cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
AP-2 participates in the transcriptional control of the amyloid precursor protein (APP) gene in oral squamous cell carcinoma

Amyloid precursor protein (APP) has been implicated in squamous cell carcinoma. In this study we show that forced expression of the transcription factor activating protein 2α (AP-2α) results in significantly increased steady state levels of APP mRNA in human keratinocytes. Sequence analysis of the 5′ end of the human APP gene revealed five putative binding sites for AP-2, suggesting that APP is a direct target for transactivation by AP-2. AP-2 protein bound at least 3 of these putative promoter elements in vitro as determined by electrophoretic mobility shift assay. Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) analysis showed that these binding sites were occupied by AP-2 in cells, thus indicating the relevance to AP-2 binding in vivo. We then analyzed APP and AP-2 mRNA and protein expression in squamous cell carcinoma tumor samples. Analysis of RNA extracted from human tissue showed a significant positive correlation between AP-2α and APP mRNA expression. Immunohistochemical staining of tumor samples also demonstrated a positive correlation which was substantiated through western blot studies. Taken together, these findings demonstrate a role for the transcription factor AP-2α in the regulation of APP gene expression in human keratinocytes.
How to SAIF-ly Boost Denoising Performance

Spatial domain image filters (e.g., bilateral filter, non-local means, locally adaptive regression kernel) have achieved great success in denoising. Their overall performance, however, has not generally surpassed the leading transform domain-based filters (such as BM3-D). One important reason is that spatial domain filters lack efficiency to adaptively fine tune their denoising strength; something that is relatively easy to do in transform domain method with shrinkage operators. In the pixel domain, the smoothing strength is usually controlled globally by, for example, tuning a regularization parameter. In this paper, we propose spatially adaptive iterative filtering (SAIF) a new strategy to control the denoising strength locally for any spatial domain method. This approach is capable of filtering local image content iteratively using the given base filter, and the type of iteration and the iteration number are automatically optimized with respect to estimated risk (i.e., mean-squared error). In exploiting the estimated local signal-to-noise-ratio, we also present a new risk estimator that is different from the often-employed SURE method, and exceeds its performance in many cases. Experiments illustrate that our strategy can significantly relax the base algorithm's sensitivity to its tuning (smoothing) parameters, and effectively boost the performance of several existing denoising filters to generate state-of-the-art results under both simulated and practical conditions.
Mechanisms of Heading Perception in Primate Visual Cortex

When we move forward while walking or driving, what we see appears to expand. The center or focus of this expansion tells us our direction of self-motion, or heading, as long as our eyes are still. However, if our eyes move, as when tracking a nearby object on the ground, the retinal image is disrupted and the focus is shifted away from the heading. Neurons in primate dorso-medial superior temporal area responded selectively to an expansion focus in a certain part of the visual field, and this selective region shifted during tracking eye movements in a way that compensated for the retinal focus shift. Therefore, these neurons account for the effect of eye movements on what we see as we travel forward through the world.
Characterizing the PM2.5-related health benefits of emission reductions for 17 industrial, area and mobile emission sectors across the U.S.

Abstract Background Air pollution benefits assessments tend to be time and resource intensive. Reduced-form approaches offer computational efficiency, but may introduce uncertainty. Some reduced-form approaches apply simplified air quality models, which may not capture the complex non-linear chemistry governing the formation of certain pollutants such as PM2.5. Other approaches apply the results of sophisticated photochemical modeling, but characterize only a small number of source types in a limited geographic area. Methods We apply CAMx source apportionment photochemical modeling, coupled with a PC-based human health benefits software program, to develop a suite of PM2.5 benefit per ton estimates. These per-ton estimates relate emission changes to health impacts and monetized benefits for 17 sectors across the continental U.S., including Electricity Generating Units (EGU), mobile, area and industrial point sources. Results The benefit per ton of reducing directly emitted PM2.5 is about an order of magnitude larger than reducing emissions of PM2.5 precursor emissions. On a per-ton basis, the value of reducing directly emitted PM2.5 and PM2.5 precursors in 2005 ranges between approximately $1300 (2010$) for reducing a ton of NOx from Ocean-Going Vessels to about $450,000 (2010$) for reducing a ton of directly emitted PM2.5 from Iron and Steel facilities. The benefit per ton estimates for 2016 are generally higher than the 2005 estimates. The values estimated here are generally comparable with those generated using photochemical modeling, but larger than those calculated using simplified air quality models. Conclusions Our approach characterizes well the per-ton benefits of reducing emissions from a broad array of 17 industrial point, EGU and mobile sectors, while our use of photochemical air quality modeling gives us greater confidence that we have accounted for the non-linear chemistry governing PM2.5 formation. The resulting benefit per-ton estimates thus represent a compromise between approaches that may simplify the treatment of PM2.5 air quality formation and those techniques that are based in photochemical modeling but account for only a small number of emission sources.
Energy Saving in Mobile Cloud Computing

Green computing and energy-saving have been important and hot research topics in mobile computing and cloud computing. In the recent years, many existing research results have been published to address energy saving issues and challenges in cloud computing or mobile computing. Today, the significant increase of mobile users and strong business interests in cloud computing and services drive an emergent opportunities and needs in mobile cloud computing. This brings a new attention to energy saving in mobile cloud computing and services. This paper first presents the research scope and classified issues in energy saving in mobile clouds. Then, it reviews the existing research results and techniques, and examines their strengths and weaknesses. Finally, the paper offers observations, and identifies the open issues and needs for future research.
Powerful Genetic Resource for the Study of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus

ABSTRACT In “A Genetic resource for Rapid and Comprehensive Phenotype Screening of Nonessential Staphylococcus aureus Genes” (mBio 4(2):e00537-12, doi: 10.1128/mBio.00537-12, 2013), Fey et al. describe the creation and application of a defined transposon mutant library of methicillin-resistant S. aureus. This library is well organized and made accessible to the research community through an easily navigable central repository. The mutant library promises to be a significant resource for researchers seeking a greater understanding of this pathogen.
Characterization of 42 polymorphic microsatellite loci in Mimulus ringens (Phrymaceae) using Illumina sequencing.

UNLABELLED PREMISE OF THE STUDY Microsatellite markers were isolated and characterized in Mimulus ringens (Phrymaceae), a herbaceous wetland perennial, to facilitate studies of mating patterns and population genetic structure. • METHODS AND RESULTS A total of 42 polymorphic loci were identified from a sample of 24 individuals from a single population in Ohio, USA. The number of alleles per locus ranged from two to nine, and median observed heterozygosity was 0.435. • CONCLUSIONS This large number of polymorphic loci will enable researchers to quantify male fitness, patterns of multiple paternity, selfing, and biparental inbreeding in large natural populations of this species. These markers will also permit detailed study of fine-scale patterns of genetic structure.
Quantifying Relationships Between Bird and Butterfly Community Shifts and Environmental Change

Quantifying the manner in which ecological communities respond during a time of decreasing precipitation is a first step in understanding how they will respond to longer-term climate change. Here we coupled analysis of interannual variability in remotely sensed data with analyses of bird and butterfly community changes in montane meadow communities of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. Landsat satellite imagery was used to classify these meadows into six types along a hydrological gradient. The northern portion of the ecosystem, or Gallatin region, has smaller mean patch sizes separated by ridges of mountains, whereas the southern portion of the ecosystem, or Teton region, has much larger patches within the Jackson Hole valley. Both support a similar suite of butterfly and bird species. The Gallatin region showed more overall among-year variation in the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) when meadow types were pooled within regions, per- haps because the patch sizes are smaller on average. Bird and butterfly communities showed significant relationships relative to meadow type and NDVI. We identified several key species that are tightly associated with specific meadow types along the hydrological gra- dient. Comparing taxonomic groups, fewer birds showed specific habitat affinities than butterflies, perhaps because birds are responding to differences in habitat structure among meadow types and using the landscape at a coarser scale than the butterflies. Comparing regions, the Teton region showed higher predictability of community assemblages as com- pared to the Gallatin region. The Gallatin region exhibited more significant temporal trends with respect to butterflies. Butterfly communities in wet meadows showed a distinctive shift along the hydrological gradient during a drought period (1997-2000). These results imply that the larger Teton meadows will show more predictable (i.e., static) species-habitat associations over the long term, but that the smaller Gallatin meadows may be an area that will exhibit the effects of global climate change faster.
An efficient non-enumerative method to estimate path delay fault coverage

A method to estimate the coverage of path delay faults of a given test set, without enumerating paths, is proposed. The method is polynomial in the number of lines in the circuit, and thus allows circuits with large numbers of paths to be considered under the path delay fault model. Several levels of approximation, with increasing accuracy and increasing polynomial complexity, are proposed. Experimental results are presented to show the effectiveness and accuracy of the estimate in evaluating the path delay fault coverage. Combining this nonenumerative estimation method with a test generation method for path delay faults would yield a cost effective method to consider path delay faults in large circuits, which are beyond the capabilities of existing test generation and fault simulation procedures, that are based on enumeration of paths.
Back to the Future: The Mental Time Machine

The distinction between the past, present and future is only a stubbornly persistent illusion. Albert Einstein Not all time travel requires a DeLorean. Mental time travel, the capacity to remember the past and imagine the future, develops in children as early as 3 to 5 years of age. Yet, we know relatively little about how the brain performs these functions in children and adolescents. Now, Ostby et al . have evaluated the neural basis of memory formation and imagination in a group of 103 typically developing children and adolescents between the ages of 9 and 21 years. To test for individual differences in the subjective quality of memories, the authors began by testing their subjects with a recall–imagination cue-word task, where the children were asked to either remember past events or image future events related to a particular cue-word. Neuroimaging was then performed on a separate day—to ensure a resting state separate from the recall-imagination task. Interestingly, the functional connectivity of this so-called default-mode network (resting state connectivity) correlated with the quality of past remembering as well as marginally to future imagination in children and adolescents. These results support previous studies that suggest there is a common neuronal substrate for memory and imagination, and provide evidence that when children travel mentally in time, they use task-independent areas of the brain. An advanced analysis of brain structural area showed that the way in which the brain is structurally organized also contributed to recall of the past and imagination of the future. These findings underscore the benefits of studying both functional and structural properties to understand the brain basis for complex human cognition. These results demonstrate brain characteristics that govern complex cognitive processes in healthy developing children. A prospective evaluation would enhance understanding of how memory functions develop over time and would provide additional information about the interactions between brain structure and function related to memory and imagination. Nevertheless, these authors demonstrate the benefits of a multimodal neuroimaging approach for understanding the neural basis for individual differences in complex human cognitive processes—and they didn’t even have to accelerate to 88 miles per hour. Y. Ostby et al . Mental time travel and default-mode network functional connectivity in the developing brain. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 109 , 16800–16804 (2012). [[Online Journal]][1] [1]: http://www.pnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/pnas.1210627109
Is There “One Best Way” to Select Law Enforcement Personnel?

Police selection can be broadened in many jurisdictions, moving beyond traditional reliance on cognitive skills testing, but managers should be aware of dilemmas this process may entail. Jurisdictions differ from one another and trade-offs often need to made between competing values; therefore, there is no “one best way” to select law enforcement personnel. However, in light of several jurisdictions’ problematic experiences, managers should take care not to place undue emphasis on any single knowledge, skill, and ability (KSA) or demographic consideration. Also, personality measures have limitations and may never fully replace cognitive tests.
Replacement policies for super-peer in unstructured P2P network

For the last few years, there has been a large volume of research on Peer-to-Peer (P2P) systems, resulting in many hybrid P2P models. In the hybrid model, all P2P overlay traffic will be routed via the SP. In this model, the SP selection and replacement are important to accomplishing high scalability and reliable service in P2P network. Main purpose of this paper is to provide highly available SP (Super-Peer) by reducing the replacement of SPs in the network. In this paper, we present a variety of replacement policies and discuss replacement of SPs in a P2P system. We manage SPs by dividing the selected group and the candidate SP group and use a lazy replacement concept to distinguish SP's status between unavailable and available. Finally, we choose new SPs using proposed replacement policies. Through experiments, we can provide the reliable SP by reducing the number of replacements using a timeout value and presented replacement policy. Also, we can improve the resilience of the system by improving the availability of SPs selected by OPs (Ordinary-Peer). Finally, we present the points to be considered for analysis of past behavior of peers and discuss which factors affect the performance of the system.
Tonic autoinhibition contributes to the heterogeneity of evoked dopamine release in the rat striatum.

Electrically evoked dopamine release as measured by voltammetry in the rat striatum is heterogeneous in both amplitude and temporal profile. Previous studies have attributed this heterogeneity to variations in the density of dopamine (DA) terminals at the recording site. We reach the alternate conclusion that the heterogeneity of evoked DA release derives from variations in the extent to which DA terminals are autoinhibited. We demonstrate that low-amplitude, slow evoked DA responses occur even though recording electrodes are close to DA terminals. Moreover, the D2 agonist and antagonist, quinpirole and raclopride, respectively, affect the slow responses in a manner consistent with the known functions of pre-synaptic D2 autoreceptors. Recording sites that exhibit autoinhibited responses are prevalent in the dorsal striatum. Autoinhibition preceded electrical stimulation, which is consistent with our prior reports that the striatum contains a tonic pool of extracellular DA at basal concentrations that exceed the affinity of D2 receptors. We conclude that the striatum contains DA terminals operating on multiple time courses, determined at least in part by the local variation in autoinhibition. Thus, we provide direct, real-time observations of the functional consequence of tonic and phasic DAergic signaling in vivo.
Inhomogeneous broadening-dependent spectral features in a four-level atomic system

New spectral features in an inhomogeneously broadened N-type four-level atomic system are analyzed and discussed. The atomic-level scheme uses an incoherent pumping rate in place of the incoherent recycling pump. We show that the gain profile includes an extra dip that appears only in the Doppler-broadened case. The dependence of this feature on various parameters, as well as consequences for the dispersion, are explored theoretically. For certain combinations of temperature and incoherent pump rate, this gain is shown to be independent of temperature fluctuations.
A Semiparametric Joint Model for Longitudinal and Survival Data with Application to Hemodialysis Study

In many longitudinal clinical studies, the level and progression rate of repeatedly measured biomarkers on each subject quantify the severity of the disease and that subject's susceptibility to progression of the disease. It is of scientific and clinical interest to relate such quantities to a later time-to-event clinical endpoint such as patient survival. This is usually done with a shared parameter model. In such models, the longitudinal biomarker data and the survival outcome of each subject are assumed to be conditionally independent given subject-level severity or susceptibility (also called frailty in statistical terms). In this article, we study the case where the conditional distribution of longitudinal data is modeled by a linear mixed-effect model, and the conditional distribution of the survival data is given by a Cox proportional hazard model. We allow unknown regression coefficients and time-dependent covariates in both models. The proposed estimators are maximizers of an exact correction to the joint log likelihood with the frailties eliminated as nuisance parameters, an idea that originated from correction of covariate measurement error in measurement error models. The corrected joint log likelihood is shown to be asymptotically concave and leads to consistent and asymptotically normal estimators. Unlike most published methods for joint modeling, the proposed estimation procedure does not rely on distributional assumptions of the frailties. The proposed method was studied in simulations and applied to a data set from the Hemodialysis Study.
Graduate Hospitality: Where are we in our Search for Excellence

Graduate hospitality education faces great challenges in the decades ahead. Questions facing hospitality educators include the curriculum, quality issues, graduate faculty and the student mix.
PR-QMF based codes for multipath/multiuser communications

One common type of interference in a mobile communications channel is multipath interference. Traditionally, the DSSS/CDMA systems utilize maximal length sequences (m-sequences) as the spreading codes. The m-sequences were chosen because they possess the desired randomness properties and are easily generated via shift registers. The perfect reconstruction quadrature mirror filter (PR-QMF) based spread spectrum codes were proposed as an alternative to the m-sequences. A class of spreading codes based on PR-QMF subband trees is examined. After developing the properties of these codes as they relate to the multipath and multiuser channels, objective and constraint functions are formulated which incorporate these properties. These functions are then used in a multivariable optimization problem to determine the PR-QMF coefficients for use in the subband tree structure. Once the subband tree is complete, the spreading codes can then be extracted for use. It is shown that in the limiting cases, the optimal solutions tend towards TDMA and FDMA like structures.
Explaining “Memory Free” Reasoning

Cognitive theorists generally assume that reasoning depends on memory; accurate reasoning requires access to critical informational inputs. Although memory dependency seems self-evidently true, it has been disconfirmed in recent studies of children's logical, mathematical, and pragmatic inferences. These studies have led to a new account of cognitive development, fuzzy-trace theory, that stresses the unfolding of gist-driven intuitive reasoning processes, and that reformulates traditional conceptions of the relationship between verbatim and gist memories. Fuzzy-trace theory also identifies circumstances in which reasoning accuracy depends on memory accuracy.
Effect of biography on stoichiometric composition and chemisorptive properties of nickel oxide (oxygen chemisorption)

One of the main properties of oxide catalysts of NiO type is their excess oxygen content. Various analytical methods employed in determination of this content have some limitations and yield different results. On the basis of the results reported in the literature and of the result obtained in the present work, the reasons for these differences are discussed. Analysis of the experimental results shows that oxygen coverage θ is a function of annealing temperature showing a maximum in the range 700–900 °C. Full elucidation of such a course of changes is not possible at present owing to the scarcity of experimental data. The hypothesis is put forward which relates the course of the θ = f(Tanneal) changes to the conditions of preparing and storing the samples.
Xen and Co.: Communication-Aware CPU Management in Consolidated Xen-Based Hosting Platforms

Recent advances in software and architectural support for server virtualization have created interest in using this technology in the design of consolidated hosting platforms. Since virtualization enables easier and faster application migration as well as secure colocation of antagonistic applications, higher degrees of server consolidation are likely to result in such virtualization-based hosting platforms (VHPs). We identify two shortcomings in existing virtual machine monitors (VMMs) that prove to be obstacles in operating hosting platforms, such as Internet data centers, under conditions of such high consolidation: 1) CPU schedulers that are agnostic to the communication behavior of modern, multitier applications and 2) inadequate or inaccurate mechanisms for accounting the CPU overheads of I/O virtualization. We develop a new communication-aware CPU scheduling algorithm and a CPU usage accounting mechanism. We implement our algorithms in the Xen VMM and build a prototype VHP on a cluster of 36 servers. Our experimental evaluation with realistic Internet server applications and benchmarks demonstrates the performance/cost benefits and the wide applicability of our algorithms. For example, the TPC-W benchmark exhibited improvements in average response times between 20 percent and 35 percent for a variety of consolidation scenarios. A streaming media server hosted on our prototype VHP was able to satisfactorily service up to 3.5 times as many clients as one running on the default Xen.
The Movement to Criminalize Sex Work in the United States

Until recently, prostitution was not a prominent public issue in the United States. Law and public policy were relatively settled. The past decade, however, has witnessed a growing debate over the sex trade and the growth of an organized campaign committed to expanding criminalization. A powerful moral crusade has been successful in reshaping American government policy toward sex work – enhancing penalties for existing offences and creating new crimes. Crusade organizations have advocated a strict abolitionist orientation toward all forms of commercialized sex, which are increasingly conflated with sex trafficking. This paper examines the impact of this movement on legal norms and government policies. I argue that the moral crusade, and its government allies, are responding to the growth of the sex industry in recent years and to fears of its normalization in American society.
From Blockhouse To Hog House: The Historical Dendroarchaeology Of the Swaggerty Blockhouse, Cocke County, Tennessee, U.S.A

Abstract The Swaggerty Blockhouse has historical and cultural significance for Tennessee because it is believed to be the only remaining 18th Century blockhouse in the state. We incorporated analyses of artifacts obtained from archaeological excavations coupled with tree-ring dating techniques to determine the possible year of construction of the structure. A nearby reference tree-ring chronology from Norris Dam anchored the Swaggerty Blockhouse tree-ring chronology from 1674 to 1859. The assemblages of artifacts (nails, ceramics, and window glass) recovered from the site corroborated the construction date and provided a clear understanding of the structure's use as a barn for storage and hog processing. Based on our analyses, the historic Swaggerty “Blockhouse,” originally believed to have been built by James Swaggerty in 1787, is instead a small cantilever barn built by Jacob Stephens in 1860 and used for hog farming.
Comparison of binary and LFSR counters and efficient LFSR decoding algorithm

This paper provides a direct comparison between a fast binary counter, built using a hierarchical Manchester carry chain, and a counter built using a linear feedback shift register (LFSR). The comparison is focused on speed, power and area consumption. We demonstrate the use of LFSRs as an alternative to conventional binary event counters. In order to use an LFSR as a counter, we developed an efficient algorithm for decoding the pseudo-random bit patterns of the LFSR counter to a known binary count. We implement 4-bit, 8-bit, 16-bit and 32-bit LFSR and binary counters in a 0.5-µm CMOS process. The hypotheses that LFSR counters leads to reduced area and higher speed were validated using simulation and measurement results.
Acute Calculous Cholecystitis

A 42-year-old woman presents with severe pain in the right upper quadrant, which started 15 hours earlier. She has had episodic pain in that location previously that lasted up to 2 hours. She has had one episode of vomiting with the current attack. Her temperature is 38.5°C, and the heart rate is 95 beats per minute. How should her condition be evaluated and treated?
Reshaping Economic Geography: The World Development Report 2009

Something ominous began to happen in 2006. The rate of foreclosures in low-income areas of older US cities began to increase. Officialdom and the media took very little notice because, as had happened many years before in the early stages of the HIV/AIDS pandemic, the communities affected were low-income, mainly African-American or immigrant (Hispanics), in cities like Cleveland and Detroit that were in any case already blighted and deteriorated. It was only in mid-2007, when the foreclosure wave had spread to white middle class areas as well as to the US South (Florida in particular) and Southwest (California), where new housing tract developments, often in peripheral areas, were becoming vulnerable, that officialdom started to take notice and the mainstream press began to comment. By the end of that year, nearly 2 million people had lost their homes and estimates began to emerge that another 4 or perhaps 6 million more might be lost before it was all over. By the autumn of 2008, the phenomenon of the ‘sub-prime mortgage crisis’ had led to the demise of all the major Wall Street Investment Banks, either through change of status or through forced mergers, and the outright bankruptcy of Lehman that triggered a worldwide collapse of confidence in financial institutions. The contagion then spread outwards from banking to the major holders of mortgage debt (Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac) along with insurance giants like AIG, before hitting the rest of the economy bigtime towards the end of 2008. By early 2009 the export-led industrialization model that had generated such spectacular growth in East and Southeast Asia was contracting at an alarming rate; at the same time, many icons of American capitalism, such as General Motors, were moving closer to bankruptcy.
The Genetic Reinscription of Race

Critics have debated for the past decade or more whether race is dead or alive in “the new genetics”: Is genomics opening up novel terrains for social identities or is it reauthorizing race? I explore the relationship between race and the new genetics by considering whether this “race” is the same scientific object as that produced by race science and whether these race-making practices are animated by similar social and political logics. I consider the styles of reasoning characteristic of the scientific work together with the economic and political rationalities of neo-liberalism, including identity politics as it meets biological citizenship. I seek to understand why and how group-based diversity emerges as an object of value—something to be studied and specified, something to be fought for and embraced, and something that is profitable—in the networks that sustain the world of (post)genomics today.
Recruitment of encrusting benthic invertebrates in boundary-layer flows: A deep-water experiment on Cross Seamount

A 48-d field experiment on recruitment of metazoan larvae and other foraminiferal propagules of deep-water, encrusting invertebrates was conducted on the summit of Cross Seamount (central North Pacific, 4 1 O-m depth). Experimental substrata were circular flat plates with differing thicknesses and surface characteristics, designed so that larval responses to the plate boundary-layer flow could be evaluated relative to other factors, such as substratum composition and texture. Flume studies indicated that rectangular plates with thin edges (1.5 mm) develop a boundary layer that thickens gradually downstream from the upstream edge, while plates with thick edges (10.0 mm) develop a separation eddy extending 2-3 cm downstream from the leading edge. Dissolution patterns of alabaster disks deployed on Cross Seamount indicated that similar flow patterns developed over plates at the field site. Recruitment of organisms (mostly benthic foraminifers) onto the thin plates was significantly lower very near the edges than near the centers of the plates. Recruits on the thick plates were most abundant .2-3 cm in from the edges of the plates, where the attachment point of the separation eddy was expected to occur most frequently. These results suggest that larval settlement may be a function of very small-scale variations in the boundarylayer flow, reflecting, for example, larval supply to the plate, larval retention on the plate surface, and active larval responses to the flow regime over the plates. Several taxa recruited exclusively onto thick plates covered with finely powdered ferromanganese crust, however, suggesting active selection for substratum composition or texture.
A Note On Interstate Migration And Tax Burdens: New Evidence

This study extends the work of Cebula (1990) and examines interstate in-migration for 48 contiguous states based on the 1990 Census data. We find that the optimal value for the state and local tax burden is $1,943 per capita. Interstate in-migration rates are likely to increase (decrease) given a change in tax burdens, if the current tax level is below (above) the optimal tax level. We also find that more sunshine, employment growth, and income encourage in-migration and that higher heating degree days, percent of metropolitan area population, and violent crime reduce in-migration.
Ultrablock Forensic Card Reader

Write-blocker technology for forensic examination of disk drives has been available for a few years and, with recent technology and cost improvements, has quickly become a standard tool for forensi...
Heat Shock Proteins Promote Cancer: It's a Protection Racket

Heat shock proteins (HSP) are expressed at high levels in cancer and form a fostering environment that is essential for tumor development. Here, we review the recent data in this area, concentrating mainly on Hsp27, Hsp70, and Hsp90. The overriding role of HSPs in cancer is to stabilize the active functions of overexpressed and mutated cancer genes. Thus, elevated HSPs are required for many of the traits that underlie the morbidity of cancer, including increased growth, survival, and formation of secondary cancers. In addition, HSPs participate in the evolution of cancer treatment resistance. HSPs are also released from cancer cells and influence malignant properties by receptor-mediated signaling. Current data strongly support efforts to target HSPs in cancer treatment.
Cataloging Blog (Ohio State University Libraries)

This cataloging blog from the Ohio State University's (OSU) Libraries Cataloging Department is a useful resource for anyone involved with technical services. Posts are focused on the needs of the O...
Stress engineering of high-quality single crystal diamond by heteroepitaxial lateral overgrowth

A method for lateral overgrowth of low-stress single crystal diamond by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) is described. The process is initiated by deposition of a thin (550 nm) (001) diamond layer on Ir-buffered a-plane sapphire. The diamond is partially masked by periodic thermally evaporated Au stripes using photolithography. Lateral overgrowth of the Au occurs with extremely effective filtering of threading dislocations. Thermal stress resulting from mismatch of the low thermal expansion diamond and the sapphire substrate is largely accommodated by the ductile Au layer. The stress state of the diamond is investigated by Raman spectroscopy for two thicknesses: at 10 μm where the film has just overgrown the Au mask and at 180 μm where the film thickness greatly exceeds the scale of the masking. For the 10-μm film, the Raman linewidth shows spatial oscillations with the period of the Au stripes with a factor of 2 to 3 reduction relative to the unmasked region. In a 180-μm thick diamond film, the overall su...
Mystical experiences, romantic love, and hypnotic susceptibility.

Measures of tendency to have mystical experiences, romantic love, and hypnotic susceptibility were positively intercorrelated suggesting that they all involve the ability to suspend contact with ob...
Abstract 3092: FBW7 targets hypoxia inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) for proteasomal degradation during hypoxia

Hypoxia Inducible Factor-1α (HIF-1α) mediates expression of genes associated with endothelial cell-mediated angiogenesis and is associated with poor outcomes in a variety of cancers. In normoxia, HIF-1α is ubiquitinated and degraded through interactions with the E3 ubiqutin ligase, von Hippel-Lindau (vHL); however, little is known about the negative regulation of HIF-1α in hypoxia. FBW7, an E3 ubiquitin ligase, has been shown to interact with several transcription factors including those phosphorylated by glycogen synthase kinase 3β (GSK3β). The current study tested the hypothesis that phosphorylation of HIF-1α by GSK3β increases the FBW7-mediated ubiquitination and degradation of HIF-1α, thereby resulting in suppression of the hypoxia-mediated angiogenic response in SKOV-3 ovarian cancer cells. HIF-1α protein and VEGF transcript levels in hypoxia were increased when GSK3β activity was inhibited and were reduced by expression of constitutively active GSK3β (GSK3S9A). Additionally, expression of GSK3S9A increased HIF-1α ubiquitination. Conditioned media from SKOV-3 cells expressing shRNA against GSK3β (shGSK3) had an enhanced effect on endothelial tube formation in a Matrigel matrix, suggesting that GSK3β exerts an inhibitory effect on hypoxia-mediated angiogenesis. Overexpression of the β and γ isoforms of FBW7 decreased HIF-1α stabilization, and HIF-1α interacts with FBW7 by co-immunoprecipitation. Furthermore, knockdown of FBW7 using siRNA resulted in increased HIF-1α levels in hypoxia. These data suggest a new mechanism for negative regulation of HIF-1α during hypoxia that utilizes phosphorylation by GSK3β and interaction with FBW7 leading to ubiquitination and proteasomal degradation. Results of this study better define the signaling pathways necessary for HIF-1α-mediated signaling and may identify new targets that mediate angiogenesis in disease. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 102nd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2011 Apr 2-6; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2011;71(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 3092. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2011-3092
Does timing matter? Examining the impact of session timing on outcome.

OBJECTIVE First-line treatments for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are often implemented twice per week in efficacy trials. However, there is considerable variability in the frequency of treatment sessions (e.g., once per week or twice per week) in clinical practice. Moreover, clients often cancel or reschedule treatment sessions, leading to even greater variability in treatment session timing. The goal of the current study is to investigate the impact of PTSD treatment session frequency on treatment outcome. METHOD One hundred thirty-six women (Mage = 32.16 [SD = 9.90]) with PTSD were randomized to receive cognitive processing therapy or prolonged exposure. PTSD symptom outcome was measured using the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale, and session frequency and consistency were measured using dates of treatment session attendance. Session frequency was operationalized using average days between session, and consistency was defined by the standard deviation of the number of days between treatment sessions. RESULTS Piecewise growth curve modeling revealed that higher average days between sessions was associated with significantly smaller PTSD symptom reduction, with more frequent sessions yielding greater PTSD symptom reduction (p < .001, d = .82). Higher consistency was also associated with significantly greater PTSD symptom reduction (p < .01, d = .48). The substantially larger effect size for frequency suggests that average days between treatment sessions impacts treatment outcome more than consistency. Follow-up analyses revealed a longer time interval between Sessions 4 and 5 was associated with smaller reductions in PTSD treatment outcome. CONCLUSIONS More frequent scheduling of sessions may maximize PTSD treatment outcomes. (PsycINFO Database Record
Muscarinic receptors in MDCK cells are coupled to multiple messenger systems

Our studies on Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK) cells have demonstrated that high-affinity specific muscarinic receptors coupled to the phosphoinositide system are present in these cells. To determine whether muscarinic receptors in MDCK cells are linked negatively to the adenylate cyclase system, we measured the effect of muscarinic agonists and antagonists on vasopressin-, isoproterenol-, and forskolin-stimulated adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (cAMP) formation. Vasopressin produced a maximum stimulation of cAMP formation of 13 pmol.10(6) cells-1.2 min-1 at 10(-7) M. Isoproterenol and forskolin stimulated cAMP formation production to 21 pmol.10(6) cells-1.2 min-1 and 64 pmol.10(6) cells-1.10 min-1, respectively, at 10(-4) M. The effects of vasopressin, isoproterenol, and forskolin were blocked by arecoline, a cholinergic agonist, in a concentration-dependent manner. The arecoline response was blocked by treatment of the cells with pertussis toxin. The inhibition by arecoline of forskolin-stimulated cAMP formation was reversed by various muscarinic antagonists in the following order of potency: 4-diphenyl-acetoxy-N-methylpiperidine > p-fluorohexahydrosiladifenidol > pirenzepine > methoctramine. This order of potency of muscarinic antagonists is similar to that observed in our radioligand binding studies and is consistent with the M3 subtype of muscarinic receptors. Our results indicate that muscarinic receptors in MDCK cells are coupled negatively to the adenylate cyclase system via pertussis toxin-sensitive G protein. It is concluded that this intracellular system may at least be partially responsible for the action of cholinergic agonists in these cells and in the kidney.
The role of CT following aneurysmal rupture

Computed tomography is a highly effective method of detecting subarachnoid blood if performed early after aneurysmal rupture, being 95% to 98% positive when lumbar puncture is positive. The localization of the blood defines the location of the aneurysm in approximately 80% of cases. Contrast enhanced computed tomography demonstrates the aneurysm in 75% of cases with the aneurysm is greater than 5 millimeters in size. Computed tomography angiography defines the aneurysm in up to 96% of cases. The amount of subarachnoid blood correlates with the development of vasospasm; cerebral perfusion can be further evaluated with xenon-enhanced computed tomography.
The Grounds of Logic: Response to Sascha Bloch, Martin Pleitz, Markus Pohlman, and Jakob Wrobel

“The Justification of Deduction” was written more than forty years ago; so probably I should begin by saying that it wasn’t I who wrote this, but my younger sister—the same young lady who wrote Deviant Logic. Now, however, since this younger sister is no longer around, it falls to me to say a few words on her behalf.
Does cognitive self-consciousness link older adults' cognitive functioning to obsessive-compulsive symptoms?

Abstract To elucidate how obsessional symptoms might develop or intensify in late-life, we tested a risk model. We posited that cognitive self-consciousness (CSC), a tendency to be aware of and monitor thinking, would increase reactivity to aging-related cognitive changes and mediate the relationship between cognitive functioning and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) symptoms. Older adults ( M age = 76.7 years) completed the Dementia Rating Scale-2 (DRS-2), a CSC measure, and an OCD symptom measure up to four times over 18 months. A model that included DRS-2 age and education adjusted total score as the indicator of cognitive functioning fit the data well, and CSC score change mediated the relationship between initial cognitive functioning and changes in OCD symptoms. In tests of a model that included DRS-2 Initiation/Perseveration (I/P) and Conceptualization subscale scores, the model again fit the data well. Conceptualization scores, but not I/P scores, were related to later OCD symptoms, and change in CSC scores again mediated the relationship. Lower scores on initial cognitive functioning measures predicted increases in CSC scores over time, which in turn predicted increases in OCD symptoms over the 18 months of the study. Implications for understanding late-life obsessional problems are discussed.
Pulsed Laser Deposition of Relaxed ZnSxSe1-x Thin Films for Waveguiding Applications in Mid-IR Active Cr2+:ZnSe Multilayered Structures

Several films of ZnSxSe1-x were deposited at various temperatures and compositional parameters by pulsed laser deposition. Films were characterized via x-ray diffraction for crystal quality and impact of sulfur incorporation on epitaxy and defect density.
Tensor Voting Extraction of Vessel Centerlines from Cerebral Angiograms

The extraction of vessel centerlines from cerebral angiograms is a prerequisite for 2D-3D reconstruction and computational fluid dynamic (CFD) simulations. Many researchers have studied vessel segmentation and centerline extraction on retinal images while less attention and efforts have been devoted to cerebral angiography images. Since cerebral angiograms consist of vessels that are much noisier because of the possible patient movement, it is often a more challenging task compared to working on retinal images. In this study, we propose a multi-scale tensor voting framework to extract the vessel centerlines from cerebral angiograms. The developed framework is evaluated on a dataset of routinely acquired angiograms and reach an accuracy of 91.75\(\%\pm 5.07\%\) during our experiments.
Hazard of Subsequent Hematological Cancer in Patients with Incident Venous Thromboembolism (VTE): A Population-Based Cohort Study.

Background: While currently-diagnosable hematological cancer is a potent VTE risk factor (RR range =12–32), whether undiagnosable hematological cancer is a risk factor is uncertain. Objective: To estimate the hazard of subsequent hematological cancer among incident VTE patients with no apparent active hematological cancer within ± 3 months of the VTE event. Methods: In a population-based cohort study, we followed Olmsted County, MN residents with incident VTE over the 27-year period, 1973–1999, and previously matched Olmsted County residents without VTE, who survived with no apparent active hematological cancer within ± 3 months of the VTE event or a routine medical visit date, respectively, forward in time through their complete medical records in the community for hematological cancer. Data were abstracted on baseline demographic and clinical characteristics, type and stage of hematological cancer, and any prior solid tumor treatments. For cases and controls, hematological cancer-free survival from the event date was estimated by the Kaplan Meier method, and the homogeneity of survival curves was examined by the log-rank test. Cox proportional hazards regression was used to adjust for covariates. Results: 1860 VTE cases (56% females) and 1890 controls (53% females) were followed for 16,497 and 15,320 person-years, respectively, conditional on surviving 3-months free of hematological cancer. 43 VTE cases and 24 controls developed hematological cancer at a median of 63.5 months (range 0.7 – 334 months). The median age for cases was 63.2 years compared to 67.8 years for the controls (p Conclusions: Incident VTE patients have nearly a two-fold increased risk of subsequent hematological cancer. We hypothesize that VTE can be the initial manifestation of an occult hematological cancer clone.