cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Abstract 37: Mir-590 Promotes Transdifferentiation of Porcine and Human Fibroblasts Towards a Cardiomyocyte-like Fate by Directly Repressing Specificity Protein 1 (Sp1)

Objective: Transdifferentiation of cardiac fibroblasts into cardiomyocyte-like cells (iCMs) represents a promising strategy in treating human heart disease. However, despite encouraging reprogrammi...
GI Including GIST

Several molecular tests are performed routinely for the management of the upper GI adenocarcinomas and colorectal cancer (CRC), including testing for microsatellite instability, KRAS and BRAF mutations and HER2 gene amplifications. Other molecular biomarkers are emerging as clinically important as new resistance mechanisms are identified and/or as new targeted therapies are developed. In gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs), molecular tests are critical to classify GISTs in distinct groups that can be matched to specific therapies. Although the majority of molecular tests aim at the detection of sporadic genetic alterations, germline testing for pathogenic genetic aberrations is also very important in patients with a family history and/or early onset of cancer. This chapter discusses established and emerging molecular biomarkers in CRC, upper GI adenocarcinomas, and GISTs. It also summarizes common hereditary GI cancer syndromes and the genetic alterations that underlie them.
Pragmatic Clinical Trial-Collateral Findings: Recognizing the Needs of Low-Resource Research Participants

Morain and colleagues (2020) highlight important considerations for ethically assessing and managing pragmatic clinical trial-collateral findings (PCT-CFs). The growth of pragmatic clinical trials ...
Air Pollution: Adverse Effects and Disease Burden

At the time of the Workshop in 2017, the scientific evidence was certain: ambient air pollution, that is, contamination of outdoor air consequent to man’s activities, is a major cause of morbidity (ill health) and premature mortality (early death). While the rise of ambient air pollution is relatively recent, air pollution has probably had adverse effects on human health throughout history. In fact, the respiratory tract, which includes the nose, throat and lungs, has a remarkable system of defense mechanisms to protect against inhaled particles and gases. The use of fire for heating and cooking came with exposure to smoke, an exposure that persists today for the billions who use biomass fuels for cooking and heating. The rise of cities concentrated the emissions of pollutants from dwellings and industry and led to air pollution that was likely affecting health centuries ago. Continued industrialization and also electric power generation brought new point sources of pollution into areas adjacent to where people lived and worked. During the twentieth century, cars, trucks, and other fossil fuel–powered vehicles became a ubiquitous pollution source in higher-income countries and created a new type of pollution—photochemical pollution, or “smog”—first recognized in the Los Angeles air basin in the 1940s. The unprecedented growth of some urban areas to form “megacities,” such as Mexico City, Sao Paulo, London, and Shanghai, has led to unrelenting air pollution from massive vehicle fleets and snarled traffic and from polluting industries and coal-burning power plants. With population growth and urbanization, ever more megacities are anticipatesd; the current total of cities with a population over 10 million has now reached 31.
Infection and Perioperative Orthopedic Care

The detection and treatment of infection are integral to orthopedic surgical and perioperative practice. Prevention, prompt diagnosis, and appropriate therapy are vital considerations. Risk factors for infection, some of which are modifiable, can be identified. Antimicrobial prophylaxis is of known benefit in spine and arthroplasty procedures and is commonplace in arthroscopy. Fever following orthopedic surgery is rarely from an infection and within the first 72 h most patients do not benefit from a fever workup. The management of the infected patient is rarely routine as patients present with varied symptoms, the microbiology is diverse and standard protocols for orthopedic infections need to be kept flexible. Empiric antibiotics without deep cultures are rarely indicated and early involvement of experienced personnel can optimize care of patients so afflicted.
Maintenance oral etoposide (VP-16) after high-dose chemotherapy (HDCT) for patients with relapsed metastatic germ-cell tumors (mGCT).

5051Background: HDCT and peripheral-blood stem-cell transplant (PBSCT) can cure up to 60% of patients with relapsed mGCT. Maintenance daily oral VP-16 after salvage therapy has been shown effective...
Zinc Dependent Conformational Changes in the Cation Diffusion Facilitator YiiP from S. oneidensis

YiiP is a secondary transporter that couples Zn2+ transport to the proton motive force. Structural studies of YiiP from prokaryotes as well as Znt8 from humans revealed three different Zn2+ sites and a conserved homodimeric architecture. These structures define the inward-facing and outward-facing states that characterize the archetypal alternating access mechanism of transport. To study effects of Zn2+ binding on the conformational transition, we have used a YiiP/Fab complex for single-particle cryo-EM together with Molecular Dynamics simulation to compare structures of YiiP from S. oneidensis in the presence and absence of Zn2+. Without Zn2+, YiiP exhibits enhanced flexibility and adopts a novel conformation that appears to be an intermediate state. The transition closes a hydrophobic gate and is controlled by the Zn2+ site at the cytoplasmic membrane interface. This work enhances our understanding of individual Zn2+ binding sites and their role in the conformational dynamics that governs the transport cycle.
Importance of suberin biopolymer in plant function, contributions to soil organic carbon and in the production of bio-derived energy and materials

Suberin is a hydrophobic biopolymer of significance in the production of biomass-derived materials and in biogeochemical cycling in terrestrial ecosystems. Here, we describe suberin structure and biosynthesis, and its importance in biological (i.e., plant bark and roots), ecological (soil organic carbon) and economic (biomass conversion to bioproducts) contexts. Furthermore, we highlight the genomics and analytical approaches currently available and explore opportunities for future technologies to study suberin in quantitative and/or high-throughput platforms in bioenergy crops. A greater understanding of suberin structure and production in lignocellulosic biomass can be leveraged to improve representation in life cycle analysis and techno-economic analysis models and enable performance improvements in plant biosystems as well as informed crop system management to achieve economic and environmental co-benefits.
Transients based Faulted Feeder Identification for Ungrounded Power Distribution Systems with Distributed Generations

Single phase faults in ungrounded power distribution systems cause small fault currents and are thus hard to locate. Besides, more and more distributed generations especially renewable generations are integrated into the power grid. The fundamental frequency short circuit current contributed by distributed generations (DG) could be small, and hence it is challenging to use overcurrent protection to protect distribution systems with DGs. This paper proposes a new travelling wave based protection method for identifying the faulted feeder. Traveling wave is generated by the faults and travels to the feeder head. Recording and analysis of the traveling wave features can help decide the faulted feeder. To increase the robustness and fault tolerance, Bayesian inference method is applied to combine prior information about feeder fault probability and IED recordings to determine the actual faulted section. The method is versatile and is applicable to feeders with or without DGs.
Simulating Science: Heuristics, Mental Models, and Technoscientific Thinking

Foreword by Ryan D. Tweney Acknowledgments Introduction One. Falsification in the Laboratory Two. Falsification and the Search for Truth Three. When Fasification Fails Four. How the Possibility of Error Affects Falsification Five. Pursuing the Possibility of Error Six. Simulating Actual Error Seven. A Tale of Two Journals Eight. From Laboratory to Life Nine. Using Technology to Study Technoscience Ten. A Cognitive Framework for Understanding Technoscientific Creativity Notes Bibliography Index
Equine herpesvirus-1 suppresses type-I interferon induction in equine endothelial cells

Equine herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1) is one of the most common and important respiratory viral pathogens of horses. EHV-1 in horses replicates initially in the respiratory epithelium and then spreads systematically to endothelial cells lining the small blood vessels in the uterus and spinal cord, and highly pathogenic virus strains can produce aborted fetuses or myeloencephalopathy. Like other herpes viruses, EHV-1 employs a variety of mechanisms for immune evasion. Some herpes viruses down-regulate the type-I interferon (IFN) response to infection, but such activity has not been described for EHV-1. Here, in an in vitro system utilizing an established equine endothelial cell line, we studied the temporal effect on IFN-β responses following infection with the neuropathogenic T953 strain of EHV-1. Results show that after an early induction of IFN-β, the virus actively shut down further production of IFN-β and this was correlated with expression of the viral late genes. Expression of the IFN response factor viperin, a marker of host cell type-I IFN responses, was also suppressed by T953 virus infection. EHV-1-mediated suppression of host type-I IFN responses may play an important role in EHV-1 pathogenesis and the mechanism of this, presumably involving a viral late gene product, warrants investigation.
Integrating legacy authorization systems into the grid: a case study leveraging azman and ADAM

While much of the Grid security community has focused on developing new authorization systems, the real challenge is often integrating legacy authorization systems with Grid software. The existing authorization system might not understand Grid authentication, might not scale to Grid-level usage, might not be able to understand the operations that are requested to be authorized, and might require an inordinate amount of "glue code" to integrate the native language of the legacy authorization system with the Grid software. In this paper, we discuss several challenges and the resulting successful mechanisms for integrating the Globus Toolkit and WSRF.NET with AzMan, a role-based authorization system that ships with Windows Server 2003. We leverage the OGSA GGF Authorization Interface and our own SAML implementation so that the enterprise can retain their existing AzMan mechanism while resulting in new, scalable mechanisms for Grid authorization.
The competing roles of SV(O) and VS(O) word orders in Xoždenie igumena Daniila

Though both Early East Slavic (EES) and Modern Russian have a relatively free word order, the distribution and function of word order in EES is quite distinct from Modern Russian. This paper is a study of word order within a single EES text, Xoždenie igumena Daniila, which is split into two major subdivisions: travel guide and narrative. In the travel guide, existential, stance, and motion verbs occur more frequently in VS order, and VS(O) order is more frequent overall; copular and transitive verbs occur more frequently in SV(O) order. Instances of the less frequent word order for the clause type occur as a result of specific conditioning contexts. The narrative, in contrast, has proportionally more SV(O) clauses and transitive verbs than the travel guide.
Effect of pactamycin on synthesis of poliovirus proteins: a method for genetic mapping.

We have studied the effect of the drug pactamycin on protein synthesis in poliovirus-infected HeLa cells. At a concentration which primarily inhibits initiation of protein synthesis, the spectrum of poliovirus proteins synthesized is markedly changed. The amount of NCVP 1, the capsid precursor, is greatly reduced relative to NCVP 2 and the amount of NCVP X is slightly reduced. Since it is believed that there is only one major site for the initiation of protein synthesis on the poliovirus genome, we interpret this differential effect on the poliovirus proteins to be an indication of their relative distance from the initiation site. On this basis, we propose a gene order for the poliovirus genome (5' -> 3') of NCVP 1, NCVP X, NCVP 2.
Implementing community-oriented primary care projects in an urban family practice residency program.

BACKGROUND: Clinics interested in pursuing community-oriented primary care (COPC) have struggled with the implementation of its theory. Although we are still early in the COPC transformation process, the HealthPartners Family Practice Residency Program has had several successful COPC projects during our 10 years of experience. This article describes these projects and the 8 lessons learned, including some that differ from traditional COPC teaching and practice. In our experience, clinics should select a topic or problem that creates a passion within their clinic. Projects can start small within the clinic and expand outward into larger portions of the urban community. Partnerships begin the process of extending into the community and increasing the project's impact. The evaluation of projects should begin with clinic-based data. A physician champion and a nonphysician staff person increase the success of the project. Resident involvement is enhanced with concrete tasks and community connections. Ultimately, the project needs to be institutionalized within the clinic to survive. The whole COPC endeavor is a long, slow process that requires time, energy, and committed individuals. In our experience, COPC is a journey, not an end, and there are many rich rewards to be found along the way. Language: en
Leveraging Online Communities to Launch Green Brand Extensions

Purpose - This research examines loyal and non-loyal consumer perceptions, purchase intent and parent brand evaluation due to green brand – line and category extensions by marketers of established (non-green) brands for products with high versus low perceived environmental impact.Design/Methodology/Approach - Response to online surveys by 602 pet-owners at social networking websites. The quasi-experiment considered perceived environmental impact of core product, parent-brand loyalty and green extension type (line versus category). Brand extension evaluation, purchase intent and parent brand evaluation were then measured.Findings – Results suggest that consumers are more likely to purchase green extensions of products with high perceived environmental impact and that consumers prefer green line extensions to green category extensions. Both have similar reciprocal impact on parent brand evaluation among loyal consumers.Originality/Value – This paper examines managerial implications of line versus category extension strategies for green brand extensions of established brands.Research Limitations/Implications – The data has external validity however it lacks the control possible in laboratory experiments. Future research should replicate the study in other product categories.Practical Limitations – Managers of established brands should consider brand extensions of products associated with high environmental impact only.
A model based technique for recognizing targets by using millimeter wave radar signatures

A technique for recognizing real targets by millimeter wave (MMW) radar at 35 GHz and 94 GHz is presented. The recognition is performed by a model based technique in which real targets are represented by their high range resolution (HRR) profiles in hierarchical fashion. The unknown signal is classified by a model matching method and a coarse-fine searching technique. The advantages of this model based method are in low storage capacity, fast processing time and high recognition performance. Moreover this technique is very easily modifiable to incorporate multi sensor processing. We will present the results of the several experiments that we have conducted.
Effect of Dielectric Saturation on Disjoining Pressure in Thin Films of Aqueous Electrolytes

Abstract A theory is presented to quantify the electrostatic forces in thin aqueous electrolyte films between two charge regulating surfaces. The Poisson-Boltzmann equation, as modified by Gur et al. (J. Colloid Interface Sci. 64, 326 (1978)) to include the effects of hydration free energy of ions, is numerically solved for overlapping double layers. It is shown that the reduction in dielectric constant with increasing electric field increases the hydration free energy of the ions in the double layer, giving rise to an additional repulsive force. These "hydration" forces follow an exponential or a power-law relation with film thickness depending upon the degree of dielectric saturation in the double layer. The results obtained agree remarkably well with the experimental data of Pashley (J. Colloid Interface Sci. 80, 153 (1981)) at low electrolyte concentration and pH. At higher concentration and pH, the model provides qualitative agreement with experimental observations. It is concluded that dielectric saturation of the double layer near highly charged interfaces may play an important role in electrostatic interactions in thin electrolyte films.
Postmodern Considerations of School/University Collaboration

(1994). Postmodern Considerations of School/University Collaboration. Teaching Education: Vol. 6, No. 2, pp. 99-106.
Armillaria root rot: Influence of soil nutrients and pH on the susceptibility of conifer species to the disease1

Seedlings growing on soil with nutrient deficiency and a lower pH were smaller and less vigorous than the seedlings growing on non-deficient soil with a comparatively higher pH. A higher percentage of roots and seedlings were infected and more seedlings died on soil with nutrient deficiency and a lower pH than on non-deficient soil with a higher pH. Non-vigorous seedlings also contacted infection earlier and showed more mycelial growth than the vigorous seedlings. Roots of vigorous seedlings showed more resinosis and callus formation, indicating resistance during the establishment of the fungus on the host. Alterations in the level of nutrients in vigorous and non-vigorous infected seedlings were generally similar.
Metal-insulator transition by isovalent anion substitution in Ga1-xMnxAs: implications to ferromagnetism.

We have investigated the effect of partial isovalent anion substitution in Ga1-xMnxAs on electrical transport and ferromagnetism. Substitution of only 2.4percent of As by P induces a metal-insulator transition at a constant Mn doping of x=0.046 while the replacement of 0.4 percent As with N results in the crossover from metal to insulator for x=0.037. This remarkable behavior is consistent with a scenario in which holes located within an impurity band are scattered by alloy disorder in the anion sublattice. The shorter mean free path of holes, which mediate ferromagnetism, reduces the Curie temperature TC from 113 K to 60 K (100 K to 65 K) upon the introduction of 3.1 percent P (1percent N) into the As sublattice.
The influence of plasma etching on trap levels in InP

Electroreflectance (ER) and deep level transient spectroscopy (DLTS) were carried out to characterize the effects of CF4 plasma etching on defect levels in InP. Different chamber gas pressures were conducted to study effects on the etching result. Similar ER spectra were obtained from the starting InP wafer and the wafer after plasma etching plus rapid thermal annealing (RTA) which showed good restoration of material properties by RTA. Two impurity of structural related features, T1 and T2, were observed from these ER spectra at energy positions about 0.112 and 0.178 eV below bandgap. Two trap levels, El and E2, with activation energy 0.15 and 0.55 eV, were detected from the initial wafer by DLTS. Trap El may correlate with the Tl and T2 levels observed by ER. Similar traps were found in plasma etched samples after rapid thermal annealing with one of the DLTS peaks labeled E2 shifted to the higher temperature side as the plasma etching chamber pressure increased. We identified El to be a residual electron trap from material growth and E2 to be an interface trap arising from Schottky diode fabrication.
Growth Rate of Natural Rubber Crystallites

Abstract The melting range and growth rate curves for natural rubber crystallites have been studied by the differential thermal analysis technique. The results obtained compare favorably with the growth rate curves obtained by dilatometric techniques. The use of differential thermal analysis revealed details of the crystallite melting which were not apparent when the dilatometer was used; however, no quantitative data on heat effects or the degree of crystallinity were calculated.
Induction of sleep and "reward contingent positive variation" by photic stimuli in the cat.

Abstract Cats trained, in the presence of light, to press a lever for milk reward displayed postreinforcement EEG synchronization (PRS) associated with epicortical steady potential shift (reward contingent positive variation). These phenomena, which occur over visual projections, have been previously interpreted as correlates of an active process of internal inhibition. Hence, an attempt was made to reinforce these processes by driving cortical activity using light flashes at a frequency of spontaneous PRS oscillations. The topographical distribution and amplitude of the epicortical steady potentials induced by flash-driven EEG synchrony were indistinguishable from spontaneous responses both during operant behavior and onset of sleep. The flash-driven responses had a significant hypnogenic effect, thus, corroborating the hypothesis that PRS reflects internal inhibitory processes.
Designing block copolymer architectures for targeted membrane performance

Abstract Using a combination of block copolymer self-assembly and non-solvent induced phase separation, isoporous ultrafiltration membranes were fabricated from four poly(isoprene- b -styrene- b -4-vinylpyridine) triblock terpolymers with similar block volume fractions but varying in total molar mass from 43 kg/mol to 115 kg/mol to systematically study the effect of polymer size on membrane structure. Small-angle X-ray scattering was used to probe terpolymer solution structure in the dope. All four triblocks displayed solution scattering patterns consistent with a body-centered cubic morphology. After membrane formation, structures were characterized using a combination of scanning electron microscopy and filtration performance tests. Membrane pore densities that ranged from 4.53 × 10 14 to 1.48 × 10 15 pores/m 2 were observed, which are the highest pore densities yet reported for membranes using self-assembly and non-solvent induced phase separation. Hydraulic permeabilities ranging from 24 to 850 L m − 2 h −1 bar −1 and pore diameters ranging from 7 to 36 nm were determined from permeation and rejection experiments. Both the hydraulic permeability and pore size increased with increasing molar mass of the parent terpolymer. The combination of polymer characterization and membrane transport tests described here demonstrates the ability to rationally design macromolecular structures to target specific performance characteristics in block copolymer derived ultrafiltration membranes.
Quality of regulatory elements in Drosophila retrogenes

Retrogenes are processed copies of genes that are inserted into new genomic regions and that acquire new regulatory elements from the sequences in their surroundings. Here we use a comparative approach of phylogenetic footprinting and a non-comparative approach of measuring motif over-representation in retrogenes in order to describe putative elements present in cis-regulatory regions of 94 retrogenes recently described in Drosophila. The detailed examination of the motifs found in the core promoter regions of retrogenes reveals an abundance of the DNA replication-related element (DRE), the Initiator (Inr), and a new over-represented motif that we call the GCT motif. Parental genes also show an abundance of DRE and Inr motifs, but these do not seem to have been carried over with retrogenes. In particular, we also examined motifs upstream of retrogenes expressed in adult testis and were able to identify 6 additional over-represented motifs. Comparative analyses provide data on the conservation and origin of some of these motifs and reveal 15 additional conserved motifs in these retrogenes. Some of those conserved motifs are sequences bound by known transcription factors, while others are novel motifs. In this report we provide the first genome-wide data on which specific cis-regulatory regions can be recruited by retrogenes after they are inserted into new coding regions in the genome. Future experiments are needed to determine the function and role of the new elements presented here.
The Impact of Collective Bargaining and Urbanicity on the Late Hiring of Teachers

It is commonly assumed that urban school districts hire teachers late due to issues related to district size and/or restrictions in collectively bargained teacher contracts affecting teacher hiring and transfers between schools. Our investigation of late teacher hiring and collective bargaining is based on a survey of 40 school districts that captured information about teacher transfer and hiring timelines. Findings indicate no differences between collective bargaining districts and non-bargaining districts in late teacher hiring. The findings confirm big differences in late hiring between suburbs and cities even when controlling for collective bargaining status and other contextual variables. Late school district budget action was also associated with late hiring.
Foreword to the special issue on selected papers from the 5th International Conference on Bioinformatics and Computational Biology (BICoB 2013).

With the rapid increase in the volume of biological data generated using next generation technologies, designing algorithms to process these data in an e±cient manner and gaining biological insight is becoming a signi cantly growing challenge. This special issue is a follow-up to the 5th International Conference on Bioinformatics and Computational Biology (BICoB 2013) that took place in Honolulu, Hawaii during March 4–6, 2013. The guest editors selected a few top-quality papers from the BICoB proceedings and invited the authors of these papers to submit extended versions of their proceedings papers. After a rigorous review process the guest editors have selected the following ve papers described below for publication in this special issue. The rst paper titled \Studying the role of APOE in Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathogenesis using a systems biology model" presents one of the rst attempts to model AD from a systems approach to study physiologically relevant parameters that may prove useful in the future. The second paper titled \A hybrid-system model of the coagulation cascade: simulation, sensitivity, and validation" presents a model of the blood coagulation cascade as a hybrid system (HS) consisting of interacting continuous and discrete dynamics. Extensive simulations of the model provide a platform for in silico investigation of blood clotting. Journal of Bioinformatics and Computational Biology Vol. 11, No. 5 (2013) 1302002 (2 pages) #.c Imperial College Press DOI: 10.1142/S0219720013020022
Wake-vortex structure from lift and torque induced on a following wing

A procedure based on vortex lattice theory to interpret the lift and torque measured on a following model in a wind tunnel is developed to retrieve the velocity distribution in the vortex wake that caused the induced forces. It is concluded that the retrieval procedure has a potential for reliably determining the structure of vortex wakes that trail from the wings of subsonic transport aircraft. Tests using idealized theoretical models show that the procedure is highly reliable and accurate. However, certain difficulties are found in the retrieval procedure when applied to actual data measured with following wings of various sizes in a wind tunnel.
Antibiotic prophylaxis: problems in paradise

The age of antibiotic prophylaxis may be receding into its twilight years because the assumption upon which it was based has not proved generally true. Although antibiotics treat infections, limited benefit has been demonstrated in preventing infections. These are two entirely different biologic entities, a distinction which appears to have gone unappreciated by many for more than 50 years. If the principles of antibiotic prophylaxis established more than 40 years ago had been assiduously followed, many of its abuses could have been avoided. This may not have stopped our legal colleagues, but it would have been worth an effort on behalf of our patients. It is likely that the massive overuse of antibiotics as litigation prevention has contributed to the global epidemic of antibiotic-resistant micro-organisms and an unknown number of serious adverse effects to the antibiotics themselves. Even with this abuse, much money has still flowed from defendant to plaintiff. Substantial data exist that antibiotics do not prevent bacteremias. The absolute risk rate for bacterial endocarditis after dental treatment even in at-risk patients is very low. Antibiotic prophylaxis for surgical infections requires specific dosing schedules (perioperative surgical prophylaxis) to be successful. Hopefully the difficulties presented herein regarding antibiotic prophylaxis will lead to their more enlightened use in the future.
Continuum x-ray emission spectra from laser-produced plasmas at 10 16 W/cm 2

CH/sub 2/ and Al targets were irradiated at 10/sup 16/ W/cm/sup 2/ with a focused Nd:glass laser to study the dependence of x-ray emission on laser-pulse parameters. Complementary optical diagnostics indicated that 60--80% of the incident laser energy was absorbed in the planar targets. X-ray intensities spanning eight orders of magnitude were measured from 1 to above 100 keV by the multiple absorption foil method. The spectral shapes for CH/sub 2/ targets were independent of pulse length for 21- and 250-psec pulses.
P19-dependent and P19-independent reversion of F1-V gene silencing in tomato

As a part of a project to develop a plant-made plague vaccine, we expressed the Yersinia pestis F1-V antigen fusion protein in tomato. We discovered that in some of these plants the expression of the f1-v gene was undetectable in leaves and fruit by ELISA, even though they had multiple copies of f1-v according to Southern-blot analysis. A likely explanation of these results is the phenomenon of RNA silencing, a group of RNA-based processes that produces sequence-specific inhibition of gene expression and may result in transgene silencing in plants. Here we report the reversion of the f1-v gene silencing in transgenic tomato plants through two different mechanisms. In the P19-dependent Reversion or Type I, the viral suppressor of gene silencing, P19, induces the reversion of gene silencing. In the P19-independent Reversion or Type II, the f1-v gene expression is restored after the substantial loss of gene copies as a consequence of transgene segregation in the progeny. The transient and stable expression of the p19 gene driven by a constitutive promoter as well as an ethanol inducible promoter induced a P19-dependent reversion of f1-v gene silencing. In particular, the second generation plant 3D1.6 had the highest P19 protein levels and correlated with the highest F1-V protein accumulation, almost a three-fold increase of F1-V protein levels in fruit than that previously reported for the non-silenced F1-V elite tomato lines. These results confirm the potential exploitation of P19 to substantially increase the expression of value-added proteins in plants.
Effect of Convergence on the Infrared Spectra of Anisotropic Substances

Two examples of the effect of convergence on infrared spectra are presented. In the first case a sample has absorbing dipoles oriented parallel to a unique axis and randomly oriented in a plane perpendicular to that axis. The incident radiation is perpendicular to the unique axis. Such samples are shown to have slightly different dichroic ratios for convergent radiation than for parallel radiation. An error in the literature concerning this case is pointed out.In the second case a uniaxial crystal having absorbing dipoles parallel to the unique axis is shown to absorb convergent radiation when the radiation comes toward the sample along the unique axis. This absorption which is not observed for parallel radiation may reach a maximum of 53 to 56% depending on the degree of convergence, the thickness of the sample, and the strength of the absorbing dipole. The frequency of the band observed because of the effect of convergence may also be appreciably higher than that for the allowed transition.
Temporo‐Orbital Cranial Fasciitis in a Pediatric Patient

The patient is a healthy 2-year-old female with a two-month history of a progressively enlarging right temporoorbital mass. There were no documented visual changes. MRI of the orbit/face/neck revealed a solid mass just lateral to the right orbit measuring approximately 2.0 cm x 2.5 cm x 2.2 cm with heterogeneous enhancement, which was more peripheral and septated. The mass appeared to destroy the lateral orbital wall and have mild extension into the lateral orbit along the lateral rectus muscle with mild impression on the globe and the lacrimal gland. It bordered anteriorly on the temporalis muscle. We performed an incisional biopsy for diagnosis. Intraoperatively, the mass was bright white in color with well-defined borders and had minimal bleeding. DISCUSSION
On the status of lysolecithin in rat cerebral cortex during ischemia.

: Lysolecithin (lysoglycerophosphocholine, LPC) was isolated from rat cerebral cortex and quantitatively analyzed at various times after postdecapitative ischemic treatment. In addition, different procedures for extraction and analysis of the LPC in brain were evaluated. Results indicated that LPC can be quantitatively extracted into the organic phase using the conventional extraction procedure with chloroform-methanol (2:1, vol/ vol). However, care should be taken to avoid using strong acids, which can hydrolyze the alkenylether side chain of the plasmalogens, resulting in the release of 2-acyl-phospholipids. Quantitative GLC analysis using myris-toyl-LPC as internal standard revealed a level of 1.8 nmol LPC/mg protein in brain with acyl groups comprised mainly of 16:0, 18:0, and 18:1. The acyl group profile reflects that the LPC are derived mainly from phospho-lipase A2 action. An increase of 46% in the LPC level was observed at 1 min after ischemic treatment, but this was followed by a steady decline. Ischemia induced an increase in the LPC species that are enriched in 18:0 and 18:1 fatty acids. The transient appearance of LPC during ischemia further suggests that this phospholipid is undergoing active turnover, possibly hydrolysis by the lysophospholipase. This mechanism of action may account, at least in part, for the increase in both saturated and unsaturated fatty acids during the early phase of the ischemic treatment.
Spontaneous otoacoustic emissions in a dog

Intense (up to 59 dB SPL) spontaneous otoacoustic emissions are produced by both ears of a young dog. The right ear produces a single, very narrow-band (less than 4 Hz) emission at about 9100 Hz. Brainstem evoked-response audiometry suggests that this emission is generated near the transition between normal and abnormal regions of the cochlea.
Multi-scale investigation of the effect of thermal treatment on the tensile creep of ultra-high performance concrete: preliminary assessment

The effect of thermal treatment on the tensile creep of steel-fibre reinforced, nano-engineered ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) was examined through short-term creep testing, nanoindentation and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). UHPC thermally treated at 90%C for 48 hours prior to loading showed a decrease of 73% in the tensile creep coefficient and 77% in the specific creep at seven days as compared to companion samples subjected to ordinary curing. Nanoindentation showed an average decrease of 63% in the modulus of elasticity of bulk paste of UHPC with no thermal treatment. Also, the presence of a more porous and lower modulus zone around steel fibres in the case of non-thermally treated UHPC was evident by nanoindentation measurements and SEM. These preliminary measurements suggest that the differences in the interface zone between fibres and UHPC cementitious matrix may have a significant effect on the tensile creep performance.
Near-Optimal Takeoff Policy for Heavily Loaded Helicopters Exiting from Confined Areas

By application of optimal control theory to an experimentally verified dynamic mathematical performance model, a simple, near-optimal takeoff control technique has been developed for heavily loaded helicopters operating from a confined area. This paper places primary emphasis on understanding the physical tradeoffs and implications involved. Two significant results are presented: 1) a two-segment, near-optimal takeoff control technique for heavily loaded helicopters exiting from a confined area, and 2) a means of estimating, from hover performance, the distance required to clear an obstacle in the departure path.
Relevant contact sensitivities in patients with the diagnosis of oral lichen planus.

Abstract Background: The concept of contact allergy aggravating or inducing oral lichenoid mucositis diagnosed as oral lichen planus (OLP) is well recognized but somewhat controversial. Objective: We sought to identify clinically relevant contact allergens that may be important in the management of patients with OLP. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed patients with OLP who had patch tests performed at Mayo Clinic Rochester and Mayo Clinic Scottsdale from 1994 to 1997 and 1988 to 1997, respectively. Results: Patch tests were performed on 46 patients with a clinical and histopathologic diagnosis of OLP. Of these, 25 (54%) had positive patch test results. Eighteen (72%) of the patients with positive results had clinically relevant reactions. Of the patients with positive metal reactions, 5 had improvement after removal of the metal prosthesis or restoration. Six others noted that their most troublesome areas were adjacent to metal dental restorations. Six patients with reactions to flavorings and one patient with an acrylate dental retainer sensitivity had improvement after avoiding these allergens. Conclusion: Our findings support the concept that contact allergy to metals, flavorings, and plastics can be important in the pathogenesis and management of patients with oral lichenoid mucositis diagnosed as OLP. (J Am Acad Dermatol 2000;42:177-82.)
Distribution in energy and angle of electrons ejected from xenon by 0.3- to 2.0-MeV protons

Absolute cross sections, differential in electron energy and emission angle, have been measured for ejection of electrons from xenon by 0.3- to 2.0-MeV protons. Electron-energy distributions are presented for ten angles between 20\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{} and 130\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}. Angular distributions are found to be more nearly isotropic than results for targets of lower atomic number. Cross sections differential in electron energy obtained by integration with respect to emission angle, are found to be in relatively good agreement with calculations based on binary-encounter theory. Auger electrons resulting from initial vacancies in the $M$ and $N$ shells of xenon are discussed. Estimates of total $M$- and $N$-shell ionization cross sections for fast protons are presented.
Mechanical Starch Damage Effects on Wheat Flour Tortilla Texture

ABSTRACT To investigate the effects of mechanically damaged starch and flour particle size on the texture of fresh and stored flour tortillas, two commercial hard red winter wheat flour samples were reground four times using decreasing roll gaps. Tortillas were made with a modified hot-press procedure. Texture characteristics were measured after tortillas were stored 2 hr (fresh tortilla), 2 days, and 4 days. Damaged starch and particle size significantly affected (P < 0.05) flour water absorption, dough extensibility and resistance, and dough viscosity. As damaged starch increased and particle size decreased, the flour tortillas became less stretchable, the maximum force of Kramer shear decreased, and firmness and rollability increased. The effects of damaged starch and particle size on stretchability and Kramer shear were greater in fresh tortillas than in stored tortillas and became smaller as the storage time increased. However, the effects of damaged starch and particle size on rollability and firmne...
Aging sensors for workload centric guardbanding in dynamic voltage scaling applications

BTI induced aging degradation threatens circuit reliability through circuit performance degradation. This degradation is strongly workload dependent and can result in unbalanced signal edge degradation as asymmetric aging. Three ring oscillator based asymmetric aging sensitive sensors are demonstrated in a 28nm low power/poly SiON CMOS technology. These sensors are shown to be capable of providing an adequate circuit guard band to account for signal edge degradation due to NBTI. A novel DVS workload centric monitor embedded with asymmetric aging sensitive sensors is proposed for aging and power trade-off assessment. The measured data indicates that signal edge degradation has a linear dependency on workload ratio. The impact of the dynamic voltage scaling workload profile on aging and power is experimentally studied with this aging monitor and allows the assessment assists to the modeling of aging margin relaxation.
Nonlinear edge waves and shallow-water theory

Nonlinear effects are considered for shallow-water edge waves on beaches with a general depth distribution. The case of uniform depth away from the shoreline is considered in detail. It is shown that the results obtained are in qualitative agreement with those obtained by Whitham (1976) using the full nonlinear theory for a beach of constant slope.
Aberrant constitutive activation of nuclear factor κB in glioblastoma multiforme drives invasive phenotype

Several recent studies have shown that aberrant constitutive activation of nuclear factor kappaB (NF-kappaB) is present in a variety of cancers including gliomas. NF-kappaB is known to play important roles in the physiological regulation of diverse cellular processes such as inflammation, growth and immunity. In contrast, aberrant activation of this latent transcription factor promotes cancer cell migration, invasion and resistance to chemotherapy. Here we show by electro-mobility shift assay (EMSA) and immuno-staining that constitutive NF-kappaB activation is present in various malignant glioma cell lines as well as in primary cultures derived from tumor tissue. This activation was not serum dependent and it led to high IL-8 gene transcription and protein production. Over-expression of an I-kappaB super-repressor (I-kappaB SR) transgene completely blocked constitutive NF-kappaB activation, nuclear localization and transcription of some but not all NF-kappaB regulated genes indicating that NF-kappaB signaling in glioma cells is I-kappaB dependent. Surprisingly, over-expression of IkappaBSR did not have any effect on the transcription levels of anti-apoptotic genes in these glioma cultures and cell lines. Down-regulation of NF-kappaB activation reduced invasion of glioma cells through matrigel. Collectively these data suggest that aberrant constitutive activation of NF-kappaB in glioblastoma cells promotes their invasive phenotype. Interruption of this aberrant NF-kappaB activity may help reduce the spread of this infiltrative tumor.
Ca2+-stimulated Basal Adenylyl Cyclase Activity Localization in Membrane Lipid Microdomains of Cardiac Sinoatrial Nodal Pacemaker Cells

Spontaneous, rhythmic subsarcolemmal local Ca2+ releases driven by cAMP-mediated, protein kinase A (PKA)-dependent phosphorylation are crucial for normal pacemaker function of sinoatrial nodal cells (SANC). Because local Ca2+ releases occur beneath the cell surface membrane, near to where adenylyl cyclases (ACs) reside, we hypothesized that the dual Ca2+ and cAMP/PKA regulatory components of automaticity are coupled via Ca2+ activation of AC activity within membrane microdomains. Here we show by quantitative reverse transcriptase PCR that SANC express Ca2+-activated AC isoforms 1 and 8, in addition to AC type 2, 5, and 6 transcripts. Immunolabeling of cell fractions, isolated by sucrose gradient ultracentrifugation, confirmed that ACs localize to membrane lipid microdomains. AC activity within these lipid microdomains is activated by Ca2+ over the entire physiological Ca2+ range. In intact SANC, the high basal AC activity produces a high level of cAMP that is further elevated by phosphodiesterase inhibition. cAMP and cAMP-mediated PKA-dependent activation of ion channels and Ca2+ cycling proteins drive sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ releases, which, in turn, activate ACs. This feed forward “fail safe” system, kept in check by a high basal phosphodiesterase activity, is central to the generation of normal rhythmic, spontaneous action potentials by pacemaker cells.
Relative Levels of Hexokinase in Isolated Neuronal, Astrocytic, and Oligodendroglial Fractions from Rat Brain

The levels of hexokinase, as well as those of the cytoplasmic glycolytic enzyme lactate dehydrogenase and the mitochondrial tricarboxylic acid cycle enzymes fumarase and citrate synthase, have been determined in whole rat brain and in neuronal, astrocytic, and oligodendroglial fractions isolated from rat brain. Compared with either whole brain or with isolated neurons or astrocytes, oligodendroglia are low in hexokinase content. This provides direct confirmation for the conclusion, based on an electron microscopic immunohistochemical method, that oligodendroglia, compared with other neural structures, contain relatively low levels of this key enzyme of glucose metabolism. Based on this confirmation, it is concluded that the electron-microscopic immunohistochemical procedure provides a valid indication of hexokinase content, and thus that other structures shown to stain weakly by the latter technique (e.g., dendritic terminals of cerebellar granule and Purkinje cells) are, indeed, low in hexokinase activity.
Permeation of propane and propylene thrugh cellulosic polymer membranes

Cellulosic polymers were tested by measuring their permeabilities of propane and propylene. High permeabilities and selectivities were obtained with ethyl cellulose membranes. Hollow fibers coated with ethyl cellulose were made through a solution coating method. Microporous polypropylene hollow fibers were used as base material. A dense layer of ethyl cellulose about 6–10 μm in thickness was formed on the microporous hollow fiber. The performance of a coated membrane column was tested for the separation of propane and propylene mixture gas. It was concluded that ethyl cellulose membranes have a good potential for the separation of olefins form saturated hydrocarbons.
Cognitive Determinants of Consumers' Time Perceptions: The Impact of Resources Required and Available

This study examines cognitive processes believed to be responsible for systematic distortions in the subjective experience of time. In two experiments, subjects were exposed to mock radio ads containing congruent or incongruent information and asked to estimate the ads' durations retrospectively. Consistent with a resource-matching hypothesis, perceived time depended on the interplay of cognitive resources required and available. When cognitive resources required match cognitive resources available (at either high or low levels), time estimates were longer than when resources were mismatched. Evidence also suggests that durations may be inferred from the amount of information reconstructed from and linked to a time interval.