cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effect of bacterial lipopolysaccharide on bovine polymorphonuclear neutrophil migration in vitro

Abstract The in vitro effects of Escherichia coli 026:B6 lipopolysaccharide (LPS) on random migration of bovine polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMN) was investigated. Treatment of peripheral blood leukocytes (PBL) with LPS significantly inhibited PMN migration. These inhibitions were observed at a threshold concentration of 5.0 μg/2.0 × 106 PBL. PMN migration inhibition was eliminated in PBL by the addition of polymyxin B, which binds the Lipid A moiety of LPS. Treatment of isolated PMNs with LPS significantly enhanced migration. Enchanced migrations were observed at threshold concentration of 2.5 μg/4.0 × 106 PMN. Collectively these findings indicate that the inhibition was caused by leukocyte inhibitory factor (LIF) production in PBL cultures, whereas enhancement was probably caused by PMN activation. These results provide further insight into the effects of LPS on in vitro bovine PMN migration by its distinct actions on different cells of PBL.
Trends in atmospheric ozone - Conflicts between models and SBUV data

Results obtained from simple models for the long-term change in ozone and its seasonal amplitude as a function of atmospheric pressure in the region from 3.0-0.1 mbar are compared with ozone measurements obtained with the Solar Backscatter Ultraviolet Instrument (SBUV). The SBUV data show secular trends in ozone which are negative and larger than the largest model trends by a factor of two or more. It is suggested that temperature-correlated variations in photochemistry should be included in the model.
Assembly of microfilaments and microtubules from axonally transported actin and tubulin after axotomy

The slow component (SC) of axonal transport conveys structural proteins, regulatory proteins, and glycolytic enzymes toward the axon tip at 1-6 mm/day. Following axon interruption (axotomy), the rate of outgrowth corresponds to the rate of SCb-the fastest subcomponent of SC. Both axonal outgrowth and SCb accelerate 20-25% after axotomy. Tubulin and actin are the major proteins being carried by SCb. To further characterize the acceleration of SCb, we measured the equilibrium between subunits and polymers for both actin and tubulin. We radiolabeled newly synthesized proteins in rat motor neurons by microinjecting [35S]methionine into the spinal cord 7 days after crushing the sciatic nerve (85 mm from the spinal cord). Nerves were removed 7 days later for homogenization in polymer-stabilizing buffer (PSB) and centrifugation, followed by SDS-PAGE of supernatants (S) and pellets (P). We removed beta-tubulin, actin, and the medium-weight neurofilament protein (NF-M) from each gel by using the fluorogram as a template. After solubilizing gel segments for liquid scintillation spectrometry, we expressed counts as a polymerization ratio: P/[S+P]. In the nerve segments that contained radiolabeled Scb proteins, located 24-36 mm from the spinal cord, axotomy increased the polymerization ratio of SCb actin from 0.23 to 0.36 (P < 0.05) but had no effect on SCb beta-tubulin. In a separate experiment, we added 12 microM taxol to PSB to stabilize newly assembled microtubules. Adding taxol did not alter the polymerization ratio for SCb beta-tubulin in sham-axotomized nerves but aid increase the ratio in axotomized nerves, from 0.44 to 0.63 (P < 0.05); polymerization ratios for SCb actin were unaffected. We conclude that the assembly of microfilaments and microtubules increases to provide cytoskeletal elements for axon sprouts. The resulting loss of actin and tubulin subunits may play a role in the acceleration of SCb.
Cycloalkenone formation by the intramolecular addition of a α-diazoketone to an acetylenic pi-bond

Abstract Treatment of several ortho alkynyl substituted α-diazoacetophenone derivatives with rhodium (II) acetate results in intramolecular addition to the acetylenic pi-bond to give a transient cyclopropene which spontaneously rearranges to a vinyl carbene intermediate.
Combustion Characteristics of Biofuels in Porous-Media Burners at an Equivalence Ratio of 0.8

Biofuels, such as canola methyl ester (CME) and soy-methyl ester (SME) derived from vegetable oil, are alternative sources of energy that have been developed to reduce the dependence on petroleum-based fuels. In the present study, CME, SME, and commercial Jet-A fuel were tested in a porous-media burner at an equivalence ratio of 0.8 at the burner entrance. The measured combustion characteristics included NOx and CO emission indices, radiative fraction of heat release, and axial temperature profile in the surface stabilized and extended flame. The effects of fuel on the injector and porous-media durability were also documented. The NOx emission index was higher for the SME and CME flames than that of the Jet-A flame. Furthermore, the axial temperature profiles were similar for all the flames. The prolonged use of CME and SME resulted in more solid-particle deposition on the interior walls of the injector and within the structure of the porous medium than for Jet-A fuel, thereby increasing the restriction to the fuel/air flow and pressure drop across the burner.
Ethnicity, Age, and Employment Associated with Persistent Symptoms in Breast Cancer Survivors.

Background: Increases in breast cancer survival rates have prompted research on the quality of life (QOL) of breast cancer survivors, but relatively few studies have included nonwhite women or women who do not speak English.Patients and Methods: We administered a survey to patients who were ≥3 months post-completion of their adjuvant treatment for stage 0-III breast cancer at Columbia University Medical Center. The questionnaire asked patients about their experience of 16 physical and emotional symptoms in the last 7 days. Univariate analysis was performed to compare differences in each symptom measure by clinical, demographic, and treatment-related factors. Factor analysis is a statistical tool used to describe the covariance relationships among many inter-related variables in terms of a few underlying factors. Maximum likelihood factor analysis of the 16 symptoms using a varimax rotation identified 4 underlying symptom clusters that we termed depression-related, chemotherapy-related, hormone-related, and pain-related based on our clinical impression of the symptom clusters. We then used analyses of variance (ANOVA) to evaluate the associations of each of the sociodemographic and clinical characteristics (race, age, income, education, language, employment, years since diagnosis, and stage) individually with each of the four factors and multiple linear regression analysis to evaluate the associations of all of the sociodemographic and clinical characteristics with each of the four factors.Results: Of 139 patients surveyed, 58 were white, 63 Hispanic, and 18 black. Most women were 10 symptoms (chi2 11.8, df: 4, p 65 years old to report chemotherapy (beta -0.883±0.364; p Citation Information: Cancer Res 2009;69(24 Suppl):Abstract nr 1064.
The effect of perceived distance on perceived movement

Equations were developed to predict the apparent motion of a physically stationary object resulting from head movement as a function of errors in the perceived distances of the object or of its parts. These equations, which specify the apparent motion in terms of relative and common components, were applied to the results of two experiments. In the experiments, the perceived slant of an object was varied with respect to its physical slant by means of perspective cues. In Experiment I, O reported the apparent motion and apparent distance of each end of the object independently. The results are consistent with the equations in terms of apparent relative motion, but not in terms of apparent common motion. The latter results are attributed to the tendency for apparent relative motion to dominate apparent common motion when both are present simultaneously. In Experiment II, a direct report of apparent relative motion (in this case, apparent rotation) was obtained for illusory slants of a physically frontoparallel object. It was found that apparent rotations in the predicted direction occurred as a result of head motion, even though under these conditions no rotary motion was present on the retina.
Influence of the Motivational Climate in Physical Education on Sixth Grade Pupilsí Goal Orientations

The primary purpose of the study was to ascertain whether manipulating the motivational climate of physical education units would influence sixth grade pupils’ goal orientations. A secondary purpos...
Superoxide dismutase, lipid peroxidation, and bell-shaped dose response curves.

Cellular metabolism generates the cytotoxic superoxide free radical, O2·–, and a family of enzymes called superoxide dismutases (SOD) protects us from O2·– by catalyzing its conversion to O2 and H2O2. Superoxide production increases in a wide variety of pathological states, especially those involving inflammation or ischemic injury. Most of the literature has described systems wherein added or over expressed SOD produced beneficial effects, yet in some circumstances SOD provided no benefit, or was clearly detrimental, exacerbating cell injury or death. When broad dose-response studies were finally possible in models of reperfusion injury in the isolated heart, hormesis became clear. We propose that the mechanisms underlying the hormesis are related to the paradoxical abilities of the superoxide radical to serve as both an initiator and a terminator of the free radical-mediated chain reaction that results in lipid peroxidation. Lipid peroxidation is a universal feature of oxidative stress, causing loss of cellular structure and function. Under any given conditions, the optimal concentration of SOD is that which decreases chain initiation without elimination of the chain termination properties of the radical, resulting in a minimum of net lipid peroxidation. Mathematical modeling of this hypothesis yields predictions fully consistent with observed laboratory data.
Efficient Upconverting Nanophosphors for Imaging and Photodynamic Therapy

Erbium-Ytterbium codoped nanophosphor systems are explored for high efficiency upconversion. The NIR to visible upconversion from 1550 nm and 980 nm excitation are of particular interest to us for biomedical applications such as imaging, sensing, and photodynamic therapy. Variations in synthesis method and rare earth concentration are carried out in sodium, potassium, and transition metal based phosphor materials. The spectroscopic properties of the material dry and in biologically appropriate solution are taken. After bioconjugation, these particles will be used in a mouse model to demonstrate that cancer imaging with a near-infrared excitation source is possible.
The Furin Protease Cleavage Recognition Sequence of Sindbis Virus PE2 Can Mediate Virion Attachment to Cell Surface Heparan Sulfate

Cell culture-adapted Sindbis virus strains attach to heparan sulfate (HS) receptors during infection of cultured cells (W. B. Klimstra, K. D. Ryman, and R. E. Johnston, J. Virol. 72:7357–7366, 1998). At least three E2 glycoprotein mutations (E2 Arg 1, E2 Lys 70, and E2 Arg 114) can independently confer HS attachment in the background of the consensus sequence Sindbis virus (TR339). In the studies reported here, we have investigated the mechanism by which the E2 Arg 1 mutation confers HS-dependent binding. Substitution of Arg for Ser at E2 1 resulted in a significant reduction in the efficiency of PE2 cleavage, yielding virus particles containing a mixture of PE2 and mature E2. Presence of PE2 was associated with an increase in HS-dependent attachment to cells and efficient attachment to heparin-agarose beads, presumably because the furin recognition site for PE2 cleavage also represents a candidate HS binding sequence. A comparison of mutants with partially or completely inhibited PE2 cleavage demonstrated that efficiency of cell binding was correlated with the amount of PE2 in virus particles. Viruses rendered cleavage defective due to deletions of portions or all of the furin cleavage sequence attached very poorly to cells, indicating that an intact furin cleavage sequence was specifically required for PE2-mediated attachment to cells. In contrast, a virus containing a partial deletion was capable of efficient binding to heparin-agarose beads, suggesting different requirements for heparin bead and cell surface HS binding. Furthermore, virus produced in C6/36 mosquito cells, which cleave PE2 more efficiently than BHK cells, exhibited a reduction in cell attachment efficiency correlated with reduced content of PE2 in particles. Taken together, these results strongly argue that the XBXBBX (B, basic; X, hydrophobic) furin protease recognition sequence of PE2 can mediate the binding of PE2-containing Sindbis viruses to HS. This sequence is very similar to an XBBXBX heparin-HS interaction consensus sequence. The attachment of furin protease cleavage sequences to HS may have relevance to other viruses whose attachment proteins are cleaved during maturation at positively charged recognition sequences.
Intravital high-frequency ultrasonography to evaluate cardiovascular and uteroplacental blood flow in mouse pregnancy

Objective The objective of this study is to define the ultrasonographic changes in the cardiovascular and uteroplacental circulation of normal pregnant mice compared to non-pregnant mice using high-frequency, high-resolution ultrasonography.
The Effect of Silicide Formation on the Electrical Properties of Gate Oxides

CoSi 2 , or TiSi 2 formation on gate polysilicon can degrade the current-voltage and capacitance-voltage characteristics of MOS capacitors. Degradation of the gate oxide breakdown field is much more severe for capacitors with TiSi 2 than for those with COSi 2 TEM reveals evidence for a reaction at the interface between TiSi 2 and SiO 2 , whereas there is no observable reaction between COSi 2 and SiO 2- The low breakdown fields for devices with TiSi 2 may be due to thinning of the gate oxide by the interfacial reaction or mechanical deformation. A high density of electron traps and a small reduction in the breakdown field is observed when COSi 2 contacts the gate, possibly due to a compressive stress in the oxide exerted by the suicide. In addition, an increase in the interface state density at the Si-SiO 2 interface is seen for all samples exposed to a rapid thermal anneal (RTA) at 800°C, possibly due to the release of H from dangling bonds.
RAMP for the capacitated minimum spanning tree problem

This paper introduces dual and primal-dual RAMP algorithms for the solution of the capacitated minimum spanning tree problem (CMST). A surrogate constraint relaxation incorporating cutting planes is proposed to explore the dual solution space. In the dual RAMP approach, primal-feasible solutions are obtained by simple tabu searches that project dual solutions onto primal feasible space. A primal-dual approach is achieved by including a scatter search procedure that further exploits the adaptive memory framework. Computational results from applying the methods to a standard set of benchmark problems disclose that the dual RAMP algorithm finds high quality solutions very efficiently and that its primal-dual enhancement is still more effective.
High T/sub c/ superconducting coplanar delay line with long delay and low insertion loss

nanosecond coplanar delay lines have been fabricated from TlBaCaCuO (2212) and YBaCuO (123) high T, superconducting thin films on 1"xl" LaA103 substrate. This device exhibits the unique combination of long delay (11 ns), low insertion loss (~0.25 dB/ns up to 8 GHz), and low cross talk (< -50 dB). In terms of total delay and delay per unit area, to our knowledge, it is a record for high Tc superconductor delay lines. Test data are compared with theoretical values. Potential applications are discussed.
Math for Poets and Drummers

You've probably heard that "math and music go together." I hear it often; I'm a mathematician and musician who studies the applications of math to music. Precisely how math and music go together, though, is somewhat mysterious. There is no doubt that their connection has a long history. The ancient Greeks discovered a correspondence between musical intervals with a pleasing sound and ratios of whole numbers, thus inspiring a persistent association between music and proportions in Western thought. However, the fact that scholars in ancient India made several mathematical breakthroughs while analyzing the rhythms of poetry has been almost completely overlooked in the West. In English, a poetic rhythm, called a meter, is a pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables. English poets use about a dozen different meters. Much poetry, including Shakespeare's plays, is written in iambic pentameter?five pairs of alternating unstressed and stressed syllables to a line (da-DUM da-DUM da-DUM da-DUM da-DUM). Alexander Pope's 700+ line iambic pentameter poem An Essay on Criticism (1709) is a good example. In this excerpt, he ridicules critics who judge poetry solely on how well it follows strict metrical rules. ("Most" in the first line and "these" in the third line refer to the critics.)
The Ambiguity of Policy Research

“The oft-felt danger [is] that research itself has become a menace, …, a semantic crucifix warding off modern vampires of public and political pressure.”
Protein organization in clathrin trimers

Abstract We have prepared a homogeneous, soluble 8.6S species ("8.6S clathrin") from calf-brain coated vesicles. Crosslinking experiments show that this 8.6S clathrin is composed of three heavy chains (molecular weight 180,000) and three light chains (molecular weights 33,000 and 36,000). Each heavy chain is in close contact with a single light chain, and the light chains appear not to be in contact with each other. Intact 8.6S clathrin can reassemble into cages without participation of additional protein species.
The Effects of Privileging Moral or Performance Character Development in Urban Adolescents

This study compared the effects of emphasizing moral character development or performance character development at three high-performing, high-poverty urban middle schools. Performance character co...
“Wet/dry Daisyworld”: a conceptual tool for quantifying the spatial scaling of heterogeneous landscapes and its impact on the subgrid variability of energy fluxes

We modified the “Daisyworld” model of Watson and Lovelock to consider the energy balance of vegetation with differing potential to evaporate water vapour across a 2-D landscape. High-resolution spatial fields of surface temperature, latent heat exchange and net radiation are computed using cellular automata (CA). The CA algorithm considers competition between actively transpiring “wet daisies” and “dry daisies” for bare ground through temperature-dependent birth and death probabilities. This paper examines how differences in biophysical properties (e.g. surface albedo and surface conductance) affect the composition and heterogeneity of the landscape and its energy exchange. And with high resolution and gridded spatial information we evaluate bias errors and scaling rules associated with the subgrid averaging of the nonlinear functions used to compute surface energy balance. Among our key findings we observe that there are critical conditions, associated with albedo and surface resistance, when wet or dry/dark or bright “daisies” dominate the landscape. Second, we find that the heterogeneity of the spatial distribution of “daisies” depends on initial conditions (e.g. a bare field versus a random assemblage of surface classes). And third, the spatial coefficient of variation of land class, latent heat exchange, net radiation and surface temperature scale with the exponential power of the size of the averaging window. Though conceptual in nature, the 2-D “wet/dry Daisyworld” model produces a virtual landscape whose power-law scaling exponent resembles the one derived for the spatial scaling of a normalized difference vegetation index for a heterogeneous savanna ecosystem. This observation is conditional and occurs if the initial landscape is bare with two small colonies of “wet” and “dry” daisies. Bias errors associated with the nonlinear averaging of the surface energy balance equation increase as the coefficient of variation of the surface properties increases. Ignoring the subgrid variability of latent heat exchange produces especially large bias errors (up to 300%) for heterogeneous landscapes. We also find that spatial variations in latent heat exchange, surface temperature and net radiation, derived from our “Daisyworld” model, scale with the spatial variation in surface properties. These results suggest that we may be able to infer spatial patterns of surface energy fluxes from remote sensing data of surface features. “Wet/dry Daisyworld”, therefore, has the potential to provide a link between observations of landscape heterogeneity, deduced from satellites, and their interpretation into spatial fields of latent and sensible heat exchange and surface temperature. DOI: 10.1111/j.1600-0889.2005.00149.x
Television movie audiences and movie awards: A statistical study

Dr. Ryland Taylor is an associate professor of economics at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb. The following study is a direct follow‐up of his earlier analysis of “The Repeat Audience for Movies on TV,” published in the Journal, 17:95–100 (Winter 1972–73).
Absorbing boundary conditions for the elastic wave equations

The two dimensional elastic wave equations are used to model wave propagation in mediums with large or unbounded domains. In order to numerically simulate those problems the equations have to be put on the computer and artificial boundary conditions that allow minimal wave reflection must be introduced. These boundary conditions are well known in the literature as absorbing or radiating boundary conditions. They have been of interest to physicists and meteorologists for some time. In this paper three different methods for deriving radiating boundary conditions for the elastic wave equations are presented. One of these techniques gives exact absorbing boundary conditions for both P (longitudinal) and S (transverse) waves generated from a surface source. From this, approximate absorbing boundary conditions are derived. These conditions are easy to employ in finite difference codes.
Cancer biomarker discovery and validation

With the emergence of genomic profiling technologies and selective molecular targeted therapies, biomarkers play an increasingly important role in the clinical management of cancer patients. Single gene/protein or multi-gene "signature"-based assays have been introduced to measure specific molecular pathway deregulations that guide therapeutic decision-making as predictive biomarkers. Genome-based prognostic biomarkers are also available for several cancer types for potential incorporation into clinical prognostic staging systems or practice guidelines. However, there is still a large gap between initial biomarker discovery studies and their clinical translation due to the challenges in the process of cancer biomarker development. In this review we summarize the steps of biomarker development, highlight key issues in successful validation and implementation, and overview representative examples in the oncology field. We also discuss regulatory issues and future perspectives in the era of big data analysis and precision medicine.
Supporting the Self-Concept with Memory: Insight from Amnesia

We investigated the extent to which personal semantic memory supports the self-concept in individuals with medial temporal lobe amnesia and healthy adults. Participants completed eight ‘I Am’ self-statements. For each of the four highest ranked self-statements, participants completed an open-ended narrative task, during which they provided supporting information indicating why the I Am statement was considered self-descriptive. Participants then completed an episodic probe task, during which they attempted to retrieve six episodic memories for each of these self-statements. Supporting information was scored as episodic, personal semantic or general semantic. In the narrative task, personal semantic memory predominated as self-supporting information in both groups. The amnesic participants generated fewer personal semantic memories than controls to support their self-statements, a deficit that was more pronounced for trait relative to role self-statements. In the episodic probe task, the controls primarily generated unique event memories, but the amnesic participants did not. These findings demonstrate that personal semantic memory, in particular autobiographical fact knowledge, plays a critical role in supporting the self-concept, regardless of the accessibility of episodic memories, and they highlight potential differences in the way traits and roles are supported by personal memory.
Genotypic and Phenotypic Evaluation of the Evolution of High-Level Daptomycin Nonsusceptibility in Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococcus faecium

Whole-genome sequencing and cell membrane studies of three clonal Enterococcus faecium strains with daptomycin MICs of 4, 32, and 192 μg/ml were performed, revealing nonsynonymous single nucleotide variants in eight open reading frames, including those predicted to encode a phosphoenolpyruvate-dependent, mannose-specific phosphotransferase system, cardiolipin synthetase, and EzrA. Membrane studies revealed a higher net surface charge among the daptomycin-nonsusceptible isolates and increased septum formation in the isolate with a daptomycin MIC of 192 μg/ml.
Using Functional Genomic Units to Corroborate User Experiments with the Rosetta Compendium

The Rosetta data set opens the possibility of comparing an experimental microarray data set with a reference profile from the compendium. However, explaining this comparison in terms of individual genes could be a daunting task because of the sheer number of genes. Thus, we postulate a new strategy of modeling microarray data in terms of functional genomic units (FGUs). A functional genomic unit is a group of genes that carries out a certain biological function. We explored the possibility of defining the functional genomic units from the Gene Ontology (GO) annotation of the yeast genome. To visualize the tree structure of the GO, we have written a yeast genomic knowledge browser in Java, and integrated it with the microarray data. The pitfall of using the GO is that only a portion of the genes in the genome are functionally known or inferred. Thus, we further investigated an unsupervized learning method to identify those functional genomic units in the yeast genome. We have applied an established analysis method from digital signal processing, Independent Component Analysis (ICA), to the Rosetta data set. To further validate the utility of the Rosetta compendium, we have designed an experiment to investigate the yeast cells transfected with human Rac1, a small GTPase protein of the Rho family, and demonstrated that functional genomic units helped us to corroborate our own microarray experiment with the Rosetta data set.
A Fluorescent Sensor Array for Saccharides Based on Boronic Acid Appended Bipyridinium Salts

Weareabletodiscriminateamongtwelve saccharides at a concentration of 2mm by using afluorescentsensorarrayatphysiologicalpHvalues.Themodularsensingensembleiscomposedoftheanionicfluorescentdye,8-hydroxypyrene-1,3,6-trisulfonicacidtriso-diumsalt(HPTS),andanarrayofsixcationicbis-boronicacidappendedbenzylviologens(BBVs,Scheme1).Wereportedthatsyntheticallyvaryingthespacingbetweenthediboronicacidsprovidedenhancedglucoseselectivity.
Human adaptation to Arctic zones.

The study of human adaptation to polar areas has engaged scholars in many fields since the late nineteenth century. The first two scientific monographs on the Eskimo were published in 1888 (16,55), and were soon followed by useful reports (2, 39, 99, 110). Since then much work has been undertaken, and efforts at a synthesis are now under way. Tundra ecosystems were recently a focus of research efforts by the International Biological Program (IBP), and students with interest in the human ecology of this region now have a rich and rapidly growing literature. The Swedish component of the IBP !Tundra Biome has published a useful collection of papers on the structure and function of tundra ecosystems (102). Hildes,(53) and Laughlin (75) summarized knowledge of arctic human ecology, and the synthesis volume from the human adaptability component of the US/lBP (66) updates and fills in many of the gaps identified earlier by Hildes (53) and Laughlin (75). The annotated bibliography by Culver (30) is outdated but still useful. Important discussions on the methodology of studying human adaptability to cold stress are presented by Yoshimura & Weiner (119) and Weiner & Louri (117). Important surveys of human adaptation to cold are those by Folk (42), Carlson & Hsieh (29), Edholm & Lewis (38), Van Wie (113), and Little & Hochner (81). The latter ap­ proaches the problem of thermal stress with an emphasis on growth and development. The best recent syntheses of tundra ecology are by Bliss et al (15) and Brown et al (17a). In this review I shall concentrate on human social and cultural adaptive strategies as they are applied to High Arctic populations. At appropriate places the reader will be referred to relevant biological adaptations treated
The Extended School Year: Implications for Student Achievement

AbstractPublic policy makers have focused some attention upon extending the length of the school year. The current study investigated the following question: How does the number of days of school attended influence the level of student achievement on standardized tests? The achievement scores of students from two different school systems were analyzed. These students had experienced an interrupted school year of approximately 1 month due to severe weather in 1976–77. Yearly comparisons between the achievement scores of 1976–77 and other school years were made within and across groups. The results of the various comparisons suggested that simply increasing the length of the school year would not likely produce marked changes in test score performance.
CHEMICAL SIGNALS IN VERTEBRATE PREDATOR-PREY SYSTEMS INVOLVING COMMON MUSK TURTLES, STERNOTHERUS ODORATUS, AND THEIR PREDATORS

Rathke's gland secretions (RGS) of Common Musk Turtles have a variety of proposed func- tions including predator deterrence and attraction, but experimental studies testing these hypotheses are lacking. This study used laboratory and field experiments to test whether RGS had attraction or re - pellent effects on two natural predators, the Cottonmouth (Agkistrodon piscivorus), and the Common Snapping Turtle (Chelydra serpentina). In a laboratory experiment, we examined latency to feed and consumption times for Cottonmouths offered RGS-treated minnows and control minnows. In a field study, we investigated the ratio of snapping turtles appearing in traps with and without RGS-treated bait. The latency to feed times for Cottonmouths offered RGS-treated minnows were not significantly different from those offered control minnows. However, prey consumption times for Cottonmouths feeding on RGS-treated minnows were significantly greater than those feeding on control minnows. These results suggest that the RGS may lengthen the time of a predation sequence, possibly allowing the turtle more time to escape from the predator. The number of snapping turtles appearing in traps with RGS-treated bait was significantly greater than the number of snapping turtles in traps without RGS-treated bait. These results support the predator attraction hypothesis, where the signal may at- tract additional predators that interfere with a predation event, providing an opportunity for the prey to escape.
Nation 2.0: Testing Survey Instruments to Measure Identity among Immigrant-Background Young Adults in Denmark and Sweden

How does national identity vary among minorities across nations, ethnic and religious groups, and social contexts? Scholars have drawn new identity theories and measurement paradigms to suit the diversity of modern societies, but the rigor of our measurements lags behind our knowledge of complex identities, and multi-dimensional identity measurement among minorities nearly always occurs in single national contexts. Based on pretesting of an original survey among ethnic-majority and immigrant-minority youth in Denmark, this paper evaluates several methods of measuring ethnic, religious and national identities in preparation for a broader-scale administration the research project in Denmark and Sweden. Examining simple group affiliation, intensity scales and five-point minority vs. national scales of identity measurement along ethnic, religious and national dimensions, the paper 1) presents data collected in cognitive survey pre-tests that reveal respondent reactions to questions in terms of their clarity, emotional impact and how the various modes of measurement relate to one another, and 2) presents preliminary results on the variation among these identities across ethnic-majority and minority groups. The paper uses this data to focus on the reliability and usefulness of these methods of identity measurement in immigrant-receiving contexts. The paper contributes to a growing literature on identity measurement by preparing measurement methods for use 1) across similar minorities in two national contexts, 2) in historically homogeneous European “nation-states” that are now immigration countries, and 3) concerning minority-Muslim identity as well as ethnic and national identity dimensions.
A Critical Review of the Model Minority Myth in Selected Literature on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in Higher Education

This article presents a critical review of 112 works of research on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs) in higher education. It focuses on ways previous scholarship framed AAPIs in higher education, and specifically on how those works engaged in a sustained project of countering the model minority myth (MMM). Many publications on AAPIs in higher education mentioned the MMM and neglected to account for the original purpose of the MMM—to maintain anti-Black racism and White supremacy. We identified four key and interconnected limitations implicit in the counter-MMM framework that result from a lack of a critical recognition of the model minority as an instrument to maintain White dominance. Our analysis suggests that the well-established counter-MMM scholarly project is fundamentally flawed in its ability to humanistically reframe and advance research on AAPIs. Therefore, we call for a reframing of research on AAPIs in higher education.
Childrens Cancer Group Transplant Trials for Acute Myeloid Leukemia in Children: A Cross-Study Analysis of CCG-251, CCG-213, CCG-2861, and CCG-2891

Since 1978, the Childrens Cancer Group (CCG; see Appendix) has completed three clinical trials in AML in which induction therapy and matched related marrow transplant are major variables [1–7]. A cross-study analysis of the three completed clinical trials, CCG-251, CCG-213 and CCG-2861, helps define the role of induction therapy, allogeneic marrow transplant and chemotherapy in effecting outcome. CCG is currently conducting a fourth trial, CCG-2891, in which autologous transplant is compared to matched related transplant or chemotherapy.
Los Alamos anniversary: “We meant so well”

The fortieth anniversary of the Los Alamos National Laboratory, the major U.S. center for nuclear weapons development, provokes a melancholy reflection on the origins and history of the nuclear age.
Implicit LES of a Shock Interaction with a Tripped Equilibrium Turbulent Boundary Layer

An Implicit Large Eddy Simulation of a Mach 2.33 re ected oblique shock/turbulent boundary layer interaction (Re = 3048, generated by a 9 wedge) is employed to understand the dynamics of the interaction. The boundary layer is generated with a new spatial approach that ensures the proper statistical and coherent structure dynamics, with no discernible time or length scales associated with the generation process. The dynamics of the interaction and its unsteadiness, are analyzed from the standpoint of the mean ow, statistical quantities such as Reynolds stresses, spectra of the unsteadiness and the e ect on coherent structures. The results are compared to ongoing experiments, and when scaled by the interaction length reproduce the key features including the low frequency unsteadiness. The shock ampli es the turbulence, and initially reduces the size of the largest length scales which is the behavior expected from the literature. Hairpin vortices are identi ed to be the large scale coherent structure present in the boundary layer before and after the interaction, with an increase in size found downstream. These results are then assimilated to initiate active ow control simulations with plasma actuators.
Transmission of Marek's disease with oral washings and feces from infected chickens.

SummaryMarek's disease was transmitted with oral washings and fecal extracts from 4-week-old, JM-inoculated chickens to day-old chickens by inoculation. All birds inoculated with oral washings or fecal extracts by the intra-abdominal route were positive while in-tranasal instillation of these materials gave responses of 0% and 21 % respectively during a 10-week experimental period. An attempt to transmit Marek's disease by a direct transfer of oral fluids with cotton swabs from donor to recipient chicks was unsuccessful.
Surgeon general's perspectives.

470  Public Health Reports / November–December 2014 / Volume 129 Acting Surgeon General Boris D. Lushniak, MD, MPH, RADM, meets with Monique Bethell, PhD, a volunteer at Healing with CAARE, Inc., and Health Equity Coordinator, Community Transformation Grant for the North Carolina Division of Public Health, Department of Health and Human Services (center); and Dr. Sharon Elliott-Bynum, Founder of Healing with CAARE, Inc. (right). QUIET HEROES, DEAFENING IMPACTS
Modelling the diffusion of manual irrigation pumps in lower income countries with the Bass model

The Bass model is a popular tool for modelling the diffusion of a new product targeted for consumers in economies above the poverty line. In this paper, the authors show that the Bass model is also appropriately used to model sales of products to consumers at the base of the economic pyramid. Specifically, the authors consider data from the sales of manual irrigation pumps (MIPs) to lower income consumers in Bangladesh, Tanzania, and Kenya. Fitting the cumulative sales data for MIPs in these economies with the Bass model provides insight about the market potential of MIPs as well as effective marketing strategies in these economies and supports the use of the Bass model to describe product sales to base of the pyramid consumers.
Expression of the transforming growth factor-β gene during growth inhibition following polyamine depletion

Polyamine depletion and cytokine transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) inhibit cell proliferation. The current study tests the hypothesis that polyamine depletion results in growth inhibition by alt...
Light yield measurements of GEM avalanches at cryogenic temperatures and high densities in neon based gas mixtures.

Gas Electron Multipliers (GEM) are being used in the baseline readout design of a cryogenic Time Projection Chamber (TPC). The GEMs provide amplification of an ionization charge signal but rather than reading out the charge signal, the proportional light produced in the GEM avalanche will be imaged using commercially available low-noise CCD cameras. Our measurements of neon-based gas mixtures at cryogenic temperatures indicate that visible light yields of one photon per avalanche electron are available. Light yields in neon based gas mixtures will be presented as well as spectral measurements of the light emission. We have been successful in imaging alpha tracks at 77 K and are actively working on imaging beta tracks at 45 K and below.
Assembly of a nucleus-like structure during viral replication in bacteria

We observed the assembly of a nucleus-like structure in bacteria during viral infection. Using fluorescence microscopy and cryo-electron tomography, we showed that Pseudomonas chlororaphis phage 201φ2-1 assembled a compartment that separated viral DNA from the cytoplasm. The phage compartment was centered by a bipolar tubulin-based spindle, and it segregated phage and bacterial proteins according to function. Proteins involved in DNA replication and transcription localized inside the compartment, whereas proteins involved in translation and nucleotide synthesis localized outside. Later during infection, viral capsids assembled on the cytoplasmic membrane and moved to the surface of the compartment for DNA packaging. Ultimately, viral particles were released from the compartment and the cell lysed. These results demonstrate that phages have evolved a specialized structure to compartmentalize viral replication.
Generation of Transgenic Mice Expressing High Levels of Activated Murine Coagulation Factor VII.

Treatment of acute bleeding episodes in hemophilic patients with inhibitors can be successfully managed by the infusion of recombinant human factor VIIa (rhFVII, NovoSeven“). We have recently shown the efficacy of a gene transfer approach to treat hemophilia B (HB) mice by adeno-associated virus (AAV) expressing activated murine FVII (mFVIIa) (J Clin Invest. 2004 Apr; 113(7): 1025–31). To assess the consequences of long-term expression of different levels of mFVIIa, we generated transgenic mice expressing mFVIIa driven by a liver-restricted (transthyretin) promoter. Results from four founders have been analyzed. The levels of mFVII antigen in both founders and their offspring were 3.5–7.5 microgram/ml, about 2.5–5 fold the baseline compared to their non-transgenic littermates. Moreover, the expressed protein retains its coagulation activity in the extrinsic pathway as demonstrated by shortening of the prothrombin time (PT) from 22.3±0.6 sec in the non-transgenic mice to 12.3±1.6 sec in the transgenic littermates. We found two male HB mice that were also transgenic for mFVIIa, resulting from the breeding of one male founder and an HB heterozygote female. The high levels of mFVII antigen (7.5 and 5.5 microgram/ml) were accompanied by significantly shorter PTs (9.8 and 12.3, respectively) compared to wild-type baseline of 22 sec, and most importantly, by a shorter activated partial thromboblastin time (aPTT) compared to their two HB littermates (36.3 and 28.8 versus 61.3 and 61.8 sec, respectively), i.e., mice transgenic for mFVIIa show aPTT similar to their wild type littermates. Additionally, kinetics and general characteristics of in vivo clot formation after laser-induced injuries to the arteries of the cremaster muscle were similar in an HB-mFVIIa transgenic mouse (the only one tested) and in normal mice, while clots were absent in HB control mice. On the other hand, thrombin anti-thrombin (TAT) levels in the transgenic mice were comparable to their HB and wild type littermates. These findings support the efficacy and safety of a gene therapy approach for the expression of mFVIIa and should further allow us to assess the risk of continuous expression of elevated levels of mFVIIa in mouse plasma.
Laboratory simulations of the atmospheric mixed-layer in flow over complex topography

A laboratory study of the influence of complex terrain on the interface between a well-mixed boundary layer and an elevated stratified layer was conducted in the towing-tank facility of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The height of the mixed layer in the daytime boundary layer can have a strong influence on the concentration of pollutants within this layer. Deflections of streamlines at the height of the interface are primarily a function of hill Froude number (Fr), the ratio of mixed-layer height (zi) to terrain height (h), and the crosswind dimension of the terrain. The magnitude of the deflections increases as Fr increases and zi/h decreases. For mixing-height streamlines that are initially below the terrain top, the response is linear with Fr; for those initially above the terrain feature the response to Fr is more complex. Once Fr exceeds about 2, the terrain-related response of the mixed layer interface decreases somewhat with increasing Fr (toward more neutral flow). Deflections are also ...
Underutilization of proton therapy in the treatment of pediatric central nervous system tumors: an analysis of the National Cancer Database

Radiotherapy (RT) is a mainstay in the treatment of pediatric brain and spinal cord tumors. Indications for RT include the histological type, the extent of the tumor at diagnosis and/or post-operat...
Protein Composition of the Bovine Herpesvirus 1.1 Virion

Bovine herpesvirus (BoHV) type 1 is an important agricultural pathogen that infects cattle and other ruminants worldwide. Acute infection of the oro-respiratory tract leads to immune suppression and allows commensal bacteria to infect an otherwise healthy lower respiratory tract. This condition is known as the Bovine Respiratory Disease (BRD). BoHV-1 latently infects the host for life and periodical stress events re-initiate BRD, translating into high morbidity and large economic losses. To gain a better understanding of the biology of BoHV-1 and the disease it causes, we elucidated the protein composition of extracellular virions using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis. We detected 33 viral proteins, including the expected proteins of the nucleocapsid and envelope as well as other regulatory proteins present in the viral tegument. In addition to viral proteins, we have also identified packaged proteins of host origin. This constitutes the first proteomic characterization of the BoHV virion.
A XANES and Raman investigation of sulfur speciation and structural order in Murchison and Allende meteorites

Insoluble organic matter (IOM) and hydrothermally treated IOM extracted from two carbonaceous chondrites, Murchison and Allende, was studied using sulfur K-edge XANES (X-ray absorption near edge structure) and μ-Raman spectroscopy, with the aim to understand their IOM's sulfur speciation and structural order, and how aqueous alteration or thermal metamorphism may have transformed these materials. We found that the sulfur-functional group chemistry of both the Murchison IOM and hydrothermally treated IOM samples have a large chemical variability ranging from oxidation states of S−2 to S+6, and exhibit a transformation in their oxidation state after the hydrothermal treatment (HT) to produce thiophenes and thiol compounds. Sulfoxide and sulfite peaks are also present in Murchison. Sulfates considered intrinsic to Murchison are most likely preaccretionary in nature, and not a result of reactions with water at high temperatures on the asteroid parent body. We argue that the reduced sulfides may have formed in the CM parent body, while the thiophenes and thiol compounds are a result of the HT. Micro-Raman spectra show the presence of aliphatic and aromatic moieties in Murchison's material as observed previously, which exhibits no change after HT. Because the Murchison IOM was modified, as seen by XANES analysis, absence of a change observed using micro-Raman indicated that although the alkyl carbons of IOM were cleaved, the aromatic network was not largely modified after HT. By contrast, Allende IOM contains primarily disulfide and elemental sulfur, no organic sulfur, and shows no transformation after HT. This nontransformation of Allende IOM after HT would indicate that parent body alteration of sulfide to sulfate is not feasible up to temperatures of 300°C. The reduced sulfur products indicate extreme secondary chemical processing from the precursor compounds in its parent body at temperatures as high as 624°C, as estimated from μ-Raman D band parameters. The Raman parameters in Allende IOM that was interpreted in terms of amorphous carbon with regions of large clusters of benzene rings, was transformed after the HT to those with fewer benzene rings.