cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Micropropagation of Peach [Prunus persica (L.) Batsch]

The peach belongs to the family Rosaceae, subfamily Prunoideae, genus Prunus, subgenus Amygdalus, and species persica (L.) Batsch. The basic chromosome number is n = 8 and there are 16 sporophytic chromosomes (Darlington and Janaki Ammal 1945). Most cultivars are self-fertile and do not require cross-pollination. Commercially important cultivars are deciduous and are considered trees. However, the objective of several current breeding programs is to develop dwarf forms; thus, in the future one may see commercially used peach cultivars that are shrubs. The flower buds are covered with many imbricate scales, always borne laterally on 1-year-old wood; they do not contain leaves, and generally occur two per node with a vegetative bud between them. The flowers are short-stalked and in most cases open before the lateral vegetative buds and at the same time as the terminal vegetative bud. Flowers are perfect with five sepals and five petals, multiple perigynous stamen, and a single pistil and ovary. The fruit is a drupe with a single seed. The fleshy mesocarp tissue is covered by a pubescent exocarp that bears numerous unicellular hairs (Esau 1965). The nectarine is a peach in which the genes for pubescence are recessive. There are two distinct horticultural forms of peach, distinguished by the relationship of the mesocarp to the endocarp: the clingstones or pavies, in which the mesocarp tissue adheres to the endocarp, and the freestones, which have a separate mesocarp. The leaves are borne in an alternate manner, are serrate, stipulate, and have glands on the petiole.
Multiple-Access Channel Resolvability with Cribbing

We study channel resolvability for the discrete memoryless multiple access channel with cribbing, i.e., the characterization of the amount of randomness required to approximate an i.i.d. output distribution in terms of Kullback-Leibler divergence. We analyze the cases in which one encoder cribs (i) the input of the other encoder; or the output of the other encoder (ii) noncausally, (iii) causally, or (iv) strictly-causally. For cases (i)-(iii), we exactly characterize the channel resolvability region. For case (iv), we provide inner and outer bounds for the channel resolvability region; our achievability result handles the strict causality constraint with a block-Markov coding scheme in which dependencies across blocks are suitably hidden.
Coupling Mechanisms for Multi-Fingered Robotic Hands with Skew Axes

The design of wristed, multi-fingered robotic hands for specific tasks usually leads to solutions in which the position of the joint axes have little to do with those of anthropomorphic hands. Joint axes tend to be skewed, which makes difficult the location of the physical joint along the axis. In addition, transmissions that work smoothly with parallel or perpendicular axes may not work well with skew axes. In this work, we present the optimal design of a simple five-fingered hand, consisting of a wrist joint and five fingers with a revolute joint each. This hand is designed for a two-position task and optimized first for dimensions and to avoid self-intersection. Then a transmission to couple the degrees of freedom is also optimized, in order to create an underactuated, pick-and-place hand able to create 5 contact points while being driven with single actuation.
Industry Education: The Merger Continues

In the discussion Industry Education: The Merger Continues by Rob Heiman Assistant Professor Hospitality Food Service Management at Kent State University, the author originally declares, “Integrating the process of an on-going catering and banquet function with that of selected behavioral academic objectives leads to an effective, practical course of instruction in catering and banquet management. Through an illustrated model, this article highlights such a merger while addressing a variety of related problems and concerns to the discipline of hospitality food service management education.” The article stresses the importance of blending the theoretical; curriculum based learning process with that of a hands-on approach, in essence combining an in-reality working program, with academics, to develop a well rounded hospitality student. “How many programs are enjoying the luxury of excessive demand for students from industry [?],” the author asks in proxy for, and to highlight the immense need for qualified personnel in the hospitality industry. As the author describes it, “An ideal education program concerns itself with the integration of theory and simulation with hands-on experience to teach the cognitive as well as the technical skills required to achieve the pre-determined hospitality education objectives.” In food service one way to achieve this integrated learning curve is to have the students prepare foods and then consume them. Heiman suggests this will quickly illustrate to students the rights and wrongs of food preparation. Another way is to have students integrating the academic program with feeding the university population. Your author offers more illustrations on similar principles. Heiman takes special care in characterizing the banquet and catering portions of the food service industry, and he offers empirical data to support the descriptions. It is in these areas, banquet and catering, that Heiman says special attention is needed to produce qualified students to those fields. This is the real focus of the discussion, and it is in this venue that the remainder of the article is devoted. “Based on the perception that quality education is aided by implementing project assignments through the course of study in food service education, a model description can be implemented for a course in Catering and Banquet Management and Operations. This project model first considers the prioritized objectives of education and industry and then illustrates the successful merging of resources for mutual benefits,” Heiman sketches. The model referred to above is also the one aforementioned in the thesis statement at the beginning of the article. This model is divided into six major components; Heiman lists and details them. “The model has been tested through two semesters involving 29 students,” says Heiman. “Reaction by all participants has been extremely positive. Recent graduates of this type of program have received a sound theoretical framework and demonstrated their creative interpretation of this theory in practical application,” Heiman says in summation.
Smartphone Applications to Support Sleep Self-Management: Review and Evaluation

Study Objectives:Mobile health (mHealth) tools such as smartphone applications (apps) have potential to support sleep self-management. The objective of this review was to identify the status of ava...
COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENT IS A PREDICTOR OF ONE-YEAR MORTALITY IN PATIENTS REFERRED FOR CARDIAC CATHETERIZATION

Cognitive dysfunction and memory loss are common features of Alzheimer9s disease (AD). Abnormalities in the expression profile of immediate early genes that play a critical role in memory formation, such as the cAMP-response element binding protein (CREB), have been reported in the brains of AD patients. Here we show that amyloid-β (Aβ) accumulation, which plays a primary role in the cognitive deficits of AD, interferes with CREB activity. We further show that restoring CREB function via brain viral delivery of the CREB-binding protein (CBP) improves learning and memory deficits in an animal model of AD. Notably, such improvements occur without changes in Aβ and tau pathology, and instead are linked to an increased level of brain-derived neurotrophic factor. The resulting data suggest that Aβ-induced learning and memory deficits are mediated by alterations in CREB function, based on the finding that restoring CREB activity by directly modulating CBP levels in the brains of adult mice is sufficient to ameliorate learning and memory. Therefore, increasing CBP expression in adult brains may be a valid therapeutic approach not only for AD, but also for various brain disorders characterized by alterations in immediate early genes, further supporting the concept that viral vector delivery may be a viable therapeutic approach in neurodegenerative diseases.
IMPERIAL CONVIVIALITY: What Medieval Spanish Legal Practice Can Teach Us About Colonial Latin America Karen Graubart

ABSTRACT Late medieval and early modern Iberian monarchs governed through a competitive delegation of certain forms of jurisdiction. This created a tense form of everyday conviviality, wherein group members were intimately knowledgeable about aspects of the laws of other groups. The analytic of conviviality reveals the ways that consensus had to be constantly renegotiated within multiple group dynamics rather than imposed or achieved.
The Path to 100 MJ Ranchero Experiments

Ranchero is the name given to a class of Los Alamos coaxial flux compression generators (FCGs) that are detonated simultaneously along the cylindrical axis. An experiment was reported at MG-XIV in which a Ranchero FCG produced 76 MA peak current, and in MG-XV a design was presented which was intended to overcome a weakness uncovered in the 76 MA test. The name used for the new Ranchero configuration is “Ranchero-S”, and that improvement has now been successfully tested. The results of the test are presented in detail in another paper in this conference. This paper reports on scaling studies that are benchmarked by recent experiments, and which demonstrate the approach that would be taken to extend the Ranchero-S performance to levels of 100 MJ and 1.5 Weber. The primary scaling parameter for achieving larger currents is increasing the circumference of the FCG. Detonation systems are available in lengths of 0.43 m, 0.72 m, 1.0 m, and 1.44 m. The longer FCGs can operate with lower initial current for any given peak current and load, which allows them to be less effected by early time back pressure. However, at very high initial current, the effect of having a substantial field operating on a long armature over a substantial time can be seen. As diameter is increased, the flux compression time is increased if the initial inductance is held constant. The flux compression time can be held constant as radius is increased by keeping the armature to stator gap constant, with the result that the ideal gain is reduced for a given module length. The various possibilities are presented, with an emphasis on operating at current levels that approach the limits imposed by armature kinetic energy versus magnetic pressure. Another key feature in performing 100 MJ experiments is the existence of a booster generator which can produce seed currents well in excess of the three to four MA that can be delivered by the 2.4 MJ capacitor bank available at the Los Alamos explosive pulsed power firing facility. The MK-IX generator, which has been used in many experiments previously reported, has potential for producing the necessary seed current. However, a new booster FCG is being developed for that purpose, which will employ modern machining techniques to replace labor intensive methods required by the MK-IX fabrication. This FCG is called the MK-X, and the first test of this device is imminent. Either the MK-IX or the new MK-X booster will need further experimentation to demonstrate the capacity for delivering the approximately 2.5 Weber flux to a Ranchero FCG that projections in this paper require for the full 100 MJ, 1.5 Weber performance.
CryoEM reconstruction approaches to resolve asymmetric features

Abstract Although icosahedral viruses have highly symmetrical capsid features, asymmetric structural elements are also present since the genome and minor structural proteins are usually incorporated without adhering to icosahedral symmetry. Besides this inherent asymmetry, interactions with the host during the virus life cycle are also asymmetric. However, until recently it was impossible to resolve high resolution asymmetric features during single-particle cryoEM image processing. This review summarizes the current approaches that can be used to visualize asymmetric structural features. We have included examples of advanced structural strategies developed to reveal unique features and asymmetry in icosahedral viruses.
Phototherapy for Itch

Phototherapy is an effective treatment modality for many types of pruritus. Although the exact mechanisms by which phototherapy reduces itch vary across pruritic conditions, its effects may result from immune suppression and/or neural modulation. In this article, the authors review the efficacy of different types of phototherapy for common inflammatory and noninflammatory pruritic conditions and discuss common side effects, such as erythema and exacerbation of pruritus. Although phototherapy may be an effective and relatively safe option for skin-directed treatment of chronic itch, barriers may exist for individual patients.
ASSESSING PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF CONCRETE USING DIGITAL IMAGE ANALYSIS OF POLARIZED LIGHT MICROGRAPHS

Image analysis algorithms are often used to identify features of interest in an image and then to count or categorize them. These algorithms can also be used to determine the geometric properties and distribution of features in the image. When concrete is observed in the form of a polished cross-section, several physical characteristics of the material can be determined that have the potential to be quantified using image analysis. These characteristics include the relative quantities of its constituent materials, the air void content, and the freeze-thaw durability of the material. A microscope operator generally estimates these characteristics by making statistical measurements. The air content of the cement paste, for example, is normally measured using the ASTM C-457 test [1], where air voids in the paste are counted by the operator as the specimen traverses linearly beneath the microscope. This procedure is very time consuming and is prone to human error because of the extended viewing periods, (up to four hours), required to complete the test. It is therefore desirable to develop an image analysis procedure that will decrease the amount of time required to complete the test and reduce the inconsistencies that human error can produce. As this paper will detail, a preliminary program for making these types of evaluations has been developed which calculates a durability parameter based on the analyzed physical characteristics.
Strong Metric (Sub)regularity of Karush–Kuhn–Tucker Mappings for Piecewise Linear-Quadratic Convex-Composite Optimization and the Quadratic Convergence of Newton’s Method

This work concerns the local convergence theory of Newton and quasi-Newton methods for convex-composite optimization: where one minimizes an objective that can be written as the composition of a co...
Maternal Nutrient Restriction and Skeletal Muscle Development: Consequences for Postnatal Health.

Severe undernutrition and famine continue to be a worldwide concern, as cases have been increasing in the past 5 years, particularly in developing countries. The occurrence of nutrient restriction (NR) during pregnancy affects fetal growth, leading to small for gestational age (SGA) or intrauterine growth restricted (IUGR) offspring. During adulthood, SGA and IUGR offspring are at a higher risk for the development of metabolic syndrome. Skeletal muscle is particularly sensitive to prenatal NR. This tissue plays an essential role in oxidation and glucose metabolism because roughly 80% of insulin-mediated glucose uptake occurs in muscle, and it represents around 40% of body weight. Alterations in myofiber number, hypertrophy and myofiber type composition, decreased protein synthesis, lower mitochondrial content and activity of oxidative enzymes, and increased accumulation of intramuscular triglycerides are among the described programming effects of maternal NR on skeletal muscle. Together, these features would add to a phenotype that is prone to insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, obesity, and metabolic syndrome. Insights from diverse animal models (i.e. ovine, swine, and rodent) have provided valuable information regarding the molecular mechanisms behind those altered developmental pathways. Understanding those molecular signatures supports the development of efficient treatments to counteract the effects of maternal NR on skeletal muscle, and its negative implications for postnatal health.
Review of Slotted SIW antenna at 28 GHz and 38 GHz for mm-wave applications

With the advancement in technology, the millimeter-wave mobile communication for 5G has become very popular. There is a rapid growth of millimeter-wave band antennas for use in different applications. At higher frequency, an emerging substrate integrated waveguide (SIW) technology is very promising. SIW is a transition between microstrip and dielectric-filled waveguide. With the help of vias, we can convert the dielectric-filled waveguide to substrate integrated waveguide. This paper aims to provide an overview of different slotted SIW based antenna and arrays at single-band and dual-band frequency of 28 and 38 GHz. At mm-wave slotted SIW antenna is an excellent candidate as there is no dielectric loss. Various antenna designs considered with examples include slot array antenna, empty SIW antenna, and cavity-backed antenna are discussed and presented with their performance enhancement methods, including size reduction, bandwidth improvement, high gain, and sharp radiation pattern.
The Right to Learn: Intellectual Honesty and the First Amendment

Science education is one of the most hotly contested issues in public debate. Even after decades of jurisprudence and scholarly analysis, politicians still ignite public passions by suggesting that creationism or intelligent design theory be taught alongside of evolution in public school science classrooms. Despite political rhetoric, the Establishment Clause has been steadfastly used to prevent religion masquerading as science from entering the science classroom. However, public officials have launched attacks recently on other scientific theories, such as climate change, that are not religiously motivated. Students are left in these instances without resort to the Establishment Clause and are potentially forced to learn propaganda and non-science in science classrooms. This Article confronts the vexing problem that students are protected from non-science that is religiously based and not non-science that is politically motivated, even though they are both equally damaging to the students’ education. There is no intellectual or constitutional basis for banning some kinds of pseudo-science and allowing others within a compulsory public science class. This Article is the first to argue that students in public school science classrooms are entitled to an accurate and honest rendering of the scientific facts free from propaganda, proselytizing and politics under the Free Speech Clause of the First Amendment. Simply because a scientific theory is attacked for political motivations does not render it constitutionally permissible. So long as students are required by compulsory education laws to attend science class, the state is constitutionally required to protect the students’ right to learn. This “right to learn” is rooted in a long and distinguished line of cases. Not only does it have a judicial pedigree, but the right to learn rooted in the Free Speech Clause shifts the constitutional analysis from the difficult task of determining motivations to the pursuit of scientific accuracy.
Adoption of patient-reported outcome measures with youth with intellectual/developmental disabilities: Contextual influences and practice patterns

Background The purpose of this study was to identify potential barriers to patient reported outcome measure (PROM) adoption with youth and young adults with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities (IDD) and to understand current PROM adoption patterns of paediatric practitioners working with this population. Methods We used a web-based survey to collect data from paediatric practitioners who work with youth with IDD about factors influencing the adoption of PROMs and the frequency of PROM use across age groups (elementary, middle school and high school/transition age) and practice settings (school and rehabilitation). Results A total of 113 paediatric practitioners (occupational therapist = 48, physical therapist = 32, physician = 16, other = 17) responded to the survey with an average of 15 years of experience working with youth ages 8-21 with IDD. Accessibility and appropriateness, psychometric evidence, and time were most frequently ranked among the top three factors that influence practitioners' adoption of PROMs. Practitioners reported 'never or rarely' using PROMs 39%-65% of the time across age groups. Conclusions Our results suggest that paediatric practitioners may be infrequently using PROMs with youth with IDD because of perceived inaccessibility and time requirements of PROMs and practice-environment barriers, including access to evidence and caseload demands. Because PROMs can facilitate client-centred care, addressing these potential barriers to adoption may improve paediatric rehabilitation.
Changes in US Dialysis Dietitian Responsibilities and Patient Needs During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Objective This study described the job responsibilities and modalities of care among dialysis dietitians in the United States and their observations regarding the nutrition needs of their patients, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Design and Methods Cross-sectional online survey captures dietitian characteristics and responsibilities, dialysis facility characteristics, and patient needs. We recruited US dialysis dietitians. We used chi-square tests to compare respondent stress and facility-level policies regarding eating/drinking and oral nutrition supplements based on facility ownership type. Results We received 191 complete or partial survey responses. Sixty-three percent of respondents stated that their center banned eating/drinking during dialysis due to COVID-19 masking policies. DaVita and non-profit facilities were significantly more likely to still allow eating/drinking during dialysis (31% and 29%, respectively) compared to Fresenius facilities (7%). A common theme in open-ended responses regarding nutrition care for COVID-19-positive patients was providing less care to these patients. A majority of respondents admitted to stress from working in healthcare during COVID-19. The majority of respondents indicated that patients were taking precautions such as having a family member or friend grocery shop for them (69%) or going to the store less often (60%). Just over a quarter of respondents indicated that affordability of food was a concern among patients. Seventy-two percent reported that patients were cooking at home more often, 60% had observed an increase in serum phosphorus, and 72% an increase in interdialytic weight gain. Conclusions Due to the increased risk of malnutrition and symptoms that can affect dietary intake in COVID-positive patients, and the economic conditions leading to increased rates of food insecurity, dietitians must be proactive in preventing and/or treating malnutrition through adequate protein and energy intake. Eating/drinking bans should not become permanent and dialysis centers should take precautions to allow intradialytic meals and oral nutrition supplement protocols to continue during the pandemic.
Modeling Statistical Effects in Realistic En Mats with Lorentz-Gaussian Dispersion

Commonly, the material dispersion in time domain electromagnetics is modeled as a collection of the Lorentzian oscillators and Debye relaxations. However, in realistic engineered materials, the absorption rarely follows the ideal Lorentzian shape due to imperfections, and in many cases, is significantly broadened by statistical effects. To simulate the broadening effect, we developed a time-domain compatible Lorentz-Gaussian model and its efficient implementation in time domain solvers based on Generalized Dispersive Material (GDM) formalism.
A Macro Social Report

The routes to a macro social report are the social indicators movement, the refinements in national income accounting, and the increasing role of accounting in achieving economic development. This article examines each of these routes.
Are you laughing with me or at me? Psychopathic traits and the ability to distinguish between affiliation and dominance laughter cues.

OBJECTIVE Laughter conveys important information that supports social communication and bonding. Research suggests that unique acoustic properties distinguish laughter that promotes affiliation from laughter that conveys dominance, but little is known about potential individual differences in laughter interpretation or contagion based on these specified social functions of laughter. Psychopathy is associated with both affiliative deficits (e.g., lack of empathy and impaired social bonding) and behaviors that assert social dominance (e.g., manipulativeness). Thus, relationships between psychopathic traits and impaired laughter interpretation or contagion could give insight into etiological pathways to psychopathy. METHOD In two studies conducted with four independent samples (total N = 770), participants categorized laughter clips that varied in the degree of affiliation or dominance conveyed. RESULTS Participants overall drew rich and accurate social inferences from dominant and affiliative laughter and modulated their interest in joining in with laughter based on the type and degree of affiliation and dominance conveyed. However, individuals higher in psychopathic traits failed to distinguish between laughter types and did not modulate their level of engagement based on laughter features. CONCLUSIONS The results suggest a potential mechanism that underlies the broader social difficulties associated with psychopathic traits.
Precocious Puberty in the Female

Precocious male puberty refers to the development of pubertal virilization in boys under age 7 or 8 (isosexual precocious puberty).
TTF-1 and Napsin A double stain: a useful marker for diagnosing lung adenocarcinoma on fine-needle aspiration cell blocks.

BACKGROUND: Immunohistochemistry (IHC) for thyroid transcription factor-1 (TTF-1) is used to confirm the diagnosis of lung adenocarcinoma. Napsin A also has shown positivity in lung adenocarcinoma. A combined double stain for TTF-1 and napsin A has been proposed to achieve higher sensitivity and specificity. In this study, the authors evaluated the utility of this double stain in the diagnosis of lung adenocarcinoma in cell blocks of fine-needle aspirates (FNA). METHODS: The authors used a cohort comprising 35 FNA cell blocks of lung adenocarcinoma and 24 FNA cell blocks of lung squamous cell carcinoma (SqCCA). IHC was performed; expressions of TTF-1 as brown nuclear stain and of napsin A as red cytoplasmic stain were identified. RESULTS: Twenty-six of 35 (74%) lung adenocarcinomas were positive for double staining with TTF-1/napsin A. Of 35 lung adenocarcinomas, only 2 (5%) were positive for TTF-1 alone and 3 (8%) were positive for napsin A alone. For the double stain TTF-1/napsin A, 3 of 24 (12%) lung SqCCAs were positive for both. Six of 24 (25%) cases were positive for TTF-1 alone, and none were positive for napsin A alone. For lung adenocarcinoma, TTF-1/napsin A has a sensitivity of 74%, specificity of 87%, accuracy of 79%, and a positive predictive value of 89%. CONCLUSIONS: The double IHC stain, TTF-1/napsin A, for the identification of pulmonary adenocarcinoma in FNA cell block materials was diagnostically useful. The use of napsin A alone demonstrated a greater degree of accuracy and appeared diagnostically useful as a single IHC stain. Cancer (Cancer Cytopathol) 2011. © 2011 American Cancer Society.
Enhancements to and Characterization of the Very Early Time Electromagnetic (VETEM) Prototype Instrument and Applications to Shallow Subsurface Imaging at Sites in the DOE Complex

'The objective of this project is to enhance the state-of-the-art of electromagnetic imaging of the shallow (0 to 5 m) subsurface in electrically conductive media where ground penetrating radar (GPR) provides insufficient penetration and time domain electromagnetic (TEM) systems provide insufficient resolution. This objective is being pursued by instrumentation enhancements to the existing very early time electromagnetic (VETEM) system coupled with physical and numerical modeling. Success in this endeavor will improve the speed and accuracy of waste pit and trench location and characterization, and could have additional applications to shallow DNAPL and LNAPL spill and cleanup monitoring, clay cap integrity assessment, and landfill stabilization monitoring. This could result in significant savings in time and money during characterization, remediation, and decommissioning of facilities. This report summarizes accomplishments after 8 months of a three-year project. The authors have focused mainly on instrumentation and numerical modeling during this time.'
Gangs, criminal offending, and an inconvenient truth: considerations for gang prevention and intervention in the lives of youth

For a theoretically driven school-based program, there is much to like about the findings from the 1and 4-year evaluations of the Gang Resistance Education and Training (G.R.E.A.T.) program provided by Esbensen, Osgood, Peterson, Taylor, and Carson (2013, this issue). Relative to the control group, students who received the 13 lessons of the G.R.E.A.T. curriculum had (a) more positive scores across a range of attitudinal measures central to several theories of criminal behavior; (b) improved police–youth relationships and lower odds of gang membership, satisfying two of the three primary goals of the program; and (c) long-term positive effects on many of the attitudinal outcomes, as well as police–youth relationships and gang membership. The findings for gang membership are important because they stand in contrast to a large body of work, including the first national evaluation of G.R.E.A.T. (Esbensen, Osgood, Taylor, and Peterson, 2001), making this the first study with rigorous randomized control trial evaluation to have a demonstrable impact on decreasing the rates of gang membership. Despite being a “gang” spinoff of the ineffective Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) program, the aggregate results suggest that the more inviting and optimistic acronym is indeed fitting for the G.R.E.A.T. program. But the picture is not all rosy. The third primary program goal to “prevent violent and criminal activity” was not achieved despite positive program effects on gang membership and numerous mediating mechanisms. This finding flies in the face of the logic of gang
Adenoviral insulinoma-associated protein 1 promoter-driven suicide gene therapy with enhanced selectivity for treatment of neuroendocrine cancers.

ABSTRACT Background: Insulinoma-associated protein 1 (INSM1) is a zinc finger transcriptional repressor with a limited spatial and temporal embryonic expression pattern in neuronal and neuroendocrine tissues. Interestingly, INSM1 activity is reactivated in neuroendocrine tumors such as small-cell lung cancer (SCLC), neuroblastoma, medulloblastoma, and retinoblastoma. Adenoviral constructs with the 1.7-kilobase pair INSM1 promoter-driven herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase (HSV-tk) gene could effectively suppress D283 Med subcutaneous xenograft tumor growth. Undesirably, sequences in the adenoviral backbone overrode promoter specificity in vivo. Incorporation of both the chicken β-globin HS4 insulator sequence and 2 copies of the mouse nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAchR) neuronal restrictive silencer element abolished the nonspecific activation of the INSM1 promoter in vivo. Methods: The luciferase reporter gene was replaced with the HSV-tk suicide gene to generate the Ad-K5 virus. Both in vitro cel...
Specificity of Immunofluorescent Staining for Study of Aspergillus flavus in Soil

Abstract Fluorescein-labeled antiserum prepared with Aspergillus flavus strain CS was tested for specificity by staining fungi grown in soil in the vicinity of buried slides. All 14 strains of A. flavus fluoresced as intensely or nearly as intensely as the antigen control. Among 21 isolates of species of Aspergillus other than A. flavus, 17 reacted with moderate to low fluorescence at intensities readily distinguishable from that of A. flavus. The fluorescence of the remaining four cultures, and particularly A. sydowi, was indistinguishable from that of A. flavus. Fungi other than aspergilli were generally nonreactive. Interfering cross-reactions were encountered for one strain of Spicaria and one strain of Stemphylium; three isolates could not be evaluated because of interfering autofluorescence. An additional 22 isolates were either wholly negative or had a low order of fluorescence. Agglutination tests between each of the fungi and A. flavus CS serum revealed close agreement between agglutination titer and fluorescent-staining reaction. Unknown fungi freshly isolated from soil were checked for reaction to the A. flavus labeled antiserum; only one isolate gave a pronounced staining reaction, and that one proved to be a strain of A. flavus. In a simplified ecological model, the fluorescent-antibody technique was used to follow the development of A. flavus in mixed culture in soil with five other soil fungi.
The Significance of Statistical Significance: Two Authors Restate An Incontrovertible Caution. Why a Book?

"The Significance of Statistical Significance" reviews "THE CULT OF STATISTICAL SIGNIFICANCE: How the Standard Error Costs Us Jobs, Justice and Lives" by Stephen T. Ziliak and Dierdre N. McCloskey. The book's core message is that statistical significance should not be equated with substantive significance and that empirical researchers should convey more information about the magnitude of relationships and effects than many now do. This review summarizes, approves of and elaborates on Ziliak and McCloskeys message with special attention to concerns of the legal academy. It clarifies appropriate uses of significance tests within the research framework of controlling for plausible rival hypotheses.
Camptocormia as presenting manifestation of a spectrum of myopathic disorders.

Introduction: Camptocormia is the involuntary flexion of the thoracolumbar spine leading to an abnormal posture. Methods: We retrospectively identified patients with myopathy who manifested with camptocormia and were seen in our neuromuscular clinic. The diagnosis of myopathy was based on myopathic electromyographic changes, often accompanied by 1 or more of the following: elevated creatine kinase (CK); myopathic histopathological findings; and genetic confirmation. Results: Fifty-two patients were identified; 35 had symptoms limited to camptocormia, but were found to have additional weakness of facial (8 patients), neck (11 patients), and limb muscles (17 patients). CK values were normal or mildly to moderately elevated. MRI/CT of the spine showed paraspinal muscle atrophy and fat replacement. Facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy and sporadic inclusion body myositis were the most commonly identified myopathies in this cohort. Conclusions: Despite the difficulty in characterizing the myopathy in patients with camptocormia, a definitive diagnosis was possible in 54% of cases. The pattern of associated extra-axial weakness may provide clues to the diagnosis. Muscle Nerve 52: 1008–1012, 2015
Pancreatic hepatoid carcinoma: A rare form of pancreatic neoplasm

Primary pancreatic hepatoid carcinoma (PHC) is extremely rare, resembling hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in terms of morphology and immunohistochemical features. Hepatoid carcinoma can present in other organs, most noticeably in the stomach. PHC is present in two forms either a pure form like HCC or admixed with other histologic tumor components characteristic of the underlying primary site (endocrine tumors, ductal, or acinar adenocarcinomas). Here, we report a 69-year-old male patient with distal pancreatic mass incidentally found during a CT scan workup for a pulmonary nodule suspicious for metastatic prostate adenocarcinoma. We described the clinical, cytological, and histological finding and conducted a literature review. Diagn. Cytopathol. 2015;43:251–256. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Spectra of the Wells lunar glass simulants: New old data for reflectance modeling

Silicate glasses are an important constituent in the regolith of airless planetary bodies, and knowledge of glass reflectance characteristics is important for remote-sensing studies of the Moon, Mercury, and asteroids. We recovered reflectance spectra for 20 vacuum-melted lunar glass simulants measured by Wells (1977), which cover a wider range of Fe and Ti contents (0–17.5 wt % FeO and 0–15 wt % TiO2) and a wider wavelength range than those of the better-known Bell et al. (1976) study. We examine the spectra in terms of known absorptions, explore the relationship between ultraviolet spectral parameters and composition, and apply the Hapke radiative transfer model to predict the reflectance spectra of the Wells glasses. The imaginary part of the refractive index (k) at each wavelength was computed based on the Ti and Fe composition using the linear relationship presented by Wilcox et al. (2006) and with a new linear-exponential hybrid relationship. Comparison of the model spectra with the measured spectra reveals that the samples rich in Fe and Ti are best modeled by the linear relationship, because the linear model was developed using the Fe- and/or Ti-rich Bell et al. (1976) glasses. For Fe- and Ti-poor glasses, the hybrid model provides a better fit to the measured spectra, because this model for k is based on the wider compositional range of the Wells glasses. In the future, better linear model fits might be obtained if optical parameters were derived for a wider compositional range, from low-Fe/low-Ti to the higher-Fe/higher-Ti compositions of Apollo volcanic glasses.
High-Altitude Divert Architecture for Future Robotic and Human Mars Missions

Future robotic and human missions to Mars require improved landed precision and increased payload mass. Low ballistic coefficient entry vehicles decelerate high in the thin Mars atmosphere and may be used to deliver higher-mass payloads to the surface. A high-altitude supersonic propulsive divert maneuver is proposed as a means of precision landing for low ballistic coefficient entry vehicles that decelerate to supersonic speeds at altitudes of 20–60 km. This divert maneuver compares favorably to traditional precision landing architectures with up to 100% improvement in range capability while saving over 30% in propellant mass. Through Monte Carlo simulations, it was found that architectures that use hypersonic vehicles with ballistic coefficients of 10 kg/m2 can potentially land within 500 m of a target with this maneuver alone. This high-altitude divert range capability is sensitive to altitude and flight-path angle variations at maneuver initiation, and it is relatively insensitive to velocity at init...
Damping Transverse Instabilities in the Tyevatron Using AC Chromaticity

Several papers [1],[2] have suggested possibility of using varying chromaticity to damp the head-tail instability. We test this by cycling the chromaticity sextupole magnets in the Tevatron near the synchrotron frequency to see if the head-tail stability threshold is increased. Further we compare the turn-by-turn evolution of a bunch slice in the pres ence of varying chromaticity to a model previously developed.
RACIALIZED AUTHENTICATION: Constructing Representations of the Florida Highwaymen

This article explores how art world professionals and cultural publicists construct representations of a group of “rediscovered” black artists, who painted from the end of the Jim Crow era to the present. Examining their writings, statements from interviews, and their interactions with audiences at public events, I show how they represented the artists as both exotic self-taught artists and achievers of the American Dream. I introduce the term “racialized authentication” to frame a branch of racial rhetoric through which the various actors draw from both traditional racial stereotypes and new racism ideology to construct authentic artists. In conclusion, I address how these findings have implications for the integration of contemporary research on race and sociological studies of art worlds.
Expression, tissue distribution, and cellular localization of the antiapoptotic TIP-B1 protein

TIP-B1 is a novel 27-kDa protein isolated from the cytosol of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-stimulated cells. Cells preincubated with TIP-B1 are protected from TNF-induced apoptosis. This study showed that, as with normal fibroblasts and U937 histiocytic lymphoma, human MCF7 mammary adenocarcinoma cells were protected from TNF in a concentration-dependent manner by pretreatment with either TNF or purified TIP-B1. Immunoblot and immunohistochemical analyses indicated expression of both TIP-B1 mRNA and protein in MCF7 cells and heart, kidney, brain, liver, ovary, uterus, thymus, spleen, lymph node, and mammary gland cells throughout their development. Expression of TIP-B1 was heterogeneous, with staining of specific cell types within tissues. Based on the ability of TIP-B1 to protect both normal and tumor cells from TNF-induced apoptosis and its broad tissue distribution, with expression only in select cells within those tissues, a role for TIP-B1 in the regulation of TNF-induced effects is strongly indicated.
Unusual high-density lipoprotein subclass distribution during late pregnancy

Abstract Plasma lipoprotein distribution during late pregnancy is unusual since high-density lipoprotein (HDL) levels are increased in the presence of hypertriglyceridemia; the latter is usually associated with decreases in HDL levels. To determine whether there is a relationship between late-pregnancy lipid levels and specific HDL subclasses, HDL size distribution was determined by nondenaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (GGE) in a group of 36 women at 35 to 36 weeks of gestation and again at 6 weeks' postpartum, and in a group of 10 nonpregnant women. At 35 to 36 weeks of gesgation, plasma triglyceride (TG) and cholesterol concentrations were significantly increased over postpartum levels (218 ± 62 v 112 ± 69 mg/dL and 234 ± 48 v 197 ± 36 mg/dL, respectively). During late pregnancy, apolipoprotein A-I (apo A-I) and HDL cholesterol concentrations were also increased relative to postpartum levels (211 ± 42 v 168 ± 20 mg/dL and 63 ± 13 v 53 ± 11 mg/dL, respectively). GGE analysis indicated that at 35 to 36 weeks of gestation, 86% of the subjects had a substantial increase of the most buoyant and largest of the HDL species, HDL2b; postpartum and nonpregnant HDL subclass distribution was characterized by the predominance of HDL3a, which are smaller, more dense HDL. The shift in the HDL subclass distribution during late pregnancy was associated with significant positive correlations between HDL2b and apo A-I (r = .50, P
Diagnosis of local uncertain modifications in the boundary conditions of a rectangular plate via convex modeling

Abstract In this study the diagnosis of the boundary conditions is treated as the identification of the adversely affected region on the boundary and estimation of limits on the magnitude of possible change in the stiffness. Convex models are utilized to represent the degree of uncertainty in the boundary condition modification. This means that the diagnosis is actually the identification of the convex model to which the actual boundary stiffness profile belongs. As a result, the diagnosis is formulated as a discrete multi-hypothesis decision problem with attendant formulation of the adaptive termination of this algorithm. The generalized Bolotin's dynamic edge effect method is employed to determine the approximate natural frequencies and normal modes of elastically supported isotropic, uniform rectangular plates employed in the analysis. The entire procedure of diagnosis of local modifications is implemented and results of such an identification are reported.
Entrance region flow of the Hershel-Bulkley fluid in a circular tube

The steady, laminar, isothermal entrance region flow of the Hershel-Bulkley fluid in a tube has been investigated by using the momentum integral and the momentum energy integral techniques. The resulting nonlinear ordinary differential equations on the dimensionless boundary layer thickness have been solved numerically by using the Runge-Kutta method. The results for the plug core velocity, boundary layer thickness, pressure drop, entrance length and loss coefficient have been obtained for a wide range of yield numbers and the flow behaviour index. Significant effect of viscous dissipation has been observed on the velocity distribution and boundary layer growth, whereas the effect of viscous dissipation on pressure drop is negligible. In both the methods, the values of entrance length and loss coefficient have been found to be reduced with increasing values of Hershel-Bulkley number and flow behaviour index. However, in the case of the momentum energy method the values of entrance length and loss coefficient are appreciably higher than those obtained by using the momentum integral method.
The influence of high-resistance training on glucose tolerance in young and elderly subjects.

Abstract Aging is associated with a decrease in glucose tolerance. In younger subjects both high and low intensity forms of exercise have been shown to improve glucose tolerance. The purpose of this investigation was to determine whether or not strength training in elderly subjects would have a positive effect upon glucose and insulin responsiveness following a glucose feeding. The medical history of each subject and an exercise stress test were given prior to the establishment of the two age groups: those individuals with contra-indications for exercise were not tested further. An oral glucose tolerace test, 100 g, was administered to six young (23 ± 1 year) and 9 elderly (63 ± 1 year) male subjects before and after 12 weeks of a supervised progressive resistance weight lifting program, which employed Nautilus equipment. All the major muscle groups of the body were exercised and a three set, six-eight repetition, training protocol was followed. Blood samples were taken at 0, 30, 60, 120 and 180 min; after centrifugation (1169 g for 15 min) the serum was frozen for analysis of glucose and insulin. Percent body fat was determined by skin calipers and the Lean Body Mass estimated. The 6 Rep max for the leg press, leg extension and bench press machines were used to determine the strength gains made for the 12 weeks of training. The results show that both the young and elderly subjects had a significant increase (P
Two Bits on Computer-Aided Learning in Anthropology

The author describes computer-aided learning that can be used in introductory anthropology courses as well as in courses designed for majors. This experience is used to identify design and evaluation concepts that will help in developing computer-aided learning so anthropology students can use cultural variables and make cultural decisions.
Crystallization and preliminary X-ray analysis of Escherichia coli RNase HI-dsRNA complexes.

RNase H binds RNA–DNA hybrid and double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) duplexes with similar affinity, but only cleaves the RNA in the former. To potentially gain insight into the conformational origins of substrate recognition by the enzyme from Escherichia coli, cocrystallization experiments were carried out with RNase HI–dsRNA (enzyme–inhibitor) complexes. Crystals were obtained of two complexes containing 9-mer and 10-mer RNA duplexes that diffracted X-rays to 3.5 and 4 A resolution, respectively.