cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Mouse stem cells seeded into decellularized rat kidney scaffolds endothelialize and remodel basement membranes

Introduction To address transplant organ shortage, a promising strategy is to decellularize kidneys in a manner that the scaffold retains signals for seeded pluripotent precursor cells to differentiate and recapitulate native structures: matrix-to-cell signaling followed by cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions, thereby remodeling and replacing the original matrix. This would reduce scaffold antigenicity and enable xeno-allografts. Results DAPI-labeled cells in arterial vessels and glomeruli were positive for both endothelial lineage markers, BsLB4 and VEGFR2. Rat scaffold’s basement membrane demonstrated immunolabeling with anti-mouse laminin β1. Labeling intensified over time with 14 day incubations. Conclusion We provide new evidence for matrix-to-cell signaling in acellular whole organ scaffolds that induces differentiation of pluripotent precursor cells to endothelial lineage. Production of mouse basement membrane supports remodeling of host (rat)-derived scaffolds and thereby warrants further investigation as a promising approach for xenotransplantation. Methods We previously showed that murine embryonic stem cells arterially seeded into acellular rat whole kidney scaffolds multiply and demonstrate morphologic, immunohistochemical and gene expression evidence for differentiation. Vascular cell endothelialization was now further tested by endothelial specific BsLB4 lectin and anti-VEGFR2 (Flk1) antibodies. Remodeling of the matrix basement membranes from rat to mouse (“murinization”) was assessed by a monoclonal antibody specific for mouse laminin β1 chain.
Regulation of glutamine synthetase adenylylation and deadenylylation by the enzymatic uridylylation and deuridylylation of the PII regulatory protein.

Abstract Regulation of glutamine synthetase activity in Escherichia coli is mediated by covalent attachment and detachment of an adenylyl group to each subunit of the enzyme [Kingdon, H. S. et al., Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci., 58, 1703, (1967); Wulff, K. D. et al., Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun.28, 740, (1967)]. Adenylylation and deadenylylation of the enzyme are both catalyzed by a single adenylyltransferase (ATase) whose activity is modulated by various metabolites and by a regulatory protein, PII [Shapiro, B. M., Biochemistry; Anderson, W. B. et al., Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci.67, 1761 (1970)]. The present study confirms preliminary results [Brown, M. S. et al., Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci.68, 2949 (1971)] showing that: (1) the regulatory protein (PII) exists in two interconvertible forms, PIIA and PIID, which, respectively, stimulate adenylylation and deadenylylation activity of ATase; (2) conversion of PIIA to PIID requires the presence of UTP, 2-oxoglutarate, ATP, and either Mg2+ or Mn2+; (3) this conversion involves covalent attachment of a uridine derivative to PIIA. It is further established that the covalently bound uridine derivative is UMP which is derived from UTP in a reaction catalyzed by a specific uridylyltransferase (UTase). Removal of the covalently bound UMP from PIID is catalyzed by a separate enzyme, referred to as the uridylyl-removing enzyme (UR-enzyme). This enzyme has an obligatory requirement for Mn2+. Regulation of glutamine synthetase activity in E. coli is thus facilitated by a highly sophisticated cascade system of proteins, consisting of an ATase, the regulatory protein (PII), UTase, and the UR-enzyme. The activities of these various components is rigorously controlled by various metabolites, including glutamine, 2-oxoglutarate, ATP, Pi, UTP, and the divalent cations, Mn2+ and Mg2+.
THE POLLS—A ReviewAN EVALUATION OF LIFETIME LIKELIHOOD OF VICTIMIZATION

Popularizing findings from complex surveys is a difficult balancing act. On the one hand, the integrity of the data must be preserved and professional standards of accuracy observed. On the other hand, the data must be used to inform issues of interest to a lay audience and presented in a way that is appealing. Lifetime Likelihood of Victimization (Koppel, 1987), a Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) technical report, attempts to strike this balance. In many ways it is successful, but in the end it tips slightly to the sensational. The basic idea is good. The author takes issue with the exclusive use of annual rate estimates as a method for assessing risk of victimization. He argues that people are more interested in their risk of ever being victimized than their risk in a given year. The bulletin presents estimates of the probability of being a victim over a respondent's lifetime based upon age-specific victimization rates from the National Crime Survey (NCS). There are two customary approaches to estimating the lifetime likelihood of victimization. One involves asking respondents if they had ever been victimized. This approach is not desirable, however, because we know that respondents will fail to report many crimes that occurred even a few weeks prior to the interview. This recency bias will result in a substantial underestimate of the lifetime prevalence of victimization. A second, and more acceptable approach, involves the collection of panel data on the victimization experience of persons over a long period of time. Since neither type of data were available to BJS, they turned the NCS data to a purpose that the data were never meant to serve. The NCS surveys approximately 60,000 households annually. All members of the household 12 years of age and older are asked to report their victimization experience in the previous six months. Interviewers return to the housing unit, but not necessarily to the same respondents, every six months for three years. The resulting reports are used to
Exploring the diversity of plant DNA viruses and their satellites using vector-enabled metagenomics on whiteflies

Current knowledge of plant virus diversity is biased towards agents of visible and economically important diseases. Less is known about viruses that have not caused major diseases in crops, or viruses from native vegetation, which are a reservoir of biodiversity that can contribute to viral emergence. Discovery of these plant viruses is hindered by the traditional approach of sampling individual symptomatic plants. Since many damaging plant viruses are transmitted by insect vectors, we have developed "vector-enabled metagenomics" (VEM) to investigate the diversity of plant viruses. VEM involves sampling of insect vectors (in this case, whiteflies) from plants, followed by purification of viral particles and metagenomic sequencing. The VEM approach exploits the natural ability of highly mobile adult whiteflies to integrate viruses from many plants over time and space, and leverages the capability of metagenomics for discovering novel viruses. This study utilized VEM to describe the DNA viral community from whiteflies (Bemisia tabaci) collected from two important agricultural regions in Florida, USA. VEM successfully characterized the active and abundant viruses that produce disease symptoms in crops, as well as the less abundant viruses infecting adjacent native vegetation. PCR assays designed from the metagenomic sequences enabled the complete sequencing of four novel begomovirus genome components, as well as the first discovery of plant virus satellites in North America. One of the novel begomoviruses was subsequently identified in symptomatic Chenopodium ambrosiodes from the same field site, validating VEM as an effective method for proactive monitoring of plant viruses without a priori knowledge of the pathogens. This study demonstrates the power of VEM for describing the circulating viral community in a given region, which will enhance our understanding of plant viral diversity, and facilitate emerging plant virus surveillance and management of viral diseases.
Wind load cycle development for evaluating mechanically attached single-ply roofs

Failure modes resulting from the existing North-American roof certification procedures are often not consistent with failures in the field. To develop test procedures for certifying roofing systems under dynamic wind loads, the National Research Council of Canada (NRC) formed an industry-based consortium. The consortium is known as Special Interest Group for Dynamic Evaluation of Roofing Systems (SIGDERS). Using wind tunnel pressure records as source data, SIGDERS developed a dynamic load cycle. With input from industries, building owners and roofing associations, the developed load cycle has been generalized. Based on this extensive investigation, a simplified laboratory test procedure is proposed for the evaluation of mechanically fastened single-ply roofing system.
Sonic hedgehog is required during an early phase of oligodendrocyte development in mammalian brain.

Abstract Oligodendrocyte precursor development in the embryonic spinal cord is thought to be regulated by the secreted signal, Sonic hedgehog (Shh). Such precursors can be identified by the expression of Olig genes, encoding basic helix–loop–helix factors, in the spinal cord and brain. However, the signaling pathways that govern oligodendrocyte precursor (OLP) development in the rostral central nervous system are poorly understood. Here, we show that Shh is required for oligodendrocyte development in the mouse forebrain and spinal cord, and that Shh proteins are both necessary and sufficient for OLP production in cortical neuroepithelial cultures. Moreover, adenovirus-mediated Olig1 ectopic expression can promote OLP formation independent of Shh activity. Our results demonstrate essential functions for Shh during early phases of oligodendrocyte development in the mammalian central nervous system. They further suggest that a key role of Shh signaling is activation of Olig genes.
Older Adults' Perceptions of Control in Social Situations

In this study we examined the utility of a new conceptualization for under-standing older adults’ perceptions of control in social situations. Fifty-four participants ( M age = 75.4 years) completed questionnaires and structured interviews assessing social beliefs. Agency beliefs (about possession of certain social resources) and means-ends beliefs (about the importance of certain social resources) were related to perceived control in social situations. Results indicated that perceived social control was predicted by agency beliefs for all four resources studied (social skills, effort, helpful/nice others, luck) and by the interaction of agency and means-ends beliefs for the social skills resource. Also, perceived social control was positively correlated with social satisfaction, further supporting the utility of this conceptualization.
The epigenome and top-down causation

Genes store heritable information, but actual gene expression often depends on many so-called epigenetic factors, both physical and chemical, external to DNA. Epigenetic changes can be both reversible and heritable. The genome is associated with a physical object (DNA) with a specific location, whereas the epigenome is a global, systemic, entity. Furthermore, genomic information is tied to specific coded molecular sequences stored in DNA. Although epigenomic information can be associated with certain non-DNA molecular sequences, it is mostly not. Therefore, there does not seem to be a stored ‘epigenetic programme’ in the information-theoretic sense. Instead, epigenomic control is—to a large extent—an emergent self-organizing phenomenon, and the real-time operation of the epigenetic ‘project’ lies in the realm of nonlinear bifurcations, interlocking feedback loops, distributed networks, top-down causation and other concepts familiar from the complex systems theory. Lying at the heart of vital eukaryotic processes are chromatin structure, organization and dynamics. Epigenetics provides striking examples of how bottom-up genetic and top-down epigenetic causation intermingle. The fundamental question then arises of how causal efficacy should be attributed to biological information. A proposal is made to implement explicit downward causation by coupling information directly to the dynamics of chromatin, thus permitting the coevolution of dynamical laws and states, and opening up a new sector of dynamical systems theory that promises to display rich self-organizing and self-complexifying behaviour.
Psychological aspects of pain

The patients affected by critical limb ischemia (CLI) are patients generally considered difficult cases, destined to repeated approach to the sanitary structures. They are patients affected by many pathologies since years, that they know to be potentially lethal often have already faced many interventions, with partial and not long-lasting benefits, they go from one specialist to another and sometimes they entrust themselves to alternative medicine. Physicians have to take in charge not the pathology but to take in charge the patient. For the control of the pain it turns out essential, near the block of the perception of the pain, to act with psychological participation, in order to interfere with the perception of the pain and the meant one of the pain, modify the feelings associated to the pain, modify the behavior induced by pain.
‘Monster cell’ melanoma with pulmonary metastasis and cyclin D1 amplification

Markedly pleomorphic epithelioid cells with high mitotic activity, giant cell formation, very large atypical nuclei, multiple nucleoli and abundant cytoplasm characterize ‘monster’ cells and may indicate aggressive tumor behavior. Very rare reports of melanomas comprised of ‘monster cells’ or cells with comparable histomorphological features, found in tissue samples from skin, lymph nodes, CNS, oral cavity and ileum have been published in the literature. This case is the first such description in the lung, and it is characterized with a battery of immunohistochemical stains; BRAF mutation status was negative, and fluorescence in situ hybridization analysis revealed increased copy number gains in 11q (cyclin D1), which is associated with poor prognosis in melanoma. The presence of monster cells in melanoma was associated with aggressive behavior in the reported patient.
Classification of childhood epilepsy syndromes in newly diagnosed epilepsy: Interrater agreement and reasons for disagreement

Summary: Purpose: The International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE) classification of the epilepsies is in increasingly widespread use. The following analysis was done to assess the interrater agreement in classifying epilepsy syndromes in children with newly diagnosed epilepsy. Methods: In a prospective, community-based study, 613 children with newly diagnosed epilepsy were recruited. Based on information available at diagnosis or generated as part of the initial diagnostic assessment, three pediatric neurologists independently classified epilepsy syndromes. Interrater agreement was assessed with K. Results: Interrater agreement was extremely good, with k scores ≥0.80 for almost all comparisons. Relatively limited quality of the EEG and seizure information in some cases, as well as discrepancies between the two, were associated with a tendency for more disagreement. Conclusions: A high degree of interrater agreement was obtained in this study, indicating that the system for classifying syndromes can be meaningfully used in a community-based sample. Quality of the information, which is often, by necessity, less than optimal in newly diagnosed epilepsy, is a potential barrier to identification of syndromes. A substantial proportion of children were classified into relatively nonspecific syndromes. Over time, additional information may come to light to allow more precise identification of their forms of epilepsy. In an epidemiologic setting, the ILAE classification of the epilepsies can be successfully used with a high degree of reliability to classify newly diagnosed epilepsy in children.
Perfluoro-3,3-dimethyl-2(E)-pentene by fluoride ion catalyzed addition of octafluoroisobutene to hexafluoropropene

Abstract The fluoride ion catalyzed [1] oligomerization of perfluoroolefins has been employed extensively to prepare higher homologs [2,3,5-10]. When unlike partners react, the reaction might take either of two courses, depending on which olefin accepts fluoride ion to become the nucleophile. In all reported cases where the structure of the product allows the mechanism to be inferred, the less substituted (by carbon) olefin becomes the nucleophile, albeit at the more substituted center.
The Saccharomyces cerevisiae RAD30 gene, a homologue of Escherichia coli dinB and umuC, is DNA damage inducible and functions in a novel error-free postreplication repair mechanism.

Damage-inducible mutagenesis in prokaryotes is largely dependent upon the activity of the UmuD'C-like proteins. Since many DNA repair processes are structurally and/or functionally conserved between prokaryotes and eukaryotes, we investigated the role of RAD30, a previously uncharacterized Saccharomyces cerevisiae DNA repair gene related to the Escherichia coli dinB, umuC and S. cerevisiae REV1 genes, in UV resistance and UV-induced mutagenesis. Similar to its prokaryotic homologues, RAD30 was found to be damage inducible. Like many S. cerevisiae genes involved in error-prone DNA repair, epistasis analysis clearly places RAD30 in the RAD6 group and rad30 mutants display moderate UV sensitivity reminiscent of rev mutants. However, unlike rev mutants, no defect in UV-induced reversion was seen in rad30 strains. While rad6 and rad18 are both epistatic to rad30, no epistasis was observed with rev1, rev3, rev7 or rad5, all of which are members of the RAD6 epistasis group. These findings suggest that RAD30 participates in a novel error-free repair pathway dependent on RAD6 and RAD18, but independent of REV1, REV3, REV7 and RAD5.
Nanoscale Characterization of Electronic and Electrical Properties of III-Nitrides by Scanning Probe Microscopy

Recent interest in the technological potential of nitride-based semiconductors has led to the development and commercialization of a wide range of electronic devices. The nanoscale investigation of the electric properties of III-nitride thin films, bulk crystals, and heterostructures is of considerable interest for determining how interfaces, defects, and inversion domain boundaries affect device performance. The pyroelectric nature of wurtzitic III-nitrides is characterized by a spontaneous polarization that exists without the presence of an external field and by a polarization-bound surface charge. Scanning probe-based measurements of surface contact potentials and surface band bending in these materials, which are of crucial importance to device design, are summarized in this review chapter. In addition, the role of charged defects on device performance is explored by scanning probe techniques. Lastly, the measurement of polarity and of the screening mechanism of III-nitrides, which are fundamental issues for the fabrication of devices based on polarity effects, are discussed. This chapter provides a critical analysis of the contributions made by scanning probe-based techniques toward a deeper understanding of the III-nitride material system.
The Local Sections—American Industrial Hygiene Associatiort—

(1946). The Local Sections—American Industrial Hygiene Associatiort— American Industrial Hygiene Association Quarterly: Vol. 7, No. 4, pp. 20-20.
The Feminist‐Conservative Anti‐Pornography Alliance and the 1986 Attorney General's Commission on Pornography Report

Pornography is notoriously hard to define, yet like the Supreme Court all of us think we know it when we see it. Even if we cannot define pornography, we can say if something is or is not pornographic. How do we do this? More precisely, what is it that we think we know, when we think that something is or is not pornographic? We make these experiential determinations by reference to what I call our "traditional conception" of pornography. This conception is not based on definitions of pornography, for we have none. Rather, the traditional conception consists of broadly stated and widely believed inductive generalizations, which are in turn based on a multitude of common and shared experiences with pornographic materials. Recently-in the last ten years or so-that traditional conception of pornography has begun to change. But it is changing slowly. It still dominates our sense of what is and is not pornographic and our arguments about the value of pornography. The traditional conception of pornography identifies at least five distinguishing attributes of pornography or of the pornographic experience. First, we know pornography when we see it by its function: we agree that for something to be pornographic it has to appeal to the "prurient interest." Whatever else it might be, pornography is an aid to sexual pleasure. It satisfies a well-defined sexual desire, preference, or interest (and it does so in a well-defined, repetitious way).' Second, according to the traditional conception, we know pornography when we see it by its commercial nature: pornography is a commercial product that is produced, bought, and sold in a well-defined market.2 Third, we know pornography when we see it by the type of product it is. Pornography is not just any product that satisfies the prurient interest; pornography, unlike dildoes, whips, or chains, is a kind of "speech." Pornography may be bad speech, but it is nevertheless speech.3
Constraint satisfaction for test program generation

A central problem in automatic test generation is solving constraints for memory access generation. A framework, and an algorithm that has been implemented in the Model-Based Test-Generator are described. This generic algorithm allows flexibility in modeling new addressing modes with which memory accesses are generated. The algorithm currently handles address constraint satisfaction for complex addressing modes in the PowerPC, x86, and other architectures. >
REGULATORY ROLES OF NON-PROTEIN-CODING RNAS IN CARDIOVASCULAR AND HEMATOPOIETIC DISORDERS

ammalian genomes encode numerous non-protein-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) in-cluding microRNAs and natural antisense tran-scripts. Functional validation studies indicate that ncRNAs are involved in regulation of vari-ous normal cellular pathways and a range of essential biological processes. Deregulations of ncRNAs are also documented in variety of human complex disorders including cardiovas-cular and hematopoietic disorders. This review provides an overview of different ncRNA class-es and summarizes recent reports regarding involvement of ncRNAs in cardiovascular and hematopoietic disorders. The human genome sequencing projects re-vealed that the human genome contains over 3 billion DNA base pairs, but only 20,000–25,000 protein-coding genes. In fact, only about 1.2% of the genome codes for proteins.
Energy release rate analysis for adhesive and laminate double cantilever beam specimens emphasizing the effect of residual stresses

Abstract The mode I energy release rate, including the effect of residual stresses, was evaluated for both adhesive and laminate double cantilever beam specimens. The energy release rate can be partitioned into a mechanical term and a residual-stress term in beam theory. The beam-theory mechanical term is not very accurate, but can be corrected by a slight modification to a previous correction factor. This correction factor accounts for crack tip rotation of the specimen arms. The beam-theory residual-stress term is very accurate for a wide range of specimen geometries; it can be used without correction. The consequence of ignoring residual stresses is that one measures an apparent toughness instead of a true toughness. The error between the apparent toughness and true toughness can be calculated for a given specimen geometry and amount of residual stresses. Such errors can be large and are often larger than the correction required for crack-tip rotation effects. In double cantilever beam specimens used to study laminate delamination, the errors are large when the delaminating arms, considered by themselves, are unsymmetric laminates. Some experimental methods are suggested which can be used to correct for residual stress effects.
Aristocratic and Confederate Republicanism in Hamiltonian Thought and Practice

This article identifies and explores the presence of republican thought in the intellectual and policy writings of Alexander Hamilton, particularly as it applied to his theoretical understanding of the American executive branch. The article moves chronothematically, highlighting, through the Revolutionary, Constitutional, and Governmental periods of American political development, Hamilton's unique sense of republicanism with respect to international and domestic politics, as well as American political economy. The article not only attempts to demonstrate Hamilton's intellectual adherence to the republican tradition, but also his commitment to rhetorically applying the ideology to the realization of practical executive policy goals. Copyright 2008, Oxford University Press.
Evidence for continental subsidence in North America during the Late Cretaceous global submergence

The widespread Late Cretaceous transgression is one of the best documented episodes of world-wide continental submergence, yet its cause or causes remain elusive. Subsidence of continents, rise of sea level, or a combination of both are plausible hypotheses, but testing them is difficult because the effects of sea level rise and continental subsidence are similar— that is, transgressive deposits. One solution to the problem can be derived from comparison of actual sediment thicknesses with those calculated as possible from a maximum sea level rise. A sea level rise of about 310 m is required to flood the area submerged in Late Cretaceous time. However, the maximum thickness of a transgressive deposit produced by a 310-m rise of sea level is only about 700 m. In North America, nearly 50 percent of the area flooded during Late Cretaceous time contains strata thicker than 700 m; this indicates the important role of continental subsidence during the Late Cretaceous submergence.
Does age influence screening for colorectal cancer

Objective: to evaluate whether patients' age influenced colorectal cancer screening by internal medicine resident physicians in an ambulatory care clinic. Methods: a retrospective chart review of 200 patients aged >50 years to assess the performance of rectal examinations, faecal occult blood testing and flexible sigmoidoscopy. Results: physicians performed rectal examinations in 21 patients 10.5%, faecal occult blood testing in 85 (42.5%) and flexible Sigmoidoscopies in 95 (47.5%). Significantly more rectal examinations were performed in patients aged 50-601 years than in patients aged 61-70 years (P < 0.005) or 2::71 years (P < 0.00002). There was significantly more faecal occult blood testing in patients aged 50-60 years than in those aged 2::71 years (P < 0.02). In women, there were more rectal examinations in those aged 50-60 years than in those aged 61-70 years (P < 0.05) or 2::71 years (P < 01.008). Men aged 61-70 years had more rectal examinations than men aged 2::71 years (P < 0.04). Conclusions: colorectal cancer screening is performed less often in older patients attending a hospital for health maintenance evaluation. Chronological age alone should not determine whether physicians screen for colorectal cancer.
A Metropolitan Entrepreneur Par Excellence: Henry E. Huntington and the Growth of Southern California, 1898–1927

Henry E. Huntington, according to the following article, placed his imprint on the development of his region, the Los Angeles basin, to an extent unique among urban entrepreneurs. His great wealth and foresight, and especially his interests in street railways, real estate development, and hydroelectric power, enabled him to become a de facto city planner for one of the most important metropolitan regions in the United States.
The Experience of Being Born: A Natural Context for Learning to Suckle

Understanding the developmental origins of congenital capabilities such as sucking is fundamental knowledge that can contribute to improving the clinical management of early feeding and facilitate the onset of oral ingestion. We describe analyses in rats showing that sensory stimulation in utero and during birth establishes the newborn's sucking responses to maternal cues. We mimicked elements of labor and delivery (viz., compressions simulating labor contractions, stroking simulating postnatal maternal licking of the newborn, and postnatal thermal flux), and used them to induce postnatal respiration and nipple attachment in caesarian-delivered pups. We report herein new data showing that, by simulating a fetal rat's experience of being born, specific components of vaginal birth provide sufficient conditions for the odor learning that guides newborn's sucking responses. In contrast, the absence of in utero compressions was associated with poor sucking onset. Knowing how birth stimuli contribute to the first nipple attachment and constitute a context for learning to suckle is an important step toward better management of some early feeding problems. It can serve also as a foundation for understanding the challenges of facilitating sucking by babies born prematurely so that they do not experience the typical contingencies mediating onset of oral ingestion.
Magnetically Aligned Bicelles To Study the Orientation of Lipophilic Ligands in Membrane Bilayers

Magnetically aligned bicelles were used as a model membrane to study the orientation and dynamic properties of two cannabinoids (∆ 8 -THC and Me-∆ 8 -THC) using 31 P and 2 H NMR. The uniform alignment of the bicelles allowed us to obtain well resolved deuterium spectra from a solution NMR spectrometer. The preferred orientations of ∆ 8 -THC and Me-∆ 8 -THC were calculated on the basis of the measurements of individual quadrupolar splittings. Our results agree with previous experiments using multilamellar membranes as well as with molecular dynamics simulation data described here. In conjunction with our earlier report using small and fast tumbling bicelles, the present work of well aligned bicelles shows that bicelle preparations can provide either pseudoisotropic or anisotropic NMR spectra to study the conformation, orientation, and dynamic properties of ligands in membrane bilayers. Such data are of critical value for understanding the interactions of lipophilic drug molecules with membrane proteins.
Modeling Data Consistency in Wireless Sensor Networks

With the rapid growth of wireless sensor systems deployment, data quality has become a critical issue to the success of these applications. In this paper, we first raise the data quality problem in WSN. Then, we propose a novel metric, data consistency, to evaluate the data quality. Our consistency models consider three perspectives of consistency: temporal, numerical, and frequency, covering both individual data and data streams. Moreover, several system protocol design issues are identified to support data consistency. Finally, we propose a set of APIs to facilitate managing data consistency.
Viscoelastic behavior of poly(ether imide) incorporated with multiwalled carbon nanotubes

There is significant potential in improving the mechanical, electrical, and thermal properties of engineering plastics, including poly(ether imide) (PEI), with various nanoin- clusions such as multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). However, this potential can only be fully realized through a thor- ough understanding of the rheological behavior and the ther- momechanical histories that the nanocomposites are exposed to during their preparation and the resulting effective properties. In this study, nanocomposites of PEI and MWCNTs were pre- pared using a solution processing method under different dis- persion conditions, and the viscoelastic material functions of the nanocomposites were characterized as functions of concentration of CNTs in the 1-5% by weight range (volume fraction, / ¼ 0.006-0.03) and temperature. The storage modulus and magnitude of complex viscosity values of the PEI nanosus- pensions increased by as much as 3500% and 800%, respec- tively, at / ¼ 0.03, along with similar orders of magnitude increases observed or predicted in other viscoelastic material functions. Such increases reflect how nanotube incorporation and network formation can drastically alter the flow and defor- mation behavior of the PEI/CNT nanosuspensions at processing- relevant temperatures and deformation rates. V C 2012 Wiley Peri- odicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 50: 1504-1514, 2012
Tetrahymena Mutants With Short Telomeres

Telomere length is dynamic in many organisms. Genetic screens that identify mutants with altered telomere lengths are essential if we are to understand how telomere length is regulated in vivo .I n Tetrahymena thermophila, telomeres become long at 308, and growth rate slows. A slow-growing culture with long telomeres is often overgrown by a variant cell type with short telomeres and a rapid-doubling rate. Here we show that this variant cell type with short telomeres is in fact a mutant with a genetic defect in telomere length regulation. One of these telomere growth inhibited forever (tgi) mutants was heterozygous for a telomerase RNA mutation, and this mutant telomerase RNA caused telomere shortening when overexpressed in wild-type cells. Several other tgi mutants were also likely to be heterozygous at their mutant loci, since they reverted to wild type when selective pressure for short telomeres was removed. These results illustrate that telomere length can regulate growth rate in Tetrahymena and that this phenomenon can be exploited to identify genes involved in telomere length regulation.
Complete Genome Sequence of Caulobacter crescentus Podophage Percy

Podophage Percy infects Caulobacter crescentus, a Gram-negative bacterium that divides asymmetrically and is a commonly used model organism to study the cell cycle, asymmetric cell division, and cell differentiation. Here, we announce the sequence and annotated complete genome of the phiKMV-like podophage Percy and note its prominent features.
Flow Behavior of the Ll 2 (Al,Fe) 3 Ti Single Crystals

The compressive flow behavior of single crystalline LI 2 Al 67 FegTi 25 was investigated as a function of temperature and orientation at temperatures from 77K to about 1250K, using specimens with compressive axes orientated near [001], [113], [011], [122] and [111]. The operating slip systems seen in these specimens after 0.4% plastic deformation are predominantly of the octahedral type at all temperatures, even in near-[122] and [111] specimens in which the Schmid factors for the primary cube slip system are larger than that for the primary octahedral slip system. The yield stress increases rapidly with decreasing temperature at low temperatures, while it decreases gradually from room temperature to higher temperatures. The critical resolved shear stress (CRSS) on the [101](111) slip system does not seem to be orientation-dependent over a wide range of temperatures, except at temperatures from 1050K to 1250K where the CRSS exhibits a mild orientation-dependence. Fracture tests at room temperature were also conducted. No special orientation-dependence of the ductility was observed.
When Churches Fail: The Diocesan Debtor Dilemmas

This article examines the doctrinal and constitutional dilemmas created when a religious organization goes into bankruptcy, through the lens of the Chapter 11 reorganizations recently commenced by Catholic dioceses in Oregon, Washington and Arizona. The doctrinal dilemma in these cases forces judges to choose between the rules and norms of bankruptcy law, on the one hand, and religious liberty, on the other. The constitutional dilemma forces courts to choose between respecting the Free Exercise (and related) rights of parishioners and Establishment Clause-based protections for tort creditors. The article argues that solutions to these dilemmas may be found through creative use of conflict-of-laws doctrine and what the article calls purposive equity.
Measuring Variability and Stationarity of Term Premia for Interest Rate Forecasting

We study a series of weekly term premia extracted from U.S. Treasury bill quotations from 1970-1982. We choose this period because it is characterized by high and variable inflation. We find that spot and forward rates are cointegrated and that the series of their differences is stationary. This implies that term premia are also stationary, which has implications for researchers seeking to improve interest rate forecasting. It also rules out several variables as determinants of term premia. We use a variance estimator that is consistent against autoregression to compute variance bounds. This lets us use overlapping observations, thus conserving degrees of freedom and letting us use a finer sampling interval. This estimator shows that both forecast errors and term premia are more variable than reported previously. Those earlier results used periods of low inflation, though, so our results are not necessarily inconsistent with them. Variation in the premium rises with the level.
Is Foreign Exchange Volatility Risk Priced

If there is no priced risk - including volatility risk - associated with hedging an option, then expected delta hedging errors should be zero. This paper finds that delta hedging errors from writing options on foreign exchange futures are significantly positive and unexplained by standard asset pricing models. The volatility of the JPY/USD exchange rate predicts stock returns and is priced in the cross-section of stock returns. Foreign exchange volatility risk might be priced because of its relation to foreign exchange level risk.
Ultrafast Protein Dynamics of Bacteriorhodopsin Probed by Photon Echo and Transient Absorption Spectroscopy

Bacteriorhodopsin (bR) is an efficient light-driven proton pump which shows a trans-cis isomerization reaction of its retinal chromophore after light absorption. BR exhibits a large reorganization energy λ of 2520 cm-1 on optical excitation. In this paper, we have studied the nature, origin, and dynamical aspects of this extensive reorganization. We report the results of a femtosecond three-pulse echo peak shift (3PEPS), transient grating (TG) and transient absorption (TA) study, complemented with those of steady-state absorption and fluorescence spectroscopy in wild-type bR and the D85S mutant in its blue and purple, halide-pumping forms. We have simulated the results in the context of the multimode Brownian oscillator (MBO) formalism. A simple model that incorporates retinal's known intramolecular vibrations, which represent 1094 cm-1 or reorganization energy, and a single Gaussian protein relaxation with a decay of 50 fs representing 1430 cm-1 of reorganization energy, yielded satisfactory results for ...
Use of Waste to Energy Bottom Ash as an Aggregate in Portland Cement Concrete: Impacts of Size Fractionation and Carbonation

The use of alternatives, especially recycled materials, as substitute to naturally mined aggregates in concrete is an issue that is garnering more consideration with respect to the construction industry. This research contribution presents work in which bottom ash from a waste to energy facility was used as a partial aggregate replacement in Portland cement concrete (PCC). Compressive strength testing of specimens demonstrated a decrease in strength with increasing ash replacement percentages. This effect was significantly larger for the samples containing <9.5 mm ash fraction, this was attributed to the reactivity of the aluminum in the ash. The effect of aging the ash on concrete properties was assessed through an accelerated carbonation experiment. Carbonation was found to have little effect on the strength and durability properties of ash-amended PCC. Ash-amended concrete containing the larger ash size fraction was able to meet set design strengths at low replacement percentages (25 %).
OX40 ligation enhances primary and memory cytotoxic T lymphocyte responses in an immunotherapy for hepatic colon metastases

Previously, we showed that the eradication of murine hepatic metastatic colon carcinomas was achieved by using a combination therapy with adenovirus-mediated gene delivery of interleukin 12 (IL-12) and anti-4-1BB agonistic antibody. However, the therapeutic efficacy was compromised severely when mice with tumors larger than 8×8 mm2 were treated. In this report, we studied the effect of OX40 costimulation through agonistic anti-OX40 in combination with the IL-12 + anti-4-1BB immunotherapy on primary and memory anti-tumor cytotoxic T lymphocyte responses in a large-tumor setting (8×8 to 12×12 mm2). Tumor-infiltrating leukocytes (TILs) isolated from mice treated with the combination therapy of IL-12, anti-4-1BB, and anti-OX40 showed a significantly higher ex vivo direct cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) activity against parental tumors, as compared with those from mice treated with IL-12 and anti-4-1BB. In vivo depletion of CD4+T cells during combination therapy significantly decreased the number of tumor-infiltrating CD8+T cells and their cytotoxic activity in mice treated with IL-12 + anti-4-1BB + anti-OX40 combination therapy but not in the group treated with IL-12 + anti-4-1BB, which indicated that in vivo OX40 engagement on CD4+ T cells led to the higher CTL responses observed in animals treated with IL-12 + anti-4-BB + anti-OX40 combination therapy. Furthermore, the combination therapy of IL-12, anti-4-1BB, and anti-OX40 resulted in a significantly higher survival rate in treated mice, as compared with treatment with IL-12 and anti-4-1BB. More importantly, long-term surviving mice from the combination therapy with IL-12, anti-4-1BB, and anti-OX40 exhibited higher memory CTL responses against parental tumor cells. The results demonstrated that OX40 ligation of CD4+ T cells facilitated the development of primary and memory CTL responses against tumorcells and that coordinated immune activation by IL-12, anti-4-1BB, and anti-OX40 resulted in a significantly higher survival rate in mice with large tumor burdens. Thus, the combination therapy with the adenovirus encoding IL-12 (Adv.mIL-12) + anti-4-1BB + anti-OX40 antibodies may provide a better treatment modality for patients with advanced cancers, often associated with a state of immune suppression or tolerance.
Exploring and Supporting Today's Collaborative Writing

Collaborative writing has become increasingly common in many professions, however, when compared to the extensive research conducted 30 years ago, we know very little about it today. Now that both tools and people's skills have changed, how are people actually using these new tools in their collaborations? In my dissertation project, I investigate how people write together now, using both qualitative (i.e., interviewing participants and hand-coding co-authored documents) and quantitative (i.e., statistical modeling using Google Docs log data) research methods. I have also built information visualization systems to complement existing research methods. By understanding what practices and tools people use in collaborative writing, I will propose design implications for system designers to improve the tools, as well as collaboration guidelines for people to write together better.
Right-to-Work Laws, the Southernization of U.S. Labor Relations and the U.S. Trade Union Movement’s Decline

This article provides a framework for explaining why the right-to-work (RTW) movement is thriving in the twenty-first century’s second decade while outlining how RTW has negatively impacted the U.S...
Patient Portals in Primary Care: Impacts on Patient Health and Physician Productivity*

Interest in innovative health care delivery models has increased due to measures such as the Aordable Care Act, which is designed to expand insurance coverage and contain health care costs. The goal of these innovations is to increase physician productivity without sacricing quality of care. One innovation that has been forwarded as a low-cost alternative to physician oce visits is \e-visits," or secure messaging between patients and physicians via patient portals. We evaluate the eect of e-visit adoption on patient health and physician productivity using a six-year panel dataset from a large primary care provider in the United States. The main challenge in evaluating e-visits is that there could be unobservable selection: in particular,
Chlorine Dioxide (ClO 2 )

Bacterial foodborne outbreaks have been associated with raw fruit and vegetable products. Chlorine dioxide (ClO2) is one of the disinfectants being used increasingly to control microbiological growth in a number of different industries. This chapter discusses the characteristics and generation of ClO2, the basis of its antimicrobial action, and its antimicrobial effects on the safety and quality of produce.
The Cac1 subunit of histone chaperone CAF-1 organizes CAF-1-H3/H4 architecture and tetramerizes histones

The histone chaperone Chromatin Assembly Factor 1 (CAF-1) deposits tetrameric (H3/H4)2 histones onto newly-synthesized DNA during DNA replication. To understand the mechanism of the tri-subunit CAF-1 complex in this process, we investigated the protein-protein interactions within the CAF-1-H3/H4 architecture using biophysical and biochemical approaches. Hydrogen/deuterium exchange and chemical cross-linking coupled to mass spectrometry reveal interactions that are essential for CAF-1 function in budding yeast, and importantly indicate that the Cac1 subunit functions as a scaffold within the CAF-1-H3/H4 complex. Cac1 alone not only binds H3/H4 with high affinity, but also promotes histone tetramerization independent of the other subunits. Moreover, we identify a minimal region in the C-terminus of Cac1, including the structured winged helix domain and glutamate/aspartate-rich domain, which is sufficient to induce (H3/H4)2 tetramerization. These findings reveal a key role of Cac1 in histone tetramerization, providing a new model for CAF-1-H3/H4 architecture and function during eukaryotic replication.
A multiple-model based adaptive control algorithm for very-short term wind power forecasting

A multiple-model adaptive control algorithm is developed for wind power forecasting based on three forecasting models for very-short term wind power prediction. The performance of the three models and the proposed approach is verified in a wind farm in North China. The case study indicates that the proposed approach can provide reasonable very-short term wind power prediction and outperforms the other three models on both accuracy and reliability.
Granulomatous prostatitis: clinical and histomorphologic survey of the disease in a tertiary care hospital.

Background Granulomatous prostatitis is an uncommon entity that is diagnosed incidentally on histopathology and is broadly classified as nonspecific, specific, postsurgical (post-transurethral resection), or secondary to other rare systemic granulomatous diseases. Only very few studies are available in the literature that describe the clinical and histomorphological spectrum of the disease.