cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Abstract CN02-02: Elucidating mechanisms of environmentally induced kidney cancers

Epidemiology data suggests that exposure to trichloroethylene (TCE) is associated with increased susceptibility to a variety of diseases including elevated incidence of kidney cancer. Molecular analysis of kidney cancers from workers in Germany revealed a TCE-specific hotspot mutation in the von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) gene. We used a mouse embryonic stem cell assay to demonstrate that the TCE-associated VHL mutation is highly transforming and confers apoptotic and DNA damage resistance. To investigate genetic susceptibility to TCE, we exposed a genetically diverse mouse population to TCE with or without inorganic arsenic (iAS), a toxicant naturally found in the environment in many locations. We observed cooperation between TCE and iAS in the induction of a gene expression signature in kidneys identical to that caused by the TCE-associated VHL mutation. After one year of exposure, subsets of mice developed kidney cancers, some of which became metastatic to the lung. A systems analysis revealed complex patterns of genetic susceptibility. The results demonstrate that chemical combinations can elicit additive and synergistic toxicities in genetically susceptible individuals. Citation Format: David Threadgill. Elucidating mechanisms of environmentally induced kidney cancers. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Twelfth Annual AACR International Conference on Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research; 2013 Oct 27-30; National Harbor, MD. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Can Prev Res 2013;6(11 Suppl): Abstract nr CN02-02.
Gpx4 and Ferroptosis

Glutathione peroxidase 4 (Gpx4) is a monomeric glutathione peroxidase with a unique ability to reduce hydroperoxide in complex lipids. Gpx4 is vital for development, and its function is also indispensable for many cell types of adult animal. Ferroptosis is an iron-dependent oxidative cell death. In ferroptosis, a high load of hydroperoxides in membrane phospholipids is the driver of cell death. Because of its ability to efficiently reduce phospholipid hydroperoxides, Gpx4 serves as the master regulator of ferroptosis. Studies in cell lines and animal models indicate that inhibition of Gpx4 activity triggers cell death mainly through ferroptosis. Ferroptosis has been implicated in many diseases and injuries. Therefore, Gpx4 could be a target of therapeutic development for diseases such as cancer and neurodegenerative diseases.
Patterns of Health Care Utilization Before First Episode Psychosis in Racial and Ethnic Groups

Objective: To compare patterns of health care utilization associated with first presen­tation of psychosis among different racial and ethnic groups of patients. Design: The study was a retrospective observational design. Settings: The study was conducted in five health care systems in the western United States. All sites were also part of the Nation­al Institute of Mental Health-funded Mental Health Research Network (MHRN). Participants: Patients (n = 852) were aged 15 – 59 years (average 26.9 ± 12.2 years), 45% women, and primarily non-Hispanic White (53%), with 16% Hispanic, 10% non-Hispanic Black, 6% Asian, 1% Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, 1% Native Ameri­can/ Alaskan Native, and 12% unknown race/ethnicity. Methods: Data abstracted from electronic medical records and insurance claims data were organized into a research virtual data warehouse (VDW) and used for analysis. Main Outcome Measures: Variables exam­ined were patterns of health care utilization, type of comorbid mental health condition, and type of treatment received in the three years before first presentation of psychosis. Results: Compared with non-Hispanic Whites, Asian patients (16% vs 34%; P=.007) and non-Hispanic Black patients (20% vs 34%; P=.009) were less likely to have a visit with specialty mental health care before their first presentation of psychosis. Conclusions: Early detection of first episode psychosis should start with wider screening for symptoms outside of any indicators for mental health conditions for non-Hispanic Black and Asian patients. Ethn Dis. 2019;29(4):609-616; doi:10.18865/ ed.29.4.609
Roll-to-Roll Hot Embossing of High Aspect Ratio Micro Pillars for Superhydrophobic Applications

Abstract Many surfaces in nature such as the lotus leaf, cicada wings, water spider legs and gecko feet have attracted attention due to their inherent superhydrophobicity and self-cleaning properti...
Psychological Disorders in Heart Failure

The occurrence of depression, anxiety, and insomnia is strikingly high in patients with heart failure and is linked to increased morbidity and mortality. However, symptoms are frequently unrecognized and the integration of mental health into cardiology care plans is not routine. This article describes the prevalence, identification, and treatment of common comorbid psychological disorders.
Custom Execution Environments with Containers in Pegasus-Enabled Scientific Workflows

Science reproducibility is a cornerstone feature in scientific workflows. In most cases, this has been implemented as a way to exactly reproduce the computational steps taken to reach the final results. While these steps are often completely described, including the input parameters, datasets, and codes, the environment in which these steps are executed is only described at a higher level with endpoints and operating system name and versions. Though this may be sufficient for reproducibility in the short term, systems evolve and are replaced over time, breaking the underlying workflow reproducibility. A natural solution to this problem is containers, as they are well defined, have a lifetime independent of the underlying system, and can be user-controlled so that they can provide custom environments if needed. This paper highlights some unique challenges that may arise when using containers in distributed scientific workflows. Further, this paper explores how the Pegasus Workflow Management System implements container support to address such challenges.
Cardiac and Locomotor Responses to Acute Stress in Signal Crayfish Pacifastacus leniusculus Exposed to Methamphetamine at an Environmentally Relevant Concentration.

Methamphetamine (METH), a central nervous system stimulant used as a recreational drug, is frequently found in surface waters at potentially harmful concentrations. To determine effects of long-term exposure to environmentally relevant levels on nontarget organisms, we analysed cardiac and locomotor responses of signal crayfish Pacifastacus leniusculus to acute stress during a 21-day exposure to METH at 1 μg L−1 followed by 14 days depuration. Heart rate and locomotion were recorded over a period of 30 min before and 30 min after exposure to haemolymph of an injured conspecific four times during METH exposure and four times during the depuration phase. Methamphetamine-exposed crayfish showed a weaker cardiac response to stress than was observed in controls during both exposure and depuration phases. Similarly, methamphetamine-exposed crayfish, during METH exposure, showed lower locomotor reaction poststressor application in contrast to controls. Results indicate biological alterations in crayfish exposed to METH at low concentration level, potentially resulting in a shift in interactions among organisms in natural environment.
Evolved Irrationality? Equity and the Origins of Human Economic Behavior

While the economic approach to human decision-making characterizes our choices in terms of how we maximize utility, in many cases, such an approach fails to predict the decisions we actually make. Specifically, preference-biases such as loss-aversion and reference-dependence demonstrate that decision-makers make relative (rather than absolute) comparisons in judging the quality of their rewards. In the case of inequity aversion, decision-makers take into account not just their own earnings, but also the quality of another individual’s reward. In this chapter, we discuss an evolutionary approach to uncovering the origins of these irrational economic strategies. To do this, we review recent experiments showing that nonhuman primates possess a variety of economic tendencies previously thought to be unique to humans. The existence of economic decision-making biases outside of our species implies that ancestral organisms may have possessed these same tendencies – suggesting that humans’ biased economic decisions may actually have been adaptive in evolutionarily ancient environments, even though they might be characterized as irrational in contemporary economic settings.
Public Perceptions on Breast Implant-Associated Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma

Background Breast implant-associated anaplastic large cell lymphoma (BIA-ALCL) has entered the spotlight, as several high-profile media outlets have begun to relay the evolving science to the public. This study aimed to gauge the baseline knowledge and concern regarding BIA-ALCL among adult laywomen within the United States. Methods Mechanical Turk was used to survey 500 American women on self-reported demographics, prior experience with breast implants, and 11 questions regarding their knowledge and concern regarding BIA-ALCL. Responses were reviewed for quality control before study inclusion. Results Overall, 12 percent of respondents had received breast implants and 73 percent knew someone with implants; 13.6 percent of respondents (including 51.7 percent of respondents with implants) had previously heard of BIA-ALCL. After providing information about its risk, 58.4 percent of respondents were still willing to receive a reconstructive implant and 45.8 percent a cosmetic implant; 35.8 percent reported they would be less likely to receive an implant. Of the respondents with breast implants, 66.7 percent reported some degree of concern regarding BIA-ALCL and 35.0 percent are strongly considering removing their implants. Those who had heard of BIA-ALCL consumed information from several sources, predominantly health professionals or media/health care blogs. Different sources of information were not associated with a respondent's degree of concern. Conclusions Only a minority of American women have heard of BIA-ALCL and understand its association with breast implants. As plastic surgeons who perform breast reconstruction, we can promote the spread of information through the popular media and health care blogs to address this growing concern, particularly among women with existing breast implants.
Anesthesia-Related Complications in Neuromuscular Disorders in Adults

Halogenated anesthetics and succinylcholine administration occasionally cause serious complications such as malignant hyperthermia, rhabdomyolysis, and hyperkalemia in patients with neuromuscular diseases. Sensitivity to anesthetic agents can accentuate dysautonomia, cardiomyopathy, dysrhythmias, atelectasis, and nosocomial infections. Pre-operative evaluation is important. Regional anesthesia should be used whenever feasible. We discuss the complications and peri-operative considerations of anesthesia administration to patients with neuromuscular disease.
The human gut microbiota in people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

To characterize the gut microbiota in people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) relative to controls and to test the hypothesis that butyrate-producing bacteria are less abundant in the gastr...
Just breathe: Towards real-time intervention for public speaking anxiety

Abstract Most speakers experience public speaking anxiety in one form or another, ranging from slight nervousness to paralyzing fear and panic. Public speaking anxiety negatively affects the quality of most presentations, but few people seek out treatments for their anxiety. Real-time public speaking anxiety interventions that assist presenters manage their anxiety during a presentation can be of use to many presenters. Motivated by research on deep breathing interventions for stress management, we conduct a study with eleven participants to explore designs for deep breathing interventions that can be used during a presentation in front of an audience. We developed and compared three prototypes that nudged presenters to perform different actions (deep breathing, pausing, or smiling and looking at the audience) during a presentation. We report on participants’ experience interacting with the prototypes and our findings on how sensor-driven technologies can nudge presenters to perform deep breathing as a just-in-time technique for reducing anxiety. Our findings reveal that such interventions should be automatically triggered by presenter anxiety level, use visual prompts that do not obscure the presentation content and be delivered at topic boundaries.
Non-quasi-linear Agents in Quasi-linear Mechanisms.

Mechanisms with money are commonly designed under the assumption that agents are quasi-linear, meaning they have linear disutility for spending money. We study the implications when agents with non-linear (specifically, convex) disutility for payments participate in mechanisms designed for quasi-linear agents. We first show that any mechanism that is truthful for quasi-linear buyers has a simple best response function for buyers with non-linear disutility from payments, in which each bidder simply scales down her value for each potential outcome by a fixed factor, equal to her target return on investment (ROI). We call such a strategy ROI-optimal. We prove the existence of a Nash equilibrium in which agents use ROI-optimal strategies for a general class of allocation problems. Motivated by online marketplaces, we then focus on simultaneous second-price auctions for additive bidders and show that all ROI-optimal equilibria in this setting achieve constant-factor approximations to suitable welfare and revenue benchmarks.
Are Urban or Rural Congressional Districts More Paretian

Power laws are skewed, heavy-tailed distributions that are widely found in both natural and social settings, including electoral returns. Within the context of social phenomena in general and electoral context in particular, many have argued that the appearance of power law distributions is a sign of “information cascades,” also known as “bandwagoning,” in which voters pay more attention to the cues of others than their own preferences. Using a data set consisting of a single state’s congressional districts in a single election, I show that urban districts are more skewed than rural ones, suggesting that urban districts are more likely to exhibit a “bandwagon effect” than rural districts. This is important because it indicates either that the theory of “bandwagoning” is flawed—or that a conventional view of the differences between the urban and rural environments is.
Spoofing Generalization: When Can't You Trust Proprietary Models?

In this work, we study the computational complexity of determining whether a machine learning model that perfectly fits the training data will generalizes to unseen data. In particular, we study the power of a malicious agent whose goal is to construct a model g that fits its training data and nothing else, but is indistinguishable from an accurate model f. We say that g strongly spoofs f if no polynomial-time algorithm can tell them apart. If instead we restrict to algorithms that run in $n^c$ time for some fixed $c$, we say that g c-weakly spoofs f. Our main results are 1. Under cryptographic assumptions, strong spoofing is possible and 2. For any c> 0, c-weak spoofing is possible unconditionally While the assumption of a malicious agent is an extreme scenario (hopefully companies training large models are not malicious), we believe that it sheds light on the inherent difficulties of blindly trusting large proprietary models or data.
Surface equilibration mechanism controls the molecular packing of glassy molecular semiconductors at organic interfaces.

U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Basic Energy Sciences, Division of Materials Sciences and Engineering, DE‐SC0002161 University of Wisconsin Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (Grant DMR-1720415) Use of the Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, is supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Office of Basic Energy Sciences under Contract No. DE-AC02-76SF00515.
Consolidation-Time Relationship for Layered Clays

A CHART IS DEVELOPED THAT MAY BE USED BY SOIL ENGINEERS TO ESTIMATE THE TIME RATE OF SETTLEMENT IF FOUNDATIONS UNDERLAID BY TWO OR THREE LAYERS OF CLAYS ARE ENCOUNTERED IN THE FIELD. THE METHOD IS DESCRIBED AS A FOUNDATION UNDERLAID BY TWO LAYERS OF CLAY WITH AN IMPERVIOUS BOUNDARY AT BOTTOM AND FREE DRAINAGE AT TOP. THE IMPERVIOUS BOUNDARY IS DESIRABLE BECAUSE IT IS A MORE GENERAL CASE AND CAN BE USED TO ESTIMATE THE CONSOLIDATION OF TWO-LAYER AND THREE-LAYER CLAYS WITH DRAINAGE PROVIDED ON BOTH SIDES. EQUATIONS ARE GIVEN FOR DETERMINING THE PORE PRESSURE AT ANY GIVEN TIME. A FIGURE GIVES THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PERCENT CONSOLIDATION AND TIME FACTOR FOR THICKNESS RATIOS RANGING FROM FIVE TO ONE-FIFTH. ALTHOUGH THE CHART IS BASED ON THE CASE OF ONE-SIDE DRAINAGE, IT CAN ALSO BE APPLIED TO TWO-SIDE DRAINAGE BY A TRIAL PROCESS. IF FREE DRAINAGE IS PROVIDED ON BOTH SIDES, CONSOLIDATION WILL PROCEED INWARD FROM EACH SIDE. A COMPARISON IS PRESENTED BETWEEN THE THEORETICAL AND ESTIMATED CONSOLIDATION FOR TWO-LAYER CLAYS. THE SAME PROCEDURE WAS APPLIED TO THREE LAYERS OF CLAY WITH DRAINAGE PROVIDED ON BOTH SIDES, OBTAINING THE SAME CLOSE AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE THEORETICAL AND ESTIMATED CONSOLIDATION.
Initiation of postpartum luteal function in primiparous restricted-suckled beef cows exposed to a bull or excretory products of bulls or cows

The objective of this study was to evaluate the influence of bull excretory products on the resumption of postpartum luteal function in primiparous, restricted-suckled cows. Hypotheses tested were that resumption of luteal function or proportions of cows that initiate luteal cycling did not differ among cows exposed to a bull (BE), exposed to excretory products of bulls (EPB), not exposed to a bull (NE), or exposed to excretory products of cows (EPC). Two-year-old Angus x Hereford cows were assigned 35 d after calving to one of the four treatments (n = 15, 16, 16, and 15 for BE, EPB, NE, and EPC, respectively). Cows in the EPB and EPC treatments were placed in enclosures for 10 to 12 h, between 1830 and 0800 daily. Each enclosure was occupied by bulls (EPB) or left empty (EPC) for 10 to 12 h (0800 to 1830) daily. All cows were restricted to suckling twice daily (0800 and 1800) beginning on d 0. Blood samples were obtained from each cow on d -1 and every third day of the study thereafter. An increase in progesterone concentrations in three consecutive samples that exceeded 1.0 ng/mL was used as evidence of resumption of luteal function. Interval from d 0 to resumption of luteal activity was less for (P < 0.05) BE and EPB cows than for NE cows, but did not differ between BE and EPB cows. Interval for EPC cows did not differ from that for NE cows; however, interval for EPC cows was greater (P = 0.06) than that for BE cows and was longer (P < 0.05) than that of EPB cows. Proportions of cows that resumed luteal function by d 40 and 50 did not differ between NE and EPC cows; however, proportions of EPB and BE cows that resumed luteal function were greater (P < 0.05) than those for NE and EPC cows by d 40 and 50. Proportions of cows that resumed luteal function by d 70 were greater (P < 0.05) for BE, EPB, and EPC cows than for NE cows; however, proportions of BE and EPC cows did not differ. The proportion of EPB cows that resumed luteal function was greater (P = 0.058) than that of EPC cows, but the proportion of BE cows that resumed luteal function did not differ from that of EPC cows by d 70. We conclude that exposing primiparous restricted-suckled cows to excretory products of bulls or crowding estrus-cycling cows in an enclosure hastened postpartum resumption of luteal function. Therefore, the biostimulatory role of bulls and the crowding effect of cows seem to be mediated by a pheromone (or pheremones) present in their excretory products.
The Proactive Corporation: Its Nature and Causes

We argue that the stakeholder perspective on corporate social responsibility is in the process of being enlarged. Due to the process of institutional isomorphism, corporations are increasingly adopting organizational features designed to promote proactivity over mere reactivity in their stakeholder relationships. We identify two sources of pressure promoting the emergence of the proactive corporation -- stakeholder activism and the recognition of the social embeddedness of the economy. The final section describes four organizational design dimensions being installed by the more proactive corporations today -- cooperation, participation, negotiation, and direct anticipation.
Quantification of the upstream-to-downstream influence in the Muskingum method and implications for speedup in parallel computations of river flow

[1] The mathematical formulation of the Muskingum method, like that of many numerical schemes used for river routing, requires that all upstream river reaches be updated prior to updating the flow rate of any given reach. Due to this topological constraint, such numerical schemes have traditionally been solved in an upstream-to-downstream manner which imposes inherent limitations on the speedup that can be achieved in a parallel computing environment because each computing core has to wait for completion of all cores addressing upstream subbasins prior to starting its own subbasin. The research presented in this paper quantifies the exact influence among river reaches during the update step of the Muskingum method and shows that the influence decreases with increasing distance between two reaches until it becomes too small to be accounted for by floating-point arithmetic. A formal definition of the minimal distance from which the relative influence becomes numerically inexistent—the radius of influence—is presented. Based on this distance, expressed as a number of river reaches, a new estimate of the maximum theoretical speedup that can be achieved by the Muskingum method or by similar numerical schemes is presented and implies large potential gains in computing time when domains are much larger than the radius of influence. An application to the approximately 180,000 river reaches of the Upper Mississippi River Basin at a 15 min time step over 2004 shows a radius of influence on the order of 150 river reaches. The speedup obtained for this application is much higher than previously thought possible but also much lower than could be attained, suggesting that further investigations are necessary.
Interrelationships among glycogen phosphorylase isozymes.

Abstract Rabbit heart extract contains three glycogen phosphorylase b isozymes separable by disc gel electrophoresis or column chromatography. These types of phosphorylase are designated as phosphorylase Ib, which migrates the farthest on electrophoresis; IIb, with an intermediate rate of migration; and IIIb, having the slowest rate. Phosphorylase IIIb is known to be identical with skeletal muscle phosphorylase b from previous work. Each type of phosphorylase b can be converted to the corresponding a form with ATP and phosphorylase kinase; the a forms are designated as phosphorylases Ia, IIa, and IIIa. Phosphorylases Ib and Ia have been purified and partially characterized. The two forms of this type of phosphorylase have the same molecular weight, i.e. about 200,000, in contrast to phosphorylases IIIb and IIIa, the a form of which is twice the size of the b form. When phosphorylases Ib and IIIb are incubated together, an intermediate hybrid band appears in the IIb position. Low temperature, high salt, low pH, and the presence of "deforming agents" increase the rate of hybridization. Glucose 6-phosphate and AMP block the reaction. No hybridization between phosphorylases Ia and IIIa or between Ib and inactive liver phosphorylase has been observed. An activity-staining technique for phosphorylase in gels is described.
Impact of a Braille-Note on Writing: Evaluating the Process, Quality, and Attitudes of Three Students Who Are Visually Impaired.

Educators of students with visual impairments have long advocated that children who read and write in braille benefit from access to and use of a braille note-taker (BNT) with refreshable braille d...
Specific chromosome alterations of Candida albicans: mechanisms for adaptation to pathogenicity.

This chapter reviews the examples of Candida albicans survival resulting from specific chromosome alterations in vitro, as well as recent advances in understanding this regulation. Previously classified as asexual, C. albicans belongs to the genus Candida, which is composed of approximately 159 species of lower fungi reproducing by multilateral budding. Development of fluconazole resistance has been extensively studied in clinical settings and in laboratories. Series of matched clinical isolates became an important tool in these studies. Matched series are usually represented by the isolates, which were sampled from the same patient either at a certain time during infection or during recurrent episodes and which were derived from the same strain. Study of the deletion in one of the mutants confirmed the loss of at least a 305-kbp portion adjacent to the right telomere. The reason this deletion confers the Sou+ phenotype is discussed in the section Ch5 carries functionally redundant regulatory genes. In fact, an uncharacterized rearrangement of one mutant of strain CAF4-2 is probably the only true exception from the Ch5 monosomy. The major control of sorbose utilization (CSUs) on Ch5 that are controlled by this chromosome copy number, apparently can 'override' secondary CSUs, thus allowing ready adaptation to sorbose. Universality of the control caused by aneuploidy implies that C. albicans regulatory and metabolic genes are distributed nonrandomly over the chromosomes.
wingless and patched are negative regulators of the morphogenetic furrow and can affect tissue polarity in the developing Drosophila compound eye

In the developing Drosophila compound eye, a wave of pattern formation and cell-type determination sweeps across the presumptive eye epithelium. This ‘morphogenetic furrow’ coordinates the epithelial cells’ division cycle, shape and gene expression to produce evenly spaced neural cell clusters that will eventually form the adult ommatidia. As these clusters develop, they rotate inwards to face the eye’s equator and establish tissue polarity. We have found that wingless is strongly expressed in the dorsal margin of the presumptive eye field, ahead of the morphogenetic furrow. We have shown that inactivation of Wingless results in the induction of an ectopic furrow that proceeds ventrally from the dorsal margin. This ectopic furrow is normal in most respects, however the clusters formed by it fail to rotate, and we propose a two-vector model to account for normal rotation and tissue polarity in the retina. A second consequence of this inactivation of Wingless is that the dorsal head is largely deleted. We have also found that patched loss-of-function mosaic clones induce circular ectopic morphogenetic furrows (consistent with the observations of other workers with the hedgehog, and PKA genes). We use such patched induced furrows to test the two-vector model for cluster rotation and tissue polarity. SUMMARY
Prolonged Prostaglandin E1 Infusion in an Infant With Cyanotic Congenital Heart Disease

A small-for-gestational-age premature infant with severe tetralogy of Fallot was treated with prostaglandin E1 to dialate the ductus arteriosus and increase pulmonary blood flow. The infusion was continued for 29 days without complication at which time surgery was performed.
Conrad–Limpach reaction

Thermal or acid-catalyzed condensation of anilines with β-ketoesters leads to quinolin-4-ones. Cf. Combes quinoline synthesis.
Knight move in chromatic cohomology

In this paper we prove the knight move theorem for the chromatic graph cohomologies with rational coefficients introduced by L. Helme-Guizon and Y. Rong. Namely, for a connected graph @C with n vertices the only non-trivial cohomology groups H^i^,^n^-^i(@C),H^i^,^n^-^i^-^1(@C) come in isomorphic pairs: H^i^,^n^-^i(@C)@?H^i^+^1^,^n^-^i^-^2(@C) for i>=0 if @C is non-bipartite, and for i>0 if @C is bipartite. As a corollary, the ranks of the cohomology groups are determined by the chromatic polynomial. At the end, we give an explicit formula for the Poincare polynomial in terms of the chromatic polynomial and a deletion-contraction formula for the Poincare polynomial.
When in Rome: Evaluations of L2 pragmalinguistic behaviors☆

Abstract Research has found that perceptions of and attitudes toward an L2 affect language acquisition. This study focuses on the effect that perceptions of L2 pragmalinguistic norms and behaviors can have on their acquisition. In two experiments, a total of 240 speakers of Chinese, Indonesian, Korean, Japanese, and Arabic responded to a questionnaire containing 29 statements dealing with various aspects of L2 politeness, subjects' awareness of it, and perceptions of L2 pragmalinguistic norms. The subjects and control groups of 61 NSs of American English ranked the statements according to their agreement or disagreement on a 10-point Likert scale. The results of the study indicate that the NNSs recognized pragmalinguistic behaviors accepted in the U.S. However, despite their evident recognition of L2 pragmalinguistic norms, NNSs often viewed L2 behaviors critically, compared to those accepted in L1 communities, and were not always willing to follow them.
The palatal flap

Considering the wide variety of options for the reconstruction of posttraumatic and postablative intraoral defects, the palatal flap holds many advantages over other forms of reconstruction. It has been used successfully with minimal morbidity for reconstruction of defects within the reach of the flap. The cases presented herein demonstrate the versatility of this flap, which should be part of the armamentarium of the reconstructive surgeon.
The role of the immune system in the regulation of wound repair

Abstract Wound healing is a highly regulated biochemical and cellular cascade. Recent advances indicate that some of the controlling mechanisms of this cascade occur via the cellular arm of the immune system. Macrophages, one of the key elements in wound healing, provide regulation via the secretion of multiple cytokines which influence all cells participating in wound healing. The lymphocytes, which also migrate into wounds and have been considered before to be unimportant, have been shown more recently to play a major regulatory role in the successful completion of wound repair. This review examines the role of the immune system in wound healing, and how immune cells regulate the function of other cells in the wound environment.
Synthesis and characterization of laser ablated TiNi films

TiNi thin films with BaTiO3 and PbZr0.52Ti0.48O3 (PZT) as buffer layers were deposited on Si(100) substrates by the pulsed laser deposition (PLD) method. Buffer layers (BaTiO3 and PZT) were deposited at 600 °C in oxygen (O2) environment and TiNi films were deposited on the top of the buffer layer in presence of 15 mTorr nitrogen (N2) at various deposition temperatures (50, 300, and 500 °C). Synthesis and characterization of TiNi films were investigated from the crystallographic point of view by using X-ray diffractometer (XRD) and atomic force microscope (AFM) techniques. It is found that buffer layer of BaTiO3 and PZT have improved the crystallinity of TiNi films deposited at higher temperatures. The TiNi/PZT film was uniform compared to TiNi/BaTiO3 film with the exception of agglomerates that appeared throughout the layer.
Hypobaric Hypoxia: Within-Subject Transition Effects in Albino Rats:

The effect of rapid hypobaric transition (1 hr.) upon water consumption, food consumption, body weight, feeding activity and spontaneous activity of albino rats was studied using a within-subject design. Transition from 635 ± 5 mm. Hg. (5,000 ft.) to 455 ± 5 mm. Hg. (14,000 ft.) induced temporary hypophagia, hypodipsia and concomitant weight loss; gradual recovery occurred during the exposure period; return to 635 ± 5 mm. Hg. after 7 days abruptly (≤ 24 hr.) alleviated these effects. Alterations in feeding activity (time-in-foodwell) during the off portions of the light cycle paralleled food intake changes. No reliable changes in spontaneous activity as a function of hypobaric transition were noted. Results were interpreted as suggestive of hypothalamic and frontal cortex involvement in hypoxia-induced behavioral shifts.
An experimental and modeling based investigation into the high stoichiometric flow rates required in direct methanol fuel cells

Abstract Direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs) characteristically require high stoichiometric flow rates in order to optimize their performance. Experiments and modeling were performed in order to provide an improved understanding of the physical basis of this requirement. Anode side modeling suggests that high stoichiometry is necessary to keep the carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) gaseous volumetric generation rate to a fraction of the overall anode flow rate such that CO 2 gaseous clogging may not result. This requires anode stoichiometries generally greater than 20, and higher with increasing molarity. Cathode side modeling and measurements show that saturated exit air is directly related to poor cell performance. The modeling suggests that the cathode side mass transfer effect is quite strong despite the laminar flow conditions. Stoichiometries greater than 5 are seen to reduce the cell's exit relative humidity (RH) and improve cell performance.
Synthesis and Absolute Configuration of Cis- and Trans-Opened Cyclopenta[cd]pyrene 3,4-Oxide N2-Deoxyguanosine Adducts: Conversion to Phosphoramidites for Oligonucleotide Synthesis

Fluorinated alcohols such as trifluoroethanol (TFE) or hexafluoropropan-2-ol (HFP) catalyze addition of the N2-amino group of O6-allyl-3‘,5‘-di-O-(tert-butyldimethylsilyl)-2‘-deoxyguanosine (3) to cyclopenta[cd]pyrene 3,4-oxide (CPPO). The reaction occurs via a carbocation intermediate at C-3 such that cis- and trans-opened dGuo adducts are formed in a combined yield of ∼37% together with the 4-ketone and a cis-opened solvent adduct. Fluorinated alcohol-mediated regioselective substitution at C-3 of the CPP cis- (11) and trans-3,4-dihydrodiol diacetates (15) with the N2-amino group of 3 proceeded smoothly to give the O6-allyl di-(tert-butyldimethylsilyl) cis- and trans-opened dGuo-adduct acetates (8a,b and 9a,b) in 75−85% yields. The cis-opened adducts predominated (56−70%) from both 11 and 15. Interestingly, trans-3-acetoxy-4-bromo-3,4-dihydro-CPP and 3 in TFE or HFP gave a mixture of 8a,b and 9a,b in 75−85% yield with cis:trans adduct ratios similar to those observed for 11 and 15. This observation is c...
Calling dynamics and call synchronization in a local group of unison bout callers

In many species of chorusing frogs, callers can rapidly adjust their call timing with reference to neighboring callers so as to maintain call rate while minimizing acoustic interference. The rules governing the interactions, in particular, who is listening to whom are largely unknown, presumably influenced by distance between callers, caller density, and intensities of interfering calls. We report vocal interactions in a unison bout caller, the green tree frog (Hyla cinerea). Using a microphone array, we monitored bouts from a local group of six callers embedded in a larger chorus. Data were analyzed in a 21-min segment at the peak of the chorus. Callers within this group were localized and their voices were separated for analysis of spatio-temporal interactions. We show that callers in this group: (1) synchronize with one another, (2) prefer to time their calls antiphonally, almost exactly at one-third and two-thirds of the call intervals of their neighbors, (3) tolerate call collision when antiphonal calling is not possible, and (4) perform discrete phase-hopping between three preferred phases when tracking other callers. Further, call collision increases and phase-locking decreases, with increasing inter-caller spacing. We conclude that the precise phase-positioning, phase-tracking, and phase-hopping minimizes acoustic jamming while maintaining chorus synchrony.
The General Theory of Bolometer Performance

A general phenomenological theory of the static and dynamic behavior of bolometers is presented. The theory assumes as given the fundamental relations between the temperature and resistance of the bolometer, and the past history of the power dissipated within it. From these basic properties are derived a number of the properties of more immediate interest, such as electrical impedance, responsivity as a function of frequency, and the static load curve.Several equivalent circuits are developed to represent the behavior of the bolometer as a function of frequency at a single operating point. A two-terminal equivalent circuit is described that represents the electrical impedance as a function of frequency. In order to represent the response of the bolometer to incident radiation as a function of frequency, a four-terminal equivalent circuit is described.An electrical bridge is described that permits one to measure by purely electrical means the electrical response that a bolometer would have to radiation of any given time dependence, including radiation that varies sinusoidally. By purely electrical means and without the need of a radiation source (calibrated or otherwise), the bridge provides a precise measurement of the bolometer’s responsivity (output volts per watt of incident radiation) as a function of frequency. An electrical signal S(t) at the input of the bridge produces the same electrical output as would be produced in the normal use of the bolometer by a radiation signal with the same wave form as S(t).The presentation is in three parts: static performance; stability; and dynamic performance.
Dynamic Modeling of Cohort Change: The Case of Political Partisanship

This article describes an alternative to typical cohort analysis procedures for modeling developmental processes using cohort data. The alternative strategy, a dynamic modeling approach, is illustrated by an analysis of trends in the strength of partisan identification in the United States 1952–1978. The proposed model accounts for observed Variation in partisan strength by age and cohort without any need to include those variables in the model itself.
C‐terminal 37 residues of LRP promote the amyloidogenic processing of APP independent of FE65

The major defining pathological hallmark of Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the accumulation of amyloid β protein (Aβ), a small peptide derived from β- and γ-secretase cleavages of the amyloid precursor protein (APP). Recent studies have shown that the Low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein (LRP) plays a pivotal role in the trafficking of APP and generation of Aβ. In particular, we recently showed that the soluble cytoplasmic tail of LRP (LRP-ST) without a membrane tether was sufficient to promote Aβ generation. In this study, we demonstrate that the last 37 residues of LRP cytoplasmic tail (LRP-C37) lacking the NPxY motifs and FE65 binding mediate the core pro-amyloidogenic activity of LRP-ST. Moreover, we show that the conserved dileucine motif within the LRP-C37 region is a key determinant of its Aβ promoting activity. Finally, results from a yeast two-hybrid screen using LRP-C37 region as bait reveal four new LRP-binding proteins implicated in intracellular signalling and membrane protein trafficking. Our findings indicate that the LRP-C37 sequence represents a new protein-binding domain that may be useful as a therapeutic target and tool to lower Aβ generation in AD.
Investigating the predictors of lifestyle satisfaction among younger adults with chronic aphasia

Perceptions of lifestyle satisfaction are an important component of quality of life and handicap measurements. Thirty- one adults with aphasia completed a questionnaire in which they rated their Lifestyle satisfaction and reported other demographic, health, communication, social contact and Vocational information. Forty-six per cent of the respondents reported general lifestyle satisfaction. Logistic regressions were estimated to differentiate the effects of the predictor variables on the likelihood of a positive lifestyle- satisfaction rating. A negative effect of time post-onset was demonstrated. The results are discussed in the context of previous reports of lifestyle satisfaction in the general stroke population.
The direct solution of the radiative transfer equation for optically thick atmospheres

Abstract A simple improvement of a previous direct method of solution of the spherical harmonics approximation to the radiative transfer equation results in higher computational efficiencies by factors of 2–4; these higher efficiencies are particularly important to shorten the lengthy computations required in optically thick nonhomogeneous atmospheres.
Abstract B117: Early detection of a metabolic tumor response to p70S6 kinase/AKT inhibition by LYS6KAKT1 using in vivo choline proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy.

As part of a comprehensive drug discovery platform aimed at targeting the PI3K pathway, we have developed a potent small molecule dual inhibitor of p70 S6 kinase and AKT targeting two key nodes of the pathway. LYS6KAKT1 is a potent, highly selective ATP competitive inhibitor against p70S6 kinase and AKT with an IC50 of 6 nM and 14 nM respectively. LYS6KAKT1 inhibits phosphorylation of S6 ribosomal protein and phosphorylation of GSK3b in U87MG glioblastoma cells as well as phosphorylation of other downstream AKT substrates such as PRAS40 and FOXO (Geeganage et al, Abstract 62, 22nd Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics, 16–19 November 2010). In vivo, LYS6KAKT1 demonstrate potent phospho-S6 inhibition in nude mice bearing glioblastoma cells, with an ED50 value of 3 mg/kg and an ED90 value of 8 mg/kg 4 hours after a single oral dose. Based on pre-clinical observations, LYS6KAKT1 is currently being evaluated in Phase I clinical studies for cancer. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of LYS6KAKT1 on tumor choline metabolites, a potential tumor response biomarker for PI3K pathway inhibition. Proton Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy ([1H] MRS) was used to monitor the changes in tumor choline metabolites following treatment of U87MG xenografts in athymic nude mice. LYS6KAKT1 (12.5 or 25 mg/kg, PO, BID) significantly reduced total choline tumor metabolites after 7-days of dosing (p = 0.0006, n = 36). The total tumor choline metabolites, after 7 days of dosing, correlated significantly with relative changes in tumor volumes (r = 0.68, p Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR-NCI-EORTC International Conference: Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics; 2011 Nov 12-16; San Francisco, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Mol Cancer Ther 2011;10(11 Suppl):Abstract nr B117.
Greetings from the 2010 President [Presidents Column]

It is a great honor for me to serve as the 2010 MTT-S president! It is a nice surprise too. As I sat down to write this column, I could not help but to reminisce about my first involvement with the MTT Society.
Placental vascular lesions and likelihood of diagnosis of preeclampsia.

Objective To test the hypothesis that a range of severity of placental vascular lesions underlies preeclampsia and that the likelihood of its clinical diagnosis increases with the extent and severity of uteroplacental vascular lesions. Methods Four hundred sixty-five consecutive placentas of singleton, nonanomalous, live-born infants born before 32 weeks' gestation were examined prospectively, and uteroplacental vascular and related villous lesions were assigned a semiquantitative lesion score based on severity and extent of lesions. The summed scores of individual lesions yielded a total uteroplacental vascular lesion score, ranging from 0 to 21, that was correlated with the odds of a clinical diagnosis of preeclampsia, as well as with potential confounders, including maternal age, race, gestational age at delivery, and birth weight centile. Statistical analysis was performed using contingency tables, one-way analysis of variance, multiple logistic regression, and receiver operating characteristic curve. P Results A clinical diagnosis of preeclampsia was present in 78 of 465 (17%) cases. Logistic regression demonstrated that the total uteroplacental vascular lesion score related significantly to the diagnosis of preeclampsia (odds ratio 1.43, 95% confidence interval 1.31, 1.57) and this association was independent of gestational age at delivery and birth weight centile. Preeclampsia was diagnosed in 12 of 284 (4%) cases with no or minimal histologic evidence of placental vascular injury (total score less than 4). Conversely, the diagnosis was not made in 4% of cases despite the presence of extensive placental vascular injury (total score at least 14). Conclusion The likelihood of clinical diagnosis of preeclampsia before 32 weeks increases with progressive impairment of the uteroplacental circulation. Histopathologic examination of the placenta can be used to confirm the diagnosis of preeclampsia.
Comparisons between prematurely and maturely born children at three age levels.

A comparison of prematurely and maturely born children of average intelligence revealed relatively inferior performance on a large battery of kindergarten tests on the part of the prematures. Although there were indications of accelerated progress in some areas, the prematures continued to lag in academic achievement well into the eighth year of life.
Unemployment and urban development in Gauteng

One aspect of the unemployment crisis which has not received much attention in South Africa is the spatial distribution of unemployment within cities. Concentrated unemployment within cities may be seen primarily as a product of market and non‐market housing allocation processes or of the spatial location of employment opportunities. This article examines the situation in Gauteng province using the 1991 population census and a 1995 survey of employers and using regression analysis to explain the unemployment rate in residential areas. It was found that there is no clear link between the location of employment opportunities and concentrated unemployment, suggesting that housing allocation factors play the decisive role. The findings raise some difficult questions about the appropriateness of urban development strategies which vigorously pursue the collocation of places of residence and work.
Self-consistent, three-dimensional equilibrium effects on tokamak magnetic field ripple

Self-consistent equilibrium effects on tokamak magnetic field ripple have been calculated using a three-dimensional equilibrium code. The effects are found to be large enough that they should be included in tokamak ignition experiment designs. Even the modification of the well depth associated with the flow of force-free plasma current along rippled field lines is substantial. An analysis of the results separates the contribution of the Shafranov shift to the ripple modification from the contributions of other finite-pressure effects. 5 refs., 10 figs., 1 tab.