cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The effect of relative humidity on photoresponse in sympatric species of Drosophila: short term exposure to desiccating environments

Abstract The photoresponse of isofemale strains of the sympatric species Drosophila immigrans and Drosophila tripunctata were compared at relative humidities of 95, 50 and 5% during an 8-h period. The onset of a change in photobehaviour due to the stress of desiccation was calculated for each strain for the three relative humidities. The two species could be distinguished on the basis of their light responses under the three desiccating conditions. With increased desiccation there was an increased positive response to light after the behavioural shift. The effect was greater and more uniform in D. tripunctata , which is a fungus feeder, than in D. immigrans , possibly because D. tripunctata occupies a narrower niche than D. immigran . The species were observed to have higher activity levels as they desiccated. It is postulated that the increased positive light responses with increased relative humidity are attributable to both desiccation and starvation. The time of onset of the shift in photobehaviour is dependent on the relative humidity.
Transcranial Laser Therapy for Acute Ischemic Stroke: A Pooled Analysis of NEST-1 and NEST-2:

BackgroundNeuroThera Effectiveness and Safety Trials (NEST) 1 and 2 have demonstrated safety of transcranial laser therapy (TLT) for human treatment in acute ischemic stroke. NEST 1 study suggested...
Analysis of Routing and Wavelength Assignment in Large WDM Networks

Abstract In Wavelength Division Multiplexing (WDM) network, for a given connection request, a route has to be found, and a dedicated wavelength has to be assigned along that route. This problem of assigning route and wavelength to the connection request, using minimum network resources, is called Routing and Wavelength Assignment (RWA) Problem. This paper focuses on the analysis of proposed RWA algorithms in large WDM networks. We use simulations and analysis of randomly generated large networks under dynamic traffic and static traffic, with and without protection of the connection request. The protection of the primary route between source and destination is considered by setting up a dedicated backup path in case of failures. The wavelength requirements are analyzed using different wavelength assignment heuristics under different routing techniques for a set of connection requests. We find that, the fixed alternate routing packs connection requests into less number of wavelengths than the fixed routing and that most-used wavelength assignment heuristic performs slightly better than the first-fit wavelength assignment heuristic.
An investigation of urinary creatine excretion as a potential marker for testicular damage.

1 This study assessed urinary creatine excretion as a marker for testicular atrophy.2 Male rats received a single i.p. dose of 2-methoxyethanol at 0, 250 or 750 mg kg-1 and were sacrificed 2 d later. Urinary creatine and creatinine excretion were measured on days 0, 1 and 2.3 Decreased testicular weights and histopathological assessment revealed dose-related testicular damage.4 On day 1, at both doses of 2-methoxyethanol, urinary creatine levels increased and creatinine levels decreased, resulting in a dose-related increase in the creatine/creatinine ratio. On day 2, the creatine/creatinine ratio was elevated relative to controls, but was less marked than on day 1.5 The study confirmed that creatine excretion is a potential marker for acute testicular damage.
Methodologies for quantifying changes in diffuse ultrasonic signals with applications to structural health monitoring

ABSTRACT Changes in diffuse ultrasonic signals recorded from permanently mounted sensors can be correlated to initiation and growth of structural damage, offering hope that sparse sensor arrays can be u tilized for monitoring large areas. It is well-known that benign environmental changes also have significant effects on diffuse ultrasonic signals that are of comparable magnitude to the effects of damage. Several method ologies are investigated for quantifying differences in diffuse ultrasonic signals by computing parameters that can be used to discriminate damage from environmental changes. The methodologies considered are waveform differencing, spectrogram differencing, change in local temporal coherence, and temperature compensated differencing. For all four methods, a set of baseline waveforms are first recorded from the undamaged specimen at a range of temperatures, and subsequently recorded waveforms are compared to those of the baseline set. Experimental data from aluminum plate specimens with artificial defects are analyzed. Results show that the local coherence me thod is the most effective for discriminating damage from temperature changes whereas waveform differencing is the least effective. Both the spectrogram differencing method and the temperature compensated differencing method offer intermediate performance. As expected, the efficacy of all four methods improves as the number of waveforms in the baseline set increases. Keywords: Ultrasound, diffuse waves, signal comparison, spectrogram, dam age detection, structural health monitoring
Population Analysis of the Cingulum Bundle using the Tubular Surface Model for Schizophrenia Detection

We propose a novel framework for population analysis of DW-MRI data using the Tubular Surface Model. We focus on the Cingulum Bundle (CB) - a major tract for the Limbic System and the main connection of the Cingulate Gyrus, which has been associated with several aspects of Schizophrenia symptomatology. The Tubular Surface Model represents a tubular surface as a center-line with an associated radius function. It provides a natural way to sample statistics along the length of the fiber bundle and reduces the registration of fiber bundle surfaces to that of 4D curves. We apply our framework to a population of 20 subjects (10 normal, 10 schizophrenic) and obtain excellent results with neural network based classification (90% sensitivity, 95% specificity) as well as unsupervised clustering (k-means). Further, we apply statistical analysis to the feature data and characterize the discrimination ability of local regions of the CB, as a step towards localizing CB regions most relevant to Schizophrenia.
Reflectance spectroscopy of organic compounds: 1. Alkanes

[1] Reflectance spectra of the organic compounds comprising the alkane series are presented from the ultraviolet to midinfrared, 0.35 to 15.5 μm. Alkanes are hydrocarbon molecules containing only single carbon-carbon bonds, and are found naturally on the Earth and in the atmospheres of the giant planets and Saturn's moon, Titan. This paper presents the spectral properties of the alkanes as the first in a series of papers to build a spectral database of organic compounds for use in remote sensing studies. Applications range from mapping the environment on the Earth, to the search for organic molecules and life in the solar system and throughout the universe. We show that the spectral reflectance properties of organic compounds are rich, with major diagnostic spectral features throughout the spectral range studied. Little to no spectral change was observed as a function of temperature and only small shifts and changes in the width of absorption bands were observed between liquids and solids, making remote detection of spectral properties throughout the solar system simpler. Some high molecular weight organic compounds contain single-bonded carbon chains and have spectra similar to alkanes even when they fall into other families. Small spectral differences are often present allowing discrimination among some compounds, further illustrating the need to catalog spectral properties for accurate remote sensing identification with spectroscopy.
The ClpXP Protease Employs a Novel Mechanism of Translocation Using a Constant Frequency of Pulling but Different Gears

ATP-dependent proteases play important roles in the maintenance of cellular protein homeostasis, including the removal of misfolded, aggregated, or damaged proteins. The operating principles by which these proteases use ATP hydrolysis to power the mechanical tasks of protein unfolding and translocation remain unclear. Single-molecule optical tweezers experiments allow us to study the mechanism of force generation and inter-subunit coordination of ClpXP, a protease from E. coli. Our analysis reveals that phosphate release is the force-generating step in the ATP hydrolysis cycle, and ClpXP translocates substrates in cycles of dwells and bursts. During the dwell phase, the motor remains stationary on the polypeptide track, whereas during the burst phase, ClpX translocates polypeptide lengths of two to four nanometers. These translocation bursts result from highly coordinated conformational changes between two to four ATPase subunits. In order to successfully unfold stable substrates such as GFP, ClpXP must successively undergo four highly coordinated power strokes. Surprisingly, unlike many other molecular motors in which the duration of their operation cycles depends on the concentration of ATP while the step size remains constant, ClpXP does just the opposite: the duration of dwells between translocation bursts is constant regardless of the ATP concentration and number of hydrolyzing subunits, while the size of the translocation burst decreases as ATP concentration decreases from saturating to near-Km regimes. Our findings uncover a unifying mechanism of operation for inter-subunit coordination during both protein unfolding and polypeptide translocation and define a new archetype of motor operation (1).(1) Sen, et al. The ClpXP protease unfolds substrates using a constant rate of pulling but different gears. Accepted in Cell (2013).
MEASURED EXIT PLANE PROPERTIES OF A LOW-POWER SIMULATED-HYDRAZINE ARCJET

Introduction I N two previouspaperson the 1-kWhydrazinearcjet, two types of electrostatic probe diagnostics were used at the nozzle exit plane to measure electron density ne , electron temperature Te, ion Mach number, plasma velocity u i , gas temperature Tg , and related quantities. All measurements were performed at 10 A and 50 mg/s propellantmass  ow on a NASA Lewis Research Center design,3 at a speci c power of P= P mD 22:4 MJ/kg. These measurements were then compared to the two-temperaturechemicalnonequilibriumnumerical arcjet model of Megli et al. The quantitiesne , Te, and ion Mach numberwere determinedwith a novel quadrupleelectrostatic probe swept across the exit plane,with the probe axis parallel to the  ow velocity.1;6 The plasma velocity was measured with a double electrostatic probe using a technique similar to current modulation velocimetry (CMV).2;6 Both radial and axial variations of plasma propertieswere measured and compared to the numerical results. This Note presents further results for P= P mD 19:8 MJ/kg and P= P mD 26:0 MJ/kg (Ref. 6). The arcjet operating conditions are given in Table 1. This range of P= P m is representative of the stable operating range of this arcjet on simulated hydrazine (1 mole N2, 2 moles H2). The speci c impulse is interpolatedfromdata acquired elsewhere on a comparable thruster. The quadruple probe combines the triple probe method of Chen and Sekiguchi,  rst applied to electric thruster plumes by Tilley et al.,8;9 with the crossed probe theory of Kanal,10  rst applied to a single-speciesplasma by Johnson andMurphree and to a two-species plasma by Burton and Bufton.1 The quadrupleprobe was  rst appled to an electric thruster plume by DelMedico and Burton et al.13 The plasma velocity, assumed to equal the ion velocity u i , is determined by a modi cation of a technique  rst developed by Pobst et al., in which the arc current is brie y interruptedand the resulting de cit in electron density is convected at the plasma velocity and either detected optically or by a double time-of- ight (TOF) electrostaticprobe. Radial velocity pro les generatedby this technique are accurate to §500 m/s and provide excellent agreement with those generated by numericalmodeling.
IOSIE: A Method for Analyzing Student Behavioral Problems

The author argues for a rational method to analyze behavior problems and proposes a method of identifying the problem, the objectives to be achieved, the solution, the implementation, and the evaluation (IOSIE) as a practical approach to assist teachers in resolving most classroom behavior management problems. The approach draws heavily on well-known classroom management strategies and encourages readers to put those into place by using the five-step IOSIE approach. The letters in the term IOSIE represent steps to follow when analyzing acts of classroom misbehavior.
TPMG Northern California Appointments and Advice Call Center

Kaiser Permanente (KP) has been developing its use of call centers as a way to provide an expansive set of healthcare services to KP members efficiently and cost effectively. Since 1995, when The Permanente Medical Group (TPMG) began to consolidate primary care phone services into three physical call centers, the TPMG Appointments and Advice Call Center (AACC) has become the "front office" for primary care services across approximately 89% of Northern California. The AACC provides primary care phone service for approximately 3 million Kaiser Foundation Health Plan members in Northern California and responds to approximately 1 million calls per month across the three AACC sites. A database records each caller'ss identity as well as the day, time, and duration of each call; reason for calling; services provided to callers as a result of calls; and clinical outcomes of calls. We here summarize this information for the period 2000 through 2003.
Quantification of ricin, RCA and comparison of enzymatic activity in 18 Ricinus communis cultivars by isotope dilution mass spectrometry.

The seeds of the Ricinus communis (Castor bean) plant are the source of the economically important commodity castor oil. Castor seeds also contain the proteins ricin and R. communis agglutinin (RCA), two toxic lectins that are hazardous to human health. Radial immunodiffusion (RID) and the enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) are two antibody-based methods commonly used to quantify ricin and RCA; however, antibodies currently used in these methods cannot distinguish between ricin and RCA due to the high sequence homology of the respective proteins. In this study, a technique combining antibody-based affinity capture with liquid chromatography and multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mass spectrometry (MS) was used to quantify the amounts of ricin and RCA independently in extracts prepared from the seeds of eighteen representative cultivars of R. communis which were propagated under identical conditions. Additionally, liquid chromatography and MRM-MS was used to determine rRNA N-glycosidase activity for each cultivar and the overall activity in these cultivars was compared to a purified ricin standard. Of the cultivars studied, the average ricin content was 9.3 mg/g seed, the average RCA content was 9.9 mg/g seed, and the enzymatic activity agreed with the activity of a purified ricin reference within 35% relative activity.
Lanthanum permeability of the tight junction (zonula occludens) in the renal tubule of the rat

Lanthanum permeability of the tight junction (zonula occludens) in the renal tubule of the rat. The permeability of the tight junctions (zonulae occludentes) in the proximal and distal convoluted tubules and the cortical collecting ducts of the rat were evaluated with a lanthanum tracer. Eight non-expanded and nine volume-expanded rats were studied. Non-expanded animals received 0.02 ml/min of isotonic saline. Volume-expanded animals were infused with isotonic bicarbonate-Ringer's solution at the rate of 0.375 ml/min until 10% of the body weight had been administered. Individual proximal and distal tubules from the two groups of animals were preserved for ultrastructural examination by intraluminal microperfusion with glutaraldehyde-formaldehyde or osmium tetroxide followed by microperfusion with lanthanum hydroxide. Some tubules were initially exposed to 1 mM LaCl3 before microperfusion fixation. Additional tubules were preserved via drip-fixation in situ and then perfused with lanthanum hydroxide. In volume-expanded animals the pre-expansion values for GFR (1.21 ± 0.08 ml/min), UNaV (0.133 ± 0.028 µEq/min) and EFNa (0.08 ± 0.02%) increased to 1.71 ± 0.17 ml/min, 13.211 ± 1.372 µEq/min, and 6.06 ± 1.16%, respectively. The tight junctions of proximal and distal convoluted tubules were permeable to lanthanum while those of the cortical collecting tubules were impermeable. The results were not detectably different in non-expanded or volume-expanded animals; they were independent of the type and osmolality of the fixative. These results provide morphological evidence for the existence of a paracellular shunt pathway for ion and water movement in the proximal and distal convoluted tubules of the rat.
Prediction of an alignment transition region of two-ion crystals in a Paul trap.

Contrary to the results of standard pseudopotential analysis we predict the existence of an alignment transition region in the parameter space of the Paul trap in which the orientation of two-ion crystals with average angular momentum zero is different from [ital x]-[ital y] or [ital z] alignment. This prediction is based on an improved pseudopotential derived by keeping terms up to second order in the micromotion amplitudes. Our analytical predictions are supported by numerical evidence and can be checked experimentally with existing setups.
Does functional neuroimaging solve the questions of neurolinguistics

Abstract Neurolinguistic research has been engaged in evaluating models of language using measures from brain structure and function, and/or in investigating brain structure and function with respect to language representation using proposed models of language. While the aphasiological strategy, which classifies aphasias based on performance modality and a few linguistic variables, has been the most stable, cognitive neurolinguistics has had less success in reliably associating more elaborately proposed levels and units of language models with brain structure. Functional imaging emerged at this stage of neurolinguistic research. In this review article, it is proposed that the often-inconsistent superfluity of outcomes arising from functional imaging studies of language awaits adjustment at both “ends” of the process: model and data. Assumptions that our current language models consistently and reliably represent implicit knowledge within human cerebral processing are in line for major revision; and the promise of functional brain imaging to reveal any such knowledge structures must incorporate stable correlates of the imaging signal as dependent variable.
Cloning of the rat gene encoding choline acetyltransferase, a cholinergic neuron-specific marker.

Abstract The neurotransmitter acetylcholine is synthesized by choline acetyltransferase (ChAT; EC 2.3.1.6). Since the expression of ChAT in the nervous system is restricted to cholinergic neurons, it serves as a specific marker for these neurons. In Alzheimer disease, ChAT activity is markedly reduced in the affected brain areas. Nerve growth factor can increase the ChAT activity of brain cholinergic neurons in vitro and in vivo. We have cloned the rat ChAT gene and identified one 5' noncoding exon and 14 exons that account for the entire coding sequence. The exon organization is compared with the protein domains conserved during evolution. These exons are distributed over at least 64 kilobases in the rat genome; the largest intron is at least 14 kilobases long. Within a 0.7-kilobase region immediately upstream of the confirmed sequence of the noncoding exon, TATA-like elements and numerous potential binding sites for transcription factors are found, including AP-1, Sp1, octamer-binding factor(s), CTF/NF-1, and the nuclear oncoprotein Myb.
In vitro estimation of the rate of hexose phosphorylation, by sequential pulsing with [3H]- and [14C]2-deoxy-D-glucose.

Abstract 1. 1. The rate of phosphorylation of 2-deoxy- d -glucose (2dGlc) was determined by incubating Schistosoma mansoni in vitro in [ 3 H]2-deoxy- d -glucose; 60 sec after exposure to the [ 3 H]dGlc, [ 14 C]dGlc was added to the medium, and metabolic activity was arrested at 2 min by immersion of the tissue in ice-cold silicone oil. 2. 2. Column chromatographic separation of the neutral [ 3 H]- and [ 14 C]dGlc from the [ 3 H]- and [ 14 C]2-deoxy- d -glucose-6-phosphate permitted estimation of the quantity of [ 3 H]dGlc phosphorylated in 2 min, and the proportion of [ 14 C]dGlc phosphorylated in 1 min; thus a phosphorylation rate was determined from a single tissue sample. 3. 3. In male schistosomes derived from mouse infections 4.4 ± 0.8% of the dGlc was phosphorylated each minute, and 4.2 ± 0.9% in the females. 4. 4. Lower rates of phosphorylation were measured in schistosomes taken from hamsters where males phosphorylated 2.4 ± 1.1% of the dGlc each minute, and in females 2.7 ± 1.0%. 5. 5. These studies suggest the high rate of hexose utilization by schistosomes compares to the conscious rat brain, where 11% of the dGlc is phosphorylated each minute.
Improvements in the phosphotriester synthesis of deoxyribooligonucleotides - the use of hindered amines and a new isolation procedure

Abstract Two improvements greatly enhancing the rate of phosphotriester oligonucleotide systhesis were developed: 1) the use of hindered primary amines, e.g. t-butyl amine for decyanoethylation of oligonucleotide triester intermediates, 2) a simplified isolation procedure that eliminates the tedious bicarbonate extraction after each condensing reaction.
Efficient, context-aware privacy leakage confinement for android applications without firmware modding

As Android has become the most prevalent operating system in mobile devices, privacy concerns in the Android platform are increasing. A mechanism for efficient runtime enforcement of information-flow security policies in Android apps is desirable to confine privacy leakage. The prior works towards this problem require firmware modification (i.e., modding) and incur considerable runtime overhead. Besides, no effective mechanism is in place to distinguish malicious privacy leakage from those of legitimate uses. In this paper, we take a bytecode rewriting approach. Given an unknown Android app, we selectively insert instrumentation code into the app to keep track of private information and detect leakage at runtime. To distinguish legitimate and malicious leaks, we model the user's decisions with a context-aware policy enforcement mechanism. We have implemented a prototype called Capper and evaluated its efficacy on confining privacy-breaching apps. Our evaluation on 4723 real-world Android applications demonstrates that Capper can effectively track and mitigate privacy leaks. Moreover, after going through a series of optimizations, the instrumentation code only represents a small portion (4.48% on average) of the entire program. The runtime overhead introduced by Capper is also minimal, merely 1.5% for intensive data propagation.
A large-scale field comparison of strip transect and stationary point count methods for conducting length-based underwater visual surveys of reef fish populations

Abstract Monthly visual surveys of reef fish populations in the Florida Keys were conducted from May to September of 1999 and April to December of 2000 using both strip transect and stationary point count sampling methods. Each month divers using SCUBA conducted three 10 m × 30 m transect surveys and three 5 m radius stationary point counts at 26 sites selected using a habitat based, stratified random design procedure. During both sampling procedures divers enumerated and assigned to 5 cm size increments all groupers (Serranidae), snappers (Lutjanidae), hogfish (Labridae), angelfish (Pomacanthidae), butterflyfish (Chaetodontidae), triggerfish (Balistidae), and a few other species of recreational or commercial importance. The rationale behind this sampling design was to assess the differential vulnerability of the various species and size classes to the lower behavioral disturbance/smaller area point count technique as compared to the higher disturbance/larger area transect method, and to assess which method would produce the highest density estimates and census the largest number of individuals per unit of sampling effort for size structure determinations. Although both types of samples required about the same amount of diver effort to complete, approximately 1.5 times more individuals were recorded during transect surveys. However, since transect surveys encompassed 4.3 times as much area as point counts, observed densities averaged about three times higher for point count samples. There was considerable variation among species with respect to this pattern, with total numbers of individuals for the 10 most abundant species ranging from about equal to 4.5 times higher during transect surveys, while densities ranged from nearly equal to about 6 times higher during point counts. Length frequencies within species were generally very similar between the two methods, though a higher proportion of larger individuals was recorded for a few species during transect surveys. Since previous studies have strongly indicated that visual census techniques produce underestimates of true reef fish densities, the higher and presumably more accurate density estimates provided by the point count method, along with other factors such as presumed increases in accuracy of counts and size estimates associated with increased observation time of individual fishes, led us to select this method for our future surveys.
Diagnostic utility of clinical tests for spinal dysfunction

The purpose of this study was to outline the clinical tests that exhibit the highest diagnostic utility for the spine. Using a sensitive search strategy but highly restrictive inclusion criteria based on assessment of quality and reduction of bias, we identified 16 well constructed diagnostic accuracy studies of the spine. Within the 16 studies, 14 clinical tests were identified, and of the 14, four cervical tests and two lumbar tests were considered good screening tools whereas one cervical test and five lumbar tests were considered good tools for confirmatory diagnosis. A significant number of clinical tests were not included in our final tally secondary to poor study designs and the risks associated with inflated findings and bias. High quality diagnostic accuracy studies for the spine are necessary to improve clinicians' abilities to rule out sinister disorders.
Hydrogeochemistry of Lake Turkana, Kenya: Mass balance and mineral reactions in an alkaline lake

Abstract Lake Turkana, in northwestern Kenya, is a closed-basin, alkaline ( pH = 9.2) lake of moderate salinity ( TDS = 2500 ppm ). Principal ions are Na + , HCO − 3 and CI − . The lake is essentially polymictic in the northern basin and little compositional variation occurs in surface waters. The Omo River is the principal influent, providing some 80–90% of water input to the lake. Chloride has an apparent accumulation time of about 2500 years after accounting for burial of interstitial water. The bottom sediments are predominantly detrital and fine-grained, yet mineral-water reactions are very important for the geochcmical budget. Ca 2+ is precipitated as calcite; Na + is removed as an exchangeable cation on smectite; Mg 2+ is probably incorporated into a Mg-silicate phase, most likely poorlycrystalline smectite, as it enters the lake water; K + may be used in illite regradation. Cation exchange is a very important process in the mass balance of this lake. Over 40% of incoming Na is removed as an exchangeable cation. After cation exchange and interstitial water burial, Na has a response time of 2650 years, which compares favorably with that of chloride. These processes seem to occur rapidly within the water mass of the lake: other reactions may be important in regulating interstitial water compositions. Several changes occur in the upper 3m of sediment: interstitial-water pH drops to 8.3 and alkalinity increases slightly with depth, SO 2− 4 decreases slightly, and amorphous silica saturation is approached. These changes are a response to organic matter oxidation and the dissolution of unstable silicates rather than a reversal of reactions occurring in the lake water. High rates of sedimentation (up to 1 cm per year) may minimize the effects of diffusion between the interstitial waters and the lake water, although burial of interstitial water assumes considerable importance.
Periodic orbits arising from Hopf bifurcations in a Volterra prey-predator model

In this paper we derive a formula which enables the stability of periodic solutions to a Volterra integro-differential system to be determined. This system which has been studied by Cushing [1], models a predator-prey interaction with distributed delays. The results are obtained by using the algorithm developed by Kazarinoff, Wan and van den Driessche [2] based on the centre manifold formulas of Hassard and Wan [3]. We discuss an example of the formula for the case of weak kernels and show that under certain conditions stable periodic solutions arising from Hopf bifurcations at different critical values of the parameters can exist together.
Resolution and Efficiency of Single- and Double-Pass Spectrographs*

The dispersion, resolution, and signal-to-noise ratio in single- and double-pass use of spectrographs are discussed. A theoretical ratio of single- to double pass-dispersion is derived for a non-Littrow spectrograph. The resolution that can be expected is computed by convolution of the appropriate Doppler, Lorentz, and and Schuster line profiles. A method for choosing between single- and double-pass operation to optimize the signal-to-noise ratio for a given resolving power is described. The measured dispersion, resolution, and signal-to-noise ratio of a 5-m vacuum spectrograph using a 12 × 25-cm grating are compared to the computed values. The results indicate that the resolution obtained is essentially the same as the computed values and that double-pass operation can be very efficient for high-resolution spectrographs.
SCCRO (DCUN1D1) Promotes Nuclear Translocation and Assembly of the Neddylation E3 Complex

SCCRO/DCUN1D1/DCN1 (squamous cell carcinoma-related oncogene/defective in cullin neddylation 1 domain containing 1/defective in cullin neddylation) serves as an accessory E3 in neddylation by binding to cullin and Ubc12 to allow efficient transfer of Nedd8. In this work we show that SCCRO has broader, pleiotropic effects that are essential for cullin neddylation in vivo. Reduced primary nuclear localization of Cul1 accompanying decreased neddylation and proliferation in SCCRO−/− mouse embryonic fibroblasts led us to investigate whether compartmentalization plays a regulatory role. Decreased nuclear localization, neddylation, and defective proliferation in SCCRO−/− mouse embryonic fibroblasts were rescued by transgenic expression of SCCRO. Expression of reciprocal SCCRO and Cul1-binding mutants confirmed the requirement for SCCRO in nuclear translocation and neddylation of cullins in vivo. Nuclear translocation of Cul1 by tagging with a nuclear localization sequence allowed neddylation independent of SCCRO, but at a lower level. We found that in the nucleus, SCCRO enhances recruitment of Ubc12 to Cul1 to promote neddylation. These findings suggest that SCCRO has an essential role in neddylation in vivo involving nuclear localization of neddylation components and recruitment and proper positioning of Ubc12.
Impure Public Goods, Relative Gains, and International Cooperation

The characterization of the products of international cooperation as public goods has been severely challenged, undermining a central pillar of theories of international cooperation. I review the criticism of public goods assumptions, identifying the need to account for both exclusion and rival consumption in international cooperative arrangements. Drawing on the recent debate of states as relative versus absolute gains maximizers, I offer a characterization of international cooperative arrangements as discriminatory clubs. I develop a refined relative gains model, which focuses on relative net gains, and apply it to a hypothetical situation to illustrate its usefulness in predicting patterns of exclusion and distribution in international trade.
ANALYZING TABLES OF STATISTICAL TESTS

Technique non parametrique pour la signification statistique de tables de tests utilisees dans les etudes sur l'evolution notamment
Focal 3H-Cholesterol uptake in the pig aorta☆☆☆

Abstract The focal nature of aortic uptake of injected 3 H-cholesterol in vivo in the young pig has been described. Areas showing an increased 3H-cholesterol uptake were identified by the focal accumulation of the protein-binding azo dye, Evans Blue. In areas of Evans Blue accumulation, free cholesterol activity (dpm/100 mg dry tissue weight), and free cholesterol specific activity, (dpm/mg free cholesterol) were greater than in adjoining areas where dye did not accumulate. Cholesterol ester activity (dpm/100 mg dry tissue weight) did not differ. Areas showing Evans Blue accumulation had significantly lower phospholipid levels than areas of no dye accumulation. Free cholesterol and triglyceride levels were similar, and only trace amounts of cholesterol ester were present. In both areas of dye accumulation, and in areas of no dye accumulation, 90% or more of the label taken up was in the form of free cholesterol. Neither free cholesterol activity nor free cholesterol specific activity changed significantly from 1 to 21 days after the injection of label. The remaining 10% or less of the aortic label was in the form of cholesterol ester. Cholesterol ester activity decreased significantly from 1 to 21 days after the injection of label in both areas of dye and no dye accumulation. These studies show that as early as 8–12 weeks after birth, focal areas can be identified in the grossly normal pig aorta which show an increased uptake of cholesterol. The possible relationship of these foci to haemodynamically-induced endothelial injury and to the early stages of atherogenesis are discussed.
Quantitative interpretation for gas hydrate accumulation in the eastern Green Canyon Area, Gulf of Mexico using seismic inversion and rock physics transform

Gas hydrate can be interpreted from seismic data through observation of bottom simulating reflector (BSR). It is a challenge to interpret gas hydrate without BSR. Three-dimensional qualitative and quantitative seismic interpretations were used to characterize gas hydrate distribution and concentration in the eastern Green Canyon area of the Gulf of Mexico, where BSR is absent. The combination of qualitative and quantitative interpretation reduces ambiguities in the estimation and identification of gas hydrate. Sandy deposition and faults are qualitatively interpreted from amplitude data. The 3D acoustic impedance volume was interpreted in terms of high P-impedance hydrate zones and low P-impedance free gas zones. Gas hydrate saturation derived from P-impedance is estimated by a rock physics transform. We interpreted gas hydrate in the sand-prone sediments with a maximum saturation of approximately 50% of the pore space. Sheet-like and some bright spot gas hydrate accumulations are interpreted. The interpr...
Is parthenogenesis sexual or asexual reproduction

CYTOLOGISTS and others commonly refer to parthenogenesis as asexual reproduction. This usage is, for example, to be found in the books of Wilson1, Darlington2, and White3, along with the facts that indicate that parthenogenesis is a derivative of normal sexual reproduction. To an elementary student of these phenomena, parthenogenesis appears to have much more in common with other types of sexual reproduction, and to refer it to asexual reproduction puts it in the same general category as budding and fission, to which parthenogenesis has little or no significant resemblance. The fact that parthenogenetic eggs develop without fertilization is no doubt responsible for this usage, a fact which, however, need not carry the entire weight of the decision as between sexual and asexual reproduction. True enough the biological significance of sexual reproduction is in part dependent upon fertilization ; but most of this significance also relates to cross-fertilization, which is by no means co-extensive with sexual reproduction.
Relative utility of magnetic resonance imaging and right ventricular angiography to diagnose arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy.

Introduction: Arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC) is characterized by fibrofatty replacement of the RV myocardium. Two imaging techniques used to assess patients suspected of having ARVC are magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and right ventricular angiography (RVA). Traditionally, RVA has played a central role in the diagnosis of ARVC, but the non-invasive nature of MRI and its unique ability to detect fatty tissue infiltration has increased its popularity as a diagnostic tool. The objective of this study was to assess the relative diagnostic accuracy of MRI and RVA for ARVC. Methods and Results: Seventeen patients (9 men, 8 women; ages 42 ± 17 [range 16–78] years) with documented ventricular arrhythmias were investigated for ARVC. A positive diagnosis of ARVC was based on criteria set forth by the ISFC Working Group on Cardiomyopathies and Dysplasia. ECG-gated spin-echo and gradient-echo MR images in multiple planes and RAO/LAO RV angiograms were compared for diagnostic concordance. Based on working group criteria, 7 patients were diagnosed with ARVC. In ten patients, MRI suggested ARVC. The remaining 7 patients had no MRI findings suggestive of the disease. Four patients with MRI findings of ARVC were incorrectly diagnosed based on Task Force criteria. Conversely, 1 patient with a normal MRI met Task Force criteria for the diagnosis of ARVC. Based on RV angiograms, 7 patients had findings suggestive of ARVC. The 10 patients without AVRD (based on RVA) also did not meet the necessary criteria for diagnosis of ARVC using Task Force standards. RVA was 100% specific and 100% sensitive compared to MRI that was only 86% sensitive and 60% specific. MRI proved to be most reliable when the images demonstrated gross, lipomatous infiltration, evidenced by a large area of hyperintensity. When the results of MRI and RVA were congruent, the diagnosis was always accurate. Conclusion: RVA is more sensitive and specific to diagnose ARVC diagnosis than MRI, at least until MRI protocols are better developed. MRI results are most robust when indicators of ARVC are grossly apparent. False-positive diagnosis by MRI was primarily related to perceived motion abnormalities that were not seen by RVA. One of its greatest potential assets (fat detection) did not enhance diagnostic specificity.
Taking data exposure into account: how does it affect the choice of sign-in accounts?

Online services collect personal data from their users, sometimes with no clear need. We studied how users sign-in to web sites using federated IDs, and found that most survey respondents were not aware of the data they expose. However, when presented with the tradeoffs behind each sign-in option, respondents reported a willingness to change how they sign-in to reduce their data exposure or, in fewer cases, to increase it to receive more benefits from the service. Our findings suggest that data exposure is a concern for users, and that there is a need for finding clearer ways for communicating it for each sign-in option.
Are More Suppliers Better

This paper investigates how the mean and variance of lead time change with the number of suppliers. Using known analytical results for the means and variances of the 'first' and 'spacing' lead times, we give simple decision rules to find the optimal numbers of suppliers when lead times are uniformly or exponentially distributed.
Unusual Cardiac Complications of Wegener's Granulomatosis

Wegener's granulomatosis most commonly involves the sinuses, lungs and kidneys with necrotizing granulomatous vasculitis. In 12 percent of a large series of patients with Wegener's granulomatosis there was cardiac involvement, largely manifested by pericarditis and coronary arteritis. We present three patients with this disease who developed unusual cardiac complications. Patient 1 had renal failure requiring hemodialysis, pericardial tamponade requiring pericardiocentesis, and later developed constrictive pericarditis requiring pericardiectomy. Patient 2 developed pericarditis and high grade atrioventricular block, and patient 3 developed pericarditis and atrial tachycardia resistant to pharmacologic and transesophageal atrial pacing methods. All three patients greatly improved with cyclophosphamide therapy. The rhythm disturbances seen in patients 2 and 3 were attributed to coronary arteritis. The renal failure in patient 1 was due to Wegener's granulomatosis, but whether the constrictive pericarditis was due to uremic pericarditis or the pericarditis of Wegener's granulomatosis is uncertain. As patients with Wegener's granulomatosis live longer with cyclophosphamide therapy and because inpatient arrhythmia monitoring and recording has become more widespread, these uncommon manifestations of Wegener's granulomatosis may be seen more often.
ASHP national survey of pharmacy practice in hospital settings: Monitoring and patient education—2015

Purpose The results of the 2015 ASHP national survey of pharmacy practice in hospital settings are presented. Methods A stratified random sample of pharmacy directors at 1432 U.S. general and children’s medical–surgical hospitals were surveyed using a mixed-mode method. IMS Health supplied data on hospital characteristics; the survey sample was drawn from IMS’s hospital database. Results The survey response rate was 22.7%. Since the 2000 survey, the proportion of hospitals reporting that pharmacists monitor at least 75% of patients has increased from 20.3% to 57.8%. The use of therapeutic drug monitoring has increased from 63.0% to 70.6% since the 2012 survey. The percentage of hospitals reporting that pharmacists have primary responsibility for discharge counseling has increased from 1.2% to 7.3% since the 2012 survey, with 33.8% of hospitals reporting pharmacist counseling of at-risk patients. Virtually all hospitals (97.5%) have partially or completely implemented electronic health records; most have computerized prescriber-order-entry (84.1%) and barcode-assisted medication administration (93.7%) systems. At an increasing percentage of hospitals (86.2% in the 2015 survey), medication orders are reviewed by a pharmacist before a dose is made available and administered to a patient. Conclusion The role of pharmacists in measuring, monitoring, and managing medication use in health systems continues to be significant, important, and growing. The evolution of electronic health information and technologies that make this information more readily available to patients is transforming healthcare in a positive way and enabling pharmacists to more efficiently contribute to improving medication use.
Risk factors for non-invasive and invasive local recurrence in patients with ductal carcinoma in situ

We aimed to identify clinicopathologic factors associated with local recurrence (LR) in a large population of DCIS patients treated with breast-conserving therapy between 1990–2001 in three health plans. Regression methods were used to estimate relative risks (RR) of LR. Among 2,995 patients, 325 had a LR [10.9 %; median follow-up 4.8 years (range 0.5–15.7)]. After adjusting for health plan and treatment, risk of LR was increased among women <45 years (RR = 2.1, 95 % CI 1.5–2.8), African-Americans (RR = 1.6; 95 % CI 1.1–2.1) and those with DCIS detected because of signs/symptoms (RR = 1.6; 95 % CI 1.2–2.0). After also adjusting for age and diagnosis year, pathologic features associated with increased LR were larger lesion size (RR = 2.9 for ≥20 low power fields of DCIS; 95 % CI 1.6–5.6) and involved (RR = 2.9; 95 % CI 1.6–5.2), or close margins (RR = 2.4; 95 % CI 1.6–3.8). Presentation with symptoms/signs was associated with increased risk of invasive recurrence; while African-American race, larger tumor size, and involved/close tumor margins were more strongly associated with increased risk of DCIS recurrence. Our findings suggest some risk factors differ for non-invasive and invasive LRs and that most factors are only moderately associated with increased LR risk. Future research efforts should focus on non-clinicopathologic factors to identify more powerful risk factors for LR.
Host immunity to repeated rabies virus infection in big brown bats

Bats are natural reservoirs for the majority of lyssaviruses globally, and are unique among mammals in having exceptional sociality and longevity. Given these facets, and the recognized status of bats as reservoirs for rabies viruses (RABVs) in the Americas, individual bats may experience repeated exposure to RABV during their lifetime. Nevertheless, little information exists with regard to within-host infection dynamics and the role of immunological memory that may result from abortive RABV infection in bats. In this study, a cohort of big brown bats (Eptesicus fuscus) was infected intramuscularly in the left and right masseter muscles with varying doses [10−0.1–104.9 median mouse intracerebral lethal doses (MICLD50)] of an E. fuscus RABV variant isolated from a naturally infected big brown bat. Surviving bats were infected a second time at 175 days post-(primary) infection with a dose (103.9–104.9 MICLD50) of the same RABV variant. Surviving bats were infected a third time at either 175 or 305 days post-(secondary) infection with a dose (104.9 MICLD50) of the same RABV variant. When correcting for dose, similar mortality was observed following primary and secondary infection, but reduced mortality was observed following the third and last RABV challenge, despite infection with a high viral dose. Inducible RABV-neutralizing antibody titres post-infection were ephemeral among infected individuals, and dropped below levels of detection in several bats between subsequent infections. These results suggest that long-term repeated infection of bats may confer significant immunological memory and reduced susceptibility to RABV infection.
Non-Parametric System Identification: A Comparison of MARS and Neural Networks

Feedforward artificial neural networks and multivariate adaptive regression splines (MARS) are compared in terms of their accuracy in learning different types of functions and their speed. The two methods are compared on test problems that have been used to demonstrate their efficacy. Both methods can be classified as nonlinear, non-parametric function estimation techniques, and both show great promise for fitting general nonlinear multivariate functions. We find that MARS is often more accurate and always much faster than neural networks, and develops easy-to-interpret low order models, as it heavily penalizes model complexity. However, unlike neural networks, it can also experience robustness problems with outlier responses.