cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Leveraging Augmented Reality to Create Apps for People with Visual Disabilities: A Case Study in Indoor Navigation

The introduction of augmented reality technology to iOS and Android enables, for the first time, mainstream smartphones to estimate their own motion in 3D space with high accuracy. For assistive technology researchers, this development presents a potential opportunity. In this spirit, we present our work leveraging these technologies to create a smartphone app to empower people who are visually impaired to more easily navigate indoor environments. Our app, Clew, allows users to record routes and then load them, at any time, providing automatic guidance (using haptic, speech, and sound feedback) along the route. We present our user-centered design process, Clew's system architecture and technical details, and both small and large-scale evaluations of the app. We discuss opportunities, pitfalls, and design guidelines for utilizing augmented reality for orientation and mobility apps. Our work expands the capabilities of technology for orientation and mobility that can be distributed on a mass scale.
Physician race and specialty influence Press Ganey survey results.

BACKGROUND The Press Ganey survey is widely used to evaluate physician and institution quality and performance, with some institutions making their survey results publicly available. However, given its subjective nature, the survey results may be subject to bias regarding physician characteristics, such as race, sex, and specialty, that are unrelated to competence. The goal of this study was to determine if and what physician characteristics influence Press Ganey results. METHODS In this study, publicly-available information on sex, race, specialty, and Press Ganey results for all physicians with a photograph and a Press Ganey rating at two institutions was collected in June 2018 and compared for difference. RESULTS The average Press Ganey rating for the 678 physicians included in the study was 4.73 out of 5. Female physicians had fewer negative comments (0.49 female vs. 0.67 male, p = 0.04) and there was no difference in positive comments or ratings. White physicians had higher ratings (4.74 white vs. 4.71 non-white, p = 0.01), greater number of positive comments (12.3 vs. 10.0, p = 0.008), and fewer negative comments (0.55 vs. 0.80, p = 0.03). Paediatric physicians had lower ratings (4.66 paediatric vs. 4.75 adult, p < 0.001) and fewer positive comments (9.07 paediatric vs. 12.21 adult, p = 0.004). CONCLUSIONS These results suggest that physician race and specialty choice impact Press Ganey results. Given that neither race nor specialty influence physician competence, this data suggests that the Press Ganey survey is a biased measure of physician quality and should not be used to evaluate physician skill or ability.
Nucleic Acid Analysis: Principles and Bioapplications. Charles A. Dangler. New York: Wiley, 1996, 284 pp. Hardback $89.95. ISBN 0-471-10358-6.

This multiauthor work consists of 10 chapters. The first three review the basic principles of nucleic acid hybridization, probe generation, and probe labeling; the remaining chapters review applications of these techniques in genetic screening, forensics, infectious diseases, human medicine, and food and environmental sciences. The first chapter provides an excellent discussion of the principles of nucleic acid hybridization, both in solutions and on membranes, and the influence of experimental conditions on hybridization. This discussion flows smoothly into the chapters on probe generation and probe labeling techniques. For newcomers to this field, these three chapters provide an introduction to the terminology and concepts of nucleic acid detection schemes. A more complete discussion of the PCR and the factors that influence amplification of nucleic acids by …
Chapter 38 – Carbohydrate Digestion

: Monosaccharides do not require intestinal digestion prior to absorption. Salivary a-amylase and pancreatic a-amylase are similar enzymes. Members of the amylase family of enzymes are found in many tissues and organs of the body, however the highest concentrations are in the salivary glands and pancreas. Disaccharides cannot be absorbed (intact) by the intestine. Intestinal glucose and galactose absorption is Na+-dependent, yet insulin-independent. Intestinal fructose absorption is normally slower than glucose and galactose absorption. Most intestinal glucose absorption is associated with aerobic energy expenditure. A b-glucosidase and a b-galactosidase are present in the brush border of the small intestine, which hydrolyze glucose and galactose residues from glucocerebrosides and galactocerebrosides.
Effect of Ferric Citrate versus Ferrous Sulfate on Iron and Phosphate Parameters in Patients with Iron Deficiency and CKD: A Randomized Trial.

Background and objectives Ferric citrate is an oral medication approved for treatment of iron deficiency anemia in patients with CKD not requiring dialysis. The relative efficacy of ferric citrate versus ferrous sulfate in treating iron deficiency in patients with CKD is unclear. Design, setting, participants, & measurements We randomized 60 adults with moderate to severe CKD (eGFR 15–45 ml/min per 1.73 m2) and iron deficiency (transferrin saturation [TSAT] ≤30% and ferritin ≤300 ng/ml) to ferric citrate (2 g three times a day with meals, n=30) or ferrous sulfate (325 mg three times a day, n=30) for 12 weeks. Primary outcomes were change in TSAT and ferritin from baseline to 12 weeks. Secondary outcomes were change in hemoglobin, fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23), and hepcidin. Results Baseline characteristics were well balanced between study arms. There was a greater increase in TSAT (between-group difference in mean change, 8%; 95% confidence interval [95% CI], 1 to 15; P=0.02) and ferritin (between-group difference in mean change, 37 ng/ml; 95% CI, 10 to 64; P=0.009) from baseline to 12 weeks in participants randomized to ferric citrate as compared with ferrous sulfate. Similarly, as compared with ferrous sulfate, treatment with ferric citrate resulted in a greater increase in hepcidin from baseline to 12 weeks (between-group difference, 69 pg/ml; 95% CI, 8 to 130). There were no between-group differences in mean change for hemoglobin (0.3 g/dl; 95% CI, −0.2 to 0.8), intact FGF23 (−29 pg/ml; 95% CI, −59 to 0.1), or C-terminal FGF23 (61 RU/ml; 95% CI, −181 to 58). The incidence of adverse events did not differ between treatment arms. Conclusions As compared with ferrous sulfate, treatment with ferric citrate for 12 weeks resulted in a greater mean increase in TSAT and ferritin concentrations in individuals with moderate to severe CKD and iron deficiency. Clinical Trial registry name and registration number Impact of Ferric Citrate vs Ferrous Sulfate on Iron Parameters and Hemoglobin in Individuals With Moderate to Severe Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) With Iron Deficiency, NCT02888171.
Association Between Exposure to Hurricane Irma and Mortality and Hospitalization in Florida Nursing Home Residents.

Importance: Nursing home residents are at heightened risk for morbidity and mortality following an exposure to a disaster such as a hurricane or the COVID19 pandemic. Previous research has shown that nursing home resident mortality related to disasters is frequently underreported. There is a need to better understand the consequences of disasters on nursing home residents and to differentiate vulnerability based on patient characteristics. Objective: To evaluate mortality and morbidity associated with exposure to Hurricane Irma, a Category 4 storm that made landfall on September 10, 2017, in Cudjoe Key, Florida, among short-stay (<90-day residence) and long-stay (≥90-day residence) residents of nursing homes. Design, Setting, and Participants: Cohort study of Florida nursing home residents comparing residents exposed to Hurricane Irma in September 2017 to a control group of residents residing at the same nursing homes over the same time period in calendar year 2015. Data were analyzed from August 28, 2019, to July 22, 2020. Exposure: Residents who experienced Hurricane Irma were considered exposed; those who did not were considered unexposed. Main Outcome and Measures: Outcome variables included 30-day and 90-day mortality and first hospitalizations after the storm in both the short term and the long term. Results: A total of 61â¯564 residents who were present in 640 Florida nursing home facilities on September 7, 2017, were identified. A comparison cohort of 61â¯813 residents was evaluated in 2015. Both cohorts were mostly female (2015, 68%; 2017, 67%), mostly White (2015, 79%; 2017, 78%), and approximately 40% of the residents in each group were over the age of 85 years. Compared with the control group in 2015, an additional 262 more nursing home deaths were identified at 30 days and 433 more deaths at 90 days. The odds of a first hospitalization for those exposed (vs nonexposed) were 1.09 (95% CI, 1.05-1.13) within the first 30 days after the storm and 1.05 (95% CI, 1.02-1.08) at 90 days; the odds of mortality were 1.12 (95% CI, 1.05-1.18) at 30 days and 1.07 (95% CI, 1.03-1.11) at 90 days. Among long-stay residents, the odds of mortality for those exposed to Hurricane Irma were 1.18 (95% CI, 1.08-1.29) times those unexposed and the odds of hospitalization were 1.11 (95% CI, 1.04-1.18) times those unexposed in the post 30-day period. Conclusions and Relevance: The findings of this study suggest that nursing home residents are at considerable risk to the consequences of disasters. These risks may be underreported by state and federal agencies. Long-stay residents, those who have resided in a nursing home for 90 days or more, may be most vulnerable to the consequences of hurricane disasters.
On the Solution of Several First Passage Problems in Nonlinear Stochastic Dynamics

The first passage problem in random vibration has been successfully solved for a wide range of single degree of freedom nonlinear systems subjected to both parametric and external broad band excitations. The solution method is numerical and has been shown to be both accurate and efficient. Two example problems are given and discussed. The first is a parametrically excited Duffing oscillator obtained from the single mode expansion of a pin-ended beam-column subjected to simultaneous wide-band axial and transverse loading and undergoing large transverse displacement. The second is a simple oscillator incorporating the Bouc-Wen model for hysteretic behavior.
England and the 1641 Irish Rebellion

The 1641 Irish Rebellion has long been recognized as a key event in the mid-17th century collapse of the Stuart monarchy. By 1641, many in England had grown restive under the weight of intertwined religious, political and economic crises. To these audiences, the Irish rising seemed a realization of England's worst fears: a war of religious extermination supported by European papists, whose ambitions extended across the Irish Sea. England and the 1641 Irish Rebellion explores the consequences of this emergency by focusing on survivors of the rising in local, national and regional contexts. In Ireland, the experiences of survivors reflected the complexities of life in multiethnic and religiously-diverse communities. In England, by contrast, pamphleteers, ministers, and members of parliament simplified the issues, presenting the survivors as victims of an international Catholic conspiracy and asserting English subjects' obligations to their countrymen and coreligionists. These obligations led to the creation of relief projects for despoiled Protestant settlers, but quickly expanded into sweeping calls for action against recusants and suspected popish agents in England. England and the 1641 Irish Rebellion contends that the mobilization of this local activism played an integral role in politicizing the English people and escalating the political crisis of the 1640s. JOSEPH COPE is Associate Professor at the State University of New York at Geneseo.
A high throughput optical method for studying compositional effects in electrocatalysts for CO2 reduction

In the problem of electrochemical CO2 reduction, the discovery of earth-abundant, efficient, and selective catalysts is essential to enabling technology that can contribute to a carbon-neutral energy cycle. In this study, we adapt an optical high throughput screening method to study multi-metallic catalysts for CO2 electroreduction. We demonstrate the utility of the method by constructing catalytic activity maps of different alloyed elements and use X-ray scattering analysis by the atomic pair distribution function (PDF) method to gain insight into the structures of the most active compositions. Among combinations of four elements (Au, Ag, Cu, Zn), Au6Ag2Cu2 and Au4Zn3Cu3 were identified as the most active compositions in their respective ternaries. These ternary electrocatalysts were more active than any binary combination, and a ca. 5-fold increase in current density at potentials of −0.4 to −0.8 V vs. RHE was obtained for the best ternary catalysts relative to Au prepared by the same method. Tafel plots of electrochemical data for CO2 reduction and hydrogen evolution indicate that the ternary catalysts, despite their higher surface area, are poorer catalysts for the hydrogen evolution reaction than pure Au. This results in high Faradaic efficiency for CO2 reduction to CO. A high-throughput method is presented for the synthesis and testing of alloy electrocatalysts for gas phase CO2 electrolysis. Active ternary alloy catalysts were discovered and their structures characterized by X-ray pair distribution functional analysis.
Documenting Single-Generation Range Shifts of Periodical Cicada Brood VI (Hemiptera: Cicadidae: Magicicada spp.)

Historically, most North American periodical cicada (Hemiptera: Cicadidae: Magicicada spp. Davis 1925) distribution records have been mapped at county-level resolution. In recent decades, Magicicada brood distributions and especially edges have been mapped at a higher resolution, aided by the use of GIS technology after 2000. Brood VI of the 17-yr cicadas emerged in 2000 and 2017 and is the first for which detailed mapping has been completed in consecutive generations. Overlaying the records from the two generations suggests that in some places, Brood VI expanded its range slightly between 2000 and 2017, although the measured changes are close to the lower limit of detectability given the methods used. Even so, no simple alternative to range expansion easily accounts for these observations. We also bolster Alexander and Moore's assertion that M. cassini does not occur in Brood VI.
Continuous production of PVA-based hydrogel nanoparticles by membrane nanoprecipitation

Abstract The use of membranes as dispersing tools opens new development perspectives to the traditional nanoprecipitation technique by overcoming one of its major limitations, related to its exclusive use in batch processes and for small scale formulations. In this work the suitability of membrane nanoprecipitation for the formulation of uniform hydrogel nanoparticles (H-NPs) based on polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) in a continuous process has been demonstrated. This is a challenging formulation even for the traditional nanoprecipitation process, which has been well studied mainly for polymers of a hydrophobic nature. A systematic study of the phase composition and operating conditions of membrane nanoprecipitation allowed us to clarify the influence of the components involved in PVA nanoprecipitation promoted by non-solvent-induced phase separation and to identify the conditions to ensure the continuous production of uniform PVA hydrogel NPs. The size of PVA-H-NPs was tailored by tuning the solvent, non-solvent (dispersing medium), PVA concentration and volumetric ratio between solvent and non-solvent. The use of a porous membrane to assist nanoprecipitation in the batch allowed us to demonstrate that nanoprecipitation was not influenced by flux through the membrane or wall shear stress, but mainly by the solvent/non-solvent volumetric ratio. The obtained knowledge permitted to set up the membrane system for the continuous preparation of PVA-H-NPs, which was carried out in single-pass cross-flow mode. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first preparation of PVA-H-NPs in a continuous membrane nanoprecipitation process. Compared to batch nanoprecipitation, an order of magnitude higher mass productivity was achieved.
Combining Diverse Feature Priors.

To improve model generalization, model designers often restrict the features that their models use, either implicitly or explicitly. In this work, we explore the design space of leveraging such feature priors by viewing them as distinct perspectives on the data. Specifically, we find that models trained with diverse sets of feature priors have less overlapping failure modes, and can thus be combined more effectively. Moreover, we demonstrate that jointly training such models on additional (unlabeled) data allows them to correct each other's mistakes, which, in turn, leads to better generalization and resilience to spurious correlations. Code available at https://github.com/MadryLab/copriors.
Is a Non Zero “LOWER” Order Graviton Mass Derivable in Brane Theory Settings and Kaluza Klein Graviton Models?

The lowest order mass for a KK graviton, as a non zero product of two branes interacting via a situation similar to Steinhardt’s ekpyrotic universe is obtained, as to an alternative to the present dogma specifying that gravitons must be massless. The relative positions as to the branes gives a dynamical picture as to how lowest order KK gravitons could be affected by contraction and then subsequent expansion. And the solution picked is for with a non zero lowest order mass for a KK graviton permits modeling of gravitons via a dynamical Casmir effect which we generalize using Durrer’s 2007 work. Anti-de-Sitter braneworld.construction is what is used to model the Casmir effect. This analysis is taken in AdS5 geometry while assuming that blue spectrum treatment of gravitons no longer holds.
Three-nucleon interaction in nuclei, nuclear and neutron matter

We review the effect of three-nucleon interactions on nuclei, nuclear and neutron matter, and neutron stars. There are three pairs and only one triplet in the three-nucleon system, while there are six pairs and four triplets in the four-nucleon system. Such general considerations suggest that three-nucleon interactions may have a relatively larger contribution in systems that have a large number of nucleons at high density. We review the results obtained with realistic two-nucleon interactions, and show that these underbind light nuclei, and give too large an equilibrium density for nuclear matter. A realistic model of the three-nucleon interaction, having an attractive two-pion exchange part and a repulsive shorter-ranged part is used. Its strengths are determined by fitting binding energies of light nuclei and empirical properties of nuclear matter. It is shown that the three-nucleon interaction makes the equation of state of nuclear and neutron matter stiff at high densities, and that this effect has measureable consequences in heavy-ion reactions and astrophysics.
A Robust Lagrange-Multiplier Test for Spatial Autoregression Versus (Unobserved) Spatially Correlated Shocks

One of the central challenges to inference in the context of potentially interdependent observations, known as Galton's Problem, is the difficulty distinguishing spatially correlated observations due to observed units exposure to spatially correlated shocks from spatial correlation in outcomes due to contagion (spillovers) between units. The applied researcher's first, and to date only, defense against confusing these substantively importantly different processes empirically has been to control as best possible with observable regressors and/or fixed effects for correlated-shocks processes when estimating contagion (spatial-autoregression). While specifying empirical models & measures as precisely and powerfully as possible remains as always optimal practice, these extant strategies cannot guard fully against the possibility of exposure to 'unobserved' exogenous shocks that are distributed spatially in manner not fully common to some set of units (fixed effects) or fully controlled by observable exogenous factors (control variables), but rather distributed across units more similarly to the pattern by which the outcome is contagious. Following the robust Lagrange-multiplier test strategy of Anselin, Bera, Florax, & Yoon (1996), which offered tests of spatial-autoregressive lag or of error against independence, robust to the presence of the other autoregressive process, we derive and evaluate the performance of a robust Lagrange-multiplier test for spatial-autoregression (contagion) against independence, which is robust to the presence of unobserved (uncontrolled/unmodeled) correlated-shocks distributed across units identically to the pattern of contagion (along with the symmetric robust test for spatially correlated shocks robust to autoregressive contagion). The test results are constructive and can be highly informative in offering direct & more-definitive answer than heretofore possible to the question posed by Galton's Problem, common shocks or contagion?.
IMa2p – parallel MCMC and inference of ancient demography under the Isolation with migration (IM) model

IMa2 and related programs are used to study the divergence of closely related species and of populations within species. These methods are based on the sampling of genealogies using MCMC, and they can proceed quite slowly for larger data sets. We describe a parallel implementation, called IMa2p, that provides a nearly linear increase in genealogy sampling rate with the number of processors in use. IMa2p is written in OpenMPI and C++, and scales well for demographic analyses of a large number of loci and populations, which are difficult to study using the serial version of the program.
Proliferating hybrid cells formed between rat spermatids and an established line of mouse fibroblasts.

Proliferating hybrids were formed between rat spermatids and LM(TK - )cl 1 D, an established line of mouse fibroblasts. Spermatids were obtained from dissociated rat seminiferous tubules by differential attachment of testicular somatic cells to culture plates, followed by gravity velocity sedimentation into linear Ficoll gradients. Cells were fused with the aid of Sendai virus and hybrid selection was facilitated by the inability of cl 1 D cells to grow in HAT medium and the inability of spermatids to attach or proliferate in vitro . Three types of cells grew in fusion plates: (1) unfused contaminant rat testicular somatic cells; (2) rat testicular cell x cl 1 D hybrids and (3) rat spermatid x cl 1 D hybrids. Unfused rat testicular somatic cells were morphologically and karyologically different from either type of hybrid. The 2 hybrid classes were distinguished by the total number of chromosomes and the number of parental chromosome markers. Rat chromosomes are preferentially eliminated from haploid as well as diploid hybrids and at least 3 rat enzymes (lactate dehydrogenase, glucose phosphate isomerase and an unknown oxidase) are synthesized in hybrid clones of both types. The implications of partial haploid hybrids for genetic analysis are briefly discussed.
Induced repair of genetic damage in Neurospora.

Repair of genetic damage in Neurospora has been studied using a procedure in which one strain is exposed to a potentially lethal dose of UV before being joined in a heterokaryon with an undamaged strain. We have monitored the ability of the second strain to rescue the first. The extent of rescue is greatly enhanced when the rescuing strain has itself received a small, nonlethal dose of UV, thus demonstrating an inducible repair system.—The experiment was modified by substituting X rays or nitrous acid for UV as either the damaging agent or the inducing agent. In every combination, induced rescue was observed.——Three repair-deficient mutants ( uvs-2, uvs-3 and uvs-6 ) were substituted for wild type ( uvs +) as the rescuing component to find out whether any of them lacked the inducible repair system. Both uvs-2 and uvs-6 demonstrated inducible repair; uvs-3 showed none, but gave a high level of repair without induction, suggesting that it is a regulation (derepressed) mutant of an inducible repair system.
Mammalian Mss51 is a skeletal muscle-specific gene modulating cellular metabolism.

Background: The transforming growth factor β (TGF-β) signaling pathways modulate skeletal muscle growth, regeneration, and cellular metabolism. Several recent gene expression studies have shown that inhibition of myostatin and TGF-β1 signaling consistently leads to a significant reduction in expression of Mss51, also named Zmynd17. The function of mammalian Mss51 is unknown although a putative homolog in yeast is a mitochondrial translational activator.
Branched-chain Amino Acid Metabolon INTERACTION OF GLUTAMATE DEHYDROGENASE WITH THE MITOCHONDRIAL BRANCHED-CHAIN AMINOTRANSFERASE (BCATm)

The catabolic pathway for branched-chain amino acids includes deamination followed by oxidative decarboxylation of the deaminated product branched-chain α-keto acids, catalyzed by the mitochondrial branched-chain aminotransferase (BCATm) and branched-chain α-keto acid dehydrogenase enzyme complex (BCKDC). We found that BCATm binds to the E1 decarboxylase of BCKDC, forming a metabolon that allows channeling of branched-chain α-keto acids from BCATm to E1. The protein complex also contains glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH1), 4-nitrophenylphosphatase domain and non-neuronal SNAP25-like protein homolog 1, pyruvate carboxylase, and BCKDC kinase. GDH1 binds to the pyridoxamine 5′-phosphate (PMP) form of BCATm (PMP-BCATm) but not to the pyridoxal 5′-phosphate-BCATm and other metabolon proteins. Leucine activates GDH1, and oxidative deamination of glutamate is increased further by addition of PMP-BCATm. Isoleucine and valine are not allosteric activators of GDH1, but in the presence of 5′-phosphate-BCATm, they convert BCATm to PMP-BCATm, stimulating GDH1 activity. Sensitivity to ADP activation of GDH1 was unaffected by PMP-BCATm; however, addition of a 3 or higher molar ratio of PMP-BCATm to GDH1 protected GDH1 from GTP inhibition by 50%. Kinetic results suggest that GDH1 facilitates regeneration of the form of BCATm that binds to E1 decarboxylase of the BCKDC, promotes metabolon formation, branched-chain amino acid oxidation, and cycling of nitrogen through glutamate.
Statistical analysis of stochastic multi-robot boundary coverage

We present a novel analytical approach to computing the population and geometric parameters of a multi-robot system that will provably produce specified boundary coverage statistics. We consider scenarios in which robots with no global position information, communication, or prior environmental data have arrived at uniformly random locations along a simple closed or open boundary. This type of scenario can arise in a variety of multi-robot tasks, including surveillance, collective transport, disaster response, and therapeutic and imaging applications in nanomedicine. We derive the probability that a given point robot configuration is saturated, meaning that all pairs of adjacent robots are no farther apart than a specified distance. This derivation relies on a geometric interpretation of the saturation probability and an application of the InclusionExclusion Principle, and it is easily extended to finite-sized robots. In the process, we obtain formulas for (a) an integral that is in general computationally expensive to compute directly, and (b) the volume of the intersection of a regular simplex with a hypercube. In addition, we use results from order statistics to compute the probability distributions of the robot positions along the boundary and the distances between adjacent robots. We validate our derivations of these probability distributions and the saturation probability using Monte Carlo simulations of scenarios with both point robots and finite-sized robots.
Addressing Challenges for Chemical Oceanography: Unknown Knowns and Known Unknowns: Chemical Oceanography in a Changing World; Savannah, Georgia, 22–24 February 2009

Rapid climate change in recent decades has resulted in significant shifts in ocean chemistry. A group of more than 80 chemical oceanographers from the United States and Europe met in Savannah, Ga., to consider the challenges facing the field in upcoming decades and to reflect on what studies and resources are needed to meet these challenges. The primary focus was on carbon and related nutrient cycling and the tools, such as biomarkers, used to investigate these processes. Over the course of 2 days, a series of provocative talks and spirited discussions highlighted several challenges facing chemical oceanographers.
Protective effects of sulfhydryl-containing angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors against free radical injury in endothelial cells.

The effects of SH-containing (captopril, epi-captopril, and the free-SH form of zofenopril) and non-SH-containing (enalaprilat and lisinopril) angiotension converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors on free radical injury in cultured endothelial cells were studied. When cultured endothelial cells were exposed to a Superoxide and hydroxyl radical generating system (dihydroxyfumarate + Fe3+-ADP) for 30 min, lipid peroxidation [malondialdehyde (MDA) formation] occurred, and cellular viability (trypan blue exclusion) decreased to 41%; concomitantly, plasma membrane blebbing, assessed by scanning electron microscopy, occurred in 65% of the cells. Preincubation of the cells with each of the SH-agents before free radical addition resulted in an equipotent concentration-dependent (10–200 μM) inhibition (15–60%) of MDA formation; both losses in cellular viability and percent blebbed cells were reduced significantly (P < 0.05) by concentrations as low as 10 μM of each SH-agent. However, neither of the non-SH agents up to 200 μM produced any major effect. When the effects on hydroxyl radical formation in the system were assessed by ESR spin-trapping with 5,5-dimethyl-1-pyrroline-N-oxide (DMPO), concentrations of 10 and 50 μM of the SH-agents reduced the intensity of the DMPO-OH adducts 20 and 50% respectively. Similar results were observed when the hydroxyl radical was generated from the Fenton-reagents (Fe2+ + H2O2), suggesting direct hydroxyl radical scavenging. Thus, these results demonstrate that the SH-containing ACE agents are capable of protecting the endothelial cells against free radical induced lipid peroxidation and cell injury; the mechanism may be due to direct hydroxyl radical scavenging.
Analytical Photo-Compton Deposition Profiles

A generally satisfactory agreement between the code QUICKE4 which uses an approximate analytical theory and the code SANDYL which uses the same physical input but relies on the more exact and more time-consuming Monte Carlo method is demonstrated. Some disagreements are noted, but at worst they are no greater than the discrepancies between different Monte Carlo codes independently constructed.
System theoretical investigation of human epidermal growth factor receptor-mediated signalling.

The partitioning of biological networks into coupled-functional modules is being increasingly applied for developing predictive models of biological systems. This approach has the advantage that predicting a system-level response does not require a mechanistic description of the internal dynamics of each module. Identification of the input–output characteristics of the network modules and the connectivity between the modules provide the necessary quantitative representation of system dynamics. However, the determination of the input–output relationships of the modules is not trivial; it requires the controlled perturbation of module inputs and systematic analysis of experimental data. In this report, the authors apply a system theoretical analysis approach to derive the time-dependent input–output relationships of the functional module for the human epidermal growth factor receptor (HER) mediated Erk and Akt signalling pathways. Using a library of cell lines expressing endogenous levels of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and varying levels of HER2, the authors show that a transfer function-based representation can be successfully applied to quantitatively characterise information transfer in this system. [Includes supplementary material]
Three-dimensional Structure of Straight and Curved Plane Wakes

Although the plane wake is marked by the formation of strong spanwise vortices, the initially two-dimensional Karman-like vortices soon develop a three-dimensional structure in the form of secondary streamwise vortices. So far, this streamwise vortex structure has been studied mostly through flow visualization and at relatively low Reynolds numbers. The primary objective of the present program was to investigate the origin and evolution of the three-dimensional structure of straight and curved plane wakes at relatively high Reynolds numbers (Re(sub b) = 28,000) through detailed measurements of the mean and turbulent properties at several streamwise locations. The experiments were conducted in three phases. In the first phase, the development of a straight plane wake was investigated. In the second phase, the effects of imposed streamwise curvature on the wake development were examined. The streamwise curvature was of constant radius and very mild in terms of the curvature ratio (b/(square root of R) is less than 2 percent). In both the first and second phases, the role of initial conditions was examined in wakes generated from both untripped (laminar) and tripped (turbulent) initial boundany layers. In the third phase, the effects of injecting streamwise vorticity and the effects of increased Reynolds number on the tripped wake structure and development were investigated.
A Tropical Shrimp in the Bay of Fundy (Decapoda, Palaemonidae)

A specimen of Leander tenuicornis (Say) (Decapoda, family Palaemonidae) was taken near the mouth of the Bay of Fundy on August 24, 1969. This is the first record of this species for the Bay of Fundy, and none have been reported from the Gulf of Maine proper. The specimen is an ovigerous female 29 millimeters total length, including the rostrum. Only a small portion of the original clutch of eggs still remained attached to the pleopods. It was caught in a large commercial type otter trawl fitted with fine-mesh netting operated from the research vessel "Albatross IV" during cruise 69-8, station number 239. This station is located at 44?34'N 66?29'W, which is about 15 km southeast of Grand Manan Island (New Brunswick), Canada. The preceding coordinates of latitude and longitude are given for the termination of the haul. Water depth during the towing period ranged from 163 to 201 m. Although the trawl was fished for 30 minutes on the sea bottom, the specimen is thought to have been caught at the surface while the trawl was being retrieved. Temperature of the surface water at this location was 13.8?C The usual habitat of L. tenuicornis in offshore waters is among floating gulfweed (Sargassum spp.). Along shore it occurs among various kinds of plants both at the surface and submerged, and around wharf pilings and other protected sites. The geographic range of this species was summarized by Williams (1965) as follows: "tropical and subtropical waters all over the world except for west coast of Americas; Newfoundland Banks to Falkland Islands in western Atlantic (Holt huis, 1952)". In the northwestern Atlantic it has been reported as common among gulfweed floating in the Gulf Stream (Smith, 1879; Kingsley, 1899; Verrill, 1885; Fowler, 1912; and others). My personal observations have further revealed that this shrimp occurs north of the Gulf Stream near the edge of the continental shelf off southern New England. A total of 23 specimens of L. tenuicornis were
Mode of parainfluenza virus transmission determines the dynamics of primary infection and protection from reinfection.

Little is known about how the mode of respiratory virus transmission determines the dynamics of primary infection and protection from reinfection. Using non-invasive imaging of murine parainfluenza virus 1 (Sendai virus) in living mice, we determined the frequency, timing, dynamics, and virulence of primary infection after contact and airborne transmission, as well as the tropism and magnitude of reinfection after subsequent challenge. Contact transmission of Sendai virus was 100% efficient, phenotypically uniform, initiated and grew to robust levels in the upper respiratory tract (URT), later spread to the lungs, grew to a lower level in the lungs than the URT, and protected from reinfection completely in the URT yet only partially in the lungs. Airborne transmission through 7.6-cm and 15.2-cm separations between donor and recipient mice was 86%–100% efficient. The dynamics of primary infection after airborne transmission varied between individual mice and included the following categories: (a) non-productive transmission, (b) tracheal dominant, (c) tracheal initiated yet respiratory disseminated, and (d) nasopharyngeal initiated yet respiratory disseminated. Any previous exposure to Sendai virus infection protected from mortality and severe morbidity after lethal challenge. Furthermore, a higher level of primary infection in a given respiratory tissue (nasopharynx, trachea, or lungs) was inversely correlated with the level of reinfection in that same tissue. Overall, the mode of transmission determined the dynamics and tropism of primary infection, which in turn governed the level of seroconversion and protection from reinfection. These data are the first description of the dynamics of respiratory virus infection and protection from reinfection throughout the respiratory tracts of living animals after airborne transmission. This work provides a basis for understanding parainfluenza virus transmission and protective immunity and for developing novel vaccines and non-pharmaceutical interventions.
Thymosin Beta 4 is overexpressed in human pancreatic cancer cells and stimulates proinflammatory cytokine secretion and JNK activation.

BACKGROUND. Thymosin beta 4 (Tβ4) has been shown to be associated with tumor metastasis and angiogenesis; however, its role in pancreatic cancer has not been understood. In the current study, we examined the expression of Tβ4 in pancreatic cancer cells, and determined the effect of exogenous Tβ4 on cytokine secretion, and signal transduction in human pancreatic cancer cells. METHODS. The mRNA levels of Tβ4 were determined by real-time RT PCR. Phosphorylation of JNK in pancreatic cancer cells was determined using Bio-Plex phosphoprotein assay. The expression of cytokines in human pancreatic cancer cell lines was determined with Bio-Plex cytokine assay. RESULTS. Pancreatic cancer cell lines expressed higher amount of Tβ4 mRNA than normal human pancreatic ductal epithelium (HPDE) cells. Exogenous Tβ4 increased the secretion of proinflammatory cytokines IL-6, IL-8 and MCP-1 in Panc-1 cells. In addition, Tβ4 activated Jun N-terminal Kinase (JNK) signaling pathways in pancreatic cancer cells. CONCLUSIONS. Tβ4 m...
A National Descriptive Portrait of Adolescent Relationship Abuse Results From the National Survey on Teen Relationships and Intimate Violence

This article reports results from the National Survey on Teen Relationships and Intimate Violence (STRiV) for 12- to 18-year-old youth (n = 1,804). STRiV provides the first nationally representative household survey focused on adolescent relationship abuse (ARA), covering perpetration and victimization. Among respondents (37%) reporting current- or past-year dating, 69% reported lifetime ARA victimization (63% lifetime ARA perpetration). Although psychological abuse was most common for these youth (more than 60%), the rates of sexual abuse (18%) and physical abuse victimization (18%), as well as 12% reporting perpetrating physical abuse and/or sexual abuse (12%) were substantial as well. Other than differences by age and gender, ARA rates were consistent by race/ethnicity, geographic region, urbanicity, and household characteristics, highlighting the importance of universal prevention programs. Compared with youth aged 15 to 18, those 12 to 14 years old reported lower rates of psychological and sexual ARA victimization. Similarly, we found lower ARA perpetration rates for those 12 to 14. We found no gender differences for ARA victimization but found that girls perpetrated more physical ARA than boys. Girls aged 15 to 18 reported perpetrating moderate threats/physical violence at more than twice the rate of younger girls and 3 times the rate compared with boys aged 15 to 18; girls aged 15 to 18 reported perpetrating more than 4 times the rate of serious psychological abuse than boys 15 to 18. Finally, these data document the significant positive correlation between ARA victimization and perpetration. Findings suggest that when working with youth in prevention services, interventions should not be designed for monolithic groups of "victims" or "perpetrators."
Event-driven sensor deployment using self-organizing maps

Coverage is an important optimization objective in pre and post-deployment stage of a Wireless Sensor Network (WSN). In this paper, we address the issue of placing a finite set of sensors to cover an area of arbitrary geometry. Unlike many existing works concerned with uniform coverage of a target area, we take into account the realistic consideration of the probability density for events to be sensed, termed as event-driven coverage. The objective is to distribute sensors so that the distribution density of the sensors matches that of the probability density of events to be sensed. The expected event distribution is assumed to be stationary and known a priori, directly or indirectly, in the form of sample maps. In this context we explore and evaluate the concept of Self-Organizing Maps (SOMs) and its derivative variants to address the coverage problem. Various forms of SOMs methods as well as the known methods of Virtual Fields are also compared via experimentation.
"Limits to Therapy and Counselling": Deconstructing a Professional Ideology.

Abstract The rapidity with which therapy, as discourse and as clinical—professional practice, has become established in contemporary culture is subjected to a searching deconstructive critique. Specifically, it is argued that therapy's pretensions to being a legitimate professional, clinical practice are not only highly questionable, but actually constitute a self-serving and ethically questionable ideology. The ‘scientific’ status of therapy as a modernist enterprise is argued to be fundamentally undermined by new-paradigm epistemologies. It is further argued that, in its professionalised, commodified form, therapy can become routinely and intrinsically abusive to the extent that it self—fulfillingly constructs a framework which then serves to guarantee its own legitimacy within a discursive ‘regime of truth’. Parker's important work on discourse and power is drawn upon to illustrate these radical arguments, and to make the case for an approach to therapy which is ongoingly and processually deconstructiv...
Replication of vaccinia DNA in mouse L cells IV. Protein synthesis and viral DNA replication

Abstract The requirement for protein synthesis during vaccinia DNA replication in mouse L cells was investigated. Within the first 30 min after reversal of a hydroxyurea (HU) block, viral DNA replication was not affected in cells treated with cycloheximide (100 μg/ml) to inhibit protein synthesis. During this period the intermediates in DNA replication detected, the rate of chain elongation, and the accumulation of crosslinked viral DNA molecules were all identical to those observed in vaccinia-infected cells not treated with cycloheximide. Thereafter, DNA replication, as measured by incorporation of [ 3 H]thymidine, was inhibited in cycloheximide-treated infected cells (>90%, 2 hr post-HU reversal). Inhibition of viral DNA synthesis was further demonstrated by the sparse appearance and failure of cytoplasmic viral factories to increase in size after HU reversal, when protein synthesis was inhibitied. Density labeling of replicating viral DNA molecules with bromodeoxyuridine and analysis of equilibrium density centrifugation in CsCl showed that hybrid moelcules (hl, ϱ = 1.77 g/ml) accumulated in cycloheximide-treated cells. The hybrid molecules were not converted to “heavy” viral DNA (hh, ϱ = 1.825 g/ml), as was observed to occur during viral DNA replication in cells continuously synthesizing protein. The results of these experiments showed that after an initial round of viral DNA replication was completed, new protein synthesis was required to initiate additional rounds of viral DNA replication. The dissociation of viral DNA molecules, synthesized after HU reversal, from cytoplasmic DNA complexes was inhibited by cycloheximide but not rifampin. Continuous protein synthesis, apparently to permit expression of a “late” viral function, not related to viral assembly is required for release of the newly replicated viral genomes from complexes.
Continuing robotically? The completion of a robot-assisted radical prostatectomy after laparotomy.

Abstract The laparoscopic management of difficult adhesions can be quite challenging for even the most experienced of laparoscopic surgeons. We describe a case of managing a suspected enterotomy with a laparotomy during a robot-assisted radical prostatectomy and the surgical options after repair. The case was complicated by a Meckel's diverticulum fused and continuous with a urachal cyst, itself a rare occurrence. After the excision of the Meckel's diverticulum–urachal complex, the laparotomy incision was closed, and the prostatectomy was performed robotically. We discuss the controversies regarding continuation of a planned robotic procedure after a midline laparotomy.
It's elementary: Enhancing Fe3+ reduction improves rice yields

Most of the world relies on plants as their dietary source of iron (1, 2). Unfortunately, plants are not a good source of this essential nutrient for two reasons: iron deficiency often limits plant growth, and the iron that accumulates in plants is not readily available. The first problem stems not from the abundance of iron in soil but rather from its solubility, with pH and oxygen controlling the amount of free iron found in solution. When faced with an iron shortage, plants either use a reduction strategy (strategy I) and take up Fe2+ or use a chelation strategy (strategy II) and take up Fe3+ (Fig. 1). However, not all plants are proficient at mounting these iron-deficiency responses. Rice, one of the world's most important food crops, is much more susceptible to iron deficiency than other grasses, presumably because it releases low quantities of phytosiderophores that act as Fe3+ chelators (3). Although rice plants are also capable of taking up Fe2+ (4), rice does not have an inducible ferric chelate reductase activity, as do plants that use the reduction strategy to generate Fe2+ from the more abundant Fe3+ found in aerobic soils. In this issue of PNAS, Ishimaru et al. (5) ask whether introducing this activity into rice would improve its iron uptake ability. They report an impressive 7.9-fold increase in grain yield for transgenic rice plants engineered to express a ferric chelate reductase when these plants are grown in calcareous soil. Importantly, the ferric chelate reductase that they introduced had been selected for better performance at high pH because the native enzyme has an acidic pH optimum (6). Because one-third of the world's soils are alkaline, the results presented here could have a major impact on rice production, allowing rice to grow in soils now considered marginal and increasing crop biomass in soils now in cultivation. Furthermore, all plants, except the grasses, use the reduction strategy to mobilize iron from the rhizosphere, and ferric chelate reductase activity has been shown to be the rate-limiting step for iron uptake (7). Thus, all plants would benefit from increased expression of a ferric chelate reductase that functions better at alkaline pH.