cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
High affinity and specificity of dimeric binding of thyroid hormone receptors to DNA and their ligand-dependent dissociation

The thyroid hormone receptors are ligand-dependent, DNA binding, trans-acting transcriptional factors belonging to the erbA-related steroid/thyroid hormone receptor superfamily. We report here the high affinity and specificity of dimeric DNA binding of human thyroid hormone receptor-alpha 1 (hTR alpha 1) and hTR beta 1 and the effect of T3 on its DNA binding. Gel mobility shift assay showed that hTR alpha 1 and -beta 1 bind to the rat GH-thyroid hormone response element (TRE) and rat malic enzyme (rME)-TRE as a monomer, dimer, and oligomer in the absence of T3 and bind to an irrelevant DNA sequence from the adenovirus 5 promoter only as a monomer. In competition studies using unlabeled TRE, dimer binding was displaced by lower concentrations of TRE than was the monomer, indicating that the dimeric binding has higher affinity than the monomer binding. These results suggest that the formation of dimers of TR increases the specificity and affinity for the response element. Surprisingly, T3 disrupted dimer bi...
Solid carcinoma of the thyroid gland. Analysis of 53 cases

Of a series of thyroid carcinomas, approximately 10% have been of the solid type. The histologic pattern of solid thyroid carcinoma is distinctive: It is the only type that contains amyloid and it is unmixed with other types. The incidence in males and females is essentially equal. Solid carcinoma tends to metastasize to the cervical lymph nodes and the mediastinum. The diseases with which it is associated brings this type into special perspective among thyroid cancers. Its histologic pattern is not a guide to the prognosis. The treatment of choice is total thyroidectomy with resection of all regional metastases. Of 33 patients who were followed for five years or more after operation, 40% had no evidence of thyroid cancer at the time of this study; 15% were living with disease; 36% had died of the disease and 9% had died of other causes.
Student-constructed examination items

Summary Student-written items were compared with teacher-written items on an objective examination given to first year medical students. While student scores were higher on the student-written items than on teacher-written items, there was a positive correlation between the scores. Student items did not differ from teacher items in the course, according to student ratings of emphasis. As a by-product of this study, correlations were found which suggest that student scores on an item often reflect the degree of teaching emphasis given the content area of the item rather than the inherent difficulty of the content. It is suggested that further research is needed to determine whether students learn through the process of writing examination items. Therefore, if the process proves to be educational, this study indicates that it will be feasible to incorporate the student-constructed items in examinations.
The role of 5'-methylthioadenosine phosphorylase in 5'-methylthioadenosine-mediated inhibition of lymphocyte transformation.

Abstract To determine if increased 5′-methylthioadenosine phosphorylase activity in activated lymphocytes may be responsible for the decreased inhibitory effect noted when 5′-methylthioadenosine is added after stimulation, the activity of this enzyme was monitored during lymphocyte transformation. A direct correlation existed between the transformation process and 5′-methylthioadenosine phosphorylase activity; the longer the stimulation process progressed, the greater the enzyme activity. The 7-deaza analog of 5′-methylthioadenosine, 5′-methylthiotubercidin, was utilized to explore further the role that the phosphorylase may play in the reversal process. 5′-Methylthioadenosine acted as a potent inhibitor, but not a substrate, of the 5′-methylthioadenosine phosphorylase, and was an even more potent inhibitor of lymphocyte transformation than 5′-methylthioadenosine. However, in direct contrast to the 5′-methylthioadenosine effect, inhibition by 5′-methylthiotubercidin could not be completely reversed. These data suggest the 5′-methylthioadenosine phosphorylase plays an important role in reversing 5′-methylthioadenosine-mediated inhibition and that the potent, nonreversible inhibitory effects of 5′-methylthiotubercidin are due to its resistance to 5′-methylthioadenosine phosphorylase degradation.
A microfluidic method to measure small molecule diffusion in hydrogels

Abstract Drug release from a fluid-contacting biomaterial is simulated using a microfluidic device with a channel defined by solute-loaded hydrogel; as water is pumped through the channel, solute transfers from the hydrogel into the water. Optical analysis of in-situ hydrogels, characterization of the microfluidic device effluent, and NMR methods were used to find diffusion coefficients of several dyes (model drugs) in poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate (PEG-DA) hydrogels. Diffusion coefficients for methylene blue and sulforhodamine 101 in PEG-DA calculated using the three methods are in good agreement; both dyes are mobile in the hydrogel and elute from the hydrogel at the aqueous channel interface. However, the dye acid blue 22 deviates from typical diffusion behavior and does not release as expected from the hydrogel. Importantly, only the microfluidic method is capable of detecting this behavior. Characterizing solute diffusion with a combination of NMR, optical and effluent methods offer greater insight into molecular diffusion in hydrogels than employing each technique individually. The NMR method made precise measurements for solute diffusion in all cases. The microfluidic optical method was effective for visualizing diffusion of the optically active solutes. The optical and effluent methods show potential to be used to screen solutes to determine if they elute from a hydrogel in contact with flowing fluid. Our data suggest that when designing a drug delivery device, analyzing the diffusion from the molecular level to the device level is important to establish a complete picture of drug elution, and microfluidic methods to study such diffusion can play a key role.
The Organization and Management of the Temple Corporations in Ancient Mesopotamia

Ancient Mesopotamians were perhaps the first people to evolve a methodical, disciplined approach to the management of large-scale, complex organizations. The success and longevity of their temple corporations provide dramatic testimony to the versatility and effectiveness of the managerial concepts and techniques which they developed.
Highlights in the study of exoplanet atmospheres

Exoplanets are now being discovered in profusion. To understand their character, however, we require spectral models and data. These elements of remote sensing can yield temperatures, compositions and even weather patterns, but only if significant improvements in both the parameter retrieval process and measurements are made. Despite heroic efforts to garner constraining data on exoplanet atmospheres and dynamics, reliable interpretation has frequently lagged behind ambition. I summarize the most productive, and at times novel, methods used to probe exoplanet atmospheres; highlight some of the most interesting results obtained; and suggest various broad theoretical topics in which further work could pay significant dividends.
Feasibility of Eliminating the Use of Highly Enriched Uranium in the Production of Medical Radioisotopes

Significant quantities of highly enriched uranium (HEU)—more than enough to make a Hiroshima bomb—are used annually as neutron target material in Canadian, European, and South African reactors to produce the short-lived fission products used in nuclear medicine. The most important of these fission products is 99Mo, which decays into 99mTc, which is the most widely used medical radioisotope. The U.S. supplies weapon-grade uranium to the Canadian radioisotope producer and might in the future provide it to the European producers as well. As a condition for receiving U.S. HEU, the 1992 Schumer Amendment to the U.S. Atomic Energy Act requires that a foreign producer cooperate with the United States in converting to low-enriched uranium (LEU) targets. Some smaller producers have already done so. The Canadian producer has asserted, however, that the cost of conversion would be too high. The 2005 Burr amendment therefore exempted radioisotope producers in Canada and Europe from the Schumer amendment's requirement...
Quantifying the fraction of glycine and alanine in β-sheet and helical conformations in spider dragline silk using solid-state NMR

Solid-state two-dimensional refocused INADEQUATE MAS NMR experiments resolve distinct helical and β-sheet conformational environments for both alanine and glycine in Nephila clavipes dragline silk fibers; the fraction of alanine and glycine in β-sheet structures is determined to be 82% ± 4% and 28% ± 5%, respectively.
Development of pigment cells in the zebrafish embryo

In recent years, the zebrafish Danio rerio has emerged as a powerful model organism for the study of vertebrate embryogenesis. Zebrafish, like other vertebrates, possess pigment cells that arise from two distinct embryonic sources: those of the dermis and epidermis originate from the neural crest, while those that comprise the outermost layer of the retina, the retinal pigment epithelium or RPE, derive from the optic cup. A better understanding of processes behind the specification and differentiation of these cells will provide insight to the evolutionary diversification of all classes of vertebrates and will have clinical relevance to human disorders of pigmentation and certain retinopathies. In the first part of this review, the present knowledge of the ontogeny of both of these populations of pigment cells in the embryonic zebrafish is summarized, in terms of both genetics and molecular markers. The final part of the review focuses on duplicate zebrafish genes encoding orthologs of the basic helix-loop-helix/leucine zipper protein Mitf (Microphthalmia-associated transcription factor), and presents a hypothesis concerning their divergent roles in neural crest and retinal pigment cells.
Dilated Cardiomyopathy in Transgenic Mice Expressing HIV Tat

Mechanisms responsible for HIV cardiomyopathy are unknown, but may include direct effects of HIV proteins on the heart. Transgenic mice (TG) expressing HIV Tat protein targeted to the myocardium, +/− Tat TG, have revealed anatomical and biochemical defects in the heart. The present studies were conducted to clarify the effect of Tat on cardiac function. In vivo hemodynamics was measured in awake mice after inserting a catheter tip in the left ventricle under general anesthesia. Under the age of 3 months, the heart rate (HR) was significantly lower in TG (591 ± 47 vs. 716 ± 45 bpm, TG versus FVB control (FVB), respectively (P < 0.05; n = 8–12). Other hemodynamic indexes, including left ventricular systolic pressure (LVSP), positive and negative dp/dt (mmHg/s), and left ventricular end diastolic pressure (LVEDP) remained indistinguishable from FVB. At 6 months, however, ventricular dysfunction was evident in TG (HR = 580 ± 47 vs. 673 ± 25 bpm, TG versus FVB, P < 0.05); LVSP (132 ± 6 vs. 147 ± 6 mmHg, TG versus FVB; P < 0.05); LVEDP (15 ± 4 vs. 8 ± 6 mmHg, TG vs. FVB, P < 0.05); +dp/dt = 8872 ± 331 vs. 10026 ± 796 mmHg/s TG versus FVB, P < 0.01) and −dp/dt (7403 ± 432 vs. 8835 ± 368 mmHg/s, TG versus FVB, P < 0.01; n = 8–12, in each group). The change in percentage of fractional shortening in response to isoproterenol was also significantly reduced in cardiac myocytes isolated from TG versus FVB (P < 0.05). Thus, targeted myocardial transgenic expression of HIV Tat in mice results in relative bradycardia, depression in systolic and diastolic functions in vivo, and blunted adrenergic responsiveness in vitro.
Style compatibility for 3D furniture models

This paper presents a method for learning to predict the stylistic compatibility between 3D furniture models from different object classes: e.g., how well does this chair go with that table? To do this, we collect relative assessments of style compatibility using crowdsourcing. We then compute geometric features for each 3D model and learn a mapping of them into a space where Euclidean distances represent style incompatibility. Motivated by the geometric subtleties of style, we introduce part-aware geometric feature vectors that characterize the shapes of different parts of an object separately. Motivated by the need to compute style compatibility between different object classes, we introduce a method to learn object class-specific mappings from geometric features to a shared feature space. During experiments with these methods, we find that they are effective at predicting style compatibility agreed upon by people. We find in user studies that the learned compatibility metric is useful for novel interactive tools that: 1) retrieve stylistically compatible models for a query, 2) suggest a piece of furniture for an existing scene, and 3) help guide an interactive 3D modeler towards scenes with compatible furniture.
The Funding of Community Colleges: Formulas & Governance

This study identified governing state entities charged with the development of a funding formula for community colleges. Analysis of the data revealed that 40 states utilized a funding formula. Twenty-one states had a “Higher Education” entity with governing control of the formula, 5 states had a “Community College” entity with distinct funding formulas for community colleges, funding formulas in 2 states fell under a “Comprehensive (K-20) Education” entity, and in 12 states control of a state funding formula was the responsibility of a state statute. Findings and implications of funding formula governance patterns are discussed.
Policies and international trade agreements on technical compatibility for industries with network externalities

Abstract The paper considers a country (home) in which consumers have heterogeneous preferences over ex ante incompatible domestic and imported products and benefit from a network externality. We analyze the cases with trade under perfect competition and the international duopoly, in which both governments strategically use policies toward compatibility but cannot use conventional trade policies. In both cases, the equilibrium outcome of the non-cooperative game depends upon the strength of the network externality effect and involves either an excessively high equilibrium level of compatibility (in combination with either too much or too little trade) or very low equilibrium levels of both compatibility and trade. The paper concludes with the analysis of the international agreements on policies toward compatibility and evaluates the existing provisions in the WTO legal system aimed at minimizing the trade-inhibiting impact of standards and regulations in the area of technical compatibility.
Claims about religious involvement and health outcomes.

Claims about religion, spirituality, and health have recently appeared with increasing frequency, in both the popular media and professional journals. These claims have asserted that there are a great many studies in the literature that have examined relations between religious involvement and health outcomes and that the majority of them have shown that religious people are healthier. We examined the validity of these claims in two ways: (a) To determine the percentage of articles in the literature that were potentially relevant to such a claim, we identified all English-language articles with published abstracts identified by a Medline search using the search term religion in the year 2000, and (b) to examine the quality of the data in articles cited as providing support for such a claim, we examined all articles in the area of cardiovascular disease and hypertension cited by two comprehensive reviews of the literature.
Abstract 4736: Inhibition of STAT3 sensitizes neuroblastoma xenografts cells to Etoposide

Proceedings: AACR Annual Meeting 2014; April 5-9, 2014; San Diego, CA Neuroblastoma (NB) is the most common extracranial solid tumor in childhood, accounting for more than 7% of malignancies in patients younger than 15 years and causing 10% of all pediatric oncology deaths. Chemoresistance remains a major obstacle to the successful treatment of high-risk NB patients. Since STAT3 is a determinant of chemoresistance and associated with tumor recurrence in several adult tumor model systems, we investigated the biologic consequences of targeting STAT3 in neuroblastoma. Using a Tet-inducible STAT3 shRNA in 3 representative NB cell line models (AS, NGP and IMR32), inhibition of constitutively activated STAT3 (P-STAT3) in NB cells statistically decreased cell proliferation, colony formation and motility as defined by a wound healing assay. NB cell lines with decreased P-STAT3 exhibited increased sensitivity to cisplatin and etoposide-induced cell death (EC50 in each cell line decreased 52% to 80% compared with parental cell lines) which could be partially rescued by caspase inhibitor Z-VAD. In vivo, STAT3 inhibition by Tet-inducible STAT3 shRNA in AS had little effect on tumor growth and survival in tumor-bearing mice, however the combination of STAT3 inhibition with etoposide significantly decreased tumor growth and increased the survival of tumor-bearing mice (P=0.009). Our study supports the development of strategies targeting STAT3 inhibition in combination with conventional cytotoxic therapy for patients with high-risk NB. Citation Format: Shuang Yan, Carol Thiele. Inhibition of STAT3 sensitizes neuroblastoma xenografts cells to Etoposide. [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 4736. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-4736
Body mechanics during daily tasks to reduce back pain in women who are pregnant

Although pregnancy is a temporary condition, the prevalence of back pain has been estimated to be approximately 49-50% and pain may continue post partum. Often women have to limit or curtail daily living activities because of the pain. The purpose of this paper is to describe physical changes that occur during pregnancy and discuss positioning and body mechanics to prevent or reduce back pain during performance of self-care, homemaking and vocational activities. Suggested guidelines for continuation of various physical job demands and safety based on the American College of Obstreticians and Gynecologists are described.
AIDS and the dangerous other: Metaphors of sex and deviance in the representation of disease

(1989). AIDS and the dangerous other: Metaphors of sex and deviance in the representation of disease. Medical Anthropology: Vol. 10, The AIDS Pandemic: A Gloabal Emergency, pp. 105-114.
Dietary calcium and magnesium intakes and the risk of type 2 diabetes: the Shanghai Women's Health Study

Background: Diet plays a key role in the development of type 2 diabetes (T2D), but little is known about the contributions of specific nutrients in populations in which dietary patterns differ from Western populations. Objective: We examined associations between calcium and magnesium intakes and the risk of T2D in a Chinese population. Design: We used data from a population-based, prospective study of 64,191 women who were free of T2D or other chronic diseases at study recruitment and were living in urban Shanghai, China. Dietary intake, physical activity, and anthropometric measurements were assessed through in-person interviews. A Cox regression model was used to evaluate the association of the exposures under study with the risk of T2D. Results: An inverse association between calcium and magnesium intakes and T2D risk was observed. The relative risks for the lowest to the highest quintiles of calcium intake were 1.00, 0.82, 0.73, 0.67, and 0.74 (P for trend < 0.001), and for magnesium they were 1.00, 0.84, 0.84, 0.79, and 0.86 (P for trend < 0.001). Milk intake was also inversely associated with the risk of T2D. Conclusion: Our data suggest that calcium and magnesium intakes may protect against the development of T2D in this population.
The Role of the Minimally Invasive Extreme Lateral Interbody Fusion Procedure for Complex Spinal Reconstruction

Extreme lateral interbody fusion (XLIF) has gained popularity for use in degenerative stenosis and other conditions of the lumbar spine. The XLIF approach affords an ability to correct collapsed disc spaces and potentially aid in the correction of complex spinal deformities while minimizing blood loss and neurologic complications. Potential indications for the use of XLIF in complex deformities include adult degenerative scoliosis, adjacent segment disease, and infection. Complications include a high number of transient neurologic injuries to the lumbosacral plexus and rare permanent deficits. Although the technology remains in the early stages of adoption, XLIF can be a powerful tool for use in complex spinal deformities.
Crop Supply Dynamics and the Illusion of Partial Adjustment

We use field-level data to estimate the response of corn and soybean acreage to price shocks. Our sample contains more than 8 million observations derived from satellite imagery and includes every cultivated field in Iowa, Illinois, and Indiana. We estimate that aggregate crop acreage responds more to price shocks in the short run than in the long run, and we show theoretically how the benefits of crop rotation generate this response pattern. In essence, farmers who change crops due to a price shock have an incentive to switch back to the previous crop to capture the benefits of crop rotation. Our result contradicts the long-held belief that agricultural supply responds gradually to price shocks through partial adjustment. We would not have obtained this result had we used county-level panel data. Standard econometric methods applied to county-level data produce estimates consistent with partial adjustment. We show that this apparent partial adjustment is illusory, and we demonstrate how it arises from the fact that fields in the same county are more similar to each other than to fields in other counties. This result underscores the importance of using models with appropriate micro-foundations and cautions against inferring micro-level rigidities from inertia in aggregate panel data. Our preferred estimate of the own-price long-run elasticity of corn acreage is 0.29, and the cross-price elasticity is âˆ’0.22. The corresponding elasticities for soybean acreage are 0.26 and âˆ’0.33. Our estimated short-run elasticities are 37% larger than their long-run counterparts.
A theorem concerning cyclic directed graphs with applications to network reliability

Abstract : In a recent paper, Satyanarayana and Prabhaker have presented a new topological formula for evaluating exact reliability of terminal-pair directed networks. Terms in the formula are associated in a one-to-one fashion with certain acyclic subgraphs of the network, cyclic subgraphs being of no importance. In their paper, however, the proof that cyclic subgraphs may be ignored seems to be incomplete. We consider an alternate proof of this fact. (Author)
Implementing the Simplex Method

The basic simplex method is a simple and straightforward algorithm, but modern efficient implementations represent a tour de force of algorithm engineering and numerical methods designed to exploit opportunities for efficiency wherever they arise. This article surveys the key techniques necessary to implement a robust, efficient simplex code. These techniques support the strategic design principles of minimizing the number of iterations and carrying out the computations in each iteration efficiently and accurately. The primal and dual bounded-variable simplex algorithms are described. Efficient and robust advanced techniques for finding a starting solution, effective pricing, ratio tests and degeneracy management, and sparse linear algebra are covered. Keywords: linear programming; simplex method; computation; implementation
Primary intraosseous paraganglioma of the sacrum: a case report

Abstract Background context Paragangliomas are neuroendocrine tumors that most frequently arise in the adrenal medulla, carotid body, and glomus jugulare. However, they have been reported in many other sites throughout the body. Within the central nervous system, the overwhelming majority of paragangliomas arise intradurally in the area of the cauda equina. We report a case of a woman who presented with back pain and radiculopathy and was found to have an intraosseous sacral mass on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Operative biopsy revealed that this lesion was a paraganglioma. Chest, abdomen, and pelvis computed tomography scans revealed no other tumors. This lesion was treated with limited resection, decompression, stabilization, and radiation therapy. Purpose To report a rare case of an intrasacral paraganglioma that presented with back pain and radiculopathy and was treated with intralesional decompression, stabilization, and radiation. Study design Observational case report. Methods A 69-year-old woman presented with back and leg pain. An MRI scan revealed a grade II spondylolisthesis at L5/S1 and a left-sided intraosseus mass at S1 with significant obstruction of the left S1 nerve root foramen. The patient underwent initially an open biopsy of this lesion that revealed a paraganglioma. Subsequently, she underwent transarterial embolization of this lesion, partial resection with decompression of the nerve root, and stabilization and arthrodesis from L4 to the ilium. Results Intraoperatively, a highly vascular lesion was encountered. The patient's back and leg pain improved significantly after surgery. She was referred for intensity-modulated radiation therapy. One year after surgery, she was neurologically intact without evidence of growth of the lesion. Conclusions Only two cases of primary intraosseous sacral paragangliomas were reported in the past. We believe that paragangliomas should be included in the differential diagnosis of intraosseous sacral tumors. Optimal treatment of the lesions can be difficult because of their hypervascular nature and the high morbidity associated with complete surgical resection. Treatment should combine preoperative embolisation, surgical resection if possible, and radiation therapy.
Biosensor Detection of Botulinum Toxoid A and Staphylococcal Enterotoxin B in Food

Immunoassays were developed for the simultaneous detection of staphylococcal enterotoxin B and botulinum toxoid A in buffer, with limits of detection of 0.1 ng/ml and 20 ng/ml, respectively. The toxins were also spiked and measured in a variety of food samples, including canned tomatoes, sweet corn, green beans, mushrooms, and tuna.
Quantum feedback and adaptive measurements

Summary form only given. Although real-time feedback of measured signals is an essential component of sensing and control in classical settings, models for quantum feedback that are rigorous yet useful have only become possible since the advent of measurement-based quantum trajectory theory. The quantum feedback scenario introduces new concerns of coherence and measurement backaction, but recent work has shown that these can be treated properly in a formal integration of quantum trajectory theory with standard state-space formulations of filtering and control theory. Pioneering studies by H. M. Wiseman have shown that such models can be used to design and to analyze realistic schemes for adaptive homodyne measurement and for feedback control of atomic motion. Much of the ongoing research in our group focuses on the experimental implementation of such schemes. For a broad range of quantum feedback scenarios, certain recurring technical issues arise out of the need to perform complex, high-bandwidth processing of measured signals. We are developing a "rapid-prototyping" approach to refining signal processing and feedback algorithms via quantum trajectory simulation on a PC, followed by translation of the algorithms into hardware Description language (HDL).
Physical therapists' knowledge, attitudes, and professional use of nonprescription analgesics.

Since nonprescription analgesics remain the cornerstone of the treatment of many musculoskeletal disorders, it is important to determine whether physical therapists (PTs) are using these agents in their practice. Many state physical therapy practice acts do not address the issue of drug therapy
Obtusin, a unique bromine-containing polycyclic ketal from the red marine alga

Abstract The structure of a unique bromine-containing ketal, obtusin ( 1 ), has been determined by spectral and X-ray crystallographic techniques. Obtusin is a natural component of the Mediteranean red alga Laurencia obtusa .
Poland's Syndrome Report of Seven Cases and Review of the Literature

Seven cases of Poland's syndrome (absence of the sternal por tion of the pectoralis major with ipsilateral upper extremity anomalies) are compared with 48 previously reported cases.
Latina Teacher Agency in Public Schools: Love, Tensions, and Perseverance.

This article examined the manner in which Latina teachers’ enacted agency to challenge institutional barriers impacting Latinas/os in the educational system. A theoretical framework is suggested as a tool to describe the practices of four Latina teachers working in elementary schools serving a high population of Latino students in Southern California. Using qualitative mixed methods, as an exploratory study, the classroom teachers identified three themes representing their journey in search of an equitable education for Latinas/os.
Sequence variation in the dihydrofolate reductase-thymidylate synthase (DHFR-TS) and trypanothione reductase (TR) genes of Trypanosoma cruzi.

Dihydrofolate reductase-thymidylate synthase (DHFR-TS) and trypanothione reductase (TR) are important enzymes for the metabolism of protozoan parasites from the family Trypanosomatidae (e.g. Trypanosoma spp., Leishmania spp.) that are targets of current drug-design studies. Very limited information exists on the levels of genetic polymorphism of these enzymes in natural populations of any trypanosomatid parasite. We present results of a survey of nucleotide variation in the genes coding for those enzymes in a large sample of strains from Trypanosoma cruzi, the agent of Chagas' disease. We discuss the results from an evolutionary perspective. A sample of 31 strains show 39 silent and five amino acid polymorphisms in DHFR-TS, and 35 silent and 11 amino acid polymorphisms in TR. No amino acid replacements occur in regions that are important for the enzymatic activity of these proteins, but some polymorphisms occur in sites previously assumed to be invariant. The sequences from both genes cluster in four major groups, a result that is not fully consistent with the current classification of T. cruzi in two major groups of strains. Most polymorphisms correspond to fixed differences among the four sequence groups. Two tests of neutrality show that there is no evidence of adaptive divergence or of selective events having shaped the distribution of polymorphisms and fixed differences in these genes in T. cruzi. However, one nearly significant reduction of variation in the TR sequences from one sequence group suggests a recent selective event at, or close to, that locus.
Security Interests in Rolling Stock, Aircraft and Vessels

The law governing security interests in certain classes of mobile assets -- aircraft, railroad rolling stock, and certain vessels -- is complex because of the overlay of federal law that supplements, and in some instances displaces, Article 9 of the UCC. This article provides an overview of the law governing perfection, priorities, and enforcement of security interests in these types of assets and analyzes some of the ambiguities and issues that often arise.
Real-time, whole-brain, temporally resolved pressure responses in translational head impact

Theoretical debate still exists on the role of linear acceleration (alin) on the risk of brain injury. Recent injury metrics only consider head rotational acceleration (arot) but not alin, despite ...
Ambiguities and Imperatives of Market Censorship: The Brief History of a Critical Concept

This article examines the origin and development of the concept of market censorship, ambiguities implicit in the concept and resistances to its use. It draws on historical examples to show that free expression is always subject to some regulation, and contends that, under neoliberalism, market censorship increasingly influences what and how we know. It identifies some critical communication perspectives that provide resources for developing a theory of market censorship, surveys the ways the term has been used during its relatively short history, and offers tentative conclusions that highlight both the value and limits of the concept.
HalfComic and HalfTragic: Irony in PostWorld War II Literature

In their 1982 January issue, Harper’s Magazine published Paul Fussell’s essay “My War: How I got irony in the infantry.” Fussell served as a lieutenant in the American infantry during World War II and afterwards became an academic, eventually receiving widespread praise and literary awards for his 1975 study, The Great War and Modern Memory, investigating World War I and its force in altering aesthetics. Seven years later, Harper’s published “My War,” documenting Fussell’s own shift in personal aesthetics as a result of his World War II experience. Fussell begins by disclosing a few responses from readers repulsed with his depiction of warfare. “Whenever I deliver [an] unhappy view of the war, especially when I try to pass it through a protective screen of irony, I hear from outraged readers” (40). Fussell admits to an emphasis of the “noisome materials” of the war in his treatments, the “corpses, maddened dogs, deserters and looters, pain, Auschwitz, weeping,” and the list goes on. By refusing to ignore the cruelty and suffering of the war, and by rendering it ironic, Fussell has been labeled, “callous,” his “black and monstrous” work revealing an “overwhelming deficiency in human compassion” (40).
Growth of Self-Assembled Bio-Organic Nanomatrices for Skin Tissue Engineering — An in vitro Study

In this paper, we have developed self-assembled nanoscale assemblies that were prepared by conjugating furan-2-carboxylic acid-3-aminopropyl amide with the short peptide sequence Gly-His (abbreviated Gly-His-FCAP). To mimic the extracellular matrix of mammalian fibroblasts and keratinocytes, the assemblies were then conjugated with Type I collagen. We then integrated the collagen bound Gly-His-FCAP assemblies with a short peptide sequence derived from salamander skin into the nanoscale assemblies for the first time to impart regenerative and wound healing properties to the composites. The antioxidant, antimicrobial and biodegradable properties were examined and results indicate that the nanocomposites displayed antioxidant properties as displayed by 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay. The biodegradability was found to be gradual. The nanocomposites were also found to inhibit the growth of the fungus Rhizopus sporangia over an 18h growth period. As proof of concept, to demonstrate the development o...
Chapter 1 Channel Codes and Modulation

This chapter reviews fundamental results of coding and modulation theory that are essential to a full understanding of spread-spectrum systems. Channel codes, which are also called error-correction or error-control codes, are vital in fully exploiting the potential capabilities of spread-spectrum communication systems. Although direct-sequence systems greatly suppress interference, practical systems require channel codes to deal with the residual interference and channel impairments such as fading. Frequency-hopping systems are designed to avoid interference, but the possibility of hopping into an unfavorable spectral region usually requires a channel code to maintain adequate performance. In this chapter, coding and modulation theory are used to derive the required receiver computations and the error probabilities of the decoded information bits. The emphasis is on the types of codes and modulation that have proved most useful in spread-spectrum systems.
Insecticide Resistance in Fleas

Fleas are the major ectoparasite of cats, dogs, and rodents worldwide and potential vectors of animal diseases. In the past two decades the majority of new control treatments have been either topically applied or orally administered to the host. Most reports concerning the development of insecticide resistance deal with the cat flea, Ctenocephalides felis felis. Historically, insecticide resistance has developed to many of the insecticides used to control fleas in the environment including carbamates, organophosphates, and pyrethroids. Product failures have been reported with some of the new topical treatments, but actual resistance has not yet been demonstrated. Failures have often been attributed to operational factors such as failure to adequately treat the pet and follow label directions. With the addition of so many new chemistries additional monitoring of flea populations is needed.
Transfer of acquired immunological tolerance of skin homografts in mice joined in parabiosis.

Summary1. Normal, adult Z(C3H) mice, connected in parabiotic union with Z(C3H) mice tolerant of Ce tissue, fail to reject homografts of Ce skin. 2. Lack of immunological responsiveness to Ce tissues persists following disruption of parabiotic union. 3. The possibility that failure of transplantation reaction is due to transfer of immunological tolerance to previously unconditioned adult recipient is presented. 4. The implications of these observations are discussed.
Combined Combustion and System Modeling of Semi-Closed Cycle PoWER Engine

Over the last few years, combustion system designers have been challenged by the growing need to meet increasingly stringent regulatory emission norms. This sometimes entails compromising on the system e ciency to attain lower overall emissions by improving combustion e ciency. This work is aimed at understanding the underlying interactions of design parameters that control the performance of the gas cycle thermodynamics and combustion performance. This study couples our previous e orts on system level and combustion modeling of a novel semi-closed cycle engine, called the Power, Water Extraction and Refrigeration (PoWER) engine. We have conducted a design point and o -design studies of the PoWER engine to model the system performance, emissions and combustion stability of the engine. The combustor was modeled as a network of primary zone (PZ) and secondary zone (SZ) continuously stirred tank reactors (CSTRs) in series. The boundary conditions were provided via a zero dimensional thermodynamic model. Illustrations of the o -design performance are provided via a design code being developed for a demonstrator plant at University of Florida (UF)-. The simulations for combustion modeling were performed using the C++ interface of the Cantera combustion code. The ultimate purpose of this analysis is to characterize the chemical kinetically limited blowout boundaries of the operating regime of the PoWER engine. The e ect of EGR and primary zone (PZ) residence time on combustion e ciency and emissions was also modeled.
Direct measurement of field-induced polarization forces between particles in air.

We have measured the effect of DC and AC electric fields (up to 15 kV/m) on the force between two 15 μm radius BaTiO3 glass spheres in air in the separation range 0–6 μm. These fields cause attract...
High Density Catalytic Hot Spots in Ultrafine Wavy Nanowires

Structural defects/grain boundaries in metallic materials can exhibit unusual chemical reactivity and play important roles in catalysis. Bulk polycrystalline materials possess many structural defects, which is, however, usually inaccessible to solution reactants and hardly useful for practical catalytic reactions. Typical metallic nanocrystals usually exhibit well-defined crystalline structure with few defects/grain boundaries. Here, we report the design of ultrafine wavy nanowires (WNWs) with a high density of accessible structural defects/grain boundaries as highly active catalytic hot spots. We show that rhodium WNWs can be readily synthesized with controllable number of structural defects and demonstrate the number of structural defects can fundamentally determine their catalytic activity in selective oxidation of benzyl alcohol by O2, with the catalytic activity increasing with the number of structural defects. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and cyclic voltammograms (CVs) studies demonstrate ...
Love waves normally incident at a continental boundary

abstract The dispersion curve for fundamental-mode Love waves between periods of 60 and 4.375 sec has been obtained by the finite element method for a path normally incident at a continental margin (California) between a seismometer site on the ocean bottom 120 km from the continental shelf and a coastal seismographic station (Berkeley). Between periods of 60 and 17.5 sec, the computed phase velocity of fundamental-mode Love waves across the continental margin was very slightly greater (less than 1 per cent) than the mean of the phase velocities of fundamental-mode Love waves in the horizontally layered structures at the ends of the model representing the regions of the ocean bottom and continent. Between periods of 15 and 4.375 sec, the phase velocity of fundamental-mode Love waves across the finite element model was, in general, slightly less (about 2 per cent) than the mean of the phase velocities of fundamental-mode Love waves in the horizontally layered bounding structures. Two important new results concerning the propagation of the energy of fundamental-mode Love waves at a continental boundary were obtained. First, between periods of 20 and 11 sec, 90 per cent of the energy of fundamental-mode Love waves incident from the oceanic side is transmitted as the first higher mode. Second, between periods of 15 and 8 sec, only 2 per cent of the energy of fundamental-mode Love waves incident from either the oceanic or the continental side of the continental boundary is transmitted in waves of the fundamental Love mode. From the first of these results, it follows that, at periods of 20 sec or less, measurements on a continent of the phase velocity of fundamental-mode Love waves will be contaminated by the presence of the first higher mode. From the second, it follows that, between periods of 15 and 8 sec, the continental boundary is a barrier to the propagation of fundamental-mode Love waves in both directions, quite independently of damping. This strongly affects estimates of the attenuation of fundamental-mode Love waves. Fundamental-mode Love wave microseisms on the ocean floor from an oceanic source can be expected to be approximately four times as large as fundamental-mode Love wave microseisms from the same source at continental sites.
Afroestricus , a new Afrotropical Ommatine (Diptera: Asilidae) genus with twenty species and two species groups

The new genus Afroestricus (Diptera: Asilidae) with 20 species, is described. Included are: A. abyssinia sp. n.; A. chiastoneurus (Speiser), A. eminentis, sp. n.; A. fulaui, sp. n.; A. hamulus, sp. n.; A. insectaris, sp. n.; A. kimerus, sp. n.; A. macroscelis (Bezzi), A. minutus (Bromley), A. morani, sp. n.; A. persuasus (Oldroyd), A. sadaukii, sp. n.; A. sankofa, sp. n.; A. variabilis (Engel), A. varipes (Curran), A. velatus, sp. n.; A. verutus, sp. n.; A. victus, sp. n.; A. vittatus (Curran), and A. vorax, sp. n. Afroestricus is distinctive in the following combination of characters: moderately gibbose face; frons with a wide, lateral, stripe of numerous setae; fore femur with a stout preapical, anteroventral bristle; and a prominent epiphallus that conceals the distiphallus dorsally, characters that are not congruent with Ommatius. New combinations include: A. chiastoneurus, A. macroscelis, A. minutus, A. persuasus, A. variabilis, A. varipes, and A. vittatus. New synonymies include: senax Bromley = chiastroneurus Speiser; munroi Bromley and bevisi Bromley = variabilis Engel; and garambensis Oldroyd = varipes Curran. The species are assigned to the macroscelis and minutus species groups based largely upon wing venation. The genus is largely confined to the Afrotropical region, between 17°N and 31°S latitude, with only the range of A. vittatus extending into western Yemen. The species show a relatively high level of sympatry. Descriptions, illustrations, and a key to the species are included. A brief discussion of the distribution and phenology of the species and a provisional key to the current Afrotropical genera and subgenera of Ommatiinae are also provided.
Dissecting bipolar disorder complexity through epigenomic approach

In recent years, numerous studies of gene regulation mechanisms have emerged in neuroscience. Epigenetic modifications, described as heritable but reversible changes, include DNA methylation, DNA hydroxymethylation, histone modifications and noncoding RNAs. The pathogenesis of psychiatric disorders, such as bipolar disorder, may be ascribed to a complex gene-environment interaction (G × E) model, linking the genome, environmental factors and epigenetic marks. Both the high complexity and the high heritability of bipolar disorder make it a compelling candidate for neurobiological analyses beyond DNA sequencing. Questions that are being raised in this review are the precise phenotype of the disorder in question, and also the trait versus state debate and how these concepts are being implemented in a variety of study designs.
Big Pharma on the Farm: Students Are Exposed to Pharmaceutical Marketing More Often in Rural Clinics.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Pharmaceutical marketing techniques are effective in changing the behavior of health care providers in ways that deviate from evidence-based practices. To mitigate the influence of pharmaceutical marketing on learners, academic medical centers (AMCs) have adopted policies to limit student/industry interaction. Many clinical experiences occur outside of the AMC. The purpose of this study was to compare medical students' exposure to pharmaceutical marketing in off-campus rural and urban underserved clinical sites. METHODS The University of Washington School of Medicine Rural and Underserved Opportunities Program (RUOP) places rising second-year medical students in underserved clinical sites in five northwestern states. We surveyed RUOP students to evaluate their exposure to pharmaceutical marketing. RESULTS Of 120 students, 86 (72%) completed surveys. Sixty-five (76%) did their RUOP rotation in rural areas. Students in rural locations were more likely to report exposure to pharmaceutical marketing. Distribution of free drug samples was reportedly three times higher in rural than urban sites (54% versus 15%). Doctors meeting with sales representatives were reported as four times higher in rural clinics (40% versus 10%). CONCLUSIONS Students at rural sites reported exposure to pharmaceutical marketing more than those in urban settings. Rural medical educators should provide faculty development for community clinicians on the influences of pharmaceutical marketing on learners. Medical schools must review local clinic and institution-wide policies to limit pharmaceutical marketing exposure to learners in the rural learning environment.
Addressing the straggler problem for iterative convergent parallel ML

FlexRR provides a scalable, efficient solution to the straggler problem for iterative machine learning (ML). The frequent (e.g., per iteration) barriers used in traditional BSP-based distributed ML implementations cause every transient slowdown of any worker thread to delay all others. FlexRR combines a more flexible synchronization model with dynamic peer-to-peer re-assignment of work among workers to address straggler threads. Experiments with real straggler behavior observed on Amazon EC2 and Microsoft Azure, as well as injected straggler behavior stress tests, confirm the significance of the problem and the effectiveness of FlexRR's solution. Using FlexRR, we consistently observe near-ideal run-times (relative to no performance jitter) across all real and injected straggler behaviors tested.