cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Collective protection and transport in entangled biological and robotic active matter

Living systems at all scales aggregate in large numbers for a variety of functions including mating, predation, and survival. The majority of such systems consist of unconnected individuals that collectively flock, school or swarm. However some aggregations involve physically entangled individuals, which can confer emergent mechanofunctional material properties to the collective. Here we study in laboratory experiments and rationalize in theoretical and robotic models the dynamics of physically entangled and motile self-assemblies of centimeter long California blackworms (L. Variegatus). Thousands of individual worms form braids with their long, slender and flexible bodies to make a three-dimensional, soft and shape-shifting ‘blob’. The blob behaves as a living material capable of mitigating damage and assault from environmental stresses through dynamic shape transformations, including minimizing surface area for survival against desiccation and enabling transport (negative thermotaxis) from hazardous environments (like heat). We specifically focus on the locomotion of the blob to understand how an amorphous entangled ball of worms is able to break symmetry to move across a substrate. We hypothesize that the collective blob displays rudimentary differentiation of function across itself, which when combined with entanglement dynamics facilitates directed persistent blob locomotion. To test this, we develop robophysical blobs, which display emergent locomotion in the collective without sophisticated control or programming of any individual robot. The emergent dynamics of the living functional blob and robophysical model can inform the rational design of exciting new classes of adaptive mechanofunctional living materials and emergent swarm robotics. Significance Statement Living organisms form collectives across all scales, from bacteria to whales, enabling biological functions not accessible by individuals alone. In a few small cases, the individuals are physically connected to each other, forming to a new class of entangled active matter systems with emergent mechanofunctionalities of the collective. Here, we describe the dynamics of macroscopic aquatic worms that braid their long, soft bodies to form large entangled worm blobs. We discover that the worm blob behaves as a living material to undergo dynamic shape transformations to reduce evaporation or break-symmetry and locomote to safety against thermal stresses. We show that the persistent blob locomotion emerges as a consequence of physical entanglement and functional differentiation of individuals based on spatial location within a blob. We validate these principles in robophysical swarming blobs, that pave the way for new classes of mechanofunctional active matter systems and collective emergent robotics.
Huntington, Janowitz, or None of the Above? Conceptions of Professional Norms by Future Army Officers

Through a survey of 1,470 cadets at the U.S. Military Academy, we measure the strength of civil-military norms in the midst of their socialization to civil-military values. In addition, we use an embedded list experiment to measure true preferences to controversial questions in civil-military affairs, such as competing loyalties to democratic governance. To analyze cadet adherence to norms we first articulate a framework of various conceptions of professionalism. While cadets do not exhibit adherence to one particular framework, we find limited adherence to a purist Huntington model, and more of a conflicted reading of Huntington, as well as selectivity and superficiality in their commitment to norms, largely driven by their own partisan preferences. Lastly, we find concerning evidence that a significant number of cadets prioritize following orders over upholding democratic traditions, justifying Janowitz’s concerns that a military separate from society could breed attitudes among military personnel antithetical to democracy.
Migrants in the profane: critical theory and the question of secularization: by Peter E. Gordon, New Haven, Yale University Press, 2020, 208 pages, $35.00 (hardcover), ISBN: 978-0-3002-5076-3.

The Frankfurt School’s considerable indebtedness to Marx’s historical materialism and Weber’s reflections on the “disenchantment of the world” make for an unexpected critical resource for thinking ...
Community-scale interaction of energy efficiency and demand flexibility in residential buildings

Abstract Demand-side management (DSM) strategies, including energy efficiency (EE) and demand flexibility (DF), contribute to cost-effective operation of the electricity grid. From a system-level perspective, such programs reduce costs, enhance reliability, and reduce network issues. Similarly, DSM programs help participating customers reduce utility bills while maintaining occupant comfort. Understanding the relationship between EE and DF is key to realizing the full potential of DSM programs. In this study, we modeled an all-electric residential community based on a 498-home community that is planned for construction in Fort Collins, Colorado in the United States. We used this community model to study the relationship between different EE measures, including building envelope upgrades and smart appliances, and DF enabled by a home energy management system (HEMS) responding to a time-varying tariff. Various EE levels in the homes – code-minimum, zero energy ready, and even higher levels of envelope efficiency – were simulated. DF is enabled by the HEMS, which coordinates behind-the-meter resources, including flexible building loads, PV, and home battery systems, to minimize utility bills while maintaining occupant comfort. When comparing to the code-minimum homes, EE upgrades alone reduce HVAC energy use during peak hours by up to 50% and the HVAC utility bill by up to $312/year. With the addition of HEMS, the average daily peak demand can be reduced by up to 0.58 MW or 1.2 kW/home in the higher envelope efficiency homes. The combination of EE upgrades, HEMS, and home battery systems is expected to save homeowners up to $590/year while increasing community load flexibility. However, HEMS and home battery systems are less effective in increasing the DF in the more efficient homes due to the lower load.
Damped and Driven Breathers and Metastability

In this article we prove the existence of a new family of periodic solutions for discrete, nonlinear Schrodinger equations subject to spatially localized driving and damping and we show numerically that they provide a more accurate approximation to metastable states in these systems than previous proposals. We also study the stability properties of these solutions and show that they fit well with a previously proposed mechanism for the emergence and persistence of metastable behavior.
Effects of Distance, Energy and Molecular Structure on Electron Transfer Rates

Electron transfer reactions are known to occur at long distances in a number of proteins. Among these are the photosynthetic reaction centers which have recently been crystallized to yield an exciting picture of an arrangement of chromophores designed to facilitate charge separation in photosynthesis. We do not yet know in detail how this structure carries out its function. We know a few of the basic principles, but some of the others still need to be learned. At Argonne National Laboratory, our research has focused on the question, “How do long distance electron transfer processes occur; at what distances can they occur; and how are they controlled by energy, distance and molecular structure?” Here, in this extended abstract, I present in a brief summary form some of our findings. I will also review some of what is known about how charged molecules interact with their surrounding medium and the way in which the dynamics of the medium can control the rates of electron transfer processes. It is plausible that similar effects occur to couple the protein dynamics to electron transfer processes occurring within proteins.
The Path to the Tax Patent Prohibition

Ellen Aprill  The Leahy-Smith America Invents Act of 2011 (“2011 Act”), like its predecessor, the Patent Act of 1952, requires patented inventions to be useful, novel, and non-obvious. Thus, the invention must not be anticipated by “prior art,” such as publications and other patents. The 2011 Act specifies that any tax strategy patent, with some limited exceptions, “shall be deemed insufficient to differentiate a claimed invention from the prior art.” That is, the 2011 Act denies patentability to tax strategy patents by creating a per se rule that they cannot satisfy the requirements of novelty and non-obviousness. This approach, however, was adopted only after other approaches proved unsuccessful. Comparing the choice ultimately made to two other possibilities clarifies the purpose of the provision as enacted. The first approach, which several professional groups endorsed in 2007, would have limited liability for infringing or inducing infringement of tax patents. Such limitation on liability would have paralleled a provision of the patent law enacted in 1996, the Physicians’ Immunity Statute, which bars patent holders from obtaining damages or injunctions against medical practitioners for infringing patents on medical procedures. Those supporting the Physicians’ Immunity Statute argued: 1) that it would be unethical for physicians to seek patents on medical procedures; 2) that the medical profession had long relied on the open exchange of information and that patents on medical procedures would affect relationships with patients; 3) that these patents would
DNA immunization and central nervous system viral infection.

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the virus infections of the central nervous system (CNS) and DNA vaccines. Mild central nervous system (CNS) symptoms, such as headache and drowsiness, can result from systemically elevated cytokine levels and therefore are common in many virus infections, even in the absence of the infection of the CNS. CNS infection is quite unusual and is initiated either as a result of the viremia or, more rarely, as a result of neural spread. The poliovirus infects the anterior horn motor neurons of the spinal cord, causing poliomyelitis, the disease for which the virus is named. DNA vaccination is a relatively new entrant in the vaccine sweepstakes, but is viewed with optimism, for a number of reasons. DNA vaccines encoding the nucleoprotein from lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus can confer protection against the normally lethal intracranial challenge. In rabies, in a mouse model, immunization with plasmids encoding the rabies glycoprotein conferred complete protection against subsequent viral challenge. Several virus-induced CNS diseases may be explained by their triggering of autoimmunity. Experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis is a well-characterized CNS disease induced by the administration of certain CNS proteins.
Isolation of molluscan gill cilia, sperm flagella, and axonemes.

Publisher Summary The detailed methods presented in this chapter on the isolation of molluscan sperm flagella are based on those outlined by Stephens and Prior for the comparison of activation mechanisms of mussel or clam gill cilia with those of sperm flagella. Blue mussels and several clam species are generally quite suitable for gill cilia preparations, but it musst be made sure that the animals are alive and healthy. The isolation of molluscan sperm flagella is also derived from methods first used with sea urchins, the basis of which is simple mechanical shear to sever the head from the tail, followed by differential centrifugation to selectively sediment the heads. In most of the isolation procedures for marine cilia and flagella, 9 + 2 axonemes are produced by solubilization of the membrane with detergents such as Triton X-100 and Nonidet P-40. In the case of sperm preparations, animals shipped during their breeding season retain a good deal of sperm within their gonads during cold shipment; only when later placed in seawater will they spawn, especially if that water is warm. The chapter discusses preparation of gill cilia and sperm flagella—the solutions needed and the procedure. There is description of the preparation of 9+2 axonemes—the solutions and the procedure involved.
Towards an Efficient Bisection of Ellipsoids

Constraints are often represented as ellipsoids. One of the main advantages of such constrains is that, in contrast to boxes, over which optimization of even quadratic functions is NP-hard, optimization of a quadratic function over an ellipsoid is feasible. Sometimes, the area described by constrains is too large, so it is reasonable to bisect this area (one or several times) and solve the optimization problem for all the sub-areas. Bisecting a box, we still get a box, but bisecting an ellipsoid, we do not get an ellipsoid. Usually, this problem is solved by enclosing the half-ellipsoid in a larger ellipsoid, but this slows down the domain reduction process. Instead, we propose to optimize the objective functions over the resulting half-, quarter, etc., ellipsoids.
Tear Film Interferometry as a Diagnostic Tool for Evaluating Normal and Dry-Eye Tear Film

The technique and method of thin film interferometry is being increasingly employed in the examination of the lipid layer of the in vivo tear film in normal and dry-eye individuals, with and without contact lenses present.1–10 This technique permits determination of the thickness of the superficial lipid layer that floats upon the normal tear film and of the fluid layer that covers the anterior surface of contact lenses. In general, these thickness estimates have been based upon the general hue (color) of the reflected interference patterns. For reasons discussed later, the determination of overall tear film thickness (i.e., from air boundary to corneal surface) is not easily accomplished, as can be verified by the work of Prydal et al.11,12
On-line medical direction: a prospective study.

Objectives: To determine the frequency with which physician, on-line medical direction (OLMD) [direct medical control] of prehospital care results in orders, to describe the nature of these orders, and to measure OLMD time intervals. Methods: Blinded, prospective study. Setting: A university hospital base-station resource center. Participants: Ten emergency physicians, 50 advanced life support providers. Interventions: Prehospital treatment was directed by both standing orders and OLMD physician orders. Independent observers recorded event times and the characteristics of OLMD. Results: Physician orders were given in 47 (19%) of the 245 study cases, and covered a variety of interventions, including many already authorized by standing orders. Mean OLMD radio time was four minutes (245 ± 216 seconds [sec]), and time from beginning of OLMD to hospital arrival averaged 12 minutes (718 ± 439 sec). Mean transport time in this system was 13 minutes. Conclusion: Despite detailed standing orders, OLMD results in orders for clinical interventions in 19% of cases. On-line medical direction requires about four minutes of physician time per call. This constituted about one-third of the potential field treatment time interval in this system. Thus, OLMD appears to play an important role in providing quality prehospital care.
Development and validation of a model to diagnose cirrhosis in patients with hepatitis C

OBJECTIVE: Although noninvasive markers predictive of cirrhosis in patients with chronic hepatitis C have been examined, none has proved sufficiently accurate for clinical use. The aim of this study was to develop an accurate model that can be easily used by clinicians to predict the probability of cirrhosis in hepatitis C patients from readily available clinical and laboratory information. METHODS: We identified 264 consecutive patients with established chronic hepatitis C infection and extracted multiple physical examination and biochemical variables (recorded before liver biopsy). Similar data were extracted from charts at another hospital. RESULTS: Logistic regression identified the following independent predictors of cirrhosis: platelet count ≤140,000/mm3, spider nevi, AST >40 IU/L, and male gender. Male and female patients with normal values for platelet count and AST and no spider nevi had low probabilities of cirrhosis: 1.8% (95% CI = 0.4–7) and 0.03% (95% CI = 0.003–0.04), respectively. Male patients with abnormal values on all three other predictors had a probability of cirrhosis of 99.8% (95% CI = 98.7–100). Over 48% of study patients had a low (≤1.8%) or a very high (≥99.8%) predicted probability of cirrhosis. The model had area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.938 (95% CI = 0.91–0.97) and 93.4% in an internal validation. The model accurately distinguished patients with and without cirrhosis (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve = 93.3%) in 102 hepatitis C patients from another hospital. CONCLUSIONS: In patients with hepatitis C, four readily available variables together predict cirrhosis accurately. Successful validation in hepatitis C patients at another hospital with lower prevalence of cirrhosis suggests this model’s potential for broad applicability.
Effects of sex and sex-role style on clinical judgment

This study investigated the effects of client and therapist sex and sex-role style on clinical judgment. Therapists were asked to rate various aspects of functioning for bogus clinical descriptions which manipulated client characteristics. Four-way analyses of variance indicated that client sex-role style significantly affected ratings of current functioning, and client sex significantly affected ratings of expected functioning. These results appear to support an interpretation of sex bias in clinical judgments. Therapists negatively evaluated behaviors stereotypically female and expected females to be more amenable to intervention. Therapist sex was noninfluential. Therapist sex-role style was influential in certain areas of evaluation, but not in others.
Perinatal hypoxia-ischemia induces apoptotic and excitotoxic death of periventricular white matter oligodendrocyte progenitors.

Hypoxia-ischemia (HI) is a leading cause of white matter damage, a major contributor to cerebral palsy in premature infants. Preferential white matter damage is believed to result from vulnerability of the immature oligodendrocyte (the pro-OL) to factors elevated during ischemic damage, such as oxygen free radicals and glutamate. In order to determine whether pro-OLs undergo apoptotic death after HI, we analyzed periventricular white matter OLs in P7 rats 4, 12 and 24 h after HI to analyze the time course and mode of cell death. DNA fragmentation was seen at 12 and 24 h of recovery after HI, representing a 17-fold increase over control. In addition, caspase-3 activation was found in NG2+ pro-OLs at 12 h. Electron-microscopic analysis of cell death in the white matter revealed a transition from early necrotic deaths to hybrid cell deaths to classical apoptosis between 4 and 24 h of recovery from HI. The delayed time course of apoptosis in pro-OLs supports the feasibility of interventions to improve clinical outcomes for newborns surviving birth asphyxia.
Some approximations for the wet and dry removal of particles and gases from the atmosphere

Semi-empirical formulae are presented which can be used to estimate precipitation scavenging and dry deposition of particles and gases. The precipitation scavenging formulae are appropriate both for in- and below-cloud scavenging and comparisons with data indicate the importance of accounting for aerosol particle growth by water vapor condensation and attachment of the pollutant to plume or cloud particles. It is suggested that both wet and dry removal of gases is usually dictated by other than atmospheric processes. Dry deposition of particles to a canopy is shown to depend on canopy height, biomass, vegetative type and mean wind. Two large-scale practical problems are addressed dealing with the relative importance of wet and dry deposition and with the sources which contribute to deposition in a specific location.
Morally Relevant Features

This article summarizes the account of morality presented in Morality: Irs Nature and Justification (Oxford, 1998), with emphasis on that aspect of morality that deals with justifying violations of the moral rules. Such justification requires a two-step procedure; the first is describing the situation using only morally relevant features. I list these features, noting how diverse they are, and describe their characteristics. The second step is estimating the consequences of publicly allowing a violation with the same morally relevant features, that is, allowing a violation when everyone knows that it is allowed to violate the rule in the same circumstances, and comparing this to the estimated consequences of not publicly allowing that kind of violation. I then explain why fully informed, impartial rational persons can sometimes disagree about whether a violation should be publicly allowed and note that such weakly justified violations are the controversial cases.
Software support systems for use in technology transfer activities

Technology transfer can be carried out in a formal manner by technology transfer agents or on an informal basis by technology generators or recipients. A number of modes of technology transfer are now employed by technology transfer agents which principally vary in degree of specificity. These modes are largely the same regardless of the technology under consideration. The processes are labor intensive and are now being automated using micro-computer based techniques and software support systems. The software support systems encompass pre-processors for database access, gateway systems, post-processors for citation analysis, databases on technology experts, report organization and writing, text processing, communications, statistical analysis and program integration. Much of the above software is commercially available with a few programs under development. In particular, a citation analysis program using lexical association methods is in the prototype stage and should significantly improve on-line database search precision without reducing search breadth. Integration of the commercial and/or public domain modules is an ever present problem with federally funded activities under way in this area. All in all, the full implementation of the previously mentioned software systems can reduce technology transfer study costs by up to 15%.
A novel immunoregulatory axis of NKT cell subsets regulating tumor immunity

There are many mechanisms that regulate and dampen the immune response to cancers, including several types of regulatory T cells. Besides the T reg cell, we have identified another immunoregulatory circuit initiated by NKT cells that produce IL-13 in response to tumor growth and this IL-13 then induces myeloid cells to make TGF-β that inhibits cytotoxic T cell-mediated tumor immunosurveillance in several mouse tumor models. This finding created a paradox in the role of NKT cells in tumor immunity, in that they can also contribute to protection. We resolve this paradox by the finding that the suppressive NKT cell is a type II NKT cell that lacks the canonical invariant T cell receptor, whereas the protective cell is a type I NKT cell that expresses the invariant receptor. Further, we see that these two subsets of NKT cells counter-regulate each other, defining a new immunoregulatory axis. The balance along this axis may determine the outcome of tumor immunosurveillance as well as influence the efficacy of anti-cancer vaccines and immunotherapy.
Fluoroboric acid and its hydroxy derivatives—solubility and spectroscopy

Abstract The composition of fluoroboric acid and its hydroxy derivatives are described within the H3OBF4-HBO2-H2O system. Solubility isotherms at 25 and 65°C were determined. Boric acid is the equilibrium solid phase at high water concentrations while metabolic acid is the solid phase at low water concentrations. Dihydroxyfluoroboric acid is a metastable species at 25° that disproportionates into H3OBF3OH and HBO2. Trihydroxyfluoroboric acid does not exist in the pure state. NMR, IR and Raman spectra for dihydroxyfluoroboric acid, boron trifluoride dihydrate and intermediate compositions were obtained. The fundamental vibrations in the Raman spectrum of BF3·2H2O (H3OBF3OH) are almost identical to those of an aqueous solution of NaBF3OH. Dihydroxyfluoroboric acid appears to be a tetrahedral molecule. Fluorine as well as boron exchange processes take place at ambient temperature in mixtures of fluoroboric acid and its hydroxy derivatives.
The use of EMG biofeedback with insulin-dependent diabetic patients

A recent report on the use of EMG biofeedback with an insulin-dependent diabetic is discussed. An examination of the role of EMG biofeedback in the management of carbohydrate metabolism is presented. While still an empirical question, it is concluded that EMG biofeedback will prove most useful in cases where a demonstrable relationship between stress and carbohydrate metabolism is evidenced.
Behavioral decision making, forecasting, game theory, and role-play

Abstract Green’s finding that the outcome of role-play provides forecasts that are superior to those of game theorists highlights some of the unrealistic assumptions used in traditional game theory. In this commentary I discuss how elements studied in the behavioral decision literature impact the manner in which people behave in conflict situations studied by Green, and in the spectrum auction conducted in the United States. The main behavioral elements discussed are loss aversion, myopia, and the winner’s curse.
PhyBin: binning trees by topology.

A major goal of many evolutionary analyses is to determine the true evolutionary history of an organism. Molecular methods that rely on the phylogenetic signal generated by a few to a handful of loci can be used to approximate the evolution of the entire organism but fall short of providing a global, genome-wide, perspective on evolutionary processes. Indeed, individual genes in a genome may have different evolutionary histories. Therefore, it is informative to analyze the number and kind of phylogenetic topologies found within an orthologous set of genes across a genome. Here we present PhyBin: a flexible program for clustering gene trees based on topological structure. PhyBin can generate bins of topologies corresponding to exactly identical trees or can utilize Robinson-Fould’s distance matrices to generate clusters of similar trees, using a user-defined threshold. Additionally, PhyBin allows the user to adjust for potential noise in the dataset (as may be produced when comparing very closely related organisms) by pre-processing trees to collapse very short branches or those nodes not meeting a defined bootstrap threshold. As a test case, we generated individual trees based on an orthologous gene set from 10 Wolbachia species across four different supergroups (A–D) and utilized PhyBin to categorize the complete set of topologies produced from this dataset. Using this approach, we were able to show that although a single topology generally dominated the analysis, confirming the separation of the supergroups, many genes supported alternative evolutionary histories. Because PhyBin’s output provides the user with lists of gene trees in each topological cluster, it can be used to explore potential reasons for discrepancies between phylogenies including homoplasies, long-branch attraction, or horizontal gene transfer events.
Architecture of the rectus abdominis, quadratus lumborum, and erector spinae.

Quantitative descriptions of muscle architecture are needed to characterize the force-generating capabilities of muscles. This study reports the architecture of three major trunk muscles: the rectus abdominis, quadratus lumborum, and three columns of the erector spinae (spinalis thoracis, longissimus thoracis and iliocostalis lumborum). Musculotendon lengths, muscle lengths, fascicle lengths, sarcomere lengths, pennation angles, and muscle masses were measured in five cadavers. Optimal fascicle lengths (the fascicle length at which the muscle generates maximum force) and physiologic cross-sectional areas (the ratio of muscle volume to optimal fascicle length) were computed from these measurements. The rectus abdominis had the longest fascicles of the muscles studied, with a mean (S.D.) optimal fascicle length of 28.3 (4.2)cm. The three columns of the erector spinae had mean optimal fascicle lengths that ranged from 6.4 (0.6)cm in the spinalis thoracis to 14.2 (2.1)cm in the iliocostalis lumborum. The proximal portion of the quadratus lumborum had a mean optimal fascicle length of 8.5 (1.5)cm and the distal segment of this muscle had a mean optimal fascicle length of 5.6 (0.9)cm. The physiologic cross-sectional area of the rectus abdominis was 2.6 (0.9)cm(2), the combined physiologic cross-sectional area of the erector spinae was 11.6 (1.8)cm(2), and the physiologic cross-sectional area of the quadratus lumborum was 2.8 (0.5)cm(2). These data provide the basis for estimation of the force-generating potential of these muscles.
Proton irradiation effects on deep level states in Mg-doped p-type GaN grown by ammonia-based molecular beam epitaxy

The impact of proton irradiation on the deep level states throughout the Mg-doped p-type GaN bandgap is investigated using deep level transient and optical spectroscopies. Exposure to 1.8 MeV protons of 1 × 1013 cm−2 and 3 × 1013 cm−2 fluences not only introduces a trap with an EV + 1.02 eV activation energy but also brings monotonic increases in concentration for as-grown deep states at EV + 0.48 eV, EV + 2.42 eV, EV + 3.00 eV, and EV + 3.28 eV. The non-uniform sensitivities for individual states suggest different physical sources and/or defect generation mechanisms. Comparing with prior theoretical calculations reveals that several traps are consistent with associations to nitrogen vacancy, nitrogen interstitial, and gallium vacancy origins, and thus are likely generated through displacing nitrogen and gallium atoms from the crystal lattice in proton irradiation environment.
High Density Lipoproteins Stimulate Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases in Human Skin Fibroblasts

Abstract Protein kinase C (PKC) seems to play an important role in many of HDL effects on cells, including removal of excess cholesterol. HDL removes cholesterol by at least two mechanisms. One mechanism involves desorption/diffusion of cholesterol from the plasma membrane onto the acceptor particle, whereas the second is mediated by apolipoproteins and may involve intracellular translocation of cholesterol to the plasma membrane for subsequent efflux. In this report, we examined the possibility that mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase is one of the downstream events from HDL activation of PKC. Using a gel kinase assay with myelin basic protein incorporated into the gel, HDL (50 μg protein/mL) stimulated multiple kinases of 42, 50, 52, 58, and 60 kDa. The 42-kDa protein kinase, corresponding to the unresolved MAP kinases ERK1 and ERK2 based on immunoblotting, was activated over 2-fold by HDL. HDL activated all identified kinases in a concentration- and time-dependent manner, which became maximal within 5 to 10 minutes and remained activated for at least 60 minutes. HDL activation of MAP kinase seems to be partially mediated by PKC, because down-regulation of PKC and known PKC inhibitors inhibited the HDL effect by 40 to 50%. Free apolipoproteins A-I (10 μg/mL) and A-II (10 μg/mL) had no significant effect on MAP kinase activation. Moreover, modifying HDL with trypsin or tetranitromethane, which abolishes apolipoprotein-mediated cholesterol efflux, had no effect on HDL activation of MAP kinase. These results suggest that HDL activates MAP kinase via multiple signal transduction pathways that are likely involved in an HDL effect unrelated to apolipoprotein-mediated cholesterol translocation and efflux.
Identification and grafting of a unique peptide-binding site in the Fab framework of monoclonal antibodies

Capitalizing on their extraordinary specificity, monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) have become one of the most reengineered classes of biological molecules. A major goal in many of these engineering efforts is to add new functionality to the parental mAb, including the addition of cytotoxins and imaging agents for medical applications. Herein, we present a unique peptide-binding site within the central cavity of the fragment antigen binding framework region of the chimeric, anti-epidermal growth factor receptor mAb cetuximab. We demonstrate through diffraction methods, biophysical studies, and sequence analysis that this peptide, a meditope, has moderate affinity for the Fab, is specific to cetuximab (i.e., does not bind to human IgGs), and has no significant effect on antigen binding. We further demonstrate by diffraction studies and biophysical methods that the meditope binding site can be grafted onto the anti-human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 mAb trastuzumab, and that the antigen binding affinity of the grafted trastuzumab is indistinguishable from the parental mAb. Finally, we demonstrate a bivalent meditope variant binds specifically and stably to antigen-bearing cells only in the presence of the meditope-enabled mAbs. Collectively, this finding and the subsequent characterization and engineering efforts indicate that this unique interface could serve as a noncovalent "linker" for any meditope-enabled mAb with applications in multiple mAb-based technologies including diagnostics, imaging, and therapeutic delivery.
Clinical issues in treating children with anxiety and phobic disorders

Issues involved in conducting cognitive behavioral treatment with children who present with anxiety and phobic disorders are discussed. The rationale for using cognitive behavioral treatment procedures is based on our premise that effective, long-term child behavior change depends on an adequate “transfer of control” from therapist to parent to child. The treatment involves separate and conjoint child and parent sessions and is implemented in three phases: education, application, and relapse prevention. Specific treatment strategies, common obstacles to implementing these strategies, and suggestions to address these obstacles are described for each phase of the treatment. A case vignette illustrates some of the treatment issues discussed.
Set-shifting among adolescents with anorexia nervosa.

Objective: Set-shifting difficulties are documented for adults with anorexia nervosa (AN). However, AN typically onsets in adolescents and it is unclear if set-shifting difficulties are a result of chronic AN or present earlier in its course. This study examined whether adolescents with short duration AN demonstrated set-shifting difficulties compared to healthy controls (HC). Method: Data on set-shifting collected from the Delis-Kaplan executive functioning system and Wisconsin card sort task (WCST) as well as eating psychopathology were collected from 32 adolescent inpatients with AN and compared with those from 22 HCs. Results: There were no differences in set-shifting in adolescents with AN compared to HCs on most measures. Discussion: The findings suggest that set-shifting difficulties in AN may be a consequence of AN. Future studies should explore set-shifting difficulties in a larger sample of adolescents with the AN to determine if there is sub-set of adolescents with these difficulties and determine any relationship of set-shifting to the development of a chronic from of AN. © 2012 by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. (Int J Eat Disord 2012;45:909–912)
Vibrational energy redistribution and hot-band spectrum for hexafluorobenzene following infrared multiphoton excitation

Abstract IR-UV double resonance techniques were employed to study the formation of transient hot bands of hexafluorobenzene. It is shown that under various conditions of pressure and IR laser excitation, vibrational energy redistribution relaxation times are of the order of 30–100 ns.
Solar activity cycle - History and predictions

The solar output of short-wavelength radiation, solar wind, and energetic particles depends strongly on the solar cycle. These energy outputs from the sun control conditions in the interplanetary medium and in the terrestrial magnetosphere and upper atmosphere. Consequently, there is substantial interest in the behavior of the solar cycle and its effects. This review briefly discusses historical data on the solar cycle and methods for predicting its further behavior, particularly for the current cycle, which shows signs that it will have moderate to exceptionally high levels of activity. During the next few years, the solar flux of short-wavelength radiation and particles will be more intense than normal, and spacecraft in low earth orbit will reenter earlier than usual. 46 refs.
A novel surface for high specific activity tritium labelling using microwave discharge activation of tritium gas

A 10 to 300 fold increase in specific activity has been realized in the microwave discharge activation (MDA) of tritium gas labeling of a variety of compounds, up to the Ci/mmol range by the use of a cellulose Millipore filter (CMF) as the labeling surface. New reaction systems have also been developed to accommodate these and other large samples as well as multiple samples.
Surveillance cultures of contact lenses of patients with Boston KPRO type keratoprosthesis

Purpose Patients with Type 1 Boston KPRO require the use of a contact lens to avoid complications of drying of the corneal tissue surrounding the KPro. Additionally, these patients require chronic use of topical antibiotics to reduce the ever-present risk of endophthalmitis. This may promote the growth resistant organisms. The purpose of this study is to perform surveillance cultures of contact lenses of KPro patients to determine if organism growth may be detected prior to clinical presentation of infection. Methods Cultures of contact lenses from Boston KPro type 1 patients were performed. All patients were maintained on a prophylactic antibiotic regimen including vancomycin. All contact lenses were removed 1 week to 1 month after insertion. Removal prior to 1 month was necessary when excessive protein deposits were noted on the lens. Lenses were removed cultured and analyzed under electron microscopy. Results 45 patients with a KPro implanted in the last 18 months, the lenses of 15 patients were analyzed in the above manner. These 15 patients had various conditions including Stevens Johnson Syndrome, chemical burns, keratoconus, and multiple graft failures. Of the 15 lenses analyzed, one patient had cultures positive for streptococcus pneumonia, consistent with the patient's presentation of endophthalmitis. Three had cultures positive for coagulase negative staphylococcus although they did not present with any signs or symptoms of infection. Conclusion Surveillance cultures appear to be an effective way to monitor the contact lenses of Boston KPro patients for possible organism growth. The detection of these organisms prior to the clinical presentation of infection could serve as a signal to change the patient's antibiotic regimen.
Pulse chirp effects in ultrafast laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy

When compared to many other sensitive methods for material detection, such as inductively coupled mass spectroscopy and thermal ionization mass spectroscopy, laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) typically exhibits a lower signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), resulting in higher detection limits. Increasing the SNR of LIBS would improve the ability to characterize the sample composition with increased accuracy and speed and reduce the amount of material needed to perform analysis. We have been investigating the effect of simple ultrashort laser pulse shaping on the SNR of LIBS. Our goal is to control the dynamics of the ionization and recombination processes in the laser-produced plasma to favorably affect the SNR associated with the line emission from the plasma. Pulse shaping is performed using an acousto-optic programmable dispersive filter. An adaptive learning algorithm is being developed to automate the pulse shape optimization process for maximization of LIBS SNR in nuclear security-relevant material characterization scenarios. We report a 27 % increase of the SNR for non-gated LIBS measurements of uranium by utilizing simple pulse shaping limited exclusively to excess quadratic spectral phase of the laser pulse.
The argumentative theory of reasoning applies to scientists and philosophers, too

Logical consistency demands that Mercier and Sperber's (M&S's) argumentative theory of reasoning apply to their own reasoning in the target article. Although they hint that their argument applies to professional reasoners such as scientists and philosophers, they do not develop this idea. In this commentary, I discuss the applicability of argumentative theory to science and philosophy, emphasizing the perils of moral reasoning.
CO2 emission standards and investment in carbon capture

Abstract Policy makers in a number of countries have proposed or are considering proposing CO 2 emission standards for new fossil fuel-fired power plants. The proposed standards require coal-fired power plants to have approximately the same carbon emissions as an uncontrolled natural gas-fired power plant, effectively mandating the adoption of carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) technologies for new coal plants. However, given the uncertainty in the capital and operating costs of a commercial scale coal plant with CCS, the impact of such a standard is not apparent a priori. We apply a stochastic generation expansion model to determine the impact of CO 2 emission standards on generation investment decisions, and in particular for coal plants with CCS. Moreover, we demonstrate how the incentive to invest in coal-CCS from emission standards depends on the natural gas price, the CO 2 price, and the enhanced oil recovery price, as well as on the level of the emission standard. This analysis is the first to consider the entire power system and at the same time allow the capture percentage for CCS plants to be chosen from a continuous range to meet the given standard at minimum cost. Previous system level studies have assumed that CCS plants capture 90% of the carbon, while studies of individual units have demonstrated the costs of carbon capture over a continuous range. We show that 1) currently proposed levels of emission standards are more likely to shift fossil fuel generation from coal to natural gas rather than to incentivize investment in CCS; 2) tighter standards that require some carbon reductions from natural gas-fired power plants are more likely than proposed standards to incentivize investments in CCS, especially on natural gas plants, but also on coal plants at high gas prices; and 3) imposing a less strict emission standard (emission rates higher than natural gas but lower than coal; e.g., 1500 lbs/MWh) is more likely than current proposals to incentivize investment in coal CCS technology, but only at high gas prices and to a lesser extent than a stringent standard (e.g., 300 lbs/MWh).
Loss of Scotopic Contrast Sensitivity in the Optomotor Response of Diabetic Mice

PURPOSE. Diabetes reduces retinal and visual sensitivity to dim light flashes. However, the impact of diabetes on contrast sensitivity in dim light is unknown. Based on the lowered visual sensitivity previously observed, we hypothesized that contrast sensitivity would similarly be reduced. We therefore examined scotopic contrast sensitivity of the optomotor response in the Ins2 Akita/+ mouse model of type 1 diabetes. METHODS. A longitudinal study of spatial and temporal contrast sensitivity in Ins2 Akita/+ mice and wild-type Ins2 +/+ littermates was conducted. Contrast sensitivity of the optomotor response to rotating gratings of various spatial and temporal frequencies was measured at a dim luminance level (2.6 � 10 � 5 cd/m 2 ) known to elicit rod- but not cone-driven responses. RESULTS. An early, progressive loss in scotopic contrast sensitivity was observed in Ins2 Akita/+ mice that was absent from Ins2 +/+ littermate controls. The loss in contrast sensitivity developed over a 3- to 4-month period after the onset of hyperglycemia. Ins2 Akita/+ mice exhibited a nonselective 40% loss in sensitivity to all spatial frequencies and a selective loss in sensitivity to fast but not to slow varying gratings (temporal frequencies >0.1 Hz or, equivalently, speeds >3 deg/s). Such losses in sensitivity were prevented by glycemic control with insulin treatment. CONCLUSIONS. An association between a model of type 1 diabetes and scotopic contrast sensitivity of the optomotor response is indicated. Ins2 Akita/+ mice exhibit a uniform loss in optomotor contrast sensitivity to all spatial frequencies that, unexpectedly, can be explained as being secondary to a retinal or central loss in sensitivity to high temporal frequencies. (Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2013;54:1536‐1543) DOI: 10.1167/iovs.12-10825
Next generation science standards available for comment

The first public draft of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) is now available for public comment. Feedback on the standards is sought from people who have a stake in science education, including individuals in the K–12, higher education, business, and research communities. Development of NGSS is a state-led effort to define the content and practices students need to learn from kindergarten through high school. NGSS will be based on the U.S. National Research Council's reportFramework for K–12 Science Education.
C−H Oxidative Addition with a (PCP)Ir(III)-Pincer Complex

Treatment of 4-MeO-C6H3-2,6-(CH2PtBu2)2 with IrCl3·nH2O in i-PrOH/H2O gives a cyclometalated pincer chlorohydrido iridium complex. A second intramolecular oxidative addition reaction of one of the tert-butyl C−H bonds to the Ir(III) center followed by the reductive elimination of H2 gives a novel doubly metalated compound that is stable to air and water. X-ray crystallographic analysis revealed a chelated square-pyramidal iridium compound with two cyclometalated five-membered rings in the basal plane and the iridium bound methylene group of the four-membered ring in the apical position. The free coordination site is protected by an agostic C−H bond. While a phosphorus−phosphorus coupling constant of 351.1 Hz establishes the trans position of the phosphorus groups there is no indication of a hydridic or weakly bound hydrogen. Electrochemical studies establish an equilibrium between the pincer chlorohydrido compound and the doubly metalated complex and H2. A square scheme can be used to describe the relatio...
Towards a better understanding of the psychopharmacology of nutmeg: Activities in the mouse tetrad assay.

Ethnopharmacological relevance Nutmeg, the seeds of Myritica fragrans (family Myristicaceae), is a well known kitchen spice with a long-standing reputation as a psychoactive herb. Nutmeg at high doses is considered a cheap substitute to several drugs of abuse. Earlier reports have attributed amphetamine-like activities to nutmeg.