cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
CRISPR Interference and Activation to Modulate Transcription in Yarrowia lipolytica

Recent developments in RNA-guided nuclease technologies have advanced the engineering of a wide range of organisms, including the nonconventional yeast Yarrowia lipolytica. Y. lipolytica has been the focus of a range of synthetic biology and metabolic engineering studies due to its high capacity to synthesize and accumulate intracellular lipids. The CRISPR-Cas9 system from Streptococcus pyogenes has been successfully adapted and used for genome editing in Y. lipolytica. However, as engineered strains are moved closer to industrialization, the need for finer control of transcription is still present. To overcome this challenge, we have developed CRISPR interference (CRISPRi) and CRISPR activation (CRISPRa) systems to allow modulating the transcription of endogenous genes. We begin this protocol chapter by describing how to use the CRISPRi system to repress expression of any gene in Y. lipolytica. A second method describes how to use the CRISPRa system to increase expression of native Y. lipolytica genes. Finally, we describe how CRISPRi or CRISPRa vectors can be combined to enable multiplexed activation or repression of more than one gene. The implementation of CRISPRi and CRISPRa systems improves our ability to control gene expression in Y. lipolytica and promises to enable more advanced synthetic biology and metabolic engineering studies in this host.
Low Phase Noise Oscillator Design Using Degenerate Band Edge Ladder Architectures

A new approach based on a strong degeneracy state to design oscillators that exhibit low phase noise and low power consumption is presented. A 100-MHz oscillator is designed using a periodic structure based on a degenerate band edge that is augmented with an NMOS cross-coupled pair. The analysis and simulation results show 16 dB phase noise improvement compared to oscillators based on a conventional single-ladder periodic structure. It is also shown that this oscillator dissipates less power than a conventional LC oscillator that requires a buffer to drive a 50Ω load.
Microbial population dynamics are dominated by stochastic forces in a low biomass subseafloor habitat

The subseafloor is a vast global habitat that supports microorganisms that have a global scale impact on geochemical cycles. Much of the subseafloor contains endemic microbial populations that consist of small populations under growth-limited conditions. For small population sizes, the impacts of stochastic evolutionary events can have large impacts on intraspecific population dynamics and allele frequencies. These conditions are fundamentally different than those experienced by most microorganisms in surface environments, and it is unknown how small population sizes and growth-limiting conditions influence evolution and population structure. Using a two-year, high-resolution environmental time-series, we examine the dynamics of 10 microbial populations from cold, oxic crustal fluids collected from the subseafloor site North Pond, located near the mid-Atlantic ridge. The 10 microbial populations were divided into groups with distinct patterns of population dynamics based on abundance, nucleotide diversity, and changes in allele frequency. Results reveal rapid allele frequency shifts linked to different types of population interactions, including sweeps, dispersal, and clonal expansion. Dispersal plays an important role in structuring the most abundant populations in the crustal fluids. Microbial populations in the subseafloor of North Pond are highly dynamic and evolution is governed largely by the stochastic forces of dispersal and drift.
Policing The Lost: The Emergence of Missing Persons and the Classification of Deviant Absence

In the mid-19 th century, increases in global migration and mobility produced a discernable rise in the number of ambiguous absences. This shift, combined with a novel expectation, linked to improved communications technology, that such absences might be resolved engendered the emergence of missing persons as a social category. A demand on the part of families of the missing that the state aid in their location would produce a Bourdieusian classification struggle over how to define and categorize this new mass of absences. At issue would be whether an ambiguously absent individual was merely absent, as a routine component of social life, or whether the individual merited legitimation by the state as a new form of deviant: a "missing" person. Scholars have described the emerging administrative state’s enhanced powers of surveillance and classification and its persistent inclination to render their populations, in James Scott’s phrase, “legible.” Brought to the attention of the state, missing persons represented a body of people who had conspicuously fallen out of official sight. Yet, instead of attempting to fix this omission by gathering additional information on the lost — to, in effect, see the missing — as theories of the state would lead us to expect, the state chose to look away. In the United States, the state, in the form of municipal police departments, resisted classifying absences as cases of missingness and pushed back against families’ requests for aid. Leveraging the inherently ambiguous characteristics of the missing, the state promoted a definition of missing persons that conveniently freed it from the burden of managing an unmanageable population. In this article, drawing from archival data, I challenge prevailing theories of the modern state that emphasize its avidly classificatory nature by offering a case in which legibility was strategically withheld and a population was, in service of state interests, intentionally obscured. Only after the state lost its symbolic monopoly and the category was raced and gendered, becoming, in public discourse, associated with a socially valuable demographic – namely, young, white women – would the state, facing a threat to its legitimacy, deem the missing as worthy of being seen.
Statistical criteria for microcrack propagation in b.c.c. polycrystals

A criterion for propagation of an existing cleavage microcrack through the grain boundary and on a prospective cleavage plane in the neighboring grain is developed for an arbitrary mutual orientation of the two crack planes. This criterion is then generalized to the case of selective microcrack propagation on the {100} cleavage planes in iron and other b.c.c. polycrystals, which are assumed to have no preferential orientation. A relationship between the magnitude of the applied stresses and the probability of successful grain boundary crossings is derived for the case of a uniaxial tension stress. In this particular case, the relative portion of grains which are affected by propagating microcracks increases in direct proportion to the magnitude of the applied stress until about 60% of all grain boundaries have been penetrated. Accordingly, the polycrystal can be selectively weakened at relatively low applied stresses by cleavage microcracks propagating along a continuous, multiply connected, nearly planar path which leads through grains that have the most nearly normal cleavage planes relative to the stress axis.
The risk of intra-abdominal injuries in pediatric patients with stable blunt abdominal trauma and negative abdominal computed tomography.

Objectives: This review examines the prevalence of intra-abdominal injuries (IAI) and the negative predictive value (NPV) of an abdominal computed tomography (CT) in children who present with blunt abdominal trauma. Methods: MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library databases were searched. Studies were selected if they enrolled children with blunt abdominal trauma from the emergency department (ED) with significant mechanism of injury requiring an abdominal CT. The primary outcome measure was the rate of IAI in patients with negative initial abdominal CT. The secondary outcome measure was the number of laparotomies, angiographic embolizations, or repeat abdominal CTs in those with negative initial abdominal CTs. Results: Three studies met the inclusion criteria, comprising a total of 2,596 patients. The overall rate of IAI after a negative abdominal CT was 0.19% (95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.08% to 0.44%). The overall NPV of abdominal CT was 99.8% (95% CI = 99.6% to 99.9%). There were five patients (0.19%, 95% CI = 0.08% to 0.45%) who required additional intervention despite their initial negative CTs: one therapeutic laparotomy for bowel rupture, one diagnostic laparotomy for mesenteric hematoma and serosal tear, and three repeat abdominal CTs (one splenic and two renal injuries). None of the patients in the latter group required surgery or blood transfusion. Conclusions: The rate of IAI after blunt abdominal trauma with negative CT in children is low. Abdominal CT has a high NPV. The review shows that it might be safe to discharge a stable child home after a negative abdominal CT. ACADEMIC EMERGENCY MEDICINE 2010; 17:469–475 © 2010 by the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine
Characterization of the subunit structure of gonadotropin receptor in luteinized rat ovary.

Gonadotropin receptors with specificity, high affinity and low capacity for luteinizing hormone and human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) have been identified in rat luteal cells. To investigate the nature of the receptor, we have employed disuccinimidyl suberate, a cross-linker noncleavable by reducing agents, and dithiobis(succinimidyl propionate), a cleavable cross-linker, to covalently cross-link the 125I-hCG . receptor complex. The molecular weight of 125I-hCG-linked receptor complex and the receptor subunit structure were determined by electrophoresis in either 10 or 4.5% acrylamide in the presence of 0.1% sodium dodecyl sulfate with or without reducing agents. Autoradiographic analysis of the 125I-hCG-linked receptor separated by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis under nonreducing condition revealed a single labeled band corresponding to Mr = 305,000 +/- 15,000. However, electrophoresis performed in the presence of 50 mM dithiothreitol and 2% beta-mercaptoethanol resulted in the appearance of four labeled bands corresponding to Mr = 105,000 +/- 4,000, 96,000 +/- 5,000, 74,000 +/- 4,000, and 62,000 +/- 4,000 concomitant with the loss of the labeled band in the Mr = 305,000 region. Further experiments demonstrated that these four labeled bands were derived from the same molecular species. In addition, the 125I-hCG-linked receptor in the absence of reducing agent was not dissociated into subunits even by treatment with strong denaturing agent (8 M urea). The appearance of the cross-linked 125I-hCG . receptor was effectively inhibited by the unlabeled beta-subunit of hCG, intact hCG, and luteinizing hormone and partially inhibited by the alpha-subunit of hCG but not by choleratoxin, gonadotropin-releasing hormone, insulin or bovine serum albumin. These data suggest that 1) the hCG/luteinizing hormone receptor is an oligomeric complex linked by disulfide bonds and 2) that under reducing conditions, the oligomeric receptor dissociates into four nonidentical subunits.
Fan, Ruiping, Reconstructionist Confucianism: Rethinking Morality After the West

Reconstructionist Confucianism is fascinating, provocative, and in several ways novel. It is the first English language, full-length effort to re-articulate Confucianism so that it speaks to the specific ethical challenges of the contemporary world. Fan’s background as a bioethicist enables him to enter deeply into a series of moral and political issues. Furthermore, Fan’s methodology is distinctive and his conclusions are quite at odds with much that has been written about contemporary Confucianism. As such, the book deserves broad attention: readers with a wide range of backgrounds and research agendas will find stimulating arguments to engage them. Having found Reconstructionist Confucianism to be so provocative, I will seek to return the favor by challenging Fan on a number of points. The contemporary, globally informed philosophical development of Confucianism is still in its infancy. We need to encourage multiple voices and then to engage with them both charitably and critically: this is the best way to seek the Confucianism—or perhaps Confucianisms—that can contribute the most to our various communities around the globe. First, though, a brief summary of the book’s contents. Its fourteen chapters are organized into four parts, the titles of which capture well their contents. Part I is labeled “Beyond Individualism: Familism as the Key to Virtuous Social Structure.” There is no question that Fan’s most important analytical category is the family, which he takes to be normatively central to Confucianism and descriptively central to contemporary Chinese mores. This emphasis on the family complements another of Fan’s key notions, namely the prescriptive and descriptive importance of virtue-as-love. As he puts it, Confucianism’s anti-egalitarian social theory teaches us to treat all people like (one or another grade of) relatives. This theme is developed in Part II, “Virtue as a Way of Life: Social Justice Reconsidered.” Individual chapters in this part critique Rawlsian ideas of justice and argue for specific approaches to health care and eldercare. A new dimension of his anti-egalitarianism is introduced in Part III, titled “The Market, the Goodness of Profit, and the Proper Character of Chinese Public Policy.” Among other issues, chapters in this part cover Fan’s recommended political arrangements, reforms of the medical marketplace, Confucian business ethics, and a distinctive take on Confucian attitudes toward nature. Part IV, finally, is called “Rites, not Rights: Towards a Richer Vision of the Human Condition.” A major Dao (2010) 9:353–357 DOI 10.1007/s11712-010-9178-x
Selective monitoring using performance metric predicates

The field of parallel processing is going through an important evolution in technology characterized by a significant increase in the number of processors within such systems. As the number of processors increases, the conventional techniques for monitoring the performance of parallel systems will produce large amounts of data in the form of event trace files. The authors propose one possible solution to this data size problem: performance metric predicates. These predicates permit the user to define performance parameters that control the output of event trace data during the application's execution time. The authors assert that the use of performance metric predicates provides a powerful and useful tool for the control of event trace data output from large, complex systems. >
Effect of sulfasalazine on basal and bacteria-stimulated interleukin-8 production by endocervical epithelial cells.

Problem Sulfasalazine (SASP) inhibits lipopolysaccharide-induced nuclear-factor kappa B activation and interleukin-8 (IL-8) production by cultured explants of placenta, amnion and choriodecidua. Bacteria-induced IL-8 production in the cervix is a potential mechanism for premature cervical ripening that may lead to preterm birth. Our objective was to determine if SASP inhibits IL-8 production by endocervical cells stimulated with bacterial pathogens associated with preterm birth. Method of study Human endocervical cells were incubated with 0–1.6 mm SASP and then stimulated with Ureaplasma parvum, Escherichia coli, or Gardnerella vaginalis. Conditioned medium was then harvested and production of IL-8 was quantified by ELISA. Viability of the cells was ascertained at the end of the experiment with the MTT-assay. Results At the highest concentration tested (1.6 mm), SASP significantly inhibited IL-8 production by cultures stimulated with E. coli (P < 0.001), U. parvum (P < 0.001), and G. vaginalis (P < 0.001). Viability of the cells, however, was significantly reduced by SASP at 0.8 and 1.6 mm in both the presence and absence of bacteria for all experiments. Conclusion Although high concentrations of SASP inhibit IL-8 production by cultures of endocervical cells stimulated with pathogens associated with preterm birth, this effect may be because of toxicity of the antibiotic on the cells.
The Guatemala Sexually Transmitted Disease Studies: What Happened

In September, 2010, the public and medical communities were stunned by the disclosure of syphilis and other sexually transmitted disease studies conducted in 1946 to 1948 by the US Public Health Service in Guatemala, after being hidden for more than 60 years. The ensuing controversy and public embarrassment resulted in an acknowledgement of major ethical transgressions and an official public apology to Guatemala from President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Clinton (NY Times October 1, 2010). At the direction of the President, a subsequent investigations and public hearings with US Presidential Commission on Bioethical Issues were conducted, resulting in the review of more than 125,000 pages of documents obtained from various archives and publication of a report in both English and Spanish titled ‘‘Ethically Impossible,’’ which documents the known history of the studies, the major characters involved, and the procedures that were performed in Guatemala. At all steps of the process, from the discovery of the materials through the final publication of the Commission studies, there was acknowledgement at all levels of the US Government that this work involved major ethical lapses. The studies were discovered by Dr Susan Reverby, a historian at Wellesley College in Massachusetts. Dr Reverby’s research has focused on the Tuskegee studies of untreated syphilis. She was researching the work of Dr John Cutler at the University of Pittsburgh, who was one of the United States Public Health Service (USPHS) physicians involved in the Tuskegee studies, including publication of some of the Tuskegee studies. After his USPHS career, Dr Cutler had a long and distinguished public health career, including being the Dean at the University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health. Ironically, his only publication in this journal was an obituary for Dr Robert Arnold, a physicianscientist who was also involved in the Tuskegee project and was aware of the Guatemala studies as they occurred. Dr Cutler died in 2003. The Pittsburgh archive he left included more than 12,000 pages of documents describing the studies in Guatemala, including experimental notebooks, cards for individual participants, participant photographs, and correspondence. None of the material had been ever published. The National Archives has made the materials, including deidentified medical records and photographs of the studies, available on their Web site (http://www.archives.gov/research/ health/cdc-cutler-records/) The Presidential Commission’s study is extensive and describes in detail the historical context, the process, the studies themselves, and aftermath of its investigation. I had the privilege of being a technical consultant to the Commission and providing input on the medical and biomedical historical context. My objectives here are to
Transvaginal cholecystectomy without laparoscopic support using prototype flexible endoscopic instruments in a porcine model

Transvaginal cholecystectomy with laparoscopic assistance has been performed safely in humans. The next goal was to develop a natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery (NOTES) technique to perform cholecystectomy without laparoscopic instruments using one flexible endoscope and flexible accessories. The aim of the study was to test the feasibility of the procedure in a survival porcine model. Cholecystectomies were attempted in five 88–130-lb. pigs with a planned 2-week survival. Prototype flexible instruments (NOTES Toolbox, Ethicon Endo-Surgery, Inc.) were used to aid in access, dissection, and removal of the gallbladder via the transvaginal route. Cholecystectomy could be completed without abdominal incision using prototype instruments in four out of five pigs. The cystic duct could be exposed with a flexible hook knife and clips applied. The steerable trocar improved stability and the precision of the dissection. The critical view was established in all five pigs. Dissection of the gallbladder off the liver bed was imprecise resulting in gallbladder perforation in all pigs and liver hemorrhage in two. At necropsy, all clips on the cystic duct were secure and no bile leak, bowel injury, or adhesions were present. NOTES cholecystectomy without laparoscopic support is feasible but challenging using prototype flexible endoscopic devices. A prototype clip applier was effective in controlling the cystic duct. Further improvements in instrument design to ensure precision and safety are needed before flexible devices should be used for pure NOTES procedures in humans.
Autosomal dominant “spheroid body myopathy”

A slowly progressive autosomal dominant neuromuscular disease–termed spheroid body myopathy–is described in four successive generations and documented by muscle biopsies in five patients of two generations. With an onset in adolescence, the disease proceeds to some motor incapacitation, but life span is apparently not shortened. The salient morphologic feature is the presence of spheroid bodies, chiefly occurring in type 1 myofibers. Ultrastructurally, these spheroid bodies are composed of fine filaments but are devoid of organelles; in some cases they resemble cytoplasmic bodies. “Smearing in the l-band” is a frequent and early finding. At a later age, signs of denervation are also present, both clinically and in muscle biopsies. The clinical and morphologic features justify the designation of this neuromuscular condition as a distinct entity.
The Psychology of Ongoing Excellence: An NCAA Coach's Perspective on Winning Consecutive Multiple National Championships

Although coaches often talk about the importance of building a championship team, very few studies have addressed the mindset and psychosocial dynamics of teams winning multiple championships in a row. The purpose of this reflective report is to explore from a psychology of coaching perspective, factors perceived to be most paramount in building and sustaining a repeatable championship team culture over time. During the 2007–2010 seasons, a Division One NCAA university volleyball team won four successive national championships in a row. The lead author interviewed the head coach to ascertain his thoughts and reflections on foundational beliefs and coaching philosophy, program development and team norms, group dynamics and synergistic team functioning, and factors that influence the sustainability of excellence from year to year. Results from the structured interview were very enlightening, revealing insights into the importance of recruiting athletes that are the right fit, having a game plan to develop c...
The mismatch negativity cortical evoked potential elicited by speech in cochlear-implant users ☆

The mismatch negativity (MMN) event-related potential is a non-task related neurophysiologic index of auditory discrimination. The MMN was elicited in eight cochlear implant recipients by the synthesized speech stimulus pair /da/ and /ta/. The response was remarkably similar to the MMN measured in normal-hearing individuals to the same stimuli. The results suggest that the central auditory system can process certain aspects of speech consistently, independent of whether the stimuli are processed through a normal cochlea or mediated by a cochlear prosthesis. The MMN shows promise as a measure for the objective evaluation of cochlear-implant function, and for the study of central neurophysiological processes underlying speech perception.
Auger Electron Spectroscopic (AES) Measurements on High Aspect Ratio Tin Whiskers

With the implementation of RoHS directives regarding Pb-free electronics, pure tin (Sn) films and board finishes offer potentially serious reliability issues due to Sn whisker formation. A key aspect of Sn whiskers is their material composition, which has been assumed pure crystalline Sn since 1951. Due to the submicron width (~ 0.25 mum) of high aspect ratio whiskers, it has been difficult for even state- of-the-art materials techniques to provide clear, unambiguous data on Sn whiskers and, in particular, the surfaces ofSn whiskers. In this study, high resolution Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) has been used to determine both the surface and bulk composition of high aspect ratio Sn whiskers. The whiskers were grown from intrinsically stressed thin films (~ 6000 A) of Sn on brass, deposited using cylindrical magnetron sputtering techniques. Results show that the whiskers are 100% Sn at the whisker base, shaft, tip, and up to a substantial depth into the whisker bulk. No evidence of pull-up from the brass substrate or surface contaminants is observed in the whiskers. A remarkable aspect of the growth is that high aspect ratio whiskers ~ 10-100m in length containing no brass are grown from a ~ 0.6 mum thin film of Sn on brass.
Techniques for application software maintenance

Abstract Software maintenance accounts for up to 90% of software lifecycle effort. Software maintenance activities are re-classified into five categories. Reasons for high maintenance costs are described for each maintenance type. Several techniques to reduce current and future maintenance are described and compared. Current maintenance techniques for program browsing, software documentation, and program analysis as well as commercially available computer-aided software maintenance tools are described. Techniques to improve software maintainability, such as software re-structuring, re-engineering, reverse engineering, and defensive programming approach, and techniques to increase the maintenance productivity of future programs are described. Selection criteria in choosing these maintenance techniques and some recommendations for maintenance organization are discussed.
Effects of equilibrating salt solutions on phosphate sorption by soils 1

Abstract Several equilibrating salt solutions have been used in the studies of P sorption by soils and sediments. This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of 10 salt solutions on estimation of P sorption by soils. Results obtained showed that, when the equilibrating solution was made to contain 0.01M with respect to CaCl2, Ca(NO3)2, CaSO4, MgCl2, KCl, LiCl, Nacl, or KHCO3, the amount of P sorbed by soil always exceeded the amount sorbed from the soil‐water system. In comparison with the amount of P sorbed from water, 0.01M NaHCO3 reduced P sorption by soils. Use of THAM buffer (0.05M pH 7.0) to control the pH increased P sorption by some soils and decreased P sorption by others, relative to that sorbed from the soil‐water system. The results indicated that inclusion of salts in the equilibrating solution for P‐sorption studies should be avoided, especially in studies related to water quality.
Prediction of Nanoscale Radiative Heat Transfer Between Silicon and Silicon or Another Material

This work investigates the near-field radiative heat transfer between two semi-finite media separated by a vacuum gap. The fluctuational electrodynamics is used to calculate the net heat flux between a high-temperature medium, which is assumed to be silicon at 1000 K, and a room-temperature (300 K) medium, which is taken as either silicon or a different material, such as silicon carbide and aluminum. The dielectric function of silicon is modeled with a Drude model, considering the effects of temperature and doping level on the carrier concentrations and scattering rates. The calculated results show that the net radiative energy flux can be greatly enhanced in the near field. In the case of energy exchange between silicon and silicon, the net heat flux approaches to a constant value as the distance between the media is reduced to below 100 nm. Furthermore, increasing the doping level of the high-temperature medium causes a slight decrease in the near-field energy flux. On the contrary, in the case of energy exchange between silicon and a different material (silicon carbide or aluminum), the net heat flux continue to increase as the distance is reduced even below 1 nm. Increasing the doping level of silicon can significantly enhance the net energy flux, especially when the distance is shorter than 20 nm.Copyright © 2004 by ASME
Holographic detection of fatigue-induced surface deformation and crack growth in a high-strength aluminum alloy

Changes in optical correlation intensity (I)c are observed during fatigue cycling of 2024-T3 aluminum alloy. TheI c measurements are made by transmitting light scattered from the specimen surface through a holographic filter containing information about the surface topography at an earlier time. Topographic changes such as slip band development, microcracking, and crack propagation are observed and recordedin situ during fatigue cycling of individual specimens and cause corresponding changes in correlation intensity. A three-stage curve log (I)c vs number of fatigue cycles is observed for both unnotched and notched specimens. The overall shape of the curve is not affected by the applied stress levels in constant amplitude tests. Thein situ metallographic observations confirm that region A of the correlation intensity curve corresponds to progressive roughening of the specimen surface caused by slip during the early part of the fatigue life, together with a rapid increase in the number of microcracks of the order of a few micrometers in length. Few metallographic changes are observed during region B of the curve, where the correlation intensity remains relatively constant. The accelerating loss of correlation intensity in region C of the curve arises from the elastic and plastic displacements which occur as a crack or cracks grow beyond about 10 µm in length. The metallographic observations also show that for both notched and unnotched specimens, the correlation intensity readings in region C are sensitive to factors such as crack branching, crack-tip plasticity, and changes in crack growth direction as well as to the overall increase in crack length. The total loss of correlation intensity from the beginning of fatigue cycling to the development of a crack about 800 µm in length can be more than eight orders of magnitude at the present sensitivity of our experiments. The optical correlation technique is an extremely sensitive method of detecting remotely, in air, fatigue damage, and the propagation of fatigue cracks from ten to several hundred micrometers in length. The correlation intensity curve provides an indication of developing fatigue damage and impending fatigue failure in individual specimens, and detects the onset of crack propagation with no prior knowledge of the presence or precise location of particular flaws or cracks.
Inflammatory resorption caused by an adjacent necrotic tooth

A case history is presented with a large periapical lesion and a perforating resorption defect on a cuspid. Endodontic therapy was performed, presuming that the necrotic cuspid caused the inflammatory response. No radiographic healing was evident 18 months after endodontic therapy. Considerable healing was demonstrated 6 months later, following the extraction of an adjacent tooth with prior root canal therapy. It was concluded that the failing root canal therapy of the extracted tooth was the primary factor leading to the inflammatory lesion, the resorptive perforation of the adjacent tooth, and its pulpal necrosis. It has not been reported prior that inflammatory resorption can result from the pulpal necrosis of an adjacent tooth.
APT, Inc.: An Application of Impairment Testing and Fair Value Estimation Using International Financial Reporting Standards

ABSTRACT: APT, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of a Canadian publicly owned company that reports using International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS), owns a student rental complex on land leased from a U.S. university. APT, Inc.'s Director of Accounting must determine whether the apartment complex is impaired and determine the fair value of the property for financial statement disclosure purposes. As such, both he and the students assigned the case must rely on the guidance included in International Accounting Standards (IAS) 36, 40, and IFRS 13. Unlike most impairment examples included in textbooks, students are not provided with either fair value or value in use information. Rather, they must estimate the higher of the fair value less costs of disposal or value in use based upon information provided in the case. Thus, students are required to apply higher-order learning skills as they grapple with numerous decisions (e.g., discount rates, cash flow projections, relevant comparable properties and th...
Inquiry-Based Lessons That Integrate Technology: Their Development and Evaluation in Elementary Mathematics Teacher Education

Technology-enhanced mathematics tasks were introduced to elementary pre-service candidates (n = 84) and in-service teachers (n = 38), who then, either in partners or small groups, created and taught inquiry-based lessons incorporating technology, with individual reflections. The lessons were coded using the following criteria: (a) The students themselves used the technology for inquiry learning, (b) technology was integral to the learning task, (c) the lesson focused on mathematics concepts—not the technology, and (d) the task would have been more difficult to accomplish without the technology. The lesson analysis revealed that, after instruction on inquiry learning and technology integration, each group achieved a high level of proficiency using these criteria. Further, the analysis assisted the instructors in identifying issues and concerns regarding implementation of technology in elementary mathematics instruction.
Effect of killing the seed on return bloom of olive

Abstract A series of experiments were performed to determine the role of the seed and crop load on flower induction in olive. Complete de-fruiting of branches 2–3 cm in diameter as early as 2 weeks after anthesis did not promote flowering in ‘Manzanillo’. Destruction of the seed promoted flower formation compared to seeded controls in both ‘Manzanillo’ and ‘Koroneiki’. Dry matter accumulation and partitioning in both seeded and seed-killed fruit were similar. Carbohydrate demand did not appear to be a primary factor in flower formation. Flowering was promoted in both varieties when the seed was destroyed prior to endocarp sclerification.
Path Planning for Robotic Demining: Robust Sensor-Based Coverage of Unstructured Environments and Probabilistic Methods

Demining and unexploded ordnance (UXO) clearance are extremely tedious and dangerous tasks. The use of robots bypasses the hazards and potentially increases the efficiency of both tasks. A first cr...
Femtosecond spectroscopy of condensed phases with chirped supercontinuum probing

Pump--supercontinuum-probe (PSCP) spectroscopy with femtosecond time resolution is developed theoretically and experimentally. The connection to previous theoretical results on nonchirped probing is established. It is experimentally shown that the supercontinuum can be described as a single chirped pulse. A key problem of the technique---the precise time correction of transient spectra---is solved by monitoring the nonresonant electronic response from a pure solvent (liquids) or from a transparent substrate (solid films). This allows for an adequate characterization of the supercontinuum, in particular, for directly measuring the spectral dependence of the pump-probe cross correlation. For 50-fs pump pulses, a theoretical estimate gives an accuracy for the time correction of 10 fs, which is typically \ensuremath{\approx}1/30 of the supercontinuum pulse duration. Hence a time resolution of 10--20 fs can be experimentally realized. Contributions to the nonresonant transient signal from high-frequency Raman excitations and from low-frequency impulsive-stimulated Raman processes are discussed. The PSCP technique is illustrated by results from experiments with fused silica and several common solvents and with a chromophore in solution.
Glutathionyl Transferase Catalyzed Addition of Glutathione to COMC: A New Hypothesis for Antitumor Activity

Data are presented indicating that the potent antitumor activity of 2-crotonyloxymethyl-(4R,5R,6R)-4,5,6-trihydroxy-2-cyclohexenone (COTC) and 2-crotonyloxymethyl-2-cyclohexenone (COMC) is not likely the result of glyoxalase I inhibition, as has long been assumed. An alternative hypothesis is presented, based on the finding that COMC is a substrate for human glutathionyl transferase, which produces a transient, highly electrophilic glutathionylated 2-exomethylenecyclohexanone that can covalently modify proteins and nucleic acids.
Categorical abstract algebraic logic: The categorical Suszko operator

Czelakowski introduced the Suszko operator as a basis for the development of a hierarchy of non-protoalgebraic logics, paralleling the well-known abstract algebraic hierarchy of protoalgebraic logics based on the Leibniz operator of Blok and Pigozzi. The scope of the theory of the Leibniz operator was recently extended to cover the case of, the so-called, protoalgebraic π-institutions. In the present work, following the lead of Czelakowski, an attempt is made at lifting parts of the theory of the Suszko operator to the π-institution framework. (© 2007 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Rapid Analysis of Erbium by Neutron Activation followed by γ-Ray Spectrometry

A method was developed for determining erbium by neutron activation to E167m. In the resulting gamma spectrum, the Mev gamma ray was measured. The relation between photopeak height and the amount of erbium was obtained by use of standands. (M.C.G.)
A note on K-theoretical index theorems for orbifolds

In this note we study index theory for orbifolds. We deduce from the K -theoretical index theorem of Farsi ( Q . J1 Math. 43, 183-200 (1992)) the orbifold index theorem of T. Kawasaki using cyclic theory (A. Connes and G. Yu). Our main result is an extension of Theorem 14 in the Farsi paper, namely we derive the cohomological index formula for orbifolds of T. Kawasaki from our K -theoretical index theorem by using the methods introduced by A. Connes and G. Yu. In §1 we review some notation and describe the K -theoretical index theorems for orbifolds and in §2 we prove our main result.
The role of cAMP-MAPK signalling in the regulation of human hepatocellular carcinoma growth in vitro.

Objective We have previously identified that primary human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is associated with altered guanine nucleotide regulatory protein (G-protein) expression concomitant with decreased adenylyl cyclase (AC) and increased mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK) activity in vivo. This study aims to address the potential link between Gs protein regulation of AC activity/ cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) production and the subsequent downstream regulation of MAPK activity and mitogenesis. Design Pharmacological agents which selectively interact with specific target proteins involved in signal transduction via the Gs-AC-cAMP-MAPK signalling pathway were employed in cultured human HCC cell lines in these studies. These agents allow us to address the role of individual components of these pathways in the regulation of mitogenesis in HCC. Methods These studies utilized three distinct human HCC cell lines (HepG2, Hep3B and SKHep) in the absence and presence of agents that alter AC-cAMP dependent signalling. De novo DNA synthesis was determined as a marker of altered cellular proliferation, and MAPK activity was determined as the ability to catalyse myelin basic protein (MBP) phosphorylation. Results 8-Bromo-cAMP (8-Br-cAMP; a cell-permeable cAMP analogue) and forskolin (AC activator) dose-dependently decreased thymidine incorporation in all three cell lines. In addition, serum-stimulated [ 3 H] thymidine incorporation was significantly decreased in HepG2, Hep3B and SKHep cell lines following treatment with either 8-Br-cAMP or forskolin. By contrast, MDL12330A (MDL; irreversible AC inhibitor) enhanced thymidine incorporation in all three cell lines. Treatment with either 8-Br-cAMP or forskolin significantly decreased serum-stimulated MAPK activity. Conclusions These data suggest that cAMP acts as an anti-mitogenic agent in these hepatic tumorigenic cell lines in vitro such that inhibition of AC activity promotes MAPK activity and cellular mitogenesis in HCC.
Comparison of multiresolution morphological and Laplacian techniques for automated inspection

This paper concerns the analysis of images at multiple scales of spatial resolution. We describe and compare two methods of generating hierarchical image representations (called pyramids) which are based on changes in image resolution. The first of these methods utilizes the tools of mathematical morphology to derive image pyramids, while the second method is based on well known linear filtering techniques to create Gaussian and Laplacian pyramids. Both methods involve the successive remodel of high frequency components from an image so that an ordered sequence of low pass filtered, subsampled images results. It is also possible in each case to use differences of adjacent levels in a low-pass pyramid to generate a band-pass pyramid of images. The resulting hierarchy of images is well suited to such applications as automated industrial inspection, since components of interest can be expected to appear at particular levels of the hierarchy. A problem with the latter method is that image features are blurred by the linear smoothing. This drawback is not present in the former technique, which depends on nonlinear, set-theoretic transformations. This paper describes these two methods for generating image pyramids and compares the results of each in the inspection of a printed circuit board.© (1992) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Changes in willingness to participate in HIV vaccine trials among HIV-negative injection drug users.

Injection drug users (IDUs) represent an important risk group for HIV infection. We assessed correlates of IDUs' willingness to participate (WTP) in HIV vaccine trials, and examined temporal changes in WTP. Participants were enrolled in ALIVE, a prospective study of HIV among IDUs in Baltimore; semi-annual visits include interviews and HIV serology. Questionnaires regarding WTP were administered in 1993–1994 and again in 2001–2002. Logistic regression was conducted to identify correlates of WTP. Wave 1 of the survey included 440 participants; Wave 2 included 582 participants (189 participated in both waves). WTP increased modestly over time (83.4 vs. 86.3%; p = 0.16). Monetary incentives were the strongest predictor of WTP (adjOR = 2.73; 95% CI: 1.72–4.35). High expectations of HIV treatment effectiveness did not predict WTP. In this cohort, WTP remained strong and modestly increased over the study period. These results should be considered in the planning of sampling and retention strategies for future vaccine trials.
Response control of responding: Discrimination and generalization of response-produced stimuli

Specific antecedent barpress-response durations emitted by rats were substituted for the exteroceptive stimuli typically used in stimulus control paradigms. The resultant response-discrimination and response-generalization paradigms produced differential rates of response along a response-duration continuum. The obtained response control over responding was analogous to the stimulus control of responding along stimulus dimensions reported in the literature. The findings were interpreted as support for the conceptualization that response control represents a special instance of stimulus control in which responding is based on response-produced stimuli.
Phospholipid distributions and fatty acid composition of lysophosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylcholine in rabbit aqueous humor, lens and vitreous.

Abstract The phospholipid distributions in rabbit lens and vitreous humor are remarkably similar to those of rabbit erythrocytes with a predominance of phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) and phosphatidylcholine (PC) and lesser levels of sphingomyelin. A blood-aqueous and blood-vitreous barrier exists for phospholipids. In aqueous humor and vitreous humor, phospholipid concentrations were 1 2 to 1 30 those in serum. Only PE occurs in higher levels in vitreous than in serum, probably reflecting direct diffusion from the retina. Levels of lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) in rabbit aqueous humor average 4·3 μg/ml. No LPC was present in rabbit lens. The fatty acid composition of PC and LPC was determined in lens, intraocular fluids, and serum. PC from rabbit ocular fluids or lens contains a higher proportion of saturated fatty acids than rabbit serum, and the long chain saturated fatty acids (>22:0) are found only in the ocular fluids.
N-methyl-D-aspartic acid-induced lethality in mice: selective antagonism by phencyclidine-like drugs.

N-Methyl-D-aspartic acid (NMDA) produced a dose-related increase in lethality in mice, with 200 mg/kg (i.p.) effecting 100% lethality. Upon daily dosing, acutely sublethal doses of NMDA produced deaths. This NMDA-induced lethality was stereoselective; N-methyl-L-aspartic acid had no effects at doses as high as 400 mg/kg. Moderate doses of phencyclidine (PCP) and drugs having PCP-like behavioral effects blocked the NMDA-induced lethality. Other classes of psychoactive drugs, including opioids, anticonvulsants and antipsychotics, were ineffective in preventing NMDA-induced lethality. The potency of PCP-like drugs to block the NMDA-induced lethality correlates highly with the dose necessary to produce PCP-like catalepsy and PCP-like discrimination in pigeons. These data support the hypothesis that PCP-like drugs produce many of their effects by impairing the normal functioning of the NMDA-defined excitatory neurotransmitter receptor in the central nervous system.
CORR Insights(®): development of a mouse model of ischemic osteonecrosis.

O steonecrosis is a persistent and confounding orthopaedic pathology that can arise in any bone; common causes include compromised vasculature, exposure to radiation therapy, treatment with corticosteroids, or bisphosphonates treatment [2, 5, 6]. In the appendicular skeleton, osteonecrosis is managed surgically using total joint implants (among other approaches) while osteonecrosis of the jaw is treated with prophylactic antibiotic rinses followed by surgical resection when disease progression leads to substantial pain [1, 3]. Researchers have developed animal models that correspond to the different clinical presentations of osteonecrosis [2]. These models include trauma-induced osteonecrosis, which was modeled through surgical ligation of local blood vessels or femoral dislocation, while corticosteroid-induced osteonecrosis has been modeled through the administration of high doses of methylprednisone or dexamethasone. Other models have tried to replicate the condition by treating animals with ethanol directly injected into the bone marrow, intravenous injections of lipopolysaccharides, or through the injection of horse serum to stimulate a severe immune reaction. Physical methods have also been employed to induce osteonecrosis, including cryogenic or thermal insult. Most of these experimental models result in a high rate of animal mortality, which limits their utility [2]. Additionally, the variability in cell death and the time course of recovery vary across these animal models [1], further complicating our ability to interpret them in the context of the human disease they seek to replicate. In the current study, Kamiya and colleagues cauterized four blood vessels (the popliteal and three genicular vessels) around the distal femur, creating a model of avascular osteonecrosis, and, importantly, doing so without resulting in the premature death of the animals.