cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
CHAPTER 17 – HIV-1 Receptor Interactions

Analysis of the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) receptor interactions illustrates some of the unique features associated with viral receptor recognition. Not only is there the problem of specific binding to receptors, but there is also the complementary problem of avoiding specific recognition by the immune system. Compressed into the 500 amino acids of the HIV-1 gp120 are complex mechanisms of evasion and recognition. HIV-1 receptor recognition thus provides an example of a system driven to an extraordinary level of sophistication by the incredible evolutionary speed of HTV-l opposed by the equally remarkable adaptive capabilities of the immune system. Viral recognition of host receptors forms a special subset of molecular recognition. Unusual properties arise from the exceptional constraints that viruses encounter during infection. Although each virus is unique, examination of the HIV-1 illustrates some of these special viral features.
Re-examining the role of Cdc14 phosphatase in reversal of Cdk phosphorylation during mitotic exit

Inactivation of cyclin-dependent kinase (Cdk) and reversal of Cdk phosphorylation are universally required for mitotic exit. In budding yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae), Cdc14 is essential for both and thought to be the major Cdk-counteracting phosphatase. However, Cdc14 is not required for mitotic exit in many eukaryotes, despite highly conserved biochemical properties. The question of how similar enzymes could have such disparate influences on mitotic exit prompted us to re-examine the contribution of budding yeast Cdc14. By using an auxin-inducible degron, we show that severe Cdc14 depletion has no effect on the kinetics of mitotic exit and bulk Cdk substrate dephosphorylation, but causes a cell separation defect and is ultimately lethal. Phosphoproteomic analysis revealed that Cdc14 is highly selective for distinct Cdk sites in vivo and does not catalyze widespread Cdk substrate dephosphorylation. We conclude that additional phosphatases likely contribute substantially to Cdk substrate dephosphorylation and coordination of mitotic exit in budding yeast, similar to in other eukaryotes, and the critical mitotic exit functions of Cdc14 require trace amounts of enzyme. We propose that Cdc14 plays very specific, and often different, roles in counteracting Cdk phosphorylation in all species.
A Precision Bilaminar Resonating Transducer Assembly Tool

The performance of bilaminar resonating transducers depends on the thickness and uniformity of the transducer's bond layers. Optimal resonant performance requires a bond thickness between the crystals of five micrometers or less. In addition, a later product assembly step requires precise alignment between each of the transducer components. This paper describes a precision tool, designed and built for an industrial sponsor, for assembling these transducers. Precision design techniques, such as the use of kinematic couplings and flexures, were employed throughout the tool. Bond thicknesses of assembled transducers were evaluated by inspecting each transducer's cross-section with an SEM. Preliminary results indicate that the requirement for a bond thickness of less than five micrometers was easily achieved; most thicknesses were an optimal one micrometer.
Endothelial Function Is Associated with White Matter Microstructure and Executive Function in Older Adults.

Age-related declines in endothelial function can lead to cognitive decline. However, little is known about the relationships between endothelial function and specific neurocognitive functions. This study explored the relationship between measures of endothelial function (reactive hyperemia index; RHI), white matter (WM) health (fractional anisotropy; FA, and white matter hyperintensity volume; WMH), and executive function (Trail Making Test; Trail B – Trail A). Participants were 36 older adults between the ages of 59 and 69 (mean age = 63.89 years, SD = 2.94). WMH volume showed no relationship with RHI or executive function. However, there was a positive relationship between RHI and FA in the genu and body of the corpus callosum. In addition, higher RHI and FA were each associated with better executive task performance. Tractography was used to localize the WM tracts associated with RHI to specific portions of cortex. Results indicated that the RHI-FA relationship observed in the corpus callosum primarily involved tracts interconnecting frontal regions, including the superior frontal gyrus and frontopolar cortex, linked with executive function. These findings suggest that superior endothelial function may help to attenuate age-related declines in WM microstructure in portions of the corpus callosum that interconnect prefrontal brain regions involved in executive function.
Safety of coronary CT angiography and functional testing for stable chest pain in the PROMISE trial: A randomized comparison of test complications, incidental findings, and radiation dose.

Abstract Background Coronary computed tomography angiography (CTA) and functional testing strategies for stable chest pain yield similar outcomes; one aspect that may guide test choice is safety. Methods We compared test safety (test complications, incidental findings, and effective radiation dose) between CTA and functional testing as-tested in PROMISE (PROspective Multicenter Imaging Study for Evaluation of Chest Pain). In the subgroup whose physicians intended nuclear stress over other functional tests if randomized to the functional arm, we compared radiation dose of CTA versus nuclear stress and identified characteristics associated with dose. Results Of 9470 patients, none had major and Conclusion Complications were negligibly rare for both CTA and functional testing. CTA detects more incidental findings. Compared to nuclear stress testing, CTA's lower radiation dose, independent of patient characteristics, makes it an attractive test choice. Radiation dose varies with imaging protocol, indicating opportunities to further reduce dose. (ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT01174550 ).
Internal Mammary Lymph Node Metastasis from Breast Cancer

Internal mammary lymph node metastasis from breast cancer is important to detect as it upstages the patient and requires adjustment of the radiotherapy field. PET/MR imaging can help determine if there is malignant lymph node involvement through the combination of morphological MRI characteristics and determination of metabolic activity.
Uncoupled poroelastic and intrinsic viscoelastic dissipation in cartilage.

Abstract This paper studies uncoupled poroelastic (flow-dependent) and intrinsic viscoelastic (flow-independent) energy dissipation mechanisms via their dependence on characteristic lengths to understand the root of cartilage's broadband dissipation behavior. Phase shift and dynamic modulus were measured from dynamic microindentation tests conducted on hydrated cartilage at different contact radii, as well as on dehydrated cartilage. Cartilage weight and thickness were recorded during dehydration. Phase shifts revealed poroelastic- and viscoelastic-dominant dissipation regimes in hydrated cartilage. Specifically, phase shift at a relatively small radius was governed by poroviscoelasticity, while phase shift at a relatively large radius was dominantly governed by intrinsic viscoelasticity. The uncoupled dissipation mechanisms demonstrated that intrinsic viscoelastic dissipation provided sustained broadband dissipation for all length scales, and additional poroelastic dissipation increased total dissipation at small length scales. Dehydration decreased intrinsic viscoelastic dissipation of cartilage. The findings demonstrated a possibility to measure poroelastic and intrinsic viscoelastic properties of cartilage at similar microscale lengths. Also they encouraged development of broadband cartilage like-dampers and provided important design parameters to maximize their performance.
Quality of Malting Barleys Grown at Different Locations in the United States and Canada

This research was undertaken to compare Ostwald extract viscosities of 18 cultivars of barley from 10 harvest sites, and to search for relationships between the extract viscosities and four quality...
Challenges and Opportunities With On-Farm Research: Total and Soluble Reactive Stream Phosphorus Before and After Implementation of a Cattle-Exclusion, Riparian Buffer

Many nutrient mitigation best management practices (BMP) are promoted by state and federal agencies to protect water quality from animal agriculture. The measured effectiveness of these is highly variable in the research literature. Here, we establish pre- and post-BMP monitoring to evaluate the effectiveness of fencing out cattle from the riparian zone on water quality, specifically, phosphorus (P) loads and concentrations. We collected water samples year-round both before and after a cattle exclusion was established at a small mixed dairy and beef cattle pasture where cattle have historically grazed with unrestricted access to first and second order streams, and analyzed for soluble reactive and total P. Immediately after fence construction, we observed a significant reduction in total P in the stream but not in soluble reactive P. We also observed the development of new runoff source areas and short-circuiting of the riparian buffer as well as repeated presence of cows in the fenced-out area, all of which may diminish the potential effectiveness of this practice. Because BMPs will perform uniquely given climate and landscape position and how managers maintain them, we suggest the need for more nuanced guidance for future BMP designs to ensure successful outcomes.
Lumpen Politics? A Day in “El Hueco”

The market of El Hueco in downtown Lima sits inside a large pit dug out for the foundation of a state building that was never built. The below-ground corridors and crammed vending stalls in this poorly regulated market are usually flooded with shoppers, yet government officials and the media frequently condemn it as a vile and dangerous place. But how and why does El Hueco offend? Through an ethnographic account of a day's events, cast against a discussion of Marxism's “lumpenproletariat” and Hernando de Soto's “informality,” I argue that implicit in El Hueco's challenge of state bureaucracy is a class critique that resists conventional class analysis and that affirms the “lumpen” as a politics in its own right. “Lumpen” here does not refer to categories of people but to a resource that can be appropriated and deployed freely. Linked to the anti-political tactics of President Alberto Fujimori in the 1990s, lumpen as a resource has changed the face of postwar Lima by defying and deforming from within the bourgeois ideals of urban development and bureaucratic form. It has also arguably changed the face of politics and played a role in the revival of fujimorismo during and since the 2016 presidential elections.
Dormancy in Cereals — Levels of and Response to Abscisic Acid

During grain development the level of plant hormone ABA increases until maximum grain fw is reached and then decreases rapidly as the grain begins to desiccate. New advances using ABA-deficient mutants, ABA immunoassays, and measurement of ABA effects on germination and gene expression are advancing our understanding of the role of ABA in induction and maintenance of grain dormancy.
Protein pocket detection via convex hull surface evolution and associated Reeb graph.

Motivation Protein pocket information is invaluable for drug target identification, agonist design, virtual screening and receptor-ligand binding analysis. A recent study indicates that about half holoproteins can simultaneously bind multiple interacting ligands in a large pocket containing structured sub-pockets. Although this hierarchical pocket and sub-pocket structure has a significant impact to multi-ligand synergistic interactions in the protein binding site, there is no method available for this analysis. This work introduces a computational tool based on differential geometry, algebraic topology and physics-based simulation to address this pressing issue. Results We propose to detect protein pockets by evolving the convex hull surface inwards until it touches the protein surface everywhere. The governing partial differential equations (PDEs) include the mean curvature flow combined with the eikonal equation commonly used in the fast marching algorithm in the Eulerian representation. The surface evolution induced Morse function and Reeb graph are utilized to characterize the hierarchical pocket and sub-pocket structure in controllable detail. The proposed method is validated on PDBbind refined sets of 4414 protein-ligand complexes. Extensive numerical tests indicate that the proposed method not only provides a unique description of pocket-sub-pocket relations, but also offers efficient estimations of pocket surface area, pocket volume and pocket depth. Availability and implementation Source code available at https://github.com/rdzhao/ProteinPocketDetection. Webserver available at http://weilab.math.msu.edu/PPD/.
BABESIOSIS ASSOCIATED MYOCARDITIS

Babesiosis is a disease spectrum caused by the Babesia species, an obligate intracellular protozoa. Tick vectors, notably the Ixodestick, are responsible for transmission. Presentations range from being asymptomatic to septic shock, mostly depending on the host's immunocompetence. An 83 year old
NeuronUnit: A package for data-driven validation of neuron models using SciUnit

Validating a quantitative scientific model requires comparing its predictions against many experimental observations, ideally from many labs, using transparent, robust, statistical comparisons. Unfortunately, in rapidly-growing fields like neuroscience, this is becoming increasingly untenable, even for the most conscientious scientists. Thus the merits and limitations of existing models, or whether a new model is an improvement on the state-of-the-art, is often unclear. Software engineers seeking to verify, validate and contribute to a complex software project rely on suites of simple executable tests, called "unit tests". Drawing inspiration from this practice, we previously developed SciUnit, an easy-to-use framework for developing data-driven "model validation tests" -- executable functions, here written in Python. Each such test generates and statistically validates predictions from a model against one relevant feature of empirical data to produce a score indicating agreement between the model and the data. Suites of such validation tests can be used to clearly identify the merits and limitations of existing models and developmental progress on new models. Here we describe NeuronUnit, a library that builds upon SciUnit and integrates with several existing neuroinformatics resources to support the validation of single-neuron models using data gathered by neurophysiologists and neuroanatomists. NeuronUnit integrates with existing technologies like Jupyter, Pandas, NeuroML and resources such as NeuroElectro, The Allen Institute, and The Human Brain Project in order to make neuron model validation as easy as possible for computational neuroscientists.
Early Shakespeare Authorship Doubts (book excerpts)

This paper consists of excerpts of the author's 2019 book, including the Preface, Part I (Introduction), Part II, Table of Contents of Part IV (outlining specific items of early doubt discussed), Part V (Conclusion), the Bibliography, and the Index. Omitted here are Part III and most of Part IV (the vast bulk of the book), which discusses the early doubts in detail. This paper also includes (before the excerpts) a summary of key quotations and two tables of the key information contained in the book. Defenders of the traditional ("Stratfordian") theory of Shakespeare authorship are deeply invested in the demonstrably false (yet widely repeated) claim that nobody had any doubts about the author's identity until hundreds of years after Shakespeare's time. But Professor Wildenthal, building on work by other scholars, shows that authorship doubts were far from a 19th-century Victorian or Romantic-era innovation. The Shakespeare authorship question (SAQ) is not a mere modern preoccupation. On the contrary, such doubts and questions were an integral part of the time and culture that produced the Shakespeare canon. Dozens of items expressing doubt, or pointing to some author other than Shakspere the player from Stratford, were published before he died in 1616. This documentary evidence goes back as early as 1589, more than 30 years before the Stratfordian theory itself was first posthumously published (in very suspicious form) in the First Folio of 1623. Much of this evidence points to the author "Shakespeare" being an aristocrat, and some of it points specifically to Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford, thus corroborating the vast array of other evidence supporting the Oxfordian theory published by J. Thomas Looney in 1920. Five publications between 1605 and 1615 indicate the author "Shakespeare" was already dead, years before 1616, consistent with Oxford’s death in 1604, which thus does not pose any "problem." There are, instead, far more puzzling Stratfordian 1604 and 1616 problems. The refusal by most Shakespeare scholars and many leading journalists to acknowledge or discuss this evidence, except on rare occasions, and often to distort it when they do, is an academic and intellectual scandal of the first order. Why is it that one of America's leading Shakespeare "experts" declares he would flunk any student who raises authorship questions? Why do some go so outrageously far as to slander authorship doubters by comparing them to Holocaust deniers? Do they protest too much?
A 0.6V 785-nW Multimodal Sensor Interface IC for Ozone Pollutant Sensing and Correlated Cardiovascular Disease Monitoring

In this article, we present the design and analysis of a 785-nW multimodal sensor interface IC for ozone pollutant sensing and correlated cardiovascular disease monitoring based on electrocardiography (ECG) and photoplethysmography (PPG). The proposed hybrid $dc$ offset current cancellation (DCOC) along with a 4- $\text{M}\Omega $ gain-regulated cascode transimpedance amplifier (RGC-TIA) enable PPG readout power reduction by $37\times $ , compared with the state-of-the-art PPG sensor interfaces. The ozone sensing channel proposes an adaptive architecture to enable low $V_{\text {DD}}$ operation, achieving a $300\times $ power reduction, compared with the state-of-the-art gas sensing readouts. The ozone sensing channel’s performance was also verified using custom resistive metal-oxide sensors for concentrations from 50 to 900 ppb. The sensor interface IC is fabricated in a 65-nm CMOS, integrating a 165-nW voltage-mode ECG channel, a 532-nW current-mode PPG channel, 76-nW resistive-mode ozone channel, and 12.6-nW peripheral circuits, all at 0.6 V. The total system power consumption including the LED and a custom digital readout IC is 10.98– $15.51~\mu \text{W}$ , which is $41\times $ – $57\times $ less than prior ozone/CVD joint monitoring sensor interface systems.
Autophagy and Cancer: Current Biology and Drug Development

Autophagy is a catabolic pathway that degrades and recycles cytoplasmic components through lysosomal degradation to sustain survival in response to cellular stressors. Autophagy defects are associated with the etiology of numerous diseases including cancer. The role of autophagy in cancer is complex and context-dependent, with opposing roles of preventing tumor initiation and promoting tumor progression. Recent evidence suggests involvement of selective autophagy of mitochondria, called mitophagy, in tumorigenesis. Understanding the roles of autophagy and mitophagy in cancer stem cells, cancer immunosurveillance, cancer metabolism, and iron homeostasis will influence development of emerging anti-cancer therapeutics targeting autophagy.
Optogenetic Manipulations of Amygdala Neurons Modulate Spinal Nociceptive Processing and Behavior Under Normal Conditions and in an Arthritis Pain Model.

The amygdala is an important neural substrate for the emotional-affective dimension of pain and modulation of pain. The central nucleus (CeA) serves major amygdala output functions and receives nociceptive and affected-related information from the spino-parabrachial and lateral-basolateral amygdala (LA-BLA) networks. The CeA is a major site of extra-hypothalamic expression of corticotropin releasing factor (CRF, also known as corticotropin releasing hormone, CRH), and amygdala CRF neurons form widespread projections to target regions involved in behavioral and descending pain modulation. Here we explored the effects of modulating amygdala neurons on nociceptive processing in the spinal cord and on pain-like behaviors, using optogenetic activation or silencing of BLA to CeA projections and CeA-CRF neurons under normal conditions and in an acute pain model. Extracellular single unit recordings were made from spinal dorsal horn wide dynamic range (WDR) neurons, which respond more strongly to noxious than innocuous mechanical stimuli, in normal and arthritic adult rats (5-6 h postinduction of a kaolin/carrageenan-monoarthritis in the left knee). For optogenetic activation or silencing of CRF neurons, a Cre-inducible viral vector (DIO-AAV) encoding channelrhodopsin 2 (ChR2) or enhanced Natronomonas pharaonis halorhodopsin (eNpHR3.0) was injected stereotaxically into the right CeA of transgenic Crh-Cre rats. For optogenetic activation or silencing of BLA axon terminals in the CeA, a viral vector (AAV) encoding ChR2 or eNpHR3.0 under the control of the CaMKII promoter was injected stereotaxically into the right BLA of Sprague-Dawley rats. For wireless optical stimulation of ChR2 or eNpHR3.0 expressing CeA-CRF neurons or BLA-CeA axon terminals, an LED optic fiber was stereotaxically implanted into the right CeA. Optical activation of CeA-CRF neurons or of BLA axon terminals in the CeA increased the evoked responses of spinal WDR neurons and induced pain-like behaviors (hypersensitivity and vocalizations) under normal condition. Conversely, optical silencing of CeA-CRF neurons or of BLA axon terminals in the CeA decreased the evoked responses of spinal WDR neurons and vocalizations, but not hypersensitivity, in the arthritis pain model. These findings suggest that the amygdala can drive the activity of spinal cord neurons and pain-like behaviors under normal conditions and in a pain model.
Circuit Mechanisms Underlying Chronic Epilepsy in a Mouse Model of Focal Corticalmalformation

How aberrant neural circuits contribute to chronic epilepsy remains unclear. Using amouse model of focal cortical malformation with spontaneous seizures, we dissectedthe circuit mechanisms underlying epileptogenesis. Spontaneous and optogeneticallyinduced hyperexcitable bursts in vivo were present in a cortical region distal to (> 1mm)freeze-lesion induced microgyrus, instead of a region near it. ChR2-assisted circuitmapping revealed ectopic interlaminar excitatory inputs from infragranular layers tolayer 2/3 pyramidal neurons as a key component of the hyperexcitable circuitry. Thisdisrupted balance between excitation and inhibition was prominent in the corticalregion distal to the microgyrus. Consistently, the synapses of both parvalbuminpositiveinterneurons (PV) and somatostatin-positive interneurons (SOM) to pyramidalneurons were maladaptive in a layer- and site-specific fashion. Finally, closed-loopoptogenetic stimulation of SOM, but not PV, terminated spontaneous spike-wavedischarges. Together, these results demonstrate highly site- and cell-type specificsynaptic reorganization underlying chronic cortical epilepsy and provide insights intopotential treatment strategies for this devastating neurological disorder.
Rationales for Entering into the U.S. Fathering Role

It is the purpose of this chapter to explore why adult males in the United States would want to enter into the fathering role. Two perspectives are developed to help analyze male motivational hierarchies: (1) men are surveyed to profile their priorities and (2) women are surveyed to find out if they can accurately predict the men’s responses. That is, could the women successfully “read” the men with whom they share the same overall culture.
"His Kipling Period": Bakhtinian Reflections on Annotation, Heteroglossia and Terrorism in the Pynchon Trade

While not a dismal science, annotation is at best an inexact one–especially when applied to a text as polymathically perverse as Gravity'S Rainbow. Like other readers, annotators are burdened by their own plots, their "terministic screens," as Kenneth Burke would have it, as well as by the chimeric nature of their archaeologies: the haphazardly attained, hermetical cultural literacy of another human being. One is not surprised that information not tending directly to support the annotator's thesis occasionally slips through the cracks or that the annotator might stop looking when he or she seems to have found an adequate source. This notwithstanding, while most of us expect readings of literary works (even those readings which can be said to have motivated the annotator's undertaking) to change or be disputed over time, we maintain a faith sweet to behold in the accuracy of verifiable annotations: the abortifacient properties of pennyroyal in The Country of the Pointed Firs, the intertextual and biographical resonances of the given name of Humbert's nymphet Dolores, the color of Wehrmacht undershirts versus that of SS undershirts in Gravity's Rainbow. Since the annotation can be verified, it must have been, goes the reasoning. Why bother to check it out again?
Increased susceptibility to ischemic brain damage in transgenic mice overexpressing the amyloid precursor protein.

We studied the role of the amyloid precursor protein (APP) in ischemic brain damage using transgenic mice overexpressing APP. The middle cerebral artery (MCA) was occluded in FVB/N mice expressing APP695.SWE (Swedish mutation) and in nontransgenic littermates. Infarct volume (cubic millimeters) was assessed 24 hr later in thionin-stained brain sections. The infarct produced by MCA occlusion was enlarged in the transgenics (+32 +/- 6%; n = 12; p 0.05). The reduction in cerebral blood flow produced by MCA occlusion at the periphery of the ischemic territory was more pronounced in APP transgenics (-42 +/- 8%; n = 9) than in controls (-20 +/- 8%; n = 9). Furthermore, the vasodilatation produced by neocortical application of the endothelium-dependent vasodilator acetylcholine (10 microM) was reduced by 82 +/- 5% (n = 8; p < 0.05) in APP transgenics. The data demonstrate that APP overexpression increases the susceptibility of the brain to ischemic injury. The effect is likely to involve the Abeta-induced disturbance in endothelium-dependent vascular reactivity that leads to more severe ischemia in regions at risk for infarction. The cerebral vascular actions of peptides deriving from APP metabolism may play a role in the pathogenic effects of APP.
A Review of “Russia in 1913”

The November 1914 issue of National Geographic featured an article by Gilbert H. Grosvenor entitled “Young Russia: The Land of Unlimited Possibilities,” which lauded the country's recent modernizat...
The vectorcardiogram and electrocardiogram in interatrial septal defect; analysis of 30 cases.

1. 1. Thirty consecutive, well-authenticated cases of interatrial septal defect have been studied vectorcardiographically and electrocardiographically. 2. 2. An rSR′ configuration was present in eighteen of the thirty cases. 3. 3. The electrocardiogram, applying the criteria described, detected the Presence of right ventricular preponderance in thirteen of the thirty patients. 4. 4. The vectorcardiogram demonstrated right ventricular preponderance in twenty-nine of thirty cases. 5. 5. Four types of spatial QRS loops characteristic of right ventricular preponderance are described, including Type 4 with terminal conduction delay. 6. 6. There is no consistent relationship in this study between right ventricular pressures and electrocardiographic or vectorcardiographic patterns, though rSR′ configurations were found to have a lower average systolic pressure than the non-rSR′ group. 7. 7. The theories of the pathophysiologic significance of the rSR′ are reviewed. Most investigators believe that the tall R in V1 reflects higher ventricular pressures than does the rSR′, but there are many exceptions to this observation. 8. 8. Axis deviation does not appear to be a reliable index of the degree of right ventricular hypertrophy, nor does it vary consistently with changing ventricular systolic pressures.
An isotropy-improved nonstandard finite difference (2,2) scheme

We develop an isotropy-improved nonstandard finite difference (NSFD) (2,2) scheme by introducing extra degrees-of-freedom into the original NSFD by modifying the correction terms. The notation (2,2) indicates that the scheme is still based on a (2,2) stencil.
Social Community: A Mechanism to Explain the Success of STEM Minority Mentoring Programs

Social community may be a mechanism that explains the success of minority mentoring programs. We define a social community as an environment where like-minded individuals engage in dynamic, multidirectional interactions that facilitate social support. In this conceptual article, we propose a social community model for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics minority mentoring programs to understand how a community’s program values, resources, and activities play a role in the learning and enrichment of its members. Using a social exchange lens, we: (a) define social community relative to minority mentoring programs, (b) examine how program elements facilitate social community, and (c) discuss participant outcomes beyond programmatic outcomes. A summary of our continuing research, preliminary findings, and future research recommendations are also detailed.
Variations in the stellar CMF and IMF: from bottom to top

We use a recently-developed analytic model for the ISM structure from scales of GMCs through star-forming cores to explore how the pre-stellar core mass function (CMF) and, by extrapolation, stellar initial mass function (IMF) should depend on both local and galactic properties. If the ISM is supersonically turbulent, the statistical properties of the density field follow from the turbulent velocity spectrum, and the excursion set formalism can be applied to analytically calculate the mass function of collapsing cores on the smallest scales on which they are self-gravitating (non-fragmenting). Two parameters determine the model: the disk-scale Mach number M_h (which sets the shape of the CMF), and the absolute velocity (to assign an absolute scale). For 'normal' variation in disk properties and core gas temperatures in the MW and local galaxies, there is almost no variation in the predicted high-mass behavior of the CMF/IMF. The slope is always close to Salpeter down to <1 M_sun. We predict modest variation in the sub-solar regime, mostly from variation in M_h, but within the observed scatter in sub-solar IMFs in local regions. For fixed galaxy properties, there is little variation in shape or 'upper mass limit' with parent GMC mass. However, in extreme starbursts (e.g. ULIRGs) we predict a bottom-heavy CMF. This agrees with the IMF inferred for the centers of Virgo ellipticals, believed to form in such a nuclear starburst. The CMF is bottom heavy despite the gas temperature being an order of magnitude larger, because M_h is also much larger. Larger M_h values make the 'parent' cloud mass (turbulent Jeans mass) larger, but promote fragmentation to smaller scales; this steepens the slope of the low-mass CMF and shifts the turnover mass. The model may predict a top-heavy CMF for the sub-pc disks around Sgr A*, but the relevant input parameters are uncertain.
The Oxidation of H2S with O2 in the Black Sea

The oxidation of H2S with O2 in Black Sea waters was measured at 25°C. The measurements were made on mixtures of deep and surface waters. The oxidation rates were found to be ten times faster than the rates for surface seawater (Black Sea and Gulf Stream) with added H2S. Since the rates were the same for filtered (0.2 µm) and unfiltered waters, the increase in the rates appears to be abiotic and caused by dissolved solutes. To determine if this increase was due to trace metals, measurements have been made on the oxidation of H2S in seawater with added transition metals. Below a concentration of 100 nM, none of the metals except Fe2+ affect the rate of oxidation. At higher concentrations the rates increase for all the metals except Zn2+. The increase in the rates follow the order Fe2+>Pb2+>Cu2+>Fe3+>Cd2+>Ni2+>Co2+>Mn2+ The increase in the rates below sulfide precipitation appears to be related to the formation of MHS+ ion pairs that have a higher (PbHS+, CuHS+, CdHS+, MnHS+) or lower (ZnHS+) rate of oxidation than HS-. Only Fe2+ and Mn2+ have concentrations high enough to be effective in influencing the rate of oxidation of H2S in anoxic waters and sediments. The effect of Fe2+ on the rate of oxidation is truly catalytic. The oxidation of Fe(II) with O2 yields dissolved and particulate Fe(III) that can catalyze the oxidation and also oxidize H2S with the formation of Fe(II). The effect of Mn2+ appears to be related to the formation of the MnHS+ ion pair that is more reactive than HS-. The estimated rates of oxidation of H2S in the Black Sea were found to be in reasonable agreement with the measured values. Preliminary measurements of the rates of oxidation of SO3 2- and S2O3 2- in oxygenated deep Black Sea waters are also presented. These measurements indicate that trace metals may also accelerate the rates of oxidation of SO3 2-.
Scientific computing challenges arising from space-borne observations

Five supercomputing problems are described: (1) determining the motions of the Earth's inner core boundary from outer-space measurements of the magnetic field; (2) simulating the global dynamics of the Earth's ocean currents, sea-ice cycles, land surface biology, and interannual atmospheric climates; (3) upper atmospheric chemistry; (4) modeling solar flare eruptions; and (5) the role of jet processes in the birth of stars. In addition, two examples indicating the growing importance of the use of supercomputers for scientific visualization are presented. The first deals with remote mapping from space of the Earth's topography or other planets. The second problem from astrophysics deals with mapping the cosmic background radiation in the presence of other astronomical signatures. A brief overview of interdisciplinary modeling plans under development for the next generation of supercomputers is given. >
Spectroscopy of Cyclobutadiene

The dark age of cyclobutadiene (1), when any information about this elusive species was mostly speculative, lasted almost one century(1) and ended with the report of Pettit and co-workers(2, 3) that the molecule had been generated as a reactive intermediate and trapped. The correctness of this claim was later confirmed beyond reasonable doubt(4, 7)
Control and expression of cystatin C by mouse decidual cultures.

During mouse embryo implantation, trophoblast invasion is controlled in part by a balance of trophoblast-derived proteinases and uterine decidual proteinase inhibitors. Our work has focused on cystatin C, the secreted inhibitor of cathepsins B and L. We have previously shown that cystatin C is synthesized by the uterine decidua and localized to the cells in close contact with the trophoblast during implantation in vivo. In the work reported here we have established that decidualizing cultures show a similar upregulation of cystatin C. Using Northern and Western blotting and immunolocalization techniques both cystatin C mRNA and secreted protein increased with the morphological differentiation of stromal or decidual capsule cultures. In an effort to understand the regulation of cystatin C expression, decidual cells were analyzed under various culture conditions. Cystatin C expression was upregulated by increased cell density and by the presence of serum in the media. The growth factors TGF-β1 and EGF were found to induce cystatin C to levels comparable to serum stimulation. Co-culture with ectoplacental cones (EPCs) likewise induced expression and resulted in the localization of cystatin at the decidua:trophoblast interface. This work shows that decidualizing cultures are a good system to study cystatin C expression and that the expression is controlled in part by TGF-β1 and EGF signaling. Mol. Reprod. Dev. 61: 155–163, 2002. © 2002 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Rotational Dynamics of Excited Probes: Analysis of Rate Constants Based on the Predictions of Hydrodynamic Theory

Abstract The rotational diffusion of benzo(rst)pentaphene (RST) in n‐hexadecane solvent has been investigated using time‐resolved linear dichroism spectroscopy. Theoretical models of rotational diffusion predict biexponential decays of the observed dichroism for this planar polycyclic aromatic probe in solution. Consistent with theory, two time constants of τ1=12 ±5 and τ2=180±10 ps are observed in the loss of dichroism for RST. The ratio of these two time constants is τ2/τ1≈15 and they occur with approximately equal weights within the decay. Hydrodynamic theory, using either slip or stick boundary conditions, would suggest a ratio of only ca. 2–4. Detailed analysis of the preexponential factors for the decay components according to current hydrodynamic theory reveals that there are no physically allowed conditions that would result in a ratio of time constants that exceed ca. 4 while simultaneously allowing the two exponentials to be observed with nearly equal weights within the decay. Based on this find...
Parental attitudes and behaviours concerning helmet use in childhood activities: Rural focus group interviews

Previous research demonstrates the importance of parents in ensuring that their children practice proper helmet use. Parents encourage helmet use by setting an example when they wear helmets, as well as establishing rules that the children are expected to follow. Research in the area of helmet use predominantly focuses on bicycle helmets, but there are a number of childhood activities for which a helmet is required. The purpose of this research was to examine rural parents' attitudes toward helmet use and investigate when, and for what activities, they require their children to wear helmets. Rural parents were selected as there is evidence that helmet use is less frequent among children in rural settings. Expanding on the literature, an exploratory qualitative methodology was used to gather data. Eight focus groups were held in rural Saskatchewan to explore what influences parents' decisions to wear helmets themselves, and when and why they enforce helmet rules with their children. A thematic analysis was subsequently conducted on the data. The results suggest that parents recognize that their rules and their example influence their children. Participants mentioned being consistent, establishing rules and using positive reinforcement as ways to encourage helmet use among their children. Helmet costs and lack of awareness of helmet necessity in particular activities were barriers to helmet use. Specific barriers to helmet use in rural areas included the difficulty in finding proper helmets, the lack of exposure to helmet promotion initiatives, and the perception that activities in rural areas were safer than in the city. Parents tended to make their own helmet decisions based on personal experience and threat perception of the activity. This reasoning was the basis for when and why they established helmet rules. It is important to raise awareness of the risks of head injury and the benefits of wearing a helmet in other activities besides bicycling. More effort is needed to reach rural populations with information and opportunities to access appropriate and affordable helmets. Legislating mandatory helmet use could be useful in promoting helmet use in adults and children. Alternatively, the use of incentives for children wearing helmets could also serve as a reinforcement mechanism to increase use. A synthesis of the data gathered suggests that a theoretical approach based on increasing predisposing, enabling and reinforcing factors for helmet use may be useful in future interventions. Language: en
Association of mitochondrial allele 4216C with increased risk for complicated sepsis and death after traumatic injury.

Objectives: Numerous studies have linked impaired mitochondrial activity with increased risk for clinical complications after injury. Furthermore, a number of non-synonymous polymorphisms have been identified within the mitochondrial genome that are believed to impair cellular respiration. These DNA variants include a nonsynonymous polymorphism (T4216C) in the NADH dehydrogenase 1 gene (ND1), which encodes a key member of Complex I of the electron transport chain. We hypothesized that trauma patients who carry the ND1 4216C allele may be less able to generate the cellular energy necessary to mount an effective immune response and are at increased risk for death as well as sepsis complicated by organ dysfunction or shock. Methods: We enrolled a cohort of 136 patients admitted to the Parkland Hospital Surgical intensive care unit (ICU) with significant trauma (Injury Severity Score > 16), ≥ 16 years of age, and with a minimum intensive care unit stay of ≥24 hours under a protocol approved by the UTSW and Parkland IRBs. Patients with brain death, spinal cord injury, active malignancy, HIV/AIDS or who survived <48 hours after admission were excluded. Clinical data were collected prospectively and T4216C was genotyped by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism. Results: After multivariate adjustment for mechanism, severity of injury, units of packed red blood cells given in the first 24 hours, age, gender, and race/ethnicity, carriage of the 4216 C-allele was significantly associated with increased risk for sepsis complicated by organ dysfunction or septic shock (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 3.68; 95%CI: 1.17-11.52; p = 0.02) as well as death (aOR = 4.56; 95% CI: 1.05-19.79; p = 0.04), relative to carriers of the T-allele. Conclusion: Carriage of the mitochondrial 4216C-allele increases the risk for infectious complications and death after severe trauma.
Role of pancreatic duct stenting in the treatment of chronic pancreatitis

Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography and stent placement are relatively new alternatives to surgery for the treatment of chronic pancreatitis. The objective of this study was to determine the efficacy of pancreatic duct stent placement for the treatment of chronic pancreatitis. This study included 89 patients treated with pancreatic stents between 1993 and 2002. The patients were contacted via telephone for a personal interview with regard to pain, medication usage, weight loss or gain, and eating patterns. Additionally, medication usage before and after treatment was documented from the Kentucky Cabinet for Health Services’ electronic reporting system for narcotic use. Of the 89 patients, 9 were deceased, 5 either refused to interview or could not be contacted, and 75 were interviewed. Significant weight gain exceeding 15 lb after treatment was experienced by 22%, whereas only 4% lost weight. A majority of the patients (68%) noted that they had less severe relapses or no relapses after treatment. The patients reported a decrease in pain level on a 10-point scale from 8.7 to 4.1 (53% decrease) after treatment. A decrease in pain medication usage was reported by 47% of the patients, and 83% considered their treatment successful. The Kentucky All Schedule Prescription Electronic Report (KASPER) was obtained before and after treatment for 55 patients. According to this statewide electronic reporting system, 63% had a documented decrease in narcotic use. The findings of this study support the use of pancreatic duct stenting as an option before surgical intervention for these difficult-to-manage patients with chronic pancreatitis.
Confidentiality Dilemmas in Group Psychotherapy: Management Strategies and Utility of Guidelines

This article examines how 100 experienced group psychotherapists report that they would manage problematic ethical incidents related to confidentiality. Findings suggest a relation between therapist gender, office location (private practice, public outpatient, hospital), degree of societal threat explicit in the incident (e.g., threats ofphysical endangerment), and management strategies. There is also some indication that psychoanalytically oriented group therapists are less likely than non-analytically oriented clinicians to contact authorities when confronted with psycholegal issues. Limitations in the study and directions for future research are discussed.
Emery-Dreifuss muscular dystrophy

Emery-Dreifuss muscular dystrophy (EDMD) is inherited in an X-linked or autosomal manner. X-linked EDMD is caused by mutations in EMD, which encodes an integral protein of the nuclear envelope inner membrane called emerin. Autosomally inherited EDMD is caused by mutations in LMNA, which encodes A-type nuclear lamins, intermediate filament proteins associated with inner nuclear membrane. Although the causative mutations have been described and mouse models have been created, the pathogenic processes by which mutations in genes encoding nuclear envelope proteins cause striated muscle abnormalities in EDMD remain obscure. Working hypotheses include effects on nuclear structural integrity, increased cellular susceptibility to mechanical stress damage, alterations in gene expression in response to nuclear envelope changes, and effects on cell proliferation and differentiation.
Harsh corporal punishment is associated with increased T2 relaxation time in dopamine-rich regions

Harsh corporal punishment (HCP) was defined as frequent parental administration of corporal punishment (CP) for discipline, with occasional use of objects such as straps, or paddles. CP is linked to increased risk for depression and substance abuse. We examine whether long-term exposure to HCP acts as sub-traumatic stressor that contributes to brain alterations, particularly in dopaminergic pathways, which may mediate their increased vulnerability to drug and alcohol abuse. Nineteen young adults who experienced early HCP but no other forms of maltreatment and twenty-three comparable controls were studied. T2 relaxation time (T2-RT) measurements were performed with an echo planar imaging TE stepping technique and T2 maps were calculated and analyzed voxel-by-voxel to locate regional T2-RT differences between groups. Previous studies indicated that T2-RT provides an indirect index of resting cerebral blood volume. Region of interest (ROI) analyses were also conducted in caudate, putamen, nucleus accumbens, anterior cingulate cortex, dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, thalamus, globus pallidus and cerebellar hemispheres. Voxel-based relaxometry showed that HCP was associated with increased T2-RT in right caudate and putamen. ROI analyses also revealed increased T2-RT in dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, substantia nigra, thalamus and accumbens but not globus pallidus or cerebellum. There were significant associations between T2-RT measures in dopamine target regions and use of drugs and alcohol, and memory performance. Alteration in the paramagnetic or hemodynamic properties of dopaminergic cell body and projection regions were observed in subjects with HCP, and these findings may relate to their increased risk for drug and alcohol abuse.