cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Enrichment of Terminal Deoxynucleotidyl Transferase Activity by Cell Separation

Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase is a unique DNA polymerase that can carry out DNA synthesis on an initiator molecule in the absence of a template. The usefulness of this enzyme as a biological marker for following patients during treatment and remission has been suggested. The potential usefulness of this enzyme in predicting the onset of relapse before any morphological indications has been demonstrated in chronic myelogenous leukemia patients in blast phase of the disease. In order to be able to detect low levels of TdT activity especially during remission phase, we have used cell separation techniques which can enrich cell populations containing TdT activity. A number of cell separation techniques have been developed to separate different cell types. We have used the techniques of unit gravity sedimentation and free flow electrophoresis to achieve enrichment of TdT positive cell populations. Our results show that up to 20 fold enrichment of TdT activity in normal human bone marrow can be accomplished by using cell separation techniques. With the use of free flow electrophoresis, we have achieved enrichment of TdT positive cell populations from normal human bone marrow, cells from patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia and chronic myelogenous leukemia in blast phase of the disease. No TdT positive cells were detected in patients with acute myelogenous leukemia. These cell separation techniques should prove to be useful in early detection of relapse in patients in remission.
Sorption of Benzene, Toluene, and meta-Xylene to Contaminated Site Soils

Results from adsorption studies are presented focusing on benzene, toluene and meta-xylene (BTX) as single components onto contaminated site soils obtained from an oil refinery site in New Jersey, USA. The soil material did not exhibit significant amounts of either benzene, toluene or xylene but was contaminated with other compounds. The organic matter content of these soil materials ranged from 0.14 to 2.91 percent. Results demonstrated that the sorption exhibited by the contaminated soils was not consistent with similar results obtained for “clean” reference soil systems. Results were unpredictable based on the organic carbon content of the soils.
The Effect of Answering in a Preferred Versus a Non-Preferred Survey Mode on Measurement

Previous research has shown that offering respondents their preferred mode can increase response rates, but the effect of doing so on how respondents process and answer survey questions (i.e., measurement) is unclear. In this paper, we evaluate whether changes in question format have different effects on data quality for those responding in their preferred mode than for those responding in a non-preferred mode for three question types (multiple answer, open-ended, and grid). Respondents were asked about their preferred mode in a 2008 survey and were recontacted in 2009. In the recontact survey, respondents were randomly assigned to one of two modes such that some responded in their preferred mode and others did not. They were also randomly assigned to one of two questionnaire forms in which the format of individual questions was varied. On the multiple answer and open-ended items, those who answered in a non-preferred mode seemed to take advantage of opportunities to satisfice when the question format allowed or encouraged it (e.g., selecting fewer items in the check-all than the forced-choice format and being more likely to skip the open-ended item when it had a larger answer box), while those who answered in a preferred mode did not. There was no difference on a grid formatted item across those who did and did not respond by their preferred mode, but results indicate that a fully labeled grid reduced item missing rates vis-a-vis a grid with only column heading labels. Results provide insight into the effect of tailoring to mode preference on commonly used questionnaire design features.
Protection from acute renal failure.

The occurrence of acute renal failure (ARF), defined as an acute impairment of renal function resulting in the accumulation of nitrogenous waste which cannot be reversed by altering extrarenal factors, is frequent in contemporary medicine. In a recent prospective study, 4.9% of 2216 in-hospital patients developed some degree of ARF, and in some particular clinical situations, such as intensive care medicine or following cardiovascular surgery, the percentage of patients presenting with ARF may be as high as 50% (1,2). ARF is a major problem in clinical medicine not only because of its frequency but also because it represents a major cause of morbidity and mortality (1). Thus, the development of effective means to protect the kidneys against ischemic or nephrotoxic insults is very important in order to decrease the incidence of ARF and its related complications.
Thermal Rectification via Heterojunctions of Solid-State Phase-Change Materials

Nonlinear thermal transport could provide an avenue to controlling heat flow, and a basis for innovative thermal devices. This study offers a theoretical prescription for realizing thermal rectification via heterojunctions of phase-change materials, a long-sought result in thermal physics. This general theory handles the complex heat flow arising at such heterojunctions, and indicates that a diode comprised of known phase-change materials should exhibit a thermal rectification ratio surpassing that of any individual material by a factor of 10.
Bone density screening in postmenopausal women with early-stage breast cancer on aromatase inhibitors.

6599Background: In postmenopausal females with breast cancer on aromatase inhibitors (AIs), most expert panels advise baseline bone mineral density (BMD) testing with a dual-energy X-ray absorptiom...
Digital Phenotyping in Patients with Spine Disease: A Novel Approach to Quantifying Mobility and Quality of Life

Objective To identify trends in mobility and daily pain levels among a cohort of patients with clinically diagnosed spine disease. Methods Participants with spine disease were enrolled from a general neurosurgical clinic and installed a smartphone application (Beiwe) designed for digital phenotyping to their personal smartphone. This application collected passive meta-data on a minute-to-minute basis, including global positioning system (GPS), WiFi, accelerometer, text and telephone logs, and screen on and off time. The application also administered daily visual analog scale pain surveys. A linear mixed model framework was used to test for associations between self-reported pain and mobility and sociability from the passively collected data. Results A total of 105 patients were enrolled, with a median follow-up time of 94.5 days; 55 patients underwent a surgical intervention during the follow-up period. The weekly pain survey response rate was 73.2%. By the end of follow-up, the mean change in pain for all patients was −1.3 points (4.96 at the start of follow-up to 3.66 by the end of follow-up). Increased pain was significantly associated with reduced patient mobility as measured using 3 daily GPS summary statistics (i.e., average flight length, maximum diameter travelled, total distance travelled). Conclusions Patients with spine disease who reported greater pain had reduced mobility, as measured by the passively collected smartphone GPS data. Smartphone-based digital phenotyping appears to be a promising and scalable approach to assess mobility and quality of life of patients with spine disease.
Teacher Leadership: The Missing Factor in America’s Classrooms

Few will argue that great schools are the by-products of great teachers. What is less obvious to most people is that the best teachers do not manage their students, they lead them. Far too often, t...
BLNN: An R package for training neural networks using Bayesian inference

Abstract The Bayesian Learning for Neural Networks (BLNN) package coalesces the predictive power of neural networks with a breadth of Bayesian sampling techniques for the first time in R. BLNN offers users Hamiltonian Monte Carlo (HMC) and No-U-Turn (NUTS) sampling algorithms with dual averaging for posterior weight generation. A robust implementation of hyper-parameters and optional re-estimation through the evidence procedure gives BLNN high predictive precision. BLNN is compatible with RStan diagnostic tool ShinyStan. BLNN can be used in a wide range of applications which are based on developing statistical models such as multiple linear and logistic regression, classification, and survival analysis.
Optimizing delivery for efficient cardiac reprogramming

Abstract Following heart injury, cardiomyocytes, are lost and are not regenerated. In their place, fibroblasts invade the dead tissue where they generate a scar, which reduces cardiac function. We and others have demonstrated that combinations of specific miRNAs (miR combo) or transcription factors (GMT), delivered by individual lenti-/retro-viruses in vivo, can convert fibroblasts into cardiomyocytes and improve cardiac function. However, the effects are relatively modest due to the low efficiency of delivery of miR combo or GMT. We hypothesized that efficiency would be improved by optimizing delivery. In the first instance, we developed a multicistronic system to express all four miRNAs of miR combo from a single construct. The order of each miRNA in the multicistronic construct gave rise to different levels of miRNA expression. A combination that resulted in equivalent expression levels of each of the four miRNAs of miR combo showed the highest reprogramming efficiency. Further efficiency can be achieved by directly targeting fibroblasts. Screening of several AAV serotypes indicated that AAV1 displayed tropism towards cardiac fibroblasts. Combining multicistronic expression with AAV1 delivery robustly reprogrammed cardiac fibroblasts into cardiomyocytes in vivo.
Global Biodiversity Implications of Alternative Electrification Strategies Under the Shared Socioeconomic Pathways

Abstract Addressing climate mitigation while meeting global electrification goals will require major transitions from fossil-fuel dependence to large-scale renewable energy deployment. However, renewables require significant land assets per unit energy and could come at high cost to ecosystems, creating potential conflicts between global climate mitigation and biodiversity conservation. Here, we explore the potential biodiversity implications of alternative future global electrification pathways as depicted under the Shared Socioeconomic Scenarios (SSPs), i.e., alternative trends in societal development. We examined the intersection of high-resolution estimates of global energy densities for ten renewable and conventional technologies with global richness data to estimate technology-specific biodiversity footprints (species per GWh), whereas a Cumulative Biodiversity Impact (CBI) score was used to assess land and biodiversity outcomes of alternative scenarios. Downscaled electricity generation scenarios (2020−2100) were also constrained by alternative land conservation and energy development policies. Unexpectedly, variation among SSPs did not exhibit a clear tradeoff between global climate mitigation and CBI. Rather, CBIs were an outcome of total infrastructure development to meet electricity demand (from population growth and GDP) and the total magnitude of renewable energy development and storage technologies. Renewables assembled along a spectrum from land sharing to sparing. At the land sharing end, biomass-powered electricity from dedicated crops contributed the most to biodiversity impacts due to low energy density, whereas land-sparing technologies (solar) caused more-intense land degradation, but in smaller areas. Our results suggest that local land conservation practices and strategies promoting energy diversification could have greater implications for future biodiversity conflicts than global socioeconomic drivers.
College Transformation through Enabling Agility

Government organizations and universities are traditional and bureaucratic institutions. One government-sponsored graduate-level college undertook a transformation to develop agility in spite of academic traditions and a risk-averse culture to take advantage of Information Age concepts, opportunities, and tools. As a result, the college, dedicated to developing information leaders who can leverage information and information technology for strategic advantage, is becoming increasingly agile. By engaging stakeholders, the college is sensing the learning needs of government organizations, and re-designing current, and developing new programs and tailored educational services. Through its large distributed learning program, the college is reaching students around the world, and is expanding its global reach by supporting communities of practice. College leaders streamlined the organizational design to create teams of faculty to develop and deliver programs responsive to student needs. Replacing command-and-control systems, the leaders are re-framing the organization’s reason for being, governing principles, and high-level business process design.
Perspectives on polydnavirus origins and evolution

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the origin and evolution of Polydnavirus (PDV) that exists in obligate mutualisms with some parasitic Hymenoptera. A given PDV species replicates only in a single wasp species, and all members of that wasp species carry the associated virus. Two genera of PDVs are recognized––the bracoviruses (BVs) and the ichnoviruses (IVs)–– associated with braconid and ichneumonid wasps, respectively. The PDV genera have similar genome organization and replication/transmission pathways but have no known genetic similarity. Viral gene expression in insects parasitized by PDV-carrying wasps causes physiological alterations that are essential for parasitoid survival and development. PDV life cycles have been described as having “two arms.” PDVs replicate from proviral DNA in specialized cells of the wasp oviduct. Virus replication is first detected in the late pupal stage with virus released from calyx cells by budding or cell lysis and accumulating to high concentrations in the oviduct lumen. PDVs provide an interesting system for viral evolutionary studies. The unique life cycle involves coevolution with two hosts––one mutualistic and one pathogenic––thus, imposing both reductive and diversifying selection pressures on viral genes.
Chapter 3 Effect of Dislocations on Electrical and Optical Properties in GaAs and GaN

Publisher Summary This chapter presents a review of electrical and optical effects of dislocations in semiconductors, and the effects of dislocations in gallium nitride (GaN) and gallium arsenide (GaAs). A dislocation is a line defect along which the lattice is locally distorted by misalignments of atoms. There are two basic types of dislocations: edge and screw. For edge dislocations, charge distributions are calculated to identify the positions of electron acceptors. Based on charge distributions, the filling fraction is calculated for an edge dislocation in wurtzite GaN and electron mobilities are calculated and compared with experimental results. To review dislocation effects on optical properties, a multi-subband Schrodinger equation method is formulated in real space and solved using the finite element method (FEM). Finally, the effects of dislocations on optical properties in GaN and GaAs are presented and a comparison is made between the effects of edge dislocations in GaN and GaAs.
Will Vesuvius Erupt? Three Million People Need to Know

Since Roman times, the Bay of Naples and the adjacent Campanian Plain have been considered to be attractive travel destinations. But the region has also been the site of devastating volcanic eruptions, most notably that of 79 A.D., which destroyed Pompeii. Today, close to 3 million people live in the closely spaced volcanic areas around Naples. Historical and geological records and seismic monitoring networks are now providing insights into the patterns of volcanic activity and may help mitigate the hazards of future eruptions.
Glycoprotein biosynthesis in the alg3 Saccharomyces cerevisiae mutant. I. Role of glucose in the initial glycosylation of invertase in the endoplasmic reticulum.

Oligosaccharides on invertase restricted to the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) in alg3,sec18 yeast at 37 degrees C were found to be 20% wild type Man8GlcNAc and 80% Man1 alpha-->2Man1 alpha-->2Man1 alpha-->3(Man1 alpha-->6)Man1 beta-->4GlcNAc2 (Verostek, M.F., Atkinson, P.H., and Trimble, R. B. (1991) J. Biol. Chem. 266, 5547-5551). These results suggested that alg3 was slightly leaky, but did not address whether the oligosaccharide-lipid Man9GlcNAc2 and Man5GlcNAc2 precursors were glucosylated in alg3 yeast. Therefore, an alg3,sec18,gls1 strain was constructed to delete the GLS1-encoded glucosidase I responsible for trimming the terminal alpha 1,2-linked glucose from newly transferred Glc3ManxGlcNAc2 oligosaccharides. Invertase activity was overexpressed 5-10-fold on transforming this strain with a multicopy plasmid (pRB58) carrying the SUC2 gene, and preparative amounts of the ER form of external invertase, derepressed and accumulated at 37 degrees C, were purified. The N-linked glycans were released by sequential treatment with endo-beta-N-acetylglucosaminidase H (endo H) and peptide-N4-N-acetyl-beta-glucosaminyl asparagine amidase. Oligosaccharide pools were sized separately on Bio-Gel P-4, which showed that endo H released about 17% of the carbohydrate as Glc3Man8GlcNAc, while peptide-N4-N-acetyl-beta-glucosaminyl asparagine amidase released the remainder as Hex8GlcNAc2 and Man5GlcNAc2 in a 1:4 ratio. Glycan structures were assigned by 500-MHz two-dimensional DQF-COSY 1H NMR spectroscopy, which revealed that the endo H-resistant Hex8GlcNAc2 pool contained Glc3Man5GlcNAc2 and Man8GlcNAc2 in a 6:4 ratio, the latter a different isomer from that formed by the ER alpha 1,2-mannosidase (Byrd, J. C., Tarentino, A. L., Maley, F., Atkinson, P. H., and Trimble, R. B. (1982) J. Biol. Chem. 257, 14657-14666). Recovery of Glc3Man8GlcNAc and not the ER form of Man8GlcNAc provided an internal control indicating the absence of glucosidase I, which was confirmed by incubation of [3H]Glc3[14C]Man9GlcNAc with solubilized membranes from either alg3,sec18,gls1 or alg3,sec18,GLS1 strains. Chromatographic analysis of the products showed that [3H]Glc was removed only in the presence of the GLS1 gene product. Thus, the vast majority of the N-linked glycosylation in the ER of alg3 yeast (> 75%) occurs by transfer of Man5GlcNAc2 without prior addition of the 3 glucoses normally found on the lipid-linked precursor.
On the ecohydrology of structurally heterogeneous semiarid landscapes

[1] Clarification of the coupled ecohydrological mechanisms that determine the spatial pattern and structural characteristics of vegetation in water-limited landscapes remains a vexing problem in both hydrological and vegetation sciences. A particular challenge is the fact that the spatial pattern of vegetation is both a cause and effect of variation in water availability in semiarid ecosystems. Here we develop a methodology to derive the landscape-scale distribution of water balance and soil moisture in a patchy vegetation mosaic based on the statistics of an underlying poisson distribution of individual tree canopies and their accompanying root systems. We consider the dynamics of water balance at a point to be dependent on the number of intersecting tree root systems and overlapping tree canopies. The coupling of individual pattern to landscape-scale distribution of soil water balance allows for investigations into the role of tree density, average canopy size, and the lateral extension of tree root systems on the spatiotemporal patterns of soil moisture dynamics, plant water uptake, and plant stress in a wide range of open woodland ecosystems. Our model is applied to southern African savannas, and we find that locations in the landscape that contain average vegetation structure correspond to conditions of minimum stress across a wide range of annual rainfall and vegetation densities. Furthermore, observed vegetation structural parameters are consistent with an optimization that simultaneously maximizes plant water uptake while minimizing plant water stress. Finally, the model predicts adaptive changes in the optimal lateral extent of plant roots which decreases with increasing rainfall along a regional gradient in mean annual precipitation.
Justice in Teams: The Context Sensitivity of Justice Rules Across Individual and Team Contexts1

Two empirical studies investigated the context sensitivity of various rules for fostering organizational justice using hypothetical vignettes. Study 1 compared the importance of distributive justice rules (equity, equality, need) and procedural justice rules (process control, decision control, consistency, correctability, accuracy, bias suppression, ethicality) across individual and team contexts. The results showed that team contexts enhanced the importance of equality, consistency, and decision control. Study 2 compared the importance of procedural justice rules across different types of teams. The results showed that the accuracy rule was more important in small teams, while the consistency and bias suppression rules were more important in diverse teams. The importance of other rules, including interpersonal and informational justice, did not vary across the experimental conditions.
Calendar life study of Li-ion pouch cells: Part 2: Simulation

The low rate (C/33) discharge data obtained from a calendar life study were numerically analyzed with a single particle model. The simulation showed that the stoichiometric window for the cathode shrank with capacity fade. The change of the stoichiometric window for the anode was more complicated. The aged anode became less charged when the capacity fade was caused mostly by the loss of cyclable lithium ions. The anode would be charged to a higher stoichiometric number (or state of charge, SOC) when the capacity fade became controlled by the loss of active material in the anode.
Historical Performance of Commodity and Stock Markets

This paper examines two interrelated issues in commodity markets, namely, the cyclical relationship between stocks and commodities and the function of commodity and agribusiness indexes in portfolios. A high negative correlation has existed between stock and commodity prices over the past 140 years. Moreover, the two markets have alternated in price leadership with 29-32-year cycles. The recent price dominance in agricultural commodities started in 2000, a result supported by the empirical results of the portfolio allocation analysis. For a risk-averse investor, irrespective of the period analyzed, placing funds in agribusiness and/or agricultural commodity indexes was sound investing.
Control of hydrogen partial pressures on the rates of syntrophic microbial metabolisms: a kinetic model for butyrate fermentation

A new model describing the rate of syntrophic butyrate fermentation is constructed based on a thermodynamically consistent rate law and the metabolic pathway. This model takes into account the mechanism of reverse electron transfer and proposes that the net amount of energy saved by microorganisms as ATP depends on hydrogen partial pressures in the environment. Hydrogen partial pressures thus control not only the energy available in the environment but also the energy conserved by microorganisms. This new model predicts the rates of butyrate fermentation as a product of a kinetic factor and a thermodynamic potential factor: the kinetic factor describes how butyrate concentration controls the rates; the thermodynamic factor accounts for how the thermodynamic driving force controls the rates. Increases in hydrogen partial pressures decrease the energy available, lowering the driving force and fermentation rates. To maintain butyrate fermentation at significant rates, microorganisms decrease the amount of energy conserved, maximizing the driving force. Application of the new model demonstrates that the thermodynamic driving force is a dominant factor in controlling the rates of butyrate fermentation.
Information fluid dynamics

Purpose – This column aims to investigate the possibilities of web services for the integration of information with relevant services.Design/methodology/approach – This is a viewpoint paper.Findings – This column encourages the exploration of web services based on careful analysis and semantic ontologies in order to provide relevant integration of services and information.Practical implications – The rapid proliferation of web services – whether RESTful or SOAP based – offers many opportunities both internally and externally for libraries, but the adoption of web services needs to be tempered with careful planning and analysis.Originality/value – The column offers some interesting suggestions for exploring theoretical options in the adoption of web service information and services. Some technical aspects of web service technology are discussed and then related to the core mission of librarianship, which is to assist patrons in navigating the great breadth of data available in increasing quantities via web...
Elasticity solutions for constant and linearly varying loads applied to a rectangular surface patch on the elastic half-space

The solution of the point load problem in the half-space is well known in the theory of elasticity. Using direct integration, the point solution can theoretically be used to develop the solution for loading various contact areas with a variety of loading profiles. Unfortunately, anything more complicated than constant pressure loading has previously required numerical integration, and hence, no closed form solution was obtainable. Partial solutions, i.e. solutions valid only on the surface of the half-space have also been available. This paper presents the methodology to generate complete solutions to the integrals for constant and linearly varying loads applied in both the normal and tangential directions everywhere in the half-space.
Fluorescent properties of bovine serum albumin-bilirubin complex.

Abstract Binding of bilirubin to bovine serum albumin produces fluorescence at 530 nm, when activated at 435 nm and changes in the visible absorption spectra are correlated with fluorescence. The titration of the bovine albumin with bilirubin shows one to one molar binding capacity. Addition of compounds such as salicylate, acetylsalicylates, sulfisoxazole showed little or no effect whereas, oleic acid, and dimethylsulfoxide altered the binding curves slightly. Carboxymethylated albumin reduced the binding capacity approximately by one-third. Application of this technique to the determination of binding capacity of neonatal serum is feasible because of the utilization of small quantities of protein solution.
Cache-conscious runtime optimization for ranking ensembles

Multi-tree ensemble models have been proven to be effective for document ranking. Using a large number of trees can improve accuracy, but it takes time to calculate ranking scores of matched documents. This paper investigates data traversal methods for fast score calculation with a large ensemble. We propose a 2D blocking scheme for better cache utilization with simpler code structure compared to previous work. The experiments with several benchmarks show significant acceleration in score calculation without loss of ranking accuracy.
Electron-Proton Elastic Scattering at 1 and 4 BeV

The cross section was measured at forward electron angles to detect possible deviations from the Rosenbluth formula. Data were obtained at 4-Bev incident electron energy with q/sup 2/ = 6, 10, 14, and 18 F/sup -2/, and at 1 Bev with q/sup 2/ = 6, 10, and 14 F/sup -2/. The results are consistent with a photon Regge trajectory of zero slope. A core term is indicated in the values of the proton's charge form factor extracted from the 4-Bev data. (auth)
TIME-DEPENDENT DEFORMATION OF PULTRUDED FIBER REINFORCED POLYMER COMPOSITE COLUMNS

This paper describes an experimental investigation into the time-dependent deformation of pultruded glass fiber reinforced polymer (GFRP) composite columns under an axial-compressive loading at the environmental controlling room with a constant temperature and relative humidity. Tests were conducted on two types of cross-sectional columns: closed-cross section such as square tube (box) and opened-cross section such as wide flange. Both types of columns were 1,200 mm in length, and had cross-sectional dimensions of 102 mm×102 mm and with a 6.4 mm thickness. A total of eight GFRP composite columns were tested at four different stress levels; 20, 30, 40, and 50% of the average ultimate compressive strength from the short-term column tests. The experiments were conducted for approximately 2,500 h with an individual hydraulic loading jack system. The test results indicate that Findley’s power law model can be successfully used to predict time-dependent deformation of GFRP composite columns, and the time-depend...
Effect of polymer coatings from CO2, on water‐vapor transport in porous media

A variety of perfluorinated polyethers were coated onto surfaces of marble, sandstone and limestone samples from solutions in supercritical carbon dioxide. These polymers make ideal protectants for civil infrastructure by making stone surfaces hydrophobic and preventing penetration and deterioration of the stone by acid rain. The effective diffusivities of water vapor through coated and uncoated stones were measured as a function of polymer applied per unit area of sample. An analysis of the diffusive transport of water through the stones led to estimates of the penetration depths of the polymers and the percentages of blockage of the pores in the coated layers as a function of polymer surface coverage. Penetration depths were seen to strongly depend on the mean size and porosity of the stones. It is important for water-vapor diffusion to occur through the samples to prevent water condensation inside polymer-coated structural materials.
Temporal and spatial archaeal colonization of hydrothermal vent deposits

Thermocouple arrays were deployed on two deep-sea hydrothermal vents at Guaymas Basin (27 degrees 0.5'N, 111 degrees 24.5'W) in order to measure in situ temperatures at which microorganisms colonize the associated mineral deposits. Intact sections of three structures that formed around the arrays were collected after 4 and 72 day deployments (named BM4, BM72 and TS72). Archaeal diversity associated with discreet subsamples collected across each deposit was determined by polymerase chain reaction amplification of 16S rRNA genes. Spatial differences in archaeal diversity were observed in all deposits and appeared related to in situ temperature. In BM4, no 16S rRNA genes were detected beyond about 1.5 cm within the sample (> 200 degrees C). Phylotypes detected on the outside of this deposit belong to taxonomic groups containing mesophiles and (hyper)thermophiles, whereas only putative hyperthermophiles were detected 1.5 cm inside the structure (approximately 110 degrees C). In contrast, the more moderate thermal gradient recorded across TS72 was associated with a deeper colonization (2-3 cm inside the deposit) of putative hyperthermophilic phylotypes. Although our study does not provide a precise assessment of the highest temperature for the existence of microbial habitats inside the deposits, archaeal 16S rRNA genes were detected directly next to thermocouples that measured 110 degrees C (Methanocaldococcus spp. in BM4) and 116 degrees C (Desulfurococcaceae in TS72). The successive array deployments conducted at the Broken Mushroom (BM) site also revealed compositional differences in archaeal communities associated with immature (BM4) and mature chimneys (BM72) formed by the same fluids. These differences suggest a temporal transition in the primary carbon sources used by the archaeal communities, with potential CO(2)/H(2) methanogens prevalent in BM4 being replaced by possible methylotroph or acetoclastic methanogens and heterotrophs in BM72. This study is the first direct assessment of in situ conditions experienced by microorganisms inhabiting actively forming hydrothermal deposits at different stages of structure development.
HDAC inhibitors enhance the lethality of low dose salinomycin in parental and stem-like GBM cells

The present studies determined whether the antibiotic salinomycin interacted with HDAC inhibitors to kill primary human GBM cells. Regardless of PTEN, ERBB1, or p53 mutational status salinomycin interacted with HDAC inhibitors in a synergistic fashion to kill GBM cells. Inhibition of CD95/Caspase 8 or of CD95/RIP-1/AIF signaling suppressed killing by the drug combination. Salinomycin increased the levels of autophagosomes that correlated with increased p62 and LC3II levels; valproate co-treatment correlated with reduced LC3II and p62 expression, and increased caspase 3 cleavage. Molecular inhibition of autophagosome formation was protective against drug exposure. The drug combination enhanced eIF2α phosphorylation and decreased expression of MCL-1 and phosphorylation of mTOR and p70 S6K. Activation of p70 S6K or mTOR promoted cell survival in the face of combined drug exposure. Overexpression of BCL-XL or c-FLIP-s was protective. Collectively our data demonstrate that the lethality of low nanomolar concentrations of salinomycin are enhanced by HDAC inhibitors in GBM cells and that increased death receptor signaling together with reduced mitochondrial function are causal in the combinatorial drug necro-apoptotic killing effect.
Patterns of alcohol and drug use in adolescents can be predicted by parental substance use disorders.

Objective. To examine the specificity of risk for alcohol or drug abuse or dependence (substance use disorders [SUDs]) in offspring exposed to particular subtypes of parental SUDs. Methods. The original sample was derived from 2 groups of index children: 140 attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) probands and 120 non-ADHD comparison probands. These groups had 174 and 129 biological siblings and 279 and 240 parents, respectively. Results. Independent of familial risk, exposure to parental SUDs predicted SUDs in the offspring. Controlling for duration of exposure, we found that adolescence was a critical developmental period for exposure to parental SUDs. Because all our analyses controlled for social class, ADHD status, and parental lifetime history of SUDs, these results show that exposure to parental SUDs predicts offspring SUDs independently of these risk factors. Conclusions. These results support the critical importance of familial environmental risk factors for the development of SUDs in youth in general and particularly in those at high risk for these disorders. These results highlight adolescence as a critical period for the deleterious effects of exposure to parental SUDs, supporting the need to develop preventive and early intervention strategies targeted at adolescents at high risk for SUDs.
Development of distributed grid intelligence platform for solid state transformer

This paper introduces the development of a platform intended as a distributed controller for grid intelligence (DGI) system at FREEDM Systems Center. This platform serves as both a hard real-time local converter controller and a communication node for distributed deployment of energy management schemes. One of the converter devices it controls is the solid state transformer (SST), one of the key elements to interface renewable energy sources into distribution system in FREEDM Center. Both the hardware design and software structure for SST control are presented in this paper. For the communication part, the Distributed Network Protocol (DNP) 3.0 is adopted to congregate multiple SSTs to balance local generation and demands in a coordinated manner. Experiment results are presented to show that this distributed platform has good performance.
Real-time photoacoustic imaging of prostate brachytherapy seeds using a clinical ultrasound system

Prostate brachytherapy is a popular prostate cancer treatment option that involves the permanent implantation of radioactive seeds into the prostate. However, contemporary brachytherapy procedure is limited by the lack of an imaging system that can provide real-time seed-position feedback. While many other imaging systems have been proposed, photoacoustic imaging has emerged as a potential ideal modality to address this need, since it could easily be incorporated into the current ultrasound system used in the operating room. We present such a photoacoustic imaging system built around a clinical ultrasound system to achieve the task of visualizing and localizing seeds. We performed several experiments to analyze the effects of various parameters on the appearance of brachytherapy seeds in photoacoustic images. We also imaged multiple seeds in an ex vivo dog prostate phantom to demonstrate the possibility of using this system in a clinical setting. Although still in its infancy, these initial results of a photoacoustic imaging system for the application of prostate brachytherapy seed localization are highly promising.
The New Cooperative Medical System in China: A Cure for All?

This paper examines the effects of the New Cooperative Medical System in China. Data on village clinics, local hospitals, private medical expenditures, and government and social medical expenditures are collected from the National Bureau of Statistics of China. Preliminary tests are performed on multicolinearity, endogeneity, omitted variables and also reveal both heteroskedasticity and autocorrelation problems. The Newey-West estimations are used to obtain corrected standard errors for coefficient estimates. The results show that the new cooperative medical system appears to help households reduce medical expenditures and decrease numbers of deaths; it also seems to reduce the numbers of pharmacists and physicians in local hospitals, redirecting these pharmacists and physicians to village clinics.
Deviations from the normal mode spectrum of asymptotic theory

The work of Hill (1985a) on the low-degree 5 min eigenfrequency spectrum of the Sun based on differential radius observations combined with Doppler shift and total irradiance observations has been extended to include the work of Harvey and Duvall (1984) and Libbrecht and Zirin (1986). The differences between eigenfrequencies obtained in this analysis are compared to the predictions of asymptotic theory, and the deviations between observation and theory are observed to be ≈4 times larger than expected based on estimated accuracy of eigenfrequency determinations. These deviations are tested for departures from predictions of asymptotic theory which are quasi-periodic as a function of radial ordern and degreel. It is observed that the superposition of the seven distributions of frequency differences vsn obtained forl=0, ..., 6 generates an overdetermined quasi-periodic function when Δn/Δl=0.420±0.018 and Δv/Δl=−0.35 μHz in the superposition process. The probability that this quasi-periodic parent function is obtained from seven independent random distributions is estimated to be ≈1.2×10−7. Numerical experiments performed with theoretical eigenfrequency spectra demonstrate that the existence of a quasiperiodic behaviour in the superposed spectrum of frequency differences is physically plausible and that the parameters used in the superposition process are consistent with theory. One significant theoretical quasiperiodic behaviour is obtained for Δn/Δl=0.399. By comparing the properties of the observed quasi-periodic behaviour with those obtained in the numerical experiments, we infer that the location of the region which leads to the greatest departure from asymptotic theory predictions is 0.757±0.002 solar radii, which suggests that this region is connected with the transition zone between the radiative interior and the convection zone.
Corrosion of ancient Chinese bronze money trees studied by Raman microscopy

Raman microscopy was used to identify corrosion products and their locations on and within samples from ancient Chinese bronze money trees to help determine the corrosive environments the trees experienced in the past. The compounds found included Cu2 O, CuCO3 · Cu(OH)2, 2CuCO3 · Cu(OH)2, PbO, PbCO 3 and PbSO4. In addition, a number of pigments on the exterior were identified (ultramarine, Prussian blue, phthalocyanine blue, phthalocyanine green, Hansa yellow G and chrome yellow) which were applied to the artifacts in more recent times. Two-dimensional Raman mapping was applied to cross-sections of the artifacts to determine the spatial extent of corrosion products in the interior and to investigate the selective corrosion of different phases of the bronze. Raman microscopy is shown to be a useful tool to complement more traditional characterizations such as scanning electron microscopy and x-ray energy-dispersive spectrometry in the analysis of metal artifacts. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Lithocholic acid inhibits the expression of HLA class I genes in colon adenocarcinoma cells. Differential effect on HLA-A, -B and -C loci

Loss of HLA antigen expression is considered to be one of the mechanisms whereby tumor cells escape immune surveillance. We recently observed reduced or lost expression of HLA antigens during human colon carcinogenesis. We studied the effect of bile acids (BAs), long implicated in the pathogenesis of colon cancer, on the expression of HLA class I antigens in human colon adenocarcinoma cells. Lithocholic acid (LCA) decreased by 42% the expression of HLA class I antigens on the surface of these cells. This dose-dependent reduction was specific for both the target genes and the chemical structure of LCA, and was not evident in cultured liver cells. None of the other BAs that were tested manifested this effect. LCA, and to a lesser extent deoxycholic acid (DCA), decreased steady-state HLA class I mRNA levels. LCA decreased the rate of transcription of HLA-B (64%) and HLA-C (87%) but not HLA-A; DCA had a similar but less pronounced effect. In transient gene expression (CAT assays) experiments, we evaluated the role of a 0.6-0.7 kb EcoRI/XbaI sequence from the 5' flanking region of HLA-A2, -B7 and -Cw7 genes in the regulation of class I gene expression by LCA. LCA down-regulated by 70% the expression of the reporter gene for all three genes. We interpret these results as indicating a differential regulation of the three HLA loci by LCA. Our findings, demonstrating a profound effect of LCA on HLA class I gene regulation, raise the possibility that such a mechanism may be operative in vivo.
Preparation of Whole γ-casein by Treatment with Calcium Phosphate Gel

Abstract Preparations of crude whole γ-casein, containing approximately 32% γ-casein, were treated with calcium phosphate gel to develop a batch-type procedure for isolation of γ-casein. The crude whole γ-casein was dissolved to a final concentration of 2% in a .02 M potassium phosphate buffer, pH 6.8, containing 4.5 M urea and .005 M potassium chloride. β-casein contamination was progressively removed by five successive calcium phosphate gel treatments (1.5 g gel/g protein) . However, several variations of this procedure failed to remove completely the small amounts of temperature-sensitive caseins. The final product contained 94.8% y-casein but must be labeled whole y-casein due to the small amounts of the temperature-sensitive caseins. A yield of approximately 15% of the whole γ-casein originally present in whole casein could be recovered with this procedure.
Modeling impacts of climate change on Joshua trees at their southern boundary: How scale impacts predictions

Abstract Predicting ecological responses to a changing climate is becoming a critical tool to inform natural resource management efforts. Within Joshua Tree National Park (JTNP), Joshua trees (Yucca brevifolia) reach their southern-most distribution. Previous research modeling distributional shifts of Joshua trees in response to climate change have been conducted at large regional scales, predicting widespread extirpation of Joshua trees from their current southern and central distribution. Here we employed the Mahalanobis D2 statistic and constructed a finer-scale model of the Joshua tree’s current distribution within and surrounding JTNP, and then assessed their sensitivity to a gradient of climate change scenarios. Local scale analyses may identify local adaptations and climate-change refugia, a result which may not be possible with larger scale analyses. Under the most severe climate scenario we modeled (a 3 °C increase in mean July maximum temperature) there was a 90% reduction in their current distribution, nevertheless a refugium of suitable Joshua tree habitat still remained within JTNP. A niche model for juvenile Joshua trees revealed a near match with the boundary of the +1 °C shifted adult model providing a level of model validation, consistent with a hypothesis that early levels of climate change may have already had an impact on Joshua tree recruitment. The match of juvenile Joshua trees provides support for the findings of our climate-shifted niche models for the future distribution of this species within JTNP. This analysis represents a more optimistic scenario than previously published models of climate change impacts on Joshua trees.
Method for Using Images from a Color Digital Camera to Estimate Flower Number

In many plants, flowering is conspicuous in the field, but enumerating flowers is labor intensive, especially when flowers need to be counted on a daily basis. Frequent trips into plot areas and the physical contact with the plants can result in mechanical damage to plants, which can affect results. The objectives of this work were to develop methods using color digital images to estimate the numbers of flowers present in a scene captured in a digital image and to do all of the processing in a fully automated mode that would allow the counting of flowers in large numbers of images. Images of lesquerella [Lesquerella fendleri (Gray) Wats.] flowers were made using a color digital camera of field plots during the 1996 to 1997 growing season. An automated system to identify all of the pixels in an image that were flowers and to count the number of flower spots in an image was developed. Processing time for individual images was 3.5 min compared with a minimum of 45 min for manual counts. The automated methods produced results that were highly correlated with the number of flowers in an image as counted by hand. Results of the automated methods accurately tracked the temporal changes in flower number. Multiple counts of the same plants were made by the automated methods without damage to either plants that were counted or the plot. This method has the potential to be used to predict harvest dates from peak flowering, to track the response of flowering to environmental conditions, and to evaluate the effects of cultural practices on flowering.
The Small Agency/Client Relationship: The Samll Client’s Perspective

A study was conducted among small to medium sized advertisers in the midwest United States. The respondents in this study rated local agencies high in overall performance. Agencies received particularly high ratings in the areas of flexibility, creativity, meeting deadlines, and adaptability. Advertisers felt, however, that these agencies were less effective in public relations, research, and understanding a client’s business. These advertisers rated arts and graphics, copy creation, and marketing strategy as key agency functions. They also felt that sales promotion, account handling, and media planning were important functions. They placed less value on public relations, information broker services, TV programming and broadcast creativity. These smaller advertisers wanted agencies to take a leadership role in advertising and to play partnership or counselor roles in the marketing research, marketing strategy, and sales promotion areas. They were less interested in agency involvement for new product planning.