cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A FRET-based method for monitoring septin polymerization and binding of septin-associated proteins.

Much about septin function has been inferred from in vivo studies using mainly genetic methods, and much of what we know about septin organization has been obtained through examination of static structures in vitro primarily by electron microscopy. Deeper mechanistic insight requires real-time analysis of the dynamics of the assembly of septin-based structures and how other proteins associate with them. We describe here a Forster resonance energy transfer (FRET)-based approach for measuring in vitro the rate and extent of filament formation from septin complexes, binding of other proteins to septin structures, and the apparent affinities of these interactions. FRET is particularly well suited for interrogating protein-protein interactions, especially on a rapid timescale; the spectral change provides an unambiguous indication of whether two elements within the system under study are associating and serves as a molecular-level "ruler" because it is very sensitive to the separation between the donor and acceptor fluorophores over biologically relevant distances (≤10nm). The necessary procedures involve generation of appropriate cysteine-less and single cysteine-containing septin variants, expression and purification of the heterooctameric complexes containing them, efficient labeling of the purified complexes with desired fluorophores, fluorimetric measurement of FRET, and appropriate safeguards and controls in data acquisition and analysis. Our methods can be used to interrogate the effects of buffer conditions, small molecules, and septin-binding proteins on septin filament assembly or stability; determine the effect of alternative septin subunits, mutational alterations, or posttranslational modifications on assembly; and, delineate the location of septin-binding proteins.
Real-Time Flood Forecasting and Information System for the State of Iowa

AbstractThe Iowa Flood Center (IFC), established following the 2008 record floods, has developed a real-time flood forecasting and information dissemination system for use by all Iowans. The system complements the operational forecasting issued by the National Weather Service, is based on sound scientific principles of flood genesis and spatial organization, and includes many technological advances. At its core is a continuous rainfall–runoff model based on landscape decomposition into hillslopes and channel links. Rainfall conversion to runoff is modeled through soil moisture accounting at hillslopes. Channel routing is based on a nonlinear representation of water velocity that considers the discharge amount as well as the upstream drainage area. Mathematically, the model represents a large system of ordinary differential equations organized to follow river network topology. The IFC also developed an efficient numerical solver suitable for high-performance computing architecture. The solver allows the IF...
Staying in the Know: Tools You Can Use to Keep Up With Your Subject Area

ABSTRACTSelecting tools to help you keep up with the latest research in your field can be as daunting as the act itself. This article will explore a number of tools that can help raise awareness of what is currently being researched, help you keep track of key players in the field, and help you stay organized.
Neo1 and phosphatidylethanolamine contribute to vacuole membrane fusion in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

NEO1 is an essential gene in budding yeast and belongs to a highly conserved subfamily of P-type ATPase genes that encode phospholipid flippases. Inactivation of temperature sensitive neo1ts alleles produces pleiomorphic defects in the secretory and endocytic pathways, including fragmented vacuoles. A screen for multicopy suppressors of neo1-2ts growth defects yielded YPT7, which encodes a Rab7 homolog involved in SNARE-dependent vacuolar fusion. YPT7 suppressed the vacuole fragmentation phenotype of neo1-2, but did not suppress Golgi-associated protein trafficking defects. Neo1 localizes to Golgi and endosomal membranes and was only observed in the vacuole membrane, where Ypt7 localizes, in retromer mutants or when highly overexpressed in wild-type cells. Phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) has been implicated in Ypt7-dependent vacuolar membrane fusion in vitro and is a potential transport substrate of Neo1. Strains deficient in PE synthesis (psd1Δ psd2Δ) displayed fragmented vacuoles and the neo1-2 fragmented vacuole phenotype was also suppressed by overexpression of PSD2, encoding a phosphatidylserine decarboxylase that produces PE at endosomes. In contrast, neo1-2 was not suppressed by overexpression of VPS39, an effector of Ypt7 that forms a membrane contact site potentially involved in PE transfer between vacuoles and mitochondria. These results support the crucial role of PE in vacuole membrane fusion and implicate Neo1 in concentrating PE in the cytosolic leaflet of Golgi and endosomes, and ultimately the vacuole membrane.
O-GlcNAcylation of Neuronal Proteins: Roles in Neuronal Functions and in Neurodegeneration

O-GlcNAc is the attachment of β-N-acetylglucosamine to the hydroxyl group of serine and threonine in nuclear and cytoplasmic proteins. It is generally not further elongated but exists as a monosaccharide that can be rapidly added or removed. Thousands of proteins involved in gene transcription, protein translation, and degradation as well as the regulation of signal transduction contain O-GlcNAc. Brain is one of the tissues where O-GlcNAc is most highly expressed and deletion of neuronal O-GlcNAc leads to death early in development. O-GlcNAc is also important for normal adult brain function, where dynamic processes like learning and memory at least in part depend on the modification of specific proteins by O-GlcNAc. Conversely, too much or too little O-GlcNAc on other proteins participates in neurodegenerative processes underlying diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. In this chapter, we describe the expression and regulation of O-GlcNAc in the nervous system.
SAT0516 Influence of ethnicity on clinical pain in patients with osteoarthritis versus rheumatoid arthritis: contribution of level of education and depression

Background The experience of pain is characterized by inter-individual and group variability, with ethnicity being one potential contributing factor. In a systematic review, it was shown how African Americans (AA) demonstrated lower pain tolerance in experimental studies1. Pain is the most common and troubling symptom in patients with osteoarthritis (OA) -maybe reflecting damage- and in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) -maybe reflecting synovitis- but other pain mechanisms are important. Objectives To investigate the influence of ethnicity on clinical pain and other outcomes and to identify potential predictors of higher scores for pain in AA and Hispanic patients with OA or RA seen in routine care. Methods As part of their clinic visit, all patients complete a multidimensional health assessment questionnaire (MDHAQ) at 2 academic sites. MDHAQ includes 0–10 visual analogue scales (VAS) for pain, physical function, and a patient global evaluation (PATGL), and a depression score between others. The MDHAQ also include demographic data and patients “self-identify” their ethnicity. One random visit with complete questionnaire data for each OA (ICD-9=715.0) and RA (ICD-9=714.0) patient from each site was included in this analysis. Comparison according to patients' self-reported ethnicity -White, African-American (AA) or Hispanics- were performed using ANOVA and chi-squared. Multiple regression models were performed to identify independent explanatory variables for clinical pain in AA and Hispanics groups versus White. Results The study included 402 OA patients and RA 373. There were no differences in age and gender between ethnicity groups in both diagnostic groups. Years of education were highest in the White followed by AA and then Hispanics in both OA and RA. AA and Hispanics showed statistically significantly higher scores for pain (6.6 vs 5.3 in OA, p<0.001; 5.7 vs 4.4 in RA, p<0.001) and lower physical function (3.2 vs 1.9 in OA, P<0.001; 3.2 vs 1.9 in RA, p<0.001) in comparison with Whites in both diagnostic groups. A lower level of education and a higher level of depression predicted greater pain on a MDHAQ in OA in separate models for AA and Hispanic patients and in RA in Hispanic patients (Table). View this table: Table 1. Multiple regression models predicting clinical pain on a MDHAQ stratified by ethnicity Conclusions AA and Hispanic patients had higher level of pain than Whites, but these differences are mainly influenced by level of education and level of depression in OA and RA patients. These results support the biopsychosociocultural model of pain in which, ethnic group differences may be determined by multiple mechanisms including socio-cultural as education, and psychological as depression, in addition to biological pathways. References 1. Rahim-Williams B, Riley JL, et al. Pain Med 2012, 13(4):522–540. References Disclosure of Interest None declared
Diagnosing changes in an ontology stream: a DL reasoning approach

Recently, ontology stream reasoning has been introduced as a multidisciplinary approach, merging synergies from Artificial Intelligence, Database and World-Wide-Web to reason on semantics-augmented data streams, thus a way to answering questions on real time events. However existing approaches do not consider stream change diagnosis i.e., identification of the nature and cause of changes, where explaining the logical connection of knowledge and inferring insight on timechanging events are the main challenges. We exploit the Description Logics (DL)-based semantics of streams to tackle these challenges. Based on an analysis of stream behavior through change and inconsistency over DL axioms, we tackled change diagnosis by determining and constructing a comprehensive view on potential causes of inconsistencies. We report a large-scale evaluation of our approach in the context of live stream data from Dublin City Council.
Honey as a Clarifying and Anti-Browning Agent in Food Processing and a New Method of Mead Production

Today’s consumers demand foods more natural with less food additives. We found honey to have very useful characteristics in food processing such as a fruit juice clarifying agent, an anti-browning agent among others. Honey can replace some of the conventional food additives in fruit juice or wine production and it can also be processed into a wide range of new beverage products. The following describes some of our research on honey that has been carried out for over ten years in our laboratory.
Women and Voluntary Blood Donation

This study explores the patterns of and motivations for voluntary blood donation by men and women in Toronto, Canada. Examining social systems with differently structured opportunities for altruism illustrates both the influence of the sex-role differential on altruism, and also the impact of these social structures upon sex-role behaviour. Data are drawn from a postal questionnaire completed by a random sample of about 1,000 males and 850 females who had voluntarily donated blood in Toronto, at least once between June 1974 and February 1978. The study finds men and women donate about equally in a voluntary system, in contrast to lower female participation with market-based blood procurement. Further, the reasons to begin and cease donor activity are basically similar for each sex, though observed differences are quite compatible with traditional role assumption. Implications are assessed for both altruistic behaviour and sex-role patterning. There is, by now, an extensive literature comparing national systems of blood procurement based on market and non-market criteria (Cooper and Culyer, 1968; Titmuss, 1973; Johnson, 1976; Sapolsky and Finkelstein, 1977; Collard, 1978; Pinker, 1979). On the one hand, the United States continues to place primary emphasis on blood donations induced by cash payment, replacement and pre-insurance (or blood banking), all of which are considered to involve exchange or market transactions. By contrast, in many other countries, including Britain, Canada and Australia, blood procurement is a purely voluntary process, in which donors receive no tangible returns for their actions except perhaps small pins or free coffee. Similarly, in * I wish to thank Leah Cohen, M.A., for her helpful comments on this paper as well as Shirley Trentowsky, M.S.W., and Linda Meyers, M.S.W., who served as research assistants. Financial assistance was provided through a Faculty Development Grant at the University of Toronto and the co-operation of the Canadian Red Cross is acknowledged as well.
Abstract 2331: Antioxidant enzymes mediate the survival of ECM-detached ovarian cancer cells

Epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) is the deadliest gynecological cancer and is one of the leading causes of cancer death in women. It has been speculated that the high death rate associated with EOC is due to the fact that approximately 70% of all cases are diagnosed after the disease has already metastasized, thus making the illness more difficult to treat. In order to successfully survive the process of metastasis, EOC cells must be able to survive without anchorage to the extracellular matrix (ECM); however, the molecular mechanisms behind how EOC cells accomplish this feat has yet to be unveiled. Here, we present data that suggest antioxidant enzymes, namely Catalase, Peroxiredoxin 1, and Peroxiredoxin 2 all play a unique role in the survival and proliferation of ECM-detached SKOV3 cells. SKOV3 cells were genetically engineered to be deficient in Catalase, Peroxiredoxin 1, or Peroxiredoxin 2, and all three engineered cell types show abrogated anchorage-independent survival in soft agar. Furthermore, Catalase elimination in ECM-detached SKOV3 cells results in increased cell death at 48 hours, whereas elimination of Peroxiredoxin 1 or Peroxiredoxin 2 in ECM-detached SKOV3 cells results in decreased proliferation at 72 hours. Our current research is working to understand the molecular mechanisms behind the changes in survival and proliferation seen in antioxidant enzyme deficient SKOV3 cells. In aggregate, our data reveal that antioxidant enzymes may serve as attractive targets for the development of chemotherapeutics to eliminate metastatic ovarian cancer. Citation Format: Calli A. Versagli, Cassandra Libbing. Antioxidant enzymes mediate the survival of ECM-detached ovarian cancer cells [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2018; 2018 Apr 14-18; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2018;78(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 2331.
From Pronatalism to Social Welfare? Extending Family Allowances to Minority Populations in France and Israel

An inherent tension exists between the goals ofpronatalism and the actual policies throughwhich law makers have often attempted to raisebirth rates. Proponents of pronatalism oftenprefer to raise births only to specificracial/ethnic or national groups; yet in moderndemocracies, it is unacceptable for socialpolicies to explicitly discriminate on thebasis of race, ethnicity, or national origin. Social benefits, such as family allowances,must be accessible to all citizens. The recentextension of certain previously denied familybenefits to minority populations in France andIsrael illustrates this tension and points to afuture direction in which any pronatalistintent behind family policy will likely bedownplayed in favour of a social welfareimperative.
Electron strahl and halo formation in the solar wind

We propose a kinetic model describing the formation of the strahl and halo electron populations in the solar wind. We demonstrate that the suprathermal electrons propagating from the sun along the Parker-spiral magnetic field lines are progressively focused into a narrow strahl at heliospheric distances $r\lesssim 1$ AU, while at $r\gtrsim 1$ AU the width of the strahl saturates due to Coulomb collisions and becomes independent of the distance. Our theory of the strahl broadening does not contain free parameters and it agrees with the Wind observations at 1 AU to within $15-20\%$. This indicates that Coulomb scattering, rather than anomalous turbulent diffusion, plays a dominant role in strahl formation in these observations. We further propose that the nearly isotropic halo electron population may be composed of electrons that ran away from the sun as an electron strahl, but later ended up on magnetic field lines leading them back to the sun. Through the effects of magnetic defocusing and Coulomb pitch-angle scattering, a narrow source distribution at large heliocentric distances appears nearly isotropic at distances $\sim$1 AU. The halo electrons are, therefore, not produced locally; rather, they are the fast electrons trapped by magnetic field lines on global heliospheric scales. At the electron energies $K \lesssim 200\,\, {\rm eV}$, our theory is quite insensitive to the particular mechanism that produces a population of sunward-streaming suprathermal particles. At larger energies, however, our theory indicates that the scattering provided by Coulomb collisions alone is not sufficient to isotropize a narrow sunward-propagating electron beam.
Joyce’s Exiles: A Reception History

Exiles — James Joyce’s lone extant play — has been the subject of scholarly neglect for the past century, with scholars dooming it as an Ibsenian knockoff and “a wholly bad play” (Kenner, 9). I suggest that we look at Exiles in a wholly different context, instead reading it as a theatrical entity worthy of the stage and not reading it as a work of fiction with accompanying stage directions. Far from suggesting that Exiles is Joyce’s magnum opus, I attempt to elevate the status of the place by suggesting that the 1970 revivalist staging of the play helped to catapult the theatrical career of Nobel laureate Harold Pinter. I further gesticulate toward possibilities and opportunities for the gestation of a more complete critical edition.
Freezing stress survival mechanisms in Vaccinium macrocarpon Ait. terminal buds

Plants' mechanisms for surviving freezing stresses are essential adaptations that allow their existence in environments with extreme winter temperatures. Although it is known that Vaccinium macrocarpon Ait. buds can acclimate in fall and survive very cold temperatures during the winter, the mechanism for survival of these buds is not known. The main objective of this study was to determine which of the two major mechanisms of freezing stress survival, namely, deep supercooling or freeze-induced dehydration, are employed by V. macrocarpon terminal buds. In the present study, no low-temperature exotherms (LTEs) were detected by differential thermal analysis. Furthermore, a gradual reduction of relative liquid water content in the inner portions of buds during magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans performed between 0 and -20 °C (where no damage was detected in controlled freezing tests (CFT)) indicates these buds may not deep supercool. The higher ice nucleation activity of outer bud scales and the appearance of large voids in this structure in early winter, in conjunction with the MRI observations, are evidence supportive of a freeze-induced dehydration process. In addition, the presence of tissue browning in acclimated buds as a result of freezing stress was only observed in CFT at temperatures below -20 °C, and this damage gradually increased as test temperatures decreased and at different rates depending on the bud structure. Ours is the first study to collect multiple lines of evidence to suggest that V. macrocarpon terminal buds survive long periods of freezing stress by freeze-induced dehydration. Our results provide a framework for future studies of cold hardiness dynamics for V. macrocarpon and other woody perennial species and for the screening of breeding populations for freezing stress tolerance traits.
The Fall and Rise of the Taxi Industry in the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Case Study

This paper traces the plunge and rebound of the taxi market in Shenzhen, China through the COVID-19 lockdown. A four-week taxi GPS trajectory data set is collected in the first quarter of 2020, which covers the period of lockdown and phased reopening in the city. We conduct a spatiotemporal analysis of taxi demand using the data, and then select taxis that continued to operate through the analysis period to examine whether and how they adjusted operational strategies. We find, among other things: (i) the taxi demand in Shenzhen shrank more than 85% in the lockdown phase and barely recovered from that bottom even after the city began to reopen; (ii) the recovery of taxi travel fell far behind that of the overall vehicle travel in the city; (iii) most taxis significantly cut back work hours in response to the lockdown, and many adjusted work schedule to focus on serving peak-time demand after it was lifted; (iv) taxi drivers demonstrate distinct behavioral adaptations to the pandemic that can be identified by a clustering analysis; and (v) while the level of taxi service dropped precipitately at the beginning, it quickly rebounded to exceed the pre-pandemic level, thanks to the government's incentive policy. These empirical findings suggest (i) incentives aiming at boosting supply should more precisely target where the boost is most needed; (ii) the taxi market conditions should be closely monitored to support and adjust policies; and (iii) when the demand is severely depressed by lockdown orders or when the market is oversupplied, taxi drivers should be encouraged and aided to use more centralized dispatching modes.
MUSEU INTERATIVO DE ANATOMIA ANIMAL: O conhecimento para todos

Objetivou-se a criacao de um Museu de Anatomia Animal no IFC Concordia com a confeccao de pecas anatomicas para uso na educacao ambiental e difusao do co-nhecimento tecnico sobre anatomia. Animais e orgaos utilizados no projeto foram provenientes de doacoes, abatedouros e atropelamento em rodovias e processados por diferentes metodologias como glicerinacao, taxidermia, preenchimento de vasos por latex e montagens de esqueletos. Ate o momento foram preparadas oito pecas e recebidos 147 visitantes. Os resultados parciais foram positivos, com grande interesse, curiosidade e interacao dos visitantes com as pecas, despertando apreciacao pelo conhecimento cientifico e pela preservacao do meio ambiente.
Reduction of Binary Forms Via the Hyperbolic Centroid

In this paper we introduce a reduction theory based on the hyperbolic center of mass, which is different from the reduction introduced by Julia (1917). We show that the zero map via the Julia quadratic is different than the hyperbolic center of mass. Moreover, we discover some interesting formulas for computing the hyperbolic centroid.
Linking Carbon Markets with Different Initial Conditions

Linkage of emissions trading systems theoretically minimizes total abatement costs by allowing fungibility of emissions reductions across jurisdictions. We develop a theoretical framework to investigate the implications of linking systems with unique designs. We qualitatively assess the California and the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative systems, which we find to be nearly ready to link despite some differences in their initial conditions, including design and stringency. We use a simulation model of regional electricity markets to investigate market outcomes under such a linked system. We consider possible exchange rates for allowances to adjust for differences in program stringency, and we examine how they interact with price floors and ceilings while explicitly representing other program features (e.g., leakage policies, companion policies, and allowance allocation). We find that aggregate emissions and emissions in each jurisdiction change in ways predicted by theory but that efficiency gains can be distributed in nuanced and nonintuitive ways.
Islamic Financing Effects on Small Medium Enterprises Competitiveness

Islamic financing has been identified as an alternative to conventional financial services. However, the extent to which the Islamic financing model could drive small and medium enterprises' (SMEs) competitiveness has been a significant concern in the existing literature. Hence, this study investigates the impact of Islamic financing on SMEs' competitiveness. Adopting the survey research design, the study investigated 400 SME owners/managers in the Southern part of Nigeria. The study employed the ordinary least square regression in the analysis of data. The result establishes that Islamic finance is a significant driver of SMEs' competitiveness. The results specifically reveal that Islamic finance is critical in driving product price, customer experience, and quality of products. The practical implication of Islamic finance may reduce its operational cost since it comes at a no-interest rate while giving room for more innovative prices and customer-centric products at competitive prices. SMEs are to leverage on the opportunities provided by Islamic finance for them to adopt sustainable business practices
Understanding People's Use of and Perspectives on Mood-Tracking Apps: Interview Study.

Background: Supporting mental health and wellness is of increasing interest due to a growing recognition of the prevalence and burden of mental health issues. Mood is a central aspect of mental health, and several technologies, especially mobile apps, have helped people track and understand it. However, despite formative work on and dissemination of mood-tracking apps, it is not well understood how mood-tracking apps used in real-world contexts might benefit people and what people hope to gain from them. Objective: To address this gap, the purpose of this study was to understand motivations for and experiences in using mood-tracking apps from people who used them in real-world contexts. Methods: We interviewed 22 participants who had used mood-tracking apps using a semistructured interview and card sorting task. The interview focused on their experiences using a mood-tracking app. We then conducted a card sorting task using screenshots of various data entry and data review features from mood-tracking apps. We used thematic analysis to identify themes around why people use mood-tracking apps, what they found useful about them, and where people felt these apps fell short. Results: Users of mood-tracking apps were primarily motivated by negative life events or shifts in their own mental health that prompted them to engage in tracking and improve their situation. In general, participants felt that using a mood-tracking app facilitated self-awareness and helped them to look back on a previous emotion or mood experience to understand what was happening. Interestingly, some users reported less inclination to document their negative mood states and preferred to document their positive moods. There was a range of preferences for personalization and simplicity of tracking. Overall, users also liked features in which their previous tracked emotions and moods were visualized in figures or calendar form to understand trends. One gap in available mood-tracking apps was the lack of app-facilitated recommendations or suggestions for how to interpret their own data or improve their mood. Conclusions: Although people find various features of mood-tracking apps helpful, the way people use mood-tracking apps, such as avoiding entering negative moods, tracking infrequently, or wanting support to understand or change their moods, demonstrate opportunities for improvement. Understanding why and how people are using current technologies can provide insights to guide future designs and implementations.
Moyamoya Disease and Syndrome: A National Inpatient Study of Ischemic Stroke Predictors

Abstract Objectives Ischemic stroke and hemorrhagic stroke are the most common sequelae of the Moyamoya variants [Moyamoya disease (MMD) and syndrome (MMS)]. We sought to determine the rates of stroke subtypes and the predictive factors of arterial ischemic stroke (AIS) utilizing a large data sample of MMD and MMS patients in the US. Materials and methods We queried the 2016 and 2017 National Inpatient Sample database for Moyamoya diagnosis plus any of the following associated conditions; sickle cell disease, neurofibromatosis type 1, cranial radiation therapy or Down Syndrome. Multivariate regression determined the risk factors for AIS onset in MMD and MMS. Results 2323 patients with a diagnosis of Moyamoya were included; 668 (28.8%) patients were classified as MMS and 1655 (71.2%) as MMD. AIS was the most common presentation in both cohorts; however, MMD patients had higher rates of AIS (20.4 vs 6%, p Conclusion AIS is the most common presentation in both, MMD and MMS. However, MMD patients had higher rates of stroke events compared to MMS. Risk factors for AIS in MMD included increasing age, lipidemia and smoking status, whereas in MMS hypertension was the only independent risk factor.
Identifying Data Collection Methodology

One of the highlights of many journeys is collecting things of interest that one encounters along the way, and some of these will be items we had not seen before elsewhere. Very often, the items we collect as reminders of our travels remind us about something new we have learned or seen.
Hirability and Educational Prestige

Alternative credentials offer a partial solution to the skill gap and student debt crises, supernormal returns for some students, and a tool to support diversity hiring for firms. This paper tests the hypothesis that educational prestige explains hirability better than accreditation. An original questionnaire using repeated measures (n = 454) is investigated to determine the effects of accreditation and prestige on willingness to hire. A combination of descriptive statistics, ordinary least squares (OLS), and linear mixed models (LMM) reveal that prestige explains a larger component of hirability variance than accreditation. Accreditation remains independently important. Alternative credentials from a Fortune 50 learning provider are competitive with a traditional degree. Other high prestige alternative credentials demonstrate job search value, albeit at a lower level. The conclusion includes a discussion on industry and policy moves to improve total market surplus.
Creating Value in Financial Services

Financial services firms everywhere have undergone major changes over the last several decades. These firms include retail commercial banks, investment banks, insurance companies, mutual fund companies, securities brokers, and credit card companies. The decade of the nineties has witnessed a significant number of mergers among these firms worldwide. Some mergers were intended to achieve economies of scale from greater size and geographic diversity, e.g., the merger of Chase and Chemical. Some mergers were intended to establish a bridge between different financial services in the hope of creating synergies e.g., the merger of Travelers Group with Citicorp.
Multiple embolic brain metastases, strokes and intracranial hemorrhage from a cardiac malignant mesenchymal tumor: A Case Report (P3.139)

OBJECTIVE: To report a case of multiple neurologic complications from a primary cardiac malignant mesenchymal tumor BACKGROUND: Primary cardiac sarcomas are rare and have a poor prognosis. Survival ranges between 7 - 27 months. Neurological complications include thromboembolic strokes, brain metastases from tumor emboli and aneurysms, presumably from tumor infiltration into arterial wall. Few systematic studies on clinical course or treatment are available. DESIGN/METHODS: Case report and literature review. RESULTS: A 42-year-old gentleman presented after an episode of right hemibody numbness, aphasia followed by tinnitus. His initial neurological exam was normal. MRI brain showed strokes in the left parietal-watershed area, and two right parietal-occipital contrast-enhancing lesions. Echocardiogram revealed a 2.5 cm left atrial mass. Subtotal resection of cardiac and cerebral lesions confirmed metastatic malignant mesenchymal tumor. GKRS was first used for local brain control. Yet, patient continued to have numerous thromboembolic events and tumor embolization. He further developed a right perisylvian hemorrhage while on anticoagulation, although no definitive aneurysm was identified. He was left with debilitating global dysphasia and partial Balint syndrome. Palliative whole brain radiation and adjuvant chemotherapy (gemcitabine / docetaxel) started at around 5 months. His neurological syndrome stabilized. He died at 9 months with progressive systemic disease and cardiac tumors measuring up to 9.3 cm. From 1960, we found only 20 reported cases of cardiac sarcomas with cerebral metastasis. They are mostly from autopsies, and many had recurrent neurological events. Detailed results of our literature review will be presented at the time of the meeting. CONCLUSIONS: This case illustrates the high neurologic morbidity and mortality of cardiac sarcoma. Anticoagulation likely increases the risk of intracranial hemorrhage. Palliative whole brain radiation can be considered in order to preserve neurologic function but this is bound to fail unless the cardiac tumor is controlled. Study Supported by: N/A Disclosure: Dr. Chan has nothing to disclose. Dr. Schrag has nothing to disclose. Dr. Huttner has nothing to disclose. Dr. Baehring has nothing to disclose.
Bisphosphonates and pathologic complete response to taxane and anthracycline-based neoadjuvant chemotherapy in patients with breast cancer

BACKGROUND: Several studies have suggested that bisphosphonates have an antitumor effect. In the current study, the authors sought to evaluate whether the use of bisphosphonates increased the rate of pathological complete response (pCR) in patients with breast cancer. METHODS: The authors identified 1449 patients with breast cancer who were receiving taxane- and anthracycline-based neoadjuvant chemotherapy between 1995 and 2007 at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. Patients who received bisphosphonates for osteopenia or osteoporosis while receiving chemotherapy were also identified. The primary outcome was the percentage of patients achieving a pCR. Groups were compared using the chi-square test. A multivariable logistic regression model was fit to examine the relation between the use of bisphosphonates and pCR. An exploratory survival analysis using the Kaplan-Meier method was performed; groups were compared using the log-rank test. RESULTS: Of the 1449 patients included, 39 (2.7%) received bisphosphonates. Those receiving bisphosphonates were older (P < .001) and less likely to be obese (P = .04). The pCR rate was 25.4% in the bisphosphonate group and 16% in the nonbisphosphonate group (P = .11). In the multivariable model, patients treated with bisphosphonates tended to have higher rates of pCR (odds ratio, 2.18; 95% confidence interval, 0.90-5.24); however, the difference was not found to be statistically significant. With a median follow-up of 55 months (range, 3 months-145 months), no differences in disease recurrence or survival were observed. CONCLUSIONS: The use of bisphosphonates at the time of neoadjuvant chemotherapy was not found to be associated with a statistically significant increase in the rates of pCR. The observed estimates suggest a positive effect; however, the small percentage of patients receiving bisphosphonates likely affected the power to detect a statistically significant difference. Cancer 2011;. © 2011 American Cancer Society.
The Emerging Role of Alpha Antagonists in the Therapy of Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia

The rationale for using alpha blockade to treat benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is based on the physiology and pharmacology of prostate smooth muscle. Approximately 20% of the area density of the prostate adenoma is smooth muscle. In vitro isometric tension studies have demonstrated that the contractile properties of the human prostate adenoma are mediated primarily by alpha 1 adrenoceptors. Alpha blockers presumably decrease the resistance along the prostatic urethra by relaxing the smooth muscle component of the prostate. Over the past 14 years, at least 16 clinical trials have confirmed the efficacy of alpha blockade in the treatment of BPH. The primary advantage of terazosin over all other commercially available alpha blockers is that its longer half-life allows for a once-daily dosage regimen. Two Phase II studies conducted in the United States, a multicenter dose titration randomized withdrawal study and the author's personal experience with terazosin, are summarized in this report. Overall, the peak urinary flow rate increased 50% and the mean urinary flow rate increased 46% following terazosin therapy. The mean obstructive and irritative scores improved 67% and 35%, respectively. The adverse reactions occurring with an incidence greater than 5% included headache (10%), asthenia (7%), and dizziness (14%). All adverse events were reversible on termination of therapy. The preliminary experiences with alpha blockers for the treatment of BPH has been very encouraging. Yet, the definitive role of alpha blockade in BPH awaits the reporting of multicenter, randomized placebo-controlled studies.
Exploratory Eye Movements to Pictures in Childhood-Onset Schizophrenia and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

We investigated exploratory eye movements to thematic pictures in schizophrenic, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and normal children. For each picture, children were asked three questions varying in amount of structure. We tested if schizophrenic children would stare or scan extensively and if their scan patterns were differentially affected by the question. Time spent viewing relevant and irrelevant regions, fixation duration (an estimate of processing rate), and distance between fixations (an estimate of breadth of attention) were measured. ADHD children showed a trend toward shorter fixations than normals on the question requiring the most detailed analysis. Schizophrenic children looked at fewer relevant, but not more irrelevant, regions than normals. They showed a tendency to stare more when asked to decide what was happening but not when asked to attend to specific regions. Thus, lower levels of visual attention (e.g., basic control of eye movements) were intact in schizophrenic children. In contrast, they had difficulty with top-down control of selective attention in the service of self-guided behavior.
The Influence of Color, Closure and Correlation on Integral and Separable Performance with Object Displays

Three variables were manipulated in an attempt to determine the conditions of optimal performance using object-like displays. Uniquely color coding the vertices of the object did not appear to cause a significant change in separate or integral task accuracy. The introduction of a display based on the Gestalt law of closure in which the middle third of each side of the object was removed improved separate task accuracy relative to the object display. Separate task accuracy for the closure display was not as good as the bar display. Integration task accuracy was not harmed by this manipulation. The validity of the emergent feature for information integration was manipulated. Lower levels of validity reduce integration task accuracy for all displays equally. Thus, if information integration is the operator's primary task, display designers should consider using the closure display in place of the object display. The usefulness of both object and closure displays may be limited since the emergent feature may ...
An eight-degree-of-freedom quantum dynamics study for the H2+C2H system.

An eight-degree-of-freedom (8DOF) time-dependent wave-packet approach has been developed to study the H2+C2H→H+C2H2 reaction system. The 8DOF model is obtained by fixing one of the Jacobi torsion angle in the nine-degree-of-freedom AB+CDE reaction system. This study is an extension of the previous seven-degree-of-freedom (7DOF) computation [J. Chem. Phys. 119, 12057 (2003)] of this reaction system. This study shows that vibrational excitations of H2 enhance the reaction probability, whereas the stretching vibrational excitations of C2H have only a small effect on the reactivity. Furthermore, the bending excitation of C2H, compared to the ground-state reaction probability, hinders the reactivity. A comparison of the rate constant between the 7DOF calculation and the present 8DOF results has been made. The theoretical and experimental results agree with each other very well when the present 8DOF results are adjusted to account for the lower transition state barrier heights found in recent ab initio calculat...
Continuous-time adaptive signal processing

The solution of wideband adaptive filtering problems with analog structures is investigated. Specific objectives are to provide a basis for a unified theory for both discrete-time and continuous-time adaptive filtering and to consider various analog structures for filter implementation. A canonic adaptive structure is proposed, and the structure which achieves adaptation of the filter coefficients is derived. A discussion is presented of the desired form for the basic analog block which is used to make up the canonic structure. A lattice formulation is analyzed. Conclusions about the effectiveness and usefulness of adaptive analog implementations are presented. >
Inter-Strain Tissue-Infiltrating T Cell Responses to Minor Histocompatibility Antigens Involved in Graft-Versus-Host Disease as Determined by Vβ Spectratype Analysis

Lethal graft-vs-host disease (GVHD) can be induced between MHC-matched murine strains expressing multiple minor histocompatibility Ag differences. In the B6->BALB.B model, both CD4(+) and CD8(+) donor T cells can mediate lethal GVHD, whereas in the B6->CXB-2 model, only CD8(+) T cells are lethal. TCR Vbeta CDR3-size spectratyping was previously used to analyze CD8(+) and CD4(+) T cell responses in lethally irradiated BALB.B and CXB-2 recipients, which showed significant overlap in the reacting repertoires. However, CD4(+) T cells exhibited unique skewing of the Vbeta2 and 11 families in only BALB.B recipients. These Vbeta family reactivities were confirmed by immunohistochemical staining of lingual epithelial infiltrates, and by positive and negative selection Vbeta family transfer experiments for GVHD induction in BALB.B recipients. We have now extended these studies to examine the T cell repertoire responses involved in target tissue damage. Infiltrating B6 host-presensitized CD8(+) and CD4(+) T cells were isolated 8-10 days post-transplant from the spleens, intestines and livers of CXB-2 and BALB.B transplant recipients. For both T cell subsets, the results indicated overlapping tissue skewings between the recipients, also between the tissues sampled within the respective recipients as well as tissue specific responses unique to both the BALB.B and CXB-2 infiltrates. Most notably, the CD4(+) Vbeta 11(+) family was skewed in the intestines of BALB.B but not CXB-2 recipients. Taken together, these data suggest that there are likely to be target tissue-related anti-multiple minor histocompatibility Ag-specific responses in each of the strain recipients, which may also differ from those found in peripheral lymphoid organs.
An epidemic of aseptic meningitis syndrome due to ECHO virus type 6. II. A clinical study of ECHO 6 infection.

The clinical features of 130 cases of aseptic meningitis syndrome associated with ECHO virus type 6 infection were studied. Characteristically, the onset was acute with the development of fever, headache, muscle pains, and vomiting. A biphasic course was present in 8% of the cases. The physical findings included mild to moderate stiffness or spasm of the neck, back, and posterior thigh muscles. Disturbance in sensorium, cranial nerve involvement, and bulbar signs were conspicuously absent. Absence of deep tendon and superficial reflexes occurred in 16% of the cases. Evidence of mild muscle weakness occurred in 39% of cases, more commonly in the axial rather than peripheral muscles. Most of these patients had bilateral weakness of the anterior neck muscles, but included in the group were five with bilateral weakness of the back or abdominal muscles and six with some involvement of the extremities. Neuromuscular changes were mild and frequently questionable. Where follow-up was available, the changes were usually found to be transient. The effect of age upon the clinical picture was analyzed. Only 3 of 130 patients were less than 4 years of age. Young children had a more acute onset and were admitted to the hospital more promptly than older children and adults. The incidence of pleurodynia was 38% in adults and only 5% in patients less than 20 years of age. The cerebrospinal fluid revealed pleocytosis, with lymphocyte counts ranging from a few cells to 930/mm3. The protein values exceeded 40 mg/100 ml in 48% of the cases, the highest value being 102 mg/100 ml. An undifferentiated febrile illness in household associates of patients with aseptic meningitis, characterized by headache, vomiting and muscle pain, was associated with a high recovery rate of ECHO 6 virus. This is presumably the forme fruste of the fully developed aseptic meningitis syndrome. ECHO 6 virus was recovered from four patients in whom there was evidence of neurologic involvement beyond that seen in the aseptic meningitis syndrome. ECHO 6 virus was the probable etiologic agent in two of these cases. A 15-year-old girl with mild encephalitis marked by disorientation, hallucinations, and weakness of the legs yielded ECHO 6 from her alimentary tract. ECHO 6 was recovered from the cerebrospinal fluid and alimentary tract of a 15-year-old boy with features of the Guillain-Barre syndrome.
Copper detection utilizing dendrimer and gold nanowire-induced surface plasmon resonance

A new physical scheme is presented for the detection of copper, based on the use of a fluorescently labeled dendrimer anchored on a gold nanowire. Upon light illumination surface plasmon resonance was generated from the gold nanowire, which promoted quenching of the dendrimer fluorescence as a result of the energy transfer between the dendrimer and the copper ions. The monotonic dependence of the fluorescence quenching on copper concentration was exploited to reach a copper detection sensitivity of 2 nM. In addition, the fluorescence of the labeled dendrimers was quenched specifically by copper in a matrix of common metal ions. Using simulations we calculated the enhanced optical near field for a dendrimer-coated gold nanowire illuminated by a TM-polarized plane wave, which provided a physical basis for the sensitive copper detection using the current experimental scheme.
Experimental demonstration of coherent OCDMA using heterodyne detection.

We present the first experimental demonstration of a practical, fully coherent, optical code division multiple access (OCDMA) scheme that can fully suppress multiple access interference (MAI) and speckle noise without phase locking or thresholding and gating. The scheme is sourced from an optical comb generator and uses spectral phase encoding and a heterodyne receiver with balanced detection. Here we present results for a four-user configuration at 50% load. At 4.5 Gbits/s per user, the system achieves a signal to MAI ratio of 648 at a bit error rate of 10−7.
Kant, Causation, and Freedom

Now although there is an incalculable gulf fixed between the domain of the concept of nature, as the sensible, and the domain of the concept of freedom, as the supersensible ... yet the latter should have an influence on the former, namely the concept of freedom should make the end that is imposed by its laws real in the sensible world; and nature must consequently also be able to be conceived in such a way that the lawfulness of its form is at least in agreement with the possibility of the ends that are to be realized in it in accordance with the laws of freedom. (CPJ 5, 175-6)1
A Study of Partially Distributed Work Groups: The Impact of Media, Location, and Time on Perceptions and Performance

This study explores an emerging work arrangement, the partially distributed work group, in which one member is separated from the “core” group but linked via communication and computer support. Par...