cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Plasma florescent oxidation products and breast cancer risk: repeated measures in the Nurses’ Health Study

Reactive oxygen species (ROS), normally generated through biologic processes, may damage DNA, lipids, and proteins. ROS are balanced through enzymatic mechanisms and exogenous antioxidants; imbalance results in oxidative stress. Limited data suggest an association between oxidative stress and breast cancer. We evaluated pre-diagnostic plasma fluorescent oxidation products (FlOP), a global biomarker of oxidative stress, and breast cancer risk in a nested case–control study in the Nurses’ Health Study. Participants provided two blood samples (1989–1990 and 2000–2002) (N = 18,743). 377 women developed breast cancer between the second collection and June 1, 2006. Cases were matched to 377 controls. Relative fluorescent intensity at three different excitation/emission wavelengths (FlOP_360, FlOP_320, FlOP_400) were quantified in both samples, providing distant (≥10 years before diagnosis) and proximate (≤6 years before diagnosis) measures of oxidative stress. We observed no association between FlOP and breast cancer risk in proximate or distant samples (e.g., proximate extreme quartiles: FlOP_360, RR 0.8, 95 % CI 0.5–1.3, ptrend = 0.49; FlOP_320, RR 1.1, 95 % CI 0.7–1.7, ptrend = 0.53; FlOP_400, RR 1.3, 95 % CI 0.8–2.0, ptrend = 0.80). In general no association was observed when cross-classifying or averaging proximate and distant exposure (e.g., extreme quartile of averages: FlOP_360, OR 0.9, 95 % CI 0.6–1.4, ptrend = 0.82; FlOP_400, OR 0.9, 95 % CI 0.6–1.4, ptrend = 0.55), with the exception of a significant trend for average FlOP_320 (extreme quartiles, OR 1.6, 95 % CI 1.0–2.4, ptrend = 0.02). We did not observe important associations between FlOP and breast cancer risk in this large prospective study, though our data suggest women with consistently high FlOP_320 may be at increased risk.
Machine learning methods for metabolic pathway prediction

A key challenge in systems biology is the reconstruction of an organism's metabolic network from its genome sequence. One strategy for addressing this problem is to predict which metabolic pathways, from a reference database of known pathways, are present in the organism, based on the annotated genome of the organism. To quantitatively validate methods for pathway prediction, we developed a large "gold standard" dataset of 5,610 pathway instances known to be present or absent in curated metabolic pathway databases for six organisms. We defined a collection of 123 pathway features, whose information content we evaluated with respect to the gold standard. Feature data were used as input to an extensive collection of machine learning (ML) methods, including naive Bayes, decision trees, and logistic regression, together with feature selection and ensemble methods. We compared the ML methods to the previous PathoLogic algorithm for pathway prediction using the gold standard dataset. We found that ML-based prediction methods can match the performance of the PathoLogic algorithm. PathoLogic achieved an accuracy of 91% and an F-measure of 0.786. The ML-based prediction methods achieved accuracy as high as 91.2% and F-measure as high as 0.787. The ML-based methods output a probability for each predicted pathway, whereas PathoLogic does not, which provides more information to the user and facilitates filtering of predicted pathways. ML methods for pathway prediction perform as well as existing methods, and have qualitative advantages in terms of extensibility, tunability, and explainability. More advanced prediction methods and/or more sophisticated input features may improve the performance of ML methods. However, pathway prediction performance appears to be limited largely by the ability to correctly match enzymes to the reactions they catalyze based on genome annotations.
Peginterferon alfa-2a is superior to peginterferon alfa-2b in the treatment of naïve patients with hepatitis C virus infection: meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Background Pegylated interferon (PEGIFN) and ribavirin combination is the standard of care for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. Studies comparing the efficacy and safety of PEGIFN alfa-2a and PEGIFN alfa-2b in treatment-naive HCV-infected patients have shown conflicting results.
Nucleophilic radical substitution reaction of triazine herbicides with polysulfides.

Triazine herbicides are among the most widely used herbicides in the United States. Many triazine compounds are relatively stable under natural conditions and have become prominent contaminants in hydrologic systems. It was previously reported that chloro-s-triazine compounds were rapidly dechlorinated in water by polysulfides, and the reaction was assumed to be aromatic nucleophilic substitution (SNAr). In this study, we evaluated the effect of free radical inhibitors on the reaction rate of polysulfides with herbicides atrazine, simazine, and cyanazine. The reaction was significantly inhibited by radical scavengers oxygen and 1,4-benzoquinone, suggesting involvement of free radicals in the reaction. Spectral analysis of the reaction mixture using electron spin resonance showed that after the reaction, the free radical concentration in polysulfide solution substantially decreased. These evidences indicate that radical sulfur anions may also be involved in the reaction, likely via a free radical substitut...
Tracking distortion as phase modulation

In support of the urgency for establishing a standard for the vertical tracking angle in stereo disc recording, the phase perturbing character of tracking error distortion is shown, and used to calculate the phase and amplitude intermodulation distortion (PIM and AIM) and harmonic distortion arising from tracking errors. These results are compared with those of other authors. Phase cross modulation (PXM) between the stereo channels is demonstrated and offered as the basis for measurement of tracking errors. Psychoacoustic consequences are considered.
Formation and maturation of the native cerebral collateral circulation.

Abstract The native (pre-existing) collateral circulation minimizes tissue injury if obstructive vascular disease develops. Evidence suggests that large differences in collateral extent exist among healthy individuals, presumably from as-yet unknown genetic and/or environmental factors. Little is known regarding when or how native collaterals form—information needed to identify these factors. We examined collateral development between the middle and anterior cerebral artery trees in BALB/c and C57BL/6 mouse embryos—strains with marked differences in adult collateral density and diameter (85% fewer, 50% smaller in BALB/c). The circulation was dilated, fixed and stained. By E15.5, a “primary collateral plexus” was beginning to form in both strains. By E18.5, plexus vessel number peaked but was 60% less and diameter smaller in BALB/c (P
Cells of origin and tumor-initiating cells for nonmelanoma skin cancers

The epidermis of the skin is a multilayered stratified epithelium whose primary function is to provide a barrier against our external environment. As a result, cells in the epidermis are subject to constant assault from environmental pathogens, many of which can cause deleterious mutations. However, most of these mutations do not lead to skin cancer. One explanation is that most genetic hits are sustained by mature or transit cells with limited proliferative capacity and only stem cells that acquire genetic alterations have the potential to propagate a frank tumor. In this mini-review we will discuss recent studies that provide some of the first genetic evidence to support a stem cell origin for a number of skin cancer types.
A 330-kv 15,000-mva steel-clad impulse breaker

POWER CIRCUIT BREAKERS now are being installed on the first 330-kv power lines in the United States. This initial use will be at the Muskingum River plant of the Ohio Power Company, an operating company of the American Gas and Electric Company system.
Determination of optimal length of piles for a construction site

Abstract In this paper we present a model for determination of the optimal pile length to be ordered by a contractor for a construction project. The actual pile length required is not known with certainty; if the length ordered is too short a cost is incurred; if the length ordered is too long a different type of penalty is incurred. A decision problem under uncertainty results. An actual application of the model is presented. Results are compared with those that would have occurred had the model not been utilized. It is concluded that substantial savings many be realized through use of this decision analysis approach.
Consistent finite element procedures for nonlinear rubber elasticity with a higher order strain energy function

Abstract The use of higher order terms in the Rivlin's polynomial strain energy density function is necessary to describe the elastic behavior of rubber undergoing very large and complex deformation. In this paper, the material response tensor for general Rivlin's strain energy density function is derived in a consistent manner such that both major and minor symmetries are retained. Lack of minor symmetry in the material response tensor will lead to numerical convergence difficulties, especially in shear dominant problems. The projection method is used to avoid volumetric locking due to the nearly incompressible nature of rubber. The relation between the numerical penalty number and the material bulk modulus is characterized. The importance of this relation is demonstrated in the study of the apparent Young's modulus of bonded rubber units. The need to include higher order terms in the strain energy density function is presented in the numerical examples. Several classical elasticity problems are also analyzed.
Factors influencing survival in patients undergoing the bidirectional Glenn anastomosis

The bidirectional Glenn anastomosis (BGA) has long been used as a surgical intervention for patients with single ventricle physiology. Initially, this procedure was the final stage in palliation and was performed in older children. Eventually, as the Fontan procedure came to be used as a method to separate circulations, the Glenn procedure was performed as an intermediate step. Over time, the BGA was performed as an alternative for patients who were considered to be at high risk with the Fontan procedure. Between January 1, 1988, and January 1, 1994, 129 patients underwent BGA at the University of California-Los Angeles. These patients were reviewed retrospectively, including clinic visits, catheterization, and echocardiographic information. The overall survival rate was 87% (112 of 129 patients). The average length of follow-up was 27 months. This information was then analyzed by univariate and multivariate analysis. Several factors were related to failure in patients who underwent BGA including pulmonary artery pressure, systemic right ventricle, and presence of anomolous pulmonary venous drainage and heterotaxy syndrome.
Talker-specific learning in speech perception

The effects of perceptual learning of talker identity on the recognition of spoken words and sentences were investigated in three experiments. In each experiment, listeners were trained to learn a set of 10 talkers’ voices and were then given an intelligibility test to assess the influence of learning the voices on the processing of the linguistic content of speech. In the first experiment, listeners learned voices from isolated words and were then tested with novel isolated words mixed in noise. The results showed that listeners who were given words produced by familiar talkers at test showed better identification performance than did listeners who were given words produced by unfamiliar talkers. In the second experiment, listeners learned novel voices from sentence-length utterances and were then presented with isolated words. The results showed that learning a talker’s voice from sentences did not generalize well to identification of novel isolated words. In the third experiment, listeners learned voices from sentence-length utterances and were then given sentence-length utterances produced by familiar and unfamiliar talkers at test. We found that perceptual learning of novel voices from sentence-length utterances improved speech intelligibility for words in sentences. Generalization and transfer from voice learning to linguistic processing was found to be sensitive to the talker-specific information available during learning and test. These findings demonstrate that increased sensitivity to talker-specific information affects the perception of the linguistic properties of speech in isolated words and sentences.
Genetic Constitutions of Host and Pathogen in Mouse Typhoid

The manifestation of an infectious disease is the result of an interaction between host and pathogen. Accordingly, variation in either host or pathogen will affect the expression and the result of disease. In recent years the findings of numerous investigations upon the genetic basis of disease resistance leave no doubt that the reaction of the host to infection is controlled, at least in part, by genetic factors. Although variations in virulence of pathogenic bacteria have long been recognized, few investigators have studied the genetic processes underlying changes in virulence. Such studies are of considerable importance in relation to certain phases of disease control and should contribute to a clearer comprehension of the factors responsible for inception of epidemic disease. Although it is commonly believed that bacterial virulence is enhanced or maintained in some manner by passage through the host environment, the genetic constitution of the host is generally considered to play little part in the ultimate virulence attained. Wellhau-
Do Problems with Information Processing Affect the Process of Psychotherapy for Adults with Learning Disabilities or Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder?

Problems in processing information can affect psychosocial functioning. Psychotherapy can be used to address psychosocial problems; however, the same information-processing problems that contribute to disabilities, such as learning disabilities (LD) or attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), particularly deficits in auditory processing and attention, may also interfere with the process of psychotherapy. Using a Web-based survey, data dealing with perceptions of the effectiveness of psychotherapy were obtained from 52 adult patients with LD and/or ADHD and 87 adults who did not have any diagnosed cognitive difficulties. While all respondents reported psychotherapy was helpful, those with LD were less likely than others to seek therapy again and reported a greater need for more accommodations. Respondents with auditory processing problems were less likely than others to meet treatment goals. Overall, 44 percent of patients with a diagnosed disability indicated the condition affected therapy. Clients’ descriptions of the impact of their disabilities on psychotherapy, and need for accommodations, are presented. Implications for both clients and therapists are discussed.
Multiple bicyclic diamide-lutetium complexes in solution: chemometric analysis of deep-UV Raman spectroscopic data.

The investigation of complex formation between a bicyclic diamide, a novel chelating agent for lanthanides and actinides, and lutetium in an acetonitrile solution is reported. A free ligand and its lutetium complexes showed weak, noncharacteristic near-UV absorption and no fluorescence, which limited the application of absorption and fluorescence spectroscopies for studying this system. Deep-UV Raman spectroscopy combined with chemometric analysis was shown to be a powerful tool for quantitative characterization of multiple equilibria between lutetium and a bicyclic diamide. Several chemometric methods were utilized for a comparative analysis of Raman spectroscopic data. It was found that a recently developed stepwise maximum angle calculation algorithm followed by alternative least squares (ALS) was more efficient than the commonly used combination of evolving factor analysis and ALS methods, especially when little or no information about the system composition and the spectra of individual components wa...
Security issues and requirements for Internet-scale publish-subscribe systems

Publish-subscribe is a communication paradigm that supports dynamic, many-to-many communications in a distributed environment. Content-based pub-sub systems are often implemented on a peer-to-peer infrastructure that enables information dissemination from information producers (publishers) to consumers (subscribers) through a subscription mechanism. In a wide-area pub-sub network, the pub-sub service must handle information dissemination across distinct authoritative domains, heterogeneous platforms and a large, dynamic population of publishers and subscribers. Such an environment raises serious security concerns. In this paper, we investigate the security issues and requirements that arise in an internet-scale content-based pub-sub system. We distinguish among those requirements that can be achieved with current technology and those that require innovative solutions.
Optoelectronic Heating for Fabricating Microfluidic Circuitry

This work reports on optoelectronic-based heaters that can transduce low-power optical images into high-power heating to melt frozen liquids and form desired microfluidic circuitry. The mechanism of optoelectronic heating (OEH) was studied and characterized. OEH relies on photocurrent heating in the illuminated parts of actuating images. Resolution was affected by dark current heating. Photocurrents and dark currents were measured and related to the operating parameters. Successful melting of a frozen media within seconds with 2 mW light patterns and a 4 V operating voltage was demonstrated with feature sizes down to 200 μm × 200 μm. Strategies to increase resolution were addressed. It was shown that the size and location of heating areas can be reliably and rapidly reconfigured by changing the actuating image.
Using Social Media to Measure Conflict Dynamics: An Application to the 2008–2009 Gaza Conflict

The lack of temporal disaggregation in conflict data has so far presented a strong obstacle to analyzing the short-term dynamics of military conflict. Using a novel data set of hourly dyadic conflict intensity scores drawn from Twitter and other social media sources during the Gaza Conflict (2008–2009), the author attempts to fill a gap in existing studies. The author employs a vector autoregression (VAR) to measure changes in Israel’s and Hamas’s military response dynamics immediately following two important junctures in the conflict: the introduction of Israeli ground troops and the UN Security Council vote. The author finds that both Hamas’s and Israel’s response to provocations by the other side increase (both by about twofold) immediately after the ground invasion, but following the UN Security Council vote, Israel’s response is cut in half, while Hamas’s slightly increases. In addition, the author provides a template for researchers to harness social media to capture the micro-dynamics of conflict.
SVD-NET: an algorithm that automatically selects network structure

An algorithm is developed for training feedforward neural networks that uses singular value decomposition (SVD) to identify and eliminate redundant hidden nodes. Minimizing redundancy gives smaller networks, producing models that generalize better and thus eliminate the need of using cross-validation to avoid overfitting. The method is demonstrated by modeling a chemical reactor. >
REACTIVE ASTROCYTE FORMATION IN VIVO IS REGULATED BY NORADRENERGIC AXONS

Beta adrenergic receptor antagonists greatly reduce reactive astrocyte formation induced by neuronal degeneration. To test the hypothesis that the density of noradrenergic innervation is a factor in the regulation of astrocytosis, we measured glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) optical density after neuronal injury in central nervous system (CNS) regions with permanent noradrenergic sprouting or norepinephrine (NE) depletion. The injury model employs the injection of Ricinus communis lectin into a cranial or peripheral nerve to destroy CNS neurons without the blood-brain barrier disruption and lymphocyte infiltration associated with contusive or surgical lesions. We took advantage of the lack of an NE transporter in the terminals of certain classes of noradrenergic axons to produce noradrenergic sprouting in the trigeminal motor nucleus (MoV) with neonatal 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) treatment and to produce depletion of NE in the spinal cord dorsal horn with N-(2-chloroethyl)-N-ethyl-2-bromobenzylamine hydrochloride (DSP-4) administration. In each of these regions, GFAP optical density in the region of reactive astrocytes on the Ricin lectin-treated side was compared with the untreated contralateral (control) side in animals with NE hyperinnervation or NE depletion. GFAP density was increased about 55% in the injured NE-hyperinnervated MoV and was decreased about 35% in the injured NE-depleted dorsal horn. The degree of reactive astrocyte formation to injury is known to vary in different regions of the CNS, and our results suggest that differences in noradrenergic innervation may contribute to this variation. Along with earlier findings that beta-adrenergic receptor blockade reduces reactive astrocyte formation, these data indicate that the noradrenergic innervation is a factor in the degree of astrocyte reactivity following injury.
Short note: Estimating the number of pure chemical components in a mixture by maximum likelihood

Computations attributed to the Malinowski F-test are incorrect because they were based on determining the equality of secondary eigenvalues instead of the equality of reduced eigenvalues as prescribed in the original work of Malinowski. When the correct expression was employed, the results were found to be in complete agreement with expectations. This does not, in any way, affect the validity of the proposed MLE methodology, which appears to be a valuable tool in the chemometric arsenal. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Action Potential-Dependent Regulation of Gene Expression: Temporal Specificity in Ca2+, cAMP-Responsive Element Binding Proteins, and Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase Signaling

Specific patterns of neural impulses regulate genes controlling nervous system development and plasticity, but it is not known how intracellular signaling cascades and transcriptional activation mechanisms can regulate specific genes in response to specific patterns of action potentials. Studies using electrical stimulation of mouse dorsal root ganglion neurons in culture show that the temporal dynamics of intracellular signaling pathways are an important factor. Expression of c-fos varied inversely with the interval between repeated bursts of action potentials. Transcription was not dependent on a large or sustained increase in intracellular Ca 21 , and high Ca 21 levels separated by long interburst intervals (5 min) produced minimal increases in c-fos expression. Levels of the transcription factor cAMP-responsive element binding protein (CREB), phosphorylated at Ser-133, increased rapidly in response to brief action potential stimulation but remained at high levels several minutes after an action potential burst. These kinetics limited the fidelity with which P-CREB could follow different patterns of action potentials, and P-CREB levels were not well correlated with c-fos expression. The extracellular-regulated kinase (ERK) mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK) also were stimulated by action potentials of appropriate temporal patterns. Bursts of action potentials separated by long intervals (5 min) did not activate MAPK effectively, but they did increase CREB phosphorylation. This was a consequence of the more rapid dephosphorylation of MAPK in comparison to CREB. High expression of c-fos was dependent on the combined activation of the MAPK pathway and phosphorylation of CREB. These observations show that temporal features of action potentials (and associated Ca 21 transients) regulate expression of neuronal
The A2A receptor mediates an endogenous regulatory pathway of cytokine expression in THP-1 cells

Adenosine is an endogenous nucleoside that regulates numerous cellular functions including inflammation. Adenosine acts via cell-surface receptors subtyped as A1, A2A, A2B, and A3. The A2A receptor (A2AR) has been linked to anti-inflammatory effects of adenosine. Furthermore, microarray analysis revealed increased A2AR mRNA in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated monocytes. We hypothesized that endogenous adenosine inhibited LPS-mediated tumor necrosis factor (TNF) production via A2AR stimulation. Using THP-1 cells, our results demonstrated that LPS increased expression of cellular A2AR and adenosine. A2AR agonism with 2-p-(2-carboxyethyl)phenethylamino-5'-N-ethylcarboxamido adenosine (CGS 21680) after LPS decreased TNF production in a dose- and time-dependent manner, whereas A2AR antagonism significantly increased TNF and blocked the inhibitory effect of CGS 21680. This inhibitory pathway involved A2AR stimulation of cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) to activate protein kinase A, resulting in phosphorylation of cAMP response element-binding protein (CREB). Phospho-CREB had been shown to inhibit nuclear factor-kappaB transcriptional activity, as was observed with CGS 21680 treatment. Thus, following immune activation with LPS, endogenous adenosine mediates a negative feedback pathway to modulate cytokine expression in THP-1 cells.
Relationship between Transport of Bacteria and Their Clogging Efficiency in Sand Columns

Abstract In an earlier article, we reported that, under conditions in which neither exopolymers nor bacterial mats were produced, Arthrobacter sp. strain AK19 was an effective plugging agent in sand columns, whereas the bacterial strain SLI- had no significant effect on the permeability of the medium. A laboratory experiment with sand columns was carried out to elucidate the causes of this difference in behavior. Measured values of the saturated hydraulic conductivity of the sand were explained in terms of biomass accumulation, which was estimated by solving a mass balance equation. The relationship between the saturated hydraulic conductivity and the biomass density within the sand was exponential, although two different exponential coefficients were needed to fit the data for biomass densities above or below 13 mg (wet weight) per cm3, suggesting that two different clogging mechanisms may be involved in different ranges of biomass densities. The experimental results suggest that the SLI- strain was a poor clogging agent partly because of its lower yield coefficient relative to the limiting nutrient (oxygen) and partly because 60% of the biomass produced in situ was washed out from the column, compared with only 1.2% in the case of Arthrobacter sp. strain AK19.
Fault-Tolerant Relay Node Placement in Wireless Sensor Networks: Problems and Algorithms

Two fundamental functions of the sensor nodes in a wireless sensor network are to sense its environment and to transmit sensed information to a basestation. One approach to prolong sensor network lifetime is to deploy some relay nodes whose main function is to communicate with the sensor nodes, other relay nodes, and the basestations. It is desirable to deploy a minimum number of relay nodes to achieve certain connectivity requirement. In this paper, we study four related fault-tolerant relay node placement problems, each of which has been previously studied only in some restricted form. For each of them, we discuss its computational complexity and present a polynomial time O(1)-approximation algorithm with a small approximation ratio. When the problem reduces to a previously studied form, our algorithm either improves the previous best algorithm or reduces to the previous best algorithm.
Biorobotic AUV maneuvering by pectoral fins: inverse control design based on CFD parameterization

Biologically inspired maneuvering of autonomous undersea vehicles (AUVs) in the dive plane using pectoral-like oscillating fins is considered. Computational fluid dynamics are used to parameterize the forces generated by a mechanical flapping foil, which attempts to mimic the pectoral fin of a fish. Since the oscillating fins produce periodic force and moment of a variety of wave shapes, the essential characteristics of these signals are captured in their Fourier expansions. Maneuvering of the biorobotic AUV in the dive plane is accomplished by periodically altering the bias angle of the oscillating fin. Based on a discrete-time AUV model, an inverse control system for the dive-plane control is derived. It is shown that, in the closed-loop system, the inverse control system accomplishes accurate tracking of the prescribed time-varying depth trajectories and the segments of the intersample depth trajectory remain close to the discrete-time reference trajectory. The results show that the fins located away from the center of mass toward the nose of the vehicle provide better maneuverability.
Discourse management in intelligent, multimodal user interfaces

Recent advances in software and hardware are allowing researchers to implement user interfaces that are able to communicate with the user in multiple modes, such as text, video and audio. Many multimedia interfaces are knowledge based as well. With the richness of presentation modes available, the discourse manager must make many complex decisions to choose the appropriate mode or modes to be used in each particular instance. The authors discuss the requirements of such a discourse manager, describe the knowledge sources needed to fulfil the requirements, and offer a sample blackboard architecture to illustrate its implementation. >
Cytokine-secreting follicular T cells shape the antibody repertoire

High-affinity antibodies are critical for host protection and underlie successful vaccines. The generation of such antibodies requires T cell-dependent help, which mediates germinal center reactions in which mutation and selection of B cells occurs. Using an interleukin 4-reporter system, we show here that CD4(+) follicular helper T cells constituted essentially all of the cytokine-secreting T cells in lymph nodes and were functionally distinct from T cells secreting the same cytokine in peripheral tissues. Follicular helper T cells with different cytokine profiles could be isolated as conjugates with B cells undergoing cytokine-specific immunoglobulin class switching with evidence of somatic hypermutation. Our findings support a model in which B cells compete for cytokines produced by follicular helper T cells that shape the affinity and isotype of the antibody response.
The Epithelium-specific ETS Protein EHF/ESE-3 Is a Context-dependent Transcriptional Repressor Downstream of MAPK Signaling Cascades

Exon trapping and cDNA selection procedures were used to search for novel genes at human chromosome 11p13, a region previously associated with loss of heterozygosity in epithelial carcinomas. Using these approaches, we found the ESE-2 and ESE-3 genes, coding for ETS domain-containing transcription factors. These genes lie in close proximity to the catalase gene within a ∼200-kilobase genomic interval. ESE-3 mRNA is widely expressed in human tissues with high epithelial content, and immunohistochemical analysis with a newly generated monoclonal antibody revealed that ESE-3 is a nuclear protein expressed exclusively in differentiated epithelial cells and that it is absent in the epithelial carcinomas tested. In transient transfections, ESE-3 behaves as a repressor of the Ras- or phorbol ester-induced transcriptional activation of a subset of promoters that contain ETS and AP-1 binding sites. ESE-3-mediated repression is sequence- and context-dependent and depends both on the presence of high affinity ESE-3 binding sites in combination with AP-1 cis-elements and the arrangement of these sites within a given promoter. We propose that ESE-3 might be an important determinant in the control of epithelial differentiation, as a modulator of the nuclear response to miaff1en-activated protein kinase signaling cascades.
Samuel J. Fomon, MD: Champion of Growth

In Memory Samuel J. Fomon, MD, 84, Professor Emeritus of the University of Iowa Department Of Pediatrics, died December 18, 2007. He was born March 9, 1923 in Chicago, IL, the son of Drs. Samuel and Isabel (Sherman) Fomon. Sam graduated with honors in 1945 from Harvard College and received his medical degree from the University of Pennsylvania in 1947. Dr. Fomon was a resident in Pediatrics at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and a research fellow at the Children’s Hospital Research Foundation in Cincinnati. He moved to the University of Iowa, College of Medicine in Iowa City in 1954 where he advanced from Assistant Professor to Professor in Pediatrics. He was the Director of the Infant Metabolic Unit from 1954 to 1993, which evolved into the Division of Nutrition, Department of Pediatrics in 1961. Fomon became the Director of the University of Iowa Graduate Program in Nutrition in 1980. In 1993, he became Professor Emeritus.
Cinnamon in diabetes mellitus.

Diabetes mellitus is a serious, chronic medical condition that affects an estimated 20.8 million people in the United States.[1][1] Up to one third of people are undiagnosed. There were also an estimated 1.5 million new cases diagnosed in 2005.[1][1] Complications of diabetes include heart disease
Completing missing views for multiple sources of web media

Combining multiple data sources, each with its own features, to achieve optimal inference has received a lot of attention in recent years. In inference from multiple data sources, each source can be thought of as providing one view of the underlying object. In general, different views may provide complementary information for the inference task. However, often not all the views are available all the time for the available instances in an application. In this paper, we propose a view completion approach based on canonical correlation analysis that heuristically predicts the missing views and further ranks all within-view features, through learning the intrinsic correlation among the views from training set. We evaluate our approach and compare it with existing approaches in the literature, using web page classification and photo tag recommendation as case studies. Experiments demonstrate the improved performance of the proposed approach. The results suggest that the work has great potential for inference problems with multiple information sources.
A hybrid neural network, dynamic programming word spotter

A novel keyword-spotting system that combines both neural network and dynamic programming techniques is presented. This system makes use of the strengths of time delay neural networks (TDNNs), which include strong generalization ability, potential for parallel implementations, robustness to noise, and time shift invariant learning. Dynamic programming models are used by this system because they have the useful capability of time warping input speech patterns. This system was trained and tested on the Stonehenge Road Rally database, which is a 20-keyword-vocabulary, speaker-independent, continuous-speech corpus. Currently, this system performs at a figure of merit (FOM) rate of 82.5%. FOM is the detection rate averaged from 0 to 10 false alarms per keyword hour. This measure is explained in detail. >
Dynamic Memories with Fast Random and Sequential Access

This paper treats two dynamic memories, one proposed by Aho and Ullman and the other proposed by Stone. The first memory has the property that every item is accessible in 0 (log2 N) steps, and that after access to the first two items of a block of contiguous items, each successive item can be accessed in unit time. In this paper we give a new derivation of the properties, and indicate minor variations and improvements of the memory-access algorithm.
Accounting For Goodwill

This article provides a means of resolving one of accounting's ongoing problems—how to account for goodwill in an era where the unidentifiable intangible asset is often an entity's largest value component. Despite the general recognition that, in practice, the two classes of goodwill are indistinguishable in terms of their ability to generate streams of revenue, a distinction is traditionally drawn between internally generated and purchased goodwill. The former should not be brought to account because it is impossible to do so within the accepted rules of double entry bookkeeping and historical cost based accounting. On the other hand, there is no difficulty in bringing purchased goodwill to account, but controversy has always existed as to how to treat the amount once recognized. It can confidently be expected that, as anomalies and practical difficulties manifest themselves in practice, the current impairment regime will, in its turn, be abandoned.
Crustal velocities near Coalinga, California, modeled from a combined earthquake/explosion refraction profile

Crustal velocity structure for the region near Coalinga, California, has been derived from both earthquake and explosion seismic phase data recorded along a NW-SE seismic-refraction profile on the western flank of the Great Valley east of the Diablo Range. Comparison of the two data sets reveals P -wave phases in common which can be correlated with changes in the velocity structure below the earthquake hypocenters. In addition, the earthquake records reveal secondary phases at station ranges of less than 20 km that could be the result of S - to P -wave conversions at velocity interfaces above the earthquake hypocenters. Two-dimensional ray-trace modeling of the P -wave travel times resulted in a P -wave velocity model for the western flank of the Great Valley comprised of: (a) a 7- to 9-km-thick section of sedimentary strata with velocities similar to those found elsewhere in the Great Valley (1.6 to 5.2 km/sec); (b) a middle crust extending to about 14 km depth with velocities comparable to those reported for the Franciscan assemblage in the Diablo Range (5.6 to 5.9 km/sec); and (c) a 13- to 14-km-thick lower crust with velocities similar to those reported beneath the Diablo Range and the Great Valley (6.5 to 7.30 km/sec). This lower crust may have been derived from subducted oceanic crust that was thickened by accretionary underplating or crustal shortening.
Randomization Reveals Unexpected Acute Leukemias in Southwest Oncology Group Prostate Cancer Trial

Purpose Southwest Oncology Group (SWOG) study 9921 is a randomized, phase III, intergroup study to define the role of adjuvant chemotherapy in patients with high-risk prostate cancer. Patients and Methods We allocated 983 patients with prostate cancer with high-risk features to receive 2 years of androgen-deprivation therapy (ADT) with or without six cycles of mitoxantrone (12 mg/m2) after prostatectomy. Results In January 2007, SWOG 9921 was closed to further accrual after three cases of acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) were reported of a total of 487 patients in the mitoxantrone treatment arm. The key cytogenetic features of these cases included inv(16) in the first case, t(15;17) in the second, and del(5) in the third case. Time from the start of mitoxantrone to the detection of AML was 13, 48, and 72 months, respectively. Before SWOG 9921, there were no cases of mitoxantrone-induced AML reported in patients treated for prostate cancer. Conclusion The emergence of this possible pattern of secondary mal...
Environmental and endocrine control of gill corticosteroid receptor number and affinity in Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) during smolting

Abstract During smolting, cortisol acts on the gill through intracellular corticosteroid receptors (CR). Regulation of CR concentration ( B max ) and dissociation constant ( k d ) by environmental factors, however, has not been investigated. We subjected juvenile Atlantic salmon ( Salmo salar ) to changes in photoperiod and temperature to determine the effect on gill CR B max and k d . Cortisol, growth hormone (GH), insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1), thyroxine (T 4 ), and triiodothyronine (T 3 ) were measured to determine endocrine factors that correlated with changes in CR B max and k d . Gill Na + ,K + -ATPase activity was measured as an indicator of smolting. Control fish were maintained under ambient Connecticut River water temperatures and natural photoperiod (LDN). In the first experiment, fish were also reared at elevated temperature (constant 10 °C), or long day photoperiod (LD 16:8; 16 h light), or a combination of these two treatments. In the second experiment, fish were subjected to an advanced river temperature regime, or short day photoperiod (LD 9:15; 9 h light), or a combination of these two treatments. Seasonal changes in CR B max were found to be significantly affected by temperature, but not photoperiod. A decline in CR B max occurred when mean daily temperature increase exceeded 1.5 °C per week, preceding the increase in gill Na + ,K + -ATPase activity. CR B max was found to be correlated positively with T 4 and negatively with IGF-1. Gill CR k d changed significantly over the spring, but manipulation of temperature and photoperiod had little effect. CR k d was found to be positively correlated with gill Na + ,K + -ATPase activity, plasma GH, cortisol, IGF-1 and T 4 . Temperature appears to influence seasonal changes in CR B max observed, whereas endocrine factors appear to be more closely related to seasonal changes in CR k d .
Gaucher's cells in thalassemia.

Gaucher or Gaucher-like cells are described in the spleen and bone marrow of patient with thalassemia major, by light and electron microscopy. The ultrastructure shows intracytoplasmic tubules and phagocytosis of mature and immature erythrocytes. The spleen has an increase in monohexosyl ceramide. These findings support the concept that the intracytoplasmic tubular material of the Gaucher’s cells is of extracellular origin. Erythrophagocytosis common in Gaucher’s disease, chronic myelogenous leukemia, and thalassemia suggest that impaired catabolism of erythrocytes may give rise to the increased glucocerebroside.
Positively Charged Latex

Abstract Latex, like many other colloidal systems, owes its stability to a large extent to the electrical charge carried by each particle in suspension. One possible explanation of how the particles become charged is that the protein adsorbed on the rubber hydrocarbon is capable of ionizing to a slight extent, both as an acid and as a base, much in the same manner as do amino acids. In a highly basic solution the rubber particle acquires a negative charge; whereas in an acid solution the charge is positive. At some stage between strongly acid and strongly basic solutions, the ionization of the adsorbed protein layer would be as much acidic as basic, and the particle would have no net charge. This is known as the isoelectric point, and has been found to be at a pH of 4.2. At or near the isoelectric point, the latex is very unstable, and coagulates rapidly. The charge carried by the particle may, of course, be due also to adsorption of ions from solution. The latex particles are normally negatively charged,...
Quantitative evaluation of personal protective ensembles relative to heat strain

Personal protective equipment (PPE) exacerbates heat strain experienced by users through: (a) increases in thermal (Rt) and evaporative (Ret) resistances; and (b) increases in metabolic rate (M·) during physical activity driven in large part by ensemble weight. This study aimed to quantify the effects of PPE Rt & Ret and ensemble weight on heat strain during walking.
Investigating the effects of majority voting on CAD systems: a LIDC case study

Computer-Aided Diagnosis (CAD) systems can provide a second opinion for either identifying suspicious regions on a medical image or predicting the degree of malignancy for a detected suspicious region. To develop a predictive model, CAD systems are trained on low-level image features extracted from image data and the class labels acquired through radiologists’ interpretations or a gold standard (e.g., a biopsy). While the opinion of an expert radiologist is still an estimate of the answer, the ground truth may be extremely expensive to acquire. In such cases, CAD systems are trained on input data that contains multiple expert opinions per case with the expectation that the aggregate of labels will closely approximate the ground truth. Using multiple labels to solve this problem has its own challenges because of the inherent label uncertainty introduced by the variability in the radiologists’ interpretations. Most CAD systems use majority voting (e.g., average, mode) to handle label uncertainty. This paper investigates the effects that majority voting can have on a CAD system by classifying and analyzing different semantic characteristics supplied with the Lung Image Database Consortium (LIDC) dataset. Using a decision tree based iterative predictive model, we show that majority voting with labels that exhibit certain types of skewed distribution can have a significant negative impact on the performance of a CAD system; therefore, alternative strategies for label integration are required when handling multiple interpretations.
Varicella after the perinatal period.

1. Molly C. Berkoff, MD, MPH 2. Wallace D. Brown, MD 1. Department of Pediatrics, Division of General Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC. 1. Acyclovir for Treating Varicella in Otherwise Healthy Children and Adolescents. Klassen TP, Hartling L. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2005;(4):CD002980 2. FDA Approval of an Extended Period for Administering VariZIG for Postexposure Prophylaxis of Varicella. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep . 2012;61(12):212 3. Prevention of Varicella: Recommendations for Use of Varicella Vaccines in Children, Including a Recommendation for a Routine 2-Dose Varicella Immunization Schedule. American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Infectious Diseases. Pediatrics. 2007;120(1):221–231 [OpenUrl][1][Abstract/FREE Full Text][2] 4. Changing Varicella Epidemiology in Active Surveillance Sites-United States, 1995–2005. Guris D, Jumaan AO, Mascola L, et al. J Infect Dis. 2008:197(suppl 2):S71–S75 Formerly a common childhood infection that affected almost all children, varicella (chickenpox) is now relatively uncommon because of successful prevention with universal vaccination. Before available immunization, approximately 4 million cases of varicella disease were reported annually. By 2005, active surveillance sites documented a decrease in the incidence of varicella of approximately 90%. Varicella is the primary clinical manifestation of infection with varicella-zoster virus. The initial infection with the virus occurs from exposure to an infected person, and transmission occurs through contact with the respiratory tract, conjunctiva, and skin lesions. Approximately 80% to 90% of susceptible individuals will acquire the infection after exposure to an infected individual. After an incubation period of 10 to 21 days, an infected individual may experience a brief prodrome, including fever and malaise, for 2 days before the development of a pruritic rash containing 250 to 500 lesions in an unimmunized person. Lesions appear in crops and contain vesicles on an erythematous base, which eventually scab. Children who have been immunized and have breakthrough varicella typically will have fewer lesions (<50 … [1]: {openurl}?query=rft.jtitle%253DPediatrics%26rft.stitle%253DPediatrics%26rft.issn%253D0031-4005%26rft.aulast%253DCommittee%2Bon%2BInfectious%2BDiseases%26rft.auinit1%253D%2B%26rft.volume%253D120%26rft.issue%253D1%26rft.spage%253D221%26rft.epage%253D231%26rft.atitle%253DPrevention%2Bof%2BVaricella%253A%2BRecommendations%2Bfor%2BUse%2Bof%2BVaricella%2BVaccines%2Bin%2BChildren%252C%2BIncluding%2Ba%2BRecommendation%2Bfor%2Ba%2BRoutine%2B2-Dose%2BVaricella%2BImmunization%2BSchedule%26rft_id%253Dinfo%253Adoi%252F10.1542%252Fpeds.2007-1089%26rft_id%253Dinfo%253Apmid%252F17606582%26rft.genre%253Darticle%26rft_val_fmt%253Dinfo%253Aofi%252Ffmt%253Akev%253Amtx%253Ajournal%26ctx_ver%253DZ39.88-2004%26url_ver%253DZ39.88-2004%26url_ctx_fmt%253Dinfo%253Aofi%252Ffmt%253Akev%253Amtx%253Actx [2]: /lookup/ijlink?linkType=ABST&journalCode=pediatrics&resid=120/1/221&atom=%2Fpedsinreview%2F34%2F11%2F537.atom