cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Examination of the Weighted Root Mean Square Residual: Evidence for Trustworthiness?

This study examined the performance of the weighted root mean square residual (WRMR) through a simulation study using confirmatory factor analysis with ordinal data. Values and cut scores for the W...
The Six Cities Project: developing a methodology of surveying densely populated areas using social science assisted and diachronic remote sensing based classiﬁcation of habitation

This paper provides a statistical evaluation of the methodology of the NSF funded Six Cities Project. The project develops a methodology for surveying densely inhabited areas by processing diachronic remote sensing imagery to create habitation strata or urban classes. These classes become part of a sampling strategy which gives every pixel associated with habitation a speciﬁed chance of selection and then draws a representative sample of pixels. These pixels become center points for household surveys which can study a variety of issues including health, environment, livelihood strategies, demographics and household labor, expenditures and income. The methodology lends itself to GIS construction and the generation of data that can be easily compared and can be of maximal use to municipalities, governments, scholars and NGOs. It also provides a long term basis for inexpensive surveys that can have a high claim to reliability and representativity. Key words: remote sensing, urbanism, survey methodology, National Science Foundation, health, environment, livelihood strategies, demographic, household labor, expenditures, income, Africa, Middle East, Morocco, Senegal, Mali, Niger, Tanzania, Botswana, Marrakech, Dakar, Bamako, Niamey, Dodoma, Gaborone.
User-profile-based analytics for detecting cloud security breaches

While the growth of cloud-based technologies has benefited the society tremendously, it has also increased the surface area for cyber attacks. Given that cloud services are prevalent today, it is critical to devise systems that detect intrusions. One form of security breach in the cloud is when cyber-criminals compromise Virtual Machines (VMs) of unwitting users and, then, utilize user resources to run time-consuming, malicious, or illegal applications for their own benefit. This work proposes a method to detect unusual resource usage trends and alert the user and the administrator in real time. We experiment with three categories of methods: simple statistical techniques, unsupervised classification, and regression. So far, our approach successfully detects anomalous resource usage when experimenting with typical trends synthesized from published real-world web server logs and cluster traces. We observe the best results with unsupervised classification, which gives an average F1-score of 0.83 for web server logs and 0.95 for the cluster traces.
Covert dysphagia and recurrent pneumonia related to antipsychotic treatment.

A 65-year-old man with a lifelong history of paranoid schizophrenia had been treated with 50 mg of risperidone microspheres every 2 weeks for the past 10 years and had tolerated this therapy well. Approximately 1 year ago some drooling and a modest resting tremor developed, but there were no other
Mitochondrial Disease: Advances in clinical diagnosis, management, therapeutic development, and preventative strategies

Primary mitochondrial disease encompasses an impressive range of inherited energy deficiency disorders having highly variable molecular etiologies as well as clinical onset, severity, progression, and response to therapies of diverse multi-system manifestations. Significant progress has been made in primary mitochondrial disease diagnostic approaches, clinical management, therapeutic options, and preventative strategies that are tailored to major mitochondrial disease phenotypes and subclasses. The extensive phenotypic pleiotropy of individual mitochondrial diseases from an organ-based perspective is reviewed. Improved consensus on standards for mitochondrial disease patient care are being complemented by emerging therapies that target specific molecular subtypes of mitochondrial disease. Reproductive counseling options now include pre-implantation genetic diagnosis at the time of in vitro fertilization for familial mutations in nuclear genes and some mtDNA disorders. Mitochondrial replacement technologies have promise for some mtDNA disorders, although practical and societal challenges remain to allow their further research evaluation and clinical utilization. A dramatic improvement has occurred in recent years in the recognition, understanding, treatment options, and preventative strategies for primary mitochondrial disease.
Imaging of Shoulder Arthroplasties

OBJECTIVE. In this article, we review the preoperative imaging features used for planning shoulder arthroplasty as well as review the various shoulder arthroplasty component types, discussing the e...
Engineering Efficient Upconversion in Core/Rod/Emitter Semiconductor Nanostructures

We demonstrate upconversion (UC) photoluminescence (PL) in semiconductor quantum dot/rod/emitter nanostructures with cw excitation. We observe >800meV energy gain and engineer improvements in UC quantum efficiency to 3% of the PL emission efficiency.
Biofilm-Related Periprosthetic Joint Infections

The majority of animal studies that have been used to model biofilm-related infections that accompany the use of biomedical devices have primarily involved an initial inoculum of planktonic bacterial cells from batch cultures. Although valuable, data that has been derived from these experiments may not provide important clinical insight into how bacteria in well-established, mature biofilms impact device-related and other clinical infections when they initially contaminate a patient site or implanted device. In this chapter, a discussion is presented on the impact that a shift in biofilm research may have if initial inocula of well-established, mature biofilms are used to model device-related infections in animal models.
Drafting New York Civil-Litigation Documents: Part XXXVII — Motions to Reargue and Renew Continued

This article continues the author's multi-part series on drafting New York litigation documents with part two of motions to reargue and renew.
Clinical experience with the activated clotting time for the control of heparin and protamine therapy during cardiopulmonary bypass.

The clinical experience with the activated clotting time (ACT) for the control of heparin and protamine therapy during cardiopulmonary bypass in 70 patients (50 adults and 20 children) is reviewed. After a standard dose of 2 mg/kg of body weight of heparin, the patient’s ACT ranged from 210 to more than 600 seconds. The heparin dose required to accomplish an ACT of 500 seconds ranged from 1.3 to 4.7 mg/kg for adults and from 2 to 4.5 mg/kg for children. At the termination of bypass, the assessment of the patient’s heparin level with the ACT allowed a more accurate reversal with protamine and markedly reduced the protamine requirements. Although the postoperative drainage was not significantly decreased, the total amount of blood transfusion and fresh-frozen plasma and platelet requirements were reduced by 30%, 20%, and 20% respectively. The simple, easy-to-use protocol is presented in detail.
Mesure des volumes de l'oreillette et du ventricule gauche par échographie 3D en temps réel: Validation par résonance magnétique nucléaire

Le calcul de la fraction d'ejection systolique du ventricule gauche est important dans l'evaluation des cardiomyopathies et repose sur la mesure des volumes ventriculaires gauches. Aucune technique echographique conventionnelle ne permet a ce Jour de mesurer les volumes reels de l'oreillette et du ventricule gauche sans recourir a des biais mathematiques. Le but de notre etude est de tester un nouveau systeme d'echographie 3 dimensions temps reel afin de calculer des volumes de l'oreillette et du ventricule gauches chez 40 patients. Les volumes de l'oreillette gauche et du ventricule gauche par echographie 3 dimensions temps reel ont ete calcules selon 7 plans de coupe paralleles a la surface de la sonde et compares aux volumes de l'oreillette (10 patients) et du ventricule gauches (30 patients) calcules par resonance magnetique nucleaire selon la methode de Simpson ainsi qu'aux volumes d'eau contenus dans des ballons places dans une citerne. Lanalyse de regression lineaire a montre une excellente correlation entre les volumes d'eau reels des ballons et les volumes determines par echographie 3 dimensions temps reel (y = 0,94 x + 5.5 ; r = 0,99 ; p < 0,001; Δ = = -10 ± 4,5 mL). Une bonne correlation a ete retrouvee entre l'echographie 3 dimensions temps reel et la resonance magnetique nucleaire pour la mesure des volumes de l'oreillette et du ventricule gauches (y = 0,95 x - 10; r = 0,91; p < 0,001, Δ = -14,8 ± 19,5 mL et y = 0,87 x + 10: r = 0,98; p < 0,001; Δ = -8,3 ± 18,7 mL. respectivement). Conclusion: L'echographie 3 dimensions temps reel permet de calculer precisement les volumes cardiaques gauches, suggerant le potentiel clinique de cette nouvelle methode 3D. Arch Mal Coeur 2001; 94: 31-8.
Lingo and Macromedia director as knowledge management tools: the potential use of avatars in knowledge architectures

Macromedia Director is the premier animation tool for creating digital multimedia for distribution on CD's and on the Web. The strengths of Director are its Lingo object-oriented programming language, its capacity to incorporate a variety of multimedia resources, and its integration with Shockwave for distribution on the Web. This paper proposes that Macromedia Director has the potential to be used as a knowledge management system. The possibility of using an avatar as the building block of a knowledge management system architectures is explored.
Differences in the complexity of math and literacy questions parents pose during storybook reading

Abstract Parent–child interactions, such as the complexity of their talk during storybook reading, can play a vital role in supporting the development of children’s literacy and math skills. Given that parents may have different beliefs and confidence helping their children learn literacy and math, the present study compares the level of abstraction, or complexity, of questions posed by parents when prompted to help their child learn about math or literacy topics during storybook reading. We also sought to identify factors that influence parents’ use of abstract questions within the story. A total of 172 parents of 3.5–4.5-year-old children named a question they would pose to their child about the character’s actions, numbers, or shapes on 18 storybook pages as part of an online survey. Results revealed that storybook pages without math content evoked questions of significantly higher abstraction than did pages with math content. Parents’ confidence and enjoyment helping their child learn literacy and parents’ educational attainment were found to be significantly and positively related to their use of complex questions for character’s actions, while parents’ reading anxieties had a negative relation to the complexity of their questions. In contrast, parents’ rating of their child’s number ability was significantly and positively related to their use of complex language for number while no significant effects were found for shape. In addition, parents posed more complex questions about number to their sons than daughters. Overall, our findings suggest that parents may benefit from support in engaging their children in challenging and abstract math-related talk about number and shape during storybook reading in order to promote their children’s mathematical development.
A Leukocyte Infiltration Score Defined by a Gene Signature Predicts Melanoma Patient Prognosis

Melanoma is the most aggressive type of skin cancer in the United States with an increasing incidence. Melanoma lesions often exhibit high immunogenicity, with infiltrating immune cells playing important roles in regression of tumors occurring spontaneously or caused by therapeutic treatment. Computational and experimental methods have been used to estimate the abundance of immune cells in tumors, but their applications are limited by the requirement of large gene sets or multiple antibodies. While the prognostic role of immune cells has been appreciated, a systematic investigation of their association with clinical factors, genomic features, prognosis and treatment response in melanoma is still lacking. This study, identifies a 25-gene signature based on RNA-seq data from The Cancer Genome Atlas - Skin Cutaneous Melanoma (TCGA-SKCM) dataset. This signature was used to calculate sample-specific Leukocyte Infiltration Scores (LISs) in six independent melanoma microarray datasets and scores were found to vary substantially between different melanoma lesion sites and molecular subtypes. For metastatic melanoma, LIS was prognostic in all datasets with high LIS being associated with good survival. The current approach provided additional prognostic information over established clinical factors including age, tumor stage and gender. Additionally, LIS was predictive of patient survival in stage III melanoma, and treatment efficacy of tumor-specific antigen vaccine. Implications: This study identifies a 25-gene signature that effectively estimates the level of immune cell infiltration in melanoma, which provides a robust biomarker for predicting patient prognosis.
The Moderating Effect of Social Support in Promoting Self-care in Heart Failure Patients with Comorbid Illnesses

Introduction As the American population ages, patients with heart failure (HF) tend to have more comorbid conditions that make self-care difficult. Prior studies have shown that self-care is worse in HF patients with comorbid conditions but few have examined whether social support compensates for illness complexity. Hypothesis We hypothesized that social support would moderate the relationship between self-care and comorbidities in patients with heart failure. Methods This was a cross-sectional descriptive study of adults hospitalized for a HF exacerbation in one of two hospitals in the northeastern U.S. Adults were eligible if they spoke English, their admitting diagnosis was HF, and they verbally confirmed the diagnosis when approached. Exclusion criteria included dementia and major untreated psychiatric illness. Prior heart transplantation or ventricular assistive device implantation were excluded. All participants provided written informed consent prior to completing a demographic survey and the Self-Care of Heart Failure (SCHFI v7), which measures self-care maintenance, monitoring, and management. Each individual SCHFI scale is scored 0-100 to standardize the score. The number of comorbid conditions was measured by self-report selecting from a list of 18 different disease categories. Social support was measured with a single 4-level item - the higher the score, the better the perceived support. Multiple regression analysis was used to test the moderator effect using the Baron and Kenny method. Results The sample (n=85) was predominantly male (68%), older (62.5 ± 13.5 years), and White (64%); 33% had a high school education or less. Participants had HF for an average of 10.9 (± 12.9) years. The total number of diseases was 4.8 ± 2.2, ranging from 1-10. Self-care maintenance (mean=78.4±15.2), self-care monitoring (mean=73.1±21.1), and self-care management (mean=71.3±17.3) scores were adequate (i.e. >70). The number of comorbidities was significantly related to both self-care maintenance and monitoring (p Conclusion Self-care is better in HF patients with comorbid conditions when social support is higher. These complex patients need support from family and friends to assist with self-care.
Numerical modelling of wave transformation over submerged breakwaters using Boussinesq-type models

Predictive skills of two numerical models, which are developed using two widely-recognised Boussinesq-type equations were further investigated in modelling evolution of water waves propagating over submerged breakwaters and the results were compared. These models are often used for practical applications due to their capabilities of simulating complex hydrodynamic characteristics in nearshore region. However, both models are found to be vulnerable to numerical instabilities when simulating wave propagation over submerged breakwaters particularly with small freeboards and steep face slopes. An artificial energy dissipation term was successfully introduced locally into one of the Boussinesq-type models to overcome unrealistic flow patterns that lead to these numerical instabilities near submerged breakwaters and the modified model was verified using a new set of wave flume data.
Food, state power, and rebellion: The case of maize

Why do rebellions occur and persist in some countries but not in others? Evidence shows that natural resources affect the fighting capacity of rebel groups; yet, by focusing on lucrative resources ...
Older adult fall prevention practices among primary care providers at accountable care organizations: A pilot study.

Background Falls are a serious and common problem among older adults. Low-tech, inexpensive, community-based fall prevention programs have been shown to be both effective and cost effective, however, these programs are not well-integrated into clinical practice. Research design We surveyed primary care providers at a convenience sample of two accountable care organizations in Massachusetts to assess their beliefs, attitudes, knowledge, and practices relative to fall risk assessment and intervention for their older patients. Results Response rate was 71%. Providers’ beliefs about the efficacy of fall risk assessment and intervention were mixed. Eighty-seven percent believed that they could be effective in reducing fall risk among their older adult patients. Ninety-six percent believed that all older adults should be assessed for fall risk; and, 85% believed that this assessment would identify fall risk factors that could be modified. Nonetheless, only 52% believed that they had the expertise to conduct fall risk assessment and only 68% believed that assessing older adult patients for fall risk was the prevailing standard of practice among their peer providers. Although most providers believed it likely that an evidence-based program could reduce fall risk among their patients, only 14% were aware of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s fall risk assessment algorithm (STEADI Toolkit), and only 15% were familiar with Matter of Balance, the most widely disseminated community fall risk prevention program in Massachusetts. Discussion New strategies that more directly target providers are needed to accelerate integration of fall risk assessment and intervention into primary care practice.
Polariton Meta-Optics with Phase-Change Materials

We created polaritonic metalenses in heterostructures formed by hBN and GeSbTe and characterized them with SNOM. The metalenses are created switching the phase of GeSbTe below hBN from amorphous to crystalline, focusing hBN phonon polaritons. © 2019 The Author(s)
Latinx Undocumented Older Adults, Health Needs and Access to Healthcare.

An estimated 10.5 million undocumented immigrants reside in the U.S.; 10% are 55 and older. Undocumented older adults do not qualify for Medicaid or Social Security benefits even though many pay taxes. The study examines undocumented older adults’ perceptions on their health status and their experiences in accessing health care. In-depth semi-structured interviews were used to facilitate dialogue with undocumented older adults (N = 30) ages 55–63 (M = 61.67, SD = 5.50). Most of the participants were Mexican (n = 26, 87%) and had lived in the U.S. on average 21 years (SD = 8.78). A constant comparative approach was used while completing initial, focused, and axial coding. Participants were classified into a five-group typology that captures the intersection of perceived health status/need and access to health care; (1) High need, with access to care; (2) High need, with ambiguous access; (3) Undiagnosed need, with no access; (4) Perceived healthy status, with no access; (5) Healthy status, with access to care. Participants who reported high health needs experienced a range of chronic and degenerative health conditions. Participants accessed care by paying-out-of-pocket (between $100 and 300/visit for consultation, lab work, and medications). High need participants with ambiguous access have been able to access care through permanently residing under color of law status or Medically Indigent Services Programs; access is uncertain given their undocumented status and changes in policies. Participants faced multiple barriers to accessing health care—mainly high cost and documentation status. Limited access to care leads to several detrimental consequences such as debilitated health, emotional burden, and economic insecurity. Older undocumented adults are a vulnerable population that experience great health needs. The high cost for health care and limited access to care takes a toll on undocumented older adults. The findings highlight many opportunities for policy advocacy and practice with older undocumented adults.
Exercise effects on γ3-AMPK activity, phosphorylation of Akt2 and AS160, and insulin-stimulated glucose uptake in insulin-resistant rat skeletal muscle.

Earlier research focusing on signaling events linked to increased insulin sensitivity in muscle has rarely evaluated insulin-resistant muscle after exercise. We assessed insulin-resistant muscle af...
G9a Promotes Breast Cancer Recurrence Through Repression of a Pro-inflammatory Program

Abstract Epigenetic dysregulation is a common feature of cancer, and is thought to underlie many aspects of tumor progression. Using a genetically engineered mouse model of breast cancer recurrence, we show that recurrent mammary tumors undergo widespread epigenomic and transcriptional alterations, and acquire dependence on the G9a histone methyltransferase. Genetic ablation of G9a delays tumor recurrence, and pharmacologic inhibition of G9a slows the growth of recurrent tumors. Mechanistically, G9a activity is required to silence pro-inflammatory cytokines, including TNF, through H3K9 methylation at gene promoters. G9a inhibition induces re-expression of these cytokines, leading to p53 activation and necroptosis. Recurrent tumors upregulate receptor interacting protein kinase-3 (RIPK3) expression and are dependent upon RIPK3 activity. High RIPK3 expression renders recurrent tumors sensitive to necroptosis following G9a inhibition. These findings demonstrate that epigenetic rewiring – specifically G9a-mediated silencing of pro-necroptotic proteins – is a critical step in tumor recurrence and suggest that G9a is a targetable dependency in recurrent breast cancer.
Assessment of breaking waves and liquid sloshing impact

This article presents an overview of breaking waves and liquid sloshing impact acting on rigid walls and in liquid containers. The physics of breaking waves against rigid walls can be understood through the Bagnold/Mitsuyasu piston theory. The flip-through is a major feature associated with the occurrence of violent waves without any actual impact on the wall. The physics of the phase transition during liquid impacts involves two- and multi-phase flows due to the entrapped gas pockets is addressed. The liquid sloshing assessment of liquefied natural gas tanks together with the dimensionless parameters governing the design of small-scale models is discussed. The nonlinear liquid sloshing dynamics under sway and rotational excitations is described for different container geometries. This article will discuss recent developments of numerical algorithms and computer codes capable to describe breaking waves and extreme sloshing impacts. Moreover, recent advances in breaking Faraday waves are also addressed together with an assessment of breaking interfacial gravity waves, in which a multilayer or stratified medium is a stack of different thin layers.
Fast Adaptation of Thermal Dynamics Model for Predictive Control of HVAC and Natural Ventilation Using Transfer Learning with Deep Neural Networks

Smart buildings and building automation are key components for achieving greater energy efficiency. In order to implement predictive control for the HVAC system and natural ventilation, the model needs to have the capability to predict building thermal responses under various environmental and operational conditions. This task can be accomplished by using a deep neural network, which would capture the effects of complicated physical processes, such as natural ventilation. However, a deep neural network comes with a high demand for training data. In real-world applications, the target building may not have the necessary amount of operational data available. This study demonstrates how transfer learning could solve this dilemma. By freezing partial weights of a deep neural network model that is pretrained on multi-year data from a base case building, it can be quickly deployed to different buildings in other climates. With much fewer trainable parameters, the model can then be well-trained on only 15 days of data from the new target building. The base case and target case can have entirely different floor areas, building materials, and window sizes. This transfer learning model performs significantly better than a comparable model that is only trained on source data or target data, achieving high predicting accuracy on both indoor air temperature and relative humidity in the time horizon from 10 minutes to two hours. This methodology can be applied to the design of the control system in a new building. It has a high sample efficiency and shortens the minimum data collection period for model training.
The expanding circles of information behavior and human–computer interaction:

This article examines the historical expansion and convergence of the fields of information behavior and human–computer interaction, primarily in terms of the philosophy underlying each field. Info...
Geometrically necessary dislocation density evolution as a function of microstructure and strain rate

Abstract The role of microstructure and strain rate on the development of geometrically necessary dislocation (GND) density in polycrystalline copper subjected to compression is assessed via crystal plasticity modelling and electron microscopy. Micropolar crystal plasticity finite element (MP-CPFE) simulations show that GND density is strongly dependent on crystal orientation, with the highest values in grains with a direction parallel to the compression axis. Experimental analysis shows that this relationship breaks down and demonstrates that orientation is only one of many microstructural features that contributes to dislocation density evolution. Texture development as a function of strain rate is also considered, and it is found that the commonly observed compression texture is delocalized from that pole at high strain rate. Furthermore, quantitative analysis of the role of grain boundaries in GND density evolution highlights their role as strong dislocation sources.
From a Distance to Up Close and Contextual: Moving Beyond the Inductive/Deductive Binary

Opening a field to a diversity of methods takes maturity of the field, a supportive infrastructure, and time. Now, in the wake of our 50th anniversary, we can say the IB field has reached a certain amount of maturity. In this commentary, I provide the backstory to this year’s big win for qualitative methods – the 2021 Decade Award – and discuss how there has never been a better time for the power of richness from case studies, ethnographies, and a wide range of other types of qualitative research to surface and contribute meaningfully to IB theory.
Inheritance Rights in Uganda: How Equal Inheritance Rights Would Reduce Poverty and Decrease the Spread of HIV/AIDS in Uganda

Her husband has died, leaving her economically vulnerable in a society where women seldom own land and, due to devastatingly unequal inheritance laws and customs, have little means to support themselves or their children when widowed.1 In order to survive, she is left with no choice but to submit to "wife inheritance," a customary practice in Uganda in which a widow is inherited, just as property would be inherited, by a relative of her deceased husband.2 There is a chance her in-laws will take advantage of her vulnerable situation, forcing her to have intercourse with multiple male in-laws before being inherited by a single relative, probably the brother of her deceased husband.3 In a country where 6.7% of the population, or 1,000,000 people, between the ages of fifteen and forty-nine are infected with HIV/ AIDS, the results of this custom can be catastrophic. 4
Reoperation for Complications after Lumpectomy and Mastectomy for Breast Cancer from the 2012 National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS-NSQIP)

Hospital readmissions and reoperations are quality indicators of patient care. In 2012, the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS-NSQIP) began reporting details regarding unplanned reoperations within 30 days of initial procedure. The main objective of this study was to identify reoperation rates as a result of complications and evaluate complications by type of breast surgery. Patients who underwent surgery for breast cancer were identified from the 2012 ACS-NSQIP Participant User File. Breast procedures were categorized as mastectomy or lumpectomy, each with or without immediate breast reconstruction (IBR). All reoperations and complication-related reoperations were categorized on the basis of procedure and diagnosis codes, and rates were compared by breast procedure by Chi square tests. Of 18,500 patients, 781 (4 %) required an unplanned reoperation within 30 days (single reoperation in 747, 2+ reoperations in 34). Mean time to first reoperation was 13.4 days and varied by procedure. A majority (73 %) of ACS-NSQIP coded unplanned reoperations were due to complications. Rates of reoperation due to complication were highest in mastectomy with IBR (7 %). Most common complications requiring reoperation were bleeding, followed by infection and wound-related problems. Unplanned reoperations after breast cancer surgery are more frequent after mastectomy with IBR than other breast operations. Bleeding is the most common complication requiring reoperation.
Long-term progestin-only contraception in humans versus animal models

Abnormal uterine bleeding is the leading indication for discontinuation of long-term progestin-only contraceptives. Histological sections of endometria from long-term progestin-treated patients display abnormally enlarged blood vessels that are prone to bleed in a nonuniform manner. Because it has been complex to attain patients willing to complete long-term studies, and good quality endometrial tissues have proven difficult to obtain, animal models have been used to obviate this problem. In this review, we describe these models including the guinea pig, an animal model we have previously investigated, to assess the mechanisms involved in abnormal uterine bleeding following long-term progestin-only contraception.
International Intellectual Property Issues for Biotechnology

Overview of International Intellectual Property Introduction Types of Protection Examining International Issues Defining the Parameters of Protection Patents Pursuant to TRIPS Plant Protection Under UPOV Present Systems of Protection Europe Japan Keywords: intellectual property issues
Abortive initiation is increased only for the weakest members of a set of down mutants of the adenovirus 2 major late promoter.

Abstract We have shown that accurate initiation of productive RNA synthesis in vitro at the adenovirus 2 major late promoter is accompanied by abortive initiation of very short transcripts (Luse, D. S., and Jacob, G. A. (1987) J. Biol. Chem. 262, 14990-14997). We made a set of sequence variants of this promoter, using every possible base at position -28 (in the TATA box) in the context of either the normal base (A) or a T at position +1 on the nontemplate strand. All changes from wild type reduced promoter strength. The two weakest promoters were 10- and 30-fold less active than wild type in productive RNA synthesis. We tested the possibility that the down mutations also caused an increase in the proportion of in vitro initiations which are abortive. This effect was seen only with the two weakest members of the promoter set. For these promoters, which share an A----C change at the -28 position of the TATA box, the ratio of abortive to productive initiations was 3-4-fold higher than for the other promoters. Interestingly, the sequence change at +1, although a down mutation, did not lead to an increase in abortive initiation.
A new transacting factor that modulates hypoxia-induced expression of the erythropoietin gene

Hypoxia is a strong stimulus for the transcription of a set of genes, including erythropoietin and vascular endothelial growth factor. Here we report on the cloning, functional significance, and expression of a complementary DNA (cDNA) that is involved in hypoxia-mediated expression of these 2 genes. The full-length cDNA encodes a predicted protein of 806 amino acids that contains a leucine zipper motif. This protein, termed HAF for hypoxia-associated factor, binds to a 17-base pair (bp) region of the erythropoietin promoter, which was shown earlier to participate in hypoxia-induced expression of the erythropoietin gene. In Hep3B cells, clones modified to express HAF antisense RNA showed an attenuated response to hypoxia-mediated induction of both erythropoietin and vascular endothelial growth factor transcription. HAF showed sequence-specific interaction with a DNA element in the 5′ untranslated region of VEGF gene. The HAF 2.6-kilobase (kb) messenger RNA (mRNA) is expressed in most adult tissues. The highest expression occurs in fetal liver and the least in adult liver. HAF is the murine homolog of Sart-1, a 125-kd human protein expressed in the nuclei of normal and malignant cells.
Oxidation-reduction-sensitive binding of lung protein to rat catalase mRNA.

Air-breathing organisms experience an elevated concentration of oxygen mainly under two conditions. One occurs at birth when the O2 tension in the lung increases from approximately 25 torr present in utero to approximately 100 torr. The lungs, in particular, are also exposed to hyperoxia when oxygen is administered for therapeutic reasons. Under hyperoxic conditions, increased lung antioxidant enzyme activity is important for survival. The molecular basis for the increase in antioxidant enzyme gene expression under these circumstances is not well understood; in hyperoxia-exposed neonatal rats the elevation of lung catalase activity is not due to an increased rate of transcription but is associated with an increased concentration of catalase mRNA due to enhanced stability of the mRNA (Clerch, L.B., Iqbal, J., and Massaro, D. (1991) Am. J. Physiol. 260, L428-L433). We now show that neonatal rat lung protein forms specific complexes with catalase mRNA; this binding is redox-sensitive since when oxidizing agents are added binding is abolished but is restored by reducing agents. Our data also indicate lungs from hyperoxia-exposed rats have a larger proportion of catalase RNA-binding protein in oxidized form than lungs from air-breathing rats. This redox-sensitive binding of protein to catalase mRNA may be important in the control of catalase gene expression.
Sensitivity-enhanced E.COSY-type HSQC experiments for accurate measurements of one-bond 15N-1H(N) and 15N-13C' and two-bond 13C'-1H(N) residual dipolar couplings in proteins.

Novel E.COSY-type HSQC experiments are presented for the accurate measurement of one-bond 15N-1H(N) and 15N-13C(') and two-bond 13C(')-1H(N) residual dipolar couplings in proteins. Compared with existing experiments, the (delta,J)-E.COSY experiments described here are composed of fewer pulses and the resulting spectra exhibit 1.4 times the sensitivity of coupled HSQC spectra. Since residual dipolar couplings play increasingly important roles in structural NMR, the proposed methods should find wide spread application for structure determination of proteins and other biological macromolecules.
Oxidation of retinol to retinoic acid as a requirement for biological activity in mouse epidermis.

Abstract The food and fragrance additive citral (3,7-dimethyl-2,6-octadienal) inhibits the oxidation of retinol to retinoic acid in mouse epidermis on local application. This inhibitory property was used to test the hypothesis that oxidation to retinoic acid is rate limiting for the biological activity of vitamin A (retinol) in epithelial tissues. Citral was tested as a modulator of the biological activities of retinol and retinoic acid using two bioassays performed in Skh/hr1 (hairless) mice: (a) the ability to induce epidermal hyperplasia; (b) the ability to inhibit the induction of epidermal ornithine decarboxylase activity by tumor promoters. Citral treatment inhibited the ability of retinol, but not of retinoic acid, to induce epidermal hyperplasia. Similarly, citral treatment decreased the ability of retinol, but not of retinoic acid, to inhibit the induction of epidermal ornithine decarboxylase activity by the tumor promoter 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate. Although citral had little effect on epidermal ornithine decarboxylase activity when applied alone, it potentiated the induction of ornithine decarboxylase activity by 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate. The ability of citral to inhibit retinoic acid formation from retinol and the specificity of citral for inhibition of the biological activities of retinol but not retinoic acid are evidence that oxidation to retinoic acid is obligatory for the measured biological activities of retinol. Furthermore, the ability of citral to potentiate the induction of ornithine decarboxylase activity by 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate suggests that modulation of the retinol oxidation pathway by such agents may enhance susceptibility to tumor promoters.
Analyzing people's views of science though their categorization of television science programs

In this study, participants view representations of science from television programs and categorize the show's characters as "scientists" or not. Follow-up interviews reveal that when thinking about the science and knowledge claims in the television shows, participants adopt one of two views about scientists: either "process-dominant" (scientists as people who investigate claims using some process) or "persona-dominant" (scientists as people who have a specific look, demeanor and credentials).
The pediatrician and sports medicine

This issue of Pediatrics presents an important communication on injuries related to the participation in high school sports programs (p. 465). Several points made by the authors are of interest. The frequency of injury and the large number of youth participating (5½ million high school athletes participating in the United States during the school year) clearly indicated that sports-related injuries can be expected to be frequently encountered in the pediatrician9s office. The study of Garrick and Requa may prompt us to thoughtfully consider various aspects of sports activities of our patients and their families. It is an appropriate time to identify the sports medicine-related aspects of pediatric practice and determine how the pediatrician can best meet the medical needs of the many young athletes under his or her care.
Excitation of the oxygen nightglow on the terrestrial planets

Abstract A scheme of excitation, quenching, and energy transfer processes in the oxygen nightglow on the Earth, Venus, and Mars has been developed based on the observed nightglow intensities and vertical profiles, measured reaction rate coefficients, and photochemical models of the nighttime atmospheres of the Venus and Mars. The scheme involves improved radiative lifetimes of some band systems, calculated yields of the seven electronic states of O2 in termolecular association, and rate coefficients of seven processes of electronic quenching of the Herzberg states of O2, which are evaluated by fitting to the nightglow observations. Electronic quenching of the vibrationally excited Herzberg states by O2 and N2 in the Earth's nightglow is a quarter of total collisional removal of the O2(A, A′) states and a dominant branch for the O2(c) state. The scheme supports the conclusion by Steadman and Thrush (1994) that the green line is excited by energy transfer from the O2(A3Σu+, v≥6) molecules, and the inferred rate coefficient of this transfer is 1.5×10−11 cm3 s−1. The O2 bands at 762 nm and 1.27 μm are excited directly, by quenching of the Herzberg states, and by energy transfer from the O2(5Πg) state. Quenching of the O2 band at 762 nm excites the band at 1.27 μm as well. Effective yield of the O2(a1Δg) state in termolecular association on Venus and Mars is ∼0.7. Quantitative assessments of all these processes have been made. A possible reaction of O2(c1Σu−)+CO is a very minor branch of recombination of CO2 on Venus and Mars. Night airglow on Mars is calculated for typical conditions of the nighttime atmosphere. The calculated vertical intensity of the O2 band at 1.27 μm is 13 kR, far below the recently reported detections.
Processing Macrobatch 2 at the Savannah River Site Integrated Salt Disposition Process (ISDP)

The Savannah River Site (SRS) is currently removing liquid radioactive waste from the tanks in its Tank Farm. To treat waste streams that are high in 137Cs, 90Sr, and/or actinides, SRS developed the Actinide Removal Process (ARP) and the Modular Caustic Side Solvent Extraction (CSSX) Unit. Collectively, these two processes make up the Integrated Salt Disposition Process (ISDP). The ARP part is responsible for the removal of strontium and actinides, while the MCU part is responsible for removing cesium. This paper discusses the qualification testing of the second batch of caustic waste that is being processed through ISDP currently. This paper also describes the tests conducted and compares results with current facility performance. The ARP contacts the salt solution with monosodium titanate (MST) to sorb strontium and select actinides. After MST contact, the resulting slurry is filtered to remove the MST (and sorbed strontium and actinides) and entrained sludge. The filtrate is transferred to the MCU for ...
Reading Plato before Platonism (after Heidegger)

"Platonism" is not only an example of this movement, the first "in" the whole history of philosophy. It commands it, it commands this whole history. [But the "whole" of this history is conflictual, heterogenous; it gives place to only relatively stabilizable hegemonies. Thus, it is never totalized, never totalizes itself.] A philosophy as such (an effect of hegemony) would henceforth always be "Platonic." Hence the necessity to continue to try to think what takes place in Plato, with Plato, what is shown there, what is hidden, so as to win there or lose there.1
Structural bonding contributions and the elastic response of b.c.c. and f.c.c. crystals

Abstract The anisotropic elastic response of body centered cubic (b.c.c.) and face centered cubic (f.c.c.) crystals is reviewed within the framework of general elasticity and particular model dependent relations. It is found that important trends in the observed behavior of specific groups of crystals can be reproduced by models that include only structural contributions to crystal binding. In fact, a very simple model, consisting of only nearest and next nearest neighbor interactions, reproduces the salient behavior, including the algebraic signs of Poisson's ratio and the orderings of the shear moduli, Young's moduli, and Poisson's ratios associated with major crystallographic symmetries. The analysis provides insight into the differences between the b.c.c. transition metals and the b.c.c. alkali metals.
The Determination of Thermal Properties of Paraffin-Based Phase Change Material [PCM] Within a Daylighting Panel

The addition of phase change material (PCM) to a transparent polyester panel is used to create an energy absorbing building material that can be used for daylighting. One of the key development needs of this energy efficient material is the identification of the thermal properties. Without a clear understanding of the thermal properties and thermal performance with embedded solid and liquid PCM, design optimization is not possible. This experiment analyzes the thermal conductivity of various mixtures of thermoplastic polyester and PCMs. It was determined that the addition of PCM slightly increases the thermal conductivity of panels when the PCM is solid. Once the PCM has melted, the panel conductivity is lowered.Copyright © 2009 by ASME
ACCUMULATION OF OXIDATIVELY GENERATED DNA DAMAGE IN THE BRAIN: A MECHANISM OF NEUROTOXICITY

Unrepaired or erroneously repaired DNA lesions drive genomic instability and contribute to cellular and organ decline. Since delayed neuropathologies are common in survivors of smoke inhalation injuries, we asked whether the integrity of brain DNA might be compromised by acute exposure to combustion smoke. Although many studies demonstrate that the brain is equipped to repair oxidatively damaged DNA, to date, the capacity for accurate DNA repair under conditions of disrupted oxygenation and oxidative stress has not been defined. We show that DNA adducts detectable by their ability to block PCR amplification form in the rat hippocampus after acute exposure to smoke. To identify the different types of adducts and to dissect their temporal formation and repair profiles in vivo in the brain, we used DNA-modifying enzymes to convert specific adducts into strand breaks prior to PCR amplification. Using this strategy, we detected formation of oxidative DNA adducts early on after smoke inhalation, while mismatched bases emerged at the later recovery times, potentially due to an erroneous DNA repair process. Erroneous repair can be mutagenic and because the initial smoke-induced oxidative damage to DNA is extensive, compromised fidelity of DNA repair may underlie neurotoxicity and contribute to delayed death of hippocampal neurons.
Surface tension of He II near the λ-point

Measurement of the surface tension of superfluid helium in the neighborhood of the λ-transition are presented. The data are analyzed to obtain the behavior of the “singular” part of the surface tension, which is discussed in the light of the calculation by Sobyanin, based on the Ginzburg-Pitaevskii phenomenological theory, and the results from scaling theory as obtained by Hohenberg. It is found that the behavior of the surface tension suggests a divergent and negative specific heat above and below Tλ and that the free surface correlation length is given by ξ=(1.5±0.4)A|e| −2/3, in good agreement with the coherence length in the Mamaladze version of the phenomenological theory.
Evaluating the energy consumption and the silicon area of on-chip interconnect architectures

Sophisticated on-chip interconnects using packet and circuit switching techniques were recently proposed as a solution to non-scalable shared-bus schemes currently used in Systems-on-Chip (SoCs) implementation. Different interconnect architectures have been studied and adapted for SoCs to achieve high throughput, low latency and energy consumption, and efficient silicon area. Recently, a new on-chip interconnect architecture by adapting the WK-recursive network topology structure has been introduced for SoCs. This paper analyses and compares the energy consumption and the area requirements of Wk-recursive network with five common on-chip interconnects, 2D Mesh, Ring, Spidergon, Fat-Tree and Butterfly Fat-Tree. We investigated the effects of load and traffic models and the obtained results show that the traffic models and load that ends processing elements has a direct effect on the energy consumption and area requirements. In these results, WK-recursive interconnect generally has a higher energy consumption and silicon area requirements in heavy traffic load.