cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The green tea polyphenol EGCG blocks H. pylori-induced scattering of gastric carcinoma cells, a process dependent on the activation of PI3K, p38 MAPK, and Rac1 pathways

1852 Helicobacter pylori has been implicated in gastric cancer, although the signaling pathways altered by this bacterium remain to be determined. Virulent strains (Type I) inject the cytotoxin-associated gene (Cag) A protein into gastric epithelial cells, causing them to become motile and scatter, a change important for invasive tumor cells. In order to determine which signaling components were involved in H. pylori-induced scattering, phospho-specific antibodies were used to probe western blots of lysates of AGS cells exposed to Type I H. pylori. As early as 30 minutes following exposure to bacteria, the levels of phosphorylated Erk, JNK, Akt, and p38 significantly increased. Additionally, induced levels of Erk-P, JNK-P, and Akt-P were sustained for 12 hours. Next, a pharmacological approach was used to determine which pathways were necessary for H. pylori-induced scattering. AGS cells pretreated with the inhibitors LY294002 or SB203580 prior to the addition of Type I H. pylori did not scatter, indicating that PI3-kinase and p38 MAP kinase pathways are necessary for this event to occur. Inhibition of the MAPK pathway using U0126 did not prevent bacterially-induced scattering.To determine if Rho family GTPases regulated scattering, AGS cells were transiently transfected with dominant negative (DN) or constitutively active (CA) forms of RhoA, Rac1, and Cdc42. Only expression of DN-Rac1 prevented H. pylori-induced scattering, demonstrating that this GTPase was necessary for scattering, although expression of CA-Rac1 was not sufficient to induce scattering in the absence of bacteria. The Met receptor has previously been shown to play an important regulatory role in tumor progression and metastasis. Exposure of AGS cells to Type I H. pylori induced Met phosphorylation by 30 minutes after the addition of bacteria, and high levels of phosphorylated Met were observed for at least 12 hours. In addition, the level of Met protein increased, beginning 6 hours after the addition of bacteria. Met phosphorylation is associated with scattering and invasion of other cancer cells, including DU145 prostate cancer cells. Interestingly, DU145 cells were induced to scatter by H. pylori in a protein synthesis-independent manner, while the Met ligand, HGF, induced scattering dependent on protein synthesis; HGF does not induce scattering in AGS cells. These results suggest that H. pylori- and HGF-induced scattering occur through distinct pathways. Finally, a large number of animal and epithelial studies support a role for the green tea polyphenol epigallocatechin 3-gallate (EGCG) in the prevention of cancer progression. Pretreatment of AGS cells with physiologically relevant levels of EGCG blocked H. pylori-induced scattering. Current studies are designed to study the nature of the bacterially induced pathways contributing to scattering inhibited by EGCG.
Intraoperative Perfusion Strategies during Heart Transplantation: Are We Optimizing Renal Protection?

Purpose Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a an important complication following heart transplant (HTX). In this study, we evaluated incidence of AKI after HTX and whether nadir hemoglobin (Hgb), nadir oxygen delivery (DO2) and average DO2 on cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) were risk factors for AKI. Methods A retrospective, single-institution study of 233 adults undergoing HTX between August 2012 and February 2018 was conducted. AKI was defined as serum creatinine increase ≥0.3mg/dL within 48 hours or ≥50% within 7 days according to Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcome criteria. Perfusion and laboratory data were examined to calculate nadir values. Chi-square for categorical variables and unpaired t-test for continuous variable were used to detect significant differences between those who did and did not develop AKI. Clinically or statistically significant variables were entered into a multivariable logistic regression model. Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness of fit was used to assess model strength. Results There were no significant differences in age, gender, race, baseline creatinine or baseline GFR between those who did and did not develop AKI (See Table 1). Overall 30-day and 60-day mortality were 2.6% (6/233) and 3.4% (8/233), respectively. Nadir DO2 and average DO2 were significantly different between those with and without AKI (218.86 ml/m2 versus 232.21 ml/m2, p=0.04, and 267.20 ml/m2 versus 281.36 ml/m2, p=0.01, respectively) while nadir Hgb approached significance (8.10 g/dl versus 8.46 g/dl, p=0.057). On multiple regression analysis, higher average DO2 decreased AKI risk (OR 0.991, CI95%=0.983-0.999, and OR 0.987, CI95%=0.975-1.000, respectively). Conclusion This is the largest modern study to examine the relationship between intraoperative perfusion strategy and post op AKI in HTX. Higher oxygen deliver on CPB is associated with a decrease in AKI.
A Review of “That's so gay! Microaggressions and the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community”

In the conclusion of his book, author Kevin Nadal states that scholars should no longer write exclusively for an academic audience; we should neither do research just for the sake of doing research...
From the Brazilian Senzala to the Japanese Buraku: Naturalism, Stigma, and the Rise of Human Rights Discourse in Aluísio Azevedo and Shimazaki Tōson

"This article proposes a comparative analysis of Brazilian and Japanese Naturalism with a focus on two seminal novels, O Mulato (1881), by Aluisio Azevedo (1857-1913), and Hakai (1907), by Shimazaki Tōson (1872-1943), which are regarded as each country’s starting points for Naturalism. These novels gave rise to conflicting critical interpretations, being charged both with reproducing the biases of social Darwinism and Eurocentric scientificism, and with voicing the condition of oppression in authoritarian societies. This article discusses both sides of the debate and reads these foundational works based on the concepts of stigma and abjection. Such a reading will suggest that what the detractors of Naturalism perceived as its prejudiced stance, identified in its crude descriptions of social pathologies, could in fact be interpreted as a portrayal of social injustice and a call for social change. This article’s reading of Naturalism that recognizes it as socially progressive gives rise to a discussion of the relation between its aesthetic innovations and the rise of human rights discourse in Brazil and Japan, approached from the standpoint of the political and intellectual implications existing between Naturalism and Abolitionism in Brazil, and between Naturalism and the Buraku Liberation Movement in Japan."
Accelerating Multivariate Cryptography with Constructive Affine Stream Transformations

On December 20th, 2016, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) formally initiated a competition to solicit, evaluate, and standardize one or more quantum-resistant cryptographic algorithms. Among the current candidates is a cryptographic primitive which has shown much promise in the post-quantum age, Multivariate Cryptography. These schemes compose two affine bijections S and T with a system of multivariate polynomials. However, this composition of S and T becomes costly as the data encrypted grows in size. Here we present Constructive Affine Stream (CAS) Transformations, a set of algorithms which enable specialized, large-scale, affine transformations in O(n) space and O(n log n) time, without compromising security. The goal of this paper is to address the practical problems related to affine transformations common among almost all multivariate cryptographic schemes.
Functional analysis and development of a CRISPR/Cas9 allelic series for a CPR5 ortholog necessary for proper growth of soybean trichomes

Developments in genomic and genome editing technologies have facilitated the mapping, cloning, and validation of genetic variants underlying trait variation. This study combined bulked-segregant analysis, array comparative genomic hybridization, and CRISPR/Cas9 methodologies to identify a CPR5 ortholog essential for proper trichome growth in soybean (Glycine max). A fast neutron mutant line exhibited short trichomes with smaller trichome nuclei compared to its parent line. A fast neutron-induced deletion was identified within an interval on chromosome 6 that co-segregated with the trichome phenotype. The deletion encompassed six gene models including an ortholog of Arabidopsis thaliana CPR5. CRISPR/Cas9 was used to mutate the CPR5 ortholog, resulting in five plants harboring a total of four different putative knockout alleles and two in-frame alleles. Phenotypic analysis of the mutants validated the candidate gene, and included intermediate phenotypes that co-segregated with the in-frame alleles. These findings demonstrate that the CPR5 ortholog is essential for proper growth and development of soybean trichomes, similar to observations in A. thaliana. Furthermore, this work demonstrates the value of using CRISPR/Cas9 to generate an allelic series and intermediate phenotypes for functional analysis of candidate genes and/or the development of novel traits.
Public Perceptions of Autonomous Vehicles (AV): A Review

Autonomous Vehicles (AV) or Driver-less Cars or Self-Driving Car technology emerging faster than anybody would have ever thought of. In this paper, an introduction to AVs, its details, disruptive potential of AVs, an adaption of AVs, the perception of people, etc. have been discussed. Further, a detailed literature survey has been presented followed by the inferences drawn from it. At last, the summary related to AVs has been discussed.
Mean Field Quarks on the Light Front

We present a new approach for the calculation of the valence quark distributions in the nucleon based on the scenario in which the spectrum of the valence quarks at x>0.05 is generated through three main mechanisms: interaction of valence quarks with the mean field generated by the residual nucleon system, two and three quark short range interactions through gluon exchanges. In the current report we present the first phase of the project in which we develop a non-perturbative model for valence quark interaction in the mean field of the nucleonic interior to describe their distribution in the moderate x region (0.05 < x < 0.4). The short range quark-quark interaction effects in our approach generate the high x tail of valence quark distributions. The presented non-perturbative model is based on the picture in which three relativistic valence quarks occupy the nucleon core at distances of $\le 0.5$ Fm while interacting in the mean field generated by the residual nucleon system. The calculations are based on the assumption of the a factorization of the internal interaction of short-range three valence quarks with the long-range interaction of these quarks with the residual system. The theoretical approach is based on effective light-front diagrammatic approach which allows us to introduce the valence quark and residual system wave functions in a consistent way The parameters of these wave functions are fixed by the position of the peak of the xf_q(x) distribution of valence quarks at Q_0 corresponding to the charm-quark mass. With few parameters we achieved a very reasonable description of the up and down valence quark distributions in the moderate x region (x < 0.4), where one expects the mean field dynamics to dominate. The model, however, systematically underestimates the high $x$ region where enhanced contributions from partonic short-range correlations are expected.
COVID-19 inflammation results in urine cytokine elevation and causes COVID-19 associated cystitis (CAC).

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) causes a wide range of symptoms, including several unexpected symptoms such as loss of taste, skin changes, and eye problems. We recently observed patients with documented COVID-19 develop de novo severe genitourinary symptoms, most notably urinary frequency of ≥ 13 episodes/24 h and nocturia ≥ 4 episodes/night. We call these associated urinary symptoms COVID-19 associate cystitis (CAC). COVID-19 severity is associated with inflammation. We collected urine samples from COVID-19 patients, including patients with CAC, and found elevation of proinflammatory cytokines also in the urine. It has been previously shown that patients with urinary incontinence and ulcerative interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome have elevated urinary inflammatory cytokines compared to normal controls. We therefore hypothesize that CAC, with presentation of de novo severe urinary symptoms, can occur in COVID-19 and is caused by increased inflammatory cytokines that are released into the urine and/or expressed in the bladder. The most important implications of our hypothesis are: 1) Physician caring for COVID-19 patients should be aware of COVID-19 associate cystitis (CAC); 2) De novo urinary symptoms should be included in the symptom complex associated with COVID-19; and 3) COVID-19 inflammation may result in bladder dysfunction.
Use of Dual-Energy CT for Quantification of Essential Trace Metals (Iron, Copper, and Zinc): Proof of Concept

OBJECTIVE. Altered concentrations of essential trace metals have been associated with the development of abdominal tumors. We developed a method to quantify trace metals (iron, copper, and zinc) using monochromatic data from commercially available dual-energy CT (DECT) implementations. CONCLUSION. Our data provide a foundation for the use of DECT for noninvasive quantification of essential trace metals. Minimum detectable concentrations of iron and zinc estimated with DECT overlap with in vivo hepatic concentrations reported in the literature.
Metformin inhibits ovarian cancer cell growth in an AMP-kinase dependent manner and inhibiting mTOR pathway

1469 Metformin is the most widely used drug for type 2 diabetes. Metformin activates AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), which regulates cellular energy metabolism. Activation of AMPK has been shown extensively to cause growth arrest in multiple tumor types. Activation of AMPK by metformin has been shown to inhibit breast and colon cancer growth by inhibiting TSC-mTOR (mammalian target of rapamycin) pathway resulting in inhibition of protein synthesis. Recent population based studies have also suggested that the metformin use may be associated with reduced incidence and better prognosis for certain cancers. In the present study we investigated the anti-proliferative effect of metformin on ovarian cancer cell lines. Expression analysis of AMPK in ovarian cancer cell lines (VOSE, A2780, CP70, C200, OV202, OVCAR3 and SKOV3) indicated that they predominantly expressed AMPKα1 and β1 subunits. While the AMPK γ1 and γ2 subunits were variably expressed, AMPK γ3 subunit was not detected. Metformin treatment significantly inhibited proliferation of various ovarian cancer cell lines (A2780, CP70, C200, OV202, OVCAR3, DOV13 and SKVO3), as assessed by trypan blue exclusion and colony formation assays. Activation of AMPK by metformin resulted in an increase in its downstream targets, phospho- AMPK and phospho-ACC, as determined by western blot analysis in A2780, CP70, C200 and SKOV3 cells. Treatment with compound C, an AMP kinase inhibitor, protected ovarian cancer cells against metformin-induced growth arrest. Metformin induced growth inhibition was associated with decreased mTOR, S6 kinase, ribosomal protein S6 and eIF4E-binding protein 1 activation, and a general decrease in protein synthesis. Furthermore, metformin enhanced cisplatin induced cytotoxicity in colony formation assays, indicating that it can be used in combination with other chemotherapeutic drugs. These results provide the first evidence of metformin’s anti-growth effect in ovarian cancer and support the antineoplastic effects of metformin as an activator of AMP kinase in cancer prevention and treatment.
Systemic transplantation of adult multipotent stem cells prevents articular cartilage degeneration in a mouse model of accelerated ageing.

Background Osteoarthritis (OA) is one of the most prevalent joint diseases of advanced age and is a leading cause of disability worldwide. Ageing is a major risk factor for the articular cartilage (AC) degeneration that leads to OA, and the age-related decline in regenerative capacity accelerates OA progression. Here we demonstrate that systemic transplantation of a unique population of adult multipotent muscle-derived stem/progenitor cells (MDSPCs), isolated from young wild-type mice, into Zmpste24-/- mice (a model of Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome, a condition marked by accelerated ageing), prevents ageing-related homeostatic decline of AC. Results MDSPC treatment inhibited expression of cartilage-degrading factors such as pro-inflammatory cytokines and extracellular matrix-proteinases, whereas pro-regenerative markers associated with cartilage mechanical support and tensile strength, cartilage resilience, chondrocyte proliferation and differentiation, and cartilage growth, were increased. Notably, MDSPC transplantation also increased the expression level of genes known for their key roles in immunomodulation, autophagy, stress resistance, pro-longevity, and telomere protection. Our findings also indicate that MDSPC transplantation increased proteoglycan content by regulating chondrocyte proliferation. Conclusions Together, these findings demonstrate the ability of systemically transplanted young MDSPCs to preserve a healthy homeostasis and promote tissue regeneration at the molecular and tissue level in progeroid AC. These results highlight the therapeutic potential of systemically delivered multipotent adult stem cells to prevent age-associated AC degeneration.
Manifolds, Tensors, and Forms: An Introduction for Mathematicians and Physicists

Providing a succinct yet comprehensive treatment of the essentials of modern differential geometry and topology, this book's clear prose and informal style make it accessible to advanced undergraduate and graduate students in mathematics and the physical sciences. The text covers the basics of multilinear algebra, differentiation and integration on manifolds, Lie groups and Lie algebras, homotopy and de Rham cohomology, homology, vector bundles, Riemannian and pseudo-Riemannian geometry, and degree theory. It also features over 250 detailed exercises, and a variety of applications revealing fundamental connections to classical mechanics, electromagnetism (including circuit theory), general relativity and gauge theory. Solutions to the problems are available for instructors at www.cambridge.org/9781107042193.
The Political Rise of the Prosperous Justice Party in Post-Authoritarian Indonesia: Examining the Political Economy of Islamist Mobilization in a Muslim Democracy

This article explains distinctive patterns of Islamist mobilization in Indonesia by focusing on the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS). It argues that the relatively solid party-mass relations and broad spatial penetration of PKS are conditioned by its organizational ability to deliver welfare services to strategically targeted constituencies to help construct a community base.
The Mechanism of Action of the Enzyme Uridine Diphosphoglucose 4-Epimerase PROOF OF AN OXIDATION-REDUCTION MECHANISM WITH DIRECT TRANSFER OF HYDROGEN BETWEEN SUBSTRATE AND THE B-POSITION OF THE ENZYME-BOUND PYRIDINE NUCLEOTIDE

Abstract The properties of the enzyme UDP-glucose 4-epimerase from Escherichia coli have been investigated. Its substrate specificity is comparatively low, it acts on the thymidine, cytidine, and adenine, as well as the uridine diphospho derivatives of glucose. Its specificity toward modifications of carbon 6 of the hexose moiety of the substrate is also low. The formation of NADH on the enzyme in the presence of substrate (Wilson, D. B., and Hogness, D. S., J. Biol. Chem., 239, 2469 (1964)) is less specific for the substrate than is the over-all epimerization. UDP-mannose causes reduction of the enzyme-bound NAD+ but is not epimerized. It has been shown that the epimerization is an oxidation-reduction process involving NAD+ as the oxidant and UDP-4-ketoglucose as the enzyme-bound oxidized intermediate. Transfer of the 4-hydrogen from the hexose moiety of UDP-6-deoxyglucose to the B-position of NADH and its transfer back to several nucleotide-4-keto sugars has been demonstrated. The nucleotide-4-keto sugars were synthesized using enzymatic or chemical reactions or both. The enzyme-bound NAD+ is subject to reduction by NaBH4 and the hydrogen is specifically transferred to the B-side of the nicotinamide ring. When conducted in the presence of substrate, this chemical reduction of NAD+ is accompanied by the binding of 1 mole of the substrate and complete loss of enzyme activity. Another method of reducing the enzyme-bound NAD+ is to incubate the enzyme with substrate for long periods of time. In addition to the steady state level, there is a slow increase in enzyme-NADH which is accompanied by loss of enzyme activity, strong binding of 1 mole of substrate and incorporation of the 4-hydrogen of the substrate into the B-position of NADH. Both forms of the reduced enzyme can be oxidized and reactivated by nucleotide-4-keto sugars with removal of the B-hydrogen from NADH. The possibility that tryptophan functions as an intermediate hydrogen carrier in this reaction, as it has been proposed to do in several other NAD+-linked dehydrogenase reactions (Schellenberg, K. A., J. Biol. Chem., 242, 1815 (1967)), has been investigated. It would appear that there are no intermediate hydrogen carriers involved.
Batteries for stationary standby and cycling applications. Part 5: maintenance and testing standards

The existing IEEE stationary battery maintenance and testing standards fall into two basic categories: those associated with grid-tied standby applications and those associated with stand-alone photovoltaic cycling applications. These applications differ in several significant ways, which in turn influence their associated standards. A review of the factors influencing the maintenance and testing of stationary battery systems provides the reasons for the differences between these standards and some of the hazards of using a standard inappropriate to the application. This review also provides a background on why these standards will need to be supplemented in the future to support emerging requirements of other applications, such as grid-tied cycling and photovoltaic hybrid applications.
Comparative effects of bipolar single site and bipolar linear triple site pacing on atrial activation-studies in canine models

In anisotropic tissue (e.g., right atrium), nonuniform conduction may cause conduction block/delay, or form a functional line of block, thus, providing a substrate for the initiation/maintenance of atrial arrhythmias. We tested the hypothesis that the activation patterns generated by bipolar, linear, triple site stimulation create more uniform propagation compared to single site stimulation, thereby, minimizing or eliminating potential substrates for initiation/maintenance of reentrant atrial arrhythmias. The canine sterile pericarditis model and normal dogs were studied. A plunge wire electrode pair was placed at the superior aspect of the crista terminalis (CT) for single site pacing. For triple site pacing, three bipolar pairs were placed perpendicular and parallel to the superior aspect of the CT in a linear fashion. Rapid pacing using different electrode configurations was performed at 200 ms and 300 ms cycle lengths up to 6 sec. During pacing, 404 unipolar atrial electrograms were recorded simultaneously from electrode arrays placed on the atria. The data demonstrate that linear triple site pacing creates more uniform linear propagation with less or no conduction delay/block, in contrast to single site pacing which creates elliptical impulse propagation. These findings may help develop alternative pacing techniques for termination and/or prevention of atrial arrhythmias.
Isospin Conservation and β − γ Circular-Polarization Correlation in Mixed Transitions

Measurements have been made of the $\ensuremath{\beta}\ensuremath{-}\ensuremath{\gamma}$ circular-polarization correlation parameter $A$ in the $\ensuremath{\beta}$ decays of ${\mathrm{Na}}^{22}$, ${\mathrm{Co}}^{60}$, ${\mathrm{Na}}^{24}$, ${\mathrm{Ar}}^{41}$, ${\mathrm{Sc}}^{44}$, ${\mathrm{Sc}}^{46}$, and ${\mathrm{Mn}}^{52}$. Of these seven radioisotopes the first two are pure Gamow-Teller ($\ensuremath{\Delta}J=1$) transitions and therefore are expected to have values of $A=+\frac{1}{3} \mathrm{and} \ensuremath{-}\frac{1}{3}$, respectively. This expectation is well verified in the present work (in conformity with previous findings), and hence the use of these sources as standards to compare with the remaining five cases is justified. The other five nuclides involve mixed transitions ($\ensuremath{\Delta}J=0, J\ensuremath{\ne}0$) and may therefore exhibit Fermi contributions to the extent that isospin conservation, which requires $\ensuremath{\Delta}T=1$, is violated. The experimental technique used here was the now standard one of scattering the $\ensuremath{\gamma}$ rays from a cylinder of magnetized iron and then measuring the coincidence rate between $\ensuremath{\beta}$ rays and $\ensuremath{\gamma}$ rays as a function of the direction of magnetization. An added feature of the present method was the data sampling technique (rapid alternation) wherein the magnetic field direction was reversed every 8 sec in order to obviate the effects of instrumental instabilities. Such effects are of paramount importance in this experiment because the quantities measured differ by less than 1%.
The Investment Fund for Foundations (TIFF) in 2009

In late June 2009, management at The Investment Fund for Foundations (TIFF) was considering expanding the footprint of the TIFF Diversified Fund (TDF), the first truly comprehensive endowment management vehicle offered under the TIFF banner. The recent large capital losses suffered by most endowments, including those of Harvard and Yale, had motivated some to question the two basic premises of the endowment investment model-that investors get rewarded for bearing illiquidity, and that a diversified blend of asset classes and strategies provides meaningful protection against capital losses under virtually all market conditions. Despite this questioning, the investment professionals at TIFF were convinced that this model remained viable as a means of generating superior long-term returns, and that TDF was a vehicle that provided TIFF's current and potential clients access to this model. But they were aware that they would need to increase their efforts to educate their clients on the benefits of this comprehensive approach to investing, and also to reflect on whether to modify the current structure of TDF, particularly regarding its liquidity provisions.Learning Objective:To discuss the validity of the endowment investment model in the context of the financial and economic crisis of 2008-2009. To discuss how to best structure a comprehensive investment vehicle that includes hard to value illiquid asset classes when it is offered to multiple investors.
Improved management of patent litigation by front-loaded allocation of in-house resources

A patent infringement lawsuit against a SME (Small to Medium Enterprise) is a difficult challenge for corporate management. Management is faced with the Hobson's choice of either 1) paying a license fee and hurting their long term competitive position; or 2) paying outside patent litigation counsel, with the incumbent legal expenses and thus hurting the short-term competitive position of the company. This paper proposes a management model that shifts the tasks related to patent litigation from higher cost outside counsel to lower cost in-house counsel and company engineers. The objective is to reduce cost and uncertainty for a SME involved in patent litigation by using relatively inexpensive in-house resources. This model also provides management with a degree of cost certainty by using in-house expertise in the initial phases of the case to reduce overall cost and to reduce the overall project cost. This paper reviews one ongoing legal dispute involving a relatively simple technology (plastic magnifiers) and illustrates how, by using these techniques, litigation risk may be reduced over 60%.
Improving the testing and testability of software product lines

Software Product Line (SPL) engineering offers several advantages in the development of families of software products. There is still a need, however, for better understanding of testability issues and for testing techniques that can operate cost-effectively on SPLs. In this paper we consider these testability issues and highlight some differences between optional versus alternative features. We then provide a graph based testing approach called the FIG Basis Path method that selects products and features for testing based on a feature dependency graph. We conduct a case study on several non-trivial SPLs and show that for these subjects, the FIG Basis Path method is as effective as testing all products, but tests no more than 24% of the products in the SPL.
Managing Control Asynchrony on SIMD Machines—a Survey

Abstract The Single Instruction Multiple Data (SIMD) paradigm has several desirable characteristics from the perspective of massively-parallel algorithms. However, its restricted control organization makes it only useful for a small set of applications that fit this restricted model. The alternative for other applications has been to use Multiple Instruction Multiple Data (MIMD) organizations, which are much more expensive and difficult to use. In addition, MIMD machines are inefficient on fine-grained applications, which require frequent interaction among the processing elements (PEs). This paper surveys research efforts that seek to reduce the inefficiencies associated with managing control-parallelism on SIMD machines.1 These efforts are organized into three major categories: (1) advances made within the SIMD model; in particular, autonomous features allowing the PEs to locally modify the operation of some instructions, (2) architectures that have attempted to retain the advantages of the SIMD model, while enriching its control organization to allow better support of control-parallelism, and (3) the concurrent-interpretation model: a centralized-control model that shares the control unit at the instruction level (instead of the thread level, as per the SIMD model), allowing efficient support of control-parallelism on a centralized-control organization.
A low power, low noise, ultra-wide dynamic range CMOS imager with pixel-parallel A/D conversion

A CMOS image sensor with pixel-parallel A/D conversion fabricated with different array sizes and photodiode types in a 3-metal 0.5 /spl mu/m process is presented. Nominal power dissipation is 40 nW per pixel at V/sub DD/=3.3 V. A/D conversion results from sampling a free-running photocurrent-controlled oscillator to give a first-order /spl Sigma/-/spl Delta/ sequence. The sensor displays dynamic range capability of greater than 150000:1 and exhibits fixed pattern noise correctable to within 0.1% of signal.
Changes in leaf litter when placed on the surface of soils with contrasting humus types. I. Losses in dry weight of Oak and Ash leaf litter.

Summary Different trends have been demonstrated in the changes in composition taking place in sub-samples of the same ash litter placed in nylon hair-nets on neighbouring sites with mull and moder-type humus forms. Similar trends have been shown to occur for oak litter and ash litter placed on the same moder site. The percentage nitrogen content of ash litter on the mull site remains virtually constant during the first 7 months of decomposition whereas on the moder site the content increases steadily for both ash litter and oak litter. The nitrogen content of oak litter is increased by considerable addition from outside. Possible sources of this additional nitrogen are considered. Extraction with hot water of litter at different stages of decomposition shows that the initially large water-soluble fraction, which is poor in nitrogen, is leached out more quickly from ash than from oak litter.
Neutron Star Observations and the Equation of State

This talk reviews limits to the properties of neutron stars established from physical considerations such as causality and stability. In addition, it summarizes recent attempts to determine realistic bounds to the equation of state (EOS) from a simultaneous measurement of a neutron star’s mass and radius. Observational constraints on the neutron star radius from thermal emission, seismology, spin‐orbit coupling, and tidal effects in mergers are discussed. Possible constraints from neutron star cooling, including neutrino emissions, are discussed.
The Evidence Linking Zinc Deficiency with Children's Cognitive and Motor Functioning

The role of zinc in children's cognitive and motor functioning is usually assessed by the response to supplementation in populations thought to be zinc deficient. A review of published zinc-supplementation trials that examined behavior and development identified one trial in fetuses, six trials in infants and toddlers and three trials in school-age children. The three studies that examined activity reported that zinc supplementation was associated with more activity. Of the five studies that examined motor development in infants and toddlers, one found improvements among very low-birth-weight infants, one found improvements in the quality of motor development and three found no impact. Of the four studies that examined mental development in infants and toddlers, three found no impact of zinc supplementation and one found that zinc-supplemented children had lower scores than control children. Among school-age children, one study found no impact of zinc supplementation on cognitive performance and two found a beneficial impact of neuropsychological processes, specifically reasoning. The evidence linking zinc deficiency to children's cognitive and motor functioning suggests a relationship among the most vulnerable children but lacks a clear consensus, highlighting the need for additional research into the timing of zinc deficiency and the co-occurrence with other micronutrient deficiencies.
The dissociation of bilirubin from albumin and its clinical implications.

Summary The distribution of bilirubin in the body has been described in terms of diffusion equilibria and competitive binding of tissue elements for the circulating bilirubin which is chemically dissociated from albumin. The supposition was made that only dissociated bilirubin can gain access to intracellular fluid by permeation of cell membranes. The amount of bilirubin diffusing into cell fluid is then dependent upon the concentration gradient of dissociated bilirubin across cell membranes rather than total bilirubin concentration. It was shown that the dissociated bilirubin concentration can be increased in extracellular fluids independently of total bilirubin concentration by reducing the binding capacity of plasma proteins for bilirubin. This situation occurs clinically (1) in premature babies who have a relative hypoalbuminemia, and (2) in some newborn infants whose plasma contains substances which reduce the bilirubin binding capacity of albumin. Such substances are hematin, sulfonamides, salicylate, caffeine sodium benzoate, and increased hydrogen ion concentration. By increasing the circulating albumin concentration, it was shown that the administered albumin will increase the total plasma bilirubin concentration by causing a shift of bilirubin from the extravascular tissues into the plasma. The potential therapeutic value of such a procedure was discussed but requires further study before it can be recommended.
Role of hydrogen desorption in the chemical-vapor deposition of Si(100) epitaxial films using disilane

A scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy study of the role of hydrogen desorption in epitaxial film growth on the Si(100) surface is presented. Following disilane adsorption, epitaxial growth is shown to be driven by the rebonding of the disilane fragments induced by ${\mathrm{H}}_{2}$ desorption. This requires the decomposition of only the higher surface hydrides and occurs between 640 and 670 K. The epitaxial layer formed in this manner has a 2\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}1 monohydride structure. Continuous exposure to disilane at 690 K resulted in multilayer epitaxial growth, the surface of which remains largely H passivated. This latter growth is in part due to a direct reaction between disilane and the monohydride surface.
Dynamic facility location: The progressive p-median problem

Abstract A dynamic p-median problem is considered. Demand is changing over a given time horizon and the facilities are built one at a time at given times. Once a new facility is built, some of the customers will use its services and some of the customers will patronize an existing facility. At any given time, customers patronize the closest facility. The problem is to find the best locations for the new facilities. The problem is formulated and the two facilities case is solved by a special algorithm. The general problem is solved using the standard mathematical programming code AMPL.
Asymptotic tracking of constant references in the face of periodic disturbances

Asymptotic tracking of constant reference inputs in the presence of arbritrary periodic disturbances is considered. Robust servomechanism theory calls for an infinite dimensional servocompensator to mitigate such periodic disturbances. In this paper a formulation leading to a very simple-precompensator is given as an alternative. It is shown that a certain delay type operator will accomplish the type of disturbance rejection considered.
Skewed distribution of irradiance predicted by the second-order Rytov approximation.

The first-order Rytov approximation predicts that the probability-density function for intensity fluctuations in a random medium should be a log normal distribution. Here the corrections to this prediction that arise from the second term in the Rytov series are explored. The primary effect is to skew the distribution so as to favor values that are less than the average. This effect is controlled by the Rytov variance β02 alone, and the predicted distribution contains no adjustable parameters. The theoretical result is compared with numerical simulations for weak scattering of plane and spherical waves. The agreement is quite good unless the intensity fluctuations are very large or very small relative to the mean irradiance. In those ranges, the predictions require additional terms in the Rytov expansion.
Membrane-bound eotaxin-3 mediates eosinophil transepithelial migration in IL-4-stimulated epithelial cells

Epithelial cells play an important role in orchestrating mucosal immune responses. In allergic-type inflammation, epithelial cells control the recruitment of eosinophils into the mucosa. Th2-type cytokine-driven release of eosinophil-active chemokines from epithelial cells directs eosinophil migration into the mucosal epithelium. CCR3, the main eosinophil chemokine receptor, regulates this process; however, the respective contribution of individual CCR3 ligands in eosinophil transepithelial migration is less well understood. Using an in vitro transepithelial chemotaxis system, we found that eotaxin-3 produced by IL-4-stimulated airway epithelial cells and CCR3 on eosinophils exclusively mediate eosinophil transepithelial migration. Eotaxin-3 protein levels were also increased in the nasal mucosal epithelium recovered from allergic patients as compared to non-allergic patients. Surprisingly, eotaxin-3 in IL-4-stimulated airway epithelial cells was predominantly cell surface bound, and the cell surface form was critical for eosinophil transepithelial migration. Eotaxin-3 cell surface association was partially glycosaminoglycan (GAG) dependent, but was completely protein dependent, suggesting that eotaxin-3 associates with both GAG and cell surface proteins. We thus provide evidence that cell surface-associated eotaxin-3 is the critical IL-4-dependent chemotactic signal mediating eosinophil transepithelial migration in the setting of allergic inflammation.
Distribution and population genetic structure of river‐ and sea‐type sockeye salmon in western North America

Abstract– In contrast to the well-known "lake-type" sockeye salmon, two additional anadromous life-history types have been recognized within the species: ‘river-type’ sockeye salmon whose juveniles spend 1 or 2 years in off-channel river habitats prior to migrating to sea, and “sea-type” sockeye salmon that initially rear in similar river habitats yet migrate to sea as underyearlings. Persistent populations of river-/sea-type sockeye salmon occur in small numbers throughout the species’range in North America but are usually associated with glacier-fed rivers. We found published and unpublished records showing that riverine-spawning sockeye salmon occur in 11 rivers in western Washington, USA, that don't have access to juvenile lake-rearing habitat. Evidence of persistent spawning was strongest for the Nooksack and Skagit rivers in northern Puget Sound. We analyzed allozyme frequency differentiation in 26 laketype and 12 river-/sea-type populations of sockeye salmon in North America, ranging from northern Puget Sound, Washington (including 3 in the Nooksack and Skagit rivers) to northern Southeast Alaska. Across this 2000 km range, river-/sea-type sockeye salmon showed very little genetic differentiation between populations, much less than that displayed by the highly divergent lake-type sockeye salmon. Genetic similarity among river-/sea-type sockeye salmon in this study is likely a result of common ancestry and a high level of historical gene flow among river-/sea-type sockeye salmon populations.
Performance assessment and cost effectiveness of wind energy conversion systems

Performance and cost characteristics of wind energy conversion systems (WECS) are assessed. Both technological and cost-effectiveness considerations are discussed for these systems with emphasis on developing appropriate economic measures for the application of electric power generation. A cost-effectiveness analysis is developed for target costs per unit frontal area for such systems showing the influence of annual mean windspeed, tower height, atmospheric boundary layer stability, capital-cost financing rates, and the cost escalation rate of the fossil fuel displaced. The latter two parameters are particularly sensitive ones in assessing both lifetime cost-effectiveness and payback time. Although allowable costs vary by several orders of magnitude (depending on assumptions), initial target costs for cost-effectiveness, seem to be of the order of $50 to $400/m of frontal area.
Household Demographics and Perceived Insufficient Sleep Among US Adults

It has become increasingly recognized that insufficient sleep is associated with adverse health outcomes. Studies have observed that sleep duration and daytime sleepiness varies by sex and marital status. Few studies have examined the impact of the number of children on sleep. To evaluate the association of marital status and number of children with insufficient sleep and in a large national sample. We analyzed data from the 2008 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) survey, a population-based telephone survey of non-institutionalized US adults (N = 395,407), in which respondents were asked, “During the past 30 days, for about how many days have you felt you did not get enough rest or sleep?” We used sex-specific, multivariate logistic regression analyses to assess the associations of marital status (married, previously married, never married) and the number of children in the household with frequent insufficient sleep (≥14 days in past 30 days) after adjusting for age, race/ethnicity, and education. In this study population, 23% were never married, 60% were married, and 17% were previously married. Forty-three percent reported having children aged <18 years in the household. Married men (24.3%) were less likely to report frequent insufficient sleep than never married men (28.0%) or previously married men (28.8%). Never married women (33.4%) were more likely to report frequent insufficient sleep than currently married (29.0%) or previously married women (29.0%). The likelihood of frequent insufficient sleep increased in a linear fashion with the number of children in the household for all subgroups (P < 0.05) except among never married men. These findings suggest that the presence of children in the household often increases the frequency of insufficient rest or sleep among the adults with whom they reside. Thus, health care providers may wish to consider the presence of children under 18 years of age a potential “risk factor” for insufficient sleep when counseling adults in the household about the importance of sleep to overall health.
An investigation for transformation temperatures greater than 23°C in BixTe1−x thin films

Abstract Thin films of BixTe1−1x for 0⩽x⩽1 have been formed by codeposit, vapor quenching onto liquid nitrogen cooled, glass substrates. ρ versus 1/T data for x=0.03 (3 at%) indicate an amorphous state below a transformation temperature of 11 °C. In the amorphous state this film exhibits a continuously varying thermal activation energy. Over the whole composition range fromm x = 0 to x = 1, no amorphous phase with a transformation temperature in excess of room temperature was found.
Different Roles of Eukaryotic MutS and MutL Complexes in Repair of Small Insertion and Deletion Loops in Yeast

DNA mismatch repair greatly increases genome fidelity by recognizing and removing replication errors. In order to understand how this fidelity is maintained, it is important to uncover the relative specificities of the different components of mismatch repair. There are two major mispair recognition complexes in eukaryotes that are homologues of bacterial MutS proteins, MutSα and MutSβ, with MutSα recognizing base-base mismatches and small loop mispairs and MutSβ recognizing larger loop mispairs. Upon recognition of a mispair, the MutS complexes then interact with homologues of the bacterial MutL protein. Loops formed on the primer strand during replication lead to insertion mutations, whereas loops on the template strand lead to deletions. We show here in yeast, using oligonucleotide transformation, that MutSα has a strong bias toward repair of insertion loops, while MutSβ has an even stronger bias toward repair of deletion loops. Our results suggest that this bias in repair is due to the different interactions of the MutS complexes with the MutL complexes. Two mutants of MutLα, pms1-G882E and pms1-H888R, repair deletion mispairs but not insertion mispairs. Moreover, we find that a different MutL complex, MutLγ, is extremely important, but not sufficient, for deletion repair in the presence of either MutLα mutation. MutSβ is present in many eukaryotic organisms, but not in prokaryotes. We suggest that the biased repair of deletion mispairs may reflect a critical eukaryotic function of MutSβ in mismatch repair.
Measuring health status among survivors of burn injury: revisions of the Burn Specific Health Scale

This study examined the reliability of a revised version of the Burn Specific Health Scale (BSHS). Two hundred fifty-four former patients recruited from eight burn centers in the southeastern United States participated in the study. Data were collected via chart review and mailed questionnaire. Factor analyses were used to identify seven subscales containing a total of 31 items. Subsequent analyses provided strong support for the reliability and validity of the revised measure. Each subscale exhibited a high level of reliability (Cronbach's alpha ranged from 0.82 to 0.94). Each subscale also correlated in a predictable manner with measures used for validation. The revised measure should improve the ability of both researchers and clinicians to assess the impact of non-fatal burn injury accurately and comprehensively. Language: en