cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Bemisia tabaci (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) biotype B colonisation and leaf morphology relationships in upland cotton cultivars

Cultivars of upland cotton, Gossypium hirsutum L., are widely grown throughout the world for fibre production. They are also good reproductive hosts for Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) biotype B. We studied the relationships between cotton leaf morphology and whitefly population densities in eight United States Deltapine and six Australian cotton cultivars and breeding lines at Holtville, California, in 1996. Results showed that okra-leaf cultivars and lines were colonised with fewer whitefly adults, eggs and nymphs compared to normal-leaf cultivars. The distance from underleaf surfaces of cotton leaves to the centres of nearest minor vascular bundles was negatively correlated with whitefly adult, egg and nymphal densities on leaves for all genotypes with the exception of the Australian breeding line 89013–114. Our results suggest that okra-leaf and distance from underleaf surfaces to the centre of nearest minor vascular bundles of cotton leaves are genetic traits that have potential for breeding whitefly-resistant upland cotton cultivars.
A comparison of the oxygen uptake characteristics of copper-exchanged zeolite with copper dispersed on a silica support

Abstract The kinetics of activated oxygen uptake by copper dispersed on catalytic supports was investigated. Two different adsorbents for oxygen were prepared: (a) Linde zeolite 13X was ion exchanged to replace sodium by copper, resulting in a uniform addition of copper to the zeolite; (b) dried silica gel was impregnated with copper oxide. The adsorbents were reduced by hydrogen to convert the copper oxide to elemental copper. The oxygen uptake by the reduced adsorbents was studied with the aid of a thermogravimetric analyser in the temperature range from 20 to 400°C. Global rate expressions were obtained from the kinetic data. Some insight into the role of the support in activating the copper oxidation was obtained from the rate expressions.
Theory of iron-sulfur center N-2 oxidation and reduction by ATP.

Abstract The data of Ohnishi (1975) and of Gutman and coworkers on iron-sulfur center N-2 in mitochondria and submitochondrial particles are examined in as much quantitative detail as possible from the standpoint of both chemiosmotic theory and of chemical intermediate (transductase) theory. A method of examination of the behavior of an energy transduction site by plotting its properties as a function of both the high and low redox potentials on either side of the site is described in some detail. That adding ATP causes center N-2 to go oxidized when buffered redox-wise on the low potential side and reduced when buffered on the high potential side can be explained by both chemiosmotic and chemical intermediate theory. Chemiosmotic explanations consistent with the data exclude location of N-2 at the inside of the mitochondrial membrane, but location at the out side or the middle or mobile across the membrane cannot be ruled out by present data. All four abridged transductase models of chemical intermediate theory can be fitted to the data by choice of parameters. That center N-2 is a simple redox couple located at either side of energy transduction site 1 is ruled out. Further experiments needed to clarify present ambiguities are shown to be: (i) Adding ATP while buffering (redox-wise) the NAD + -NADH inside whole mitochondria; (ii) mapping the apparent midpoint potential or, alternatively, the redox state as a complete function of the redox potentials on both the high and low sides; (iii) determination of differences that may be caused by sidedness of the preparation (mitochondria or submitochondrial particles); and (iv) determining effects of changing the partitioning of the proton motive force between ΔpH and membrane potential.
Is early fatherhood associated with alcohol and other drug use

This study compared young men (under age 23) who were fathers with those who were not to determine if early fatherhood was associated with substance abuse and psychosocial problems related to substance abuse. Drawing on a national longitudinal survey of young men, data from 558 males who had responded to interview questions about their use of alcohol and other drugs were analyzed. Use of alcohol by young fathers was less frequent than nonfathers, yet fathers were more likely to report problems associated with cocaine use. Helping professionals need to be alert to the potential for substance abuse among young fathers.
The Effect of Film Stress on Indentation Modulus/Hardness for Silicon Oxide Films

A controlled experiment was performed to determine whether residual stresses in silicon oxide films affect the apparent modulus and hardness of the films measured using microindentation. A set of wafers, each with a SiO2 film of different residual stress, were produced by PECVD deposition using different RF power settings. Residual stresses, determined by curvature measurement, were shown to become more compressive with the increase of the RF power. Correlation between indentation modulus/hardness and residual stress was established because the modulus was also observed to be trending with the RF power. To determine whether the residual stress change is the cause for the change of indentation modulus/hardness, one of the wafers was cut to pieces and bonded to steel substrates of different thickness at elevated temperatures. Because of the thermal mismatch between silicon and steel, the silicon pieces were stressed by the steel substrates and therefore provided additional stresses to the SiO2 film on the top surface. The applied stresses were determined using Raman piezospectroscopy. Micro-indentation tests performed on these samples showed no appreciable change of modulus/hardness due to additional stresses. It was concluded that the material change, such as density, was behind the correlation between indentation modulus and residual stress.
A Statistical Evaluation of Formation Disturbance Produced by Well‐Casing Installation Methods

Water-resources investigations concerned with contaminant transport through aquifers comprised of very loose, unconsolidated sediments have shown that small-scale variations in aquifer characteristics can significantly affect solute transport and dispersion. Various sampling and borehole-logging techniques have been integrated into these studies to detect and measure detailed formation changes through casing or well screen along the length of the borehole. Commonly, measurement accuracy and resolution have been limited by a borehole environment consisting of an annulus of disturbed sediments produced by the casing-installation method. In an attempt to quantify this disturbance and recognize its impact on the characterization of unconsolidated deposits, three installation methods were examined and compared in a sand-and-gravel outwash at a test site on Cape Cod, Massachusetts. These installation methods were: (1) casing installed in a mud-rotary hole; (2) casing installed in an augered hole; and (3) flush-joint steel casing hammer-driven from land surface. Fifteen wells were logged with epithermal neutron and natural gamma tools. Statistical analyses of these digitized nuclear logs proceeded under the fundamental hypothesis that a large variance indicated preservation of layering in the surrounding sediments, significant variability at a small scale, and a small level of disturbance. Conversely, a small variance corresponded to mixing, poor detail, and larger disturbance. The statistical information generated from a systematic “analysis of variance” investigation confirmed an intuitive assessment of the problem by demonstrating that, under the conditions encountered at this site, augering is the most disruptive of the three casing-installation methods and that driving casing directly, though typically a more time-consuming operation, transmits the least amount of disturbance into the surrounding formation.
Upper-extremity deep-vein thrombosis: Thrombolytic therapy with anistrepalase

A patient with primary axillary vein thrombosis was treated successfully in the emergency department with a single IV bolus of anistrepalase followed by continuous IV heparin. The patient's symptoms resolved quickly, and a repeat venogram 16 hours later showed near-complete resolution of the venous obstruction. We discuss briefly the role of thrombolytic therapy in the treatment of upper-extremity deep-vein thrombosis and the potential advantages of using anistrepalase.
Computer Simulations on Phase Transitions in Ice

Ice has a very rich phase diagram (Petrenko and Whitworth 1999) as shown in Figure 1⇓. Up to now, sixteen crystalline phases have been identified experimentally. All crystalline phases except ice X consist of water molecules connected to four adjacent ones by hydrogen bonds. Broadly speaking, the crystalline phases of ice can be described as follows: the low-pressure forms ( P < ~1 GPa) consist of a unique hydrogen-bond network (1HBN). The high-pressure forms (~1 GPa < P < ~80 GPa) are made up of two interpenetrating networks (2HBN); they are often referred to as self-clathrates. Ice Ih and XI are prototypical forms of low-pressure ice with low density, and ice VII and VIII are those of high-pressure ices with high density. Figure 2⇓ shows atomic structures of ice XI and VIII, hydrogen-ordered phases. Between these prototypical phases, there are many complex phases. Figure 1. Phase diagram of ice. Tetrahedra denote water molecules connected to each other by hydrogen bonds represented by solid lines. In ice VI, VII, VIII, X, and XV, two interpenetrating lattices are distinguished by different colors of tetrahedra. Ice Ih, Ic, III, IV, V, VI, VII, and XII are hydrogen-disordered. Other phases are hydrogen-ordered. Ice X is a hydrogen-bond-symmetrized form. Figure 2. Atomic structures of (a) ice XI and (b) ice VIII. Small white and large gray spheres denote hydrogen and oxygen atoms, respectively. Ice XI is a hydrogen-ordered form of ice Ih, the most usual form of ice. Ice Ih is hexagonal ( P 63/ mmc ) and paraelectric. Ice XI is orthorhombic ( Cmc 21) and ferroelectric.For ice VIII, light and dark gray spheres represent two sublattices interpenetrating to each other. Ice VIII is a hydrogen-ordered form of ice VII. Ice VII is cubic ( Pn 3 m ) and …
On Coordinating Theory with Evidence: The Role of Epistemic Commitments in Scientific Reasoning among College Students.

This study examined the impact of two epistemic commitments on the quality of college students‟ scientific reasoning in the domain of hydrostatics. These were the commitment to the consistency of theory with prior knowledge and commitment to the consistency of theory with evidence. Participants were 12 sophomore science majors enrolled in a large Midwestern university in the United States. They were first administered a 10 short-answer item questionnaire to assess their understandings of buoyancy, and then participated in an individual, think-aloud interview centered on four paper-and-pencil scenarios involving systems of objects immersed in water. During the interview, participants also were asked to justify their responses and explain certain reported “observations” in each scenario. The interviews aimed to explore the impact of participants‟ epistemic commitments on their reasoning. A majority of participants did not demonstrate coherent reasoning schemes when working with buoyancy problems. To be sure, participants‟ prior conceptions of buoyancy interacted with the target epistemic commitments in impacting their reasoning. Still, there was a discernable impact for the target epistemic commitments on the quality of participants‟ reasoning.
GIVING COMMITMENT: EMPLOYEE SUPPORT PROGRAMS AND THE PROSOCIAL SENSEMAKING PROCESS

Researchers have assumed that employee support programs cultivate affective organizational commitment by enabling employees to receive support. Using multimethod data from a Fortune 500 retail company, we propose that these programs also strengthen commitment by enabling employees to give support. We find that giving strengthens affective organizational commitment through a “prosocial sensemaking” process in which employees interpret personal and company actions and identities as caring. We discuss theoretical implications for organizational programs, commitment, sensemaking and identity, and citizenship behaviors. Changing employment landscapes have weakened employees’ physical, administrative, and temporal attachments to organizations (Cascio, 2003; Pfeffer & Baron, 1988). Employees are more mobile, more autonomous, and less dependent on their organizations for employment than ever before. To address these challenges, organizations are increasingly seeking to strengthen employees’ psychological attachments by cultivating affective
Experimental sleep fragmentation impairs spatial reference but not working memory in Fischer/Brown Norway rats

Sleep fragmentation is a common symptom in sleep disorders and other medical complaints resulting in excessive daytime sleepiness. The present study seeks to explore the effects of sleep fragmentation on learning and memory in a spatial reference memory task and a spatial working memory task. Fisher/Brown Norway rats lived in custom treadmills designed to induce locomotor activity every 2 minutes throughout a 24 hour period. Separate rats were either on a treadmill schedule that allowed for consolidated sleep or experienced no locomotor activation. Rats were tested in one of two water maze based tests of learning and memory immediately following 24 hours of sleep interruption (SI). Rats tested in a spatial reference memory task (8 massed acquisition trials) with a 24 hour follow-up probe trial to assess memory retention showed no differences in acquisition performance but were impaired on the 24 hour retention of the platform location. In contrast, the performance of rats tested in a spatial working memory task (delayed matching to position task) was not impaired. Therefore, sleepiness induced by SI effectively impairs the recall of spatial reference memories but does not impair spatial reference memory acquisition or spatial working memory in Fischer-Norway rats.
Temporal Logics for the Specification of Performance and Reliability

In this paper we present a methodology for the verification of performance and reliability properties of discrete real-time systems. The methodology relies on a temporal logic that can express bounds on the probability of events and on the average time between them. The semantics of the logics is defined with respect to timed systems that exhibit both probabilistic and nondeterministic behavior. We present model-checking algorithms for the algorithmic verification of the specifications, and we discuss their complexity.
Using Domain Knowledge To Synthesize Routing Software

An adaptable tool generator, utilizing a knowledge-based automatic program synthesis architecture, allows the user to tailor the tool implementation to the demands of the application. An implementation of the knowledge-based program synthesis architecture, ELF, indicates the feasibility of this approach. We review the use of domain knowledge to synthesize CAD router software.
From Quackery to “Complementary” Medicine: The American Medical Profession Confronts Alternative Therapies

This research examines trends in coverage of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in five prestigious medical journals during a period of intense reorganization within medicine (1965–1999). Content analysis of a sample of documents ( N = 102) shows the medical profession responded to the growth of CAM in three distinct phases. During each phase, changes in the medical marketplace–such as relaxed medical licensing, the development of managed care, rising consumerism, and the establishment of the Office of Alternative Medicine–influenced the type of response in the journals. From the late 1960s to the early 1970s, during the condemnation phase, authors ridiculed, exaggerated the risks, and petitioned the state to contain CAM. In the reassessment phase (mid-1970s through early 1990s), increased consumer utilization of CAM prompted concern, and authors pondered whether patient dissatisfaction and shortcomings in conventional care contributed to this trend. Throughout the 1990s, in the integration phase, struggles to outlaw CAM were abandoned, physicians began learning to work around or administer CAM, and the subjugation of CAM to scientific scrutiny became the primary means of control. This analysis demonstrates the evolutionary process of professionalization, a process in which dominance is sustained through adaptation to structural change.
Studying Early Adolescents' Academic Motivation, Social-Emotional Functioning, and Engagement in Learning: Variable- and Person-Centered Approaches

This study used variable- and person-centered data analytic techniques to examine how early adolescents' academic motivation and social-emotional functioning were associated with their self-reported cognitive and behavioral engagement in the middle school classroom. Regression results showed that both motivational and mental health constructs contributed to the prediction of individual differences in classroom engagement. Person-centered analyses revealed between group variation in classroom engagement as a function of differing patterns of motivation and mental health among different subgroups of adolescents. Convergent and complementary information on these subgroups was provided by using two different grouping approaches. Findings are discussed in terms of broad patterns of promise or problems during early adolescence.
Photosynthetic characteristics of giant kelp (Macrocystis pyrifera) determined in situ

Rates of net photosynthesis and nocturnal respiration by individual blades of the giant kelp Macrocystis pyrifera (L.) C. Agardh in southern California, were determined in situ by measuring oxygen production in polyethylene bags during spring/summer of 1983. Mature blades from different depths in the water column exhibited different photosynthetic characteristics. Blades from the surface canopy (0 to 1 m depth) exhibited higher photosynthetic capacity under saturating irradiance and higher photosynthetic efficiency at low irradiances than blades from 3 to 5 or 7 to 9 m depths. Saturating irradiance was lower for canopy blades than for deeper blades. Canopy blades showed no short-term photoinhibition, but photosynthetic rates of deeper blades were significantly reduced during 1 to 2 h incubations at high irradiances. Results of 1 to 2 wk acclimation experiments indicated that differences between photosynthetic characteristics of blades from different depths were primarily attributable to acclimation light conditions. Vertical displacement of blades within the kelp canopy occurred on a time-scale of 1 min to 1 h. Blades continually moved between the unshaded surface layer and deeper, shaded layers. Vertical movement did not maximize photosynthesis by individual blades; only a small proportion of blades making up a dense surface canopy maintained light-saturated photosynthetic rates during midday incubations. The relatively high photosynthetic rates exhibited by canopy blades over the entire range of light conditions probably resulted from acclimation to intermittent high and low irradiances, a consequence of vertical displacement. Vertical displacement also reduced the afternoon depression in photosynthesis of individual canopy blades. The overall effect of vertical displacement was optimization of total net photosynthesis by the kelp canopy and, therefore, optimization of whole-plant production.
A Role for FACT in Repopulation of Nucleosomes at Inducible Genes

Xenobiotic drugs induce Pleiotropic Drug Resistance (PDR) genes via the orthologous Pdr1/Pdr3 transcription activators. We previously identified the Mediator transcription co-activator complex as a key target of Pdr1 orthologs and demonstrated that Pdr1 interacts directly with the Gal11/Med15 subunit of the Mediator complex. Based on an interaction between Pdr1 and the FACT complex, we show that strains with spt16 or pob3 mutations are sensitive to xenobiotic drugs and display diminished PDR gene induction. Although FACT acts during the activation of some genes by assisting in the nucleosomes eviction at promoters, PDR promoters already contain nucleosome-depleted regions (NDRs) before induction. To determine the function of FACT at PDR genes, we examined the kinetics of RNA accumulation and changes in nucleosome occupancy following exposure to a xenobiotic drug in wild type and FACT mutant yeast strains. In the presence of normal FACT, PDR genes are transcribed within 5 minutes of xenobiotic stimulation and transcription returns to basal levels by 30–40 min. Nucleosomes are constitutively depleted in the promoter regions, are lost from the open reading frames during transcription, and the ORFs are wholly repopulated with nucleosomes as transcription ceases. While FACT mutations cause minor delays in activation of PDR genes, much more pronounced and significant defects in nucleosome repopulation in the ORFs are observed in FACT mutants upon transcription termination. FACT therefore has a major role in nucleosome redeposition following cessation of transcription at the PDR genes, the opposite of its better-known function in nucleosome disassembly.
Theoretical model for contrast-detail-detectability prediction in digital radiography

This paper reports the results of our investigation into developing a theoretical model to predict the contrast-detail detectability in digital radiography. The equations presented in this paper are a continuation of our previous study on quasi-ideal observer signal-to-noise ratio and lesion detectability. In this project, numerical calculations were performed to determine contrast-detail curves of CCD and other x-ray imaging systems under clinical mammographic conditions. A contrast-detail phantom was imaged to validate the calculations predicted by our theoretical model. The experimental measurements were well predicted by the model's calculations. The theoretical model and the experimental techniques investigated in this research will help mammographers, scientists and engineers to optimize design trade-offs for emerging digital mammographic systems. It will also leverage efforts toward the development of practical techniques that can be performed at non-academic clinical sites, to quantitatively access the performance of new or existing digital radiography systems.
No Citizen Left Behind

At the recent Pathways to Achieving Civic Engagement Conference, sponsored by North Carolina Campus Compact, Barbara Holland delivered closing remarks that included a call for higher education to pay closer attention to primary and secondary education, as well as its students (personal communication, February 5, 2014). Paraphrased, she reminded us that many of their students would soon be enrolled at our institutions. What better reason to forge stronger understanding and connections? At the time of the conference, I was knee-deep in the reading of No Citizen Left Behind by Meira Levinson and Holland’s sage words resonated loud and clear. With a title that plays off of the No Child Left Behind mandate, Levinson’s text argues for robust civics education across primary and secondary educational levels, with particular focus aimed at reducing what she terms the civic empowerment gap .
Connections between stability conditions for slowly time-varying and switched linear systems

This paper establishes an explicit relationship between stability conditions for slowly time-varying linear systems and switched linear systems. The concept of total variation of a matrix-valued function is introduced to characterize the variation of the system matrix. Using this concept, a result generalizing existing stability conditions for slowly time-varying linear systems is derived. As a special case of this result, it is shown that a switched linear system is globally exponentially stable if the average dwell time of the switching signal is large enough, which qualitatively matches known results in the literature.
Power, Gender, and Group Discussion

This article reviews the growing literature on the ways in which gender informs our understanding of political psychology and how studies of political psychology shed light on the meaning of gender in society and politics. It focuses on gender gaps in contemporary American politics, where men tend to be more conservative and to engage in more influence-seeking action than women. The article develops explanations for these gaps and tests them with experimental data. The gender gaps in political attitudes and behaviors are not immutable but rather strongly responsive to the context. Two important features of the context are the gender composition of those present and the rules that govern how decisions are made and consequently how individuals communicate.
Statistical considerations in the design and analysis of paired-choice assays

In paired–choice assays, two treatments are presented simultaneously to each subject. Data from such arrays should not be considered to be independent, and correct statistical analysis must account for the correlation. A statistical test that often is appropriate for these assays is the paired–sample t –test. I present curves showing the extent to which statistical power of this test is affected by sample size, effect size (i.e., magnitude of treatment differences), and correlation. For a given effect size and replication, positive correlation between paired observations substantially improves power of the test, whereas negative correlation reduces power. I conducted a literature survey of paired–choice assays to determine whether there are patterns in effect sizes and correlation that might assist in designing studies or in predicting minimum sample sizes necessary to achieve reasonable statistical power; experiments were categorized according to whether they were feeding or oviposition assays. The review indicated that correlation was highly variable and ranged between strongly negative and strongly positive values. Oviposition assays showed larger positive correlations than did feeding assays, resulting in larger effect sizes (adjusted for correlation); however, feeding assays tended to use larger sample sizes than oviposition assays, hence estimated statistical power was similar between the two types of assays. Oviposition assays often used multiple insects per arena, apparently sacrificing replication, whereas feeding assays tended to use a single insect per arena. Approximately 45% of experiments failed to detect significant treatment effects. The majority of nonsignificant assays had too few replications to detect even a large effect size with a reasonable statistical power. Literature examples are presented to show that assay methodology (specifically number of insects per arena, distance between paired choices, and assay duration) can affect correlation, effect size, and statistical power. Finally, scatter plots of the data, although rarely presented, are shown to provide insight into methodological, statistical, and biological aspects of paired–choice assays.
Inactivation of Methyl Testosterone in Castrate Male Rats

Summary and ConclusionMethyl testosterone, like testosterone propionate, does not exert its specific effect on the genital organs of castrate male rats when implanted in pellet form in the spleen. When the pellet is placed in the transplanted spleen, with the splenic vessels ligated, the specific effect returns. As both androgens appear to be destroyed in the liver, it is suggested that the differences in the specific effects of these two substances when administered orally may be due to different routes of absorption from the intestinal tract (e. g., via the lymphatics), rather than different sites of inactivation.
Neutrophil actin regulation: MKL1 is in control

In this issue of Blood, Record et al report a novel human primary neutrophil immunodeficiency disorder caused by megakaryoblastic leukemia 1 (MKL1) mutation.
Estrogen effects on the hippocampus and frontal lobes

Basic science and clinical studies have investigated the potential neuroprotective effects of estrogen. One apparent area of convergence in these studies is the selective benefits of estrogen on cognitive tasks mediated by the hippocampus and frontal lobes. Findings in non-human primates parallel findings from neuroimaging and behavioral studies in humans and suggest that estrogen might influence memory tasks mediated by the hippocampus as well as working memory tasks mediated by the prefrontal cortex. This evidence provides a framework for the design of future hormone studies, wherein such tasks can serve as primary outcomes. In studies of symptomatic women, hormone therapy can benefit a broader range of cognitive domains, particularly effortful tests that are sensitive to remittance of dysphoria, sleep difficulty, and hot flushes. Serotonin might play a critical role in these potential indirect benefits, and therapies that target these symptoms, even those without estrogenic actions, might have indirect benefits on cognition.
Phase 1 Trial of Everolimus and Radiation Therapy for Salvage Treatment of Biochemical Recurrence in Prostate Cancer Patients Following Prostatectomy

Purpose In up to half of patients treated with salvage radiation therapy (SRT) for rising prostate-specific antigen levels, a second biochemical recurrence ultimately develops. Phosphatase and tensin homolog inactivation is implicated in prostate cancer progression, and upregulation of the mammalian target of rapamycin pathway can lead to tumor hypoxia and radioresistance. Everolimus is a mammalian target of rapamycin inhibitor with both antitumor and radiosensitizing effects. Methods and Materials We performed a phase 1 study using a modified 3 + 3 dose-escalation design to evaluate the safety and tolerability of everolimus in combination with standard SRT for the treatment of biochemical recurrence following prostatectomy. After a 2-week run-in period of everolimus daily therapy, patients received prostate bed irradiation with daily cone beam computed tomography localization in 37 fractions of 1.8 Gy each (total dose, 66.6 Gy). Patients were monitored for both acute (≤90 days) and chronic (>90 days) treatment-related toxicities. Results Eighteen patients received everolimus at dose levels of 5 mg (n=6), 7.5 mg (n=6), or 10 mg (n=6) daily in conjunction with SRT. No dose-limiting toxicities were observed. Common acute treatment-related toxicities included grade 1 or 2 mucositis (55.6%), grade 1 or 2 fatigue (38.9%), grade 1 or 2 rash (61.1%), and grade 1 urinary symptoms (61.1%). A grade 3 acute toxicity occurred in 4 patients (22.2%) (n=1 for rash, anemia, lymphopenia, and neutropenia), and no patients had a chronic toxicity of grade 3 or greater. After a median follow-up time of 17.8 months (range, 1.2-46.0 months), an undetectable prostate-specific antigen nadir was achieved in 9 patients (56.3%) and a second biochemical recurrence developed in 5 patients (31.3%). Conclusions Everolimus at a dose of ≤10 mg daily appears to be safe and tolerable in combination with fractionated post-prostatectomy radiation therapy.
Distribution-level peak load prediction based on Bayesian Additive Regression Trees

Accurate peak load prediction is an important element of the daily planning, operation, and dispatch scheduling in electric utilities. In order to build a better distribution-level peak load prediction reference model for the local utility in Albuquerque, a new nonparametric method, Bayesian Additive Regression Trees (BART), is introduced. First, a detailed analysis of peak load and local weather information from 2012 and 2013 are used. Strong linear relationship is displayed between the peak load and various weather factors during the winter and spring months and nonlinear relationship dominates in the summer and fall months. Next, the BART method is applied with a principled permutation-based inferential variable selection approach. The BART method's prediction accuracy is then compared with the Multiple Linear Regression (MLR), the result we developed when we cooperated with the local utility company, and the Support Vector Machine (SVM). After thoroughly analyzing and testing the methods based on different parameters, the methods are compared with Mean Square Error (MSE), Root Mean Square Error (RMSE), and Normalized Mean Square Error (NMSE) indexes. The BART displays the best prediction accuracy for every index in our case and its uncertain estimate further provides the confidence interval for the peak load prediction, which also has very high accuracy. Thus, the BART provides the local utility with a better reference peak load forecasting model. Last, influential weather and human factors are summarized.
Remembering Marvin Minsky

Marvin Minsky, one of the pioneers of artificial intelligence and a renowned mathematicial and computer scientist, died on Sunday, 24 January 2016 of a cerebral hemmorhage. He was 88. In this article, AI scientists Kenneth D. Forbus (Northwestern University), Benjamin Kuipers (University of Michigan), and Henry Lieberman (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) recall their interactions with Minksy and briefly recount the impact he had on their lives and their research. A remembrance of Marvin Minsky was held at the AAAI Spring Symposium at Stanford University on March 22. Video remembrances of Minsky by Danny Bobrow, Benjamin Kuipers, Ray Kurzweil, Richard Waldinger, and others can be on the sentient webpage1 or on youtube.com.
A novel cleaning approach of environmental sensing data streams

With recent widespread usage of state-of-the-art technology (e.g., various mobile devices), environmental sensing is getting popular. The sensors used for sensing are small and due to the mobility they become more error-prone, which results in data corruption or loss from sensor. Therefore, cleaning of the sensed data is of high importance to recover the lost or corrupted data. In this paper, we propose a novel data cleaning mechanism to ensure better accuracy in environmental sensing applications. Based on the sensed data and the context relationship of each sensor, we update the credibility (or alternatively reliability) of the sensed data. We consider mobility pattern of the mobile sensor nodes while selecting the candidate sensor nodes for data stream cleaning. Through simulations, we evaluate the performance of our proposed approach. We compare our proposed sensor data stream cleaning approach with Influence Mean Cleaning (IMC) (a recent algorithm in data stream cleaning) and Mean-based cleaning. Simulation results show up to 24% reduction in root mean square error (RMSE) over IMC and up to 30% over Mean-based cleaning.
Quizartinib (AC220) reverses ABCG2-mediated multidrug resistance: In vitro and in vivo studies.

// Jun Li 1, 2, * , Priyank Kumar 1, * , Nagaraju Anreddy 1 , Yun-Kai Zhang 1 , Yi-Jun Wang 1 , Yanglu Chen 1, 3 , Tanaji T. Talele 1 , Kanav Gupta 1, 4 , Louis D. Trombetta 1 and Zhe-Sheng Chen 1 1 Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, St. John’s University, Queens, New York, 11439, USA 2 Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430071, China 3 Department of Chemistry, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, 08544, USA 4 Jericho High School, Jericho, NY, 11753, USA * These authors have contributed equally to this work Correspondence to: Zhe-Sheng Chen, email: chenz@stjohns.edu Louis D. Trombetta, email: trombetl@stjohns.edu Keywords: quizartinib, ABCG2, ABCC1, MDR, reversal Received: April 25, 2017 Accepted: June 26, 2017 Published: September 16, 2017 ABSTRACT Previous reports have shown that some tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) could inhibit the ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters involved in multidrug resistance (MDR). Quizartinib (AC220), a potent class III receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI), was synthesized to selectively inhibit FMS-like tyrosine kinase-3 (FLT3), a target in the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Quizartinib is currently under clinical trials for FLT3 ITD and wild-type AML and is tested in combination with chemotherapy. While non-toxic to cell lines, quizartinib at 3 μM showed significant reversal effect on wild-type and mutant ABCG2 (R482T)-mediated MDR, and only a moderate reversal effect on mutant ABCG2 (R482G)-mediated MDR. Results also showed that quizartinib reversed MDR not by reducing the expression of ABCG2 protein, but by antagonizing the drug efflux function and increasing the intracellular accumulation of substrate anticancer drugs in ABCG2-overexpressing cells. Importantly, quizartinib at 30 mg/kg strongly enhanced the effect of topotecan (3 mg/kg) in ABCG2-overexpressing (H460/MX20) xenografts in athymic nude mice. These results demonstrated that quizartinib potentiates the antineoplastic activity of wild-type and R482T mutant ABCG2 substrates. These findings may be useful in clinical practice for cancer combination therapy with quizartinib.
The Zip Family of Zinc Transporters

The ZIP family of transporters plays important roles in supplying zinc to metalloproteins. These transporters are found in organisms at all phylogenetic levels including bacteria, fungi, plants, insects, and mammals. They have many conserved sequence elements and most have eight likely transmembrane domains with similar predicted topologies. Intracellular zinc homeostasis is facilitated by both transcriptional and post-transcriptional control mechanisms that regulate ZIP transporter activity. These systems work in concert to provide a constant supply of zinc in the face of changing extracellular levels and limit overaccumulation of this potentially toxic metal.
Disaster-related communication preferences of homeless and nonhomeless VA patients.

Objective: To identify the communication preferences of homeless (H) and nonhomeless (NH) Veterans Affairs (VA) patients for receiving information about the impact of natural disasters on VA healthcare services. Design: Probability-based sampling design stratified on age categories, urban / rural, coastal / noncoastal, and homelessness. Setting: Northeast United States. Participants: Eligible NH and H participants included those who lived in and had at least one healthcare visit to a VA medical center / clinic in the region in the previous 24 months. Homeless participants included those receiving VA homeless services or having ICD9-CM V60.0 (Lack of Housing). 2,264 / 6,088 NH and 383 / 2,000 H completed the survey. Intervention: Cross-sectional, mixed-mode survey administered August-November 2015. Main Outcome Measures: Helpfulness of ten communication modes for receiving information about the impact of natural disasters on VA healthcare services. Results: Despite sociodemographic and health status differences, the top five communication modes rated extremely / very helpful were the same for both groups: telephone (76 percent H; 81 percent NH), TV (63 percent H; 60 percent NH), text (62 percent H; 50 percent NH), e-mail (56 percent H; 58 percent NH), radio (54 percent H; 47 percent NH). Newspaper and online modes (VA / other Web sites, Twitter, Facebook, MyHealtheVet) were rated substantially lower. Conclusions: H and NH patients prefer similar communication modes for receiving updates about the impact of natural disasters on VA healthcare services. Findings suggest that a multimodal communication strategy that incorporates phone, TV, text, e-mail, and radio will help Veterans Affairs (VA) reach its diverse patient population during natural disasters. Dissemination of messages via online modes, while rated less helpful, may augment the number of patients reached.
MMPs and proteinase inhibitors in the human aqueous humor.

PURPOSE This study was performed to examine the gelatinolytic and caseinolytic activities and the levels of two proteinase inhibitors, alpha 1-proteinase inhibitor (alpha 1-antitrypsin) and alpha 2-macroglobulin, in the human aqueous humor. METHODS Aqueous humor samples were collected during elective surgery in patients with cataracts. Zymography with gelatin- and casein-containing gels was performed. The inhibitors were examined by Western blot analyses, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and dot blot assays. RESULTS The aqueous humor contained a major band of gelatinolytic activity at a molecular weight of 66 kD and minor bands at 125, 95, and 62 kD. These gelatinases were inhibited by 10 mM ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) or 1,10-phenanthroline. After extended incubation (48 hours), zymography on casein-containing gels showed proteinase bands with molecular weights in the 80- to 84-kD range. Additional bands at 68 and 48 kD also were observed. All the caseinase activities were inhibited by 10 mM phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride and 1 microgram/ml aprotinin. No inhibition was observed with 5 mM EDTA, 5 microM E-64, or 1 microM pepstatin. These results indicated that the caseinases are serine proteinases. Western blot analysis showed a 53-kD alpha 1-proteinase inhibitor band in the aqueous humor. The concentration was 32.2 +/- 9.9 micrograms/ml, constituting approximately 15% of the total protein. A 360-kD protein band immunoreactive to anti-alpha 2-macroglobulin also was detected. Its level in the aqueous humor was 3.2 +/- 1.3 micrograms/ml. CONCLUSIONS The gelatinases, serine-like proteinases, and proteinase inhibitors found in the aqueous humor may participate in the remodeling of extracellular matrices in the trabecular meshwork and other tissues bordering the anterior chamber.
Portal vein and systemic thromboses in hepatocellular carcinoma

15048 Background: Hemostatic activation may be important for tumor growth and metastasis. Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is commonly associated with portal vein thrombosis (PVT). Very little is kno...
Ausgewählte sexuell übertragbare Erkrankungen

Das Gesetz zur Bekampfung der Geschlechtskrankheiten vom 23. Juli 1953, zuletzt geandert durch Artikel 7 des Gesetzes vom 12. September 1990 (Schumacher u. Meyn 1992), fordert Masnahmen zur Verhutung, Feststellung, Erkennung, Heilung, Vorbeugung und Nachsorge von Geschlechtskrankheiten im Sinne dieses — m.E. uberarbeitungsbedurftigen — Gesetzes, d.h. bei Syphilis (Lues), Tripper (Gonorrho), weichem Schanker (Ulcus molle) und venerischer Lymphknotenentzundung (Lymphogranuloma venereum). Zu diesem Zweck werden die Grundrechte auf korperliche Unversehrtheit und auf Freiheit der Person (Art. 2 des Grundgesetzes) eingeschrankt. Die Durchfuhrung dieser Aufgabe obliegt den Gesundheitsamtern.
Stochastic Programs for Reliability of Systems with M-P Interaction

The reliability of rigid — plastic structures has been analyzed since the 1960’s [Cornell, 1967] and the rigid — plastic structural model remains popular today in reliability research [Augusti, et. al., 1984]. This structural model is simpler to use than more comprehensive models (such as second — order elastic — plastic) but for many types of structures it provides a relatively accurate model of ultimate structural behavior. For framed structures, it has been common to discount the effect of axial force — moment interaction in rigid — plastic analysis. More recently, this effect has been included in an attempt to more closely model true structural behavior [Arnbjerg and Ditlevsen, 1990; Simoes, 1990; Zimmerman, et. al., 1991].
Stability Analysis of BOOST Voltage Regulators Connected to Constant Power Loads

In this paper the small signal analysis of Constant-Voltage (CV) BOOST connected to a Constant Power Load (CPL), both for CCM and DCM operations are provided. The results are compared with the resistive load. A simple relation is provided for the output capacitor $\boldsymbol{C}$ that guarantees the stability of the CV BOOST in CCM. It is shown that the CV BOOST with Peak-Current-Mode (PCM) control and operating in DCM is always stable for any type of load. A simple small-signal model for both CCM and DCM operations are provided. The model accuracy is validated by SIMPLIS simulation results.
Time-Series Prediction of Proximal Aggression Onset in Minimally-Verbal Youth with Autism Spectrum Disorder Using Physiological Biosignals

It has been suggested that changes in physiological arousal precede potentially dangerous aggressive behavior in youth with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) who are minimally verbal (MV-ASD). The current work tests this hypothesis through time-series analyses on biosignals acquired prior to proximal aggression onset. We implement ridge-regularized logistic regression models on physiological biosensor data wirelessly recorded from 15 MV-ASD youth over 64 independent naturalistic observations in a hospital inpatient unit. Our results demonstrate proof-of-concept, feasibility, and incipient validity predicting aggression onset 1 minute before it occurs using global, person-dependent, and hybrid classifier models.
Following the money: The political determinants of E-fiscal transparency in US states

ABSTRACTThis research utilizes a unique panel data set (2009 to 2013) on the evolution of US state fiscal transparency websites and explores the political determinants of E-fiscal transparency. The dynamic panel data analysis reveals that divided government and Democratic governor exert a positive effect on state e-fiscal transparency, while the effect of political polarization is shown to be negative. Furthermore, there is some evidence to show that the fiscal variable of debt stock moderates the relationship between democratic political ideology and state E-fiscal transparency. Finally, there is a positive spillover effect in state E-fiscal transparency.
RhoB is regulated by hypoxia and modulates metastasis in breast cancer

Background RhoB is a Rho family GTPase that is highly homologous to RhoA and RhoC. RhoA and RhoC have been shown to promote tumor progression in many cancer types; however, a distinct role for RhoB in cancer has not been delineated. Additionally, several well-characterized studies have shown that small GTPases such as RhoA, Rac1, and Cdc42 are induced in vitro under hypoxia, but whether and how hypoxia regulates RhoB in breast cancer remains elusive. Aims To determine whether and how hypoxia regulates RhoB expression and to understand the role of RhoB in breast cancer metastasis. Methods We investigated the effects of hypoxia on the expression and activation of RhoB using real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction and western blotting. We also examined the significance of both decreased and increased RhoB expression in breast cancer using CRISPR depletion of RhoB or a vector overexpressing RhoB in 3D in vitro migration models and in an in vivo mouse model. Results We found that hypoxia significantly upregulated RhoB mRNA and protein expression resulting in increased levels of activated RhoB. Both loss of RhoB and gain of RhoB expression led to reduced migration in a 3D collagen matrix and invasion within a multicellular 3D spheroid. We showed that neither the reduction nor overexpression of RhoB affected tumor growth in vivo. While the loss of RhoB had no effect on metastasis, RhoB overexpression led to decreased metastasis to the lungs, liver, and lymph nodes of mice. Conclusion Our results suggest that RhoB may have an important role in suppressing breast cancer metastasis.
An Energy Efficient and Fast Triple-Interferer Sensor Based on Digitally Controlled Injection-Pulled Oscillator

This letter presents an interferer detector and digital-coder. Leveraging LC digitally controlled oscillator’s (DCO) injection pulling, the injection detector senses the frequency offset between an interferer and the DCO’s intrinsic frequency ( $ {\,f}_{{OSC}}$ ) which is quantized by the frequency resolution of the DCO and digitally coded by a counter and arithmetic logic to identify the interferer by the relative frequency from $ {f}_{{OSC}}$ . The presented interferer sensor implemented in 0.13- $ {\mu }\text{m}$ CMOS achieves fast scanning time of 0.8 $ {\mu }\text{s}$ for diagnosing maximum triple interferers at a frequency span ranging from 2.74 to 3.75 GHz. The energy consumption is 12 nJ per scan time, which is $41.7 {\times }$ smaller than prior state-of-the-arts. The sensor consumes 15.6 mW from 1.3-V supply. The chip area is 0.56 mm2.