cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Phylogeny and herbivory are related to avian cecal size

Avian ceca, a pair of blind sacs arising from the junction of the ileum and colon, are homologous to the cecum in mammals. Cecal size is hypothesized to depend on dietary proclivities and pressures, with faunivorous species having short ceca, whereas herbivorous species have long ceca. Previous tests of this hypothesis, however, did not account for phylogenetic pseudoreplication among closely related taxa. We collated published data on cecal length, dietary category, flying ability, and body mass from 155 avian taxa. Character states were mapped onto a phylogenetic framework, and the permutation tail probability test was used to detect phylogenetic signal in each character. Phylogenetic signal is significant among the characters. As with the cecoappendicular complex in mammals, closely-related birds tend to have similar cecal length. To account for phylogenetic pseudoreplication, we performed phylogenetic generalized least squares regression on cecal length and body mass with dietary category, superordinal-level clade, and flying ability as cofactors. The best-fitting regression model supports the dietary hypothesis for the avian cecum. Among sampled birds of comparable body mass, mean cecal length is significantly longer in herbivorous species than in carnivorous ones (p = 0.008), presumably allowing the extraction of nutrients without the burden of fermenting bulky masses of dietary fiber. Exceptions to this trend, however, suggest that avian ceca are functionally complex and may have additional roles in water balance and nitrogen recycling.
Physical Readiness is More Than Physical Fitness: Relationships Between Army Physical Fitness Test Scores and Self-reports of Physical and Psychological Fitness

Physical Readiness (PR) is essential to the U.S. Army’s ground fighting lethality and essential for combat medics trained to evacuate the sick and wounded from the battlefield. However, physical readiness, as measured by the Army Physical Fitness Test (APFT), may involve more than physical capabilities. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between APFT scores and self-reports of physical fitness, self-esteem, self-concept, and positive and negative self-talk among soldiers attending combat medic training (n = 473). Pearson Correlations with a p-value of .05, showed low to moderate associations between APFT scores and self-reports in each category of consideration (p < .05). These results suggest that physical readiness, as determined by APFT scores, is about more than physical performance, and previous research demonstrating the highest physical readiness is achieved among those with high physical, cognitive, and emotional performance. Findings also suggest the need for mental fitness training offered alongside physical training to build strong, resilient soldiers.
Creativity Through the Life Span from an Evolutionary Systems Perspective

Creativity has become such a commonly used term in the past few decades that everyone has formed an opinion about what it means, and there is no need to define it further. In this chapter, however, we are going to use the word in specific ways, so a few words of explanation may be useful to orient the reader. There are three main dichotomies we use, and if these are not clear, what follows might be confusing.
A novel mechanism of ribonuclease regulation: GcvB and Hfq stabilize the mRNA that encodes RNase BN/Z during exponential phase

RNase BN, the Escherichia coli RNase Z family member, plays a limited role in tRNA metabolism, in contrast to most other organisms. However, RNase BN does act on 6S RNA, the global transcription regulator, degrading it in exponential-phase cells and maintaining it at low levels during this phase of growth. RNase BN levels decrease in stationary-phase cells, leading to elevation of 6S RNA and subsequent regulation of RNA polymerase. These findings were the first indication that RNase BN itself is growth phase-regulated. Here, we analyze the mechanism of this regulation of RNase BN. We find that RNase BN decreases in stationary phase because its mRNA becomes unstable, due primarily to its degradation by RNase E. However, in exponential-phase cells rbn mRNA is stabilized due to binding by the sRNA, GcvB, and the protein, Hfq, which reduce cleavage by RNase E. Because the amount of GcvB decreases in stationary phase, rbn mRNA is less protected and becomes increasingly unstable resulting in reduction in the amount of RNase BN. The small RNA-dependent, positive regulation of RNase BN in exponential-phase cells is the first example of this novel mechanism for RNase regulation.
3D bioprinting via an in situ crosslinking technique towards engineering cartilage tissue.

3D bioprinting is a promising approach for the repair of cartilage tissue after damage due to injury or disease; however, the design of 3D printed scaffolds has been limited by the availability of bioinks with requisite printability, cytocompatibility, and bioactivity. To address this, we developed an approach termed in situ crosslinking that permits the printing of non-viscous, photocrosslinkable bioinks via the direct-curing of the bioink with light through a photopermeable capillary prior to deposition. Using a norbornene-modified hyaluronic acid (NorHA) macromer as a representative bioink and our understanding of thiol-ene curing kinetics with visible light, we varied the printing parameters (e.g., capillary length, flow rate, light intensity) to identify printing conditions that were optimal for the ink. The printing process was cytocompatible, with high cell viability and homogenous distribution of mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) observed throughout printed constructs. Over 56 days of culture in chondrogenic media, printed constructs increased in compressive moduli, biochemical content (i.e., sulfated glycosaminoglycans, collagen), and histological staining of matrix associated with cartilage tissue. This generalizable printing approach may be used towards the repair of focal defects in articular cartilage or broadly towards widespread biomedical applications across a range of photocrosslinkable bioinks that can now be printed.
Characteristics and Outcomes of Heart Transplants Following the Change in UNOS Allocation Policy

Purpose The United Network for Organ Sharing instituted a new allocation policy on October 18, 2018 to better risk-stratify heart transplant recipients. We sought to evaluate changes in transplant characteristics and mid-term outcomes following this change. Methods We conducted retrospective review of all orthotopic adult heart transplants in the UNOS registry between January 1, 2010 and March 31, 2019. Transplants were dichotomized as occurring before or after October 18, 2018. Baseline characteristics were compared, 6-month survival was assessed by the Kaplan Meier method, and a multivariate Cox proportional hazards model was used to evaluate factors associated with survival. Results Of 21838 heart transplants performed during the study period, 1263 (5.8%) were performed following the policy change. Distribution of recipients included 108 (9%) Status 1, 526 (42%) Status 2, 327 (26%) Status 3, 231 (19%) Status 4, 4 (0.3%) Status 5, and 45(4%) Status 6. Recipients following the policy change were more likely to be supported with a ventilator (3% vs 1%, p Conclusion The change in UNOS allocation policy has led to decreased mid-term survival, likely as a result of increasing number of heart transplant recipients supported with a ventilator, IABP, or ECMO at the time of transplant and a decreasing number of recipients supported with an LVAD.
Association of Home-Based Primary Care Enrollment with Social Determinants of Health for Older Veterans.

Background Home-based Primary Care (HBPC) provides comprehensive primary care to Veterans who may be at risk of adverse health outcomes due to their social determinants of health. Area Deprivation Index (ADI) can be used as a surrogate measure of a Veteran's social needs. Objective To estimate the effect of neighborhood disadvantage, as measured by ADI, on HBPC enrollment for a sample of Veterans. Methods We estimated a linear multivariate model in which the exposure was ADI and the outcome was enrollment in HBPC. Controls included clinical and demographic characteristics. Results In a final sample of 12,005,453 observations (total Veteran months) on 353,485 individual Veterans, 18.4% lived in high-deprivation neighborhoods (ADI greater than 80). Mean monthly probability of new HBPC enrollment was 0.0061. Controlling for clinical characteristics, housing instability, and distance from the medical center, Veterans residing in high-deprivation neighborhoods were 1.4% to 14.8% less likely to enroll in HBPC, though the association was not statistically significant. Conclusions More research is needed to determine the relationship between Veterans' social needs and HBPC enrollment.
Material Efficiency in the Design of UHPC Paste

High material costs and sustainability concerns due to the use of a larger amount of cement in ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) has held back its wide spread practical application in the first place. In this research material efficient design of UHPC paste has been assessed. The proposed material efficiency parameter takes into consideration the influence of workability, compressive strength, cost and environmental impact. The global warming potential (GWP) is selected to represent the environmental impact.
Archaeology and Prohibition

The importance of alcohol to the archaeologist is investigated through a study of archaeological productivity before, during and after Prohibition. This contribution to the ethno-science of archaeo...
Nonconforming, Enhanced Strain, and Mixed Finite Element Methods — A Unified Approach

Both nonconforming and enhanced strain methods are analyzed under the framework of the mixed method. The notion of selective nonconforming or selective enhanced strain methods are introduced.
A Mathematical Model for Anti-Malarial Drug Resistance

Despite the array of medical advances of our modern day society, infectious diseases still plague millions of people worldwide. Malaria, in particular, causes substantial suffering and death throughout both developed and developing countries. Aside from the socioeconomic challenges presented by the disease’s prevalence in impoverished nations, one of the major difficulties scientists have encountered while attempting to eradicate the disease is the parasite’s ability to become resistant to new drugs and methods of treatment. In an effort to better understand the dynamics of malaria, we analyze a mathematical model that accounts for both the treatment aspect as well as the drug resistance that accompanies it. Simulations demonstrating the effects of treatment rates and the level of resistance are studied and discussed in hopes of shedding additional light on the characteristics of this devastating epidemic.
Biophysical Forces in Molecular Systems

Position…Movement …linked through conservation of energy. If we conceive about the potential energy surface of a system as the set of forces that are responsible for form in a biological system, it is the movement or momentum over the surface, the kinetic energy that is function. Movement is kinetic energy; and motion is tied to spatial dimension as a function of time. The arrow of time is related to entropy and is the natural direction of all systems: time and energy, position and momentum. These fundamental properties of natural systems are the building blocks of biological form and function. We will see that these properties of systems are complementary and that they have very important philosophical and epistemological consequences in our understanding of biological systems. We cannot understand the biological system if we cannot appreciate its motion in state space. The central knowledge of biophysical chemistry is knowing which force induces motion over time and how such interactions work.
Reducción de la pobreza en América Latina: incidencia de los factores demográficos, sociales y económicos

El desarrollo socioeconomico reciente de America Latina plantea un enigma. Este radica en que si bien es cierto que en los ultimos 25 anos el crecimiento economico de la region ha sido muy lento y los resultados muestran un rezago en relacion al pasado y al resto del mundo, las tasas de pobreza han continuado bajando significativamente y los indicadores sociales han seguido mejorando. En el presente articulo se evalua el papel de diferentes factores -distribucion del ingreso, gasto social y cambios demograficos- en esta paradoja. La conclusion principal, un tanto inquietante, es que salvo contadas excepciones -Chile en particular-, el factor que mas ha contribuido a la reduccion de la pobreza ha sido el dividendo demografico producto de la transicion demografica registrada en la region en este periodo
The Effective Family Therapist

Although family therapy researchers to date have provided no direct tests of hypotheses related to the therapist's "use of self," some data do exist on the broader, but closely related, question of what constitutes an effective family therapist, in terms of both enduring individual characteristics and styles of behavior in the actual conduct of therapy. This paper reviews existing data on this question, and addresses certain matters pertaining to the impact of research on clinical practice, as considered in the context of the question of what constitutes an effective family therapist.
Reflective Practitioner Preparation: In the Wake of 21st Century Terrorism

This paper presents an example of reflective educational practice as the authors address the impact of trauma on the educational process. Multiple aspects of the educational process will be discussed: education at the national and local level as well as teacher preparation and K-12 classroom practice. The authors ground the theoretical piece in educational theory while also drawing on personal practical knowledge of experience from classroom practice. This reflective-reflexive, theory-practice inquiry method illuminated the ways that students and teachers must deal with trauma in the educational setting on a daily basis.
Dualität in der nichtlinearen Optimierung

Einem nichtlinearen Optimierungsproblem kann man auf einfache Weise ein anderes Problem zuordnen, namlich das Lagrange-Duale Problem. Unter gewissen Konvexitatsannahmen haben das primale und das duale Programm gleiche Optimalwerte.
Cytotoxic Chemotherapy in Clinical Treatment of Cancer

Publisher Summary This chapter summarizes the actions and clinical uses of the three classes of cancer chemotherapeutic agents—the DNA damaging agents, the antimetabolites, and the antimitotics. A general overview of how the cytotoxic agents are used, is also given. The cytotoxic chemotherapy remains the standard of care for the clinical treatment of invasive neoplasia. As a group, the chemotherapeutic agents take advantage of the deregulated cell division cycle that is a central trait of the cancer cell. Because they selectively target dividing cells, these agents produce side effects in the patient due to the effects on normal growing cells. Many of these growing cells are found in the immune system, gastrointestinal tract, hair follicles, and tissues that contain a significant fraction of the dividing cells. A major limitation in the more successful use of cytotoxic chemotherapy is the development of drug resistance in patients. This phenomenon is a challenging aspect of cancer treatment because it results from the inherent capability of the tumors to evolve variant cells when confronted with a negative selection of any kind.
Reliable communication in cube-based multicomputers using safety vectors

Reliable communication in cube-based multicomputers (including disconnected ones) using the safety vector concept is studied in this paper. In the proposed approach each node in a cube-based multicomputer of dimension n is associated with a safety vector of n binary numbers which is an approximated measure of the number and distribution of faults in the neighborhood. The safety vector of each node in an n-dimensional hypercube can be easily calculated through n-1 rounds of information exchange among neighboring nodes. Optimal unicasting between two nodes is guaranteed if the kth bit of the safety vector of the source node is one, where k is the Hamming distance between the source and the destination. An extended deadlock-free unicasting using virtual channels is also introduced.
Mechanistic Modeling of n-Heptane Cracking on HZSM-5

A mechanistic model for the catalytic cracking of n-heptane was developed using a novel mechanism-based lumping scheme that exploits the chemical similarities within reaction families. The formal application of 13 reaction family matrices, which correspond to the 11 reaction families in the model, to the matrix representations of the reactants and derived products generated 70 species, 235 elementary steps and 70 ordinary differential equations. The reaction family concept was further exploited to constrain the kinetics within each reaction family to follow a quantitative structure/reactivity Polanyi relationship. Ultimately, four Polanyi relationship parameters and one catalyst specific parameter were optimized using experimental data obtained from the cracking of n-heptane at 500 °C over HZSM-5 with a Si/Al ratio of 21.25. The model correlations were excellent, as were the a priori predictions of experimental results at 450 and 550 °C with an HZSM-5 Si/Al ratio of 21.25 and at 500 °C with HZSM-5 Si/Al r...
Chronic expression of H-ferritin in dopaminergic midbrain neurons results in an age-related expansion of the labile iron pool and subsequent neurodegeneration: implications for Parkinson's disease

While ferritin elevation within dopaminergic (DA) neurons of the substantia nigra (SN) is protective against neurodegeneration elicited by two toxin models of Parkinson's disease (PD), MPTP and paraquat, in young animals, its prolonged elevation results in a selective age-related neurodegeneration. A similar age-related neurodegeneration has been reported in iron regulatory protein 2-deficient (IRP2 -/-) mice coinciding with increased ferritin levels within degenerating neurons. This has been speculated to be due to subsequent reductions in the labile iron pool (LIP) needed for the synthesis of iron-sulfur-containing enzymes. In order to assess whether LIP reduction is responsible for age-related neurodegeneration in our ferritin transgenics, we examined LIP levels in ferritin-expressing transgenics with increasing age. While LIP levels were reduced within DA SN nerve terminals isolated from young ferritin transgenics compared to wildtype littermate controls, they were found to be increased in older transgenic animals at the age at which selective neurodegeneration is first noted. Furthermore, administration of the bioavailable iron chelator, clioquinol (CQ), to older mice was found to protect against both increased LIP and subsequent dopaminergic neurodegeneration. This suggests that age-related neurodegeneration in these mice is likely due to increased iron availability rather than its reduction. This may have important implications for PD and other related neurodegenerative conditions in which iron and ferritin have been implicated.
Finite-Gap Solutions of the Vortex Filament Equation: Genus One Solutions and Symmetric Solutions

For the class of quasiperiodic solutions of the vortex filament equation, we study connections between the algebro-geometric data used for their explicit construction, and the geometry of the evolving curves. We give a complete description of genus one solutions, including geometrically interesting special cases such as Euler elastica, constant torsion curves, and self-intersecting filaments. We also prove generalizations of these connections to higher genus.
Microbial dissolution of calcite at T=28°C and ambient pCO2.

Abstract This study used batch reactors to quantify the mechanisms and rates of calcite dissolution in the presence and absence of a single heterotrophic bacterial species ( Burkholderia fungorum ). Experiments were conducted at T = 28°C and ambient p CO 2 over time periods spanning either 21 or 35 days. Bacteria were supplied with minimal growth media containing either glucose or lactate as a C source, NH 4 + as an N source, and H 2 PO 4 − as a P source. Combining stoichiometric equations for microbial growth with an equilibrium mass-balance model of the H 2 O–CO 2 –CaCO 3 system demonstrates that B. fungorum affected calcite dissolution by modifying pH and alkalinity during utilization of ionic N and C species. Uptake of NH 4 + decreased pH and alkalinity, whereas utilization of lactate, a negatively charged organic anion, increased pH and alkalinity. Calcite in biotic glucose-bearing reactors dissolved by simultaneous reaction with H 2 CO 3 generated by dissolution of atmospheric CO 2 (H 2 CO 3 + CaCO 3 → Ca 2+ + 2HCO 3 − ) and H + released during NH 4 + uptake (H + + CaCO 3 → Ca 2+ + HCO 3 − ). Reaction with H 2 CO 3 and H + supplied ∼45% and 55% of the total Ca 2+ and ∼60% and 40% of the total HCO 3 − , respectively. The net rate of microbial calcite dissolution in the presence of glucose and NH 4 + was ∼2-fold higher than that observed for abiotic control experiments where calcite dissolved only by reaction with H 2 CO 3 . In lactate bearing reactors, most H + generated by NH 4 + uptake reacted with HCO 3 − produced by lactate oxidation to yield CO 2 and H 2 O. Hence, calcite in biotic lactate-bearing reactors dissolved by reaction with H 2 CO 3 at a net rate equivalent to that calculated for abiotic control experiments. This study suggests that conventional carbonate equilibria models can satisfactorily predict the bulk fluid chemistry resulting from microbe–calcite interactions, provided that the ionic forms and extent of utilization of N and C sources can be constrained. Because the solubility and dissolution rate of calcite inversely correlate with pH, heterotrophic microbial growth in the presence of nonionic organic matter and NH 4 + appears to have the greatest potential for enhancing calcite weathering relative to abiotic conditions.
Pulse Burnout of Microwave Mixer Diodes

The measured rectangular dc pulse burnout energies are presented for 240 diodes representing 18 types of point contact mixer diodes commonly found in radar mixers. These measurements are compared to previously measured burnout energies on a few mixer diodes and to predictions of burnout energies using two burnout models found in the literature. The measured burnout energies tended to exhibit a lognormal distribution with pulse width. Further, it is shown that little or no variation in burnout energy occurs as a function of the manufacturer's quoted noise figure. Finally, a comparison between the measured dc pulse burnout energies and available rf pulse burnout energies indicates that the rf data follow the same trend in burnout energy versus pulse width as the dc data.
Discovering medical conditions associated with periodontitis using linked electronic health records

Periodontitis is a chronic condition affecting gingival tissue and is known to interact with a variety of chronic diseases, including heart disease and diabetes (Williams & Mahan 1960, Mattila et al. 1989, Destefano et al. 1993, Beck & Offenbacher 1998, Grossi & Genco 1998, Lalla et al. 2003, Desvarieux et al. 2005). Identifying the connections between periodontitis and systemic diseases can ensure a holistic approach to patient care management. Regrettably, information about dental conditions is often inaccessible to physicians, partly due to inadequate interdisciplinary collaboration between dentistry and medicine (Slavkin & Baum 2000). Barriers to linking dental and medical records include disparate coding standards for dental and medical diagnoses, fragmented record systems and different patient identifiers used by dentists and physicians (Din & Powell 2008, Rudman et al. 2010, Theis et al. 2010). These barriers have long prevented largescale association studies between periodontitis and other medical conditions. The rapidly widening adoption of electronic health records (EHRs) over the past few years has accelerated the digitization of patient records in various healthcare domains, including dentistry and medicine (111th-Congress 2009, Jha et al. 2009, Bramble et al. 2010, Casnoff et al. 2011). At Columbia University Medical Center, such electronic records have been used to develop a Dental Data Warehouse (DDW) at the College of Dental Medicine and a Clinical Data Warehouse (CDW) at its teaching hospital, NewYork-Presbyterian (NYP). Many patients have records in both databases. This study describes an effective method for mining associations between periodontitis and other medical conditions using linked electronic health records without selecting certain hypotheses a priori.
p300 Interacts with the Nuclear Proto-Oncoprotein SYT as Part of the Active Control of Cell Adhesion

Abstract Complexes containing p300, but not CBP, and the nuclear proto-oncoprotein SYT were detected in confluent cultures of G1-arrested cells but not in sparse cells or during S or G2. SYT sequences constitute the N-terminal segment of a fusion oncogene product, SYT-SSX, routinely detected in synovial sarcoma, an aggressive human tumor. SYT/p300 complex formation promotes cell adhesion to a fibronectin matrix, as reflected by compromise of this process in cells expressing SYT dl mutants that retain p300 binding activity and in the primary fibroblasts of p300 but not CBP heterozygous null mice. The mechanism linking the action of SYT/p300 complexes to adhesion function is, at least in part, transcription activation–independent and results in proper activation of β1 integrin, a major adhesion receptor.
A Proton Spin-Diffusion Based Solid-State NMR Approach for Structural Studies on Aligned Samples

Rapidly expanding research on nonsoluble and noncrystalline chemical and biological materials necessitates sophisticated techniques to image these materials at atomic-level resolution. Although their study poses a formidable challenge, solid-state NMR is a powerful tool that has demonstrated application to the investigation of their molecular architecture and functioning. In particular, 2D separated-local-field (SLF) spectroscopy is increasingly applied to obtain high-resolution molecular images of these materials. However, despite the common use of SLF experiments in the structural studies of a variety of aligned molecules, the lack of a resonance assignment approach has been a major disadvantage. As a result, solid-state NMR studies have mostly been limited to aligned systems that are labeled with an isotope at a single site. Here, we demonstrate an approach for resonance assignment through a controlled reintroduction of proton spin diffusion in the 2D proton-evolved-local-field (PELF) pulse sequence. Experimental results and simulations suggest that the use of spin diffusion also enables the measurement of long-range heteronuclear dipolar couplings that can be used as additional constraints in the structural and dynamical studies of aligned molecules. The new method is used to determine the de novo atomic-level resolution structure of a liquid crystalline material, N-(4-methoxybenzylidene)-4-butylaniline, and its use on magnetically aligned bicelles is also demonstrated. We expect this technique to also be valuable in the structural studies of functional molecules like columnar liquid crystals and other biomaterials.
Quadratic mutual information for dimensionality reduction and classification

A research area based on the application of information theory to machine learning has attracted considerable interest in the last few years. This research area has been coined information-theoretic learning within the community. In this paper we apply elements of information-theoretic learning to the problem of automatic target recognition (ATR). A number of researchers have previously shown the benefits of designing classifiers based on maximizing the mutual information between the class data and the class labels. Following prior research in information-theoretic learning, in the current results we show that quadratic mutual information, derived using a special case of the more general Renyi's entropy, can be used for classifier design. In this implementation, a simple subspace projection classifier is formulated to find the optimal projection weights such that the quadratic mutual information between the class data and the class labels is maximized. This subspace projection accomplishes a dimensionality reduction of the raw data set wherein information about the class membership is retained while irrelevant information is discarded. A subspace projection based on this criterion preserves as much class discriminability as possible within the subspace. For this paper, laser radar images are used to demonstrate the results. Classification performance against this data set is compared for a gradient descent MLP classifier and a quadratic mutual information MLP classifier.
Split-brain reveals separate but equal self-recognition in the two cerebral hemispheres

To assess the ability of the disconnected cerebral hemispheres to recognize images of the self, a split-brain patient (an individual who underwent complete cerebral commissurotomy to relieve intractable epilepsy) was tested using morphed self-face images presented to one visual hemifield (projecting to one hemisphere) at a time while making "self/other" judgments. The performance of the right and left hemispheres of this patient as assessed by a signal detection method was not significantly different, though a measure of bias did reveal hemispheric differences. The right and left hemispheres of this patient independently and equally possessed the ability to self-recognize, but only the right hemisphere could successfully recognize familiar others. This supports a modular concept of self-recognition and other-recognition, separately present in each cerebral hemisphere.
Structure and membrane affinity of new amphiphilic siderophores produced by Ochrobactrum sp. SP18

The coastal α-proteobacterium Ochrobactrum sp. SP18 produces a suite of three citrate-derived, cell-associated amphiphilic siderophores, ochrobactins A–C. The ochrobactins are composed of a citric acid backbone amide-linked to two lysine residues. Each e-amine of lysine is hydroxylated and acylated forming two hydroxamic acid moieties. One of the acylated appendages of each ochrobactin is (E)-2-decenoic acid. The other acylated appendages for ochrobactins A–C are (E)-2-octenoic acid, octanoic acid and (E)-2-decenoic acid, respectively. The ferric ochrobactin complexes are photoreactive in UV light, producing an oxidized ligand with loss of 46 mass units that can still coordinate Fe(III). The relative partitioning of the apo-ochrobactins, Fe(III) ochrobactins and Fe(III) photoproducts into 1,2-dimyristoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine vesicles is presented. The ochrobactins are the first example of aerobactin-based siderophores with two fatty acid appendages produced in a suite with varying acyl appendage lengths.
A Conceptual Three-Dimensional Model for Evaluating Community-Based Substance Abuse Prevention Programs.

Evaluators of substance abuse prevention programs are being asked to assess multiple and simultaneous interventions occurring in complex settings. The field of substance abuse prevention currently ...
SOD2 deficient erythroid cells up-regulate transferrin receptor and down-regulate mitochondrial biogenesis and metabolism.

Background Mice irradiated and reconstituted with hematopoietic cells lacking manganese superoxide dismutase (SOD2) show a persistent hemolytic anemia similar to human sideroblastic anemia (SA), including characteristic intra-mitochondrial iron deposition. SA is primarily an acquired, clonal marrow disorder occurring in individuals over 60 years of age with uncertain etiology. Methodology/Principal Findings To define early events in the pathogenesis of this murine model of SA, we compared erythroid differentiation of Sod2-/- and normal bone marrow cells using flow cytometry and gene expression profiling of erythroblasts. The predominant transcriptional differences observed include widespread down-regulation of mitochondrial metabolic pathways and mitochondrial biogenesis. Multiple nuclear encoded subunits of complexes I-IV of the electron transport chain, ATP synthase (complex V), TCA cycle and mitochondrial ribosomal proteins were coordinately down-regulated in Sod2-/- erythroblasts. Despite iron accumulation within mitochondria, we found increased expression of transferrin receptor, Tfrc, at both the transcript and protein level in SOD2 deficient cells, suggesting deregulation of iron delivery. Interestingly, there was decreased expression of ABCb7, the gene responsible for X-linked hereditary SA with ataxia, a component required for iron-sulfur cluster biogenesis. Conclusions/Significance These results indicate that in erythroblasts, mitochondrial oxidative stress reduces expression of multiple nuclear genes encoding components of the respiratory chain, TCA cycle and mitochondrial protein synthesis. An additional target of particular relevance for SA is iron:sulfur cluster biosynthesis. By decreasing transcription of components of cluster synthesis machinery, both iron utilization and regulation of iron uptake are impacted, contributing to the sideroblastic phenotype.
Solubility and diffusivity measurements in nitrogen–poly(vinyl acetate) and nitrogen–toluene–poly(vinyl acetate) systems with the differential pressure decay technique

In creating thin films of polymers by solution processing, a common problem is the undesirable formation of bubbles during the drying process. Practical experience shows that bubbles can be created well below the boiling point of the solvent. Also, it has been observed that the degassing of the polymer solutions results in reduced bubble formation, and this indicates a relationship between the presence of air and bubble formation. This work is based on the hypothesis that if the solubility of air in the polymer solution increases with the solvent concentration, then the solution can become supersaturated with air as the concentration of the solvent is reduced during the drying process. To test this hypothesis, knowledge of the thermodynamics of the mixture is required. This study concentrated on the system of poly(vinyl acetate), toluene, and nitrogen. A thermodynamic model to predict phase behavior of this system was developed. The solubility of nitrogen in poly(vinyl acetate) and poly(vinyl acetate)–toluene as a function of the toluene composition over wide ranges of temperatures and pressures was measured with the pressure decay technique. The group-contribution lattice–fluid equation of state was employed to correlate the thermodynamic behavior of the binary and ternary systems. In addition, experiments were conducted to measure the diffusion coefficients of the nitrogen in poly(vinyl acetate). © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 2008
Lipid bilayer arrays: Cyclically formed and measured

Artificial lipid bilayers have many uses. They are well established for scientific studies of reconstituted ion channels, used to host engineered pore proteins for sensing, and can potentially be applied in DNA sequencing. Droplet bilayers have significant technological potential for enabling many of these applications due to their compatibility with automation and array platforms. To further develop this potential, we have simplified the formation and electrical measurement of droplet bilayers using an apparatus that only requires fluid dispensation. We achieved simultaneous bilayer formation and measurement over a 32-element array with ~80% yield and no operator input following fluid addition. Cycling these arrays resulted in the formation and measurement of 96 out of 120 possible bilayers in 80 minutes, a sustainable rate that could significantly increase with automation and greater parallelization. This turn-key, high-yield approach to making artificial lipid bilayers requires no training, making the capability of creating and measuring lipid bilayers and ion channels accessible to a much wider audience. In addition, this approach is low-cost, parallelizable, and automatable, allowing high-throughput studies of ion channels and pore proteins in lipid bilayers for sensing or screening applications.
Asian Economic Community: intra-community macro-and-micro-economic parameters

Abstract In the absence of economic regionalization, the paradigm of globalization is likely to be operationally dysfunctional. In the contemporary world economy, a small subset of sovereign nation state economies commands hugely much larger shares of world output and trade while an overwhelmingly large number of such sovereign economies has their respective shares of world output and trade rather very marginal. Regionalization can help regional economic unions/communities enjoy competitive shares of world output and trade and thus become competitive actors in the inter-regional competitive world market, contributing to the success of globalism. Inadequacy of the post-WWII infrastructure for the global free market economy and the success of EU and the Euro-regime are noted. The 21-member APEC has been exposed to the great geographical divide of the Pacific Ocean, underscoring the fact that the divide of the Atlantic Ocean made the map of Europe differentiated from the Americas. Lessons from EU and the Euro-regime are noted. Based on an extensive empirical analyses of relative shares of world output and trade, the case for Asian Economic Community (AEC) has been presented. The model of 3 plus 5, three economies in Northeast Asia and five in Southeast Asia, may be the step one for the AEC.
Compact tunable midinfrared laser sources: technology and applications

Recent progress in design of diode-laser-pumped CW tunable narrowband mid-infrared sources based on difference-frequency generation (DFG) is addressed. Application of two such tunable sources to high-resolution spectroscopy and sensitive atmospheric trace detection of methane near 3.2 micrometers is reported. Methane detection limit in air of 12 ppb- m/(root)Hz is reported based upon the signal-to-noise ratio observed in the direct absorption spectra. Performance characteristics of these sources are examined including tuning range, phase matching bandwidth, output power, and amplitude stability. Applications of diode-laser-pumped CW tunable DFG may include atmospheric trace detection of several major hydrocarbons such as ethane, ethylene, and benzene, and toxic air pollutants such as carbon monoxide, nitric and nitrous oxide, sulfur dioxide, and methyl chloride.© (1996) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Extensive Energy Transfer in a Nearly One-Dimensional Crystal: The Emisson Spectrum of CsMn Br 3 Doped with Nd 3 +

Crystals of a nearly one-dimensional salt, CsMn${\mathrm{Br}}_{3}$, which have been doped with trivalent neodymium, exhibit emissions from both ${\mathrm{Nd}}^{3+}$ and ${\mathrm{Mn}}^{2+}$. At room temperature the emission from ${\mathrm{Nd}}^{3+}$ is strikingly intense, much stronger than the ${\mathrm{Mn}}^{2+}$ emission. It appears that the manganese excitation migrates rapidly along the anionic chains in CsMn${\mathrm{Br}}_{3}$ and is trapped by the ${\mathrm{Nd}}^{3+}$ impurities. As the temperature is lowered, the rate of energy migration decreases and the ${\mathrm{Mn}}^{2+}$ emission grows at the expense of the ${\mathrm{Nd}}^{3+}$ emissions. There appears to be little energy transfer below 40 K.
Characterization of a nonvirulent variant of lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus.

A cold-adapted, nonvirulent variant of the Armstrong strain of lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus was isolated from infected L929 cells maintained at 25° C. This variant, designated P17, was capable of replicating in the central nervous system of mice without causing disease and conferring immunity to back challenge with the parental strain.
New method for quantitative analysis of multiple scelerosis using MR images

A method for quantitative analysis of multiple sclerosis (MS) was presented. An automatic self-adaptive image segmentation algorithm was first employed to classify voxels in multi-spectral magnetic resonance (MR) images. The segmentation results from multi-spectral MR images were then combined to obtain reliable results. The volumes of brain tissues and cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) were finally extracted. Since it is fully automated, the results of the segmentation algorithm are completely reproducible. The repeatability of the presented method was evaluated on volunteer data sets. The variation is less than 0.2% for the intra-cranial volume, the whole brain volume, the central CSF, the white matter (WM) and the gray matter (GM). The variation of 3% for the entire CSF is mainly due to the peripheral CSF part, which has more partial volume effect and is less important than the central one. Methods for minimizing this variation are under investigation. These measurements demonstrate the potential for study on whole brain atrophy and cerebral atrophy. Feasibility studies on 14 MS patients were performed. The results are promising.
Education as an Economic Development Resource

The relationship between labor-market conditions which are expected to exist in the United States in the year 2000 and current primary and secondary public education policy is examined in this paper. The role of educational attainment in the development of the economy is outlined and a policy model of the functions of publicly supported primary and secondary education is presented. The educational policy implications for the future structure of the US labor market are examined in the context of this model.
Simultaneous far-field and aperture phase measurements of a 25 element coupled oscillator based phased array

A five by five element array designed to operate at S-band was built and tested. The author reviews the array and diagnostic system designs, describes a few modifications of the diagnostic system and the addition of a radiating aperture using microstrip patch elements, and presents some of the results of an antenna range assessment of the fully assembled array.
Augmented glucose use and pentose cycle activity in hepatic endothelial cells after in vivo endotoxemia

Glucose use and pentose cycle activity were determined in freshly isolated rat hepatic endothelial cells 3 hr after an intravenous injection of Escherichia coli lipopolysaccharide (0.1 mg/kg body weight), by use of [1-14C]glucose, [6-14C]glucose and [2-3H]glucose. Lipopolysaccharide treatment in vivo increased glucose use fivefold, whereas glucose oxidation in the pentose cycle was elevated from 0.2 to 1.5 nmol/hr/10(7) cells. In vitro incubation of endothelial cells from saline- and lipopolysaccharide-treated animals in the presence of phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (10(-6) mol/L) increased pentose cycle activity twofold and eightfold, respectively. Phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate caused only a 40% to 60% increase in glycolysis in both groups. Addition of t-butyl hydroperoxide (0.5 mmol/L), a substrate for glutathione peroxidase, caused a 24-fold and 16-fold increase in the glucose flux through the pentose cycle in cells from saline- and lipopolysaccharide-treated rats, respectively. Oxidation of glucose through the Krebs cycle was also increased several-fold after t-butyl hydroperoxide administration. Depletion of cellular glutathione by N-ethylmaleimide (0.1 mmol/L) inhibited the phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate-induced or t-butyl hydroperoxide-induced increase in the pentose cycle activity with no marked effects on glycolysis. Diphenyleneiodonium (0.1 mmol/L), an inhibitor of superoxide and nitric oxide synthesis inhibited the phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate-induced increased pentose cycle activity with no effects on the t-butyl hydroperoxide-induced response.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Investigations of the Copper Bromide-2,2'-Dipyridyl System: Hydrothermal Synthesis and Structural Characterization of Molecular Cu(3)Br(4)(C(10)H(8)N(2))(2), One-Dimensional CuBr(2)(C(10)H(8)N(2)), and Two-Dimensional [Cu(2)(OH)(2)(C(10)H(8)N(2))(2)][Cu(4)Br(6)].

The hydrothermal reactions of CuBr(2), CuBr, and 2,2'-dipyridyl have resulted in the synthesis of three new compounds. Cu(3)Br(4)(C(10)H(8)N(2))(2) (1) is a molecular phase; CuBr(2)(C(10)H(8)N(2)) (2) is a one-dimensional chain structure; and [Cu(2)(OH)(2)(C(10)H(8)N(2))(2)][Cu(4)Br(6)] (3) crystallizes in a two-dimensional sheet structure. All three compounds were characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. Crystal data for 1, triclinic, space group Po (No. 2) with a = 10.604(2) A, b = 11.642(2) A, c = 11.688(2) A, alpha = 61.965(5) degrees, beta = 68.965(5) degrees, gamma = 69.523(5) degrees, Z = 2; 2, monoclinic, space group C2/c (No. 15) with a = 16.766(4) A, b = 9.287(2) A, c = 7.392(2) A, beta = 110.536(6) degrees, Z = 4; 3, monoclinic, space group P2(1)/n (No. 14) with a = 10.907(3) A, b = 6.0677(13) A, c = 21.620(5) A, beta = 90.542(4) degrees, Z = 4.
Recent advances in design and fabrication of on-chip micro-supercapacitors

Recent development in miniaturized electronic devices has increased the demand for power sources that are sufficiently compact and can potentially be integrated on a chip with other electronic components. Miniaturized electrochemical capacitors (EC) or micro-supercapacitors have great potential to complement or replace batteries and electrolytic capacitors in a variety of applications. Recently, we have developed several types of micro-supercapacitors with different structural designs and active materials. Carbon-Microelectromechanical Systems (C-MEMS) with three dimensional (3D) interdigital structures are employed both as electrode material for electric double layer capacitor (EDLC) or as three dimensional (3D) current collectors of pseudo-capacitive materials. More recently, we have also developed microsupercapacitor based on hybrid graphene and carbon nanotube interdigital structures. In this paper, the recent advances in design and fabrication of on-chip micro-supercapacitors are reviewed.
Vertex operators, non-abelian orbifolds and the Reimann-Hilbert problem

Abstract We show how to construct the oscillator part of vertex operators for the bosonic string moving on non-abelian orbifolds, using the conserved charges method. When the three-string vertices are twisted by non-commuting group elements, the construction of the conserved charges becomes the Riemann-Hilbert problem with monodromy matrices given by the twists. This is solvable for any given configuration and any non-abelian orbifold.