cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Lasers for Non-melanoma Skin Cancers

According to the most recent incidence data, approximately 3.5 million cases of non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC) are diagnosed each year, affecting 2.1 million people in the United States alone (Rogers et al., Arch Dermatol 146:283–287, 2010). Basal cell carcinoma (BCC), squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), and squamous cell carcinoma in situ (SCCIS) represent the overwhelming majority of NMSCs, with BCC and its subtypes being the most common malignancy affecting Caucasians (Rogers et al., Arch Dermatol 146:283–287, 2010). Traditional treatments of NMSCs include standard excision, Mohs micrographic surgery, curettage and electrodessication (C&E), cryotherapy, radiotherapy, and topical cytotoxic therapy (e.g. fluorouracil). Some patients, especially those with multiple lesions, may not be amenable to several destructive or surgical interventions due to multiple comorbidities or fear of disfigurement, while others may be unable to tolerate the inflammatory side effects of topical preparations. A less invasive modality with fewer adverse effects and comparable efficacy is needed in certain patient populations, and to this end, lasers have shown great promise in carefully selected patients. This chapter will address the indications, procedural techniques, pre-operative and post-operative considerations as well as the prevention and management of complications when using lasers for the treatment of skin cancer.
Application of a pharmacokinetic model of metformin clearance in a population with acute myeloid leukemia

Objective: We aimed to estimate the metformin-associated lactic acidosis (MALA) risk by assessing retrospectively the renal clearance variability and applying a pharmacokinetic (PK) model of metformin clearance in a population diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and diabetes mellitus (DM). Methods: All adults with preexisting DM and newly diagnosed AML at Roswell Park Cancer Institute were reviewed (January 2003–December 2010, n = 78). Creatinine clearance (CrCl) and total body weight distributions were used in a two-compartment PK model adapted for multiple dosing and modified to account for actual intra- and inter-individual variability. Based on this renal function variability evidence, 1000 PK profiles were simulated for multiple metformin regimens with the resultant PK profiles being assessed for safe CrCl thresholds. Findings: Metformin 500 mg up to three times daily was safe for all simulated profiles with CrCl ≥25 mL/min. Furthermore, the estimated overall MALA risk was below 10%, remaining under 5% for 500 mg given once daily. CrCl ≥65.25 mL/min was safe for administration in any of the tested regimens (500 mg or 850 mg up to three times daily or 1000 mg up to twice daily). Conclusion: PK simulation-guided prescribing can maximize metformin's beneficial effects on cancer outcomes while minimizing MALA risk.
When Less is More: Cultivating a Community in Relationship with God

AbstractWhat does it look like to cultivate a community in right relationship with God? In taking the focus off individual members and placing it on the community itself, we recognize that the whole of a university is greater than the sum of its parts, and that individual parts are repeatedly and continually shaped and defined by the whole. Being in right relationship with God begins with acknowledging our longings to be loved, to be known, and to belong in ways encouraging us to put ourselves intentionally and consistently in God’s gaze of love. Coming before God empty-handed and agenda-less, rather than starting another discipleship program or Bible Study, helps us lean into God’s love already at work—common grace. Gratitude flows from opening our eyes to the wonder of God’s sustaining love active around us. As we gaze at God, who is gazing at us, we are transformed—saved from envy, pettiness, selfishness, and sense of entitlement. Transformation begins with grace, where the response is a gratitude that...
Secure Software by Design

Based on the calculated cost of a lost record, Yahoo, who “lost” 3 billion records, would be in debt for 450 BILLION DOLLARS. What drives organizations to seek better methods to protect data? The cost of losing data can be high, and it will get higher. Large organizations are able to withstand the malware onslaught, small and mid-size companies have 50-50 chance of remaining in business. To reduce the damage caused by malware, organizations are investing in technology and research. Current research in supervised machine learning is promising. Small and mid-sized companies do not have security professionals to maintain and monitor them. Another area of research is “Honeypots” and “Red Flags”. These techniques may work in espionage, but “white hat testers” demonstrate that these traps are recognized and avoided. Organizations guilty of a data breach, even with clear evidence of negligence are seldom prosecuted. It is very rare that civil or criminal charges are brought against those negligent of reasonable efforts. Can the current environment change? New technologies will eventually be available for small and mid-sized organizations. Laws are changing to make senior management culpable for negligence in protecting sensitive data. Organizations need another way to protect against a data breach. An alternate, and easier strategy for fighting malware is to write software more difficult to hack. This research is identifying how current software practices, lessons learned from malware software, and a novel method to identify critical code, can reduce successful malware attacks. The objective of the research is to search for and identify critical sections in code that should be modified for reducing vulnerabilities. The critical application logic is identified and alternate designs are implemented making it more difficult for the malware author to locate and modify. This research examines easy processes to learn and apply. The work is applicable for all organization, but the existing focus is on helping small and mid-sized organizations. A goal is to reduce the complexity in designing more secure software. The primary considerations are that there are only small additional burdens on software designers and that management sees business value for supporting and requiring more secure software. Because small and mid-sized organizations are more tightly integrated into the supply chain, it the in the interest of large organization, government agencies and the public that these small and mid-sized organizations create more secure software. With an increasing shortage of cyber security professionals, the short-term alternative is to better train software developers for designing more secure software.
Performance evaluation of disposable inhalable aerosol sampler at a copper electrorefinery.

AbstractThis study evaluates the performance of the disposable inhalable aerosol sampler (DIAS), a new sampler developed to be more cost-effective than the traditional inhalable particle samplers a...
Reframing teacher knowledge: a research and development agenda

This article undertakes a reframing of the concept of teacher knowledge. It argues that in order to help teachers create more powerful learning environments, a much more general framing is required—one that incorporates a teacher’s perceptions, inclinations and orientations as well as their understandings and related proficiencies. A main point of departure is the Teaching for Robust Understanding (TRU) framework, which focuses on essential dimensions of classroom practice. Questions of teacher knowledge are reframed as: “How can we reconceptualize teacher knowledge (perhaps better, teacher proficiency) so that it encompasses the broad range of perceptions, orientations, understandings and proficiencies that support teachers in crafting learning environments from which students emerge as knowledgeable, flexible, and resourceful thinkers and problem solvers? How can it be organized so that it can be worked on productively? This paper explores these issues. It employs the TRU framework as the initial mechanism for reframing, while drawing on Schoenfeld’s (How we think. Routledge, New York, 2010) work on teachers’ decision making and Schoenfeld and Kilpatrick’s (International handbook of mathematics teacher education, volume 2: tools and processes in mathematics teacher education. Sense Publishers, Rotterdam, pp 321–354, 2008) work on teacher proficiency to suggest what should be included in an expanded framing of teacher knowledge.
Economic assessment of commercial-scale Edwardsiella ictaluri vaccine trials in U.S. catfish industry

Enteric Septicemia of Catfish (ESC) is a ruinous bacterial disease affecting the U.S. catfish industry. Previous attempts to develop ESC vaccines have failed to achieve industry acceptance, largely...
Demographic Gaps or Preparation Gaps?: The Large Impact of Incoming Preparation on Performance of Students in Introductory Physics.

The level and pace of introductory physics is often targeted towards the better prepared students; adjusting the course level to better match the preparation of less prepared students might improve their performance while having minimal impact on the learning of the best prepared.
Classification Based Diagnosis:: Integrating Partial Knowledge of the Physical System

Machine learning methods based on classifiers are more robust to system complexity, but they ignore the relations that exist in the data due to the physical laws governing the behavior of the system. In this paper we discuss how (partial) knowledge about the physical system can be integrated in the machine learning process. We focus on classification based diagnosis. We show how the partially known model is integrated in the classification algorithm, and how the new algorithm differs from a machine learning classifier based on neural networks. We demonstrate that by integrating the partial system knowledge, the cross-entropy optimization problem used for learning a classifier can be expressed as a set of regression problems in terms of the parameters of the model representing the unknown behavior, followed by a simpler classifier learning. We showcase our approach when diagnosis faults for a rail switch system.
Cell Cycle Regulation by Iron: Novel Approaches to Mantle Cell Lymphoma Therapy.

Abstract Abstract 2515 Poster Board II-492 Mantle cell lymphoma is a well defined subtype of B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma characterized by a translocation that juxtaposes the BCL1 gene on chromosome 11q13 (which encodes cyclin D1) next to the immunoglobulin heavy chain gene promoter on chromosome 14q32. The result is constitutive overexpression of cyclin D1 (CD1) resulting in deregulation of the cell cycle and activation of cell survival mechanisms. There are no “standard” treatments for MCL. Despite response rates to many chemotherapy regimens of 50% to 70%, the disease typically progresses after treatment, with a median survival time of approximately 3-4 years. Mantle cell lymphoma represents a small portion of malignant lymphomas, but it accounts for a disproportionately large percentage of lymphoma-related mortality. Novel therapeutic approaches are needed. In 2007, Nurtjaha-Tjendraputra described how iron chelation causes post-translational degradation of cyclin D1 via von Hippel Lindau protein-independent ubiquitinization and subsequent proteasomal degradation (1). Nurtjaha-Tjendraputra demonstrated that iron chelation inhibits cell cycle progression and induces apoptosis via proteosomal degradation of cyclin D1 in various cell lines, including breast cancer, renal carcinoma, neuroepithelioma and melanoma. Our preliminary data show similar findings in mantle cell lymphoma. To establish whether iron chelation can selectively inhibit and promote apoptosis in mantle cell derived cell lines, the human MCL cell lines Jeko-1, Mino, Granta and Hb-12; the Diffuse Large B cell lymphoma line SUDHL-6; and the Burkitt's Lymphoma lines BL-41 and DG75 were grown with media only, with two different iron chelators (deferoxamine (DFO) and deferasirox) at various concentrations (10, 20, 40, 100 and 250 μM), and with DMSO as an appropriate vehicle control. Cells were harvested at 24, 48 and 72 hours. For detection of apoptotic cells, cell-surface staining was performed with FITC-labeled anti–Annexin V antibody and PI (BD Pharmingen, San Diego, CA). Cell growth was analyzed using the Promega MTS cytotoxicity assay. CD1 protein levels were assessed using standard Western blot techniques. At 24, 48 and 72 hours of incubation with iron chelators, the mantle cell lymphoma cell lines showed significantly increased rates of apoptosis compared to the non-mantle cell lymphoma cell lines (p Blood 109(9): 4045–54. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
Effects of Fact-Checking Political Misinformation on Perceptual Accuracy and Epistemic Political Efficacy:

Numerous studies have shown fact-checks can debunk misinformation and improve perceptions of reality surrounding a specific political issue. We examine whether fact-checks might also boost epistemi...
Inhibition of Neutrophil Primary Granule Release during Yersinia pestis Pulmonary Infection.

ABSTRACT Inhalation of Yersinia pestis causes primary pneumonic plague, the most severe manifestation of plague that is characterized by a dramatic neutrophil influx to the lungs. Neutrophils are ineffective during primary pneumonic plague, failing to control Y. pestis growth in the airways. However, the mechanisms by which Y. pestis resists neutrophil killing are incompletely understood. Here, we show that Y. pestis inhibits neutrophil degranulation, an important line of host innate immune defense. We observed that neutrophils from the lungs of mice infected intranasally with Y. pestis fail to release primary granules throughout the course of disease. Using a type III secretion system (T3SS) injection reporter strain, we determined that Y. pestis directly inhibits neutrophil granule release by a T3SS-dependent mechanism. Combinatorial mutant analysis revealed that a Y. pestis strain lacking both effectors YopE and YopH did not inhibit primary granule release and is killed by neutrophils both in vivo and in vitro. Similarly, Y. pestis strains injecting only YopE or YopH are able to inhibit the majority of primary granule release from human neutrophils. We determined that YopE and YopH block Rac2 activation and calcium flux, respectively, to inhibit neutrophil primary granule release in isolated human neutrophils. These results demonstrate that Y. pestis coordinates the inhibition of neutrophil primary granule release through the activities of two distinct effectors, and this inhibition promotes Y. pestis survival during primary pneumonic plague. IMPORTANCEYersinia pestis is the causative agent of plague and is one of the deadliest human pathogens. The pneumonic form of Y. pestis infection has played a critical role in the severity of both historical and modern plague outbreaks, yet the host-pathogen interactions that govern the lethality of Yersinia pestis pulmonary infections are incompletely understood. Here, we report that Yersinia pestis inhibits neutrophil degranulation during infection, rendering neutrophils ineffective and allowing unrestricted growth of Y. pestis in the lungs. This coordinated inhibition of granule release not only demonstrates the pathogenic benefit of “silencing” lung neutrophils but also reveals specific host processes and pathways that could be manipulated to reduce the severity of primary pneumonic plague.
Geographic and Specialty Access Disparities in US Pediatric Leukodystrophy Diagnosis.

Objective To examine disparities in the diagnosis of leukodystrophies including geographic factors and access to specialty centers. Study design Retrospective cohort study of pediatric patients admitted to Pediatric Health Information System hospitals. Patients with leukodystrophy were identified with International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision, Clinical Modification diagnostic codes for any of 4 leukodystrophies (X-linked adrenoleukodystrophy, Hurler disease, Krabbe disease, and metachromatic leukodystrophy). We used 3-level hierarchical generalized logistic modeling to predict diagnosis of a leukodystrophy based on distance traveled for hospital, neighborhood composition, urban/rural context, and access to specialty center. Results We identified 501 patients with leukodystrophy. Patients seen at a leukodystrophy center of excellence hospital were 1.73 times more likely to be diagnosed than patients at non-center of excellence hospitals. Patients who traveled farther were more likely to be diagnosed than those who traveled shorter. Patients living in a Health Professionals Shortage Area zip code were 0.86 times less likely to be diagnosed than those living in a non-Health Professionals Shortage Area zip code. Conclusions Geographic factors affect the diagnosis of leukodystrophies in pediatric patients, particularly in regard to access to a center with expertise in leukodystrophies. Our findings suggest a need for improving access to pediatric specialists and possibly deploying specialists or diagnostic testing more broadly.
Review of Nonmammary Metastases to the Breast: Imaging and Clinical Presentation.

Objectives The purpose of our study is to review the imaging findings of breast metastases from nonmammary sources at our institution and to explore the mode of initial detection of these breast metastases. Methods In this study, we reviewed our electronic medical record and our breast imaging database for all patients who presented with nonmammary metastases to breasts between 5/1/2009 and 12/1/2019. We reviewed all available imaging data, clinical notes, and pathology reports. Results Sixteen cases of nonmammary metastases to the breast were included in this study, of which there were 4 (25%) metastases from melanoma, 3 (19%) from carcinoid tumor, 2 (13%) from lung cancer, 2 (13%) from leiomyosarcoma, 1 (6%) each from lipsarcoma, renal cell carcinoma, colon cancer, neuroendocrine tumor, and adenoid cystic carcinoma. 6/8 (75%) lesions that had breast imaging were oval in shape with circumscribed or microlobulated margins on mammography and/or ultrasound. 13/16 (81%) breast metastases were asymptomatic and diagnosed on systemic staging exams. Three out of 16 (19%) nonmammary breast metastases were palpable and were diagnosed on subsequent breast imaging. Conclusions Most (25%) nonmammary breast metastases in our patient population occur from melanoma and most breast metastases (75%) are oval in shape with circumscribed or microlobulated margins. Majority (81%) of these lesions are asymptomatic and initially diagnosed on systemic staging tests, and the remaining are discovered as palpable lesions.
The World’s Use of Electoral Districts

An electoral district is a geographically-defined area from which voting members of the national legislature are elected, usually by the resident voters of that electoral district. Virtually every nation uses electoral districts as part of its election system. Chapter 7 discusses those few nations that elect all members of the national legislature nationwide.
Glucose restriction drives spatial re-organization of mevalonate metabolism and liquid-crystalline lipid droplet biogenesis

Abstract Eukaryotes compartmentalize metabolic pathways into sub-cellular domains, but the role of inter-organelle contacts in organizing metabolic reactions remains poorly understood. Here, we show that in response to acute glucose restriction (AGR) yeast undergo metabolic remodeling of their mevalonate pathway that is spatially coordinated at nucleus-vacuole junctions (NVJs). The NVJ serves as a metabolic platform by selectively retaining HMG-CoA Reductases (HMGCRs), driving mevalonate pathway flux in an Upc2-dependent manner. AGR-induced HMGCR compartmentalization enhances mevalonate metabolism and sterol-ester biosynthesis that generates lipid droplets (LDs) with liquid-crystalline sub-architecture. Loss of NVJ-dependent HMGCR partitioning affects yeast growth, but can be bypassed by artificially multimerizing HMGCRs, indicating NVJ compartmentalization enhances mevalonate pathway flux by promoting HMGCR inter-enzyme associations. We propose a non-canonical mechanism regulating mevalonate metabolism via the spatial compartmentalization of rate-limiting HMGCR enzymes, and reveal that AGR creates LDs with remarkable phase transition properties. One Sentence Summary Spatial compartmentalization of HMG-CoA Reductases at ER-lysosome contacts modulates mevalonate pathway flux
Reseña de Los 43 de iguala. México: verdad y reto de los estudiantes desaparecidos, de Sergio González Rodríguez

The controversial case of the 43 missing normalists from Ayotzinapa was news that reached the international arena. The media of information, on the other hand, have given attention and attention to this community oppressed by an authoritarian and representative system. The book Los 43 de Iguala. Mexico: verdad y reto de los estudiantes desaparecidos of Sergio Gonzalez Rodriguez (1950-2017) published by Anagrama, Barcelona (2015) delves into the tragedy. Gonzalez Rodriguez's investigative work speaks for itself; his previous research, Huesos en el desierto (2010), denotes not only the familiarity about the social problems that directly affect Mexico, but also the importance of the research topics that he has carried out.
Recent advances in understanding the biological roles of the plant nuclear envelope

The functional organization of the plant nuclear envelope is gaining increasing attention through new connections made between nuclear envelope-associated proteins and important plant biological processes. Animal nuclear envelope proteins play roles in nuclear morphology, nuclear anchoring and movement, chromatin tethering and mechanical signaling. However, how these roles translate to functionality in a broader biological context is often not well understood. A surprising number of plant nuclear envelope-associated proteins are plant-unique, suggesting that separate functionalities evolved after the split of Opisthokonta and Streptophyta. Significant progress has now been made in discovering broader biological roles of plant nuclear envelope proteins, increasing the number of known plant nuclear envelope proteins, and connecting known proteins to chromatin organization, gene expression, and the regulation of nuclear calcium. The interaction of viruses with the plant nuclear envelope is another emerging theme. Here, we survey the recent developments in this still relatively new, yet rapidly advancing field.
Effective Use of Accessory Radiation Shielding Devices in Fluoroscopy.

The effectiveness of commercially available radiation protection devices for operators performing fluoroscopically guided interventional procedures is variable, and information regarding device use...
Potato injury risk and weed control from reduced rates of PPO-inhibiting herbicides

The ability to use the protoporphyrinogen oxidase (PPO)-inhibiting herbicides fomesafen, flumioxazin, and sulfentrazone in potato is limited regionally or by soil texture, largely because of crop injury noted in research in the 1990s. With that in mind, we evaluated whether reducing the herbicide rates could maintain weed control while providing more consistent crop safety. Studies were conducted on a silt loam and a coarse-textured loamy sand soil. Soil texture played a greater than anticipated role in PPO-inhibitor herbicide injury risk as it relates to high-precipitation events. For example, in 2020 at the silt loam location, there were five precipitation events across the season that exceeded 2.5 cm, including one 6 d after treatment (DAT), and a seasonal total precipitation that was over 10 cm greater than the previous year. Despite excessive moisture and initial potato injury as high as 27% where flumioxazin was applied at the high rate with S-metolachlor, by 29 DAT injury was less than 10% in all treatments, and marketable tuber yield was similar among treatments. In contrast, in 2020 at the loamy sand location, there were four precipitation events across the season that exceeded 2.5 cm, and potato injury was as much as 60%. In 2020 the high amount of injury from flumioxazin was hypothesized to be caused by precipitation before herbicide application and not after, suggesting a need for more research in this area. This work documents the fine line between yield reduction presumably caused by reduced weed control and yield reduction assumed to be related to herbicide injury. This delineation between adequate weed control and consistent crop safety may differ by soil texture and environmental conditions, supporting the notion that custom-tailored weed management may become more necessary as high-precipitation events become more common in upper midwestern U.S. agricultural systems.
Survivorship Rights in Joint Bank Accounts: A Misbegotten Presumption of Intent

The Article addresses the frequently litigated issue of the ownership of joint bank accounts that elderly people may have opened to protect against incapacity or to avoid FDIC insurance limits on single accounts. Despite the strong possibility of these nondonative motives, most states — by statute or court decision — award the accounts to the surviving co-tenants instead of the depositors’ heirs or will beneficiaries. This occurs even when the account contract did not contain language of survivorship and even when there is no evidence that the depositor was offered a contract that would have allowed him or her to choose an agency arrangement. The author argues that these presumptions in favor of survivorship rights exist because of a faulty analogy to other will substitutes such as life insurance, where donative intent is clear. The author also examines the few statutory account forms that purport to allow depositors to express various intents. These forms are hopelessly complex for a depositor without legal training and propose a simpler deposit account agreement that would allow a depositor to clearly indicate whether donative intent exists.
Humoral responses to SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccines: Role of past infection.

Two mRNA vaccines (BNT162b2 and mRNA-1273) against severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) are globally authorized as a two-dose regimen. Understanding the magnitude and duration of protective immune responses is vital to curbing the pandemic. We enrolled 461 high-risk health services workers at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and first responders in the Los Angeles County Fire Department (LACoFD) to assess the humoral responses in previously infected (PI) and infection naive (NPI) individuals to mRNA-based vaccines (BNT162b2/Pfizer- BioNTech or mRNA-1273/Moderna). A chemiluminescent microparticle immunoassay was used to detect antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 Spike in vaccinees prior to (n = 21) and following each vaccine dose (n = 246 following dose 1 and n = 315 following dose 2), and at days 31-60 (n = 110) and 61-90 (n = 190) following completion of the 2-dose series. Both vaccines induced robust antibody responses in all immunocompetent individuals. Previously infected individuals achieved higher median peak titers (p = 0.002) and had a slower rate of decay (p = 0.047) than infection-naive individuals. mRNA-1273 vaccinated infection-naive individuals demonstrated modestly higher titers following each dose (p = 0.005 and p = 0.029, respectively) and slower rates of antibody decay (p = 0.003) than those who received BNT162b2. A subset of previously infected individuals (25%) required both doses in order to reach peak antibody titers. The biologic significance of the differences between previously infected individuals and between the mRNA-1273 and BNT162b2 vaccines remains uncertain, but may have important implications for booster strategies.
Communicating Social Support

When stresses and hassles challenge our abilities to cope, we frequently turn to family, friends, and partners for help. Yet social support from close relational partners does not uniformly benefit recipients or their relationships. By probing the communication processes that link enactments of social support to participants' reactions, this book provides new explanations for when and how receiving social support will be evaluated as helpful and relationally satisfying. The author's research addresses a variety of types of relationships and stresses, including young adult friends and romantic partners coping with the stresses of university life; adult friends, family and spouses responding to everyday hassles' and married couples coping with chronic health conditions. This innovative program of research combines qualitative and quantitative methods to develop a distinctive communication-based framework for understanding why the content, form, style, and sequence of talk matter for our evaluations of the help we receive from others.
Building and installing a Beowulf cluster

Budget limitations restrict a university's attempt to build and maintain a Beowulf distributed parallel processing cluster. This paper will outline how a state-funded regional university, Eastern Washington University, built and installed a distributed processing cluster. The goal of this paper is to outline some common mistakes or obvious roadblocks so others may take advantage of the power of distributed processing while maintain a minimal cost.
Inactivation of gerbil-cultured Giardia lamblia cysts by free chlorine.

Giardia lamblia cysts were harvested from Mongolian gerbils and exposed to free chlorine in buffered water at pH 5, 7, and 9 at 15 degrees C. The contact times required to obtain a 2-log reduction in cyst survival (i.e., a 99% kill) were interpolated from survival curves generated at fixed concentrations of chlorine in the range of 0.25 to about 16 mg/liter. Concentration-time (C.t') products for 99% inactivation ranged from about 120 to nearly 1,500 mg.min/liter. These values are higher than those reported previously for free chlorine using G. lamblia cysts from infected humans. The cysts isolated from gerbils, as with other Giardia cysts, were unusually sensitive to chlorine in alkaline solutions.
Identification of EFIV, a stable factor present in many avian cell types that transactivates sequences in the 5′ portion of the rous sarcoma virus long terminal repeat enhancer

We define a protein complex present in avian nuclear extracts that interacts with the Schmidt-Ruppin strain of the Rous sarcoma virus (RSV) long terminal repeat (LTR) between positions -197 and -168 relative to the transcriptional start site. We call this complex EFIV and demonstrate that the EFIV protein(s) is present in several avian cell types examined, including B cells (S13 and DT40), T cells (MSB), and chicken embryo fibroblasts. We also report that the EFIV binding site activates transcription of reporter constructs after transfection into avian B cells and chicken embryo fibroblasts, demonstrating that the EFIV region constitutes a functional transactivator sequence. By chemical interference footprinting and mutational analyses we define the EFIV binding site as including the sequence GCAACATG, which is present in two copies between positions -197 and -168, as well as sequences that lie between the two repeats. Electrophoretic mobility shift competition experiments suggest that the EFIV protein(s) may be related to members of the CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein family of transcription factors that interact with different regions of the RSV and the avian leukosis virus (ALV) LTRs. However, as defined by differences in sensitivity to protein synthesis inhibitors and footprinting patterns, EFIV is clearly distinct from these previously defined LTR binding factors. In addition, the finding that EFIV binding activity is stable in B cells indicates either that the lability of all 5' LTR binding activities is not required for B-cell transformation by the ALV/RSV family of viruses or that nonacute transforming viruses that include an RSV LTR may use a mechanism to effect cellular transformation different from that proposed for ALV.
Performance evaluation of AODV & DSR for wireless sensor networks

This paper evaluates the performance of two prominent on-demand routing protocols, which are Dynamic Source Routing (DSR) and Ad Hoc On-Demand Distance Vector Routing (AODV) for wireless sensor networks. Results obtained from simulations demonstrates that even though DSR and AODV share a similar on-demand behavior, the differences in the protocol mechanics can lead to significant performance differentials. The performance differentials are analyzed using varying network load and network size. Tiny Operating System (TinyOS) is used as a platform for simulating AODV & DSR under various conditions. TinyOS is free software and is designed specially for wireless sensor networks. Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) are characterized by multi-hop wireless connectivity, frequently changing network topology and the need for efficient dynamic routing protocols.
Differences in population structure estimated within maternally‐ and paternally‐inherited forms of mitochondria in Lampsilis siliquoidea (Bivalvia: Unionidae)

Mussels in several orders possess two separate mitochondrial lineages: a standard female-inherited form and one inherited only through males. This system of doubly uniparental inheritance (DUI) for mitochondrial genes provides an opportunity to compare the population structure of gene-lineages passed either mother-to-daughter or father-to-son. In the present study, we contrast variation in the male and female haplotype lineages of the American freshwater mussel species, Lampsilis siliquoidea (sometimes called Lampsilis radiata luteola), throughout the Lake Erie, Ohio River, and upper Mississippi River watersheds, and contrast variation with the sequences obtained for the related species/subspecies Lampsilis radiata radiata from Maine. The genetic markers were fragments of the cytochrome c oxidase subunit I gene (COI), which occurs in both mitochondrial types, F (female) and M (male). High haplotype diversity was found in the two independent lineages, although purifying selection against amino acid change appeared to be stronger in the female than the male lineage. Phylogeographical patterns also varied between mitochondria passing through females and males. The female lineage exhibited more population structure, with the occurrence of private or nearly-private haplotypes within two streams, and three others showed restricted haplotype distributions. By contrast to the F-haplotypes, complex phylogenetic structure occurred for M-haplotypes, yet this phylogenetic variation coincided with almost no geographical pattern within haplotypes. Basically, F-haplotypes showed isolation, especially above physical barriers, whereas M-haplotypes did not. A few individuals in the eastern Lake Erie watershed even possessed M-haplotypes of an Atlantic Slope (L. radiata radiata) origin, although their F-haplotypes were typical of Midwestern L. siliquoidea. The finding that mussels package sperm as spermatozuegmata, which float downstream, may underlie greater gene mobility in male-inherited mitochondria. © 2013 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2013, 109, 229–240.
Influence of H+ Ca++, and Mn++ on the development of amylase in the endosperm of several sorghum cultivars 1

Abstract Sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] seeds (Funks G522DR) were planted in ‘white quartz flintshot’ and watered with 0.01 M NaAc buffer at pH 4.0, 4.5, 5.0, 5.5, or 6.0 ± Ca++ (0, 10, 100 ppmw) or Mn++ (0, 1.4, 140.0 ppmw) and grown for seven days in a growth chamber. Endosperm amylase contents, quantitatively and qualitatively, were dependent upon the environmental conditions during germination. H+ concentration at pH 4.0 strongly induced a decrease in amylase activity which was relieved as the pH was raised to pH 6.0. Ca++ greatly increased endosperm amylase contents. Mn++ (1.4 ppmw) tended to increase endosperm amylase contents while Mn++ (140.0 ppmw) strongly decreased endosperm amylase content. In the cultivar SC283, endosperm amylase contents were nearly double those found in Funks G522DR while SC574 had, at most, one half the endosperm amylase content of Funks G522DR endosperm. Endosperm amylase contents of SC283 were pH tolerant while those of Funks G522DR and SC574 were highly pH sensiti...
Infants' sensitivity to arbitrary pairings of color and taste

Infants were familiarized with sweet and tart foods fed from distinctively colored cups. On a subsequent choice Vial, the infants consistently selected the color that had been paired with sweetness. The results indicate that infants can readily learn at least certain arbitrary bimodal correspondences, and they suggest the importance of motivational factors and biological significance in infant learning.
Thymosin β4 Accelerates Wound Healing

Angiogenesis is an essential step in the repair process that occurs after injury. In this study, we investigated whether the angiogenic thymic peptide thymosin β4 (Tβ4) enhanced wound healing in a rat full thickness wound model. Addition of Tβ4 topically or intraperitoneally increased reepithelialization by 42% over saline controls at 4 d and by as much as 61% at 7 d post-wounding. Treated wounds also contracted at least 11% more than controls by day 7. Increased collagen deposition and angiogenesis were observed in the treated wounds. We also found that Tβ4 stimulated keratinocyte migration in the Boyden chamber assay. After 4–5 h, migration was stimulated 2–3-fold over migration with medium alone when as little as 10 pg of Tβ4 was added to the assay. These results suggest that Tβ4 is a potent wound healing factor with multiple activities that may be useful in the clinic.
The decision tree classifier: Design and potential

This paper presents the basic concepts of a multistage classification strategy called the decision tree classifier. Two methods for designing decision trees are discussed and experimental results are reported. The relative advantages and disadvantages of each design method are considered. A spectrum of typical applications in remote sensing is noted.
Comparison of virulence of Mycobacteriurn avium complex (MAC) strains isolated from AIDS and non-AIDS patients

Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) strains from AIDS and non-AIDS patients and from the environment were studied for their colony morphology and virulence in beige mice. The majority of the MAC isolates from AIDS patients, in contrast to those from non-AIDS patients and the environment, showed increased virulence. Similarly, the majority of the MAC isolates from AIDS patients formed smooth transparent (ST) colonies, whereas most of the non-AIDS isolates formed smooth opaque (SO) or intermediate (IM) type of colonies. MAC isolates from the same AIDS patient obtained at different times were found to be heterogenic with respect to serotype, RFLP and glycolipid patterns, suggesting that these patients might be infected with more than one strain of MAC.
Effects of Laryngeal Cancer on Voice and Swallowing

Specific deficits that may be encountered as well as interventional strategies and evidence-based practice are discussed. When discussing the voice, it is important to consider that for many people the voice is not just a tool for communication, but also an identifying feature that allows expression of personality. Eating and swallowing are vital to life sustenance and also allow for a myriad of social interactions. Laryngeal cancer can have a dramatic impact on this delicately balanced system leading to disturbances of voice and swallowing.
Bleeding Colonic Diverticula A Reappraisal of Natural History and Management

Objective The study was undertaken to correct or reaffirm current recommendations based on old observations of doubtful validity because of their lack of routine colonoscopy, scintigraphy, or angiography. Background Patterns of bleeding were derived from transfusion records of 78 patients admitted 106 times for lower gastrointestinal bleeding with no detectable cause other than colon diverticula. Result Bleeding stopped spontaneously in 82 of 108 episodes and in 66 of 67 patients requiring less than four units of transfusion on any day. When four or more units were required in a day, 25 of 42 patients required emergency surgery. When a bleeding site was identified and removed, only 1 of 25 patients bled again from another divertculum. After discharge without surgery, 28 of 73 began to bled again. After “blind” colectomy and ileoproctostomy, four of seven patients developed leaks or abscesses, and two died. Conclusions Bleeding stopped spontaneously in 75% of episodes and in 99% of patients requiring less than four units of transfusion per day. Bleeding continued in 25% of episodes and in most patients who required four or more units per day. Bleeding sites of those patients who continued to bleed were shown by scintigraphy or angiography. When a bleeding diverticulum is removed, rebleeding is rare. “Blind” resection is unsafe.
Nanotechnology and diagnostics in the age of omics

High-throughput technologies driving anonymous discovery in various omic fields are being integrated into medical diagnostics. Nanoscale innovations in chip technology, detection capabilities, and molecular imaging provide both stand-alone applications and promise to improve sensitivity, resolution, and detection limits of current methodologies employing micron or larger scale techniques. However, characterisation of valid biomarkers and development of appropriate information technology infrastructure represent apparent bottlenecks for implementation of molecular diagnostics. This review will highlight various technologies at the micron and nano-scales with potential to change medical diagnostics, as well as discuss these potential implementation barriers and current initiatives to address them.
Survival or empowerment?: Crisis and temporary migration among the Serer Millet pounders of Senegal

Abstract Collective organizing has been identified in many settings as a mechanism for empowering women. Although the impetus to organize may come through women's efforts to meet survival (practical) needs, the act of organizing provides opportunities to become more aware of strategic needs (those related to power and choice). However, the potential for meeting strategic needs through women's organizations may not be straightforward and may be conditioned by other factors such as the links between women's organizations and features of local culture. This paper assesses the extent to which a millet pounders' collective in Dakar does or does not link survival strategies to empowerment for the rural migrants who are its members.
Adaptations to a pelagic life: Eggs of the albatross, shearwater and petrel

Abstract 1. 1. A single egg with a prolonged incubation time and a slow embryonic growth rate are characteristics unique to albatrosses, shearwaters, and petrels (Procellariiformes). 2. 2. The price that the Procellariiformes pay for the extended incubation time of their eggs is a greater total oxygen consumption per gram of egg. 3. 3. The greater total oxygen consumption requires a larger yolk, a higher caloric density of the egg, and a larger egg, and is seen mainly as the cost of maintenance energy of the embryo over the prolonged incubation period. 4. 4. In spite of the longer incubation time, the total diffusive water loss from the egg and the composition of air cell gas at the end of incubation are similar to those of other birds. This is achieved by a reduction in the pore density and shell conductance of the eggs.
Co-expression of soybean Dicer-like genes in response to stress and development

Regulation of gene transcription and post-transcriptional processes is critical for proper development, genome integrity, and stress responses in plants. Many genes involved in the key processes of transcriptional and post-transcriptional regulation have been well studied in model diploid organisms. However, gene and genome duplication may alter the function of the genes involved in these processes. To address this question, we assayed the stress-induced transcription patterns of duplicated gene pairs involved in RNAi and DNA methylation processes in the paleopolyploid soybean. Real-time quantitative PCR and Sequenom MassARRAY expression assays were used to profile the relative expression ratios of eight gene pairs across eight different biotic and abiotic stress conditions. The transcriptional responses to stress for genes involved in DNA methylation, RNAi processing, and miRNA processing were compared. The strongest evidence for pairwise co-expression in response to stresses was exhibited by non-paralogous Dicer-like (DCL) genes GmDCL2a-GmDCL3a and GmDCL1b-GmDCL2b, most profoundly in root tissues. Among homoeologous or paralogous DCL genes, the Dicer-like 2 (DCL2) gene pair exhibited the strongest response to stress and most conserved co-expression pattern. This was surprising because the DCL2 duplication event is more ancient than the other DCL duplications. Possible mechanisms that may be driving the DCL2 co-expression are discussed.
Biologic Therapies Targeting Eosinophils: Current Status and Future Prospects

The recent explosion in the number of biologic therapies in clinical development for the treatment of eosinophilic disorders is unprecedented. As these agents become available for clinical use, the selection of the most appropriate agent for a given patient will become increasingly complicated. The aims of this review were 2-fold: (1) to present the lessons learned from clinical trials using the first generation of eosinophil-targeted biologics (anti–IL-5 antibodies) and (2) to discuss the advantages and potential limitations of currently available and novel targeted therapies to treat eosinophilic disorders.
The Importance of Community in Academic Health Centers

Background: A strong sense of community in any organization, whether it is a small business or a large academic medical center, positively impacts on productivity, efficiency, and morale and makes for an enjoyable workplace. Striking a balance between institutional interests and those of the individual is an ongoing challenge that demands vigilance on the part of faculty and administrators. A faculty comprising self-absorbed individuals, no matter how accomplished they are, will eventually devolve into dysfunction. As the emphasis on extramural grants and clinical productivity has intensified in recent years, this balance has tilted in favor of individualism at the expense of student success and community spirit. Summary: This article examines factors that tend to undermine community and human behaviors that can counter these negative forces. Conclusions: If the various stakeholders in the academic health center—deans, chairpersons, faculty, students and staff—all take stock of their responsibilities and ...
Stereoscopic PIV Measurements of a Screeching Supersonic Jet

The effect of acoustic feed back on global flow response is illustrated through an example of a rectangular screeching jet operating at a nominal Mach number of 1.69. Using a stereoscopic Particle Image Velocimetry, the detailed flow characteristics within a screeching cycle are obtained with fidelity. To resolve the "bias" errors inherent with standard PIV image processing technique, a novel mesh-free and high spatial resolution scheme is implemented to yield accurate velocity measurements in a complex three-dimensional supersonic flow. The axis-switching phenomenon that arises due to unusual mixing enhancement in the minor axis plane of a rectangular jet is vividly displayed. Strong streamwise vortex structure in the jet shear layers, enhanced by the inherent instability of the shear layer, is reported.