cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Let's dockerize our classrooms: bringing the docker into the classroom: pre-conference workshop

"The hottest technology in Silicon Valley isn't from Uber Technologies Inc. or Instagram. It is from a startup called Docker Inc. that is charming the coders behind the world's websites and apps," the WSJ's Shira Ovide reports. Docker containers, wrap up a piece of software in a complete filesystem that contains everything it needs to run: code, runtime, system tools, system libraries - anything you can install on a server. This guarantees that it will always run the same, regardless of the environment it is running in. Docker Inc. and containers weren't on the typical CIO's agenda two years ago, but now more or less all IT departments are aware of Docker.
Impact of Ground Freezing on Seismic Performance of Bridge Pile Foundations Subject to Liquefaction-Induced Lateral Spread:

Lessons were learned from two major earthquakes in Alaska: the freezing of ground crust had a great influence on bridge pile foundation behavior during lateral spread. Based on a typical bridge from the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities bridge inventory, supported on commonly used pile foundations that penetrate a liquefiable sand layer, finite element (FE) modeling was used to study seismic performance of bridge foundations subject to liquefaction-induced lateral spread in two scenarios: the frozen case, in which a frozen ground crust represented typical winter conditions, and the unfrozen case, in which an unfrozen ground crust represented summer conditions. Soil reactions and pile responses were analyzed with solid–fluid coupled FE modeling. Results for both cases illustrate the key characteristics of pile performance. In addition, the effectiveness of the p-y approach for predicting the pile response under such a complex loading combination was confirmed by a comparison of the ...
Is Police Integrity an Important Predictor of Citizen Satisfaction in Police in Post-colonial Emerging Democracies? The Case of India

The focus of this study is to examine citizen satisfaction with the police. Specifically, the authors aim to understand the factors that determine citizen satisfaction with police services in India, a former English colony and a relatively new republic that has achieved a significant economic development in recent decades. Findings from analysis of a convenience sample (N = 845) obtained from four Northern states in India suggest that perceived procedural fairness, fear of crime, and age of the respondents predict satisfaction with police services. Moreover, perceived professionalism of police officers is found to increase their perceived procedural fairness.
The Role of Context in Young Learners’ Processes for Responding to Self-Assessment Items

Abstract: With use of self‐assessment (SA) of young language learners on the rise, educators of young learners often want to know what SA captures and how best to use it in order to assist their students’ learning. This study focuses on understanding how young learners’ processes for responding to SA items differ by age and by context of implementation (i.e., whether or not the SA items refer to a specific task, an after‐task condition, or are conducted in a decontextualized fashion, a generic condition). The participants were 31 primary school children learning English in Japan. They were divided into 2 age groups (ages 8–9 and 10–12). In both the generic and the after‐task conditions, the children were asked to respond to 9 SA items using a 5‐point Likert scale. The children's processes for responding to SAs were obtained through guided interviews. Analyses based on Higgins, Strauman, and Klein's (1986) model of self‐evaluation processes indicated that, while the children, irrespective of age, drew on a variety of relevant incidents and reference points when responding to SA in the generic condition, they primarily focused on the just‐completed tasks and perceived task requirements as reference points in the after‐task condition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
A Comparison of Two Settings for Stochastic Integration with Respect to Lévy Processes in Infinite Dimensions

We review two settings for stochastic integration with respect to infinite dimensional Levy processes. We relate notions of stochastic integration with respect to square-integrable Levy martingales, compound Poisson processes, Poisson random measures and compensated Poisson random measures. We use the Levy-Khinchin decomposition to decompose stochastic integrals with respect to general, non-square-integrable Levy processes into a Riemann integral and stochastic integrals with respect to a Wiener process, Poisson random measure and compensated Poisson random measure. Besides its intrinsic interest this review article is also meant as a step toward new studies in stochastic partial differential equations with Levy noise.
The Role of Cruciferous Vegetables and Isothiocyanates for Lung Cancer Prevention: Current Status, Challenges, and Future Research Directions.

Lung cancer remains a leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States. Although smoking and air pollution exposure are primary risk factors of lung cancer, diet has also been reported to contribute to lung cancer risk. Cruciferous vegetables contain many bioactive compounds that alter the detoxification process of air-borne carcinogenic compounds and, thereby, may decrease lung cancer risk. In the meta-analysis of 31 observational studies, cruciferous vegetable intake is inversely associated with lung cancer risk (summary odds ratio/relative risk = 0.81 and 95% confidence interval = 0.74-0.89 for comparing the highest with lowest intake categories). More observational studies need to measure urinary isothiocyanate (ITC) concentrations and investigate their association with lung cancer risk in populations with relatively high intake of cruciferous vegetables. Current evidence is limited to two phase 2 clinical trials with incomplete reporting. Hence, more short-term clinical phase 2 trials need to examine effects of various amounts and types of cruciferous vegetables on biomarkers of risk and efficacy before a large phase 3 trial can be conducted to assess effects upon lung cancer risk. This would help further elucidate whether the inverse association observed with self-reported cruciferous vegetable intake is indeed due to ITC content or other bioactive compounds.
Avoidance Learning and Escape Learning

The procedures used to study instrumental avoidance and escape learning are defined in two forms: active and passive, and are of two kinds: discrete-trial and free-operant. The general characteristics of the escape and avoidance responses have been found to differ and need not even be topographically similar. Because of this, avoidance learning is not simply a Pavlovian process involving stimulus substitution, so many theoretical accounts of avoidance learning have involved mediation by conditioned or learned fear. The most robustly supported account is the two-process theory, which postulates Pavlovian aversive conditioning of the warning signal during escape trials, and instrumental learning of the escape response (reinforced by shock termination and reduction in pain) and of the avoidance response (reinforced by termination of the warning signal and/or prevention of the impending painful stimulus). Strong support for this model comes from experiments using a transfer paradigm in which Pavlovian conditioned stimuli are superimposed on operant baselines of responding, although cognitive theories dispute that model. Recent work has utilized selective breeding for extreme differences in avoidance learning to document the genetic contribution to individual differences in this form of learning, which is now being studied at the molecular genetic level.
Chemical Analysis of Courtship Pheromones in a Plethodontid Salamander

We analyzed extracts from specialized male glands that are hypertrophied only during the courtship season in the terrestrial salamander Plethodon jordani (Plethodontidae). Protein analysis and gel electrophoresis revealed approximately 20 bands of protein components (as separated by molecular weight), many of which were glycoproteins. Analyses by high performance liquid chromatography and amino acid sequencing reveal that approximately 85% of the pheromone protein extract was accounted for by two components (and their isoforms). These components were termed Pj-22 and Pj-10 to reflect their respective molecular weights of approximately 22 kDa and 10 kDa. The chemical nature of Pj-22 fits the profile for odorants (known from other vertebrates) that stimulate the vomeronasal organ and can ultimately affect reproductive behavior. Our data are considered in the context of separate behavioral experiments with P. jordani that indicated: (a) delivery of pooled gland extracts resulted in increased female receptivity, and (b) an enriched solution of Pj-22 also was effective at increasing female receptivity.
Environmental Extremists in the Virgo Cluster

Many types of galaxy interactions have been posited to occur in clusters, although it remains unclear which processes actually occur, and which ones might help explain the tendency for early type galaxies to inhabit high density environments, or cause the rapid evolution of cluster galaxies (e.g., Dressier et al. 1997). With these questions in mind, we have been conducting an environmental inventory of galaxies in the Virgo Cluster. Our approach is to combine surveys of spirals and SOs with detailed studies of the most interesting and peculiar galaxies. In this paper, we describe two main points. 1.) There is a population of spiral galaxies in the Virgo cluster with the small central light concentrations (bulge-to-disk ratios, or B/D’s) characteristic of isolated Sb and Sc galaxies, but global star formation rates lower than those of isolated spirals of any Hubble class (Sa-Sc). These Virgo galaxies are generally classified as “early type” (e.g. Sa), and thus contribute to the morphology-density relationship. pp2.) There are several types of environmental interactions occurring in Virgo, including low velocity tidal interactions and mergers, high velocity tidal interactions and collisions, HI accretion, and ICM-ISM stripping. We discuss examples of some of these interactions.
Partial Titanium-Vanadium Phase Diagram

Titanium and vanadium form a complete series of solid solutions at temperatures above 885°C. Below 885°C, vanadium is slightly soluble in α titanium (about 1.5 pet V at 650°C) and a two-phase α plus β region extends to 18.5 pet V at 650°C. The alloys up to 15.0 pet V transform into a supersaturated α solid solution upon rapid cooling from the β phase. Above 15 pet V the β phase may be retained. The temperature at which the β to β martensite-type transformation takes place decreases steadily from 850°C for 0.5 pct V to 325°C for 12.7 pct V.
An Interprofessional Approach to Teaching Nutrition Counseling to Medical Students.

Introduction Many physicians do not feel competent providing nutritional counseling to patients. A minimum of 25 hours dedicated to nutrition is recommended in preclinical years, but only 40% of U....
A Man for Others: The life and times of Lebanese Jesuit Henri Lammens (1862–1937)

The mere mention of Henri Lammens, Society of Jesus (SJ), provokes unease, notorious as this militant “priest-scholar” has become in postcolonial circles. Yet his failings notwithstanding, Lammens ...
Socioeconomic Status and Adolescent Alcohol Involvement: Evidence for a Gene-Environment Interaction.

Objective:Adolescence is an optimal developmental stage for examining the interplay of environmental factors and the genetic risk for alcohol involvement. The current study aimed to examine how soc...
The imprints of contemporary mass redistribution on local sea level and vertical land motion observations

Abstract. Observations from permanent Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) stations are commonly used to correct tide-gauge observations for vertical land motion (VLM). We combine GRACE (Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment) observations and an ensemble of glacial isostatic adjustment (GIA) predictions to assess and evaluate the impact of solid-Earth deformation (SED) due to contemporary mass redistribution and GIA on VLM trends derived from GNSS stations. This mass redistribution causes relative sea-level (RSL) and SED patterns that not only vary in space but also exhibit large interannual variability signals. We find that for many stations, including stations in coastal locations, this deformation causes VLM trends on the order of 1 mm yr−1 or higher. In multiple regions, including the Amazon Basin and large parts of Australia, the SED trend flips sign between the first half and second half of the 15-year GRACE record. GNSS records often only span a few years, and due to these interannual variations SED causes substantial biases when the linear trends in these short records are extrapolated back in time. We propose a new method to avoid this potential bias in the VLM-corrected tide-gauge record: instead of correcting tide-gauge records for the observed VLM trend, we first remove the effects from GIA and contemporary mass redistributions from the VLM observations before computing the VLM trend. This procedure reduces the extrapolation bias induced by SED, and it also avoids the bias due to sea-floor deformation: SED includes net sea-floor deformation, which is ignored in global-mean sea-level reconstructions based on VLM-corrected tide-gauge data. We apply this method to 8166 GNSS stations. With this separation, we are able to explain a large fraction of the discrepancy between observed sea-level trends at multiple long tide-gauge records and the global-mean sea-level trend from recent reconstructions.
Accidental tourists: Yanks in Rome, 1944–1945

Although tourism is usually considered intentional, sometimes people ‘accidentally’ find themselves in alluring places with time on their hands. Such was the case for tens of thousands of American ...
Chapter 11: Environmental Valuation: Voting and Referenda

This is chapter 11 of Environmental Economics: An Integrated Approach and deals with the pros and cons of voting as a means of deciding about environmental policies.
Microscale to mesoscale analysis of parenchymal tethering: the effect of heterogeneous alveolar pressures on the pulmonary mechanics of compliant airways

A destabilized lung leads to airway and alveolar collapse that can result in catastrophic pulmonary failure. This study elucidates the micromechanical effects of alveolar collapse and determines it...
Temperature perturbation related to the invisible ink vibrationally excited nitric oxide monitoring (VENOM) technique: a simulation study

The limits of applicability of the invisible ink variant of the vibrationally excited nitric oxide monitoring (VENOM) technique for three distinct flow fields is reported in this work. This technique involves the generation of a grid of vibrationally excited NO (X,Π2) by exciting the NO A-X electronic transition at 226 nm, which subsequently relaxes via fluorescence and collisional quenching to produce vibrationally excited NO (X,Π2). This grid is then probed by two laser sheets tuned to distinct rotational states. The resulting images allow for the simultaneous measurement of temperature and velocity. The flow fields presented in this work provide a range of NO concentrations, vibrational lifetimes, pressures, temperatures, and collisional quenching, which explore the applicability of the invisible ink variant to a wide range of conditions. We have modelled the initial NO, O2, and N2 vibrational and rotational energy distribution resulting from the combination of fluorescence and quenching of electronically excited NO. The subsequent rethermalization of the sample, in particular the long-time vibrational relaxation, has been modelled using a forced harmonic oscillator model. The time-dependent temperature perturbation due to the invisible ink technique is evaluated for two distinct timescales: a short-timescale temperature rise resulting from collisional quenching and rotational/translational thermalization and a long-timescale temperature rise caused by vibrational thermalization. Under low pressures where fluorescence dominates quenching, there is minimal temperature perturbation of the flow field on the timescale of a VENOM measurement, and the short-timescale temperature perturbation only becomes significant at high NO seed concentrations. The predicted signal-to-noise ratio of the invisible ink method is unaffected for low-pressure, low-temperature flow fields. However, preserving signal-to-noise ratio for a high-temperature, high-pressure flow field could prove challenging due to the impact of quenching and self-absorption. Overall, we find that the invisible ink method is predicted to be a viable laser-based diagnostic for velocimetry and thermometry over a wide range of experimental conditions.
Verifications of Schottky's Conjecture

Schottky's Conjecture posits that the geometric field enhancement produced by a hybrid shape formed from a small perturbation on a larger base is the product of the individual field enhancement factors of the base and perturbation in isolation. This is a powerful concept with practical applications to understanding field emitter design and operation, as actual field emitters have complicated surface shapes with structure and, therefore, contributions to field enhancement, occurring simultaneously on many length scales. Recent studies of the Conjecture imply that the degree to which it accurately predicts a hybrid structure's total field enhancement depends on the degree of self-similarity between the base and perturbation shapes. To explore these aspects of the Conjecture, we have used the zero-potential surface produced by simple charge distributions to produce compound shapes with small perturbations on larger base structures. In the limit of small perturbation strength, these simple models adequately approximate idealized compound shapes, such a hemisphere-on-hemisphere geometry. Changing the base shape and the location of the perturbation allows us to selectively degrade the self-similarity present in the problem geometry. Proofs of the Schottky Conjecture in the limit of small perturbation strength will be provided, using these techniques, for hemisphere-on-hemisphere and half-cylinder-on-half-cylinder systems—the latter being the geometry considered by Schottky and for which the Conjecture was first proposed, but not proven.
THU0669 GESTATIONAL AGE AT BIRTH AND THE RISK OF AUTOIMMUNE DISEASE

Background A preterm newborn has an immature immune system. Although preterm birth is associated with autoimmune hypothyreosis, it is unclear, whether it also could lead to an overall increased risk of autoimmune disease. Objective We assessed whether a shorter gestation increases the risk of special reimbursement for medication for hypothyreosis, rheumatic disease, or ulcerative colitis/Crohn’s disease Design/Methods A total of 235 622 children were born in Finland from Jan 1987 to Sep 1990, according to the Medical birth register, which provided also gestational age (GA) at birth. Data were linked by help of the personal identity number. A register held by the Social Insurance Institution provided the data on special reimbursements. We calculated cumulative incidences within gestational age groups until December 2014 and tested statistical significance by the chi-squared –test. Results At the end of the follow-up, 1354 men and 2200 women had at least one of the specified autoimmune diseases. The cumulative incidences differed by gestational age only regarding a 50% higher incidence for hypothyreosis among all subgroups of preterm wome (P=0.05). No other clear patterns were seen regarding autoimmune diseases among preterm born or early term born subgroups. Conclusion(s) Those born preterm develop hypothyreosis more often. However, the two other composite categories of autoimmune diseases were unrelated to gestational age pointing against an overall tendency toward autoimmune disease in preterm born young adults. Cumulative incidence (1/100,000) of four groups of autoimmune diseases 202 Disseminated connective tissue disorders, rheumatoid arthritis and other rheumatic diseases (A04.6, A39.8, A50.5, D76.0, D76.3, H20.1, H30, I33.0, I40.8, J84, K50.9, K51.9, K73.2, K74.3, K83.0, L40.5, M02, M05, M06, M08, M13.9, M30–M35, M45, M46.1, M46.9, M94.1, N03, N04, Q44.2). 104 Hypothyreosis 208 Ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s disease Disclosure of Interests: Petteri Hovi Consultant for: Pfizer, Paid instructor for: Pfizer, Suvi Alenius: None declared, Pieta Nasanen-Gilmore: None declared, Mika Gissler: None declared, Eero Kajantie: None declared
Behavioral Treatment for the Social-Emotional Difficulties of Preadolescent and Adolescent Girls with ADHD.

Girls with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are at high risk for peer difficulties that often persist into adolescence and adulthood and portend risk for additional difficulties, suc...
Analytical Current Transport Modeling of Monolayer Molybdenum Disulfide-Based Dual Gate Tunnel Field Effect Transistor

In this paper, we present a current transport model of MoS2-based dual gate tunnel field effect transistor from both analytical and numerical techniques. In analytical modeling, two-dimensional (2D) model of potential distribution with its corresponding energy level for the hetero-junction has been solved and implemented with Landauer current transport mechanism. The output characteristics have been compared with the quantum mechanical solution obtained from non-equilibrium Green's function (NEGF) formalism. The sub-threshold slope (SS), obtained from analytical and NEGF methods are 10 mV/decade and 12.6 mV/decade with on/off current ratio of 107 and 106, respectively at VDS = 0.5 V. We have considered scattering mechanism into our calculation and have shown that carrier transportation for 20 nm channel length is diffusive. In addition, scattering reduces the on current by an order of magnitude, and resembles good agreement with the atomistic simulation. Lastly, mobility and ionized impurity concentration for our proposed structure have been calculated as 27.2 cm2/Vs and 1.17 × 1013/cm2.
Analyzing gaze behavior for text-embellished narrative visualizations under different task scenarios

Abstract We conduct an eye tracking study to investigate perception text-embellished narrative visualizations under different task conditions. Study stimuli are data visualizations embellished with text-based elements: annotations, captions, labels, and descriptive text. We consider three common viewing tasks that occur when these types of graphics are viewed: (1) simple observation, (2) active search to answer a query, and (3) information memorization for later recall. The overarching goal is to understand, at a perceptual level, if and how task affects how these visualizations are interacted with. By analyzing collected gaze data and conducting advanced semantic scanpath analysis, we find, at a high level, diverse patterns of gaze behavior: simple observation and information memorization lead to similar optical viewing strategies, while active search significantly diverges, both in regards to which areas of the visualization are focused upon and how often embellishments are interacted with. We discuss study outcomes in the context of embellishing visualizations with text for various usage scenarios.
Opportunities for Stewardship in the Transition From Intravenous to Enteral Antibiotics in Hospitalized Pediatric Patients.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVE Pediatric patients hospitalized with bacterial infections often receive intravenous (IV) antibiotics. Early transition to enteral antibiotics can reduce hospital duration, cost, and complications. We aimed to identify opportunities to transition from IV to enteral antibiotics, describe variation of transition among hospitals, and evaluate feasibility of novel stewardship metrics. METHODS This multisite retrospective cohort study used the Pediatric Health Information System to identify pediatric patients hospitalized with pneumonia, neck infection, orbital infection, urinary tract infection (UTI), osteomyelitis, septic arthritis, or skin and soft tissue infection (SSTI) between 2017 and 2018. Opportunity days were defined as days on which patients received both IV antibiotics and enteral medications, suggesting enteral tolerance. Percent opportunity was defined as opportunity days divided by days on any antibiotics. Both outcomes excluded IV antibiotics that have no alternative oral formulation. We evaluated outcomes per infection and antibiotic and assessed across-hospital variation. RESULTS We identified 88,522 aggregate opportunity days in 100,103 hospitalizations. On 57% of the antibiotic days, there was an opportunity to switch patients to enteral therapy, with greatest opportunity days in SSTI, neck infection, and pneumonia encounters, and with clindamycin, ceftriaxone, and ampicillin-sulbactam. Percent opportunity varied by infection (73% in septic arthritis to 40% in pneumonia). There was significant across-hospital variation in percent opportunity for all infections. CONCLUSION This multicenter study demonstrated the potential opportunity to transition from IV to enteral therapy in over half of antibiotic days. Opportunity varied by infection, antibiotic, and hospital. Across-hospital variation demonstrated likely missed opportunities for earlier transition and the need to define optimal transition times. Stewardship efforts promoting earlier transition for highly bioavailable antibiotics could reduce healthcare utilization and promote high-value care. We identified feasible stewardship metrics.
Cell-type-specific recruitment of GABAergic interneurons in the primary somatosensory cortex by long-range inputs

Extensive hierarchical yet highly reciprocal interactions among cortical areas are fundamental for information processing. However, connectivity rules governing the specificity of such corticocortical connections, and top-down feedback projections in particular, are poorly understood. We analyze synaptic strength from functionally relevant brain areas to diverse neuronal types in the primary somatosensory cortex (S1). Long-range projections from different areas preferentially engage specific sets of GABAergic neurons in S1. Projections from other somatosensory cortices strongly recruit parvalbumin (PV)-positive GABAergic neurons and lead to PV neuron-mediated feedforward inhibition of pyramidal neurons in S1. In contrast, inputs from whisker-related primary motor cortex are biased to vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP)-positive GABAergic neurons and potentially result in VIP neuron-mediated disinhibition. Regardless of the input areas, somatostatin-positive neurons receive relatively weak long-range inputs. Computational analyses suggest that a characteristic combination of synaptic inputs to different GABAergic IN types in S1 represents a specific long-range input area.
Protecting local water quality has global benefits

Surface water is among Earth’s most important resources. Yet, benefit–cost studies often report that the costs of water quality protection exceed its benefits. One possible reason for this seeming paradox is that often only a narrow range of local water quality benefits are considered. In particular, the climate damages from water pollution have rarely been quantified. Recent advances in global water science allow the computation of the global methane emission from lakes caused by human nutrient enrichment (eutrophication). Here, we estimate the present value of the global social cost of eutrophication-driven methane emissions from lakes between 2015 and 2050 to be $7.5–$81 trillion (2015 $US), and in a case-study for one well-studied lake (Lake Erie) we find the global value of avoiding eutrophication exceeds local values of either beach use or sport fishing by 10-fold. Clean water is a fundamental resource, yet the economic impacts of pollution, drinking water availability, and greenhouse gas emissions from freshwaters are unknown. Here the authors combine models with economic assessments and find trillions of dollars in savings by mitigating lake methane emissions.
Adding a New Dimension to Grief Counseling: Creative Personal Ritual as a Therapeutic Tool for Loss, Trauma and Transition.

This article explores the use of creative personal rituals and ceremonies for accepting loss, managing strong emotions and inviting the sacred into the grief journey. These tools can help clinician...
qTeller: A tool for comparative multi-genomic gene expression analysis.

Motivation Over the last decade, RNA-Seq whole-genome sequencing has become a widely used method for measuring and understanding transcriptome-level changes in gene expression. Since RNA-Seq is relatively inexpensive, it can be used on multiple genomes to evaluate gene expression across many different conditions, tissues, and cell types. Although many tools exist to map and compare RNA-Seq at the genomics level, few web-based tools are dedicated to making data generated for individual genomic analysis accessible and reusable at a gene-level scale for comparative analysis between genes, across different genomes, and meta-analyses. Results To address this challenge, we revamped the comparative gene expression tool qTeller to take advantage of the growing number of public RNA-Seq datasets. qTeller allows users to evaluate gene expression data in a defined genomic interval and also perform two-gene comparisons across multiple user-chosen tissues. Though previously unpublished, qTeller has been cited extensively in the scientific literature, demonstrating its importance to researchers. Our new version of qTeller now supports multiple genomes for intergenomic comparisons, and includes capabilities for both mRNA and protein abundance datasets. Other new features include support for additional data formats, modernized interface and back-end database, and an optimized framework for adoption by other organisms' databases. Availability The source code for qTeller is open-source and available through GitHub (https://github.com/Maize-Genetics-and-Genomics-Database/qTeller). A maize instance of qTeller is available at the Maize Genetics and Genomics database (MaizeGDB) (https://qteller.maizegdb.org/), where we have mapped over 200 unique datasets from GenBank across 27 maize genomes. Supplementary information Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
DNA damage in cancer development: special implications in viral oncogenesis

DNA lesions arise from a combination of physiological/metabolic sources and exogenous environmental influences. When left unrepaired, these alterations accumulate in the cells and can give rise to mutations that change the function of important proteins (i.e. tumor suppressors, oncoproteins), or cause chromosomal rearrangements (i.e. gene fusions) that also result in the deregulation of key cellular molecules. Progressive acquisition of such genetic changes promotes uncontrolled cell proliferation and evasion of cell death, and hence plays a key role in carcinogenesis. Another less-studied consequence of DNA damage accumulating in the host genome is the integration of oncogenic DNA viruses such as Human papillomavirus, Merkel cell polyomavirus, and Hepatitis B virus. This critical step of viral-induced carcinogenesis is thought to be particularly facilitated by DNA breaks in both viral and host genomes. Therefore, the impact of DNA damage on carcinogenesis is magnified in the case of such oncoviruses via the additional effect of increasing integration frequency. In this review, we briefly present the various endogenous and exogenous factors that cause different types of DNA damage. Next, we discuss the contribution of these lesions in cancer development. Finally, we examine the amplified effect of DNA damage in viral-induced oncogenesis and summarize the limited data existing in the literature related to DNA damage-induced viral integration. To conclude, additional research is needed to assess the DNA damage pathways involved in the transition from viral infection to cancer. Discovering that a certain DNA damaging agent increases the likelihood of viral integration will enable the development of prophylactic and therapeutic strategies designed specifically to prevent such integration, with an ultimate goal of reducing or eliminating these viral-induced malignancies.
Can changes of workrate and seat position affect frontal and sagittal plane knee biomechanics in recumbent cycling

Changes in the workrate and seat position have been linked to changes in internal knee extension moment. However, there is limited research on effects of those changes on knee kinetics in recumbent bike. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of different seat positions and workrates on KAbM, knee extension moment and perceived effort during stationary recumbent cycling. Fifteen cyclists cycled on a recumbent ergometer in 6 test conditions of pedalling in far, medium and close seat positions in each of the two workrates of 60 and 100 W at the cadence of 80 RPM. A three-dimensional motion analysis system and a pair of instrumented pedals collected kinematic and kinetic data. A 3 ×2 repeated measures ANOVA was used to examine the effect of seat positions and workrates on selected variables of interest. Different seat positions did not change either peak KAbM (p = 0.592) or knee extension moment (p = 0.132). Increased workrates significantly increased peak KAbM (p <0.001 and ηp2 =0.794) and knee extension moment (p <0.001 and ηp2=0.722). This study showed that the far or close seat position did not increase frontal-plane or overall knee joint loading and provided evidence for prescribing recumbent bike for healthy population.
Erythropoietic Protoporphyria — the Disease, and its Treatment with Beta-Carotene

The clinical, biochemical and photobiological characteristics of the photosensitivity disease, erythropoietic protoporphyria, are presented. Treatment of this disease with beta-carotene is also discussed.
New Theory of the Earth: Let's take it from the top: the crust and upper mantle

ZOE: Come and I'll peel off. BLOOM: (feeling his occiput dubiously with the unparalleled embarrassment of a harassed pedlar gauging the symmetry of her peeled pears) Somebody would be dreadfully jealous if she knew. James Joyce, Ulysses The broad-scale structure of the Earth's interior is well known from seismology, and knowledge of the fine structure is improving continuously. Seismology not only provides the structure, it also provides information about the composition, mineralogy, dynamics and physical state. A 1D seismological model of the Earth is shown in Figure 8.1. Earth is conventionally divided into crust, mantle and core, but each of these has subdivisions that are almost as fundamental (Tables 8.1 and 8.2). Bullen subdivided the Earth's interior into shells, from A (the crust) through G (the inner core). The lower mantle, starting at 1000 km depth, is the largest subdivision, and therefore it dominates any attempt to perform major-element mass balance calculations. The crust is the smallest solid subdivision, but it has an importance far in excess of its relative size because we live on it and extract our resources from it, and, as we shall see, it contains a large fraction of the terrestrial inventory of many elements. The crust The major divisions of the Earth's interior – crust, mantle and core – have been known from seismology for about 80 years. These are based on the reflection and refraction of P- and S-waves.
A Homotopic Residual Correction Process

We present a homotopic residual correction algorithm for the computation of the inverses and generalized inverses of structured matrices. The algorithm simplifies the process proposed in [P92], and so does our analysis of its convergence rate, compared to [P92]. The algorithm promises to be practically useful.
L-Phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (maize, potato, and Rhodotorula glutinis) Explaining the kinetic effects of substrate modification by linear free-energy relationships.

Abstract The action of phenylalanine ammonia-lyase [EC 4.3.1.5] on a series of para-substituted l -phenylalanines has been investigated. Multiple linear regression analysis has been used to relate the logs of kcat, Km, and k cat K m to substituent parameters for electron withdrawal, hydrophobic bonding, and size. The inhibitory action of the enantiomeric d -phenylalanines was also investigated. The results indicate that the rate-limiting step is not subsequent to the release of cinnamate from the enzyme. Explanations for the observed regression constants are discussed in terms of the influence of the substituent parameters on the dissociation constant for the bound substrate, the rate-limiting step, and intermediate steps such as the elimination process. The discussion utilizes a new theoretical treatment of the application of linear free-energy relationships to steady-state enzyme kinetics. It is shown that, in order to interpret structure-activity correlations in terms of rate and equilibrium constants for an unbranched catalytic sequence, a restricted model must apply. The reaction must have a single rate-limiting step so that quasi-equilibrium conditions prevail. In the QE-DS (quasi-equilibrium dominant-state) model, a single state of the enzyme-substrate complex is assumed to predominate. In the QE-FR (quasi-equilibrium fixed-ratio) model, changes in the enzyme substituents are assumed not to alter the ratio between the different forms of the enzyme-substrate complex prior to the rate-limiting step.
Collector field maintenance: distributed solar thermal systems

This paper reports on recent operation and maintenance experiences with distributed solar thermal systems. Although some information on system- level operation and maintenance requirements will be included, the emphasis will be on reporting collector field maintenance experiences.
Drug Interactions for Growth Factors and Hormones

The focus of this chapter is on four recombinant growth factor products (erythropoietins, G-CSF, KGF, and thrombopoietins) and three hormone products (glucagon,somatropin, and pegvisomant). We compiled the information related to drug interactions found in scientific publications and regulatory agency approved labeling documents. We reference U.S. prescribing information (PI) from the Drugs@FDA website and European summary of product characteristics (SPC) from the European Medicines Agency (EMA)'s website for European public assessment reports (EPARs). In addition, we gathered information from manufacturers and other interest groups that also post up-to-date labeling documents on their product websites. Keywords: growth factors; hormones; pharmacokinetics; recombinant-derived products; drug interactions; clinical studies
Fast algorithms for the electromagnetic simulation of planar structures

This paper reviews the state of the art in fast integral equation techniques for solving large scale electromagnetic radiation and compatibility problems. The fast multipole method (FMM) and its frequency and time domain derivatives are discussed. These techniques permit the rapid evaluation of fields due to known sources and hence accelerate the solution of boundary value problems arising in the analysis of a wide variety of electromagnetic phenomena. Specifically, the application of the steepest descent fast multipole method (SDFMM) and the thin stratified medium fast multipole algorithm (TSM-FMA) to the frequency domain analysis of radiation from microstrip structures residing on finite and infinite substrates and ground planes, respectively, is described. In addition, the extension of the FMM concept to plane wave time domain (PWTD) algorithms that permit the analysis of transient phenomena is outlined.
The Grass Isn’t Always Greener: Perceptions of and Performance on Open-Note Exams

Undergraduate biology education is often viewed as being focused on memorization rather than development of students' critical-thinking abilities. We speculated that open-note testing would be an easily implemented change that would emphasize higher-order thinking. As open-note testing is not commonly used in the biological sciences and the literature on its effects in biology education is sparse, we performed a comprehensive analysis of this intervention on a primary literature-based exam across three large-enrollment laboratory courses. Although students believed open-note testing would impact exam scores, we found no effect on performance, either overall or on questions of nearly all Bloom's levels. Open-note testing also produced no advantage when examined under a variety of parameters, including research experience, grade point average, course grade, prior exposure to primary literature-focused laboratory courses, or gender. Interestingly, we did observe small differences in open- and closed-note exam performance and perception for students who experienced open-note exams for an entire quarter. This implies that student preparation or in-test behavior can be altered by exposure to open-note testing conditions in a single course and that -increased experience may be necessary to truly understand the impact of this intervention.
Use and Misuse of Balance Studies

Balance studies are inadequate tools to determine human requirements for minerals and trace elements. At best, they estimate the amount of an element in a specified diet that maintains the existing pool size of the test subject. The relevance of pool size to health remains to be established by different and independent means.
SDN transport architecture and challenges

SDN architecture based on separation of control and data functions enables realization of programmability and application aware networking. High level reference architecture components are discussed and potential challenges are outlined for implementation.
Moral reasoning and concern for the environment

The relation between Kohlberg's cognitive moral reasoning and concern for the environment was measured in 158 college students. Rest's Defining Issues Test and Thompson and Barton's measure of environmental attitudes were administered. Principled moral reasoning, the weighted ranking of responses at the most advanced level of moral development, correlated positively with ecocentrism (belief in the intrinsic importance of nature), negatively with environmental apathy, and was unrelated to anthropocentrism (belief that nature is important because it is central to human wellbeing). Ecocentrism, the only attitude that has been found in previous research to correspond with environmentally friendly behavior, was predicted by principled moral reasoning, gender, and college major.
Regulator Trafficking on Bacterial Transcription Units In Vivo

The trafficking patterns of the bacterial regulators of transcript elongation sigma(70), rho, NusA, and NusG on genes in vivo and the explanation for promoter-proximal peaks of RNA polymerase (RNAP) are unknown. Genome-wide, E. coli ChIP-chip revealed distinct association patterns of regulators as RNAP transcribes away from promoters (rho first, then NusA, then NusG). However, the interactions of elongating complexes with these regulators did not differ significantly among most transcription units. A modest variation of NusG signal among genes reflected increased NusG interaction as transcription progresses, rather than functional specialization of elongating complexes. Promoter-proximal RNAP peaks were offset from sigma(70) peaks in the direction of transcription and co-occurred with NusA and rho peaks, suggesting that the RNAP peaks reflected elongating, rather than initiating, complexes. However, inhibition of rho did not increase RNAP levels within genes downstream from the RNAP peaks, suggesting the peaks are caused by a mechanism other than rho-dependent attenuation.
On the existence of small amplitude solitary waves with strong surface tension

An existence theory for small amplitude solitary waves with surface tension effects included is developed for large values of the surface tension parameter (β > 13). Using ideas of Beale, the Nash-Moser implicit function theorem is applied to justify the well-known approximation of Korteweg and deVries. Some of the recent results of Amick and Kirchgassner are thereby achieved more directly and additional insight obtained for the open case β < 13.
A Mission Controller for High Level Control of Autonomous and Semi-Autonomous Underwater Vehicles

This paper reports the development of a new mission controller to provide high-level control for autonomous and semi-autonomous vehicle operation. The mission controller is capable of: (a) the continuous monitor, detection and response to vehicle subsystem status, (b) the detection and response to the availability of a tethered (fiber optic) or untethered (acoustic) telemetry link, and (c) the ability to dynamically load and executing new mission scripts based upon commands sent via an acoustic or fiber telemetry link or from within a mission script, (d) support for real-time and fast-time simulated missions with simulated message traffic to the low level controller. Mission scripts support the programming functionality of: (a) "For" and "While" Loops, (b) "If/Else" conditionals, (c) variable declarations, (d) subroutines defined within the mission script that are accessible by the mission controller, (e) usage and alteration of variables defined within the mission controller. This mission controller is designed to provide high-level control to underwater vehicles including fully autonomous AUVs, acoustically controlled AUVs and a new class of hybrid vehicle capable of operating both as an ROV and as an AUV built upon, but not exclusive to, the existing Jason II control system architecture. This mission controller is currently operational on the Johns Hopkins University Remotely Operated Vehicle (JHU ROV) and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution's (WHOI's) Sentry AUV. We expect it to be operational on WHOI's Hybrid Remotely Operated Vehicle in May 2007. We report the results of preliminary engineering trials of the mission controller in operation on the WHOI's Sentry AUV
Inter-observer variation in the diagnosis of coronal articular fracture lines in the lunate facet of the distal radius

Background Several studies support the use of CT for diagnosing coronal fractures of the distal radius but the inter-observer reliability of these observations is less well studied. We tested the null hypothesis that radiographs alone and the combination of radiographs and two-dimensional computed tomography scans (2DCT) have the same inter-observer variation for the diagnosis of coronal articular fracture lines in the distal radius.
A broadband CPW-to-microstrip via-less transition for on wafer package probing applications

A broadband CPW to microstrip via-less transition is proposed and the optimal design is discussed. Simulation and measurement results are given. The results of the transition as multiline TRL calibration standards are presented.
Panic and panic attacks in adolescents

Abstract Patients seeking treatment for panic disorder typically report their panic onset to have been in their late 20s. Epidemiologic and other survey samples indicate that the age of onset of panics is in the late teens. The present survey study examined this and other issues related to the conditions of onset of panic and the relationship of panics to depression, psychosocial stresses, and social support in a sample of 660 adolescents, aged 13 to 18. Four groups were formed based on presence and intensity of panic attacks: No panic (36%), Mild panic (47%), Moderate panic (10%), and Severe panic (5.4%). Females were significantly more likely to be in the more severe groups than males. The median age of onset of panic attacks was 13 years and did not differ as a function of gender or panic severity. Symptom profiles during panics were highly comparable to those reported by others; situations in which attacks occurred were also essentially the same. The more severe panic groups reported significantly more school and family stresses, greater depression, less family support, and more uncued panic attacks. Ten percent of the Severe panic group and 2.9% of the total sample were currently in treatment for their panic. These results indicate panic attacks and panic disorder begin for some during adolescence. Patterns and symptomatology are highly consistent with those reported in adult and clinical samples.