cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Answering vertex aggregate queries using anonymized social network data

As social network data contain rich information about individuals, privacy becomes a critical concern in publishing and exchanging social network data. The existing approaches for privacy-preserving social network data publishing have to modify the local structures of a network substantially which may lead to considerable loss in answering some vertex aggregate queries (e.g., analyzing the degree distribution of vertices). In this paper, we propose a graph partitioning framework to anonymize social network data against degree attacks. A distinct advantage of our approach is that the anonymized social network data can be used to answer some vertex aggregate queries accurately. An empirical study using a large real dataset clearly verifies the effectiveness of our approach.
Information processing complexity and gaming behavior: The prisoner's dilemma

The interpretation of prisoner's dilemma (PD) research is often difficult due to conflicting and/or mixed results. In examining variables other than the payoff matrices, two lines of research have emerged: studying personality variables as they affect play and examining the effects of various situational variables such as seating arrangement or availability of communication. The present study contends that since the manipulation of situational variables in effect alters the information each S has about the game, the other player or both, then a relevant organismic variable might well be the information processing characteristics of the players. To examine this possibility 36 pairs of male Ss played a 60-trial iterative PD in one of two conditions: face-to-face; or in separate rooms. Half of the Ss were abstract information processors (AIP), and half were concrete (CIP). S pairs were formed on the basis of the level of information processing complexity (LIP) of the members. These pairs were then assigned to one of three conditions which were based upon the LIP of the Ss. The resultant groups were: AIP-AIP, AIP-CIP, and CIP-CIP. It was predicted that LIP and information available about the other S would be nonindependent with respect to cooperation, defections, and money won. The results supported the hypothesis for cooperation and defection, but not for the money won. An examination of the interaction of the independent variables suggested that AIPs and CIPs approach this task differently, and develop their strategies from different types of information.
Insulin Rapidly Increases Diacylglycerol by Activating De Novo Phosphatidic Acid Synthesis

The mechanisms whereby insulin increases diacylglycerol in BC3H-1 myocytes were examined. When [3H]arachidonate labeling of phospholipids was used as an indicator of phospholipase C activation, transient increases in [3H]diacylglycerol were observed between 0.5 and 10 minutes after the onset of insulin treatment. With [3H]glycerol labeling as an indicator of de novo phospholipid synthesis, [3H]diacylglycerol was increased maximally at 1 minute and remained elevated for 20 minutes. [3H]Glycerol-labeled diacylglycerol was largely derived directly from phosphatidic acid. Insulin increased de novo phosphatidic acid synthesis within 5 to 10 seconds; within 1 minute, this synthesis was 60 times greater than that of controls. Thus, the initial increase in diacylglycerol is due to both increased hydrolysis of phospholipids and a burst of de novo phosphatidic acid synthesis. After 5 to 10 minutes, de novo phosphatidic acid synthesis continues as a major source of diacylglycerol. Both phospholipid effects of insulin seem important for generating diacylglycerol and other phospholipid-derived intracellular signaling substances.
Detection of intracellular Ca2+ transients in sympathetic neurones using arsenazo III.

Changes in cytosolic calcium ion concentration ([Ca2+]i) have been implicated in a wide variety of cellular stimulus–transduction roles1–3. In nerve cells, it is believed that electrical activity raises [Ca2+]i, by allowing influx of Ca2+ through voltage-dependent channels in the surface membrane4,5. Elevation of neuronal [Ca2+]i may also occur due to release of Ca2+ from intracellular storage sites6–8. Transient increases in [Ca2+]i are thought to trigger neurotransmitter release9, and to modulate axonal transport10, energy metabolism11 and growth cone movement12. Intracellular Ca2+ also appears to regulate membrane potassium channels and thereby to regulate electrical excitability13. Although [Ca2+]i transients have been measured in a few giant invertebrate neurones14, detection of such transients in a vertebrate neurone has not been previously reported. We have measured [Ca2+]i in bullfrog sympathetic neurones by photometry of a microinjected calcium indicator dye, arsenazo III (refs 14–16), and report here that action potentials and voltage-clamped depolarizations cause long-lasting increases in [Ca2+]i. Also, exposure to the drug theophylline can cause spontaneous periodic increases in [Ca2+]i. Comparisons of [Ca2+]i signals with simultaneous intracellular recordings of membrane potential suggest that the kinetics of the post-tetanic hyperpolarization (PTH) following a series of action potentials or the spontaneous hyperpolarizations induced by theophylline directly reflect the kinetics of the [Ca2+]i, transient.
Magnesium depletion in patients treated with therapeutic hypothermia after cardiac arrest

Magnesium (Mg(2+)) depletion can have detrimental effects in postcardiac arrest patients through multiple potential mechanisms. Therapeutic hypothermia (TH) produces a Mg(2+) diuresis, but the effects of postcardiac arrest TH on serum Mg(2+) levels in patients with postcardiac arrest syndrome (PCAS) are yet to be systematically quantified. We conducted a retrospective chart review of 119 consecutive comatose PCAS patients treated with TH between 2005 and 2010 and compared them to 33 matched historic controls (HCs) seen at the same institution between 2002 and 2005 who were not treated with TH. We abstracted data from the first 96 hours postarrest, including date, time, and value of serum Mg(2+) levels and date, time, and amount of Mg(2+) repletion, along with outcomes at discharge. The median Mg(2+) level of TH patients was 2.0 mg/dL [interquartile range (IQR), 1.9-2.2 mg/dL] (0.82 mmol/L [IQR, 0.78-0.90 mmol/L]) versus 2.2 mg/dL [IQR, 1.9-2.4 mg/dL] (0.90 mmol/L [IQR, 0.82-0.99 mmol/L]) (p=0.2) in HCs. In addition, 42.9% (520/1214) of Mg(2+) levels in TH patients versus 31.9% (43/135) (p=0.014) in HC patients were below 2.0 mg/dL [0.82 mmol/L]. The average number of times the Mg(2+) level was checked in TH patients was 10.2 (range 1-18) versus 4.1 (range 1-10) in HCs. The TH patients were more likely to receive supplemental Mg(2+) than HCs (81.5% [97/119] vs. 27.3% [9/33] [p<0.01]). The mean supplemental Mg(2+) dose was 1.9 g for TH patients versus 0.5 g for HC patients. Mortality in patients treated with TH was 53.1% (60/113) versus 78.6% (22/28) (p=0.014) in HCs. Low serum Mg(2+) levels with subsequent Mg(2+) supplementation were more common in comatose patients with PCAS treated with TH compared to normothermic HC patients. The effect of untreated hypomagnesemia on postcardiac arrest outcomes remains to be determined.
Transition from superconductivity to heavy-fermion behavior in U-doped Lu 2 Fe 3 Si 5

In the superconductor ${\mathrm{Lu}}_{2}$${\mathrm{Fe}}_{3}$${\mathrm{Si}}_{5}$ (${\mathit{T}}_{\mathit{c}}$=6.25 K) lutetium can be replaced by uranium up to a maximum of 40% [(${\mathrm{Lu}}_{0.6}$${\mathrm{U}}_{0.4}$${)}_{2}$${\mathrm{Fe}}_{3}$${\mathrm{Si}}_{5}$], maintaining the original P4/mnc structure. When the uranium content in (${\mathrm{Lu}}_{1\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}\mathit{x}}$${\mathrm{U}}_{\mathit{x}}$${)}_{2}$${\mathrm{Fe}}_{2}$${\mathrm{Si}}_{5}$ is increased the superconductivity vanishes and a heavy-fermion state is built up. Already for small amounts of uranium there is a strong suppression of superconductivity (${\mathit{T}}_{\mathit{c}}$=1.8 K for x=0.01). According to the Abrikosov-Gorkov theory this suppression can be described by a strong exchange coupling between the uranium 5f electrons and the conduction electrons. In agreement with this high exchange coupling we detect drastically reduced magnetic (uranium) moments. For low dopings (x0.1) there is no significant change of the Sommerfeld parameter \ensuremath{\gamma}. When the U content exceeds xg0.1 there is a strong \ensuremath{\gamma} increase. The enhanced specific heat remains unchanged when the sample is exposed to a magnetic field of 13 T. This field-independent specific heat, the screened magnetic moments, and the Wilson ratio \ensuremath{\chi}/\ensuremath{\gamma} corroborate that the increase in \ensuremath{\gamma} is indeed indicative of an enhanced effective mass and not a result of magnetic entropy.Just like in other U-based systems (e.g., ${\mathrm{UPt}}_{3}$ and ${\mathrm{UBe}}_{13}$) the evolution of the heavy-fermion state in (${\mathrm{U}}_{\mathit{x}}$${\mathrm{Lu}}_{1\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}\mathit{x}}$${)}_{2}$${\mathrm{Fe}}_{3}$${\mathrm{Si}}_{5}$ cannot merely be explained by a pure single-ion Kondo effect. The fact that the \ensuremath{\gamma} enhancement begins only after the U content exceeds xg0.1 points out that collective phenomena (i.e., interaction between the U ions) play a decisive role for the evolution of the heavy-fermion state in this system. Cerium-doped samples (${\mathrm{Lu}}_{1\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}\mathit{x}}$${\mathrm{Ce}}_{\mathit{x}}$${)}_{2}$${\mathrm{Fe}}_{3}$${\mathrm{Si}}_{5}$ revealed a distinctly weaker ${\mathit{T}}_{\mathit{c}}$ suppression (${\mathit{T}}_{\mathit{c}}$=1.9 K for x=0.1), less reduced magnetic moments, and no significant \ensuremath{\gamma} enhancement.
The teratogenic effects of 6‐mercaptopurine on chick embryos in ovo

Fertilized eggs of single-combed White Leghorn hens were each injected through a shell window directly beneath the embryo at 70 or 96 h of incubation with 2 mg of the sodium salt of 6-MP dissolved in 0.1 M phosphate buffer, and at 11 days of incubation the embryos were examined for gross morphological abnormalities. Various gross malformations and growth retardation were found, the most frequently and severely affected structures being limbs, beak, and eyes. Treatment at 70 h caused more severe abnormalities than at 96 h, but the spectrum of defects was not very different.
Phosphorylation of the Pro-apoptotic Protein BIK: MAPPING OF PHOSPHORYLATION SITES AND EFFECT ON APOPTOSIS

BIK is a pro-apoptotic BCL-2 family member and is the founding member of a subfamily of pro-apoptotic proteins known as "BH3-alone" proteins. Ectopic expression of BIK induces apoptosis in variety of mammalian cells. BIK complexes with various anti-apoptotic BCL-2 family proteins such as adenovirus E1B-19K and BCL-2 via the BH3 domain. However, the heterodimerization activity of BIK alone is insufficient for its apoptotic activity. Previous studies have shown that phosphorylation regulates the functional activity of both anti-apoptotic and pro-apoptotic members of the BCL-2 family. Here, we have examined phosphorylation of BIK and its effect on the apoptotic activity of BIK. We show that BIK exists as a phosphoprotein and is phosphorylated at residues 33 (threonine) and 35 (serine). Mutation of the phosphorylation sites, in which the Thr and Ser residues were changed to alanine residues, reduced the apoptotic activity of BIK without significantly affecting its ability to heterodimerize with BCL-2. Our results suggest that phosphorylation of BIK is required for eliciting efficient apoptotic activity. Partial purification of the protein kinase from HeLa cell cytoplasmic extracts suggest that BIK may be phosphorylated by a casein kinase II-related enzyme.
Organelle-specific zinc detection using zinpyr-labeled fusion proteins in live cells.

A protein labeling approach is employed for the localization of a zinc-responsive fluorescent probe in the mitochondria and in the Golgi apparatus of living cells. ZP1, a zinc sensor of the Zinpyr family, was functionalized with a benzylguanine moiety and thus converted into a substrate (ZP1BG) for the human DNA repair enzyme alkylguaninetransferase (AGT or SNAP-Tag). The labeling reaction of purified glutathione S-transferase tagged AGT with ZP1BG and the zinc response of the resulting protein-bound sensor were confirmed in vitro. The new detection system, which combines a protein labeling methodology with a zinc fluorescent sensor, was tested in live HeLa cells expressing AGT in specific locations. The enzyme was genetically fused to site-directing proteins that anchor the probe onto targeted organelles. Localization of the zinc sensors in the Golgi apparatus and in the mitochondria was demonstrated by fluorescence microscopy. The protein-bound fluroescence detection system is zinc-responsive in living ...
Acute toxicity of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin to Mink

The effects of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodi-benzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) on adult male mink were assessed. TCDD was administered as a single oral dose (0, 2.5, 5.0, and 7.5 μg/kg body weight) and the mink observed for 28 days. There was a dose dependent decrease in feed consumption with corresponding body weight loss. Gross necropsy revealed mottling and discoloration of the liver, spleen, and kidneys. In mink exposed to higher doses of TCDD, brain, kidneys, heart, and thyroid and adrenal glands were enlarged when expressed as a percent of body weight. Hematologic and thyroid hormone measurements in surviving animals revealed no alterations resulting from TCDD exposure. A 28-day LD50 value of 4.2 μg/kg body weight was calculated. These results indicate that mink are among the most sensitive species to TCDD and that they can serve as a valuable model to study the impact of environmental dioxins on carnivorous mammalian species.
The shaping of European immigration policy during the past decade

The process set in place in 1999 in Tampere anticipated the development of supranational decision-making in the development of immigration policy. Nevertheless, there has been an accelerating process of intergovernmental agreements, not only around border control, but also around integration and visa controls. While the supra-national initiatives by the Commission that have dealt with the harmonisation of immigration policies have generally languished, the intergovernmental initiatives that have focused on enhanced immigration control and security considerations, and have made considerable progress.
Moyamoya Disease in Adults: The Role of Cerebral Revascularization

Moyamoya disease is a disorder characterized by bilateral progressive steno-occlusion of the terminal internal carotid arteries with associated development of a fragile network of basal collateral vessels. It most commonly presents in children, but is also frequently seen in adults, especially in the third or fourth decade of life. Adults afflicted with this disease have very different clinical characteristics as compared with children. For example, adults more commonly present with hemorrhage than cerebral ischemia, while children present with cerebral ischemia nearly 75% of the time and very rarely present with hemorrhage. This significantly impacts treatment considerations for the adult-onset moyamoya patient, as cerebral revascularization, though well accepted in the context of cerebral ischemia, is relatively controversial for the prevention of rehemorrhage. The purpose of this article is to review the pertinent general features of moyamoya disease, examine the clinical characteristics associated with the adult-onset form of this disease, and provide a detailed discussion regarding the indications, operative techniques, and outcomes of direct and indirect revascularization surgical procedures.
LIGHTNESS CONSTANCY FROM LUMINANCE CONTRAST

To discount effects of uneven illumination we have designed and tested a neural network that can adaptively control light sensitivity at the photosensor level. Our neural network architecture simulates the ON channel response of the visual system using multiple layers of hexagonally arranged nodes having partially overlapping receptive fields of different spatial frequencies. Feedforward connections are excitatory while feedback pathways subserve lateral inhibition. The outputs of these nodes are combined so as to maximize the signal to noise ratio while providing constant feedback that resets photosensor thresholds to maintain high sensitivity. A sparse primitive interpolation technique was applied to the ensemble output of the sensitivity control module to determine if it sufficiently encodes surface reflectance. The motivation is to determine to what extent the ratio principle, as captured by the sensitivity control system, explains the lightness constancy phenomenon and whether information contained within an ON channel response is adequate to reconstruct the surface lightness. Our connectionist architecture can account for many characteristics attributed to the lightness constancy phenomenon observed in biological systems. The results suggest that our module maintains high sensitivity across a large range of intensities without interfering with the transmission of visual information embedded in the spatial discontinuities of intensity. However, the amplitude of the luminance derivative as encoded in ON channel responses is not sufficient to approximate surface reflectance.
Two methods of Haustral fold detection from computed tomographic virtual colonoscopy images

Virtual colonoscopy (VC) has gained popularity as a new colon diagnostic method over the last decade. VC is a new, less invasive alternative to the usually practiced optical colonoscopy for colorectal polyp and cancer screening, the second major cause of cancer related deaths in industrial nations. Haustral (colonic) folds serve as important landmarks for virtual endoscopic navigation in the existing computer-aided-diagnosis (CAD) system. In this paper, we propose and compare two different methods of haustral fold detection from volumetric computed tomographic virtual colonoscopy images. The colon lumen is segmented from the input using modified region growing and fuzzy connectedness. The first method for fold detection uses a level set that evolves on a mesh representation of the colon surface. The colon surface is obtained from the segmented colon lumen using the Marching Cubes algorithm. The second method for fold detection, based on a combination of heat diffusion and fuzzy c-means algorithm, is employed on the segmented colon volume. Folds obtained on the colon volume using this method are then transferred to the corresponding colon surface. After experimentation with different datasets, results are found to be promising. The results also demonstrate that the first method has a tendency of slight under-segmentation while the second method tends to slightly over-segment the folds.
Photovoltaic properties of a carbon film/silicon heterojunction

Abstract Carbon film deposited by glow discharge decomposition of methane on a silicon crystal substrate shows a fine crystalline diamond structure with a minor graphitic component and p-type conductivity. A highly sensitive photovoltaic response to weak light has been observed in this system and is reported here.
Illumination, mask, and tool effects on pattern and probe-based aberration monitors

The practicality and manufacturability of pattern and probe-based aberration monitors for characterizing optical lithography tools in light of tool and mask performance issues is investigated via simulation. The effects of the partial coherence of the illumination, the use of off-axis illumination, alignment optics obscuration, mask pixel size, and intensity imbalance effects on the ability of the pattern and probe aberration monitors to quantify residual aberrations at levels approaching 0.01(lambda) rms is assessed. Targets from nine rectangles to over 100 rectangles, in sizes up to seven rings were simulated with SPLAT under various illumination conditions. Results show that the targets respond best for nearly coherent illumination ((sigma) equals 0.1 to 0.2). Phase-compensation for reversal in sign of the mutual coherence function is shown to be feasible and will be essential for off-axis illumination. While the intensity imbalance for phase shifting masks can be significant, the affect on the aberration measurement is relatively small.
Daniel Hale Williams: pioneer Black surgeon and educator.

The 19th century was difficult for African-Americans seeking a medical education since few schools admitted black students, and the public, including many black patients, had doubts about their cap...
Averting White Male (Ab)normality: Psychiatric Representations and Treatment of ‘Homosexuality’ in 1960s South Africa

South Africa arguably has the most progressive constitution in the world, one that includes the recognition of gay rights. However, just over four decades ago, when gay rights movements were gaining momentum worldwide, the South African government, in its homophobia, became increasingly vigilant at cracking down on any ‘homosexual’ activities within its borders. Heteropatriarchal views of sexuality in South Africa supported white male power structures, promoted binary ideas of masculinity and femininity, normalised heterosexuality, and determined social roles by biological sex. The state's control over the sexual activities of its population was more than just about controlling sexuality: it sought to prohibit interracial sex and to ensure that whites continued to propagate and retain political dominance. Ideas about homosexuality, in particular, threatened the Christian-nationalist procreative ideals of the apartheid government and increased fears about the perceived moral degeneration of society. Schola...
A generalized continuum theory for multiphase suspension flows

Abstract A continuum theory for multiphase particulate suspensions in a fluid media is formulated. The generalized fundamental balance laws for the particulate phases as well as for the continuous suspending fluid phase are presented. The thermodynamics of a multiphase system is studied and the method of Lagrangian multipliers is employed to include the constraints of incompressibility of materials of the constituents and the criterion for fully saturated media. Constitutive equations are developed which include microrotational and microdilatational effects. The basic equations of motion of different phases are derived and discussed. Special considerations are given to the case of incompressible constituents. Examples of applications of the present theory to dilute suspension flows and multiphase sedimentations are also discussed.
Genomic structure of the gene encoding the human GLI-related, Krüppel-like zinc finger protein GLIS2.

In this study, we describe the sequence and genomic structure of the human GLIS2 gene, encoding a new member of the Kruppel-like zinc finger protein family. GLIS2 is a relatively proline-rich, basic protein of 55.7 kDa in size. It contains five tandem Cys(2)-His(2) zinc finger motifs consisting of the consensus sequence X-Cys-X(2,4)-Cys-X(12,15)-His-X(3,4)-His-X. The sequence of the zinc finger domain exhibits highest homology with those of members of the GLI and ZIC subfamilies of Kruppel-like proteins. The zinc finger domain of GLIS2 exhibits highest (58%) homology with that of GLI-1. The human GLIS2 gene consists of six exons and five introns, and spans more than 7.5 kb. Primer extension identified several putative transcription initiation sites. GLIS2 mRNA is most abundantly expressed in human kidney suggesting a role in the regulation of certain kidney functions. The GLIS2 gene maps to human chromosome 16p13.3, a locus implicated in several human kidney diseases. The sequence and structure of human GLIS2 will be useful tools to study the regulation of GLIS2 and its potential role in human disease.
Molecular Imaging of Intracellular Drug–Membrane Aggregate Formation

Clofazimine is a lipophilic antibiotic with an extremely long pharmacokinetic half-life associated with the appearance of crystal-like drug inclusions, in vivo. Here, we studied how clofazimine accumulates inside cells in the presence of supersaturating, extracellular concentrations of the drug (in the range of physiological drug concentrations). Based on a combination of molecular imaging, biochemical analysis and electron microscopy techniques, clofazimine mass increased inside cells in vitro, over a period of several days, with discrete clofazimine inclusions forming in the cytoplasm. These inclusions grew in size, number and density, as long as the drug-containing medium was replenished. With Raman confocal microscopy, clofazimine's spectral signature in these inclusions resembled that of amorphous clofazimine precipitates and was unlike that of clofazimine crystals. Additional experiments revealed that clofazimine first accumulated in mitochondria, with ensuing changes in mitochondrial structure and function. In turn, the degenerating organelles coalesced, fused with each other and condensed to form prominent drug-membrane aggregates (dubbed autophagosome-like drug inclusions or "aldis"). Like clofazimine, it is possible that intracellular drug-membrane aggregate formation is a common phenomenon underlying the reported phenotypic effects of many other small molecule drugs.
To evacuate or not to evacuate: lessons learned from Louisiana nursing home administrators following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

Objectives To evaluate the "lessons learned" by Louisiana Nursing Home (NH) administrative directors (ADs) forced to make decisions relating to resident evacuation before Hurricanes Katrina and Rita and determine how emergency planning has changed in those NHs. Design Twenty in-depth telephone interviews followed by a focus group conducted in New Orleans. Setting Louisiana NHs in parishes affected by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Participants Twenty ADs employed by affected NHs during August and September 2005. Measurements Qualitative data sources consisted of transcribed telephone and focus group interviews. Data were analyzed using narrative summary analysis and descriptive data were tabulated using an abstraction tool. Results Nine of 20 NHs evacuated before the hurricanes and 11 sheltered in place. Six additional NHs evacuated following the storms. The most common perceived consequences related to the evacuation process were resident morbidity or mortality (6 of 15), transportation issues (5 of 15), and staffing deficiencies (3 of 15). Common findings among the NHs that sheltered in place included supply shortages (8 of 11), facility damage (5 of 11), and staffing issues (4 of 11). Conclusion Respondents noted 4 general themes during the interviews and focus group session: (1) ADs felt abandoned by the state and federal emergency response apparatus during and after the hurricanes, and continue to feel that they are not a priority; (2) there is substantial physical and technical difficulty in evacuating frail NH residents; (3) staff retention remains a critical problem regardless of the evacuation decision; (4) there are key "lessons learned" that can be incorporated into future disaster planning.
Presenting manifestations, cigarette smoking, and detection bias in age at diagnosis of lung cancer.

Abstract PURPOSE: To examine the possible role of detection bias in the association between amount of cigarette smoking and age at diagnosis of lung cancer. The bias can occur because primary lung cancer can often escape detection during life and will be found (if at all) as a “necropsy surprise” unless a diagnostic workup is provoked by such presenting manifestations as hemoptysis and a localized chest lesion. The necropsy surprises will be reduced and the reported rates of pre-mortem incidence will be raised if a cigarette smoking history also acts as a diagnostic incentive. METHODS: This possibility was examined in a case series of 1266 patients whose primary lung cancer had been carefully classified according to diverse features at the time of presentation. For the total case group and for pertinent clinical, anatomic, and demographic subgroups, we then examined the trends for age at diagnosis in relation to amount of cigarette smoking. RESULTS: The overall age at diagnosis (median = 63 years; mean = 61.2) remained essentially similar in five ordinal groups of Tumor, Nodes, Metastases (TNM) and four of five Clinical Severity stages, but had an inverse monotonic gradient in six ordinal groups of customary cigarette smoking [from none to >2 packs per day (ppd)]. Because an earlier age of discovery can be explained by either etiologic or detection-bias roles for heavier smoking, its impact was checked in subgroups with and without diagnostically provocative manifestations. In localized lesions, the smoking-age gradient vanished if suspicious “indicator” symptoms were present, but persisted if they were absent. Regardless of symptoms, the age gradient was strengthened in non-localized cancer lesions where smoking might particularly point to a primary diagnostic source in the lung. CONCLUSIONS: Detection bias may play a distinctive, although often overlooked, role in the work-up decisions that precede and lead to a diagnosis of lung cancer.
Molecular regulation of receptor tyrosine kinases in hematopoietic malignancies.

Abstract Dysregulation of receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) activity has been implicated in the progression of a variety of human leukemias. Most notably, mutations and chromosomal translocations affecting regulation of tyrosine kinase activity in the Kit receptor, the Flt3 receptor, and the PDGFβ/FGF1 receptors have been demonstrated in mast cell leukemia, acute myeloid leukemia (AML), and chronic myelogenous leukemias (CML), respectively. In addition, critical but non-overlapping roles for the Ron and Kit receptor tyrosine kinases in the progression of animal models of erythroleukemia have been demonstrated [Persons, D., Paulson, R., Loyd, M., Herley, M., Bodner, S., Bernstein, A., Correll, P. and Ney, P., 1999. Fv2 encodes a truncated form of the Stk receptor tyrosine kinase. Nat. Gen. 23, 159–165.; Subramanian, A., Teal, H.E., Correll, P.H. and Paulson, R.F., 2005. Resistance to friend virus-induced erythroleukemia in W/Wv mice is caused by a spleen-specific defect which results in a severe reduction in target cells and a lack of Sf–Stk expression. J. Virol. 79 (23), 14586–14594 .]. The various classes of RTKs implicated in the progression of leukemia have been recently reviewed [Reilly, J., 2003. Receptor tyrosine kinases in normal and malignant haematopoiesis. Blood Rev. 17 (4), 241–248. ]. Here, we will discuss the mechanism by which alterations in these receptors result in transformation of hematopoietic cells, in the context of what is known about the molecular regulation of RTK activity, with a focus on our recent studies of the Ron receptor tyrosine kinase.
Extreme Waves Under Hurricane Ivan

Hurricane Ivan, a category 4 storm, passed directly over six wave-tide gauges deployed by the Naval Research Laboratory on the outer continental shelf in the northeastern Gulf of Mexico. Waves were observed with significant wave heights reaching 17.9 meters and maximum crest-to-trough individual wave heights of 27.7 meters (91 feet). Analysis suggests that significant wave heights likely surpassed 21 meters (69 feet) and that maximum crest-to-trough individual wave heights exceeded 40 meters (132 feet) near the eyewall.
Suppression of growth-induced perpendicular magnetic anisotropy in Co–Pt alloys by trace amounts of Si

(CoxPt1−x)1−ySiy alloys with Si content from 1 to 20 at. % have been grown over a range of growth conditions. Co-deposition of even trace amounts of Si with Co–Pt alloys causes the growth-induced magnetic anisotropy and chemical clustering found in these vapor-deposited alloy films to decrease or vanish. It also causes significant reduction in grain size. Addition of 5 at. % Si eliminates anisotropy completely. Addition of 1 at. % Si produces a film with magnetic properties identical to pure Co–Pt alloys grown at lower deposition temperatures. We suggest this suppression of anisotropy and related effects are due to a decrease in surface mobility during growth in the presence of even trace amounts of Si.
The New Ethnic Politics of Welfare: Struggles Over Legal Immigrants' Rights to Welfare in California

ABSTRACT This paper examines how contemporary welfare politics is shaped by race and ethnicity through a case study of the campaign to restore legal immigrants' rights to welfare in California. In response to the recent resurgence of nativism, mainly directed towards immigrants of color, the federal government restricted legal immigrants' rights to welfare in 1996. These cutbacks were highly contested, however, especially in California. There, a vibrant multi-racial and multi-ethnic movement mobilized and persuaded the state to restore legal immigrants' rights to welfare. Drawing insights from resource mobilization theory, we argue that activists' ability to mobilize popular support was facilitated by the “ecological concentration” of ethnic minorities and immigrants, the prior organization of these communities and other welfare advocates, and elite sponsorship. We argue that this campaign's success was due to a combination of the high level of mobilization among advocates and favorable political conditio...
Decoding for MIMO systems with correlated channel estimation errors

We consider receiver design in uncoded multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) wireless communication systems. Practical MIMO systems assume an accurate estimate of the channel state information (CSI) at the receiver; failure to estimate the channel accurately or to account for CSI errors in the receiver leads to poor performance in terms of high symbol error rate (SER) in data detection. Since CSI estimation at the receiver is often imperfect due to measurement errors, quantization errors and other sources of error, it is imperative that MIMO receivers account for CSI errors. In this paper, we design a MIMO receiver that considers channel estimation error; the only assumption we make about the error is its Gaussianity. We allow correlation to exist between channel estimation errors and propose a generalized robust maximum-likelihood (ML) decoder that is robust to CSI errors and is near optimal in the SER (i.e probability of symbol error) performance metric. Our proposed decoder has exponential complexity which is undesirable in practical systems. Hence, we also propose a recursive search algorithm to implement our generalized robust ML decoder with substantially lower computational complexity. For a 4×4 MIMO system with 256-QAM modulation and at SER of 10−3, our proposed generalized robust ML decoder has a coding loss of only 0.5 dB while searching through 2360 nodes (or less) compared to 65536 using the exact ML metric. This translates to up to 228 times fewer real multiplications and additions in the implementation.
Studies on opposite wood in conifers Part I: Chemical composition

Opposite wood, normal side wood, and compression wood were isolated from leaning stems of Abies balsamea, Larix laricina, Picea mariana, Pinus resinosa, and Tsuga canadensis and were subjected to analyses for lignin and relative carbohydrate composition. There were no statistically significant differences between the data obtained for opposite wood and side wood. Contrary to some earlier reports, opposite wood has exactly the same content of lignin, cellulose, and hemicelluloses as has corresponding normal wood.
Characterizing cohomological dimension: The cohomological dimension of A ∪ B

Abstract A characterization of dim z (cohomological dimension with integer coefficients) is given for metrizable spaces. It generalizes one recently given by Mardesic for compact Hausdorff spaces and which has been useful in certain instances. The characterization states roughly that a metrizable space X has dim z X ⩽ n if and only if each map of X to a polyhedron P can be approximately factored through another polyhedron Q in such a manner that the ( n +1)-skeleton of Q maps into the n -skeleton of P by a slight adjustment. This result is then employed to show that if X = A ∪ B is a metric space then dim z X ⩽dim z B +1.
Interaction of Rose Bengal with α-chymotrypsin and α- chymotrypsinogen-A

Abstract Absorption spectra of aqueous solutions of Rose Bengal—(α-chymotrypsin) and Rose Bengal—(α- chymotrypsinogen-A) measured at different pHs showed that both proteins formed the same complexes. The binding constants for the formation of RB/CHT and RB/CHTGA complexes were of the same order of magnitude. The binding isotherms showed that stoichiometry of RB complexes was 3:1 at pH 4.6 and 1:1 at pH 7.2 for both RB/CHT and RB/CHTGA, respectively. Equal binding between the dye and both proteins eliminated the possibility that RB could interact selectively with the active site of α-chymotrypsin. Charge-charge interaction between the carboxylic group of the dye and the positively charged protein surface was essential for the stability of the complexes. The binding reached its minimum when the pH of aqueous solution was equal to the pI of the protein. The complexes exhibited no CD at any pH and at any KCl concentration varied from 0.0 to 0.5 M, which showed that the complexes were achiral. At pH
An editorial overview

Now is an excellent time to be doing research at the intersection of psychology and law. In the last few years, both the legal system and the legal academic community have taken more and more interest in the empirical findings of cognitive and social psychologists. Much of this interest has been provoked by the large number of convicted people who have been exonerated by DNA evidence. Examination of their cases reveals that most are associated with one (or more) of the following problems: bad eyewitness testimony, a false confession, or flawed forensic evidence. These issues are ones that psychologists have been investigating for years. For those of you new to this area, we recommend Elizabeth Loftus’s foundational work on so many areas of memory, Gary Wells’s work on eyewitness identification, Saul Kassin’s work on false confessions, and Reid Hastie’s work on jury decision making. All have written for both psychological and legal audiences.
Global LC/MS Metabolomics Profiling of Calcium Stressed and Immunosuppressant Drug Treated Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Previous studies have shown that calcium stressed Saccharomyces cerevisiae, challenged with immunosuppressant drugs FK506 and Cyclosporin A, responds with comprehensive gene expression changes and attenuation of the generalized calcium stress response. Here, we describe a global metabolomics workflow for investigating the utility of tracking corresponding phenotypic changes. This was achieved by efficiently analyzing relative abundance differences between intracellular metabolite pools from wild-type and calcium stressed cultures, with and without prior immunosuppressant drugs exposure. We used pathway database content from WikiPathways and YeastCyc to facilitate the projection of our metabolomics profiling results onto biological pathways. A key challenge was to increase the coverage of the detected metabolites. This was achieved by applying both reverse phase (RP) and aqueous normal phase (ANP) chromatographic separations, as well as electrospray ionization (ESI) and atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI) sources for detection in both ion polarities. Unsupervised principle component analysis (PCA) and ANOVA results revealed differentiation between wild-type controls, calcium stressed and immunosuppressant/calcium challenged cells. Untargeted data mining resulted in 247 differentially expressed, annotated metabolites, across at least one pair of conditions. A separate, targeted data mining strategy identified 187 differential, annotated metabolites. All annotated metabolites were subsequently mapped onto curated pathways from YeastCyc and WikiPathways for interactive pathway analysis and visualization. Dozens of pathways showed differential responses to stress conditions based on one or more matches to the list of annotated metabolites or to metabolites that had been identified further by MS/MS. The purine salvage, pantothenate and sulfur amino acid pathways were flagged as being enriched, which is consistent with previously published literature for transcriptomics analysis. Thus, broad discovery-based data mining combined with targeted pathway projections can be an important asset for rapidly distilling, testing and evaluating a large amount of information for further investigation.
A Jihad for Education

Going through a protracted period of transition since the end of the Cold War, the world order in the making is neither what was nor what it is yet to become. It is in “the middle of the future.” To get our bearings in this uncertain transition, we explore the two grand post-Cold War narratives—“The End of History” as posited by Francis Fukuyama and “The Clash of Civilizations” posited by the late Samuel Huntington. Mikhail Gorbachev looks back at his policies that brought the old order to collapse. The British philosopher John Gray critiques the supposed “universality” of liberalism and, with Homi Bhabha, sees a world of hybrid identities and localized cultures. The Singaporean theorist Kishore Mahbubani peels away the “veneer” of Western dominance. Amartya Sen, the economist and Nobel laureate, assesses whether democratic India or autocratic China is better at building “human capacity” in their societies.
Platform-based resource binding using a distributed register-file microarchitecture

Behavior synthesis and optimization beyond the register transfer level require an efficient utilization of the underlying platform features. This paper presents a platform-based resource-binding approach using a distributed register-file microarchitecture (DRFM) that makes efficient use of distributed embedded memory blocks as register files in modern FPGAs. A DRFM contains multiple islands, each having a local register file, a functional unit pool and data-routing logic. Compared with the traditional discrete-register counterpart, a DRFM allows use of the platform-featured on-chip memory or register-file IP blocks to implement its local register files, and this results in substantial saving of multiplexing logic and global interconnects. DRFM provides a useful architectural template and a direct optimization objective for minimizing inter-island connections for synthesis algorithms. Based on DRFM, we propose a novel binding algorithm focusing on the minimization of the inter-island connections. By applying our approach, significant reductions on multiplexors and global-interconnections are observed. On the Xilinx Virtex II FPGA platform, our experimental results show a 2times logic area reduction and a 7.8% performance improvement, compared with the traditional discrete-register-based approach
Effective diffusivity changes during calcination, carbonation, recalcination, and sulfation of limestones

Abstract This study investigates the changes occurring in the intraparticle mass transport resistance of gases in limestone particles used to control SO 2 emissions from coal-fired power plants. The evolution of intraparticle mass transfer resistance in calcined limestones undergoing carbonation and sulfation and carbonated calcines undergoing recalcination is investigated experimentally using the pulse chromatographic technique. The large quantities of calcined, carbonated, recalcined, or sulfated samples needed to pack the chromatographic column are produced in a fluidized-bed reactor and two types of limestones containing more than 95% CaCO 3 are employed. Effective diffusivities are estimated by matching the experimental and theoretical chromatographic response curves in the time domain. The analysis of the experimental data show that the intraparticle diffusion resistance in calcined limestone particles (both reacted and unreacted) depends not only on the pore size distribution but on the connectivity of the pore structure as well. This conclusion is in agreement with a result reached in past studies from the analysis of sulfation data for the same solids.
Stability of systems with several monotone nonlinearities

This paper is devoted to stability problems of automatic control systems. Frequency domain criteria for global asymptotic stability of equilibrium sets for new classes of nonlinearities are derived. Results are illustrated by examples.
Quantum mechanical studies on model alpha-pleated sheets.

Pauling and Corey proposed a pleated-sheet configuration, now called α-sheet, as one of the protein secondary structures in addition to α-helix and β-sheet. Recently, it has been suggested that α-sheet is a common feature of amyloidogenic intermediates. We have investigated the stability of antiparallel β-sheet and two conformations of α-sheet in solution phase using the density functional theoretical method. The peptides are modeled as two-strand acetyl-(Ala)2-N-methylamine. Using stages of geometry optimization and single point energy calculation at B3LYP/cc-pVTZ//B3LYP/6-31G* level and including zero-point energies, thermal, and entropic contribution, we have found that β-sheet is the most stable conformation, while the α-sheet proposed by Pauling and Corey has 13.6 kcal/mol higher free energy than the β-sheet. The α-sheet that resembles the structure observed in molecular dynamics simulations of amyloidogenic proteins at low pH becomes distorted after stages of geometry optimization in solution. Whether the α-sheets with longer chains would be increasingly favorable in water relative to the increase in internal energy of the chain needs further investigation. Different from the quantum mechanics results, AMBER parm94 force field gives small difference in solution phase energy between α-sheet and β-sheet. The predicted amide I IR spectra of α-sheet shows the main band at higher frequency than β-sheet. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Comput Chem, 2010
Influence of Medroxyprogesteroneacetate on Testosterone Metabolism by Cultured Human Fibroblasts: A Model for Drug-Steroid Interaction12

ABSTRACT An in vitro model for drug-steroid interaction was designed utilizing cultured human skin fibroblasts from prepubertal children. The metabolism of testosterone by cells incubated with medroxyprogesteroneacetate (MPA), was significantly different from controls even though testosterone utilization was unchanged. Although MPA-treated cells continued to use the 17β-hydroxyl pathway as the major pathway for testosterone metabolism, there was a marked reduction (mean = 51.7%, sem = 7.26) in the formation of androstanediol in all cell lines studied with a concomitant increase in dihydrotestosterone in several cell lines. Since dihydrotesterone is the precursor of androstanediol and requires 3α-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase for metabolism to androstanediol, the data suggest an inhibition of the enzyme by MPA. Effects of MPA on steroid metabolism may be studied with this model system and may further elucidate the mechanism of action of MPA.
Environment-Assisted Subcritical Debonding of Epoxy-Concrete Interface

Interface debonding can grow slowly within the FRP-to-concrete interface in aggressive environments, even though the energy release rate at the crack tip is only a fraction of the critical energy release rate of the interface. This slow debonding process is called environment-assisted subcritical debonding, which may be a dominant mechanism for the failure of the FRP-to-concrete interface under service loads in aggressive environments. In this study, environment-assisted subcritical debonding of the epoxy-concrete interface was first observed and characterized using wedge-driven testing. Aggressive environments have been found to substantially increase the debonding growth rate along the epoxy-concrete interface. Fracture surface analysis suggests that the debonding mode can change from the cohesive failure within the concrete in critical debonding to the adhesive failure along the epoxy-concrete interface in subcritical debonding. The proposed subcritical debonding testing closely simulates the failure occurring during the service life of the FRP-to-concrete interface, and allows interaction with environmental species during testing. Subcritical debonding testing provides a new approach to understand the degradation mechanism and to assess the long-term durability of the FRP-to-concrete interface.