cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Heavy Metal Tolerance and Accumulation in Plants of the Southeastern United States

ABSTRACT Heavy metals can be essential micronutrients in trace concentrations but are often toxic at high concentrations. Physiologically stressful concentrations of heavy metals occur in natural, geological outcrops or result from human activities, such as mining and pollution. Although metal toxicity restricts the growth of sensitive species, some plants are more tolerant. The evolution of metal-tolerant populations has been demonstrated in several species growing on sites of anthropogenic metal contamination in the southeastern USA. The most common natural, metalliferous soils globally are serpentine soils derived from ultramafic rocks, which contain elevated nickel, cobalt, and chromium. The southeastern USA has few ultramafic exposures, but those at Soldiers Delight in Maryland and Buck Creek in North Carolina have been studied in some detail and are summarized here, including presentation of previously unpublished data. On both anthropogenic and natural sites, plants may tolerate edaphic metals by ...
INFLUENCE OF HEAT TREATMENT OF SKIMMILK UPON GROWTH OF ENTEROPATHOGENIC AND LACTIC BACTERIA1

By use of agar plate count techniques, growth patterns of Streptococcus cremoris R-1, Streptococcus lactis C-2, Streptococcus agalactiae OARDC, enteropathogenic Escherichia coli OSU 66, Salmonella typhimurium OSU 471, and Staphylococcus aureus OSU 256 were determined in nonheated skimmilk and in skimmilks heated at 62.8 C – 32 min, 80 C – 12 min, and 121 C – 10 min. Calculations were made of the generation time, number of generations, and rate of multiplication expressed as the velocity coefficient, k, = 0.692/generation time. The k values of the organisms in nonheated skimmilk following 2 hr incubation ranged from 0.38 for S. cremoris to 1.15 for E. coli. Heat treatment of skimmilk stimulated the rate of multiplication of the organisms and in most instances better growth occured in skimmilk heated at 80 or 121 C than in the skimmilk heated at 62.8 C. The average percent stimulation of the growth rate at 2 hr upon heat treatment of the skimmilk ranged from 9% for S. agalactiae to 45.5% for S. cremoris. St...
Nonsinusoidal gaits for unsteady propulsion

Experiments show that actuation waveform has a dramatic impact on the performance and wake of an unsteady propulsor. The thrust and power scale with the peak lateral velocity of the foil. The wake transitions to a different state as waveforms become more squarelike.
The Differential Ability of Athletes and Nonathletes to Cope With Two Types of Pain: A Radical Behavioral Model

A radical behavioral model of pain is described in which pain is seen as the verbal description of the effects of a punisher. The verbal description behavior is learned when differential reinforcement is presented for certain kinds of self-talk about the effects of punishers. Depending on an individual’s history of experience, the verbal description may or may not have been learned to a particular kind of aversive stimulation. Pain response, thus, is expected to differ from person to person and punisher to punisher. In order to test these two notions, athletes and nonathletes were tested twice on two types of pain stimulation, cold pressor and ischemia. Between tests, participants were instructed in the use of a cognitive coping strategy in order to test if different coping abilities existed between groups. Results supported the radical behavioral model in that there was very little correlation between response to cold pressor and ischemia, and that different groups showed different tolerance and coping abilities. In general, female athletes had the highest pain tolerance and threshold on pretest and were able to use the coping strategy more effectively than the other groups. Discussion centers on further research designed to support the proposed model.
The Contributions of RET Noncoding Variation to Hirschsprung Disease

First described by Danish pediatrician Harald Hirschsprung, Hirschsprung disease (HSCR) is a disorder of the enteric nervous system characterized by the absence of variable length of the submucous (Meissner’s) and myenteric (Auerbach’s) plexuses in the distal gut. As a defect in neural crest-derived cell population, Hirschsprung disease is considered a neurocristopathy. While HSCR was originally observed in sporadic cases, the advent of lifesaving surgical intervention has also given rise to the observation of familial forms of HSCR. Subsequently, its presentation in familial, sporadic, and syndromic form illuminated the genetics of HSCR. As this work has progressed the ret proto-oncogene (RET), a receptor tyrosine kinase has emerged as a central player in the development of HSCR, most frequently modified in effect by the contributions of risk alleles at other loci. This has been exemplified by the recent characterization of risk variants in a noncoding RET regulatory element, establishing it as a model for the study of multigenic disorders.
Just enough semantics: An information theoretic approach for IR-based software bug localization

Abstract Context Software systems are often shipped with defects. Whenever a bug is reported, developers use the information available in the associated report to locate source code fragments that need to be modified in order to fix the bug. However, as software systems evolve in size and complexity, bug localization can become a tedious and time-consuming process. To minimize the manual effort, contemporary bug localization tools utilize Information Retrieval (IR) methods for automated support. IR methods exploit the textual content of bug reports to automatically capture and rank relevant buggy source files. Objective In this paper, we propose a new paradigm of information-theoretic IR methods to support bug localization tasks in software systems. These methods, including Pointwise Mutual Information (PMI) and Normalized Google Distance (NGD), exploit the co-occurrence patterns of code terms in the software system to reveal hidden textual semantic dimensions that other methods often fail to capture. Our objective is establish accurate semantic similarity relations between source code and bug reports. Method Five benchmark datasets from different application domains are used to conduct our analysis. The proposed methods are compared against classical IR methods that are commonly used in bug localization research. Results The results show that information-theoretic IR methods significantly outperform classical IR methods, providing a semantically aware, yet, computationally efficient solution for bug localization in large and complex software systems. (A replication package is available at: http://seel.cse.lsu.edu/data/ist17.zip ). Conclusions Information-theoretic co-occurrence methods provide “just enough semantics” necessary to establish relations between bug reports and code artifacts, achieving a balance between simple lexical methods and computationally-expensive semantic IR methods that require substantial amounts of data to function properly.
DNA Strand Breaks by a Laser-Driven Electron X-ray Source (LEXS)

DNA strand breaks studied with a laser-driven electron x-ray source (LEXS) suggest that ultrafast electrons and x-rays were emitted from this source, and that high energy electrons were mainly responsible for the DNA damage.
THE STATE OF THE ENVIRONMENT

This chapter discusses the steps being taken to protect environment. There are enough success stories to show that much can be done, in countries with different political and ideological systems, to improve the quality of the environment. When the 50-member Governing Council of the United Nations Environment Program met in Nairobi in April 1976, one of the topics it discussed was the need for this political will in relating environmental policies to development programmes. It was widely recognized that the inter-relationship was complex, and required elaboration. The governing council appealed to states to reaffirm their commitment to the integration of environmental considerations in development planning, and it authorized the executive director to convene an intergovernmental expert group to consider how this could best be done. The 1976 meeting of the Governing Council was the first since Maurice Strong, the first Executive Director of UNEP, stepped down.
The Checklist in History Taking

Traditionally, students have learned to take a history by memorizing a standard checklist and have been warned that a checklist should not be used in front of the patient.
Bottom-Up Learning of Markov Network Structure

The structure of a Markov network is typically learned using top-down search. At each step, the search specializes a feature by conjoining it to the variable or feature that most improves the score. This is inefficient, testing many feature variations with no support in the data, and highly prone to local optima. We propose bottom-up search as an alternative, inspired by the analogous approach in the field of rule induction. Our BLM algorithm starts with each complete training example as a long feature, and repeatedly generalizes a feature to match its k nearest examples by dropping variables. An extensive empirical evaluation demonstrates that BLM is both faster and more accurate than the standard top-down approach, and also outperforms other state-of-the-art methods.
Compressive creep behavior of hot-pressed GeTe based TAGS-85 and effect of creep on thermoelectric properties

Abstract Thermoelectric materials often operate at high homologous temperatures where they can be subjected to sizeable internal and external stresses, making them prone to creep deformation over long periods of use. Hot-pressed (GeTe)85(AgSbTe2)15 (TAGS-85) exhibits a fine grain size averaging ∼8 μm – of concern for creep resistance - with 70% of the grains below 10 μm and 30% between 10 and 150 μm; second phase Ag8GeTe6 particles, ∼2 μm in size, are also present at grain boundaries. Strain rates of TAGS-85 under a series of stresses are measured at 375–425 °C. By fitting the creep data to a power law creep equation, the stress exponent n and activation energy Q for creep are determined to be n = 2.6 ± 0.1 ( 12 MPa applied stress) and Q = 157 ± 2 kJ/mol, respectively. Thermoelectric measurements show 15% lower electrical conductivity and ∼30% higher lattice thermal conductivity after creeping to 10% strain. The evolution of ambient-temperature electrical conductivity and thermal conductivity for a single sample crept at intervals of 2% strain is consistent with the expectation that dislocations accumulate during primary creep while annealing effects may reduce subgrain boundaries that scatter phonons.
Should Medical Severity-Diagnosis Related Group Classification Be Utilized for Reimbursement? An Analysis of Elixhauser Comorbidities and Cost of Care.

Abstract Background The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) classifies reimbursement for total hip arthroplasty (THA) and total knee arthroplasty (TKA) based on Medical Severity-Diagnosis Related Groups (MS-DRGs) 469 (with major complication/comorbidity) and 470 (without major complication/comorbidity). The validated Elixhauser comorbidity index includes 31 variables that may be associated with MS-DRG 469. However, we hypothesized that these comorbidities may not be the most predictive of increased cost of care. Methods Elixhauser comorbidities were retrospectively examined for 1243 TKAs and 897 THAs from 2013 to 2017 at a single center. Comorbidities were investigated in univariable analysis and significant variables associated with MS-DRG 469, and cost of care was further investigated in a multivariable regression to determine which were most predictive of the increased complexity classification assigned by CMS vs true increased cost of care. Results Thirty-nine patients (1.8%) were classified as MS-DRG 469. Univariable and multivariable logistic analysis revealed that coagulopathy, electrolyte disorders, neurodegenerative disorders, and psychosis were significantly associated with an increased complexity classification. These 4 comorbidities were also associated with increased cost of care; however, 13 additional comorbidities were also predictive of increased cost but not MS-DRG classification. Conclusions Patient comorbidities have been shown to increase complications and cost of care for arthroplasty patients. To date, however, the only risk adjustment provided has been the 469 DRG code. This study demonstrates little correlation to the current system with the most expensive diagnoses. Consequently, an expansion of the current risk adjustment system for THA and TKA provided by CMS appears greatly needed.
An experimental and computational study of high speed two-particle impacts of Ag nanoparticles

The laser ablation of the microparticle aerosol process utilizes high velocity (∼1000 m/s) impact of nanoparticles to produce thick films. Transmission electron microscopy was used to study the final morphologies of several particle-to-particle impact events in an effort to understand the film's microstructure and morphology that develop following high-speed impact. A range of particle morphologies and defect structures were observed, even under nominally similar impact conditions. In some instances, grain boundaries were observed within the impacted particles, whereas in other cases, the impacted particles were free of grain boundaries (i.e., epitaxial deposition). To understand the reasons for these ranges in grain morphologies, molecular dynamics simulations were conducted using conditions that were similar to typical experimental conditions. The simulations revealed that the final states of the impacted particles are not only sensitive to impact velocity but that particle crystallographic orientations also strongly influence the final states. The implications of these findings on the ability to control film microstructures are discussed.
Current-constrained one-electron reduced density-matrix theory for non-equilibrium steady-state molecular conductivity.

In the effort to create ever smaller electronic devices, the idea of single molecule circuit elements has sparked the imagination of scientists for nearly fifty years. While traditional theories for non-equilibrium steady-state molecular conductivity like the non-equilibrium Green's function density functional theory determine the current from an applied voltage, the recently proposed current-constrained density-matrix theory computes the voltage from a current constraint on the molecule. In the present paper we extend the current-constrained density-matrix theory from its two-electron reduced density-matrix (2-RDM) formulation to a one-electron reduced density matrix (1-RDM) formulation that is applicable to Hartree–Fock, density functional, and tight-binding theories. We demonstrate the current-constrained 1-RDM method through the computation of the theoretical, intrinsic resistance of acenes and phenacenes.
Searches for dark matter

Abstract After a rapid review of the fundamental problem of the dark matter in the universe, we present the microlensing candidates which were announced for the first time at the TAUP 93 conference. These events may be the first evidence for Massive Compact Halo Objects and the baryonic dark matter that we know should exist. We then discuss the implication of these observations for the ongoing searches for non-baryonic dark matter and argue that those efforts should be pushed at least as vigorously as before. Finally we review these experiments, focusing in particular on the Weakly Interacting Massive Particles (WIMPs). Our main remarks there are that it is essential to actively reject the background, and that cryogenic detector experiments are coming on line.
Intellectual humility predicts mastery behaviors when learning

Abstract Mastery behaviors—such as seeking challenges and persisting after setbacks—can advance learning, but less is known about dispositions that promote them. In five studies (N = 1074), we find intellectual humility predicts mastery behaviors independent of a growth mindset. In Study 1, those higher in intellectual humility invested more effort to learn about a topic they initially failed to master. In Studies 2 and 3, high school students with more intellectual humility had higher mastery responses and higher teacher-reported mastery behaviors. In Study 4, intellectually humble high school students had higher mastery behaviors on a performance task. In Study 5, participants encouraged to be more intellectually humble invested more effort to learn about a topic they initially failed to master. The overall effect size across studies was 0.17 after accounting for growth mindset and gender, suggesting that intellectual humility boosts pursuit of mastery.
Developing a Business Model _x000D_ in Smart City Initiatives.

This study explores how smart city initiatives, network societies, and the Internet of things applications impact and re-shape human life, organizational performance, and societal culture. It examines various approaches in man-machine interactions and integrations from an individual to societal level. The primary research question focuses on how new business models are created in a networked environment. The paper analyzes the process of diffusion, impact on human systems, and opportunities as well as the challenges. Based on network theories and a sociotechnical perspective, the study develops a theoretical framework that could demonstrate how we deploy resources, what we could expect in the future, and what such advances mean to individuals and organizations. The study tries to integrate different technology-based approaches and put them in a theoretical model to portray a picture of their practical implications, as well as research propositions that investigate the business models in smart cities.
Glucosamine Activates Autophagy In Vitro and In Vivo

Objectives Aging-associated changes in articular cartilage represent a main Osteoarthritis (OA) risk factor. Autophagy is an essential cellular homeostasis mechanism. Aging-associated or experimental defects in autophagy contribute to organismal and tissue specific aging while enhancement of autophagy may protect against certain aging related pathologies such as OA. The objective of this study was to determine whether glucosamine (GlcN) could activate autophagy.
The Nuts, Bolts, and Teaching Opportunities of Real-Time Reference

ABSTRACT Since the implementation of its instant messaging reference service in the 2000-2001 academic year, the librarians at the University at Buffalo (UB) have succeeded in creating a vital presence for virtual reference. The Instant Librarian chat service, open 57 hours per week during the fall and spring semesters, supplements the traditional face-to-face and e-mail reference services available at UB. Real-time reference using AOL Instant Messenger addresses the expectations of a well-informed population of UB users comfortable with the conveniences enjoyed via the Internet, such as file sharing and instant messaging. Librarians at UB use Instant Librarian to their advantage by employing active learning techniques, while answering both simple and complex questions. A chat session is a unique way to reach a patron who normally would not come into the library for help. In the chatroom, the librarian creates a positive teaching environment, prompting repeat visits and even in-person follow-up research c...
Press Freedom and Fair Trials in Kansas: How Media and the Courts Have Struggled to Reslove Competing Claims of Constitutional Rights

Kansas trial judges and the news media often have clashed over the meaning of the First and Sixth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution. The media assume that the freedom of the press, protected by the first amendment, gives them the right to report comprehensively on court cases. Thus, the media may publicize information that is prejudicial to criminal defendants but is inadmissible as evidence in court. Judges, however, assume that they have a high duty to protect defendants' Sixth Amendment right to a fair trial--one in which jurors are impartial and have not been influenced by prejudicial publicity. Judges may try to limit publicity to maintain the fairness of criminal or civil proceedings or to protect the privacy of participants. Because of their different outlooks, judges and the media in Kansas can find themselves in sharp conflict.
Social protection for retirees: the diminishing role of employers.

Jobs are changing in ways that will reduce benefits for retirees. This paper explores the variety of pressures that will tend to produce this result. One major factor is that employers have been responding to cost pressures and the need for flexibility by redesigning jobs. There has been a trend-which is likely to continue-toward more part-time and temporary jobs, more subcontracting, and more contingent-pay systems. The consequences are complex and not all bad, but for retirees the tendency will be toward fewer, less generous, or less secure benefits. As workers approach retirement age facing the prospect of diminished benefits, increasing numbers of them will have to choose work to maintain their standard of living. At the same time, demographic pressures will gradually push employers to seek new pools of workers, including retirees. Gradually, employers are likely to provide fewer social-protection benefits to older people, but more employment opportunities.
Progress of induced labor in trial of labor after cesarean delivery

Objective The purpose of this study was to compare the first stage of labor progress in women who undergo an induction of labor after cesarean delivery with women who have spontaneous labor after cesarean delivery. Study Design We conducted a retrospective cohort study of consecutive women who had been admitted for delivery with a vertex-presenting fetus who achieved vaginal delivery after cesarean delivery. We compared women who underwent an induction of labor after cesarean delivery with women with spontaneous labor after cesarean delivery. Labor curves were constructed with a repeated-measures analysis; interval-censored regression was used to estimate the median time spent to dilate 1 cm, stratified by induction status, and adjusted by obesity, macrosomia, epidural, and previous vaginal delivery. Results Of 473 laboring women with a previous cesarean delivery, 234 women (49%) were induced. After adjustment for obesity, macrosomia, epidural, and previous vaginal delivery, women who underwent an induction had significantly longer labors than those women who experienced spontaneous labor. The median time to dilate from 4-10 cm took 5.6 hours (95% confidence interval, 1.8–18.0 hours) in the induction group and 3.2 hours (95% confidence interval, 1.0–10.3 hours) in the spontaneous labor group ( P Conclusion Women who undergo an induction of labor after cesarean delivery have a longer latent labor phase, but a similar active phase than those women who experience spontaneous labor. When making the diagnosis of labor dystocia for women who undergo an induction of labor after cesarean delivery, clinicians should use the same normative standards for labor treatment of women without a previous cesarean delivery as has been shown in previous work.
Enhancing security of Hadoop in a public cloud

Hadoop has become increasingly popular as it rapidly processes data in parallel. Cloud computing gives reliability, flexibility, scalability, elasticity and cost saving to cloud users. Deploying Hadoop in cloud can benefit Hadoop users. Our evaluation exhibits that various internal cloud attacks can bypass current Hadoop security mechanisms, and compromised Hadoop components can be used to threaten overall Hadoop. It is urgent to improve compromise resilience, Hadoop can maintain a relative high security level when parts of Hadoop are compromised. Hadoop has two vulnerabilities that can dramatically impact its compromise resilience. The vulnerabilities are the overloaded authentication key, and the lack of fine-grained access control at the data access level. We developed a security enhancement for a public cloud-based Hadoop, named SEHadoop, to improve the compromise resilience through enhancing isolation among Hadoop components and enforcing least access privilege for Hadoop processes. We have implemented the SEHadoop model, and demonstrated that SEHadoop fixes the above vulnerabilities with minimal or no run-time overhead, and effectively resists related attacks.
On the calculation of refraction in model atmospheres

Approximations have been removed from the derivation of the coefficients in the binomial expansion for astronomical refraction, , allowing the calculation of any number of terms to any precision desired. The range of the refraction formula has been extended to greater zenith distances (<90°) by inserting a damping factor into the binomial formula, truncating the expansion at a proper point, and rearranging the terms. Another, computer-manipulated series has been developed for zenith distances at or near the horizon. Further applications include the calculation of photogrammetric and parallactic refractions, as well as range corrections in satellite geodesy.
Mitigation of Bone Loss by Dynamic Hydraulic Pressure Stimulation in a Rat Disuse Model

Osteoporosis is a skeletal disease resulting in diminished bone mass and altered bone microstructure, which leads to more fragile bones that have higher risk of fractures[1]. Approximately 44 million people have been diagnosed for osteoporosis nationwide[2]. It also causes nearly 1.5 million fractures annually. In order to prevent from such bone loss and to enhance bone quality, effective clinical treatments, e.g. using non-pharmacological approach, are in great need.© 2010 ASME
Evaluation of the iliac arteries: comparison of two-dimensional time of flight magnetic resonance angiography with cardiac compensated fast gradient recalled echo and contrast-enhanced three-dimensional time of flight magnetic resonance angiography.

We compared dynamic contrast-enhanced three-dimensional time of flight (3DTOF) magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) with two-dimensional time of flight (2DTOF) MRA with cardiac compensated fast gradient recalled echo (C-MON) and conventional angiography (CA) when it was available. C-MON re-orders the normal data acquisition to minimize ghosting artifacts generated by pulsatile flow. The initial phase of the study involved optimization of parameters and comparison C-MON with no C = MON in eight patients and volunteers. The final phase of the study involved 53 patients who were imaged with contrast-enhanced 3DTOF MRA and 2DTOF MRA with C-MON. Thirty of these patients also had CA. In the initial phase, 2DTOF MRA with C-MON was found to be equal (n = 3) or superior (n = 5) to 2DTOF without C-MON. In the final phase, the agreement among all imaging modalities varied from substantial to almost perfect (Cohen's kappa = .6-.83). The lowest agreement was using 2DTOF to evaluate the external iliac segments. The among suggested treatments varied from substantial to almost perfect for all imaging modalities (Cohen's kappa = .73-93). The diagnostic efficacies of 2DTOF with C-MON and contrast-enhanced 3DTOF were high overall, with the lowest value being a specificity of 63% for one reader in the evaluation of an external iliac segment using 2DTOF. In summary, 2DTOF with C-MON helped to eliminate artifacts due to pulsatility in the iliac arterial segments. In our experience, both dynamic contrast-enhanced 3DTOF MRA and 2DTOF MRA with C-MON performed well in the evaluation of the iliac arteries. Both studies have high interobeserver agreement and high diagnostic efficacy. Contrast-enhanced 3DTOF MRA should be reserved for situations in which the iliac vessels are extremely tortuous or occluded or the external iliac segments are poorly seen.
S phase and differential DNA replication during Drosophila oogenesis

A modified cell cycle, the endo cycle, produces the polyploid or polytene cells that are present in some tissues of most organisms. In the endo cycle, the S phase alternates with a gap phase, but mitosis does not occur. Genes needed to inhibit mitosis during the endo cycle and to promote the onset of S phase have been identified in Drosophila. Genomic intervals are differentially replicated during the endo cycle S phase such that some regions are under-replicated, while others can be amplified. Cyclin E and E2F are needed for this differential DNA replication during Drosophila oogenesis.
Techniques for measuring red cell, platelet, and WBC survival.

Blood cell survival studies yield valuable information concerning production and destruction of cells circulating in the bloodstream. Methodologies for the measurement of red cell survival include nonisotopic methods such as differential agglutination and hemolysis. The isotopic label may be radioactive or, if not, will require availability of a mass spectrograph. These methods fall into two categories, one where red cells of all ages are labeled (/sup 51/Cr, DFP32, etc.) and those employing a cohort label of newly formed cells (/sup 14/C glycine, /sup 75/Se methionine, etc.). Interpretation of results for methodology employed and mechanism of destruction, random or by senescence, are discussed. A similar approach is presented for platelet and leukocyte survival studies. The inherent difficulties and complications of sequestration, storage, and margination of these cells are emphasized and discussed. 38 references.
New Design Options for Polarization-Sensitive Optical Coherence Tomography

We present a framework for designing polarization-sensitive optical coherence tomography (OCT) systems that yield analytical expressions for optic axis and retardance. The new designs have features amenable to adaptation into many OCT configuration.
HE TURNOVER RATE OF TUBULIN IN RAT BRAIN

The turnover rate of tubulin in rat brain was determined from the decay in specific radioactivity of the protein after pulse-labeling. When precursors were administered by a parenteral route, the shortest half-life, 9.8 days, was obtained with [14C]NaHCO3; the longer half-lives obtained with [U-14C]glucose or [4,5-3H]leucine suggest significant reutilization of label. Furthermore, with leucine as precursor maximal specific radioactivity of tubulin was not obtained until eight days after administration of label. Labeling and decay kinetics obtained with [4,5-3H]leucine were markedly different when the isotope was administered directly into the lateral ventricle. The difference between the turnover rates of the -α and β subunits of tubulin purified by means of high resolution polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis was not statistically significant. A half-life for tubulin of 6.2 days was measured by continuous intravenous infusion of [U-14C]tyrosine.
Compositional controls on the partitioning of U, Th, Ba, Pb, Sr and Zr between clinopyroxene and haplobasaltic melts: implications for uranium series disequilibria in basalts

The partitioning of U, Th, Pb, Sr, Zr and Ba between coexisting chromian diopsides and haplobasaltic liquids at oxygen fugacities between the iron-wustite buffer and air at 1285°C has been characterized using secondary ion mass spectrometry. The partition coefficients for Th, U and Zr show a strong dependence on the Al and Na content of the clinopyroxene. A good correlation between IVAl and DTh exists for all recent Th partitioning studies, providing a simple explanation for the two order of magnitude variation in DTh observed in this and previous studies [1,2]. Because mantle clinopyroxenes generally have greater than 5 wt% Al2O3, we suggest that the relevant partition coefficients for U and Th are between 0.01 and 0.02. While variations in Al and Na in clinopyroxene affect the absolute value of the Th and U partition coefficients, they have no effect on their ratio, DThDU. Our results reinforce the inference that equilibrium partitioning of U and Th between clinopyroxene and melt cannot explain the observed 230Th excesses in basalts. Indeed, under the oxygen fugacities relevant to MORB petrogenesis, clinopyroxene has little ability to fractionate U from Th (DThDU < 2), implying that chemical disequilibrium between melt and wall rock during transport is not required to preserve 230Th excesses generated in the garnet stability field. If the Ba partition coefficient serves as an analog for Ra and the partition coefficient of U5+ serves as an analog for Pa5+, then 226Ra and 231Pa excesses can be generated by clinopyroxene-melt partitioning. Using compositionally dependent partition coefficients, a melting model is used to show that equilibrium porous flow can explain variations in uranium series activities from the East Pacific Rise by varying the depth of melting.
Chronic myelogenous leukemia primitive hematopoietic progenitors demonstrate increased sensitivity to growth factor-induced proliferation and maturation.

Abstract Objective We investigated whether primary chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) hematopoietic progenitors demonstrated altered proliferation and maturation in response to growth factor (GF) stimulation. Methods The effect of GF stimulation on proliferation and expansion of committed and primitive progenitors (colony forming cells [CFC]) was evaluated. Results Culture of CML and normal CD34 + cells with different GF for 7 days resulted in similar expansion of committed progenitors (CFC). In contrast, GF culture conditions that expanded normal primitive progenitors (week-6 long-term culture-initiating cells (LTC-IC)] led to depletion of CML LTC-IC numbers. GF culture also resulted in increased depletion of week-10 extended LTC-IC, which represent an even more primitive progenitor population, from CML compared with normal CD34 + cells. CML CD34 + cells enter into cycle more quickly than normal CD34 + cells and CML CFC expansion was accelerated compared to normal CFC. Evaluation of primitive progenitor proliferation using PKH-26 and single-cell LTC-IC analysis demonstrated that the majority of CML LTC-IC remaining after GF culture originated from divided CD34 + cells, whereas GF-cultured normal LTC-IC were derived mainly from undivided cells. Depletion of CML primitive progenitor numbers in association with increased proliferation suggests increased sensitivity to GF-induced maturation. Conclusions These studies indicate that CML primitive progenitors have enhanced sensitivity to GF-induced cell division and maturation. Altered GF responsiveness may contribute to abnormal expansion of malignant myeloid cells in CML. These findings may also be applied toward the development of novel approaches to select benign stem cells in CML.
Abstract IA26: Regulation of metastasis in breast cancer

Breast cancer patients with metastatic disease have poor prognoses. A key transcription factor, the loss of GATA3 by mutation or loss of expression correlates with a worse prognosis. Indeed, GATA3 is the third most mutated gene in breast cancer progression. In mouse and human breast cancer cells, GATA3 suppresses metastasis by promoting tumor cell differentiation and by altering the tumor microenvironment. Although GATA3 has many direct targets, one major pathway downstream of GATA3 regulating metastasis is through its induction of miR29 expression. miR29b is enriched in luminal breast cancers, which are high in GATA3. miR29b inhibits metastasis directly by targeting a network of pro-metastatic regulators involved in angiogenesis, collagen remodeling and proteolysis. Loss of miR29b, even in GATA3-expressing cells increases metastasis and promotes a mesenchymal phenotype. That inhibiting metastasis by regulating tumor microenvironmental genes through a GATA3-miR29b axis opens up potentially new therapies for breast cancer. (Supported by Grant R01 CA129523). Citation Format: Zena Werb. Regulation of metastasis in breast cancer. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Third AACR International Conference on Frontiers in Basic Cancer Research; Sep 18-22, 2013; National Harbor, MD. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(19 Suppl):Abstract nr IA26.
Association of azinphos-methyl with rat erythrocytes and hemoglobin.

To investigate whether hemoglobin might serve as a biomarker of exposure to azinphos-methyl (AZM) encountered by agricultural workers, we exposed rats to [14C]azinphos-methyl ([14C]AZM). We administered single doses of 1.5 mg/kg, 3 mg/kg, or 6 mg/kg of [14C]AZM by gavage to rats and collected blood 3 days later. We found a dose-dependent association between radioactivity and erythrocytes and hemoglobin (measured by liquid scintillation spectrometry). In another experiment, we administered a single dose of 3 mg/kg [14C]AZM by gavage to rats and collected blood 3, 11, 15, and 22 days after administration. Radioactivity continued to be associated with erythrocytes and hemoglobin at all time-points. Brain and plasma acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activities were not significantly inhibited, nor did we observe signs of acute toxicity in any of the treated animals. Loss of radioactivity associated with erythrocytes and hemoglobin over the study period was consistent with the expected kinetics of erythrocyte turnover, indicating adduct stability. Approximately 0.49%, 0.43%, 0.39%, and 0.32% of the original radioactivity was recovered in the hemoglobin 3, 11, 15, and 22 days, respectively, after administration. These data support our hypothesis that AZM may form a hemoglobin adduct and may be useful as a biomarker of AZM exposure.
Maintenance of Symptomatic Remission in Patients With Crohn's Disease

Crohn's disease is a chronic inflammatory intestinal disorder characterized in most patients by repeated episodes of diminished and exacerbated symptoms. Recent controlled trials demonstrated that oral preparations of 5-aminosalicylic acid decrease recurrence rates by approximately 40% when administered long-term to patients with quiescent Crohn's disease. Orally administered corticosteroids, sulfasalazine, metronidazole, azathioprine, and cyclosporine have not proved of benefit in the prevention of recurrences of Crohn's disease. Nonetheless, corticosteroids, metronidazole, and azathioprine can control chronically active disease. Methotrexate may have some benefit in the treatment of active Crohn's disease, but its role in maintenance of remission has not been investigated. Elimination diets seem to prolong periods of symptomatic remission. Further studies are needed to define subgroups of patients who are most likely to benefit from preventive therapy.
Red nucleus lesions impair acquisition of the classically conditioned nictitating membrane response but not eye-to-eye savings or unconditioned response amplitude

Following a single electrocoagulating RF lesion aimed at left red nucleus, rabbits received classical conditioning of the nictitating membrane (NM) response. A tone was the conditioned stimulus (CS) and electrostimulation of the eye was the unconditioned stimulus (US). The US was applied to the right eye during the initial phase of training. It was then switched to the left eye to assess transfer of learning and ultimately switched back to the right eye. NM responses were recorded simultaneously from both eyes during each phase of training. Consistent with reports implicating a cerebellar-rubro circuit in this behavior, RN lesions disrupted acquisition of CRs in the eye contralateral to the lesion. Animals with disrupted NM CRs of the right eye resembled controls in showing transfer of conditioning to the left eye. CR-disrupting lesions did not affect UR amplitude.
Classification of underwater mine-like and non-mine-like objects using canonical correlations

A feature extraction method for underwater target classification is developed that exploits the linear dependence (coherence) between two sonar returns. A canonical coordinate decomposition is applied to resolve two consecutive acoustic backscattered signals into their dominant canonical coordinates. The corresponding canonical correlations are selected as features for classifying mine-like from non-mine-like objects. Test results are based on a subset of a wideband data set that has been collected at the Applied Research Lab (ARL), University of Texas (UT)-Austin. This subset includes returns from different mine-like and non-mine-like objects at several aspect angles in a smooth bottom condition. The test results demonstrate the potential of the canonical correlation-based feature extraction for underwater target classification and indicate that canonical correlation features are indeed robust to variations in aspect angle.
Long-term effects of the Focus on Families project on substance use disorders among children of parents in methadone treatment.

Aims This study examines the efficacy of the Focus on Families project (currently called Families Facing the Future), a preventive intervention to reduce substance use disorders among children in families with a parent in methadone treatment.
Modeling of power plant impacts on fish populations

A simulation model was developed for assessing the effects of power plant impacts on fish populations. The model was based on biomass changes in a fish population that divided into 4 life stages: eggs, larvae, juveniles, and adults. Metabolism of fish was included in the model as assimilation and respiration with the effects of temperature push-pull regulation. A cohort technique was used for life stage transfers in the young stages. Compensation was included in terms of density-dependent mortality of the young fish. Power plant impacts on a fish population included entrainment (eggs and larvae) and impingement (juveniles and adults).
Bone Morphogenetic Protein as an Adjuvant in the Treatment of Kienbock’s Disease by Vascular Pedicle Implantation

This case report documents the first use of bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) as an adjuvant to revascularisation with a first dorsal metacarpal arterio-venous pedicle in the treatment of a patient with Stage III Kienbock's disease. The patient had complete relief of her symptoms of wrist pain by 8 months postoperatively, when X-rays showed no further evidence of lunate collapse and an MRI scan demonstrated islands of revascularisation. It is impossible to prove unequivocably that BMP contributed to the result seen in this one patient, but this adjuvant concept is based on experimental evidence demonstrating that optimal bioengineering of vascularised bone is dependent on four factors - a structural matrix, progenitor cells, BMP and a vascular supply, and BMP may play a future role in promoting new bone formation in Kienbock's disease.
The reactions of isothiazolium salts with nitrogen bases

Abstract Isothiazolium salts have been shown to react with ammonia to yield isothiazoles and with hydrazines to yield pyrazoles.
Zero balance ultrafiltration (Z-BUF) in blood-primed CRRT circuits achieves electrolyte and acid-base homeostasis prior to patient connection

Infants requiring CRRT present a unique challenge due to the large circuit volume to blood volume ratio. Blood priming is often used, but some patients can become unstable during the initiation of CRRT due to electrolyte and acid-base imbalance. We postulated that using Z-BUF we could normalize electrolytes and improve the acid base status of the prime prior to patient connection. To test this we set up a circuit using the Baxter BM-25 CRRT pump, a polysulfone or AN-69 membrane, and a three-way stopcock. The circuit was primed with a 60/40 mix of expired autologous donor pRBCs and 5% albumin. The modalities of CVVH, CVVHD, and CVVHDF were compared for relative efficacy. Electrolytes, lactate, pH, cytokines (TNF-α, IL-1β, bradykinin, and IL-6) were measured. Plasma hemoglobin levels were also measured before and after the Z-BUF procedure. Bradykinin production and elimination in AN-69 membrane circuits were assessed. All lab values equilibrated by 35 minutes. All CRRT modalities were equally efficacious for Z-BUF. Cytokine production or significant hemolysis was not found. In addition, no bradykinin accumulation occurred in AN-69 membrane-containing circuits. We conclude that Z-BUF is a simple and effective way to normalize electrolyte and acid-base status in the CRRT circuit when blood priming is required.
Abstract 3342: The p110β isoform of PI3K modulates response to growth factor receptor signaling in breast cancer cells irrespective of PTEN status

The class 1a phosphatidylinositol 3-kinases (PI3Ks) regulate cell growth, survival, and metabolism. These PI3Ks are heterodimeric lipid kinases composed of a p85 regulatory subunit and a p110 catalytic subunit (p110α, p110β, or p110δ). p110α and p110β play distinct roles in PI3K signaling in carcinoma cells. p110α is activated by growth factor receptor kinase signaling. In contrast, p110β was shown to play a role in insulin metabolic action, G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) signaling, and oncogenic transformation. Cancer cells deficient in PTEN, the tumor suppressor phosphatase that antagonizes PI3K signaling, have been shown to be sensitized to pharmacological inhibitors of p110β. As a result, early clinical studies with p110β inhibitors are restricted to patients with PTEN-deficient cancers. However, analysis of data from the Genomics of Drug Sensitivity in Cancer database revealed that genetic lesions in PTEN or PIK3CA (encodes p110α) were significantly and independently associated with increased sensitivity to the p110β inhibitor AZD6284. Among 668 cancer cell lines, 96, 57, and 5 lines harbored alterations in PTEN, PIK3CA, or both, respectively. Among 61 cell lines with IC50 values ≤2 μM, only 25 harbored an alteration in PTEN and/or PIK3CA. Thus, a significant fraction of cancer cell lines (and tumors) without PTEN alterations are likely to be sensitive to p110β inhibition. To explore the role of p110β in PI3K signaling in ER+ breast cancer, we treated cells with the p110β inhibitor GSK2636771 and monitored effects on growth factor-induced activation of AKT and MEK/ERK. We found that p110β inhibition reduced basal pAKT and pERK levels in PTEN-deficient cells. Furthermore, p110β inhibition reduced insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1)-induced pAKT levels and delayed the onset of AKT phosphorylation in both PTEN-deficient and PTEN-wild-type cells. In contrast, p110β inhibition sensitized both PTEN-wildtype and PTEN-deficient cells to heregulin stimulation. These results indicate that p110β desensitizes cells to IGF-1 stimulation and hyper-sensitizes them to heregulin stimulation and suggests that p110β regulates downstream AKT and MEK/ERK activation in response to growth factor receptor activation. Our findings advocate for the testing of p110β inhibitors in cell lines (and tumors) selected based on growth factor dependence and PTEN status. Citation Format: Stephanie J. Bouley, Lloye M. Dillon, Todd W. Miller. The p110β isoform of PI3K modulates response to growth factor receptor signaling in breast cancer cells irrespective of PTEN status. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr 3342. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-3342