cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effects of a Bioactive SPPEPS Peptide on Chondrogenic Differentiation of Mesenchymal Stem Cells

A synthetic ‘chondroinductive’ biomaterial that could induce chondrogenesis without the need for growth factors, extracellular matrix, or pre-seeded cells could revolutionize orthopedic regenerative medicine. The objective of the current study was thus to introduce a synthetic SPPEPS peptide and evaluate its ability to induce chondrogenic differentiation. In the current study, dissolving a synthetic chondroinductive peptide candidate (100 ng/mL SPPEPS) in the culture medium of rat bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (rBMSCs) elevated collagen type II gene expression compared to the negative control (no growth factor or peptide in the cell culture medium) after 3 days. In addition, proteomic analyses indicated similarities in pathways and protein profiles between the positive control (10 ng/mL TGF-β3) and peptide group (100 ng/mL SPPEPS), affirming the potential of the peptide for chondroinductivity. Incorporating the SPPEPS peptide in combination with the RGD peptide in pentenoate-functionalized hyaluronic acid (PHA) hydrogels elevated the collagen type II gene expression of the rBMSCs cultured on top of the hydrogels compared to using either peptide alone. The evidence suggests that SPPEPS may be a chondroinductive peptide, which may be enhanced in combination with an adhesion peptide.
TSPAN8 and distant metastasis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is an aggressive epithelial carcinoma that is prevalent in Southeast Asia, Southern China and North Africa. It can develop in the presence of various risk factors, including Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection, environmental exposure to carcinogens, ethnic background, and genetic predisposition.
Teacher Engagement in an Out-of-School Reading Program

Quality out-of-school reading programs have positive impact on students’ academic learning. However, the recruitment and retention of qualified teachers for such programs can be challenging. In thi...
Application Design Phase Risk Assessment Framework using Cloud Security Domains

Abstract Security risk assessment is done to identify the vulnerabilities of a client’s application and develop strong security measures within budgetary constraints. However, while migrating to the Cloud platform, a generic notion of their publicly available security policies make it challenging for clients to assess the security threats solely relevant to their applications. Additionally, traditional risk assessment techniques cannot address these challenges as they neither consider cloud security domains as assessment criteria nor identifies critical system resources that need to be protected in the likelihood of a successful attack. In order to address these challenges, this paper presents a risk assessment framework for clients’ applications that is characterized by the inclusion of cloud security metrics to perform risk assessment during the design phase of an application by incorporating the techniques of cloud misuse patterns. It also helps improve the security requirements phase that precedes risk assessment, by illustrating clients how different attack scenarios can spread through the applications by using the concepts of percolation centrality and probabilistic state transition diagrams. One of the key findings this work address is how to systematically gain a distinction between multiple system resources belonging to the same security defense priority level.
Burnout: A Burgeoning Twenty-First-Century Problem

The practice of medicine is challenging. Physicians must contend with a dysfunctional, profit-driven healthcare system, an exhausting schedule, changing demands, expectations for a work-family balance, and a reimbursement system based on productivity that can violate the physician’s duty to consider the patient’s needs first and foremost. Importantly, poorly designed, complex, and time-consuming electronic medical records have added billing responsibilities to the physician workload, thus interfering with the doctor-patient relationship. This can result in burnout, itself a complex of symptoms indicative of moral injury due to the increasingly complex web of highly conflicted allegiances to patients, to employers, and to self. The resultant emotional exhaustion, loss of physician autonomy, and reduced feeling of personal accomplishment are the classic symptoms of burnout. The literature reports that burnout has reached epidemic levels exceeding 50% of practicing physicians. The consequences are severe—increased medical errors, reduced patient satisfaction, lower productivity, and increased costs of care to state just a few. We discuss some techniques adopted by different medical organizations to confront this problem as well as what the individual can do.
Changing the Recipe: Pathogen Directed Changes in Tick Saliva Components

Ticks are obligate hematophagous parasites and are important vectors of a wide variety of pathogens. These pathogens include spirochetes in the genus Borrelia that cause Lyme disease, rickettsial pathogens, and tick-borne encephalitis virus, among others. Due to their prolonged feeding period of up to two weeks, hard ticks must counteract vertebrate host defense reactions in order to survive and reproduce. To overcome host defense mechanisms, ticks have evolved a large number of pharmacologically active molecules that are secreted in their saliva, which inhibits or modulates host immune defenses and wound healing responses upon injection into the bite site. These bioactive molecules in tick saliva can create a privileged environment in the host’s skin that tick-borne pathogens take advantage of. In fact, evidence is accumulating that tick-transmitted pathogens manipulate tick saliva composition to enhance their own survival, transmission, and evasion of host defenses. We review what is known about specific and functionally characterized tick saliva molecules in the context of tick infection with the genus Borrelia, the intracellular pathogen Anaplasma phagocytophilum, and tick-borne encephalitis virus. Additionally, we review studies analyzing sialome-level responses to pathogen challenge.
Temporal Trends, Clinical Characteristics, and Outcomes of Emergent Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting for Acute Myocardial Infarction in the United States.

Background There are limited contemporary data on the use of emergent coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) in acute myocardial infarction. Methods and Results Adult (aged >18 years) acute myocard...
Non-Invasive Cardiac and Respiratory Activity Assessment From Various Human Body Locations Using Bioimpedance

Objective: Bioimpedance sensing is a powerful technique that measures the tissue impedance and captures important physiological parameters including blood flow, lung movements, muscle contractions, body fluid shifts, and other cardiovascular parameters. This paper presents a comprehensive analysis of the modality at different arterial (ulnar, radial, tibial, and carotid arteries) and thoracic (side-rib cage and top thoracolumbar fascia) body regions and offers insights into the effectiveness of capturing various cardiac and respiratory activities. Methods: We assess the bioimpedance performance in estimating inter-beat (IBI) and inter -breath intervals (IBrI) on six-hours of data acquired in a pilot-study from five healthy participants at rest. Results: Overall, we achieve mean errors as low as 0.003 ± 0.002 and 0.67 ± 0.28 seconds for IBI and IBrI estimations, respectively. Conclusions: The results show that bioimpedance can be effectively used to monitor cardiac and respiratory activities both at limbs and upper body and demonstrate a strong potential to be adopted by wearables that aim to provide high-fidelity physiological sensing to address precision medicine needs.
Urinary Tract Infections: 2021 Update.

Catheter-associated urinary tract infection (CAUTI) remains one of the most prevalent, but preventable, health care-associated infections and predominantly occurs in patients with indwelling urinary catheters. Duration of urinary catheterization is the most important modifiable risk factor for development of CAUTI. Alternatives to indwelling catheters should be considered in appropriate patients. If indwelling catheterization is necessary, proper aseptic practices for catheter insertion and maintenance and use of a closed catheter collection system are essential for preventing CAUTI. The use of intervention bundles and collaboratives helps in the effective implementation of CAUTI prevention measures.
Transferability of data-driven, many-body models for CO2 simulations in the vapor and liquid phases

Extending on previous work by Riera et al. [J. Chem. Theory Comput. 16, 2246 (2020)], we introduce a second generation family of data-driven many-body MB-nrg models for CO2 and systematically assess how the strength and anisotropy of the CO2-CO2 interactions affect the models' ability to predict vapor, liquid, and vapor-liquid equilibrium properties. Building upon the many-body expansion formalism, we construct a series of MB-nrg models by fitting 1-body and 2-body reference energies calculated at the coupled cluster level of theory for large monomer and dimer training sets. Advancing from the first generation models, we employ the Charge Model 5 scheme to determine the atomic charges and systematically scale the 2-body energies to obtain more accurate descriptions of vapor, liquid, and vapor-liquid equilibrium properties. Comparisons with the polarizable TTM-nrg model, which is constructed from the same training sets as the MB-nrg models but using a simpler representation of short-range interactions based on conventional Born-Mayer functions, showcase the necessity of high dimensional functional forms for an accurate description of the multidimensional energy landscape of liquid CO2. These findings emphasize the key role played by the training set quality and flexibility of the fitting functions in the development of transferable, data-driven models which, accurately representing high-dimensional many-body effects, can enable predictive computer simulations of molecular fluids across the entire phase diagram.
Neubeelterung als Methode in der Behandlung der Schizophrenie oder „Endlich kann ich das Kind sein, das ich bin!“

Nach einer Darstellung des oft hospitalisierungsbedurftigen Zu-standes schizophrener Patienten wird die psychotische Regression erklart als ein un-bewuster Ausdruck eines extremen Bedurfnisses, im Rahmen einer intensiven und zunachst symbiotischen Beziehung zu einem Betreuer aus der fruhesten Kindheit stammende Bedurfnisse nach Abhangigkeit zu erleben und sie in diesem neuen Anlauf so zu verarbeiten, das die damals abgebrochene emotionale und kognitive Entwicklung wieder progressiv aufgegriffen und die innere Spaltung uberwunden werden kann. Bei der Methode der Neubeelterung stellt sich der Therapeut als reale Person zur Verfugung, erfullt so weit wie moglich die regressiven Bedurfnisse auf der jeweiligen kindlichen Stufe und wird dadurch fur einige Zeit zur zentralen Bezugsperson im Sinne eines Ziehvaters und einer Ziehmutter. Durch die partielle Erfullung der Bedurfnisse nach emotionaler Zuwendung und Bindung, jedoch auch nach Grenzsetzung und Struktur entsteht keine bleibende regredierte Abhangigkeit und Infantilisierung des Patienten, sondern es kommt durch die Bearbeitung vieler kindlich-liebevoller und aggressiver Prozesse im Rahmen der kontinuierlichen therapeutischen Eltern-Kind-Beziehung zu einer tiefgreifenden und nachhaltigen Umstrukturierung der Personlichkeit, die sich durch eine weitaus grosere Stabilitat, interaktive Kompetenz und Arbeitsfahigkeit auszeichnet.
Alternatives for the protection and restoration of sturgeons and their habitat

This paper reviews the life history and habitat requirements of sturgeons, alternatives for their protection and restoration in North America, and a typical protection and enhancement program in the Columbia River. Sturgeon are uniquely adapted to mainstem river systems which are characterized by their large scale. diverse habitats. and dynamic nature. Adaptations include mobility, opportunistic food habits, delayed maturation, longevity, and high individual fecundity. Unfortunately these life history characteristics are now a handicap for sturgeon because of fragmentation and destruction of their habitat. A variety of habitat-related alternatives for the protection and restoration of sturgeon were identified in a review of the literature and a survey of sturgeon biologists and managers throughout North America. However, harvest restrictions and supplementation using aquaculture are much more likely to be implemented than the system-wide measures needed to affect sturgeon habitat. A program for white sturgeon protection and enhancemment in the Columbia River is a typical case where harvest management and supplementation measures are being used to optimize production of existing habitat but significant changes in water use and hydropower operation are needed to restore sturgeon to historic levels of production.
Balancing commercial and public interests.

A large number of randomized clinical trials with important health outcomes are completed each year. Those with favorable findings are typically reported and published rapidly, while the publication of those with unfavorable results is often delayed or given a positive "spin." This observation applies primarily to industry-sponsored trials. Our objectives are to discuss the responsibility of pharmaceutical firms to the public with respect to timely, complete, and unbiased information from all randomized clinical trials and to propose solutions for improvements. We believe that in addition to financial obligations to their shareholders, pharmaceutical companies have social responsibilities to the public and to health care providers. However, private markets do not reward or compel optimal disclosure of drug safety or inferiority information on a voluntary basis.
Structural Aberrations in T-Even Bacteriophage V. Effects of Canavanine on the Maturation and Utilization of Specific Gene Products

Previous results have shown that when a T-even bacteriophage-infected cell was exposed to l-canavanine followed by an exposure to l-arginine, a monster phage particle, termed a lollipop, was formed. l-Canavanine was necessary for the induction event but l-arginine was required for the maturation of the particle. We now describe the effects of canavanine on the maturation of certain T4 proteins and their role in the induction of lollipops. The cleavage reactions of the head proteins P22, P23, P24, and IPIII are prevented by l-canavanine as shown by the accumulation of the precursor proteins and the failure of the cleaved products to appear. l-Canavanine also prevents the appearance of P12 (tailplate protein) and P20 (head protein) indicating that these proteins may undergo a proteolytic cleavage during normal assembly. The formation of P10 (tailplate protein) and P18 (tail sheath protein) is also affected by l-canavanine. The data suggest that P23 in conjunction with P20 plays a major role in the determination of the length of the phage head.
Beyond the brain: Imaging spinal cord injury with PET and [11C]AFM

330 Objectives: Spinal cord injury (SCI) produces neurological deficits by severing nerve fibers. Serotonergic axons descend from the raphe to the spinal cord and contribute to motor tone and locomotion. In rodents, the raphespinal pathway is sensitive to axonal growth promoting interventions and is predictive of behavior outcomes. We seek an imaging method to monitor axonal regrowth after SCI, using PET and [11C]AFM, a serotonin transporter (SERT) ligand. Methods: Healthy rats and rats with midthoracic cord contusion were each scanned twice on the HRRT wtih [11C]AFM: one control and one blocking scan after citalopram. Two regions of interest were assessed in the spinal cord: a cervical zone rostral and a lumbar zone caudal to the injury site. The lumbar to cervical activity ratio between 30-60 min was used as a measure of descending axon density below the level of injury. Results: Uptake was distinctly higher within the spinal cord compared to surrounding tissues. In healthy rats, [11C]AFM activity was 0.22 and 0.21% ID/mL in the lumbar and cervical zones (ratio of 1.06). After citalopram these values were reduced by ~ 80%, indicating that [11C]AFM binding was specific to SERT in the spinal cord. In the spinal injured rats the lumbar singnal was significantly reduced relative to the cervical signal, with a lumbar/cervical ratio of 0.41. The reduced [11C]AFM signal in the lumbar cord of injured rats correlated well with post-mortem histological analysis of 5-HT and SERT signals. Conclusions: Imaging of SERT in the spinal cord provides a promising biomarker for initial loss of axonal density and axonal regeneration after SCI. Once validated in humans this method will be a valuable tool for assessing SCI and monitoring clinical outcomes in SCI therapeutic trials.
The Moth-Eaten Lung Lung Adenocarcinoma with Cavitating Miliary Intrapulmonary Carcinomatosis

1375 Journal of Thoracic Oncology ® • Volume 10, Number 9, September 2015 CASE PRESENTATION A 64-year-old man of Asian descent presented to our clinic because of dry cough and shortness of breath for 2 months. He was a never-smoker and denied tuberculosis exposure. His chest radiography showed diffuse miliary nodules distributed at bilateral lungs. The computed tomography of chest showed a 2.5-cm nodule at the superior segment of right lower lung and widespread of cavitating and noncavitating miliary nodules at bilateral lungs (Fig. 1). A diagnosis of stage IV lung adenocarcinoma with EGFR exon-19 deletion mutation was made. The patient was treated with afatinib 40 mg per day. On afatinib treatment at 3 months, the chest computed tomography showed shrinkage of the main tumor and regression of the cavitating and noncavitating miliary nodules (Fig. 2). The patient is currently undergoing afatinib treatment with good partial response. Lung is frequently a metastatic site for non–small-cell lung cancer. It can present as multiple lung nodules, lymphadenopathy, and effusion on chest imaging. Nevertheless, lung cancer with cavitating miliary carcinomatosis is extremely uncommon. It indicates a hematogenous dissemination of cancer cells and usually carries a rapidly fatal clinical course. Interestingly, this patient population has been shown to harbor a higher rate of adenocarcinoma and EGFR mutation, especially EGFR exon-19 deletion mutation.
Does community college attendance provide a strategic path to a higher quality education

Abstract This paper examines the effect that previous community college attendance has on the quality of university a student chooses to attend. University quality choices under both the direct attendance and community college transfer paths are estimated for students in the High School and Beyond data set. The results indicate that overall, students choose higher quality universities if they first attend community colleges, with the largest quality increases being observed for students who come from poor families, are of low ability, or perform poorly in high school.
On the contribution of the positively charged headgroup of choline to substrate binding and catalysis in the reaction catalyzed by choline oxidase.

Abstract Recent kinetic studies established that the positive charge on the trimethylammonium group of choline plays an important role in substrate binding and specificity in the reaction catalyzed by choline oxidase. In the present study, pH and solvent viscosity effects with the isosteric analogue of choline 3,3-dimethyl-butan-1-ol have been used to further dissect the contribution of the substrate positive charge to substrate binding and catalysis in the reaction catalyzed by choline oxidase. Both the k cat and k cat / K m values with 3,3-dimethyl-butan-1-ol increased to limiting values that were ∼3- and ∼400-times lower than those observed with choline, defining p K a values that were similar to the thermodynamic p K a value of ∼7.5 previously determined. No effects of increased solvent viscosity were observed on the k cat and k cat / K m values with the substrate analogue at pH 8, suggesting that the chemical step of substrate oxidation is fully rate-limiting for the overall turnover and the reductive half-reaction in which the alcohol substrate is oxidized to the aldehyde. The k cat / K m value for oxygen determined with the substrate analogue was pH-independent in the pH range from 6 to 10, with an average value that was ∼75-times lower than that previously determined with choline as substrate. These data are consistent with the positive charge headgroup of choline playing important roles for substrate binding and flavin oxidation, with minimal contribution to substrate oxidation.
Echocardiographic Features of Atrial Septal Defect

Echocardiographic studies were performed on 39 adult patients with atrial septal defects. Findings were compared with those from normal subjects, patients with other congenital left-to-right shunts (ventricular septal defect and patent ductus arteriosus), patients with uncomplicated right ventricular pressure overload (pulmonic stenosis and pulmonary hypertension), and patients with pulmonary hypertension complicated by tricuspid regurgitation. Two echocardiographic features were assessed: 1) a right ventricular dimension, or RVD Index, representing the distance between the right ventricular epicardial echoes and echoes from the right side of the interventricular septum divided by the patient's body surface area, and 2) motion of the interventricular septum. The increased RVD Index and abnormal septal motion observed in the patients with atrial septal defects provided an ultrasound complex that could clearly separate these patients from normal individuals, those with ventricular septal defect and patent d...
Adaptive Optimal Sampling Methodology for Reliability Prediction of Series Systems

Simulation-based system reliability prediction may require significant computations, particularly when the expected value of the system failure probability is relatively low. A methodology is presented for variance reduction of sampling-based series system reliability predictions based on optimal allocation of Monte Carlo samples to the individual failure modes. An algorithm is presented for adaptively allocating samples to member failure modes based on initial estimates of the member failure probabilities pi. The methodology is demonstrated for a simple series system and a gas-turbine engine disk modeled using a zone-based series system approach. For the example considered, it is shown that the computational accuracy of the method does not appear to depend on the initial pi estimate. However, the computational efficiency is highly dependent on the initial pi estimate. The results can be applied to improve the efficiency of sampling-based series system reliability predictions.
ORIGIN AND DEVELOPMENT OF AXILLARY BUDS: BETULA PAPYRIFERA MARSH. AND EUPTELEA POLYANDRA SIEB. ET ZUCC.

IN THE FIRST part of this study (Garrison, 1949), consideration has been given to the sequence of events associated with the development of axillary buds of Syringa vulgaris L. Emphasis was placed on the origin of bud primordia, vasculation, and the timing and orderly succession of the several developmental phases. This approach is in contrast to earlier investigations in which attentioin has been primarily directed toward certain selected aspects of bud formation; few papers have made reference to the sequence of the various developmental changes. Syringa vulgaris was chosen for the initial studies on axillary bud formation because of the symmetry of its leaf arrangement and because of the anatomical simplicity of its nodal structure, a unilacunar tvpe with one vascular strand from each gap. The present paper is a report on the origin and development of axillary buds of two species with different nodal anatomy: Betula papyrifera Marsh., with trilacunar nodes; and Euptelea polyandra Sieb. et Zucc., with unilacunar nodes in which several vascular strands extend from each gap. Both of these plants have a spiral phyllotaxy (fig. 1, 2). During the spring, summer, and fall seasons of 1945-1946 collections of shoots were made from plants growing in the Arnold Arboretum, Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts. The preparation of the material for study was essentially the same as that described for Syringa vulgaris (Garrison, 1949); buds and twigs were embedded in paraffin, then sectioned transversely and longitudinally at 7 or 10 IL, stained with tannic acid and iron chloride, and counterstained with safranin. OBSERVATIONs.-Betula papyrifera 'Marsh.-A mature bud of Betula papyrifera consists of a short axis bearing three cataphylls2 and six or seven young leaves. The leaves vary in size, grading from those that have enlarged considerably to the primordia that have just emerged at the apex (fig. 3). Associated with each leaf are two stipules which extend behind the leaf and around the axis (fig. 3). Each leaf has a bud primordium in its axil. There are, therefore, bud primordia within a large mature bud; these two generations of buds are referred to here as secondary buds and primary buds, respectively. The description which follows is concerned with the origin of these bud primordia and with the
Unimpaired maintenance of a conditioned avoidance response in the rat with diabetes insipidus.

Abstract The ability to maintain a conditioned avoidance response (CAR) was studied in normal Long-Evans rats and rats of the Brattleboro strain which were either homozygous or heterozygous for hereditary hypothalamic diabetes insipidus (DI). Homozygous DI rats had a lower CAR acquisition rate than did normal or heterozygous DI rats. However, the homozygous DI rats exhibited significantly greater CAR retention than did the other animals over the total period of extinction testing. The greater CAR retention could not be accounted for by either increased sensitivity to the electric foot shock used as the unconditioned stimulus or by perching on the metal center barrier of the training shuttle box, a form of behavior unique to the homozygous DI rats. Since the homozygous DI rat is totally lacking in hypothalamic antidiuretic hormone (ADH), the greater CAR retention of these animals indicates that ADH is not a requirement for CAR retention.
Transsexuality in the Rhizosphere: Quorum Sensing Reversibly Converts Agrobacterium tumefaciens from Phenotypically Female to Male

ABSTRACT Conjugative plasmids generally encode proteins that block the conjugative entry of identical or similar plasmids into the host cell, a phenomenon known as entry exclusion. Here, we demonstrate that two Ti plasmids of Agrobacterium tumefaciens encode robust entry exclusion functions. Two proteins, TrbJ and TrbK, can each mediate entry exclusion and act synergistically. The trbJ and trbK genes are included within the trb operon, which is tightly regulated by the quorum-sensing regulator TraR and the cognate acylhomoserine lactone. In the absence of quorum-sensing signals, these proteins are not significantly expressed, and cells lacking TrbJ and TrbK are efficient Ti plasmid recipients. In the presence of these signals, these strains block the entry of Ti plasmids and instead become efficient conjugal donors.
994 BLOOD PO 2 ANALYSIS AT BEDSIDE

Current methods for blood oxygen tension analysis require the use of large, expensive equipment by specially trained personnel, both of which are often located in a central laboratory. Results are communicated by phone or runner. Delays and transmission errors can occur resulting in suboptimal care. We have modified the transcutaneous O2 electrode for use on 0.1 ml. blood samples at the bedside. This device requires little technical skill to use. It is compact (the size of a small book), portable, inexpensive and highly accurate. A comparison of 125 paired blood samples analysed by the Huch “trough” electrode and the Radiometer ABL-1 Analyser demonstrated a correlation coefficient of 0.99 with a standard error of approximately 3 torr over the range of 30-189. Results with the Huch device were clinically available in 90 seconds versus an average delay of 18 minutes before a report was received from the central laboratory. We believe this simple device will have a major impact on improving patient care and reducing laboratory costs. Its use will be demonstrated at the time of presentation.
Adsorptive stripping measurements of trace aluminum in the presence of cupferron.

Abstract The adsorptive collection of the aluminum complex with cupferron is exploited for developing a highly sensitive stripping procedure for trace aluminum. Optimal experimental conditions include the use of 2 × 10−4M cupferron in PIPES buffer (pH 7.0), an accumulation potential of −0.40 V and a linear potential scan. With controlled accumulation for 2 min, a detection limit near 30 ng/l. aluminum is obtained. The relative standard deviation (at 5 μg/l.) is 2.9%. Possible interferences are evaluated. The analytical performance compares favourably with that of early adsorptive stripping schemes for aluminum.
Relativistic warm plasma theory of nonlinear laser-driven electron plasma waves

A relativistic, warm fluid model of a nonequilibrium, collisionless plasma is developed and applied to examine nonlinear Langmuir waves excited by relativistically intense, short-pulse lasers. Closure of the covariant fluid theory is obtained via an asymptotic expansion assuming a nonrelativistic plasma temperature. The momentum spread is calculated in the presence of an intense laser field and shown to be intrinsically anisotropic. Coupling between the transverse and longitudinal momentum variances is enabled by the laser field. A generalized dispersion relation is derived for Langmuir waves in a thermal plasma in the presence of an intense laser field. Including thermal fluctuations in three-velocity-space dimensions, the properties of the nonlinear electron plasma wave, such as the plasma temperature evolution and nonlinear wavelength, are examined and the maximum amplitude of the nonlinear oscillation is derived. The presence of a relativistically intense laser pulse is shown to strongly influence the maximum plasma wave amplitude for nonrelativistic phase velocities owing to the coupling between the longitudinal and transverse momentum variances.
An iterative boundary potential method for the infinite domain Poisson problem with interior Dirichlet boundaries

An iterative method is developed for the solution of Poisson's problem on an infinite domain in the presence of interior boundaries held at fixed potential, in three dimensions. The method combines pre-existing fast multigrid-based Poisson solvers for data represented on Cartesian grids with the fast multipole method. Interior boundaries are represented with the embedded boundary formalism. The implementation is in parallel and uses adaptive mesh refinement. Examples are presented for a smooth interior boundary for which an analytical result is known, and for an irregular interior boundary problem. Second-order accuracy in L"1 with respect to the grid resolution is demonstrated for both problems.
Long-term effects of spring wheat–soybean cropping systems on weed populations

Abstract A long-term cropping systems experiment was conducted near Fargo, North Dakota, from 1994 to 2001, to examine the effect of tillage systems and crop rotations on weed populations over time. The cropping systems were a conventional spring wheat–soybean rotation, a no-till spring wheat–soybean rotation, and a mulch-till system with a spring wheat–yellow sweetclover–winter-annual rye–soybean rotation. Emerged weeds were sampled three times each year in wheat and soybean at pre-plant, before post-emergence herbicide treatment, and post-harvest. Soil seed banks were determined at initiation and termination of the experiment. Thirty-nine weed species were identified during the experiment and annual broadleaf weeds were most prevalent. Canada thistle, common lambsquarters, dandelion, green and yellow foxtail, kochia, redroot pigweed, wild buckwheat, and wild mustard were dominant weeds in each cropping system over the 8-year experiment. Between 1994 and 2001, total weed density decreased in the mulch-till system based on weeds sampled in wheat (r = −0.93) and soybean (r = −0.68), primarily due to a decrease in annual broadleaf weeds. Total density of weeds sampled in wheat increased in the no-till system (r = 0.63), primarily due to an increase in common lambsquarters. The mulch-till system in combination with reduced amounts of herbicide, which were used to control Canada thistle, kept weed densities similar to conventional and no-tillage systems. Final soil seed bank densities were lower in the conventional system than either the no-till or mulch-till systems. Common lambsquarters and redroot pigweed seed banks were greater in no-till than the conventional or mulch-till systems in 2001, whereas green and yellow foxtail seed banks were greatest in the mulch-till system. In 2001, no-till and conventional system soil seed banks consisted of about 87% broadleaf and 13% grass species, whereas the mulch-till system soil seed bank consisted of 68% broadleaf and 32% grass species.
Fitting Survival Data to a Piecewise Linear Hazard Rate in the Presence of Covariates

This paper extends the work of KODLIN (1967), who proposed a method for analyzing patient survival data wherein the hazard rate was linearly related to the survival time. The present paper extends Kodlin's model to permit maximum likelihood estimation of the parameters so that covariate effects are included and the slope and intercept parameters are allowed to change over fixed intervals of the time domain of study. An illustration of the method using multiple myeloma data is given and the results are compared with those of Kodlin's model, the Feigl-Zelen, Zippin-Armitage model, the exponential model, and Cox's proportional hazards model.
Effect of topical 16,16-dimethyl prostaglandin E2 on aspirin-induced disruption of gastric permeability barrier in dogs

This study was designed to evaluate whether stimulation of mucus and alkaline secretion by topical 16,16-dimethyl prostaglandin E2 (dmPGE2) would protect gastric mucosa against aspirin-induced disruption of permeability barrier to luminal acid. A chambered segment of canine fundic stomach with intact vascular supply was partitioned into two compartments. One was pretreated with topical dmPGE2 (25 μg/15 ml isotonic acid) and the other served as control. Topical dmPGE2 resulted in 1) mucus release as evidenced by gross and microscopic examinations, 2) luminal volume gain from 0.05 ± 0.01 to 1.05 ± 0.30 ml/15 min (p<0.01) and 3) an increase in Na+ efflux from 9 ± 4 to 165 ± 20 μEq/15 min (p<0.001). These effects of dmPGE2 did not protect the gastric mucosa against disruption of permeability barrier induced by 20 mM aspirin, which resulted in a similar amount of H+ back-diffusion in dmPGE2-treated mucosa (8 ± 7 to 129 ± 8 μEq/15 min, p<0.001) and in control mucosa (from 5 ± 7 to 118 ± 24 μEq/15 min, p<0.001). Also there was no sgnificant difference in the degree of reduction in mucosal potential difference between dmPGE2-treated mucosa (from 60 ± 4 to 34 ± 2 -mV p<0.01) and control mucosa (from 58 ± 4 to 36 ± 3 -mV p<0.001).
BENCHMARK PROBLEMS FOR SPACECRAFT FORMATION FLYING MISSIONS

To provide high-level focus to distributed space system flight dynamics and control research, several benchmark problems are suggested. These problems are not specific to any current or proposed mission, but instead are intended to capture high-level features that would be generic to many similar missions.
d-myo-Inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate analogues as useful tools in biochemical studies of intracellular calcium mobilization

Abstract Two types of structural variants of d - myo -inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate [Ins(1,4,5)P 3 ] were prepared by a chemo-enzymatic route. These 6- O -substituted analogues retained the biological activity of Ins(1,4,5)P 3 , and were able to elicit Ca 2+ release from porcine brain microsomes. Moreover, these derivatives allowed the preparation of Ins(1,4,5)P 3 -based immunogens and affinity matrix which were successfully applied to the preparation and purification of antibodies against Ins(1,4,5)P 3 . These antibodies displayed discriminative affinity towards Ins(1,4,5)P 3 , and provide a useful tool to study intracellular Ca 2+ mobilization.
Abstract A01: No Maryland county left behind: Statewide intervention may reduce geographic disparities.

Introduction: Recent Maryland cancer planning, funding and consensus building efforts and prior screening for breast and cervical cancer have successfully reduced mortality rates and racial disparities over time. Nevertheless geographical disparities among Maryland counties have not been examined. To date assessment of racial disparities has been accomplished using the Index of Disparity. To evaluate geographic disparities and whether every county is improving regardless of its size we suggest utilization of coefficient of variation (CV), skewness and kurtosis. We investigated geographic disparities in county cancer mortality over three time periods and between Maryland and the five adjacent states. Methods: Using data from CDC WONDER, we assessed county breast (female), colon/rectal, lung, and prostate (male) cancer mortality coefficient of variation, skewness, and kurtosis relative to a priori critical values. Results: Maryland counties showed a coefficient of variation consistent with adjacent state counties. In both geographic areas, breast and colon/rectum coefficients of variation were statistically below 0.25. Skewness among Maryland counties was not significant in any time period or any site except prostate cancer, significantly positive (1.36, 95% confidence intervals: 0.43-2.29) only during 1994-98. Only the adjacent state counties exhibited statistically significant skewness and kurtosis for each cancer site at some time. Coefficient of variation is most often slightly smaller than the Index of Disparity due to the larger average of county rates relative to the overall rate (weighted by county). Conclusion: With statewide funding since 1990, Maryland has eliminated geographic disparities in breast and colon/rectum cancer but continues to exhibit borderline lung/bronchus and significant prostate disparities exhibited by “large” coefficient of variation but not – skewness and kurtosis in 2004-2008. We suggest that absence of skewness and kurtosis may be a further indication of county disparities reduction. Tracking of disparities across counties indicated whether statewide or county-specific interventions was needed and whether progress toward elimination of disparities was made. The ideal progression of geographic disparities is indicated by a resultant very small coefficient of variation; left, if any skewness; and no kurtosis. Maryland is on track to accomplish this in all four cancer mortality indicators and on target for breast and colon and rectum. Citation Format: Christina M. Bischoff, Norma F. Kanarek. No Maryland county left behind: Statewide intervention may reduce geographic disparities. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Fifth AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2012 Oct 27-30; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2012;21(10 Suppl):Abstract nr A01.
Trajectory Real-Time Obstacle Avoidance for Underactuated Unmanned Surface Vessels

A new method for obstacle avoidance of underactuated unmanned surface vessels is presented which combines trajectory planning with real-time tracking control. In this method, obstacles are approximated and enclosed by elliptic shapes which represent the stable limit cycle solution of a special class of ODEs (ordinary differential equation). The vessel trajectory at any moment is defined by the ODEs whose solution is the limit cycle defining the obstacle immediately on its path to the target. When no obstacle remains on the vessel’s path, the trajectory is defined by exponentially stable ODEs whose solution is the target trajectory. The planned trajectories are tracked by the vessel through a sliding mode control law which is robust to environmental disturbances and modeling uncertainties and can be computed in real time. One advantage of the method is that it allows for dynamic (moving and rotating) obstacles as well as a moving target. Another advantage is that only the current information about the obstacles and the target are required for real-time trajectory planning. Since the vessel current position is used as feedback to redefine the limit cycle trajectories, the method is also robust to large disturbance.Copyright © 2009 by ASME
Decay spectra of particles and resonances produced in a central plateau

We consider the two-body decay of the spinless resonance or particle produced in a central plateau, with an arbitrary trsnsverse-momentum spectrum. The spectrum of the decay products is calculated exactly as an integral over the spectrum of the centrally produced resonance or particle. Special forms applicable to large and small momentum transfer are printed along with an accurate inversion formula. We show how the large-transverse-momentum behavior of the resonance production is replicated in thc decay products. The decay pi / sup o/ yields gamma + gamma is consider ed in detail. (auth)
Current Controversies in Treatment and Prevention of Diabetic Ketoacidosis

OVERVIEW OF DIABETIC KETOACIDOSIS Pathophysiology Common causes of diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) include progressive b-cell failure in previously undiagnosed patients and omission or inadequate insulin dosing in established patients. Hyperglycemia develops due to impaired glucose use (lack of insulin) and increased glucose production by the liver and kidneys (excess of counterregulatory hormones). Infection, gastrointestinal illness, trauma, and stress may also precipitate DKA if the increase in counterregulatory hormones is not matched by appropriate increase in insulin dosing. Low levels of effective circulating insulin and a concomitant increase in glucagon, catecholamines, cortisol, and growth hormone lead to catabolism of fat and protein. Lipolysis results in increased production of ketones, especially b-hydroxybutyrate (b-OHB), with the ratio between acetoacetate and b-hydroxybutyrate increased from 1:1 to about 1:10, ketonemia, and metabolic acidosis.
A skewed truncated Cauchy distribution with applications in economics

Skewed symmetric distributions have attracted a great deal of attention in the last few years. One of them, the skewed Cauchy distribution suffers from limited applicability because of the lack of finite moments. This article proposes an alternative to the skewed Cauchy distribution, which we refer to as skewed truncated Cauchy distribution. It is defined by the pdf f(x) = 2g(x)G(γx), where g(·) and G(·) are taken, respectively, to be the pdf and the cdf of a truncated Cauchy distribution. This distribution possesses finite moments of all orders and could therefore be a better model for certain practical situations. One such situation in economics is discussed. This article also derives various properties of this distribution, including its moments.
Six decades of Neurospora ascus biology at Stanford

Abstract Ascus is the largest cell in the entire life cycle of Neurospora ; it is where the transient diploid nucleus undergoes meiosis and a postmeiotic mitosis. The eight haploid nuclei are then sequestered into eight linearly ordered ascospores. Dodge's pioneering work on Neurospora and its simple nutritional requirements inspired Beadle and Tatum of Stanford University to use N. crassa for their landmark demonstration that individual genes specify enzymes. McClintock visited Stanford in 1944, and showed that meiosis and chromosome behaviour in Neurospora are similar to those of higher eukaryotes. Most of the subsequent Neurospora ascus biology work was carried out in David Perkins' laboratory at Stanford from 1960–2007. Since 1974, I have extensively used an iron-haematoxylin staining procedure, the DNA-specific fluorochrome acriflavine, and GFP-tagged genes for visualizing meiotic chromosome behaviour and gene silencing during ascus and ascospore development. Our recent discovery of meiotic silencing, and the availability of genome sequence and GFP-tagged genes will no doubt pave the way for molecular analysis of complex processes during ascus development.
Modeling Analysis for the Optimization of Diamond Deposition in a Stagnation-Flow Flame Reactor

Abstract The Successful utilization of premixed oxygen/acetylene flames in the chemical vapor deposition of diamond has led to an interest in scaleable configurations, realized in this work using a stagnation-flow reactor. through a computational model that incorporates detailed gas-phase kinetics, molecular transport, and surface chemistry, the roles of process varibles such as flame stoichiometry, rate of strain, and the use of flow diluents are explored. For parameterization, we have characterized diamond deposition using the surface fluxes of atmoic hydrogen and methyl radical, and have correlated the modeling results with experimental data from a scaled-up stagnation-flow reactor. Flame temperature, stoichimetry, and diluent addition were found tohave a strong effect on diamond film quality. Modeling results are presented, and the utility of the flame model in conjuction with an experimental diamond deposition study is demonstrated.
Preliminary clinical results from the united states fast neutron teletherapy studies

Abstract Over 700 patients with cancer have been treated with fast neutron beams since 1972 in three U.S. programs: M. D. Anderson-TAMVED, University of Washington and MANTA. Two other programs, Fermilab, Chicago, and Cleveland Clinic-NASA, are about to start clinical programs. The effects of different treatment patterns and doses, the responses of several tumor types at many different anatomic sites, and the acute and long-term normal-tissue tolerances have been studied. Gross responses of a spectrum of cancers, e.g. extensive epidermoid carcinoma of the cervix and “fixed” cervical adenopathy, have been encouraging. Unusual responses have been noted in glioblastoma multiforme. The frequency of local tumor control has varied with the method of evaluation. Both local tumor control and “cure” have been compromised by frequent inclusion of patients with extensive cancers. In general, treatment has been well tolerated. These studies have provided the bases for planned clinical trials.
When study abroad experience fails to deliver: The internal resources threshold effect.

Some second language (L2) learners return from study-abroad experiences (SAEs) with seemingly no change in their L2 ability. In this study we investigate whether a certain level of internal cognitive resources is necessary in order for individuals to take full advantage of the SAE. Specifically, we examine the role of working memory resources in lexical comprehension and production for learners who had or had not studied abroad. Participants included native English learners of Spanish. Participants completed a translation recognition task and a picture-naming task. The results suggest that individuals who lack a certain threshold of working memory resources are unable to benefit from the study-abroad context in terms of being able to produce accurately in the L2.