cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Stable MRP4 knockdown via retroviral vector mediated short interfering RNA (siRNA) sensitizes neuroblastoma (NB) cell lines to camptothecin analogs in vitro.

5436 Previously we have demonstrated that the NB cell line NB1691 is relatively resistant to topotecan (TPT), expresses the ATP-binding cassette transport proteins MRP4 and P-glycoprotein (Pgp), and accumulates less intracellular TPT than sensitive cell lines lacking MRP4 and Pgp expression (Turner, AACR Proceedings, 2003). In the current work, we have assessed the functional contribution of MRP4 expression to camptothecin resistance in NB by knocking down MRP4 expression. RNA interference (RNAi) is an evolutionarily conserved mechanism of gene silencing that targets mRNA degradation. Long-term MRP4 silencing is necessary to assess the functional contribution of MRP4 to camptothecin resistance in NB. Therefore, we have achieved stable MRP4 silencing using the MSCVGFP retroviral vector encoding MRP4 sequence-specific shRNA transcribed from the H1 promoter. GFP expression in this system permits rapid selection of single cell clones without antibiotics and tracking vector persistence. NB1691 cells were transduced with a retrovirus containing MRP4 shRNA and GFP or the GFP vector alone. Single cell clones expressing GFP were sorted by FACS and expanded for further analysis. MRP4 mRNA and protein expression levels were determined by quantitative RT-PCR (QRT-PCR) and western blot analysis. The NB1691 parental line, NB1691 GFP clone 1 expressing only the MSCV-GFP vector, and NB1691 GFP 4.7 and 4.9 expressing GFP and MRP4 shRNA were selected for further characterization. Knockdown of MRP4 function was determined by bis-POM-PMEA accumulation. IC 50 values were determined by MTT assay to quantify the sensitivity to irinotecan (CPT-11), SN-38, and TPT. GFP expression persists in these cell lines for at least 4 months after transduction. Moreover, QRT-PCR and western blot results demonstrate greater than 80% reduction in MRP4 expression in NB1691 GFP 4.7 and 4.9. PMEA accumulation was 1.5- and 2.4-fold higher in NB1691 GFP 4.7 and 4.9 compared to the parental or vector-only clones. Knocking down MRP4 resulted in a 2.5- and 1.8-fold increase in SN-38 sensitivity in NB1691 GFP 4.7 and 4.9, respectively, compared to NB1691 GFP1. In contrast, CPT-11 sensitivity was increased only 1.1-fold in NB1691 GFP 4.9 compared to NB1691 GFP1. TPT sensitivity increased 14- and 5.5- fold in NB1691 GFP 4.7 and 4.9. These results suggest that loss of MRP4 function may increase in vitro sensitivity to TPT and SN-38, the active metabolite of the prodrug CPT-11. We are currently utilizing xenograft models to determine the contribution of MRP4 expression to tumor response to camptothecin analogs in vivo . Moreover, Pgp expression may also contribute to camptothecin analog resistance in NB1691, and we are investigating the effects of silencing Pgp expression.
Diffraction and Radiation

Diffraction relates, in general terms, to a characteristic wave phenomenon within regions of space not directly insonified or illuminated by a given source ; and is manifest by a non-zero level of excitation in such regions. This, and the kindred phenomena of reflection and refraction, is explicable by means of superposed wave functions that are separately linked with the primary or given source and the secondary effect of its environment . The classical development of diffraction theory envisaged configurations without any relative motion between the primary source and its surrondings; and invoked the abstractions inherent in time-periodic or aperiodic point sources and plane waves for purposes of mathematical simplicity. Thus, Sommerfeld obtained the first explicit and exact analytical solution for a diffraction problem in linear wave theory, relating to a plane wave incident upon a thin opaque semi-infinite screen with a straight edge; afterwards, Macdonald, Herglotz and others derived the corresponding solution for a point source and a wedge formed by two semi-infinite intersecting plane surfaces.
LETTER: Quantum Singularity of Quasiregular Spacetimes

Some of the mildest singularities in classical general relativity are shown to be singular quantum mechanically as well. A class of the mild, topological singularities known as quasiregular singularities remains singular when probed by quantum wave packets. These static spacetimes possessing dislocations and disclinations are quantum-mechanically singular since the spatial portion of the wave operator is not essentially self-adjoint and thus the evolution of a test quantum wave packet is not uniquely determined by the initial wave function.
Re-tessellated mesh-based Monte Carlo for wide-field illumination sources

Monte Carlo methods are the gold standard in modeling light propagation through complex turbid tissues. However, with the advent of structured light illumination applications, it is becoming crucial to implement fast and efficient methods to simulate arbitrary wide-field sources over large surface areas. Herein, we improve upon our previous mesh-based Monte Carlo method by enabling the simulation of an extended range of wide-field illumination strategies using a computationally efficient mesh re-tessellation technique.
The reversible association of lysozyme and thyroglobulin. Cooperative binding by near-neighbor interactions.

Abstract Polarization of fluorescence measurements on hen's egg white lysozyme labeled with 1-dimethylaminonaphthalene-5-sulfonyl chloride have been used to detect the formation of a soluble complex of this protein with thyroglobulins from bovine, normal human, and goitrous human thyroids. The binding of the labeled lysozyme to thyroglobulin is accompanied by a 40% increase in the quantum yield, a blue shift of 14 nm in the emission maximum, and a lengthening of the fluorescence lifetime of the 1-dimethylaminonaphthalene-5-sulfonyl moiety from 6.7 to 8.2 nsec. A statistical dissociation constant of 1.5 x 10-6 m at pH 8.0 and evident cooperativity of binding indicated by a Hill exponent of 3 to 4 were observed. Assuming that interlysozyme bonds occur when 2 or more lysozyme molecules are bound contiguously on thyroglobulin, a free energy of lysozyme-lysozyme interaction of about 1 kg cal per pair accounts well for the observed cooperativity.
Determinants of pulmonary hypertension in young adults.

Summary Background: Risk factors of pulmonary hypertension (PH) are poorly understood. The objective of this study was to identify the determinants of PH in young adults. Methods: We analysed a limited access dataset from the CARDIA (Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults) study provided by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. Pulmonary arterial pressure was assessed by the Doppler pulmonary artery acceleration time (PAAT). Socio-demographic characteristics, self-reported clinical variables, echocardiographic variables, pulmonary function tests, systemic blood pressure and body mass index calculated from height and weight were used in multivariate analysis. Results: There were 4171 study subjects, mean age 24.9 ± 3.6 years, retained in year five with echocardiographic data available after five years of follow-up. The prevalence of severe PH (PAAT ≤ 70 ms) and mild to moderate PH (PAAT = 109.9–70.01 ms) was 1.1% and 14% respectively. Multivariate analysis revealed that body mass index (β = −1.09, p < 0.0001), female gender (β = 6.25, p < 0.0001), age (β = −0.30, p = 0.02), African American race (β = −2.57, p = 0.007), physical activity (β = 0.005, p = 0.002), current smoking (β = −3.42, p = 0.001), left atrial dimension (β = −2.97, p = 0.009) and diastolic dysfunction (β = −13.06, p = 0.006) were statistically significant variables predicting PH. Conclusion: In this large, observational study of young adults, pulmonary hypertension, as assessed by echocardiography, is common. Diastolic dysfunction, obesity, physical inactivity and smoking are associated with elevated pulmonary arterial pressure in young adults.
Equations for the extension and flexure of a piezoelectric beam with rectangular cross section and applications

One-dimensional equations for the extension and flexure with shear deformations of a piezoelectric beam with rectangular cross section are derived from the three-dimensional equations for linear piezoelectricity by double power series expansion in the thickness and width directions. The equations are reduced to the case of elementary flexure without shear deformations. As an application of these equations, the buckling of a ceramic piezoelectric beam is discussed.
An efficient ARQ scheme using soft output demodulation in Rayleigh fading channel

An automatic repeat request (ARQ) scheme using rate compatible trellis coded modulation, pilot-symbol aided channel estimation, soft output packet combining, and a retransmission request strategy supporting a variable quality of service within a packet is proposed. Simulation results show that this type II hybrid ARQ has about 3-5 dB SNR gain over its type I ARQ counterpart.
Newstream: a multi-device, cross-medium, and socially aware approach to news content

News content extends well beyond the scope of a single medium: video, audio, text, interactive experiences, and social sharing all contribute to an individual's understanding and experience of content. While some content that exists across media can supplement other forms, such as an interactive feature accompanying a text-based article, other content might replicate information and therefore be redundant to a consumer. This paper introduces Newstream, a novel approach to navigating news-based content across a variety of media sources. Building off of prior work, neXtream, Newstream can craft specialized experiences that both facilitate common dialogs within social networks and allow users to dynamically move across various mediums, controlling levels of depth based on interest while avoiding repetition. Newstream integrates multiple devices and networks to maintain unified back-end knowledge about each user.
Reproductive trade-offs in genetically distinct clones ofVaccinium macrocarpon, the American cranberry.

Patterns of resource allocation to growth, current reproduction, and potential future reproduction were quantified in six genetically distinct cultivars ofVaccinium macrocarpon. For all cultivars (genotypes), vegetative size is positively correlated with some measures of current reproduction (fruit and flower number) but negatively correlated with others (seed number per fruit, seed weight per fruit). Vegetative growth in the current year is significantly related to the production of reproductive terminal buds, a measure of the potential for reproduction in the following year. Stems with low levels of current reproduction — lower flower number, fruit number, and seed weight — were more likely to form reproductive terminal buds than stems with higher levels of current reproduction. Individual genotypes differed significantly for vegetative size, fruit number, fruit weight, seed number, and seed weight, as well as for the frequency of fruiting stems and reproductive terminal buds produced. Genotypes were segregated in principal component space, indicating overall differences between them in allocation to the suite of variables measured. These results indicate the possibility of fitness differences among cultivars due to genetically determined allocation strategy, which has implications for fitness differences among genotypes within natural populations.
Research Note – Strain-Based Work-Family Conflict and its Relationship with Perceptions of Distributive and Procedural Justice among Correctional Staff

Fairness and justice are valued concepts throughout the entire criminal justice system, and they do not resonate any less with employees in the field of corrections. Distributive and procedural justice, two dimensions of organizational justice, were postulated to have salient outcomes for correctional staff. While a growing number of studies have examined the effects of distributive and procedural justice, their effects have not been fully explored. Strain-based work-family conflict occurs when conflict at work spills over and has a detrimental effect on home life. Hierarchical regression analysis of two different surveys of correctional staff, one at a private correctional facility for juveniles run on behalf of the state and another at an adult public state-run correctional facility, indicated that both distributive justice and procedural justice had negative relationships with strain-based work-family conflict.
EFFECTS OF ALKYLATING CHEMICALS ON REPRODUCTIVE CAPACITY OF ADULT FEMALE MICE

Abstract Adult female mice were subjected to the total reproductive capacity test after a single intraperitoneal injection with one of the following compounds: ethyl methanesulfonate (EMS), methyl methanesulfonatte (MMS), n-propyl methanesulfonate (PMS), isopropyl methanesulfonate (IMS), 1,4-di(methanesulfonoxy) butane (Myleran), triethylenemelamine (TEM), N-methyl-N′-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine (MNNG), 2-methoxy-6-chloro-9-[3-(ethyl-2-chloroethyl)aminopropylamino]acridine dihydrochloride (ICR-170). The results demonstrate clearly a wide range of fertility effects of alkylating chemicals on female mice. Genetics studies and histological examination of the ovaries were used to analyze fertility effects. For example, the early effects of IMS and Myleran were attributable mainly to dominant-lethal mutations. The drastic stoppage of reproduction with Myleran and with TEM was due to killing of oocytes in the early stages of follicular development. The late effects of IMS were also found to be due to oocyte killing, but the similar, marked late effects of EMS or MNNG were presumably an indirect manifestation of chemical damages outside the ovary. Thus it was shown that a reduction in the fertility of female mice after chemical treatment can be attributed to genetic or cell-killing effects on oocytes or, presumably, to non-ovarian toxic effects. Because of its ability to detect a wide range of unfavorable effects, the total reproductive capacity procedure is recommended for incorporation into the practical screening of chemicals.
Pulmonary Blood Plasma Filtration in Reptiles: A ``Wet'' Vertebrate Lung?

The net loss of plasma from blood into tissues within the ventilated reptile lung is 10 to 20 times greater than that in mammalian lungs. When blood flow is reduced during breathholding by reptiles, the plasma loss stops, and a net reabsorption of fluid from the tissues occurs. Fluid movement dynamics and the relative "dryness" of the lung of reptiles and mammals thus differ in several important respects and reflect the more variable cardiovascular performance of reptiles.
Multiple-path execution for chip multiprocessors

The increased dependence of clock cycle time on interconnect delay favors chip multiprocessors (CMP) for future microprocessor designs. This paper studies multiple-path execution (MPE) on a CMP to provide speedup on unmodified sequential code by exploring different paths of a conditional branch on separate processors. MPE performance due to processor complexity and count, cache and branch prediction architecture, processor-to-path allocation strategies, and limited interprocessor communication capabilities is explored. Simulation shows 12.7% speedup of SPECint95 with up to 33.5% on components with poor branch prediction accuracy using an 8-processor, 8-issue CMP with a simple mesh interconnect, realistic latencies, and limited bandwidth.
Thermodynamic Optimization of Irreversible Power Cycles With Constant External Reservoir Temperatures

In this paper an extended version of the Bejan model of irreversible power plants is proposed using a log-mean temperature difference (LMTD) representation for both the high and low-temperature heat exchangers. The analysis focuses on minimizing the irreversibilities associated with the hot and cold heat exchangers. The results indicate that the maximum power output, external conductance allocation ratio, and second law efficiency are functions of the number total heat exchanger transfer units (N), and are asymptotic to Bejan's original results as N {yields} O. This asymptote represents a global power output maximum and occurs for either extremely high cycle flow rates or cycle phase change processes in both heat exchangers. The LMTD representation also shows that under optimal conditions, more conductance should be allocated to the low-temperature heat exchanger as N increases.
Uncovered interest parity and the FX carry trade

Uncovered interest parity (UIP), the cornerstone of many open economy models, has been a popular topic in the last three decades. Although the concepts of covered and uncovered interest parities ca...
Pressure dependent X-ray studies of alkali-graphite intercalation compounds

Abstract We have performed hydrostatic high pressure X-ray measurements up to 12 kbar on CsC8 and CsC36 at ambient temperature, using a Bassett diamond anvil cell. Results for CsC36 show the formation of a cesium intraplanar 2 × 2 superlattice which induces a staging phase transition. The observed splitting of the (00l) Bragg peaks is attributed to the formation of a stage 4 phase. The phase transition was found to be reversible and sample dependent. The compressibility, kc= 1 c ∂c ∂P P=P 0 of CsC8 was measured to be (1.57 ± 0.05) × 10−12cm2/dyne. No structural phase transition was observed in CsC8.
Modulation of trigeminovascular processing: novel insights into primary headache disorders.

Dysfunction of the descending circuitry that modulates nociceptive processing is thought to facilitate primary headache disorders such as migraine and cluster headache, either by reducing inhibitio...
In-stream nitrification rate prediction

Abstract A simultaneous nitrogen and dissolved oxygen mass balancing technique is used to accurately assess actual in-stream nitrification rate coefficients. These rate coefficients are compared against estimations from observed spatial changes in various bulk fluid nitrogen species concentrations. Total Kjeldahl nitrogen change was found to be the most accurate predictor of in-stream nitrification. Proposed nitrification rate coefficient estimation functions have r 2 values in excess of 0.90.
Extracting Knowledge from Failed Development Programmes

Drug development is a challenging business with high risks. Multiple factors can contribute to the failure of a programme. Lack of efficacy and unacceptable safety have been the major reasons for product failure since 2000. Even though the drug molecule and disease target are the most fundamental aspects for successful drug development, rational dose and dosing regimen selection also play an important role in the new drug development era and may determine the fate of a programme. Two case studies are discussed in detail to demonstrate the decision-making process at different stages of drug development that eventually led to the termination of the drug programmes. The two cases presented in this report both involve dose selection. The first programme may have failed as a result of too high doses, even though other factors could also contribute to the unacceptable safety profile. Early clinical studies or even late-phase clinical studies could not detect certain serious adverse events. Possible strategies to reduce this type of failure include application of quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) models to select compounds with no potential serious toxicity, development of more sensitive and relevant animal models to detect drug toxicity, and targeting the minimum dose to achieve reasonable efficacy. The second programme failed during the registration stage. Lessons learned include the following: (i) modelling and simulation could have been conducted after the first pivotal trial to avoid the replication of the failed dose in subsequent trials; (ii) post-hoc subgroup analysis could be misleading, especially for innovative findings without extensive support from other sources; (iii) if the quantitative relationship between the biomarker response and the clinical endpoint is unknown, dose selection should not be guided by a statistically significant biomarker response; and (iv) a more mechanistic model could have been developed for the biomarker response based on the individual biomarker longitudinal response, which may have predicted potential tolerance for higher doses over time. Even though these programmes failed to yield safe and effective drug products, valuable knowledge should be extracted from these programmes as much as possible, in order to provide insight and guidance for all parties involved in the development of drugs, to avoid similar failures and to improve the efficiency of drug development.
Are computers good or bad for business? How mediated customer-computer interaction alters emotions, impressions, and patronage toward organizations

Are computers good or bad for business? Although computers are social actors research finds that people react to computers and humans with similar tendencies, little research directly compares human-computer interaction to human-human interaction. I ask how mediated transactions with a company's human or computer representatives alter customers' reactions toward that company. I conduct an experiment where subjects in the role of customers received products (low or high quality) from a representative (human or computer). I measure the customer's emotions, impressions, and patronage toward both the representative and the organization. The data indicate few differences in reactions toward the representative and the organization, however, customers perceive the organization as more responsible and in control when they have employed human, not computer, representatives. A hypothesized statistical interaction effect (a moderation effect) on several emotions indicates that computer representatives decrease the strength of the relationship between receiving low or high quality products and customer's emotions. Although many customer reactions indicate no human/computer differences, I discuss how the statistical moderation effect of computer identity on several emotions may relate to computers are social actors and other research.
Locus of Control, Grades, and Course Evaluations

In a recent report, Page and Roy (1975) presented the results of a study on the moderating effects of locus of control on the relationship between grades and course evaluations, to support their conclusion that externals are more dependent on grades in their course evaluations than are internals. It is argued that their use of grade estimates rather than actual grades makes such a conclusion unwarranted. Data relevant to the argument, and in support of the usefulness of studying the moderating effects of conceptually relevant personality variables on the grade-evaluation relationship were presented.
Media and audience influences on channel repertoire

A telephone survey was conducted to examine the television viewing patterns and motivations of 615 respondents. Channel repertoire was operationalized in two ways. Total channel repertoire was defined as the number of channels viewers watched, using aided recall. Mindful channel repertoire was further defined as those channels identified by viewers through unaided recall. The findings indicate that total channel repertoire is related to media and audience factors. Perceived effort, motives for changing channels with a remote control, and intentionality were significant positive predictors of mindful channel repertoire.
Conceptual design and modeling of a fuel cell scooter for urban Asia

Abstract Air pollution is of serious concern in many Asian countries, especially in densely populated cities with many highly polluting two-stroke engine vehicles like scooters. Four-stroke engines and electric battery-powered scooters are often proposed as alternatives, but a fuel cell scooter would be superior by offering both zero tailpipe emissions and combustion-scooter class range (200 km) without lengthy battery recharging times. This advanced scooter concept is explored here. A conceptual polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell scooter design with compact metal hydride hydrogen storage is presented here; technology projections are for the short term, less than 5 years. A computer simulation is developed to examine overall vehicle design. Vehicle characteristics, fuel cell polarization curves, and a Taiwanese urban driving cycle are specified as inputs. Transient power requirements reach 5.9 kW due to rapid acceleration, suggesting a large fuel cell. However, average power is only 600 W: a hybrid vehicle with a smaller fuel cell and peaking batteries could also handle the load. Fuel economies are greater than 500 mpge at steady-state driving. Results show that hybrid vehicles do not significantly improve mileage, but would drastically reduce the size of fuel cell needed. System size is approximately the same as present electric scooters, at 43 l and 61 kg for the fuel cell, hydrogen storage, and electric motor/controller, for a total scooter weight of about 130 kg.
Note on the effects of maternal selection in biological populations.

The dynamics of the genetic structure of populations under various selection factors are considered. The effect of selection by way of the maternal genotype through fecundity, favorable placement of eggs and such factors as are dependent on the character of the maternal parent is emphasized. This factor can lead to a stable equilibrium with genotype frequencies which would appear to be unstable. A similar result can be obtained as a result of differences in mating probabilities which may arise due to differences in maturation rates. A number of cases are treated to illustrate the dynamics as well as conditions for stable equilibrium.
The Bulls and Bears of Law Teaching

This Essay provides readers with a unique perspective on the world of law teaching: Employing a quirky methodology, Professor Stadler predicts which subjects are likely to be most (and least) in demand among faculties looking to hire new professors in future - rating those subjects, like so many stocks, from "strong buy" to "weak buy" to "weak sell" to "strong sell". To generate the data on which her methodology is based, Professor Stadler catalogued, by subject, almost every Article, Book Review, Booknote, Comment, Essay, Note, Recent Case, Recent Publication, and Recent Statute published in the Harvard Law Review between and including the years 1946 and 2003. In the end, she found an interesting (and, she thinks, predictive) relationship between the subjects on which faculty choose to write and the subjects on which students choose to write.
A comparison of educational processes at similar U. K. and U. S. institutions of higher learning

The structure and organization of the middle tier of higher education in similar institutions in the U. K. and U. S. are compared to draw conclusions on the effect which differences and similarities have upon the quality of the educational process, its cost-effectiveness, student independence and maturity, faculty load, relationships with business, industry and government.
Some remarks on the neutron elastic—And inelastic—Scattering cross sections of palladium

Abstract The cross sections for the elastic-scattering of 5.9, 7.1 and 8 MeV neutrons from elemental Pd were measured at 40 scattering angles distributed between ≈15 and 160°. The inelastic-scattering cross sections for the excitation of Pd levels at energies of 260–560 keV were measured with high resolution at the same energies, and at a scattering angle of 80°. The experimental results were combined with lower-energy values previously obtained by this group to provide a comprehensive data base extending from near the inelastic-scattering threshold to 8 MeV. That data base was interpreted in terms of a coupled-channels model, including the inelastic excitation of one- and two-phonon vibrational levels of the even isotopes of Pd. It was concluded that the Pd inelastic-scattering cross sections, at the low energies of interest in assessment of fast-fission-reactor performance are large (≈50% greater than given in widely-used evaluated fission-product data files). They primarily involve compound-nucleus processes, with only a small direct-reaction component attributable to the excitation of the one-phonon 2 + vibrational levels of the even isotopes of Pd.
A scalable, collaborative similarity measure for social annotation systems

Collaborative annotation tools are in widespread use. The metadata from these systems can be mined to induce semantic relationships among Web objects (sites, pages, tags, concepts, users), which in turn can support improved search, recommendation, and otherWeb applications. We build upon prior work by extracting relationships among tags and among resources from two social bookmarking systems, Bibsonomy.org and GiveALink.org. We introduce a scalable and collaborative measure that we name maximum information path (MIP) similarity. Our analysis shows that MIP outperforms the best scalable similarity measures in the literature. We are currently integrating MIP similarity into a number of applications under development in the GiveALink project, including search and recommendation, Web navigation maps, bookmark management, social networks, spam detection, and a tagging game to create incentives for collaborative annotations.
Transmission-Blocking Vaccines: Focus on Anti-Vector Vaccines against Tick-Borne Diseases

Tick-borne diseases are a potential threat that account for significant morbidity and mortality in human population worldwide. Vaccines are not available to treat several of the tick-borne diseases. With the emergence and resurgence of several tick-borne diseases, emphasis on the development of transmission-blocking vaccines remains increasing. In this review, we provide a snap shot on some of the potential candidates for the development of anti-vector vaccines (a form of transmission-blocking vaccines) against wide range of hard and soft ticks that include Ixodes, Haemaphysalis, Dermacentor, Amblyomma, Rhipicephalus and Ornithodoros species.
Application commerce: Security challenges and workflows

Application commerce refers to the economics related to the creation and distribution of software applications to the users of a computing platform. The need for a security infrastructure by the Application Programming Interface (API) makers for application commerce is necessitated by i) user privacy and trust concerns for the application, ii) the warranty concerns of the application maker, iii) the concerns from regulatory bodies (Recording Industry, Wireless Regulatory bodies) on content consumption and iv) revenue generation potential for the application maker. In this paper, we outline and compare the security infrastructures of existing API makers. The challenges posed by the security requirements and current solutions are discussed. We also present a workflow for application developers within the constraints set by the application framework provider for ease of development and distribution.
Depauperate Avifauna in Plantations Compared to Forests and Exurban Areas

Native forests are shrinking worldwide, causing a loss of biological diversity. Our ability to prioritize forest conservation actions is hampered by a lack of information about the relative impacts of different types of forest loss on biodiversity. In particular, we lack rigorous comparisons of the effects of clearing forests for tree plantations and for human settlements, two leading causes of deforestation worldwide. We compared avian diversity in forests, plantations and exurban areas on the Cumberland Plateau, USA, an area of global importance for biodiversity. By combining field surveys with digital habitat databases, and then analyzing diversity at multiple scales, we found that plantations had lower diversity and fewer conservation priority species than did other habitats. Exurban areas had higher diversity than did native forests, but native forests outscored exurban areas for some measures of conservation priority. Overall therefore, pine plantations had impoverished avian communities relative to both native forests and to exurban areas. Thus, reports on the status of forests give misleading signals about biological diversity when they include plantations in their estimates of forest cover but exclude forested areas in which humans live. Likewise, forest conservation programs should downgrade incentives for plantations and should include settled areas within their purview.
Modeling Effects on Impulsivity with Learning Disabled Children

Thirty learning disabled third- and fourth-grade children classified as impulsive on Kagan's Matching Familiar Figures Test were assigned to one of three training conditions in which they viewed a model who responded in either a reflective or impulsive cognitive tempo on a matching-to-sample task or a control model who played an unrelated game. Training sessions were carried out weekly for three consecutive weeks. Match-to-sample tasks were administered to each subject following each session and one week after the third training session (delayed posttest). These tasks were scored for response latency and error rate. It was found that children who observed a reflective model showed significantly longer latencies than subjects in both the impulsive modeling and control group following each treatment session and on the delayed posttest. No significant group differences in error rates were found following the first training session; however, the reflective model group showed significantly fewer errors than th...
Improving software testing via ODC: three case studies

Orthogonal Defect Classification (ODC) is a methodology used to classify software defects. When combined with a set of data analysis techniques designed to suit the software development process, ODC provides a powerful way to evaluate the development process and software product. In this paper, three case studies demonstrate the use of ODC to improve software testing. The first case study illustrates how a team developing a high-quality, mature product arrived at specific testing strategies aimed at reducing field defects. The second is a middleware project that identified the areas of system test that needed to be strengthened. The third describes how a very small team with an inadequate testing strategy recognized its risk in trying to meet the scheduled release and made the product more stable by postponing the release date and adding badly needed testing scenarios. All three case studies highlight how technical teams can use ODC data for objective feedback on their development processes and the evolution of their products. This feedback facilitates the identification of actions to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of development and test, resulting in improved resource management and enhanced software quality.
Characterization of the selenium in rat liver mitochondria as glutathione peroxidase.

Summary A large part of the radioselenium in liver mitochondria prepared from rats given 0.1 ppm Se as Na 2 75 SeO 3 in the drinking water can be solubilized by a procedure combining extraction with hypotonic Tris buffer-ethanol and freeze-thawing. The radioselenium in this extract binds to DEAE-Sephadex but can be eluted as a single main radioactive peak with salt solution of relatively low ionic strength. Gel filtration of the radioactive peak fractions from the DEAE-Sephadex column through Sephadex G-150 yielded 2 radioactive peaks, the larger of which was associated with significant glutathione peroxidase activity. These findings are consistent with the concept that most of the selenium in mitochondria exists in the form of glutathione peroxidase.
Event-related potentials in neuropsychological studies of language

Abstract Experiments are described in which event-related potentials (ERPs) are employed to study the specialization of functions between and within the cerebral hemispheres during the performance of language and nonlanguage tasks by normal adults. Similar studies of deaf subjects suggest that the functional organization of the brain may be altered after different early language and sensory experiences. Studies of patients with alexia without agraphia suggest that the ERP may be a valuable tool with which to study cerebral reorganization after brain damage.
Unilateral vs. bilateral coordination of circle-drawing tasks

The number of joint motions available in the upper extremity provides for multiple solutions to the coordination of a motor task. Making use of these abundant joint motions provides for task flexibility. Controlling bimanual movements poses another level of complexity because of possible tradeoffs between coordination within a limb and coordination between the limbs. We examined how flexible patterns of joint coordination were used to stabilize the hand's path when drawing a circle independently compared to a bimanual pattern. Across-trial variance of joint motions was partitioned into two components: goal-equivalent variance (GEV), representing variance of joint motions consistent with a stable hand path and non-goal-equivalent variance (NGEV) representing variance of joint motions that led to deviations of the hand's path. GEV was higher than NGEV in both unimanual and bimanual drawing, with one exception. Both GEV and NGEV, related to control of the individual hands' motion, decreased when engaged in the bimanual compared to unimanual drawing. Moreover, NGEV, leading to variability in the vectorial distance between the hands, was higher when the two hands drew circles in a bimanually asymmetric vs. symmetric pattern, consistent with reported differences in the relative phasing of the two hands. Our results suggest that the nervous system controls the individual hands' motions by separate intra-limb synergies during both unimanual and bimanual drawing, and superimposes an additional synergy to achieve stable relative motion of the two hands during bimanual drawing.
Behavior of κ-carrageenan in glycerol and sorbitol solutions

Abstract The solubility of κ-carrageenan in low water-content solvents is important in food applications where complete solubilization is required for proper development of structure and rheology. The effect of glycerol and sorbitol on the gelation and conformational helix transition of κ-carrageenan was studied using rheology and optical rotation. Glycerol/water solutions from 0–100 wt% glycerol and sorbitol solutions from 0–100% saturation were studied over the temperature range 0–90°C. The results were analyzed in terms of solvent solubility parameters, water chemical potential, and solvent dielectric constant. Effective cohesive energy density parameters could not be inferred for the carrageenan, but the gelation temperature could be correlated with solvent dielectric constant. Hydrogen bonding interactions control the carrageenan helix formation. The cohesive energy density as a measure of solvent quality accounts for hydrogen bonding but not Coulombic interactions, and the Coulombic interactions scale on dielectric constant. This indicates the dominant role of electrostatics on the gelation process.
Chronic hyperleptinemia results in the development of hypertension in pregnant rats

Despite the fact that obesity is a major risk factor for preeclampsia (PE), the pathophysiological mechanisms whereby obesity and metabolic factors such as leptin increase this risk are unclear. Wh...
Predictive validity of certification by the American Board of Internal Medicine.

Abstract Study Objective:To determine the predictive validity of the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) certification process. Design:Prospective measurement of the knowledge, skills, and a...
Artificial Dissipation Models for the Euler Equations

Various artificial dissipation models that are used with central difference algorithms for the Euler equations are analyzed for their effect on accuracy, stability, and convergence rates. In particular, linear and nonlinear models are investigated using an implicit approximate factorization code (ARC2D) for transonic airfoils. Fully implicit application of the dissipation models is shown to improve robustness and convergence rates. The treatment of dissipation models at boundaries will be examined. It will be shown that accurate, error free solutions with sharp shocks can be obtained using a central difference algorithm coupled with an appropriate nonlinear artificial dissipation model. I. Introduction T HE solution of the Euler equations using numerical techniques requires the use of either a differencing method with inherent dissipation or the addition of dissipation terms to a nondissipative scheme. This is because the Euler equations do not provide any natural dissipation mechanism (such as viscosity in the Navier-Stokes equations) that would eliminate high frequencies which are caused by nonlinearitie s and especially shocks. A variety of numerical algorithms and computer codes for the Euler equations have been developed. Methods such as MacCormack's1 explicit
Revolutionary Advances in Skin Stapling: A Collective Review

The purpose of this article is to provide a collective review of the literature on skin staplers. On the basis of this review, the Auto Suture Multifire Premium, with its regular and wide metal staples, is recommended for skin closure. The Auto Suture Multifire Graftac-S is ideally suited for skin-graft fixation, because it delivers an absorbable staple that usually does not have to be removed from the healing graft. Dermal skin closure can now be achieved using the Auto Suture SQS-20, which coapts the cut dermal edges with an absorbable straight pin. Dermal wound approximation can be accomplished in significantly less time than dermal suture closure.
Vacancy formation energies in metals: A comparison of MetaGGA with LDA and GGA exchange–correlation functionals

Abstract We report on the results of density-functional-theory based calculations of the vacancy formation energies in metals using the revised Tao–Perdew–Staroverov–Scuseria (revTPSS) functional (Pedrew et al., 2009), which is a self-consistent semilocal meta-generalized gradient approximation functional. The motivation for this work is to determine if the improved accuracy of surface energies for revTPSS compared to local and generalized gradient approximation functionals also leads to improved vacancy formation energies since vacancies can be viewed as internal surfaces. In addition, we report on the lattice constants, cohesive energies and bulk moduli predicted by revTPSS. By comparing the vacancy formation energies and bulk properties, the performance of revTPSS is assessed against four functionals: the local spin density approximation (LSDA), Perdew, Burke and Ernzerhof (PBE), Perdew–Wang-91 (PW91), and PBE for solids (PBEsol). Using an automated computational approach, we calculate the vacancy formation energies and the macroscopic properties of 34 metal systems for the five functionals. For macroscopic properties (lattice constants, cohesive energies and bulk modulus), we find the results for revTPSS typically lie between LDA and PBE with a mean absolute percentage deviation of 1.1% and 12.1% from the experimental data for lattice constants and cohesive energies respectively. Further, it is found that revTPSS predicts higher vacancy formation energies when compared to the four other functionals surveyed. We have observed the following order for the functionals with respect to the computed vacancy formation energies, E f xc : E f revTPSS > E f PBEsol ∼ E f LDA > E f PBE > E f PW 91 . We also consider the effects of a surface-energy error correction that has been proposed for standard LDA and GGA functionals. This correction increases the vacancy formation energies of LDA, PBE and PW91 functionals. The revTPSS computed VFEs are greater than the surface-energy-corrected PBE VFEs by a mean relative difference of 14.8%.
Potential of computed tomography for inspection of aircraft components

Computed Tomography (CT) using penetrating radiation (x- or gamma-rays) can be used in a number of aircraft applications. This technique results in 3D volumetric attenuation data that is related to density and effective atomic number. CT is a transmission scanning method that must allow complete access to both sides of the object under inspection; the radiation source and detection systems must surround the object. This normally precludes the inspection of some large or planar (large aspect ratio) parts of the aircraft. However, we are pursuing recent limited-data techniques using object model information to obtain useful data from the partial information acquired. As illustrative examples, we describe how CT was instrumental in the analysis of particular aircraft components. These include fuselage panels, single crystal turbine blades, and aluminum-lithium composites.© (1993) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Modeling the electrophoresis of lysozyme. II. Inclusion of ion relaxation

In this work, boundary element methods are used to model the electrophoretic mobility of lysozyme over the pH range 2–6. The model treats the protein as a rigid body of arbitrary shape and charge distribution derived from the crystal structure. Extending earlier studies, the present work treats the equilibrium electrostatic potential at the level of the full Poisson-Boltzmann (PB) equation and accounts for ion relaxation. This is achieved by solving simultaneously the Poisson, ion transport, and Navier-Stokes equations by an iterative boundary element procedure. Treating the equilibrium electrostatics at the level of the full rather than the linear PB equation, but leaving relaxation out, does improve agreement between experimental and simulated mobilities, including ion relaxation improves it even more. The effects of nonlinear electrostatics and ion relaxation are greatest at low pH, where the net charge on lysozyme is greatest. In the absence of relaxation, a linear dependence of mobility and average polyion surface potential, (lambda zero)s, is observed, and the mobility is well described by the equation [formula: see text] where epsilon 0 is the dielectric constant of the solvent, and eta is the solvent viscosity. This breaks down, however, when ion relaxation is included and the mobility is less than predicted by the above equation. Whether or not ion relaxation is included, the mobility is found to be fairly insensitive to the charge distribution within the lysozyme model or the internal dielectric constant.
Socotra Island, Yemen: field survey of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami

The tsunami of 26th December 2004 severely affected Yemen’s Socotra Island with a death at a distance of 4,600 km from the epicenter of the Magnitude 9.0 earthquake. Yemen allowed a detailed assessment of the far-field impact of a tsunami in the main propagation direction. The UNESCO mission surveyed 12 impacted towns on the north and south shores covering from the east to the west tip of Socotra. The international team members were on the ground in Yemen from 11 to 19 October 2006. The team measured tsunami run-up heights and inundation distances based on the location of watermarks on buildings and eyewitness accounts. Maximum run-up heights were typically on the order of 2–6 m. Each measurement was located by means of global positioning systems (GPS) and photographed. Numerous eyewitness interviews were recorded on video. The tsunami impact on Socotra is compared with other locations along the shores of the Indian Ocean.