cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Toxins and venoms.

The compounds that we recognize as toxins and venoms span an enormous diversity of pharmacological and ecological functions. The selection pressures driving the modification of venoms and toxins are fundamentally different from those of other proteins, and result in somewhat different evolutionary dynamics. Toxins often appear convergent because externally available compounds are used for defense, whereas venoms seem to evolve toward a rather constrained set of target functions and classes of compounds. At the same time, venoms diversify within lineages at least as fast as any known group of proteins. With more experimental tools for more diverse groups of organisms, we will begin to discover what general evolutionary pressures and constraints shape the landscape of natural poisons.
Water and air transmissivity of geotextiles

Abstract The in-plane flow characteristics of both water and air in needled, nonwoven geotextiles have been evaluated in this study. Transmissivity (equal to permeability times fabric thickness) versus applied normal stress on the fabric has been measured in a radial flow device for different fabrics and for different thicknesses of a given fabric. The transmissivity response in each case was seen to decrease with increasing stress until a residual value was reached. In none of the cases did the fabric compress to the point where flow was completely shut off, even though stress levels of 2500 psf were applied. In turn, the calculated geotextile permeability varied from a fine gravel to a medium sized sand. Planar air flow in geotextiles has been found to be in excess of two orders of magnitude greater than water flow under comparable conditions. Air flow through partially and fully saturated fabrics is shown to be of little practical interest since the air easily moves around the water in the fabric voids or displaces it entirely. The need for transmissivity test standardization for all types of geotextiles and geotextile composite systems is expressed.
1,25-Dihydroxyvitamin-D3 treatment reduces cardiac hypertrophy and left ventricular diameter in spontaneously hypertensive heart failure-prone (cp/+) rats independent of changes in serum leptin.

Abstract:A number of investigators have observed insufficient 25-hydroxyvitamin D status in patients with congestive heart failure, suggesting a role for vitamin D insufficiency in the pathogenesis of this disorder. We have observed cardiac hypertrophy and collagen accumulation in rats deficient in
The effect of small intestinal transplantation on intraluminal levels of serotonin and substance P.

Abstract This study was performed to examine the effect of transplantation, and thus extrinsic denervation, of the small intestine on intraluminal release of serotonin and substance P. Heterotopic 40-cm-long proximal (jejunal) small intestinal isografts were performed in six 200- to 250-g adult male Lewis rats under general anesthesia. Bowel ends were exteriorized as ostomies. Six Lewis rats with neurovascularly intact 40-cm proximal small bowel Thiry-Vella loops exteriorized as ostomies served as the control animals. On the seventh postoperative day, the intestinal loops were perfused at 0.5 ml/min for three 10-min periods with normal saline followed by an equilibrium period and then for three 10-min periods with 20% dextrose. Perfusates were collected for each period and levels of serotonin and substance P were determined by radioimmunoassay. Intraluminal serotonin levels rose from 29 ± 9 ng/ml during saline perfusion to 115 ± 28 ng/ml during intestinal perfusion with 20% dextrose in the innervated loops and from 21 ± 7 ng/ml to 94 ± 26 ng/ml in the transplanted loops. While there was a statistically significant increase in mean intraluminal serotonin levels following perfusion with 20% dextrose in both the control and transplant groups, there was no difference in the intraluminal serotonin response between controls and transplant recipients. In contrast, 20% dextrose had no effect on luminal release of substance P in either group. These results indicate that extrinsic denervation of the small intestine has no effect on the intraluminal serotonin response to stimulation and suggest that serotonin and substance P are not released into the intestinal lumen by the same regulatory mechanisms.
Multimedia persistence as an indicator of potential for population-level intake of environmental contaminants.

RUNNING HEADER: Persistence as an indicator of population-level intake CORRESPONDING AUTHOR: Matthew MacLeod Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory One Cyclotron Road, 90R3058 Berkeley, CA mjmacleod@lbl.gov Phone: 510 486-6945 FAX: 510 486-6658 TOTAL WORDS: 5506
An exploratory open-label trial of aripiprazole as an adjuvant to clozapine therapy in chronic schizophrenia

Objective: We conducted this 6-week open-label trial to examine the effects of adjunctive aripiprazole in clozapine-treated subjects on weight, lipid and glucose metabolism, as well as positive and negative symptoms of schizophrenia. Method: Ten clozapine-treated subjects received aripiprazole augmentation; eight completed the 6-week trial and two ended at week 4. Eighty percent were male, the mean age was 38.7 ± 8.9 years and the mean clozapine dose was 455 ± 83 mg daily. Results: There was a significant decrease in weight (P = 0.003), body mass index (P = 0.004), fasting total serum cholesterol (P = 0.002) and total triglycerides (P = 0.04) comparing baseline to study endpoint. There was no significant change in total Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale scores. Conclusion: This combination may be useful for clozapine-associated medical morbidity and must be studied in placebo-controlled double-blind randomized trials to determine efficacy and safety.
A 65nm CMOS DCXO system for generating 38.4MHz and a real time clock from a single crystal in 0.09mm 2

An integrated digitally-controlled crystal oscillator (DCXO) is presented that generates both 38.4MHz and also a 32.768kHz real time clock (RTC) from a single 38.4MHz crystal. The DCXO can startup independently and transition seamlessly in and out of software control. The tuning range is 280ppm with 2ppb/step and guaranteed monotonicity. The phase noise is −135dBc/Hz at 1kHz offset and −146dBc/Hz at 10kHz offset. The current consumption is 5mA from a 1.4V supply in full power mode and 234µA in low power mode, including the LDO and all clock buffers. The DCXO is implemented in standard 65nm digital CMOS with a die area of 0.09mm2.
Relativistic quantum kinetic theory of stimulated bremsstrahlung of an axial vacuum mode by an electron beam travelling in a uniform magnetic field

Stimulated emission of ordinary plane-polarized electromagnetic waves propagating in the axial direction by a relativistic or non-relativistic electron beam is investigated using a new quantum kinetics based on the Dirac equation. The momentum and energy conservation laws and the time-reversal invariance of the transition probability are used explicitly to calculate the gain without expanding the transition rate as a power series in ħ. It is found that electroncyclotron masing occurs when the longitudinal temperature differs greatly from the transverse temperature for any beam energy. This electron-cyclotron masing is an individual-electron effect, which is not related at all to the phase bunching.
Further evidence for the first-order nature of the pure gauge SU(3) deconfinement transition

The presence of metastable states near the SU(3) deconfinement transition is verified using both microcanonical and Monte Carlo simulation methods.
Comparative metabolic fractionation of carotenoids in three flamingo species.

Abstract 1. 1. Three flamingo species, Phoenicoparrus andinus, Php. jamesi and Phoenicopterus ruber, subsisting chiefly upon plant food, elaborate major proportions of ketocarotenoids from dietary carotenes, storing principally canthaxanthin in plasma, as well as in feathers, wherein secondary concentrations of astaxanthin and a newly described ketocarotenoid, phoenicoxanthin, also occur. 2. 2. Canthaxanthin, predominant in tarsal skin of both Andean and Jame's species, is replaced by esterified astaxanthin in that of Pht. ruber. 3. 3. The principal liver carotenoid in andinus and in jamesi is β-carotene; in ruber, it is 4-keto-α-carotene. 4. 4. Echinenone occurs in several tissues of both andinus and jamesi; esterified fucoxanthin in tarsal skin of both; and ϵ-carotene in andinus liver.
Deep vein thrombosis in stroke patients: An overview.

Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is prevalent both in the acute and the later phases of stroke. From previous studies using 125 I fibrinogen uptake, its peak incidence appears to occur during the first 10 days of stroke. Using venography and impedance plethymography, its prevalence is still high (between 30% and 40%) 1 1/2 to 6 months after stroke. The incidence of pulmonary embolism appear to diminish after the acute phase of stroke. Venous stasis is a widely accepted factor in the cause of DVT. More recently, venous injury as endothelial damage from excessive venodilation has been postulated. Increased venous size in hemiplegic limb has been reported. Further studies as to the role of decreased venous velocity and increased venous size and the effect of various modalities influencing these effects are needed. Routine screening of stroke patients appears indicated, but what protocol should be followed has yet to be determined. Selective screening by stratifying patients as to their clinical risk may be appropriate if found safe and cost-effective. Prophylactic treatment should be initiated in patients who are at increased risk of DVT. The prophylaxis of venous thrombosis in stroke patients remains uncertain. The use of low-molecular heparin may be a promising option if it is proven safe, efficacious, and causes less bleeding. Other prophylactic methods remain to be investigated.
Honesty Tests in Academia and Business: A Comparative Study.

This study was designed to extend our understanding of trustworthiness and attitude measures as they relate to academia and business. The basic research question was whether students modify their responses to such inventories based on the purpose of the test. Students were randomly assigned to one of two conditions: respond as honestly and openly as possible or respond as if applying to graduate school or as if applying for a job. Results indicate that students modified their responses to an honor system survey if the results would be used as part of the admission criteria to graduate school; students did not modify their responses to an employment trustworthiness survey when the results would be used as part of the hiring decision. Implications for schools and businesses are discussed.
Characterizations of asymmetric fixtures with a two-gate approach

A technique for extracting asymmetric fixtures from a through standard and de-embedding the fixture effects from the composite measurement of DUT and fixture combination has been proposed. The technique consists of: 1) building a through standard which is the cascaded combination of the two fixtures. The two fixtures can be asymmetric in return loss but are symmetric in insertion loss and have the same electrical lengths, 2) extracting the fixture S-parameters from the measurement of the through standard, 3) de-embedding the fixture effects from the composite measurement and characterizing only the DUT. The 2-port single-ended case was investigated first and then we extended the technique to 4-port mixed mode. Deductions for extracting the S-parameters of the two fixtures are described in details and the extraction result was validated with simulations and measurements.
A non-toxic ligand for voxel-based MRI analysis of plaques in AD transgenic mice.

Amyloid plaques are a characteristic feature in Alzheimer’s disease (AD). A novel non-toxic contrast agent is presented, Gd-DTPAK6A1–30, which is homologous to A, and allows plaque detection in vivo. MRI was performed on AD model mice and controls prior to and following intracarotid injection with Gd-DTPA-K6A1–30 in mannitol solution, to transiently open the blood–brain barrier. A gradient echo T2 * -weighted sequence was used to provide 100m isotropic resolution with imaging times of 115 min. The scans were examined with voxel-based analysis (VBA) using statistical parametric mapping, for un-biased quantitative comparison of ligand-injected mice and controls. The results indicate that: (1) Gd-DTPA-K6A1–30 is an effective, non-toxic, ligand for plaque detection when combined with VBA (p ≤ 0.01–0.001), comparing pre and post-ligand injection scans. (2) Large plaques can be detected without the use of a contrast agent and this detection co-localizes with iron deposition. (3) Smaller, earlier plaques require contrast ligand for MRI visualization. Our ligand when combined with VBA may be useful for following therapeutic approaches targeting amyloid in transgenic mouse models.
Effects of structural configuration of prosthetic aortic valves upon coronary blood flow

This study was performed in order to determine the effects of the structural configuration of prosthetic aortic valves upon coronary blood flow. A pulse-duplicating system was utilized to which a rigid model of the root of the aorta and the left artery were attached. A stented normal human valve, stented porcine valve, pivoting disc valve, tilting disc value and a caged ball valve were tested at stimulated resting conditions. The results showed that the pulse configuration and proportions of coronary flow that were systolic and diastolic changed with various valves. There was no significant reduction of the mean simulated coronary flow with the porcine valve or disc valves. Coronary flow was augmented with the caged ball valve. These differences were interpreted as being due to several fluid dynamic phenomena. These were piston effects, inertia of reversed blood flow, torque and the effects resulting from the unique pressure distribution on each valve.
DENERVATION SUPERSENSITIVITY TO SEROTONIN IN RAT FOREBRAIN : SINGLE CELL STUDIES

Abstract To investigate the development of denervation supersensitivity to serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT) in the amygdala (AMYG) and the ventral lateral geniculate nucleus (vLGN), single cell recordings, microiontophoretic, histochemical and biochemical techniques were used in the present study. 5-HT projections to the vLGN and the AMYG were destroyed by 5,7-dihydroxytryptamine (5,7-DHT, a relatively selective toxin for 5-HT neurons) injected directly into the lateral ventricle or the ascending 5-HT pathway in the ventromedial tegmentum area. Enhanced responsiveness of cells to the inhibitory effect of microiontophoretically applied 5-HT (ionto-5-HT) began to develop within 24 h and approached a maximum 7 days after 5,7-DHT pretreatment. In general, the time courses for the reduction in both the density of 5-HT fluorescent varicosities and synaptosomal 5-HT uptake activity parallelled the time course for the development of denervation supersensitivity to 5-HT. During the first 2 days after 5,7-DHT, the enhanced sensitivity was selective for 5-HT; responses to d -lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), norepinephrine (NE) and γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) were unchanged. Seven or more days after 5,7-DHT there was a marked increase of the responsiveness of neurons in the vLGN and the AMYG to both 5-HT and LSD (a 5-HT agonist which is not a substrate for the high affinity 5-HT uptake system). At these later times, the responsiveness of cells in the AMYG to NE and to a lesser extent GABA was also increased. In contrast to the marked supersensitivity seen after 5,7-DHT induced denervation, chronic administration of parachlorophenylanine, a 5-HT synthesis inhibitor, failed to induce 5-HT supersensitivity.
Impact of the Respiratory Intensive Care Unit on Survival of Patients with Acute Respiratory Failure

Most physicians deeply involved in the treatment of patients with respiratory failure are convinced that special facilities, highly trained professional and nonprofessional personnel, and proper, albeit expensive, equipment are absolutely necessary to administer this care. This conviction, however, is not always shared by hospital administrators or colleagues in other medical disciplines. In order to establish the need for a respiratory intensive care unit at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, a study was conducted to determine the mortality of patients treated for respiratory failure by mechanical ventilation, and to examine factors which contributed to mortality that could be eliminated in a respiratory care unit. This report compares the data from this study with the data on the first 200 patients treated on the respiratory intensive care unit. Although other authors have reported their mortality statistics on special care units,'-'I few have had sufficient detailed data on patients treated in the general hospital prior to the establishment of a unit to make valid comparisons.
Chronic Δ-9-tetrahydrocannabinol Administration Increases Lymphocyte CXCR4 Expression in Rhesus Macaques

Cannabinoids have been reported to produce various immunomodulatory effects, which could potentially impact the host response to bacterial or viral infection. We have recently demonstrated that chronic Δ-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC; 0.32 mg/kg i.m., BID) decreased early mortality in rhesus macaques infected with simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV). However, the possibility that prolonged THC administration affects lymphocyte counts, phenotype, and proliferation indices has not been addressed. We examined expression of proliferative and phenotypic markers in circulating lymphocytes of male young adult rhesus macaques chronically-treated with THC (i.m. twice daily 0.32 mg/kg) for 12 months. Chronic THC administration did not alter lymphocyte subtypes, naive and memory subsets, proliferation, or apoptosis of T lymphocytes when compared to time-matched vehicle-treated controls. However, chronic THC increased T lymphocyte CXCR4 expression on both CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocytes compared to control. These results show that chronic THC administration produces changes in T cell phenotype, which can potentially contribute to host immunomodulation to infectious challenges.
The Acquisition of Object Names in Children with Specific Language Impairment: Action Context and Word Extension.

Specifically-language-impaired children and younger normal children matched for expressive language were presented with unfamiliar object names and referents across five experimental sessions. The objects differed in the degree to which they were associated with actions, and only certain of the object exemplars were named during presentation. Comprehension testing revealed that the specifically-language-impaired children acquired a greater number of object concepts presented in a no-action condition than the normal children. However, their extension of the names to new exemplars was more restricted and less differentiated. Several possible accounts of these findings are evaluated.
11.3.2 A Method for Total Baseline Integration

Advancements in technology continue to enable our society to design and implement more complex systems to achieve more ambitious missions. As systems become more and more complex, it is incumbent on the systems engineering practitioners to develop new and innovative methods to ensure our systems are cable of fulfilling their intended missions in an efficient and effective manner. This paper describes one such method known as Total Baseline Integration™ (TBI), developed through corporate investment at Booz Allen Hamilton. As part of an internal study on why programs to develop large complex systems often fail to meet cost, schedule, and/or performance objectives, one recurring theme became evident. As systems grow in complexity, it becomes more and more difficult to tightly integrate the programmatic baselines for performance, cost, schedule, and risk. We have a tendency to further complicate this situation by setting up our organizations such that these functions do not come together organizationally until they reach the Program Manager level. This is primarily due to the fact that control and management of these baselines requires different skill sets. There is a natural tendency to separate the staff performing these duties and often times they are even acquired through separate procurements of support staff. This paper will discuss a methodology we have developed to physically link and analyze these baselines. The goal and ultimate result of the methodology is to provide a more holistic assessment of the impact across program baselines for any proposed changes or alternatives.
Fuzzy-logic-based speed control of a shunt DC motor

The fundamental equations governing the operation of a DC motor are straightforward and are well presented in most undergraduate curricula, usually in a required energy conversion or electrical machinery class at the junior level. The physical implications of the equations regarding device behavior, and the need for speed control, are easily understood. Furthermore, students can readily develop a mental picture of the physical motor and its response. Speed control of a DC motor represents an ideal application for introducing the concepts of fuzzy logic. Once the fundamentals of fuzzy logic have been presented to the students, their application to the speed control problem can be easily demonstrated. The paper shows how a commercially available fuzzy logic development kit can be applied to the theoretical development of a fuzzy controller for motor speed, which represents a very practical class of engineering problems.
Flicker noise in CMOS transistors from subthreshold to strong inversion at various temperatures

Flicker noise is the dominant noise source in silicon MOSFET's. Even though considerable amount of work has been done in investigating the noise mechanism, controversy still exists as to the noise origin. In this paper, a systematic study of flicker noise in CMOS transistors from twelve different fabricators is reported under various bias conditions corresponding to the gate voltage changing from subthreshold to strong inversion, and the drain voltage changing from linear to saturation regions of operation. The measurement temperature was varied from room temperature down to 5 K. Experimental results consistently suggest that 1/f noise in n-channel devices is dominated by carrier-density fluctuation while in p-channel devices the noise is mainly due to mobility fluctuation. >
Phonocardiogram signal analysis: techniques and performance comparison

This paper presents the applications of the spectrogram, Wigner distribution and wavelet transform analysis methods to the phonocardiogram (PCG) signals. A comparison between these three methods has shown the resolution differences between them. It is found that the spectrogram short-time Fourier transform (STFT), cannot detect the four components of the first sound of the PCG signal. Also, the two components of the second sound are inaccurately detected. The Wigner distribution can provide time-frequency characteristics of the PCG signal, but with insufficient diagnostic information: the four components of the first sound, SI, are not accurately detected and the two components of the second sound, S2, seem to be one component. It is found that the wavelet transform is capable of detecting the two components, the aortic valve component A2 and pulmonary value component P2, of the second sound S2 of a normal PCG signal. These components are not detectable using the spectrogram or the Wigner distribution. Ho...
Drugs Targeting Alzheimer's Disease: Some Things Old and Some Things New

Enormous effort is now being devoted to developing drugs that slow neurodegeneration in Alzheimer's disease (AD), although insights into AD genetics and molecular pathogenesis only arose in the last 15 years. Acetylcholinesterase inhibitors that temporarily slow loss of cognitive function remain the only approved AD drugs. Discovery of mutations in three genes leading to severe early onset AD was critical in focusing attention on the role of amyloid peptides (Aβ) in neuronal cell death, and enhanced understanding of the biology of these peptides has led to an array of mechanism-based drug discovery strategies. These include inhibitors for Aβ-generating proteases, agents that prevent or reverse Aβ oligomerization, immunotherapies to reduce Aβ in brain and plasma, and drugs to modulate cholesterol-mediated effects on Aβ transport. Strategies are also underway to minimize toxic effects of Aβ fibrils on neurons, and these include antioxidants, blockers of glutamate-mediated excitotoxicity, and modulators of inflammatory responses within the brain. Although several approaches involve new agents for recently discovered targets, many are based on new applications of existing drugs such as statins and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Discovery of abnormally phosphorylated τ protein in neurofibrillary tangles in AD brain has led to strategies for identifying selective inhibitors of τ kinases and central nervous system/brain-permeable drugs that help maintain microtubule integrity. Clearly, a large gap exists between our understanding of the cellular cascades targeted in drug discovery and widespread failure of the nervous system that AD represents. Nevertheless, the pace of recent research clearly supports optimism that slowing progression of AD will soon be possible.
8 Steps to Fitness: A Faith-Based, Behavior Change Physical Activity Intervention for African Americans

Background: Physical activity (PA) participation offers many benefits especially among ethnic groups that experience health disparities. Partnering with faith-based organizations allows for a more culturally tailored approach to changing health behaviors. Methods: 8 Steps to Fitness was a faith-based behavior-change intervention promoting PA among members of African American churches. A quasi-experimental design was used to examine differences between the intervention group (n=72) and comparison group (n = 74). Health (resting blood pressure, body mass index, waist-hip ratio, fasting blood glucose), psycho-social (PA self-efficacy, social support, enjoyment, self-regulation, depression), and behavioral variables (PA, diet) were assessed at baseline, 3- and 6-months. Repeated measures ANCOVAs tested changes across time between groups. Results: At 3-months, the intervention group showed significantly more favorable changes in body mass index, waist circumference and social support than the control group. At...
The Institute of Medicine Report on Emergency Medical Services for Chi: Thoughts for Emergency Medical Technicians, Paramedics, and Emergency Physicians

The emergency medical technician, the paramedic, and the emergency physician, as well as emergency physicians who have additional expertise in emergency medical service (EMS) prehospital care or pediatric emergency medicine (through experience or formal fellowship training), will all find the Institute of Medicine's report, Emergency Medical Services for Children (EMS-C), to be an invaluable background resource as well as a guide for EMS system and EMS-C-related planning. With both breadth and depth, it reviews many of the issues in EMS-C today from many perspectives and provides practical information to enable these care givers to understand better the "big picture" of EMS-C as well as to assist them in continuing to make a difference in the day-to-day emergency care for children. It is well referenced, engenders respect for all members of the team within the broad continuum of EMS-C, and provides encouragement to them to work together to identify and address issues and solve problems to improve the quality of care for our nation's children.
On the Matrix-Cut Rank of Polyhedra

Lovasz and Schrijver 1991 described a semidefinite operator for generating strong valid inequalities for the 0-1 vectors in a prescribed polyhedron. Among their results, they showed that n iterations of the operator are sufficient to generate the convex hull of 0-1 vectors contained in a polyhedron in n-space. We give a simple example, having Chvatal rank 1, that meets this worst case bound of n. We describe another example requiring n iterations even when combining the semidefinite and Gomory-Chvatal operators. This second example is used to show that the standard linear programming relaxation of a k-city traveling salesman problem requires at least ⌊k/8⌋ iterations of the combined operator; this bound is best possible, up to a constant factor, as k + 1 iterations suffice.
Synergistic ototoxicity due to noise exposure and aminoglycoside antibiotics

Acoustic exposure to high intensity and/or prolonged noise causes temporary or permanent threshold shifts in auditory perception, reflected by reversible or irreversible damage in the cochlea. Aminoglycoside antibiotics, used for treating or preventing life-threatening bacterial infections, also induce cytotoxicity in the cochlea. Combined noise and aminoglycoside exposure, particularly in neonatal intensive care units, can lead to auditory threshold shifts greater than simple summation of the two insults. The synergistic toxicity of acoustic exposure and aminoglycoside antibiotics is not limited to simultaneous exposures. Prior acoustic insult which does not result in permanent threshold shifts potentiates aminoglycoside ototoxicity. In addition, exposure to subdamaging doses of aminoglycosides aggravates noise-induced cochlear damage. The mechanisms by which aminoglycosides cause auditory dysfunction are still being unraveled, but likely include the following: 1) penetration into the endolymphatic fluid of the scala media, 2) permeation of nonselective cation channels on the apical surface of hair cells, and 3) generation of toxic reactive oxygen species and interference with other cellular pathways. Here we discuss the effect of combined noise and aminoglycoside exposure to identify pivotal synergistic events that can potentiate ototoxicity, in addition to a current understanding of aminoglycoside trafficking within the cochlea. Preventing the ototoxic synergy of noise and aminoglycosides is best achieved by using non-ototoxic bactericidal drugs, and by attenuating perceived noise intensity when life-saving aminoglycoside therapy is required.
In search of the "Tossed Salad Man" (and others involved in prison violence): New strategies for predicting and controlling violence in prison

This article addresses two fundamental questions: 1) Can we accurately identify a subgroup of high risk inmates who will likely be involved in various forms of prison violence; and if so, 2) Is there an empirical research supporting the contention that current classification systems reduce the risk posed by those offenders predicted to be violent (such as gang/security threat group members)? Based on a review of the empirical evidence from the past two decades, we conclude that current classification strategies do not predict prison violence very accurately and perhaps more importantly, they do not appear to reduce the risk of violence in prison. New classification systems focusing on changing - rather than controlling - offenders while in prison represent one possible alternative strategy, given recent evidence that participation in prison programming/treatment is the most effective prison violence reduction strategy currently available.
Energetics of protein folding.

The energetics of protein folding determine the 3D structure of a folded protein. Knowledge of the energetics is needed to predict the 3D structure from the amino acid sequence or to modify the structure by protein engineering. Recent developments are discussed: major factors are reviewed and auxiliary factors are discussed briefly. Major factors include the hydrophobic factor (burial of non-polar surface area) and van der Waals interactions together with peptide hydrogen bonds and peptide solvation. The long-standing model for the hydrophobic factor (free energy change proportional to buried non-polar surface area) is contrasted with the packing–desolvation model and the approximate nature of the proportionality between free energy and apolar surface area is discussed. Recent energetic studies of forming peptide hydrogen bonds (gas phase) are reviewed together with studies of peptide solvation in solution. Closer agreement is achieved between the 1995 values for protein unfolding enthalpies in vacuum given by Lazaridis-Archontis-Karplus and Makhatadze-Privalov when the solvation enthalpy of the peptide group is taken from electrostatic calculations. Auxiliary factors in folding energetics include salt bridges and side-chain hydrogen bonds, disulfide bridges, and propensities to form α-helices and β-structure. Backbone conformational entropy is a major energetic factor which is discussed only briefly for lack of knowledge.
A spatially recursive optical flow estimation framework using adaptive filtering

In this paper, we propose a spatially recursive optical flow estimation (OFE) framework using adaptive filtering. One of most successful OFE algorithms is a gradient-based least- squares (LS) within a local image window because of high performance and low-complexity. However, it has some redundancies for calculating successive LS among adjacent pixels. Therefore, we suggest an efficient framework using recursive least-squares (RLS) and adaptive filtering to improve the computational efficiency. The performance and computational complexity are compared to least-squares OFE and spatially recursive OFE algorithms. Based on these results, we conclude that our proposed algorithm framework under proper window size can reduce computational complexity especially as the number of motion modeling parameters increases by using the property of RLS and adaptive filtering.
Controlling a Robotic Fish Via a Natural User Interface for Informal Science Education

Informal science education is a key contributing factor to scientific literacy, which determines our capacity as a society to technologically progress and make cognizant decisions on pressing issues of global scale. Both the fields of robotics and natural user interfaces have been separately proposed as effective means to aid informal science education, by increasing users’ engagement through multiple interactive features. Here, we demonstrate the integration of these two fields of investigation toward a novel educational platform, revolving around the control of a robotic fish via a natural user interface. Users control the robotic fish through upper limb gestures that are captured by the Kinect. The robotic fish incorporates a temperature sensor, which collects data in a tank instrumented with heating and cooling sources. Participants observe the measurements they are recording in real-time to map the environment. Self-reported post-activity surveys and behavioral coding data on young users were collected to assess their level of engagement in the activity and their perception of the system. Our results indicate that the robotic fish is intuitive to drive with the natural user interface, the activity of collecting water temperature is interesting, and robotics may be a viable and accessible career option.
The Green-Naghdi Theory Of Fluid Sheets For Shallow-Water Waves

Publisher Summary This chapter presents a mathematical theory for simulating wave transformation in shallow waters. The theory is intended for coastal engineering applications involving propagation of time-dependent, nonlinear waves where existing theories may either be inapplicable, or simple analytic/numerical solutions may be inappropriate. The theory detailed in essence a new-generation water-wave theory for shallow to moderate water depths where seabed may be rapidly varying. The new theory is the generalized or unrestricted Green-Naghdi (GN) Level II theory, derived here specifically for water waves. The GN theory employs the conservation principles and incorporates some of the most important mathematical features of the water-wave equations. These include non-approximating the governing Euler's field equations and imposing proper boundary conditions necessary for capturing the bulk physical characteristics of wave trains in the shallow water regime. The GN approach, which is fundamentally different from the perturbation method based on developments in classical wave theory, begun by Stokes and Boussinesq in the last century, can only do this by introducing some simplification of the velocity variation in the vertical direction across the fluid layers or sheets. The theory is particularly suited for violent collision of waves with natural and man-made structures, and their impact on shore-preventive hydraulic systems.
Mathematical Biology is Good for Mathematics

A bout ten years ago I wrote an article, “Why is Mathematical Biology so Hard?” for these Notices intending to explain why the applications of mathematics to biology would be very different than the traditional applications to physics and engineering [42]. A lot has happened since then. Mathematical biology has grown from a small field, containing relatively few mathematicians, to a major branch of applied mathematics. The reasons for this growth, which are implicit in the discussion below, are not the point of this article, nor do I want to encourage mathematicians to switch to mathematical biology. Rather, I want to make the case that mathematical biology benefits all mathematicians; it is good for the health of mathematics as a whole.
Application of TITAN for Simulation of Particle Streaming in a Duct

The TITAN hybrid deterministic transport code is applied to the simulation of particle streaming in a nuclear power plant duct. A simple model is used consisting of a concrete duct emerging from the pressure vessel with an isotropic surface source with a U-235 fission spectrum located at the pressure vessel end. Multiple methods of simulating the duct using the TITAN code are considered to demonstrate the flexibility of the code and the advantages of TITAN's algorithms. These methods include a discrete ordinates (S N ) calculation, a characteristics method calculation, and the use of a fictitious quadrature set with simplified ray-tracing. The TITAN code's results are compared with MCNP5 solutions. While all TITAN solutions are obtained in a shorter computation time than the MCNP5 solution, the TITAN solution with the fictitious quadrature set shows the largest speedup.
Housing Choices and Older Clients: Dealing with Issues of Identity and Quality of Life

Because of our aging population, attorneys will be dealing increasingly with clients age 65 or older. Pennsylvania, with almost 16 percent of its population age 65 or older, is second only to Florida in the percentage of older residents. While older persons have a variety of concerns, one of the essential elements in the quality of their lives is the cost and appropriateness of their housing.Attorneys with older clients, particularly attorneys practicing elder law, can expect to find themselves involved in assisting the client to select appropriate housing. But what is “appropriate housing"? And what are the options?This article examines the varied housing choices available to the elderly, and what attorneys should consider as they guide elderly clients who are facing these decisions.
Higgs boson production in association with a jet at next-to-next-to-leading order in perturbative QCD

We report on a calculation of the cross-section for Higgs boson production in gluon fusion in association with a hadronic jet at next-to-next-to-leading order (NNLO) in perturbative QCD. The computational technique is discussed in detail. We show explicitly how to employ known soft and collinear limits of scattering amplitudes to construct subtraction terms for NNLO computations. Cancellation of singularities is demonstrated numerically for the collinearly-subtracted gg → H + j cross-section through NNLO and the finite σ gg→Hj cross-section is computed through $ \mathcal{O}\left( {\alpha_s^5} \right) $ as a function of the center-of-mass collision energy. We present numerical results for the gluon-fusion contribution to Higgs production in association with a jet at the LHC. The NNLO QCD corrections significantly reduce the residual scale dependence of the cross-section. The computational method that we describe in this paper is applicable to the calculation of NNLO QCD corrections to any other 2 → 2 process at a hadron collider without modification.
Introduction: Our Concept of Change

Humanity faces unprecedented social, economic, political and ecological challenges. Old ways have proven inadequate. Our problems call for new solutions. Today’s Edisons, Ghandis, Curies and Picassos will be essential to making a sustainable future of prosperity and peace. Just as the world desperately needs creativity, our economy demands it. To participate and succeed in shaping the future everyone must be free to achieve his or her creative potential. Doing so will be not only good for the world but will also bring happiness and a sense of fulfillment as people exercise this most innately human aspect of their being.
Construction of accounting information quality evaluation model

In view of the ambiguity problem in enterprise accounting information quality evaluation,the article uses fuzzy comprehensive evaluation method to construct an accounting information quality evaluation model based on the analysis of accounting information quality impact factors.The model makes accounting information quality-an abstract theoretical concept quantified,by calculating.The article obtains a numerical value of accounting information quality,so as to find its evaluation result,which will finally provide the guidance for accounting information users to evaluate accounting information quality better.
Laser Revascularization for Critical Limb Ischemia

Critical limb ischemia is associated with progressive multi-level lower extremity atherosclerosis and poor long term amputation and mortality rates. In additional to medical therapy, adjunctive endovascular intervention remains an important modality to maintain arterial patency to allow for adequate tissue healing leading to limb salvage and improving overall mortality. Laser atherectomy holds particular primes for challenging femoropopliteal and infrapopliteal lesions – for both de novo and in-stent restenosis. The current chapter delineates the technical aspects of laser atherectomy for treatment of complex lower extremity lesions and to review the clinical literature supporting the use of laser atherectomy in the treatment of critical limb ischemia.
Abstract B46: Rac1 inhibition as a therapeutic strategy in breast cancer

Over the past few decades, targeted therapies have accounted for most of the therapeutic advances in breast cancer. The purpose of this approach is to discover new, actionable therapeutic strategies for breast cancer. We previously used a forward genomic screening approach to identify novel genes capable of cooperating with HER2, and found that loss of HACE1 was prevalent in breast cancer, identifying it as a tumor suppressor gene. HACE1 had significantly lower expression in breast cancer patients compared to normals. HACE1 is an E3 ubiquitin ligase that ubiquitinates Rac1, marking it for degradation. Rac1, a Rho GTPase, is a central component of key signaling pathways in breast cancer. While we identified HACE1 in a HER2 cooperating screen, the observation that HACE1 levels were consistently low across different subtypes of breast cancer led us to suggest that Rac1 is commonly hyperactivated in breast cancer and therefore has potential as a therapeutic target. We tested a Rac1 inhibitor, EHT 1864, on 8 different breast cancer cell lines, starting with an initial soft agar assay screen for sensitivity versus resistance and found that 4 cells lines were sensitive to the Rac1 inhibitor in soft agar cloning assays (MCF7, T47D, BT549, and BT474), while 4 other cell lines were resistant (MDA231, MDA436, MDA468, HS578T). These results were confirmed in 2D proliferation assays. The majority of the cell lines that were resistant to Rac1 inhibition overexpressed EGFR, suggesting that overexpression of EGFR confers resistance to Rac1 inhibition via the MAP Kinase pathway. Isogenic cell lines (MCF7) that express multiple activating proteins of the MAPK signaling pathway including EGFR, HER2, and MEK were treated with EHT1864 to determine if MAPK signaling was capable of overcoming Rac1 inhibition. Interestingly, the expression of EGFR conferred resistance to the Rac1 inhibitor. We further showed that molecular knockdown of EGFR in HS578T cells (EGFR-overexpressing, Rac1 inhibitor-resistant cells) resensitizes this cell line to Rac1 inhibition. Pharmalogical inhibition of EGFR using Gefitinib, an EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor, demonstrated the same resensitization to the Rac1 inhibitor. Our results suggest that Rac1 inhibition may be a therapeutic strategy in the treatment of breast cancer, as a single agent alone or in the case of EGFR overexpressing (triple-negative) breast cancers, in combination with EGFR targeted therapies. Citation Format: Dana Senderoff, Georges Azzi, Erik Goka, Marc Lippman. Rac1 inhibition as a therapeutic strategy in breast cancer. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Fourth AACR International Conference on Frontiers in Basic Cancer Research; 2015 Oct 23-26; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(3 Suppl):Abstract nr B46.
Do prodrugs deliver

This review examines the prodrug concept in the context of conventional prodrugs, which seek to increase systemic concentrations of a drug, and targeted prodrugs, which are designed to increase therapeutic ratio. In general, conventional prodrugs are designed to enhance oral absorption. With both types of prodrug, a pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic model must be created to understand the steps required and the barriers that need to be overcome to achieve success. This review highlights the role of polar surface area in identifying drugs that are suitable for oral absorption, and which have the required potency and retention at the intended site of pharmacology.
Testing the recent snow drought as an analog for climate warming sensitivity of Cascades snowpacks

Record low snowpack conditions were observed at Snow Telemetry stations in the Cascades Mountains, USA during the winters of 2014 and 2015. We tested the hypothesis that these winters are analogs for the temperature sensitivity of Cascades snowpacks. In the Oregon Cascades, the 2014 and 2015 winter air temperature anomalies were approximately +2 °C and +4 °C above the climatological mean. We used a spatially distributed snowpack energy balance model to simulate the sensitivity of multiple snowpack metrics to a +2 °C and +4 °C warming and compared our modeled sensitivities to observed values during 2014 and 2015. We found that for each +1 °C warming, modeled basin-mean peak snow water equivalent (SWE) declined by 22%–30%, the date of peak SWE (DPS) advanced by 13 days, the duration of snow cover (DSC) shortened by 31–34 days, and the snow disappearance date (SDD) advanced by 22–25 days. Our hypothesis was not borne out by the observations except in the case of peak SWE; other snow metrics did not resemble predicted values based on modeled sensitivities and thus are not effective analogs of future temperature sensitivities. Rather than just temperature, it appears that the magnitude and phasing of winter precipitation events, such as large, late spring snowfall, controlled the DPS, SDD, and DSC.