cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Dynamics of DNA repair suggested by the subcellular localization of Brca1 and Brca2 proteins.

The localization of proteins to specific subcellular compartments often reveals clues regarding their biological functions. Although significant progress has been made towards understanding how damaged DNA is repaired, experiments to date have primarily focused on signal transduction pathways that activate DNA repair protein complexes and on how these complexes are assembled. Current evidence suggests that certain DNA repair processes are spatially organized such that aberrant DNA structures can be brought into proximity with DNA repair proteins at fixed sites. Since biochemical evidence suggests that the tumor suppressor proteins, Brca1 and Brca2, may mediate the assembly of protein complexes involved in the repair of damaged DNA, we have performed subcellular fractionation experiments to determine the subnuclear localization of these proteins. The majority of Brca1 and Brca2 proteins were found to interact tightly with the nuclear matrix. Furthermore, within the limits of detection, localization of Brca1 and Brca2 to the nuclear matrix was not altered following treatment of cells with DNA damaging agents that activate homology-mediated double-stranded DNA break and transcription-coupled repair pathways. Our findings suggest that Brca1 and Brca2 may perform their DNA repair-related functions from positions that are anchored to the nuclear matrix. These data are consistent with proposed models that suggest that components of specific repair complexes residing on the nuclear matrix function to recruit damaged DNA. © 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Rethinking Middle Woodland Settlement and Subsistence Patterns in the Middle and Lower Delaware Valley

Assumptions concerning Middle Woodland (A.D. 1–1000) settlement and subsistence patterns in the Delaware Valley are based largely upon the presumed exploitation of the upstream migration of adult anadromous fish. This relatively narrow perception of the migratory fish resource is incomplete and should be expanded to include not only other phases of anadromous fish life cycles but other migratory fish as well. Archaeological, biological, and experimental data are combined to offer a holistic representation of the migratory fish resource in the Delaware Valley during the Middle Woodland period and its impact on our understanding of Middle Woodland life.
Do small IT firms benefit from higher process capability

Evidence suggests small firms can reap rewards from developing a high level of formal process capability.
An evolutionary framework for studying behaviors of economic agents

We propose an evolutionary framework for studying agents that interact in electronic marketplaces and describe how to use the framework to study the dynamics of interaction and evolution of agent strategies. We present experimental results from a simulated market, where service providers compete for customers using multiple strategies. The results show how service providers of different strategies adapt to occupy distinct niches in the market.
New method for breast tumor tracking

Mammographic imaging is a very well-known and useful method to discover cancer lesions in the breast at an early stage. Treatment options are better than at later stages, when the tumor is larger and frequently has already spread to other body organs (metastasis). However, detection is difficult in dense breasts. Often mammographers prescribe biopsy, because they cannot visually predict the probability that the lesion is benign or malignant. A new method is proposed in this article, which may determine the malignancy of the tumor without invasive biopsy.
Improved quantification of cell survival on stromal monolayers by flow cytometric analyses.

BACKGROUND: The ex vivo survival of leukemic cells maintained on bone marrow stroma is an important tool for the investigation of cell survival and leukemogenesis. Currently, ex vivo survival of leukemic cell survival is measured by coculture on stromal cell monolayers. In these assays, we postulated that two important sources of error might be introduced through either variations in flow volume or in donor stromal cells. METHODS: A previously reported coculture assay that maintains leukemic cells on bone marrow stromal cells was employed. RESULTS: We identified two means of optimizing the coculture assay. First, biologically inert beads having well-characterized fluorescent properties were added to each sample to mathematically adjust for flow-based variations in volume acquisition. The inclusion of fluorescent beads to the basic stromal cell assay showed a significantly lower coefficient of variation as compared to samples analyzed without beads or manually counted using a hemacytometer. Second, in order to minimize variability in bone marrow hematopoietic function between donors, an adherent stromal cell line known to support hematopoiesis (HS-5) was used. When normal human donor stromal cells were used, variability in the survival of leukemic cells was observed on stromal cells derived from different donors. In contrast, statistically significant variability in survival of leukemic cells was not seen on HS-5 monolayers. Finally, we demonstrate that patient-derived leukemic samples may be examined for cell survival using these modifications. CONCLUSIONS: The novel use of fluorescent beads and a hematopoietic-supportive stromal cell line together makes the quantification of stroma-supported cell survival more reproducible, accurate, and amenable to patient-derived samples. These improvements in flow cytometry-based cell quantification are an important step in establishing a role for stromal cell assays in the study of leukemia biology and therapy.
Demographic rather than behavioral risk factors predict herpes simplex virus type 2 infection in sexually active adolescents.

Background, Despite the high prevalence of herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) infection in adults and data indicating that many HSV-2 infections are acquired in late adolescence, the demographic and sexual behavior correlates of HSV-2 infection in high risk adolescents have not been extensively studied. Methods. Using a cross-sectional design we evaluated serologic evidence of HSV-2 infection in 381 adolescents age 14 to 19 years at an urban sexually transmitted disease clinic and a community clinic. Study enrollment was offered to all patients participating in a project offering free hepatitis B vaccine. Participants were interviewed and blood was drawn for HSV Western blot. Results. Twelve percent [95% confidence interval (CI), 8.6 to 15.1] of 379 adolescents in this study had antibodies to HSV-2. Only 22% of HSV-2-seropositive youth reported a history of herpes. Seropositivity for HSV-2 was significantly associated with African-American race (odds ratio, 2.3; 95% CI 1.1 to 4.8) and female gender (odds ratio, 6.0; 95% CI 2.3 to 15.9); 25% of the African-American girls were HSV-2-seropositive. Self-reported condom use, number of sexual partners in the prior 2 months and history of a sexually transmitted disease did not predict HSV-2 antibody status. Conclusions. HSV-2 infection among adolescents was prevalent, particularly among African-American girls, and correlated with demographic rather than behavioral variables. As in adults most HSV-2 infections were unrecognized. These data suggest that type-specific serologic testing for HSV-2 infection should be considered in sexually active adolescents. Prevention efforts should target children before initiation of sexual activity.
Horton Award to Wilfried Brutsaert

For the past 15 years, Wilfried H. Brutsaert has been Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Cornell University, Itahca, N.Y., teaching and conducting research in hydrology and fluid mechanics. He began life in Ghent, Belgium, and received the Engineer's Diploma from the State University of Ghent in 1958, having spent the previous summer investigating evapotranspiration and applied hydrology in Zaire. My acquaintance with Wilfried began in September 1958, when he arrived at the University of California, Davis, to study for and later receive the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees. It is with great satisfaction, personally and professionally, that I have had the opportunity to be a colleague of Brutsaert during the past 3 decades.
Evaluating effectiveness of active learning in computer science using metacognition

Active learning refers to instruction where the learners play an active role in learning and has been found to increase student retention, improve acquisition of higher order thinking and reasoning skills, and improve performance in STEM courses. Two main active learning techniques: student response systems (aka. clickers) and flipped classroom assignments, were incorporated in University of Michigan-Flint computer science (CS) courses. This paper describes how clickers have been incorporated in CS courses and their impact on student learning. There are several ways of evaluating student learning, and tests have traditionally been considered an incomplete and limited reflection of the students' knowledge. In our prior work [11], students' metacognitive knowledge has been used as an effective measure of students' learning. Metacognitive knowledge can be considered to include knowledge of the person, the task, and the available strategies. In this work, we want our students to be aware of their level of understanding of the topics in a course. A student can use this knowledge along with knowledge of the task and available strategies to achieve the cognitive goals. This paper studies how clickers participation impacts student learning as measured by metacognitive knowledge.
Results of endovascular aortic aneurysm repair with general, regional, and local/monitored anesthesia care in the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database

Background This study examined outcomes of endovascular repair of infrarenal abdominal aortic aneurysms (EVAR) using general, spinal, epidural, and local/monitored anesthesia care (MAC) in a multicenter North American hospital database reflecting contemporary anesthesia and surgical practices. Methods Elective EVAR cases performed between 2005 and 2008 were identified from the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database using Current Procedural Terminology codes. Excluded were emergency cases and patients with concomitant procedures requiring general anesthesia. Patient-level comorbidities, characteristics, and intraoperative and postoperative details were examined. Complications were analyzed individually and in aggregate categories, including wound, pulmonary, renal, venous thromboembolic, cardiovascular, operative, and septic. Length of stay (LOS) and 30-day mortality were examined. Characteristics and outcomes were described using mean ± standard deviation or count (%), and comparisons were evaluated for statistical significance using χ 2 , Fisher exact test, and univariate linear regression. LOS was analyzed with linear regression techniques using a log transformation. Associations between anesthesia type and outcomes were examined using univariable and multivariable regression techniques. Results We identified 6009 elective EVAR procedures for analysis. General anesthesia was used in 4868 cases, spinal anesthesia in 419, epidural anesthesia in 331, and local/MAC in 391. Defined morbidity occurred in 11% of patients. Median LOS was 2 (interquartile range, 1-3) days, and mean LOS was 2.8 ± 4.3 days. The 30-day mortality rate was 1.1%. Significant multivariate associations were observed between anesthesia type, pulmonary morbidity, and log-LOS. General anesthesia was associated with an increase in pulmonary morbidity vs spinal (odds ratio [OR], 4.0; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.3-12.5; P = .020) and local/MAC anesthesia (OR, 2.6; 95% CI, 1.0-6.4; P = .041). Use of general anesthesia was associated with a 10% increase in LOS for general vs spinal anesthesia (95% CI, 4.8%-15.5%; P = .001) and a 20% increase for general vs local/MAC anesthesia (95% CI, 14.1%-26.2%; P Conclusions In contemporary North American anesthetic and surgical practice, general anesthesia for EVAR was associated with increased postoperative LOS and pulmonary morbidity compared with spinal and local/MAC anesthesia. These data suggest that increasing the use of less-invasive anesthetic techniques may limit postoperative complications and decrease the overall costs of EVAR.
An analysis of “Single-layer” folds developed experimentally in viscous media

Abstract Experiments have been performed to study the development of folds in single viscous layers embedded in a less viscous matrix, shortened parallel to the layering under conditions of plane strain and pure shear. This is thought to best simulate the development of small folds in isolated competent rock layers under conditions of regional metamorphism. Biot has suggested that distinct folds will not form by buckling at viscosity contrasts of less than 100:1. Effective viscosity ratios of layer to matrix of between 10 and 100 to 1 were used in the experiments, and folds were observed to develop by buckling in all cases. Analysis of arc length and limb dip with progressive deformation shows that there is always a stage of initial layer-parallel shortening during which folds appear, that gives way to a stage of development where the arc length of the folds changes only slightly for further increase in deformation. The amount of layer-parallel shortening that takes place increases with decreasing viscosity contrast, but the transition from a stage of layer shortening to one of nearly constant arc length seems to take place when the folds have mean limb dips of 10 – 20°, irrespective of viscosity contrast. No relative thickening in the hinges or thinning in the limbs was observed in any of these experiments. Analyses of wavelength/thickness ratios, amplitude, fold shape and layer-parallel shortening show that folding in the experiments is best accounted for in the early stages by the theory of Sherwin and Chapple, and in the later stages by the mathematical models of Chappie. Experiments made at very low viscosity contrasts with folds initially present in the competent layer whose wavelengths were considerably larger than the predicted dominant wavelength, lead to the development of folds with thickening in the hinges and thinning in the limbs. These folds had geometries that can be simulated by a process of simultaneous buckling and flattening. The results of the experiments may be used as an aid in the interpretation of natural fold geometry, and estimates of viscosity contrast and amount of deformation can be made where suitable folds exist.
Towards a Variability Model for SOA-Based Solutions

The prevalent approach to developing business solutions is driven by requirements expressed as process models. This is essentially a top-down model-driven development approach for building solutions from a given process model specification, from scratch. However, in order to enhance the reusability of such solutions, the emphasis has now shifted to defining business solutions via service-oriented architectures (SOAs) that compose software services to support business processes. This enables creating and reusing services and processes as software “assets” which is more scalable and profitable. In this context, the key to reusing assets is to support the right mechanisms to incrementally refine existing software services as well as business processes. Our earlier works, viz., Variation Oriented Engineering (VOE) and Variation Oriented Service Design (VOSD), proposed some mechanisms in this direction. But our experiences in developing and inducting VOE and VOSD into IBM’s business units motivated the need for a rigorous formal foundation for variability in SOA-based solutions. To that end, this paper proposes a Variability Model for SOA-based solutions, through which variations in a service can be modeled and maintained. Our Variability Model also clarifies the extent to which an existing service can be modified to suit a business process requirement, while ensuring that the overall integrity of the service is maintained. We also present an algorithm for determining whether a variant of a service is a legal variant, and we demonstrate our Variability Model on a realistic running example in the insurance domain, via a prototype built on IBM’s Rational Software Architect modeling tool.
An architecture-based approach to identifying system-of-systems alternatives

One challenge in the design and acquisition of system-of-systems (SoS) is identifying the subset of feasible alternatives in the large and diverse set of alternatives that often exists for SoS. Existing approaches to alternative identification are system-focused, thus missing operational alternatives. Many approaches are ad hoc, thereby missing large portions of the alternative space. This paper proposes an approach to identifying both system and operational alternatives and then down-selecting a subset of alternatives to be considered in early-phase design and acquisition using the Department of Defense Architecture Framework. Using this approach, alternatives can be quickly and systematically generated and alternatives that are technically infeasible can be avoided or quickly eliminated such that they are not carried forward for analysis. This process can be used to save time and support decision making in the early phases of acquisition.
The effect of chemoreceptor stimulation upon muscle sympathetic nerve activity

The aim of this investigation was to quantify the combined peripheral and central chemoreceptor contribution to sympathetic outflow above (post) and below (pre) the chemoreceptor ventilatory threshold (CVT). We measured muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA) in seven subjects during hypoxic/hypercapnic and room air rebreathe protocols. Comparisons were made using a repeated measures analysis of variance with two within subject factors. One factor contained three levels--hyperventilation, pre-CVT, and post-CVT. The other factor contained two levels--rebreathe and control. Total MSNA increased from hyperventilation to pre-CVT to post-CVT in the rebreathe trial (385.7+/-95.9, 592.4+/-155.7, 882.0+/-235.4 au/15s respectively) and remained constant in the control trial (433.0+/-189.3, 409.1+/-183.4, 406.1+/-161.4 au/15s respectively). Ventilation increased in the rebreathe trial only. Heart rate and blood pressure did not change in either trial. These data suggest that the chemoreceptors significantly contribute to the modulation of sympathetic outflow.
Heart rate estimates of motor activity in preterm infants

Abstract Heart rate (HR) and motor activity (MA) are related to one another through their common association with energy expenditure. To determine whether that relationship is sufficiently strong to predict MA from HR, 24 medically stable preterm infants were observed for two 1 2 -hour periods during which their heart beats were counted. Average activity and HR values were calculated for comparison periods of 5 to 30 min duration. Regardless of the duration of the comparison periods, the differences in HR between periods correlated positively and significantly with the concomitant difference in the infant's MA. When adjacent 1 2 -hour periods were compared, 85% of the variation in activity could be accounted for by HR. Change in HR thus appears to be a strong positive linear correlate of change in MA in the preterm infant.
Valuing historic battlefields: an application of the travel cost method to three American Civil War battlefields

This paper presents individual demand models for three historic battlefield sites maintained by the US National Park Service. Preserved battlefields are valuable cultural resources that make up a significant portion of the US National Park system, but have received scant attention from economists. The demand for trips is modeled as a count data process. Visitor data for these battlefields were collected on-site, so the models account for truncation in the observed number of trips and endogenous stratification. The travel cost method, which is seeing increasing application in cultural heritage research, is used to estimate the use value of each battlefield. The results indicate an average individual willingness to pay for a battlefield trip ranging from about $8–$25, depending on the site.
Research Note-The Allure of Homophily in Social Media: Evidence from Investor Responses on Virtual Communities

Millions of people participate in online social media to exchange and share information. Presumably, such information exchange could improve decision making and provide instrumental benefits to the participants. However, to benefit from the information access provided by online social media, the participant will have to overcome the allure of homophily-which refers to the propensity to seek interactions with others of similar status e.g., religion, education, income, occupation or values e.g., attitudes, beliefs, and aspirations. This research assesses the extent to which social media participants exhibit homophily versus heterophily in a unique context-virtual investment communities VICs. We study the propensity of investors in seeking interactions with others with similar sentiments in VICs and identify theoretically important and meaningful conditions under which homophily is attenuated. To address this question, we used a discrete choice model to analyze 682,781 messages on Yahoo! Finance message boards for 29 Dow Jones stocks and assess how investors select a particular thread to respond. Our results revealed that, despite the benefits from heterophily, investors are not immune to the allure of homophily in interactions in VICs. The tendency to exhibit homophily is attenuated by an investor's experience in VICs, the amount of information in the thread, but amplified by stock volatility. The paper discusses important implications for practice.
Early Functional Impairment of Sensory-Motor Connectivity in a Mouse Model of Spinal Muscular Atrophy

To define alterations of neuronal connectivity that occur during motor neuron degeneration, we characterized the function and structure of spinal circuitry in spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) model mice. SMA motor neurons show reduced proprioceptive reflexes that correlate with decreased number and function of synapses on motor neuron somata and proximal dendrites. These abnormalities occur at an early stage of disease in motor neurons innervating proximal hindlimb muscles and medial motor neurons innervating axial muscles, but only at end-stage disease in motor neurons innervating distal hindlimb muscles. Motor neuron loss follows afferent synapse loss with the same temporal and topographical pattern. Trichostatin A, which improves motor behavior and survival of SMA mice, partially restores spinal reflexes, illustrating the reversibility of these synaptic defects. Deafferentation of motor neurons is an early event in SMA and may be a primary cause of motor dysfunction that is amenable to therapeutic intervention.
Decision making: Fishing production and fishers in the Black Sea

Abstract This paper explores empirical evidence as well as a theoretical model of fisheries in the Black Sea which have become depleted as a result of both environmental degradation and overexploitation. We examine overfishing and the optimal fish catch, and derive evolutionary stable strategies (ESS) from a game theory perspective by using agent risk profiles. We explain how risk-averse fishers may choose to fish at unsustainable levels, even though it may reduce their overall fish catch in the long run. Risk attitudes of artisanal fishers within the frameworks of expected utility and prospect theories also have implications on risk aversion and non-cooperation. We explore how social norms between fishers could encourage cooperation in fishing at sustainable levels, but find that these norms and information networks have not developed enough in the Black Sea to be effective.
Distinct stages of the translation elongation cycle revealed by sequencing ribosome-protected mRNA fragments

During translation elongation, the ribosome ratchets along its mRNA template, incorporating each new amino acid and translocating from one codon to the next. The elongation cycle requires dramatic structural rearrangements of the ribosome. We show here that deep sequencing of ribosome-protected mRNA fragments reveals not only the position of each ribosome but also, unexpectedly, its particular stage of the elongation cycle. Sequencing reveals two distinct populations of ribosome footprints, 28-30 nucleotides and 20-22 nucleotides long, representing translating ribosomes in distinct states, differentially stabilized by specific elongation inhibitors. We find that the balance of small and large footprints varies by codon and is correlated with translation speed. The ability to visualize conformational changes in the ribosome during elongation, at single-codon resolution, provides a new way to study the detailed kinetics of translation and a new probe with which to identify the factors that affect each step in the elongation cycle.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.01257.001.
Pathway Databases: Making Chemical and Biological Sense of the Genomic Data Flood

Pathway databases are a means to systematically associate proteins with their functions and link them into networks that describe the reaction space of an organism. Here, the Reactome Knowledgebase provides a convenient example to illustrate strategies used to assemble such a reaction space based on manually curated experimental data, approaches to semiautomated extension of these manual annotations to infer annotations for a large fraction of a species' proteins, and the use of networks of functional annotations to infer pathway relationships among variant proteins that have been associated with disease risk through genome-wide surveys and resequencing studies of tumors.
Non-MHC driven exacerbation of experimental thyroiditis in the postpartum period.

Many human autoimmune diseases, including those of the thyroid gland, are affected by immune changes during pregnancy and the postpartum period. To investigate this influence, we have developed an animal model of pregnancy thyroiditis by using thyroglobulin (Tg)-induced experimental autoimmune thyroiditis (EAT). We now report a study of the postpartum period in mice with EAT. At 5 weeks postpartum, which was 9 weeks after the completion of a Tg immunization regime, the mean thyroiditis grade was significantly increased in the postpartum group from 0.23 to 0.43 (p<0.05) and the thyroiditis Index, which reflected both the frequency and severity of thyroiditis, was similarly increased compared to controls (29.0 vs 9.0). When Tg immunized CBA/J (H-2k) female mice were mated with BALB/c (H-2) males, there was a similar increase in the severity of thyroiditis in the postpartum period as seen with CBA/J males suggesting that allogeneic factors were not able to further this postpartum exacerbation. Spleen cell IL...
Custom rotary clock router

Timing closure and power envelopes for contemporary multi-core chips with high speed clock networks make the clock distribution design a challenging task. Resonant rotary clocking is a novel clocking technology for multi-gigahertz rate clock generation that provides minimal power dissipation. Rotary clocking implementations can easily provide independent synchronization of multiple cores as well. The traditional rotary clock design involves a regular array topology of oscillatory rings. In this paper, the rotary clock networks are designed and implemented using a custom ring topology. Custom ring topologies are advantageous as they reduce the total tapping wirelength for the registers tapping onto the oscillatory rings. A maze router based algorithm is developed for the implementation of custom topology rotary rings. In experiments performed on UCLA IBM R1-R5 benchmark circuits with the Elmore delay model, an improvement of 11.04% for register tapping wirelength is achieved on average.
SAR mining and its application to the design of TRPA1 antagonists

Given the large amounts of screening data now available, empirical methods derived from matched-molecular pairs are being used as a means for suggesting bioisosteric replacements to the medicinal chemist. The pairwise analysis of compounds has been extended to the pairwise analysis of series to bring further context to these suggestions. A validation dataset derived from recent literature has been used to demonstrate that, given a series of active compounds, this approach would be expected to predict a more potent compound, if it exists, in around 46% of cases. The approach has been successfully applied to a series of TRPA1 antagonists.
An improved initialization algorithm for use with the K-means algorithm for code book generation

A novel algorithm for codebook initialization for use with the K-means algorithm for codebook generation is presented. This algorithm was shown to result in better codebooks at considerably reduced generation time compared to Lloyd's algorithm and to other codebook initialization algorithms. The proposed algorithm generated codebooks with smaller maxima and smaller standard deviations of the codebook vector quantization (VQ) distortions. These outcomes were consistently observed with substantial margins for all cases considered. >
Osmotic thresholds for AVP release with the use of plasma and urine AVP and free water clearance

Eleven hydrated normal subjects were infused with hypertonic saline so that plasma osmolalities (POsmol) ranged from 280 to 306 mosmol/kg. Linear relationships were calculated between POsmol and plasma and urine arginine vasopressin (AVP) in the 11 individual subjects. There was an excellent linear correlation between POsmol and plasma and urine AVP, with the latter as concentration or rate of excretion. The highest correlation coefficient occurred when urine AVP was expressed as microunits of AVP per 100 milliliters of glomerular filtrate. The smallest coefficient of variation of the slopes occurred when urine AVP was expressed as microunits of AVP per minute. The osmotic thresholds obtained by abscissal intercepts from relating POsmol to urine AVP per minute or per 100 milliliters of glomerular filtrate were 285.9 and 285.5 mosmol/kg, respectively. These values did not differ from the mean osmotic threshold obtained by traditional free water clearance changes (285.8 mosmol/kg). Analysis of the relationship between plasma osmolality and plasma AVP resulted in the greatest variation in slope and osmotic threshold, with the latter being significantly lower than that obtained by free water clearance changes. The data also demonstrated a much more rapid rise of urine than of plasma AVP under the stated conditions of osmotic stimulation.
Laser Radiation Detectors

Laser safety standards in the United States and other countries use a hazard classification system to avoid the necessity for laser users to make radiometric measurements. Manufacturerers in most Western nations are required to affix a warning label to the laser housing that gives the hazard classification. This classification gives users and laser safety professionals the basis for deciding appropriate control procedures to be used in the safe use of this equipment. However if you are a manufacturer or a laser safety professional and need to verify manufacturer’s specifications you may need to use a laser radiometer in your hazard classification or hazard evaluation. During a laser accident investigation measurements may be required to determine if an individual received an exposure above the protection standard (PS). Radiometers used in hazard classification and evaluation must respond to levels as small as the Accessible Emission Limit (AEL). AELs range in value from tenths of microwatts or microjoules in the visible and near infrared (400–1400 nm) to millijoules in other parts of the spectrum. Hazard classification at the Class 4 level requires that cw radiant powers of at least 500 mw be measured, however it may be necessary on rare occassions to measure cw output powers as great as 100W to 1kW.
An Analysis of the VIX Volatility Index on the US Treasuries, Specifically During the Periods of Quantitative Easing

Volatility is a concern of many investors. In turbulent financial times there can be a flight from the equity market to treasury bonds in order to provide greater security, liquidity and guarantee of returns. Calculated as a weighted average of put and call options on the SP across models the change in VIX was predictive of the change in treasury. The model examination determined that in the model that included the autoregressive and moving average provided the most accurate results.
Organocatalysis by site-isolated N-heterocyclic carbenes doped into the UIO-67 framework

Abstract Two imidazolium-tagged biphenyldicarboxylates were synthesized and incorporated into the UiO-67 framework. Post synthetic exchange did not prove a useful route to these materials. Alternatively, mixed-linker synthesis of the solid afforded materials loaded with 6–7% imidazolium linker, corresponding to fewer than one active site per cage. Powder X-ray diffraction patterns for the doped metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) revealed that they were isostructural with UiO-67. Once activated, the N-heterocylic carbene (NHC) containing MOF was found to catalyze the transesterification of vinyl acetate with benzyl alcohol in good yield. The catalyst could be recycled with a modest drop in conversion. This is the first report of a NHC-doped MOF acting as an organocatalyst.
The Cassini Solstice Mission: Streamlining Operations by Sequencing with PIEs

The Cassini Solstice Mission (CSM) is the second extended mission phase of the highly successful Cassini/Huygens mission to Saturn. Conducted at a much-reduced funding level, operations for the CSM have been streamlined and simplified significantly. Integration of the science timeline, which involves allocating observation time in a balanced manner to each of the five different science disciplines (with representatives from the twelve different science instruments), has long been a labor-intensive endeavor. Lessons learned from the prime mission (2004-2008) and first extended mission (Equinox mission, 2008-2010) were utilized to design a new process involving PIEs (Pre-Integrated Events) to ensure the highest priority observations for each discipline could be accomplished despite reduced work force and overall simplification of processes. Discipline-level PIE lists were managed by the Science Planning team and graphically mapped to aid timeline deconfliction meetings prior to assigning discrete segments of time to the various disciplines. Periapse segments are generally discipline-focused, with the exception of a handful of PIEs. In addition to all PIEs being documented in a spreadsheet, allocated out-of-discipline PIEs were entered into the Cassini Information Management System (CIMS) well in advance of timeline integration. The disciplines were then free to work the rest of the timeline internally, without the need for frequent interaction, debate, and negotiation with representatives from other disciplines. As a result, the number of integration meetings has been cut back extensively, freeing up workforce. The sequence implementation process was streamlined as well, combining two previous processes (and teams) into one. The new Sequence Implementation Process (SIP) schedules 22 weeks to build each 10-week-long sequence, and only 3 sequence processes overlap. This differs significantly from prime mission during which 5-week-long sequences were built in 24 weeks, with 6 overlapping processes.
A dendritic cell subset designed for oral tolerance.

Studies using genetic tools have identified the distinct dendritic cell subsets that ensure tolerance to oral antigens in the antigen-rich environment of the gut and suggest a 'division of labor' for protective immunity.
Microreactor Opens a Door to New Field for Process Chemistry

Using microreactor for chemical reactions,the selectivity and yield of aimed product can be improved.The microreactors have been adopted by Bayer,Clariant,Sigma-Aldrich,Degussa and Lonza.A new method with high stereoselectivity for synthesis of anodyne tramadol has been developed using microreactor technology by Johnson Johnson.The main problems existing in application of microreactor are precipitation and corrosion.
Using Weight Functions in Self-Validating Quadrature

We describe how weight functions are implemented in SVALAQ, Self-Validating Adaptive Quadrature, to provide a self-validating computation of the definite integral equation $$I\!f=\int^{B}_{A}f(x)dx,$$ SVALAQ computes an interval [c,d] in which If is guaranteed to lie. The inclusion is validated by SVALAQ, provided that f(x) can be evaluated on all of [A,B] or if f(x) has certain singularities.
Primary Biliary Cholangitis: Disease Pathogenesis and Implications for Established and Novel Therapeutics

Primary Biliary Cholangitis is a progressive, autoimmune cholestatic liver disorder. Cholestasis with disease progression may lead to dyslipidemia, osteodystrophy and fat-soluble vitamin deficiency. Portal hypertension may develop prior to advanced stages of fibrosis. Untreated disease may lead to cirrhosis, hepatocellular cancer and need for orthotopic liver transplantation. Classically, diagnosis is made with elevation of alkaline phosphatase, demonstration of circulating antimitochondrial antibody, and if performed: asymmetric destruction/nonsupperative cholangitis of intralobular bile ducts on biopsy. Disease pathogenesis is complex and results from innate and adaptive (cell-mediated and humoral) responses that lead to inflammation of biliary duct epithelium. Ongoing damage is amplified and sustained through bile acid toxicity. Use of weight based (13-15mg/kg) ursodeoxycholic acid is well established in retarding disease progression and improving survival; however, is ineffective in achieving complete biochemical remission in many. Recently, a Farnesoid X Receptor agonist, obeticholic acid, has been approved for use. A number of ongoing clinical studies are underway to evaluate utility of fibric acid derivatives, biologics, antifibrotics, and stem cells as monotherapy or in combination with ursodeoxycholic acid for primary biliary cholangitis. The aim of this review is to discuss disease pathogenesis and highlight rationale/implications for both established and novel therapeutics.
MicroRNA-203 predicts human survival after resection of colorectal liver metastasis.

// T. Peter Kingham 2, * , Hoang C.B. Nguyen 1, * , Jian Zheng 2 , Ioannis T. Konstantinidis 2 , Eran Sadot 2 , Jinru Shia 3 , Deborah Kuk 4 , Steven Zhang 1 , Leonard Saltz 5 , Michael I. D’Angelica 2 , William R. Jarnagin 2 , Hani Goodarzi 6, 7, 8 , Sohail F. Tavazoie 1, 5 1 Laboratory of Systems Cancer Biology, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY, USA 2 Department of Surgery, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA 3 Department of Pathology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA 4 Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA 5 Department of Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA 6 Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA 7 Department of Urology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA 8 Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA * These authors contributed equally to this work Correspondence to: T. Peter Kingham, email: kinghamt@mskcc.org Hani Goodarzi, email: hani.goodarzi@ucsf.edu Sohail F. Tavazoie, email: stavazoie@mail.rockefeller.edu Keywords: microRNA, miR-203, colorectal liver metastasis, survival, resection Received: July 25, 2016 Accepted: November 14, 2016 Published: December 07, 2016 ABSTRACT Background: Resection of colorectal liver metastasis (CRLM) can be curative. Predicting which patients may benefit from resection, however, remains challenging. Some microRNAs (miRNAs) become deregulated in cancers and contribute to cancer progression. We hypothesized that miRNA expression can serve as a prognostic marker of survival after CRLM resection. Results: MiR-203 was significantly overexpressed in tumors of short-term survivors compared to long-term survivors. R1/R2 margin status and high clinical risk score (CRS) were also significantly associated with short-term survival (both p = 0.001). After adjusting for these variables, higher miR-203 expression remained an independent predictor of shorter survival ( p = 0.010). In the serum cohort, high CRS and KRAS mutation were significantly associated with short-term survival ( p = 0.005 and p = 0.026, respectively). After adjusting for CRS and KRAS status, short-term survivors were found to have significantly higher miR-203 levels ( p = 0.016 and p = 0.033, respectively). Materials and Methods: We employed next-generation sequencing of small-RNAs to profile miRNAs in solid tumors obtained from 38 patients who underwent hepatectomy for CRLM. To validate, quantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was performed on 91 tumor samples and 46 preoperative serum samples. Conclusions: After CRLM resection, short-term survivors exhibited significantly higher miR-203 levels relative to long-term survivors. MiR-203 may serve as a prognostic biomarker and its prognostic capacity warrants further investigation.
The Structure of Personality Disorders within a Depressed Sample: Implications for Personalizing Treatment.

Abstract Background Personality disorders (PDs) and major depressive disorder (MDD) are both significant public health burdens. They are frequently comorbid, and this comorbidity predicts poorer treatment outcomes and lower maintenance of treatment effects. Although there is growing consensus on the structure of personality pathology in non-depressed individuals, there is limited research on the structure of personality pathology in individuals experiencing MDD. Method As part of the Predictors of Remission in Depression to Individual and Combined Treatment (PReDICT) randomized controlled trial, 192 treatment-naive subjects meeting DSM-IV-TR criteria for MDD completed the International Personality Disorder Examination (IPDE). Using this sample, a principal components analysis explored the factor structure of the IPDE. Results A three-factor model comprised three factors labeled "NADA" (Negative Affectivity, Disinhibition, and Antagonism)," "Social Anxiety," and "Antisociality." Factor intercorrelations were small-to-moderate, and the sum score of the three factors was highly correlated ( r =0.94) with the total IPDE score. Limitations Personality pathology was assessed with one instrument, and sample size was smaller than ideal for factor analytic research. Conclusions Consistent with prior factor-analytic findings, a three-factor solution provided the most clinically and theoretically useful model. This finding lends support for the personality disorders retained in DSM-5 and some support for a model of personality pathology aligned with the personality traits found in the leading nonclinical models of personality. The obtained factors are potential moderators of clinical interventions and may serve as an avenue to personalizing treatments.
Epigenetic and LncRNA-Mediated Regulation of X Chromosome Inactivation and Its Impact on Pathogenesis

In multicellular organisms, development of genetic sex determination leads to gene dosage imbalances between the sex chromosomes and the autosomes and between the sexes. In mammals with XY-based system, a dosage compensation mechanism called X chromosome inactivation (XCI) balances gene expression from unequal number of sex chromosomes between the homogametic (XX) females and heterogametic (XY) males. XCI-mediated dosage compensation involves transcriptional silencing of one of the two X chromosomes in female cells and is tightly mediated during early development. The silencing mechanism relies on coordinated action of several epigenetic mechanisms that include imprinting, long noncoding RNA (lncRNA)-mediated chromatin regulation, and nuclear organization. Alterations in the establishment and maintenance of XCI have been associated with female-specific developmental defects, X-linked diseases, and cancer. In this review, we discuss the current understanding on the epigenetic and lncRNA-mediated regulation of XCI and how alterations in XCI are linked to developmental defects and diseases such as cancer.
The interaction of human population, food production, and biodiversity protection

Research suggests that the scale of human population and the current pace of its growth contribute substantially to the loss of biological diversity. Although technological change and unequal consumption inextricably mingle with demographic impacts on the environment, the needs of all human beings—especially for food—imply that projected population growth will undermine protection of the natural world. Numerous solutions have been proposed to boost food production while protecting biodiversity, but alone these proposals are unlikely to staunch biodiversity loss. An important approach to sustaining biodiversity and human well-being is through actions that can slow and eventually reverse population growth: investing in universal access to reproductive health services and contraceptive technologies, advancing women’s education, and achieving gender equality.
On a Class of Volterra Integrodifferential Equations

This chapter describes the class of Volterra integrodifferential equations. The asymptotic behavior of solutions of the linear Volterra integro-differential equation, x' ( t ) = Ax ( t ) + ( t – s ) x (s) ds , where x (0) = x 0 , denoted by (1), in case B ( t ) is integrable on (0, ∞ ) was studied by Miller and Grossman and Miller. Their results were extended to the case where the derivative B′ ( t ) is integrable on (0, ∞) but B ( t ) may not be. The methods involve the use of a well-known theorem of Paley and Wiener, and the resulting conditions are consequently in terms of the Laplace transforms of B ( t ) and B′ ( t ). Recently, systems more general than equation (1) have been studied using so-called Liapunov–Razumikhin conditions. In particular, sufficient conditions for certain asymptotic behavior of solutions of such systems have been given where B ( t−s ) is replaced by B ( t, s ), to which methods based on the Paley−Wiener theorem do not apply.
Synthesis of Aromatic Disulfonic Acids for Water-Soluble Dibenzo­thiophene Derivatives

There is a need for efficient methods for the synthesis of water-soluble dibenzothiophene (DBT) and dibenzothiophene S-oxide (DBTO) derivatives to allow for the study of atomic oxygen in biological applications. Attaining water-solubility of aromatic compounds is effectively achieved through functionalization with sulfonic acid groups. Three approaches for the synthesis were considered. An indirect approach was unsuccessful. A modular approach was found to be highly effective for one DBTO disulfonic acid derivative (>99% pure). The direct approach was the most straightforward and highest-yielding route. Additionally, a highly effective, scalable, and improved purification method was identified for disulfonic acid DBT and DBTO derivatives, allowing for the isolation of positional isomers and other modifications by using reverse-phase high-performance flash chromatography.