cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
ABCA2 transporter deficiency reduces incidence of TRAMP prostate tumor metastasis and cellular chemotactic migration

In order to study the effects of ATP-binding cassette transporter 2 (ABCA2) deficiency on the progression of prostate cancer, congenic Abca2 knockout (KO) mice were crossed to the transgenic adenocarcinoma of the mouse prostate (TRAMP) model. ABCA2 expression was elevated in wild-type/TRAMP (WT/Tg) dorsal prostate, a region comprising the most aggressive tumors in this model, compared to non-transgenic WT mice. Primary prostate tumor progression was similar in KO/Tg and WT/Tg mice with respect to pathological score, prostate tumor growth, as calculated using MRI volumetry, and proliferative index, as determined by PCNA immunostaining. Vimentin, a marker of the epithelial– mesenchymal transition, was expressed at similar levels in prostate, but elevated in histologically normal seminal vesicles (SV) in KO/Tg mice (P < 0.02), concomitant with an increased SV volume ( P< 0.01). These changes in the SV did not exacerbate the metastatic phenotype of this disease model; rather, KO/Tg mice aged 20–25 weeks had no detectable metastases while 38% of WT/Tg developed metastases to lung and/or lymph nodes. The absence of a metastatic phenotype in KO/Tg mice was reprised in stable ABCA2 knockdown (KD) cells where chemotactic, but not random, migration was impaired (P = 0.0004). Expression levels of sphingolipid biosynthetic enzymes were examined due to the established link of the transporter with sphingolipid homeostasis. Galactosylceramide synthase (GalCerS) mRNA levels were over 8-fold higher in KD cells (P = 0.001), while lactosylceramide synthase (LacCerS) and CTP:choline cytidylyltransferase (CCT) were significantly reduced (P < 0.0001 and 0.03, respectively). Overall, we demonstrate that ABCA2-deficiency inhibits prostate tumor metastasis in vivo and decreases chemotactic potential of cells, conceivably due to altered sphingolipid metabolism. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.
Global sensitivity analysis—a computational implementation of the Fourier Amplitude Sensitivity Test (FAST)

This paper describes a computational implementation of the Fourier Amplitude Sensitivity Test (FAST) and illustrates its use with a sample problem. The FAST procedure is ideally suited to the task of determining the global sensitivity of nonlinear mathematical models subjected to variations of arbitrary size in either the system parameters or initial conditions. A FORTRAN computer program, capable of performing sensitivity analyses of either algebraic or differential equation systems is described.
Melt migration in plume–ridge systems

Abstract We assess the potential for melt migration, separate from solid flow, to accommodate the transport of plume-signature material from off-axis mantle plumes to nearby mid-ocean ridges. We use a boundary-element method to estimate the solid pressures induced by buoyant plume flow, and find that the solid pressure gradients are small compared to melt buoyancy, suggesting that melt streamlines in mantle plumes are essentially vertical. We combine our plume pressure solutions with analytical pressure fields for ridge corner flow and find that the combined plume–ridge pressure field is not sufficient to drive porous flow in the upper mantle over the distances (hundreds of km) observed in many natural systems. We also examine melt transport via porous flow in a melt-rich layer at the base of the lithosphere for plume–ridge systems, and find that melts can traverse plume–ridge offsets of several hundred kilometers in a few hundred thousand years, or less. Our results suggest that plume signatures observed in ridge basalts can be explained by lateral migration of plume melts in a sub-lithospheric channel augmented by solid flow pressure gradients. We apply our models to the Galapagos plume–ridge system and find that melt migration, as opposed to solid flow, provides a means to explain many aspects of the observed chemical anomalies on the Galapagos Spreading Center, including the position of the maximum anomalies due north of the archipelago, the symmetric pattern, and the gradual along-axis gradient.
Fractions of HeLa DNA differing in their content of guanine+cytosine.

Abstract DNA isolated from preparations of HeLa cell nucleoli has been fractionated into six components which band in CsCl at densities corresponding to their G + C contents according to the relation: ϱ = 0.98 (G + C) + 1.659, where ϱ refers to buoyant density and (G + C) to the average mole fraction of guanine + cytosine. This nucleolar DNA is significantly enriched with respect to two satellite bands: a light satellite (ϱ = 1.686 g/ml.) and a heavy satellite (ϱ = 1.712 g/ml.). In an alkaline CsCl density gradient, the light satellite DNA can be separated into two complementary strands, as demonstrated by base composition analysis.
Water Movements at a Mid-Central Basin Site: Time and Space Scales, Relation to Wind, and Internal Pressure Gradients

Abstract Current meter and thermistor string records made at a mid-basin site from May, 1979, through February, 1980, and during August, 1980, are used to determine the time and space scales of horizontal motion in mid lake and to relate these to the major forcing variables. Motions at frequencies larger than 0.125 cycles per hour are horizontally coherent over a few km only, whereas lower frequency motions may cohere significantly over tens of km in the stratified season. Of the four depths sampled, 10 m, 15 m, 20 m, and 21 m, highest current speeds are associated with circularly polarized clockwise rotating motion at the inertial period at 15-m depth. Surveillance cruise data show the mid central basin array to be located in a zone of relatively flat thermocline topography but suggested that internal pressure gradients might at times be large enough to influence bottom flow. Limited small-scale sampling in the vicinity of the mid-basin array reveals the existence of intense but short scale (5 km) internal pressure gradients that are undersampled by the array of thermistor strings (separated by 10 km). Multivariate statistical techniques in the frequency domain indicate that the internal pressure gradients estimated by means of the array of thermistor strings are of marginal dynamical significance (although the smaller scale gradients may in fact contribute substantially to the observed variance). A simple model of locally driven currents appropriate to a region of constant depth is proposed. This model and the statistical analyses together help to interpret the effects of wind stress and Coriolis forces. Many of the observed features of circulation, including seasonal evolution, can be related to the role of stratification in governing the vertical distribution of turbulent mixing.
Cadmium Nanowire Formation Induced by Ion Irradiation

One-dimensional nanostructures, such as nanowires, of semiconductors and metals are of great technological interest due to their potential for many advanced technology applications. Utilization of these materials versus their bulk counterparts will not only allow for device miniaturisation, but also may improve device performance or create new functions. Here we report a novel method for the synthesis of crystalline Cd-nanowires without involving either templates or a “seeded” structure. Ion irradiation at low temperatures (≤ 295 K) has been used to induce material decomposition and phase segregation in a cadmium niobate pyrochlore (Cd2Nb2O7) wafer. During the formation and rupture of the gas-filled blisters in the material, soft metallic Cd is extruded/extracted as nanowires through pores in the exfoliated layer. The entire process may be readily controlled by changing the ion irradiation conditions (e.g., ion species, dose and energy) with minimal thermal constraints.
Stabilization of carrier-frequency servomechanisms. II. Design formulae for proportional-derivative networks☆

Abstract In an alternating current servomechanism, the error is proportional to the modulation envelope of a modulated-carrier error signal. It is shown in part I that for stability and fidelity of the servo, it is highly desirable that the effect of the controller includes a proportional-derivative action on the modulation envelope. This action may be obtained with various forms of RC networks, including the parallel “T,” bridge “T,” and Wien Bridge forms. This part contains detailed design procedures and tables of values for the various types of proportional-derivative networks. Several forms of parallel “T” networks arise from the fact that there are five independent time constants in the network, while in order to realize the desired transfer characteristic it is necessary to impose only four conditions. It is indicated how the remaining degree of freedom may be used to obtain the most suitable input and output impedances for the source and load impedances with which the parallel “T” is to be used. The derivations for the parallel “T” formulae are given in an Appendix. Tolerance requirements on the components of parallel “T” and bridge “T” networks are derived. If ±1 per cent components are used at 60 cycles, the resonant frequency will lie between 56.4 and 63.6 cycles, and the notch width (rejection band width) will be within ±0.99 cps. of the correct value. In order to guarantee that the phase shift at 60 cycles is within ±10°, the percentage deviation of each part must be less than ( 9.0 T d ω 0 ), where ω0 is the carrier angular frequency, Td the derivative time constant.
Extracellular invertase in Streptococcus mutans and Streptococcus salivarius

Summary Cultures of representative oral streptococci were fractionated and assayed for glycosyltransferases and invertase. Considerable extracellular invertase activity was found in five Streptococcus mutans strains and one Streptococcus salivarius strain. For example, in cultures of S. mutans LM-7, grown with glucose as the energy source, the invertase activity in the medium was ten times greater than the activity found associated with the cells. The invertase was characterized as a β-fructofuranosidase (EC 3.2.1.26). In the cases studied, the extra- and intracellular invertases are always present, but their levels vary independently and depend on the carbohydrate in the medium.
Autumnal Mixed-Phase Cloudy Boundary Layers in the Arctic

Abstract Two mixed-phase cloudy boundary layer events observed over the Arctic ice pack in autumn are extensively analyzed. The local dynamic and thermodynamic structure of the boundary layers is determined from aircraft measurements including analysis of turbulence, longwave radiative transfer, and cloud microphysics. The large-scale forcing is determined from the National Centers for Environmental Prediction reanalysis fields while mesoscale forcing is estimated from 40-km aircraft box patterns. The two cases differed somewhat in their local static stability, surface characteristics, and large-scale forcing. One case was characterized by a stably stratified cloudy boundary layer over a heterogeneous surface containing numerous open leads. The other case occurred over a fairly homogenous surface of multiyear ice and consisted of a surface-based stable layer surmounted by a low-level jet and a cloud-topped mixed layer. An important large-scale factor in the development of low clouds appears to have been w...
Quantitative comparison of immunohistochemical staining measured by digital image analysis versus pathologist visual scoring.

Immunohistochemical (IHC) assays performed on formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissue sections traditionally have been semi-quantified by pathologist visual scoring of staining. IHC is useful for validating biomarkers discovered through genomics methods as large clinical repositories of FFPE specimens support the construction of tissue microarrays (TMAs) for high throughput studies. Due to the ubiquitous availability of IHC techniques in clinical laboratories, validated IHC biomarkers may be translated readily into clinical use. However, the method of pathologist semi-quantification is costly, inherently subjective, and produces ordinal rather than continuous variable data. Computer-aided analysis of digitized whole slide images may overcome these limitations. Using TMAs representing 215 ovarian serous carcinoma specimens stained for S100A1, we assessed the degree to which data obtained using computer-aided methods correlated with data obtained by pathologist visual scoring. To evaluate computer-aided image classification, IHC staining within pathologist annotated and software-classified areas of carcinoma were compared for each case. Two metrics for IHC staining were used: the percentage of carcinoma with S100A1 staining (%Pos), and the product of the staining intensity (optical density [OD] of staining) multiplied by the percentage of carcinoma with S100A1 staining (OD*%Pos). A comparison of the IHC staining data obtained from manual annotations and software-derived annotations showed strong agreement, indicating that software efficiently classifies carcinomatous areas within IHC slide images. Comparisons of IHC intensity data derived using pixel analysis software versus pathologist visual scoring demonstrated high Spearman correlations of 0.88 for %Pos (p < 0.0001) and 0.90 for OD*%Pos (p < 0.0001). This study demonstrated that computer-aided methods to classify image areas of interest (e.g., carcinomatous areas of tissue specimens) and quantify IHC staining intensity within those areas can produce highly similar data to visual evaluation by a pathologist. The virtual slide(s) for this article can be found here: http://www.diagnosticpathology.diagnomx.eu/vs/1649068103671302
Phantom pain, residual limb pain, and back pain in amputees: results of a national survey.

Abstract Ephraim PL, Wegener ST, MacKenzie EJ, Dillingham TR, Pezzin LE. Phantom pain, residual limb pain, and back pain in amputees: results of a national survey. Objectives To describe the prevalence of amputation-related pain; to ascertain the intensity and affective quality of phantom pain, residual limb pain, back pain, and nonamputated limb pain; and to identify the role that demographics, amputation-related factors, and depressed mood may contribute to the experience of pain in the amputee. Design Cross-sectional survey. Setting A sample of persons who contacted the Amputee Coalition of America from 1998 to 2000 were interviewed by telephone. Participants A stratified sample by etiology of 914 persons with limb loss. Interventions Not applicable. Main Outcome Measures Prevalence, intensity, and bothersomeness of residual, phantom, and back pain, depressed mood as measured by the Center for Epidemiologic Study Depression Scale, characteristics of the amputation, prosthetic use, and sociodemographic characteristics of the amputee. Results Nearly all (95%) amputees surveyed reported experiencing 1 or more types of amputation-related pain in the previous 4 weeks. Phantom pain was reported most often (79.9%), with 67.7% reporting residual limb pain and 62.3% back pain. A large proportion of persons with phantom pain and stump pain reported experiencing severe pain (rating 7–10). Across all pain types, a quarter of those with pain reported their pain to be extremely bothersome. Identifiable risk factors for intensity and bothersomeness of amputation-related pain varied greatly by pain site. However, across all pain types, depressive symptoms were found to be a significant predictor of level of pain intensity and bothersomeness. Conclusions Chronic pain is highly prevalent among persons with limb loss, regardless of time since amputation. A common predictor of an increased level of intensity and bothersomeness among all pain sites was the presence of depressive symptoms. Further studies are needed to elucidate the relationship between pain and depressive symptoms among amputees.
Impact of Poverty on Serum Phosphate Concentrations in the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey

Objective Increased serum phosphate is associated with adverse health outcomes. High intake of inexpensive processed and fast foods is common in impoverished communities, and is linked with excessive dietary phosphorus intake and elevated serum phosphate concentrations in chronic kidney disease patients. We examined the impact of socioeconomic status on dietary phosphorus intake and serum phosphate concentrations in the general population. Design Cross-sectional study. Participants A total of 14,261 adult participants in the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Predictors and Outcomes Poverty to income ratio (PIR; family income indexed to the federal poverty level) was the primary index of socioeconomic status. Serum phosphate was the primary outcome variable. Results Although estimated phosphorus intake decreased with decreasing quartiles of PIR (P 300% of the federal poverty level), participants in the lowest quartile (income Conclusions Although lower income was associated with decreased estimated phosphorus intake, increasing poverty was independently linked with increased serum phosphate and higher likelihood of hyperphosphatemia. These findings may indicate that conventional dietary instruments underestimate phosphorus intake, especially among impoverished individuals. Further studies are needed to explore these possibilities.
Mass spectral studies of trimethyl boron

Abstract The mass spectrum of trimethyl boron is reported and an analysis in terms of contributing ions is givem. Methyl migration from one molecule to another is shown not to occur under a wide range of experimental conditions.
Effects of hyperbaric oxygen on the cockroach (Periplaneta Americana)

Abstract 1. Cockroaches exposed to 6 atm of O 2 for 1·5, 2 and 3 hours had reduced locomotor activity as measured by a tilting activity cell. 2. Righting reflex was preserved in only 11% of insects in oxygen for 3 hours. 3. Abdominal distension and tremor of the extremities occurred in about one-half the insects after 2 hours and in 94% of the insects after 3 hours of O 2 exposure (6 atm).
Heat Transfer near Turbine Nozzle Endwall

This paper gives an overview and reviews recent findings concerning turbine endwall cooling in the literature. The text below begins with a brief discussion of the secondary flows and heat transfer around cascade endwall. This will be followed by a review of recent developments in cooling concepts and related heat transfer results. Key topics include: film cooling, upstream bleeding, endwall contouring, and leakage through component interfaces.
Redesign of glycopeptide antibiotics: back to the future

The glycopeptide antibiotics are the most important class of drugs used in the treatment of resistant bacterial infections including those caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). After more than 50 years of clinical use, the emergence of glycopeptide-resistant Gram-positive pathogens such as vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) and vancomycin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (VRSA) presents a serious global challenge to public health at a time few new antibiotics are being developed. This has led to renewed interest in the search for additional effective treatments including the development of new derivatives of the glycopeptide antibiotics. General approaches have been explored for modifying glycopeptide antibiotics, typically through the derivatization of the natural products themselves or more recently through chemical total synthesis. In this Perspective, we consider recent efforts to redesign glycopeptide antibiotics for the treatment of resistant microbial infections, including VRE and VRSA, and examine their future potential for providing an even more powerful class of antibiotics that are even less prone to bacterial resistance.
Cycloheximide-induced T-cell death is mediated by a Fas-associated death domain-dependent mechanism.

Cycloheximide (CHX) can contribute to apoptotic processes, either in conjunction with another agent (e.g. tumor necrosis factor-alpha) or on its own. However, the basis of this CHX-induced apoptosis has not been clearly established. In this study, the molecular mechanisms of CHX-induced cell death were examined in two different human T-cell lines. In T-cells undergoing CHX-induced apoptosis (Jurkat), but not in T-cells resistant to the effects of CHX (CEM C7), caspase-8 and caspase-3 were activated. However, the Fas ligand was not expressed in Jurkat cells either before or after treatment with CHX, suggesting that the activation of these caspases does not involve the Fas receptor. To determine whether CHX-induced apoptosis was mediated by a Fas-associated death domain (FADD)-dependent mechanism, a FADD-DN protein was expressed in cells prior to CHX treatment. Its expression effectively inhibited CHX-induced cell death, suggesting that CHX-mediated apoptosis primarily involves a FADD-dependent mechanism. Since CHX treatment did not result in the induction of Fas or FasL, and neutralizing anti-Fas and anti-tumor necrosis factor receptor-1 antibodies did not block CHX-mediated apoptosis, these results may also indicate that FADD functions in a receptor-independent manner. Surprisingly, death effector filaments containing FADD and caspase-8 were observed during CHX treatment of Jurkat, Jurkat-FADD-DN, and CEM C7 cells, suggesting that their formation may be necessary, but not sufficient, for cell death.
Origins of Groundwater in a Fluviokarst Basin: Bonne Femme Basin in Central Missouri, USA

The temporal variation of the hardness of water in karst springs has been used to classify springs as 1) those that are fed by water from diffuse flow (internally drained basins), and 2) those that are fed by water from conduit flow (allogenically drained basins). The residence time of groundwater in a fluviokarst basin, Bonne Femme Creek drainage basin, was determined from the coefficient of variation of the hardness of the water. The residence time of groundwater that was from the conduit-flow source was 3–4 days. This was an insufficient period for thermal or chemical equilibrium to be achieved, as indicated by oberved seasonal cycles in the temperature (13 ± 2°C) and the coefficient of variation of the hardness (typically 18 percent) of the water. The residence time of groundwater that was derived from internally drained sources was nearly 8 days. The internally drained water, having a longer period of contact with surrounding bedrock, more closely approached thermal and chemical equilibrium. A dampened seasonal cycle in the temperature (13 ± 0.6°C) and a lower coefficient of variation of the hardness (typically 12 percent) of the water were observed for the internally drained water. The findings of this study support the conceptual model of groundwater baseflow through a fluviokarst basin that is governed by a mixture of conduit-flow and diffuse-flow end members.
Wildland Fire Spread by Radiation-a Model Including Fuel Cooling by Natural Convection

Abstract The spread of a line fire through wildland fuel is modeled for situations in which unignited fuel is heated by radiation and cooled by radiation and convection. The fuel bed is idealized as a continuum in a homogeneous layer composed of uniformly distributed, approximately convex particles that are randomly oriented, thermally thin, and radiometrically black. The model is implemented as an algorithm that finds the temperature of the fuel particles every-where in the unignited bed and solves simultaneously for the rate of fire spread and the shape o f the surface (the ignition interface) upon which the particles are ignited. This algorithm is an extension of one presented earlier that neglects particle cooling by convection. Results predicted by the revised model are compared to measurements made on experimental fires. The ignition interface shape predicted for the experimental fires agrees reasonably well with measuremenls when two free parameters have values chosen so as to yield the measured ra...
Gravity wave transports and their effects on the large-scale circulation of the upper mesosphere and lower thermosphere

Abstract Gravity wave transports of momentum, heat, energy, and minor constituents have a strong effect on background variations of the upper mesosphere and lower thermosphere (MLT), including the seasonal-latitudinal variations of the general circulation. Wave control of the general circulation is accomplished by wave flux divergences and the wave-induced residual circulation. The most dramatic manifestation of the wave control of the general circulation in the MLT is the deceleration of the zonal winds and the reversal of the latitudinal temperature gradients above the mesospheric jets, with the coldest temperatures in the atmosphere being at the mesopause over the summer pole, contrary to radiative equilibrium. Observations show momentum fluxes that agree with the forcing required to maintain the observed meridional temperature gradient. Observations and modeling suggest that heat transports are an important contributor to the heat budget and help explain the persistent mid-winter mesospheric inversion. Constituent transports may play a large role in maintaining the mean-state constituent profiles and may help explain the rapid brightening of airglow layers observed on occasion.
Disrupted blastocoele formation reveals a critical developmental role for long-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase

Long-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase (LCAD) deficiency has not been found in human patients. There has been an LCAD deficient (LCAD-/-) mouse model developed via gene targeting strategies that has gestational loss as a part of its phenotype. We tested the hypothesis that LCAD deficiency disrupts normal embryonic development and explains at least in part the gestational loss in the mouse and may suggest a mechanism to explain the lack of any human patients with this inherited enzyme deficiency. We cultured and evaluated embryos with three different genotypes: LCAD+/+, LCAD+/-, and LCAD-/-. We found a significantly increased rate of death (P<0.012) in LCAD-/- embryos at the morula-to-blastocyst conversion indicating a deficient ability to complete the development of a blastocoele and formation of a blastocyst. Furthermore, we hypothesized that we could rescue LCAD-/- embryos in culture by supplying excess fatty acids of chain-lengths that could be readily oxidized by them despite their inherited enzyme deficiency. We were unable, however, to demonstrate any rescue by supplementing the culture medium with fatty acids of a wide-range of chain-lengths. Therefore, overall we demonstrated a severely deficient capacity for LCAD-/- embryos to develop past the morula stage with intermediate rates of development found in the LCAD+/- embryos as compared to the LCAD+/+ embryos. Furthermore, we were unable to rescue the LCAD-/- embryos with any fatty acid supplementation.
Penetration of a small drop into a capillary

Abstract The theory of capillary penetration, which has so far considered only infinite liquid reservoirs, has been extended to include the case of drops of a finite size. A thermodynamic discussion and a kinetic theory are presented. It is found that the borderline value of the contact angle, which distinguishes between penetration and nonpenetration, depends on the drop size, and can be much higher than 90°. Practically complete penetration into a capillary can be achieved in a microgravity environment for contact angles up to about 114°, for sufficiently small drops. The fraction of the drop volume, which can penetrate the capillary, is markedly decreased for higher contact angles. Capillary rise under the effect of gravity is found to be higher for a finite drop than for an infinite reservoir (as long as the drop volume is sufficient to accommodate the equilibrium height). Also, the rate of capillary penetration by a drop is higher when the drop is smaller. In general, the difference between the behavior of a small drop and an infinite reservoir becomes bigger as the contact angle increases. An analytical approximation for the kinetics of capillary penetration has been developed. It is in excellent aggrement with the exact solutiOn for the initial period of penetration, and fits it well also at later times, for low contact angles.
Tissue specific esterase isozymes of the mouse (Mus musculus).

For this report, the tissue-specific esterase isozymes of 35 organs of the mouse, Mus musculus, were studied by means of starch gel electrophoresis. Zymogram patterns of organs from males and females of the inbred strains SJL/J, C57BL/6J, and RF/J were compared. The ensemble of esterase isozymes expressed by each organ is in most instances distinctly unique. Sexual dimorphisms are reported for the submaxillary gland and the kidney. These are believed to be under hormonal control. It is postulated that enzyme differences between the male and female with regard to the submaxillary gland and kidney may be significant in the biosynthesis and/or secretion of pheromones.
An investigation of the multispectral response patterns of west Australian bauxite deposits

A more complete understanding of the spectral response patterns of bauxite‐rich rocks (and the vegetation associated with these rocks) aided the development of small‐scale bauxite exploration models in Western Australia. In all cases, Landsat TM data were used to map the regolith and vegetation characteristics. All band combinations were tested for relationships with both aluminium concentrations and each other. This project focused upon three areas: Cape Bougainville, the Mitchell Plateau, and the Darling Range in Western Australia. At Cape Bougainville, the bauxitic laterite was easy to distinguish; it was found in spectrally (and geomorphically) distinct areas. The Mitchell Plateau results were not as successful. This region is much larger, more varied, and includes at least some human alteration. The Darling Range area had the best control (detailed bauxite grade maps), but the worst results of the three regions – presumably because of extensive human alteration in the area.
Confession of the Son of God in the Exordium of Hebrews

At the heart of Hebrews' exordium (1.3ab), Jesus is said to be `the radiance of God's glory, the express image of his being, and upholding all things by his powerful word'. These three predications have not as yet been meaningfully connected to the rest of the epistle. This article emphasizes the nuanced shifts from passive to active imagery in 1.3ab and argues that they forecast the reciprocal pronouncements of family relatedness that the Father and the Son exchange in the author's dramatization of Jesus' exaltation (1.5; 2.12-13). Furthermore, they locate within the very being of the Son an orientation towards family identification that will be paradigmatic for the author's hortatory agenda, as the recipients are called to respond to the Son's conferral of family membership (2.12-13) with reciprocative confessions of Jesus' sonship (4.14-16; 10.19-23).
Power analysis for case-control association studies of samples with known family histories.

Genome-wide case–control studies have been widely used to identify genetic variants that predispose to human diseases. Such studies are powerful in detecting common genetic variants with moderate effects, but quickly lose power as allele frequency and genotype relative risk decrease. Because patients with one or more affected relatives are more likely to inherit disease-predisposing alleles of a genetic disease than patients without family histories of the disease, sampling patients with affected relatives almost always increases the frequency of disease predisposing alleles in cases and improves the power of case–control association studies. This paper evaluates the power of case–control studies that select cases and/or controls according to their family histories of disease. Our results showed that this study design can dramatically increase the power of a case–control association study for a wide range of disease types. Because each additional affected relative of a patient reduces the required sample size roughly by a pair of case and control, inclusion of cases with affected relatives can dramatically decrease the required sample size and thus the cost of such studies.
Trends and research directions in supply chain & logistics engineering

We look at current forces affecting supply chain design and global logistics, including fuel and labor costs; mode shifts; improvements in efficiency within each mode; currency dynamics; risk; labor shortages, laws, and wages in China; international freight transport network congestion; capacity reduction; product & package design to reduce weight and cube; and information technology applications. We then focus on interesting research directions linked to the next level of supply chain control productivity - controlling supply chains in real-time, based on real-time data - and discuss the value of information and how to extract this value effectively.
Getting the Jump on Explosive Percolation

Percolation refers to the formation of long-range connectedness or conductivity in random systems. Simple models for percolation were independently devised in the areas of polymer science ( 1 ) and mathematics ( 2 ) in the 1940s and '50s, and have been both a persistent theoretical challenge and an enduring practical paradigm ever since. In the past decade, percolation has become a central problem in probability theory, and has figured in the work of two recent Fields medalists ( 3 ). A recent and somewhat controversial development concerns looking at the dynamics of percolation under various global bond selection rules and how percolating systems make the transition from being disconnected (or comprising a group of disconnected clusters) to being fully connected. It had been shown that the transition can proceed explosively, in which the transition is discontinuous ( 4 ), but that scenario was later challenged when it was shown that for some specific systems, such a transition is in fact continuous. On page 1185 of this issue, Cho et al. ( 5 ) show analytically and numerically that the explosive percolation transition can be either continuous or discontinuous, depending on the bias against certain "bridging" bonds and the dimensionality of the system.
Calculation of the electronic structures and spectra for corrin and related compounds

Abstract The electronic structure of corrin has been investigated using a modified Pariser-Parr-Pople method, and has been correlated with experimental spectrum as well as other experimental properties. The yellow corrinoid compounds have been discussed in terms of calculations on corrin isomers, and the correlation between spectral change and chemical shift on C(10) in cobalamines and cobinamides has been reproduced by a point charge perturbation.
Fenton reactions in lipid phases.

Metal catalysis of membrane lipid oxidation has been thought to occur only at cell surfaces. However, conflicting observations of the pro-oxidant activity of ferric (Fe3+) vs ferrous (Fe2+) forms of various chelates have raised questions regarding this dogma. This paper suggests that the solubilities of iron complexes in lipid phases and the corresponding abilities to initiate lipid oxidation there, either directly or via Fenton-like production of reactive hydroxyl radicals, are critical determinants of initial catalytic effectiveness.
The reactions of bacterial viruses with their host cells

In its early stages the study of a sector of nature may be divided into two branches. In one we inquire what an object under investigation is; we want to know its morphology and its relation to other more or less similar objects. In the other branch we study what the object does and how it came to be what it is. Thus in chemistry we have molecular structure on the one hand and kinetics of reaction on the other. In biology, anatomy and embryology may be taken as examples of the two points of view. As a science progresses certain relations between structure and function begin to emerge, and eventually the pursuit of these relations may become the major interest in the field. The study of viruses is a very young science indeed. In recent years much progress has been made toward a better understanding of those phases of the virus problem concerned with the infectious agent or virus particle (7). Improved methods of isolation, culture, concentration and assay have made purified preparations of many viruses available in relatively large quantities for physical and chemical characterization. Application of the ultracentrifuge and diffusion techniques gives indirect evidence of the mean sizes and shapes of virus particles in solution; the electron microscope has made possible direct observation of sizes and shapes of individual particles in the dry state (7, 8, 53, 56, 68, 69, 72) ; and x-ray diffraction has given clues to the atomic architecture of certain plant virus particles (11). It has turned out that this segment of biological material includes particles as small as 10 mu and as large as 200 mu in diameter. The morphologies of the viruses range from relatively large cell-like structures (vaccinia), some of them being tadpole-shaped (T2 bacteriophage), to simple rods (tobacco mosaic) and spheres (bushy stunt). On the other hand, the particles of any particular strain of virus exhibit a remarkable uniformity in size and structure.
Mechanotransduction in epidermal Merkel cells

The cellular and molecular basis of vertebrate touch reception remains least understood among the traditional five senses. Somatosensory afferents that innervate the skin encode distinct tactile qualities, such as flutter, slip, and pressure. Gentle touch is thought to be transduced by somatosensory afferents whose tactile end organs selectively filter mechanical stimuli. These tactile end organs comprise afferent terminals in association with non-neuronal cell types such as Merkel cells, keratinocytes, and Schwann cells. An open question is whether these non-neuronal cells serve primarily as passive mechanical filters or whether they actively participate in mechanosensory transduction. This question has been most extensively studied in Merkel cells, which are epidermal cells that complex with sensory afferents in regions of high tactile acuity such as fingertips, whisker follicles, and touch domes. Merkel cell-neurite complexes mediate slowly adapting type I (SAI) responses, which encode sustained pressure and represent object features with high fidelity. How Merkel cells contribute to unique SAI firing patterns has been debated for decades; however, three recent studies in rodent models provide some direct answers. First, whole-cell recordings demonstrate that Merkel cells are touch-sensitive cells with fast, mechanically activated currents that require Piezo2. Second, optogenetics and intact recordings show that Merkel cells mediate sustained SAI firing. Finally, loss-of-function studies in transgenic mouse models reveal that SAI afferents are also touch sensitive. Together, these studies identify molecular mechanisms of mechanotransduction in Merkel cells, reveal unexpected functions for these cells in touch, and support a revised, two-receptor site model of mechanosensory transduction.
Preparation in augmentative and alternative communication: an update for speech-language pathology training.

Purpose To report on data from the current survey about academic and clinical education in augmentative and alternative communication (AAC), as well as to compare these findings with earlier survey...
Chemoprevention of intestinal adenomas in the ApcMin mouse by piroxicam: kinetics, strain effects and resistance to chemosuppression

Previous cancer chemoprevention studies have demonstrated that NSAIDs can be effective in suppressing the development of intestinal tumors. To further explore this issue, we performed cross-over chemoprevention studies using the drug piroxicam in the Apc Min mouse to evaluate the kinetics of NSAID-mediated tumor regression, the effects of genetic background and the incidence of resistance to chemoprevention. Starting at the time of weaning, C57Bl/ 6J-Apc Min mice were fed either the control diet (AIN-93G) or AIN-93G plus 200 p.p.m. piroxicam. Tumor multiplicity was significantly reduced in Apc Min mice that were fed 200 p.p.m. piroxicam until 100 or 200 days of age (94.4 and 95.7% reduction in tumor number, respectively; P 90% reduction in tumor multiplicity was observed after 1 week of treatment with 200 p.p.m. piroxicam. The distribution of residual tumors in piroxicam-treated mice suggests that tumors of the duodenum and colon were relatively resistant to chemosuppression. Treatment of interspecific hybrid Apc Min mice with 200 p.p.m. piroxicam revealed that there was a strain-related effect on chemosuppression, suggesting the existence of genetic elements which modulate NSAID chemosensitivity. Finally, whole-genome allelic loss studies showed that there were few unique chromosomal deletions in the NSAID-resistant tumors from F1 mice, implying that loss-of-function mutations secondary to Apc inactivation are not likely to account for the observed difference in chemoresistance.
Hydrocarbon secondary plasticizers as functional additives in flexible PVC compounds

Secondary plasticizers are additives which, by themselves, have limited compatibility with the polymer but may be used in combination with a primary plasticizer. Within the secondary plasticizers group hydrocarbon (HC) secondary plasticizers are sometimes seen as inexpensive, volatile additives that can reduce flexible PVC compound costs but that are largely lost during processing and have little plasticizing effect. However, analysis of processed flexible PVC samples shows that, depending on processing conditions and end use exposure conditions, HC secondary plasticizers can show some degree of permanence in the plastic and contribute to its flexibility. Moreover, HC secondary plasticizers can significantly improve the low temperature properties of compounds and the release of compounds from hot metal surfaces, lower plastisol viscosities, and improve plastisol viscosity stabilities. Hydrocarbon secondaries (at least the nonaromatic secondaries) have little effect on compound melt viscosities. Compatibility of some of these secondary plasticizers can be quite adequate and their effects on compound processing temperatures can be slight. J. VINYL. ADDIT. TECHNOL., 11:76–82, 2005. © 2005 Society of Plastics Engineers
Agenda Setting, Public Opinion, and the Issue of Immigration Reform

Objective. Agenda-setting theory is used to motivate hypotheses about how media coverage of immigration influences public perceptions of its importance. The authors seek to offer a more complete explanation of public opinion on immigration by exploring differences in the effects of immigration news in border and nonborder states. Method. This article employs content analyses of newspaper coverage of immigration and Gallup public opinion data over a 12-month period (January‐ December 2006). Respondents’ identification of immigration as a ‘‘Most Important Problem’’ is modeled as a conditional relationship between border state/nonborder state residence and media coverage, ethnic context, and individual-level demographics. Results. Media attention to immigration is greater in border states than in nonborder states; as a result, residents of border states are more likely to identify immigration as a most important problem than are residents of nonborder states. Conclusions. The analyses point to the importance of geography and news coverage in explanations of public opinion on immigration. The public’s attitude toward immigration has traditionally been different for those residing in states that share a border with Mexico and those living in nonborder states. Extant survey research, which focuses primarily on Anglo attitudes (Alvarez and Buttereld, 2000; Johnson, Stein, and Wrinkle, 2003), reveals that individuals residing in border states consistently rate immigration as one of the ‘‘most important problems facing the nation,’’ relative to individuals residing in nonborder states. However, immediately following the 2006 spike in national media attention toward immigration reform and the wave of immigration protests nationwide, public opinion polls revealed that national public opinion regarding immigration surged to
Skin toxicity due to intensity-modulated radiotherapy for head-and-neck carcinoma.

Abstract Purpose : To investigate the cause of acute skin toxicity observed in the treatment of head-and-neck cancer with extended-field intensity-modulated radiotherapy (EF-IMRT). Methods and Materials : EF-IMRT was used to treat head-and-neck cancer, with the gross target volume receiving 70 Gy and the clinical target volume 60 Gy. A thermoplastic mask covering the head, neck, and shoulder was used for immobilization. Dosimetric studies were conducted to investigate the possible causes of the skin reactions, such as the bolus effect of the mask, the use of multiple tangential beams with IMRT plans, and the way in which the physicians contoured the lymph nodes. The dose-volume histograms of conventional opposed-lateral fields were compared with that of the multiple tangential EF-IMRT fields. IMRT plans with neck nodes contoured up to and including the skin surface were compared with plans that contoured the neck nodes 5 mm away from the skin surface. In addition, IMRT plans defining the skin as a sensitive structure were compared with plans that did not define the skin as a sensitive structure. All plans were created using an anthropomorphic Rando phantom, and the skin doses were measured with and without the mask. In each measurement, 6 thermoluminescent dosimeters (TLDs) were placed at the lateral and medial surfaces of the neck. Results : For all four plans, the measured skin doses with the mask were consistently higher than those without the mask. The average dose increase was about 18% owing to the bolus effect of the mask. Multiple tangential fields used in IMRT plans contributed to an increase in skin dose by about 19% and 27%, with and without the mask, respectively. If the skin of the neck was contoured as a sensitive structure for dose optimization, the volume of skin that received >45 Gy was further reduced by about 20%. Five patients immobilized with head and shoulder masks were treated with EF-IMRT plans with the neck nodes carefully delineated away from the skin surface. The neck skin was identified as a sensitive structure for dose optimization. Grade 1 toxicity was observed in 3 patients, Grade 2 in 1 patient, and Grade 3 in 1 patient toward the end of treatment. Conclusion : Multiple factors contributed to the observed acute skin reaction for head-and-neck cancer patients treated with EF-IMRT. By taking into consideration the skin as a sensitive structure during inverse planning, it was possible to reduce the skin dose to a tolerable level without compromising tumor target coverage.
Comparing platforms for C. elegans mutant identification using high-throughput whole-genome sequencing.

Background Whole-genome sequencing represents a promising approach to pinpoint chemically induced mutations in genetic model organisms, thereby short-cutting time-consuming genetic mapping efforts. Principal Findings We compare here the ability of two leading high-throughput platforms for paired-end deep sequencing, SOLiD (ABI) and Genome Analyzer (Illumina; “Solexa”), to achieve the goal of mutant detection. As a test case we used a mutant C. elegans strain that harbors a mutation in the lsy-12 locus which we compare to the reference wild-type genome sequence. We analyzed the accuracy, sensitivity, and depth-coverage characteristics of the two platforms. Both platforms were able to identify the mutation that causes the phenotype of the mutant C. elegans strain, lsy-12. Based on a 4 MB genomic region in which individual variants were validated by Sanger sequencing, we observe tradeoffs between rates of false positives and false negatives when using both platforms under similar coverage and mapping criteria. Significance In conclusion, whole-genome sequencing conducted by either platform is a viable approach for the identification of single-nucleotide variations in the C. elegans genome.