cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Phase II trial of carboplatin and etoposide in metastatic breast cancer

Background. High-dose chemotherapy with hematopoietic support produces high rates of response in metastatic breast cancer. To facilitate new high-dose regimens there is a need to identify active agents with toxicity limited to hematopoietic suppression. Cisplatin/etoposide is a highly active regimen in metastatic breast cancer, but cisplatin dose-escalation is limited by nonhematologic toxicity. Carboplatin is active in breast cancer and has marrow-dominant toxicity. Demonstration of activity for the combination of carboplatin and etoposide would facilitate their inclusion in high-dose programs. Methods. A single treatment arm prospective Phase II study in patients with measurable or evaluable breast cancer was done. Results. Forty-six patients with metastatic breast cancer were treated with the combination of carboplatin and etoposide. Among 19 patients without prior chemotherapy, one complete and seven partial responses were observed, for an objective response rate of 42% (95% exact confidence intervals [CI], 20–67%). One partial response was seen among 12 patients with prior chemotherapy limited to the adjuvant setting. No responses were seen among 14 patients who had received prior chemotherapy for metastatic cancer. Two treatment-related deaths occurred, both attributable to sepsis. One patient returned to her community for treatment after receiving one course of protocol therapy before response assessment and could not be studied for response. Conclusion. The activity observed with this regimen in patients with no prior chemotherapy coupled with its potential for dose escalation suggests a possible role in high-dose programs with hematopoietic support. The inactivity of the combination in patients with prior therapy for metastatic breast cancer indicates that there is no advantage to its use in the salvage setting.
Organizational Hierarchy and Position Worth

Evidence on organizational hierarchy is reviewed and employed in the formulation of hypothesized relations between level in the managerial hierarchy and compensation judged appropriate for manageri...
Selecting ELL Textbooks: A Content Analysis of L2 Learning Strategies

Although middle school teachers use a variety of ELL textbooks, many lack effective criteria to critically select materials that represent a wide range of L2 learning strategies. This study analyzed the illustrated and written content of 33 ELL textbooks to determine the range of L2 learning strategies represented. The researchers chose an intentional, convenience sample from each textbook to form the corpus they analyzed. They sought to answer the question: To what extent do middle school ELL texts depict frequency and variation of language learning strategies in illustrations and written texts? To measure the content, the researchers developed a coding instrument to track how frequently each of 15 language learning strategies was portrayed. They concluded that 6 of the 33 textbooks had a good to excellent range of L2 learning strategies in both illustrated and written representation. The study provides recommendations for teachers regarding selection of ELL textbooks appropriate for their students along with a sample coding instrument for their use.
Multiple roles for the actin cytoskeleton during regulated exocytosis

Regulated exocytosis is the main mechanism utilized by specialized secretory cells to deliver molecules to the cell surface by virtue of membranous containers (i.e., secretory vesicles). The process involves a series of highly coordinated and sequential steps, which include the biogenesis of the vesicles, their delivery to the cell periphery, their fusion with the plasma membrane, and the release of their content into the extracellular space. Each of these steps is regulated by the actin cytoskeleton. In this review, we summarize the current knowledge regarding the involvement of actin and its associated molecules during each of the exocytic steps in vertebrates, and suggest that the overall role of the actin cytoskeleton during regulated exocytosis is linked to the architecture and the physiology of the secretory cells under examination. Specifically, in neurons, neuroendocrine, endocrine, and hematopoietic cells, which contain small secretory vesicles that undergo rapid exocytosis (on the order of milliseconds), the actin cytoskeleton plays a role in pre-fusion events, where it acts primarily as a functional barrier and facilitates docking. In exocrine and other secretory cells, which contain large secretory vesicles that undergo slow exocytosis (seconds to minutes), the actin cytoskeleton plays a role in post-fusion events, where it regulates the dynamics of the fusion pore, facilitates the integration of the vesicles into the plasma membrane, provides structural support, and promotes the expulsion of large cargo molecules.
Effect of p53 gene therapy combined with CTLA4Ig selective immunosuppression on prolonged neointima formation reduction in a rat model.

In a previous study, we have demonstrated a significant reduction of neointimal formation following adenovirus-mediated gene transfer of p53 to the injured rat carotid artery. The purpose of this study was to determine if the effect of p53 gene in reducing neointimal formation would still be present up to 8 weeks after arterial injury and whether it could be enhanced by adding immunosuppression. Cytotoxic T lymphocyte–associated antigen-4 Ig (CTLAff4Ig), a novel immunosuppressive agent, is a recombinant soluble protein that blocks T cell–dependent immune response. Animals were divided into eight groups (n= 6 in each). In vivo gene transfer was used in isolated segments of balloon-injured rat carotid arteries. Genetically modified adenovirus encoding for wild-type p53 protein was applied at 8 × 1010 pfu/mL. Control rats received adenovirus null at the same concentration. A daily dose of 300 μg of CTLAff4Ig was given intraperitoneally, either once, twice, or three times. Expression of p53 was determined by Western blot analysis. Neointimal formation was assessed at 4 or 8 weeks by harvesting carotid arteries and determining the intima/media (I/M) ratio cross-sectional area measurements. p53 expression was confirmed by Western blot analysis. We concluded that adenovirus-mediated p53 gene transfer significantly decreases the formation of neointima up to 8 weeks following rat carotid injury. However, there is loss of effectiveness on neointimal formation inhibition as time elapses. When CTLAff4Ig is added, there is significant improvement in results, with sustained neointimal formation inhibition at 8 weeks after the procedure.
Plasmon-phonon strongly coupled mode in epitaxial graphene

We report the dispersion measurements, using angle-resolved reflection electron-energy-loss spectroscopy, on two-dimensional (2D) plasmons in single and multilayer graphene which couple strongly to surface optical phonon (FK-phonon) modes of silicon carbide substrate. The coupled modes show discrete dispersion behaviors in the single and bilayer graphene. With increasing graphene layers on SiC(0001), a transition from plasmonlike dispersion to phononlike dispersion is observed. For plasmonlike modes, the dispersion is strongly damped by electron-hole pair excitations at entering single-particle continuum, while phononlike mode is undamped. In the region free of coupling, the graphene 2D plasmon exhibits acoustic behavior with linear dispersion with slope and damping determined by the Fermi-surface topology.
Role of proximal promoter elements in regulation of renin gene transcription.

Mouse As4.1 cells, obtained after transgene-targeted oncogenesis to induce neoplasia in renal renin-expressing cells, express high levels of renin mRNA from the endogenous Ren-1c gene. We have used these cells to characterize the role of the Ren-1c proximal promoter (+6 to -117) in the regulation of renin gene transcription. It was found that 4.1 kilobases (kb) of Ren-1c 5′-flanking sequence, in combination with the proximal promoter, are required for strong activation (~2 orders of magnitude over the basal level of the promoter alone) of the chloramphenicol acetyltransferase reporter in transfection assays. Within the 4.1-kb fragment, a 241-base pair region was identified that retains full activity in an orientation-independent manner in combination with the promoter. The resulting transcripts initiate at the normal renin start site. Electrophoretic mobility shift assays identified a sequence at approximately position -60 in the promoter region that binds nuclear proteins specific for renin-expressing As4.1 cells. Mutations in this sequence, which disrupt binding of nuclear protein(s), completely abolish activation of transcription by the 4.1-kb fragment. Activation of transcription by the 241-base pair enhancer was still observed, although it was diminished in magnitude (60-fold over the mutated promoter alone). We present a model derived from the current data that suggests that regulation of renin expression is achieved through cooperation of transcription factors binding at the proximal promoter element and a distal enhancer element to abrogate or override the effects of an intervening negative regulatory region.
Development of a database of gas chromatographic retention properties of organic compounds.

A comprehensive database of gas chromatographic retention properties of chemical compounds has been developed using multiple literature sources. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) database of retention data for non-polar and polar stationary phases currently contains 292,924 data records for 42,888 compounds. The database includes data for Kovats indices, linear indices, Lee indices, retention times and retention volumes. The first release of this database for non-polar stationary phases is available with NIST/US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)/National Institutes of Health (NIH) Mass Spectral Database (June 2005) and through the internet (NIST Chemistry WebBook). The paper describes the database and the process by which it has been compiled. The format of data presentation and the quality control procedures are described. Data sources of gas chromatographic retention data are also discussed.
Phase squeezing in a three-level atom micromaser

I consider a lossless micromaser with cascade three-level atoms in a coherent superposition of its three levels. I find that for some values of the atomic flight time and some probability amplitudes for the intermediate atomic level, the field evolves to a pure state which is the well-known general squeezed state, and the squeeze and displacement parameters are functions of the atomic input parameters. Therefore it is possible to choose atomic parameters which produce squeezing in the phase or in the amplitude of the field inside the cavity.
Parallel algorithms for boundary value problems

A general approach to solve boundary value problems numerically in a parallel environment is discussed. The basic algorithm consists of two steps: the local step where all the P available processors work in parallel, and the global step where one processor solves a tridiagonal linear system of the order P. The main advantages of this approach are two fold. First, this suggested approach is very flexible, especially in the local step and thus the algorithm can be used with any number of processors and with any of the SIMD or MIMD machines. Secondly, the communication complexity is very small and thus can be used as easily with shared memory machines. Several examples for using this strategy are discussed.
The retention of responses to individual stimuli and stimulus classes

Items in a paired-associate task that may be encoded into concept classes are better remembered than items which must be coded individually. Three groups, one with 8 words and 8 responses, a second with 32 words and 8 responses, and a third with 32 words and 16 responses learned to a criterion of three correct trials, and after a seven day retention interval, were tested for recall. Although there were no differences in the error scores, the second group (32 words and 8 responses) showed shorter latencies during acquisition, and less increase of latencies over the retention interval. These differences were attributed to the greater number of effective repetitions per response, which was mediated by conceptual encoding of the stimulus words. It was suggested that a minimum of three instances is necessary to mediate conceptual encoding in tasks of this nature.
DNA double-strand break repair in two radiation-sensitive mouse mammary carcinoma cell lines

Abstract The capacity of two radiation-sensitive clones (SX9 and SX10) of the mouse mammary carcinoma cell line SR1 to rejoin radiation-induced DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) was determined by pulsed-field agarose gel electrophoresis. DSBs were produced with equivalent efficiency in all three cell lines. Both the SX9 and SX10 cell lines demonstrated a significantly diminished capacity to rejoin radiation-induced DSBs. The fraction of the original DNA DSB damage remaining in the DNA of 20 Gy-exposed SR1, SX9 and SX10 cells after 6 h of 37°C incubation was estimated to be 14, 82 and 54%, respectively. In addition the SX10 cell line exhibited enhanced cytotoxicity when exposed to the DNA topoisomerase II poison mitoxantrone. The results indicate that both the SX9 and SX10 cell lines are DNA DSB repair mutants.
Separation and measurement of short-chain coenzyme-A compounds in rat liver by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography

A high-performance liquid chromatographic method has been developed to measure short-chain CoA compounds in freeze-clamped liver. Seventeen CoA compounds can be quantitated in 37 min using a 3-micron octadecylsilica column (4.6 mm X 7.5 cm). The chromatographic separation of CoA compounds is conducted with a gradient system of sodium phosphate and acetonitrile. The large amount of uv-absorbing, non-CoA material present in liver extracts is eluted earlier than the CoA compounds when the phosphate concentration is 0.2 M. The CoA compounds that can be resolved by this method include acetoacetyl-CoA, acetyl-CoA, butyryl-CoA, CoASH, crotonyl-CoA, dephospho-CoA, glutathione-CoA, 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA, isobutyryl-CoA, isovaleryl-CoA, malonyl-CoA, 3-methylcrotonyl-CoA, methylmalonyl-CoA, oxidized-CoA, propionyl CoA, succinyl-CoA, and valeryl-CoA. Comparisons at pH 3 and 6 showed that the stability of the CoA compounds is much greater when perchloric acid extracts of rat liver are adjusted to pH 3. Recovery of CoA standards added in tissue extracts ranged from 83 to 107%. The method is linear over the range of 12 to 700 pmol, and this sensitivity allows acetyl-CoA content to be determined in extracts of as little as 0.1 mg of liver. The values for CoA compounds obtained for freeze-clamped liver from starved rats include (units are nmol/g wet weight +/- SE) malonyl-CoA, 1.50 +/- 0.14; glutathione-CoA, 6.57 +/- 1.72; CoASH, 56.06 +/- 2.90; methylmalonyl-CoA, 4.60 +/- 1.27; succinyl-CoA, 13.52 +/- 0.76; 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA, 7.06 +/- 0.89; and acetyl-CoA, 100.5 +/- 6.4.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Pre-execution data prefetching with I/O scheduling

Parallel applications suffer from I/O latency. Pre-execution I/O prefetching is effective in hiding I/O latency, in which a pre-execution prefetching thread is created and dedicated to fetch the data for the main thread in advance. However, existing pre-execution prefetching works do not pay attention to the relationship between the main thread and the pre-execution prefetching thread. They just simply pre-execute the I/O accesses using the prefetching thread as soon as possible failing to carefully coordinate them with the operations of the main thread. This drawback induces a series of adverse effects on pre-execution prefetching such as diminishing the degree of the parallelism between computation and I/O, delaying the I/O access of main threads, and aggravating the I/O resource competition in the whole system. In this paper, we propose a new method to overcome this drawback by scheduling the I/O operations among the main threads and the pre-execution prefetching threads. The results of extensive experiments on four popular benchmarks in parallel I/O performance area demonstrate the benefits of the proposed approach.
The service ratio in large school districts: Historical and contemporary perspectives

Abstract Survey data are presented on the ratios of school psychologists to schoolchildren for the largest school districts in the United States. The results are compared with historical data and provide sources for the understanding and study of large-district school psychological services.
Eliminating All Obstacles: Regulated Proteolysis in the Eukaryotic Cell Cycle

Control of many of the periodic events of the cell cycle can now be explained by the intertwined actions of cyclin-dependent kinases and specific proteolytic mechanisms (King et al. 1996xKing, R.W., Deshaies, R.J., Peters, J., and Kirschner, M.W. Science. 1996; 274: 1652–1659CrossRef | PubMed | Scopus (1003)See all ReferencesKing et al. 1996). In general, transitions activated by either phosphorylation or proteolysis share the capacity to be rapidly executed. Both mechanisms are therefore well-suited to promote the abrupt biochemical changes characteristic of cell cycle regulation. Proteolysis, in addition, has the advantage of irreversibility, which may be important for promoting unidirectional transitions and the biochemical remodeling of the cell. It is currently not clear why two distinct mechanisms of ubiquitin-mediated proteolysis are used to promote cell cycle transitions. This should be revealed when the APC-mediated system is better understood.
The 3.0–3.2 µm wavelength range narrow ridge waveguide Sb-based semiconductor diode lasers operating up to 333 K

We have demonstrated Fabry–Perot single spatial mode antimonide-based type-I quantum-well ridge waveguide semiconductor diode lasers operating at 3.0–3.2 µm wavelength in continuous mode up to 333 K. Internal optical loss in narrow ridge devices was significantly reduced by using thick Si3N4 dielectric films for planarization. The fabricated lasers operate in CW mode at room temperature with output powers exceeding 5 mW and have power consumption of less than 0.2 W at the output power of 1 mW, which is the power level needed in many gas sensing applications.
Mechanism of interferon action: studies on the activation of protein phosphorylation and the inhibition of translation in cell-free systems.

We describe the ability of reovirus messenger RNA (mRNA) to serve as a template for translation and as an activator of protein phosphorylation in cell-free extracts prepared from untreated and from interferon (IFN)-treated mouse fibroblast L cells. In vitro transcribed reovirus mRNA was purified by column chromatography on CF-11 cellulose. This procedure removed trace amounts of double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) [0.01%-0.1%] present in mRNA preparations purified solely by extensive LiCl precipitation. In the absence of added dsRNA, CF-11 cellulose-purified reovirus mRNA did not detectably activate phosphorylation of either ribosome-associated protein P1 or the α subunit of protein synthesis initiation factor eIF-2 in S-10 extracts prepared from L cells; the CF-11 cellulose-purified reovirus mRNA was translated more efficiently than was LiClpurified reovirus mRNA in these extracts. Highly purified CF-11 reovirus mRNA was, however, translated less efficiently by S-10 extracts prepared from IFN-treated L cells tha...
EcoRI cleavage of DNA from Bacillus subtilis phage SPO1.

Abstract The hydroxymethyluracil-containing DNA of B. subtilis phage SPO1 is cleaved only with low efficiency by restriction nuclease Eco RI. The efficiency is greatly increased by Eco RI ∗ conditions, but even under these conditions, the efficiency is less than with thymine-containing DNA. In contrast with their effect on thymine-containing DNA, Eco RI ∗ conditions do not appear to increase the number of sites on the SPO1 genome at which cleavage takes place. We describe the fragments produced by a (nearly) limit digest of SPO1 DNA with Eco RI ∗ and assign most of the known SPO1 cistrons to specific fragments.
Differential diagnosis and approach to a heart murmur in term infants

This article reviews the differential diagnosis of and approach to a heart murmur in the term infant. After addressing important aspects of the history, physical examination, and cardiac examination,the most common structural cardiac lesions generating a heart murmur in the term infant are discussed.
Intensive cropping of maize in the Southeastern United States

The long growing season of the southeastern Coastal Plains allows planting of a second crop after spring-planted maize (Zea mays L.). Second crops have been shown to reduce erosion and prevent leaching of nutrients and pesticides. Maize grown with a second annual crop might also have a yield advantage over mono-cultured maize. Seven tillage/cropping systems were compared. They included disking for weed control, disking for seedbed preparation, or no disking. Double-cropped treatments included sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.), soybean (Glycine max. L.), a cover crop [crimson clover (Trifolium incarnatum L.)] or no double crop. Double-cropped soybean yields did not respond to irrigation. They averaged 0.63 Mg/ha over 4 years. This is less than half of the local non-double-cropped yields. Sunflower yields averaged 0.89 Mg/ha, also less than non-double-cropped yields (1.0–2.5 Mg/ha). The best continous maize yields (7–8 Mg/ha) were from treatments with disking in some phase of the operation. Treatments with lower maize yields generally had higher plant nutrient contents. Double-cropped maize yields significantly (P<0.10) outyielded mono-cropped maize yields in two of the three years. In 1984, a dry year, the minimum tillage treatment had lower tensiometer readings than the conventionally tilled treatment.
A cytochemical study of pycnotic nuclear degeneration.

Pycnotic degeneration of neoplastic and normal nuclei of mice has been studied cytologically and cytochemically, in pieces of tissues removed some time after subcutaneous transplantation. The cytological changes in pycnosis were found to be about as they have often been described earlier: the nuclei become spherical, shrink progressively, the nucleoli become lost, the chromatin becomes homogeneous. The relative changes in total desoxyribose nucleic acid were followed by the Feulgen reaction; the methylgreen stain was used as an index of nuclei acid polymerization; the Millon reaction was used for the detection of the protein changes. In order to measure the amounts of the Feulgen and methylgreen dye, respectively the color developed by the Millon reaction within individual nuclei, the photometric microscopic method after Pollister and Ris was used, which allows the estimation of relative amounts of colored precipitates within individual nuclei of fixed and stained sections. Using these methods the nucleoprotein composition of resting nuclei of a viable tumortissue was compared with that of three pycnotic stages (Stage I, II, III) in nuclei of necrotic areas of the same tumor tissue (Sarcoma 180). In Sarcoma 180 the change from a fresh tumor cell to Pycnosis I involves loss of nearly half the protein, no significant decrease in desoxyribose nucleic acid, and depolymerisation of over half of the desoxyribose nucleic acid. Later these processes continue, and there is added progressive loss of DNA. It is pointed out that at any pycnotic stage there is a total protein equivalent to about 20 times the highly polymerised (methylgreen positive) DNA, which is the ratio found in non-pycnotic nuclei of the type from which these were derived. It is suggested that this part of the pycnotic chromatin represents the unaltered nucleoprotein. In transplanted liver nuclei pycnosis is much more rapid than in neoplastic tissue, but otherwise the two processes are similar both cytologically and chemically. The discussion points out that: a) there is no real increase in chromatin stainability in pycnotic nuclei; b) the change of shape in pycnosis may be due to lower nuclear viscosity accompanying the DNA depolymerisation; c) the highly polymerised state of the DNA may depend upon the presence of some particular protein, possibly histone; and d) that pyenosis can be interpreted as showing high proteolytic activity in the nucleus and a delayed nuclease activity.
Earnings versus capital ratios management: role of bank types and SFAS 114

We document in this paper that large banks use Loan Loss Provisions (LLP) more than small banks to manage reported earnings, but we find no significant difference in the use of LLP to manage capital ratios between large and small banks. Additionally, we document that banks with high risk asset portfolios use more LLP to manage reported earnings as well as capital ratios compared to the banks with low risk asset portfolios. Our findings also show that SFAS 114 has a moderating effect on the use of LLP to manage reported earnings, especially by large banks, but there is no conclusive evidence on the impact of SFAS 114 to manage capital ratios. Furthermore, the findings show that there has been significantly more earnings management during the 2007–2008 financial crisis compared to earlier periods.
Biomonitoring of estrogen and melatonin metabolites among women residing near radio and television broadcasting transmitters.

Objectives:Metabolites of estrogen (estrone-3-glucuronide [E1G]) and melatonin (6-hydroxymelatonin sulfate [6-OHMS]) were characterized among women living in a community with increased radiofrequency (RF) exposure from radio and television transmitters.Methods:RF spot measurements, and personal 60-H
Influence of patient race on physician prescribing decisions: a randomized on-line experiment.

BACKGROUND Prior research reports black patients have lower medication use for hypercholesterolemia, hypertension, and diabetes.
A Stochastic Two-Dimensional Model of Intercellular Ca2+ Wave Spread in Glia

We describe a two-dimensional stochastic model of intercellular Ca2+ wave (ICW) spread in glia that includes contributions of external stimuli, ionotropic and metabotropic P2 receptors, exo- and ecto-nucleotidases, second messengers, and gap junctions. In this model, an initial stimulus evokes ATP and UTP release from a single cell. Agonists diffuse and are degraded both in bulk solution and at cell surfaces. Ca2+ elevation in individual cells is determined by bound agonist concentrations s and by number and features of P2 receptors summed with that generated by IP3 diffusing through gap junction channels. Variability of ICWs is provided by randomly distributing a predetermined density of cells in a rectangular grid and by randomly selecting within intervals values characterizing the extracellular compartment, individual cells, and interconnections with neighboring cells. Variability intervals were obtained from experiments on astrocytoma cells transfected to express individual P2 receptors and/or the gap junction protein connexin43. The simulation program (available as Supplementary Material) permits individual alteration of ICW components, allowing comparison of simulations with data from cells expressing connexin43 and/or various P2 receptor subtypes. Such modeling is expected to be useful for testing phenomenological hypotheses and in understanding consequences of alteration of system components under experimental or pathological conditions.
Developing definitions of an adoptee-birthmother reunion relationship

SUMMARY The phenomena of adoptee-birthparent reunion has recently become of interest to psychologists, social workers, and sociologists. This paper looks at one adoptee-birthmother reunion through a symbolic interactionist lens in order to understand the developmental phases that the participants experience. The direction of such reunion relationships is affected by the lack of pre-existing definitions, such as “friendship” or “family,” to guide these interactions. Adoptee-birthparent relationships also provide a situation whereby the past, present, and future are highly interrelated. Participants in these relationships negotiate meanings of what was, what is, and what will be. This paper demonstrates that a central determinant of successful negotiation of an adoptee-birthparent reunion relationship is to develop and convey a similar definition of the situation from which future interactions can be based.
RCAS1, physiologic or pathologic mediator of apoptosis

In a normal person, the number of circulating erythrocytes remains within an extremely narrow range, despite a turnover of about 1%, or 200 billion cells, per day. Erythrocyte production is tightly regulated by the plasma erythropoietin (EPO) level, which in turn is controlled by oxygen delivery to
An Inter-rater Reliability Study of a Self-assessment for the Multiple Intelligences

This paper describes the results of an inter-rater reliability study of a self-assessment for the multiple intelligences (Gardner, 1983/1993). Previous studies found the Multiple Intelligences Developmental Assessment Scales (MIDAS; Shearer, 2007) demonstrate content, criterion group, concurrent and construct validity (Shearer, in press) but that respondent reliability needed further investigation. An original multi-informant study (n=74) reported moderate to high levels of categorical agreement among raters (40% exact and 80% within one category). This cross-cultural replication study found even higher levels of agreement (46% exact and 92% within one category) among primary and secondary raters (n=173) for respondents from five different countries. Implications for both theory and practice are discussed.
RICK/Rip2/CARDIAK mediates signalling for receptors of the innate and adaptive immune systems

The immune system consists of two evolutionarily different but closely related responses, innate immunity and adaptive immunity. Each of these responses has characteristic receptors—Toll-like receptors (TLRs) for innate immunity and antigen-specific receptors for adaptive immunity. Here we show that the caspase recruitment domain (CARD)-containing serine/threonine kinase Rip2 (also known as RICK, CARDIAK, CCK and Ripk2)1,2,3,4 transduces signals from receptors of both immune responses. Rip2 was recruited to TLR2 signalling complexes after ligand stimulation. Moreover, cytokine production in Rip2-deficient cells was reduced on stimulation of TLRs with lipopolysaccharide, peptidoglycan and double-stranded RNA, but not with bacterial DNA, indicating that Rip2 is downstream of TLR2/3/4 but not TLR9. Rip2-deficient cells were also hyporesponsive to signalling through interleukin (IL)-1 and IL-18 receptors, and deficient for signalling through Nod proteins—molecules also implicated in the innate immune response. Furthermore, Rip2-deficient T cells showed severely reduced NF-κB activation, IL-2 production and proliferation on T-cell-receptor (TCR) engagement, and impaired differentiation to T-helper subtype 1 (TH1) cells, indicating that Rip2 is required for optimal TCR signalling and T-cell differentiation. Rip2 is therefore a signal transducer and integrator of signals for both the innate and adaptive immune systems.
Connecting islands in the internet of things

With the increasing pace of change in computing technology, islands of relative stability become important to reaping the benefits of geospatial information. Geospatial standards are bases for persistent developments in the complex adaptive ecosystem of geospatial computing technology. Standards are the backbone of the Geoweb and will be also for the Internet of Things (IoT).At COM. Geo 2011, the workshop, "Expanding Geoweb to An Internet of Things", explored ways in which the success of the Geoweb were a basis for the emerging Internet of Things. COM. Geo 2012 aims to continue this discussion of sensor and mobile computing for geospatial research and application.IoT can be seen as a fuller expression of a vision of The Computer for the 21st Century (M. Weiser, 1991, Sci. Amer.). That vision of "Ubiquitous Computing" anticipated computers disappearing into the fabric of everyday life. What perhaps could not have been anticipated was how computing would be changed by the WWW making information ubiquitously accessible via the internet. Now, everyday objects with embedded computers are becoming ubiquitously accessible and interactive via the internet and mobile communications to the benefit of researchers, decision-makers, developers, and application users.Sensor webs and RFID are major elements of IoT. Beginning in 2000, the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) anticipated the proliferation of network-accessible sensors and defined a set of Sensor Web Enablement (SWE) standards. SWE allows sensors to be used in user applications not anticipated with the initial deployment of the sensors. The AutoID lab is a pioneer identifying how RFID systems and SWE can work together to for understanding real world objects both from physical measurements and identity.Geospatial location is fundamental to IoT with the spaces in which IoT operates going beyond the geographic positioning technologies currently on mobile devices. Fusion of information from new sensors on-board mobile devices will enable positioning indoors and other locations where GPS is not present. "Indoor maps" with the complexity of 3 dimensions and complex route topology are needed for IoT be placed and used in a rich spatial computing context.End user applications will reap the benefits of ubiquitous information from IoT. Augmented Reality applications will allow users to view a rich set of information about the space around them both historical information and real-time information. The many domains of Business Intelligence will be informed by this stream of information enabling better decisions.OGC brings several innovative, yet stable standards to the computing and geospatial world of IoT. The second generation of SWE standards is currently being finalized. CityGML and IndoorGML meet the need for indoor maps. And the Augmented Reality Markup Language is poised to bring IoT information into a context aware visualization on mobile devices. OGC will continue to work with other standards developing organizations that address IoT, e.g., ITU, JTC1, IETF, OMA.
RNA Isolation and Fractionation with Compaction Agents

A new approach to the isolation of RNA from bacterial lysates employs selective precipitation by compaction agents, such as hexammine cobalt and spermidine. Using 3.5 mM hexammine cobalt, total RNA can be selectively precipitated from a cell lysate. At a concentration of 2 mM hexammine cobalt, rRNA can be fractionated from low molecular weight RNA. The resulting RNA mixture is readily resolved to pure 5S and mixed 16S/23S rRNA by nondenaturing anion-exchange chromatography. Using a second stage of precipitation at 8 mM hexammine cobalt, the low molecular weight RNA fraction can be isolated by precipitation. Compaction precipitation was also applied to the purification of an artificial stable RNA derived from Escherichia coli 5S rRNA and to the isolation of an Escherichia coli-expressed ribozyme. Copyright 2001 Academic Press.
Organic-thin-film-coated solar cells: Energy transfer between surface pyrene molecules and the silicon semiconductor substrate

Abstract The energy transfer processes in a pyrene thin film, deposited onto a silicon solar cell, are investigated. An increase in the solar cell efficiency is observed for cells coated with a pyrene thin film. The increase in efficiency is attributed to a combination of two effects: (i) the antireflective properties of the pyrene film and (ii) direct energy transfer from pyrene to silicon. A comparison of emission, photoexcitation and spectral response data reveals the nature of the pyrene energy transfer to be radiative.
Analyticity and the Borel summability of asymptotically free theories

Abstract Analyticity is used to determine the Borel space singularity structure of renormalisable field theories. For non-asymptotically free theories we find the usual renormalon structure whereas for asymptotically free theories there appear to be no singularities. The important role of the second coefficient of the β-function is emphasized.
Strategy Guideline: Transitioning HVAC Companies to Whole House Performance Contractors

This report describes the findings from research IBACOS conducted related to heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) companies who have made the decision to transition to whole house performance contracting (WHPC).
A test for the presence of covariance between time-uncertain series of data with application to the Dongge Cave speleothem and atmospheric radiocarbon records

[1] Statistical measures of the relationships between time series are generally altered by the presence of errors in timing, i.e., when applied to time-uncertain series. For example, the covariance sampled between two time series which in truth covary will generally be decreased by errors in timing. Most previous work on this subject has sought to maximize some goodness of fit between time-uncertain series either heuristically or through more quantitative methods. However, there is a danger that unrelated records can be made to appear to covary by time adjustment. Here we propose a statistical test for the presence of covariance between time-uncertain series wherein the probability of obtaining a maximum covariance from randomly realized time-uncertain series is assessed using the theory of order statistics. The results of this analytical method provide insight into the influence of timing errors upon covariance and are shown to be consistent with results derived from a Monte Carlo procedure. We apply this methodology to evaluate the covariance between a time-uncertain stalagmite record and atmospheric radiocarbon during the Holocene and find, contradictory to previous interpretation, that there is insignificant covariance between the two at the 95% confidence level.
Homomorphisms and congruences for abstract feedback systems

An abstract control system is described in a triple (X, U, φ) denoting the state set, the input set, and the state transition φ: X × U → X, respectively, which is handled as (i) an algebra consisting of a carrier set X equipped with a set of unary operations φ(−, u): X → X, u e U, or as (ii) a relational system of a carrier set X with a binary relation Φ ⊂ X × X, where (x, x1) e Φ if there exists u e U satisfying x1 = φ(x, u). The former standpoint is merely algebraic and intensive studies on its structures such as homomorphisms and congruences are exhausted in the setting of universal algebra. The purpose of this article is to establish a unified way of treating the above two points of view and to characterize a basic control concept, feedback as an intermediate object connecting those two, which is shown to be an abstract extension of the linear geometric approach.
HIGH-PRECISION MEASUREMENT OF TOOL-TIP DISPLACEMENT USING STRAIN GAUGES IN PRECISION FLEXIBLE LINE BORING

Abstract Precision displacement measurement is a critical element to achieve active control for high-precision (e.g. 5 μm) flexible line boring. Since current measurement methods are difficult to apply in this application, a new measurement method has been developed. This paper presents a new strain-gauge-based method for the high-precision vibration measurement of a beam. This method is based on the fact that the vibration displacement can be expressed in terms of an infinite number of vibration modes and be related to the measured strains through the strain–displacement relationship. By placing multiple sets of strain gauges, multiple modes can be taken into account to achieve high-precision measurement. Both simulation and experimental results were obtained and are provided for validation. From these results, it can be concluded that this new measurement method is applicable to high-precision flexible line boring, enabling active control to compensate for the tool-tip displacement to achieve a high-precision machining process.
Does Domain Knowledge Matter for Assertion Annotation in Clinical Texts

This pilot study aims to determine how well subjects annotate assertions about problem mentions in clinical text and determine if a statistical difference exists between subjects with and without clinical domain knowledge.
Mental rotation performance by learning disabled and down's syndrome children: A study of imaginal development

A mental rotation task was administered to 56 control (n = 22), learning‐disabled (LD; n = 24), and Down's syndrome (DS; n = 10) children. Each subject was asked to make a decision regarding the side on which a stick figure stimulus held a ball. Regression analyses were used to compare reaction time and accuracy scores among the groups. As predicted, reaction time scores from fastest to slowest were displayed by groups in the following order: control < LD < DS. Although control and LD subjects were more accurate in mental rotation perfonnance than DS subjects, the control subjects were only marginally better than the LD subjects (p < .06). Mental rotation presentations were further broken down into upright and rotated categories. The control group had quicker reaction times than the LD group in both of these categories. In accuracy analyses, the control group and the LD group performed similarly at the upright angles. However, at rotated angles there was a trend for the control group to be more accurate t...
Nonparametric analysis of treatment effects with missing observations

This paper develops a test for comparing treatment effects when observations are missing at random for repeated measures data on independent subjects. It is assumed that missingness at any occasion follows a Bernoulli distribution. It is shown that the distribution of the vector of linear rank statistics depends on the unknown parameters of the probability law that governs missingness, which is absent in the existing conditional methods employing rank statistics. This dependence is through the variance–covariance matrix of the vector of linear ranks. The test statistic is a quadratic form in the linear rank statistics when the variance–covariance matrix is estimated. The limiting distribution of the test statistic is derived under the null hypothesis. Several methods of estimating the unknown components of the variance–covariance matrix are considered. The estimate that produces stable empirical Type I error rate while maintaining the highest power among the competing tests is recommended for implementati...
Cooperative Regulation of Slack Channel by Na+, Cl− and PIP2

Slack (or Slo2.2) channel activity is regulated by Na+ and Cl- ions. The Na+ coordination site of Slack channels bears similarity to the analogous site in Kir3 channels. Here, we show that the activity of Slack channels, like BK (or Slo1) and Slo3 channels, is also dependent on PIP2. We next ask: How are these multiple positive cooperative factors interact with each other to regulate Slack channel activity? We first examined the relationship of Na+ and PIP2 regulation. Unlike Kir3 channels, the D818N mutation, which decreases Na+ sensitivity greatly, showed no effect on PIP¬2 sensitivity. Manipulations that weaken channel-PIP2 interactions in Kir2.1 channels induce residence into subconductance states (Xie et al., 2008, J. Physiol. 586:1833). Unitary Slack channel activity rarely visited sub-conductance levels in the absence of Cl-. Yet, in the presence of Cl-, the Slack single channel conductance was shifted from 145 pS to 80∼100 pS, while the open probability of Slack channels was increased by 2-2.5 fold due to the cooperative regulation of Cl- with Na+. We are in the process of screening for potential Cl- binding site(s) in the cytoplasmic domain of Slack channels, utilizing a strategy similar to the one that enabled us to identify the D818 Na+ coordination site. We hypothesize a close cooperative relationship between PIP2 and Cl- regulation of Slack activity. We are working on investigating this cooperativity and developing a suitable model to explain this complex regulatory mechanism.
Ac transposition is impaired by a small terminal deletion.

In maize, the P1-vv allele specifies variegated pericarp and cob pigmentation, and contains an Ac transposable element inserted in the second intron of the P1-rr gene. Starting from P1-vv, we recovered a new allele, called P1-vv5145, which gives an extremely light variegated pericarp and cob phenotype. The P1-vv5145 allele contains an Ac element (Ac5145) at the same position and in the same orientation as in the progenitor P1-vv allele; however, the P1-vv5145 allele has a 2-bp deletion which removes the last nucleotide (A) from the 3′ end of the Ac element, and an adjacent flanking nucleotide (C) from the p1 intron. In crosses with a Ds tester stock, P1-vv5145 shows a normal ability to induce Ds transposition; however, Ac excision from P1-vv5145 is 3800-fold less frequent than from the progenitor P1-vv allele. Our results demonstrate that the alteration of the 3′ terminal base strongly impairs Ac transposition. The P1-vv5145 allele thus provides a relatively stable source of Ac transposase for controlling Ds transposition in genetic experiments. In addition, we describe two further alleles (P1-ww7B8, P1-ww9A146-3) that contain deletions of Ac and flanking p1 gene sequences. These latter deletions are larger and involve the 5′ end of the the Ac element. A model is proposed to explain the formation of one-sided deletions as a consequence of Ac transposition during replication of the element.
Anode Fall Formation in a Hall Thruster

As was reported in our previous work, accurate, non-disturbing near-anode measurements of the plasma density, electron temperature, and plasma potential performed with biased and emissive probes allowed the first experimental identification of both electron-repelling (negative anode fall) and electron-attracting (positive anode fall) anode sheaths in Hall thrusters. An interesting new phenomenon revealed by the probe measurements is that the anode fall changes from positive to negative upon removal of the dielectric coating, which appears on the anode surface during the course of Hall thruster operation. As reported in the present work, EDS analysis of the chemical composition of the anode dielectric coating indicates that the coating layer consists essentially of an oxide of the anode material (stainless steel). However, it is still unclear how oxygen gets into the thruster channel. Most importantly, possible mechanisms of anode fall formation in a Hall thruster with a clean and a coated anodes are analyzed in this work; practical implication of understanding the general structure of the electron-attracting anode sheath in the case of a coated anode is also discussed. I. Introduction N a gas discharge, there can be either an increase or a drop in the plasma potential toward the anode, generally referred to in the literature as the “anode fall”. When the anode is at a higher potential than the near-anode plasma, the anode fall is called “positive”, and when it is at a lower potential – “negative”. The positive and negative anode falls are essentially associated with formation of the electron-attracting and electron-repelling anode sheaths, respectively. The anode sheath is a thin space-charge layer adjoint to the electrode. It is a non-linear structure that was first observed and studied by Langmuir and Mott-Smith in glow discharges. 1
Whose knowledge is valued: a critical study of knowledge in elementary school textbooks in China

This study critically examines knowledge in elementary school textbooks in China. Language analysis and story‐line analysis are used to examine how the knowledge related to minority groups and how the knowledge related to the Han group are introduced and interpreted. This study finds that the Han knowledge dominates elementary school textbooks in China and that minority knowledge and culture are under‐represented, which demonstrates that the dominant Han group’s knowledge is seen as the ‘truth’ while minority knowledge is seen as backward. Moreover, through the dominant Han group’s selection and construction of school knowledge, the Han group reproduces its ideology and legitimates its hegemonic control over minority groups. Minority knowledge and culture are, therefore, subjugated.