cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
In Vivo Neurochemical Analyses of Exogenously Administered L-DOPA: Implications for Treatment of Parkinson’s Disease

The fundamental therapeutic actions of L-DOPA in Parkinson’s disease are attributed to its ability to be taken up into the brain where it is converted to dopamine (DA) by the enzyme aromatic amino acid decarboxylase (AADC) (Birkmayer and Hornykiewicz, 1962; Lloyd et al., 1975; Melamed et al., 1984). Thus, it is believed that by replenishing the depleted stores of DA in the basal ganglia caused by the disease-related loss of DA neurons, the neurological deficits characteristic of Parkinson’s disease are ameliorated. However, although many insights regarding the therapeutic mechanism of action of L-DOPA in Parkinson’s disease have been gained, several important questions remain largely unresolved. Two of the issues which we have addressed in our laboratory are: 1) Is the release of DA formed from exogenous L-DOPA regulated in any way or does it merely reflect a non-specific spillover of DA from the site of formation? 2) Do the characteristics of the release of DA formed from exogenous L-DOPA in the intact striatum differ from those in the striatum lacking a normal dopaminergic innervation as in Parkinson’s disease?
Neglected classics: Rapaport's "Metapsychological considerations concerning activity and passivity".

Dans un article paru en 1953, le psychanalyste americain D. Rapaport soutenait que l'«activite» d'un sujet representait le controle par le moi des demandes pulsionnelles tandis que la «passivite» se definissait comme symptome de l'ecrasement du moi par les pulsions. Les grandes lignes de cet article ont ete reprises par les tenants de l'«ego-psychology» (Kris, Hartmann et Loewenstein): pour eux, l'activite est la mesure de l'autonomie du moi
Immune dysregulation in human tuberculosis

Hyporesponsiveness to mycobacterial antigens occurs in some patients with tuberculosis. Active immunosuppression by monocytes, T-lymphocytes, and serum is evident and may be a critical factor in anergy. The molecular basis for depressed responsiveness to tuberculin antigens is uncertain, but may involve aberrant surface expression of the HLA-DR gene product on adherent mononuclear cells and abnormalities in immune induction and the cytokine cascade.
Novel constructs for efficient cloning of sRNA-encoding DNA and uniform silencing of plant genes employing artificial trans-acting small interfering RNA

TAS atasiRNA-producing region swapping used one-step, high efficiency, and high fidelity directional TC-cloning. Uniform silencing was achieved without lethality using miRNA trigger- TAS overexpression fusion cassettes to generate 21-nt atasiRNA. Plant transgenic technologies are very important for basic plant research and biotechnology. Artificial trans-acting small interfering RNA (atasiRNA) represents an attractive platform with certain advantages over other silencing approaches, such as hairpin RNA, artificial microRNA (amiRNA), and virus-induced gene silencing (VIGS). In this study, we developed two types of constructs for atasiRNA-mediated gene silencing in plants. To functionally validate our constructs, we chose TAS1a as a test model. Type 1 constructs had miR173-precursor sequence fused with TAS1a locus driven by single promoter–terminator cassette, which simplified the expression cassette and resulted in uniform gene silencing. Type 2 constructs contained two separate cassettes for miR173 and TAS1a co-expression. The constructs in each type were further improved by deploying the XcmI-based TC-cloning system for highly efficient directional cloning of short DNA fragments encoding atasiRNAs into TAS1a locus. The effectiveness of the constructs was demonstrated by cloning an atasiRNA DNA into the TC site of engineered TAS1a and silencing of CHLORINA 42 (CH42) gene in Arabidopsis. Our results show that the directional TC-cloning of the atasiRNA DNA into the engineered TAS1a is highly efficient and the miR173–TAS1a fusion system provides an attractive alternative to achieve moderate but more uniform gene silencing without lethality, as compared to conventional two separate cassettes for miR173 and TAS locus co-expression system. The design principles described here should be applicable to other TAS loci such as TAS1b, TAS1c, TAS2, or TAS3, and cloning of amiRNA into amiRNA stem-loop.
Soil Remediation Studies: An Overview

Five concepts of soil remediation studies are discussed. First, site performance goals are expressed as properties of treated soils, or as the permissible exposure to a target population or ecological resource. Second, a decision is made to achieve goals by either decreasing or increasing the partitioning of contaminants to the soil. Third, test procedures are selected. Fourth, multi-technology treatability studies are conducted on Bulk Site Reference Materials (BSRM’s), defined as large volume, homogeneous samples which are characteristic of the soil matrix, and which contain contaminants at high levels. Finally, the price a site owner is willing to incur for a remedial technology, given competing alternatives, is compared to the price vendors seek for their technologies. Soil Remediation studies are more likely to fulfill the needs of site owners and site managers if these concepts are incorporated into study design.
Growth Curve Modeling with Longitudinal Data

Researchers examining the performance of health care organization have not made serious attempts to examine how time-invariant and time-varying factors affect efficiency and financial viability, by using longitudinal analysis. Analyses of cross-sectional hospital performance data have shed little light on the explanatory power of the predictor variables. This chapter introduces a multivariate modeling strategy analyzing multi-wave data collected from a panel of health care organizations, particularly hospitals.
“Ain't Making It in America”: The Economic Characteristics of African Immigrants in North Carolina, USA

ABSTRACTThis study interviewed 350 African immigrants in North Carolina (NC) to shed light on their economic conditions. It focused primarily on their labor force participation and incomes for the period 2004–2014. The findings showed that both structural changes in NC's economy and prejudicial experiences within the labor force were the most important forces that undermined the economic ambitions of the Africans. The study also yielded a complex picture and raised some questions about the resettlement outcome of African immigrants in the United States.
Video quality gradient measures for digital networks

Two of the most significant video quality degradations produced by digital compression in codecs are image blurring and distortion of edges in areas of motion. These degradations become more evident at reduced transmission rates. Two objective measures of video quality, one based on Laplacian and the other on Sobel gradient operators, are proposed. They are validated with desktop video teleconferencing (VTC) data for digital networks with sequences containing significant motion and complex detail. The measured results are compared over a range of transmission bit rates. The sensitivity and reliability of the measures are enhanced by determining the optimum Gray level thresholds for computing the measures. Both measures correlate well with transmission rate and subjective opinion of the video quality, particularly for blurring. >
Accelerated randomized blind source suppression of quasi-static reverberant artifacts in echocardiography

Echocardiographic image sequences are frequently corrupted by quasi-static “clutter” artifacts superimposed on the dynamic myocardium. Blind Source Separation (BSS) aIgorithms are often used to suppress clutter while retaining underlying tissue. In this paper, the sparse nature of reverberant artifacts in the time frequency domain is exploited for suppression to achieve reduced computational complexity and tissue signal loss. The performance of the method was validated on five datasets simulated in Field-II and three in vivo datasets and benchmarked with respect to the Singular Value Filter (SVF) algorithm. In simulated data, the proposed method yields a normalized average error of 1.15±0.09 a.u. over five simulated datasets, compared to the SVF, which yields an error of 14.13±1.98 a.u. on the same datasets. The suppressed signal energy was also estimated to quantify loss of ‘Tissue signal’. The average energy of the suppressed signal for the SVF was 35.60±3.27 a.u. The average energy of the suppressed signal of the proposed method was 25.44±1.95 a.u. Incorporating sparsity and signal characteristics allowed us to accelerate the clutter suppression by three orders of magnitude in this case.
Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease and Hiatal Hernia in Bariatric Procedures

Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and hiatal hernia (HH) are common problems more frequently found in the obese. Growing experience indicates that bariatric surgery can lead to significant weight loss and, in many cases, improvement in GERD. Laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass in particular is a highly effective therapy for GERD and can be safely performed in conjunction with repair of an HH. Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) has rapidly become the most commonly performed bariatric procedure; however, one major drawback of LSG is the potential for development of GERD postoperatively. The indications for LSG in the setting of GERD and HH remain incompletely defined. This chapter highlights aspects of evaluation and management of the obese pre- or postop bariatric surgery patient with GERD and/or HH, including areas of controversy.
English Listeners Use Suprasegmental Cues to Lexical Stress Early During Spoken-Word Recognition

Purpose We used an eye-tracking technique to investigate whether English listeners use suprasegmental information about lexical stress to speed up the recognition of spoken words in English. Method...
An Integrated Neuroscience Perspective on Formulation and Treatment Planning for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: An Educational Review.

Importance Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a common psychiatric illness, increasingly in the public spotlight in the United States due its prevalence in the soldiers returning from combat in Iraq and Afghanistan. This educational review presents a contemporary approach for how to incorporate a modern neuroscience perspective into an integrative case formulation. The article is organized around key neuroscience “themes” most relevant for PTSD. Within each theme, the article highlights how seemingly diverse biological, psychological, and social perspectives all intersect with our current understanding of neuroscience. Observations Any contemporary neuroscience formulation of PTSD should include an understanding of fear conditioning, dysregulated circuits, memory reconsolidation, epigenetics, and genetic factors. Fear conditioning and other elements of basic learning theory offer a framework for understanding how traumatic events can lead to a range of behaviors associated with PTSD. A circuit dysregulation framework focuses more broadly on aberrant network connectivity, including between the prefrontal cortex and limbic structures. In the process of memory reconsolidation, it is now clear that every time a memory is reactivated it becomes momentarily labile—with implications for the genesis, maintenance, and treatment of PTSD. Epigenetic changes secondary to various experiences, especially early in life, can have long-term effects, including on the regulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, thereby affecting an individual’s ability to regulate the stress response. Genetic factors are surprisingly relevant: PTSD has been shown to be highly heritable despite being definitionally linked to specific experiences. The relevance of each of these themes to current clinical practice and its potential to transform future care are discussed. Conclusions and Relevance Together, these perspectives contribute to an integrative, neuroscience-informed approach to case formulation and treatment planning. This may help to bridge the gap between the traditionally distinct viewpoints of clinicians and researchers.
Rapamycin Analogs Reduce mTORC2 Signaling and Inhibit AKT Activation in AML.

Abstract The mTOR complex 2 (mTORC2) containing mTOR and rictor is thought to be rapamycin-insensitive, and was recently shown to regulate the pro-survival kinase AKT by phosphorylation on Ser473 (Sarbassov Science 2005;307 and Mol Cell 2006;22). We investigated the molecular effects of mTOR inhibition by rapamycin analog CCI-779 in AML cells. Unexpectedly, CCI-779 not only inhibited the mTOR complex 1 (mTORC1) containing mTOR and raptor with decreased phosphorylation of p70S6K, 4EPB1 and reduction in Glut-1 mRNA, but also blocked AKT activation via inhibition of mTORC2 formation. This resulted in suppression of phosphorylation of the direct AKT substrate FKHR and decreased transcription of D-Cyclins in AML cell line and 5 of 8 primary AML samples in vitro. Similar observations were made in samples from patients with hematological malignancies who were treated with the rapamycin analogs temsirolimus or everolimus: the levels of Ser473 phosphorylated AKT decreased in 3/5 patient samples at 1 or 24 hour(s) of temsirolimus treatment, and in 6/8 patient samples treated with everolimus. In the 9 samples in which AKT was inhibited, ≥2-fold decrease in Cyclin D1 mRNA was observed in 5, Cyclin D2 in 3, both, Cyclin D1 and D2 in 1 sample, and Glut-1 in 4 patient samples. In 7 of the 9 patients in whom AKT was inhibited, a >50% decrease in peripheral blood absolute blast count (3 AML, 1 ALL) or absolute lymphocyte count (1 CLL) for >1 week duration was documented, and two patients with RAEB-1 had improvements in platelet counts, one fulfilling the criteria for clinical response (hematological improvement). No change in peripheral blood counts or progression of leukemia was seen in 6 patients. Of these, decrease in pAKT was observed in 2, no change in 3 and increase in 1 (Fisher exact two-tailed p= 0.021). Altogether, our study provides first evidence that rapamycin analogs inhibit AKT signaling in primary AML cells both in vitro and in vivo, and support the therapeutic potential of mTOR inhibition strategies in leukemias.
Advanced Manufacturing: A New Policy Challenge

In 2016 the political system experienced significant disruption in part due to a working class voting block suffering from a long decline in American manufacturing, which became particularly acute in the decade of the 2000s. Manufacturing employment fell by one-third in this period, 64,000 factories closed, manufacturing capital investment and output suffered, and the productivity rate dropped. The U.S. had been systematically shifting production abroad, and experts began to realize as the next decade began that the decline in its production capability was starting to affect its innovation capacity — which had long been viewed as its core economic strength.
Partners in Patriarchy: Faith-Based Organizations and Neoliberalism in Turkey:

Faith-based organizations (FBO) have become active vehicles of neoliberal governmentality in the last decade. FBOs have been assuming increasing responsibilities in service delivery and welfare pro...
From Family Violence Exposure to Violent Offending: Examining Effects of Race and Mental Health in a Moderated Mediation Model Among Confined Male Juveniles

Depression, substance use, and impulsivity have been linked to family violence exposure and to the development of violent offending during adolescence. Additionally, the indirect effects associated with these factors may not generalize across different racial/ethnic adolescent populations. The present study tested whether race/ethnicity moderated the mediated relationship between family violence exposure and violent offending, with depression, substance use, and impulsivity as mediators. A sample of 1,359 male adolescents was obtained from a juvenile correctional program. Between-racial/ethnic group comparisons were generally consistent with previous findings. The overall moderated mediation model was significant in predicting violence for both racial/ethnic groups. Different factors influenced violent offending among African Americans and European Americans in the tested model. Furthermore, race/ethnicity moderated the relationship between family violence exposure and impulsivity and substance use. Implications and future directions resolving issues are discussed concerning whether race/ethnicity should be included as a moderator in models of violence.
Highly efficient electrocaloric cooling with electrostatic actuation

Solid-state refrigeration offers potential advantages over traditional cooling systems, but few devices offer high specific cooling power with a high coefficient of performance (COP) and the ability to be applied directly to surfaces. We developed a cooling device with a high intrinsic thermodynamic efficiency using a flexible electrocaloric (EC) polymer film and an electrostatic actuation mechanism. Reversible electrostatic forces reduce parasitic power consumption and allow efficient heat transfer through good thermal contacts with the heat source or heat sink. The EC device produced a specific cooling power of 2.8 watts per gram and a COP of 13. The new cooling device is more efficient and compact than existing surface-conformable solid-state cooling technologies, opening a path to using the technology for a variety of practical applications.
Comparison of Two Color-Marking Techniques For American Kestrels In South Texas

We compared two color-marking techniques, celluloid color leg bands and colored dye on the feathers, for individual identification of American Kestrels (Falco sparverius). We trapped and color-marked 65 kestrels in October through December of 2014 and 2015. We searched for kestrels once a week with binoculars and a spotting scope and each time, recorded how kestrels were marked, either by bands, dye, or both. We confirmed that seven of the 195 color bands were lost during the study. The longest time that dye was still visible was 149 d after marking. We saw color bands from a maximum distance of 245 m and color dye from a maximum distance of 428 m. Of kestrels we were able to identify at least 10 times (n = 39) within the season that markings were applied, we saw only dye 17.3% of the time and only bands 19.4% of the time. We saw both markers (dye and at least one band) 63.3% of the time. Both methods can be used for successful identification of wintering kestrels, but a combination of the two techniques can increase the chance of seeing an identifiable mark. Color bands are long-term markers and allow identification of kestrels whose dye has faded or those that return in following years. Color dye makes it easier to identify kestrels that are difficult to approach, as well as those with territories extending away from accessible roadways.
A mass spectrometry based predictive strategy reveals ADAP1 is phosphorylated at tyrosine 364.

Rationale The goal of this work was to identify phosphorylation sites within the amino acid sequence of human ADAP1. Using traditional mass spectrometry based techniques we were unable to produce interpretable spectra demonstrating modification by phosphorylation. This prompted us to employ a strategy in which phosphorylated peptides were first predicted using peptide mapping followed by targeted MS/MS acquisition. Methods ADAP1 was immunoprecipitated from extracts of HEK293 cells stably transfected with ADAP1 cDNA. Immunoprecipitated ADAP1 was digested with proteolytic enzymes and analyzed by LC/MS in MS1 mode by high-resolution quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (QTOF-MS). Peptide molecular features were extracted using an untargeted data-mining algorithm. Extracted peptide neutral masses were matched against the ADAP1 amino acid sequence with phosphorylation included as a predicted modification. Peptides with predicted phosphorylation sites were analyzed by targeted LC/MS2 . Acquired MS2 spectra were then analyzed using database search engines to confirm phosphorylation. Spectra of phosphorylated peptides were validated by manual interpretation. Further confirmation was performed by manipulating phospho-peptide abundance using calf intestinal phosphatase (CIP) and the phorbol ester, phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA). Results Of five predicted phosphopeptides, one, comprised of the sequence AVDRPMLPQEYAVEAHFK, was confirmed to be phosphorylated on a tyrosine at position 364. Pre-treatment of cells with PMA prior to immunoprecipitation increased the ratio of phosphorylated to unphosphorylated peptide as determined by area counts of extracted ion chromatograms (EIC). Addition of CIP to immunoprecipitation reactions eliminated the phosphorylated form. Conclusions A novel phosphorylation site was identified at tyrosine 364. Phosphorylation at this site is increased by treatment with PMA. PMA promotes membrane translocation and activation of protein kinase C (PKC), indicating that tyrosine 364 is phosphorylated by a PKC-dependent mechanism.
Intracranial, extraneural ectopic lymph node in a bovine (Bos taurus).

The brain from a field necropsied 8-month-old feedlot heifer presenting with an acute history of depression, lethargy, dyspnoea and anorexia was evaluated grossly and by histopathology. The meninges overlying the left cerebral hemisphere contained a 12 × 26 × 32 mm, dark red, soft, ovoid mass. Histologic examination of this tissue revealed a well-organized lymph node with normal architecture. Organization of reactive lymphoid tissue resembling normal lymph node architecture may occur under chronic stimulation. However, there are no known aggregates of lymphoid tissue present within the cranial vault in any veterinary species. This is the first reported case of an intracranial ectopic lymph node in any species.
HEMOGLOBIN, WHITE CELL COUNT, PACKED CELL VOLUME AND WEIGHT GAIN IN TURKEYS FED CERTAIN ANTIBIOTICS.

SummaryThe continuous ingestion of combinations of nystatin with either chlorotetracycline or zinc-bacitracin significantly (P< 0.01) reduced white cell counts. Hemoglobin and packed cell volume were consistently higher in all groups receiving antibiotics, but the differences were not statistically significant (P<0.05). When the antibiotics were fed singly, white cell counts, hemoglobin levels and the packed cell volume were affected, but to a lesser extent. The combinations of nystatin with chlorotetracycline or zinc-bacitracin, and zinc-bacitracin alone increased body weight gains significantly (P<0.05) in relation to the control or nystatin alone.
The “Gutenberg Galaxy” and the Historical Study of the New Testament

The general thesis of this essay states that Gutenberg’s print revolution has been a constitutive factor in the formation of the modern scholarship of the Bible. Specifically, the essay explores the historical-critical study of the New Testament from the angle of the typographic medium. Gutenberg’s print Bible is explained as setting the standards for the technologically-organised typographic space . The bulk of the essay describes both the constructive and the deconstructive impact that the fully rationalised format of the Bible has had on theological, exegetical, and hermeneutical sensibilities. Among the issues illuminated by the typographic examination are: entirely identical biblical texts; a text-centred concept of Christian origins; the spread of a post-Gutenberg intellectualism; the rise of the critical, textual edition; the Protestant principle of sola scriptura ; the diminution of oral, memorial sensibilities; the premise of originality versus derivativeness, and many others. In all, it is argued that the print medium deeply affected the modern academic scholarship of the New Testament, for better and for worse.
Computing Ranking and Dynamics in Social Networks

Understanding network structure is key to understanding the behavior of participants in networks. We present a community structure algorithm based on a probabilistic model to detect communities within a network. The algorithm involves the search for the optimal path between nodes that minimizes the expected cost subject to the constraint of a constant relative entropy distributed throughout the network. Within the framework of density-based clustering, a normalized Gauss influence function applied to each node, is used to take into account the impact of the node within its neighborhood. This results in a ranked tree-like network, the community tree, wherein each node is assigned a score that reflects its relative importance within the community. We then use a time-dependent formulation of degree evolution to gain insights into the dynamics and structure changes within the community. The results of simulation are presented and analyzed.
Customer–customer value co-creation in social media: conceptualization and antecedents

Social media has vitalized the role of customer-to-customer (C2C) interactions in the value co-creation process. However, there is limited research investigating the dimensions of value co-creation...
Clinical Use of Hypnosis for Attenuation of Burn Depth

This paper reviews the experimental work of Chapman, Goodell, and Wolff (1959) in which they demonstrated that the inflammatory reaction and tissue damage caused by a standard burn could be increased or decreased by hypnotic suggestion. Burn depth is ordinarily a function of the temperature of the causative agent and the length of time of the contact. These vary so much in accidental burns that it is rarely possible to estimate the expected depth, and consequently any attenuation of that depth by hypnosis tends to be speculative.
Standardized activities for lay patient navigators in breast cancer care: Recommendations from a citywide implementation study.

Background There is a need for guidelines on patient navigation activities to promote both the quality of patient navigation and the standards of reimbursement for these services because a lack of reimbursement is a major barrier to the implementation, maintenance, and sustainability of these programs. Methods A broad community-based participatory research process was used to identify the needs of patients for navigation. A panel of stakeholders of clinical providers was convened to identify specific activities for navigators to address the needs of patients and providers with the explicit goal of reducing delays in the initiation of cancer treatment and improving adherence to the care plan. Results Specific activities were identified that could be generalized to all patient navigation programs for care during active cancer management to address the needs of vulnerable communities. Conclusions Oncology programs that seek to implement lay patient navigation may benefit from the adoption of these activities for quality monitoring. Such activities are necessary as we consider reimbursement strategies for navigators without clinical training or licensure.
Chapter 8 – Chemical Reactions on Solid Surfaces

What is catalysis? How does reaction with solid occur? Catalysts are substances or materials that increase the reaction rates while emerged unaltered after reaction. Solid material can participate in reaction either as catalysts or as reactants. Reactions occurring on solid surface start with reactants or catalyst from the fluid phase collide and associate with the active centers (or sites) on the surface, ie, adsorption. Adsorption can be described as Langmuir isotherm if uniform surface activity (or ideal surface) is assumed. More commonly, surfaces are not uniform and thus interactions can vary. Nonideal surfaces can be idealized by either distribution or multiple distinct levels of interaction energy. UniLan is a model based on uniform distributions of active sites with adsorption energy. The cooperative adsorption model idealizes the sequential adsorption on the active centers to multiple levels of interactions, likening multiple layers. The adsorption isotherms exhibit different dependence on the bulk adsorbate concentration due to the variation of surface interactions: Types I through V. Langmuir-Hinshelwood-Hougen-Watson kinetics is derived based on the Langmuir adsorption isotherm. Both UniLan and cooperative adsorption isotherms can also be employed to derive at reaction rate expressions. The rate expression can also appear to be of power-law form if Freundlich or Temkin approximation were applied to UniLan isotherms. Rate expressions for noncatalytic reactions involving solids can be derived in the same manner. The participation of the surface active centers in actual reactions can affect the site balance, either active center renewal or depletion occurs. For catalytic surfaces, the activity can decrease with increase duration of service. The surface activity decline can be treated the same way as the concentration of a reacting component in the mixture.
Plasticity in the Hippocampus, Neurogenesis and Drugs of Abuse

Synaptic plasticity in the hippocampus assists with consolidation and storage of long-lasting memories. Decades of research has provided substantial information on the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying synaptic plasticity in the hippocampus, and this review discusses these mechanisms in brief. Addiction is a chronic relapsing disorder with loss of control over drug taking and drug seeking that is caused by long-lasting memories of drug experience. Relapse to drug use is caused by exposure to context and cues associated with the drug experience, and is a major clinical problem that contributes to the persistence of addiction. This review also briefly discusses some evidence that drugs of abuse alter plasticity in the hippocampus, and that development of novel treatment strategies that reverse or prevent drug-induced synaptic alterations in the hippocampus may reduce relapse behaviors associated with addiction.
THE DESIGN OF ALGORITHMS FOR HYPERSURFACES MOWING WITH CURVATURE-DEPENDENT SPEED

The need to follow fronts moving with curvature-dependent speed arises in the modeling of a wide class of physical phenomena, such as crystal growth, flame propagation and secondary oil recovery. In this paper, we show how to design numerical algorithms to follow a closed, non-intersecting hypersurface propagating along its normal vector field with curvature-dependent speed. The essential idea is an Eulerian formulation of the equations of motion into a Hamilton- Jacobi equation with parabolic right-hand side. This is in contrast to marker particle methods, which are rely on Lagrangian discretizations of a moving parameterized front, and suffer from instabilities, excessively small time step requirements, and difficulty in handling topological changes in the propagating front. In our new Eulerian setting, the numerical algorithms for conservation laws of hyperbolic systems may be used to solve for the propagating front In this form, the entropy-satisfying algorithms naturally handle singularities in the propagating front, as well as complicated topological changes such as merging and breaking. We demonstrate the versatility of these new algorithms by computing the solutions of a wide variety of surface motion problems in two and three dimensions showing sharpening, breaking and merging.
Model Checking of Autonomy Models for an In-Situ Propellant Production System

Utilization of extraterrestrial resources, or In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU), is viewed as an enabling technology for the exploration and commercial development of our solar system. A key subset of ISRU is In-Situ Propellant Production (ISPP), which involves the partially autonomous production of propellants for planetary ascent or Earth return. To support the development and evaluation of ISPP technology, the NASA Kennedy Space Center is currently developing an ISPP hardware test bed for Mars missions, that uses carbon dioxide from the Martian atmosphere.
Function classes that approximate the bayes risk

Many learning algorithms approximately minimize a risk functional over a predefined function class. In order to establish consistency for such algorithms it is therefore necessary to know whether this function class approximates the Bayes risk. In this work we present necessary and sufficient conditions for the latter. We then apply these results to reproducing kernel Hilbert spaces used in support vector machines (SVMs). Finally, we briefly discuss universal consistency of SVMs for non-compact input domains.
Effects of a positron-emitting vanadium-48 nitinol stent on experimental restenosis in porcine coronary arteries: an injury-response study.

Background. The major limitation of coronary stenting is restenosis due to exaggerated neointimal thickening. We evaluated a positron-emitting V48 nitinol stent in a porcine coronary model of restenosis. Methods and Results. Pigs (n = 16) received a control nonradioactive and a V48 stent (1.5 or 10.6 μCi) randomized to the left anterior descending artery (LAD) and right coronary artery (RCA). Histology, morphometric variables, and strut injury scores were evaluated after 32 days. Peristrut fibrinoid deposits were greater in the high-dose group (p < 0.0001). Control stent area stenosis (AS) and mean neointimal thickness (NIT) correlated with injury (r = 0.81 and 0.79, respectively). Higher-dose stents reduced AS by 20% (0.57 ± 0.13 vs. 0.71 ± 0.16; p = 0.029) and mean NIT by 35% (0.44 ± 0.16 vs. 0.71 ± 0.24mm; p = 0.001) compared with controls. Lower-dose 1.5-μCi stents did not differ from controls. NIT over individual struts was reduced in the high-dose group compared with controls by 0.18 mm for grade 1 injury, 0.31 mm for grade 2, and 0.38 mm for grade 3 (p < 0.02 for all comparisons). Conclusions. 1.5-μCi V48 nitinol stents did not influence vessel histology or restenotic parameters in pig coronary arteries. In contrast, 10.6-μCi stents created a distinctive histological picture consisting of increased fibrinoid deposits on the neointimal-facing side of the struts without cellular organization. Higher dose radioactive stents significantly reduced AS and mean NIT. The reduction in neointimal thickening was greatest when the depth of strut penetration into the vascular wall was most severe.
Death of Salmonella typhimurium and Escherichia coli in the Presence of Freshly Reconstituted Dehydrated Garlic and Onion

The kinetics of the decline of populations of Salmonella typhimurium inoculated into freshly reconstituted dehydrated onion and garlic powders was studied. Measurable bactericidal activity was observed for onion and garlic concentrations of 1 and 5% (w/v), respectively, with maximal death rates occurring for concentrations of 5 and 10%. At these concentrations, the decimal reduction times were 1.1 and 1.2 hr, respectively, for resting cell cultures and 1.8 and 2.1 hr, respectively, for growing cultures. Of the major volatile aliphatic disulfide compounds of onions, n-propyl allyl and di-n-propyl, at concentrations of 0.1%, showed a comparable activity against resting cells but only a bacteriostatic effect toward actively growing cultures, which overcame this effect in 2 to 6 hr. At comparable concentrations, growing cultures of Escherichia coli were as susceptible to garlic, but apparently more resistant to onion, than were those of S. typhimurium.
Eroding Capitalism: A Comment on Stuart White's ‘Basic Capital in the Egalitarian Toolkit’

Stuart White argues that egalitarians need a diverse toolkit of policy proposals in order to move closer to a just economic system. In particular he argues that a policy of Basic Capital grants should be included in this toolkit along with a variety of other more familiar instruments such as unconditional Basic Income, welfare state services and income supports, and support for worker cooperatives. The various policies in the egalitarian toolkit, however, have implications for issues other than contributing to a more just economic system. In particular, they have implications for the long term stability, transformation, or even transcendence, of capitalism as an economic system. In this article I will argue that unconditional Basic Income has a greater potential to erode capitalism than does Basic Capital. While both of these policies in the egalitarian toolkit may make the economic system statically more just, over time Basic Capital grants are likely to strengthen capitalism as the core structure of the economic system, whereas unconditional Basic Income has the potential to erode the dominance of capitalism. As part of a long-term project of human emancipation, therefore, unconditional Basic Income should have priority over Basic Capital.
Nephelometric and turbidimetric end-points for titration of silver(i) with photogenerated chloride ion using a single-source apparatus

Abstract Nephelometric and turbidimetric titrations of silver(I) have been carried out with chloride ion photochemically generated in situ from monochloroacetic and trichloroacetic acids. Trichloroacetic acid is the preferred photogenerator because of larger molar absorptivities and quantum yields at 254 nm. Samples containing 1–100μ moles of silver can be titrated in less than 10 min with an average error of 3%. Owing to photolysis of silver chloride, end-points were taken as the first appearance of a precipitate; the photolysis time to the end-point is thus inversely proportional to the silver concentration of the sample. A mercury vapor are is used as the source for both photolysis and end-point measurements. Errors from temperature changes caused by heating of the sample by the arc were studied.
You Want To Give Me WHAT

The development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria has been widely publicized, but another negative consequence of the widespread use of broad spectrum antibiotics has received less attention: the growing prevalence and virulence of Clostridium difficile enterocolitis. When the normal intestinal flora
Application of the Progressively Lowered Stress Threshold Model Across the Continuum of Care

Over the last two decades, increasing attention has been paid to the nature of behavioral symptoms in dementia. Early notions that all behaviors were an inevitable component of cognitive impairment have all but disappeared in the face of evidence that diverse personal, social, and environmental factors regularly act as antecedents to behavioral and psychologic symptoms of dementia (BPSD). The quality of care provided to persons with dementia has been advanced through nursing care conceptual models that explain antecedents to BPSD and, in turn, offer specific interventions to promote comfort and optimal function.
Turbulence and Radiation in Stratocumulus-Topped Marine Boundary Layers: A Case Study from VOCALS-REx

AbstractObservations made during a 24-h period as part of the Variability of the American Monsoon Systems (VAMOS) Ocean–Cloud–Atmosphere–Land Study Regional Experiment (VOCALS-REx) are analyzed to study the radiation and turbulence associated with the stratocumulus-topped marine boundary layer (BL). The first 14 h exhibited a well-mixed (coupled) BL with an average cloud-top radiative flux divergence of ~130 W m−2; the BL was decoupled during the last 10 h with negligible radiative flux divergence. The averaged radiative cooling very close to the cloud top was −9.04 K h−1 in coupled conditions and −3.85 K h−1 in decoupled conditions. This is the first study that combined data from a vertically pointing Doppler cloud radar and a Doppler lidar to yield the vertical velocity structure of the entire BL. The averaged vertical velocity variance and updraft mass flux during coupled conditions were higher than those during decoupled conditions at all levels by a factor of 2 or more. The vertical velocity skewness...
Detecting Gradients of Asymmetry in Site-Specific Substitutions in Mitochondrial Genomes

During mitochondrial replication, spontaneous mutations occur and accumulate asymmetrically during the time spent single stranded by the heavy strand (DssH). The predominant mutations appear to be deaminations from adenine to hypoxanthine (A →H, which leads to an A →G substitution) and cytosine to thymine (C → T). Previous findings indicated that C →T substitutions accumulate rapidly and then saturate at high DssH, suggesting protection or repair, whereas A →G accumulates linearly with DssH. We describe here the implementation of a simple hidden Markov model (HMM) of among-site rate correlations to provide an almost continuous profile of the asymmetry in substitution response for any particular substitution type. We implement this model using a phylogeny-based Bayesian Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) approach. We compare and contrast the relative asymmetries in all 12 possible substitution types, and find that the observed transition substitution responses determined using our new method agree quite well ...
Framework and Topology for Active Tuning of Parallel Compensated Receivers in Power Transfer Systems

Wireless power transfer (WPT) based on magnetic coupling is becoming widely accepted as a means of transferring power over small to medium distances. An unresolved issue is the source and receiver resonance matching in multireceiver systems where the source operating frequency adjustment is not possible. This paper presents a framework to analyze the effect of parallel-compensated receiver detuning on the power transfer in WPT systems. Building on this analytical study, we present a new receiver design for WPT systems. The proposed design combines a parallel compensated resonant tank with a tristate boost converter. By synchronizing the tristate boost switching period with the half-period of the resonant tank voltage, we position the inherently discontinuous current pulse drawn by the tristate boost to control both active and reactive power flows from the resonant circuit. Controllable reactive current can be used effectively to emulate appropriate inductance or capacitance to tune the resonant tank and achieve optimal power transfer.
A model of prevention of sports concussion in adults

This article discusses the definitions of prevention and presents a model that addresses multidimensional aspects of sports concussion prevention from the perspectives of epidemiology, education, environmental modification, enforcement, and evaluation. Epidemiology is helpful in identifying the incidence of concussion and the interventions most likely to reduce its occurrence. Education ensures that accurate information on concussion is communicated to stakeholders. Modifications in the physical and sociocultural environments may lessen the potential for injury and reduce the risk of concussion. Enforcement of legislation standards can be effective in concussion prevention, especially at the preinjury and injury phases. The evaluation dimension assesses the effectiveness of prevention programs and guides future program development. This five-E model explains concussion prevention as a recursive loop process. Each dimension is closely associated in the prevention of sports concussion.
The Effect of Elders' Household Contributions on Their Depression

This paper explores the effect the elderly care recipient's contribution to the household has on his or her well-being as indicated by level of depression. The purposive sample consisted of 647 families referred from over 100 sources representing a total of 27 counties in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York. Results of a multiple regression analysis indicated that contributing to the household has a significant impact on the elder's level of depression. The effect was not significantly different for elders living with a caregiving spouse or child or grandchild. It was determined that aspects of the living arrangement did differentially affect the elder's level of depression in these two familial living situations. The elder seemed less depressed when the caregiving relationship with a child or grandchild was of longer duration, suggesting that dissatisfaction may abate with time.
The Platelet Integrin αIIbβ3 Binds to the RGD and AGD Motifs in Fibrinogen

Summary Fibrinogen (Fbg) mediates platelet aggregation by binding the αIIbβ3 integrin receptor, but the interaction of the receptor with peptide motifs of Fbg remains unresolved. This paper describes the use of self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) to study the adhesion of αIIbβ3-transfected CHO cells to the GRGDS and HHLGGAKQAGDV motifs within Fbg. Cells adhered to and spread on monolayers presenting either peptide. Cell adhesion could be inhibited by either soluble peptide, demonstrating that the peptides bind competitively to the integrin. A peptide array was used to show that AGD was the minimal binding sequence in HHLGGAKQAGDV and that the receptor recognizes ligands of the form GXGDSC, where X is a hydrophobic or basic residue. This work revises our understanding of the αIIbβ3 specificity and also suggests a new class of antithrombotic agents.
G Protein α Subunits Activate Tubulin GTPase and Modulate Microtubule Polymerization Dynamics

G proteins serve many functions involving the transfer of signals from cell surface receptors to intracellular effector molecules. Considerable evidence suggests that there is an interaction between G proteins and the cytoskeleton. In this report, G protein α subunits Gi1α, Gsα, and Goα are shown to activate the GTPase activity of tubulin, inhibit microtubule assembly, and accelerate microtubule dynamics. Giα inhibited polymerization of tubulin-GTP into microtubules by 80–90% in the absence of exogenous GTP. Addition of exogenous GTP, but not guanylylimidodiphosphate, which is resistant to hydrolysis, overcame the inhibition. Analysis of the dynamics of individual microtubules by video microscopy demonstrated that Gi1α increases the catastrophe frequency, the frequency of transition from growth to shortening. Thus, Gα may play a role in modulating microtubule dynamic instability, providing a mechanism for the modification of the cytoskeleton by extracellular signals.
Inhibition of platelet thromboxane synthetase by sulfasalazine.

Abstract Sulfasalazine is a potent antiinflammatory drug used in the treatment of ulcerative colitis. The mechanism of action of sulfasalazine is unknown but a recent study [W.F. Stenson and E. Lobos, J. clin. Invest. bd69, 494 (1982)] demonstrated that sulfasalazine, at therapeutic concentrations, blocks human neutrophil lipoxygenase, suggesting that its antiinflammatory effects may be mediated in part by the inhibition of the synthesis of the chemotactic lipids 5-hydroxy-6,8,11,14-eicosatetraenoic acid (5-HETE) and leukotriene B4 (LTB4). In the present study the effect of sulfasalazine on metabolism of exogenous arachidonic acid by human platelets was investigated. Sulfasalazine inhibited platelet thromboxane synthetase ( ic 50 = 0.9 mM ) and partially inhibited cyclooxygenase. A methylated analog of sulfasalazine also inhibited thromboxane synthetase ( ic 50 = 0.3 mM ) and partially inhibited cyclooxygenase. Neither of the cleavage products of sulfasalazine (5-aminosalicylate and sulfapyridine) inhibited thromboxane synthetase although 5-aminosalicylate blocked cyclooxygenase ( ic 50 = 5 mM ) . Neither sulfasalazine nor the methylated analog nor the cleavage products inhibited platelet lipoxygenase. This is in contrast to the inhibitory effects of sulfasalazine on neutrophil 5-lipoxygenase. The concentration of sulfasalazine in the colons of treated patients is several-fold greater than the ic 50 for thromboxane synthetase.
Information quality in personality judgment: The value of personal disclosure

Abstract We examined the relative quality of different types of information and its effects on accuracy in personality judgment. Three hundred and forty-four unacquainted undergraduates participated in a small group round-robin rating scheme. In one condition, participants were asked to disclose three things that were very important to them in life. In a second condition, participants were asked to disclose three distinctive personal facts: things that differentiated them from others. We found that (a) people believed values information was more personality-relevant than facts information and (b) although there was no clear advantage for one condition over the other in terms of generalized accuracy, there were some differences across conditions for specific traits. Implications for the study of information quality in personality judgment are discussed.