cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Characteristics of postgraduate year two pharmacy residency programs with a secondary emphasis on academia

Objectives. To identify and characterize postgraduate year 2 (PGY2) pharmacy residency programs with a secondary emphasis on academia. Methods. Residency programs were identified using the American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP) online directory of residencies, fellowships, and graduate programs and cross-referenced with the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) residency directory. An electronic questionnaire was developed and sent to residency program directors to collect attributes of each program. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Results. Most programs were initiated during the past decade. More than two-thirds were ASHP-accredited and half had a primary specialty in ambulatory care. The average program structure consisted of clinical practice service (50.4%), experiential teaching (18.5%), classroom-based teaching (16.4%), research (10.7%), and service (3.7%). Most residents (90.0%) accepted an academic appointment upon completion of these programs. Conclusions. Postgraduate year 2 residency programs with an emphasis on academia provide experiences in clinical practice, experiential and classroom teaching, research, and service. These residency programs result in participants obtaining academic positions after graduation.
Delays in time to surgery for minorities with temporal lobe epilepsy

Summary Objectives To determine whether adult minority patients with medically refractory temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) experience significantly longer times to anterior temporal lobectomy (ATL) following presurgical evaluation. Methods A retrospective cohort study of 223 adult patients with epilepsy (PWE) and unilateral mesial temporal sclerosis who completed presurgical evaluation in the epilepsy monitoring unit at University of California, San Francisco, between January 1, 1993 and December 31, 2010, with follow-up through December 31, 2012. Log-rank test was performed for Kaplan-Meier survival curves of time to ATL stratified by race/ethnicity and by limited English proficiency (LEP). Adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated using Cox proportional hazards and Weibull modeling. Results African Americans (AAs) and Asian/Pacific Islanders (Asian/PIs) experienced significantly longer times to surgery than whites in Kaplan-Meier plots (log-rank test p = 0.02 and p = 0.005, respectively). AAs and Asian/PIs also had longer times to surgery after adjusting for frailty, LEP, sex, age, mesial temporal sclerosis (MTS) laterality, and nonconcordant ictal electroencephalography (EEG) (adjusted HR = 0.22, p = 0.006; adjusted HR = 0.25, p = 0.003, respectively). Patients with LEP experienced significantly longer times to surgery than patients proficient in English (log-rank test p = 0.0085; adjusted HR = 0.48, p = 0.041). In Cox modeling, nonconcordant ictal EEG studies (adjusted HR = 0.47, p = 0.01), left-sided MTS (adjusted HR = 0.69, p = 0.023), and female sex (adjusted HR = 0.72, p = 0.048) were risk factors for longer times to surgery. Significance AA and Asian/PI patients as well as those with LEP have significantly longer times to ATL following presurgical evaluation. Future studies should be aimed at identifying the source of these disparities and developing targeted interventions to address them. A PowerPoint slide summarizing this article is available for download in the Supporting Information section here.
Anxiety, Stress, Depression, and Patients' Responses to Periodontal Treatment: Periodontists' Knowledge and Professional Behavior

Background: Anxiety, stress, and depression affect the use of health care services, treatment decision-making, and responses to periodontal treatment. This study explored periodontists' confidence in detecting patient anxiety, stress, or depression, as well as their knowledge concerning the relationships between these factors and patients' pain, use of pain medication, and wound healing after periodontal treatment. In addition, this research surveyed if (and which) special accommodations were offered when treating patients with high levels of anxiety, stress, or depression. Methods: Data were collected from 171 members of the American Academy of Periodontology (response rate = 34.41%). Most respondents were male (82.2%), white (88.2%), and practiced in solo practices (60.9%). Results: The respondents were more knowledgeable about the effects of anxiety and stress on pain, the use of pain medication, and wound healing than about the impact of depression on these outcomes. They agreed more strongly with statements that they were more confident in their ability to perceive when patients were anxious and stressed than when they were depressed. They also offered more special accommodations for patients with anxiety and stress than for patients with depression. Conclusions: The respondents were significantly less knowledgeable about the impact of depression on patients' responses to periodontal treatment than about the effect of anxiety and stress. Given the evidence concerning the relationships among depression, pain, pain medication use, and wound healing, it is important to educate periodontists about the role of anxiety and stress and the significance of depression on their patients' responses to periodontal therapy.
Deleterious Effects of Freezing on Osteogenic Differentiation of Human Adipose-Derived Stromal Cells In Vitro and In Vivo

Human adipose-derived stromal cells (hASCs) represent a multipotent stromal cell type with a proven capacity to undergo osteogenic differentiation. Many hurdles exist, however, between current knowledge of hASC osteogenesis and their potential future use in skeletal tissue regeneration. The impact of frozen storage on hASC osteogenic differentiation, for example, has not been studied in detail. To examine the effects of frozen storage, hASCs were harvested from lipoaspirate and either maintained in standard culture conditions or frozen for 2 weeks under standard conditions (90% fetal bovine serum, 10% dimethyl sulfoxide). Next, in vitro parameters of cell morphology (surface electron microscopy [EM]), cell viability and growth (trypan blue; bromodeoxyuridine incorporation), osteogenic differentiation (alkaline phosphatase, alizarin red, and quantitative real-time (RT)–polymerase chain reaction), and adipogenic differentiation (Oil red O staining and quantitative RT–polymerase chain reaction) were performe...
Photoconductivity of Gallium Selenide Crystals

Single crystals of GaSe have been prepared by reaction of the elements, followed by gradient freeze crystallization. Crystals as grown were $p$-type, probably because of Cu acceptors, with hole mobility of 15 ${\mathrm{cm}}^{2}$/volt sec, hole concentration of ${10}^{16}$ ${\mathrm{cm}}^{\ensuremath{-}3}$, and acceptor ionization energy of 0.12 ev. In many ways the properties of GaSe crystals are very similar to those of ZnTe crystals. The absorption edge of GaSe is at 6310 A, corresponding to a band gap of 1.97 ev; the temperature coefficient of band gap is about -4\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}${10}^{\ensuremath{-}4}$ ev/deg. Insulating and photosensitive GaSe crystals can be prepared by compensating the acceptor impurities by incorporated donors from Groups VII or IV. Rectification tests indicate $p$-type photoconductivity. Thermal quenching of photoconductivity corresponds to an ionization energy of about 0.5 ev, whereas optical quenching corresponds to an ionization energy of about 1.0 ev; thus a large Franck-Condon shift is indicated. Below the temperature at which thermal quenching of photoconductivity occurs, the sensitivity is within the range of sensitive CdS or CdSe crystals.
Learning Factors in Pain

The concept of pain is analyzed from the perspective of behavioral science. Distinctions between pain and suffering are drawn and the impact of learning or experience is discussed. Implications for management of pain, exercise and restoration of functional performance, and use of pain-related medications are described.
Differently phosphorylated forms of the cortactin homolog HS1 mediate distinct functions in natural killer cells

Essential for antigen-driven T cell responses, the cortactin homolog HS1 may also influence natural killer cell biology. Butler and colleagues identify functions for cortactin in natural killer cell cytotoxicity, adhesion and chemotaxis.
Acute airway distress from endotracheal intubation injury in the pediatric aerodigestive tract.

Abstract Objectives Two unusual cases of pediatric aerodigestive tract trauma postintubation with subsequent complications are described. Pediatric retropharyngeal dissection from trauma has not been reported previously. Methods We conducted a retrospective chart review in a pediatric tertiary care center. Results A 6-year-old girl underwent attempted nasotracheal intubation. She sustained retropharyngeal dissection, receiving positive pressure ventilation before this injury was noted. She developed subcutaneous emphysema. The child was managed conservatively and did well. An 8-year-old boy sustained a 4-cm laceration of his posterior trachea, developing pneumomediastinum after intubation. On transfer to our institution, he underwent direct laryngobronchoscopy and was reintubated with the tip of the endotracheal tube distal to the laceration. Postoperatively, the child accidentally pulled his tube and coughed, resulting in severe subcutaneous emphysema with increased pneumomediastinum. An emergent tracheotomy was performed. The patient subsequently did well. Conclusion A higher index of suspicion with more careful surveillance may prevent further morbidity.
Design of second order grating couplers to detect the angle and polarization of the laser beam

On-chip laser beam tracking finds innumerable applications. Popularly adopted quadrant photodiodes can only detect laser beam's angle variation up to 0.2° reliably. In this paper, a novel angle detector is designed based on grating coupling. It consists of a grating layer on top of a silicon-on-insulator slab waveguide. The incident light is coupled into guided modes within the waveguide via the grating layer, and then, the incident light's angle can be determined by reading the outputs of light detectors within the waveguide. Performance of the laser angle detector in this paper is demonstrated by full-wave finite-difference-time-domain simulations. Numerical results show that, the detectable angle range can be adjusted by several design parameters and can reach [-4°, 4°]. The device structure in this paper can be straightforwardly extended to two-dimensional photonic crystal configurations.
Fracture of polymers in biaxial and triaxial tension

Macroscopic fracture is preceded by localized deformation and rupture processes that depend on the state of combined stress (i.e., on the stress state) and other test conditions as well as on polymer structure and morphology. To illustrate the effect of stress state on the mode of fracture initiation and crack growth, data obtained on elastomers in triaxial tension are reviewed along with those for an unfilled styrenebutadiene rubber vulcanizate in simple tension, equal biaxial tension, and under the biaxial tensile conditions that give a pure shear deformation. The behavior of plastics, including the dependence of the strength of a notched specimen on its thickness, is briefly considered.
Local interaction simulation of guided-wave propagation in composite plates

Composite structures are being extensively used in the modern industries because of their superior strength to weight ratio, high stiffness, and long fatigue life. The ability to tailor the material properties along different directions also increases the avenues of composites material application. The ever-increasing demand for composite structures and the need to ensure the structural integrity necessitates the development of sustainable and efficient structural health monitoring (SHM) systems. Guided wave (GW) methods offer an attractive solution for SHM due to their tunable sensitivity to different defects and their ability to interrogate large structural surfaces. Because of the anisotropy present in the composite materials, the development of the SHM methods is significantly more complex and challenging than in the case of isotropic materials. This paper presents numerical simulations based on the local interaction simulation approach (LISA) to characterize the propagation of GW in laminated composite plates.
Activation of proteasome by insulin-like growth factor-I may enhance clearance of oxidized proteins in the brain.

Abstract The insulin-like growth factor type 1 (IGF-I) plays an important role in neuronal physiology. Reduced IGF-I levels are observed during aging and this decrease may be important to age-related changes in the brain. We studied the effects of IGF-I on total protein oxidation in brain tissues and in cell cultures. Our results indicate that in frontal cortex the level of oxidized proteins is significantly reduced in transgenic mice designed to overproduce IGF-I compared with wild-type animals. The frontal cortex of IGF-I-overproducing mice exhibited high chymotrypsin-like activity of the 20S and 26S proteasomes. The proteasome can also be activated in response to IGF-I in cell cultures. Kinetic studies revealed peak activation of the proteasome within 15 min following IGF-I stimulation. The effects of IGF-I on proteasome were not observed in R− cells lacking the IGF-I receptor. Experiments using specific kinase inhibitors suggested that activation of proteasome by IGF-I involves phosphatidyl inositol 3-kinase and mammalian target of rapamycin signaling. IGF-I also attenuated the increase in protein carbonyl content induced by proteasome inhibition. Thus, appropriate levels of IGF-I may be important for the elimination of oxidized proteins in the brain in a process mediated by activation of the proteasome.
Explicit finite element modeling of subsurface initiated spalling in rolling contacts

An explicit finite element model was developed to investigate crack initiation and spall formation in machine elements subject to rolling contact fatigue. The modeling approach utilizes continuum damage mechanics to capture the initiation and propagation of fatigue damage that leads to the formation of a surface spall. The material microstructure is modeled via a randomly generated Voronoi tessellation. The material parameters for the model were obtained independently from torsional fatigue life data for 52100 bearing steel. The life scatter (Weibull slope) and the spall geometry obtained from the model correlate well with experimental results available in the open literature.
Diverse virtual replicas for improving intrusion tolerance in cloud

Intrusion tolerance is important for services in cloud to continue functioning while under attack. Byzantine fault-tolerant replication is considered a fundamental component of intrusion tolerant systems. However, the monoculture of replicas can render the theoretical properties of Byzantine fault-tolerant system ineffective, even when proactive recovery techniques are employed. This paper exploits the design diversity available from off-the-shelf operating system products and studies how to diversify the configurations of virtual replicas for improving the resilience of the service in the presence of attacks. A game-theoretic model is proposed for studying the optimal diversification strategy for the system defender and an efficient algorithm is designed to approximate the optimal defense strategies in large games.
Effect of growth substrates on morphology of Nocardia corallina.

Cells of Nocardia corallina ATCC 4273 form multiply branched coenocytic mycelia and subsequent fragment to spherical cells when grown on solidified complex media. In liquid shake cultures using complex media the organisms grow into pleomorphic but seldomly branched rods, divide as rods and then the rods fragment to spheres as the stationary phase is reached. In a defined liquid medium with glucose as carbon source, the organisms divide entively as spheres at a doubling time of 44 hrs. The addition of l-tyrosine, some fatty acids and tricarboxylic acid cycle intermediates or fructose to the glucose medium caused the cells to grow at considerably faster growth rates (2.8–8.5 hrs doubling times) and to undergo the sphere-rod-sphere growth cycle. Other amino acids, fatty acids or sugars added singly to the glucose medium did not produce the sphere to rod morphology change. Some amino acids when added to the medium in pairs effected sphere to rod morphopoiesis. None of these amino acids alone were effectors. Some of the culture grew as rods and the remainder as spheres when isoleucine and valine were added to the glucose medium. No other amino acid combination tested gave this result. The reason for the mixed growth response was traced to inhomogeneity of the parent culture. The life cycle of N. corallina is illustrated in a series of photomicrographs of two slide cultures.
Initiated Distrust Direct Democracy and Trust in Government

An abundance of recent research has suggested that direct democracy institutions, such as the initiative and referendum, craft an environment ripe for encouraging better democratic citizenship. Hig...
Structural properties and relative stability of (meta)stable ordered, partially ordered, and disordered Al-Li alloy phases

We resolve issues that have plagued reliable prediction of relative phase stability for solid solutions and compounds. Due to its commercially important phase diagram, we showcase the Al-Li system because historically density-functional theory (DFT) results show large scatter and limited success in predicting the structural properties and stability of solid solutions relative to ordered compounds. Using recent advances in an optimal basis-set representation of the topology of electronic charge density (and, hence, atomic size), we present DFT results that agree reasonably well with all known experimental data for the structural properties and formation energies of ordered, off-stoichiometric partially ordered, and disordered alloys, opening the way for reliable study in complex alloys.
A protocol for scalable loop-free multicast routing

In network multimedia applications such as multiparty teleconferencing, users often need to send the same information to several (but not necessarily all) other users. To manage such one-to-many or many-to-many communication efficiently in wide-area internetworks, it is imperative to support and perform multicast routing. Multicast routing sends a single copy of a message from a source to multiple receivers over a communication link that is shared by the paths to the receivers. Loop-freedom is an especially important consideration in multicasting because applications using multicasting tend to be multimedia and bandwidth intensive, and loops in multicast routing duplicate looping packets. We present and verify a new multicast routing protocol, called multicast Internet protocol (MIP), which offers a simple and flexible approach to constructing both group-shared and shortest-paths multicast trees. MIP can be sender-initiated or receiver-initiated or both; therefore, it can be tailored to the particular nature of an application's group dynamics and size. MIP is independent of the underlying unicast routing algorithms used. MIP is robust and adapts under dynamic network conditions (topology or link cost changes) to maintain loop-free multicast routing. Under stable network conditions, MIP has no maintenance or control message overhead. We prove that MIP is loop-free at every instant, and that it is deadlock-free and obtains multicast routing trees within a finite time after the occurrence of an arbitrary sequence of topology or unicast changes.
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: Predictors for prolongation of life by noninvasive respiratory aids

The purpose of this study was to determine which pulmonary function variables best predicted the potential for prolonging survival of individuals with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) by the use of physical medicine respiratory muscle aid alternatives to tracheostomy for ventilatory support and airway suctioning. The records of 27 such ALS ventilator users with less than 15 minutes of ventilator-free breathing time for a mean ± standard deviation of 23.7 ± 20.3 months (range, 1 to 65) were reviewed. All patients underwent measurements of vital capacity (VC), maximum insufflation capacity (MIC), MIC VC difference, forced expiratory volumes, and peak cough expiratory flows (PCEF) every 1 to 6 months, depending on rate of disease progression, until requiring 24-hour ventilatory support. The ability to generate assisted PCEF in excess of 3L/sec and the ability to hold an insufflation deeper than the VC were associated with the capacity to prolong survival by methods other than tracheostomy, whereas the extent of decrease in VC and autonomous breathing ability were not. Because the PCEF and MIC VC difference correlate with bulbar muscle function, it can be concluded that the ability to use 24-hour ventilatory support by noninvasive means is a function of residual bulbar muscle strength and is independent of VC or the extent of need for ventilatory support. Properly equipped and trained, some ALS patients can use noninvasive respiratory muscle aids to delay or eliminate the need for tracheostomy.
Mother and child emotions during mathematics homework.

Mathematics is often thought of as a purely intellectual and unemotional activity. Recently, researchers have begun to question the validity of this approach, arguing that emotions and cognition are intertwined. The emotions expressed during mathematics work may be linked to mathematics achievement. We used behavioral measures to identify the emotions expressed by U.S. mothers and their 11-year-old children while solving pre-algebra tasks in the home. The most notable positive emotions displayed by mothers and children included positive interest, affection, joy, and pride, whereas the most notable negative emotions expressed included tension, frustration, and distress. Reflecting the social aspects of doing homework together, mothers' and children's emotions were highly correlated. Independent of pre-existing differences in knowledge, children's emotions were associated with their performance on a mathematics post-test: tension was linked to poorer performance while positive interest, humor, and pride wer...
BROAD-TERRANE JURASSIC FLOOD BASALTS ACROSS NORTHEASTERN NORTH AMERICA

Early Jurassic tholeiitic lavas that flowed across Mesozoic basins of northeastern North America were comagmatic, as shown by their geochemistry, petrography, paleomagnetism, radiometric ages, and stratigraphy. The basin basalts are correlated with diabase dikes that intersect the basins but also extend far outside them. If the dikes represent feeders to fissure vents, a vast flood-basalt province must have extended across the rifted terranes of eastern North America in Early Jurassic time. The initial member of the basalt flood was the most uniform and widespread among present basin remnants of the basalts, but subsequent flows may have covered some areas farther from the basins. Other, younger Jurassic flood basalts have been described along submarine sections of the continental shelf and shelf break, and beneath Cretaceous coastal plain sediments in the southeastern United States. Across the inland Mesozoic rift terranes, the initial fissure eruptions produced a temporary basaltic plain perhaps 1600 km long and 200 to 400 km wide, or roughly 500000 km 2 , rivaling other great continental flood-basalt provinces.
Measuring Heterogeneous Reservation Prices for Product Bundles

This paper develops a model for capturing continuous heterogeneity in the joint distribution of reservation prices for products and bundles. Our model is derived from utility theory and captures both within-and among-subject variability. Furthermore, it provides dollarmetric reservation prices and individual-level estimates that allow the firm to target customers and develop customized and nonlinear pricing policies.Our experiments show that, regardless of whether the products are durables or nondurables, the model captures heterogeneity and predicts well. Models that assume homogeneity perform poorly, especially in predicting choice of the bundle. Furthermore, the methodology is robust even when respondents evaluate few profiles.Self-stated reservation prices do not have any informational content beyond that contained in the basic model. The direct elicitation method appears to understate (overstate) the variation in reservation prices across consumers for low-priced (high-priced) products and bundles. Hence this method yields biased demand estimates and leads to suboptimal product-line pricing policy.The optimization results show that the product-line pricing policy depends on the degree of heterogeneity in the reservation prices of the individual products and the bundle. A uniformly high-price strategy for all products and bundles is optimal when heterogeneity is high. Otherwise, a hybrid strategy is optimal.
Realtime tuning and verification of compartmental cell models using RTXI and GENESIS

The GEneral NEural SImulation System (GENESIS) has recently been reconfigured to resolve problems resulting from the rapidly increasing complexity of neural modeling software. Modularization of GENESIS according to the Computational Biology Initiative (CBI–[1]) functional software architecture has provided important advantages by facilitating the easy integration of new simulator functionality while maintaining an open developer community. The complexity of individual software modules is greatly reduced from that of a complete simulation system, documentation is simplified when modules are independent, they can be more easily tested, added or removed, and the scope of a new module is clearly delineated. Unlike GENESIS versions 1 and 2, the modular construction of GENESIS-3 (G-3) is designed to greatly facilitate the development of new tools to support simulation-based education, collaboration, and model publication. The Real-Time eXperimental Interface (RTXI) is a mature modular dynamic clamp implementation growing out of previous work by Butera [2] and White [3] for hard realtime (RT) data acquisition. RTXI is modular to the extent that user-supplied function-specific code models can be combined to build custom experimental protocols and interfaces. RTXI provides an event delivery system that allows these plug-ins to signal the occurrence of user-defined events amongst themselves as required. We report on our efforts to interface G-3 with RTXI to develop an integrated software platform. This platform will greatly increase the power of dynamic clamp technology and in return deliver RT quantification and ’tuning’ of the parameters of cell and tissue models. Figure ​Figure11. Figure 1
Surface Activity of the Xylophagous Cockroach Cryptocercus punctulatus (Dictyoptera: Cryptocercidae) Based on Collections from Pitfall Traps

Little information is available on the extra-log movement patterns of Cryptocercus punctulatus Scudder (Dictyoptera: Cryptocercidae), despite its key taxonomic position as a member of the xylophagous cockroach family that is sister group to termites. We conducted a field study in which individuals of C. punctulatus were collected from pitfall traps checked daily for 7 mo on the grounds of Mountain Lake Biological Station, VA. In total, 50 large nymphs, subadults, and adults of both sexes were captured, with adult activity strongest from midsummer through autumn. Surface activity seems unrelated to rainfall. The female-to-male sex ratio of trapped cockroaches was 2:1 overall and 1.5:1 in adults. Nymphs do not begin exploring outside of natal logs until they are at least half grown and significantly pigmented and sclerotized. Dissections of adult females indicated that more than half captured outside of logs (56%) had sperm in the spermatheca, and one female was carrying a spermatophore. These results suggest that sexual exclusivity cannot be assumed between paired individuals of this species.
Assessing PPO Performance on Prevention and Population Health

This article compares preferred provider organization (PPO) and health maintenance organization (HMO) performance on the utilization of and consumer satisfaction with preventive care. Surveys were ...
Addition of simultaneous heat and solute transport and variable fluid viscosity to SEAWAT

SEAWAT is a finite-difference computer code designed to simulate coupled variable-density ground water flow and solute transport. This paper describes a new version of SEAWAT that adds the ability to simultaneously model energy and solute transport. This is necessary for simulating the transport of heat and salinity in coastal aquifers for example. This work extends the equation of state for fluid density to vary as a function of temperature and/or solute concentration. The program has also been modified to represent the effects of variable fluid viscosity as a function of temperature and/or concentration. The viscosity mechanism is verified against an analytical solution, and a test of temperature-dependent viscosity is provided. Finally, the classic Henry-Hilleke problem is solved with the new code.
Efficient digest of high-throughput sequencing data in a reproducible report

High-throughput sequencing (HTS) technologies are spearheading the accelerated development of biomedical research. Processing and summarizing the large amount of data generated by HTS presents a non-trivial challenge to bioinformatics. A commonly adopted standard is to store sequencing reads aligned to a reference genome in SAM (Sequence Alignment/Map) or BAM (Binary Alignment/Map) files. Quality control of SAM/BAM files is a critical checkpoint before downstream analysis. The goal of the current project is to facilitate and standardize this process.
Boundary-layer analysis of a spiral wave core: Spiral core radius and conditions for the tip separation from the core boundary

The size of a spiral core is predicted on the basis of a boundary-layer analysis of a spiral tip in the nonkinematic limit. Dependencies of a spiral core radius on medium parameters are found analytically and numerically for two models of excitable media. It is shown that the core radius is determined by the conditions for the tip separation from a core boundary. It is found that a core radius depends on all currents that are active during a wave front formation associated with the diffusion fluxes coupling neighboring elements of excitable media. Varying currents that activated only after wave front formation do not result in a significant altering of a spiral core radius. @S1063-651X~97!51010-5# PACS number~s!: 47.32.Cc, 42.15.Dp, 82.40.2g
Budding Capability of the Influenza Virus Neuraminidase Can Be Modulated by Tetherin

We have determined that, in addition to its receptor-destroying activity, the influenza virus neuraminidase is capable of efficiently forming virus-like particles (VLPs) when expressed individually from plasmid DNA. This observation applies to both human subtypes of neuraminidase, N1 and N2. However, it is not found with every strain of influenza virus. Through gain-of-function and loss-of-function analyses, a critical determinant within the neuraminidase ectodomain was identified that contributes to VLP formation but is not sufficient to accomplish release of plasmid-derived VLPs. This sequence lies on the plasma membrane-proximal side of the neuraminidase globular head. Most importantly, we demonstrate that the antiviral restriction factor tetherin plays a role in determining the strain-specific limitations of release competency. If tetherin is counteracted by small interfering RNA knockdown or expression of the HIV anti-tetherin factor vpu, budding and release capability is bestowed upon an otherwise budding-deficient neuraminidase. These data suggest that budding-competent neuraminidase proteins possess an as-yet-unidentified means of counteracting the antiviral restriction factor tetherin and identify a novel way in which the influenza virus neuraminidase can contribute to virus release.
En Route to a Plant Scale Synthesis of the Promising Antitumor Agent 12,13-Desoxyepothilone B

Efficient and processable syntheses of key building blocks of the antitumor agent 12,13-desoxyepothilone B (dEpoB) by catalytic asymmetric induction are herein described.
Residues within the first subdomain of the FERM-like domain in focal adhesion kinase are important in its regulation.

We have previously described regulation of focal adhesion kinase (FAK) by its amino-terminal FERM-like domain through an autoinhibitory interaction with its kinase domain (Cooper, L. A., Shen, T. L., and Guan, J. L. (2003) Mol. Cell. Biol. 23, 8030–8041). Here we show that the first two subdomains of the FERM-like domain are independently capable of inhibiting phosphorylation of FAK in trans. We characterized several point mutations within the first subdomain of the FERM-like domain and find that mutation of Lys-38 to alanine results in a FAK mutant that is strongly hyperphosphorylated when expressed in mammalian cells, and promotes increased phosphorylation of the FAK substrate paxillin. A second mutation of Lys-78 to alanine results in a FAK mutant that is underphosphorylated, but can be activated by extracellular matrix stimuli. Like deletion of the amino terminus itself the K38A mutation is phosphorylated in suspension. The Δ375 truncation mutant of FAK is strongly phosphorylated both when Tyr-397 is mutated to phenylalanine, and in the presence of the Src inhibitor, PP2, suggesting that removal of the amino terminus can render FAK Src independent. This is in contrast to the K38A mutant that is not phosphorylated in the Y397F background, and which shows decreased phosphorylation in the presence of the Src inhibitor PP2, suggesting that regulation of FAK by Src is a secondary step in its activation. The K38A mutation weakens the interaction between the amino terminus of FAK and its own kinase domain, and disrupts the ability of the amino terminus to inhibit the phosphorylation of FAK in trans. The K38A mutation of FAK also increases the ability of FAK to promote cell cycle progression and cell migration, suggesting that hyperphosphorylation of this mutant can positively affect FAK function in cells. Together, these data strongly suggest a role for the first FAK subdomain of the FERM domain in its normal regulation and function in the cell.
The Human TRIM5α Restriction Factor Mediates Accelerated Uncoating of the N-Tropic Murine Leukemia Virus Capsid

The host cell factors TRIM5αhu and Fv-1 restrict N-tropic murine leukemia virus (N-MLV) infection at an early postentry step before or after reverse transcription, respectively. Interestingly, the identity of residue 110 of the MLV capsid determines susceptibility to both TRIM5αhu and Fv-1. In this study, we investigate the fate of the MLV capsid in cells expressing either the TRIM5αhu or Fv-1 restriction factor. The expression of TRIM5αhu, but not Fv-1, specifically promoted the premature conversion of particulate N-MLV capsids within infected cells to soluble capsid proteins. The TRIM5αhu-mediated disassembly of particulate N-MLV capsids was dependent upon residue 110 of the viral capsid. Furthermore, the deletion or disruption of TRIM5αhu domains necessary for potent N-MLV restriction completely abrogated the disappearance of particulate N-MLV capsids observed with wild-type TRIM5αhu. These results suggest that premature disassembly of the viral capsid contributes to the restriction of N-MLV infection by TRIM5αhu, but not by Fv-1.
Matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) imaging mass spectrometry (IMS): peering into the cup of Jamshid

The complex process underlying the development of blood-induced joint disease remains mysterious. Novel technologies such as matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) imaging mass spectrometry (IMS) to examine protein signatures may provide clues into the process.
Latest developments in resonantly diode-pumped Er:YAG lasers

Significant performance improvement of the Er(0.5%):YAG diode pumped solid state laser (DPSSL) has been achieved by pump diode spectral narrowing via implementation of an external volumetric Bragg grating (VBG). Without spectral narrowing, with a pump path length of 15 mm, only 37% of 1532 nm pump was absorbed. After the VBG spectral narrowing, the absorption of the pumping radiation increased to 62 - 70%. As a result, the incident power threshold was reduced by a factor of 2.5, and the efficiency increased by a factor of 1.7, resulting in a slope efficiency of ~23 - 30%. A maximum of 51 W of CW power was obtained versus 31 W without the pump spectrum narrowing. More than 180 mJ QCW pulse output energy was obtained in a stable-unstable resonator configuration with a beam quality of M 2 = 1.3 in the stable direction and M 2 = 1.1 in the unstable direction. The measured slope efficiency was 0.138 J/J with a threshold energy of 0.91 J.
Modeling Filled Pauses in Medical Dictations

Filled pauses are characteristic of spontaneous speech and can present considerable problems for speech recognition by being often recognized as short words. An um can be recognized as thumb or arm if the recognizer's language model does not adequately represent FP's. Recognition of quasi-spontaneous speech (medical dictation) is subject to this problem as well. Results from medical dictations by 21 family practice physicians show that using an FP model trained on the corpus populated with FP's produces overall better result than a model trained on a corpus that excluded FP's or a corpus that had random FP's.
Laser Eye Protectors

Almost since the first laser was developed it has been known that laser eye protection has been necessary. Our eyes, because of their unique ability to focus light, are the most susceptible part of the human body to laser radiation. Protecting our eyes from laser light would be very easy if we did not need to see through the protection. A piece of metal or wood would perform just fine. But since we are required to perform tasks that require the use of our eyes, developing useful laser eye protectors can be a very complicated exercise.
A 47 Million Pixel High-Performance Interline CCD Image Sensor

A 47-million-pixel (47Mp) interline charge-coupled-device (CCD) image sensor, the world’s highest resolution interline-transfer CCD, has been developed for industrial, machine vision, and aerial photography applications. The sensor features a 5.5- $\mu \text{m}$ pixel, 16-output low-noise amplifier and a low-smear, fast-dump gate, horizontal lateral overflow drain, and ON-chip temperature sensor. One challenge to manufacture this large sensor is stitching the sensor with different lithography tools, while still achieving equal or better image performance than its predecessor.
Impact of property rights in human capital on regional factor proportions

Although the case for treating human capital as a productive factor is clear, its introduction presents complications since ownership of (or property rights in) human capital cannot be separated from the ownership of (or property rights in) labor itself. Consider a two-region economy. When labor moves in response to economic differentials, human capital also moves. This may have the effect of necessitating a revision in the standard theoretical conclusion that with more than two factors of production, factor rewards and factor proportions will be equalized between the regions. This theoretical model demonstrates that an equilibrium will be achieved in which both the capital/labor ratios and the quantity of investment per worker in human capital differ from one another by precisely the amount necessary to produce the same return to capital in both regions as well as an equalization of the total wage rates which represent the combined return to both labor and human capital
Regional Contrasts in Consumers’ Attitudes and Behavior Following the BP Oil Spill:

In this paper, we examine how consumers’ reactions to the British Petrolium (BP) oil spill and their attitudes about the Gulf of Mexico as a tourism destination differ as a function of the respondents’ geographic location of residence and their past travel behavior. A survey conducted with 540 travelers and tourists, which began three weeks following the successful capping of the oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico, reveals that consumers’ reactions to the oil spill varied by geographic location and past travel behavior. In particular, consumers from the southeast region, when compared with the three other geographic regions we sampled, had more negative views regarding the oil spill on a number of dependent measures. We also found that individuals who traveled to Florida in the two years prior to the oil spill reported higher perceptions of environmental risk than those individuals who had not traveled to Florida during that same time frame.
Douglas-fir displays a range of growth responses to temperature, water, and Swiss needle cast in western Oregon, USA

Abstract Douglas-fir ( Pseudotsuga menziesii var. menziesii (Mirb.) Franco) growth in the Pacific Northwest is affected by climatic, edaphic factors and Swiss needle cast (SNC) disease. We examine Douglas-fir growth responses to temperature, dewpoint deficit (DPD), soil moisture, and SNC using time series intervention analysis of intra-annual tree-ring width data collected at nine forest stands in western Oregon, USA. Air temperature, previous-year DPD and SNC and their interactions were the primary factors influencing tree growth at all sites, whereas other key seasonal climatic factors limiting growth varied by site. Winter temperature was more important at high elevation cool sites, whereas summer temperature was more important at warm and dry sites. Growth rate increased with summer temperature to an optimum ( T opt ) then decreased at higher temperatures. At drier sites, temperature and water affected growth interactively such that T opt decreased with decreasing summer soil moisture. With increasing temperature due to climate change, growth rates increased at high elevation sites and declined at mid-elevation inland sites since ∼1990. Growth response to climate and SNC are confounded at all sites. We conclude that as temperature rises and precipitation patterns shift toward wetter winters and drier summers, Douglas-fir will experience greater temperature and water stress and an increase in severity of SNC.
A single EBUS-TBNA procedure can support a large panel of immunohistochemical stains, specific diagnostic subtyping, and multiple gene analyses in the majority of non–small cell lung cancer cases

Targeted therapies for pulmonary adenocarcinoma (ACA) necessitate specific subtyping and molecular testing of non-small cell lung carcinomas (NSCLC). However, endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA) has decreased the tissue available for these assessments. While EBUS-TBNA specimens have previously been reported to successfully subtype NSCLC, allow immunohistochemistry (IHC), and support molecular diagnostics, no studies have documented the extent to which all objectives are possible in a single sample. Of 107 consecutive EBUS-TBNA specimens that were eligible for molecular testing, 98.8% had enough tissue for IHC, 80.2% received a definitive subtype, and 71.0% had both sufficient tissue to attempt molecular testing and technical success on multigene next-generation sequencing and ALK fluorescence in situ hybridization assays. Both subtyping and molecular diagnostics were possible in 57.9% of patients. The mean number of immunostains performed did not differ between patients with or without successful molecular testing (4.4 versus 4.6, P = .88). Only 40% of patients with insufficient tissue underwent repeat sampling. These findings indicate that a majority of EBUS-TBNA specimens provide sufficient tissue for subtyping pulmonary NSCLC, performing IHC, and completing multiple gene analyses. Although priorities must be assessed for each case individually, performance of IHC does not detract from completion of molecular diagnostics in general. Because most patients never undergo repeat sampling, the tissue yield of EBUS-TBNA should be improved to maximize evaluation for targeted therapies.
Using a Naturalistic Sport Context to Train Social Skills in Children

ABSTRACTResearchers have utilized sports activities to deliver social skills training (SST) programs to children. Using a multiple-baseline across behaviors design, we examined whether a brief SST program delivered during a soccer camp would increase social skills and athletic competencies. Each participant’s self-concept, and his interest in soccer were evaluated. Results suggest that the SST procedure effectively increased targeted social skills. Further, participants reported increased interest in soccer and higher overall self-concept. Our results suggest that similar effects can be achieved in a relatively short, but intense, camp that utilizes SST and sports-skill training components. Limitations and implications are discussed.
Fueling for contingencies: The hidden cost of unpredictability in the air transportation system

Abstract The aviation community is increasing its attention on the concept of predictability when conducting aviation service quality assessments. Reduced fuel consumption and the related cost is one of the various benefits that could be achieved through improved flight predictability. A lack of predictability may cause airline dispatchers to load more fuel onto aircraft before they depart; the flights would then in turn consume extra fuel just to carry excess fuel loaded. In this study, we employ a large dataset with flight-level fuel loading and consumption information from a major US airline. With these data, we estimate the relationship between the amount of loaded fuel and flight predictability performance using a statistical model. The impact of loaded fuel is translated into fuel consumption and, ultimately, fuel cost and environmental impact for US domestic operations. We find that a one-minute increase in the standard deviation of airborne time leads to a 0.88 min increase in loaded contingency fuel and 1.66 min in loaded contingency and alternate fuel. If there were no unpredictability in the aviation system, captured in our model by eliminating standard deviation in flight time, the reduction in the loaded fuel would between 6.12 and 11.28 min per flight. Given a range of fuel prices, this ultimately would translate into cost savings for US domestic airlines on the order of $120–$452 million per year.
SS-OCT Imaging and Optical Property Mapping for Intro-operative Guidance of Brain Tumor Surgery

This study uses OCT and optical property mapping to detect brain tumors in vivo in mice bearing human glioblastoma and in fresh ex vivo brain tissues from 32 patients with high sensitivity and specificity.
Cancer and Fertility Program Improves Patient Satisfaction With Information Received

PurposeA cancer and fertility program was established at a large cancer center to support clinicians in discussing treatment-related fertility risks and fertility preservation (FP) options with patients and in referring patients to reproductive specialists. The program provides resources, clinician education, and fertility clinical nurse specialist consultation. This study evaluated the program’s impact on patient satisfaction with information received.Patients and MethodsRetrospective cross-sectional surveys assessed satisfaction before (cohort 1 [C1]) and after (cohort 2 [C2]) program initiation. Questionnaires were investigator-designed, gender-specific, and anonymous.ResultsMost C1 (150 males, 271 females) and C2 (120 males, 320 females) respondents were 2 years postdiagnosis; the most frequently reported cancers were testicular, breast, and lymphoma. A significant difference in satisfaction with the amount of information received was seen between C1 and C2. For males, satisfaction with information on...