cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Characterization of sixteen endometrial cancer cell lines

3870 Objectives: This study aimed to examine in vitro and in vivo properties of sixteen endometrial cancer cell lines, including cell proliferation, morphology, hormone receptor expression, PTEN, hMLH1 expression, p53 mutation, karyotype and tumorigenicity. Methods: Twelve type I endometrial cancer cell lines (AN3, ECC-1, EN, EN-1, EN-11, HEC-1A, HEC-1B, Ishikawa, KLE, MFE-280, MFE-296, MFE-319) and four type II endometrial cancer cell lines (ARK1, ARK2, HEC-155/180, SPEC-2) were studied. Cell proliferation and morphology were assayed using cell growth curves and light microscopy. Molecular profiling was assessed with real-time PCR, methylation-specific PCR (MS-PCR), denaturing high-frequency liquid chromatography (DHPLC)-directed mutational analysis and conventional karyotyping. Tumorigenicity was evaluated using the mouse xenograft model. Results: The population doubling time of the cell lines ranged between 19-41 hours, and did not differ significantly between type I and II cell lines. Estrogen receptor (ER-α and ER-β) expression profiling showed that Ishikawa, ECC-1 and MFE-280 have high ER expression for both isoforms. Progesterone receptor (PR-B) expression is uniformly decreased in type II cell lines, but only decreased in selective type I cell lines (AN3, HEC-1A, HEC-1B, KLE, EN-1). PR-B methylation was detected in only one type II cell line (ARK1). PTEN expression was more uniformly suppressed in type II than type I cells, while hMLH1 did not show this pattern. P53 mutational analysis revealed at least one mutation in exons 5-8 in nine of the sixteen cell lines (56%). Multiple karyotypic abnormalities were detected in the cell lines, and aided to confirm the independent clonalities of these cell lines. Mouse xenograft identified cell lines with potent tumorigenic activities: ARK1, ARK2, HEC-1A, HEC-1B and EN-1. Conclusions: Type II compared to type I endometrial cancer cell lines uniformly exhibit more suppression of PR-B and PTEN expression. Promoter methylation accounts for PR-B silencing in type II much less frequently than in type I cell lines. In addition, this study also provides valuable information about endometrial cancer cell lines commonly used in the laboratory. The investigator can choose the cell lines with the desired characteristics for a specific study based on the above data.
Physician age and patient outcomes

New research reports a link, but the underlying mechanism remains unclear Advances in research on patient outcomes and greater availability of detailed standardized administrative data on healthcare outcomes, particularly for patients admitted to hospital, enable examination of the performance of providers and health systems from new perspectives. In a linked paper, Tsugawa and colleagues (doi:10.1136/bmj.j1797) devised a creative research design to exploit these resources to take a fresh and informative look at the association between physician age and patient outcomes with reference to 30 day hospital mortality, readmissions, and medical care costs.1 Their focus was a US national sample of elderly Medicare patients with serious medical illnesses who required admission to hospital and whose care was provided by a hospitalist physician, defined as a general internist who filed at least 90% of total “evaluation and management” billings in an inpatient hospital. The hospitalist in the US is a relatively new medical specialty since the mid-1990s.2 Within any given hospital, patients treated by a specific hospitalist, the authors argue, are “plausibly quasi-randomized” by patients’ time of admission …
An ontology of psychedelic entity experiences in evolutionary psychology and neurophenomenology

Background and aimsPsychedelic entity experiences are examined from perspectives of evolutionary psychology and neurophenomenology. Their similarities with other entity experiences illustrate the n...
EASEL: Easy Automatic Segmentation Event Labeler

Video annotation is a vital part of research examining gestural and multimodal interaction as well as computer vision, machine learning, and interface design. However, annotation is a difficult, time-consuming task that requires high cognitive effort. Existing tools for labeling and annotation still require users to manually label most of the data, limiting the tools helpfulness. In this paper, we present the Easy Automatic Segmentation Event Labeler (EASEL), a tool supporting gesture analysis. EASEL streamlines the annotation process by introducing assisted annotation, using automatic gesture segmentation and recognition to automatically annotate gestures. To evaluate the efficacy of assisted annotation, we conducted a user study with 24 participants and found that assisted annotation decreased the time needed to annotate videos with no difference in accuracy compared with manual annotation. The results of our study demonstrate the benefit of adding computational intelligence to video and audio annotation tasks.
DSS Evaluation: A Comparison of Ex-Ante and Ex-Post Evaluation Methods

A comparison of ex-post and ex-ante DSS evaluation techniques is presented. We argue that ex-ante DSS evaluation can be conducted through the use of controlled laboratory experiments. Such ex-ante information gathering avoids the expense of fully implemented systems, can be conducted over carefully designed experimental ranges, and can play an important role in DSS theory testing and modification. But ex-ante procedures are not without pitfalls that must be carefully avoided. We outline an integrated evaluation approach that incorporates the use of ex-ante and ex-post evaluation procedures in a complimentary rather than competing fashion. Significant illustrative use is made of controlled laboratory experiments which we have been conducting at the MIS and DSS Research Laboratories of the Department of Decision Science and Information Systems at the University of Kentucky.
Imaging H abstraction dynamics in crossed molecular beams: O(3P) + propanol isomers

The crossed beam reaction dynamics of ground state O(3P) atoms with propanol isomers (1-propanol and 2-propanol) have been studied for the first time using the velocity map imaging technique. The hydroxypropyl radical products, generated from H-abstraction of the secondary and tertiary C–H groups of propanol isomers, were detected via single photon ionization at 157 nm under single collision conditions with collision energies of 8 and 10 kcal mol−1. Direct rebound dynamics were suggested by the angular distributions, which show overall sideways-backward scattering but more pronounced backward scattering for both isomer reactions under all collision energies studied here. All the translational energy distributions peak at low energy, on average 20–40% of the total available energy. This indicates high internal excitation in the products that is treated by various models of energy release. We infer that most of the total available energy is partitioned into rotational excitation due to the long-rang dipole–dipole interaction between the dipolar OH and hydroxypropyl radicals.
Abstract PD6-08: Medicare costs for women after breast cancer: Preparing for survivorship

BACKGROUND Improvements in breast cancer survival and increasing population life expectancy have resulted in a growing number of women receiving subsequent health care after breast cancer diagnosis and treatment. We sought to determine the magnitude of increases in healthcare costs related to breast cancer survivorship, in anticipation of predicted increases in enrollment, higher intensity utilization, and greater healthcare spending among Medicare beneficiaries. METHODS Women age 65+ diagnosed with stage 0-III breast cancer in 1998, 2003 or 2008, were identified from the SEER database linked to Medicare records. After restrictions they were propensity score matched to a comparable group of non-breast-cancer women on demographic characteristics and co-morbidities at time of diagnosis based on the Elixhauser co-morbidity index. Line payments to care providers were then calculated for the first year of care after diagnosis (cases only) as well as years 2-6, 8-11 and 12-16 post-diagnosis (cases and controls). Direct Medicare costs were adjusted for inflation using the experimental Medicare costs Price Index and compared under real world and alternative survival scenarios. RESULTS Overall, the costs of care were progressively higher in later cohorts across all time periods. Differences in survivorship were the primary driver of differences in costs between breast cancer cases and controls. All-stage costs in years 2-6 were higher in the cancer group ($2,499, $10,261 and $12,029 higher per-person in 1998, 2003 and 2008 respectively), however, higher mortality in the cancer group reduced the costs and quantity of care received in later years [years 7-11 ($2,183 lower per-person in 1998) and 12-16 ($2,431 lower per-person in 1998)]. In pairs with identical survival, costs in the cancer group were significantly higher than in matched non-breast-cancer controls across all time periods (years 2-6: $4,799, $9,545 and $12,245 higher in 1998/2003/2008; years 7-11: $2,922 and $5,597 higher in 1998/2003). Stratification by stage changed the magnitude but not the general pattern of our results. The first year of care in 2003 was on average $4,933 dollars higher than in 1998; in 2008 costs again increased by $4,223 per-person. In years 2-6 the cost of cancer care increased by $12,440 (2003 vs 1998) and $3,456 (2008 vs 2003) per-person; Finally, cancer care for years 7-11 in 2003 $3,964 higher than in 1998 per-person. CONCLUSION Improved breast cancer survival and increased overall life expectancy among women in the United States will contribute to higher Medicare expenditures. Future risk-based capitation schemes should account for these advancements when preparing for healthcare delivery after cancer. Citation Format: Greenup RA, Yashkin A, Gorbunova G, Akusevich I, Hwang ES. Medicare costs for women after breast cancer: Preparing for survivorship [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2018 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2018 Dec 4-8; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(4 Suppl):Abstract nr PD6-08.
A Cost-effective and Energy-efficient Architecture for Die-stacked DRAM/NVM Memory Systems

Traditional DRAM-based memory systems are facing two major scalability issues. First, the memory wall problem becomes a major performance bottleneck. Second, conventional memory systems consume increasing power as the capacity increases, which could be as much as 40% of the total system power. These issues hinder the scaling of DRAM-based memory systems. Fortunately, emerging memory technologies, such as high bandwidth memory (HBM) and phase change memory (PCM), have the potential to solve these scalability issues. However, there is no single memory technology that can overcome these issues together. Therefore, a hybrid memory system could be a promising way to build a high-performance, large-capacity, and energy-efficient memory system. To achieve this goal, we propose a cost-effective and energy-efficient architecture for HBM/PCM memory systems, called Dual Role HBM (DR-HBM). In DR-HBM, the HBM plays two roles and is divided into two parts. A small portion of which, called HBM cache, is used as a cache for the PCM. The remaining HBM is used as a part of main memory. Furthermore, the HBM cache is also used to track page hotness without additional hardware support. Hot pages will be migrated to HBM when they are evicted from the HBM cache. The experimental results show DR-HBM outperforms two state-of-the-art hybrid memory systems, CAMEO [1] and RaPP [2]. Compared to the baseline in which both HBM and PCM are architected as a part of main memory without page migration, DR-HBM improves the performance by 63% on average.
Sexual Decision-Making and African American Adolescent Females

The aim of this research was to explore the factors that influence the sexual decision-making process of African American female adolescents. The phenomenological research design was grounded in black feminist theory to capture the lived experiences of the phenomenon. Data was collected during semi-structured interviews with twelve participants. Bracketing of researcher assumptions was used to demonstrate dependability, credibility, and coherence of the data reduction and analysis. Open coding allowed the researcher to generate a list of broad domains to create a codebook. The researcher used a recursive method of data collection and analysis; the codebook guided independent coding of each transcribed interview. Themes that described the factors that impact the sexual decision-making process of African American adolescent females emerged and included: (a) peer relationships; (b) media influence; and (c) the mother–daughter relationship. Practice and research implications for school counselors and researchers regarding the factors that influence the decision-making of adolescent girls of color are discussed.
Pediatric Airway Stent Designed to Facilitate Mucus Transport and Atraumatic Removal

Objective: The goal was to develop a pediatric airway stent for treating tracheobronchomalacia that could be used as an alternative to positive pressure ventilation. The design goals were for the stent to allow mucus flow and to resist migration inside the airways, while also enabling easy insertion and removal. Methods: A helical stent design, together with insertion and removal tools, is presented. A mechanics model of stent compression is derived to assist in selecting stent design parameters (pitch and wire diameter) that provide the desired amount of tracheal support, while introducing the minimal amount of foreign material into the airway. Worst-case airway area reduction with stent support is investigated experimentally using a pressurized tracheal phantom matched to porcine tracheal tissue properties. The stent design is then evaluated in a porcine in vivo experiment. Results: Phantom testing validated the mechanics model of stent compression. In vivo testing demonstrated that the stent was well tolerated by the animal. Since the helical design covers only a small portion of the epithelium, mucus transport through the stented region was minimally impeded. Furthermore, the screw-like stent resisted migration, while also providing for atraumatic removal through the use of an unscrewing motion during removal. Conclusion: The proposed stent design and tools represent a promising approach to prevent airway collapse in children with tracheobronchomalacia. Significance: The proposed technology overcomes the limitations of existing airway stents and may provide an alternative to maintaining children on a ventilator.
NK cells clear α-synuclein and the depletion of NK cells exacerbates synuclein pathology in a mouse model of α-synucleinopathy.

The pathological hallmark of synucleinopathies, including Lewy body dementia and Parkinson’s disease (PD), is the presence of Lewy bodies, which are primarily composed of intracellular inclusions of misfolded α-synuclein (α-syn) among other proteins. α-Syn is found in extracellular biological fluids in PD patients and has been implicated in modulating immune responses in the central nervous system (CNS) and the periphery. Natural killer (NK) cells are innate effector lymphocytes that are present in the CNS in homeostatic and pathological conditions. NK cell numbers are increased in the blood of PD patients and their activity is associated with disease severity; however, the role of NK cells in the context of α-synucleinopathies has never been explored. Here, we show that human NK cells can efficiently internalize and degrade α-syn aggregates via the endosomal/lysosomal pathway. We demonstrate that α-syn aggregates attenuate NK cell cytotoxicity in a dose-dependent manner and decrease the release of the proinflammatory cytokine, IFN-γ. To address the role of NK cells in PD pathogenesis, NK cell function was investigated in a preformed fibril α-syn–induced mouse PD model. Our studies demonstrate that in vivo depletion of NK cells in a preclinical mouse PD model resulted in exacerbated motor deficits and increased phosphorylated α-syn deposits. Collectively, our data provide a role of NK cells in modulating synuclein pathology and motor symptoms in a preclinical mouse model of PD, which could be developed into a therapeutic for PD and other synucleinopathies.
A Banality of Evil: Precarity as the Offspring of Individualism

Precarity is an acknowledged reality of the twenty-first century; the United Kingdom of Great Britain discerned the importance of this category of people in the 2013 Great British Class Survey, the largest class study in the UK, which unveiled the increasing presence of the precariat. The existence of precarity, those living in the margins of corporate success, consists of persons unattached to a single institution or career path and not fully employed, or underemployed, at best. This class has emerged to absorb corporate risk in the globalized world. Unlike the category of the proletariat, which includes wage earners outside the influence of salaried workers, the precariat may have salaries without security of their employment within a given institution. Insecurity of employment and temporary attachment to a corporate structure is not novel, but the intentional enactment of such insecurity generates social awareness and concern. The precariat represents a group of persons within an intentionally marginalized category set aside with one purpose—to lessen corporate risk with workers absorbing insecurity. Precarity is a defining feature of this historical moment. This essay contends that precarity is a form of social inevitability in the West due to its love affair with individualism, which functions as a social myth. Individualism resists social ties and constraints, contrasted with selfishness that necessitates taking into account the social and commercial aspirations of others. Selfishness recognizes prosperity and professional security as requiring attentiveness to others. Precarity, understood as an outgrowth of individualism, dwells within assumptions dismissive of consideration of the Other. Hannah Arendt (1965) defined banality of evil as extreme commonness that escapes social attentiveness due to its normative nature. A banality of evil consists of unreflective habitus (Bourdieu 1977) that gives rise to dangerous and hurtful unexamined consequences. Precarity is a corporate outcome of an individualistic culture. This essay contends that precarity is a natural outcome of individualism; addressing precarity requires acknowledgement of social assumptions and structures that go unexamined, giving rise to a banality of evil within the realm of corporate responsibility.
Landscapes Require New Legal Framework to Conserve Biodiversity

Biodiversity conservation landscape emerged in a legal vacuum because it embraced countries with different juridical history and traditions. Formerly French colonized countries (Cameroon, Central African Republic, Congo Brazzaville, and Gabon) inherited the same juridical history and practices from France but they evolved in different paths on biodiversity conservation issues while Democratic Republic of Congo and Equatorial Guinea have a totally different judiciary history. The idea of landscape was scaled to work at the regional Central Africa level, which lacked the history of joint work on natural resources. The chapter discusses ways in which this critical question was addressed using a mixed cohort of pathways to a juridical framework that was more than just the adaptation of the existing legal framework but rather sound, fully functional, and sensibly regionally harmonized regional framework. The search for this new juridical system offered an opportunity to produce new regulations and laws to democratically govern the natural resources. Process-wise, the chapter describes the integration of international agreements and conventions such as Convention on Biological Diversity, Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species, and the International Convention on Wetlands into national laws to ensure that gaps were filled in. The chapter also argues that conservation landscapes offered long awaited opportunities to countries in Central Africa to harmonize their legislations across the region.
Deep Brain Stimulation Surgery for Essential Tremor in a Patient with Type A Hemophilia.

Background Hemophilia is generally considered a contraindication to deep brain stimulation (DBS) and other elective intracranial surgery because of the elevated risk of perioperative hemorrhage. Two prior case reports have suggested, however, that DBS may be safe in patients with hemophilia who undergo appropriate factor replacement. Here, we describe a third case of DBS surgery for medically refractory essential tremor (ET) in a patient with hemophilia A. Case Description A 68-year-old right-handed man with mild hemophilia A presented for a 10-year history of bilateral (right greater than left), medically refractory ET. The patient was considered an appropriate candidate for DBS by a multidisciplinary movement disorders conference, and hematology consultation was obtained. Baseline preoperative laboratory results showed a quantitative factor VIII (FVIII) level of 38%. Perioperative management consisted of daily intravenous bolus doses of recombinant FVIII from the morning of surgery to postoperative day 10. The patient underwent uncomplicated unilateral DBS placement in the left ventralis intermedius thalamus. Intra- and postoperative imaging showed no hemorrhage. His postoperative course was uncomplicated except for a single self-limited episode of hematuria requiring no intervention. Conclusions DBS placement for ET may be safe in patients with coexisting hemophilia A if appropriate FVIII replacement is given, which may be delivered as bolus infusions rather than continuous infusion.
Privacy-Preserving Cross-Chain Atomic Swaps

Recently, there has been a lot of interest in studying the transfer of assets across different blockchains in the form of cross-chain atomic swaps. Unfortunately, the current candidates of atomic swaps (hash-lock time contracts) offer no privacy; the identities as well as the exact trade that happened between any two parties is publicly visible.
Abstract LB-077: Dendritic cell dysfunction precedes tumor formation during pancreatic oncogenesis

Dysfunction of type 1 conventional dendritic cells (cDC1s) - the dendritic cell subtype crucial for spontaneous anti-tumor T cell immunity - has long been hypothesized to develop secondarily to invasive cancer. Here, we reveal that cDC1 dysfunction instead develops in the earliest stages of cancer development upon formation of preinvasive pancreatic intraepithelial neoplasias (PanINs) in the KrasG12D Trp53R172H Pdx1-Cre-driven (KPC) mouse model of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. This results in systemically increased cDC1 apoptosis and insufficient upregulation of T cell-polarizing cytokines during cDC1 maturation. CD8+ T cell activation following vaccination is subsequently impaired in PanIN- and tumor-bearing mice. Yet, combination therapy with CD40 agonist and Flt3 ligand in tumor-bearing mice returns cDC1 abundance to normal levels and induces an IFNg response signature, repairing cDC1 maturation and restoring full CD8+ T cell activation. This study therefore reveals the unexpectedly early and systemic onset of cDC1 dysregulation while elaborating therapeutically tractable strategies towards cDC1 repair. Citation Format: Jeffrey H. Lin, Robert H. Vonderheide. Dendritic cell dysfunction precedes tumor formation during pancreatic oncogenesis [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research 2020; 2020 Apr 27-28 and Jun 22-24. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2020;80(16 Suppl):Abstract nr LB-077.
Extensive genome-wide duplications in the eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica).

Genomic structural variation is an important source of genetic and phenotypic diversity, playing a critical role in evolution. The recent availability of a high-quality reference genome for the eas...
Concept Similarity in Formal Concept Analysis with Many-Valued Contexts

Formal Concept Analysis (FCA) is a mathematical framework which can also support critical activities for the development of the Semantic Web. One of them is represented by Similarity Reasoning, i.e., the identification of different concepts that are semantically close, that allows users to retrieve information on the Web more efficiently. In order to model uncertainty information, in this paper FCA with many-valued contexts is addressed, where attribute values are intervals, which is referred to as FCA with Interordinal scaling (IFCA). In particular, a method for evaluating concept similarity in IFCA is proposed, which is a problem that has not been adequately investigated, although the increasing interest in the literature in this topic.
A new hypothesis: Were Neanderthals susceptible to high rates of otitis media?

Otitis media (OM) is among the most common pediatric clinical conditions worldwide but few have considered the importance of the cartilaginous Eustachian tube (CET) and OM over human evolution. Thi...
Identification of Functional Domains in Atp11p: PROTEIN REQUIRED FOR ASSEMBLY OF THE MITOCHONDRIAL F1-ATPase IN YEAST

The Atp11p protein of Saccharomyces cerevisiae is required for proper assembly of the F1 component of the mitochondrial ATP synthase. The mutant atp11 genes were cloned and sequenced from 12 yeast strains, which are respiratory-deficient due to a defect in Atp11p function. Four of the mutations mapped to the mitochondrial targeting domain (amino-terminal 39 amino acids) of Atp11p. All the genetic lesions found in the mature protein sequence were shown to be nonsense mutations. This result is consistent with the idea that Atp11p activity is provided, principally, by the overall structure of a functional domain, and not by specific amino acid residues in a localized active site. Amino-terminal (Edman) sequence analysis of fragments derived from limited proteolysis of purified Atp11p, and in vivo functional characterization of deletion mutants, were employed to locate the position of the active region in the protein. Three domains, separated by proline-rich sequences, were identified in the mature protein. The active domain of Atp11p was mapped to the sequence between Phe-120 and Asn-174. The domains proximal (Glu-40 through Ser-109) and distal (Arg-183 through Asn-318) to the active region were found to be important for the protein stability inside mitochondria.
Bentley Was Right: The Significance of LGBT Politics for Political Science

In his seminal 1908 book, The Process of Government, Arthur Bentley outlined a framework for understanding politics and policy that has directly or indirectly inspired a considerable amount of research for generations of social scientists. Bentley argued that in order to understand politics and what government does (and does not do) we should focus our attention on interests, rather than individuals. In short, Bentley argued that that politics is about interactions between groups and that government policy is the result of these interactions.
Hubble Space Telescope Images and Spectra of the Remnant of SN 1885 in M31

Near-UV Hubble Space Telescope images of the remnant of SN 1885 (S And) in M31 show a 070±005 diameter absorption disk silhouetted against M31's central bulge, at SN 1885's historically reported position. The disk's size corresponds to a linear diameter of 2.5±0.4 pc at a distance of 725±70 kpc, implying an average expansion velocity of 11,000±2000 km s-1 over 110 yr. Low-dispersion Faint Object Spectrograph spectra over 3200-4800 A reveal that the absorption arises principally from Ca II H and K (equivalent width 215 A), with weaker absorption features of Ca I 4227 A and Fe I 3720 A. The flux at Ca II line center indicates a foreground starlight fraction of 0.21, which places SNR 1885 some 64 pc to the near side of the midpoint of the M31 bulge, comparable to its projected 55 pc distance from the nucleus. The absorption line profiles suggest an approximately spherically symmetric, bell-shaped density distribution of supernova ejecta freely expanding at up to 13,100±1500 km s-1. We estimate Ca I, Ca II, and Fe I masses of 2.9×10−4 M☉, 0.005 M☉, and 0.013 M☉, respectively. If the ionization state of iron is similar to the observed ionization state of calcium, MCa II/MCa I=16, then the mass of Fe II is 0.21 M☉, consistent with that expected for either normal or subluminous SN Ia.
Microcalorimetric Determination of Glucose in Reference Samples of Serum

Ireport a detailed series of microcalorimetric measurement of glucose concentrations in five reference samples of serum. The method utilized (a) calibration in the actual medium of analysis and (b) a correction for interferences owing to the nonspecificity of the enzyme hexokinase. The microcalorimetric results are compared with the tentative results of analyses obtained by the spectrophotometric hexokinase/glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase method and by isotope-dilution mass spectrometry. In most cases, the microcalorimetric results appear to be in agreement with the results obtained by these latter two methods. A discussion of the basis of the microcalorimetric measurements is presented.
Glycoprotein B is a specific determinant of herpes simplex virus type 1 neuroinvasiveness.

Abstract Herpes simplex virus type 1 strains ANG and KOS lack neuroinvasiveness when inoculated on the footpads of mice, and because the strains are able to complement each other, the genes associated with this phenotype differ. In this study, we used marker rescue techniques to show that at least two genes cloned from ANG are required to restore neuroinvasiveness to KOS. One of the two fragments required is the 6.3-kb BamHI-A/EcoRI-D fragment (0.15 to 0.19 map units). The second has been identified as the sequence encoding glycoprotein B (gB) (UL27). Analysis of ANG and KOS DNA sequences in the relevant region of the gB gene revealed two nucleotide differences which result in amino acid differences in the gB protein. One appears to be unique to the strain of KOS used in our laboratory. The second, at codon 523 of the mature gB protein, encodes a valine in KOS and an alanine in ANG. Recombinant KOS viruses which contained ANG sequences in this region were constructed, and two independently selected recombinants demonstrated increased neuroinvasiveness in mice. From these results, we conclude that gB significantly influences neuroinvasiveness. Mechanisms by which this might occur are discussed.
Continual on-line training of neural networks with applications to electric machine fault diagnostics

An online training algorithm is proposed for neural network (NN) based electric machine fault detection schemes. The algorithm obviates the need for large data memory and long training time, a limitation of most AI-based diagnostic methods for commercial applications, and in addition, does not require training prior to commissioning. Experimental results are provided for an induction machine stator winding turn-fault detection scheme that uses a feedforward NN to compensate for machine and instrumentation nonidealities, to illustrate the feasibility of the new training algorithm for real-time implementation.
Just-in-Time Supports in Augmentative and Alternative Communication

Individuals with developmental disabilities such as autism, physical disabilities, and intellectual disabilities frequently are candidates for augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) systems as well as visual supports. The purpose of this paper is to apply the business construct of just-in-time (JIT) to the field of AAC with particular reference to new possibilities for JIT support arising from the advent of the mobile technology revolution. In addition to a review of the history of JIT within AAC, a taxonomy of JIT supports is proposed. Potential benefits of JIT supports are postulated based on conceptual underpinnings related to working memory demands, situated cognition, and teachable moments. Implications of JIT supports are drawn for both the learner and the communication partners’ competencies. Finally, several directions for future research are posited.
Effects of chaparral conversion on small vertebrates in Southern California

Abstract Lizard and small mammal faunas were sampled on eight sites of chaparral and artificial chaparral-grass conversions in southern California. The abundance and diversity of these faunas were characteristically greater in chaparral than in areas of grass. The deer mouse ( Peromyscus maniculatus ) was the only animal studied that was abundant on both chaparral and grass sites. In early stages of chaparral-grass conversion, mechanical brush clearing (Bulldozing, discing)_appeared to cause greater initial reductions in small vertebrate populations than did the use of selective herbicides (primarily 2,4-D). Both lizards and small mammals were virtually absent from grass that was heavily grazed. Lizards reached peak abundance in recently burned (relatively open) chaparral.
Transcriptional profiling identifies extensive downregulation of extracellular matrix gene expression in sarcopenic rat soleus muscle.

The direction of change in skeletal muscle mass differs between young and old individuals, growing in young animals and atrophying in old animals. The purpose of the experiment was to develop a sta...
The segmentation of the abdomen of Lipeurus heterographus Nitzsch (Mallophaga)

Eleven segments are recognized in a comparative study of the abdomens in immature and adult instars of Lipeurus heterographus Nitzsch. The abdomen of the first instar appears ten segmented but with the apparent first segment twice as long as any one of the others and with two transverse rows of hairs on the tergum while the other abdominal segments have but one. This indicates that the apparent first segment is the true first and second abdominal segments which have fused. The apparent tenth segment of the abdomen is the true eleventh segment. A fusion of the true ninth and tenth segments occurring in the third molt further reduces the number of segments to nine which is the apparent number of segments found in the adult.
A three-dimensional, longitudinally-invariant finite element model for acoustic propagation in shallow water waveguides

A three-dimensional, longitudinally-invariant finite element (FE) model for shallow water acoustic propagation is constructed through a cosine transform of a series of two-dimensional FE models at different values of the out-of-plane wavenumber. An innovative wavenumber sampling method is developed that efficiently captures the essential components of the integral as the out-of-plane wave number approaches the water wavenumber. The method is validated by comparison with benchmark solutions of two shallow water waveguide environments: a flat range independent case and a benchmark wedge.
Behavioral and physiological factors associated with juvenile hormone in Polistes wasp foundresses

Although there is increasing interest in the evolution of endocrine systems, relatively little is known about the factors associated with natural endocrine variation in invertebrates. Here, we assess juvenile hormone (JH) titers among nest-founding queens of the wasp Polistes dominulus over 2 years. We allowed unfamiliar wasps to battle for dominance and examined the relationships between dominance rank, JH, ovarian development, and facial patterns. The relationship between JH-titer and dominance varied across years; there was a stronger relationship between JH-titer and dominance in 2006 than in 2008. Across years, wasps that won dominance contests had facial patterns with more broken black spots than wasps that lost dominance contests. There was no relationship between dominance rank and ovarian development. The individual characteristics associated with JH-titer were also tested; JH-titers were correlated with facial pattern brokenness and ovarian development. This study adds to previous work indicating that P. dominulus facial patterns function as a signal of fighting ability. Furthermore, the correlation between JH-titers and facial patterns parallels previous work on testosterone and vertebrate signals and suggests that links between signals of fighting ability and hormones that mediate fighting ability may be common across taxa. Overall, individual JH-titers vary, though they are typically associated with factors related to individual reproductive success, including dominance, fertility, and facial pattern brokenness. Future studies in additional contexts and taxa will be important to test how and why JH-titers vary.
Image-guided radiotherapy using a mobile kilovoltage x-ray device.

Abstract— A mobile isocentric C-arm kilovoltage imager has been evaluated as a potential tool for image-guided radiotherapy. The C-arm is equipped with an amorphous silicon flat panel for high-quality image acquisition. Additionally, the device is capable of cone beam computed tomography (CT) and volumetric reconstruction. This is achieved through the application of a modified Feldkamp algorithm with acquisition over a 180° scan arc. The number of projections can be varied from 100 to 1000, resulting in a reconstructed volume 20 cm in diameter by 15-cm long. While acquisition time depends upon number of projections, acceptable quality images can be obtained in less than 60 seconds. Image resolution and contrast of cone-beam phantom images have been compared with images from a conventional CT scanner. The system has a spatial resolution of ≥ 10 lp/cm and resolution is approximately equal in all 3 dimensions. Conversely, subject contrast is poorer than conventional CT, compromised by the increased scatter and underlying noise inherent in cone beam reconstruction, as well as the absence of filtering prior to reconstruction. The mobility of the C-arm makes it necessary to determine the C-arm position relative to the linear accelerator isocenter. Two solutions have been investigated: (1) the use of fiducial markers, embedded in the linac couch, that can subsequently be registered in the image sets; and (2), a navigation approach for infrared tracking of the C-arm relative to the linac isocenter. Observed accuracy in phantom positioning ranged from 1.0 to 1.5 mm using the navigation approach and 1.5 to 2.5 mm using the fiducial-based approach. As part of this work, the impact of respiratory motion on cone-beam image quality was evaluated, and a scheme for retrospective gating was devised. Results demonstrated that kilovoltage cone beam CT provides spatial integrity and resolution comparable to conventional CT. Cone-beam CT studies of patients undergoing radiotherapy have demonstrated acceptable soft tissue contrast, allowing assessment of daily changes in target anatomy. Of the 2 approaches developed to register images to the linac isocenter, the navigation method demonstrated superior accuracy for daily patient positioning relative to the fiducial-based method. Finally, significant image degradation due to respiratory motion was observed. It was demonstrated that this could be improved by correlating the acquisition of individual 2D projections with respiration for retrospective reconstruction of phase-based volumetric datasets.
It's about Time: Leveraging Clock Synchronization for Distributed Real-Time Programming

Cyber-physical systems are integrations of computation, communication networks, and physical dynamics. Although time plays a central role in the physical world, all widely used software abstractions lack temporal semantics. The notion of correct execution of a program written in every widely-used programming language today does not depend on the temporal behavior of the program. But temporal behavior matters in almost all systems. Even in systems with no particular real-time requirements, timing of programs is relevant to the value delivered by programs, and in the case of concurrent programs, also affects the functionality. In cyber-physical systems, temporal behavior affects not just the value delivered by a system but also its correctness. In this talk, I will argue that time can and must become part of the semantics of programs for a large class of applications. To illustrate that this is both practical and useful, we will describe two recent efforts at Berkeley in the design and implementation of timing-centric software systems. On the implementation side, I will describe PRET machines, which redefine the instruction-set architecture (ISA) of a microprocessor to include temporal semantics. On the design side, I will briefly describe PTIDES, a programming model for distributed real-time systems. PTIDES leverages clock synchronization to deliver a deterministic model of computation for distributed real-time systems.
Use of a load cell and force–moment curves to compare transverse plane moment loads on transtibial residual limbs: A preliminary investigation

Background and aim:The objective of this study was to demonstrate how a load cell and force–moment curves can be used outside of a gait lab to directly measure and evaluate the transverse plane loading moment on transtibial residual limbs.Technique:A load cell was attached distally to the socket of three transtibial amputees who walked a straight path and a circle of 3.048-m diameter with the prosthetic foot both inside and outside the curved path.Discussion:Compared to straight path walking, transverse plane moment decreased when the foot was on the outside of the curved path. When the foot was on the inside, the moment did not exceed that for straight path walking for two participants; maximum transverse moment was approximately 0.15 N m/kg of body mass. Force–moment curves indicated that each participant’s gait was unique, but underlying similarities were observed with respect to each of the three conditions.Clinical relevanceA load cell in conjunction with curved and straight path walking and force–mo...
An alternative to Fitts’ law

A new power law of movement time for motor control tasks is proposed as an alternative to the classical Fitts’ law. A reanalysis of Fitts’ original data indicates that this power law may provide superior fits to those of Fitts’ law, which may be interpreted as a special case of the power law. The so-called rate of change of information derived from Fitts’ law, which is claimed to be an invalid information-theoretic measure, is an exponentially decreasing function of Fitts’ index of difficulty according to the power law rather than a fixed quantity as derived from Fitts’ law.
Growth of Certain Aquatic Oomycetes on Amino Acids II. Apodachlya, Aphanomyces, and Pythium

Four aquatic fungi —Apodachlya brachynema and A. minima (Leptomitales), Aphanomyces laevis (Saprolegniales), and Pythium ultimum (Peronosporales) —were tested for growth in synthetic media containing one of a variety of carbon sources. Apodachlya brachynema readily utilized five amino acids — alanine, glutamate, aspartate, proline and leucine — as well as glucose and acetate. Growth on sucrose as a carbon source was slight. Apodachlya minima differed from A. brachynema in that it could not utilize proline and leucine. Aphanomyces laevis grew well on only three of the substrates tested — glucose, alanine and glutamate. Pythium ultimum utilized glucose, sucrose, maltose, cellobiose, alanine, glutamate, aspartate, proline, asparagine, ornithine, and serine, but not eight other amino acids. All of these fungi hydrolyzed gelatin. Radioactively labeled carbon dioxide was released during incubation of Aphanomyces laevis in media containing labeled leucine, proline, or phenylalanine. These data provide evidence of some catabolism of the three substrates although none of these substrates can support the growth of Aphanomyces laevis as a sole source of carbon and nitrogen.
Some primitive group rings

In this paper, we prove that certain group rings are primitive by exhibiting a construction of faithful, simple modules for them. Let us recall two of the early results on primitivity of group rings. Let G be an infinite group, and let Z 2 G be the wreath product of the infinite cyclic groupZ with G. Passman proved that for fields K with transcendence degree greater than or equal to the cardinality of G, the group ring K[Z 2 G] is primitive [8]. For any other group H, Formanek proved that the group ring of the free product G*H is primitive over any field, or any domain of cardinality less than or equal to the cardinality of G [3]. Both proofs show that a comaximal left ideal exists, in order to deduce primitivity. More recently, McGregor has exhibited a faithful, simple module for the group ring of a countable free group over a field [8]. W e p rove in Section 2 an extension of Passman’s result:
Pacific Northwest Soft White Wheat for Lactating Cows

Abstract Pelleted grain rations containing 93, 83, 73, 63, 53, and 20% steam-rolled soft white wheat were compared in digestion, lactation, and acceptability trials. The alfalfa hay to grain ratio in the double-reversal lactation trial was 55:45, with a crude fiber level of 15%. Daily kilograms of 4% fat-corrected milk and percentages of fat, protein, and solids-not-fat averaged 21.6, 3.7, 3.6, and 8.8, respectively. In the acceptability trial, grain rations were fed ad libitum and hay restricted to 1% of body weight. Treatment means of kilograms of fat-corrected milk and percentages of fat, protein, and solids-not-fat were 20.6, 2.6, 3.3, and 8.4, respectively. All grain rations were consumed in equal amounts in the lactation trial, and no preference was shown for any of six rations in the acceptability trial. Other than slight differences (P
John C. Calhoun: A Biography

John C. Calhoun was a life-long politician who was also a profound political philosopher. Within 10 years of being orphaned as a teenager he had become a Yale graduate, a lawyer, a former state legislator and a congressman-elect prepared to help James Madison lead America into the war of 1812. In 1824, he was easily elected vice-president under John Quincy Adams and Andrew Jackson and in the 1830s and 1840s was a dominant presence in the Senate of the United States. In this biography, Irving Bartlett explains the cultural and psychological forces that shaped Calhoun's political career.
Paying for Knowledge One Page at a Time: The Author Fee in Physics in Twentieth-Century America

The definition of the physics journal as an economic object has changed significantly over the course of the twentieth century. One issue debated and negotiated by academics, scholarly societies, and research patrons has been whether the journal was a public good, a private commodity, or some combination of the two. In physics, discussion of the economic status of the journal, as explored here for the journals of the American Institute of Physics, occurred in concert with the initial creation of the page-charge pricing mechanism in the 1930s, its enlarged role during the Cold War, and its diminished influence starting in the 1970s. Several factors influenced how much revenue the page charge generated. Some were obvious, such as the generosity of the research patronage; others less so, such as dominant economic metaphors, administrative decisions made by taxing and postal authorities, and changes in intellectual property law. This paper chronicles the use of the page-charge pricing mechanism for physics journals so as to reveal the often hidden, yet heated, pursuit to define the journal as an object that creates benefits for, and deserves financing from, the public at large, scholars, and research patrons.