cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Phylogenetic analysis of torque teno virus genome from Pakistani isolate and incidence of co-infection among HBV/HCV infected patients

Torque Teno Virus (TTV) was the first single stranded circular DNA virus to be discovered that infects humans. Although there have been numerous reports regarding the prevalence of TTV from other countries of South Asia, there is severe lack of information regarding its prevalence in Pakistan. Thus the present study compiles the first indigenous report to comprehensively illustrate the incidence of the virus in uninfected and hepatitis infected population from Pakistan. Another aim of the study was to present the sequence of full length TTV genome from a local isolate and compare it with the already reported genome sequences from other parts of the world. TTV DNA was screened in the serum of 116, 100 and 40 HBV infected, HCV infected and uninfected individuals respectively. Nearly full length genome of TTV was cloned from a HBV patient. The genome sequence was subjected to in-silico analysis using CLC Workbench, ClustalW, ClustalX and TreeView. Statistical analysis was carried out in SPSS v17.0. Our results report that 89.7%, 90.0% and 92.5% of HBV, HCV patients and healthy control population were positive for TTV infection. TTV genome of 3603 bp was also cloned from a local isolate and given the identity of TPK01. The TTV genome sequence mentioned in this paper is submitted in the GenBank/EMBL/DDBJ under the accession number JN980171. Phylogenetic analysis of TPK01 revealed that the Pakistani isolate has sequence similarities with genotype 23 and 22 (Genogroup 2). The results of the current study indicate that the high frequency of TTV viremia in Pakistan conforms to the reports from other areas of the world, wherever screening of TTV DNA was performed against 5′-UTR of the genome. The high sequence diversity among TTV genome sequences and the high frequency of prevalence makes it harder to study this virus in cellular systems.
Amitriptyline in children with major depressive disorder: a double-blind crossover pilot study.

This study reports the effect of amitriptyline and placebo in nine prepubertal depressed children in a double-blind crossover design. The children were assigned randomly to placebo or amitriptyline for 4 weeks and then were switched to the other. Results indicate that amitriptyline may have a place in the treatment of childhood depression.
Experimental confirmation of major change of defect type with temperature and composition in ionic solids

Abstract The change of predominant point defect-type from interstitial cations to anion vacancies is presented as a function of temperature and concentration for the fluorite-type crystalline solution field in the system ZrO 2 -CaO. The characterization of the point defect content of these materials is based upon experimental determinations of densities and precision X-ray lattice parameters.
Liquid Photoresist Techniques for Fine Pattern Flexible Printed Circuits

This paper presents a new roll‐to‐roll (R‐R) production system modified for fine line patterning of flexible printed circuits (FPCs) using the subtractive method. The R‐R system is especially suited to production of FPCs because the material used—copper‐clad laminate (CCU—can be handled as it is rolled. Consideration has been given to methods and materials in designing the machines. They are now operating successfully and are used in single‐sided flexible circuit manufacture. A liquid photosensitive etch resist and a collimated light source are recommended for the system and several factors necessary for achieving R‐R working conditions are discussed. Judging from the experimental results of these systems, using narrower width materials with chemical surface preparation is an effective technique for improving the yield rate. The selection of a liquid photoresist is not so common in the case of rigid printed circuit boards because of the difficulty of the coating process. On the other hand, in the case of flexible PCBs, it is successful not only in terms of resolution characteristics but also of productivity under several different types of coating conditions. It should be noted that use of the conventional subtractive method in the printed circuit field is still advantageous as some semiconductor technologies are applicable.
STRUCTURES OF DUNES AT WHITE SANDS NATIONAL MONUMENT, NEW MEXICO (AND A COMPARISON WITH STRUCTURES OF DUNES FROM OTHER SELECTED AREAS)1

SUMMARY The type, scale, and relative abundance of sedimentary structures in four kinds of dunes at White Sands National Monument, New Mexico, were determined by examination of vertical sections on walls of trenches cut through the dunes both in a windward direction and at right angles to this direction. Analysis of cross-stratification in all dunes examined indicated certain common features: sets of cross-strata mostly are medium- to large-scale; nearly all laminae dip downwind at high angles (not uncommonly at 30°-34°); most bounding surfaces between sets of cross-strata are nearly horizontal on the upwind side, but have progressively steeper dips to lee, downwind; and individual sets of cross-strata tend to be thinner and the laminae flatter near the top than at the bottom of a dune in vertical section. Sparse but distinctive structural features that are characteristic of the four types of dunes are varieties of contorted bedding, rare ripple laminae, and either local scour-and-fill bedding, or festoon bedding. Other structures, apparently limited to either one or two types of dunes, are the concave-downward foresets in some parabolic dunes; the low-angle reverse dips of upwind strata on high transverse dunes; and the almost horizontal laminae which represent apparent dip in sections normal to wind direction in dome-shaped and transverse dunes. Describing cross-stratification in terms of three dimensions, dune structure at White Sands consists dominantly of the tabular planar sets, with units thickest near the dune base, thinner above. To a lesser extent the sets are of simple (non-erosion) tabular form and relatively uncommonly, of the trough type. Wedge planar forms are scarce. The planar forms characteristically are of two classes in nearly equal proportions: those in which bounding surfaces are virtually horizontal and those in which they dip at moderate to high degree. A brief comparison is made between the structures of dunes that are characteristic of one effective wind direction, as at White Sands, and certain others formed by winds of two or more directions. Seif dunes of Libya, reversing dunes of the San Luis Valley, Colorado, and star dunes in Saudi Arabia are discussed as examples of complex dunes formed by multi-directional winds.
The phenomenon of «ligamentization»: anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction with autogenous patellar tendon

Reconstruction of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) with patellar tendon (PT) is a common procedure for the symptomatic ACL-deficient knee. Questions regarding graft incorporation, viability, and nutrition of the transplanted tissue are of concern. This relates to the graft's response to its new intrasynovial milieu and new physical forces. These factors were studied in a rabbit model of ACL reconstruction using PT and were evaluated with histological and biochemical parameters with respect to time. A histological and biochemical metamorphosis of the grafted PT occurred in this study. Autografts demonstrated a gradual assumption of the microscopic properties of normal ACL; by 30 weeks postoperatively, cell morphology was ligamentous in appearance. Normally, type III collagen is not observed in PT, however, a gradual increase in its concentration was seen in the grafts; by 30 weeks its concentration (10%) was the same as in normal ACL. Similarly, glycosaminoglycans content increased from its normally low level in PT to that found in native ACL. Collagen-reducible crosslink analysis demonstrated that grafted tissue changed from the normal PT pattern of low dihydroxylysinonorleucine (DHLNL) and high histidinohydroxymerodesmosine (HHMD) to the pattern seen in normal ACL (high DHLNL and low HHMD) by 30 weeks. These data suggest that when PT is placed in the anatomic and environmental milieu of the ACL, a "ligamentization" of the grafted tissue results; also the autograft initially depends on synovial fluid nutrition, as revascularization occurs after 6 weeks.
The effects of being interest-inventoried

Abstract This study investigated the effects of receiving the results of the Kuder Occupational Interest Survey on several aspects of vocational behavior among high school students. It was found that receiving results increased self-knowledge compared to a control group who received none. Receiving results did not affect confidence in or satisfaction with vocational plans, unless the person had expressed high interest in his or her inventory results before hand. Information seeking was not increased by receiving results, in contrast to findings from other studies, and there were no differential effects for gender or year in school. Implications of these findings for guidance programs in the schools are discussed.
Efficient near-infrared polymer and organic light-emitting diodes based on electrophosphorescence from (tetraphenyltetranaphtho[2,3]porphyrin)platinum(II).

The new metalloporphyrin Pt(tptnp), where tptnp = tetraphenyltetranaphtho[2,3]porphyrin, has been prepared and subjected to photophysical and electrooptical device studies. In degassed toluene solution at room temperature Pt(tptnp) features efficient phosphorescence emission with λmax 883 nm with a quantum efficiency of 0.22. The complex has been used as the active phosphor in polymer and organic light-emitting diodes. Polymer light-emitting diodes based on a spin-coated emissive layer consisting of a blend of Pt(tptnp) doped in poly(9-vinylcarbazole) and 2-(4-biphenylyl)-5-(4-tert-butylphenyl)-1,3,4-oxadiazole exhibit near-IR emission with λmax 896 nm, with a maximum external quantum efficiency (EQE) of 0.4% and a maximum radiant emittance of 100 μW/cm2. Organic light-emitting diodes prepared via vapor deposition of all layers and that feature an optimized multilayer hole injection and electron blocking layer heterostructure with an emissive layer consisting of 4,4′-bis(carbazol-9-yl)biphenyl (CBP) doped...
INTERSTELLAR MAGNETIC FIELDS OBSERVED BY VOYAGER 1 BEYOND THE HELIOPAUSE

Voyager 1 (V1) was beyond the heliopause between 2013.00 and 2014.41, where it was making in situ observations of the interstellar magnetic field (ISMF). The average azimuthal angle and elevation angle of the magnetic field B were (λ) = 292.°5 ± 1.°4 and (δ) = 22.°1 ± 1.°2, respectively. The angles λ and δ varied linearly at (1.°4 ± 0.°1) yr{sup –1} and (–1.°1 ± 0.°1) yr{sup –1}, respectively, suggesting that V1 was measuring the draped ISMF around the heliopause. The distributions of hourly averages of λ and δ were Gaussian distributions, with most probable values 292.°5 and 22.°1, and standard deviations (SDs) 1.°3 and 1.°1, respectively. The small SD indicates little or no turbulence transverse to B . An abrupt decrease in B from 0.50 nT on 2013/129.9 to 0.46 nT on 2013/130.6 was observed, possibly associated with a weak reverse shock or magnetoacoustic pressure wave following a burst of electron plasma oscillations. Between 2013/130.6 and 2013/365.3, (B) = 0.464 ± 0.009 nT, (λ) = 292.°6 ± 0.°8, and (δ) = 22.°1 ± 1.°1. The corresponding distribution of hourly averages of B was Gaussian with the most probable value 0.464 nT and σ = 0.009 nT. Since the uncertaintymore » σ corresponds to the instrument and digitization noise, these observations provided an upper limit to the turbulence in the ISMF. The distributions of the hourly increments of B were Gaussian distributions with σ = 0.05 nT, 0.°4, and 0.°4, respectively, indicating that the V1 did not detect evidence of ''intermittent bursts'' of interstellar turbulence.« less
JC virus induces altered patterns of cellular gene expression: Interferon-inducible genes as major transcriptional targets

Abstract Human polyomavirus JC (JCV) infects 80% of the population worldwide. Primary infection, typically occurring during childhood, is asymptomatic in immunocompetent individuals and results in lifelong latency and persistent infection. However, among the severely immunocompromised, JCV may cause a fatal demyelinating disease, progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML). Virus–host interactions influencing persistence and pathogenicity are not well understood, although significant regulation of JCV activity is thought to occur at the level of transcription. Regulation of the JCV early and late promoters during the lytic cycle is a complex event that requires participation of both viral and cellular factors. We have used cDNA microarray technology to analyze global alterations in gene expression in JCV-permissive primary human fetal glial cells (PHFG). Expression of more than 400 cellular genes was altered, including many that influence cell proliferation, cell communication and interferon (IFN)-mediated host defense responses. Genes in the latter category included signal transducer and activator of transcription 1 (STAT1), interferon stimulating gene 56 (ISG56), myxovirus resistance 1 (MxA), 2′5′-oligoadenylate synthetase (OAS), and cig5 . The expression of these genes was further confirmed in JCV-infected PHFG cells and the human glioblastoma cell line U87MG to ensure the specificity of JCV in inducing this strong antiviral response. Results obtained by real-time RT-PCR and Western blot analyses supported the microarray data and provide temporal information related to virus-induced changes in the IFN response pathway. Our data indicate that the induction of an antiviral response may be one of the cellular factors regulating/controlling JCV replication in immunocompetent hosts and therefore constraining the development of PML.
Formation of covalent β-linked carbohydrate–enzyme intermediates during the reactions catalyzed by α-amylases

Abstract Porcine pancreatic and Bacillus amyloliquefaciens α-amylases were examined for the formation of covalent carbohydrate intermediates during reaction. The enzymes were precipitated and denatured by adding 10 volumes of acetone. When these denatured enzymes were mixed with methyl α-6-[ 3 H ]-maltooligosaccharide glycosides and chromatographed on BioGel P-2, no carbohydrate was found in the protein void volume peak. When the enzymes were added to the methyl α-6-[ 3 H ]-maltooligosaccharide glycosides and allowed to react for 15 s at 1 °C and then precipitated and denatured with 10 volumes of acetone, 3 H-labeled carbohydrates were found in the BioGel P-2 protein void volume peak, indicating the formation of enzyme–carbohydrate covalent intermediates. 1 H NMR analysis of the denatured enzyme from the reaction with methyl α-maltooligosaccharide glycosides confirmed that carbohydrate was attached to the denatured enzyme. 1 H NMR saturation-transfer analysis further showed that the carbohydrate was attached to the denatured enzyme by a β-configuration. This configuration is what would be expected for an enzyme that catalyzes the hydrolysis of α-(1→4) glycosidic linkages by a two-step, S N 2 double-displacement reaction to give retention of the α-configuration of the substrates at the reducing-end of the products.
Asymptotic solutions for a time-dependent, axisymmetric directional solidification system

Abstract A model is presented that describes the time-dependent diffusion of heat and solute in an axisymmetric system undergoing directional solidification. The solution procedure involves a coupled asymptotic/numerical approach. The asymptotic expansions are based upon the assumptions that both the crucible aspect ratio and the heat exchange between the crucible and the sample are small. Further, the scalings for the Lewis and Stefan numbers are chosen to achieve a well-mixed melt. The presence of small parameters in the system leads to the development of a boundary layer near the solidifying front. The interface shape, and the thermal and solutal profiles are analytically evaluated as functions of time for various heater temperature profiles, heater translation rates, and material properties of the system. Due to the inclusion of curvature effects on the melting point, the shape of the interface is described by a superposition of a Bessel function onto a parabolic profile. The parabolic profile is set by a combination of axial and radial diffusive transport of heat while its Bessel function correction is determined by a prescribed contact angle between the interface and the crucible wall. The model predicts an oscillatory interfacial pattern in the case of undercooling thus signifying an onset of a morphological instability.
Follow-up of radial arterial catheterization for positron emission tomography studies

Radial arterial catheterization is needed for repeated arterial blood samples to construct tracer input curves of positron emission tomography (PET) scans (Herscovitch [1993]: Rheum Dis Clin North Am 19:765–794). Complications resulting from such short-term catheterizations are rare. Sixteen investigators followed 106 subjects who had arterial lines placed in the context of a PET study. Abnormalities were reported in 8 of 106 (7.5%) cases. Of these eight cases, three (37.5%) were inpatients diagnosed with anorexia nervosa, a condition that may represent a risk factor. All abnormalities were benign, did not affect motor function, and did not require medical intervention. Published 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc. This article is a US Government work and, as such, is in the public domain of the United States of America.
The Presence of Oncofetal Antigens on Ultraviolet Light‐Induced and Methylcholanthrene‐lnduced Murine Tumors Which Are Common to Placental and Fetal Tissues

: Previous studies employing ultraviolet light-induced (UV-induced) and methylcholanthrene-induced (MCA-induced) tumors have elucidated the presence of three functionally denned groups of tumor antigens. One is the tumor-specific transplantation antigens (TSTA), which represent the most potent tumor-rejection antigens. The second is the tumor-associated transplantation antigens (TATA), which appears to be etiology-dependent (ultraviolet light-UV-or methylcholanthrene-MCA) and is capable of acting as a rejection antigen following hyperimmunization. The third is the tumor-associated antigens (TAA) which, to date, has only been defined by in vitro assays. The TAA appear to be present on all murine tumors tested. We feel that the TAA are functionally related to fetal antigens. In these experiments, cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) generated from the popliteal lymph nodes of C3H mice immunized with a C3H, UV-induced tumor (RD-1024) were capable of causing specific lysis of not only the immunizing tumor but also of fetal fibroblasts (FFB) and placental cells (PC) obtained from syngeneic C3H × C3H matings. In cold-cell inhibition experiments, unlabeled placental cells could abolish specific lysis of labeled placental cell targets, fetal fibroblast targets, and secondary tumor targets (LR80, a MCA-induced tumor) while not inhibiting lysis of the immunizing tumor. Placental cells and fetal fibroblasts from 12-day to 14-day syngeneic C3H pregnancies were capable of eliciting a CTL response by footpad immunization of virgin C3H female mice. Anti-FFB or anti-PC CTL were capable of killing all tumors tested (UV-induced or MCA-induced) and were without H-2 restriction as demonstrated by specific lysis of a BALB/c tumor. These results indicate that antigenic determinants present on 12-day to 14-day fetal and placental cells satisfy the functional definition of the TAA.
Prolonged survival of AKR mice following allogeneic bone marrow transplantation.

Die Mehrzahl der AKR Mause, die nach Immunosuppression und Transplantation von Knochenmark und lymphoiden Zellen allogener H2-identischer Spender die «Graft-versus-Host» Reaktion uberlebten, zeigten signifikant verlangerte mittlere Uberlebenszeiten gegenuber Kontrolltieren, welche mit Immunosuppression allein oder Immunosuppression plus sygenen Zellen behandelt wurden.
The effect of zinc on sea urchin morphogenesis

Embryos of the sea urchin Lytechinus pictus were incubated for different periods of time in various concentrations of ZnCl2 in artificial sea water at pH 7.0 and 7.8. In general, zinc treatment restricts the development of endoderm and mesenchyme derivatives and zinc may be classified as an animalizing substance. The specificity of the zinc effects is analyzed considering the time during development that 65Zn is taken up by the embryo and the possible effects of zinc on protein synthesis, cell division and cell migration. The possibility that zinc exerts its effect non-specifically as a toxic substance is explored. The animalizing properties of zinc may be the result of a non-specific arrest in development at the time when the structures derived from the vegetal half are differentiating.
Economic impacts of shifting sloping farm lands to alternative uses

Abstract China has been engaging in one of the world’s largest ecological conservation programs, the Slope Land Conversion Program (SLCP), which is also called the grain-for-green policy. This paper is intended to address the economic impacts of shifting from farm lands to four other land use options using land expectation value (LEV). Sensitivity analyses are conducted to examine the impacts by changing interest rates, prices, wage, and tax rates. Current subsidy program is examined as well. The results show that farmers would suffer more losses for planting pine and orchard trees (citrus and chestnut) and tea when interest rates increase. In addition, planting pine trees, orchard trees, and tea create more benefits than annual crops when wage rates increase by 25%. The provision of subsidies by the government could reduce loss from shifting farm lands to alternative uses, but under the current situation (interest rate, price, wage rate and subsidy program), farmers still would prefer orchard trees and tea to pines because orchard trees and tea could generate more land value than pine trees. For the benefit of the program, several policy measures are recommended.
Timing of Recanalization After Tissue Plasminogen Activator Therapy Determined by Transcranial Doppler Correlates With Clinical Recovery From Ischemic Stroke

Background—The duration of cerebral blood flow impairment correlates with irreversibility of brain damage in animal models of cerebral ischemia. Our aim was to correlate clinical recovery from stroke with the timing of arterial recanalization after therapy with intravenous tissue plasminogen activator (tPA). Methods—Patients with symptoms of cerebral ischemia were treated with 0.9 mg/kg tPA IV within 3 hours after stroke onset (standard protocol) or with 0.6 mg/kg at 3 to 6 hours (an experimental institutional review board–approved protocol). National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) scores were obtained before treatment, at the end of tPA infusion, and at 24 hours; Rankin Scores were obtained at long-term follow-up. Transcranial Doppler (TCD) was used to locate arterial occlusion before tPA and to monitor recanalization (Marc head frame, Spencer Technologies; Multigon 500M, DWL MultiDop-T). Recanalization on TCD was determined according to previously developed criteria. Results—Forty patients we...
Multifunctional Roles of a Bacteriophage ϕ29 Morphogenetic Factor in Assembly and Infection

Abstract Low copy number proteins within macromolecular complexes, such as viruses, can be critical to biological function while comprising a minimal mass fraction of the complex. The Bacillus subtilis double-stranded DNA bacteriophage ϕ29 gene 13 product (gp13), previously undetected in the virion, was identified and localized to the distal tip of the tail knob. Western blots and immuno-electron microscopy detected a few copies of gp13 in ϕ29, DNA-free particles, purified tails, and defective particles produced in suppressor-sensitive ( sus ) mutant sus 13(330) infections. Particles assembled in the absence of intact gp13 ( sus 13(342) and sus 13(330)) had the gross morphology of ϕ29 but were not infectious. gp13 has predicted structural homology and sequence similarity to the M23 metalloprotease LytM. Poised at the tip of the ϕ29 tail knob, gp13 may serve as a plug to help restrain the highly pressurized packaged genome. Also, in this position, gp13 may be the first virion protein to contact the cell wall in infection, acting as a pilot protein to depolymerize the cell wall. gp13 may facilitate juxtaposition of the tail knob onto the cytoplasmic membrane and the triggering of genome injection.
The Impact of Reelection Pressures on the Fulfillment of Campaign Promises

Abstract It is part of the political science folklore that candidates are inclined to keep their campaign promises out of fear of not being reelected. This paper develops a multiperiod signaling model for the purpose of exploring the validity of this folklore. Necessary and sufficient conditions are derived for a candidate to reveal his true policy intentions during the campaign. A crucial condition for campaign speeches to be informative is that voters′ policy preferences respond to the incumbent′s performance. The refining of perfect Bayesian equilibria in the multiperiod signaling context is also explored. Journal of Economic Literature Classification Numbers: D72, C73.
Male indifference to female traits in an arctiid moth (Utetheisa ornatrix)

Abstract. 1. Female Utetheisa ornatrix (Lepidoptera: Arctiidae) mate selectively with large males able to transmit sizeable quantities of nutrient and defensive pyrrolizidine alkaloid with the spermatophore. The female gauges male size indirectly by assessment of the male's courtship pheromone. 2. Male Utetheisa invest upward of 10% of body mass in spermatophore production, and could therefore have been expected to be choosy; however, when offered females differing in alkaloid content, body mass, or mating status, males showed disregard of these parameters, both in their choice of partner and in their allocation of resources to the spermatophore. 3. It is concluded that Utetheisa males do not have the option to select females by comparison shopping. Females broadcast their attractant pheromone for less than an hour per day. Given this time constraint and the potentially high cost of mate localisation, males may have no choice but to mate on an opportunistic basis.
Norepinephrine causes epigenetic repression of PKCε gene in rodent hearts by activating Nox1-dependent reactive oxygen species production

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States. Recent studies demonstrate that fetal programming of PKCe gene repression results in ischemia-sensitive phenotype in the heart. The present study tests the hypothesis that increased norepinephrine causes epigenetic repression of PKCe gene in the heart via Nox1-dependent reactive oxygen species (ROS) production. Prolonged norepinephrine treatment increased ROS production in fetal rat hearts and embryonic ventricular myocyte H9c2 cells via a selective increase in Nox1 expression. Norepinephrine-induced ROS resulted in an increase in PKCe promoter methylation at Egr-1 and Sp-1 binding sites, leading to PKCe gene repression. N-acetylcysteine, diphenyleneiodonium, and apocynin blocked norepinephrine-induced ROS production and the promoter methylation, and also restored PKCe mRNA and protein to control levels in vivo in fetal hearts and in vitro in embryonic myocyte cells. Accordingly, norepinephrine-induced ROS production, promoter methylation, and PKCe gene repression were completely abrogated by knockdown of Nox1 in cardiomyocytes. These findings provide evidence of a novel interaction between elevated norepinephrine and epigenetic repression of PKCe gene in the heart mediated by Nox1-dependent oxidative stress and suggest new insights of molecular mechanisms linking the heightened sympathetic activity to aberrant cardioprotection and increased ischemic vulnerability in the heart.
Scalable data collection in sensor networks

Dense sensor deployments impose significant constraints on aggregatenetwork data rate and resource utilization. Effective protocols for suchdata transfers rely on spatio-temporal correlations in sensor data for in-network data compression. The message complexity of these schemes is generally lowerbounded by n, for a network with n sensors, since correlation is not collocatedwith sensing. Consequently, as the number of nodes and network density increase,these protocols become increasingly inefficient. We present here a novel protocol,called SNP, for fine-grained data collection, which requires approximatelyO(n-R) messages, where R, a measure of redundancy in sensed data generallyincreases with density. SNP uses spatio-temporal correlations to near-optimally compress data at the source, reducing network traffic and power consumption.We present a comprehensive information theoretic basis for SNP and establishits superior performance in comparison to existing approaches. We support ourresults with a comprehensive experimental evaluation of the performance of SNPin a real-world sensor network testbed.
Inverse scattering image quality as a function of SNR

In this paper, we consider Colton-Kirsh regularized sampling (CK-RS), holographic backprojection tomography, and diffraction tomography. The latter of these algorithms are based on the Born approximation, whereas regularized sampling is not. Numerical simulations have been performed for several different scatterer geometries and varying levels of noise in the forward data in order to quantity image quality as a function of SNR.
Dual Function During Development of Rat Sympathetic Neurones in Culture

Many sympathetic principal neurones of the superior cervical ganglion of the newborn rat are known to be plastic with respect to the choice between norepinephrine (NE) and acetylcholine (ACh) as transmitter; when the neurones are dissociated and placed in culture, a majority of them can be shifted from an initial, immature, adrenergic state to a cholinergic state by co-culture with a variety of non-neuronal cells or by medium conditioned by such cells. To study this transition it has been helpful to grow single neurones, each in a microculture which also contains cardiac myocytes. The transmitter status of a neurone can be assayed by recording its effect on the myocytes (adrenergic excitation, cholinergic inhibition or dual function); then a fine structural assay of the neurone based on the appearance of the synaptic vesicles can be made and correlated directly with the physiology. In this paper we report the following findings on principal neurones developing in such microcultures. (i) During the transition period, a majority of the neurones were dual in function and in vesicular appearance. (ii) The physiological effects and vesicular appearance varied from mainly adrenergic to mainly cholinergic. (iii) In preliminary attempts to follow the transition by recording at least twice from the same microculture, partial transitions were observed, always in the direction adrenergic-to-cholinergic. (iv) The transitions were not synchronous or fixed in time course even in pairs of neurones grown side by side in the same microculture.
Reflex control of a robotic aid system to assist the physically disabled

A robotic aid for the physically disabled that assists a user in feeding is presented. Two problems must be solved for a robot to feed a person. First, the robot must continually track the position of the person's face. Second, the robot must be able to get out of the way if the person moves suddenly. The first problem is solved with a machine-vision subsystem that computes the position of the person's face in real-time. The second problem requires reflex action on the part of the robot. Reflex action based on a layered control architecture has been implemented. Both problems require the ability to predict and follow human motion. >
Utilization of Animal-Protein and Plant-Protein Supplements by Red Swamp Crayfish Procambarus clarkii Fed Formulated Diets

A study was conducted to evaluate alternative protein supplements that could be used to reduce the cost of formulated crayfish diets. Red swamp crayfish Procambarus clarkii were held in the laboratory for 9 wk and fed 30% crude protein diets containing isonitrogenous mixtures of plant and animal protein in a 65:35 ratio. Combinations tested were: soybean meal/menhaden fish meal (SOY/FSH); cottonseed meal/menhaden fish meal (COT/FSH); soybean meal/meat and bone meal (SOY/MB); cottonseed mealheat and bone meal (COT/MB); soybean meal/meat and bone meal/ blood meal (SOYIMB-B); and cottonseed meal/meat and bone meal/blood meal (COTIMB-B). Comparison of crayfish weight gain, feed efficiency ratio, apparent net protein and energy retention, and body composition indicated that SOY/FSH was the best protein combination tested. Weight gain was reduced when cottonseed meal replaced soybean meal in diets that contained either fish meal or meat and bone meal. Feed consumption of crayfish fed SOY/MB-B and COT/MB-B was lower than that of crayfish fed other diets containing the same plant-protein supplement and weight gain was lower in crayfish fed blood meal in all but one case. Differences in amino acid composition and amino acid availability of protein supplements, inhibitory effects of gossypol in cottonseed meal, and reduced consumption of diets containing blood meal could have contributed to diet effects. Results suggest that soybean meal is a better dietary protein source for crayfish than cottonseed meal, menhaden fish meal is better than meat and bone meal, and both fish meal and meat and bone meal are superior to a 60:40 meat and bone meal/blood meal mixture. However, cottonseed meal, meat and bone meal, and meat and bone meal/blood meal mixtures could be useful as lower-cost alternatives to soybean meal and fish meal in diets for pond-raised crayfish, since the apparent lower protein (amino acid) quality of these ingredients would be unlikely to depress growth of crayfish that have access to natural food in ponds.
ESCRT requirements for EIAV budding

Retroviruses and many other enveloped viruses usurp the cellular ESCRT pathway to bud from cells. However, the stepwise process of ESCRT-mediated virus budding can be challenging to analyze in retroviruses like HIV-1 that recruit multiple different ESCRT factors to initiate budding. In this study, we characterized the ESCRT factor requirements for budding of Equine Infectious Anemia Virus (EIAV), whose only known direct ESCRT protein interaction is with ALIX. siRNA depletion of endogenous ESCRT proteins and “rescue” experiments with exogenous siRNA-resistant wild type and mutant constructs revealed budding requirements for the following ESCRT proteins: ALIX, CHMP4B, CHMP2A and VPS4A or VPS4B. EIAV budding was inhibited by point mutations that abrogate the direct interactions between ALIX:CHMP4B, CHMP4B:CHMP2A, and CHMP2A:VPS4A/B, indicating that each of these interactions is required for EIAV budding. Unexpectedly, CHMP4B depletion led to formation of multi-lobed and long tubular EIAV virions. We conclude that EIAV budding requires an ESCRT protein network that comprises EIAV Gag-ALIX-CHMP4B-CHMP2A-VPS4 interactions. Our experiments also suggest that CHMP4B recruitment/polymerization helps control Gag polymerization and/or processing to ensure that ESCRT factor assembly and membrane fission occur at the proper stage of virion assembly. These studies help establish EIAV as a streamlined model system for dissecting the stepwise processes of lentivirus assembly and ESCRT-mediated budding.
Thermal nonlinear effects in exotic media: application to the study of nonlinear interfaces

Nonlinearities reported as self-focusing in exotic media such as green Chinese tea are identified as thermal self-defocusing. These large index changes can be used to study hysteresis, power-induced self-switching and cross-switching, the power-induced lensing effect, and other nonlinearities at interfaces.
Social Support and Depression in Rheumatoid Arthritis: A One-Year Prospective Study1

Previous research on patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) has suggested that social support is beneficial for helping patients to adjust psychologically to the chronic and unpredictable episodes of pain. This study addresses whether support buffers the adverse effects of arthritis pain or whether support results in a decrease in the severity of pain regardless of pain levels in 233 RA patients. The results indicated that patients who reported higher satisfaction with their emotional support when experiencing higher levels of pain were less likely to be depressed than patients who do not perceive such support. The results were obtained after controlling the effects of demographic variables, functional disability variables, and the direct effects of pain and social support. However, moderating effects of emotional support were not found when this relationship was examined over a 6-month period. Rather, causal modeling suggested that both pain and emotional support contributed to a change in depression over two 6-month intervals. The results also suggested that depression may have an adverse effect on change in emotional support over a similar time frame.
Physically demanding occupations, health, and work after retirement: findings from the New Beneficiary Survey.

This article uses data on a recent cohort of Social Security retired-worker beneficiaries to examine the predictors of work after initial receipt of benefits. It focuses on two factors: an analysis of the effects of ill health and of employment in a physically demanding occupation in the year preceding receipt of benefits. Based on responses received during the Social Security Administration’s New Beneficiary Survey, the employment of men in a physically demanding occupation is associated with a lower probability of work in retirement; the existence of a worklimiting health condition also lowers their probability of work. Full-time, full-year workers in 1979 who had changed jobs in the years just preceding the receipt of Social Security benefits were more likely to work after they became beneficiaries. It may be that workers anticipate constraints on their ability to continue working on a job and reduce the effect of those constraints through earlier job changes. The finding that the work effort of women beneficiaries is not affected by previous employment in occupations identified as physically demanding may signify the failure of customary physical demand indices to measure stress on those jobs in which women are most likely to be employed.
Quantitative Measures for Cartogram Generation Techniques

Cartograms are used to visualize geographically distributed data by scaling the regions of a map (e.g., US states) such that their areas are proportional to some data associated with them (e.g., population). Thus the cartogram computation problem can be considered as a map deformation problem where the input is a planar polygonal map M and an assignment of some positive weight for each region. The goal is to create a deformed map M', where the area of each region realizes the weight assigned to it (no cartographic error) while the overall map remains readable and recognizable (e.g., the topology, relative positions and shapes of the regions remain as close to those before the deformation as possible). Although several such measures of cartogram quality are well-known, different cartogram generation methods optimize different features and there is no standard set of quantitative metrics. In this paper we define such a set of seven quantitative measures, designed to evaluate how faithfully a cartogram represents the desired weights and to estimate the readability of the final representation. We then study several cartogram-generation algorithms and compare them in terms of these quantitative measures.
Genomics and Pain Research in Sickle Cell Disease: An Explanation of Heterogeneity?

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a chronic illness, and the major complication, pain, results in complex multidimensional problems that affect an individual's ability to maintain adequate quality of life in multiple areas. Chronic SCD pain is inadequately treated, because it is not well understood, and the degree of chronic pain, clinical presentation, and sequela complications can vary from patient to patient, even among individuals with the same SCD genotype. The reason for this variation is unknown, but the underlying cause might be genetic. Researchers have not explored the contribution of a genomic variable to the occurrence of heterogeneous chronic SCD pain. Previous research on the guanosine triphosphate cyclohydrolase (GCH1) gene suggests that in some cases, phenotypic heterogeneity in human sensitivity to pain correlates with underlying genotypic variations in the GCH1 gene. These findings imply that genotypic variations might also explain why some SCD patients experience more chronic pain than others.
GLOBAL ASYMPTOTIC STABILITY OF A CLASS OF DYNAMICAL NEURAL NETWORKS

The dynamics of cortical cognitive maps developed by self–organization must include the aspects of long and short–term memory. The behavior of the network is such characterized by an equation of neural activity as a fast phenomenon and an equation of synaptic modification as a slow part of the neural biologically relevant system. We present new stability conditions for analyzing the dynamics of a biological relevant system with different time scales based on the theory of flow invariance. We prove the existence and uniqueness of the equilibrium, and give a quadratic–type Lyapunov function for the flow of a competitive neural system with fast and slow dynamic variables and thus prove the global stability of the equilibrium point.
Abstract 4906: mTOR kinase inhibition enhances radiosensitivity in glioblastoma

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most common malignant primary brain tumor and predicts a poor prognosis despite current treatment modalities. Aberrant activation of the phosphatidyl-inositol-3-kinase (PI3K) pathway is observed in nearly 90% of GBMs making the downstream effector, mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), a potential drug target. mTOR is a serine/threonine kinase that regulates cell growth, proliferation, survival, protein translation and metabolism by integrating signals received from the PI3 K/Akt signaling pathway. The allosteric mTOR inhibitor rapamycin has failed in the clinic as a treatment for GBM patients. Therefore, in the current study, we examined the potential benefit of MLN0128, a novel potent mTOR ATP competitive inhibitor, as a therapeutic strategy for GBM. We assessed in vitro antiproliferative activity of MLN0128 in a panel of GBM tumor and stem cell lines. MLN0128 significantly inhibited cell proliferation of both GBM tumor and stem cells. It decreased the phosphorylation of mTOR, Akt, S6, 4E-BP1, and NDRG1, inhibiting both mTORC1 and mTORC2 signaling in GBM. Thus, MLN0128 appears to be superior in blocking mTORC1/2 signaling in contrast to rapamycin. It inhibited migration and invasion of GBM cells in a matrigel coated chamber assay. On clonogenic survival assay MLN0128 decreased GBM cell survival and increased radiosensitivity. To investigate the mechanism of radiosensitization, the induction and repair of DNA double-strand breaks were evaluated by γH2AX foci formation. MLN0128 exposure significantly delayed the dispersal of radiation induced γH2AX foci formation in both tumor and stem cells. These results indicate that MLN0128 enhances tumor cell radiosensitivity by inhibiting DNA repair. Next we combined MLN0128 with temozolomide (TMZ), a FDA approved radiosensitizer for GBM therapy. Although, we did not observe any synergy in inhibition, addition of TMZ did not adversely affect MLN0128 inhibitory effects. These findings support the rationale for clinical testing of MLN0128 in patients with GBM to provide insight towards optimizing therapeutic efficacy of mTOR kinase inhibitors with standard care. Note: This abstract was not presented at the meeting. Citation Format: Anita T. Tandle, Philip Tofilon, Kevin Camphausen. mTOR kinase inhibition enhances radiosensitivity in glioblastoma. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr 4906. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-4906
Pathways between constitution and competence during the 1st 5 years of life

A global measure of newborn constitutional adequacy was found to be positively related to competent functioning at the age of 5-6 years. In a sample of 15 boys and 5 girls, newborn constitutional adequacy was related to aspects of focused (versus unfocused) activity, outgoingness, cognitive and verbal ability, and motor skill at the early childhood follow-up. Additionally, some preschool data were available on most of the sample and continuity of competent functioning was traced across the 3 age periods. Also, hyperactive behaviors at the preschool period had negative implications for functioning in early childhood.
Bimodal Bilingualism and the Frequency-Lag Hypothesis

The frequency-lag hypothesis proposes that bilinguals have slowed lexical retrieval relative to monolinguals and in their nondominant language relative to their dominant language, particularly for low-frequency words. These effects arise because bilinguals divide their language use between 2 languages and use their nondominant language less frequently. We conducted a picture-naming study with hearing American Sign Language (ASL)–English bilinguals (bimodal bilinguals), deaf signers, and English-speaking monolinguals. As predicted by the frequency-lag hypothesis, bimodal bilinguals were slower, less accurate, and exhibited a larger frequency effect when naming pictures in ASL as compared with English (their dominant language) and as compared with deaf signers. For English there was no difference in naming latencies, error rates, or frequency effects for bimodal bilinguals as compared with monolinguals. Neither age of ASL acquisition nor interpreting experience affected the results; picturenaming accuracy and frequency effects were equivalent for deaf signers and English monolinguals. Larger frequency effects in ASL relative to English for bimodal bilinguals suggests that they are affected by a frequency lag in ASL. The absence of a lag for English could reflect the use of mouthing and/or code-blending, which may shield bimodal bilinguals from the lexical slowing observed for spoken language bilinguals in the dominant language.
CHOICE-MAKING TREATMENT OF YOUNG CHILDREN'S SEVERE BEHAVIOR PROBLEMS

The choice-making behavior of 5 young children with developmental disabilities who engaged in aberrant behavior was studied within a concurrent operants framework. Experimental analyses were conducted to identify reinforcers that maintained aberrant behavior, and functional communication training packages were implemented to teach the participants to gain reinforcement using mands. Next, a choice-making analysis, in which the participants chose one of two responses (either a mand or an alternative neutral response) to obtain different durations and qualities of reinforcement, was conducted. Finally, treatment packages involving choice making via manding were implemented to decrease inappropriate behavior and to increase mands. The results extended previous applications of choice making to severe behavior disorders and across behaviors maintained by positive and negative reinforcement.