cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Regulation of DNA repair mechanism in human glioma xenograft cells both in vitro and in vivo in nude mice.

Background Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM) is the most lethal form of brain tumor. Efficient DNA repair and anti-apoptotic mechanisms are making glioma treatment difficult. Proteases such as MMP9, cathepsin B and urokinase plasminogen activator receptor (uPAR) are over expressed in gliomas and contribute to enhanced cancer cell proliferation. Non-homologous end joining (NHEJ) repair mechanism plays a major role in double strand break (DSB) repair in mammalian cells. Methodology/Principal Findings Here we show that silencing MMP9 in combination with uPAR/cathepsin B effects NHEJ repair machinery. Expression of DNA PKcs and Ku70/80 at both mRNA and protein levels in MMP9-uPAR (pMU) and MMP9-cathepsin B (pMC) shRNA-treated glioma xenograft cells were reduced. FACS analysis showed an increase in apoptotic peak and proliferation assays revealed a significant reduction in the cell population in pMU- and pMC-treated cells compared to untreated cells. We hypothesized that reduced NHEJ repair led to DSBs accumulation in pMU- and pMC-treated cells, thereby initiating cell death. This hypothesis was confirmed by reduced Ku70/Ku80 protein binding to DSB, increased comet tail length and elevated γH2AX expression in treated cells compared to control. Immunoprecipitation analysis showed that EGFR-mediated lowered DNA PK activity in treated cells compared to controls. Treatment with pMU and pMC shRNA reduced the expression of DNA PKcs and ATM, and elevated γH2AX levels in xenograft implanted nude mice. Glioma cells exposed to hypoxia and irradiation showed DSB accumulation and apoptosis after pMU and pMC treatments compared to respective controls. Conclusion/Significance Our results suggest that pMU and pMC shRNA reduce glioma proliferation by DSB accumulation and increase apoptosis under normoxia, hypoxia and in combination with irradiation. Considering the radio- and chemo-resistant cancers favored by hypoxia, our study provides important therapeutic potential of MMP9, uPAR and cathepsin B shRNA in the treatment of glioma from clinical stand point.
Plasma membrane translocation of trimerized MLKL protein is required for TNF-induced necroptosis

The mixed lineage kinase domain-like protein (MLKL) has recently been identified as a key RIP3 (receptor interacting protein 3) downstream component of tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-induced necroptosis. MLKL is phosphorylated by RIP3 and is recruited to the necrosome through its interaction with RIP3. However, it is still unknown how MLKL mediates TNF-induced necroptosis. Here, we report that MLKL forms a homotrimer through its amino-terminal coiled-coil domain and locates to the cell plasma membrane during TNF-induced necroptosis. By generating different MLKL mutants, we demonstrated that the plasma membrane localization of trimerized MLKL is critical for mediating necroptosis. Importantly, we found that the membrane localization of MLKL is essential for Ca(2+) influx, which is an early event of TNF-induced necroptosis. Furthermore, we identified that TRPM7 (transient receptor potential melastatin related 7) is a MLKL downstream target for the mediation of Ca(2+) influx and TNF-induced necroptosis. Hence, our study reveals a crucial mechanism of MLKL-mediated TNF-induced necroptosis.
Enhanced accumulation of long-circulating liposomes modified with the nucleosome-specific monoclonal antibody 2C5 in various tumours in mice: gamma-imaging studies.

Purpose To further improve tumour targeting and delivery of imaging agents by long-circulating liposomes via the coupling of the anti-cancer monoclonal antibody 2C5 with nucleosome-restricted activity, which can recognize the surface of various tumours but not normal cells and can specifically target pharmaceutical carriers to tumour cells in vitro and in vivo.
On Race, Ethnicity, and Racism

This paper constitutes a reply to some concerns raised about my philosophical analyses of the concepts of race, ethnicity, and racism. My reply exposes some important misconceptions about my analyses and clarifies my views in order to move forward in the philosophical path that I have sought to articulate and for which I have argued.
High-resolution 3T MR neurography of the brachial plexus and its branches, with emphasis on 3D imaging

With advancement in 3D imaging, better fat-suppression techniques, and superior coil designs for MR imaging and the increasing availability and use of 3T magnets, the visualization of the complexity of the brachial plexus has become facile. The relevant imaging findings are described for normal and pathologic conditions of the brachial plexus. These radiologic findings are supported by clinical and/or EMG/surgical data, and corresponding high-resolution MR neurography images are illustrated. Because the brachial plexus can be affected by a plethora of pathologies, resulting in often serious and disabling complications, a better radiologic insight has great potential in aiding physicians in rendering superior services to patients.
A power efficient active integrated antenna

We have integrated a microwave oscillator with a zeroth-order resonance antenna to build an active oscillating antenna using the coplanar waveguide technology. In this design, the antenna is electrically small and the oscillator has an excellent phase noise performance of 92.5 dBc/Hz. Also, 16.11 dBm (40.83 mW) of effective isotropic radiated power is radiated with high direct current to radio frequency efficiency (27.2%), which is much higher than many other active oscillating antenna designs. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 55:1240–1243, 2013; View this article online at wileyonlinelibrary.com. DOI 10.1002/mop.27543
Cognitive–Behavioral Therapy for Physical and Emotional Disturbances in Adolescents with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: A Pilot Study

Objective To evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of an enhanced cognitive–behavioral therapy (CBT), Primary and Secondary Control Enhancement Training (PASCET-PI-2), for physical (obesity) and emotional (depression) disturbances in adolescents with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Method In an open trial, 12 adolescents with PCOS, obesity, and depression underwent eight weekly sessions and three family-based sessions of CBT enhanced by lifestyle goals (nutrition and exercise), physical illness narrative (meaning of having PCOS), and family psychoeducation (family functioning). Results Weight showed a significant decrease across the eight sessions from an average of 104kg (SD ¼26) to an average of 93kg (SD ¼18), t(11) ¼6.6, p<.05. Depressive symptoms on the Children’s Depression Inventory significantly decreased from a mean of 17 (SD ¼3) to a mean of 9.6 (SD ¼2), t(11) ¼16.8, p<.01. Conclusion A manual-based CBT approach to treat depression in adolescents with PCOS and obesity appears to be promising.
Constitutive expression of the SAP1 gene from willow (Salix discolor) causes early flowering in Arabidopsis thaliana

SAP1-1 and SAP1-2 were isolated from the male reproductive buds of willow (Salix discolor, clone S365). SAP1-1 differs from SAP1-2 based on a few nucleotide substitutions, but the sizes of their full-length cDNAs are identical. The deduced amino acid sequences of SAP1-1 and SAP1-2 were 98% similar and contain the same C-terminal amino acid motif “GYGA” like that of PTAP1-2 from Populus trichocarpa. The expression patterns of SAP1 in various parts of the male reproductive buds of S. discolor implicate this gene in the formation of the inflorescence meristems, bracts, and floral meristems. To characterize the functions of SAP1, we assessed Arabidopsis thaliana transformed with 35S∷SAP1-1. A total of 52 transgenic T1 lines were obtained, and a 3:1 segregation ratio was obtained in the T2 generation of each line. In the T3 generation, five homozygous transgenic lines were obtained, which were used for further analysis. Screening of transgenic lines was greatly facilitated by the detection of GFP expression starting with germinating seeds. Phenotypes of the homozygous transgenic lines included early flowering, conversion of inflorescence branches to solitary flowers, formation of terminal flowers, and formation of flowers with greater number of petals, stamens, and pistils. Northern analysis showed similar expression levels in all five lines. This study provides the first functional analysis of an APETALA1 (AP1)/SQUAMOSA (SQUA) homolog from a dioecious species and suggests that SAP1 is a homolog of the AP1/SQUA gene.
The Molecular Basis of Adaptive Evolution of Squirrelfish Rhodopsins

The wavelengths of maximal absorption (lambdamax) of the rhodopsins of nine squirrelfishes (N. sammara, N. argenteus, S. punctatissimum, S. microstoma, S. diadema, S. xantherythrum, S. spiniferum, N. aurolineatus, and S. tiere) and two soldierfishes (M. violacea and M. berndti) vary between 481 and 502 nm. Phylogenetic and mutagenesis analyses suggest that the common ancestor of these pigments had a lambdamax value of approximately 493 nm, and the contemporary lambdamax values were generated mostly by amino acid replacements E122M, F261Y, and A292S. The probability of observing all these amino acid replacements at specific branches of the phylogenetic tree is only 2.5 x 10(-9); it is highly unlikely that these changes have occurred by neutral evolution. Because of a close association between the lambdamax values of these pigments and the wavelengths of light available to the corresponding species, the excess number of amino acid changes at specific branches in the phylogenetic tree strongly suggests that the rhodopsins have undergone adaptive changes at various stages of the holocentrid evolution.
Implementation And Simulation Of Acquisition Consistency For Cache-based Multiprocessors

Cache-based shared memory multiprocessing o$ers a cost-eflective solution for most applications by reducing bus contention as well as memory access latency. However, incorporating private caches into shared memory multiprocessors leads to coherence problems. The frequency of the communication between processors may exceed the fundamental requirements of an algorithm due to the memory consistency model. This paper presents a new model of memory consistency called Acquisition Consistency (AC) to reduce the immoderate communication in a cache-based multiprocessor. Other cache consistency models are evaluated; the evaluation indicates that a system with our model has the greatest potential to eliminate the false-sharing. Under the scheme for AC, programmers are not required to explicitly correlate shared data with locks and do not have to insert additional synchronization into programs. Simulation resulis indicate that with little overhead, this scheme significantly reduces the miss rate and the traJgic amount in almost all applications.
Cocrystallization and miscibility studies of blends of ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene with conventional polyethylenes

Ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) was mechanically mixed with conventional polyethylenes (LLDPE, HDPE, and LLDPE) using an internal mixer. Rheological studies of these blends suggest that UHMWPE seems to be miscible with LLDPE, HDPE, and LDPE in the melt state. Yield characteristics are observed in all blend systems, particularly in high UHMWPE blend compositions. Differential scanning calorimetry and small-angle light scattering studies show that cocrystallization takes place in the blends of UHMWPE/LLDPE and UHMWPE/HDPE blends. However, separate crystals are formed in UHMWPE/LDPE. The formation of separate crystals may be attributed to long chain branching of conventional low-density polyethylene. Tensile properties of the former two blends vary almost linearly with blend compositions, while deviations are seen in the latter UHMWPE/LDPE blends.
Phylogeny and behaviour of the Gollumiellinae, a new subfamily of the ant-parasitic Eucharitidae (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea)

Gollumiellinae is proposed as a new subfamily for the Indo-Pacific genera Gollumiella Hedqvist and Anorasema Bouc˘ ek based on analyses of three ribosomal transcript gene regions (28S-D2 and -D3, and 18S-E23; 1262 aligned base pairs) sequenced for twenty-eight genera and fifty-four species of Euchariti- dae, and twelve genera and nineteen species of Pteromalidae (Pteromalinae) and Perilampidae (Chrysolampinae and Perilampinae). Gollumiella and Anorasema have been treated as either a monophyletic or paraphyletic group within the Eucharitini (Hymenoptera: Eucharitidae). The monophyly of the Eucharitidae and a sister-group relationship between Gollumiellinae and Oraseminae þ Eucharitinae are supported strongly in parsimony and Bayesian analyses. The molecular phylogeny contradicts previous morphological hypotheses, in which Gollumiella and Anorasema are within Eucharitini. The strength of the molecular hypothesis is explored through evaluations of data alignments that are eye optim- ized, CLUSTAL-X aligned, eye optimized but with gaps coded as a fifth base, and eye optimized and combined with morphological data. The oviposition behaviour and host associations of G. longipetiolata on tree ferns (Cyathea latebrosa, Cyathea- ceae), and the morphology of the planidium and pupa are newly described. Eggs are deposited vertically, with the base anchored into the leaf or petiolar surface. Unlike other Eucharitidae, the eggs are not stalked, but rather tipped with a secretion that may act as an attractant for their ant host, Paratrechina sp. (For- micidae: Formicinae). Various morphological character state optimizations and their implications for convergent morphology, behaviour and host associations are discussed. All results using gene regions treated separately or combined with the morphological data reach the same conclusion: Anorasema þ Gollumiella form the sister group of Oraseminae þ Eucharitinae, and thus deserve subfamily status. This suggests that very distinct traits such as the fusion of the pronotum and prepectus in adults and the fusion of the first two tergites of the planidia are convergent apomorphies. Molecular data, when strongly supported, can provide new information to unravel convergent from synapomorphic changes, resulting in more robust hypotheses of relationship.
Wars do end! Changing patterns of political violence in sub-Saharan Africa

Contrary to common assumption, major forms of large-scale organized political violence in sub-Saharan Africa are declining in frequency and intensity, and the region is not uniquely prone to the onset of warfare. African civil wars in the late 2000s were about half as common compared to the mid-1990s. The character of warfare has also changed. Contemporary wars are typically small-scale, fought on state peripheries and sometimes across multiple states, and involve factionalized insurgents who typically cannot hold significant territory or capture state capitals. Episodes of large-scale mass killing of civilians are also on the decline. That said, other forms of political violence that receive less attention in the academic literature are increasing or persistent. These include electoral violence and violence over access to livelihood resources, such as land and water. While primarily descriptive, the article posits that geo-political shifts since the end of the Cold War are a leading candidate to explain the changing frequency and character of warfare in sub-Saharan Africa.
Bounds for the variance of the graybill-deal estimator of the common mean of two normal distributions

In this note we derive sharp lower and upper bounds for the variance of the Graybill-Deal estimator of the common mean of two normal distributions with unknown variances when the sample sizes are not necessarily equal. We also derive similar bounds for the variance of the Brown-Cohen (1974) T a(1) class of unbiased es-timators to which the Graybill-Deal estimator belongs. Further, we illustrate the sharpness of the bounds by numerical computations in the case of the Graybill-Deal estimator.
Bored employees misbehaving: The relationship between boredom and counterproductive work behaviour

In this study, the relationships among boredom proneness, job boredom, and counterproductive work behaviour (CWB) were examined. Boredom proneness consists of several factors, which include external stimulation and internal stimulation. Given the strong relationships between both the external stimulation factor of boredom proneness (BP-ext) and anger as well as the strong relationship between trait anger and CWB, we hypothesized that examining BP-ext would help us to better understand why employees commit CWB. Five types of CWB have previously been described: abuse against others, production deviance, sabotage, withdrawal and theft. To those we added a sixth, horseplay. Using responses received from 211 participants who were recruited by email from throughout North America (112 of them matched with co-workers), we found support for our central premise. Indeed, both BP-ext and job boredom showed significant relationships with various types of CWB. The boredom proneness factor also moderated the relationshi...
The balancing act: Framing gendered parental identities at dinnertime

A framing analysis of family interaction during dinnertime demonstrates that the mother and father linguistically create gendered identities through the number and types of discursive positions they take up within the frames they create and maintain. The mother accomplishes numerous tasks and activities by taking up multiple discursive positions within several interactional frames, whereas the father takes up fewer positions within fewer frames. Furthermore, the positions they take up are gendered, reflecting a sex-based division of labor, even though both parents work full-time outside the home. Through these gendered patterns of participation, the parents create gendered parental identities and negotiate their parental authority with their daughter and with each other. The attention to speech acts, footings, positioning, and framing reveals the intricate and dynamic details of interaction. Furthermore, this discourse model captures and explicates the process through which individuals create gendered identities as they enact and constitute other social identities.
Characterization of three-dimensional open dielectric structures using the finite-difference time-domain method

Millimeter and submillimeter wave three-dimensional (3-D) open dielectric structures are characterized using the finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) technique. The use of FDTD method allows for the accurate characterization of these components in a very wide frequency range. The first structure characterized through FDTD for validation purposes is a mm-wave image guide coupler. The derived theoretical results for this structure are compared to experimental data and show good agreement. Following this validation, a sub-mm wave transition from a strip-ridge line to a layered ridge dielectric waveguide (LRDW) in open environment is analyzed, and the effects of parasitic radiation on electrical performance are studied. The transition is found to be very efficient over a wide sub-mm frequency band which makes it useful for a variety of applications. In addition to the transition, a sub-mm wave distributed directional coupler made of the LRDW is extensively studied using the FDTD method as an analysis tool. Furthermore, an iterative procedure based on the FDTD models is used to design a 3-dB coupler with a center frequency of 650 GHz and negligible radiation loss. This successful design shows that the FDTD technique can be used not only as an analysis method, but also as a design tool to provide designs which take into account all high frequency parasitic effects.
Liability Issues of Volunteer Driving Programs

There is a lack of transportation options suitable for seniors who can no longer drive, particularly for those too frail to use public transportation. The development and the operation of volunteer driving programs for seniors has been one approach to solve this problem. However, these programs encounter various operational challenges, including protecting the safety of riders and drivers, managing liability, and properly insuring the programs. On the basis of case study research, this paper proposes ideas for enhancing risk management by balancing the scales of liability, obtaining needed insurance, adopting suggested volunteer driver procedures, and using contracts, legislative remedies at the state and federal levels, and a charitable redress system.
Maternal methyl supplements increase offspring DNA methylation at Axin fused

Transient environmental exposures during mammalian development can permanently alter gene expression and metabolism by influencing the establishment of epigenetic gene regulatory mechanisms. The genomic characteristics that confer such epigenetic plasticity upon specific loci, however, have not been characterized. Methyl donor supplementation of female mice before and during pregnancy permanently increases DNA methylation at the viable yellow agouti (A(vy)) metastable epiallele in the offspring. The current study tested whether another murine metastable epiallele, axin fused (Axin(Fu)), similarly exhibits epigenetic plasticity to maternal diet. We found that methyl donor supplementation of female mice before and during pregnancy increased DNA methylation at Axin(Fu) and thereby reduced by half the incidence of tail kinking in Axin(Fu)/+ offspring. The hypermethylation was tail-specific, suggesting a mid-gestation effect. Our results indicate that stochastic establishment of epigenotype at metastable epialleles is, in general, labile to methyl donor nutrition, and such influences are not limited to early embryonic development.
Combining Si-photonics and optical PCB's

We have developed a low cost polymer waveguide technology for board level optical interconnects, and we are working on silicon photonics technology for intra-chip optical interconnects. To make these technologies compatible, adaptations will be needed.
Some properties of record values coming from the geometric distribution

The independence between spacings of record values and of individual record values is well known when the records come from a geometric distribution. Here we examine the form a function of two record values must have if we require independence from a lower record value. Also similar questions are examined in relation to conditional expectation and conditional variance.
Membrane and cortical abnormalities in post-ovulatory aged eggs: analysis of fertilizability and establishment of the membrane block to polyspermy

Fertilization at increased times after ovulation is associated with poor reproductive outcomes. This study examines the effects of post-ovulatory ageing on egg membrane function through analyses of mouse eggs collected at 13 and 22 h post-HCG ('young' and 'aged' eggs, respectively). Experiments in which fertilized zona pellucida-free young and aged eggs are challenged with additional sperm reveal that aged eggs are less able to establish a membrane block to prevent polyspermy, since sperm penetrate 24% of fertilized aged eggs but are unable to penetrate fertilized young eggs. This is not due to a failure of aged eggs to respond to fertilization, as the extent of sperm-induced cortical granule exocytosis is similar in aged and young eggs. Post-ovulatory ageing also affects egg membrane receptivity to sperm as a subset of zona pellucida-free aged eggs are slow to fertilize or resistant to fertilization. Sperm binding to young and aged eggs is similar, but aged eggs develop cytoskeletal abnormalities that may affect membrane/cortical function, such as the ability of the egg membrane to support sperm-egg fusion. These data demonstrate that the poor reproductive outcomes associated with post-ovulatory ageing could be a result of reduced fertilization, due to reduced egg membrane receptivity to sperm, or a result of increased incidence of polyspermy, due to the reduced ability to establish a membrane block to polyspermy. This analysis of egg membrane function deficiencies provides insights into post-ovulatory ageing and has implications for assisted reproductive technologies.
GER in Lung Transplantation

Abnormal gastroesophageal reflux (GER) is present in a substantial number of patients with advanced lung disease due to a variety of causes and is especially prevalent in patients with pulmonary fibrosis or bronchiectasis. GER and microaspiration of refluxed gastroduodenal secretions have been linked to posttransplant lung allograft complications especially bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome (BOS) in which obliterative bronchiolitis (OB) can lead to progressive allograft dysfunction and loss. A considerable body of literature has linked abnormal GER to BOS, and strategies to prevent reflux may lessen the risk for developing BOS as well as diminish the risk of progression when BOS associated with abnormal GER occurs and leads to allograft functional impairment. This chapter will discuss the potential role of abnormal GER and microaspiration in the development of posttransplant allograft dysfunction and examine potential strategies to manage transplant recipients with evidence of abnormal GER.
Ground Water Pumping from Shallow Axisymmetric Ponds

The hydraulic aspects of pumping from axisymmetric ponds, or large diameter wells, as a means of developing shallow, unconfined aquifers are investigated, and it is shown that pond storage allows groundwater pumping at higher rates during short time periods than would be possible for continuous pumping. A finite element model that considers the effects of pond storage, partial penetration, pond size, and pumping time on the pumping discharge from the pond is developed. Numerical results are presented in terms of generalized dimensionless variables, and are applied to a design problem of selecting the pond diameter, pumping rate, and pumping schedule for given aquifer properties.
Book Review of Brown's 'Religion, Law, and the Land: Native Americans and the Judicial Interpretation of Sacred Land'

Professor Wildenthal reviews Professor Brian Edward Brown's book, "Religion, Law, and the Land: Native Americans and the Judicial Interpretation of Sacred Land" (Greenwood, 1999). Brown's book discusses several court cases in which American Indian tribes have challenged government actions threatening lands held sacred according to Native American religious traditions, most notably Lyng v. Northwest Indian Cemetery Protective Association (1988), in which the Supreme Court rejected a challenge by northern California tribes to a proposed government logging road through mountainous national forest land held sacred by the tribes.The review praises the eloquence and insights of Brown's book, but suggests that it could have placed its discussion of the cases in better context by discussing more thoroughly other scholarly analyses of the issue. The review elaborates on several aspects of the prevailing judicial treatment of Indian sacred-site claims, and generally agrees with Brown that courts have often failed to appreciate the history and context of Indian religious freedom issues.
Computing with Harmonic Functions

This document is the manual for a free Mathematica package for computing with harmonic functions. This package allows the user to make calculations that would take a prohibitive amount of time if done without a computer. For example, the Poisson integral of any polynomial can be computed exactly. This software can find exact solutions to Dirichlet, Neumann, and biDirichlet problems in R^n with polynomial data on balls, ellipsoids, and annular regions. It can also find bases for spaces of spherical harmonics, compute projections onto the harmonic Bergman space, and perform other manipulations with harmonic functions.
Away Rotations and Matching in Integrated Plastic Surgery Residency: Applicant and Program Director Perspectives.

Background Although nearly all medical students pursuing integrated plastic surgery residency participate in elective rotations away from their home medical school, the value and costs of these "away" rotations have not been well studied. Methods The authors surveyed all integrated plastic surgery program directors and all applicants in the 2015 National Residency Matching Program. Results Forty-two program directors and 149 applicants (64 percent and 70 percent response rate, respectively) completed the survey. Applicants reported 13.7 weeks spent on plastic surgery rotations during medical school, including a mean of 9.2 weeks on away rotations. Average reported cost for away rotations was $3591 per applicant. Both applicants and program directors most commonly reported "making a good impression" (44.6 percent and 36.6 percent, respectively) or finding a "good-fit" program (27.7 percent and 48.8 percent, respectively) as the primary goal for away rotations. Almost all applicants (91.1 percent) believed an away rotation made them more competitive for matching to a program at which they rotated. Program directors ranked a strong away rotation performance as the most important residency selection criterion. Twenty-seven percent of postgraduate year-1 positions were filled by an away rotatorm and an additional 17 percent were filled by a home medical student. Conclusions Away rotations appear to be mutually beneficial for applicants and programs in helping to establish a good fit between students and training programs through an extended interaction with the students, residents, and faculty. In addition, making a good impression on a senior elective rotation (home or away) may improve an applicant's chance of matching to a residency program.
Poly (adnenosine diphosphoribose) synthase activity of isolated nuclei of normal and leukemic leukocytes.

SummaryPoly(adenosine diphosphori-bose) (ADPR) synthase activities of nuclei isolated from normal human and leukemic leukocytes were assayed by incubation with radioactive NAD+. The synthase activity of leukemic leukocyte nuclei was significantly higher than that of normal leukocyte nuclei. The average length of polymers formed by isolated leukemic nuclei under the prescribed experimental condition ranged from 3.1 to 5.3 ADPR residues per chain, while those produced by normal leukocytes nuclei was 1.7 and 2.6 residues per chain.Isolated leukemic and normal leukocyte nuclei were incubated with and without NAD+ and the ability to carry out DNA synthesis was measured. The endogenous DNA synthesis of NAD-treated and untreated nuclei was the same. This finding parallels the result obtained with Novikoff hepatoma cell nuclei and differs from the observation with rat liver or testis nuclei.The authors are grateful to Mrs. M. Elvira for the technical assistance. The study was supported in part by USPHS Grant P01 ...
Changes in macrophage function modulated by the lipid environment

Macrophages (Mφs) play a critical role in the defense against pathogens, orchestrating the inflammatory response during injury and maintaining tissue homeostasis. During these processes, macrophages encounter a variety of environmental conditions that are likely to change their gene expression pattern, which modulates their function. In this study, we found that murine Mφs displayed two different subpopulations characterized by differences in morphologies, expression of surface markers and phagocytic capacity under non-stimulated conditions. These two subpopulations could be recapitulated by changes in the culture conditions. Thus, Mφs grown in suspension in the presence of serum were highly phagocytic, whereas subtraction of serum resulted in rapid attachment and reduced phagocytic activity. The difference in phagocytosis between these subpopulations was correlated with the expression levels of FcγR. These two cell subpopulations also differed in their responses to LPS and the expression of surface markers, including CD14, CD86, scavenger receptor A1, TLR4 and low-density lipoprotein receptor. Moreover, we found that the lipid/cholesterol content in the culture medium mediated the differences between these two cell subpopulations. Thus, we described a mechanism that modulates Mφ function depending on the exposure to lipids within their surrounding microenvironment.
Military Advancement: The Visibility Theory of Promotion

This article examines the dynamics of military promotion and explores its consequences both for individual officers and for military organization. The central argument is that performance, while a necessary standard for acceptability into a rather large pool of officers from which the elite will emerge, is nonetheless a minor influence on promotion and becomes even less discriminating as an officer's career progresses, whereas visibility–the extent to which an individual has developed contacts with peers and superiors who can influence his movement in the organization–begins moderately and eventually becomes the dominant influence. To present this argument, the article first examines the prevailing concepts of performance and seniority and outlines an expanded model of the promotion process. The component variables of that model are applied to three separate military career levels–junior, middle-grade and senior officers–and are traced longitudinally through the entire officer career pattern. Finally, the impact of contextual factors on the model, particularly the differences between wartime and peacetime, is discussed and illustrated with data from general officer promotion in the army. The implications of this theory are significant for civil control of the military. Through the control of access to the elite nucleus represented by the promotion system, especially with the emphasis on visibility, the military is able to sustain a high degree of autonomy. By the time Congress or other civilian actors are able to exercise selection of the military elite, the promotion system has already preselected those individuals who most highly represent military values held by preceding leaders.
Calculi in a Meckel's diverticulum--a cause of chronic anemia.

The case of a 16-year-old boy referred with chronic anemia, the etiology of which was demonstrated to be a Meckel's diverticulum with chronic ulcerations secondary to radio-opaque calculi, is reported.
SU-F-J-168: Dosimetric Impact of MR Image Distortion in Treatment Planning

Purpose: To evaluate the dosimetric impact of MR image distortion in treatment planning. Methods: Based on the realistic MRI distortion measurement data from an integrated MRI-Linac system, we created a generalized distortion model and applied it to CT images to simulate distorted MRI images. Ten patients with IMRT plans generated in Pinnacle treatment planning system in 5 anatomical cancer sites (lung, prostate, spinal cord, liver, and pancreas) were retrospectively selected for the simulation. The distortion model was applied to the planning CT image and contours. A distorted plan was created in Pinnacle for each patient. The dose-volume-histogram (DVH) of targets and critical structures were compared between the original and distorted plans. For a fair comparison, the same field sizes and intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) parameters were used in generating the distorted plan. Results: The DVH of organs at risk (OARs) within a distance of 5cm to the imaging center did not show significant difference between the original and distorted plans. For certain OARs such as the spinal cord, the seminal vesicle (SV), and the larynx, with a distance greater than 5cm to the imaging center, larger deviations were observed between the distorted and original plans. The maximum mean dose difference was 1.92Gy (proximal SV, prescribed dose is 40Gy). Similar target coverage was observed between the distorted plans and the original plans for the 10 patients. One lung case had the maximum difference of the target mean dose between the original and distorted plans of 1.63Gy (prescribed dose is 72Gy). Conclusion: The MRI distortion did not lead to significant dosimetric difference compared to the original plans in most situations. However, OARs farther than 5cm from the imaging center showed larger dosimetric difference due to the distortion. Safety margin may need to account for the distortion in treatment planning. One of the authors receive cooperate funding from the Elekta.
Mechanisms of Ion Transport across Cell Membranes

Ion transport across the cell membrane is essential to maintain the composition of the intracellular milieu . This chapter provides an introduction to ion transport processes in the cell membrane. The cell membrane is a thin sheet containing lipids (phospholipid bilayer) and proteins, many of which span its thickness (integral membrane proteins). Certain ions can permeate the membrane via proteins, but because of their electrical charge do not permeate the bilayer. Active and passive transport are defined based on their respective energy sources and explained at the mechanistic level, and includes basic mathematical treatments. Ion transport proteins (pores, channels, carriers, and pumps) are treated from both structural and functional viewpoints, with some of them covered in more detail because of their importance in body fluid homeostasis and renal function. The chapter closes with a discussion of the similarities and differences between the various classes of membrane proteins.
Benzoxazine Chemistry in Solution and Melt

Publisher Summary Benzoxazine synthesis and its chemical reactions with specific interest in polymerizing them are reviewed in this chapter. The very rich molecular design flexibility offers tremendous opportunity to design benzoxazine resins that allows tailoring the polybenzoxazine properties. The complex reaction occurring during the synthesis of the monomers and polymerization makes studies of benzoxazine complex. Progress is made from a controlled, laboratory synthesis of benzoxazines in homogeneous solutions at modest to low concentrations to more high solid and/or melt systems that are much more efficient for scale-up synthesis. It explains that difunctional benzoxazines are also prepared from various combinations of difunctional primary amines and monofunctional phenols or difunctional phenols as well as polyhydric phenols with monofunctional primary amines. Recent reports for synthesizing linear polymers with benzoxazine structure in the main chain offer new opportunities in property tailoring, it is nonetheless the variation of this small molecular weight chemistry that was extended to difunctional phenolic and amine compounds. This chapter illustrates that polymers containing fluorinated aromatic systems often exhibit exceptional thermal stability. Decreased friction coefficient, refractive index, and dielectric constant are some of the well-known benefits of the fluorine introduction. It is difficult to introduce more than two halogen atoms into each aromatic ring in phenolic materials due to the restriction imposed by the traditional phenolic chemistry.
Expert Witness in Civil and Criminal Testimony

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on the role of expert witness in civil and criminal testimony. An expert witness is a witness who, by the virtue of skill, education, experience, or training, is held to have knowledge in a particular subject above that of the average layperson. Expert testimony and evidence have become a critical component of many civil and criminal cases, particularly in cases involving drug and alcohol addiction. The federal rule governing expert qualifications is Federal Evidence Rule 702, which provides that a witness may qualify as an expert by reason of knowledge, skill, experience, training, or education. During trial, testifying experts are examined directly by the attorney who employed them, as well as are crossexamined by the opposing counsel. During the direct examination period of the trial, the attorney asks nonleading questions, and attempts to establish the expert's credibility based on credentials, training, experience, style, and trustworthiness. The purpose of the crossexamination period, on the other hand, is to discredit adversary testimony and to attack collateral issues such as the expert's credentials and background. In cases involving drug and alcohol addiction, experts are relied upon for opinions on a person's mental capacity, a person's criminal intent, a healthcare provider's standard of care, a care provider's negligence, and the like. In criminal cases, forensic scientists and forensic psychologists are often used, and medical experts and damage experts are used in all cases of medical malpractice. The duty of such medical or damage expert is to provide precise and detailed information and testimony about whether the healthcare provider failed to provide the requisite standard of care.
Convergence of a Robbins-Monro Algorithm for Recursive Estimation with Non-Monotone Weights for a Function with a Restricted Domain and Multiple Zeros:

SummaryConvergence properties are established for the output of a deterministic Robbins- Monro recursion whose function can have singularities and multiple zeros. Our analysis is built largely on s...
A multi-agent based algorithm for mesh-structured shipboard power system reconfiguration

A shipboard power system (SPS) supplies energy to electrical loads on a ship. It is critical for the system to be reconfigurable for the purpose of survivability and reliability. In our earlier work an agent based de-centralized approach for a radial SPS reconfiguration is successfully developed. Each agent in this system only communicates with its immediate neighbors, which reduces the dependency on the system topology. However, when expanding the technique to a meshed structure in the SPS, this lead to the problem of redundant information accumulation among the agents, making the information flow in the system unstable. In this paper, the authors propose a spanning tree algorithm for an agent system, which breaks the mesh-structured system into a single tree-structured system. Then an algorithm for calculating the information flow among agents without redundant information accumulation is presented. Finally, the proposed methodology is illustrated by a test case on a simplified SPS
Association between down syndrome and in-hospital death among children undergoing surgery for congenital heart disease a us population-based study

Background— The prevalence of Down syndrome (DS)–affected births has increased during the past 30 years; moreover, children with DS have a higher incidence of congenital heart disease compared with their peers. Whether children with DS have better or worse outcomes after repair of congenital heart disease is unclear. We sought to identify differences in in-hospital mortality after cardiac surgery in pediatric patients with and without DS using a large national database. Methods and Results— Children aged <18 years who underwent surgical intervention for congenital heart disease were identified using the Kids’ Inpatient Database (2000, 2003, 2006, and 2009). Patients were stratified using the Risk Adjustment for Congenital Heart Surgery algorithm. A total of 4231 (8.2%) of the 51 309 patients studied had a diagnosis of DS. In-hospital death for patients with DS was significantly lower than that for patients without DS overall (1.9% versus 4.3%; P <0.05) as well as within risk categories 2 (1.0% versus 1.8%; P <0.05) and 3 (2.3% versus 5.1%; P <0.05). Multivariable logistic regression showed a lower odds of death among children with DS (odds ratio=0.60; 95% confidence interval, 0.47–0.76; P <0.05) after adjusting for Risk Adjustment for Congenital Heart Surgery risk category, premature birth, major noncardiac structural anomaly, and age. Conclusions— In this large national study, children with DS who underwent repair of congenital heart disease were more likely to survive to discharge than children without DS. Future work is needed to better understand the factors underlying these differences.
A 10-bit fast lock data recovery compensating pulse-width distortion for isolated data communications

This paper presents a fast lock data recovery, which can compensate pulse-width distortion of the data signal waveform caused by the optocoupler. The proposed technique exploits the nature that only the rising edges of the data have a fixed amount of time delay at the output of the optocoupler. This delay is cancelled out by a recursive digital calculation after the bit number estimation using the blind oversampling. An experimental prototype fabricated in an in-house 40-V 0.8-um SOI BCD automotive process compensates more than ±50% pulse-width distortion with only 10-bit training as a preamble pattern. It can be applied with an inaccurate CR oscillator with 0.17-UI (unit interval) peak-to-peak jitter and up to ±10% frequency offset between the transmitter and the receiver.
A Method for Avoiding the Curry Paradox

The Curry paradox1 may be formulated in the following way:2 Let ‘Y q ’ serve as an abbreviation for ‘\({}^\backprime \hat x\left[ {\left[ {x \in x} \right] \supset q} \right]^\prime .\) ’ Then, using the method of subordinate proofs, we have:
Zen, Mindfulness, and Cognitive-Behavior Therapy

In the chapter entitled “Zen, Mindfulness, and Cognitive-Behavior Therapy,” Holly Hazlett-Stevens will explore the common ground between key fundamental Buddhist teachings, mindfulness-based interventions informed by Buddhism, and Western CBT approaches. General Buddhist principles found throughout Buddhism’s different sects as well as specific ways of teaching these principles within the Zen tradition will be included. The term “mindfulness meditation” typically is associated with vipassana meditation methods from the Theravada tradition, and “mindfulness-based” secular interventions were largely based on this approach. However, mindfulness is considered essential to all forms of Buddhist meditation, including Zen. Each principle, beginning with mindfulness, will be described first from its Buddhist roots, followed by discussion of how this principle is presented in mindfulness-based clinical interventions and how it corresponds to CBT theory and procedures. Specific ways that cognitive-behavioral clinicians might integrate Buddhist and Zen principles, including mindfulness, into their CBT practice will be offered. Potential pitfalls that sometimes arise have been identified as well.
Thermal analysis of multi-layer functional 3D logic stacks

3D chip stacking technology has the potential to enable increased system performance through integration of heterogeneous system components, such as accelerators and high density memory, as well as through increased area for tightly integrated processor components in multi-core systems. This paper describes the design, measurements and a thermal modeling methodology used to achieve accurate 3D thermal model-to-hardware correlation for two and three layer 3D high-power “logic” stacks.