cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Flash storage integration in the IBM System z EC12 I/O drawer

Flash storage is integrated for the first time on System z® as a card in the EC12 I/O drawer. This provides a number of functions and benefits in the immediate product, in addition to laying a foundation for further system benefits in future generations of System z systems. Enabling flash MLC (multilevel cell) technology as SCM (storage class memory) in an enterprise-class product required myriad diverse individual technological advances, together with a series of system design features. Extreme care and attention were paid to ensure that the required level of System z reliability was maintained. As with legacy I/O, the programming interface is subchannel-based. The subchannel programming interface is expanded with new architecture via the extended asynchronous-data-move facility. Operating system changes were required to enable exploitation of the features that this new system technology offers. These individual hardware, firmware, and software design aspects are described in this paper, along with the overall functionality and system-level value of this new technology.
Recognizing behaviors and the internal state of the participants

Psychological research has demonstrated that subjects shown animations consisting of nothing more than simple geometric shapes perceive the shapes as being alive, having goals and intentions, and even engaging in social activities such as chasing and evading one another. While the subjects could not directly perceive affective state, motor commands, or the beliefs and intentions of the actors in the animations, they still used intentional language to describe the moving shapes. We present representations and algorithms that enable an artificial agent to correctly recognize other agents' activities by observing their behavior. In addition, we demonstrate that if the artificial agent learns about the activities through participation, where it has access to its own internal affective state, motor commands, etc., it can then infer the unobservable internal state of other agents.
Compliance and smooth muscle reactivity of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) vessels in vitro

Systemic veins have a profound influence on cardiac output in mammals. Venoregulatory mechanisms have not been adequately studied in fish and their existence has been questioned. In the present study, two characteristics of vascular mechanics, compliance and agonist-induced tension development, were investigated in rainbow trout vessels in vitro. Rapid compliance in the anterior cardinal vein and efferent branchial artery was calculated from step-wise changes in the volume-pressure curve of isolated vessel segments. Agonist-induced tension development was examined in four veins; anterior and posterior cardinals, intestinal and duct of Cuvier. Venous compliance was not altered in response to epinephrine, norepinephrine or angiotensin II, while efferent branchial artery compliance was decreased by 10-6 mol·l-1 epinephrine and norepinephrine but not angiotensin II. The ratios of venous to arterial compliance in vessels from two rainbow trout strains were similar (21:1 and 32:1) and consistent with the ratio reported for mammalian viens (24:1). Trout veins contracted in response to agonists in both an, agonist- and vesselspecific manner. The greatest tension per vessel wet weight was produced in anterior cardinal vein. The response pattern of anterior cardinal vein and duct of Cuvier were similar; acetylcholine, arginine vasotocin, epinephrine and norepinephrine, and the thromboxane A2 agonist, U-44,069, produced approximately identical contractions, whereas angiotensin II was virtually ineffective. Conversely, angiotensin II was more potent than epinephrine in posterior cardinal vein. In cumulative dose-response experiments, epinephrine was equipotent in anterior cardinal vein and duct of Cuvier, whereas the latter was less sensitive to acetylcholine. Both atrial natriuretic peptide and sodium nitroprusside relaxed precontracted veins. This is the first study to determine compliance in fish vessels and the contractile nature of different rainbow trout veins. These findings suggest that venous tone and therefore cardiac output in fish may be regulated by neural or humoral mechanisms.
Evidence of size quantization in Bi films by tunnel spectroscopy

Abstract We have studied the tunnelling characteristics of junctions having as one of the electrodes a size-quantized Bi film. We observe a series of peaks in the tunnel conductance as a function of the bias voltage. Their position is explained in terms of a nonellipsoidal nonparabolic (NENP) model.
Therapy-induced tumour secretomes promote resistance and tumour progression

Drug resistance invariably limits the clinical efficacy of targeted therapy with kinase inhibitors against cancer. Here we show that targeted therapy with BRAF, ALK or EGFR kinase inhibitors induces a complex network of secreted signals in drug-stressed human and mouse melanoma and human lung adenocarcinoma cells. This therapy-induced secretome stimulates the outgrowth, dissemination and metastasis of drug-resistant cancer cell clones and supports the survival of drug-sensitive cancer cells, contributing to incomplete tumour regression. The tumour-promoting secretome of melanoma cells treated with the kinase inhibitor vemurafenib is driven by downregulation of the transcription factor FRA1. In situ transcriptome analysis of drug-resistant melanoma cells responding to the regressing tumour microenvironment revealed hyperactivation of several signalling pathways, most prominently the AKT pathway. Dual inhibition of RAF and the PI(3)K/AKT/mTOR intracellular signalling pathways blunted the outgrowth of the drug-resistant cell population in BRAF mutant human melanoma, suggesting this combination therapy as a strategy against tumour relapse. Thus, therapeutic inhibition of oncogenic drivers induces vast secretome changes in drug-sensitive cancer cells, paradoxically establishing a tumour microenvironment that supports the expansion of drug-resistant clones, but is susceptible to combination therapy.
Nonlinear reverse-correlation with synthesized naturalistic noise

Reverse-correlation is the most widely used method for mapping receptive fields of early visual neurons. Wiener kernels of the neurons are calculated by cross-correlating the neuronal responses with a Gaussian white noise stimulus. However, Gaussian white noise is an inefficient stimulus for driving higher-level visual neurons. We show that if the stimulus is synthesized by a linear generative model such that its statistics approximate that of natural images, a simple solution for the kernels can be derived.
Oral N-Acetyl-Cysteine Attenuates Loss of Dopaminergic Terminals in α-Synuclein Overexpressing Mice

Levels of glutathione are lower in the substantia nigra (SN) early in Parkinson's disease (PD) and this may contribute to mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress. Oxidative stress may increase the accumulation of toxic forms of alpha-synuclein (SNCA). We hypothesized that supplementation with n-acetylcysteine (NAC), a source of cysteine--the limiting amino acid in glutathione synthesis, would protect against alpha-synuclein toxicity. Transgenic mice overexpressing wild-type human alpha-synuclein drank water supplemented with NAC or control water supplemented with alanine from ages 6 weeks to 1 year. NAC increased SN levels of glutathione within 5-7 weeks of treatment; however, this increase was not sustained at 1 year. Despite the transient nature of the impact of NAC on brain glutathione, the loss of dopaminergic terminals at 1 year associated with SNCA overexpression was significantly attenuated by NAC supplementation, as measured by immunoreactivity for tyrosine hydroxylase in the striatum (p = 0.007; unpaired, two-tailed t-test), with a similar but nonsignificant trend for dopamine transporter (DAT) immunoreactivity. NAC significantly decreased the levels of human SNCA in the brains of PDGFb-SNCA transgenic mice compared to alanine treated transgenics. This was associated with a decrease in nuclear NFkappaB localization and an increase in cytoplasmic localization of NFkappaB in the NAC-treated transgenics. Overall, these results indicate that oral NAC supplementation decreases SNCA levels in brain and partially protects against loss of dopaminergic terminals associated with overexpression of alpha-synuclein in this model.
The Effect of Survey Mode and Sampling on Inferences about Political Attitudes and Behavior: Comparing the 2000 and 2004 ANES to Internet Surveys with Nonprobability Samples

Since the inception of the American National Election Study (ANES) in the 1940s, data have been collected via face-to-face interviewing in the homes of members of area probability samples of American adults, the same gold-standard approach used by the U.S. Census Bureau, other federal agencies, and some nongovernment researchers for many of the most high-profile surveys conducted today. This paper explores whether comparable findings about voters and elections would be obtained by a different, considerably less expensive method: Internet data collection from nonprobability samples of volunteer respondents. Comparisons of the 2000 and 2004 ANES data (collected via face-to-face interviewing with national probability samples) with simultaneous Internet surveys of volunteer samples yielded many differences in the distributions of variables and in the associations between variables (even controlling for differences between the samples in reported interest in politics). Accuracy was higher for the face-to-face/probability sample data than for the Internet/volunteer sample data in 88% of the possible comparisons. This suggests that researchers interested in assuring the accuracy of their findings in describing populations should rely on face-to-face surveys of probability samples rather than Internet samples of volunteer respondents.
Synergistic effect of copper and lactic acid against Salmonella and Escherichia coli O157:H7: a review.

The number of foodborne outbreaks due to bacterial pathogens such as Salmonella and Escherichia coli O157:H7 have raised concern about the safety of foods. Application of various natural antimicrobial compounds can provide opportunities for the control of pathogenic microorganisms and thus improves food safety and quality. Several researchers in the past have demonstrated antimicrobial properties of copper in different agricultural system. Recent works in our laboratory also showed synergistic effect of copper and lactic acid at low level. However, use of copper as antimicrobial agent in food systems still remains scarce. Our research group is interested in the use of such natural compounds to inhibit the growth of foodborne pathogens. We have used several natural compounds such as organic acids and plant extracts to control the growth of foodborne pathogens. We recently became interested in developing a novel natural system that is effective in controlling pathogenic microorganisms. This system consists of copper in combination with organic acids such as lactic acid. The use of copper at low concentration in combination with lactic acid has been shown to reduce if not eliminate the presence of foodborne pathogens. Therefore, the purpose of this review was to discuss and highlight the wide range of antimicrobial benefits of this new finding. This paper briefly covers possible antimicrobial mechanism of copper, synergistic effect and potential application in food products.
For Residents and Fellows: What to Look for in a Laboratory Research Mentor

Preparing for a laboratory or research-based career in academic medicine involves learning and acquiring a broad set of knowledge, skills, and experiences that facilitate the transition from trainee to faculty member. It also involves identifying and cultivating solid mentor/mentee relationships in the laboratory environment. It is well known that different skill sets and mentoring approaches are necessary for those pursuing laboratory-based research as compared with those needed for clinical practice and patient-oriented research. Here, we discuss several key approaches to help mentees identify fruitful mentor/mentee relationships.
A constitutive enhancer in the bovine papillomavirus upstream regulatory region shares genetic elements with the viral P1 promoter.

Abstract The bovine papillomavirus upstream regulatory region represents a common element in the regulation of transcription from the five early viral promoters. We have determined the sequences required for transcription from the viral P1 promoter, which is located at the 5' end of the upstream regulatory region. In vitro transcription from P1 requires a 123-bp fragment (nucleotides 7153 to 7275; -33 to +90) consisting of an upstream TATA-like sequence as well as an unidentified protein which binds to sequences immediately downstream of the initiation site. In vivo, this promoter requires additional downstream sequences (to position +160; nucleotide 7345) for maximal activity but does not require any additional DNA sequence upstream of a putative TATA box. Four regions within the downstream sequence from +9 to +160 are protected from DNase I digestion by proteins present in a HeLa cell extract. The presence of these sites correlates with the level of P1 activity. A constitutive enhancer maps to this same region, and mutations in this enhancer have been shown to affect downstream promoters. Deletion analysis indicates that the same sequences are required by both the P1 promoter and the constitutive enhancer, suggesting that the same proteins function in both activities.
THE INFLUENCE OF HABITAT QUALITY ON DISPERSAL, DEMOGRAPHY, AND POPULATION DYNAMICS OF VOLES

We compared the effects of habitat quality on dispersal, demography, dynamics, and fitness of prairie vole (Microtus ochrogaster) and meadow vole (M. pennsylvanicus) populations by manipulating habitat patches in experimental landscapes. Four habitat patches in each of four replicate landscapes differed in availability of high-quality food and amount of vegetative cover in a 2 × 2 factorial design. High cover had a strong positive effect on basic habitat quality, as reflected by the performance of founders early in the season, but supplemental food had only a small effect. Population growth ceased for prairie voles after week 18 (mid-October) when densities had reached much higher levels in habitats with high cover (260 ± 27 voles/ha in high cover with either high or low food; mean ± 1 se) than in habitats with low cover (115 ± 38 voles/ha in high food, low cover and 60 ± 15 voles/ha in low food, low cover). Population growth had ceased in three habitat types for meadow voles by week 20 at much higher den...
Stirling Convertor Control for a Concept Rover at NASA Glenn Research Center

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company (LMSSC), Sunpower Inc., and NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC) have been developing an Advanced Stirling Radioisotope Generator (ASRG) for potential use as an electric power system for space science missions. This generator would make use of the free-piston Stirling cycle to achieve higher conversion efficiency than currently used alternatives. NASA GRC initiated an experiment with an ASRG simulator to demonstrate the functionality of a Stirling convertor on a mobile application, such as a rover. The ASRG simulator made use of two Advanced Stirling Convertors to convert thermal energy from a heat source to electricity. The ASRG simulator was designed to incorporate a minimum amount of support equipment, allowing integration onto a rover powered directly by the convertors. Support equipment to provide control was designed including a linear AC regulator controller, constant power controller, and Li-ion battery charger controller. The ASRG simulator is controlled by a linear AC regulator controller. The rover is powered by both a Stirling convertor and Li-ion batteries. A constant power controller enables the Stirling convertor to maintain a constant power output when additional power is supplied by the Li-ion batteries. A Li-ion battery charger controller limits the charging current and cut off current of the batteries. This paper discusses the design, fabrication, and implementation of these three controllers.
Biocompatible Silk Printed Optical Waveguides

[*] Prof. F. G. Omenetto, P. Domachuk, J. Amsden, J. Bressner Department of Biomedical Engineering and Department of Physics Tufts University, 4 Colby Street Medford, MA 02155 (USA) E-mail: fiorenzo.omenetto@tufts.edu S. T. Parker, Prof. J. A. Lewis Department of Materials Science and Engineering and Frederick Seitz Materials Research Laboratory University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 1304 West Green Street, Urbana, IL 61801 (USA)
Effect of Less Frequent Bathing on Premature Infant Skin

Objective: To evaluate the effect of less frequent bathing on skin flora of premature infants. Design: Randomized clinical trial comparing the impact of every other day bathing to every 4th day bathing on skin flora type and colony count. Setting: University of California, San Francisco, Medical Center Level IV neonatal intensive-care unit. Participants: Fifty-three premature infants less than 37 weeks gestational age, 14 days or older, and receiving a bath. Intervention: Premature infants were randomized to either every other day bathing (control group, n=28) or every 4th day bathing (intervention group, n=25). Main Outcome Measure: Skin flora type and colony count obtained weekly. Results: Repeated-measures ANOVA was used to test the main effect of group, time, and Group × Time interaction. These factors were not statistically significant; group F 1,21 = 1.842,p= .189; time F 3,63 = 1.359,p= .263; Group × Time interactionF 3,63 = 0.753,p= .525. None of the infants developed an infection as a result of participating in the study protocol. Conclusion: Every 4th day bathing of premature infants appears to be safe.
The Panel Study of Income Dynamics: Overview, Recent Innovations, and Potential for Life Course Research.

Spanning over four decades, the Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID) is the world’s longestrunning household panel survey. The resulting data archive presents research opportunities for breakthroughs in understanding the connections between economic status, health and wellbeing across generations and over the life course. The long panel, genealogical design, and broad content of the data represent an unique opportunity for a multi-perspective study of life course evolution and change within families over multiple generations. Based on relational data structures and advanced web-based archiving and delivery tools, the PSID has a publicly available web-based facility for users worldwide to create customized data extracts and codebooks, based on nearly 70,000 variables from over 70,000 individuals over 44 years. This paper provides an overview of the PSID and its supplemental studies, the Disability and Use of Time Supplement, the Child Development Supplement, and the Transition into Adulthood study, and describes features and recent enhancements that have increased the potential of the archive for studying life course development.
Characteristics of Successful Product Information Programs

A review of 28 field-tested product information programs for consumers revealed the characteristics that distinguish successful from unsuccessful programs. Success in changing purchase or consumption behavior was associated with increases in information benefits and decreases in processing effort. Greater intensity of consumer participation in a program, such as through personal goal setting, also was associated with higher success rates. In contrast, hortatory reminders that neither provided new benefits nor reduced effort costs were unsuccessful. Similarly, a program's magnitude per se was unrelated to its success. We conclude that the design of product information programs should be guided by a cost-benefit analysis of information use from the consumer's perspective.
Quantitative, Depth-Resolved Imaging of Oxygen Concentration by Phosphorescence Lifetime Measurement

Minimally invasive determination of oxygen concentration can be made by measuring phosphorescence lifetime. We describe a technique for depth-resolved measurements of oxygen concentration using confocal imaging of phosphorescence lifetime. A confocal imaging system is used to obtain depth-resolved measurements of phosphorescence decay. The spatial resolution of the system is characterized in terms of the Line Spread Function and shown to be similar in both lateral and depth directions. Lifetimes are calculated with the use of the Rapid Lifetime Determination technique. One- and two-dimensional quantitative images of oxygen concentration in a test specimen are rapidly generated from luminescence decay data. Measurements are made for oxygen concentrations ranging from 2 to 90 μM. A linear relationship between Pdmeso-tetra-(4-sulfonato-phenyl)-porphine phosphorescence inverse lifetime and oxygen concentration is determined. The presence of an intervening solution of different oxygen concentration does not significantly affect the concentration measurements made with the use of depth-resolved imaging techniques.
Highly Specific, NIR Fluorescent Contrast Agent with Emission Controlled by Gold Nanoparticle

Nanoparticles are currently being intensively studied for in vivo molecular imaging because of their unique and beneficial properties. Among these particles, some metal particles possess strong surface plasmon fields that can effectively alter fluorescence. Using this fluorescence alteration, an NIR fluorophore based, nanosized contrast agent for breast cancer diagnosis is being developed. The fluorophore is conjugated to gold nanoparticles (GNP) viaa short spacer whose lengthwas specially adjusted to have the strong plasmon field to quench the fluorescence. The spacer also has a special molecular sequence that can be cleaved by an enzyme secreted by targeted cancer cells. Normally, the entity does not fluoresce. If it is delivered to the cancer site, the short spacer would be cleaved by the enzyme secreted by the cancer cell at which point the fluorescence would be restored. This entity can incorporate a cancer targeting molecule for a cancer specific delivery. The entity specifically targets cancer cells and fluoresce only when the spacer is cleaved by a specific cancer secreting biomolecule, providing dual specificity for cancer diagnosis. In the future, this entity will be combined with cancer drugs for seamless detection and personalized therapy.
Herbicide perfluidone (1,1,1-trifluoro-N-[2-methyl-4-(phenylsulfonyl)phenyl]methanesulfonamide): Its metabolism in rats and chickens

Abstract Rats and chickens were each given a single oral dose (10 or 100 mg/kg body wt) of 1,1,1-trifluoro- N -[2-methyl-4-(phenylsulfonyl)phenyl- 14 C(U)]methanesulfonamide ([ 14 C]perfluidone). Depending on the size of the dose, from 8.4 to 36.2% of the [ 14 C] was eliminated in the urine and from 36.4 to 85.4% was eliminated in the feces within 48 hr after dosing. Less than 1% of the [ 14 C] given to laying hens as [ 14 C]perfluidone was present in the eggs produced during the first 96 hr after dosing. The percentage of the administered [ 14 C] that remained in these animals (body with G.I. tract and contents removed) varied from 0.34 (96 hr after dosing) to 1.68% (48 hr after dosing). 14 C-labeled compunds in the urine and feces from the rats and chickens were purified by solvent extraction, column chromatography, and gas-liquid chromatography, and then identified by infrared and mass spectrometry. The parent compound was the major 14 C-labeled component in the urine and feces of both animals. 1,1,1-Trifluoro- N -[2-methyl-4-(3-hydroxyphenylsulfonyl)phenyl]methanesulfonamide was present in the feces of both animals. The proposed structures of other metabolites were 1,1,1-trifluoro- N -hydroxy- N -[2-methyl-4-(phenylsulfonyl)phenyl]methanesulfonamide (rat urine) and 1,1,1-trifluoro- N -{2-methyl-4-[(methylsulfonyl)-phenylsulfonyl]phenyl}methanesulfonamide (chicken urine).
Courage in the Service of Virtue The Case of General Shinseki's Testimony before the Iraq War

Army Chief of Staff Eric Shinseki testified to the Senate Armed Services Committee before Operation Iraqi Freedom that several hundred thousand American Army soldiers were needed to occupy Iraq following a successful completion of the war. In hindsight, after many postwar problems occurred during Army and Marine efforts to stabilize Iraq, General Shinseki's action has been almost universally praised as prescient and courageous. This article counters that, from a civil-military relations perspective, Shinseki's testimony was neither sufficiently accurate nor sufficiently respectful of civilian control to serve as a healthy model for future officers. The U.S. civil-military relationship framed by the 1986 Goldwater-Nichols Act, which preserved the power of individual service chiefs to provide independent testimony, is better served when high-ranking officers adopt a notion of courage in light of military authority delegated to regional combatant commands and in consideration of the political vulnerabilities...
Aerosynthesis: Growth of Vertically-aligned Carbon Nanofibres with Air DC Plasma

Vertically aligned carbon nanofibers (VACNF) have been synthesized in a mixture of acetone and air using catalytic DC plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition. Typically, ammonia or hydrogen is used as etchant gas in the mixture to remove carbon that otherwise passivates the catalyst surface and impedes growth. Our demonstration of using air as the etchant gas opens up a possibility that ion etching could be sufficient to maintain the catalytic activity state during synthesis. It also demonstrates the path toward growing VACNFs in open atmosphere.
Application of the multidimensional positive definite advection transport algorithm (MPDATA) to environmental modelling on adaptive unstructured grids

Twenty years ago, the multi-dimensional, positive definite, advection transport algorithm was introduced by Smolarkiewicz. Over the two decades since, it has been applied countless times to numerous problems, however almost always on rectilinear grids. One of the few exceptions is the Operational Multiscale Environment model with Grid Adaptivity (OMEGA), an atmospheric simulation system originally designed to simulate atmospheric dispersion in the planetary boundary layer, but since then used for both mesoscale (from meso-α to meso-γ) dispersion and weather forecasting. One of the unique aspects of OMEGA is the triangular unstructured grid geometry which leads in a natural way to the creation of a global grid with continuously variable resolution from roughly 100 km over the oceans to less than 10 km over regions of interest. Another unique aspect is the concept of dynamically adapting grid resolution – sometimes also called solution-adaptive grid resolution. A central element of the modeling system, however, is its advection solver – MPDATA. This paper presents the implementation of MPDATA on an unstructured grid and demonstrates its accuracy and efficiency using analytic and idealized test cases.
Expectancy for Successive Elements: Key Ingredient to Language Use

Language is viewed as an abbreviatory system whereby human processing of information is facilitated through sequential coding. The key ingredient to successful use of language is the ability to anticipate elements in sequence. This is true for encoding operations as well as for decoding. It is argued that the element of expectancy is the underlying factor which accounts for the overlap in variance on language tests requiring various modes of verbal processing. The notion of expectancy applies to theories of language learning and methods of language teaching. If the native speaker's knowledge of his language is characterized as a grammar of expectancy that incorporates pragmatic knowledge of the world, the problem of teaching a second language can be defined as providing the student with a corpus of language in meaningful communicative settings. A major objective is to allow the student to take full advantage of previously acquired expectations about situations and events in the world while he is learning a new grammar of expectancy for the coding of information.
Articulatory feature detection with Support Vector Machines for integration into ASR and phone recognition

We study the use of Support Vector Machines (SVM) for detecting the occurrence of articulatory features in speech audio data and using the information contained in the detector outputs to improve phone and speech recognition. Our expectation is that an SVM should be able to appropriately model the separation of the classes which may have complex distributions in feature space. We show that performance improves markedly when using discriminatively trained speaker dependent parameters for the SVM inputs, and compares quite well to results in the literature using other classifiers, namely Artificial Neural Networks (ANN). Further, we show that the resulting detector outputs can be successfully integrated into a state of the art speech recognition system, with consequent performance gains. Notably, we test our system on English broadcast news data from dev04f.
Historical perspective on the DNA damage response

The DNA damage response (DDR) has been broadly defined as a complex network of cellular pathways that cooperate to sense and repair lesions in DNA. Multiple types of DNA damage, some natural DNA sequences, nucleotide pool deficiencies and collisions with transcription complexes can cause replication arrest to elicit the DDR. However, in practice, the term DDR as applied to eukaryotic/mammalian cells often refers more specifically to pathways involving the activation of the ATM (ataxia-telangiectasia mutated) and ATR (ATM-Rad3-related) kinases in response to double-strand breaks or arrested replication forks, respectively. Nevertheless, there are distinct responses to particular types of DNA damage that do not involve ATM or ATR. In addition, some of the aberrations that cause replication arrest and elicit the DDR cannot be categorized as direct DNA damage. These include nucleotide pool deficiencies, nucleotide sequences that can adopt non-canonical DNA structures, and collisions between replication forks and transcription complexes. The response to these aberrations can be called the genomic stress response (GSR), a term that is meant to encompass the sensing of all types of DNA aberrations together with the mechanisms involved in coping with them. In addition to fully functional cells, the consequences of processing genomic aberrations may include mutagenesis, genomic rearrangements and lethality.
Can Private Real Estate Portfolios Be Rebalanced/Diversified Using Equity REIT Shares?

Executive Summary. The purpose of this study is to determine whether or not private real estate portfolios can be diversified or rebalanced using public real estate (equity real estate investment t...
Variable motility recovery of spermatozoa following freeze preservation.

Semen samples were obtained from a random group of healthy adult males who presented as potential donors for artificial insemination in order to examine motility recovery of spermatozoa following freeze preservation. Samples were divided by sperm count: 1) Group A 20-50 million/ml; 2) Group B 51-100 million sperm/ml; and 3) Group C more than 100 million sperm/ml. The samples were mixed 1:1 with an egg yolk-glycerol glucose-citrate cryoprotective medium and quick frozen in an alcohol bath at -45 degrees C for 5 minutes and then stored in liquid nitrogen (-196 degrees C). A matched sample was frozen by the slow-freeze method. They were placed in an alcohol bath for 5 minutes at 0 degrees C for 25 minutes followed by an alcohol bath for 5 minutes at -45 degrees C and then stored in liquid nitrogen. All samples were stored for 1 week. Samples were removed and stored at room temperature. The mean motility recovery rate in the group of semen samples with high counts was better than the group in the low-normal range. The slow-freeze method yielded slightly higher recovery. Prefreeze to postfreeze motility was a variable condition without guarantees. A trial freeze is recommended for those men undergoing vase ctomy and wishing fertility insurance to determine their postfreeze motility.
Tuning the Electronic Structure of Titanium Oxide Support to Enhance the Electrochemical Activity of Platinum Nanoparticles

Two times higher activity and three times higher stability in methanol oxidation reaction, a 0.12 V negative shift of the CO oxidation peak potential, and a 0.07 V positive shift of the oxygen reaction potential compared to Pt nanoparticles on pristine TiO2 support were achieved by tuning the electronic structure of the titanium oxide support of Pt nanoparticle catalysts. This was accomplished by adding oxygen vacancies or doping with fluorine. Experimental trends are interpreted in the context of an electronic structure model, showing an improvement in electrochemical activity when the Fermi level of the support material in Pt/TiOx systems is close to the Pt Fermi level and the redox potential of the reaction. The present approach provides guidance for the selection of the support material of Pt/TiOx systems and may be applied to other metal-oxide support materials, thus having direct implications in the design and optimization of fuel cell catalyst supports.
Fighting desires: Henry Miller's Queer Tropic.

"Fighting Desires: Henry Miller's Queer Tropic" is an investigation of Tropic of Cancer that investigates the deeply repressed homoerotic desire that periodically surfaces. This reading is dependent upon an interpretation of Eve Sedgwick that proposes male sexuality as a continuum. By looking at the nature of the male-male relationships, as well as the lack of emotion and presence in the male-female relationships, I will show that the most intimate relationships are between men, and that these relationships are expressed through the telling of stories about (heterosexual) sex; this is the function of women within the novel: one has sex with a woman, not for the pleasure that the act brings, but for the pleasure that the recounting of the story to other men brings. Furthermore, I will look at Miller's use of puns within the novel and how they also contribute to a homoerotic reading. None of this is to argue that Miller was not homophobic and sexist--Miller very clearly was--the purpose of this essay is to show the complex nature of sexuality, even within a protagonist who asserts a very defined heterosexuality.
The Marketing Strategy Center: Diagnosing the Industrial Marketer's Interdisciplinary Role:

Strategic interdependencies exist between marketing and other functional areas in the industrial firm. The concept of the marketing strategy center is offered as an organizing framework for explori...
Political Implications of the ‘New Ageism’:

The research tradition of old age stereotypes has typically been limited to a social psychological perspective of their dysfunctional consequences. This exploratory study examines the possible functions served by such stereotypes from a sociocultural frame of reference, in particular, testing the hypothesis of Richard Kalish and Carroll Estes that problem-oriented conceptions of older persons are part of an emerging political ideology. Using the responses of the Louis-Harris-NOCA "The Myth and Reality of Aging in America" survey, the relation between aging stereotypes and attitudes toward federal support of the aged are reported.
Invasive bladder cancer: support for screening.

AbstractOf 297 patients with bladder cancer treated between 1975 and 1981, 90 (30 per cent) had histologic documentation of muscle invasion, 82 of whom (91 per cent) had invasion into the muscle at the time of presentation. Of these 82 patients 51 (62 per cent) had tumor localized to the bladder after clinical staging.Of 36 patients undergoing radical cystectomy 9 (25 per cent) had microscopic pelvic lymph node involvement. Nine patients underwent urinary diversion alone and 31 presented with perivesical or pelvic nodal tumor extension, or distant metastases. Only 8 of the 90 patients (9 per cent) had prior superficial bladder cancer. The mean survival for patients with stage B to C disease at diagnosis was 23 months and for those with stage D tumor it was 11 months.This experience indicates that the majority of patients with advanced bladder cancer are not identified at a stage when definitive therapy offers an excellent prognosis. More resources must be devoted to earlier detection.
Changing Use of Seventh Chords: A Replication of Mauch et al. (2015)

Mauch, MacCallum, Levy, and Leroi (2015) carried out a large-scale study of changes in American popular music between 1960 and 2010. Using signal processing methods, they found evidence suggesting a decreasing use of the dominant seventh chord and increasing use of the minor-minor seventh chord. While signal analysis methods have improved substantially in recent years, the accuracy of signal-based analysis remains imperfect. Using a contrasting method and independent musical sample, this paper reports converging evidence replicating these findings.
Fluids, Electrolytes, and Acid–Base Disorders

A 36-year-old woman is admitted for dizziness, weakness, poor appetite, fatigue, and salt-craving for 4 weeks. She has history of asthma, and not on any medications. She has a family history of type 1 diabetes and hypothyroidism. On admission, her blood pressure (BP) is 100/60 mmHg with a pulse rate of 100 (sitting), and 80/48 mmHg with a pulse rate of 120 beats/min (standing). Her temperature is 99.6 °F.
Biological and health effects of radiofrequency fields: Good study design and quality publications

During recent decades, researchers have used several different parameters to evaluate the biological and health effects of in vitro and in vivo exposure to non-ionizing radiofrequency fields in animals, humans and their isolated cells. The data reported in many of publications in peer-reviewed scientific journals were reviewed by the international and national expert groups of scientists for human risk assessment of exposure to radiofrequency fields. The criteria used for such assessment depended on the study design, methodology and reporting of the data in the publication. This paper describes the requirements for good study design and quality publications, and provides guidance and a checklist for researchers studying radiofrequency fields and other environmental agents.
Nucleolin Staining May Aid in the Identification of Circulating Prostate Cancer Cells

Abstract Introduction Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) have great potential as circulating biomarkers for solid malignancies. Currently available assays for CTC detection rely on epithelial markers with somewhat limited sensitivity and specificity. We found that the staining pattern of nucleolin, a common nucleolar protein in proliferative cells, separates CTCs from white blood cells (WBCs) in men with metastatic prostate cancer. Patients and Methods Whole peripheral blood from 3 men with metastatic prostate cancer was processed with the AccuCyte CTC system (RareCyte, Seattle, WA). Slides were immunostained with 4′,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI), anti–pan-cytokeratin, anti-CD45/CD66b/CD11b/CD14/CD34, and anti-nucleolin antibodies and detected using the CyteFinder system. DAPI nucleolin colocalization and staining pattern wavelet entropy were measured with novel image analysis software. Results A total of 33,718 DAPI-positive cells were analyzed with the novel imaging software, of which 45 (0.13%) were known CTCs based on the established AccuCyte system criteria. Nucleolin staining pattern for segmentable CTCs demonstrated greater wavelet entropy than that of WBCs (median wavelet entropy, 6.86 × 107 and 3.03 × 106, respectively; P = 2.92 × 10−22; approximated z statistic = 9.63). Additionally, the total nucleolin staining of CTCs was greater than that of WBCs (median total pixel intensity, 1.20 × 105 and 2.55 × 104 integrated pixel units, respectively; P = 2.40 × 10−21; approximated z statistic = 9.41). Conclusion Prostate cancer CTCs displayed unique nucleolin expression and localization compared to WBCs. This finding has the potential to serve as the basis for a sensitive and specific CTC detection method.
Cost Effectiveness of Multiple Sclerosis Therapeutic Strategies for Achieving No Evidence of Disease Activity (P2.193)

Objective: We aim to model the medication cost of achieving no evidence of disease activity (NEDA) over 3 years based on clinical trial data. Background: No evidence of disease activity has become an attainable goal using currently approved multiple sclerosis therapies. The cost of disease modifying medications has shown substantial increases in the last several years. Methods: A Decision tree analysis was used to model cost effectiveness of different disease modifying strategies over 3 year time period. Strategies were grouped in relation to route of administration and overall efficacy. Data sources included clinical trial rates of disease activity, complications, US market cost of different disease modifying medications and previously published utility values (QALY) for disease states. The reference case was a subject with early relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis and mild disability. Yearly utilities were discounted for disease activity (NEDA rates), complications, and death. One way sensitivity analysis was used to estimate effectiveness (using 95[percnt] confidence intervals of NEDA rates) and risk of complications (modeling JC virus status). A total of 8 treatment strategies were modeled with one decision node and 62 terminal nodes. Results: The most effective treatment strategy was natalizumab as a first line therapy with a three year utility of 2.0. The most cost effective therapy was alemtuzumab as first line therapy with a cost effectiveness of $79,086/QALY. Natalizumab was the only non-dominated strategy with an incremental cost effectiveness greatly exceeding $150,000 per QALY. Sensitivity analysis showed the results were robust despite a wide range of efficacy and complications. Escalation approaches initiating with oral or injectable agents were less effective and had lower cost effectiveness. Conclusions/Discussions Our results provide an estimate of cost effectiveness of different treatment approaches to relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis. Agents with the highest NEDA values in clinical trials were the most cost effective. Support: NIH(KL2TR000440)(DO) Disclosure: Dr. Ontaneda has received personal compensation for activities with Teva, Mallinckrodt, and Genzyme as a consultant. Dr. Henry has nothing to disclose.
Experiments on standing waves in a rectangular tank with a corrugated bed

An experimental investigation of resonant standing water waves in a rectangular tank with a corrugated bottom is reported. The study was stimulated by the theory of Howard & Yu (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 593, 2007, pp. 209–234) predicting the existence of normal modes that can be significantly affected by Bragg reflection/scattering. As a result, the amplitude of the standing waves (normal modes) varies exponentially along the entire length of the tank, or from the centre out in each direction, depending on the phase of the corrugations at the tank endwalls. Experiments were conducted in a 5 m tank fitted with a sinusoidal bottom with one adjustable endwall. Waves were excited by small-amplitude sinusoidal horizontal movement of the tank using an electrical motor drive system. Simultaneous time-series data of standing oscillations were recorded at well-separated positions along the tank to measure the growth in amplitude. Waveforms over a section of the tank were filmed through the transparent acrylic walls. Except for very shallow depths and near the tank endwalls, the experimental measurements of resonant frequencies, mean wavelengths, free-surface waveforms and amplitude growth are found in essential agreement with the Bragg resonant normal mode theory.
Chapter 43 – Cocaine Addiction and Adenosine A1 and A2A Receptors

Cocaine addiction results from creating complex neuroadaptations throughout the mesocorticolimbic system that result in cocaine intake, cocaine-associated learning, withdrawal, and relapse. Adenosine is a ubiquitous neuromodulator throughout the brain with pronounced effects in the striatum to diminish dopamine neurotransmission. These counteractive effects on dopamine are produced through intricate interactions with adenosine receptors that are colocalized with dopamine receptors at postsynaptic sites on striatal output neurons and at presynaptic locations on striatal dopamine and glutamate terminals. Adenosine receptors are therefore uniquely positioned to influence the key neurotransmitter systems that are disrupted in cocaine addiction. This chapter provides information relating to the endogenous functioning of the adenosine system, how the adenosine system is disrupted by cocaine administration, and how adenosine-related drugs may be useful in guiding development of pharmacotherapeutics.
Evidence for nonpathogenic relationships of Alternaria section Undifilum endophytes within three host locoweed plant species.

Locoweeds are legumes of the Astragalus and Oxytropis genera that live symbiotically with the fungal endosymbionts belonging to Alternaria section Undifilum. These endophytes produce the toxin swai...
A Laboratory Experiment to Demonstrate the Principles of Sedimentation in a Centrifuge: Estimation of Radius and Settling Velocity of Bacteria

Centrifugation is a major unit operation in chemical and biotechnology industries. Here we present a simple, hands-on laboratory experiment to teach the basic principles of centrifugation and to explore the shear effects of centrifugation using bacterial cells as model particles. This experiment provides training in the use of a bench-top centrifuge, handling of bacterial cells, and data analysis. Advanced pedagogical elements in this experiment include team skills coaching and the use of electronic lab notebooks. Several cognitive conflicts presented by centrifugation data fosters critical thinking and stimulates learning by prompting students to look beyond immediately apparent conclusions.
Emerging Voices of Tribal Perspectives in Water Resources

Tribal perspectives in water resources and education are often overlooked. Only recently, the field of hydrologic sciences began to include people in conducting science (Sivapalan et al. 2012) and to value indigenous perspectives with western science (Huntington 2002; Redsteer et al. 2012). The April 2018 issue of Journal of Contemporary Water Research & Education (JCWRE) explores emerging voices in tribal communities related to water resources quality and quantity and impacts to tribal water resources such as climate change and water use. This special issue begins with three foundational papers, providing a baseline understanding on water quality regulation, water quality disparities, and tribal economies as they relate to water settlements. The special issue features articles focusing on various water challenges facing tribes and the role of tribal colleges in addressing these challenges. There are less than 0.3% of Native American graduate students and post-doctorates in Science and Engineering and only a handful in hydrologic sciences and related sciences (NCSES 2016). While tribal lands are rich in natural resources and have significant water challenges (Cozetto et al. 2007; Smith and Frehner 2010), it is very unique that 67% of the lead authors are Native American including three Native American faculty, three Native American graduate students, and one Tribal College and University (TCU) Faculty. A deep discussion on water challenges facing tribes and Native American scientists working on these challenges are emerging voices of tribal perspectives in water resources.