cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A unified kinetic mechanism applicable to multiple DNA polymerases.

After extensive studies spanning over half a century, there is little consensus on the kinetic mechanism of DNA polymerases. Using stopped-flow fluorescence assays for mammalian DNA polymerase ‚ (Pol ‚), we have previously identified a fast fluorescence transition corresponding to conformational closing, and a slow fluorescence transition matching the rate of single-nucleotide incorporation. Here, by varying pH and buffer viscosity, we have decoupled the rate of single-nucleotide incorporation from the rate of the slow fluorescence transition, thus confirming our previous hypothesis that this transition represents a conformational event after chemistry, likely subdomain reopening. Analysis of an R258A mutant indicates that rotation of the Arg258 side chain is not rate-limiting in the overall kinetic pathway of Pol ‚, yet is kinetically significant in subdomain reopening. We have extended our kinetic analyses to a high-fidelity polymerase, Klenow fragment (KF), and a low-fidelity polymerase, African swine fever virus DNA polymerase X (Pol X), and showed that they follow the same kinetic mechanism as Pol ‚, while differing in relative rates of single-nucleotide incorporation and the putative conformational reopening. Our data suggest that the kinetic mechanism of Pol ‚ is not an exception among polymerases, and furthermore, its delineated kinetic mechanism lends itself as a platform for comparison of the kinetic properties of different DNA polymerases and their mutants.
Syntactic experiments with arrays of functions and operators

The syntactic binding hierarchy of Benkard is refined to produce a numeric table. This table has been used by Bunda and Gerth to implement a syntactic model of APL2. The model is extended to include new classes of objects and strands of objects other than data. Directions for syntactic development are suggested, tending toward a language which achieves flexibility by nesting simple levels in a remarkable parallel with nested arrays. Cautious experimentation with models such as this one is urged before firm extensions are made to the language.
Mosfet Scaling-the Driver of VLSI Technology

This is an introduction to the Classic Paper on MOSFET scaling by R. Dennard et al., Design of Ion-Implanted MOSFET's with Very Small Physical Dimensions,' published in the IEEE Journal of Solid-State Circuits in October 1974. The history of scaling and its application to very large scale integration (VLSI) MOSFET technology is traced from 1970 to 1998. The role of scaling in the profound improvements in power delay product over the last three decades is analyzed in basic terms.
20-Hydroxyeicosatetraenoic Acid and Angiotensin. A Positive Feedback System to Cause Hypertension

Arachidonic acid metabolites generated by cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes are now recognized as contributing importantly to vascular function and blood pressure regulation.1 CYP4A enzymes act as hydroxylases converting arachidonic acid to hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acids (HETEs), with 20-HETE being the major product. 20-HETE has both prohypertensive and antihypertensive actions depending on the specific CYP4A isoform expressed and its localization. 20-HETE generated by CYP4A and CYP4F enzymes in renal tubular cells will decrease sodium reabsorption to cause natriuresis and lower blood pressure.1,2 On the other hand, CYP4A2 is the rat hydroxylase primarily expressed in the vasculature, and increased CYP4A2 expression and 20-HETE generation may contribute to hypertension.1,3 The vascular actions of 20-HETE are consistent with it being prohypertensive. 20-HETE is a vasoconstrictor that increases sensitivity to other constrictors and can interfere with NO generation, resulting in increased reactive oxygen species.4–6 The report by Sodhi et al7 in this issue of Hypertension provides convincing evidence that the 20-HETE generated by …
Rapid diagnosis of sepsis using biomarker signatures

Diagnosis of sepsis is complicated by non-specific clinical definitions and delays in laboratory analysis using tests which may have very poor predictive values. The use of host biomarker signature sets, which when measured in combination have high predictive values, offers a paradigm shift forwards for rapid, near-patient diagnosis. These analyses more closely mirror the rapid blood chemistry and hematology analyses which often are used for near-patient testing and diagnosis.
Radiotherapy during pregnancy for clinical stages IA–IIA Hodgkin's disease

Between 1956 and 1990, 775 women were treated for Hodgkin's disease at The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. Of these, 25 (3.2%) were pregnant at diagnosis. Seven of these women were in the first trimester, 10 in the second, and eight in the third. Prior to treatment, three women in the third trimester had normal deliveries, and six patients in the first trimester had abortions. Sixteen patients received radiotherapy for supradiaphragmatic presentations during their pregnancies. All these patients had nodular sclerosing Hodgkin's disease: Two had clinical stage IA presentations and 14 had clinical stage IIA. In two patients radiotherapy (35 Gy) was limited to the neck, three patients were treated definitively to the neck and mediastinum (40 Gy), and 11 patients received mantle irradiation (40 Gy). Four to five half-value layers of lead were used to shield the uterus during radiotherapy. The dose to the fetus was estimated individually in nine patients, using a combination of an Alderson-Rando and a water phantom. The estimated total dose to the mid-fetus ranged from 1.4 to 5.5 cGy for treatment with 6 MV photons, and from 10 to 13.6 cGy for Cobalt 60. All 16 patients subsequently delivered full-term, normal infants. Following delivery, all of the patients had further staging procedures; eight received additional treatment. Subsequently, the disease relapsed in four patients; two eventually died of Hodgkin's disease. The 10-year determinant and overall survival rates were 83% and 71%, respectively. Currently, all offspring are physically and mentally normal, and none has developed a malignancy. Radiotherapy is an appropriate initial treatment for supradiaphragmatic presentations of Hodgkin's disease during the second and third trimesters of pregnancy, provided special attention is paid to treatment and shielding techniques. The outcome for women treated with irradiation for clinical stage I and II Hodgkin's disease during pregnancy has not been shown to be adversely affected by pregnancy, and after the first 8 weeks of gestation, the risk to the fetus appears to be minimal.
N,N-Dioctadecyl-N′,N′-Bis(2-Hydroxyethyl) Propanediamine: Antiviral Activity and Interferon Stimulation in Mice

Abstract CP-20,961, N,N-dioctadecyl-N′, N′-bis(2-hydroxyethyl)propanediamine, is an antiviral drug with low acute toxicity in mice. Parenteral injection of this compound protected mice against lethal infections with encephalomyocarditis and Semliki Forest viruses and effectively suppressed pox formation by vaccinia infection. Maximal antiviral effects were observed when CP-20,961 was administered 6 to 12 h before infection. An interferon detected in plasma 12 to 20 h after the drug was given appeared to mediate these effects. Comparison of the minimal effective and lethal doses in mice established a therapeutic index of 300.
A Virus isolated from Patients diagnosed as Non-Paralytic Poliomyelitis or Aseptic Meningitis.

SummaryThis paper reports the isolation of a filtrable virus from the feces of patients diagnosed either as non-paralytic poliomyelitis or aseptic meningitis and from 2 patients with “fever of unkn...
Enhancement of phosphor efficiency via composition modification.

The luminescence efficiency of Mn4+-doped CaAl12O19 (Mn:CAO) is significantly improved by composition modification. The leading mechanism that quenches the Mn4+ photoluminescence is the formation of Mn4+ pairs in the lattice of CaAl12O19 (CAO) with interstitial O2− for charge compensation. Mixing Mg2+ ions into the CAO lattice may form Mn4+-Mg2+ pairs and reduce the number of Mn4+ pairs, thus enhancing the Mn4+ luminescence efficiency by more than three times. It is shown that the presence of Mg2+ leads to formation of additional phases that also affect the optical properties of Mn4+.
National Forest Visitor Spending Averages and the Influence of Trip-Type and Recreation Activity

Estimates of national forest recreation visitor spending serve as inputs to regional economic analyses and help to identify the economic linkages between national forest recreation use and local forest communities. When completing recreation-related analyses, managers, planners, and researchers frequently think of visitors in terms of recreation activity. When completing recreation visitor spending analyses we argue that visitors should be segmented based primarily on the type of recreation trip taken. Using survey data collected as part of the US Forest Service National Visitor Use Monitoring program we examine the efficacy of trip-type segmentation relative to one based on recreation activity. We show that spending averages developed for activity groups without regard to trip type provide an incomplete picture of recreation visitor spending. Ultimately, trip type is shown to have a greater role in influencing the level of recreation visitor expenditures than recreation activity. Implications for national forest planning and management are discussed.
An empirical assessment of the dynamic capabilities–performance relationship

Abstract Despite a plethora of empirical studies on dynamic capabilities (DCs) and convergence in the literature about core theoretical tenets, the contribution of DCs to competitive advantage and firm performance remains unclear. In this study, we take stock of the empirical DC literature by conducting a systematic, vote-count assessment of the level of empirical support for the DC view. Our analysis shows that the DC view received 60% support in empirical testing, which is higher than a previous, similar examination of the resource-based view. However, results also point to substantive and methodological variability in the level of empirical support. Importantly, support levels differ depending on the type and nature of the DC, the type of performance metric employed, whether DCs were examined independently or in interaction with contextual or organizational variables, and research design characteristics. We discuss the implications of this empirical assessment for future research on DCs.
Partnering with a LGBT Legal Services Organization to Teach Analysis, Writing AndResearch

Nationwide, experiential learning is taking off as law schools continue to commit to producing practice-ready graduates. At Rutgers-Camden our lawyering faculty have developed innovative and collaborative skills programs steeped in the experiential model of learning. For example, Rutgers offers my hybrid writing clinic, Advanced Legal Writing: Community Based Practice. This class gives upper-level students the opportunity to perform research and writing for Philadelphia’s Mazzoni Center, which offers free legal services to low income members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered (LGBT) communities. As the legal market adapts to leaner economic times, Rutgers and its innovative lawyering curriculum stands ready to meet these challenges, and the school’s partnership with the Mazzoni Center will continue to offer students hands-on practical experience.
Proteins of four biologically distinct strains of Newcastle disease virus.

SummaryVirions of NDV show strain specific variation in the proportions of proteins which they contain.
Changes in Microbial Populations of WPC34 and WPC80 Whey Protein During Long-Term Storage

The effect of ambient relative humidity (70 and 90%, RH) and temperature and a 70 and 90% RH and temperatures (25, 30 and 35C) on microbial spoilage of whey protein concentrate (WPC34) and whey protein concentrate (WPC80) stored for up to 18 months were investigated. WPC34 and 80 were packaged in bags marked as standard (Std) and high performance (HP), and every 3 months changes in the behavior of aerobic mesophilic bacteria, yeast and mold and lipolytic bacteria were monitored. Initial populations of aerobic mesophilic bacteria in WPC80 and WPC34 averaged 2.7 and 1.6 log CFU/g, respectively. Yeast and mold populations of WPC34 in HP bags increased slightly during storage at 30 and 35C in a 70 and 90% RH, respectively, while lipolytic associated bacteria were not determined in the same samples. The pH of samples in all bags declined while water activity (aw) slightly increased during storage especially at higher RH and temperatures. Pratical Applications Information on the effect of adverse long-term storage conditions on whey protein concentrate (WPC) is needed for effective supply of this product to Africa and other semi-arid regions. This study investigated differences between ambient relative humidity storage, temperatures and type of bags on native microbial population, water activity and pH of WPC. It also, provides WPC manufacturers a better insight with regards to storage conditions and type of bags that can maintain longer shelf life. The data from this study could be used for quality control purposes and or development of a better bag suited for storage above ambient conditions.
Segmenting Oral History Transcripts

Dividing oral histories into topically coherent segments can make them more accessible online. People regularly make judgments about where coherent segments can be extracted from oral histories. But when different people are asked to extract coherent segments from the same oral histories, they often do not agree about where such segments begin and end.
Predicting Children's Reading and Mathematics Achievement from Early Quantitative Knowledge and Domain-General Cognitive Abilities.

At the beginning of preschool, we assessed a broad range of quantitative abilities for 100 (43 boys) children, as well as their preliteracy knowledge, intelligence, executive functions, and parental educational background. Mathematics achievement was assessed at the end of each of two years of preschool and at the end of kindergarten, and word reading achievement was also assessed at the end of kindergarten. We identified the core quantitative competencies, such as children’s understanding of the cardinal value of number words, that predict later achievement, the domain-general abilities that predicted growth in these competencies across two years of preschool, and the domain-general and domain-specific abilities that predicted mathematics achievement growth across the preschool years. We also identified similarities in the early domain-general abilities and differences in the domain-specific knowledge that predict mathematics and word reading achievement at the end of kindergarten.
mRNA capping: biological functions and applications

The 5' m7G cap is an evolutionarily conserved modification of eukaryotic mRNA. Decades of research have established that the m7G cap serves as a unique molecular module that recruits cellular proteins and mediates cap-related biological functions such as pre-mRNA processing, nuclear export and cap-dependent protein synthesis. Only recently has the role of the cap 2'O methylation as an identifier of self RNA in the innate immune system against foreign RNA has become clear. The discovery of the cytoplasmic capping machinery suggests a novel level of control network. These new findings underscore the importance of a proper cap structure in the synthesis of functional messenger RNA. In this review, we will summarize the current knowledge of the biological roles of mRNA caps in eukaryotic cells. We will also discuss different means that viruses and their host cells use to cap their RNA and the application of these capping machineries to synthesize functional mRNA. Novel applications of RNA capping enzymes in the discovery of new RNA species and sequencing the microbiome transcriptome will also be discussed. We will end with a summary of novel findings in RNA capping and the questions these findings pose.
SU-G-IeP3-11: On the Utility of Pixel Variance to Characterize Noise for Image Receptors of Digital Radiography Systems

Purpose: To characterize noise for image receptors of digital radiography systems based on pixel variance. Methods: Nine calibrated digital image receptors associated with nine new portable digital radiography systems (Carestream Health, Inc., Rochester, NY) were used in this study. For each image receptor, thirteen images were acquired with RQA5 beam conditions for input detector air kerma ranging from 0 to 110 µGy, and linearized ‘For Processing’ images were extracted. Mean pixel value (MPV), standard deviation (SD) and relative noise (SD/MPV) were obtained from each image using ROI sizes varying from 2.5×2.5 to 20×20 mm2. Variance (SD2) was plotted as a function of input detector air kerma and the coefficients of the quadratic fit were used to derive structured, quantum and electronic noise coefficients. Relative noise was also fitted as a function of input detector air kerma to identify noise sources. The fitting functions used least-squares approach. Results: The coefficient of variation values obtained using different ROI sizes was less than 1% for all the images. The structured, quantum and electronic coefficients obtained from the quadratic fit of variance (r>0.97) were 0.43±0.10, 3.95±0.27 and 2.89±0.74 (mean ± standard deviation), respectively, indicating that overall the quantum noise was the dominant noise source. However, for one system electronic noise coefficient (3.91) was greater than quantum noise coefficient (3.56) indicating electronic noise to be dominant. Using relative noise values, the power parameter of the fitting equation (|r|>0.93) showed a mean and standard deviation of 0.46±0.02. A 0.50 value for this power parameter indicates quantum noise to be the dominant noise source whereas values around 0.50 indicate presence of other noise sources. Conclusion: Characterizing noise from pixel variance assists in identifying contributions from various noise sources that, eventually, may affect image quality. This approach may be integrated during periodic quality assessments of digital image receptors.
Family support in late life: A review of the literature on aging, disability, and family caregiving

For older adults and people with disabilities in the United States, family caregiving is an important part of remaining at home and in the community. As care recipients and caregivers age, family d...
Reexamining Internal Revenue Code Section 162(m): Bonus-Performance Sensitivity Analysis

This paper examines the effects of Internal Revenue Code Section 162(m) on CEO bonus payout, with an emphasis on the sensitivity of bonuses to firm performance. This paper seeks to address the changes of the IRS guidance in compliance and the non-regulatory factors that significantly influence the behavior of the target-firms. As such, I propose an approach to examine the immediate and long term effects of the tax provision. I document that the target-firms show an increased sensitivity of CEO bonus payout to stock-price-based performance (measured by stock return) in the short-term, and an enhanced association between CEO bonus payout and accounting-earnings-based performance (measured by return on assets) in the long-term.
The Youth Relatedness Scale: Development of a New Evaluation Tool for Youth Programs

This paper examines a study to develop a reliable measure of relatedness that utilizes language appropriate for youth, is simple for staff to administer in a field-based setting, and is consistent with the Youth Outcomes Battery. Pilot instruments were distributed to three residential summer camps serving female and male campers between the ages 10-17. The results of this study indicate that the Youth Relatedness Scale is an easy-to-use measure that exhibits good evidence of internal consistency and shows good criterion evidence of validity for this population of youth. This study was a positive step towards providing a theoretically grounded, simple, and versatile measure that captures youth perceptions of relatedness and that youth program administrators can employ to evaluate their programs.
Hepatic Wedge Resection

Wedge or nonanatomic resections of the liver are performed when a primary tumor or metastasis is in a peripheral location and is not involving a major vessel. Typically this technique is reserved for smaller lesions. This chapter lists the indication, essential steps, common technical variations, and complications of the procedure. A detailed operative dictation note template is included.
Syncope and Risk of Sudden Death

This chapter focuses on the potential risk of premature death, and in particular sudden cardiac death (SCD), in patients who present with collapse and are presumed to have had syncope. However, before a clinician can attempt to assess mortality risk relative to an episode of syncope, it is first essential to determine that collapse was in fact due to syncope (i.e., transient self-limited loss of consciousness due to cerebral hypoperfusion) and not of other cause (e.g., seizure, trauma, etc.). This chapter provides an approach to establishing the accurate diagnosis of syncope. While this step may seem to be self-evident, the hectic pace of modern medicine can result in the diagnosis not being considered with sufficient care. Finally, we discuss the assessment of the risks of recurrence, mortality and sudden cardiac arrest associated with syncope of various etiologies.
Megacity-scale analysis of urban vegetation temperatures

Abstract In cities, vegetation temperature is important for quantifying water use, microclimates, and water and energy fluxes, as demonstrated by urban climate models and in situ studies. Remote sensing is capable of observing land surface temperatures (LST) across a city; however, its ability to quantify vegetation canopy temperatures is limited because of LST variability resulting from urban surface heterogeneity, differences in vegetation fraction and non-vegetated material, and the coarse resolution of available thermal imagery. This study is a large-scale analysis of urban surface composition and temperature variability across the Los Angeles, USA, metropolitan area (4466 km2). Sub-pixel fractions of two plant functional types (tree and turfgrass) and four urban materials (impervious surface, commercial roof, non-photosynthetic vegetation, and soil) were quantified using hyperspectral imagery (Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer). Fractional cover gradients of plant types and non-vegetated materials were developed using 1.7 million pixels, from which we modeled LST changes using simultaneously collected thermal imagery (MODIS-ASTER Airborne Simulator). Vegetation LST variability was mapped by subtracting modeled LST from observed LST and investigated relative to building density and vegetation management. Overall, LST varied significantly among plant functional types and urban material types. Across heterogeneous mixtures, LST and vegetation fraction exhibited a negative, linear relationship, with the slopes of LST change showing significant differences between trees and turfgrass. The map of vegetation LST variability had a standard deviation of 3.5 °C, indicating significant variability across Los Angeles independent of vegetation type or fractional cover. Building density was observed to affect tree and turfgrass LST differently, while a negative relationship was observed between vegetation LST and irrigation (R2 = 0.55). Our results show that an LST signal of vegetation function, distinct from that of vegetation fractional cover, can be observed and modeled at city-scales in fractional mixture analysis, indicating potential for improved understanding of urban microclimates.
Distributed, Shared-Memory Parallel Triangle Counting

Triangles are the most basic non-trivial subgraphs. Triangle counting is used in a number of different applications, including social network mining, cyber security, and spam detection. In general, triangle counting algorithms are readily parallelizable, but when implemented in distributed, shared-memory, their performance is poor due to high communication, imbalance of work, and the difficulty of exploiting locality available in shared memory. In this paper, we discuss four different (but related) triangle counting algorithms and how their performance can be improved in distributed, shared-memory by reducing in-node load imbalance, improving cache utilization, minimizing network overhead, and minimizing algorithmic work. We generalize the four different triangle counting algorithms into a common framework and show that for all four algorithms the in-node load imbalance can be minimized while utilizing caches by partitioning work into blocks of vertices, the network overhead can be minimized by aggregation of blocks of work, and algorithm work can be reduced by partitioning vertex neighbors by degree.We experimentally evaluate the weak and the strong scaling performance of the proposed algorithms with two types of synthetic graph inputs and three real-world graph inputs. We also compare the performance of our implementations with the distributed, shared-memory triangle counting algorithms available in PowerGraph-GraphLab and show that our proposed algorithms outperform those algorithms, both in terms of space and time.
Intravenous labetalol in the management of resistant hypertensive emergency

A case of intravenous labetalol in the treatment of a resistant hypertensive emergency is reported. Although there have been several reports of the use of oral labetalol in resistant hypertension, no intravenous administration in hypertensive emergency resistant to other drugs has been reported to date. A 36-year-old black female with BP of 270/160 mm Hg with complaints greater than one month's duration of dizziness, severe headaches, blurred vision, shortness of breath, vomiting, palpitations, flushing, agitation, diarrhea, weakness, and weight loss, was treated successfully with intravenous labetalol after she failed to respond to other established parenteral antihypertensive drugs. The patient received labetalol 20 mg iv bolus, and then 20 mg every ten minutes until a cumulative dose of 200 mg was attained. Labetalol produced a prompt but smooth reduction in BP without any reflex tachycardia or other adverse effects. Intravenous labetalol may be safe and effective for the management of rapid BP control in hypertensive emergencies resistant to other parenteral antihypertensive agents.
Associated Varieties and General Resultants

The Grassmann variety (or Grassmannian) G(k, n) is the set of all k-dimensional vector subspaces in C n . For k = 1, this is the projective space P n−1. Since vector subspaces in C n correspond to projective subspaces in P n−1, we see that G(k, n) parametrizes (k−1)-dimensional projective subspaces in P n−1. In a more invariant fashion, we can start from any finite-dimensional vector space V and construct the Grassmannian G(k, V) of k-dimensional vector subspaces in V.
JAK Inhibitors for Treatment of Alopecia Areata.

The advancement of genetic and preclinical studies has uncovered the mechanisms involved in the pathogenesis of alopecia areata (AA). The development of targeted therapies using small molecules blocking specific pathways for the treatment of AA is underway. By repurposing Food and Drug Administration–approved small molecule JAK inhibitors as treatments for AA, it has been demonstrated that JAK inhibitors can effectively reverse hair loss in patients with moderate to severe AA. In this review, we summarize and discuss the current preclinical and clinical studies on JAK inhibitors, as well as the prospects of using JAK inhibitors for the treatment of AA.
Wilsonianism and the sweep of American foreign policy history

The contention of this essay is that Wilsonianism has rested in part on a conviction that popular government, government responsible to the people, is right and that it is also advantageous to the ...
Activation of AMP Kinase by Zyflamend, a Well-Defined Blend of Herbal Extracts

Zyflamend, a select blend of 10 herbal extracts, has been shown to inhibit prostate cancer (PCa) in vitro and in vivo at human equivalent doses. Zyflamend’s tumor suppressive effects are partly due...
Targeting Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor γ to Increase Estrogen-Induced Apoptosis in Estrogen-Deprived Breast Cancer Cells

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ) is an important transcription factor that modulates lipid metabolism and inflammation. However, it remains unclear whether PPARγ is involved in modulation of estrogen (E2)-induced inflammation, thus affecting apoptosis of E2-deprived breast cancer cells, MCF-7:5C and MCF-7:2A. Here, we demonstrated that E2 treatment suppressed the function of PPARγ in both cell lines, although the suppressive effect in MCF-7:2A cells was delayed owing to high PPARγ expression. Activation of PPARγ by a specific agonist, pioglitazone, selectively blocked the induction of TNFα expression by E2, but did not affect other adipose inflammatory genes, such as fatty acid desaturase 1 and IL6. This suppression of TNFα expression by pioglitazone was mainly mediated by transrepression of nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) DNA-binding activity. A novel finding was that NF-κB functions as an oxidative stress inducer in MCF-7:5C cells but an antioxidant in MCF-7:2A cells. Therefore, the NF-κB inhibitor JSH-23 displayed effects equivalent to those of pioglitazone, with complete inhibition of apoptosis in MCF-7:5C cells, but it increased E2-induced apoptosis in MCF-7:2A cells. Depletion of PPARγ by siRNA or the PPARγ antagonist T0070907 accelerated E2-induced apoptosis, with activation of NF-κB-dependent TNFα and oxidative stress. For the first time, we demonstrated that PPARγ is a growth signal and has potential to modulate NF-κB activity and oxidative stress in E2-deprived breast cancer cell lines. All of these findings suggest that anti-PPARγ therapy is a novel strategy to improve the therapeutic effects of E2-induced apoptosis in E2-deprived breast cancer.
Mitre-Bedford: description of the Alembic system as used for MUC-5

The Alembic text understanding system fielded at MUC-5 by MITRE is an extensive rewrite of the system we presented at MUC-4. Alembic is a research prototype that is still young, and is thus in the process of ongoing development. Our work is part of an internally-funded research initiative aimed at processing open source texts, i.e., free natural language texts drawn from broadcast transcripts, news wires, etc. This initiative explores several major research areas:• Error recovery, primarily involving issues of semi-parsing and recovery of plausible attachments.• Robustness, primarily involving issues of uncertain reasoning and tractable inference.• Self-extensibility, focusing primarily on machine learning of natural language and user-configurable semantics.• System integration, through SGML (the Standard Generalized Markup Language), both at the level of meaning analysis and at the overall application level.
Is International Trade Relevant to Social Trust Formation? Evidence from Cross-country Analysis

In this paper, we investigate whether international trade itself can contribute to the level of generalized trust. We extend the existing empirical research in several ways. First, we use a larger ...
The Impact of New Information Technologies on Civil Litigation

Use of IT does not have the same impact on all basic principles; problems of conflict may arise to a greater extent with respect to some principles and to a lesser extent regarding other ones. At the same time, in recent years as a result of modern technology, several possibilities have become available that could in case of the incorporation of the appropriate legal guarantees serve the better realization of some principles. This may lead us to the relative reconstruction of some traditional principles. Problems present themselves more intensively concerning litigious proceedings and to a lesser degree in case of non-litigious or, at least, some types of non-litigious proceedings. However, both experts of procedural law encouraging change and those holding more conservative views are likely to agree that the new IT may generate positive changes concerning both the procedural input and output (the forwarding of petitions, service of documents, issue of official copies, administration). The issue characterised by stronger differences in opinion is the trial itself accompanied by questions of procedural law relating to it, the problem of the virtualisation of the trial.
Lumbar Spine Injuries in Sports: Review of the Literature and Current Treatment Recommendations

Low back pain is one of the most prevalent complaints of athletes at all levels of competition. The purpose of this literature review is to provide an overview of sport-specific injuries and treatment outcomes that can be used by healthcare providers to better recognize injury patterns and treatment options for different groups of athletes. To our knowledge, no prior comprehensive review of lumbar spine injuries in sports is currently available in the literature, and it is essential that healthcare providers understand the sport-specific injury patterns and treatment guidelines for athletes presenting with low back pain following an athletic injury. Injury mechanisms were found to vary significantly by sport, although some broad recommendations can be made with regards to optimal treatment for these injuries and return to play. Additionally, it was found that certain treatments were more beneficial and resulted in higher rates of return to play depending on the specific sport of the injured athlete. Healthcare providers need to be aware of the different injury patterns seen in specific sports in order to properly evaluate and treat these injuries. Furthermore, an individualized treatment plan needs to be selected in a sport-specific context in order to meet the needs of the athlete in the short and long term.
The Intersection of Trauma and Disaster Behavioral Health: An Introduction

The purpose of this introduction is to set the stage for an interdisciplinary examination of the intersection of trauma and post-disaster behavioral health that is addressed in the chapters of this book. We have brought together a unique ensemble of scholars, including researchers and practitioners, in their areas of expertise. Taken together, the chapter authors speak to the challenges and solutions related to meeting the needs of recovery in the context of trauma and disaster response. This introduction begins with a brief overview of disasters and their psychosocial consequences, to contextualize the present volume. The organization of this volume is summarized next, highlighting individual chapters. We conclude by emphasizing for the reader why the intersection of trauma and disaster behavioral health is a pressing concern in the twenty-first century.
Iron(III)-Oxo Cluster Chemistry with Dimethylarsinate Ligands: Structures, Magnetic Properties, and Computational Studies

A program has been initiated to develop FeIII/oxo cluster chemistry with the “pseudocarboxylate” ligand dimethylarsinate (Me2AsO2–) for comparison with the well investigated FeIII/oxo/carboxylate c...
γ-Glutamyl Leukotrienase Cleavage of Leukotriene C4

The cysteinyl leukotrienes are powerful mediators of vaso- and bronchoconstriction, edema formation, and mucus secretion1. They appear to play a key role in asthma and may be involved in cardiac and renal disease as well1–8. The parent compound, leukotriene C4 (LTC4), is formed by the conjugation of leukotriene A4 with glutathione (GSH). Thus it may be expected that the metabolism of LTC4 resembles GSH conjugates formed with carcinogens, toxins, and xenobiotics9. Until recently, the only enzyme known to metabolize this class of compounds as well as GSH itself was γ-glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT)10–12. GSH conjugates including LTC4 are metabolized to their cysteinylglycine derivatives. In the case of LTC4 the resulting leukotriene is LTD4. This compound is the most potent of the cysteinyl leukotrienes and has been found to be a consistently more effective agonist than LTC4 and 10 to 100 times more effective than LTE4, a metabolite of LTD4 13–16. LTC4 is synthesized in the liver and is secreted into the bile15. It is also produced in peripheral tissues1,2,16. Conversion of LTC4 to LTD4 is not well understood although it is believed to occur extracellularly because GGT is an ectoenzyme10–17. We became interested in cysteinyl leukotriene metabolism when we developed mice deficient in GGT18. Our subsequent studies unexpectedly showed that GGT-deficient mice are competent to metabolize LTC4.
DIARC: a testbed for natural human-robot interaction

DIARC, a distributed integrated affect, reflection, cognition architecture for robots, provides many features that are critical to successful natural human-robot interaction. As such, DIARC is an ideal platform for experimentation in HRI. In this paper we describe the architecture and and its implementation in ADE, paying particular attention to its interaction capabilities and features that allow robust operation. These features are evaluated in the context of the 2006 AAAI Robot Competition.
Imminent Departures: Rapid Vaccination Strategies Designed to Induce Short-Term Immunogenicity for the Trip at Hand

The paper by Jelinek and colleagues1 in this issue examines the short-term immunogenicity of an accelerated Vero cell-derived Japanese encephalitis vaccine (JE-VC) regimen administered at Days 1 and 8. This regimen is compared with the conventional Days 1 and 29 administration schedule;2 this latter interval frustrates many pre-travel advisors who well know of the high proportion of travelers presenting in close proximity to departure. In an increasingly fast-paced world, this study addresses part of a long-standing larger desire to prepare all travelers for their trips if there is only a week to do so prior to departure. With much of the adult population in many countries already immunized against hepatitis B,3 the remaining usual travel vaccines that require more than a single dose are then restricted to Japanese encephalitis and rabies. It is a well-established principle of vaccinology that once you find an appropriate vaccine antigen and if you administer a large quantity of antigen in a single dose or multiple doses very quickly, you will get an antibody response, and often at very high-titers, very rapidly.4,5 The issue then becomes how long that antibody response will last at protective levels. Conventional vaccine regimens are typically designed to give a durable antibody response, ideally for life, or at least for an interval of several years before boosting is required. … Corresponding Author: David O. Freedman, MD, W.C. Gorgas Center for Geographic Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, University of Alabama at Birmingham, 845 19th St. S. #203, Birmingham, AL 35294-2170, USA. E-mail: dfreedman{at}shoreland.com
Probabilistic Evaluation of Advanced SO2/NOx Control Technology

A new probabilistic modeling environment is described which allows the explicit and quantitative representation of the uncertainties inherent in new environmental control processes for SO2 and NOx removal. Stochastic analyses provide additional insights into the uncertainties in process performance and cost not possible with conventional deterministic or sensitivity analysis. Applications of the probabilistic modeling framework are illustrated via an analysis of the performance and cost of the fluidized bed copper oxide process, an advanced technology for the control of SO2 and NOx emissions from coal-fired power plants. An engineering model of a conceptual commercial-scale system provides the basis for the analysis. The model also captures interactions between the power plant, the SO2/NOx removal process, and other components of the emission control system. Results of the analysis address payoffs from process design improvements; the dependence of system cost on process design conditions and the availabi...
Organization and developmental expression of the mosquito vitellogenin receptor gene

Vitellogenin is a precursor of the major yolk protein, vitellin. It is internalized by developing oocytes via receptor-mediated endocytosis. Previously, we characterized the vitellogenin receptor (VgR) from oocytes of the mosquito Aedes aegypti [Sappington, T.W., Kokoza,V.A., Cho,W.L. and Raikhel,A.S. (1996) Molecular characterization of the mosquito vitellogenin receptor reveals unexpected high homology to the Drosophila yolk protein receptor. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 93: 8934-8939]. The VgR receptor has a unique structure with two putative ligand-binding domains. In order to understand the regulation of this important molecule, we characterized the VgR gene structure and its expression during vitellogenesis in the mosquito A. aegypti. We report here that the VgR gene was separated by five introns that have an average length of 60 bp, except for the second intron which was more than 20 kb long. Most introns were located within the coding regions of the first protein domain. We isolated two allelic variations of the VgR gene, VgR1 and VgR2, the nucleotide sequences of which differing only in their 5'-flanking regions. Considering their frequency in the mosquito genome, VgR2 appeared to be a major allele. The expression of VgR mRNA was studied by the Northern blot analysis and in situ hybridization. The level of the VgR transcript started to rise in the ovary one day post-eclosion. It continued its dramatic rise during the vitellogenic period, reaching its peak at 24 h PBM. The VgR transcript was present exclusively in ovaries where it was seen in oocytes and nurse cells of primary follicles and germ-line cells of the germarium.
What educators should know about teaching digital storytelling

In this paper, the authors present some of the most important lessons they have learned from teaching courses, conducting workshops, writing articles, and supervising graduate student research on the educational uses of digital storytelling. The guidelines described here are categorized within the ADDIE instructional design framework and are presented as starting points that educators should consider when they begin to integrate digital storytelling in their classrooms. The guidelines provide useful information that will help educators teach students all phases of the digital storytelling process, including analysis, design, development, implementation and evaluation of digital storytelling projects that focus on educationally meaningful topics.
Determining Discounts For Perishable Inventory

In this paper, we develop a model to help manage prices of perishable products in a grocery store. We consider inventory on hand and proximity to expiration date as key decision variables. We also discuss the strategic importance of minimizing inventory that must be disposed of at a cost after the product expires. We also develop simple applied rules and highlight the benefits of using a dynamic pricing model to companies selling perishable products.
Long-term immunosuppression after solitary islet transplantation is associated with preserved C-peptide secretion for more than a decade.

We report on two patients with type 1 diabetes (T1D) after solitary islet transplantation in 2001. They received steroid-sparing immunosuppression (daclizumab, sirolimus, and tacrolimus according to the Edmonton protocol). Both patients became insulin independent for 2 years: Patient A, a 42-year-old female with a 12-year history of T1D, received two islet infusions; patient B, a 53-year-old female with a 40-year T1D history, received one islet infusion. Pretransplant, both had undetectable C-peptide concentrations and frequent and severe hypoglycemia. Pretransplant, hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) was 7.8% and 8.8% and insulin requirements were 0.47 and 0.33 units/kg/day, respectively. Posttransplant, C-peptide levels remained detectable while immunosuppression was continued, but decreased over time. Insulin was re-started 2 years posttransplant in both patients. Since patient A's glycemia and insulin requirements trended toward pretransplant levels, immunosuppression was discontinued after 13 years. This resulted in a sudden cessation of C-peptide secretion. Patient B continues on immunosuppression, has better HbA1c, and half the insulin requirement compared to pretransplant. Both patients no longer experience severe hypoglycemia. Herein, we document blood glucose concentrations over time (>30 000 measurements per patient) and β cell function based on C-peptide secretion. Despite renewed insulin dependence, both patients express satisfaction with having undergone the procedure.
Competitive Phylogenetics: A Laboratory Exercise

This exercise demonstrates the principle of parsimony in constructing cladograms. Although it is designed using mammalian cranial characters, the activity could be adapted for characters from any group of organisms. Students score categorical traits on skulls and record the data in a spreadsheet. Using the Mesquite software package, students generate arbitrary cladograms and measure tree length. They then move taxa around to reduce tree length. The exercise can become competitive when students report out on tree lengths and try to achieve shorter trees than their peers. The resulting cladograms can be compared with a published mammalian phylogeny. The exercise illustrates phylogenetics, the principle of parsimony, and hypothesis testing using morphological data.
Flavor Preferences for Butter and Margarine

Abstract A significant preference for high-quality sweet-cream butter over several commercial brands of margarine was observed when evaluated by a large college-student panel. Salt levels from 0.54 to 1.86% were preferred by the student panel. Significant flavor preferences were not found for butters prepared from aliquots of one lot of cream repasteurized at 76.6 for 1,800sec and the other at about 96.0C for 7,200sec. The distribution of preference scores on a nine-point scale varied widely among the spreads tested.
It's about time: putative components of an Arabidopsis circadian clock

My thanks to Tom Jack and Mary Lou Guerinot for comments on the manuscript. Work in my lab is supported by a National Science Foundation grant (MCB 9723482).
The Role of School Professionals in Implementing Section 504 for Students with Disabilities.

There is a paucity of research related to the implementation of the procedural regulations of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 in public schools. Section 504 is a general education civil rights law designed to provide access for students with disabilities. This study presents data from a survey that was distributed to a range of school-based professionals (general education teachers, school administrators, school counselors, school psychologists, social workers, and special education teachers) in one northeastern state. Based on a response rate of 46% ( n = 259), results indicate that 84% had served on a Section 504 team. Responsibility for managing Section 504 plans falls to a wide range of professionals. Analysis of item mean scores reveals that most components of the regulations are properly implemented, but analysis of item frequencies indicates areas of concern. Implications and areas for additional research are discussed.