cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Abstract 3026: Gastric cancer associated variant of DNA polymerase Beta (Leu22Pro) induce genomic instability and cellular transformation

Proceedings: AACR 106th Annual Meeting 2015; April 18-22, 2015; Philadelphia, PA DNA polymerase beta (Pol β) is a key enzyme for the protection of oxidative DNA lesions via its role in base excision repair (BER). Approximately 1/3 of tumors studied to date express Pol β variant proteins, and several tumors overexpress Pol β. Pol β possesses DNA polymerase and dRP lyase activities, both of which are known to be important for efficient BER. The dRP lyase activity resides within the 8kDa amino terminal domain of pol β, is responsible for removal of the 5′ phosphate group and the polymerase domain at subsequent steps fills the gaps. Previously, we demonstrated that gastric cancer-associated variant of pol β (Leu22Pro (L22P)) lacks dRP lyase function in-vitro. Here, we have employed DNA fiber labeling to quantify, for the first time, the extent to which the normal function of dRP lyase of DNA polymerase beta is critical to maintain global replication fork rates in normal gastric epithelial cells. We report that replication fork rates in L22P expressing cells are on average half of those observed with wild-type cells. In addition, we show that L22P variant promotes replication dependent double strand breaks that may likely responsible for chromosomal aberrations. These data may implicate normal function of dRP lyase is critical to stabilize replication fork stall and prevent replication fork collapse to DNA double strand breaks. Citation Format: Dawit Kidane, Jenna Rozacky, Joann B. Sweasy. Gastric cancer associated variant of DNA polymerase Beta (Leu22Pro) induce genomic instability and cellular transformation. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 106th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2015 Apr 18-22; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(15 Suppl):Abstract nr 3026. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2015-3026
Will they lead by example? Assessment of vaccination rates and attitudes to human papilloma virus in millennial medical students

Human papillomavirus (HPV) is the most common sexually transmitted infection in the United States. It is also well established that HPV viruses are responsible for a variety of cancers. Little is known about the prevailing knowledge and attitudes toward the HPV vaccine in our future healthcare providers, a majority of whom were among the first in the target age group to receive the vaccine; the same vaccine that they will in turn be expected to recommend to their patients. The aims of this pilot study were to examine the HPV vaccination rate among medical students and determine their knowledge about HPV and attitudes toward vaccination. To aid in the development of an HPV educational intervention, a needs assessment survey was administered to discover medical students’ knowledge and attitudes toward the HPV vaccine. All medical students at a Midwestern US medical school were invited to complete the survey. Two hundred fourteen of 390 medical students completed the survey with 44% having been previously vaccinated. Although 82% of all respondents believed they would recommend the vaccine to family and friends, only 40% felt knowledgeable about the vaccine and 40% felt comfortable counseling patients. More positive attitudes and better knowledge scores were found in fully vaccinated students compared to non-vaccinated students. Provider recommendation was strongly associated with HPV vaccination status. This study revealed the unique perspectives of U.S. millennial medical students as the first group of future healthcare providers to have personally encountered the HPV vaccine. Overall, students’ knowledge as well as their comfort level in counseling patients was lacking. This assessment has guided the development of targeted educational interventions to address knowledge gaps and prepare students to appropriately discuss the vaccine with patients and parents and help protect young people from life threatening cancers.
Using Mutations for Pesticide Resistance to Identify the Cause of Toxicity in Environmental Samples

Traditional Toxicity Identification Evaluations (TIE) are applied to identify causal agents in complex environmental samples showing toxicity and rely upon physical or chemical manipulation of samples. However, mutations conferring toxicant resistance provide the opportunity for a novel biologically based TIE. Populations within the Hyalella azteca complex from pesticide-affected waterways were 2 and 3 orders of magnitude more resistant to the pyrethroid cyfluthrin and the organophosphate chlorpyrifos, respectively, than laboratory-cultured H. azteca widely used for toxicity testing. Three resistant populations, as well as laboratory-cultured, nonresistant H. azteca, were exposed to urban and agricultural runoff. Every sample causing death or paralysis in the nonresistant individuals had no effect on pyrethroid-resistant individuals, providing strong evidence that a pyrethroid was the responsible toxicant. The lack of toxicity to chlorpyrifos-sensitive, but pyrethroid-resistant, individuals suggested chlo...
The prevalence of rotator cuff pathology in the setting of acute proximal biceps tendon rupture.

Background The prevalence and severity of concomitant rotator cuff pathology in the setting of proximal biceps tendon ruptures are poorly understood. Concomitant rotator cuff disease may have important implications in the prognosis and natural history of this shoulder condition. Therefore, an observational cohort of patients with an acute rupture of the long head of the biceps tendon (LHBT) was evaluated to determine the prevalence and severity of concomitant rotator cuff disease. Methods Thirty consecutive patients diagnosed with acute proximal biceps tendon rupture were prospectively enrolled. Magnetic resonance imaging of the affected shoulder was obtained in 27 patients and reviewed by a fellowship-trained orthopedic surgeon. Results The cohort consisted of 20 men (74%) and 7 women (26%) (mean age, 61.0 years [range, 42-78 years]). The dominant side was involved in 20 injuries (74%), and a low-energy trauma mechanism of injury was involved in 23 (85%). Of the patients, 11 (41%) reported a history of antecedent shoulder pain. Magnetic resonance imaging assessment revealed that 93% of patients had evidence of rotator cuff disease, including 13 full-thickness tears. Of the full-thickness tears, 3 were small, 6 medium, 2 large, and 2 massive. Pathology of the subscapularis tendon was identified in 7 patients (26%). Conclusion In this cohort, we found LHBT rupture to be highly correlated with the presence of rotator cuff disease, with the majority of patients presenting with full-thickness tears of the supraspinatus. These findings may have important implications in the treatment and prognosis of patients who present with acute LHBT ruptures.
Abstract 387: Regulation of Apolipoprotein B Secretion by Hepatic Sortilin is Dependent on Secretory Stress

Sortilin is a multi-ligand sorting receptor involved in trafficking of proteins from the Golgi apparatus to the lysosome and has been widely shown to be associated with plasma lipid traits and coronary artery disease. While over expression of sortilin in the liver reduces VLDL production, the reported effects of the genetic loss of sortilin on apolipoprotein B100 (apoB) and VLDL secretion have been contradictory and perplexing; loss of sortilin has been shown in different studies to result in both increased and decreased apoB/VLDL secretion. These conflicting studies were carried out in a variety of different models and used different methods of knocking down sortilin expression. To attempt to further clarify the role of sortilin, we explored the role of sortilin deficiency on apoB secretion in the hepatocyte by utilizing 2 in vitro models of sortilin knockdown; primary hepatocytes from Sort1-/- mice and siRNA -treated McA-RH7777 (McA) cells. In both primary hepatocytes and McA cells, loss of sortilin alone was not associated with any change in apoB secretion. The previously reported increases in VLDL secretion occurred on either the background of apoB over expression or in livers of mice on a high fat diet, suggesting the requirement for a metabolic stress. We found that apoB secretion was increased with Sort1 knockdown as compared to control in isolated primary hepatocytes from Apobec1-/-; hAPOB Tg mice and McA cells stably over expressing apoB. We then sought to increase apoB secretion by lipid loading with oleic acid (OA). While OA increased apoB secretion in all cells, there was no effect of Sort1 knockdown in this context. However, when the cells were further treated with either palmitic acid, proteasomal inhibitors, or tunicamycin (an ER stress inducer), there was an observed increase in apoB secretion with Sort1 knockdown, suggesting that sortilin regulates apoB secretion only when both apoB secretion is increased and the cell is stressed. Based on this data, we propose that hepatic sortilin regulates the post-ER fate of apoB for degradation and export and acts to coordinate intracellular apoB metabolism in response to the number and quality of apoB particles that reach the Golgi and the level of post-ER pre-secretory proteolysis activity.
The Historical Work of Pieter Geyl

It is not often that a historian writing in a “minor” language about a “minor” country attains world fame. If he is dependent upon the availability and the sometimes dubious competence of translators, he begins with at least one disadvantage. Probably an even greater handicap is that historians usually focus their attention on the “major” countries — but has anyone yet shown that size and significance are always in direct proportion? Yet, for all that “Holland is such a small country” (as the Dutch wryly admit), two of the best-known historians of the twentieth century have been Dutchmen. That the late Johan Huizinga (1872–1945), professor of history at Leiden, achieved a reputation extending far beyond the boundaries of his native land is not surprising; not only was his work of superlative quality, but his most important studies were on subjects of traditionally wide interest. The reputation of Pieter Geyl, Huizinga’s younger colleague at Utrecht embodies more of a paradox. When Geyl finally became known outside the ranks of specialists after 1945, he was past 58 years of age and had produced the bulk of his historical work, almost all of it in the history of the Netherlands. Fame came to him, however, not so much for these specifically “Dutch” writings1 as for his work as a historical critic. Although many of Gey’s critical writings are available in English (he is fluent in the language, having lived in England for two decades, and has often been his own translator when he did not write originally in English), his writings in Dutch history are sparsely represented. Several articles published during the 1920s display samples of his monographic work, while the sections of his Geschiedenis van de Nederlandse stam [History of the Dutch people] on the period of the Revolt of the Netherlands and the seventeenth century have been translated into English. My purpose in these pages is to redress the balance in some small
Antecedents and Outcomes of Organizational Commitment: A Study of Salespeople

The role organizational commitment plays in salesperson behavior is unresearched. To increase understanding of both causes and outcomes of organizational commitment for salespeople, this study proposed and tested a path model. The model was drawn from the framework for studying organizational commitment proposed by Chornco (1986).The study results imply that salespeoples' performance is not determined by commitment or by effort, but that it is positively affected by the sales manager, income and education. Commitment was positively affected by anticipatory socialization, work satisfaction and manager satisfaction. Means for building commitment are discussed, as are situations where management should stress salesforce commitment.
Reusable Functionalized Hydrogel Sorbents for Removing Long- and Short-Chain Perfluoroalkyl Acids (PFAAs) and GenX from Aqueous Solution

Per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) are man-made chemicals that are toxic and widely detected in the environment, including drinking water sources. A cost-effective treatment process for P...
Computational study of cold ions trapped in a double-well potential

ABSTRACTWe report a rigorous computational treatment of quantum dynamics of cold ions in a double-well trap using the time-dependent Schrodinger equation. Our method employs a numerically accurate ...
Pharmacy student perceptions regarding understanding of and confidence in literature evaluation following a student-led journal club.

Abstract Background Journal clubs are commonly used by healthcare professionals, including pharmacists, as a means of analyzing and applying research to clinical practice. The purpose of this research is to determine if participation in student-led journal clubs impacts students' understanding of and confidence in literature evaluation. Methods First- through third-year pharmacy students attended co-curricular journal club sessions. Students attending these sessions completed a questionnaire (Journal Club Comprehension and Confidence Instrument [JCCCI]) immediately prior to [pre-survey] and following [post-survey] the journal club session (journal club group). The JCCCI was also delivered to student pharmacists not attending the co-curricular journal club sessions (control group). Wilcoxon Signed-Rank tests were used to compare the responses to the JCCCI questionnaire. Analysis was conducted using SPSS. This research was approved by the University's Institutional Review Board. Results A total of 182 student pharmacists completed the survey (journal club group, n = 52; control group, n = 130). There were significant differences in the pre- and post-survey of the journal club group in eight of the 10 competencies; “process”, “background”, “methods”, “intervention/treatment”, “statistical analysis”, “results”, “clinical significance” and “strengths/limitations”. There were significant differences discovered between the journal club group (post-survey) and control group in three of the 10 competencies; “process”, “importance”, and “intervention/treatment”. Conclusions This study demonstrates that participation in a journal club yielded significant improvements in how students self-rated their confidence in and understanding of literature evaluation. Based on students' self-assessed understanding of and confidence in literature evaluation, student-led journal club sessions conducted outside of the traditional pharmacy curriculum offer a perceived benefit to students.
TUCK JUMP ASSESSMENT AS AN INDICATOR OF PREVIOUS UPPER EXTREMITY INJURY

Background:When using the tuck jump as a dynamic movement assessment, clinicians note movement flaws to determine injury potential and provide further training in attempt to improve movement techni...
Evidence of a largely staminal origin for the Jaltomata calliantha (Solanaceae) floral corona.

Understanding the evolution of novel features requires homology assessments at different levels of biological organization. In flowering plants, floral coronas that play various roles in plant–pollinator interactions have evolved multiple times independently, but are highly variable in their final position and overall morphology. Coronas of the Solanaceae species Jaltomata calliantha are found between the corolla and stamens, adjacent to the gynoecium, and form cups that house copious amounts of their characteristic blood red nectar. To test the hypothesis that J. calliantha coronas evolved as an outgrowth of stamens and therefore have staminal identity, we assessed their development, floral organ identity gene expression, and cellular morphology. Jaltomata calliantha coronas emerge after the initiation of all conventional floral organs on the abaxial side of the proximally modified stamens and then expand medially and laterally to form nectar cups. Overlapping expression of the B-class organ identity genes JcAPETALA3 and both JcPISTILLATA/GLOBOSA orthologs (JcGLO1 and JcGLO2), and the C-class-like gene JcAGAMOUS1-like, unites the stamens and corona. Epidermal cell shape also connects the adaxial surface of coronas and petals, and the stamen base, with remaining floral organs showing divergent cell types. Our data, based on multiple lines of evidence, support a largely staminal origin for J. calliantha coronas. However, since slightly enlarged stamen bases are found in Jaltomata species that lack coronas, and J. calliantha stamen bases share cell types with petals, we hypothesize that stamen bases recruited part of the petal identity program prior to fully expanding into a corona.
The impact of the extratropics on ENSO diversity and predictability

Several mechanisms originating in the Northern (NH) and Southern Hemisphere (SH) are argued to have the ability to stochastically force ENSO events. In this study, the impact of these extratropical mechanisms on ENSO diversity and predictability are evaluated using linear regression methodologies from information theory and machine learning applied to observational data. Overfitting is often an issue when investigating different extratropical mechanisms, as they are highly correlated in both space and time. The statistical methods in this study are specifically designed to address this issue. Results show that at 1-year lead-times, the extratropics are related to development of Central Pacific (CP), but not Eastern Pacific (EP) ENSO events. In boreal winter, the SH extratropics contribute to the predictability of CP ENSO, much further in advance than previous studies have indicated. The dominant NH predictor of CP ENSO from one winter to the next is identified as a sea surface temperature dipole in the Western North Pacific. Finally, separation of CP ENSO into its extratropical and tropical related components demonstrates that CP ENSO events with strong forcing from the extratropics start one season earlier than events primarily forced from the Tropics and thus have the potential for longer lead predictability, up to 1-year in advance of a CP ENSO event.
Pricing through ambiguity: a flocking model of the inter-dynamics between pricing practices and market uncertainties

Pricing practices of firms are an important yet the least studied aspect of the price phenomenon in sociology. This paper answers the question: why do firms, even in the same market, tend to use di...
The Eskimo-Aleut Dentition: Crown and Root Morphology.

Objective of work This paper provides an overview of crown and root morphology in Eskimo-Aleut populations of the American Arctic. For context, Eskimo-Aleut dental variation is compared to closely related American Indians and distantly related Europeans. Material and methods The characterization of dental trait frequency variation is based on observations made on approximately 10,000 dentitions scored by the late Christy G. Turner II and the author. Sixteen crown and five root traits were scored following the conventions outlined in the Arizona State University Dental Anthropology System. Results Of the 21 dental traits considered, only three showed slight differences among Eskimo-Aleuts, American Indians, and Europeans (UM1 cusp 5, LM2 groove pattern, LM2 root number). For the remaining traits, there was typically a dramatic contrast between the two New World populations and Europeans. While generally similar, Eskimo-Aleuts and American Indians showed differences in UI1 winging, shoveling, and double shoveling, UM1 Carabelli trait, 2-cusped UM2, 3-rooted UM2, and especially 3-rooted LM1. Conclusion The differences between the three groups are likely a product of genetic drift and founder effect although recent work on the EDAR V370A allele suggests some dental variables like shoveling and lower molar cusp number may indirectly reflect natural selection operating on other variables influenced by this allele. Key words Tooth Crown; Tooth Root; Alaska Natives; North American Indians; European Continental Ancestry Group.
Geographic distribution of Ovavesicula popilliae in the United States and sensitivity of visual diagnosis compared with qPCR detection.

Abstract The Japanese beetle (Popillia japonica) is one of the most destructive invasive pests in North America, causing significant economic impact to many fruit crops, turfgrass and the nursery industry. A microsporidian pathogen of Japanese beetle, Ovavesicula popilliae, discovered in 1985, proliferates in the Malpighian tubules of larvae and adults, disrupting waste-removal, mineral filtering, and fluid balance in heavily infected individuals. Most infected larvae do not survive from fall to spring, and egg production by infected females is reduced by 50%. Ovavesicula popilliae is promising as a classical biological control agent for Japanese beetle, but outside of surveys completed in Connecticut and Michigan little is known about its geographic distribution in North America. The objective of this research is to obtain a better understanding of the distribution of O. popilliae in North America. Japanese beetles were collected at 59 locations in a total of 19 different states in the USA for pathogen analysis. Overall, the proportion of Japanese beetle adults infected by O. popilliae was much greater in Michigan, Ohio, Tennessee and four states in the northeastern USA compared with sites located west of the Mississippi River (18.6 ± 13.3% and 0.6 ± 1.2%, respectively). Nucleotide sequences of the gene encoding a small subunit of nuclear ribosomal RNA (ssrDNA), obtained from GenBank for O. popilliae was used to develop a highly specific qPCR test for O. popilliae DNA. A subsample of 110 individual Japanese beetles were visually diagnosed first, then analyzed via qPCR. Visual diagnosis and qPCR detection agreed for 80.9% of the beetles tested. The qPCR assay is more sensitive than visual diagnosis (56 visually positive, 73 qPCR positive), is highly specific for O. popilliae, and will be useful for detecting the pathogen in large batches of beetles, or in beetle frass.
Immunocompromised Seroprevalence and Course of Illness of SARS-CoV-2 in One Pediatric Quaternary Care Center.

Background The burden of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is poorly understood in pediatric patients due to frequent asymptomatic and mild presentations. Additionally, the disease prevalence in pediatric immunocompromised patients remains unknown. Methods This cross-sectional study tested convenience samples from pediatric patients who had clinically indicated lab work collected and an immunocompromising condition, including oncologic diagnoses, solid organ transplant (SOT), bone marrow transplant, primary immunodeficiency, and rheumatologic conditions or inflammatory bowel disease on systemic immunosuppression, for the presence of antibodies to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Results We tested sera from 485 children and observed SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence of 1.0% (Confidence Interval [CI] 95%: 0.3%-2.4%). Two patients were positive by nasopharyngeal (NP) swab Reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), but only 1 seroconverted. Patients with oncologic diagnoses or SOT were most likely to be tested for COVID-19 when presenting with respiratory illness as compared with other groups. Conclusions Seroprevalence of antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 in immunocompromised children was similar to that of an immunocompetent pediatric population (0.6%, CI 95%: 0.3%-1.1%), suggesting an adequate antibody response. However, none of the patients who tested positive for antibodies or via NP RT-PCR had more than a mild illness course and 2 patients did not have any reported illness, suggesting that SARS-CoV-2 may not cause a worse clinical outcome in immunosuppressed children, in contrast to immunocompromised adults.
Toward cost-effective residential energy reduction and community impacts: A data-based machine learning approach

Abstract Many U.S. utilities incentivize residential energy reduction through rebates, often in response to state mandates for energy reduction or from a desire to reduce demand to mitigate the need to grow generating assets. The assumption built into incentive programs is that the least efficient residences will be more likely take advantage of the rebates. This, however, is not always the case. The main goal of this study was to determine the potential for prioritized incentivization, i.e., prioritizing incentives that deliver the greatest energy savings per investment through an entire community. It uses a data mining approach that leverages known building and energy characteristics for predicting energy consumption of houses that collectively can be considered representative of all residences within an entire community. From this model, it estimates natural gas consumption and savings, and corresponding implementation costs associated with the adoption of the most impactful energy reduction measures. The resulting savings and cost estimates allow us to develop a sequential energy reduction strategy whereby the most economic measures within the whole utility district are addressed. The results show that an energy reduction of 36% can be achieved at a levelized cost of less than $14 per mmBTU ($14,780 per MJ), demonstrating the strong potential of this approach. A corresponding Economic Input–Output Analysis captures the cascading community economic impacts of this strategy. The results show that for the roughly 45,000 single-family residences in the studied region, an initial energy efficiency investment of $26M could result in a total cascading multiplier economic impact of $41M and additional economic impacts of $2.2M for the lifetime of the considered energy efficiency measures.
Bridging the Gap between Policy and Practice: Using Negotiated Rulemaking to Build Consensus on Assessment in Special Education

This article uses Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) as a framework through which to critique federal regulation of special education assessment under NCLB. It uses the results of a CDA on the special education assessment regulations and interviews with special education teachers to underscore the wide gap between the assessment practices of special education teachers and the requirements of federal assessment regulations. This Article argues that the procedural failure to use negotiated rulemaking in the context of special education was a primary contributor to the flawed special education regulations that have been a primary source of controversy, and these flaws have remained uncorrected due to the devaluing of the knowledge of special education teachers, who are overwhelmingly female. It suggests that remedying this procedural flaw is a prerequisite to substantive improvement in the NCLB/‌IDEA assessment regime and the key to greater compliance and improved student outcomes.
BMI-CNV: A Bayesian framework for multiple genotyping platforms detection of copy number variation

Whole-exome sequencing (WES) enables detection of Copy number variations (CNVs) with high resolution in protein-coding regions. However, variations in the intergenic or intragenic regions are excluded from studies. Fortunately, samples have been previously sequenced by other genotyping platforms, such as SNP array. Moreover, conventional single sample-based methods suffer from high false discovery rate due to prominent data noise. Therefore, methods for integrating multiple genotyping platforms and samples are highly demanded for improved CNV detection. We developed BMI-CNV, a Bayesian Multi-sample and Integrative CNV (BMI-CNV) profiling method with data sequenced by both WES and microarray. For the multi-sample integration, we identify the shared CNVs regions across samples using a Bayesian probit stick-breaking process model coupled with a Gaussian Mixture model estimation. With extensive simulations, BMI-CNV outperformed existing methods with remarkably improved accuracy. By applying to the matched 1000 genomes project and HapMap project data, we showed that BMI-CNV accurately detected common variants. We further applied it to The Research of International Cancer of Lung (TRICL) consortium with matched WES and OncoArray data and identified lung cancer risk associated genes in 17q11.2, 1p36.12, 8q23.1 and 5q22.2 regions, which may provide new insights into the etiology of lung cancer.
“Low mentality” and “criminal tendencies”: Race, crime and disability in the politics of Latino men’s reproduction: “Baja mentalidad” y “tendencias criminales”: La raza, el crimen y la discapacidad en la política reproductiva hacia el hombre latino

This paper combines insights from scholarship on disability, criminalization, and the politics of reproduction to glean the contours of a politics of Latino men’s reproduction. Young Mexican-origin men’s experiences of institutionalization and eugenic sterilization in California during the early twentieth century are analyzed using a historical journal and sterilization data from one state institution. I contend that criminalization and disability were central components in a process of gendered racialization that marked young Mexican-origin men as requiring reproductive constraint. Centering these boys in the history of eugenic sterilization, this research both broadens the racial and gendered analysis and offers new insight on the way that institutionalization itself was used to manage reproduction. Moreover, this paper establishes connections between this history and contemporary carceral practices that continue to be sustained by ideologies of race, disability, and gender, thereby perpetuating reproductive injustices.
CLOSURE ON DESIGN AND TESTING OF CONE AND HYPAR FOOTINGS

THE WRITERS WERE PLEASED TO LEARN OF THE WORK BY NINAN AND VARGHESE WITH HYPERBOLIC PARABOLOID FOOTINGS IN INDIA. THEY NOTE THAT A DESIRABLE DESIGN WOULD BE ONE IN WHICH THE SAME FRACTION OF ULTIMATE CAPACITY IS DEVELOPED IN BOTH THE SHELL FOOTING AND ITS SUPPORTING SOIL AT THE WORKING LOAD. THEY NOTE ALSO THAT ARCHING ACTION BECOMES MOST SIGNIFICANT AT LOADS NEAR THE BEARING CAPACITY OF THE SOIL, AND ITS SIGNIFICANCE AT USUAL WORKING LOADS IS OPEN TO QUESTION. REASONS FOR OVER DESIGN OF THE FOOTING ARE PRESENTED. DEFLECTION MEASUREMENTS WERE USED ONLY TO DETERMINE THE LOAD-DISPLACEMENT CURVE AT THE COLUMN BASE, AND AT SEVERAL POINTS NEAR THE PERIMETER OF EACH FOOTING TO OBSERVE ANY TILTING DURING FAILURE. ATTEMPT WAS MADE TO DEVELOP AN EQUATION FOR OPTIMUM RISE-TO-SPAN RATIO OF THE HYPAR SIMILAR TO THAT FOR OPTIMUM VERTEX ANGLE OF THE CONE, BUT THE WRITERS WERE UNABLE TO DEVELOP A CLOSED FORM SOLUTION. REFERENCES: DESIGN AND TESTING OF CONE AND HYPAR FOOTINGS, ROBERT L. NICHOLLS, MOHAMMAD V. IZADI, ASCE PROCEEDINGS PAPER 5732, JANUARY, 1968.
Electron microscopy immunocytochemistry following cryofixation and freeze substitution

Publisher Summary This chapter presents methods of immunolabeling after cryofixation. It focuses on postembedding labeling of cells and tissues that have been ultrarapidly frozen (or cryofixed), freeze substituted, and embedded in resins. High-pressure freezing is emphasized as a cryofixation method because it is applicable to the widest range of samples. Moreover, the chapter discusses two techniques that permit low-temperature embedding of material that has been chemically fixed at room temperature. The most crucial variable used in the method is the reactivity of the antibody used. It should have reasonably high titer and ideally, react with antigens after fixation with glutaraldehyde to obtain the best structural preservation. Another important variable is the quality of cryofixation. In the ideal case, one would like to have cells with their water frozen in the vitreous (noncrystalline) state without cryoprotectants. The main reasons to use cryofixation rather than chemical fixation are that fixation is fast (milliseconds) and that cellular components are simultaneously stabilized. It is assumed that cryofixation, compared to conventional chemical fixation, provides images that are more likely to reflect the native structure of living cells. An additional benefit of cryofixation is that it may improve immunocytochemical localization.
Ultrastructural events associated with endothelial cell changes during the initiation and early progression of atherosclerosis.

Vascular endothelial cells maintain homeostasis by anti-adhesive and anti-fibrinolytic properties. Endothelial cell dysfunction is associated with the pathogenesis of disease processes such as inflammation and atherosclerosis. The study of endothelial cell function in the initiation and progression of atherosclerosis has focussed upon endothelial cell injury. It is now recognized that endothelium is altered by many means, including flow perturbations, hypercholesterolemia, endotoxin or immune complexes (Engelberg, 1989); and that a nondenuding injury, or dysfunction (Reidy, 1985) is likely to be associated with atherogenesis.
Actions of Insecticides in Mammalian Central Nervous System — Use of in Vivo Hippocampal Evoked Potentials

The dentate gyrus of intact, urethane-anesthetized rats was employed to evaluate the effects of different pesticide agents on granule excitability. Compounds such as the convulsants pentylenetetrazol, picrotoxin, bicuculline, and the anticonvulsant agent diazepam were also examined for comparison purposes. The data demonstrates that picrotoxin, pentylenetetrazol, bicuculline, the cyclodiene insecticide dieldrin, and the hexachlorocyclohexane (ITCH) insecticide lindane (gamma-HCH) all increased granule cell excitability and decreased GABAA-mediated recurrent early inhibition. A small decrease in recurrent inhibition was seen with the beta-HCH isomer without altering granule cell excitability. By comparison, the delta-HCH isomer was associated with an increase in recurrent inhibition and a small decrease in granule cell excitability. Diazepam greatly increased recurrent inhibition and resulted in a small decrease in granule cell excitability. Both allethrin (a prototype type I pyrethroid) and deltamethrin (a prototype type II pyrethroid) greatly increased recurrent inhibition. Analysis indicated that the pyrethroid-induced effects were primarily associated with an increase in interneuronally mediated inhibition. Deltamethrin moderately reduced granule cell excitability. These effects are unlikely to be related to direct GABAA agonism but may be secondary to an increase in tonic inhibition evoked by the same mechanisms responsible for the increase in phasic inhibition. Together these studies offer an in vivo mammalian model to study pesticide mechanisms of action and allow a comparison to proposed mechanisms established from in vitro studies.
A Longitudinal Study of Database Usage Within a General Audience Digital Library

This study reports on a longitudinal investigation of database usage available through BadgerLink, a general audience digital library available to Wisconsin residents in the United States. The authors analyzed BadgerLink database usage, including EBSCO databases sampled every two years over a six-year period between 1999 and 2005 and four years of usage for ProQuest databases between 2002 and 2005. A quantitative analysis of the transaction log summaries was carried out. Available data included database usage, title requests, session usage by institution, format requests (full-text and abstracts), and search feature usage. The results reveal changes in usage patterns, with relative requests for resources in areas such as social sciences and education increasing, and requests for resources in business/finance and leisure/entertainment decreasing. More advanced search feature usage was also observed over time. Relative usage by searchers affiliated with academic institutions has grown dramatically. Longitudinal analysis of database usage presents a picture of dynamic change of resources usage and search interactions over time. The findings of this study are more in line with results from other online database and digital library environments than Web search engine and Web page environments.
Intelligent Systems Design: Integrating Expert Systems, Hypermedia, and Database Technologies

From the Publisher: By incorporating hypermedia and expert system technologies into one convenient source, this book breaks new ground and defines the next generation of knowledge-based systems. It addresses the relationship that exists between them and provides models which accurately reflect this integration. Unique in both its breadth and scope, it first presents clear definitions of the two technologies. Following this, readers are shown how to go about acquiring workable design/development methodologies. In addition, there are six case studies presented which show the technology in action and reviews of commonly available development tools or shells.
The Perils of Online Manipulation

Online platforms are prone to abuse and manipulations from strategic parties. For example, social media and review websites suffer from sentiment manipulations, manifested in the form of opinion spam and fake reviews. The consequence of such manipulations is the deterioration of information quality as well as loss in consumer welfare. Applying the economic concept of rational expectation equilibrium (REE), we explore the impact of manipulation on consumer welfare in a Twitter-like environment. We argue that the REE outcome can be decomposed into a firm-centric effect and a rational expectation effect, and the relative strengths of these effects determine the final level of manipulation. Our preliminary empirical study on movie tweets sheds light on the reliability of sentiment analysis, and contributes to our understanding of strategic manipulation. We argue that appropriate verification strategies increase the cost to manipulate, and can consequently dissuade firms from engaging in strategic manipulations.
Querying databases by snapping blocks

A key area of focus in recent Computer Science education research has been block-based programming. In this approach, program instructions are represented as visual blocks with shapes that control the way multiple instructions can be combined. Since programs are created by dragging and connecting blocks, the focus is on the program's logic rather than its syntax. In this demonstration we present DBSnap, a system that enables building database queries, specifically relational algebra queries, by connecting blocks. A differentiating property of DBSnap is that it uses a visual tree-based structure to represent queries. This structure is, in fact, very similar to the intuitive query trees commonly used by database practitioners and educators. DBSnap is also highly dynamic, it shows the query result and the corresponding relational algebra expression as the query is built and enables the inspection of intermediate query results. This paper describes DBSnap's main design elements, its architecture and implementation guidelines, and the interactive demonstration scenarios. DBSnap is a publicly available system and aims to have a transformational effect on database learning.
Tunable all-fiber birefringence comb filters

We have demonstrated a novel all-fiber comb filter with adjustable channel spacing. The filter can be used as an element in a multi-wavelength laser and provide great flexibility in laser design. Both Lyot and Sagnac-Lyot filters have been demonstrated. The Lyot filter provides a large number of wavelength spacings with only a few fiber segments. (e.g. 40 spacings for 4 segment filter) whereas the Sagnac-Lyot filter provides a tunable filter function that is independent of input polarization. Typical values of measured insertion loss were 4 dB and extinction ratio of 15 dB. The insertion loss values can be improved by using low-loss polarization controllers and improving the fusion splicing of the PM/non-PM fiber splices.
Acculturation Process of Arab-Muslim Immigrants in the United States

While globalization has made this world smaller, interdependent, and heterogeneous, clashes among different cultures became inevitable. Immigrants leave their home country for many reasons, by choice or necessity. The U.S. is considered one of the countries that enjoys its cultural diversity. In the case of Arab-Muslim immigrants, they came to the U.S. either seeking a better life, or fleeing prosecution. They come from completely different culture, language, and religion. This move makes them prone to experience one or more challenges: assimilation, integration, separation, or marginalization. Since assimilation is very hard to achieve, integration is the ideal choice for which scholars aspier. This paper investigates the acculturation process of Arab-Muslim immigrants in the U.S. Results showed a variety of potential barriers exist hindering Arab-Muslim immigrants from successful integration into the United States society. Cultural and religious differences, distinctions in moral and ethical values, perception of gender relations, demonization of the Arab population in mass media, and discrimination are the major factors causing the overall struggles of the acculturation process.
Spin-On thin films of YBa2Cu3O7-y and La2−xSrxCuO4-y from Citrate-Polymer Precursors

Thin films of La2−xSrxCuO4 and YBa2Cu3O7-y superconductors have been prepared from citrate-polymer precursors. By a simple spin-coating and pyrolysis process, films which are dense and continuous at greater than 0.5 μm thickness have been prepared. For YBa2Cu3O7-y films deposited on SrTiO3, a large degree of epitaxial orientation has been observed, with the a-b plane of the superconductor parallel to the (100) plane of the substrate. Microstructural characterization and electrical properties measurements of these films are presented.
A model of regional growth in developing countries with an application to Thailand

Chalmers J. A. (1975) A model of regional growth in developing countries with an application to Thailand, Reg. Studies 9, 231–241. A theoretical model is developed of the size, composition, and regional distribution of production for a developing country. The theory emphasizes the inter-relationships among the agricultural, industrial, and service sectors at both national and regional levels. The model is applied to Thailand and the major conclusion is that further regional divergence is likely. The principal implication is that any successful attempt to reduce interregional inequities is going to have to be heavy-handed and that the price, in terms of national growth, will be high.
Minimally accurate nomenclature.

Our surgical specialty is minimally invasive, not minimal access. We are minimally invasive surgeons, not minimal-access (or, worse, minimal access) surgeons. The continued use of the terms ‘‘minimal-access’’ [2] and ‘‘minimal access’’ [1] in Surgical Endoscopy is unfortunate. I must ask: why ‘‘minimal access’’ and not ‘‘minimally invasive’’? Between the two terms is a difference that might seem superficial, but actually, it is quite important, especially as relates to surgery, a field in which little room for sloppiness exists, either in the operating room or in the way we practitioners describe our discipline to the world. Accuracy and meaning count, and the term ‘‘minimal access’’ is inaccurate, missing the meaning we should intend. Apply the most common definitions for the adjective minimal: ‘‘least possible,’’ ‘‘barely adequate,’’ and ‘‘very small or slight,’’ and then pair ‘‘minimal’’ with the term ‘‘access.’’ The result should hardly be describing either surgery or surgeons. The surgery we practice allows maximal access with minimal invasiveness. The term ‘‘minimal access’’ should be expunged from surgical literature, except when those words describe an unfortunately difficult operative situation in which the surgeon is struggling with precisely that problem—minimal access—which minimally invasive surgery often overcomes.
A Hydrophobic Domain of Ca-modulating Cyclophilin Ligand Modulates Calcium Influx Signaling in T Lymphocytes

Abstract Ca-modulating cyclophilin ligand (CAML) was originally described as a cyclophilin B-binding protein whose overexpression in T cells causes a rise in intracellular calcium, thus activating transcription factors responsible for the early immune response. As reported here, structure-function analysis of the CAML gene in Jurkat T cells indicates that two of CAML's putative membrane-spanning domains are necessary and sufficient for the modulation of intracellular calcium. We propose that the hydrophobic C-terminal tail of CAML forms its effector domain, thus implicating the N-terminal hydrophilic domain in a regulatory role. These findings define a novel protein motif that functions in intracellular calcium signaling.
Dependence on substrate bias of the effective mass and dingle temperature of electrons in the surface inversion layer of silicon

Abstract The amplitude of the quantum oscillations in the magnetoconductance of a silicon inversion layer has been studied as a function of gate voltage V g , for different values of the temperature T , applied magnetic field strength H and substrate bias V s . By analyzing the amplitude of the oscillations at fixed V g and V g as a function of T and H , the dependence of the cyclotron effective mass m ∗ and the Dingle temperature T D on V g and V s can be obtained. The dependence of m ∗ on V g for different values of V s is compared with the prediction of theory.
Information hiding, the Intel iAPX 432,and Ada

Information hiding principles help ensure the integrity of computer software. Additionally, those guidelines make software easier to modify and maintain. Computer architectures and languages that incorporate information hiding principles will help enforce adherence to those rules. The Intel iAPX processor and the language system Ada are, in part, based on information hiding principles.
Estimation of resting-state functional connectivity using random subspace based partial correlation: A novel method for reducing global artifacts

Intrinsic functional connectivity analysis using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rsfMRI) has become a powerful tool for examining brain functional organization. Global artifacts such as physiological noise pose a significant problem in estimation of intrinsic functional connectivity. Here we develop and test a novel random subspace method for functional connectivity (RSMFC) that effectively removes global artifacts in rsfMRI data. RSMFC estimates the partial correlation between a seed region and each target brain voxel using multiple subsets of voxels sampled randomly across the whole brain. We evaluated RSMFC on both simulated and experimental rsfMRI data and compared its performance with standard methods that rely on global mean regression (GSReg) which are widely used to remove global artifacts. Using extensive simulations we demonstrate that RSMFC is effective in removing global artifacts in rsfMRI data. Critically, using a novel simulated dataset we demonstrate that, unlike GSReg, RSMFC does not artificially introduce anti-correlations between inherently uncorrelated networks, a result of paramount importance for reliably estimating functional connectivity. Furthermore, we show that the overall sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of RSMFC are superior to GSReg. Analysis of posterior cingulate cortex connectivity in experimental rsfMRI data from 22 healthy adults revealed strong functional connectivity in the default mode network, including more reliable identification of connectivity with left and right medial temporal lobe regions that were missed by GSReg. Notably, compared to GSReg, negative correlations with lateral fronto-parietal regions were significantly weaker in RSMFC. Our results suggest that RSMFC is an effective method for minimizing the effects of global artifacts and artificial negative correlations, while accurately recovering intrinsic functional brain networks.