optical modeling tool. This work presents the parameters that affect spectral match and uniformity of irradiance. The parameters are the number of different LEDs used, their intensities, and arrangement. The number of LEDs and their intensities for a spectral match were computed by a developed algorithm. Modeling an LED array for spectral match, color quality, and irradiance were carried out by a 3D optical modeling tool. The results include the spectral and irradiance distributions of the proposed solar simulator.
Atomistic simulations of interaction between basal dislocations and three-dimensional twins in magnesium

Abstract Dislocation slip and twinning are equally important in the plastic deformation of hexagonal close packed crystals. Basal slip and extension 10 1 ¯ 2 1 ¯ 011 > twins can be activated concurrently in magnesium and, as a result, complex dislocation-dislocation, twin-twin, and dislocation-twin interactions take place and determine the hardening behavior. Here, using atomistic simulations, we study the latter mechanism, namely, the interactions between basal dislocations and a three-dimensional (3D) { 10 1 ¯ 2 } twin. According to our findings, a basal screw dislocation can fully transform into the twin via multiple cross-slip between basal and prismatic planes in the matrix. This process causes the formation of jogs and basal stacking faults in the matrix, and prismatic dislocations in the twin. We also find that a basal mixed dislocation cannot directly transform into the twin. Instead, it dissociates into twinning dislocations, resulting in a change in twin thickness and the formation of basal/prismatic steps. When the dislocation interacts with the lateral twin boundary, slip transformation in the twin is accomplished through the gliding of either ½ or on the prismatic plane in the twin. Accompanying the gliding of ½ , a prismatic stacking fault is created inside the twin. By accounting for the 3D character of the dislocation-twin reactions, our results extend our understanding of slip transformation into a twin, the formation of basal and prismatic stacking faults in matrix and twin, and the role that local stresses and the lateral boundary of the twin play in this process.
Public health education student stereotypes of other health professions before and after an interprofessional education program

Abstract Purpose Although they participate in interprofessional education and practice, little is known about stereotypes public health education students have of other health professions. The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of an interprofessional education program on stereotypes of other health professions students held by public health education students. Methods Using a pre-test/post-test control group design, one group (experimental) of public health education student participants was enrolled in a semester-long interprofessional education program while another from the same school of health sciences (control) was not. Results Upon completion of the program, the experimental group significantly (p Discussion Interprofessional education programs that emphasize collaborative interactions and knowledge, especially for public health education students, may prevent stereotyping attitudes and behaviors that could limit future teamwork practice. Students should recognize, too, that interprofessional characteristics should not be assumed or judged based on profession but on the individual.
Glycemic Outcomes of Islet Autotransplantation

While there has been a growing utilization of total pancreatectomy with islet autotransplantation (TPIAT) for patients with medically refractory chronic pancreatitis over the past few decades, there remains a lack of consensus clinical guidelines to inform the counseling and management of patients undergoing TPIAT. In this article, we review the current clinical practice and published experience of several TPIAT centers, outline key aspects in managing patients undergoing TPIAT, and discuss the glycemic outcomes of this procedure. Aiming for lower inpatient glucose targets immediately after surgery (usually 100–120 mg/dl), maintaining all patients on subcutaneous insulin for at least 3 months to “rest” islets before an attempt is made to wean insulin, and close outpatient endocrinology follow-up after TPIAT particularly in the first year is common and related to better outcomes. Although TPIAT procedures and glycemic outcomes may differ across surgical centers, overall, approximately one third of patients are insulin independent at 1 year after TPIAT. Higher islet yield and lower preoperative glucose levels are among the strongest predictors of short-term post-operative insulin independence. Beyond 1 year post-operatively, the clinical management and long-term glycemic outcomes of patients after TPIAT are more variable. A multidisciplinary approach is essential in optimizing the preoperative, inpatient, and post-operative management and counseling of patients about the expected glycemic outcomes after surgery. Consensus guidelines for the clinical management of diabetes after TPIAT and harmonization of data collection protocols among TPIAT centers are needed to address the current knowledge gaps in clinical care and research and to optimize glycemic outcomes after TPIAT.
The Role of Families in Student Sorting to Teachers

This study leverages sibling identifiers merged to administrative school records to analyze the assignment of elementary students to teachers. We document significant sorting of students to their older sibling’s teachers, and this effect is stronger for relatively advantaged students. By analyzing the circumstances in which students are disproportionately assigned to their older sibling’s teacher, we provide indirect evidence regarding parental preferences for various teacher characteristics. We find stronger sorting to the older sibling’s teacher when that teacher is relatively experienced or has higher value-added. The sorting towards higher value-added teachers is significantly stronger for relatively advantaged students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Are Metal Complexes “Organic,” “Inorganic,” “Organometallic,” or “Metal-Organic” Materials? A case Study for the Use of Trinuclear Coinage Metal Complexes as “Metal-Organic Coatings” for Corrosion Suppression on Aluminum Substrates

This article provides a second manifestation of a new tradition by which the editors of Comments on Inorganic Chemistry wish to lead by example, whereby we start publishing original research conten...
Identification of Porphyrin-Silica Composite Nanoparticles using Atmospheric Solids Analysis Probe Mass Spectrometry

Porphyrins are vital pigments involved in biological energy transduction processes. Their abilities to absorb light, then convert it to energy, have raised the interest of using porphyrin nanoparticles as photosensitizers in photodynamic therapy. A recent study showed that self- assembled porphyrin-silica composite nanoparticles can selectively destroy tumor cells, but detection of the cellular uptake of porphyrin-silica composite nanoparticles was limited to imaging microscopy. Here we developed a novel method to rapidly identify porphyrin-silica composite nanoparticles using Atmospheric Solids Analysis Probe-Mass Spectrometry (ASAP-MS). ASAP-MS can directly analyze complex mixtures without the need for sample preparation. Porphyrin-silica composite nanoparticles were vaporized using heated nitrogen desolvation gas, and their thermo-profiles were examined to identify distinct mass- to-charge (M/Z) signatures. HeLa cells were incubated in growth media containing the nanoparticles, and after sufficient washing to remove residual nanoparticles, the cell suspension was loaded onto the end of ASAP glass capillary probe. Upon heating, HeLa cells were degraded and porphyrin-silica composite nanoparticles were released. Vaporized nanoparticles were ionized and detected by MS. The cellular uptake of porphyrin-silica composite nanoparticles was identified using this ASAP-MS method.
Spinal Cord Stimulator for the Treatment of Chronic Pancreatitis

Chronic pancreatitis continues to be a challenging entity to treat. There have been a number of case reports that demonstrate the use of spinal cord stimulation to treat chronic pancreatitis
Creative Design Thinking Process: Fashion Is Cyclical Then, Now, and Future

Fashion is cyclical in that fashion trends tend to repeat itself. Designers endeavor to find past eras' precedents that are relevant to the sociocultural context of present time and reinterpret them to create new design messages for future fashion trends. This project explored a collaborative work of design process as a pedagogical method in which students in Fashion Illustration and History of Costume classes teamed up for a design collection development through a comparative analysis of fashion trends that repeated in two different time periods. The objectives of this project are: to provide students an opportunity to practice design thinking process, to enhance students' understanding of cyclical nature of fashion, and to expose students to a collaborative work process for creative design development. Students’ feedback evidenced that this project provided invaluable opportunity to practice creative design thinking process with focus on Research and Explore Design Precedents parts.
Financial strain, maternal attributions, emotion knowledge and children's behavioral readiness for school

Abstract In this research, we applied the family stress model to examine maternal hostile attribution bias and emotion situation knowledge as mediators linking family financial strain and children's behavioral readiness for school in a sample of affluent mothers and preschoolers (63 boys). The sample was diverse with regard to race, but the majority of the children were White. Using serial mediational analyses conducted by PROCESS, results indicated that the associations between perceived family financial strain and low levels of social competence and high levels of internalizing behavior were mediated by maternal hostile attributions and lowered child emotion situation knowledge. We discuss the impact of perceived financial strain on parental cognitions and young children's emotion knowledge and behavioral readiness for formal schooling and offer directions for future research and implications for interventions.
An exploration of life outcomes for college graduates with foster care histories by race: Preliminary results from a campus-based program

Abstract There is limited knowledge about what life is like for young adults with experience in foster care after graduating with a baccalaureate degree. Research has clearly established that youth and young adults face many challenges during and after the foster care experience. This paper explores how college graduates with foster care histories fare after graduating from a 4-year college that offered a campus-based program. Additionally, life outcomes for the graduates are examined by racial identity. A web-based survey was sent to 109 graduates from 2010 to 2017. All were supported by a single campus-based program, and 41 individuals responded for a 37% response rate, which limits generalizability to all graduates. The results offer a preliminary portrait of college graduates with foster care histories who received support from a campus-based program in areas of employment, housing, finances, health, relationships and life skills. Racial identity was associated with some outcomes, indicating that graduates in the racial minority grouping reported lesser outcomes in some instances compared to their White peers. Future research is needed to determine which programmatic elements are most critical to promote success post-graduation, as well as the differential impact of program support across the various identities and societal conditions that intersect with college students who have foster care histories.
Detection of Immunotherapeutic Response in a Transgenic Mouse Model of Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma Using Multiparametric MRI Radiomics: A Preliminary Investigation.

Rationale and Objectives To develop classification and regression models interpreting tumor characteristics obtained from structural (T1w and T2w) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data for early detection of dendritic cell (DC) vaccine treatment effects and prediction of long-term outcomes for LSL-KrasG12D; LSL-Trp53R172H; Pdx-1-Cre (KPC) transgenic mice model of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. Materials and Methods Eight mice were treated with DC vaccine for 3 weeks while eight KPC mice were used as untreated control subjects. The reproducibility of the computed 264 features was evaluated using the intraclass correlation coefficient. Key variables were determined using a three-step feature selection approach. Support vector machines classifiers were generated to differentiate treatment-related changes on tumor tissue following first- and third weeks of the DC vaccine therapy. The multivariable regression models were generated to predict overall survival (OS) and histological tumor markers of KPC mice using quantitative features. Results The quantitative features computed from T1w MRI data have better reproducibility than T2w MRI features. The KPC mice in treatment and control groups were differentiated with a longitudinally increasing accuracy (first- and third weeks: 87.5% and 93.75%). The linear regression model generated with five features of T1w MRI data predicted OS with a root-mean-squared error (RMSE) Conclusion Our results demonstrated that proposed models generated with quantitative MRI features can be used to detect early treatment-related changes in tumor tissue and predict OS of KPC mice following DC vaccination.
Electronic Cigarette-Related Contents on Instagram: Observational Study and Exploratory Analysis.

Background: Instagram is a popular social networking platform for users to upload pictures sharing their experiences. Instagram has been widely used by vaping companies and stores to promote electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes), as well as by public health entities to communicate the risks of e-cigarette use (vaping) to the public. Objective: We aimed to characterize current vaping-related content on Instagram through descriptive analyses. Methods: From Instagram, 42,951 posts were collected using vaping-related hashtags in November 2019. The posts were grouped as (1) pro-vaping, (2) vaping warning, (3) neutral to vaping, and (4) not related to vaping based on the attitudes to vaping expressed within the posts. From these Instagram posts and the corresponding 18,786 unique Instagram user accounts, 200 pro-vaping and 200 vaping-warning posts as well as 200 pro-vaping and 200 vaping-warning user accounts were randomly selected for hand coding. Furthermore, follower counts and media counts of the Instagram user accounts as well as the “like” counts and hashtags of the posts were compared between pro-vaping and vaping-warning groups. Results: There were more posts in the pro-vaping group (41,412 posts) than there were in the vaping-warning group (1539 posts). The majority of pro-vaping images were product display images (163/200, 81.5%), and the most popular image type in vaping-warning posts was educational (95/200, 47.5%). The highest proportion of pro-vaping user account type was vaping store (110/189, 58.1%), and the store account type had the highest mean number of posts (10.33 posts/account). The top 3 vaping-warning user account types were personal (79/155, 51%), vaping-warning community (37/155, 23.9%), and community (35/155, 22.6%), of which the vaping-warning community had the highest mean number of posts (3.68 posts/account). Pro-vaping user accounts had more followers (median 850) and media (median 232) than vaping-warning user accounts had (follower count: median 191; media count: 92). Pro-vaping posts had more “likes” (median 22) and hashtags (mean 20.39) than vaping-warning posts had (“like” count: median 12; hashtags: mean 7.16). Conclusions: Instagram is dominated by pro-vaping content, and pro-vaping posts and user accounts seem to have more user engagement than vaping-warning accounts have. These results highlight the importance of regulating e-cigarette posts on social media and the urgency of identifying effective communication content and message delivery methods with the public about the health effects of e-cigarettes to ameliorate the epidemic of vaping in youth.
Personalized and Adaptive Learning

Personalized and adaptive learning has been touted to be one of the most promising emerging tools for increasing student learning and student success. Yet, the terms are neither precise nor clearly defined at this time, thus making it difficult for institutions of higher education to adopt and implement a learning approach using technology that is in its infancy and not clearly understood by those who will be utilizing it. One goal of this chapter is to define adaptive and personalized learning as it is used at this time in the hopes that as the technology evolves the promise of increased student learning can come to fruition. Adaptive learning personalizes learning by continuously evaluating each student’s performance in real time and creating an ever-changing individualized learning pathway as directed by artificial intelligence and machine learning, thus increasing learning and student satisfaction.
Echocardiography for Cardiac Surgeons

Cardiac ultrasound or echocardiography is a useful non-invasive imaging technique for the assessment of cardiac structure and function. Cardiac surgeons are uniquely suited to harness this versatile imaging technique both inside and outside the perioperative or transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) setting. With the advent of point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS), access and utility of transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) can now be appropriately focused for rapid assessment of ventricular systolic function, the intracardiac valves, great vessels, and the pericardium. This chapter is an illustrated atlas that covers the fundamentals of echocardiography that cardiac surgeons and trainees can use as foundation for engagement with echocardiography. It begins with a basic introduction to the technique and covers the fundamentals of echocardiographic anatomy as presented on TTE and TEE, the nomenclature and emanation protocols, echo anatomy of the coronary artery territories and the intracardiac valves.
Practice implications for preventing population vulnerability related to vitamin D status.

Purpose To provide primary care clinicians with practice recommendations for the safe, individualized, effective, efficient evaluation, and treatment of vitamin D status for maximum health promotion and disease prevention. Data sources A review and synthesis of current scientific literature on vitamin D was conducted related to the physiologic impact of vitamin D, topics of debate, research and recommendations, adequate serum levels, daily supplementation, and deficiency treatment. Conclusions Inadequate vitamin D levels are not isolated to any one geographic, ethnic, or socioeconomic population, and exist without regard to gender, age, or health status. Conflicting vitamin D evidence and recommendations may leave patients vulnerable to vitamin D inadequacy, deficiency, or excess, and in turn, avoidable negative outcomes. Implications for NPs Nurse practitioners (NPs) must actively assess patient vitamin D status and educate patients in order to prevent negative health outcomes. Maintaining adequate vitamin D levels is an easy and cost-efficient adjunct to other health promotion and disease prevention measures. NPs who neglect the physiologic roles of vitamin D and potential patient vulnerability miss an opportunity to make an impact in both patient health and the economic healthcare burden related to acute and chronic disease.
Model management systems: an overview

Abstract During the past fifteen years, model management has grown from a few suggestions that data management be enlarged to include decision models to an established but still growing field of study. We examine three central topics in model management. The first is model base structure and its correspondence to network and relational data base structures. The second is model base processing and the application of artificial intelligence to model interfacing, integration, construction, and interpretation. The third is the organizational environment of model management systems and the contribution of model management systems to organizational intelligence.
The influence of speech perception, oral language ability, the home literacy environment, and pre-reading knowledge on the growth of phonological sensitivity: A one-year longitudinal investigation

Individual differences in phonologicalsensitivity are among the most powerfulpredictors of early word decoding ability and adeficit in phonological sensitivity is thoughtto be the primary stumbling block for thosechildren who have difficulty learning to read. However, only recently have researchers begunto search for the potential causes andcorrelates in phonological sensitivitydevelopment. In the present one-yearlongitudinal study, the influences of speechperception, oral language ability, emergentliteracy, and the home literacy environment(HLE) on the growth of phonological sensitivitywere examined in a group of 115 four- andfive-year-old children. When the variables wereentered simultaneously into a multipleregression equation, emergent literacy, orallanguage, and the HLE contributed significantunique variance. However, when theautoregressor was controlled, only phonologicalsensitivity at Time 1 and HLE contributedsignificant unique variance to predictinggrowth in phonological sensitivity. Resultsare discussed in terms of their implicationsfor the education of preschool as well asschool-aged children.
International Tobacco Litigation’s Evolution as a United States Torts Law Export: To Canada and Beyond?

In the late 1990’s, the states’ healthcare reimbursement lawsuits against the tobacco industry were settled for approximately $246 billion. In the wake of this enormous settlement, many similar lawsuits were initiated in other nations or by other nations. Most of these early healthcare reimbursement lawsuits failed. However, in 2005, the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control was finalized by over 150 nations, and today has been ratified by 168 nations. The Framework encourages nations to consider tort litigation against tobacco sellers as a way to limit tobacco usage. Canada’s provinces have been particularly aggressive in seeking to use healthcare reimbursement lawsuits inspired by the United States litigation as a tool for tobacco control. This Article considers ways in which United States-style litigation against tobacco companies might be both helpful and hurtful for other nations.
Energy policy in Belarus: authoritarian resilience, social contracts, and patronage in a post-Soviet environment

This paper explores energy policy in Belarus during the Presidency of Aleksander Lukashenka (1994–present), focusing on his adroit use of revenues produced by that sector of the economy to secure the loyalty of his political base and the country’s elites. With a valuable energy infrastructure (pipelines and refineries) inherited from the Soviet period and subsidized commodity imports from Russia, Lukashenka has taken advantage of price differentials, transit fees, taxes, and re-exports to generate rents that are then redistributed among domestic actors, enhancing the popularity of the incumbent and the furtherance of the social contract obtaining there. This is contrasted with the case of neighboring Ukraine, where the same geographic energy legacy resulted instead in an era of rampant corruption and political instability.
Sting: a TCP-based network measurement tool

Understanding wide-area network characteristics is critical for evaluating the performance of Internet applications. Unfortunately, measuring the end-to-end network behavior between two hosts can be problematic. Traditional ICMP-based tools, such as ping, are easy to use and work universally, but produce results that are limited and inaccurate. Measurement infrastructures, such as NIMI, can produce highly detailed and accurate results, but require specialized software to be deployed at both the sender and the receiver. In this paper we explore using the TCP protocol to provide more accurate network measurements than traditional tools, while still preserving their near-universal applicability. Our first prototype, a tool called sting, is able to accurately measure the packet loss rate on both the forward and reverse paths between a pair of hosts. We describe the techniques used to accomplish this, how they were validated, and present our preliminary experience measuring the packet loss rates to and from a variety of Web servers.
Effects of diet on captive black‐footed ferret (Mustela nigripes) food preference

Black-footed ferrets (Mustela nigripes) are both habitat and prey specialists that depend on prairie dogs (Cynomys spp.) for food and utilize prairie dog burrows for refuge. In this study we investigated the effects of captive diet during early development on adult black-footed ferret food preferences. To test the hypothesis that early diet affects the food preferences of adult black-footed ferrets, we exposed 22 kits (divided into three experimental groups) to different quantities of prairie dog in the diet: no prairie dog, prairie dog three times per week, and prairie dog daily during the assumed sensitive period for olfactory imprinting, i.e., between 60–90 postnatal days. At age 5 months, kits were individually tested in a food choice cafeteria trial. Results indicated that higher amounts of prairie dog in the ferrets' early diet led to a higher preference for this food item when ferrets reached adulthood. These results have important implications for black-footed ferret recovery and have been considered in the reintroduction protocol. © 1996 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Electron heating and phase space signatures at strong and weak quasi-perpendicular shocks

The coherent effects implied by the magnetic field jump [B] and the deHoffmann-Teller frame (HTF) potential jump [ΦHT] on electron heating and phase space signatures at shocks of different strengths are presented. Of particular interest is whether these coherent effects have sufficiently different signatures to explain the observed preferential transverse heating in weak shocks while still producing nearly isotropic heating for strong shocks. Vlasov-Liouville mappings of an upstream electron core-halo distribution function ƒ1, modified to reflect electron mirroring, are employed to determine the downstream electron distribution function ƒ2. Electrons within the shock are treated as a laminar Vlasov guiding center ordered fluid. These mappings demonstrate that the coherent effects play a major role in producing, at all pitch angles, characteristic electron distribution function signatures observed behind strong and weak shocks and thus significantly impact electron heating. A favorable test of the Vlasov-Liouville mapping concept was performed using detailed upstream and downstream distribution functions at a weak bow shock observed by Galileo on the second Earth flyby. Especially noteworthy is that the Vlasov-Liouville procedure recovers the anisotropic inflationary signatures of the observed downstream electron distribution function.
Elite Maize Germplasm: Reactions to Maize Dwarf Mosaic and Maize Chlorotic Dwarf Viruses

Information developed on the reactions of elite maize germplasm to maize dwarf mosaic (MDMV) and maize chlorotic dwarf (MCDV) viruses should aid breeding for resistance to these pathogens. The reactions of 23 dent maize (Zea mays L.) inbreds (plus one synthetic) and 46 hybrids were evaluated in the field and greenhouse following artificial inoculation with MCDV and two strains (A and B) of MDMV. Infection, as determined by diagnostic symptoms, was higher in greenhouse than in field tests. Furthermore, most of the apparent resistance to MDMV-A in the field was not confirmed when inoculations were made on younger, more succulent plants in the greenhouse. Inbreds B68, Oh1EP, Pa11, Pa405, and the synthetic, OhS2, were immune or highly resistant to MDMV-A and -B. Inbred B64 was only resistant to MDMV-B. No inbred was immune to MCDV, but Ga209, Oh7B, Pa11, Tx601, and Oh1EP had the lowest disease incidence in the field, whereas Pa11 and B68 were the most resistant in the greenhouse. Most of the 32 field-planted hybrids that were resistant to MDMV-A had A632, A634, B64 or B68 as one parent; for MDMV-B, only B64×B68 and B68×B64 were immune to MDMV-A and -B in both field and greenhouse tests. The best and poorest hybrid reactions to MCDV in the field were B68×Mo17 and A632×B73, respectively. The most resistant hybrid (Mo17×B64) in the greenhouse had >50% infected plants. Plant height and yield losses in inbreds and hybrids to MDMV were minimal, whereas MCDV usually caused significant height (34% average) and yield reductions (72 % average). The reactions of these elite sources of germplasm to MDMV and MCDV suggest that evaluations for virus resistance in maize should include both field and greenhouse test environments
Deutron binding energy and energy loss by gamma rays in water from Compton scattering

Abstract In attempting to understand the low value for the binding energy of the deuteron obtained by Mohahan, Raboy and Trail using a scintillation spectrometer, an experiment was performed to determine the effect of Compton scattering by water of gamma rays from a distributed source closely simulating the source of capture gamma rays. The correction obtained in this way was identical to that obtained in the original work for Compton scattering by water of the radiation from a point source.
A Comparison Between Classical Chinese Thought and Thomistic Christian Thought

Serious attempts to compare Chinese and Western civilization reach back at least to the sixteenth century when astute Roman Catholic missionaries entered China and were met by astute, usually Confucian, Chinese. The history of these comparisons, whether seen from the Chinese or the Western sides, often tells us more about the people doing the comparisons than about the civilizations being compared, however. Both the foreign and the familiar civilization can resemble chameleons: they assume a protective coloration to meet the threats posed by a strange and potentially hostile environment. For example, the West often has fluctuated between excessive praise of China and excessive condemnation of it. Enlightenment thinkers often saw in China the rational, areligious society that they hoped to create in the West, while nineteenth century missionaries often saw in China a backward and heathen society that they hoped to cure by introducing Western ideas and religion. Modern scholarly attempts to compare China and the West are usually more balanced, although the attempt to praise, blame, or change one of the civilizations being compared often still appears. A quick inventory, done without critical assessment, of certain major motifs that appear in most modern comparisons can provide a useful background for the more particular comparisons that I will make. In presenting these motifs, I will reflect their general approach of focusing on China's characteristics and often only briefly noting Western characteristics.1
The α7-nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor and MMP-2/-9 Pathway Mediate the Proangiogenic Effect of Nicotine in Human Retinal Endothelial Cells

RESULTS. Nicotine-induced angiogenesis required nAChR function and was associated with the upregulation of MMP-2 and -9 in HRMECs. Specifically, 7-nAChRs mediated the stimulatory effects of nicotine on retinal angiogenesis and MMP levels. Treatment of HRMECs with 7-nAChR antagonists ablated nicotine-induced angiogenesis. The inhibitory actions of 7nAChR antagonists correlated with the suppression of MMP-2 and -9 levels in HRMECs. CONCLUSIONS. The 7-nAChR is vital for the proangiogenic activity of nicotine. The 7-nAChRs expressed on HRMECs upregulate levels of MMP-2 and -9, which stimulate retinal angiogenesis. The data also suggest that 7-nAChR antagonists could be useful agents for the therapy of angiogenesis-related retinal diseases. (Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2011;52:4428‐4438)
Connectivity and Convergence: Transportation for the 21st Century

Drivers across the nation are powering up at electric charging stations, and gas-fueled cars are getting an average of 16% more miles to the gallon than they did just five years ago. However, as the world's population continues to grow, transportation demands and petroleum consumption steadily increase. A 21st-century transportation system not only needs vehicle technology capable of meeting fuel economy goals of 54.5 mi/gal, a truly sustainable transportation future will rely on the widespread adoption of multiple solutions, including alternative fuels, electric-drive vehicles, a grid powered by renewable energy sources, new approaches to fueling and charging, and innovative systems of vehicle connectivity as well as more fuel-efficient gasoline-powered vehicles. Electric vehicle technology has been around for a century now. While PEVs could still benefit from technological refinement, particularly in the areas of energy storage and power electronics, the interface between car, charging station, and grid provides another key to putting more of these vehicles on the road.
Adsorption and reaction of NO on Cu(100): An infrared reflection absorption spectroscopic study at 25 K

The adsorption of nitric oxide (NO) on a Cu(100) surface at 25 K has been studied using infrared reflection absorption spectroscopy (IRAS). Initially, NO adsorbs at the bridge site; however, with a...
Unifying ontological similarity measures: A theoretical and empirical investigation

Abstract This paper theoretically and empirically investigates ontological similarity. Tversky’s parameterized ratio model of similarity [3] is shown as a unifying basis for many of the well-known ontological similarity measures. A new family of ontological similarity measures is proposed that allows parameterizing the characteristic set used to represent an ontological concept. The three subontologies of the prominent Gene Ontology (GO) are used in an empirical investigation of several ontological similarity measures. Another study using well known semantic similarity within two different anatomy ontologies, the NCIT anatomy and the mouse anatomy, is also presented for comparison to several of the GO results. A discussion of the correlation among the measures is presented as well as a comparison of the effects of two different methods of determining a concept’s information content, corpus-based and ontology-based.
Regional variation in the response of cerebral ornithine decarboxylase to electroconvulsive shock.

Levels of ornithine decarboxylase activity were measured in brain regions and in adrenal glands of adult male rats exposed to electroshock. Five hours after shock at levels causing transient loss of consciousness and fore and hindlimb tonic extensor seizures, major increases in ornithine decarboxylase activity were found in adrenals, hippocampus; brain stem, frontal cortex, and cerebellum, but striatal levels were unchanged. These increases were reversed by 24 h after electroshock. When lower levels of shock, which caused no loss of consciousness, were also used, a clear dose-response relationship of shock intensity and ornithine decarboxylase activity was found for hippocampus and brain stem. The ornithine decarboxylase response in brain increased with higher shock levels. However, the changes of ornithine decarboxylase in adrenal glands were maximal at intermediate, and diminished at maximal shock values, as were levels of circulating testosterone. These data suggest a differing role for cerebral and adrenal ornithine decarboxylase in the mature rat. The brain enzyme may be primarily related to metabolic repair processes, whereas adrenal ornithine decarboxylase may function in the activation of secretion.
Deformation and Failure of Zr57Ti5Cu20Ni8Al10 Bulk Metallic Glass Under Quasi-static and Dynamic Compression

We have examined the mechanical behavior of Zr57Ti5Cu20Ni8Al10 bulk metallic glass under uniaxial compression at strain rates from 10−4to 3 × 103 s−1. The failure stress decreases with increasing strain rate, and shear-band formation remains the dominant deformation mechanism. A consideration of basic properties of adiabatic shear bands makes it appear unlikely that shear bands formed under quasi-static loading are adiabatic; in the dynamic case, the time scales of deformation and thermal conduction are similar, indicating that a more sophisticated calculation is required. In the dynamic tests, however, high-speed cinematography reveals evidence that the mechanism of failure involves an adiabatic component.
Quantitative analysis of allosteric drug-protein binding by biointeraction chromatography

Allosteric interactions are important in many biological processes. They occur when the interactions of one substance with a binding agent changes the interactions of a second substance with the same agent at a separate site. Such interactions are often observed during the binding of drugs to blood proteins such as human serum albumin (HSA). Most previous studies of allosteric interactions have involved only qualitative observations of increased or decreased binding. In this study, we present an approach for quantitatively characterizing such allosteric effects using protein columns. The method is used to examine the interactions of ibuprofen/S-lorazepam acetate, S-oxazepam hemisuccinate/R-oxazepam hemisuccinate, and L-tryptophan/phenytoin during their binding to HSA. This approach can be applied to other receptors or biopolymers and can be used to independently examine the effects of two competing agents during an allosteric interaction.
Protection by uridine diphosphoglucuronic acid and DT-diaphorase against the cytotoxicity of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons isolated from a complex coal gasification condensate

The cytotoxicities of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) subclasses isolated from a complex organic mixture (coal gasification condensate) were studied in vitro in Chinese hamster ovary cells, in the presence of rat liver microsomes from animals pretreated with Aroclor. Toxicity was enhanced by microsomal metabolism and was inversely related to aromatic ring number. Rat liver cytosol, semipurified DT-diaphorase, and uridine diphosphoglucuronic acid decreased the cytotoxicity of a variety of PAH mixtures and representative PAH, as well as individual PAH metabolites. The results indicate that the in vitro toxicity of complex PAH mixtures is caused primarily by hydroxy-PAH and quinone metabolites of the predominant, nonmutagenic two- and three-ring PAHs.
cAMP response element-binding protein (CREB) and nuclear factor κB mediate the tamoxifen-induced up-regulation of glutamate transporter 1 (GLT-1) in rat astrocytes.

Background: Tamoxifen (TX), a selective estrogen receptor modulator, enhances glutamate transporter (GLT-1) expression in astrocytes. Results: TX up-regulated GLT-1 expression via the CREB and NF-κB pathways. Conclusion: TX enhanced GLT-1 expression at the transcriptional level. Significance: Understanding the mechanisms of TX action on GLT-1 will contribute to the development of neuroprotectants against excitotoxicity. Tamoxifen (TX), a selective estrogen receptor modulator, exerts antagonistic effects on breast tissue and is used to treat breast cancer. Recent evidence also suggests that it may act as an agonist in brain tissue. We reported previously that TX enhanced the expression and function of glutamate transporter 1 (GLT-1) in rat astrocytes, an effect that was mediated by TGF-α. To gain further insight into the mechanisms that mediate TX-induced up-regulation of GLT-1 (EAAT2 in humans), we investigated its effect on GLT-1 at the transcriptional level. TX phosphorylated the cAMP response element-binding protein (CREB) and recruited CREB to the GLT-1 promoter consensus site. The effect of TX on astrocytic GLT-1 was attenuated by the inhibition of PKA, the upstream activator of the CREB pathway. In addition, the effect of TX on GLT-1 promoter activity was abolished by the inhibition of the NF-κB pathway. Furthermore, TX recruited the NF-κB subunits p65 and p50 to the NF-κB binding domain of the GLT-1 promoter. Mutation of NF-κB (triple, −583/-282/-251) or CRE (-308) sites on the GLT-1 promoter led to significant repression of the promoter activity, but neither mutant completely abolished the TX-induced GLT-1 promoter activity. Mutation of both the NF-κB (-583/-282/-251) and CRE (-308) sites led to a complete abrogation of the effect of TX on GLT-1 promoter activity. Taken together, our findings establish that TX regulates GLT-1 via the CREB and NF-κB pathways.
Capsid Targeting Sequence Targets Foreign Proteins into Bacteriophage T4 and Permits Proteolytic Processing

Abstract A membrane-independent morphogenetic viral signal peptide is identified within bacteriophage T4 internal protein III (IPIII). Utilizing a phage- derived expression-packaging-processing system, which packages foreign proteins fused with IPIII into the phage capsid, a synthetic cleavage site introduced at the C terminus of IPIII is demonstrated to be functional and permits processing of fusion proteins. IPIII, which possesses a native P21 cleavage site at its N terminus, is altered to possess a second P21 cleavage site at its C terminus where cleavage occurs by means of the scaffold proteinase P21 within the capsid. The altered IPIII was inserted into an expression vector to permit the creation of fusion proteins with staphylococcal nuclease,EcoRI endonuclease, β-globin, and luciferase. Western immunoblot analysis of packaged T4eG326indicates that the IPIII:fusion-proteins are packaged into phage and proteolytically processed, thus the synthetic P21 cleavage site positioned at the C terminus of IPIII is demonstrated to be functional, and 20 to 200 protein molecules are packaged per capsid. Truncation experiments identified the minimal portion of IPIII required to achieve targeting into the phage capsid as a ten amino acid residue from the N terminus, which includes the N-terminal methionine residue and the proteinase P21 cleavage site, designated the CTS (capsid targeting sequence). The addition of the CTS to a fragment of luciferase permits the protein to be packaged and processed, which demonstrates that the CTS is by itself sufficient to target foreign protein to the capsid. The imputed dual function of the CTS is supported by site-directed PCR mutagenesis, which reveals two functionally separate domains of the CTS for targeting and processing. The CTS appears to function in a core-related targeting mechanism that directs a polymorphic set of proteins into the T-even capsid or scaffold. Although structure formation is often assumed to involve extended protein interfaces, the analysis shows that a limited but specific sequence, the CTS, drives the interaction required to achieve targeting.