cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The (α, p) reaction on 40, 42, 44, 48Ca and 48Ti at 31 MeV

Abstract The (α, p) reaction has been observed on 40, 42, 44, 48 Ca and 48 Ti with 150 keV resolution at an incident energy of 31 MeV. From the negligible excitation of d 3 2 hole states and from the angular distributions and relative cross sections for ground state transitions in the 1 f 7 2 shell, the reaction mechanism is shown to be stripping. A gap of approximately 2.5 to 3 MeV in the proton spectra was observed to occur for nuclei towards the end of the 1 f 7 2 shell ( 47 Sc and 51 V) and is given a qualitative explanation. This gap ends with the onset of p 3 2 strength. Strong J -dependence is observed and enables us to distinguish between p 3 2 and p 1 2 transitions. This J -dependence is calculable by the distorted wave Born approximation (DWBA). Three L = 5 transitions were observed. These high-spin states have not been previously identified. The systematic behaviour for transitions of each L and the good agreement with zero-range DWBA calculations based on a three-nucleon transfer mechanism enable one to make spin assignments. This was particularly valuable in the case of 51Sc which is difficult to reach by other reactions.
The Fatal Defect in the Federal Accounting System

For many years, the federal accounting system has focused on obligations. Beginning in 1949, several blue-ribbon committees recommended changing the focus to expenses. Focusing on expenses provides more useful information than focusing on obligations for both planning and control purposes. Unfortunately, the House Appropriations Committee continues to make appropriations on an obligation basis. The Federal Accounting Standards Advisory Board (FASAB) has developed a system that focuses on both expenses and obligations that was supposed to be operational in 1997 but in fact will not be operational until 2003 at the earliest. Even then, users will not pay much attention to the expense focus if funds continue to be appropriated on an obligation basis.
Philosophy, psychology and the moral crisis: Reflections on compassion “between tradition and another beginning”

Abstract The author presents, and his thinking passes through, the work of Werner Marx who seeks a non‐metaphysical ethical mooring via compassion, grounded in emotional dimensions of existential‐phenomenology. Through Marx's re‐centered compassion the author inquires if reason and faith cannot be resurrected in intrinsic and holistic form. Marx's ethics is introduced as one of the directions humanistic thinking is taking, suggesting this latter's considerable prospective role as a human vision in the ethical debate in transition between failed modern and ethically vulnerable postmodern paradigms.
Relationship of Australopithecus and Homo

The hominid status of Australopithecus was originally challenged following the initial discovery at Taung, and has again been recently questioned by C. E. Oxnard on the basis of mensurational studies of a few, usually fragmentary, and sometimes ill-preserved skeletal parts. However, numerous morphometric studies of the postcranial skeleton of this taxon demonstrate close overall resemblance to Hominidae, some resemblances to extant African Pongidae, but scant, if any, resemblance to Pongo . The overall structure of Australopithecus is unmistakably hominid when joints and functional complexes relevant to posture and to locomotion are examined. Although Australopithecus demonstrably coexisted with early Homo populations in sub-Saharan Africa, the australopithecine grade affords an appropriate ancestral morphotype for the emergence of the genus Homo .
Defining CPS Challenges in a Sustainable Electricity Grid

Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS) are characterized as complex distributed systems exhibiting substantial uncertainty due to interactions with the physical world. Today's electric grids are often described as CPS because a portfolio of distributed supplies must be dispatched in real-time to match uncontrolled, uncertain demand while adhering to constraints imposed by the intervening transmission and distribution network. With the increased control complexity required by deep penetration of fluctuating renewable supplies, the grid becomes more profoundly a CPS and needs to be addressed as a system. In this evolving CPS, a large fraction of supply is under-actuated, a substantial portion of demand needs to become dispatch able, interactions among distributed elements are no longer unidirectional, and operating requirements of elements are more dynamic. To more sharply define these CPS challenges, we obtain a yearlong, detailed measurement of the real-time blend of supplies on the primary California grid dispatched to meet current demand and then scale the solar and wind assets, preserving uncontrolled weather effects, to a level of penetration associated with California's 2050 GHG targets. In this representation of a future sustainable grid, we assess the impact of demand shaping, storage, and agility on the reconstituted supply portfolio, characterize resulting duration curves and ramping, and investigate the distributed control and management regime. We articulate new operational and market opportunities and challenges that may materialize from intermittent periods of abundance and scarcity in the overall energy network. We find that in a sustainable grid, lulls in renewable production during winter are more critical than peaks in demand during summer, capacity for load shifting and energy storage are more valuable as renewables penetration increases, and that grid balancing requires integrated management of supply and demand resources.
Real-Time Visualization of ZBP1 Association with β-Actin mRNA during Transcription and Localization

Abstract Background: mRNA localization in somatic cells is an important mechanism for gene expression regulation. In fibroblasts, the protein ZBP1 associates with the sequence that localizes β-actin mRNA to the leading edge of fibroblasts, augmenting motility. β-actin mRNA localizes in a cytoskeleton-dependent manner, depending on intact actin and myosin ATP-hydrolysis, and is largely bound to the actin cytoskeleton. The ZBP1 protein contains four KH RNA binding domains and a classic RBD RNA binding domain. It also contains a putative nuclear import and export sequence, suggesting a nuclear phase in this protein's function. Results: Using high-speed imaging, we show here the targeting of this RNA binding protein to β-actin pre-mRNA transcripts in the nuclei of living cells and measure the residence time of the RNA-protein complex before it leaves the transcription site. Then, the RNA-protein particle is exported to the cytoplasm, where it localizes at velocities of 0.6 μm/s by using actin filaments and/or microtubules. This RNA-ZBP1 complex is required for cytoplasmic localization in fibroblasts; mislocalizing the protein also mislocalizes the RNA, and expressing the protein in a ZBP1-deficient cell line induces β-actin mRNA localization. Conclusions: This work demonstrates that the RNA-protein association, essential for cytoplasmic localization, begins as soon as the RNA is transcribed. The ZBP1 then forms a ribonucleoprotein particle and moves in a myosin-dependent fashion by using the cytoskeleton for directional transport.
Four educational programs in Space Life Sciences.

Abstract Four different educational programs impacting Space Life Sciences are described: the NASA/USRA Advanced Design Program, the NASA Specialized Center of Research and Training (NSCORT) Program, the Centers for the Commercial Development of Space (CCDS) Program, and the NASA Graduate Research Fellow Program. Each program makes somewhat different demands on the students engaged in them. Each program, at the University of Colorado, involves Space Life Sciences training. While the Graduate Student Research Fellow and NSCORT Programs are discipline oriented, the Advanced Design and CCDS Programs are focused on design, technologies and applications. Clearly, the “training paradigms” differ for these educational endeavors. But, these paradigms can be made to mutually facilitate enthusiasm and motivation. Discipline-oriented academic programs, ideally, must be flexible enough to accommodate the emergent cross-disciplinary needs of Space Life Sciences students. Models for such flexibility and resultant student performance levels are discussed based upon actual academic and professional records.
Utility of Positive Bronchoalveolar Lavage in Predicting Respiratory Failure After Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation: A Retrospective Analysis

Pulmonary complications occur frequently after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) and account for considerable mortality when associated with respiratory failure. Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) is commonly used in the diagnostic evaluation of pulmonary infiltrates in HSCT patients. Although the yield of BAL is well established in this setting, the impact on outcome is controversial. In addition, respiratory failure in HSCT patients is associated with high mortality. To determine if positive BAL predicted less respiratory failure and better survival, a retrospective review (between 1992 and 1998) of all HSCT patients who had bronchoscopy with BAL as part of their diagnostic evaluation for new pulmonary infiltrates was performed. Twenty-one patients met the inclusion criteria. Eleven patients (52%) had a positive BAL, defined as the isolation of infectious microorganisms or pulmonary hemorrhage in the lavage specimen. Most of the positive findings were pathogenic organisms (bacterial, fungal, and viral). Respiratory failure (defined as need for both intubation and mechanical ventilation) occurred in 11 of 21 patients (52%)-8 of 11 (73%) who had positive BAL compared with 3 of 10 (30%) who had negative BAL (P = .09). The overall mortality rate was 11 of 21 patients (52%). All deaths except one occurred as a direct result of respiratory failure. Although this study confirmed the high mortality rate in HSCT patients with respiratory failure, the BAL results were not predictive of outcome.
Penicillin-induced epileptogenic foci. II. The anticonvulsant and neuropharmacological effects of SC-13504 in the cat.

Abstract The effects of SC-13504 were observed in acute cat preparations with penicillin-induced epileptogenic foci and in chronic, non-epileptic cats. The time course of the abnormal activity resulting from the focus showed a downward trend 2.5 hr after it began. Several indices used to quantitate that activity showed significant decreases shortly after the i.v. administration of SC-13504 in doses of 2, 4 and 8 mg kg . The 2 and 4 mg kg doses produced a significant reduction in both the number of cortical afterdischarges and the total amount of afterdischarge activity for more than 1 hr after administration. The highest dose totally abolished afterdischarge activity for more than 1.5 hr. In the chronic non-epileptic cat preparations, the 2 and 4 mg kg doses produced only a mild calming effect, while the 8 mg kg dose produced a convulsive-like reaction and other signs of neurotoxicity. While the therapeutic index of SC-13504 appears to be low in this animal model, preliminary evidence suggests that species may be an important factor and additional studies in species other than the cat appear warranted.
Gene Delivery to Skin Using Biolistics

INTRODUCTION Biolistics ("biological ballistics") or particle bombardment provides a rapid and simple physical procedure for delivering genes into cells (Klein et al. 1987; Yang et al. 1990). The technique has many advantages-plasmids may be used for delivery, DNA theoretically can be delivered to any cell type, and genes may be delivered to cells in vitro, ex vivo, or in vivo. DNA-coated gold particles are distributed evenly along the length of the tubing, which is subsequently cut into short sections of cartridges to be used in a gene gun. The Helios Gene Gun uses a pulse of helium to launch the DNA-coated particles, spreading them onto the target cells.
Phospholpid studies of marine organisms: 2.(1) Phospholipids, phospholipid-bound fatty acids and free sterols of the spongeAplysina fistularis (Pallas) formafulva (Pallas) (=Verongia thiona)(2). Isolation and structure elucidation of unprecedented branched fatty acids.

The free sterols and phospholipids of the demospongeAplysina fistularis were isolated and analyzed. The free sterols consisted mainly of the unusual 26-methylated sterols aplysterol (53%) and 24(28)-dehydroaplysterol (7%) together with 7 commonly occurring sterods. The major phospholipids were phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylinositol, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylserine and diphosphatidylglycerol. The major fatty acyl components of the phospholipids consisted of 85% C14−C20 acids, including the unprecedented 2,6,10-trimethyl-5-tetradecenoic acid and 11-methyloctadecanoic acid. The remaining 15% were C27−C30 demospongic acids, including 2 novel acids tentatively assigned the structures 5,9,23-octacosatrienoic acid and 5,9,23-nonacosatrienoic acid, and 3 novel acids proven to be 5,9,21-octacosatrienoic acid, Z,Z-20-methyl-5,9-hexacosadienoic acid and Z,Z-22-methyl-5,9-octacosadienoic acid. The biosyntheses of the novel demospongic acids are proposed to occur by chain elongation of monoenoic or branched precursors followed by desaturation. The large quantities of typically bacterial phospholipids and fatty acids found implied the presence of bacteria in the sponge, in agreement with microscopic studies. Analysis of the phospholipid-bound fatty acids in a sponge cell-enriched fraction indicated that the demospongic acids, including the 2 branched structures, were the major acids of the sponge cells. The presence inA. fistularis of demospongic acids containing membrane disordering groups—methyl branches or double bonds—on the ω7 carbon is proposed to be due to the need by the sponge for membranes possessing fluidity near the middle of the phospholipid bilayer. It is also proposed that the C26 methyl group of aplysterol causes disordering of the phospholipid bilayer in the same region, and thus also evolved in response to this need.
Substrate limiting melanogenic inhibitor in malignant melanomas.

THE presence of a heat stable, tyrosinase-inhibiting factor in various malignant melanomas has recently been reported1–4. The reported inhibitor (s) has been partially purified and its mode of action has been determined to be competitive. Although it was not determined whether competition was with enzyme or substrate, the presence of a tyrosine residue within this factor seemed to suggest competition with substrate. We report here the presence of a separate, heat labile inhibitory substance within malignant melanoma tissue which is competitive with tyrosinase, that is, it competes with tyrosinase for the substrates tyrosine and 3,4 dihydroxyphenylalanirie (dopa). The independence of this inhibitory activity from either added pyridoxal phosphate or α-methyldopa, from ATP, and furthermore, its absence in normal hamster liver5, provides evidence that it is not due to either tyrosine or dopa decarboxylase or transaminase, or in vitro protein synthesis.
The ideal bowel prep

Abstract The debate regarding optimal preparation of the patient for elective colon surgery spans numerous surgical generations. Mechanical bowel preparation prior to elective colorectal surgery has the observational benefit in reducing anastomotic leakage and infectious complications. Several newer studies have now questioned the need for any kind of mechanical bowel preparation and have certainly challenged these previous notions. Therefore, this article will evaluate the evidence and attempt to identify the ideal bowel prep and evaluate the role, if any, of reducing the incidence of anastomotic leak and surgical site infections.
Issues in the lives of dual-career couples

Abstract The present article presents a systematic review of the issues involved in dualcareer marriages. A definition of dual-career couples/families is provided. The literature is then reviewed with respect to employment issues, employment issues specific to dual-career couples, career interruptions, household chores, child care, and marital difficulties. Some suggestions are made f or conducting therapy with dual-career couples.
On the geometry of normal forms in discrete groups

We study normal forms in finitely generated groups from the geometric viewpoint of combings. We introduce notions of combability considerably weaker than those commonly in use. We prove that groups which satisfy these conditions are finitely presented and satisfy isoperimetric and isodiametric inequalities of a controlled nature
Enhancement of somatic embryogenesis in Norway spruce (Picea abies L.).

Embryogenic callus developed in 55% of the mature embryo explants of Norway spruce (Picea abies L.) growing on a LP medium minus the amino acids and sugars (except sucrose). This is the highest reported yield of embryogenic callus from mature embryos of P. abies that has ever been reported. Callus induction from either the middle or the end of the hypocotyl of the embryos began after 2–3 weeks. Three types of calli were recovered: (a) globular, (b) light green-compact, (c) white mucilaginous. Only the white mucilaginous calli were embryogenic. The globular and light green-compact calli never become embryogenic, even after several subcultures. The development of somatic embryos was accomplished on half-strength macro-elements of NSIII medium containing 1 μM α-naphthaleneacetic acid, 1 μM abscisic acid, and 3% sucrose. The addition of 10−7M buthionine sulfoximine to the medium increased the development of somatic embryos by three fold. These results suggest that there is a great potential for increasing the frequency and development of somatic embryos in P. abies. Careful selection of the genotype and modification of the culture medium is required.
Morphology, volcanism, and mass wasting in Crater Lake, Oregon

Crater Lake was surveyed nearly to its shoreline by high-resolution multibeam echo sounding in order to define its geologic history and provide an accurate base map for research and monitoring surveys. The bathymetry and acoustic backscatter reveal the character of landforms and lead to a chronology for the concurrent filling of the lake and volcanism within the ca. 7700 calibrated yr B.P. caldera. The andesitic Wizard Island and central-platform volcanoes are composed of sequences of lava deltas that record former lake levels and demonstrate simultaneous activity at the two vents. Wizard Island eruptions ceased when the lake was ∼80 m lower than at present. Lava streams from prominent channels on the surface of the central platform descended to feed extensive subaqueous flow fields on the caldera floor. The Wizard Island and central-platform volcanoes, andesitic Merriam Cone, and a newly discovered probable lava flow on the eastern floor of the lake apparently date from within a few hundred years of caldera collapse, whereas a small rhyodacite dome was emplaced on the flank of Wizard Island at ca. 4800 cal. yr B.P. Bedrock outcrops on the submerged caldera walls are shown in detail and, in some cases, can be correlated with exposed geologic units of Mount Mazama. Fragmental debris making up the walls elsewhere consists of narrow talus cones forming a dendritic pattern that leads to fewer, wider ridges downslope. Hummocky topography and scattered blocks up to ∼280 m long below many of the embayments in the caldera wall mark debris-avalanche deposits that probably formed in single events and commonly are affected by secondary failures. The flat-floored, deep basins contain relatively fine-grained sediment transported from the debris aprons by sheet-flow turbidity currents. Crater Lake apparently filled rapidly (ca. 400–750 yr) until reaching a permeable layer above glaciated lava identified by the new survey in the northeast caldera wall at ∼1845 m elevation. Thereafter, a gradual, climatically modulated rise in lake level to the present 1883 m produced a series of beaches culminating in a modern wave-cut platform, commonly ∼40 m wide, where suitable material is present. The new survey reveals landforms that result from intermediate-composition volcanism in rising water, delineates mass wasting and sediment transport into a restricted basin, and yields a more accurate postcaldera history leading to improved assessment of volcanic hazards.
Carved from Granite: West Point since 1902. By Lance Betros. (College Station, TX: Texas A & M University Press, 2012. Pp. xvii, 458. $40.00.)

This history of the sometimes tumultuous changes at the US Military Academy (West Point) during its second century and beyond ends with a comforting emphasis on continuity, asserting that, “since i...
Assimilation of particulate organic carbon by estuarine and coastal copepods

A study was done to assess the relative roles of phytoplankton and detritus as carbon sources for copepods. A series of shipboard experiments were conducted from April 1975 to March 1976, in which natural assemblages of copepods were incubated with suspensions of particulates obtained in the Hudson, River Estuary and apex of the New York Bight. Daily assimilation rates in both areas fluctuated between 2.7 and 156% of copepod body weight. Partial, correlation analysis showed that variability in assimilation rates was related to temperature and body weight and that copepods were generally not food-limited. Detritus formed between 26 and 44% of the diet in the estuary and 31 to 81% in the apex. The greater utilization of detritus in the apex, in spite of lower concentrations was probably related to qualitative differences in the detritus found in the two areas. Net growth efficiencies range from 9 to 76%, and were inversely proportional to the percentage of detritus in the diet. This suggests that detritus is inferior to phytoplankton as a food source.
Relevant and Irrelevant Doctrines Concerning International Relations

Time was when a nation, at the pinnacle of its might, asked itself the question: “In the relation of states, what is the right thing, which ought to be done, and what is the wrong thing, which ought not to be done?” It was Spain, a worldconquering power, which thus approached problems of policy in the light of rational choice and raised a crop of great and lucid minds who laid the foundations for what later became international law. But the particular principles to which these men looked for their answers have been proved inadequate, first in the practice of statesmen and then in the theory of jurists. Hopes that international relations could be ordered by the relatively simple moral rules which we recognize in the organized societies of men have been repeatedly and cruelly disappointed. The failure of this one great historic attempt to apply rational concepts to international relations has evidently made us despair of any possibility even of different rational systems in this field.
INHIBITION OF P70/P85 S6 KINASE ACTIVITIES IN T CELLS BY DEXAMETHASONE

Glucocorticoids (GC) are potent immunosuppressive agents that interfere with interleukin-2 (IL-2)-dependent proliferation and IL-2 receptor signal transduction in T lymphocytes through complex mechanisms. Here we report that the basal activity, and IL-2- and phorbol ester-dependent activation of the p70/p85 S6 kinases (referred to collectively as pp70S6k) are inhibited by the glucocorticoid dexamethasone (Dex) in CTLL-20 cells. This Dex-induced inhibition is time- and dose-dependent, appears to be the consequence of pp70S6k dephosphorylation, and requires ongoing transcription. Attempts to establish a link between Dex action and those of known pp70S6k-regulating agents such as phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase, protein kinase A-stimulating agents, calyculin A-inhibited protein phosphatases, and rapamycin have been negative. Additional results with NIH3T3 cells suggest the existence of a T cell-specific blockade of pp70S6k by Dex. Implications are 2-fold: 1) pp70S6k inactivation may account for at least part o...
Many Happy Returns, Walter!

I first became aware of Walter Kohn as the coauthor of the Borowitz and Kohn paper on mesonic effects on nucleon electromagnetic properties, one of the pioneering attempts to apply the newly developed quantum field theory methods which had been so successful in quantum electrodynamics (QED) to nucleon-meson problems. That particular problem had attracted quite a bit of attention and had a number of twists which could provide more anecdotes, but in another place. I had just come to Columbia as an Assistant Professor and was franticly preparing for my maiden teaching assignment. I had spent the preceding academic year (1948–1949) as an NRC fellow at the Institute for Advanced Study, a marvelous year in which Freeman Dyson brought Feynman’s techniques to the masses and presented a systematic approach to extending renormalization techniques to higher order perturbation theory, and in which everyone else was working on their applications. I had spent the years before that sharing an office with Willis Lamb at the Columbia Radiation Lab where I had the privilege of watching the emergence of the detection and accurate measurement of the fine structure of the Balmer line of atomic hydrogen (the famous Lamb Shift) and collaborating with Willis on an old fashioned (but correct) calculation of its magnitude.
Trajectory calculation of particle deposition in deep bed filtration: Part I. Model formulation

The packed bed model developed by Payatakes, Tien, and Turian (1973a, 1973b) is used as a basis for the study of particle deposition in deep bed filtration. The size of the particulate matters present in the suspension is assumed to be sufficiently large for Brownian motion to be negligible, but small enough for straining to be unimportant. The prediction of the rate of particle deposition is based on the one-step trajectory approach. The collector is represented by a unit bed element of the porous media model and the particle trajectory equation is formulated to include the gravitational force, the hydrodynamic force and torque (including the correction for the presence of the unit cell wall), the London force (including the retardation effect, which is shown to be of primary importance under conditions usually met in deep bed filtration systems), and the electrokinetic force. Sample capture trajectories, including the limiting capture trajectories, are given. Based on the limiting trajectories and the assumption of uniform particle distribution at the entrance of each unit cell, the number fractions (of suspended particles) impacted on each unit cell are determined and then used to calculate the fraction impacted on the entire unit collector and also the value of the filter coefficient for a clean bed. It is also shown how the capture trajectory calculation can be used to determine the local rate of deposition along the wall of a given unit cell.
A reliable simulator for dynamic flux balance analysis.

Dynamic flux balance analysis (DFBA) provides a platform for detailed design, control and optimization of biochemical process technologies. It is a promising modeling framework that combines genome-scale metabolic network analysis with dynamic simulation of the extracellular environment. Dynamic flux balance analysis assumes that the intracellular species concentrations are in equilibrium with the extracellular environment. The resulting underdetermined stoichiometric model is solved under the assumption of a biochemical objective such as growth rate maximization. The model of the metabolism is coupled with the dynamic mass balance equations of the extracellular environment via expressions for the rates of substrate uptake and product excretion, which imposes additional constraints on the linear program (LP) defined by growth rate maximization of the metabolism. The linear program is embedded into the dynamic model of the bioreactor, and together with the additional constraints this provides an accurate model of the substrate consumption, product secretion, and biomass production during operation. A DFBA model consists of a system of ordinary differential equations for which the evaluation of the right-hand side requires not only function evaluations, but also the solution of one or more linear programs. The numerical tool presented here accurately and efficiently simulates large-scale dynamic flux balance models. The main advantages that this approach has over existing implementation are that the integration scheme has a variable step size, that the linear program only has to be solved when qualitative changes in the optimal flux distribution of the metabolic network occur, and that it can reliably simulate behavior near the boundary of the domain where the model is defined. This is illustrated through large-scale examples taken from the literature. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2013; 110: 792802. (c) 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
PET imaging of tumor integrin expression

The expression of integrin /spl alpha//sub v//spl beta//sub 3/ on sprouting capillary cells and their interaction with specific extracellular matrix ligands play a key role in tumor angiogenesis and metastasis. In several malignancies, tumor expression of integrin /spl alpha//sub v//spl beta//sub 3/ correlates well with tumor progression. Non-invasive imaging methods to visualize and quantify integrin /spl alpha//sub v//spl beta//sub 3/ expression in vivo are crucial for the success of anti-angiogenic therapy targeting integrin. Suitably labeled RGD peptides (potent integrin /spl alpha//sub v//spl beta//sub 3/ antagonists) and antibodies have been developed for PET, SPECT and NIR fluorescence imaging of small animals. Due to the high sensitivity and adequate spatial and temporal resolution of PET, development of PET probes for integrin expression imaging has been the mainstay of active research. We improved the tumor targeting efficacy and in vivo pharmacokinetics by applying polyvalency effect and designed /sup 18/F- and /sup 64/Cu-labeled dimeric and multimeric RGD peptides for both imaging and imaging-guided internal radiotherapy applications.
HPIDB--a unified resource for host-pathogen interactions.

Protein-protein interactions (PPIs) play a crucial role in initiating infection in a host-pathogen system. Identification of these PPIs is important for understanding the underlying biological mechanism of infection and identifying putative drug targets. Database resources for studying host-pathogen systems are scarce and are either host specific or dedicated to specific pathogens. Here we describe "HPIDB” a host-pathogen PPI database, which will serve as a unified resource for host-pathogen interactions. Specifically, HPIDB integrates experimental PPIs from several public databases into a single, non-redundant web accessible resource. The database can be searched with a variety of options such as sequence identifiers, symbol, taxonomy, publication, author, or interaction type. The output is provided in a tab delimited text file format that is compatible with Cytoscape, an open source resource for PPI visualization. HPIDB allows the user to search protein sequences using BLASTP to retrieve homologous host/pathogen sequences. For high-throughput analysis, the user can search multiple protein sequences at a time using BLASTP and obtain results in tabular and sequence alignment formats. The taxonomic categorization of proteins (bacterial, viral, fungi, etc.) involved in PPI enables the user to perform category specific BLASTP searches. In addition, a new tool is introduced, which allows searching for homologous host-pathogen interactions in the HPIDB database. HPIDB is a unified, comprehensive resource for host-pathogen PPIs. The user interface provides new features and tools helpful for studying host-pathogen interactions. HPIDB can be accessed at http://agbase.msstate.edu/hpi/main.html .
First break refraction event picking using fuzzy logic systems

First break picking is a pattern recognition problem in seismic signal processing, one that requires much human effort and is difficult to automate. The authors' goal is to reduce the manual effort in the picking process and accurately perform the picking. Feedforward neural network first break pickers have been developed using backpropagation training algorithms applied either to an encoded version of the raw data or to derived seismic attributes which are extracted from the raw data. The authors summarize a study in which they applied a backpropagation fuzzy logic system (BPFLS) to first break picking. The authors use derived seismic attributes as features, and take lateral variations into account by using the distance to a piecewise linear guiding function as a new feature. Experimental results indicate that the BPFLS achieves about the same picking accuracy as a feedforward neural network that is also trained using a backpropagation algorithm; however, the BPFLS is trained in a much shorter time, because there is a systematic way in which the initial parameters of the BPFLS can be chosen, versus the random way in which the weights of the neural network are chosen. >
Taking Off the Gloves: Toward a Less Dogmatic Approach to the Use of Contact Isolation

Strongly held beliefs about the need for contact isolation to prevent the spread of infections in the hospital have contributed to increased costs and decreased flexibility and, more recently, have driven aggressive diagnostic testing for colonization in asymptomatic patients. Examination of the evidence cited in support of the benefits of isolation and growing evidence of its unintended harms offer an opportunity to think differently about how contact isolation might best be applied. This review considers what we do and do not know about the potential benefits and harms of isolation as a public health measure and proposes a framework for considering under what circumstances it might optimally be used.
The future of research on the treatment of conduct disorder

The thesis of this paper is that a reciprocal relation must develop between basic research on the developmental psychopathology of conduct disorder and applied treatment studies. Basic research can guide treatment design, and treatment outcomes can test developmental theories. The nature of conduct disorder seems to be one of multivariate components that act in self-perpetuating ways across development. These components include family, child-cognitive, peer group, and ecocommunity systems. Interventions that are directed toward just one component may be successful in producing proximal changes in the targeted domain, but they are not likely to be successful in long-term prevention of serious conduct disorder because other forces counteract these changes. The goal of treatment research needs to be long-term conduct disorder prevention. Two kinds of treatment studies are needed, one kind that is directed toward developing a technology of successful change procedures for individual processes and a second kind that uses these multiple change procedures in a comprehensive effort to prevent serious conduct disorder.
The influence of track compliance on running

Abstract A model of running is proposed in which the leg is represented as a rack-and-pinion element in series with a damped spring. The rack-and-pinion element emphasizes the role of descending commands, while the damped spring represents the dynamic properties of muscles and the position and the rate sensitivity of reflexes. This model is used to predict separately the effect of track compliance on step length and ground contact time. The predictions are compared with experiments in which athletes ran over tracks of controlled spring stiffness. A sharp spike in foot force up to 5 times body weight was found on hard surfaces, but this spike disappeared as the athletes ran on soft experimental tracks. Both ground contact time and step length increased on very compliant surfaces, leading to moderately reduced running speeds, but a range of track stiffness was discovered which actually enhances speed.
Loss of both phospholipid and triglyceride transfer activities of microsomal triglyceride transfer protein in abetalipoproteinemia

Mutations in microsomal triglyceride transfer protein (MTP) cause abetalipoproteinemia (ABL), characterized by the absence of plasma apoB-containing lipoproteins. In this study, we characterized the effects of various MTP missense mutations found in ABL patients with respect to their expression, subcellular location, and interaction with protein disulfide isomerase (PDI). In addition, we characterized functional properties by analyzing phospholipid and triglyceride transfer activities and studied their ability to support apoB secretion. All the mutants colocalized with calnexin and interacted with PDI. We found that R540H and N780Y, known to be deficient in triglyceride transfer activity, also lacked phospholipid transfer activity. Novel mutants S590I and G746E did not transfer triglycerides and phospholipids and did not assist in apoB secretion. In contrast, D384A displayed both triglyceride and phospholipid transfer activities and supported apoB secretion. These studies point out that ABL is associated with the absence of both triglyceride and phospholipid transfer activities in MTP.
Bimodular high temperature planar oxygen gas sensor

A bimodular planar O2 sensor was fabricated using NiO nanoparticles (NPs) thin film coated yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) substrate. The thin film was prepared by radio frequency (r.f.) magnetron sputtering of NiO on YSZ substrate, followed by high temperature sintering. The surface morphology of NiO nanoparticles film was characterized by atomic force microscopy (AFM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns of NiO NPs thin film before and after high temperature O2 sensing demonstrated that the sensing material possesses a good chemical and structure stability. The oxygen detection experiments were performed at 500 °C, 600 °C and 800 °C using the as-prepared bimodular O2 sensor under both potentiometric and resistance modules. For the potentiometric module, a linear relationship between electromotive force (EMF) output of the sensor and the logarithm of O2 concentration was observed at each operating temperature, following the Nernst law. For the resistance module, the logarithm of electrical conductivity was proportional to the logarithm of oxygen concentration at each operating temperature, in good agreement with literature report. In addition, this bimodular sensor shows sensitive, reproducible and reversible response to oxygen under both sensing modules. Integration of two sensing modules into one sensor could greatly enrich the information output and would open a new venue in the development of high temperature gas sensors.
General and specific perceived locus of control in heroin addicts.

(1974). General and Specific Perceived Locus of Control in Heroin Addicts. International Journal of the Addictions: Vol. 9, No. 5, pp. 757-760.
Autophagy and metabolic changes in obesity-related chronic kidney disease

Obesity is a long-term source of cellular stress that predisposes to chronic kidney disease (CKD). Autophagy is a homeostatic mechanism for cellular quality control through the disposal and recycling of cellular components. During times of cellular stress, autophagy affords mechanisms to manage stress by selectively ridding the cell of the accumulation of potentially toxic proteins, lipids and organelles. The adaptive processes employed may vary between cell types and selectively adjust to the insult by inducing components of the basic autophagy machinery utilized by the cells while not under duress. In this review, we will discuss the autophagic responses of organs to cellular stressors, such as high-fat diet, obesity and diabetes, and how these mechanisms may prevent or promote the progression of disease. The identification of early cellular mechanisms in the advent of obesity- and diabetes-related renal complications could afford avenues for future therapeutic interventions.
Surgical Approach for Removal of Nonarticular Base Sesamoid Fragments of the Proximal Sesamoid Bones in Horses

Objectives— To describe a surgical approach for the removal of nonarticular base sesamoid fragments in performance horses and to report the outcome. Study Design— Retrospective study. Animals— Horses (n=11), 7 months to 10 years of age, with lameness because of nonarticular base sesamoid fragments. Methods— Lameness was localized to the metacarpophalangeal/metatarsophalangeal region by clinical examination or response to diagnostic local anesthesia. Radiographs confirmed the diagnosis of a nonarticular base sesamoid fragment. Surgical removal was performed with an incision over the base of the affected sesamoid through the digital flexor tendon sheath. After identifying the fragment with the aid of needles, a small vertical incision was made in the straight distal sesamoidean ligament (SDSL) and the fragment was freed from its attachments and removed. Six months convalescence and rehabilitation was prescribed for all horses. Results— Eleven horses had 16 nonarticular fragments of the base of the proximal sesamoid bones. Eleven (69%) fragments occurred in the forelimbs with the right front (82%) and medial sesamoid (73%) more commonly affected. Horses were treated by surgical fragment removal. In horses with follow-up, 9 of 10 returned to their intended use. Conclusions— Surgical removal of nonarticular base sesamoid fragments can be accomplished through a palmar/plantar approach through the digital flexor tendon sheath and SDSL. This “keyhole” approach minimizes damage to the distal sesamoidean ligament attachments to the sesamoid base and allows some horses to return to their intended use. Clinical Relevance— Surgical removal of nonarticular base sesamoid fragments should be considered in horses with performance-limiting lameness as a result of the fragment.
On the Use of Fuzzy Modeling in Virtualized Data Center Management

One of the most important goals of data-center management is to reduce cost through efficient use of resources. Virtualization techniques provide the opportunity of carving individual physical servers into multiple virtual containers that can be run and managed separately. A key challenge that comes with virtualization is the simultaneous on-demand provisioning of shared resources to virtual containers and the management of their capacities to meet service quality targets at the least cost. This paper proposes a two-level resource management system with local controllers at the virtual-container level and a global controller at the resource-pool level. Autonomic resource allocation is realized through the interaction of the local and global controllers. A novelty of the controller designs is their use of fuzzy logic to efficiently and robustly deal with the complexity of the virtualized data center and the uncertainties of the dynamically changing workloads. Experimental results obtained through a prototype implementation demonstrate that, for the scenarios under consideration, the proposed resource management system can significantly reduce resource consumption while still achieving application performance targets.
In vitro morphogenesis in plants-recent advances

The capacity of cultured plant tissues and cells to undergo morphogenesis, resulting in the formation of discrete organs or whole plants, has provided opportunities for numerous applications of in vitro plant biology in studies of basic botany, biochemistry, propagation, breeding, and development of transgenic crops. While the fundamental techniques to achieve in vitro plant morphogenesis have been well established for a number of years, innovations in particular aspects of the technology continue to be made. Tremendous progress has been made in recent years regarding the genetic bases underlying both in vitro and in situ plant morphogenesis, stimulated by progress in functional genomics research. Advances in the identification of specific genes that are involved in plant morphogenesis in vitro, as well as some selected technical innovations, will be discussed.
Influence of the access resistance in the rf performance of mm-wave AlGaN/GaN HEMTs

After demonstrating impressive performance in the X-band frequencies, one of the next goals for GaN-based power transistors is to increase the frequency of operation to the mm-wave range. Monte Carlo simulations predict that the saturation electron velocity in AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs) should be around 2.5/spl times/10/sup 7/ cm/s (M. Singh and J. Singh, J. Appl. Phys. vol. 94, p. 2498, 2003). The study of f/sub T/ vs I/sub DS/ from pinch-off to saturation is a very useful tool to understand the maximum frequency performance of mm-wave HEMTs. In this work, we have studied the effect of parasitic resistances in the shape of the f/sub T/ vs I/sub DS/ curve. R/sub s/ increases with the current density in the channel. The extraction of the effect of the differential access resistance out of f/sub T/ greatly changes the shape of the curve. The access resistances play an important role in the rf behavior of AlGaN/GaN transistors. Not only the absolute values, but also their increase with current must be controlled in order to get the maximum performance out of the GaN-based HEMTs.
The relationship of gender and gender identity to treatment adherence among individuals with bipolar disorder.

Abstract Background It has been demonstrated that 46% to 48% of individuals with bipolar disorder (BD) are at least partially nonadherent with prescribed medication. Reports of whether male gender is a predictor of treatment nonadherence in BD have been inconsistent. The construct of gender may also be a matter of cultural orientation, and psychological gender, as a component of self-perception, may affect the experience of mental illness. Gender identity is the subjective experience of one's individuality as male or female. Objective This cross-sectional study evaluated gender and gender identity among men and women with BD as they relate to self-reported medication treatment adherence. Methods This secondary analysis of a larger study on treatment adherence evaluated men and women with BD being treated with mood-stabilizing medications in a community mental health clinic. Gender identity and treatment adherence were evaluated using the Bem Sex Role Inventory (BSRI) and the Tablets Routine Questionnaire, respectively. Other measures included assessing BD symptoms using the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale and mania symptoms using the Young Mania Rating Scale, as well as psychosocial support with the Interpersonal Support Evaluation List and locus of control with the Multidimensional Health Locus of Control Scale. Results Mean age of the 70 men and 70 women with type I BD was 43.1 years for adherent patients and 40.8 years for nonadherent patients. Women with BD had mean scores on the BSRI consistent with general population norms, whereas men with BD had scores suggesting lower levels of self-perceived masculinity than population norms. There were no differences between men and women on adherence; however, men with high BSRI masculinity scores had less adherence than other men in the sample (P = 0.04). Lower scores on the “powerful others” dimension of locus of control were associated with lower adherence. For women, there was no relationship between BSRI masculinity scores and adherence. Conclusions Gender identity in men with BD differed from general population norms and appeared to be related to adherence. Treatment approaches that are intended to optimize adherence need to consider the construct of gender identity or gender role. ClinicalTrials.gov ID: NCT00183495 .