cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Anisotropy parameters of superconducting MgB2

Abstract Data on macroscopic superconducting anisotropy of MgB2 are reviewed. The data are described within a weak coupling two-gaps anisotropic s-wave model of superconductivity. The calculated ratio of the upper critical fields γH=Hc2,ab/Hc2,c increases with decreasing temperature in agreement with available data, whereas the calculated ratio of London penetration depths γλ=λc/λab decreases to reach ≈1.1 at T=0. Possible macroscopic consequences of γλ≠γH are discussed.
Smugglers, Migrants, and Refugees: The Iran–Iraq Border, 1925–1975

Due to the illegal movement of goods and people, the Khuzistan-Basra frontier, like many other borderlands in the region, represented a liminal space for border dwellers and the Iranian state. Although scholars have written about the migration that was endemic to the early nation-building period, the consequences of this movement in the latter half of the 20th century require further exploration. Well into the 1970s, Iranian migrants and border dwellers complicated citizenship, evinced by the Pahlavi monarchy's failure or refusal to offer them their rights. The Iranian archives prove that, decades into the nation-building project, local dynamics continued to exert tremendous influence on Iranians and even superseded national policies.
Reconsidering the evidence for learning in single cells

The question of whether single cells can learn led to much debate in the early 20th century. The view prevailed that they were capable of non-associative learning but not of associative learning, such as Pavlovian conditioning. Experiments indicating the contrary were considered either non-reproducible or subject to more acceptable interpretations. Recent developments suggest that the time is right to reconsider this consensus. We exhume the experiments of Beatrice Gelber on Pavlovian conditioning in the ciliate Paramecium aurelia, and suggest that criticisms of her findings can now be reinterpreted. Gelber was a remarkable scientist whose absence from the historical record testifies to the prevailing orthodoxy that single cells cannot learn. Her work, and more recent studies, suggest that such learning may be evolutionarily more widespread and fundamental to life than previously thought and we discuss the implications for different aspects of biology.
Boredom by Sensation-Seeking Interactions During Adolescence: Associations with Substance Use, Externalizing Behavior, and Internalizing Symptoms in a US National Sample

During adolescence, sensation seeking is linked to several adverse outcomes including substance use, risk taking, and psychopathology. Recent empirical interest in the construct of boredom has revealed that some similar associations may exist for boredom during adolescence. Both boredom and sensation seeking peak during adolescence, and yet, research on boredom and its interaction with sensation seeking are limited. In a multi-cohort, US nationally representative sample of 8th and 10th grade students from the monitoring the future study, latent-moderated structural equation modeling was used to estimate the association of boredom, sensation seeking, and their interaction, to substance use, externalizing behavior, and depressive affect. Moderation by gender was also tested. Boredom and sensation seeking were both significantly associated with most dependent variables. Significant interaction effects were found wherein individuals high on both boredom and sensation seeking reported the highest levels of depressive affect and externalizing behavior. There were no significant interaction effects for substance use indices. Gender moderation was found for depressive affect. The results of this study demonstrate the generalizability of boredom associations and the significance of boredom by sensation-seeking interactions across multiple mental health domains during adolescence. Prevention efforts that attend to both boredom and sensation seeking may be particularly effective for promoting mental health and preventing externalizing behavior.
A unique summer camp.

In 1952, I was 14 years old when my mother said a visitor was driving to see us from Columbia, South Carolina. Jim Perry, an Episcopal minister, was coming 55 miles to our home in Chester, SC. Rev....
When Upper Egypt Spoke: Dramatized Rebellion

Every Ramadan, when Egyptian TV shows enjoy their prime season, at least one series about Upper Egypt is produced and millions of viewers across the country get hooked on it. Those popular dramas usually include a southern hero who is a good-hearted yet poor young man, and his reluctant turn to crime to stand up against corruption and oppression. With romantic depictions of dark and handsome outlaws, the protagonists of these shows always win the deep sympathy of their fans as they rebel against unfortunate conditions and resist local officials, rich elites, and/or corrupt police officers. One of the most iconic and memorable shows, which came out in 1992, was titled Dhiʾab al-Jabal (Wolves of the Mountain, Fig. 1). It narrated the story of Badri, a young man from Qena province, who faced police injustice and escaped to the mountains on the west bank of the Nile River to hide, and then joined a gang of bandits. The honest and kind mountain fugitives aided him until he proved his innocence, reunited with his lost sister, and married his sweetheart. For many viewers across the country, Badri and other lawless idols embody the only glimpse of resistance they experience in their repressed lives—albeit virtually on a TV screen.
18F-FDG PET/CT imaging features of Cardiac Arrhythmia - induced by Panitumumab

Panitumumab is a new humanized anti-epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) monoclonal antibody (mAb) approved for the treatment of advanced colorectal cancer. There is an increase in the use of this drug due to a good response rate and possible secondary resection in advance colorectal cancer. Here we present 18F-FDG PET/CT imaging findings of cardiac arrhythmia in a patient receiving Panitumumab for the treatment of metastatic infiltrating rectal adenocarcinoma. Cardiotoxicity is a known adverse effect associated with Panitumumab. By far to our knowledge, no documented imaging findings for the same are available in the literature.
Fabrication of germanium tin microstructures through inductively coupled plasma dry etching

Germanium tin (GeSn) with a Sn content of >12% has a great potential for optoelectronic devices due to its direct bandgap property. In this work, the anisotropic etching of GeSn with Sn content of 12.5% and selective etching of Ge over GeSn were explored by inductively couple plasma (ICP) dry etching to obtain various microstructures. Through adding oxygen into chlorine and argon and adjusting the process pressure, the anisotropic etching of GeSn was optimized with an ideal sidewall angle of 89o. The optimized process is compatible with both positive and negative resists. By altering the ICP power, Ge etching recipes with low and high etching rates were developed, which are favorable for fabricating GeSn nano- and micro-structures, respectively. An etching selectivity of >126 for Ge over GeSn with Sn content of >10% can be achieved. With the optimized dry etching recipes, suspended GeSn microribbons and microdisks were realized. Ultimately, the suspended GeSn microstructures were transferred onto 40-nm-thick ZrO2 on p+-Si to form a GeSn-on-insulator (GeSnOI) substrate. For a fabricated 45-nm-thick Ge0.875Sn0.125OI back-gated transistor, the subthreshold swing (SS) of 240 mV/dec is reasonably low for a non-optimized device, suggesting that the explored dry etching methods are promising for device processing.
Comparison of brown adipose tissue activation in type 1 and type 2 (obese) diabetic rodent models using 18F-FDG PET/CT

1134 Objectives Interscapular brown adipose tissue (IBAT) metabolic activity in diabetic rats is significantly reduced (Schade et al., 2015; Baranwal et al., 2015). Our previous work has shown significant IBAT [18F]FDG metabolic activation using a β3-adrenoceptor agonist, CL316,243 (CL) (Mirbolooki et al., 2011). Here we compare effects of CL in two diabetes rodent models: Obese (fa/fa) Zucker rat model of T2DM and streptozotocin (STZ)-treated rat model of TIDM. Methods Male Zucker lean and fat (T2DM) and male Sprague-Dawley STZ-treated rats (T1DM) were pre-treated with saline or CL (1-2 mg/kg) for PET/CT scans. [18F]FDG (0.4-0.6 mCi) was injected after 30 min and rats were awake for 60 min after which 4% isoflurane was used for anesthesia. Rats then underwent a PET/CT scan. Regions of interest (ROI) were drawn using ASIPRO and IRW software, and [18F]FDG metabolic activity measured as standard uptake values (SUV) from PET and Hounsfield units (HU) from CT were obtained. Results Both T1DM and T2DM models showed >50% decrease in IBAT compared to normal animals in baseline studies without any CL. Effect of CL on [18F]FDG uptake in Zucker obese rats was not significant compared to saline (SUV 0.97 vs 0.84) (Schade et al., 2015). CL, however, had a greater relative impact on [18F]FDG uptake in STZ-treated rats. Treatment with saline compared with CL in fasted animals provided SUV of 0.25 vs 0.75, indicating a 3-fold increase with CL. In the case of nonfasted STZ-treated animals, treatment with saline compared with CL provided SUV of 0.17 vs 0.30, indicating aprroximately a 1.8-fold increase with CL (Baranwal et al., 2015). CT values in IBAT of Zucker fat and lean rats were -253 ± 10 and -68±5.7 (Schade et al., 2015), while the STZ Sprague Dawley rat model averaged to be -81.4 ± 48.5 (Baranwal et al., 2015) and normal Sprague-Dawley HU was −144±90 (Mirbolooki et al., 2014). Thus, CT values were lowest in Zucker fat rats, and the STZ-treated rats were comparable to CT HU in normal rats. Conclusions These acute treatment studies with CL increased [18F]FDG metabolic activity in both diabetic models. Greater effect of CL on IBAT in the STZ-model suggests an intact β3-adrenoceptor whereas the low IBAT activity in the obese Zucker rat may be caused by downregulation of β3-adrenoceptors. The reduction of IBAT [18F]FDG in STZ-treated rats compared to normal rats may be due to mitochondrial dysfunction. Further investigations using chronic treatment with CL would aid in determining the significance of the β3-adrenoceptor for treatment of both diabetic types.
Opportunities for Innovation

Actual results have shown that the Construction Industry Institute (CII) offers significant opportunities for improvement in cost, schedule, and quality on most projects, and in particular, on large projects. This paper will review the state of the construction industry, discuss how its problems are being addressed by CII, and address potential opportunities through the application of CII research products.
B Cells as MHC Restricted Antigen Presenting Cells: A Model for T-B Interaction

There is considerable evidence to indicate that antigen-specific T helper cells and B cells recognize the same antigen in quite different ways. For instance, native and denatured forms of the same protein are highly cross-reactive antigens as recognized by helper and proliferating T cells, whereas they are completely noncrossreactive at the B cell level1–3, Furthermore, although B cells can readily be shown to bind conventional soluble antigens4, helper T cells cannot5,6; however, after antigen processing by syngeneic Ia-positive macrophages, antigen-dependent binding of helper T cells to macrophages has been demonstrated7,8. Data such as these have led to the postulation that B cells recognize intact, unprocessed antigen, whereas helper T cells recognize processed antigen presented in the context of macrophage Ia antigens. This postulation presents some difficulties for how T-B collaboration works, especially if antigen is important in bridging the 2 cells types as has been proposed in the hapten-carrier system first described by Mitchison9. A mechanism of T-B collaboration via antigen bridging has been postulated10 which involves the processing of antigen by antigen-specific B cells and subsequent presentation of the antigen, in the context of the B cell IA, to antigen-specific helper T cells.
Effect of chronic Angiotensin II infusion on plasma TNFalpha and IL 6 levels in adiponectin deficient mice (LB687)

Chronic low grade inflammation plays an integral part in the development of many types of cardiovascular diseases. Adipose tissue is a well known source of many proinflammatory mediators. Adiponect...
Preservice Teachers’ Perceptions of Computer Use During a Field Experience

AbstractMany teacher education institutions prepare teachers to be “computer literate.” However, more discussions on providing opportunities to integrate technologies into teacher preparation are needed. This study attempted to identify the extent of computer integration in a field experience course in a teacher education program. The results indicated preservice teachers neither observe computer use nor use the computer as an instructional tool during a field experience. Preservice teachers reported a willingness to use computers but received no support in the field experience. The data provide information and direction in determining the preservice preparation needed for future teachers to gain practice in using the computer as an instructional tool in field experiences.
Acquisition of morphine conditioned place preference increases the dendritic complexity of nucleus accumbens core neurons

Contexts associated with opioid reward trigger craving and relapse in opioid addiction. Effects of reward-context associative learning on nucleus accumbens (NAc) dendritic morphology were studied using morphine conditioned place preference (CPP). Morphine-conditioned mice received saline and morphine 10 mg/kg subcutaneous (s.c.) on alternate days. Saline-conditioned mice received saline s.c. each day. Morphine-conditioned and saline-conditioned groups received injections immediately before each of eight daily conditioning sessions. Morphine homecage controls had no CPP training, but received saline and morphine in the homecage concomitantly with the morphine-conditioned group. Morphine conditioning produced greater place preference than saline conditioning. Mice were sacrificed 1 day after CPP expression. Dendritic changes were studied using Golgi-Cox staining and digital tracing of NAc core and shell neurons. In the NAc core, morphine homecage administration increased spine density, while morphine conditioning increased dendritic complexity, as defined by increased dendritic count, length and intersections. Place preference positively correlated with dendritic length and intersections in the NAc core. The core may mediate reward consolidation and determine how context-related signals from the shell lead to motor behavior. The combination of drug and conditioning in the morphine-conditioned group produced unique morphological effects different from the effects of drug or conditioning procedures by themselves. An additional study found no differences in neuron morphology between saline-conditioned mice, trained as described earlier, and mice that were not conditioned, but received saline in the homecage. The unique effect of morphine reward learning on NAc core dendrites reflects a brain substrate that could be targeted for therapeutic intervention in addiction.
Liberalization of Indian trade and industrial licensing: A disaggregated econometric model with simulations

Abstract A simultaneous model of production, labor demand, capital formation, international trade, and price determination, with intersectoral linkages, is specified for India's organized manufacturing sector, disaggregated into 37 industries. This model, estimated from annual time series data spanning 1959–60 through 1979–80 and comprising 408 equations and identities, fits well in a dynamic, ex post simulation. In counterfactual simulations, it is found that trade liberalization alone, in the sense of relative price restructuring to track world prices, might actually have been slightly harmful to organized manufacturing production. However, such trade liberalization combined with capital formation allocated across sectors such as to reflect private profitability, removing any constraints imposed by industrial licensing and investment planning, is demonstrated to offer very substantial gains.
Online HAZOP analysis for abnormal event management of batch process

Abstract Hazard and operability analysis (HAZOP) is a widely used process hazard analysis method for batch processes. However, even though HAZOP analysis considers various potential accident scenarios and produces results that contain the causes, consequences and operator options for these scenarios, these are not generally available or used when those emergencies occur in the plant. In this work, we describe an approach that integrates multivariate statistical process monitoring and HAZOP analysis for abnormal event management. The framework includes three major parts: process monitoring and fault detection based on multiway principal component analysis, automated online HAZOP analysis module and a coordinator. A case study is given to illustrate the features of the system.
Microbial Quality of Reclaimed Irrigation: International Perspective

Wastewater reuse has been practiced in different forms throughout the history of human civilization. Previously, sewage had been dumped in rivers and lakes or used locally to irrigate crops. Explosive population growth and diminishing fresh water resources around the globe have now made wastewater a valuable resource, especially in arid and semiarid areas of the world. The introduction of modern wastewater treatment processes has given new dimensions to water reuse. Reclaimed waters are commonly used for landscape or recreational irrigation (parks, golf courses, athletic fields, school yards, highway medians, and public and private lands) and agricultural crop irrigation (field crops, vegetables, orchids, and tree plantations). Human feces, which may have microbial constituents as high as 10–30%, are one of the major sources of infectious and noninfectious agents found in municipal wastewater. Thus, wastewater can contain high concentrations of excreta-related microorganisms. The principal microorganisms (infectious agents) that may be present in raw sewage can be classified into three broad groups: bacteria, parasites (protozoa and helminths), and viruses. During an outbreak, pathogen numbers in local sewage go up. More than 30 excreta-related diseases of public health importance have been documented, and many of these are of specific importance in wastewater reuse schemes. Table 1 summarizes the major infectious agents potentially present in raw domestic wastewater and their respective diseases. Keywords: reclaimed water; irrigation; microbial quality; treatment practices; application guidelines; microbial removal standards; international rules; bacteria; viruses; bacteriophages
Development of a Specific Quantitative Real-Time PCR Assay to Monitor Chlorella DNA: A Case Study from Mammoth Cave National Park, Kentucky, USA

Estimates of phytoplankton abundance are important parameters watched by stewards of water quality and freshwater ecology in rivers, streams, and reservoirs. A targeted phytoplankton assay for Chlorella DNA was developed to estimate the abundance of the predominant species of green algae in surface waters of Mammoth Cave National Park (MACA) in Kentucky, USA. The phytoplankton community in the Green River in MACA has been shown to consist of 95% Chlorella sp. (Wullschlegger et al. , 2003). Chlorella 18S rRNA gene sequences were amplified and quantified using Quantitative Real-Time PCR (qPCR) with primers specific for the family Chlorellaceae in the class Trebouxiophyceae, order Chlorellales. Concentrations of Chlorella DNA in river water samples were measured by comparison to a standard curve generated by DNA extracted from a live laboratory culture of C. vulgaris . DNA isolated from other sources including bacteria, amoebae, fungi, decapods, insects, cave sediment, and a different green alga, Chlamydomonas , produced no PCR products and thus did not interfere with the detection and quantification of Chlorella DNA. The assay proved quantitative over more than four orders of magnitude with a method detection limit (MDL) of approximately 2.3 x10 4 cells/L. Presence or absence of Chlorella DNA could be demonstrated at concentrations ten to 100 times lower than the calculated MDL. Chlorella was detected in lampenflora samples from three tourist trails, and Chlorella was absent from sediment samples off tourist trails that were known to contain high concentrations of bacterial DNA. Demonstration of the utility of the technique was illustrated by a case study in Mammoth Cave National Park to determine Chlorella concentrations at various sampling sites of karst surface streams where invasive zebra mussels are a threat to native species.
Reproductive tract vasculature of the female emu (dromaius novaehollandiae).

With 8 figures Summary The arterial supply of the ovary and oviduct is provided by the ovarian artery, cranial oviductal artery, accessory cranial oviductal artery, middle oviductal artery, caudal oviductal artery and the medial and lateral vaginal arteries. These arteries supply various regions of the oviduct and are branches of either the left cranial renal artery, left external iliac artery, left middle renal artery, left lateral caudal artery or the left pudendal artery. The veins that drain the reproductive tract are satellite vessels to each artery that supplied the tract.
The software architecture of a distributed quality of session control layer

Collaborative multimedia systems demand overall session quality control beyond the level of quality of service (QoS) pertaining to individual streams in isolation of others. To this end, the authors have recently introduced the concept of quality of session (QoSess) control. At every instant in time, the quality of the session depends on the actual QoS offered by the system to each of the application streams, as well as on the relative priorities of these streams according to the application semantics. The authors present a framework for achieving QoSess control, and describe the architecture of a distributed QoSess control layer. In addition, they describe a new inter-stream bandwidth adaptation mechanism, which is used by the QoSess control layer to dynamically control the bandwidth shares of the streams belonging to a session.
The Methylenetetrahydrofolate Reductase 677C→T Polymorphism and Dietary Folate Restriction Affect Plasma One-Carbon Metabolites and Red Blood Cell Folate Concentrations and Distribution in Women

Whether folate status and the methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) 677C-->T polymorphism interact to affect methionine-cycle metabolite concentrations is uncertain. We evaluated the effects of dietary folate restriction on relations among folate status indices and plasma concentrations of methionine cycle metabolites in women with the MTHFR 677 C/C and T/T genotypes. Healthy, normohomocysteinemic women (n = 18; 20-30 y old) of adequate B vitamin status, and equally divided according to MTHFR 677C-->T genotype (9 C/C and 9 T/T) were recruited. Folate status indices and methionine cycle metabolites were measured in blood samples collected at baseline and after 7 wk of dietary folate restriction (115 microg dietary folate equivalents/d). Significant negative correlations between plasma total homocysteine concentrations and total or 5-methyl folate concentrations (P = 0.041 and 0.023, respectively) in RBCs were found only in T/T subjects. Formylated folates were detected in RBCs of T/T subjects only, and their abundance was predictive of plasma total homocysteine concentration despite no significant alteration by folate restriction. Plasma concentrations of S-adenosylmethionine and S-adenosylhomocysteine were not significantly affected by dietary folate restriction and the MTHFR 677 T/T genotype. In conclusion, plasma total homocysteine concentrations in subjects with the MTHFR 677 T/T genotype were inversely related to 5-methyl folate concentrations and directly related to formylated folate concentrations in RBCs, even though the latter were not significantly affected by moderate folate restriction.
Structure of mutant human carbonmonoxyhemoglobin C (betaE6K) at 2.0 A resolution.

Previous studies have demonstrated that in vitro crystallization of R-state liganded hemoglobin C (HbC), a naturally occurring mutant human hemoglobin (βE6K), in high-phosphate buffer solutions provides a potential model system for the intracellular crystallization of HbC associated with chronic hemolytic anemia in CC disease. The first high-resolution crystal structure of liganded HbC is reported here. HbC was crystallized from high phosphate and the structure of the carbonmonoxy-liganded R-state form was refined at 2.0 A resolution. Crystals exhibit diffraction consistent with the tetragonal space group P41212, with unit-cell parameters a = 54.16, c = 195.30 A. The structure was solved by difference Fourier techniques and refinement by simulated annealing and restrained least-squares yielded a final R of 0.183 and an Rfree of 0.238 for all 19 382 unique reflections. The side chain of βK6 exhibits very weak electron density consistent with significant mobility within the crystalline lattice. The highly dynamic nature of the side chain could potentially support a number of specific polar interactions that might reduce the barrier to crystallization and thus result in enhanced crystallization kinetics for HbC relative to HbA. Specifically, the NZ atom of the BK6 side chain could participate in an amino–aromatic hydrogen bond with the π-electron cloud of βH116 in a symmetry-related tetramer. βK6 NZ might also interact with the main-chain carbonyl O atom of βH117 and the carboxylate group of βE22 from a symmetry-related tetramer.
BLINK: a high throughput link layer for backscatter communication

Backscatter communication offers an ultra-low power alternative to active radios in urban sensing deployments - communication is powered by a reader, thereby making it virtually "free". While backscatter communication has largely been used for extremely small amounts of data transfer (e.g. a 12 byte EPC identifier from an RFID tag), sensors need to use backscatter for continuous and high-volume sensor data transfer. To address this need, we describe a novel link layer that exploits unique characteristics of backscatter communication to optimize throughput. Our system offers several optimizations including 1) understanding of multi-path self-interference characteristics and link metrics that capture these characteristics, 2) design of novel mobility-aware probing techniques that use backscatter link signatures to determine when to probe the channel, 3) bitrate selection algorithms that use link metrics to determine the optimal bitrate, and 4) channel selection mechanism that optimize throughput while remaining compliant within FCC regulations. Our results show upto 3x increase in goodput over other mechanisms across a wide range of channel conditions, scales, and mobility scenarios.
Day lighting as a factor in optimizing the energy performance of buildings

Abstract Theoretical evidence is presented on the possibility that proper window sizing as well as proper selection of external surface to volume ratio can result in total energy savings for heating, cooling and lighting in the periphery zones of buildings. The savings are of the order of 50% relative to the windowless configuration. The optimum window are ranges from 10% to 40% of the wall area depending on the size and geometry of the spaces. The calculations were carried out for Austin, Texas using hourly weather data averaged over a 9 year period. The results of the calculations are strongly dependent on the sky illumination calculations. A model of the sky illumination that calculates the perceived intensity of illumination as a function of weather conditions and the orientation of the receptor relative to the sun is developed and the results of an empirical test run on the model are included.
NMR Spectroscopy Can Characterize Proteins Encapsulated in a Sol-Gel Matrix

Proteins encapsulated within sol−gel matrices (SG) have the potential to fill many scientific and technological roles, but these applications are hindered by the limited means of probing possible structural consequences of encapsulation. We here present the first demonstration that it is possible to obtain high-resolution, solution NMR measurements of proteins encapsulated within a SG matrix. With the aim of determining the breadth of this approach, we have encapsulated three paramagnetic proteins with different overall charges: the highly acidic human Fe3+ cytochrome b5 (cyt b5); the highly basic horse heart cytochrome c (cyt c); and the nearly neutral, sperm whale cyanomet-myoglobin. The encapsulated anionic and neutral proteins (cyt b5; myoglobin) undergo essentially free rotation, but show minor conformational perturbations as revealed by shifts of contact-shifted peaks associated with the heme and nearby amino acids.
In vitro micronucleus scoring by flow cytometry: Differential staining of micronuclei versus apoptotic and necrotic chromatin enhances assay reliability

The in vitro micronucleus test has received considerable attention in recent years for its use in drug safety assessment and toxicological research. The less tedious nature of the assay relative to chromosome aberration analyses is a driving force, and explains why many chemical and drug safety programs have adopted the endpoint. Development of a high-throughput micronucleus scoring system would further enhance the utility of the assay for lead optimization and other early drug development work. Although several variations of a flow cytometric (FCM) method for scoring cell-culture-derived micronuclei (MN) have been described in the literature, they have been unable to distinguish true MN from apoptotic and necrotic chromatin (Nusse M and Marx K 1997: Mutat Res 392: 109-115). Here, we report advances to this methodology whereby a sequential staining procedure is used to differentially label these types of sub-2n particles. With the use of ethidium monoazide (EMA), the chromatin of dead and dying cells is labeled. After a photoactivation step that covalently binds EMA to chromatin, cytoplasmic membranes are digested and resulting lysates are incubated with RNase plus a pan-nucleic acid dye (SYTOX Green). This process provides a suspension of free nuclei and sub-2n particles that are labeled with either SYTOX or SYTOX and EMA. Preliminary studies with heat-shocked L5178Y mouse cells demonstrated that EMA stains necrotic and mid- through late-stage apoptotic cells. Importantly, the sequential labeling procedure provided reliable micronucleus enumeration, even when cultures contained high percentages of dead cells. Subsequently, experiments with the following diverse genotoxicants were performed: hydroxyurea, methyl methanesulfonate, benzo[a]pyrene, etoposide, cyclophosphamide, and vinblastine. Additionally, the nongenotoxicants sucrose, tributyltin methoxide, and dexamethasone were tested up to 5 mg/ml, or to cytotoxic concentrations. FCM data were found to correspond closely with microscopy-based measurements. Collectively, these data suggest that this sequential EMA/SYTOX staining procedure provides reliable, high-throughput enumeration of in vitro MN.
A Mechanosensory System Governs Myosin II Cleavage Furrow Accumulation

The mitotic spindle is generally considered to be the initiator of furrow ingression. However, recent studies have shown that furrows can form in the absence of spindles, particularly during asymmetric cell division. In Dictyostelium, the mechanoenzyme myosin II and the actin crosslinker cortexillin I form a mechanosensor that responds to mechanical stress, which could account for spindle-independent contractile protein recruitment. Here, we show that the cleavage furrow regulatory and contractility network, composed of myosin II, cortexillin I, IQGAP1, IQGAP2, kinesin-6 (kif12) and INCENP, is a mechanical stress-responsive system. Myosin II and cortexillin I form the core mechanosensor, and mechanotransduction is mediated by IQGAP2 through kif12 and INCENP. Additionally, IQGAP2 is antagonized by IQGAP1 to modulate the mechanoresponsiveness of cortexillin I, suggesting a possible mechanism for discriminating between mechanical and biochemical inputs. Furthermore, IQGAP2 is important for maintaining normal spindle morphology and recruitment of kif12 and myosin II to the cleavage furrow. Finally, the mitotic spindle is dispensable for the system. Overall, we suggest that this mechanosensory system is structured like a control system characterized by mechanochemical feedback loops that regulate the myosin II levels at the cleavage furrow.
Mesenteric hemangioendothelioma with thrombocytopenia. Report with arteriographic findings

A surgically nonresectable mesenteric hemangioendothelioma was diagnosed at exploratory laparotomy in a 7-month-old female. Thrombocytopenia and red cell microangiopathic changes were present. Arteriography was employed to delineate the extent of the tumor mass prior to therapy with irradiation and prednisone. The tumor's resolution was confirmed by follow-up arteriographic studies and was accompanied by reversal of the hematologic abnormalities.
The Trimeric GTP-binding Protein (Gq/G11) α Subunit Is Required for Insulin-stimulated GLUT4 Translocation in 3T3L1 Adipocytes

To investigate the potential role of trimeric GTP-binding proteins regulating GLUT4 translocation in adipocytes, wild type and constitutively active G(q) (G(q)/Q209L), G(i) (G(i)/Q205L), and G(s) (G(s)/Q227L) alpha subunit mutants were expressed in 3T3L1 adipocytes. Although expression of neither the wild type nor G(i)/Q205L and G(s)/Q227L alpha subunit mutants had any effect on the basal or insulin-stimulated translocation of a co-expressed GLUT4-enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) fusion protein, expression of G(q)/Q209L resulted in GLUT4-EGFP translocation in the absence of insulin. In contrast, microinjection of an inhibitory G(q)/G(11) alpha subunit-specific antibody but not a G(i) or G(s) alpha subunit antibody prevented insulin-stimulated endogenous GLUT4 translocation. Consistent with a required role for GTP-bound G(q)/G(11), expression of the regulators of G protein signaling (RGS4 and RGS16) also attenuated insulin-stimulated GLUT4-EGFP translocation. To assess the relationship between G(q)/G(11) function with the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase dependent pathway, expression of a dominant-interfering p85 regulatory subunit, as well as wortmannin treatment inhibited insulin-stimulated but not G(q)/Q209L-stimulated GLUT4-EGFP translocation. Furthermore, G(q)/Q209L did not induce the in vivo accumulation of phosphatidylinositol-3,4,5-trisphosphate (PIP(3)), whereas expression of the RGS proteins did not prevent the insulin-stimulated accumulation of PIP(3). Together, these data demonstrate that insulin stimulation of GLUT4 translocation requires at least two independent signal transduction pathways, one mediated through the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase and another through the trimeric GTP-binding proteins G(q) and/or G(11).
Data-Driven Decision Tree Classification for Product Portfolio Design Optimization

The formulation of a product portfolio requires extensive knowledge about the product market space and also the technical limitations of a company’s engineering design and manufacturing processes. A design methodology is presented that significantly enhances the product portfolio design process by eliminating the need for an exhaustive search of all possible product concepts. This is achieved through a decision tree data mining technique that generates a set of product concepts that are subsequently validated in the engineering design using multilevel optimization techniques. The final optimal product portfolio evaluates products based on the following three criteria: (1) it must satisfy customer price and performance expectations (based on the predictive model) defined here as the feasibility criterion; (2) the feasible set of products/variants validated at the engineering level must generate positive profit that we define as the optimality criterion; (3) the optimal set of products/variants should be a manageable size as defined by the enterprise decision makers and should therefore not exceed the product portfolio limit. The strength of our work is to reveal the tremendous savings in time and resources that exist when decision tree data mining techniques are incorporated into the product portfolio design and selection process. Using data mining tree generation techniques, a customer data set of 40,000 responses with 576 unique attribute combinations (entire set of possible product concepts) is narrowed down to 46 product concepts and then validated through the multilevel engineering design response of feasible products. A cell phone example is presented and an optimal product portfolio solution is achieved that maximizes company profit, without violating customer product performance expectations.
The effect of luminance on metacontrast with internally contoured targets

Recent studies have provided evidence which contradicts the previous finding that target detectability decreases with increases in the number of internal contours in the target. The present study attempted to reconcile these discrepant findings by examining the effect of luminance level on detectability of internally contoured targets under mask and no-mask conditions. The results showed that the different luminance levels used in these studies may have indeed contributed to the discrepant results.
A multiple input image restoration approach

Abstract In this paper image restoration applications, where multiple distorted versions of the same original image are available, are considered. A general adaptive restoration algorithm is derived on the basis of a set theoretic regularization technique. The adaptivity of the algorithm is introduced in two ways: (a) by a constraint operator which incorporates properties of the response of the human visual system into the restoration process and (b) by a weight matrix which assigns greater importance for the deconvolution process to areas of high spatial activity than to areas of low spatial activity. Different degrees of trust are assigned to the various distorted images depending on the amounts of noise. The proposed algorithm is general and can be used for any type of linear distortion and constraint operators. It can also be used to restore signals other than images. Experimental results obtained by an iterative implementation of the proposed algorithms are presented.
Competing interests: the need to control conflict of interests in biomedical research.

Individual and institutional conflict of interests in biomedical research have becomes matters of increasing concern in recent years. In the United States, the growth in relationships — sponsored research agreements, consultancies, memberships on boards, licensing agreements, and equity ownership — between for-profit corporations and research universities and their scientists has made the problem of conflicts, particularly financial conflicts, more acute. Conflicts can interfere with or compromise important principles and obligations of researchers and their institutions, e.g., adherence to accepted research norms, duty of care to patients, and open exchange of information. Disclosure is a key component of a successful conflict policy. Commitments which conflict with a faculty member's primary obligations to teaching, research, administrative responsibilities, or patient care also need attention. Institutional conflict of interests present different problems, some of which are discussed in an analysis of an actual problem posed by two proposed clinical trials.
Adverse pregnancy outcomes in hypertensive patients: predictive value of protein concentration versus total protein.

AbstractObjectives: To compare the predictive value of protein concentration in a twenty-four hour urine collection to the conventional total protein in a twenty-four hour urine collection for adverse pregnancy outcomes in hypertensive patients.Study design: Retrospective cohort study. Hypertensive patients ≥20 weeks estimated gestational age (EGA) who completed twenty-four hour urine protein collections were identified; antepartum and delivery data were examined. For study patients who met criteria for adverse pregnancy outcome, multi-variable analysis was performed and summary receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were generated for each model (total protein compared to protein concentration). The models were compared by analyzing the area under the curve (AUC).Results: A total of 150 patients were analyzed. Mean gestational age at delivery was 36.7 weeks. Analysis of the ROC curves showed no significant difference between the models (AUCs of 0.668 versus 0.656, p = 0.715). Optimal thresholds w...
siRNA delivery: Loaded-up microsponges

Self-assembled microsponges of hairpin RNA polymers achieve, with one thousand times lower concentration, the same degree of gene silencing in tumour-carrying mice as conventional nanoparticle-based siRNA delivery vehicles.
Control design for electromagnetic actuators based on backstepping and landing reference governor

Abstract Electromechanical actuation systems are widely used in a variety of industrial applications. Several control challenges in these applications stem from the need to achieve the soft contact of the moving parts of the actuators, also known as soft landing where the main goal is to reduce the system noise and wear, and prevent the relevant parts from damage and breaking. In this paper we propose a control design which can be employed to guarantee the enforcement of the required soft landing constraints. Our design approach is based on an application of the landing reference governor which gradually adjusts a set-point to a nominal controller employing nonlinear inversion and backstepping techniques. The closed-loop Lyapunov function of the nominal controller is used to estimate and avoid high landing velocities. We consider a single-mass dynamic model of the actuator and report the corresponding simulation results.
SU‐FF‐T‐320: Measurement of Surface and Exit Dose in Megavoltage X‐Ray Beams Using Micro‐MOSFET Detectors

Purpose: Knowledge of entrance and exit dose, specifically in breast cancers, is of significant clinical importance. New micro‐MOSFET (Thomson & Nielsen Electronics Ltd., Ottawa, Canada) detectors offer an efficient means to accomplish this task. In this study we investigate the use of MOSFETs to measure surface and exit dose in external photon beams. Method and Materials: Ratios of measurements at the surface and a depth of dmax in a solid water phantom were correlated with Monte Carlo (BEAM) generated percentage depth dose curves to determine the water‐equivalent thickness of the micro‐MOSFET detectors. This was done for 6 and 18 MV x‐rays in a 10×10 cm2 field, both normally and obliquely incident. Exit dose was measured similarly and equivalent thickness determined. Results: Correlation of the predicted depth dose and measured ratios indicates a water‐equivalent thickness of 0.8–1.0 mm for the micro‐MOSFET at the surface. All results indicate that the equivalent thickness is independent of angle of incidence and energy. The same detectors show an equivalent thickness that is approximately 0.4 mm and energy independent when measuring exit dose. We anticipate final results to include additional measurements at 10 MV and a field size of 40×40 cm2. Conclusions: This work indicates micro‐MOSFET detectors are a reliable (reproducible within 3%) detector of surface dose and exit dose as they exhibit a water‐equivalent thickness that is independent of energy and angle of incidence. We believe they offer a unique opportunity in their application to in vivo surface dose measurement.
A ten-year (2000–2009) study of antimicrobial susceptibility of bacteria that cause bovine respiratory disease complex—Mannheimia haemolytica, Pasteurella multocida, and Histophilus somni—in the United States and Canada:

Bovine isolates of Mannheimia haemolytica, Pasteurella multocida, and Histophilus somni, collected from 2000 to 2009, were tested for in vitro susceptibility to ceftiofur, penicillin, danofloxacin, enrofloxacin, florfenicol, tetracycline, tilmicosin, and tulathromycin. Ceftiofur remained very active against all isolates. Penicillin retained good activity against P. multocida and H. somni isolates with no appreciable changes in susceptibility or minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) distributions with time. While there was no obvious trend, the percent of M. haemolytica that were susceptible to penicillin ranged from 40.9% to 66.7%. Danofloxacin MIC(50) and MIC(90) values for M. haemolytica and P. multocida did not change beyond a single dilution over the 6 years it was included in the testing panel. The MIC(90) for H. somni increased beyond 1 dilution. Enrofloxacin MIC(50) values for the 3 pathogens also did not change over time, unlike the MIC(90) values, which increased by at least 4-doubling dilutions. Ninety percent or more of M. haemolytica and H. somni isolates were susceptible to florfenicol, while susceptibility among P. multocida was 79% or greater. Less than 50% of the isolates tested as susceptible to tetracycline in many of the years. All 3 organisms showed declines in tilmicosin and tulathromycin MIC(50) and MIC(90) values over the years in which they were tested.
Chronic sclerosing osteomyelitis of the mandible: report of case

A patient was diagnosed as having chronic sclerosing osteomyelitis of the mandible. Treatment consisted of sequestrectomy together with linocomycin hydrochloride given intramuscularly.
Associating co-authorship patterns with publications in high-impact journals

We examined authorship patterns in different academic departments and disciplines.Levels of internal and external collaboration varied significantly by department.Some departmental author networks were more cohesive and integrated than others.Papers with at least one basic science author appeared in higher-impact journals.Teams with professors and research scientists published in high-impact journals. ObjectivesTo develop a method for investigating co-authorship patterns and author team characteristics associated with the publications in high-impact journals through the integration of public MEDLINE data and institutional scientific profile data. MethodsFor all current researchers at Columbia University Medical Center, we extracted their publications from MEDLINE authored between years 2007 and 2011 and associated journal impact factors, along with author academic ranks and departmental affiliations obtained from Columbia University Scientific Profiles (CUSP). Chi-square tests were performed on co-authorship patterns, with Bonferroni correction for multiple comparisons, to identify team composition characteristics associated with publication impact factors. We also developed co-authorship networks for the 25 most prolific departments between years 2002 and 2011 and counted the internal and external authors, inter-connectivity, and centrality of each department. ResultsPapers with at least one author from a basic science department are significantly more likely to appear in high-impact journals than papers authored by those from clinical departments alone. Inclusion of at least one professor on the author list is strongly associated with publication in high-impact journals, as is inclusion of at least one research scientist. Departmental and disciplinary differences in the ratios of within- to outside-department collaboration and overall network cohesion are also observed. ConclusionsEnrichment of co-authorship patterns with author scientific profiles helps uncover associations between author team characteristics and appearance in high-impact journals. These results may offer implications for mentoring junior biomedical researchers to publish on high-impact journals, as well as for evaluating academic progress across disciplines in modern academic medical centers.