cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Water and Salt Transport in Two Cation-Exchange Membranes

Accurate measurements of the isothermal transport of ions and of water across a synthetic ion-exchange membrane were made. A feedback method was used, in which electrolyte transport is determined by the amounts of electrolyte and water respectively that have to be added to and/or withdrawn from the half-cells separated by the membrane so as to keep the solution concentrations constant. This automatic feedback is actuated by conductivity probes.
The Superlinear Behavior of Short-Circuit Current in Silicon Concentrator Cells at Concentrations up to 1400 Suns

Superlinearity data is reported for five different Si concentrator solar cells. Maxiumum superlinearity reported is 8.2%, at 800 suns on a p+/n/n+.3Ω-cm cell. Analysis indicates that an electric field in the base region is responsible for the observed superlinearity.
The Significance of TRPV4 Channels and Hemichannels in the Lens and Ciliary Epithelium

To function normally, all cells must maintain ion homeostasis, establish a membrane potential, and regulate water content. These actions require active Na-K transport provided by Na,K-ATPase. The lens, however, is made up almost entirely of fiber cells that have little or no Na,K-ATPase activity. Lens ion and water homeostasis rely on Na,K-ATPase activity in a small number of cells at the periphery of epithelium monolayer. Therefore, the function of the epithelium must be integrated with the needs of the fiber mass. This suggests that a remote control mechanism may adjust Na,K-ATPase activity to match increases or decreases of ion leakage, which may occur a considerable distance away. Here, we review evidence that TRPV4 channels in the epithelium become activated when the lens is subjected to osmotic- or damage-induced swelling. This triggers a chain of events in the lens epithelium that opens connexin hemichannels, allowing ATP release that stimulates purinergic receptors, activates Src family tyrosine kinases, and increases Na,K-ATPase activity. Recent studies also revealed functional connexin hemichannels along with TRPV4 channels in nonpigmented ciliary epithelial (NPE) cells that secrete aqueous humor into the eye. Because TRPV4 channels are mechanosensitive, we speculate they might enable the NPE to respond to stimuli such as mechanical distortion associated with volume homeostasis during fluid transfer across the ciliary epithelium or changes in intraocular pressure.
Design optimization of a dedicated breast PET scanner using TOF imaging in a partial ring geometry

A dedicated breast PET scanner with a partial ring design can provide geometric flexibility in detector placement as well as the ability to combine with other modalities. A major challenge of a stationary partial ring scanner design with limited angle coverage is to maintain image quality and quantitative information in the tomographic image by incorporating TOF information in image reconstruction. Our aim is to optimize the scanner design for high spatial resolution and sensitivity followed by an evaluation of the timing resolution necessary to achieve high contrast in small lesions as a function of ring coverage. System design simulations were performed using a GATE Monte Carlo method for modeling TOF scanners with as good as 300 ps timing resolution. Point sources in air as well as in a water cylinder were simulated to benchmark the degradation in spatial resolution due to parallax error. For a realistic imaging situation we also simulated a lesion phantom containing spheres with two different uptakes relative to the background and CRC was measured for each hot sphere. We find that using TOF information leads to reduce artifacts in a partial ring detector design and helps to achieve more accurate image reconstruction. Our results also show that using a spatially variant PSF model or incorporating DOI capable detector leads to improved and more uniform spatial resolution and CRC over the whole FOV. Additional work is ongoing to study the impact of the PSF modeling or/and DOI capable detector design in a partial ring scanner for reduced parallax error.
Interactions at Interfaces in Layered Systems

Artificially layered systems have received a great deal of attention in recent years. One major impetus for the study of such systems was the search for alternative mechanisms of superconductivity. The discovery of superconductivity above nitrogen temperature in a naturally layered systeml has elevated the awareness of the potentially wide range of properties available in layered systems, and renewed the interest of theorists in alternative mechanisms of superconductivity connected with interactions between layers.
High-Quality Genome Sequence of an Escherichia coli O157 Strain Carrying an mcr-1 Resistance Gene Isolated from a Patient in the United States.

ABSTRACT Enterobacteriaceae carrying plasmid-mediated colistin resistance have been found around the world. We report here the high-quality whole-genome sequence of an Escherichia coli O157:H48 isolate (2016C-3936C1) from Connecticut that carried the mcr-1 resistance gene on an IncX4-type plasmid.
A randomized, placebo-controlled trial of diindolylmethane for breast cancer biomarker modulation in patients taking tamoxifen.

Diindolylmethane (DIM), a bioactive metabolite of indole-3-carbinol found in cruciferous vegetables, has proposed cancer chemoprevention activity in the breast. There is limited evidence of clinically relevant activity of DIM or long-term safety data of its regular use. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was conducted to determine the activity and safety of combined use of BioResponse DIM® (BR-DIM) with tamoxifen. Women prescribed tamoxifen (n = 130) were randomly assigned oral BR-DIM at 150 mg twice daily or placebo, for 12 months. The primary study endpoint was change in urinary 2/16α-hydroxyestrone (2/16α-OHE1) ratio. Changes in 4-hydroxyestrone (4-OHE1), serum estrogens, sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG), breast density, and tamoxifen metabolites were assessed. Ninety-eight women (51 placebo, 47 DIM) completed intervention; compliance with treatment was >91%. BR-DIM increased the 2/16α-OHE1 ratio (+3.2 [0.8, 8.4]) compared to placebo (−0.7 [−1.7, 0.8], P < 0.001). Serum SHBG increased with BR-DIM compared to placebo (+25 ± 22 and +1.1 ± 19 nmol/L, respectively). No change in breast density measured by mammography or by MRI was observed. Plasma tamoxifen metabolites (endoxifen, 4-OH tamoxifen, and N-desmethyl-tamoxifen) were reduced in women receiving BR-DIM versus placebo (P < 0.001). Minimal adverse events were reported and did not differ by treatment arm. In patients taking tamoxifen for breast cancer, daily BR-DIM promoted favorable changes in estrogen metabolism and circulating levels of SHBG. Further research is warranted to determine whether BR-DIM associated decreases in tamoxifen metabolites, including effects on endoxifen levels, attenuates the clinical benefit of tamoxifen. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01391689.
A Developmental Model of Existential Anxiety During Adolescence

Following up on the discussion of risk factors in Chapter 2, this chapter begins with research on resilience and protective factors that may impact the level of distress and/or impairment an adolescent will experience when he/she becomes aware of existential concerns. Protective factors are discussed on several levels, including genetic/biological, psychological/individual, and familial/social. The author then proposes a model of adolescent existential anxiety, which aims to predict how an adolescent might experience existential anxiety. The proposed model elaborates on formative influences, risk and protective factors, and the impact that these influences and factors have on the development, maintenance, and resolution of existential concerns.
The Expanding View of Cytosine Methylation

We are currently in an era of increased interest in the role of the epigenome in normal cellular physiology and its role in human disease. Part of this increased interest is driven by new technologies that have allowed us to gain insights never previously possible. Our view of cytosine methylation is expanding not only in terms of how much of the genome we can study at a time, but also in terms of what we think cytosine methylation might be doing functionally. While DNA methylation in mammalian cells has been studied for more than 45 years at this point (srinivasan1962), new insights are revealing the sobering reality that we understand much less about its functional consequences than we may have believed. In this review, the insights gained from new technologies to study cytosine methylation are examined so that we can redefine the paths for further exploration of this intriguing molecular regulator.
Monophosphoryl lipid A prevents impairment of medullary thick ascending limb [Formula: see text] absorption and improves plasma [Formula: see text] concentration in septic mice.

Metabolic acidosis is the most common acid-base disorder in septic patients and is associated with increased mortality. Previously, we demonstrated that sepsis induced by cecal ligation and punctur...
Pulse Propagation in the Systemic Arterial Tree

Interest in blood flow through the systemic circulation has been present since William Harvey published in his work “De Mortu Cordis et Sanguinis” that the heart delivered blood in the arterial system and returned via the venous circulation. Later, in the early 1700s, Stephen Hales would apply some of the newly discovered of laws of physics to fluid flow in elastic systems (O’Rourke, 1982). He explored the concepts dealing with mean arterial pressure and resistance to blood flow. The translation of some of Hales’ early work into the German language resulted in the use of the term “Windkessel” to describe the expansive or elastic effects of the arterial system. This work was significantly amplified by Thomas Young, whose work included relating the fundamentals of the elastic behavior of the arterial wall to the pulse wave velocity (McDonald & Taylor, 1959). Some of Young’s concepts were more extensively studied by E.H. Weber and his brother in the mid-1800s, particularly those which related to pulse wave velocity. Additionally, Moens also expounded on Young’s work and published a treatise on these concepts in 1878 (which was also independently derived by Korteweg), on the mathematical expression of pulse wave velocity in terms of vessel elasticity and dimensions known today as the Moens-Korteweg equation. The latter years of the 1800s and early 1900s saw the brilliant influence of Otto Frank, who continued to explore vascular hemodynamic effects in terms of the Windkessel theory using a two-element or resistive-capacitive (RC) model for vascular properties (McDonald & Taylor, 1959). The next major milestone in this century was in the mid-1950s with the combined efforts of D.A. McDonald and J.R. Womersley, who provided a linear solution to the Navier-Stokes equations for arterial flow. These pioneers represented the arterial blood pressure and flow in its pulsatile components and gave birth to the concept of arterial input impedance (McDonald, 1974). These fundamental precepts were to be studied more extensively by numerous investigators, including important contributions by M.G. Taylor (1966), M.F. O’Rourke (1967, 1982), and N. Westerhof (1968, 1979).
A “Music Theory” for 10-tet

Dissonance curves provide a starting point for the exploration of nonharmonic sounds when played in unusual tunings by suggesting suitable intervals, chords, and scales. This chapter makes a first step towards a description of 10-tet, using dissonance curves to help define an appropriate “music theory”. Most previous studies’ explore equal temperaments by comparing them to the just intervals or to the harmonic series. In contrast, this new music theory is based on properties of the 10-tet scale and related 10-tet spectra. Possibilities for modulations between 10-tet “keys” are evident, and simple progressions of chords are available. Together, these show that this xentonal 10-tet system is rich and varied. Finally, the theoretical ideas are demonstrated in two compositions, showing that the claimed consonances exist, and that the xentonal motions are perceptible to the ear.
Mechanical Characterization of Solder Mask Materials

Microelectronic encapsulants show evolving properties that change prominently with environmental exposures such as isothermal aging and thermal cycling. Such aging effects are exacerbated at higher temperatures typical of thermal cycling qualification tests for harsh environment electronic packaging. In this work, the mechanical behavior of UV curable solder mask materials has been explored. A microscale tension-torsion testing machine has been used to determine the uniaxial tensile stress-strain and creep behaviors of solder masks used in PBGA substrates for various UV curing times and testing temperatures. A specimen preparation procedure has been developed to make 80 × 3 mm uniaxial tension test samples with a specified thickness of 0.30 mm. The test specimens are prepared in a unique way and no release agent is required to extract them from the Teflon coated molds. The mechanical behavior changes were recorded for the various durations of UV exposure followed by thermal curing. Results showed that an optimum UV exposure provide better mechanical properties compare to other exposure time. After UV and thermal curing, a microscale tension-torsion testing machine was used to find the complete stress-strain behavior of the material at room temperature. In addition, the viscoelastic mechanical response of solder mask has also been characterized via creep testing for a large range of applied stress levels.
Forecasting Local Sales Tax Revenues in the Aftermath of a Hurricane: Application of the Hurricane Resiliency Index

AbstractThis paper focuses on exploring the capability of the recently developed Hurricane Resiliency Index (HRI) to predict future changes in sales tax revenues at the local level. Monthly data fo...
Synthesis, Characterization, and Theoretical Investigation of a Transition State Analogue for Proton Transfer during C–H Activation by a Rhodium-Pincer Complex

A heterobimetallic rhodium-pincer complex bearing a phenylzinc ligand was synthesized and characterized by multinuclear NMR, COSY, NOESY, and X-ray crystallography. The crystal structure of this complex shows that it possesses a bridging Rh–Zn–C fragment with a geometry similar to the Rh–H–C fragment in a proposed transition state for metal to ligand proton transfer during redox-neutral C–H activation with dearomatized rhodium pincer complexes. Bonding analysis indicates that these fragments are isolobal, suggesting that the transition state analogue models not only the structure but also the bonding interactions that underlie metal–ligand cooperativity in the C–H activation transition state. The similarity of the transition state and its analogue prompted re-evaluation of the relevant rate equations to determine the relative contributions of viable proton transfer pathways. Parallel analysis of the transition state and its isolobal analogue thus serves as a bridge between theory and experiment that is ra...
Irradiated sporozoite vaccination induces sex-specific immune responses and protection against malaria in mice.

In both preclinical animal studies and human clinical trials, adult females tend to develop greater adaptive immune responses than males following receipt of either viral or bacterial vaccines. While there is currently no approved malaria vaccine, several anti-sporozoite vaccines, including RTS,S/AS01 and attenuated sporozoite vaccines, are in development, but the impact of sex and age on their efficacy remains undefined. To examine sex differences in the efficacy of anti-sporozoite stage malaria vaccination, adult (10 weeks of age) or juvenile (11 days of age) male and female C3H mice were twice vaccinated with irradiated transgenic Plasmodium berghei sporozoites expressing the P. falciparum circumsporozoite (CSP) protein and 45 days post boost vaccination, mice were challenged with transgenic P. berghei via mosquito bite or intradermal challenge. Immunization with irradiated sporozoites resulted in greater protection against challenge in adult females, which was associated with greater anti-CSP antibody production and avidity, as well as greater hepatic, but not splenic, CD8+ T cell IFNƴ production in adult females than adult males. No sex differences in adaptive immune responses or protection were observed in mice vaccinated prior to puberty, suggesting a role for sex steroid hormones. Depletion of testosterone in males increased, whereas rescue of testosterone decreased, anti-CSP antibody production, the number of antigen-specific CD8+ T cells isolated from the liver, and protection following parasite challenge. Conversely, depletion of sex steroids in female mice did not alter vaccine-induced responses or protection following challenge. These data suggest that elevated testosterone concentrations in males reduce adaptive immunity and contribute to sex differences in malaria vaccine efficacy.
Callousness and Affective Face Processing: Clarifying the Neural Basis of Behavioral-Recognition Deficits Through the Use of Brain Event-Related Potentials:

Callousness encompasses a lack of guilt, shallow affect, and deficient affiliative tendencies and relates to severe antisocial behavior. Across developmental stages, callousness is associated with abnormalities in emotional processing, including decreased physiological reactivity to emotional faces. The current study recruited an adult participant sample to investigate selective associations of callousness with deficits in behavioral performance and reduced neurophysiological response within a face-processing task. Participants higher in callousness demonstrated decreased reactivity to fearful faces across temporal components of the electrocortical response along with reduced accuracy in identifying fearful faces. Further analyses demonstrated that LPP amplitude alone was related to behavioral response and mediated the association between callousness and impaired recognition of fear faces. These findings clarify the nature of face processing deficits in relation to callousness and have implications for biologically informed interventions to reduce antisocial behavior.
Autocorrelated fluctuations in fecundity and survival have opposing effects on coexistence

Environmental fluctuations can mediate coexistence between competing species via the storage effect. This fluctuation-dependent coexistence mechanism requires three conditions: (i) a positive covariance between environment conditions and the strength of competition, (ii) species-specific environmental responses, and (iii) buffered population growth whereby species are less sensitive to competition in environmentally unfavorable years. In serially uncorrelated environments, the covariance condition (i) only occurs if favorable environmental conditions immediately and directly increase the strength of competition. However, for many demographic parameters such as maximal fecundity or adult survival, this direct link between favorable years and competition may not exist. Moreover, many environmental variables are temporal autocorrelated, but these correlations aren9t accounted for in the theory. To address these limitations, a theory for coexistence of competing species in autocorrelated environments is developed. This theory shows the positive autocorrelations in demographic rates that increase fitness (e.g. maximal fecundity or adult survival) produce the positive environment-competition covariance. Hence, when these demographic rates contribute to buffered population growth (e.g. maximal fecundity), positive temporal autocorrelations generate a storage effect, otherwise (e.g. fluctuations in adult adult survival) they destabilize competitive interactions. For negatively autocorrelated environments, this theory highlights an alternative stabilizing mechanism that requires three conditions: (i9) a negative environmental-competition covariance, (ii), and (iii9) species are less sensitive to competition in more favorable years. This alternative coexistence mechanism arises with negatively autocorrelated fluctuations. When the conditions for these stabilizing mechanisms are violated, temporal autocorrelations can generate stochastic priority effects or hasten competitive exclusion. Collectively, these results highlight that temporal autocorrelations in environmental conditions can play a fundamental role in determining ecological outcomes of competing species.
Postoperative Hypoparathyroidism After Total Thyroidectomy in Children.

Abstract Background Postoperative hypocalcemia because of hypoparathyroidism is the most common complication of total thyroidectomy in children. We hypothesized that most children with postoperative hypocalcemia would be eucalcemic by 12 mo and sought to define risk factors for permanent hypoparathyroidism. Methods We retrospectively reviewed children who underwent total thyroidectomy at a single children's hospital from 2012 to 2019. Patients with prior neck surgery were excluded. Indication for operation, final pathologic diagnosis, and postoperative serum calcium up to 12 mo were recorded. Permanent hypoparathyroidism was defined as supplemental calcium requirement beyond 1 y postoperatively. Results Sixty-eight patients underwent total thyroidectomy. Graves’ disease was the most common benign indication for surgery (38 patients). Twenty-six patients (38%) had cancer on final pathology. Central lymph node dissection (CLND) was performed in 12 cancer patients. Twenty-eight patients (41%) had postoperative hypocalcemia. Eight patients (12%) had hypocalcemia at 6 mo. Risk factors for hypoparathyroidism at 6 mo were a cancer diagnosis (odds ratio [OR] 6.7; P = 0.02), CLND (OR 12.6; P Conclusions Children with thyroid cancer are at high risk for postoperative hypocalcemia after total thyroidectomy. The risk is further increased by CLND, which should be performed selectively. A majority of patients with hypoparathyroidism at 6 mo postoperatively regain normal parathyroid function by 1 y. Permanent hypoparathyroidism in children after total thyroidectomy at a pediatric endocrine surgery center is rare.
Suturing Techniques during Robotic-Assisted Myomectomy

Study Objective To help novice surgeons master robotic suturing techniques using side-by-side views of the surgical instruments and field as well as the surgeon's hands at the console during robotic-assisted myomectomy. Design Compilation of recorded video segments showing the suturing of various myometrial defects with simultaneous views of the surgeon's hands during robotic-assisted myomectomy. Setting A tertiary care hospital. Patients or Participants A total of four patients were selected to demonstrate different suture techniques after removal of leiomyoma of different sizes and locations within the uterus. Interventions Deep myometrial defects are standardly closed in three layers starting with a deep running stitch, followed by an imbricating layer, and lastly with a baseball stitch closure of the uterine serosa utilizing a unidirectional barbed suture. We demonstrate different tips and tricks for proper ergonomic placement of the hands at the console, needle handling and camera angling that can be employed, depending on the location and orientation of the hysterotomy site. The intra-abdominal surgical views are shown alongside the view of the surgeon's hands at the console. Measurements and Main Results N/A Conclusion By offering a side-by-side view of the surgical instruments and the hand orientation of the surgeon at the console, it provides an additional perspective for a surgical learner that is otherwise not achievable in the intraoperative setting for robotic surgeries. We hope that this video can serve as a helpful resource to surgeons, instructors, and trainees for suturing techniques during robotic-assisted myomectomies.
LSTM-based Space Occupancy Prediction towards Efficient Building Energy Management.

Energy consumed in buildings takes significant portions of the total global energy usage. A large amount of building energy is used for heating, cooling, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC). However, compared to its importance, building energy management systems nowadays are limited in controlling HVAC based on simple rule-based control (RBC) technologies. The ability to design systems that can efficiently manage HVAC can reduce energy usage and greenhouse gas emissions, and, all in all, it can help us to mitigate climate change. This paper proposes predictive time-series models of occupancy patterns using LSTM. Prediction signal for future room occupancy status on the next time span (e.g., next 30 minutes) can be directly used to operate HVAC. For example, based on the prediction and considering the time for cooling or heating, HVAC can be turned on before the room is being used (e.g., turn on 10 minutes earlier). Also, based on the next room empty prediction timing, HVAC can be turned off earlier, and it can help us increase the efficiency of HVAC while not decreasing comfort. We demonstrate our approach's capabilities using real-world energy data collected from multiple rooms of a university building. We show that LSTM's room occupancy prediction based HVAC control could save energy usage by 50% compared to conventional RBC based control.
Malnutrition and Alcohol-Associated Hepatitis

Malnutrition is common in alcohol-associated hepatitis (AH); almost all patients with severe AH have some component of malnutrition. The classic phenotype of malnutrition in AH is sarcopenia, but this has become more difficult to discern clinically as patients have become more obese. Patients with AH are often drinking 10 to 15 standard drinks per day. This substantial alcohol consumption becomes a major source of calories, but these are considered "empty" calories that contain little nutritional value. Malnutrition is associated with liver complications, such as hepatic encephalopathy, and worse liver outcomes. Nutrition support can improve nutrition status and reduce complications.
Autonomy, Meaning, and the Mediating Role of Symbolic Immortality:

The present work built on self-determination theory, terror management theory, and related existential and humanistic perspectives to test the mediating role of symbolic immortality in the associat...
Countermarketing About Fruit Drinks, Alone or With Water Promotion: A 2019 Randomized Controlled Trial in Latinx Parents.

Objectives. To test whether fruit drink countermarketing messages alone or combined with water promotion messages reduce Latinx parents’ purchases of fruit drinks for children aged 0 to 5 years. Me...
Early Detection of Liver Steatosis using Multiparametric Ultrasound Imaging

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is common and includes a progression from steatosis, nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, to cirrhosis. Liver biopsy is the current standard for detecting the histologic features of NAFLD, but use is limited by invasiveness, sampling error, and potential complications. There is an ongoing need for the ability to noninvasively detect, accurately stage, and reliably monitor NAFLD in the clinical setting. To this end, we recently introduced an in vivo multiparametric ultrasound (mpUS) imaging approach to assess NAFLD. Our mpUS integrates contrast-enhanced ultrasound (US), shear wave elastography, and H-scan US measurements. In this paper, we further detail the use of mpUS imaging for the detection of early liver steatosis. Using rats fed either standard control chow (N = 4) or a methionine and choline deficient (MCD) diet (N = 6) that is known to induce liver steatosis, mpUS imaging was performed at baseline and again at 2 wk. Animals were then humanely euthanized and livers surgically removed for ex vivo analysis. Relative changes between baseline and 2 wk were analyzed and only the H-scan US measures in the MCD diet-fed animals were significantly different (p = 0.03). Histology confirmed liver steatosis in animals fed the MCD diet.
Morphological constraints on tetrapod feeding mechanisms: why were there no suspension-feeding marine reptiles

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the morphological requirements for suspension feeding. The chapter also addresses the issue of whether differences in design between mammals and other tetrapods have resulted in morphological constraints that can explain the apparent absence of suspension-feeding marine reptiles. Diapsid reptiles were common free-swimming marine predators during the Mesozoic. Although there was considerable diversity in their modes of predation, there were no suspension-feeding species. It has been suggested that a morphological constraint prevented the evolution of this feeding type among Mesozoic marine reptiles, rather than scarcity of suitable planktonic prey. Aquatic tetrapod suspension feeders cannot use gill slits to create a unidirectional current through the buccal cavity as suspension-feeding fish do. They must feed by engulfing water containing many small planktonic animals and expelling water from the oral cavity using the mouth. The characters that enable baleen whales to feed in this way are all mammal neomorphies. Moreover, without the mammalian ability to form a tight seal at the back of the mouth, and to collect and swallow small particulate food, nonmammalian tetrapods, including Mesozoic marine reptiles, may have been limited to capturing larger individual prey items.
Molecular aspects of DNA transfer from phage T5 to Host Cells: II. Origin of first-step-transfer DNA fragments

We have previously proposed that blending of early bacteriophage T5— E. coli complexes ( FST complexes ) results in the scission of phage DNA molecules partially transferred to host cells. Such blended complexes should then retain only fragments of the ingoing phage DNA. Blending of late phage—bacterium complexes ( stabilized complexes ), in which DNA transfer has been completed, should not break the phage DNA molecules. With a method of extraction which rninimizes DNA breakage, followed by zone centrifugation of the crude extracts, we find that extracts of blended FST complexes contain almost exclusively T5 DNA fragments ( FST fragments ) with a size 8·3±1% that of intact T5 DNA molecules, whereas extracts of unblended FST complexes, as well as extracts of blended or unblended stabilized complexes, contain mostly intact T5 DNA molecules. The results rule out the possibility that the FST fragments arise by multiple breakage of a few totally transferred DNA molecules. Instead, they indicate, in support of our hypothesis, that each adsorbed phage particle of an FST complex yields a single FST fragment on blending.
Abstract 3660: Chronic alcohol consumption inhibits iNKT cell activation-induced antitumor response in B16BL6 melanoma-bearing mice

Proceedings: AACR Annual Meeting 2014; April 5-9, 2014; San Diego, CA Alcohol consumption increases the incidence of many types of cancer including melanoma. It is not well understand how chronic alcohol consumption affects tumor progression and survival. We previously found that chronic alcohol consumption activates CD8+ T cells in the non-tumor injected mice and at the early stage after tumor inoculation; however, it accelerates CD8+T cell dysfunction during further tumor growth. The underlying mechanism regarding modulation of CD8+ T cells by alcohol and how the functional changes in the immune response affect tumor growth and survival remain to be elucidated. Herein, we investigated how alcohol modulates iNKT cells in melanoma-bearing mice and how different immune treatment regimens affect tumor growth and survival. We found that alcohol increases iNKT cells in non-tumor injected mice, and that activation of these iNKT cells induces a Th1 response. With tumor progression, alcohol reverses iNKT cell cytokine profile to aTh2-dominant one. Chronic alcohol consumption inhibits melanoma growth, but this is does associated with increased survival. Immunization with a melanoma cell lysate significantly inhibits tumor growth and increases survival compared to the non-immunized alcohol-consuming, tumor-bearing mice. Immunization in the water-drinking control mice did not significantly increase survival compared to respective non-immunized mice. Immunization coupled with iNKT cell activation with alpha GalCer significantly increases the survival of water-drinking melanoma-bearing mice. However, the survival of mice consuming alcohol was significantly decreased compared to their water-drinking counterparts. Collectively, chronic alcohol consumption interacting with melanoma alters the iNKT cell cytokine profile from Th1-dominant to Th2- dominant, which in turn contributes to inhibition of antitumor immunity and decreases survival of melanoma-bearing mice. Supported by NIH grants R01AA07293 and K05AA017149 and funds provided for medical and biological research by the State of Washington Initiative Measure No. 171. Citation Format: Hui Zhang, Faya Zhang, ZhaoHui Zhu, Gary G. Meadows. Chronic alcohol consumption inhibits iNKT cell activation-induced antitumor response in B16BL6 melanoma-bearing mice. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr 3660. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-3660
The Parthenon Marbles as icons of nationalism in nineteenth-century Britain

Theories of nationalism place native culture at the core of national self-fashioning. What explains a state's adoption of foreign objects to sustain national identity? In this paper, I argue that the incorporation of the Parthenon Marbles into British public life is an early example of supranational nationalism. The nineteenth- century 'art race' was a competitive field in which European nation-states vied for prestige. Of the thousands of art trophies that were brought to Britain from Mediter- ranean and North African countries, the Parthenon Marbles were uniquely iconicised. Using data from period newspapers and official documents, I assert that this was because they were assiduously presented as prenational by British authorities. In this way, they belonged simultaneously to no nation, to every nation, and to Britain. The case demonstrates the emergence of a particular form of national distinctiveness that transcended the smallness of particularity and rose to the level of universal civilisation.
A Chinese Malaysian in Taiwan: Negarakuku and a Song of Exile in the Diaspora

This article examines the controversy surrounding a Chinese Malaysian student's use of the Malaysian anthem in a rap song criticising the corruption of Malaysia and its marginalisation of the ethnic Chinese. Race and religion have been crucial in the imagining of and contestations over the Malaysian nation. They became taboo subjects in the public sphere after the 13 May racial riots in 1969. Language, education, and the mass media became important fields of contestation between the Chinese communities and the Malay-dominant government. With the growing state control of traditional public media such as television, radio, and newspapers, the internet thus became an important space for the stifled public sphere. Concomitantly, dissatisfaction with the dominant party coalition has led increasingly to the growth of a multi-ethnic opposition that encompasses the different ethnic groups. Wee's songs and the political backlash resulting from the government's attempts to suppress it exemplify the convergence of these forces. They also tell us something about the ways in which ethnicity, diaspora, and nationalism intertwine in the imaginings and world-view of a Chinese Malaysian student who felt himself displaced by the national education system. Taiwan, an important cultural and political node in the Chinese overseas imagination, constituted escape, opportunity and an important cultural and political influence but he remains oriented towards his homeland. His songs show how his identity is framed within the local (Muar), the ethnic (vis-a-vis the Malays on the one hand and the other Chinese linguistic communities on the other) and the nation (Malaysia and vis-a-vis Singapore).
Towards identity conditions for digital documents

By "identity conditions" we mean a method for determining whether an object x and an object y are the same object. Identity conditions are arguably an essential feature of any rigorously developed conceptual framework for information modeling. Surprisingly, the concept of same document, which is fundamental to many aspects of library and information science, and to digital libraries in particular, has received little systematic analysis. As a result, not only is the concept of a document itself under-theorized, but progress on a number of important practical problems has been hindered. We review the importance of document identity conditions, demonstrate problems with current approaches, and discuss the general form a solution must take. We then describe our own strategy, based on the BECHAMEL XML Semantics Project --- we propose to reduce the relatively elusive and undefined general problem of determining document identity to the comparatively well-understood problem of proving logical equivalence in predicate logic. This approach should also enable the determination of semantic relationships other than identity, including similarities and partial identities of various kinds, and will support new strategies in various areas of digital information management, such as preservation, conversion, integrity assurance, retrieval, federation, metadata, and identifiers. Our results complement and extend discussions of the IFLA/FRBR entities (particularly "expression" and "manifestation") taking place in the cataloguing communityt discussions of "resource" taking place in the W3C and Dublin Core communities, and the analysis of similar notions in ontology development for digital libraries, museums and archives. Although our project is still in a preliminary phase, a working inferencing environment, in object-oriented Prolog, has been completed and initial results that confirm our logic-based strategy.
Getting Value for Money in Higher Education

Although Indian higher education suffers from many dysfunctionalities and the system overall is characterized by “pinnacles of excellence in a sea of mediocrity”—by some international comparisons, India does reasonably well.
EFFECT OF COLOSTRUM ON GROWTH OF INTESTINAL MUCOSA

Recently, Widdowson et al. (Biol. Neonate 28:272, 1976) reported that jejunal mucosal mass of piglets suckled by their mother increased 45% in the first 24 hours of life whereas the mass of those fed only water did not change. This impressive finding could be due specifically to colostrum or to feeding per se. To differentiate the role of each, small intestinal mucosal mass (MM), DNA and protein (Pr) content, plus disaccharidase activities were determined in groups of beagle puppies at birth (Controls; n=6) and after 24 hours of either suckling (n=5) or artificial feeding with simulated bitch milk (n=5). Body weights of the latter 2 groups increased similarly. While neither MM, DNA nor Pr of the artificially fed group were different from controls, MM of the suckled group was 82.1% greater (p<0.001), DNA content was 60% greater (p<0.001), and protein content was 91.3% greater (p<0.001). These differences were apparent in all segments of the intestine. The increased DNA, Pr and Pr/DNA ratio in this group suggest that the rapid increase in mucosal mass was due to both hyperplasia and hypertrophy. Specific activities of lactase, sucrase, and maltase were similar in the 3 groups but because of increased MM total activity of all was greater in the suckled group. These results extend the findings of Widdowson et al. to another species and demonstrate that the rapid early mucosal growth results specifically from colostrum, not merely feeding. They strongly suggest that colostrum contains a growth factor specific for intestinal mucosa.
Autoimmunity and Diabetes

The face of immune-mediated (type 1) diabetes is changing. No longer considered a disease confined to childhood, the incidence rate in Western countries is clearly rising and affecting younger children. Such a secular trend can only be explained on the basis of increased contacts with adverse environmental factors acting on a background of complex genetics. Multiple defects in immunological tolerance to "self' predispose to immune-mediated (type 1) diabetes. Initiation of immune responses involves the cytokine rich natural killer T cells. Such cells appear deficient in both humans and the rodent models of the disease. Furthermore, the regulatory abilities of T cells in general seem to be compromised. Effector mechanisms probably are dominated by cell-mediated beta cell destruction through apoptosis induction. Surprisingly, the essential antigen-presenting cells in the autoimmune processes involved appear to be B lymphocytes. The improved understanding of the beta cell autoantigens involved has led to better disease prediction. The long prodromal phase now readily identifiable through autoantibodies is spawning hopes of disease prevention, notably through antigen-based interventions or diabetes "vaccines."
Public Health Consequences of the Defense of Marriage Act for Lesbian and Bisexual Women: Suicidality, Behavioral Difficulties, and Psychiatric Treatment

In this article, we examine the associations between women’s relationship status and sexual orientation in relation to suicidality (ideations and attempts), selfperceived excessive use or difficulties controlling the use of alcohol, drugs, and sex, and self-reported psychotherapy and psychiatric medications (past and present). On the basis of our analysis of these factors, we argue that the US Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) and the ban on same-sex marriage may have adverse health consequences for lesbians and bisexual women. Marriage is a well-known protective factor against suicidality and concomitant psychopathology (Smith et al., 1988), and DOMA deprives lesbians and bisexual women of its security. Homosexuality is no longer officially regarded as a psychopathology. Homosexuality per se was removed from the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders in 1973, and ego-dystonic homosexuality was eliminated in 1987. More recently, homosexuality was deleted from the International Classification of Diseases in 1992. However, recent studies (Gilman et al., 2001; Mays and Cochran, 2001) have noted higher risks of stress-related disorders, such as depression and anxiety, among nonheterosexuals than in the general population. Because homosexuality is not regarded as a psychopathology, the cause for the higher rates of stress-related disorders among gay men, lesbians, and bisexual women relative to heterosexuals may be related to sociological rather than psychological differences between the two groups. We focus on marriage because it is legally proscribed in many countries and married individuals in every age and sex group have the lowest suicide rates (Smith et al., 1988). Psychopathology is a risk factor for suicide (Desjarlais, Eisenberg, Good and Kleinman, 1995), and social theorists (Durkheim, 1966) have noted that marriage is a protective factor against suicide. There is also a clear relation between sexual orientation and suicidality (McDaniel et al., 2001).
Procedural results and early clinical outcome of percutaneous transluminal myocardial revascularization.

Abstract A substantial number of patients present with medically refractory angina who are not candidates for angioplasty or bypass surgery. The creation of channels between the myocardium and the ventricular blood pool has been performed after thoracotomy with excellent relief of symptoms but has been associated with high perioperative mortality. We investigated the safety of a nonoperative, percutaneous technique for channel creation. Twenty-seven patients with angina and coronary anatomy not amenable to revascularization with coronary angioplasty or bypass surgery underwent percutaneous transluminal myocardial revascularization (PTMR). Energy from a Holmium:yttrium-aluminum-garnet (YAG) laser was directed through a fiber enclosed in a catheter to the ventricular myocardium creating channels between the blood pool and the myocardium. On average, 17 ± 4 channels were formed per patient. There were no procedure-related deaths, episodes of tamponade, or other complications except for an increase in creatine phosphokinase in 1 patient. Immediately after the procedure, there was no worsening of regional wall motion function in any patient, but rather improvement in some. All patients were discharged alive after a hospital stay of 1.8 ± 1.5 days. Mean Canadian Cardiovascular Society functional class declined from 3.6 ± 0.5 before the procedure to 0.65 ± 0.8 at 30 days after the procedure (p
Vector performance analysis of three supercomputers: Cray 2, Cray Y-MP, and ETA 10-Q

This paper presents the results of a series of experiments to study the single processor performance of three supercomputers: Cray-2, Cray Y-MP, and ETA10-Q. The main object of this study is to determine the impact of certain architectural features on the performance of modern supercomputers. Features such as clock period, memory links, memory organization, multiple functional units, and chaining are considered here. A simple performance model is used to examine the impact of these features on the performance of a set of basic operations. The results of implementing this set on these machines for three vector lengths and three memory strides are presented and compared. For unit stride operations, the Cray Y-MP outperformed the Cray-2 by as much as three times and the ETA10-Q by as much as four times for these operations. Moreover, unlike the Cray-2 and ETA10-Q, even-numbered strides do not cause a major performance degradation on the Cray Y-MP. Two numerical algorithms are also used for comparison. For three problem sizes of both algorithms, the Cray Y-MP outperformed the Cray-2 by 43% to 68% and the ETA10-Q by four to eight times.
Is the four-day 'rotation' of Venus illusory

An overlooked systematic error exists in the apparent radial velocities of solar lines reflected from regions of Venus near the terminator, owing to a combination of the finite angular size of the Sun and its large (2 km/sec) equatorial velocity of rotation. This error produces an apparent, but fictitious, retrograde component of planetary rotation, typically on the order of 40 meters/sec. Spectroscopic, photometric, and radiometric evidence against a 4-day atmospheric rotation is also reviewed. The bulk of the somewhat contradictory evidence seems to favor slow motions, on the order of 5 m/sec, in the atmosphere of Venus; the 4-day rotation may be due to a traveling wave-like disturbance, not bulk motions, driven by the UV albedo differences.