cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
New insights into the phylogeny of the Acantharea based on SSU rRNA gene sequencing

Summary The phylogeny of the Acantharea was examined using small-subunit ribosomal RNA (SSU rRNA) gene sequence analysis of representatives from the Symphyacanthida, Chaunacanthida and the Arthracanthida. Our previous studies showed that Acantharea form a monophyletic group branching as an independent protist lineage among crown groups but not directly related to any of them. The results from this more in-depth molecular analysis of the branching patterns within the Acantharea revealed a phylogeny which is not entirely consistent with morphologybased phylogenies. In particular, the phylogenetic placement of Haliommatidium sp. was in disagreement with its current placement among the Symphyacanthida based on morphological features. Haliommatidium sp. clustered with members of the order Arthracanthida in molecular analyses described herein. In retrospect, Haliommatidium sp. shares several morphological features with the Arthracanthida which support these molecular results.
Automatic registration in an electron-beam lithographic system

In the fabrication of integrated circuits, electron-beam systems are increasingly used to directly expose circuit patterns on resist-covered semiconductor wafers. These systems are made attractive by their inherent capability for writing patterns at high resolution, which eliminates the need for the masks used in optical exposure systems. To compete economically in production, electronbeam systems must attain a high level of wafer throughput. To achieve this, the system must be fully automated and spend the minimum of time in performing overhead functions such as various calibrations, pattern registration, and mechanical positioning of the wafers. This paper describes pattern registration, a process by which the circuit patterns required at a particular level of device fabrication are mapped to those of the preceding level. It discusses the considerations taken as basic in designing an accurate, high-speed registration process for a production-type electron-beam exposure system. This automatic registration system operates in 150 milliseconds per integrated circuit chip, allowing the system to achieve a throughput of 2000 5-mm chips per hour with overlay error of less than 0.75 µm (3σ). The operation of this system, its performance characteristics, and measurements of its pattern-matching accuracy are presented.
The price-choice relationship: A contingent processing approach

Abstract Past research suggests that the relationship between price and choice is highly situationally dependent but existing theories cannot account for this complexity. An exploratory study was conducted to provide systematic evidence of these changes. It is argued that a contingent processing approach may provide the basis for the development of a theory that explains changes in the price-choice relationship across choice situations. Some implications for future theory development and research are discussed.
Time to restore individual rights for IL-2 and IL-15?

Comment on Cornish et al, page [600][1] IL-2 and IL-15 transduce distinct signals in the same cell despite their sharing of all signaling receptor components. The immune system uses many cytokines to accomplish diverse functions. It is sometimes amazing that the system can avoid confusion,
Organizational linkages in Japan’s female labor market: Information exchanged in networks

The form of institutional linkages between schools and employers changed during the decade-long economic recession in Japan. This article explores why institutional linkages between women’s colleges and large Japanese firms in the secondary labor market have survived, despite a long-term restraining of labor demand. From a network theory perspective, employers value information about applicants’ residency status, as it is conducive to reducing personnel management costs; information can be reliably obtained via these institutional linkages. Employers expect schools to use such information to select nominees. By using the data from the school’s applicant pool, the results from logistic regression analysis showed that schools tend to nominate candidates who are living with their parents, and no candidates who lived without parents were hired. Additionally, a candidate’s academic performance and personality evaluation, which can also be obtained through the linkages, as well as more formal recruitment proces...
Migraine Headaches are Reduced by Massage Therapy

Twenty-six adults with migraine headaches were randomly assigned to a wait-list control group or to a massage therapy group, who received two 30-minute massages per week for five consecutive weeks. The massage therapy subjects reported fewer distress symptoms, less pain, more headache free days, fewer sleep disturbances and they showed an increase in serotonin levels.
Protein redox chemistry: post-translational cysteine modifications that regulate signal transduction and drug pharmacology

The perception of reactive oxygen species (ROS) has evolved over the past decade from agents of cellular damage to secondary messengers which modify signaling proteins in physiology and the disease state (e.g. cancer). New protein targets of specific oxidation are rapidly being identified. One emerging class of redox modification occurs to the thiol side chain of cysteine residues which can produce multiple chemically-distinct alterations to the protein (e.g. sulfenic/sulfinic/sulfonic acid, disulfides). These post-translational modifications (PTM) are shown to affect the protein structure and function. Because redox-sensitive proteins can traffic between subcellular compartments that have different redox environments, cysteine oxidation enables a spatio-temporal control to signaling. Understanding ramifications of these oxidative modifications to the functions of signaling proteins is crucial for understanding cellular regulation as well as for informed-drug discovery process. The effects of EGFR oxidation of Cys797 on inhibitor pharmacology are presented to illustrate the principle. Taken together, cysteine redox PTM can impact both cell biology and drug pharmacology.
Observations and Modeling of Wind Waves in a Shallow Estuary: Galveston Bay, Texas

AbstractAn observational wave study was conducted to test empirical relations and compare with numerical model results in shallow water environments. Relations among nondimensional water-depth, nondimensional wave-energy, and nondimensional peak-frequency are presented based on both subsurface pressure and velocity time-series collected in Galveston Bay, Texas. The values reported here provide further confirmation of nondimensional wave parameterizations over a range spanning two orders of magnitude of the nondimensional depth. A comparison of observed wave statistics (significant wave heights, peak periods, and wave directions) to numerical model hindcasts was found to be in good agreement with the observations. Further inspection of the observed and modeled energy spectra showed that peak periods were in good agreement, although the modeled spectra were less peaked.
Advanced instrumentation in an undergraduate program in oceanography

The sea education association (SEA) is a non-profit institution located in Woods Hole. Massachusetts. Since 1971, SEA has offered multidisciplinary academic programs in ocean education to undergraduates, K-12 teachers, and high school students. SEA educate future scientist and engineers in ocean sciences, and provides a better understanding of the process of science to all of its students. Many of SEA's more thab 5,500 alumni have continued science and engineering graduate program are now active in profession fields.
Motion perception without Nystagmus--a novel manifestation of cerebellar stroke.

Objective The motion perception and the vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR) each serve distinct functions. The VOR keeps the gaze steady on the target of interest, whereas vestibular perception serves a number of tasks, including awareness of self-motion and orientation in space. VOR and motion perception might abide the same neurophysiological principles, but their distinct anatomical correlates were proposed. In patients with cerebellar stroke in distribution of medial division of posterior inferior cerebellar artery, we asked whether specific location of the focal lesion in vestibulocerebellum could cause impaired perception of motion but normal eye movements. Methods/Results Thirteen patients were studied, 5 consistently perceived spinning of surrounding environment (vertigo), but the eye movements were normal. This group was called “disease model.” Remaining 8 patients were also symptomatic for vertigo, but they had spontaneous nystagmus. The latter group was called “disease control.” Magnetic resonance imaging in both groups consistently revealed focal cerebellar infarct affecting posterior cerebellar vermis (lobule IX). In the “disease model” group, only part of lobule IX was affected. In the disease control group, however, complete lobule IX was involved. Conclusions This study discovered a novel presentation of cerebellar stroke where only motion perception was affected, but there was an absence of objective neurologic signs.
Moonlighting proteins: complications and implications for proteomics research

Abstract Proteomics projects involving biochemical, genetic and computational methods are being used to elucidate the functions of thousands of proteins in healthy and disease states. The results provide valuable information both for understanding basic physiological processes and for the development of novel therapeutics. However, the ability of a protein to moonlight, or to have more than one function, can complicate the interpretation and application of the results from these proteomics studies. This review provides examples of how moonlighting proteins can affect the results of proteomics projects being used to determine protein function based on patterns of protein expression, protein–protein interactions, analysis of protein sequences and structures, and other methods.
Differentiating shunt-responsive normal pressure hydrocephalus from Alzheimer disease and normal aging: pilot study using automated MRI brain tissue segmentation.

Evidence suggests that normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH) is underdiagnosed in day to day radiologic practice, and differentiating NPH from cerebral atrophy due to other neurodegenerative diseases and normal aging remains a challenge. To better characterize NPH, we test the hypothesis that a prediction model based on automated MRI brain tissue segmentation can help differentiate shunt-responsive NPH patients from cerebral atrophy due to Alzheimer disease (AD) and normal aging. Brain segmentation into gray and white matter (GM, WM), and intracranial cerebrospinal fluid was derived from pre-shunt T1-weighted MRI of 15 shunt-responsive NPH patients (9 men, 72.6 ± 8.0 years-old), 17 AD patients (10 men, 72.1 ± 11.0 years-old) chosen as a representative of cerebral atrophy in this age group; and 18 matched healthy elderly controls (HC, 7 men, 69.7 ± 7.0 years old). A multinomial prediction model was generated based on brain tissue volume distributions. GM decrease of 33 % relative to HC characterized AD (P < 0.005). High preoperative ventricular and near normal GM volumes characterized NPH. A multinomial regression model based on gender, GM and ventricular volume had 96.3 % accuracy differentiating NPH from AD and HC. In conclusion, automated MRI brain tissue segmentation differentiates shunt-responsive NPH with high accuracy from atrophy due to AD and normal aging. This method may improve diagnosis of NPH and improve our ability to distinguish normal from pathologic aging.
Anxiety management training in the treatment of essential hypertension

Abstract The study was conducted to assess the efficacy of Anxiety Management Training as an adjunctive treatment for essential hypertension. Twenty-one patients with essential hypertension, all but one of whom were on antihypertension medication, were randomly assigned either to an Anxiety Management Training condition or a waiting-list control condition. At the time of a posttest assessment session, compared to subjects in the control condition, subjects in the Anxiety Management Training condition manifested a decrease in resting systolic and diastolic blood pressure and a decrease in systolic and diastolic blood pressure following a stressful task. At the time of a follow-up assessment session, subjects in the Anxiety Management Training condition not only manifested good maintenance of reduced blood pressure but also exhibited a further decrease in resting systolic blood pressure and a decrease in systolic blood pressure during the stressful task.
Long-wavelength (λ ≈ 14 μm) Quantum Cascade lasers with low threshold and high characteristic temperature (∼ 300 K)

We demonstrate a high-performance Quantum Cascade laser at ∼ 14 μm wavelength. It shows a low threshold current density of 2.1 kA/cm2 at 300 K and high characteristic temperature of 309 K around room temperature.
Indirect Pathogenicity of Haemophilus influenzae and Moraxella catarrhalis in Polymicrobial Otitis Media Occurs via Interspecies Quorum Signaling

Otitis media (OM) is among the leading diseases of childhood and is caused by opportunists that reside within the nasopharynx, such as Haemophilus influenzae and Moraxella catarrhalis. As with most airway infections, it is now clear that OM infections involve multiple organisms. This study addresses the hypothesis that polymicrobial infection alters the course, severity, and/or treatability of OM disease. The results clearly show that coinfection with H. influenzae and M. catarrhalis pro- motes the increased resistance of biofilms to antibiotics and host clearance. Using H. influenzae mutants with known biofilm defects, these phenotypes were shown to relate to biofilm maturation and autoinducer-2 (AI-2) quorum signaling. In support of the latter mechanism, chemically synthesized AI-2 (dihydroxypentanedione (DPD)) promoted increased M. catarrhalis biofilm formation and resistance to antibiotics. In the chinchilla infection model of OM, polymicrobial infection promoted M. catarrha- lis persistence beyond the levels seen in animals infected with M. catarrhalis alone. Notably, no such enhancement of M. ca- tarrhalis persistence was observed in animals infected with M. catarrhalis and a quorum signaling-deficient H. influenzae luxS mutant strain. We thus conclude that H. influenzae promotes M. catarrhalis persistence within polymicrobial biofilms via inter- species quorum signaling. AI-2 may therefore represent an ideal target for disruption of chronic polymicrobial infections. More- over, these results strongly imply that successful vaccination against the unencapsulated H. influenzae strains that cause airway infections may also significantly impact chronic M. catarrhalis disease by removing a reservoir of the AI-2 signal that promotes M. catarrhalis persistence within biofilm. IMPORTANCE Otitis media (OM) is one of the most common childhood infections and is a leading reason for antibiotic prescrip- tions to children. Chronic and recurrent OM involves persistence of bacteria within biofilm communities, a state in which they are highly resistant to immune clearance and antibiotic treatment. While it is clear that most of these infections involve multiple species, the vast majority of knowledge about OM infections has been derived from work involving single bacterial species. There is a pressing need for better understanding of the impact of polymicrobial infection on the course, severity, and treatabil- ity of OM disease. In this study, we show that communication between bacterial species promotes bacterial persistence and resis- tance to antibiotics, which are important considerations in the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of OM. Moreover, the re- sults of this study indicate that successful preventive measures against H. influenzae could reduce the levels of disease caused by M. catarrhalis.
Cost-effectiveness of providing mental health services: the offset effect.

An offset effect occurs when the provision of one type of service leads to a reduction in the use of other related services. This article examines the offset which occurs in medical utilization whe...
Use of formulated diets as replacements for Artemia in the rearing of juvenile American lobsters (Homarus americanus)

American lobsters, Homarus americanus, have been successfully reared in hatchery operations for over a century, yet formulated diets have never been commercially produced. In recent years, commercial Artemia replacement (CAR) diets have been developed and marketed for use in aquaculture production of marine shrimp. Three separate experiments assessed the utility of rearing American lobsters on these shrimp CAR diets. First, survival and growth of stage IVAmerican lobsters fed one of three CAR diets (Artemac 5, CAR1; Economac 4, CAR2; and Progression 3, CAR3) were compared to those of animals fed frozen adult n-3 fatty acid enriched Artemia. Survival to 3 months was highest for animals fed CAR3 (85%), while animals fed Artemia had the greatest weight gain (N6 % day 1 ). A cost/benefit ratio analysis showed that CAR2 was the most cost efficient for juvenile production because of its low overall purchase cost. Second, stage IV lobsters were fed either CAR2 or frozen adult n-3 fatty acid enriched Artemia exclusively, or in combination (2:5, and 5:2). Again, CAR2 was a cost effective feed to use, even as a partial replacement for Artemia. Survival was higher in diets that included CAR2, and feeding it two days per week compensated for low quality Artemia. Finally, 1.5 year old lobsters fed a gelatin-bound mix of 80% CAR2 and 20% frozen Artemia for five months survived and grew equally well compared to lobsters fed gelatin-bound frozen adult Artemia, and better than a custom formulated maintenance diet. The benefits of incorporating formulated feeds into American lobster rearing programs to increase the effectiveness of enhancement programs is discussed. D 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Renormalization of QED and Its Experimental Test over 60 Years

This paper consists of two parts: 1. Revisit of the discovery of renormalized QED by Tomonaga group [This part is based on the invited talk presented at the Tomonaga Memorial Symposium, Japan Physical Society Meeting, Matsuyama, March 28, 2006, which was published in AAPPS Bulletin 16 (2) (April 2006), 11. The same article was printed also in Int. J. Mod. Phys. A 21 (2006), 2447, by permission of AAPPS]. 2. A brief review of high precision test of QED by means of the electron g-2 from 1947 to present.
Strategic Analysis and Social Problems

whatever I meant. So with the uneasy feeling that it had just been used on me, I set out to characterize the "strategic approach." Let me illustrate what I have in mind. First consider a jury that must unanimously find a man guilty of murder or acquit him, and may unanimously recommend clemency if they find him guilty. It matters which vote comes first. If twelve find him guilty and only six then vote for clemency, some among the six may wish they had held out for acquittal. If they knew they would lose the second vote they might hold out for acquittal on the first vote, setting free a man they'd rather see in jail. If the clemency vote is taken first, the result to be applied in case they later find him guilty, some who oppose clemency may vote for it to secure unanimity when it's time to find him guilty. If the rules do not permit clemency to be taken up before a man is found guilty, some jurors may announce themselves for clemency to induce a unanimous vote of guilty. And if clemency then requires only a majority vote, an open ballot rather than a secret one may make such promises more enforceable by at least letting it be seen whether they are kept. Next consider the recent announce-
Image Reconstruction and Multidimensional Field Estimation From Randomly Scattered Sensors

Many important problems in statistical signal processing can be formulated as function estimation from randomly scattered sensors in a multidimensional space, e.g., image reconstruction from photon-limited images and field estimation from scattered sensors. We present a novel approach to the study of signal reconstruction from random samples in a multidimensional space. In particular, we study a classical iterative reconstruction method and demonstrate that it forms a sequence of unbiased estimates for band-limited signals, which converge to the true function in the mean-square sense. We subsequently rely on the iterative estimation method for multidimensional image reconstruction and field estimation from sensors scattered according to a multidimensional Poisson and uniform distribution. Computer simulation experiments are used to demonstrate the efficiency of the iterative estimation method in image reconstruction and field estimation from randomly scattered sensors.
Modeling differential scanning calorimetry melting curves of ethylene/α-olefin copolymers

A procedure is developed for modeling differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) melting curves of linear polyethylene and ethylene/α-olefin copolymers produced with single-center and multicenter polymerization catalysts. The modeling demonstrates that the use of the statistical description of random copolymers and the introduction of several assumptions about the crystallization pattern of long ethylene blocks in ethylene copolymers are sufficient for the representation of most characteristic features of DSC melting curves of the polymers. This type of modeling can be applied to ethylene/α-olefin copolymers containing up to 10 mol % of an α-olefin. The approach is, in principle, similar to modeling the results of other analytical techniques used for the characterization of copolymer heterogeneity, such as Tref and Crystaf.
Spatiotemporal Variability of Summer Precipitation in Southeastern Arizona

AbstractThe Walnut Gulch Experimental Watershed (WGEW) in southeastern Arizona covers ~150 km2 and receives the majority of its annual precipitation from highly variable and intermittent summer storms during the North American monsoon. In this study, the patterns of precipitation in the U.S. Department of Agriculture–Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS) 88-rain-gauge network are analyzed for July through September from 1956 to 2011. Because small-scale convective systems generate most of this summer rainfall, the total (T), intensity (I), and frequency (F) exhibit high spatial and temporal variability. Although subsidiary periods may have apparent trends, no significant trends in T, I, and F were found for the study period as a whole. Observed trends in the spatial coverage of storms change sign in the late 1970s, and the multidecadal variation in I and spatial coverage of storms have statistically significant correlation with the Pacific decadal oscillation and the Atlantic multidecadal oscillation i...
Venezuela's Movimiento al Socialismo: From Guerrilla Defeat to Innovative Politics

Teodoro Petkoff and the other members of the Movimiento al Socialismo (MAS) in Venezuela had aroused the ire of the orthodox communist leaders by claiming to be both authentic communists and true nationalists, not bound by the dictates of either the Moscow or Maoist/Beijing wings of the party. To infuriate the traditionalists even further, Petkoff and his associates succeeded in being more than isolated critics, as MAS quickly eclipsed the traditional Venezuelan Communist Party and became that country's leading leftist group.The author places MAS in its international national, and historical contexts in order to determine the extent to which it is a unique communist party, as it claims to be. He traces the theory of "national democratic revolution, " which MAS rejects, back to Lenin, and discusses the Latin American left's reevaluation of that thesis. Ellner examines the guerrilla movement in Venezuela, the student movement of the late 1960s, and the emergence of the "New Left" in other countries, especially noting their influence on the formation of MAS. He also discusses the group's role in Venezuelan elections and it's relations with the other parties.
Review of voltage compensation methods in dynamic voltage restorer (DVR)

Voltage sag is a common and undesirable power quality phenomenon in the distribution systems which puts sensitive loads under the risk. An effective solution to mitigate this phenomenon is to use dynamic voltage restorers and consequently, protect sensitive loads. Four basics compensation methods were proposed in the research community to eliminate the voltage sags and minimize the voltage disturbances at load side. This paper provides a review of those voltage compensation strategies with detailed discussions and comparisons to highlight their advantages and disadvantages.
Fluency changes in persons who stutter following a double blind trial of clomipramine and desipramine.

This study compared fluency changes in adult developmental stuttering speakers treated with two tricyclic antidepressants, clomipramine and desipramine. Clomipramine is primarily a serotonergic reu...
Introgression of stem rust resistance genes SrTA10187 and SrTA10171 from Aegilops tauschii to wheat

Aegilops tauschii, the diploid progenitor of the wheat D genome, is a readily accessible germplasm pool for wheat breeding as genes can be transferred to elite wheat cultivars through direct hybridization followed by backcrossing. Gene transfer and genetic mapping can be integrated by developing mapping populations during backcrossing. Using direct crossing, two genes for resistance to the African stem rust fungus race TTKSK (Ug99), were transferred from the Ae. tauschii accessions TA10187 and TA10171 to an elite hard winter wheat line, KS05HW14. BC2 mapping populations were created concurrently with developing advanced backcross lines carrying rust resistance. Bulked segregant analysis on the BC2 populations identified marker loci on 6DS and 7DS linked to stem rust resistance genes transferred from TA10187 and TA10171, respectively. Linkage maps were developed for both genes and closely linked markers reported in this study will be useful for selection and pyramiding with other Ug99-effective stem rust resistance genes. The Ae. tauschii-derived resistance genes were temporarily designated SrTA10187 and SrTA10171 and will serve as valuable resources for stem rust resistance breeding.
Co-release of acetylcholine and GABA by the starburst amacrine cells

Rabbit retinas were isolated from the eye and maintained in vitro. When they were incubated for 60 min in the presence of 3H-GABA, subsequent autoradiography showed radioactivity to be present primarily in amacrine cells. Under these conditions, most of the radioactivity contained in the retinas remained in the chemical form of GABA. Autoradiography and immunohistochemistry of alternate sections showed the amacrine cells that accumulate 3H-GABA to be the same cells that contain endogenous GABA immunoreactivity. These include the starburst cells, the indoleamine-accumulating cells, and other, as yet unidentified amacrine cells. The localization confirms previous immunohistochemical findings. When retinas containing 3H-GABA were expressed to elevated concentrations of K+, their content of 3H-GABA decreased. Autoradiography showed a reduced 3H-GABA content in all of the cells that contained 3H-GABA. Since those include the starburst cells, previously shown to be cholinergic, the finding demonstrates that the starburst cells release both ACh and GABA. Retinas simultaneously labeled with 14C-GABA and 3H-ACh were superfused, and the release of radioactive compounds from the retina was studied. Depolarization by elevated K+ caused an increased recovery of both ACh and GABA in the superfusate, but the predominant mechanisms of their release appeared to be different. The stimulated release of ACh was entirely Ca2+ dependent, while the release of radioactivity originating from GABA was much less so. A concentration-dependent counterflux (homoexchange) of intracellular GABA was demonstrated by raising the extracellular concentration of GABA (or nipecotic acid). These results suggest that a large outward flux of GABA occurs via the GABA transporter, probably by the potential-sensitive mechanism studied by Schwartz (1982, 1987). Stimulation of double-labeled retinas by flashing light or moving bars always increased the release of ACh, and the release was entirely dependent on the presence of extracellular Ca2+. Stimulation with light never caused a detectable release of GABA. This was unexpected, since the two neurotransmitters are present in the same amacrine cells: stimulation adequate to release one neurotransmitter should release both.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Knot selection for least-squares and penalized splines

Two new stochastic search methods are proposed for optimizing the knot locations and/or smoothing parameters for least-squares or penalized splines. One of the methods is a golden-section-augmented blind search, while the other is a continuous genetic algorithm. Monte Carlo experiments indicate that the algorithms are very successful at producing knot locations and/or smoothing parameters that are near optimal in a squared error sense. Both algorithms are amenable to parallelization and have been implemented in OpenMP and MPI. An adjusted GCV criterion is also considered for selecting both the number and location of knots. The method performed well relative to MARS in a small empirical comparison.
Prioritizing User-Session-Based Test Cases for Web Applications Testing

Web applications have rapidly become a critical part of business for many organizations. However, increased usage of Web applications has not been reciprocated with corresponding increases in reliability. Unique characteristics, such as quick turnaround time, coupled with growing popularity motivate the need for efficient and effective Web application testing strategies. In this paper, we propose several new test suite prioritization strategies for Web applications and examine whether these strategies can improve the rate of fault detection for three Web applications and their preexisting test suites. We prioritize test suites by test lengths, frequency of appearance of request sequences, and systematic coverage of parameter-values and their interactions. Experimental results show that the proposed prioritization criteria often improve the rate of fault detection of the test suites when compared to random ordering of test cases. In general, the best prioritization metrics either (1) consider frequency of appearance of sequences of requests or (2) systematically cover combinations of parameter-values as early as possible.
Paroxysmal Nocturnal Hemoglobinuria: Stem Cells and Clonality

Paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria is a clonal hematopoietic stem cell disease that manifests with intravascular hemolysis, bone marrow failure, thrombosis, and smooth muscle dystonias. The disease can arise de novo or in the setting of acquired aplastic anemia. All PNH patients to date have been shown to harbor PIG-A mutations; the product of this gene is required for the synthesis of glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) anchored proteins. In PNH patients, PIG-A mutations arise from a multipotent hematopoietic stem cell. Interestingly, PIG-A mutations can also be found in the peripheral blood of most healthy controls; however, these mutations arise from progenitor cells rather than multipotent hematopoietic stem cells and do not propagate the disease. The mechanism of whereby PNH stem cells achieve clonal dominance remains unclear. The leading hypotheses to explain clonal outgrowth in PNH are: 1) PNH cells evade immune attack possibly, because of an absent cell surface GPI-AP that is the target of the immune attack; 2) The PIG-A mutation confers an intrinsic resistance to apoptosis that becomes more conspicuous when the marrow is under immune attack; and 3) A second mutation occurs in the PNH clone to give it an intrinsic survival advantage. These hypotheses may not be mutually exclusive, since data in support of all three models have been generated.
Mesozoic siliciclastic reservoirs and petroleum system in the Rub' Al-Khali basin, Saudi Arabia

Hydrocarbons have recently been discovered in Upper Triassic to Middle Jurassic siliciclastic reservoirs in the Rub' Al-Khali basin in Saudi Arabia. The reservoirs fill accommodation space created by Triassic and early Jurassic crustal-scale basins on the order of 100 km (62 mi) in wavelength and hundreds of meters in depth. These basins are separated by highs that are interpreted as crustal-scale epeirogenic folds. Lithologies include well-sorted quartz arenites deposited in shallow-marine, shoreface, and fluviodeltaic settings. These sequences can be correlated across the basin to extensive escarpment outcrops south of Riyadh and beyond Saudi Arabia into well-documented equivalents elsewhere in the Middle East and East Africa. The gross architecture of the interval is imaged on reflection seismic, showing clinoformal geometries and onlap onto the Triassic structured surface. Geochemistry of tested fluids indicates a type III kerogen source. The simplest interpretation is that the system is self-sourcing hydrocarbons from interbedded coaly material that is observed in the wells and at outcrop. Reservoir pressures are anomalously low relative to the overlying carbonate reservoir systems. These low pressures are interpreted to indicate lateral communication from the Rub' Al-Khali basin westward to outcrop, in contrast with the overlying carbonate fairways that are known to contain facies boundaries that trend across the regional dip. Onlapping geometries in the siliciclastic fairway combine with Cretaceous and Cenozoic compressional structures to create combined structural-stratigraphic traps.
Abstract 2488: Reovirus (Reolysin) as a potential therapy for malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors

Proceedings: AACR 103rd Annual Meeting 2012‐‐ Mar 31‐Apr 4, 2012; Chicago, IL Malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors (MPNST) are a rare form of soft tissue sarcoma which may occur sporadically in the general population or in association with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1), and are highly aggressive and often fatal. NF1 patients are at a greater risk for the development of malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors than the general population. Current therapy relies upon surgical resection with adjuvant chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy. Clinical trials using Reolysin (Respiratory Enteric Orphan Virus) which is developed from the naturally-occurring human reovirus have demonstrated the efficacy of this reovirus as an oncolytic virotherapy. Reolysin selectively replicates in cancer cells with activated Ras (Ras-GTP), resulting in virus-mediated apoptotic cell death. Hence Reolysin demonstrates promising anticancer activity and has minimal toxicity in patients. Since MPNST is associated with neurofibromin (NF1) deficiency and active Ras we tested these tumors as therapeutic targets for Reolysin treatment using two NF1 deficient human MPNST-derived cell lines (CRL-2884, ST8814) with activated Ras and one sporadic MPNST cell line (STS26T) which expresses NF1 but not active Ras. These were compared with normal human Schwann cells (NHSC) which do not show active Ras and mammary gland cells derived from an NF1 patient (CRL-7329). Reolysin inhibited the proliferation and viability of the three MPNST cell lines at a dose of 0.1 to 10 virus particles/cell, including sporadic MPNST cells which do not have active Ras. In contrast, the NHSC and CRL-7329 cells were more resistant to viral treatment, with apoptosis induced at higher viral concentrations (10,000 and 100,000 virus particles/cell respectively). Furthermore, we examined the effects of Reolysin on the Ras-signaling pathway in a bladder cancer cell line (HTB-4) expressing NF1 and Ras and found that virus induced cytotoxicity was similar to the control cell lines (100,000 virus particles/cell). This study shows that MPNST-derived cell lines including sporadic MPNST without active Ras were efficiently transduced, promoted virus replication and were killed by the oncolytic reovirus. In contrast to the highly sensitive MPNST cell lines, NHSC, CRL-7329 and HTB-4 cells were resistant at similar viral concentrations. Our data suggests the use of oncolytic Reolysin may represent a novel treatment approach for patients with MPNST and provides the basis for preclinical testing of the antitumor effects. Therapeutic efficacy of Reolysin in a mouse model for MPNST is underway. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 103rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2012 Mar 31-Apr 4; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 2488. doi:1538-7445.AM2012-2488
The reliability and validity of a physical activity questionnaire in Chinese children

Objective To investigate the validity and reliability of a Children's Physical Activity Questionnaire( CPAQ) among Chinese students. Methods Of the eligible 852 school children aged 9-14 years,816 completed this study. These children recorded their physical activity level item by item using a diary for each day prior to sleep in a continuous 7-day and recalled their past 7-days physical activity level through the CPAQ on day 8. The Cronbach alpha coefficient was used to evaluate internal reliability of the CPAQ,while Spearman correlation coefficients and Bland-Altman plot were applied to assess the validity of the CPAQ compared with physical activity diary. Results The CPAQ had good internal reliability for the children,with Cronbach's alpha coefficients ranging from 0. 722 to 0. 731( P 0. 05) for moderate and vigorous physical activity. The validity of this questionnaire assessed by Spearman correlation coefficients( 0. 584-0. 684,P 0. 01) was also acceptable based on comparison between physical activity level recorded by the questionnaire and diary.Based on Bland-Altman plots,the agreement within physical activity levels recorded by the questionnaire and diary was 95.44% for moderate physical activity and 95. 47% for vigorous physical activity. Conclusions The reliability and validity of the questionnaire are acceptable and this physical activity questionnaire might be used to measure physical activity level among school children in epidemiologic survey.
Community-Based Exercise Programs for Older Adults

Community-based programs are designed to reach people outside the traditional healthcare setting, in “real-world” settings. Community-based programs have been shown to increase the time and frequency of physical activity in older adults. Community partnerships are critical to the sustainability of a community-based program. Evidence-based programs increase the likelihood of a positive outcome, lead to efficient use of resources, and make it easier to justify funding. The RE-AIM framework is a useful, comprehensive framework for program planning and evaluation.
Argumentation Scheme-Based Argument Generation to Support Feedback in Educational Argument Modeling Systems

This paper describes an educational argument modeling system, GAIL (Genetics Argumentation Inquiry Learning). Using GAIL’s graphical interface, learners can select from possible argument content elements (hypotheses, data, etc.) displayed on the screen with which to construct argument diagrams. Unlike previous systems, GAIL uses domain-independent argumentation schemes to generate expert arguments as a knowledge source. By comparing the learner’s argument diagram to a generated argument, GAIL can provide problem-specific feedback on both the structure and meaning of the learner’s argument, e.g., that the learner’s argument contains an irrelevant premise. To generate arguments, the argumentation schemes are instantiated from causal domain models specified by lesson authors. Thus, this approach to generating expert arguments has the potential to be used in other domains. In this paper we describe use of GAIL’s Authoring Tool to create the domain model and content elements to be provided for a specific lesson, how expert arguments are generated in GAIL, and how the feedback is produced. As GAIL is a work-in-progress, the paper also describes plans for the next design iteration.
Fluorescent vinblastine probes for live cell imaging

Herein we describe the synthesis of several fluorescent analogues of the clinically approved microtubule destabilizing agent vinblastine. The evaluated probes are the most potent described and provides the first example of uptake, distribution and live cell imaging using this well known antimitotic agent.
Longitudinal changes in anthropometry and body composition in university freshmen.

ABSTRACTObjective: We investigated predictors of weight gain in college freshmen. Participants: A longitudinal cohort study followed a representative sample of freshmen (N = 264) from 8/2011 to 6/2012. Methods: Repeated measurements of anthropometry, dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA), physical activity, and diet were collected. We investigated predictors of 9-month weight gain using regression models. Results: 172 participants completed follow-up: 75% gained >0.5 kg. Mean weight change was +2.3 kg (SD 3.2) and +2.0 kg (SD 3.2) and mean adiposity change was +1.3% (SD 1.6) and +0.7% (SD 2.2) in men and women, respectively. In participants gaining >0.5 kg, weight increased 5.6% and body fat increased 1.6%. Anthropometric change in men occurred in the first semester, while women increased in both semesters. Leaner DXA-defined body composition at baseline was consistently associated with greater weight gain (p-values 0.029–0.049). Conclusions: Freshman weight gain is common and reflects increased adiposit...
Rumors Help the Enemy! Gossip in Politics

This chapter examines gossip in American politics; while gossip has been a long-standing accompaniment and facilitator to political negotiation, its presence has been selectively denounced in recent case studies (Gary Hart, Bill Clinton, Valerie Plame), particularly by journalists who themselves rely on anonymous sources (often a version of gossip).
Hang Height of Enteral Nutrition Influences the Delivery of Enteral Nutrition

PURPOSE Adequate enteral nutrition (EN) delivery to critically ill patients is difficult to achieve. Given the large number of unpreventable influences affecting adequate caloric intake, further research on preventable influences of adequate EN administration is warranted. The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether hang height of EN formula, formula viscosity, or flow rate influences pump accuracy and formula delivery. METHODS Formulas of varying viscosities (1.0, 1.5, and 2.0 kcal/mL) were infused at different hang heights (0, 6, 12, and 18 inches) and rates (20, 40, and 80 mL/h). The mean percent difference and the bias between the programmed volume, volume reported, and volume delivered were calculated for the different hang heights, formula compositions, and infusion rates studied. RESULTS For all prespecified hang heights and infusion rates, the volume delivered was less than the programmed volume and volume reported; the mean percent difference increased as the hang height decreased. The volume was overestimated for both the programmed volume (14.4% ± 5.5%) and volume reported (12.9% ± 6.7%) compared with volume delivered. The overestimation bias was significantly influenced by differences in hang height as well as type of formula (P < .0001, each) but not by rate of delivery (P = .4633 for programmed volume and .8411 for volume reported). CONCLUSIONS Measures should be taken in clinical practice to ensure adequate hang height of EN. Appropriate hang height of EN may result in more accurate delivery of nutrition provisions to the critically ill patient and subsequently reduce complications related to underfeeding.
Online vs. face-to-face student performance in an introduction to operating systems course

Online courses are becoming more and more popular in postsecondary education, including computer science (CS) departments. However, it is not clear whether online course delivery results in equivalent, better, or worse learning achievement for the students. Studies across disciplines and within the computing discipline show mixed results. Most of the studies of online vs. face-to-face education in CS have focused on courses that are programming-intensive (e.g. CS1 and CS2); treatment of CS courses in which little or no programming is required has been sparse. This paper analyzes student performance in an Introduction to Operating Systems course that was converted from a face-to-face class to online delivery. Test and final exam scores from before and after the online conversion are analyzed. The results show a slight improvement in student performance when the course went online, but not enough to establish statistical significance at the 95% confidence level.
Phosphate regulates chondrogenesis in a biphasic and maturation-dependent manner.

Inorganic phosphate (Pi) has been recognized as an important signaling molecule that modulates chondrocyte maturation and cartilage mineralization. However, conclusive experimental evidence for its involvement in early chondrogenesis is still lacking. Here, using high-density monolayer (2D) and pellet (3D) culture models of chondrogenic ATDC5 cells, we demonstrate that the cell response to Pi does not correlate with the Pi concentration in the culture medium but is better predicted by the availability of Pi on a per cell basis (Pi abundance). Both culture models were treated with ITS+, 10mM β-glycerophosphate (βGP), or ITS+/10mM βGP, which resulted in three levels of Pi abundance in cultures: basal (Pi/DNA 60ng/µg). In chondrogenic medium alone, the abundance levels were at the basal level in 2D culture and moderate in 3D cultures. The addition of 10mM βGP resulted in moderate abundance in 2D and high abundance in 3D cultures. Moderate Pi abundance enhanced early chondrogenesis and production of aggrecan and type II collagen whereas high Pi abundance inhibited chondrogenic differentiation and induced rapid mineralization. Inhibition of sodium phosphate transporters reduced phosphate-induced expression of chondrogenic markers. When 3D ITS+/βGP cultures were treated with levamisole to reduce ALP activity, Pi abundance was decreased to moderate levels, which resulted in significant upregulation of chondrogenic markers, similar to the response in 2D cultures. Delay of phosphate delivery until after early chondrogenesis occurs (7 days) no longer enhanced chondrogenesis, but instead accelerated hypertrophy and mineralization. Together, our data highlights the dependence of chondroprogenitor cell response to Pi on its availability to individual cells and the chondrogenic maturation stage of these cells and suggest that appropriate temporal delivery of phosphate to ATDC5 cells in 3D cultures represents a rapid model for mechanistic studies into the effects of exogenous cues on chondrogenic differentiation, chondrocyte maturation, and matrix mineralization.