cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Nephrotoxicity of the BRAF Inhibitors Vemurafenib and Dabrafenib

Importance The selective BRAF inhibitors vemurafenib and dabrafenib have shown significant improvement in patient survival compared with standard therapy in BRAF V600–mutant metastatic melanoma. Observations We reviewed Food and Drug Administration Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) data for both agents for renal toxic effects. From July 2011 through June 2014, 132 cases of acute kidney injury in patients receiving vemurafenib therapy were reported. Renal injury was more common in men (85 men vs 47 women; P Conclusions and Relevance Vemurafenib seems to be more nephrotoxic than dabrafenib. This renal toxicity seems to be more prevalent among male patients with melanoma. On the basis of the few published case reports, the mode of injury seems to be tubular interstitial injury. Our findings suggest a need to monitor renal function and electrolyte levels in all patients who receive these drugs. Dermatologists, oncologists, and nephrologists need to be aware of this potential hazard.
Gender Differences in Aortic Neck Morphology in Patients with Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms Undergoing Elective Endovascular Aneurysm Repair.

Background Previous studies have demonstrated that women tend to have adverse aortic neck morphology leading to exclusion of some women from undergoing endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR). The objective of this study is to investigate differences in aortic neck morphology in men versus women, changes in the neck morphology and sac behavior after EVAR, and investigate how these features may influence outcomes. Methods We conducted a retrospective review of elective EVARs (2004–2013). We excluded patients who underwent elective EVAR with no postoperative imaging available and those patients with fenestrated repairs. Using TeraRecon and volumetric analysis, several features were investigated. These included percent thrombus, shape, length, angulation of the neck, and changes in neck and abdominal aortic aneurysm diameter. Results A total of 146 patients were found to meet inclusion criteria (115 men and 31 women) with similar baseline characteristics. Neck angulation was greater in women (23.9° vs. 13.5°; P P P P Conclusions Gender differences in neck characteristics and changes in neck morphology do not appear to adversely affect EVAR outcomes. Longer follow-up is necessary to further assess whether these findings are clinically durable.
The Class I Antigen-processing Pathway for the Membrane Protein Tyrosinase Involves Translation in the Endoplasmic Reticulum and Processing in the Cytosol

Formation of major histocompatibility complex class I-associated peptides from membrane proteins has not been thoroughly investigated. We examined the processing of an HLA-A*0201-associated epitope, YMDGTMSQV, that is derived from the membrane protein tyrosinase by posttranslational conversion of the sequence YMNGTMSQV. Only YMDGTMSQV and not YMNGTMSQV was presented by HLA-A*0201 on cells expressing full-length tyrosinase, although both peptides have similar affinities for HLA-A*0201 and are transported by TAP. In contrast, translation of YMNGTMSQV in the cytosol, as a minigene or a larger fragment of tyrosinase, led to the presentation of the unconverted YMNGTMSQV. This was not due to overexpression leading to saturation of the processing/conversion machinery, since presentation of the converted peptide, YMDGTMSQV, was low or undetectable. Thus, presentation of unconverted peptide was associated with translation in the cytosol, suggesting that processing of the full-length tyrosinase occurs after translation in the endoplasmic reticulum. Nevertheless, presentation of YMDGTMSQV in cells expressing full-length tyrosinase was TAP (transporter associated with antigen processing) and proteasome dependent. After inhibition of proteasome activity, tyrosinase species could be detected in the cytosol. We propose that processing of tyrosinase involves translation in the endoplasmic reticulum, export of full-length tyrosinase to the cytosol, and retransport of converted peptides by TAP for association with HLA-A*0201.
Triage Framework for Resource Conservation in a Speaker Identification System

We present a novel framework for triaging (prioritizing and discarding) data to conserve resources for a speaker identification (SID) system. Our work is motivated by applications that require a SID system to process an overwhelming volume of audio data. We design a triage filter whose goal is to conserve recognizer resources while preserving relevant content. We propose triage methods that use signal quality assessment tools, a scaled-down version of the main recognizer itself, and a fusion of these measures. We define a new precision-based measure of effectiveness for our triage framework. Our experimental results with the 35-speaker tactical SID corpus bear out the validity of our approach.
Community, consensus, coercion, control: cs*w or how policy mediates mass participation

When large groups cooperate, issues of conflict and control surface because of differences in perspective. Managing such diverse views is a persistent problem in cooperative group work. The Wikipedian community has responded with an evolving body of policies that provide shared principles, processes, and strategies for collaboration. We employ a grounded approach to study a sample of active talk pages and examine how policies are employed as contributors work towards consensus. Although policies help build a stronger community, we find that ambiguities in policies give rise to power plays. This lens demonstrates that support for mass collaboration must take into account policy and power.
Review of “Pastoralism and Development in Africa: Dynamic Change at the Margins” edited by Andy Catley, Jeremy Lind, and Ian Scoones

Catley, A, Lind J, and Scoones I, eds. 2013. Pastoralism and Development in Africa: Dynamic Change at the Margins. London: Routledge and Earthscan. Pp. 295. ISBN-13: 978-0-415-54071-1 (hardcover), ISBN-13: 978-0-415-54072-8 (paperback), ISBN-13: 978-0-203-10597-9 (e-book).
The IEM Movie Box Office Market: Integrating Marketing and Finance Using Electronic Markets

The Iowa Electronic Markets Movie Box Office Market forecasting and trading exercise is an important new form of Internet-based experiential learning. In this experience, students proceed beyond problem analysis to decision making in a situation in which their actions have real-dollar implications. From the exercise, students develop important marketing, finance, and technology skills. Instructors benefit from having a unifying activity to illustrate interesting aspects of new product development, pricing, and decision-making biases.
A Holistic Approach for Protein Secondary Structure Estimation from Infrared Spectra in H2O Solutions

We present an improved technique for estimating protein secondary structure content from amide I and amide III band infrared spectra. This technique combines the superposition of reference spectra of pure secondary structure elements with simultaneous aromatic side chain, water vapor, and solvent background subtraction. Previous attempts to generate structural reference spectra from a basis set of reference protein spectra have had limited success because of inaccuracies arising from sequential background subtractions and spectral normalization, arbitrary spectral band truncation, and attempted resolution of spectroscopically degenerate structure classes. We eliminated these inaccuracies by defining a single mathematical function for protein spectra, permitting all subtractions, normalizations, and amide band deconvolution steps to be performed simultaneously using a single optimization algorithm. This approach circumvents many of the problems associated with the sequential nature of previous methods, especially with regard to removing the subjectivity involved in each processing step. A key element of this technique was the calculation of reference spectra for ordered helix, unordered helix, sheet, turns, and unordered structures from a basis set of spectra of well-characterized proteins. Structural reference spectra were generated in the amide I and amide III bands, both of which have been shown to be sensitive to protein secondary structure content. We accurately account for overlaps between amide and nonamide regions and allow different structure types to have different extinction coefficients. The agreement between our structure estimates, for proteins both inside and outside the basis set, and the corresponding determinations from X-ray crystallography is good.
A Dilution-Stain for Direct Enumeration of Avian Blood Cells

Abstract Numerous workers have searched for a direct method for the enumeration of avian blood cells. Erythrocytes are easily counted but leukocytes are difficult to enumerate. Dennington and Lucas (1955) and Machado (1951) used the Rees-Ecker method for direct counts of erythrocytes and leukocytes. We have tried various methods but none seemed selective enough for accurate leukocyte and thrombocyte counts. PROCEDURE The dilution-stain used is a modification of the Rees-Ecker method (McClung's 1950), made by mixing 3.8 gm. of sodium citrate, 0.2 gm. brilliant cresyl blue, 0.2 gm. methyl red, then adding 100 ml. of distilled water and 2.5 ml. neutralized formalin. It must be filtered each time before using. Only two weeks supply should be made at one time. Following the usual procedure for counting blood cells, using clean glassware, the blood sample is drawn from a freely flowing drop of heparinized blood to the 1.0 mark in a red …
Capturing the Behavior of Bubbles and Drops Using the Variational Level Set Approach

We reproduce the general behavior of complicated bubble and droplet motions using the variational level set formulation introduced by the authors earlier. Our approach here ignores inertial effects; thus the motion is only correct as an approximation for very viscous problems. However, the steady states are true equilibrium solutions. Inertial forces will be added in future work. The problems include: soap bubbles colliding and merging, drops falling or remaining attached to a (generally irregular) ceiling, and liquid penetrating through a funnel in both two and three dimensions. Each phase is identified with a particular “level set” function. The zero level set of this function is that particular phase boundary. The level set functions all evolve in time through a constrained gradient descent procedure so as to minimize an energy functional. The functions are coupled through physical constraints and through the requirements that different phases do not overlap and vacuum regions do not develop. Both boundary conditions and inequality constraints are cast in terms of (either local or global) equality constraints. The gradient projection method leads to a system of perturbed (by curvature, if surface tension is involved) Hamilton?Jacobi equations coupled through a constraint. The coupling is enforced using the Lagrange multiplier associated with this constraint. The numerical implementation requires much of the modern level set technology; in particular, we achieve a significant speed up by using the fast localization algorithm of H.-K. Zhao, M. Kang, B. Merriman, D. Peng, and S. Osher.
Preparation and spectroscopic properties of multiluminophore luminescent oxygen and temperature sensor films.

A new luminescent oxygen and temperature sensor has been developed that utilizes two luminescent dyes, 5,10,15,20-tetrakis(pentafluorophenyl)porphyrin platinum(II) (PtTFPP, the oxygen sensor) and tris(1,10-phenanthroline)ruthenium(II) dichloride (Ruphen, the temperature sensor). The two dyes are dispersed in an oxygen-permeable polymer binder consisting of a copolymer of 4-tert-butylstyrene (tBS) and 2,2,2-trifluoroethyl methacrylate (p-tBS-co-TFEM). To alleviate energy transfer and other quenching interactions between the two luminescent dyes in the p-tBS-co-TFEM binder, the Ruphen temperature sensor is encapsulated in polyacrylonitrile (PAN) polymer nanospheres that are prepared by coprecipitation of PAN and Ruphen from N,N-dimethylformamide solution. The temperature and air-pressure response of the emission from the sensor film is fully characterized by using emission spectroscopy. The emission from the two luminescent dyes is spectrally well-separated. The intensity of the Ruphen emission varies stron...
Serotonin-immunoreactive neurons in the median protocerebrum and suboesophageal ganglion of the sphinx moth Manduca sexta.

Serotonin-immunoreactive neurons in the median protocerebrum and suboesophageal ganglion of the sphinx moth Manduca sexta were individually reconstructed. Serotonin immunoreactivity was detected in 19–20 bilaterally symmetrical pairs of interneurons in the midbrain and 10 pairs in the suboesophageal ganglion. These neurons were also immunoreactive with antisera against DOPA decarboxylase. All major neuropil regions except the protocerebral bridge are innervated by these neurons. In addition, efferent cells are serotonin-immunoreactive in the frontal ganglion (5 neurons) and the suboesophageal ganglion (2 pairs of neurons). The latter cells probably give rise to an extensive network of immunoreactive terminals on the surface of the suboesophageal ganglion and suboesophageal nerves. Most of the serotonin-immunoreactive neurons show a gradient in the intensity of immunoreactive staining, suggesting low levels of serotonin in cell bodies and dendritic arbors and highest concentrations in axonal terminals. Serotonin-immunoreactive cells often occur in pairs with similar morphological features. With one exception, all serotonin-immunoreactive neurons have bilateral projections with at least some arborizations in identical neuropil areas in both hemispheres. The morphology of several neurons suggests that they are part of neuronal feedback circuits. The similarity in the arborization patterns of serotonin-immunoreactive neurons raises the possibility that their outgrowing neurites experienced similar forces during embryonic development. The morphological similarities further suggest that serotonin-immunoreactive interneurons in the midbrain and suboesophageal ganglion share physiological characteristics.
Class dependent compressive-projection principal component analysis for hyperspectral image reconstruction

Random projections have been demonstrated to be an efficient dimensionality reduction technique for Hyperspectral Imagery (HSI). Compressive-Projection Principal Component Analysis (CPPCA) is an efficient receiver-side reconstruction technique that recovers HSI data from encore-side random projections. In this paper, after receiving random projections from the encoder, we utilize a relatively small amount of training (ground-truth) data to partition the image into several subsets (such that each subset represents a unique class/object) in the projected domain, and then employ the CPPCA reconstruction algorithm independently to every group. It is expected that such a class-dependent reconstruction of HSI data will be more reliable, since it is based on statistics that are representative of the dominant mixtures in the scene. Experimental results with HSI datasets reveal that the proposed method is superior in performance compared to traditional CPPCA.
Global analysis of aerosol particle characteristics

Abstract A technique is presented for global analysis of aerosol optical depth using satellite detected radiance from the NOAA AVHRR sensor. The technique also produces a measure of the slope of the aerosol size distribution from the spectral variation of scattered radiance. Global-scale summaries of aerosol optical depth and an aerosol particle size index are presented from April 1982 and 1983. The aerosol particle size index pattern from 1982 is compared to ship-measured oceanic dimethylsulfide (DMS) concentrations. Increases in the aerosol particle size index in the tropical Pacific Ocean are shown to be consistent with oceanic concentrations of DMS and subsequent particles formed by oxidation of DMS in the atmosphere.
Factors that Influence Attendance, Satisfaction, and Loyalty for Conventions

Convention loyalty was investigated in a survey of attendees at a major international convention. Five factors influenced both attendance and satisfaction: program, networking, external activities, location, and cost. Satisfaction exceeded motivation for destination-related attributes and matched motivation for program-related attributes. Behavioral loyalty was assessed with positive and negative indicators. Loyalty antecedents, namely emotional commitment and switching costs, were also rated. Emotional commitment was the strongest predictor of loyalty. Program satisfaction was a key determinant of intentions to return in the future or switch to a different convention. The findings have implications for meeting planners, associations, host properties, and event marketers.
Cutaneous mast cell heterogeneity: Response to antigen in atopic dogs

Abstract Because mast cells (MCs) in skin of atopic dogs are heterogeneous with respect to tissue fixation and staining properties, we determined the effect of antigen on each type of MC in vivo. Skin biopsies were done in anesthetized, ragweed-sensitized dogs before and at 1, 3, 6, and 24 hours after intradermal injections of ragweed antigen (n = 5) or glycerin diluent (n = 4). In each case, one biopsy specimen was fixed with formalin, and a second specimen from an adjacent abdominal site was fixed with basic lead acetate. In sections stained with Alcian blue, 49.7% more MCs (p 3 ; mean ± SEM) than in tissue fixed with formalin ("typical" MCs: 1955 ± 537/mm 3 ). After antigen, the number of "typical" MCs detectable in tissue sections progressively decreased during the 24-hour period, whereas the number of "atypical" MCs was lowest at 1 hour and had increased at 24 hours. After diluent, MC numbers did not change significantly over time. A late-phase response (LPR), detected clinically as induration and edema, was present 6 hours after antigen in four of five dogs, but LPR was not detected after diluent. The size of LPR was correlated (r = 0.85; p
Two deltons: An inseparable Schrödinger equation

Inseparable Schrodinger equations usually cannot be solved analytically. Most often their solutions are obtained numerically. It would be helpful to have an inseparable Schrodinger equation whose solution can be completely calculated. Perhaps more can be learned about appropriate wave function solutions of complex problems if the solutions of an inseparable Schrodinger equation, solved in terms of simple functions, are available. Such a study is possible using the Dirac delta function as the potential energy for two particles moving on a line. The Dirac delta function problem leads naturally to a consideration of the wave functions' symmetry properties. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2004
Tracking the Indonesian Throughflow

The Indonesian Throughflow, the passage of water from the western Pacific into the southeastern Indian Ocean, provides the main path by which climate signals are transferred between the Pacific and Indian Oceans. The volume, heat, and freshwater content carried by the throughflow affect both oceans as well as the regional climate.
CO2 climate sensitivity and snow-sea-ice albedo parameterization in an atmospheric GCM coupled to a mixed-layer ocean model

The snow-sea-ice albedo parameterization in an atmospheric general circulation model (GCM), coupled to a simple mixed-layer ocean and run with an annual cycle of solar forcing, is altered from a version of the same model described by Washington and Meehl (1984). The model with the revised formulation is run to equilibrium for 1 × CO2 and 2 × CO2 experiments. The 1 ×CO2 (control) simulation produces a global mean climate about 1° warmer than the original version, and sea-ice extent is reduced. The model with the altered parameterization displays heightened sensitivity in the global means, but the geographical patterns of climate change due to increased carbon dioxide (CO2) are qualitatively similar. The magnitude of the climate change is affected, not only in areas directly influenced by snow and ice changes but also in other regions of the globe, including the tropics where sea-surface temperature, evaporation, and precipitation over the oceans are greater. With the less-sensitive formulation, the global mean surface air temperature increase is 3.5 °C, and the increase of global mean precipitation is 7.12%. The revised formulation produces a globally averaged surface air temperature increase of 4.04 °C and a precipitation increase of 7.25%, as well as greater warming of the upper tropical troposphere. Sensitivity of surface hydrology is qualitatively similar between the two cases with the larger-magnitude changes in the revised snow and ice-albedo scheme experiment. Variability of surface air temperature in the model is comparable to observations in most areas except at high latitudes during winter. In those regions, temporal variation of the sea-ice margin and fluctuations of snow cover dependent on the snow-ice-albedo formulation contribute to larger-than-observed temperature variability. This study highlights an uncertainty associated with results from current climate GCMs that use highly parameterized snow-sea-ice albedo schemes with simple mixed-layer ocean models.
Biological Effects of an Ectopic Growth Hormone-Releasing Peptide in Cultured Adenohypophyseal Cells: Comparison with Growth Hormone-Releasing Activity of Porcine Hypothalamus*

We have examined the biological effects of a partially purified ectopic GH-releasing peptide (GHRF) in primary monolayer cultures of rat adenohypophyseal cells and compared them with the GH-releasing activity in an acetic acid extract of porcine stalk median eminence (pSME) and with dibutyryl cAMP (DBcAMP). Ectopic GHRF was isolated from a pancreatic islet adenoma and two abdominal carcinoid tumors metastatic to the liver obtained from patients with clinical manifestations of GH hypersecretion. Ectopic GHRF was partially purified by gel filtration chromatography on Sephadex G- 75 or by reverse phase high performance liquid chromatography. The GH-releasing activity of pSME was partially purified by reverse phase high performance liquid chromatography; the two preparations exhibited chromatographic dissimilarities. Both crude ectopic GHRF and pSME stimulated GH release in a dose-dependent manner and exhibited parallel dose-response curves. The potency of ectopic GHRF, however, was 22 times greater than that...
ICER: a tool for finding errors in a UML model

Detecting errors in an early phase of software development can help to reduce the cost of software systems. Many research attempts presented a fixed set of rules to help finding errors in a model. However, flexibility is one of the characteristics during software development. The correctness of a model usually depends on many factors such as development environments. The predefined rules usually fail to provide such flexibility. This paper will apply the idea from YACC/BISON to allow software engineers to define the validity of their application models in a profile. Central to the profile mechanism is the instance-of relation, which is established between an application model and a profile. As a result, engineers can first define the validity of an application in a profile and thus find errors in a model when the model is not a valid instance of the profile. Based on the profile mechanism, we build a tool, called ICER, which can automatically help developers to check the instance-of relation between a profile and an application model. As an example, we apply the reification of the Factory Method pattern to illustrate how the ICER tool helps to support error detection.
Restoring sight in blind cavefish

Summary Twenty-nine populations of the blind cavefish, Astyanax mexicanus, are known from different caves in North-Eastern Mexico (Figure 1). They evolved from eyed, surface-dwelling forms which only reached the area in the mid-Pleistocene [1]. Quantitative genetic analyses have shown that the evolutionary impairment of eye development — as well as the loss of pigmentation and other cave-related changes — results from mutations at multiple gene sites (‘eye loci') [2,3]. Eye loss has evolved independently at least three times [4,5] and at least some of the eye loci involved differ between the different cave populations [3]. Hybrids between blind cavefish from different caves have larger and better developed eye rudiments than their parents (Figure 2) [6], reflecting these independent origins and complementation [3,7,8]. Given the large number of mutations at different loci that have accumulated in these populations, we reasoned that hybridization among independently evolved populations might restore visual function. Here we demonstrate restoration of vision in cavefish whose immediate ancestors were blind and whose separate lineages may not have been exposed to light for the last one million years.
Cloning of a tyrosinase gene in Streptococcus thermophilus

The streptococcal cloning vector pIL253 (4.96-kbp, Emr) was used to introduce the Streptomyces antibioticus tyrosinase (mel) gene (1.56-kbp) into S. thermophilus, an important microbe in dairy fermentations. Electrotransformants of S. thermophilus ST128 contained 6.51-kbp recombinant plasmids which probed positively in Southern hybridizations with the biotin-labeled mel fragment. Western blots of cell extracts resolved by SDS-PAGE showed the presence of a ca. 31-kDa band thus confirming the synthesis of tyrosinase protein by genetic transformants.
Effect of Solvent on Tetrazolium Reaction

Abstract The rate of color development of a tetrazolium formazan is shown to be inversely proportional to the dielectric constant of the solvent medium and directly proportional to the hydrogen‐bonding capability of solvent mixtures having the same dielectric constant. The geometric isomers of the formazans have different absorbance maxima, and the wavelength of maximum absorbance of a mixture of formazans in different solvents depends upon which isomer predominates in that solvent. The trans‐syn ‐isomer (blue form) of blue tetrazolium has a maximum absorbance at 625 nm in dimethyl‐formamide while the trans‐anti ‐isomer (red form) absorbs at 517 nm in methanol. The absorbance maxima of the corresponding isomers of the formazans of triphenyltetrazolium occur at 535 and 485 nm, respectively. Water and/or methanol (to a lesser extent) are important in the stabilization of the trans‐anti ‐isomer, since the small size of these two substances allows them to form strong intermolecular hydrogen bonds with one or both nitrogen atoms of the azo linkage, thereby preventing the formation of the intramolecular hydrogen bonding exhibited by the trans‐syn ‐isomer. The formazan produced by the reaction of corticosteroids with tetrazolium in strongly basic media can lose a reduction unit and be reoxidized to the tetrazolium. This reaction is solvent dependent and occurs at a much faster rate in chloroform than in alcohol USP.
The Photophysics of Three Naphthylmethylene Malononitriles

The solvent dependence of the photophysical properties of three naphthylmethylene malononitriles, 1-(1-naphthalenylmethylene)-propanedinitrile (1-MN), 2-(2-naphthalenylmethylene)-propanedinitrile (2-MN), and 2-(3,4-dihydro-1(2H)-phenanthrenylidene)-propanedinitile (r2-MN), was studied in order to determine their potential utility as fluidity probes and to make comparisons to the better studied benzylidene malononitriles. Density functional calculations were used to understand the possible conformational states related to rotation about the vinyl–aromatic bond (“τ”). Absorption and emission frequencies, extinction coefficients, fluorescence quantum yields, and fluorescence lifetimes were measured in 11 representative solvents. Both the computational and experimental results indicate that the S0 → S1 transitions of these molecules have substantial charge-transfer character and produce highly polar excited states. Emission appears to result from relaxed S1 states which do not differ qualitatively from the Fr...
High resolution electron microscopy of some carbonaceous materials

SUMMARY The image contrast of extremely thin films of amorphous carbonaceous materials has been studied experimentally using thin supporting films of single crystal graphite. The use of thin specimens reduces the ‘overlap’ effect in imaging amorphous materials. Image contrast of their images was therefore interpreted by the ‘projected potential approximation’. Single sheets of graphitic carbon crystal were imaged with c perpendicular to the beam and their image details were compared with those of the amorphous carbon films. This comparison demonstrated that amorphous carbon films prepared by evaporation contained microcrystalline regions having graphitic structure.
Estimating online audiences: Understanding the limitations of competitive intelligence services

How much traffic does a Web site receive? While many may want to know the relative influence of someone else's site, generally only the site owner has access to accurate data. JavaScript-based Web analytics, such as Google Analytics or Omniture, are widely considered the gold standard for tracking audiences. These services are census- rather than sample-based. They also have the virtues of being entirely passive (requiring no input from the visitor) as well as providing true measures of behavior. If you're not the site owner, you'll have to use competitive intelligence services to estimate the traffic. These services a wide range of methodological approaches, generally recruiting panel members using an opt-in mechanism, sometimes mixing in anonymized data bought from Internet service providers. Three of the leading free services of this type are Alexa, Compete, and Quantcast. This study examines the methodology of these four methods of measuring online audiences. It compares the results from all three services using a panel of 18 Web sites that have agreed to share analytics data with the author. Results show high variability in the quality of the estimated audience data from competitive intelligence services. Using analytics as the reference, Compete underestimated traffic by more than 300 percent. Quantcast underestimated traffic by more than 200 percent. Confounding this pattern were occasional overestimates of traffic by these services. Alexa data, which is presented differently than Compete and Quantcast data, showed one significant correlation (page views) with analytics data, while three other variables showed no relationship to data from analytics. Overall, these services performed poorly. But are the data worthless? The report concludes with recommendations for understanding the limitations of competitive intelligence services and appropriately reporting audience activity based upon differing methodologies.
Bioengineered Human Arginase I with Enhanced Activity and Stability Controls Hepatocellular and Pancreatic Carcinoma Xenografts

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and pancreatic carcinoma (PC) cells often have inherent urea cycle defects rendering them auxotrophic for the amino acid l-arginine (l-arg). Most HCC and PC require extracellular sources of l-arg and undergo cell cycle arrest and apoptosis when l-arg is restricted. Systemic, enzyme-mediated depletion of l-arg has been investigated in mouse models and human trials. Non-human enzymes elicit neutralizing antibodies, whereas human arginases display poor pharmacological properties in serum. Co(2+) substitution of the Mn(2+) metal cofactor in human arginase I (Co-hArgI) was shown to confer more than 10-fold higher catalytic activity (k(cat)/K(m)) and 5-fold greater stability. We hypothesized that the Co-hArgI enzyme would decrease tumor burden by systemic elimination of l-arg in a murine model. Co-hArgI was conjugated to 5-kDa PEG (Co-hArgI-PEG) to enhance circulation persistence. It was used as monotherapy for HCC and PC in vitro and in vivo murine xenografts. The mechanism of cell death was also investigated. Weekly treatment of 8 mg/kg Co-hArgI-PEG effectively controlled human HepG2 (HCC) and Panc-1 (PC) tumor xenografts (P = .001 and P = .03, respectively). Both cell lines underwent apoptosis in vitro with significant increased expression of activated caspase-3 (P < .001). Furthermore, there was evidence of autophagy in vitro and in vivo. We have demonstrated that Co-hArgI-PEG is effective at controlling two types of l-arg-dependent carcinomas. Being a nonessential amino acid, arginine deprivation therapy through Co-hArgI-PEG holds promise as a new therapy in the treatment of HCC and PC.
The natural selection of altruistic traits

Proponents of the standard evolutionary biology paradigm explain human "altruism" in terms of either nepotism or strict reciprocity. On that basis our underlying nature is reduced to a function of inclusive fitness: human nature has to be totally selfish or nepotistic. Proposed here are three possible paths to giving costly aid to nonrelatives, paths that are controversial because they involve assumed pleiotropic effects or group selection. One path is pleiotropic subsidies that help to extend nepotistic helping behavior from close family to nonrelatives. Another is "warfare"-if and only if warfare recurred in the Paleolithic. The third and most plausible hypothesis is based on the morally based egalitarian syndrome of prehistoric hunter-gatherers, which reduced phenotypic variation at the within-group level, increased it at the between-group level, and drastically curtailed the advantages of free riders. In an analysis consistent with the fundamental tenets of evolutionary biology, these three paths are evaluated as explanations for the evolutionary development of a rather complicated human social nature.
Change-point analysis of mean annual rainfall data from Tucumán, Argentina.

The annual mean rainfall data from Tucuman, Argentina for the years 1884–1996 is revisited for an in-depth change-point analysis. Applying classical change detection statistics, we first demonstrate that change-point analysis under independence is invalid. Upon properly adjusting for dependence, it is found that a significant change has occurred in the mean of the data in and around 1956. The data analysis demonstrates that change detection statistics are sensitive to how the model variance is estimated. Moreover, the analysis shows that even marginally significant serial correlations among the observations can have a highly significant effect upon the variance estimate. Finally, the analysis illustrates that one should exercise care while implementing parametric or non-parametric methods in estimating the model variance, and one should be prepared for one of the methods outperforming the other. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
SOLOMON AND THE TWO PROSTITUTES

In popular consciousness, the occupation of the women in the Solomon judgement story of 1 Kings 3:16-28 is generally absent. This is often true of biblical criticism as well. The prostitution aspect is downplayed by being portrayed as a naturalised component of ancient Israelite society, effaced by emphasising the women as mothers or elided by focusing upon the story as mainly about Solomon’s virtuoso display of wisdom. Thus the significance of the story as one about and/or ideologically impacting prostitutes is not usually in the spotlight. What are the consequences of foregrounding the story element of prostitution? There are many analogies and similarities between the justice seeking prostitutes in 1 Kings 3:16-28 and stories of modern day activist prostitute women who are demanding justice and protesting the coercion and violence they experience in relation to current judicial/legal systems. This paper utilises feminist standpoint theory in order to read a biblical text in conjunction with the social experience of activist sex workers. This strategy privileges the non-hegemonic theory of sex work of prostitution rights activists in the San Francisco Bay Area. The activists of the Sex Worker Outreach Project (SWOP, ) interpret with me, a biblical scholar, this biblical story of Solomon and the two prostitutes in 1 Kings 3:16-28.
Development and evaluation of a method for the partial purification of immunoglobulins specific for Graves' disease.

Sera of patients with Graves' disease contain immunoglobulins (IgG) that bind to thyroid plasma membranes, inhibiting thereby the binding of [125I]bovine TSH to its receptors [TSH-binding inhibitory IgG (TBII)], activate adenylate cyclase, or do both. In this report, we describe a new method for the extensive purification of IgG specific to the serum of patients with Graves' disease, using receptor purification as the isolation technique and the TBII assay as an index of activity. Human thyroid tissue was considered an undesirable source of receptor for two reasons. First, the IgG of sera of patients with Graves' disease almost always contain antimicrosomal and/or antithyroglobulin antibodies found in patients with other thyroid diseases, especially Hashimoto's thyroiditis. Second, many preparations of IgG from normal sera display TBII activity, suggesting that normal IgG also bind to human thyroid plasma membranes. Consequently, guinea pig fat cell membranes (FCM), which contain a high affinity receptor ...
Aqueous sample introduction into a glow discharge device via a particle beam interface

Abstract A particle beam interface for the introduction of aqueous samples into glow discharge devices has been developed. With such an interface, both solids and solutions may be analyzed employing the same spectrochemical source without major reconfiguration. Data are presented which illustrate the efficiency of the solution desolvation process, the influence of liquid introduction on source operating parameters, and the effects of discharge parameters on analyte emission intensity. Analyte particle introduction is confirmed by scanning electron micrographs and X-ray emission spectra. Preliminary atomic emission spectra are presented illustrating the possible utility of this methodology for atomic spectroscopy employing glow discharge devices.
Tethering in RNA: An RNA-Binding Fragment Discovery Tool

Tethering has been extensively used to study small molecule interactions with proteins through reversible disulfide bond forming reactions to cysteine residues. We describe the adaptation of Tethering to the study of small molecule binding to RNA using a thiol-containing adenosine analog (ASH). Among 30 disulfide-containing small molecules screened for efficient Tethering to ASH-bearing RNAs derived from pre-miR21, a benzotriazole-containing compound showed prominent adduct formation and selectivity for one of the RNAs tested. The results of this screen demonstrate the viability of using thiol-modified nucleic acids to discover molecules with binding affinity and specificity for the purpose of therapeutic compound lead discovery.
Effects of association, frequency, and stimulus quality on naming words in the presence or absence of pseudowords

According to classical dual-route theory, effects of associative priming and frequency on the naming of printed words arise from lexical access and should be weak or absent when word names are assembled prelexically. Assembled naming would be more likely in a shallow orthography, especially in the presence of nonwords. This hypothesis was examined with the shallow Serbo-Croatian orthography. Interactions between association, frequency, and stimulus quality were also examined in both Serbo-Croatian and English. Contrary to classical dual-route theory, both lexical effects were found for naming words in Serbo-Croatian, with or without nonwords. Neither interaction was significant in Serbo-Croatian and only association X quality was significant in English. Discussion focused on (a) the claim that lexical effects on naming in a shallow orthography constitute prima facie evidence against either prelexical phonology or the orthographic depth hypothesis, and (b) the possible factorization of frequency and active associative knowledge in naming words.
On sophists and philosophers

(1963). On sophists and philosophers. The Southern Speech Journal: Vol. 29, No. 2, pp. 146-149.
The site and sequence of action of 6-aminonicotinamide in causing bone malformations of embryonic chick limb and its relationship to normal development

Abstract The results reported here include the following findings: (1) 6-aminonicotinamide (6AN) affects cartilage-producing cells, resulting in subsequent bone malformations. (2) 6AN causes chondrogenic cells to degenerate, a process morphologically similar to that previously described for the action of 6AN on chick limb mesodermal cells in vitro. (3) 6AN acts on the process of phenotypic expression or the newly determined chondrocyte as opposed to acting on mature chondrocytes. Degenerative effects in the limb are not observed until stage 25 corresponding to the first appearance of stainable cartilaginous matrix material. Also, 6AN acts on older embryos to produce zones of degeneration of cartilage involving a process, again, morphologically similar to that described for the action of 6AN on chick limb mesodermal cells in vitro, and again this process does not seem to affect mature chondrocytes. (4) 6AN is effective for a relatively short period, about 36 hr after its introduction into the egg, as shown by the inability of nicotinamide to completely counteract 6AN-caused effects. These observations and others are used to discuss the mode of action of nicotinamide-sensitive teratogens as well as the role of nicotinamide in influencing the expression of limb mesodermal cells into myogenic and chondrogenic phenotypes.
A hybrid circuit to indicate the presence of alpha activity.

A circuit is described which, in conjunction with an analog filter, greatly increases the accuracy of the identification of EEG alpha activity. With minor modifications, the same circuit may be used to identify other EEG frequency bands. Construction is simplified through the use of integrated circuits. A functional description and circuit details are given.
Induction of natural killer cell activity of thoracic duct lymphocytes by polyinosinic-polycytidylic acid (poly(I:C)) or interferon

Natural killer (NK) cell activity of thoracic duct lymphocytes (TDL) was examined in normal mice and in mice treated with polyinosinic-polycytidylic acid (poly(I:C) and interferon (IFN). TDL from mice treated with phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) expressed little or no NK cell activity against YAC-1 target cells at effector-to-target ratios of up to 200:1, even after in vitro treatment with murine L-cell IFN. In contrast, TDL from poly(I:C)- or IFN-treated mice expressed significant NK activity, which correlated with the significantly higher NK activity of splenocytes from these mice compared to the NK activity of splenocytes from PBS-treated mice. These data indicate that although TDL from normal mice express no detectable NK cell activity, NK cell activity can be induced in TDL by in vivo treatment with poly(I:C) or IFN.
An essential role for a CD36-related receptor in pheromone detection in Drosophila

The CD36 family of transmembrane receptors is present across metazoans and has been implicated biochemically in lipid binding and transport. Several CD36 proteins function in the immune system as scavenger receptors for bacterial pathogens and seem to act as cofactors for Toll-like receptors by facilitating recognition of bacterially derived lipids. Here we show that a Drosophila melanogaster CD36 homologue, Sensory neuron membrane protein (SNMP), is expressed in a population of olfactory sensory neurons (OSNs) implicated in pheromone detection. SNMP is essential for the electrophysiological responses of OSNs expressing the receptor OR67d to (Z)-11-octadecenyl acetate (cis-vaccenyl acetate, cVA), a volatile male-specific fatty-acid-derived pheromone that regulates sexual and social aggregation behaviours. SNMP is also required for the activation of the moth pheromone receptor HR13 by its lipid-derived pheromone ligand (Z)-11-hexadecenal, but is dispensable for the responses of the conventional odorant receptor OR22a to its short hydrocarbon fruit ester ligands. Finally, we show that SNMP is required for responses of OR67d to cVA when ectopically expressed in OSNs not normally activated by pheromones. Because mammalian CD36 binds fatty acids, we suggest that SNMP acts in concert with odorant receptors to capture pheromone molecules on the surface of olfactory dendrites. Our work identifies an unanticipated cofactor for odorant receptors that is likely to have a widespread role in insect pheromone detection. Moreover, these results define a unifying model for CD36 function, coupling recognition of lipid-based extracellular ligands to signalling receptors in both pheromonal communication and pathogen recognition through the innate immune system.
THE DIATOM FLORA OF PHOSPHORUS-ENRICHED AND UNENRICHED SITES IN AN EVERGLADES MARSH

Diatoms are used as environmental indicators in the Florida Everglades, a large subtropical wetland highly impacted by phosphorus pollution. However, the taxonomy of the diatom flora, a mix of temperate and tropical diatoms, is understudied. Therefore, we analyzed the taxonomy of 71 diatom taxa collected in Water Conservation Area 2A (WCA-2A). Diatoms were analyzed from sediment cores and from floating algal mats collected in phosphorus- enriched northern WCA-2A and in relatively unenriched southern WCA-2A. In addition, diatoms were analyzed from experimental mesocosms in southern WCA-2A dosed with 0–126 μgL−1 P-PO4. Total phosphorus optima were calculated for dominant taxa. Average percent abundances in phosphorus-enriched and unenriched conditions are given for all taxa. Eleven taxa were dominant (>5% abundance in at least one sample) in unenriched conditions, 17 taxa were observed only in phosphorus-enriched conditions, and 9 taxa were observed only below 2 cm in sediment cores. We compared the flora t...
Coercive Forms of Sexual Risk and Associated Violence Perpetrated by Male Partners of Female Adolescents

CONTEXT: Partner violence is associated with STDs among female adolescents, but the mechanisms underlying this association remain unclear. Sexually coercive and deceptive behaviors of male partners that increase female STD risk may be factors in this relationship. METHODS: A sample of 356 females aged 14-20 who attended adolescent health clinics in Greater Boston between April and December 2006 were assessed for physical and sexual violence perpetrated by male partners and for exposure to sexual risk factors. Adjusted logistic regression models were used to examine the associations between intimate partner violence and standard sexual risk behaviors (e.g., multiple partnerships) and coercive or deceptive sexual risk factors (e.g., coerced condom nonuse). RESULTS: More than two-fifths of the sample had experienced intimate partner violence. In adjusted analyses, adolescents reporting intimate partner violence were more likely than others to report standard sexual risk behaviors-multiple partners, anal sex and unprotected anal sex (odds ratios, 1.7-2.2). They also were more likely to report coercive or deceptive sexual risk factors-partner sexual infidelity, fear of requesting condom use, negative consequences of condom request, and coerced condom nonuse (2.9-5.3). CONCLUSION: The high prevalence of intimate partner violence against young women attending adolescent clinics strongly indicates the need to target this population for abuse-related interventions. This need is underlined by the observed association between partner violence and sexual risk involving coercion or deception by male partners. Clinic-based STD and pregnancy prevention efforts should include assessment of sexual risk factors that are beyond the control of young women, particularly for those experiencing abuse. Language: en