cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Role of Transcription in the Activation of a Drosophila Amplification Origin

The mechanisms that underlie metazoan DNA replication initiation, especially the connection between transcription and replication origin activation, are not well understood. To probe the role of transcription in origin activation, we exploited a specific replication origin in Drosophila melanogaster follicle cells, ori62, which coincides with the yellow-g2 transcription unit and exhibits transcription-dependent origin firing. Within a 10-kb genomic fragment that contains ori62 and is sufficient for amplification, RNA-sequencing analysis revealed that all detected RNAs mapped solely to the yellow-g2 gene. To determine whether transcription is required in cis for ori62 firing, we generated a set of tagged yellow-g2 transgenes in which we could prevent local transcription across ori62 by deletions in the yellow-g2 promoter. Surprisingly, inhibition of yellow-g2 transcription by promoter deletions did not affect ori62 firing. Our results reveal that transcription in cis is not required for ori62 firing, raising the possibility that a trans-acting factor is required specifically for the activation of ori62. This finding illustrates that a diversity of mechanisms can be used in the regulation of metazoan DNA replication initiation.
Simulating the financial effects of major corporate policy changes via a discrete state system model

Techniques originally developed to model and analyze complex systems of interacting physical components have recently been adapted for use in analyzing economic systems. These techniques can be applied to any phenomenon which can be identified as a collection of components interacting at clearly defined interfaces, as long as the behavioral characteristics of these components can be described mathematically, in terms of common flow and/or propensity variables. A system model thus developed can be utilized for various kinds of analysis, including simulation. In this study the business firm is viewed as a system of funds flows, both environmental, and between several internal asset collection points. A FORTRAN program is developed from this system model to simulate financial effects of three selected policy changes.
Constraint and consistency in stereo matching

The major difficulty in stereo vision is the correspondence problem that requires matching features in two stereo images. In this paper, we describe a constraint-based stereo matching technique using local geometric constraints among edge segments to limit the search space and to resolve matching ambiguity. Edge segment is used as the primitive image feature for stereo matching. Standard epipolar constraint and individual edge properties are used to determine possible initial matches between edge segments in the left and right images. Local edge geometric relations such as continuity, junction structure, and edge neighborhood relations are then used as constraints to guide the stereo matching process. The result is a locally consistent set of edge segment correspondences between stereo images. These locally consistent matches then generate higher-level hypotheses on extended edge segments and junctions. These hypotheses form more global contexts and allow local supports to correct incorrect local matches to achieve global consistency.
Real-time plug-in electric vehicles charging control for V2G frequency regulation

In this paper, a real-time energy management algorithm for charging a plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) network in a large urban area with renewable energy resources is proposed. In this system, the PEVs charging rates are controlled by a central aggregator through wireless communication. A statistical forecasting model of the energy requirement of the PEVs network at different times during the day is developed based on statistical US drivers' driving habits. With historical solar irradiance, and wind speed in this area, genetic algorithm (GA) is used to find the optimal scale of the renewable farm that can feed proper power for the PEVs network. Meanwhile, this urban area has a certain amount of local load that follows a daily pattern. Through vehicle to grid (V2G) and vehicle to vehicle (V2V) services, the proposed power optimization algorithm based on fuzzy logic control is used to minimize the impact of charging PEVs to the power grid, maximize the utilization of renewable energy and help the power grid to regulate the utility frequency, which will benefit the utility AC grid, PEVs network and its customers. The simulation results based on a large PEVs network demonstrate that the proposed smart charging algorithm can effectively limit the PEVs charging impact and help the grid regulate the frequency.
Rehabilitation of the coronary patient: Status 1986

T HE GOAL OF REHABILITATION is to help the coronary patient rapidly return to a normal or pre-illness lifestyle and to a productive, active, and satisfying role in society; rehabilitative measures are thus designed to assess the patient’s functional status and to maintain and enhance physiologic, psychologic, social, educational, and vocational functions. During the past decades, there has been progressive incorporation of this rehabilitative approach into traditional medical care.l*’ Although patients with myocardial infarction have generally been the largest group considered for rehabilitation, this approach is equally applicable to patients with stable angina pectoris and those who have had coronary bypass surgery or coronary angioplasty. There are five areas of emphasis in the rehabilitative approach. The first involves limitation of the adverse physiologic and emotional consequences of the acute illness. The second is risk stratiJication2’; this component aims to identify patients who have an increased likelihood of an early recurrent coronary event and to institute diagnostic and therapeutic measures designed to improve the clinical outcome. It is also the basis for recommending return to activity, including return to work. The third approach addresses the alteration of noncoronary risk factors likely to adversely affect the patient’s prognosis; these include, for example, pharmacotherapy that can favorably affect cardiac rhythm, ventricular function, myocardial ischemia, platelet function, and even survival.3 The fourth is traditional secondary prevention, the mod$cation of conventional coronary risk factors with the aim of retarding the progression or potentially inducing regression of the underlying atherosclerotic disease. The fifth aspect involves those interventions designed to decrease symptoms and restore, improve, and maintain physical, psychosocial, and vocational function. The importance of attempts to limit morbidity is evidenced, for example, by the 20% of myocardial infarction survivors who have varying severities of residual physiologic, psychosocial, and vocational disabilities.4 Patients with angina pectoris, because of this symptom, typically have even greater disability; comparable data have not been examined in broad-based populations of patients following coronary bypass surgery or coronary angioplasty.
Goals in Hemiplegia Care

Physicians should assume leadership and a greater role in the post-stroke management of the hemiplegic patient, so that the recipient of care becomes an active participant in the treatment team. The patient should be fully aware of his condition, and partake in establishment of the goals together with subsequent evaluation of accomplishments and progress. Some short-term and some longer-term goals are outlined as a guide. A method for performance scoring is suggested. These performance ratings may assist in establishing priorities for discharge planning and continuation of care. They also may permit more accurate assessment and documentation of the patient's capacities and the efficacy of the various approaches to adequate care.
Customer Discrimination and Employment Outcomes for Minority Workers

This paper investigates the effects of customer discrimination on the employment and earnings of minorities, particularly blacks. Data are used from a new survey of employers in four large metropolitan areas in the United States. Our results show that the racial composition of an establishment's customers has sizable effects on the race of who gets hired, particularly in jobs that involve direct contact with customers and in sales or service occupations. Race of customers also affects wages, with employees in establishments that have mostly black customers earning less than those in establishments with mostly white customers.
PCR amplification of tandemly repeated DNA: analysis of intra- and interchromosomal sequence variation and homologous unequal crossing-over in human alpha satellite DNA

Tandemly repeated DNA can comprise several percent of total genomic DNA in complex organisms and, in some instances, may play a role in chromosome structure or function. Alpha satellite DNA is the major family of tandemly repeated DNA found at the centromeres of all human and primate chromosomes. Each centromere is characterized by a large contiguous array of up to several thousand kb which can contain several thousand highly homogeneous repeat units. By using a novel application of the polymerase chain reaction (repPCR), we are able to amplify a representative sampling of multiple repetitive units simultaneously, allowing rapid analysis of chromosomal subsets. Direct sequence analysis of repPCR amplified alpha satellite from chromosomes 17 and X reveals positions of sequence heterogeneity as two bands at a single nucleotide position on a sequencing ladder. The use of TdT in the sequencing reactions greatly reduces the background associated with polymerase pauses and stops, allowing visualization of heterogeneous bases found in as little as 10% of the repeat units. Confirmation of these heterogeneous positions was obtained by comparison to the sequence of multiple individual cloned copies obtained both by PCR and non-PCR based methods. PCR amplification of alpha satellite can also reveal multiple repeat units which differ in size. Analysis of repPCR products from chromosome 17 and X allows rapid determination of the molecular basis of these repeat unit length variants, which appear to be a result of unequal crossing-over. The application of repPCR to the study of tandemly repeated DNA should allow in-depth analysis of intra- and interchromosomal variation and unequal crossing-over, thus providing insight into the biology and genetics of these large families of DNA.
False Memories Are Not Surprising: The Subjective Experience of an Associative Memory Illusion.

Abstract Four experiments examined subjective experience during retrieval in the DRM false memory paradigm [Deese, J. (1959). On the prediction of occurrence of particular verbal intrusions in immediate recall. Journal of Experimental Psychology, 58 , 17–22; Roediger, H. L., & McDermott, K. B. (1995). Creating false memories: Remembering words not presented in lists. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 21 , 803–814]. Subjects studied lists of related words that were associated with critical non-presented words and then took a recognition test in which they made judgments about their experience of each test item. We tested the prediction from [Whittlesea, B. W. A. (2002). False memory and the discrepancy–attribution hypothesis: The prototype-familiarity illusion. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 131 , 96–115] discrepancy–attribution hypothesis that subjects experience critical lures as surprising, and that the experience of surprise leads them to call the lures old. We found that subjects were not surprised when they encountered critical lures on a recognition test and, in fact, they reported that they expected to see critical lures more than they expected to see words that they had actually studied. When subjects did experience words as surprising, they called the words new, not old. The results support the idea that false memories in the DRM paradigm occur when critical lures are activated in memory and fluently processed on a test, leading subjects to experience critical lures in much the same way that they experience words they actually studied. The results do not support the idea that false memories are surprising, as stated by the discrepancy–attribution hypothesis.
Modal Functions of Sediment Size Distribution: ABSTRACT

Variation in sizes of sediment particles deposited together under the same hydraulic regime is related to normal fluctuations in fluid properties and to differences between particle shape and specific gravity. Differences in size-frequency distributions between mineral species can be ascribed to these fluid and sediment properties. A useful way of comparing the differences is by modal sizes. In heavy-mineral analysis the differences in modal sizes (^dgr^phgr) between each heavy mineral and the light minerals can be used to express the hydraulic equivalence of heavy and light minerals. Modal separation (^dgr^phgr) is a function of shape of the heavy mineral (ZH) and the light mineral (ZL), and of the relative specific gravities of the heavy mineral (^rgrH^prime) and light minerals (^rgrL^prime) in the fluid stream: [EQUATION] A test of this function was made in the heavy minerals in Tertiary sediments of Huerfano Park, Colorado, whose age, mode of deposition, direction of transport, and local source areas had already been established by independent field observations. The mean computed ( ^ ^dgr ^phgr) and measured (^dgr^phgrm) modal separations and their statistical deviations are as follows. Table End_of_Article - Last_Page 519------------
Optimal Control of Discrete and Continuous Time Maintenance Systems with Variable Service Rates

A maintenance system consists of o finite number of machines and a single-server repair facility that may be operated at several rates. Machines are subject to failure and machines that fail are sent to the repair facility. Under the assumption that costs depend on the repair rate and lost production, we derive conditions that ensure that, for a discrete time maintenance system, the optimal repair rate is a non-increasing function of the number of machines in good condition. By considering a continuous time maintenance system as a limit of a sequence of discrete time maintenance systems, we derive analogous conditions that ensure that the optimal repair rate for the continuous time maintenance system is a non-increasing function of the number of machines in good condition.
The histologic spectrum and significance of clear-cell change in lung carcinoma

We reviewed 348 consecutive cases of lung carcinoma to determine the incidence and significance of clear-cell carcinoma. Areas composed of clear cells were common in all types of lung carcinoma except small cell carcinoma. The clear cytoplasm in most cases contained glycogen. We found only one tumor fulfilling the World Health Organization (W.H.O.) criteria for clear-cell carcinoma. There were 14 other tumors which contained over 50% clear cells and therefore could be considered clear-cell carcinomas by some published criteria. Ten of these tumors also showed foci of epidermoid differentiation while four showed gland formation. The prognosis of tumors containing even large areas of clear cells does not appear to differ from that reported for the common lung carcinomas. We feel that clear-cell carcinoma should not be considered a distinct clinicopathologic entity. Rather, tumors composed even predominantly of clear cells should be classified according to the major W.H.O. categories.
Sol–gel synthesis and characterization of the Ag2O–SiO2 system

Abstract Binary silver silicate (SS) (XAg2O+(1–X) SiO2; X=0.1–0.9 in steps of 0.1) system was synthesized through sol–gel route for various compositions containing SiO2 (F=SiO2) and modifier (M=Ag2O) oxides. All the synthesized SS xerogel compositions were characterized by XRD, FTIR, EDS, WDS, SEM and impedance spectroscopy techniques. The XRD spectrum showed mixed (amorphous and crystalline) phases. The formation of the SiO2 network, and presence of Si–OH and NO3 were confirmed by FTIR. Chemical compositions of each element in the SS system were estimated from the EDS and WDS measurements. The SEM micrographs showed that the SS compounds have two phases and the assumption was further supported by EDS, XRD, and IR results. Electrical conductivity of the SS system was estimated from the impedance data and was found to be on the order of 10−3 cm−1 Ω−1. The role of the observed high ionic conductivity in the SS system is explained using the existing theoretical models.
Revisiting the Effects of Economic Incentives on Motivation

This paper presents a formal framework for modeling the effects of economic incentives on motivation. While economic models represent the utilities from monetary incentives and private benefits in an additive form, studies in psychology show that extrinsic and intrinsic motivation are non-additive and that there exists a continuum between the two. To accommodate for possible interaction effects, a non-additive probability model and evidence theory have been used in the principal-agent set-up. The model produces results consistent with prior evidence presented in social psychology studies.
A Compression Type Low Voltage Air Circuit Breaker

THE totally enclosed fuses employed to protect lowvoltage low-current distribution circuits perform their work so effectively and quietly that an analysis has been made to determine their principle of operation in order that this principle might be applied to a small circuit breaker.
Flash: animation in the third dimension

This paper explores the possibilities of utilizing 3D space to enhance content delivery and the user's experience. We report on a special topics course, "Flash 3D," taught at the Rochester Institute of Technology this year. This graduate level course was comprised of 15 students from the Computer Graphics Design MFA program within the School of Design. The course's objective was to create interactive 3-D environments within Macromedia Flash.Flash was originally designed for two-dimensional animation. Throughout its evolution, it has grown to produce many richmedia applications. Currently new media designers have yet to break out of a two-dimensional world into a more robust three-dimensional environment.
Single-Sex Schooling: Bridging Science and School Boards in Educational Policy

Heated debate over the necessity, efficacy, and legality of public single-sex schooling continues in communities across the U.S. In this introduction to the second part of a special issue on the topic, we provide illustrative descriptions of issues that are common in U.S. school board deliberations on the topic, including issues of ideology, money, race, and science, and legal battles over the outcomes of such decisions. We then summarize the nine papers that appear in the issue. Four papers provide reviews of the laws, neuroscience, and critical race theorizing relevant to single-sex schooling. In addition, two papers present sophisticated re-analyses of important data sets on the topic, and three papers present new empirical data on non-academic outcomes (gender attitudes, peer relations, and body image) associated with single-sex schooling. Finally, we offer conclusions for educational practice and policy based on the current state of scientific evidence.
A study of parental age effects on the occurrence of fresh mutations for the Apert syndrome

SUMMARY A sample of 44 patients with the Apert syndrome was analysed for parental age effects on the occurrence of fresh mutations by using two conceptually similar techniques, one proposed by Smith (1972) and the other devised for the purposes of this study. The results of both analyses confirmed the parental age effect reported by Blank (1960), and was probably due solely to increased paternal age.
Mathematical Model of a Ventilation Controlled Compartment Fire

A release rate model for predicting the course of developing fires in a compart ment has been in use for several years. Application of the model was limited to those conditions when oxygen concentrations did not limit the rate of heat generation. This work extends the model to include the post-flashover and ven tilation controlled period of a fire.
Potential contribution of epithelial Na+ channel to net secretion of aqueous humor

The aqueous humor of the eye is secreted by the bilayered ciliary epithelium, consisting of the pigmented (PE) cell layer facing the stroma and the nonpigmented (NPE) cell layer facing the aqueous humor. Cells within each layer and between the two layers are linked by gap junctions, forming a ciliary epithelial syncytium. Unidirectional secretion from the stroma to the aqueous proceeds both through the cells (the transcellular pathway) and between the cells (the paracellular pathway). Net formation of aqueous humor must, however, be the algebraic sum of unidirectional secretion and unidirectional reabsorption from the aqueous humor back into the stoma. The mechanisms potentially underlying reabsorption of aqueous humor by the NPE cells have recently been addressed by studying the regulatory response (RVI) of anisosmotically shrunken NPE cells. The results indicated that epithelial Na+ channels with a high affinity to amiloride likely contribute to reabsorption of solute from the aqueous humor. We have substantiated this possibility by using Northern analysis to identify in human ciliary body RNA a 3.7-kb transcript corresponding to the α-subunit of the amiloride-sensitive, αβγ-ENaC epithelial sodium channel. We have also found that the Na+-channel inhibitor benzamil inhibits the RVI without affecting the cell volume of isotonic cell suspensions. This observation supports the hypothesis that the low conductance, highly selective epithelial Na+ channel is activated by shrinkage and contributes to unidirectional reabsorption as aqueous humor. Examples are provided of how the integrative regulation of aqueous humor formation can involve conjugate actions on both unidirectional secretion and reabsorption. J. Exp. Zool. 279:498–503, 1997. © 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Utilization of a Michael addition: dipolar cycloaddition cascade for the synthesis of (+/-)-cylindricine C.

A new approach to the marine alkaloid (±)-cylindricine C has been devised. The key element of the synthesis consists of a Michael addition/dipolar cycloaddition cascade between 2,3-bis(phenylsulfonyl)-1,3-butadiene and 9-triisopropylsilanyloxy-non-1-en-5-one oxime. The resulting cycloadduct was converted into (±)-cylindricine C by a sequence of reactions including a reductive cyclization, intramolecular enolate alkylation, and conjugate addition to introduce the n-hexyl side chain.
Calcium-regulated secretion of tissue plasminogen activator and parathyroid hormone from human parathyroid cells

The effects of Ca and other agents on secretion of plasminogen activator (PA) and PTH have been examined and compared, using parathyroid cells obtained from the glands of chronic renal patients. During 2 weeks culture at different [Ca], the secretory rates of PA activity and PTH were parallel; steady-state secretion over 24-h periods was maximal at 0.5-0.9 mM Ca, minimal at 1.5-2.5 mM Ca, and the [Ca] at 50% suppression was 1.1 mM. At 2.5 mM Ca, two inhibitors of cellular proteolysis, 3-methyladenine and chloroquine, stimulated secretion of both PA activity and PTH. The results indicated that secretion of PA from human parathyroid cells is regulated similarly to that of PTH. The characteristics of human parathyroid PA were also examined using human parathyroid adenoma tissue. In homogenates, the highest specific activity of PA was in microsomal fractions. The Mr of PA from tissue and from culture media was 70 kilodalton by sodium dodecyl sulfate gel electrophoresis followed by zymography, or by Western bl...
Integrative beliefs in group crises

Recent events have focused the attention of social scientists on the prevalence of both active and latent conflict in groups, communities, and larger social units. Outbreaks of intergroup violence revolving about race, class, ethnic and national background, age, and sex inequalities suggest the presence of latent conflict, easily sparked by even trivial incidents. But more remarkable and less well understood are the many occasions when inflammatory incidents fail to ignite highly combustible situations. We need to understand better the mechanisms that sometimes sublimate conflict when it threatens to escalate beyond tolerable levels. Critical examinations of the writing of history, investigations into the sociology of knowledge, and contemporary approaches in social-psychology have underlined the close relationship between beliefs about events and about group processes and structure. Conflict produces one version of reality: harmony produces another. Obversely beliefs about the nature of events foster subsequent development in directions of escalated conflict, accommodation, or conciliation. Any study of mechanisms that sublimate conflict must take note of the part played by integrative and divisive beliefs. The impact of precipitating events in intergroup conflict, from race riots to wars, has
A study of the reaction 12C(α, α′)12C exciting the 1+ T = 0 level at 12.71 MeV

Abstract The differential cross section for the excitation in the inelastic scattering of 36 MeV α-particles of the 1 + T = 0 level in 12 C has been measured. Calculated angular distributions suggest that the transition proceeds primarily by two-step reactions rather than by the one-step reaction involving the two-body alpha-nucleon spin-orbit potential.
Complex Power Series—a Vector Field Visualization

How can we visualize the behavior of complex power series and convey to students a clear understanding of convergence and divergence? In this note we describe a visualization technique based on the use of Polya vector fields, as introduced by Polya and Latta [3] and further developed by Braden [1], [2]. In [3], Polya introduced the notion of a vector field representation of a complex function of a complex variable: If f(x + iy) = u(x, y) + iv(x, y), then the associated Polya field is F(x, y) = (u(x, y), v(x, y)). A plot of the vector field can then be used to visualize the behavior of f. The complex conjugate is used rather than (u, v) itself because the Cauchy-Riemann equations for analyticity of f translate into zero divergence and zero curl for F; thus a nice interpretation of analyticity in vector field terms is available. Of course, the conjugate field preserves all important features of f. The vector field representation is ideally suited to depict the process of convergence of a sequence of complex functions. Each function f, is represented by a vector field Fn on the common domain of definition, and convergence of f, to a limiting function f can be envisioned as a "stabilizing" of the vector fields F11 to a limiting configuration, that of the vector field for f. Convergence at a point is thus represented by a sequence of arrows based at a common point tending toward a limiting arrow. Divergence appears as either an oscillation or a growth in magnitude without bound of a sequence of common-based arrows. The production and exploration of such sequences of vector fields is easy in an interactive computer system such as Mathernatica. We describe a program written in the Mathernatica language and implemented on the Macintosh II that allows construction of such fields for a complex power series. The program displays the partial sums of a series oo=a1a(z Z0) l in vector field form. The first input to the program is a domain, which can be a disc or an annulus with center z0 and any radii. The next input is a "tolerance pair" [a, b]; only vectors whose magnitudes are between a and b will be shown. Then the user gives the number of annuli into which the display will be divided, and the closed form expression for an. The program computes and displays the fields in succession; vectors are plotted as arrows with bases on circles determined by the subdivision annuli. The lengths of the vectors are scaled logarithmically to avoid messy overlaps; this does not alter the behavior of the sequence. Arrows whose lengths exceed the upper tolerance level are deleted and replaced by dots. Termination of the program leaves us with a field that may be taken as a representation of E,0a11(z Zo)". The animation feature of Mathematica allows the fields to be presented in an animated sequence, showing the meaning of convergence and divergence dynamically.
Withdrawal of technological life support following subarachnoid hemorrhage.

Background Prognostication of mortality or severe disability often prompts withdrawal of technological life support in patients following aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH). We assessed admission factors impacting decisions to withdraw treatment after aSAH. Methods Prospectively collected data of aSAH patients admitted to our institution between 1991 and 2009 were reviewed. Patients given comfort care measures were identified, including early withdrawal of treatment ( 3 (72 % of WOLST vs. 53 % with no WOLST, p = 0.008); and hydrocephalus (81 % of WOLST vs. 63 % with no WOLST, p = 0.009). Independent predictors of WOLST were poorer Hunt and Hess grade (AOR 1.520, 95 % CI 1.160‐1.992, p = 0.002) and older age (AOR 1.045, 95 % CI 1.022‐1.068, p < 0.001) with the latter also impacting early WOLST decisions. Conclusions Older age and poor clinical grade on presentation predicted WOLST, and age predicted decisions to withdraw treatment earlier following aSAH. While based on prognosis, and in some cases patient wishes, this may also constitute a self-fulfilling prophecy in others.
Experimental and Ab Initio Quantum Mechanical Studies of the Vibrational Spectra of Isolated Pyrimidine Bases

A review is presented of experimental studies of infrared and Raman spectra of thymine isolated in an argon matrix at about 12 K. The experimental techniques for study of the vibrational spectra of matrix-isolated pyrimidines are described, and the reasons for such studies are illustrated by comparison of the infrared and Raman spectra of matrix-isolated thymine with spectra in the solid phase. Comparison of the infrared spectrum of p-quinone isolated in an argon matrix with that for the molecule in the gas phase establishes that the spectra of matrix-isolated molecules are expected to be very similar to those for the gas phase, except for the lack of rotational structure in the matrix spectra. On the other hand, hydrogen bonding in the solid phase has a profound effect on the infrared spectrum, with much smaller effect on the Raman spectrum. Ab initio quantum-mechanical calculations at the HF/6–3 lG(d) level made for the isolated molecules are compared with the experimental spectra and their application to the interpretation of the latter is illustrated.
Deuteron quadrupole coupling in formaldehyde

Abstract The hyperfine structure of the 110-111 rotational transition of D2CO has been observed with a beam-maser spectrometer and the spin-rotation and electric quadrupole coupling constants have been determined. Using previously reported measurements on HDCO, the complete electric field gradient tensor at the position of the deuteron has been evaluated.
An Intergroup Phase III Comparison of Standard Radiation Therapy and Two Schedules of Concurrent Chemoradiotherapy in Patients With Unresectable Squamous Cell Head and Neck Cancer

Purpose: The Head and Neck Intergroup conducted a phase III randomized trial to test the benefit of adding chemotherapy to radiation in patients with unresectable squamous cell head and neck cancer. Patients and Methods: Eligible patients were randomly assigned between arm A (the control), single daily fractionated radiation (70 Gy at 2 Gy/d); arm B, identical radiation therapy with concurrent bolus cisplatin, given on days 1, 22, and 43; and arm C, a split course of single daily fractionated radiation and three cycles of concurrent infusional fluorouracil and bolus cisplatin chemotherapy, 30 Gy given with the first cycle and 30 to 40 Gy given with the third cycle. Surgical resection was encouraged if possible after the second chemotherapy cycle on arm C and, if necessary, as salvage therapy on all three treatment arms. Survival data were compared between each experimental arm and the control arm using a one-sided log-rank test. Results: Between 1992 and 1999, 295 patients were entered on this trial. This...
Anal fistula surgery. Factors associated with recurrence and incontinence.

PURPOSE: This study was undertaken to assess results of surgery for fistula-in-ano and identify risk factors for fistula recurrence and impaired continence. METHODS: We reviewed the records of 624 patients who underwent surgery for fistula-in-ano between 1988 and 1992. Follow-up was by mailed questionnaire, with 375 patients (60 percent) responding. Mean follow-up was 29 months. Fistulas were intersphincteric in 180 patients, transsphincteric in 108, suprasphincteric in 6, extrasphincteric in 6, and unclassified in 75. Procedures included fistulotomy and marsupialization (n=300), seton placement (n=63), endorectal advancement flap (n=3), and other (n=9). Factors associated with recurrence and incontinence were analyzed by univariate and multivariate regression analysis. RESULTS: The fistula recurred in 31 patients (8 percent), and 45 percent complained of some degree of postoperative incontinence. Factors associated with recurrence included complex type of fistula, horseshoe extension, lack of identification or lateral location of the internal fistulous opening, previous fistula surgery, and the surgeon performing the procedure. Incontinence was associated with female sex, high anal fistula, type of surgery, and previous fistula surgery. CONCLUSIONS: Surgical treatment of fistula-in-ano is associated with a significant risk of recurrence and a high risk of impaired continence. Degree of risk varies with identifiable factors.
Therapeutic efficacy of Sunitinib and other broad spectrum receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors (RTKI) in bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis

Platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) has ample evidence to support its importance in pulmonary fibrosis. Expression of PDGF in the lungs of IPF patients as well as in BAL samples from animal models of lung fibrosis support its involvement during disease development. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) being a key regulator of angiogenesis and its receptors have been shown to be involved in the pathogenesis of pulmonary sarcoidosis and fibrosis. The hypothesis under investigation is that receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors (e.g. Sutent) will slow both the fibrotic processes associated with PDGF signaling and the angiogenic processes regulated by VEGF. We tested two RTKi compounds from Pfizer’s internal portfolio (SU-11248 (Sutent), SU-14813) in the bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis mouse model. Prophylactic as well as therapeutic dosing protocols were conducted. Endpoints included histology, body weights, wet lung weights, lung HO-Pro levels and tissue and serum samples for biomarker and lung exposure analyses. Statistically significant reductions in histological changes were demonstrated in lungs treated with both RTK inhibitors in both percentage of total collagen and inflammatory collagen present. RTK inhibitors demonstrated a statistically significant reduction in both wet lung weight and lung HO-Pro content when dosed prophylactically and therapeutically compared to controls. We have demonstrated that broad-spectrum RTK inhibition is efficacious in inhibiting established pulmonary fibrosis in the bleomycin-induced mouse model. Sutent and other broad spectrum RTKis may provide therapeutic benefit to IPF patients by slowing both the fibrotic and angiogenic processes regulated by tyrosine kinases.
Electroretinographic responses following monocular visual deprivation in kittens.

Abstract Changes in retinal function in kittens were studied following light or pattern deprivation for brief periods of time. Monocular light deprivation in 2–5-month-old kittens for 1 week or more results in a subsequently reversible reduction of the b-wave of the ERG (electroretinogram) to light flashes during Nembutal anesthesia. Virtually no change occurs following monocular pattern deprivation for comparable periods of time. Pre-deprivation electroretinograms from each eye are normal. Post-tests of light deprived kittens to repetitive light flashes accentuate the difference between the two eyes.
Cooperative Interactions of Bound Ions and Sulfhydryl Groups in Hemerythrin

Hemerythrin, the oxygen-carrying protein of sipunculids, has been known in three forms: deoxy, oxy, met. A characteristic spectrum has been associated with each form. We have now found, from electrophoretic mobilites, that anions are bound to hemerythrin with concomitant large shifts in spectra. All of the ions showing these effects, N3−, HS−, SCN−, CNO−, Cl−, F−, and OH−, are known to form coordination complexes with Fe(III). Association constants have been evaluated for several of these complexes by spectrophotometric titration. The association is stronger with the protein in which the sulfhydryl group has been previously blocked. In a complementary manner, the reaction of hemerythric with mercaptan reagents, such as N-ethylmaleimide, is very slow in the absence of iron-coordinating ligands but rapid in the presence of ions such as N3− or SCN−. This cooperative interaction can be accounted for in either of two ways: (I) if under normal conditions hemerythrin is in equilibrium with a very small amount of its subunits (in which mercaptan groups are more accessible), bound ions would shift this equilibrium toward subunits; (Q) bound ions may produce a change of conformation in the macromolecule. Hybridization experiments provide strong evidence that the octamer monomer equilibrium is the actual mechanism of the cooperative interactions.
Behavior and maze learning ability of dairy calves as influenced by housing, sex and sire

Abstract Two-hundred-and-seventy-five calves were allowed to enter a maze to determine how genetic and environmental effects influenced their time, direction first turned upon entry (laterality), and activity in a maze. Calves were put into the maze five times on Days 1, 2 and 3 post-weaning. Diet did not affect time, distance traveled, or activity score in the maze of 53 calves. On Day 2, males were slower to find the food source than females. On Day 3, calves reared in polyvinyl domes initially turned right more often than explained by chance. Activity differed between calves from different sires, sexes, during certain trials, and when the location of the food source was changed. There was nearly a threefold difference between sire groups in time required to pass through the maze. Maze time was slowest on Day 1, fastest on Day 2, and intermediate on Day 3 (when the location of the food source was changed). Sire groups differed in activity scores on all 3 days. There were significant correlations between maze time and activity scores, between activity score and laterality and between time and laterality on some days.
Home Schooling and the Question of Socialization

This analysis shows home schooling to be part of a general trend of elevating private goods over public goods. The discourse around home schooling centers on issues of individual rights and private benefits, rather than the public good. Yet, the public has an interest in education because there are unavoidable aspects of education that make it a public good. However, home schooling denies this public interest. It undermines the common good in two ways. First, it withdraws not only children but also social capital from public schools, to the detriment of the students remaining behind. Second, as an exit strategy, home schooling undermines the ability of public education to improve and become more responsive as a democratic institution. Thus, home schooling is not only a reaction to, but also a cause of, declining public schools. Therefore, it diminishes the potential of public education to serve the common good in a vibrant democracy.
Human immunodeficiency virus-associated gastrointestinal disease: common endoscopic biopsy diagnoses.

The gastrointestinal (GI) tract is a major site of disease in HIV infection: almost half of HIV-infected patients present with GI symptoms, and almost all patients develop GI complications. GI symptoms such as anorexia, weight loss, dysphagia, odynophagia, abdominal pain, and diarrhea are frequent and usually nonspecific among these patients. Endoscopy is the diagnostic test of choice for most HIV-associated GI diseases, as endoscopic and histopathologic evaluation can render diagnoses in patients with non-specific symptoms. In the past three decades, studies have elucidated a variety of HIV-associated inflammatory, infectious, and neoplastic GI diseases, often with specific predilection for various sites. HIV-associated esophageal disease, for example, commonly includes candidiasis, cytomegalovirus (CMV) and herpes simplex virus (HSV) infection, Kaposi's sarcoma (KS), and idiopathic ulceration. Gastric disease, though less common than esophageal disease, frequently involves CMV, Mycobacterium avium-intracellulare (MAI), and neoplasia (KS, lymphoma). Small bowel biopsies and intestinal aspirates from HIV-infected patients often show HIV enteropathy, MAI, protozoa (Giardia, Isospora, Cryptosporidia, amebae, Microsporidia), and helminths (Strongyloides stercoralis). Colorectal biopsies demonstrate viral (CMV, HSV), bacterial (Clostridia, Salmonella, Shigella, Campylobacter), fungal (cryptococcosis, histoplasmosis), and neoplastic (KS, lymphoma) processes. Herein, we review HIV-associated GI pathology, with emphasis on common endoscopic biopsy diagnoses.
REGIONAL IMPACT OF WATER RESOURCE INVESTMENTS IN A DEVELOPING AREA

ABSTRACT: Regional development and industrialization patterns are investigated and related via regression analysis to water resource investments for the island of Puerto Rico. Although results of this study indicate such investments have little immediate or short-term impact, significant relationships and variations in regional responses appear over longer time periods. This is shown by applying a variation of Zellner's method of performing seemingly unrelated regressions jointly. By this method, subsets of parameter coefficients of specific economic variables were restricted across regional equations while unrestricted coefficients were interpreted as explaining systematic regional variations in response to public investment. Regional differences, obtained by using this method, are frequently neglected when simply examining the overall development process. Among the more interesting results in terms of policy implications is the apparent significant relationship, over the period considered, between changes in the distribution of income and the pattern of water resource development.
The lower electronic states of MoN

Abstract We find that the ground state of MoN( 4 Σ - ) has a covalent triple bond where the α bond is d 2 z-like on the Mo, leading to a quartet state with unpaired electrons in the Mo 5s. Mo 4dδ and Mo 4dδ orbitals. The first excited state ( 4 Π) corresponds to the 5pπ ← 5s excitation. The calculated properties of R c = 1.60 A, ω c = 1100 cm -1 . D c = 4.07 eV, and Δ E ( 4 Π- 4 Σ - ) = 2.128 eV are in good agreement with recent experimental results ( R c = 1.63 A and Δ E = 2.011 eV). Particularly interesting is a dramatic non-monotonic change of dipole moment with distance (μ = -3.123 D at R c = 1.60 A. -5.982 D at R = 2.60 A and μ = -0.176 D at R = 5.0 A). This effect is explained.
The extracellular matrix: summation.

The development and progression oflef t ventricular (LV) dysfunction and, ultimately, the clinical manifestation ofcongestive heart f (CHF) is due to the summation ofa number ofsystemic, cellular, and molecular abnormalities. The specific constellation ofabnormalities that contribute to the progression ofCHF is disease dependent, but it likely includes neurohormonal system activation, changes in LV loading conditions, defects in myocardial perfusion and metabolism, and alterations in excitation-contraction coupling. One common structural feature in the progression of the CHF process is LV myocardial remodeling. Myocardial remodeling can be defined as molecular, cellular, and interstitial changes within the myocardium that result in changes in LV size and function. One ofthe predominant geometric f eatures ofmyocardial remodeling that accompanies the CHF process is LV dilation. The progression ofLV remodeling is accompanied by alterations in the structure and function of the extracellular matrix (ECM), which in turn likely facilitates the myocardial remodeling process in CHF. Accordingly, a focused session on the myocardial ECM was held at the July 2001 Satellite Meeting ofthe XVII World Congress ofthe International Society f Heart Research: Remodeling and Progression ofHeart Failure. One goal of this session was to evaluate specific aspects ofthe myocardial ECM with respect to the LV remodeling process, to define important interfaces between the ECM and the cardiac myocyte, and to provide some avenues for future research. The purpose ofthis session was not to provide a comprehensive and exhaustive review ofpast studies. Rather, the purpose was to present a fresh perspective on a particular body ofknowledge regarding the myocardial ECM and to identify areas for future basic and clinical investigation regarding the myocardial ECM and the remodeling process. One ofthe first studies to describe the anatomic basis of the myocardial ECM was by Caufield and Borg. 1 Since that time, it has become well recognized that the ECM is not a static entity but rather a dynamic microenvironment that not only contains structural support proteins but also serves as an important interface with respect to cell-cell signaling. The first monograph, by Goldsmith and Borg, emphasizes the dynamic and diverse nature ofthe myocardial ECM. An important point made by this introductory presentation is that both biologic and physical stimuli, which are operative through the ECM, directly affect myocyte biology. The development ofLV dilation has been shown to be associated with discontinuity and disruptions ofthe supporting fibrillar collagen network, with decreases in the degree ofcollagen strut cross-linking, and with disruptions in myocyte adhesion capacity to the basement
Natural convection between concentric spheres at low Rayleigh numbers

Abstract With neglect of viscous heating and with treatment of each fluid property except specific weight as constant, the solution for steady axisymmetric natural convection between isothermal concentric spheres is obtained. Streamline configuration, velocity and temperature distributions, and both local and overall heat-transfer rates are discussed and illustrated. Appropriate comparisons are made with experimental results. Theory and experiment supplement one another; a design example is given in which both types of results are needed.
SIGCSE 2002 forum: industry in the ivory tower

The intent of this forum is to generate a really lively discussion on the gamut of our relationship - as computer science educators - to industry.How dependent are we/should we be on specific industry software and platforms? (Many examples come to mind - Microsoft Visual Studio.NET, Red Hat Linux, C#, Sun's version of Java.)How obligated are we to jump on board the newest upgraded software version of whatever we might be using?How does our desire for good job placement of our graduates square with our oft-repeated claim that we are educators, not trainers?Pursuing this issue of "where do we fall on the spectrum between training and education," what to do about all these industry certification programs - Cisco, Novell, Oracle, Microsoft. Do we teach these curricula? Do we give credit to students who take it, say at a community college, and then transfer?What about a service course in, say, Photoshop? Is this college-level material?Do opportunities for summer internships or research projects in an industry setting place some special obligations on us with respect to that company?