cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Titration of Androgen Signaling: How Basic Studies Have Informed Clinical Trials Using High-Dose Testosterone Therapy in Castrate-Resistant Prostate Cancer

Since the Nobel Prize-winning work of Huggins, androgen ablation has been a mainstay for treatment of recurrent prostate cancer. While initially effective for most patients, prostate cancers inevitably develop the ability to survive, grow, and metastasize further, despite ongoing androgen suppression. Here, we briefly review key preclinical studies over decades and include illustrative examples from our own laboratories that suggest prostate cancer cells titrate androgen signaling to optimize growth. Such laboratory-based studies argue that adaptations that allow growth in a low-androgen environment render prostate cancer sensitive to restoration of androgens, especially at supraphysiologic doses. Based on preclinical data as well as clinical observations, trials employing high-dose testosterone (HDT) therapy have now been conducted. These trials suggest a clinical benefit in cancer response and quality of life in a subset of castration-resistant prostate cancer patients. Laboratory studies also suggest that HDT may yet be optimized further to improve efficacy or durability of response. However, laboratory observations suggest that the cancer will inevitably adapt to HDT, and, as with prior androgen deprivation, disease progression follows. Nonetheless, the adaptations made to render tumors resistant to hormonal manipulations may reveal vulnerabilities that can be exploited to prolong survival and provide other clinical benefits.
Quality assurance and quality improvement to enhance yield in the process of dental education.

ISSUE The second paper in this three-part perspective on improving dental education through focus on outcomes explores the two common ways of controlling variance in processes such as dental education. APPROACH Quality assurance is based on the view that variance is a characteristic of the material or product produced by the process. In the case of dental education this means students. The reputation of educational programs depends to some extent on identifying and correcting or putting aside output that do match standards. This is an expensive process that does not improve educational programs. Quality improvement, by contrast, is grounded in the assumption that there is unwanted variation in the process itself. IMPACT Reducing system variation through judicious adjustment at each cycle of the process raises yield, reduces the proportion of defects, and reduces program cost. Examples are given where good decisions in the reflection stage of the GEAR cycle make goals more realistic, improve experiences, and promote more effective assessment.
Understanding Anterior Shoulder Instability Through Machine Learning: New Models That Predict Recurrence, Progression to Surgery, and Development of Arthritis:

Background:Management of anterior shoulder instability (ASI) aims to reduce risk of future recurrence and prevent complications via nonoperative and surgical management. Machine learning may be abl...
Computational Efficiency and Problems with Special Structure

One common characteristic of many methods for solving multiobjective linear programming problems (particularly the methods for generating the nondominated set and the interactive methods) is that they require the solution of a sequence of single objective linear programming problems. In large scale problems (i.e. problems with many objectives, constraints or variables) this can result in a significant computational burden. This chapter will discuss ways in which the structure of the problem can be used to reduce this computational burden.
Evaluating the consequences of diagenesis and fossilization on bioapatite lattice structure and composition

Abstract Changes to hydroxylapatite mineral structure, composition, and lattice configuration must occur during the transformation of fresh bone to fossil bioapatite mineral phases. A paucity of analytical methods to characterize atomic-level lattice composition and bonding arrangements in modern and fossil bone has resulted in limited knowledge of how depositional environments, and thus diagenetic conditions, may influence fossilization processes. Synchrotron-based analyses can provide insight into bone fossilization, specifically X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) spectroscopy at the P and Ca K-edges. To aid in the interpretation of XANES spectral data from modern bones, and from Late Neogene and Late Cretaceous fossil bones, we applied other established techniques used to characterize bone mineralogy and composition, including X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, electron microprobe analysis, and thermal analysis. Specific bone depositional origins and ages likely influenced the varying elemental chemistry, preservation of organic matter, and mineral content. Fossilized bones, ranging from an almost pure fluorapatite to carbonated fluorapatite mineral phases, had less preserved organic material than modern bone. The atomic-level P and Ca lattice structures of fossilized bones differed from modern bones, specifically having shifted and shortened Ca–O bonds due to Ca 2 + substitution by ionic phases, such as iron or rare earth elements, and carbonate substitution for phosphate. The modified lattice structure, regardless of bulk mineral chemistry, provides thermodynamic stability in geochemically dynamic depositional environments that may dictate bioapatite preservation over geologic time.
HCV and HIV Counseling and Testing Integration in California: An Innovative Approach to Increase HIV Counseling and Testing Rates

Objectives.In California, injection drug users (IDUs) comprise the second leading risk group for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection and the majority of hepatitis C virus (HCV) cases. Inno...
Model-Theoretic Minimal Chenge Operators for Constraint Databases

Database systems should allow users to insert new information (described by a first-order sentence) into a database without specifying exactly how. The database systems should be able to figure out what tuples to add or delete from the current database to satisfy fully the user's request. The guiding principle of accomplishing such insertions is the concept of model-theoretic minimal change. This paper shows that this concept can be applied to constraint databases. In particular, any constraint database change operator that satisfies the axioms for revision [AGM85], update [KM92], or arbitration [Rev96] accomplishes a model-theoretic minimal change in a well-defined sense. The paper also presents concrete operators for revision, update, and arbitration for constraint databases with real polynomial inequality constraints.
Finite asymmetric deformation of shallow spherical shells

A procedure is developed for the integration of the system of nonlinear partial differential equations governing the asymmetric deformation of shallow spherical shells. A suitable iteration scheme based on a finite-difference approach is shown to yield the asymmetric postbuckling states for the spherical cap under uniform pressure. Thus, the practically important asymmetric "lower buckling load" is systematicall y computed for the first time. Applications to more general asymmetric buckling problems are indicated by the example of the half-loaded spherical cap. VER the past ten years considerable effort has gone into the integration of the equations for the finite deformation of shallow spherical shells. The first phase of the work was concerned with the development of analytic techniques for the accurate mathematical description of the finite axisymmetric deformation of shallow spherical shells.1""4 The pace of the research was determined in no small degree by the increasing power and availability of high-speed computing devices. The second phase began with the work of Weinitschke5 and Huang6 in which the problem of the clamped spherical cap under uniform pressure was studied to find out if asymmetric buckling of the classical bifurcation type could take place for certain ranges of shell geometries before the symmetric snap-through occurred. Thus the restriction to axisymmetric deformations, which had been imposed in previous work, was relaxed only to the extent that small asymmetric deformations in the neighborhood of the "primary" symmetric deformation state were allowed. In both Refs. 5 and 6 it was found that the asymmetric bifurcation buckling loads were less than the symmetric snap-through loads over a wide range of shell geometries, as shown in Fig. 1. However, the results of Refs. 5 and 6 were in serious disagreement as is evident from Fig. 1. In Ref. 7, very close agreement with the loads computed by Huang resulted when the problem was studied within the context of the small asymmetric vibration of the shell in the neighborhood of the symmetric primary state. Also, recent, very carefully conducted experiments by Krenzke and Kiernan8 on the buckling of spherical caps indicate (Fig. 1) a far better correlation between theory and experiment than was previously found, provided the minimum of either the symmetric snap-through load or the asymmetric bifurcation load is chosen for the buckling load. In the light of progress that has been achieved, it would seem that the next phase of work should be concerned with the difficult area of finite asymmetric deformations of shells. This work is necessary both in order to achieve further understanding of the snap-buckling problem by studying the asymmetric postbuckling behavior of a shallow cap as well as to broaden the scope of problems for which stability predictions can be made to include nonsymmetrically loaded and supported shells.
How the New Federalism Failed Katrina Victims

In perhaps the most famous rhetorical gesture of the New Federalism,1 Chief Justice Rehnquist opined that “[t]he Constitution requires a distinction between* This chapter contribution is excerpted from: Federalism and the Tug of War Within: Seeking Checks and Balance in the Interjurisdictional Gray Area 66 mD. L. rev. 503 (2007). These excerpts are used with permission of the Maryland Law Review. While not indicated in the text here, these excerpts omit significant portions of the original article at the end of Parts I and II, after the third paragraph of Part II, and at the end of Part III, where this chapter concludes. Section numbers and note numbers have been changed from the original article to reflect their current arrangement in this chapter. See the original article for the complete discussion. Erin Ryan retains the right to use any and all parts of this work in the future without further permission from Ashgate Publishing.
Development and optimization of P2people: collaboration platform based on common interests groups and peer-to-peer networks

In this paper, a "common interests" search engine and a collaboration platform based on peer-to-peer networks, called P2People, is presented. The aim of its development is to allow Internet users to form "common interests" groups and provide those group members with new ways to communicate, collaborate and do business with each other. It is based on JXTA P2P technology; it has an open, modular architecture and is programmed in Java. The main components of the application - architecture, services and algorithms (matching and reputation) - are analyzed and optimized from the point of view of scalability and resource consumption. Results confirm the increase of the application's performance.
ORNL Trusted Corridors Project: Watts Bar Dam Inland Waterway Project

Radiation has existed everywhere in the environment since the Earth's formation - in rocks, soil, water, and plants. The mining and processing of naturally occurring radioactive materials for use in medicine, power generation, consumer products, and industry inevitably generate emissions and waste. Radiological measuring devices have been used by industry for years to measure for radiation in undesired locations or simply identify radioactive materials. Since the terrorist attacks on the United States on 9-11-01 these radiation measuring devices have proliferated in many places in our nation's commerce system. DOE, TVA, the Army Corps and ORNL collaborated to test the usefulness of these devices in our nation's waterway system on this project. The purpose of the Watts Bar Dam ORNL Trusted Corridors project was to investigate the security, safety and enforcement needs of local, state and federal government entities for state-of-the-art sensor monitoring in regards to illegal cargo including utilization of the existing infrastructure. TVA's inland waterways lock system is a recognized and accepted infrastructure by the commercial carrier industry. Safety Monitoring activities included tow boat operators, commercial barges and vessels, recreational watercraft and their cargo, identification of unsafe vessels and carriers, and, monitoring of domestic and foreign commercial vessels and more » cargo identification. Safety Enforcement activities included cargo safety, tracking, identification of hazardous materials, waterway safety regulations, and hazardous materials regulations. Homeland Security and Law Enforcement Applications included Radiological Dispersive Devices (RDD) identification, identification of unsafe or illicit transport of hazardous materials including chemicals and radiological materials, and screening for shipments of illicit drugs. In the Fall of 2005 the SensorNet funding for the project expired. After several unsuccessful attempts to find a Federal sponsor to continue with the project, the Watts Bar Dam Project was canceled and the Exploranium radiation monitors were removed from the doors of Watts Bar Dam in early 2006. The DHS Domestic Nuclear Detection Office decided to proceed with a Pilot building on the ORNL work performed at the TN and SC weigh stations in the highway sector of the Trusted Corridors project and eventually expanded it to other southern states under the name of Southeastern Corridor Pilot Project (SETCP). Many of the Phase I goals were achieved however real-world test data of private watercraft and barges was never obtained. « less
A Design and Construction of Electric Wheelchair for Disabilities with Pulse Width Modulation Speed Control

This paper presents a design and construction of electric wheelchair for disabilities with pulse width modulation speed control. The speed can be set at 100% 80% 60% and 40% of full speed and controlled by a microcontroller which is able to move and take the user to another places. It obtains a command from the user via the controlling handle and sends this command pass through a microcontroller. This electric wheelchair use microcontroller PIC16F877 controlled by PICBASICPRO language for controlling the whole system. In the actual test, the microcontroller is able to receive the instruction from the controlling handle for processing and controlling all of the functions, for example, move forward, move backward, stop, turn right, turn left and also run in a soft speed. This electric wheelchair is able to move with 1.59 m/s of full speed and also receives the maximum weight of 120 kilograms. It is safe and very energy saving to user.
An Historical Perspective on Electricity and Energy Use

Publisher Summary This chapter presents a historical perspective on electricity and energy use. Electricity serves the residential, commercial, and industrial sectors and is the dominant energy form in the residential–commercial sector. Manufacturers employ electricity in a number of ways. Electricity drives pumps, lathes, and conveyors; electric furnaces melt steel scrap and reduce alumina; electronic instruments acquire data for analysis by computers and use in control of processes; and electricity illuminates factories, powers office equipment, and conditions the working environment. The diverse applications of electricity in an industry can be divided into three broad categories: (1) mechanical power for driving machines, (2) support services, and (3) electroprocesses. The transition from steam engines with shaft and belt drives to electric motors mounted directly on machinery had significant effects on energy consumption and productive efficiency earlier in this century. At present, most industrial assembly is performed by people and by special-purpose machines when production volume is high enough.
Homogeneous Catalyst Design for the Synthesis of Aliphatic Polycarbonates and Polyesters

Aliphatic polyesters and polycarbonates are generally biodegradable materials and as a result they have many important uses in agricultural, medical and packaging applications. This chapter focuses on the use of homogeneous catalysts for the synthesis of these environmentally benign polymers. Keywords: polycarbonate; polyester; biodegradable; polymer; homogeneous catalysis
Neutrophil life span in paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria

We have studied neutrophil intravascular life span in six patients with paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH); four had normal neutrophil counts when studied and two were neutropenic. Five patients had enough circulating neutrophils to isolate for tests in vitro. Lysis of labeled neutrophils was greatly increased, compared to that of normal volunteers, when these neutrophils were incubated with acidified fresh serum as a source of active complement plus serum containing antineutrophil antibodies (from three different sources). Despite the in vitro lesion, however, each of these patients had a normal neutrophil intravascular life span as measured by the 32P-diisopropylfluorophosphate technique. One neutropenic patient, who had a normal neutrophil life span, had a shift of cells from the circulating to marginated pool of sufficient degree to cause the neutropenia. A second (severely) neutropenic patient was found to have developed extreme marrow hypoplasia, also explaining the neutropenia. Thus, in contrast to the shortened red cell life span, we have been unable to find a shortened neutrophil life span in PNH.
NMR observation of exchangeable protons of pyridoxal phosphate and histidine residues in cytosolic aspartate aminotransferase.

Abstract Observation of the 93-kDa cytosolic aspartate aminotransferase by 500-MHz 1H NMR spectroscopy in H2O has revealed a series of resonances in the 10-18 ppm range arising from exchangeable protons. One of these (peak A) has been assigned to the proton bound to the ring nitrogen of the coenzyme pyridoxal 5'-phosphate. A second (peak B) is assigned to H143 which participates in a chain of hydrogen bonds that includes also the coenzyme-bound proton. There is a mutual nuclear Overhauser effect between these two resonances. Peaks A and B respond to changes in pH and to interaction of the enzyme with coenzyme derivatives and inhibitors. Peak A moves from 15.4 to 17.4 ppm as the pH is lowered, while peak B moves in the opposite direction from 14.7 to 13.7 ppm, both with an apparent pKa of 6.15. This pKa is associated with deprotonation of the imine nitrogen at the Schiff base linkage of the coenzyme with K258 of the enzyme. In spectra of enzyme containing pyridoxamine 5'-phosphate, peak A is observed at 16.5 ppm and peak B is at 13.9 ppm over a broad pH range. Peaks A and B are found at 17.8 and 14.0 ppm, respectively, for the enzyme complex with glutarate. When alpha-methylaspartate is added to the enzyme several new resonances appear in the spectrum, which are attributed to formation of the external aldimine. The position of peak A in spectra of various forms of the enzyme is interpreted to reflect the electronic distribution in the coenzyme ring. Several other peaks in this region of the spectrum also are sensitive to changes in pH or the addition of inhibitors. Some possible assignments of these resonances are discussed.
A Single Heteroclitic Epitope Determines Cancer Immunity After Xenogeneic DNA Immunization Against a Tumor Differentiation Antigen

Successful active immunization against cancer requires induction of immunity against self or mutated self Ags. However, immunization against self Ags is difficult. Xenogeneic immunization with orthologous Ags induces cancer immunity. The present study evaluated the basis for immunity induced by active immunization against a melanoma differentiation Ag, gp100. Tumor rejection of melanoma was assessed after immunization with human gp100 (hgp100) DNA compared with mouse gp100 (mgp100). C57BL/6 mice immunized with xenogeneic full-length hgp100 DNA were protected against syngeneic melanoma challenge. In contrast, mice immunized with hgp100 DNA and given i.p. tolerizing doses of the hgp100 D(b)-restricted peptide, hgp100(25-33), were incapable of rejecting tumors. Furthermore, mice immunized with DNA constructs of hgp100 in which the hgp100(25-27) epitope was substituted with the weaker D(b)-binding epitope from mgp100 (mgp100(25-27)) or a mutated epitope unable to bind D(b) did not reject B16 melanoma. Mice immunized with a minigene construct of hgp100(25-33) rejected B16 melanoma, whereas mice immunized with the mgp100(25-33) minigene did not develop protective tumor immunity. In this model of xenogeneic DNA immunization, the presence of an hgp100 heteroclitic epitope with a higher affinity for MHC created by three amino acid (25 to 27) substitutions at predicted minor anchor residues was necessary and sufficient to induce protective tumor immunity in H-2(b) mice with melanoma.
Cellular invasion into matrix beads: localization of beta 1 integrins and fibronectin to the invadopodia

We have examined the contribution of adhesion mechanisms to cell invasiveness by growing chicken embryo fibroblasts (CEF) or Rous sarcoma virus-transformed cells (RSVCEF) on fibronectin-coated crosslinked gelatin beads (FN-beads). RSVCEF attached more readily and spread more rapidly on FN-beads than CEF, suggesting an increase in the adhesion-related motility of the transformed cells. In addition, RSVCEF invaded the FN-beads, but CEF did not, by extending specialized cell surface protrusions called invadopodia at sites of cell invasion. FN removal by RSVCEF cultured on prelabeled fluorescent FN-beads (FL-FN) was evident at sites of invadopodia, and internalized FL-FN occurred in vacuoles near the ventral membrane of cells at sites of FN removal. The precise distribution of FN and integrins in cells invading FN-beads was determined by immunofluorescence and immunoelectron microscopy of frozen thin-sections. In both CEF and RSVCEF, beta 1 integrins and FN occupied separate intracellular compartments during the early stage of spreading on FN-beads. Later, beta 1 integrins were largely localized at the ventral cell surface of both CEF and RSVCEF. Polyclonal anti-integrin antibody recognizing beta 1 and several alpha chains, however, labeled both ventral and dorsal cell surfaces. During invasion by RSVCEF, beta 1 integrins were concentrated at extended invadopodia and also colocalized with internalized FL-FN material in phagocytic vesicles. Furthermore, secreted FN was deposited by RSVCEF at the base of invadopodia colocalizing with beta 1 integrin. Both FL-FN matrix removal and formation of the invadopodia were found to be resistant to treatment with GRGDS at concentrations that inhibit the interaction between cells and FN-beads. Thus, the localization of beta 1 integrins to the plasma membrane contacting immobilized FN results in an extremely tight cellular adherence to the matrix bead, that stabilizes invadopodia and also mediates endocytic clearance of degraded FN-matrix material.
Structural proteins of Kilham rat virus.

Abstract The protein composition of KRV was determined by dissociation of radioactive virion particles. The protein subunits were separated by electrophoresis on polyacrylamide gels and by agarose gel filtration in 6 M guanidine-HCl. Three major viral proteins were found of molecular weights approximately 72,000, 62,000 and 55,000 daltons. The protein component with a molecular weight of 62,000 daltons comprised about 75.5% of the total virion protein and is believed to be capsid protein.
Eye-tracking dysfunctions in schizophrenic patients and their relatives.

A simple test of smooth-pursuit eye movements disclosed a striking association between deviant eye tracking and clinically diagnosed schizophrenia. A high proportion of the schizophrenic patients' first-degree relatives who were not themselves clinically schizophrenic also showed deviant eye-tracking behavior. The relationship of poor eye tracking and schizophrenia is even stronger when specific psychological test evidence of thought disorder is used operationally to classify patients. The eye-tracking dysfunction may thus represent a genetic marker that can prove highly useful for studying the transmission of a vulnerability to schizophrenia. The findings suggest proprioceptive and interoceptive involvement in schizophrenic pathology.
Theoretical aspects of the statistical variation of strength

A modified version of Weibull's statistical theory of the strength of brittle materials is proposed, in which the expression for failure probability contains an additional term. While this term is negligible when failure originates from a flaw of relatively large size, it becomes increasingly significant as the flaw size is reduced. The resulting revised expressions for failure probability under uniform, uniaxial tension and under Hertzian indentation loading are given, and the effect of a bimodal flaw size distribution is considered in both cases. The implications with regard to the assumed invariance of Weibull statistical parameters under different experimental conditions are discussed.
Operational Forecasting and Detection of Mesoscale Gravity Waves

Abstract Mesoscale gravity waves display periods of 1–4 h, have wavelengths of 50–500 km, and can have important effects upon the sensible weather. Real-time prediction, detection, and nowcasting of these mesoscale phenomena is shown to be feasible, due to recent major advances in operational observing and modeling systems. The ability to predict the likelihood of a gravity wave event rests upon recognizing the synoptic flow pattern in which such waves are consistently found to occur. The delineation of the most likely region for wave activity can be further refined by computing simple indicators of unbalanced flow and conducting a cursory search for a suitable wave “duct” with meso-Eta Model data. Particular emphasis should be placed on propagating unbalanced fields. Whenever and wherever a suitable gravity wave environment is found, the Automated Surface Observing System pressure data should be carefully monitored for evidence of gravity wave activity. An automated gravity wave detection system is devel...
Atmospheric Absorption of Millimetre Waves

The attenuation of electromagnetic waves in the region of 5 mm. wavelength due to resonance in the oxygen molecule was measured over atmospheric paths up to 2 km. long, using a fixed transmitter and a mobile superheterodyne receiver. For ten wavelengths between 6.34 and 4.48 mm. values were obtained which, after reduction to standard dry atmospheric conditions, range up to a maximum of 15.7 db/km. at the peak of the absorption curve. They agree substantially with the theory of Van Vleck, and give a value of line-breadth constant Δ-ν of about 0.02 cm-1, confirming estimates derived from other methods.
Expression of growth factor and growth factor receptor RNA in rat pleural mesothelial cells in culture.

Abstract Mineral fiber-induced pleural mesothelioma in the rat is a suitable model for asbestos-induced mesothelioma in humans. A proposed mechanism for the genesis of mesotheliomas is the initiation of an autocrine pathway leading to unregulated growth of the mesothelium. To understand if changes in the expression of mRNA of critical growth factors and receptors occur in target mesothelial cells, it is first necessary to characterize the pattern of expression of these genes in normal mesothelial cells. Rat mesothelial cells were isolated from the parietal pleura and strains of these cells were propagated in vitro . The cells were diploid, had epithelial gross morphology and ultrastructure, and coexpressed keratins and vimentin. Northern blot analysis demonstrated that the cells expressed transforming growth factor β 1 and fibroblast growth factor. Transcripts for transforming growth factor α, platelet-derived growth factor A-chain, and platelet-derived growth factor B-chain were not detected. Receptors for platelet-derived growth factor, epidermal growth factor, and insulin were detected. Although normal mesothelial cells express receptors for these growth factors, no production of their corresponding ligands by these cells could be detected, suggesting that autocrine stimulation of growth via the production of such factors may be specific to transformed mesothelial cells.
Cryogenic-laser-fusion target implosion studies performed with the OMEGA uv-laser system.

A series of direct-drive laser-fusion implosion experiments was performed on cryogenically cooled, DT-filled glass microballoons with the OMEGA 24-beam uv (351-nm) laser system. The targets consisted of glass microballoons having radii of 100 to 150 \ensuremath{\mu}m, wall thicknesses of 3 to 7 \ensuremath{\mu}m, filled with DT gas at pressures of 75 to 100 atm. The targets were cooled to below the freezing point of DT, in situ, by a cryogenic target system. The targets were irradiated by approximately 1 to 1.2 kJ of uv light in 650-ps Gaussian pulses. The on-target irradiation uniformity was enhanced for these experiments by the use of distributed phase plates, which brought the estimated irradiation nonuniformities to \ensuremath{\sim}12% (${\ensuremath{\sigma}}_{\mathrm{rms}}$). Target performance was diagnosed by an array of x-ray, plasma, and nuclear instruments. The measured target performance showed \ensuremath{\sim}70% absorption, thermonuclear yields of ${10}^{6}$ to ${10}^{8}$ neutrons, and final fuel areal densities of 20 to 40 mg/${\mathrm{cm}}^{2}$ for the optimum targets examined in these experiments. Fuel densities at the time of thermonuclear neutron production, inferred from direct measurements of the fuel areal density, were in the range of 20 to 50 g/${\mathrm{cm}}^{3}$ (100 to 200 times the density of liquid DT) for the optimum targets.
Activation impairment alters muscle torque-velocity in the knee extensors of persons with post-stroke hemiparesis.

Objective: To elucidate mechanisms of impaired force production in post-stroke hemiparesis. Methods: Knee extensor torque–velocity and activation–velocity relationships were examined in seventeen persons with post-stroke hemiparesis (age 57.5, ±6.9) and thirteen non-disabled (age 63.0 ±10.4) persons. Results: Velocity-dependent concentric torque impairment was exaggerated in subjects with hemiparesis relative to control subjects (p .05). In the control group agonist EMG during concentric actions exhibited a positive linear relationship as velocity increased (R 2 = .93, p .05). Antagonist EMG was either greater in the control (biceps femoris, p < .006) or similar between groups (semimembranosus, p = .95). Under eccentric testing conditions, torque normalized to peak isometric torque (p = .44) and rectus femoris activation (p = .33) were similar between groups, indicating a relative preservation of eccentric torque producing capacity post-stroke. Conclusions: Certain clinical perspectives assert that weakness following central nervous system injury stems from spastic antagonist restraint. Instead, absence of an antagonist restraint strongly suggests that impaired agonist activation is the principal determinant of hemiparetic weakness. Significance: These findings have important implications for promoting optimal recovery of motor function in neuro-rehabilitation. � 2006 Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd on behalf of International Federation of Clinical Neurophysiology.
Participation of the Chaperone Hsc70 in the Trafficking and Functional Expression of ASIC2 in Glioma Cells

High-grade glioma cells express subunits of the ENaC/Deg superfamily, including members of ASIC subfamily. Our previous work has shown that glioma cells exhibit a basally active cation current, which is not present in low-grade tumor cells or normal astrocytes, and that can be blocked by amiloride. When ASIC2 is present within the channel complex in the plasma membrane, the channel is rendered non-functional because of inherent negative effectors that require ASIC2. We have previously shown that high-grade glioma cells functionally express this current because of the lack of ASIC2 in the plasma membrane. We now hypothesize that ASIC2 trafficking in glioma cells is regulated by a specific chaperone protein, namely Hsc70. Our results demonstrated that Hsc70 co-immunoprecipitates with ASIC2 and that it is overexpressed in glioma cells as compared with normal astrocytes. In contrast, there was no difference in the expression of calnexin, which also co-immunoprecipitates with ASIC2. In addition, glycerol and sodium 4-phenylbutyrate reduced the amount of Hsc70 expressed in glioma cells to levels found in normal astrocytes. Transfection of Hsc70 siRNA inhibited the constitutively activated amiloride-sensitive current, decreased migration, and increased ASIC2 surface expression in glioma cells. These results support an association between Hsc70 and ASIC2 that may underlie the increased retention of ASIC2 in the endoplasmic reticulum of glioma cells. The data also suggest that decreasing Hsc70 expression promotes reversion of a high-grade glioma cell to a more normal astrocytic phenotype.
Sustainable solid catalyst alkylation of commercial olefins by regeneration with supercritical isobutane

Supercritical isobutane regeneration of an ultrastable Y-zeolite (USY) alkylation catalyst was examined in a continuous, automated reaction/regeneration system. Two feeds were studied: a synthetic...
Confirmation of the mode of action of an antibacterial inhibitor using regulated antisense RNA

We previously demonstrated that regulated antisense RNA technology enables us to validate and identify the mode of action for some antibiotics. In this study, we have expanded the application of the regulated antisense approach to track the mode of action for a novel inhibitor of polypeptide deformylase (Pdf), which is an attractive target for the development of novel classes of antibacterial agents. We created a pdf antisense isogenic strain in Staphylococcus aureus using a TetR-regulated expression system. We demonstrated that the partial inhibition of pdf expression significantly increased the susceptibility of S. aureus to Pdf-specific inhibitor. This result provides further evidence that the TetR-regulated antisense technology is a robust tool for tracking the mode of action of novel antibacterial agents.
Modeling ribosome dynamics to optimize heterologous protein production in escherichia coli

Ineffective heterologous protein synthesis has often been ascribed to codon bias and rare codons. New experimental evidence suggests that codon bias alone may not be the sole cause of poor translation. In this paper we present a free-energy based model of translation elongation to predict and optimize genes for expression in E. coli. The model takes into account second order free energy effects from the binding between the anti-Shine-Dalgarno sequence of the 3' terminal 16S rRNA tail and the mRNA, tRNA abundance, and ribosome displacement. The model and software allow optimization of genes for increased (or decreased) protein yield. The model's predictive and optimization accuracy was assessed by optimizing and expressing three model genes and multiple mRNA variants coding for GST (26 kDa Glutathion S-Transferase from Schistosomajaponicum). Protein yield of optimized genes showed increase from their wildtype levels. Optimization of Glutathion S-Transferase from Schistosoma japonicum and Alcohol Dehydrogenase from Clostridium ljungdahlii DSM 13528 are discussed as examples. Corresponding author, S. K Vu, can be reached at skvu@ncsu.edu.
Internal energy deposition with silicon nanoparticle-assisted laser desorption/ionization (SPALDI) mass spectrometry

Abstract The use of silicon nanoparticles for laser desorption/ionization (LDI) is a new appealing matrix-less approach for the selective and sensitive mass spectrometry of small molecules in MALDI instruments. Chemically modified silicon nanoparticles (30 nm) were previously found to require very low laser fluence in order to induce efficient LDI, which raised the question of internal energy deposition processes in that system. Here we report a comparative study of internal energy deposition from silicon nanoparticles to previously explored benzylpyridinium (BP) model compounds during LDI experiments. The internal energy deposition in silicon nanoparticle-assisted laser desorption/ionization (SPALDI) with different fluorinated linear chain modifiers (decyl, hexyl and propyl) was compared to LDI from untreated silicon nanoparticles and from the organic matrix, α-cyano-4-hydroxycinnamic acid (CHCA). The energy deposition to internal vibrational modes was evaluated by molecular ion survival curves and indicated that the ions produced by SPALDI have an internal energy threshold of 2.8–3.7 eV. This is slightly lower than the internal energy induced using the organic CHCA matrix, with similar molecular survival curves as previously reported for LDI off silicon nanowires. However, the internal energy associated with desorption/ionization from the silicon nanoparticles is significantly lower than that reported for desorption/ionization on silicon (DIOS). The measured survival yields in SPALDI gradually decrease with increasing laser fluence, contrary to reported results for silicon nanowires. The effect of modification of the silicon particle surface with semifluorinated linear chain silanes, including fluorinated decyl (C10), fluorinated hexyl (C6) and fluorinated propyl (C3) was explored too. The internal energy deposited increased with a decrease in the length of the modifier alkyl chain. Unmodified silicon particles exhibited the highest analyte internal energy deposition. These findings may suggest a role of the modifier as a moderator in the energy dissipation and relaxation process. The relatively low internal energy content of SPALDI-produced ions indicates that this is a “soft” desorption technique, with potential advantages in the analysis of labile compounds.
New methods for determining speciality of linear systems based at fat points in Pn

In this paper we develop techniques for determining the dimension of linear systems of divisors based at a collection of general fat points in Pn by partitioning the monomial basis for H0(OPn(d)). The methods that we develop can be viewed as extensions of those developed by Dumnicki. We apply these techniques to produce new lower bounds on multi-point Seshadri constants of P2 and to provide a new proof of a known result confirming the perfect-power cases of Iarrobino’s analogue to Nagata’s Conjecture in higher dimension.
Synthesis of ZnS whiskers

Abstract One approach to improving the mechanical performance of a materials is to form a self-similar whisker reinforced composite. This is the approach we are developing for ZnS optical windows; however, it has necessitated the development of synthesis methods for ZnS whiskers. Recently, we reported an organometallic route to ZnS whiskers [1,2]. Here we report yet another synthesis route. This non-organic route involves the surface reaction of metallic zinc foil or wire in a flowing atmosphere of H 2 S ( T max =350°C). The ZnS whiskers created at the zinc surface were characterized using SEM, TEM, SIMS and X-ray diffraction. After an 8 h 350°C thernal treatment, the whiskers were ZnS averaging 19.2 μm in length, aspect ratio 27. The whiskers are single crystal in nature, and appear to evolve through an oxide layer at the surface of the zinc substrate. Thermochemical analysis of the reaction was performed to establish the relative stability of ZnS and various oxide and sulfates, and these confirmed the experimental data. These calculations describe the effects of temperature and gas phase composition upon the thermochemical stability of ZnS and other solid phase reaction products. The calculations are exceedingly useful for determining and controlling the process parameters and for the evaluation of the experimentally observed products.
Lower—Class Immigrants in Wilhelmine Berlin*

During the Second Empire, tens of thousands of poor people from East and West Prussia, Silesia, Pomerania, and Posen moved to Berlin every year. They came primarily to improve their economic position. A large number of them were transient agricultural laborers who had been accosted by private employment agents in Berlin railway stations. Others were provincial craftsmen in declining trades who sought to start a new life in the city: for example the cigar maker hoping to make enough money to buy a tobacco shop. Coming on the mere chance of a job, such men were likely to end up as anything from a coal carrier or hackdriver to kitchen help in the Charite hospital. Most of them became factory hands. Journeymen on the tramp who arrived on foot from as far as the Bohemian border were better off as far as job opportunities went. They had not as yet burnt their bridges and could still move on with a small travel allowance from their guilds if nothing lucrative turned up in Berlin. But Berlin needed young looksmiths, turners, carpenters, molders, tinsmiths, and harnessmakers. (In 1905,72 per cent of the workers in Ludwig Loewe's machine-tool factory were immigrants from outside Berlin.) There were also those who became Berliners in the course of their military service: after two or three years of garrison duty in or near Berlin, a country boy often had no wish to renounce the “big-city life” and would go to great lengths to find a living there.
Embryonic development of identified neurons: temporal pattern of morphological and biochemical differentiation

Individually identified neurons can be recognized in grasshopper embryos, and are accessible to examination by morphological, physiological, and biochemical techniques from their birth to their maturation. Only after the axon of an identified neuron reaches its postsynaptic target does the neurotransmitter accumulate, the soma rapidly enlarge, and the central arborizations greatly expand.
Information visualization at 10

This fall (2004/2005) marked the 10th anniversary of the IEEE's Information Visualization Symposium's founding. At such an important milestone, the author takes the opportunity to comment on the state of the field: where we've been, where we are, and what comes next. Our challenge as a research community is to deliver on information visualization's promise. The most interesting results in an applied field such as information visualization come from helping to solve our customers and sponsors' real problems. To create the future, we need close interactions and exchanges with our customers. The Information Visualization Symposium started 10 years ago because some of us recognized a need to apply scientific visualization ideas to a new user base, in which an analyst, rather than a scientist, was the target user. The opportunity is even better today than it was then.
Studies on target cells of friend spleen focus-forming virus in mice.

SummaryGrowth kinetics of certain hemopoietic cells and target cells of Friend spleen focus-forming virus (SFFV) were studied in mice treated with supralethal irradiation (900 rads) and infusion of bone marrow cells, or with myleran. In supra-lethally irradiated mice, the presence of SFFV and SFFV-induced tumor cells corresponded with that of normal colony-forming cells but with somewhat different growth rates. In myleran-treated mice, however, SFFV and SFFV-induced tumor cells were present when normal colony-forming cells were not observed. Thus, the results indicate that normal colony-forming cells were probably not the target cells for SFFV. The results are consistent with the view that at least two or possibly three types of target cells were present; the target cells for SFFV replication might be different from those for SFFV-induced tumor cells.
Simulation of mobile treatment monitoring system

Noncompliance is the main reason for treatment failure. Approximately 50 to 75% [1, 2] of patients misuse their medication due to forgetfulness and busy schedule. Instead of heavily depending on patient's memory for following medication deadlines, we propose a new automated medication tracker called "Mobile Treatment Monitoring System" to help patients take their medication on time. Among other technologies that help patients to follow up their medication such as Pill Organizers, Medication Reminders, and Pill Dispensers, using remote treatment monitoring system appears to be a promising technology because system creates a direct link between doctor and patient so doctor will be notified for any noncompliance and misuse of medication.
Cofactors of mitochondrial enzymes attenuate copper-induced death in vitro and in vivo

Copper toxicity contributes to neuronal death in Wilson's disease and has been speculatively linked to the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's and prion diseases. We examined copper-induced neuronal death with the goal of developing neuroprotective strategies. Copper catalyzed an increase in hydroxyl radical generation in solution, and the addition of 20 microM copper for 22 hours to murine neocortical cell cultures induced a decrease in ATP levels and neuronal death without glial death. This selective neuronal death was associated with activation of caspase-3 and was reduced by free radical scavengers and Z-Val-Ala-Asp fluoromethylketone, consistent with free radical-mediated injury leading to apoptosis. Pyruvate dehydrogenase is especially vulnerable to inhibition by oxygen free radicals, and the upstream metabolites, pyruvate, phosphoenolpyruvate, and 2-phosphoglycerate were elevated in cortical cells after toxic exposure to copper. One approach to protecting pyruvate dehydrogenase from oxidative attack might be to enhance binding to cofactors. Addition of thiamine, dihydrolipoic acid, or pyruvate reduced copper-induced neuronal death. To test efficacy in vivo, we added 1% thiamine to the drinking water of Long Evans Cinnamon rats, an animal model of Wilson's disease. This thiamine therapy markedly extended life span from 6.0 +/- 1.6 months to greater than 16 months.
Maternal HIV/AIDS and adolescent depression: A covariance structure analysis of the ‘Parents and Children Coping Together’ (PACT) Model

This study assessed the efficacy of selected variables from the Parents and Children Coping Together (PACT) model, which was designed to predict maternal HIV effects on child/adolescent outcomes. Data from two longitudinal studies applying PACT measures were utilized, encompassing a 7-year assessment time span for HIV-infected mothers and their children. Both maternal and child-based measures were evaluated, and a sequential longitudinal design was adopted. Structural equation modeling using full information maximum likelihood was performed to assess the proposed model. Results show the PACT model was viable in predicting child/adolescent outcomes of self-concept and depression. Study implications are discussed, including the influences of maternal factors on child's self-concept and depression and a reconsideration of the effect of family cohesion on child/adolescent outcomes.