cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Herpes simplex virus reorganizes the cellular DNA repair and protein quality control machinery.

When a virus infects a cell, it must contend with a hostile environment and host machinery that is intrinsically antiviral. One of the hallmarks of herpes simplex virus (HSV) infection is the dramatic reorganization of the infected cell nucleus leading to the formation of large globular replication compartments in which gene expression, DNA replication, and encapsidation occur ([1], [2] and references therein) (see Figure 1). During infection, cellular factors that are beneficial to the virus are hijacked while other factors and pathways are degraded or inactivated. Two of the cellular homeostatic pathways affected by HSV-1 infection are the protein quality control (PQC) and DNA damage response pathways. These events are orchestrated by several viral proteins including the immediate early proteins ICP4, ICP27, ICP0, and ICP22 that allow the virus to create an environment conducive to infection and counteract the cell's intrinsic capacity to inhibit viral infection [3]–[6]. ICP4 and ICP27 play essential roles in stimulation of robust viral gene expression [3], [4]. The immediate early protein ICP0 activates viral and cellular gene expression and functions as an E3 ubiquitin ligase by degrading several cellular proteins [5], [7]. One target of ICP0 is PML, a major component of nuclear foci called ND10 that play a repressive role in viral gene expression. ICP0 interferes with several intrinsic host defense mechanisms including host interferon responses [5], [7], [8], thereby playing a major role in the establishment of a permissive viral infection. ICP22 is required for efficient growth and expression of late viral genes in some but not all cultured cells [6]. ICP22 also plays a role in the post-translational modification of the cellular RNA polymerase II ([9] and references therein). As described below, these immediate early proteins play important roles in remodeling the infected cell nucleus, hijacking host PQC machinery, and manipulating cellular DNA damage responses. Figure 1 Hsc70 is detected in virus-induced chaperone-enriched (VICE) domains that form adjacent to replication compartments in HSV-1-infected cells.
Scenes of Subjection: Terror, Slavery, and Self-Making in Nineteenth-Century America

Scenes of Subjection: Terror, Slavery, and Self-Making in Nineteenth-Century America. By Saidiya V. Hartman. Race and American Culture. (New York and Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1997. Pp. x, 281. Paper, $19.95, ISBN 0-19-508984-7; cloth, $45.00, ISBN 0-19-508983-9.) Saidiya V. Hartman's Scenes of Subjection interrogates the apparent transformation from slavery to freedom in nineteenth-century America by paying particular attention to the antebellum and postbellum South. The author hopes to explicate the ambivalence of emancipation in order to address the issues raised by the continuing subjugation of blacks in a liberal nation. Hartman gives particular attention to the role of force and violence in constructing and perpetuating subjugation. She speaks importantly to such major historiographical debates as the question whether antebellum southern slavery was a paternalistic institution. Paternalism has been presented as recognizing the humanity of the enslaved, in part as a response to northern liberalism and abolitionism. In contrast to claims that the master/slave relationship was based upon reciprocal ties of mutual responsibilities and affection, however, Hartman supports those who argue that slavery was fundamentally based upon dehumanizing white physical force and violence. What Hartman's postmodernist analysis perhaps particularly contributes to such debates is her creative use of both traditional and nontraditional historical sources of evidence to interrogate and deconstruct the meaning of the ordinary "scenes of subjection." She thereby reinterprets such routine practices as slave dancing and singing, seemingly encouraged by paternalistic masters, as required demonstrations of white dominance that were epitomized by the forced performance of terrified slaves on the auction block. Hartman's deconstruction of the legal non-existence of the rape of a slave woman also emphasizes the dehumanizing violence of the law of slavery. But, at the same time, the personhood of the enslaved was recognized in the sense that they could be charged and found criminally responsible and blameworthy for wrongdoing. The argument that the association of black agency with blameworthiness comprised a lasting legacy of slavery leads on to the book's second section, in which Hartman focuses on the South after emancipation. Hartman's extended deconstruction of meanings, and her prose, can at times be so convoluted that the reader might at times wonder what she means to say; however, the book's second section helps to clarify her thesis that emphasizing the damaging legacies of slavery to emancipation is central to her critique of an American liberalism that defines "liberty" as the self-mastery of the man who--owning himself--could freely exercise reason, choice, and consent. …
Erosional impact on organic matter content and productivity of selected Iowa soils

From 1983 to 1989 an erosion-productivity study was conducted in Iowa. The primary objective of this project was to determine the effects of accelerated erosion and its interactions with other variables on soil productivity, as measured by corn yields of loess and till-derived soils in Iowa. Multiple regression techniques were used to relate corn yields to erosion and selected soil, climatic, and weather variables. Organic matter content of the soils was significantly correlated with erosion phase. Yields of till-derived soils decreased more with increasing degree of erosion than loess-derived soils. The conclusions are based on data collected at 569 sites located in 44 Iowa counties.
Detailed Spectral Analysis of the Type Ib Supernova 1999dn. I. Hydrogen-free Models

We present spectral fits to five epochs of the typical Type Ib supernova 1999dn using the generalized, non-LTE, stellar atmospheres code PHOENIX. Our goal is threefold: to determine basic physical properties of the supernova ejecta, such as velocity, temperature, and density gradients; to reproduce He I absorption lines by invoking nonthermal excitation; and to investigate possible spectral signatures of hydrogen, especially a feature around 6200 A, which has been attributed to high-velocity Hα. Our models assume an atmosphere with uniform composition devoid of any hydrogen. Our model spectra fit the observed spectra well, successfully reproducing most of the features, including the prominent He I absorptions. The most plausible alternative to Hα as the source of the 6200 A feature is a blend of Fe II and Si II lines, which can be made stronger in order to better fit the observed feature by increasing the metallicity of the ejecta. High-metallicity models fit well at early epochs, but not as well as solar-metallicity models after maximum light. While this blend of metal lines is a reasonable explanation of the source of the 6200 A feature, it is still important to investigate hydrogen as the source; therefore, a second paper will present models that include a thin shell of hydrogen around the main composition structure.
Effect of butylated hydroxytoluene and other antioxidants on mouse lung metabolism.

Toxic doses of butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), a phenolic antioxidant commonly used as a food additive, are known to produce lung damage. In this study, 3 days after a single ip injection of 62.5, 215, or 500 mg/kg BHT in mice there was a dose‐dependent increase in lung weight. This concentration dependence with injected BHT was accompanied by increases in lung DNA and nonprotein sulfhydryl levels and in whole lung tissue enzyme activities of glutathione (GSH) peroxidase, GSH reductase, glucose‐6‐phosphate dehydrogenase, and superoxide dismutase. The increased enzyme activities are considered to correspond to inflammatory and proliferative pulmonary changes resulting from acute lung cell injury and necrosis, which have been described previously, and cannot be construed as evidence for a primary oxidant‐induced pulmonary lesion. The mechanism of BHT‐induced lung changes may not be related to the antioxidant property of BHT, since vitamin E, n‐propyl gallate, ethoxyquin, N,N‘‐diphenyl‐p‐phenylenediamine, an...
9-BBN Induced Synthesis of Nearly Monodisperse ω-Functionalized Alkylthiol Stabilized Gold Nanoparticles

9-Borabicyclo [3.3.1] nonane (9-BBN) was used as a reducing agent for the single step synthesis of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) having an average size of 3.3 nm. The 9-BBN induced synthesis was successful in the presence of a wide range of ω-functionalized thiol ligands and used to produce silver, palladium, and platinum nanoparticles with average diameters of <5.0 nm.
A longitudinal analysis of inhibition of infant distress: The origins of social expectations?*

Changes in infant responding during a distress-relief sequence were assessed longitudinally in 13 infants between 2 and 6 months of age and again at 10 months. A standardized soothing procedure was administered by the infant's own mother and by an unfamiliar female in successive sessions within each month. Over the first six months, the latency to stop crying decreased and the number of infants who quieted at the approach of the soother increased. Although crying was not differentially attenuated until the 10 month observation, when the mother was more effective, infants renewed crying more rapidly following maternal soothing at all ages. These data strongly suggest that infants learn both the social consequences of their own cries as well as the environmental cues which predict those consequences at very young ages. In addition, they support hypotheses that generalized social expectations of caregiving precede expectations of caregiving from a specific individual.
Origin of SU(2)-flavor-symmetry breaking in antiquark distributions.

The New Muon Collaboration has recently measured the electromagnetic structure functions {ital F}{sub 2} through deep-inelastic muon scattering from protons and deuterons. Structure functions ({ital F}{sub 2}{sup {ital e}{ital p}}({ital x}){minus}{ital F}{sub 2}{sup {ital e}{ital n}}({ital x})) have been measured to very small Bjorken {ital x}. The results seem to violate the Gottfried sum rule. We discuss various possible reasons for this result, including significant contributions from valence quarks at very small {ital x} and SU(2)-flavor breaking in the sea. We show that the pionic contribution to the sea-quark distributions gives qualitative agreement with estimates of the SU(2)-flavor-breaking contribution. We discuss various experiments which could give a direct measurement of {ital {bar u}}-{ital {bar d}}. We make qualitative estimates of shadowing effects in the deuteron and their impact on the extracted neutron structure functions.
Ions produced in the mass spectrometer from cyclopentadienylmetal carbonyl compounds of cobalt, manganese and vanadium

Abstract The positive and negative ions formed from (C 3 H 3 )Co(CO) 2 , (C 3 H 3 Mn(CO) 3 and (C 3 H 3 )V(CO) 4 upon electron impact in the mass spectrometer have been investigated. Separation of the carbonyl groups in preference to the cyclopentadienyl ring system from the remainder of the molecular ion was found to occur. Ionization potentials of 8.3 ≠ 0.2, 8.3 ≠ 0.4 and 8.2 ≠ 0.3 eV were determined for cyclopentadienylcobalt dicarbonyl, cyclopentadienylmanganese tricarbonyl and cyclopentadienylvanadium tetracarbonyl, respectively. A discussion of the probable processes of ionization and dissociation, consistent with the observed energetics, is presented and the thermochemical data for D [(C 3 H 3 )-M + ] and D [(C 3 H 3 )-M + ] are considered.
The Roles of Nuclear Receptors CAR and PXR in Hepatic Energy Metabolism

Nuclear receptors constitutive active/androstane receptor (CAR) and pregnane X receptor (PXR) were originally characterized as transcription factors regulating the hepatic genes that encode drug metabolizing enzymes. Recent works have now revealed that these nuclear receptors also play the critical roles in modulating hepatic energy metabolism. While CAR and PXR directly bind to their response sequences phenobarbital-responsive enhancer module (PBREM) and xenobiotic responsive enhancer module (XREM) in the promoter of target genes to increase drug metabolism, the receptors also cross talk with various hormone responsive transcription factors such as forkhead box O1 (FoxO1), forkhead box A2 (FoxA2), cAMP-response element binding protein, and peroxisome proliferator activated receptor gamma coactivator 1alpha (PGC 1alpha) to decrease energy metabolism through down-regulating gluconeogenesis, fatty acid oxidation and ketogenesis and up-regulating lipogenesis. In addition, CAR modulates thyroid hormone activity by regulating type 1 deiodinase in the regenerating liver. Thus, CAR and PXR are now placed at the crossroad where both xenobiotics and endogenous stimuli co-regulate liver function.
Anemia and the elderly: clinical considerations

Anemia is a common problem in the management of elderly patients. Anemia in the elderly is linked to an increase in morbidity and mortality, and serves as an independent variable associated with poor outcomes. In the elderly population, anemia is a risk factor for cardiovascular health and early death, contributes to fatigue, and negatively impacts on cognitive function, physical function, and the quality of life and serves as a marker of increased vulnerability. A greater understanding of pathophysiology of anemia in the setting of chronic disease has provided insights into the rationale for the potential clinical application of erythropoietic agents in the treatment of anemia. The impact of erythropoietic therapy, as it relates to specific afflictions affecting the older age patient, including diminished exercise tolerance, frailty, loss of functional capacity, immobility, depression, increased care needs and cardiovascular fitness, remains to be determined and is worthy of further investigation.
Extinctions in North America's Late Glacial landscapes

Human-caused extinctions of terrestrial mammals in large parts of the world such as North America may have been side-effects of rapid long-distance dispersals (biogeographic range-change) by Homo sapiens moving outward from the Old World. The extinctions help explain how modern humans briskly explored and populated large, empty, and increasingly unfamiliar landmasses. Infrequent opportunistic human hunting along with the climate-caused fragmentation of megafaunal populations may have led to nonrandom human dispersals through megafaunal ‘source’ areas, which effectively were continental stepping-stones, resulting in temporally clustered extinctions. The process in North America was three-step, and mostly occurred before the Younger Dryas cold interval: first was a foreshock, when Late Glacial climatic changes and a trickle of first foragers fragmented continental megafaunal populations; second was a severe additional shock when human foragers targeted the pockets of fragmented subpopulations and preferentially hunted them; and third was an extended aftershock of sustained hunting, inbreeding damage, and acute competition for contracting resources during which megafaunal taxa dwindled and became extinct. Some taxa may have managed to survive into the Younger Dryas or beyond. If there were pre-Clovis people in the continent, the second (shock) phase may have preceded Clovis (perhaps by up to a millennium), but by the time of the third (aftershock) phase the Clovis dispersal was rapidly underway.
Modeling and optimization of fringe capacitance of nanoscale DGMOS devices

We analyze the impact of gate electrode thickness and gate underlap on the fringe capacitance of nanoscale double-gate MOS (DGMOS) transistors. We propose an analytical fringe capacitance model considering gate underlap and finite source/drain length. A comparison with the simulation results show that the model can accurately estimate the fringe capacitance of the device. We show that an optimum gate underlap can significantly reduce the fringe capacitance resulting in higher performance and lower power consumption. Also, the effects of process variation in gate underlap devices are discussed. Simulation results on a three-stage ring oscillator show that with optimum gate underlap 32% improvement in delay can be achieved.
Role of aromatase in sex-specific cerebrovascular endothelial function in mice.

Stroke risk and outcome are strongly modified by estrogen. In addition to ovaries, estrogen is produced locally in peripheral tissue by the enzyme aromatase, and extragonadal synthesis becomes the ...
Quantitative comparison of thallium-201 scintigraphy after exercise and dipyridamole in coronary artery disease

Abstract Data comparing myocardial thallium-201 imaging after exercise and intravenous dipyridamole infusion in the same patients are scarce. Accordingly, this study is a segment-by-segment quantitative analysis of regional uptake and washout of thallium-201 after dipyridamole (0.56 mg/kg) and symptom-limited exercise testing in 21 patients (ages 58 ± 9.2 years) with chest pain studied 2.5 ± 1.0 weeks apart. Thallium-201 activity in 9 myocardial segments was measured in initial and delayed anterior and 45 ° left anterior oblique views, producing 184 pairs of segments in the distribution of 63 coronary supply regions for direct comparison. The number of segments with normal thallium-201 uptake and the number of numerically significant defects were similar with exercise and dipyridamole (76 vs 73%, 24 vs 27%, respectively, difference not significant). A slightly higher proportion of redistribution defects was found after dipyridamole infusion compared to exercise (17 vs 10%, p 50% (difference not significant) and 100% (19 of 19) vs 100% (19 of 19) (difference not significant) normal vessels, respectively. These data indicate that exercise and dipyridamole-thallium-201 imaging in the same patients are comparable in detecting and localizing normal or abnormal scan segments.
A compiler and runtime system for enabling data mining applications on gpus

With increasing need for accelerating data mining and scientific data analysis on large data sets, and less chance to improve processor performance by simply increasing clock frequencies, multi-core architectures and accelerators like FPGAs and GPUs have become popular. A recent development in using GPU for general computing has been the release of CUDA (Compute Unified Device Architecture) by NVIDIA. CUDA allows GPU programming with Clanguage-like features, thus easing the development of non-graphics applications on a GPU. However, several challenges still remain in programming the GPUs with CUDA, because CUDA involves explicit parallel programming and management of its complex memory hierarchy, as well as allocating device memory, moving data between CPU anddevice memory, and specification of thread grid configurations.In this paper, we offer a solution for the programmers to generate CUDA code by specifying the sequential reduction loop(s) with some information about the parameters. With program analysis and code generation, the applications are mapped to a GPU. Several additional optimizations are also performed by the middleware.We have evaluated our system using three popular data miningapplications, k-means clustering, EM clustering, and Principal Component Analysis (PCA). The speedup that each of these applications achieve over a sequential CPU version ranges between 20 and 50.
Computational schemes for large-scale problems in extended linear-quadratic programming

Numerical approaches are developed for solving large-scale problems of extended linear-quadratic programming that exhibit Lagrangian separability in both primal and dual variables simultaneously. Such problems are kin to large-scale linear complementarity models as derived from applications of variational inequalities, and they arise from general models in multistage stochastic programming and discrete-time optimal control. Because their objective functions are merely piecewise linear-quadratic, due to the presence of penalty terms, they do not fit a conventional quadratic programming framework. They have potentially advantageous features, however, which so far have not been exploited in solution procedures. These features are laid out and analyzed for their computational potential. In particular, a new class of algorithms, called finite-envelope methods, is described that does take advantage of the structure. Such methods reduce the solution of a high-dimensional extended linear-quadratic program to that of a sequence of low-dimensional ordinary quadratic programs.
Comparison of Chromogenic Media to BD GeneOhm Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) PCR for Detection of MRSA in Nasal Swabs

To select a method for detecting methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in nasal swabs, we compared BD GeneOhm MRSA PCR and various culture media (mannitol salt agar with cefoxitin, MRSASelect, CHROMagar MRSA, and Spectra MRSA). While PCR detection of MRSA was more rapid, MRSASelect and Spectra MRSA demonstrated performance equivalent to that of PCR with maximal detection at 24 h.
Functional impairment of renal organic cation transport in experimental diabetes.

Abstract: This study was designed to determine the effect of diabetes on the function of the renal organic cation transport system that mediates the excretion of a wide variety of toxicants and drugs. The experiments compared the ability of renal cortex slices from streptozotocin-induced diabetic and non-diabetic rats to accumulate the model cation, 14C-tetraethylammonium under controlled conditions. Initial experiments demonstrated a progressive decline in tetraethylammonium accumulation with increasing duration of diabetes. The maximal decrease was observed at 21 days after streptozotocin injection. Time-dependent incubations revealed that tetraethylammonium uptake from both diabetic and non-diabetic rats followed a curvilinear pattern expected of an active process. However, at steady state the diabetic-derived slices accumulated a significant 38% less tetraethylammonium versus slices from non-diabetics. Concentration-dependent incubations of tetraethylammonium (0.01–10 mM, 60 min.) demonstrated saturable transport in both diabetic and non-diabetic slices with a significantly decreased capacity of diabetic-derived slices to accumulate tetraethylammonium. Cellular respiration rates in the two groups were not different. Insulin treatment of the diabetic rats prevented the transport decline. While the causative factor of the transport impairment in diabetes is unresolved, this study documents an aspect of diabetic nephropathy that has not been previously reported but which may have important implications for renal excretion of cationic drugs and toxicants. The results also provide a mechanism for the well-documented “protection phenomenon” by which the kidneys of diabetic rats are resistant to nephrotoxicity induced by the chemotherapeutic agent cisplatin.
Joint Source-Channel Decoding for Transmitting Correlated Sources over Broadcast Networks

We consider a set of S independent encoders that must transmit a set of correlated sources through a network of noisy, independent, broadcast channels to T receivers. For the general problem of sending correlated sources through broadcast networks, it is known that the source-channel separation theorem breaks down and the achievable rate region as well as the proper method of coding are unknown. For our scenario, however, we not only establish the optimal rate region, but we show that a type of source-channel separation is possible at the transmitter, provided joint source-channel decoding is used at the receiver. Furthermore, we show that while joint source-channel encoding is unnecessary, not using joint source-channel decoding is suboptimal. Finally, when the optimal input distribution from transmitter i to receiver j is independent of j, our result has a max-flow/min-cut interpretation. Specifically, in this case our result implies that if it is possible to send the sources to each receiver separately while ignoring the others, then it is possible to send to all receivers simultaneously.
The Bacillus subtilis endospore: Assembly and functions of the multilayered coat

Sporulation in Bacillus subtilis involves an asymmetric cell division followed by differentiation into two cell types, the endospore and the mother cell. The endospore coat is a multilayered shell that protects the bacterial genome during stress conditions and is composed of dozens of proteins. Recently, fluorescence microscopy coupled with high-resolution image analysis has been applied to the dynamic process of coat assembly and has shown that the coat is organized into at least four distinct layers. In this Review, we provide a brief summary of B. subtilis sporulation, describe the function of the spore surface layers and discuss the recent progress that has improved our understanding of the structure of the endospore coat and the mechanisms of coat assembly.
Epizootiology of Sin Nombre and El Moro Canyon hantaviruses, southeastern Colorado, 1995-2000.

Sin Nombre virus (SNV) is an etiologic agent of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome. To better understand the natural history of this virus we studied population dynamics and tem- poral pattern of infection of its rodent hosts in southeastern Colorado (USA) from 1995 to 2000. We present evidence for the presence of two hantaviruses, SNV in deer mice (Peromyscus man- iculatus) and El Moro Canyon virus in western harvest mice (Reithrodontomys megalotis), at our study sites. Sin Nombre virus appeared only sporadically in deer mouse populations; overall prevalence of antibody to SNV was 2.6%. El Moro Canyon virus was enzootic: seroconversions occurred throughout the year; antibody prevalence (11.9% overall) showed a delayed-density- dependent pattern, peaking as relative abundance of mice was declining. Males of both host species were more frequently infected than were females. An apparently lower mean survivorship (persistence at the trapping site) for SNV antibody-positive deer mice could indicate a detrimental effect of SNV on its host, but might also be explained by the fact that antibody-positive mice were older when first captured.
Tracking Through Clutter Using Graph Cuts

The standard graph cut technique is a robust method for globally optimal image segmentation. However, because of its global nature, it is prone to capture outlying areas similar to the object of interest. This paper proposes a novel method to constrain the standard graph cut technique for tracking objects in a region of interest. By introducing an additional penalty on pixels based upon their distance from a region of interest, segmentation is biased to remain in this area. We employ a filter which predicts the location of the object. The distance penalty is then centered at this location and adaptively scaled based on prediction confidence. This method tracks at real-time rates and easily generalizes to tracking multiple noninteracting objects.
Reference count garbage collection

A garbage collection algorithm that permits a reference count storage reclamation scheme to collect circularly linked inaccessible structures is presented. The algorithm requires no additional information beyond that required by a reference count scheme. In particular, it does not require the garbage collector to be able to find pointers outside the heap. The algorithm is most useful for augmenting reference count storage reclamation systems and for implementing storage management systems on top of languages that do not provide their own. It is, however, considerably less efficient in space and time than conventional garbage collection systems.
Adventures with a Flipped Classroom and a Materials Science and Engineering MOOC : “Fools Go Where Angels Fear to Tread”

In the fall of 2012 the Stanford University materials science course Solar Cells, Fuel Cells and Batteries: Materials for the Energy Solution was offered as a flipped class and a massively open online course (MOOC). To the best of our knowledge, this was the first materials science MOOC. Here we describe how the course was implemented, and present results on performance, demographics and other observations that were made. Finally, we provide some perspectives for the future of the implementation of these engineering MOOCs.
Logic of secrets in collaboration networks

The article proposes Logic of Secrets in Collaboration Networks, a formal logical system for reasoning about a set of secrets established over a xed conguration of communication channels. The system’s key feature, a multi-channel relation called independence, is a generalization of a two-channel relation known in the literature as nondeducibility. The main result is the completeness of the proposed system with respect to a semantics of secrets.
Beyond ritual and economics: Maasai lion hunting and conservation politics

Populations of the African lion Panthera leo are declining dramatically, with the species’ survival in some areas closely linked to levels of tolerance by rural communities. In Tanzania and Kenya several of the remaining lion populations outside protected areas reside adjacent to rural communities, where they are hunted. As many of these communities are Maasai, research and conservation efforts have focused on understanding and curbing Maasai lion hunting practices. Much of this work has been informed by a dichotomous explanatory model of Maasai lion hunting as either a ‘cultural’ ritual or a ‘retaliatory’ behaviour against predation on livestock. We present qualitative data from interviews (n = 246) in both countries to illustrate that lion hunting by Maasai is related to overlapping motivations that are simultaneously social, emotional and political (in response to conservation initiatives). Additional case study material from Tanzania highlights how politics associated with conservation activities and age-set dynamics affect lion hunting in complex and overlapping ways. Our findings contribute an ethnographic perspective on Maasai lion hunting, people–predator relations, and how these relations are linked to conservation politics.
CO isotopic mixing measurements on nickel: Evidence for irreversibility of CO dissociation

The isotopic mixing reaction, /sup 12/C/sup 18/O + /sup 13/C/sup 16/O ..-->.. /sup 12/C/sup 16/O + /sup 13/C/sup 18/O, and the methanation reaction (3H/sub 2/ + CO ..-->.. CH/sub 4/ + H/sub 2/O) have been studied at 2 Torr CO pressure over a Ni(100) single crystal between 300 and 700 K. At 600 K the rate of the exchange reaction is a factor of 50 slower than CO hydrogenation indicating irreversibility of the CO dissociation reaction step. Below 850 K, the turnover number for the isotopic mixing reaction is less than 4 x 10/sup -3/ reactive events site/sup -1/ sec/sup -1/. This corresponds to a reactive sticking coefficient of <2 x 10/sup -8/. The steady state reaction becomes significant at approx. 850 K at which temperature a graphite layer begins to decompose, opening up free Ni sites. Various models to explain these observations are discussed. 4 figures.
Truancy In Early Adolescence

The problem of school absence in the junior high years is described. Incidence of unexcused absence is estimated at about 7% in the United States for adolescents ages 12 through 15. The long-term c...
Investing in R&D: How to manage your risk

Investing in research and development (R&D)? In some ways, it's like other investments. But, the author warns, the purpose of R&D investment may be quite different—with higher risks and rewards. So what are the best ways to manage an R&D investment portfolio? © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Mass spectra of synthesized mixed bromochloroacetic acids

Mass spectra of methyl esters of three common drinking water chlorination by-products, bromodichloroacetic acid, dibromochloroacetic acid and tribromoacetic acid, are presented. The spectra are obtained in electron impact and chemical ionization modes, using a quadrupole mass spectrometer. Proposed fragment ion assignments are presented in detail. Fragment clusters were identified from their m/z values and confirmed with their relative isotope ratios. The detailed mass spectra presented are especially useful because standards for these drinking water contaminants are not yet commercially available.
High-aspect ratio nanochannel formation by single femtosecond laser pulses

Single femtosecond pulsed laser damage can be confined radially to regions smaller than the focus spot size due to the highly nonlinear mechanisms for energy absorption and ablation in transparent dielectrics. Along the propagation axis, however, we show that channels can be machined much deeper than the Rayleigh range of the laser focus. Using focused ion beam cross sections and acetate imprints, we analyze these channels and show that spherical aberration is not the primary source for this elongated damage, which is likely caused by microscale filamentation.
Cyclic Hysteresis Evolution as a Damage Parameter for Notched Composite Laminates

In cyclically loaded polymer matrix composites, structural health monitoring is useful for detecting and tracking progressive damage. Existing approaches use stiffness degradation, crack propagation/strain energy change, or dynamic parameters such as frequency response. These approaches, however, depend on prior assumptions of the dominant damage mechanisms. In this study, a new hysteresis-based damage parameter, D′, that is a measure of damage progression and failure is shown to be more sensitive than stiffness degradation and can be determined during cycling without the use of additional instrumentation. D′ was measured for cyclically loaded notched glass fiber laminates and was found to be useful as a measure of damage progression. Cyclic hysteresis strain energy dissipated at each cycle was monitored continuously without interruption. A conventional servo-hydraulic fatigue testing system was modified with the incorporation of new custom code for performing command and data acquisition on a cycle-by-cy...
Multi-frame motion-compensated video compression for the digital set-top box

Motion-compensated prediction based on multiple previous or future frames can enhance the compression efficiency of video coding. Multi-frame prediction can be applied as an extension to P-pictures, but also to B-pictures in the form of multi-hypothesis prediction. We review recent advances, several of which have been embraced by the ITU-T Rec. H.263 and the emerging JVT/H.26L standard, jointly developed by ITU-T and ISO/IEC MPEG. Already, JVT/H.26L video outperforms MPEG-2 by a factor greater than 2/spl times/. These recent developments could play a significant role in future digital set-top boxes.
Ipsilateral directional encoding of joystick movements in human cortex

The majority of Brain Computer Interfaces have relied on signals related to primary motor cortex and the operation of the contralateral limb. Recently, the physiology associated with same-sided (ipsilateral) motor movements has been found to have a unique cortical physiology. This study sets out to assess whether more complex motor movements can be discerned utilizing ipsilateral cortical signals. In this study, three invasively monitored human subjects were recorded while performing a center out joystick task with the hand ipsilateral to the hemispheric subdural grid array. It was found that directional tuning was present in ipsilateral cortex. This information was encoded in both distinct anatomic populations and spectral distributions. These findings support the notion that ipsilateral signals may provide added information for BCI operation in the future.
Genetics and classification of major histocompatibility complex antigens of the chicken.

Abstract The chicken MHC consists of a gene complex divisable into three chromosomal regions, each producing a series of genetically antithetical molecules with regionally specific functions. Most of the genes (alleles) of each region are present in unique haplotype combinations with genes (alleles) from the other two regions; relatively few haplotypes appear to share identical regional genes. Even with the high degree of polymorphism existing within and between regions, general typing of erythrocytes for MHC haplotypes can still be performed as economically as ever with alloimmune reagents of known specificity.
Better cognitive control of emotional information is associated with reduced pro-inflammatory cytokine reactivity to emotional stress

Stress is strongly associated with several mental and physical health problems that involve inflammation, including asthma, cardiovascular disease, certain types of cancer, and depression. It has been hypothesized that better cognitive control of emotional information may lead to reduced inflammatory reactivity to stress and thus better health, but to date no studies have examined whether differences in cognitive control predict pro-inflammatory cytokine responses to stress. To address this issue, we conducted a laboratory-based experimental study in which we randomly assigned healthy young-adult females to either an acute emotional stress (emotionally evocative video) or no-stress (control video) condition. Salivary levels of the key pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-1β, IL-6, and IL-8 were measured before and after the experimental manipulation, and following the last cytokine sample, we assessed participants' cognitive control of emotional information using an emotional Stroop task. We also assessed participants' cortisol levels before and after the manipulation to verify that documented effects were specific to cytokines and not simply due to increased nonwater salivary output. As hypothesized, the emotional stressor triggered significant increases in IL-1β, IL-6, and IL-8. Moreover, even in fully adjusted models, better cognitive control following the emotional (but not control) video predicted less pronounced cytokine responses to that stressor. In contrast, no effects were observed for cortisol. These data thus indicate that better cognitive control specifically following an emotional stressor is uniquely associated with less pronounced pro-inflammatory cytokine reactivity to such stress. These findings may therefore help explain why superior cognitive control portends better health over the lifespan.
Oral infection of Culicoides sonorensis (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) by vesicular stomatitis virus.

Vesicular stomatitis virus serotype New Jersey (VSNJV) was mixed with bovine blood or fetal bovine serum (FBS) and fed across silicone membranes to laboratory populations of Culicoides sonorensis Wirth & Jones. In an initial study, virus was detected after 13 d in 21% of the midges that received an FBS/VSNJV mixture. In subsequent time-course experiments, engorged females were collected and maintained at 20.0°C and assayed for VSNJV immediately after feeding and at 1, 3, 7, 10 and 13 d after feeding. Virus was detected after 13 d in 3% of the midges that received a bovine blood/VSNJV mixture and in 9% of the midges that received an FBS/VSNJV mixture. The results indicate that C. sonorensis should be considered as a potential biological vector of VSNJV.
Behavioral effects and receptor binding affinities of fentanyl derivatives in rhesus monkeys.

These studies examined the opioid receptor binding affinities and behavioral effects of several fentanyl derivatives in rhesus monkeys. OHM3295, OHM3296, OHM3326 and OHM3463 displayed high affinity for mu (IC50 = 7-66 nM) as compared to kappa (IC50 = 263-3255 nM) or delta (IC50 = 480-4500 nM) receptors as measured by their ability to displace [3H](D-Ala2-Me-Phe4,Glyol5)enkephalin, [3H](5,7,8[beta])-N-[2- (1-pyrrolidinyl)1-oxaspiro[4,5]dec-8-yl]benzeneacetamide and [3H](D-Pen2-D-Pen5)enkephalin, respectively. All four compounds maintained i.v. self-administration responding at rates above those maintained by the mu agonist alfentanil. In drug discrimination studies, OHM3463, OHM3326 and OHM3296 substituted completely for nalbuphine whereas OHM3295, and a related compound, mirfentanil, substituted partially for nalbuphine. In morphine-treated monkeys, OHM3295 substituted for naltrexone; in monkeys acutely deprived of morphine, only OHM3463 reversed naltrexone-lever responding. All four compounds had antinociceptive effects, although the extent to which these effects were accompanied by respiratory depression or modified by naltrexone, as well as the interactions between antinociceptive effects of fentanyl derivatives and alfentanil, varied markedly among compounds. Thus, OHM3463 shared effects with mu agonists (e.g., alfentanil) under all conditions; the other three compounds had opioid agonist effects under only a subset of conditions. Moreover, one of these compounds (OHM3295) antagonized the discriminative stimulus and antinociceptive effects of other mu agonists. Collectively, these compounds appear to vary on two dimensions: opioid efficacy and the contribution of nonopioid actions to their antinociceptive effects. Together with results obtained with other fentanyl derivatives (mirfentanil) under similar conditions, results of the current study suggest this chemical class might be especially fertile for the development of novel analgesics that might have reduced toxicity and abuse liability as compared to fentanyl and related compounds that are currently used in medicine.
Follicular Thyroid Carcinoma: Disease Response Evaluation Using American Thyroid Association Risk Assessment Guidelines.

Objective: To evaluate the overall and progression-free survival for follicular thyroid carcinoma (FTC) based on the American Thyroid Association (ATA) staging system for recurrence risk assessment and the TNM staging system. Methods: A clinical review of FTC patients between 1995 and 2014 was conducted at a single center. The data was classified using the TNM staging system into low, intermediate, and high risk of recurrence as per the ATA risk assessment. Results: Over the course of 19 years, 114 (11.9%) of all of the thyroid cancer patients presenting to our hospital had FTC (i.e. 78 females and 36 males). The age range was 15-80 years. Ninety-four tumors were resectable and 18 were unresectable. Sixteen patients were excluded due to insufficient information on their recurrence risk. Based on the ATA categorization, 36 patients had a low recurrence risk. All patients were alive at the time of categorization, and 1 showed progressive disease. Thirty-eight patients had an intermediate recurrence risk. One patient died and 2 showed progression. Twenty-four had a high recurrence risk. Seven patients died and 6 showed progression. In terms of TNM stages, 2 (3.2%) stage I, 3 (17.6%) stage II, 1 (14%) stage III, and 2 (12.5%) stage IV patients died during follow-up. Both ATA risk classification and TNM staging were significant predictors of disease-free survival. On bivariate analysis, the ATA classification (HR 4.67; 95% CI 1.74-12.5, p = 0.002) was a better predictor of survival compared to the TNM classification (HR 1.26; 95% CI 0.98-1.62, p = 0.063). Conclusion: ATA risk stratification predicts the disease recurrence rate and survival better than TNM staging. Age does not have an association; the risk category with dynamic reassessment effectively better predicts the course of disease in FTC.
0377 Reproductive effects of working night and rotating shifts

Objectives Recent studies suggest that shift workers who experience exposure to light at night could be at increased risk for adverse reproductive outcomes. Method Defined by cyclical patterns of circulating hormones, the reproductive system is vulnerable to shifts in circadian rhythms, either through sleep disturbances, altered melatonin production, exposure to light at night, or some other mechanism. Several occupational groups, including health care workers, law enforcement, firefighters, and manufacturing workers are required to work night shifts. Worldwide, millions work at least one night per month. Results Research will be reviewed on shift work and reproductive outcomes, including menstrual cycle patterns, fertility, pregnancy loss, preterm delivery, and birth weight. The limitations of current research will also be discussed: is there a dose response effect from the number of years of shift work, or can the effects be reversed once shift work stops? Are there different effects from permanent night shift versus rotating shift involving nights? Conclusions Future research needs will be identified, including the need for validation of self-reported shift work data and the mechanisms by which shift work affects reproductive health. Recommendations for shift workers and employers will be explored.
Photoluminescence Brightening via Electrochemical Trap Passivation in ZnSe and Mn2+-Doped ZnSe Quantum Dots

Spectroelectrochemical experiments on wide-gap semiconductor nanocrystals (ZnSe and Mn2+-doped ZnSe) have allowed the influence of trap electrochemistry on nanocrystal photoluminescence to be examined in the absence of semiconductor band filling. Large photoluminescence electrobrightening is observed in both materials upon application of a reducing potential and is reversed upon return to the equilibrium potential. Electrobrightening is correlated with the transfer of electrons into nanocrystal films, implicating reductive passivation of midgap surface electron traps. Analysis indicates that the electrobrightening magnitude is determined by competition between electron trapping and photoluminescence (ZnSe) or energy transfer (Mn2+-doped ZnSe) dynamics within the excitonic excited state, and that electron trapping is extremely fast (ktrap ≈ 1011 s–1). These results shed new light on the complex surface chemistries of semiconductor nanocrystals.
Abstract 4462: The effects of NT-1044, a novel AMPK activator, on endometrial cancer cell proliferation and apoptosis

Objectives: Obesity and diabetes are associated with increased risk and worse outcomes in endometrial cancer (EC). Anti-diabetic biguanide drugs such as metformin may have anti-tumorigenic effects by behaving as AMPK activators and mTOR inhibitors. Metformin requires organic cation transporters (OCTs) for entry into cells, and NT-1044 (NovaTarg Therapeutics) is an AMPK activator designed to have greater affinity for two of these transporters, OCT1 and 3. We sought to compare the effects of NT-1044 on cell proliferation and apoptosis in human EC cell lines. Methods: Cell proliferation was assessed in two EC cell lines, ECC-1 and Ishikawa, by MTT assay after exposure to NT-1044. Apoptosis was analyzed by Annexin V-FITC assay. Cell cycle progression was evaluated by flow cytometry. Phosphorylated (phos)-S6, phos-AMPK, Cyclin D-1 and CDK-6 were evaluated by Western immunoblotting. Results: NT-1044 significantly inhibited proliferation in a dose-dependent manner in both EC cell lines after 72 hours of exposure (IC50 218 uM for ECC-1; 87 uM for Ishikawa). Treatment with NT-1044 resulted in G1 cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in both cell lines. NT-1044 increased phosphorylation of AMPK and decreased phosphorylation of S6, a key downstream target of the mTOR pathway. Expression of Cyclin-D1 and CDK-6 also decreased in a dose dependent-fashion in both cell lines. Conclusions: NT-1044 suppressed EC cell growth through G1 cell cycle arrest, inducing apoptosis, and inhibition of the mTOR pathway. More work is needed to determine if this novel biguanide will be beneficial in the treatment of women with EC, a disease strongly impacted by obesity and diabetes. Citation Format: Dario R. Roque, Weiya W. Wysham, Chunxiao Zhou, Ken Batchelor, Wendy R. Brewster, Victoria L. Bae-Jump. The effects of NT-1044, a novel AMPK activator, on endometrial cancer cell proliferation and apoptosis. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 106th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2015 Apr 18-22; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(15 Suppl):Abstract nr 4462. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2015-4462