cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A Current Evaluation of Independence as a Foundational Element of the Auditing Profession in the United States

SUMMARY This paper summarizes '“Auditor Independence in the United States: Cornerstone of the Profession or Thorn in Our Side?”' (Church, Jenkins, and Stanley 2018). Their paper maintains that whil...
Precarity + excess in the latinopolis: Miami as Erzulie:

Miami’s built and natural environment, together with the politics of migration, has transformed it into a major global city and art center over the past decades. This article situates Miami—generally viewed as an aspirational city and cultural nexus of the Americas—as an oceanic borderlands lying between political and ecological precarity as well as economic and cultural excess. This article examines the relationship of contemporary art and the urban landscape to consider Miami’s unique place for thinking about LatinX and Latin America today. Building on Gloria Anzaldua’s theorizing on borderlands and creative expression as a framework and drawing inspiration from the Vodou pantheon of Erzulie, this essay analyzes Miami through a queer and Caribbean lens. New high-rises, prominent museums, and public art installations exemplify the rise of the neoliberal city and its inherent contradictions. The work of prominent local and international artists such as Edouard Duval-Carrie, Jeanne-Claude & Christo, Glexis...
The “Goods of Sport” and Physical Education

The purpose of this editorial is to briefly examine why people are interested in sport using ideas from the philosophy of sport and to propose recommendations for utilizing sport effectively in phy...
Longitudinal degradation of the default/salience network axis in symptomatic individuals with elevated amyloid burden.

Resting-state functional connectivity MRI (rs-fcMRI) is a non-invasive imaging technique that has come into increasing use to understand disrupted neural network function in neuropsychiatric disease. However, despite extensive study over the past 15 years, the development of rs-fcMRI as a biomarker has been impeded by a lack of reliable longitudinal rs-fcMRI measures. Here we focus on longitudinal change along the Alzheimer's disease (AD) trajectory and demonstrate the utility of Template Based Rotation (TBR) in detecting differential longitudinal rs-fcMRI change between higher and lower amyloid burden individuals with mildly impaired cognition. Specifically, we examine a small (N = 24), but densely sampled (~5 observations over ~3 years), cohort of symptomatic individuals with serial rs-fcMRI imaging and PiB-PET imaging for β-amyloid pathology. We observed longitudinal decline of the Default Mode and Salience network axis (DMN/SAL) among impaired individuals with high amyloid burden. No other networks showed differential change in high vs. low amyloid individuals over time. The standardized effect size of AD related DMN/SAL change is comparable to the standardized effect size of amyloid-related change on the mini-mental state exam (MMSE) and hippocampal volume (HV). Last, we show that the AD-related change in DMN/SAL connectivity is almost completely independent of change on MMSE or HV, suggesting that rs-fcMRI is sensitive to an aspect of AD progression that is not captured by these other measures. Together these analyses demonstrate that longitudinal rs-fcMRI using TBR can capture disease-relevant network disruption in a clinical population.
SAR1 paralogs differ biochemically in assembly of the COPII coat

ABSTRACT COPII-coated vesicles are the primary mediators of vesicular traffic from the ER to the Golgi apparatus. SAR1 is a small GTPase, which, upon GTP binding, recruits the other COPII proteins to the ER membrane. In mammals, there are two SAR1 paralogs which genetic data suggest may have distinct physiological roles, e.g. in lipoprotein secretion for SAR1B. We identified two clusters of amino acids that have conserved, paralog-specific sequences. One cluster is adjacent to the SAR1 GTP-binding pocket and alters the kinetics of GTP exchange. The other cluster is adjacent to the binding site of COPII components SEC31 and SEC23. We found that the latter cluster confers a SEC23A binding preference to SAR1B over SAR1A. In contrast to SAR1B, SAR1A is prone to oligomerize on a membrane surface. Importantly, in relation to its physiological function, SAR1B, but not SAR1A, can compensate for loss of SAR1B in lipoprotein secretion. The SEC31/SEC23-binding site-adjacent divergent cluster is critical for this function. These data identify the novel paralog-specific function for SAR1B, and provide insights into the mechanisms of large cargo secretion and COPII related diseases.
Autoantigen Treatment in Type 1 Diabetes: Unsolved Questions on How to Select Autoantigen and Administration Route

Autoantigen treatment has been tried for the prevention of type 1 diabetes (T1D) and to preserve residual beta-cell function in patients with a recent onset of the disease. In experimental animal models, efficacy was good, but was insufficient in human subjects. Besides the possible minor efficacy of peroral insulin in high-risk individuals to prevent T1D, autoantigen prevention trials have failed. Other studies on autoantigen prevention and intervention at diagnosis are ongoing. One problem is to select autoantigen/s; others are dose and route. Oral administration may be improved by using different vehicles. Proinsulin peptide therapy in patients with T1D has shown possible minor efficacy. In patients with newly diagnosed T1D, subcutaneous injection of glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD) bound to alum hydroxide (GAD-alum) can likely preserve beta-cell function, but the therapeutic effect needs to be improved. Intra-lymphatic administration may be a better alternative than subcutaneous administration, and combination therapy might improve efficacy. This review elucidates some actual problems of autoantigen therapy in the prevention and/or early intervention of type 1 diabetes.
SimiC: A Single Cell Gene Regulatory Network Inference method with Similarity Constraints

With the use of single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-Seq) technologies, it is now possible to acquire gene expression data for each individual cell in samples containing up to millions of cells. These cells can be further grouped into different states along an inferred cell differentiation path, which are potentially characterized by similar, but distinct enough, gene regulatory networks (GRNs). Hence, it would be desirable for scRNA-Seq GRN inference methods to capture the GRN dynamics across cell states. However, current GRN inference methods produce a unique GRN per input dataset (or independent GRNs per cell state), failing to capture these regulatory dynamics. We propose a novel single-cell GRN inference method, named SimiC, that jointly infers the GRNs corresponding to each state. SimiC models the GRN inference problem as a LASSO optimization problem with an added similarity constraint, on the GRNs associated with contiguous cell states, that captures the inter-cell-state homogeneity. We show on a mouse hepatocyte single-cell data generated after partial hepatectomy that, contrary to previous GRN methods for scRNA-Seq data, SimiC is able to capture the transcription factor (TF) dynamics across liver regeneration, as well as the cell-level behavior for the regulatory program of each TF across cell states. In addition, on a honey bee scRNA-Seq experiment, SimiC is able to capture the increased heterogeneity of cells on whole-brain tissue with respect to a regional analysis tissue, and the TFs associated specifically to each sequenced tissue.
Mealybug Vryburgia trionymoides (DeLotto) (Pseudococcidae)

On several occasions in 2011, succulents for sale at retail stores in Florida were found with infestations of the mealybug Vryburgia trionymoides DeLotto. A traceback revealed that the succulents originated in California, where this mealybug is known as an occasional greenhouse pest. Specimens intercepted or found in retail stores often were well-hidden in the axillary region near the stem, making detection more challenging. An untreated infestation can kill a plant, there are no published reports of economic losses caused by this species. This 2-page fact sheet was written by Ian Stocks, and published by the UF Department of Entomology and Nematology, April 2013. http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/in991
Transforming Robot Programs Based on Social Context

Social robots have varied effectiveness when interacting with humans in different interaction contexts. A robot programmed to escort individuals to a different location, for instance, may behave more appropriately in a crowded airport than a quiet library, or vice versa. To address these issues, we exploit ideas from program synthesis and propose an approach to transforming the structure of hand-crafted interaction programs that uses user-scored execution traces as input, in which end users score their paths through the interaction based on their experience. Additionally, our approach guarantees that transformations to a program will not violate task and social expectations that must be maintained across contexts. We evaluated our approach by adapting a robot program to both real-world and simulated contexts and found evidence that making informed edits to the robot's program improves user experience.
Pose-Estimate-Based Target Tracking for Human-Guided Remote Sensor Mounting with a UAV

In this paper, we present a method for pose-estimate-based target tracking (PBTT) that enables the performance of autonomous aerial manipulation operations in unstructured environments using fully on-board computation for both UAV localization and target tracking. The PBTT method does not depend on extracting traditional visual features (e.g. using SIFT, SURF, ORB, etc.) on or near the target. Instead, the algorithm combines input from an RGB-D camera and the UAV’s position estimator (which utilizes a downward-facing optical flow camera for horizontal localization) to track a target point selected by a human operator. The effectiveness of the PBTT method is evaluated through several autonomous flight tests performed with the Interacting-Boomcopter (I-BC) UAV platform in unstructured environments and in the presence of light wind disturbances.
redMaPPer II: X-Ray and SZ Performance Benchmarks for the SDSS Catalog

We evaluate the performance of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) DR8 redMaPPer photometric cluster catalog by comparing it to overlapping X-ray- and Sunyaev-Zeldovich (SZ)-selected catalogs from the literature. We confirm that the redMaPPer photometric redshifts are nearly unbiased (Δz ≤ 0.005), have low scatter (σ z 0.006-0.02, depending on redshift), and have a low catastrophic failure rate (1%). Both the TX -λ and M gas-λ scaling relations are consistent with a mass scatter of σln M|λ 25%, albeit with a 1% outlier rate due to projection effects (λ is the cluster richness estimated employed by redMaPPer). This failure rate is somewhat lower than that expected for the full cluster sample but is consistent with the additional selection effects introduced by our reliance on X-ray and SZ selected reference cluster samples. Where the redMaPPer DR8 catalog is volume-limited (z ≤ 0.35), the catalog is 100% complete above TX 3.5 keV, and LX 2 × 1044 erg s–1, decreasing to 90% completeness at LX 1043 erg s–1. All rich (λ 100), low-redshift (z 0.25) redMaPPer clusters are X-ray-detected in the ROSAT All Sky Survey, and 86% of the clusters are correctly centered. Compared to other SDSS photometric cluster catalogs, redMaPPer has the highest completeness and purity, and the best photometric redshift performance, though some algorithms do achieve comparable performance to redMaPPer in subsets of the above categories and/or in limited redshift ranges. The redMaPPer richness is clearly the one that best correlates with X-ray temperature and gas mass. Most algorithms (including redMaPPer) have very similar centering performance as tested by comparing against X-ray centers, with only one exception which performs worse.
Mouse Models for Studying Hippocampal Adult Neural Stem Cell Biology.

The mammalian hippocampus shows a remarkable capacity for continued neurogenesis throughout life. Newborn neurons, generated by the radial neural stem cells (NSCs), are important for learning and memory as well as mood control. During aging, the number and responses of NSCs to neurogenic stimuli diminish, leading to decreased neurogenesis and age-associated cognitive decline and psychiatric disorders. Thus, adult hippocampal neurogenesis has been the subject of intense investigation, generating both excitement and controversy. Identifying the core molecular machinery responsible for NSC preservation is of fundamental importance if we are to use neurogenesis to halt or reverse hippocampal age-related pathology. Here, we briefly overview the most frequently used mouse models to study hippocampal neurogenesis and then focus on a unique mouse model that allows NSC-specific studies based on their unique expression of lunatic fringe (Lfng). The Lfng-eGFP and Lfng(BAC)-CreERT2;RCL-tdT transgenic mice provide us with an excellent tool to resolve long-standing questions regarding the properties of NSCs, such as their specific molecular composition, potency, and plasticity, in isolation from any other cell in the hippocampal neurogenic niche.
Role of olfactory receptor78 in carotid body-dependent sympathetic activation and hypertension in murine models of chronic intermittent hypoxia.

Carotid body (CB) sensory nerve activation is essential for sympathetic nerve excitation and hypertension in rodents treated with chronic intermittent hypoxia (CIH) simulating blood O2 profiles dur...
Limit prison guards in the ICU during the coronavirus pandemic

In a time when controlling the spread of the virus in the United States requires drastic measures to limit the number of people coming in and out of intensive care units (ICU), the presence of pris...
Ultrafast Manipulation of Mirror Domains in 1 T -TaS 2

Domain walls (DWs) are singularities in an ordered medium that often host exotic phenomena such as charge ordering, insulator–metal transition, or superconductivity. The ability to locally write and erase DWs is highly desirable, as it allows one to design material functionality by patterning DWs in specific configurations. In this chapter, we demonstrate such capability at room temperature in a charge density wave (CDW), a macroscopic condensate of electrons and phonons, in ultrathin 1T-TaS2. A single femtosecond light pulse is shown to locally inject or remove mirror DWs in the CDW condensate, with probabilities tunable by pulse energy and temperature. Two mirror-opposite CDWs can be distinguished by their nonlinear optical response, and the mirror boundary is atomically sharp, featuring periodically arranged dislocations where the CDW amplitude is locally suppressed. Using time-resolved electron diffraction, we are able to simultaneously track anti-synchronized CDW amplitude oscillations from both the lattice and the CDW, where photo-injected DWs lead to a red-shifted frequency. The demonstration of reversible DW manipulation may pave new ways for engineering correlated materials with light.
Physical Layer Security for IoT Communications - A Survey

As the Internet of Things (IoT) grows, the number of resource-constrained devices also grows. The limitations of these devices impedes the usage of conventional security methods. However, physical layer security (PLS) has many diverse techniques that do not require significant resources that can be used to bolster the defenses of these devices. Due to the heterogeneity in IoT, we first consider relevant IoT communication protocols that are being used (WiFi, ZigBee, LoRaWAN) to connect these devices, and then the scope of surveyed PLS techniques is narrowed-down to a set of promising techniques that can be applied with the communication protocol. In this paper we explore recent developments in PLS techniques that require minimal to no overhead in their implementation, and provide security against some of the attacks that IoT devices and networks are vulnerable against: spoofing, jamming and eavesdropping attacks. The solutions explored include radio frequency (RF) fingerprinting, spread spectrum coding, and beamforming.
Central neuronal circuit innervating the rat heart defined by transneuronal transport of pseudorabies virus

We defined the central circuit innervating various regions of the rat heart using a neurotropic herpesvirus as a transneuronal tracer. Location of viral antigens in the brain after cardiac injection of three strains of pseudorabies virus (PRV) provided insight into vagal preganglionic neurons and their connected interneurons. At short survival times, labeled vagal preganglionic neurons were localized in both the nucleus ambiguus (NA) and the dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus (DMV), and in an arc-like band through the reticular formation between the NA and the DMV. The amount of DMV labeling was dependent on viral strain. Similar distributions of labeled neurons were observed following either ganglionic, sinoatrial node, or ventricular injections. At intermediate survival times postcardiac injection, the virus replicated in vagal preganglionic neurons and was trans- synaptically transported to interneurons observed primarily in the NA regions and in an arc-like band through the reticular formation. Labeled neurons were also observed in ventral regions of the nucleus of the solitary tract (NTS). At longer survival times, labeled neurons were found in various regions of the NTS with the most abundant label dorsal and dorsomedial to the solitary tract. Abundant neuronal labeling was also found in the intermediolateral cell column, the raphe nuclei, the caudal and rostral ventral lateral medulla, the A5 region, the locus coeruleus, and the lateral and paraventricular hypothalamic nuclei. These data define the central circuits including the interneuronal connections that innervate various cardiac targets.
On the advantage of using two or more econometric software systems to solve the same problem

This paper illustrates the dangers of relying on just one software system to solve what appears to be a fairly routine probit model. It is shown that quite different results can be obtained using various well known software systems. In this example, at a superficial level of analysis, the differences were traced to the default convergence tolerances that are built into the statistical software. At a deeper level of analysis, the effect of the convergence tolerance on the solution indicates that the maximum likelihood estimate does not exist due to a formerly undetected quasi-complete separation problem. Using a Multivariate Adaptive Regression Splines (MARS) model to relax the assumption of constant coefficients, further implications are drawn from this dataset.
Case libraries in support of design education: the DesignMuse experiences

A major part of the reasoning designers do involves accessing old cases and using the lessons learned in those situations to address new problems. DesignMuse is a shell for creating online case libraries with built in browsing capabilities that make cases available to design students in a natural way while they are designing. Archie-2 is the most extensive case library built with DesignMuse, and has been used in Georgia Tech's design studios. Archie-2 provides flexible access to multimedia case representations of buildings: libraries, courthouses and skyscrapers. Susie is a student built library containing cases about sustainable technology and development. These two case libraries illustrate the two ways in which we believe case libraries can enhance learning in the classroom: (1) by using the case library to search for analyze, compare and contrast cases that are similar to the problems students are solving, which will improve their problem solving skills; and (2) by constructing cases and building a library after doing research in a domain, which will help them learn domain knowledge. The paper describes classroom experiences with these two DesignMuse based case libraries and work in progress on enhancing various functionalities of these libraries based on feedback from students and informal classroom observations.
Pressure dependence of the electric field gradient and knight shift tensors of single crystal gallium

Abstract Nuclear pure quadrupole resonance has been observed in single crystal gallium as a function of hydrostatic pressure up to 7 kbar at temperatures of 77, 198 and 273 K. The resonance frequency v Q increases linearly with pressure and the slope ( δv O δP ) T is 13.7, 15.5 and 16.3 Hz/bar at 77, 198 and 273 K respectively. The asymmetry parameter decreases nonlinearly with pressure. Using compressibility and thermal expansion data, the volume dependence of the major principle component of the electric field gradient was deduced. The principal components K x , K y and K z of the Knight shift tensor have been measured as a function of pressure to 6 kbar at 77 K. The isotropic and anisotropic components of the Knight shift were deduced as a function of pressure, and K iso is found to vary with volume as V 4.95 ± 0.80 .
The use of covert conditioning in the modification of pain: two experimental tests.

Abstract Two studies were designed to study the relative contributions of reciprocal inhibition (RI) and operant conditioning to a covert reinforcement (CR) strategy to alter the pain response. In the first study, a group design using ten subjects was employed in which one group imagined a cognitive strategy to reduce pain followed by imagining a pleasant scene (covert reinforcement procedure) and another group imagined a pleasant scene followed by a cognitive strategy (reciprocal inhibition procedure). In a second study employing CR and RI, eight subjects were used in single-case experiments to address the same question. The results of both studies demonstrated the greater efficacy of the CR procedure in modifying the pain response. This lends support to an operant interpretation of CR.
Abstract 4094: Identification of novel breast cancer methylation biomarkers by global demethylation, cDNA microarray, and quantitative methylation analysis

Proceedings: AACR 103rd Annual Meeting 2012‐‐ Mar 31‐Apr 4, 2012; Chicago, IL Aberrant DNA methylation is commonly found in breast cancer. Hypermethylation of CpG islands located in promoter regions of genes may result in translational gene silencing and thus play an important role in carcinogenesis. It has been documented that multiple genes involved in cell cycle regulation, apoptosis, DNA repair, hormone regulation, cell adhesion and invasion, angiogenesis, and cellular growth-inhibitory signaling pathways are hypermethylated in breast cancer. To identify additional hypermethylated genes, we conducted a global demethylation experiment using breast cancer cell lines, followed by gene expression microarray and DNA methylation analyses. Breast cancer MCF-7 cells were treated with 5-aza-2′-deoxycytidine (5-aza-dC) and trichostatin A (TSA). Gene expression profiles between 5-aza-dC/TSA treated and untreated cells were compared using the Affymetrix GeneChip Human Genome U133 Plus 2.0 Array. Expression levels of 195 genes were up-regulated at least two-fold by demethylation treatment of the MCF-7 cells. Expression levels of 16 cancer-related genes were selected for confirmation in six additional breast cancer cell lines using quantitative real-time PCR. Expression of 13 of these genes (APLP1, CARHSP1, CDKN2D, CKMT1A, FSCN1, GPX3, HBEGF, HIC2, HSPA2, NOV, S100A6, SERPINI1, and ZNF238) was confirmed to be significantly increased after 5-aza-dC/TSA treatment. Promoter methylation status of these 13 genes was examined in seven breast cancer cell lines using Sequenom MassARRAY quantitative methylation analysis. Promoter CpG island methylation of 6 genes was observed in all 7 breast cancer cell lines. The ZNF238 and HSPA2 genes had the most methylated CpG sites (each has 11 methylated CpG sites) and highest percentage of methylation in the promoter region tested in the study. In summary, we identified promoter hypermethylation in 6 cancer-related genes, including ZNF238 and HSPA2, in breast cancer cell lines. These genes may play a role in breast carcinogenesis. Further studies using human breast cancer samples are warranted to confirm these findings. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 103rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2012 Mar 31-Apr 4; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 4094. doi:1538-7445.AM2012-4094
On the past and future of china's township and village-owned enterprises

Abstract This paper proposes an explanation of the historical success of industrial enterprises owned by township and village governments in China. I argue that conditions peculiar to China's prereform economy fostered the growth of a skilled workforce and high savings, created unusual market niches, and encouraged entrepreneurial undertakings by local political elites, especially in areas adjacent to certain cities. I then discuss the allocative and technical efficiency of local public enterprises in China from a theoretical standpoint, and review some relevant econometric findings. Finally, I consider proposals for reform of town and village enterprise (TVE) ownership, and discuss the possible advantages of cooperative forms.
Stature among members of a nineteenth century American Shaker commune

SummaryA set of heights of white men, women and children who lived in a Shaker commune near Albany, New York between 1840 and 1865 is analysed. Since the Shakers practiced celibacy, members were recruited from outside the commune, so that their stature to some extent reflects living standards in the antebellum northeast United States. Despite small sample sizes, some conclusions may be stated. Heights among birth cohorts of adult Shaker men fluctuated within a narrow range along the trends of military samples, but were much shorter than military samples. Successive birth cohorts of adult women became generally shorter over the first decades of the century, associated with the influx of very short urbanites. Shaker women, even in relative terms, were much shorter than Shaker men, which may reflect broader sexual differences in net nutrition. Although in weight-for-height terms entering Shaker children were not undernourished, they were shorter than children in samples for somewhat later American population...
Energy education and the dilemma of mitigating climate change

This study argues that enhanced energy education will help resolve the dilemmas of mitigating climate change and thus promote sustainability. Without enhanced energy literacy among both the energy workforce and citizens, society will be hard-pressed to make strategic choices about energy. We build on previous work that defined energy literacy and piloted programs to teach Energy 101 classes. We present a Sankey diagram of the US energy economy as a novel way to orient students to the entire energy economy, not just individual fuels. Higher education must provide two distinct pathways, one for the general education of all students and one for students in programs that specialize in energy in preparation for joining the energy workforce. Four challenges face faculty and administrators: accommodating diversity in the student body, rewarding faculty, building new curricular pathways and courses, and integrating theory and practice. More concerted action is needed despite recent reports of reductions in carbon emissions and some growth of energy education. The changes to date are small, politically contested, and inadequately supported. Institutions need to build new programs and communicate their progress to peers. This paper’s novelty lies in (a) the argument that inadequate energy education hinders the development of sustainability education, (b) the distinctions made between climate and energy education, (c) identification of major steps needed and challenges to be expected in energy education, and (d) the proposition that reform must jointly address both general students and students specializing in energy.
SEROLOGIC SURVEY FOR ACTINOBACILLUS CAPSULATUS IN FREE-RANGING SNOWSHOE HARES (LEPUS AMERICANUS) FROM ALASKA AND ALBERTA

A plate agglutination method was developed to test sera from free-ranging snowshoe hares (Lepus americanus) captured in Alaska (USA) or Alberta (Canada) for antibody against Actinobacillus capsulatus. Antiserum against A. capsulatus was prepared in a domestic rabbit. A concentrated suspension of formalin-killed A. capsulatus was prepared for use as an antigen. Serum antibody prevalence for hares was 98 of 239 (41%) in Alaska and 51 of 111 (46%) in Alberta. Prevalence in Alaska peaked in 1981 corresponding to a peak in hare population density. Seasonal prevalence peaked in May in Alaska. Prevalence at one capture site in Alaska was significantly higher than at four other sites. There was no difference in sex-specific prevalence for either Alaska or Alberta.
Robust adaptive and repetitive digital tracking control and application to a hydraulic servo for noncircular machining

This paper presents the development of robust digital tracking control algorithms and their real-time implementation on an electrohydraulic servo-actuator for tool positioning in norcircular machining. Robust adaptive feedforward controller for tracking arbitrary signals and robust repetitive controller for tracking periodic signals against disturbances and unmodeled dynamics have been developed. Experimental results are presented to illustrate the control system synthesis procedures and tracking performance
Facile synthesis, structure, and luminescence properties of Pt(diimine)bis(arylacetylide) chromophore-donor dyads.

The luminescent complex Pt(dpphen)bis(arylacetylide) complex (1) (dpphen = 4,7-diphenylphenanthroline and arylacetylide = 4-ethynylbenzaldehyde) has been synthesized and characterized structurally and spectroscopically. Complex 1 has been employed in the synthesis of donor−chromophore (D−C) dyads through Schiff base condensations of different anilines to give imine-linked dyads 2−4 and through imine reduction with borohydride, to give the corresponding amine-linked dyads 2a−4a. Crystal structure determinations of 1−4 and 4a establish a distorted square-planar geometry around the Pt(II) ion in each system with cis arylacetylide ligands and a diimine-constrained N−Pt−N bond angle of ca. 79.5°. Complex 1 is strongly emissive having a relative quantum yield (φ) of 36% and an excited-state lifetime of 3.1 μs. In accord with the notion of photoinduced electron transfer from the aniline-based donor to the photoexcited chromophore, the emission of dyads 2−4 and 2a−4a is effectively quenched in all solvents tested...
Compensatory Prostaglandin E2 Biosynthesis in Cyclooxygenase 1 or 2 Null Cells

Prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) production in immortalized, nontransformed cells derived from wild-type, cyclooxygenase 1–deficient (COX-1−/−) or cyclooxygenase 2–deficient (COX-2−/−) mice was examined after treatment with interleukin (IL)-1β, tumor necrosis factor α, acidic fibroblast growth factor, and phorbol ester (phorbol myristate acetate). Compared with their wild-type counterparts, COX-1−/− or COX-2−/− cells exhibited substantially enhanced expression of the remaining functional COX gene. Furthermore, both basal and IL-1–induced expression of cytosolic phospholipase A2 (cPLA2), a key enzyme-regulating substrate mobilization for PGE2 biosynthesis, was also more pronounced in both COX-1−/− and COX-2−/− cells. Thus, COX-1−/− and COX-2−/− cells have the ability to coordinate the upregulation of the alternate COX isozyme as well as cPLA2 genes to overcome defects in prostaglandin biosynthetic machinery. The potential for cells to alter and thereby compensate for defects in the expression of specific genes such as COX has significant clinical implications given the central role of COX in a variety of disease processes and the widespread use of COX inhibitors as therapeutic agents.
Comparison of structures and electronic properties between TiCoHx and TiFeHx

Abstract A comparison was made between apparently isostructural TiCoHx and TiFeHx materials. The X-ray diffraction data for these two ternary hydrides were very similar for the compositions x ≈ 1.0 (β1 phase) and x ≈ 1.5 (β2 phase). However, the monoclinic γ phase for TiFeHx with x ≈ 2 was not found for TiCoHx whose maximum composition was x ≈ 1.5. The proton spin-lattice relaxation times T1 were compared for both TiCoHx and TiFeHx. The (T 1 T) − 1 2 values for TiFeHx samples were much greater than those for the TiCoHx samples. This is thought to be due to the larger proton hyperfine field that arises from polarization of the Fermi level Fe 3d states in addition to the Fermi level Ti 3d states. The smaller magnetic susceptibilities for TiCoHx β-phase samples also strongly suggest reduced Fermi level densities of states in the TiCoHx samples.
Measuring the frequency-dependent attenuation in lossy material using large time-bandwidth product ultrasound signals

Broadband signals are commonly used in ultrasonic spectroscopy to measure the frequency dependent attenuation characteristics of lossy solid media. Compared to narrowband signals, broadband signals are preferred since they do not require tedious frequency scanning and extensive data reduction efforts. Typically these broadband signals take the form of a pulse. Although the spectral range of a pulse is wide, the spectral resolution is limited by the duration of the signal. By employing signals with large time- bandwidth-products, the overall accuracy and resolution of ultrasonic spectroscopy can be improved. Expressions for the interaction of longitudinal waves, with large time- bandwidth-product, and isotropic materials are developed. The approach is effective for evaluating material with signals optimized for a frequency resolution and range of interest, but can also be used when thin materials (<EQ (lambda) ) are characterized by pulse signals. Using these expressions, the acoustical properties of wave-speed and attenuation can be determined when density and thickness are measured. Explicit account is made for diffraction corrections, multiple echo contributions, and interface scattering losses. The formalism is compared with the traditional analysis approach to illustrate the improved accuracy of the new technique, detailing where diffraction correction and multiple echo effects can become significant. Measured attenuation spectra are presented for common plastic materials as well as for a castable polyurethane commonly used in ultrasonic transducer fabrication.
Pentostatin: Impact on Outcome in Hairy Cell Leukemia

Major advances in the management of patients who have hairy cell leukemia have been made following the use of purine nucleoside analogs. Pentostatin and cladribine are equally effective, and have impressive long-term effectiveness. Although the degree of myelosuppression may be less with the use of pentostatin, this may reflect differences in the schedule and dose of drug administration between these agents. The gradual, but relentless, improvement in the peripheral blood counts enables out-patient management with pentostatin in most patients. Cladribine affords the convenience of a single course of administration. A direct comparative study with these two agents is unlikely to yield the optimal management of patients who have minimal residual disease following the administration of either agent is warranted in the context of a clinical trial. Patients do relapse, and the overall survival curves have not reached a plateau, which indicates that cure has not been secured. The satisfaction of having improved the outcome for patients who have this previously untreatable leukemia should not give way to complacency for further improvement in the management of this disease. Future studies should be directed to optimizing the therapy for minimal residual disease as well as clearer definition of supportive care.
Five-coordinate Salen(tBu) complexes of zinc

Abstract We report here the synthesis and structural characterization of Salen(tBu) complexes of zinc. They are of the formula. Salpen(tBu)Zn-thf (1), Salophen(tBu)Zn-thf (2), Salomphen(tBu)Zn-thf (3) and Salophen(tBu)Zn-pyridine (4) (where Salpen(tBu) = (N,N′-propylenebis(3,5-di-tert-butylsalicylideneimine), Salophen(tBu) = (N,N′-phenylenebis(3,5-di-tert-butylsalicylideneimine) and Salomphen(tBu) = (N,N′-(4,5-dimethyl)phenylenebis(3,5-di-tert-butylsalicylideneimine). They are characterized by Mp, NMR, IR and, in the case of 2 and 4, by X-ray crystallography. A comparison will be made between 2 and 4 and the structure of [SalomphanH2Zn]2 (5) (where Salomphan = N,N′-(4,5-dimethyl)phenylenebis(o-hydroxybenzylamine)) whose synthesis has been reported previously
Comparing two methods for reducing variability in voice quality measurements.

Purpose Interrater disagreements in ratings of quality plague the study of voice. This study compared 2 methods for handling this variability. Method Listeners provided multiple breathiness ratings...
A generalized Rhines effect and storms on Jupiter

[1] The Rhines effect is an interaction of Rossby waves and two-dimensional turbulence that induces alternating zonal flows, thereby deforming and eventually destroying coherent vortices that might exist. Large-scale geophysical flows are not strictly two-dimensional. To be applicable to these flows the Rhines effect is therefore generalized. A novel aspect of the generalized Rhines effect is its possible suppression. On Jupiter, it is suppressed in the polar regions and at specific lower latitudes. It is remarkable that exactly there storms (vortices) have been observed, suggesting that storms can exist only where Rossby waves cannot interact with them. Thus the Rhines effect plays not only a role in the formation of the alternating zonal winds on Jupiter, as previously suggested, but in its generalized form also dictates the latitudes at which storms can exist.
Onsite Sewage System Regulation Along the Great Lakes and the US EPA “Homeowner Awareness” Model

According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA), a significant percentage of residential onsite sewage systems (OSSs) are failing at any given time. The US EPA has therefore issued a set of recommended guidelines for OSS regulatory programs aimed at reducing overall failure rates. We conducted a survey of OSS regulatory program administrators with jurisdictions bordering a Great Lake. Our goal was to determine their programs’ capacities to meet the US EPA’s recommendations. We found that although some local programs meet the US EPA’s recommendations, most do not. In this article, we present our findings and conclusions for one of the US EPA’s models, the baseline “Homeowner Awareness” model. Most areas do not have recommended requirements that systems be inspected when properties transfer between owners. A majority do not track changes in ownership within the computerized databases they use to record information about systems. Although most provide at least “one-time” information to homeowners regarding proper OSS maintenance, most do not contact them periodically with reminders of needed maintenance. We include recommendations for resolving some of the issues that our research identified.
Intracavity etalon for both optical comb frequency stabilization and super mode noise suppression of harmonically modelocked semiconductor ring laser

Using an intracavity Pound-Drever-Hall technique, simultaneous optical frequency comb stabilization within ±3 MHz range and supermode phase noise suppression were demonstrated for a 10 GHz harmonically modelocked semiconductor ring laser resulting in timing jitter of 63.5 fs integrated from 10 Hz to 10 MHz.
PERCEIVED BENEFITS OF CONGESTION PRICING FOR TRUCKS

Empirically derived value-of-time distributions are used to calculate the perceived benefits from the time saved by trucks in using toll lanes. The conditions on the SR-91 congestion pricing facility in California are used in a case study. Assuming that the value of time for trucks is lognormally distributed, the probabilistic truck mode share for the toll lanes was estimated separately for in-house and for-hire trucks. The mean values of time for toll-lane users and nonusers were estimated using Monte Carlo simulations. The benefits were calculated as the value of travel time savings that accrue for both toll-lane users and nonusers. The analyses found that the opening of the congestion pricing facility in 1995 has resulted in more than $2 million in annual savings for trucks. Trucks would realize an added $660,000 annually if the toll lanes were open to trucks. The disproportional share of the benefit goes to a few trucks with very high values of time, especially when the toll is expensive. Also, for-hire trucks receive, on average, greater benefit than in-house carriers because of higher values of time.
Pressure and temperature dependence of the static dielectric constant of KBr

Abstract The static dielectric constant and the temperature and pressure derivatives of the static dielectric constant of KBr have been measured at several temperatures between 4·3°K and room temperature. The sample was prepared in the form of a three-terminal parallel-plate capacitor and the dielectric constant was determined from measurements of the capacitance with a high precision bridge. The dielectric constant decreases with temperature as does the magnitude of the temperature dependence and the magnitude of the pressure dependence. The data were used to calculate the fixed-volume temperature derivative of the dielectric constant. This quantity, (∂ ln e/∂ T ) v , exhibiting lattice-anharmonicity effects, decreases slightly from its room temperature value as the temperature is lowered, rises to a maximum value at about 33°K and then decreases rapidly at lower temperatures.
So what if tangles precede plaques

As proposed by Hardy and Higgins in 1992 [8], the amyloid hypothesis had two tenets. First, that deposition of -amyloid (A ) is the causative agent of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) pathology, and secondly that other lesions (tangles, dystrophic neurites, synaptic and cell loss, vascular degeneration) follow directly from this deposition. In their paper analyzing early formation of amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles, Schonheit et al. aim to refute the second tenet, arguing that tangles form without or prior to the presence of plaques, and therefore that A cannot be the causative agent for neurofibrillary lesions. As discussed below, their argument is consistent with earlier observations that at least the initial formation of tangles is independent of A . On the other hand, the first tenet of the amyloid hypothesis is now supported so strongly by several lines of evidence that it is difficult to refute it. The challenge is how to reconcile these seemingly contradictory conclusions. Probably, the most compelling evidence that A is the causative agent of AD comes from observations on genetic mutations or other conditions that cause familial forms of AD, all of which produce an elevation in A or its more toxic form, A 1–42 [21,22]. These mutations occur directly in the gene for amyloid precursor protein (APP), and produce excess A , or occur in the genes for the Presenilin proteins, which form an important part of the -secretase complex that cuts APP to liberate A . Down’s Syndrome, with triplication of chromosome 21, also results almost invariably in AD, beginning at ages at which AD is extremely rare. Because the gene for APP is on the chromosome 21, an excess amount of A is generated. Amyloid plaques develop in Down’s Syndrome brains at about the age of 20–30 years, and large numbers of tangles appear in these cases during the third to fifth decades of life [9,11,12,26]. Although these genetic conditions account for only a small fraction of the total number of AD cases, the associated pattern of
Abdominal wall injuries occurring after blunt trauma: incidence and grading system.

Abstract Background Traumatic abdominal wall injuries (AWIs) are being increasingly recognized after blunt force injury. Methods All available abdominal/pelvic computed axial tomography (CAT) scans of blunt trauma patients evaluated at our level I trauma center from January 2005 to August 2006 were reviewed for the presence of AWI. AWI was graded using a severity-based numeric system. AWI grade was then compared with variables from a prospectively maintained trauma registry. Results Of 1549 reviewed CAT scans, 9% showed AWI (grade I = 53%, grade II = 28%, grade III = 9%, grade IV = 8%, and grade V = 2%). There was no association between AWI and seatbelt use, Injury Severity Score, weight, or need for abdominal surgery. Conclusions AWI occurs in 9% of blunt trauma patients undergoing abdominal/pelvic CAT scans. The incidence of herniation on CAT at presentation after blunt trauma is .2%, and the incidence of patients at risk of future hernia formation is 1.5%. AWI can be effectively cataloged using a straightforward numeric grading system.
Utility functions based on net present worth

Abstract In order to help a decision maker, an analyst often seeks to represent the decision maker's preferences in a value function, if the decision is under certainty, or in a utility function, if the decision is under uncertainty. When the alternatives involve outcomes that are different streams of future cash flows, net present worth can be justified as an appropriate value function, but it may not be an appropriate utility function since net present worth requires the decision maker to be univariate and multivariate risk neutral. This paper describes which risk attitudes can be represented by various functions of net present worth. Furthermore, it is shown that the preferences implied by comparing alternatives on the basis of discounted certainty equivalently can be expressed as a utility function only if that utility function is equivalent to net present worth.
Investigation of epidermotropism in canine mycosis fungoides: expression of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) and beta-2 integrins.

In human mycosis fungoides (MF), interactions between LFA-1 (CD11a/CD18) and ICAM-1 (CD54) are involved in lymphocyte adhesion to keratinocytes. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the expression of ICAM-1, beta-2 integrins and class II major histocompatibility complex molecules (MHC II) on keratinocytes and infiltrating lymphocytes in canine MF. Sections of frozen skin biopsy specimens from normal dogs (n=3) and dogs with MF (n=17) were evaluated by immunohistochemistry for expression of ICAM-1, beta-2 integrins, and class II MHC molecules. Our results demonstrated that in canine MF, ICAM-1 was expressed variably on epidermal and follicular keratinocytes. The extent of keratinocyte ICAM-1 expression did not correlate with the degree of lymphocyte epithelial infiltration, nor with lymphocyte LFA-1 expression. This was especially evident in cases of Pagetoid reticulosis-like disease in which prominent lymphocyte epidermotropism was not accompanied by keratinocyte ICAM-1 expression. Keratinocyte class II MHC molecule expression did not correlate with keratinocyte ICAM-1 expression. In conclusion, in canine MF, the lack of statistically significant correlations between epithelial lymphocyte infiltration and keratinocyte ICAM-1 expression, and between keratinocyte ICAM-1 and lymphocyte LFA-1 staining, suggests that the LFA-1/ICAM-1 pathway is not the major adhesion mechanism between lymphocytes and keratinocytes. It is suspected that different ligands of the LFA-1 integrin (e.g. ICAM-2) or other adhesion molecules (e.g. CD2/LFA-3, VLA-1) might be involved in the epitheliotropism phenomenon in canine MF. These hypotheses cannot be evaluated in the dog at this time owing to the lack of specific monoclonal antibodies.