cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Rumen Turnover and Digestion of Normal and Brown Midrib Sorghum × Sudangrass Hybrid Silages in Dairy Cattle

Abstract Eight growing Holstein heifers and four ruminally cannulated adult Holstein steers fed ad libitum were used in 4 × 4 Latin square designs. Diets included two sorghum × sudangrass varieties, Redlan × Greenleaf and Redlan × Piper, and their corresponding brown midrib mutants. Acid detergent fiber and acid detergent lignin concentrations tended to be lower for brown midrib mutants than for normal genotypes of the same variety. Digestion kinetics for in situ studies showed no difference in rate constants between normal and brown midrib sorghums, but extent of digestion at 72 h was significantly higher for brown midrib mutants than for normal genotypes, suggesting that lignin has no effect on digestion rate but does result in a decreased extent of digestion. In growing dairy heifers, brown midrib sorghum × sudangrass had higher digestibilities for organic matter, neutral detergent fiber, acid detergent fiber, cellulose, and hemicellulose fractions than did the normal genotype for Redlan × Greenleaf.
Hypothyroidism and Atherosclerosis

This autopsy finding of diffuse atherosclerosis in a 58-yrold woman was published as an appendix to William Ord’s classical description of the syndrome of myxedema. Soon thereafter, the hypothesis of a causal relationship between hypothyroidism and atherosclerosis was first raised in 1883 by E. Theodor Kocher (2), who noted that arteriosclerosis commonly occurred after thyroid extirpation. Since the time of the first associations between these two common disorders, hypothyroidism and atherosclerosis have subsequently been linked by a body of clinical case reports, epidemiological studies, and biochemical observations. The hypothesis of a relationship has subsequently been tested in case-control and cohort studies. Important associations have been identified among hypercholesterolemia, hypertension, and certain newer risk factors for atherosclerosis in individuals with overt hypothyroidism and, in some cases, subclinical hypothyroidism. There have also been clinical observations and trials describing the consequences of treating hypothyroidism in patients with ischemic heart disease and of revascularizing patients with ischemic heart disease who are hypothyroid. These studies are the subject of this commentary.
Ca-ATPase localization and inhibition in the gorgonian Leptogorgia virgulata (Lamarck) (Coelenterata: Gorgonacea)

Abstract Ca-ATPase activity was localized at the ultrastructural level in the gorgonian Leptogorgia virgulata (Lamarck). Weak enzyme activity was detected on the inner plasma membranes of the microvilli and the basal plasma membranes of the outer epithelium. Stronger activity was found in the membranes of the microvilli and lateral plasma membranes of the polyp epithelium. The basal portion of the polyp epithelium showed heavy activity. Weak activity was detected in the membranes of scleroblast electron-dense bodies, and scleroblast plasma membranes, whereas moderate enzyme activity was demonstrated on the inner membranes of the microvilli of the desmocytes. Intense activity was found within the microvilli of the desmocytes which are deeply embedded in the cortex of the axis. A 45Ca-uptake study with and without the Ca-ATPase inhibitor quercetin substantiated the findings. These results indicate that the axis is actively involved in the calcification process.
Effect of imprecisely known nuisance parameters on estimates of primary parameters

Let the model under consideration have two types of parameters, α and θ, where α represents the nuisance parameters and θ represents the primary parameters (or parameters of interest). We will suppose that θ is estimated after α has been fixed at some value , and that is determined from information other than that used to form the estimate for θ . This paper examines the properties of in the presence of uncertainty in the assumed value for ∝. In particular, we consider: (1) the effect of the uncertainty in on the dispersion matrix, and hence confidence intervals, for ; and (2) the effect of on the asymptotic properties of . The results of this paper are developed in a multivariate setting and apply to a broad class of estimators, including maximum likelihood, maximum a posteriori, and least squares.
Photochemical behavior of Co(NH3)5NO22+ incorporated by zeolite 13X

Abstract The transition-metal complex Co(NH3)5NO22+ has been incorporated within zeolite 13X to study the effect of the zeolite host on the photochemical properties of Co(NH3)5NO22+. Photolysis of the incorporated complex using 365-nm light yields a slow redox decomposition. This behavior parallels that seen in aqueous solution and indicates that a photoredox decomposition can occur within a zeolite structure.
Just when you thought it was safe to go into the membrane: the growing complexities of extra-nuclear progesterone signaling.

The diversity of membrane-initiated progesterone actions has made characterization and establishment of its biological importance a complicated endeavor. A new study by Zuo and colleagues shows that progesterone via endogenous membrane progesterone receptor-α acts as a negative regulator of proliferation and epithelial to mesenchymal transition in a breast cancer cell line. These progesterone-mediated actions appear to be regulated through epidermal growth factor receptor and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase signaling localized in caveolae. Moreover, the study shows expression of membrane progesterone receptor-α in benign and malignant breast cancer tissues. These data bring forth novel concepts with regard to progesterone actions in the breast; however, further work is warranted to fully characterize the physiologic actions of extra-nuclear progesterone signaling in the breast.
Authentic replication and recombination of Tomato bushy stunt virus RNA in a cell-free extract from yeast

To study the replication of Tomato bushy stunt virus (TBSV), a small tombusvirus of plants, we have developed a cell-free system based on a Saccharomyces cerevisiae extract. The cell-free system was capable of performing a complete replication cycle on added plus-stranded TBSV replicon RNA (repRNA) that led to the production of approximately 30-fold-more plus-stranded progeny RNAs than the minus-stranded replication intermediate. The cell-free system also replicated the full-length TBSV genomic RNA, which resulted in production of subgenomic RNAs as well. The cell-free system showed high template specificity, since a mutated repRNA, minus-stranded repRNA, or a heterologous viral RNA could not be used as templates by the tombusvirus replicase. Similar to the in vivo situation, replication of the TBSV replicon RNA took place in a membraneous fraction, in which the viral replicase-RNA complex was RNase and protease resistant but sensitive to detergents. In addition to faithfully replicating the TBSV replicon RNA, the cell-free system was also capable of generating TBSV RNA recombinants with high efficiency. Altogether, tombusvirus replicase in the cell-free system showed features remarkably similar to those of the in vivo replicase, including carrying out a complete cycle of replication, high template specificity, and the ability to recombine efficiently.
Accelerated subspace iteration for eigenvector derivatives

An accelerated subspace iteration method for calculating eigenvector derivatives has been developed. Factors affecting the effectiveness and the reliability of the subspace iteration are identified, and effective strategies concerning these factors are presented. The method has been implemented, and the results of a demonstration problem are presented.
Can a Video Game Make Someone Nice?: The Positive Impact of Pro-social Games

In this article, Karl Kapp questions the effectiveness of games in changing leaner behaviors and attitudes. More precisely, does playing a prosocial game result in a person exhibiting prosocial behavior outside of the game environment? And what does this mean for game design as it relates to learning?
Selection of Cameras Setup Geometry Parameters in Binocular Stereovision

This paper presents a method to determine the cameras setup geometry parameters in binocular stereovision to achieve the best three-dimensional positioning accuracy. Firstly, the cameras setup geometry is described using three independent parameters. Then the three-dimensional positioning error of the binocular stereovision is defined and formulated through triangulation. A graph is given to show how the parameters affect the error. Finally, an experiment is designed and performed to verify the result. An application of the result in our neurosurgical robot system is given to show the effectiveness of the result.
A framework for longitudinal data analysis via shape regression

Traditional longitudinal analysis begins by extracting desired clinical measurements, such as volume or head circumference, from discrete imaging data. Typically, the continuous evolution of a scalar measurement is estimated by choosing a 1D regression model, such as kernel regression or fitting a polynomial of fixed degree. This type of analysis not only leads to separate models for each measurement, but there is no clear anatomical or biological interpretation to aid in the selection of the appropriate paradigm. In this paper, we propose a consistent framework for the analysis of longitudinal data by estimating the continuous evolution of shape over time as twice differentiable flows of deformations. In contrast to 1D regression models, one model is chosen to realistically capture the growth of anatomical structures. From the continuous evolution of shape, we can simply extract any clinical measurements of interest. We demonstrate on real anatomical surfaces that volume extracted from a continuous shape evolution is consistent with a 1D regression performed on the discrete measurements. We further show how the visualization of shape progression can aid in the search for significant measurements. Finally, we present an example on a shape complex of the brain (left hemisphere, right hemisphere, cerebellum) that demonstrates a potential clinical application for our framework.
Preventing falls in restaurants: where the sole meets the floor

Though the restaurant industry may not be thought of as a high-risk environment in terms of serious or fatal injury, falls are a significant problem, accounting for a substantial share of injuries annually in this industry. As Verma et al 1 point out, costs are higher for older than younger workers, even though younger workers comprise a larger share of the workforce. There are long-term and potentially costly consequences for younger and older workers alike. The article by Verma et al 1 is important in several ways. First, it examines a significant and costly injury problem—falls in restaurants, affecting …
Zinc Inhibition of Protein trans-Splicing and Identification of Regions Essential for Splicing and Association of a Split Intein*

Two important aspects of protein splicing were investigated by employing the trans-splicing intein from the dnaE gene of Synechocystis sp. PCC6803. First, we demonstrated that both protein splicing and cleavage at the N-terminal splice junction were inhibited in the presence of zinc ion. The trans-splicing reaction was partially blocked at a concentration of 1-10 microm Zn(2+) and completely inhibited at 100 microm Zn(2+); the inhibition by zinc was reversed in the presence of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid. We propose that inactivation of Cys(160) at the C-terminal splice junction by the chelation of zinc affects both the N-S acyl rearrangement and the transesterification steps in the splicing pathway. Furthermore, in vivo and in vitro assays were established for the determination of intein residues and regions required for splicing or association between the N- and C-terminal intein halves. N-terminal truncation of the intein C-terminal segment inhibited both splicing and association activities, suggesting this region is crucial for the formation of an interface between the two intein halves. The replacement of conserved residues in blocks B and F with alanine abolished splicing but allowed for association. This is the first evidence showing that the conserved residues in block F are required for protein splicing.
CEF1/CDC5 alleles modulate transitions between catalytic conformations of the spliceosome

Conformational change within the spliceosome is required between the first and second catalytic steps of pre-mRNA splicing. A prior genetic screen for suppressors of an intron mutant that stalls between the two steps yielded both prp8 and non-prp8 alleles that suppressed second-step splicing defects. We have now identified the strongest non-prp8 suppressors as alleles of the NTC (Prp19 complex) component, CEF1. These cef1 alleles generally suppress second-step defects caused by a variety of intron mutations, mutations in U6 snRNA, or deletion of the second-step protein factor Prp17, and they can activate alternative 39 splice sites. Genetic and functional interactions between cef1 and prp8 alleles suggest that they modulate the same event(s) in the first-to-second-step transition, most likely by stabilization of the second-step spliceosome; in contrast, alleles of U6 snRNA that also alter this transition modulate a distinct event, most likely by stabilization of the first-step spliceosome. These results implicate a myb-like domain of Cef1/CDC5 in interactions that modulate conformational states of the spliceosome and suggest that alteration of these events affects splice site use, resulting in alternative splicing-like patterns in yeast.
The noncoding RNA, miR-126, suppresses the growth of neoplastic cells by targeting phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase signaling and is frequently lost in colon cancers.

MicroRNAs (miRNA/miR) are a class of small non-coding RNAs implicated in the pathogenesis of various malignancies. In the current study, using micro(RNA)arrays, we found a ubiquitous loss of miR-126 expression in colon cancer lines when compared to normal human colon epithelia. Reconstitution of miR-126 in colon cancer cells resulted in a significant growth reduction as evidenced in clonogenic assays. A search for miR-126 gene targets revealed p85β, a regulatory subunit involved in stabilizing and propagating the PI3K signal, as one of the potential substrates. Restoration of miR-126 in cancer cells induced a ≥3-fold reduction in p85β protein levels, with no concomitant change in p85α, a gene that is functionally related to p85β but not a supposed target of miR-126. Additionally, using reporter constructs, we show that the p85β-3′ UTR is directly targeted by miR-126. Furthermore, this miR-126 mediated reduction of p85β was accompanied by a substantial reduction in phosphorylated AKT levels in the cancer cells, suggesting an impairment in PI3K signaling. Finally, in a panel of matched normal colon and primary colon tumors, each of the tumors demonstrated miR-126 down-regulation together with an increase in the p85β protein level. Taken together, we propose that miR-126 regulates PI3K signaling partly by targeting p85β, and that the loss of miR-126 may provide a selective growth advantage during colon carcinogenesis.
Preface: Women and Work: Where Are We, Where Did We Come From, and Where Are We Going?

The obstacles faced by today's women in the workplace bear out the truth in the old adage that history repeats itself. The maternal wall, the ideal worker, and the ideal homemaker beliefs are current iterations of the century-old tendency to mark women as suited for the home and men as suited for the workplace (Albee & Perry, 1998; Coltrane, 1996; Mintz, 2000). The belief that the sexes are vastly different—with different needs, values, and abilities—has been a hallmark throughout the history of both women and men in both the workplace and the home (Ferree, 1990; Williams, 2000). Generally speaking, these beliefs have been detrimental to all concerned (Barnett & Rivers, 2004).
Micromechanical analyses of vertebral trabecular bone based on individual trabeculae segmentation of plates and rods

Trabecular plates play an important role in determining elastic moduli of trabecular bone. However, the relative contribution of trabecular plates and rods to strength behavior is still not clear. In this study, individual trabeculae segmentation (ITS) and nonlinear finite element (FE) analyses were used to evaluate the roles of trabecular types and orientations in the failure initiation and progression in human vertebral trabecular bone. Fifteen human vertebral trabecular bone samples were imaged using micro computed tomography (microCT), and segmented using ITS into individual plates and rods by orientation (longitudinal, oblique, and transverse). Nonlinear FE analysis was conducted to perform a compression simulation for each sample up to 1% apparent strain. The apparent and relative trabecular number and tissue fraction of failed trabecular plates and rods were recorded during loading and data were stratified by trabecular orientation. More trabecular rods (both in number and tissue fraction) failed at the initiation of compression (0.1-0.2% apparent strain) while more plates failed around the apparent yield point (>0.7% apparent strain). A significant correlation between plate bone volume fraction (pBV/TV) and apparent yield strength was found (r(2)=0.85). From 0.3% to 1% apparent strain, significantly more longitudinal trabecular plate and transverse rod failed than other types of trabeculae. While failure initiates at rods and rods fail disproportionally to their number, plates contribute significantly to the apparent yield strength because of their larger number and tissue volume. The relative failed number and tissue fraction at apparent yield point indicate homogeneous local failure in plates and rods of different orientations.
‘‘We’re not living together:’’ Stayover relationships among college-educated emerging adults

Rapid and widespread changes in relationship formation and dissolution over the past 50 years have revealed new patterns in romantic and sexual relationships, particularly among emerging adults. In this study, grounded theory methods were used to investigate the role of one such pattern, stayovers, in the development of romantic relationships among 22 college students and college graduates. The results indicated that some young couples stay overnight between three and seven nights per week while living in separate homes. This arrangement functioned as a comfortable and convenient alternative to forming more lasting, and therefore riskier, commitments such as full-time cohabitation and marriage. Stayovers served as a stopgap measure between casual dating and making more formal commitments.
Positive allosteric modulation of mGluR5 receptors facilitates extinction of a cocaine contextual memory.

Background The perseverance of the motivational salience of drug-associated memories is an obstacle to the successful treatment of drug addiction and is often a causative factor in triggering relapse. Methods This study was intended to determine whether potentiation of type 5 metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluR5), which are biochemically and structurally coupled to N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors, would facilitate the extinction of a cocaine-associated contextual memory as assessed by the conditioned place preference (CPP) paradigm in rats. Following the establishment of a cocaine CPP, rats were treated with the mGluR5 positive allosteric modulator 3-cyano-N-(1,3-diphenyl-1H-pyrazol-5-yl)benzamide (CDPPB; 0.3, 3 and 30 mg/kg) before extinction test sessions. Additional groups of animals received 30 mg/kg CDPPB in combination with the mGluR5 antagonist 3-((2-methyl-1,3-thiazol-4-yl)ethynyl)pyridine (MTEP, 1 mg/kg) or the NMDA receptor antagonist MK-801 (.1 mg/kg). Results CDPPB dose-dependently facilitated the extinction of cocaine CPP, and these effects were not observed when animals were coadministered MTEP or MK-801. CDPPB failed to produce any evidence of neurotoxicity as assessed by FluoroJade C staining. Conclusions Positive allosteric modulation of mGluR5 function facilitates the extinction of a cocaine-associated contextual memory, which may represent a novel approach toward enhancing extinction learning in the context of drug addiction.
Women and early-stage entrepreneurship: evidence from a large cross-country sample

Recent studies suggest that entrepreneurship is an important source of employment for women. However, the number of women involved in entrepreneurial activity is significantly lower than that of men. This paper takes a detailed and comprehensive look of what variables correlate significantly with women’s decisions to start new businesses. Data consists of a stratified representative sample of at least 2000 individuals per country, in 34 countries, for a total of more than 70,000 observations collected in 2004 for the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) project. The level of early-stage entrepreneurial activity and the levels of necessity and opportunity entrepreneurship are considered, as well as the relative importance of individual characteristics such as age, wealth, education, fear of failure and perceptions. Descriptive results presented in the paper are suggestive and much more work is needed in the area. However, the paper presents important evidence supporting the hypothesis that variables influencing subjective perceptions are important for women’s decisions to start businesses and that such variables may be at the root of the observed differences in entrepreneurial behavioral across genders.
A continuous test data method to determine a reference curve and shift rate for isothermal physical aging

The mechanical response of a material undergoing isothermal physical aging is governed by a reference curve (typically time-dependent modulus or compliance) and a shift rate (which describes the rate of aging). In the standard analysis approach, these parameters are determined from a series of load/unload creep or relaxation tests, in which only the load portion data is used for property evaluation. In this paper, a new continuous test data (CTD) method is presented to determine these parameters using both the load and unload data from such a test series. This is accomplished by employing effective time theory to predict the full load/unload data set, with the reference curve and shift rate obtained as those which best fit the experimental data. It is demonstrated that the reference curve obtained via the standard approach is not capable of predicting the full load/unload data set, while the CTD method using a Prony series fits this same data very well. Several concerns regarding the CTD method are addressed, including the differences in the CTD and standard method shift rate, the effect of vertical shifting or material nonlinearity on the results, and application of the method to other loading scenarios. Results are presented for longterm and variable stress tests. The data used in the study was obtained from polyimide resin and polyimide/carbon fiber composite specimens at several temperatures below Tg.
A Scleroderma Patient with Acute Drop in Hemoglobin and Occult Blood in Stool

Gastric antral vascular ectasia (GAVE) is an important cause of upper GI bleeding that can lead to iron deficiency anemia in the scleroderma patient. GAVE affects patients with diffuse or limited cutaneous systemic sclerosis (dSSc or lSSc), but the development of GAVE varies significantly in relation to the initial diagnosis of scleroderma. Patients with GAVE and dSSC with rapidly progressive skin disease are usually negative for anti-topoisomerase I (anti-Scl-70 antibody) and have a speckled antinuclear antibody (ANA) pattern, while patients with GAVE and lSSc are typically anti-centromere antibody positive. Any scleroderma patient with slowly progressive anemia and/or blood in the stool should undergo endoscopy for evaluation of potential causes of gastrointestinal hemorrhage, including GAVE. Visually, GAVE consists of parallel rugal folds containing tortuous red vessels in a transverse distribution in the gastric antrum that radiate in a spoke-like fashion to converge on the pylorus resembling the striped appearance of a watermelon rind, hence the designation “watermelon stomach.” The histological appearance of GAVE includes dilated capillaries, focal fibrin thrombi, and spindle cell proliferation on the mucosal surface with dilated tortuous submucosal vessels and fibromuscular hyperplasia within the lamina propria. The constellation of clinical, endoscopic, and pathologic appearance of the stomach confirms the diagnosis of GAVE. The management of GAVE lies in its recognition and ranges from noninvasive measures such as proton pump inhibitors, iron supplementation, and red blood cell transfusion to repeated endoscopic therapy.
Discordance and concordance between morphological and taxonomic diversity

Morphological and taxonomic diversity each provide insight into the expansion and contraction of major biological groups, while the nature of the relationship between these two aspects of diversity also has important implications for evolutionary mechanisms. In this paper, I compare morphological and taxonomic diversity within the classes Blastoidea and Trilobita, and within the trilobite clades Libristoma, Asaphina, Proetida, Phacopida, and Scutelluina. Blastoid morphology is quantified with homologous landmarks on the theca, and trilobite form is measured with a Fourier description of the cranidium. Morphological diversity is measured as the total variance among forms in morphological space (proportional to the mean squared distance among forms). Blastoid taxonomic diversity is based on published compilation of stratigraphic ranges of genera. The Zoological Record was used to determine the number of new species of trilobites described since the publication of the Treatise; temporal patterns in species richness are similar to those for generic richness based on the Treatise, suggesting a common underlying signal. Morphological variety and taxonomic richness often increase together during the initial diver- sification of a clade. This pattern is consistent with diffusion through morphospace, although some form of adaptive radiation cannot be ruled out. Morphological diversity varies little throughout much of the history of Proetida, a pattern that may suggest major constraints on the magnitude and direction of evolution, and that agrees with the perception of Proetida as a morphologically con- servative group. Two major patterns are seen during the decline of clades. In Blastoidea, Trilobita, Libristoma, and Asaphina, morphological diversity is maintained at substantial levels, and in fact continues to increase, even in the face of striking reductions in taxonomic richness. This pattern suggests continued diffusion through morphospace and taxonomic attrition that is effectively non- selective with respect to morphology. In Phacopida, Scutelluina, and to some extent in Proetida, morphological diversity decreases along with taxonomic diversity. This pattern suggests hetero- geneities such as elevated extinction and/or reduced origination in certain regions of morphospace. As found previously for the echinoderm subphylum Blastozoa, all studied clades of trilobites except Proetida show maximal morphological diversity in the Mid-Late Ordovician and maximal taxonomic diversity sometime during the Ordovician, suggesting some degree of common control on diver- sification patterns in these groups.
Apoptotic Response to Photodynamic Therapy versus the Bcl-2 Antagonist HA14-1¶

Abstract In this study, murine leukemia L1210 cells were used to compare the effects of photodynamic therapy (PDT) with those of the apoptotic nonpeptidic Bcl-2 ligand ethyl 2-amino-6-bromo-4-(1-cyano-2-ethoxy-2-oxoethyl)-4H-chromene-3-carboxylate (HA14-1). The photosensitizing agent capronyloxy-tetrakis methyloxyethyl porphycene (CPO) was selected from a group of sensitizers previously shown to target the antiapoptotic protein Bcl-2 for photodamage. Like PDT with CPO, HA14-1 caused the rapid activation of procaspase-3, followed by the appearance of an apoptotic morphology within 60 min. Caspase activation after a sublethal dose of either PDT or HA14-1 was enhanced by staurosporine or the bile acid ursodeoxycholic acid. Moreover, PDT promoted procaspase activation and lethality of HA14-1 and vice versa. Effects of PDT versus HA14-1 could not be distinguished on the basis of the reactive oxygen species formation. Both caused the rapid oxidation of 2′,7′-dichlorofluorescein. These results are consistent wit...
The lived experience of nurses caring for newborns with sepsis.

Objective To describe the lived experience of nurses who care for newborns with sepsis. Design Phenomenology, a qualitative study using open‐ended, tape‐recorded interviews, followed by a focus group discussion. The data were analyzed using Colaizzi's step‐by‐step procedure, resulting in an essential structure of the experience. Setting The nursery and neonatal intensive‐care unit of a large community hospital in the southwestern United States. Participants Eleven registered nurses who cared for newborns in both a transitional nursery and the neonatal intensive‐care unit were interviewed individually or in a focus group. Results Three major themes were generated from the data: (a) "Dealing With Death and the Blessings of Life," (b) "Sepsis: The Cancer in the NICU," and (c) "Losing the Dream: Parents' Reactions." The nurses had feelings of helplessness and frustration while caring for these sick newborns. Nurses described the changes in newborns' condition as sepsis developed, the actions taken to reverse the downhill course, and the experiencing of the outcome. Nurses perceived that parents responded with overwhelming fear, guilt, and loss of control. Conclusions The nurse caring for the infant with sepsis experiences many different emotions, reactions, and perceptions. These findings can assist nurses to have a better understanding of the role of the nurse and the emotional burden of working in the NICU.
129 The molecular mechanism of breakage at fragile site FRA16D

Replication stress induces physical breakage at discrete loci in chromosomes, which can be visualized on a metaphase chromosome spread. These common fragile sites (CFS) are conserved across species and are hotspots for sister chromatid recombination, viral integration, rearrangements, translocations, and deletions (Glover et al 2005). Despite multiple theories, the molecular mechanisms of CFS expression and genomic instability are still not well understood. The fragile site FRA16D is of special interest because it is the second most highly expressed fragile site and is located within the WWOX tumor suppressor gene. Previous data identified a polymorphic AT repeat within a FRA16D subregion called F1 that causes chromosome fragility and replication fork stalling in a yeast model (Zhang and Freudenreich 2007). Recently, we have found that breakage increases in an AT repeat length-dependent manner. Our results suggest that the AT repeat in the context of F1 forms a secondary structure, making the region more ...
The impact of ethnicity/race on the association between the Veterans Aging Cohort Study (VACS) Index and neurocognitive function among HIV-infected persons

The Veterans Aging Cohort Study (VACS) Index was developed as a risk index for health outcomes in HIV, and it has been consistently associated with mortality. It shows a significant, yet relatively weak, association with neurocognitive impairment, and little is known about its utility among ethnic/racial minority groups. We examined whether the association between the VACS Index and neurocognition differed by ethnic/racial group. Participants included 674 HIV-infected individuals (369 non-Hispanic whites, 111 non-Hispanic blacks, and 194 Hispanics). Neurocognitive function was assessed via a comprehensive battery. Scaled scores for each neurocognitive test were averaged to calculate domain and global neurocognitive scores. Models adjusting for demographics and HIV disease characteristics not included in the VACS Index showed that higher VACS Index scores (indicating poorer health) were significantly associated with worse global neurocognition among non-Hispanic whites. This association was comparable in non-Hispanic blacks, but nonsignificant among Hispanics (with similar results for English and Spanish speaking). We obtained comparable findings in analyses adjusting for other covariates (psychiatric and medical comorbidities and lifestyle factors). Analyses of individual neurocognitive domains showed similar results in learning and delayed recall. For other domains, there was an effect of the VACS Index and no significant interactions with race/ethnicity. Different components of the VACS Index were associated with global neurocognition by race/ethnicity. In conclusion, the association between the VACS Index and neurocognitive function differs by ethnic/racial group. Identifying key indicators of HIV-associated neurocognitive impairment by ethnic/racial group might play an important role in furthering our understanding of the biomarkers of neuroAIDS.
Reactor antineutrino fluxes – Status and challenges

Abstract In this contribution we describe the current understanding of reactor antineutrino fluxes and point out some recent developments. This is not intended to be a complete review of this vast topic but merely a selection of observations and remarks, which despite their incompleteness, will highlight the status and the challenges of this field.
A Study of the Vulcanization Kinetics of an Accelerated-Sulfur SBR Compound

Vulcanisation kinetics for a SBR compound was studied by using both curemeter and DSC methods by a kinetic approach. A simplidied but realistic model reaction scheme was used to simulate both induction and curing periods simultaneously. Model parameters were extracted from isothermal curemeter experiments. The model prediction demonstrated a good agreement with isothermal curemeter data over a temperature range of 120°C to 180°C. The variation of equilibrium modulus with temperature, observed from cure curves, can also be predicted. However, DSC experiments showed a different reaction behavior in the curing period as compared to model calculations. This was explained by the assumption that the reaction heat observed in DSC is due to all possible exothermal reactions, and the formation ofcrosslinks is only a part of these reactions. Hence, the curemeter can provide a good a indication of crosslink formation, while DSC displays the entire reaction heat released during the vulcanization process. THe kinetic approach allows one to incorporate vulcanisation kinetics into practical simulation of reactive processing operations
The polarization ray tracing calculus

The polarization ray tracing calculus facilitates the analysis of polarization dependent point spread functions and optical transfer functions, and can integrate many different polarization models including thin films, anisotropic materials, anisotropic multilayers, diffractive optics, and liquid crystals.
Rapid reversal of ethionine inhibition of enzyme induction in Pseudomonas aeruginosa by L- and D-methionine.

Summary1) Ethionine inhibition of induction of enzymes involved in benzoate oxidation by washed cell suspensions of Pseudomonas aeruginosa is rapidly reversed by L-methionine and almost as rapidly by D-methionine. Neither amino acids nor ethionine have any effect once the enzymes have been induced. Similar results were obtained with p-fluorophenylalanine.
HIV/AIDS surveillance in Guangdong Province,2000-2013

Objective To understand HIV/AIDS epidemic and testing status in Guangdong Province so as to provide scientific evidence for policy and strategy making. Methods Data were collected from the HIV / AIDS reporting system,sentinel surveillance system,and specific surveys from 2000 to 2013 in Guangdong Province and analyze by using descriptive epidemiology method. Results A total of 49 038 HIV / AIDS cases were reported from 2000 to 2013 in Guangdong Province. The annual reported HIV / AIDS cases increased from 326 in 2000 to 7 631 in 2013,with an average annual increase rate of 23. 2%. Amongst all the cases,78. 6% were males and 21. 4%,females. Their age distributions were mainly in 30 to 39 years and 20 to 29 years,accounting for 37. 9% and 29. 1% respectively. Occupations were mainly the unemployed( 23. 1%) and peasants( 19. 2%). Of them,60. 9% had Guangdong provincial residency. HIV transmission route was mainly the heterosexual contact( 46. 7% of all cases),followed by injection drug use( 34. 9%). HIV antibody positive rates were high among spouses or sexual partners of HIV positive people( 11. 735%,280 /2 386),children of HIV positive mothers( 9. 381%,50 /533),people from voluntary HIV counseling and testing clinics( 1. 569%,3 920 /249 775),and people from detoxification centers( 1. 299%,2 486 /191 399). Conclusion The HIV epidemic was increasing in Guangdong Province from 2000 to 2013. The transmission mode of HIV has changed from injection drug use to sexual contact. Corresponding policy and strategies were urgently needed to expand the HIV testing among high risk population of sexual transmission in Guangdong Province.
Pericardial involvement in acute myocardial infarction.

Clinical postinfarction pericarditis and the postmyocardial infarction syndrome represent well-recognized but relatively uncommon complications of acute myocardial infarction. Although they do not appear to alter the ultimate prognosis of patients following myocardial infarction, they are a definite source of morbidity. Prompt clinical recognition and appropriate therapy are important elements in the treatment of a patient with an acute myocardial infarction.
Scalable metagenomics alignment research tool (SMART): a scalable, rapid, and complete search heuristic for the classification of metagenomic sequences from complex sequence populations.

Next generation sequencing technology has enabled characterization of metagenomics through massively parallel genomic DNA sequencing. The complexity and diversity of environmental samples such as the human gut microflora, combined with the sustained exponential growth in sequencing capacity, has led to the challenge of identifying microbial organisms by DNA sequence. We sought to validate a Scalable Metagenomics Alignment Research Tool (SMART), a novel searching heuristic for shotgun metagenomics sequencing results. After retrieving all genomic DNA sequences from the NCBI GenBank, over 1 × 1011 base pairs of 3.3 × 106 sequences from 9.25 × 105 species were indexed using 4 base pair hashtable shards. A MapReduce searching strategy was used to distribute the search workload in a computing cluster environment. In addition, a one base pair permutation algorithm was used to account for single nucleotide polymorphisms and sequencing errors. Simulated datasets used to evaluate Kraken, a similar metagenomics classification tool, were used to measure and compare precision and accuracy. Finally using a same set of training sequences we compared Kraken, CLARK, and SMART within the same computing environment. Utilizing 12 computational nodes, we completed the classification of all datasets in under 10 min each using exact matching with an average throughput of over 1.95 × 106 reads classified per minute. With permutation matching, we achieved sensitivity greater than 83 % and precision greater than 94 % with simulated datasets at the species classification level. We demonstrated the application of this technique applied to conjunctival and gut microbiome metagenomics sequencing results. In our head to head comparison, SMART and CLARK had similar accuracy gains over Kraken at the species classification level, but SMART required approximately half the amount of RAM of CLARK. SMART is the first scalable, efficient, and rapid metagenomics classification algorithm capable of matching against all the species and sequences present in the NCBI GenBank and allows for a single step classification of microorganisms as well as large plant, mammalian, or invertebrate genomes from which the metagenomic sample may have been derived.
Understanding weaknesses in bullying research: How school personnel can help strengthen bullying research and practice

Abstract School personnel (teachers, administrators, counselors, staff, and social workers) would greatly benefit from a stronger understanding of bullying dynamics. In order to heighten their understanding, we must strengthen bullying research. Despite more than 40 years of bullying research, a number of methodological weaknesses continue to plague the field of bullying. First, there is a lack of a common definition of bullying, making it difficult to compare results across studies. Second, some researchers use one-item measures of bullying, a practice that lacks content validity and fails to assess the entire scope of the bullying dynamic. Third, many measures fail to assess all forms of bullying. Fourth, researchers often fail to provide a definition of bullying or to even include the word “bullying” in their measures, thus conflating the measurement of bullying and aggression. Finally, most scales measure the prevalence of bullying and fail to assess the motivations for bullying or reasons why youth are bullied or bully others. The current article provides an overview of these five weaknesses present in bullying research, presents possible solutions, and discusses implications for school personnel.
Dual-Data Rate Transpose-Memory Architecture Improves the Performance, Power and Area of Signal-Processing Systems

This paper presents a novel type of high-speed and area-efficient register-based transpose memory architecture enabled by reporting on both edges of the clock. The proposed new architecture, by using the double-edge triggered registers, doubles the throughput and increases the maximum frequency by avoiding some of the combinational circuit used in prior work. The proposed design is evaluated with both FPGA and ASIC flow in 28/32nm technology. The experimental results show that the proposed memory achieves almost 4X improvement in throughput while consuming 46 % less area with the FPGA implementations compared to prior work. For ASIC implementations, it achieves more than 60 % area reduction and at least 2X performance improvement while burning 60 % less power compared to other register-based designs implemented with the same flow. As an example, a proposed 8X8 transpose memory with 12-bit input/output resolution is able to achieve a throughput of 107.83Gbps at 647MHz by taking only 140 slices on a Virtex-7 Xilinx FPGA platform, and achieve a throughput of 88.2Gbps at 529MHz by taking 0.024mm 2 silicon area for ASIC. The proposed transpose memory is integrated in both 2D-DCT and 2D-IDCT blocks for signal processing applications on the same FPGA platform. The new architecture allows a 3.5X speed-up in performance for the 2D-DCT algorithm, compared to the previous work, while consuming 28 % less area, and 2D-IDCT achieves a 3X speed-up while consuming 20 % less area.
James Baldwin: Biographical Dispatches on a Freedom Writer

This essay presents the idea of James Baldwin as a freedom writer, the organizing idea of my biography in progress. As a freedom writer, Baldwin was a revolutionary intellectual, an essayist and novelist committed unfailingly to the realization of racial justice, interracial political equality, and economic democracy. While the book is still in process, this short essay narrates autobiographically how I came to meet and know Baldwin’s work, explains in critical fashion my work in relation to existing biographies, and reflects interpretively my thoughts-in- progress on this fascinating and captivating figure of immense historical and social consequence.
Array-Level Analysis of Magneto-Electric Random-Access Memory for High-Performance Embedded Applications

An array-level evaluation of magneto-electric random-access memory (MeRAM) is conducted by comparing its performance with that of other embedded technologies. We consider MeRAM cells with one transistor and one magnetic tunnel junction (1T-1MTJ) structure, where writing of the two-terminal MTJ bit is performed by precessional reorientation of the magnetization via voltage control of the magnetic anisotropy. We consider an accurate resistance-capacitance load on the critical path by including capacitive and resistive effects on the bit lines, word lines, and source lines, because the access time and energy consumption are strongly affected by the parasitics. We then estimate the write access time, read access time, write energy, and area of each memory technology based on 28 nm complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor model parameters under two different conditions: (i) fixed array capacity ( $\mathsf {512} \mathsf \,{\times}\, \mathsf {512}\;{\mathsf{bits}}\, =\, \mathsf {256}\;{\mathsf{Kbits}}$ ) and (ii) fixed array area $(\mathsf{200}\ \;{\mathsf{\mu m}}\, \times\, \mathsf{200}\ \;{\mathsf{\mu m}})$ . We discuss the tradeoffs and advantages of MeRAM compared to embedded SRAM, embedded DRAM (eDRAM), stand-alone DRAM, and embedded spin-transfer torque magnetic random-access memory.
Method for Highly Enantioselective Ligation of Two Chiral C(sp3) Stereocenters.

A method is described for the joining of two α-lithiated C(sp3) stereocenters efficiently and with retention of configuration. The key step involves the effective removal of two electrons from a chiral organocuprate R2CuLi, by i-propyl 2,4-dinitrobenzoate to form a Cu(III) complex that undergoes at −90 °C accelerated reductive elimination enantioselectively and exclusively without the formation of free radicals.
Stories in the making: Celebrating people and places

AbstractThe Tale of Thomas Burberry is a fascinating case study of film-induced tourism. Created to celebrate the life of Thomas Burberry, the founder of the Burberry brand, this short festive film also tells the story of several famous British heroes who lived during the first half of the twentieth century. Their lives transport spectators around the world. Ultimately, they serve as an incentive to travel tourism.
Transcriptome and functional analysis in a Drosophila model of NGLY1 deficiency provides insight into therapeutic approaches

Autosomal recessive loss-of-function mutations in N-glycanase 1 (NGLY1) cause NGLY1 deficiency, the only known human disease of deglycosylation. Patients present with developmental delay, movement disorder, seizures, liver dysfunction and alacrima. NGLY1 is a conserved cytoplasmic component of the Endoplasmic Reticulum Associated Degradation (ERAD) pathway. ERAD clears misfolded proteins from the ER lumen. However, it is unclear how loss of NGLY1 function impacts ERAD and other cellular processes and results in the constellation of problems associated with NGLY1 deficiency. To understand how loss of NGLY1 contributes to disease, we developed a Drosophila model of NGLY1 deficiency. Loss of NGLY1 function resulted in developmental delay and lethality. We used RNAseq to determine which processes are misregulated in the absence of NGLY1. Transcriptome analysis showed no evidence of ER stress upon NGLY1 knockdown. However, loss of NGLY1 resulted in a strong signature of NRF1 dysfunction among downregulated genes, as evidenced by an enrichment of genes encoding proteasome components and proteins involved in oxidation-reduction. A number of transcriptome changes also suggested potential therapeutic interventions, including dysregulation of GlcNAc synthesis and upregulation of the heat shock response. We show that increasing the function of both pathways rescues lethality. Together, transcriptome analysis in a Drosophila model of NGLY1 deficiency provides insight into potential therapeutic approaches.