cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Ancestral inference for branching processes in random environments and an application to polymerase chain reaction

Branching processes in random environments arise in a variety of applications such as biology, finance, and other contemporary scientific areas. Motivated by these applications, this article invest...
Die Rolle des Datenschutzbeauftragten und der Datenschutzorganisation bei der Implementierung des vernetzten Fahrzeuges

Die Datenschutz-Grundverordnung und die Aufgabe, Datenschutz im vernetzten Fahrzeugen zu gewahrleisten, bedingen ein neues Rollenverstandnis des Datenschutzbeauftragten in der Automobilindustrie. Dies bedingt eine sinnvolle Aufteilung der Aufgaben und Zustandigkeiten der Datenschutzorganisation des Verantwortlichen und des Datenschutzbeauftragten des Unternehmens. Dessen Schwerpunkte liegen in der Beratung und Kontrolle der Datenverarbeitung im vernetzten Fahrzeugs. Dies erfordert eine fruhzeitige Einbindung und die Dokumentation der konkreten Anforderungen am ein „Privacy by Design“.
Recruitment of mSin3A and Histone Deacetylase 2 (HDAC2) by the Chromatin Remodeling Protein BRG1 Mediates Transcriptional Repression in Erythroid Progenitors.

The Swi/Snf chromatin remodeling complexes are critical for activating or repressing transcription of specific genes and require one of two homologous ATPases, Brg1 and Brm. Although Brg1 is also known to be involved in s-globin gene transcription and a recent report showed that Brg1-containing complexes could be recruited to the s-globin promoter and its locus control region (LCR), the exact roles of Brg1 in erythroid gene expression and differentiation have not been directly investigated. We previously showed that Brg1, but not Brm, is recruited to the Protein 4.2 ( P4.2 ) promoter by a multi-protein DNA-binding complex containing TAL1/SCL, E47, GATA-1, LMO2, and Ldb1. This complex transactivates P4.2 gene expression through tandem E box-GATA elements in its proximal promoter. We report here that overexpression of Brg1 in murine erythroleukemia (MEL) cells significantly reduced the proportion of benzidine-stained cells and dramatically inhibited expression of mRNA for P4.2 and s-globin but not glycophorin A and erythroid Kruppel-like factor in MEL cells induced to differentiate with dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO). Further, overexpression of Brg1 repressed P4.2 promoter activity in a dose-dependent manner in DMSO-treated MEL cells, while treatment of cells with trichostatin A, a specific HDAC inhibitor, attenuated Brg1-directed inhibition of reporter activity in transient transfection analysis. In addition, coimmunoprecipitation analysis showed that Brg1 interacted stably with the corepressor mSin3A and HDAC2 in erythroid cells, suggesting that HDAC activity is involved in Brg1-mediated transcriptional repression. Quantitative chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) analysis demonstrated that Brg1 occupancy of the P4.2 and s-globin promoters and hypersensitive site 2 (HS2) of the s-globin LCR decreased upon erythroid differentiation. Importantly, the selective transcriptional repression of P4.2 and s-globin gene expression by Brg1 correlated with increased loading of mSin3A and HDAC2 on the P4.2 promoter and s-globin HS2, respectively. Together, these results suggest that Brg1-mediated transcriptional repression of select erythroid genes is characterized by the localized recruitment of a corepressor complex containing mSin3A and HDAC2 in a process of active repression.
Lateral light losses in integrating sphere measurements: comparison of Monte-Carlo with inverse adding-doubling algorithm

Integrating spheres (IS) facilitate accurate measurements of the total reflectance and transmittance of turbid media, which can be used to determine optical properties of the sample measured. Translation of measurements into optical properties are achieved using theoretical photon migration models. A widely used approach with IS measurements is to use the inverse adding-doubling (IAD) method that utilizes the forward adding-doubling method, which is a rigorous numerical forward solver of the 1-D radiative transport equation. In order to experimentally satisfy the 1-D nature of the theoretical model, samples must be large enough to be modeled as infinite in extent along axes normal to incident beam. Here, we explore constraint on the required sample dimensions by comparing errors in modeled reflectance and transmittance between the adding-doubling and Monte Carlo simulations. We compare both the forward predictions and the inverse extraction of the optical properties for samples with varying dimensions, sample optical properties and beam profiles. Lateral losses (loss of light from sides of the sample) were observed to be significant when illumination beam diameters become comparable to sample length. Errors of 2-3% were noted between MC predictions vs. the adding-doubling estimates for reflectance and transmittance and these translated to 5-30% errors in IAD estimated optical absorption while the extracted scattering coefficients remained unaffected and had errors < 2%, relative to simulated values. We find that when the incident beam had diameter less than 80% of the sample length, the estimated optical properties of the medium were well extracted using the IAD.
Transcriptional targeting and pseudotyping of RCR vectors improves the selectivity and efficiency of viral replication and tumor transduction in prostate cancer models

4016 Replication-competent retrovirus (RCR) vectors can propagate specifically within actively dividing cancer cells and thereby achieve highly efficient and tumor-selective gene delivery in vivo. To further enhance their tissue-specificity through transcriptional targeting, we have developed a prostate-specific RCR vector regulated by a synthetic variant of the probasin promoter (ARR2PB). We have previously shown that RCR vectors regulated by ARR2PB exhibit stringent specificity for androgen receptor (AR)-positive prostate cancer cells compared to untargeted RCR vectors. These RCR vectors were both derived from murine leukemia virus pseudotyped with the wild type amphotropic envelope glycoprotein (MLV(4070A)), which binds to PiT-2, a ubiquitous and highly conserved phosphate transport protein present on the surface of human and murine cells. We now report the development of RCR vectors pseudotyped with the heterologous gibbon ape leukemia virus envelope (MLV(GALV)), whose receptor is PiT-1, another member of the same phosphate transporter family. We have further constructed a targeted MLV(GALV) RCR vector regulated by the ARR2PB promoter and tested its selectivity for prostate cancer cells in vitro and in vivo. Probasin-targeted and untargeted MLV(4070A) and MLV(GALV) RCR vectors expressing GFP were inoculated onto LNCaP (AR-positive prostate cancer), PC3 (AR-negative prostate cancer) and WiDr (colon cancer) cells in vitro, and the replication kinetics and transduction efficiency of each vector was monitored by flow cytometry. Both ARR2PB-targeted vectors exhibited stringent specificity for LNCaP cells, and MLV(GALV) RCR vectors replicated more rapidly than MLV(4070A) RCR vectors. After injection of equal infectious units into pre-established subcutaneous LNCaP tumors in nude mice, the in vivo tumor transduction efficiency of ARR2PB-targeted MLV(GALV) RCR vectors reached significantly higher levels more rapidly than targeted MLV(4070A) vectors. To assess the impact of transcriptional targeting on the potential for extratumoral spread and resultant genotoxicity of RCR vectors in normal tissues, untargeted and ARR2PB-targeted RCR vectors were inoculated into nude mice by direct intravenous injection and vector biodistribution was examined 3 months later by quantitative real-time PCR analysis of genomic DNA. Untargeted RCR vector integration was detected in the spleen and bone marrow, but the ARR2PB-targeted vector showed no detectable extratumoral integration. Our results thus indicate that GALV-pseudotyped RCR vectors have the potential to further enhance the efficiency of replicative transduction and therapeutic gene transfer in prostate cancer, and that transcriptional targeting may improve the safety profile of RCR vectors in immunocompromised hosts.
Effects of Supercapacitor State of Charge on Its Maximum Charge Delivery Capability

This paper investigates the effects of the supercapacitor state of charge (SOC) on the peaking discharge current leading to the maximum charge delivered during a constant current discharge process. Recent studies show that the supercapacitor delivered charge first increases and then decreases when the discharge current decreases, i.e., the delivered charge peaks at a certain discharge current. By examining various SOC conditions, this paper reveals that for a fixed cutoff voltage, the peaking current increases when the SOC decreases. Moreover, for a specific SOC condition, the peaking current increases when the cutoff voltage increases. Therefore, this paper advances the understanding of the supercapacitor charge delivery behavior during a constant current discharge process.
Polynomial least squares approximations with Ill-conditioned bases

In this note we point out that polynomial least squares approximations may be unstable in coefficient space and stable inL 2. That is, an ill-conditioned basis may produce large errors in particular coefficients yet theL 2 error is small. An explanation of this phenomenon is offered.
Rhetoric and the purposes of public education: building discourse for shared responsibility

In this study, we employ discourse analysis of US gubernatorial political advertisements to analyze the discursive struggles over the purposes of public schools. The advertisements are analyzed to ...
Financing Breakthroughs under Failure Risk

In a dynamic principal-agent model, the principal, financing the project, cannot observe project failure and the agent, developing the project, can hide failure. As there is a tension between incentives for disclosure of failure and project development, the optimal contract does not reward failure and incentivize disclosure of failure during an initial unconditional financing stage. During the subsequent disclosure stage, time-decreasing rewards for failure provide incentives for disclosure of failure. The continuation of financing becomes more performance-sensitive across stages, and the agent's incentives are backloaded. The model explains several empirical patterns in venture capital financing and the financing of innovation.
Uneven and combined development, international political economy, and world-systems analysis

Rosenberg and Boyle's ‘Understanding 2016: China, Brexit and Trump in the history of uneven and combined development’ (2019) is an insightful analysis. It leverages the theory of uneven and combine...
Riboswitch control of bacterial RNA stability

Although riboswitches have long been known to regulate translation initiation and transcription termination, a growing body of evidence indicates that they can also control bacterial RNA lifetimes by acting directly to hasten or impede RNA degradation. Ligand binding to the aptamer domain of a riboswitch can accelerate RNA decay by triggering a conformational change that exposes sites to endonucleolytic cleavage or by catalyzing the self-cleavage of a prefolded ribozyme. Alternatively, the conformational change induced by ligand binding can protect RNA from degradation by blocking access to an RNA terminus or internal region that would otherwise be susceptible to attack by an exonuclease or an endonuclease. Such changes in RNA longevity often accompany a parallel effect of the same riboswitch on translation or transcription. Consequently, a single riboswitch aptamer may govern the function of multiple effector elements (expression platforms) that are co-resident within a transcript and act independently of one another.
10-Year Risk Prediction Equations for Incident Heart Failure Hospitalizations in Chronic Kidney Disease: Findings from the Chronic Renal Insufficiency Cohort Study and the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis.

BACKGROUND Heart failure (HF) is a leading contributor of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in the chronic kidney disease (CKD) population. HF risk prediction tools that utilize readily available clinical parameters to risk stratify individuals with CKD are needed. METHODS We included Black and White participants aged 30 to 79 years with CKD stages 2-4 enrolled in the Chronic Renal Insufficiency Cohort (CRIC) Study and without self-reported cardiovascular disease. We assessed model performance of the Pooled Cohort Equations to Prevent Heart Failure (PCP-HF) to predict incident HF hospitalizations and refit the PCP-HF in the CKD population using CRIC data-derived coefficients and survival from CRIC Study participants in the CKD population (PCP-HFCKD). We investigated the improvement in HF prediction with inclusion of estimated glomerular filtration rate [eGFR] and urine albumin to creatinine ratio [UACR] into the PCP-HFCKD equations by change in C-statistic, net reclassification improvement (NRI) and integrated discrimination improvement index (IDI). We validated the PCP-HFCKD with and without eGFR and UACR in Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA) participants with CKD. RESULTS Among 2328 CRIC Study participants, 340 incident HF hospitalizations occurred over a mean follow-up of 9.5 years. The PCP-HF equations did not perform well in most participants with CKD and had inadequate discrimination and insufficient calibration (C-statistic 0.64-0.71, GND chi-square statistic p value 0.05). Addition of UACR, but not eGFR, to the refit PCP-HFCKD improved model performance in all race-sex groups (C-statistic [0.73-0.81], GND chi-square p value > 0.05, delta C-statistic ranging from 0.03-0.11 and NRI and IDI p values <0.01). External validation of the PCP-HFCKD in MESA demonstrated good discrimination and calibration. CONCLUSIONS Routinely available clinical data that includes UACR in patients with CKD can reliably identify individuals at risk of HF hospitalizations. LAY SUMMARY Patients with chronic kidney disease frequently develop heart failure; however, no tool exists to predict heart failure in patients with chronic kidney disease. This study investigated whether a previously developed tool that used routinely available clinical data could predict heart failure events in individuals with chronic kidney disease. Results demonstrated that this tool performed poorly in individuals with chronic kidney disease. However, when albuminuria, a measurement of protein in the urine that represents kidney dysfunction, was added to the risk prediction equation, the risk prediction tool was better able to predict heart failure events in this population. Implementation of this tool may be able to identify individuals with chronic kidney disease at high risk for heart failure hospitalization and improve clinical outcomes.
Dependence of diffusive permeation rates and selectivities on upstream and downstream pressures : VI. Experimental results for the water/ethanol system

Abstract In previous papers we have shown that a relatively simple thermodynamic—diffusive model simulates the effects of downstream and upstream pressure on permeation rate and selectivity in organic liquid/liquid mixture separations, and most recently have presented experimental results and model comparisons for hexane/heptane (ideal) and toluene/ethanol (nonideal) mixtures. This paper deals with an important aqueous/organic mixture, water/ethanol, and presents data for two types of membranes, homogeneous and asymmetric. Particular attention is paid to the comparison between experimental results and certain predictions of the theory and model. Excellent agreement is obtained between experimental data and simulation results, for both vapor and liquid permeate, for 1 atm upstream pressure. The effects of high upstream pressure cannot, however, be modeled in a straightforward manner, and the question of the size of the diffusing water “molecule” is discussed.
Health care-associated pneumonia in haemodialysis patients: clinical outcomes in patients treated with narrow versus broad spectrum antibiotic therapy.

Background and objective: Although the 2005 American Thoracic Society/Infectious Disease Society of America antibiotic guidelines classify pneumonia occurring in patients receiving chronic haemodialysis as health care-associated pneumonia (HCAP), and thus recommend treatment with broad-spectrum antibiotics for these patients, little data support this classification. We compared clinical outcomes in haemodialysis patients hospitalized with pneumonia, who were treated with broad-spectrum antibiotics versus narrow-spectrum antibiotics. Methods: One hundred twenty-five haemodialysis patients with pneumonia met eligibility criteria. Categorization into the community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) group or HCAP group was based on antibiotic therapy patients received. Time to oral therapy, time to clinical stability, length of stay and mortality were compared. Results: CAP and HCAP patients did not differ in Pneumonia Severity Index and Charlson Comorbidity index scores, but HCAP patients were more likely to meet criteria for severe pneumonia. Patients treated with HCAP therapy had a significantly longer time to oral therapy than CAP patients (9.2 vs 3.2 days, P < 0.001) and a significantly longer length of stay (11.9 vs 5.1 days, P < 0.001). Time to clinical stability was marginally longer in the HCAP group (3.1 vs 2.4 days, P = 0.07). Patients treated with HCAP therapy had longer continuation of intravenous antibiotics after reaching clinical stability (5.5 vs 0.78 days, P < 0.001). Conclusions: This study is the first to our knowledge to describe clinical outcomes in patients with haemodialysis as their only HCAP risk factor. Narrow-spectrum antibiotics may be safe in haemodialysis patients with no other HCAP risk factors. HCAP therapy delayed de-escalation to oral antibiotics was associated with increased duration of intravenous antibiotics and length of stay.
Improvement of gadoxetate arterial phase capture with a high spatio-temporal resolution multiphase three-dimensional SPGR-Dixon sequence.

Purpose To determine whether a multiphase method with high spatiotemporal resolution (STR) by means of a combination of parallel imaging, pseudorandom sampling and temporal view sharing improves the capture and intensity of gadoxetate arterial phase images as well as lesion enhancement. Materials and Methods Thirty-seven patients were imaged with a conventional spoiled gradient echo acquisition and 48 with a high STR multiphase acquisition after the administration of gadoxetate. Arterial phase capture, image quality, and quality of fat suppression were qualitatively graded. Fourteen lesions in the conventional group and 28 in the high STR multiphase group were imaged, including 34 focal nodular hyperplasias. The ratio of lesion to parenchyma enhancement as well as relative hepatic artery enhancement were calculated. Chi-squared, Mann-Whitney U and student t-tests were used to compare differences. Results The high STR multiphase acquisition included the arterial phase more frequently than conventional acquisitions (P < 0.001), with the arterial phase missed in 17% (95% CI of 4–28%) of patients with conventional acquisition compared with 2% (95% CI of 0–6%) with the high STR multiphase acquisition. There was no loss of image quality or degree of fat saturation. Additionally, there was increased relative intensity of the hepatic arteries (P < 0.001) as well as lesion enhancement (P = 0.01). Conclusion The high STR multiphase acquisition resulted in more reliable gadoxetate arterial phase capture compared with a conventional acquisition while preserving image quality with robust fat saturation J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2013;38:938–945. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Rate of return, firm size and development subsidies: The case of Greece

Abstract To actualize the process of industrialization, developing countries often subsidize the formation of the large, capital intensive firm. We pose the question: To what extent does subsidization of the large firm lead to inefficient choices? We attempt to answer the question with an analysis of rates of return of a sample of large manufacturing firms in Greece. It is found that, on average, the large firm has benefited from government subsidies which decrease the cost of capital or which provide exclusive incentives to foreign investment. Aside from subsidies, as Greek-owned firms increase in size their rates of return decline; in contract rates of return and size are uncorrelated among firms invested with foreign capital. The subsidized inefficiency of large Greek firms is a failure of a policy which is designed to promote efficiency through size.
SNR Maximization Hashing

We propose a novel robust hashing algorithm based on signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) maximization to learn compact binary codes, where the SNR metric is used to select a set of projection directions, and one hash bit is extracted from each projection direction. We first motivate this approach under a Gaussian model for the underlying signals, in which case maximizing SNR is equivalent to minimizing the robust hashing error probability. A globally optimal solution can be obtained by solving a generalized eigenvalue problem. We also develop a multibit per projection algorithm to learn longer hash codes when the number of high-SNR projections is limited. The proposed algorithms are tested on both synthetic and real data sets, showing significant performance gains over existing hashing algorithms.
Protein Folding: A New Geometric Analysis

A geometric analysis of protein folding, which complements many of the models in the literature, is presented. We examine the process from unfolded strand to the point where the strand becomes self-interacting. A central question is how it is possible that so many initial configurations proceed to fold to a unique final configuration. We put energy and dynamical considerations temporarily aside and focus upon the geometry alone. We parameterize the structure of an idealized protein using the concept of a ribbon from differential geometry. The deformation of the ribbon is described by introducing a generic twisting Ansatz. The folding process in this picture entails a change in shape guided by the local amino acid geometry. The theory is reparamaterization invariant from the start, so the final shape is independent of folding time. We develop differential equations for the changing shape. For some parameter ranges, a sine-Gordon torsion soliton is found. This purely geometric waveform has properties similar to dynamical solitons. Namely: A threshold distortion of the molecule is required to initiate the soliton, after which, small additional distortions do not change the waveform. In this analysis, the soliton twists the molecule until bonds form. The analysis reveals a quantitative relationship between the geometry of the amino acids and the folded form.
Lithium Driftability in Detector-Grade Germanium

The behavior of many germanium crystals during lithium-ion drift, in terms of compensated depth W as a function of drift time t, does not follow the prediction of the equation: W = (2?LiVt)1/2 Modification of the lithiim velocity expression to include the loss of mobile lithium ions during drift yields the expression: W = [?LiV?(1-e-2t/?)]1/2 which seems to describe satisfactorily the experimental results. In addition to the loss mechanism, the effect of oxygen on lithium-ion drift mobility is considered.
Understanding the Role of Individual Consumer–Provider Relationships Within Assertive Community Treatment

The widespread adoption of assertive community treatment has resulted in a shift from an individual model to a team model of case management. The shift has had implications for individual relationships between case managers and consumers, but still little is known about how these relationships develop in teams. This exploratory mixed methods study looked at how case managers and consumers negotiate individual relationships within a team model. Quantitative methods identified high and low service intensity relationships between consumers and case managers and qualitative methods explored and compared these relationships. Consumers in high service intensity relationships described a preference for certain case managers and the burden of working with multiple people. Case managers invested high service intensity relationships with special therapeutic value, articulated the challenges of coordinating care across the team, and utilized team limit setting techniques. In contrast, low service intensity relationships were more likely to reflect integration with the entire team. Findings suggest that teams need to consider how individual relationships enhance care for their consumers and how to nurture these relationships while maintaining the support necessary for case managers and consumers.
LYSOSOMAL PHYSIOLOGY IN TETRAHYMENA : I. Effect of Glucose, Acetate, Pyruvate, and Carmine on Intracellular Content and Extracellular Release of Three Acid Hydrolases

Log-phase Tetrahymena were washed and resuspended in a dilute salt solution supplemented with glucose, acetate, pyruvate, or carmine, as desired, and then incubated for 5 h. Intra- and extracellular activities of acid phosphatase, α-glucosidase, and ribonuclease were assayed. Extracellular activities were corrected for proteolytic degradation. The three nutritive substrates affected both the amount and pattern of extracellular enzyme release, but carmine had no effect. Intracellular activities declined early in the starvation period, but partially recovered with time, particularly α-glucosidase activity. Acetate reduced the decline in acid phosphatase activity; acetate and glucose enhanced the recovery of α-glucosidase activity; carmine had no effect on intracellular enzyme activities. Protein content changed little and was unaffected by the addition of substrates. Glycogen content increased during incubation; acetate and glucose enhanced the increase.
Health Consequences of Contact on Two Seventeenth-Century Native Groups from the Mid-Atlantic Region of Maryland

This study examined the skeletal remains of two different native groups, the Piscataway (Algonquian) and the Susquehannock (Iroquoian), who resided in close geographic proximity in the Tidewater-Potomac region of Maryland in order to understand their health during the 1,600 s CE. Both groups had differing interactions with colonial settlers and numerous historic accounts of violence. The results show some evidence of infectious disease and no types of interpersonal violence on the skeletal remains of either group. Other health disparities found were associated more with cultural and behavioral differences between these two ethnic groups than with direct colonial involvement.
The Transmembrane Domains of Ectoapyrase (CD39) Affect Its Enzymatic Activity and Quaternary Structure

Mammalian ectoapyrase (CD39) is an integral membrane protein with two transmembrane domains and a large extracellular region. The enzymatic activity of ectoapyrase is inhibited by most detergents used for membrane protein solubilization. In contrast, the enzymatic activities of soluble E-type ATPases, including potato tuber (Solanum tuberosum) apyrase and parasite ecto-ATPase, are not affected by detergents. Here we show that ectoapyrase is a tetramer and that detergents that reduce the activity of the enzyme promote dissociation of the tetramer to monomers. We expressed a secreted form of the ectoapyrase in COS-7 cells by fusing the signal peptide of murine CD4 with the extracellular domain of the ectoapyrase. The soluble ectoapyrase is catalytically active and its activity is not affected by detergents. Mutants of the ectoapyrase with only the NH2- or the COOH-terminal transmembrane domain are membrane-bound, and their activity is no longer affected by detergents. The enzymatic activity of all of the mutant proteins is less than that of the native enzyme. These results suggest that the proper contacts between the transmembrane domains of the monomers in the tetramer are necessary for full enzymatic activity.
Views from Elsewhere: Female Shoguns in Yoshinaga Fumi's Ōoku and Their Precursors in Japanese Popular Culture

This paper examines the recent hit shōjo manga by Yoshinaga Fumi, Ōoku: The Inner Chambers, which creates a science fiction alternate version of Edo-period Japan ruled by a female shogun. This gender-reversed world is the outcome of the sudden outbreak of an epidemic that kills only male youths in the era of the third shogun Iemitsu. In the inner chambers of Edo Castle, which are the private space of the shogun, 3,000 beautiful men live and work. This alternative world rereads existing historical narratives and also provides a critical space for readers to examine the multiple discourses of gender and sexuality. The paper approaches this re-representation of Japanese premodern history in the genre of shōjo manga from several angles. To provide a fuller understanding of Ōoku, it shows how revisionist presentation of the Tokugawa inner chambers in a 1960s Yoshiya Nobuko novel provided a model for a subgenre of historical period drama in post-war popular culture. It also examines shōjo manga traditions of no...
Larval development of Phoronis pallida (Phoronida): Implications for morphological convergence and divergence among larval body plans

Morphological variation among larval body plans must be placed into a phylogenetic and ecological context to assess whether similar morphologies are the result of phylogenetic constraints or convergent selective pressures. Investigations are needed of the diverse larval forms within the Lophotrochozoa, especially the larvae of phoronids and brachiopods. The actinotroch larva of Phoronis pallida (Phoronida) was reared in the laboratory to metamorphic competence. Larval development and growth were followed with video microscopy, SEM, and confocal microscopy. Early developmental features were similar to other phoronid species. Gastrulation was accomplished by embolic invagination of the vegetal hemisphere. Mesenchymal cells were found in the remaining blastocoelic space after invagination began. Mesenchymal cells formed the body wall musculature during the differentiation of larval features. Body wall musculature served as the framework from which all other larval muscles proliferated. Larval growth correlated best with developmental stage rather than age. Consistent with other phoronid species, differentiation of juvenile tissues occurred most rapidly at the latest stages of larval development. The minimum precompetency period of P. pallida was estimated to be ∼4–6 weeks. Previously published studies have documented that the planktonic embryos of P. pallida develop faster than the brooded embryos of P. vancouverensis. However, these data showed that the difference in developmental rate between the two species decreased in succeeding larval stages. There may be convergent selective pressures that result in similar timing to metamorphic competence among phoronid and brachiopod planktotrophic larval types. Morphological differences between these larval types result from heterochronic developmental shifts in the differentiation of juvenile tissue. Similarities in the larval morphology of phoronids and basal deuterostomes are likely the result of functional and developmental constraints rather than a shared (recent) evolutionary origin. These constraints are imposed by the functional design of embryological stages, feeding structures, and swimming structures. J. Morphol. 259:347–358, 2004. © 2004 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Norepinephrine in the interpeduncular nucleus of the rat: normal distribution and the effects of deafferentation.

Abstract We used correlative biochemical and histochemical methods to examine (1) the norepinephrine (NE) projection from the paired locus coeruleus (LC) to the midline interpeduncular (IPN) of the adult rat and (2) the ability of the LC to respond to denervation of their target following removal of noradrenergic afferents (6-hydroxydopamine lesions of the LC) or non-noradrenergic afferents (lesion of the paired fasciculi retroflexi (FR)). Histofluorescence revealed that the NE innervation from the two LC to the IPN is symmetric and overlapping. This projection is confined to rostral, central, and intermediate subnuclei and is absent from lateral and dorsal subnuclei. We found no evidence for homotypic collateral sprouting of undamaged LC neurons into the IPN following unilateral LC lesion. Bilateral LC lesions also did not induce sprouting by NE-containing neurons from other systems (e.g. the superior cervical ganglion or the lateral tegmental group) or from those LC neurons that survived the 6-hydroxydopamine lesion. Histofluorescence following bilateral FR lesions confirmed an earlier observation that apparent hyperinnervation of the IPN by LC afferents is elicited following removal of non-noradrenergic afferents. Measurements of the turnover rate of NE in the IPN of control animals and those that received bilateral FR lesions indicate an increased NE content and increased turnover rate of NE in the IPN of lesioned animals. Taken together these results suggest an increased number of NE terminals and an increase in the activity of tyrosine hydroxylase. No change in NE content or turnover rate was seen in the frontal cortex from these same animals. This is consistent with a target-dependent regulation of heterotypic collateral sprouting.
A heat-transfer device for the monitoring of thrombus formation on prosthetic surfaces.

In order to monitor changes in thrombus size on prosthetic surfaces in dogs, a simple heat transfer measuring system was incorporated into a small right atrial sword which has been previously described.1 This system provided a reliable and continuous measure of the amount of thrombus present on the sword. Initial thrombus formation was found to be complete within 45–90 min. Subsequent lysis of the thrombus was seem to occur in many cases after 8–12 hr of implantation.
Charge-transfer spectra of structurally characterized mixed-valence thiolate-bridged Cu(I)/Cu(II) cluster complexes.

A series of Cu(II) and Cu(I)/Cu(II) complexes containing the cis-N(amine)(2)S(thiolate)(2) copper complex rac-2 has been synthesized to provide a basis for understanding the charge-transfer spectra of mixed-valence thiolate-bridged Cu(I)/Cu(II) complexes. In combination with Cu(Me(2)-13-N(4)ane), rac-2 yields a monobridged dinuclear homovalent adduct, rac-5, while reaction with CuCl yields the mixed-valance pentanuclear complex rac-6. In the presence of Cu(II)(acac)(2), chiral R,R-1 reacts to form a mixed-valence pentanuclear cation R,R-7. rac-6 exhibits a relatively short Cu(I). Cu(II) contact [2.8231(9) A] and associated structural features that suggest the presence of a weak Cu(I).Cu(II) interaction in a valence-trapped system. Additional structural features in rac-6 and R,R-7 include singly and doubly bridging thiolates, three- and four-coordinated Cu(I) ions, and varying Cu(I) ligand sets. These features extend the types and complexities of electronic absorptions significantly. Spectra of rac-6 and R,R-7 exhibit multiple overlapping absorptions over the entire visible and ultraviolet spectral regions studied, consonant with these observations. Trends resulting from variations in structure type and oxidation state permit a first approach toward developing a detailed assignment of the individual ligand Rydberg, LF, LMCT, MLCT, and possible MMCT absorptions in these complexes.
Personality and Parenting: Exploring the Mediating Role of Transient Mood and Daily Hassles

In order to explore the role that transient mood and daily hassles might play in mediating the impact of enduring personality on parenting, naturalistic home observations of mothering and fathering were conducted when firstborn sons were 15 and 21 months of age. Observationally based, behavioral ratings of mothering and fathering were related to three self-report personality scales (Agreeableness, Neuroticism, Extraversion), administered to parents when their children were 10 months of age, and to self-reports of transient mood (positive and negative) and daily hassles obtained prior to each observation of family interaction. Results indicated that (a) mothering was more consistently predicted by personality and mood/hassles than fathering; (b) Extraversion played a larger role in predicting fathering than mothering, with the reverse being true of Agreeableness; (c) Neuroticism was the most consistent predictor of men's and women's parenting; and (d) there was little support for affect-specific linkages between personality, mood/hassles, and parenting. Finally, some evidence of mediation by transient mood and daily hassles emerged, more consistently for mothers than fathers, though more strongly for fathers than mothers. These results are discussed in terms of the primacy of the role of parenting for men and women.
Probabilistic risk analysis of corrosion associated failures in cast iron water mains

Abstract This paper proposes a method using probabilistic risk analysis for application to corrosion associated failures in grey cast iron water mains. External corrosion reduces the capacity of the pipeline to resist stresses. When external stresses exceed the residual ultimate strength, pipe breakage becomes imminent, and the overall reliability of a water distribution network is reduced. Modelling stresses and external corrosion acting on a pipe involves uncertainties inherent in the mechanistic/statistical models and their input parameters. Monte Carlo (MC) simulations were used to perform the probabilistic analysis. The reduction in the factor of safety (FOS) of water mains over time was computed, with a failure defined as a situation in which FOS becomes smaller than 1. The MC simulations yielded an empirical probability density function of time to failure, to which a lognormal distribution was fitted leading to the derivation of a failure hazard function. A sensitivity analysis revealed that the contribution of corrosion parameters to the variability of time to failure was more significant than the combined contributions of all other parameters. Areas where more research is needed are identified.
The Long-Awaited Marriage of Cancer Genomics and Immunotherapy Bears Fruit

For decades now, the majority of cancer therapies have spawned from a combination of understanding the human genome, the cancer genome, and aberrant signaling proteins in cancer cells. However, exciting new developments in immunotherapy revolve around T cells, including antibodies that relieve T cell checkpoints and genetic modification and transfer of T cells. Even though T cells are naturally poised to recognize cancer mutations, the field of immunotherapy for cancer has progressed in quiet parallel to the field of cancer genetics. Now, Tran and colleagues have merged T cell therapy with tumor exome sequencing and show a proof of concept that T cells recognize tumor-specific mutations and that merely culturing and expanding these T cells and transferring them back to the patient is enough to mediate tumor regression. Here, resected lung metastases from a patient with metastatic cholangiocarcinoma were used as a source of tumor and T cells. After identification of 26 nonsynonymous mutations, a CD4+ T cell population that specifically recognized a mutant epitope from erbb2-interacting protein (ERBB2IP) was identified, expanded, and cloned; the T cell receptor was sequenced; and its specificity confirmed. The patient received two infusions of cultured and expanded tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes; conditioning chemotherapy and cytokine support were administered to improve engraftment of the cells. The patient experienced a marked tumor regression after each infusion. The wedding of cancer genomics with T cell immunotherapy is exciting and raises scientific and practical questions; Could this dormant T cell population have mediated tumor regression with checkpoint blockade? The patient was not cured; what if the specific T cell receptor had been genetically introduced into circulating T cells? Could these have a better functional profile than the ones isolated from tumor? What is the implication of the fact that these were CD4+ T cells, which are not expected to recognize intracellular epitopes by the classical immunologic pathways? The process of identifying mutations and generating specific T cells for each patient is probably too slow and expensive to treat all patients, but one can imagine beginning to build a library of T cell receptors that recognize common tumor mutations in multiple tumor types and, in the future, combining personalized tumor diagnostics with personalized cell therapy. E. Tran et al ., Cancer immunotherapy based on mutation-specific CD4+ T cells in a patient with epithelial cancer. Science 344 , 641–645 (2014). [[Abstract]][1] [1]: http://www.sciencemag.org/content/344/6184/641.abstract
Bethe-Heitler type radiative corrections to deeply virtual neutrino production of mesons

We study the electromagnetic Bethe-Heitler type contribution to neutrino-induced deeply virtual meson production ($\ensuremath{\nu}\mathrm{DVMP}$). Such $\mathcal{O}({\ensuremath{\alpha}}_{\mathrm{em}})$ corrections decrease with ${Q}^{2}$ in the Bjorken regime less steeply than the standard $\ensuremath{\nu}\mathrm{DVMP}$ handbag contribution. Therefore, they are relatively enhanced at high ${Q}^{2}$. The Bethe-Heitler terms give rise to an angular correlation between the lepton and hadron scattering planes with harmonics sensitive to the real and imaginary parts of the $\ensuremath{\nu}\mathrm{DVMP}$ amplitude. These corrections constitute a few percent effect in the kinematics of the forthcoming Minerva experiment at Fermilab and should be taken into account in precision tests of generalized parton distributions parametrizations. For virtualities ${Q}^{2}\ensuremath{\sim}100\text{ }\text{ }{\mathrm{GeV}}^{2}$ these corrections become on a par with $\ensuremath{\nu}\mathrm{DVMP}$ handbag contributions. A computational code, which can be used for the evaluation of these corrections employing various generalized parton distributions models, is provided in the Supplemental Material.
Extra-hepatic biliary tract metastases from breast cancer

Abstract A retrospective review was conducted of 49 breast cancer patients who were seen at the Massachusetts General Hospital from 1962 to 1978 and who developed biliary tract metastases. Although these findings were incidental at autopsy in 21 patients, clinical evidence of extra-hepatic biliary involvement developed in 28. This was documented radiographically, surgically, and/or confirmed at autopsy. Although most patients had previous or concurrent nonbiliary tract metastases, in 6 patients the initial site of failure was in the extra-hepatic biliary system. Analysis of the 28 patients in the clinical group revealed that initial management with radiation therapy alone produced a response in 3 of 6 patients. However, when radiation was coupled with bypass surgery and/or adjuvant chemotherapy, a response occurred in 3 of 3; the total radiation therapy response rate was 6/9. Chemotherapy given either alone or in combination with surgery produced a response in only one of 7 patients. All 4 irradiated patients who were treated with a time-dose-fractionation (TDF) > 40 had a complete response compared to a complete response in only 2 of 8 with a TDF ≤ 40. The median survival of the irradiated group was 6 months compared to 3.3 months in the treated-unirradiated patients and 0.7 months in the untreated patients. The onset of jaundice in a breast cancer patient does not necessarily indicate progressive hepatic involvement. Patients with extrahepatic metastatic obstruction are being recognized increasingly and should be treated vigorously, especially since such patients with no liver parenchymal involvement have a greater survival (median 6 months) than those with liver involvement (median 1.8 months).
The aggregate description of semi-arid vegetation with precipitation-generated soil moisture heterogeneity

Abstract. Meteorological measurements in the Walnut Gulch catchment in Arizona were used to synthesize a distributed, hourly-average time series of data across a 26.9 by 12.5 km area with a grid resolution of 480 m for a continuous 18-month period which included two seasons of monsoonal rainfall. Coupled surface-atmosphere model runs established the acceptability (for modelling purposes) of assuming uniformity in all meteorological variables other than rainfall. Rainfall was interpolated onto the grid from an array of 82 recording rain gauges. These meteorological data were used as forcing variables for an equivalent array of stand-alone Biosphere-Atmosphere Transfer Scheme (BATS) models to describe the evolution of soil moisture and surface energy fluxes in response to the prevalent, heterogeneous pattern of convective precipitation. The calculated area-average behaviour was compared with that given by a single aggregate BATS simulation forced with area-average meteorological data. Heterogeneous rainfall gives rise to significant but partly compensating differences in the transpiration and the intercepted rainfall components of total evaporation during rain storms. However, the calculated area-average surface energy fluxes given by the two simulations in rain-free conditions with strong heterogeneity in soil moisture were always close to identical, a result which is independent of whether default or site-specific vegetation and soil parameters were used. Because the spatial variability in soil moisture throughout the catchment has the same order of magnitude as the amount of rain falling in a typical convective storm (commonly 10% of the vegetation's root zone saturation) in a semi-arid environment, non-linearity in the relationship between transpiration and the soil moisture available to the vegetation has limited influence on area-average surface fluxes.
Influence of thickness and processing history on fatigue fracture of nylon 66. Part II: Crack tip morphology

Fatigue crack propagation rates in injection molded nylon 66 were previously shown to be strongly affected by prior processing history. To provide a physical basis for the observed acceleration in crack growth rates, microtomed sections were cut through the tips of stable fatigue cracks and examined by optical microscopy. A reduction in spherulite size occurs with reprocessing along with an accompanying decrease in the amount of deformation at the crack tip. For the initially processed nylon 66 this deformation consists of a vast array of independently initiated craze-like zones. Patchy type regions observed on the fatigue fracture surface are similar in size to the initially formed crazed zones. Crack advance occurs by the breakdown and coalescence of the crazed regions via matrix shearing. The extensive damage zone is believed to result in a reduction in stress intensity at the crack tip thereby reducing the crack propagation rates. For the reprocessed nylon 66, one observes fewer crazes and a sharper fatigue crack tip with a consequent acceleration in crack propagation rates and a smoother fracture surface.
Weeping propensity and the effects of laboratory expression or inhibition

Theories of emotional weeping indicate that expression through tears is healthy, but laboratory research has produced mixed results. Fifty women viewed a sad videotape under instructions to either express or inhibit crying. Mood and stress levels were measured before and after viewing, and skin conductance was monitored continuously. Subjects also reported their crying frequency in the past month. A median split on crying intensity divided subjects into two groups; subjects included in analyses were those in the expression condition who reported strong reactions, and those in the inhibition condition who did not. Thirty-five participants fit these categories. The results indicated that moods became more negative from pre- to postmovie for both groups. Skin conductance, or arousal level, was higher at the end of the movie in the inhibition than in the expression condition. On the stress measure, condition and natural crying propensity interacted, so that subjects with the highest stress levels were those whose behavior in the study was inconsistent with their natural tendencies. The results are discussed in the context of earlier research on behavioral inhibition and emotional regulation.