cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Aprataxin resolves adenylated RNA–DNA junctions to maintain genome integrity

This study shows that aprataxin, encoded by a gene mutated in the neurodegenerative disorder AOA1, can remove the 5′ AMP from RNA–DNA junctions; this RNA–DNA damage response promotes cell survival. Occasionally during DNA replication or repair, a ribonucleotide rather than a deoxyribonucleotide is inserted into the polymer. To reverse this, RNase H2 first cleaves the RNA-DNA junction. This nick is a poor substrate for DNA ligase, however, and an abortive 5′ adenylated end is frequently formed. Scott Williams and colleagues show that the DNA strand-break repair protein aprataxin can remove the 5′ AMP from such RNA-DNA junctions. This RNA-DNA damage response promotes cell survival. Since mutations in the APTX gene encoding aprataxin cause the neurological disorder AOA1 (ataxia oculomotor apraxia-1), these findings suggest that the accumulation of toxic adenylated 5′ ends at ribonucleotides in DNA may cause neurological diseases. Faithful maintenance and propagation of eukaryotic genomes is ensured by three-step DNA ligation reactions used by ATP-dependent DNA ligases1,2. Paradoxically, when DNA ligases encounter nicked DNA structures with abnormal DNA termini, DNA ligase catalytic activity can generate and/or exacerbate DNA damage through abortive ligation that produces chemically adducted, toxic 5′-adenylated (5′-AMP) DNA lesions3,4,5,6. Aprataxin (APTX) reverses DNA adenylation but the context for deadenylation repair is unclear. Here we examine the importance of APTX to RNase-H2-dependent excision repair (RER) of a lesion that is very frequently introduced into DNA, a ribonucleotide. We show that ligases generate adenylated 5′ ends containing a ribose characteristic of RNase H2 incision. APTX efficiently repairs adenylated RNA–DNA, and acting in an RNA–DNA damage response (RDDR), promotes cellular survival and prevents S-phase checkpoint activation in budding yeast undergoing RER. Structure–function studies of human APTX–RNA–DNA–AMP–Zn complexes define a mechanism for detecting and reversing adenylation at RNA–DNA junctions. This involves A-form RNA binding, proper protein folding and conformational changes, all of which are affected by heritable APTX mutations in ataxia with oculomotor apraxia 1. Together, these results indicate that accumulation of adenylated RNA–DNA may contribute to neurological disease.
Convergence of a Step-doubling Galerkin Method for Parabolic Problems

We analyze a single step method for solving second-order parabolic initial--boundary value problems. The method uses a step-doubling extrapolation scheme in time based on backward Euler and a Galerkin approximation in space. The technique is shown to be a second-order correct approximation in time. Since step-doubling can be used as a mechanism for step-size control, the analysis is done for variable time steps. The stability properties of step-doubling are contrasted with t hose of Crank-Nicolson, and more generally those of extrapolated theta-weighted schemes.
Clinical and therapeutic issues for herpes simplex virus-2 and HIV Co-infection

A synergy between HIV type-1 (HIV-1) and herpes simplex virus-2 (HSV-2) has been demonstrated in many epidemiological and clinical studies over the last decade. HIV-1 infection exacerbates the clinical impact and frequency of HSV-2 reactivation events; furthermore, HSV-2 infection exacerbates the risk of HIV acquisition and transmission and may accentuate HIV disease progression. In order to maximise the impact of existing and future therapeutic and preventive interventions, this article reviews the epidemiological, clinical and therapeutic considerations associated with episodic treatment and suppression of HSV-2 infection in HIV-infected individuals. Specifically, this article describes the current expanding epidemics of both HIV and HSV-2, and how high rates of asymptomatic herpes virus shedding contribute to the under-diagnosis and continued spread of both HSV-2 and HIV. Furthermore, multiple clinical trials have studied the efficacy and clinical utility of aciclovir and other nucleoside analogues for treating and suppressing HSV-2. We review these studies and summarise the guidelines for these regimens, particularly noting the accumulated experience documenting the utility of herpes treatment and suppression in altering the natural history of symptoms and documenting the low rate of HSV-2 drug resistance to nucleoside analogues observed after more that a decade of use. Finally, there are now also growing data describing the benefits of herpes suppression in the context of individuals co-infected with HIV/HSV-2, with additional clinical trials poised to further elucidate these issues in the near future.
The Brown Dwarf Candidate 0918–0023B is a Distant Compact Galaxy

We imaged the brown dwarf candidate 0918-0023B of Jones, Miller, & Glazebrook at 2.2 μm on the Keck telescope under outstanding seeing of 04 full width at half-maximum intensity. The candidate object is clearly extended in comparison to the primary star 0918-0023A and several other stars in the field. So, 0918-0023B is certainly a distant galaxy and not a brown dwarf. Seven years after its discovery on the IRTF, GD 165B remains the only low-mass star/brown dwarf candidate with J - K color > 1.5 mag.
Bateman's Extended Electrodynamics and the Mass and Radiation Reaction of AN Electron.

From Bateman's earlier stress-energy tensor, there are deduced by analogy with the momentum and energy equations based on the classical electromagnetic stress-energy tensor, an extra-classical body-force and a condition that may be understood to state the conservation of charge in combination with the Lorentz transformation. It is then shown how this procedure may be reversed so as to derive, from the new body-force and the condition just mentioned, Bateman's tensor with all of its components physically interpreted. Next the mass and radiation reaction of an electron in non-uniformly accelerated, non-periodic motion are calculated from the force (classical and extra-classical) exerted on it by its own field, on the assumptions that the electron is spherical in a rest-system and has a centrally symmetrical distribution of charge. Both come out zero. The result for the radiation reaction is new. Finally the same result for the mass is obtained from the total momentum of the field of an electron in uniform, or quasi-stationary, motion. The present method differs from one recently published by Bateman in not using the restricted relativity transformation for tensors, and in requiring of the distribution of charge only that it be centrally symmetrical.
Mutual intelligibility within Sidamo

Abstract This study was designed to assess some of the determinants of mutual intelligibility within groups of related languages. The Sidamo subgroup, a branch of East Cushitic, was chosen for the investigation. Tape-recorded passages, translated into Alaba, Burji, Derasa, Hadiyya, Kembata, and Sidamo, were played to native speakers of five of these languages and their comprehension in each language was tested. The resulting 25 between-language listening comprehension average scores were correlated with several interlingual measures including basic vocabulary correspondence and root and affix correspondences as observed in text. A substantial correlation was observed between each of these measures and intelligibility. Shared roots contributed more to intelligibility than did shared affixes.
In vitro and in vivo intracellular liposomal delivery of antisense oligonucleotides and anticancer drug

The specific aims of this investigation were (1) to show that conventional and PEGylated liposomes can penetrate cancer cells in vitro and in vivo; (2) to demonstrate that liposomes can be successfully used both for cytoplasmic and nuclear delivery of therapeutics, including anticancer drugs and antisense oligonucleotides; (3) to examine the specific activity of anticancer drugs and nucleotides delivered inside tumor cells by PEGylated liposomes; and (4) to confirm that simultaneous inhibition of pump and nonpump cellular resistance by liposomal ASO can substantially enhance the antitumor activity of traditional well established anticancer drugs in mice bearing xenografts of human multidrug resistant ovarian carcinoma. Experimental results show that PEGylated liposomes are capable of penetrating directly into tumor cells after systemic administration in vivo and do successfully provide cytoplasmic and nuclear delivery of encapsulated anticancer drug (doxorubicin, DOX) and antisense oligonucleotides (ASO). Encapsulation of DOX and ASO into liposomes substantially increased their specific activity. Simultaneous suppression of pump and nonpump resistance dramatically enhanced the ability of DOX for inducing apoptosis leading to higher in vitro cytotoxicity and in vivo antitumor activity.
Optically Injection-Locked Optoelectronic Oscillators with Low RF Threshold Gain

We experimentally investigate the optical and RF characteristics of optically injection- locked optoelectronic oscillators. With strong optical injection and optimized frequency detuning, we have achieved a very low RF threshold gain of 7 dB for optoelectronic oscillation.
Push−Pull π-Electron Phosphonic-Acid-Based Self-Assembled Multilayer Nanodielectrics Fabricated in Ambient for Organic Transistors

Self-assembled nanodielectric multilayers are deposited from solution under ambient conditions using phosphonic-acid-functionalized precursors. The films exhibit excellent insulating properties, with capacitances approaching 700 nF/cm2. Pentacene transistors fabricated with these gate dielectrics operate at very low voltages and exhibit hole mobilities of ∼0.3 cm2/(V s).
Coproduction of chitinolytic enzymes and biomass for biological control by Trichoderma harzianum on media containing chitin

Abstract Production of N -acetyl-β-glucosaminidase (EC 3.2. 1.30), chitobiosidase, and biomass by Trichoderma harzianum is dependent on media composition but not on inoculum concentration. Growth of T. harzianum in simple mineral salt solutions plus single carbon sources, including chitin, gave low enzyme activity in the culture filtrate and few conidia. Addition of any of several complex materials, such as V8 juice, yeast extract, or proteose peptone, substantially increased enzyme and spore yield. If sucrose (0.5%) was added together with chitin, enzyme yields were increased after 6, but not after 3 days of culture, relative to chitin alone. The source of chitin was also important; higher yields of enzymes or conidia were obtained with a purified colloidal chitin than with an unpurified chitin from crab shells. Addition of insoluble polyvinylpyrrolidone to the culture increased yields of enzymes. All activity was present as extracellular enzymes; grinding fungal mycelium did not increase the amounts of enzymes detected. An economical medium consisting of a mineral salts solution, colloidal chitin, and sucrose that supported high yields of both conidia and chitinolytic enzymes was identified. Such coproduction may aid commercialization of T. harzianum by reducing the costs of two separate and valuable products.
Atmospheric ionization near ground during thunder‐storms

The rate of ionization inside a thin-walled vessel has been recorded on the grounds of the Department of Terrestrial Magnetism, Carnegie Institution of Washington, during the past year. The rate of ionization was found to undergo an abnormal increase at the time of a thunder-storm. This increase has an abrupt beginning, coinciding with the beginning of the rain. The ionization decreases as soon as the rain ceases to fall.The curve which represents this decrease in ionization is substantially similar to the decay-curve for radium B. The increase in the rate of ionization, therefore, is attributed to radium B, and radium C in equilibrium with it, which must have been brought down by the rain, having become attached to the raindrops before they fell. It follows that large quantities of radioactive material must be present inside a thunder-cloud. The presence of such material can be fully accounted tor on the assumption that vertical air-currents, which always occur during the formation of thunder-storms, carry it from the Earth's surface into the clouds. The presence of radioactive material in a thunder-cloud is of considerable significance in atmospheric electricity, especially in connection with theories as to origin of penetrating-radiation associated with thunder-storms, recently detected by Sohonland, and in connection with the theory of the maintenance of the Earth's electric charge as put forward by C. T. R. Wilson. (For complete paper see Mon. Weath. Rev., v. 62, pp. 1–4, 1934.)
Preferential release of one daughter cell during division of immobilized chinese hamster ovary cells.

Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells were attached to tiny adhesive sites in poly-2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate(polyHEMA-) coated glass, and their divison properties were examined. The adhesive sites were produced by placing a metal mask, containing 8-μm-diameter holes arranged in a regular pattern, on top of the coated glass and exposing the sandwich to glow discharge treatment. This treatment produced an ordered array of circular cavities in the polyHEMA down to the glass. These adhesive sites were smaller in diameter than a newborn CHO cell, so that, upon division, there would theoretically be room for only one of the two new daughter cells to remain attached. It was found that individual CHO cells attached to, and grew upon, the sites, and that division normally resulted in the releas of one of the two new daughters. It is concluded that this culture technique has applications in research on the mammalian cell cycle, cell partitioning, and cellular senescence. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Wine, Women and Song: Hebrew and Arabic Literature of Medieval Iberia

Edited by Michelle M. Hamilton, Sarah J. Portnoy and David A. Wacks. Newark, Delaware: Juan de la Cuesta. 2004. 139 pp. With the publication of Wine, Women and Song: Hebrew and Arabic Literature of...
Extending the Use of Art, Literature, and Popular Entertainment in the Marketing Curriculum

The increasing attention that literary works are receiving in the marketing literature suggests that more extensive use be made of movies, television shows, plays, and novels in the marketing curriculum. The Breakfast Club and The Big Chill are used to show how an innovative course in consumer behavior could be structured using motion pictures.
A New VME-Based, Multi-Processor Data Acquisition Station for the LBL Bevalac

A new VME-based multi-processor data acquisition station has been developed for use at several LBL Bevalac facilities. This system acquires and manipulates data from multiple CAMAC crates and transmits them via Ethernet to a central VAX facility for taping. Overall architecture is discussed and major hardware and software components are described.
Chronic granulomatous disease

To the Editor: Chronic granulomatous disease (CGD) is a rare genetic disorder of phagocyte oxidative metabolism. In addition to infectious complications, granulomatous lesions can involve the gastrointestinal (GI) tract and can mimic ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s disease.1,2 Crohn’s-like manifestations can include oral ulcerations, bowel obstruction, enteritis, colitis, fistulae, abscess, and perianal disease.3 The inflammatory bowel disease in this setting may be severe and cause significant morbidity and adversely impact patients’ quality of life. Narrow band imaging (NBI) is a new technology that uses 2 specific wavelengths of light, 1 blue and 1 green, to accentuate vascular structures and provide high-contrast endoscopic images of mucosal surfaces. The use of NBI is rapidly expanding in the evaluation of both upper and lower GI diseases; however, the use of NBI in CGD has not previously been reported. Herein we provide the first report on the use of NBI in CGD. A 15-year-old boy with CGD and a history of CGD-associated colitis in clinical remission for over 4 years on low-dose prednisone (5 mg per day) presented with hyperglycemia and growth delay. Colonoscopy was performed to evaluate subclinical colitis prior to a planned prednisone taper. Colonoscopy with white light revealed mild nodularity and friability in the rectum (Fig. 1A). When NBI was applied the mucosal abnormalities were accentuated, creating an almost lunar appearance (Fig. 1B). NBI-targeted biopsy specimens revealed findings consistent with chronic active CGD-associated colitis. Based on reports of the successful use of oral 5-aminosalicylic acid compounds in CGD-associated colitis,4 the patient was started on oral mesalamine and a prednisone taper was initiated. FIGURE 1 Rectal CGD seen under white light (A) and under NBI (B). In a review of the records of 140 patients with CGD at the National Institutes of Health, GI involvement was reported in 46 (32.8%) of the patients.5 Colonic involvement occurred in 30 (65%) of these and was described as either granulomatous or ulcerative. All patients with colonic involvement were treated with steroids and antibiotics, and many received interferon-γ. While most patients responded to therapy, symptomatic relapses were common after reduction or cessation of therapy, and 2 patients required surgical intervention. In summary, CGD frequently causes an inflammatory bowel disease with features seen in both ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease. NBI should be considered during the colonoscopic evaluation of patients with known or suspected CGD, as it may accentuate visualized abnormalities and improve biopsy yield.
Reconstruction of action potential development from whole-cell currents of differentiating spinal neurons.

The duration and ionic dependence of action potentials are developmentally regulated. Voltage-clamp recordings of amphibian spinal neurons have revealed alterations in five currents. To determine whether the changes in the currents are sufficient to produce the change in action potential duration and ionic dependence, we constructed a Hodgkin-Huxley model of electrical excitability of these neurons. The model shows that the equations describing the voltage- clamped currents of young and mature neurons generate action potentials appropriate in duration and ionic dependence for each developmental stage. Moreover, the observed changes in the currents are quantitatively sufficient to produce the changes in the action potential. The effect of the change in each current is detectable in the model. However, the increase in amplitude of the delayed-rectifier potassium current has the largest effect. The model further shows that changes in action potential duration could be achieved with changes in kinetics rather than amplitude of this current, or with changes in amplitudes of other currents. Thus, although increase in amplitude of the delayed rectifier plays a pivotal role in the maturation of excitability, it is not uniquely positioned to govern the action potential duration.
Protein Phosphatase 1 Associates with the Integrin αIIb Subunit and Regulates Signaling

Abstract Regulation of integrin activation occurs by specific interactions among cytoplasmic proteins and integrin α and β cytoplasmic tails. We report that the catalytic subunit of protein phosphatase 1 (PP1c) constitutively associates with the prototypic integrin αIIbβ3 in platelets and in cell lines overexpressing the integrin. PP1c binds directly to the cytoplasmic domain of integrin αIIb subunit containing a conserved PP1c binding motif 989KVGF992. Anchored PP1c is inactive, while thrombin-induced platelet aggregation or fibrinogen-αIIbβ3 engagement caused PP1c dissociation and concomitant activation as revealed by dephosphorylation of PP1c substrate, myosin light chain. Inhibition of ligand binding to activated αIIbβ3 blocks PP1c dissociation and represses PP1c activation. These studies reveal a previously unrecognized role for integrins whereby the α subunit cytoplasmic tail localizes the machinery for initiating and temporally maintaining the regulatory signaling activity of a phosphatase.
Oxygen, genes, and development: An analysis of the role of hypoxic gene regulation during murine vascular development

Development of the mammalian cardiovascular system is a complex process guided by both genetic and environmental components. Significant advances in the genetics of vascular development have been accomplished most recently by the analysis of multiple ”knockout” and transgenic mice which exhibit varying degrees of impaired vascularity. This review focuses on the potential of the environment of the developing embryo to affect its development. In particular we analyze the evidence implicating the ability of physiological parameters such as oxygen and glucose concentrations within and surrounding the embryo to affect the expression of genes critical for vascular development. We conclude that the vascularization of a developing mammalian embryo is a plastic process dependent on the dynamic interaction between fundamental genetic and physiological factors.
Metallothionein-Null Mice Are More Sensitive than Wild-Type Mice to Liver Injury Induced by Repeated Exposure to Cadmium

Liver is a major target organ of cadmium (Cd) toxicity following acute and chronic exposure. Metallothionein (MT), a low-molecular-weight, cysteine-rich, metal-binding protein has been shown to play an important role in protection against acute Cd-induced liver injury. This study investigates the role of MT in liver injury induced by repeated exposure to Cd. Wild-type and MT-I/II knockout (MT I/II-null) mice were injected sc with a wide range of CdCl(2) doses, 6 times/week, for up to 10 weeks, and their hepatic Cd content, hepatic MT concentration, and liver injury were examined. Repeated administration of CdCl(2) produced acute and nonspecific chronic inflammation in the parenchyma and portal tracts and around central veins. Higher doses produced granulomatous inflammation and proliferating nodules in liver parenchyma. Apoptosis and mitosis occurred concomitantly in liver following repeated Cd exposure, whereas necrosis was mild. As a result, significant elevation of serum enzyme levels was not observed. In wild-type mice, hepatic Cd concentration increased in a dose- and time-dependent manner, reaching 400 microgram/g liver, along with 150-fold increases in hepatic MT concentrations, the latter reaching 1200 microgram/g liver. In contrast, in MT I/II-null mice, hepatic Cd concentrations were about 10 microgram/g liver. Despite the lower accumulation of Cd in livers of MT I/II-null mice, the maximum tolerated dose of Cd was one-eighth lower than that for wild-type mice at 10 weeks, and liver injury was more pronounced in the MT I/II-null mice, as evidenced by increases in liver/body weight ratios and histopathological analyses. In conclusion, these data indicate that (1) nonspecific chronic inflammation, granulomatous inflammation, apoptosis, liver cell regeneration, and presumably, preneoplastic proliferating nodules are major features of liver injury induced by repeated Cd exposure, and (2) intracellular MT is an important protein protecting against this Cd-induced liver injury.
Language of lies in prison: linguistic classification of prisoners' truthful and deceptive natural language

Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count (LIWC) software was used to code truthful and deceptive words in prisoners' natural language. Reality Monitoring (RM) and Newman, Pennebaker, Berry, & Richards' (NP, 2003) models were used. NP indicates that lies contain fewer self-references, other references, and exclusive words, and higher numbers of negative emotion and motion words. Higher sensory, spatial, temporal and affective RM terms were predicted for truths, and more cognitive mechanism words were predicted for lies. The RM model's hit rate was 71.1% and discriminability was 1.11 without spatial words, which were surprisingly higher in lies than in truth statements, and the NP model was 69.7%, d′ = 0.99. The software models were contrasted with humans' hit rates, and younger prisoners had 71% hits, d′ = 0.22, but older prisoners had 50% hits, d′ = 0.90. The software set unbiased criteria (β), but younger prisoners were biased in setting their criteria when judging statement veracity, β = −0.34. Without other references, found to be higher in truths than in lies, NP classified 59% of statements correctly. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Improved accounting of carbohydrate carbon from plants and soils

Soils have a great potential to accumulate carbon from atmospheric sources, but we possess few quantitative tools to predict and understand the conversion of C from plant sources into stable soil organic matter. Evaluation of present methods used for analyzing the major form of carbon present in plants, carbohydrates, found that development of ‘total carbohydrate’ methods were originally based on colorimetric or gravimetric tests whose accuracy is questionable. Use of ion chromatography found that total carbohydrate extraction and hydrolysis methods based on previously published H2SO4 solublization and hydrolysis techniques released from pure cellulose as little as 0.4% and a maximum of 22% of the glucose equivalents due to a failure to solublize the substrate. Optimum solublization conditions with concentrated H2SO4 (18 M) for 15 – 30 min followed by autoclave hydrolysis (1 – 1.5 M H2SO4) resulted in 82 –97% recovery of purified cellulose – glucose and accounted for a major portion of the plant glucose that was not released by previously published methods. Application of this methodology to soils resulted in additional release of glucose equivalents if the hemicellulose fraction was first extracted with 1.0 M H2SO4 (30 min autoclave digestion). Prolonged hydrolysis times (16 h) recommended by previous methodology resulted in increased formation of carbohydrate degradation products as furan derivatives. Use of improved solublization procedures with autoclave hydrolysis (30 min) accounted for up to 99% of the theoretical carbohydrate content from plant biomass and recovered an additional 2.5 – 3.5 times of soil carbon content as carbohydrate forms while minimizing formation of furan derivatives. q 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
Thrombocytopenic Purpura Associated with Brucellosis: Report of 2 Cases and Literature Review

Mild hematologic abnormalities are common in the course of human brucellosis; however, they generally resolve promptly with treatment of the disease. Occasionally, thrombocytopenia is severe and can be associated with bleeding into the skin (purpura) and from mucosal sites. We describe 2 patients infected with Brucella melitensis who presented with thrombocytopenic purpura, and we review 41 additional cases from the literature. Patients ranged in age from 2 to 77 years, and both sexes were affected equally. In the majority of cases, examination of the bone marrow revealed abundant megakaryocytes. Possible mechanisms involved in thrombocytopenia include hypersplenism, reactive hemophagocytosis, and immune destruction of platelets. Recognition of this complication is essential, since hemorrhage into the central nervous system is associated with a high mortality rate.
Three‐dimensional adjustment of trilateration data

The three-dimensional locations of the monuments in the USGS Hollister trilateration network were adjusted to fit line length observations observed in 1977, using a Bayesian approach, and incorporating prior elevation estimates as data in the adjustment procedure. No significant discrepancies in the measured line lengths were found, but significant elevation adjustments (up to 1.85 m) were needed to fit the length data.
Gastroesophageal reflux disease in the obese

Abstract Obesity and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) are common conditions that both have been on the rise. The direct relationship between GERD symptoms and obesity has been demonstrated in many epidemiologic studies. The pathophysiological mechanisms that cause this relationship have also been proposed and include decreased pressure of the lower esophageal sphincter, increased episodes of transient lower esophageal sphincter relaxations, increased intra-abdominal and intragastric pressures, and hiatal hernia. Medical treatment with either weight loss or proton pump inhibitors is effective at treating GERD symptoms in the obese. Antireflux surgery in patients with elevated body mass index has been described with varied results. Bariatric procedures have also been evaluated for their effect on GERD, with laparoscopic gastric bypass offering the best results when compared with laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy or laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding. Those with GERD and obesity may benefit from bariatric surgery, and referral for it should be considered.
Slow feature analysis: unsupervised learning of invariances

Invariant features of temporally varying signals are useful for analysis and classification. Slow feature analysis (SFA) is a new method for learning invariant or slowly varying features from a vectorial input signal. It is based on a nonlinear expansion of the input signal and application of principal component analysis to this expanded signal and its time derivative. It is guaranteed to find the optimal solution within a family of functions directly and can learn to extract a large number of decorrelated features, which are ordered by their degree of invariance. SFA can be applied hierarchically to process high-dimensional input signals and extract complex features. SFA is applied first to complex cell tuning properties based on simple cell output, including disparity and motion. Then more complicated input-output functions are learned by repeated application of SFA. Finally, a hierarchical network of SFA modules is presented as a simple model of the visual system. The same unstructured network can learn translation, size, rotation, contrast, or, to a lesser degree, illumination invariance for one-dimensional objects, depending on only the training stimulus. Surprisingly, only a few training objects suffice to achieve good generalization to new objects. The generated representation is suitable for object recognition. Performance degrades if the network is trained to learn multiple invariances simultaneously.
Capitalism and Democracy

Joseph Schumpeter, a great economist and social scientist of the last generation, whose career was almost equally divided between Central European and American universities, and who lived close to the crises of the 1930s and '40s, published a book in 1942 under the title, Capitalism, Socialism, and Democracy. The book has had great influence, and can be read today with profit. It was written in the aftergloom of the great depression, during the early triumphs of Fascism and Nazism in 1940 and 1941, when the future of capitalism, socialism, and democracy all were in doubt. Schumpeter projected a future of declining capitalism, and rising socialism. He thought that democracy under socialism might be no more impaired and problematic than it was under capitalism.He wrote a concluding chapter in the second edition which appeared in 1946, and which took into account the political-economic situation at the end of the war, with the Soviet Union then astride a devastated Europe. In this last chapter he argues that we should not identify the future of socialism with that of the Soviet Union, that what we had observed and were observing in the first three decades of Soviet existence was not a necessary expression of socialism. There was a lot of Czarist Russia in the mix. If Schumpeter were writing today, I don't believe he would argue that socialism has a brighter future than capitalism. The relationship between the two has turned out to be a good deal more complex and intertwined than Schumpeter anticipated.
Kinesin 6 family member Subito participates in mitotic spindle assembly and interacts with mitotic regulators

Drosophila Subito is a kinesin 6 family member and ortholog of mitotic kinesin-like protein (MKLP2) in mammalian cells. Based on the previously established requirement for Subito in meiotic spindle formation and for MKLP2 in cytokinesis, we investigated the function of Subito in mitosis. During metaphase, Subito localized to microtubules at the center of the mitotic spindle, probably interpolar microtubules that originate at the poles and overlap in antiparallel orientation. Consistent with this localization pattern, subito mutants improperly assembled microtubules at metaphase, causing activation of the spindle assembly checkpoint and lagging chromosomes at anaphase. These results are the first demonstration of a kinesin 6 family member with a function in mitotic spindle assembly, possibly involving the interpolar microtubules. However, the role of Subito during mitotic anaphase resembles other kinesin 6 family members. Subito localizes to the spindle midzone at anaphase and is required for the localization of Polo, Incenp and Aurora B. Genetic evidence suggested that the effects of subito mutants are attenuated as a result of redundant mechanisms for spindle assembly and cytokinesis. For example, subito double mutants with ncd, polo, Aurora B or Incenp mutations were synthetic lethal with severe defects in microtubule organization.
Democratic Deficits in Comparison: Best (and Worst) Practices in European, US and Swiss Merger Regulation*

Policy-makers and scholars continue to express concerns that the EU suffers from a ‘democratic deficit’. But most democratic deficit arguments are not based on recent empirical research; and seeing the EU as sui generis, they fail to compare the EU to other polities. This article compares the European ‘regulatory state’ with two federal democracies, the United States and Switzerland, in recent merger regulation. Its main finding is that European merger regulation is less democratic than American, but more democratic than Swiss regulation. If the EU suffers from a democratic deficit, it is hardly alone.
Surgical Management of Tricuspid Atresia and Anomalous Left Brachiocephalic Vein

An anomalous left brachiocephalic vein is an uncommon systemic venous anomaly, which usually has no clinical significance. We describe a case of tricuspid atresia with such an anomalous left brachiocephalic vein. The presence of this unusual venous anomaly had a number of implications in the surgical management of the tricuspid atresia.
Effect of time varying thermal boundary conditions on oscillatory natural convection of a low-Prandtl-number fluid

Numerical simulations, based on a control-volume-based finite difference method with central differencing and semi-implicit time marching, are performed for natural convection of liquid metals within a square cavity. All calculations are made with the Prandtl number held constant at 0.005, while Grashof numbers of 3 × 106 and 107 are considered with both steady and time varying sidewall temperatures. With steady boundary conditions and the assumption of two-dimensional convection, periodic and quasi-periodic conditions, respectively, are predicted for Gr equals 3 × 106 and 107, and the oscillatory states are related to the transport of thermal energy and vorticity. The effects of small and large cooling rates on predicted convection are considered. It is found that the small cooling rates have a negligible effect on the dynamic behavior of the system, while large cooling rates cause transitions to more complex flow structures and enhance mixing.
Cooking-related PM2.5 and acrolein measured in grocery stores and comparison with other retail types.

We measured particulate matter (PM), acrolein, and other indoor air contaminants in eight visits to grocery stores in California. Retail stores of other types (hardware, furniture, and apparel) were also sampled on additional visits. Based on tracer gas decay data, most stores had adequate ventilation according to minimum ventilation rate standards. Grocery stores had significantly higher concentrations of acrolein, fine and ultrafine PM, compared to other retail stores, likely attributable to cooking. Indoor concentrations of PM2.5 and acrolein exceeded health guidelines in all tested grocery stores. Acrolein emission rates to indoors in grocery stores had a mean estimate about 30 times higher than in other retail store types. About 80% of the indoor PM2.5 measured in grocery stores was emitted indoors, compared to only 20% for the other retail store types. Calculations suggest a substantial increase in outdoor air ventilation rate by a factor of three from current level is needed to reduce indoor acrolein concentrations. Alternatively, acrolein emission to indoors needs to be reduced 70% by better capturing of cooking exhaust. To maintain indoor PM2.5 below the California annual ambient standard of 12 μg/m(3) , grocery stores need to use air filters with an efficiency rating higher than the MERV 8 air filters commonly used today.
Development of the Male Reproductive System

Male and female reproductive systems develop in close relation to the urinary tract. Until approximately 7 weeks gestation, the human embryo remains sexually bipotential. Subsequently, in males, testis-inducing factors cause differentiation from the default female phenotype. As the testis forms, testosterone and other androgens drive the formation of the external genitalia and internal male reproductive structures, while other testicular factors cause regression of female reproductive organ precursors. Androgens also play a role in the descent of the testicles from their origin in the upper abdomen. Germ cells enter an arrested phase of maturation in the first trimester. A surge of testosterone in the neonatal period plays a role in testicular development, but it is not until the largest androgen surge of puberty that gonadarche occurs with the onset of spermatogenesis. In this chapter, we review the formation and maturation of the reproductive system, with an emphasis on hormonal factors and aspects relevant to clinical care of male reproductive patients.
Do Women Need Protection? Lessons from the Witches of Gambaga

In 2002 the African Gender Institute initiated an activist research project on African sexual cultures, the first ever to be conceptualized and carried out by a team of African women scholars located in their own contexts. The project was designed to respond concerns arising from the fact that while African sexual politics are the major arena of struggles of women’s rights and basic gender justice, the scholarly research does not respond to the longstanding concerns articulated women’s movements. Field reviews show that studies of sexuality in Africa been externally framed by paradigms (biomedical, colonial, anthropological) that obscure the deeply gendered and material dynamics of cultural processes, and the competing interests of various actors in the circuits of power implicated in the production of “tradition”. In 2011, the 55 minute documentary ‘The Witches of Gambaga” was launched at the African Feminist Forum in Dakar, and in 2013 the producer-director team screened the film at the Gambaga camp. This example raises a number of questions for discussion: What methodological issues arise in efforts to pursue cultural change? How does one involve and collaborate with local actors to reduce the abuse of women through the institution of witchcraft? What are the prospects facing the affected communities of women? Discussion of these questions will be used to generate strategies for supporting the ongoing efforts to eradicate violence and abuse of women within local cultural institutions.
Tetramethylammonium activation of muscarinic receptors in cardiac ventricular myocytes

Replacement of extracellular Na+ with tetramethylammonium (TMA) reduces the magnitude of the Cl- current activated by beta-adrenergic receptor stimulation in guinea pig ventricular myocytes. Howeve...
Solving Multiplicative Compare (MC) Problems

Learning Outcome: Be able to solve MC word problems using the MC diagram equation Materials Needed: Equation Diagram Multiplicative Compare (MC) Diagram Equation Posters: MC Word Problem Story Grammar Poster DOTS Checklist Poster PPT Modeling Modeling MC problem solving 1, 2, and 3 Student Worksheets Modeling MC problem solving 1, 2, and 3 Try It Out–MC problem solving 4, 5, and 6 Independent Worksheet–MC problem solving 7, 8 and 9 Reference Guide Reference Guide: MC problem solving 1–9)
Variability-aware compact modeling and statistical circuit validation on SRAM test array

Variability modeling at the compact transistor model level can enable statistically optimized designs in view of limitations imposed by the fabrication technology. In this work we propose a variability-aware compact model characterization methodology based on stepwise parameter selection. Transistor I-V measurements are obtained from bit transistor accessible SRAM test array fabricated using a collaborating foundry’s 28nm FDSOI technology. Our in-house customized Monte Carlo simulation bench can incorporate these statistical compact models; and simulation results on SRAM writability performance are very close to measurements in distribution estimation. Our proposed statistical compact model parameter extraction methodology also has the potential of predicting non-Gaussian behavior in statistical circuit performances through mixtures of Gaussian distributions.
Variations in Susceptibility of Three Selected Strains of Chickens to Cell Suspensions of JM Virus

Abstract Experiments to determine the feasibility of breeding strains of chickens that are resistant to leukosis have been conducted for many years by natural exposure (Hutt and Cole, 1957). Though progress was made over many years of time, such exposure was unpredictable and unmeasurable. In 1962, it was shown that the artificial inducement of leucosis with known doses of JM virus was repeatable at given levels with respective strains or families of chickens, some at one hundred percent levels, or nearly so, (Sevoian et al., 1962). At that time this technique was used to evaluate many strains and sources of fowl among which were S-, C-, and K-lines of White Leghorn chickens developed for susceptibility (S) and resistance (C and K) to natural exposures of leukosis over a period of about 25 years by Drs. F. B. Hutt and R. K. Cole of Cornell University. Using leukotic tumor cells suspended in . . .
The Mortality and Morality of Nations

Standing at the edge of life's abyss, we seek meaningful order. We commonly find this 'symbolic immortality' in religion, civilization, state and nation. What happens, however, when the nation itself appears mortal? The Mortality and Morality of Nations seeks to answer this question, theoretically and empirically. It argues that mortality makes morality, and right makes might; the nation's sense of a looming abyss informs its quest for a higher moral ground, which, if reached, can bolster its vitality. The book investigates nationalism's promise of moral immortality and its limitations via three case studies: French Canadians, Israeli Jews, and Afrikaners. All three have been insecure about the validity of their identity or the viability of their polity, or both. They have sought partial redress in existential self-legitimation: by the nation, of the nation and for the nation's very existence.
Arbovirosis and potential transmission blocking vaccines

Infectious diseases caused by arboviruses (viruses transmitted by arthropods) are undergoing unprecedented epidemic activity and geographic expansion. With the recent introduction of West Nile virus (1999), chikungunya virus (2013) and Zika virus (2015) to the Americas, stopping or even preventing the expansion of viruses into susceptible populations is an increasing concern. With a few exceptions, available vaccines protecting against arboviral infections are nonexistent and current disease prevention relies on vector control interventions. However, due to the emergence of and rapidly spreading insecticide resistance, different disease control methods are needed. A feasible method of reducing emerging tropical diseases is the implementation of vaccines that prevent or decrease viral infection in the vector. These vaccines are designated ‘transmission blocking vaccines’, or TBVs. Here, we summarize previous TBV work, discuss current research on arboviral TBVs and present several promising TBV candidates.
Decreased Lung Perfusion After Breast/Chest Wall Irradiation: Quantitative Results From a Prospective Clinical Trial.

Purpose To quantify lung perfusion changes after breast/chest wall radiation therapy (RT) using pre- and post-RT single photon emission computed tomography/computed tomography (SPECT/CT) attenuation-corrected perfusion scans; and correlate decreased perfusion with adjuvant RT dose for breast cancer in a prospective clinical trial. Methods and Materials As part of an institutional review board–approved trial studying the impact of RT technique on lung function in node-positive breast cancer, patients received breast/chest wall and regional nodal irradiation including superior internal mammary node RT to 50 to 52.2 Gy with a boost to the tumor bed/mastectomy scar. All patients underwent quantitative SPECT/CT lung perfusion scanning before RT and 1 year after RT. The SPECT/CT scans were co-registered, and the ratio of decreased perfusion after RT relative to the pre-RT perfusion scan was calculated to allow for direct comparison of SPECT/CT perfusion changes with delivered RT dose. The average ratio of decreased perfusion was calculated in 10-Gy dose increments from 0 to 60 Gy. Results Fifty patients had complete lung SPECT/CT perfusion data available. No patient developed symptoms consistent with pulmonary toxicity. Nearly all patients demonstrated decreased perfusion in the left lung according to voxel-based analyses. The average ratio of lung perfusion deficits increased for each 10-Gy increment in radiation dose to the lung, with the largest changes in regions of lung that received 50 to 60 Gy (ratio 0.72 [95% confidence interval 0.64-0.79], P P Conclusions In the assessment of 50 patients with node-positive breast cancer treated with RT in a prospective clinical trial, decreased lung perfusion by SPECT/CT was demonstrated. Our study allowed for quantification of lung perfusion defects in a prospective cohort of breast cancer patients for whom attenuation-corrected SPECT/CT scans could be registered directly to RT treatment fields for precise dose estimates.
Psoas Muscle Management

The concept of lumbar fusion is not new. The indications for fusion commonly include the need to realign and stabilize functional motion segments. The direct and indirect decompression of the lumbar nerve roots from a posterior and anterior approach is also widely accepted. The lateral approach has also become more popular in the last decade to address various pathologies of the lumbar spine. This approach has been demonstrated to be a less-invasive and powerful approach that efficiently allows access to multiple levels of the lumbar and thoracic spine for realignment and fusion.
High capacity Li-ion battery anodes: Impact of crystallite size, surface chemistry and PEG-coating

Abstract Battery electrodes are complex mesoscale systems comprised of an active material, conductive agent, current collector, and polymeric binder. Previous work showed that introduction of poly [3-(potassium-4-butanoate) thiophene] (PPBT) as a binder component coupled with a polyethylene glycol (PEG) surface coating on magnetite (Fe 3 O 4 ) nanoparticles enhanced electron and ion transport in the high capacity anode system. Here, the impact of Fe 3 O 4 crystallite size (10 nm vs. 20 nm) and surface chemistry were explored to evaluate their effects on interfacial interactions within the composite PEG/PPBT based electrodes and resultant battery performance. The Fe 3 O 4 synthesis methods inevitably lead to differences in surface chemistry. For instance, the Fe 3 O 4 particles synthesized using ammonium hydroxide appeared more dispersed, and afforded improved rate capability performance. Notably, chemical interactions between the active nanoparticles and PPBT binder were only seen with particles synthesized using triethylamine. Capacity retention and cycling performance were unaffected. This study provides fundamental insights into the significant impact of active material synthesis on the design and fabrication of composite battery electrodes.