cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Comparison of in vitro and in vivo effects of vincristine and vindesine on leukemic cells from patients with chronic granulocytic leukemia in blast crisis

We employed a liquid culture system to examine the in vitro effects of vincristine and vindesine on cellular incorporation of 35SO4 into leukemic cells obtained from 5 patients with chronic granulocytic leukemia in blast crisis. The per cent of 35SO4 into drug-treated as compared to saline-treated leukemic cells was compared to the clinical outcome of patients treated with these agents. A good or partial clinical response to vincristine or vindesine was seen in patients whose leukemic cells incorporated less than 50% 35SO4 when exposed to vincristine or vindesine in vitro, compared with control saline-treated cells. No clinical response was observed following treatment with vincristine or vindesine if the 35SO4 incorporation of drug treated leukemic cells was greater than 50% of saline-treated cells. These data suggest that the in vitro effects of vincristine or vindesine on 35SO4 incorporation into leukemic cells of patients in blast crisis may parallel the clinical outcome of patients treated with these agents in vivo.
Cross-linked collagen surface for cell culture that is stable, uniform, and optically superior to conventional surfaces

A new type of collagen surface for use with cultures of peripheral nervous system cells is described. Collagen is derivatized to plastic culture dishes by a cross-linking reagent, 1-cyclohexyl-3-(2-morpholinoethyl)-carbodiimide-metho-p-toluenesulfonate (carbodiimide), to form a uniform and durable surface for cell attachment and growth that allows dry storage, long-term culture, and improved microscopy. Surfaces of collagen derivatized to plastic were compared to surfaces of adsorbed or ammonia-polymerized collagen in terms of collagen binding and detachment, growth by dorsal root ganglion cells, and electron microscopy appearances. Derivatized collagen surfaces retained more collagen and showed much less evidence of degradation and cellular damage over periods of many weeks than did conventional adsorbed surfaces. Long-term survival of cells on derivatized collagen was far superior to that on the other surfaces, with almost 90% of cultures still viable after 10 wk. Transmission electron microscopy showed an organized layer of single fibrils that supported cell growth well, and scanning electron microscopy demonstrated an increased uniformity of derivatized collagen surfaces compared to ammoniated collagen surfaces. Applications for this improved substrate surface are discussed.
Ethnic Nationalism and Globalization

In this paper, I explore the intriguing connections the film Before the Rain makes between the deadly resurgence of a kind of ethnic primordialism and what would appear to be its opposite, globalization, seen most clearly in the emergence of an international youth culture, visible in the common cultural vocabulary shared among the youth of different nations portrayed in the film. I argue that these two powerful vectors of contemporary life - the allure of ethnic identification and the global penetration of certain mass cultural styles of dress, music, entertainment, and communications - are recapitulated in the film's own style and mode of production, which renders an ancient ethnic conflict in a cinematic idiom drawn from the genre of the international art film. A style of filmmaking commonly identified with the 'Young Cinema' movements of the world such as the French New Wave and the New German Cinema, the international art film has often served as the vanguard expression of new national consciousness, ...
Parents as child care consumers

Abstract The child care related values and quality assessments of parents as child care consumers were examined. Seven hundred and twenty-seven parents of infants/ toddlers and 2,407 parents of preschoolers responded to questionnaires, providing both importance and quality ratings for aspects of child care. Quality ratings for these same aspects of care were completed by trained data collectors. Parents gave high importance scores for all aspects of care, with higher scores for interactions, health and safety related items than for other aspects of care. Parents gave their children's quality of care significantly higher ratings than did observers. When parents and observers rated the quality of aspects of care that were easy to monitor, differences in parent/observer quality scores were smaller than when they rated aspects that were more difficult to monitor. As parental values increased for an aspect of care, the difference between parent and observer quality scores also increased.
Photoreactivity of vinyl ether/oxirane-based resin systems

We evaluated the reactivity in homopolymerization and as comonomers in dioxirane/polyol visible-light curable systems the following vinyl ethers (VEs): mono-, di-, and tri(ethylene glycol) divinyl ethers (EGDVE, DEGDVE, and TEGDVE, respectively); 1,6-hexanediol divinyl ether (HDDVE); cyclohexanedimethanol divinyl ether (CHDMDVE); glycidyl vinyl ether (GVE); 4-(1-propenyloxymethyl)-1,3-dioxolan-2-one (POMDO); and 1,4-butanediol vinyl ether (BDVE). The dioxirane/polyols (80/20) were Cyracure UVR 6105 or ERL 4206 dioxiranes with polytetrahydrofuran [PTHF; number-average molecular weight (Mn) = 250]. Reactivities were evaluated by photodifferential scanning calorimetry with visible light. For VE homopolymerization, the relative reactivity ranking (based on exotherm peak maximum time) was TEGDVE > EGDVE > DEGDVE > HDDVE > CHDMDVE > BDVE > GVE ≫ POMDO. For VEs in UVR 6105/PTHF, the ranking was GVE > TEGDVE > CHDMDVE > BDVE > EGDVE ≫ DEGDVE = HDDVE = POMDO. In ERL 4206/PTHF, the ranking was: GVE > TEGDVE > BDVE > DEGDVE ≫ HDDVE > EDGDVE ≫ CHDMDVE = POMDO. The incorporation of an electron-donating reaction promoter, ethyl-4-dimethylaminobenzoate, generally shortened induction times and exotherm peak maximum times and increased rate constants for homopolymerizations and ternary polymerizations. Experimentally determined polymerization reactivities were compared with previously reported semiempirical quantum mechanical calculations of activation energies and heats of reaction. The results of laboratory and computational studies for selected compounds were in general agreement. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 86: 314–326, 2002
Wolf-Deer Interactions: A Mathematical Model

Field studies done in northeastern Minnesota indicate that stable wolf (Canis lupus) territories exist separated by buffer regions in which white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) density is greatest. We present a mathematical model to describe this interaction based on simple movement rules for the wolf population and basic predation dynamics. Solutions suggest that pack social requirements to care for the young set up differential predation rates causing segregation of high deer and wolf densities. More interestingly, they also suggest that the predator-prey interaction may play an important role in segregating and maintaining the territories.
Semiclassical dynamics on multiple electronic surfaces: Three‐dimensional treatment of reactive F+H2

The role of electron transitions in collisions is studied for the F + H2 reaction by combining quasi-classical Monte Carlo trajectories with a semiclassical decoupling approximation for the electron transitions. Attention is directed at the reaction of excited state F atoms reacting to form ground state products; the reactants are initiated in either of two spin-orbit states of the atom with the diatom in the ground vibrational state and the lowest four rotational states, at relative translational energies of 0.1, 0.2 and 0.3 eV. Even if the reactants are initiated on the excited state surface, the reactive cross sections (which are classically forbidden) are significant. The major dynamical effects of the excited state reaction are the flow of reactant electronic energy into product internal energy.
Patch dynamics under rotational and continuous grazing management in large, heterogeneous paddocks

Abstract Overoptimistic stocking rates are the leading cause of rangeland degradation. The phenomenon of patch-selective grazing means that the stocking rate on heavily used patches is much higher than that intended for the area as a whole. In addition, the differential use of preferred areas in the landscape results in uneven distribution of animal impact. Landscape heterogeneity increases as grazing unit size increases, resulting in heavier impact on preferred areas. Such phenomena compound over time and have a major long-term impact on the environment and primary and secondary production. This study investigates whether rotational grazing allows reduction of, and recovery from, degradation caused by patch-selective grazing in large (1800–2100 ha) paddocks by providing adequate rest between grazing events. From 1995 through 1998, herbaceous basal area and bare ground changes were measured on adjacent heavily and lightly grazed patches in rotationally and continuously grazed paddocks. Although weather was a dominating influence ( p ⩽0·0001), the eight-pasture rotation system resulted in greater perennial herbaceous basal area ( p = 0·0987) and lower proportions of bare ground on bottomland soils ( p = 0·03) and clay-loam soils ( p = 0·052) than the continuously grazed control. The increases in basal area with rotational grazing were primarily due to increases in perennial C 4 mid- and shortgrasses. Grazing treatment did not influence species aerial biomass composition ( p >0·1). This study provides evidence that in large paddocks, rotational grazing allows recovery from and reduces degradation caused by patch overgrazing. Planned rotational grazing addresses the root cause of patch overgrazing and deterioration. It is, therefore, a key tool in managing for sustainable use and restoration of rangeland.
Idiopathic amblyopia: a diagnosis of exclusion. A report of 3 patients.

Abstract Purpose The aim of this study was to report the clinical course for 3 young patients diagnosed with idiopathic amblyopia. Case reports The clinical course for 3 young patients with unilateral visual loss initially attributed to idiopathic amblyopia is presented. Extensive evaluations over the years, including optical coherence tomography, were performed in addition to routine clinical testing. In 1 patient, transient anisometropic refractive error during infancy was likely causative for the unilateral visual loss. For the second patient, a subclinical microtropia with varying eccentric fixation was subsequently diagnosed, and for the third patient, a subtle retinal disorder was subsequently diagnosed. Conclusion The diagnosis of idiopathic amblyopia is one of exclusion and should only be made after extensive testing to rule out subclinical binocular vision or pathological anomalies.
Long‐Lived Trifluoromethanide Anion: A Key Intermediate in Nucleophilic Trifluoromethylations

The trifluoromethanide anion is the postulated key intermediate in nucleophilic trifluoromethylation reactions. However, for more than six decades, the trifluoromethanide anion was widely believed to exist only as a short-lived transient species in the condensed phase. It has now been prepd. in bulk for the first time in THF soln. The trifluoromethanide anion with the [K(18-crown-6)]+ cation was unequivocally characterized by low-temp. 19F and 13C NMR spectroscopy. Its intermediacy in nucleophilic trifluoromethylation reactions was directly evident by its reaction chem. with various electrophilic substrates. Variable-temp. NMR spectroscopy, along with quantum mech. calcns., support the persistence of the trifluoromethanide anion. [on SciFinder(R)]
MCMC methods for entropy optimization and nonlinear network coding

Although determining the space of entropic vectors for n random variables, denoted by Γ* n , is crucial for solving a large class of network information theory problems, there has been scant progress in explicitly characterizing Γ* n for n ≥ 4. In this paper, we present a certain characterization of quasi-uniform distributions that allows one to numerically stake out the entropic region via a random walk to any desired accuracy. When coupled with Monte Carlo Markov Chain (MCMC) methods, one may “bias” the random walk so as to maximize certain functions of the entropy vector. As an example, we look at maximizing the violation of the Ingleton inequality for four random variables and report a violation well in excess of what has been previously available in the literature. Inspired by the MCMC method, we also propose a framework for designing optimal nonlinear network codes via performing a random walk over certain truth tables. We show that the method can be decentralized and demonstrate its efficacy by applying it to the Vamos network and a certain storage problem from [1].
Privacy management system using social networking

The worldwide growth of e-services has brought to the forefront the importance of private data management for an organization. However, the advancement of computer and networking technologies has made privacy management very challenging. In this paper, we expose the limitations of existing privacy management systems, and present a privacy management system that exploits social network analysis, which can automatically discover the privacy-related workflow models, and support automated privacy management within an organization.
Thermal-aware Design Considerations for Application-Specific Instruction Set Processor

Application-specific instruction set processor (ASIP) has been considered as a good candidate for embedded system design in the past decade. Major research effort has been devoted to customized configuration and instruction set extension for performance improvement with the area constraint. Recent research has taken power consumption and energy efficiency as the second metric, which is critical for embedded and portable devices. However, as the technology scales, power density increases and hence thermal issue has emerged as another critical concern in nanometer circuit designs. In this paper, we factor in the thermal consideration during ASIP synthesis process, and explore the relationship and trade-offs among three dimensions: performance, energy, and temperature. Both the theoretical analysis and the real design implementations of several example custom processors have demonstrated the importance of thermal-aware ASIP synthesis. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first thermal-aware design methodology for ASIPs.
Determination of Oxygen Demand

Oxygen demand is a commonly used parameter to evaluate the potential effect of organic pollutants (e.g., from a food processing facility) on either a wastewater treatment process or a receiving water body. Because microorganisms utilize these organic materials, the dissolved oxygen is greatly depleted from the water, which can have a detrimental effect on fish and plant life. This chapter focuses on the two main methods used to measure the oxygen demand of water and wastewater: biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) and chemical oxygen demand (COD). Described in the chapter are the principles, procedures, applications, and limitations of each method. The BOD test measures the amount of oxygen required by microorganisms to oxidize the biodegradable organic matter present in water and wastewater. The COD method determines the quantity of oxygen consumed during the oxidation of organic matter in water and wastewater by potassium dichromate. The COD test can be used to monitor routinely the biodegradability of organic matter in water and wastewater if a relationship between COD and BOD has been established.
Ileal interposition improves glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity in the obese Zucker rat

The hindgut hypothesis posits improvements in Type 2 diabetes after gastric bypass surgery are due to enhanced delivery of undigested nutrients to the ileum, which increase incretin production and ...
Goethe on Demonic Fiscal Policy

Very few readers of J. W. von Goethe's Faust have recognized that he is making a moral claim which was a commonplace among the British classical economics. The British classical economists raised a fundamentally moral objection to the public debt. It was, they said, a way of making destructive policies seem less onerous. This moral criticism of public debt has been made now and again in modern economics; nonetheless, this point has gone largely unremarked in later moral discussions. To some extent this is an unescapable consequence of intellectual specialization: how many moralists of stature have worried about an appropriate fiscal policy? Moreover, when moralists do turn their attention to problems in which economists are interested, their contributions all too often suffer from elementary, but fatal, technical defects.
Intracellular ionic strength regulates the volume sensitivity of a swelling-activated anion channel

Cell swelling activates an outwardly rectifying anion channel termed VSOAC (volume-sensitive organic osmolyte/anion channel). Regulation of VSOAC by intracellular electrolytes was characterized in ...
Energy generalized LVQ with relevance factors

Input feature ranking and selection represent a necessary preprocessing stage in classification, especially when one is required to manage large quantities of data. We introduce a weighted generalized LVQ algorithm, called energy generalized relevance LVQ (EGRLVQ), based on the Onicescu's informational energy. EGRLVQ is an incremental learning algorithm for supervised classification and feature ranking.
Levofloxacin Pharmacokinetics and Pharmacodynamics in Patients with Severe Burn Injury

Levofloxacin pharmacokinetics were studied in 11 patients with severe burn injuries. Patients (values are means +/- standard deviations; age, 41 +/- 17 years; weight, 81 +/- 12 kg; creatinine clearance, 114 +/- 40 ml/min) received intravenous levofloxacin at 750 mg (n = 10 patients) or 500 mg (n = one patient) once daily. Blood samples were collected on day 1 of levofloxacin therapy; eight patients were studied again on days 4 to 6. The pharmacodynamic probability of target attainment (PTA) was evaluated by Monte Carlo simulation. Mean systemic clearance, half-life, and area under the concentration-time curve over 24 h after levofloxacin at 750 mg were 9.0 +/- 3.2 liters/h, 7.8 +/- 1.6 h, and 93 +/- 31 mg . h/liter, respectively. There were no differences in pharmacokinetic parameters between day 1 and day 4; however, large intrapatient and interpatient variability was observed. Levofloxacin pharmacokinetics in burned patients were similar to those reported in other critically ill populations. Levofloxacin at 750 mg achieved >90% PTA for gram-negative and gram-positive pathogens with MICs of or =2 microg/ml. The results of this study indicate that levofloxacin should be administered at 750 mg/day for treatment of systemic infections in severely burned patients. However, even 750 mg/day may be inadequate for gram-negative organisms with MICs of 1 to 2 microg/ml even though they are defined as susceptible. Alternative antibiotics or treatment strategies should be considered for infections due to these pathogens.
96: The effect of CenteringPregnancy Group prenatal care on enrollment in the post-partum family planning Medicaid waiver program

twins when one twin has a major cardiac anomaly? Amy Doss, Keenan Yanit, Allison Allen, Brian Shaffer, Yvonne Cheng, Aaron Caughey Oregon Health & Science University, Obstetrics & Gynecology, Portland, OR, University of California San Francisco, Obstetrics, Gynecology, & Reproductive Sciences, San Francisco, CA OBJECTIVE: Optimal timing of twin delivery involves balancing the risk of IUFD against the potential morbidity of late preterm/early term birth, which becomes more challenging if one twin has a major cardiac anomaly, as this increases the IUFD risk and neonatal morbidity/mortality. We used decision analysis to estimate the optimal GA for delivery of dichorionic diamniotic (DCDA) twins when one has a cardiac anomaly. STUDY DESIGN: A decision-analytic model was created using TreeAge to compare the outcomes of delivery at 34 through 38 weeks in a theoretical cohort of DCDA twin pregnancies when one twin has a major cardiac anomaly. Our baseline assumption was that a twin with a cardiac anomaly was at 10-fold increased risk of IUFD. Strategies involving expectant management (EM) until a later GA accounted for the probabilities of spontaneous delivery, indicated delivery, and IUFD during each successive week. GA associated risks of neonatal complications including major neurodevelopmental disability, perinatal and neonatal mortality. Baseline assumptions were derived from the literature. Total quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) were calculated, accounting for both neonatal and maternal utilities. Sensitivity analyses were conducted. RESULTS: Our model showed that earlier GAs were associated with increased neonatal morbidity, but lower overall IUFD rates (Table). Balancing these outcomes, the optimal delivery strategy was EM until 38 weeks, which maximized the total QALYs. Sensitivity analysis showed that optimal GA at delivery was sensitive to the increased risk of IUFD associated with major cardiac anomalies. EM until 38 weeks was the optimal strategy until the increased risk of IUFD in an cardiac anomaly twin increased beyond a relative risk of 21.6, when delivery strategies at earlier GAs became preferred. CONCLUSION: Weighing the risks of IUFD against the outcomes of iatrogenic prematurity, the ideal GA to deliver DCDA twins in one with a major cardiac anomaly is 38 weeks.
Vibrational Stark Effects Calibrate the Sensitivity of Vibrational Probes for Electric Fields in Proteins

Infrared spectroscopy is widely used to probe local environments and dynamics in proteins. The introduction of a unique vibration at a specific site of a protein or more complex assembly offers many advantages over observing the spectra of an unmodified protein. We have previously shown that infrared frequency shifts in proteins can arise from differences in the local electric field at the probe vibration. Thus, vibrational frequencies can be used to map electric fields in proteins at many sites or to measure the change in electric field due to a perturbation. The Stark tuning rate gives the sensitivity of a vibrational frequency to an electric field, and for it to be useful, the Stark tuning rate should be as large as possible. Vibrational Stark effect spectroscopy provides a direct measurement of the Stark tuning rate and allows a quantitative interpretation of frequency shifts. We present vibrational Stark spectra of several bond types, extending our work on nitriles and carbonyls and characterizing four additional bond types (carbon-fluorine, carbon-deuterium, azide, and nitro bonds) that are potential probes for electric fields in proteins. The measured Stark tuning rates, peak positions, and extinction coefficients provide the primary information needed to design amino acid analogues or labels to act as probes of local environments in proteins.
The clinical heterogeneity of immune sensory and autonomic neuropathies with (or without) sicca.

In this issue of Brain , Mori and co-workers from several collaborating Japanese medical schools report on the clinical patterns of neuropathy associated with primary Sjogren's syndrome. The criteria for primary Sjogren's syndrome used were accepted by Japanese and American-European consensus groups: (i) symptoms of dry eyes (keratoconjunctivitis or sicca) or a dry mouth (xerostomia); (ii) objective evidence of keratoconjunctivitis (abnormal Schirmer's or Rose Bengal test) and (iii) evidence of lymphocytic sialoadenitis (e.g. from a lip biopsy) and the presence of antibodies (SS-A or SS-B). Of 92 patients reviewed, mean age ∼60 years, there was a strong female preponderance (76 of 92). The following varieties of neuropathy were recognized: sensory ataxia in 36 (39%); sensory painful in 18 (20%); multiple mononeuropathy in 11 (12%); multiple cranial neuropathies in 5 (5%); trigeminal neuropathy in 15 (17%); autonomic neuropathy in 3 (3%); and radiculoneuropathy in 4 (4%). Although each pattern of neuropathy has already been reported as associated with Sjogren's syndrome, the present series provides the frequency distribution for patterns of neuropathy based on evaluation of a single large cohort of such patients. The authors also provide information on characteristic electrophysiologic alterations, patterns of abnormal sweating and pathology. They emphasize the clinical heterogeneity of neuropathies associated with sicca and provide information on the distribution of lymphocytic inflammation in lip, parotid gland, spinal ganglia and nerve (vascular and perivascular). They suggest differences in response to immunotherapy by variety of neuropathy. Accepting the ideas that neuropathies associated with sicca are clinically heterogenous and that altered immunity is probably involved, not only in Sjogren's syndrome …
Chlorella virus DNA ligase: Nick recognition and mutational analysis

Chlorella virus PBCV-1 DNA ligase seals nicked DNA substrates consisting of a 5'-phosphate-terminated strand and a 3'-hydroxyl-terminated strand annealed to a bridging DNA template strand. The enzyme discriminates at the DNA binding step between substrates containing a 5'-phosphate versus a 5'-hydroxyl at the nick. Mutational analysis of the active site motif KxDGxR (residues 27-32) illuminates essential roles for the conserved Lys, Asp and Arg moieties at different steps of the ligase reaction. Mutant K27A is unable to form the covalent ligase-(Lys-straightepsilonN-P)-adenylate intermediate and hence cannot activate a nicked DNA substrate via formation of the DNA-adenylate intermediate. Nonetheless, K27A catalyzes phosphodiester bond formation at a pre-adenylated nick. This shows that the active site lysine is not required for the strand closure reaction. K27A binds to nicked DNA-adenylate, but not to a standard DNA nick. This suggests that occupancy of the AMP binding pocket of DNA ligase is important for nick recognition. Mutant D29A is active in enzyme-adenylate formation and binds readily to nicked DNA, but is inert in DNA-adenylate formation. R32A is unable to catalyze any of the three reactions of the ligation pathway and does not bind to nicked DNA.
Direct extraction of gelatinases from rat bone

Many studies have shown that gelatinases are secreted into the medium of cultures of various cell and tissue types, including bone cells. It is not clear, however, to what extent the culture process is responsible for inducing the expression of these proteases. In the present study, gelatinolytic enzymes were extracted directly from bone and other tissues and identified as bands of activity on SDS-PAGE enzymograms using gelatin as the substrate. Two forms of gelatinase (72-kDa and 92-kDa) were present in extracts of normal young rat bone. Yields were markedly higher from compact bone than from other tissues (blood, marrow, tendon, cancellous bone, articular cartilage, and skin). More 92-kDa than 72-kDa gelatinase was extracted from bone. The proteolytic specificity of the 92-kDa gelatinase isolated from the bone extract was shown to be similar to that reported for the enzyme isolated from tissue culture media. Native type I collagen was not cleaved but heat denatured type I collagen (gelatin) and native type IV, type V, type IX and type XI collagens were degraded. The proteolytic activity was inhibited by EDTA. The results indicate that more gelatinases can be extracted from bone tissue than from other tissues using mild extraction conditions. The cellular origin and function of these enzymes in bone remain to be defined.
Intimacy and Emotion Work in Lesbian, Gay, and Heterosexual Relationships

Knowledge about how gender shapes intimacy is dominated by a heteronormative focus on relationships involving a man and a woman. In this study, the authors shifted the focus to consider gendered meanings and experiences of intimacy in same-sex and different-sex relationships. They merged the gender-as-relational perspective—that gender is co-constructed and enacted within relationships—with theoretical perspectives on emotion work and intimacy to frame an analysis of in-depth interviews with 15 lesbian, 15 gay, and 20 heterosexual couples. They found that emotion work directed toward minimizing and maintaining boundaries between partners is key to understanding intimacy in long-term relationships. Moreover, these dynamics, including the type and division of emotion work, vary for men and women depending on whether they are in a same-sex or different-sex relationship. These findings push thinking about diversity in long-term relationships beyond a focus on gender difference and toward gendered relational contexts.
Clinical Utility of Biochemical Markers of Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Abstract: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a common form of sleep-disordered breathing affecting up to 15% of the population in North America. Patients with OSA may be at increased risk for cardiovascular diseases such as hypertension, coronary artery disease, stroke, congestive heart disease, pulmonary hypertension, and arrhythmias. The relationship between OSA and cardiovascular disease is complex, and an understanding of the mechanisms that are responsible for these proposed relationships continues to evolve. Some evidence suggests that intermittent hypoxemia-induced endothelial dysfunction and sympathetic overdrive may mediate the deleterious cardiovascular effects of OSA. In recent years, several risk factors and abnormal levels of serum biomarkers have been associated with untreated OSA; these serum levels normalize with effective treatment of OSA. Serum markers that have been studied in OSA include C-reactive protein (CRP), IL-6, fibrinogen, endothelin-1, nitric oxide (NO), leptin, natriuretic peptides (ANP and BNP), adenosine, uric acid, and homocysteine. Abnormal levels of these biomarkers are seen predominantly in patients with moderate to severe OSA, and in patients with cardiovascular complications. Although the clinical utility of these serum biomarkers has not been fully elucidated, monitoring their levels may have potential in determining which OSA patients are at higher risk for cardiovascular complications, and thus help physicians to determine which patients warrant more intensive treatment.
Trap state photoluminescence of nanocrystalline and bulk TiO2: Implications for carrier transport

The visible photoluminescence of nanocrystalline TiO2 is examined in the presence of surface binding agents and as a function of vacuum annealing in order to probe the molecular nature of surface defects. The photoluminesence (PL) of bulk crystals of anatase TiO2 from (101) and (001) planes is also reported in order to test the hypothesis that electron and hole traps are spatially isolated on different crystal planes. We find that a number of hole scavengers are capable of quenching the PL associated with trapped electrons, while the ability of oxygen to quench PL through electron scavenging varies with the nature of the sample. We conclude that hole scavengers exert their influence on the PL through reaction with valence band holes rather than with spatially isolated trapped holes. Scavenging of electrons by O2, on the other hand, depends on adsorption at oxygen vacancies and varies with TiO2 sample.
Isolation of the β-tubulin gene from yeast and demonstration of its essential function in vivo

Abstract A DNA fragment from yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) was identified by its homology to a chicken β-tubulin cDNA and cloned. The fragment was shown to be unique in the yeast genome and to contain the gene for yeast β-tubulin, since it can complement a benomyl-resistant conditional-lethal mutation. A smaller subfragment, when used to direct integration of a plasmid to the benomyl resistance locus in a diploid cell, disrupted one of the β-tubulin genes and concomitantly created a recessive lethal mutation, indicating that the single β-tubulin gene of yeast has an essential function. Determination of the nucleotide sequence reveals extensive amino acid sequence homology (more than 70%) between yeast and chicken brain β-tubulins.
MC++: a parallel, portable, Monte Carlo neutron transport code in C++

MC++ is a multi group Monte Carlo neutron transport code written in C++ and based on the Parallel Object Oriented Methods and Applications (POOMA) class library. MC++ runs in parallel on and is portable to a wide variety of platforms, including MPPs, SMPs, clustered SMPs, and clusters of Unix workstations. MC++ is being developed to provide transport capabilities to the Accelerated Strategic Computing Initiative (ASCI). It is also intended to form the basis of the first transport physics framework (TPF), which is a C++ class library containing appropriate abstractions, objects, and methods for the particle transport problem. The transport problem is briefly described, as well as the current status and algorithms in MC++ for solving the transport equation. The alpha version of the POOMA class library is also discussed, along with the implementation of the transport solution algorithms using POOMA. Finally, some simple test problems are defined and performance and physics results on a variety of platforms are discussed.
Ultra High Bandwidth THz Tunable Delays using Cascaded Semiconductor Optical Amplifiers

Tunable delays at THz bandwidths can be achieved using ultra-fast non-linearities in semiconductor optical amplifiers. In this paper, we report electrically controllable fractional delays of 330% for 600 fs pulses propagating through two cascaded semiconductor optical amplifiers.
Location, location, location: the role of spatial locality in asymptotic energy minimization

Locality exploitation is essential to asymptotic energy minimization for gate array netlist evaluation. Naive implementations that ignore locality, including flat crossbars and simple processors based on monolithic memories, can require O(N2) energy for an N node graph. Specifically, it is important to exploit locality (1) to reduce the size of the description of the graph, (2) to reduce data movement, and (3) to reduce instruction movement. FPGAs exploit all three. FPGAs with a Rent Exponent p0.5 and implementations with metal layers that grow as O(N(p-0.5)) require only O(N(p+0.5)) energy; this bound can be achieved with O(1) metal layers with a novel multicontext design that has heterogeneous context depth. In contrast, a p>0.5 FPGA design on an implementation technology with O(1) metal layers requires O(N(2p)) energy.
Male New Zealand Mud Snails (Potamopyrgus antipodarum) Persist in Copulating with Asexual and Parasitically Castrated Females

Selection will favor males that can bias mating attempts towards more desirable females if the benefits of choosiness outweigh the costs of discrimination. Males that coexist with asexual and/or parasitically castrated females may benefit from discriminatory mating behavior because copulations with these females will not result in offspring that are related to the male. An example of a natural system in which these issues are relevant is Potamopyrgus antipodarum, a freshwater snail native to New Zealand. Sexual and asexual individuals coexist in some populations and the percentage of individuals sterilized by castrating trematodes can be very high. We addressed the possibility of male mate choice by conducting two laboratory experiments focused on determining whether male P. antipodarum housed with sexual, asexual and parasitically castrated P. antipodarum females biased copulatory effort towards sexual and/or healthy females. We found that male P. antipodarum readily copulated with asexual and castrated females, indicating that males do not avoid mating with females with whom they cannot father offspring. There was no evidence for strong male discrimination against any type of female. Potential explanations for this result include weak or no selection favoring discriminatory males, no heritable variation for male discrimination and no phenotypic indicators distinguishing sexual, asexual and healthy and sterilized females.
Business Information Courses in LIS Programs

Abstract This study examines the course content of business information courses offered in accredited library and information studies programs in the United States. Syllabi for courses offered in 2002-2003 were examined to determine coverage of general topics and specific business subjects; characteristics of the instructor; textbooks and other materials used; course assignments; projects and examinations; and the use of guest lecturers and tours as part of the course. The study shows that there is a great deal of variability in the content of business information courses in LIS programs. Common content includes coverage of online databases; introduction to business librarianship; and company, industry, and investment information.
Deprotection of the p -Methoxybenzyl Group of Selenocysteine by Neighboring Group Participation

Introduction Selenocysteine (Sec) is now recognized as the 21 amino acid in the universal genetic code and the discovery of 25 human proteins containing selenocysteine has generated renewed interest in synthetic peptides containing this rare amino acid [1]. The weakness of the carbon-selenium bond renders trityl-type protecting groups ineffective during peptide synthesis, thus benzyl (Bzl) and p-methoxybenzyl (Mob) groups have been used to protect the selenol side-chain [2,3]. While the Mob group is more acid labile than a benzyl group, very strong Lewis acids such as TMSBr and TMSOTf are still required for its removal. This is problematic because these reagents are not very soluble in ether, which makes work up of the peptide difficult. Thus, an alternative method of removal of the Mob group is needed. Our group has been working on methods for making the biologically important peptide Cys-Sec-Gly, which corresponds to the C-terminus of mammalian thioredoxin reductase. A major difficulty in making this peptide is in the deprotection of the Mob group from the Sec residue. In order to address this problem, we started to explore other deprotection methods that did not include silyl reagents. One of our early attempts at removing the Mob group involved oxidative deprotection with I2. As van der Donk had noted, deprotection of the Mob group from Sec using I2 in the presence of a peptide disulfide bond resulted in oxidative deprotection of Sec(Mob) with concomitant formation of a selenylsulfide bond [4]. We found the use of I2 as a reagent for the removal of Mob groups challenging, as many side products resulted that were unidentifiable by us. During the course of this investigation, we noticed spontaneous deprotection of the Mob group of Sec when the neighboring Cys residue was protected with a S-t-butyl group. However, very little deprotection was observed when the adjacent Cys residue was protected with a trityl group. When we further activated the neighboring Cys residue with a 5-Npys group [5], 100% deprotection of the Mob group of Sec was achieved in the presence of TFA, thioanisole, and phenol. This led us to use 2,2 dithiobis (5-nitropyridine) (DTNP) as a reagent for deprotecting Mob groups from Sec residues in peptides where no other Cys residue was present in the sequence.
Comprehensive Structure-Activity Relationship of Triantennary N-Acetylgalactosamine Conjugated Antisense Oligonucleotides for Targeted Delivery to Hepatocytes

The comprehensive structure-activity relationships of triantennary GalNAc conjugated ASOs for enhancing potency via ASGR mediated delivery to hepatocytes is reported. Seventeen GalNAc clusters were assembled from six distinct scaffolds and attached to ASOs. The resulting ASO conjugates were evaluated in ASGR binding assays, in primary hepatocytes, and in mice. Five structurally distinct GalNAc clusters were chosen for more extensive evaluation using ASOs targeting SRB-1, A1AT, FXI, TTR, and ApoC III mRNAs. GalNAc-ASO conjugates exhibited excellent potencies (ED50 0.5-2 mg/kg) for reducing the targeted mRNAs and proteins. This work culminated in the identification of a simplified tris-based GalNAc cluster (THA-GN3), which can be efficiently assembled using readily available starting materials and conjugated to ASOs using a solution phase conjugation strategy. GalNAc-ASO conjugates thus represent a viable approach for enhancing potency of ASO drugs in the clinic without adding significant complexity or cost to existing protocols for manufacturing oligonucleotide drugs.
Gale's Round-Trip Jeep Problem

- . In 1947 Fine [Fin] introduced and solved a problem of maximizing the distance a jeep can travel into the desert using n drums of fuel. Subsequently, Phipps [Phi], Alway [Alw], and Gale [Gal] gave other solutions to the original problem or considered related problems. As mentioned in [Fin], the original problem is similar to one which arose in air transport operations in the China theater during World War II, and it has been suggested that there may be applications to Arctic expeditions and interplanetary travel. Near the end of [Gal], the author states, "An apparently simple question is the round trip problem in which fuel is available at both ends of the desert, but I must confess . . . that I have not been able to find the solution. It is not hard to see that one can do at least as well in this case as in the case of two jeeps making one-way trips, but it may be possible to do better. The difficulty here as with many optimization problems is that there does not appear to be any simple way to determine whether or not a given solution is optimal." Gale's problem can be interpreted in two equivalent ways. (i) Given unlimited fuel at each end of a desert of given length, find a round trip across the desert which uses as little fuel as possible. (ii) Given a fixed amount of fuel which can be distributed between the two ends of a desert, find the maximum length desert which can be crossed in a round trip using the available fuel. We find it convenient to consider (ii) and give an optimal solution for it. We also describe a solution for the analogous round trip problem where the two allowed depots may be placed anywhere in the desert. In each of the above problems the jeep can carry exactly 1 drum. It is implicit that the jeep can store whatever fraction of a drum is desired at any point in the desert. (Perhaps the driver carries large plastic bags for fuel storage.) In [Dew], Dewdney proposed an interesting variation of the one-way problem. Although Dewdney's problem was given in terms of drums, gallons, and miles, it can be rephrased as follows: Find the maximum distance a jeep can travel into the desert using n drums of fuel where the jeep can carry 1 drum plus 1/5 of a drum in its tank, but only drums can be stored. That is the jeep can dump at most 5/6 of its fuel capacity in the desert. It is interesting to note that Dewdney's problem has been solved as a linear programming problem; an optimal algorithm for Dewdney's problem appears in [Jac]. But the problems solved in this paper apparently are not easily posed as either linear or dynamic programming problems. In [Gal], Gale also points out that "there is a feeling among many people that the original jeep problem can be solved by the functional equation method of dynamic programming. . . I know of no way of solving the problem by this method." 1. A BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SOLUTION TO GALE'S PROBLEM. In solving Gale's problem we will start by considering the longest desert which can be crossed in a round trip if there are m drums of fuel at the start S and k drums of
Comparison of Erosion Hotspots for Two Watersheds in Ohio

Soil erosion has resulted in many environmental problems in the United States. This study is to define watershed erosion hotspots and compare them in the two watersheds in Ohio. The watershed is divided into 30×30 m grids using Geographic Information System (GIS) while the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) is applied to estimate the soil erosion potential for each grid. Based the applications to Hocking River Basin and Atwood Lake Basin in Ohio, it is found that the hotspot erosion rates are 0.282 kg/m 2 /year and 0.164 kg/m 2 /year, respectively. After identifying the most erodible locations, comparison of effects of individual factor between the two watersheds are investigated. The correlation analysis indicates that land uses significantly influence the soil erosion of each watershed while soil types have limited effect. The highest average erosion rate occurs in barren lands. Developed medium and high intensity areas also have high erosion potentials. Based on the classification of geologic soil types, soil types with the highest erosion potentials are LoC, GIG and BtF at the Hocking River Basin, while the ones of the Atwood Lake Basin are ChB, CoB and FdA. Topography is the dominant factor for both the two basins.
High-Pressure Fuel Pyrolysis Investigation Using a Microflow Tube Reactor

A laminar microflow tube reactor with varying orifice diameter or hot section length was developed to examine fuel pyrolysis under high-pressure conditions. The initial data with regard to to pyrolysis of ethane, n-dodecane, and JP8 diluted in a flowing inert gas bath of nitrogen (2% fuel in 98% nitrogen by volume) is reported here. The pressures and temperatures explored so far ranged from 5-15 atm and from 950-1100K with effective flow residence times of the order of 500-600 msec. Because of the small diameter of the flow reactor, the radial mixing time scale was found to be negligible compared to the main convective time scale yielding radially homogeneous temperature and species profiles. All the species measurements were made at the exit plane of the reactor using GC and GC-MS systems. Results show that with few minor modifications, the present experimental configurations can be effectively used to minimize the uncertainty of chemical kinetic models. The system developed is capable of attaining much higher pressures of the order of 50-60 atm and can be used for injection of a range of hydrocarbon fuels to better understand the fuel pyrolysis under high pressure conditions.
Implementing Homeland Security Technologies: Differences in Willingness to Pay

Since 9/11, advanced homeland security-related technologies and specialized services have been implemented—and more are under consideration—to prevent and detect security threats, and to respond to...
Knowledgeable Navigation to Avoid the Iceberg: Considerations in Proactively Addressing School District Fiscal Stress in Michigan

School districts in fiscal crisis are highly unlikely to provide educational environments in which students learn, grow, and thrive; yet in Michigan, 57 school districts and public school academies ended the 2014 fiscal year either in deficit or with a deficit projected for the subsequent year. These districts’ deficits range from slightly more than $5,000 to more than $169 million in the Detroit Public Schools (Michigan Department of Education, 2014). Helping these districts return to a position of fiscal health from which they can deliver quality education is an immediate concern of incredible importance. Although less pressing, implementing a system that could help prevent other districts from being mired in fiscal crisis is equally significant and the focus of this paper. In response to the increasing number of districts experiencing fiscal stress, in December 2014, the Michigan legislature proposed an early warning finance system to allow the state government to intervene in districts that are either experiencing financial stress or appear to be headed in that direction. In this paper, the authors first describe the evolution of Michigan’s state-level response to school districts’ fiscal crises. Subsequently, the authors will compare the early warning system being discussed in Michigan in late 2014-early 2015 with such systems in other states as well as research related to indicators of school district fiscal distress. Finally, the authors will provide recommendations for consideration when developing an effective and efficient early warning system for school districts.