cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Identification of estrogenic compounds emitted from the combustion of computer printed circuit boards in electronic waste.

Rapid changes in technology have brought about a surge in demand for electronic equipment. Many of these products contain brominated flame-retardants (BFRs) as additives to decrease the rate of combustion, raising concerns about their toxicological risk. In our study, emissions from the combustion of computer-printed circuit boards were evaluated in the T47D-KBluc estrogen-responsive cell line at a series of concentrations. There was significant activity from the emission extract when compared to the positive control, 0.1 nM estradiol. After HPLC fractionation, GC/MS identified ten chemicals which included bisphenol A; the brominated derivates mono-, di-, and tribisphenol, triphenyl phosphate, triphenyl phosphine oxide, 4′-bromo-[1,1′-biphenyl]-4-ol, 3,5-dibromo-4-hydroxybiphenyl, 3,5-dibromo-2-hydroxybiphenyl, and the oxygenated polyaromatic hydrocarbon benzanthrone. Commercially available samples of these ten compounds were tested. The compound 4′-bromo-[1,1′-biphenyl]-4-ol resulted in dose-dependent si...
Riding the iOS Rollercoaster: Design, Implementation, Circulation and Support of iPads at Penn State Libraries

The circulation of iPads is a goal for many universities and colleges as they emerge as a major player in tablet technology. Unfortunately, there is very little research or documentation available to technical specialists trying to provide this service. There are a variety of tools available and each tool has its own nuances and challenges. Penn State has been circulating iPads for two years, and has developed many successful processes along the way. This presentation will cover the project from design to implementation as well as the shift from build to maintenance as the project has matured.
Cut-like Homeobox 1 (CUX1) Regulates Expression of the Fat Mass and Obesity-associated and Retinitis Pigmentosa GTPase Regulator-interacting Protein-1-like (RPGRIP1L) Genes and Coordinates Leptin Receptor Signaling

The first intron of FTO contains common single nucleotide polymorphisms associated with body weight and adiposity in humans. In an effort to identify the molecular basis for this association, we discovered that FTO and RPGRIP1L (a ciliary gene located in close proximity to the transcriptional start site of FTO) are regulated by isoforms P200 and P110 of the transcription factor, CUX1. This regulation occurs via a single AATAAATA regulatory site (conserved in the mouse) within the FTO intronic region associated with adiposity in humans. Single nucleotide polymorphism rs8050136 (located in this regulatory site) affects binding affinities of P200 and P110. Promoter-probe analysis revealed that binding of P200 to this site represses FTO, whereas binding of P110 increases transcriptional activity from the FTO as well as RPGRIP1L minimal promoters. Reduced expression of Fto or Rpgrip1l affects leptin receptor isoform b trafficking and leptin signaling in N41 mouse hypothalamic or N2a neuroblastoma cells in vitro. Leptin receptor clusters in the vicinity of the cilium of arcuate hypothalamic neurons in C57BL/6J mice treated with leptin, but not in fasted mice, suggesting a potentially important role of the cilium in leptin signaling that is, in part, regulated by FTO and RPGRIP1L. Decreased Fto/Rpgrip1l expression in the arcuate hypothalamus coincides with decreased nuclear enzymatic activity of a protease (cathepsin L) that has been shown to cleave full-length CUX1 (P200) to P110. P200 disrupts (whereas P110 promotes) leptin receptor isoform b clustering in the vicinity of the cilium in vitro. Clustering of the receptor coincides with increased leptin signaling as reflected in protein levels of phosphorylated Stat3 (p-Stat3). Association of the FTO locus with adiposity in humans may reflect functional consequences of A/C alleles at rs8050136. The obesity-risk (A) allele shows reduced affinity for the FTO and RPGRIP1L transcriptional activator P110, leading to the following: 1) decreased FTO and RPGRIP1L mRNA levels; 2) reduced LEPR trafficking to the cilium; and, as a consequence, 3) a diminished cellular response to leptin.
Simultaneous Swept Source Optical Coherence Tomography of the Anterior Segment and Retina

We report on the implementation of swept source optical coherence tomography for simultaneous imaging of the anterior segment and retina. The system achieves depth-encoding by coherence revival heterodyning and a polarization-encoded sample arm.
The design of a global optimizer

We are constructing a compiler for a high level systems and applications programming language. Because the compiler is required to generate efficient object code, a global optimization phase and register allocation phase are an integral part of the design. It was determined that the familiar optimizations of code motion, redundant expression elimination, and dead code removal would be sufficient.The optimizer design was to be based on the most recent applicable theoretical results, yet simple and straightforward to implement. Traditional approaches were considered inadequate because they assume a primitive intermediate code representation (quadruples), elaborate flow graph constructions, and numerous special cases. High level data flow analysis as proposed by Rosen [1,2] provided the framework we sought. Using his approach, the parse tree of the program, with its high level control structures intact, becomes a suitable intermediate representation. Complex statement structures are analyzed quickly in two tree traversals to determine the solutions to data flow problems.
A Content Analysis of “Little Orphan Annie”

The most significant characteristic associated with comic strips is their huge audience which includes four-fifths of all adult newspaper readers. (11) If, in the face of this popularity, modern comic strips show a tendency to deal with events and issues of the real world, then cognizance must be taken of the emergence of the comic strip as an important mass communication medium. In view of these conditions an analysis was made to determine the nature and extent to which a measurable, social, political and economic ideology was contained in "Little Orphan Annie," a nationally syndicated strip. "Little Orphan Annie" was launched August 5, 1924 in the Chicago Tribune. Meeting with rapid success, the strip was soon syndicated and ranks sixth among the nation's most popular comic strips. (11, p. 57) Though official figures will not be released by the syndicate, its Sunday circulation has been estimated at twenty million in three hundred forty-five newspapers. (12) The major characters in this strip are Orphan Annie, an appealing eleven year old orphan girl; Sandy, her dog; Daddy Warbucks, heroic industrial colossus, and Annie's guardian; and Punjab, Warbucks' inscrutable Asiatic follower.
Impact of the worker's employment probability on wage rates

The employment probability is a significant determinant of the worker's wage rate, expecially in the presence of employers’ hiring discrimination. Several tests suggest that the omission of this variable in the wage regression may lead to misspecification.
Compressibilities in bilayers of charged particles

The isothermal compressibility plays a central role in determining the characteristics of the static response in plasma systems. In a charged particle bilayer this role is assumed by L ij , the matrix of inverse compressibilities. For weak coupling, the inverse compressibilities of a bilayer of charged particles can be calculated analytically in the Debye limit from the equation of state through the chemical potential. There are two different charging procedures to obtain the latter. We present the results of a rather lengthy analytical calculation, exploring both approaches. The limits of the validity of the Debye description are discussed, and we compare the weak coupling results with L ij values inferred from S(k→0) through the compressibility sum rule, where the structure function S(k) is generated for strong coupling both through molecular dynamics simulations and by HNC calculations.
Use of 4-methylindole or 7-methyl-DL-tryptophan in a transformant selection system based on the feedback-insensitive anthranilate synthase α-subunit of tobacco (ASA2)

Effective selectable markers are needed for basic research and commercial applications that do not involve antibiotic or herbicide resistance. A novel selection system based on a feedback-insensitive anthranilate synthase α-subunit of tobacco (ASA2) as selectable marker using either 4-methylindole (4MI) or 7-methyl-DL-tryptophan (7MT) as the selection agent was developed. We found that these two components were able to discriminate better between ASA2 expressing and untransformed lines than the most commonly used analog 5-methyltryptopan (5MT) in the seedling growth inhibition test. We successfully integrated an expression cassette containing an ASA2 cDNA driven by a cauliflower mosaic virus 35S promoter into tobacco leaf discs by A. tumefaciens and selected transgenic plants on medium supplemented with 300 μM of 7MT or 4MI. Due to the expression of the feedback-insensitive ASA2, the transgenic lines produced showed higher free tryptophan (Trp) concentrations than the untransformed WT control. These results demonstrate the feasibility of the selection system with the ASA2 gene in combination with the use of Trp or indole analogs as selective agent.
Six- and seven-coordinate main group IV metal derivatives of pentacarbonylvanadate (3-) ion. structural characterization of tetraethylammonium biis (Triphenylstannyl)-pentacarbonyl vanadate

Abstract Organotin and triphenyllead derivatives (Ph 3 Sn) 2 V(CO) 5 − ,((C 6 H 11 ) 3 Sn) -(Ph 3 Sn)V(CO) 5 − , (Me 3 Sn)(Ph 3 Sn)V(CO) 5 − and (Ph 3 Pb) 2 V(CO) 5 − containing seven-coordinate vanadium have been isolated as tetraethylammonium salts in 40–80% yields from the reactions of appropriate organometal halides with Ph 3 EV(CO) 5 2− (E = Sn, Pb). The latter have been prepared by the reduction of [Et 4 N] [(Ph 3 E) 2 V(CO) 5 ] and are the first reported organotin and -lead metal carbonyl derivatives which contain a transition metal in a formal negativ oxidation state. The crystal structure of [Et 4 N] [(Ph 3 Sn) 2 V(CO) 5 ], which is synthesized in low yields (ca. 15%) from the photolysis of [Et 4 N] [V(CO) 6 ] in the presence of Ph 6 Sn 2 , has been determined by single crystal X-ray diffraction techniques. The anion contains two SnV bonds with a SnVSn angle of 137.9(1)°. Its geometry is discussed interms of three possible seven-coordination environments.
Assessing nitrogen contamination by use of differential temperature calculations

Abstract A methodology to assess the relative influence of nitrogenous and carbonaceous oxygen requirements in the lower Aisne River, a subtributary of the Seine, was developed. This methodology utilizes the differential effect of temperature on biological oxidation rates to separate the influence of nitrogenous and carbonaceous oxygen use in the study area selected. The results obtained from this analysis indicate that nitrogenous oxidation potentially accounts for approximately 38% of the total oxygen demand requirements in the lower Aisne system.
Interleukin-1α synergistic in vivo enhancement of cyclophosphamide- and carboplatin-mediated antitumor activity

Interleukin-1α (IL-1α) has potent acute antitumor activity in vivo and can enhance the efficacy of chemotherapeutic drug-mediated antitumor responses. Studies were undertaken to examine the ability of IL-1α to enhance the activity of cyclophosphamide (CTX) administered in combination with carboplatin. To determine the in vivo effect of IL-1α, CTX and/or carboplatin, mice bearing 14-day RIF-1 tumors were treated on day 0 with a concurrent i.p. injection of varying doses of CTX (5–150 mg/kg), human IL-1α (125 μg/kg), and carboplatin (50 mg/kg) and examined 24 h later for the surviving fraction by the in vivo excision clonogenic-tumor-cell assay. Even at the lowest doses of CTX, IL-1α significantly enhanced the clonogenic tumor cell kill when compared to treatment with CTX alone. When carboplatin was added to the treatment schema, significantly greater clonogenic cell killing and tumor regrowth delay were observed as compared to any agent alone or a two-drug combination (CTX/IL-1α or CTX/carboplatin). Significant enhancement was observed even at low doses of CTX in combination with carboplatin and IL-1α. The interaction between the three-drug combination was found to be synergistic as determined by the median dose effect with significant dose reduction apparent for IL-1α and CTX when used in this combination. These results demonstrate that IL-1α can synergistically enhance the antitumor efficacy of CTX and the combination of CTX and carboplatin.
Transonic choking and stabilization for flows about slender bodies

Analyse de l'ecoulement sonique autour d'un corps elance en vol libre et d'un ecoulement choque autour d'un corps elance en soufflerie a paroi solide axisymetrique
Acute mesenteric ischemia/reperfusion down regulates renal PGE2 synthesis

This study examines the hypothesis that pentoxifylline protects renal PGE2 synthesis during mesenteric ischemia/reperfusion injury. Anesthetized Sprague-Dawley rats (300 g) were subjected to sham or superior mesenteric artery occlusion for 20 min followed by 30 min of reperfusion. The ischemia/reperfusion groups received either enteral allopurinol (10 mg/kg) daily for 5 d prior to ischemia, pentoxifylline (50 mg/kg) 10 min prior to ischemia or carrier. The kidney was removed and perfused in vitro with oxygenated Krebs buffer and the effluent was assayed for release of 6-keto-PGF1α, PGE2 and thromboxane B2 (TXB2) by enzyme immunoassay. Mesenteric ischemia/reperfusion decreased renal PGE2 release by 50% (compared to sham) but did not alter release of TXB2 or 6-keto-PGF1α. Pentoxifylline pretreatment (not allopurinol) preserved renal PGE2 release at the sham level. These data showed pentoxifylline exerted a protective effect against severe mesenteric ischemia/reperfusion injury by maintaining release of renal PGE2, a potent endogenous renal vasodilator.
Evaluation of cytokine toxicity induced by vaccinia virus-mediated IL-2 and IL-12 antitumour immunotherapy.

Abstract Single intratumoural treatment of nude mice with a vaccinia virus (VV)-expressing interleukin-1 (IL-2) or IL-12 induced significant tumour growth inhibition associated with clear signs of toxicity. At a low virus dose, only some treated animals showed signs of toxicity. We characterized and compared the activity of NK and B cells and major pro-inflammatory factors (IFN-γ, TNF-α) in treated animals with and without toxicity. One week after treatment animals exhibiting signs of cytokine-related toxicity showed dramatic increases in several measured parameters. High leukocyte and lymphocyte counts in blood and marked increases in NK and CD25+cells in both blood and spleen were associated with IL-2-induced toxicity, while IL-12-induced toxicity was related to a great elevation of CD25+cells in blood and CD71+cells in the spleen. In contrast, immune activation in animals free of toxicity was observed on day 2 after the treatment, which drastically declined by day 7. Thus, immune responses induced by IL-2 and IL-12 therapy appear to play important roles in both tumour inhibition and the accompanying toxicity. Short-term effects induced by IL-2 and IL-12 could be critical for antitumour therapy that prolongs survival and protects from adverse side effects.
Effect of pH on Heat Inactivation of Bacteriophage.

It has been shown by Krueger1 and confirmed by Dreyer and Campbell-Renton2 that the heat inactivation of bacteriophage follows the course of a monomolecular reaction. In Krueger's data the increase in rate of inactivation with rise in temperature was very rapid (μ in the van't Hoff-Arrhenius equation = 101,000). Critical thermal increments of this order of magnitude are uniquely characteristic of protein denaturation and the experimental results with phage were consequently interpreted as indicating that inactivation involved denaturation as a significant factor. The present paper deals with the effect of pH on the heat inactivation of the same anti-Staphylococcus phage used in previous work.2.5 ml. of standard anti-Staphylococcus phage containing 1 × 1010 activity units per ml.3 was added to 2.5 ml. of beef infusion broth containing sufficient normal HCl to bring the final pH to the desired point. The samples were placed in a water bath adjusted to 57°C. for one-half hour and the residual (Phage) determi...
NTCP modeling for acute esophagitis in patients treated with conformal radiation therapy for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC)

Purpose/Objective: Acute esophagitis is a common side effect of thoracic irradiation. Several dosimetric cutoffs, based on the irradiated surface, volume or length of the esophagus, have been observed to correlate with the occurrence of esophageal toxicity. However, in practice, these single threshold descriptors often don’t provide useful information for discrimination among rival treatment plans or for optimization of IMRT. Thus, there is interest in exploring the use of standard NTCP models (such as the Lyman-Kutcher-Burman model, LKB) for characterization of esophageal toxicities. This study evaluates the ability of the LKB model to predict esophagitis by determining updated model parameters and then comparing these new results with the predictive value of other dosimetric parameters.
Three-phase active harmonic rectifier (AHR) to improve utility input current THD in telecommunication power distribution system

Modern telecommunication power supply systems have several parallel-connected switch-mode rectifiers to provide -48 V DC. A typical switch-mode rectifier configuration includes a three-phase diode rectifier followed by a DC-DC converter. Such a system draws significant harmonic currents for the utility, resulting in poor input power factor and high total harmonic distortion. In this paper, a three-phase active harmonic rectifier (AHR) scheme is proposed. In the AHR scheme, a diode rectifier module is replaced by a six-insulated-gate-bipolar-transistor pulsewidth-modulation rectifier to supply load harmonics as well as its own active power. Each DC-DC converter module is connected to a shared 48-V DC link. The AHR module together with parallel-connected switch-mode rectifiers is controlled to achieve clean input power characteristics. The VA ratings of the AHR scheme is compared with an active power filter approach. The control design is based on the synchronous reference frame approach. Analysis, simulation, and experimental results show that the AHR offers several advantages such as lower VA rating, better current control response, efficient use of the AHR DC link, small size, and stable DC-link voltage control.
A Review of Faith-Based HIV Prevention Programs

HIV disproportionately affects people of color, suggesting a need for innovative prevention programs and collaborations as part of prevention efforts. African Americans have close ties to the church and faith-based organizations. African American faith communities were slow to address HIV prevention, but in recent years, they have become more involved in such activities. This study reviews the empirical literature on faith-based HIV prevention programs among African American populations. Several successful faith-based/public health collaborations are identified, and the limitations and strengths of faith-based prevention programs are discussed. Recommendations are provided for developing effective faith-based/public health collaborations.
Income Barriers Faced by Individuals in Receipt of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)

Research surrounding welfare to work programs suggests a number of potential factors that mediate welfare dependency ranging from a person's degree of employment barriers to their psychological well-being. This study explores how employment barriers, health barriers, background barriers, human capital barriers, and psychological well-being of individuals in receipt of TANF are related to earned income. Findings indicate that employment barriers, background barriers, human capital, and perceived locus of control are significant factors in determining welfare recipients' future earned income. Other barriers including physical health and psychological well-being such as depression, happiness, life satisfaction and optimism were not strong predictors of earned income.
The Evolution of Inequality

much broader meaning, one more akin to that of Amos Hawley). It is also a mistake to identify Barrington Moore, Theda Skocpol, and Charles Tilly as historical particularists. However, the main difficulty with Lenski's assessment of the competition involves not what he discusses, but what he fails to discuss. Even though he discusses world-systems analysis, he completely fails to mention the most evolutionary version of it, that of Christopher Chase-Dunn and Thomas Hall. This is very odd considering that Chase-Dunn and Hall are covering the same 10,000-year period as Lenski, whereas Wallerstein's analysis is limited to the past 500 years. There is also no discussion of the important work on social evolution of Jonathan Turner. And, inexplicably, Lenski fails even to mention my evolutionary materialism (Sanderson, 1995, 1999), an approach that directly builds on Marvin Harris and on Lenski himself. In sum, Lenski has not kept up sufficiently with other brands of social evolutionism. This is a
Experimental Performance Analysis of External Compound Parabolic Concentrators With Low Concentration Ratios for Medium Temperature Applications

Due to the mounting concerns about climate changes and depletion of fossil fuels, solar energy, as one type of renewable energy, has attracted a lot of interests from academia, industries, and government in the past few decades. Currently, solar thermal technologies have been applied to the applications at the low operating temperature below 100°C by using flat-plate solar collectors and at the high operating temperature above 250°C by using solar tracking concentrators. For the medium operating temperatures between 100°C and 250°C, flat-plate solar collectors can hardly reach 100°C and solar tracking concentrators are too expensive. In this context, the use of external compound parabolic concentrators (XCPC) for applications operated at medium temperature draws quite attentions because of its higher efficiency than flat plate solar collectors and better cost effectiveness than solar tracking concentrators. However, currently only a few experimental data is available on the actual performance of XCPCs from literatures, especially for the recently new XCPCs with a low concentration ratio. In order to contribute to the knowledge, a series of experiments have been conducted on the new XCPCs recently installed at Bowen Lab, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana. The experiments showed that the XCPCs raised the temperature to 170°C, which is 140°C higher than the ambient temperatures, with a thermal efficiency of 29%. Based on the data collected from the experiments, the optical and thermal efficiencies of XCPCs are determined for different solar irradiations, operating temperatures, and incident angles. A new regression model is proposed and fitted accordingly. The experimental data and analysis demonstrated the feasibility and potentials of using XCPCs for applications in medium temperature range such as solar absorption cooling and heating systems, seawater desalination, solar disinfection, post-combustion carbon capture systems and other industrial process heating.Copyright © 2014 by ASME
Magnetically responsive photonic nanostructures: making color using magnets

Photonic nanostructures with widely, rapidly and reversibly tunable diffraction in the visible and near-infrared spectrum can be created through a magnetic field assisted assembly strategy. We first describe the mechanism for the formation of dynamic photonic chains and the tuning of the diffraction colors using an external magnetic field. Then we discuss the fixation of photonic chains in a solid polymer matrix through combining instant magnetic assembly with a rapid UV polymerization process which allows us to confirm the chaining structures. Finally, we demonstrate several applications of magnetically tunable photonic nanostructures for security and sensing devices, high resolution patterning of multiple structural colors.
Role of Water in Mediating the Interaction Between Collagens

Collagens are triple-helical molecules that self-assemble into higher order fibers forming the major component of extracellular matrix. We had previously reported the role of the first hydration layer in controlling the conformational behavior of the collagen triple helix. Here we perform explicit-water molecular dynamics simulations to elucidate the structural features of water in mediating the interaction between collagen triple helices (PDB ID: 1A3I, 2D3F). By dividing the simulation box into cells, we quantified local water density, diffusion coefficient, and water orientation at atomistic resolution. Around a single collagen triple helix the reduction in diffusion coefficient and density fluctuation extend up to 11 Angstroms from the collagen backbone, and the circumferential and radial orientation of water near hydrophobic and hydrophilic groups, respectively, were clearly distinguishable. When two triple helices were held at a radial separation that is a few Angstroms larger than their crystalline packing distance, water in between them had reduced diffusion coefficient and constrained angular orientation. This indicates that the experimentally observed attractive force between collagens at small distances may have an entropic origin. We also tested three-collagen systems where one collagen is radially translated from its original position in the crystal packing by 4 or 7 Angstroms, and found that it moves towards the other two within 3-ns of simulation, nearly restoring the crystal packing. These results illustrate the microscopic origins of water mediated attraction between collagen molecules.
The abundance of salamanders in forest stands with different histories of disturbance

Pough, F.H., Smith, E.M., Rhodes, D.H. and Collazo, A., 1987. The abundance of salamanders in forest stands with different histories ofdisturbance. For. Ecol. Manage., 20: 1-9. Because of the importance of salamanders in forest food chains, the effects of forest manage­ ment practices on populations ofthese animals warrant consideration. We compared the numbers and activity patterns of salamanders in areas of a deciduous forest in central New York State that had been cut selectively for firewood, or c1earcut, or planted with conifers. Numbers of salaman­ ders were lower in three recently disturbed habitats than in adjacent old-growth control stands. The frequency of above-ground activity by both species of salamanders was positively correlated with the density of understory vegetation and the depth ofle~ litter. Small-scale habitat disrup­ tion associated with harvesting firewood increased the numbers of the terrestrial eft stage of the red-spotted newt (Notophthalmusviridescens) but had no effect on numbers of red-backed sal­ amanders (Plethodon cinereus). A recently clearcut area had fewer red-backed salamanders than adjacent old-growth forest had, but the numbers of salamanders in a 60-year-old second-growth forest were indistinguishable from those in the adjacent old-growth forest. Populations of sala­ manders in a conifer plantation were low. Thus, salamanders seem to be resilient to limited dis­ turbance of forests, but major changes are likely to affect populations of salamanders and, consequently, of birds and mammals that depend on salamanders for food.
Coexistence of quantum effects

The witness set W(A, B) for two quantum effects A, B is the set of effects that verify the coexistence of A and B . We first study the properties of W(A, B) . We then introduce a measure of sharpness S n (A) for an n -dimensional quantum effect A . We show that S 2 ( A ) has natural properties that a measure of sharpness should possess and conjecture that S n (A) also has these properties for n > 2. Finally, we employ S 2 ( A ) to obtain a characterization for the coexistence of two qubit effects in terms of operational parameters.
Inelastic and elastic collision rates for triplet states of ultracold strontium

We report measurement of the inelastic and elastic collision rates for $^{88}\text{S}\text{r}$ atoms in the $(5s5p){^{3}P}_{0}$ state in a crossed-beam optical dipole trap. Since the $(5s5p){^{3}P}_{0}$ state is the lowest level of the triplet manifold, large loss rates indicate the importance of principle-quantum-number-changing collisions at short range. We also provide an estimate of the collisional loss rates for the $(5s5p){^{3}P}_{2}$ state. Large loss-rate coefficients for both states indicate that evaporative cooling toward quantum degeneracy in these systems is unlikely to be successful.
Comparing expression profiles of genes with similar promoter regions

Motivation: Gene regulatory elements are often predicted by seeking common sequences in the promoter regions of genes that are clustered together based on their expression profiles. We consider the problem in the opposite direction: we seek to find the genes that have similar promoter regions and determine the extent to which these genes have similar expression profiles. Results: We use the data sets from experiments on Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Our similarity measure for the promoter regions is based on the set of common mapped or putative transcription factor binding sites and other regulatory elements in the upstream region of the genes, as contained in the Saccharomyces cerevisiae Promoter Database. We pair up the genes with high similarity scores and compare their expression levels in time-course experiment data. We find that genes with similar promoter regions on the average have significantly higher correlation, but it can vary widely depending on the genes. This confirms that the presence of similar regulatory elements often does not correspond to similarity in expression profiles and indicates that finding transcription factor binding sites or other regulatory elements starting with the expression patterns may be limited in many cases. Regardless of the correlation, the degree to which the profiles agree under different experimental conditions can be examined to derive hypotheses concerning the role of common regulatory elements. Overall, we find that considering the relationship between the promoter regions and the expression profiles starting with the regulatory elements is a difficult but useful process that can provide valuable insights.
Identification of a contractile deficit in adult cardiac myocytes expressing hypertrophic cardiomyopathy–associated mutant troponin T proteins

The direct effects of expressing hypertrophic cardiomyopathy-associated (HCM-associated) mutant troponin T (TnT) proteins on the force generation of single adult cardiac myocytes have not been established. Replication-defective recombinant adenovirus vectors were generated for gene transfer of HCM-associated I79N and R92Q mutant cardiac TnT cDNAs into fully differentiated adult cardiac myocytes in primary culture. We tested the hypothesis that the mutant TnT proteins would be expressed and incorporated into the cardiac sarcomere and would behave as dominant-negative proteins to directly alter calcium-activated force generation at the level of the single cardiac myocyte. Interestingly, under identical experimental conditions, the ectopic expression of the mutant TnTs was significantly less ( approximately 8% of total) than that obtained with expression of wild-type TnT ( approximately 35%) in the myocytes. Confocal imaging of immunolabeled TnT showed a regular periodic pattern of localization of ectopic mutant TnT that was not different than that in normal controls, suggesting that mutant TnT incorporation had no deleterious effects on sarcomeric architecture. Direct measurements of isometric force production in single cardiac myocytes demonstrated marked desensitization of submaximal calcium-activated tension, with unchanged maximum tension generation in mutant TnT-expressing myocytes compared with control myocytes. Collectively, these results demonstrate an impaired expression of the mutant protein and a disabling of cardiac contraction in the submaximal range of myoplasmic calcium concentrations. Our functional results suggest that development of new pharmacological, chemical, or genetic approaches to sensitize the thin-filament regulatory protein system could ameliorate force deficits associated with expression of I79N and R92Q in adult cardiac myocytes.
The performance of started pullets treated with Su-9064 (Pacitran) prior to transport.

Abstract NUMEROUS reports in the investigational literature demonstrate that certain stress-ameliorating agents may have widespread application and value in the poultry industry where it is deemed desirable to buffer the animal against stress as imposed by adverse environments and alarm stimuli. Carlson (1956) fed reserpine to a mixed group of tom and hen turkeys and observed less fighting; however, weight gains were decreased. Van Matre et al. (1957) found that the survival time of chickens exposed to acute thermal stress could be prolonged significantly by feeding chlorpromazine and reserpine. Both drugs afforded protection against decreases in egg production and shell quality. Burger (1959) and Weiss (1960) confirmed the finding that reserpine (Serpasil) modified favorably the undesirable effects of heat stress in laying chickens kept under laboratory conditions. On the other hand, Burger (1960) reported that Serpasil, at the levels studied, depressed egg production, increased the percentage of floor eggs and accentuated …
The Function of Political Parties: A Critique of the Literature and the Approach

P OLITICAL THEORISTS have long been concerned with analyzing and evaluating the relationship between political parties and democratic government., Some, like Burke and Ostrogorski, have pursued their inquiry mainly within the normative framework of how the ideal of democratic government may best be achieved; while others, particularly contemporary social scientists, have worked within a more empirical, value-free orientation. In either case~, attention has focused upon what parties do, what function, what role, or what purpose is served by parties, or what contribution is made by parties. The question of party function has been especially challenging to American theorists because the United States was the first country to develop full-fledged political parties; and, more importantly, because the hostility of American opinion toward parties has invited scholarly inquiry into whether parties are in fact as divisive and corrupting as their popular reputation would suggest. Although no two writers on American parties have agreed on the exact formulation of the inventory, Merriam's analysis of party function (his term) as found in his 1923 volume on The American Party System has had profound influence on subsequent writers. Thus Merriam's itemization may be preesented as being broadly representative of the party-function literature: (1) selection of official personnel; (2) formulation of public policies; (3) conductors or critics of government; (4) political education (including nationalization of opinion); and (5) intermediation between individual and government.2 Other
Plant Defense Compounds: Systems Approaches to Metabolic Analysis

Systems biology attempts to answer biological questions by integrating across diverse genomic data sets. With the increasing ability to conduct genomics experiments, this integrative approach is being rapidly applied across numerous biological research communities. One of these research communities investigates how plants utilize secondary metabolites or defense metabolites to defend against attack by pathogens and other biotic organisms. This use of systems biology to integrate across transcriptomics, metabolomics, and genomics is significantly enhancing the rate of discovery of genes, metabolites, and bioactivities for plant defense compounds as well as extending our knowledge of how these compounds are regulated. Plant defense compounds are also providing a unique proving platform to develop new approaches that enhance the ability to conduct systems biology with existing and previously unforseen genomics data sets. This review attempts to illustrate both how systems biology is helping the study of plant defense compounds and vice versa.
Temporal records of δ13C and δ15N in North Pacific pinnipeds: inferences regarding environmental change and diet

Sea lion and seal populations in Alaskan waters underwent various degrees of decline during the latter half of the twentieth century and the cause(s) for the declines remain uncertain. The stable carbon (13C/12C) and nitrogen (15N/14N) isotope ratios in bone collagen from wild Steller sea lions (Eumetopias jubatus), northern fur seals (Callorhinus ursinus) and harbor seals (Phoca vitulina) from the Bering Sea and Gulf of Alaska were measured for the period 1951–1997 to test the hypothesis that a change in trophic level may have occurred during this interval and contributed to the population declines. A significant change in δ15N in pinniped tissues over time would imply a marked change in trophic level. No significant change in bone collagen δ15N was found for any of the three species during the past 47 years in either the Bering Sea or the Gulf of Alaska. However, the 15N in the Steller sea lion collagen was significantly higher than both northern fur seals and harbor seals. A significant decline in δ13C (almost 2 ‰ over the 47 years) was evident in Steller sea lions, while a declining trend, though not significant, was evident in harbor seals and northern fur seals. Changes in foraging location, in combination with a trophic shift, may offer one possible explanation. Nevertheless, a decrease in δ13C over time with no accompanying change in δ15N suggests an environmental change affecting the base of the foodweb rather than a trophic level change due to prey switching. A decline in the seasonal primary production in the region, possibly resulting from decreased phytoplankton growth rates, would exhibit itself as a decline in δ13C. Declining production could be an indication of a reduced carrying capacity in the North Pacific Ocean. Sufficient quantities of optimal prey species may have fallen below threshold sustaining densities for these pinnipeds, particularly for yearlings and subadults who have not yet developed adequate foraging skills.
Increased rrn Gene Dosage Causes Intermittent Transcription of rRNA in Escherichia coli

When the number of rRNA (rrn) operons in an Escherichia coli cells is increased by adding an rrn operon on a multicopy plasmid, the rate of rRNA expression per operon is reduced to maintain a constant concentration of rRNA in the cell. We have used electron microscopy to examine rRNA transcription in cells containing a multicopy plasmid carrying rrnB. We found that there were fewer RNA polymerase molecules transcribing the rrn genes, as predicted from previous gene dosage studies. Furthermore, RNA polymerase molecules were arranged in irregularly spaced groups along the operon. No apparent pause or transcription termination sites that would account for the irregular spacing of the groups of polymerase molecules were observed. We also found that the overall transcription elongation rate was unchanged when the rrn gene dosage was increased. Our data suggest that when rrn gene dosage is increased, initiation events, or promoter-proximal elongation events, are interrupted at irregular time intervals.
Pilotless timing recovery for baseband multicarrier modulation

This paper describes a multicarrier modulation timing recovery algorithm that does not require use of a designated pilot tone. Instead, all or some received subchannels are used to estimate phase and frequency errors. Algorithms for both acquisition and tracking are presented, and simulation results show excellent performance. The algorithm provides a useful timing recovery approach for environments in which use of a designated pilot is infeasible or undesirable, such as on digital subscriber lines corrupted by high levels of broadcast AM or amateur radio interference.
Classifications of anorexia nervosa: Question of subtypes

Salient studies in the literature were reviewed to examine the utility in subclassifying anorexia nervosa into bulimic and non-bulimic or restrictor types. These studies consistently demonstrated that impulsive behaviors were more prevalent in anorectic-bulimics, compared with anorectic-restrictors. The impulsive behaviors and the medical problems associated with the bingeing and purging behaviors seem to warrant a sub classification of anorexia nervosa into anorexia nervosa-restrictor type, and anorexia nervosa-bulimic type.
Galectin-1 links tumor hypoxia and radiotherapy

Radiation therapy is a main stay in treating solid tumors and plays a significant role in definitive and adjuvant therapy. Unfortunately, local control remains a challenge, in which the success of radiotherapy is largely dictated by tumor hypoxia, DNA damage repair and the antitumor immune response. Extensive efforts have therefore been devoted to targeting the factors that attenuate tumor radiosensitivity, although with limited success. Mounting evidence suggests that tumor and endothelial cells may utilize galectin-1 (Gal-1) for protection against radiation through several mechanisms. Targeting Gal-1 in combination with radiotherapy provides an exciting approach to address several radiation-prohibitive mechanisms.
DETERMINATION OF MASSES AND OTHER PROPERTIES OF EXTRASOLAR PLANETARY SYSTEMS WITH MORE THAN ONE PLANET

Recent analysis of the Doppler-shift oscillations of the light from extrasolar planetary systems indicates that some of these systems have more than one large planet. In this case, it has been shown that the masses of these planets can be determined without the familiar ambiguity due to the unknown inclination angle of the plane of the orbit of the central star provided, however, that the star mass is known. A method is presented here that also determines a lower limit to the mass of this star from these observations. As an illustration, our method is applied to the Keck and Lick data for GJ 876.
The documentation process: create it, refine it, and get them to use it

This half-day tutorial presents guidelines and examples for how to develop a documentation process for an organization. It also examines the challenges and obstacles that can impede an organization's acceptance of a new process. The tutorial is designed for members of technical communication departments, particularly managers.
Constraints on Chondrule Origin from Petrology of Isotopically Characterized Chondrules in the Allende Meteorite

The petrologic and chemical properties of the ferromagnesian chondrules in the Allende carbonaceous chondrite were examined in terms of the isotopic composition and the correlations between isotopic patterns. Areas of thin sections were studied with a SEM and bulk chemical fractions of 12 constituents were quantified to calculate correlations with petrologic features. A possible correlation between (CaO + Al2O2)/MgO and oxygen isotopes imply the formation of oxygen isotopic compositions in the chondrules by exchanges between isotopically heavy nebular gases and O-16 enriched solids. Different rates of gaseous exchange occurred with the various types of chondrules. Factors which may have controlled the exchanges are discussed.
Primary Effusion Lymphoma

Primary effusion lymphoma is a large cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma localized predominantly in body cavities and occasionally in extracavitary regions. It presents with characteristic lymphomatous effusions in the absence of solid tumor masses, and pleural, peritoneal, and pericardial spaces are most often involved. It is typically associated with human herpesvirus 8 infection in immunocompromised individuals, in the setting of human immunodeficiency virus infection, organ transplantation, or in rare cases advanced age. Histologically, primary effusion lymphoma is characterized by atypical lymphoid cells of B-cell lineage with large nuclei and prominent nucleoli. Demonstration of human herpesvirus 8 latent antigens is required for diagnosis, and treatment modalities are limited at this time. In this review, we aim to summarize clinicopathologic features of this rare and unique entity.
Trace Analysis of 2,6-Disubstituted Anilines in Blood by Capillary Gas Chromatography

A simple, rapid, and sensitive procedure for the detection of 2,6-dlsubstttuted anilines in the low nanogram range in blood is described. These aromatic amines were extracted from blood and converted to the corresponding N-heptafluorobutyramides, which were confirmed by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). The derivatives yielded excellent electron capture detection (ECD) responses that allowed the identification and detection of these compounds at the low nanogram level by glass capillary GC/ECD. The procedure, which was tested in an in rive system, is suitable for pharmacokinetic studies and toxicological investigations, and may be adapted for the quantitative determination of
The Effects of Virtual Reality-based Balance Training on Balance of the Elderly

[Purpose] The objective of this study was to determine the effects of virtual reality-based balance training on balance of the elderly. [Methods] The subjects were 32 healthy elderly people aged between 65 and 80, who were divided into a VR (virtual reality) training group (n=17) and a control group (n=15). The VR training group engaged in a 30-minute exercise session using Wii Fit three times a week for eight weeks, while the control group received no intervention. The balance of the two groups was measured before and after the intervention. [Results] According to the Romberg Test conducted to examine the effects of the training on balance, both the area covered by the body's center of pressure movement, and movement distances per unit area of the body's center of pressure envelope significantly decreased in the VR training group. Moreover, the two groups showed significant differences in balance. [Conclusion] Virtual reality training is effective at improving the balance of the healthy elderly. Thus, virtual reality training can be proposed as a form of fall prevention exercise for the elderly.
ATLAS US muon endcap MDT chamber performance in pre-commissioning

The single chamber tests of the 240 monitored drift tube (MDT) chambers for almost 90,000 channels, built in the U.S. for the endcap sector of the ATLAS muon spectrometer have been completed. For the first time the results are being presented and show the perfect compliance with ATLAS specifications and a high level of uniformity.
A Search for Radio-quiet Gamma-Ray Pulsars

Most Galactic point sources of gamma rays remain unidentified. The few (extrasolar) sources that have been identified are all young, rotation-powered pulsars, all but one of which were identified using radio ephemerides. The radio-quiet Geminga pulsar was identified only after pulsations were discovered in a coincident X-ray source. Observational evidence indicates that many of the unidentified Galactic sources are likely to be pulsars, and some theoretical models predict a potentially large population of radio-quiet gamma-ray pulsars. We present a new method for performing sensitive gamma-ray pulsar searches. We used this method to search several of the strongest EGRET sources for pulsations. This was a blind search for new pulsars, covering a frequency and a frequency-derivative phase space large enough to detect Crab-like pulsars as well as lower frequency, high magnetic field "magnetars." No new pulsars were discovered, and we report upper limits constraining the characteristics of any signals contained in the data sets searched.