cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Polo-Like Kinase 1: A Novel Target for the Treatment of Therapy-Resistant Mantle Cell Lymphoma

Mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) is a B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) which is one of the most aggressive lymphomas. Despite recent improvements in therapies, the development of therapy-resistance is still a major problem; therefore, in order to understand the molecular basis of therapy-resistance, stable therapy-resistant MCL cell lines have been established by us. Based on the gene expression profiles of these cell lines, Polo-like kinase 1 (PLK1) was chosen as a therapeutic target. In this paper, we demonstrate a significant antilymphoma effect of targeting PLK1 in therapy-resistant MCL cells and primary MCL cells from refractory patients. PLK1 knockdown with the antisense oligonucleotide (ASO)/or small molecule inhibitor BI2536 showed significantly decreased proliferation and increased apoptosis in therapy-resistant MCL cell lines and MCL primary cells. Additionally, the direct protein-protein interaction partners of PLK1 were mapped using ingenuity pathway and confirmed the level of association of these partners with PLK1 based on their expression changes following PLK1 knockdown using real-time PCR. Results suggest that PLK1 is a viable target for the treatment of therapy-resistant MCL.
Reconstructing reticulate evolution in species: theory and practice

We present new methods for reconstructing reticulate evolution of species due to events such as horizontal transfer or hybrid speciation; both methods are based upon extensions of Wayne Maddison's approach in his seminal 1997 paper. Our first method is a polynomial time algorithm for constructing phylogenetic networks from two gene trees contained inside the network. We allow the network to have an arbitrary number of reticulations, but we limit the reticulation in the network so that the cycles in network are node-disjoint ("galled"); we prove accuracy guarantees for our first method by presenting a formal characterization of the set of gene trees defined by a species network. Our second method is a polynomial time algorithm for constructing networks with one reticulation, where we allow for errors in the estimated gene trees. Using simulations, we demonstrate improved performance of this method over both NeighborNet and Maddison's method.
The Role of Thrombin in ADP-Induced Platelet Aggregation and Release: a Critical Evaluation

The role of thrombin in ADP-induced aggregation and release in vitro was critically examined. The addition of heparin or hirudin to citrated platelet rich plasma did not prevent aggregation or release. The addition of citrate to heparinized plasma restored secondary aggregation and release. Hirudin did not prevent irreversible aggregation. These results are incompatible with the hypothesis that thrombin is a primary and necessary mediator of platelet aggregation (Ardlie & Han, 1974; Han & Ardlie, 1974a, b, c). This hypothesis is based in part on the assumption that EDTA enhances the elution of clotting factors from platelets; we found no enhanced elution of factors II, V, X, VIII, IX or XI when platelets were washed in EDTA.
Resistance of through-thickness grain boundaries to cleavage cracking in silicon thin films

Through a set of microtensile experiments, it was discovered that the resistance of a free-standing polycrystalline silicon thin film to cleavage cracking is not a material constant. Rather, it is highly dependent on the film thickness. As the film thickness changes from 1 to 10 μm, the fracture resistance increases by 20–60%, which can be attributed to the nonuniform nature of the crack front advance across grain boundaries.
QSAR studies of HIV-1 integrase inhibition.

Abstract Compounds from a wide variety of structural classes inhibit HIV-1 integrase. However, a single unified understanding of the relationship between the structures and activities of these compounds still eludes researchers. We report herein the development of QSAR models for integrase inhibition. The genetic function approximation (GFA) was utilized to select descriptors for the development of the QSAR models. The best QSAR model derived for the complete set of 11 structural classes had a correlation coefficient (r2) of only 0.54 and a cross-validated correlation coefficient (q2) of only 0.42. This indicated that the compounds studied may differ in the exact relationship between structure and inhibition, perhaps through interactions with different subsets of amino acids in the binding pocket, or through the presence of non-overlapping binding pockets. Descriptor-based cluster analysis indicated that the 11 structural classes of integrase inhibitors studied belonged to two clusters, one consisting of five structural classes, and the other six. QSAR models for these two clusters had r2 values of 0.79 and 0.82 and q2 values of 0.71 and 0.74, a significant improvement over models obtained for the complete set of compounds. The two models were applied to predict the activities of compounds from the same structural classes as those used to build the models, giving r2 values of 0.65 and 0.78. The models were also used to predict the activities of compounds shown in crystallographic or docking studies to interact near the active site metal ion. The model describing the larger cluster of structural classes was better able to reproduce the biological activities of these five structures with an average percent residual error of 7.9 compared with the 19.3% residual error for predictions from the other model. This indicated that the six structural classes comprising the larger cluster may bind near the metal ion in a fashion similar to that observed in one publicly available co-crystal structure of an inhibitor bound to HIV-1 integrase. Flexible alignment of inhibitors in the two clusters found different pharmacophores that are consistent with previously published pharmacophores developed on the basis of individual structural classes that have produced novel inhibitory compounds. Thus we expect that these two QSAR models can be used in the search for novel HIV-1 integrase inhibitors as well as to provide insight into the binding modes of such diverse chemical compounds.
REDUCING PREDICTION ERROR BY TRANSFORMING INPUT DATA FOR NEURAL NETWORKS

The application of neural networks (NNs) in construction cover a large range of topics, including estimating construction costs and markup estimation, predicting construction productivity, predicting settlements during tunneling, and predicting the outcome of construction litigation. The primary purpose of data transformation is to modify the distribution of input variables so that they can better match outputs. The performance of a NN is often improved through data transformations. There are three existing data transformation methods: linear transformation, statistical standardization, and mathematical functions. This paper presents another data transformation method using cumulative distribution functions, simply addressed as distribution transformation. This method can transform a stream of random data distributed in any range to data points uniformly distributed on the interval [0,1]. Therefore, all neural input variables can be transformed to the same ground-uniform distributions on [0,1]. The transformation can also serve the specific need of neural computation that requires all input data to be scaled to the range [1,1] or [0,1]. The paper applies distribution transformation to two examples. Example 1 fits a cowboy hat surface because it provides a controlled environment for generating accurate input and output data patterns. The results show that distribution transformation improves the network performance by 50% over linear transformation. Example 2 is a real tunneling project, the Brasilia Tunnel, in which distribution transformation has reduced the prediction error by more than 13% compared with linear transformation.
The Use of Gamma Logs in Determining the Character of Unconsolidated Sediments and Well Construction Featuresa

Gamma logs, by revealing differences in the radiation intensity of unconsolidated sediments, can provide important information on the depth and sequence of beds penetrated by a cased well. In some instances the log of a well drilled into a sand and gravel aquifer can indicate the interval, or intervals, most favorable for screening. Changes in logs made before and after a well is screened and developed can show zones in the screened interval where most development occurred, and provide valuable clues as to the overall effectiveness of development. Although little used at present, gamma logging holds promise of becoming an important tool in hydrologic studies and in the well construction industry. More testing and possibly standardization of equipment is currently needed, along with experimentation in logging techniques, to improve the method. Field correlation between logs and drilling samples are necessary to improve the accuracy of log interpretation.
Use of Radon's projection theory in electromagnetic inverse scattering

In a wide variety of electromagnetic profile reconstruction or shape imaging techniques, a need often arises to deduce the three-, two-, or one-dimensional distribution of different physical quantities from their projections, e.g., in radio-astronomy, structural biology, roentgenology, geophysics, and also in electromagnetic imaging. Investigation of such problems in various specialized areas resulted in the establishment of the new interdisciplinary subject known as "reconstruction from projections." The underlying theory, which was first rigorously formulated by Radon, will become of increasing importance to radar target mapping, wave-imaging, and related electromagnetic inverse problems; therefore, a tutorial exposition is timely and well suited for this issue. Major emphasis will be placed on showing how Ludwig's theorems on support, determinacy, and self-consistency can be used favorably to analyze the data-limited reconstruction cases. The derived theorems will be applied to the specific case of physical optics far field inverse scattering, clearly proving that the Bojarski and the Kennaugh identities constitute a Fourier-Radon transform pair.
Fatal intrapartum pulmonary embolus during tocolysis

Intrapartum pulmonary embolus, especially in association with hypercapnea, is an extremely dangerous situation requiring immediate detection and aggressive management. The predisposing factors of obesity and bed rest must be assessed, with strong consideration given to the use of prophylactic heparin.
Assessment of Organizational Context: A Missing Component in Evaluations of Training Programs.

Abstract Although training is widely supported as a means for facilitating planned change within organizations, few empirical studies substantiate training's effectiveness. Evaluations frequently address only factors and conditions associated with behavioral change within the protective training environment. Few evaluations assess why training does or does not produce behavioral change back-on-the-job. This study used a tri-level (macro, intermediate, micro) analytical framework to isolate problems and conditions within the organizational context perceived to block or impede the application of training outcomes. Context-related problems/conditions identified, post hoc, by trainees were submitted to Factor Analysis. Five primary components were identified: (a) administrative commitment/follow-through, (b) external agency support, (c) incentives/motivators, (d) personal attitude, (e) personal competency/capacity. Stepwise regression analysis identified four factors as significant predictors of training use: personal attitude, external agency approval/support, personal competency/capacity, and administrative commitment/follow through. Results of this exploratory study may be helpful to administrators, training managers, and evaluators concerned with implementing planned change at the individual, group, and organizational levels.
Permutation Polynomials

We consider a matrix analogue of Schur?s conjecture concerning permutation polynomials induced by polynomials with integral coefficients. For any fixed integer m ? 1 we consider polynomials with integral coefficients which induce permutations on the ring of all m × m matrices over the finite field Fp for infinitely many primes p. We also provide a survey of recent results concerning permutation polynomials over finite fields.
Mobility Can Help: Protect User Identity with Dynamic Credential

Security becomes a prominent issue for mobile cloud computing since valuable information moves to the cloud. An important security problem is how the users identify themselves to the cloud. If an attacker is capable of faking or stealing user credentials, such as passwords and digital certificates, current security measures are not sufficient to safe-guard user’s valuable information in the cloud. This paper proposes a set of light weight algorithms to generate dynamic credential to defend against such powerful attackers. Many communication randomness, like the user mobility, were commonly believed harmful for security. In this paper, they are converted to helpful elements to generate dynamic credentials. Dynamic credential introduces interesting security properties.
Binary shaping for low-duty-cycle communications: a useful alternative to PPM

We develop a coding method called binary shaping that generates a binary channel input of arbitrary duty-cycle with Bernoulli statistics, which is useful for laser communications using generalized on-off keying. We couple binary shaping with a serially concatenated turbo code for forward error correction, and show by simulation that the performance of this scheme with iterative decoding approaches the capacity of generalized on-off keying on the Poisson channel for medium duty cycles, significantly exceeding the performance of pulse-position modulation (PPM) in this regime. Analogous to trellis shaping for the AWGN channel, binary trellis shaping utilizes a convolutional shaping code to which we apply the Viterbi algorithm at the encoder to minimize Hamming weight. We show how low-duty-cycle communications is a special case of information embedding and discuss how binary shaping relates to information embedding methods.
The developing crisis in the national general surgery workforce

BACKGROUND: The number of surgeons willing to practice general surgery in its traditional form is in decline. One becomes acutely aware of this shortage, as a residency program director, given the many requests for new general surgeons (GS). STUDY DESIGN: From the 7th of February 2007 through the 30th of April 2007, and from May 23, 2007 through August 10, 2007, one program director collected all solicitations and advertised openings sent to him for a new GS. These communications varied from email submissions to formal letters. To assess the economic impact of a GS on a hospital, data were collected from existing recruiting industry surveys, the chief financial officer of a large inner-city teaching hospital, and an individual rural surgeon. RESULTS: There were 140 openings nationally for GSs during the initial study period. During the second study period, there were 149 positions in 40 states. The annual economic worth of a GS was estimated to be between $1.05 million and $2.4 million. CONCLUSIONS: Currently, there is an imbalance in supply and demand for the field of general surgery. If GSs retire or leave small hospitals and cannot be replaced, those hospitals will be threatened with closing. This will strain the large, safety-net hospitals even more. Solutions should include a national workforce survey, allowing hospitals to supplement a surgeon's income, the Residency Review Committee for Surgery should consider an immediate 20% increase in the number of categorical spots in general surgery, and focused recruitment of medical graduates from other countries.
Feelings of Preparedness Among Alternatively Certified Teachers: What Is the Role of Program Features?

In the United States, about one third of new teachers being hired are drawn from alternative certification programs. One way to address controversy about the differences among the training experiences of teachers in traditional certification programs, fast-track alternative programs, and residency alternative programs is to examine teacher reports of how well prepared they felt in their 1st year of teaching. Using data from the 2003-2004 Schools and Staffing Survey, this study addresses questions about 1st-year teachers’ backgrounds and about their feelings of preparedness. Alternatively certified teachers are found to feel somewhat less well prepared than traditionally certified teachers. Results also show that 1st-year teachers who have fewer types of education coursework and shorter field experiences feel less well prepared than teachers whose pedagogical preparation is more complete. Finally, this study suggests important implications for program administration and policy and for methodologies used in...
Predicting springback in sheet metal forming: an explicit to implicit sequential solution procedure

The springback properties of sheet metals make the design of forming dies extremely difficult. In this work a coupled explicit to implicit finite element procedure is outlined for predicting springback deformations in sheet metal forming processes. The explicit method is initially utilized to analyze the contact based forming operation of a production stamping process. Then, an implicit solution is performed to simulate the springback that develops in a blank after the forming pressure has been removed. Using this simultaneous solution technique on an actual automotive component, numerically predicted springback deformations are found to be within 1% of production values. The results of the numerical investigation indicate that the coupled finite element procedure described herein can be utilized to significantly reduce the number of die prototype designs that are currently required in sheet metal stamping operations.
The Presence of Immunoglobulin in the Bursa of Fabricius

Abstract Three-week-old birds were immunized with 40 mg. bovine serum albumin (BSA) per Kg. body weight. The bursa of Fabricius was removed 30 minutes after BSA injection and from another group of birds at 24-hour intervals for 5 consecutive days. The bursa was frozen −25°C. and sectioned in a cryostat (−25°C.) at 4 mμ. The sections were transferred to a cold slide and stained immediately without prior fixation, Moller (1964). The slides were incubated 20 minutes in a moist chamber at room temperature (25°C.), then, washed for 5 minutes in 2 changes of phosphate-buffered saline. The dye used for labeling was fluorescein isothiocyanate. Slides were stained with fluorescein-conjugated anti-BSA serum, fluorescein-conjugated bovine albumin, fluorescein-conjugated normal chicken serum, or fluorescein-conjugated rabbit anti-chicken gamma globulin. They were read immediately with a fluorescence microscope. The source of ultra violet radiation was the AO fluorolume illuminator. All slides were mounted with glycerine mounting medium (buffered . . .
Why don't all whales have cancer? A novel hypothesis resolving Peto's paradox

Larger organisms have more potentially carcinogenic cells, tend to live longer and require more ontogenic cell divisions. Therefore, intuitively one might expect cancer incidence to scale with body size. Evidence from mammals, however, suggests that the cancer risk does not correlate with body size. This observation defines "Peto's paradox." Here, we propose a novel hypothesis to resolve Peto's paradox. We suggest that malignant tumors are disadvantaged in larger hosts. In particular, we hypothesize that natural selection acting on competing phenotypes among the cancer cell population will tend to favor aggressive "cheaters" that then grow as a tumor on their parent tumor, creating a hypertumor that damages or destroys the original neoplasm. In larger organisms, tumors need more time to reach lethal size, so hypertumors have more time to evolve. So, in large organisms, cancer may be more common and less lethal. We illustrate this hypothesis in silico using a previously published hypertumor model. Results from the model predict that malignant neoplasms in larger organisms should be disproportionately necrotic, aggressive, and vascularized than deadly tumors in small mammals. These predictions may serve as the basis on which to test the hypothesis, but to our knowledge, no one has yet performed a systematic investigation of comparative necrosis, histopathology, or vascularization among mammalian cancers.
Elucidating the site of protein-ATP binding by top-down mass spectrometry

A Fourier-transform ion cyclotron resonance (FT-ICR) top-down mass spectrometry strategy for determining the adenosine triphosphate (ATP)-binding site on chicken adenylate kinase is described. Noncovalent protein-ligand complexes are readily detected by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS), but the ability to detect protein-ligand complexes depends on their stability in the gas phase. Previously, we showed that collisionally activated dissociation (CAD) of protein-nucleotide triphosphate complexes yield products from the dissociation of a covalent phosphate bond of the nucleotide with subsequent release of the nucleotide monophosphate (Yin, S. et al., J. Am. Soc. Mass Spectrom. 2008, 19, 1199–1208). The intrinsic stability of electrostatic interactions in the gas phase allows the diphosphate group to remain noncovalently bound to the protein. This feature is exploited to yield positional information on the site of ATP-binding on adenylate kinase. CAD and electron capture dissociation (ECD) of the adenylate kinase-ATP complex generate product ions bearing monoand diphosphate groups from regions previously suggested as the ATP-binding pocket by NMR and crystallographic techniques. Top-down MS may be a viable tool to determine the ATP-binding sites on protein kinases and identify previously unknown protein kinases in a functional proteomics study.
Low-pass filtering of sound signals by a high-frequency brain neuron and its input in the cricketAcheta domestica L.

1. The morphology and response properties of a high-frequency, bilaterally projecting brain neuron (HBB1) is described for the cricketAcheta domestica. 2. HBB1 has processes in several regions of the protocerebrum (Fig. 1), many of which overlap those of L3, an ascending prothoracic interneuron (Fig. 7). 3. HBB1 is most responsive to 16-kHz sounds (Fig. 2), but only responds to suprathreshold signals with 1–3 spikes/syllable (Fig. 5). HBB1 also receives inhibitory input following excitation (Fig. 4). If the syllable period (SP) of the chirp is less than 95 ms, HBB1 only produces action potentials in response to the first syllable of the chirp, whereas a chirp having SPs greater than 160 ms induces spiking to each syllable, i.e., a low-pass filter (Figs. 3, 6). 4. Several correlations exist between the input excitatory postsynaptic potentials of HBB1 and the spiking of L3. These findings are consistent with L3 providing auditory input to HBB1 (Figs. 8–10). 5. The suggestion of HBB1 being involved in courtship song filtering is discussed.
Courses in Statistical Computing and Computational Statistics

Statisticians spend a large portion of their working days using the computer. In addition to the standard things that almost everyone does, like E-mail and text processing, and the standard uses teachers make of computers in the classroom, statisticians' use of computers includes data analysis with prepackaged software, development of algorithms and software to implement new statistical methods, Monte Carlo simulation to study the performance of statistical procedures, and mathematical analysis using symbolic processing software. Although the use of the computer for things like E-mail and Web surfing or for classroom demonstrations of the central limit theorem are important, the following comments do not address those activities. I should also make a disclaimer about any specific software package I mention in the following. There are many good software packages in each of the relevant areas of application and of the general types of software; my mention of specific packages is not meant to imply that thos...
Harmonic generation in TlBa2Ca3Cu4Oy superconductor

Abstract We have studied harmonic generation in the magnetic response of bulk samples of the ceramic superconductor TlBa 2 Ca 3 Cu 4 O y . Dependence of the odd and even harmonics of magnetization on the DC magnetic field, amplitude of the AC magnetic field and temperature was investigate experimentally. We have used a critical state model recently developed by Muller et al. to calculate the full harmonic response. At fixed temperature, the dependence of the odd order harmonic response on the amplitude of the AC magnetic field H m shows an unambiguous crossover from an H 2 m behaviour (Bean-like) at small amplitudes to an H 3 m behaviour for larger H m , in quantitative agreement with the modified critical state model.
Preparation of mRNA transcripts for secondary structure analysis using SP6 polymerase, guanylyltransferase, and preparative gel electrophoresis

Abstract Undegraded radiolabeled messenger RNA (mRNA) is required for the experimental analysis of mRNA secondary structure. The introduction of plasmids containing the SP6 promoter allows the in vitro synthesis of relatively large quantities of purified mRNA for biochemical analysis, and these primary transcripts may be radioactively labeled in the 5′ cap structure (m7GpppG) by incubation with α-[32P]-GTP, vaccinia guanylyltransferase, and S-adenosylmethionine. Because the enzyme requires a 5′ di- or tri-phosphate terminus as a substrate, internal degradation products of the RNA are not labeled; moreover, the capped mRNAs appear to be more stable than uncapped. After a final purification by electrophoresis through a preparative polyacrylamide gel, the cap-labeled mRNA preparations are very highly enriched in full-length molecules, which serve as excellent substrates for partial digestion with structure-specific nucleases or chemicals. The relative ease of preparation of cap-labeled RNAs will facilitate analysis of translation-level control mechanisms including mRNA structure and mRNA-protein interactions.
Immobile and mobile life-history stages have different thermal physiologies in a lizard.

AbstractTemperature affects multiple aspects of an organism’s biology and thus defines a major axis of the fundamental niche. For ectotherms, variation in the thermal environment is particularly important because most of these taxa have a limited capacity to thermoregulate via metabolic heat production. While temperature affects all life-history stages, stages can differ in their ability to respond to the thermal environment. For example, in oviparous organisms, free-living adults can behaviorally thermoregulate, whereas developing embryos are at the mercy of the nest environment. These differences in the realized thermal environment should select for life-history stages to have different thermal tolerances, although this has been rarely examined. I tested the hypothesis that stage-specific thermal reaction norms can evolve independently by using southern alligator lizards (Elgaria multicarinata, Anguidae). Using incubation experiments (five temperatures: 24°, 26°, 28°, 30°, and 32°C), I described the the...
The annealing characteristics of aluminum alloys

Abstract The principle structural factor which determines the recrystallization characteristics and kinetics of alloys of aluminum is the dynamic interaction of precipitate with the dislocation structure. In this regard, the intensity of the interaction is most significant in determining the pinning effect. A factor which determines the intensity of this interaction is the thermal and strain stability of the pinning precipitate as well as the structural stability of the solid solution initial state when cold deformed. In metallurgical processing operations, any step or operations which alters significantly the degree of super-saturation of the matrix material prior to the final anneal will cause variations in the recrystallization kinetics and characteristics of these alloys due to the relation of the degree of supersaturation with the intensity of precipitation during annealing.
Evidence in support of word unitization.

In each of five experiments, the subjects viewed tachistoscopically presented pairs of letters and made speeded comparison judgments on the basis of name identity. On most trials, a noise letter string (word or anagram) was placed directly between the target letters. The results indicated that correct “same” RTs were a function of noise item type and its relation to target letters. Anagrams increased RTs more than their counterpart words, except when the noise word was either unmeaningflul or response incompatible with respect to the target letters (e.g., B Tea b). The interference effects were also found to be independent of sequence length. It was posited that the subjects were unable to completely ignore the irrelevant attributes of the displays and that under certain conditions, the subjects were able to identify the noise items in a holistic fashion. The data were interpreted in terms of a unitization hypothesis of word recognition, response competition, and a continuous-flow conception of information processing.
Prediction of the Temperature-Dependent Thermal Conductivity and Shear Viscosity for Rigid Water Models

The temperature-dependent thermal conductivity and shear viscosity of liquid water between 283K and 363K are evaluated for eight rigid models with the reverse non-equilibrium molecular dynamics (RNEMD). The five-site models (TIP5P and TIP5P-Ew) have apparent advantages in estimating thermal conductivities than other rigid water models that overestimate the value by tens of percent. For shear viscosity, no single model can reproduce all experimental data; instead, five- and four-site models show their own strength in certain temperature range. Meanwhile, all of current rigid models obtain lower values than experimental data when temperature is lower than 298K, while TIP5P and TIP5P-Ew model can relatively accurately predict the values than others at temperature range from 298K to 318K. At higher temperature range, shear viscosity of liquid water can be reproduced with four-site model (TIP4P-2005, TIP4P-Ew) fairly well.Copyright © 2012 by ASME
High-speed optical bus for multiprocessor systems with substrate mode holograms

ABSTRACTA free-space optical bus system at the backplane level capable of high-speed data transmission is introduced. The system uses substrate mode holograms to implement broadcasting operations, and each board on the backplane uses the same free-space bus channels for transmitting and receiving signals. The effects of beam displacement on opticalcrosstalk and bus channel density are discussed. The broadcasting operations for 622 Mb/s signals were experimentally demonstrated. 1. INTRODUCTION The perfonnance of a multiprocessor system depends both on the computing power of individual processors and the number of processors used in the system. It also depends on the performance of the interconnection network used forconnecting different components including processors, memory modules, and I/O interface units.1 The interconnectionnetwork provides communication channels for infonnation exchange, and can be categorized as multistage networks, hypercube networks, or bus systems. The bus system offers greater configuration flexibility and is more popular because
A Role for αβ1 Integrins in Focal Adhesion Function and Polarized Cytoskeletal Dynamics

Abstract αβ1 integrins have been implicated in the survival, spreading, and migration of cells and tissues. To explore the underlying biology, we identified conditions where primary β1 null keratinocytes adhere, proliferate, and display robust αvβ6 integrin-induced, peripheral focal contacts associated with elaborate stress fibers. Mechanistically, this appears to be due to reduced FAK and Src and elevated RhoA and Rock activities. Visualization on a genetic background of GFPactin shows that β1 null keratinocytes spread, but do so aberrantly, and when induced to migrate from skin explants in vitro, the cells are not able to rapidly reorient their actin cytoskeleton toward the polarized movement. As judged by RFPzyxin/GFPactin videomicroscopy, the αvβ6-actin network does not undergo efficient turnover. Without the ability to remodel their integrin-actin network efficiently, αβ1-deficient keratinocytes cannot respond dynamically to their environment and polarize movements.
Integrating website usability with the electronic commerce acceptance model

This paper analyses the role of website usability in a B2C electronic commerce environment. The authors identify dimensions of website usability that have been examined in the literature and integrate those usability dimensions within an electronic commerce acceptance model using an e-commerce simulation. Structural equation modelling was used to analyse the relationship between several website usability and e-commerce variables (design credibility, content, interactivity, navigability, responsiveness, download delay, perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and satisfaction with design) as well as trust, perceived risk, and intention to transact. The results demonstrate that website usability does influence several outcomes that are important for businesses to attract and retain customers.
The Effects of Substrate Material and Thermal Processing Atmosphere on the Strength of PS304: A High Temperature Solid Lubricant Coating

PS304, a plasma spray deposited solid lubricant coating developed for high temperature sliding contacts was deposited on nine different substrate metals, heat treated at 650C in either air or argon and subsequently tested for strength using a commercially available pull-off adhesion test. Some samples were examined metallographically to help elucidate and explain the results. As deposited coatings exhibit pull-off strengths typically between 16 and 20 MPa with failure occuring (cohesively) within the coating. Heat treatment in argon at 650 C results in a slight increase in coating (cohesive) strength of about 30 percent to 21 to 27 MPa. Heat treatment in air at 650 C results in a dramatic increase in strength to over 30 MPa, exceeding the strength of the epoxy used in the pull test. Cross section metallographic analyses show that no microstructural coating changes occur following the argon heat treatments, however, exposure to air at 650C gives rise to the formation of a second chromium-rich phase precipitate within the PS304 NiCr constituent which provides a strengthening effect and a slight (approximately 5 percent) coating thickness increase. Subsequent heat treatments do not result in any further coating changes. Based upon these studies, PS304 is a suitable coating for use on a wide variety of high temperature substrates and must be heat treated following deposition to enhance strength and ensure dimensional stability.
PLANT NUTRITION IN RELATION TO DISEASE DEVELOPMENT. III. FUSARIUM WILT OF TOMATO

EARLIER WORK on the relation of host nutrition to the development of vascular Fusarium diseases was reviewed in the first paper of this series (Walker and Hooker, 1945a). In that paper, it was shown that in a susceptible strain of cabbage there was a progressive decline in the rate of development of cabbage yellows (Fusarium oxysporum f. conglutinans (Wr.) S. & H.) with an increase in the salt concentration of a balanced nutrient solution. The disease progressed more rapidly at 250C. than at 190, but the same type of response to host nutrition occurred at both temperatures. In an intermediate resistant strain of the host, disease development was very slow at 190, and no effect of host nutrition upon disease development could be shown. At 250, which temperature was near the optimum for yellows, the response of the intermediate resistant host followed closely that of the susceptible strain at 190. In the latter, omission of potassium from the culture solution resulted in an increase in disease development at both temperatures. Omission of nitrogen or phosphorus caused a decrease in disease development in the susceptible strain at 190 and at 250 and in the moderately resistant strain at 250. A highly resistant strain of the host showed no disease development under any set of temperature or nutrient conditions. Fisher (1935) reported that Fusarium wilt of tomato (F. oxysporum f. lycopersici (Sacc.) S. & H.) increased in severity in Bonny Best and Mlarglobe tomatoes grown with an excess of nitrogen, boron, or sulfur, while it decreased with a deficiency of these elements and with excesses or deficiencies of either magnesium or phosphorus. With either an excess or a deficiency of potassium, disease development decreased in Bonny Best, a very susceptible variety, but it increased in Marglobe, a resistant variety. Cook (1937), using older plants or cuttings, showed that, in general, high frequency of infection and symptom expression of Fusarium wilt of tomato were correlated with increase of nitrate in the nutrient. The present investigation was concerned with a study of the relation of nutrient salt concentration and nutrient ion balance to tomato Fusarium wilt, conducted along the lines already reported with cabbage yellows (Walker and Hooker, 1945a) and cabbage clubroot (Walker and Hooker, 1945b). METHODS AND MATERIALS.-Three types of host plant material were selected on the basis of inherent resistance or susceptibility to the disease. Bonny
Primary herpes simplex virus infection in an adult.

Abstract A case of primary inoculation of a dental student's fingers with herpes simplex virus has been reported. The infection in this case resulted from exposure to a patient with recurrent herpes labialis. The need for recognizing this hazard in dental practice has been discussed and the criteria for the diagnosis have been defined.
Autophagy in Alcohol‐Induced Liver Diseases

Alcohol is the most abused substance worldwide and a significant source of liver injury; the mechanisms of alcohol-induced liver disease are not fully understood. Significant cellular toxicity and impairment of protein synthesis and degradation occur in alcohol-exposed liver cells, along with changes in energy balance and modified responses to pathogens. Autophagy is the process of cellular catabolism through the lysosomal-dependent machinery, which maintains a balance among protein synthesis, degradation, and recycling of self. Autophagy is part of normal homeostasis and it can be triggered by multiple factors that threaten cell integrity, including starvation, toxins, or pathogens. Multiple factors regulate autophagy; survival and preservation of cellular integrity at the expense of inadequately folded proteins and damaged high-energy generating intracellular organelles are prominent targets of autophagy in pathological conditions. Coincidentally, inadequately folded proteins accumulate and high-energy generating intracellular organelles, such as mitochondria, are damaged by alcohol abuse; these alcohol-induced pathological findings prompted investigation of the role of autophagy in the pathogenesis of alcohol-induced liver damage. Our review summarizes the current knowledge about the role and implications of autophagy in alcohol-induced liver disease.
Youth Violence as Adaptation? Introduction to the Special Issue.

This article introduces the special issue of the journal on the topic of youth violence as adaptation to community violence. Contrary to the predominant perspective that youth violence is a sign of dysfunction or maladaptation, the articles collected here consider whether some youth violence may have positively adaptive consequences in the face of community violence. In addition to reviewing the contributions and limitations of each article, the editors propose a life course/ecological framework for guiding future research. In particular, they call for additional interdisciplinary collaboration and longitudinal research designs that will enable researchers to address many unresolved theoretical and methodological questions. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
A novel error-reporting tool in pediatric intensive care.

: Patient safety is a critical component of the U.S. healthcare system: thousands of people, including children, die or are injured yearly as a result of medical error. We designed and implemented a novel error-reporting tool for the pediatric intensive care unit. More errors were reported with the use of this paper-based tool than with the existing computerized error-reporting system. We also developed a scoring system to assess potential harm to the patient. The tool provided information about frequent and high-risk errors that guided successful improvements in patient care and safety and the achievement of measurable success.
Testing Formal Theories of Political Rhetoric

Using a newly constructed dataset of 443 episodes of legislative bargaining between the president and Congress, we evaluate two game theoretic models of political bargaining: Matthews' coordination model and Ingberman and Yao's commitment model. We empirically test whether political rhetoric (i.e., presidential veto threats) are important in bargaining over public policy in the United States between 1946 and 1992. The paper provides empirical insight into presidential power and also addresses some difficult issues in the empirical evaluation of formal models with necessary conditions, sufficient conditions, or no stochastic components. We find that the coordination model does a better job than the commitment model of accounting for the data.
Feature-Rich Translation by Quasi-Synchronous Lattice Parsing

We present a machine translation framework that can incorporate arbitrary features of both input and output sentences. The core of the approach is a novel decoder based on lattice parsing with quasi-synchronous grammar (Smith and Eisner, 2006), a syntactic formalism that does not require source and target trees to be isomorphic. Using generic approximate dynamic programming techniques, this decoder can handle "non-local" features. Similar approximate inference techniques support efficient parameter estimation with hidden variables. We use the decoder to conduct controlled experiments on a German-to-English translation task, to compare lexical phrase, syntax, and combined models, and to measure effects of various restrictions on non-isomorphism.
Single Naive CD4+ T Cells from a Diverse Repertoire Produce Different Effector Cell Types during Infection

A naive CD4+ T cell population specific for a microbial peptide:major histocompatibility complex II ligand (p:MHCII) typically consists of about 100 cells, each with a different T cell receptor (TCR). Following infection, this population produces a consistent ratio of effector cells that activate microbicidal functions of macrophages or help B cells make antibodies. We studied the mechanism that underlies this division of labor by tracking the progeny of single naive T cells. Different naive cells produced distinct ratios of macrophage and B cell helpers but yielded the characteristic ratio when averaged together. The effector cell pattern produced by a given naive cell correlated with the TCR-p:MHCII dwell time or the amount of p:MHCII. Thus, the consistent production of effector cell subsets by a polyclonal population of naive cells results from averaging the diverse behaviors of individual clones, which are instructed in part by the strength of TCR signaling.
Development of Pretest Planning Methodologies for Load Dependent Ritz Vectors

Load dependent Ritz vectors have been found to be suitable alternatives to mode shape vectors for structural vibration analysis. While much research has focused on how to best set-up and perform modal property identification, there has been no investigation on such pretest planning for Ritz vectors. Pre-test planning is a vital part of successful vibration tests, especially when dealing with large complex structures. In such cases, it is common that a limited number of sensors and actuators must be placed in a configuration to obtain the most important dynamic information. In this study, previously developed modal sensor placement techniques were utilized to determine Ritz vector sensor sets for the NASA eight-bay truss structure. The techniques used were the eigenvector product, kinetic energy product, and effective independence. The Modal Assurance Criteria was employed to determine how well each technique performed. Since Ritz vectors are subject to change due to the excitation locations, the paper also investigated the effect of various loading configurations on the Ritz vector sensor placement results. Finally, Ritz vectors and mode shapes were combined in an effort to verify that a single sensor set could be used to identify both sets of basis vectors.
The utility of body FDG PET in staging primary central nervous system lymphoma

(18)F-Fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) PET has become an important tool in the management of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL), but its role in the evaluation of primary CNS lymphoma (PCNSL) has not been established. We investigated the ability of body FDG PET to detect systemic disease in the staging and restaging of PCNSL. The records of 166 PCNSL patients seen at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center were examined. Forty-nine patients who underwent body FDG PET for staging of PCNSL were identified. Clinical data were reviewed to determine FDG PET results and their influence on therapy. Body FDG PET disclosed a systemic site of malignancy in 15% of patients. NHL was found in 11% of all patients, 7% of patients at diagnosis, and 27% of patients at CNS relapse. Four percent had a second systemic neoplasm. Workup with conventional staging did not reveal systemic disease, and in 8% of patients, body FDG PET was the only abnormal diagnostic exam suggestive of lymphoma. FDG PET findings altered patient treatment and resulted in additional chemotherapy, surgery, or radiotherapy. Our findings suggest that FDG PET may be more sensitive than conventional body staging and may disclose higher rates of concomitant systemic disease at PCNSL diagnosis. Body FDG PET may be an important noninvasive adjunct to conventional PCNSL staging, and its utility should be evaluated prospectively.
Maximum-Likelihood Models for Combined Analyses of Multiple Sequence Data

Models of nucleotide substitution were con- structed for combined analyses of heterogeneous se- quence data (such as those of multiple genes) from the same set of species. The models account for different aspects of the heterogeneity in the evolutionary process of different genes, such as differences in nucleotide fre- quencies, in substitution rate bias (for example, the tran- sition/transversion rate bias), and in the extent of rate variation across sites. Model parameters were estimated by maximum likelihood and the likelihood ratio test was used to test hypotheses concerning sequence evolution, such as rate constancy among lineages (the assumption of a molecular clock) and proportionality of branch lengths for different genes. The example data from a segment of the mitochondrial genome of six hominoid species (human, common and pygmy chimpanzees, go- rilla, orangutan, and siamang) were analyzed. Nucleo- tides at the three codon positions in the protein-coding regions and from the tRNA-coding regions were consid- ered heterogeneous data sets. Statistical tests showed that the amount of evolution in the sequence data reflected in the estimated branch lengths can be explained by the codon-position effect and lineage effect of substitution rates. The assumption of a molecular clock could not be rejected when the data were analyzed separately or when the rate variation among sites was ignored. However, significant differences in substitution rate among lin- eages were found when the data sets were combined and when the rate variation among sites was accounted for in the models. Under the assumption that the orangutan and African apes diverged 13 million years ago, the com- bined analysis of the sequence data estimated the times for the human-chimpanzee separation and for the sepa- ration of the gorilla as 4.3 and 6.8 million years ago, respectively.