cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Extracting W air from the electron beam measurements of Domen and Lamperti

Purpose The average energy expended by an energetic electron to create an ion pair in dry air, Wair, is a key quantity in radiation dosimetry. Although Wair is well established for electron energies up to about 3 MeV, there is limited data for higher energies. The measurements by Domen and Lamperti [Med. Phys. 3, 294–301 (1976)] using electron beams in the energy range from 15 to 50 MeV can, in principle, be used to deduce values for Wair, if the electron stopping power of graphite and air are known. A previous analysis of these data revealed an anomalous variation of 2% in Wair as a function of the electron energy. We use Monte Carlo simulation techniques to reanalyze the original data and obtain new estimates for Wair, and to investigate the source of the reported anomaly. Methods Domen and Lamperti (DL) reported the ratio of the response of a graphite calorimeter to that of a graphite ionization chamber for broad beams of electrons with energies between 15 and 50 MeV and at different depths in graphite (including depths well beyond the range of the primary electrons, i.e., in the bremsstrahlung photon regime). Using a detailed EGSnrc model of the DL apparatus, as well as up-to-date stopping powers, we compute the dose ratio between the ionization chamber cavity and the calorimeter core, for plane-parallel electron beams. This dose ratio, multiplied by the DL measured ratio, provides a direct estimate for Wair. Results Despite an improved analysis of the original work, the extracted values of Wair still exhibit an increase as the mean electron energy at the point of measurement decreases below about 15 MeV. This anomalous trend is dubious physically, and inconsistent with extensive data for Wair obtained at lower energies. A thorough sensitivity analysis indicates that this trend is unlikely to stem from errors in extrapolation and correction procedures, uncertainties in electron stopping powers, or bias in calorimetry or ionization chamber measurements. However, we find that results are quite sensitive to the intrinsic graphite mass thickness of the detectors and to the incident beam energy. Conclusions The DL experiment provides data in an energy regime where the electron stopping power is insensitive to the mean excitation energy of graphite — an issue plaguing Wair experiments at lower energies. Unfortunately, state-of-the-art scrutiny of the original data cannot explain the anomalous trend in terms of perturbation effects or extrapolation bias. It can only be understood in terms of speculative offsets in graphite mass thickness or beam energy. Therefore higher accuracy measurements for electron energies above 15 MeV are recommended to further resolve the value of Wair.
Abstract 18616: Sirtuin 3 Ablation Exacerbates Cerebral Injury After Experimental Cardiac Surgery via Inflammasome Activation

Introduction: Neuroinflammation triggered by sterile surgical trauma, cardiopulmonary bypass and ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) is a major factor in cerebral injury and cognitive decline after cardiac ...
Brief Report: Novel UNC13D Intronic Variant Disrupting an NF-κB Enhancer in a Patient With Recurrent Macrophage Activation Syndrome and Systemic Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis.

Objective Macrophage activation syndrome (MAS) is a life-threatening complication of systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis (SJIA), and has pathologic similarity to hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH). Intronic variants in UNC13D are found in patients with familial HLH-3 (FHL3), but the role of non-coding variants in MAS is unknown. The objective of this study was to identify deep intronic UNC13D variants in patients with MAS.
Readmission and resource utilization after orthotopic heart transplant versus ventricular assist device in the National Readmissions Database, 2010-2014.

Background As the technology of ventricular assist devices continues to improve, the morbidity and mortality for patients with a ventricular assist device is expected to approach that of orthotopic heart transplantation. The present study was performed to compare perioperative outcomes, readmission, and resource utilization between ventricular assist device implantation and orthotopic heart transplantation, using a national cohort. Methods Patients who underwent either orthotopic heart transplantation or ventricular assist device implantation from 2010 to 2014 in the National Readmission Database were selected. Results Of the 12,111 patients identified during the study period, 5,440 (45%) received orthotopic heart transplantation, while 6,671 (55%) received ventricular assist devices. Readmissions occurred frequently after ventricular assist device implantation and orthotopic heart transplantation, with greater rates at 30 days (29% versus 24%, P=.005) and 6 months (62% versus 46%, P Conclusion Readmission rates and costs for patients with a ventricular assist device remain greater than their orthotopic heart transplantation counterparts. Given the projected increases in ventricular assist device utilization and limited transplant donor pool, further emphasis on cost containment and decreased readmissions for patients undergoing a ventricular assist device is essential to the viability of such therapy in the era of value-based health care delivery.
KHEPERA: a system for rapid implementation of domain specific languages

The KHEPERA system is a toolkit for the rapid implementation and long-term maintenance of domain specific languages (DSLs). Our viewpoint is that DSLs are most easily implemented via source-to-source translation from the DSL into another language and that this translation should be based on simple parsing, sophisticated tree-based analysis and manipulation, and source generation using pretty-printing techniques. KHEPERA emphasizes the use of familiar, pre-existing tools and provides support for transformation replay and debugging for the DSL processor and end-user programs. In this paper, we present an overview of our approach, including implementation details and a short example.
Learning to Rank and Discover for E-Commerce Search

E-Commerce (E-Com) search is an emerging problem with multiple new challenges. One of the primary challenges constitutes optimizing it for relevance and revenue and simultaneously maintaining a discovery strategy. The problem requires designing novel strategies to systematically “discover” promising items from the inventory, that have not received sufficient exposure in search results while minimizing the loss of relevance and revenue because of that. To this end, we develop a formal framework for optimizing E-Com search and propose a novel epsilon-explore Learning to Rank (eLTR) paradigm that can be integrated with the traditional learning to rank (LTR) framework to explore new or less exposed items. The key idea is to decompose the ranking function into (1) a function of content-based features, (2) a function of behavioral features, and introduce a parameter epsilon to regulate their relative contributions. We further propose novel algorithms based on eLTR to improve the traditional LTR used in the current E-Com search engines by “forcing” exploration of a fixed number of items while limiting the relevance drop. We also show that eLTR can be considered to be monotonic sub-modular and thus we can design a greedy approximation algorithm with a theoretical guarantee. We conduct experiments with synthetic data and compare eLTR with a baseline random selection and an upper confidence bound (UCB) based exploration strategies. We show that eLTR is an efficient algorithm for such exploration. We expect that the formalization presented in this paper will lead to new research in the area of ranking problems for E-com marketplaces.
Vicarious Posttraumatic Growth in End-of-Life Care: How Filling Gaps in Knowledge Can Foster Clinicians' Growth.

Vicarious posttraumatic growth is a term used to describe the positive benefits from working with trauma patients who themselves have experienced a highly stressful or traumatic event and resultant...
A literature review of immersion pulmonary edema

Importance: Immersion pulmonary edema (IPE) is a rare but important complication associated with surface swimming and underwater diving. It tends to reoccur and can be fatal. It is not very well-kn...
Deep learning to automate Brasfield chest radiographic scoring for cystic fibrosis

Abstract Background The aim of this study was to evaluate the hypothesis that a deep convolutional neural network (DCNN) model could facilitate automated Brasfield scoring of chest radiographs (CXRs) for patients with cystic fibrosis (CF), performing similarly to a pediatric radiologist. Methods All frontal/lateral chest radiographs (2058 exams) performed in CF patients at a single institution from January 2008–2018 were retrospectively identified, and ground-truth Brasfield scoring performed by a board-certified pediatric radiologist. 1858 exams (90.3%) were used to train and validate the DCNN model, while 200 exams (9.7%) were reserved for a test set. Five board-certified pediatric radiologists independently scored the test set according to the Brasfield method. DCNN model vs. radiologist performance was compared using Spearman correlation (ρ) as well as mean difference (MD), mean absolute difference (MAD), and root mean squared error (RMSE) estimation. Results For the total Brasfield score, ρ for the model-derived results computed pairwise with each radiologist's scores ranged from 0.79–0.83, compared to 0.85–0.90 for radiologist vs. radiologist scores. The MD between model estimates of the total Brasfield score and the average score of radiologists was −0.09. Based on MD, MAD, and RMSE, the model matched or exceeded radiologist performance for all subfeatures except air-trapping and large lesions. Conclusions A DCNN model is promising for predicting CF Brasfield scores with accuracy similar to that of a pediatric radiologist.
Speak of the Devil: Rhetoric in Claims-Making About the Satanic Ritual Abuse Problem

L'A. affirme que la mise en evidence d'un probleme sociale et des solutions que l'on peut apporter pour le resoudre releve d'un jeu rhetorique. Il estime qu'il convient d'utiliser l'analyse argumentative pour aborder ce type de phenomene. Il examine les discussions autour des pratiques sataniques ou interviennent des mauvais traitements pratiques a l'encontre d'enfants. Il montre comment ces pratiques tendent a etre envisagees comme un probleme social. Il etudie les structures argumentatives, les valeurs mobilisees en ce qui concerne l'approche de ce type de rituel
A Clicked-URL Feature for Transactional Query Identification

Understanding query intents can help search engines to effectively improve their search quality. Click-through data has proven to be a valuable resource for query classification. In this paper, we propose a novel Clicked-URL (CURL) feature that uses semantic information extracted from user clicked URLs in the search results, and compare with the "key word list" to identify transnational query type. Experiments show that we can obtain relatively high accuracy in transnational query identification with CURL, and achieve an improved performance in query classification combing with other features.
Effects of medicine ball mass on the intensity of 90°/90° plyometric throwing exercise.

Abstract Objectives To quantify the effects of medicine ball mass (1 kg, 1.5 kg, 2 kg) on the intensity of 90°/90° plyometric throwing exercise. Study design Controlled laboratory study. Setting Biomechanics laboratory. Participants Fifteen physically active collegiate aged men. Main outcome measures Kinematics of the upper extremity were collected during completion of eight to ten repetitions of 90°/90° plyometric throwing exercise with three different mass medicine balls. Four parameters, medicine ball release and contact momentum, time-to-rebound, and contact time, were computed for each selected repetition and used for statistical analysis. Results Ball mass did not significantly influence time-to-rebound (P = .718) and had a small (less than 0.05s) effect on ball contact time (P = .039). Ball release momentum was significantly greater (P Conclusions These results document the effects of increasing medicine ball mass during 90°/90° plyometric throwing exercise and provide evidence for designing upper extremity plyometric training programs. Based on ball contact momentum being less than ball release momentum, as well as ball mass having greater influence on ball release velocity, we suggest that 90°/90° plyometric throwing exercise is a safe exercise.
Proteome Wide Profiling of N-ε-Lysine Acetylation Reveals a Novel Mechanism of Regulation of the Chitinase Activity in Francisella novicida

Francisella tularensis is a Gram-negative bacterium that causes the zoonotic disease tularemia. The historical development of tularemia as a biological weapon has led to it being characterized by the CDC as a category A biothreat agent. Neither posttranslational modification (PTM) of proteins, in particular lysine acetylation, in Francisella nor its subsequent regulation of the protein activity has been well studied. In this work, we analyze N-e-lysine acetylation of the F. tularensis ssp. novicida proteome by mass spectrometry for the first time. To create a comprehensive acetylation profile, we enriched protein acetylation using two approaches: (1) the addition of glucose or acetate into the culture medium and (2) direct chemical acetylation of N-e-lysines with acetyl phosphate. We discovered 280 acetylated proteins with 1178 acetylation sites in the F. tularensis ssp. novicida strain U112. Lysine acetylation is an important PTM that regulates multiple cellular processes in bacteria, including metabolism, transcription, translation, stress response, and protein folding. We discovered that Francisella chitinases A and B are acetylated naturally and when chemically induced by acetyl phosphate. Moreover, chemical overacetylation of chitinases results in silencing of the enzymatic activity. Our findings suggest a novel mechanism of posttranslational regulation of the chitinase activity and that acetylation may play a role in Francisella's regulation of the protein activity.
Activation of homogenous polyolefin catalysis with a machine-assisted reactor laboratory-in-a-box (μAIR-LAB)

Traditionally catalysis research and development has been limited to large purpose-built labs, requiring years of planning and implementation before the first molecules were even examined. However, recent developments in microfluidics, robotics, system miniaturization and machine intelligence allow the decoupling of research from multi-million dollar purpose-built facilities. Additionally this scaling-down of research has significant benefits for the environment, development timelines and researcher workload. In this publication we demonstrate the construction of a microfluidic catalysis research platform contained within a standard hard-sided case measuring just 0.73 m2, consuming under 100 W of power, and generating 66.7 μL of chemical waste per min. The system integrates a purpose-built microreactor with hot-swappable chuck, vacuum enclosure, manifolds, pumps, robotic autosampling, open-source controls and thermographic performance analysis. The system was used to investigate nine chemically different activators for a zirconocene-catalyzed α-olefin polymerization through efficient experimentation and automated transfer learning ML-based data interpretation. The contributions of different chemical structures to catalytic productivity were analyzed. Conclusions made include those regarding co-catalyst chemistry and probable operating conditions. This work demonstrates that a compact flow-based microfluidic platform can screen exothermic catalytic reactions and interpret the results using machine intelligence.
Facilitating Social Inclusion of Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder

As a result of characteristic deficits in social communication, individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) often struggle to engage in social interaction and form meaningful relationships with their peers. They face disproportionate levels of social exclusion when compared to their peers with and without disabilities. Through a comprehensive understanding of social competence, authors provide an integrated framework in which to base intervention, and utilize interdisciplinary practice to facilitate social inclusion of individuals with ASD. A brief review of factors impacting social inclusion and the current state of evidence-based practices that facilitate social competence and inclusion are provided. Finally, authors discuss examples for how readers might coordinate with professionals, family members, community members, and peers to promote social inclusion of individuals with ASD across time and settings.
Streptococcus agalactiae MprF synthesizes a novel cationic glycolipid that promotes brain entry and meningitis

Streptococcus agalactiae (Group B Streptococcus; GBS) is the etiological agent of meningitis and severe invasive diseases in newborns. The cellular membrane, a critical site for host-pathogen interactions, is poorly characterized in GBS. Here, we analyzed the GBS lipidome using liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry. We identified a novel amino-acylated glycolipid, lysyl-glucosyl-diacylglycerol (Lys-Glc-DAG), which is abundant in all GBS strains analyzed. Through heterologous expression and gene deletion, we demonstrate that the GBS multiple peptide resistance factor (MprF) synthesizes Lys-Glc-DAG, as well as lysyl-phosphatidylglycerol (Lys-PG), which has been characterized in many pathogenic bacteria. Consistent with a critical role in host-GBS interactions, the GBS{Delta}mprF mutant exhibited a reduction of surface net negative charge and a significantly reduced ability to invade human cerebral microvascular endothelial cells. Further, mice challenged with the GBS{Delta}mprF mutant developed bacteremia comparably to wild-type GBS-challenged mice, yet exhibited fewer bacterial counts in the brain and less meningeal inflammation. Overall, we demonstrate that GBS has uniquely evolved a multifunctional MprF enzyme that results in the synthesis of a major cationic membrane glycolipid and plays a significant role in meningitis pathogenesis. Moreover, our results illustrate the novel insights obtained from comprehensive lipidomic profiling of major human pathogens.
Comprehensive Evaluation of the Functional Activities Questionnaire (FAQ) and Its Reliability and Validity.

The Functional Activities Questionnaire (FAQ) is a collateral-report measure of difficulties in activities of daily living. Despite its widespread use, psychometric analyses have been limited in sc...
UBP12 and UBP13 deubiquitinases destabilize the CRY2 blue-light receptor to regulate growth

ABSTRACT All organisms undergo growth, which is precisely controlled by exogenous and endogenous signals. Unchecked growth often leads to neoplasia and other developmental defects, severely affecting an organism’s fitness. Light is a vital exogenous signal sensed by cryptochrome (CRY) blue light receptors to modulate growth and the circadian clock in plants and animals. Yet, how CRYs interpret light quantity to regulate growth in plants remains poorly understood. We show that UBP12 and UBP13 deubiquitinases physically interact with CRY2 in light. UBP12/13 negatively regulated CRY2 protein levels by promoting its ubiquitination and turnover to fine-tune growth. Unexpectedly, the destabilization of CRY2 by UBP12/13 is contrary to the general view that deubiquitinases stabilize proteins by preventing their degradation. Growth and development were explicitly affected in blue light when UBP12/13 was disrupted or overexpressed, indicating their role alongside CRY2. UBP12/13 also interacted and stabilized COP1, which is partially required for the turnover of CRY2. Despite decades of studies on deubiquitinases, the knowledge on how they are regulated is limited. Our study offers an insight into how exogenous signals and their receptors regulate deubiquitinase activity by protein-protein interaction. Altogether, our results provide a new module of cryptochromes and deubiquitinases in sensing and interpreting light cues to control growth at the most appropriate time.
Modeling Intracellular Delay in Within-Host HIV Dynamics Under Conditioning of Drugs of Abuse

Drugs of abuse, such as opiates, have been widely associated with the enhancement of HIV replication, the acceleration of disease progression, and severe neuropathogenesis. Specifically, the presence of drugs of abuse (morphine) switches target cells (CD4 $$^+$$ T cells) from lower-to-higher susceptibility to HIV infection. The effect of such switching behaviors on viral dynamics may be altered due to the intracellular delay (the replication time between viral entry into a target cell and the production of new viruses by the infected cell). In this study, we develop, for the first time, a viral dynamics model that includes an intracellular delay under the conditioning of drugs of abuse. We parameterize the model using experimental data from simian immunodeficiency virus infection of morphine-addicted macaques. Results from thorough mathematical analyses and numerical simulations of our model show that the intracellular delay can play a significant role in HIV dynamics under the conditioning of drugs of abuse, particularly during the acute phase of infection. Our model and the related results provide new insights into the HIV dynamics and may help develop strategies to control HIV infections in drug abusers.
Vegetarian Diets, Ayurveda, and the Case for an Integrative Nutrition Science

Two recent studies of the health effects of vegetarian diets reported conflicting results: the EPIC-Oxford study reported a significant increase in strokes among vegetarians compared to meat-eaters among a predominantly Caucasian cohort, while another, performed on Taiwanese Buddhists, reported significantly lower incidence of strokes among vegetarians. This was doubly puzzling given the pronounced decrease in cardiovascular events among the EPIC-Oxford group. In this article, we make a detailed comparison of the actual dietary intake of various food groups by the cohorts in these studies. We then use the nutritional principles of Ayurveda—traditional Indian medicine—to show how these apparently contradictory results may be explained. Systems of traditional medicine such as Ayurveda possess profound knowledge of the effects of food on physiology. Ayurveda takes into account not just the type of food, but also multiple other factors such as taste, temperature, and time of consumption. Traditional cuisines have evolved hand in hand with such systems of medicine to optimize nutrition in the context of local climate and food availability. Harnessing the experiential wisdom of these traditional systems to create an integrative nutrition science would help fight the ongoing epidemic of chronic lifestyle diseases, and improve health and wellness.
Coming up short: Comparing venous blood, dried blood spots & saliva samples for measuring telomere length in health equity research

Background Telomere length (TL) in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from fresh venous blood is increasingly used to estimate molecular impacts of accumulated social adversity on population health. Sometimes, TL extracted from saliva or dried blood spots (DBS) are substituted as less invasive and more scalable specimen collection methods; yet, are they interchangeable with fresh blood? Studies find TL is correlated across tissues, but have not addressed the critical question for social epidemiological applications: Do different specimen types show the same association between TL and social constructs? Methods We integrate expertise in social epidemiology, molecular biology, and the statistical impact of measurement error on parameter estimates. Recruiting a diverse sample of 132 Metro-Detroit women, we measure TL for each woman from fresh blood PBMC, DBS, and saliva. Using regression methods, we estimate associations between social characteristics and TL, comparing estimates across specimen types for each woman. Results Associations between TL and social characteristics vary by specimen type collected from the same woman, sometimes qualitatively altering estimates of the magnitude or direction of a theorized relationship. Being Black is associated with shorter TL in PBMC, but longer TL in saliva or DBS. Education is positively associated with TL in fresh blood, but negatively associated with TL using DBS. Conclusion Findings raise concerns about the use of TL measures derived from different tissues in social epidemiological research. Investigators need to consider the possibility that associations between social variables and TL may be systematically related to specimen type, rather than be valid indicators of socially-patterned biopsychosocial processes.
Identification and characterization of a bovine sperm acrosomal matrix protein and its mechanism of interaction with acrosomal hydrolases

Fertilization, the union of male and female gametes to create offspring, is an intricate biological process dependent upon several biochemical and physiological events. Our understanding of the functions of protein constituents of the outer acrosomal membrane-associated matrix complex (OMC) is limited. A highly purified OMC fraction isolated from bovine cauda sperm heads comprised 54, 50, 45, and 38–19 kDa polypeptides. The objective of this study is to identify and characterize the 45 kDa (OMC45) polypeptide, to define its role in binding acrosomal hydrolases, and to examine the fate of OMC45 polypeptide during the acrosome reaction. We isolated OMC45 polypeptide from the high-pH insoluble fraction of OMC. Proteomic analysis of OMC45 by MALDI-TOF–TOF yielded eight peptides that matched the NCBI database sequence of Tektin 3 (TEKT3). Triton X-100-permeabilized cauda sperm exhibited intense staining of the acrosomal segment with anti-OMC45 and anti-TEKT3. The OMC45 polypeptide was solubilized by radio-immunoprecipitation assay buffer extraction. The solubilized fraction was subjected to immunoprecipitation analysis. The OMC45 polypeptide was recovered in the anti-OMC45 immunoprecipitation pellet. An identical blot stained with anti-TEKT3 exhibited the presence of TEKT3 polypeptide in the anti-OMC45 pellet. Our immunofluorescence and biochemical studies confirm the proteomics identification of OMC45 polypeptide and that it exhibits a sequence similarity to TEKT3. OMC45 glycoprotein possesses both N-linked and O-linked oligosaccharides. Deglycosylated OMC45 revealed a significant reduction in both acrosin and N-acetylglucosaminidase (NAGA) binding in comparison with acrosin and NAGA binding to a native OMC45 polypeptide, demonstrating the important role of oligosaccharides in hydrolase binding. OMC45 polypeptide is not released during the acrosome reaction but remains in the particulate cell subfraction, associated with the hybrid membrane complex.
Inequalities based on a generalization of concavity

The concept of concavity is generalized to functions, y, satisfying nth order differential inequalities, (-I)n-ky(n)(t) > 0,0 IIyIi/4m, 1/4 0,0 IIYII/4, where Il = supo 2 is an integer, k E {1, ... , n 1}, and if (2) (l)n-k)y(n) > 0, 0 < t < 1, t3f YW (0 0, j,*** .. , 1Y(j O,j 1 . ,kthen for 1/4 < t < 3/4,
The DØ upgrade

In this paper we describe the approved DO Upgrade detector, and its physics capabilities. The DO Upgrade is under construction and will run during the next Fermilab collider running period in early 1999 (Run II). The upgrade is designed to work at the higher luminosities and shorter bunch spacings expected during this run. The major elements of t he upgrade are: a new tracking system with a silicon tracker, scintillating fiber tracker, a 2T solenoid, and a central preshower detector; new calorimeter electronics; new muon trigger and tracking detectors with new muon system electronics; a forward preshower detector; new trigger electronics and DAQ improvements to handle the higher rates.
Divisions or monolithic pediatric departments

In summary, big universities are more likely to have divisions than small schools regardless of location or funding, and these divisions are more likely to include the more exotic, more technical, or more narrowly defined subspecialties. In addition, aspects of pediatric practice addressed to care in general may be found more in big departments, perhaps to provide identity and enforce the provision of such care. When small schools have divisions, they are in the more established subspecialties. Divisions are generally viewed as a means of enhancing departmental growth, especially by those who have them; those who do not have them do not ordinarily believe them to be useful.
A Review of: Elisabeth Badinter. Dead End Feminism

In her 2003 bestseller Fausse Route, now available in English through Polity Press as Dead End Feminism (2006), French feminist philosopher Elisabeth Badinter addresses some of the themes dear to s...
Nutrition and the Pre-professional Student

The traditional nutrition education approach which requires students to identify nutrients, vitamins, and minerals is only a small segment of a comprehensive nutrition education program. A comprehensive program calls for a serious look at lifestyles, obesity, exercise, food preference, and various aspects of weight control. Recognizing the importance placed on the role of nutrition, a study was designed to explore the nutrition knowl-edge and attitudes of pre-professional college students. The study population included 114 students enrolled in a course designed for elementary education majors.
Baculovirus p33 Binds Human p53 and Enhances p53-Mediated Apoptosis

In vertebrates, p53 participates in numerous biological processes including cell cycle regulation, apoptosis, differentiation, and oncogenic transformation. When insect SF-21 cells were infected with a recombinant of the baculovirus Autographa californica nuclear polyhedrosis virus (Ac M NPV) overexpressing human p53, p53 formed a stable complex with the product of the Ac M NPV orf92 , a novel protein p33. The interaction between p53 and p33 was further confirmed by immunoprecipitation studies. When individually expressed in SF-21 cells, human p53 localized mainly in the nucleus whereas baculovirus p33 displayed diffuse cytoplasmic staining and punctuate nuclear staining. However, coexpression of p33 with p53 resulted in exclusive nuclear localization of p33. In both SF-21 and TN-368 cells, p53 expression induced typical features of apoptosis including nuclear condensation and fragmentation, oligonucleosomal ladder formation, cell surface blebbing, and apoptotic body formation. Coexpression of p53 with a baculovirus inhibitor of apoptosis, p35, OpIAP, or CpIAP, blocked apoptosis, whereas coexpression with p33 enhanced p53-mediated apoptosis approximately twofold. Expression of p53 in SF-21 cells stably expressing OpIAP inhibited cell growth in the presence or absence of p33. Thus, human p53 can influence both insect cell growth and death and baculovirus p33 can modulate the death-inducing effects of p53.
X-ray computed-tomography imaging of gas migration in water-saturated sediments: From capillary invasion to conduit opening

[1] The strong coupling between multiphase flow and sediment mechanics determines the spatial distribution and migration dynamics of gas percolating through liquid-filled soft granular media. Here, we investigate, by means of controlled experiments and computed tomography (CT) imaging, the preferential mode of gas migration in three-dimensional samples of water-saturated silica-sand and silica-silt sediments. Our experimental system allowed us to independently control radial and axial confining stresses and pore pressure while performing continuous x-ray CT scanning. The CT image analysis of the three-dimensional gas migration provides the first experimental confirmation that capillary invasion preferentially occurs in coarse-grained sediments whereas grain displacement and conduit openings are dominant in fine-grained sediments. Our findings allow us to rationalize prior field observations and pore-scale modeling results, and provide critical experimental evidence to explain the means by which conduits for the transit of methane gas may be established through the gas hydrate stability zone in oceanic sediments, and cause large episodic releases of carbon into the deep ocean.
Critical multiphase flow

Chapter 7 is devoted to the critical multiphase flow. It starts with the mathematical definition of the criticality condition, with the appropriate design of a numerical grid structure and numerical iteration strategy. Then the methods used in the modern design are presented starting from the simple models and increasing gradually the complexity. First the single phase critical flow in pipe is considered for the case with no friction energy dissipation and constant cross section. Then the general case is presented for perfect gas. Then the same ideas are extended to simple two phase cases for pipes and nozzles: subcooled critical mass flow rate in short pipes, orifices and nozzles; frozen homogeneous non-developed flow; nonhomogeneous developed flow without mass exchange; equilibrium homogeneous flow; equilibrium non-homogeneous flow; inhomogeneous developing flow in short pipes and nuzzles with infinitely fast heat exchange and with limited interfacial mass transfer. Then the modern state of the knowledge for describing critical flow is presented by considering physical details like: bubbles origination; bubble fragmentation; bubble coalescences; droplets origination. Examples follow for application of the theory of the critical flow in real scale analysis: blow down of a closed pipe and blow down of a vessel.
Clinical Presentation, Progression, and Outcome of Patients With Clonal B-Cell Counts of Less Than 5 × 109/L, 5 to 10 × 109/L, and More Than 10 × 109/L and Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia Immunophenotype

Objectives: The flow cytometric evaluation of peripheral lymphocytosis has led to a dramatic increase in the diagnosis of early stage chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and monoclonal B-cell lymphocytosis (MBL). Few studies exist to better delineate the natural history and differences between MBL and CLL. Methods: Applying the recently updated B-lymphocyte threshold of 5 × 109 B lymphocytes/L for the diagnosis of CLL, we evaluated the differences in initial presentation, disease progression, time to treatment (TTT), and 10-year overall survival rates between patients with less than 5 × 10 × 109/L, 5 to 10 × 109/L, and more than 10 × 109/L B cells. These clinical/treatment parameters were also compared among the MBL, 5 to 10 CLL Rai stage 0, and more than 10 CLL Rai stage 0 groups. Results: In total, 310 patients were included, with 67 in the less than 5, 75 in the 5 to 10, and 168 in the more than 10 B-cell groups. Statistically significant differences were seen when comparing the 5 to 10 and more than 10 B-cell groups regarding anemia ( P = .021 for median hemoglobin; P = .028 for anemia <11 g/dL), platelet count ( P = .041 for median platelet count), splenomegaly ( P = .013), initial management plan ( P = .012 for observation; P = .0021 for treatment with chemotherapy), and TTT ( P = .0033). No statistically significant difference was seen among the MBL, 5 to 10, and more than 10 CLL Rai stage 0 groups regarding TTT and 10-year overall survival. Conclusions: Findings suggest that patients with B-cell counts of 5 to 10 × 109/L behave clinically more similar to patients with B-cell counts of less than 5 × 109/L.
Inverse covariance-invariant signal processing

Techniques are outlined for synthesizing continuous-time systems and signals which are covariance-invariant (CI) with corresponding discrete-time systems and signals. The property of covariance-invariance (CI) insures that the covariance sequence characterizing the response of a stable, linear discrete-time system to "white-noise" equals the sampled covariance function that characterizes the sampled output of a stable, linear continuous-time system excited by "white-noise." Applications of inverse covariance-invariant (ICI) signal processing are suggested, and numerical examples of inverse covariance-invariant (ICI) synthesis are presented.
Measurement of effective index and dispersion in an index-guided surface-emitting distributed Bragg reflector laser

The far-field pattern of a multimode surface-emitting AlGaAs distributed Bragg reflector laser was spectrally resolved with respect to emission angle. A simple analysis of the angular dependence of the far-field spectrum yields the waveguide effective index and the dispersion of the effective index.
Collecting legacy corpora from social science research for text mining evaluation

In this poster we describe a pilot study of searching social science literature for legacy corpora to evaluate text mining algorithms. The new emerging field of computational social science demands large amount of social science data to train and evaluate computational models. We argue that the legacy corpora that were annotated by social science researchers through traditional Qualitative Data Analysis (QDA) are ideal data sets to evaluate text mining methods, such as text categorization and clustering. As a pilot study, we searched articles that involve content analysis and discourse analysis in leading communication journals, and then contacted the authors regarding the availability of the annotated texts. Regretfully, nearly all of the corpora that we found were not adequately maintained, and many were no longer available, even though they were less than ten years old. This situation calls for more effort to better maintain and use legacy social science data for future computational social science research purpose.
The ins and outs of VEGF signaling.

In this issue of Blood, Ito and colleagues define a novel extracellular mode of action for the VEGF-A signaling cascade.
Ratoon Rice Response to Nitrogen Fertilizer

Field research was conducted for 2 years to determine the N fertilizer application rate producing maximum ratoon rice grain yields. The long-grain rice cultivars Cheniere, CL161, Cocodrie, and Cypress were grown using a delayed-flood, drill-seeded production system. Immediately following harvest of the main crop, N fertilizer at rates of 30, 60, 90, or 120 lb/acre was applied as urea. No ratoon rice lodging was observed in any site-year at any N fertilizer application rate. Ratoon days to 50% heading was delayed 1 day when the N fertilizer application rate was increased from 60 to 90 or 120 lb/acre. Ratoon rough rice yield increased significantly from 2390 to 2710 lb/acre as the N fertilizer application rate increased from 30 to 90 lb/acre, but increasing the N fertilizer application rate from 90 to 120 lb/acre did not improve ratoon rough rice yields. No ratoon rice lodging was observed in any site-year at any N fertilizer application rate. In this study, the N fertilizer application rate producing maximum ratoon rice yields in the Gulf Coast area of the United States was 90 lb/acre.
BioStar+: a data warehouse schema for integrating clinical and genomic data from HIV patients

In the field of biomedicine, it is becoming increasingly apparent that a huge amount of genomic and clinical data are being generated everyday. Although these data, stored in different formats at multiple sources, help us acquire more information about the patients, the scale and complexity of these datasets result in the challenges of integration of multiple biomedical datasets. Based on the traditional star schema and our previous Biostar schema we propose a hybrid schema called BioStar+ for HIV patient data modeling. By maintaining the original data space structure instead of disassembling it, this hybrid schema not only retains the original advantages from BioStar, but also improves the query efficiency. In addition, we describe the HIV patients data warehouse that we have developed based on the BioStar+ schema and discuss an analysis case based on this schema.
High accuracy position method based on computer vision and error analysis

The study of high accuracy position system is becoming the hotspot in the field of autocontrol. And positioning is one of the most researched tasks in vision system. So we decide to solve the object locating by using the image processing method. This paper describes a new method of high accuracy positioning method through vision system. In the proposed method, an edge-detection filter is designed for a certain running condition. Here, the filter contains two mainly parts: one is image-processing module, this module is to implement edge detection, it contains of multi-level threshold self-adapting segmentation, edge-detection and edge filter; the other one is object-locating module, it is to point out the location of each object in high accurate, and it is made up of medium-filtering and curve-fitting. This paper gives some analysis error for the method to prove the feasibility of vision in position detecting. Finally, to verify the availability of the method, an example of positioning worktable, which is using the proposed method, is given at the end of the paper. Results show that the method can accurately detect the position of measured object and identify object attitude.
Total Binding Energies of Nuclei, and Particle-Removal Experiments

Under the assumptions of the impulse approximation, there is a relation between the cross section for removing a particle from a system and the total binding energy of the system, if it is bound by two-body forces. This relation is established and applied to the ($p,2p$) reaction on nuclear targets. Data from recent experiments are used to obtain values for the total binding energy of the protons in various nuclei, which are then compared with the measured values.
Cardiac adaptation to obesity and hypertension after heart transplantation

Obesity and hypertension frequently develop after heart transplantation. The cardiac adaptation to obesity and hypertension was studied by determining hemodynamic and echocardiographic indexes in 10 obese hypertensive patients (body mass index ≥27.8 kg/m2in men or ≥ 27.3 kg/m2in women) matched by mean arterial pressure, age and gender with 10 nonobese hypertensive patients 1 year after cardiac transplantation. Cardiac output was 30% greater (p < 0.02) and systemic vascular resistance 25% lower (p < 0.01) in the obese than in the nonobese patients. Right ventricular systolic and pulmonary artery systolic, diastolic and mean pressures were also significantly higher (p < 0.05) in the obese patients. Left ventricular end-diastolic diameter was 25% greater (p < 0.05), left ventricular mass 28% greater (p < 0.02) and left ventricular end-diastolic volume 20% higher (p < 0.01) in the obese subjects. Left ventricular ejection fraction was significantly lower in the obese than in the nonobese subjects (34% vs. 51%, p < 0.05). These results indicate that the cardiac adaptation to obesity and hypertension after heart transplantation consists of left ventricular dilation and an increase in left ventricular mass associated with an increased cardiac output and lower peripheral vascular resistance. These adaptive changes that occur in obese hypertensive patients after heart transplantation might increase the long-term risk of graft failure, as suggested by their lower left ventricular ejection fraction 1 year after transplantation.
Determination of factors influencing stomach content retention by striped bass captured using gillnets

The influence of mode of capture, season of capture and total body length (L T ) on the probability of regurgitation for striped bass Morone saxatilis captured using gillnets in Smith Mountain Lake, Virginia, was examined. Overall. the mean rate of regurgitation for striped bass which contained food contents in their stomach was 8.3%. Striped bass captured by wedging had a higher mean regurgitation rate (17%) than individuals that were either entangled (5%) or gilled (2%). Striped bass caught during the autumn had approximately the same frequency of regurgitation as individuals captured during the summer (10 v. 9%), but these regurgitation rates were higher than those observed for fish during the spring sampling periods (4%). Larger striped bass where more likely to regurgitate their stomach contents than smaller individuals, with the frequency of regurgitation increasing by 0.7% for every 50 mm increase in L T . The results of this study demonstrate the importance of identifying factors that influence regurgitation of stomach contents to minimize and account for biases associated with diet data collected from striped bass captured in gillnets. Using this information, sampling recommendations for food-habit and feeding-rate studies involving the collection of piscivorous fishes using gillnets are made.
Toy Story: What I have learned from playing with toys about the physics of living cells

Yogi Berra once noted that "You can observe a lot just by watching." A similar remark can be made about toys: you can learn a lot of physics by playing with certain children's toys, and given that physics also applies to life, you could hope that it would also be possible to learn about the physics of living cells by close observation of toys, loosely defined. I'll start out with a couple of toys, rubber duckies and something called a soliton machine and discuss insights (or failures) in how "energy" moves in biological molecules. I'll bring back the rubber duckies and a toy suggested by one of the eccentrics known to roam the halls of academia to discuss how this lead to studies how cells move and collective aspects of cell movement. Then I'll talk about mazes and how they lead to experiments on evolution and cancer. Hopefully this broad range of toys will show how indeed "You can observe a lot just by watching" about some of the fundamental physics of living cells.
Influence of extruder and feedstock variables on torque requirement during pretreatment of different types of biomass – A response surface analysis

Efforts are underway to meet the U.S. Department of Energy’s target of replacing 30% of fossil fuels used for transportation with biofuels by 2025. Extrusion appears to be one of the more viable continuous biomass pretreatment methods because several studies have shown significant improvements in sugar recovery from different feedstocks. Torque is an important factor which relates the power consumption during extrusion. The current study was undertaken to investigate the influence of extruder barrel temperature (45–225°C), screw speed (20–200 rpm), feedstock particle size (2–10 mm), and moisture content (10–50%) on torque and to propose a mathematical model to predict the torque requirement during extrusion pretreatment of switchgrass, prairie cord grass, corn stover, and big bluestem. Statistical analyses revealed that all independent variables studied had a significant effect on torque. A quadratic model was proposed to predict the torque requirement for different feedstocks, which had a high F and R 2 values along with low p value indicating the predictability of the model. Switchgrass, prairie cord grass, corn stover, and big bluestem required the torque ranges of 85–100, 27–42, 52–70, and 53–84 N m, respectively, for their optimised sugar recovery during pretreatment. Switchgrass required the highest torque amongst the feedstocks studied.
Magnetodielectric consequences of phase separation in the colossal magnetoresistance manganite Pr 0.7 Ca 0.3 Mn O 3

We have studied the low-frequency dielectric properties of the phase-separated manganite ${\mathrm{Pr}}_{0.7}{\mathrm{Ca}}_{0.3}\mathrm{Mn}{\mathrm{O}}_{3}$ as a function of applied magnetic field in the low temperature phase-separated state. The dielectric constant is strongly field dependent and also depends on the magnetic field history of the sample. The dielectric behavior appears to be associated with the hopping of polaronic charge carriers, and we can derive the field dependent hopping energy barrier from the frequency dependence of the dielectric constant. This analysis allows us to associate the metal-insulator transition observed in this material with the field-induced suppression of the polaron activation energy.