cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
In pre-clinical models of colorectal or head and neck carcinoma, palifermin does not alter the anti-tumor efficacy of chemotherapy or Cetuximab alone or in combination

Proc Amer Assoc Cancer Res, Volume 47, 2006 1170 Mucositis is a common, painful, dose-limiting toxicity of chemotherapy and radiation therapy for cancer. The disorder is characterized by breakdown of the mucosa that results in the formation of ulcerative lesions. Mucositis affects up to 75 percent of patients who undergo hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation and 77 percent of patients with head and neck cancer who receive such treatment. Numerous studies in animals and humans have tried to find a means of preventing and treating mucositis. Kepivance™ (palifermin; ΔN23KGF) is approved in the United States to decrease the incidence and duration of severe oral mucositis in patients with hematological malignancies receiving myelotoxic therapy followed by hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). The safety and efficacy of palifermin has not been established in patients with non - hematological malignancies. Here we report studies designed to determine if palifermin alters the anti-tumor activities of a relevant chemotherapy (5FU or cisplatin), Cetuximab, or the combination thereof in a model of colorectal (HT29) or head and neck carcinoma (Fadu). Cetuximab is an anti-epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) antibody approved for the treatment of colorectal carcinoma in combination with chemotherapy. The use of Cetuximab, and palifermin is currently being evaluated in patients with various solid tumors in separate clinical trials. The HT-29 and Fadu cell lines were chosen for detailed analysis as they express both the KGF and EGF receptors. The functionality of these receptors was then assessed by phosphorylation of Akt upon in vitro stimulation. Finally these cell lines were used to establish tumor xenograft models where the question of altered efficacy of the anti-tumor agents in the presence of palifermin was assessed. The studies demonstrated that in the presence of a functional KGF receptor on the tumor cells, palifermin had no effect on the growth of either tumor type compared to the vehicle treated control (p ≥ 0.8622). Comparisons between the combination of chemotherapy and Cetuximab versus chemotherapy, Cetuximab and palifermin, also found no statistically significant growth difference in either the HT-29 (p=>0.9999) or the Fadu (p = 0.7441) tumor xenograft models. In addition in the HT-29 tumors, the experiment was established such that comparisons could be made between each of the anti-tumor agents as single agents or in combination with palifermin. The comparison of 5FU alone or in combination with palifermin failed to demonstrate statistical significance (p = >0.9999) as did the same comparison using Cetuximab (p = 0.9985). These studies suggest that palifermin may have therapeutic potential in the treatment of mucositis in solid tumor settings in addition to HSCT, without negatively impacting anti-tumor activities of the relevant chemotherapy.
Bioactive glasses 2: Composite bone void fillers

Abstract Vitreous materials present significant potential for restoration of skeletal tissue. Bioactive glasses can be formulated to contain specific ions that present a therapeutic benefit to the host tissue when released in vivo. In addition to positively influencing osteogenesis, the effect of ionic dissolution from bioactive glasses promotes metabolism in chondrogenesis, stimulating angiogenesis, imparting antimicrobial properties and presenting antiinflammatory effects. Specifically, a SiO2-CaO-Na2O-P2O5 glass composition (45S5 Bioglass) has been widely studied as this specific composition is known to bond to both hard and soft tissue in vivo. These properties, coupled with the success of 45S5 Bioglass, sparked interest in applying these bioactive particles in the form of composite materials. Synthetic composite materials are critical in restoration of bone tissue, as severe limitations exist with naturally harvested grafting materials such as autografts, allografts, and xenografts. Composite materials can alleviate some of the restrictions associated with using natural grafting materials such as accessibility and demand requirements, risk of disease transmission, immunological concerns, sterilization effects and the second surgical site that is associated with donor site morbidity. Forming composites with bioactive glasses has the benefit of applying the therapeutic potential of glass with the mechanical and structural properties imparted by the polymer phase. This leads to a diverse range of materials and properties that can be tailored to repair a wide range of skeletal defects.
Combining H/D Exchange Mass Spectrometry and Computational Docking To Derive the Structure of Protein–Protein Complexes

Protein–protein interactions are essential for biological function, but structures of protein–protein complexes are difficult to obtain experimentally. To derive the protein complex of the DNA-repair enzyme human uracil-DNA-glycosylase (hUNG) with its protein inhibitor (UGI), we combined rigid-body computational docking with hydrogen/deuterium exchange mass spectrometry (DXMS). Computational docking of the unbound protein structures provides a list of possible three-dimensional models of the complex; DXMS identifies solvent-protected protein residues. DXMS showed that unbound hUNG is compactly folded, but unbound UGI is loosely packed. An increased level of solvent protection of hUNG in the complex was localized to four regions on the same face. The decrease in the number of incorporated deuterons was quantitatively interpreted as the minimum number of main-chain hUNG amides buried in the protein–protein interface. The level of deuteration of complexed UGI decreased throughout the protein chain, indicatin...
Characterization of Copper Algaecide (Copper Ethanolamine) Dissipation Rates Following Pulse Exposures

Dissipation rates of copper following algaecide treatments resulting in pulse exposures can be accurately modeled if the component dissipation rates are known. Scaled experiments (in situ, laboratory and mesocosm) were used to parse and rank dominant processes from concurrent processes affecting copper fate in pulse exposures. Copper dissipation rates were measured cumulatively in situ and in mesocosms as well as individually in laboratory experiments. Predictions of the influence of individual dissipation rates on the cumulative dissipation rate were assessed mathematically. In situ aqueous copper dissipated rapidly following an algaecide treatment, with a measured half-life of 0.03 days. Based on laboratory experiments, the most rapid copper fate process was dilution with a half-life of 0.03 days, followed by sediment sorption with a half-life of approximately 3 days. Mesocosm experiments incorporating physical characteristics of the site (i.e., dilution, sediment, algae, and site water) resulted in similar copper dissipation rates (0.02 days) relative to the in situ copper dissipation rate. Prediction of the fate of copper from algaecide treatments requires incorporation of accurate estimates of dominant fate processes that can be determined physically and mathematically.
Activation energy for recrystallization in rolled copper

The recrystallization reaction in OFHC and spectroscopically pure copper has been followed by X ray diffraction determinations of the amount of material with the cold-worked and recrystallized textures in specimens which had been given various heat treatments. The heats of activation for recrystallization are found to be: 29.9 kcal per mol for OFHC copper and 22.4 kcal per mol for spectroscopic copper.
Speciation and Vertical Distribution of Lead and Lead Shot in Soil at a Recreational Firing Range

In this study, the speciation, vertical distribution and soil particle size fractions of lead in soil samples at a recreational firing range was determined. This study was performed to gain a better understanding of how lead shot breaks down at ranges. Both the chemical form of lead and the types of soil particles with which lead is associated are important for understanding not only the mobility and persistence, but also the human and ecological impact of lead at these ranges. Lead as shot gun pellets was found to be the dominant form of lead in soil samples. The highest levels were measured in surface samples located in the “fall zone” of the range. Results indicate shot to be relatively absent below surficial samples. Lead concentrations in soil decreased markedly across a 0–6″ depth profile. Lead carbonates were the dominant non-shot form of lead present at all depths. Water-soluble lead species made up a minor fraction of the non-shot lead present in the samples. Based on soil particle sizes measured...
Excretion of Copper in the Mammal

In considering by what routes metals may be excreted from the bodies of animals and humans, interest generally focuses on the urine and the bile. Other routes to consider include salivary, gastric, and pancreatic secretions, direct intestinal secretion, and the sloughing-off of cells along the gastrointestinal tract and on outside body surfaces (skin), as well as hair loss. It seems highly unlikely that exhalation plays a role, so this will be ignored.
Detection of Complex Sinusoids. by the Pisarenko Method

Modern detection, estimation, and signal processing problems not only share common mathematical tools and optimization techniques but also need digital computers and processors for practical realizations. In off-line applications, the available computational resources can be quite substantial. Thus, all sorts of classically known numerical analysis and optimization techniques are being considered for implementations. On the other hand, for real-time on-board applications, computationally intensive optimum solutions as well as lesser computationally demanding but nevertheless high-performance suboptimum solutions are of interest.
Body Composition During Growth and Development

The chemical composition represents the absolute amounts and relative proportions of lipid, protein, water, and minerals in the body. Changes in the chemical composition of the body are an integral part of human growth. This chapter discusses the conceptual models that form the basis of body composition studies, methods of assessing body composition, the changes in body composition associated with growth and maturation, the role of body composition in determining nutritional needs, and factors that influence body composition such as diet, heredity, environment, behavior, and disease. The composition of the human body is regulated by genes but is sensitive to environmental, behavioral, and nutritional factors. Interactions between the genetic and non-genetic influences contribute to the variability in body composition observed within and between populations. A broad array of body composition assessment techniques can be used in clinical, research, and field settings to further understand the life-cycle changes in body composition and their role in health and disease.
BUILDING USER INTERFACES WITH AN EXTENSIBLE LANGUAGE SYSTEM

Although matters of form and style are of indisputable importance to effective non-programmer computer use, the match between the user's knowledge and the computer's understanding of the user's needs is critical. We describe experiences with microcomputer-based software that allows the system builder to provide a collection of extensible languages matched to the technical capabilities of different groups of users.
Insulin Pump in Difficult to Control Type 2 Diabetes: A Single Center, Five Years' Experience.

Objective Due to a progressive decline in beta-cell function, a considerable number of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D) ultimately require multiple daily injections of large doses of insulin for glycemic control. Majority of studies have reported only short-term benefits of continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion (CSII) using an insulin pump in T2D. Our five-year follow-up data of CSII in T2D is one of the few studies showing persistent benefit in glucose control in this population. Research design and methods We did a chart review of patients treated with an insulin pump for five years. Inclusion criteria were: type 2 diabetes, 18-75 years of age, glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) more than 6.5% (48 mmol/mol) on multiple doses of insulin (MDI > four injections per day) or more than 100 units of insulin/day, wide glycemic excursions, and intractable hypoglycemia. We identified a total of 13 patients. The primary endpoint was change in HbA1c from baseline to five years. We also reviewed the difference in weight, basal insulin requirements, hypoglycemia, and patient satisfaction questionnaire at one year. Exclusion criteria were: type 1 diabetes (T1D) and pregnancy. Results The HbA1c at five years was found to be 7.72% (61 mmol/mol) compared to a baseline of 8.89% (74 mmol/mol), p-value 0.0076. We did not find any increased risk of severe hypoglycemia, weight gain, and insulin requirement. Conclusions The beneficial effect of insulin pump persisted for five years of follow-up, suggesting it as a valuable treatment option for difficult to treat T2D.
How Do Patients Rate Their Radiation Oncologists in the Modern Era: An Analysis of Vitals.com.

Introduction The popularity of online physician rating websites has risen substantially. These third-party sites have the potential to significantly influence patients' perception of their healthcare providers. The purpose of this study was to evaluate online ratings of U.S. radiation oncologists (ROs) on Vitals.com, one of the most popular physician rating websites, and the variables that most significantly affect patients' overall rating (OR) of their ROs. Methods The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Physician Comparable Downloadable File was analyzed to obtain data on all self-identified ROs in the U.S. and Puerto Rico. Patient Review Satisfaction Scores (PRSS) that ranged from one (poor) to five (excellent) for the following variables were recorded: OR, accurate diagnosis, spending appropriate time with patients, ease of appointment, courteous staff, bedside manner, follow-up after visit, promptness, and wait time. Associations among these factors were assessed. Results Of 4,443 self-identifying Medicare-accepting ROs, 1,797 (40.4%) ROs who had at least one OR rating and at least one written comment were included in this study. The ROs' mean OR was 4.34 ± 0.2 (median 4; 30% received a score of 5; 78% received a score greater than 4). OR was found to have a strong correlation with accuracy of diagnosis (r = 0.69), bedside manner (r = 0.71), and spends appropriate time with patients (r = 0.69). With the exception of the number of ratings (p = 0.07), physicians with over 10 years of experience showed statistically significant differences in how much better they scored in each of the variables compared to those with less than 10 years of experience (p < 0.01 for each characteristic). Significant differences in OR were also observed between ROs whose wait times exceeded 20 minutes compared to those with wait times less than 10 minutes (p < 0.01) for all internal and external metrics except for the number of ratings (p = 0.42) and number of reviews (p = 0.88) Conclusion Patients are providing high ratings for their ROs on Vitals.com and are more frequently recommending them to friends and family. Given the rise in popularity of third-party physician rating sites, it is important for ROs to understand the various factors that may influence their online ratings.
Thirty-Day Readmissions after Hospitalization for Hypertensive Emergency

Hypertensive emergency is a clinical entity with potentially serious health implications and high healthcare utilization. There is a lack of nationally representative data on incidence, causes, and...
Subjecthood and linear order in linguistic encoding: Evidence from the real-time production of wh-questions in English and Mandarin Chinese

Abstract We use visual world eye-tracking to provide a first look into the real-time production of an under-researched but communicatively crucial construction – wh-questions. We investigate whether the transition from abstract message to highly-structured utterances (linguistic encoding) is driven by linear order (positional processing) or subjecthood assignment (functional processing). Experiment 1 decouples positional and functional processes by comparing production of English declaratives versus object wh-questions (‘Which nurses did the maids tickle?’). Experiment 2 compares the production of declaratives versus object wh-questions in Mandarin Chinese to investigate potential information-focus effects on linguistic encoding and tests whether Experiment 1’s findings could be due to focus. Experiment 1 found that even though the articulation of a sentence is necessarily linear, speakers do not necessarily encode sentences in accordance with the linear order in which the words are uttered. Experiment 2 suggests that information-focus does not guide speakers' eye-movements during linguistic encoding.
An International Lender of Last Resort? The U.K. And France in the Early Nineteenth Century

This paper explores the actions of the Bank of England and the Banque de France in promoting international economic stability during the mid-nineteenth century. The evidence presented below indicates that the Bank of England acted in concert with the Bank of France, through France’s reliance on a bimetallic standard, to stabilize markets. The Bank of France could assist the Bank of England in a crisis by providing additional silver reserves, which allowed the Bank of England to create additional money. Excerpts of testimony before committees of the British Parliament and tests of cointegration between central bank balance sheet data variables from 1820-56 indicate that the Bank of England relied upon silver inflows from abroad during a crisis. Besides contributing new insights on the role of the central bank in maintaining financial stability in the mid-nineteenth century, the results have implications for today’s policymakers considering the existence of a modern international lender of last resort.
Observing planar cell polarity in multiciliated mouse airway epithelial cells

The concerted movement of cilia propels inhaled contaminants out of the lungs, safeguarding the respiratory system from toxins, pathogens, pollutants, and allergens. Motile cilia on the multiciliated cells (MCCs) of the airway epithelium are physically oriented along the tissue axis for directional motility, which depends on the planar cell polarity (PCP) signaling pathway. The MCCs of the mouse respiratory epithelium have emerged as an important model for the study of motile ciliogenesis and the PCP signaling mechanism. Unlike other motile ciliated or planar polarized tissues, airway epithelial cells are relatively easily accessible and primary cultures faithfully model many of the essential features of the in vivo tissue. There is growing interest in understanding how cells acquire and polarize motile cilia due to the impact of mucociliary clearance on respiratory health. Here, we present methods for observing and quantifying the planar polarized orientation of motile cilia both in vivo and in primary culture airway epithelial cells. We describe how to acquire and evaluate electron and light microscopy images of ciliary ultrastructural features that reveal planar polarized orientation. Furthermore, we describe the immunofluorescence localization of PCP pathway components as a simple readout for airway epithelial planar polarization and ciliary orientation. These methods can be adapted to observe ciliary orientation in other multi- and monociliated cells and to detect PCP pathway activity in any tissue or cell type.
Increased Power Handling of Vanadium Dioxide T/R Switches Using a Resonant Topology

The temperature- and power-dependent intermodulation distortion of a vanadium dioxide switch is investigated via a highly linear two-tone testbed at 3.5 GHz. OIP3 for this VO 2 switch is extrapolated. RF-power-induced insulator-to-metal transitions (self-switching) are observed, as well as third-order intermodulation distortion reduction as the switch is driven further into the conducting state. A switch topology using VO 2 switches to present either series or parallel LC resonances is investigated as a potential solution to the observed power handling deficiencies, and specifically investigated for transmit-receive duplexing applications. The possibility of a phase-change T/R switch employing reduced logic and exhibiting passive LNA protection against high-power interferers is considered using extracted linear models.
Lepton Universality Violating Anomalies in B Decays

Hints of lepton universality violating (LUV) new physics have shown up in several B decays. Experimental measurements show deviation from the standard model (SM) predictions of lepton universal interactions. These measurement anomalies occur in charged current and neutral current transitions. I will review the present measurements and future measurements that can tell us more about these anomalies. I will focus on joint explanation of the anomalies and point out that LUV new physics can often lead to lepton flavor violation effects. Finally, I will discuss light mediator models to explain the anomalies.
Chapter 2 - Statistical analysis for air pollution data

Abstract This chapter is designed as an introductory tutorial of common statistical analysis for air pollution data using R, a popular statistical software. This chapter is useful for readers who have minimal knowledge of statistical programming in R as programming codes are provided. This chapter also explains the general concepts of popular statistical analysis methods specifically for air pollution data, which can be useful for readers of nonstatistical backgrounds. The chapter is organized as follows: first, we introduce the characteristics of air pollution data and challenges of statistical analysis for such data. Then we present descriptive analysis and graphical presentation of air pollution data. Finally, we present general concepts and analysis of time series data. In summary, the chapter introduces general statistical concepts and methods, and gives hands-on data analysis illustrations and demonstrations with programming codes, results, and interpretations.
12.21 – Computational Toxicology

Computational toxicology encompasses database creation, approaches for processing large amounts of data to discover novel associations and formulate hypotheses, and the development of in silico models to simulate chemical perturbations of biological systems leading to toxicological outcomes. This research is being fueled by the creation of structured, computable databases (e.g., bibliographic, factual, knowledgebase) and sophisticated informatics capabilities for processing and mining available biological and chemical data. Applied to developmental toxicology, the overarching objective of this research is to improve our ability to predict the means by which chemicals and chemically induced changes in biological systems are linked to adverse developmental outcomes in animals or humans. Toward this goal, public databases are being built using ontologies and controlled vocabularies; these are being linked to standardized representations of chemical structure for merging and expanding existing data inventories, and bioinformatics and visualization approaches are being tailored to the challenge of data-driven discovery relevant to developmental toxicology. For illustration, we explored chemically induced toxicity phenotypes in two distinct, nonoverlapping developmental toxicity databases (one environmental and the other pharmaceutical). We found that chemicals in the two distinct sets caused common phenotypes as well as distinct, nonoverlapping phenotypes in the same target organs. These observations underscore the need to build databases that span a large, diverse chemical space so as to broadly sample all relevant mechanisms for adverse developmental outcomes, as well as to enable chemoinformatics analysis and structure–activity-based approaches to detect common chemical features or properties linked to particular phenotypes. Automated text mining of the peer review literature, bioinformatics analysis, and sophisticated visualization tools can both confirm and expand upon existing knowledge of developmental systems to convey associations across planes of information. Such combined approaches are building libraries of features linking chemicals to genes to phenotype and are proving essential to supporting the interpretation of the new high-content and high-throughput biological screening data being generated for large numbers of chemicals. Ultimately, these new data, knowledge sources, and approaches will feed the development of virtual tissues/embryos that will enrich our understanding of system-level responses and help fulfil the vision of toxicology in the twenty-first century.
Grain assemblages and diagenesis in organic-rich mudrocks, Upper Pennsylvanian Cline shale (Wolfcamp D), Midland Basin, Texas

Grain assemblages in the organic-rich Cline shale in the Midland Basin are dominated by components of extrabasinal derivation (11.4 to 98.5 vol. %; average volume: 82.6%). Major extrabasinal components include K-rich clay minerals, detrital quartz, albite, K-feldspar, micas, and lithic fragments. Intrabasinal components include mainly biosiliceous allochems (sponge spicules and radiolarians), agglutinated foraminifera, Ca-phosphate peloids, clay-rich peloids, organomineralic aggregates, intraclasts, and other biocalcareous allochems. Authigenic minerals are most evident as grain replacements, euhedral ankerite, Ca-phosphate cement, and precipitates in large pores. A strongly localized spatial distribution of diagenetic products at micron to centimeter scales is observed in most siliciclastic samples, except in biosiliceous allochem-rich ones in which abundant intergranular pore-filling clay-size microquartz cement is observed. Compaction is evident in the Cline shale because of low porosity and generally low cement volumes. Neither textural variation nor bulk mineral composition alone is sufficient to confidently decipher the rock bulk property (e.g., total organic carbon) and reservoir quality variation (e.g., porosity and permeability). However, a good negative relationship between the ratio of extrabasinal to intrabasinal grains and favorable reservoir properties is observed in the Cline shale. Specifically, higher porosity, permeability, and total organic carbon are observed in samples representing the extreme end members of intrabasinal-derived biosilica-rich layers. Nickel, a recognized proxy for paleoproductivity, exhibits a positive relationship with intrabasinal grain content and reservoir properties. X-ray fluorescence–based analysis of nickel can be a rapid and cost-effective way to delineate favorable unconventional reservoir quality in the Cline shale.
Unprotected Peptide Macrocyclization and Stapling via A Fluorine-Thiol Displacement Reaction

Stapled peptides serve as a powerful tool for probing protein-protein interactions, but its application has been largely impeded by the limited cellular uptake. Here we report the discovery of a facile peptide macrocyclization and stapling strategy based on a fluorine thiol displacement reaction (FTDR), which renders a class of peptide analogues with enhanced stability, affinity, and cell permeability. This new approach enabled selective modification of the orthogonal fluoroacetamide side chains in unprotected peptides, with the identified 1,3-benzenedimethanethiol linker promoting alpha helicity of a variety of peptide substrates, as corroborated by molecular dynamics simulations. The cellular uptake of these stapled peptides was universally enhanced compared to the classic ring-closing metathesis (RCM) stapled peptides. Pilot mechanism studies suggested that the uptake of FTDR-stapled peptides may involve multiple endocytosis pathways. Consistent with the improved cell permeability, the FTDR-stapled lead Axin analogues demonstrated better inhibition of cancer cell growth than the RCM-stapled analogues. Graphical Abstract O_FIG O_LINKSMALLFIG WIDTH=200 HEIGHT=162 SRC="FIGDIR/small/290379v1_ufig1.gif" ALT="Figure 1"> View larger version (35K): org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@1be1deborg.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@9e4addorg.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@451e91org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@1d9f504_HPS_FORMAT_FIGEXP M_FIG C_FIG
Predictive analytics for water main breaks using spatiotemporal data

Water main breaks are a common recurring problem in water distribution networks, resulting in cascading effects in the whole system and the interconnected infrastructures such as transportation. Ha...
Conditional immobilization for live imaging C. elegans using auxin-dependent protein depletion

The visualization of biological processes using fluorescent proteins and dyes in living organisms has enabled numerous scientific discoveries. The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans is a widely used model organism for live imaging studies since the transparent nature of the worm enables imaging of nearly all tissues within a whole, intact animal. While current techniques are optimized to enable the immobilization of hermaphrodite worms for live imaging, many of these approaches fail to successfully restrain the smaller male worms. To enable live imaging of worms of both sexes, we developed a new genetic, conditional immobilization tool that uses the auxin inducible degron (AID) system to immobilize both hermaphrodites and male worms for live imaging. Based on chromosome location, mutant phenotype, and predicted germline consequence, we identified and AID-tagged three candidate genes (unc-18, unc-104, and unc-52). Strains with these AID-tagged genes were placed on auxin and tested for mobility and germline defects. Among the candidate genes, auxin-mediated depletion of UNC-18 caused significant immobilization of both hermaphrodite and male worms that was also partially reversible upon removal from auxin. Notably, we found that male worms require a higher concentration of auxin for a similar amount of immobilization as hermaphrodites, thereby suggesting a potential sex-specific difference in auxin absorption and/or processing. In both males and hermaphrodites, depletion of UNC-18 did not largely alter fertility, germline progression, nor meiotic recombination. Finally, we demonstrate that this new genetic tool can successfully immobilize both sexes enabling live imaging studies of sexually dimorphic features in C. elegans. ARTICLE SUMMARYC. elegans is a powerful model system for visualizing biological processes in live cells. In addition to the challenge of suppressing the worm movement for live imaging, most immobilization techniques only work with hermaphrodites. Here, we describe a new genetic immobilization tool that conditionally immobilizes both worm sexes for live imaging studies. Additionally, we demonstrate that this tool can be used for live imaging the C. elegans germline without causing large defects to germline progression or fertility in either sex.
A Socially Aware Huff Model for Destination Choice in Nature-based Tourism

Abstract. Identifying determinants of tourist destination choice is an important task in the study of nature-based tourism. Traditionally, the study of tourist behavior relies on survey data and travel logs, which are labor-intensive and time-consuming. Thanks to location-based social networks, more detailed data is available at a finer grained spatio-temporal scale. This allows for better insights into travel patterns and interactions between attractions, e.g., parks. Meanwhile, such data sources also bring along a novel social influence component that has not yet been widely studied in terms of travel decisions. For example, social influencers post about certain places, which tend to influence destination choices of tourists. Therefore, in this paper, we propose a socially aware Huff model to account for this social factor in the study of destination choice. Moreover, with fine-grained social media data, interactions between attractions (i.e., the neighboring effects) can be better quantified and thus integrated into models as another factor. In our experiment, we calibrate a model by using trip sequences extracted from geotagged Flickr photos within two national parks in the United States. Our results demonstrate that the socially aware Huff model better simulates tourist travel preferences. In addition, we explore the significance of each factor and summarize the spatial-temporal travel pattern for each attraction. The socially aware Huff model and the calibration method can be applied to other fields such as promotional marketing.
Toward an Active, Pragmatic, Model-Revising Realism

Chapter 9 brings into focus the task of this book, using insights from the histories of philosophy and artificial intelligence as the foundation for a science of understanding ourselves and the world. Section 9.1 briefly reviews the story to this point. Section 9.2 discusses model building through exploring the environment, and Sect. 9.3 suggests several methods for the adaptation of models in light of new discoveries. Section 9.4 makes conjectures about the future of AI, and Sect. 9.5 offers thoughts on the construction of a modern epistemology. With an analysis of category errors in computation, we see humans, with our life, intelligence, and responsibilities as aessentially different than machines.Through insights gained from our philosophical tradition and the AI endeavor, we suggest that humans are best served by adopting an epistemic stance based on pragmatism, relativism, and an unconditioned commitment to the scientific method that supports progressively comprehending and utilizing our ever-evolving life-environment.
Movement of nuclei.

This unit describes the first assay that reconstructs the movement of the female pronucleus in the newly fertilized frog egg. Nuclei are assembled in frog egg extracts and translocated along microtubules using the microtubule motor dynein.
Global analytic and Gevrey hypoellipticity of sublaplacians under Diophantine conditions

In this paper we consider the problem of global Gevrey and analytic regularity for a class of partial differential operators on a torus in the form of a sum of squares of vector fields, which may not satisfy the bracket condition. We show that these operators are globally Gevrey or analytic hypoelliptic on the torus if and only if the coefficients satisfy certain Diophantine approximation properties.
Humanoids in support of lunar and planetary surface operations

This paper presents a vision of humanoid robots as human's key partners in future space exploration, in particular for construction, maintenance/repair and operation of lunar/planetary habitats, bases and settlements. It integrates this vision with the recent plans for human and robotic exploration, aligning a set of milestones for operational capability of humanoids with the schedule for the next decades and development spirals in the Project Constellation. These milestones relate to a set of incremental challenges, for the solving of which new humanoid technologies are needed. A system of systems integrative approach that would lead to readiness of cooperating humanoid crews is sketched. Robot fostering, training/education techniques, and improved cognitive/sensory/motor development techniques are considered essential elements for achieving intelligent humanoids. A pilot project using small-scale Fujitsu HOAP-2 humanoid is outlined.
Helping parents teach about death.

Abstract This model, which I have often used when addressing parent groups, is for parents of children of diverse ages because it traces the child's developmental understanding of death.
Interference with the IL-1-Signaling Pathway Improves the Toxicity Profile of Systemically Applied Adenovirus Vectors

The safety of gene therapy vectors is a major concern when novel viral or nonviral therapeutics are proposed for applications in humans. Adenovirus (Ad) vectors have been extensively used as efficient gene delivery vehicles in vitro over the last two decades. However, upon i.v. application, they elicit robust innate and inflammatory responses that may be fatal for the host. To date, the primary cytokines and chemokines involved in the initiation of these host responses remain illusive. In this study, we demonstrate that IL-1 is a major mediator involved in the initiation of immediate host responses toward i.v. applied Ad vectors. Using mice in which IL-1 signaling was genetically eliminated (IL-1RI-KO), or wild-type animals for which signaling was blocked by anti-IL-1 Abs, we found that i.v. applied Ad vectors elicited dramatically reduced acute inflammatory responses when compared with control animals. Importantly, the efficiency of Ad gene transfer in vivo was not significantly affected by interfering with IL-1 signaling. Using an in situ hybridization technique, we found that hepatocytes and Kupffer cells trigger IL-1 transcription in liver tissue after i.v. Ad vector administration. We also found that expression of the MIP-2 chemokine gene (which is responsible for recruitment of neutrophils to the liver) depends on IL-1 activation. Our data indicate that immediate innate and inflammatory host responses toward i.v. applied Ad vectors can be pharmacologically controlled through interference with IL-1 signaling pathways.
Overview of the US DOE/NREL polycrystalline thin-film photovoltaic technologies

Thin-film solar cells based on CdTe, CuInSe/sub 2/ (CIS) and Si-film have made rapid progress in the past 18 months. Total-area efficiencies of 16.8% for CIGS, 15.8% for CdTe, and 13.4% for Si-film on graphite cloth, verified by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, have been achieved thus far. The performance of thin-film modules for both CdTe and CIS have also improved markedly. Stability data for these emerging technologies is encouraging. Nominal 1-kW CIS and CdTe PV arrays have been installed and are undergoing testing. A 2-MW thin-film CdTe manufacturing plant has been installed, and another 10-MW thin-film CdTe plant is expected to be completed in 1996. A new Thin Film Partnership Program has been initiated to further advance the state-of-art of thin film technologies.
Oxygen Therapeutics: Pursuit of an Alternative to the Donor Red Blood Cell

Abstract Context.—There is no true substitute for the many functions of human red blood cells, and synthetic products will not replace the need for blood donation in the foreseeable future. Hemoglobin-based oxygen carriers have many characteristics that would serve as a useful adjunct to red cells in clinical settings. Over time, these technologies have the potential to dramatically reshape the practice of transfusion medicine. Objective.—To review the characteristics and potential utility of hemoglobin-based oxygen carriers and perfluorocarbon-based oxygen carriers. Several hemoglobin-based oxygen carriers are under study in phase III clinical trials. Novel uses for synthetic oxygen therapeutics are emphasized. Data Sources.—All published reports with the key words oxygen therapeutics, blood substitutes, and red cell substitutes from 1933 until March 2006 were searched through Medline. Significant findings were synthesized. Conclusions.—Recognition of the true impact of red cell substitutes is still seve...
Genetic Variation Associated with Mammalian Feeding in Culex pipiens from a West Nile Virus Epidemic Region in Chicago, Illinois

Mosquitoes of the Culex pipiens complex are important vectors of West Nile virus in the United States. We examined the genetic variations of Cx. pipiens mosquitoes from Chicago, Illinois that were determined to be principally ornithophilic but exhibited a relatively higher inclination for mammalian hosts including humans. Microsatellite analysis of 10 polymorphic markers was performed on 346 engorged Cx. pipiens specimens with identified avian or mammalian blood meals. Our results indicated that there were no significant differences in allelic richness, the pattern of conformity to Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, and linkage disequilibrium, nor was there overall genetic differentiation between specimens with avian- and mammalian-derived blood meals. However, Cx. pipiens form pipiens with mammalian- (including human-) derived blood meals had significantly higher ancestry (p 0.05) and the proportion of hybrids (p > 0.05) from Cx. quinquefasciatus (population from Harris Country, Texas). No temporal genetic variation was detected in accordance with the observation that there was no shift in blood feeding from birds to mammals. The results of this study in conjunction with regional host-feeding behavior suggest that the probability of genetic ancestry from Cx. pipiens f. molestus may predispose mosquitoes to feed more readily on mammals; however, the genetic mechanisms are unknown.
A comparison of the effects produced by metyrapone and its reduced metabolite on the adrenal 11β-hydroxylase system in the rat

Abstract A comparison of the effects of metyrapone* and its major metabolite (SU-5236) upon adrenocortical steroid 11β-hydroxylation has been carried out. When either compound was added to rat adrenal mitochondria in vitro , significant inhibition of corticosterone production was apparent. The spectral change induced by the reduced metabolite was identical to that produced by metyrapone. Similarly, both compounds substantially reduced the magnitude of the 11-deoxycorticosterone-induced difference spectrum. These same effects were demonstrable in adrenal mitochondria following the administration of either compound to rats in vivo . In each case, the inhibitory effects of SU-5236 were nearly as great as those of metyrapone itself, indicating that the conversion of metyrapone to this metabolite cannot account for the inactivation of this potent inhibitor of 11β-hydroxylation.
Applications of Symmetric Functions to Cycle and Increasing Subsequence Structure after Shuffles

Using symmetric function theory, we study the cycle structure and increasing subsequence structure of permutations after iterations of various shuffling methods. We emphasize the role of Cauchy type identities and variations of the Robinson-Schensted-Knuth correspondence.
Some Rao-Guttman relationships.

An examination of the determinantal equation associated with Rao's canonical factors suggests that Guttman's best lower bound for the number of common factors corresponds to the number of positive canonical correlations when squared multiple correlations are used as the initial estimates of communality. When these initial communality estimates are used, solving Rao's determinantal equation (at the first stage) permits expressing several matrices as functions of factors that differ only in the scale of their columns; these matrices include the correlation matrix with units in the diagonal, the correlation matrix with squared multiple correlations as communality estimates, Guttman's image covariance matrix, and Guttman's anti-image covariance matrix. Further, the factor scores associated with these factors can be shown to be either identical or simply related by a scale change. Implications for practice are discussed, and a computing scheme which would lead to an exhaustive analysis of the data with several optional outputs is outlined.
What Factors Place Children With Speech Sound Disorders at Risk for Reading Problems

Purpose To identify weaknesses in print awareness and phonological processing that place children with speech sound disorders (SSDs) at increased risk for reading difficulties. Method Language, lit...
A Technology‐Enhanced Unit of Modeling Static Electricity: Integrating scientific explanations and everyday observations

What trajectories do students follow as they connect their observations of electrostatic phenomena to atomic‐level visualizations? We designed an electrostatics unit, using the knowledge integration framework to help students link observations and scientific ideas. We analyze how learners integrate ideas about charges, charged particles, energy, and observable events. We compare learning enactments in a typical school and a magnet school in the USA. We use pre‐tests, post‐tests, embedded notes, and delayed post‐tests to capture the trajectories of students’ knowledge integration. We analyze how visualizations help students grapple with abstract electrostatics concepts such as induction. We find that overall students gain more sophisticated ideas. They can interpret dynamic, interactive visualizations, and connect charge‐ and particle‐based explanations to interpret observable events. Students continue to have difficulty in applying the energy‐based explanation.
Cocaine-induced brain activation determined by positron emission tomography neuroimaging in conscious rhesus monkeys.

Rationale: Cerebral blood flow can provide a useful dependent measure to characterize cocaine-induced changes in brain function. The acute effects of cocaine administration on cerebral blood flow may have direct relevance to the etiology of cocaine addiction. Objectives: The present study used positron emission tomography (PET) neuroimaging techniques to characterize the acute effects of cocaine administration on cerebral blood flow in conscious rhesus monkeys. Methods: Functional changes in cerebral blood flow were determined in four drug-naive subjects with the positron-emitting tracer 15O water following acute i.v. administration of cocaine (0.3 and 1.0 mg/kg). Specific attention was devoted to the development of an effective and comfortable head restraint device to use in the imaging of conscious monkeys. Experimental sessions comprised eight consecutive i.v. injections of 15O water at 10-min intervals. PET scans of 90 s duration occurred 10 s after each injection. Results: Repeated baseline determinations of cerebral blood flow prior to drug administration were reliable. Cocaine had significant, dose-related effects on cerebral blood flow at 5 min postinjection that diminished relative to control (saline) conditions by 15 min postinjection. Brain activation maps normalized to global flow showed prominent cocaine-induced activation of prefrontal cortex localized primarily to dorsolateral regions. Importantly, cocaine-induced brain activation was blocked by pretreatment with the selective serotonin uptake inhibitor, alaproclate (3.0 and 10.0 mg/kg). The results document a distinct pattern of cocaine-induced brain activation that is sensitive to pharmacological manipulation. Conclusion: The pattern of brain activation induced by acute administration of cocaine may provide a useful means to evaluate medication effectiveness for treating cocaine addiction.
Investigating hybrid SSD FTL schemes for Hadoop workloads

The Flash Translation Layer (FTL) is the core engine for Solid State Disks (SSD). It is responsible for managing the virtual to physical address mappings and emulating the functionality of a normal block-level device. SSD performance is highly dependent on the design of the FTL. For the last few years, several FTL schemes have been proposed. Hybrid FTL schemes have gained more popularity since they try to combine the benefits of both page-level mapping and block-level mapping schemes. Examples include BAST, FAST, LAST, etc. To provide high performance, FTL designers face several cross cutting issues: the right balance between coarse and fine grain address mapping, the asymmetric nature of reads and writes, the write amplification property of Flash memory, and the wear-out behavior of flash.The MapReduce paradigm has become a very popular paradigm for performing parallel and distributed computations on large data. Hadoop, an open-source implementation of MapReduce, has accelerated MapReduce adoption. Flash SSD is increasingly being used as a storage solution in Hadoop deployments for faster processing and better energy utilization. Little work has been done to understand the endurance implications of SSD on Hadoop-based workloads. In this paper, using a highly flexible and reconfigurable kernel-level simulation infrastructure, we investigate the internal characteristics of various hybrid FTL schemes using a representative set of Hadoop workloads. Our investigation brings out the wear-out behavior of SSD for Hadoop-based workloads including wear-leveling details, garbage collection, translation and block/page mappings, and advocates the need for dynamic tuning of FTL parameters for these workloads.