cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Impact of choice of future climate change projection on growth chamber experimental outcomes: a preliminary study in potato

Understanding the impacts of climate change on agriculture is essential to ensure adequate future food production. Controlled growth experiments provide an effective tool for assessing the complex effects of climate change. However, a review of the use of climate projections in 57 previously published controlled growth studies found that none considered within-season variations in projected future temperature change, and few considered regional differences in future warming. A fixed, often arbitrary, temperature perturbation typically was applied for the entire growing season. This study investigates the utility of employing more complex climate change scenarios in growth chamber experiments. A case study in potato was performed using three dynamically downscaled climate change projections for the mid-twenty-first century that differ in terms of the timing during the growing season of the largest projected temperature changes. The climate projections were used in growth chamber experiments for four elite potato cultivars commonly planted in Michigan’s major potato growing region. The choice of climate projection had a significant influence on the sign and magnitude of the projected changes in aboveground biomass and total tuber count, whereas all projections suggested an increase in total tuber weight and a decrease in specific gravity, a key market quality trait for potato, by mid-century. These results demonstrate that the use of more complex climate projections that extend beyond a simple incremental change can provide additional insights into the future impacts of climate change on crop production and the accompanying uncertainty.
Foreword: Protecting Non-Smokers From Exposure to Secondhand Tobacco Smoke

* Abbreviations: CEO — : chief executive officer FAMRI — : Flight Attendant Medical Research Institute We are the Miami, Florida, husband and wife legal team who filed the first class action lawsuit against the tobacco industry in 1991, Broin v Philip Morris , on behalf of a nationwide class of nonsmoking flight attendants who suffered the diseases of smokers from breathing tobacco smoke while working in airline cabins. Broin was followed by our smokers’ class action lawsuit, Engle v R.J. Reynolds , filed in 1994. Dr Howard Engle was the pediatrician for our 9 children and, as a longtime addicted smoker, served as lead class representative. Both class actions received a great deal of media attention, raised public awareness of the dangers of secondhand smoke, and helped bring about much-needed smoking bans. The prevalent attitude in 1991, as reflected during Broin jury selection, was that secondhand cigarette smoke was a mere annoyance, not a health risk. Tobacco company lawyers argued during the Broin trial that secondhand smoke exposure in an airline cabin was the equivalent of “a few packets of Sweet ‘N Low in Lake Okeechobee.” Broin was settled after 4 months of … Address correspondence to Susan Rosenblatt, Flight Attendant Medical Research Institute, Miami, FL. E-mail: susan{at}stanleyandsusanrosenblatt.com
Health care disparities among octogenarians and nonagenarians with stage III lung cancer.

Background To the authors' knowledge, the practice patterns for patients aged more than 80 years with stage III non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is not well known. The purpose of the current study was to investigate factors predictive of and the impact on overall survival (OS) after concurrent chemoradiation (CRT) among patients aged ≥80 years with American Joint Committee on Cancer stage III NSCLC in the National Cancer Data Base (NCDB). Methods In the NCDB, patients aged ≥80 years who were diagnosed with stage III NSCLC from 2004 to 2013 with complete treatment records were identified. Multivariable logistic regression and Cox proportional hazard models were generated and propensity score-matched analysis was used. Results A total of 12,641 patients met the entry criteria: 6018 (47.6%) had stage IIIA disease and 6623 (52.4%) had stage IIIB disease. The median age at the time of diagnosis was 83.0 years (range, 80-91 years). A total of 7921 patients (62.7%) received no therapy. Black race (odds ratio [OR], 1.23; 95% confidence interval [95% CI], 1.06-1.43) and living in a lower educated census tract of residence (OR, 1.20; 95% CI, 1.03-1.40) were found to be associated with not receiving care, whereas treatment at an academic center (OR, 0.80; 95% CI, 0.70-0.92) was associated with receiving cancer-directed therapy. Receipt of no treatment (hazard ratio [HR], 2.69; 95% CI, 2.57-2.82) or definitive radiation alone (HR, 1.15; 95% CI, 1.07-1.24) compared with CRT was associated with worse OS. On propensity score matching, not receiving CRT was found to be associated with worse OS (HR, 1.58; 95% CI, 1.44-1.72). Conclusions In this NCDB analysis, approximately 62.7% of patients aged ≥80 years with stage III NSCLC received no cancer-directed care. Black race and living in a lower educated census tract were associated with not receiving cancer-directed care. OS was found to be improved in patients receiving CRT. Cancer 2018;124:775-84. © 2018 American Cancer Society.
Hypoglossal nerve stimulation in a pre-clinical anesthetized rabbit model relevant to OSA.

Abstract We tested the functional effects of hypoglossal (CNXII) stimulation in the anesthetized rabbit before and after injections of saline into the tongue base to obstruct the airway. Data (n = 6) show little or no effect of CN XII trunk stimulation; however, medial branch stimulation (20–100 Hz; 50–500 μs pulse width, and incremental increases from 10 μA) reduced upper airway resistance. Medial branch stimulation was less effective in reducing resistance than anterior advancement of the hyoid. Endoscopic viewing (n-3) of the retropalate showed this region as the narrowest and dynamically changed by anterior hyoid displacement, with less evident effects than CNXII stimulation. We conclude that under these conditions CNXII medial branch stimulation reduces airway resistance, especially after induced obstruction.
Long-term outcomes of supervised exercise in peripheral artery disease: Impact of differing modes of exercise 1–4 years after intervention

The prevalence and debilitating nature of peripheral artery disease (PAD) mandate the development and aggressive implementation of the most efficacious treatment strategies available. Research has clearly demonstrated that supervised exercise in individuals with PAD and lifestyle-limiting claudication leads to improved outcomes in the short term. An important factor in determining the relative value of exercise training in PAD rehabilitation is the extent to which the benefits are sustained over time. The aim of this study was to examine the long-term outcome status of participants in the EX ercise Training to Reduce Claudication: Arm ER gometry versus T readmill Walking (EXERT) trial. Twenty-two participants agreed to attend a single data collection visit 1–4 years after their completion of the EXERT study. Objective and subjective measures of health status and physical function and a measure of quality of life were obtained and compared to performance at the end of the EXERT trial. Although analyses indicate that changes in health status and objective measures of physical function occurred in the long-term follow-up period, between-group differences were minimal and were limited to a statistically significant difference in the distance covered during the 6-minute walk test. Subjects' perceptions on change in physical function and quality of life were similarly stable over time although a statistically significant decrease in participant's confidence in managing their disease/symptoms was evident, suggesting the importance of ongoing support and symptom management strategies. This has significant implications for vascular nurses.
Match Your Own Price? Self-Matching as a Retailer’s Multichannel Pricing Strategy

Multichannel retailing has created several new strategic choices for retailers. With respect to pricing, an important decision is whether to offer a “self-matching policy,” which allows a multichannel retailer to offer the lowest of its online and store prices to consumers. In practice, we observe considerable heterogeneity in self-matching policies: There are retailers who offer to self-match and retailers who explicitly state that they will not match prices across channels. Using a game-theoretic model, we investigate the strategic forces behind the adoption (or non-adoption) of self-matching across a range of competitive scenarios, including a monopolist, two competing multichannel retailers, as well as a mixed duopoly. Though self-matching can negatively impact a retailer when consumers pay the lower price, we uncover two novel mechanisms that can make self-matching profitable in a duopoly setting. Specifically, self-matching can dampen competition online and enable price discrimination in-store. Its ...
Neutron Studies of Exchange-Coupled Superconductors

The effects of magnetic impurities and the possibility of magnetic ordering in superconductors has had a rich and interesting history. In the early days, magnetic impurities substituted into a superconductor were found to quickly suppress superconductivity,[l] and this was understood in terms of the strong spin scattering of the impurity spins that disrupts the Cooper pair formation.[2] Typically ~1% substitution was enough to completely extinguish the superconducting state, and such a low concentration of magnetic moments precludes the possibility of cooperative magnetic states forming and competing with the superconducting order parameter.
Evaluation of Chest Pain, Hemoptysis and Dyspnea

Remarkable advances in multidetector CT (MDCT) technology have facilitated accurate evaluation of coronary artery disease in a noninvasive manner. Recent studies indicate that MDCT can replace the radionuclide stress test in the evaluation of some patients who present to the emergency department with acute chest pain, and normal or nonspecific ECG results and normal initial serum cardiac bio-markers. The potential of MDCT to identify and exclude other urgent causes of acute chest pain, such as the acute aortic syndrome and pulmonary embolism, as well as acute coronary syndrome, suggests that MDCT may be a primary imaging modality for the evaluation of acute chest pain. MDCT for the evaluation of hemoptysis can provide not only a localization and source of hemoptysis, but also identification of the culprit artery responsible for triggering hemoptysis. The ability of MDCT to scan the entire chest with thin collimation and within a single breath hold can offer a comprehensive assessment in the evaluation of dyspnea.
Epidemiology of Squamous Cell Cancer of the Head and Neck

Epidemiologic investigations have been instrumental in identifying numerous factors associated with the development of cancer. Tobacco and alcohol are unquestionably the major risk factors for squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck region. Diet appears to play a role in the development of these cancers, as nutritional deficiencies have been found to increase risk. Clinical observation and epidemiologic studies have also identified ionizing radiation as an unequivocal risk factor, although of lesser importance from the public health point of view. Overall, epidemiologic evidence shows that occupational exposures play a minor, though definite, role in the development of head and neck cancer. For sinonasal cancer, however, studies corroborate that occupational exposures are the major determinants of disease.
MAdCAM signaling through integrin α4β7 modulates surface expression of CCR5 and markers of CD4+ T cell activation.

Integrin α 4 β 7 mediates homing of lymphocytes, including CD4+ T cells, to gut-associated lymphoid tissue (GALT) through an interaction with Mucosal Addressin Cell Adhesion Molecule (MAdCAM), expressed on gut endothelial venules. MAdCAM facilitates rolling adhesion of CD4 + T lymphocytes along the gut endothelium prior to extravasation. Previous work also indicates that MAdCAM interactions with α 4 β 7 provide a co-stimulatory signal to T cells. α 4 β 7 + /CD4 + T cells are a preferred target of HIV during the acute phase of infection. We hypothesized that signaling through α 4 β 7 via MAdCAM renders cells susceptible to HIV infection and replication. In this study we characterized the response of α 4 β 7 + /CD4 + T cells to costimulation via MAdCAM in order to better understand whether the induced phenotype would support an enhanced degree of viral replication. We found that CD4 + T cells upregulated CCR5, an HIV coreceptor, in response to MAdCAM costimulation. We also observed the rapid induction of CD69, a known marker of activation. This induction was restricted to α 4 β 7 + cells, including both the CD45RO + α 4 β 7 + memory subset and CD45RO neg /α 4 β 7 + naive cell subset. We also observed decreased surface expression of two MAdCAM ligands; integrin β 7 + was down-regulated within four hours post MAdCAM costimulation and L-selectin was shed with similar kinetics. This shedding occurred primarily in the CD45RO neg subset. Overall these results indicate that MAdCAM-mediated costimulation through α 4 β 7 activates CD4 + T cells in a unique manner that is likely conducive to viral replication. Of note we found that CCR5, the principal HIV coreceptor, was upregulated. Interestingly, the surface expression of two MAdCAM ligands, L-selectin and α 4 β 7 , were both reduced.
Abstract #1112: Analyzing \#945;v\#946;8 integrin functions in mouse and human glioma cells

Integrins are cell surface receptors for many extracellular matrix proteins and abnormal regulation of integrin function in the central nervous system can lead to the pathogenesis of glioma. Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), the highest grade glioma, renders patients irresponsive to conventional therapeutic and surgical intervention grasping onto a dismal 12 month median survival rate. In this study we aim to determine the functional roles for \#945;v\#946;8 integrin in GBM-induced angiogenesis. These studies originate from our analyses of \#945;v\#946;8 integrin in developmental brain angiogenesis. \#945;v and \#946;8 knockout (KO) mice develop brain-specific vascular phenotypes that resemble vascular pathologies observed in GBM. These correlations have led us to hypothesize that altered \#945;v\#946;8 integrin expression and/or function in tumor cells leads to vascular pathologies like those in GBM. A mouse xenograft model of astrocytoma suggested a role for the integrin in glioma-induced angiogenesis. Wildtype and \#946;8 KO astrocytes were immortalized (HPV-E6/E7), transformed (H-Ras: V12) and intracranially injected into athymic mice. Tumors derived from transformed wild type cells, which express endogenous \#945;v\#946;8 integrin, displayed pathological features of grade III astrocytomas. In contrast, \#946;8 KO tumors were more similar to grade IV GBM. The KO tumors contained hyperproliferative endothelial cells as well as widespread edema and hemorrhage. In addition, tumors lacking \#945;v\#946;8 expression exhibited enhanced angiogenesis, as assessed by quantitation of CD34+ tumor blood vessels and measurement of intratumoral vessel diameters. Interestingly, astrocyte transformation resulted in a significant reduction in \#945;v\#946;8 integrin cell surface expression in wild type cells, as assessed by immunoprecipitation and FACS. Additionally, wildtype mouse transformed astrocytes lost \#945;v\#946;8 integrin expression after approximately eight passages in vitro. These data suggest that loss of \#945;v\#946;8 integrin expression correlates with tumorigenic potential of oncogene-transformed astrocytes. To compliment our studies of mouse xenograft models, several established human glioma cell lines were characterized for their expression of \#945;v\#946;8 integrin. Some of the cell lines displayed diminished expression of the integrin whereas others showed increased levels of \#945;v\#946;8 integrin, as compared to non-malignant human astrocytes. RNAi technology is currently being implemented to silence \#945;v\#946;8 integrin expression in human glioma cell lines, followed by intracranial injection into athymic mice and analysis of wild type and knockdown tumors. We are also evaluating \#945;v\#946;8 integrin cDNA from human glioma cell lines and resected tumors to determine if tumor cells express mutated forms of \#945;v\#946;8 integrin. Citation Information: In: Proc Am Assoc Cancer Res; 2009 Apr 18-22; Denver, CO. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; 2009. Abstract nr 1112.
UV induced oxide deposition on zirconium alloys in high temperature water

Abstract The effect of UV irradiation on the oxidized zirconium surface during high temperature water corrosion was investigated in both static and flowing conditions. Iron oxide deposits were found to form only on the UV irradiated surfaces. The formation of these deposits resulted from the UV illumination, which induces photo-electrochemical processes at the surface, involving Fe cations dissolved in the electrolyte. Under the high temperature conditions, photo-electrons reduce soluble Fe cations, leading to the deposition of Fe oxide on the ZrO2 surface. The UV irradiation was found to form these depositions in conditions relevant to in-reactor and could induce CRUD nucleation.
Can Dynamic Contrast-Enhanced CT Quantify Perfusion in a Stimulated Muscle of Limited Size? A Rat Model.

AbstractBackgroundMuscle injury may result in damage to the vasculature, rendering it unable to meet the metabolic demands of muscle regeneration and healing. Therefore, therapies frequently aim to maintain, restore, or improve blood supply to the injured muscle. Although there are several options t
Emerging investigator series: carbon electrodes are effective for the detection and reduction of hexavalent chromium in water

Electrochemical methods are an attractive option for the detection and reduction of toxic Cr(VI) to benign Cr(III) in drinking water. Here a method is reported for the reproducible detection and reduction of hexavalent chromium in water on glassy carbon electrodes, over a wide range of pH. This study allows for unmodified inexpensive carbon electrodes to join gold and gold modified electrodes as substrates for Cr(VI) removal from water.
The KBC Void: Consistency with Supernovae Type Ia and the Kinematic SZ Effect in a ΛLTB Model

There is substantial and growing observational evidence from the normalized luminosity density in the near-infrared that the local universe is underdense on scales of several hundred megaparsecs. We test whether our parameterization of the observational data of such a "void" is compatible with the latest supernovae type Ia data and with constraints from line-of-sight peculiar-velocity motions of galaxy clusters with respect to the cosmic microwave background rest-frame, known as the linear kinematic Sunyaev–Zel'dovich (kSZ) effect. Our study is based on the large local void (LLV) radial profile observed by Keenan, Barger, and Cowie (KBC) and a theoretical void description based on the Lemaitre–Tolman–Bondi model with a nonzero cosmological constant (ΛLTB). We find consistency with the measured luminosity distance–redshift relation on radial scales relevant to the KBC LLV through a comparison with 217 low-redshift supernovae type Ia over the redshift range . We assess the implications of the KBC LLV in light of the tension between "local" and "cosmic" measurements of the Hubble constant, H 0. We find that when the existence of the KBC LLV is fully accounted for, this tension is reduced from to . We find that previous linear kSZ constraints, as well as new ones from the South Pole Telescope and the Atacama Cosmology Telescope, are fully compatible with the existence of the KBC LLV.
The Great Imposter: A Confusing Case of a Rare Renal Cell Carcinoma

We report a 61-year-old male with sarcomatoid renal cell carcinoma (sRCC) in the context of multiple paraneoplastic syndromes, including thrombocytosis, leukemoid reaction, and paraneoplastic hepatopathy (Stauffer syndrome). The patient's clinical course was complicated by multiple medical challenges, extensive metastases, and persistent infection. This confusing presentation of a rare subtype of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) highlights the diverse and often misleading manifestations of this aggressive malignancy. Clinicians should be aware of the association between RCC, multiple paraneoplastic syndromes, and its propensity to present with systemic, non-renal symptoms.
Assessment of online water-soluble brown carbon measuring systems for aircraft sampling

Abstract. Brown carbon (BrC) consists of particulate organic species that preferentially absorb light at visible and ultraviolet wavelengths. Ambient studies show that as a component of aerosol particles, BrC affects photochemical reaction rates and regional to global climate. Some organic chromophores are especially toxic, linking BrC to adverse health effects. The lack of direct measurements of BrC has limited our understanding of its prevalence, sources, evolution, and impacts. We describe the first direct, online measurements of water-soluble BrC on research aircraft by three separate instruments. Each instrument measured light absorption over a broad wavelength range using a liquid waveguide capillary cell (LWCC) and grating spectrometer, with particles collected into water by a particle-into-liquid sampler (CSU PILS-LWCC and NOAA PILS-LWCC) or a mist chamber (MC-LWCC). The instruments were deployed on the NSF C-130 aircraft during WE-CAN 2018 as well as the NASA DC-8 and the NOAA Twin Otter aircraft during FIREX-AQ 2019, where they sampled fresh and moderately aged wildfire plumes. Here, we describe the instruments, calibrations, data analysis and corrections for baseline drift and hysteresis. Detection limits ( 3σ ) at 365 nm were 1.53 Mm−1 (MC-LWCC; 2.5 min sampling time), 0.89 Mm−1 (CSU PILS-LWCC; 30 s sampling time), and 0.03 Mm−1 (NOAA PILS-LWCC; 30 s sampling time). Measurement uncertainties were 28 % (MC-LWCC), 12 % (CSU PILS-LWCC), and 11 % (NOAA PILS-LWCC). The MC-LWCC system agreed well with offline measurements from filter samples, with a slope of 0.91 and R2=0.89 . Overall, these instruments provide soluble BrC measurements with specificity and geographical coverage that is unavailable by other methods, but their sensitivity and time resolution can be challenging for aircraft studies where large and rapid changes in BrC concentrations may be encountered.
Radiographic Outcomes of Cotton Osteotomy in Treatment of Adult-Acquired Flatfoot Deformity.

Background:We investigated the long-term radiographic outcomes of the Cotton osteotomy performed at our institution by the 2 senior authors in conjunction with other reconstruction procedures to co...
How I Got Here and Where I’m Going Next

My career falls into two distinct periods. The first two decades featured insecurity combined with the luck of wandering into situations that ultimately helped me become a better linguist and a bet...
Difficulty with Sea Surface Height Assimilation When Relying on an Unrepresentative Climatology

The United States Navy has two approaches for assimilating sea surface height anomaly (SSHA) data, both relying on climatology. One approach is indirect, with the construction of synthetic temperature (T) and salinity (S) profiles based on observationally-derived climatological covariances between SSHA, T, and S. The other approach is direct via a four-dimensional variational system, but it relies on a mean SSH (here, one constrained by observational climatology) to enable comparisons between observed SSHA and model SSH. Because the approaches rely on observational climatology, they can fail when data are outside that climatology. Such a case is reviewed here. A recent field experiment (Borrione et al. 2017) collected glider T/S profiles along altimeter tracks in the Ligurian Sea (northwest Mediterranean Sea). While SSHA data are similar to observational climatology, T/S data are warmer and saltier. In this study, SSHA and T/S data are independently assimilated in separate experiments. It is found that each experiment fits its assimilated data as expected, but the experiments fail to fit the withheld/unassimilated data. Assimilation mechanisms are found to work as designed. Impacts of climatology on results versus withheld data are discussed.
Russian Case Morphology and the Syntactic Categories

A proposal for a radical new view of case morphology, supported by a detailed investigation of some of the thorniest topics in Russian grammar. In this book, David Pesetsky argues that the peculiarities of Russian nominal phrases provide significant clues concerning the syntactic side of morphological case. Pesetsky argues against the traditional view that case categories such as nominative or genitive have a special status in the grammar of human languages. Supporting his argument with a detailed analysis of a complex array of morpho-syntactic phenomena in the Russian noun phrase (with brief excursions to other languages), he proposes instead that the case categories are just part-of-speech features copied as morphology from head to dependent as syntactic structure is built. Pesetsky presents a careful investigation of one of the thorniest topics in Russian grammar, the morpho-syntax of noun phrases with numerals (including those traditionally called the paucals). He argues that these bewilderingly complex facts can be explained if case categories are viewed simply as parts of speech, assigned as morphology. Pesetsky's analysis is notable for offering a new theoretical perspective on some of the most puzzling areas of Russian grammar, a highly original account of nominal case that significantly affects our understanding of an important property of language.
Looking for two-sided coattail effects: Integrated parties and multilevel elections in the U.S.

In the context of the American federalism, integrated parties provide the necessary coordination mechanism for state and federal politicians to be electorally successful. This argument rests on the assumption that voters are able to observe the benefits of voting a straight ticket. We test this individual level explanation by using the CCES data. Moreover, at the aggregate level, we measure the so-called ‘two-sided’ coattail effects in concurrent multilevel elections in the U.S. since 1960. By using a simultaneous equation model, we estimate the reciprocal relationship between presidential and gubernatorial vote shares at the state level. While we find no consistent presidential coattails, we reveal robust and significant gubernatorial coattail effects on state-level presidential vote, underscoring the role of multilevel forces within parties in democratic federations.
New applications of Taylor model methods

Taylor model methods unify many concepts of high-order computational differentiation with verification approaches covering the Taylor reminder term. Not only do they provide local multivariate derivatives, they also allow for highly efficient and sharp verification. We present several recent results obtained with Taylor model methods, including verified optimization, verified quadrature and verified propagation of extended domains of initial conditions through ODEs, approaches towards verified solution of DAEs and PDEs. In all cases, the methods allow the development of new numeric-analytic tools that efficiently capitalize on the availability of derivatives and sharp inclusions over extended ranges. Applications of the methods are given, including global optimization, very high-dimensional numeric quadrature, particle accelerators, and dynamics of near-earth asteroids.
Clinical categorization of patients with secondary amenorrhea using progesterone-induced uterine bleeding and measurement of serum gonadotropin levels

A group of ninety unselected women with secondary amenorrhea of at least six months' duration were studied retrospectively. By the use of intramuscular progesterone in oil, it was possible to categorize these patients according to their positive or negative uterine bleeding response. LH, FSH, and estradiol values in the 63 patients of the positive category had a log-normal distribution. LH values were found to be composed of two different populations; FSH and estradiol values were composed of only one population. Based on these LH determinations the entire positive category was then divided into two groups. Patients with high levels of LH (Group I) were clinically diagnosed to have polycystic ovarian disease. Patients with normal levels of LH (Group II) were diagnosed to have hypothalamic-pituitary dysfunction. The 27 patients who failed to have withdrawal uterine bleeding were placed in the negative category. These patients also were shown to have a log-normal distribution for LH, FSH, and estradiol. In contrast to the patients in the positive category, FSH values in these patients were made up of two different populations whereas LH and estradiol values showed only one population. Based on the FSH values these patients were divided into two groups, one with low and normal levels of FSH (Group III) and the second population with high levels of FSH designated as Group IV. Group III represented those patients with hypothalamic-pituitary failure and patients in Group IV were those with ovarian failure. Serial determinations of LH, FSH, and estradiol done prospectively on five consecutive days in 19 of the 90 patients did not give any further information in differentiating among the four groups.
Tissue-targeted Antisense c-fos Retroviral Vector Inhibits Established Breast Cancer Xenografts in Nude Mice

The c-fos proto-oncogene has been implicated as a regulator of estrogen-mediated cell proliferation. We have tested the tissue specificity and antitumor efficacy of a mouse mammary tumor virus-regulated antisense c-fos retroviral vector. Systemically administered vector could be detected in several tissues but was only expressed in breast epithelium, thus supporting targeting to mouse mammary tumor virus-regulated tissues. Ex vivo transduction of 30-70% of MCF-7 human breast cancer cells produced expression of antifos RNA, decreased expression of the c-fos target mRNA, induction of differentiation, and inhibition of s.c. tumor growth and invasiveness. In vivo transduction of established i.p. MCF-7 tumors with a single injection of XM6:antifos inhibited tumor growth in athymic mice with a corresponding inhibition of c-fos, transforming growth factor beta1 and transforming growth factor alpha expression. Four daily injections with the antifos RNA induced a much larger MCF-7 i.p. tumor inhibition, with a marked prolongation of survival in the absence of any host tissue toxicity. These results indicate that inhibition of key nuclear genes such as c-fos may lead to disruption of paracrine factors and an antitumor effect, providing a strategy for cancer gene therapy.
A Win Prediction Model for IT Outsourcing Bids

Information technology service providers (ITSPs) compete to win high-valued outsourcing contracts by designing and proposing bids to potential clients. The bids are complex in both their technological components and service level agreements. Several factors in addition to price play a critical role in determining whether a deal is won or lost. Our research mission is to discover which factors deals correlate with winning contracts in a competitive setting and build a win prediction model to prioritize scarce sales resources to deals that are likely to be won. By doing so, an ITSP can increase the effectiveness of its sales force and increase its contract win rate.
Neurobiology: scent secrets of insects.

The perception of carbon dioxide provides insects with sensory data on their environment, and informs many insect behaviours. It seems that this sense relies on two dedicated neural receptors. Many insects are equipped with neurons that detect carbon dioxide. The use to which they are put varies according to the insect's ecology: hawk-moths use it as a measure of the quality of datura flowers. Closer to home, mosquitoes and other blood-feeders are attracted to the carbon dioxide emitted by us. Drosophila too has these sensors: two receptors, called Gr21a and Gr63a, have now been identified in the fruit fly. Flies with only one of the two are insensitive to carbon dioxide, but when both genes are expressed the neurons are sensitive to the gas. Similar genes are present in the malaria mosquito, so they may be useful targets for drugs aimed at reducing the ability of mosquitoes to find humans to bite.
Response to Comment on “Seroevidence for H5N1 Influenza Infections in Humans: Meta-Analysis”

We address points made in the comment by Van Kerkhove et al . and explain why human H5N1 virus infections are much more common than was previously thought.
Spatial pattern in herb diversity and abundance of second growth mixed deciduous-evergreen forest of southern New England, USA

Abstract This study was designed to answer questions about the patterns of understory diversity in managed forests of southern New England, and the factors that appear associated with those patterns. At the landscape-level, we used plot data to answer questions regarding the spatial distribution of forest understory plant species. Data from a combination of fixed area (understory vegetation) and variable radius (overstory trees) plot methods are combined with site variables for the analysis. Univariate and multivariate statistical methods are used to test for understory diversity relationships with overstory cover types and topography separately, and in combination. Analyses also test for relationships between specific understory species and cover types. In general the understory flora is dominated by four common clonal species that occur across the range of forest cover types: wild sarsaparilla ( Aralia nudicaulis L.), Canada mayflower ( Maianthemum candense Desf.), star flower ( Trientalis borealis Raf.), and partridgeberry ( Mitchella repens L.). Results also show that over story composition and structure can be used to assess understory species richness. Species richness follows a general trend among cover types of: hardwood ≥ regenerating forest, hardwood–pine, and pine ≥ mixed ≥ hardwood–hemlock > hemlock. Eastern hemlock ( Tsuga canadensis L. Carriere) and mountain laurel ( Kalmia latifolia L.) (which decreased in dominance from ridge to valley) both showed negative trends with understory species richness. Topographic position also appears associated with understory floristic patterns (particularly for the hardwood cover type), both in terms of species richness and compositional diversity which both increased from ridge, to midslope, to valley. However, overstory composition (covertype) appears to have a higher order influence on vegetation and mediates the role of topography. The results from this study provide foresters with a better understanding for maintaining floristic diversity and composition of the understory in managed forests.
Effect of ileocystoplasty on contractile response of the bladder, ileum, and cystoplastic ileal segment

Bladder augmentation or substitution with ileal segments is being used to a greater extent in recent years. The goal of the present study is to characterize the physiologic and pharmacologic changes in the ileal segment that occur following ileal cystoplasty. Four weeks following ileocystoplasty in rabbits, the contractile response of sections of normal terminal ileum, bladder body, and the cystoplastic segment of ileum (ileocystoplasty) was studied in isolated muscle baths. Results were as follows: 1) The ileum responded to a maximal dose of bethanechol with an increase in the amplitude and frequency of phasic contractions whereas the bladder displayed a rapid and sustained increase in basal tension. The cystoplastic ileal segment showed a marked increase in basal tension with superimposed phasic contractions. 2) Maximally effective doses of ATP and methoxamine reduced tension in the normal ileal segments but contracted both the bladder and cystoplastic ileal segments. 3) Isoproterenol reduced tension in all three segments. The pharmacological response of the cystoplastic segment of ileum significantly shifted from that of the ileum toward the response of the bladder. This effect is important as a manifestation of the functional plasticity of smooth muscle.
Ultrastructure, morphology, and topology of Cambrian palynomorphs from the Lone Rock Formation, Wisconsin, USA.

Abstract A combination of white light with scanning and transmission electron microscopic analysis has enabled the detailed characterization of the morphology and topology of problematic spore-like palynomorphs recovered from Upper Cambrian near-shore deposits in Wisconsin, U.S.A. Members of the new taxon, Agamachates casearius gen. et sp. nov., are smooth, thick-walled, synoecosporal (within a common wall) packets containing up to four spore dyads. The synoecosporal packets themselves may be aggregated into clusters of two or more packets. The discovery that the smallest purported meiotic units are dyads is supportive of prior hypotheses that attempted to explain the abundance of dyads in the lower Paleozoic fossil record. Their abundance has been especially perplexing given the absence of any modern plants that produce dyads via normal sporogenesis. Dyads appear to precede tetrads as the fundamental resistant-walled propagule in the spore record, indicating a transitional stage in the evolution of sporogenesis in plants prior to the canalization of meiosis into a single coordinated process. The variation in spore number per synoecosporal packet could be due to endoduplication of zygote DNA prior to cytokinesis during sporogenesis–paralleling a process that occurs in Coleochaete today.
Room-temperature Coulomb-blockade-dominated transport in gold nanocluster structures

In this paper we discuss the near-room-temperature electrical transport characteristics of structures made from ligand-stabilized metal clusters. The structures show threshold behaviour, nonlinear current-voltage characteristics and radio-frequency-induced plateaux consistent with Coulomb-blockade-dominated transport in disordered arrays of metal dots. Samples having triphenylphosphine and octadecanethiol ligand shells are found to have a 3 orders of magnitude difference in current above threshold. We discuss a possible explanation for this observation.
Citations and knowledge claims: sociology of knowledge as a case in point

Citation analysis is frequently used as a means of examining the formal communication practices in a number of disciplines. The present study employs citation analysis to investigate knowledge claims in the literature on the sociology of knowledge. The purpose of this project is to determine if there are epistemic foundations for authors’ citation of previous work. A total of 70 journal articles are examined and the citations in those articles are classified according to the epistemic uses of the cited work. The approach used here is inherently individualistic, with the aim of investigating the relationship between citing and cited works in the sense of contextual, knowledge-based justification for an author’s arguments or propositions.
Experimental investigation of saturated polarization spectroscopy for quantitative concentration measurements

Polarization-spectroscopy (PS) line shapes and signal intensities are measured in well-characterized hydrogen–air flames operated over a wide range of equivalence ratios. We use both low (perturbative) and high (saturating) pump beam intensities in the counterpropagating pump–probe geometry. The effects of saturation on the line-center signal intensity and the resonance linewidth are investigated. The PS signal intensities are used to measure relative OH number densities in a series of near-adiabatic flames at equivalence ratios (ϕ) ranging from 0.5 to 1.5. The use of saturating pump intensities minimizes the effect of pump beam absorption, providing more accurate number density measurements. When calibrated to the calculated OH concentration in the ϕ = 0.6 flame, the saturated PS number density measurements probing the P1(2) transition are in excellent agreement with OH absorption measurements, equilibrium calculations of OH number density, and previous saturated degenerate four-wave mixing OH number density measurements.
Quasi-Andreev reflection in inhomogeneous Luttinger liquids

Reflection of charge excitations at the step in the interaction strength in a Luttinger liquid can be of the Andreev type, even the interactions are purely repulsive. The region with stronger repulsion plays the role of a normal metal in a normal-metal/superconductor junction, whereas the region with weaker repulsion plays the role of a superconductor. It is shown that this quasi-Andreev reflection leads to a number of proximitylike effects, including the local enhancement (suppression) of superconducting fluctuations on the quasinormal (quasisuperconducting) side of the step and significant modification of the local density of states, as well as others. The observable consequences of these proximity effects are analyzed for the case of single- and two-particle tunneling from a normal-metal or superconducting tip into an inhomogeneous Luttinger-liquid wire.
Is geographic variation in hip fracture rates related to current or former region of residence

This study examines geographic variation in male and female age-adjusted hip fracture rates in white elderly Medicare enrollees. We assembled a cohort of more than 2 million 1992 enrollees and followed them passively through record linkage for 2 years for a hospitalization containing a diagnostic code indicating hip fracture. We simultaneously estimated rate ratios by region of residence early (inferred from the Social Security number) and late in life. Residence region early in life is associated with substantial variation in hip fracture rates. Conversely, current region has little relation with hip fracture risk.
X-Ray Absorption and Resistivity Studies of the Quinary-Compound Superconductor Y-Ba-Cu-O-S

A quinary-compound system consisting of Y, Ba, Cu, O, and S has been prepared in our laboratory. The nominal composition of Y, Ba, Cu, and O is similar to the well known material YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7-y ; the addition of S is intended to partially substitute the O sites. X-ray absorption measurements show that the lattice is distorted with the presence of S atoms. The transition temperature is found to decrease from 93K to about 77K with an increasing S content up to a S/Cu concentration ratio near 0.25; further increase of S results in unstable superconducting behavior and very broad resistive transition.
Composite aluminum silicon-single electron transistor with tunnel FET features

Silicon single electron transistors (SiSET) featuring aluminum island and degenerately-doped silicon source and drain leads with ultrathin SiO 2 as the tunnel barrier are presented. By replacing the doped silicon island with aluminum, we expect to produce an SET with uniform metal dot that exhibits periodic Coulomb blockade oscillations. By eliminating dopants from the island of the SiSET, we are able to study the effects of dopants in the silicon leads and access regions. The fabricated devices exhibit characteristics that are influenced by the electron and the dopant density in the leads. The conductance in a number of the devices can be significantly varied by the application of gate bias. At low temperature, these devices operate as SETs, but at room temperature, tunnel field effect transistor-like behaviors are observed.
Privatization and surplus labor in the Egyptian textile industry

Abstract Disguised unemployment in public enterprises may be transformed into open unemployment upon privatization. This possibility is explored for the Egyptian textile industry using a Ray Homothetic production function. These public firms are found to utilize too much capital versus labor.
Mitigation of autogenous shrinkage in alkali activated slag mortars by internal curing

Alkali activated slag shows considerable promise as an environmentally friendly alternative to binders produced from ordinary portland cement. The shrinkage behavior of alkali activated slags, however, is not well understood, and is a hurdle to widespread adoption. The use of pre-wetted lightweight aggregate-based internal curing to mitigate shrinkage in slags activated by Na2CO3 solution or waterglass/NaOH solution has been investigated. Chemical shrinkage measurements were used to determine the amount of additional curing water needed by the mixtures, and autogenous and total shrinkage measurements used to determine the effects of internal curing on the overall shrinkage of the systems. Internal curing can completely mitigate autogenous shrinkage; however, in the systems examined here, drying shrinkage was the dominant shrinkage factor. In such a case, the benefits of internal curing are most clearly observed during the first 7 days.
Exosurf® treatment investigational new drug phase: Effect of an individualized third dose in infants with respiratory distress syndrome

Of 95 infants treated with the synthetic surfactant, Exosurf, under a Treatment Investigational New Drug protocol, 17 received one dose, 40 received two, and 38 received three doses. Seventy-six (80%) of the infants were treated by rescue protocol. We retrospectively reviewed the clinical course of the 67 surviving rescue infants. We found that, compared to one- and two-dose infants, those treated with three doses of Exosurf were more premature, smaller, required a longer ventilator course, and had more frequent complications, including patent ductus arteriosus (PDA), intraventricular hemorrhage, nosocomial pneumonia, and apnea. They required higher oxygen concentrations starting 8 hr after their first dose and higher mean airway pressure (MAP) from the time of their second dose. These trends continued during all subsequent time points, as compared to infants treated with two doses. The third dose was administered an average of 17 hr after the second, resulting in little change of MAP, but some reduction in oxygen requirements. By 24 hr after the last dose, only 4% of three-dose infants were extubated compared with 30% of the two-dose and 71% of one-dose infants. In conclusion, repeated administration of Exosurf is not equally effective in every treated infant with respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) and complications of prematurity may affect or accompany poor response.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Raman OD-Stretching Overtone Spectra from Liquid D2O between 22 and 152 °C

Raman OD-stretching (first) overtone spectra, X(Z,X+Z)Y, X(ZZ)Y, and X(ZX)Y, from pure D2O between 22 and 98 °C yield an isosbestic frequency near 5130 cm-1. This value corresponds to the X(ZX)Y fundamental isosbestic observed near 2624 cm-1, but not to the X(ZZ)Y fundamental isosbestic near 2429 cm-1, because the fundamental 2375 cm-1 correlated deuteron OD stretch, ν1, and its overtone, 2ν1, are weak in the X(ZX)Y spectra, compared to the three higher-frequency fundamentals, ν2, ν3, and ν4, and their overtones. The 2375 and 2475 cm-1 fundamentals and their overtones probably engage in coupling with a ≈175 cm-1 LA phonon which is supported by H-bonded aggregates or patches, whereas the corresponding data for H2O provide clear and unequivocal evidence for this LA coupling. Deconvolution of the X(Z,X+Z)Y overtone spectra, 22−152 °C, plus van't Hoff treatment yields an enthalpy for H bond, O−D···O, rupture of 2.8 ± 0.2 kcal/mol O−D···O, in good agreement with present values of 2.6 ± 0.2 and 2.8 ± 0.2 kcal/m...