cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Serum 25-Hydroxyvitamin D and Subsequent Cancer Incidence and Mortality: A Population-Based Retrospective Cohort Study.

Abstract Objective To determine the relationship between 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25[OH]D) values and subsequent cancer incidence and mortality. Patients and Methods We identified all adult patients living in Olmsted County, Minnesota, between January 1, 2005, and December 31, 2011, who had at least 1 25(OH)D measurement and no prior diagnosis of cancer. Cancer outcomes were retrieved starting 30 days after 25(OH)D measurement and until patients’ final clinical visit as an Olmsted County resident; December 31, 2014; or death. Cox proportional hazards regression was used to analyze data. Results A total of 8700 individuals had a 25(OH)D measurement and no history of cancer, with a mean ± SD 25(OH)D value of 29.7±12.8 ng/mL (to convert to nmol/L, multiply by 2.496). The mean ± SD age was 51.5±16.4 years, and most were women (78.1%; n=6796) and White (85.7%; n=7460). A total of 761 individuals developed cancer (skin cancer, n=360; nonskin cancer, n=401) during a median follow-up of 4.6 (interquartile range, 3.4-6.1) years. Compared with participants with 25(OH)D values of 20 to 50 ng/mL (reference group), those with 25(OH)D values less than 12 ng/mL had a greater nonskin cancer incidence (hazard ratio [HR], 1.56; 95% CI, 1.03 to 2.36; P=.04) after adjustment. There was no association between 25(OH)D values and total cancer or skin cancer incidence. Compared with individuals from the reference group, 25(OH)D levels less than 12 ng/mL (HR, 2.35; 95% CI, 1.01 to 5.48; P=.047) and 12 to 19 ng/mL (HR, 2.10; 95% CI, 1.05 to 4.22; P=.04) were associated with increased cancer mortality. Conclusion Low 25(OH)D levels were associated with increased risk for incident nonskin cancer and cancer-related mortality.
Learning Right from Wrong: A Cross-national Analysis of Education, National Scientific Investment, and the Morality of Science:

Opposition to and skepticism of science have important social consequences, as highlighted by contemporary debates about vaccines and climate change. Recent studies suggest that opposition to scien...
Timing and Sizing of Complex Water Resource Systems

Procedures and computational techniques have been developed to facilitate the planning and the optimal sizing, sequencing, and timing of multiple-purpose, multiple-facility water resource developments. The procedure which is described and applied in this paper alleviates this curse of dimensionality by the use of an iterated linear programming-dynamic programming routine. It is characterized by an efficient linearization of the system relationships (to any accuracy desired), reservoir and generating plant sizing against an extended period of subnormal reservoir inflows typical of the stream critical periods, low computer time requirements, and high flexibility in testing the effects of added or changed system constraints. Description of the technique centers about, but is not limited to, a situation in which future water and power demands up to a time horizon are specified, so that the overall optimization criterion is to minimize the present worth of total project costs.
Reporting thyroid FNA before and after implementation of the Bethesda system—one institution's experience

Background The Bethesda System for Reporting Thyroid Cytopathology was published in 2008 and was implemented at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) in June, 2010. Prior to this date, our diagnostic scheme was similar to the Bethesda System, except for the category of “Atypia/Follicular Lesion of Undetermined Significance” (AUS). This study evaluates the impact of the Bethesda System on the rate and the positive predictive value (PPV) of the diagnostic categories at BIDMC. Methods We performed a retrospective review of all thyroid fine-needle aspirations (FNAs) during the time periods January, 2006 to November, 2008 and June, 2010 to July, 2011 and the subsequent thyroidectomy specimens. Results Post-Bethesda System, diagnoses that are equivocal for diverse reasons and which have wide-ranging PPVs are now all grouped into the AUS category, and the proportion of cases that are in the atypical/AUS category rose from 3.7% in the pre-Bethesda period to 12% in the post-Bethesda period. Conclusion The AUS category has a PPV approaching 50% in our lab. This creates uncertainty regarding the appropriate management for this category and may cause unnecessary overuse of molecular testing for cases in the AUS category. Diagn. Cytopathol. 2015;43:28–31. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
A Multilevel Parallelization Framework for High-Order Stencil Computations

Stencil based computation on structured grids is a common kernel to broad scientific applications. The order of stencils increases with the required precision, and it is a challenge to optimize such high-order stencils on multicore architectures. Here, we propose a multilevel parallelization framework that combines: (1) inter-node parallelism by spatial decomposition; (2) intra-chip parallelism through multithreading; and (3) data-level parallelism via single-instruction multiple-data (SIMD) techniques. The framework is applied to a 6 th order stencil based seismic wave propagation code on a suite of multicore architectures. Strong-scaling scalability tests exhibit superlinear speedup due to increasing cache capacity on Intel Harpertown and AMD Barcelona based clusters, whereas weak-scaling parallel efficiency is 0.92 on 65,536 BlueGene/P processors. Multithreading+SIMD optimizations achieve 7.85-fold speedup on a dual quad-core Intel Clovertown, and the data-level parallel efficiency is found to depend on the stencil order.
Sensitivity of Contact Electronic Throttle Control Sensor to Control System Variation

The purpose of this paper is to improve the understanding of the advantages of a non-contact electronic throttle control (ETC) air control valve position sensor over the potentiometer technology of contacting position sensors. The non-contact position sensing offers the industry an opportunity to take advantage of an improved ability to assess reliability of the product and utilize accelerated testing techniques with improved robustness to control system perturbations. Specifically; eliminating the contact wear failure mechanism reduces the complexity, and duration of ETC air control valve life testing and increases the robustness of the ETC system to noise factors from the control system variation.
A centralized multiprocessor-based control to optimize performance in vehicles

Multiprocessor-based real-time control is discussed. A multiprocessor architecture is presented for the dynamic control of various engine, body, ride, and safety parameters. This architecture is extended to complex vehicles. Control of static body parameters is implemented by using a single-bit serial bus. Dynamic parameters such as the fuel/air mixture and spark timing are controlled by monitoring the sensor readings and executing control routines. The concept of diagnostics is emphasized both for static and dynamic parameters. The diagnostic status of various units is stored in memory. This can be used by the mechanic during repair. >
Recent progress in steady state fusion using D-3He

University of Wisconsin (UW) inertial electrostatic confinement (IEC) facility has made significant progress since 2000. The operating voltage has doubled to 160 kV. The neutron production rate has increased by a factor of 2, from 4.9 x 10{sup 7}/s to 1.1 x 10{sup 8}s{sup -1}. The D-{sup 3}He proton production rate has increased by, a factor of over 40. In addition new diagnostics have been developed, including a method to determine the spatial distribution of fusion reactions A new water cooled stainless steel chamber for higher power and lower pressure has been put into operation. Medical isotopes have been produced in an IEC device for the first time.
A decentralized redeployment algorithm for improving the availability of distributed systems

In distributed and mobile environments, the connections among the hosts on which a software system is running are often unstable. As a result of connectivity losses, the overall availability of the system decreases. The distribution of software components onto hardware nodes (i.e., the system's deployment architecture) may be ill-suited for the given target hardware en-vironment and may need to be altered to improve the software system's avail-ability. Determining a software system's deployment that will maximize its availability is an exponentially complex problem. Although several polyno-mial-time approximative techniques have been developed recently, these techniques rely on the assumption that the system's deployment architecture and its properties are accessible from a central location. For these reasons, the existing techniques are not applicable to an emerging class of decentralized systems marked by the limited system wide knowledge and lack of central-ized control. In this paper we present an approximative solution for the rede-ployment problem that is suitable for decentralized systems and assess its performance.
Birth Weight Less Than 800 Grams: Changing Outcomes and Influences of Gender and Gestation Number

Mortality and neurodevelopmental morbidity were compared in two cohorts of neonates with birth weights of less than 800 g. The neonates, born in the years 1977 through 1980 (original cohort) and 1983 through 1985 (current cohort), were patienta in the same university intensive care nursery. Mortality was 80% in the original cohort and 64% in the current cohort (P = .01). In the current cohort, survival was significantly better for neonates with birth weights of more than 749 g (58% vs 27%; P = .001). Survival was also significantly associated with gender and with gestation number (female survival was 48% and male survival was 23%, P = .003; singleton survival was 41% and twin survival was 21%, P = .03). Prevalence of major central nervous system handicaps did not significantly differ between the two study groups, but severity of handicap was worse for the current study group. Morbidity in the current cohort was most severe for twins (67% with a major central nervous system handicap) and was least severe for singleton girls (4% with a major central nervous system handicap, P = .002). Delivery mode appeared to affect outcome. Although there were more nursery admissions and more survivors among neonates with birth weights of less than 800 g during the period 1983 through 1985 compared with the period 1977 through 1980, overall neurodevelopmental morbidity worsened.
Pharmaceutical direct‐to‐consumer advertising and US Hispanic patient‐consumers

Hispanic Americans use prescription medications at markedly lower rates than do non-Hispanic whites. At the same time, Hispanics are the largest racial-ethnic minority in the USA. In a recent effort to reach this underdeveloped market, the pharmaceutical industry has begun to create Spanish-language direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA) campaigns. The substantive content of these campaigns is being tailored to appeal to the purported cultural values, beliefs and identities of Latino consumers. We compare English-language and Spanish-language television commercials for two prescription medications. We highlight the importance of selling medicine to a medically under-served population as a key marketing element of Latino-targeted DTCA. We define selling medicine as the pharmaceutical industry's explicit promotion of medicine's cultural authority as a means of expanding its markets and profits. We reflect on the prospects of this development in terms of promoting medicalisation in a US subgroup that has heretofore eluded the pharmaceutical industry's marketing influence. Our analysis draws on Nikolas Rose's insights concerning variations in the degree to which certain groups of people are more medically made up than others, by reflecting on the racial and ethnic character of medicalisation in the USA and the role DTCA plays in shaping medicalisation trends. A video abstract of this article can be found at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZabCle9-jHw&feature=youtu.be.
Pollard Case Is One for the Legal Books

Jonathan Pollard, the former Navy intelligence analyst who was convicted of passing classified information to Israel, has been behind bars for more than 12 years now. His life sentence - by far the harshest ever meted out for a similar offense - continues to make "equal justice under law" seem like little more than a palsied proverb.Pollard's actions were clearly misguided and rightly punishable, but should he languish for life in prison while others obviously more perfidious have been set free? Americans who expect fairness in their judicial system should be sorely disillusioned at how grossly disproportionate Pollard's treatment has been, not to mention how duplicitous his prosecution.Consider these facts: Shortly after he was caught, the government entered into a standard plea agreement, seeking leniency in exchange for information. Once Pollard had fully cooperated, the prosecutor promptly reneged on his promise. The lower court judge not only ignored the plea agreement but also considered a secret memorandum from then-Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger that offered speculative evidence - none of which Pollard or his lawyers have had a chance to challenge. Mr. Weinberger conjured up specters of unprecedented treachery. The judge sentenced Pollard to life in prison, and the prosecutor who agreed not to seek a harsh penalty recommended that he never be paroled.
Pancreaticobiliary Cancers With Deficient Methylenetetrahydrofolate Reductase Genotypes

Background & Aims: Methyl group deficiency might promote carcinogenesis by inducing DNA breaks and DNA hypomethylation. We hypothesized that deficient methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) genotypes could promote pancreatic cancer development. Methods: First, we performed a case-control study of germline MTHFR polymorphisms (C677T, A1298C) in 303 patients with pancreatic cancer and 305 matched control subjects. Pancreatic neoplasms frequently lose an MTHFR allele during tumorigenesis; we hypothesized that such loss could promote carcinogenesis. We therefore evaluated the cancer MTHFR genotypes of 82 patients with pancreaticobiliary cancers and correlated them to genome-wide measures of chromosomal deletion by using 386 microsatellite markers. Finally, MTHFR genotypes were correlated with global DNA methylation in 68 cancer cell lines. Results: Germline MTHFR polymorphisms were not associated with an increased likelihood of having pancreatic cancer. Fractional allelic loss (a measure of chromosomal loss) trended higher in cancers with 677T genotypes than in cancers with other genotypes (P = .055). Among cancers with loss of an MTHFR allele, cancers with 677T MTHFR alleles had more deletions at folate-sensitive fragile sites (36.9%) and at tumor suppressor gene loci (68.5%) than 677C cancers (28.7% and 47.8%, P = .079 and .014, respectively). LINE1 methylation was lower in cancers with less functional 677T/TT genotypes (24.4%) than in those with 677CT (26.0%) and CC/C genotypes (32.5%) (P = .014). Conclusion: Cancers with defective MTHFR genotypes have more DNA hypomethylation and more chromosomal losses. Deficient MTHFR function due to loss of an MTHFR allele by an evolving neoplasm might, by promoting chromosomal losses, accelerate cancer development.
Hydrologic Footprint Residence: Environmentally Friendly Criteria for Best Management Practices

The natural hydrologic flow regime is altered by urbanization, which can be mitigated through best management practices (BMPs) or low impact development (LID). Typically, the effectiveness of different management scenarios is tested by comparing post- and predevelopment instantaneous peak flows. This approach, however, does not capture the extent of hydrologic change and the effect on downstream communities. A new hydrologic sustainability metric is presented here to quantify the impact of urbanization on downstream water bodies on the basis of the inundation dynamics of the flow regime. The hydrologic footprint residence (HFR) is designed to capture both temporal and spatial hydrological changes to an event-based flow regime by calculating the inundated areas and duration of a flood. The HFR is demonstrated for a hypothetical watershed and a watershed on the Texas A&M University Campus, located in College Station, Texas. For the campus watershed, three design storms (2-, 10-, and 100-year) and a set of h...
Application of Austern-Blair theory to the interference between Coulomb and nuclear excitation in the inelastic scattering of heavy ions

The connection between elastic and inelastic scattering of heavy ions in the combined Coulomb and nuclear fields is discussed in terms of the Austern-Blair theory. It is shown that the first order distorted-wave Born-approximation inelastic scattering amplitudes may be obtained from the elastic scattering amplitudes to a good degree of accuracy. Consequently they contain essentially the same information about the nuclear potentials as the elastic scattering S-matrix elements. (AIP)
Palladium catalysts for aerobic oxidative kinetic resolution of secondary alcohols based on mechanistic insight.

The oxidative kinetic resolution of secondary alcohols has been accomplished using 1:1 complexes of PdCl2 and N-heterocyclic carbenes. In these reactions, both achiral and chiral carbene ligands ar...
Introduction to the reviews on peptides and the control of food intake and body weight

The progress in the identification of peripheral and brain peptides that affect food intake and body weight is discussed in the accompanying 11 reviews. The reviews, succinct and critical, are useful guides to a dispersed literature that began in 1957. As reflected through the prism of these reviews, the field looks like a few small islands of scientific understanding surrounded by a vast sea of uncertain phenomena. This introduction discusses four themes that pervade the reviews. These are: (1) how to establish that an effect of a peptide is a physiological function of the endogenous peptide; (2) the importance of the interactions among peptides, amines and steroids for the central integration that underlies the control of food intake and body weight; (3) the need for simple and convenient generalizations to organize and interpret the apparently endless empirical reports; and (4) the persistent problems that remain untouched by current information, especially dietary-induced obesity and the role of peptides in the neural networks that control spontaneous eating.
Grass pollen immunotherapy: IL-10 induction and suppression of late responses precedes IgG4 inhibitory antibody activity

Background Grass pollen immunotherapy is an effective treatment for seasonal allergic rhinitis that provides the opportunity to study the induction and maintenance of allergen-specific immune tolerance. Objectives We investigated the relationship between clinical responsiveness, regulatory cytokine production, and antibody responses to allergen during 1 year of immunotherapy. Methods Eighteen subjects with severe seasonal allergic rhinitis were randomized double-blind to receive active or placebo injections of an alum-adsorbed grass pollen vaccine (Alutard SQ). Subjects underwent repeated testing of early- and late-phase skin responses to intradermal allergen, and cellular responses to grass pollen allergen were tested. Sera were tested for allergen-specific IgG4, IgA, and inhibitory activity in biologic assays of IgE responses. Results Grass pollen immunotherapy was effective in reducing overall symptom scores (P Conclusion IL-10 responses occur early but at immunotherapy doses that are not clinically effective. Later induction of inhibitory antibodies, including IgG4 and IgA, might be required for efficacy through modulation of IgE-mediated events.
Ultrasonic Attenuation in Superconductors Containing Magnetic Impurities

The Abrikosov-Gor'kov theory for a superconductor with magnetic impurities is applied to the calculation of attenuation coefficients. In this calculation several electronic time-dependent correlation functions are evaluated, and these functions are then used to evaluate the attenuation. In the limit of low sound-wave frequencies, the resulting coefficients are expressed in terms of a single energy integral. The physical significance of the result is discussed in terms of an effective density of "normal electrons" and energy-dependent mean free paths. Then, the attenuation is evaluated in the limit of low temperatures for superconductors both with and without an energy gap.
Brief Report: Increasing Verbal Greeting Initiations for a Student with Autism Via a Social Story™ Intervention

Social Stories™ are a common intervention for addressing the social skills deficits individuals with autism often demonstrate. In this study, a Social Story intervention was used to increase acceptable verbal greeting initiations with an 11-year-old boy who had a diagnosis of high functioning autism. A withdrawal design with a comparison condition examined the frequency of acceptable verbal greeting initiations during 5 min observation periods. Results showed no acceptable verbal greeting initiations during both baseline conditions, increased frequency of acceptable verbal greeting initiations during both intervention conditions, and maintenance of intervention levels of behavior with visual supports during the comparison condition.
Light emission from the GaAs/AlGaAs HBT collector junction at breakdown

Summary form only given. The authors report the observation of light emission from the GaAs collector-base junction of a GaAs/AlGaAs HBT (heterojunction bipolar transistor) at breakdown. The photoemission spectra of the reverse-bias junction and resolved peaks at 2.03 and 1.43 eV were measured, with the intensities dependent upon the reverse current. An experimental technique for measuring the threshold energy for impact ionization in the investigated material is reported. >
You’re Part of Something Bigger: Macrorealist TV

“Dickensian” has become a buzzword in recent TV criticism not only because the term connotes a large character ensemble, but also because it connotes a diffuse ensemble. In TV series such as The Sopranos, The Wire, and Breaking Bad, many characters live and work so far apart from each other—whether in different neighborhoods of a city or different regions of the globe—that they fail to recognize how their actions affect each other. Through its wide spatial scope, this type of macroscopic “stranger narrative” explores a type of ethical confusion that is a byproduct of globalization. Namely, these narratives reveal to readers or viewers how they might be connected to and responsible for people they don’t even know.
A syntactic formula for English sentences: Application to scientific narrative

Abstract A constructive formula for the syntactic structure of English sentences used in scientific narrative reports has been developed and tested. The formula was derived from the automaton of Zellig Harris. Starting with an input vector, X of the form classes of the words in the sentence and using the “multiplication tables” given in the text for X/X′ = S1′ Y/Y′ = S2′ and Z//Z′ = S3′ a syntactic structure matrix S = S1 + S2 + S3 and a residual vector, R, are obtained as output. For a well-formed sentence there is at least one residual vector R = 0 and a corresponding matrix S which gives a syntactic structure for the sentence. Sentences from surgical operative reports were independently analysed by a linguist and by a computer program based on the constructive formula. The two analyses corresponded in 96% of the syntactic connections.
Searching the web: operator assistance required

This study examines the effects of the search interface and Boolean logic training on user search performance and satisfaction. We compared the use of an assisted search tool to that of a simple search interface like those typically found at commercial search engine sites. We found that the assisted search tool had a significant, positive effect on performance, satisfaction, and confidence. Promoting the use of advanced search features is therefore in the best interest of both Web search providers and users. In the absence of an assisted interface, a simple interface coupled with Boolean logic training was also an effective means for improving user performance. Given that most searchers choose to use the simple search box, it is important to provide them with applicable training to promote the effective use of the search tool. Interestingly, coupling the assisted interface with Boolean training was no more effective than either treatment alone.
An examination of global variations of sunset NO2 as measured by SAGE II

Global variations of sunset NO2 are examined for the period October 24, 1984 through May 28, 1991 using Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment (SAGE) II data. Between 60 deg S and 60 deg N declining trends are observed at all latitudes and at all altitudes above 25 km. For the column NO2 above 25 km, the area-weighted integrated trend between these latitudes is -2.5%/year. The largest rates of decline (5%/year) are at mid to high latitudes in each hemisphere. Different temporal behavior is observed with latitude and in the two hemispheres. The largest percentage changes of NO2 from year to year are observed near 40 km at high latitudes and can be as large as 160%. These results and previously reported simulations suggest that a modulating polar source of NO(y) and variations in atmospheric temperature and advective transport both contribute to the observed NO2 variations.
Sensitization of defense responses and activation of programmed cell death by a pathogen-induced receptor-like protein kinase in Arabidopsis

During the search for potential target genes of WRKY DNA-binding transcription factors, we have previously identified four pathogen-induced Arabidopsis genes (CRK5, CRK6, CRK10 and CRK11) encoding receptor-like protein kinases (RLKs) containing novel cysteine-rich repeats in their extracellular domains. In the present study, we transformed Arabidopsis plants with the RLK genes under control of the constitutive CaMV 35S promoter or a steroid-inducible Gal4 promoter. Expression of CRK5, but not the three other RLK genes, resulted in significant alterations in defense responses and leaf growth in transgenic plants. In transgenic plants harboring the 35S::CRK5 construct, significantly elevated and constitutive expression of CRK5 correlated with enhanced leaf growth and increased resistance to the bacterial pathogen Pseudomonas syringae. The enhanced disease resistance in the transgenic plants was associated with more rapidly induced expression of the PR1 gene after pathogen infection. In transgenic plants transformed with CRK5 under control of the steroid-inducible promoter, expression of the transgene was induced at relatively high levels after the steroid application and this induced expression of CRK5 triggered hypersensitive response-like cell death. Induced CRK5 expression also activated cell death in the npr1, ndr1 and eds1 mutants and in the transgenic nahG plants that fail to accumulate salicylic acid. Thus, the novel RLK is capable of activating multiple distinct defense responses depending on the manner and/or the levels of its over-expression in transgenic plants.
An explicit polymer and node network model to compute micromechanical properties of silica-filled polydimethylsiloxane

Abstract Two important aspects of filled polymer systems that can influence elasticity are the random position of filler particles and the nonuniformity of polymer chain lengths that form the chain/particle network. Historically, most network elasticity models have been based on idealized assumptions of uniform chain length constrained to highly symmetric orientations. We present a novel, three-dimensional explicit polymer and node network model (EPnet) that includes both randomly distributed filler particles (nodes) and polymer lengths taken from a Gaussian distribution. The molecular level polymer forces that produce elasticity are assumed to operate between pairs of connected network nodes. The numerical model is amenable to any molecular force that depends on the distance between two nodes, however, for this paper, we assume that the polymer chain segments that connect the filler particles obey a simple two-force model, i.e. a constant force required to stretch a single polymer chain and a force arising from the binding energy between a polymer chain and a filler particle surface. Free ends, i.e. polymer segments connected to only one particle, do not contribute to the elasticity. With these assumptions, the model contains intrinsic mechanisms that appear to predict the phenomena of yield stress, tensile failure, permanent set and stress hysteresis. The model is applied to a mesoscale volume element (∼1 μm3) of silica-filled polydimethylsiloxane to study the micromechanical stress in response to various strains, e.g. tensile, compressive, shear and swell. Model predictions are in quantitative agreement with tensile stress/strain experiments.
Kidney Function and Mortality in Octogenarians: Cardiovascular Health Study All Stars

quintile (64–75 mL/min per 1.73 m 2 ), the highest (75 mL/min per 1.73 m 2 ) and lowest (43 mL/min per 1.73 m 2 ) quintiles of eGFRCR were independently associated with mortality (hazard ratio (HR) = 2.49, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.36–4.55; HR = 2.28, 95% CI = 1.26–4.10, respectively). The association between eGFRCYS and all-cause mortality was linear in those with eGFRCYS of less than 60 mL/min per 1.73 m 2 , and in the multivariate analyses, the lowest quintile of eGFRCYS ( 0.88 mL/min per 1.73 m 2 ). CONCLUSION: Moderate reduction in kidney function is a risk factor for all-cause mortality in octogenarians. The association between eGFRCR and all-cause mortality differed from that observed with eGFRCYS; the relationship was U-shaped for eGFRCR, whereas the risk was primarily present in the lowest quintile for eGFRCYS. J Am Geriatr Soc 60:1201–1207, 2012.
The shuttling activity of nuclear RNAs is not an artefact of experimental manipulation

Abstract These experiments were designed to determine whether the migration of RNA molecules from an implanted nucleus to the host cytoplasm and from there into the host cell nucleus against a concentration gradient might reflect an artefact induced by the process of nuclear transplantation. That is, are RNA molecules, as previously shown for certain nuclear proteins, caused to artefactually leave a manipulated nucleus and then move into the host cell nucleus (as well as return to the grafted nucleus) during the recovery period? A variety of experiments involving different kinds of manipulative sequences and different numbers of nuclear transplantations suggest—but do not prove—that no artefact is involved in the migration of RNA from one nucleus to another but two experiments strongly support the view that the shuttling activity is a normal physiological process. One of the latter involved a determination of the rate of egress of 3 H-RNA from an implanted nucleus and reveals that that rate, in contrast with the equivalent rate of egress for labeled proteins which is clearly abnormal after micromanipulation, is totally consonant with the rate of movement of RNA from nucleus to cytoplasm established from experiments that do not involve micromanipulation. The other experiment involves comparison of (1) the amount of radioactivity acquired by an unlabeled nucleus present in the cell at the time a labeled nucleus is implanted with (2) the amount of radioactivity acquired by an unlabeled nucleus implanted after a labeled nucleus had been implanted and had time to recover from any possible operation-induced trauma. With 3 H-protein nuclei the host nuclei of (1) acquired much more label than the host nuclei of (2) because in (1) the host nuclei were able to acquire much of the artefactually-released 3 H-protein. For the 3 H-RNA experiments, however, little difference was found between (1) and (2) in the amount of label acquired by the host cell nuclei. It can be concluded that little, if any, of the non-random shuttling activity of RNA molecules can be a reflection of an artefact.
193 nm Excimer laser photochemistry in cryogenic matrices: synthesis of N-methylmethyleneimine

Abstract An excimer laser operating at 193 nm has been coupled with the matrix isolation technique for the synthesis of chemical intermediates. Test systems included (CH 3 ) 3 N, which yielded CH 4 and H 2 CNCH 3 upon irradiation, likely by the photodetachment of a methyl group followed by hydrogen atom abstract within the matrix cage. Simple oxygen atom reactions were also examined, after irradiation of O 2 samples in argon and nitrogen matrices. No temperature or pressure rise was noted during irradiation, at repetition rate of 5–10 Hz, and no evidence for matrix damage or annealing was observed.
Maritime transport chains: carrier, port and shipper choice effects

Abstract A maritime transport chain is a network over which carriers, ports and shippers are involved in the movement of cargo. This paper investigates the effects of carrier chain profit, port chain throughput and shipper chain logistics cost on the maritime transport chain choice by carriers, ports and shippers, respectively. The paper concludes that: (1) a carrier's (water and land) chain profit has positive direct and positive indirect effects on the carrier's choice of a maritime transport chain, (2) a port's chain throughput has positive direct and positive indirect effects on the port's choice of a maritime transport chain, and (3) a shipper's chain logistics cost has negative direct and negative indirect effects on the shipper's choice of a maritime transport chain.
SEMICLASSICAL TREATMENT OF A HALF-CYCLE PULSE ACTING ON A ONE-DIMENSIONAL RYDBERG ATOM

The final-state distribution of hydrogen, acted upon by a 1/2-cycle pulse, has been calculated semiclassically for a proposed one-dimensional experiment. This work was motivated by the recent experimental realization of half-cycle pulses by Jones, You, and Bucksbaum [Phys. Rev. Lett. 70, 1236 (1993)] in which preliminary studies of ionization and state redistribution for hydrogenlike atoms were carried out. To simplify the situation theoretically, an experiment is proposed in which an additional weak static electric field is imposed and approximately one-dimensional states are selected. Within this one-dimensional approximation the transition probability to various n states (n is the principal quantum number) has been calculated as a function of the amplitude of the half-cycle pulse, using a semiclassical formula due to Miller [Adv. Chem. Phys. 25, 69 (1974)]. A complete derivation of this formula and a discussion of approximations are made in the following paper. We have found that an even number of trajectories always contributes to the transition probability and leads to observable interference effects. In addition, we find that bifurcations of these trajectories can occur, resulting in resonances and more complicated interference structures.
Mating strategies of a nocturnal, desert rodent (Dipodomys spectabilis)

The mating system of a nocturnal, desert rodent, the banner-tailed kangaroo rat (Dipodomys spectabilis) was studied through direct observation, live-trapping, and radiotelemetry over a 13-month period from August 1986 to August 1987. Mating behavior varied from exclusive matings between male and female neighbors to competitive mate searching and direct male competition. In summer matings and early in a November to May breeding season, males located receptive females and mated exclusively with them without disturbance from other males. As the operational sex ratio changed in favor of males, multiple males converged on an estrous female's territory and competed for access to her. However, an older, experienced male usually monopolized the matings of the same one to two close female neighbors for the entire breeding period, and females mated with the same male neighbor over several estrous cycles. Monopolization of females by neighbor males was facilitated by female relaxation of individual territorial defense. Dominant males spent considerable time in the territories of the females they monopolized before and during mating. This relaxation in territorial defense was seen in dyadic encounters in which females tolerated all males but allowed significantly more contact by neighbor than stranger males. Neighbor recognition, therefore, seems important in coordinating the mating interactions of this solitary rodent.
Multidimensional algorithm for finding discontinuities of signals from noisy discrete data

Algorithms are given for finding discontinuity surfaces of a signal specified with random errors at a regular grid in R^p, p >= 1. For each position of a sliding window, one arranges points from it in ascending order of the measured values of the signal and divides them into two groups. One group contains points with larger values than the other. The division is made according to the nature of the particular pattern recognition problem. In the case of edge detection, these groups have an equal number of points. In the case of thin line detection, one of the groups has a number of points proportional to the width of the line one is looking for. Then one calculates a functional which measures spatial separation of the above two groups. If the spatial separation is larger than the threshold, a discontinuity is deemed present. The threshold value is computed so that the probability of false alarm equals given parameter @?. The above approach is generalized to yield a computational scheme applicable for other pattern recognition problems. The consistency of the algorithms is proved. The results of testing of the algorithms are presented.
Surface state of polymers investigated by low temperature plasmas

The concept of the equilibration of surface states in contact is examined by the measurement of the contact electrification and separation currents, and applied to the investigation of the evolution of the surface state due to a change of contacting medium (from air to water) by following the surface concentration (by ESCA) of labeling atoms (F), which were incorporated by a low temperature plasma (of CF4), as a function of water immersion time and temperature. The kinetic rate constants for such changes of surface configuration follow a typical Arrhenius plot, which shows a conspicuous break at a surface transition temperature Ts. Ts's observed against air coincide with the glass transition temperature Tg's of the corresponding polymers. Ts's observed against water, however, are found to be independent of Tg and consistently near 15 °C, which coincides with the major Drost-Hansen temperature of vicinal water. The surface state of water is the dominant factor in this case.
Sirt3-Mediated Deacetylation of Evolutionarily Conserved Lysine 122 Regulates MnSOD Activity in Response to Stress

Genetic deletion of the mitochondrial deacetylase sirtuin-3 (Sirt3) results in increased mitochondrial superoxide, a tumor-permissive environment, and mammary tumor development. MnSOD contains a nutrient- and ionizing radiation (IR)-dependent reversible acetyl-lysine that is hyperacetylated in Sirt3⁻/⁻ livers at 3 months of age. Livers of Sirt3⁻/⁻ mice exhibit decreased MnSOD activity, but not immunoreactive protein, relative to wild-type livers. Reintroduction of wild-type but not deacetylation null Sirt3 into Sirt3⁻/⁻ MEFs deacetylated lysine and restored MnSOD activity. Site-directed mutagenesis of MnSOD lysine 122 to an arginine, mimicking deacetylation (lenti-MnSOD(K122-R)), increased MnSOD activity when expressed in MnSOD⁻/⁻ MEFs, suggesting acetylation directly regulates function. Furthermore, infection of Sirt3⁻/⁻ MEFs with lenti-MnSOD(K122-R) inhibited in vitro immortalization by an oncogene (Ras), inhibited IR-induced genomic instability, and decreased mitochondrial superoxide. Finally, IR was unable to induce MnSOD deacetylation or activity in Sirt3⁻/⁻ livers, and these irradiated livers displayed significant IR-induced cell damage and microvacuolization in their hepatocytes.
Confirmation of existence of a new syndrome: LAPS syndrome

In l998, Hopkin et al. described a new disorder characterized by progressive laryngotracheal stenosis, short stature, and arthropathy. We provide extensive clinical information on two additional unrelated patients with this distinctive disorder and propose the name LAPS syndrome, to reflect the most consistently recognized features, namely, Laryngotracheal stenosis, Arthropathy, Prognathism, and Short stature.
Polybrominated diphenyl ethers and polychlorinated biphenyls in human adipose tissue from New York

Human adipose tissue samples (n=52) collected in New York City during 2003-2004 were analyzed for the presence of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Concentrations of PBDEs in adipose tissues ranged from 17 to 9630 ng/g, lipid wt (median: 77; mean: 399 ng/g, lipid wt; sum all di- through hexaBDE congeners). Average PBDE concentrations in human adipose tissues from New York City were 10- to 100-times greater than those reported for European countries. A concentration of 9630 ng/g, lipid wt, found in a sample of adipose tissue, is one of the highest concentrations reported to date. PBDE 47 (2,2',4,4'-tetraBDE) was the major congener detected in human tissues, followed by PBDE congeners #99 (2,2',4,4',5-penta BDE), 100 (2,2',4,4',6-pentaBDE), and 153 (2,2',4,4',5,5'-hexaBDE). A few individuals contained PBDE 153 as the predominant congener in total PBDE concentrations, suggesting alternative exposure sources, possibly occupational. Principal component analysis of PBDE congener composition in human adipose tissues revealed the presence of five clusters, each characterized by varying composition. No significant difference was found in the concentrations of PBDEs between gender. Concentrations of PBDEs were, on average, similar to those for PCBs in human adipose tissues, and substantially higher when PBDE outliers were retained. PBDE and PCB concentrations were not correlated. PBDE concentrations did not increase with increasing age of the subjects, whereas concentrations of PCBs increased with increasing age in males but not in females in this study. These results suggest differences between PBDEs and PCBs in their sources or time course of exposure and disposition. The presence of comparable or greater concentrations of PBDEs, relative to PCBs, highlights the importance of recentvoluntary and regulatory effortsto cease production of commercial penta- and octa-BDE in North America, although these efforts do not address continuing emissions from existing sources, such as polyurethane foams.
Furosemide disposition in cirrhosis

Furosemide disposition after rapid intravenous injection (80 mg) was studied in 10 normal healthy subjects and eight patients with cirrhosis and ascites. In the cirrhotic patients the elimination half-life was modestly longer (81.0 ± 8.0 min and 60.2 ± 5.8 min). This prolongation was not associated with a difference in systemic clearance (156 ± 7 ml/min in normal and 142 ± 16 ml/min in cirrhotic subjects), rather it was a reflection of alterations in furosemide distribution. The steady-state volume of distribution was increased from 8.5 ± 0.4 l in the healthy subjects to 12.1 ± 1.3 l in the cirrhotic subjects; estimation in terms of unbound drug indicated an approximately 50% smaller value in cirrhosis. These observations were quantitatively consistent with the increased percentage of furosemide in plasma in the unbound form in the patients (10.2 ± 1.0%) compared to in the normal subjects (4.0 ± 0.1%). The 24-hr percentage urinary recovery of unchanged drug (58.8 ± 2.8% and 53.1 6.5%) and the glucuronide metabolite (17.8 ±7.5 and 21.3 ± 3.4) were on the same order in the normal and cirrhotic groups. The lack of major effects of cirrhosis on furosemide disposition suggests that changes in furosemide diuretic efficacy in such patients is a result of altered dynamic factors rather than altered disposition. Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics (1982) 31, 719–725; doi:10.1038/clpt.1982.101
Renal uptake of lutropin. Studies based on electron microscopic autoradiography and nephrectomy.

Nephrectomy of mature male rats was found to result in a significant increase in the circulatory half-life of tritiated ovine lutropin. The interaction of the glycoprotein hormone with the kidneys was studied in a more direct fashion using electron microscopic autoradiography. Evidence is presented showing the transfer of the hormone from microvilli into tubular epithelia (probably via vesicular transport), where radioactivity then becomes associated with lysosomes. This provides direct support for related results based on subcellular fractionation in which renal lysosomal catabolism was suggested as being important in the degradation of tritiated lutropin (M. Ascoli,R. A. Liddle, andD. Puett, Molecular and Cellular Endocrinology 4, 297, 1976). These results add substantial weight to the growing evidence that the kidneys assume a major role in controlling the concentration of circulating macromolecules.
Characterization of the Virus of Sialodacryoadenitis of Rats: A Member of the Coronavirus Group

The virus that causes sialodacryoadenitis in rats has been isolated in mice and in primary cultures of rat-kidney cells and has been characterized as a heat-labile RNA virus that is sensitive to lipid solvents and is relatively stable at pH 3.0. This virus is antigenically related to the virus of hepatitis in mice and to coronavirus of rats. The range of hosts of this agent appears to be narrow. On the basis of available biologic characteristics, it has been placed in the coronavirus group.
A simple method for computing velocities from tracer observations and a model output

Abstract A method is suggested for estimating velocities by combining observations of a continuously distributed tracer and a circulation model output (background velocity field). A theoretical error analysis is provided and checked by simulations. The estimate reduces the model error by about 12–32% and the estimation procedure turns out to be of high computational efficiency. In addition, a compatibility measure between data and model is introduced which is also tested by simulations.
An agent-based model for the evolution of the Internet ecosystem

We propose an agent-based model for the evolution of the Internet ecosystem. We model networks in the Internet as selfish agents, each of which tries to maximize a certain utility function in a distributed manner. We consider a utility function that represents the monetary profit of a network. Our model accounts for various important constraints such as geography, multihoming, and various strategies for provider and peer selection by different types of networks. We implement this model in a simulator, which is then used to solve the model and determine a “steady-state” of the network. We then present a set of “what-if” questions that can be answered using the proposed model and by studying the properties of the resulting steady-state.
Nutritional Adaptations of Linear Programming for Planning Rural Development

Linear programming can help plan rural development if the income-maximization and least-cost diet models are integrated within the resource and management limitations of small-scale representative farms. Seven modifications adapt linear programming to subsistence households. Caveats in this context include risk, level of nutritional awareness, production scale, and result sensitivity. Through six model formulations for a representative Nepalese farm, linear programming identifies the most nutritious and profitable production patterns; trade-offs between nutrition and income; and the costs of constraints relating to levels of credit, market availability, and human capital development.