cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Saccharomyces cerevisiae DNA ligase IV supports imprecise end joining independently of its catalytic activity.

DNA ligase IV (Dnl4 in budding yeast) is a specialized ligase used in non-homologous end joining (NHEJ) of DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs). Although point and truncation mutations arise in the human ligase IV syndrome, the roles of Dnl4 in DSB repair have mainly been examined using gene deletions. Here, Dnl4 catalytic point mutants were generated that were severely defective in auto-adenylation in vitro and NHEJ activity in vivo, despite being hyper-recruited to DSBs and supporting wild-type levels of Lif1 interaction and assembly of a Ku- and Lif1-containing complex at DSBs. Interestingly, residual levels of especially imprecise NHEJ were markedly higher in a deletion-based assay with Dnl4 catalytic mutants than with a gene deletion strain, suggesting a role of DSB-bound Dnl4 in supporting a mode of NHEJ catalyzed by a different ligase. Similarly, next generation sequencing of repair joints in a distinct single-DSB assay showed that dnl4-K466A mutation conferred a significantly different imprecise joining profile than wild-type Dnl4 and that such repair was rarely observed in the absence of Dnl4. Enrichment of DNA ligase I (Cdc9 in yeast) at DSBs was observed in wild-type as well as dnl4 point mutant strains, with both Dnl4 and Cdc9 disappearing from DSBs upon 5′ resection that was unimpeded by the presence of catalytically inactive Dnl4. These findings indicate that Dnl4 can promote mutagenic end joining independently of its catalytic activity, likely by a mechanism that involves Cdc9.
Comment on Kerry D. Vandell's “FHA restructuring proposals: Alternatives and implications”

Thanks to the 1994 election and the Clinton administration’s reaction to it, the future of the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) is again a public policy issue. The administration has proposed a major reorganization of FHA as part of its larger proposal to “reinvent” the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD); this proposal has provided the impetus for the current political debates. It has also provided the impetus for Kerry Vandell’s article, and for these comments, which set forth my own view of FHA’s role and its problems. Where appropriate, I discuss specifically both the administration’s proposals and Vandell’s article.
GRIS: THE GRATING INFRARED SPECTROMETER

The Grating Infrared Spectrometer (GRIS) is an echelle grating, prism cross dispersed, spectrometer designed for the 2.3 m Steward Observtory telescope. The cross dispersed format utilizes a NICMOS 3 HgCdTe detector array for observations in the 0.86-2.5 micron spectral region. An echelle grating, ruled on both sides, provides resolutions of 3449 and 9439 per slit width respectively. Rotation of the grating achieves several functions: 1/2 pixel spectrum stepping for full Nyquist sampling, a change in the wavelength regions falling on the detector, and the means for changing grating sides.
Surface Core-Level Shifts and Atomic Coordination at a Stepped W(110) Surface

Core-level 4[ital f][sub 7/2] photoemission spectra have been measured from a single, bifacial W crystal, which has both a flat W(110) and a vicinal, stepped W(110) [W(320)] surface. This procedure reduces uncertainties in the quantitative description of peaks in the spectra from W(320). Various analyses, including nonlinear least-squares curve fitting, show that the average surface core-level shift (SCS) for W(320) is only [similar to][minus]140 meV, compared to [minus]310 meV for W(110) and that, at a maximum, only two of five terrace rows are isoelectronic to W(110) surface atoms. The absence of a large SCS for the step-edge atoms contradicts earlier interpretations of W(320) core-level spectra and departs significantly from expectations based on atomic-coordination models or tight-binding calculations of a bulk truncated surface. We suggest that systematic errors are responsible for the differences in reported core-level shifts for W(320). Implications of possible step-edge-driven atomic rearrangements are discussed.
AN APPARENT GAP IN STELLAR MASS DISTRIBUTIONS AT ≈ 0.7 M AND A POSSIBLE EXPLANATION

Mass functions for samples of white dwarf stars and for a largeheterogeneous sample of nearby stars appear to have unexplained deficitsin the 0.70 M⊙ to 0.75 M⊙ range. The existence, ornon-existence, of this anomaly constitutes a definitive test of afractal cosmological model that inherently predicts a gap in stellarmass functions at ≈ 0.73 M⊙.
Chicken Little and the recorded music crisis

For the past few years, the recorded music industry has blamed the "falloff" in CD sales on piracy and they have lobbied heavily against technologies like file-sharing and CD writers. The author is against piracy and in favor of artists being paid for their work, but before adding special-purpose restrictive hardware to everyone's computer, he suggests that we recognize that this is an old story. Music sales have declined in the past, and the recording industry has repeatedly blamed new technologies. But the new technologies have not gone away: the solution has always been some kind of economic bargain, and we should again expect an economic bargain to deal with the problems caused by online music distribution.
In vivo evaluation of the boronated porphyrin TABP-1 in U-87 MG intracerebral human glioblastoma xenografts.

Boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) is an adjuvant therapy that has the potential to control local tumor growth. A selective delivery of sufficient amounts of boron to individual tumor cells, compared to surrounding normal tissues, is the key for successful BNCT. We have designed and synthesized a new highly water-soluble boronated porphyrin, TABP-1, as a possible BNCT agent. When we injected the maximum tolerated dose (MTD: 15 mg/kg) of TABP-1 systemically into the tail vein of athymic rats bearing intracerebral (ic) human glioblastoma U-87 MG xenografts, the compound accumulated preferentially in brain tumors compared to normal brain; however, the level of boron in the tumors was less than the 30 μg/g of tissue that is generally considered necessary for BNCT. We next investigated whether convection-enhanced delivery (CED) could improve the boron distribution. The compound was administered directly into ic tumors using an osmotic minipump attached to a brain-infusion cannula. TABP-1 doses from 0.25 to ...
Transposable Elements as Population Drive Mechanisms: Specification of Critical Parameter Values

With a view to the possible use of transposable elements (TEs) as a mechanism to drive genes into insect vector populations, we used a three-parameter density dependent growth equation to examine the critical parameter values that determine whether or not a mobile element will spread and become fixed in a finite diploid vector population. Populations were simulated with parameter values affecting size, reproductive rate, density-dependence, and transposition efficiency of the mobile element. Simulations indicated that an equilibrium was reached quickly, typically in 0.75 that reduces fertility < 25% will become fixed when introduced at a frequency as low as 1% of the total population. These results are consistent with previously reported population genetics models. They suggest that engineered transposons with a wide range of properties may be used to drive genes, such as those for parasite resistance, into wild vector populations.
Dual-energy contrast-enhanced breast tomosynthesis: optimization of beam quality for dose and image quality

Dual-energy contrast-enhanced breast tomosynthesis is a promising technique to obtain three-dimensional functional information from the breast with high resolution and speed. To optimize this new method, this study searched for the beam quality that maximized image quality in terms of mass detection performance. A digital tomosynthesis system was modeled using a fast ray-tracing algorithm, which created simulated projection images by tracking photons through a voxelized anatomical breast phantom containing iodinated lesions. The single-energy images were combined into dual-energy images through a weighted log subtraction process. The weighting factor was optimized to minimize anatomical noise, while the dose distribution was chosen to minimize quantum noise. The dual-energy images were analyzed for the signal difference to noise ratio (SdNR) of iodinated masses. The fast ray-tracing explored 523?776 dual-energy combinations to identify which yields optimum mass SdNR. The ray-tracing results were verified using a Monte Carlo model for a breast tomosynthesis system with a selenium-based flat-panel detector. The projection images from our voxelized breast phantom were obtained at a constant total glandular dose. The projections were combined using weighted log subtraction and reconstructed using commercial reconstruction software. The lesion SdNR was measured in the central reconstructed slice. The SdNR performance varied markedly across the kVp and filtration space. Ray-tracing results indicated that the mass SdNR was maximized with a high-energy tungsten beam at 49 kVp with 92.5 ?m of copper filtration and a low-energy tungsten beam at 49 kVp with 95 ?m of tin filtration. This result was consistent with Monte Carlo findings. This mammographic technique led to a mass SdNR of 0.92 ? 0.03 in the projections and 3.68 ? 0.19 in the reconstructed slices. These values were markedly higher than those for non-optimized techniques. Our findings indicate that dual-energy breast tomosynthesis can be performed optimally at 49 kVp with alternative copper and tin filters, with reconstruction following weighted subtraction. The optimum technique provides best visibility of iodine against structured breast background in dual-energy contrast-enhanced breast tomosynthesis.
Motivational antecedents to maturity of moral judgment

This study was undertaken to examine the independent influences of conative development (the Maslow needs hierarchy) upon aspects of prosocial orientations. It was designed to establish the role of conative development in moral reasoning among high school men at two age levels (sophomores and seniors), controlling for cognitive skills and social role-taking opportunities. As such, it attempts to break new ground in relating motivational constructs to the moral development literature. Conative maturity was found to be a necessary antecedent to attainment of higher level moral reasoning among high school men. Fixation and consolidation of moral reasoning was evidenced in connection with conative fixation among high school seniors. Results are discussed in terms of implications of conative growth for development of prosocial orientations in general and moral reasoning strategies in particular.
Endogenous opioid peptides mediate the interleukin-1-induced inhibition of the release of luteinizing hormone (LH)-releasing hormone and LH.

We have reported recently that central administration of both the α and β-subtypes of the cytokine interleukin- 1 (IL-1) inhibited the estrogen-progesterone-induced LH surge in ovariectomized (ovx) rats. This inhibition was probably due to a central effect, since IL-lα and IL-1β also suppressed the in vitro LHRH output from the hypothalami of steroidprimed ovx rats. Whether IL-1 inhibits LHRH release by a direct action or via some other neuronal system is not known. Since IL-1 reportedly stimulates the release of POMC peptides, which are known to be inhibitory to the LHRH-LH axis, we have tested the hypothesis that the inhibitory influence of IL-1 may be mediated via activation of hypothalamic opioid peptides. Ovx rats, preimplanted with cannulae in the third ventricle of the brain, were injected with 30 μg estradiol benzoate, followed by 2 mg progesterone 48 h later. Three hours after P injection, IL-lα, IL-1β, or saline (SAL) was injected intracerebroventricularly (30 ngβ (A) at 1300 h, followed immedia...
Two k-Sample Slippage Tests

Two nonparametric tests are presented for analyzing data from a one-way layout. Their principal characteristic is ease in computation. One test is intended for k samples of equal size n, and the other is for k samples of possibly unequal sample sizes. Both tests may be regarded as generalizations of Mosteller's slippage test. Multiple decision aspects of both tests are discussed. Monte Carlo studies show the first test to be more powerful than the F test in some situations, such as when the populations are normal and the larger means are accompanied by larger variances. Tables of critical values are presented.
The Girl Talk Dilemma: Can Copyright Law Accomodate New Forms of Sample-Based Music?

On Gregg Gillis’ laptop computer are thousands of files representing a vast slice of 20th and 21st century popular music. 1 His digital music collection is similar to that of many music consumers: it spans a wide variety of genres and runs from the obscure to the mainstream. But Gillis is different from most music consumers in that he uses computer software to cut his digital music files into audio snippets, or samples, and then piece them together into song collages. 2 Gregg Gillis is Girl Talk, a recording artist on the Illegal Art label whose music has made yearend best music lists in Time Magazine , 3 Rolling Stone , 4 Blender 5 and Pitchforkmedia.com. 6 Girl Talk has developed a strong following throughout the United States and has toured throughout Europe and Australia. 7 A PC user, he was recently featured in one of the “I’m a PC” ads for Microsoft. 8 But while Girl Talk has been successful, Gillis adds almost no original musical content to his recordings. Although he often alters the speed or pitch of his samples, or loops them in a continuous pattern, he does not sing or rap over his creations. Furthermore, Gillis has never sought licenses or authorization for any of the samples he uses. 9 For instance, his latest album, “Feed the Animals,” includes over 300 unauthorized samples 10 of artists ranging from Lil Wayne to Radiohead to Metallica to Kenny Loggins.
Prognostic significance of regional myocardial ischemia of the ventricular septum assessed by thallium-201 exercise testing

Abstract Use of exercise thallium (Tl-201) myocardial imaging for diagnosis of coronary artery disease (CAD) is well established. Recently, Tl-201 perfusion imaging has been shown to have important prognostic value in patients with CAD.1–3 Studies have consistently shown that the presence of transient Tl-201 defects, indicating ischemic viable myocardium, predicts cardiac events.1–3 We previously reported that among patients presenting for evaluation of chest pain without known previous myocardial infarction (MI), the total number of transient Tl-201 defects is superior to other clinical, exercise, angiographic and radionuclide data for predicting cardiovascular death or nonfatal MI.1 This suggests that the extent of ischemic viable myocardium is an important determinant of the risk of a cardiac event. However, whether specific regional abnormalities of myocardial perfusion carry prognostic value is unknown. Previous studies indicate that left anterior descending (LAD) CAD may have a worse outcome than disease in other arteries4,5 but regional ischemia determined by Tl-201 imaging has not been investigated for independent prognostic value. Therefore, our previously described cohort of patients1 was reevaluated to test the hypothesis that regional myocardial schemia has independent prognostic value.
Small RNAs of opposite sign… but same absolute value.

In ciliates, small RNAs have been shown to target foreign sequences for silencing via elimination from the somatic genome. Fang et al. now reveal a set of Piwi-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) in Oxytricha trifallax that likewise enable genomic self versus nonself discrimination, this time by specifying self sequences for genome retention.
BOUND STATES OF QUARKS TO ISOSPIN BALLS

Balachandran et al. have shown that nontopological solitons exist in a class of chiral models which incorporate scale anomaly. We have shown that bound states of quarks and antiquarks to these solitons exist. Masses of low-lying baryonic and mesonic bound states are estimated in the collective coordinate approximation.
The Effects of Marital Interaction, Depression and Self-Esteem on Dietary Self-Efficacy Among Married Couples1

This investigation defines the construct of dietary self-efficacy and examines the personal and interactional factors that predict efficacy in food behavior. Dietary self-efficacy is the belief that one is capable of behavior necessary to produce a nutritionally healthful diet. A path model was tested that located dietary self-efficacy as a consequence of the character of marital interaction (role disagreement, equity/inequity, and family food interaction), personal conditions of depression and low self-esteem, age, and education. One hundred fifty-five married couples were randomly selected and interviewed. The path model predicted a direct causal effect of role disagreement and inequity on depression and an indirect effect on dietary self-efficacy mediated by depression and self-esteem. The findings supported the proposed model for wives but not for husbands, suggesting that dietary self-efficacy is a female construct. Wives continue to take major responsibility for food selection and preparation, including the nutrition of children. Therefore, dietary self-efficacy gains a position of centrality for wives that is not independent of the effect of everyday interaction.
A novel approach to prepare zinc oxide films: excimer laser irradiation of sol–gel derived precursor films

Abstract Crystalline zinc oxide films with a c- axis orientation were prepared by a new approach using KrF excimer laser irradiation of sol–gel derived precursor films on glass substrates. The structural characteristics, optical and electrical properties of the laser-irradiated films were investigated and compared with those of heat-treated films. Laser irradiation gives two kinds of crystalline zinc oxide films; irradiation at low energy fluence produces low crystallinity with weak orientation, while irradiation at high energy fluence produces high crystallinity with strong orientation. The differences in crystallinity and orientation are explained in terms of the thermal effect caused by laser irradiation. Laser processing characteristically created oxygen vacancy in contrast to conventional heat-treatment, resulting in a decrease in electrical resistivity of the films. In addition, film irradiated at high energy fluence shows a band structure with indirect band gap, although the other prepared films and a typical ZnO crystal show a band structure with direct band gap.
Foreign Politics in the Classroom: A Problem for the Modern Foreign Language Teacher

What happened to the study of German in 1917-18 may happen again in 1939-40 to German and to other foreign languages. Foreign language teachers must divorce the study of modern foreign languages, literatures, and cultures from politics. As teachers, good sense suggests self-imposed limitations upon the freedom of speech and action to which we are unquestionably entitled as citizens. The study of foreign languages should stress the things that bind men together, not those that divide them.)
ATOMIC COLLISIONS WITH RELATIVISTIC HEAVY IONS III: ELECTRON CAPTURE

Cross sections for the electron capture by 82- , 140- , and 200-MeV/amu ${\mathrm{Xe}}^{54+}$, ${\mathrm{Xe}}^{53+}$, and ${\mathrm{Xe}}^{52+}$ ions incident on thin solid targets from Be to Au were measured. The measurements are compared with calculations of radiative and nonradiative capture. The nonradiative capture calculations are based on the relativistic eikonal approximation which includes transitions from K, L, and M shells of the target to nearly all projectile shells. In high-Z targets, nonradiative capture into excited states of the projectile is dominant, as predicted by the eikonal calculations and confirmed by comparing measured cross sections for bare ${\mathrm{Xe}}^{54+}$ and ${\mathrm{Xe}}^{52+}$ (1${s}^{2}$) projectiles. A simple formula for estimating nonradiative-electron-capture cross sections for relativistic-ion accelerator design and other applications is derived. Double and triple electron capture are also observed in the low-velocity, high-Z collisions.
New Research Findings Since the 2007 Surgeon General’s Call to Action to Prevent and Reduce Underage Drinking: A Review

OBJECTIVE: In 2007, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services issued The Surgeon General's Call To Action To Prevent And Reduce Underage Drinking, a publication documenting a problem linked to nearly 5,000 injury deaths annually and poor academic performance, potential cognitive deficits, risky sexual behavior, physical and sexual assaults, and other substance use. This report reviews subsequent underage drinking and related traffic fatality trends and research on determinants, consequences, and prevention interventions. METHOD: New research reports, meta-analyses, and systematic literature reviews were examined. RESULTS: Since the Call to Action, reductions in underage frequency of drinking, heavy drinking occasions, and alcohol-related traffic deaths that began in the 1980s when the drinking age nationally became 21 have continued. Knowledge regarding determinants and consequences, particularly the effects of early-onset drinking, parental alcohol provision, and cognitive effects, has expanded. Additional studies support associations between the legal drinking age of 21, zero tolerance laws, higher alcohol prices, and reduced drinking and related problems. New research suggests that use/lose laws, social host liability, internal possession laws, graduated licensing, and night driving restrictions reduce traffic deaths involving underage drinking drivers. Additional studies support the positive effects of individually oriented interventions, especially screening and brief motivational interventions, web and face-to-face social norms interventions, college web-based interventions, parental interventions, and multicomponent community interventions. CONCLUSIONS: Despite reductions in underage alcohol consumption and related traffic deaths, underage drinking remains an enduring problem. Continued research is warranted in minimally studied areas, such as prospective studies of alcohol and brain development, policy studies of use/lose laws, internal possession laws, social host liability, and parent-family interventions. (J. Stud. Alcohol Drugs, 75, 158-169, 2014). Language: en
Overview of basic medical mycology

To introduce the general mycologic aspects of fungal rhinosinusius, this article reviews, in brief, the biology of fungi and the principles of fungal pathogenesis. A glossary of frequently used mycologic terms is provided. The basis of fungal classification and strategies for the diagnosis of mycotic infections are summarized. The morphologic criteria for the identification of the common etiologic agents of rhinosinusitis are presented.
Rapid and efficient purification of actin from nonmuscle sources

The need for biochemical quantities of nonmuscle actin has been increased by observations that actin isoform composition of a cell influences the cell's motile and structural properties. In addition, the number of actin binding proteins that exhibit different binding interactions with beta- and gamma-actin compared to alpha-actin from skeletal muscle is growing. We report a procedure designed to purify actin from nonmuscle tissues employing extraction of monomeric actin from tissues with high concentrations of Tris, chromatography on DE-53 cellulose, and affinity chromatography of DNase I-agarose. The preparation is easy to perform and yields quantities of nonmuscle actin sufficient for biochemical and cell biological assays. Actin from bovine erythrocytes and from brains of adult and embryonic chickens was obtained using this method, which can be readily used with other sources of tissue. Coomassie-Blue-stained SDS gels of the purified actin show no contaminants; capping protein, a common contaminant of actin preparations, is absent by immunoblotting. This method for purifying nonmuscle actin will be useful to investigate functional differences in the biology of actin isoforms or their regulating proteins.
Range-preserving unbiased estimators in the poisson case

(1989). Rang—preserving unbiased estimators in the poisson case. Communications in Partial Differential Equations: Vol. 14, No. 4, pp. 1029-1030.
Alcohol Influences: A Comparison of Laboratory and Instrumented Car Research with On-Road Driving Behavior*:

Efforts to understand the influences of alcohol upon precrash behaviors have relied primarily upon controlled experiments and reconstruction of precrash events through analysis of accident records. As a results, it is clear that alcohol is highly correlated with highway crashes, but less apparent are the behavioral decrements responsible for those accidents. This paper discusses some parallels between epidemiological data, accident analyses, laboratory experiments, instrumented car research, and some preliminary analyses of on-road driving performance obtained unobtrustively. The relationship between alcohol influences upon reaction time, braking performance, and stopping behavior are discussed. /Author/
Valence bond study of hyperfine interactions and structure of Kr2F

Abstract A semi-empirical valence bond method for calculating isotropic and anisotropic hyperfine interaction constants in diatomic halogen anions and noble gas monohalides has been extended to the linear triatomic KrFKr. Comparison with the experimental values yields estimates for the KrF bond distance and the electron charge distribution in Kr 2 F.
Bisphosphonate duration of therapy for management of osteoporosis.

Recent controversy has raised questions about the duration of therapy with bisphosphonates for the treatment of osteoporosis. The optimal duration of use has not been established. In post-menopausal women with osteoporosis and high risk of fractures the potential benefits of treatment have outweighed the likely risks. Bisphosphonateswere shown to reduce the risk of fracture by as much as 60% in registration trials (Table 1). The study information reviewed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for initial drug approval was based on treatment durations of 3 years in which clear evidence of vertebral fracture risk reduction with alendronate, risedronate, ibandronate, and zoledronic acid was demonstrated. Reduction of non-vertebral fracture was demonstrated for all of the bisphosphonates except ibandronate. Since then, longer term extension trials have shown a small but statistically significant benefit to continued treatment with alendronate, risedronate, and zoledronic acid beyond the initial treatment periods. No long-term safety concerns were identified in these trials. There are no extension trials with ibandronate. In the last few years, reports of osteonecrosis of the jaw and femoral head fractures have led the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as well as bone and mineral clinicians to rethink long-term bisphosphonate therapy. The FDA safety review focused on trials in which the bisphosphonate was administered at least 3 years and fracture data were captured systematically and completely. Thus, the Fosamax Fracture Intervention Trial Long-term Extension (FLEX), Reclast Health Outcomes and Reduced Incidence with Zoledronic Acid Once Yearly Pivotal Fracture Trial (HORIZON-PFT), and the Actonel Vertebral Efficacy with Risedro-
A STATISTICAL APPROACH TO INSPECTION SYSTEM SELECTION

[This abstract is based on the author's abstract.] A summary of a study statistically comparing the measuring capability of a manual coordinate measuring machine (CMM) and a traditional surface plate inspection system (SPIS) is provided. The study m..
Analysis of crack tip plasticity for microstructurally small cracks using crystal plasticity theory

Crack tip plastic zone sizes and crack tip opening displacements (CTOD) for stationary microstructurally small cracks are calculated using the finite element method. To simulate the plastic deformation occurring at the crack tip, a two-dimensional small strain constitutive relationship from single crystal plasticity theory is implemented in the finite element code ANSYS as a user-defined plasticity subroutine. Small cracks are modeled in both single grains and multiple grains, and different crystallographic conditions are considered. The computed plastic zone sizes and CTOD are compared with those found using conventional isotropic plasticity theory, and significant differences are observed.
Combined neonatal blood transplants in a parent-to-F1 mouse model: improved survival rates and stable long-term engraftment.

The use of cord blood (CB) transplantation for adult patients is limited by the relatively low cell content of a single collection. Two, partially-matched CB grafts could provide optimal cell doses. The interactions among the donor-derived populations have not been fully evaluated. We used our mouse model (Neonatal peripheral blood––NPB––transplants to adult recipients) to evaluate whether grafts from two histocompatibility-disparate donors (“combined” grafts) had higher survival and faster hematopoietic recovery than single donor transplants, each at suboptimal cell dose (leading to survival <<60%). Transplants were performed in a parent-to-F1 setting: NPB or bone marrow (BM) cells from the fully mismatched, homozygous parental strains (A/J, B6) were given to myeloablated B6AF1 recipients. Outcomes improved by combining NPB grafts: 48% of A/J graft recipients (1 × 106 cells/animal) survived; all animals transplanted with B6 (same cell dose) died. Survival after combined NPB transplants was 75% (P << 0.01) and recipients had accelerated recovery of WBCs and platelets compared to single donor A/J grafts (P << 0.01). No such improvements occurred with suboptimal dose combined BM transplants. Recipients of combined NPB grafts reconstituted with one donor primarily. Chimerism levels remained stable. Successful secondary transplants demonstrated long-term persistence of both NPB grafts. Combined haplo-identical NPB but not BM grafts, each transplanted at suboptimal cell doses, engraft synergistically leading to faster reconstitution. Although the mouse model does not fully represent the complex clinical aspects of human transplantation, our findings support the concept of using two CB grafts for adult patients when a sufficiently large single one is not available. Am. J. Hematol., 2007. © 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Interactive visual analytics for high dimensional data

Many modern data sets can be represented in high dimensional vector spaces and have benefited from computational methods that utilize advanced techniques from numerical linear algebra and optimization. Visual analytics approaches have contributed greatly to data understanding and analysis due to utilization of both automated algorithms and human's quick visual perception and interaction. However, visual analytics targeting high dimensional large-scale data has been challenging due to low dimensional screen space with limited pixels to represent data. Among various computational techniques supporting visual analytics, dimension reduction and clustering have played essential roles by reducing the dimension and volume to visually manageable scales.In this talk, we present some of the key foundational methods for supervised dimension reduction such as linear discriminant analysis (LDA), dimension reduction and clustering/topic discovery by nonnegative matrix factorization (NMF), and visual spatial alignment for effective fusion and comparisons by Orthogonal Procrustes. We demonstrate how these methods can effectively support interactive visual analytic tasks that involve large-scale document and image data sets.
The wisdom, and madness, of crowds.

In reading the history of nations, we find that, like individuals, they have their whims and their peculiarities; their seasons of excitement and recklessness, when they care not what they do. We find that whole communities suddenly fix their minds upon one object, and go mad in its pursuit; that millions of people become simultaneously impressed with one delusion, and run after it, till their attention is caught by some new folly more captivating than the first...Money, again, has often been a cause of the delusion of multitudes. Sober nations have all at once become desperate gamblers, and risked almost their existence upon the turn of a piece of paper... Men, it has been well said, think in herds; it will be seen that they go mad in herds, while they only recover their senses slowly, and one by one. Charles Mackay, L.L.D.
An investigation into semantic and phonological processing in individuals with Williams syndrome.

Purpose The current study examined semantic and phonological processing in individuals with Williams syndrome (WS). Previous research in language processing in individuals with WS suggests a complex linguistic system characterized by “deviant” semantic organization and differential phonological processing. Method Two experiments explored these representations in individuals with WS. The first experiment analyzed the relative typicality and frequency of participants' responses to a semantic and phonological fluency task. The second experiment tapped into online language processing through a semantic priming task and an online sentence reading task measuring the effects of word frequency. Thirteen participants with WS were matched to a group of participants on reading grade level and a group of participants on chronological age. Results The results of the semantic fluency task, semantic priming task, and word frequency task suggest that semantic organization in individuals with WS appears commensurate with ...
Chemosensitization by emodin, a plant-derived anti-cancer agent: mechanism of action.

Commentary to: Emodin enhances cytotoxicity of chemotherapeutic drugs in prostate cancer cells: the mechanisms involve ROS-mediated suppression of multidrug resistance and hypoxia inducible factor-1# Xin-zhi Huang, Jie Wang, Chao Huang, Yu-ying Chen, Gui-ying Shi, Qing-shen Hu, Jing Yi
Transient kinetics of the disproportionation of propylene over a tungsten oxide on silica catalyst

Abstract During the initial contacting of WO3 on silica gel with propylene, significant increases in disproportionation activity were observed for periods of up to 24 hr. The rate of approach to steady state activity was found to depend on both temperature and pressure. The rate of activation was found to have an activation energy of 47.2 kcal and to be first order in propylene partial pressure. Data are presented to establish that both a reduction of the catalyst and the irreversible adsorption of propylene accompany this period of transient activity.
Computer-assisted sperm analysis of canine spermatozoa motility measurements.

Abstract Computer-assisted sperm analysis (CASA) allows for the determination of specific motion characteristics of sperm cells in vitro. This study was designed to develop a system for the use of CASA to objectively evaluate canine sperm motility, and specifically to determine whether motility characteristics vary between individual dogs. Ejaculates from 10 dogs were collected weekly. Sperm cells were extended in a glucose-free TALP medium, placed on slides and videotaped at 200x. Videotaped samples were then analyzed by the Hamilton-Thorn Motility Analyzer, with 100 cells evaluated per slide. Two slides were made from each ejaculate. Motility characteristics that were evaluated included lateral head displacement, beat cross frequency, path velocity, path linearity, path straightness, percentage of motile cells, and percentage of progressively motile cells. Sperm cell morphology was also evaluated. Canine spermatozoa maintained good overall motility (mean ± SD, 73 ± 9%) during the procedure. Mean sperm motility and morphology measurements differed significantly between dogs (P 0.05) between the mean measurements of different ejaculates for an individual dog, or for different slides made from the same ejaculate. Mean motility values for the 10 dogs are reported. There was a significant but not strong correlation (r=0.44) between the percentage of progressively motile sperm cells and the percentage of sperm cells with normal morphology.
Lolliproc: to concurrency from classical linear logic via curry-howard and control

While many type systems based on the intuitionistic fragment of linear logic have been proposed, applications in programming languages of the full power of linear logic - including double-negation elimination - have remained elusive. Meanwhile, linearity has been used in many type systems for concurrent programs - e.g., session types - which suggests applicability to the problems of concurrent programming, but the ways in which linearity has interacted with concurrency primitives in lambda calculi have remained somewhat ad-hoc. In this paper we connect classical linear logic and concurrent functional programming in the language Lolliproc, which provides simple primitives for concurrency that have a direct logical interpretation and that combine to provide the functionality of session types. Lolliproc features a simple process calculus "under the hood" but hides the machinery of processes from programmers. We illustrate Lolliproc by example and prove soundness, strong normalization, and confluence results, which, among other things, guarantees freedom from deadlocks and race conditions.
Physiology of the menstrual cycle

The normal female life cycle is associated with a number of hormonal milestones: menarche, pregnancy, contraceptive use, menopause, and the use of replacement sex hormones. All these events and interventions alter the levels and cycling of sex hormones and may cause a change in the prevalence or intensity of headache. The menstrual cycle is the result of a carefully orchestrated sequence of interactions among the hypothalamus, pituitary, ovary, and endometrium, with the sex hormones acting as modulators and effectors at each level. Oestrogen and progestins have potent effects on central serotonergic and opioid neurons, modulating both neuronal activity and receptor density. The primary trigger of menstrual migraine appears to be the withdrawal of oestrogen rather than the maintenance of sustained high or low oestrogen levels. However, changes in the sustained oestrogen levels with pregnancy (increased) and menopause (decreased) appear to affect headaches. Headaches that occur with premenstrual syndrome appear to be centrally generated, involving the inherent rhythm of CNS neurons, including perhaps the serotonergic pain-modulating systems.
The distribution of substance P-containing neurons in the cat Edinger-Westphal nucleus: relationship to efferent projection systems

Abstract The light microscopic localization of substance P-like immunoreactivity (SPLI) was examined in the cat Edinger-Westphal complex using the peroxidase-antiperoxidase method. A high density of cell bodies and processes staining for SPLI were found in the caudal part of the Edinger-Westphal complex (EWc) capping the somatic divisions of the oculomotor nucleus. This distribution continued rostrally into the anteromedian nucleus (AM). Cells labeled with SPLI were also found arranged in a thin layer dorsally capping the oculomotor nucleus, and scattered cells were found in the periaqueductal gray region at the same level. This distribution of SPLI-positive cells was then compared with the distribution of cells in EWc and AM that are retrogradely labeled by horseradish peroxidase or Nuclear Yellow injections into spinal cord, cerebellum, or ciliary ganglion. Injections of horseradish peroxidase into both cervical and lumbar cord labeled a large number of cells throughout the length of EWc and the more rostral AM. A similar pattern of labeling was seen following injections of Nuclear Yellow into the deep cerebellar nuclei. In contrast, cells innervating the ciliary ganglion were found predominantly outside of the Edinger-Westphal complex in AM, the rostral periaqueductal region, and the tegmentum ventral to the oculomot complex. The distribution of cells projecting to spinal cord or cerebellum and the pattern of SPLI staining was found to closely overlap, evidence that substance P may be contained in cells that give rise to the central projections of the Edinger-Westphal complex.
Effect of intercropping chili (Capsicum annuum L.) with onion (Allium cepa L.) in sandy regosol

Bangladesh J. Agril. Res. 37(3): 547-550, September 2012 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/bjar.v37i3.12132
Induction of hepatitis B virus gene expression at low temperature

There is a limited understanding of the cellular regulation of HBV gene expression in differentiated hepatocytes. We previously demonstrated that HBV replication inversely correlates with cell proliferation and DNA synthesis. In this report, temperature-induced modulation of cell growth was used as a novel approach to study HBV gene expression in the absence of indirect effects from drugs or serum deprivation. We observed markedly elevated levels of hepatic HBV mRNA expression from integrated and episomal HBV DNA at 32 degrees C. Additionally, hepatoblastoma cells cultured at 32 degrees C expressed increased levels of albumin mRNA and decreased levels of c-myc mRNA, which demonstrates that liver-derived cells cultured at low temperature exhibit characteristics of functional and differentiated hepatocytes. In transiently transfected HepG2 cells cultured at 32 degrees C, the HBV enhancer 1 activated the X promoter and core/pregenomic promoter by 7.3- and 28-fold, respectively. In the absence of enhancer 1, core/pregenomic promoter activity was 2.4-fold higher than the X promoter in HepG2 cells at 32 degrees C. In contrast, enhancer 1 exclusively activated the X promoter in transfected non-liver cells at 32 degrees C. Therefore, the core/pregenomic promoter exhibits strict liver-specificity at low temperature. This work supports the hypothesis that HBV replication and gene expression are optimal in non-activated hepatocytes, and provides a novel system for delineating molecular aspects of the HBV replication process.
Dairy Wastewaters for Algae Cultivation, Polyhydroxyalkanote Reactor Effluent Versus Anaerobic Digester Effluent

Nutrients in dairy wastewaters can be remediated through assimilation into algal biomass. Anaerobically digested manure creates an effluent (ADE) that is useful for algal cultivation while alternate processing of manure through a polyhydroxyalkanoate reactor generates a distinct effluent (PHAE), not previously characterized for algal cultivation. Each effluent was evaluated for growth rate, biomass production, and nutrient recovery using type algae species Chlorella vulgaris. Growth rates were elevated in 5, 10, and 20 % dilutions of PHAE (0.59, 0.53, 0.42 days−1) compared to equal concentrations of ADE (0.40, 0.36, 0.37 days−1). In addition, the growth phase lasted up to twice as long for PHAE, resulting in a fourfold higher stationary phase algal concentration (cells∙mL−1) compared to ADE. Growth in ADE was limited by specific inhibitory properties: high concentrations of dissolved organic matter, ammonia, and elevated bacterial load. Maximum nutrient removal rates for ADE and PHAE were 0.95 and 3.46 mg·L−1·day−1 for nitrogen and 0.67 and 0.04 mg·L−1·day−1 for phosphorus, respectively. Finally, biomass derived from PHAE was higher in lipids (11.3 % versus 7.2 %) and thus has a greater potential as a feedstock for biofuel compared to ADE.
Necessary and Sufficient Conditions for Solving Infinite-Dimensional Linear Inequalities

The existence of a feasible solution to a system of infinite-dimensional linear inequalities is characterized by a topological generalization of the Farkas Condition. If this result is specialized to a finite-dimensional vector space with finite positive cone, then a geometric proof of the classic Minkowski-Farkas Lemma is obtained. A dual version leads to an infinite-dimensional extension of the Theorem of the Alternative.
P-P and As-As isovalent impurity pairs in GaN: Interaction of deep t 2 levels

The electronic and atomic structure of substitutional {ital n}th neighbor (1{le}n{le}6) P-P and As-As impurity pairs in zinc blende GaN is investigated using self-consistent plane-wave pseudopotential and empirical pseudopotential methods. A single impurity introduces a deep t{sub 2} gap level; we show that the interaction between the t{sub 2} defect orbitals of the impurity pairs leads to an interesting pattern of single-particle level splitting, being largest for the first (n=1) and fourth (n=4) neighbor pairs, both exhibiting a C{sub 2v} symmetry. The total energy of the {ital n}th order pair {Delta}E{sup (n)} relative to isolated (n{r_arrow}{infinity}) impurities indicates pairing tendency for n=1 and n=2 ({Delta}E{sup (1,2)}{lt}0) while n=4 pairs are unstable ({Delta}E{sup (4)}{gt}0). We explain this behavior of {Delta}E{sup (n)} vs {ital n} as a consequence of the interplay between two effects: an {open_quotes}elastic contribution{close_quotes} representing the interaction between the elastic strain fields of the two impurities and an {open_quotes}electronic contribution{close_quotes} describing the interaction of the defect orbitals of the two impurity atoms. The binding energies of the impurity-pair bound excitons are calculated for the n=1 As-As and P-P pairs and are found to be significantly larger than for the corresponding isolated impurities. The probabilities for electronic transitions between themore » defect levels and conduction band are calculated. The results predict existence of a rich series of spectroscopic features distinct from single impurities. {copyright} {ital 1999} {ital The American Physical Society}« less
A note on the economic management of inventory or resource under stochastic prices

Abstract The Markovian optimal policies are studied for the problem of economic inventory control or resource management in a finite time horizon. Under some conditions, in particular, when the prices are stochastic and there is a positive fixed setup cost K , the existence of { S , s } -type Markovian optimal management policies is proved. When K = 0 , the optimal policies are of { S } -type, in which case a comparison is made between the optimal policies under stochastic and deterministic prices. It turns out that under stochastic prices the optimal policies should be more conservative in order to maximize the present value of expected revenue.
Endometrial cancer: the potential role of cervical cytology in current surgical staging.

Abstract Objective To evaluate cervical cytology, tumor grade from endometrial sampling, and myometrial invasion with the risk of nodal spread in endometrial cancer. Methods Cervical cytology was obtained in 300 patients with endometrial cancer before surgical staging, which included lymphadenectomy. Tumor grade and histology from endometrial sampling were compared with final pathology, and the risk of nodal spread in relation to cervical cytology, tumor grade, and myometrial invasion was assessed using χ2 and logistic regression analysis. Results Endometrial cells on cervical cytology, deep myometrial invasion, and high-grade tumor were associated with 91%, 87%, and 83% of the cases with nodal spread, respectively. In patients with grade 1 tumor on biopsy, final pathology revealed grade 2 in 21%, and grade 3 in 2%. In patients with normal cervical cytology, no nodal metastases occurred with grade 1 tumor on biopsy, and no aortic metastases occurred, regardless of grade. Cervical cytology and tumor grade contributed independently to the likelihood of nodal metastases. Conclusion All patients with endometrial cancer should undergo lymphadenectomy until a reliable system is found to identify those with negligible (less than 1%) risk of nodal spread. The risk of lymph node spread in those with normal cervical cytology is low (2%). Further study of those with normal cervical cytology is needed to determine if lymphadenectomy can be omitted with grade 1 tumor on biopsy, or whether aortic lymphadenectomy is necessary regardless of grade.