cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Quantitative proteomics of forebrain subcellular fractions in fragile X mental retardation 1 knockout mice following acute treatment with 2-Methyl-6-(phenylethynyl)pyridine: Relevance to developmental study of schizophrenia.

The fragile X mental retardation 1 knockout (Fmr1 KO) mouse replicates behavioral deficits associated with autism, fragile X syndrome, and schizophrenia. Less is known whether protein expression changes are consistent with findings in subjects with schizophrenia. In the current study, we used liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) proteomics to determine the protein expression of four subcellular fractions in the forebrains of Fmr1 KO mice vs. C57BL/6 J mice and the effect of a negative allosteric modulator of mGluR5-2-Methyl-6-(phenylethynyl)pyridine (MPEP)-on protein expression. Strain- and treatment-specific differential expression of proteins was observed, many of which have previously been observed in the brains of subjects with schizophrenia. Western blotting verified the direction and magnitude of change for several proteins in different subcellular fractions as follows: neurofilament light protein (NEFL) and 2',3'-cyclic-nucleotide 3'-phosphodiesterase (CNP) in the total homogenate; heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoproteins C1/C2 (HNRNPC) and heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein D0 (HNRNPD) in the nuclear fraction; excitatory amino acid transporter 2 (EAAT2) and ras-related protein rab 3a (RAB3A) in the synaptic fraction; and ras-related protein rab 35 (RAB35) and neuromodulin (GAP43) in the rough endoplasmic reticulum fraction. Individuals with FXS do not display symptoms of schizophrenia. However, the biomarkers that have been identified suggest that the Fmr1 KO model could potentially be useful in the study of schizophrenia.
Is early-stage pancreatic adenocarcinoma truly early: stage migration on final pathology with surgery-first versus neoadjuvant therapy sequencing.

Abstract Background Neoadjuvant therapy (NT) remains controversial in early-stage pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), defined as clinical (c)Stage I-II. Our aim was to analyze rates of pathologic upstaging/downstaging for resectable PDAC treated with surgery-first (SF) vs. NT. Methods Utilizing the National Cancer Data Base (NCDB), patients with cStage I-II PDAC who underwent pancreatoduodenectomy in 2006–2013 were pathologically staged using the AJCC 8th edition and compared by treatment sequencing. Results Among 13,871 patients, 15.3% received NT. Despite higher pre-treatment T-stage (cT2: 71.9% vs. 56.3%, p Conclusion NT is associated with reduction in unexpected upstaging, reduction in nodal positivity, and improved OS, compared to SF approach in putatively early-stage PDAC. Because clinical staging underestimates the underlying disease burden in resectable PDAC, patients with cStage I-II should be considered for NT.
Proximity-Proof: Secure and Usable Mobile Two-Factor Authentication

Mobile two-factor authentication (2FA) has become commonplace along with the popularity of mobile devices. Current mobile 2FA solutions all require some form of user effort which may seriously affect the experience of mobile users, especially senior citizens or those with disability such as visually impaired users. In this paper, we propose Proximity-Proof, a secure and usable mobile 2FA system without involving user interactions. Proximity-Proof automatically transmits a user's 2FA response via inaudible OFDM-modulated acoustic signals to the login browser. We propose a novel technique to extract individual speaker and microphone fingerprints of a mobile device to defend against the powerful man-in-the-middle (MiM) attack. In addition, Proximity-Proof explores two-way acoustic ranging to thwart the co-located attack. To the best of our knowledge, Proximity-Proof is the first mobile 2FA scheme resilient to the MiM and co-located attacks. We empirically analyze that Proximity-Proof is at least as secure as existing mobile 2FA solutions while being highly usable. We also prototype Proximity-Proof and confirm its high security, usability, and efficiency through comprehensive user experiments.
Convolutional Neural Networks for Dialogue State Tracking without Pre-Trained Word Vectors or Semantic Dictionaries

A crucial step in task-oriented dialogue systems is tracking the user’s goal over the course of the conversation. This involves maintaining a probability distribution over possible values for each slot (e.g., the foodslot might map to the value Turkish), which gets updated at each turn of the dialogue. Previously, rule-based methods were applied to dialogue systems, or models that required hand-crafted semantic dictionaries mapping phrases to those that are similar in meaning (e.g., areamight map to part of town). However, these are expensive to design for each domain, limiting the generalizability. In addition, often a spoken language understanding (SLU) component precedes the dialogue state update mechanism; however, this leads to compounded errors as the output from one module is passed to the next. Instead, more recent work has explored deep learning models for directly updating dialogue state, bypassing the need for SLU or expert-engineered rules. We demonstrate that a novel convolutional neural architecture without any pre-trained word vectors or semantic dictionaries achieves 86.9% joint goal accuracy and 95.4% requested slot accuracy on WOZ 2.0.
TCP-UB: A NEW CONGESTION AWARE TRANSMISSION CONTROL PROTOCOL VARIANT

Transmission control protocol (TCP) is a connection oriented protocol for several types of distributed applications. TCP is reliable particularly for traditional fixed networks. With emergence of faster wireless networks, TCP has been performing poorly in its original format. The performance of TCP is affected due to assorted factors including congestion window, maximum packet size, retry limit, recovery mechanism, backup mechanism and mobility. To overcome deficiency of original TCP, Several modifications have been introduced to improve network quality. The mobility is a major hurdle in degrading the performance of mobile wireless networks. In this paper, we introduce and implement new TCP variant University of Bridgeport (UB) that combines the features of TCP Westwood and Vegas. We examine the performance of TCP-UB, Vegas and Westwood using different realistic scenarios. NS2 simulator demonstrates the stability of TCP-UB as compared with TCP Vegas and Westwood in highly congested networks from the mobility point of view.
Nonpharmacological Management of BPSD: Agitation and Behavioral Problems in Dementia

Caregivers identify BPSD as one of the most challenging and distressing aspects of care. The presence of BPSD, especially physical aggression, is a leading cause of nursing home placement. These behaviors can have an immense impact on the quality of life of both the patient and the caregiver. This chapter has been created to help the primary care provider have a structured approach to the evaluation and management of BPSD.
Reconciling computational and experimental trends in the temperature dependence of the interfacial mobility of polymer films.

Many measurements have indicated that thin polymer films in their glass state exhibit a mobile interfacial layer that grows in thickness upon heating, while some measurements indicate the opposite trend. Moreover, simulations and limited measurements on glass-forming liquids at temperatures above the glass transition temperature Tg exhibit a growing interfacial mobility scale ξ upon cooling. To better understand these seemingly contradictory trends, we perform molecular dynamics simulations over a temperature regime for which our simulated polymer film enters a non-equilibrium glassy state and find that the relaxation time τα within the film interior, relative to the polymer–air interfacial layer, exhibits a maximum near the computational Tg. Correspondingly, we also observe that the interfacial mobility length scale exhibits a maximum near Tg, explaining the apparent reversal in the temperature dependence of this scale between the glass and liquid states. We show that the non-monotonic variation of ξ and the relative interfacial mobility to the film interior arise qualitatively from a non-monotonic variation of the gradient of the effective activation free energy of the film; we then obtain a quantitative description of this phenomenon by introducing a phenomenological model that describes the relaxation time layer-by-layer in the film for a temperature range both above and below Tg of the film as a whole. This analysis reveals that the non-monotonic trend in the relative interfacial mobility and ξ both arise primarily from the distinctive temperature dependence of relaxation in the interfacial layer, which apparently remains in local equilibrium over the whole temperature range investigated.
Efficient Replication for Straggler Mitigation in Distributed Computing.

Master-worker distributed computing systems use task replication in order to mitigate the effect of slow workers, known as stragglers. Tasks are grouped into batches and assigned to one or more workers for execution. We first consider the case when the batches do not overlap and, using the results from majorization theory, show that, for a general class of workers' service time distributions, a balanced assignment of batches to workers minimizes the average job compute time. We next show that this balanced assignment of non-overlapping batches achieves lower average job compute time compared to the overlapping schemes proposed in the literature. Furthermore, we derive the optimum redundancy level as a function of the service time distribution at workers. We show that the redundancy level that minimizes average job compute time is not necessarily the same as the redundancy level that maximizes the predictability of job compute time, and thus there exists a trade-off between optimizing the two metrics. Finally, by running experiments on Google cluster traces, we observe that redundancy can reduce the compute time of the jobs in Google clusters by an order of magnitude, and that the optimum level of redundancy depends on the distribution of tasks' service time.
Ovarian cancer stem cell biology and chemoresistance

Abstract Ovarian cancer is the most lethal gynecological malignancy and the high morbidity and mortality are due in large part to relapse with chemotherapy-resistant disease. Cancer stem cells are purported to be a small population of undifferentiated cells endowed with features of normal stem cells that permit them to evade chemotherapy, persist indefinitely, and regenerate a heterogeneous tumor. The high rate of recurrence after an apparent complete remission suggests this elusive population plays an important role in ovarian cancer progression after initial chemotherapy. Research over the last two decades has uncovered a wealth of information about the biology of ovarian cancer stem cells, their potential origins, the markers and phenotypes associated with them, and challenges to targeting them. Heterogeneity within the cancer stem cell population adds more complexity, as does understanding components of the microenvironment that support stem cell phenotypes. New research focused on combination therapies that include standard chemotherapy in conjunction with CSC-targeted agents, epigenetic modifiers, or immunotherapies, shows great promise for overcoming ovarian cancer chemotherapy resistance.
Rational Emotive, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy with Sexual Minority Youth

The purpose of this chapter is to relate relevant information pertaining to sexual minority populations and describe psychotherapeutic work with individuals who identify as sexual minorities as it relates to developing adolescents. The overall aim is to provide a general understanding of practical applications to be utilized with sexual minority youth (SMY) from the perspective of rational emotive behavior therapy (REBT) and other cognitive behavioral therapies (CBT). Research and information related to SMY mental health will be presented; specific factors including the role of minority stress theory and population specific experiences (i.e., parental rejection, “coming out,” etc.) will be addressed. Guidelines for assessment, interventions to support rapport building in therapy, best practices for treatment with sexual minority individuals, and adaptations of REBT treatment for specific populations (i.e., schools and families) will be discussed. Lastly, a case study will be presented to depict treatment of an individual who identifies as a sexual minority utilizing an REBT/CBT framework.
The Influence of Copper Homeostasis Genes copA and copB on Xylella fastidiosa Virulence Is Affected by Sap Copper Concentration.

Xylella fastidiosa is a xylem-limited plant pathogenic bacterium that causes diseases worldwide in crops such as grape, citrus, and olive. Although copper (Cu)-containing compounds are not used for...
On nondeterminism in combinatorial filters.

The problem of combinatorial filter reduction arises from questions of resource optimization in robots; it is one specific way in which automation can help to achieve minimalism, to build better, simpler robots. This paper contributes a new definition of filter minimization that is broader than its antecedents, allowing filters (input, output, or both) to be nondeterministic. This changes the problem considerably. Nondeterministic filters are able to re-use states to obtain, essentially, more 'behavior' per vertex. We show that the gap in size can be significant (larger than polynomial), suggesting such cases will generally be more challenging than deterministic problems. Indeed, this is supported by the core computational complexity result established in this paper: producing nondeterministic minimizers is PSPACE-hard. The hardness separation for minimization which exists between deterministic filter and deterministic automata, thus, does not hold for the nondeterministic case.
Chronic Exposure to Palmitic Acid Down-Regulates AKT in Beta-Cells through Activation of mTOR.

High circulating lipids occurring in obese individuals and insulin-resistant patients are considered a contributing factor to type 2 diabetes. Exposure to high lipids is proposed to both protect and damage beta-cells under different circumstances. Here, by feeding mice a high-fat diet (HFD) for 2 weeks up to 14 months, the authors showed HFD initially causes the beta-cells to expand in population, whereas long-term exposure to HFD is associated with failure of beta-cells and the inability of animals to respond to glucose challenge. To prevent the failure of beta-cells and the development of type 2 diabetes, the molecular mechanisms that underlie this biphasic response of beta-cells to lipid exposure were explored. Using palmitic acid (PA) in cultured beta-cells and islets, the authors demonstrated that chronic exposure to lipids leads to reduced viability and inhibition of cell cycle progression concurrent with down-regulation of a pro-growth/survival kinase AKT, independent of glucose. This AKT down-regulation by PA is correlated with the induction of mTOR/S6K activity. Inhibiting mTOR activity with rapamycin induces Raptor and restores AKT activity, allowing beta-cells to gain proliferation capacity that was lost after HFD exposure. In summary, a novel mechanism for which lipid exposure may cause the dipole effects on beta-cell growth was elucidated, where mTOR acts as a lipid sensor. These mechanisms can be novel targets for future therapeutic developments.
Bimetallic Cu/Ru/Os Complexes: Observation of Conformational Differences Between the Solution Phase and Solid State by Atomic Pair Distribution Function Analysis.

High-energy X-ray scattering and pair distribution function analysis (HEXS/PDF) is a powerful method to reveal the structure of materials lacking long-range order, but is underutilized for molecular complexes in solution. Here we demonstrate the application of HEXS/PDF with 0.26 A resolution to uncover the solution structure of five bimetallic Os(II)/Ru(II)/Cu(I) complexes. HEXS/PDF of each complex in acetonitrile solution confirms the pairwise interactions in the local coordination sphere of each metal center as well as the metal···metal interactions separated by over 12 A. The metal···metal distance detected in solution is compared with that from the crystal structure and molecular models to confirm that distortions to the metal bridging ligand are unique to the solid state. This work presents the first example of observing sub-A conformational difference by direct comparison of solution phase and solid-state structures and shows the potential for HEXS/PDF in the determination of solution structure of single molecules.
A Symposia: Managing The Evolution Of Problem-based Learning In The MBA Programme At Ohio University

AIM: This symposia aims to demonstrate the evolution of a Problem-based Leaming approach in an MBA context.
Chapter 5 Infection, latency and immortalization of human cells with HHV-6

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the infection, latency, and immortalization of human cells with HHV-6. Human herpesvirus-6 (HHV-6) classified as lymphotropic herpesvirus was discovered by Salahuddin. Human herpesvirus-6, originally named human B lymphotropic virus (HBLV), has shown to be tropic for T cells, some B cells, and fibroblasts. This virus readily infects mitogen-activated human cord blood and peripheral blood mononuclear cells in vitro. Studies have shown that whether the latency of HHV-6 could be associated with neoplasia of T cell origin, and whether the immortalized CDC positive cells may play a role in the development of AIDS. This chapter also presents the in vitro infection and replication of human cells and latency of HHV-6 to explore target cells for permissive replication and to shed some light on how HHV-6, under the right circumstances, could be capable of immortalizing T cells.
How to more effectively lobby the legislative branch of government: report the extent of intellectual disability amongst a politician's constituents

The use of national numbers and percentages to describe the millions of people with intellectual disabilities is beyond the comprehension of most people. The challenge is to personalize these numbers if we are to bring increased attention to these individuals. Examples of Census Bureau report data for the States, Congressional Districts, Counties, and High School districts are suggested as a format to lobby legislators with the realities of the numbers of their constituents who are affected by intellectual disabilities.
Leibniz on Natural Law in the Nouveaux essais

Why should Leibniz’s strongest and most characteristic claim about “natural law” or natural justice appear in NE 4.7.19, “On propositions called maxims or axioms” – a chapter which opens with the claim that “the geometers” have often undertaken to “demonstrate” evident propositions? Why does “natural law” soon follow geometrical demonstration? Why should Leibniz not have taken up natural law/justice (at least sustainedly) in its “natural” place – in NE 2.28 (“Of other relations”), in which he discusses, albeit cursorily and disappointingly, Locke’s tripartite theory of law: “natural/divine”, “civil”, and “of reputation”? After all, in the very next chapter of NE, 2.29, – which “anticipates” 4.7.19 – Leibniz says something more consequential and characteristic than anything in 2.28:
Modulation of cellular immune response against hepatitis C virus nonstructural protein 3 by cationic liposome encapsulated DNA immunization

A vaccine strategy directed to increase Th1 cellular immune responses, particularly to hepatitis C virus (HCV) nonstructural protein 3 (NS3), has considerable potential to overcome the infection with HCV. DNA vaccination can induce both humoral and cellular immune responses, but it became apparent that the cellular uptake of naked DNA injected into muscle was not very efficient, as much of the DNA is degraded by interstitial nucleases before it reaches the nucleus for transcription. In this paper, cationic liposomes composed of different cationic lipids, such as dimethyl-dioctadecylammonium bromide (DDAB), 1,2-dioleoyl-3-trimethylammonium-propane (DOTAP), or 1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycerol-3-ethylphosphocholine (DOEPC), were used to improve DNA immunization in mice, and their efficiencies were compared. It was found that cationic liposome-mediated DNA immunization induced stronger HCV NS3-specific immune responses than immunization with naked DNA alone. Cationic liposomes composed of DDAB and equimolar of a neutral lipid, egg yolk phosphatidylcholine (EPC), induced the strongest antigen-specific Th1 type immune responses among the cationic liposome investigated, whereas the liposomes composed of 2 cationic lipids, DDAB and DOEPC, induced an antigen-specific Th2 type immune response. All cationic liposomes used in this study triggered high-level, nonspecific IL-12 production in mice, a feature important for the development of maximum Th1 immune responses. In conclusion, the cationic liposome-mediated gene delivery is a viable HCV vaccine strategy that should be further tested in the chimpanzee model.
Effects of naloxone on corticosterone response to stress.

Abstract The effect of naloxone on the corticosterone response to restraint stress was examined. Naloxone (8 mg/kg, IP) did not alter basal corticosterone or the magnitude of the corticosterone response to restraint stress. Naloxone did, however, retard the fall in corticosterone following the end of restraint stress; thus the drug prolonged the stress response. These data suggest that endogenous opiates play a role in the restoration of corticosterone levels back to normal after stress.
White Collar Fictions: Class and Social Representation in American Literature, 1885-1925

A study of how turn-of-the-century literary representations of "white collar" Americans were part and parcel of a new social class coming to terms with its own power, authority and contradictions. This book re-examines the life and work of Sherwood Anderson and Sinclair Lewis - as well as nearly forgotten authors such as O. Henry, Edna Ferber, Robert Grant and Elmer Rice. Between 1885 and 1925 America underwent fundamental social changes. The family business faded with the rise of the modern corporation; mid-level clerical work grew rapidly; the "white collar" ranks - sales clerks, accountants, lawyers, advertizers, "middle managers" and professionals - expanded between capital and labour. During this same period, Wilson aims to show, white collar characters took on greater prominence within American literature and popular culture. Magazines like the "Saturday Evening Post" idolized "average Americans", while writers such as Sherwood Anderson and Sinclair Lewis produced portraits of "middle America" in "Winesburg, Ohio" and "Babbit". By investigating the material experience and social vocabularies within white collar life itself, Wilson tries to uncover the ways in which writers helped create a new cultural vocabulary - "Babbittry", the "little people", the "Average American" - that served to redefine power, authority and commonality in American society.
Definitions and Indicators of Elder Abuse: A Delphi Survey of APS Caseworkers

Instruments designed to measure specific types of elder mistreatment are not available, but they may be warranted after an initial screen indicates abuse or risk for abuse. The purpose of this study was to evaluate definitions for different types of elder mistreatment and validate the indicators as perceived by adult protective services (APS) caseworkers' opinions. Through 351 APS research network participants, a Delphi survey was completed. A 45% return rate was achieved for round one and 40% for round two with 70 same respondents from both rounds. These types of abuse, emotional abuse, exploitation of finances and/or property, neglect, physical abuse, and sexual abuse, have some similar and some extremely different indicators that singly and together expand their definition. Instruments to measure five different types of abuse are offered for caseworker or prevalence study use.
Leiomyosarcomas in children : clinical and pathologic characteristics

Leiomyosarcomas (LMS) are extremely rare in children, accounting for only 2% of their soft-tissue sarcomas [11]. We report our experience with nine children treated for LMS between 1962 and 1990. Their ages at diagnosis ranged from 1 day to 17 years (median 5 years); six were female and eight were Caucasian. Five tumors were stromal sarcomas originating in the gut (ileum 2, stomach 1, jejunum, sigmoid 1). Three were intra-abdominal tumors that originated in the retroperitoneum (2) and abdominal wall (1). In one patient the tumor appeared in the subcutis of the thigh. Operations were uniformly performed, resulting in complete resection of the tumor in six of nine cases. Five patients received adjuvant chemotherapy and one received radiation therapy only. Five patients were alive 6–38 months (median 16 months) after diagnosis. The remaining four died of their disease 4–27 months after diagnosis, three of locally recurrent disease and one of hepatic metastasis. Four of the six patients with complete resection were alive 6–27 months after diagnosis. Both patients with low-grade (grade I) sarcomas had complete resections and were alive 33–38 months after diagnosis. Clinical outcome correlated roughly with the mitotic rate of the tumors, as all three patients with mitotic count >5/10 high power fields (HPF) died between 4 and 14 months after diagnosis. Immunohistochemical stains using the avidin-biotin-complex procedure on formalin-fixed tissue were performed for six tumors. Only muscle-specific actin (MSA) was uniformly positive (6/6). The other significant marker was desmin, which was positive in three tumors. Favorable outcome of LMS in children correlates best with low mitotic counts (<5/10 HPF), low tumor grade, and complete surgical excision. Immunohistochemical analysis suggests that these tumors are of myogenic origin.
Fas gene mutations in the Canale-Smith syndrome, an inherited lymphoproliferative disorder associated with autoimmunity.

Background The Canale–Smith syndrome is a childhood disorder characterized by lymphadenopathy and autoimmunity. The similarity between this syndrome and that in mice with the lymphoproliferation (lpr ) phenotype or the generalized-lymphoproliferative-disease (gld) phenotype led us to investigate whether it too is caused by mutations of the Fas gene (lpr mice) or the Fas ligand (gld mice), which regulate apoptosis in lymphocytes. Methods We studied four patients with the syndrome and their families. T-lymphocyte phenotypes were analyzed, and the susceptibility of activated T cells to Fas-mediated apoptosis in vitro was determined. Mutations of Fas were sought by nucleotide-sequence analysis. Results Patients with the Canale–Smith syndrome had increased numbers of circulating double-negative T cells (>20 percent) and profoundly impaired apoptosis of activated T cells incubated with an anti-Fas antibody. Three novel Fas mutations were identified, all of which were heterozygous and predicted to impair signal ...
Managing private, commercial rangelands for agricultural production and wildlife diversity in Namibia and Zambia

The private game industry has grown across Africa since the mid-20th century. While considerable research has documented wildlife production on commercial land in many eastern and southern African countries, few studies have focused specifically on the integration of livestock and game production in Namibia and Zambia. This paper reports a survey of 43 commercial conservancy members in Namibia and 23 game farmers in Zambia conducted between September 2004 and June 2005. The survey was based on inductive sampling theory and queried farmers on how they have integrated wildlife production into their management practices. Farmers in each country reported considerable integration of wildlife conservation and agricultural production. Namibian farmers reported substantial problems with bush encroachment, whereas none of their Zambian counterparts raised similar complaints. This paper describes the state of rangeland management on commercial farms in Namibia and Zambia and identifies important areas where further research can contribute to the enhancement of this conservation-production system.
Channeling your inner energy

ATP is continuously synthesized inside mitochondria and exported to the cytoplasm via transporter and channel proteins residing in the inner and outer mitochondrial membranes, respectively. In this issue of Nature Structural & Molecular Biology, a new crystal structure of the mitochondrial channel protein VDAC-1 provides the basis for a detailed simulation study that unravels the mechanism by which ATP diffuses across the outer mitochondrial membrane at a fast rate.
Nitronyl nitroxide and imino nitroxide mono- and biradicals in Langmuir and Langmuir-Blodgett films

In an effort to prepare high-spin-ordered layers, several conjugated molecules bearing one nitronyl nitroxide radical (NN) or two imino nitroxide magnetically coupled radicals (IN) have been synthesized. The monoradical and the biradical molecules proved to be amphiphilic enough to form Langmuir films on a water surface. For the two monoradicals, the molecular area extrapolated at zero-surface pressure in the final part of the isotherms is nearly the same (A0 ∼ 0.55 nm2 molecule-1) and close to what may be expected for such molecular shapes. For the longest rigid-rod biradical, bis imino nitroxide pentamer, 5p(bisIN), the pressure−area isotherm shows a low compressibility and Brewster angle microscopy has revealed that the film is solidlike, the molecules having a tendency to aggregate, forming plates on the water surface. The bis imino nitroxide trimer, 3p(bisIN), has a larger final molecular area A0 ∼ 0.80 nm2 molecule-1, the molecules being, by then, oriented perpendicular to the surface as deduced fro...
Systemic Nocardia caviae Infection

Nocardia caviae has been implicated as a cause of actinomycotic mycetoma in man. To date, this is the only form of nocardiosis with which this species has been associated. The two fatal infections described in this report are the first known cases of systemic nocardiosis in man caused by N caviae.
CrowdFound: A Mobile Crowdsourcing System to Find Lost Items On-the-Go

We present CrowdFound, a mobile crowdsourcing system to find lost items. CrowdFound allows users to input lost item descriptions on a map and then sends notifications to users passing near tagged areas. To assess the system's efficacy, we conducted interviews and user testing on CrowdFound. Our results show that users were able to find lost items when using a combination of the notification, map, and item description features. In addition, users were willing to deviate off path to look for lost items, particularly when exercising. Our findings also suggest socio-technical features to promote more effective on-the-go crowdsourced help on microtasks. This research builds our understanding of physical crowdsourcing as a tool for solving societal problems and suggests broader implications for utilizing mobile crowds.
Is Hispanic Race an Independent Risk Factor for Pathological Stage in Patients Undergoing Radical Prostatectomy

ABSTRACTPurpose: Hispanic-Americans are the most rapidly growing population in the United States. Although many studies have assessed differences in pathological stage at radical prostatectomy between white and black American men, to our knowledge none has assessed it in Hispanic men. We compared pathological stage at radical prostatectomy in contemporaneous groups of Hispanic and white American men.Materials and Methods: A total of 141 consecutive Hispanic and 314 consecutive white American men underwent radical retropubic prostatectomy for clinically localized prostate cancer from 1995 to 2002 at a single institution, as performed by one of us (ETG or MCB). Preoperative prostate specific antigen (PSA), age at diagnosis, race, clinical stage, biopsy and specimen Gleason score, pathological stage, specimen volume and calculated specimen PSA density were collected for each patient. Data were compared using standard statistical methods.Results: Biopsy Gleason score, biopsy Gleason score distribution, specim...
The postcricoid impression masquerading as an esophageal tumor.

A case has been reported of a 57-year-old man who underwent negative neck exploration for an apparent mass, supposedly lying between the esophagus and trachea, which was seen elsewhere on an esophagram and at bronchoscopy. A postoperative esophagram performed at Stanford demonstrated a typical postcricoid impression. This impression forms on the anterior esophageal wall, immediately below the slight impression which the cricoid cartilage's posterior lamina sometimes produces. It can assume seven different shapes. Unlike a tumor, it is transient and varies in size and shape.
Intra‐individual variation in clutch and offspring size in an oviparous snake

Intra-individual variation can be extremely informative in understanding the evolution of life-history traits. In this study, we examined intra-individual variation in clutch and offspring size for brown house snakes Lamprophis fuliginosus, a species that can lay up to six clutches in the laboratory within a 12-month interval without a refractory period. The number of clutches produced per female during this interval ranged from two to six, and there was no significant relationship between the total number of clutches laid and maternal body size. Unlike results from lizards and turtles, house snakes showed no significant changes in clutch size or offspring size among successive clutches, and individual repeatability of both traits was moderate to high. House snakes in this study also showed a strong negative relationship between clutch size and offspring size for all clutches produced, as expected by life-history theory. Our data indicate that house snakes show much less intra-individual variation than most other reptile species examined. However, this high level of consistency may be due to regulation of food availability under laboratory conditions. This will be varied in future experiments to test the degree of plasticity exhibited by individual females for these traits.
The language play of kindergarten children

Play has long been hypothesized to serve important social, emotional and cognitive functions. Although the existence of language play has been documented, the types and functions of language play i...
Wind-Forced Sea Level Variability Along the West Florida Shelf (Winter, 1978)

Abstract Coastal tide gage and meteorological records from Pensacola to Key West for the period January–April 1978 have been examined for low-frequency fluctuations. The dominant 6-day period signals in sea level, alongshore wind stress, and atmospheric pressure were coherent over the entire shelf and propagated southward, consistent with the movement of cold fronts through the area. Sea level response tagged the local wind stress by 18 h (in the north) to 9 h (in the south). In response to a 1 dyn cm−2 alongshore stress, sea-level amplitudes were largest (∼60 cm) where the shelf is widest (200 km) and undergoes an abrupt bend, and were ∼30 cm elsewhere; large transient alongshore sea level slopes, on the order of 10−6, were thus set up. A linear steady-state shelf circulation model (Hsueh, 1980) is used to explore the sea level distribution that is in frictional equilibrium with a wind stress of given orientation. For a bottom resistance coefficient of 0.014 cm s−1, a value suggested by an analysis of Fe...
The 3′ terminus of lactate dehydrogenase-eVirus genome RNA does not contain togavirus or flavivirus conserved sequences

Abstract Lactate dehydrogenase-elevating virus (LDV) is currently considered to be an unclassified togavirus. The 3′ terminus of the genome RNA of the C-strain of LDV was cloned and sequenced. A synthetic DNA oligomer complementary to the 3′ portion of this cloned sequence was then used to prime dideoxy sequencing from the LDV-C genome RNA as well as from the genome RNAs of three additional LDV isolates. A high degree of sequence conservation was observed in the 3′ terminal region among the four LDV isolates analyzed. Comparison of the LDV 3′ sequence with those of the alpha togaviruses, rubella virus, and the flaviviruses showed that the LDV genome does not contain conserved 3′ sequences characteristic of these viruses.
Activation of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma by curcumin blocks the signaling pathways for PDGF and EGF in hepatic stellate cells.

During hepatic fibrogenesis, reduction in the abundance of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ (PPARγ) is accompanied by activation of mitogenic signaling for platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) and epidermal growth factor (EGF) in hepatic stellate cells (HSCs), the major effector cells. We previously reported that curcumin, the yellow pigment in curry, interrupted PDGF and EGF signaling, stimulated PPARγ gene expression, and enhanced its activity, leading to inhibition of cell proliferation of activated HSC in vitro and in vivo. The aim of this study was to elucidate the underlying mechanisms. We hypothesized that the enhancement of PPARγ activity by curcumin might result in the interruption of PDGF and EGF signaling. Our experiments demonstrated that curcumin, with different treatment strategies, showed different efficiencies in the inhibition of PDGF- or EGF-stimulated HSC proliferation. Further experiments observed that curcumin dose dependently reduced gene expression of PDGF and EGF receptors (ie, PDGF-βR and EGFR), which required PPARγ activation. The activation of PPARγ by its agonist suppressed pdgf-βr and egfr expression in HSC. In addition, curcumin reduced the phosphorylation levels of PDGF-βR and EGFR, as well as their downstream signaling cascades, including ERK1/2 and JNK1/2. Moreover, activation of PPARγ induced gene expression of glutamate–cysteine ligase, the rate-limiting enzyme in de novo synthesis of the major intracellular antioxidant, glutathione. De novo synthesis of glutathione was required for curcumin to suppress pdgf-βr and egfr expression in activated HSCs. Our results collectively demonstrated that enhancement of PPARγ activity by curcumin interrupted PDGF and EGF signaling in activated HSCs by reducing the phosphorylation levels of PDGF-βR and EGFR, and by suppressing the receptor gene expression. These results provide novel insights into the mechanisms of curcumin in the inhibition of HSC activation and the suppression of hepatic fibrogenesis.
Contact stimulation and accelerated sexual maturation of female mice.

This note clarifies two issues raised by an earlier paper by the same author. (1) Adult males and adult neonatally androgenized females caged continuously with prepubertal females both provide the young females with male-like contact stimulation. (2) The data in the earlier paper are not sufficient to draw conclusions regarding any connections between earlier sexual maturation in young female mice and the male-like contact stimulation. The data of the earlier experiments and the experiment presented in this note do support the conclusion that the accelerated sexual development of young female mice in the presence of an adult male involves more than just a male urinary pheromone.
PTEN Inhibition Study by Synthetic 3-Deoxy-PI Derivatives

PTEN is a tumor suppressor mutated in a large variety of human tumor cells. It antagonizes the PI3K signaling pathway by dephosphorylating the PI(3,4,5)P3 at the 3 position of the inositol ring and plays an important role in cell growth, proliferation, survival and motility. 3-Deoxy-PI derivatives have cytotoxic activity against various human cancer cell lines by a mechanism thought to involve reduced Akt1 phosphorylation. However, these molecules could act as inhibitors of PTEN. A series of D-3-deoxy-PI derivatives and their enantiomers (3-deoxy-diC8PI, 3,5-dideoxy-diC8PI and diC8PI) had been synthesized and studied as inhibitors of PTEN catalyzed hydrolysis of PI(3)P substrates. With diC8PI(3)P as the substrate, the L- enantiomers are usually not as good inhibitors as the D- compounds, although there is an increase in potency with increasing deoxygenation. The short-chain lipids exist in the assay solution as a mix of mostly monomers but with some small micelles. By using D-diC16PI(3)P as the substrates, the effect of the aggregation state of the substrates was also checked. When the substrates are presented to PTEN in micelles with TX-100, none of the 3-deoxy-PI derivatives are good inhibitors. However, when the substrates are presented in large unilamellar vesicles, the inhibitory behavior of the 3-deoxy-PI derivatives is similar to what was observed in the diC8PI(3)P monomer/micelle system. The binding behavior of PTEN to PI vesicles in the presence of the deoxy-PI analogs has also been studied using FRET. The results showed that for the L-series, deoxygenation on the inositol head group increases the potency of enhancing the protein binding to the vesicles. In this case, L-3,5-dideoxy-diC8PI can enhance binding by 50% at the lower concentration, while L-diC8PI can only enhance binding at the high concentration larger than 1mM. These results are used to assess lipid binding sites in PTEN.
In vivo isotope incorporation patterns into HeLa ribosomal proteins

Abstract When cells were incubated with l -[35S] methionine plus l -[Me-3H] methionine, it was found that at least four ribosomal proteins had 3 H 35 S ratios higher than the rest of the ribosomal proteins, suggesting that they were methylated. The rate of apparent methylation paralleled the rate of amino acid incorporation. Amino acid incorporation into ribosomal proteins revealed several rapidly labeled components. When 3H-labeled amino acid incorporation was chased for 10 min with an excess of non-radioactive amino acids, several proteins reached at least 60% of the specific activity they showed after 150 min of chase. The time lapse between the onset of 3H-labeled amino acid incorporation and arrival at its plateau appeared to differ among various ribosomal proteins of a subunit, suggesting a heterogeneity in the pools of ribosomal proteins.
Summary of 2011 direct and nearby lightning strikes to Launch Complex 39B, Kennedy Space Center, Florida

A Lightning Protection System (LPS) was designed and built at Launch Complex 39B (LC39B), at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC), Florida in 2009. This LPS was instrumented with comprehensive meteorological and lightning data acquisition systems that were deployed from late 2010 until mid 2011. The first direct strikes to the LPS were recorded in March of 2011, when a limited number of sensors had been activated. The lightning instrumentation system detected a total of 70 nearby strokes and 19 direct strokes to the LPS, in 2011, 2 of the 19 direct strokes to the LPS had two simultaneous ground attachment points (in both instances one channel terminated on the LPS and the other on the nearby ground). In addition to the 70 nearby strokes, some more distant nearby strokes where captured on video records for which limited data were acquired. Instrumentation deployment chronological milestones, a summary of lightning strikes (direct and nearby), high speed video frames, downconductor currents, and dH/dt and dE/dt typical waveforms for direct and nearby strokes are presented in this paper.
The specificity of in vitro chromatin transcription

Abstract The in vitro transcription of chicken reticulocyte chromatin with E. coli RNA polymerase has been studied in several different ways. The amount of globin RNA sequences has been measured by hybridizing the transcript with globin cDNA; we show that under the proper conditions mercurated transcript RNA can be separated from endogenous RNA on sulfhydryl affinity columns. The amount of globin RNA in the transcript is approximately 20 fold greater than that from erythrocyte chromatin or reticulocyte DNA. Although these data could be used to support the hypothesis of specific transcription, we show by RNA/RNA self hybridization of the transcript (which is at least 50% symmetric) and by hybridization of the transcript to unique DNA in vast RNA excess that the bulk of the chromatin transcript differs little from the transcript of naked DNA. Several explanations for these apparently contradictory results are offered with the most likely one being compatible with random transcription of at least most of the sequences in the chromatin.
Demand for Environmental Quality: A Spatial Hedonic Analysis

We first estimate the relationship between house prices and environmental disamenities using spatial statistics, confirming that nearby point-source pollutants depress house price. We then calculate implicit prices of environmental quality and related characteristics from the house price hedonics to estimate a demand curve for environmental quality, finding a price elasticity of demand of -0.12. We find evidence of significant spatial effects in both the hedonic and demand estimations. We find that environmental quality and school quality are purchased together (eta=-0.80), environmental quality and house size are substitutes (eta=0.91), and environmental quality and lot size are not related goods.
Invasion and Establishment of House Fly, Musca Domestica (Diptera: Muscidae), Parasites (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae) in New Caged-Layer Poultry Houses

Muscidifurax raptor, Spalangia undescribed sp. near drosophilae, S. cameroni, Pachycrepoideus vindemiae and Nasonia vitripennis invaded manure at new caged-layer poultry houses near Raleigh, North Carolina within 8 weeks after the chickens were placed in the houses. After these houses were in operation for 16 weeks. Spatangia endius and S. nigroaenea were also recovered. Spatangia nigra was the only parasite species new to the collections at these houses during the 2nd year of operation (1978). During the 2-year stLJdy, M. raptor, P. vindemiae and S. cameroni ranked 1st, 2nd and 3rd, respectively, in relative abun, dance of all parasites collected. M. raptor and P. vindemiae were abundam from June through November. S. cameroni was prevalent in late summer and fall, while the other Spalangia species and N. vitripennis were most abundant during the summer. Weekly sustained releases of a Florida strain of S. endius did not increase house fly pupal parasitism at these poultry houses; only 3 specimens of S. endius were recovered during 3 months (August-October) of releases of 18,000 parasites per week.
Laparoscopic Thrombectomy of Renal Angiomyolipoma Level III

PURPOSE: Renal angiomyolipoma (AML) is a benign tumor, corresponding to approximately 3% of solid renal tumors, which has in its composition endothelial cells, myocytes and adipocytes. One of the rare complications of this type of tumor is linfonodal involvement and tumor venous dissemination forming thrombus in the renal vein and inferior vena cava and may even reach the right atrium. Surgical treatment of this type of tumor is performed mainly by open surgery, but this video shows the laparoscopic approach for level III of angiomyolipoma, showing that this approach is feasible and reproducible by any trained and experienced surgeon. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Woman of 65 years with back pain, ultrasound examination showed a tumor in the right kidney, and follow-up computed tomography revealed aspects of angiomyolipoma. We performed radical nephrectomy with thrombectomy by laparoscopy. RESULTS: The patient recovered well, enjoying all the benefits of laparoscopic surgery. There were no complications during surgery. CONCLUSIONS: The surgical approach of laparoscopic renal angiomyolipoma is a perfectly feasible, bringing numerous benefits to the patient, and can establish itself as a breakthrough in treating this type of tumor