cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
UH-60A helicopter rotor airloads measured in flight

The flight test phase of the Nasa-Army UH-60A Airloads Program was completed in February 1994. The objective of the project was to measure the airloads in flight on an UH-60A Black Hawk using 221 blade pressure transducers installed in nine radial arrays. In addition, 21 transducers were installed along the blade leading edge to better identify blade-vortex interaction phenomena. This paper briefly describes the program's background and history, instrumentation, and data acquisition. Airloads data are presented for two test conditions with different levels of complexity: steady, level flight and a diving turn. These flight data provide useful information of relatively simple and complex nonlinear flow for the validation of theoretical analyses. Evidence of shock waves, reverse flow, dynamic stall and blade vortex interactions are presented.
Radiomics in Brain Tumors: An Emerging Technique for Characterization of Tumor Environment

The role of radiomics in the diagnosis, monitoring, and therapy planning of brain tumors is becoming increasingly clear. Incorporation of quantitative approaches in radiology, in combination with increased computer power, offers unique insights into macroscopic tumor characteristics and their direct association with the underlying pathophysiology. This article presents the most recent findings in radiomics and radiogenomics with respect to identifying potential imaging biomarkers with prognostic value that can lead to individualized therapy. In addition, a brief introduction to the concept of big data and its significance in medicine is presented.
Structural differences and differential expression among rhabdomeric opsins reveal functional change after gene duplication in the bay scallop, Argopecten irradians (Pectinidae)

Opsins are the only class of proteins used for light perception in image-forming eyes. Gene duplication and subsequent functional divergence of opsins have played an important role in expanding photoreceptive capabilities of organisms by altering what wavelengths of light are absorbed by photoreceptors (spectral tuning). However, new opsin copies may also acquire novel function or subdivide ancestral functions through changes to temporal, spatial or the level of gene expression. Here, we test how opsin gene copies diversify in function and evolutionary fate by characterizing four rhabdomeric (Gq-protein coupled) opsins in the scallop, Argopecten irradians, identified from tissue-specific transcriptomes. Under a phylogenetic analysis, we recovered a pattern consistent with two rounds of duplication that generated the genetic diversity of scallop Gq-opsins. We found strong support for differential expression of paralogous Gq-opsins across ocular and extra-ocular photosensitive tissues, suggesting that scallop Gq-opsins are used in different biological contexts due to molecular alternations outside and within the protein-coding regions. Finally, we used available protein models to predict which amino acid residues interact with the light-absorbing chromophore. Variation in these residues suggests that the four Gq-opsin paralogs absorb different wavelengths of light. Our results uncover novel genetic and functional diversity in the light-sensing structures of the scallop, demonstrating the complicated nature of Gq-opsin diversification after gene duplication. Our results highlight a change in the nearly ubiquitous shadow response in molluscs to a narrowed functional specificity for visual processes in the eyed scallop. Our findings provide a starting point to study how gene duplication may coincide with eye evolution, and more specifically, different ways neofunctionalization of Gq-opsins may occur.
Incorporation of the Non-Human Sialic Acid Neu5Gc into Human Leukemic Cells and Targeting by Natural Human Anti-Neu5Gc Antibodies.

Humans are incapable of synthesizing the common mammalian cell surface sialic acid N-glycolylneuraminic acid (Neu5Gc), due to an irreversible genetic mutation that occurred after our last common ancestor with great apes. Despite this, we found trace levels of Neu5Gc in certain normal human tissues, and higher levels in fetal and malignant tissues, apparently due to incorporation from dietary sources. Circulating anti-Neu5Gc antibodies also occur in most normal humans, with marked individual variations in levels. We now show that while normal human blood cells metabolically incorporate very little free Neu5Gc from the culture medium, human leukemic cell lines do so efficiently, displaying it on their cell surfaces, as detected by flow cytometry using a monospecific polyclonal chicken antibody, and confirmed chemically by HPLC. Specific deposition of IgG from Neu5Gc-reactive human sera onto Neu5Gc-expressing leukemic cells could be demonstrated. This was associated with lytic cell killing, apoptosis, and antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity. Human sera with low levels of anti-Neu5Gc antibodies did not mediate such effects. These data show for the first time that the “natural” anti-Neu5Gc antibodies found in normal humans can be functionally active. The selective incorporation of Neu5Gc into leukemic cells could provide an approach for targeting leukemic cells in vivo, via naturally occurring Neu5Gc-specific antibodies. However, in contrast to unstimulated blood cells, activated human T-lymphocytes also incorporated some Neu5Gc, albeit to a lesser degree than leukemic cells, allowing IgG binding and complement deposition. Thus, exposure of rapidly dividing activated T cells to Neu5Gc could potentially affect ongoing immune responses. Since incorporation into leukemic cells was most efficient, it may still be possible to define a therapeutic window to selectively target malignant cells.
Government Hurts the Economy More Than It Helps

To quote Nobel Laureate Douglass North (1981, p. 2), “The existence of the state is essential for economic growth; the state, however, is the source of man-made economic decline.” Long debunked but still kicking is this knee-jerk view, held by too many contemporary economists, that only the second half of this proposition is true and, moreover, that it is true at all times and in all places. Adam Smith, long considered the progenitor of theories of the limited state, was actually one of the first modern advocates of productive government involvement in the economy. For Smith, it is private interest embodied in good husbandry governed by the protection of property rights that produces public virtue. He advocated a combination of the division of labor, the invisible hand, and—lest it be forgotten—appropriate public laws, policies, and practices that enable individuals with wide-ranging capacities to generate economic growth for the country in which they reside.
Consistent Cuboid Detection for Semantic Mapping

Building and storing efficient maps is an essentialfeature for long-term autonomy of robots. Modern sensors (such as Kinect) tend to produce a lot of data. However, long-term autonomy requires us to store this information in a succinct manner. One way to reduce dimensionality of information is to attribute semantics. Most indoor objects are cuboidal in nature. We conjecture that cuboids are a suitable semantic feature to attribute to indoor objects for efficient mapping. We adapt a cuboid fitting algorithm previously proposedfor object recognition, for indoor mapping. Our work stems from the observation that landmark detection for mappingrequires consistent detection of those landmarks. We implement several modifications to this cuboid detection algorithm that lead to consistent detection such as emptiness, orientation, surface coverage, distance from edges, and others. We incorporate these in the identification of the cuboid candidates in a scene, as well as an optimization algorithm for finding the best set of consistent cubes to cover a given scene. Our experiments show that in comparison, the set of cuboids detected by our algorithm are at least 50% more consistent based on our metrics.
Low potential for mechanical transmission of Ebola virus via house flies (Musca domestica)

Ebola virus (EBOV) infection results in high morbidity and mortality and is primarily transmitted in communities by contact with infectious bodily fluids. While clinical and experimental evidence indicates that EBOV is transmitted via mucosal exposure, the ability of non-biting muscid flies to mechanically transmit EBOV following exposure to the face had not been assessed. To investigate this transmission route, house flies (Musca domestica Linnaeus) were used to deliver an EBOV/blood mixture to the ocular/nasal/oral facial mucosa of four cynomolgus macaques (Macaca fascicularis Raffles). Following exposure, macaques were monitored for evidence of infection through the conclusion of the study, days 57 and 58. We found no evidence of systemic infection in any of the exposed macaques. The results of this study indicate that there is a low potential for the mechanical transmission of EBOV via house flies - the conditions in this study were not sufficient to initiate infection.
Consumer Perceptions and Expectations of Garden Center Product and Service Quality

Abstract We compared consumers' product and service quality perceptions and expectations from five traditional garden centers (TGC) and three non-traditional garden center outlets (NTO) in Charlotte, NC. Customers from both outlets had similar expectations of service and product quality. However, TGCs better met customer expectations with higher perceptions scores and smaller gap scores. Service quality gaps were the difference between customer perceptions and expectations. Gaps were identified for both outlets on four of five service quality dimensions and for the single product quality dimension. TGC and NTO customers ranked assurance and responsiveness as the most important service quality dimensions. Empathy was more important than reliability to TGC customers but their importance was reversed for NTO customers. Both customer groups ranked tangibles as the least important service quality dimension and retailers did not have a gap on this dimension.
Anesthetic Management During Posterior Spinal Fusion in a Patient With Moyamoya

Moyamoya disease is an arteriopathy of the vasculature of the central nervous system that predisposes patients to cerebrovascular ischemia and thrombotic strokes. It is characterized by a progressive narrowing of the intracranial component of the internal carotid arteries as well as the proximal branches of the anterior and middle cerebral arteries thereby predisposing patients to episodes of cerebrovascular insufficiency. Moyamoya disease adds an additional level of complexity to the anesthetic care of patients undergoing major surgical procedures related to concerns of maintaining adequate cerebral perfusion and oxygenation. These patients may present with a history of transient ischemic attacks or cerebrovascular accidents with resultant neurological deficits, cognitive delay and seizures at baseline. We present an 18-year-old woman with moyamoya disease who required anesthetic care during a posterior spinal fusion for a neuromuscular disorder. Physiological parameter management intraoperatively is discussed and options for anesthetic care are presented with an emphasis on the use of near infrared spectroscopy to monitor cerebral oxygenation. J Med Cases. 2018;9(6):190-193 doi: https://doi.org/10.14740/jmc3072w
The Nature and Impact of ZnO Buffer Layers on the Initial Stages of the Hydride Vapor Phase Epitaxy of GAN

The nature and impact of ZnO buffer layers on the initial stages of the hydride vapor phase epitaxy (HVPE) of GaN have been studied by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), atomic force microscopy (AFM), x-ray diffraction (XRD) and photoluminescence (PL). During pre-growth heating, the surface ZnO layer was found to both desorb from ZnO-coated sapphire and react with the underlying sapphire surface forming a thin ZnAl{sub 2}O{sub 4} alloy layer between ZnO and sapphire surface. This ZnO-derived surface promotes the initial nucleation of the GaN and markedly improves material surface morphology, quality and growth reproducibility.
Adsorption and desorption behavior of plasmid DNA on ion-exchange membranes. Effect of salt valence and compaction agents.

Abstract In this study, we report the effect of salt type and compaction agents on adsorption and desorption behavior of plasmid DNA on strong anion-exchange membranes. Both divalent cations and compaction agents are known to reduce the effective charge density of plasmid DNA in solution, and compaction agents decrease the radius of gyration of plasmids. Differences in the batch uptake adsorption of a 6.1 kilo base pair plasmid in solution with sodium and magnesium salts were observed at low ionic strengths. Recoveries at high salt conditions, however, were independent of the cation, and measured only 63–76%. Similarly, no improvement in recoveries were observed when using sulfate rather than chloride anions as displacers. The compaction agents, spermine and spermidine, showed no strong effect on the uptake adsorption, capacity, or recovery of three different-sized plasmids on membrane sheets. It is recommended that further efforts to improve plasmid recoveries from anion-exchange membranes focus on properties of the adsorbent surface.
Prodrugs and Their Topical Use

In spite of the fact that delivery via the transdermal route is now a commercial reality for a variety of chemically and pharmacologically diverse agents, including scopolamine,1 nitroglycerin,2–4 Clonidine,5 and estradiol,6 the numbers of drugs that meet the physicochemical criteria and have suitable pharmacokinetic properties and adequate potency to be considered as feasible candidates for transdermal delivery is quite limited. The majority of drugs are precluded from consideration for transdermal application because of their limited ability to penetrate the skin at a sufficient rate. For such compounds, methods to enhance penetration must be considered. Penetration enhancement may be accomplished by alteration of the barrier properties of stratum corneum through the use of chemical penetration enhancers, providing an additional driving force for transport (e.g., iontophoresis), or by chemically modifying the drug itself through prodrug formation. The latter approach is the subject of this chapter.
Siamese Style Convolutional Neural Networks for Sound Search by Vocal Imitation

Conventional methods for finding audio in databases typically search text labels, rather than the audio itself. This can be problematic as labels may be missing, irrelevant to the audio content, or not known by users. Query by vocal imitation lets users query using vocal imitations instead. To do so, appropriate audio feature representations and effective similarity measures of imitations and original sounds must be developed. In this paper, we build upon our preliminary work to propose Siamese style convolutional neural networks to learn feature representations and similarity measures in a unified end-to-end training framework. Our Siamese architecture uses two convolutional neural networks to extract features, one from vocal imitations and the other from original sounds. The encoded features are then concatenated and fed into a fully connected network to estimate their similarity. We propose two versions of the system: IMINET is symmetric where the two encoders have an identical structure and are trained from scratch, while TL-IMINET is asymmetric and adopts the transfer learning idea by pretraining the two encoders from other relevant tasks: spoken language recognition for the imitation encoder and environmental sound classification for the original sound encoder. Experimental results show that both versions of the proposed system outperform a state-of-the-art system for sound search by vocal imitation, and the performance can be further improved when they are fused with the state of the art system. Results also show that transfer learning significantly improves the retrieval performance. This paper also provides insights to the proposed networks by visualizing and sonifying input patterns that maximize the activation of certain neurons in different layers.
A Pilot Study Characterising Interruptions Experienced By Emergency Medicine Residents

Interruptions in the emergency department (ED) have been studied across multiple clinical roles, with little investigation into how residents experience interruptions. Therefore this pilot study ai...
Galilean Transformations of Kinetic Energy, Work, and Potential Energy.

Work, kinetic energy (KE), and potential energy (PE) are key physics concepts, taught in essentially every introductory physics course along with the physical laws such as the work-kinetic energy theorem and the conservation of mechanical energy, which describe how the values of those quantities change during various processes. Quite appropriately for introductory courses, little attention is paid to how those concepts play out when implemented via observations in reference frames moving with respect to each other.
An unusual case of Kaposi sarcoma masquerading as cystitis in a kidney transplant recipient.

Human Herpes Virus-8 (HHV-8) may reactivate in immunocompromised patients including recipients of solid organ transplants. Reactivation of HHV-8 may result in Kaposi sarcoma (KS). KS typically occurs with dermatologic involvement but can affect virtually any other organ; most commonly the gastrointestinal tract. We present a diagnostically challenging case of KS in a South American woman 7 months after kidney transplant. She presented with recurrent urinary tract infection manifested by pelvic pain and dysuria. Imaging studies revealed bladder thickening with pelvic lymphadenopathy. Findings on tissue biopsied from the bladder and lymph nodes were consistent with KS. Her skin was not affected. This case illustrates that KS and other HHV-8-related diseases should be on the differential diagnosis as a cause of mass lesions as well as lymphadenopathy in transplant recipients. The case exemplifies the need to pursue a tissue diagnosis in immunocompromised patients when a diagnosis is uncertain.
It matters to me if you are human - Examining categorical perception in human and nonhuman agents

Abstract Humanlike but not perfectly human agents frequently evoke feelings of eeriness, a phenomenon termed the Uncanny Valley (UV). The Categorical Perception Hypothesis proposes that effects associated with the UV are due to uncertainty as to whether to categorize agents falling into the valley as “human” or “nonhuman”. However, since UV studies have traditionally looked at agents of varying human-likeness, it remains unclear whether UV-related effects are due to categorical uncertainty in general or are specifically evoked by categorizations that require decisions regarding an agent's human-likeness. Here, we used mouse tracking to determine whether agent spectra with (i.e., robot-human) and without (i.e., robot-animal and robot-stuffed animal) a human endpoint cause phenomena related to categorical perception to comparable extents. Specifically, we compared human and nonhuman agent spectra with respect to existence and location of a category boundary (H1-1 and H2-1), as well as the magnitude of cognitive conflict around the boundary (H1-2 and H2-2). The results show that human and nonhuman spectra exhibit category boundaries (H1-1) at which cognitive conflict is higher than for less ambiguous parts of the spectra (H1-2). However, in human agent spectra cognitive conflict maxima were more pronounced than for nonhuman agent spectra (H2-1) and category boundaries were shifted towards the human endpoint of the spectrum (H2-2). Overall, these results suggest a quantitatively, though not qualitatively, different categorization process for spectra containing human endpoints. Possible reasons and the impact for virtual and robotic agent design are discussed.
New innovations in anal fistula surgery

Abstract The management of anal fistula remains a source of frustration for patients and surgeons alike. The continued challenge posed by this condition has led to considerable innovation and investigation with the ongoing refinement of surgical techniques, the development of new technologies, and the application of advanced biomaterials. This article will describe recent, ongoing, and future developments in the treatment of anal fistula.
Towards a CMOS Integrated Optically Controlled AlN Transducer

A framework for an ultrafast Sonic Fourier transform (SFT) physical computer leveraging the property that the Fourier transform of an image is its far-field pattern has been presented recently by our group. To represent different input images requires actuating a 2D array of transducers with controllable magnitude and phase. In this work, we demonstrate a CMOS-based optically controlled excitation approach for AlN transducers. This approach provides an optical pixel based amplitude modulation of electrically generated ultrasonic waves, providing a direct interface between an optical camera-like imager and ultrasonic waves, allowing for instantaneous control of the drive amplitude of all array transducers at the same time. The monolithic integration of this CMOS-based control circuitry and the AlN transducer array would enable the proposed SFT to instantly respond to the light from the environment or from an image mask, achieving real-time image recognition in the Fourier domain. In this work, we demonstrate the proposed single pixel architecture using an AlN transducer wire-bonded to the CMOS pixel circuitry comprised of a p+/n-well photodiode, a transimpedance amplifier, and a voltage controlled variable gain amplifier. We demonstrate the tuning of the pixel drive amplitude from 5 – 47.9mV by varying incident optical intensity from 0 – 250mW/mm2, resulting in receive amplitudes of 0.5 – 2.4 mV on an adjacent receive transducer located 200 um from the transmit pixel.
Accessing Provenance Records in Semantic Web Services

Provenance on the Semantic Web provides information about the creation, publication and access of resources. Provenance and provenance metadata records from a resource are used to determine trust, to integrate diverse information about the resource and to determine how to credit originators when reusing information. Web services make resources available over the internet by using standardized communication services to automatically exchange data between applications and various systems. The World Wide Web consortium (W3C) proposed the Provenance Access and Query (PROV-AQ) that recommends how to represent and exchange provenance information about resources though a standardized communication protocol. Integrating semantics into web-based service descriptions enables agents to more quickly assemble, discover, and reuse arbitrary web services and the information retained within. The addition of provenance information as part of a Semantic Web service would further increase the reuse and discovery of information and trust on the Web when determining which services to employ in each application. In this paper, the provenance of a resource is tracked using a semantic version control tool with a query interface. The underlying data is made available through a web service using provenance access and query to associate the service to its provenance records. Furthermore, the implications of integrating provenance into a Semantic Web service are discussed. Findings from the literature review and developing a Semantic Web service that exposes provenance records, indicate few differences with a Semantic Web service without attaching provenance records.
Perspectives of emergency department attendees on outcomes of resuscitation efforts: origins and impact on cardiopulmonary resuscitation preference

Background Previous studies have shown that individuals overestimate the success of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) while underestimating its morbidity. Although perceptions of CPR success affect medical care in the emergency department (ED), no ED-based studies have been done. Objective To survey ED patients and their companions to assess their expectations, hypothesising that variation in information sources, prior exposure to CPR, and healthcare experience would influence predicted CPR success rates. Methods A survey was carried out of adults (age >18 years) in the ED waiting area of a tertiary care hospital between June and September 2016. An optimism scale was created to reflect expected likelihood of survival after CPR, or CPR success, under several sets of circumstances. Potential predictors of optimism for CPR outcome were examined using linear regression. Associations between optimism and CPR preference were evaluated using a Wilcoxon rank-sum test. Results There were 500 respondents and 53% had performed or witnessed CPR, and/or participated in a CPR course (64%). Television was the main source of information about CPR for >95% of respondents. At least half (51–64%) of respondents estimated the success rate of CPR as over 75% in all situations. Estimated CPR success rates were unrelated to age, sex, race, spiritual beliefs or personal healthcare experience. More than 90% of respondents wanted to receive CPR. Less than one-third of respondents had discussed CPR with a medical provider, but most wished to do so. Conclusion Consistent with prior studies, individuals overestimate the success rate of CPR. Healthcare experience does not appear to mitigate optimism about CPR, and individuals overwhelmingly want CPR for themselves. Though few had talked about CPR with a medical provider, most wanted to have informed decision-making conversations. Such discussions could help patients obtain a more realistic view of CPR outcomes.
Temporal super-resolution in single-molecule experiments

Many time-resolved single-molecule biophysics experiments seek to characterize the kinetics of biomolecular systems exhibiting dynamics that challenge the time resolution of the given technique. Here we present a general, computational approach to this problem that employs Bayesian inference to learn the underlying dynamics of such systems, even when these kinetics are much faster than the time resolution of the given technique. By accurately and precisely inferring rate constants, this Bayesian Inference for the Analysis of Sub-temporal-resolution Data (BIASD) approach effectively enables the experimenter to super-resolve the poorly resolved, fast kinetics that are present in their data.
Economizing in a Context of Strategizing: Governance Mode Choice in Cournot Competition

This paper builds on Riordan and Williamson (1985) by exploring the economizing choice of organizational form by firms competing in a homogeneous-good market. The paper investigates rivalrous firms' investment and organization choice in a Cournot competition. The model suggests that both governance cost and strategic interactions can influence which asset-organization pair each firm chooses. Application of the model is illustrated with a discussion of the cola wars and the organization of the fountain channel.
The impacts of metal-based engineered nanomaterial mixtures on microbial systems: A review

The last decade has witnessed tremendous growth in the commercial use of metal-based engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) for a wide range of products and processes. Consequently, direct and indirect release into environmental systems may no longer be considered negligible or insignificant. Yet, there is an active debate as to whether there are real risks to human or ecological health with environmental exposure to ENMs. Previous research has focused primarily on the acute effects of individual ENMs using pure cultures under controlled laboratory environments, which may not accurately reveal the ecological impacts of ENMs under real environmental conditions. The goal of this review is to assess our current understanding of ENM effects as we move from exposure of single to multiple ENMs or microbial species. For instance, are ENMs' impacts on microbial communities predicted by their intrinsic physical or chemical characteristics or their effects on single microbial populations; how do chronic ENM interactions compare to acute toxicity; does behavior under simplified laboratory conditions reflect that in environmental media; finally, is biological stress modified by interactions in ENM mixtures relative to that of individual ENM? This review summarizes key findings and our evolving understanding of the ecological effects of ENMs under complex environmental conditions on microbial systems, identifies the gaps in our current knowledge, and indicates the direction of future research.
Adapting during the pandemic: A case study of using the rapid prototyping instructional system design model to create online instructional content

Abstract As online teaching and learning become increasingly prevalent in colleges and universities, many librarians in higher education are tasked with creating instructional content adapted to the online format. Most extant literature has focused on the application of popular instructional design models, such as ADDIE, to an online format. However, few studies have addressed the models that would facilitate instructional adaptation in order to transition from a face-to-face to an online environment quickly; specifically, there is a gap regarding modes through which to make this shift quickly due to unusual circumstances, such as the COVID-19 global pandemic. This case study seeks to demonstrate how several resource-constrained librarians at University of Idaho Library applied the Rapid Prototyping instructional system design model to develop new instructional content to promote information literacy for incoming students enrolled in first-year writing classes in an online format.
Vector wave simulation of active imaging through random media (Conference Presentation)

When a target is embedded in random media, the quality of optical imaging can be improved by actively controlling the illumination and by exploiting vector wave properties. A rigorous description, however, requires expensive computational resources to fully account for the electromagnetic boundary conditions. Here we introduce a statistically-equivalent, scaling model that allows reducing significantly the complexity of the problem. The new scheme describes the entanglement between the local wave vector and the polarization state in random media, and also accounts for cumulative properties such as geometric phase. The approach is validated for different scenarios where the coherent background noise alters substantially the performance of active imaging.
A Review of “The Encyclopedia of Political Science”

The Encyclopedia of Political Science (TEPS) assembles over 1,500 theoretical and empirical signed articles by contributors from nearly forty countries. Political Science is a wide-ranging field, w...
New fabrication process for Capacitive Micromachined Ultrasonic Transducers

In this paper, we introduce a new method to fabricate Capacitive Micromachined Ultrasonic Transducers (CMUT) that uses a wafer-bonding technique. The transducer membrane and cavity are defined separately on a Silicon-On-Insulator (SOI) wafer and on a prime quality silicon wafer, respectively. Using silicon direct bonding in a vacuum environment, the two wafers are bonded forming the transducer. This new process offers many advantages over surface micromachining on the fabrication of the transducers with different cavity and membrane configurations. CMUTs with different dimensions have been successfully fabricated and characterized. For the first time, sub-MHz operation is achieved with CMUTs. The test results show that the new process is a promising method to fabricate CMUTs for operation in air and water at different frequency ranges.
Mechanisms of pseudosubstrate inhibition of the anaphase promoting complex by Acm1

The anaphase promoting complex (APC) is a ubiquitin ligase that promotes the degradation of cell-cycle regulators by the 26S proteasome. Cdc20 and Cdh1 are WD40-containing APC co-activators that bind destruction boxes (DB) and KEN boxes within substrates to recruit them to the APC for ubiquitination. Acm1 is an APCCdh1 inhibitor that utilizes a DB and a KEN box to bind Cdh1 and prevent substrate binding, although Acm1 itself is not a substrate. We investigated what differentiates an APC substrate from an inhibitor. We identified the Acm1 A-motif that interacts with Cdh1 and together with the DB and KEN box is required for APCCdh1 inhibition. A genetic screen identified Cdh1 WD40 domain residues important for Acm1 A-motif interaction and inhibition that appears to reside near Cdh1 residues important for DB recognition. Specific lysine insertion mutations within Acm1 promoted its ubiquitination by APCCdh1 whereas lysine removal from the APC substrate Hsl1 converted it into a potent APCCdh1 inhibitor. These findings suggest that tight Cdh1 binding combined with the inaccessibility of ubiquitinatable lysines contributes to pseudosubstrate inhibition of APCCdh1.
Utility of mouse models in vaccine design and development

The use of the mouse as the dominant animal model for immunologic studies was due in no small part to an inner ear defect in the Japanese waltzing mouse. The tendency of these mice to, when excited, scramble around the cage in a random fashion until exhausted is caused by a single recessive gene that causes an inner ear defect, leading to the curious behavior. In the process of maintaining this behavior through many generations of breeding, mouse fanciers unwittingly, but significantly, reduced the genetic heterogeneity of the species. This reduced heterogeneity made the growth of a tumor derived from a Japanese waltzing mouse far more reproducible. Utilizing this model and knowledge in the early 1900s, investigators began mating mice for many generations, creating inbred strains of mice with known susceptibility to various diseases. These studies led to the theory of the genetic control of tumor susceptibility, and, ultimately, to the use of mice to study what would eventually become the field of immunology. In this chapter, we discuss examples of clinically and/or experimentally relevant viral and bacterial infections that are used for the purposes of vaccine development and analysis.
WHO Global Strategy to Reduce the Harmful Use of Alcohol (2010)

The global harm associated with the use of alcohol is one of daunting proportions and a problem that has been addressed by the World Health Organization (WHO) over many years. The extent of the pro...
A Meta-Analysis of Colorectal Cancer and Asbestos Exposure

A meta-analysis of the relation between asbestos exposure and colorectal cancer mortality was conducted, using published reports of 20 asbestos-exposed cohorts. Summary standardized mortality ratios (SMRs) for colorectal cancer were examined in relation to asbestos type and estimates of dust exposure (as direct estimators of asbestos exposure) and in relation to lung cancer SMR and the proportion of all deaths due to mesothelioma (as proxy estimators of asbestos exposure). An elevated summary SMR was observed in cohorts exposed to amphibole asbestos (summary SMR = 1.47; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.09-2.00), but not in cohorts exposed to serpentine asbestos (summary SMR = 1.04; 95% CI 0.81-1.33) or in cohorts exposed to both serpentine and amphibole asbestos (summary SMR = 1.03; 95% CI 0.74-1.42). Cohorts having a lung cancer SMR greater than 2.00 had a summary SMR of 1.51 (95% CI 1.29-1.76), and cohorts in which more than 1% of all deaths were attributed to mesothelioma had a summary SMR of 1.24 (95% CI 0.94-1.64). After stratifying the cohorts based on mortality due to all cancers excluding those known or suspected to be associated with asbestos exposure, lung cancer mortality was not clearly associated with colorectal cancer mortality, suggesting that the crude association between these factors may be due to misdiagnosis of lung cancer as other types of cancer in the reported causes of death. These results suggest that exposure to amphibole asbestos may be associated with colorectal cancer, but these findings may reflect an artifact of miscertification of cause of death. The results also suggest that serpentine asbestos is not associated with colorectal cancer.
Relationship between carbon and nitrogen availability and extracellular enzyme activities in soil

Microorganisms rely on extracellular enzymes to break down insoluble organic polymers such as cellulose, protein, and chitin into smaller units for uptake. Our objective was to investigate the factors affecting the relationship between soil extracellular enzyme activities and C and N turnover. Several aerobic incubations were carried out with ammonium (NH4+) and proteins as N sources and cellulose as the main C source. Cellulase (exocellulase and β-glucosidase) activity was positively correlated with the amount of cellulose added, as well as with the availability of N. A decrease in the C to N ratio of the amendments from 40 to 10 resulted in an increase in exocellulase and β-glucosidase activity of 18% and 10%, respectively. Similarly, the activity of protease initially depended on the amount and kind of protein added; later, however, an increase in carbon availability resulted in an elevated protease activity. Initially, protease and cellulase activity were induced by their corresponding substrates and an increase in activity of both enzymes resulted in a proportional increase in carbon dioxide (CO2) evolution. Over time, however, the level of enzyme activity became increasingly determined by factors other than substrate availability. In addition, N turnover, while initially determined by the amount and kind of N source added, became increasingly dominated by the C to N ratio of the substrates added. Our study showed that even though enzyme activities alone may not be sufficient to describe the decomposition process, they can yield valuable information about the availability of specific organic compounds and their degradation over time.
Elevated dietary magnesium prevents connective tissue mineralization in a mouse model of pseudoxanthoma elasticum (Abcc6(

Pseudoxanthoma elasticum (PXE) is an autosomal recessive multisystem disorder characterized by ectopic connective tissue mineralization, with clinical manifestations primarily in the skin, eyes, and cardiovascular system. There is considerable, both intra- and interfamilial, variability in the spectrum of phenotypic presentation. Previous studies have suggested that mineral content of the diet may modify the severity of the clinical phenotype in PXE. In this study, we utilized a targeted mutant mouse (Abcc6−/−) as a model system for PXE. We examined the effects of changes in dietary phosphate and magnesium on the mineralization process using calcification of the connective tissue capsule surrounding the vibrissae as an early phenotypic biomarker. Mice placed on custom-designed diets either high or low in phosphate did not show changes in mineralization, which was similar to that noted in Abcc6−/− mice on control diet. However, mice placed on diet enriched in magnesium (fivefold) showed no evidence of connective tissue mineralization in this mouse model of PXE. The inhibitory capacity of magnesium was confirmed in a cell-based mineralization assay system in vitro. Collectively, our observations suggest that assessment of dietary magnesium in patients with PXE may be warranted.
Vaporization heat transfer of dielectric liquids on a wick-covered surface

Vaporization heat transfer characteristics were measured for the dielectric liquid FC-72 on a horizontal heated surface covered with wire screen wicks with the mesh number for the screens varying from 24 to 100. In such a situation the liquid level can be either higher or lower than the heated surface. When the liquid level was above the heated surface (shallow pool boiling), the height of the liquid level above the surface, h, was varied from 0 to 10 mm. When the liquid level was below the heated surface (evaporation through capillary pumping), the distance from the liquid level to the edge of the surface, L, was adjusted from 0 to 15 mm. Experimental data revealed that the critical heat flux (CHF) decreases as the mesh number is increased from 24 to 100 for both vaporation and shallow pool boiling, showing that the vapor-escaping limit is more important than the capillary limit in flat plate heat pipe application.
Constructing Anne Frank: Critical Literacy and the Holocaust in Eighth-Grade English

Using the assumption that texts actively work to position readers and readers actively work to position texts, the authors argue that moral lessons emerge from the interactions between texts, readers, and the ideological narratives that inspire both. After differentiating versions of Anne Frank's diary and explicating motives behind their construction, we explore ways that students' perspectives of Anne Frank impede robust understandings of the Holocaust, including enabling readers to preserve assumptions about Anne Frank as only optimistic and triumphant. Through critical literacy practices, the authors demonstrate how narrow perspectives of texts and readers can be interrupted through questioning about readers, authors, texts, and different versions of Anne Frank's diary. Teaching tips are provided, and the article concludes by discussing the importance of equipping students with critical literacy tools for reading the Holocaust in particular and for reading all texts more generally.
Cmcm phase of GeS at high pressure

We study the pressure-induced phase transition of the layered GeS structure using a constant-pressure ab initio technique. For the first time, we predict a gradual phase transition to a Cmcm structure with the application of hydrostatic pressure. The high-pressure phase is still a layered structure, consisting of rocksaltlike bilayers, but it has an unusual fivefold coordination. The transition is due to the significant decrease of second neighbor distances. We also find the metallization of GeS prior to transforming into the Cmcm phase.
Diabetic painful and insensate neuropathy: pathogenesis and potential treatments.

Advanced peripheral diabetic neuropathy (PDN) is associated with elevated vibration and thermal perception thresholds that progress to sensory loss and degeneration of all fiber types in peripheral nerve. A considerable proportion of diabetic patients also describe abnormal sensations such as paresthesias, allodynia, hyperalgesia, and spontaneous pain. One or several manifestations of abnormal sensation and pain are described in all the diabetic rat and mouse models studied so far (i.e., streptozotocin-diabetic rats and mice, type 1 insulinopenic BB/Wor and type 2 hyperinsulinemic diabetic BBZDR/Wor rats, Zucker diabetic fatty rats, and nonobese diabetic, Akita, leptin- and leptin-receptor-deficient, and high-fat diet—fed mice). Such manifestations are 1) thermal hyperalgesia, an equivalent of a clinical phenomenon described in early PDN; 2) thermal hypoalgesia, typically present in advanced PDN; 3) mechanical hyperalgesia, an equivalent of pain on pressure in early PDN; 4) mechanical hypoalgesia, an equivalent to the loss of sensitivity to mechanical noxious stimuli in advanced PDN; 5) tactile allodynia, a painful perception of a light touch; and 5) formalin-induced hyperalgesia. Rats with short-term diabetes develop painful neuropathy, whereas those with longer-term diabetes and diabetic mice typically display manifestations of both painful and insensate neuropathy, or insensate neuropathy only. Animal studies using pharmacological and genetic approaches revealed important roles of increased aldose reductase, protein kinase C, and poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase activities, advanced glycation end-products and their receptors, oxidative-nitrosative stress, growth factor imbalances, and C-peptide deficiency in both painful and insensate neuropathy. This review describes recent achievements in studying the pathogenesis of diabetic neuropathic pain and sensory disorders in diabetic animal models and developing potential pathogenetic treatments.
A Dynamic Zn Site in Helicobacter pylori HypA: A Potential Mechanism for Metal-Specific Protein Activity

HypA is an accessory protein and putative metallochaperone that is critical for supplying nickel to the active site of NiFe hydrogenases. In addition to binding Ni(II), HypA is known to contain a Zn site that has been suggested to play a structural role. X-ray absorption spectroscopy has been used to show that the Zn site changes structure upon binding nickel, from a S3(O/N)-donor ligand environment to an S4-donor ligand environment. This provides a potential mechanism for discriminating Ni(II) from other divalent metal ions. The Ni(II) site is shown to be a six-coordinate complex composed of O/N-donors including two histidines. As such, it resembles the nickel site in UreE, a nickel metallochaperone involved in nickel incorporation into urease.
3,3,3-Trichloropropyl-1-triphenylphosphorane: A Reagent for the Synthesis of (Z)-1,3-Enynes, (Z,Z)-1-Chloro-1,3-dienes, and 1,3-Diynes†

3,3,3-Trichloropropyl-1-triphenylphosphonium chloride is conveniently prepared from 2-chloroethanol, triphenylphosphine, and trichloroacetic acid. Deprotonation of this reagent generates 3,3,3-trichloropropyl-1-triphenylphosphorane, which reacts with aldehydes to give trichloromethylated (Z)-olefins, which are useful for the synthesis of (Z)-1,3-enynes, (Z,Z)-1-chloro-1,3-dienes, and 1,3-diynes in high yields and stereospecificities.
Making connections: Considering the dynamics of narrative stability from a relational approach

A relational approach is proposed which provides a framework for connecting levels of analysis/phenomena relevant to narrative identity. Because it is grounded in a systemic relational metanarrative, the relational approach does not preference any one level. Small story and big story are both viewed as integral to the larger identity project. A third analytic level, the middle story, is suggested as a bridge between small and big story. As one example of the approach, systemic analyses of narrative stability for two university students are presented, based on interviews conducted over four years. These analyses conceptually connect middle-level processes with big stories and illustrate principles of circular causality. The final portion of the paper discusses implications and requirements of the relational approach, and other ways that it might be applied.
Hemocyte-mediated phagocytosis and melanization in the mosquito Armigeres subalbatus following immune challenge by bacteria

Mosquitoes are important vectors of disease. These insects respond to invading organisms with strong cellular and humoral immune responses that share many similarities with vertebrate immune systems. The strength and specificity of these responses are directly correlated to a mosquito's ability to transmit disease. In the current study, we characterized the hemocytes (blood cells) of Armigeres subalbatus by morphology (ultrastructure), lectin binding, enzyme activity, immunocytochemistry, and function. We found four hemocyte types: granulocytes, oenocytoids, adipohemocytes, and thrombocytoids. Granulocytes contained acid phosphatase activity and bound the exogenous lectins Helix pomatia agglutinin, Galanthus nivalis lectin, and wheat germ agglutinin. Following bacteria inoculation, granulocytes mounted a strong phagocytic response as early as 5 min postexposure. Bacteria also elicited a hemocyte-mediated melanization response. Phenoloxidase, the rate-limiting enzyme in the melanization pathway, was present exclusively in oenocytoids and in many of the melanotic capsules enveloping bacteria. The immune responses mounted against different bacteria were not identical; gram(−) Escherichia coli were predominantly phagocytosed and gram(+) Micrococcus luteus were melanized. These studies implicate hemocytes as the primary line of defense against bacteria.