cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Functional maturation of thymic lymphocyte populations in vitro.

Mouse thymocytes were cultured for short periods of time either alone or with one of two supporting cell populations, splenic adherent cells or thymic epithelial cells. The thymus-derived (T) cell activity of thymocytes cultured on supporting cell populations increased dramatically during 2 days of culture, as assayed in the mixed lymphocyte interaction (MLI), response to phytomitogens, and helper cell activity in the in vitro antibody response. The level of activity attained was equal to that of spleen and lymph node lymphocytes and greater than that of steroid-resistant thymocytes. The cultured thymocytes had surface antigens characteristic of mature T lymphocytes with regard to θ and H-2. The appearance of functionally active lymphocytes in vitro depended upon cell division. Most of the active cultured cells arose from cells already undergoing maturation, i.e., from cells with reduced θ determinants and increased H-2 determinants. We therefore have generated a population of thymocytes indistinguishable from peripheral T lymphocytes using simple in vitro techniques. The extent to which the production of these active lymphocytes depends upon in vitro differentiation is discussed.
Effect of a novel prolyl endopeptidase inhibitor, JTP-4819, on spatial memory and on cholinergic and peptidergic neurons in rats with ibotenate-induced lesions of the nucleus basalis magnocellularis.

Abstract We conducted behavioral and neurochemical studies of a novel prolyl endopeptidase inhibitor, ( S )2-[[( S )-2-(hydroxyacetyl)-1-pyrrolidinyl]carbonyl]- N -(phenylmethyl)-1-pyrrolidine-carboxamide (JTP-4819), in rats with lesions of the nucleus basalis magnocellularis (NBM-lesioned rats) induced by ibotenate. Administration of JTP-4819 (1 and 3 mg/kg, p.o.), on and after the 8th day, significantly shortened the escape latency in the Morris water maze as compared to the vehicle-treated group. JTP-4819 also significantly increased the path length in the quadrant with the platform removed in the spatial probe trial. Neurochemical studies of brains removed after the Morris water maze task showed that choline acetyltransferase activity in the cerebral cortex, but not the hippocampus, was significantly reduced by NBM lesioning, while there were no changes of muscarinic M1 receptor binding activity detected using [ 3 H]pirenzepine. JTP-4819 had almost no effect on these cholinergic parameters in NBM-lesioned rats. Substance P-like immunoreactivity (LI), thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH)-LI, and arginine-vasopressin-LI were not significantly changed in the cerebral cortex and hippocampus of NBM-lesioned rats as compared to sham-operated rats. However, these neuropeptide levels were significantly increased in both brain regions by repeated administration of JTP-4819 (1, 3 and/or 10 mg/kg, p.o.). These results suggest that JTP-4819 ameliorated memory impairment due to NBM lesioning by potentiating SP, TRH and AVPergic neurons secondary to PEP inhibition.
Cosmological consequences of the quark-hadron phase transition

Abstract A first-order phase transition is likely to have occurred in the early universe at the end of the quark era and the beginning of the hadron era. This phase transition would have created large amplitude isothermal fluctuations in the distribution of baryon number in the universe. These fluctuations have significant impact on the subsequent synthesis of isotopes of hydrogen, helium and lithium out of protons and neutrons. It turns out to be possible that all of the mass in the universe today is baryonic.
Heat Capacity Effects on the Melting of DNA.2. Analysis of Nearest-Neighbor Base Pair Effects

The stability of a DNA double helix of any particular sequence is conventionally estimated as the average of the stabilities of the 10 different nearest-neighbor (NN) base pair doublets that it contains. Therefore, much effort has been devoted to the experimental characterization and tabulation of the enthalpy, entropy, and free energy of melting for each of the NN doublets. Although data from different research groups generally agree for the NN free energies and melting temperatures, there are major disagreements for the enthalpies and entropies. The largest differences are between the parameters obtained on oligomeric relative to polymeric DNA. This disagreement interferes with the practical application of NN thermodynamic parameters. It also raises doubts regarding several fundamental assumptions about DNA melting, such as the absence of longer range interactions, the length dependence of DNA melting parameters per base pair, the applicability of polyelectrolyte theory to the description of salt effects on oligomers, and the purely enthalpic difference between NN doublets. Here we show that if one takes into account the significant heat capacity increase associated with DNA melting, all of the above assumptions are self-consistently reconciled with experiment.
Abstract SY05-04: Biological discovery and therapeutic insight from DNA-templated macrocycle libraries

DNA-templated organic synthesis enables the translation of libraries of DNA templates into corresponding libraries of synthetic small molecules. The in vitro selection of a library of DNA-templated small-molecule macrocycles has resulted in the discovery of unusually selective and potent inhibitors of kinase, protease, and protein-protein interface targets. Using this approach, we recently discovered the first physiologically active inhibitor of an enzyme implicated in type-2 diabetes. In a series of biochemical, structural biological, and in vivo physiology experiments, we elucidated the molecular basis of target inhibition by this macrocycle, validated a new target for the potential treatment of type-2 diabetes, and discovered previously unknown and therapeutically relevant physiological roles for this enzyme. Citation Format: David R. Liu. Biological discovery and therapeutic insight from DNA-templated macrocycle libraries. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr SY05-04. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-SY05-04
Retinopathy of Prematurity: History, Classification, and Pathophysiology

After completing this article, readers should be able to: 1. Describe the onset of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP). 2. Explain the role of oxygen in ROP. 3. Compare and contrast zones I, II, and III disease. 4. Describe the stages of ROP. 5. Characterize “plus” disease. 6. Describe the infants in whom severe ROP leading to the need for surgery is common. 7. Describe the timeframe at which ROP is visible in the eye. ### The First ROP In 1942, Terry described the first infant who had grey, blood vessel-covered membranes behind the pupil. As more cases were described, the name retrolental fibroplasia (RLF) was coined (Fig. 1⇓ ). Distressingly, it became common around the world in special units for preterm infants. Pathologic specimens were rare (Fig. 2⇓ ) , but serial examinations of preterm infants following birth revealed that infants were not born with RLF; they developed it after birth. By the end of the 1940s, many innovations in the new preterm infant nurseries had been implicated, some were exonerated, and it was time to examine the role of oxygen. Figure 1. End-stage ROP. The white pupils (leukocoria) of stage 5 ROP result from total retinal detachment, with the mass of fibrous neovascularization and the retina pushing up against the lens from behind. This is the source of the historical name retrolental fibroplasia. Photograph courtesy of A. Patz, MD, used with permission. Reprinted with permission from Pediatrics . 1957;19:502–504. Figure 2. A. Artist’s rendering of stage 5 retinal detachment. B. Pathologic specimen of an eye with stage 5 ROP. In this cross section, the lens is displaced into the anterior chamber by the mass of tissue in the vitreous composed of the detached retina and the large number of extraretinal vessels and accompanying scar tissue (fibroplasia). The retina remains attached at the posterior pole at the optic disc and around the rim …
Sexual negotiation and HIV serodisclosure among men who have sex with men with their online and offline partners.

The aim of this study was to examine online profile and in-person communication patterns and their associations with unprotected anal intercourse (UAI) in online and offline partnerships between men who have sex with men (MSM) who have never tested for HIV (“Never Tested”), had been tested at least once for HIV (“Tested”), and had tested positive for HIV. Between September and November 2005, 2,716 MSM participated in a one-time online survey. Although 75% and 72% of the Tested and Never Tested groups disclosed a HIV-negative status in all of their online profiles, 17% of HIV-positive participants did so. Exchanging HIV status information was highest among the Tested group, while HIV-positive men were most likely to negotiate UAI. Serodisclosure was not an independent predictor of UAI, although making an explicit agreement to engage in UAI was. Sexual communication and risk-taking patterns differed by testing status. Explicit agreements to avoid UAI were associated with reduced sexual risk-taking. Misrepresentation of HIV status is an identified challenge for HIV prevention.
Smoking and multiple sclerosis, cause or coincidence?

An increased risk of MS among smokers has been consistently found in numerous longitudinal studies with excess rates ranging from 1.3 to 1.7 for heavy long-term smokers as compared to never smokers (Hernan et al., 2005, Hernan et al., 2001). Smoking has also been associated with an increased risk of MS progression from a relapsing-remitting clinical course into a secondary progressive course (Healy et al., 2009; Hernan et al., 2005). Recently, Hedstrom et al. (2011) found that exposure to passive smoking was also associated with a similar 30% increased MS risk and an even greater MS risk was associated with longer exposure to passive smoking (80% increased risk among those exposed for more than 20 years). However, it is still unclear if the relationship between smoking and MS is causal, and if so, what are the relevant components of cigarette smoking for MS risk. To provide some evidence of causation, Palacios et al. (2011) compared published data on MS incidence and smoking rates among men and women over the past several decades to determine if there were similarities consistent with a causal interpretation (Palacios et al., 2011). Correlating female to male ratios of prevalence of smoking from numerous birth cohorts within several countries with the corresponding female to male ratios of MS incidence demonstrated that a significant proportion of the increase in the female/male ratio of MS incidence could potentially be explained by the change over time in the rates of smoking in women as compared to men. The change in the smoking ratio was primarily due to a steady decrease in smoking among men over the past decades from approximately 80% to approximately 20%, while smoking among women remained relatively stable. The female to male smoking ratio was
Characterization of the Interphase in Model Associative Polymer/Titanium Dioxide and Polystyrene Latex Systems

The adsorption behavior of model associative polymers in aqueous titanium dioxide (TiO2) and polystyrene latex (PS) particle dispersions has been studied using liquid-state Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) and a modified serum replacement technique (SRT). The structure of the associative polymer is a linear, water soluble, A-B-A block copolymer with a polyethylene oxide backbone and hydroxyl (H) or hexadecyl (C16H33) endgroups. Absolute intensity NMR measurements allow the determination of the adsorbed polymer configuration at the solid-solution interface and adsorption isotherms for comparison to the SRT results. Both the SRT and NMR results demonstrate that the adsorption/desorption of the C16 and H polymers is strongly affected by the substrate. For the polymer/PS particle systems, there is good agreement in complete surface saturation values for the SRT and NMR methods. In the polymer/TiO2 systems, the H polymer plateau as determined by NMR differs slightly from that determined by SRT. For the C16/TiO2 system the interpretation is less straightforward. Either the NMR saturation value is at least double that of the SRT value or the C16 and H polymers have very similar isotherms by NMR. This would suggest that on TiO2 the effect of the hydrophobe is minimal. For all the polymers the polymer/particle interaction on PS is strong and desorption is difficult while on TiO2 it is weak and completely reversible. A pancake-to-brush conformation change on the PS surface is evident for the C16 polymers and probably for the H polymer as well. The H polymer seems to form a multi-layered structure on PS from the NMR and laser light scattering results. The contribution of the hydrophobe and the effect of increasing the backbone molecular weight are clearly illustrated.
Adaptive Filtering Techniques for Estimating Electromechanical Modes in Power Systems

Previous adaptive filtering algorithms using the least mean square (LMS) technique for estimating electromechanical modes in power systems imposed constraints arising from the variability and time of convergence of the filter estimates. Also these techniques assumed the power system data to be wide-sense stationary. This work presents a combination of adaptive filtering and block processing algorithms to overcome the constraints of variability and time of convergence of the mode estimates. This work also introduces an adaptive step size least mean squares (ASLMS) algorithm assuming the non-stationary nature of power system data. Finally, this paper investigates the use of an error tracking (ET) algorithm, a combination of LMS and ASLMS algorithms based on the estimation error of the adaptive filters. These techniques are applied to two sets of actual power system data recorded from the western North American power grid. The first data set recorded in June 2000 is 18.85 minutes long, and the second data set recorded in May 2005 is 180 minutes long. The June 2000 data has a lower damping ratio and is more non- stationary than the May 2005 data set in a signal processing sense. The results show that using the LMS in combination with the ASLMS algorithm designed to work in non-stationary environments reduces the variability of the mode estimates and the time of convergence.
Interaction of Mycobacterium Avium With Environmental Amoebae Enhances Virulence

Environmental mycobacteria are a common cause of human infections. Recently, contaminated domestic water supplies have been suggested as a potential environmental source of several mycobacterial diseases. Since many of these mycobacterial species replicate best intracellularly, environmental hosts have been sought. In the present study, we examined the interaction of Mycobacterium avium with a potential protozoan host, the water-borne amoeba Acanthamoeba castellanii. We found that M. avium enters and replicates in A. castellanii. In addition, similar to that shown for mycobacteria within macrophages, M. avium inhibits lysosomal fusion and replicates in vacuoles that are tightly juxtaposed to the bacterial surfaces within amoebae. In order to determine whether growth of M. avium in amoebae plays a role in human infections, we tested the effects of this growth condition on virulence. We found that growth of M. avium in amoebae enhances both entry and intracellular replication compared to growth of bacteria in broth. Furthermore, amoeba-grown M. avium was also more virulent in the beige mouse model of infection. These data suggest a role for protozoa present in water environments as hosts for pathogenic mycobacteria, particularly M. avium.
A comparative study of flow control methods in high-speed networks

The authors apply fluid modeling techniques to the analysis of data flow on high-speed networks. The network is modeled as a single-hop high-speed virtual channel (VC). The VC shares server assets with cross-traffic, thereby diminishing the server assets available to the VC. Transmission line delay is inserted in the feedback loop to control the VC source rate. Cross-traffic is modeled as a twice reflected Brownian motion random process. Three previously proposed control schemes are compared which are rectangular sliding window, linear increase/exponential decrease, and throughput maintaining. Next, a new control scheme, the slope controller, and a variation of it, the weighted average controller, are also considered. Simulation of the VC was performed with each control scheme and qualitative comparisons are made between the five control schemes. The results indicate that the weighted average admission controller provides the minimum end-to-end delay through the virtual channel. >
Economic Development, Social Mobilization and the Growth of Public Expenditures in Greece

. This study attempts to provide insight into those factors which affect the level and composition of public expenditures in a developing country by conceptualizing the interrelationship of economic, political, and sociological factors. Changes in governmental expenditures in post-war Greece are postulated to be a function of the underlying social and political currents as manifested through a process of social mobilization that comes to bear upon the political process and ultimately on decision-making by government. The analysis presented here indicates that on the basis of selected indicators, mounting pressure by the increasingly mobilized population has, particularly between 1958 and 1967, influenced significantly the pattern of growth and composition of public expenditures in Greece.
Polluted-site killifish (Fundulus heteroclitus) embryos are resistant to organic pollutant-mediated induction of CYP1A activity, reactive oxygen species, and heart deformities.

Exposure to coplanar polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) can adversely affect fish embryonic development, induce expression of cytochrome P4501A (CYP1A), and increase reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, effects believed to be mediated by the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR). Killifish (Fundulus heteroclitus) populations in New Bedford Harbor, Massachusetts, USA (NBH) and Newark Bay, New Jersey, USA (NB) are generationally exposed to coplanar PCBs and PAHs and have developed resistance to PCB mediated induction of CYP1A. We hypothesized that fish resistant to CYP1A induction would also exhibit resistance to PCB and PAH induced ROS production and teratogenesis. Killifish embryos from two contaminated (NB, NBH) and two reference-site populations were exposed to vehicle or 3,3′4,4′5-pentachlorobiphenyl (PCB126) or 3-methylcholanthrene (3-MC) and evaluated for in ovo CYP1A activity, heart deformities, and ROS production. Both chemicals significantly increased in ovo ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase (EROD) and ROS production in reference-site embryos. These chemicals provoked only moderate induction of in ovo EROD in NBH and NB embryos, and neither PCB126 nor 3-MC induced ROS production in these populations. Similarly, heart deformities were significantly induced by PCB126 in reference-site embryos, but had no significant effects on NB and NBH animals. These results indicate that fish resistant to CYP1A induction also exhibit decreased sensitivity to PCB126 and 3-MC-induced ROS production and teratogenesis. These findings further our understanding of toxicant resistance by demonstrating that reduced response to coplanar PCBs and PAHs extends beyond resistance to CYP1A induction to resistance to the physiological and teratogenic effects of these toxicants, responses that undoubtedly contribute to the increased survival of killifish inhabiting contaminated sites. Environ. Toxicol. Chem. 2010;29:676–682. © 2009 SETAC
Full-Search Free Intra Prediction Algorithm for Real-Time H.264/AVC Decoder

The standard H.264/AVC Intra frame encoding process has several data dependent and computational intensive coding methodologies that limit the overall encoding speed. It causes not only a high degree of computational complexity but also an unacceptable delay especially for the real-time video applications. In this article, high throughput Full-Search Free (FSF) Intra mode selection and direction prediction algorithm is proposed based on DCT properties and spatial activity analysis. It significantly reduces the computational complexity and the processing run-time required for the H.264/AVC Intra frame prediction process. The empirical results using standard benchmark frames showed that the proposed FSF Intra prediction algorithm not only significantly reduces the computational complexity but also speeds up the Intra prediction operation with a factor of x2.2 at a slight PSNR degradation of less than 1.8% When compared with the Intra prediction algorithm currently used in the H.264/AVC standard software JM 18.2 while keeping the same bit rate.
The neural correlates of trait resilience when anticipating and recovering from threat

A facet of emotional resilience critical for adapting to adversity is flexible use of emotional resources. We hypothesized that in threatening situations, this emotional flexibility enables resilient people to use emotional resources during appropriately emotional events, and conserve emotional resources during innocuous events. We tested this hypothesis using functional magnetic resonance imaging in a repeated recovery from threat task with low- and high-trait resilient individuals (LowR and HighR, respectively, as measured by ER89). In an event-related design, 13 HighR and 13 LowR participants viewed ‘threat’ cues, which signaled either an aversive or neutral picture with equal probabilities, or ‘nonthreat’ cues, which signaled a neutral picture. Results show that when under threat, LowR individuals exhibited prolonged activation in the anterior insula to both the aversive and neutral pictures, whereas HighR individuals exhibited insula activation only to the aversive pictures. These data provide neural evidence that in threatening situations, resilient people flexibly and appropriately adjust the level of emotional resources needed to meet the demands of the situation.
Clinical anatomy and physiology of the temporomandibular joint

DURING the past 15 years, I have had the good fortune to be in a situation that provided clinical experience with disorders of the temporomandibular joint. For evaluation, clinical observations must be related to scientific facts. I will therefore discuss the anatomy and physiology of the temporomandibular joint and associated structures from the only point of view that I can--as a clinician. Accurate diagnosis and effective management rest upon a knowledge of anatomy and physiology. The importance of such knowledge is illustrated by an examination of the bases for the two most widely practised methods of treatment: the altering of the occlusion of the teeth and the iniection of a sclerosing agent into the joint. These methods are based on two different concepts: 'bite closure' and 'hypermotility'. The premise of 'bite closure' is that loss of posterior teeth or excessive wear changes the positions of the condylar heads. Such 'alteration' at first believed to result in degenerative joint changes (Prentiss, 1918) was extended in time to include a miscellany of symptoms such as deafness, pain, tinnitus and vertigo (Monson, I92i ; Costen, 1934; Travell & Rinzler, 1952). Treatment consisted of bite opening by various dental means. 'Hypermotility' believed due to 'lax ligaments' was determined by the symptoms of pain and clicking with a visible bulge caused by the condylar head at maximal mandibular opening. Treatment consisted of the intra-articular iniection of a sclerosing agent with the aim of tightening the 'lax ligaments' by fibrogenesis (Schultz, 1937 and 1947). 'Bite closure' and 'hypermotility' are essentially mechanical concepts. The first concerns itself with the position of the condylar head in the closed position, the second at maximal opening. Neither concept has a sound anatomical or physiological basis. 'Bite closure' grew out of actual error as well as erroneous interpretations of anatomical knowledge resulting from the attempt to explain living function in terms of dead anatomy. Hypermotility, on the other hand, evolved as a result of a mistaken understanding of joint physiology. The fact is that motion in the temporomandibular articulation is directed much more by the musculature and much less by the shape of the articulating bones and articular ligaments than in other joints. Hence when mandibular dysfunction occurs it is not caused by 'lax ligaments' but by some disturbance of the intricate neuromuscular mechanisms controlling mandibular movement. Since treatment stems from concept, concepts lacking anatomical and physiological validity have led to treatment methods which are ineffectual at the best or potentially harmful at the worst. There are a number of ~ reasons for this unfortunate direction of development. One, and perhaps the most important, is that the temporomandibular joints have been of great interest to dental surgeons studying these joints primarily in
An insider’s view of the new diagnostic and statistical manual of North American psychiatry (DSM-5)

The relevance/ and visibility of psychiatric disorders within the realm of medicine has significantly increased in recent times, possibly due to their high frequency and the negative impact they have on cost, disability and quality of life. The subjective nature of these disorders, their clinical complexity and the absence of reliable markers, keep us completely dependent on anamnesis and clinical examination. All of this, forces us, periodically, to review and refine diagnostic systems, hoping to improve the recognition and effective management of mental disorders. The scientific progress in basic neuroscience, observed during and following the “decade of the brain”, coupled with a lack of satisfaction with the existing system (DSM-IV) suggested it was the moment to embark in this task, hence the process leading to DSM-5.
Determining who responds better to a computer- vs. human-delivered physical activity intervention: results from the community health advice by telephone (CHAT) trial

Background Little research has explored who responds better to an automated vs. human advisor for health behaviors in general, and for physical activity (PA) promotion in particular. The purpose of this study was to explore baseline factors (i.e., demographics, motivation, interpersonal style, and external resources) that moderate intervention efficacy delivered by either a human or automated advisor.
Entropy-driven folding of an RNA Helical junction: An isothermal titration calorimetric analysis of the hammerhead ribozyme

Helical junctions are extremely common motifs in naturally occurring RNAs, but little is known about the thermodynamics that drive their folding. Studies of junction folding face several challenges: non-two-state folding behavior, superposition of secondary and tertiary structural energetics, and drastically opposing enthalpic and entropic contributions to folding. Here we describe a thermodynamic dissection of the folding of the hammerhead ribozyme, a three-way RNA helical junction, by using isothermal titration calorimetry of bimolecular RNA constructs. By using this method, we show that tertiary folding of the hammerhead core occurs with a highly unfavorable enthalpy change, and is therefore entropically driven. Furthermore, the enthalpies and heat capacities of core folding are the same whether supported by monovalent or divalent ions. These properties appear to be general to the core sequence of bimolecular hammerhead constructs. We present a model for the ion-induced folding of the hammerhead core that is similar to those advanced for the folding of much larger RNAs, involving ion-induced collapse to a structured, non-native state accompanied by rearrangement of core residues to produce the native fold. In agreement with previous enzymological and structural studies, our thermodynamic data suggest that the hammerhead structure is stabilized in vitro predominantly by diffusely bound ions. Our approach addresses several significant challenges that accompany the study of junction folding, and should prove useful in defining the thermodynamic determinants of stability in these important RNA motifs.
Carcinoma of penis treated surgically. Analysis of 100 cases.

A retrospective study of 100 cases of carcinoma of the penis is presented. The cases are reviewed with respect to age and the time of diagnosis, the presence of inguinal adenopathy, the type of surgical therapy employed, and the postoperative complications. The controversial subject of inguinal lymphadenectomy is discussed.
Bubbling supertubes and foaming black holes

We construct smooth BPS three-charge geometries that resolve the zero-entropy singularity of the $U(1)\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}U(1)$ invariant black ring. This singularity is resolved by a geometric transition that results in geometries without any branes sources or singularities but with nontrivial topology. These geometries are both ground states of the black ring, and nontrivial microstates of the D1-D5-P system. We also find the form of the geometries that result from the geometric transition of $N$ zero-entropy black rings, and argue that, in general, such geometries give a very large number of smooth bound-state three-charge solutions, parametrized by $6N$ functions. The generic microstate solution is specified by a four-dimensional hyper-K\"ahler geometry of a certain signature, and contains a ``foam'' of nontrivial two-spheres. We conjecture that these geometries will account for a significant part of the entropy of the D1-D5-P black hole, and that Mathur's conjecture might reduce to counting certain hyper-K\"ahler manifolds.
Tolerance Of Intellectual Property Theft

A survey of the public tested the proposition that the degree to which theft is tolerable or reprehensible is significantly determined by whether the owner/victim is or is not directly deprived by the theft. Respondents registered their degree of condemnation of theft of physical goods from an individual and from a company, as well as theft of physical property and of intellectual property by copying the content. The findings indicate that theft of physical, personal property is regarded as significantly more reprehensible than either theft of physical goods from a non-personal owner or theft of intellectual property by copying content.
CCC Bridge with digitally-controlled current sources

We have built a cryogenic current comparator (CCC) resistance bridge for the comparison of standard resistors in the range of 1 Omega-100 kOmega. The use of fully programmable current sources allows for smooth polarity reversals, regardless of the time constant of each side of the bridge. We measured a CCC transfer function of 2.25 muA middotturn/phi0 and a noise level of 54 pA middot turn/radic(Hz) at 1 Hz, with a 1/f corner of about 0.6 Hz. Two different readout schemes were implemented and compared with good agreement. We performed a few measurements to assess the accuracy of the bridge and evaluated all the significant sources of error. The total uncertainty of the bridge is estimated to be 2.6 parts in 109 between 1 Omega and 10 kOmega.
Error detection in SNP data by considering the likelihood of recombinational history implied by three-site combinations

Motivation: Errors in nucleotide sequence and SNP genotyping data are problematic when inferring haplotypes. Previously published methods for error detection in haplotype data make use of pedigree information; however, for many samples, individuals are not related by pedigree. This article describes a method for detecting errors in haplotypes by considering the recombinational history implied by the patterns of variation, three SNPs at a time. Results: Coalescent simulations provide evidence that the method is robust to high levels of recombination as well as homologous gene conversion, indicating that patterns produced by both proximate and distant SNPs may be useful for detecting unlikely three-site haplotypes. Availability: The perl script implementing the described method is called EDUT (Error Detection Using Triplets) and is available on request from the authors. Contact: mclegg@uci.edu Supplementary information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Geodetic imaging with airborne LiDAR: the Earth's surface revealed

The past decade has seen an explosive increase in the number of peer reviewed papers reporting new scientific findings in geomorphology (including fans, channels, floodplains and landscape evolution), geologic mapping, tectonics and faulting, coastal processes, lava flows, hydrology (especially snow and runoff routing), glaciers and geo-archaeology. A common genesis of such findings is often newly available decimeter resolution 'bare Earth' geodetic images, derived from airborne laser swath mapping, a.k.a. airborne LiDAR, observations. In this paper we trace nearly a half century of advances in geodetic science made possible by space age technology, such as the invention of short-pulse-length high-pulse-rate lasers, solid state inertial measurement units, chip-based high speed electronics and the GPS satellite navigation system, that today make it possible to map hundreds of square kilometers of terrain in hours, even in areas covered with dense vegetation or shallow water. To illustrate the impact of the LiDAR observations we present examples of geodetic images that are not only stunning to the eye, but help researchers to develop quantitative models explaining how terrain evolved to its present form, and how it will likely change with time. Airborne LiDAR technology continues to develop quickly, promising ever more scientific discoveries in the years ahead.
Logan analysis of the novel PET apoptosis tracer F-18 ML-10 in GBM before and after therapy

1516 Objectives The goal of many cancer chemotherapies is to induce apoptosis. We investigate the kinetics of the novel apoptosis PET tracer F-18 labeled ML-10 (ML-10) in glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) before and after therapy using Logan graphical analysis. Methods N = 4 GBM patients undergoing initial radiation and temozolomide therapy received 10 mCi ML-10 baseline (BL) and early-therapy assessment (ETA; 2 wks post-therapy) PET (Siemens HR+) scans. Each PET time-point consisted of two acquisitions: a 45min dynamic PET acquisition commencing with ML-10 injection followed by a late 30min scan starting 120min post-injection. PET scans were registered to corresponding baseline MRI. For each time-point, a single dynamic PET acquisition was created by merging the 0-45min dynamic scan with the late 120-150min PET scan. PMOD 3.4 was used to determine Logan tracer distribution volumes (VT) from the merged dynamic data. Tracer distribution volumes, VT,45min, were computed from the 0-45min dynamic PET to investigate whether VT obtained from the merged dynamic PET could be estimated from the 0-45min dynamic PET alone. Image based input functions were obtained from the carotid-artery. Tumor ROI were defined on the 45min scan using a threshold of 60% of the max tumor activity. Tumor ROI were applied to both the merged data set and the 45min dynamic data set to generate full and shortened tumor activity curves, respectively. Results In regions of high (>60% max voxel) GBM ML-10 uptake, VT ranged from 0.5 to 1.27. At BL, VT ranged from 0.5 to 1.20 with mean and standard deviation (SD) 0.81±0.36. At ETA VT ranged from 0.54 to 1.27 with mean and SD 0.78±0.42. The average relative error for the estimated distribution volumes, VT,45min, was 11.6%. Conclusions An evaluation of ML-10 kinetics in GBM was performed using Logan graphical analysis. Results indicate that regions of highest ML-10 uptake have Logan VT values in the range of 0.5 to 1.27. Research Support US National Institutes of Health research grants U01 CA140230 and P30CA047904.
Fiber Optic Magnetic Field and Current Sensors

The development of fiber optics technology for communications included the investigation of environmental effects on the properties of the fibers. One result of those investigations was the exploitation of the effects in sensors [1,2]. Many of the applications involve the strain-optic characteristics. This discussion will center, however, on the use of the Faraday effect.
Recent Advances in Understanding the Mechanism and Inhibition of Acetolactate Synthase

A review of our current understanding of the structure of acetolactate synthase, the molecular mechanism of its inhibition by herbicides, and how this inhibition is translated into phytotoxicity in vivo, is presented.
When and Why We Partner in Crime: Comparing the Unethical Decisions of Dyads and Individuals

While joint ethical violations are fairly common in the workplace, sports teams, and academic settings, little research has studied such collaborative wrongdoings. Our work examines whether people are more unethical when they make decisions jointly with a partner (i.e., reach one shared decision as a dyad) versus alone. Four experiments show that people use joint ethical violations (“partnering-in-crime”) strategically to generate social bonding. Thus, dyads make more unethical decisions than individuals only when social bonding is needed, that is, when the dyad members do not know each other. In such cases, joint unethical decisions offer an avenue for bonding. However, this effect is attenuated when dyad partners build rapport with each other prior to the joint decision-making. In such cases, dyads are equally ethical as individual decision-makers. Our findings offer insights into the social aspects of unethical behavior and have broad practical implications for enhancing ethicality in the workplace.
Characterization of in vitro and in vivo antitumor activity for novel IGF-1R kinase inhibitors in colon cancer cells

B236 Insulin-like growth factors (IGFs) and their receptor, IGF-1 R, are frequently expressed in human colon cancers and play important roles in promoting malignancy. We demonstrate that colon cancer cells show dependence upon an IGF2/IGF-1 R autocrine loop and have characterized the effects of two novel low molecular weight kinase antagonist inhibitors (designated PQIP and AQIP) of the IGF-1 R in vitro and in vivo. Both compounds abrogated IGF-1 R mediated activation of IRS-1/Akt to inhibit survival signaling and induce apoptosis. A pan-caspase inhibitor, Z-VAD-FMK, reversed this apoptotic effect, indicating IGF-1 R signaling in GEO cells is caspase-dependent. Furthermore, the compounds inhibited mitogenesis and anchorage-independent growth in soft agarose at concentrations consistent with inhibition of IGF-1 R phosphorylation. Thus, these novel small molecule kinase inhibitors of IGF-1 R showed potent in vitro antitumor activity in colon cancer cells. The effects of PQIP on the growth of orthotopically implanted GEO colon cancer cells were determined following daily treatment with 75mg/Kg of drug by gavage. Decreased tumor burden in nude mice without significant weight loss and toxicity was observed. Fluorescence intensity of the GFP labeled tumors was 3-fold higher in control mice than in treated mice. MRI analysis showed a 5-fold decrease tumor volume in treated mice. TUNEL analysis of treated and sham treated tumors indicated an 8-fold higher rate in PQIP treated tumors. Western blot analysis of the treated tissue samples showed inhibition of IGF1R activation and Akt signaling relative to sham treated animals.
Congruence classes of matrices in GL 2 ( F q )

Given two matrices A and B in GL2(Fq), where q is a power of a prime and Fq is the finite field with q elements, we say that A and B are congruent if there is a matrix C in GL2(Fq) such that A=CTBC. We show that there are q+3 congruence classes in GL2(Fq) for odd q and q+1 classes for even q, and exhibit representatives for them.
Temporary Services Regs: One Step Forward, Two Steps Back?

The IRS and Treasury Department recently released temporary regulations addressing intercompany services and the use of intangible property. These regulations revise proposed regulations issued in 2003. Although the temporary regulations address many of the concerns raised by the proposed regulations, many issues remain. The authors note that while there are positive aspects to these temporary regulations, compared to the proposed regulations, many taxpayers may be worse off than they are under current law. Most taxpayers will need to quickly undertake much more analysis than historically undertaken to address these rules, given that they are effective Jan. 1, 2007, and generally apply to tax years beginning after Dec. 31, 2006.
Finding contextual clues to malware using a large corpus

Identification of malware is a critical problem in computer security. Many signature-identification, behavior-recognition, and reputation-based tools are available for host-based detection. However, so many files are present on systems today that checking all files is time-consuming, and better methods are needed to suggest which files are of highest priority to check in partial scans. This work developed and tested local contextual clues to malware in the metadata of file systems on an international corpus of 248 million files on 3961 drives. 398,949 hash values of malware were found in this corpus using five methods, and 3,681,211 hash values of non-malware were chosen for comparison using three methods. Malware identification rates were compared for the fifteen combinations and were cross-correlated for different types of drives and file types. Results showed that different malware identification methods find significantly different things. Then the strength of particular local clues in file metadata (directory and file names, sizes, times, and hash values) was assessed and results were compared for the fifteen combinations. Some classic clues (e.g. rare file extensions and deletion status) were confirmed and others were not (e.g. double extensions and occurrence in the operating system). With this data, a program was implemented to estimate the likelihood that a given file was malware based solely on its metadata context. With three random subsets of our corpus, our methods gave 51 times better precision (fraction of malware in files identified as malware) with 70% better recall (fraction of malware detected) than the approach of inspecting executables alone. They also ran significantly faster than signature checking, and can be used before other kinds of malware analysis.
A Projective Construction for Plane Nodal Cubics

(1943). A Projective Construction for Plane Nodal Cubics. The American Mathematical Monthly: Vol. 50, No. 10, pp. 611-617.
Energy, Iron and Zinc Densities of Commonly Consumed Traditional Complementary Foods in Nigeria

Aim: To assess the energy, iron and zinc densities of ten selected commonly consumed traditional complementary foods in Nigeria. Study Design: Survey and Experimental study. Place and Duration of Study: Department of Hotel and Catering Management, Yaba College of Technology, Lagos, and Department of Human Nutrition, University of Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria between June and August, 2004. Methodology: A validated interviewer-administered questionnaire was distributed to 600 nursing mothers and used to identify the most commonly consumed traditional complementary foods in Nigeria. Thereafter, ten traditional complementary foods were selected and analyzed for proximate composition, iron and zinc using Association of Official Analytical Chemists (AOAC) and Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometric methods. Results: The traditional complementary foods have high moisture content ranging from 55.80% to 91.17%. The protein content of the complementary foods ranged from 1.06g/100g to 13.81g/100g. The energy densities of the selected traditional complementary ranged from 0.48kcal/g to1.50kcal/g. The study revealed that half of the traditional complementary foods in this study did not meet the PAHO/WHO recommendation of 0.8kcal/g while the remaining half exceeded this basic requirement for Research Paper British Journal of Applied Science & Technology, 2(1): 48-57, 2012 49 energy densities. However, the high requirement of 7.7mg and 1.6mg for iron and zinc densities respectively, could not be met by any of the complementary foods assessed. Conclusion: Incorporation of some animal foods into these plant based diets will have a lot of advantages as animals-source foods are good sources of readily available haemiron and zinc. Therefore, more recipes should be developed to improve the intake of animal source foods which are needed to ensure adequate protein, iron and zinc densities of complementary foods for infants in Nigeria.
High dosage Oryzanol and Vitamin B_1 in the treatment of functional dyspepsia

Objective To observe the clinical effect of high dosage Oryzanol and Vitamin B 1 on functional dyspepsia.Methods 86 patients accompany with disturbance in emotion were divided into treatment group and control group,the control group patients were individualization treatment with Mutinline、Ranitidine、Sucralfate、Hydrosulfites et al, the treatment group patients were given Oryzanol 100mg Tid and Vitamin B 1 100mg Tid for 8 weeks, except the individualization treatment. The final diagnosis of functional dyspepsia was based in “Rome standard”.Results In the treatment group the significant rate was 65.1% and the total utility rate was 51.1% while in control group the rates were 86.0% and 67.4%,respectively.No difference of the significant utility rate between the treatment group and control group(P0.05).But the total utility rates were the significant difference between the two groups(P0.05).Conclusions High dosage of Oryzanol and Vitamin B 1 can get good clinical effect in the treatment of functional dyspepsia.
Creating Conversations: an Automated Dialog System

Online news sites often include a comments section where readers are allowed to leave their thoughts. These comments often contain interesting and insightful conversations between readers about the news article. However the richness of these conversations is often lost among other meaningless comments, and moreover all comments are found at the bottom of the web page. In this article, we discuss how our system inserts reader conversations into the news article to create a multimedia presentation called Shout Out. Shout Out features two virtual news anchors: one anchor reads the news and when appropriate the anchor pauses to have a conversation about the news with another anchor. This current iteration of Shout Out combines natural language techniques and reader conversations to create an engaging system.
Speech Acts and Assertion

Asserting is one of many acts we can perform in uttering words. We find assertions everywhere in our daily discourse when we give directions, answer questions, offer our opinions, and when we make arguments. But what is an assertion and what separates it from other speech acts such as requesting, conjecturing, and commanding?