cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Vitronectin adsorption on polystyrene and oxidized polystyrene

Abstract The secondary structure of human plasma vitronectin (VN) contains considerable β and random structure as ascertained by infrared spectroscopy and circular dichroism. VN adsorption kinetics on polystyrene and oxidized polystyrene were monitored by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The adsorption kinetics were not significantly different on the two surfaces, suggesting that for this adhesive protein, polymer surface chemistry has little influence upon the adsorption kinetics or the amount adsorbed in 1 h. Infrared spectra of the adsorbed protein indicated that VN loses β-sheet structure upon adsorption.
Governmental Response to Widespread Marijuana Use as Determined by a Comparison of 1969 and 1971 Statutes

The widespread use of marijuana across all strata of our social system has led to scrutiny and criticism of the state statutes governing its use. The specified punishments of these drug laws have been deemed severe, and the statutes themselves are outdated. The purpose of this article is to determine the extent of state statute amendment and the severity of the incarceration inherent in the revised laws.Data, presented both in context and tabular form reveal that statute revisions have been oriented toward the first-time offender and that the penalties for subsequent possession of marijuana continue to be harsh.
Molecular modeling of protein structure and function: A bioinformatic approach

This paper reports on the data/information structure of macromolecules as it extends beyond the three-dimensional conformation to include functional descriptors of biochemical (in vitro) and biological (in vivo) characteristics and as it contrasts with the limitations imposed by the data reduction and data classification techniques of traditional molecular modeling. Methodologies for structure-function representation are presented which are being incorporated within a knowledge-acquisition expert system. Examples of the bioinformatic approach are presented concerning macromolecular recognition by serine proteases and the use of Fourier transform-infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy for structural assignment and analysis by a novel structure-perturbation approach.
On the lateral fluid motion during pool boiling via preferentially located cavities

Passively generated lateral motion of fluid during pool boiling on asymmetrically textured meso-scale structures is discussed in this Letter. The surface texture is in the form of 30°–60° mm-scale ratchets with re-entrant cavities located on the 30° face. High speed visualization of growing bubbles from cavities indicates growth and departure normal to the 30° face of the ratchets. A semi-empirical model of net axial liquid velocity due to the non-vertical bubble growth is developed and validated in a pool boiling experiment.
The Influence of Microstructure on the Sensitization Behavior of Duplex Stainless Steel Welds

Abstract The relative sensitization susceptibilities of autogenous type 308 (UNS S30800) stainless steel (SS) tungsten inert gas (TIG) welds were investigated by isothermally heat treating welds for various lengths of time at 550 and 600°C and testing for intergranular corrosion resistance in ASTM A262E. The welds possessed three different microstructures: cellular (single-phase) austenite, duplex with skeletal ferrite, and duplex with lath ferrite. As expected, the fully austenitic welds were highly susceptible to sensitization. In contrast, those welds with skeletal ferrite exhibited only limited susceptibility to sensitization. In fact, heat treatments at 600°C longer than 1 h and at 550°C longer than 48 h did not sensitize welds with skeletal ferrite. Duplex welds with lath ferrite exhibited strong resistance to sensitization. However, because of the much greater amount of interfacial austenite—ferrite boundary area present in the lath ferrite welds, theoretical analysis predicted their immunity to se...
Epidemiology of comorbidities in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: clusters, phenotypes and outcomes

COPD is a complex multisystem disease often accompanied by multiple co-morbidities that contribute to symptoms, exacerbations, hospital admissions and mortality. Individual comorbidities can be grouped into clusters of common human pathology: inflammation/immune response (e.g., ischemic heart disease, metabolic syndrome), thrombosis/hemorrhage (e.g., cerebrovascular diseases, pulmonary embolism), fibrosis/cell proliferation (e.g., lung cancer and other malignancies) and apoptosis/necrosis (e.g., osteoporosis, skeletal muscle dysfunction). While the prevalence of the co-morbidities has been described in a number of observational studies, there is considerable variability in results; moreover characterization of cluster of co-morbidities with the most clinical significance in terms of morbidity and mortality is still lacking. Pathological mechanisms underlying some of the identified clusters are well known; others need further clarification to identify possible preventative strategies. Treatment of COPD must include management of the underlying co-morbidities for best outcomes.
Unsteady Three-Dimensional Mode Transition Phenomena in a Scramjet Flowpath

The physical process of mode transition, in which an accelerating hypersonic propulsion ramjet progresses from dual to scramjet mode operation, is explored in the context of the HIFiRE-2 ground and flight test campaign using three-dimensional, unsteady Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes simulations with a validated combustion model. Key highlights of the numerical procedure, mesh development, experimental validation, and the asymptotic end states are first summarized from prior work. From this basis, the methods and assumptions involved in the transient simulations are discussed with a focus on computational tractability. The results indicate that several major interactions play a crucial role in the mode transition, including separation associated with unsteady shock/turbulent boundary layer interactions, jet-in-crossflow barrel shock/flameholding, and cavity dynamics. The transition event, wherein the character of the flow changes in a rapid manner to delineate dual- and scramjet-mode phenomena, is general...
Formation of Depressions in the Indian Seas and Lunar Phase

IT was recently shown1 that the occurrence of heavy rainfall (10 in. and above in 24 h) is related to lunar phase. It will be evident that such heavy falls are mostly associated with depressions, some of which intensify into cyclones and severe cyclones. A study was therefore undertaken to examine the dates of formation of depressions in the Indian Seas vis-a-vis the lunar phase. This communication was prompted by Bradley's article “Tidal Components in Hurricane Development”2 and is intended to provide some additional information to support his conclusions.
STICK TO SLIP TRANSITION AND ADHESION OF LUBRICATED SURFACES IN MOVING CONTACT

The friction of dry self‐assembled monolayers, chemically attached to a solid surface and comprising a well‐defined interface for sliding, is compared to the case of two solids separated by an ultrathin confined liquid. The monolayers were condensed octadecyltriethoxysilane (OTE). The liquid was squalane (C30H62), a film 2.0 nm thick confined between parallel plates of mica. The method of measurement was a surface forces apparatus, modified for oscillatory shear. The principal observations were the same in both cases: (1) Predominantly elastic behavior in the linear response state was followed by a discontinuous transition to a mostly dissipative state at larger deformations. The elastic energy stored at the transition was low, of the order of 0.1 kT per molecule. This transition was exactly repeatable in repetitive cycles of oscillation and reversible with pronounced hysteresis. (2) The dissipative stress in the sliding state was almost independent of peak sliding velocity when this was changed over several decades. Significant (although smaller) elastic stress also persisted, which decreased with increasing deflection amplitude but was almost independent of oscillation frequency. (3) The adhesive energy in the sliding state was significantly reduced from that measured at rest. This similarity of friction in the two systems, dry and wet sliding, leads us to speculate that, similar to plastic deformation of solids, sliding in the confined liquid films is the result of slippage along an interface.
Acrylonitrile-induced reversible inhibition of uridine uptake by isolated rat intestinal epithelial cells.

Abstract Isolated rat intestinal epithelial cells (IEC) were used to investigate the mechanism(s) of acrylonitrile (VCN)-induced gastro-intestinal damage. The isolated cells were 93% structurally intact for 60 min, as indicated by trypan blue exclusion. Uridine uptake by isolated IEC was linear from 6–20 min, after which a steady state was reached for up to 40 min. Exposure of isolated IEC to various concentrations of VCN reduced the ability of the cells to take up uridine in a concentration-dependent manner. A concentration of 82 μ m VCN inhibited the [ 3 H]uridine uptake of the cells by 50% (IU 50 ). A time-course study indicated that the maximal inhibition of uridine uptake occurred at 15 min after exposure to VCN. The VCN-induced inhibition of uridine uptake was found to be reversible. IEC exposed to two sublethal doses of VCN (41 and 82 μ m ) for 15 min regained normal uridine uptake activity within 50 min after removal of VCN. The present study provides a sensitive approach for the detection and evaluation of cytotoxic risk of sublethal doses of the gastro-intestinal toxin VCN using IEC as target cells. The observed in vitro cytotoxicity of sublethal doses of VCN will be used to investigate further the mechanism of VCN-induced gastro-intestinal damage.
Ixodes dammini (Acari: Ixodidae) in forests in Connecticut

A total of 6249 Ixodes dammini ticks was collected from 384 of 625 small- and medium-sized mammals trapped in 4 ecological communities in Connecticut during 1979. There were no signficant differences in numbers of immature I. dammini on Peromyscus leucopus among communities. A statistical comparison of I. dammini on Sciurus carolinensis , an important host in this study, was not possible because of the extensive range of these squirrels over more than 1 community. New host records of I. dammini on Napaeozapiis insignis and Sorex cinereus are reported.
The lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus envelope glycoprotein targets lentiviral gene transfer vector to neural progenitors in the murine brain.

Feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV)-based lentiviral vectors can be targeted to restricted cell types by pseudotyping with envelopes from other viruses. An FIV vector expressing bacterial β-galactosidase (β-gal) and pseudotyped with lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) envelope glycoprotein was injected into postnatal mouse brain striatum to determine neural cell-type transduction. After 3 or 7.5 weeks, the β-gal-expressing cells included astrocytes in the striatum and in the subventricular zone (SVZ), neuroblasts along the rostral migratory stream, and neurons in the olfactory bulb. This pattern was suggestive of transduction of neural stem cells/progenitors that reside in the SVZ and continually generate olfactory bulb neurons. To test for transduction of SVZ type B astrocyte/stem cells, LCMV-pseudotyped FIV encoding Cre recombinase driven by an astrocyte-specific promoter was injected into the striatum of ROSA26 Cre reporter mice. β-Gal expression in these mice depends on Cre recombinase-mediated DNA recombination. β-Gal-expressing neuroblasts and neurons were detected in the rostral migratory stream and olfactory bulb, respectively, indicating that these cells derived from an astrocytic-type stem cell. Thus, LCMV (WE54)-pseudotyped FIV provides a novel vector for transducing neural stem cells/progenitors in vivo and may prove valuable as a gene transfer vector for therapy of neurodegenerative diseases.
Localization within a proline-rich antigen (Ag2/PRA) of protective antigenicity against infection with Coccidioides immitis in mice.

Subunits of a proline-rich coccidioidal antigen (Ag2/PRA) of Coccidioides immitis were analyzed by comparison as vaccines in mice. The optimal dose of plasmid vaccine encoding full-length Ag2/PRA was determined to be between 10 and 100 μg. Mice vaccinated with plasmids encoding amino acids (aa) 1 to 106 were as protective as full-length Ag2/PRA (aa 1 to 194). The subunit from aa 27 to 106 was significantly but less protective. Plasmids encoding aa 90 to 151 or aa 90 to 194 were not protective. Analogous results were obtained with recombinant vaccines of the same amino acid sequences. In addition, mixtures of aa 90 to 194 with either aa 1 to 106 or aa 27 to 106 did not enhance protection compared to the active single-recombinant subunits alone. Humoral response of total immunoglobulin G (IgG) and subclasses IgG1 and IgG2a were detectable in subunit vaccinations but at significantly (100-fold) lower concentrations than after vaccination with plasmids encoding full-length Ag2/PRA. Since virtually all protection by vaccination with full-length Ag2/PRA can be accounted for in the first half of the protein (aa 1 to 106), this subunit could make a multicomponent vaccine more feasible by reducing the quantity of protein per dose and the possibility of an untoward reactions to a foreign protein.
A Web-Accessible Protein Structure Prediction Pipeline

Proteins are the molecular basis of nearly all structural, catalytic, sensory, and regulatory functions in living organisms. The biological function of a protein is inextricably linked to its three-dimensional (3D) atomic structure. Traditional structure determination methods, such as X-ray and nuclear magnetic resonance techniques, are time-consuming, expensive, and infeasible for the millions of proteins that have been sequenced so far from various organisms. Alternatively, computational structure prediction methods provide a faster and more cost-effective, albeit approximate, alternative to experimental structure determination. We present a high-throughput protein structure prediction pipeline (dubbed “PSPP”), which given input protein sequences infers their 3D atomic structures. The pipeline was designed to be used with high performance computing clusters and to scale with the number of processors. The pipeline encompasses a core Perl module, a parallel job manager, and a Web browser graphical user interface accessible at our Website (www.bhsai.org). The software is currently installed at the Department of Defense (DoD) Maui High Performance Computing Center, and it is available for download along with its associated databases from our site. Currently, DoD scientists are using the pipeline in basic science and drug and vaccine development projects.
Aortic aneurysm volume calculation: effect of operator experience

Background We have successfully applied sequential volumetric analysis of abdominal aortic aneurysms to exclude endoleak in patients who have an aortic endostent. This study compared the effect of variable operator experience on volumetric calculation accuracy.
High Fidelity Simulation of Mobile Cellular Systems with Integrated Resource Allocation and Adaptive Antennas

Using parallel processing, the execution time of wireless network simulations can be significantly decreased without compromising the fidelity of the simulation. However, incorporating details such as signal propagation, interference, and resource allocation schemes may add considerable complexity to the parallel simulation which may overshadow the gain of parallelization. This paper reports on a recent work on parallelizing a high fidelity mobile wireless network simulator where dynamic resource allocation schemes are incorporated and the physical layer characteristics are included in sufficient detail. The program was run on a modular super-computing platform with 32 processors interconnected by high-speed infiniband links. Simulation results indicate that parallelization can significantly improve the runtime performance of the simulation without simplifying the physical layer modeling; a runtime speedup of more than 11 was achieved using 16 processors for a set of simulation parameters. A set of quantitative results on the capacity of the simulated network is obtained using the parallel simulator.
Facial event mining using coupled hidden Markov models

Facial event mining is one of the key techniques for automatic human face analysis. It plays an important role in human computer interaction. This paper proposes a new approach to facial event recognition by combining active shape models (ASMs) and coupled hidden Markov models (CHMMs). Based on the assumption that a complex facial event can be decomposed into multiple coupled processes, ASMs are used to track global facial features and to decouple pattern attributes for upper and lower faces separately. These two interacting processes are modeled as a CHMM for training and recognition. Four basic facial events are investigated. Preliminary experiments yield consistent results that show the significant advantage of CHMMs over conventional HMMs for facial event mining in video.
Three-dimensional multimodal imaging and analysis of biphasic microstructure in a Ti-Ni-Sn thermoelectric material

The three-dimensional microstructure of levitation melted TiNi1.20Sn has been characterized using the TriBeam system, a scanning electron microscope equipped with a femtosecond laser for rapid serial sectioning, to map the character of interfaces. By incorporating both chemical data (energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy) and crystallographic data (electron backscatter diffraction), the grain structure and phase morphology were analyzed in a 155 μm × 178 μm × 210 μm volume and were seen to be decoupled. The predominant phases present in the material, half-Heusler TiNiSn, and full-Heusler TiNi2Sn have a percolated structure. The distribution of coherent interfaces and high-angle interfaces has been measured quantitatively.
Recommended Colorectal Cancer Surveillance Guidelines by the American Society of Clinical Oncology

OBJECTIVE: To determine the most effective, evidence-based, postoperative surveillance strategy for the detection of recurrent colon and rectal cancer. Tests are to be recommended only if they have an impact on the outcomes listed below. POTENTIAL INTERVENTION: All tests described in the literature for postoperative monitoring were considered. In addition, the data were critically evaluated to determine the optimal frequency of monitoring. OUTCOMES: Outcomes of interest included overall and disease-free survival, quality of life, toxicity reduction, and cost-effectiveness. The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Colorectal Cancer Surveillance Expert Panel was guided by the principle of cost minimization, ie, when two strategies were believed to be equally effective, the least expensive test was recommended. EVIDENCE: A complete MEDLINE search was performed of the past 20 years of the medical literature. Keywords included colorectal cancer, follow-up, and carcinoembryonic antigen, as well as the n...
A Yersinia effector and a pseudomonas avirulence protein define a family of cysteine proteases functioning in bacterial pathogenesis

A Yersinia effector known as YopT and a Pseudomonas avirulence protein known as AvrPphB define a family of 19 proteins involved in bacterial pathogenesis. We show that both YopT and AvrPphB are cysteine proteases, and their proteolytic activities are dependent upon the invariant C/H/D residues conserved in the entire YopT family. YopT cleaves the posttranslationally modified Rho GTPases near their carboxyl termini, releasing them from the membrane. This leads to the disruption of actin cytoskeleton in host cells. The proteolytic activity of AvrPphB is essential for autoproteolytic cleavage of an AvrPphB precursor as well as for eliciting the hypersensitive response in plants. These findings provide new insights into mechanisms of animal and plant pathogenesis.
Parallel Sequencing of 26 Genes Responsible for Metabolic Myopathy and Rhabdomyolysis (P1.337)

OBJECTIVE: To comprehensively analyze a group of genes responsible for metabolic myopathy and rhabdomyolysis. BACKGROUND: Metabolic myopathies are genetic disorders of energy metabolism due to defects in the pathways of carbohydrate and fatty acid catabolism, and the subsequent mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation. Mutations in genes involved in these three pathways are the main causes of metabolic myopathies, that are genetically and clinically heterogeneous. The predominant clinical symptoms include myalgia, exercise intolerance and myoglobinuria. Chronic muscle weakness can occur. Patients are usually diagnosed based on their clinical features, abnormal metabolites, and enzymatic deficiency. However, these analytical procedures are time-consuming, costly, and often not confirmatory. Early diagnosis is important for prompt clinical management, improved outcome and prognosis. DESIGN/METHODS: All coding exons and at least 20 bp of flanking intronic sequences of 26 nuclear genes involved in the energy metabolism mentioned above are captured followed by Massively Parallel Sequencing (MPS). RESULTS: The target gene capture/deep sequencing provides an average coverage of 1000X. Sixteen of 117 samples analyzed had definitive diagnosis. Five patients have mutations in PYGM , 2 in CPT2, and one each in TK2, PFKM, LPIN, VLCAD, OCTN2, GAA, POLG, HADHB , and AGL . Overall, 8, 5, and 3 patients have mutations in glycogen metabolism, fatty acid oxidation, and mitochondrial genes, accounting for 50, 30, and 20% of diagnosed patients respectively. Homozygous and heterozygous intragenic deletions are also detectable. In addition, 14 patients harboring heterozygous mutations in single or multiple genes may manifest dominant or synergistic heterozygous disorders. CONCLUSIONS: Parallel sequence analysis of a group of target genes by MPS greatly facilitates the definitive molecular diagnosis of metabolic myopathies in a time and cost effective manner. This NGS based panel testing maybe considered as the first tier analysis for patients with suspected metabolic myopathy. Study Supported by: Disclosure: Dr. Tian has nothing to disclose. Dr. Wang has nothing to disclose. Dr. Milone has nothing to disclose. Dr. Feng has nothing to disclose. Dr. Zhang has nothing to disclose. Dr. Wong has nothing to disclose.
Medication Access and Continuity: The Experiences of Dual-Eligible Psychiatric Patients During the First 4 Months of the Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit

Objective: This study attempted to systematically assess the experiences of Medicare and Medicaid “dual-eligible” psychiatric patients, including evaluating patients’ access to medications and the administrative functioning of the program, during the first 4 months of the Medicare Part D prescription drug benefit. Method: Psychiatrists (N=5,833) were randomly selected from the American Medical Association’s Physicians Masterfile. After exclusion of those not practicing and with undeliverable addresses, 64% responded; 35% met study eligibility criteria of treating at least one dual-eligible patient during their last typical workweek and reported clinically detailed information on one systematically selected patient. Results: A total of 53.4% had at least one medication access problem to report between Jan. 1 and April 30, 2006. Although 9.7% experienced improved medication access, 22.3% discontinued or temporarily stopped taking medication because of prescription drug coverage or management issues, and 18....
Fostering Innovation, Advancing Patient Safety: The Kidney Health Initiative

Summary To respond to the serious and underrecognized epidemic of kidney disease in the United States, the US Food and Drug Administration and the American Society of Nephrology have founded the Kidney Health Initiative— a public–private partnership designed to create a collaborative environment in which the US Food and Drug Administration and the greater kidney community can interact to optimize the evaluation of drugs, devices, biologics, and food products. The Kidney Health Initiative will bring together all the necessary stakeholders, including patients, regulators, industry, health care providers, academics, and other governmental agencies, to improve patient safety and foster innovation. This initiative is intended to enable the kidney community as a whole to provide the right drug, device, or biologic for administration to the right patient at the right time by fostering partnerships that will facilitate development and delivery of those products and addressing challenges that currently impede these goals. Clin J Am Soc Nephrol 8: 1609–1617, 2013. doi: 10.2215/CJN.01140113
Activities of human exonuclease 1 that promote cleavage of transcribed immunoglobulin switch regions

Eukaryotic exonuclease 1 functions in replication, recombination, mismatch repair, telomere maintenance, immunoglobulin (Ig) gene class switch recombination, and somatic hypermutation. The enzyme has 5'-3' exonuclease, flap endonuclease, and weak RNaseH activity in vitro, but it has been difficult to reconcile these activities with its diverse biological functions. We report robust cleavage by human exonuclease 1 of transcribed G-rich DNA sequences with potential to form G loops and G4 DNA. Predicted Ig switch recombination intermediates are substrates for both exonucleolytic and 5' flap endonucleolytic cleavage. Excision is nick-dependent and structure-dependent. These results lead to a model for exonuclease 1 function in class switch recombination in which cleavage at activation-induced deaminase (AID)-initiated nicks produces gaps that become substrates for further attack by AID and subsequent repair.
A Fully Monolithic BiCMOS Envelope-Tracking Power Amplifier With On-Chip Transformer for Broadband Wireless Applications

This letter presents a power-combined BiCMOS power amplifier (PA) system using envelope-tracking (ET) to serve as a fully monolithic solution for high peak-to-average ratio (PAR) broadband signals. The system consists of two cascode unit PAs combined by an on-chip transformer and modulated by a single envelope modulator. Without needing predistortion, the maximum linear output power of 24.6 dBm/23.8 dBm/23.2 dBm can be achieved with overall power-added-efficiency (PAE) of 26%/24%/22.5% for the LTE 16QAM 5 MHz/LTE 16QAM 10 MHz/WiMAX 64QAM 5 MHz signals at 1.9 GHz. The proposed power-combined ET-PA is fabricated in the TSMC 0.35 μm SiGe BiCMOS technology.
Generation of overpressure and compaction‐driven fluid flow in a Plio‐Pleistocene growth‐faulted basin, Eugene Island 330, offshore Louisiana

The complex pressure and porosity fields observed in the Eugene Island (EI) 330 field (offshore Louisiana) are thought to result from sediment loading of low-permeability strata. In this field, fluid pressures rise with depth from hydrostatic to nearly lithostatic, iso-pressure surfaces closely follow stratigraphic surfaces which are sharply offset by growth-faulting, and porosity declines with effective stress. A one-dimensional hydrodynamic model simulates the evolution of pressure and porosity in this system. If reversible (elastic) compaction is assumed, sediment loading is the dominant source of overpressure (94%). If irreversible (inelastic) compaction and permeability reduction due to clay diagenesis are assumed, then thermal expansion of pore fluids and clay dehydration provide a significant component of overpressure (>20%). The model is applied to wells on the upthrown and downthrown sides of the major growth fault in the EI 330 field. Assuming that sediment loading is the only pressure source and that permeability is a function of lithology and porosity, the observed pressure and porosity profiles are reproduced. Observation and theory support a conceptual model where hydrodynamic evolution is intimately tied to the structural and stratigraphic evolution of this progradational deltaic system.
Legal consequences of kleptomania.

Although studies have examined clinical characteristics of kleptomania, no previous studies have examined the legal consequences of kleptomania. From 2001 to 2007, 101 adult subjects (n = 27 [26.7%] males) with DSM-IV kleptomania were assessed on sociodemographics and clinical characteristics including symptom severity, comorbidity, and legal repercussions. Of 101 subjects with kleptomania, 73.3% were female. Mean age of shoplifting onset was 19.4 ± 12.0 years, and subjects shoplifted a mean of 8.2 ± 11.0 years prior to meeting full criteria for kleptomania. Co-occurring depressive, substance use, and impulse control disorders were common. Sixty-nine subjects with kleptomania (68.3%) had been arrested, 36.6% had been arrested but not convicted, 20.8% had been convicted and incarcerated after conviction, while only 10.9% had been convicted and not incarcerated after conviction. Kleptomania is associated with significant legal repercussions. The findings emphasize the need for rigorous treatment approaches to target kleptomania symptoms and prevent re-offending.
Training Directors' Conceptualizations of the Intersections of Diversity and Trainee Competence Problems: A Preliminary Analysis

Counseling psychology has demonstrated leadership on multicultural issues through serious and committed attention to diversity in scholarship, conferences, and training and recruitment. Yet a survey of the literature on trainees with competence problems resulted in limited references to race/ethnicity and/or gender (REG). Using transcripts of phone interviews, we examined the degree to which Training Directors from 14 counseling psychology doctoral programs included REG in their conceptualizations of trainee remediation. REG conceptualizations differed in terms of (a) definitional clarity and conceptual sophistication about RE, (b) differential integration of approaches to diversity and remediation, and (c) strong emotions associated with race/ethnicity in trainee remediation. Implications for training and research are discussed.
Affinity‐Based Drug Delivery

Affinity-based drug delivery systems utilize interactions between the therapeutic drug and the delivery system to manipulate drug loading and to control drug release. In this paper, affinity-based drug delivery system syntheses, types of therapeutic factors delivered, and delivery system loading and release are discussed in detail. The paper is divided into three subsections, based on the type of delivery system: molecular imprinting systems, growth-factor delivery, and cyclodextrin-based delivery. The objective of this paper is to examine the current state of research, highlight the breakthroughs and challenges, point out potential impacts of this relatively new technology, and explore future developmental areas.
Molecular identification of proline-rich protein genes induced during root formation in grape ( Vitis vinifera L.) stem cuttings

Vegetative reproduction relies on the initiation of new plant organs in response to environmental changes. The rapid formation of roots, and ultimately whole plants, from stem cuttings of grape ( Vitis vinifera L.) provides a useful system to investigate the physiological and molecular basis of organ initiation during vegetative reproduction. In the present study the differential RNA display technique was employed to identify two genes, VvPRP1 and VvPRP2 , that are induced in stem cuttings of grape during rooting. Each of these genes encodes a distinct type of proline-rich protein that is related to different groups of putative cell wall proteins, and their expression is rapidly induced in stem segments within 6 h after severing. Further, each gene’s transcript becomes most concentrated in the basal portion of the stem segment in the region of new root formation. Induction of these genes is not significantly enhanced by indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) treatment, and the expression of the VvPRP1 gene, but not the VvPRP2 gene, is wound-inducible. These results suggest that these VvPRP genes play an important role in the initiation of new roots on grape stem cuttings, perhaps by altering the cell wall mechanical properties to enable root emergence.
Layer-by-layer assembled core–shell star block copolymers for fouling resistant water purification membranes

Abstract A novel water purification membrane has been prepared by layer-by-layer (LBL) assembly of tailored, core–shell star block copolymers. The star block copolymer consists of a hydrophobic polystyrene core (PS) and a plurality of charged hydrophilic arms (poly(N,N-dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate): PDMAEMA or polymethacrylic acid: PMAA). The high density of functional groups per unit volume of the PS-PDMAEMA and PS-PMAA star polymers enabled the formation of thin films with densely packed spherical morphologies, even with a low number of LBL cycles. The hydrophilic arms at the membrane surface helped mitigate membrane fouling, whereas the hydrophobic PS core suppressed undesirable swelling of the LBL-films in water, retaining good film durability. The star polymer films composed of 3.5 alternating layers of PS-PDMAEMA and PS-PMAA demonstrated an efficient nanofiltration capability of >98% rejection toward the small carcinogenic textile dye, Congo Red, with high water flux (ca. 40 LMH at 50 psi) at very low operation pressure.
Sexual Dimorphism in Functional Response and Trophic Morphology in Rabidosa rabida (Araneae: Lycosidae)

Abstract We investigated sexual dimorphism in feeding behavior and morphological characteristics associated with prey capture in the wolf spider, Rabidosa rabida (Araneae, Lycosidae). Female R. rabida attack and consume more prey than do males. In addition to behavioral differences between males and females, morphological features such as chelicerae size and venom gland size are also larger in females. These morphological differences are significant even after accounting for their positive correlation with body size. These data suggest that differences between the sexes in the relationship between fitness and foraging result in a dichotomy between male and female foraging behavior and differences in morphology associated with prey capture.
Learnability of influence in networks

We show PAC learnability of influence functions for three common influence models, namely, the Linear Threshold (LT), Independent Cascade (IC) and Voter models, and present concrete sample complexity results in each case. Our results for the LT model are based on interesting connections with neural networks; those for the IC model are based an interpretation of the influence function as an expectation over random draw of a subgraph and use covering number arguments; and those for the Voter model are based on a reduction to linear regression. We show these results for the case in which the cascades are only partially observed and we do not see the time steps in which a node has been influenced. We also provide efficient polynomial time learning algorithms for a setting with full observation, i.e. where the cascades also contain the time steps in which nodes are influenced.
Focused Inquiry: Freshman Discovering the Modern and Postmodern

This essay describes the Focused Inquiry Program’s pedagogy at University College at Virginia Commonwealth University through one professor’s perspective. The writer first explains the intent and purpose of the two-semester, themed, freshman-level, core courses and his handling of the courses. After describing his earlier merging of his pedagogy and that of the program, the writer (and professor) takes the title seriously and describes in detail a two semester sequence when students focus on two words from their popular definitions to various disciplinary definitions. The professor uses Freire’s teaching style, Jerome Bruner’s ‘spiral curriculum,’ and workshop strategies from Bard College’s Thinking and Writing Institute for a transparent pedagogical foundation to teach Albert Camus’ idea of the absurd and a socio-neurology idea of empathy via Daniel Batson and others. These two concepts in conjunction with a graphic novel, literary fiction, and film bring the class to concepts by Jean-Francois Lyotard and Slavoj Zizek. Using various teaching methods for reading, thinking, and writing, the writer demonstrates how one might take freshmen from rudimentary understanding of the era in which they live to a more nuanced level that that begins to give students the language for understanding the historical and literary times known as modern and postmodern. The writer contends that the students leave the courses with ‘foot holds’ for later disciplinary reading and writing.
The Cost Approach to Pricing: Joint Cost Allocations

You are the manager of a large manufacturing plant located on the plains of Kansas, and you have just been informed that your company is being sued for selling one of its several products (product A) below cost in order to meet competition. All products manufactured at the plant use the same structure, the same machinery, and the same labor force. Your lawyer advises that your best defense is to prove that your price for product A meets or exceeds the cost of producing it. In other words, you must compute the cost of product A. What will you do? You might reread Chap. 3, leading you to divide total plant costs into those costs directly assignable to product A and those incurred jointly by product A and the other products. You might then functionalize the joint costs, to the greater-than-normal degree utilized by Southern California Edison Company, thus increasing the direct costs assignable to the individual products and decreasing the joint costs to be allocated among them. The remaining joint costs could then be allocated by the relative number of product units involved. Or, if you were an energy utility, you could follow Chap. 3 directly.
Lack of an Association Between Bmi and Tsh in Treated Hypothyroid Patients and Euthyroid Controls

ABSTRACT Objective: The standard treatment for primary hypothyroidism is replacement with levothyroxine to achieve a thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) level within the normal range, (0.45–4.5 mIU/L), which is known to prevent complications including weight gain. While the normal TSH range includes the 95% confidence intervals, it is not known if there is an association between weight and TSH within this interval in treated hypothyroid patients. Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of patients treated within the Cooper Health System from January 1 to August 31, 2014. A sample of 245 treated hypothyroid patients and 162 euthyroid controls were studied. Data collected included age, sex, race/ethnicity, height, weight, levothyroxine dose, and diabetes and smoking history. Results: Hypothyroid and control groups were similar in height, weight, body mass index (BMI), and the number of patients with diabetes. There were more females, Caucasians, and nonsmokers in the hypothyroid group. The average TSH ...
All the Republican Ladies, Now Put Your Hands Up: The Effect of Gender on Ideology in Roll Call Votes

Republican women in the House had long been more moderate than their male colleagues. Over time, the distinction has gotten increasingly narrower. This paper examines these trends – both the magnitude of the distinction and the explanation for it. True, women tend to be more consensus-building in their legislative styles, a characteristic conducive to working across the aisle. But they also tend to be more junior and thus to have stronger incentives to vote ideologically, in the interest of climbing the ranks of party leadership. Women's distinctive legislative style allows them to be uniquely successful in responding to increases in party pressure, building coalitions mainly within their parties. I hypothesize that female Republican House members will be more responsive to polarization than men. To determine the effect of gender on ideological voting over time, I analyze DW-NOMINATE scores of Republicans from the 102nd to 110th Congresses, controlling for constituency ideology, electoral safety, and years of service. I show that women who entered the chamber in the Bob Michel era were more bipartisan, but as the old go-along-to-get-along era gave way to Newt Gingrich and the Conservative Opportunity Society, women’s ideology became much more extreme.
Macrophage Activation in Bioresorbable Vascular Grafts

The biochemical and biomechanical characteristics of prosthetic materials may affect the physiology of cells in the local microenvironment and thereby modulate their expression of growth factors,y which may affect re-endothelialization and anastomotic pseudointimal hyperplasia. Our work examines how various parameters of prosthetic materials may differentially induce growth factor production generally and by the macrophage specifically. The implantation of lactide/glycolide copolymeric bioresorbable vascular grafts into animal models results in macrophage phagocytosis of the material followed shortly by a rapid transinterstitial ingrowth of myofibroblasts, capillaries, and endothelial cells. Such tissue ingrowth is not seen in response to similarly woven Dacron or ePTFE grafts. The rate of tissue ingrowth parallels the kinetics of macrophage mediated prosthetic resorption. Autoradiographic analyses have demonstrated mitotic indices of regenerating myofibroblasts to be 27% three weeks after implantation of polyglactin 910 (PG910) prostheses with a diminution to 1% after three months. By contrast, mitotic index following implantation of Dacron prostheses never exceeds 1.5%. The stimulus for induced cell proliferation appears to be a humoral factor. Freshly explanted grafts incubated for two hours in a physiologic salt solution release into that solution mitogenic activity capable of stimulating DNA synthesis in BALB/C3T3 mouse fibroblasts and rabbit aortic smooth muscle cells, the magnitude of this response correlating strongly with the in vivo mitotic index data. These PBS eluates tested negatively for PDGF by RIA, and other growth factors are likely involved.
Cell Death Signaling

In multicellular organisms, cell death is a critical and active process that maintains tissue homeostasis and eliminates potentially harmful cells. There are three major types of morphologically distinct cell death: apoptosis (type I cell death), autophagic cell death (type II), and necrosis (type III). All three can be executed through distinct, and sometimes overlapping, signaling pathways that are engaged in response to specific stimuli. Apoptosis is triggered when cell-surface death receptors such as Fas are bound by their ligands (the extrinsic pathway) or when Bcl2-family proapoptotic proteins cause the permeabilization of the mitochondrial outer membrane (the intrinsic pathway). Both pathways converge on the activation of the caspase protease family, which is ultimately responsible for the dismantling of the cell. Autophagy defines a catabolic process in which parts of the cytosol and specific organelles are engulfed by a double-membrane structure, known as the autophagosome, and eventually degraded. Autophagy is mostly a survival mechanism; nevertheless, there are a few examples of autophagic cell death in which components of the autophagic signaling pathway actively promote cell death. Necrotic cell death is characterized by the rapid loss of plasma membrane integrity. This form of cell death can result from active signaling pathways, the best characterized of which is dependent on the activity of the protein kinase RIP3.
Case Report: Clotting of Tc-99m-Labeled Red Blood Cells

In-vivo labeling of red blood cells (RBCs) with Tc-99m for multigated cardiac blood pool imaging has been widely used since its introduction in the late 1970s {1,2). Although, in general, the results with the in-vivo labeling technique are excellent, in occasional patients RBC labeling may be inadequate and image quality unsatisfactory. Recently, a modification of in-vivo labeling has been proposed (3,4). This technique involves the injection of stannous pyrophosphate followed by incubation of a small volume of the patient's blood in a syringe containing [99mTc] pertechnetate. We report an interesting observation directly related to this modification and stress the importance of thorough heparinization.
Primary Radiation Therapy as an Alternative to Mastectomy for Early-Stage Breast Cancer

Breast conservation surgery followed by radiation therapy for definitive treatment of patients with early stage (limited extent) breast cancer (Stage I and Stage II) has been reported by several retrospective and prospective randomized trials to provide comparable local control, disease-free survival, and overall survival to patients treated with mastectomy. Excisional biopsy of the breast lump and associated axillary dissection are required prior to initiation of radiation therapy in order to remove all known tumor and to reduce the dose of radiation required for cure. The axillary dissection is therapeutic for extension into the axillary volume as well as a prognosticator that aids in the selection of patients for adjuvant systemic therapy. Although certain patients may be adequately served without radiation therapy by excisional removal of the tumor and a margin of surrounding normal breast tissue, this population still needs to be defined. Adequate patient selection and the use of good surgical and radiation therapy techniques results in good to excellent cosmesis in 80 to 90 per cent of treated patients. The treatment alternatives, if presented to patients deemed as appropriate candidates, will aid the patients in making an informed consent decision. Wider application and availability of this alternative to mastectomy may have a significant positive impact on our female population by encouraging women to seek detection of breast cancer through breast self-examination and mammography because the desirable alternative reduces the fear of loss of the breast and self image.
Non-canonical soluble amyloid-beta aggregates and plaque buffering: controversies and future directions for target discovery in Alzheimer’s disease

The specific amyloid-beta (Aβ) species or other amyloid-precursor protein cleavage products that are most directly related to human neurodegeneration and clinical dementia of the Alzheimer’s type have not yet been directly identified. Without a clear understanding of the most relevant species, it is difficult to determine whether therapeutic candidates successfully engaged the correct target(s). Here, we review some of the controversies regarding soluble Aβ aggregates (also termed oligomers, dimers, trimers, Aβ*56, amylospheroids, etc.) and propose experiments designed to move forward towards new therapeutic approaches. Specifically, we review the increasing evidence for the relevance of non-canonical forms of Aβ, the much more potent toxicity attributable to native species than to synthetic Aβ, and the evidence implicating the ratio of soluble Aβ aggregates to plaques in differentiating demented patients from non-demented high Aβ plaque pathology controls. To move forward, we propose four related directions. 1) Narrowing the focus to species derived from human Alzheimer’s disease (AD) brain tissue, as opposed to synthetic Aβ, cell culture-derived species, or species primarily present in animal models. 2) Careful study of differences between patients with dementia of the Alzheimer’s type vs. non-demented controls with high Aβ plaque pathology. This will involve testing the hypothesis that, under some circumstances, plaques may buffer soluble toxic species, but later release them into the surrounding milieu. 3) Investigations of other protein constituents of soluble Aβ aggregates in addition to Aβ itself. Our initial data based on chemical cleavage experiments indicate that other proteins do appear to be part of the human brain soluble Aβ aggregates. 4) Multimodal experimental assessments of toxicity, including longer term effects on synapse loss, related deleterious cellular responses, and degeneration in human-derived neuron-like cells. Overall, the goal is to identify specific Aβ species, other amyloid precursor protein cleavage products, or other key proteins in aggregates present in human AD brains, less abundant in non-demented high pathology control brains, and robustly toxic in a wide variety of relevant assays. These species themselves, the enzymatic or cellular processes involved in their production, and their routes of clearance would be highly relevant therapeutic targets for dementia of the Alzheimer’s type.