cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Parent caregiving choices of middle-generation Blacks and Whites in the United States.

OBJECTIVE This study compares how middle-generation caregivers and non-caregivers differ by race and explores racial differences in activities of daily living (ADL), instrumental activities of daily living (IADL), and financial assistance that middle-generation caregivers provide for their parents. METHOD Using 2000 Health and Retirement Study data, racially stratified descriptive analyses and logistic regression models for ADL, IADL, and financial assistance are presented. RESULTS Parental need and race influence support, with similar patterns of Black and White ADL support, but racial differences in IADL and financial support. Having more children motivates Whites to increase IADL support and reduce financial support; more children decreases Blacks' IADL support. Sibling caregiver networks influence IADL and financial support in ways that vary by race. The number employed is a key determinant for Blacks for all support, but only influences White ADL support. DISCUSSION The findings of this article indicate the importance of sample stratification by race and that employment or other subsidies may aid the expansion of caregiving by middle-generation adults.
Tumor Targeting with Antibody-Functionalized, Radiolabeled Carbon Nanotubes

Single-walled carbon nanotubes (CNT) are mechanically robust graphene cylinders with a high aspect ratio that are comprised of sp2-bonded carbon atoms and possessing highly regular structures with defined periodicity. CNT exhibit unique mechanochemical properties that can be exploited for the development of novel drug delivery platforms. We hypothesized that novel prototype nanostructures consisting of biologics, radionuclides, fluorochromes, and CNT could be synthesized and designed to target tumor cells. Methods: Tumor-targeting CNT constructs were synthesized from sidewall-functionalized, water-soluble CNT platforms by covalently attaching multiple copies of tumor-specific monoclonal antibodies, radiometal-ion chelates, and fluorescent probes. The constructs were characterized spectroscopically, chromatographically, and electrophoretically. The specific reactivity of these constructs was evaluated in vitro by flow cytometry and cell-based immunoreactivity assays and in vivo using biodistribution in a murine xenograft model of lymphoma. Results: A soluble, reactive CNT platform was used as the starting point to build multifunctional constructs with appended antibody, metal-ion chelate, and fluorescent chromophore moieties to effect specific targeting, to carry and deliver a radiometal-ion, and to report location, respectively. These nanoconstructs were found to be specifically reactive with the human cancer cells they were designed to target in vivo in a model of disseminated human lymphoma and in vitro by flow cytometry and cell-based immunoreactivity assays versus appropriate controls. Conclusion: The key achievement in these studies was the selective targeting of tumor in vitro and in vivo by the use of specific antibodies appended to a soluble, nanoscale CNT construct. The ability to specifically target tumor with prototype-radiolabeled or fluorescent-labeled, antibody-appended CNT constructs was encouraging and suggested further investigation of CNT as a novel delivery platform.
Assessment of the SAGE II version 6.2 water vapor data set through intercomparison with ATMOS/ATLAS-3 measurements

[1] Based on the intercomparisons with ATMOS/ATLAS-3 measurements, the SAGE II (Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment II) version 6.2 water vapor profiles exhibit significant improvements over earlier versions of data products. A previously reported SAGE II dry bias in the lower stratosphere relative to ATMOS version 3 data set has been effectively eliminated. In the new version, the agreement between SAGE II and ATMOS is generally within 15% with no systematic biases throughout the entire altitude range of 12 km to 40 km. The only exception is the situation for which 1020-nm aerosol extinctions exceed the recommended upper limit of 3 × 10−4 km−1. Based on the comparisons, the reported uncertainties for SAGE II water vapor mixing ratios appear to be over-estimated by a factor of 2 to 3 for the lower stratosphere.
Developmental Play Therapy: A Treatment Approach for Child Victims of Sexual Molestation

The author describes the use of developmental play therapy as a treatment approach for young children who have been sexually molested.
The seasonal variation of ozone density in the Martian atmosphere

A one-dimensional, time-dependent model has been developed to investigate seasonal variations in ozone density in the Martian atmosphere. The model utilizes data for atmospheric temperature, pressure, and water vapor abundance observed by Viking. The results indicate that a high ozone density is not produced near the winter solstice but is in rather late winter, when the amount of water vapor is still small and the solar radiation can penetrate more deeply. A similar condition met in early winter does not necessarily produce a high ozone density because of the predicted higher HO2 density. Seasonal variations in ozone abundance are discussed in terms of the abundances of H2O and H2 and the seasonal variations in their reaction products H2O2 and HOx. The roles of transport, the effects of ozone loss to the surface, and the differences between northern and southern hemisphere ozone distributions are also discussed.
Dedifferentiation and the role of sall4 in reprogramming and patterning during amphibian limb regeneration.

A central feature of epimorphic regeneration during amphibian limb regeneration is cellular dedifferentiation. Two questions are discussed. First, what is the origin and nature of the soluble factors involved in triggering local cellular and tissue dedifferentiation? Secondly, what role does the key stem cell transcription factor Sall4 play in reprogramming gene expression during dedifferentiation? The pattern of Sall4 expression during Xenopus hindlimb regeneration is consistent with the hypothesis that Sall4 plays a role in dedifferentiation (reprogramming) and in maintaining limb blastema cells in an undifferentiated state. Sall4 is involved in maintenance of ESC pluripotency, is a major repressor of differentiation, plays a major role in reprogramming differentiated cells into iPSCs, and is a component of the stemness regulatory circuit of pluripotent ESCs and iPSCs. These functions suggest Sall4 as an excellent candidate to regulate reprogramming events that produce and maintain dedifferentiated blastema cells required for epimorphic regeneration. Developmental Dynamics 240:979–989, 2011. V C 2011 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Vitamin D Status: Measurement, Interpretation, and Clinical Application

Vitamin D, the sunshine vitamin, is now recognized not only for its importance in promoting bone health in children and adults but also for other health benefits, including reducing the risk of chronic diseases such as autoimmune diseases, common cancer, and cardiovascular disease. Vitamin D made in the skin or ingested in the diet is biologically inert and requires 2 successive hydroxylations first in the liver on carbon 25 to form 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D], and then in the kidney for a hydroxylation on carbon 1 to form the biologically active form of vitamin D, 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D [1,25(OH)2D]. With the identification of 25(OH)D and 1,25(OH)2D, methods were developed to measure these metabolites in the circulation. Serum 25(OH)D is the barometer for vitamin D status. Serum 1,25(OH)2D provides no information about vitamin D status and is often normal or even increased as the result of secondary hyperparathyroidism associated with vitamin D deficiency. Most experts agree that 25(OH)D of 30 ng/mL to take full advantage of all the health benefits that vitamin D provides.
Behaviour and effects of prescribed fire in masticated fuelbeds

Mechanical mastication converts shrub and small tree fuels into surface fuels, and this method is being widely used as a treatment to reduce fire hazard. The compactness of these fuelbeds is thought to moderate fire behaviour, but whether standard fuel models can accurately predict fire behaviour and effects is poorly understood. Prescribed burns were conducted in young ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa Laws.) forests at two sites in northern California where the midstorey layer dominated by shrubs had been masticated. Surface fuels were raked from the base of a subset of trees before burning. Rate of spread and flame length were estimated for both backing and heading fires, soil heating measured with thermocouples and tree fire injury recorded. Standard fuel models often over-predicted rate of spread or under-predicted flame length. Custom models generally provided a better balance between the slow rates of spread and moderate flame lengths observed in prescribed burns. Post-fire tree mortality was most strongly associated with crown scorch and tree size; raking fuels from the base of trees did not improve survival. Under severe fire weather conditions, fire behaviour and effect models as well as observations from wildfires suggest that mastication may be more effective for moderating fire behaviour than reducing residual tree mortality. Treating masticated fuels with prescribed burns could potentially improve the resilience of stands to wildfire.
Critical thresholds in hyperbolic relaxation systems

Article history: Received 8 August 2008 Available online 18 April 2009 Critical threshold phenomena in one-dimensional 2 × 2q uasi-linear hyperbolic relaxation systems are investigated. Assuming both the subcharacteristic condition and genuine nonlinearity of the flux, we prove global in time regularity and finite-time singularity formation of solutions simultaneously by showing the critical threshold phenomena associated with the underlying relaxation systems. Our results apply to the well-known isentropic Euler system with damping. Within the same framework it is also shown that the solution of the semi-linear relaxation system remains smooth for all time, provided the subcharacteristic condition is satisfied.
Funding in the emergency medicine literature: 1985 to 1992.

Study objective: To examine the rate and source of funding of research articles published in the emergency medicine literature. Design: Review of all nonmilitary US research articles published in Annals of Emergency Medicine, American Journal of Emergency Medicine , and Journal of Emergency Medicine during the years 1985 and 1992. Methods: Data on research methodology, number of authors, number of institutions, and funding source were collected. Measurements and main results: One hundred sixty-nine articles met the entry criteria published in 1985, and 207 met the criteria in 1992. Retrospective studies, case series, clinical trials, and laboratory studies were the most common research methodologies in both years. The number of multicenter studies increased between the two years ( P Conclusion: The majority of research articles published in the three journals during the two years did not list a source of funding. This is in contrast to other specialties, in which the majority of published research is funded. The emergency medicine literature relies more heavily on private industry funding than does the literature of other specialties.
Progesterone reverses the mesenchymal phenotypes of basal phenotype breast cancer cells via a membrane progesterone receptor mediated pathway

Introduction Basal phenotype breast cancers (BPBC) are often associated with apparent epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT). The role of progesterone (P4) in regulating EMT of BPBC has not been reported.
Responsiveness of motion sensors to detect change in sedentary and physical activity behaviour

Background The purpose of this study was to determine the responsiveness of two motion sensors to detect change in sedentary behaviour (SB) and physical activity (PA) during an occupational intervention to reduce sitting time. Methods SB and PA were assessed using a hip-worn Actigraph GTX3 (AG) and a thigh-worn activPAL (AP) during three consecutive workdays throughout baseline and intervention periods. Mean scores at baseline and intervention were estimated by hierarchical linear models (HLM) with robust SEs, adjusting for random variance of average scores between participants. Change scores (mean baseline minus mean intervention) were calculated for each device. Response to change was assessed for each device using the standardised response mean. Results 67 adults (45±11 years; 29.3±7.7 kg/m 2 ) wore the acceleration-based motion sensors for 8.3 (SD=1.2) and 8.3 (SD=1.1) h during the baseline and intervention periods, respectively. HLM showed that AP sitting/lying time (−16.5 min, −5%), AP stepping (+7.5 min, 19%), AP steps/day (+838 steps/day, +22%), AP sit-to-stand transitions (+3, +10%), AG SB (−14.6 min, −4%), AG lifestyle moderate-intensity PA (LMPA, +4 min, +15%) and AG MPA (+3 min, 23%) changed significantly between the baseline and the intervention period. Standardised response means for AP sitting/lying time, stepping, steps/day, sit-to-stand transitions and AG SB, LMPA and MPA were above 0.3, indicating a small but similar responsiveness to change. Conclusions Responsiveness to change in SB and PA was similar and comparable for the AP and AG, indicating agreement across both measurement devices.
Interrelations of Age, Visual Acuity, and Cognitive Functioning

It has recently been suggested that a large proportion of the age-related influences on many measures of cognitive functioning is mediated through a single common factor. This hypothesis has been supported by the discovery that much of the age-related variance in different cognitive measures is shared, and is not distinct or independent. These earlier results were replicated in this project, and it was also discovered that measures of corrected visual acuity and processing speed share a very large proportion of the age-related variance in measures of working memory, associative learning, and concept identification. The apparent implication is that the common factor that appears to contribute to age-related differences in many cognitive measures is quite broad and may reflect a relatively general reduction in central nervous system functioning.
A New Method of Quantitative Fecal Fat Microscopy and Its Correlation With Chemically Measured Fecal Fat Output

Fecal fat microscopy using the Sudan stain has suffered from a relative lack of specificity, and results are “qualitative.” Therefore, we developed a quantitative fecal fat microscopic method with hopes of improving diagnostic accuracy. One hundred eighty patients with chronic diarrhea collected stools for 1 to 3 days, and fecal fat output was measured by a standard chemical method, and microscopy was performed by the old qualitative and new quantitative methods. There was a highly statistically significant linear correlation between quantitative fecal fat microscopy and chemically measured fecal fat output. The quantitative microscopic method had a sensitivity of 94% and a specificity of 95%; the traditional method had a sensitivity and specificity of 76% and 99%, respectively. Fecal fat Sudan microscopy performed by a dedicated approach to counting and size measurement of fat globules can yield a quantitative result that correlates well with chemically measured fecal fat output and has a high diagnostic accuracy. Patients with chronic diarrhea should be evaluated for nutrient malabsorption because if present, diagnostic pursuits and disease possibilities are very different from those when malabsorption is absent. For more than 50 years, the “gold standard” for detection of malabsorptive states has been a 72-hour quantitative stool collection measured for its fatty acid content by the titration method of van de Kamer et al. 1 With this test, fecal excretion of greater than 7 g/d of fat is considered abnormal, 1-4 although in the setting of diarrhea, as much as 14 g/d may be excreted by healthy persons. 4 Although quantitating fecal weight and fat can provide vital information for the approach to patients with chronic diarrhea, performing this test is difficult logistically for centers unaccustomed to the procedure and usually abhorred by patients and laboratory technicians. Moreover, for patients with chronic diarrhea, the test is complicated further by bowel movement frequencies that may reach 20 or more per day and/or fecal volumes as high as 2 or 3 L per day, both of which decrease the likelihood that patients will collect all of the fecal effluent they pass. 5,6 This is problematic because daily fecal fat output is a calculated value derived from the measured fat concentration and average daily fecal weight; consequently, its accuracy depends on the completeness of the collection, and missed fecal specimens lead to underestimation of the true amount of fecal fat excretion. For these reasons, physicians evaluating chronic diarrhea often avoid tests for steatorrhea altogether, blindly pursuing possible causes of malabsorption, or resort to the more simple screening method of fecal fat microscopy. Like van de Kamer’s original method of fecal fat quantitation, the method of fecal fat microscopy by Drummey et al 7
Predicting Post–External Beam Radiation Therapy PSA Relapse of Prostate Cancer Using Pretreatment MRI

Purpose To investigate whether pretreatment endorectal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings can predict biochemical relapse in patients with clinically localized prostate cancer treated with external beam radiation therapy (EBRT). Methods and Materials Between January 2000 and January 2002, 224 patients (median age, 69 years; age range, 45–82 years) with biopsy-proven prostate cancer underwent endorectal MRI before high-dose (≥81Gy) EBRT. The value of multiple clinical and MRI variables in predicting prostate-specific antigen (PSA) relapse at 5 years was determined by use of univariate and multivariate stepwise Cox regression. Clinical variables included pretreatment PSA, clinical T stage, Gleason score, use of neoadjuvant hormonal therapy, and radiation dose. Magnetic resonance imaging variables, derived from retrospective consensus readings by two radiologists, were used to measure intraprostatic and extraprostatic tumor burden. Results After a median follow-up of 67 months, PSA relapse developed in 37 patients (16.5%). The significant predictors of PSA relapse on univariate analysis were pretreatment PSA, clinical T stage, and multiple MRI variables, including MRI TN stage score; extracapsular extension (ECE) status; number of sextants involved by ECE, all lesions, or index (dominant) lesion; apical involvement; and diameter and volume of index lesion. Pretreatment PSA and ECE status were the only significant independent predictors on multivariate analysis ( p Conclusions Magnetic resonance imaging findings can be used to predict post-EBRT PSA relapse, with ECE status on MRI and pretreatment PSA being significant independent predictors of this endpoint.
Turner syndrome associated with acquired von Willebrand disease, primary biliary cirrhosis, and inflammatory bowel disease

We report a unique case of Turner syndrome associated with acquired von Willebrand disease (AvWD), primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC), and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). During 7 years of close follow-up, the patient presented with multiple major episodes of upper and lower gastrointestinal bleeding caused by different pathogenic mechanisms, such as IBD, AvWD, gastric varices, and thrombocytopenia. AvWD mimicking familial vWD type III on laboratory testing was most probably triggered by autoimmune mechanism associated with PBC. Therapy of PBC with ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) resulted in significant decrease of liver enzymes followed by normalization of vWF and FVIII levels. Portosystemic shunt placement with ligation of gastric varices improved hypersplenism and severe thrombocytopenia and led to clinical stability for more than 24 months. The clinicopathological features of these disorders and of the recurrent bleeding episodes are discussed in the text along with a review of the literature.
A Micromechanical Parallel-Class Disk-Array Filter

A method for realizing a high-order on-chip filter response that combines two fourth-order (i.e., two-pole) micro-mechanically-coupled MEMS-based disk-array sub-filters in a parallel configuration has been used to demonstrate a 163-MHz eighth-order (i.e., four-pole) bandpass filter with a 0.16%-bandwidth insertion loss of 2.73 dB, a 20 dB shape factor of only 1.78, and a termination impedance of only 4 kOmega, which is considerably smaller (i.e., better) than that achievable by a parallel combination of single disk resonators. The key to achieving such performance is the use of two capacitively-transduced disk-array composite sub-filters instead of the usual two stand-alone resonators used in previous parallel filter renditions. Here, the use of 275 mum times 360 mum sub-filters, each comprised of coupled radial-contour mode disk arrays, allows a combining of in-phase outputs to substantially raise output currents towards a 50times reduction in motional impedance versus that of a single disk resonator under the same operating conditions. This then lowers the termination impedance required by the overall filter, facilitating the ease with which other components can match to it, and thereby alleviating one of the primary drawbacks of capacitively-transduced micromechanical filters. By utilizing more than 128 disks and mechanical links, the 560 mum x 360 mum filter of this work comprises a true medium-scale integrated (MSI) mechanical circuit on a chip.
Initial characterization of a modular heat exchanger with an integral heat pipe

A conceptual design for a Stirling space engine for future NASA missions uses 40 modular heat exchangers, each with its own integral heat pipe to transport heat to the engine. An existing free-piston Stirling engine was modified to serve as a testbed for evaluating the heat-exchanger modules. The design and fabrication of the modules and the engine used for these tests are discussed. Evaluation of the individual heat pipes before installation in the engine is described. The initial test results with the modules in operation on the engine are presented. The results show that the heat exchangers operate successful on the engine. Measured characteristics of the heat pipes agree well with the analytical models. Temperature drops and the conditions at which the sonic limit is encountered also agree with the models. Future test plans are outlined. >
Isolation and characterization of ichthyosan from tuna vitreous.

Ichthyosan has been prepared from tuna vitreous. Glucuronic acid was found to account for the total uronic acid content of the macromolecule, while the hexosamine content was a mixture of N-acetyl-glucosamine and N-acetyl-galactosamine. When ichthyosan was gel filtered on Sepharose 2B or Sephacryl S-300, using sodium or calcium chloride, the elution profile of the column gave only one peak indicating no separation between glucosamine and galactosamine containing fractions. Similar results were obtained when ichthyosan was chromatographed on DEAE-cellulose using a salt gradient both in the presence and absence of 7.0 M urea. When ichthyosan was gel filtered in 4.0 M guanidine-HCL and subsequently chromatographed on DEAE-Sephacel or DEAE-cellulose, three well separated fractions were present. The two major fractions (II and III) were characterized as chondroitin and hyaluronic acid respectively; while fraction I representing about 3–5% of the total polysaccharide content of ichthyosan was identified as a ke...
Schooling Investments and Aggregate Conditions: A Household-Survey-Based Approach for Latin America and the Caribbean

Schooling is a major factor in economic development. There is a large empirical literature on what determines schooling attainment. But most of this literature uses micro data to explore connections between schooling attainment and family background and experiences, local markets, local schools and other community characteristics. These studies generally have not linked schooling attainment closely to changes in aggregate economic conditions. This paper uses a new high quality data set for 18 Latin American and Caribbean countries to assess the effects of macro conditions on schooling attainment. Household survey data are used to construct a quasi panel with information on attainment for birth cohorts born between 1930 and 1970, which is merged with country-specific aggregate data. We use the data to document schooling progress in Latin America and estimate multivariate relations for schooling attainment by birth cohorts as related to sets of variables for macroeconomic stability, factor endowments, demographic developments, institutions and culture and religion. These estimates are used to decompose the change in schooling progress by decade, and to explore the causes of the slowdown in schooling accumulation in the region since the 1980s debt crisis.
Physicochemical properties of highly conductive urea–EtMeImCl melts

Urea-EtMeImCl mixtures have melting points from 333 to 363 K at 10-80 mol% urea, and, at temperatures >343 K, these melts show the highest conductivity reported to date for urea-based binary melts.
Working memory capacity: Attention control, secondary memory, or both? A direct test of the dual-component model

The current study examined the extent to which attention control abilities, secondary memory abilities, or both accounted for variation in working memory capacity (WMC) and its relation to fluid intelligence. Participants performed various attention control, secondary memory, WMC, and fluid intelligence measures. Confirmatory factor analyses suggested that attention control, secondary memory, and WMC were best represented as three separate, yet correlated factors, each of which was correlated with fluid intelligence. Structural equation modeling suggested that both attention control and secondary memory accounted for unique variance in WMC. Furthermore, structural equation modeling and variance partitioning analyses suggested that a substantial part of the shared variance between WMC and fluid intelligence was due to both attention control and secondary memory abilities. Working memory capacity also accounted for variance in fluid intelligence independently of what was accounted for by the other two factors. The results are interpreted within a dual-component model of WMC which suggests that both attention control and secondary memory abilities (as well as other abilities) are important components of WMC.
Variable selection for discriminant analysis with Markov random field priors for the analysis of microarray data

Motivation: Discriminant analysis is an effective tool for the classification of experimental units into groups. Here, we consider the typical problem of classifying subjects according to phenotypes via gene expression data and propose a method that incorporates variable selection into the inferential procedure, for the identification of the important biomarkers. To achieve this goal, we build upon a conjugate normal discriminant model, both linear and quadratic, and include a stochastic search variable selection procedure via an MCMC algorithm. Furthermore, we incorporate into the model prior information on the relationships among the genes as described by a gene–gene network. We use a Markov random field (MRF) prior to map the network connections among genes. Our prior model assumes that neighboring genes in the network are more likely to have a joint effect on the relevant biological processes. Results: We use simulated data to assess performances of our method. In particular, we compare the MRF prior to a situation where independent Bernoulli priors are chosen for the individual predictors. We also illustrate the method on benchmark datasets for gene expression. Our simulation studies show that employing the MRF prior improves on selection accuracy. In real data applications, in addition to identifying markers and improving prediction accuracy, we show how the integration of existing biological knowledge into the prior model results in an increased ability to identify genes with strong discriminatory power and also aids the interpretation of the results. Contact: [email protected]
Review: Daily aspirin reduces short-term risk for cancer and cancer mortality

Source Citation Rothwell PM, Price JF, Fowkes FG, et al. Short-term effects of daily aspirin on cancer incidence, mortality, and non-vascular death: analysis of the time course of risks and benefit...
Digestive enzymes of the desert millipede Orthoporus ornatus (Girard) (Diplopoda: Spirostreptidae)

Abstract 1. 1. Chemical and paper-chromatography analysis of salivary glands, and of gut tissues and contents indicated the presence of enzymes that hydrolyze α- and β-glucosides. α- and β-galactosides. starch cellulose, xylan, pectin, chitin. lipids, and amino-tripeptides. 2. 2. The midgut is the center of digestive activities. 3. 3. The salivary glands and foregut have a slightly basic pH. the hindgut is strongly basic, and the midgut is acidic.
The Failure of Democracy in Argentina 1916–1930: An Institutional Perspective

This article draws attention to the importance of institutional structures to the stability opf demoratic regimes through an examination of the failure of democracy in the case of Argentina between 1912 and 1930. The analysis of a single case does not make a theory. but it seems clear that a focus on the Argentine case does force one to look at institutional factors that have largely been neglected in recent research.
Different Types of nsP3-Containing Protein Complexes in Sindbis Virus-Infected Cells

Alphaviruses represent a serious public health threat and cause a wide variety of diseases, ranging from severe encephalitis, which can result in death or neurological sequelae, to mild infection, characterized by fever, skin rashes, and arthritis. In the infected cells, alphaviruses express only four nonstructural proteins, which function in the synthesis of virus-specific RNAs and in modification of the intracellular environment. The results of our study suggest that Sindbis virus (SINV) infection in BHK-21 cells leads to the formation of at least two types of nsP3-containing complexes, one of which was found in association with the plasma membrane and endosome-like vesicles, while the second was coisolated with cell nuclei. The latter complexes could be solubilized only with the cytoskeleton-destabilizing detergent. Besides viral nsPs, in the mammalian cells, both complexes contained G3BP1 and G3BP2 (which were found in different ratios), YBX1, and HSC70. Rasputin, an insect cell-specific homolog of G3BP1, was found in the nsP3-containing complexes isolated from mosquito cells, which was suggestive of a high conservation of the complexes in the cells of both vertebrate and invertebrate origin. The endosome- and plasma membrane-associated complexes contained a high concentration of double-stranded RNAs (dsRNAs), which is indicative of their function in viral-RNA synthesis. The dsRNA synthesis is likely to efficiently proceed on the plasma membrane, and at least some of the protein-RNA complexes would then be transported into the cytosol in association with the endosome-like vesicular organelles. These findings provide new insight into the mechanism of SINV replication and virus-host cell interactions.
Metal Substitution and Fluorescence Modifications in Ascorbate-Alkaline Phosphatase Interaction

Alkaline phosphatase (EC 3.1.3.1), a zinc metallo-enzyme, is irreversibly inhibited by ascorbate, probably through a modification of active site environment (Martorana et al., 1986; Miggiano et al., 1984). A metal substituted form was prepared from bovine kidney alkaline phosphatase purchased from Calbiochem (La Jolla, CA, U.S.A.) and further purified as described (Martorana et al., 1986). Cobalt can replace zinc yielding a partially active phosphohydrolase, which lacks phosphotransferase activity (Ensinger et al., 1978) and presents a relevant visible absorption (Simpson and Vallee, 1968).
Francis Bacon and the Germans: Stories from when 'science' meant 'Wissenschaft'

Given that translation is always an imperfect process, why do people single out certain words as simply untranslatable? This article looks at one such supposedly untranslatable term, the German word Wissenschaft. Rather than take the word’s status as a given, it examines the historical processes through which Wissenschaft came to be seen as a word impossible to render into English. The article examines a mid-nineteenth century debate about Francis Bacon to show that as late as the 1860s “science” and “Wissenschaft” were still treated as comparable terms. Wissenschaft began to seem untranslatable only later in the nineteenth century, as part of a critique that set German national character in opposition to the supposedly shallow materialism of the British. After this initial divergence, scholars in the twentieth century continued to elaborate on the difference between the terms, with lasting implications for our retrospective understandings of nineteenth-century intellectual life.
60 Intravenous Ondansetron and the QT Interval in Adult Emergency Department Patients: An Observational Study

Study ObjectiveOndansetron is known to cause QT interval prolongation, but this effect and clinical significance has not been prospectively studied in adult emergency department patients. Our primary objective is to determine the mean maximal corrected QT (QTc) prolongation after intravenous adminis
Image Processing and Localization for Detecting and Tracking Wildland Fires

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) are being used for a wide variety of applications including detecting and tracking wildland fires. Using UAVs for fire-fighting purposes reduces the human involvement for this high risk job. Such a mission involves locating the wildland fire, tracking the direction of spread of the fire and searching for human presence in the region. This paper investigates the algorithmic development for the use of UAVs to detect and track wildland fires. This would involve using the fuzzy toolbox in MATLAB along with MICRODEM, a software which provides the Digital Elevation Model (DEM) for the region. The objective of this research is to accomplish the following: 1) use genetic fuzzy based image processing tools to identify fire from the video feed obtained from the camera attached to the UAV in real time 2) look for human presence in the region and 3) estimate the location of the fire based on the geological data available for the region.Copyright © 2015 by ASME
Microelectrode Arrays: A General Strategy for Using Oxidation Reactions To Site Selectively Modify Electrode Surfaces

Oxidation reactions are powerful tools for synthesis because they allow for the functionalization of molecules. Here, we present a general method for conducting these reactions on a microelectrode array in a site-selective fashion. The reactions are run as a competition between generation of a chemical oxidant at the electrodes in the array and reduction of the oxidant by a “confining agent” in the solution above the array. The “confining agent” does not need to be more reactive than the substrate fixed to the surface of the array. In many cases, the same substrate placed on the surface of the array can also be used in solution as the confining agent.
Tobacco Budworm: Selection for Resistance to Methyl Parathion from a Field-Collected Strain

Throughout 21 generations, a selected strain of Heliothis virescens (F.) exhibited greater resistance to methyl parathion than a nonselected strain. In crosses of selected and nonselected insects, the male parent from the selected strain produced more resistant offspring than the female parent from this strain. An estimate of heritability of resistance made for generations 1 to 6 of the selected strain indicated that 78% of the variation was due to additive gene action. Selection with an 80% lethal dose was applied to eight generations, but the response for resistance weakened in the later generations.
Can the eastern red-backed salamander (Plethodon cinereus) persist in an acidified landscape?

Hardwood forests of eastern North America have experienced decades of acidic deposition, leading to soil acidification where base cation supply was insufficient to neutralize acid inputs. Negative impacts of soil acidity on amphibians include disrupted embryonic development, lower growth rates, and habitat loss. However, some amphibians exhibit intraspecific variation in acid tolerance, suggesting the potential for local adaptation in areas where soils are naturally acidic. The eastern red-backed salamander (Plethodon cinereus) is a highly abundant top predator of the northern hardwood forest floor. Early research found that P. cinereus was sensitive to acidic soils, avoiding substrates with pH < 3.8 and experiencing decreased growth rates in acidic habitats. However, recent studies have documented P. cinereus populations in lower pH conditions than previously observed, suggesting some populations may persist in acidic conditions. Here, we evaluated relationships between organic horizon soil pH and P. cinereus abundance, adult health (body size and condition), and microhabitat selection, based on surveys of 34 hardwood forests in northeastern United States that encompass a regional soil pH gradient. We found no associations between soil pH and P. cinereus abundance or health, and observed that this salamander used substrates with pH similar to that available, suggesting that pH does not mediate their fine-scale distributions. The strongest negative predictor of P. cinereus abundance was the presence of dusky salamanders (Desmognathus spp.), which were most abundant in the western Adirondacks. Our results indicate that P. cinereus occupies a wider range of soil pH than has been previously thought, which has implications for their functional role in forest food webs and nutrient cycles in acid-impaired ecosystems. Tolerance of P. cinereus for more acidic habitats, including anthropogenically acidified forests, may be due to local adaptation in reproductively isolated populations and/or generalist life history traits that allow them to exploit a wider resource niche.
College Students’ Therapy Preferences: The Role of Psychological Mindedness

ABSTRACTThe current study examined expectations and preferences of psychotherapy approach in 225 college students. Psychodynamic-interpersonal (PI) techniques were generally favored over cognitive-behavioral (CB) techniques both in expectations of what is characteristic of a typical therapy session and perceived helpfulness. There was no difference in findings between therapy naive college students and those with a history of psychotherapy. Psychological mindedness was correlated with PI ratings, but not CB ratings. College counselors may want to emphasize emotional and relational strategies when working with college students and may benefit from examining the psychological mindedness of new clients to assist with determining their treatment plan.
VEGF Receptor-2-Linked PI3K/Calpain/SIRT1 Activation Mediates Retinal Arteriolar Dilations to VEGF and Shear Stress.

Purpose Vasomotor responses of retinal arterioles to luminal flow/shear stress and VEGF have a critical role in governing retinal blood flow possibly via nitric oxide synthase (NOS) activation. However, the cellular mechanism for flow-sensitive vasomotor activity in relation to VEGF signaling in retinal arterioles has not been characterized. We used an isolated vessel approach to specifically address this issue. Methods Porcine retinal arterioles were isolated, cannulated, and pressurized to 55 cm H2O luminal pressure by two independent reservoir systems. Luminal flow was increased stepwise by creating hydrostatic pressure gradients across two reservoirs. Diameter changes and associated signaling mechanisms corresponding to increased flow and VEGF receptor 2 (VEGFR2) activation were assessed using videomicroscopic, pharmacological, and molecular tools. Results Retinal arterioles developed basal tone under zero-flow condition and dilated concentration-dependently to VEGF165. Stepwise increases in flow produced graded vasodilation. Vasodilations to VEGF165 and increased flow were abolished by endothelial removal, and inhibited by pharmacological blockade of VEGFR2, NOS, phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K), calpains, or sirtuin-1 (SIRT1) deacetylase. A VEGF165 antibody blocked vasodilation to VEGF165 but not flow. Immunostaining indicated that VEGFR2 was expressed in the endothelial and smooth muscle layers of retinal arterioles. Conclusions Ligand-dependent and ligand-independent activation of VEGFR2 in the endothelium mediates NO-dependent dilations of porcine retinal arterioles in response to VEGF165 and luminal flow/shear stress, respectively. It appears that NOS stimulation via PI3K, calpain proteases, and SIRT1-dependent deacetylation downstream from VEGFR2 activation contributes to these vasodilator responses.
Quality control in the radiopharmacy

This is the first of a series of four continuing education articles on radiopharmaceuticals. (This topic was developed in response to the results of the Journal’s 1983 reader survey.) The radiopharmaceutical series will discuss quality control in the radiopharmacy, development of new radiopharmaceuticals and their applications, including gold-195m and iodine-123 amphetamines, preparation and imaging of indium-III-labeled leukocytes, and radiopharmaceuticals for renal imaging. After reading and studying this article, the nuclear medicine technologist will be familiar with NRC and USPNF regulations that apply to the radiopharmacy, and able to review the radiopharmacy quality control program at his or her institution to insure compliance.
Mood-Sensitive Truth Discovery For Reliable Recommendation Systems in Social Sensing

This work is motivated by the need to provide reliable information recommendation to users in social sensing. Social sensing has become an emerging application paradigm that uses humans as sensors to observe and report events in the physical world. These human sensed observations are often viewed as binary claims (either true or false). A fundamental challenge in social sensing is how to ascertain the credibility of claims and the reliability of sources without knowing either of them a priori. We refer to this challenge as truth discovery. While prior works have made progress on addressing this challenge, an important limitation exists: they did not explore the mood sensitivity aspect of the problem. Therefore, the claims identified as correct by current solutions can be completely biased in regards to the mood of human sources and lead to useless or even misleading recommendations. In this paper, we present a new analytical model that explicitly considers the mood sensitivity feature in the solution of truth discovery problem. The new model solves a multi-dimensional estimation problem to jointly estimate the correctness and mood neutrality of claims as well as the reliability and mood sensitivity of sources. We compare our model with state-of-the-art truth discovery solutions using four real world datasets collected from Twitter during recent disastrous and emergent events: Brussels Bombing, Paris Attack, Oregon Shooting, Baltimore Riots, which occurred in 2015 and 2016. The results show that our model has significant improvements over the compared baselines by finding more correct and mood neutral claims.
Tailoring Performance of Polymer Electrolytes Through Formulation Design

The flammable organic solvent-based electrolytes used in lithium batteries impose serious safety concerns and temperature restrictions. A switch to solid polymer electrolytes can significantly increase chemical/mechanical stability, improve safety, reduce cost, and advance manufacturability, if only issues such as low conductivity and transference, limited operating temperature range, and insufficient mechanical strength can be overcome. To this end, significant research efforts have been directed to understand the mechanism of lithium ion motion in polymer matrices and to modify the chemistry, architecture, and morphology of the poly(ethylene oxide) polymer typically used in polymer electrolytes. Furthermore, the incorporation of nanoparticles into polymer electrolytes has created new opportunities for simultaneous improvement of conductivity and of mechanical properties. The performance of such composite polymer electrolytes can be modulated by the judicious surface chemical modification of the nanoparticles and/or by the addition of organic solvents or ionic liquids. The examples highlighted here point to the importance of formulation design for the improvement of the performance characteristics of multi-component systems such as polymer electrolytes.
Abstract 4511: HIF-1-dependent regulation of creatine kinase metabolism promotes breast cancer invasion and metastasis

Dysregulated tumor cell metabolism is a hallmark of cancer progression and therapeutic resistance. In a screen for Hypoxia-Inducible Factor (HIF)-dependent genes regulating metabolism, we identified creatine kinase, brain isoform (CKB) as down-regulated in HIF-1 knockout mammary tumor cells. Creatine kinases (CKs) reversibly catalyze the transfer of a high-energy phosphoryl group from ATP to creatine, generating phosphocreatine in the forward reaction, and ATP in the reverse reaction. CKs are up-regulated in a variety of solid tumors, including ovarian, breast, colon, lung and brain. Knockdown of CKB in the polyoma middle T (PyMT) transgenic mouse model of metastatic breast cancer suppressed the production of intracellular ATP and invasion in vitro, and inhibited metastasis from the mammary gland to the lung in vivo. CK activity is known to be inhibited by cyclocreatine, a creatine kinase substrate that represses CK-dependent generation of ATP from phosphocreatine. When female FVB/Nj mice were injected with wild type PyMT cells in a tail vein assay and then treated with cCr (1g/kg/day, IP), lung metastasis was repressed to the same extent as Ckb gene knockdown. Moreover, when cCr therapy was administered 7 days after tail vein injection, cCr was effective in preventing the transition of lung micrometastases to macrometastases. To explore the role of CK activity in regulating cell proliferation, survival in suspension, cellular metabolism and invasion, we next created CKB loss- and gain-of-function models using human breast cancer cell lines, and compared phenotypes to cCr treatment. Whereas deletion of CKB had no effect on cell proliferation or survival in adherent conditions or in suspension, either deletion of CKB or cCr therapy potently reduced ATP levels and invasive potential in vitro. Preliminary data also indicate that pre-treatment of triple negative breast cancer cell lines with cCr sensitizes cells to doxorubicin. Together, these data suggest that inhibition of CK activity may be effective in treating stage IV breast cancer. We are currently testing whether cCr has anti-metastatic efficacy as a monotherapy, or in combination with conventional chemotherapies, using luciferase-labeled patient-derived xenograft (PDX) models. This work was sponsored by the NIH (CA138488), the Dept. of Defense (BC150640), the METAvivor foundation, and the West Cancer Center in Memphis, TN. Citation Format: Hilaire Barch, Danielle L. Brooks, Raya Krutilina, Luciana P. Schwab, Deanna Parke, Tiffany N. Seagroves. HIF-1-dependent regulation of creatine kinase metabolism promotes breast cancer invasion and metastasis [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2017; 2017 Apr 1-5; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 4511. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2017-4511