cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
AMP: A platform for managing and mining data in the treatment of Autism Spectrum Disorder

We introduce AMP (Autism Management Platform), an integrated health care information system for capturing, analyzing, and managing data associated with the diagnosis and treatment of Autism Spectrum Disorder in children. AMP's mobile application simplifies the means by which parents, guardians, and clinicians can collect and share multimedia data with one another, facilitating communication and reducing data redundancy, while simplifying retrieval. Additionally, AMP provides an intelligent web interface and analytics platform which allow physicians and specialists to aggregate and mine patient data in real-time, as well as give relevant feedback to automatically learn data filtering preferences over time. Together AMP's mobile app, web client, and analytics engine implement a rich set of features that streamline the data collection and analysis process in the context of a secure and easy-to-use system so that data may be more effectively leveraged to guide treatment.
Two-stage Anaerobic Membrane Bioreactor (AnMBR) system to reduce UV absorbance in landfill leachates.

Abstract Landfill leachate typically contains UV-quenching organics, which hinder disinfection at POTWs. This study tested a 2-stage submerged AnMBR for the degradation of UV-absorbing compounds in landfill leachate. Leachate was treated in a thermophilic reactor (55 ± 2 °C) followed by a mesophilic AnMBR (37 ± 1 °C), with HRTs of 25 ± 5 days and 40 ± 5 days respectively. Solids were not wasted, in order to promote biomass accumulation. COD, Organic carbon, and UV254 absorbance were monitored over 13 months of operation. Known UV-quenching compounds, including humic acids, fulvic acids and hydrophilic matter, were reduced by 55%. Molecular weight distribution analyses revealed that the thermophilic reactor hydrolyzed organic carbon >100 KDa into smaller fractions, which were removed in the AnMBR. The system consistently removed 50% of the total UV absorbance. This promising, new enhanced biological process may provide landfills with a feasible pretreatment alternative to expensive chemical oxidation or RO processes before discharging leachate into sewers.
Identity beyond borders: national identity and the post-colonial alternative

The study examines national identity in school curricula against the backdrop of globalization and its forces to create a universal global identity beyond particular affiliations. To that end, the ...
Monte Carlo Shielding Analyses Using an Automated Biasing Procedure

A systematic and automated approach for biasing Monte Carlo shielding calculations is described. In particular, adjoint fluxes from a one-dimensional discrete ordinates calculation are used to gene...
The coordination and activation of azobenzene by Ru5(μ5-C) cluster complexes

Abstract The reaction of Ru5(μ5-C)(CO)15, 1 with azobenzene, PhN = NPh, yielded the pentaruthenium carbido cluster compound Ru5C(CO)13(C6H4N=NC6H5)[μ-H], 4 containing a chelating ortho-metalated azobenzene ligand on one of the ruthenium atoms in a opened square-pyramidal Ru5C cluster. Compound 4 is electronically unsaturated and it readily adds one CO ligand at 25 °C to yield the electronically saturated complex Ru5C(CO)14(C6H4N=NC6H5)[μ-H], 5. Ru5C(CO)13(μ-η2-Ph)[μ-Au(NHC)], 3 reacts with azobenzene to yield the azobenzene complex Ru5C(CO)13(μ−η2−PhN = NPh)(η1−Ph)[μ−Au(NHC)], 6, NHC = 1,3-bis(2,6-diisopropylphenyl-imidazole-2ylidene), which contains a novel bridging di-σ-η2-N,N-coordinated azobenzene ligand across an open edge of an Ru5C cluster. Compound 6 eliminated benzene and was transformed to the new compound Ru5C(CO)13(C6H4N=NC6H5)[μ−Au(NHC)], 7 when heated to 105 °C for 3 h. Compound 7 is similar to 4 except that it has an Au(NHC) group in the place of the bridging hydrido ligand in 4. Compound 7 is also formally electronically unsaturated like 4. All of the new compounds were characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction analyses. The structures, bonding and reactivity of the complexes are discussed.
Abstract B35: Reactivation of p53 signaling in hepatoblastoma with a stapled peptide dual inhibitor of MDM2 and MDM4

Introduction: Hepatoblastoma is the most common pediatric liver malignancy. Despite aggressive therapeutic regimens, long-term survival of patients with high-risk, metastatic disease is less than 50%. Most cases of hepatoblastoma do not carry mutations in the TP53 tumor suppressor gene; therefore, we hypothesized that targeting the two major regulators of p53, MDM2 and MDM4, with the stapled peptide dual inhibitor, ATSP-7041, to reactivate p53 signaling would be an effective therapeutic strategy for hepatoblastoma. Methods: Levels of MDM2 and MDM4 gene expression were examined in HB cell lines and in a cohort of 18 primary HB patient samples from stage III (n=12) and IV (n=6) patients in comparison to expression in four adjacent uninvolved liver samples with qPCR experiments. The effects of the dual MDM2/MDM4 inhibitor ATSP-7041 (Aileron Therapeutics) on the same cell lines were analyzed with MTT assays for cytotoxicity and qPCR experiments to look at changes in mRNA expression of p53 targets Bax, Puma, CDKN1A, and MDM2. Results: In 16 of 18 samples, MDM4 expression was higher than average in the uninvolved liver samples; in five samples expression was at least 5-fold higher and in four samples expression was at least 10-fold higher. Of note, all four samples with at least 10-fold higher expression were from stage IV patients. In comparison, MDM2 expression was only elevated in one of the 18 patient samples. All three hepatoblastoma cell lines showed expression of both MDM2 and MDM4. Treatment with ATSP-7041 showed cytotoxic (5.7-8.6 μM) effects in all cell lines tested. All cell lines also showed upregulation of p53 targets Bax (1.4- to 2.4-fold), Puma (2.4- to 3.2-fold), CDKN1A (2.4- to 7.2-fold), and MDM2 (6.1- to 8.3-fold) with treatment. Conclusions: Dual inhibition of MDM2 and MDM4 shows efficacy in preclinical models of hepatoblastoma by upregulating p53 tumor-suppressor signaling in TP53 wild-type cells and is a promising therapeutic strategy for high-risk patients with wild-type TP53. Citation Format: Sarah E. Woodfield, Roma H. Patel, Aryana M. Ibarra, Zhenghu Chen, Sanjeev A. Vasudevan. Reactivation of p53 signaling in hepatoblastoma with a stapled peptide dual inhibitor of MDM2 and MDM4 [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference: Pediatric Cancer Research: From Basic Science to the Clinic; 2017 Dec 3-6; Atlanta, Georgia. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2018;78(19 Suppl):Abstract nr B35.
Engineered Heart Slice Model of Arrhythmogenic Cardiomyopathy Using Plakophilin-2 Mutant Myocytes.

Arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy (AC), a cause of sudden cardiac death among young and otherwise healthy individuals, is a heritable disease that can be modeled in vitro using patient-specific cardiac...
Current Understanding of the Neurobiology of Opioid Use Disorder: an Overview

This review provides an overview of the neurobiological mechanisms underlying opioid use disorder (OUD) drawing from genetic, functional, and structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) research. Preliminary evidence suggests an association between OUD and specific variants of the DRD2, δ-opioid receptor 1 (OPRD1), and μ-opioid receptor 1 (OPRM1) genes. Additionally, MRI research indicates functional and structural alterations in striatal and corticolimbic brain regions and pathways underlying reward, emotion/stress, and cognitive control processes among individuals with OUD. Individual differences in genetic and functional and structural brain-based features are correlated with differences in OUD severity and treatment outcomes, and therefore may potentially one day be used to inform OUD treatment selection. However, given the heterogeneous findings reported, further longitudinal research across different stages of opioid addiction is needed to yield a convergent characterization of OUD and improve treatment and prevention.
To manage or not? Successful native tree seedling restoration despite a dense, invasive shrub, Berberis thunbergii

Invasive plant species suppress native trees through a variety of mechanisms. A non-native shrub, Berberis thunbergii, has been shown to depress native tree seedling densities in eastern North American deciduous forests, but the mechanisms remain unclear. We attempted to identify the mechanisms leading to decreased native tree seedling densities in Berberis-invaded understories by experimentally measuring survivorship and growth of three common eastern deciduous tree seedlings, Prunus serotina, Quercus alba, and Q. velutina. First, we reared native tree seedlings in soil samples extracted from Berberis-invaded and control forest plots to determine if early growth and survival varied between medias. Then, we introduced surviving seedlings into three classes of in situ field subplots: control (outside Berberis invasion), invaded (Berberis present), and managed subplots where Berberis removal occurred following non-chemical best practice guidelines. Slight decrease of early-stage seedling survivorship and growth occurred in extracted soils from invaded plots. Seedling survival differed between field subplots, with seedlings either showing no differences between invaded subplots (Q. alba) or faring better (P. serotina and Q. velutina) compared to managed subplots. Invaded subplots were about 1.18–1.30 °C cooler with 583–709 lumens m−2 less light exposure compared to control or managed subplots. Additionally, managed and invaded subplots had increased moisture levels (12.0–14.9%) compared to control subplots. Seedling compromise was due to a legacy effect from Berberis disruption via soil sample extraction and/or management. Our findings contrast with other studies that show dense, invasive species outcompeting native tree seedlings and unsuccessful native restoration in Berberis stands.
Publishing in Modern Times

This essay responds to an invitation by the editors of Sociologica to write about publication strategy.
Model-independent constraints on the hydrogen-ionizing emissivity at z > 6

Modelling reionization often requires significant assumptions about the properties of ionizing sources. Here, we infer the total output of hydrogen-ionizing photons (the ionizing emissivity, $\dot{N}_\textrm{ion}$) at $z=4-14$ from current reionization constraints, being maximally agnostic to the properties of ionizing sources. We use a Bayesian analysis to fit for a non-parametric form of $\dot{N}_\textrm{ion}$, allowing us to flexibly explore the entire prior volume. We infer a declining $\dot{N}_\textrm{ion}$ with redshift at $z>6$, which can be used as a benchmark for reionization models. Model-independent reionization constraints from the CMB optical depth and Ly$\alpha$ and Ly$\beta$ forest dark pixel fraction produce $\dot{N}_\textrm{ion}$ evolution ($d\log_{10}\dot{N}_\textrm{ion}/dz|_{z=6\rightarrow8} = -0.31\pm0.35$ dex) consistent with the declining UV luminosity density of galaxies, assuming constant ionizing photon escape fraction and efficiency. Including measurements from Ly$\alpha$ damping of galaxies and quasars produces a more rapid decline: $d\log_{10}\dot{N}_\textrm{ion}/dz|_{z=6\rightarrow8} =-0.44\pm0.22$ dex, steeper than the declining galaxy luminosity density (if extrapolated beyond $M_\mathrm{UV} \lesssim -13$), and constrains the mid-point of reionization to $z = 6.93\pm0.14$.
NM23-H1 suppresses progression to the metastatic phenotype

330 NM23-H1 represents the first metastasis suppressor, identified by the virtue of its decreased expression in numerous metastatic cell lines. Three enzymatic activities have been identified with the protein in vitro, including NDP kinase, histidine kinase and 3’-5’ exonuclease functions, but their relative contributions to metastasis suppression remains unknown. The NDPK and 3’-5’ exonuclease activities suggest a novel antimutator function that resists genetic progression of cancer to metastatic forms. To test this hypothesis, a panel of NM23-H1 mutants with selective lesions in the three enzymatic activities has been developed and overexpressed by stable transfection in the non-metastatic (vertical growth phase) melanoma cell line WM793. The WM793 cell line panel was subjected to maintenance in protein-free medium to select for growth factor-independent proliferation, a common hallmark of metastatic progression. Forced expression of wild-type NM23-H1 significantly inhibited acquisition of the growth factor-independent phenotype relative to the parent WM793 over the course of a 4-5 month selection period. In contrast, a substitution mutation at lysine-12 (K12Q) which ablates all three enzymatic activities resulted in loss of the inhibitory activity. Also exhibiting loses in inhibitory activity were the mutants E5A, which is defective in 3’-5’ exonuclease activity, and H118F, which is both NDP kinase- and histidine kinase-deficient but possesses intact 3’-5’ exonuclease activity. Selection for growth factor-independent growth in the presence of forced expression of wild-type NM23-H1 yielded cells with negligible metastatic activity in athymic nude mice compared to those obtained with selected parent WM793 cells. These findings provide evidence for a novel role of NM23-H1 in suppressing the progression toward the metastatic phenotype. Studies are currently underway to assess the in vivo metastatic activity of the selectively disrupted functional mutants.
How Video Game Locomotion Methods Affect Navigation in Virtual Environments

Navigation, or the means by which people find their way in an environment, depends on the ability to combine information from multiple sources so that properties of an environment, such as the location of a goal, can be estimated. An important source of information for navigation are spatial cues generated by self-motion. Navigation based solely on body-based cues generated by self-motion is called path integration. In virtual reality and video games, many locomotion systems, that is, methods that move users through a virtual environment, can often distort or deprive users of important self-motion cues. There has been much study of this issue, and in this paper, we extend that study in novel directions by assessing the effect of four game-like locomotion interfaces on navigation performance using path integration. The salient features of our locomotion interfaces are that two are primarily continuous, i.e., more like a joystick, and two are primarily discrete, i.e., more like teleportation. Our main findings are that the perspective of path integration, people are able to use all methods, although continuous methods outperform discrete methods.
NK Cell-Fc Receptors Advance Tumor Immunotherapy

Immunotherapy has revolutionized the treatment of cancer patients. Among immunotherapeutic approaches, antibodies targeting immune checkpoint inhibitors Programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) and cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated protein 4 (CTLA-4) are approved for treatment of metastatic melanoma and are in clinical trials for a variety of other cancers. The contribution of Natural Killer (NK) cells to the efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitors is becoming more evident. Enhancing both T and NK cell function in cancer could result in a robust and durable response. Along with the ability to directly kill tumor cells, NK cells can mediate antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) given the expression of Fragment Crystallizable (Fc) receptors. Promising novel antibodies modified with improved Fc-receptor-mediated functions or Fc-engagers to kill target cells have been tested in pre-clinical models with considerable results. Combination therapies with immune-therapeutic antibodies with enhancers of NK-cell Fc-receptor-mediated function can be exploited to increase the efficacy of these antibodies. Herein, I discuss possible strategies to improve the success of immunotherapy by boosting NK cell function.
Incidence of Clostridium difficile Infection After Sepsis Protocol Antibiotics.

Author(s): LaFave, Jordan; Levy, David; Gekle, Robert; Bramante, Robert | Abstract: Introduction: The management of sepsis includes the prompt administration of intravenous antibiotics.There is concern that sepsis treatment protocols may be inaccurate in identifying true sepsis andexposing patients to potentially harmful antibiotics, sometimes unnecessarily. This study was designed toinvestigate those concerns by focusing on in-hospital Clostridium difficile infection (CDI), which is a knowncomplication of exposure to antibiotics.Methods: Our emergency department (ED) recently implemented a protocol to help combat sepsis andincrease compliance with the 2017 Sepsis CMS Core Measures (SEP-1) guidelines. In this single-center,retrospective cohort analysis we queried the electronic health record to gather data on nosocomial CDIand antibiotics prescribed over a five-year period to analyze the effect of the introduction of a sepsisprotocol order set. The primary goal of this study was to measure the hospital-wide CDI rate for threeyears prior to implementation of the sepsis bundle, and then compare this to the hospital-wide CDI rate twoyears post-implementation. As a secondary outcome, we compared the number of antibiotics prescribed inthe ED 12 months prior to administration of the sepsis protocol vs 12 months post-initiation.Results: Over the course of five years, the hospital averaged 9.4 nosocomial CDIs per 10,000 patienthours. Prior to implementation of the sepsis bundle, the average CDI rate was 11.6 (±1.11, 95%) and afterimplementation the average rate dropped to 6.2 (±1.27, 95%, pl0.01). The mean number of antibioticsordered per patient visit was 0.33 (±0.015, 95%) prior to bundle activation, and, following sepsis bundleactivation, the rate was 0.38 (±0.019, 95%, pl0.01). This accounted for 38% of all ED patient visitsreceiving antibiotics, a 5% increase after the sepsis bundle was introduced.Conclusion: In this study, we found that CDI infections declined after implementation of a sepsisbundle. There was, however an increase in the number of patients being exposed to antibiotics afterthis hospital policy change. There are more risks than just CDI with antibiotic exposure, and thesewere not measured in this study. Subsequent studies should focus on the ongoing effects of timed,protocolized care and the associated risks.
From Footnote to Forethought: Considering the Consequences of Large-Scale, Industrialized Animal Agriculture in Developing Nations

Large-scale, industrialized animal agriculture — often referred to as “factory farming” — harms the welfare of animals, the environment, and humans. Although factory farms have a limited presence in developing countries, they are far less prevalent than they are in industrialized areas like the United States and the European Union. As the human population grows and developing nations begin to enjoy more prosperity, they are in a unique position either to welcome the expansion of factory farming to meet rising demand, or to consider its dire consequences, learn from the mistakes of developed regions, and promote more sustainable practices instead. This Article summarizes the negative impacts of factory farming and argues that developing nations should reject its expansion in order to protect animals, the environment, and all of humanity.
Industry and the Environment

In Chapter 2, we described some of the early history of ceramics and their production. The transition to a large-scale manufacturing industry occurred in Western Europe during the eighteenth century as part of the period that became known as the Industrial Revolution. The great porcelain factories established and subsidized by royal patronage at Miessen in Germany and Sevres in France began to give way to purely commercial products being made in Staffordshire in the north of England. Later, the factories at Miessen and Sevres began to imitate English designs. They were certainly helped in this area by immigrant workers. Emigration was a concern for the ceramics industry more than many others, such as iron production, because it relied on secret processes, such as specific body and glaze compositions. Once these became known, a worker would become valuable to a competitor.
Neurovascular Causes of Acute Monocular Visual Loss

Acute monocular visual loss may result from a diverse set of neurovascular and systemic disorders and requires urgent evaluation. The goal of this review is to describe the most current understanding of the clinical features, pathophysiology, diagnosis, and treatment of these disorders. 1. Acute central retinal artery occlusion (CRAO) should be treated as an equivalent to acute ischemic stroke. 2. Several recent clinical trials are evaluating the treatment of non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION). 3. Tocilizumab is emerging as a first-line steroid-sparing immunomodulatory therapy for the treatment of giant cell arteritis (GCA). 4. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging of the retina has led to the appreciation that retinal capillary ischemia in the form of paracentral acute middle maculopathy (PAMM) is a distinct form of acute monocular visual loss with relatively normal-appearing fundus examination and good prognosis for recovery. Accurate diagnosis and timely treatment of disorders resulting in acute monocular visual loss may reduce the likelihood of additional visual and neurologic complications.
Health beliefs as a predictor of screening behaviors among college students.

Twenty million people live with a sickle cell disease (SCD) diagnosis globally; about 100,000 reside in the United States of America (US). Although SCD continues to threaten the health, mostly of p...
What Lies Ahead: Northwest Florida’s Healthcare Workforce Supply

Studies describing healthcare workforce distribution are myriad. Little space, however, has been devoted to regional and local workforce issues. This literature review sought to first review national factors affecting healthcare supply, then progressively focus on the state and regional levels. The analysis concluded that, while healthcare workforce shortages are not present in Florida in terms of nursing, there is a significant gap between physician supply and demand. The results concluded that nearly all of the factors presented can be addressed through educational and health policy initiatives. Strategies were suggested to better meet the needs of Florida’s underserved populations through primary care providers.
Immune and vascular contributions to organogenesis of the testis and ovary.

Gonad development is a highly regulated process that coordinates cell specification and morphogenesis to produce sex-specific organ structures that are required for fertility, such as testicular seminiferous tubules and ovarian follicles. While sex determination occurs within specialized gonadal supporting cells, sexual differentiation is evident throughout the entire organ, including within the interstitial compartment, which contains immune cells and vasculature. While immune and vascular cells have been traditionally appreciated for their supporting roles during tissue growth and homeostasis, an increasing body of evidence supports the idea that these cell types are critical drivers of sexually dimorphic morphogenesis of the gonad. Myeloid immune cells, such as macrophages, are essential for multiple aspects of gonadogenesis and fertility, including for forming and maintaining gonadal vasculature in both sexes at varying stages of life. While vasculature is long known for supporting organ growth and serving as an export mechanism for gonadal sex steroids in utero, it is also an important component of fetal testicular morphogenesis and differentiation; additionally, it is vital for ovarian corpus luteal function and maintenance of pregnancy. These findings point toward a new paradigm in which immune cells and blood vessels are integral components of sexual differentiation and organogenesis. In this review, we discuss the state of the field regarding the diverse roles of immune and vascular cells during organogenesis of the testis and ovary and highlight outstanding questions in the field that could stimulate new research into these previously underappreciated constituents of the gonad.
Groundwater residence time estimates obscured by anthropogenic carbonate.

Groundwater is an important source of drinking and irrigation water. Dating groundwater informs its vulnerability to contamination and aids in calibrating flow models. Here, we report measurements of multiple age tracers (14C, 3H, 39Ar, and 85Kr) and parameters relevant to dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) from 17 wells in California’s San Joaquin Valley (SJV), an agricultural region that is heavily reliant on groundwater. We find evidence for a major mid-20th century shift in groundwater DIC input from mostly closed- to mostly open-system carbonate dissolution, which we suggest is driven by input of anthropogenic carbonate soil amendments. Crucially, enhanced open-system dissolution, in which DIC equilibrates with soil CO2, fundamentally affects the initial 14C activity of recently recharged groundwater. Conventional 14C dating of deeper SJV groundwater, assuming an open system, substantially overestimates residence time and thereby underestimates susceptibility to modern contamination. Because carbonate soil amendments are ubiquitous, other groundwater-reliant agricultural regions may be similarly affected.
Semi-supervised Conditional GAN for Simultaneous Generation and Detection of Phishing URLs: A Game theoretic Perspective

Spear Phishing is a type of cyber-attack where the attacker sends hyperlinks through email on well-researched targets. The objective is to obtain sensitive information such as name, credentials, credit card numbers, or other crucial data by imitating oneself as a trustworthy website. According to a recent report, phishing incidents nearly doubled in frequency in 2020. In recent times, machine learning techniques have become the standard for defending against such attacks. Many augmentations have been made for improving the existing architectures, such as Convolutional Networks, Recurrent Networks, and Generative Adversarial Networks. However, these architectures were designed with only defense in mind. Moreover, the attacker's perspective and motivation are absent while creating such training and deployment pipelines. To address this, we need a game-theoretic approach to understand the rational decision-making process of the attacker (Hacker) and the defender (Phishing URL detector). We propose a Conditional Generative Adversarial Network for real-time phishing URL detection. Additionally, we train our architecture in a semi-supervised manner to distinguish between adversarial and real examples, along with detecting malicious and benign URLs. We also design two games between the attacker and defender in training and deployment settings by utilizing the game-theoretic perspective. Our experiments confirm that the proposed architecture surpasses recent state-of-the-art architectures for phishing URLs detection.
Examination of the Efficacy of Voc and NOx Emissions Reductions on Ozone Improvement in the New York Metropolitan Area

Ozone is not directly emitted into the atmosphere, but is instead a secondary pollutant that is formed from a variety of atmospheric reactants in the presence of sunlight. The magnitude of ozone concentrations in urban areas, for example, along the eastern sea-board of the United States depends upon the transport of ozone and its precursors into the domain, precursors emitted within the domain, the rate at which chemical reactions take place, deposition of pollutants within the domain, and transport and diffusion of pollutants out of the domain.
Using models of the Human Visual System in the design of stack filters for the enhancement of color images

A technique is developed for utilizing models of the Human Visual System to improve the design of filters for the enhancement of color images. The technique uses an image fidelity measure based on models of the human visual system — such as the Visible Differences Predictor (VDP) — in a nested loop training algorithm. In the inner loop of the algorithm, a stack filter is trained under a Weighted Mean Absolute Error (WMAE) Criterion to remove noise. In the outer loop, the VDP is used to train the wights in the WMAE criterion to ensure that the filter to which the algorithm converges is one that produces output images that are as visually satisfying as possible. The stack filters resulting from this VDP-driven, WMAE approach perform much better than filters trained under the standard mean absolute error criterion. This fact is demonstrated with color images. The robustness of these trained filters to variations in both the image and the noise is discussed.
TLRs Regulate the Gatekeeping Functions of the Intestinal Follicle-Associated Epithelium

Initiation of adaptive mucosal immunity occurs in organized mucosal lymphoid tissues such as Peyer's patches of the small intestine. Mucosal lymphoid follicles are covered by a specialized follicle-associated epithelium (FAE) that contains M cells, which mediate uptake and transepithelial transport of luminal Ags. FAE cells also produce chemokines that attract Ag-presenting dendritic cells (DCs). TLRs link innate and adaptive immunity, but their possible role in regulating FAE functions is unknown. We show that TLR2 is expressed in both FAE and villus epithelium, but TLR2 activation by peptidoglycan or Pam(3)Cys injected into the intestinal lumen of mice resulted in receptor redistribution in the FAE only. TLR2 activation enhanced transepithelial transport of microparticles by M cells in a dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, TLR2 activation induced the matrix metalloproteinase-dependent migration of subepithelial DCs into the FAE, but not into villus epithelium of wild-type and TLR4-deficient mice. These responses were not observed in TLR2-deficient mice. Thus, the FAE of Peyer's patches responds to TLR2 ligands in a manner that is distinct from the villus epithelium. Intraluminal LPS, a TLR4 ligand, also enhanced microparticle uptake by the FAE and induced DC migration into the FAE, suggesting that other TLRs may modulate FAE functions. We conclude that TLR-mediated signals regulate the gatekeeping functions of the FAE to promote Ag capture by DCs in organized mucosal lymphoid tissues.
Lower body negative pressure counters headward fluid shifts in the brain and eye (1103.3)

Recent ophthalmic evaluations of 7 astronauts after 6-month missions to International Space Station show unexpected vision impairment. In addition, lumbar punctures in 4 astronauts with optic disc ...
Risk communication and decision tools for children's health protection

Scientific discovery linking the environment to beneficial and adverse health children's health outcomes is rapidly expanding, leading scientists and health professionals to call for timely action to prevent harm and secure benefits. A robust method to synthesize what is known about the environmental drivers of health is a foundational step to making the science actionable by individuals and decision-makers. To meet this need, a methodology called the Navigation Guide was crafted by a collaboration of 22 clinical and environmental health scientists. The Navigation Guide proceeds from methods of research synthesis used in clinical settings but accounts for differences between environmental and clinical health sciences related to the evidence-base and decision-context. The methodology can be used to develop evidence profiles that provide simple, transparent summaries, such as practice guidelines or other evidence-based recommendations for prevention. Establishing proof-of-concept of the method is underway. Development of the Navigation Guide is extremely timely as it coincides with growing recognition of the need for updated methods in risk assessment. The costs in 2008 to the US healthcare system for treatment of childhood illnesses linked to toxic environmental exposures is conservatively estimated to be over $76 billion, and it is anticipated that US healthcare policy decisions will increasingly rely on systematic reviews of the evidence. The Navigation Guide is poised to provide a methodological bridge to link healthcare decision-making to efforts to reduce toxic environmental exposures. The institutionalization of the Navigation Guide would provide a concrete mechanism for linking science to action to protect children's health.
Gene Regulation and Clinical Roles for Interferons in Neoplastic Diseases.

OVERVIEW: Clinical indications for the use of interferons (IFNs) for cancer continue to expand and will likely continue to do so. IFNs have been approved for clinical use by the United States Food and Drug Administration for chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML), hairy cell leukemia, follicular lymphomas, Kaposi's sarcoma in the setting of AIDS, and melanoma for patients at high risk for recurrence after surgery. In addition, as a result of their antiviral activity, IFNs result in control of chronic active hepatitis and recurring papillomas that may reduce cancer development resulting from these processes and their underlying viruses. For almost all of these indications, therapeutic activity has been established from well-conducted, international phase III clinical trials. IFNs were the first successful biological therapy for human malignancy; they can synergize to produce tumor regression with surgery and chemotherapy and can potentiate other cytokines and monoclonal antibodies. IFNs and cytokines can modulate gene expression, resulting in enhanced immune effector-cell number, cytotoxicity, antigen expression, and production of other cytokines. IFNs have pleiotropic effects on cellular function, including influences on growth, differentiation, and immunologic function. For greatest effects, IFNs are used in combination with other modalities of therapy. This increases the effect of IFNs or allows IFNs to increase the effects of other therapies. Cytosine arabinoside improves the therapeutic effectiveness of IFNs in CML, and IFN-a2b improves the prognosis, survival, and quality of life after surgery for high-risk patients with melanoma. Gene modulation by IFN-a or IFN-b of thymidine phosphorylase, an enzyme important in DNA synthesis, has been suggested to be the basis for enhancing 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) effectiveness in preclinical models and may augment effectiveness in adenocarcinomas. IFNs increase the expression of some tumor-associated antigens that could be of benefit for combination use with monoclonal antibodies for imaging or therapy.
Upgrade of the cathode strip chamber level 1 trigger optical links at CMS

At the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN, the CMS experiment's Level 1 Trigger system for the endcap Cathode Strip Chambers (CSC) has 180 optical links to transmit Level 1 trigger primitives from 60 peripheral crates to the CSC Track Finder (CSCTF) which reconstructs muon candidates. Currently there is a limit of 3 trigger primitives per crate serving a cluster of 9 chambers. With the anticipated LHC luminosity increase up to 1035 cm−2s−1 at full energy of 7 TeV/beam the Muon Port Card (MPC), which transmits the primitives, the receiver in the CSCTF (Sector Processor) and the optical transmission system itself need to be upgraded. At the same time it is very desirable to preserve all the old optical links intact for compatibility with the present Track Finder during transition period. We present here the results of our efforts in the past two years to upgrade the MPC board, including the hardware developments, data transmission tests and latency measurements.
Some aspects of the theory of norms

Abstract Let V be a finite dimensional vector space. Motivated by theory or applications, one might want to consider different kinds of norms on V . In this paper we discuss some results and problems involving different classes of norms on a vector space studied by this author in the past few years. The paper consists of five sections. Section 1 concerns the conditions on two vectors x , y ∈ V satisfying ∥ x ∥≤∥ y ∥ for all ∥·∥ in a certain class of norms. Section 2 concerns the isometry groups of G-invariant norms, i.e., norms ∥·∥ that satisfy ∥g( x )∥ = ∥ x ∥ for all x ∈ V and for all g ∈ G, where G is a group of unitary (orthogonal) operators on V . Section 3 concerns G-invariant norms that satisfy some special properties. Section 4 concerns the best approximation(s) x 0 ∈ T of y , where y ∉ T ⊆ V , with respect to different kinds of norms. Additional open problems, topics, and references are mentioned in Section 5.
Estradiol induced inhibition of 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase 1: an explanation for the postmenopausal hormone replacement therapy effects

Summary The adverse and beneficial effects of postmenopausal hormone replacement therapy include: ischemic heart disease, stroke, pulmonary embolism, breast cancer, an increased rate of onset of asthma as well as reductions in the incidence of diabetes in women with known coronary artery disease and osteoporotic fractures. These varied effects can be explained by the down regulation of 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase by estradiol, which results in a reduction of tissue specific cortisol production. The reduction in local cortisol production which diminishes the endogenous anti-inflammatory effects, also allows for the progression of both vascular and pulmonary inflammation. The decrease in cortisol activation reduces insulin resistance and anti-proliferative effects thereby reducing the potential for diabetes but allowing for the emergence of malignancy. Furthermore, the decreased local tissue availability of cortisol reduces the tendency for the development of osteoporosis. New techniques and drugs are being developed to evaluate the modulation of 11β-HSD1 activity. Further study should result in new ways to control both inflammation and metabolism.
Nuclear relaxation in solid H2 glass

Abstract Measurements of the longitudinal relaxation in solid H2 show that the relaxation rate becomes dependent on the position in frequency within the NMR absorption line as the quadrupolar glass phase is approached both from the orientationally disordered and from the long-range ordered state. This observation can help explain the discrepancies between recently reported measurements of T1 in different laboratories.
Teaching and teaching computer architecture: two very different topics: (some opinions about each)

This year's Computer Architecture Education workshop is remarkable in its recognition that to teach computer architecture well, one has to pay attention to two things (a) teaching and (b) computer architecture. Having been doing both for a good number of years, I harbor a fair number of opinions on what one should do and what one should not do with respect to each. This talk will get into some of those opinions. With respect to teaching, I will discuss some of my Ten Commandments of Good Teaching, what I think of distance learning, political correctness, emphasis on memorization, the inability of American students to write English, the value of having students study in groups, and what I feel is often the sad misuse of technology. Most importantly, I will discuss my motivated bottom up approach to learning. With respect to teaching computer architecture, I believe the single most important point to get across is that computer architecture, if it is a science at all, is a science of tradeoffs. The student is best served if he/she thoroughly understands the fundamental principles so as to be able to make the appropriate tradeoffs in reaching a particular design objective. I also plan to discuss the use (and too often, misuse) of measurements, simulation, and real ISAs as opposed to concocted ISAs.
Cryptosporidium parvum: Experimental Infections in Aged Syrian Golden Hamsters

Young (8-12 weeks) and aged (20-24 months) Syrian golden hamsters were intragastrically inoculated with Cryptosporidium parvum oocysts to compare the susceptibility to cryptosporidiosis between these two age groups. Oocyst shedding was significantly more intense in the aged than in the young hamsters. Moreover, parasite colonization of the small intestine was observed in the aged but not the young hamsters. Splenocytes from aged hamsters exhibited significantly lower T, B, and natural killer cell activities than did those from young hamsters. These studies suggest that susceptibility to cryptosporidial infections may be greater in aged individuals than has been previously realized.
Small-angle X-ray scattering from carbon blacks: Crossover between the fractal and Porod regimes

Small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) and transmission electron microscopy image analysis experiments on a series of commercially available carbon blacks verify recent computer modeling results on scattering by mass fractal aggregates of globular particles. We show that the derivative of I(q) vs q SAXS data demonstrates a crossover point qc between surface scattering by primary particles and scattering by mass fractal aggregates. This crossover point is related to the mean diameter and the size distribution of the primary particles.
Heliographic latitude dependence of the IMF dominant polarity in 1972–1973 using Pioneer 10 data

The heliographic latitude dependence of the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) was studied by using Pioneer 10 data taken from March 1972 through June 1973 over Bartels solar rotation (SR) periods 1896–1913. The daily IMF sector polarities were plotted for each of these SR periods. Then the number of days of positive polarity (‘away’ directed fields) per SR was plotted versus the average heliographic latitude. The dominant polarity behaved in accordance with the latitude effects found by Rosenberg and Coleman in 1969. The phase of the cycle has reversed from what it was prior to the sunspot maximum in 1968. The polarity is now predominantly positive at northern heliographic latitudes.
Use of hydroxypropyl- and hydroxyethyl-derivatized β-cyclodextrins for the thin-layer chromatographic separation of enantiomers and diastereomers

Abstract Partially substituted hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin and hydroxyethyl-β-cyclodextrin proved to be effective chiral mobile phase additives (CMAs) for the thin-layer chromatographic (TLC) resolution of racemic benzyl-2-oxazolidinone, 5-(4-methylphenyl)-5-phenylhydantoin, mephenytoin and several dansyl and β-naphthylamide amino acies. Several diastereomeric compounds including steroid epimers and alkaloids were separated as well. The derivatized β-cyclodextrins tended to be much more soluble in water and hydro-organic solvents than native β-cyclodextrin. Their chromatographic selectivity also was somewhat different. The use of CMAs in TLC is a potentially useful and powerful method that has not been considered adquately. The relative lack of chiral stationary phases available in planar format makes the use of CMAs particularly attractive.
Movement Behavior of Red Flour Beetle: Response to Habitat Cues and Patch Boundaries

Movement behavior determines the success or failure of insects in finding important resources such as food, mates, reproductive sites, and shelter. We examined the response of female red flour beetles (Tribolium castaneum Herbst: Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) to habitat cues by quantifying the number of individuals that located a patch (either with or without flour) in response to the distance released from the patch, air movement over the arena, and food-deprivation status. We also investigated how patch characteristics, such as resource amount and presence of cover, influenced time taken to find a flour patch, the frequency of entering or leaving, and residence time within the patch. Although the proportion of beetles successfully locating the patch decreased as a function of release distance, the probability that beetles reached the patch was ultimately unaffected by whether flour was present or not, suggesting that search behavior in red flour beetles may exhibit a simple distance-decay function. Significantly more beetles reached the patch when they had not been food deprived and air was flowing over the arena, which indicates that walking beetles may orient to airflow, exhibiting anemotaxis. Results of the second experiment showed that, on first encounter, fewer beetles entered patches with a greater amount of flour; but once they had entered, they left them less frequently than patches with less resource. Beetles entered covered patches more quickly than uncovered patches irrespective of resource amount, which indicates that shelter is perhaps more important to red flour beetles than resource levels in determining whether to enter patches.
Trends in Medicare supplemental insurance and prescription drug coverage, 1996-1999.

ABSTRACT Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey (MCBS) Access to Care data indicate a five-percentage point decline in the share of Medicare beneficiaries having Medigap coverage between 1996 and 1999...
"WinSun": deploying the Windows desktop on a Sun Ray

The Information Technologies-User Services department at the University of Delaware is experimenting with replacing standard "fat" Windows PCs with Sun Ray thin clients connecting to a Windows 2003 server running Terminal Services. This allows the Sun Rays to connect to a Sun Ray server configured with Control Access Mode (CAM) to run a remote desktop session on the Windows 2003 server. Our objective is to establish a cost effective, reliable solution with minimal impact on staff resources. Our goal is to maintain the Windows desktop on the Windows 2003 server instead of on many individual fat PCs. This should reduce staff support time, minimize security vulnerabilities, require user authentication and reduce hardware costs due to scalability. Our initial phase is to replace 16 express stations with Sun Ray thin clients in the fall of 2006. Express stations are Windows PCs dedicated to providing a limited number of computing services to the user with an automatic generic login. These include browsing the web, reading e-mail and printing using specific application viewers that don't allow editing. Based on the results of our initial testing, we hope to be able to replace an entire un-staffed Windows PC computing lab with Sun Ray thin clients as our next phase.
Dissolved organic copper isolated by C18 reverse-phase extraction in an anoxic basin located in the Pettaquamscutt River Estuary

The upper region of the Pettaquamscutt River, Rhode Island, is a fjord-type estuary with two deep basins separated by a shallow sill. The water column in these basins remains stable for periods of several years with only partial mixing occurring. Dissolved organic copper isolated by C18 reverse-phase extraction was determined in the uppermost basin; these values ranged from 0.29 μg kg−1 in the oxic surface waters to <0.001 μg kg−1 in the deeper anoxic waters. Total dissolved and particulate copper concentrations ranged from 0.53 to 0.13 μg kg−1 and 0.46 to <0.03 μg kg−1, respectively. Dissolved concentrations were highest at the surface while particulate copper values were greatest in the suboxic deeper waters. Organically bound copper accounted for 42–60% of the total dissolved copper in the oxic surface waters; however, these values progressively decreased to < 1% through the redox transition zone. Chromatographic profiles of isolated dissolved organic matter were obtained using high-performance liquid chromatography. These profiles indicate that dissolved organic matter (DOM), which complexes copper in oxic waters, is present in the suboxic region. However, binding of copper by this fraction of DOM is reduced or eliminated by competition with dissolved sulfide complexes.