cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Interaction of the tick (Haemaphysalis leporispalustris) with a cyclic snowshoe hare (Lepus americanus) population.

Prevalence and intensity of the tick, Haemaphysalis leporispalustris, were monitored during 1963 to 1976 in a cyclic snowshoe hare (Lepus americanus) population near Rochester, Alberta, Canada. Prevalence was near zero from December through March, and near 100% among adult hares from May through September. Prevalence among juvenile hares approached 100% by age 2 mo. Intensity peaked for both adults and juveniles during May–June and again in August. Mean intensities were significantly higher among adult males than adult females in 5 of 13 yr, and almost significant in two others. Tick intensities were lowest during 3 yr, 1969 to 1971, when hare densities were highest. Tick intensities in spring were correlated with intensities the previous fall. Survival of marked adult and juvenile hares was unrelated to intensities of infestation. Mean numbers of corpora lutea and embryos tended to be lower among adult females with heavy tick infestations, and intra-uterine losses rose steadily from about 3 to 13% as tic...
The taxonomic status of Hirstionyssus butantanensis (Fonseca, 1932) (Acari: Mesostigmata).

This paper clarifies the taxonomic status of Hirstionyssus butantanensis (Fonseca, 1932). H. latiscutatus (de Meillon & Lavoipierre, 1944) is synonymized with H. butantanensis (Fonseca). A complete synonymy, diagnosis, and illustrations are given. Based on specimens from the type collection, descriptions are given of the female, male, and deutonymph.
Primate spinothalamic pathways: I. A quantitative study of the cells of origin of the spinothalamic pathway

In six monkeys spinothalamic (STT) cells were retrogradely labeled by injecting 2% wheat germ agglutinin–conjugated horseradish peroxidase into the somatosensory thalamus. Following a 5-day survival period, the animals were perfused and the tissue was removed and processed with the tetramethyl benzidine technique. In all animals there were HRP-labeled STT cells in all segments of the spinal cord. In one old world monkey, the injection included most of the thalamus and resulted in 18,235 estimated total number of STT cells. Of this total, 35% were located in the upper cervical segments (C1–C3), 18% were located in C4–C8, 19% were in the thoracic spinal cord with most found in T1–T3; 6% were in L1–L3, 13% were in L4–L7, and 7% were in the coccygeal segments. Of the total labeled STT cells, 17% were found in the spinal cord ipsilateral to the thalamic injection; 53% of these cells were located in C1–C3 primarily in lamina VIII. The percentage of label found in the contralateral lower cervical region laminae I–III (43–50%), IV–VI (33–48%), and VII–X (8–17%) was similar among three animals with similar thalamic injections. The distributions of the shapes of the labeled STT cells were similar for each lamina between the lower cervical and lower lumbar regions. The mean diameter of the labeled STT cells varied with spinal cord segment and lamina. The lamina I STT cells were the smallest. In the cervical spinal cord, lamina VIII STT cells had the largest diameters, while in the lumbar region laminae IV–VI had the largest STT cells.
Rural V Urban Policing: A Study of Taiwanese Officers' Occupational Attitudes

This study examines attitudinal differences between rural and urban police officers in Taiwan. Data used in this research were collected from a rural Taiwanese county, Hualien, and a metropolitan department, Taipei. Officers' occupational attitudes are assessed along four dimensions: group cohesion, citizen cooperation, aggressive enforcement, and order maintenance. The results indicate that, compared to their urban counterparts, rural officers are more likely to show higher levels of group cohesion and favour citizen cooperation. Rural and urban officers, however, do not differ significantly in their attitudes towards aggressive enforcement and order maintenance. Implications for future research and policy are discussed.
NF-κB and Activator Protein 1 Response Elements and the Role of Histone Modifications in IL-1β-Induced TGF-β1 Gene Transcription

Abnormal expression of TGF-beta1 is believed to play an important role in the pathogenesis of a number of chronic inflammatory and immune lung diseases, including asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and pulmonary fibrosis. Gene activation in eukaryotes requires coordinated use of specific cell signals, chromatin modifications, and chromatin remodeling. We studied the roles of the ubiquitous inflammatory transcription factors, NF-kappaB and AP-1, in activation of the TGF-beta1 gene and histone acetylation at the TGF-beta1 promoter. IL-1beta-induced TGF-beta1 protein secretion and mRNA expression were prevented by actinomycin D and were attenuated by the inhibitor of kappaB kinase 2 inhibitor AS602868 and the JNK inhibitor SP600125, suggesting a degree of transcriptional regulation mediated by the NF-kappaB and AP-1 pathways. We demonstrated that IL-1beta activated the p65 subunit of NF-kappaB and the c-Jun subunit of AP-1. Using chromatin immunoprecipitation assays, we observed a sequential recruitment of p65 and c-Jun, accompanying ordered elevation of the levels of histone H4 and H3 acetylation and recruitment of RNA polymerase II at distinct regions in the native TGF-beta1 promoter. The specific NF-kappaB and AP-1 binding sites in the TGF-beta1 promoter were confirmed by an ELISA-based binding assay, and evidence for histone hyperacetylation in TGF-beta1 induction was supported by the observation that the histone deacetylase inhibitor trichostatin A enhanced basal and IL-1beta-induced TGF-beta1 mRNA expression. Our results suggest that IL-1beta-stimulated transcription of TGF-beta1 is temporally regulated by NF-kappaB and AP-1 and involves histone hyperacetylation at distinct promoter sites.
The Great Game Renewed? US—russian Rivalry in the Arms Trade of South Asia

The terrorist attacks on the United States in September 2001 prompted Washington to re-evaluate its policies in South Asia and reaffirmed the strategic importance of that region. One result of this reassessment has been renewed efforts to supply arms and weapons systems to the region as a means of expanding influence and bolstering support for US actions in Afghanistan. Concurrently, economic pressures and the traditional drive for influence have prompted continued efforts on the part of Russia to expand arms sales as a tool for increasing revenues and maintaining influence. The potential for a dramatic increase in the number and quality of arms in South Asia may exacerbate existing tensions in the area. This article examines the impact of increased arms transfers to the region in the context of an escalating competition between Washington and Moscow to retain or gain strategic influence and to enlarge markets for military sales.
Parallel backprojection: a case study in high-performance reconfigurable computing

High-performance reconfigurable computing (HPRC) is a novel approach to provide large-scale computing power to modern scientific applications. Using both general-purpose processors and FPGAs allows application designers to exploit fine-grained and coarse-grained parallelism, achieving high degrees of speedup. One scientific application that benefits from this technique is backprojection, an image formation algorithm that can be used as part of a synthetic aperture radar (SAR) processing system. We present an implementation of backprojection for SAR on an HPRC system. Using simulated data taken at a variety of ranges, our implementation runs over 200 times faster than a similar software program, with an overall application speedup better than 50x. The backprojection application is easily parallelizable, achieving near-linear speedup when run on multiple nodes of a clustered HPRC system. The results presented can be applied to other systems and other algorithms with similar characteristics.
A low power front-end for embedded processors using a block-aware instruction set

Energy, power, and area efficiency are critical design concerns for embedded processors. Much of the energy of a typical embedded processor is consumed in the front-end since instruction fetching happens on nearly every cycle and involves accesses to large memory arrays such as instruction and branch target caches. The use of small front-end arrays leads to significant power and area savings, but typically results in significant performance degradation. This paper evaluates and compares optimizations that improve the performance of embedded processors with small front-end caches. We examine both software techniques, such as instruction re-ordering and selective caching, and hardware techniques, such as instruction prefetching, tagless instruction cache, and unified caches for instruction and branch targets. We demonstrate that, building on top of a block-aware instruction set, these optimizations can eliminate the performance degradation due to small front-end caches. Moreover, selective combinations of these optimizations lead to an embedded processor that performs significantly better than the large cache design while maintaining the area and energy efficiency of the small cache design.
Optimal Routing in the Worst-Case-Error Metric

This paper considers the problem of finding the path with minimum (zero) worst possible number of errors in a network with V nodes where (1) some nodes are capable of correcting up to a maximum number of xmax errors, (2) the nodes are connected by q-ary Symmetric Channels ei parametrized by their Bit Error Ratios (BER) pi. We introduce (1) the BER and Worst-Case Error (WCE) metrics and (2) an algebra that allows us to compute the path BER length from its edge lengths, and use them to measure network QoS. The WCE and BER metrics can be used with a generalized Dijkstra's Algorithm to compute the path of minimum WCE length. Finally, we present an algorithm that solves the above problem in the worst-case time complexity of O(V 3 ). I. INTRODUCTION In mission critical systems, the penalty for any error could be extremely high. In such systems, improving the network Quality of Service (QoS) involves comparing network paths (and edges) and selecting the optimal path that minimizes the worst possible number of errors (Worst-Case Error, or WCE) received — not a trivial task, especially in wireless, sensor and ad-hoc networks where the Bit Error Ratio (BER) is really high. This paper introduces a new QoS metric, which we call the WCE metric. With this metric, network path "lengths" (the WCE lengths) are measured and compared to select the optimal path. A path's WCE length depends on its edges' WCE lengths. If each edge represents a q-ary Symmetric Channel (q-SC), then its WCE length can be determined from its BER. Thus, the BER can be used to measure edge and path lengths (the BER lengths), and is a metric — the BER metric. We prove that a path's WCE length is a non-decreasing function of its BER length, and hence, the minimum BER path is also the minimum WCE path. To calculate a path's BER length from its edges' BER lengths, we introduce a new BER algebra and prove that it can be used with the Generalized Dijkstra's Algorithm (1) to compute the shortest BER path. We show that if some network nodes are capable of cor- recting edge errors, then it is possible to find a path (or paths) of zero WCE length. In wireless and ad-hoc networks where compute power and energy are constrained, available resource for complex mathematical operations used by high- performance FEC (such as finite fields arithmetic and iterative algorithms) is limited. It is therefore desirable to have only as many such "overhead" nodes as needed for reliability. In addition, compared to repeater nodes, error-correcting nodes incur delay and consume bandwidth resources. In this paper, we present a O(V 3 ) algorithm that routes information with zero WCE through the appropriate error-correcting nodes. This work was supported by the Caltech Lee Center for Advanced Network-
Human IgG1 Hinge Fragmentation as the Result of H2O2-mediated Radical Cleavage

Hinge cleavage of a recombinant human IgG1 antibody, generated during production in a Chinese hamster ovary cell culture, was observed in the purified material. The cleavage products could be reproduced by incubation of the antibody with H2O2 and featured complementary ladders of the C- and N-terminal residues (Asp226–Lys227–Thr228–His229–Thr230) in the heavy chain of the Fab domain and the upper hinge of one of the Fc domains, respectively. Two adducts of +45 and +71 Da were also observed at the N-terminal residues of some Fc fragments and were identified as isocyanate and α-ketoacyl derivatives generated by radical cleavage at the α-carbon position through the diamide and α-amidation pathways. We determined that the hinge cleavage was initiated by radical-induced breakage of the disulfide bond between the two hinge cysteines at position 231 (Cys231-Pro-Pro-Cys-Pro), followed by the formation of a thiyl radical (Cys231-S•) on one cysteine and sulfenic acid (Cys231-SOH) on the other. The location of the initial radical attack and the critical role of Cys231 were demonstrated by the observation that 5,5-dimethyl-1-pyrroline N-oxide only reacted with the Cys231 radical and completely blocked hinge cleavage, suggesting the necessity of an electron/radical transfer from the Cys231 radical to the hinge residues where cleavage was observed. As a precursor of hydroxyl radicals, H2O2 is widely produced in healthy cells and tissues and therefore could be the source for the radical-induced fragmentation of human IgG1 antibodies in vivo.
Quantum Chemistry on Graphical Processing Units. 1. Strategies for Two-Electron Integral Evaluation

Modern videogames place increasing demands on the computational and graphical hardware, leading to novel architectures that have great potential in the context of high performance computing and molecular simulation. We demonstrate that Graphical Processing Units (GPUs) can be used very efficiently to calculate two-electron repulsion integrals over Gaussian basis functionsthe first step in most quantum chemistry calculations. A benchmark test performed for the evaluation of approximately 106 (ss|ss) integrals over contracted s-orbitals showed that a naive algorithm implemented on the GPU achieves up to 130-fold speedup over a traditional CPU implementation on an AMD Opteron. Subsequent calculations of the Coulomb operator for a 256-atom DNA strand show that the GPU advantage is maintained for basis sets including higher angular momentum functions.
A continuous indentation test for metals

Abstract A penetration test using a continuously increasing load applied on a knife-edge indenter (30° angle) is described. The specific advantage of this method is that the applied load is continuously recorded as a function of the penetration depth. Ni-200 and 70 30 brass with varying plastic deformation responses produced by different cold rolling and annealing schedules were studied. The finite element method was applied to model the plastic deformation process under the indenter and to predict the load versus depth-of-penetration curves. A linear relationship between the applied load and the penetration depth was found experimentally and by computer simulation for all conditions.
Angiogenic factors may have a different prognostic role in adult acute lymphoblastic leukemia

Angiogenesis plays an important role in solid tumors and hematologic malignancies. The prognostic significance of angiogenic factors in adult acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) remains ambiguous. We therefore analyzed the impact of angiogenic factor levels on overall survival of newly diagnosed adult ALL patients. Plasma levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), interleukin-1 receptor alpha (IL-1Rα), IL-6, IL-8, VEGF receptors VEGFR1 and VEGFR2, and thrombopoietin (TPO) were measured in plasma samples of 95 patients by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). In a univariate Cox proportional hazards model, higher levels of IL-1Rα, IL-8, VEGFR1, and VEGFR2 were predictive of poor survival. In contrast, higher levels of VEGF were predictive of longer survival, and higher levels of bFGF suggested a similar trend (P = .09). The multivariate model simultaneously included VEGF (relative risk [RR] for death, 8.01; P = .001 for levels less than or equal to 19.5 pg/mL), IL-1Rα (RR, 5.12; P = .007 for levels greater than 373 pg/mL), and VEGFR2 (RR, 4.01; P = .04 for levels greater than 8222 pg/mL) as independent factors for survival. Of interest is the association of high levels of VEGF with good prognosis and higher levels of VEGF receptors with poor outcome. These data reflect the complexity by which angiogenic factors may affect the clinical behavior of patients with ALL, and this complexity should be considered in any therapeutic strategy incorporating antiangiogenic agents.
Steric and electrostatic interactions govern nanofiltration of amino acids

Crossflow nanofiltration experiments were performed to investigate the factors influencing the removal of amino acids by a commercially available polymeric thin-film composite membrane. The removals of five monoprotic (Ala, Val, Leu, Gly, and Thr), one diprotic (Asp), and one dibasic (Arg) amino acids in a range of permeate fluxes, feed pH values, and ionic strengths were analyzed using a phenomenological model of membrane transport. At any given pH and ionic strength, reflection coefficients (rejection at asymptotically infinite flux) of monoprotic amino acids increased with molar radius demonstrating the role of steric interactions on their removal. Additionally, consistent with Donnan exclusion, higher reflection coefficients were obtained when the membrane and the amino acids both carried the same nature of charge (positive or negative). In other words, both co-ion repulsion and molecular size determined amino acids removal. Importantly, the removal of effectively neutral amino acids were significantly higher than neutral sugars and alcohols of similar size demonstrating that even near their isoelectric point, zwitterionic characteristics preclude them from being considered as strictly neutral. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2007;98; 451–461. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
A comparison of dual-slope, switched capacitor, and PWM solid state relative humidity sensor systems

The implementation of a solid-state capacitive relative humidity (RH) sensing system that uses a polymer as the moisture-sensitive material is discussed. The sensing mechanism is based on the fact that the dielectric permittivity of the insulting polymer, polyimide (PI), is linearly related to the ambient relative humidity. Therefore, the capacitance of a parallel plate device using PI as the dielectric is a linear function of ambient RH (because PI does not swell during moisture absorption). Standard IC processing techniques were used to fabricate the integrated sensor capacitor. In order for such a sensor to be commercially viable, a voltage, current, or frequency output is desirable. Several possible circuit implementations of capacitance-to-voltage and capacitance-to-frequency converters optimized for this application have been designed and built (in discrete form). The performance of these systems is reported. These circuits have also been simulated using SPICE. The different system implementations are compared in terms of accuracy, flexibility in sensor capacitor range, linearity, and ease of integration. >
Research Article: A phylogenetic analysis of haloarchaea found in a solar saltern

In this study, the diversity of the haloarchaea found within a crystallizer pond of a solar saltern located in San Diego, California, USA was examined. Both cultured-based and culture-independent polymerase chain reaction (PCR) 16S ribosomal DNA (rDNA) molecular phylogenetic methodology was employed. Of the eighteen defined genera in the family Halobacteriaceae, three different genera were found to be represented in this study, along with two apparent novel lineages containing only uncultivated representatives. These two novel lineages are most closely related to the genera Halogeometricum and Haloferax. Of the three defined genera represented, Haloarcula, Halobacterium, and Halorubrum, we were able to identify both cultured isolates and DNA from uncultivated members from within these groups. Based on culturing and culture-independent sampling, the predominant members of the haloarchaeal crystallizer community in this particular saltern belonged to the genus Halobacterium. It is also noteworthy that no halophilic bacteria were detected as part of the community in these studies.
The oncologic pathology report. Quality by design.

Objective To review tenets of basic quality assurance and identify opportunities for quality improvement in the laboratory assessment of prognostic factors. Design College of American Pathologists Q-Probes data obtained from hundreds of American laboratories throughout the 1990s are used to illustrate laboratory performance and practice opportunities in the preanalytic, analytic, and postanalytic phases of the total testing process. Results A wide range of performance deficiencies are documented, most in the preanalytic and postanalytic phases, and contributed by individuals outside and not under the control of the laboratory. In the analytic phase, the effectiveness of checklists on the content and completeness of reported diagnostic and prognostic data for breast and colon cancers is proven. Conclusions In the preanalytic phase, marked enhancements in quality would result from improvements in (1) patient and specimen identification, (2) adherence to patient-sampling and specimen-handling requirements, and (3) communication to the laboratory of the pertinent clinical context of the individual test. Once basic analytic quality control and laboratory quality assurance issues are resolved, a focus on standardization and enhancement of preanalytic and postanalytic communications and satisfaction of clinical expectations becomes the source of improved laboratory performance.
Reconstitution of Cerebral Cortical Mantle following Hydrocephalus

The reconstitution of the cerebral cortical mantle is, at present, a radiographic myth. Although there is indeed a thickening or reconstitution of the cerebral mantle following treatment for hydrocephalus, it may be more apparent than real. To understand the changes provided by the reversal of hydrocephalus, it is necessary to define the effect of ventricular dilatation on the surrounding brain. It is also essential to update classic neuropathological and neuroanatomical studies29 with observations obtained with both electron microscopy and quantitative biochemical analysis.
Recreational Access to Private Forests: The Impact of Hobby Farming and Exclusivity

This study analyzes public use policies among nonindustrial forestland owners in southern Wisconsin. Landowners' status as “hobby farmers” increased the likelihood that they would restrict public u...
National Archives Website

Click on the link labeled “What is the National Archives?” at the bottom of the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) website at www.archives.gov, and one will learn that NARA calls i...
Titanium Germanosilicide Phase Formation During the Ti-Si1−xGex Solid Phase Reactions

The effect of Si1−xGex alloy composition on the titanium germanosilicide phase formation sequence during the Ti-Si1−xGex solid phase reaction was examined. For the Ti-Si reaction the initial formation of C49 TiSi2 is followed, at higher temperatures, by the formation of C54 TiSi2. For the Ti-Ge reaction the initial formation of Ti6Ge5 is followed, at higher temperatures, by the formation of C54 TiGe2. It was determined that the Ti-Si1−xGex reaction follows three different reaction paths depending on the composition of the initial Si1−xGex alloy. For Si rich Si1−xGexalloys the Ti-Si1−xGex reaction follows a “Ti-Si like” reaction path (Ti+M ⇒ C49 TiM2 ⇒ C54 TiM2, where M = Si1−xGex). For Ge rich Si1−xGex alloys the reaction follows a “Ti-Ge like” reaction path (Ti+M ⇒ Ti6M5 ⇒ C54 TiM2). Both Ti6M5 and C49 TiM2 form during the reaction of titanium with Si1−xGex alloys in an intermediate composition range. Properties of the final C54 phase were observed to be strongly dependent on the phase formation sequence. Smooth continuous C54 titanium germanosilicide forms during the “Ti-Si like” reaction and discontinuous islanded C54 titanium germanosilicide forms during the “Ti-Ge like” reaction. An optimum Si1−xGex alloy composition range of 0.00 ≤ x ≤ 0.36 was determined for the formation of continuous- low-resistivity- C54 titanium germanosilicide films from the solid phase reaction of Ti and Si1−xGex alloy.
Taxing the “Forgotten Man”: The Politics of Social Security Finance in the New Deal

Franklin D. Roosevelt considered social security to be "the cornerstone of his administration." Today, in the midst of the widely bruited social security "crisis," he might be less quick to take credit. That the payroll tax in particular is Roosevelt's prime contribution to the modern tax system seems a terrible mistake, an affront to the progressive reputation of the New Deal. It is a classic regressive tax, letting the rich off more cheaply than wage earners. The prominence of this levy in our tax system-the payroll tax for old age insurance garners several times as much revenue as the corporate income tax is not the New Deal's proudest legacy. But it is an appropriate one to explore if we are to understand either the New Deal or the nature of the modern social security crisis. 1 For New Deal historians, finding fault with the social security systemparticularly its old age insurance component-has all the challenge of shooting fish in a barrel. William E. Leuchtenburg, though seeing the Social Security Act as landmark legislation that "established the proposition that the individual has clear-cut social rights," comes close to offering a consensus position in his critique of the statute. "In many respects," he writes, "the law was an astonishingly inept and conservative piece of legislation. In no other welfare system in the world did the state shirk all responsibility for old-age indigency and insist that funds be taken out of the current earnings of workers." 2 The disparagement of the financing provisions of old age insurance does not stop there. No critical assessment of the New Deal is complete without parading payroll taxes as the clinching evidence against the progressivity of the New Deal tax system. To be sure, the initial payroll-tax rate for the old age insurance system was low; at the close of the 1930s its yield was only one-half
Equiaxed dendritic solidification with convection: Part III. Comparisons with NH4Cl-H2O experiments

This third article on equiaxed dendritic solidification is intended to provide experimental validation of the multiphase model developed in part I. Numerical and experimental results are presented for the solidification of a NH4C1-70 wt pct H2O solution inside a square cavity cooled equally from all sidewalls. The numerical simulations were performed using the numerical procedures developed in part II. The experiments were conducted to measure the temperature historiesvia thermocouples and to record the images of the solidification process using a shadowgraph system. Preliminary validity of the multiphase model is demonstrated by the qualitative agreement between the measurements and predictions of cooling curves as well as of the evolution of the crystal sediment bed. In addition, several important features of equiaxed dendritic solidification are identified through this combined experimental and numerical study, including the grain generation and growth behaviors in the presence of liquid flow, the sedimentation of equiaxed crystals, the formation of a crystal sediment bed, and a bottom zone of negative segregation resulting from the countercurrent solid-liquid multiphase flow. Quantitative comparisons between the numerical simulation and experiment reveal several areas for future research.
Abstract 5049: Serum miRNAs as an early marker for breast cancer

Proceedings: AACR 103rd Annual Meeting 2012‐‐ Mar 31‐Apr 4, 2012; Chicago, IL MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small, non-coding, single-stranded RNAs between 18-22 nucleotides that regulate gene expression by affecting mRNA translation and degradation. It has been proposed that miRNAs could be master regulators of gene expression by regulating entire gene networks. Expression of miRNAs is altered in tumor compared to normal tissue and there is growing evidence that miRNA profiles in serum may differ in cancer cases as compared to healthy controls. However, these studies use samples collected after diagnosis so treatment and/or disease effects cannot be excluded. We are using serum samples from the Sister Study, a prospective cohort study of 50,000 women who had never had breast cancer at the time of enrollment, but were at increased risk because they had a sister previously diagnosed with breast cancer. We are exploring whether serum miRNA profiles can be used as prediagnostic markers of breast cancer. In an initial pilot analysis comparing 5 women diagnosed with breast cancer 1-2 months after their blood draw to 5 controls, there were 25 miRNAs significantly different at the 0.05 level (paired T test). Of those 25 miRNAs, 7 have been previously associated with breast tumor tissue in published studies showing differential expression in tumor tissue or in breast cancer cell lines. We have now completed a larger follow up study examining 205 women diagnosed with breast cancer within 18 months of their blood draw compared to 205 controls frequency matched to cases by age, 2 month interval of blood draw and race. We are using Affymetrix miRNA microarrays to profile miRNA expression in serum samples, and have optimized this platform for use with less than .5mLs of serum. After normalization and background correction, we found 439 miRNAs (of 1105 human miRNAs on the chip) expressed above background in at least 50 samples. When the average expression of controls was compared to cases using logistic regression, we found 16 miRNAs significantly different at the .05 level. For cases, the mean time between blood draw and cancer diagnosis was 10 months. We hypothesize that, if miRNA is a prediagnostic marker, cases with a longer time between blood draw and diagnosis would have a more control-like miRNA profile. To examine this, we are conducting a more detailed analysis among cases with a short time between blood draw and diagnosis. The next steps of our analysis will be to examine how far in advance of cancer diagnosis can we detect case-control differences in miRNA expression profiles. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 103rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2012 Mar 31-Apr 4; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 5049. doi:1538-7445.AM2012-5049
Nanoscale Origin of Defects at Metal/Molecule Engineered Interfaces

The control and repair of defects at metal/molecule interfaces is central to the realization of molecular electronic circuits with reproducible performance. The fundamental mechanism governing defect (pore) evolution on mica-supported metal surfaces, its propagation in self-assembled molecular layers, and its implications for molecular junction devices are discussed. Pore eradication by replacing mica with halide platforms coupled with elevated substrate temperature during metal deposition yields exceptionally ultraflat metal landscapes. In situ scanning tunneling microscopy further substantiates molecular locking at defect sites and upon defect healing; the emergence of a closely packed 2-D molecular architecture is demonstrated with nanometer-scale spatial resolution in liquids.
Partial glass isosymmetry transition in multiferroic hexagonal ErMn O 3

Ferroelectric transitions of a hexagonal multiferroic, $\mathrm{ErMn}{\mathrm{O}}_{3}$, are studied by x-ray scattering techniques. An isosymmetry transition, similar to that previously observed for $\mathrm{YMn}{\mathrm{O}}_{3}$, approximately 300 K below the well-known ferroic transition temperature, is investigated. The partially glassy behavior of the isosymmetry transition is identified by the appearance of quasielastic scattering lines in high-energy-resolution scans. The glassy behavior is further supported by the increased interlayer decorrelation of $(\sqrt{3}\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}\sqrt{3})R{30}^{\ensuremath{\circ}}$ ordering below the isosymmetry transition. The transition behavior is considered for possible hidden sluggish modes and two-step phase transitions theoretically predicted for the stacked triangular antiferromagnets. The in-plane azimuthal (orientational) ordering behaviors were also compared to the theoretical predictions. Coherent x-ray speckle measurements show unambiguously that the domain sizes decrease anomalously near both the isosymmetry and ferroic transitions. However, domain boundary fluctuations increase monotonically with an Arrhenius form with an activation energy of 0.54(5) eV through both transitions.
Polyphenol-chitosan conjugates: Synthesis, characterization, and applications

Chitosan, the only positively charged polysaccharide in the world, is very attractive for food, medicinal and pharmaceutical applications because of its promising properties, including non-toxicity, superb biodegradability, high biocompatibility, abundant availability and low cost. In order to overcome the poor water solubility and widen the applications of chitosan, various polyphenol-chitosan conjugates have been synthesized in recent years. The present review focuses on the chitosan-based conjugates formed using different polyphenols, including gallic acid, caffeic acid, ferulic acid, salicylic acid, catechin, and EGGE, etc. Three major synthesis techniques, namely, activated ester-mediated modification, enzyme-mediated strategy, and free radical induced grafting approach are introduced in detail. In addition, the new physicochemical and biological properties of polyphenol-chitosan conjugates are introduced, including water solubility, thermo stability, in vitro and in vivo antioxidant activity, antimicrobial and anticancer activity. Furthermore, the novel applications of each conjugate are discussed in detail. Lastly, the challenges and prospective areas of study related to polyphenol-chitosan are summarized.
Minimally Kekulenoid π-Networks and Reactivity for Acyclics

Graphs which admit exactly one Kekule structure are here termed »minimally Kekulenoid« and are suggested to be an interesting class of conjugated it-network structures, which then are investigated, especially for the alternant case. The inverses of the adjacency matrices of such molecular graphs are constructed, and found to represent a (generally edge-weighted) adjacency matrix of a »Kekulenoid transform« graph. These transforms are also studied, and a »multiplicative« pairing result is established for suitable circumstances. It is noted that tree graphs are either non-Kekulenoid or minimally Kekulenoid, and for the minimally Kekulenoid case the »Kekulenoid transform« are shown to be especially simple. Finally bounds for the HOMO--LUMO gap of tree graphs (representing acyclic conjugated polyenes) are obtained in terms of chemically appealing »conjugated-path« invariants. Some examples are presented, and some general chemical consequences relating to »cross conjugation« are identified.
Cutaneous Leukocytoclastic Vasculitis in Jose R. Reyes Memorial Medical Center: A 12 year Retrospective Study

Introduction: Leukocytoclastic vasculitis (LCV) is the commonest vasculitis of skin affecting small vessels. Objectives: To study epidemiology, etiology, clinical and laboratory features and treatment outcomes in LCV patients. Material and methods: This is a Hospital based retrospective analytical study where cases with histological evidence of LCV were collected from pathology database since January 2000 to December 2011. Records were analyzed for variables, clinical features, etiological factors, laboratory results, and treatment outcome. Results: Of total 98 cases , 70 (71.43%) were Female and 28(28.57%) Male. Mean age was 28.35 years (range 1 to 71 years). Palpable purpura was commonest presentation (74.49%) involving mostly lower limbs (91.84%). Commonest symptom was abdominal pain (27.55%), followed by arthralgia (25.51%) and pruritus (24.49%). Majority of cases had unknown etiology (69.07%). Those with documented etiology included infection (25.51%) and drugs (5.10%). Leukocytosis was commonest laboratory abnormality. Forty one percentage of patients had complete remission, 33% improved, 2 % deteriorated and 24% were lost to follow up. Conclusion: Females were more affected. Palpable purpura in lower limb was commonest presentation. Majority were idiopathic LCV. Amoxicillin and UTI were commonest among causes of drugs and infection, respectively. Commonest abnormality was leukocytosis. The majority of the cases improved with therapy. Nepal Journal of Dermatology, Venereology & Leprology, Vol.14(1) 2016, pp.18-24
Creep ductility considerations for high energy components manufactured from creep strength enhanced steels

AbstractIt is well established that the tendency for low ductility ‘creep brittle’ fracture behaviour in tempered martensitic steels is linked to the formation and growth of micro voids or ‘cavities’. Details of the contributions of all factors affecting damage development are still under investigation. However, it is known that for tempered martensitic steels voids often initiate over most of the creep life. Nucleation has been recorded on both prior austenite grain boundaries and at other micro structural features such as lath boundaries. The number of voids formed, and the fracture behaviour observed, depend on the type of creep strength enhanced ferritic (CSEF) steel and specific details of fabrication and heat treatment. In Grade 91 steel, void nucleation is sensitive to metallurgical factors such as composition and steel making practices. Key indicators of susceptibility to creep cavitation also include the levels of trace elements present and the presence of hard non-metallic inclusions. In Grade 9...
Long distance visual ground-based signaling for unmanned aerial vehicles

We present a long-range visual signal detection system that is suitable for an unmanned aerial vehicle to find an optical signal released at a desired landing site for the purposes of cargo delivery or rescue situations where radio signals or other communication systems are not available or the wind conditions at the landing site need to be signaled. The challenge here is to have a signal and detection system that works from long range (> 1000m) amongst ground clutter during various seasonal conditions on passive imagery. We use a smoke-grenade as a ground signal, which has the advantageous properties of being easy to carry by ground crews because of its light weight and small size, but when released has a long visual signaling range. We employ a camera system on the UAV with a visual texture feature extraction approach in a machine learning framework to classify image patches as ‘signal’ or ‘background’. We study conventional approaches and develop a visual feature descriptor that can better differentiate the appearance of the visual signal under varying conditions and, when used to train a random-forest classifier, outperforms commonly used feature descriptors. The system was rigorously and quantitatively evaluated on data collected from a camera mounted on a helicopter and flown towards a plume of signal smoke over a variety of seasons, ground conditions, weather conditions, and environments. Our system was capable of detecting the smoke cloud with both precision and recall rates greater than 0.95 from ranges between 1000m and 1500m. Further, we develop a method to estimate wind orientation and approximate wind strength by assessing the shape of the smoke signal. We present a preliminary evaluation of the wind estimation in conditions with different wind intensities and orientations relative to the approach direction.
Sharing security in an era of international cooperation: unmanned aerial vehicles and the United States’ Air Force

The United States’ Air Force (USAF) has developed and used unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) technology to monitor and assassinate dangerous terrorists in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Pakistan, Somalia, S...
Cross-cultural Comparisons and Explorations in Advertising Effectiveness and Services Marketing

I am glad to share the good news that we are experiencing a positive trend both in the quality and quantity of manuscripts received and published in the Journal. The number of manuscripts submitted...
Body composition studies in Prader-Willi syndrome: effects of growth hormone therapy.

Prader-Willi Syndrome (PWS) is characterized by infantile failure to thrive, progressive childhood obesity, hypotonia, hypogonadism, mental retardation and phenotypic abnormalities including short stature. Abnormalities of chromosome 15 can now be identified in virtually all cases1. The pathogenesis of PWS is not known, although the phenotype suggests that there may be an abnormality in substrate utilization leading to an absolute deficit of lean mass and increased fat mass. Hypothalamic and pituitary abnormalities have also been postulated2,3. However, studies of body composition, nutrient utilization, and hormone status in PWS are limited. We report initial results from a detailed investigation of body composition and growth hormone (GH) treatment in PWS.
Identification approach to alleviate effects of unmeasured heat gains for MIMO building thermal systems

It is important to have practical methods for constructing a good mathematical model for a building's thermal system for energy audits, retrofit analysis and advanced building controls, e.g. model predictive control. Identification approaches based on semi-physical model structures are popular in building science for those purposes. However conventional gray box identification approaches applied to thermal networks would fail when significant unmeasured heat gains present in estimation data. Although this situation is very common and practical, there has been little research to tackle this issue in building science. This paper presents an overall identification approach to alleviate influences of unmeasured disturbances, and hence to obtain improved gray-box building models. The approach was applied to an existing open space building and the performance is demonstrated.
Author Correction: High-fat diet enhances stemness and tumorigenicity of intestinal progenitors.

In Fig. 4e of this Article, the labels for ‘Control’ and ‘HFD’ were reversed (‘Control’ should have been labelled blue rather than purple, and ‘HFD’ should have been labelled purple rather than blue). Similarly, in Fig. 4f of this Article, the labels for ‘V’ and ‘GW’ were reversed (‘V’ should have been labelled blue rather than purple, and ‘GW’ should have been labelled purple instead of blue). The original figure has been corrected online.
Pre-professional perceptions of safety and quality concerns in agricultural work environments

Pre-professionals in the field of agriculture will play a vital role in the application and implementation of quality and safety policies in agricultural work environments. Yet, no comprehensive study has been completed to understand these pre-professionals’ perceptions of quality and safety and how these two factors interact in the agricultural workplace. This study built on the work of Mosher et al. (2012), which measured the interactions between employees’ perceptions of safety and quality in an agricultural work environment. To understand how pre-professionals perceive the link between quality and safety, undergraduate students enrolled in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) at Iowa State University were surveyed. Data were collected using a survey instrument adapted from a previous instrument developed by Schwab and Freeman (2002). Analysis of 1017 responses showed that students perceived a high impact of quality practices on the decrease of safety hazards and incidents. Students’ perceptions of safety and quality as applied to agricultural work environments varied by gender, with female students perceiving the interaction at a higher level than male students. No significant difference in perceptions was observed based on classification, age group, major, work experience and environment of childhood of the students. This study demonstrates that despite limited academic training in safety and quality, pre-professionals perceive implementation of quality as very important in reducing safety hazards and incidents. In addition, this study suggests that current academic training in safety and quality must be modified to adequately prepare pre-professionals for careers in the field of agriculture.
The Mock Theta Conjectures: Equivalence

This chapter and the next are devoted to the proofs of ten identities from the Lost Notebook. We place them, five each, in the following two entries. The remainder of this chapter is devoted to proving that the assertions in each entry are equivalent, i.e., they are all true or all false. The following chapter is devoted to proving that the fifth identity in each entry is true.
Outcome of Patients with Borderline Resectable Pancreatic Cancer in the Contemporary Era of Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy

Approximately, 20% of patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma have resectable disease at diagnosis. Given improvements in locoregional and systemic therapies, some patients with borderline resectable pancreatic cancer (BRPC) can now undergo successful resection. The outcomes of patients with BRPC after neoadjuvant therapy remain unclear. A prospectively maintained single-institution database was utilized to identify patients with BRPC who were managed at the Johns Hopkins Pancreas Multidisciplinary Clinic (PMDC) between 2013 and 2016. BRPC was defined as any tumor that presented with radiographic evidence of the involvement of the portal vein (PV) or superior mesenteric vein (SMV) that was deemed to be technically resectable (with or without the need for reconstruction), or the abutment (< 180° involvement) of the common hepatic artery (CHA) or superior mesenteric artery (SMA), in the absence of involvement of the celiac axis (CA). We collected data on treatment, the course of the disease, resection rate, and survival. Of the 866 patients evaluated at the PMDC during the study period, 151 (17.5%) were staged as BRPC. Ninety-six patients (63.6%) underwent resection. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy was administered to 142 patients (94.0%), while 78 patients (51.7%) received radiation therapy in the neoadjuvant setting. The median overall survival from the date of diagnosis, of resected BRPC patients, was 28.8 months compared to 14.5 months in those who did not (p < 0.001). Factors associated with increased chance of surgical resection included lower ECOG performance status (p = 0.011) and neck location of the tumor (p = 0.001). Forty-seven patients with BRPC (31.1%) demonstrated progression of disease; surgical resection was attempted and aborted in 12 patients (7.9%). Eight patients (5.3%) were unable to tolerate chemotherapy; six had disease progression and two did not want to pursue surgery. Lastly, four patients (3.3%) were conditionally unresectable due to medical comorbidities at the time of diagnosis due to comorbidities and failed to improve their status and subsequently had progression of the disease. After initial management, 31.1% of patients with BRPC have progression of disease, while 63.6% of all patients successfully undergo resection, which was associated with improved survival. Factors associated with increased likelihood of surgical resection include lower ECOG performance status and tumor location in the neck.