cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Ontogeny of lactoferrin in the developing mouse uterus: a marker of early hormone response.

Lactoferrin (LF) was mapped during organogenesis of the murine reproductive tract, starting on fetal Day 12, as a marker of estrogen responsiveness. To induce LF expression, pregnant outbred CD-1 mice were injected s.c. with diethylstilbestrol (DES; 100 microg/kg maternal body weight), and fetal genital tract tissues were removed; neonatal and immature mice received s.c. injections of DES (2 microg/pup per day). Corn oil-treated and untreated mice at corresponding ages provided the controls. Immunocytochemical techniques using a polyclonal antibody showed no detectable LF in control genital tract tissues until late gestation. However, after DES treatment, LF was localized in uterine epithelial cells as early as fetal Day 14; the intensity of LF staining increased with age and number of DES treatments. Control uterine tissues responded to the rise of circulating estrogens at parturition (fetal Day 19) by producing LF, although the magnitude of response was lower than that of DES-treated tissues. Uterine tissue homogenates from control and DES mice were analyzed by SDS-PAGE and Western blots, verifying the protein to be LF. Isolation of mRNA and Northern blot analysis further showed that LF mRNA was present in the developing Mullerian duct and that DES stimulated early induction of the LF gene. The early appearance of LF suggests that it may play an important role in the hormonal regulation of growth and differentiation of developing uterine tissues.
Transcriptional and Functional Analysis of the Neisseria gonorrhoeae Fur Regulon

To ensure survival in the host, bacteria have evolved strategies to acquire the essential element iron. In Neisseria gonorrhoeae, the ferric uptake regulator Fur regulates metabolism through transcriptional control of iron-responsive genes by binding conserved Fur box (FB) sequences in promoters during iron-replete growth. Our previous studies showed that Fur also controls the transcription of secondary regulators that may, in turn, control pathways important to pathogenesis, indicating an indirect role for Fur in controlling these downstream genes. To better define the iron-regulated cascade of transcriptional control, we combined three global strategies—temporal transcriptome analysis, genomewide in silico FB prediction, and Fur titration assays (FURTA)—to detect genomic regions able to bind Fur in vivo. The majority of the 300 iron-repressed genes were predicted to be of unknown function, followed by genes involved in iron metabolism, cell communication, and intermediary metabolism. The 107 iron-induced genes encoded hypothetical proteins or energy metabolism functions. We found 28 predicted FBs in FURTA-positive clones in the promoters and within the open reading frames of iron-repressed genes. We found lower levels of conservation at critical thymidine residues involved in Fur binding in the FB sequence logos of FURTA-positive clones with intragenic FBs than in the sequence logos generated from FURTA-positive promoter regions. In electrophoretic mobility shift assay studies, intragenic FBs bound Fur with a lower affinity than intergenic FBs. Our findings further indicate that transcription under iron stress is indirectly controlled by Fur through 12 potential secondary regulators.
Lack of correlation between conversion of RNA tumour viruses and increased agglutinability of cells by concanavalin A and wheat germ agglutinin.

ALTERATIONS in the cell surface seem to accompany neoplastic transformation of cells in culture. Such alterations may affect cell orientation and control of cell multiplication. Recently, interest has focused on the accessibility to various plant glycoproteins of specific receptor sites on the cell surface as a measure of specific changes in the cell surface accompanying transformation induced by various carcinogenic agents, including the DNA tumour viruses1–6. We are not, however, aware of any published work dealing with the effects of infection with RNA tumour viruses on the response of cells to such glycoproteins.
Deep-Sea Authigenic Calcite and Dolomite

Crystals of calcite and, in one case, of dolomite up to 90 microm in size are dispersed in pelagic red clay at several sites on the floor of the South Pacific Ocean. They were analyzed by microscopic, x-ray diffraction, electron x-ray microprobe, and oxygen isotopic techniques. These carbonates are authigenic and were probably precipitated from hydrothermal solutions connected with deep-sea volcanic activity.
Numerical determination of flow corrective inserts for granular materials in conical hoppers

Abstract The flow of granular materials in hoppers is studied. In industrial applications, inserts of various sizes and shapes are often used to improve the flow properties and get rid of undesirable effects such as material sticking to the walls, funnel flow, arching, etc. We study the case of inverted conical inserts in conical hoppers. In spite of the complexity of the phenomenon as observed in practice, existing methods assume in general a radial structure of the stress and velocity fields. A new numerical approach to the problem of designing “optimal” inserts is proposed and tested. It allows for non-purely radial solutions. General comments about the overall approach and its relationship with experiments are offered.
Analysis of MAML2 rearrangement in mucoepidermoid carcinoma of the thymus

Primary thymic mucoepidermoid carcinoma (TMEC) is rare. High-grade TMEC can be difficult to distinguish from poorly differentiated squamous cell carcinoma and adenosquamous carcinoma. A strong association between mucoepidermoid carcinoma (MEC) and t(11;19)(q21;p13) has been observed in other anatomical sites. Although this translocation is largely considered a disease-defining event for MEC, its incidence in TMEC has not been explored. In this study, we evaluate the value of identifying MAML2 rearrangement by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) to distinguish TMEC from poorly differentiated squamous cell carcinoma and adenosquamous carcinoma. Cases of TMEC, moderate to poorly differentiated squamous cell carcinoma, and adenosquamous carcinoma were re-reviewed by 3 surgical pathologists and classified according to the current World Health Organization classification of thymic tumors (2004). Cases of TMEC were histologically graded using the Brandwein system. FISH was used to detect MAML2 rearrangements using a break-apart probe. FISH for MAML2 rearrangement was performed on cases of TMEC (n = 2), thymic squamous cell carcinoma (n = 5), and thymic adenosquamous carcinoma (n = 3). The 2 cases of TMEC showed MAML2 rearrangement. All other tested cases did not show rearrangement of MAML2. In conclusion, using FISH to identify MAML2 rearrangement is a valuable diagnostic tool in the evaluation of thymic malignancies, specifically, distinguishing TMEC from squamous cell carcinoma and adenosquamous carcinoma. These findings also suggest that TMEC has both histomorphologic and cytogenetic similarities to cases of MEC arising from other anatomical sites.
17O and 101Ru NMR study of orbital dependent ferromagnetic correlations in Sr2RuO4

Abstract Utilizing 17O and 101Ru NMR we probe the Ru 4dxy and 4dyz,zx orbitals separately in the anomalous normal state of Sr2RuO4 and find orbital dependent (S≠1) behavior. From the 101Ru and 17O nuclear spin–lattice relaxation rates 17,1011/T1 we demonstrate that it is the ferromagnetic component of the spin fluctuations that grows with decreasing temperature.
Architectural synthesis of computational pipelines with decoupled memory access

As high level synthesis (HLS) moves towards mainstream adoption among FPGA designers, it has proven to be an effective method for rapid hardware generation. However, in the context of offloading compute intensive software kernels to FPGA accelerators, current HLS tools do not always take full advantage of the hardware platforms. In this paper, we present an automatic flow to refactor and restructure processor-centric software implementations, making them better suited for FPGA platforms. The methodology generates pipelines that decouple memory operations and data access from computation. The resulting pipelines have much better throughput due to their efficient use of the memory bandwidth and improved tolerance to data access latency. The methodology complements existing work in high-level synthesis, easing the creation of heterogeneous systems with high performance accelerators and general purpose processors. With this approach, for a set of non-regular algorithm kernels written in C, a performance improvement of 3.3 to 9.1x is observed over direct C-to-Hardware mapping using a state-of-the-art HLS tool.
Monte Carlo simulation study of the polymerization of polyurethane block copolymers: 3. Modelling of premature phase separation during reaction and differing reactivities of the chain extender and polyol using the simple sinking pool model

Abstract Because of the complexities involved in polyurethane reaction chemistry and the difficulties encountered in making experimental measurements, relatively little attention has been paid to determining the precise molecular weight, composition and hard-segment length distributions of polyurethane block copolymers. Yet, the available evidence suggests that variations in these distributions can markedly influence structure-property relationships in these materials. Therefore, computer models have been developed using Monte Carlo methods that allow for simulation of the polymerization process under various conditions and subsequent calculation of the various distributions. The model developed in this contribution is based on a sinking pool of monomers and is thus termed the simple sinking pool model. This model offers several advantages over previous models; in particular it can simulate effects due to differing reactivity of the chain extender and the polyol, and effects due to phase separation occurring at varying points in the reaction. The model and rationale behind the inclusion of the various parameters are described, and the effects of varying the model parameters on the simulated composition, molecular weight and hard-segment length distributions are determined and discussed.
THE ACCELERATING ACTION OF 5–METHYLPHENAZINIUM METHYL SULFATE ON LIGHT INDUCED ABSORBANCY AND ESR CHANGES IN RHODOSPIRILLUM CHROMATOPHORES*

THE DYE 5-methylphenazinium methyl sulfate (PMS) has been used either as an electron donor or as an electron acceptor in the respiratory This dye has also been used in the study of photosynthetic systems, acting as a by-pass for the antimycin-A sensitive locus and as an agent which is capable of increasing rates of light induced phosphorylation under certain conditions.(3) Light induced reversible absorbancy and electron spin resonance (ESR) changes in both cell-free preparations and intact cells of photosynthetic bacteria have been observed and studied by several investigator~.(4-~~) We wish to report here some of our observations regarding the effect of oxidized PMS upon light induced absorbancy and ESR changes in isolated chromatophores. Illumination of chromatophores produces a distinct ESR signal and distinct absorbancy changes; the decay of these light induced changes at 433 and 790 mp is represented in Figs. 1-3. It was observed that upon addition of oxidized PMS the rates of the slow dark decay of both the ESR signal and the absorbancy changes could be markedly accelerated (Figs. 1-3). A quantitative evaluation of these observations is given in Table 1 which lists the calculated values of the time constants ( T ) for a series of experiments covering a wide concentration range of added PMS. The evaluation of these data shows that the 7 values for the slow decay components at 433 and 790 mp are identical within experimental error, while the values for the slow dark decay of the ESR signal differ significantly from those calculated for the absorbancy changes. It is apparent that the values of the slow decay components seen at 433 and at 790 mp behave similarly upon the addition of varying amounts of PMS and differ significantly from the 7 values of the ESR decays.
The implementation and assessment of a comprehensive communication skills training curriculum for oncologists

Objective: The objective of this paper is to report the implementation and assessment of the Comskil Training Curriculum at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. Method: Twenty-eight attending physicians and surgeons participated in communication skills training modules as part of a train-the-trainer program. Doctors were video recorded in clinical consultations with patients two times before training and two times after training, resulting in 112 video recordings for analysis. Recordings were coded using the Comskil Coding System. Results: Communication skills related to two of the six major skill sets, Establishing the Consultation Framework and Checking, increased following training. Limited changes emerged in three skill sets, while one skill set, Shared Decision Making, did not change. Doctors who attended more training modules had higher levels of change. Female participants demonstrated three skills more frequently than males post-training. Conclusions: The intervention produced significant communication skills uptake in a group of experienced attending clinicians, mediated by the amount of training. Future research should focus on the dose of training necessary to achieve skills uptake and the effect of skills training on patient outcomes. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Effects of automated Tier 2 storybook intervention on vocabulary and comprehension learning in preschool children with limited oral language skills

Abstract This early efficacy study examined the effects of an automated storybook intervention designed to promote school readiness among at-risk prekindergarten children. Story Friends is a small-group intervention in which vocabulary and question-answering lessons are embedded in a series of storybooks. A randomized group design with an embedded single-case experimental design was used to examine treatment effects. Eighteen children from public prekindergarten programs serving families with low income were randomly assigned to the Story Friends treatment or a business-as-usual comparison. Participants in both groups completed measures of vocabulary and comprehension approximately monthly. Participants in the treatment group completed measures of instructional content for each book as part of the embedded single-case experimental design. Story Friends participants had significantly higher scores on measures of vocabulary than the comparison group and effect sizes were large, whereas more modest effects were shown for comprehension measures. Observations of treatment fidelity indicate that this intervention has the potential to be implemented with high fidelity in preschool classrooms. Results show a feasible means of teaching pre-K children challenging vocabulary that has the potential to facilitate later literacy development.
Adiabatic Effectiveness, Thermal Fields, and Velocity Fields for Film Cooling With Large Angle Injection

The film cooling performance and velocity field were investigated for discrete round holes inclined at an injection angle of 55 deg. Results are compared to typical round film cooling holes, with an injection angle of 35 deg. All experiments in this study were performed at a density ratio of DR = 1.6, using cryogenic cooling of the injected air. Centerline and lateral distributions of effectiveness were obtained for a range of momentum flux ratios. Thermal field and two component mean velocity and turbulence intensity measurements were made at a momentum flux ratio that was within the range of maximum spatially averaged effectiveness. Compared to round holes with 35 deg injection angle, the 55 deg holes showed only a slight degradation in centerline effectiveness for low momentum flux ratios, while a significant reduction in effectiveness was seen at high momentum flux ratios. The thermal field for the 55 deg round holes indicated a faster decay of cooling capacity for the 55 deg round holes. The high turbulence levels for the 55 deg round hole coincided with the sharp velocity gradients between the jet and free stream, and the decay of turbulence levels with downstream distance was found to be similar to those for a 35 deg hole.
Regional seismic slope failure probability matrices

A method for constructing seismic slope failure probability matrices is presented. The core of the method is a probabilistic sliding block model which allows for systematic incorporation of the uncertainties associated with both the ground excitation and the strength of the slope materials. The extent of damage to a slope is defined in terms of the magnitude of the earthquake-induced permanent displacement. The intensity of the ground shaking is characterized by a peak ground acceleration as well as an earthquake magnitude, and the possible scatter in the ground motion details is included through the use of an equivalent stationary motion model. After the effects of essential contributing factors are discussed, regional seismic slope failure probability matrices are presented for general applications.
Earthquake research abstracted

A comprehensive survey of the world literature published in 1979 on earthquake hazard mitigation has been assembled in the ninth volume of the Abstract Journal in Earthquake Engineering. More than 1600 abstracts of reports, papers, and other publications from professional journals, consulting firms, and conferences are included in the volume. Abstracts of publications from research, educational, and government institutions round out the volume's coverage.
Kinetics of TREM-1 expression on canine neutrophils after in vitro and in vivo stimulation with microbial products

The triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells-1 (TREM-1) is a recently discovered cell surface molecule expressed on neutrophils, mature monocytes, and macrophages [1]. Activation of TREM-1 synergistically enhances proinflammatory cytokine production induced by toll-like receptor (TLR) stimulation [2]. A soluble form of TREM-1 has shown promise as a sensitive and specific biomarker for sepsis in humans [3-5]. Expression and function of TREM-1 in the dog has yet to be characterized. We hypothesize that the expression of canine TREM-1 will be upregulated after stimulation with TLR agonists. We assessed TREM-1 expression on canine neutrophils after exposure to TLR agonists in vitro and in vivo after i.v. LPS administration. In vitro, expression of TREM-1 on neutrophils is significantly upregulated by stimulation with microbe-derived agonists against TLR2/6 (Pam2CSK4), TLR1/2 (Pam3CSK4), and TLR4/MD2 (ultrapure LPS and wildtype LPS) (paired t test, P < 0.05). The TLR5 agonist flagellin did not significantly upregulate TREM-1 expression at any time point. See Figure ​Figure1.1. In contrast, i.v. administration of LPS to dogs resulted in a significant decrease in both TREM-1 expression and the percentage of TREM-1-positive neutrophils from 6 hours through 12 hours post LPS administration. See Figure ​Figure2.2. The disparity between in vitro and in vivo effects of LPS suggest other factors, such as systemic and local cytokine production and neutrophil turnover, may influence expression and shedding of TREM-1 on canine neutrophils. We suggest that naturally occurring sepsis in the dog represents the ideal model for defining diagnostic biomarkers and discovering efficacious therapeutics for use in human sepsis. Figure 1 Kinetics of TREM-1 expression after TLR agonist stimulation in vitro. Figure 2 Kinetics of TREM-1 expression post LPS administration in vivo.
A cognitive training for mentally ill offenders with treatment-resistant schizophrenia

Advancing the understanding of treating mentally ill offenders with treatment-resistant schizophrenia by combining new treatment steps and examining the results by data collected among them and their treatment staff is the basis of the study. One objective is to reduce the recidivism among mentally ill offenders with treatment-resistant schizophrenia. Through the bringing in of goal-directed actions in the context of real-life exercises as the final step of treatment, patients will ideally rise above their cognitive disadvantages and vulnerabilities. ‘In vivo Training of goal-directed Actions’ (IVTA) realized these therapeutic considerations. It is a step-by-step program addressing cognitive deficits in the context of real life. It is offered in small groups for 10 weeks (twice-weekly sessions of 45 minutes each). The present study contains 13 male patients with a diagnosis of treatment-resistant schizophrenia. In the study (1) IVTA is provided, and (2) patients are assessed to understand if IVTA can chal...
Unified 3D test architecture for variable test data bandwidth across pre-bond, partial stack, and post-bond test

Conventional approaches for test architecture optimization are based on designing test access mechanisms (TAMs) and core wrappers for a particular test data bandwidth available from the tester. However, constructing three dimensional integrated circuits (3D-ICs) using known-good dies (KGD) and known-good stacks (KGS) requires pre-bond testing of die and optionally partial stack testing in addition to the final post-bond test. In each of these different test periods: pre-bond, partial stack, and final test, the test data bandwidth available for a particular die may be different. A test architecture optimized for one particular test data bandwidth may be very inefficient when the bandwidth changes. Previously proposed test optimization techniques for handling this involve designing different TAM architectures for pre-bond and post-bond test in order to minimize the test time for each different test data bandwidth. This paper describes an approach for designing a single TAM architecture with a “bandwidth adapter” on each die that can be used efficiently for multiple test data bandwidths. Experimental results are presented which show that this approach allows efficient test in all phases from pre-bond, multiple partial stack configurations, and post-bond.
Protecting privacy in the cyber era

Issues related to privacy and technology go to the heart of concepts of individual rights, corporate power, the role of government, and law enforcement needs. The author considers various means to protect individual privacy and concludes that encryption may be the best solution.
New opportunities for repositories in the age of altmetrics

Editor's Summary For institutional repositories, alternative metrics reflecting online activity present valuable indicators of interest in their holdings that can supplement traditional usage statistics. A variable mix of built-in metrics is available through popular repository platforms: Digital Commons, DSpace and EPrints. These may include download counts at the collection and/or item level, search terms, total and unique visitors, page views and social media and bookmarking metrics; additional data may be available with special plug-ins. Data provide different types of information valuable for repository managers, university administrators and authors. They can reflect both scholarly and popular impact, show readership, reflect an institution's output, justify tenure and promotion and indicate direction for collection management. Practical considerations for implementing altmetrics include service costs, technical support, platform integration and user interest. Altmetrics should not be used for author ranking or comparison, and altmetrics sources should be regularly reevaluated for relevance.
Individualizing Follow-Up for Patients With Early-Stage Melanoma

In this era of personalized medicine, in which every patient is sup- posed to be treated using a therapeutic plan that is tailored to provide the right care at the right time and in the right place, it is surprising how little attention has been paid to personalizing follow-up for patients after curative treatment of cancer. This is certainly true in localized cutane- ous melanoma, for which there is little if any consensus with regard to standard follow-up strategies and virtually no guidance with regard to how to individualize follow-up on the basis of a patient's estimated risk of requiring additional interventions. Should we (and our pa- tients) care about this deficiency? Absolutely— given the time, effort, and expense that are involved in the follow-up of patients with local- ized melanoma when weighed against the relatively limited value derived per clinic visit, and the challenges that patients in many loca- tions face with regard to obtaining appointments with dermatologists who are willing to perform comprehensive skin examinations and
A Brief, Low-Cost, Theory-Based Intervention to Promote Dual Method Use by Black and Latina Female Adolescents: A Randomized Clinical Trial

HIV/AIDS disproportionately affects young women of color. Young women who use hormonal contraception are less likely to use condoms. Brief, inexpensive HIV-prevention interventions are needed for high-volume clinics. This study was a randomized clinical trial of two interventions: (a) a video made for this study and (b) an adaptation of Project RESPECT counseling. Four hundred Black and Latina teenage women completed a questionnaire about their sexual behaviors and were randomly assigned to (a) see the video, (b) get counseling, (c) see the video and get counseling, or (d) receive usual care. At 3-month follow-up, those who saw the video and received counseling were 2.5 times more likely to have used a condom at last intercourse with their main partner than teens in the usual care group. These differences did not persist at 12-month follow-up. This suggests that a brief intervention can positively affect condom use in the short term.
DNA Ligase C1 Mediates the LigD-Independent Nonhomologous End-Joining Pathway of Mycobacterium smegmatis

Nonhomologous end joining (NHEJ) is a recently described bacterial DNA double-strand break (DSB) repair pathway that has been best characterized for mycobacteria. NHEJ can religate transformed linear plasmids, repair ionizing radiation (IR)-induced DSBs in nonreplicating cells, and seal I-SceI-induced chromosomal DSBs. The core components of the mycobacterial NHEJ machinery are the DNA end binding protein Ku and the polyfunctional DNA ligase LigD. LigD has three autonomous enzymatic modules: ATP-dependent DNA ligase (LIG), DNA/RNA polymerase (POL), and 3' phosphoesterase (PE). Although genetic ablation of ku or ligD abolishes NHEJ and sensitizes nonreplicating cells to ionizing radiation, selective ablation of the ligase activity of LigD in vivo only mildly impairs NHEJ of linearized plasmids, indicating that an additional DNA ligase can support NHEJ. Additionally, the in vivo role of the POL and PE domains in NHEJ is unclear. Here we define a LigD ligase-independent NHEJ pathway in Mycobacterium smegmatis that requires the ATP-dependent DNA ligase LigC1 and the POL domain of LigD. Mycobacterium tuberculosis LigC can also support this backup NHEJ pathway. We also demonstrate that, although dispensable for efficient plasmid NHEJ, the activities of the POL and PE domains are required for repair of IR-induced DSBs in nonreplicating cells. These findings define the genetic requirements for a LigD-independent NHEJ pathway in mycobacteria and demonstrate that all enzymatic functions of the LigD protein participate in NHEJ in vivo.
Pancancer analysis of DNA methylation-driven genes using MethylMix

Aberrant DNA methylation is an important mechanism that contributes to oncogenesis. Yet, few algorithms exist that exploit this vast dataset to identify hypo- and hypermethylated genes in cancer. We developed a novel computational algorithm called MethylMix to identify differentially methylated genes that are also predictive of transcription. We apply MethylMix to 12 individual cancer sites, and additionally combine all cancer sites in a pancancer analysis. We discover pancancer hypo- and hypermethylated genes and identify novel methylation-driven subgroups with clinical implications. MethylMix analysis on combined cancer sites reveals 10 pancancer clusters reflecting new similarities across malignantly transformed tissues.
The effects of buccolingual root torque on the appearance of root angulation on panoramic radiographs

It is common practice for orthodontists to use panoramic images to assess root parallelism before, during, and after orthodontic treatment. The purpose of this laboratory study was to examine the effects of changes in buccolingual root torque on mesiodistal root angulation imaged on panoramic radiographs. Teeth investigated were maxillary lateral incisors and second premolars, and mandibular first and second premolars. By using a transparent typodont model with anatomically correct teeth (typical crown and root anatomy), root torque was progressively added to the teeth in 5° increments, totaling up to 15° of torque in each direction. Standardized digital photographs and panoramic radiographs were made after each adjustment. The photographs made from a facial perspective documented that the roots remained parallel. With each increment of change in root torque, measurement of the root apex position in a mesiodistal direction was made on the panoramic radiograph. Results showed that when torque was changed, distortion inherent to the panoramic radiograph created the appearance of mesial or distal movement of the root apices. For the premolars, adding lingual root torque (LRT) resulted in apparent increases in mesial root tip (eg, with 15° LRT, the root tips moved mesially 1.9 to 2.8 mm), whereas adding buccal root torque (BRT) resulted in apparent increases in distal root tip (eg, with 15° BRT, the root tips moved distally 2.8 to 4.4 mm). For the lateral incisors, changes in torque had a less pronounced effect on apparent root tip (eg, with 15° LRT, the root tips moved mesially 1.2 mm; with 15° BRT, the root tips moved distally 0.17 mm). The results show that changes in root torque predictably affect the appearance of root tip on panoramic radiographs. The findings suggest that if roots appear incorrectly aligned on panoramic images, the teeth in question should be carefully examined clinically (or with periapical images) to differentiate the need for appliance adjustments that alter root tip versus root torque. Am J Orthod Dentofacial Orthop 2005;127:393 0889-5406/$30.00 Copyright © 2005 by the American Association of Orthodontists. doi:10.1016/j.ajodo.2004.07.015
The Timing of Grade Skipping.

The purposes of this study were to investigate the following: (a) the impact of sex, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and family income on the likelihood of whole-grade skipping between kindergarte...
Therapeutic Cleavage of Anti–Aquaporin-4 Autoantibody in Neuromyelitis Optica by an IgG-Selective Proteinase

Neuromyelitis optica (NMO) is an inflammatory demyelinating disease of the central nervous system caused by binding of pathogenic IgG autoantibodies (NMO-IgG) to astrocyte water channel aquaporin-4 (AQP4). Astrocyte damage and downstream inflammation require NMO-IgG effector function to initiate complement-dependent cytotoxicity (CDC) and antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC). Here, we evaluated the potential therapeutic utility of the bacterial enzyme IdeS (IgG-degrading enzyme of Streptococcus pyogenes), which selectively cleaves IgG antibodies to yield Fc and F(ab′)2 fragments. In AQP4-expressing cell cultures, IdeS treatment of monoclonal NMO-IgGs and NMO patient sera abolished CDC and ADCC, even when IdeS was added after NMO-IgG was bound to AQP4. Binding of NMO-IgG to AQP4 was similar to that of the NMO-F(ab′)2 generated by IdeS cleavage. NMO-F(ab′)2 competitively displaced pathogenic NMO-IgG, preventing cytotoxicity, and the Fc fragments generated by IdeS cleavage reduced CDC and ADCC. IdeS efficiently cleaved NMO-IgG in mice in vivo, and greatly reduced NMO lesions in mice administered NMO-IgG and human complement. IgG-selective cleavage by IdeS thus neutralizes NMO-IgG pathogenicity, and yields therapeutic F(ab′)2 and Fc fragments. IdeS treatment, by therapeutic apheresis or direct administration, may be beneficial in NMO.
Power Efficient Delay Allocation in Multihop Wireless Networks

In this paper, we present delay allocation strategies that minimize the total transmit power in a multihop wireless network. The focus is on guaranteeing an end-to-end average delay bound for a single variable-bit-rate flow on a multihop fading channel. We first compute an analytical approximation for the transmit power that is required to send a variable-bit-rate source over a finite-state fading channel. We then use this approximation to derive a low-complexity and near-optimal delay allocation method for multihop networks when the fading processes on the multiple hops are independent. Properties of the optimal delay allocation are also studied; in the special case of a Gaussian network, the optimal delay allocation strategy is completely characterized. The tradeoff between single-hop transmission and multihop transmission is studied under an end-to-end delay constraint.
Bayes estimators for linear models with less than full rank

The Hayes estimator for a parametric function of the coeffi¬cients of a linear model are considered, Five alternative forms of the estimator are derived when the design matrix does not have full rank, Some of the Ridge, Generalized Ridge, Contraction and Generalized Contraction estimators are shown to be special cases of the alternative forms we have derived, Necessary and sufficient conditions for the comparisons of
The 2008 U.S. Presidential Election and New Digital Technologies: Political Campaigns as Social Movements and the Significance of Collective Identity

Political Campaigns Social Media Collective Behavior The growing role of the Internet social networking sites (SNS) has served as a flash point for debate about the democratization of information, particularly in light of their perceived roles in the 2008 presidential election. This horizontal sharing of information undoubtedly facilitated the revival of the youth vote and volunteerism in many ways mimicking traditional grassroots approaches. While the role of the Internet SNS in mobilization efforts and information-sharing cannot be overstated, its effectiveness in creating a new ―public sphere,‖ or transforming traditional electoral campaign strategies and communicative practices must be closely examined before generalizations about the democratization of media can be confirmed. In the aftermath of the election, theorists were quick to simplistically identify the use of social networking sites as key to this electoral shift. In this paper we attempt to advance contemporary theorizing of new media and institutional politics by examining specifically how and if ICTs (information communication technologies) and new media platforms are shifting the balance of power in terms of organization and mobilization away from the professional model and toward more democratic and bottom-up efforts. Reconceptualizing some of the basic theories of social movements and collective behavior this paper seeks to address questions such as: how are digitally enabled forms of mobilization affecting who becomes a participant; how do they affect organizational structure and leadership; how do they impact the dynamics of collective action; how do we address the powerful yet ephemeral effect of e-tactics established for short-term gains; can mobilizations succeed without collective identity and/or do we need new categorizations for collective identity; and whether e-tactics serve as a gateway for future participation.
Integrative Conjugative Element ICE-βox Confers Oxidative Stress Resistance to Legionella pneumophila In Vitro and in Macrophages

ABSTRACT Integrative conjugative elements (ICEs) are mobile blocks of DNA that can contribute to bacterial evolution by self-directed transmission of advantageous traits. Here, we analyze the activity of a putative 65-kb ICE harbored by Legionella pneumophila using molecular genetics, conjugation assays, a phenotype microarray screen, and macrophage infections. The element transferred to a naive L. pneumophila strain, integrated site-specifically, and conferred increased resistance to oxacillin, penicillin, hydrogen peroxide, and bleach. Furthermore, the element increased survival of L. pneumophila within restrictive mouse macrophages. In particular, this ICE protects L. pneumophila from phagocyte oxidase activity, since mutation of the macrophage NADPH oxidase eliminated the fitness difference between strains that carried and those that lacked the mobile element. Renamed ICE-βox (for β-lactam antibiotics and oxidative stress), this transposable element is predicted to contribute to the emergence of L. pneumophila strains that are more fit in natural and engineered water systems and in macrophages. IMPORTANCE Bacteria evolve rapidly by acquiring new traits via horizontal gene transfer. Integrative conjugative elements (ICEs) are mobile blocks of DNA that encode the machinery necessary to spread among bacterial populations. ICEs transfer antibiotic resistance and other bacterial survival factors as cargo genes carried within the element. Here, we show that Legionella pneumophila, the causative agent of Legionnaires’ disease, carries ICE-βox, which enhances the resistance of this opportunistic pathogen to bleach and β-lactam antibiotics. Moreover, L. pneumophila strains encoding ICE-βox are more resistant to macrophages that carry phagocyte oxidase. Accordingly, ICE-βox is predicted to increase the fitness of L. pneumophila in natural and engineered waters and in humans. To our knowledge, this is the first description of an ICE that confers oxidative stress resistance to a nosocomial pathogen.
Predictors of Intimacy for Women in Heterosexual and Homosexual Couples

This study investigated individual differences in self-esteem, capacity for intimacy, relationship values and influence strategy use as factors in self-reported intimacy levels for women in homosexual and heterosexual couples. There were no differences by relationship type in levels of self-esteem, capacity for intimacy or in the valuing of relationship qualities. Women in both types of couples described their relationships as highly intimate and reported using Direct/Bilateral influence strategies most frequently. For both groups, higher levels of relationship intimacy were associated with more frequent use of Direct/Bilateral strategies and less frequent use of Indirect/Unilateral and Indirect/Bilateral strategies. Capacity for intimacy and self-esteem were strongly positively related to intimacy for women in same-sex but not cross-sex couples. The best predictor of intimacy for women in heterosexual couples was a negative one: more frequent use of Indirect strategies was associated with lower levels of...
Loss of IL-7R and IL-15R Expression Is Associated with Disappearance of Memory T Cells in Respiratory Tract following Influenza Infection

Following influenza virus infection, memory CD8 T cells are found in both lymphoid and nonlymphoid organs, where they exhibit striking differences in survival. We have assessed persistence, phenotype, and function of memory CD8 T cells expressing the same TCR in the airways, lung parenchyma, and spleen following influenza virus infection in mice. In contrast to memory CD8 T cells in the spleen, those residing in the airways gradually lost expression of IL-7R and IL-15R, did not respond to IL-7 and/or IL-15, and exhibited poor survival both in vivo and in vitro. Following adoptive transfer into the airways, splenic memory CD8 T cells also down-regulated IL-7R and IL-15R expression and failed to undergo homeostatic proliferation. Thus, although cytokines IL-7 and IL-15 play an essential role in memory CD8 T cell homeostasis in lymphoid organs, the levels of IL-7R and IL-15R expression likely set a threshold for the homeostatic regulation of memory CD8 T cells in the airways. These findings provide a molecular explanation for the gradual loss of airway memory CD8 T cells and heterosubtypic immunity following influenza infection.
Efficiency of Light-Scattering Aerosol Particle Counters

The counting efficiency as a function of particle size has been calculated for a particular forward scattering aerosol particle counter that uses white light illumination for spherical particles with indexes of refraction 1.33–0i, 1.40–0i, 1.50–0i, 1.592–0i, 1.50–0.05i, 1.50–0.1i, 1.50–0.5i, and 1.95–0.66i. The counting efficiency differs from 100% because of statistical effects: photoelectron statistical broadening, variation in aerosol speed through the illuminated volume, nonuniform illumination of the sampled aerosol, and nonuniformity of the photomultiplier tube photo cathode surface. These spectra broadening effects have been determined for the particle counter by measurement of monodisperse aerosols, and the efficiency calculation is based on these measurements. For the particle counter studied, the efficiencies vary from 70% to slightly over 100% in the size ranges where the counter response is single valued. The efficiency for materials for which the response is not single-valued fluctuates wildly in those size ranges from about 20% to more than 10,000%. The efficiency as a function of particle size discriminator level setting is sensitive to particle refractive index and to the aerosol size distribution locally about that particle size. The method for calculation of the efficiency can be applied to light-scattering aerosol counters available commercially.
Tobacco outlets and tobacco use in Baltimore City from 2004 to 2009

disciplines. This was particularly timely, given that the substance abuse regulatory agency in NY instituted Ambulatory Patient Groups as their payment methodology. Results: The research found that for: (1) Quality, preimplementation annual medical assessments and annual, 30-day and 90-day multidiscipline assessments were timely for 83% and 70%, 72%, and 42% of cases, respectively. Post-implementation, timeliness was 97% and 96%, 87%, and 70% respectively, all highly statistically significant improvements. Hepatitis C viral load was appropriately performed in 85% of cases pre-implementation and 81% post-implementation; a non-significant difference; (2) Satisfaction, there was no change for patients and a non-significant upward trendpost-implementation for staff; (3) Productivity, there was a decline post-implementation; reaching statistical significance for counselors; and (4) Financial Performance, there was no significant change. The ability to generate monthly reports covering Quality (opiate and cocaine-free status for >80% of patients; HIV viral load suppression; HgbA1c<7 for diabetes mellitus; and BP <140/90 for hypertension); Compliance (timely completion of behavioral and medical assessments; meeting or exceeding state targets for vocational status); and Productivity (all disciplines) resulted in improved performance over time. Conclusions: Our ability to exploit system capabilities to provide timely feedback allowed us to navigate changes in reimbursement and documentation, including changes resulting from the Affordable Care Act. Financial support: Supported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (R01 DA022030).
Joint target-oriented wave-equation inversion of multiple time-lapse seismic data sets

We propose a joint target-oriented wave-equation inversion method for multiple time-lapse seismic data sets. Complex reservoir overburden or acquisition geometry difference degrade the quality of time-lapse seismic images. This degradation occurs because the imaging operator does not account for overburden and geometry artifacts. Under such conditions, time-lapse images are poor indicators of production-related changes in reservoir properties. To solve this problem, we pose time-lapse imaging as a joint linear inverse problem that utilize concatenations of target-oriented approximations to the least-squares imaging Hessian. The proposed method outputs a baseline image and time-lapse images from multiple seismic data sets. Using a 2D synthetic sub-salt model, we show that this method attenuates overburden and geometry artifacts and that it gives reliable time-lapse seismic images.
Diagnosis and treatment of children with intracardiac mural thrombus(report of 4 cases)

Objective To investigate the safety and efficacy of treatment for intracardiac thrombus in children.Methods Four cases of patients with intracardiac mural thrombus were enrolled and observed.All of the patients were treated with low molecular weight heparin therapy.Echocardiography examination was performed before and after treatment to measure the size of the internal mural thrombus.Results Mural thrombosis was detected in the four subjects(two males and two females).Three cases were found in the left ventricle and one was in the right atrium.The primary diagnoses were dilated cardiomyopathy,myopericarditis,myocarditis and connective tissue diseases respectively.After heparin therapy,the thrombus was completely eliminated in three subjects.For the other case,no change was found with the size of the thrombus but it became slightly loose,and thrombolysis was achieved by a boost of urokinase(20 thousand units).Conclusions Low molecular weight heparin therapy is effective in 75.0% patients.It is safe and effective in treating intracardiac mural thrombus in children.
Estimating the excess lifetime risk of radiation induced secondary malignancy (SMN) in pediatric patients treated with craniospinal irradiation (CSI): Conventional radiation therapy versus helical intensity modulated radiation therapy

Abstract Purpose To quantify the risk of radiation-induced second malignancies (SMN) in pediatric patients receiving craniospinal irradiation (CSI) either with 3-dimensional conformal radiation therapy (Conv CSI) or tomotherapy helical intensity modulated radiation therapy (Tomo CSI). Methods and materials A novel predictive model that accounts for short- and long-term carcinogenesis was incorporated into our institutional treatment planning system to quantify the lifetime risk of SMN in incidentally irradiated organs. Five pediatric patients previously treated with CSI were studied. For each case, Conv CSI and Tomo CSI plans were computed. The excess absolute number of SMN was computed for each plan for each patient. For female patients, age was varied to assess its impact. Results Tomo CSI has a much higher risk than Conv CSI for breast cancer. Tomo has a slightly increased risk for the lung, and conventional has a slightly higher risk for the thyroid. Both techniques have intermediate risks to the pancreas and stomach, and lesser risks to the bladder and rectum. For the breast, the magnitude of the absolute risks varied with age: 14.2% versus 7.4% (Tomo vs Conv) age 5; 16.9% versus 7.6% age 10, and 18.6% versus 8.0% age 15. Conclusions Tomo has a higher risk for inducing breast and lung second cancers, and when using Tomo-based intensity modulated radiation therapy, care should be taken to avoid incidental radiation to the breast. When planning CSI, one needs to balance these cancer risks against other normal tissue effects.