cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Admission Heart Rate Variability is Associated with Fever Development in Patients with Intracerebral Hemorrhage

Fever is associated with worse outcome after intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). Autonomic dysfunction, commonly seen after brain injury, results in reduced heart rate variability (HRV). We sought to investigate whether HRV was associated with the development of fever in patients with ICH. We prospectively enrolled consecutive patients with spontaneous ICH in a single-center observational study. We included patients who presented directly to our emergency department after symptom onset, had a 10-second electrocardiogram (EKG) performed within 24 h of admission, and were in sinus rhythm. Patient temperature was recorded every 1–4 h. We defined being febrile as having a temperature of ≥ 38 °C within the first 14 days, and fever burden as the number of febrile days. HRV was defined by the standard deviation of the R-R interval (SDNN) measured on the admission EKG. Univariate associations were determined by Fisher’s exact, Mann–Whitney U, or Spearman’s rho correlation tests. Variables associated with fever at p ≤ 0.2 were entered in a logistic regression model of being febrile within 14 days. There were 248 patients (median age 63 [54–74] years, 125 [50.4%] female, median ICH Score 1 [0–2]) who met the inclusion criteria. Febrile patients had lower HRV (median SDNN: 1.72 [1.08–3.60] vs. 2.55 [1.58–5.72] msec, p = 0.001). Lower HRV was associated with more febrile days (R = − 0.22, p < 0.001). After adjustment, lower HRV was independently associated with greater odds of fever occurrence (OR 0.92 [95% CI 0.87–0.97] with each msec increase in SDNN, p = 0.002). HRV measured on 10-second EKGs is a potential early marker of parasympathetic nervous system dysfunction and is associated with subsequent fever occurrence after ICH. Detecting early parasympathetic dysfunction may afford opportunities to improve ICH outcome by targeting therapies at fever prevention.
Learn2Earn: Using Mobile Airtime Incentives to Bolster Public Awareness Campaigns

In rural parts of the developing world, spreading awareness about critical issues in health, governance, and other topics is challenging and costly. Traditional media such as print, radio and TV each have limitations and offer little guarantee that new information is absorbed or retained by the target population. This paper describes Learn2Earn, a system that leverages mobile payments to bolster public awareness campaigns in rural India. Users call an Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system, listen to a brief audio tutorial, and take a multiple-choice quiz to check their understanding. People who pass the quiz receive a mobile top-up (about $0.14) and have the opportunity to earn additional credits by referring others to the system. We describe a pilot deployment of Learn2Earn in rural India that spread via word-of-mouth to over 15,000 people within seven weeks. Usage was concentrated among young men, many of them students. In a mixed-methods study, we draw upon call logs, electronic surveys, qualitative interviews, and other sources of data to suggest that Learn2Earn could be an effective way to build awareness about important topics.
"But They're My Avatar": Examining Character Attachment to Android Avatars in Quantic Dream's Detroit: Become Human

This study examines how players describe their rationale behind decisions made during gameplay of Detroit: Become Human and how responses may coincide with character attachment (CA). Semi-structured interviews were conducted to examine the presence of character attachment and how it may lead to the player's understanding of their gameplay choices. Both the emotions (or lack of) of the avatar and strategizing about gameplay emerged as two central themes. Results are discussed in light of human-robot interaction based on popular media.
DNA adduct formation and induction of micronuclei and mutations in B6C3F1/Tk mice treated neonatally with acrylamide or glycidamide

2110 Acrylamide, a water-soluble α,β-unsaturated amide, is a high-volume industrial chemical, a component of cigarette smoke, and more recently, has been detected as a contaminant in baked and fried starchy foods, including french fries, potato chips, and bread. Acrylamide is a carcinogen in experimental animals; however, the mechanism of tumor induction is controversial, with both genotoxic and nongenotoxic pathways being proposed. Since neonatal mice are very sensitive to the effects of genotoxic carcinogens, we have compared the extent of DNA adduct formation and the induction of micronuclei and mutations in B6C3F1/Tk mice treated neonatally with acrylamide and its electrophilic metabolite glycidamide to obtain information concerning the mechanism of acrylamide carcinogenicity. Male and female B6C3F1/Tk mice were treated intraperitoneally on postnatal days (PNDs) 1, 8, and 15 with 0.14 and 0.70 mmol/kg acrylamide or glycidamide. On PND 16, the B6C3F1/Tk+/+ mice were killed and hepatic DNA adduct levels and the extent of peripheral blood micronuclei were measured. Three weeks after the last treatment, the B6C3F1/Tk+/− mice were killed to assess the Hprt and Tk mutant frequencies in spleen lymphocytes. Hepatic levels of N7-(2-carbamoyl-2-hydroxyethyl)guanine (N7-GA-Gua), the major adduct formed from glycidamide, were determined by HPLC coupled with electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry and found to be 3.5 ± 0.1 adducts/106 nucleotides for 0.14 mmol/kg acrylamide, 7.2 ± 0.5 adducts/106 nucleotides for 0.70 mmol/kg acrylamide, 4.5 ± 0.2 adducts/106 nucleotides for 0.14 mmol/kg glycidamide, and 25.7 ± 1.0 adducts/106 nucleotides for 0.70 mmol/kg glycidamide, as compared to 0.01 ± 0.01 adducts/106 nucleotides in control mice. N3-(2-Carbamoyl-2-hydroxyethyl)adenine was also detected, at approximately 1% of the level of N7-GA-Gua. The induction of micronuclei was assessed in reticulocytes and normochromatic erythrocytes; only 0.70 mmol/kg glycidamide caused a significant induction (0.33 ± 0.02% and 0.27 ± 0.02%, respectively, versus 0.18 ± 0.01 and 0.16 ± 0.01% in the control mice). Both 0.14 and 0.70 mmol/kg glycidamide induced a significant increase in the Tk mutant frequency (59 ± 5 and 51 ± 7 mutants/106 lymphocytes, respectively, versus 25 ± 5 mutants/106 lymphocytes in the control mice); only 0.70 mmol/kg glycidamide caused a significant increase in the Hprt mutant frequency (6.8 ± 2.1 mutants/106 lymphocytes versus 0.8 ± 0.3 mutants/106 lymphocytes in the controls). The higher adduct levels obtained upon glycidamide treatment, and the observations of micronuclei and mutant induction by glycidamide only, suggest that the genotoxicity of acrylamide is mediated through its metabolism to glycidamide. (Supported by an Interagency Agreement between the FDA/NCTR and NIEHS/NTP.)
COVID-19 and People Who Use Drugs - A Commentary

Objective People who use drugs (PWUD) face increased risk of exposure to COVID-19, but also elevated risk associated from injection drug use. We describe factors underlying their increased risk and identify mechanisms for reducing or minimizing rates of COVID-19 transmission and other health outcomes. Methods Our commentary draws upon empirical data, governmental and other reports, and field-based unpublished data from our own studies to inform our conclusion and recommendations. Results Co-morbid health conditions (eg, diabetes), structural challenges (eg, homelessness, criminal justice involvement), stigma (eg, social devaluation, discrediting), and syndemic clustering of of overdose, HCV, and HIV among PWUD are exacerbated by COVID-19. Conclusions Beyond the many challenges all people face to remain safe and healthy during the COVID-19 pandemic, PWUD face additional barriers to remaining safe not only from COVID-19 but from negative health outcomes associated with their living environments, socioeconomic positions, and injection drug use. Collaborative efforts among governmental agencies, health providers, SSPs, CBOs, and other agencies providing services to PWUD is essential to the development of programs and services to meet the many needs of PWUD, which have been particularly accentuated during the COVID-19 pandemic.
3D Fluorescence Imaging with a Computational Mesoscope

Fluorescence imaging is indispensable to biology and neuroscience. Conventional microscopes and miniscopes are constrained by their limited field-of-view, shallow depth-of-field and inability to resolve 3D distributed emitters. We present a Computational Miniature Mesoscope enabling single-shot 3D fluorescence imaging across 8mm field-of-view and 2.5mm extended depthof-field.
Machine Learning and Statistical Analysis applied on Mechanical Engineering CAD course: A Case Study During ERTE Pahse in the Context of Higher Education

As the covid-19 pandemic stroke the humanity on March 2020, the Higher Education Institutions had to confront rapidly the emergency to readapt the organization of their courses in order to respond to those extenuating circumstances.An Emergency Remote Teaching Environment (ERTE) [1] [10] was created by the teaching team, in order to get as close as a 6 months’ pre-planned Intentional Online Teaching Environment (IOTE) module can get. To achieve the above, new technologies and features have been used for the online lectures; Social media were also used [7] in order to surpass the lack of the physical environment and face-to-face instruction.This study focuses on predicting the students’ satisfaction on the ERTE, by defining constructs and variables that are taken into consideration at an online survey of evaluating students’ satisfaction on IOTE. The students’ satisfaction rate is evaluated, focusing on the transition difficulties from a face-to face Teaching environment (FFTE) to an ERTE.The present study consists of a comparative analysis, regarding the efficiency of online mechanical Computer Aided Design courses at the University of West Attica, Athens, Greece, filled in by the students attending the remote teaching-online class courses.A dataset has been generated, considering their attendance, behavioral and comprehension parameters described in a questionnaire examining 40 variables, grouped in 9 constructs.A statistical analysis takes place, including univariate analysis (bar charts, pie charts, and frequency tables), correlation analysis, clustering and principal component analysis.The outcomes of this research aim in establishing the sustainability of these new technology features.
AI-driven prediction of SARS-CoV-2 variant binding trends from atomistic simulations

We present a novel technique to predict binding affinity trends between two molecules from atomistic molecular dynamics simulations. The technique uses a neural network algorithm applied to a series of images encoding the distance between two molecules in time. We demonstrate that our algorithm is capable of separating with high accuracy mutations with low binding affinity from mutations with high binding affinity. Moreover, we show high accuracy in prediction using a small subset of the simulation, therefore requiring a much shorter simulation time. We apply our algorithm to the binding between several variants of the the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein and the human receptor ACE2.
Testosterone Metabolite 6β-Hydroxytestosterone Contributes to Angiotensin II-Induced Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms in Apoe-/- Male Mice.

Background Sex is a prominent risk factor for abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs), and angiotensin II (Ang II) induces AAA formation to a greater degree in male than in female mice. We previously rep...
Longitudinal Speech Biomarkers for Automated Alzheimer's Detection

We introduce a novel audio processing architecture, the Open Voice Brain Model (OVBM), improving detection accuracy for Alzheimer's (AD) longitudinal discrimination from spontaneous speech. We also outline the OVBM design methodology leading us to such architecture, which in general can incorporate multimodal biomarkers and target simultaneously several diseases and other AI tasks. Key in our methodology is the use of multiple biomarkers complementing each other, and when two of them uniquely identify different subjects in a target disease we say they are orthogonal. We illustrate the OBVM design methodology by introducing sixteen biomarkers, three of which are orthogonal, demonstrating simultaneous above state-of-the-art discrimination for two apparently unrelated diseases such as AD and COVID-19. Depending on the context, throughout the paper we use OVBM indistinctly to refer to the specific architecture or to the broader design methodology. Inspired by research conducted at the MIT Center for Brain Minds and Machines (CBMM), OVBM combines biomarker implementations of the four modules of intelligence: The brain OS chunks and overlaps audio samples and aggregates biomarker features from the sensory stream and cognitive core creating a multi-modal graph neural network of symbolic compositional models for the target task. In this paper we apply the OVBM design methodology to the automated diagnostic of Alzheimer's Dementia (AD) patients, achieving above state-of-the-art accuracy of 93.8% using only raw audio, while extracting a personalized subject saliency map designed to longitudinally track relative disease progression using multiple biomarkers, 16 in the reported AD task. The ultimate aim is to help medical practice by detecting onset and treatment impact so that intervention options can be longitudinally tested. Using the OBVM design methodology, we introduce a novel lung and respiratory tract biomarker created using 200,000+ cough samples to pre-train a model discriminating cough cultural origin. Transfer Learning is subsequently used to incorporate features from this model into various other biomarker-based OVBM architectures. This biomarker yields consistent improvements in AD detection in all the starting OBVM biomarker architecture combinations we tried. This cough dataset sets a new benchmark as the largest audio health dataset with 30,000+ subjects participating in April 2020, demonstrating for the first time cough cultural bias.
Histone deacetylase inhibitor Vorinostat (SAHA) suppresses micropthalmia transcription factor expression and induces cell death in nevocytes from large/giant congenital melanocytic nevi.

Large/giant congenital nevi (L/GCMN) are benign neoplasms of the melanocytic neural crest lineage covering extensive areas of skin presenting risk for melanoma. Surgical resection often leads to scarring and trauma. Histone deacetylase inhibitors (iHDACs) as topical therapeutic agents may prove beneficial as an alternative/adjunct to surgery in this disease. Here we describe the effect of in vitro treatment of iHDACs drugs on primary nevocytes isolated from L/GCMN patients. Micropthalmia transcription factor (MITF) expression in L/GCMN patients' lesions was detected by immunohistochemistry, in cultured nevocytes by immunofluorescence, immunoblot and quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Cellular senescence was detected by SA-s galactosidase activity. Markers for melanocytic differentiation were evaluated by immunoblot analysis and extracted melanin content was estimated spectrophotometrically. Cell death was measured by lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) assay and necrosis confirmed by polymerase (PARP) cleavage and acridine orange staining of the nuclei. MITF was expressed ubiquitously in nevocytes and melanocytes in patients' lesions. In culture, iHDAC treatment suppressed MITF protein and mRNA expression resulting in a senescent-like phenotype with positive s-galactosidase staining, progressing to necrotic cell death as evidenced by increased LDH activity, appearance of cleaved PARP and necrotic nuclei. This is the first report showing evidence of iHDACs-induced MITF suppression in congenital nevocytes in vitro leading to a morphologic change with positive s-galactosidase staining, followed by necrotic cell death in nevocytes, indicating that iHDAC drugs could be valuable therapeutic agents for treatment of L/GCMN lesions.
Effect of Light on the Thiol Status of Chloroplasts

Intact chloroplasts were analyzed for thiol content under light and dark conditions by using the thiol labelling reagent, monobromobimane (mBBr) (1). This reagent, which readily penetrated both the chloroplast envelope and thylakoid membranes, labelled available thiols thereby rendering them fluorescent. The results suggest that light brings about the reduction of the disulfide groups of numerous proteins of chloroplasts, especially those of the soluble protein fraction (chloroplast extract).
Toward a Gradiometer Analytic Model

The first solid attempt to model the data type, formulate the filter structure, and perform covariance, for an orbiting gravity gradiometer may be found in [1]. To make early progress, many sweeping assumptions were made, and quite a bit was swept under the rug, although identified as such in the paper. In particular, a great deal of work was avoided by oversimplifying the dynamics. In this memo, I’ll introduce a much more elaborate and realistic model. The main new features are a general interia tensor for the floated instrument, air drag and radiation pressure models using cubic power spectra, and more reasonable kinematics. The theory for all this is developed below.
Design of Experiments

In this chapter, we review relevant concepts from the field of design of experiments, and this review assumes some basic knowledge of the field. We review both classical and contemporary design of experiments methods. Classical methods are well-established and have a long history of use in many applications; some of these include factorial designs, ANOVA (analysis of variance), and response surface modeling amongst others. The contemporary methods considered are those that are suited for design of experiments for computer simulations, which are based on some fundamental differences from classical experiments. These methods are primarily based on the experimental design and the creation of metamodels of response surfaces (i.e., surrogate models that could be use replacements for true computational models).
Poverty Law: United States

“Poverty law” refers to policy and lawyering strategies to contest inequality. The rise of the federal welfare state shaped the contours of poverty law in the first half of the twentieth century. This combined with the rights revolution at mid-century to mobilize legal services lawyers and courts in the War on Poverty, which was the zenith of the antipoverty movement. The welfare state’s subsequent decline and federal court retrenchment have channeled the antipoverty movement in new directions forged by decentralization, privatization, and globalization. This encyclopedia entry traces poverty law's history and more recent response to these trends by moving downward (from federal to local), outward (from state to market), and beyond (from domestic to global).
Neutralization of IL-10 increases survival in a murine model of Klebsiella pneumonia

Effective host defense against bacterial infection is dependent upon the vigorous recruitment and activation of neutrophils and macrophages. We hypothesized that IL-10 is produced in the setting of bacterial pneumonia, and this cytokine may attenuate host defense by inhibiting the expression of important activating and chemotactic cytokines. CD-1 mice were challenged with either 30 microliters of saline or saline containing 10(3) CFUs of Klebsiella pneumoniae intratracheally (i.t.) and lungs were harvested at 8, 24, and 48 h. The i.t. inoculation with K. pneumoniae resulted in a 13-, 14-, and 8-fold increase in lung homogenate TNF, macrophage inflammatory protein-2 (MIP-2), and macrophage inflammatory protein-1 alpha (MIP-1 alpha) levels, respectively, as compared with control animals. In addition, we observed an increase in IL-10 mRNA and protein levels in lung homogenates, maximal at 48 h postinoculation. To establish the biologic relevance of IL-10 in Klebsiella pneumonia, we passively immunized CD-1 mice with 0.5 ml of rabbit anti-murine IL-10 serum or preimmune serum i.p. 2 h before i.t. administration of K. pneumoniae. Treatment of animals with anti-IL-10 serum resulted in increased levels of TNF, MIP-2, and MIP-1 alpha, respectively, within lung homogenates at 24 and 48 h, as compared with preimmune-treated animals. Furthermore, neutralization of IL-10 resulted in a significant decrease in K. pneumoniae CFU in both lung homogenates and plasma harvested at 48 h, as well as a significant increase in survival in these animals. Our studies indicate that 1) IL-10 is produced during Klebsiella pneumonia; and 2) inhibition of IL-10 bioactivity in vivo results in enhanced bacterial clearance, increased expression of proinflammatory cytokines, and prolonged survival.
A Comparison of Hybrid Incremental Reuse Strategies for Reinforcement Learning in Genetic Programming

Easy missions is an approach to machine learning that seeks to synthesize solutions for complex tasks from those for simpler ones. ISLES (Incrementally Staged Learning from Easier Subtasks) [1] is a genetic programming (GP) technique that achieves this by using identified goals and fitness functions for subproblems of the overall problem. Solutions evolved for these subproblems are then reused to speed up learning, either as automatically defined functions (ADF) or by seeding a new GP population. Previous positive results using both approaches for learning in multi-agent systems (MAS) showed that incremental reuse using easy missions achieves comparable or better overall fitness than single-layered GP. A key unresolved issue dealt with hybrid reuse using ADF with easy missions. Results in the keep-away soccer (KAS) [2] domain (a test bed for MAS learning) were also inconclusive on whether compactness-inducing reuse helped or hurt overall agent performance. In this paper, we compare reuse using single-layered (with and without ADF) GP and easy missions GPs to two new types of GP learning systems with incremental reuse.
Character, Competence, and the Principles of Medical Discipline

This Article presents a first-of-its-kind analysis of the disciplinary functions of state medical licensing boards-the frequently overlooked administrative agencies designed to serve as the "gatekeepers" of the medical profession. It concludes that medical boards may have lost sight of their primary goal of patient protection and suggests that a renewed focus on professional licensing boards may go a long way towards addressing some of the quality of care problems plaguing the American medical system. This Article identifies three fundamental legal principles underlying medical boards' authority to discipline physicians: the goal of public protection, substantive due process limitations based on fitness to practice medicine, and the concept of disciplinary minimalism. It demonstrates that boards, which frequently sanction physicians who engage in criminal conduct and other forms of "unprofessional conduct" outside the clinical sphere, often exercise their disciplinary discretion in a manner inconsistent with these fundamental principles. A more effective use of medical boards' scarce resources would involve a focus on physicians whose misconduct is more clearly linked to clinical practice. Accordingly, this Article suggests that boards return their focus to the principles of professional discipline, prioritizing disciplinary actions taken on the basis of competence, rather than
On the mismatch between salinity tolerance and preference for an invasive fish: A case for incorporating behavioral data into niche modeling

Abstract Many estuarine species are euryhaline, tolerating a broad range of salinity conditions, such that data on their salinity tolerances can provide little information about a species' distribution and abundance. This is particularly true for nonnative species, known to be tolerant of a broad range of conditions. Instead, data on a species' abiotic or habitat preferences may improve prediction of a nonnative species' potential range, if introduced or if undergoing range expansion. At minimum, information about abiotic preferences may be telling of areas where the probability of nonnative occurrence or density may be higher, and if present, of areas that confer higher fitness. In this study, the salinity preference of the nonnative African jewelfish ( Hemichromis letourneuxi ), a recent and rapidly-expanding invader in the Florida Everglades, was quantified in laboratory trials. Despite the broad salinity tolerance of African jewelfish (up to 50), trials show a strong preference for freshwater conditions. When presented with a salinity gradient, over 50% of observations in timed videotaped trials were collected in the lowest salinity chamber (0.3), suggesting an affinity for low salinity, which was unaffected by the sex or body condition of study fish. Fish clearly avoided mid and full salinity conditions. Findings suggest that their distribution may be considerably more limited, and that the species may have higher invasion success in oligohaline habitats, than predicted based on their salinity tolerance. Results have important implications for nonnative species niche modeling, and argue for better integration of behavior along with physiological responses when examining species distributions in dynamic environments.
A systems approach to targeted therapeutic interventions in cancer: Semantic modeling and design of novel compounds for the treatment of disseminated disease

Proc Amer Assoc Cancer Res, Volume 47, 2006 4631 Successful long-term management of the ecology of disseminated cancers requires the simultaneous use of multiple intervention mechanisms and the ability to titrate treament aggressiveness to the particulars of each patient presenting with recurrent metastatic disease. We have developed a systems model to guide the selection and admixture of specific therapeutic molecules designed to maximize therapeutic index while minimizing the incidence of mechanistic resistance. Based on the 22-amino-acid MBD transporter derived from IGFBP-3, which has been shown to target malignant cancer cells via transferrin receptors and beta-3 integrins and confer characteristic delivery characteristics to covalently attached molecules in in vivo experiments, peptides targeting stress-coping and anti-apoptotic mechanisms commonly up-regulated in cancer (NF-kappa-B, Hsp-70, MDM2, survivin) have been designed. The discriminant validity of these peptides was established by comparing their cytotoxicicity to breast and leukemia cancer cell lines with that exhibited towards normal human cell counterparts. Semantic modeling predicts synergies between specific ratios of these peptides in cocktails targeting the system fragilities peculiar to breast and T-cell cancers when compared to normal cell counterparts. Results from experiments using such peptide cocktails in a Rag-2 murine model of leukemia are presented. Taken together, our data suggest ways in which successful novel biological interventions for recurrent metastatic disease and hematological malignancies might be developed.
Of Rights and Revolutions: Liberty and Equality in the Political Thought of Gouverneur Morris

Arguments about rights killed many people in Gouverneur Morris’s lifetime. He foresaw the possibility before the American Revolution and repeatedly warned that the worst outcomes would result from moves toward radical democracy. Less than twenty years later, he watched in Paris as the French abundantly fulfilled his prophecy. Together with his strong defense of property rights, his opposition to democracy has earned Morris a reputation as a conservative. His views have been traced either to an attachment to traditional social order or a commitment to liberal principles of political economy. Certainly Morris had an affinity for both. This paper argues that his understanding of human limitations and his commitment to social progress provided the deeper foundations of his views on rights and on revolutionary action.
Synthesis and nuclear magnetic resonance solution studies of zerovalent nickel-carbonyl-dppm complexes

Abstract Three nickel-carbonyl-dppm complexes, Ni(CO) 2 (η 1 -dppm) 2 , Ni 2 (μ-dppm) 2 (μ-CO)(CO) 2 and Ni 2 (μ-dppm) 2 (CO) 4 have been prepared by minor modifications of a single synthetic procedure. The complexes were characterized in the solid state by IR analysis and in solution by 31 P NMR analysis. In solution, at 25 °C, Ni(CO) 2 (η 1 -dppm) 2 rearranges to initially form Ni 2 (μ-dppm) 2 (μ-CO)(CO) 2 , CO and dppm followed by the subsequent reaction of Ni 2 (μ-dppm) 2 (μ-CO)(CO) 2 with CO to yield Ni 2 (μ-dppm) 2 (CO) 4 . Carbon monoxide gas uptake measurements were conducted to determine the extents of the interconversions of the three nickel-carbonyl-dppm complexes at 25 °C and 700 torr. Reaction of CO with Ni(CO) 2 (η 1 -dppm) 2 yielded a fourth zerovalent complex, Ni(CO) 3 (η 1 - dppm).
Proximity effect correction in electron-beam lithography

Many techniques have been proposed for the reduction or correction of the proximity effect. These include the use of an appropriate beam energy, multilayer resists, dose correction, and correction exposures. Here, special emphasis is placed on dose correction schemes. In particular, the relationship between these and a typical correction exposure scheme (GHOST) is described. The popular "self-consistent" schemes are in widespread use. However, alternative dose correction schemes with attractive attributes exist, although they are not as well known. Two of these are described. One treats electron lithography as a form of incoherent imaging, characterized by a modulation transfer function (MTF). The method consists of transforming the pattern data to account for this MTF, thus eliminating the proximity effect. This scheme is both computationally efficient and accurate. The other scheme is an extension of GHOST in which dose corrections are computed by simulating the effects of a correction exposure: it too is fast and accurate.
Some Doubts about the Earth's Dust Cloud

Considerable doubt is cast on the validity of past satellite measurements of micrometeoroid fluxes in which piezoelectric microphones have been used as detectors. Data have been obtained from satellite and laboratory experiments which show that the microphone crystals emit noise when subject to slowly varying temperatures. The rate of noise is consistent with past flight data which have previously been interpreted on the basis of micrometeoroid impacts. These measurements have given rise to the theory that the earth is surrounded by a cloud of dust, although no satisfactory mechanism has yet been found to explain this apparent phenomenon. On the basis of the results reported here, it now appears that whether or not a concentration of dust exists in the vicinity of the earth, the data from satellite microphone measurements should not be used to support such a hypothesis.
Steady-state kinetics of substrate binding and iron release in tomato ACC oxidase

1-Aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate oxidase (ACC oxidase) catalyzes the last step in the biosynthetic pathway of the plant hormone, ethylene. This unusual reaction results in the oxidative ring cleavage of 1-aminocyclopropane carboxylate (ACC) into ethylene, cyanide, and CO2 and requires ferrous ion, ascorbate, and molecular oxygen for catalysis. A new purification procedure and assay method have been developed for tomato ACC oxidase that result in greatly increased enzymatic activity. This method allowed us to determine the rate of iron release from the enzyme and the effect of the activator, CO2, on this rate. Initial velocity studies support an ordered kinetic mechanism where ACC binds first followed by O2; ascorbate can bind after O2 or possibly before ACC. This kinetic mechanism differs from one recently proposed for the ACC oxidase from avocado.
Altered localization of E-cadherin and alpha-catenin in rat esophageal tumors.

An alteration in the localization of E-cadherin and its associated proteins has been observed in many epithelial neoplasms. No data exist, however, for the expression of these proteins in an animal model system for esophageal cancer or in cultured rat esophageal epithelial cell lines. The present study investigated the localization of E-cadherin and its associated protein, alpha-catenin, in rat esophageal epithelial cell lines of differing tumorigenic potential; in tumors induced after transplantation of these cell lines into syngeneic hosts; and, in esophageal tumors induced in rats by the carcinogen, N-nitrosomethylbenzylamine (NMBA). Immunofluorescent staining of the cultured cell lines revealed staining for both E-cadherin and alpha-catenin at cell-cell boundaries. Western blot analysis confirmed the membrane-bound localization of E-cadherin and alpha-catenin in the cells. However, tumors induced by these cell lines in syngeneic rats showed reduction in the expression of both E-cadherin and a-catenin in the plasma membrane of invasive epithelial cells. Immunohistochemical analysis of NMBA-induced esophageal neoplasms in rats revealed E-cadherin and alpha-catenin to be abnormally expressed in poorly differentiated tumors when compared to well differentiated tumors. These results suggest that the microenvironment may have an important role in regulating the expression of these adhesion molecules in rat esophageal epithelial cells, and that alteration in the cellular localization of E-cadherin and alpha-catenin may be indicative of tumor progression in NMBA-induced rat esophageal cancer.
Magnesium tetrakis dibenzoylmethide triethylammonium: A novel blue emitting phosphor

Triboluminescence (TL) is the emission of cold light that is created when materials are fractured. Europium tetrakis dibenzoylmethide triethylammonium (EuD4TEA) is one of the brightest triboluminescent materials that exist. However, due to the rising cost of europium, it is becoming very expensive to synthesize. As such, we have begun investigating other elements that can possibly replace europium as the luminescent center. After ruling out other lanthanides, we turned our attention to the alkaline earth metals. This paper will explore the luminescent properties of a new novel blue emitting phosphor: magnesium tetrakis dibenzoylmethide triethylammonium.
Evolutionary variants of simian virus 40: cloned substituted variants containing multiple initiation sites for DNA replication.

Abstract Two cloned evolutionary variants of simian virus 40 (SV40) containing substitutions of cellular DNA have been characterized by restriction endonuclease analysis, electron microscopic heteroduplex mapping, and DNA-DNA hybridization. Each variant genome is made up of a small, tandemly repeated segment of DNA consisting of cellular DNA and that portion of the SV40 genome containing the initiation signal for viral DNA replication. Cellular DNA sequences are different in the two variants, indicating that recombination between cell DNA and SV40-DNA can occur at more than one site. However, one end of the SV40 segment (0.68 SV40 map-units) is the same in each variant. The data suggest that substituted variants arise by integration of SV40-DNA into cellular DNA followed by excision of a small substituted genome which is subsequently amplified to a size compatible with encapsidation; the presence of multiple initiation signals in each molecule results in selective replication.
RAILROADS IN EMERGENCY PLANNING

Abstract Railroad contingency planning is linked up with an elaborate government network including the Departments of Transportation, Defense (principally the Joint Chiefs of Staff). Justice, Commerce, and Energy and the Interstate Commerce Commission. The railroads have played a key role in the response to regional and national emergencies and natural disasters. However, Department of Energy allocation rules limited the contribution railroads were able to make during the oil supply disruptions of the 1970s. In general, government can improve the performance of railroads in emergencies by 1. (i) remaining out of the fuel market; 2. (ii) assuming repair and maintenance responsibility for certain segments of track serving defense installations; 3. (iii) allocating fuel from government stocks in certain instances: 4. (iv) Permitting and, where necessary, providing rapid repair of communications; 5. (v) granting expanded railroad police jurisdiction: 6. (vi) moving further in the direction of railroad deregulation.
Expectations equilibria with dispersed forecasts

Abstract A dispersion condition for traders' forecasts in a general equilibrium model with uncertainty and asymmetric information yields improved results for some (microeconomic) situations in which rational expectations equilibria need not exist. The hypothesis of suitably dispersed forecasts implies that consumers' aggregate excess demand is a continuous function and therefore a fixed point theorem may be applied to obtain a price vector (for each state of the world) such that markets clear. Stronger assumptions give existence of approximately rational expectations equilibria and the convergence of forecast distributions to rational expectations.
Discriminative stimulus properties of the atypical antipsychotic clozapine and the typical antipsychotic chlorpromazine in a three-choice drug discrimination procedure in rats

The atypical antipsychotic drug (APD) clozapine elicits a robust discriminative cue that is generally selective for other atypical APDS in two-choice drug discrimination (DD) procedures. The present study determined whether a three-choice DD procedure with the atypical APD clozapine (CLZ) versus the typical APD chlorpromazine (CPZ) versus vehicle (VEH) could provide greater selectivity between atypical and typical APDs. Sprague-Dawley rats were trained to discriminate 5.0 mg/kg CLZ from 1.0 mg/kg CPZ from VEH in a three-lever DD task with an FR30 food reinforcement schedule. Generalization testing with CLZ produced CPZ-appropriate responding at lower doses (ED50=0.103 mg/kg) and CLZ-appropriate responding at higher doses (ED50=1.69 mg/kg). Generalization testing with the atypical APD olanzapine produced similar results. In contrast, the atypical APD risperidone and the typical APDs CPZ and haloperidol produced only CPZ-appropriate responding. The muscarinic antagonist scopolamine produced CPZ-appropriate responding at lower doses and CLZ-appropriate responding at higher doses in a manner similar to CLZ and olanzapine. The co-administration of haloperidol (0.00625 mg/kg) with scopolamine shifted the dose–response curve for CLZ-appropriate responding to the left. The 5-HT2A/2C antagonist ritanserin and the H1 histamine antagonist pyrilamine did not substitute for either CLZ or CPZ. The α1 adrenergic antagonist prazosin did not substitute for CLZ, but produced full substitution for CPZ. The three-choice DD procedure clearly distinguished the atypical APDs CLZ and olanzapine from the typical APDs CPZ and haloperidol; however, the stimulus properties of the atypical APD risperidone were similar to CPZ, but not to CLZ. These findings further suggest that CLZ, as well as CPZ, elicits a compound cue.
Medical radiation exposure in children with inflammatory bowel disease estimates high cumulative doses.

Background: Children with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) undergo imaging using ionizing radiation and may be exposed to high cumulative radiation. We hypothesized that children with IBD have high exposure to radiation from medical imaging. Methods: An Institutional Review Board (IRB)-approved retrospective chart review from 2002–2008 was performed on all patients with IBD. Radiographic studies performed were recorded and exposure for each study was estimated. Results: A total of 117 children with IBD (86 Crohn's disease [CD], 31 ulcerative colitis [UC]) were evaluated. The median current exposure was 15.1 mSv in CD and 7.2 mSv in UC (P = 0.005). Computed tomography (CT) scan and small bowel follow-through (SBFT) were responsible for 43% and 36% of all radiation exposures, respectively. The rate of radiation was higher in CD compared to UC (4.3 versus 2.2 mSv/yr). In CD, the rate of exposure was highest in the first 3 years of diagnosis (8.2 mSv/yr), and no different between the 3–5 year follow-up and 5+ year follow-up groups (3.8 versus 4.3 mSv/yr). Using the annual dose rate in those followed for more than 3 years, an estimated 47 out of 78 (60%) children (40 CD, 7 UC) would exceed 50 mSv by 35 years of age. Conclusions: Radiation exposure from medical imaging is high in a subset of children diagnosed with IBD. Estimation of radiation exposure at age 35 suggests a significant portion of children with IBD will have high radiation exposure in their lifetime. Nonionizing imaging such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and ultrasound should be offered to children with IBD as an alternative to current imaging that employs radiation. Inflamm Bowel Dis 2011
Superfluid turbulence in neutron stars

The neutron superfluid in most neutron stars should be in a highly turbulent state. If so, this turbulence drastically alters its rotational properties.
Antifreeze proteins in pelagic fishes from Marguerite Bay (Western Antarctica)

Abstract The Southern Ocean is home to two major types of fishes: the largely endemic suborder Notothenioidei and representatives of oceanic fish families that are widely distributed in the midwater and benthic environments elsewhere (e.g. bathylagids, myctophids, liparids, and zoarcids). In most regions of the coastal Antarctic, e.g. the Ross Sea, there is a distinct separation in the pelagic communities at the shelf break between the oceanics (off-shelf) and the endemics (on-shelf). Coincidentally, in much of the coastal Antarctic, the shelf break also marks the boundary between a water column entirely composed of the very cold (−2 °C) Ice Shelf Water and an oceanic profile that includes warmer circumpolar deep water (2 °C at 200 m) at intermediate depths. The distinct separation in pelagic communities observed in most coastal regions of the Antarctic is not seen on the western Antarctic Peninsula (WAP), where circumpolar deep water intrudes to form a warmer midwater and oceanic species are strongly represented. It was hypothesized that the cold ice-shelf water, lethal to fishes without antifreeze glycoproteins (AFGPs) in their blood, was excluding the oceanic species from most of the Antarctic continental shelf waters. To test the hypothesis, nine species of fish captured in WAP shelf waters were tested for the presence of AFGPs. The oceanic fish families analyzed: Myctophidae (Electrona and Gymnoscopelus), Zoarcidae (Melanostigma), Gempylidae (Paradiplospinus), Paralepididae (Notolepis), and Bathylagidae (Bathylagus) showed no antifreeze activity. Two endemic species captured in the same sampling program did show antifreeze activity: the important pelagic species Pleuragramma antarcticum (Nototheniidae) and the Bathydraconid species Vomeridens infuscipinnus. The absence of AFGPs in the blood of Antarctic oceanic species makes a strong case for temperature exclusion of oceanic fishes in the coastal Antarctic.
Amplification of histone genes by circular chromosome formation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Proper histone levels are critical for transcription, chromosome segregation, and other chromatin-mediated processes(1-7). In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the histones H2A and H2B are encoded by two gene pairs, named HTA1-HTB1 and HTA2-HTB2 (ref. 8). Previous studies have demonstrated that when HTA2-HTB2 is deleted, HTA1-HTB1 dosage compensates at the transcriptional level(4,9). Here we show that a different mechanism of dosage compensation, at the level of gene copy number, can occur when HTA1-HTB1 is deleted. In this case, HTA2-HTB2 amplifies via creation of a new, small, circular chromosome. This duplication, which contains 39 kb of chromosome II, includes HTA2-HTB2, the histone H3-H4 locus HHT1-HHF1, a centromere and origins of replication. Formation of the new chromosome occurs by recombination between two Ty1 retrotransposon elements that flank this region. Following meiosis, recombination between these two particular Ty1 elements occurs at a greatly elevated level in hta1-htb1Delta mutants, suggesting that a decreased level of histones H2A and H2B specifically stimulates this amplification of histone genes. Our results demonstrate another mechanism by which histone gene dosage is controlled to maintain genomic integrity.
Evaluation of counterions for electrospray ionization mass spectral analysis of a highly sulfated carbohydrate, sucrose octasulfate.

A systematic approach was used to evaluate the electrospray ionization mass spectral (ESI-MS) analysis of sucrose octasulfate (SOS), an important pharmaceutical agent. SOS represents a model for other sulfated carbohydrates, such as heparin and glycosaminoglycan-derived oligosaccharides that also are highly sulfated and pose difficult analytical problems. A survey of ammonium counterions showed that 1°, 2°, and 3° ammonium salts of SOS gave substantial fragmentation as a result of sulfate loss. In contrast, quaternary ammonium and phosphonium salts gave excellent ESI spectra, particularly in the positive ion mode. This represents the first report of the ESI-MS analysis of sulfated carbohydrates in the positive ion mode.
Stained Bacterial Antigens for Use in Microagglutination Procedures

Abstract We describe the preparation of tetrazolium-stained antigens from three significant bacterial fish pathogens — Aeromonas hydrophila, A. salmonicida, and enteric redmouth bacterium — for use in a microagglutination system. Serum titers revealed by the microagglutination test and the conventional tube agglutination test were practically identical. The principal advantages of the microagglutination procedure relate to conservation of time, space, and seologic reagents.
Role for Akt/Protein Kinase B and Activator Protein-1 in Cellular Proliferation Induced by the Human T-cell Leukemia Virus Type 1 Tax Oncoprotein

Human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 is an oncogenic retrovirus etiologically causal of adult T-cell leukemia. The virus encodes a Tax oncoprotein, which functions in transcriptional regulation, cell cycle control, and transformation. Because adult T-cell leukemia is a highly virulent cancer that is resistant to numerous chemotherapeutic treatments, to understand better this disease it is important to comprehend how human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 promotes cellular growth and survival. Most of the existing data point to Tax activation of NF-κB as important for cellular proliferation and transformation. We show here that Tax, in the absence of NF-κB signaling, can activate activator protein-1 to promote cellular proliferation and survival. Tax is shown to activate activator protein-1 through the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/Akt pathway.
An Implantable Microbolus Pump With Contactless Rechargeable Battery Power Source Triggered by Remote Activation

We describe the design and testing of an implantable miniature infusion pump that uses a rechargeable battery as a power source. This design includes a receiver printed coil that allows inductive power transfer from a transmitter coil wound around a 20 cm diameter charging unit and a frequency-gated optical sensor that allows activation of the pump at a distance using pulses of infrared light. This mini pump can be charged in the home cage by inductive power transfer, and then operates independently from its power link in freely moving animals.Copyright © 2007 by ASME