cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Inhibition of dystroglycan binding to laminin disrupts the PI3K/AKT pathway and survival signaling in muscle cells.

Dystroglycan is a component of the dystrophin-glycoprotein complex (DGC) in muscle and a cell surface receptor for laminin. Numerous muscular dystrophies are the result of disruption of proteins comprising the DGC, but the underlying pathogenetic mechanisms are unknown. Because apoptosis is an early feature of muscular dystrophy in vivo, and perturbation of cell-extracellular matrix associations is known to induce apoptosis, we investigated the role of dystroglycan-laminin interactions in the propagation and maintenance of cell survival signals in muscle cells. We found that disrupting the interaction between alpha-dystroglycan and the extracellular matrix protein laminin induces apoptosis in muscle cells. This increase in apoptosis is mediated in part by caspase activation and can be blocked by a caspase-3 inhibitor. We demonstrate a role for the phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (AKT) pathway in muscle cell-survival signaling using a pharmacological inhibitor of PI3K. Treatment with this inhibitor resulted in decreased phosphorylation of AKT and its downstream effector glycogen synthase kinase (GSK)-3beta and induced apoptosis in muscle cell cultures. Disruption of dystroglycan-laminin interactions resulted in decreased phosphorylation of AKT and GSK-3beta. Furthermore, activation of AKT prior to the disruption of dystroglycan-laminin protected the muscle cells from the induction of apoptosis. These results support a role for the PI3K/AKT pathway in the propagation of cell-survival signals mediated by the DGC and provide new insight into the molecular pathogenesis associated with the development of muscular dystrophies.
The usefulness of an observational measure of young children's social and mastery behaviors in early childhood classrooms

This article reviews problems and issues in early childhood evaluation, and discusses advantages and disadvantages associated with using classroom observations. A specific observational measure of social and mastery task behaviors in preschool and primary-school children, the Bronson Social and Task Skill Profile (Bronson, 1985, 1991a), is described, and its usefulness is discussed by reviewing the way it has been used in several research studies.
Immunomicrobial pathogenesis of periodontitis: keystones, pathobionts, and host response.

Recent studies have uncovered novel mechanisms underlying the breakdown of periodontal host–microbe homeostasis, which can precipitate dysbiosis and periodontitis in susceptible hosts. Dysbiotic microbial communities of keystone pathogens and pathobionts are thought to exhibit synergistic virulence whereby not only can they endure the host response but can also thrive by exploiting tissue-destructive inflammation, which fuels a self-feeding cycle of escalating dysbiosis and inflammatory bone loss, potentially leading to tooth loss and systemic complications. Here, I discuss new paradigms in our understanding of periodontitis, which may shed light into other polymicrobial inflammatory disorders. In addition, I highlight gaps in knowledge required for an integrated picture of the interplay between microbes and innate and adaptive immune elements that initiate and propagate chronic periodontal inflammation.
The dynamics of sectoral electricity demand for a panel of US states: New evidence on the consumption–growth nexus

In this paper, we use a panel of the 48 contiguous US states over the period 1970–2009 to examine the dynamics of electricity demand in addressing the four hypotheses set forth in the literature: growth, conservation, neutrality, and feedback. In doing so we provide both short-run and long-run elasticity estimates for electricity demand. Recent developments in nonstationary panel estimation techniques allow for heterogeneity in the coefficients while examining the direction of causality among electricity consumption, electricity prices, and income growth. In addition to the full sample, we also disaggregate the sample into three sectors: commercial, industrial, and residential. The short-run results provide evidence in favor of the growth hypothesis for the aggregate sample, as well as for the industrial sector. For the residential and commercial sectors, the conservation hypothesis is supported. Long-run results favor the conservation hypothesis. To ascertain differences in electricity demand relating to electricity intensity we also examine states based on their efficiency in electricity consumption. Overall, the results yield in favor of the growth hypothesis for low intensity states and conservation hypothesis for high intensity states.
Potential use of insulin as an anti‐inflammatory drug

Acute hyperglycemia worsens morbidity and mortality in critically ill patients. The control of hyperglycemia with insulin improves clinical outcomes in patients with a stay of more than 3–5 days in the intensive care unit (ICU) and in coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) patients. However, clinical benefits of insulin infusion have not been seen consistently in patients with acute coronary syndromes. Since all previous studies in the ICU have centered on the normalization of glycemia, we still do not know whether insulin exerts beneficial effects over and above those observed with reduction of blood glucose concentrations. The regimens used in acute coronary syndromes infuse fixed doses of insulin with high rates of glucose and are usually associated with hyperglycemia; this may neutralize the beneficial effects of insulin. In this article, we discuss data demonstrating an anti-inflammatory effect of insulin and a pro-inflammatory effect of glucose. We provide a mechanistic justification for the benefits of maintaining euglycemia with insulin infusions in the hospitalized patients. To investigate the clinical benefits of the anti-inflammatory effects of insulin, we also suggest further investigations directed toward optimization of insulin infusion regimens to determine whether restoration of glucose levels toward normal with higher infusion rates and concentrations of insulin will lead to further improvement in outcomes in the critical care and acute coronary syndromes. Drug Dev Res 69:101–110, 2008 © 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Loxosomatoides sirindhornae, new species, a freshwater kamptozoan from Thailand (Entoprocta)

A new species of freshwater kamptozoan (Entoprocta) is described from the Mae Klong and Prachin Buri Rivers in central Thailand. This brings to two the number of known entoproct species occurring in fresh water. The new species, Loxosomatoides sirindhornae, grows as stolonate colonies; each diminutive zooid has a muscular, unsegmented stalk, and an obliquely oriented calyx. A well-formed hibernaculum originates from a short, lateral stolon at the base of certain zooids. The calyx bears a rigid shield with a conspicuous aboral carina extending along the entire length. Colonies have been found only in fully freshwater habitats and appear not to tolerate salinities higher than 1.0 ppt.
Effects of parity and litter size on the birth weight of inbred mice.

Fifty-four litters of C57BL/6 mice born to mothers of various pari- ties were weighed within 15 hours of birth, their litter sizes recorded and the mean weight per individual calculated. Regression curves of birth weight on litter size were drawn separately for infants born to primiparous and to multiparous mothers. The birth weights of the infants were found to be related to both the parity of their mothers and the size of their litters. Individuals born to mothers that had previously experienced parturition weighed significantly more at birth than those bor to previously nulliparous mothers. Independently of maternal parity, indi- viduals from smaller litters weighed significantly more at birth than those from larger litters.
Three-dimensional Hückel molecular orbital energy level correlation diagrams for polyhedral rearrangements

Abstract A three-dimensional Huckel method recently developed for cluster compounds has been used to investigate polyhedral rearrangements of organic molecules as well as main-group inorganic clusters. The method starts from information about atomic connectivity and number of cluster electrons, familiar and convenient concepts for chemists. Calculations lead to diagrams that show how molecular orbital (MO) energy levels and second moment scaled total energies correlate between different structural forms. We consider diamond-square-diamond (DSD) framework reorganization mechanisms for pseudo-rotations of the closo-boranes. For B 5 H 5 2− and B 9 H 9 2− , the single DSD mechanism is not allowed by the principle of conservation of orbital symmetry. DSD rearrangements are allowed for the other closo-boranes we studied here, with increasing activation energies, B 8 H 8 2− ∼ B 11 H 11 2− 7 H 7 2− ∼ B 10 H 10 2− 6 H 6 2− , depending on the number of square faces opened during rearrangement. MO correlation diagrams and corresponding total energy curves for various numbers of cluster electrons provide visual rationalizations of observed structural trends with different numbers of cluster electrons. In particular, we discuss framework reorganizations for square to tetrahedron, hexagon to trigonal prism, hexagon to octahedron and cube to square antiprism.
Industrial structure of the federal sector: Evidence from bureau market share data*

This paper examines the industrial organization of the federal sector by measuring the variation of bureau market shares of appropriations. The two measures employed are rank-shift analysis (turnover) and the Hymer-Pashigian index of market share instability which have been used to indicate the level of competitiveness within private sector industries. The results of both the rank-shift and market share instability analyses strongly suggest that there is considerable competition among bureaus within the federal sector. These results are consistent with the hypothesis and existing evidence that bureaus engage in nonprice competitive strategies.
Cyclosporin A inhibits T cell-mediated augmentation of mouse natural killer activity

Abstract Cyclosporin A (CSA) in vitro inhibited the spontaneous cytotoxic activity of mouse spleen cells against YAC target cells in a 4 hr 51Cr release assay. While natural killer (NK) cells were inhibited directly by CSA, these suppressive effects were largely reversible by coculture of effector cells for an optimal period with polyinosinic-polycytidylic acid (Poly I:C) or lipopolysaccharide (LPS). In contrast concanavalin A (Con A), in the presence of CSA, was unable to augment NK activity. The supermatant, however, of mouse spleen cells cultured with Con A was fully able to augment the NK activity of freshly cultured spleen cells in the presence of CSA. The results indicate that CSA inhibits NK activity by two distinct mechanisms: a) a direct inactivation of NK cells and b) a suppression of the production or release of an NK-activating factor from T cells, but not B cells or macrophages.
The effect of oxygen annealing on ZnO : Cu and ZnO: (Cu,Al) diluted magnetic semiconductors

Here we report a systematic study of magnetic, electronic and microstructural properties of Cu-doped and Cu and Al codoped ZnO thin films, grown epitaxially on a (0 0 0 1) sapphire substrate by the pulsed laser deposition technique. The films were annealed in oxygen at high temperature (600 °C) and their properties were compared with the as deposited films in order to study the role of defects like oxygen vacancies on the ferromagnetic properties. The doping of ZnO : Cu specimens with Al increased the carrier concentration by three orders of magnitude (from 1017 to 1020 cm−3) without altering the ferromagnetic ordering. On the other hand, a reduction in oxygen vacancies concentration brought about by high temperature annealing in oxygen had a large detrimental effect on ferromagnetism. These results tend to eliminate a free carrier mediated mechanism and point towards a defect mediated mechanism, such as a bound-magnetic-polaron mediated exchange, as being responsible for stabilizing long-range ferromagnetic ordering in these systems.
Do common currencies facilitate the net flow of capital among countries

Abstract Earlier studies have hypothesized that membership in a common currency arrangement (either a currency union or a currency board) is associated with larger current account imbalances (either deficits or surpluses) for participating countries. This paper examines a panel of 128 countries over the period 1976–2005, and finds that the current account balances of common currency participants are more highly correlated with fundamental factors (such as net foreign assets, incomes, growth rates, fiscal policy, demographics, resource endowments) than the current accounts of non-participants. Furthermore, this greater sensitivity to fundamentals leads to larger current account imbalances. Participation in a common currency is typically associated with a 1.6 percent increase in a country's current account imbalance. Larger current account imbalances under common currency arrangements could be a sign of increased financial integration. Alternatively, they could reflect the difficulties of current account adjustment under fixed exchange rates.
Heteroallelisms for acid β-glucosidase mutations L444P and E326K results in severe neonatal Gaucher disease. • 620

Gaucher disease (GD) is an inborn error of glycosphingolipid metabolism due to a deficiency of the lysosomal hydrolase, acid β-glucosidase. Neonatal ichthyosis recently was recognized as a phenotypic expression of total acidβ-glucosidase deficiency in a subset of type 2 (infantile-onset neuronopathic) GD patients. A premature infant of mixed Irish-Mexican ancestry presented with progressive encephalopathy, pancytopenia, hepatosplenomegaly, colloidal skin and severe acid β-glucosidase deficiency. Molecular analysis revealed compound heteroallelism for the L444P and E326K mutations which were found to have markedly reduced enzyme activity and stability when expressed in the baculovirus system. Interestingly, the E326K mutation had been previously found in a family (with type 1 GD in 2 siblings) with a second mutation (D140H) in the same allele. Ichthyosiform or colloidal skin changes arise from defects in the production and/or maintenance of the normal stratum corneum. These studies demonstrate that the total or near absence of acid β-glucosidase activity results in a clinically distinct form of type 2 GD characterized by a cutaneous abnormality similar to that in“knockout” GD mice, which had incompetent intercellular lamellar bilayers in the stratum corneum as shown by Holleran and co-workers (J Clin Invest 93:1756-1764; 1994).
Offshore Developments that Minimize Environmental Impact

This paper identifies possible reasons for recent increased interest in offshore development and examines some aspects of offshore development technology. Existing offshore developments are citied by the author for purposes of illustrating types of activities which utilize offshore locations. With regard to offshore developments in the future, three types of potential tenants are: (1) site-related that require a marine environment; (2) site-related that are unwanted onshore; and (3) functionally related to other offshore facilities. Examples of each tenant-type are provided. Construction methods, such as conventional earth-fill, polder, pile-supported or caisson-supported deck, and floating structures, as well as the technologies reqired for offshore development are discussed. With regard to environmental considerations, the author states that potential benefits which may be accrued from offshore siting include filling of unsightly swamp areas, reduced shoreline erosion, improved flushing and circulation of coastal waters, expanded marine habitat, control of urban encroachment, less costly land in some cases, large quantities of water for cooling and waste dispersion, reduced visual impact, lessened noise impact, and reduced overall negative environmental impact. Conversely, careful planning of offshore developments to assure minimal adverse effects include considerations of: thermal pollution; destruction of valuable marine life; water, air, and noise pollution; dislocation of valuable endangered species of wild life; interruption of recreational uses; and despoiling of scenic beauty.
Electrophysiologic effects of bepridil in normal and infarcted canine myocardium.

The electrophysiologic effects of bepridil, 10 mg/kg i.v., were determined in normal noninfarcted and in infarcted ventricular myocardium in 8 urethane-anesthetized dogs 4-6 days after anterior myocardial infarction. At drive cycle lengths of 400 and 333 ms, bepridil significantly increased relative (RRP) and effective (ERP) refractory periods in both normal ventricular tissue (mean increases, RRP 7-14%, ERP 5-6%, p less than 0.05-0.01) and in infarcted ventricular tissue (mean increases, RRP 12-15%, ERP 13-14%, p less than 0.01). Bepridil also selectively prolonged the local activation delay in infarcted ventricular myocardium (mean increases 37.5-45.1%, p less than 0.01), while ventricular excitation thresholds were not altered by bepridil in either normal or infarcted myocardium. Before bepridil administration, programmed ventricular stimulation initiated sustained ventricular tachycardias in 6 of the 8 postinfarction dogs tested. After bepridil, 2 of the 6 previously responsive animals were rendered noninducible, 3 animals responded to programmed stimulation with nonsustained tachyarrhythmias of relatively slower rates, and the one remaining dog responded with sustained ventricular tachycardia (VT). These data suggest that increases in refractoriness in both normal noninjured and in ischemically injured ventricular tissue, with a selective delay in conduction in ischemically injured tissue, contribute to the antiarrhythmic actions of bepridil in the setting of myocardial infarction.
Mass spectrometric approaches for chemical characterisation of atmospheric aerosols: critical review of the most recent advances

Thismanuscriptpresentsanoverviewofthemostrecentinstrumentdevelopmentsforthefieldandlaboratory applications of mass spectrometry (MS) to investigate the chemistry and physics of atmospheric aerosols. A range of MS instruments,employingdifferentsampleintroductionmethods,ionisationandmassdetectiontechniquesareusedbothfor 'online' and 'offline' characterisation of aerosols. Online MS techniques enable detection of individual particles with simultaneous measurement of particle size distributions and aerodynamic characteristics and are ideally suited for field studiesthatrequirehightemporalresolution.OfflineMStechniquesprovideameansfordetailedmolecular-levelanalysis ofaerosolsamples,whichisessentialtogainfundamentalknowledgeregardingaerosolchemistry,mechanismsofparticle formation and atmospheric aging. Combined, complementary MS techniques provide comprehensive information on the chemical composition, size, morphology and phase of aerosols - data of key importance for evaluating hygroscopic and opticalpropertiesofparticles,theirhealtheffects,understandingtheiroriginsandatmosphericevolution.Overthelastfew years, developments and applications of MS techniques in aerosol research have expanded remarkably as evident by skyrocketingpublicationstatistics.Thegoalofthisreviewistopresentthemostrecentdevelopmentsinthefieldofaerosol mass spectrometry for the time period of late 2010 to early 2012, which have not been conveyed in previous reviews.
The Politics of Pity: Domesticating Loss in a Russian Province

In this article, I explore how a group of women in a distant Russian province learned to live in the state of grief by creating a space for the traumatic experience in their daily order of things, their personal narratives, and public landscape. Using materials from my fieldwork in Siberia in 2001–03, I demonstrate how the Altai Regional Committee of the Soldiers' Mothers domesticated and privatized losses of their sons, which were caused by the Russian state's military politics of the last 20 years. By devising elaborate memorializating practices, the mothers managed to materialize evidence of their loss and suffering. It is precisely this collective and individual production of metonymies of death, I suggest, that not only became the main source of the Committee of the Soldiers' Mothers' new public identities but also acted as the principal vehicle of their politics of pity.
Proteinuria in Children Review and Evaluation

Current information relating to the clinical significance of proteinuria in children through adolescence was reviewed. Proteinuria may be transient, orthostatic, or fixed. The data indicate that only fixed proteinuria—that is, proteinuria on multiple urine examinations without pos tural exaggeration—may indicate serious glomerular disease. The patient should be followed with periodic but infrequent examinations, avoiding unnecessary, complicated, and hazardous investigations.
Isolation of Arcanobacterium (Actinomyces) Pyogenes from Cases of Feline Otitis Externa and Canine Cystitis

Arcanobacterium pyogenes is a normal inhabitant of the mucous membranes of domestic animals, such as cattle, sheep, swine, and goats. It is also an opportunistic pathogen in these animals, where it causes a variety of purulent infections involving the skin, joints, and visceral organs. Two recent cases of isolation of A. pyogenes from companion animals are reported. In the first case, a cat presented with a chronic otitis externa, from which A. pyogenes was isolated in pure culture. The second case involved a dog with a urinary tract infection, where A. pyogenes was isolated from urine as the predominant bacterial species. In both cases, the A. pyogenes isolates were presumptively identified by macrobiochemical tests, and then their identities were confirmed by polymerase chain reaction analysis and 16S rRNA gene sequencing.
THE EVOLUTIONARY EFFECTS OF MATE SELECTION

Sexual selection is the subset of natural selection that depends on differential success in obtaining mates. Differential mating success within one sex, say males, may depend on the preferences of females for certain males, on the outcome of male-male competition for females, or on some combination of both processes. The purpose of this review is to analyze the evolutionary consequences of that component of sexual selection due to mating preferences. The most important step in such an analysis is to determine which characteristics of one sex determine mating preferences in the other sex, since these characteristics will be favored by sexual selection. In the past there has been much debate over the importance of mate choice as a selection pressure, and, in fact, about whether mate choice occurs at all (32, 63, 82, 128). This controversy can perhaps be largely avoided if mate choice is clearly defined. For the purposes of this review, mate choice includes all instances where there is differential mating success in one sex due to preferences exhibited by the other sex. Under this definition, mate choice includes preferences based on characters conferring genetic benefit to the young, on phenotypic characters conferring a more immediate benefit to the chooser (such as assistance with parental care), or even on characters external to the chosen individual (such as resources it controls).
A Formal Specification of Mondex Using SAM

This paper presents a formal specification of Mondex, an electronic purse, using SAM. Mondex is the first pilot project for the 6th Grand Challenge to develop an integrated, automated toolset that developers can use to establish the correctness of software. Several research groups around the world have applied different formal methods in specifying and analyzing the Mondex smart card since 2006. Our specification is unique, which uses a software architecture model integrating high level Petri nets and temporal logic; thus contributes to the world wide effort in tackling one of the grand challenges in computer sciences.
Differences between T helper cell type I (Th1) and Th2 cell lines in signalling pathways for induction of contact‐dependent T cell help

B cells get help in the antibody response by presenting antigen to helper T (Th) cells. Upon antigen recognition, T cells produce lymphokines that act as growth and differentiation factors for B cells, but resting B cells require additional helper signals that depend on cell contact with an activated Th cell. Like lymphokine secretion, contact help must be induced by antigen recognition or antigen receptor cross-linking in continuous Th cell lines. In the mouse, most CD4+ T cell lines can be classified into one of two stable differentiation states, Th1 or Th2, which produce different lymphokines and have different effector functions, activation requirements and cytoplasmic signalling mechanisms. This report demonstrates additional differences between Th1 and Th2 cell lines in the signalling pathways leading from the T cell antigen receptor to the induction of Th functions. In a system dependent on antigen presentation by B cells, B cell proliferation driven by Th2 cells but not Th1 cells was blocked by acute treatment with phorbol esters. Further experiments showed that phorbol esters blocked the induction of both contact help and lymphokine production in Th2 cells but not in Th1 cells. However, depletion of protein kinase C (PKC) activity by prolonged treatment of T cells with high concentrations of phorbol esters blocked induction of contact help and lymphokine production in Th1 cells but not in Th2 cells. These findings support the hypothesis that Th2 cells use a signalling pathway that is independent of PKC and that PKC activation can block this pathway. Since contact help and lymphokine secretion are affected in parallel, this difference between Th1 and Th2 cells probably reflects early events in the signalling pathway. Contact help and lymphokine production could be dissociated with cholera toxin and other cAMP agonists, but this dissociation could be explained by non-cAMP-related effects of cholera toxin on induction of contact help in Th2 cells, and by the direct effect of cAMP agonists on interleukin 2 gene transcription in Th1 cells reported by other laboratories.
CTLA-4 blockade of antigen-induced cell death

While cytotoxic T lymphocyte antigen–4 (CTLA-4) negatively regulates T-cell receptor (TCR)–driven interleukin (IL)–2 production and proliferation, little is known regarding whether the coreceptor has the capacity to inhibit other events, such as Fas ligand (FasL) expression and antigen-induced cell death (AICD). In this study, it is shown that CTLA-4 expressed in a T-cell hybridoma can elicit a potent block of FasL expression and AICD. Inhibition occurred independently of CTLA-4 blockage of IL-2 production and was partially reversed by a single mutation in the cytoplasmic YVKM motif. These findings indicate that CTLA-4 can block TCR signaling prior to bifurcation of signals leading to IL-2 production and apoptosis.
Feed Intake Responses of Mature White Leghorn Chickens to Changes in Feed Density

Abstract We compared feed intake responses of White Leghorn pullets to the dilution of corn-soybean meal, mash diets with cellulose (20%) to decrease feed density and with sand (20%) to increase feed density. Although isocaloric, the intakes of the cellulose-supplemented (CS) and sand-supplemented (SS) diets differed significantly. During the initial period of 24 hr after the diets were assigned, pullets fed the CS diet consumed significantly less feed than controls while those fed the SS diet ate about the same amount as the controls. These differences in feed consumption did not appear to correspond to differences in feed density. Over a period of 49 days, the pullets fed the CS diet consumed significantly more feed but fewer calories, exhibited decreased egg production, and gained less weight than the controls. The caloric intake, egg production, and body weight gain of the pullets fed the SS diet did not significantly differ from control values during this 49-day period. When the pullets fed the CS and SS diets were switched to the basal diet, those previously fed the CS diet initially increased both feed and caloric intakes while those previously fed the SS diet increased caloric intakes. About 10 days were required to compensate to the change in diet.
Fractional set systems with few disjoint pairs

Ahlswede (1980) [1] and Frankl (1977) [5] independently found a result about the structure of set systems with few disjoint pairs. Bollobas and Leader (2003) [3] gave an alternate proof by generalizing to fractional set systems and noting that the optimal fractional set systems are {0,1}-valued. In this paper we show that this technique does not extend to t-intersecting families. We find optimal fractional set systems for some infinite classes of parameters, and we point out that they are strictly better than the corresponding {0,1}-valued fractional set systems. We prove some results about the structure of an optimal fractional set system, which we use to produce an algorithm for finding such systems. The run time of the algorithm is polynomial in the size of the ground set.
On identifying malicious nodes in ad hoc networks

Route falsification attacks are easy to launch in mobile ad hoc networks with on demand routing protocols that employ network-wide flooding of control packets for route discoveries. To mitigate this attack, we propose a p-hop crosscheck mechanism that requires nodes p, p ≥ 2, hops apart to authenticate and verify route reply packets using pair-wise shared keys. The crosscheck can detect route falsification by non-colluding malicious nodes on-the-fly; furthermore, it can identify a group of at most p+1 nodes that contain the malicious nodes that caused the route falsification. Unlike intrusion detection techniques, which require extensive monitoring and sampling, the proposed crosscheck mechanism is light-weight and fast. Therefore, the proposed crosscheck mechanism can be used to augment the existing secure routing protocols and improve intrusion detection capability. We implemented 2-hop crosscheck for AODV in the Glomosim simulator. Using simulations, we show that 2-hop crosscheck mitigates attacks by multiple malicious nodes with negligible performance impact.
Emulation of Propagation in Layered Anisotropic Media With Equivalent Coupled Microstrip Lines

A microstrip transmission line model is proposed for a new class of photonic crystals which exhibit a degenerate band edge (DBE). The microstrip line model is formed from a pair of coupled and uncoupled lines (one per field component, Ex and Ey) and is the first (to our knowledge) representing propagation within an anisotropic layered medium. Using the standard scattering matrix representation for the three consecutive layer sections forming the DBE unit cell, we calculate the band diagram and show that the periodic microstrip structure supports a DBE mode for a specific fabricatable design
Subjective Audio Quality over Secure IEEE 802.11 Wireless Local Area Networks

This paper presents the results of experiments to measure subjective G.711 audio quality resulting from wireless transmission over encrypted IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g, and IEEE 802.11n draft 2.0 wireless local area networks (WLANs). Following ITU-T Recommendation P. 800, forty-two human subjects rate audio recordings taken during 12 network conditions. WLAN encryption is alternated between WPA2 and WPA2 with transport mode 3DES IPsec, and simultaneous call volume is alternated between 6 or 10 simultaneous calls. Results indicate that a previous E-model calculation for 802.11b accurately predicts the subjective Mean Opinion Score (MOS). The upper bound for the decline in MOS due to 3DES IPsec is found to be less than 0.65 (90% CI) for all scenarios examined. Additionally, the subjective data suggest that the combination of G.711 encoding and 802.11 transmission makes toll quality (MOS > 4.0) calls over an encrypted 802.11 WLAN impractical.
Mycangia of Ambrosia Beetles Host Communities of Bacteria

The research field of animal and plant symbioses is advancing from studying interactions between two species to whole communities of associates. High-throughput sequencing of microbial communities supports multiplexed sampling for statistically robust tests of hypotheses about symbiotic associations. We focus on ambrosia beetles, the increasingly damaging insects primarily associated with fungal symbionts, which have also been reported to support bacteria. To analyze the diversity, composition, and specificity of the beetles' prokaryotic associates, we combine global sampling, insect anatomy, 454 sequencing of bacterial rDNA, and multivariate statistics to analyze prokaryotic communities in ambrosia beetle mycangia, organs mostly known for transporting symbiotic fungi. We analyze six beetle species that represent three types of mycangia and include several globally distributed species, some with major economic importance (Dendroctonus frontalis, Xyleborus affinis, Xyleborus bispinatus-ferrugineus, Xyleborus glabratus, Xylosandrus crassiusculus, and Xylosandrus germanus). Ninety-six beetle mycangia yielded 1,546 bacterial phylotypes. Several phylotypes appear to form the core microbiome of the mycangium. Three Mycoplasma (originally thought restricted to vertebrates), two Burkholderiales, and two Pseudomonadales are repeatedly present worldwide in multiple beetle species. However, no bacterial phylotypes were universally present, suggesting that ambrosia beetles are not obligately dependent on bacterial symbionts. The composition of bacterial communities is structured by the host beetle species more than by the locality of origin, which suggests that more bacteria are vertically transmitted than acquired from the environment. The invasive X. glabratus and the globally distributed X. crassiusculus have unique sets of bacteria, different from species native to North America. We conclude that the mycangium hosts in multiple vertically transmitted bacteria such as Mycoplasma, most of which are likely facultative commensals or parasites.
A test of triazolopyrimidines on mouse sarcoma 180.

Summary8-Azaguanine and 4 other triazolopyrimidines at tolerated doses were without inhibitory effect on Sarcoma 180.
G-functions for the hermeneutic circle of evolution

Evolution by natural selection may include both frequency and density-dependence. Frequency-dependent selection is a kind of hermeneutic circle. As a literary term (and a school of philosophy), a hermeneutic circle describes how each word of a sentence or paragraph simultaneously draws its meaning from its context (the other words) and contributes towards the context. Frequency dependence is like this. Under frequency dependence, the fitness of an individual is not only influenced by its own heritable phenotype (in evolutionary game theory heritable phenotype = strategy) but by the frequency of strategies found among others in the population. And, the fitness accrued by individuals with a particular strategy will in time influence the frequency of strategies in the population. The challenge is to develop conceptual and modeling tools that allow us to determine the outcome of this hermeneutic circle of evolution. We need a fitness concept that defines the fitness of (or payoff to) to individuals as influenced by both their own strategy and the strategies of others. And, this fitness formulation must describe how these payoffs translate into changes in strategy frequencies. The fitness generating function, or G-function, provides this service for evolutionary game theory.
Quadratic Binary Programming Models in Computational Biology

In this paper we formulate four problems in computational mo lecular biology as 0-1 quadratic programs. These problems are all NP-hard, and the current solution methods u sed in practice consist of heuristics or approximation algorithms tailored to each problem. Using test problems fr scientific databases, we address the question, “Can a general-purpose solver obtain good answers in reasonable t ime?” In addition, we use the latest heuristics as incumbent solutions to address the question, “Can a general-purpose s olver confirm optimality or find an improved solution in reasonable time?” Our computational experiments compar e four different reformulation methods: three forms of linearization and one form of quadratic convexification.
Lovesongs in the United States and China On the Nature of Romantic Love

Prior research suggests that for Chinese as compared with Americans, love is more embedded and is less associated with intense desire. Love is defined as embedded when it is incorporated within a larger context, namely, the natural world and broad aspects of the relationship that entail devotion over time. This study included 42 popular Chinese lovesongs (half from Hong Kong and half from Mainland China) and 38 popular U.S. lovesongs. Findings indicated that Chinese songs depicted love as more embedded, but there were no cultural differences in expressions of intense desire. The Chinese lovesongs had more negative expectations about the outcome of the relationship and they conveyed more suffering than did the U.S. lovesongs. These cultural differences and similarities may be particular to romantic love and may not be common in other contexts or relationships. The findings point to the importance, but also the limits, of cultural influence on romantic love.
Decompensation of Cardiac Hypertrophy: Cellular Mechanisms and Novel Therapeutic Targets

Cardiac hypertrophy leads to heart failure, and both conditions can ultimately prove lethal. Here, traditional and novel mechanisms relating hypertrophy and heart failure are described at the physiological, cellular, and molecular levels. The rational application of these mechanistic considerations to therapeutics targeting hypertrophy and heart failure is discussed.
Abnormal Response of the Neuropeptide Y-Deficient Mouse Reproductive Axis to Food Deprivation But Not Lactation

Neuropeptide Y (NPY) plays a key role in both food intake and GnRH secretion. Food deprivation elevates hypothalamic NPY activity and suppresses LH and gonadal steroid secretion. Similarly, lactation up-regulates NPY expression as food consumption increases and estrous cycles cease. These observations suggest that NPY coordinates reproductive suppression in response to energy deficiency; if so, the reproductive axis of NPY knockout (KO) mice should be impervious to lactation and food deprivation. We monitored food consumption, body weight, and estrous cyclicity during lactation in NPY KO mice with large and small litters. NPY KO mice with either litter size resembled wild types (WTs) in weight regulation and food consumption. Large-litter mothers had longer anestrous periods and smaller pups at weaning, but NPY KOs and WTs did not differ in either respect. We also examined the LH response of NPY KO mice to 48 h without food. Basal levels of LH in ovariectomized NPY KO animals decreased in response to fasting, but LH levels in intact and estrogen-treated ovariectomized NPY KO animals did not. In contrast, WTs consistently showed fasting-induced suppression of LH. Our findings suggest that other systems can sustain the hyperphagia of lactation and NPY alone is not responsible for suppressing cyclicity during lactation. Nevertheless, the suppression of basal LH release that accompanies food deprivation in normal female mice appears to require the steroid-dependent actions of NPY.
Culture and traumatic events

Abstract The contexts in which traumatic experiences occur contribute to interpretations of their meaning and responses. Social and ethnocultural responses to traumatic or stressful life events are diverse. Psychiatric nurses are critical in the healing process of individuals, families, and communities. This process involves helping the client understand the stress responses, process the traumatic event, and develop adaptive coping mechanisms. Integrating sociocultural influences into treatment strategies promotes restoration of homeostasis and optimal functioning. (J Am Psychiatr Nurses Assoc [2002], 8, 203-8.)
Simultaneous rather than ordered cleavage of two sites within the BMP4 prodomain leads to loss of ligand in mice

ProBMP4 is generated as a latent precursor that is sequentially cleaved at two sites within the prodomain to generate an active ligand. An initial cleavage occurs adjacent to the ligand domain, which generates a non-covalently associated prodomain/ligand complex that is subsequently dissociated by cleavage at an upstream site. An outstanding question is whether the two sites need to be cleaved sequentially and in the correct order to achieve proper control of BMP4 signaling during development. In the current studies, we demonstrate that mice carrying a knock-in point mutation that causes simultaneous rather than sequential cleavage of both prodomain sites show loss of BMP4 function and die during mid-embryogenesis. Levels of mature BMP4 are severely reduced in mutants, although levels of precursor and cleaved prodomain are unchanged compared with wild type. Our biochemical analysis supports a model in which the transient prodomain/ligand complex that forms during sequential cleavage plays an essential role in prodomain-mediated stabilization of the mature ligand until it can acquire protection from degradation by other means. By contrast, simultaneous cleavage causes premature release of the ligand from the prodomain, leading to destabilization of the ligand and loss of signaling in vivo.
Using bounded query classes to separate classes in the exponential time hierarchy from classes in PH

We are interested in separating classes in the exponential time hierarchy, EXPH, from classes in the polynomial time hierarchy, PH. We show that for any fixed integer c, P/sup NP[O(n(c/)])/spl sube/NEXP. This improves a previous result by B. Fu, H. Li and Y. Zhong (1992). Further, we generalize this separation to related levels of PH and EXPH, showing that for any fixed integer c and i/spl ges/1, /spl Deltasub isup P[O(n(c/)])/spl subespl Sigmasub i-1sup EXP/. This improves the long standing separations which result from the relativization of the time hierarchy theorem. Related results for function classes are also considered. >
Apoptosis in sepsis: a new target for therapeutic exploration

The treatment of sepsis and septic shock remains a clinical conundrum, and recent prospective trials with biological response modifiers aimed at the inflammatory response have shown only modest clinical benefit. Recently, interest has shifted toward therapies aimed at reversing the accompanying periods of immune suppression. Studies in experimental animals and critically ill patients have demonstrated that increased apoptosis of lymphoid organs and some parenchymal tissues contributes to this immune suppression, anergy, and organ system dysfunction. During sepsis syndromes, lymphocyte apoptosis can be triggered by the absence of IL-2 or by the release of glucocorticoids, granzymes, or the so-called 'death' cytokines: tumor necrosis factor alpha or Fas ligand. Apoptosis proceeds via auto-activation of cytosolic and/or mitochondrial caspases, which can be influenced by the pro- and anti-apoptotic members of the Bcl-2 family. In experimental animals, not only can treatment with inhibitors of apoptosis prevent lymphoid cell apoptosis; it may also improve outcome. Although clinical trials with anti-apoptotic agents remain distant due in large part to technical difficulties associated with their administration and tissue targeting, inhibition of lymphocyte apoptosis represents an attractive therapeutic target for the septic patient.
Rapid prototyping and compact testing of CPU emulators

In this paper, we propose a novel rapid prototyping technique to produce a high quality CPU emulator at reduced development cost. Specification mining from published CPU manuals, automated code generation of both the emulator and its test vectors from the mined CPU specifications, and a hardwareoracle based test strategy all work together to close the gaps between specification analysis, development and testing. The hardware-oracle is a program which allows controlled execution of one or more instructions on the CPU, so that its outputs can be compared to that of the emulator. The hardware-oracle eliminates any guesswork about the true behavior of an actual CPU, and it helps in the identification of several discrepancies between the published specifications vs. the actual processor behavior, which would be very hard to detect otherwise.
Simulation at Neighborhood Scale with Cmaq

We investigate air quality (AQ) modeling at very high spatial resolutions (on order of 1-km horizontal grid spacing), defined as neighborhood scales, as a means to perform human exposure and risk-based assessments (with emphasis on air toxic pollutants). AQ models perform better at this scale for those species which have inherently high spatial and temporal variability.
An Enhanced Dynamic Information Flow Tracking Method with Reverse Stack Execution

Memory errors have long been a critical security issue primarily for C/C++ programming languages and are still considered one of the top three most dangerous software errors according to the MITRE ranking. In this paper the authors focus on their exploitation via control-flow hijacking and data-only attacks stack, and partially heap G. Novarck & E. Berger, 2010 by proposing a synergistic security methodology, which can accurately detect and thwart them. Their methodology is based on the Dynamic Information Flow Tracking DIFT technique and improves its data-only attack detection by utilizing features from the Reverse Stack Execution RSE security technique. Thus, the authors can significantly lower the resource consumption of the latter methodology, while increasing the former's accuracy. Their proof-of-concept compiler implementation verifies their assumptions and is able to protect vulnerable C programs against various real-world attack scenarios.
Flow field disturbance due to inflight NASA DC-8 inboard thrust reverser deployment

An investigation of the wing upper surface flow field disturbance due to inflight inboard thrust reverser deployment on the NASA DC-8-72 is outlined and discussed in detail. The purpose of this flight test was to obtain tufted flow visualization data which demonstrates the effect of thrust reverser deployment on the wing upper surface flow field to determine if the disturbed flow regions could be modeled by computational methods. The investigation included symmetric thrust reversals of the two inboard engines to monitor tuft and flow cone patterns as well as the character of their movement at the nominal Mach numbers of 0.55, 0.70, and 0.85. The tufts and flow cones were photographed and videotaped to determine the type of flow field that occurs with and without the thrust reversers deployed. In addition, the normal NASA DC-8 onboard Data Acquisition Distribution System was used to synchronize the cameras. Three distinct flow patterns associated with the above Mach numbers were sketched from the motion videos and discussed in detail. Other relevant aircraft parameters, such as angular orientation, altitude, and Mach number, are also discussed. (Author)