cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Water in the active site of ketosteroid isomerase.

Classical molecular dynamics simulations were utilized to investigate the structural and dynamical properties of water in the active site of ketosteroid isomerase (KSI) to provide insight into the role of these water molecules in the enzyme-catalyzed reaction. This reaction is thought to proceed via a dienolate intermediate that is stabilized by hydrogen bonding with residues Tyr16 and Asp103. A comparative study was performed for the wild-type (WT) KSI and the Y16F, Y16S, and Y16F/Y32F/Y57F (FFF) mutants. These systems were studied with three different bound ligands: equilenin, which is an intermediate analog, and the intermediate states of two steroid substrates. Several distinct water occupation sites were identified in the active site of KSI for the WT and mutant systems. Three additional sites were identified in the Y16S mutant that were not occupied in WT KSI or the other mutants studied. The number of water molecules directly hydrogen bonded to the ligand oxygen was approximately two in the Y16S mu...
Improving aerodynamic performance of tall buildings using Fluid based Aerodynamic Modification

Abstract A novel approach is proposed to integrate active air flow control into the assembly of building envelopes in order to affect the interaction between tall buildings and surrounding air flow. The potential benefits of the proposed approach include reduction of embodied energy contained within the building structure, improvement of the overall life-cycle of building materials, and increased access to natural daylight by shallow lease spans. To date, the trend towards light-weight and high-strength materials in tall buildings, compounded with the emerging inclination towards modular prefabrication of structural assemblies, increasing flexibility and reduced damping, and greater slenderness ratios, has increased the susceptibility of the structural performance of tall buildings to dynamic wind load effects. Currently, mitigating wind loads relies on either changing structural or geometric characteristics such as the building׳s shape or through the addition of auxiliary damping systems. Furthermore, market driven pressures on increasing the slenderness ratios of tall buildings have been at odds with the socio-economic viability of the corresponding deep lease spans that tall buildings have required at their base. The proposed Fluid-based Aerodynamic Modification (FAM) approach is fundamentally different: instead of re-shaping the solid material to improve the aerodynamic ‘shape’ of the structure, fluid-based active flow control is used to manipulate the separating boundary layer in order to improve the building׳s aerodynamic performance and thus reduce the wind excitation.
Late onset of subcutaneous emphysema and hypercarbia following laparoscopic cholecystectomy.

Laparoscopic surgical techniques are increasingly being applied to treat intraperitoneal abnormalities. These minimally invasive techniques potentially offer decreased operation time, decreased morbidity, and decreased length of hospitalization stays. These procedures, however are not without potential morbidity. Herein we describe two patients treated with laparoscopic cholecystectomy whose cases were complicated with subcutaneous emphysema and hypercarbia without pneumothorax. In each of these cases, carbon dioxide gas was used to induce pneumoperitoneum. In one of the cases, the hypercarbia was a late event occurring during the surgery, and in the second case, the first such description in the literature (to our knowledge), hypercarbia developed after termination of the induced pneumoperitoneum.
Predictors of endoscopic colorectal cancer screening over time in 11 states

Objectives We study a cohort of Medicare-insured men and women aged 65+ in the year 2000, who lived in 11 states covered by Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) cancer registries, to better understand various predictors of endoscopic colorectal cancer (CRC) screening.
Reorganization of Microfilaments and Microtubules by Thermal Stress in Two-Cell Bovine Embryos

Two-cell bovine embryos become arrested in development when exposed to a physiologically relevant heat shock. One of the major ultrastructural modifications caused by heat shock is translocation of organelles toward the center of the blastomere. The objective of the present study was to determine if heat- shock-induced movement of organelles is a result of cytoskeletal rearrangement. Two-cell bovine embryos were cultured at 38.5 degrees C (homeothermic temperature of the cow), 41.0 degrees C (physiologically relevant heat shock), or 43.0 degrees C (severe heat shock) for 6 h in the presence of either vehicle, latrunculin B (a microfilament depolymerizer), rhizoxin (a microtubule depolymerizer), or paclitaxel (a microtubule stabilizer). Heat shock caused a rearrangement of actin-containing filaments as detected by staining with phalloidin. Moreover, latrunculin B reduced the heat-shock-induced movement of organelles at 41.0 degrees C but not at 43.0 degrees C. In contrast, movement of organelles caused by heat shock was inhibited by rhizoxin at both temperatures. Furthermore, rhizoxin, but not latrunculin B, reduced the swelling of mitochondria caused by heat shock. Paclitaxel, while causing major changes in ultrastructure, did not prevent the movement of organelles or mitochondrial swelling. It is concluded that heat shock disrupts microtubule and microfilaments in the two-cell bovine embryo and that these changes are responsible for movement of organelles away from the periphery. In addition, intact microtubules are a requirement for heat-shock-induced swelling of mitochondria. Differences in response to rhizoxin and paclitaxel are interpreted to mean that deformation of microtubules can occur through a mechanism independent of microtubule depolymerization.
EMO shines a light on the holes of complexity space

Typical domains used in machine learning analyses only cover the complexity space partially, remaining a large proportion of problem difficulties that are not tested. Since the acquisition of new real-world problems is costly, the machine learning community has started giving importance to the automatic generation of learning domains with bounded difficulty. This paper proposes the use of an evolutionary multi-objective technique to generate artificial data sets that meet specific characteristics and fill these holes. The results show that the multi-objective evolutionary algorithm is able to create data sets of different complexities, covering most of the solution space where we had no real-world problem representatives. The proposed method is the starting point to study data complexity estimates and steps forward in the gap between data and learners.
A parallel quasi-Newton method for partially separable large scale minimization

The parallel quasi-Newton method based on updating conjugate subspaces proposed in [4] can be very effective for large-scale sparse minimization because conjugate subspaces with respect to sparse Hessians are usually easy to obtain. We demonstrate this point in this paper for the partially separable case with matrices updated by a quasi-Newton scheme ofGriewank andToint [2,3]. The algorithm presented is suitable for parallel computation and economical in computer storage. Some testing results of the algorithm on an Alliant FX/8 minisupercomputer are reported.
Fungal phyA gene expressed in potato leaves produces active and stable phytase.

Abstract Fungal phyA gene from Aspergillus ficuum ( niger ) was cloned and expressed in potato leaves. The recombinant enzyme was stable and catalytically active. The expressed protein in the leaves of the dicotyledonous plant retained most physical and catalytic properties of the benchmark A. ficuum phytase. The expressed enzyme was, however, 15% less glycosylated than the native phytase. The usual bi-hump pH optima profile, which is characteristic of the fungal phytase, was altered; however, the pH optimum at 5.0 was unchanged for phytate and at 4.0 for synthetic substrate p -nitrophenyl phosphate. The temperature was, however, unchanged. The expressed phytase was found to be as sensitive as the native enzyme to the inhibitory action of pseudo substrate, myo -inositol hexasulfate, while losing about 90% of the activity at 20 μM inhibitor concentration. Similar to the benchmark phytase, the expressed phytase in leaves was completely inactivated by Arg modifier phenylglyoxal at 60 nM. In addition, the expressed phytase in the leaves was inhibited by antibody raised against a 20-mer internal peptide, which is present on the surface of the molecule as shown by the X-ray deduced 3D structure of fungal phytase. Taken together, the biochemical evidences indicate that fungal phytase when cloned and expressed in potato leaves produces a stable and active biocatalyst. ‘Biofarming,’ therefore, is an alternative way to produce functional hydrolytic enzymes as exemplified by the expression of A. ficuum ( niger ) phyA gene in potato leaf.
Energy level alignment between sexithiophene and buckminsterfullerene films

Ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy has been used to investigate the interface between thermally deposited α-sexithiophene (6T) and buckminsterfullerene (C60) films on gold surfaces. Charge transfer from 6T to C60 is evidenced by shifts in the interfacial C60 (6T) highest occupied molecular orbitals toward lower (higher) ionization energies. The absence of vacuum level alignment with an offset of 0.6 eV ± 0.05 eV is observed, independent of the order of deposition. The vacuum level offset matches the difference in work functions between the C60/Au and 6T/Au surfaces, indicating that the vacuum levels of the organic layers remain pinned to the Fermi level.
Effect of Incorporation of Brassica spp. Residues on Population Densities of Soilborne Microorganisms and on Damping-off and Fusarium Wilt of Watermelon

Incorporating Brassica spp. residue to reduce populations of soilborne fungi and manage damping-off and Fusarium wilt of watermelon (Citrullus lanatus var. lanatus) was studied in two field experiments. Treatments included incorporating flowering Brassica napus cv. Dwarf Essex canola or B. juncea cv. Cutlass mustard and laying black polyethylene mulch at incorporation or 1 month after incorporation, methyl bromide, and a nontreated control. In both years, glucosinolates were identified and quantified in the shoots and roots of the flowering plants. In both years, the total concentration of glucosinolates incorporated per square meter was significantly higher for B. juncea than for B. napus. Isothiocyanates were inconsistently detected in the amended soils and none were detected more than 12 days postincorporation. After incorporation in 2004 and 2005, amended plots had higher populations of Fusarium oxysporum and Pythium spp. than the methyl bromide treatment, and in some treatments, populations were higher than in the control. Fluorescent Pseudomonas spp. were not suppressed in amended soils, and their populations were significantly higher in some amended treatments than those in methyl bromide-treated soils or nontreated control soils. Incidence of damping-off and severity of Fusarium wilt on seedless watermelon cv. Tri-X 313, which is susceptible to Fusarium wilt, were not consistently lower in brassica-amended soils or methyl bromide-treated plots than in nontreated control plots. Therefore, under spring conditions and methods used in this study, neither biofumigation nor methyl bromide fumigation in coastal South Carolina was an effective disease management tool for two soilborne pathogens of watermelon.
Nokia, electronics and the knowledge based economy

The author discusses his findings on a comparative study between the design and technology cultures of the UK and Scandinavia which is being carried out in the Design and Technology Department at Edge Hill College of Higher Education. The programme aims to identify elements of Scandinavian culture, teaching methods and best practices which could enhance the teaching of Design and Technology in the UK.
Performance of calves fed colostrum treated with sodium benzoate or benzoic acid

Abstract Forty-eight Holstein calves were fed one of four liquid diets from 3 to 30 days of age to study sodium benzoate and benzoic acid as preservatives for colostrum. Diets were 1) 3.64kg whole milk, or 2.73kg 2) naturally fermented colostrum, 3) sodium benzoate treated (.5% by weight) colostrum, or 4) benzoic acid treated (.5% by weight) colostrum. Colostrum diets were diluted with .91kg water. Liquid diets were fed once daily. Water and a 15% crude protein complete starter were offered ad libitum. Calves were weaned abruptly at 30 days of age and received only water and starter from 31 to 44 days of age. Daily gain from 0 to 4 wk and 0 to 6 wk was similar for all treatments. However, calves fed naturally fermented colostrum showed slightly less gain. Gains from 0 to 6 wk were .39, .33, .40, and .39kg/day for the four diets. Calves fed colostrum diets consumed less dry matter from liquid and more dry matter from starter during wk 0 to 4 than calves fed whole milk. Intake of total dry matter was similar during the 0 to 4 and 0 to 6 wk. Feed efficiencies (kg dry matter intake/kg gain) from 0 to 6 wk were 2.64, 3.82, 2.36, and 2.95 for the four diets. Colostrum treated with sodium benzoate and benzoic acid supported adequate calf performance. Advantage was slight for colostrum treated with sodium benzoate during periods of warm ambient temperatures.
Effects of internal mammary artery dissection on phrenic nerve perfusion and function.

Abstract The effects of left internal mammary artery (LIMA) dissection and distal division on phrenic nerve perfusion and function were examined in an adult swine model. Phrenic nerve perfusion was determined by left atrial injection of radioactively labeled microspheres. Phrenic nerve function was determined by measuring nerve and diaphragm potentials evoked by bilateral phrenic nerve stimulation. In the first group of animals (n = 9), the LIMA was dissected with ligation of all its branches. Left phrenic nerve perfusion and function decreased after LIMA dissection in every animal studied, whereas only minimal changes were observed on the right. Sixty minutes after LIMA dissection, left phrenic nerve mean perfusion decreased 71%. Left phrenic nerve and left diaphragm mean action potential amplitudes decreased 54% and 80%, respectively. In the second group of animals (n = 4), the LIMA dissection was performed without division of the pericardiacophrenic artery, a small proximal branch of the internal mammary artery that supplies the phrenic nerve. Sixty minutes after LIMA dissection, left phrenic nerve perfusion had decreased by 21% from control values, with a corresponding decrease in left phrenic nerve and diaphragm mean action potential amplitudes of 19% and 23%, respectively. These results indicate that LIMA dissection with division of all its branches in this model is associated with a significant impairment in left phrenic nerve perfusion and function and suggests a causal relationship. These results may also explain the apparent increased phrenic nerve cold sensitivity and increased incidence of phrenic nerve dysfunction associated with LIMA grafting. Compared with the universally advocated method of complete LIMA dissection, sparing the pericardiacophrenic artery during the LIMA dissection significantly improves left phrenic nerve perfusion and function.
Phycocolloid ecology of underutilized economic red algae

Carrageenan and agar are structural cell wall components of several red algae. Both are sulfated polysaccharides, which can form gels in milk or water-based solutions. Of the two, carrageenan has a greater ash content and requires somewhat higher concentrations to gel; it is used widely in the food, cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries (Levring et al. 1969). Agar is employed principally as a bacteriological culture medium in hospitals and laboratories, but also has a wide variety of other applications (Chapman 1970).
Pyk2 Activation Triggers Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor Signaling and Cell Motility after Wounding Sheets of Epithelial Cells

Activation of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is a key signaling event that promotes cells to move and cover wounds in many epithelia. We have previously shown that wounding activates the EGFR through activation of the Src family kinases (SFKs), which induce proteolytic shedding of epidermal growth factor-like ligands from the cell surface. A major goal in wound healing research is to identify early signals that promote motility, and here we examined the hypothesis that members of the focal adhesion kinase family are upstream activators of the SFKs after wounding. We found that focal adhesion kinase is not activated by wounding but that a different family member, Pyk2 (PTK2B/RAFTK/CAKβ), is activated rapidly and potently. Pyk2 interaction with c-Src is increased after wounding, as determined by co-immunoprecipitation experiments. Disruption of Pyk2 signaling either by small interfering RNA or by expression of a dominant negative mutant led to inhibition of wound-induced activation of the SFKs and the EGFR, and conversely, overexpression of wild-type Pyk2 stimulated SFK and EGFR kinase activities in cells. In wound healing studies, Pyk2 small interfering RNA or dominant negative inhibited cell migration. These results show that activation of Pyk2 is an early signal that promotes wound healing by stimulating the SFK/EGFR signaling pathway.
Decreasing GME training stress to foster residents' professionalism.

AbstractThe author evaluates current concerns over medical professionalism in residency training. The recent professionalism requirements for residents promulgated by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) are discussed in relation to the atmosphere of current training. The
Gas chromatography column as an ambient‐temperature volatile trap

Open-tube volatile traps have largely been shunned in favor of solid adsorbent containing traps for the collection of volatile pheromones and attractants. Solid adsorbents require large solvent rinses and glass capillaries can be difficult to maneuver for the collection of volatiles from small or hard-to-reach odor sources. A gas chromatograph (GC) column (DB-1), an open-tube glass capillary, and a SuperQ®-containing capillary were compared for their collection efficiencies from rubber septa and live calling insects. All three traps captured similar ratios of test compounds from septa at airflows >10 ml per min. Eluting analytes from a packed adsorbent, SuperQ, required at least 30× more solvent than was required to collect all the pheromone from the open-tube glass capillaries, and the GC column enjoyed an additional three-fold reduced solvent volume compared to the glass capillary. Thus, analytes could be eluted from the GC-column trap and directly analyzed on GC without solvent evaporation. We placed glass wool ‘plugs’ in both GC columns and glass capillaries and found no volatiles in these plugs, indicating that breakthrough did not occur during 1-h collections at 25 ml per min. We demonstrate here that at ambient laboratory temperatures, a DB-1 GC column effectively collects Oriental fruit moth sex pheromone volatiles from a rubber septum and live pheromone-releasing moths. Release ratios of pheromone from rubber septa are consistent with earlier reports from static air systems, whereas the release ratio of the (Z)-8-dodecenyl alcohol (Z8-12:OH) from female Grapholita molesta Busck (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) differed from published results and is likely due to different collection methods or moth-strain origin.
Novel Viral Vector Systems for Gene Therapy

Over the last three decades, interest in the field of gene therapy seems to have fluctuated between hot and cold. Encouraging pre-clinical and clinical data has demonstrated the potential of genetic therapies and yet setbacks in clinical trials have cast doubts in some minds over the clinical future of gene therapy [1-3]. In the last two years, a number of studies have demonstrated therapeutic benefits in clinical trials aimed towards specific monogenetic disorders [4-6], and this has brought renewed optimism to the field. [...]
Group decision making at a multialternative task: Extremity, interfaction distance, pluralities, and issue importance

Four-person groups attempted to reach unanimous agreement on four high- and four low-importance 6-point attitudinal scales. Continuous monitoring of each group member's current position permitted a social transition scheme (STS) analysis of a number of process questions which arise when groups must choose among several ordered alternatives. Members of extreme factions, members of submajority plurality factions, and nearby factions exerted greater attraction than moderate factions, members of subplurality factions, and distant factions, respectively. The latter effect was attributable, in part, to majority factions making small concessions to distant minority factions to prompt reciprocation and progress toward concensus. Groups were more likely to reach unanimous agreement and comparable shifts in opinion occurred more rapidly on the less important issues than on the more important issues. However, the present within-groups manipulation of issue importance exerted little effect on the group decision-making process. A number of explanations and applications of these effects are discussed.
Knowledge and confidence of pre-service mathematics teachers: the case of fraction division

To make teacher preparation and professional development effective, it is important to find out possible deficiencies in teachers’ knowledge as well as teachers’ own perceptions about their needs. By focusing on pre-service teachers’ knowledge of fraction division in this article, we conceptualize the notion of pre-service teachers’ knowledge in mathematics and pedagogy for teaching as containing both teachers’ perceptions of their preparation and their mathematics knowledge needed for teaching. With specific assessment instruments developed for pre-service middle school teachers, we focus on both pre-service teachers’ own perceptions about their knowledge preparation and the extent of their mathematics knowledge on the topic of fraction division. The results reveal a wide gap between sampled pre-service middle school teachers’ general perceptions/confidence and their limited mathematics knowledge needed for teaching fraction division conceptually. The results suggest that these pre-service teachers need to develop a sound and deep understanding of mathematics knowledge for teaching in order to build their confidence for classroom instruction. The study’s findings indicate the feasibility and importance of conceptualizing the notion of teachers’ knowledge in mathematics and pedagogy for teaching to include teachers’ perceptions. The applicability and implications of this expanded notion of teachers’ knowledge is then discussed.
Mapping the vertical distribution of population and particulate air pollution in a near-highway urban neighborhood: implications for exposure assessment.

Owing to data collection challenges, the vertical variation in population in cities and particulate air pollution are typically not accounted for in exposure assessments, which may lead to misclassification of exposures based on elevation of residency. To better assess this misclassification, the vertical distribution of the potentially highly exposed population (PHEP), defined as all residents within the 100-m buffer zone of above-ground highways or the 200-m buffer zone of a highway-tunnel exit, was estimated for four floor categories in Boston’s Chinatown (MA, USA) using the three-dimensional digital geography methodology. Vertical profiles of particle number concentration (7–3000 nm; PNC) and particulate matter (PM2.5) mass concentration were measured by hoisting instruments up the vertical face of an 11-story (35-m) building near the study area throughout the day on multiple days. The concentrations from all the profiles (n=23) were averaged together for each floor category. As measurement elevation increased from 0 to 35 m PNC decreased by 7.7%, compared with 3.6% for PM2.5. PHEP was multiplied by the average PNC for each floor category to assess exposures for near-highway populations. The results show that adding temporally-averaged vertical air pollution data had a small effect on residential ambient exposures for our study population; however, greater effects were observed when individual days were considered (e.g., winds were off the highways).
Human reproductive costs and the predicted response to dietary restriction

The question has arisen in the literature as to whether dietary restriction (DR) will have a significant effect on human longevity. I initially use literature data to estimate the energy costs nece...
Planar Chirality in Tethered η6:η1-(Phosphinophenylenearene-P)ruthenium(II) Complexes and Their Potential Use as Asymmetric Catalysts

Reaction of 2-dicyclohexylphosphinobiphenyl with [(η6-benzene)RuCl2]2 yielded the tethered complex [Ru(η6:η1-2-dicyclohexylphosphinobiphenyl-P)Cl2], 1, rather than a bridge-splitting product, [(η6-benzene)Ru(L)Cl2], that is often observed. Treatment of [(η6-benzene)RuCl2]2 with 2-dicyclohexylphosphino-2‘-(N,N-dimethylamino)biphenyl yielded the planar chiral, tethered complex [Ru(η6:η1-2-dicyclohexylphosphino-2‘-(N,N-dimethylamino)biphenyl-P)Cl2], 2. Abstraction of a chloride from 2 with AgSbF6 and treatment with PPh3 selectively gave the chiral-at-metal complex [anti-Ru(η6:η1-2-dicyclohexylphosphino-2‘-(N,N-dimethylamino)biphenyl-P)(PPh3)Cl]SbF6, 3a, which underwent spontaneous resolution upon crystallization. The Me2N group is coplanar with the η6-phenyl ring in the cations and directs attack at the metal center, as well as determining the thermodynamic stability of anti versus syn epimers. The dication derived from enantiopure 3a catalyzed the Diels−Alder reaction of methacrolein and cyclopentadiene wit...
Mirror asymmetry in Gamow-Teller transitions of large ft value

Abstract The several single-nucleon wave functions appropriate to the several parent states of a β-decaying nucleus are different in that they must reflect the several separation energies. These differences engender differences between the overlap integrals that enter into the β-transition amplitudes which will therefore themselves differ as between the negaton- and positon-emitting members of an isobaric mirror since the separation energies differ on the two sides of the mirror. The question is asked as to how large this effect may be in cases where, because of strong cancellation between parents, the ft value is large and so where this asymmetry due to binding energy differences will be largest. The question is answered via a Monte Carlo approach: it is shown that large log ft value differences may indeed be expected but that the effect is not large enough to account for the differences found in the A = 14 and 32 systems. This conclusion agrees with that made earlier in relation to the small ft value differences found between mirror transitions of normal ft value.
A review of the epidemiology and approaches to the treatment of social anxiety disorder.

This review presents current literature on the epidemiology and treatment of social anxiety disorder (social phobia). This illness has been demonstrated to be the most common anxiety disorder with a 1-year prevalence of 7 to 8% and a lifetime prevalence of 13 to 14% in patients aged between 15 and 54 years. Social anxiety disorder can be classified into 2 subtypes, discrete and generalised. Morbidity is high with this disorder, and 70 to 80% of patients have co-morbid mental disorders. Although effective treatments are available, social anxiety disorder is under-recognised and under-treated. Treatments that have been systemically studied and have shown efficacy in patients with social anxiety disorder include pharmacotherapy (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, monoamine oxidase inhibitors, reversible inhibitors of monoamine-A and benzodiazepines) and short term psychotherapies (cognitive behaviour therapy, social skills training and exposure in vivo therapy). β-blockers are useful in treating performance-related anxiety. Few published data are available on the treatment of social anxiety disorder with a combination of pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy. We conclude this review by discussing proposed algorithms for treating both subtypes of social anxiety disorder.
Origin of the linearity no threshold (LNT) dose–response concept

This paper identifies the origin of the linearity at low-dose concept [i.e., linear no threshold (LNT)] for ionizing radiation-induced mutation. After the discovery of X-ray-induced mutations, Olson and Lewis (Nature 121(3052):673-674, 1928) proposed that cosmic/terrestrial radiation-induced mutations provide the principal mechanism for the induction of heritable traits, providing the driving force for evolution. For this concept to be general, a LNT dose relationship was assumed, with genetic damage proportional to the energy absorbed. Subsequent studies suggested a linear dose response for ionizing radiation-induced mutations (Hanson and Heys in Am Nat 63(686):201-213, 1929; Oliver in Science 71:44-46, 1930), supporting the evolutionary hypothesis. Based on an evaluation of spontaneous and ionizing radiation-induced mutation with Drosophila, Muller argued that background radiation had a negligible impact on spontaneous mutation, discrediting the ionizing radiation-based evolutionary hypothesis. Nonetheless, an expanded set of mutation dose-response observations provided a basis for collaboration between theoretical physicists (Max Delbruck and Gunter Zimmer) and the radiation geneticist Nicolai Timofeeff-Ressovsky. They developed interrelated physical science-based genetics perspectives including a biophysical model of the gene, a radiation-induced gene mutation target theory and the single-hit hypothesis of radiation-induced mutation, which, when integrated, provided the theoretical mechanism and mathematical basis for the LNT model. The LNT concept became accepted by radiation geneticists and recommended by national/international advisory committees for risk assessment of ionizing radiation-induced mutational damage/cancer from the mid-1950s to the present. The LNT concept was later generalized to chemical carcinogen risk assessment and used by public health and regulatory agencies worldwide.
Allometry of emergent tree species from saplings to above-canopy adults in a Costa Rican rain forest

Relationsbetweencrownwidthandtreeheightandtrunkdiameterandtreeheightweremeasuredfortrees of all sizes of six large emergent species (Balizia elegans, Dipteryx panamensis, Hieronyma alchorneoides, Hymenolobium mesoamericanum, Lecythis ampla and Terminalia oblonga) in the lowland tropical wet forest at La Selva, Costa Rica. Thirty to 45 individuals were chosen per species to provide ar elatively even height distribution from 1mu p to the maximumencounteredheight.Amongsmalljuveniles,thecrownwidthsofthetwospecieswiththesmallestleavesand horizontally spreading branches were greater than those of the four large-leaved species. On reaching and exceeding the canopy, all but one species showed pronounced increases in crown width with increasing height. These patterns are linked to leaf size and first branching height in small juveniles and low densities of emergent trees at La Selva and other tropical forests, where crown expansion in all directions enhances light interception under the equatorial sun in trees that are not crowded by neighbours of similar height.
Analysis of a broad band packet network with rate based network access control

The author develops analytic models to analyze the performance of a broadband packet networks using a new rate-based network access control known as the distributed source control (DSC). The waiting time distribution at each queue is determined, as well as the size of the end-to-end window necessary to achieve a given throughput. The optimum rate or throughput in the sense of minimizing the network delay over throughput is found, and the effects of different burst sizes, cell arrival rate, link utilization, and link capacity on the network performance are studied. It is shown that, with proper choice of the DSC control parameters, one can achieve a good grade of service in terms of cell loss with a small pool of buffers even at high utilization. >
Strategies for the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis during early postmenopause

During the perimenopause, both the quantity and quality of bone decline rapidly, resulting in a dramatic increase in the risk of fracture in postmenopausal women. Although many factors are known to be associated with osteoporotic fractures, measures to identify and treat women at risk are underused in clinical practice. Consequently, osteoporosis is frequently not detected until a fracture occurs. Identification of postmenopausal women at high risk of fracture therefore is a priority and is especially important for women in early postmenopause who can benefit from early intervention to maintain or to increase bone mass and, thus, reduce the risk of fracture. Most authorities recommend risk-factor assessment for all postmenopausal women, followed by bone mineral density measurements for women at highest risk (ie, all women aged ≥65 years, postmenopausal women aged
Safety Evaluation of Gentian Violet for Breeder Chickens

Four treatment levels (1.0, 2.5, 5.0 and 10.0 x the recommended use level) of a gentian violet premix (Dye-Gen) were compared with non-medicated controls for breeder chickens during a 168-day study. There were no treatment effects up to and including 10 x the recommended use level on: average daily feed consumption, feed/dozen eggs, hatchability of fertile eggs, or mortality. Fertility was higher for the birds receiving 2.5 x the recommended use level than for the non-medicated controls. Egg production was higher (P less than .05) for the non-medicated controls and 10x groups than for the birds receiving the gentian violet premix at 2.5 x the recommended use level. Semen of breeder males was observed for % abnormal sperm, % dead sperm, % motility, vigor, and semen volume. There was no treatment effect on any of the semen characteristics evaluated. It can be concluded from these data that the gentian violet premix is safe for breeder chickens under the conditions of this study.
Complex Modal Decomposition Applied to Nematode Posturing

The complex orthogonal decomposition (COD), a process of extracting complex modes from complex ensemble data, is summarized, as is the use of complex modal coordinates. A brief assessment is made on how small levels of noise affect the decomposition. The decomposition is applied to the posturing of a wild Caenorhabditis elegans nematode. The decomposition indicates that the worm has a multi-modal posturing behavior, involving at least a dominant locomotion mode and a secondary, steering mode. The locomotion mode is closer to a pure traveling waveform than the steering mode. The characteristic wavelength of the primary mode was estimated in the complex plane. Frequency was obtained from the complex modal coordinate's complex whirl rate of the complex modal coordinate, and from its fast Fourier transform.
Concomitant well-differentiated adenocarcinoma and leiomyosarcoma of the uterus.

We describe a case of a concomitant well-differentiated endometrial endometrioid adenocarcinoma and leiomyosarcoma of the uterus in a 66-year-old woman who presented with a 6-month history of vaginal bleeding. The patient underwent total hysterectomy for endometrial carcinoma diagnosed by endometrial biopsy. Gross examination of the specimen revealed an endometrial mass bulging into the endometrial cavity and an underlying well-circumscribed nodule separated from the endometrial mass by a myometrial band. Frozen section performed at the time of the total hysterectomy rendered a diagnosis of malignant mixed-mullerian tumor. Histologic examination of the permanent sections revealed well-differentiated endometrial endometrioid adenocarcinoma clearly separated from a high-grade leiomyosarcoma. Differential diagnosis included malignant mixed-mullerian tumor. However, no admixture of carcinomatous and sarcomatous elements was present. There were no heterologous elements. To the best of our knowledge, no similar case has been described in the English literature.
Medical helicopters in wilderness search and rescue operations

Medical helicopters may be asked to assist in wilderness search and rescue (SAR) operations to quickly reach patients in remote areas and provide medical care and transport of sick or injured persons. The number 1 priority for any medical helicopter involved in an SAR operation is safety, which is considered at each decision point. The involvement of a medical helicopter service begins with a request from a local agency for support. Obtaining key information about the SAR operation from the local agency is essential for deciding whether to accept the mission and for making appropriate preparations for the mission. While en route to the SAR location, the medical crew can review the information regarding location and patient status. Once on location, the crew can survey the scene from the air before landing at the command post to brief with SAR personnel regarding the mission. An initial survey of the scene from the air is important for identifying landing zones and evaluating the terrain where the rescue will occur. A face-to-face briefing with SAR personnel is preferable to learn specifically what type of mission is requested. The medical helicopter crew is empowered to decline the mission for safety reasons at any step. The actual rescue may be done by inserting the helicopter at the scene in nontechnical terrain or by having SAR personnel extricate the patient and deliver him or her to the medical helicopter crew at the nearest safe landing zone. Medical care and transport of the patient as indicated by injuries or illness then occurs. Finally, a postmission debriefing is essential for identifying problems that occurred during the mission and implementing corrections for improvement.
Diagnosis and treatment of the child with a draining ear

Abstract Treating a child with a draining ear is a common occurrence in the pediatric primary office. The symptoms of otorrhea are broad, and a multitude of factors must be considered in arriving at a diagnosis. The assessment begins with a thorough history of the frequency, duration, and characteristics of the drainage. Physical examination of the affected ear requires cleansing of the external auditory canal before the tympanic membrane can be accurately assessed. The ear must be adequately visualized for accurate diagnosis and treatment. Differential diagnoses include acute suppurative otitis media, otitis externa, granuloma, and bullous myringitis. The acutely draining ear is frequently an uncomplicated suppurative event that will respond well to a regimen of aural hygiene and topical therapy. Patients with a chronically draining ear should be referred to an otolaryngologist for further diagnostics and aggressive therapy. Children with tympanostomy tubes are especially at high risk for suppurative complications. Avoiding the introduction of water into the ear, protecting the ear from water, and prophylactic topical treatment are options that have been suggested for prevention of otorrhea. J Pediatr Health Care. (2002). 16, 161-169.
Uncertainty Analysis and Simulation Modeling for Lake Okeechobee Research Prioritization

ABSTRACT A decision analytic framework and the USEPA mechanistic water quality model WASP4 were used to prioritize research and monitoring needs to address the water quality management objective, reduce algal blooms to an acceptable level in Lake Okeechobee. With the WASP4 model as a scientific assessment framework, proposed research and monitoring projects should be evaluated for their effectiveness in reducing WASP4 prediction uncertainty. Sensitivity analysis based on either model calculations or expert judgment may be used to estimate the reduction in prediction uncertainty associated with proposed projects. A utility-based approach can then be developed to select from among proposed research and monitoring projects. Selected projects may be expected to provide scientific information to reduce model prediction uncertainty for the use of the model in decision making.
Hedgehog Signaling Alters Reliance on EGF Receptor Signaling and Mediates Anti-EGFR Therapeutic Resistance in Head and Neck Cancer

The EGF receptor (EGFR)-directed monoclonal antibody cetuximab is the only targeted therapy approved for the treatment of squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (HNSCC) but is only effective in a minority of patients. Epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) has been implicated as a drug resistance mechanism in multiple cancers, and the EGFR and Hedgehog pathways (HhP) are relevant to this process, but the interplay between the two pathways has not been defined in HNSCC. Here, we show that HNSCC cells that were naturally sensitive to EGFR inhibition over time developed increased expression of the HhP transcription factor GLI1 as they became resistant after long-term EGFR inhibitor exposure. This robustly correlated with an increase in vimentin expression. Conversely, the HhP negatively regulated an EGFR-dependent, EMT-like state in HNSCC cells, and pharmacologic or genetic inhibition of HhP signaling pushed cells further into an EGFR-dependent phenotype, increasing expression of ZEB1 and VIM. In vivo treatment with cetuximab resulted in tumor shrinkage in four of six HNSCC patient-derived xenografts; however, they eventually regrew. Cetuximab in combination with the HhP inhibitor IPI-926 eliminated tumors in two cases and significantly delayed regrowth in the other two cases. Expression of EMT genes TWIST and ZEB2 was increased in sensitive xenografts, suggesting a possible resistant mesenchymal population. In summary, we report that EGFR-dependent HNSCC cells can undergo both EGFR-dependent and -independent EMT and HhP signaling is a regulator in both processes. Cetuximab plus IPI-926 forces tumor cells into an EGFR-dependent state, delaying or completely blocking tumor recurrence.
Synchroscalar: A Multiple Clock Domain, Power-Aware, Tile-Based Embedded Processor

We present Synchroscalar, a tile-based architecture forembedded processing that is designed to provide the flexibilityof DSPs while approaching the power efficiency ofASICs. We achieve this goal by providing high parallelismand voltage scaling while minimizing control and communicationcosts. Specifically, Synchroscalar uses columnsof processor tiles organized into statically-assignedfrequency-voltage domains to minimize power consumption.Furthermore, while columns use SIMD control to minimizeoverhead, data-dependent computations can besupported by extremely flexible statically-scheduled communicationbetween columns.We provide a detailed evaluation of Synchroscalar includingSPICE simulation, wire and device models, synthesisof key components, cycle-level simulation, andcompiler- and hand-optimized signal processing applications.We find that the goal of meeting, not exceeding, performancetargets with data-parallel applications leads todesigns that depart significantly from our intuitions derivedfrom general-purpose microprocessor design. Inparticular, synchronous design and substantial global interconnectare desirable in the low-frequency, low-powerdomain. This global interconnect supports parallelizationand reduces processor idle time, which are critical to energyefficient implementations of high bandwidth signalprocessing. Overall, Synchroscalar provides programmabilitywhile achieving power efficiencies within 8-30X ofknown ASIC implementations, which is 10-60X better thanconventional DSPs. In addition, frequency-voltage scalingin Synchroscalar provides between 3-32% power savingsin our application suite.
Quantitative in situ proteomics; a proposed pathway for quantification of immunohistochemistry at the light-microscopic level.

Companion diagnostics, tests that purport to classify patients into “responders” and “non-responders” for a specified targeted therapy, demand methods that quantify the actual amount of the corresponding target molecule in tumors from these patients. Various methods are employed depending upon the nature of the target. Many of the candidate therapeutic agents target the abnormal expression of a protein, the detection of which lends itself to an immunohistochemistry (IHC) approach. This review focuses on IHC with formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissues for purely pragmatic reasons; first, the morphologic information pertaining to the tumor is of value and should not be discarded as in extraction type assays; second, FFPE tissues are mostly what we have to hand at the time that the diagnostic question is posed. During the four decades of employment of IHC involving the production of a variety of special stains used in the diagnosis or classification of tumors, we have acquired some bad habits, essentially when judging the IHC result via the perception of a “good” stain that “pleases the eye” of the user pathologist, and nothing more. This review takes, as its basic premise, the notion that IHC can be upgraded from its use as a qualitative special staining method to an accurate and reliable quantitative “tissue-based immunologic assay”. If accomplished, this enhanced IHC assay would serve accurately to quantify proteins in tissue sections, analogous to the use of the ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) method in the clinical laboratory. The necessary steps for converting IHC to a tissue-based ELISA-like immunoassay of immediate practical use are reviewed with constructive suggestions for steps that can be (must be) taken to achieve the practical reality of quantitative in situ proteomics.
A Five-Year Validation of AMSR-E Soil Moisture Products

Validation is an important and particularly challenging task for passive microwave remote sensing of soil moisture from Earth orbit. As part of the Advance Microwave Scanning Radiometer-E (AMSR-E) validation programs networks of dedicated validation sites were developed. Measurements have been made on a continuous basis since 2002. The NASA and JAXA standard soil moisture products were compared to the network observations, along with an alternative single channel algorithm. The results indicate that each algorithm has different performance statistics that depend upon the site. Results clearly show that there is much room for improvement in the algorithms adopted by JAXA and NASA. They also illustrate the potential pitfalls in using the products without caution.
An Objective Climatology, Classification Scheme, and Assessment of Sensible Weather Impacts for Appalachian Cold-Air Damming

Abstract The geostrophic adjustment process for a rotating, stratified atmosphere in the presence of an orographic barrier may be manifest as a phenomenon known as “cold-air damming” (CAD). The degree of blocking by an orographic barrier, and therefore CAD intensity, is related to the static stability of the upstream air mass. When precipitation falls into dry near-surface air, differential evaporational cooling can increase static stability, and strengthen or initiate CAD. The sheltering effect of clouds can also maintain surface-based stability. Therefore, the ability of numerical forecast models to accurately predict CAD requires adequate representation of cloud and precipitation processes. Operational forecasters in the Appalachian damming region have previously developed a subjective classification scheme that distinguishes those CAD events that are heavily influenced by diabatic processes from those that are dominated by synoptic-scale forcing. In this study the subjective scheme is formalized in or...