cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
RB has a critical role in mediating the in vivo checkpoint response, mitigating secondary DNA damage and suppressing liver tumorigenesis initiated by aflatoxin B1

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a significant worldwide health concern that is associated with discrete etiological events, encompassing viral infection, metabolic stress and genotoxic compounds. In particular, exposure to the genotoxic hepatocarcinogen aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) is a significant factor in the genesis of human liver cancer. Presumably, genetic events associated with HCC could influence the effect of environmental insults, yielding a predilection for tumor development. The retinoblastoma (RB) tumor suppressor pathway is functionally inactivated in HCC through discrete mechanisms; however, the role of RB in suppressing tumorigenesis in this disease is poorly understood. Therefore, we analysed how RB status affects the response to AFB1 in reference to acute exposures and tumor development reflective of chronic exposure. Liver-specific Rb deletion resulted in an aberrant proliferative response to AFB1. This cell-cycle induction was associated with increased levels of secondary genetic damage and failure in appropriate cell-cycle coupling. This effect of RB loss was unique to AFB1 and involved the induction of a non-canonical proliferative pathway, and was not merely reflective of the overall cell-cycle deregulation or aberrant regenerative responses. The acute responses to AFB1 exposure presaged aberrations in hepatocyte nuclear morphology and ploidy with RB loss. Correspondingly, RB-deficient livers showed significantly enhanced susceptibility to liver tumorigenesis initiated by AFB1. Combined, these studies show that RB has a critical role in mediating checkpoint responses in liver tissue to maintain genome integrity and in suppressing tumorigenesis.
Why Put East Asian Materials in a Separate Collection? The Issue of Access.

Abstract Libraries selecting and purchasing materials in East Asian languages must decide whether or not to integrate these items into the general collection. The issue is access: romanized access through a Latin-script library catalog or nonromanized access through a browsing collection. This article explores the difficulties encountered in romanizing Chinese and Japanese scripts, and recommends a separate East Asian collection.
Lack of allosterically controlled intramolecular transfer of nitric oxide from the heme to cysteine in the β subunit of hemoglobin

The SNO-Hb hypothesis holds that heme-bound nitric oxide (NO) present in the β subunits of T-state hemoglobin (Hb) will be transferred to the β-93 cysteine upon conversion to R-state Hb, thereby forming SNO-Hb. A deficiency in the ability of Hb to facilitate this intramolecular transfer has recently been purported to play a role in pulmonary hypertension and sickle cell disease. We prepared deoxygenated Hb samples with small amounts of heme-bound NO and then oxygenated the samples. Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy was used to (1) determine the concentration of iron nitrosyl Hb (Fe-NO Hb), (2) show that the NO is evenly distributed among α and β subunits, and (3) show that the Hb undergoes a change in its quaternary state (T to R) upon oxygenation. We did not observe a decrease in the concentration of Fe-NO Hb on oxygenation, which is inconsistent with the prediction of the SNO-Hb hypothesis.
Distribution of purine ribonucleoside kinase and selectivet oxicity of 6-methylthiopurine ribonucleoside☆

Abstract 6-Methylthiopurine ribonucleoside (MMPR) and several other adenosine analogues have important antitumor properties. These must be converted to the nucleotide by a purine ribonucleoside kinase in order to be biologically active. MMPR is converted to the nucleotide by an enzyme indistinguishable from adenosine kinase. Accordingly, a technique for determining adenosine kinase by using MMPR as substrate was employed to examine cofactor requirements, stability, localization, and kinetics of adenosine kinase and its distribution in various normal and neoplastic tissues of man and mouse. With enzymatic and thin-layer chromatographic techniques, the only product of the reaction in these tissues was the monocleotide (MMPR 5′-phosphate). Polyphosphates or other products were not found. With succinate buffer, the optimal pH for both human and mouse adenosine kinase was 5·4. Omission of either adenosine triphosphate or manganese resulted in almost complete loss of adenosine kinase activity. Under our assay condition, the optimum temperature of adenosine kinase was 49° for human and 43° for mouse. The enthalpy of activation was 1·7 kcal/mole for the adenosine kinase of both human erythrocytes and mouse liver. The Michaelis constant for adenosine kinase of human red blood cells was 8 × 10 −5 M. The enzyme was widely distributed in both normal and neoplastic tissues. The activity was present almost exclusively in the supernatant fraction of homogenates centrifuged at 46,000 g for 1 hr and was not present in the membranes of erythrocytes. The activity was particularly high in liver and kidney tissue, but was also relatively high in the oral and gastrointestinal mucosa, as well as in the bone marrow. These organs are subject to selective toxicity after MMPR administration. However, there is little correlation between the magnitude of toxicity and adenosine kinase activity. There was no correlation between cell turnover and adenosine kinase activity, nor was there a consistent variation in adenosine kinase activity for normal and neoplastic elements of the same tissue. There was, on the other hand, excellent correlation of adenosine kinase activity with selective toxicity for experimental tumors sensitive and rendered resistant to MMPR. The resistant lines had markedly reduced activity which was sustained in the absence of MMPR. Adenosine kinase is an obligatory step in the activation of MMPR and most other adenosine analogues, but selective toxicity, except in the induced resistant cell lines, is largely determined by other factors.
A Model of NO/O 2 Transport in Capillary-perfused Tissue Containing an Arteriole and Venule Pair

The goal of this study was to investigate the complex co-transport of nitric oxide (NO) and oxygen (O2) in a paired arteriole-venule, surrounded by capillary-perfused tissue using a computer model. Blood flow was assumed to be steady in the arteriole and venular lumens and to obey Darcy's law in the capillary-perfused tissue. NO consumption rate in the arteriolar and venular lumen was assumed to be constant in the core of the arteriolar and venular lumen and to decrease linearly to the endothelium. Average NO consumption rate by capillary blood in a unit tissue volume was assumed proportional to the blood flux across the volume. Our preliminary results predict that: 1) The capillary bed, which connects the arteriole and venule, facilitates the release of O2 from the vessel pair to the surrounding tissue; 2) Decreasing the distance between arteriole and venule can result in a higher NO concentration in the venular wall than in the arteriolar wall; 3) In the absence of capillaries in the surrounding tissue, diffusion of NO from venule to arteriole contributes little to NO contents in the arteriole; and 4) when capillaries are added to the simulation, a significant increase in arteriole NO content is observed
Accelerated C-N Bond Formation in Dropcast Thin Films on Ambient Surfaces

The aza-Michael addition and the Mannich condensation occur in thin films deposited on ambient surfaces. The reagents for both C–N bond formation reactions were transferred onto the surface by drop-casting using a micropipette. The surface reactions were found to be much more efficient than the corresponding bulk solution-phase reactions performed on the same scale in the same acetonitrile solvent. The increase in rate of product formation in the thin film is attributed to solvent evaporation in the open air which results in reagent concentration and produces rate acceleration similar to that seen in evaporating droplets in desorption electrospray ionization. This thin film procedure has potential for the rapid synthesis of reaction products on a small scale, as well as allowing rapid derivatization of analytes to produce forms that are easily ionized by electrospray ionization. Analysis of the derivatized sample directly from the reaction surface through the use of desorption electrospray ionization is also demonstrated.
The effect of the diethylphosphonate group on free radical stabilities

Abstract The diethylphosphonate substituent is free radical stabilizing by a conjugation mechanism as judged by its effect on the rate of the methylenecyclopropane rearrangement.
Input reconstruction from oversampled multi-channel data

The authors consider the problem of multichannel sampling for the case in which the input signal bandwidth is smaller than the maximum possible that allows exact recovery (from sub-Nyquist samples taken uniformly from each channel). They focus on this reduced bandwidth case for two channels. They show that, for this case, the conditions which the prefilters must satisfy are less restrictive in some parts of the frequency axis, compared to the full bandwidth case. For a given set of valid prefilters, there is a family of possible postfilters which allows exact recovery of the input, rather than one choice, as in the standard case. It is shown that, if the samples are corrupted by additive white random noise sequence values, the extra flexibility of the postfilters can be used to select an optimal choice that minimizes the reconstruction noise power. An example is provided in which a standard ill-posed reconstruction system can be replaced with one that leads to a well-posed reconstruction when the input is of reduced bandwidth. >
The tumor suppressor, vitamin D3 up-regulated protein 1 (VDUP1), functions downstream of REPO during Drosophila gliogenesis.

Abstract The tumor suppressor, vitamin D3 up-regulated protein 1 (VDUP1), regulates cell cycle progression by suppressing AP-1-dependent transcription. Loss of VDUP1 activity is associated with tumorigenesis but little is known about VDUP1 regulatory controls or developmental roles. Here we show that the Drosophila homolog of human VDUP1 (dVDUP1) is expressed throughout the nervous system at all stages of development, the first in vivo analysis of VDUP1 expression patterns in the brain. During neurogenesis dVDUP1 expression is transiently down-regulated coincident with neuroblast delamination. Subsequent to expression of the neuronal marker elav, dVDUP1 is up-regulated to varying degrees in developing neurons. In contrast, dVDUP1 expression is both robust and sustained during gliogenesis, and the cis-regulatory region of the dvdup1 gene contains consensus binding sites for the glial fate gene reversed polarity (repo). Expression of dVDUP1 in presumptive glia is lost in embryos deficient for the glial fate genes glial cells missing (gcm) and repo. Conversely, ectopic expression of gcm or repo was sufficient to induce dVDUP1 expression in the nervous system. Taken together, these data suggest a novel role for the dVDUP1 tumor suppressor during nervous system development as a regulatory target for REPO during gliogenesis.
Delivery of growth factors using gene therapy to enhance bone healing.

Objective— To review the delivery of growth factors using gene therapy for enhancing long-bone fracture healing. Study Design— Literature review. Methods— MEDLINE and CAB Abstracts literature search (1980–2004). Results— Non-union and infected non-union are relatively common complications of long-bone fractures in human and veterinary patients. Growth factors are cytokines that regulate many cell functions important in fracture healing. Exogenous growth factors can be delivered to the fracture site as recombinant proteins or using gene therapy. Recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein-2 and -7 (rhBMP-2 and -7), in particular, enhance fracture healing in numerous experimental and clinical studies. Some limitations with use of recombinant proteins may be overcome by use of gene therapy. Gene therapy involves delivery of the growth factor gene to cells at the fracture site using a viral or non-viral vector. The gene is then expressed (protein synthesis) by cells at the fracture site. Delivery of the BMP gene to the fracture site using gene therapy has been evaluated in laboratory animal models of non-union, with favorable results and without complications. Conclusion— Delivery of growth factors, particularly members of BMP family, to the fracture site using gene therapy may be a method to enhance fracture healing. Use of this technology may improve the prognosis for patients with long-bone fractures. Clinical Relevance— Clinical application of gene therapy could improve the prognosis for human and veterinary patients with long-bone fractures, but has not been evaluated clinically.
A new algorithm for Monte Carlo simulation of Ising spin systems

We describe a new algorithm for Monte Carlo simulation of Ising spin systems and present results of a study comparing the speed of the new technique to that of a standard technique applied to a square lattice of 6400 spins evolving via single spin flips. We find that at temperatures T < Tc, the critical temperature, the new technique is faster than the standard technique, being ten times faster at T = 0.588 Tc. We expect that the new technique will be especially valuable in Monte Carlo simulation of the time evolution of binary alloy systems. The new algorithm is essentially a reorganization of the standard algorithm. It accounts for the a priori probability of changing spins before, rather than after, choosing the spin or spins to change.
The Developmental Course of Habituation in Infancy and Preschool Outcome

A longitudinal sample of 226 infants were tested monthly on habituation and novelty preference tasks, augmented with simultaneous heart rate recording from 3 to 9 months of age. Infants were then administered the Bayley Scales of Infant Development II (BSID) and MacArthur Communicative Development Inventory (MCDI) at 12, 18, and 24 months. Prior findings regarding the decline in look duration with age were replicated. Age-based factors were extracted from the monthly assessments, an early attention factor from 3 to 6 months and a late attention factor from 7 to 9 months. A novelty preference factor, which grouped recognition performance at 4 and 6 months of age, was also derived. The late attention factor correlated negatively with a factor score derived from the BSID mental index, and the novelty preference aggregate was correlated positively with a factor score derived from the MCDI production scores. Two clusters of infants were derived based on the developmental course of change from the early attenti...
Changes in Intrinsic Properties of Pyramidal Neurons in Adult Rat S1 During Cortical Reorganization

Peripheral denervation causes significant changes in the organization of developing or adult primary somatosensory cortex (S1). However, the basic mechanisms that underlie reorganization are not well understood. Most attention has been focused on possible synaptic mechanisms associated with reorganization. However, another important determinant of cortical circuit function is the intrinsic membrane properties of neurons in the circuit. Here we document changes in the intrinsic properties of pyramidal neurons in cortical layer 2/3 in adult rat primary somatosensory cortex (S1) after varying durations of forepaw denervation. Denervation of the forepaw induced a rapid and sustained shift in the location of the border between the forepaw and lower jaw representations of adult S1 (reorganization). Coronal slices from the reorganized region were maintained in vitro and the intrinsic properties of layer 2/3 pyramidal neurons of S1 were determined using whole cell recordings. In general, passive membrane properties were not affected by denervation; however, a variety of active properties were. The most robust changes were increases in the amplitudes of the fast and medium afterhyperpolarization (AHP) and an increase in the interval between action potentials (APs). Additional changes at some durations of denervation were observed for the AP threshold. These observations indicate that changes in intrinsic properties, mostly reflecting a decrease in overall excitation, may play a role in changes in cortical circuit properties during reorganization in adult S1, and suggest a possible role for AHPs in some of those changes.
Mapping the Life Cycle Analysis and Sustainability Impact of Design for Environment Principles

As engineers make decisions on how resources are allocated, used, and disposed in pursuit of a product, they impact sustainability’s triple bottom line of social, environmental, and economic factors. Design for Environment (DfE) principles help engineers identify possible sustainable paths forward. We collected over 300 DfE principles from 29 different sources, including textbooks, academic references, and industry resources on sustainable design. We coded each principle according to where it impacts the Product Lifecycle, and which Sustainability Impacts it addresses. Future work includes eliciting additional DfE principles for sparse categories, and developing DfE tools to inform sustainable decision making.
Algal nutrient deficiency: Growth bioassays versus physiological indicators

ABSTRACT The ability of nutrient enrichment bioassays versus physiological indicators to detect ecosystem changes in nutrient cycling were compared. Field data spanned four years in three lakes, two of which were subjected to fish manipulations in year two. The manipulations changed phytoplankton and zooplankton assemblages and nutrient cycling. Phosphorus and nitrogen enrichments (phosphorus enrichment bioassay (PEB), nitrogen enrichment bioassay, nitrogen plus phosphorus enrichment bioassay, specific alkaline phosphatase activity, ammonium enhancement response, and total nutrients (total phosphorus, total nitrogen) were measured before and after the manipulations. Although physiological indicators were often more sensitive, nutrient enrichments and physiological indicators both led to the same conclusions regarding changes in nutrient cycling. Total nutrients did not respond to manipulation. Physiological indicators measure the extant algal assemblage, are rapidly assayed, can be run more frequently tha...
Can cerebral microbleeds cause an acute stroke syndrome

GRE T2* MRI sequences are sensitive to tiny areas of previous bleeding (termed cerebral microbleeds [CMBs])1 due to the paramagnetic effects of blood degradation products including oxyhemoglobin and hemosiderin. CMBs are common and may be a prognostic marker of recurrent intracerebral hemorrhage,2 including antithrombotic related hemorrhage.3 Studies suggest that the chronic accumulation of CMBs may have an effect on anatomically distributed cerebral functions including cognition.4 As microbleeds cause focal damage to the brain tissue,5 acutely developing microbleeds might be expected to cause focal symptoms. We report 2 cases of acute focal neurologic symptoms and clinical signs that in each case appeared to be due to a CMB. ### Case 1 A 69-year-old right-handed man with known hypertension awoke feeling dizzy and unsteady (“as if the room was spinning around him”) and had numbness around his mouth and on his right cheek. When examined 2.5 hours later, his systolic blood pressure was >200 mm Hg and he had a right VII lower motor neuron palsy, gait ataxia, and gaze-evoked nystagmus on right gaze. An urgent CT head and CT angiogram showed no focal abnormality (figure e-1). MRI using a Siemens 1.5 Tesla scanner was performed on the same day. GRE T2*-weighted sequences showed a CMB centered …
Dynamic simulation and phase plane analysis of entrained coal gasification

Dynamic simulation and phase plane analysis techniques were used to examine the stability of an entrained coal gasifier. The mathematical model consists of a set of algebraic and ordinary differential equations which represent the time-dependent in terrelationships among reaction kinetics, heat transfers and mass transports; and the variable physical properties of both gaseous mixture and coal particles. For simplicity, the shift-reaction and volatilization were not considered in the study. This model is expected to be valid for dynamic simulation of gasification of char with low iron content and negligible shift reaction.During simulation the coupled differential equations are solved by the Adams-Moulton numerical integration technique.After the simulation is run to a steady state, the temperatures and composition of this system were perturbed in many com binations. The trajectories of variable changes were plotted in phase planes. It was noted that the system was stable for all the variable combinations...
The Inwardly Rectifying K+ Channel Subunit GIRK1 Rescues the GIRK2 weaver Phenotype

The weaver (wv) gene has been identified as a glycine to serine substitution at residue 156 in the H5 region of inwardly rectifying K(+) channel, GIRK2. The mutation is permissive for the expression of homotetrameric channels that are nonselective for cations and G-protein-independent. Coexpression of GIRK2wv with GIRK1, GIRK2, or GIRK3 in Xenopus oocytes along with expression of subunit combinations linked as dimers and tetramers was used to investigate the effects of the pore mutation on channel selectivity and gating as a function of relative subunit position and number within a heterotetrameric complex. GIRK1 formed functional, K(+) selective channels with GIRK2 and GIRK3. Coexpression of GIRK2wv with GIRK1 gave rise to a component of K(+)-selective, G-protein-dependent current. Currents resulting from coexpression of GIRK2wv with GIRK2 or GIRK3 were weaver-like. Current from dimers of GIRK1-GIRK2wv, GIRK2-GIRK2wv, and GIRK3-GIRK2wv was phenotypically similar to that obtained from coexpression of monomers. Linked tetramers containing GIRK1 and GIRK2wv in an alternating array gave rise to wild-type, K(+)-selective currents. When two mutant subunits were arranged adjacently in a tetramer, currents were weaver-like. These results support the hypothesis that in specific channel stoichiometries, GIRK1 rescues the weaver phenotype and suggests a basis for the selective neuronal vulnerability that is observed in the weaver mouse.
A reflected power isolator for a 10 kW, 28 GHz gyrotron

An efficient reflected power isolator has been built for a 10 kW, 28 GHz gyrotron for operation with a circularly polarized beam. It makes use of a one-dimensional copper grill linear polarizer in a 4-port waveguide cross and a grooved mirror in a miter bend for transformations between linear and circular polarizations. The polarizers are implemented in 76 mm diameter corrugated aluminum waveguide with water loads for power rejection. Backward power isolation of 25 dB and an insertion loss of ~0.3 dB have been determined.
Advances in Raman Instrumentation and Sampling Techniques

In 1928, when Sir Chandrasekhara Raman discovered the phenomenon which bears his name, the instrumentation was very crude. Raman used sunlight as the source, a telescope as the collector, and his eyes were the detector. It was very remarkable that such a small phenomenon as the Raman effect was detected with such primitive instrumentation.
Open boundary capable edge grouping with feature maps

Edge grouping methods aim at detecting the complete boundaries of salient structures in noisy images. In this paper, we develop a new edge grouping method that exhibits several useful properties. First, it combines both boundary and region information by defining a unified grouping cost. The region information of the desirable structures is included as a binary feature map that is of the same size as the input image. Second, it finds the globally optimal solution of this grouping cost. We extend a prior graph-based edge grouping algorithm to achieve this goal. Third, it can detect both closed boundaries, where the structure of interest lies completely within the image perimeter, and open boundaries, where the structure of interest is cropped by the image perimeter. Given this capability for detecting both open and closed boundaries, the proposed method can be extended to segment an image into disjoint regions in a hierarchical way. Experimental results on real images are reported, with a comparison against a prior edge grouping method that can only detect closed boundaries.
A modified alkaline comet assay for measuring DNA repair capacity in human populations.

Abstract Trzeciak, A. R., Barnes, J. and Evans, M. K. A Modified Alkaline Comet Assay for Measuring DNA Repair Capacity in Human Populations. Radiat. Res. 169, 110–121 (2008). Use of the alkaline comet assay to assess DNA repair capacity in human populations has been limited by several factors, including lack of methodology for use of unstimulated cryopreserved peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), insufficient control of interexperimental variability, and limited analysis of DNA repair kinetics. We show that unstimulated cryopreserved PBMCs can be used in DNA repair studies performed using the comet assay. We have applied data standardization for the analysis of DNA repair capacity using negative and positive internal standards as controls for interexperimental variability. Our standardization procedure also uses negative controls, which provides a way to minimize the interference of interindividual variation in baseline DNA damage levels on DNA repair capacity measurements in populations. DNA repa...
Precision crystal calorimetry in future high energy colliders

Precision crystal calorimetry in future high energy physics experiments faces a new challenge to maintain its precision in a hostile radiation environment. This paper reviews the radiation hardness requirements to the crystal scintillators and approaches to develop high quality scintillating crystals. Two on-going efforts are discussed in detail: the CsI(Tl) crystal development for the BaBar experiment at SLAC and the progress of the PbWO/sub 4/ crystal quality for the CMS experiment at LHC.
A software-first methodology for definition and evaluation of advanced avionics architectures

Since software has become the major cost driver among the avionics subsystems, a methodology has been developed for definition of advanced avionics architectures with special emphasis on software. It utilizes explicit software contributing factors for avionics architecture design and assessment. The methodology is based on a four-step process: definition of candidate data management systems (DMSs), definition of candidate avionics architectures, architecture evaluation from software and other subsystem viewpoints, and architecture evaluation from total avionics system viewpoint. User-defined software contributing factors, along with those for other subsystems, are used to define and evaluate the architectures objectively. The methodology was applied to a generic avionics system, resulting in a set of candidate avionics architectures and associated evaluation data. >
Structured Rationales for non-Arrest: Police Stereotypes of the Domestic Disturbance

The study of stereotypes held by municipal police officers has taken an overly narrow tack. The tendency has been to examine the preconceptions police hold about citizens on the basis of particular citizen traits (e.g., age and ethnicity) and to inquire how these preconceptions might prejudice the officer's decision to arrest. This study examines qualitative data derivedfrom the participant observation of a municipalpolice department. The officer's beliefs about the domestic disturbance are examined. Officers were found to harborfairly complex patterns ofpreconceptions, i.e., stereotypes, about the domestic disturbance. Officers were found to categorize citizens not in terms of their abstract traits but rather in terms of the practical implications of the citizen's perceived character. Officers categorized the citizens in the domestic disturbance in terms of the stability of the citizen as a grievant and the reliability of the citizen as a complainant. Part of the police stereotype of this assignment is t...
Quasi-Steady Analysis of a PBL Model with an Eddy-Diffusivity Profile and Nonlocal Fluxes

Analytic solutions to a planetary boundary layer (PBL) model with an eddy-diffusivity profile (i.e., a K profile) and nonlocal fluxes are presented for the quasi-steady regime. The solutions demonstrate how different processes contribute to the quasi-steady profiles of heat and/or other scalars in the convective boundary layer. It is shown that for a standard cubic form of the K profile, and flux scales based on the surface fluxes, the nondimensional nonlocal term should be less than six; larger values can cause scalar profiles of water vapor to increase with height in the upper portion of the PBL and can produce weakly superadiabatic layers in the upper PBL temperature profiles. Solutions are also shown to be sensitive to the choice of flux scale: fluxes scaled by their vertically averaged values imply that nondimensional profiles of top-down scalars will have a neutral point somewhere in the PBL, a result in conflict with previous work on the subject, and the predictions of the same model with fluxes scaled by their surface values. The analysis also shows that allowing K to go to zero with the square of the distance from the PBL top results in nonconvergent profiles; in general K should reduce to some positive value at the top of the PBL, or go to zero less rapidly. It is further shown that the class of models investigated here may be physically interpreted as relaxation models, that is, they tend to relax profiles of scalars in the PBL to implicitly defined similarity profiles on a convective timescale. Finally, analysis of a 1-yr integration of a climate model, interpreted in light of the author’s analytic results, suggests that a dynamically important aspect of the nonlocal term is its role in ventilating the surface layer, and thereby indirectly affecting the diagnoses of PBL depth in many models.
The Best of Both Worlds: One Account of Becoming a Program Evaluation Sociologist

Program evaluation is a booming professional field that encompasses a range of social science disciplines. This paper describes one sociologist's experience integrating the sociological perspective into program evaluation research. Examples described include accounting for social capital theory, social identities, and intersectionality. Conclusions discuss the impact of program evaluation research on a sociological evaluation of Black implicit in-group biases.
Comparative Aspects of Reproductive Failure Induced in Mammals by Viruses

If certain broad areas within the field of virus induced reproductive failure had not been reviewed recently, the scope of this discussion would have perforce been much greater. Fortunately, pregnancy wastage induced in man was recently discussed by Hardy (1965); in addition, some of the basic biologic aspects of the interactions of animal viruses and embryos were reviewed by Ebert in 1960. In contrast, reproductive failure induced in mammals other than man by viral infections natural to the respective species has been very infrequently considered. Koprowski reviewed this matter in 1958. He listed attenuated blue-tongue virus vaccination as a cause of abortion and malformation in sheep, equine rhinopneumonitis (equine abortion) virus as an inducer of abortion and stillbirth in mares, and modified hog cholera virus vaccine as a cause of abortion, stillbirth, and malformations in swine. It should be pointed out that of those, the viruses which induce alterations of development are those altered by laboratory attenuation, and in a recent text (Blood and Henderson, 1963a), it was stated that there were no congenital anomalies induced by viruses natural to the host known to veterinary medicine. Two recent reviews of comparative medicine did not discuss the problem (International Symposium on Comparative Medicine, 1962; Schwabe, 1964).
Chemical cues from kingsnakes do not cause inducible defenses in house mice

Many rodents exhibit inducible defenses when exposed to chemical cues from mammalian predators. These re- sponses may include delays in sexual maturation, smaller adult body size and decreases in litter size and pup weight. We exposed the hybrid juvenile offspring of field-caught and lab-descended house mice Mus musculus to the chemical cues of mouse-fed or chick-fed kingsnakes, Lampropeltis getula, for 20 days after weaning, to examine the effects of ophidian predator cues on prey development. We hypothesized that these cues would elicit inducible defenses such as alteration of growth rates, and/or the timing of reproductive development in mice. Once mature, the reproductive effort of the mice might also be impacted by producing smaller litter sizes or lighter pups or not reproducing at all. We found no effect of kingsnake cues on any of the measures. These findings support the hypothesis that inducible defenses may have evolved as a strategy to deal with specific predators (Current Zoology 58 (6): 797-804, 2012). Keywords Inducible defenses, House mice, Kingsnakes, Chemical cues, Growth and development
Genetic Disorders in Tunisia

The Tunisian contribution to medicine and genetics was continuum through the various civilizations. In Carthage, on the famous hill Byrsa stood the monumental temple of Eshmun, God of Medicine and Health and a leading figure of the Punic pantheon. Bottles and prophylactic Carthaginian masks, medical devices and surgical and Roman remains, of the “Antonin” Baths at Carthage, attest to this day the large share which was then granted the necessary conservation of bodily health and the spirit.
Community Writing Centers and Genre Literacy

Examining the rich learning environment of a community-based writing center, this essay explores the possibilities and practical implications of a genre-intensive approach to writing instruction. Based on participant observation, the essay combines study of student-published texts and related additional research.
Glyphosate herbicide toxicity to native Hawaiian macroalgal and seagrass species

Glyphosate-based herbicides are commonly used to combat weeds and unwanted grasses in many habitats in the Hawaiian Islands, including near freshwater, marine, and anchialine pond shorelines. Glyphosate is reported to degrade within a few days of application and to break down rapidly in soil, which suggests that it is safe for use near aquatic environments. However, glyphosate can be transported to coastal waters, especially during run-off events. Five native macroalgael and seagrass species and one introduced aquatic vascular plant found in coastal anchialine ponds or in the adjacent intertidal zone were exposed to freshly mixed solutions of a glyphosate-based herbicide in lab experiments. Chlorophyll absorbance and photosystem II (PSII) efficiency were measured after 5 to 7 days of incubation. At herbicide concentrations (0.225 to 1.8 g L−1 glyphosate) below the manufacturer’s lowest recommended concentration (3.6 g L−1 glyphosate), chlorophyll absorbance and PSII efficiency differed significantly from the control (0.0 g L−1 glyphosate). Native macroalgae and seagrasses in marine and anchialine aquatic habitats may be negatively affected by use of glyphosate herbicides to control shoreline weeds.
Improved Oocyte Isolation and Embryonic Development of Outbred Deer Mice

In this study, we improved the protocol for isolating cumulus-oocyte complexes (COCs) from the outbred deer mice by using only one hormone (instead of the widely used combination of two hormones) with reduced dose. Moreover, we identified that significantly more metaphase II (MII) oocytes could be obtained by supplementing epidermal growth factor (EGF) and leukemia inhibition factor (LIF) into the previously established medium for in vitro maturation (IVM) of the COCs. Furthermore, we overcame the major challenge of two-cell block during embryonic development of deer mice after either in vitro fertilization (IVF) or parthenogenetic activation (PA) of the MII oocytes, by culturing the two-cell stage embryos on the feeder layer of inactivated mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) in the medium of mouse embryonic stem cells. Collectively, this work represents a major step forward in using deer mice as an outbred animal model for biomedical research on reproduction and early embryonic development.
Government Spending and Rural Income: A Behavioral Approach

This paper examines the role of government spending in the rural sector in Latin America. We estimate the effect of various forms of government spending on rural income explicitly considering the interactions among the various types of government expenditures. Most previous analyses have concentrated on either the aggregate level of government expenditures or specific components of various expenditures in isolation. Using data from eleven Latin American countries for the period of 1985 to 2001, we are able to pinpoint not only the substitution among specific expenditures but we also show the existence of important complementarities among certain expenditure pairs.
Incorporating local land use regression and satellite aerosol optical depth in a hybrid model of spatiotemporal PM2.5 exposures in the Mid-Atlantic states.

Satellite-derived aerosol optical depth (AOD) measurements have the potential to provide spatiotemporally resolved predictions of both long and short-term exposures, but previous studies have generally shown moderate predictive power and lacked detailed high spatio- temporal resolution predictions across large domains. We aimed at extending our previous work by validating our model in another region with different geographical and metrological characteristics, and incorporating fine scale land use regression and nonrandom missingness to better predict PM2.5 concentrations for days with or without satellite AOD measures. We start by calibrating AOD data for 2000–2008 across the Mid-Atlantic. We used mixed models regressing PM2.5 measurements against day-specific random intercepts, and fixed and random AOD and temperature slopes. We used inverse probability weighting to account for nonrandom missingness of AOD, nested regions within days to capture spatial variation in the daily calibration, and introduced ...
Technetium-99m Storage and Decay System

A lead-shielded apparatus designed to safely store and dispose of radioactive materials in laboratories with limited space is described. In addition to improving storage and disposal methods within the laboratory, the system confines radioactive materials to one area and reduces handling and radiation exposure time.
Notes on the Biology of Merycomyia whitneyi (Diptera: Tabanidae) in South Carolina

Pechuman (1964) in his synopsis of the genus Merycomyia Hine recognized only 2 species, M. whitneyi (Johnson) and M. brunnea Stone and referred to the two collectively as “‘mystery’ insects” because at the time of his study whitneyi was known from only 20 specimens and brunnea from only 11 specimens. He further remarked that information on these species, other than that on locality labels, was meager and, regarding whitneyi , stated only that “Dr. Frank R. Shaw informs me that the male whitneyi he collected was hovering about 8 to 10 feet above the treeless top of Sargent Mountain.” The only additional data on this species were reported by Teskey (1969); he collected 4 larvae of the species, reared one, and furnished descriptions of the larva and pupa and some remarks on larval habitat. Regarding brunnea , Jones and Anthony (1964) cited several larval collections and subsequent rearings and collected 2 adult females, 1 the holotype; 1 of these females was observed and photographed while ovipositing on the leaf of Peltandra sp.
Arts Teachers’ Perceptions and Attitudes on Arts Integration While Participating in a Statewide Arts Integration Initiative:

The purpose of this study was to examine the perceptions and attitudes of the Beverley Taylor Sorenson Arts Learning Program (BTSALP) arts specialists on arts integration. BTSALP arts specialists (...
Non -linear curve approximation using integral b -splines

Outlines an algorithm for non -linea r approximation of procedurally defined curves.The algorithm uses the least square meth od to minimize the integral error,which eliminates the need for sam ling t he ideal curve.Ahigh -level iterative procedure allows one to approximate a variety of curves and ensures that t he deviations between the ideal and app roximated curves are within user -sp ecified error limits.The proposed scheme is more efficient and robust t han traditional interpolation and a pproximation methods.
HBV Genotype Research Among Residents in Suining,Sichuan

Objective To understand the epidemiological characteristics of HBV genotypes and serotypes among population in Suining.Method Totally 1 468 serum samples were collected from residents in 6 counties of Suining to screen HBsAg positive samples,followed by amplification of S region by nest-PCR and HBV genotype determination by DNA sequencing methods.Results.Genotyping 118 HBsAg positive samples,40 of the samples showed genotype B(33.89%),73 samples of genotype C(61.86%),5 samples of genotype D(4.23%).Other genotypes were not found.There were 42 samples of serotype adr(35.59%) and 76 samples of serotype adw(64.41%).Conclusion HBV genotypes were mainly B and C subtypes in Suining area and genotype C was dominant,while few HBV of genotype D was identified.Serotype distribution was mainly adr/adw,in which subtype adw was the dominant serotype.
Forging Islamic Power and Place: The Legacy of Shaykh Dā’ūd bin ‘Abd Allāh al-Faṭānī in Mecca and Southeast Asia by Francis R. Bradley, Honolulu, University of Hawai‘i Press, 2016, xii + 220 pp., US$54.00 (hardback), ISBN 978 0 8248 5161 3

In Forging Islamic Power and Place, Francis Bradley turns to an oft-ignored collection of Malay manuscripts to relate a striking story of cultural renaissance amidst political upheaval in the 18th ...
Exploiting knowledge of uncertainty: induction of classifiers by the incremental combination of probabilistic evidence

Addressing noise and uncertainty in training data is an important issue in inductive learning. Inductive learners are necessarily sensitive to noise and uncertainty in training data, since training data constitutes the primary basis for generalization. Some of today's more popular off-the-shelf learners ignore the presence of imperfect data or invoke statistically motivated post-processing to help compensate for its unwanted effects; none exploits specific knowledge of noise or uncertainty. Several research projects have taken a step in this direction by explicitly addressing noise in training data. Unfortunately, these works are limited because they depend on particular models of environmental noise, overly restrictive concept-description languages, and sometimes unrealistic sample complexity. This dissertation describes a knowledge-based approach that uses uncertain reasoning to help overcome these limitations. In what follows, learning from imperfect data is formulated as the search for a hypothesis with maximum a posteriori probability. Implementing the search as incremental probabilistic-evidence combination extends the range of useful uncertainty models to those described by discrete probability distributions. I built a novel conjunction learner and from it an iterative DNF learner. On standard datasets, where strong knowledge is using synthetic data, where strong knowledge is available, the knowledge-based learners are superior to their more familiar, conventional counterparts. To demonstrate that problem-specific uncertainty models can be engineered and used effectively in practical problems, the evidence-combination approach was used to address a difficult open problem in molecular biology: learning to recognize promoter sequences in E. coli. Earlier efforts notwithstanding, the inherent uncertainty as to the location of the biologically active regions in the raw DNA data actually invalidates the direct application of many standard inductive learning methods. Here, knowledge from molecular biology was used instead to engineer models of three domain uncertainties and a mapping from raw sequence data to a plausible and focused evidence representation. The evidence-combination approach then yields classifiers that are accurate and credible, and the best yet developed for this important problem.
Five Approaches to Social Sustainability and an Integrated Way Forward

Sustainability is often conceived of as an attempt to balance competing economic, environmental and social priorities. Over the course of three decades of scholarship, however, the meaning and appropriate application of the ‘social pillar’ continues to inspire confusion. In this paper, we posit that the inherent challenge of understanding social sustainability is its many legitimate meanings plus a lack of interdisciplinary scholarship. We draw from literature in multiple disciplines to illustrate five different ways that the concept of social sustainability has been applied in scholarship and professional practice, and highlighting the importance of applications that acknowledge placed-based, process-oriented perspectives that understand social, economic, and environmental imperatives as integrated concepts. Ironically, this framing forecloses on social sustainability as an entity distinct from environmental and economic sustainability. We believe that organizing the conversation around these five applications can help advocates of sustainability use the concept of social sustainability in clear and powerful ways while avoiding applications that relegate the social dimensions of sustainability to an afterthought.
Humanitarian morals and money: health sector financing and the prelude to the Liberian Ebola epidemic

The 2014 West African Ebola epidemic prompted reconsideration of West African health systems’ resilience to external shocks. To understand the post-conflict histories of West Africa’s health system...
Studying developer gaze to empower software engineering research and practice

A new research paradigm is proposed that leverages developer eye gaze to improve the state of the art in software engineering research and practice. The vision of this new paradigm for use on software engineering tasks such as code summarization, code recommendations, prediction, and continuous traceability is described. Based on this new paradigm, it is foreseen that new benchmarks will emerge based on developer gaze. The research borrows from cognitive psychology, artificial intelligence, information retrieval, and data mining. It is hypothesized that new algorithms will be discovered that work with eye gaze data to help improve current IDEs, thus improving developer productivity. Conducting empirical studies using an eye tracker will lead to inventing, evaluating, and applying innovative methods and tools that use eye gaze to support the developer. The implications and challenges of this paradigm for future software engineering research is discussed.
Analysis of transcriptome assembly pipelines for wheat

With advances in next-generation sequencing technologies, transcriptome sequencing has emerged as a powerful tool for performing transcriptome analysis for various organisms. Obtaining draft transcriptome of an organism is a complex multi-stage pipeline with several steps such as data cleaning, error correction and assembly. Based on the analysis performed in this paper, we conclude that the best assembly is produced when the error correction method is used with Velvet Oases and the “multi-k” strategy that combines the 5 k-mer assemblies with highest N50. Our results provide valuable insight for designing good de novo transcriptome assembly pipeline for a given application.