cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Synthetic Aperture Radar (Sar) Imagery of Storm-Induced Seas Around the Goto Islands, Japan

High-quality, 3-m-resolution aircraft synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imagery of coastal seas around the Goto Islands was obtained on August 31, November 19, and November 27, 1982. The August data were taken during 10-17 m sec-1 (SE) winds associated with a typhoon that generated 200-m-long waves propagating toward 354°T. The November 19 data are from a calm period of winds less than 1.5 m sec-1 from the southwest; no sea returns were obtained with the exception of small oceanic fronts. The November 27 data are from a fall-season monsoonal surge of 9.5 m sec-1 winds from the northwest, generating 80-100-m-long waves propagating SSW (142-204°T). Sea and swell diffraction/refraction patterns are clearly discernible, as well as wave-current interactions, shallow-water fronts, and surface wind effects. A computer program has been developed that, using SAR-derived wavelength and surface wind data, estimates wave period, celerity, wave height, wind shear velocity, drag coefficient, and dynamic roughness length. SAR-derived wind directions agree closely with coastal station and ship of opportunity data. The quality of the radar sea return has been found to be critically dependent on antenna depression angle, wind speed, and surface roughness. The system used was the AN/UPD-4 radar mapping set operated on wavelengths of 3 cm (X band, 9.68 GHz).
Microfluidic Pulmonary System for Experimental Investigation of Cellular Injury due to Fluid Mechanical Stresses during Airway Reopening

Airway closure and reopening are characteristic of a variety of pulmonary diseases. Unique microscale air-liquid two-phase fluid motions during airway reopening generate large mechanical stresses, which may be deleterious to airway epithelial cells in the small airway system. Here we describe micro-engineered biomimetic in vitro airway systems and injury of pulmonary epithelial cells due to fluid mechanical stresses imposed by airway reopening. Using compartmentalized microchannel networks fabricated by soft lithography, we demonstrated long-term microfluidic culture of pulmonary epithelial cells. Airway reopening was reproduced in the microchannels by using air-liquid two-phase microfluidic systems that use air bubbles to form liquid plugs. We found that plug propagation and rupture during airway reopening cause cellular injury by exerting high levels of fluid mechanical stresses on pulmonary epithelial cells.
Mutational analysis of fusion peptide-like regions in the mouse hepatitis virus strain A59 spike protein.

The Coronavirus peplomer protein S is responsible for attachment and fusion during viral entry as well as for the induction of cell to cell fusion. While several regions within S have been shown to influence the ability to induce fusion, the region of the protein actu-ally responsible for fusion, the fusion peptide, has not yet been identified. We identified two hydrophobic peptides (peptides #1 and #2) within MHV-A59 S2 as possible fusion domains. This was based on hydrophobicity, conservation among coronavirus S proteins and the prediction of a sided helix conformation. Using site directed mutagenesis and an in vitro cell to cell fusion assay we showed that substitution of hydrophobic amino acids with charged amino acids, within the predicted hydrophobic face of either of these two peptides eliminated fusion. Within peptide #1 substitution of the same hydrophobic amino acids with other hydrophobic amino acids or substitution of polar amino acids with charged or polar amino acids had little effect on fusion. Thus peptides #1 and #2 remain likely candidates for the MHV fusion peptide. A third previously identified peptide within S2 (Chambers et al., 1990) is unlikely as a fusion peptide as it is not well conserved among coronaviruses and substitution within the hydrophobic face with charged amino ac-ids does not effect fusion.
Statistical Analysis of Nonuniform Volume Distributions for Droplet-Based Digital PCR Assays.

We present a method to determine the concentration of nucleic acids in a sample by partitioning it into droplets with a nonuniform volume distribution. This digital PCR method requires no special equipment for partitioning, unlike other methods that require nearly identical volumes. Droplets are generated by vortexing a sample in an immiscible oil to create an emulsion. PCR is performed, and droplets in the emulsion are imaged. Droplets with one or more copies of a nucleic acid are identified, and the nucleic acid concentration of the sample is determined. Numerical simulations of droplet distributions were used to estimate measurement error and dynamic range and to examine the effects of the total volume of droplets imaged and the shape of the droplet size distribution on measurement accuracy. The ability of the method to resolve 1.5- and 3-fold differences in concentration was assessed by using simulations of statistical power. The method was validated experimentally; droplet shrinkage and fusion during...
Idiosyncrasies of thermofluorimetric aptamer binding assays

To explore thermofluorimetric analysis (TFA) in detail, we compared two related aptamers. The first, LINN2, is a DNA aptamer previously selected against EGFR recombinant protein. In this work we selected a second aptamer, KM4, against EGFR-overexpressing A549 cells. The two aptamers were derived from the same pool and bind the same target but behave differently in TFA. Our results suggest four overall conclusions about TFA of aptamers: 1. Some aptamers show reduced fluorescence upon target binding suggesting that target-bound aptamer is not always fluorescent. 2. Many aptamers do not obey the intuitive assumptions that aptamer–target interactions stabilize a folded conformation. 3. TFA may be most appropriate for aptamers with significant double-stranded structure. 4. Kinetic effects may be significant and the order of operations in preparing samples should be carefully optimized.
India-Pakistan Crises under the Nuclear Shadow: The Role of Reassurance

This paper will examine four crises that took place between India and Pakistan, in the period in which they were declared nuclear powers. It shows that by combining threats and reassurance, Indian ...
Sorting index and Mahonian-Stirling pairs for labeled forests

Bjorner and Wachs defined a major index for labeled plane forests and showed that it has the same distribution as the number of inversions. We define and study the distributions of a few other natural statistics on labeled forests. Specifically, we introduce the notions of bottom-to-top maxima, cyclic bottom-to-top maxima, sorting index, and cycle minima. Then we show that the pairs ( inv , Bt - max ) , ( sor , Cyc ) , and ( maj , Cbt - max ) are equidistributed. Our results extend the result of Bjorner and Wachs and generalize results for permutations. We also introduce analogous statistics for signed labeled forests and show equidistribution results which generalize results for signed permutations.
How characteristic is the species characteristic selection scale

AIM: The importance of framing investigations of organism–environment relationships to interpret patterns at relevant spatial scales is increasingly recognized. However, most research related to environmental relationships is single‐scaled, implicitly or explicitly assuming that a “species characteristic selection scale” exists. We tested the premise that a single characteristic scale exists to understand species–environment relationships within species by asking (a) what are the characteristic scales of species’ relationships with environmental predictors, and (b) is within‐species, cross‐predictor consistency in characteristic scales a general phenomenon. LOCATION: Nebraska, USA. TIME PERIOD: 2016. MAJOR TAXA STUDIED: Birds. METHODS: We used data from 86 species at > 500 locations to build hierarchical N‐mixture models relating species abundance to land cover variables. By incorporating Bayesian latent indicator scale selection, we identified the spatial scales that best explain species–environment relationships with each land cover predictor. We quantified the extent of cross‐predictor consistency in characteristic scales, and contrasted this to the expectation given a single species’ characteristic scale. RESULTS: We found no evidence for a characteristic spatial scale explaining all abundance–environment relationships within species, rather we found substantial variation in scale‐dependence across multiple environmental attributes. Furthermore, 33% of species displayed evidence of multiple important spatial scales within environmental attributes. MAJOR CONCLUSIONS: Within species there is little evidence for a single characteristic scale of environmental relationships and considerable variation in species’ scale dependencies. Because species may respond to multiple environmental attributes at different spatial scales, or single environmental attributes at multiple scales, we caution against any unoptimized single‐scale studies. Our results demonstrate that until a framework is developed to predict the scales at which species respond to environmental characteristics, multi‐scale investigations must be performed to identify and account for multi‐scale dependencies. Natural selection acting on species’ response to distinct environmental attributes, rather than natural selection acting on species’ perception of spatial scales per se, may have shaped patterns of scale dependency and is an area ripe for investigation.
Parenting style is associated with sensory adaptation and behavioral outcomes of preterm infants

Background: Preterm infants are at higher risk than their term counterparts for subsequent behavioral problems. Although correlations exist between psychological problems and sensory adaptation or early behavioral profiles of preterm infants, it is not known if early sensory adaptation and behaviors correlate with parenting style. Objective: To test the hypotheses that parenting style during early childhood would impact the sensory adaptation and behavioral outcomes of infants in the first two years, and …
Translational Approach to Predicting the Efficacy of Maraviroc-Based Regimens as HIV Preexposure Prophylaxis.

Maraviroc-based regimens have been explored as preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP) against human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). In this study, we utilized mucosal tissue drug exposure data, combined with target concentrations generated in vitro, in a pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic analysis to predict the effects of drug combinations and adherence on PrEP efficacy. Mucosal tissue concentrations of maraviroc were measured in 24 healthy women. The 90% effective concentrations (EC90) of maraviroc (alone and combined with tenofovir and emtricitabine) for protection against HIV were identified in CD4+ T cells. Monte Carlo simulations were performed to identify dosing strategies to protect colorectal and female genital tract (FGT) tissues from HIV infection. Colorectal maraviroc concentrations were 350-fold higher than in the FGT. Under steady-state conditions, our model predicted that one 300-mg dose/week was sufficient to protect colorectal tissue from HIV in 99% of the population, while 300 mg daily would protect the FGT in only 63% of the population. FGT protection increased to >90% when maraviroc was used in combination with tenofovir (5 doses/week) or emtricitabine (3 doses/week). Poor adherence resulted in a drastic decrease in efficacy in the FGT but not colorectal tissue. However, greater forgiveness was seen when maraviroc was combined with tenofovir or emtricitabine, suggesting that maraviroc should not be used alone as PrEP.
Financial Inducements: Growth in DTC Magazine Advertisements

Interest in pharmaceutical costs has heightened, as the phenomenon of financial inducements as promotional tools in Direct-to-consumer magazine advertising remains chiefly unexplored. The value of ...
Tying Free Choice in Questions to Distributivity

The idea that wh-phrases can quantify over generalized quantifiers emerged following two main observations: (i) disjunctive answers to modalized questions lead to free choice inferences if the wh-phrases’s restrictor is plural and (ii) questions with collective predicates do not lead to uniqueness presuppositions. Such proposals, however, fail to derive the connection between (i-ii) and plurality. We propose a novel analysis in which (i-ii) are derived via the presence of an existential distributivity operator. By tying these phenomena to distributivity, our analysis is able to establish the desired connection to plurality.
P010 The Influence of COVID-19 on Inflammatory Bowel Disease-Related Search Trends

INTRODUCTION: The novel SARS-CoV-2 Coronavirus pandemic has had significant global impact on health care The pandemic's effect on patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is unknown, but health care delivery to this largely immunocompromised population is of concern, as many patients refrained or were unable to seek in-person medical care We aimed to explore if the pandemic influenced IBD specific search trends in the United States We predicted more patients would search for symptoms or medications using Google try to self-treat or self-care METHODS: Using Google Trends (GT), we queried Crohn's Disease (CD) or Ulcerative Colitis (UC) in combination with IBD-related symptoms or medications between January 1 and April 30 for the years 2018-2020 in the United States Frequencies of the specific search terms were compared to the site's relative search volume over weekly and monthly intervals Data was analyzed using monthly and weekly mean search scores compared across years and through 2020 using ANOVA with posthoc Tukey adjustment for multiple comparisons RESULTS: There were decreased search scores for bloating and rectal bleeding with IBD terms occurring during March and April of 2020 compared to years prior but not abdominal pain or diarrhea (Figure 1) The bloating plus CD/UC queries saw the largest variation in 2020 (CD: F 5 19 18 with (2,89) df, P<0 0001, UC: F=14 08 with (2,89) df, P<0 0001) For April 2020, medication search terms for infliximab 1 UC were significantly decreased (F=47 73 with (2,89) df, P<0 0001) but not for infliximab 1 CD (F=3 08 with (2,89) df, P=0 051) Prednisone searches also significantly decreased with CD and UC during this time period (Figure 2) CONCLUSION: Assuming the global pandemic was the main influence of GT during March and April 2020, it appears that some IBD-related searches were significantly reduced compared to prepandemic levels, while others did not change It is possible that patients utilized other services like patient portals and telehealth to communicate with providers instead of Google searches Limitations include the non-specificity of querying a search engine which may not reflect the habits of confirmed diagnosed IBD patients Further research should investigate how patients cared for themselves during the pandemic It will be important to continue to monitor the trends of IBD patient utilization of the healthcare system as cities and IBD centers start to reopen to safely and effectively deliver care (Figure Presented)
A Six-Step Solution to the PBM Problem

In the past year, pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) have catapulted into public attention. While PBMs initially helped patients by reducing burdens and lowering price, today they are doing the opposite. This short piece outlines 6 steps that could address the PBM problem. Congress can take four: (1) ban gag clauses; (2) require the disclosure of rebates and other financial benefits; (3) prohibit retroactive fees charged to pharmacies; and (4) address conflicts of interest between PBMs and pharmacies. The government agencies can take the other two: (5) robust merger enforcement; and (6) a 6(b) FTC study.
Comparison of Singleplex qPCR and the Luminex MAGPIX Platform for the Detection of Viral Pathogens

Background: Various respiratory molecular assays are available, each with different characteristics and advantages that make them uniquely valuable The objective of this study was to compare rates of viral detection using singleplex and multiplex platforms in a research setting Methods: A prospective viral surveillance study was conducted in Davidson County, TN Infants under one year who presented with fever and/or respiratory symptoms were enrolled from the outpatient, emergency department and inpatient settings Nasal swabs were collected and tested for influenza A (FluA), influenza B (FluB), human metapneumovirus (MPV), respiratory syncytial virus A and B (RSVA and RSVB), human adenovirus (AdV), parainfluenza 1, 2, 3, and 4 (PIV1-4) and SARS-2-CoV by both singleplex qPCR and the Luminex NxTAG Respiratory Pathogen and NxTAG CoV Extended panels The rhinovirus/enterovirus, human bocavirus, Chlamydophila pneumoniae, Mycoplasma pneumoniae and coronavirus HKU1, NL63, 229E and OC43 results from the Luminex panel were excluded because singleplex qPCR was not performed on those targets For singleplex qPCR results, cycle threshold (Ct) values were used as a surrogate for viral load, with a higher Ct value indicating a lower viral load Results: A total of 112 nasal specimens were tested by both singleplex qPCR and Luminex, of which 65 were positive for at least one virus by either platform and 56 had a virus detected on both platforms (Figure 1) Seven specimens were positive by singleplex qPCR only and two were positive by Luminex only (Figure 1) The targets positive by singleplex qPCR only included FluB, RSVA, AdV and PIV2 and those positive by Luminex only included FluA H1N1 and RSVB (Figure 2) Specimens that were positive only on the singleplex assay had a higher average Ct value than those that were positive on both assays, indicating a lower viral load (Figure 3) Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3 Conclusion: The multiplex assay identified 89% of the total viruses detected while singleplex qPCR identified 97% of the total viruses detected Lower viral loads may contribute to false negative results on the multiplex platforms Future studies with larger sample sizes are needed in order validate our findings
Geospatial Land Use and Land Cover Data for Improving Agricultural Area Sampling Frames

This chapter describes the development of an automated stratification method, based on readily available geospatial Cropland Data Layers and its integration into the USDA National Agricultural Statistic Service operational stratification process. Automated stratification, based on the NASS Cropland Data Layers https://nassgeodata.gmu.edu/CropScape/, objectively, consistently, and rapidly stratifies United States land cover of the area frame primary sampling units, by percent cultivation. Subsequently, the integration of automated stratification into the traditional operational process further refines area frames with manual editing and review processes and significantly improves operational efficiency and area frame accuracy. A performance comparison is described between the NASS traditional stratification method, which is based on subjective visual interpretation of aerial or satellite data, and the Cropland Data Layer based automated stratification method. The effectiveness of both traditional and automated stratification methods is also assessed using in situ validation data collected at the segment level as part of the 2010 NASS June Area Survey. Though the automated stratification method improves efficiency and objectivity as well as accuracy in the intensively cropped areas, it inherits the Cropland Data Layer classification errors and has lower accuracies in low or non-agricultural areas. To further improve the accuracy of the automated method in low intensity agricultural areas and maintain its efficiency and objectivity, the automated method is integrated into the traditional stratification process to further refine area frames with manual editing and review procedures. The results of the integration have shown further improvement in stratification accuracy.
‘I try to stay true to my memories, even if it means making a mistake’: an interview with Riad Sattouf: Translated by Oliva Hoskins

As we entered 2021, we interviewed Riad Sattouf about his Arab of the Future series, reflecting on how comics explore memory and the importance of narrative storytelling not limited to 280 Twitter ...
Nitrate Reduction by the Ultraviolet-Sulfite Advanced Reduction Process

Advanced reduction processes (ARPs) form highly reactive reducing radicals and aqueous electrons, which can reduce oxidized contaminants, by activating reducing agents. Experiments were conducted t...
Hierarchical planning in a supervisory control context with compositional abstraction

Hierarchy is a tool that has been applied to improve the scalability of solving planning problems modeled using Supervisory Control Theory. In the work of Hill and Lafortune (2016), the notion of cost equivalence was employed to generate an abstraction of the supervisor that, with additional conditions, guarantees that an optimal plan generated on the abstraction is also optimal when applied to the full supervisor. Their work is able to improve their abstraction by artificially giving transitions zero cost based on the sequentially-dependent ordering of events. Here, we relax the requirement on a specific ordering of the dependent events, while maintaining the optimal relationship between upper and lower levels of the hierarchy. This present paper also extends the authors’ work (Vilela and Hill 2020) where we developed a new notion of equivalence based on cost equivalence and weak bisimulation that we term priced-observation equivalence. This equivalence allows the supervisor abstraction to be generated compositionally. This helps to avoid the explosion of the state space that arises from having to first synthesize the full supervisor before the abstraction can be applied. Here, we also show that models with artificial zero-cost transitions can be created compositionally employing the new relaxed sequential dependence definition. An example cooperative robot control application is used to demonstrate the improvements achieved by the compositional approach to abstraction proposed by this paper.
Das diagnostische Arsenal

Der genaue Untersuchungsgang am vestibularen System ist in Band I„Praktische Gleichgewichtsdiagnostik“ beschrieben.
Resveratrol - induced Browning of White Adipose Tissue: Macrophages in the Loop

Brown adipose tissue has been a recent target for obesity prevention and therapy. Identification of UCP1-positive 'beige' adipocytes in the white adipose tissue (WAT) upon exposure to cold led multiple studies to investigate the mechanisms involved in the 'browning' of WAT. Adipose tissue microenvironment is comprised of large number of macrophages in obese than in lean individuals. However, the relative contribution of macrophages to the pathogenesis of obesity is not clearly understood. Recently, the thermogenic beige fat circuitry was identified to contain alternatively activated macrophages (M2-Macrophages). Furthermore, catecholamine production by M2-macrophages has been implicated in adaptive thermogenesis. In the current study, we investigated the novel mechanism through which a well-studied anti-obesity phytochemical resveratrol (RSV) induces browning of WAT. We observed that RSV significantly increased IL10 secretion; a signature cytokine of M2-macrophages, at both transcriptional and translation...
Methods for designing efficient parallel-recursive filter structures for computing discrete transforms

Analytical and numerical approaches are presented for the design of first?order and second?order recursive digital filter banks for computing linear, discrete transforms. This subject has been studied extensively for the case of trigonometric transforms. The focus of this paper is on discrete polynomial transforms, and Clenshaw's recurrence formulae are used to design the second?order filters. The efficiency of the implementation for a specific transform is dependent upon the characteristics of recurrence relations for the transform basis vectors. Efficient implementations are derived for the discrete cosine transform and the inverse discrete Legendre transform from analytical expressions for basis vector recurrence relations. A numerical procedure is presented to search for the existence and parameters of an efficient implementation when analytical expressions for the basis vector recurrence relations are unknown.
Semiotics of the drama and the style of Eugene O'Neill

A semiotic analysis is made of the six major plays by Eugene O'Neill and an attempt is made to yield a systematic analysis towards humanistic interpretations of texts. Theoretical interpretations are enriched with discussions of the plays. Technical matters such as the segmentation of the text are specified in appendices. Six semiotic dimensions have been studied: motifs, theatrical semiotic systems, their use in communicational functions, role function of the dramatis personae, their levels of awareness, and aristotelian divisions.
Outer atmospheres of giant and supergiant stars

The properties of the chromospheres, transition regions and coronae of cool evolved stars are reviewed based primarily on recent ultraviolet and X-ray studies. Recent determinations of mass loss rates using new observational techniques in the ultraviolet and radio spectral regions are discussed and observations indicating general atmospheric motions are considered. The techniques available for the quantitative modeling of these atmospheres are outlined and recent results discussed. Finally our current rudimentary understanding of the evolution of these outer atmospheres and its causes are considered.
STAIR: A System for Topical and Aggregated Information Retrieval

Web content has exploded dramatically in the last decade and search is becoming increasingly com plex. In the current search paradigm, the user has to enter the query and is immediately presented results that are typically accessed sequentially. However, there are scenarios where the above model is not appropriate, either because results being in consumable form is more important than immediacy of results, or because the it is difficult and time consuming to navigate the results in sequential fashion. In this work, we describe the architecture, implementation and utility of STAIR- The System for Topical and Aggregated Information Retrieval, that uses a variant of focused crawling and retrieves just the relevant information from the web. We present a new interface that selects search results from different search engines, ranks the results and presents the most relevant results as an aggregated PDF document. User studies indicate that the relevance of the results produced by our approach is competitive with those of current search engines
Dynamical production of intermediate-mass fragments in peripheral 209Bi+136Xe collisions at

Abstract Intermediate-mass fragments (IMF) from the reaction 209 Bi+ 136 Xe at E lab A =28 MeV have been measured in coincidence with other charged reaction products, as well as with neutrons. The IMF emission patterns are seen to exhibit signatures of two mechanisms — statistical emission from the fully accelerated massive reaction partners and a fast dynamical emission from a single effective source. The latter mechanism, possibly involving a multiple neck rupture, becomes dominating for least dissipative collisions characterized by low associated light particle multiplicities.
Optimum power allocation for soft handoff algorithms over lognormal shadowing channels

Soft handoff uses macroscopic diversity to improve the performance of wireless communication systems. In this context, this paper shows that the diversity link statistics can be exploited to optimally allocate the power available for the uplink of soft handoff schemes operating over correlated lognormal shadowing channels. The performance criterion used in optimizing the power allocation is the outage probability which is the probability that the link quality falls below an acceptable level. As an illustration of the mathematical formalism some numerical examples for particular cases of interests are plotted and discussed. These results show that the performance gain provided by these power optimized soft handoff systems increases as the diversity order and/or the correlation coefficient between diversity links increases.
Affective and attributional features of acculturative stress among ethnic minority college students

Little is known about the affective features of acculturative stress or its relation to attributional styles for negative events. The authors examined associations among acculturative stress, attributional style, and positive and negative affect among 96 ethnic minority college students. They hypothesized that acculturative stress would be characterized by elevated negative affect and global and stable attributions for negative events. Consistent with prediction, acculturative stress was significantly associated with negative affect and global attributions, even when controlling for other relevant predictors. Attributional style did not account for the association between negative affect and acculturative stress. Positive affect and stable and internal attributional styles were not related to acculturative stress. The authors discuss implications for reducing stress associated with acculturation.
Data processing and calibration for tunable diode laser harmonic absorption spectrometers

Data processing and calibration methods are described for tunable diode laser absorption spectrometers which produce harmonic absorption spectra as raw data for measuring gas mixing ratios down to parts-per-trillion levels at a variety of pressures. The methods, which take advantage of modern computer speed, memory, and data storage capabilities, are applicable to the detection of weakly absorbing gases in quantitative industrial monitoring, in addition to aircraft and balloon atmospheric measurements for which they were designed. Algorithms for calibration and data analysis, including rejection of erroneous spectra, variation of effective integration time, spectral alignment prior to averaging, and plotting and archiving of results, have been tested on actual stratospheric laser spectra recorded by the Aircraft Laser Infrared Absorption Spectrometer (ALIAS) spectrometer in numerous flights of NASA's ER-2 aircraft.
Metastatic breast tumors express increased tau, which promotes microtentacle formation and the reattachment of detached breast tumor cells

The cytoskeletal organization of detached and circulating tumor cells (CTCs) is currently not well defined and may provide potential targets for new therapies to limit metastatic tumor spread. In vivo, CTCs reattach in distant tissues by a mechanism that is tubulin-dependent and suppressed by polymerized actin. The cytoskeletal mechanisms that promote reattachment of CTCs match exactly with the mechanisms supporting tubulin microtentacles (McTN), which we have recently identified in detached breast tumor cells. In this study, we aimed to investigate how McTN formation is affected by the microtubule-associated protein, tau, which is expressed in a subset of chemotherapy-resistant breast cancers. We demonstrate that endogenous tau protein localizes to McTNs and is both necessary and sufficient to promote McTN extension in detached breast tumor cells. Tau-induced McTNs increase reattachment of suspended cells and retention of CTCs in lung capillaries. Analysis of patient-matched primary and metastatic tumors reveals that 52% possess tau expression in metastases and 26% display significantly increased tau expression over disease progression. Tau enrichment in metastatic tumors and the ability of tau to promote tumor cell reattachment through McTN formation support a model in which tau-induced microtubule stabilization provides a selective advantage during tumor metastasis.
Functional studies of the MACPF domain of human complement protein C8alpha reveal sites for simultaneous binding of C8beta, C8gamma, and C9.

Human C8 is one of five components of the membrane attack complex of complement (MAC). It contains three subunits (C8α, C8β, C8γ) arranged as a disulfide-linked C8α-γ dimer that is noncovalently as...
Small Au rings with a magnet in the center

Abstract We have investigated the magnetoresistance of small Au rings, which surround smaller Ni disks. The magnetic field from the Ni has a very substantial effect on the weak localization behavior of the Au. While the magnetoresistance of such Au rings is normally positive, we find that the presence of a Ni disk can cause it to change sign. The origin of this effect is not clear; we speculate that it may be due to the Berry phase shift produced by a magnetic field which is spatially inhomogeneous.
Electric Shock Effects of Frequency

Supplementing earlier research progress reports1 concerning the physiological effects of electric shock, the authors here present the results of a sereies of experiments made to determine the heart reaction to currents of different frequencies.
Prisoner Reentry in the First Decade of the Twenty-first Century

Abstract The last decades of the twentieth century witnessed a rapid buildup of prison populations followed by rapid increases in the numbers of individuals being released back to communities. Entering the twenty-first century, about 1,700 adults were leaving state and federal prisons each day. This article summarizes recent research on prisoner reentry and concludes that while progress has been made in increasing service delivery and improving intermediate outcomes, attaining substantial declines in recidivism may be more difficult than previously imagined.
Interaction of United States and European Community Dairy Policies Through the International Market

The connections among US dairy policies, European Community dairy policies, the international market for dairy products, and the feedback from the international market to domestic markets were examined using secondary data from government sources. The US and the European Community seek to improve farm incomes using price support policies. These policies have historically encouraged overproduction and generated surpluses that resulted in excessive government stocks and large government expenditures. In the 1980s, both US and European policymakers enacted a sequence of independent policy decisions to reduce surpluses and budget costs. These policy actions interacted to produce unforeseen results in the international market that led to unusual price volatility in domestic markets. Because the European Community and US dairy subsectors have been strongly supported, insulated from the international market, and stabilized, both regions underestimated the cumulative effects of their independent policy decisions. Domestic dairy markets have effects on the international market, which, in turn, can disturb domestic markets. By explicitly considering these linkages, decision makers can choose policies more precisely, minimizing the impacts of international market disruptions on domestic producers and consumers.
Effects of fructose on human fibroblast metabolism: the application of DNA measurements as a basis for interpretation.

A fluorometric procedure for measuring DNA was used to study growth and metabolic responses of eight cell strains of human foreskin fibroblasts. In preliminary studies this procedure gave more precise specific activity changes inN-acetyl-β-d-glucosaminidase (NAG) than did a protein activity basis, when changes in this enzyme's specific activity were investigated as a function of experimental cell manipulation. When fibroblast growth in eight cell strains was compared in 134 mM d-fructose vs. 13.4 mM glucose-supplemented minimum essential media, a significant increase in cellular DNA (50%) and protein (45%) occurred over an 11-d period. No significant differences in media pH change, lactate production, or carbohydrate uptake occurred on a DNA basis when cell metabolism was compared over the last 24 h of culture in the two media. Cells grown in fructose-containing media tended to show a reduction in NAG specific activity when compared with those grown in glucose-containing media.
National and local guidance on services for drug misusers: do they influence current practice?— results of a survey of community pharmacists in South East England

Objective — To investigate levels of awareness of national and local guidance about services for drug misusers and their effect on pharmacy practice. Method — A postal survey in 1997 to collect data on current involvement in services for drug misusers, awareness of and receipt of key documents pertaining to drug misuse, effects of guidelines and protocols on practice, and influences on decisions to provide services. Setting — A random one in two sample (n=1,582) of community pharmacies in the South East of England (North and South Thames regions). Key findings — A 65.1 per cent response rate was achieved. Just over half (54.7 per cent) were dispensing Controlled Drugs for the management of dependence, 47.2 per cent were selling clean injecting equipment and 15.5 per cent were offering a needle exchange service. Most respondents were unaware of key government documents, with the exception of “Health of the nation,” and only a small minority had received copies. The most influential factors on current position on service provision were “personal experience,” “local need” and “Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain (RPSGB) policy.” New local guidelines and initiatives mainly related to supervised consumption of methadone in pharmacies and pharmacy needle exchange. Conclusion — Community pharmacies are substantially and increasingly involved in providing*** primary care services for drug misusers. However, there is a disturbing lack of awareness of key government initiatives, possibly due to the lack of dissemination of such documents. RPSGB policy as a key influencing factor points to an opportunity for the profession to take a more influential position.
Lethal and sublethal effects of the sediment‐associated PCB aroclor 1254 on a meiobenthic copepod

Acute toxicity tests were performed on field-collected copepods (Microarthridion littorale) using the sediment-associated polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) Aroclor 1254 (i.e., PCB concentrations in bulk sediments in the bound and/or unbound states). Three replicates of 50 adult copepods were exposed to five levels of PCB-contaminated sediments for 96 h and compared to untreated controls and solvent controls. LC50 concentrations were nearly twice as high for females as for males. To determine the effects of the PCB on reproductive output of the copepods, copulating pairs of Microarthridion littorale were allowed to reproduce in concentrations of Aroclor 1254-contaminated sediments below LC50 values. Two experimental trials with 10 and 15 replicates, each with one pair of Microarthridion littorale in copulus, were conducted for 12 d, the normal time needed for females to produce one set of nauplii and carry a second clutch of eggs. In both experiments, a significant decrease in number of nauplii was found with Aroclor contamination. Although NOECs were not determined, high concentrations of the sediment-associated Aroclor NOECs were required to affect mortality significantly, whereas lower levels impaired reproduction.
STUDIES ON THE ASYMMETRIC TOTAL SYNTHESIS OF TRICHOTHECENES. STEREOSELECTIVE CONSTRUCTION OF THE C‐RING FRAGMENT

Abstract A stereoselective construction of the C-ring fragment of trichothecenes from readily available 4-cumyloxy-2-cyclopentenol in 12 steps (24% overall yield) is described.
A fluorometric kinetic method for creatine in urine

Abstract A fluorometric kinetic method is described for the analysis of creatine in urine. The method is based on the specific enzymatic reaction of creatine kinase on creatine and two coupled indicator reactions. Fluorogenic compounds in urine are removed by activated carbon. The rate of decrease of NADH fluorescence at 460 nm is measured and equated to creatine content. The method is more sensitive than the comparable spectrophotometric procedure.
Approximate Clustering on Distributed Data Streams

We investigate the problem of clustering on distributed data streams. In particular, we consider the k-median clustering on stream data arriving at distributed sites which communicate through a routing tree. Distributed clustering on high speed data streams is a challenging task due to limited communication capacity, storage space, and computing power at each site. In this paper, we propose a suite of algorithms for computing (1 + epsiv) -approximate k-median clustering over distributed data streams under three different topology settings: topology-oblivious, height-aware, and path-aware. Our algorithms reduce the maximum per node transmission to polylog N (opposed to Omega(N) for transmitting the raw data). We have simulated our algorithms on a distributed stream system with both real and synthetic datasets composed of millions of data. In practice, our algorithms are able to reduce the data transmission to a small fraction of the original data. Moreover, our results indicate that the algorithms are scalable with respect to the data volume, approximation factor, and the number of sites.
An algorithm for visual fields

Abstract The authors present an algorithm, or sequential strategy, for the performance and interpretation of visual fields. Based on the principle that particular areas of the visual field are relatively vulnerable and that particular defect configurations are relatively more diagnostic, the strategy proposes certain “core maneuvers” for all initial examinations, followed by selective exploration of the vertical meridian “rectangle” and central “keyhole”. This constitutes the “qualitative” portion of perimetry and combines threshold kinetic and suprathreshold static techniques. If time and patience permit, qualitative perimetry is followed by quantitative definition of defect size, depth and slope, using the requisite number of stimuli. This approach may be adapted to all visual field instruments. The interpretation of the field defects is based on assessing their localizing features.
Thiol-disulfide exchange in an immunoglobulin-like fold: structure of the N-terminal domain of DsbD.

Escherichia coli DsbD transports electrons across the plasma membrane, a pathway that leads to the reduction of protein disulfide bonds. Three secreted thioredoxin-like factors, DsbC, DsbE, and DsbG, reduce protein disulfide bonds whereby an active site C-X-X-C motif is oxidized to generate a disulfide bond. DsbD catalyzes the reduction of the disulfide of DsbC, DsbE, and DsbG but not of the thioredoxin-like oxidant DsbA. The reduction of DsbC, DsbE, and DsbG occurs by transport of electrons from cytoplasmic thioredoxin to the C-terminal thioredoxin-like domain of DsbD (DsbD C ). The N-terminal domain of DsbD, DsbD N , acts as a versatile adaptor in electron transport and is capable of forming disulfides with oxidized DsbC, DsbE, or DsbG as well as with reduced DsbD C. Isolated DsbD N is functional in electron transport in vitro. Crystallized DsbD N assumes an immunoglobulin-like fold that encompasses two active site cysteines, C103 and C109, forming a disulfide bond between ‚-strands. The disulfide of DsbD N is shielded from the environment and capped by a phenylalanine (F70). A model is discussed whereby the immunoglobulin fold of DsbD N may provide for the discriminating interaction with thioredoxin- like factors, thereby triggering movement of the phenylalanine cap followed by disulfide rearrangement.
Representations of Race, Gender and Ability in School Photography

This article examines photographs taken of American public school classes between the 1880's and the 1940's. Most of the images were found in two virtual archives: The American Memory site at the Library of Congress and The National Archives and Record Center. These very large photograph collections were searched for representations of race, gender, and physical ability. The photographs were compared and contrasted and analyzed for elements of hidden curricula using techniques drawn from the social sciences and humanities. It was found that these large photo collections have significant gaps and historical amnesias. Collections made under conditions of racial segregation are themselves segregated and continue to reproduce images of hierarchy and dominance. To the extent these sites function as important resources for teachers and students searching for primary source documents for history and social studies projects, the archives convey significantly biased views of the history of education and minority groups in America.
Vision therapy and orthoptics

Vision therapy by orthoptists is a form of treatment to restore binocular single vision and to enhance the control of a deviation using prisms and convergence therapy. It is differentiated from optometric behavioral vision therapy (BVT) as a form of treatment to decrease rates ofjuvenile recidivism and to improve learning disabilities using colored overlays and tools such as trampolines. Evidence-based findings of randomized controlled clinical trials versus conclusions drawn from nonrandomized, poorly controlled studies of various forms of vision therapy are explored. Concrete evidence in the mainstream literature supports the positive effects of eye exercises in patients with convergence insufficiency and yoked prisms in patients with neurologic deficits. Vision therapy for juvenile delinquents and patients with dyslexia is unsubstantiated.
Saliva of the Yellow Fever mosquito, Aedes aegypti, modulates murine lymphocyte function

Saliva of many vector arthropods contains factors that inhibit haemostatic responses in their vertebrate hosts. Less is known about the effect of vector saliva on host immune responses. We investigated the effect of Aedes aegypti salivary gland extracts on antigen-stimulated responses of transgenic OVA-TCR DO11 mouse splenocytes in vitro. T-cell proliferation was inhibited in a dose-dependent manner, with greater than 50% inhibition at 0.3 salivary gland pair (SGP) equivalents/mL. LPS-stimulated B-cell proliferation was also inhibited. Secretion of the Th1 cytokines IL-2 and IFN-gamma was reduced by 50% or more with 0.45-0.6 SGP/mL, as was secretion of the pro-inflammatory cytokines GM-CSF and TNF-alpha, and the Th2 cytokine IL-5. The Th2 cytokines IL-4 and IL-10 were similarly reduced with 0.6-2 SGP/mL. Inhibition of lymphocyte function involved modulation of viable T-cells at low salivary gland extract (SGE) concentrations, and decreased viability at higher concentrations. Dendritic cells were not killed by salivary gland extracts at concentrations as high as 25 salivary gland pairs/mL, but secretion of IL-12 was inhibited by 87% following exposure to 0.6 SGP/mL. Activity is present in saliva and extracts of female but not male salivary glands, and it is depleted from salivary glands of blood-fed mosquitoes. The activity is denatured by boiling and by digestion with the protease papain, indicating a protein; gel filtration HPLC indicates a mass of about 387 kDa. These results suggest that A. aegypti saliva exerts a marked immunomodulatory influence on the environment at the bite site.