cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
On the Absolutely Continuous Spectrum of One-Dimensional Schrödinger Operators with Square Summable Potentials

For continuous and discrete one-dimensional Schrodinger operators with square summable potentials, the absolutely continuous part of the spectrum is essentially supported by [0,∞) and [−2,2] respectively. This fact is proved by considering a priori estimates for the transmission coefficient.
Nondirected donation of kidneys from living donors.

The transplantation of organs from living donors has always involved a balancing of the physical risks and psychological benefits to the donor against the benefits to the recipient. Early in the hi...
On a generalization of Gross’s formula

We prove a relation between Whittaker functionals of cusp forms on \({{\widetilde{SL}}_2}\) and the toric periods of forms on the quaternion algebra. As an application we prove a generalization of a formula of Gross.
The structural factor in chemisorption and heterogeneous catalysis—a review

Abstract We have now entered an era where the influence of surface structure on the kinetics of catalytic processes may be directly investigated using single crystal substrates. Catalytic processes whose rates are sensitive to substrate structure, and those which seem to be structure insensitive have now been studied, and several examples are described here. It is shown that there may be large differences in both reactivity and reaction mechanism for ordered and disordered chemisorbed species. It is also shown that structure insensitive heterogeneous reactions may occur in cases where the coverage of a reactant is below one monolayer—suggesting that the leveling of crystallographic differences between different planes by an adsorbate is not a useful general model for explaining rate insensitivity to substrate structure. Conversely, structural sensitivity may occur in cases where a high coverage of adsorbate is present, again in violation of the general model. Because of the many complex factors known to be involved in governing the rate of heterogeneous catalytic reaction, it is concluded that there may be a number of system-dependent explanations for the common occurrence of structural insensitivity, and that a general model for this surprising behavior may not exist.
MECHANICAL AND ELECTRICAL RELAXATION IN ThO$sub 2$ CONTAINING CaO

The dynamic behavior of oxygen vacancies associated with the solid solution of CaO in ThO/sub 2/ is treated using an 8-position nearest neighbor model. This treatment predicts an internal friction peak characterized by a single relaxation time and a dielectric loss peak with a single relaxation time equal to twice the mechanical relaxation time. Both peaks were observed and are in accord with these predictions within experimental error. The activation energy for the motion of an oxygen vacancy neighboring a substitutional Ca ion in 98.5 ThO/sub 2/ + 1.5 CaO is 0.93 plus or minus 0.02 ev. (auth)
New perspective in process optimisation of variable pitch milling

Stability analysis of variable-pitch milling process offers a mathematically challenging task due to the complex nature of the ensuing regenerative chatter dynamics. It can be reduced to a problem of stability assessment of a Linear Time-Invariant (LTI) Systems with multiple independent delays. This problem can be solved by a recent paradigm; the Cluster Treatment of Characteristic Roots (CTCR). This paper suggests an optimisation procedure based on the CTCR. The objective function entails two compromising components: to maximise the metal removal rate while creating the best chatter rejection ability. The end result determines both the cutter geometry and the operating conditions.
Structure and evolution of the Xcyl restriction-modification system

The XcyI restriction-modification system from Xanthomonas cyanopsidis recognizes the sequence, CCCGGG. The XcyI endonuclease and methylase genes have been cloned and sequenced and were found to be aligned in a head to tail orientation with the methylase preceding and overlapping the endonuclease by one base pair. The nucleotide sequence codes for an N4 cytosine methyltransferase with a predicted molecular weight of 33,500 and an endonuclease comprised of 333 codons and a molecular weight of 36,600. Sequence comparisons revealed significant similarity between the XcyI, CfrI and SmaI methylisomers. In contrast, no similarity was detected between the primary structures of the XcyI and SmaI endonucleases. The XcyI restriction-modification system is highly homologous to the XmaI genes, although the DNA sequences flanking the genes rapidly diverge. The sequence of the XcyI endonuclease contains two motifs which have recently been identified as essential to the activity of the EcoRV endonuclease.
Generation and characterization of copper nanowires, nanoparticles, and thin films by flow- limited field-injection electrostatic spraying

Nanoscale structures of copper including nanowires, nanoparticles, and thin films were produced using flow-limited field-injection electrostatic spraying (FFESS) combined with chemical vapor deposition (CVD). The FFESS system allowed for efficient vaporization and delivery of the CVD precursor. The system also allowed for control of the type of structures based on deposition parameters. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) data confirmed that the samples were pure copper.
Phase fluctuations in Josephson junctions

Thermal excitation and zero-point motion bring about fluctuations in the gauge-invariant phase coupling across Josephson junctions. These fluctuations are studied in a simple picture incorporating both the resistively shunted junction (RSJ) model and the Ambegaokar-Baratoff theory. A diagram of the parameter space of a junction delineating a boundary between the phase-coupled and phase-decoupled regimes is obtained. Estimates of the root-mean-square voltage fluctuations justify the use of the normal-state tunneling resistance rather than the temperature-dependent quasiparticle tunneling resistance in the RSJ model at the boundary.
Rentenprivatisierung in der Krise: Tod oder Wiedergeburt eines globalen strategischen Trends?

Auszug Zwischen 1981 und 2007 haben weltweit mehr als 30 Lander ihre bisherigen umlagefinanzierten Rentensysteme ganz oder teilweise durch Systeme ersetzt, die auf individuellen privaten Vorsorgekonten basieren. Dieser Prozess wird gemeinhin als „Rentenprivatisierung“ bezeichnet. Die weltweite Wirtschaftskrise hat diesen Trend aus okonomischen, ideellen und institutionellen Grunden unterbrochen, obwohl allgemein ein Anstieg der kritischen Verschuldung zu verzeichnen ist, der die Rentenprivatisierung in der Vergangenheit begunstigt hat. Ist dies das Ende des globalen Trends zur Rentenprivatisierung, oder beginnt dieser Prozess derzeit erneut, wenn auch moglicherweise in leicht abgewandelter Form? Verschiedene kurzlich beobachtete Trends weisen auf einen Neuanfang hin: Entscheidungstrager schranken staatliche und private Rentensysteme ein, machen sich Gedanken zum Thema Mindestrente und versuchen, die Burger eher zu „motivieren“, fur die Altersvorsorge zu sparen, anstatt privates Sparen anzuordnen.
Effects of a contaminated sediment on life history traits and population growth rate of Neanthes arenaceodentata (polychaeta: Nereidae) in the laboratory

The effects of a highly contaminated sediment on life history traits and population dynamics of the nereid polychaete. Neanthes arenaceodentata Moore were assessed in a laboratory experiment Survival, growth and fecundity were measured for one generation of worms exposed to 40 and 10% Black Rock Harbor, Connecticut (BRH) sediment (a contaminated sediment), 100% reference (REF) sediment from central Long Island Sound (the control) and a no-sediment treatment (to follow progress of pairing and reproduction) The BRH sediment did not affect survival or size of adults or number of broods Number of eggs per brood appeared to be lower in 40% BRH sediment than 10% BRH or REF sediment, but the difference was not significant (1,397, 1,621 and 1,556 eggs per brood, respectively) However, number of larvae per brood was significantly lower in the 40% BRH sediment than in 10% BRH or REF sediment (363, 770 and 850 larvae per brood, respectively) Number of juveniles appeared to be lower in 40% BRH than in the other sediment treatments, although the differences were not significant Size of juveniles did not differ in the sediment treatments The finite multiplication rate of population increase, λ, was the same for all treatments The lack of significant differences but the presence of some trends may indicate that 40% BRH sediment was not a high enough dose to produce significant effects Effects of BRH sediment on other species are discussed. In conjunction with an earlier study, this work demonstrates that population responses of life cycle tests with Neanthes arenaceodentata can be used to evaluate the chronic toxicity of sediments, which could provide comparative toxicological data to evaluate the relative sensitivity of this and other marine species and may serve as a model system to study questions in population biology
Use of the Leiter International Performance Scale and the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised with Hearing-Impaired Children.

The educational records of 40 hearing-impaired children given both the Leiter International Performance Scale and the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised, Performance Scale, were reviewed. The psychometric characteristics of and interrelationship between the two measures of intelligence are presented. The Leiter was found to have a standard deviation significantly greater than that reported in the examiner's manual. Discussion is presented of the care that must be taken when interpreting Leiter IQs of hearing-impaired children.
One-sided tolerance limits for a normal population based on censored samples

A procedure for constructing one-sided tolerance limits for a normal distribution which are based on a censored sample is given. The factors necessary for the calculation of such limits are also given for several different sample sizes
Stereotactic Radiosurgery for the Definitive, Noninvasive Treatment of Brain Metastases

Background : The spread of systemic cancer to the brain is a common complication for cancer patients. Conventional radiotherapy offers modest palliation, and surgery is helpful only for the patient with a single metastasis in an accessible location. Stereotactic radiosurgery, a technique that permits the precise delivery of high dose of radiation to a small intracranial target while sparing the surrounding normal brain, has been used as an alternative treatment for brain metastases. Purpose : Our medical center's 7-year experience with radiosurgery for metastases was reviewed to establish the effectiveness of the treatment and to understand the prognoses in patients so treated. Methods : Retrospective analysis of hospital records, from 248 consecutive patients (421 lesions) that were treated with radiosurgery between May 1986 and May 1993, was performed. Patients were only excluded for a Karnofsky performance score of less than 70, evidence of acute neurologic deterioration, or tumor diameter more than 4 cm. Median follow-up was 26.2 months. Seventy-six percent of patients had recurrent disease, 69% had evidence of systemic disease, 69% had a single metastasis. Treatment was performed using a 6-MeV linear accelerator. The median tumor volume was 3 cm 3 . The median treatment dose was 1500 cGy. Whole brain radiotherapy was given to all newly diagnosed patients. Patients were followed by neurological examination and neuroimaging at regular intervals. Local control of disease was defined as a lack of progression of solid-contrast enhancement on computed tomography scan or magnetic resonance imaging. Results : Median overall survival from radiosurgery was 9.4 months. The absence of active systemic disease, younger than 60 years of age, two or fewer lesions, and female sex were significantly associated with increased survival (two-sided P<.05). Actuarial local control rates were approximately 85% at 1 year and 65% at 2 years. Factors associated with a significantly decreased local control rate were location below the tentorium, recurrent tumor, and larger tumor volume (two-sided P<.05). Radioresponsive and radioresistant tumor types had similar control rates. The median drop in Karnofsky performance score at 1 year was 10%. Conclusions : The results of this retrospective analysis show that radiosurgery is an effective, minimally invasive outpatient treatment option for small intracranial metastases. Results of this study also indicate that radiosurgery not only provides local control rates equivalent to those from surgical series but is also effective in treating patients with surgically inaccessible lesions, with multiple lesions, or with tumor types that are resistant to conventional treatment. [J Natl Cancer Inst 87 :34-40,
Technology Projection Using Simple Compact Models

We review recent efforts to capture the device non- i dealities for circuit-level technology projection for Si CMOS. We also give some examples of simple compact model development for assessing the circuit-level performance of exploratory devices such as III-V FET, carbon nanotube transistor, and nanoelectromechanical (NEM) transistors and relays.
The relative stability of stereoisomeric forms of fused ring systems.

Ausgehend von neueren Anschauungen uber die Stabilitat verschiedener Konstellationen (conformations) monozyklischer Ringverbindungen wurden die Verhaltnisse bei perhydrierten polyzyklischen Verbindungen diskutiert. Daraus konnten gewisse Regeln uber die relative Stabilitat der einzelnen Stereoisomeren abgeleitet werden.
Many Clicks but Little Sticks: Social Media Activism in Indonesia

Drawing on empirical cases from Indonesia, this article offers a critical approach to the promise of social media activism by analysing the complexity and dynamics of the relationship between social media and its users. Rather than viewing social media activism as the harbinger of social change or dismissing it as mere “slacktivism,” the article provides a more nuanced argument by identifying the conditions under which participation in social media might lead to successful political activism. In social media, networks are vast, content is overly abundant, attention spans are short, and conversations are parsed into diminutive sentences. For social media activism to be translated into populist political activism, it needs to embrace the principles of the contemporary culture of consumption: light package, headline appetite and trailer vision. Social media activism is more likely to successfully mobilise mass support when its narratives are simple, associated with low risk actions and congruent with dominan...
β-Catenin Regulates Vitamin C Biosynthesis and Cell Survival in Murine Liver

Because the Wnt/β-catenin pathway plays multiple roles in liver pathobiology, it is critical to identify gene targets that mediate such diverse effects. Here we report a novel role of β-catenin in controlling ascorbic acid biosynthesis in murine liver through regulation of expression of regucalcin or senescence marker protein 30 and l-gulonolactone oxidase. Reverse transcription-PCR, Western blotting, and immunohistochemistry demonstrate decreased regucalcin expression in β-catenin-null livers and greater expression in β-catenin overexpressing transgenic livers, HepG2 hepatoma cells (contain constitutively active β-catenin), regenerating livers, and in hepatocellular cancer tissues that exhibit β-catenin activation. Interestingly, coprecipitation and immunofluorescence studies also demonstrate an association of β-catenin and regucalcin. Luciferase reporter and chromatin immunoprecipitation assays verified a functional TCF-4-binding site located between −163 and −157 (CTTTGCA) on the regucalcin promoter to be critical for regulation by β-catenin. Significantly lower serum ascorbate levels were observed in β-catenin knock-out mice secondary to decreased expression of regucalcin and also of l-gulonolactone oxidase, the penultimate and last (also rate-limiting) steps in the synthesis of ascorbic acid, respectively. These mice also show enhanced basal hepatocyte apoptosis. To test if ascorbate deficiency secondary to β-catenin loss and regucalcin decrease was contributing to apoptosis, β-catenin-null hepatocytes or regucalcin small interfering RNA-transfected HepG2 cells were cultured, which exhibited significant apoptosis that was alleviated by the addition of ascorbic acid. Thus, through regucalcin and l-gulonolactone oxidase expression, β-catenin regulates vitamin C biosynthesis in murine liver, which in turn may be one of the mechanisms contributing to the role of β-catenin in cell survival.
Automatic registration of infrared and millimeter-wave images for concealed weapon detection

This paper presents an approach to automatically register IR and millimeter wave images for concealed weapons detection application. The distortion between the two images is assumed to be a rigid body transformation and we assume that the scale factor can be calculated from the sensor parameters and the ratio of the two distances from the object to the imagers. Therefore, the pose parameters that need to be found are x-displacement and y-displacement only. Our registration procedure involves image segmentation, binary correlation and some other image processing algorithms. Experimental results indicate that the automatic registration procedure performs fairly well.
Tracking the long-distance dispersal of marine organisms: sensitivity to ocean model resolution

Ocean circulation models are widely used to simulate organism transport in the open sea, where challenges of directly tracking organisms across vast spatial and temporal scales are daunting. Many recent studies tout the use of ‘high-resolution’ models, which are forced with atmospheric data on the scale of several hours and integrated with a time step of several minutes or seconds. However, in many cases, the model's outputs that are used to simulate organism movement have been averaged to considerably coarser resolutions (e.g. monthly mean velocity fields). To examine the sensitivity of tracking results to ocean circulation model output resolution, we took the native model output of one of the most sophisticated ocean circulation models available, the Global Hybrid Coordinate Ocean Model, and averaged it to commonly implemented spatial and temporal resolutions in studies of basin-scale dispersal. Comparisons between simulated particle trajectories and in situ near-surface drifter trajectories indicated that ‘over averaging’ model output yields predictions inconsistent with observations. Further analyses focused on the dispersal of juvenile sea turtles indicate that very different inferences regarding the pelagic ecology of these animals are obtained depending on the resolution of model output. We conclude that physical processes occurring at the scale of days and tens of kilometres should be preserved in ocean circulation model output to realistically depict the movement marine organisms and the resulting ecological and evolutionary processes.
Discrimination and Demand: The Effect of International Players on Attendance in Major League Baseball*

Objectives. This article tests the presence of demand-driven discrimination attributable to foreign-born players in Major League Baseball (MLB). We quantify the change in demand at MLB games given the number of foreign players on an MLB team. We further measure how matching market population demographics and team demographics affects demand. Methods. We use regression analysis to estimate the effect on attendance of a change in the number of foreign players on a team. We then use these estimates to find the change in revenue for the team. Results. The results show that the effect evolves over time. At the outset of the sample (1985), the net effect of an additional foreign-born player was a decrease in ticket demand. This effect diminished steadily until 1992, when the net effect became positive, peaking in 2000, and then slightly decreasing until the end of the sample (2005). The matching of team and population demographics was not found to be significant. Conclusions. We discuss the implications of this result on league policy decisions.
CD1d Degradation in Chlamydia trachomatis-infected Epithelial Cells Is the Result of Both Cellular and Chlamydial Proteasomal Activity

Chlamydia trachomatis is an obligate intracellular pathogen that can persist in the urogenital tract. Mechanisms by which C. trachomatis evades clearance by host innate immune responses are poorly described. CD1d is MHC-like, is expressed by epithelial cells, and can signal innate immune responses by NK and NKT cells. Here we demonstrate that C. trachomatis infection down-regulates surface-expressed CD1d in human penile urethral epithelial cells through proteasomal degradation. A chlamydial proteasome-like activity factor (CPAF) interacts with the CD1d heavy chain, and CPAF-associated CD1d heavy chain is then ubiquitinated and directed along two distinct proteolytic pathways. The degradation of immature glycosylated CD1d was blocked by the proteasome inhibitor lactacystin but not by MG132, indicating that degradation was not via the conventional proteasome. In contrast, the degradation of non-glycosylated CD1d was blocked by lactacystin and MG132, consistent with conventional cellular cytosolic degradation of N-linked glycoproteins. Immunofluorescent microscopy confirmed the interruption of CD1d trafficking to the cell surface, and the dislocation of CD1d heavy chains into both the cellular cytosol and the chlamydial inclusion along with cytosolic CPAF. C. trachomatis targeted CD1d toward two distinct proteolytic pathways. Decreased CD1d surface expression may help C. trachomatis evade detection by innate immune cells and may promote C. trachomatis persistence.
High-resolution spaceborne scatterometry

Spaceborne wind scatterometers are designed principally to measure radar backscatter from the ocean's surface for the determination of the near-surface wind direction and speed. Although measurements of the radar backscatter are made over land, application of these measurements has been limited primarily to the calibration of the instrument due to their low resolution (typically 50 km). However, a recently developed resolution enhancement technique can be applied to the measurements to produced medium-scale radar backscatter images of the earth's surface. Such images have proven useful in the study of tropical vegetation as well as glacial and sea. The resolution enhancement technique is based on image reconstruction techniques and takes advantage of the spatial overlap in independent scatterometer measurements. This paper describes briefly describes some of the applications of this medium-scale K(mu) - band imagery for vegetation studies, hydrology, sea ice mapping, and the study of mesoscale winds.
A Reservoir of Ionized Gas in the Galactic Halo to Sustain Star Formation in the Milky Way

Without a source of new gas, our Galaxy would exhaust its supply of gas through the formation of stars. Ionized gas clouds observed at high velocity may be a reservoir of such gas, but their distances are key for placing them in the galactic halo and unraveling their role. We have used the Hubble Space Telescope to blindly search for ionized high-velocity clouds (iHVCs) in the foreground of galactic stars. We show that iHVCs with 90 ≤ |vLSR| ≲ 170 kilometers per second (where vLSR is the velocity in the local standard of rest frame) are within one galactic radius of the Sun and have enough mass to maintain star formation, whereas iHVCs with |vLSR| ≳ 170 kilometers per second are at larger distances. These may be the next wave of infalling material.
Aspects of Economic and Social Policies in Integrated Economies

The creation and growth of economic integration as an area of economics is the result primarily of practical rather than academic interest. Although economic nationalism and antagonism still prevail as the basic form of world economic order, economic history presents us with specific examples and ambitious plans of economic co‐operation and integration. The example of the US is often cited as a classic case study in economic integration. Viner presented a detailed list of conventions, decrees, etc., concerning customs unions. The French Declaration of May 9, 1950, which led to the formation of the European Coal and Steel Community, manifested for the first time the willingness of a government to overcome old antagonisms and to adopt a programme for European integration. The Treaty of Rome and the establishment of the European Economic Community is another example of the trend towards economic integration among industrialised countries of the West, while COMECON is the primary integration attempt by various centrally planned economies of the Soviet bloc. With respect to less developed countries, the world has experienced a number of ambitious schemes such as the Latin America Free Trade Association, the Central American Common Market, the East African Community, the West African Association, the South African Customs Union, the Arab Common Market, the Southeast Asia Economic Treaty, the Andean Common Market, the Carribean Community and others.
The role of lysine 55 in determining the specificity of the purine repressor for its operators through minor groove interactions.

The interaction of the dimeric Escherichia coli purine repressor (PurR) with its cognate sequences leads to a 45 degrees to 50 degrees kink at a central CpG base step towards the major groove, as dyad-related leucine side-chains interdigitate between these bases from the minor groove. The resulting broadening of the minor groove increases the accessibility of the six central base-pairs towards minor groove interactions with residues from PurR. It has been shown that lysine 55 of PurR makes a direct contact with the adenine base (Ade8) directly 5' to the central CpG base-pair step in the high-affinity purF operator sequence. We have investigated the importance of this interaction in the specificity and affinity of wild-type PurR (WT) for its operators and we have studied a mutant of PurR in which Lys55 is replaced with alanine (K55A). Complexes of WT and K55A with duplex DNA containing pur operator sequences varied at position 8 were investigated crystallographically, and binding studies were performed using fluorescence anisotropy. The structures of the protein-DNA complexes reveal a relatively unperturbed global conformation regardless of the identity of the base-pair at position 8 or residue 55. In all structures the combination of higher resolution and a palindromic purF operator site allowed several new PurR.DNA interactions to be observed, including contacts by Thr15, Thr16 and His20. The side-chain of Lys55 makes productive, though varying, interactions with the adenine, thymine or cytosine base at position 8 that result in equilibrium dissociation constants of 2.6 nM, 10 nM and 35 nM, respectively. However, the bulk of the lysine side-chain apparently blocks high-affinity binding of operators with guanine at position 8 (Kd620 nM). Also, the high-affinity binding conformation appears blocked, as crystals of WT bound to DNA with guanine at position 8 could not be grown. In complexes containing K55A, the alanine side-chain is too far removed to engage in van der Waals interactions with the operator, and, with the loss of the general electrostatic interaction between the phosphate backbone and the ammonium group of lysine, K55A binds each operator weakly. However, the mutation leads to a swap of specificity of PurR for the base at position 8, with K55A exhibiting a twofold preference for guanine over adenine. In addition to defining the role of Lys55 in PurR minor groove binding, these studies provide structural insight into the minor groove binding specificities of other LacI/GalR family members that have either alanine (e.g. LacI, GalR, CcpA) or a basic residue (e.g. RafR, ScrR, RbtR) at the comparable position.
What Caused the Younger Dryas Cold Event

The Younger Dryas Cold Event (ca. 12.9–11.6 ka) has long been viewed as the canonical abrupt climate event ([Fig. 1][1]). The North Atlantic region cooled during this interval with a weakening of Northern Hemisphere monsoon strength. The reduction in northward heat transport warmed the Southern
Coercing clients into facilitating failover for object delivery

Application-level protocols used for object delivery, such as HTTP, are built atop TCP/IP and inherit its host-to-host abstraction. Given that these services are replicated for scalability, this unnecessarily exposes failures of individual servers to their clients. While changes to both client and server applications can be used to mask such failures, this paper explores the feasibility of transparent recovery for unmodified object delivery services (TRODS). The key insight in TRODS is cross-layer visibility and control: TRODS carefully derives reliable storage for application-level state from the mechanics of the transport layer. This state is used to reconstruct object delivery sessions, which are then transparently spliced into the client's ongoing connection. TRODS is fully backwards-compatible, requiring no changes to the clients or server applications. Its performance is competitive with unmodified HTTP services, providing nearly identical throughput while enabling timely failover.
Biologic sequelae of IκB kinase (IKK) inhibition in multiple myeloma: therapeutic implications

Nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) has an important role in multiple myeloma (MM) cell pathogenesis in the context of the bone marrow (BM) microenvironment. In NF-κB signaling cascades, IκB kinase α (IKKα) and IKKβ are key molecules that predominantly mediate noncanonical and canonical pathways, respectively. In this study, we examined the biologic sequelae of the inhibition of IKKα versus IKKβ in MM cell lines. All MM cell lines have constitutive canonical NF-κB activity, and a subset of MM cell lines shows noncanonical NF-κB activity. Adhesion to BM stromal cells further activates both canonical and noncanonical NF-κB activity. IKKβ inhibitor MLN120B blocks canonical pathway and growth of MM cell lines but does not inhibit the noncanonical NF-κB pathway. Although IKKα knockdown induces significant growth inhibition in the cell lines with both canonical and noncanonical pathways, it does not inhibit NF-κB activation. Importantly, IKKα down-regulation decreases expression of β-catenin and aurora-A, which are known to mediate MM cell growth and survival. Finally, IKKβ inhibitor enhances the growth inhibition triggered by IKKα down-regulation in MM cells with both canonical and noncanonical NF-κB activity. Combination therapy targeting these kinases therefore represents a promising treatment strategy in MM.
Engineering recombinant reoviruses with tandem repeats and a tetravirus 2A-like element for exogenous polypeptide expression

We tested a strategy for engineering recombinant mammalian reoviruses (rMRVs) to express exogenous polypeptides. One important feature is that these rMRVs are designed to propagate autonomously and can therefore be tested in animals as potential vaccine vectors. The strategy has been applied so far to three of the 10 MRV genome segments: S3, M1, and L1. To engineer the modified segments, a 5′ or 3′ region of the essential, long ORF in each was duplicated, and then exogenous sequences were inserted between the repeats. The inner repeat and exogenous insert were positioned in frame with the native protein-encoding sequences but were separated from them by an in-frame “2A-like” sequence element that specifies a cotranslational “stop/continue” event releasing the exogenous polypeptide from the essential MRV protein. This design preserves a terminal region of the MRV genome segment with essential activities in RNA packaging, assortment, replication, transcription, and/or translation and alters the encoded MRV protein to a limited degree. Recovery of rMRVs with longer inserts was made more efficient by wobble-mutagenizing both the inner repeat and the exogenous insert, which possibly helped via respective reductions in homologous recombination and RNA structure. Immunogenicity of a 300-aa portion of the simian immunodeficiency virus Gag protein expressed in mice by an L1-modified rMRV was confirmed by detection of Gag-specific T-cell responses. The engineering strategy was further used for mapping the minimal 5′-terminal region essential to MRV genome segment S3.
Everyday Conflict and Daily Stressors: Coping Responses of Black Women

The purpose of this study was to explore how Black women cope with the impact of daily stressors in their lives. To understand stress and coping among Black women, it was necessary to explore the i...
Sec18p and Vam7p remodel trans‐SNARE complexes to permit a lipid‐anchored R‐SNARE to support yeast vacuole fusion

Intracellular membrane fusion requires SNARE proteins in a trans-complex, anchored to apposed membranes. Proteoliposome studies have suggested that SNAREs drive fusion by stressing the lipid bilayer via their transmembrane domains (TMDs), and that SNARE complexes require a TMD in each docked membrane to promote fusion. Yeast vacuole fusion is believed to require three Q-SNAREs from one vacuole and the R-SNARE Nyv1p from its fusion partner. In accord with this model, we find that fusion is abolished when the TMD of Nyv1p is replaced by lipid anchors, even though lipid-anchored Nyv1p assembles into trans-SNARE complexes. However, normal fusion is restored by the addition of both Sec18p and the soluble SNARE Vam7p. In restoring fusion, Sec18p promotes the disassembly of trans-SNARE complexes, and Vam7p enhances their assembly. Thus, either the TMD of this R-SNARE is not essential for fusion, and TMD-mediated membrane stress is not the only mode of trans-SNARE complex action, or these SNAREs have more flexibility than heretofore appreciated to form alternate functional complexes that violate the 3Q:1R rule.
Training for nurses: Arguments for change

The paper considers current costs of nurse training and dropout rates in the context of a contracting labour market and the need for a fundamental revision of strategy, as well as the use and misuse of the skilled nursing workforce. It proposes the return of the ‘officer class’ model.
Improved Accuracy of Myocardial Perfusion SPECT for the Detection of Coronary Artery Disease Using a Support Vector Machine Algorithm

We aimed to improve the diagnostic accuracy of automatic myocardial perfusion SPECT (MPS) interpretation analysis for the prediction of coronary artery disease (CAD) by integrating several quantitative perfusion and functional variables for noncorrected (NC) data by Support Vector Machine (SVM) algorithm, a computer method for machine learning. Methods: Rest–stress gated 99mTc MPS NC studies (n = 957) from 623 consecutive patients with correlating invasive coronary angiography and 334 with a low likelihood of CAD (
Lift production in the hovering hummingbird

￻Aerodynamic theory and empirical observations of animals flying at similar Reynolds numbers (Re )p redict that airflow over hummingbird wings will be dominated by a stable, attached leading edge vortex (LEV). In insects exhibiting similar kinematics, when the translational movement of the wing ceases (as at the end of the downstroke), the LEV is shed and lift production decreases until the energy of the LEV is re-captured in the subsequent half-cycle translation. We here show that while the hummingbird wing is strongly influenced by similar sharp-leading-edge aerodynamics, leading edge vorticity is inconsistent, varying from 0.7 to 26 per cent (mean 16%) of total lift production, is always generated within 3 mm of the dorsal surface of the wing, showing no retrograde (trailing to leading edge) flow, and does not increase from proximal to distal wing as would be expected with a conical vortex (class III LEV) described for hawkmoths. Further, the bound circulation is not shed as a vortex at the end of translation, but instead remains attached and persists after translation has ceased, augmented by the rotation (pronation, supination) of the wing that occurs between the wing-translation half-cycles. The result is a near-continuous lift production through wing turn-around, previously unknown in vertebrates, able to contribute to weight support as well as stability and control during hovering. Selection for a planform suited to creating this unique flow and nearly-uninterrupted lift production throughout the wingbeat cycle may help explain the relatively narrow hummingbird wing.
Population aging: a comparison among industrialized countries.

ABSTRACT: Increasing longevity and declining fertility rates are shifting the age distribution of populations in industrialized countries toward older age groups. Some countries will experience thi...
The Light on the Horizon: Imagining the Death of American Cities

American cities have never experienced modern total war, leaving Americans to imagine the impacts of catastrophic warfare on their urban centers. This article examines post-1945depictions of the death of U.S. cities in films, short stories, and novels from the “thriller,” “future war,” and science fiction genres since 1945. Cities are conspicuous by their absence from fictions of future war and its impacts, often disappearing offstage to allow the plot to follow survivors in small-town and rural settings. This pattern spans depictions of the immediate days after atomic bombing (or a surrogate disaster such as a stray meteor or plague) and stories set decades or centuries after the Big Blowup. Cities are often depicted as sources of danger even in their death throes and after, supporting the conclusion that these narratives express the strong fear of cities and the preference for middle landscapes that have long marked American culture.
Composition and Properties of Whey Protein Concentrates from Ultrafiltration

Abstract Chemical and nutrient composition and functional properties of whey protein concentrates from ultrafiltration of sweet and acid wheys were studied for potential food uses. Vitamins passed readily through the membrane; thus, vitamin content was slightly higher than in whey. Amino acid values were considerably higher, increasing in direct proportion to increases in protein. Lysine availability was not significantly affected by fractionation or by subsequent beat treatment. Since this process results in substantial removal of minerals along with the permeate, the protein to ash ratio of the protein concentrate increased. Unlike most other methods of recovering protein from whey, solubility was not adversely affected by ultrafiltration. However, protein concentrates were susceptible to heat; normal pasteurization temperatures resulted in approximately 20% denaturation. Whey protein exhibited excellent water retention. Addition of 1.5% protein to skim milk followed by heating formed a custard-like gel with sufficient body to stand alone without leakage. Approximately twice as much egg albumin was required to achieve comparable results. Whipping properties were very good when butterfat content was less than 2%. Excellent stable whips could be produced by a combination of heat and pH adjustment.
Medieval Arab Lesbians and Lesbian-Like Women

If t h e a b s e n c e o f a s p e c i f i c terminology to denote lesbianism in medieval Europe seems to have compromised the production of scholarship about same-sex love and desire among women, the existence of the label sahq and sihaqa, musahaqat al-nisa’, or sahiqa (Arabic words for “lesbianism” and “lesbian,” respectively) in medieval Arabic writings did not result in a richer critical production. In fact, if relatively little research has been conducted on female same-sex desire in medieval Europe, even less has been produced on homosexuality in the medieval Arabic literary or Islamicate tradition, and almost no research at all has been done on medieval Arab Islamicate lesbianism. 1 This state of scholarship into alternative sexual practices in the Arab Islamicate world is especially astonishing considering the survival of a noteworthy body of primary texts dealing precisely with this topic. Furthermore, if one broadens the category of medieval Arab lesbian to include women who were “lesbian-like,” as Judith Bennett has invited us to do in our construction of the history of Western female homosexuality, we uncover additional expressions of medieval Arab lesbian I would like to thank the two anonymous reviewers for the Journal of the History of Sexuality who made countless helpful suggestions. 1
Falling Coronary Heart Disease Rates: A Better Explanation?

The coronary heart disease (CHD) epidemic peaked in the 1960s. Since that time age-adjusted mortality declined steadily in the United States and many other industrialized countries 1 . Hospitalization for CHD also fell, particularly in the past two decades with CHD severity decreasing as NSTEMIs increased, indicating milder forms of CHD 1 . Finally, lifestyle factors and associated risk factors improved such as smoking, hypertension and cholesterol 1 . These changes and the trends over time lead naturally to the question of causality. Are changes in lifestyles, risk factors, or acute and chronic clinical care playing roles in this evolving picture and how does each influence the desired outcomes? In this issue of Circulation , the paper by Mannsverk and colleagues 2 in Norway provides insights into the evolving cardiovascular disease epidemic.
SURVIVAL OF POSTFLEDGING GRASSLAND BIRDS IN MISSOURI

Abstract We describe survival patterns during the postfledging period for two species of grassland birds in Missouri. We monitored 155 radio-marked juvenile Dickcissels (Spiza americana) and 107 juvenile Eastern Meadowlarks (Sturnella magna; hereafter meadowlark) in southwestern Missouri, from 2002 to 2004. We used an information theoretic approach to evaluate support for biological, temporal, and spatial covariates on survival estimates using Cox proportional hazards models, and also identified cause-specific mortality. For Dickcissels, the model with biological covariates containing body mass had the lowest score using Akaike's information criterion, corrected for small sample sizes (AICc) and almost twice the support of the second-best model. For meadowlarks, the null model had the lowest AICc score, but the second-best model containing body mass was also competitive (within 2 AICc units), so we used the latter model for inference. Hazard ratios indicated that a 1 g increase in body mass was associated...
Woody Detritus its Contribution to Carbon Dynamics of Old-Growth Forests: the Temporal Context

Net ecosystem carbon balance (NECB) and carbon stores vary greatly over secondary succession in forests because of the interactions of live and dead wood. Depending on the amount of dead wood left by disturbance, the temporal trend in dead wood mass may resemble a reverse J-, U- or S-shape. The higher the amount of legacy dead wood, the longer NECB will remain negative. The accumulation of new (de novo) dead wood during succession can extend the period of positive NECB into the old-growth phase of succession. Harvest can reduce dead wood stores to one-tenth that found in natural forests.
Moral Issues Relating to the Economics of New Knowledge in the Biomedical Sciences

Over the past few generations there has been an exponentially increasing investment of human and material resources in scientific inquiry, particularly medical research. Nevertheless, there remains the economists’ uncompromising question regarding the actual structure of the relationship between resource investment and product output. In particular, the problem arises of whether, as science progresses, a fixed amount of effort continues to yield uniformly significant results, or whether a process of declining yields is operative in this respect. Even greatly increasing resource investments will fail to generate a corresponding increase in output if the unit cost of production is rising.
Congo and Korea: A Case Study in Divergence

The growth experiences of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and South Korea over the last several decades have been polar opposites. South Korea has had one of the world's fastest growing economies and the Democratic Republic of the Congo one of the slowest. Despite this divergence in economic outcomes, the two countries shared some initial similarities. Both initially were very poor and had high population growth rates. Both suffered from harsh colonial regimes and experienced civil strife following independence. Both experienced military coups that created repressive authoritarian regimes. Both were Cold War allies of the United States and received considerable amounts of aid. On the other hand, there were also important initial differences in population density, ethnolinguistic diversity, natural resource endowments, and geography. If anything, given its enormous mineral wealth, economic prospects probably looked brighter in the Democratic Republic of the Congo than in South Korea. This paper explores the possible causes of divergences in the two countries by discussing initial similarities and differences between the two countries and by documenting to what degree differences in physical capital, human capital, and productivity explain differences in income. The roles of geography and governance are then examined with emphasis being placed on the importance of 'neighborhood' effects.
Who owns our work

Based on a paper presented at the 33rd UKSG Conference, Edinburgh, April 2010 Much turmoil in the scholarly-communication ecosystem appears to revolve around simple ownership of intellectual property. Unpacking that notion, however, produces a fascinating tangle of stakeholders, desires, products and struggles. Some products of the research process, especially novel ones, are difficult to fit into legal concepts of ownership. As collaborative research burgeons, traditional ownership and authorship criteria are stretched to their limits and beyond, with many contributors still feeling short of due credit. The desire for access and impact brings institutions and grant funders into the formerly exclusive relationship between authors and publishers. Librarians, stripped of first-sale rights by electronic licensing, wonder about both access and long-term preservation. Emerging solutions to many of these difficulties threaten to cut publishers out of the picture altogether, perhaps a welcome change to those stakeholders who find publishers’ behavior to block progress.