cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Purification of liver aldehyde dehydrogenase by p-hydroxyacetophenone-sepharose affinity matrix and the coelution of chloramphenicol acetyl transferase from the same matrix with recombinantly expressed aldehyde dehydrogenase.

Abstract p -Hydroxyacetophenone was coupled to epoxy-activated Sepharose 6B to generate an affinity chromatographic matrix to purify aldehyde dehydrogenase. Purified beef liver mitochondrial aldehyde dehydrogenase specifically bound to the support and could be eluted with p -hydroxyacetophenone. A post-ammonium sulfate (30–55%) fraction of bovine liver was applied to the affinity gel column and aldehyde dehydrogenase was effectively purified, although not to complete homogeneity, indicating the potential selectivity of the matrix. Both beef liver cytosolic and mitochondrial aldehyde dehydrogenase bound to the column. A post-Cibacron blue Sepharose Cl-6B affinity-fractionated liver mitochondrial aldehyde dehydrogenase was purified to complete homogeneity by p -hydroxyacetophenone-Sepharose, thus eliminating the need for the isoelectric focusing step often employed. p -Hydroxyacetophenone was found to be a competitive inhibitor against propionaldehyde and noncompetitive against NAD. Escherichia coli lysates of recombinantly expressed aldehyde dehydrogenase were purified from E. coli lysates with one major 25-kDa protein contaminant also binding to the column, as detected by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis analysis. The 25-kDa contaminant was found to be chloramphenicol acetyl transferase from sequence analysis and binding studies.
Financial and vocational outcomes 2 years after traumatic brain injury.

Purpose. To determine outcomes for persons with traumatic brain injury (TBI) in terms of employment status, income and public assistance received at 2 years after injury.Method. This study was part of a non-experimental, longitudinal survey. Participants included 49 persons with new TBI from one US national Traumatic Brain Injury Model Systems centre. Main outcome measures included employment status, earned monthly income and monthly income from public sources, at the time of injury and at 2-years follow-up.Results. At 2-year follow-up, individuals with TBI reported higher levels of employment and earned income than was previously reported for 1-year post-injury, but continued to experience declines relative to pre-injury baseline. Frequency and amount of major public agency payments continued to be increased relative to baseline.Conclusions. The costs associated with brain injury remain high for individuals, families and society, as those with TBI move into the more chronic phase of recovery.
Solitonic vortices and the fundamental modes of the “snake instability”: Possibility of observation in the gaseous Bose-Einstein condensate

The connection between quantized vortices and dark solitons in a waveguidelike trap geometry is explored in the framework of the nonlinear Schr\"odinger equation. Variation of the transverse confinement leads from the quasi-one-dimensional (1D) regime, where solitons are stable, to 2D (or 3D) confinement, where soliton stripes are subject to a transverse modulational instability known as the ``snake instability.'' We present numerical evidence of a regime of intermediate confinement where solitons decay into single, deformed vortices with solitonic properties rather than vortex pairs as associated with the ``snake'' metaphor. Further relaxing the transverse confinement leads to the production of two and then three vortices, which correlates perfectly with a Bogoliubov stability analysis. The decay of a stationary dark soliton (or, planar node) into a single solitonic vortex is predicted to be experimentally observable in a 3D harmonically confined dilute-gas Bose-Einstein condensate.
Thermal management of ultrathin SOI devices: effects of phonon confinement

We have considered effects of spatial confinement of acoustic phonons on silicon thermal conductivity and thermal management of ultra-thin silicon-on-insulator (SOI) structures. It has been shown that modification of the phonon modes in thin silicon layers (10 nm - 100 nm) sandwiched between two layers of silicon dioxide leads to a significant increase of the phonon relaxation rates and corresponding drop of lateral lattice thermal conductivity. The latter may bring about additional degradation in the electrostatic discharge (ESD) failure voltage for ultra-thin SOI devices. Obtained results help to realize the importance of proper thermal management of ultra-thin SOI based devices. Our theoretical and numerical results are consistent with recent experimental measurements of lateral thermal conductivity.
3D Printing, Smart Cities, Robots, and More

This installment of Notes from the Community covers a wide range of topics, including new gadgets that help you track down lost items, 3D printing, the downside of smart cities, and soldiers growing attached to their robots.
Cytotoxic Isoantibodies and Immunologic Enhancement in Mice.

Summary1. Cytotoxic isoantibodies and hemagglutinins are stimulated in response to H-2 isoantigenic differences between graft and host in mice. 2. This study offers data correlating cytotoxic isoantibody and immunological enhancement. 3. The mechanism of immunological enhancement has been shown to be associated with peripheral as well as central inhibition of transplantation immunity and allograft rejection. 4. Antisera produced by immunization of TS mice with antibody-coated C3Hf/He tumor cells (incubated with immune serum) had a hemagglutination titer of 1:128. They were more potent in cytotoxic and especially cytolytic effects against tumor cells in vitro than were anti-sera, of 1:256 hemagglutination titer, to untreated tumor cells. The cytotoxic activity (comparison of antiserum to antibody-coated tumor cells to antiserum to uncoated tumor cells) was most remarkable in the 1:100 tube dilution. 5. The increased cytotoxic activity induced by antibody-coated tumor cells was postulated to be a result of ...
Irregular computations in Fortran - expression and implementation strategies

Modern dialects of Fortran enjoy wide use and good support on high-performance computers as performance-oriented programming languages. By providing the ability to express nested data parallelism, modern Fortran dialects enable irregular computations to be incorporated into existing applications with minimal rewriting and without sacrificing performance within the regular portions of the application. Since performance of nested data-parallel computation is unpredictable and often poor using current compilers, we investigate threading and flattening, two source-to-source transformation techniques that can improve performance and performance stability. For experimental validation of these techniques, we explore nested data-parallel implementations of the sparse matrix-vector product and the Barnes-Hut $n$-body algorithm by hand-coding thread-based (using OpenMP directives) and flattening-based versions of these algorithms and evaluating their performance on an SGI Origin 2000 and an NEC SX-4, two shared-memory machines.
Continued benefit to androgen deprivation therapy for prostate cancer patients treated with dose-escalated radiation therapy across multiple definitions of high-risk disease.

Purpose To analyze prognostic factors in patients with high-risk prostate cancer treated with dose-escalated external-beam radiation therapy (EBRT) and androgen deprivation (ADT). Methods and Materials Between 1998 and 2008 at the University of Michigan Medical Center, 718 men were consecutively treated with EBRT to at least 75 Gy. Seven definitions of high-risk prostate cancer, applying to 11–33% of patients, were evaluated. Biochemical failure (BF), salvage ADT use, metastatic progression, and prostate cancer–specific mortality (PCSM) were estimated by the Kaplan-Meier method and Cox proportional hazards regression. Results Each high-risk definition was associated with increased BF (hazard ratio [HR] 2.8–3.9, p p p p p p p Conclusion Adjuvant ADT results in a significant improvement in clinical progression and PCSM across multiple definitions of high-risk disease even with dose-escalated EBRT. There is a subset of patients, characterized by multiple high-risk features or the presence of Gleason Pattern 5, who remain at significant risk for metastasis and PCSM despite current treatment.
Adolescent Immunizations: Missed Opportunities for Prevention

OBJECTIVES. The goals were (1) to describe immunization rates for tetanus-diphtheria, hepatitis B, and measles-mumps-rubella vaccines among 13-year-old adolescents; (2) to identify missed opportunities for tetanus-diphtheria immunization among adolescents 11 to 17 years of age; and (3) to evaluate the association between preventive care use and tetanus-diphtheria immunization. METHODS. Adolescents born between January 1, 1986, and December 31, 1991, and enrolled in Harvard Pilgrim Health Care and Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates for ≥1 year in 1997–2004 were included. Immunization rates for tetanus-diphtheria, hepatitis B, and measles-mumps-rubella were assessed at 13 years of age. Missed opportunities for tetanus-diphtheria immunization within 14 days after a health care visit were measured. Multivariate models were used to determine predictors of timeliness of tetanus-diphtheria vaccination, particularly the use of preventive care services. RESULTS. A total of 23987 eligible adolescents were enrolled in Harvard Pilgrim Health Care and Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates between 1997 and 2004. Among 13-year-old adolescents in the most recent birth cohort, 84%, 74%, and 67% were up to date for tetanus-diphtheria, hepatitis B, and measles-mumps-rubella, respectively. When the analysis was limited to those with ≥1 vaccine received before 2 years of age (a proxy measure for complete records), 92%, 82%, and 85% were up to date for tetanus-diphtheria, hepatitis B, and measles-mumps-rubella, respectively. Missed opportunities for tetanus-diphtheria immunization occurred at 84% of all health care visits. Adolescents who did not seek preventive care were less likely to receive tetanus-diphtheria in a timely manner. CONCLUSIONS. Adolescent immunization rates lag far behind childhood rates, and missed opportunities are common. Additional strategies are needed to increase the use of preventive services among adolescents and to enable providers to vaccinate adolescents at every opportunity.
Bacterial Diseases of Fish Associated with Human Health

As this country continues to increase its food fish output without increasing the water acreage, and environmental wastes continue to plague fish production, we can expect to encounter more zoonotic organisms, especially enteric-like organisms. Since 1972, the number of enteric genera has doubled and the species have tripled. The veterinarian engaged in aquatic animal medicine should be aware that aquatic pets or food fish can be associated with human disease and respond accordingly. In such cases, the veterinarian plays a major role in maintaining human health.
Learning-theoretic perspectives of acceptable numberings

A class of recursive functionsC islimiting standardizable, in a programming system φ, iff there is an effective procedure which, given any φ-program (in the φ-system), synthesizes in the limit acanonical φ-program which is equivalent to the former. It can arguably be expected that notions similar to the above one would be relevant toGold-style function learning, which features, among other things, the effective limiting synthesis of programs for input recursive functions. Many learning classes have been characterized in terms of variants of the above notion. In this paper, we focus on the limiting standardizability of the entire class of recursive functions inEffective programming systems. To start with, we prove the independence of this notionvis-a-vis finitary recursion theorems. Secondly, we show that this motion does not entail acceptability, in the spirit of the results of Case, Riccardi and Royer on characterizations of the samevis-a-vis programming language control structures.
Student Perceptions of Search Tool Usability

This study examines three search tools using six usability scales. Ease of use and usefulness had the strongest correlation of all variable pairs, suggesting the relationship is critical to search usability. Ease of use and usefulness were also related to degree of control, involvement, and interface aesthetic qualities. Mean differences between tools showed some were more usable on certain dimensions than others. Users found the search engine required less effort than the database or library catalog. However, participants rated the database the most useful, suggesting context and content availability are factors in usability perceptions as well.
Personal observations on the cultural evolution in academic surgery.

Abstract Background: The changing environment in academic medical centers has had a major effect on the recruitment and the demographic characteristics of leadership positions in academic surgery. Categorization of “cultures” from the business model has been extrapolated into the academic surgical model. Methods: The types of cultures in organizations according to Cameron and Quinnn at a school of management can be classified into four: clan culture, adhocracy culture, hierarchy, and market-driven culture. In addition, academic surgical chairmen were surveyed in 1981 and also 20 years later, 2001, by the author. This was done in an effort to determine whether there is a difference in the type of person being attracted to such positions and if there is demographic difference in academic chairmen over the two decades. Results: The organizational profile of academic departments in 1980 is perceived to be more clan and adhocracy in type and less hierarchical and market driven. That has reversed itself dramatically two decades later with much of the energy of a department and structure based on hierarchy and the market. Also, in terms of the chairman, the mean age at the time of appointment in 1981 was 44 years and the mean age at time of appointment in 2001 was 49 years. In 1981 the years in grade was 9.4 years and in 201 it is 7.1 years. The new chairman is now older and will not serve as long as his/her predecessor. Conclusions: There clearly has been a cultural evolution in academic surgery over the past two decades. The chairman has different priorities than chairmen 20 years ago. The success of an academic department will depend upon the adaptation to this cultural evolution and the understanding of the chairman as to what the job really is.
Global numeric analysis of a moored ocean current turbine testing platform

In response to Florida's growing energy needs and drive to develop renewable power, Florida Atlantic University's Center for Ocean Energy Technology (COET) plans to deploy a mooring near the core of the Gulf Stream off southeast Florida's coast. This mooring system testing platform will be used to evaluate the performance of prototype ocean current turbines including COET's 20 kW turbine that is currently under development. No mooring systems for deepwater hydrokinetic turbines have been constructed, tested and installed; therefore little is known about the performance of these moorings. To investigate this, a numeric model is used to predict the static and dynamic behavior of the mooring system and attachments, quantifying sensitivity of the system's response to parametric variations. This numeric model of COET's proposed mooring system has been created in OrcaFlex to model static and dynamic effects of the system. It includes numerical models of its two surface buoys, a rotating ocean current turbine, and the lines associated with the system. Wind, wave, and current profiles represent the environmental conditions the system is expected to experience.
Shiftwork impacts and adaptation among health care workers

Background Shiftwork among health care workers impacts upon the safety and health of both employees and patients. Aims To characterize shiftwork-related attitudes, behaviours, symptoms and coping strategies among health care workers, two validated questionnaires (the Standard Shiftwork Index and the Pressure Management Indicator) were used to identify factors predicting shiftwork adaptation. Methods Participants (n = 376, response rate 25%) were grouped according to their work schedule (days, permanent evenings, rotating days plus evenings, permanent nights or relief and combined shifts). Indicators of lifestyle, work organization, sleep disruption, health and pressure management among workers on irregular shifts were compared with participants on day shifts, after adjustment for gender, age and marital status. Principal components analysis and ordinal logistic regression were used among irregular shiftworkers to identify factors predicting schedule adaptation. Results Night and relief/combined shiftworkers reported a greater ability to accommodate irregular schedules and disrupted sleep, but were also more likely to report work-related impacts than day workers. Permanent night workers generally reported poorer health, more absenteeism and less job satisfaction than day workers. Factors associated with optimal work performance or schedule contentment among shiftworkers included adequate sleep, evening circadian preference, increased age and organizational satisfaction. Reduced work performance or schedule discontent was associated with sleep/wake difficulties and poor health. Conclusions This study confirmed previous research and identified factors that can be targeted for the development of more effective shiftwork adaptation programmes in a health care setting (sleep timing and duration, exercise and optimal health and organizational satisfaction).
Nutrition and its relationship to aging

Abstract The aging process alone has no significant adverse consequences for the caloric intake and the nutritional status of healthy elderly individuals. Epidemiological data suggest that in humans, in contrast to rodents, undernutrition reduces the life span. In the Western World, malnutrition in old age has become uncommon and is, for the most part, the result of physical illness and/or of psychological and socioeconomic factors, such as depressive disorders, social isolation, smoking, alcohol abuse, and poverty. Body weight shows a U- or J-shaped relationship to mortality risk with the highest survival rates found at normal to moderate overweight. However, studies that have controlled for disease already present, smoking status, serum cholesterol level, or hypertension, suggest an increased mortality risk for lower and upper extremes of body weight, only. Populations with healthy lifestyles have significantly greater life expectancy than the average normal population. Even in the very old, exercise has been shown to improve muscle strength and function. The studies suggest that nutritional intake and nutritional status in old age is multifactorial and dependent not only on appetite and availability of diverse food, but also on physical activity, body mass, education, and an involved social lifestyle.
Faculty and Student Attitudes toward Credit Courses for Library Skills

Faculty, student, and library staff attitudes toward credit courses, as well as various other instructional methods, for teaching library and research skills were assessed. A surprising number of faculty and students did not know about the courses offered. Although other methods, such as Web tutorials and written guides, are preferred, credit courses may still be considered a viable option. To be successful, the courses must be well marketed to both faculty and students, and their importance and content must be clearly understood by faculty advisors.
The Diagnosis of Diabetes Is Changing: How Implementation of Hemoglobin A1c Will Impact Clinical Laboratories

The earliest known description of diabetes mellitus is in the Papyrus of Ebers by Hesy-Ra in 1552 BC. Since then, we have learned that diabetes consists of a group of metabolic disorders, all of which produce hyperglycemia. The relatively specific complications of diabetes (affecting the eyes, kidneys, and nervous system) and the high prevalence (estimated at approximately 40 × 106 in the US and approximately 250 × 106 worldwide) combine to make it a substantial public health problem. Our comprehension of the pathophysiology of the disease is limited, however, and no biological marker is known to be unique to diabetes. Diagnosis has been based exclusively on the demonstration of increased glucose concentrations, initially in urine and subsequently in the blood. Therefore, the recent publication of the International Expert Committee report on the diagnosis of diabetes (1), which recommends the use of hemoglobin A1c (Hb A1c)1 rather than glucose for the diagnosis of diabetes, represents a dramatic change that deserves reflection. Hyperglycemia has been the sole diagnostic criterion for diabetes since the development of blood glucose assays 100 years ago. Measurement of the response to a metabolic challenge in the form of the oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) was initially used. The cutoff was 2 SDs above the mean glucose concentration in healthy individuals. This strategy was limited by a lack of standardization in both the performance and the interpretation of the test and its poor reproducibility. In 1979, the National Diabetes Data Group proposed criteria that were derived from the distribution of glucose concentrations in populations with a high prevalence of diabetes (2). The diagnostic criteria were ( a ) classic symptoms of diabetes with an unequivocal increase in plasma glucose, ( b ) a venous fasting plasma glucose (FPG) concentration ≥7.8 mmol/L (140 mg/dL), or ( c ) a …
Nanoscale Thermal and Mechanical Interactions Studies using Heatable Probes

The use of heatable probes in scanning probe microscopy allows the effect of temperature to be studied in combination with the mechanical interaction of the probe tip with a sample surface. Using nanometer-scale sharp tips, the thermal and thermomechanical properties of solids can be determined locally down to nanometer scale. In this chapter we present a review of heatable probe types, and discuss some of the most prominent applications of these devices. Scanning thermal imaging is described first, followed by a detailed analysis of local heat flow through heated tips in contact with a surface. Nanoindentation of polymers with heated tips is used to uncover fundamentals of thermomechanical interaction with polymers on a small scale. This is described in terms of yielding and deformation kinetics. Finally, patterning applications are discussed, such as thermomechanical probe-storage using nanoindentation, nanotribology and nanolithography utilizing heated-tip-assisted deposition and removal of material. Keywords: nanoscale heat transfer; nanoscale thermal transport; scanning thermal microscopy; nanoindentation; scanning probe data storage; scanning probe lithography
Evaluation in Oral French

Author's Summary— The construction, administration and uses of an oral test in French pronunciation capable of objective and quantitative scoring. With it is used a check-list on which are recorded the number and the nature of the errors made in the examination. This is the record given to the student.)
A Prospective, Blinded Study of Quantitative Touch-Down Polymerase Chain Reaction Using Oral-Wash Samples for Diagnosis of Pneumocystis Pneumonia in HIV-Infected Patients

Oral-wash samples obtained during 113 episodes of suspected Pneumocystis pneumonia (PCP) in human immunodeficiency virus-infected patients were tested by use of a quantitative touch-down PCR (QTD PCR) assay. QTD PCR had a sensitivity of 88% and a specificity of 85%. Treatment for PCP prior to oral wash collection had an impact on the sensitivity, and PCR-positive oral-wash samples obtained within < or =1 day of treatment from patients without PCP had significantly fewer copies per tube than did those from patients with PCP; thus, application of a post hoc cut-off value of 50 copies/tube increased the specificity to 100%. QTD PCR of oral-wash samples can be an accurate and noninvasive method for diagnosis of PCP.
Author's response to Poole, C. Commentary: How Many Are Affected? A Real Limit of Epidemiology

We read with interest Charlie Poole’ sc ommentary [1] on our paper, “Redundant causation from a sufficient cause perspective,”[2] in which he questions the utility of the sufficient component cause (SCC) model for examining differences between etiologic and excess effects. Poole contends that the concept we term “redundant causation” is uncomplicated and (we presume), well understood. He questions whether “it needs to be explained in terms any deeper than those of potential outcomes” [1]. His critique of our paper focuses on our hypothetical and simplistic example of sufficient causes (SCs) of liver cancer. To be of value, Poole believes our example must be realistic and must bring “aspects of the potential outcome and sufficient cause models, and their interface, into sharp relief” [1]. His concerns raise larger issues about the roles of simplifications and the SCC model in methods research in general. We address each of these below. Simplifications
Cross-band flexible UWB multiple access for high-rate multi-piconet WPANs

Emerging technologies including wireless multimedia and personal area networks (WPANs) call for high-rate systems capable of supporting multiple users (piconets) with variable rates. These requirements motivate multi-band ultra-wideband (UWB) radios with low-cost, short time-to-market transceivers. Relative to baseband UWB radios, multi-band systems offer certain advantages, but special multiple access (MA) schemes are needed. To this end, we introduce a cross-band flexible UWB MA scheme for multi-piconet WPANs. The resultant so termed FLEX-UWB design offers resilience against multi-user interference (MUI), can accommodate various spreading alternatives, enables full multipath diversity, and can affect scalable spectral efficiency (from low, to medium and high data rates).
Seasonal Changes in Food Consumption and Energy Content of Smelt (Osmerus mordax) in Lake Michigan

Abstract Seasonal changes in weight of stomach contents and energy content of smelt (Osmerus mordax) in Lake Michigan were examined. Dry weight of stomach contents averaged over a 24-h period reached a maximum of 0.8% dry body weight during June and decreased to 0.2% during February. Smelt collected during their spawning run were not feeding. Bodies of smelt were divided into carcass, gut, and gonad compartments. Calorific equivalent of the carcass was highest during August when it equalled 5.69 kcal/g dry weight. Calorific equivalent of the gut compartment was highest during October when it equalled approximately 8.7 kcal/g dry weight for both sexes. Smelt utilized energy stores for overwintering and gonad maturation. Calorific equivalents and dry weights of the gut compartment decreased during the October-February interval whereas gonads increased in energy content. Calorific equivalents for whole smelt ranged from 5.51 kcal/g dry weight during May to 6.11 in October, averaging 5.79 kcal/g dry weight th...
Reflections on the Role of Science and Technology in Development

The International Symposium on Science and Technology for Development, held in Singapore from 22–26 January 1979: (1) Demonstrated that cooperative action could be taken by international nongovernmental organizations which are concerned about the role of science and technology in the UN Conference on Science and Technology for Development (UNCSTD); (2) Caused a coalescing of these concerns in a commitment to bring the resources of science and technology to bear on Third-World problems; (3) Resulted in a strengthened commitment to revitalize the patterns of cooperation of nongovernmental scientific and technical (ST and (4) Led to an advised framework of action involving four groups, proposing: a) a network of institutions in developing countries to identify problems from the perspective of the developing countries themselves; b) a ‘switching mechanism’ in the nongovernmental sector to link the less developed countries (LDCs) with the resources of scientific and technological talent in industrialized nations; c) a multiplication of the collaboration of donor institutions; and d) a revitalization of the UN system for due application of S&T to development, accompanied by a more active working partnership with international nongovernmental organizations.
Estimating neonatal oxygen consumption from heart rate.

The relationship between heart rate (HR) and oxygen consumption (Vo2) has been investigated in a sample of 20 low-risk, term neonates aged 14–48 hrs. Repeated, simultaneous measurements of HR and Vo2 were performed on each neonate during each of three epochs ordered by increasing level of activity. A robust linear relationship was found between HR and Vo2, with an average correlation of.90. Substantial variation was observed across individuals in the slope of the HR-Vo2 regression line. This variation was curvilinearly related to ponderal index (PI), with low PI neonates having the shallowest and steepest slopes. These findings suggest that HR may provide a flexible, non-restrictive means of estimating neonatal Vo2 but that the impact of prenatal growth history and postnatal growth performance on the estimation of Vo2 from HR merits further investigation.
Dynamics and control design project offers taste of real world

A design project in dynamics and control performed by a group of seven senior students during one semester is described. The objective was to construct a wedge-shaped object and balance it in the inverted position. The degree of complexity of the dynamics of this wedge system is comparable to the well-known inverted pendulum and ball-on-a-rail experiments. The main advantage of the wedge experiment is that the design of the plant's dynamic structure is a part of the project. >
The SNARE Motif Contributes to rbet1 Intracellular Targeting and Dynamics Independently of SNARE Interactions

The endoplasmic reticulum/Golgi SNARE rbet1 cycles between the endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi and is essential for cargo transport in the secretory pathway. Although the quaternary SNARE complex containing rbet1 is known to function in membrane fusion, the structural role of rbet1 is unclear. Furthermore, the structural determinants for rbet1 targeting and its cyclical itinerary have not been investigated. We utilized protein interaction assays to demonstrate that the rbet1 SNARE motif plays a structural role similar to the carboxyl-terminal helix of SNAP-25 in the synaptic SNARE complex and demonstrated the importance to SNARE complex assembly of a conserved salt bridge between rbet1 and sec22b. We also examined the potential role of the rbet1 SNARE motif and SNARE interactions in rbet1 localization and dynamics. We found that, in contrast to what has been observed for syntaxin 5, the rbet1 SNARE motif was essential for proper targeting. To test whether SNARE interactions were important for the targeting function of the SNARE motif, we used charge repulsion mutations at the conserved salt bridge position that rendered rbet1 defective for binary, ternary, and quaternary SNARE interactions. We found that heteromeric SNARE interactions are not required at any step in rbet1 targeting or dynamics. Furthermore, the heteromeric state of the SNARE motif does not influence its interaction with the COPI coat or efficient recruitment onto transport vesicles. We conclude that protein targeting is a completely independent function of the rbet1 SNARE motif, which is capable of distinct classes of protein interactions.
Negotiating Risk: Knowledge and Use of HIV Prevention by Persons With Serious Mental Illness Living in Supportive Housing

As a population, persons with serious mental illness (SMI) have an elevated risk for HIV infection. However, relatively little is known about how the risk of HIV has affected their lives, how persons with SMI evaluate their HIV risk, and what preventive measures they undertake. Furthermore, relatively little is known about community-based HIV prevention for persons with SMI as most interventions have been restricted to clinical settings. This report presents findings on the HIV-related experiences of persons with SMI living in supportive housing programs, one possible setting for implementing community-based HIV prevention with this population. The qualitative investigation interviewed 41 men and women living in five supportive housing programs. In-depth, qualitative interviews elicited discussion of research participants' (a) experiences with HIV, (b) knowledge about HIV and HIV prevention, (c) assessments of their own risk, (d) descriptions of how they apply their prevention knowledge, and (e) reports of barriers for HIV prevention. Research participants describe social networks that have substantial contact with persons affected by HIV. However, contrary to some expectations of persons with SMI, research participants report using HIV prevention knowledge in negotiating their risk of contracting HIV. The implications of these findings are discussed in terms of their relevance for implementing community-based HIV prevention for persons with SMI.
Corticotropin releasing factor receptor antagonists: potential future therapy in gastroenterology?

New corticotropin releasing factor (CRF) antagonists in irritable bowel disease (IBS) warrant testing, and CRF1 receptors may be a promising target for the treatment of IBS Recent years have witnessed important developments in the understanding of the biochemical coding of stress.1 In addition to the 41 amino acid peptide, corticotropin releasing factor (CRF), novel mammalian CRF related peptides, urocortin 1, urocortin 2, and urocortin 3 have recently been discovered.2 These CRF ligands display distinct affinity to the two cloned G protein coupled CRF 1 (CRF1) and 2 (CRF2) receptors.1–3 CRF has higher affinity for CRF1 than for CRF2 receptor, urocortin 1 displays equal affinity for both subtypes, and urocortin 2 and 3 have selective affinity for CRF2 receptor.2,3 In addition to the mapping of CRF ligands and receptors in the brain2,4 and gut,5–7 the development of potent selective CRF1 and CRF2 antagonists8,9 and generation of transgenic mouse models1 provided tremendous insight in the investigation of the underlying mechanisms of stress. Convergent studies established the role of the brain CRF-CRF1 pathways in mediating the endocrine, autonomic, behavioural, and visceral responses to stress1,3,10,11 while CRF2 receptors may be important in dampening stress sensitivity.1 Extensive preclinical research effort has solidified the concept that overactivity in the brain CRF-CRF1 signalling system contributes to the onset of anxiety disorders and depression.12 These observations have spurred the development of a number of non-peptide CRF1 receptor antagonists which can readily cross the blood-brain barrier on peripheral administration.8,9 These compounds prevent various stress related anxiogenic behaviours in rodents.1,13 Clinical studies in patients with major depression and post-traumatic disorders showed that CRF levels are …
The Effect of Loading Rate on the Breaking Force, Deformation, and Stiffness Modulus of Eggs

Abstract Research was conducted to determine the effect of load-application rate on force required to break eggs, the deformation of the egg versus applied force, and the stiffness modulus (breaking force divided by deformation at breaking). Results indicated that loading rate significantly affects breaking force and deformation of the egg at breaking. The stiffness modulus and deformation at 5 lb. of applied force did not change significantly with changes in loading rate. Correlations between these parameters, and with specific gravity of the egg and egg shell thickness, did not appear to be affected by loading rate.
Plasma mediated ablation of biological tissues with nanosecond-to-femtosecond laser pulses: relative role of linear and nonlinear absorption

Plasma mediated ablation of collagen gels and porcine cornea was studied at various laser pulse durations in the range of 1 ns-300 fs at 1053-nm wavelength. It was found that pulsed laser ablation of transparent and weakly absorbing gels is always mediated by plasma. On the other hand, ablation of strongly absorbing tissues is mediated by plasma in the ultrashort-pulse range only. Ablation threshold along with plasma optical breakdown threshold decreases with increasing tissue absorbance for subnanosecond pulses. In contrast, the ablation threshold was found to be practically independent of tissue linear absorption for femtosecond laser pulses. The mechanism of optical breakdown at the tissue surface was theoretically investigated. In the nanosecond range of laser pulse duration, optical breakdown proceeds via avalanche ionization initiated by heating of electrons contributed by strongly absorbing impurities at the tissue surface. In the ultrashortpulse range, optical breakdown is initiated by multiphoton ionization of the irradiated medium (six photons in case of tissue irradiated at 1053-nm wavelength), and is less sensitive to linear absorption. High-quality ablation craters with no thermal or mechanical damage to surrounding material were obtained with subpicosecond laser pulses. Experimental results suggest that subpicosecond plasma mediated ablation can be employed as a tool for precise laser microsurgery of various tissues.
Age and growth of the round stingray Urobatis halleri at Seal Beach, California

The age and growth of the round stingray Urobatis halleri was determined using vertebral sections from animals collected at Seal Beach, California from 2002 to 2005. Annual periodicity was validated from U. halleri injected with oxytetracycline and maintained in captivity over a 2 year period (n ¼ 7). The coefficients estimated by the von Bertalanffy growth model were the disc width asymptote (WDN) (286 mm for males and 224 mm for females) and K (0� 09 year � 1 for males and 0� 15 year � 1 for females). The age structure of the population consisted of mostly older, mature males and females. Age at maturity was estimated at 3� 80 years for females and 3� 75 years for males, and the maximum assessed age was 14 years old. Males were more numerous than females throughout the year; however, from May to September, females outnumbered males. The U. halleri age and growth coefficients were comparable to other species in the family Urolophidae. Based on the seasonality and age structure of this population, Seal Beach offers warm-water refuge for U. halleri of reproductive maturity, and the U. halleri at Seal Beach may garner some behavioural thermoregulation benefit.
Tailoring Nanoparticle Surface Chemistry to Enhance Laser Desorption Ionization of Peptides and Proteins

Gold nanoparticles capped with 4-aminothiophenol have been employed for laser desorption ionization mass spectrometry of biomolecules. We demonstrate that the capped nanoparticles increase ion yields, decrease ion fragmentation, and increase the useful analyte mass range when compared to other nanoparticle systems. These results will allow for further development of nanoparticles with both targeting and enhanced ionization abilities to aid in biomarker screening.
Postchemonucleolysis discectomy versus repeat discectomy: a prospective 1- to 13-year comparison

✓ This long-term prospective study evaluates the clinical results of subsequent laminectomy in 103 consecutive patients who initially underwent chemonucleolysis (CNL) or laminectomy for lumbar disc herniation. Between 1981 and 1994, 53 patients who had received CNL initially and then underwent laminectomy and 50 patients treated initially with laminectomy underwent a repeat laminectomy. Clinical assessment at 6 weeks showed a success rate of 80.8% for post-CNL laminectomy and 78% for repeat laminectomy. At 6 months, the success rate for patients treated with CNL was 86% versus 78.7% for laminectomy. At 12 months, the overall success rate for the CNL group was 80.4% versus 83.3% for the laminectomy group, but in patients who had not obtained relief from the first procedure the success rate for the second procedure was higher for the post-CNL patients. A questionnaire was sent to all patients for 1- to 13-year follow-up review. The average follow-up period was 6.6 years for post-CNL laminectomy and 5.2 year...
Higgs-Higgs bound state due to new physics at a TeV

We examine the effects of new physics on the Higgs sector of the standard model, focusing on the effects on the Higgs self-couplings. We demonstrate that a low mass Higgs, ${m}_{h}l2{m}_{t}$, can have a strong effective self-coupling due to the effects of a new interaction at a TeV. We investigate the possibility that the first evidence of such an interaction could be a Higgs-Higgs bound state. To this end, we construct an effective field theory formalism to examine the physics of such a low mass Higgs boson. We explore the possibility of a nonrelativistic bound state of the Higgs field (Higgsium) at CERN's Large Hadron Collider and construct a nonrelativistic effective field theory of the Higgs sector that is appropriate for such studies (NRHET).
Functionality tools: Time management approaches for facilitating an on-line course in Moodle

Abstract Teaching Web-based courses requires efficient time management and organizational skills of nurse educators. Faculty new to the on-line teaching environment may find the time demands related to facilitation of learning, student evaluations, and course communications greater than anticipated. This article suggests time management approaches, in the context of Chickering and Gamson's (1987) Seven Principles for Good Practice, using tools available in a learning management system.
Implementing advanced AC drive controls using auto-coding methods

This paper investigates the usability of model-based auto-code generation methods for AC drive controls applications in research and teaching labs. As an emerging software technology, auto coding methods can automatically generate the control law code from Simulink™ blocks, which offers benefits for teaching labs, rapid prototyping for research, and hardware-in-the-loop for testing. However, the use of auto-coding methods also introduces additional implementation issues and limitations, compared to conventional hand-coded on micro-controller systems. This paper demonstrates experimental implementation and evaluation of several advanced AC drive controls on a three phase inverter driven surface permanent magnet synchronous machines (SPMSM) dynamometer using auto-coding methods. Implementing issues and challenges of auto-code generation are explored including the variability of execution time, execution sequence, and undocumented time delay in analog interfaces. Improvements of the auto-coding system were achieved through multiple iterative modifications.
On the two-potential constitutive modeling of rubber viscoelastic materials

Abstract This Note lays out the specialization of the two-potential constitutive framework — also known as the “generalized standard materials” framework — to rubber viscoelasticity. Inter alia , it is shown that a number of popular rubber viscoelasticity formulations, introduced over the years following different approaches, are special cases of this framework. As a first application of practical relevance, the framework is utilized to put forth a new objective and thermodynamically consistent rubber viscoelastic model for incompressible isotropic elastomers. The model accounts for the non-Gaussian elasticity of elastomers, as well as for the deformation-enhanced shear thinning of their viscous dissipation governed by reptation dynamics. The descriptive and predictive capabilities of the model are illustrated via comparisons with experimental data available from the literature for two commercially significant elastomers.
Establishing moderators and biosignatures of antidepressant response in clinical care (EMBARC): Rationale and design.

Remission rates for Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) are low and unpredictable for any given antidepressant. No biological or clinical marker has demonstrated sufficient ability to match individuals to efficacious treatment. Biosignatures developed from the systematic exploration of multiple biological markers, which optimize treatment selection for individuals (moderators) and provide early indication of ultimate treatment response (mediators) are needed. The rationale and design of a multi-site, placebo-controlled randomized clinical trial of sertraline examining moderators and mediators of treatment response is described. The target sample is 300 participants with early onset (≤30 years) recurrent MDD. Non-responders to an 8-week trial are switched double blind to either bupropion (for sertraline non-responders) or sertraline (for placebo non-responders) for an additional 8 weeks. Clinical moderators include anxious depression, early trauma, gender, melancholic and atypical depression, anger attacks, Axis II disorder, hypersomnia/fatigue, and chronicity of depression. Biological moderator and mediators include cerebral cortical thickness, task-based fMRI (reward and emotion conflict), resting connectivity, diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), arterial spin labeling (ASL), electroencephalograpy (EEG), cortical evoked potentials, and behavioral/cognitive tasks evaluated at baseline and week 1, except DTI, assessed only at baseline. The study is designed to standardize assessment of biomarkers across multiple sites as well as institute replicable quality control methods, and to use advanced data analytic methods to integrate these markers. A Differential Depression Treatment Response Index (DTRI) will be developed. The data, including biological samples (DNA, RNA, and plasma collected before and during treatment), will become available in a public scientific repository. Clinical trial registration Establishing Moderators and Biosignatures of Antidepressant Response for Clinical Care for Depression (EMBARC). Identifier: NCT01407094. URL: http://clinicaltrials.gov/show/NCT01407094.
Benchmarking Rapid TLES Simulations of Gas Diffusion in Proteins: Mapping O2 Migration and Escape in Myoglobin as a Case Study.

Standard molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of gas diffusion consume considerable computational time and resources even for small proteins. To combat this, temperature-controlled locally enhanced sampling (TLES) examines multiple diffusion trajectories per simulation by accommodating multiple noninteracting copies of a gas molecule that diffuse independently, while the protein and water molecules experience an average interaction from all copies. Furthermore, gas migration within a protein matrix can be accelerated without altering protein dynamics by increasing the effective temperature of the TLES copies. These features of TLES enable rapid simulations of gas diffusion within a protein matrix at significantly reduced (∼98%) computational cost. However, the results of TLES and standard MD simulations have not been systematically compared, which limits the adoption of the TLES approach. We address this drawback here by benchmarking TLES against standard MD in the simulation of O2 diffusion in myoglobin (...
Aspects of the Flux Correction Method for Solving the Navier-Stokes Equations on Unstructured Meshes

This work examines the feasibility of a novel high-order numerical method, termed Flux Correction. Flux Correction “corrects” the flux terms of a traditional finite volume scheme, canceling truncation terms and promoting the method to a higher order. To accomplish this, higher-order gradients of solution variables, as well as gradients of the fluxes are introduced in the method. Gradients are computed using Lagrange interpolations in a fashion reminiscent of Finite Element techniques. For the Euler equations, Flux Correction is compared with Flux Reconstruction, a recently introduced class of schemes of which Discontinuous Galerkin and Spectral Difference methods are subsets. Flux Correction is found to compare favorably in terms of accuracy, and exceeds expectations for convergence rates. For the full Navier-Stokes equations, the effect of curved elements on Flux Correction is examined.