cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Online Categorical Subspace Learning for Sketching Big Data with Misses

With the scale of data growing every day, reducing the dimensionality (a.k.a. sketching) of high-dimensional data has emerged as a task of paramount importance. Relevant issues to address in this context include the sheer volume of data that may consist of categorical observations, the typically streaming format of acquisition, and the possibly missing entries. To cope with these challenges, this paper develops a novel categorical subspace learning approach to unravel the latent structure for three prominent categorical (bilinear) models, namely, Probit, Tobit, and Logit. The deterministic Probit and Tobit models treat data as quantized values of an analog-valued process lying in a low-dimensional subspace, while the probabilistic Logit model relies on low dimensionality of the data log-likelihood ratios. Leveraging the low intrinsic dimensionality of the sought models, a rank regularized maximum-likelihood estimator is devised, which is then solved recursively via alternating majorization-minimization to sketch high-dimensional categorical data “on the fly.” The resultant lightweight first-order algorithms entail highly parallelizable tasks per iteration. In addition, the quantization thresholds are also learned jointly with the subspace to enhance the predictive power of the sought models. Performance of the subspace iterates is analyzed for both infinite and finite data streams, where for the former asymptotic convergence to the stationary point set of the batch estimator is established, while for the latter sublinear regret bounds are derived for the empirical cost. Simulated tests with both synthetic and real-world datasets corroborate the merits of the novel schemes for real-time movie recommendation and chess-game classification.
Introduction of Professor Herbert Ma and the Arc of Taiwan’s Progress

Professor Herbert Ma has always been the person to call on for Americans in Taiwan seeking to learn about China’s legal systems. His informal and low-key manner and his knowledge and zest for the study of comparative law and jurisprudence are widely admired. Herbert is unusually good at listening as well as speaking and is tolerant of various views. He is a wise person and is appreciated for his calm and open-minded perspective. When Taiwan was still in its authoritarian years in the 1960s and 1970s, Herbert played a prominent role on the NTU law faculty, trying in his patient way to inject democratic ideals into the gradually evolving local legal system through teaching comparative law and legal philosophy to the very able students who were destined to staff Taiwan’s legislature, courts, prosecutors’ offices, judicial bureaus, law firms, and law schools and to participate in its remarkable constitutional and legal transformation. Through his teaching, scholarship, and government service, Herbert has proved to be a very positive influence in the development of democracy, the rule of law, and human rights in post-World War II Taiwan.
Environment, Cellular Signaling, and L1 Activity

Transposable elements (TEs) are ubiquitous and particularly abundant in mammalian genomes. TE activity contributes to significant genome modeling and impacts the structure and dynamics of the genomes they inhabit. In humans, Long INterspersed element 1 (LINE1 or L1) is the main driver of TE activity and TE-linked mutations. Increasing studies suggest that TE activation result from a host response to environmental stimuli. This chapter presents the main reported environmental parameters that influence L1 retrotransposition. We propose that environmental effects on L1 occur through both transcriptional and posttranscriptional mechanisms.
Amygdala Reward Reactivity Mediates the Association Between Preschool Stress Response and Depression Severity

Abstract Background Research in adolescents and adults has suggested that altered neural processing of reward following early life adversity is a highly promising depressive intermediate phenotype. However, very little is known about how stress response, neural processing of reward, and depression are related in very young children. The present study examined the concurrent associations between cortisol response following a stressor, functional brain activity to reward, and depression severity in children 4 to 6 years old. Methods Medication-naive children 4 to 6 years old ( N = 52) participated in a study using functional magnetic resonance imaging to assess neural reactivity to reward, including gain, loss, and neutral outcomes. Parent-reported child depression severity and child cortisol response following stress were also measured. Results Greater caudate and medial prefrontal cortex reactivity to gain outcomes and increased amygdala reactivity to salient (i.e., both gain and loss) outcomes were observed. Higher total cortisol output following a stressor was associated with increased depression severity and reduced amygdala reactivity to salient outcomes. Amygdala reactivity was also inversely associated with depression severity and was found to mediate the relationship between cortisol output and depression severity. Conclusions Results suggest that altered neural processing of reward is already related to increased cortisol output and depression severity in preschoolers. These results also demonstrate an important role for amygdala function as a mediator of this relationship at a very early age. Our results further underscore early childhood as an important developmental period for understanding the neurobiological correlates of early stress and increased risk for depression.
The Power of Scent: Effects of Scent on Temperature Perception Due to Synesthesia: An Abstract

Most research on the impact of scent has focused on its effects on memory and brand recall (e.g., Krishna, 2012; Morrin & Ratneshwar, 2003). Scent has been shown to have an effect on behaviors through the use of mood mechanisms (Baron & Bronfen, 1994). Given the mixed findings on scents’ effects (Ellen & Bone, 1998), there is a need for further exploration in the scent research area.
Sensitive Survey Questions with Auxiliary Information

Scholars increasingly rely on indirect questioning techniques to reduce social desirability bias and item nonresponse for sensitive survey questions. The major drawback of these approaches, however...
Imaging Modalities in Pediatric Vitreoretinal Disorders

This review updates current applications of novel imaging technologies to pediatric vitreoretinal disorders. Ultra-widefield technology has revolutionized retinal imaging in pediatric patients. Color imaging, fluorescein angiography, autofluorescence, and optical coherence tomograpy (OCT) have all been adapted to capture the anterior segment and the posterior pole in children, and serve as valuable tools in diagnosis, management, and documentation of disease processes over time. The role of intraoperative OCT and 3D heads-up visualization technologies continues to evolve with improvement in intraoperative visualization and surgical outcomes. New imaging technologies have the ability to improve our understanding and management of pediatric vitreoretinal disorders.
Far away, so close: technology, spectatorship, and the pasts and futures of pornography studies

ABSTRACTThis article was presented as a keynote address at MAGIS Spring School, Gorizia, Italy on 1 April 2017. Tracing the ways in which technology, pornography, and pornography studies have reifi...
TOWARDS THE DEVELOPMENT OF EFFICIENT SOFTWARE FOR ENVIROMENTAL MODELS

A preliminary effort is being mode towards the systematic development of efficient portable routines for use with enviromental models. A finite element collocation method is proposed as a first candidate. The method is applied to prey-preditor models described by nonlinear tine dependent problems. The flexibility and efficiency of the method are discussed.
NEURAXIAL INFUSION IN THE MANAGEMENT OF CANCER PAIN

Pain due to malignancy can be controlled through simple means in most patients. In certain refractory cases, however, the chronic delivery of analgesics to the epidural or subarachnoid space may be appropriate. This review will discuss criteria for patient selection for neuraxial drug delivery, the technologic systems available for neuraxial drug delivery, and criteria for selection of the appropriate technology in the individual patient.
Design Science Research Frameworks

The founding father of design science was Herbert E. Simon. Well known for his work on AI, decision making, and economics, Simon wrote a thought-provoking book called Sciences of the Artificial in the 1960s (Simon 1996). His profound insight was that certain phenomena or entities are “artificial” in the sense that they are contingent to the goals or purposes of their designer. In other words, they could have been different had the goals been different (as opposed to natural phenomena which are necessarily evolved given natural laws). He further posits: Since artifacts are contingent, how is a science of the artificial possible? How to study artifacts empirically? On the other hand, Simon also deals with the notion of complexity. This is necessary because artificiality and complexity are inextricably interwoven.
A sarcoidosis genetic linkage consortium: the sarcoidosis genetic analysis (SAGA) study.

Background Sarcoidosis, a systemic granulomatous disease of unknown etiology, likely results from an environmental insult in a genetically susceptible host. In the United States of America, African Americans have a higher sarcoidosis incidence and suffer greater morbidity than Caucasians. Methods A sarcoidosis genetic linkage study consortium was established to recruit African-American affected sib pair (ASP) families to identify chromosomal regions that may harbor sarcoidosis susceptibility genes and to determine if environmental factors modify any genetic effects. Results We successfully met our goal of enrolling 359 ASPs using a multifaceted recruitment approach. In the total 559 sib pairs that were enrolled, genetic analyses revealed incorrectly specified relationships that required reclassification or removal from the analysis dataset of 10.4% of reported full and 1.4% of reported half sib pairs. The final study sample comprised 415 full and 104 half sib pairs with complete data. This included 338 ASPs. Within sib pairs, affection status was not associated with sex. Only 15 per cent of the 229 families had three or more affected sibs, but they contributed 42 per cent of the ASP total. Conclusions The SAGA study experience should provide useful lessons and information to serve others in conducting genetic studies of complex diseases in African-American families.
Social Ties, Disorder and Distress: A Qualitative Examination of the Protective Effects of Social Capital in Neighborhoods

This paper is examines how social ties mediate the negative impact of neighborhood disorder by changing people’s perceptions of their neighborhood. It draws on and helps to advance an understanding of social capital as a protective cognitive resource that people use to frame their understandings of their local environments. This paper extends current research about the importance of social capital as a protective factor at the neighborhood level while taking advantage of a unique research setting, a Habitat for Humanity neighborhood, to begin to uncover how social capital operates at the micro-level to produce positive effects. We find that social networks operate as a resource which impacts the way people perceive and interpret agreed upon problems.
The Evolution of the Program Coordinator: From One Valve to the Whole Heart

Comment from Kimberly Atianzar, MD Editor, Fellow and Early Career Structuralists Forum Medical Director, Structural Heart Program Medical Director, Structural Imaging Medical College of Georgia at...
From inverse design to implementation of practical and robust photonics (Conference Presentation)

We have recently developed a computational approach to inverse-design photonics based on desired performance, with fabrication constraints and structure robustness incorporated in design process. Our approach performs physics guided search through the full parameter space until an optimal solution is reached. Resulting device designs are non-intuitive, but are fabricable using standard techniques, resistant to temperature variations of hundreds of degrees, typical fabrication errors, and they outperform state of the art counterparts by orders of magnitide in footprint, efficiency and stability. This is completely different from conventional approach to design photonics, which is almost always performed by brute-force or intuition-guided tuning of a few parameters of known structures, until satisfactory performance is achieved, and which almost always leads to sub-optimal designs. Apart from integrated photonics, our approach is also applicable to any other optical and quantum optical devices and systems. We illustrate this with a number of demonstrated photonic devices and circuits in silicon and in diamond.
Pathways to Paraptosis After ER Photodamage in OVCAR-5 Cells

A death mode termed paraptosis is initiated by photodamage to the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). This is characterized by an extensive pattern of cytoplasmic vacuole formation and leads to a gradual loss of cytoplasm and of viability. Many photosensitizers in clinical use target sub-cellular organelles that include the ER and can, therefore, invoke paraptosis as well as apoptosis. In this study, we explore pathways to paraptosis in OVCAR-5, an ovarian cancer cell line of human origin. At low PDT doses, the route to paraptosis follows the pattern that occurs after chemotherapy, that is, a pattern of vacuole formation that can be suppressed by MAPK antagonists or inhibition of new protein synthesis. At PDT doses clinically pertinent for tumor eradication, the pathway to paraptosis appears to be independent of these factors. In addition to morphologic changes, translocation of the nuclear protein HMGB1(high mobility group protein B1) to the cell periphery has been described as a potential marker for drug-induced paraptosis. This occurs to only a very minor extent after a lethal PDT dose that targets the ER. It appears that a lethal level of ER photodamage can initiate a different pathway to paraptosis, perhaps associated with ER protein cross-linking.
Development and Evaluation of a Web Application for Prenatal Care Coordinators in the United States

Technology-based solutions have been developed to enhance competencies of maternity health workers (MHWs) in the developing countries, but there has been a limited exploration of such tools in the developed world. We developed a web-based application to support care coordination tasks of the prenatal care coordinators (PNCCs) in U.S. using a 3-phase methodology. During the first phase, following key functionalities were identified in collaboration with an expert panel: assessment, information prescription, collaborative calendar, and secure messaging. The second phase was about iterative and incremental development of the app with the expert panel using modular design and easy to use interfaces. This led to the development of a password-protected PHP web application based on a MySQL database. An outside panel consisting of sixteen PNCCs evaluated the tool and provided feedback on perceived benefits, risks and concerns. The evaluators thought that the app could be help them save resources, empower clients, identify risks, maintain continuity of care and simplify documentation. However, they expressed concerns about feasibility of the tool, implementation cost, compliance with guidelines, security issues related to storage of client data and complexity of managing a paperless system. Concerns of MHWs in the developed and developing countries have a significant overlap, hence there is an opportunity for the developed world to learn from research targeted for the developing world. To address some specific concerns of the MHWs in the developed world, we recommend further ethnographic work assuming an activity theoretic approach with the target users.
Synthesis of enantiomerically pure fire ant venom alkaloids: Solenopsins and isosolenopsins A, B and C

Concise and efficient methods for the synthesis of enantiomers of fire ant venom alkaloids solenopsin and isosolenopsin A, B, and C are described. These syntheses are based on diastereoselective electrophilic substitution of enatiomerically-pure α-lithiated 2-alkylpiperidine.
What parents know: risk and responsibility in United States education policy and parents’ responses

In this special issue exploring parents’ responses to neoliberal policy changes, especially shifting notions of risk and responsibility, this article provides a historical account of local and nati...
Analyzing the Cascading Effect of Traffic Congestion Using LSTM Networks

This paper presents a data-driven approach for predicting the propagation of traffic congestion at road segments as a function of the congestion in their neighboring segments. In the past, this problem has mostly been addressed by modelling the traffic congestion over some standard physical phenomenon through which it is difficult to capture all the modalities of such a dynamic and complex system. While other recent works have focused on applying a generalized data-driven technique on the whole network at once, they often ignore intersection characteristics. On the contrary, we propose a city-wide ensemble of intersection level connected LSTM models and propose mechanisms for identifying congestion events using the predictions from the networks. To reduce the search space of likely congestion sinks we use the likelihood of congestion propagation in neighboring road segments of a congestion source that we learn from the past historical data. We validated our congestion forecasting framework on the real world traffic data of Nashville, USA and identified the onset of congestion in each of the neighboring segments of any congestion source with an average precision of 0.9269 and an average recall of 0.9118 tested over ten congestion events.
Unsupervised Translation Quality Estimation for Digital Entertainment Content Subtitles

We demonstrate the potential for using aligned bilingual word embeddings in developing an unsupervised method to evaluate machine translations without a need for parallel translation corpus or refe...
Associations of Novel Dietary and Lifestyle Inflammation Scores with Incident, Sporadic Colorectal Adenoma.

Background: Colorectal carcinogenesis is mechanistically linked to inflammation and is highly associated with diet and lifestyle factors that may affect chronic inflammation. We previously developed dietary (DIS) and lifestyle (LIS) inflammation scores, comprising inflammation biomarker–weighted components, to characterize the collective contributions of 19 food groups and four lifestyle exposures to systemic inflammation. Both scores were more strongly directly associated with circulating inflammation biomarkers in three validation populations, including a subset of the study population described below, than were the previously reported dietary inflammatory index and empirical dietary inflammatory pattern. Methods: We calculated the DIS and LIS in three pooled case–control studies of incident, sporadic colorectal adenoma (N = 765 cases and 1,986 controls) with extensive dietary and lifestyle data, and investigated their associations with adenoma using multivariable unconditional logistic regression. Results: For those in the highest (more proinflammatory) relative to the lowest (more anti-inflammatory) quintiles of the DIS and LIS, the multivariable-adjusted ORs were 1.31 [95% confidence interval (CI), 0.98–1.75; Ptrend = 0.09] and 1.98 (95% CI, 1.48–2.66; Ptrend Conclusions: These results support that diets and lifestyles with higher balances of pro- to anti-inflammatory exposures may be associated with higher risk for incident, sporadic colorectal adenoma. Impact: Our findings support further investigation of the DIS and LIS in relation to colorectal neoplasms.
Postgrowth Imaginaries: New Ecologies and Counterhegemonic Culture in Post-2008 Spain: Iñakí I. Prádanos. Liverpool UP, 2018. 246 pp., Hardcover.

With the publication of Postgrowth Imaginaries: New Ecologies and Counterhegemonic Culture in Post-2008 Spain, Luis I. Pradanos (Inaki), Associate Professor of Spanish at Miami University, delivers...
Willingness-to-accept pharmaceutical retail inconvenience: evidence from a contingent choice experiment.

Objectives Restrictions on retail purchases of pseudoephedrine are one regulatory approach to reduce the social costs of methamphetamine production and use, but may impose costs on legitimate users of nasal decongestants. This is the first study to evaluate the costs of restricting access to medications on consumer welfare. Our objective was to measure the inconvenience cost consumers place on restrictions for cold medication purchases including identification requirements, purchase limits, over-the-counter availability, prescription requirements, and the active ingredient. Methods We conducted a contingent choice experiment with Amazon Mechanical Turk workers that presented participants with randomized, hypothetical product prices and combinations of restrictions that reflect the range of public policies. We used a conditional logit model to calculate willingness-to-accept each restriction. Results Respondents’ willingness-to-accept prescription requirements was $14.17 ($9.76–$18.58) and behind-the-counter restrictions was $9.68 ($7.03–$12.33) per box of pseudoephedrine product. Participants were willing to pay $4.09 ($1.66–$6.52) per box to purchase pseudoephedrine-based products over phenylephrine-based products. Conclusions Restricting access to medicines as a means of reducing the social costs of non-medical use can imply large inconvenience costs for legitimate consumers. These results are relevant to discussions of retail access restrictions on other medications.
Reflection on the Matyjaszewski Lab Webinar Series and the Rise of Webinars in Polymer Chemistry

Webinar series are helping our community of polymer scientists to stay engaged and connected, despite the cancellation of in-person meetings and the periodic closure of laboratories to contain the ...
Friend or Foe? Impacts of Dietary Xylans, Xylooligosaccharides, and Xylanases on Intestinal Health and Growth Performance of Monogastric Animals

This paper discusses the structural difference and role of xylan, procedures involved in the production of xylooligosaccharides (XOS), and their implementation into animal feeds. Xylan is non-starch polysaccharides that share a β-(1-4)-linked xylopyranose backbone as a common feature. Due to the myriad of residues that can be substituted on the polymers within the xylan family, more anti-nutritional factors are associated with certain types of xylan than others. XOS are sugar oligomers extracted from xylan-containing lignocellulosic materials, such as crop residues, wood, and herbaceous biomass, that possess prebiotic effects. XOS can also be produced in the intestine of monogastric animals to some extent when exogenous enzymes, such as xylanase, are added to the feed. Xylanase supplementation is a common practice within both swine and poultry production to reduce intestinal viscosity and improve digestive utilization of nutrients. The efficacy of xylanase supplementation varies widely due a number of factors, one of which being the presence of xylanase inhibitors present in common feedstuffs. The use of prebiotics in animal feeding is gaining popularity as producers look to accelerate growth rate, enhance intestinal health, and improve other production parameters in an attempt to provide a safe and sustainable food product. Available research on the impact of xylan, XOS, as well as xylanase on the growth and health of swine and poultry, is also summarized. The response to xylanase supplementation in swine and poultry feeds is highly variable and whether the benefits are a result of nutrient release from NSP, reduction in digesta viscosity, production of short chain xylooligosaccharides or a combination of these is still in question. XOS supplementation seems to benefit both swine and poultry at various stages of production, as well as varying levels of XOS purity and degree of polymerization; however, further research is needed to elucidate the ideal dosage, purity, and degree of polymerization needed to confer benefits on intestinal health and performance in each respective species.
Predictive factors of radioiodine therapy failure in Graves' Disease: A meta-analysis.

Abstract Background I-131 therapy is a common treatment modality for adults with Graves’ Disease (GD). Utilizing meta-analysis, we examined patient specific factors that predict I-131 therapy failure. Methods Literature search followed PRISMA. Comprehensive Meta-analysis (version 3.0) was used. Mantel-Haenszel test with accompanying risk ratio and confidence intervals evaluated categorical variables. Continuous data was analyzed using inverse variance testing yielding mean difference or standardized mean difference. Decision tree algorithms identified variables of high discriminative performance. Results 4822 collective patients across 18 studies were included. Male sex (RR = 1.23, 95%CI = 1.08–1.41, p = 0.002), I-131 therapy 6 months after GD diagnosis (RR = 2.10, 95%CI = 1.45–3.04, p Conclusion Patient characteristics can predict the likelihood of I-131 therapy failure in GD. Definitive surgical treatment may be a reasonable option for those patients.
Enhancing the tropism of bacteria via genetically programmed biosensors.

Engineered bacteria for therapeutic applications would benefit from control mechanisms that confine the growth of the bacteria within specific tissues or regions in the body. Here we show that the tropism of engineered bacteria can be enhanced by coupling bacterial growth with genetic circuits that sense oxygen, pH or lactate through the control of the expression of essential genes. Bacteria that were engineered with pH or oxygen sensors showed preferential growth in physiologically relevant acidic or oxygen conditions, and reduced growth outside the permissive environments when orally delivered to mice. In syngeneic mice bearing subcutaneous tumours, bacteria engineered with both hypoxia and lactate biosensors coupled through an AND gate showed increased tumour specificity. The multiplexing of genetic circuits may be more broadly applicable for enhancing the localization of bacteria to specified niches. The tropism of engineered bacteria in vivo can be enhanced by genetic circuits, linked by AND-gate logic, that couple bacterial sensing and growth.
Polymorphous Low-Grade Neuroepithelial Tumor of the Young (PLNTY): Molecular Profiling Confirms Frequent MAPK Pathway Activation.

Polymorphous low-grade neuroepithelial tumor of the young (PLNTY) is a recently described epileptogenic tumor characterized by oligodendroglioma-like components, aberrant CD34 expression, and frequent mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway activation. We molecularly profiled 13 cases with diagnostic histopathological features of PLNTY (10 female; median age, 16 years; range, 5-52). Patients frequently presented with seizures (9 of 12 with available history) and temporal lobe tumors (9 of 13). MAPK pathway activating alterations were identified in all 13 cases. Fusions were present in the 7 youngest patients: FGFR2-CTNNA3 (n = 2), FGFR2-KIAA1598 (FGFR2-SHTN1) (n = 1), FGFR2-INA (n = 1), FGFR2-MPRIP (n = 1), QKI-NTRK2 (n = 1), and KIAA1549-BRAF (n = 1). BRAF V600E mutation was present in 6 patients (17 years or older). Two fusion-positive cases additionally harbored TP53/RB1 abnormalities suggesting biallelic inactivation. Copy number changes predominantly involving whole chromosomes were observed in all 10 evaluated cases, with losses of chromosome 10q occurring with FGFR2-KIAA1598 (SHTN1)/CTNNA3 fusions. The KIAA1549-BRAF and QKI-NTRK2 fusions were associated respectively with a 7q34 deletion and 9q21 duplication. This study shows that despite its name, PLNTY also occurs in older adults, who frequently show BRAF V600E mutation. It also expands the spectrum of the MAPK pathway activating alterations associated with PLNTY and demonstrates recurrent chromosomal copy number changes consistent with chromosomal instability.
The diagnostic implications of steroid binding in malignant tissues.

Publisher Summary The chapter is limited to an overview of the principal features of the interaction pathway of the estrogens that serves as a prototype for the interaction of other classes of steroid hormones in their respective target tissues. During the course of differentiation, certain tissues acquire a need for continued exposure to minute amounts of steroid hormones for their optimal growth or function. Early studies in immature rats and hexestrol in young goats and sheep demonstrated clearly that hormone-dependent tissues of the female reproductive tract are also characterized by the presence of an estrogen-binding component, called estrogen receptor, estrophile, or estrophilin. Certain cancers likewise contain steroid hormone receptors. During neoplastic transformation some but not all tumors derived from hormone dependent tissues retain the receptor systems characteristic of their cells of origin. The chapter discusses the role of estrogen receptors in experimental mammary tumors. The clinical application of receptor studies in predicting hormone dependency in human breast cancer and in other endocrine-sensitive human neoplasms is also discussed.
Recognition of adenovirus E1A gene products on immortalized cell surfaces by cytotoxic T lymphocytes.

Abstract The experiments described in this report were designed to examine whether target cells transfected with the adenovirus E1A gene and exhibiting increased susceptibility to lysis by natural killer cells and activated macrophages (J. L. Cook, T. A. Walker, A. M. Lewis, Jr., H. E. Ruley, F. L. Graham, and S. H. Pilder, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 83:6965-6969, 1986) also express E1A proteins on their surfaces. MT1A, 12S, and 13S are strain Fischer baby rat kidney (BRK) cell lines immortalized by transfection with plasmids containing only the E1A gene of nononcogenic adenovirus. All of these cell lines were effective in stimulating the generation of cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) in vitro, provided that the cultures were supplemented with an exogenous source of lymphokine and that the responding lymphocytes were from syngeneic Fischer rats previously immunized with a cell line containing the intact E1A gene. HrA2, a Fischer BRK cell line immortalized by transfection with a plasmid containing only exon 1 of the E1A gene, did not generate, nor was it lysed by, E1A-specific CTL. The cytolytic activity of E1A-specific CTL was blocked by antiserum from Fischer rats immunized with purified E1A proteins synthesized in Escherichia coli, supporting the conclusion that an epitope on E1A proteins encoded by the intact E1A gene constitutes part of the CTL target structure on adenovirus-transformed cells. These data suggest that in addition to their functions within host cells, E1A gene products are important immunogenic determinants on the surfaces of adenovirus-transformed cells.
Inhibition of Hepatic Enzyme Induction as a Sensitive Assay for Endotoxin

Bacterial endotoxins in mice reduced the induction by cortisone of two hepatic enzymes, tryptophan oxygenase, and phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase, they prevented the glyconeogenesis in liver induced by the same hormone, and they induced in intact animals the liver enzyme tyrosine-α-ketoglutarate transaminase, all in proportion to their ld50. When cortisone was given in the least amount (100 μg), it resulted in near maximal induction of tryptophan oxygenase; a smaller amount of endotoxin reduced significantly the level of enzyme than that required when 5 mg of hormone was injected. The smallest amount of endotoxin that prevented tryptophan oxygenase induction was given intravenously to adrenalectomized mice in which 25 μg of cortisone was administered. The amount (0.01 μg) is 1/40,000th of the ld50. The other metabolic processes subject to alteration by endotoxin required at least 100 to 400 times as much. This property of endotoxin can serve as a sensitive bioassay, although the dose-response curve is steep.
The Sight and Sound of Music, on Wendy Everett's Terrence Davies

Wendy Everett _Terrence Davies_ Manchester: Manchester University Press, 2004 ISBN 0719060621 246 pp.
Integrating diverse information resources: capturing meaning in a sea of data

The growth of networked databases and other multimedia resources heightens the need for effective means of integrating diverse information. To use multiple information sources effectively we need to understand the different meanings of data from different sources. Describing the semantics and context of the data makes it possible to bridge these differences. When we search indices we really are asking for data with a certain meaning. Yet our search terms often have different interpretations in different databases. As we rely increasingly on intelligent computational agents to filter the ever growing information overload, we must describe enough of the meaning to these agents so that they can manage the data effectively for our benefit.
Enzymatic degradation of uracil-containing deoxyribonucleic acid. V. Survival of Escherichia coli and coliphages treated with sodium bisulfite

A number of mutants of Escherichia coli defective in the ung gene (structural gene for uracil-deoxyribonucleic acid [ura-DNA] glycosylase) are shown to be abnormally sensitive to treatment with sodium bisulfite when compared with congenic ung+ strains. These results provide further evidence that sodium bisulfite causes the deamination of cytosine to uracil in DNA and that ura-DNA glycosylase is required for the repair of U-G mispairs. The effect of the chemical is apparently selective with respect to base damage; coliphages containing cytosine in their DNA are inactivated by treatment with sodium bisulfite, whereas those containing hydroxymethylcytosine are not. ura-DNA glycosylase and the major apurinic-apyrimidinic endonuclease of E. coli may function in the same repair pathway, since the extent of inactivation of a congenic set of strains which are ung xth (structural gene for the major apurinic-apyrimidinic endonuclease of E. coli) or ung xth+ is the same.
Large sets containing copies of small sets

We investigate what large sets of real numbers such as uncountable, open, second Baire category, or positive Lebesgue measure contain copies of small sets such as nite, countable, or bounded. Some remarks
A systems approach to John Wayne airport security

The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 dramatically changed America's feeling of security. The American people called for stricter security standards on all flights. On November 19, 2001, President George W. Bush signed the Aviation and Transportation Security Act, establishing a new law. Under this new law, the transportation security administration (TSA) would be responsible for regulating all airport security throughout the US. Among other things, this law states that 100% of passenger baggage must be screened for explosives, weapons, and other harmful materials or objects at all federally regulated airports no later than December 31, 2002. We focus on using systems engineering to solve the problem of screening all passengers and luggage while maintaining smooth airport operations that satisfy the traveler.
Great man or great myth? A quantitative review of the relationship between individual differences and leader effectiveness

This study presents a meta-analysis of 25 individual differences proposed to be related to effective leadership, with an emphasis on comparing trait-like (e.g. personality and intelligence) to state-like individual differences (e.g. knowledge and skills). The results indicate that although both trait-like (achievement motivation, energy, dominance, honesty/integrity, self-confidence, creativity, and charisma) and state-like (interpersonal skills, oral communication, written communication, administrative/management skills, problem-solving skills, and decision making) individual differences were consistent predictors of effective leadership, the impact of trait-like and state-like individual differences was modest overall and did not differ substantially (ρ= .27 and .26, respectively). Finally, organizational level of the leader, method of predictor and criterion measurement, and organization type moderated the relationship between individual differences and effective leadership.
Structure of DNA-lucanthone intercalated complex

Nuclear magnetic resonance studies indicate that the drug lucanthone forms intercalated complexes with the synthetic DNA poly(dA-dT)-poly (dA-dT). In the intercalated complex the long axis of the drug is perpendicular to the helix axis and parallel to the base pair axis, i.e., the long axis is perpendicular to the dyad axis.
Similarity measurement using polygon curve representation and Fourier descriptors for shape-based vertebral image retrieval

ABSTRACT Shape-based retrieval of vertebral x-ray images is a challenging task because of high similarity among thevertebral shapes. Most techniques, such as global shape properties or scale space filtering, lose or fail to detect localdetails. As the result of this shortfall, the number of retrieved images is so high that the retrieval result is sometimesmeaningless. To retrieve a small number of best matched images, shape representation and similarity measurementtechniques must distinguish shapes with minor variations. The main challenge of shape-based retrieval is to define ashape representation method that is invariant with respect to rotation, translation, scaling, and the curve starting pointshift. In this research, a polygon curve evolution technique was developed for smoothing polygon curves and reducingthe number of data points while preserving the significant pathology of the shape. The x and y coordinates of thesimplified boundary points were then converted into a bend angle versus normalized curvature length function torepresent the curve. Finally, the Fourier descriptors of the shape representation were calculated for similaritymeasurement. This approach meets the invariance requirements and has been proved to be efficient and accurate.Keywords: Shape Representation, Shape Similarity, Vertebral Image, Shape-based Image Retrieval, CurvatureFunction, Fourier Descriptors, X-ray Image
Can independence be observed in a dependent system? The case of tip-of-the-tongue states.

Caramazza and Miozzo (1997) found that speakers experiencing tip-of-the-tongue states are able to report phonological information independently from syntactic information. They used this finding to reject sequential models of production, in which syntactic units (lemmas) are retrieved before form units (lexemes). To see whether this conclusion is warranted, we performed two simulation experiments based on sequential architectures. Both models we simulated produced statistically uncorrelated syntax and phonology despite sequentially retrieving lemmas and lexemes. Finally, we analyzed a corpus of Spanish errors, finding syntactic constraints on phonological word substitution errors that are not easily explained without sequentiality.
Assessment of dynorphin-A depletion in the anorexia of Walker-256 tumor bearing rats.

Abstract Rats bearing the Walker-256 (W-256) tumor display an anorexic profile which resembles that of normal animals forced to drink 2% NaCl [2,24], a regimen which depletes neurohypophyseal dynorphin-A (DYN) [3,9]. As expected, the naloxone reversible feeding induced by 2-deoxy-D-glucose (2-DG) was attenuated (36%) in the W-256 tumor bearing rats (TBR). Interestingly, immunoreactive (ir) levels of dynorphin-A 1–17 (DYN-17) and its postulated breakdown product, dynorphin-A 1–18 (DYN-8), were also reduced in the neurohypophysis of W-256 TBR by 42 and 50%, respectively. However, ir-DYN levels were not reduced in TBR in those brain regions which are probably involved in the regulation of appetite (e.g., hypothalamus). 2-DG itself did not consistently affect ir-DYN levels in any tissue for either controls or TBR. The ratio of DYN-8 to DYN-17 did not change in response to any treatment, including the depletion of both peptides from the NIL of TBR. In summary, the present data do not support DYN depletion as being a factor which contributes to the anorexia of the W-256 TBR.
Planetary Waves in the Thermosphere-Ionosphere System.

In the limit of an isothermal atmosphere without dissipation, the equations governing atmospheric motions admit solutions corresponding to “free” (unforced) oscillations for discrete zonal wavenumbers and periods. Global oscillations belonging to the rotational subclass are referred to as free Rossby waves or Rossby normal modes. Despite the existence of mean winds, nonisothermality, and dissipation, atmospheric manifestations of these waves apparently exist. To date the study of such oscillations has been confined mainly to the troposphere and stratosphere (0-50 km), which includes the source region for the disturbances. However, there is increasing evidence that the effects of free Rossby waves extend into the mesosphere/lower thermosphere (ca. 80-150 km) and ionosphere (ca. 90-400 km). The present work draws upon recent numerical modeling results and data analyses as a framework for discussing the penetration of planetary wave effects into the upper regions of the atmosphere, especially the ionospheric dynamo region (ca. 100-170 km) and the electrodynamic interactions which ensue there. Attention is primarily focused on the westward propagating normal modes of wavenumber s = 1 (periods of 5, 10 and 16 days), and the so-called “2-day wave” which is normally associated with the mixed Rossby-gravity mode with s = 3.
Texturized dairy proteins.

UNLABELLED Dairy proteins are amenable to structural modifications induced by high temperature, shear, and moisture; in particular, whey proteins can change conformation to new unfolded states. The change in protein state is a basis for creating new foods. The dairy products, nonfat dried milk (NDM), whey protein concentrate (WPC), and whey protein isolate (WPI) were modified using a twin-screw extruder at melt temperatures of 50, 75, and 100 degrees C, and moistures ranging from 20 to 70 wt%. Viscoelasticity and solubility measurements showed that extrusion temperature was a more significant (P < 0.05) change factor than moisture content. The degree of texturization, or change in protein state, was characterized by solubility (R(2)= 0.98). The consistency of the extruded dairy protein ranged from rigid (2500 N) to soft (2.7 N). Extruding at or above 75 degrees C resulted in increased peak force for WPC (138 to 2500 N) and WPI (2.7 to 147.1 N). NDM was marginally texturized; the presence of lactose interfered with its texturization. WPI products extruded at 50 degrees C were not texturized; their solubility values ranged from 71.8% to 92.6%. A wide possibility exists for creating new foods with texturized dairy proteins due to the extensive range of states achievable. Dairy proteins can be used to boost the protein content in puffed snacks made from corn meal, but unmodified, they bind water and form doughy pastes with starch. To minimize the water binding property of dairy proteins, WPI, or WPC, or NDM were modified by extrusion processing. Extrusion temperature conditions were adjusted to 50, 75, or 100 degrees C, sufficient to change the structure of the dairy proteins, but not destroy them. Extrusion modified the structures of these dairy proteins for ease of use in starchy foods to boost nutrient levels. PRACTICAL APPLICATION Dairy proteins can be used to boost the protein content in puffed snacks made from corn meal, but unmodified, they bind water and form doughy pastes with starch. To minimize the water binding property of dairy proteins, whey protein isolate, whey protein concentrate, or nonfat dried milk were modified by extrusion processing. Extrusion temperature conditions were adjusted to 50, 75, or 100 degrees C, sufficient to change the structure of the dairy proteins, but not destroy them. Extrusion modified the structures of these dairy proteins for ease of use in starchy foods to boost nutrient levels.
Asbestos induces inflammatory cytokines in the lung through redox sensitive transcription factors

Abstract Studies are summarized demonstrating that the inflammatory cytokines, interleukin IL-6 and IL-8, play a direct role in asbestos lung diseases and are produced by lung epithelial cells in direct response to the fibers. This response is controlled by changes in the cellular oxidative/state induced by iron present in the fiber through Fenton-type chemistry. As a result of this oxidative stress, the redox sensitive transcription factors, NF-κB and NF-IL-6, which help regulate cytokine gene expression, are activated.
Metamaterials Enable Chiral‐Selective Enhancement of Two‐Photon Luminescence from Quantum Emitters

The amplification of chirally modified, non-linear signals from quantum emitters is demonstrated by manipulating the geometric chirality of resonant plasmonic nanostructures. The chiral center of the metamaterial is opened and emitters occupy this light-confining and chirally sensitive region. Non-linear emission signals are enhanced by 40× that of the emitters not embedded in the metamaterial and display a 3× contrast for the opposite circular polarization.
Pelvic inflammatory disease: Findings during inpatienttreatment of clinically severe, laparoscopy-documented disease

Summary OBJECTIVES : We evaluated the relationship between clinically severe pelvic inflammatory disease andlaparoscopic diagnosis and grading, comparative treatment with clindamycin plus cefamandole or doxycycline, and a management protocol for inpatient pelvic inflammatory disease treatment. STUDY DESIGN : Thirty-three patients who met our clinical criteria for severe pelvic inflammatory diseaseunderwent diagnostic laparoscopy. Pelvic inflammatory disease patients were randomized to double-blind treatment with clindamycin plus cefamandole or doxycycline within our management protocol; postdischarge oral antibiotics were omitted. RESULTS : Laparoscopy confirmed pelvic inflammatory disease in 23 (70%) patients; 10 (44%) had mildpelvic inflammatory disease by laparoscopic grading. Laparoscopic grade alone predicted necessary duration of therapy to response: mild pelvic inflammatory disease, 2.3 ± 0.5 days; moderate pelvic inflammatory disease, 2.7 ± 1.5 days; and severe pelvic inflammatory disease, 3.9 ± 1.5 days ( p CONCLUSIONS : Clinical diagnosis and grading of severe pelvic inflammatory disease has poor specificity.Laparoscopic grading of severity of pelvic inflammatory disease seems accurate. Both clindamycin plus cefamandole and clindamycin plus doxycycline are equally effective regimens for treatment of pelvic inflammatory disease and did not require supplementation after discharge. Our management plan is objective and practical; daily bimanual examination is the most sensitive indicator of persistent disease