cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
GRP78 expression and prognostic significance in patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma treated with neoadjuvant therapy versus surgery first.

Abstract Background Glucose-regulated protein 78 (GRP78) plays an essential role in protein folding, transportation, and degradation, thus regulates ER homeostasis and promotes cell survival, proliferation and invasion. GRP78 expression in PDAC patients who received neoadjuvant therapy has not been reported. Methods This retrospective study of resected PDAC patients included 125 patients treated with neoadjuvant therapy (NAT) and 140 patients treated with surgery first (SF). The expression of GRP78 was evaluated by immunohistochemistry on tissue microarrays and the results were correlated with clinicopathologic parameters and survival. Results GRP78 expression was higher in SF patients compared to NAT patients (P Conclusions Our study showed that GRP78 expression in NAT cohort is lower than that in SF cohort. GRP78 expression correlated with shorter survival in both SF and NAT patients. Our findings suggest that targeting GRP78 may help to improve the prognosis in PDAC patients.
Radiation by Many Excited Atoms Between Mirrors

Theories of laser generally assume that the interaction between the atoms or molecules of the active laser medium, and the electromagnetic field can be accounted for by considering at most a few modes of the field as determined by the laser mirrors. Examples of this kind are furnished by the work of Lamb[l], Scully and Lamb[2], Fleck[3], Haken[4], and many others. These theories are very successful in describing the properties of real lasers, and they provide the basis for extensions to theories of mode locking[4], harmonic production[5], and a variety of other effects. It has remained somewhat of a puzzle, however, why the restriction to a few modes does work so well, especially when the cavities used in practice are so far from closed and do not come close to providing a complete set of modes. As seen from the center of a typical He-Ne laser used in an instructional laboratory, for example, the mirror occupies only 1% of the total solid angle. There is radiation into free space modes, and its intensity can be used as a measure of population inversion. There is, therefore, finite coupling to all modes of the radiation field.
Rigorous methods for reactive transport in unsaturated porous medium coupled with chemistry and variable porosity

Reactive transport models are increasingly used to describe the fate and dissemination of hazardous chemicals in natural, hence complex, geological media. Chemical reactions and hydrodynamic flow are tightly coupled processes. For example, precipitation and dissolution of mineral phases may alter diffusive and advective transport significantly. Furthermore, most sub-surface soil systems are only partly saturated with water. Saturation and desaturation processes may modify the chemical reactivity of the system via the solvent activity and sorbing surface exposure. Mathematical modeling of strongly coupled reactive transport in unsaturated media is still in its infancy. This paper is an attempt to identify the problems and to propose a rigorous mathematical approach to solve the fully coupled system, including the feedback on the hydraulic parameters after a porosity change. The approach has been incorporated in HYTEC which has been applied to leakage of sulfuric acid in a partly saturated subsurface soil.
Understanding the functional interplay between DNA demethylation and transcription (561.1)

Dynamic regulation and faithful maintenance of proper DNA methylation patterns are essential for many cellular functions. 5-Hydroxylmethylcytosine (5hmC), 5-formylcytosine (5fC) and 5-carboxylcytosine, newly discovered oxidized forms of 5-methylcytosine (5mC) are involved in active DNA demethylation process. The roles of these oxidized species of 5mC in epigenetic and transcription regulation have been an area of intensive study recently. Here we report a systematic study of the effects of five different forms of cytosine in DNA on mammalian and yeast RNA polymerase II transcription elongation, providing new insights into potential functional interplay between cytosine methylation status and transcription. In addition, we will discuss our recent effort in developing new chemical tools that target the formylcytosine sites and modulate 5fC-related biological processes. References: 1. Xu, L., Chen, Y., Nakajima, S., Chong, J., Wang, L., Lan, L., Zhang, C, and Wang, D. (2013) A Chemical Probe Targets DNA 5-Fo...
The body and communities in cyberspace: A Mmarcellian analysis

Many who speak glowingly about the possibilities for human relations in cyberspace, or virtual communities, laud them precisely because such communities are to a great extent free of the real spatial-temporal restrictions rooted in the limitations of our bodies. In this paper I investigate the importance of the body in establishing and maintaining human relations by considering the thought of the twentieth century French philosopher Gabriel Marcel. Because Marcel emphasized the central importance of the body in one's personal self-identity as well as in initiating and maintaining intersubjective bonds in human communities, he is able to offer some interesting reflections on the character of virtual communities. I suggest that a number of the features of cyberspace and its communities that make it attractive to many are precisely the characteristics that Marcel would consider detrimental to establishing intimate lasting human communities. I conclude by indicating why I think that Marcel would be concerned that certain trends in our high tech culture may well lead many to prefer ``living'' in virtual, rather than real communities.
Studies with Tritiated Polypeptide Hormones I. THE PREPARATION AND PROPERTIES OF AN ACTIVE, HIGHLY TRITIATED DERIVATIVE OF PARATHYROID HORMONE: ACETAMIDINO-PARATHYROID HORMONE

Abstract Purified parathyroid hormone can be readily tritiated by reaction with high specific activity tritiated methyl ester of acetamidate. The reaction proceeds easily under mild conditions and a fully active acetamidino derivative of parathyroid hormone is obtained as determined by the serum calcium assay and the renal-adenylate cyclase system. The reaction produces no detectable side products of a protein or polypeptide nature and the acetamidino derivative appears radiochemically homogeneous upon disc electrophoresis.
Core Elements of U.S. Nurse Practice Acts and Incorporation of Nursing Diagnosis Language

makes recommendations for thedevelopment of teaching methods that keep studentsfocused on the patient’s experience, through “narra-tive” strategies and redesigned ethics curricula(Benner, Sutphen, Leonard, & Day, 2009). The studyauthorsusedanexemplarofexpertteachingutilizingaset of critical questions to frame a case study discus-sion (p. 133):What are your concerns about this patient?What is the cause of the concern?What information do you need?What are you going to do about it?What is Mrs. G experiencing?Without adequate formation or grounding innursing theory and the language of nursing diagnoses,these questions could be answered from a biomedicalperspective and center entirely on pathophysiologyandmedicalmanagementoftheprimarymedicaldiag-nosis. Benner et al. (2009, p. 88) reinforce this concernin their report for the Carnegie Foundation:As one student said, in a comment representative ofsomething we heard consistently during our sitevisits, “The nurses that I work with, I’ve asked themover and over about nursing process, what thenursing theories and nursing diagnoses are...it’s frustrating, it’s a lot of paperwork, and theylaugh at me. They say, ‘Nobody uses that’.”Is it possible that the majority of registered nursesare not using the nursing process, nursing diagnoses,or nursing theory? Flanagan and Jones (2007) reinforcethe presence of opposition to standardized nursinglanguage:
Design and industrial evaluation of a tool supporting semi-automated website testing

SUMMARY Software testing is the most time-intensive and resource-intensive aspect of software development. Can support for testing be improved? This case study describes the motivations and design decisions behind the development of the testing tool, CoTester and its deployment to multiple development teams. CoTester outperforms available testing tools by representing tests using an easy-to-understand scripting language and thus making the tests easily editable. The design decisions of the testing tool were derived after conducting a series of interviews with testers and collecting their experiences with manual as well as automated testing. CoTester was developed to support these users, working in an environment of mixed manual and automatic tests, with a progression from manual to automatic testing when circumstances warrant. A series of deployments to four development teams showed that CoTester worked very well for non-professional testers (i.e. those who do testing only part-time), and it was also found to be useful by some professional testers. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A new interpretation of the LQG/LTR technique using optimal projection equations

It is demonstrated that the LQR/LTR (linear quadratic Gaussian/loop transfer recovery) technique can be viewed as a way to achieve robustness even under the constraint of a reduced-order controller, even though one is not necessarily recovering a desired transfer function asymptotically. The optimal projection equation (OPE) approach gives an expanded view of LQG/LTR technique when the order of the controller is intentionally less than the order of the system design model. Also, the OPE approach allows other forms for Omega , which may give more flexibility as to how the system perturbations are modeled, to be chosen. >
Neurobiology of consummatory behavior: mechanisms underlying overeating and drug use.

Consummatory behavior is driven not just by caloric need but also by emotional need. In the last several decades, a wide variety of models have been used to study the systems that drive food and drug intake. These include selective breeding for a specific trait, manipulation of gene expression, forced or voluntary exposure to a substance, and identification of biomarkers that predict which animals are prone to overconsuming specific substances. From this research, numerous brain areas and neurochemicals have been identified that drive consummatory behavior. While energy homeostasis is primarily mediated by the hypothalamus, reinforcement is more strongly mediated by nuclei outside of the hypothalamus, in mesocorticolimbic regions. Orexigenic neurochemicals that control food intake can provide a general signal for promoting caloric intake or a more specific signal for stimulating consumption of a particular macronutrient, fat, carbohydrate or protein. Those involved in controlling fat ingestion, including galanin, enkephalin, orexin, melanin-concentrating hormone and the endocannabinoids, show positive feedback with this macronutrient, with these peptides both increasing fat intake and being further stimulated by its intake. This positive relationship offers some explanation for why foods high in fat are so often overconsumed. Consumption of ethanol, a drug of abuse that also contains calories, is similarly driven by these neurochemical systems involved in fat intake, consistent with evidence closely relating fat and ethanol consumption. Further understanding of these systems involved in consummatory behavior will allow researchers to develop effective therapies for the treatment of overeating as well as drug abuse.
Advancement of a MEMS Photoacoustic Chemical Sensor

Photoacoustic spectroscopy is a useful monitoring technique that is well suited for trace gas detection. The technique also possesses favorable detection characteristics when the system dimensions are scaled to a micro-system design. The objective of present work is to incorporate two strengths of the Army Research Laboratory (ARL), piezoelectric microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) and chemical and biological sensing into a monolithic MEMS photoacoutic trace gas sensor. We initially miniaturized a macro-cell design as a means to examine performance and design issues as the photoacoustics is scaled to a dimension approaching the MEMS level. A miniature non-MEMS photoacoutic resonance cell was fabricated and tested with resonator dimensions: diam.=1.5 mm, length = 30mm. Knowledge gained in these initial tests provide the basic information required to fabricate a MEMS scale device while maintaining the sensor integrity. Initial MEMS work is centered on fabrication of a lead zirconate titanate (PZT) microphone subsystem to be incorporated in the full photoacoustic device. PZT membrane microphones have been designed, fabricated and acoustically tested. Presently, the piezoelectric microphone performance has revealed the possibility of using a PZT microphone as the passive acoustic detection mechanism of a photoacoustic resonant cavity. Preliminary designs of the MEMS photoacoustic resonator incorporate a three-wafer design to create a monolithic MEMS photoacoustic cavity. Results will be presented describing the miniature photoacoustic cell capabilities and initial MEMS microphone performance. Preliminary results concerning the MEMS photoacoustic cell design will also be discussed.
Epidermal growth factor- and hepatocyte growth factor-receptor activity in serum-free cultures of human hepatocytes.

Abstract Background/Aims: Serum-free primary cultures of hepatocytes are a useful tool to study factors triggering hepatocyte proliferation and regeneration. We have developed a chemically defined serum-free system that allows human hepatocyte proliferation in the presence of epidermal growth factor and hepatocyte growth factor. Methods: DNA synthesis and accumulation were determined by [ 3 H]thymidine incorporation and fluorometry, respectively. Western blot analyses and co-immunoprecipitations were used to investigate the association of proteins involved in epidermal growth factor and hepatocyte growth factor activation and signaling: epidermal growth factor receptor, hepatocyte growth factor receptor (MET), urokinase-type plasminogen activator and its receptor, and a member of the signal transducer and activator of transcription family, STAT-3. Results: Primary human hepatocytes proliferated under serum-free conditions in a chemically defined medium for up to 12 days. Epidermal growth factor-receptor and MET were present and functional, decreasing over time. MET, urokinase-type plasminogen activator and urokinase-type plasminogen activator receptor co-precipitated to varying degrees during the culture period. STAT-3 co-precipitated with epidermal growth factor-receptor and MET to varying degrees. Conclusions: Proliferation of human hepatocytes can improve by modification of a chemically defined medium originally used for rat hepatocyte cultures. In these long-term cultures of human hepatocytes, hepatocyte growth factor and epidermal growth factor can stimulate growth and differentiation by interacting with their receptors and initiating downstream signaling. This involves complex formation of the receptors with other plasma membrane components for MET (urokinase-type plasminogen activator in context of its receptor) and activation of STAT-3 for both receptors.
Systemically administered IgG anti-toxin antibodies protect the colonic mucosa during infection with Clostridium difficile in the piglet model.

The use of anti-toxin human monoclonal antibodies (HMab) as treatment for C. difficile infection has been investigated in animal models and human clinical trials as an alternative to or in combination with traditional antibiotic therapy. While HMab therapy appears to be a promising option, how systemically administered IgG antibodies protect the colonic mucosa during Clostridium difficile infection is unknown. Using the gnotobiotic piglet model of Clostridium difficile infection, we administered a mixture of anti-TcdA and anti-TcdB HMabs systemically to piglets infected with either pathogenic or non-pathogenic C. difficile strains. The HMabs were present throughout the small and large intestinal tissue of both groups, but significant HMabs were present in the lumen of the large intestines only in the pathogenic strain-infected group. Similarly, HMabs measured in the large intestine over a period of 2–4 days following antibody administration were not significantly different over time in the gut mucosa among the groups, but concentrations in the lumen of the large intestine were again consistently higher in the pathogenic strain-infected group. These results indicate that systemically administered HMab IgG reaches the gut mucosa during the course of CDI, protecting the host against systemic intoxication, and that leakage through the damaged colon likely protects the mucosa from further damage, allowing initiation of repair and recovery.
Moving Targets: Understanding Diplomacy and Negotiation in a Globalizing System

International Negotiation: Actors, Structure/Process, Values, Peter Berton, Hiroshi Kimura, I. William Zartman, eds. (New York: St. Martin's Press, 1999). 371 pp., cloth (ISBN: 0-31-21778-1), $55.00. Chinese Negotiating Behavior: Pursuing Interests through “Old Friends,” Richard H. Solomon (Washington, D.C.: U.S. Institute for Peace Press, 1999). 204 pp. paper (ISBN: 1-878379-86-0), $14.95. Negotiating on the Edge: North Korean Negotiating Behavior, Scott Snyder (Washington, D.C.: U.S. Institute for Peace Press. 1999). 213 pp.. paper (ISBN: 1-878379-94-1), $17.50; cloth (ISBN: 1-878379-95-X), $37.50. Paradiplomacy in Action: The Foreign Relations of Subnational Governments, Francisco Aldecoa, Michael Keating, eds. (London: Frank Cass. 1999). 223 pp., paper (ISBN: 0-7146-8018-4). $14.85; cloth (ISBN: 0-7146-4971-6), $52.50. Books reviewed in this article: Peter Berton, Hiroshi Kimura, and I. William Zartman, (eds.) International Negotiation: Actors, Structure/Process, Values Richard H. Solomon, Chinese Negotiating Behavior: Pursuing Interests through “Old Friends,” Scott Snyder, Negotiating on the Edge: North Korean Negotiating Behavior Francisco Aldecoa and Michael Keating, (eds.) Paradiplomacy in Action: The Foreign Relations of Subnational Governments
Construction engineering II: JavaBeans-based framework for construction simulation

The modeling and analysis of construction processes is gaining recognition in the construction industry. Recent developments such as Java-based simulation are giving a unique opportunity for improvements in the modeling and analysis of construction processes. Component-based architecture such as JavaBeans can be used to develop modular simulation environments supporting high reusability of software components. This paper describes a prototype component-based architecture for construction simulation. It highlights the work performed by the authors in using JavaBeans for the simulation of construction processes.
Overseas Internet poker and problem gambling in Finland 2007: A secondary data analysis of a Finnish population survey

AIMSInternet gambling has been associated with Increased risk of problem gambling. In this study different clusters of gambling activities and behavioral measures of gambling were used In analyses, which aimed at Investigating prevalence of problem gambling in Internet poker gamblers and In other gamblers.DATA AND METHODSThe study consisted of secondary analyses of a Finnish population data set collected in 2007 (telephone survey, reaching 5,008 Finns aged 15 years and over). Bivariate statistics and logistic regression models were used in the analyses.ResultsWhen only age and sex were added to logistic regressions, overseas Internet poker (IP) gamblers were almost three times more likely to be problem gamblers than other gamblers. However, when also behavioral measures of gambling were added to equations, no difference in problem gambling between IP and other gambling was found. In the slot machine (SM) cluster an opposite phenomena occurred: when behavioral variables were added to analyses, subjects in ...
Regular and irregular earnings of unwed fathers: Implications for child support practices☆

Abstract This paper estimates the regular and irregular earnings of unmarried fathers, using data from the first seven cities of the Fragile Families and Child Well-Being Study. The results indicate that these fathers earn about $17,000 on average, a figure comparable to previous estimates of the earnings of nonresident and/or unmarried fathers. The paper also explores the relative importance of these fathers' irregular economic activity. The findings indicate that almost three in ten fathers participate in the irregular sectors, and that most of these fathers combine irregular with regular sector work. Also, among fathers reporting informal activity, irregular earnings serve to increase total earnings by 20 percent. However, among all unmarried fathers, irregular earnings increase total earnings by only 6 percent.
Controlling peptide folding with repulsive interactions between phosphorylated amino acids and tryptophan.

Phosphorylated amino acids were incorporated into a designed β-hairpin peptide to study the effect on β-hairpin structure when the phosphate group is positioned to interact with a tryptophan residue on the neighboring strand. The three commonly phosphorylated residues in biological systems, serine, threonine, and tyrosine, were studied in the same β-hairpin system. It was found that phosporylation destabilizes the hairpin structure by approximately 1.0 kcal/mol, regardless of the type of phosphorylated residue. In contrast, destabilization due to glutamic acid was about 0.3 kcal/mol. Double mutant cycles and pH studies are consistent with a repulsive interaction as the source of destabilization. These findings demonstrate a novel mechanism by which phosphorylation may influence protein structure and function.
Resonance raman studies indicate a unique heme active site in prostaglandin H synthase

Prostaglandin H synthase isoforms 1 and 2 (PGHS-1 and -2) catalyze the first two steps in the biosynthesis of prostaglandins. Resonance Raman spectroscopy was used to characterize the PGHS heme active site and its immediate environment. Ferric PGHS-1 has a predominant six-coordinate high-spin heme at room temperature, with water as the sixth ligand. The proximal histidine ligand (or the distal water ligand) of this hexacoordinate high-spin heme species was reversibly photolabile, leading to a pentacoordinate high-spin ferric heme iron. Ferrous PGHS-1 has a single species of five-coordinate high- spin heme, as evident from O2 at 1558 cm -1 and O3 at 1471 cm -1 . O4 at 1359 cm -1 indicates that histidine is the proximal ligand. A weak band at 226-228 cm -1 was tentatively assigned as the Fe-His stretching vibration. Cyanoferric PGHS-1 exhibited a OFe-CN line at 446 cm -1 and ‰Fe-C-N at 410 cm -1 , indicating a "linear" Fe -C-N binding conformation with the proximal histidine. This linkage agrees well with the open distal heme pocket in PGHS-1. The ferrous PGHS-1 CO complex exhibited three important marker lines: OFe-CO (531 cm -1 ), ‰Fe-C-O (567 cm -1 ), and OC-O (1954 cm -1 ). No hydrogen bonding was detected for the heme-bound CO in PGHS-1. These frequencies markedly deviated from the OFe-CO/OC-O correlation curve for heme proteins and porphyrins with a proximal histidine or imidazolate, suggesting an extremely weak bond between the heme iron and the proximal histidine in PGHS-1. At alkaline pH, PGHS-1 is converted to a second CO binding conformation (OFe-CO: 496 cm -1 ) where disruption of the hydrogen bonding interactions to the proximal histidine may occur.
Development of gut endocrine cells

During development, the definitive endoderm differentiates into several gastrointestinal epithelial lineages, including enteroendocrine cells. The enteroendocrine lineage consists of at least 15 different cell types that are categorized based on their morphology, location and peptide hormone expression. The mechanisms regulating enteroendocrine cell differentiation are likely to be critical not only in embryonic development, but also during the constant renewal of gut epithelia in the adult. The identification of transcription factors and regulatory DNA elements required for cell type-specific gene expression in various endocrine cell types has broadened our understanding of the regulatory networks controlling the spatial and temporal activation of enteroendocrine differentiation programs. This chapter will review recent studies of transcription factors during enteroendocrine cell differentiation, with a focus on the central role for the Notch signaling pathway in enteroendocrine cell fate decisions.
Formation of general GT cells: an operation-based approach

In this paper, we study the formation of general Group Technology cells based on the operation requirements of parts and operation capabilities of machines. Parts are first grouped into families by using a similarity coefficient based on common operation types. An integer model is then developed to solve the problem of machine group selection. The model takes into account machine cost, variable production cost, setup cost, and intracell material handling cost. A greedy heuristic, a minimum increment heuristic and a simulated annealing heuristic are proposed for solving the model more efficiently. The computational results have shown that the heuristic methods perform well when compared to the optimal solutions. The effect of changing cost structure on the performance of heuristic procedures is also investigated.
The optimal strategy for stable tibial fixation in revision total knee arthroplasty

In revision total knee arthroplasty, the optimal strategy for stabilizing the tibial component in the face of proximal defects remains controversial. The stability of a revision tibial prosthesis was measured using a mechanical surrogate of the revision tibia, while varying the defect treatment proximally and the cortical engagement distally. An offset axial load in combination with an axial torque were applied to each specimen to simulate the stance phase of gait. It was found that, in revision total knee arthroplasty, the mechanical stability of tibial fixation is increased by the addition of a canal filling stem, especially in the presence of poor proximal bone. Proximal tibial coverage, even with a custom-fitted tibial component, adds little additional stability to a tibial tray stabilized by intramedullary engagement of a canal-filling stem.
Flow dynamics in the human aorta

The aorta is the major blood vessel transporting blood pumped by the left ventricle to the systemic circulation. The tricuspid aortic value at the root of the aorta provides a centralized flow with nearly uniform velocity profile into the ascending aorta. The aorta consisting of the ascending limb, the aortic arch, and the descending segment is a vessel of complex geometry including curvature in multiple planes, branches and bifurcation as well as taper. The understanding of the development of blood flow in this distensible vessel has been the subject of several theoretical as well as experimental investigations. Flow development in the aorta and in the branch vessels has been of interest in delineating the role of wall shear stresses on the etiology of atherosclerosis. In this paper, a review of the current status on our understanding of the complex flow dynamics in the aorta is presented. With the advent of transesophageal echocardiography and magnetic resonance velocity mapping, further evidence of the presence of secondary flows even in the descending aorta has been reported. The importance of the effect of secondary flow in the descending aorta on the perfusion of distal blood vessels (such as superior mesenteric and renal arterial branches) as well as in the iliac bifurcation is also included in the discussion.
De-emphasis of distracting image regions using texture power maps

A major obstacle in photography is the presence of distracting elements that pull attention away from the main subject and clutter the composition. Photographers have developed post-processing techniques to reduce the salience of distractors by altering low-level features to which the visual system is particularly attuned: sharpness, brightness, chromaticity, or saturation. Biologically-inspired models of attention identify salient regions as statistical outliers in these feature distributions. One low-level feature that cannot be directly manipulated with existing image-editing software is texture variation. Psychophysical studies have shown that discontinuities in texture can elicit an edge perception similar to that triggered by color discontinuities.
Deacetylation of N8-acetylspermidine by subcellular fractions of rat tissue.

Abstract The in vitro deacetylation of N8-acetylspermidine by an enzyme activity in rat tissues is described. This deacetylase activity occurs as a soluble, cytoplasmic enzyme in rat liver and was detected in the 100,000g supernatant fraction of all tissues examined. The highest specific activity was found in liver. Spleen, kidney, and lung were found to contain 20–50% of the activity in liver, while heart, brain, and skeletal muscle exhibited from 2 to 10% of the activity in liver. Serum contained only barely detectable levels of activity, much lower than any of the tissues studied. The in vitro metabolism of N1-acetylspermidine differed from that observed for N8-acetylspermidine and does not appear to involve a simple deacetylation reaction.
c-Maf negatively regulates ARE-mediated detoxifying enzyme genes expression and anti-oxidant induction.

Anti-oxidant response element (ARE) and nuclear factors including Nrf2 and small Maf (MafG and MafK) proteins are known to regulate expression and induction of detoxifying enzyme genes including quinone oxidoreductase1 (NQO1). Nrf2 upregulates and small Maf proteins lacking the transcriptional activation domain down regulates ARE-mediated expression and induction. In this report, we have investigated the role of c-Maf (large Maf) containing the transcriptional activation domain in the regulation of ARE-mediated genes expression. The overexpression of c-Maf in human hepatoblastoma (Hep-G2) cells led to the repression of ARE-mediated NQO1 and GST Ya genes expression and induction in response to tert-butyl hydroquinone (t-BHQ). This was in contrast to the role of c-Maf in the activation of Maf recognition element (MARE) mediated p53 gene expression. Deletion of transcriptional activation domain of c-Maf (^c-Maf) led to significant loss of MARE-mediated p53 gene expression but had no effect on the repression of ARE-mediated NQO1 gene expression. The overexpression of MafG in Hep-G2 cells repressed both ARE and MARE-mediated genes expression. The co-expression of c-Maf with MafG rescued the MafG repression of MARE but not ARE-mediated gene expression. Band and super shift assays showed the presence of c-Maf in the ARE-nuclear protein complex. Similar assays with in vitrotranslated proteins revealed that both c-Maf and ^c-Maf bound to NQO1 gene ARE as homodimers and heterodimers with small Maf but not as heterodimers with Nrf2. Mutational analysis of the NQO1 gene ARE indicated that core ARE sequence is essential for binding of c-Maf leading to repression of NQO1 gene expression. Northern analysis revealed that c-Maf expression increases 2˜h after t-BHQ treatment. It reached a plateau at 4˜h after t-BHQ treatment. The results together led to the conclusion that c-Maf negatively regulates ARE-mediated detoxifying enzyme genes expression and induction in response to anti-oxidants.
Driving Bose-Einstein-Condensate Vorticity with a Rotating Normal Cloud

We have developed an evaporative cooling technique that accelerates the rotation of an ultracold 87Rb gas, confined in a static harmonic potential. As a normal gas is evaporatively spun up and cooled below quantum degeneracy, it is found to nucleate vorticity in a Bose-Einstein condensate. Measurements of the condensate's aspect ratio and surface-wave excitations are consistent with effective rigid-body rotation. Rotation rates of up to 94% of the centrifugal limit are inferred. A threshold in the normal cloud's rotation is observed for the intrinsic nucleation of the first vortex. The threshold value lies below the prediction for a nucleation mechanism involving the excitation of surface waves of the condensate.
The action of the masticatory muscles and cranial changes in pigs as results of domestication

The comparative study of wild boar and domestic pig skulls suggests that a change in feeding habits under human control may have been a factor influencing the action of the masticatory and neck muscles in reshaping the cranial region. This paper offers both an anatomical and an osteological comparative morphological argument supporting this hypothesis.
A Thermoelastic Investigation of Friction Phenomena

We have studied dynamic friction phenomena using a variety of experimental measurement approaches. We have combined thermoelastic stress analysis (TSA) and optical microscopy to measure both the stress field and the interface slip displacement in a model frictional contact. We use a plane stress, fiber pullout-type geometry to produce a line contact interface. The interface operated in the partial slip regime with no gross sliding. The stress field and slip displacement information allow us to construct a friction constitutive relationship directly from experimental data. We also use complementary interface modeling to physically interpret the experimental observations. The results suggest that the interface slip zone size is a nominally linear function of pullout force, while the interface slip displacement responds as a second-order function of distance along the interface. When combined, these observations suggest a scaling law for per-cycle energy dissipation of the form E ∼ Fo 3 , where Fo is the forcing amplitude. Experimental and modeling results are presented to support this conclusion.Copyright © 2005 by ASME
Compositional, Physical, and Wet-Milling Properties of Accessions Used in Germplasm Enhancement of Maize Project

ABSTRACT Forty-nine accessions used in the Germplasm Enhancement of Maize (GEM) project, two commercial hybrids (Pioneer Brand Hybrids 3394 and 3489), and two Corn Belt inbreds (B73 and Mo17) were evaluated for compositional, physical, and wet-milling properties. GEM accessions had lower starch contents (65.9–69.1% vs. a mean of 72.2% for the commercial hybrids) and greater protein contents (12.0–14.4% vs. a mean of 8.2% for the commercial hybrids) than did the improved Corn Belt material. Absolute densities were consistently higher for the GEM accessions compared with the commercial hybrids (1.320 vs. 1.265 g/cm3, respectively). The wet-milling characteristics of the GEM accessions were not nearly as good as for the commercial hybrids. Mean starch yields were only 54.3% for the GEM accessions versus 64.8% for the commercial hybrids. Residual protein levels in the starches recovered from the GEM accessions were much greater (0.45–2.03%) than for commercial corn hybrids (<0.3%).
The forward x-ray scattering factor of copper from a self-consistent data base

Abstract The forward X-ray scattering factor of copper has been determined over an extended energy range using dispersion (Kramers-Kronig) analysis of the measured absorption. The analysis required that the scattering factor have the correct high-energy (relativistic) and low-energy limits. This is an advance over previous studies where only one or the other limit was obeyed. The resulting scattering factor over the complete spectrum is in significantly better agreement with both interferometric measurements at specific wavelengths and general theory.
Patterns of Fantasy Play Engagement Across the Transition to Becoming a Sibling

Abstract Patterns of spontaneous dyadic fantasy play among 30.3 to 5-year-old first-born children who were becoming siblings were evaluated at two pre- and three post-birth intervals for its length, thematic content and social quality. Children who interacted more positively with their sibling played longer, engaged in fantasy play that was thematically relevant to becoming a sibling and had more positive interactions with best friends than low-sibling acceptance children. High-sibling acceptance children also experienced a suppression in fantasy immediately following their sibling's birth; thus, a temporary disruption in fantasy play may indicate adaptive coping.
Strategies for Increasing Retention in Methadone Programs

Abstract Data from the nationwide Treatment Outcome Prospective Study were analyzed to develop strategies for increasing patient retention in methadone programs. The sample comprised 351 daily or weekly heroin users who were admitted to 17 publicly funded methadone programs and completed intake, one month in treatment, and one-year follow-up questionnaires. The analysis suggests three strategies for increasing patient retention: providing more highquality social services, making programs more easily accessible, and individualizing treatment. The analysis also identifies characteristics of patients and programs to which these strategies should be targeted to increase patient retention in methadone programs.
An optimal property of Chebyshev expansions

Chebyshev polynomials are extremely popular in numerical analysis. One of their virtues is that expansions of functions in series of Chebyshev polynomials are thought to converge more rapidly than expansions in series of other orthogonal polynomials, and some supporting asymptotic evidence for this belief is presented in Lanczos [2]. Our purpose here is to demonstrate that for a certain restricted class of functions, the truncated Chebyshev expansion is best in some fairly large class of Jacobi expansions, and, thus, to provide further solid foundation for the Chebyshev faith. The remainder of the Introduction is devoted to presenting notation and setting the stage. In Section 1, we make precise the sense in which Chebyshev expansions are best, while Section 2 is given over to various counter-examples to the results in Section 1. Let Pp, s’(x) be the Jacobi polynomials with CL, ,l3 > -1 (that is, the orthogonal polynomials on I: [-1, l] with respect to the weight function w(oz,/~;x) = (1 x)a(l +x)“), normalized in the usual fashion (cf. Szegii [4], p. 58)). For each (cc, /I), (y, 8) we have
Optimal Deterministic Guidance for Bounded-Thrust Spacecrafts

The minimum-propellant deterministic guidance law for bounded-thrust, constant jetexhaust velocity, spacecrafts is developed using the neighboring extremal theory. Minimization of the first-order variation in cost between a multi-burn nominal extremal and the perturbed trajectory eliminates all correction strategies except small changes in the nominal thrust-on, thrust-off times and small rotations of the thrust vector. Optimal values of these corrective controls for fixed values of initial state deviations, δx 0, are found by minimizing the second variation in cost subject to the variational state and adjoint equations — an accessory minimum problem. The solution takes the linear feedback form δu=A −1 22 A 21δx 0, where the matricesA 22 andA 21 are functions only of transition matrices calculated along the nominal trajectory. The solution is applied to a three-burn Earth-Mars transfer.
How much do farmers value their independence

A farmer's decision to contract or produce independently depends on the distribution of income and the nonpecuniary attributes associated with both business arrangements. The benefits to growers from contracting (such as risk reduction) may be overestimated if the nonpecuniary benefits enjoyed by independent producers (such as the right to make management decisions and own the commodity produced) are not accounted for. This study uses data from a U.S. national survey of hog producers to estimate (1) the difference in expected net returns between contracting and independent production, (2) the premium a representative farmer would pay for the risk reduction provided by a contract, and (3) the premium a farmer would pay for the nonpecuniary benefits associated with independent production. Results indicate that growers have a strong preference for autonomy—with moderately risk-averse growers being willing to pay more for the attributes of independent production than they would for the risk-reducing benefits of a contract.
Health information provision in men and women's magazines

The purpose of this research was to investigate the nature of the coverage of health issues in magazines, and specifically to compare the coverage in men's and women's magazines Content analysis was used to examine the health information in the six upmarket magazines (Cosmopolitan, Elle, Esquire, GQ, Marie‐Claire, and Maxim) selected for the study, with a wide range of criteria used to analyse the health information contained in them. Interviews with four of the health editors from the sample were conducted in order to elucidate some of the main findings. Unexpectedly, the differences in health information coverage are greater between the individual magazines than between the total women's and men's groups. Overall, men's magazines appear to treat health information in a more informative manner than women's, although both groups provide unusually high levels of information required to change their readers health behaviour. With this level of information provision it is noteworthy that many of these magazines have no clear health information policy, and that their editors have no qualifications or training in either health or science.
Flux growth of 2M-wollastonite crystals for the preparation of high aspect ratio particles

Abstract 2M-wollastonite crystals have been produced through a top-cooled flux growth process. The product indicated cellular growth consisting of individual crystals with highly preferred growth orientation. Such a product yielded high aspect ratio particles after being crushed into fine powder. Under appropriate conditions, fine particles with mean aspect ratios of 8–20 were obtained. An in situ analysis method based on LA-ICP-MS technique was applied to analyze the compositions of multi-phase microstructures containing even trace amounts of Li and B, which are difficult to detect by other techniques.
Long-Acting Injectable Antipsychotic Medications in Patients With Comorbid Schizophrenia and Substance Use Disorders

The article in this issue by Koola et al., entitled “The Potential Role of Long-Acting Injectable Antipsychotics in People With Schizophrenia and Comorbid Substance Use” (2012), points out quite cl...
Peptide Interactions with Steel Surfaces: Inhibition of Corrosion and Calcium Carbonate Precipitation

Abstract Polyaspartate, a polyanionic peptide analog of an oyster-shell protein fraction, inhibited corrosion of AISI 1018 mild steel (UNS G10180) in seawater in a dose-dependent manner. A maximal ...
Proton induced reactions on natural Pb targets. A potential new cyclotron method for 201Tl production

Abstract The basis for a new cyclotron method for production of no-carrier-added 201Tl, from its grandparent 201Bi via the Pb(p, xn)201Bi→201Pb→201Tl reaction is presented here. Thick-target yields (μCi/μAh) for the 201Pb and 200Pb induced radioactivities were measured over the 65- to 43-MeV proton-energy range. The experimental data indicate that the 201Tl yields could be optimized by using Pb targets enriched in 206Pb, 207Pb, and, or 208Pb, which are expected to provide greater overall yields than current methods, as well as material of high-chemical, radiochemical and radionuclidic quality for radiopharmaceutical production.
Endemism and functional convergence across the North American soil mycobiome

Identifying the ecological processes that structure communities and the consequences for ecosystem function is a central goal of ecology. The recognition that fungi, bacteria, and viruses control key ecosystem functions has made microbial communities a major focus of this field. Because many ecological processes are apparent only at particular spatial or temporal scales, a complete understanding of the linkages between microbial community, environment, and function requires analysis across a wide range of scales. Here, we map the biological and functional geography of soil fungi from local to continental scales and show that the principal ecological processes controlling community structure and function operate at different scales. Similar to plants or animals, most soil fungi are endemic to particular bioregions, suggesting that factors operating at large spatial scales, like dispersal limitation or climate, are the first-order determinants of fungal community structure in nature. By contrast, soil extracellular enzyme activity is highly convergent across bioregions and widely differing fungal communities. Instead, soil enzyme activity is correlated with local soil environment and distribution of fungal traits within the community. The lack of structure-function relationships for soil fungal communities at continental scales indicates a high degree of functional redundancy among fungal communities in global biogeochemical cycles.
Quantification of errors for operator-split advection–diffusion calculations

Abstract Multiphysics simulations frequently are composed from highly-optimized solvers for physical subprocesses through the use of temporal operator splitting. The subphysics are evolved sequentially, passing information between solver components as needed. It is often useful yet difficult to determine how the simulation error depends on the temporal splitting method, the time step size and the discretization parameters in the solver components. This paper proposes a framework to decompose the total error in a quantity of interest for an advection–diffusion simulation into two primary contributions: that due to the operator splitting, as implied by the structure of the code, and that due to the discretization errors from the component solvers. The method is applied to the advection–diffusion equation with boundaries. The advection and diffusion operators require separate boundary conditions upon splitting; the specification of these impacts the splitting error contribution. Computational examples demonstrate that the proposed method successfully identifies the splitting error contribution, including that induced by a suboptimal imposition of boundary conditions, and the decrease in the splitting error contribution in moving to a higher-order splitting method. The discretization error contribution is decomposed further into contributions attributed to the separate advection and diffusion solvers.
Use Of Phase Measuring Interferometry In Quantity Production Of High Quality Optics

The advantages of Phase Measuring Interferometry (PMI) over conventional half-wave fringe contour measurements are well known. They include greater sensitivity through reduced fringe-to-fringe interval, ease of minimizing instrumental errors, shorter turnaround time to process results and data averaging to circumvent random environmental effects. Prior publications have described typical designs of PMI devices as well as some of their applications in the optical industry. At Perkin-Elmer, we have found that only through the use of advanced PMI technology can quantity production of very high quality optics be achieved on a timely and cost-effective basis. In this paper, we report some experiences with PMI as the primary method of in-process and final testing of a variety of optical components currently being manufactured in production quantity. Component apertures are as large as 47 cm. Measurements are typically made to precisions of the order of 0.01k (X/100) peak-to-peak and 0.001λ (λ/1000) rms. Examples include three types of reflecting optics of widely differing sizes and configurations: an Amici-type roof mirror, a concave spherical mirror and a convex spherical mirror.