cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Herpes simplex virus amplicon delivery of a hypoxia-inducible soluble vascular endothelial growth factor receptor (sFlk-1) inhibits angiogenesis and tumor growth in pancreatic adenocarcinoma.

Tumor hypoxia induces vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression, which stimulates angiogenesis and tumor proliferation. The VEGF signaling pathway is inhibited by soluble VEGF receptors (soluble fetal liver kinase 1; sFlk-1), which bind VEGF and block its interaction with endothelial cells. Herpes simplex virus (HSV) amplicons are replication-incompetent viruses used for gene delivery. We attempted to attenuate angiogenesis and inhibit pancreatic tumor growth through HSV amplicon–mediated expression of sFlk-1 under hypoxic control. A multimerized hypoxia-responsive enhancer (10 × HRE) was cloned upstream of the sFlk-1 gene (10 × HRE/sFlk-1). A novel HSV amplicon expressing 10 × HRE/sFlk-1 was genetically engineered (HSV10 × HRE/sFlk-1).Human pancreatic adenocarcinoma cells (AsPC1) were transduced with HSV10 × HRE/sFlk-1 and incubated in normoxia (21% oxygen) or hypoxia (1% oxygen). Capillary inhibition was evaluated by human umbilical vein endothelial cell assay. Western blot assessed sFlk-1 expression. AsPC1 flank tumor xenografts (n = 24) were transduced with HSV10 × HRE/sFlk-1. Media from normoxic AsPC1 transduced with HSV10 × HRE/sFlk-1 yielded a 36% reduction in capillary formation versus controls (P < .05), whereas hypoxic AsPC1 yielded a 76% reduction (P < .005). Western blot of AsPC1 transduced with HSV10 × HRE/sFlk-1 demonstrated greater sFlk-1 expression in hypoxia versus normoxia. AsPC1 flank tumors treated with HSV10 × HRE/sFlk-1 exhibited a 59% reduction in volume versus controls (P < .000001). HSV amplicon delivery of a hypoxia-inducible soluble VEGF receptor significantly reduces new vessel formation and tumor growth. Tumor hypoxia can thus be used to direct antiangiogenic therapy to pancreatic adenocarcinoma.
Development of Flexural Strength Rating Procedures for Adjacent Prestressed Concrete Box Girder Bridges

An investigation was conducted on noncomposite prestressed precast concrete adjacent-box-beam bridges that suffered catastrophic failures resulting from the corrosion of the prestressing steel. These failures highlight the need to improve the methods used to detect corrosion damage and, subsequently, to load rate the damaged members. Currently, the inspection of concrete box girder sections relies on visual methods that correlate longitudinal and transverse cracking, spalling, and exposed strands with the rated level of performance of the member. To improve the current inspection techniques, visual assessment methods were examined through the destructive evaluation and material characterization of seven box-beam segments. The research results indicate that the fabrication techniques used for box-beam construction in the 1950–1960 time period allowed for large variations in construction tolerance. Half-cell methods were shown not to provide an accurate or reliable method of identifying the corrosion of prestressing strands. Longitudinal cracking was shown to be an accurate and reliable indicator of the underlying corrosion of prestressing strands. The probability of corrosion on strands adjacent to longitudinal cracks was determined and quantified. On the basis of the results, a new recommendation for determining the residual flexural strength of corroded prestressed beams is provided.
Lines and shadows: Perceptions of racial profiling and the Hispanic experience

Abstract Despite a longstanding research tradition examining the intersection of policing and race, extant research focused almost exclusively on race and ethnicity in Black and White terms. As such, academic knowledge of the Hispanic experience remained opaque. In this study, data from a random sample of New York City residents were used to compare the perceptions of racial profiling among Hispanic and non-Hispanic citizens. In particular, factors relating to the perception that racial profiling was widespread, justified, and personally experienced were examined. Findings were grounded within the literature on police-citizen relations and racial profiling.
Saturn ring seismology: Looking beyond first order resonances

Abstract Some wave features found in the C-ring of Saturn appear to be excited by resonances with normal mode oscillations of the planet. The waves are found at locations in the rings where the ratio of orbital to oscillation frequencies is given by m : m + 1 where m is a small integer. I suggest here that it is plausible that ring waves may also be launched at second order resonances where the frequency ratio would be m : m + 2 . Indeed otherwise unassociated wave features are found at such locations in the C-ring. If confirmed the association of planetary modes with additional C-ring wave features would measure additional oscillation frequencies of Saturn and improve the utility of the waves for constraining the internal structure of the planet. Second-order resonances in general do not lie near first order ring resonance locations and thus are not the explanation for the apparent frequency splitting of modes.
Molecular cloning, nuclear gene structure, and developmental expression of NADPH: protochlorophyllide oxidoreductase in pea (Pisum sativum L.).

Complementary DNA clones and a corresponding nuclear gene (lpcr) encoding the NADPH-dependent protochlorophyllide oxidoreductase (pchlide reductase, EC 1.6.99.1) have been characterized from pea (Pisum sativum L.). The pea lpcr gene encodes a 43 118 Da precursor polypeptide comprised of a transit peptide of 64 amino acids and a mature protein of 336 amino acids. The coding portion of the gene is interrupted by four introns, two of which are located within the transit peptide coding portion of the gene. The deduced primary structure for the pea protein is similar to those reported for Arabidopsis and two monocot species. Northern blot analysis revealed little to no decrease in steady-state levels of mRNA encoding the enzyme in etiolated leaves illuminated with continuous white light for up to 48 h. In contrast, western blot analysis showed that the major immunoreactive species present in whole leaf extracts decreased to nearly undetectable levels during this same 48 h period. These results suggest that pchlide reductase activity in pea is primarily regulated post-transcriptionally, most likely at the level of translation initiation/elongation or protein turnover.
Formation of p-hydroxynorephedrine in brain following intraventricular administration of p-hydroxyamphetamine.

Abstract p-Hydroxynorephedrine (PHN) accumulated in brain tissue following the intraventricular administration of tracer amounts of (±)-p-hydroxyamphetamine (POH). Only small amounts of radioactivity were detected in the POH and PHN fractions and no accumulation of PHN occurred following the intraventricular administration of (+)-amphetamine. These results lend support to the view that (+)-amphetamine following its systemic administration is p-hydroxylated in the periphery to POH which then crosses the blood-brain barrier, is taken up by noradrenergic neurones in brain and converted to PHN.
Theory of Hot-Electron Spectra at High Laser Intensity

A simple model involving resonant absorption in a self-consistent sharp density gradient is found to be in quantitative agreement with the suprathermal-electron spectrum from recent laser-plasma--interaction experiments and to explain qualitatively the scaling of that suprathermal-electron spectrum with laser power and wavelength.
Measurements of canopy interception and transpiration of openly-grown eastern redcedar in central Okalhoma

Eastern redcedar ( Juniperus virginiana L.) is rapidly encroaching and degrading native prairie and rangeland landscapes in the Great Plains of the U.S. Little is known concerning the impacts of increasing redcedar density and areal coverage on local and regional water budgets through transpiration ( T r ) and canopy interception ( C I ) of precipitation. Limited T r and C I studies have been conducted in dense stands of redcedar but results from these studies may not be applicable to redcedar growing in open environments. Four redcedar trees (two large, two small) were located in central Oklahoma to measure T r . Two limbs (one on the north face and one on the south face) on each of the large trees were instrumented with sapflux sensors to measure T r from August 2010 through mid-July 2012. Limb level T r was scaled to tree level T r using ratios of both leaf and bole areas. Whole tree T r was measured on two small redcedar trees from mid-May 2011 through mid-July 2012. Transpiration of the small redcedars was found to respond quickly to precipitation events, while the large redcedars did not. Redcedar T r was compared to that of native grasses. The large redcedars exhibited higher T r rates than native grasses while the small redcedars transpired at rates closely matching native grasses. Four different redcedars were instrumented to measure C I from October 2009 through mid-July of 2012. Redcedar canopies were found to intercept 100% of precipitation for events ? 2.4 mm. Redcedar canopies reduce annual precipitation received at the surface by about 33%, and as much as 39% in the western portion of the state. Significant canopy interception of precipitation, coupled with T r rates as large as or larger than native grasses and with year-round T r , suggests increases in redcedar density and areal coverage could affect local water resources (e.g. reducing infiltration, runoff, and ground water recharge rates).
Risk and Resiliency Factors among Adolescents Who Experience Marital Transitions.

Using a resiliency framework we examined familial and extrafamilial factors associated with adolescent well-being in intact blended and divorced single-parent families. Hierarchical regression analyses were conducted using a large sample of 7th- 9th- and 11th-grade adolescents (N = 2011) to test the moderating effect of peer support school attachment and neighbor support when parental support and monitoring were low. Significant two- and three-way interactions were probed. Findings indicate that divorced and blended families have some of the same forms of resiliency as intact families. For adolescents in a divorced single-parent family peer support moderated the effect of low parental support on internalizing symptoms. We discuss the merits of examining divorce from a resiliency perspective. (authors)
Nonnormality of Linear Combinations of Normal Random Variables

Abstract Hamedani and Tata (1975) showed that the bivariate normal distribution is determined uniquely by any countably infinite collection of distinct linear combinations of the variables and by no finite number of them. It is shown here that this characterization of bivariate normal distribution cannot be extended to the multivariate case. More specifically, it is shown that the multivariate normality of subsets (r < n) of the normal variables X 1, X 2, …, Xn together with the normality of an infinite number of linear combinations of them do not guarantee the joint normality of these variables.
Test flow calibration study of the Langley Arc-Heated Scramjet Test Facility

The test flow at the exits of two square cross-section contoured nozzles with nominal exit Mach numbers of 4.7 and 6 has been studied as calibration data for the NASA-Langley Arc-Heated Scramjet Test Facility over simulated flight conditions from Mach 5.5 (at altitudes from 98,600-128,000 ft) to Mach 7 (at altitudes from 108,000-149,000 ft). Nozzle exit contour maps of measured thermodynamic properties, calculated Mach number, and calculated mass flow are used to determine the mass flow approaching the inlets of various scramjet engines. Good agreement is found between experimentally measured facility total mass flow and facility total mass flow determined by integration of the nozzle exit mass flow contours.
“Because that's who I am”: Extending Theories of Culturally Responsive Pedagogy to Consider Religious Identity, Belief, and Practice

In this conceptual article the author explores the intersection of culturally responsive pedagogy and religious school contexts. He extends theories of culturally responsive pedagogy to consider how religion, a dimension of student culture that has largely been overlooked in the literature surrounding culturally responsive pedagogy, can inflect cultural competence as a key component of culturally responsive pedagogy.
Protein Alterations in Tall Fescue in Response to Drought Stress and Abscisic Acid

Drought stress may alter protein synthesis in turfgrasses. The objectives of this study were to investigate physiological changes associated with the synthesis of dehydrin and a cytosolic-heat shock protein (HSC 70) in response to drought stress in two tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea L.) cultivars, 'Southeast' and 'Rebel Jr.'. The effects of abscisic acid (ABA) application on the drought tolerance of the cultivars also were evaluated. The cultivars were subjected to three treatments in growth chambers: well-watered control, drought stress, and drought stress following ABA treatment. Turf quality and leaf relative water content (RWC) decreased and electrolyte leakage (EL) increased during drought stress for both cultivars. The ABA-treated plants maintained higher turf quality and RWC, and lower EL than untreated plants under drought stress conditions. Levels of 20- and 29-kDa polypeptides increased during drought stress, and a 35-kDa polypeptide was noted in both cultivars only when subjected to drought stress either with or without ABA treatment. Immunoblot analysis indicated that dehydrin-like polypeptides of about 23-60 kDa were induced by progressive water deficit in both cultivars. The 53 kDa dehydrin polypeptide was present in Southeast with or without ABA treatment at 10 d of drought stress, whereas the 40 kDa dehydrin polypeptide accumulated in Rebel Jr. in both treatment. The 23- and 27-kDa dehydrin polypeptides were present at 10 d in drought-stressed and ABA-treated plants in both cultivars, but were more pronounced in the drought-stressed plants without ABA. A cytosolic-heat shock protein (HSC 70) was detected in plants in all treatments including well-watered plants of both cultivars, but its levels were higher in drought-stressed and ABA-treated plants. No single dehydrin polypeptide was induced by ABA treatment under drought stress, however, the promotive effects of ABA on the reduced drought stress paralleled the delayed induction of protein synthesis in tall fescue.
Urinary bisphenol A and type-2 diabetes in U.S. adults: data from NHANES 2003-2008.

Objective Bisphenol A (BPA) is found in plastics and other consumer products; exposure may lead to insulin resistance and development of type-2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) through over-activation of pancreatic β-cells. Previous studies using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) showed an inconsistent association between prevalence of self-reported T2DM and urinary BPA. We used a different diagnosis method of T2DM (hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c)) with a larger subset of NHANES. Methods and Findings We analyzed data from 4,389 adult participants who were part of a sub-study of environmental phenol measurements in urine from three NHANES cycles from 2003 to 2008. T2DM was defined as having a HbA1c ≥6.5% or use of diabetes medication. The weighted prevalence of T2DM was 9.2%. Analysis of the total sample revealed that a two-fold increase in urinary BPA was associated with an odds ratio (OR) of 1.08 of T2DM (95% confidence interval (CI), 1.02 to 1.16), after controlling for potential confounders. However, when we examined each NHANES cycle individually, we only found a statistically significant association in the 2003/04 cycle (n = 1,364, OR = 1.23 (95% CI, 1.07 to 1.42) for each doubling in urinary BPA). We found no association in either the NHANES cycle from 2005/06 (n = 1,363, OR = 1.05 (95% CI, 0.94 to 1.18)); or 2007/08 (n = 1,662, OR = 1.06 (95% CI, 0.91 to 1.23)). Similar patterns of associations between BPA and continuous HbA1c were also observed. Conclusions Although higher urinary BPA was associated with elevated HbA1c and T2DM in the pooled analysis, it was driven by data from only one NHANES cycle. Additional studies, especially of a longitudinal design with repeated BPA measurements, are needed to further elucidate the association between BPA and T2DM.
Moving words: dynamic representations in language comprehension

Abstract Eighty-two participants listened to sentences and then judged whether two sequentially presented visual objects were the same. On critical trials, participants heard a sentence describe the motion of a ball toward or away from the observer (e.g., “The pitcher hurled the softball to you”). Seven hundred and fifty milliseconds after the offset of the sentence, a picture of an object was presented for 500 ms, followed by another picture. On critical trials, the two pictures depicted the kind of ball mentioned in the sentence. The second picture was displayed 175 ms after the first. Crucially, it was either slightly larger or smaller than the first picture, thus suggesting movement of the ball toward or away from the observer. Participants responded more quickly when the implied movement of the balls matched the movement described in the sentence. This result provides support for the view that language comprehension involves dynamic perceptual simulations.
The Mott transition and the strong correlation problem

Abstract We discuss the problem of the Mott transition within the context of the strong correlation problem and describe new insights gained using dynamical mean field techniques (DMFT) and their extensions.
Boom Stages In American Expansion

In the years from 1880 to 1910 the Pacfiic Northwest went through a development that appears to have been broadly typical. This boom stage, a nonrecurrent frontier phenomenon, is actually the process of integrating the developing area with the national economy. The patterns set in the pliant boom era by forceful “ground floor operators” are likely to harden into long-term permanence.
Involvement of Both Dockerin Subdomains in Assembly of the Clostridium thermocellum Cellulosome

Clostridium thermocellum is an anaerobic, thermophilic, and cellulolytic bacterium. Ever since the discovery that the C. thermocellum cellulase system exists as a multiprotein complex called the cellulosome (11), it has been recognized that its activity against crystalline cellulose is governed by its unique quaternary structure. This extracellular complex consists of nearly 20 subunits, which may include endoglucanases, xylanases, lichenases, and at least one exoglucanase (2). The core of the cellulosome is a 250-kDa noncatalytic polypeptide, CipA, which binds to cellulose and serves as a scaffold for the catalytic subunits. CipA contains a series of nine highly homologous domains, termed cohesin domains, which serve as receptors for the catalytic subunits (1, 7, 17). Binding to the cohesin domains is mediated by a highly conserved duplicated sequence of 22 amino acid residues called the dockerin domain (23). The dockerin domain is found almost exclusively at the C terminus of each cellulosomal catalytic subunit. Because of its critical role in cellulosome assembly, it is important to understand the nature of the cohesin-dockerin interaction. It has been demonstrated that dockerin binding appears to be nonselective among the various cohesin domains of a given species (13, 26). However, it was recently shown that the interaction can be species specific (14). Another important feature of the cohesin-dockerin interaction is that it is calcium dependent (26). Chauvaux et al. (5) first noted that a conserved region of the dockerin domain has some homology to the EF-hand calcium-binding site, consisting of a helix-loop-helix motif. Secondary structure predictions indicate that each duplicated sequence contains the equivalent of a calcium-binding loop and an F helix; a corresponding E helix is not found by the prediction (14). The three-dimensional structure of the cohesin domain has been determined (20, 22). The domain forms a nine-stranded β sandwich with an overall “jelly roll” topology. In contrast, the structure of the dockerin domain has yet to be solved. Consequently, the details of the cohesin-dockerin interaction remain unknown. In particular, the roles of the individual halves of the dockerin domain in binding to the cohesin domain are unclear. It has been suggested that both halves are involved in the cohesin-dockerin interaction (12, 14), but there has been no direct experimental evidence to support this hypothesis. We have previously cloned and expressed the celS gene (25), which encodes an exoglucanase (10) and the most abundant catalytic subunit of the cellulosome. In this work we cloned and expressed the individual duplicated sequences from the CelS dockerin domain by using an Escherichia coli expression system. The ability of these dockerin subdomains to form a complex with a cohesin domain was examined by using a polyacrylamide gel shift assay. Our results show that both subdomains are required for the cohesin-dockerin interaction.
Optimal Control of an Underwater Sensor Network for Cooperative Target Tracking

Optimal control (OC) is a general and effective approach for trajectory optimization in dynamical systems. So far, however, it has not been applied to mobile sensor networks due to the lack of suitable objective functions and system models. In this paper, an integral objective function representing the quality of service of a sensor network performing cooperative track detection over time is derived using a geometric transversals approach. A set of differential equations modeling the sensor network's dynamics is obtained by considering three dependent subsystems, i.e., underwater vehicles, onboard sensors, and oceanographic fields. Each sensor-equipped vehicle is modeled as a bounded subset of a Euclidian space, representing the sensor's field of view (FOV), which moves according to underwater vehicle dynamics. By this approach, the problem of generating optimal sensors' trajectories is formulated as an OC problem in computational geometry. The numerical results show that OC significantly improves the network's quality of service compared to area-coverage and path-planning methods. Also, it can be used to incorporate sensing and energy constraints on the sensors' state and control vectors, and to generate fronts of Pareto optimal trajectories.
PHOTOSELECTIVE VAPORIZATION OF THE PROSTATE FOR THE TREATMENT OF BENIGN PROSTATIC HYPERPLASIA: 12-MONTH RESULTS FROM THE FIRST UNITED STATES MULTICENTER PROSPECTIVE TRIAL

ABSTRACTPurpose: We report the 1-year efficacy and safety of photoselective vaporization of the prostate (PVP) for symptomatic and obstructive benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH).Materials and Methods: A prospective clinical trial was performed in 139 men clinically diagnosed with symptomatic bladder outlet obstruction secondary to BPH who were enrolled and treated with a high power, 80 W, quasicontinuous wave potassium-titanyl-phosphate laser at 6 American medical centers across the country. Efficacy parameters were mean and percent changes from baseline in the American Urological Association Symptom Index (AUA-SI) score, quality of life score (QOL), peak urinary flow rate (Qmax), post-void residual urine volume (PVR) and transrectal ultrasound prostate volume measurement. Patients were evaluated 1, 3, 6 and 12 months following treatment. At each followup evaluation side effects were elicited.Results: Significant improvements in AUA-SI score, QOL score, Qmax and PVR were noted as early as 1 month after PV...
Differential form of the collision integral for a relativistic plasma.

A differential formulation for the Beliaev and Budker relativistic collision integral is presented. This permits the rapid numerical evaluation of the collision integral. The decomposition into spherical harmonics allows the collision operator to be expressed in terms of one-dimensional integrals for simple background distributions. This is useful in carrying out analytical work. It also provides a convenient method for calculating the boundary conditions for the potentials. 6 refs.
The pathway ontology – updates and applications

Background The Pathway Ontology (PW) developed at the Rat Genome Database (RGD), covers all types of biological pathways, including altered and disease pathways and captures the relationships between them within the hierarchical structure of a directed acyclic graph. The ontology allows for the standardized annotation of rat, and of human and mouse genes to pathway terms. It also constitutes a vehicle for easy navigation between gene and ontology report pages, between reports and interactive pathway diagrams, between pathways directly connected within a diagram and between those that are globally related in pathway suites and suite networks. Surveys of the literature and the development of the Pathway and Disease Portals are important sources for the ongoing development of the ontology. User requests and mapping of pathways in other databases to terms in the ontology further contribute to increasing its content. Recently built automated pipelines use the mapped terms to make available the annotations generated by other groups.
Use of creatinine clearances to monitor the effect of low-dose dopamine in critically ill surgical patients.

Introduction. Despite uncertain evidence of its efficacy, “low-dose dopamine” (2–5 μg/kg/min) has often been used to augment renal perfusion in critically ill surgical patients. The 2-h creatinine clearance (CC) has been shown to be a monitor of renal function in critically ill patients. We therefore studied the use of sequential CC determinations to monitor the effect of low-dose dopamine (LDD) in surgical intensive care unit (SICU) patients. We hypothesized that sequential CC measurements could demonstrate whether individual patients had positive responses in renal function to LDD. Methods. Data were prospectively collected for patients on LDD in a university SICU. CC were recorded for these patients immediately before and after the institution of LDD or before and after the cessation of LDD. APACHE II scores, gender, urine creatinine, age, blood pressure, heart rate, and urine output (UO) were also recorded for these patients; P < 0.05. Results. Twenty-four pairs of CC values were observed during the study. The mean APACHE II score for the patients was 15.1. In 10 cases after initiation of LDD, the mean CC increased from 52.5 ± 23.7 ml/min to 68.1 ± 33.8 ml/min (P = 0.056). UO also increased from 48.0 ± 27 to 75.9 ± 49 ml/h (NS). In 14 cases after discontinuation of LDD, CC decreased from 85.6 ± 36.3 ml/min to 63.6 ± 45.5 ml/min (P = 0.044) and UO decreased from 105.1 ± 73.9 to 89.6 ± 76.7 ml/h (NS). Overall, 13 of the 24 patients had a 25% change or more in CC upon initiation or cessation of LDD. Conclusions. LDD institution increased CC in individual patients in the SICU population. Because using LDD in the absence of a discernable improvement in renal function is costly and may harbor risks, we recommend following CC in patients on LDD to determine which patients derive benefit from the intervention.
Regularized, weighted temporal multiresolution speckle tracking of small displacements in ultrasound

A new referencing scheme for estimating axial displacements with ultrasound is presented. The multiresolution scheme combines estimates made at multiple temporal spacings into a single, noise robust, high resolution estimate. The problem is framed as an overdetermined system of equations, and the least-squares solution is solved directly. Weighting of input estimates allows for automatic rejection of decorrelated data, and Tikhonov regularization enforces smoothness constraints. This scheme is particularly useful for estimating motion with decorrelated frames, such as with Acoustic Radiation Force Impulse (ARFI) imaging.
Hydrogen chemistry - Perspective on experiment and theory

In view of the rapidly accelerating pace of research in atmospheric kinetics, it is increasingly difficult to review a subject as large as the relevant ‘hydrogen’ chemistry. This subject may be discussed broadly in terms of the principal mechanisms which are thought to operate in planetary atmospheres, particularly in the terrestrial stratosphere and mesosphere. But such a discussion would necessarily be both superficial and repetitive. Alternately, one may be tempted to do a quick review of the vast store of kinetic information on the many reactions of H, OH, HO2, H2O2, HCl, HNO3, etc., in order to bring such information up to date. This is a laudable objective, but a note of caution must be sounded. Although it was very important that reviews of that type were first undertaken 10 to 15 yr ago (Kaufman, 1964) when experimental work on elementary reactions was barely getting under way, the situation is very different today, and the reviewing task is either a full-time occupation or an arduous labor of love. It is therefore particularly important that the users of reaction rate information, i.e. aeronomic modelers, not be confronted with too many alternate and often contradictory sources, because such alternate sources of input data cloud the comparison of modeling calculations. Modelers must therefore be encouraged to use the best, most up-to-date sources such as the Leeds evaluations (Baulch et al., 1972) the NSRDS-NBS monographs (e.g., Johnston, 1968), the most recent NBS evaluations (e.g., Garvin and Hampson, 1974), review papers in the Journal of Physical Chemical Reference Data and in the International Journal of Chemical Kinetics such as those on OH (Wilson, 1972) and HO2 reactions (Lloyd, 1974) and on stratospheric reactions (Hampson, 1973). The CODATA-3 Bulletin (Garvin, 1971) and the ‘review of reviews’ paper by Gevantman and Garvin (1973) are particularly valuable guides to and through the reviews thicket.
Random texts exhibit Zipf's-law-like word frequency distribution

It is shown that the distribution of word frequencies for randomly generated texts is very similar to Zipf's law observed in natural languages such as English. The facts that the frequency of occurrence of a word is almost an inverse power law function of its rank and the exponent of this inverse power law is very close to 1 are largely due to the transformation from the word's length to its rank, which stretches an exponential function to a power law function. >
Management of an affiliated Physics Residency Program using a commercial software tool.

A review of commercially available allied health educational management software tools was performed to evaluate their capacity to manage program data associated with a CAMPEP-accredited Therapy Physics Residency Program. Features of these software tools include: a) didactic course reporting and organization, b) competency reporting by topic, category and didactic course, c) student time management and accounting, and d) student patient case reporting by topic, category and course. The software package includes features for recording school administrative information; setting up lists of courses, faculty, clinical sites, categories, competencies, and time logs; and the inclusion of standardized external documents. There are provisions for developing evaluation and survey instruments. The mentors and program may be evaluated by residents, and residents may be evaluated by faculty members using this feature. Competency documentation includes the time spent on the problem or with the patient, time spent with the mentor, date of the competency, and approval by the mentor and program director. Course documentation includes course and lecture title, lecturer, topic information, date of lecture and approval by the Program Director. These software tools have the facility to include multiple clinical sites, with local subadministrators having the ability to approve competencies and at­tendance at clinical conferences. In total, these software tools have the capability of managing all components of a CAMPEP-accredited residency program. The application database lends the software to the support of multiple affiliated clini­cal sites within a single residency program. Such tools are a critical and necessary component if the medical physics profession is to meet the projected needs for qualified medical physicists in future years.
Hiding behind Writing: Communication in the Oering Process of Mortgage-Backed Securities

Securities Oering Reform (SOR) in 2005 formalized free writing prospectus (FWP) as permittable written communication in the oering process by securities issuers. Using non-agency mortgage deals securitized following SOR, we nd the surprising result that MBS deals with more FWP usage suered up to 2% higher cumulative net loss, accounting for almost 18% of the deal average loss. Examining the contents of FWPs, we uncover that textual FWPs rather than loan data tape played a more signicant role for the larger deal losses. More FWPs are associated with increased uncertain text usage in the nal prospectus supplements, a tactic often used to hedge litigation risk on undisclosed information. Our ndings provide evidence that MBS issuers may have hidden information behind writing for their nancial benets.
Treatment Adherence in Mental Disorders: Factors Associated with Non-adherence Identified by Patients

Introduction Treatment non-adherence is a major factor contributingto poor clinical outcomes in patients with mental disorders. Patient adherenceto treatment is likely to be influenced by a complex interaction of treatment, patient, and sociodemographic and clinical factors. Understandwhich factors identified by patient may have a high impact in treatmentadherence, can enable thedevelopment of more effective strategies. Objectives a. to assess the factors associated with non-adherenceidentified by patients with mental health disorders(MHD). Aims The study explored preditors related with non-adherenceidentified by patients with MHD. Methods In this cross sectional study we use a conveniencesample of patients with MHD. The patients completed a clinical and socio-demographicquestionnaire and additional measures to assess illness perception, symptomseverity, treatment adherence and attitudes towards medication. The completionof the questionnaires took approximately 45 min. Results A convenience sampleof 121 patients (mean age= 39.8; ± 9.3) in treatment in a variety of settings is beingcollected in the mental health departments of threegeneral hospitals in Lisbon great area. The majority ofpatients identified the following factors related to treatment as their reasonfor non-adherence: side effects (50.4%;n=61); lack insight (49.6%;n=60) and no recognition the needof treatment (34.7%; n=42) Conclusion The results of this study can be used to further our understandingregarding adherence and non-adherence over time, better identification ofpatients who are at risk for becoming non-adherent and who will have difficultydeveloping adherence, and interventions to prevent such problems.
Abstract 326: Nucleostemin Induced by Pim-1 Kinase Antagonizes Senescence of Cardiac Progenitor Cells

Decline in stem cell functionality and regenerative capability is a crucial contributor to aging, upon which the c-kit+ cardiac progenitor cell (CPC) pool with enhanced regenerative potential decreases and CPCs with limited proliferative and differentiation potential progressively accumulate. With cardiac stem cells currently being used in the clinic, especially in the elderly population, there is a dire need to understand the phenotypic, molecular and functional characteristics of senescent stem cells to effectively manipulate them for therapy. Nucleostemin (NS), a nucleolar stress sensor protein associated with stem cell pluripotency and regeneration declines upon cardiac aging. We hypothesize that NS is a critical antagonizer of senescence in CPCs. NS expression decreases significantly (-59%, p
Mutation-selection balance and the evolution of senescence

Populations of all organisms are faced with a continuous bombardment of mutations. These mutations have a range of effects from lethality to advantageous, and they have a range of pleiotropic effects as well. Population genetics theory tells us that a population in mutation-selection balance will have late-acting deleterious alleles in higher frequency than early-acting deleterious alleles. The mutation-accumulation model explains the evolution of senescence by the accumulation of late-acting deleterious alleles, and no form of pleiotropic effects needs to be specified. Alleles that cause earlier senescence can be favored by natural selection provided pleiotropic effects give those mutations a net reproductive advantage. Provided such mutations with antagonistically pleiotropic effects occur, this model may explain the evolution of senescence. To some extent, the relative importance of these two models can be inferred from the difference between the distribution of mutational effects and the equilibrium distribution of allelic effects of polymorphic loci. There are several experimental designs that, to varying degrees of success, give a quantitative assessment of the distribution of mutational effects on age-specific survival and fecundity. Thorough analysis of physiological mechanisms for senescence is highly relevant to this problem, because the mechanistic explanation for patterns of pleiotropy may be revealed by the physiology.
INHIBITION OF BONE COLLAGEN SYNTHESIS BY SALICYLATES.

SummaryIn vitro studies with rat femora and mouse embryonic radii showed a reduced uptake of radioproline into the bone collagen when p-aminosalicylic acid (approximately 10-2 M) and acetylsalicylic acid (aspirin; approximately 10-3 M) were added to the incubation medium. Autoradiographic examination of rat femora from p-amino-salicylate treated animals also indicated reduced H3-proline uptake by the osteoblasts compared to control animals. Electron microscopic examination of metaphyseal bone from p-aminosalicylate treated and control rats showed cytological alteration of the osteoblasts after p-aminosalicylate treatment.
Oxygen Consumption in Lemur fulvus: Deviation from the Ideal Model

The pattern of oxygen consumption (![Graphic][1] ) for Lemur fulvus deviated from the Scholander-Irving model of energetics. Minimal rate of metabolism was 0.139 cm2 O2 g−1 h−1, which is 28% of the basal value expected from the Kleiber relationship for a mammal of 2.33 kg. This minimal rate occurred at ambient temperatures ( Ta ) from 30–40°C; thermal conductance (C) at Ta of 22–30°C was 0.235 cm2 O2 g−1 h−1 °C−1. Deviation from the standard model occurred most notably at Ta < 22°C as rate of metabolism and thermal conductance decreased. At Ta = 0–7°C, #### was 0.152 cm3 O2 g−1 h−1, and C was 0.0037 cm3 O2 g−1 h−1 °C−1, which are 31% and 18% of the expected values, respectively. Below 0°C, #### increased. A high body temperature, 38.2°C, was maintained at Ta from −2 to 40°C. The low minimal rate of metabolism of L. fulvus may be partially explained by its folivorous diet. It is also possible the minimal rate was a depressed rate, below that referred to as basal in the standard model. Low #### and C at cold Ta 's probably resulted from decreased peripheral circulation and a heat conserving posture at abnormally cold environmental temperatures. [1]: /embed/inline-graphic-1.gif
Theoretical investigation of surface reactions of lactic acid on MgO clusters.

Interaction of lactic acid with various sizes of magnesium oxide clusters (MgO)x (x = 2, 4, 6, 8, 9, 12, 15, 16, 18) is investigated. Density functional theory with the PBE functional and a polarized double-ζ basis set is employed to optimize the structures. For MgO dimer, optimizations are also performed at the PBE/DZP, PBE/TZP, and MP2/TZV(d,p) levels of theory, and single-point CCSD(T)/TZV(d,p) calculations are computed at the PBE/TZP optimized geometries. CCSD(T)/TZV(d,p) calculations show that the PBE/DZP results are off by no more than 5 kcal/mol. Dissociative adsorption of a proton bound to oxygen is possible for the carboxylic acid group, the hydroxyl group, and for a simultaneous interaction of the carboxylic acid and hydroxyl groups. Associative adsorption of various functional groups is also possible, although these represent higher energy structures. All of the adsorptions are calculated to be exothermic. Dissociative adsorption of the carboxylic acid group of lactic acid at the lowest coordin...
Selective Phenotyping Traits Related to Multiple Stress and Drought Response in Dry Bean

Abiotic stress tolerance in dry bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) is complex. Increased population sizes are contributing to finding QTL condition - ing stress response but phenotyping has not kept pace with high throughput genotyping for such studies. Our objectives were to deter- mine effectiveness of 20 most tolerant and 20 most susceptible lines representing phenotypic extremes from a RIL population ('Buster' ´ 'Roza' (BR)) to facilitate examination of 19 traits for relevance to stress response and to vali- date existing QTL conditioning stress response. Using phenotypic extremes tested across multi- ple trials, eight of the 19 traits were clearly asso- ciated with drought stress. Pod wall ratio (PW), plant biomass by weight or a visual rating, and greenness index (NDVI) were most associated with seed yield (SY) under stress followed by phenology traits. The phenotypic extreme lines were also useful for validating QTL previously identified in the whole RIL population condi - tioning SY, seed weight (SW) and days to flower (DF), harvest maturity (HM), and seed fill (DSF). New QTL were identified for biomass, PW, and NDVI which co-segregated with major QTL for seed yield SY1.1 BR and SY2.1 BR . The preliminary finding of NDVI 1.1 BR supports aerial imaging in larger genetic populations geared toward QTL analysis of stress response. In summary, phe- notypic extremes helped sort through traits rel- evant to stress response in the BusterRoza RIL population and verified the effect of two major QTL in response to terminal drought.
Efficient and Accurate Behavior-Based Tracking of Malware-Control Domains in Large ISP Networks

In this article, we propose Segugio, a novel defense system that allows for efficiently tracking the occurrence of new malware-control domain names in very large ISP networks. Segugio passively monitors the DNS traffic to build a machine-domain bipartite graph representing who is querying what. After labeling nodes in this query behavior graph that are known to be either benign or malware-related, we propose a novel approach to accurately detect previously unknown malware-control domains.We implemented a proof-of-concept version of Segugio and deployed it in large ISP networks that serve millions of users. Our experimental results show that Segugio can track the occurrence of new malware-control domains with up to 94p true positives (TPs) at less than 0.1p false positives (FPs). In addition, we provide the following results: (1) we show that Segugio can also detect control domains related to new, previously unseen malware families, with 85p TPs at 0.1p FPs; (2) Segugio’s detection models learned on traffic from a given ISP network can be deployed into a different ISP network and still achieve very high detection accuracy; (3) new malware-control domains can be detected days or even weeks before they appear in a large commercial domain-name blacklist; (4) Segugio can be used to detect previously unknown malware-infected machines in ISP networks; and (5) we show that Segugio clearly outperforms domain-reputation systems based on Belief Propagation.
Association Between Serum Antibodies to Periodontal Bacteria and Rheumatoid Factor in the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

Objective Alterations in the microbiome, including the periodontal microbiome, may be a risk factor for rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Most studies that have analyzed this association are relatively small, focus primarily on a single periodontal pathogen (Porphyromonas gingivalis), and are not population based. This study was undertaken to investigate the association between elevated serum levels of IgG antibodies to 19 periodontal species and the prevalence of rheumatoid factor (RF) in a large nationally representative sample of adults. Methods The Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES-III) is a cross-sectional sample of the noninstitutionalized US population (n = 33,994). Our study population included all dentate participants who were 60 years and older, did not have RA as defined by a modified version of the American College of Rheumatology 1987 criteria, and had complete data for both serum IgG antibodies against periodontal bacteria and serum RF antibody titer (n = 2,461). Results Adjusted odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) summarizing the relationship between the 19 periodontal serum IgG antibodies and RF seropositivity ranged from 0.53 (95% CI 0.29–0.97) to 1.27 (95% CI 0.79–2.06), and 17 of the 19 observed ORs were <1.0. The ORs for RF seropositivity among participants with elevated Prevotella intermedia (0.53 [95% CI 0.29–0.97]) and Capnocytophaga ochracea (0.54 [0.31–0.95]) IgG levels were statistically significant. Conclusion Our findings indicate that elevated levels of IgG antibodies to periodontal bacteria are mostly unassociated with RF seropositivity in the nationally representative NHANES-III. Elevated levels of antibodies to P intermedia and C ochracea are associated with lower odds of RF seropositivity.
Preoperative Chemotherapy and Survival for Large Anorectal Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors: A National Analysis of 333 Cases.

Anorectal gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) are exceedingly rare, and management remains controversial in regard to local resection (LR) and preoperative chemotherapy. The National Cancer Data Base was queried from 1998 to 2012 for cases of GIST resection in the rectum or anus. Patient demographics, type of surgery (LR vs. radical excision [RE]), short-term outcomes, and overall survival (OS) were analyzed. Preoperative chemotherapy was recorded following the US FDA approval of imatinib in 2002. Overall, 333 patients with resection of anorectal GISTs were included. Mean age at presentation was 62.3 years (range 22–90), and median tumor size was 4.0 cm (interquartile range 2.2–7.0). Five-year OS for all patients was 77.6%. In a multivariable survival analysis, only age and tumor size >5 cm (hazard ratio 2.48, 95% confidence interval 1.50–4.01; p = 0.004) were associated with increased mortality. One hundred and sixty-three (49.0%) patients underwent LR, compared with 158 (47.4%) who underwent RE. For tumors smaller than 5 cm, no difference in 5-year survival by surgical approach was observed (LR 82.3% vs. RE 82.6%; p = 0.71). Fifty-nine patients (17.7%) received preoperative chemotherapy; for patients undergoing RE with tumors >5 cm, there was decreased mortality in the group who received preoperative chemotherapy (5-year OS with chemotherapy 79.2% vs. no chemotherapy 51.2%; p = 0.03). Size is the most important determinant in survival following resection. Local excision is common, with resection split between LR and RE. For smaller tumors, LR may be adequate therapy. Preoperative chemotherapy may result in improved survival for large tumors treated with radical resection, but the data are imperfect.
Confirmatory Analysis of an Organizational Culture Instrument for Corrections

Research has determined that organizational culture is related to employee turnover, job commitment, and job satisfaction. Assessment of this culture requires an instrument that befits the type of ...